Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	jesus_n	sin_n	sinner_n	3,659	5	7.4408	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47599	The marrow of true justification, or, Justification without works containing the substance of two sermons lately preached on Rom. 4:5 ... : wherein the nature of justification is opened, as it hath been formerly asserted by all sound Protestants, and the present prevailing errors against the said doctrine detected / by Benjamin Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.	1692 (1692)	Wing K76; ESTC R18579	45,425	50

which the Apostle preaches you must come to Christ believe on Christ as Sinners as Ungodly ones and not as Righteous not as Saints and Holy persons The whole need not a Physician but they that are sick The Thief on the Cross as a Sinner cry'd out Lord remember me c. and the Jaylor as a Sinner cry'd out Sirs what must I do to be saved So much as to the Explanation of the Terms of the Text in which you have three parts 1. A Negative Proposition But to him that worketh not 2. An Affirmative Proposition But believeth on him that justifies the ungodly 3. The Conclusion from hence His faith is counted or imputed for Righteousness The Observations I shall take notice of from the Words shall be but two 1 Doct. That all Works done by the Creature are quite excluded in point of Justification of a Sinner in the sight of God 2. Doct. That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through the Imputation of the perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ by Faith I purpose to begin with the first of these Points of Doctrine and then come to speak to the second 1. But before I proceed I shall shew you divers false and erroneous Principles which Men have sucked in in and about the great Doctrine of Justification 2. I shall then prove the Point viz. That all Works done by the Creature are quite excluded in point of Justification of a Sinner in God's sight 1. I shall begin with the Papists who hold that Men are Justified by inherent Righteousness by Good Works and not by Faith only affirming Good Works to be meritorious or that Men thereby deserve Eternal Life nay ●hat a Man may perfectly fulfil the Law of God though he cannot live without Sin But to mend the matter Bellarmine's Argument is That Venial Sins of which he denies not that all are guilty yet they do not hinder a Man from ●eeping the Law perfectly The foolishness of which distinction is easily ●iscerned for if they be Sins which he calls Venial then they are the Transgression of the Law and he that transgresses the Law doth not keep it perfectly but contrariwise breaks it and so is accursed cast and condemned by 〈◊〉 But they affirm that a Man may not only by his Good Works merit for himself but also may do more than is commanded or may do Works of ●upererogation or do more than his Duty 2. The second sort I shall mention are the Socinians who deny the Deity of the Son of God and from hence deny also the Satisfaction of Christ because the latter depends upon the former It was from the dignity and excellency of Christ's Person he being God as well as Man that his Sacrifice ●ad such infinite value and worth in it that by one single payment as I may 〈◊〉 say he made such a full compensation to the Law and Justice of God But ●●ey erring in those two grand Points of Christian Religion run into the ●hird and deny the imputation of Christ's Personal righteousness to us in ●ustification And indeed it seems to me that this sort of Men assert that Justification of the Sinner is nothing more than God's pardoning him freely by ●is Mercy and that only as a simple act of his own Mercy and Grace without ●espect had to the Satisfaction made for our Sins by Jesus Christ by which act of God's pardoning Grace they affirm the guilt of Sin that binds the Sinner ●ver to punishment is taken off and so he is acquitted and delivered from Eternal Wrath but could this be admitted which they affirm why should God ●end his beloved Son into the World to be a Sacrifice for Sin For could not God without that Glorious Fruit of his infinite Goodness have pardoned and acquitted us and never have suffered his Son to have underwent such pain and ●orrow for us which indeed he did 3. Another sort there be which are those called Arminians of which ●here are many of late Times I find one of them does affirm That though the Works of the Law are excluded from justifying the Sinner in the sight of God yet Gospel Works are not So that they ●nclude Love to God Acts of Mercy and other Gospel Duties and Obedience in ●oint of Justification as well as Faith or joyn Good Works done under the Gospel and Faith together and this plainly appears by what Mr. William Allen hath wrote in his Book called A Glass of Justification See p. 18. These are his Words viz. It is no where neither in Words nor Sence said but he that ●oveth not but believeth on him that Justifieth 〈◊〉 Vngodly his Faith is counted to him for righteousness Sure this Man forgot that Love to God was one great thing the Law