in praier we must beleeue it shall be giuen vs as we aske it but in praier we are to aske the pardon of our owne sinnes and the merit of Christs righteousnes for our selues therefore we must beleeue the same particularly The proposition is a rule of Gods word requiring that in euery petition we bring a particular faith whereby we beleeue that the thing lawfully asked shall be giuen accordingly Mark 11. 24. The minor is also euident neither can it be denyed for we are taught by Christ himselfe to pray on this manner Forgiue vs our debts and to it we say Amen that is that our petitions shall without all doubt be graunted vnto vs. Aug. serm de Temp. 182. And here note that the Church of Rome in the doctrine of iustification by faith cuts off the principall part and propertie thereof For in iustifying faith two things are required first Knowledge reuealed in the word touching the meanes of saluation secondly an Applying of things knowne vnto our selues which some call affiance Nowe the first they acknowledge but the second which is the very substance and principall part thereof they denie III. Reason The iudgement of the auncient Church August I demand now doest thou beleeue in Christ O sinner Thou saist I beleeue What beleevest thou that all THY SINNES may freely be pardoned by him THOV HAST THAT VVHICH THOV HAST BEELEEVED Bern. The Apostle thinketh that a man is iustified freely by faith If thou beleeuest that thy sinnes cannot be remitted but by him alone against whome they were committed but goe further and beleeue this too that by him THY SINNES ARE FORGIVEN THEâ— This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost giueth in the heart saying thy sinnes are forgiueÌ„ thee Cyprian God promiseth thee immortalitie vvhen thou goest out of this vvorld and DOEST THOV DOVBT This is indeede not to knowe God and this is for a member of the church in the house of faith not to haue faith If we beleeue in Christ let vs beleeue his wordes promises and we shall neuer die and shall come to Christ with IOYFVL SECVRITIE with him to raigne for euer The II. difference touching faith in the act of iustification is this The Papist saith we are iustified by faith because it disposeth a sinner to his iustification after this maner By faith saith he the minde of man is inlightened in the knowledge of the law and gospell knowledge stirres vp a feare of hel with a consideration of the promise of happines as also the loue and feare of God and hope of life eternall Now when the heart is thus prepared God infuseth the habite of charitie and other vertues whereby a sinner is iustified before God We say otherwise that faith iustifieth because it is a supernaturall Instrument created by God in the heart of man at his conuersion whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification In this their doctrine is a twofold error I. that they make faith which iustifieth to goe before iustification it selfe both for order of nature as also for time whereas by the word of God at the very instant when any man beleeueth first he is then iustified and sanctified For he that beleeueth eateth and drinketh the body and blood of Christ and is alreadie passed from death to life Iohn 6. 54. The second is that faith beeing nothing else with them but an illumination of the minde stirreth vp the will which beeing mooued and helped causeth in the heart many spirituall motions and thereby disposeth man to his future iustification But this indeed is as much as if we should say that dead men onely helped can prepare themselues to their future resurrection For we are all by nature dead in sinne and therefore must not onely be inlightened in minde but also renewed in will before we can so much as will or desire that which is good Now we as I haue said teach otherwise that faith iustifieth as it is an instrument to apprehend apply Christ with his obedience which is the matter of our iustification This is the truth I prooue it thus In the Couenant of grace two things must be considered the substance thereof the condition The substance of the couenant is that righteousnes and life euerlasting is giuen to Gods Church and people by Christ. The condition is that we for our parts are by faith to receiue the foresaid benefits and this conditioÌ„ is by grace as well as the substance Now theÌ„ that we may attaine to saluation by Christ he must be giuen vnto vs really as he is propounded in the tenour of the foresaid couenant And for the giuing of Christ God hath appointed speciall ordinances as the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments The word preached is the power of God to saluatioÌ„ to euery one that beleeues and the end of the sacraments is to communicate