Faith of it from being confounded Hence we see the difference betwixt mens frame in their Disputes and Doctrine about these points and their own sense and pleadings with God in Prayer 4. This Doctrine of Justification by Faith without any mixtures of man however and by what Names and Titles soever they be dignified or distinguished hath this undoubted advantage that it is that which all not judicially hardened and blinded do or would or must betake themselves unto when dying How loath would men be to plead that Cause on a Death-bed which they so stoutly stand up for with Tongue and Pen when at ease and that evil day far away They seem to be jealous least God's Grace and Christ's Righteousness have too much room and Men's Works too little in the the business of Justification But was ever a sensible dying person exercised with this jealousie as to himself Even bloody Stephen Gardiner when a dying could answer Dr. Day Bishop of Chichester who offered comfort to him by this Doctrine What my Lord will you open that Gap now then farewel altogether To me and such other in my case you may speak it but open this Window to the People then farewel altogether Book of Martyrs V. 3. p. 450. In which words he bewrayed a conviction of the fitness of the Doctrine to dying persons and his knowledge that it tended to the destroying the Kingdom of Antichrist As Fox in the same Book of Martyrs Vol. 2. p. 46. gives this as the reason of Luther's success against Popery above all former attempts of preceeding Witnesses But saith he Luther gave the stroke and pluckt down the soundation and all by opening one vein long hid before wherein lieth the touchstone of all Truth and Doctrine as the only Principal Origine of our Salvation which is our free Justification by Faith only in Christ the Son of God Consider how it is with the most holy and eminent Saints when dying Did ye ever see or hear any boasting of their works and performances They may and do own to the praise of his Grace what they have been made to be what they have been helped to do or suffer for Christ's sake But when they draw near to the Awful Tribunal what else is in their Eye and Heart but only Free-Grace Ransoming Blood and a Well-ordered Covenant in Christ the Surety They cannot bear to hear any make mention to them of their Holiness their own Grace and Attainments In a word the Doctrine of Conditions Qualifications and Rectoral Government and the distribution of Rewards and Punishments according to the New Law of Grace will make but an uneasie Bed to a dying Man's Conscience and will leave him in a very bad condition at present and in dread of worse when he is feeling in his last Agonies that the Wages of Sin is Death if he cannot by Faith add but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.23 He is a wise and happy man that anchors his Soul on that Rock at which he can ride out the storm of Death Why should men contend for that in their life that they know they must renounce at their death Or neglect that Truth now that they must betake themselves unto then why should a man build a House which he must leave in a Storm or be buried in its ruines Many Architects have attempted to make a sure House of their own Righteousness but it is without a Foundation and must fall or be thrown down sorrowfully by the foolish Builder which is the better way It is a great Test of the Truth of Doctrine about the way of Salvation when it is generally approv'd of by sensible dying men And what the Universal Sense of all such in this case is as to the Righteousness of Christ and their own is obvious to any man He was an ingenuous Balaamite who being himself a Papist said to a Protestant Our Religion is best to live in and yours best to die in But notwithstanding of these great advantages and they are but a few of many that this Doctrine is attended with There are not a few disadvantages it labours under which though they are rather to its commendation than reproach yet they do hinder its Welcome and Reception As 1. This Doctrine is a Spiritual Mystery and lyeth not level to a Natural Understanding 1 Cor. 2.10 14. Working for Life a man naturally understands but believing for Life he understands not To mend the Old Man he knows but to put on the New Man by Faith is a Riddle to him The study of Holiness and to endeavour to square his Life according to God's Law he knows a little of though he can never do it but to draw Sanctification from Christ by Faith and to walk holily in and through the force of the Spirit of Christ in the Heart by Faith is meer canting to him A new Life he understands a little but nothing of a New Birth and Regeneration He never saw himself stark dead Nay not only is it unknown to the Natural Man but he is by his Natural State an enemy to it he neither doth nor can know it nor approve of it 1 Cor. 2.14 Wisdom that is Christ's way of saving men revealed in the Gospel is justified of all her Children and of them only Matth. 