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B20887
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Two sermons one on the subject of justification, the other on the imputed righteousness imputation of faith to righteousness, by which we are justified : preached occaisionally at the Merchants-Lecture in Pin-makers-Hall in Broad-street : and printed by their desire / by Walter Cross ...
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Cross, Walter, M.A.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing C7266
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44,724
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48
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forgiven thee Having removed these Limitations with the grounds of them I shall establish the Doctrine more positively And 1. By Testimony Sclater on this Verse reconciles it with Prov. 17.15 where it 's said He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord It were an abomination to justifie a wicked Man without a satisfaction but not where a satisfaction to the Government is given which is the Case of the ungodly Man in the Text. Who 's justified thro' the righteousness of Christ and this he quotes out of Pareus on the place Wilson another English Commentator with great plainness gives it thus At their justification he findeth them ungodly and maketh them godly and he doth it both by taking away the guilt and filth of their sin The Righteousness of Christ is reckoned the Righteousness of that Person who doth by Faith embrace him Pitcairn says Ungodly here is taken in the same sense as when God raiseth the dead and calls that which is not to be it being the term of alienation from which they are remov'd from whence he bids farewell to all antecedent Causes which some call inferiour others in some manner or measure others administrating others sine quo non others Causes of possession tho' not of right for all Holiness comes in as a way to the Kingdom not as Causes of Rule Diest thus Justifying Grace finds him so in himself but leaves him not so For whom he justifies them he sanctifies God Justifies us not as Holy in our selves but as wanting righteousness he imputes a righteousness to us The Anger of Abraham Gen. 15. for want of Children wanted a Pardon even then before this declaration about him that his Faith was imputed to him for righteousness Theodore Szuingerus whom Hottinger commends and notwithout reason as the best Commentator on this Epistle compares the Text with 1 Kings 8.2 condemning the wicked to bring his way on his Head and justifying the righteous to give him according to his righteousness and solves the difficulty these two ways 1. That the one is a Justification of a man's Cause and the other a Justification of his Person which is that in the Text. 2. This Justification of the Ungodly is not against a Law but according to a Law not without a righteousness but without his own only Besides says he Tho' it finds him ungodly it leaves him not in his ungodliness Bucer thus If God should not justifie the Wicked none should be justified for the Lord find us all wicked before we are justified Greneus Tho' Man may not justifie the ungodly God may who has Power to forgive above Law Pareus Tho' they are justified who are wicked in themselves yet not without Cause and against Rule since there is a satisfaction in Christ Marlorat's Ecclesiastick Exposition is thus The first Blessing of Salvation is Pardon and our Pardon being a Justification it must be a justification of the Ungodly What can they say to this that are Slaves to their Belly and yet brag of their Works are they better than Abraham who left his Countrey redeem'd his Brother and offered his Son and Hop'd in his God against all Hope but God in justifying leaves us not ungodly Such therefore ought rather to fear they are not justify'd because they want the fruits of Justification than brag they have the Causes of it in themselves Calvin thus It 's observable the Discourse is not about the way of living but about the Causes of Salvation He argues from contraries and as Bucer says not from words but sentences This Sentence is full of Energy Believeth on him that justifies the ungodly wherein both the Nature of Faith and Righteousness are contain'd In short no body can come to the Righteousness of Faith but who is in himself Ungodly for Faith adorns us with anothers Righteousness which it beggs of God hence God is said to justifie when he freely forgives and vouchsafes to love them with whom he may be justly angry Ver. 6. without Works they meerly cavil who think all Works are not excluded for he says not Works of the Law but simply and without restriction Works of all kinds Beda venerabilis Anno 700. says on this Text What can he be but ungodly until he be justified by Grace for what Grace gives it gives freely I dare not determine which of the two is the greater work to make a just man or to justifie an ungodly man both require equal power but the latter greater grace or mercy Boast not of thy works before faith for faith found thee a sinner Man works not righteousness until he be justified and that begins with Faith Tho. Aquinas 1260. on this Text To believe is the first act of Righteousness which God works in us by this man doth not merit righteousness but subject himself to God's justification and so thereby receives its effect This says he the Apostle proves 1. From David's sense v. 6. He is a blessed man to whom God gives a righteousness without forgoing works 2. From David's words proving he had no righteousness for he needed for Orignal Actual and Venial sin for the guilt of the Offence Fact and Penalty of sin Ambranat a late Papist 1665. Paris The Apostle before acted an Orator by interrogations and frequent Questions but now a Philosopher with clouds of Arguments before he oppos'd Gift and Works now he opposes a Believer and Worker a believer in him that endues the ungodly with his own righteousness Patiatur ergo si non operatur when he is not a doer he is made a receiver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Erasmus says Ungodly here comprehends all kind of Unrighteousness there is no kind that is excepted But there is no end of humane testimonies for within my Cognizance I can reckon an hundred Interpreters of this Epistle I shall add two more of greatest Authority in England 1. The Westminster Assembly I shall not quote the Annotations bearing their Name but as I am inform'd on far less ground than Anthony Burgess his book of Justification which was examin'd and approv'd by them one of his Titles is That gracious works are not so much as the condition or cause sine qua non of justification and on this Text p. 288. God doth account him as righteous though a sinner in himself p. 290. While looking into our selves we see nothing but matter of death and condemnation and he has another Sermon to prove that the Act of Faith is not imputed to justification which the Assemblies Catachism expresly mentions A Second Authority is the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England But Dr. Wallis has done that in a Sermon ex preposito I shall conclude with these two noted Fathers Ambrose and Augustine the former defines a worker to be not a transgressor of the Law and a Non-worker a Transgressor the latter in his Propositions on this Epistle Tom. 4. p. 1193. Qui justificat