Christ with all his benefites to them that come to be partakers thereof as is most plainely to be seene in the supper of the Lord in which the giuing of bread and wine to the seuerall communicantes is a pledge and signe of Gods particular giuing of Christs bodie and blood with all his merits vnto them And this giuing on Gods part cannot be effectuall without receiuing on our parts and therefore faith must needes be an instrument or hand to receiue that which God giueth that we may finde comfort by this giuing The III. difference concerning faith is this the Papist saith that a man is iustified by faith yet not by faith alone but also by other vertues as hope loue the feare of God c. The reasons which are brought to maintaine their opinion are of no moment I. Reason Luk. 7. 47. Many sinnes are forgiueÌ„her BECASE shee loued much WheÌ„ce they gather that the woman here spoken of was iustified and had the pardon of sinnes by loue Ans. In this text loue is not made an impulsiue cause to mooue God to pardon her sinnes but onely a signe to shew and manifest that God had already pardoned them Like to this is the place of Iohn who saith 1. Ioh. 3. 14. We are translated from death to life BECAVSE we loue the brethren where loue is no cause of the change but a signe and consequent thereof II. Reason Gal. 5. 6. Neither circumcision nor vncircumcision auaileth any thing but FAITH THAT VVOEKâ—TH BY LOVE Hence they gather that faith doth instifie together with loue Ans. The propertie of true faith is to apprehend and receiue something vnto it selfe and loue that goes alwaies with faith as a fruite and an vnseperable companion thereof is of another nature For it doth not receiue in but as it were giue out it selfe in all the duties of the first and second table towards God and man and this thing faith by it selfe cannot doe therefore Paul saith that faith worketh by loue The hand hath a propertie to reach out it selfe to
lay hold of any thing and to receiue a gift but the hande hath no propertie to cut a peice of wood of it selfe without saw or knife or some like instrument and yet by helpe of them it can either deuide or cut Euen so it is the nature of faith to goe out of it selfe and to receiue Christ into the heart as for the duties of the first and second table faith cannot of it selfe bring them forth no more then the hand can deuide or cut yet ioyne loue to faith and then can it practise duties commanded concerning God and man And this I take to be the meaning of this text which speaketh not of iustification by faith but onely of the practise of common duties which faith putteth in execution by the helpe of loue III. Reason Faith is neuer alone therefore it doth not instifie alone Ans. The reason is nought and they might as well dispute thus The eye is neuer alone from the head and therefore it seeth not alone which is absurd And though in regard of substance the eye be neuer alone yet in regard of seeing it is alone so though faith subsist not without loue and hope and other graces of God yet in regard of the act of iustification it is aloue without them all IV. Reason If faith alone doe iustifie then we are saued by faith alone but we are not saued by faith alone and therefore not iustified by faith alone Ans. The proposition is false for more things are requisite to the maine ende then to the subordinate meanes And the assumption is false for we are saued by faith alone if we speake of faith as it is an Instrument apprehending Christ for our saluation V. Reason We are saued by hope therefore not by faith alone Ans. We are saued by hope not because it is any cause of our saluation Pauls meaning is onely this that we haue not saluation as yet in possession but waite patiently for it in time to come to be possessed of vs expecting the time of our full deliuerance that is all that can iustly be gathered hence Nowe the doctrine which we teach on the contrarie is That a sinner is iustified before God by faith yea BY FAITH ALONE The meaning is that nothing within man and nothing that man can doe either by nature or by grace concurreth to the act of iustification before God as any cause thereof either efficient materiall formall or finall but faith alone All other gifts graces as hope loue the feare of God are necessarie to saluation as signes thereof consequēts of faith Nothing in mā concurrs as any cause to this worke but by faith alone And faith it selfe is no principall but only an instrumentall cause by we receiue apprehend and apply Christ and his righteousnes for our iustification Reason I. Iohn 3. 14. 