11.19 Luke 7.29 30 35. This Enmity in Men to the Wisdom of God is the cause not only of this contempt of its Ministry but is a Temptation to many Ministers to patch up and frame a Gospel that is more suited to and taking with and more easily understood by such men than the true Gospel of Christ is this Paul complains of in others and vindicates himself from 1 Cor. 1 17. and 2.2 he warns others against it Col. 2.8 2 Cor. 11.3 4. Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. And it is certain that doing for Life is more suited to corrupt Nature than Believing is 2. Our Opposers in this Doctrine have the Many for them and against us as they of old boasted John 7.48 This they have no ground to glory in though they do not we to be ashamed of the Truth because we cannot vie numbers with them With our Opposers are all these sorts and they make a great number though I do not say or think that all our Opposers are to be ranked in any of these Lists for some both Godly and Learned may mistake us and the Truth in this matter 1. They have all the Ignorant People that know nothing of either Law or Gospel They serve God they say but most fasly and hope that God will be merciful to them and save them To all such both the clear explication of God's Law and the Mysteries of the Gospel are strange things Yet sincere obedience they love to hear of for all of them think there is some sincerity in their hearts and that they can do somewhat But of Faith in Christ they have no knowledge except by faith you
understand a dream of being saved by Jesus Christ though they know nothing of him or of his way of saving men nor of the way of being saved by him 2. All Formalists are on their side People that place their Religion in Trifles because they are strangers to the substance thereof 3. All proud secure sinners are against us that go about with the Jews to establish their own Righteousness Rom. 10.3 The secure are whole and see no need of the Physician the proud have physick at home and despise that that came down from Heaven 4. All the zealous devout people in a Natural Religion are utter enemies to the Gospel By a Natural Religion I mean that that is the product of the remnants of God's image in fallen man a little improved by the Light of God's Word All such cannot endure to hear that God's Law must be perfectly fulfilled in every tittle of it or no man can be saved by doing That they must all perish for ever that have not the Righteousness of a man that never sinned who is also God over all blessed for ever to shelter and cover them from a holy God's anger and to render them accepted of him That this Righteousness is put on by the Grace of God and a man must betake himself to it and receive as a naked blushing sinner That no man can do any thing that is good till Gospel Grace renew him and make him first a good man This they will never receive but do still think that a man may grow good by doing good 3. Natural Reason is very fertile in its Objections and Cavils against the Doctrine of the Grace of God And especially when this corrupt Reason is polished by learning and strong natural parts When there are many to broach such Doctrines and many so disposed to receive it is it any wonder that the Gospel Truth makes little progress in the World Nay were it not for the Divine Power that supports it and the promises of its preservation its enemies are so many and strong and true friends so few and feeble we might fear its perishing from the earth But we know it is impossible And if the Lord have a design of mercy to these Nations and hath a vein of his Election to dig up amongst us we make no doubt but the Glory of Christ as a crucified Saviour shall yet be displaid in the midst of us to the joy of all that love his salvation and to the shame of others Isa 66.5 4. I might add the great Declension of some of the Reformed Churches from the purity and simplicity of that Doctrine they were first planted in The new Methodists about the Grace of God had too great an increase in the French Churches And which was very strange this Declension advanced amongst them at the same time when Jansonism was spreading amongst many of the Church of Rome So that a man might have seen Papists growing better in their Doctrine and Protestants growing worse See Mr. Gale's Idea of Jansenism with Dr. Owen's Preface What there is of this amongst us in England I leave the Reader to Mr. Jenkyn's Coleusma and to the Naked Truth Part 4. And if there be any warping toward Arminian Doctrine by some on our side in order to ingratiate themselves with that Church that hath the secular advantages to dispense and to make way for some accommodation with them I had rather wait in fear till a further discovery of it than offer to guess at Lastly It is no small disadvantage this Doctrine lies under from the Spirit of this Day we live in A light frothy trifling temper prevails generally Doctrines of the greatest weight are talked of and treated about with a vain unconcerned frame of Spirit as if men contended rather about Opinions and School-points than about the Oracles of God and matters of Faith But if mens hearts were seen by themselves if Sin were felt if mens Consciences were enlivened if God's Holy Law were