commanded Were not the Israelites or the People of the Jews under the Law to do all they did in Love to God Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy strength c. He proceeds to blame our Protestant Writers in asserting Justification by Faith alone without Works Brethren although we do not oppose Faith to Love as if Faith that is of the right Kind can be without Love to God yet we say 't is Faith and not Works not love nor Deeds of Mercy nor any other Gospel Duties or Obedience that is counted to us for righteousness And why to Faith only Because that Grace only carries us out of our selves to another for righteousness i. e. to Jesus Christ 4. The same sort affirm Faith doth Justifie the Sinner as far as I can gather as it is the act of the Creature God accepting of that internal act of the Soul according to his good pleasure to Justification not having respect so to the Object of Faith as that the matter thereof is Christ perfect righteousness and the form or formal Cause of it the Imputation thereof to such who believe in Jesus but that it hath pleased God to appoint or ordain Faith in respect of it self to that end and purpose namely to Justifie the Sinner Of this sort are the Dutch Arminians in pursuance of their main Doctrine of Free Will they exalt Man's Works and therefore affirm that he is Justified not by Christ's righteousness but by his own Faith God having required of him instead of full Obedience to the Law of Works that now he should believe on his Son and that for so doing he should be Justified and saved as he should have been before for perfect Obedience So that with this sort as one observes Faith is that righteousness for which we are Justified before God Moreover they tell us that Faith is a belief of the Truth of the Gospel so as to live according to it thus it includeth and not excludeth Works and that Faith and Works or Obedience to the Gospel is our righteousness for which we are Justified and saved At the same time you must remember that they do not

another This to the learned Greeks was a strange Doctrine But to say a Man is justified by sincere Obedience i. e. by believing the Truth of God's Word and living a godly Life suits well with Man's natural Wisdom and Reason But the Doctrine of Faith though it be not against humane Reason yet it is above it and wholly depends upon divine or supernatural Revelation through this Man is preached unto you remission of Sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things by which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13. 38 39. For as by one Man's Disobedience many were made Sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous Rom 5. 19. How dare any say our Works or sincere Obedience is our Righteousness sith the Apostle positively asserts We are made righteous by the Obedience of Jesus Christ If it be by his Obedience 't is not by our own For as Adam's Sin was imputed to his Seed to Condemnation so is the Obedience or Righteousness of Christ imputed to all those who believe in him to Justification Now the worst of Men that have any sense of Religion are prone to conclude the only way to obtain God's Favour and to be justified in his sight is to make the practice of Holiness and upright Walking a Condition nay the only way thereunto and that Happiness is to be by that means obtained Hence 't is when they meet with any awakening Convictions or Terror of Conscience they presently begin to think they must amend their Lives and perform Religious Duties Nay this way the Heathens were brought to their best Devotion as a learned Writer observes Mankind being made and born under a Covenant of Works are naturally led to work for Life or to do something to procure God's Acceptance and escape his Displeasure The very Light of natural Reason informs us that it is just with God to require us to perform Duties of sincere Obedience or Duties of natural or instituted Religion and if we fall in doing what our Consciences tells us we ought to do we presently through self-love and blind hope persuade our selves God being gracious will pardon us wherein we come short through Christ who died for Sinners And thus we may perceive that the Persuasion of Salvation and Justification by the Condition of sincere Obedience hath its Original from our corrupt natural Reason and is part of the Wisdom of the World but it is none of the Wisdom of God in a Mystery yea that hidden Wisdom God hath ordained before the World began to our Glory It is not of the things of the Spirit of God nor of the Mystery of Faith which the natural Man cannot receive but are Foolishness unto him This is not the foolishness of preaching whereby God is pleased to save them that believe 1 Cor. 2. 