iustification The first of these points hath two parts Doct. That Christ in loue iustifieth his people 1. That Christians are iustified by Christ Iesus alone 2. That it is from his meere loue * 1. Part of the Doct. proued That Iesus is the iustifier of the Church is as euident as can be as from hence where the Church calleth him Her bundle of Myrrhe So out of the writings of the Prophets My righteous seruant shall iustifie many c Isa 53.11 Their righteousnesse is of ME saith the Lord d Isa 54.17 Is it not the Angell Christ that takes away from Iosuah the type of the Church his filthy garments that causeth his iniquitie to passe from him and clotheth him with change of rayment Euen with his owne righteousnesse as Zachary sheweth e Zach. 3.3.4 It is plaine also out of the writings of the Apostle By the obedience of ONE meaning Christ shall MANY meaning the Church be made righteous f Rom. 5.19 He made him sinne for vs who knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him g 2 Cor. 5.21 If while we seeke to be iustified by Christ we our selues are also found sinners h Gal. 2.17 c. And still the Scripture runnes vpon this that by Christ we are reconciled vnto God cleansed from sinne redeemed out of the handes of our enemies He therefore is our Iustifier and none other not excluding the Father A caueat or the holy Ghost who haue a stroke in this Worke as well as the Sonne As for that other branch of the poynt The 2. part of the Doct. proued that his loue is the ground of this grace the title Well-beloued which the church here giueth him will well carrie it and els-where the holy Ghost confirmes it By MERCY and truth is iniquitie purged i Pro. 16.6 saith the Wiseman Being iustified freely by his GRACE through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ k Rom. 3.24 That being iustified by his GRACE wee should be made heires according to the hope of eternall life saith the Apostle Did not Christ alone satisfie the wrath of the Father The Reason of both the parts of the Doct. together did He not tread the Wine-presse l Isa 63.3 alone What earthly man holpe him in his Actiue obedience to performe a perfect complete and entire seruice to euery iot that the Law requireth What mortall wight nay what creature in heauen or earth ayded him in his Passiue obedience had the whole wrath of the Father due to the sinne of man in full measure poured forth vpon him Speaketh the Prophet of any els but Christ when he saith Isa 53.5 He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him And would he euer haue vndergone this endured this had it not beene for loue Doubtlesse He would not Very well therefore doth the Church here to acknowledge her Well beloued to be this Bundle of Myrrhe and to giue to him * Obiection Answ and his loue alone the honour of her iustification when as He alone payd the price to purchase it and when as both the passion and compassion is his owne * Fide sola If any shall Obiect that wee are iustified by Faith or by Faith alone therefore not wholly not onely by Christ It must be answered that this is to be vnderstood in another sence Wee are iustified by faith as by an instrumentall cause by Christ as an efficient and fundamentall For no more is faith the primary cause of my iustification then my hand is the cause of the supply of my wants by a piece of money which the mercy of another furnisheth mee with That proposition * Parae ad Heb. p. 460 Solafide excluduntur vero nō causae superiores gratia Dei meritum Christi sed c. Wee are iustified by faith ALONE a speech much vsed by Orthodoxall Writers doth not exclude the causes of Iustification without our selues but it doth include onely but m Quotie dicitur Solafides iustificat ostenditur solamfidē esse vnicum argumentum vnicam facultatem quâ recipitur iustitia Christi Selnec Tract 3. de fid Sacram. Thes 1. one facultie in our selues by which alone wee doe apprehend that righteousnesse of Christ which the Lord doth impute vnto vs for our Iustification Whereupon saith one By faith alone are not excluded superior causes as the grace of God the merit of Christ but middle causes which are coyned by hypocrites as the strength of free will workes merits c. So that by faith wee are instrumentally iustified by the obedience of Christ formally as n Tom 5 in epist ad Eph p. 83. col 2. Zanchius sheweth For in Iustification o Bucer in iustificatione fides nihil dat sed tantum accipit quod accipit eo ipso iustificamur Faith giues nothing but onely receiueth and what it receiueth being Christ and his righteousnesse by that very same thing are we iustified So that it may very well be affirmed that faith iustifieth alone and yet be a truth too which I am in hand withall that by Christ alone wee are iustified Vse 1 And for currant might this Doctrine goe through all Christendome Against the Papists were it not for Antichrist and his Babylonish followers of whom when I thought there came to mind a wise speech of a graue p Tertull. Apol. p. 815. Nisi homini Deus plaeuerit deus non erit homo iam Deo propitiùs esse debebit The Papists deny Christ to be our alone iustifier three wayes 1. By their blasphemous Canons Father to allude