known in its exactness and severity and the Glory and Majesty of the Law-giver shining before mens eyes if men were living as leaving Time and launching forth into Eternity the Gospel Salvation by Jesus Christ would be more regarded Object 1. Is there not a great decay amongst Professors in real practical Godliness Are we like the Old Protestants or the Old Puritans I answer That the Decay and Degeneracy is great and heavily to be bewailed But what is the cause and what will be its cure Is it because the Doctrine of Morality and Vertue and Good Works is not enough preached This cannot be For there hath been for many years a publick Ministry in the Nation that make these their constant themes Yet the Land is become as Sodom for all lewdness and the Tree of Prophaneness is so grown that the Sword of the Magistrate hath not yet been able to lop off any of its Branches Is it because men have too much Faith in Christ or too little or none at all Would not faith in Christ increase Holiness did it not always so and will it not still do it Was not the holiness of the first Protestants eminent and shining And yet they generally put assurance in the definition of their faith We cannot say that Gospel Holiness hath prospered much by the correction or mittigation of that harsh-like definition The certain spring of this prevailing Wickedness in the Land is peoples ignorance and unbelief of the Gospel of Christ and that grows by many Prophets that speak lies to them in the Name of the Lord. Object 2. But do not some abuse the Grace of the Gospel and turn it into Wantonness Answer Yes Some do ever did and still will do so But it is only the ill-understood and not-believed Doctrine of Grace that they abuse the Grace it self no man can abuse for its power prevents its abuse Let us see how Paul that blessed Herald of this Grace as he was an eminent instance of it dealeth with this Objection Rom. 6.1 c. What doth he to prevent this abuse Is it by extenuating what he had said Chap. 5.20 that Grace abounds much more where Sin had abounded Is it by mincing Grace smaller that men may not choke upon it or surfeit by it Is it by mixing somthing of the Law with it to make it more wholesome No But only by plain asserting the power and influence of this Grace wherever it really is as at length in that Chapter This Grace is all treasured up in Christ Jesus offered to all men in the Gospel poured forth by our Lord in the Working of Faith and drunk in by the Elect in the exercise of Faith and becomes in them a living spring which will and must break out and spring up in all holy conversation He exhorts them to drink in more and more of this Grace by Faith And as for such as pretend to Grace and live ungodly the Spirit of God declares they are void of Grace
Contrariety Inconsistency and Incompatibility betwixt these two But the Nature of the things in themselves and the sense and conscience of every serious person doth witness to the same that our own Righteousness and Christs Righteousness do comprehend all the pleas of men to Justification one or other of them every man in the world stands upon and that they are inconsistent with and destructive one of another in justification if a man trust to his own Righteousness he rejects Christs if he trusts to Christs Righteousness he rejects his Own If he will not reject his own Righteousness as too good to be renounced if he will not venture on Christs Righteousness as not sufficient alone to bear him out and bring him safe off at God's Bar he is in both a convicted Unbeliever And if he endeavour to patch up a Righteousness before God made up of both he is still under the Law and a despiser of Gospel-Grace Gal. 2.21 That Righteousness that justifies a Sinner consists in aliquo indivisibili and this every man finds when the case is his own and he serious about it 5. These different Sentiments about Justification have been at all times managed with a special Acrimony They that are for the Righteousness of God by Faith in Jesus Christ look upon it as the only foundation of all their hopes for eternity and therefore cannot but be zealous for it And the contrary side are as hot for their own Righteousness the most admired and adored Diana of proud Mankind as if it were an Image fallen down from Jupiter when it is indeed the Idol that was cast out of Heaven with the Devil and which he hath ever since been so diligent to set up before sinful men to be worship'd that he might bring them into the same condemnation with himself And by true Sin and false Righteousness he hath deceived the whole world Rev. 12.9 6. As the Holy Ghost speaking in the Scriptures is the Supreme and Infallible Judge and Determiner of all Truth So where he doth particularly and on purpose deliver any Truth there we are specially to attend and learn And tho in most points of Truth he usually teacheth us by a bare Authoritative Narration yet in some Points which his Infinite Wisdom foresaw special Opposition to he doth not only declare but debate and determine the Truth And the Instances are two especially One is about the Divinity of