6 7 9 14. Certainly the Justification of a Sinner in the sight of God by Faith only or to believe on him that justifies the Ungodly is one of the chief Mysteries of the Gospel but if our Justification was by our own Obedience or by conforming our Lives to the Rules of the Gospel Justification and Salvation would cease from being any more a Mystery But to be justified by the Righteousness of another though Sinners in our selves and have done nothing to procure such Favour and Acceptance at God's hand can't enter into the heart of natural and self-deceived Mortals Sirs our Justification is a great Mystery as 't is an Act of God's Sovereign Grace and Wisdom Herein his Justice and Mercy equally shine forth and the one doth not eclipse the Glory of the other Sin is punished and the Sinner acquitted 6 Arg. If when we have done all we can do we are unprofitable Servants then by our best Works of Obedience and Services under the Gospel we cannot be justified But contrariwise all Works in that respect as done by us are excluded Luke 17. 10. He is no unprofitable Servant whose Works or sincere Obedience commends him to God in point of Justification no Man is able to come up fully to discharge his Duty If therefore sincere Obedience ●nstead of perfect God now requires of us in the case of Justification and we are able fully to discharge the Law of sincere Obedience which our new Doctors must say or they say nothing then it follows that all such Persons are not unprofitable Servants for they have done all that God requires of them Nor indeed can I see as a Divine observes if sincere Obedience be the Condition of Justification and Life how the Imperfections of the Godly should be any Sins against the Gospel Where there is no Law there is no Transgression For this New Law i. e. the Gospel requires no more than sincere and upright Obedience say they though the Law did and the Gospel also promises Life in like manner to sincere Obedience as the Law did to perfect and compleat Obedience they may be Imperfections saith he in Nature but not proper Sins Praeter non contra Legem as the Papists say If they say that more than sincere Obedience is required of us but not as a Condition of Life I ask by what Law The Covenant of Works required nothing but as the Condition of Life no more doth the Gospel if it be a Law of Life After such a manner our Saviour doubtless by his Expressions shews us that all we do avails us nothing in point of Desert though never so sincerely performed and therefore far from justifying us in God's sight but that all we have is of God's Free Grace 7 Arg. Because we are said to be justified by the Righteousness of God Hence it follows that all our own Works of Obedience are excluded Rom. 3. 21 22. 'T is called the Righteousness of God in opposition to the Righteousness of the Creature not the Essential Righteousness of God but the Righteousness of Christ the Mediator who is God as well as Man and that Righteousness God in his infinite Wisdom hath found out to discharge us guilty and condemn'd Sinners and to justifie us in his sight Hence St. Paul renounced all his own Righteousness that he might be found in the Righteousness of God which is by Faith in Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 8 9 10. Obj. But say some Paul speaks only of that Righteousness which he had whilst a Pharisee or of the Righteousness of the Law He intends not saith Mr. Williams p. 204 205. Gospel-sincerity but those Jewish thing or what they boasted of And again he saith It was not Gospel-holiness which he counted dung or loss Answ 'T is strange this Man should adventure to give such a sence of this Text when at the same time he would ●ain have his Reader believe he owns the imputed Righteousness of Christ for our Justification p. 202. 'T is evident he does deny that the Righteousness of Christ alone is imputed to us for Justification as being the only Matter

Righteousness I have he speaks in the present Tense but as dung that is in comparison of that Righteousness which doth and must justifie him in God's sight in which he would be found now and at Death and Judgment Compare this Text with that in Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness that we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us Obj. But perhaps some will object that the Apostle in all these places only excludes the works of the Law Answ 'T is evident he excludes all Works done by the Creature either before Grace or after Grace as well Works of Obedience to the Gospel as to the Law Pray observe not by works of righteousness that we have done We that are Saints we who profess the Gospel nay such Works which God hath prepared or ordained that we should walk in them Eph. 2. 