to God should be God if man would let him God now belike must stand to mans curtesie for his superioritie So may I say of the Papists Iesus should be Iesus if they would let him the ALONE iustifier of his people if THEY would permit him and belike He must stand to THEIR caruing for the honour of this Worke For they are very bold to rob him of his glory which he deserues and his Bride here giues him and him alone for this grace Neither let any say I doe them wrong For first of all doth not the Councell of Trent q In Decret de iustif Can. 10. absolutely lay downe this If any shall affirme that men are iustified by the righteousnesse of Christ formally let him be accursed And immediately after r Canon XI Si quis dixerit homines iustificari vel sola imputatione iustitiae Christi c. 2. By attributing of iustification to the dignitie of faith If any man shall say that men are iustified either by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse alone or that the grace whereby we are iustified is onely the fauour of God let him be Anathema Secondly doe they not ascribe Iustification to the dignitie of faith What meanes els that
Position of theirs That wee are prepared by faith to some meritorious act of loue which act of loue doth informe faith and so dignifie it that then the person that hath it deserueth acceptance at Gods handes And this Assertion they are very stiffe in * Obiect alledging for it the Apostles wordes To him that beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly is his faith accounted for righteousnesse ſ Rom. 4.5 Answ that is say they God accounts that faith which he findes in a sinner so worthy thy that it doth deserue an habite of righteousnesse by which the sinner may be iustified But as the Proverbe is An ill glosse corrupteth the Text. For this Exposition holdes neither with the analogie of faith nor with the scope of the place Not with the analogie of faith for it is directly against the Scripture that a man may be a wicked man and yet haue some thing in him worthy of iustification Not with the scope of the place For there the Apostles ayme is being in disputation about iustification to show that there is an Antithesis or contradiction betwixt the righteousnesse of Christ and the righteousnesse of a man out of Christ and not to show that faith informed by charitie doth by condignitie merit the iustifying of the sinner in the sight of God 3. By maintaining iustification by Workes Thirdly how peremptorily doe they stand for justification by Workes abusing for their purpose many places of Scripture as Obiect 1 First that of Iames t Iam. 2.24 Answ Yee see then how that by workes a man is iustified and not by faith alone when as as it is well knowne the drift of the Apostle is there to show that good workes declare a man to be iust before men and doe not make a man iust in the sight of God Obiect 2 Secondly they bring in that of the Psalmist u Psal 18.20.24 Answ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousnesse and according to the cleannesse of my handes hath he recompenced mee But alas to little purpose For the Prophet in that place as some obserue doth not speake of iustification but * Certum est Dauidem hoc Psalmo nihil aliud canere de Deo quā quòd per illum liberatus fit ab hostibus c. Muscul ad loc onely of the deliverance that God gaue him out of the hands of his enemies which deliuerance also he doth not attribute to the merit of his owne righteousnesse For that he disclaimes vers 19. saying He deliuered me because he had a FAVOVR vnto me but onely he acknowledgeth that that deliverance was a testimony of his integritie how naught and vniust soeuer his enemies falsely accounted and accused him to be Many of the like places doe they thus abuse abuse I say and whither I speake right or no I appeale not onely to St Paul whose drift is in the fiue first Chapters of the Epistle to the Romanes to ouerthrow iustification by Workes but also to one of their owne x Aquin Super Gal. c. 3. Lec 4. Opera non sunt causa quod aliquis sit iustus apud Deum c. Doctors whose very wordes are these Workes are not the cause that any man is righteous before God but rather they are the fruits and declarations of righteousnesse And indeed how can we be iustified by workes when as by the confession of the Papists y Caiet in epist ad Roman c. 3. fol. 10. themselues the righteousnesse of Workes cannot blot out sinnes but leaues a man in the same Thus while the Papists doe partly curse those that hold justification by the free mercy of God and partly ascribe it to the dignitie of Faith and partly to the merit of good Workes doe they not rob Christ of that praise which his great kindnesse in iustifying a poore sinner doth deserue Dealing with this bundle of spirituall Myrrhe as some z Petrus de la Primaud Franc. Acad. part 3. c. 69. report the Arabian followers of Mahomet to deale with that corporall Myrrhe which they bring to Alexandria to sell vsing a thousand deceits to sophisticate it and gull Christians with it that buy it So they I say adulterate this precious Doctrine with their owne deceipts and deuices and would thrust it for good ware and sound vpon