Christ's Person and Dignity of his Priesthood reasoned argued and determined in the Epistle to the Hebrews The other is about Justification by Faith exactly handled in the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians In the former of these two the Doctrine of free Justification is taught us most formally and accurately And tho we find no Charge against that Church in Paul's time or in his Epistle for their departing from the Truth in this Point yet the Wisdom of the Holy Ghost is remarkable in this That this Doctrine should be so plainly asserted and strongly proved in an Epistle to that Church the pretonded Successors whereof have Apostatized from that Faith and proved the main Asserters of that damnable Error of Justification by Works That to the Galatians is plainly written to cure a begun and obviate a full Apostasy from the purity of the Gospel in the point of Justification by Faith without the Works of the Law And from these two Epistles if we be wise we must learn the Truth of this Doctrine and expound all other Scriptures in a harmony with what is there so setly determined as in Foro contradictorio Lastly It is not to be denied nor concealed That on each side some have run into Extreams which the generality do not own but are usually loaden with The Papists run high for Justification by Works yet even some of them in the Council of Trent discoursed very favourably of Justification by Faith The Arminians have qualified a little the grossness of the Popish Doctrine in this Article And some since have essayed to qualifie that of the Arminians and to plead the same cause more finely Again some have run into the other extream as appeared in Germany a little after the Reformation and some such there have been always and in all places where the Gospel hath shined and these were called Antinomians But how unjustly this hateful Name is charged upon the Orthodox Preachers and sincere Believers of the Protestant Doctrine of Justification by Faith only who keep the Gospel-midst betwixt these two Rocks is the design of this Paper to discover What we plead for is in summ That Jesus Christ our Saviour is the fountain opened in the House of David for Sin and for Vncleanness wherein only men can be washed in Justification and Sanctification And that there is no other fountain of mans devising nor of God's declaring for washing a Sinner first so as to make him fit and meet to come to this to wash and to be clean As for In herent Holiness Is it not sufficiently secured by the Spirit of Christ received by Faith the certain Spring and Cause of it By the Word of God the plain and perfect Rule of it By the declared necessity of it to all them that look to be saved and to justifie the sincerity of a mans Faith Unless we bring it in to Justification and thereby make our own pitiful Holiness sit on the Throne of Judgement with the precious blood of the Lamb of God Though I expect that a more able hand will undertake an Examination of the New Divinity yet to fill up a little room I would speak somewhat to their Achillaean Argument that is so much boasted of and so frequently insisted on by them as their Shield and Spear Their Argument is this That Christ's Righteousness is our Legal Righteousness but our own is our Evangelical Righteouness that is when a Sinner is charged with Sin against the Law of God he may oppose Christ's Righteousness as his Legal Defence But against the Charge of the Gospel especially for Unbelief he must produce his Faith as his Defence or Righteousness against that charge With a great deference to such Worthy Divines as have look'd on this as an argument of weight I shall in a few words effay to manifest that this is either a saying the same in other odd words that is commonly taught by us or a Sophism or a departing from the Protestant Doctrine about Justification 1. This Argument concerns not at all the Justification of a Sinner before God For this end no more is needful than to consider what this charge is against whom it is given and by whom The charge is said to be given in by God and a charge of Unbelief or disobeying the Gospel But against whom Is it against a Believer or Unbeliever And these two divide all mankind If it be against a Believer it is a false charge and can never be given in by the God of Truth For the Believer is justified already