15. As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life In these wordes Christ makes a comparison on this manner when any one of the Israelites were stung to death by fiery serpents his cure was not by any phisicke surgery but onely by the casting of his eye vp to the brasen serpent which Moses haderected by Gods commandement euen so in the cure of our soules when we are stung to death by sinne there is nothing required within vs for our recouery but onely that we cast vp and fixe the eye of our faith on Christ and his righteousnes Reason II. The Exclusiue formes of speach vsed in scripture proue thus much We are iustified freely not of the lawe not by the lawe wiihout the lawe without workes not of workes not according to workes not of vs not by the workes of the lawe but by faith Gal 2. 16. Alboasting excluded onely beleeue Luc. 8. 50. These distinctions wherby works and the law are excluded in the worke of iustification doe include thus much that faith alone doth iustifie Reason III. Very reason may teach thus much for no gift in man is apt and fit as a spirituall hand to receiue and applie Christ and his righteousnes vnto a sinner but faith Indeede loue hope the feare of God and repentance haue their seueral vses in men but none serue for this ende to apprehende Christ and his merits none of them all haue this receiuing propertie and therefore there is nothing in man that iustifieth as a cause but faith alone Reason IV. The iudgement of the auncient Church Ambr. on Rom. 4. They are blessed to whome VVITHOVT ANY LABOVR OR VVORKE DONE iniquities are remitted and sinne couered NO VVORKES OF REPENTANCE required of them but ONELY THAT THEY BELEEVE cap. 3. Neither working any thing nor requiting the like are they iustified by FAITH ALONE through the gift of God And 1. Cor. 1. This is appointed of god that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shalbe saued without any worke BY FAITH ALONE freely receiuing remission of sinnes Augustine There is ONE propitiation for all sinnes to beleeue in Christ. Hesyc on Levit. lib. 1. c. 2. Grace vvhich is of mercy is APPREHENDED BY FAITH ALONE and not of workes Bern. Whosoeuer is pricked for his sinnes and thirsteth after righteousnes let him beleeue in thee who iustifieth the sinner and beeing iustified by FAITH ALONE he shall haue peace with God Chrysost. on Gal. 3. They said he which resteth on faith alone is cursed but Paul shevveth that he is blessed vvhich resteth ON FAITH ALONE Basil. de humil Let man acknovvledge himselfe to want true iustice and that he is iustified ONELY BY EAITH in Christ. Origen on c. 3. Rom. We thinke that a man is iustified by faith without the works of the law and he saith that iustification by faith alone sufficeth so as a man onely beleeuing may be iustified And Therefore it lieth vpon vs to search who was iustified by faith vvithout workes And for an example I thinke vpon the theefe who beeing crucified with Christ cried vnto him Lord remember me vvhen thou commest into thy kingdome and there is no other good worke of his mentioned in the Gospell but for this alone faith Iesus saith vnto him This night thou shalt be with me in Paradise III. Difference The third difference about iustification is concerning this point namely how farforth good works are required thereto The doctrine of the Church of Rome is that there be two kindes of iustification the first and the second as I haue saide The first is when one of an euill man is made a good man and in this workes are wholly excluded it beeing wholly of grace The second is when a man of a iust man is made more iust And this they will haue to proceed from works of grace for say they as a man when he is once borne can by eating and drinking make himselfe a bigger man though he could not at the first make himselfe a man euen so a sinner
it In the second conclusion touching saluation by Christ alone there is a manifest deceit because they craftely include and couch their own works vnder the name of Christ. For say they workes done by men regenerate are not their owne but Christs in them and as they are the workes of Christ they saue no otherwise But we for our partes looke to be saued onely by such workes as Christ himselfe did in his owne person and not by any worke at all done by him in vs. For all workes done are in the matter of iustification saluation opposed to the grace of Christ Rom. 11. 6. Election is of grace not of workes if it be of workes it is no more of grace Againe whereas they teach that we are â—aued by the workes of Christ which he worketh in vs and maketh vs to worke it is flatte against the word For Paul saith We are not saued by such works as God hath ordained that men regenerate should walke in Eph. 2. 10. And he saith further that he counted ALL THINGS euen after his conuersion losse vnto him that he might be founde in Christ not hauing his ovvne righteousnesse which is of the lawe Phil. 3. 