the common sort But I pray God they may neuer haue any vent for such deceitfull Myrrhe and counterfeit righteousnesse amongst vs. I am sure the Church entertaines no such stuffe here but speakes all to the commendation of her Beloued admitting of no Myrrhe no righteousnesse but his owne to prayse him and to commend by But to leaue them as confuted let vs come to our selues Vse 2 I would to God there were not some Popish Protestants amongst our selues who must haue some perfume in Natures garden to smell on some naturall or morall plant of their owne to put into this Bundle to mingle with Christs righteousnesse to iustifie them in the sight of God Some good desires deedes devotions which they much brag off and stand vpon for which God is forsooth bound to accept them and to like of them To whom I may say truely as Elihu in another case to Iob Behold in THIS thou art not iust a Iob 33.12 It may be thou art of a gentle nature of a curteous behauiour somewhat disposed to liberalitie out of a vaine-glorious humour canst not away with the company of the prodigall must God of necessitie iustifie thee like of thee for these things Yes that he must and doth too I would be sorry els I am sure he would not like of me if I should swill and curse and steale and quarrell c. that 's true for he cannot away with these grosse euills the committers of them are abominable vnto him Yet notwithstanding to conclude that thy morall vertues can iustifie thee before him is little differing from plaine Popery And I tell thee in standing vpon this thou doest Papist-like rob Christ of his glory and deny him that prayse which the members of the Church doe here giue him as his due in this Text. They say not here A bundle of Myrrhe is my Well-beloued and my Spikenard vnto me but my Well-beloued alone They acknowledge all in the matter of justification to come from Christ Iesus issuing and springing from the fountaine of his free loue They know that the best righteousnesse in themselues is as the Prophet speaketh as an vncleane thing and filthy rags b Isa 64.6 and that in the best actions they doe if their imperfections be not couered in Christ and sweetned with the Myrrhe of his righteousnesse there is more cause of damnation to be found in them then saluation It is by grace that wee are iustified not by Workes The very faithfull themselues please God no otherwise then in Christ Neither their loue nor faith nor good fruites can for the dignitie of the same deserue absolution before
is not this bundle this bunch of Myrrhe Christ his righteousnesse worthy of praises being giuen by him as a speciall token of his fauour to poore miserable and sinfull creatures Did the i Luk. 17.16 tenth Leper returne thankes for the cleansing of his body and wilt not thou whom Christ hath chosen as one out of ten yea of twentie to purge thy soule returne glory to his name Mary Magdalen k Luk. 7.47 loued Christ much after He had forgiuen her much Dauid resolu'd with himselfe that on condition the Lord according to the multitude of his mercies would doe away his iniquities and purge him with Hysop which was an Embleme of his cleansing and cloathing with Christs righteousnesse his tongue should sing aloud of his righteousnesse l Psal 51.2.7.14 verses It is reported of Alexander sirnamed The Great that he acknowledged himselfe to owe more to Aristotle his Master then to Philip his Father because from his Master he receiued his Well being whereas from his Father he had but his naturall being m Pet. Mart. in lib. 1. Ethic. Arist p. 5. In like manner I dare boldly say thou that art a true Christian owest more to Christ thy Master yea thy elder brother for giuing thee through the merit of his owne righteousnesse a spirituall being in grace then to thy naturall Father or Mother by whom thou hast thy being in nature Oh therefore owing so much pay him much I meane loue him much be much thankefull vnto him for this his kindnesse Let thy thankefulnesse to him know no limits set no bounds to thy obedience let not much water quench the flame of thy loue thy zeale let not the very fire it selfe deterre thee scare thee from sacrifice from his seruice Propose the blessed Martyrs for thy patterne The sweetnesse of this bundle haue so affected them that rather then they would any way show themselues vngratefull they haue not spared to be prodigall of their very liues Take oh take then the cup of saluation and blesse his holy name vow seruice vow obedience to him vnto the very death for his free mercy in iustifying of thee requires no lesse deserues no lesse at thy hands Leauing this I come now to the next poynt which is That as Christ alone is the Iustifier of the Church * Doct. so the Church alone is iustified by Christ The true Church alone is iustified by Christ Iustification is a benefit belonging onely to the true members of the Church and to none else TO MEE in my Text implies as much To me the Church alone not to you daughters of Ierusalem * Except you be Eloct not to you aliants and strangers to the Common-wealth of Israell is my Beloued a bundle of Myrrhe a bringer of righteousnesse Aske Paul whom he speakes of when he saith In grace HE that is God hath made VS accepted in the Beloued n Ephe. 1.6 that is iustified through Christ and he will answere that he meaneth VS who are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world VS who are predestinated to the adoption of children * Verses 4.5 intimating none to be capable of iustification but such The same thing the same Apostle proueth in the eight of the Romanes Whom he predestinated them also he called and whom he called them also he iustified o Rom. 8.30 Now who are predestinated who are the called of God but the members of the Church p Vers 3. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that iustifieth that is it is God that iustifieth the Elect q Zanch. ad Eph. c. 2. p. 8. Tom. 5. i. e. Electosfolos Methinkes that of S. Iohn in his Reuelation is very fit for this purpose where he saith not that he saw the r Apoc. 13.1 BEAST with seauen heades and ten hornes that is the enemies of the Church who vse their wit and authoritie against it cloathed with the Sunne that is with Christs righteousnesse but a Å¿ Apoc. 12.1 WOMAN so cloathed that is the Church alone or the company of the faithfull Reason The reason is plaine for faith which apprehendeth justification by Christ is a gift proper and peculiar to the Church and none else for which cause it is stiled The faith of Gods ELECT t Tit. 1.1 Now if none haue faith but the Church then it must needes follow that none are iustified but the members of the Church How full of terror is this truth vnto all those that are out of the Church I meane not onely those who stand sunning themselues in the Church-yard that sit swilling in Alehouses fulfilling their fleshly pleasures following their worldly profits while the Word is Preaching and people are praying vpon the LORDS day I meane I say not onely them who are thus out of the materiall Temple which is made of Bricke and Stone * And yet I include them also for right Christians dare not doe as they doe but also all others that are no true members of Christs mysticall body who though they heare the Word receiue the Sacraments c. yet are voyde of sauing grace are no spirituall stones of the spirituall building no u Cant. 1.17 Cedar beames in Gods house that is no * For Cedar was vsed in cleansing Levit. 14. Notes of the false Church Propounded by the way to shew whom this terror belongs to purified no sanctified ones in Gods familie To all of them to euery one of them here is I say a ground of terrour For ah poore creatures they are not iustified they haue no share in no benefit by the righteousnesse of Christ. This bundle belongs not to them It is peculiar to those whom they for their Religions-sake hate scorne and maligne It appertaines not to those daughters of Ierusalem spoken of in the fift verse of this Chapter who seeme to be of the Church who brag they are of the Israell of God and yet are not * 1. Particular loue of false teaching and teachers Thou therefore that delightest in false Doctrine and castest the Word of God behind thy backe x Ier. 8.9 thou that with Ahab hadst rather heare an hundred false Prophets then one sound Michaiah y 1 King 22. and with Ieroboam z 1 Kin. 13.4 wilt not hearken to the faithfull messengers of the Lord of Hosts * 2. Neutralitie in religion thou that with the same Ieroboam a 1 Kin 12.28.29 art readie to change thy Religion and manner of worship instituted by God himselfe * 3. Defence and ripnes of sinne thou that with the people in Ieremies time wilt palliate and defend thy sinnes professing thou walkest not after Balaim when as yet the Lord sees thy abhomination in the Valley b Ier. 2.23 being pure in thine owne eyes when as yet thou art not cleansed from thy wickednesse c Prov. 30.12 * 4. Blasphemy thou
annoynted thy soule with the Spikenard of heaven when both thy faith and integritie of life haue sent forth their sweet sauour to God and to men Vse 2 Let me perswade thee to striue against this euill to take notice of and when God may haue any glory others any good by it make report of what the Lord hath done for thy soule Thou mayst lawfully doe it yea and if need require thou must doe it Yet with this caution avoyding pride as much as may be Not vaine-gloriously as Peter did when he sayd Master wee haue forsaken all and followed thee what therefore shall be giuen vs c Mat. 19.37 For this is a thing God would be displeased with and it is the propertie of worldlings and wicked ones so to speake viz. of that which indeed they haue not and doe not But first in humilitie as acknowledging all to come from God Secondly with a desire to vindicate the Gospell from disgrace when euill mouthes falsely doe reproch thee Thirdly with a desire to reioyce the hearts of thy godly brethren Fourthly to draw on others to a loue of that Word whereby God hath wrought such good in thee And lastly to cleere thine owne innocency when that is called into question After this manner and to these ends thou mayest make profession of thy graces and with the Church thy Mother here tell it abroad to others My Spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof MYSTICALL MYRRHE The second generall part of the Text. NOW commending to GODS