9 10. Good Works done by Saints and godly Persons cannot justifie them in God's sight Were not the Galatians Christians and Professors of the Gospel who held without Faith in Christ no doubt that they could not be justified But yet were so far fallen from the true Faith as to look to be justified also by the Law or by their Obedience to it or by an inherent Righteousness which the Apostle 〈◊〉 opposed Works are indifferently mentioned as being excluded He that is said to be justified by faith is said not to work but to have a Righteousness imputed therefore all works are excluded in this respect 2. If all Works were not excluded then there would still be the same cause or reason to glory or to boast be they either Legal or Gospel work● but since all boasting is excluded all Works are excluded It signifies nothing what Works they are if the reason of their Exclusion be but considered which is to take away all manner of boasting and to abase the Creature and wholly to magnifie God and exalt Free Grace 3. Moreover the like Debt would be due to us For to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt What though some of my Works doth not make God a Debtor to me Yet if any Works in this case are not excluded God would still become a Debtor to me which is inconsistent with the Doctrine of Free Grace 4. If Works going before Justification are excluded from being any cause thereof then much more those Works that follow Justification for Causes as one well observes do not use to follow after but go before their Effects at least in order of Nature 5. If Works justifie they must of necessity be good Works but Works done before Faith or without Faith are not good Works for whatsoever is not done of Faith is Sin and are dead Works Neither can the Fruit be good as our Saviour saith while the Tree is bad Every evil Tree bringeth forth evil fruit But every Man before he is justified is like an evil Tree and therefore can bring forth no good Fruit no good Works wherefore all Works 't is evident before Faith and Justification are utterly excluded 6. Furthermore the Apostle speaketh of all Men whether converted or unconverted that 't is not of Works or Works done by them or either of them that they are justified or saved but by grace we are justified by grace and not by Works all Works are opposed by the Apostle to Grace therefore all Works are excluded From hence take this Argument That Doctrine that gives the Holy Scripture the Lie is false and to be rejected But the Doctrine that mixes any Works of Righteousness done by the Creature with Faith or the Free Grace of God in point of Justification gives the Scripture the Lie therefore that Doctrine is false and to be rejected 2 Arg. That all Works done by the Creature are utterly excluded in point of Justification appears from the different Nature of Works and Grace 't is positively said we are justified by Grace Now Grace and Works let Works be of what sort they will are directly contrary the one to the other See Rom. 11. 6. And if it be of Grace then it is not of Works otherwise Grace is no more Grace but if it be of Works then it is no more of Grace otherwise work is no more work There is no mixing Works and Free Grace together but one of these doth and will destroy the Nature of the other and as it holds true in Election so in Justification If Justification was partly of Grace and partly by Works done by the Creature or from foreseen Holiness and sincere Obedience done by us then Grace is no more Grace or Works no more Works For whatsoever proceeds of Grace as our Annotators observe that cometh freely and is not of Debt But whatsoever cometh by Works that cometh by Debt but now Debt and Free Grace or that which is free and absolutely by Grace and that which is by Desert are quite contrary things therefore to say Men are called and justified partly by Grace and partly by Works done by the Creature this were to put such things together as cannot agree for 't is to make Merit no Merit Debt no Debt Work no Work Grace no Grace and so to affirm and deny one and the same thing From hence take this Argument That which is of the Free Grace of God is not by any Works done by the Creature But Justification is of the Free Grace of God therefore not by any Works done by the Creature That being justified by his Grace we should be made Heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life Tit. 3. 5. From hence rises all the hopes we have of Salvation 't is by or according to the Free Grace of God through the Merits of Jesus Christ alone 3 Arg. My third Argument to prove all Works done by the Creature are excluded in Justification is this viz. Faith is the way prescribed in the Gospel in order to Justification not Love not Charity not Works of Mercy but Faith Now why is Faith rather than any Grace mentioned as the way to be justified is it not from the Nature of this Grace In respect of the Object it flies unto or takes hold of Faith contrary to any other Grace of the Spirit carries the Soul out of himself to Christ like as those who were stung with the fiery Serpents in the Wilderness were healed by looking up to the Brazen Serpent So by fixing our Eye upon Christ looking by Faith upon Christ we come to be healed and justified Moreover pray wherein doth the Terms of the Gospel differ from the Terms of the Law Do this and live or The Man that doth these things shall live in them Gal. 3. 12. Lev. 18. 5. These are the Terms of the Law Thus runs the Tenour of the Law But the Terms of the Gospel are quite different Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved Acts 16. 31. This was the Doctrine Paul preached to the poor trembling Jailor which agrees with what the