8. Again Heb. 1. 3. Christ washed away our sinnes by himselfe which last wordes exclude the merit of all workes done by Christ within man Thus indeede the Papists ouerturne all that which in word they seeme to holde touching their iustification and saluation We confesse with them that good workes in vs are the workes of Christ yet are they not Christs alone but ours also in that they proceed from Christ by the minde and will of man as water from the fountaine by the channell And looke as the chanel defiled defiles the water that is without defilement in the fountaine euen so the minde and will of man defiled by the remnants of sinne defile the workes which as they come from Christ are vndefiled Hence it is that the workes of grace which we doe by Christ or Christ in vs are defectiue and must be seuered from Christ in the act of iustification or saluation The third conclusion is touching the imputation of Christs obedience which some of the most learned among them acknowledge and the difference betweene vs stands on this manner They hold that Christs obedience is imputed onely to make satisfaction for sinne and not to iustifie vs before God We hold beleeue that the obedieÌ„ce of Christ is imputed to vs euen for our righteousnes before God Paul saith 1. Cor. 1. 30. Christ is made vnto vs of God vvisedome RIGHTEOVSNES SANCTIFICATION and redemption Hence I reason thus If Christ be both our sanctification and our righteousnes then he is not onely vnto vs inherent righteousnes but also righteousnes imputed But he is not onely our sanctification which the Papists themselues expound of inherent or habituall righteousnes but also our righteousnes for thus by Paul are they distinguished Therefore he is vnto vs both inherent and imputed righteousnes And very reason teacheth thus much For in the end of the worlde at the barre of Gods iudgement we must bring some kinde of righteousnesse for our iustification that may stande in the rigour of the lawe according to which wee are to be iudged But our inherent righteousnesse is imperfect and stained with manifold defects and shall be as long as we liue in this world as experience tells vs and consequently it is not sutable to the iustice of the law and if we goe out of our selues we shall finde no righteousnesse seruing for our turnes either in men or Angels that may or can procure our absolution before God and acceptation to life euerlasting Wee must therefore haue recourse to the person of Christ and his obedience imputed vnto vs must serue not onely to be a satisfaction to God for all our sinnes but also for our perfect iustification in that God is content to accept of it for our righteousnesse as if it were inherent in vs or performed by vs. Touching the fourth conclusion they hold it the safest and surest course to put their trust and confidence in the mercie of God alone for their saluation yet they condescend that men may also put there confidence in the merit of their owne works and in the merits also of other men so it be in sobrietie But this doctrine quite marres the conclusion because by teaching that men are to put confidence in the creature they ouerturue all confidence in the Creatour For in the very first commandement we are taught to make choise of the true God for our God which thing we do wheÌ„ we giue to God our hearts and we giue our hearts to God when we put our whole confidence in him for the saluation of our soules Nowe then to put confidence in men or in workes is to make them our Gods The true and ancient forme of making confession was on this manner I beleeue in God the Father In Iesus Christ and In the holy Ghost without mentioÌ„ making of any confidence in works or creatures the ancieÌ„t Church neuer knew any such confession or confidence Cyprian saith He beleeueth not in god who putteth not affiance concerning his saluation in God alone And indeede the Papists them-selues when death comes forsake the confidence of their merits and flie to the meere mercie of God in Christ. And for a confirmation of this I alleadge the testimonie of one Vlinbergius of Colen who writeth thus There was a booke found in the vestrie of a certain parish of Colen writteÌ„ in the Dutch tongue in the yeare of our Lord 1475. which the Priests vsed in visiting of the sicke And in it these questions be found Dost thou beleeue that thâ—u canst not be saued but by the death of Christ The sicke person ansvvered Yea. Then it is said vnto him Goe too then while breath remaines in thee put thy confidence in this DEATH ALONE haue affiance in nothing else commit thy selfe vvholly to this death with it alone couer thy selfe dive