by Faith and as to this charge he is innocent And Innocence is defence enough to a man falsly charged before a Righteous Judge Is this charge given us against an Unbeliever We allow it is a Righteous charge Ay but say they Will Christ's Righteousness justifie a man from this Charge of Gospel-Vnbelief The answer is plain No it will not nor yet from any other charge whatsoever either from Law or Gospel for he hath nothing to do with Christ's Righteousness while an Unbeliever What then doth this arguing reprove Is it that no mans Faith in Christ's Righteousness can be justified in its sincerity before men and in a mans own Conscience but in and by the fruits of a true lively faith In this they have no Opposers that I know of Or is it That a man may have Christ's Righteousness for his Legal Righteousness and yet be a Rebel to the Gospel and a stranger to true Holiness Who ever affirmed it Or is it That this Gospel-Holiness is that that a man must not only have for that we grant but also may venture to stand in and to be found in before God and to enter into judgement with God upon in his Claim to Eternal Life Then we must oppose them that think so as we know their own Consciences will when in any lively exercise These plain Principles of Gospel-Truth while they remain and remain they will on their own foundation when we are all in our Graves and our foolish contentions are buried do overthrow this pretended charge 1. That Christ's Righteousness is the only Plea and Answer of a Sinner arraigned at God's Bar for Life and Death 2. This Righteousness is imputed to no man but a Believer 3. When it is imputed by Grace and applied by Faith it immediately and eternally becomes the mans Righteousness before God Angels Men and Devils Rom. 8.33 35 38 39. It is a Righteousness that is never lost never taken away never ineffectual answereth all charges and is attended with all Graces 2. I would ask What is that Righteousness that justifies a man from the Sin of Unbelief We have rejected the imaginary charge let us now consider the Real Sin Unbelief is the greatest Sin against both Law and Gospel More remotely against the Law which binds all men to believe God speaking say what he will more directly against the Gospel which tells us what we should believe and commands us to believe Let us put this case and it is pity the case is so rare when the Sin is so common that a poor soul is troubled about the greatness of the Sin of Unbelief in calling God a Lyar. 1 John 5.10 in distrusting his faithful promise in doubting Christ's ability and good-will to save in standing aloof so long from Jesus Christ as many of the Elect are long in a state of Unbelief till called and the best of Believers have Unbelief in some measure in them Mark 9.24 Abraham's faith staggered sometimes Gen. 12. and 20. What shall we say to a Conscience thus troubled Will any man dare to tell him that Christ's Righteousness is his Legal Righteousness against the Charge of Sins against the Law but for Gospel-Charges he must answer them in his own Name I know our hottest Opposers would abhor such an Answer and would freely tell such a man that the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all Sin and that his Justification from his Unbelief must be only in that Righteousness which he so sinfully had rejected while in Unbelief and now lays hold on by Faith 3. But some extend this Argument yet more dangerously For they say That not only men must have their Faith for their Righteousness against the Charge of Unbelief but Repentance against the charge of Impenitence Sincerity against that of Hypocrisie Holiness against that of Vnholiness and Perseverance as their Gospel-Righteousness against the charge of Apostasy If they mean only that these things are Justifications and Fruits of true Faith and of the sincerity of the Grace of God in us We do agree to the meaning but highly dislike the expressions as Unscriptural and Dangerous tending to the dishonouring of the Righteousness of Christ and to run men on the Rocks of Pride and Self-Righteousness that natural corruption drives all men upon But if they mean that either jointly or separately they are our Righteousness before God or that either separate from or mixed with Christ's Righteousness they may be made our Claim and Plea for Salvation I must say that it is dangerous Doctrine and its native tendency is to turn Christ's imputed Righteousness out of the Church to destroy all the solid Peace of Believers and to exclude Gospel Justification out of this world and reserve it to another and that with a horrible uncertainty of any particular mans partaking of it But these Blessed Truths of God and blessings of Believers stand on firmer foundations than Heaven or Earth and will continue fixed against all the Attempts of the Gates of Hell Blessed be the Rock Christ on which all is built blessed be the New Covenant ordered in all things and sure and blessed is he that belieneth for there shall be a performance of those things which are told him from the Lord Luke 1.45 Amen London Sept. 1. 1692. FINIS ADVERTISEMENT MR. Rutherfoord's Letters the Third Edition Now divided in Three Parts The First containing those which were written from Aberdeen where he was confined by a Sentence of the High Commission drawn forth against him partly upon the account of his declining them partly upon the account of his Nonconformity The Second and Third containing some which were written from Anwoth before he was by the Prelates persecution thrust from his Ministry and others upon occasions afterward from St. Andrews London c. Published for the use of all the People of God but more particularly for those who now are or afterwards may be put to suffering for Christ and his Cause By a well-wisher to the Work and People of God Printed for Dorman Newman at the King's Arms in the Poultry