are more likely sences when David said Blessed is he whose sin is forgiven to mean blessed is he who has an interest in Christ and his satisfaction than to mean blessed is he who repents Nay the Prophet adds that as another thing Blessed is he in whose spirit there is no guile i. e. Blessed is the pardon'd man and the sincere man 3ly He is ungodly when forgiven therefore his righteousness is not the condition of it 4ly C. 3. v. 25. To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past why should we think the Terms connexed other than what before he unites as cause and effect this is to unite what the Apostle separates our Works and Justification and separate what he unites Christ righteousness and remission 2. It is not supposable to think that Christ's righteousness or satisfaction should be no where mention'd in this dispute about the causes of Justification when it s confest that that is the grand and only meriting cause It is strange that he should dispute about the cause of pardon and yet never mention the true cause but instead of it always a little petty requisite without any causality at all and the more strange that he should so frequently mention that cause under the name of Christ's blood and his being deliver'd for our offences the matter of his righteousness in the context and seldom ever the effect without it but when he calls it by the name of righteousness the proper name by which it saves us for his blood saves us as it is a righteousness a conformity to the law of Redemption that wherein the Law obtain'd its end then it should not be esteem'd his but our own 3. We may learn whose righteousness it is that is mention'd in the dispute by what was propos'd in the These or Doctrine to be disputed which he proposes both negatively and affirmatively viz. Justified not by our righteousness or works but God's we are justified by Gods righteousness this he proposes Rom. 1.17 as the grand end of the Gospel Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith surely God's Righteousness and Faith by which it s receiv'd are distinct things from thence to v. 21. c. 3. he proves that all our own righteousness is entirely rejected from any interest in this affair and again v. 21. proposes thus the righteousness of God to be that which he now undertakes to prove to be the only righteousness we are justified by But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested and that by God he means Christ Rom. 10.3 4. may be easily learn'd from his words Vnto the righteousness of God for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness and that it is not call'd the righteousness of God because his gift we may learn from Rom. 1.8 Your faith is spoken of thoroughout the world Faith is a work this is the work of God to believe on his name and faith is a righteousness for there is a conformity to the Law in it but it is ours your faith faith differs from this righteousness as the act and object Righteousness of God reveal'd from faith to faith What unprejudic'd man would call that righteousness and faith the same faith differs from it as the effect from the cause 2 Pet. 1.1 Have obtain'd the like precious faith with us thorough the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who would wish for a plainer expression to prove that the gift of Faith is the fruit of Christ's merit and therefore this righteousness must be imputed to us before that gift be possess'd by us 4. The Epithets of this righteousness speaks it to be Christs Rom. 3.21 22 24. 1. It s the righteousness of God God was Author Owner Contriver Acter Giver Subject of this righteousness it deserves the name by way of Eminence who could contrive it but his Wisdom give it but his Grace bear it but his Patience work it but his Power possess it but his Fulness 2. Without the Law on two accounts both as to the person and as to the righteousness 1. The person Gal. 4. Was made under the law he came under it by his own voluntary choice not natural necessity as we are hence without the Law 2. The Righteousness was that no precept of the Law requir'd to dye or suffer that was none of its duties or righteousness it was its penalty in case of Unrighteousness 3. It s a righteousness now manifested faith and repentance has shin'd in the practice of the Patriarchs and Prophets ever since Adam Heb. 11. Abel Noah Enoch believ'd indeed Christ's was a new kind the World never saw before 4. It was witness'd by the Law and the Prophets if we take the Law for the books of Moses they bear witness to it Abraham believ'd and it was imputed to him for righteousness the bruising his heel Gen. 3. witnesses his suffering the principal matter of his righteousness If we take it for the Typical Law that witnessed to it for all the sacrifices were Types and Types are visible Prophecies and all the Language is the Messias was to suffer in the room of others to obey a Law for others and the Prophets witness Isa 45. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness Jer. 23.6 The Lord our righteousness Dan. 9. To bring in everlasting righteousness There are the Testimonies of three Prophets To him gave all the Prophets witness 5. It was a righteousness convey'd thorough faith put on them that believe v. 22. which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe 6. A righteousness that consist in a conformity to a Law which to us is a Law of Faith not Works We are bound to believe his Obedience to all the Law in the Covenant of Redemption but not to work one bit of it Hence we being justified by that righteousness our boasting is excluded v. 27. 7. A faith that consists in shedding of blood in suffering v. 25. These two are to the same effect Thorough faith in his blood and righteousness by faith 8. A righteousness whose fruit is remission of sin v. 24. To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are pass'd the same Coherence that is in the Text between imputation of righteousness and pardon 9 Rom. 9.4 A righteousness wherein the Law attain'd its full end the Subject Life and Happiness and the Law-giver honour and glory 10. A righteousness the gift whereof glorifies grace to the uttermost the righteousness of an Angel is not such a gift as this is 5. It s a righteousness that is made ours As Adam's first offence or unrighteousness was made ours that never inher'd in us but death came on us by it then it has some relation to us and we to it this is at large in C. 5. where the Author of this righteousness is plainly call'd the second Adam and if that be not plain enough v. 21. he is call'd