thy selfe in euery part into this death in euery part pearse thy selfe with it infold thy selfe in this death And if the Lord wil iudge thee say Lord I put the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene me and thy iudgement and BY NO OTHER MEANES I contend with thee And if he shall say vnto thee that thou art a sinner say Lord the death of my Lord Iesus Christ I put betweene thee and my sinnes If he shall say vnto thee that thou hast deserued damnation say Lord I oppose the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betweene thee and my euill merits and I OFFER HIS MERIT FOR THE MERIT VVHICH I SHOVLD HAVE AND HAVE NOT. If he shall say that he is angrie vvith thee say Lord I oppose the death of our Lord Iesus Christ betvveene me and thine anger Here we see what Papists doe haue done in the time of death And that which they hold and practise
him to them he gaue power to be the sonnes of God namely to them that beleeue in his name In these wordes to beleeue in Christ and to receiue Christ are put for one and the same thing Now to receiue Christ is to apprehend and apply him with all his benefits vnto our selues as he is offered in the promises of the Gospell For in the sixt chapter following first of all he sets forth himselfe not onely as a Redeemer generally but also as the bread of life and the water of life secondly he sets forth his best hearers as eaters of his body and drinkers of his blood and thirdly he intends to prooue this conclusion that to eate his bodie and to drinke his blood and to beleeue in him are all one Now then if Christ be as foode and if to eate and drinke the body and blood of Christ be to beleeue in him then must there be a proportion betweene eating and beleeuing Looke then as there can be no eating without taking or receiuing of meate so no beleeuing in Christ without a spirituall receiuing and apprehending of him And as the bodie hath his hand mouth stomack whereby it taketh receiueth and digesteth meate for the nourishment of euery part so likewise in the soule there is a faith which is both hand mouth and stomacke to apprehend receiue and apply Christ and all his merits for the nourishment of the soule And Paul saith yet more plainely that through faith we receiue the promise of the spirit Nowe as the propertie of apprehending and applying of Christ belongeth to faith so it agreeth not to hope loue confidence of any other gift or grace of God But first by faith we must apprehend Christ and apply him to our selues before we can haue any hope or confidence in him And this applying seems not to be don by any affectiō of the wil but by a supernatural act of the mind which is to acknowledge set downe and beleeue that remission of sinnes and life euerlasting by the merit of Christ belong to vs particularly To this which I haue said agreeth Augustine Tract 25. on Ioh. why preparest thou teeth belly BELEEVE AND THOV HAST EATEN and Tract 50. How shall I reach my hand into heauen that I may hold him sitting there Send vp thy faith and thou laiest hold on him And Bernard saith homil in Cant. 76. Where he is thou canst not come now yet goe to followe him and seeke him beleeue and thou hast found him for TO BELEEVE IS TO FINDE Chrysost. on Mark Homil. 10. Let vs beleeue and we see Iesus present before vs. Ambr. on Luke lib. 6. cap. 8. By faith Christ is touched by faith Christ is seene Tertul. de resurrect carnis he must be chewed by vnderstanding and be digested by faith Reason II. Whatsoeuer the holy Ghost testifieth vnto vs that we may yea that we must certenly by faith beleeue but the holy Ghost doth particularly testifie vnto vs our adoption the remission of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules and therefore we may and must particularly and certenly by faith beleeue the same The first part of this reason is true and cannot be denyed of any The second part is prooued thus Saint Paul saith Rom. 8. 15. We haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare but the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba father adding further that the same spirit beareth witnes with our spirits that we are the children of God Where the Apostle maketh two witnesses of our adoption the spirit of God and our spirits that is the conscience sanctified by the holy Ghost The Papists to elude this reason alleadge that the spirit of God doth indeede witnes of our adoption by some comfortable feelings of Gods loue and fauour beeing such as are weake and oftentimes deceitfull But by their leaues the testimony of the Spirit is more then a bare sense or feeling of Gods grace for it is called the pledge and earnest of Gods spirit in our hearts 2. Cor. 1. 