blessing what hath beene spoken touching the Commendation which the Bride giues her Spouse from HIS Greatnesse I proceed to the prayse of HIS goodnesse or sweetnesse in the next words Vers 12. A bundle of Myrrhe is my well beloued vnto me he shall lie or lodge all night betwixt my breasts IN which words we haue two things to consider 1. What this sweetnesse is for the subiect matter 2. What this sweetnesse worketh for the subsequent effect The thing it selfe is a bundle of Myrrhe in the former part of the verse A bundle of Myrrhe is my well-beloued vnto mee The following effect that it worketh is a resolution of the Church to keepe this sweetnesse in the clause of the Verse He shall lodge all night betwixt my breasts Let vs set vpon the first A bundle of Myrrhe is my well beloued vnto me These words would well admit of a subdiuision if it were needfull But an Interpretation will serue our turne well enough that therefore the kernell may appeare let vs breake the shell by giuing the sense That a R. Selo Author Interpretation who expounds the former Verse by the sinne of Israell in erecting and worshipping the golden calfe and by the displeasure that Iehovah conceiued at it doth expound these words by the Lords pacification or being pleased with Israell after this their sinne As imagining the congregation of Israell to speake thus Though I the Synagogue of the Israelites did cast forth a stinking smell to the Lord by my Idolatry in worshipping the Golden calfe yet NOW he is appeased with me become sweet and gracious vnto mee whereof a bundle of Myrrhe is a symbole and signe But this Exposition is too Iewish He that applyes the former Verse to the times of King Asa Brigâ—stm and to the Vow that the Tribes made in the 15. yeare of his Raigne doth apply these words to the times of Iehosaphat Asa's successor according to the storie written 2 Chron. 17.7.8.9 c. And by the bundle of Myrrhe he vnderstands the sweetnesse of knowledge which abounded in the dayes of Iehosaphat by the care which that good King had to send Priests and Levites with the booke of the Law through the Tribes of Iudah and Beniamin as though Salomon by the spirit of Prophesie should foreshew the Israelitish Church in Iehosaphats time to speake thus to the prayse of God In the dayes of Asa I made a vow vnto thee to serue thee and for such a King as HE was my Spikenard of Religion cast forth a smell vnto thee But now thou hast giuen me sweeter times more abundance of knowledge in bestowing vpon me so perfect so vpright so carefull a King as Iehosaphat is in so much that though I had sweete dayes before yet these that now I see doe as much in meanes excell the former as Myrrhe in sweetnes doth excell Spikenard This meaning doe I like of neither as confining the Text. Others therefore walking in a more spatious field apply it to the Church of euery age or to euery particular beleeuer And amongst them some say one thing some another * Soto Maior Some by the bundle of Myrrhe vnderstand the death and passion of Christ because Myrrhe as they say was vsed in Burialls * Genebr Others the immortalitie of the soule because Myrrhe is an Embleme of incorruption The first reason why by Myrrhe is meant iustification But I had rather vnderstand the benefit of Iustification And that first of all because at this Center the somewhat differing opinions of Interpreters doe meete For when as some expound it of the death of Christ doth not the Church smell the sweetnes of his Death by the benefit of Iustification When as b As Merc. and Piscator doe others doe meane a most excellent and sweet Odour which the Church doth draw from Christ by the nostrils of faith is not Iustification the ground of this smell yea the assurance of Iustification is this smell it selfe Reas 2 Besides I am sure Myrrhe doth symbolize and resemble Iustification very fitly Diâ—scorid li. 1. c. 67. First Myrrhe distilleth from a tree full of prickes much like the Egyptian thorne And whence comes our righteousnesse and justification but from that tree of Gods eternall planting Christ Iesus who was persecuted thorned and pierced for our sinnes Impetigines purgat idem ibid. Secondly Myrrhe is of soueraigne vertue to cleanse the Leprosie of the body so is Iustification to purge our Leprous and sinfull soules Horrores discutit c. id ib. Thirdly It is good against trembling and the shaking of the ague so is justification against a trembling heart and horror of conscience Wee see then what is meant by Myrrhe And Bundle here is as much as a ball of Myrrhe or a bunch of Myrrhe Mystically an Author of righteousnesse or Iustifier is my well-beloued that is Christ so stiled by a loue-title which the Church giueth him because that he setteth his loue strongly vpon her To me that is to me the Church militant * Paraphase I smell the sweetnesse of Iustification out of the bundle of his merits who is my most louing and well-beloued Spouse Our conclusions from hence are these three 1. That Christ alone is the Iustifier of the Church his loue being the cause and ground of it 2. That the Church alone is iustified by Christ 3. That onely beleevers doe smell the sweetnes of this benefit of