21. and therefore it is fit to take away all occasion of doubting of our saluation as in a bargaine the earnest is giuen betweene the parties to put all out of questistion Bernara saith that the testimony of the spirit is a most sure testimony Epist. 107. Reason III. That which we must pray for by Gods commandement that we must beleeue but euery man is to pray for the pardon of his owne sinnes and for life euerlasting of this there is no question therefore he is bound to beleeue the same The proposition is most of all doubtfull but it is proued thus In euery petition there must be two things a desire of the things we aske and a particular faith whereby we beleeue that the thing we aske shall be giuen vnto vs. So Christ saith Whatsoeuer ye desire when you pray beleeue that you shall haue it and it shall be giuen vnto you And Saint Iohn further noteth out this particular faith calling it our assurance that God will giue vnto vs. whatsoeuer vve aske according to his vvill And hence it is that in euery petition there must be two grounds a commandement to warrant vs in making a petition and a promise to assure vs of the accomplishment thereof And vpon both these followes necessarily an application of the things we aske to our selues Reason IIII. Whatsoeuer God commandeth in the Gospell that a man must and can performe but God in the Gospel commandeth vs to beleeue the pardon of our owne sinnes and life euerlasting and therefore we must beleeue thus much and may be assured thereof This proposition is plaine by the distinction of the commandements of the lawe and of the Gospel The commādements of the lawe shewe vs what we must doe but minister no power to performe the thing to be done but the doctrine commandements of the Gospel doe otherwise and therefore they are called spirit and life god with the commandement giuing grace that the thing prescribed may be don Now this is a commandement of the gospel to beleeue remission of sinnes for it was the substance of Christs ministerie repent and beleeue the Gospel And that is not generally to beleeue that Christ is a Sauiour and that the promises made in him are true for so the deuills beleeue with trembling but it is particularly to beleeue that Christ is my Sauiour and that the promises of saluation in Christ belong in speciall to me as Saint Iohn saith This is his commandement that we beleeue in the name of Iesus Christ now to beleeue in Christ is to put confidence in him which none can doe vnlesse he be first assured of his loue and fauour And therefore in as much as we are inioyned to put our confidence in Christ we are also inioyned to beleeue our reconciliation with him which standeth in the remission of our sinnes and our acceptation to life euerlasting Reason V. Whereas the Papists teach
blessed simply because he doth so but because he is in Christ by whome he doth so and his obedience to the lawe of God is a signe thereof III. Obiect When man confesseth his sinnes and humbleth himselfe by praier and fasting Gods wrath is pacified and staied therefore prayer and fasting are causes of iustification before God Ans. Indeede men that truely humble themselues by praier and fasting doe appease the wrath of God yet not properly by these actions but by their faith expressed and testified in them whereby they apprehend that which appeaseth Gods wrath euen the merits of Christ in whome the father is well pleased and for whose sake alone he is well pleased with vs. IV. Obiect Sundrie persons in Scripture are commended for perfection as Noe and Abraham Zacharie and Elizabeth and Christ biddeth vs all be perfect and where there is any perfection of workes there also workes may iustifie Ansvv. There be two kinds of perfection perfection in parts and perfection in degrees Perfection in part is when beeing regenerate and hauing the seedes of all necessarie vertues we endeauour accordingly to obey God not in some few but in al and euery part of the law as Iosias turned vnto God according to all the law of Moses Perfection in degrees is when a man keepeth euery commandement of God and that according to the rigour thereof in the very highest degree Nowe then wheras we are commanded to be perfected and haue examples of the same perfection in Scripture both commandements and examples must be vnderstood of perfection in parts and not of perfection in degrees which cannot be attained vnto in this life though we for our partes must daily striue to come as neare vnto it as possibly we can V. Obiect 2. Cor. 4. 17. Our moment any afflictions worke vnto vs a greater measure of glorie now if afflictions worke our saluation then workes also doe the same Ansvv. Afflictions worke saluation not as causes procuring it but as meanes directing vs therto And thus alwaies must we esteem of workes in the matter of our saluation as of a certen way or a marke therein directing vs to glory not causing and procuring it as Bernard saith they are VIAREGNI NON CAVSA regnandi The way to the kingdome not the cause of raigning there VI. Obiect Wee are iustified by the same thing whereby we are iudged but we are iudged by our good workes therefore iustified also Ans. The proposition is false for indgement is an act of God declaring a man to be iust that is already iust and iustification is an other distinct act of God wherby he maketh him to be iust that is by nature vniust And therefore in equitie the last iudgement is to proceed by workes because they are the fittest meanes to make triall of euery mans cause and serue fitly to declare whome God hath iustified in this life VII Obiect Wicked men are condemned for euill workes therefore righteous men are iustified by good workes Ans. The reason holdeth not for there is great difference betweene euill and good workes An euill worke is perfectly euill and so deserueth damnation but there is no good work of any man that is perfectly good and therefore cannot iustifie VIII Obiect To beleeue in Christ is a worke and by it we are iustified and if one worke doe iustifie why may we not be iustified by al the works of the law Ans. Faith must be considered two waies first as a worke quality or vertue secondly as an Instrument or an hand reaching out it selfe to receiue Christs merit And we are iustified by faith not as it is a worke vertue or qualitie but as it is an instrument to receiue and apply that thing whereby we are iustified And therefore it is a figuratiue speach to say We are iustified by faith Faith considered by it selfe maketh no man righteous neither doth the action of faith which is to apprehend iustifie but the obiect of faith which is Christs obedience apprehended These are the principall reasons commonly vsed which as we see are of no moment To conclude therefore we hold that works concurre to iustification and that we are iustified thereby as by signes and effects not as causes for both the beginning middle and accomplishment of our iustification is onely in Christ and herevpon Iohn saith If any man being alreadie iustified sinne vve haue an Aduocate with the father Iesus Christ and he is the propitiation for our sinnes And to make our good workes meanes or causes of our iustification is to make euery man a Sauiour to himselfe The U. point Of merits By merit we vnderstand any thing or any worke whereby Gods fauour and life euerlasting is procured and that for the dignitie and excellencie of the worke or thing done or a good worke done binding him that receiueth is to repay the like Our Consent Touching merits we consent in two conclusions with them The first conclusion that merits are so far forth necessarie that without them there can be no saluation The second that Christ our Mediatour Redeemer is the roote and fountaine of all merit The dissent or difference The popish Church placeth merits within man making two sorts thereof the merit of the person and the merite of the worke The merite of the person is a dignitie in the person whereby it is worthy of life euerlasting And this as they say is to be found in Infants dying after baptisme who though they want good workes yet are they not voide of this kinde of merite for which they receiue the kingdome of heauen The merit of the worke is a dignitie or excellencie in the worke whereby it is made fitte and inabled to deserue life euerlasting for the doer And workes as they teach are meritorious two waies first by couenant because God hath made a promise of reward vnto them secondly by their owne dignitie for Christ hath merited that our workes might merit And this is the substance of their doctrine From it we dissent in these points I. We renounce all personall merits that is all merits within the person of any meere mā II. And we renonuce al merit of works that is all merit of any worke done by any meere man whatsoeuer And the true merit whereby we looke to attaine the fauour of God life euerlasting is to be found in the persō of Christ alone who is the storehouse of all our merits whose prerogatiue it is to be the person alone in whō God is wel pleased Gods fauour is of infinite dignitie no creature is able to doe a worke that may countervayle the fauour of God saue Christ alone who by reason of the dignitie of his person beeing not a meere man but God-man or Man-God he can doe such workes as ate of endlesse dignitie euery way answerable to the fauour of God and therefore sufficient to merit the same for vs. And though a merit or meritorious worke agree onely to the person of Christ