A Plain and Familiar DISCOURSE ON Justification Being the Substance of Four SERMONS Preach'd at the Morning-Lecture at Pinners-Hall in Broad street the Third Tenth Seventeenth and Twenty fourth Days of September 1693. By ELIAS KEACH Taken in Short-Hand as they were deliver'd Review'd by the Author and Publish'd at the earnest Request of divers Christian Friends Acts 13.38 39. Be it known unto you therefore Men and Brethren that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of Sins And by him all that believe are Justified from all things by which ye could not be Justified from the Law of Moses Acts 4.12 Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is none other Name under Heaven given or amongst Men whereby we must be saved LONDON Printed for John Harris at the Harrow in the Poultrey MDCXCIV ERRATA PAge 4. line 6. for the Law read the Gospel p. 7. l. 33. r. the Offence p. 11. l. 9. f. Christ r. Christ's p. 14. l. 8. put in we might prevail p. 15. l. 2. r. the efficient p. 16. l. 18. f. the found r. he found p. 19. l. 35. to Spiritual add and Eternal p. 23. l. 6. r. if he had not Sin in him ib. l. 8. leave out as p. 24. l. 21. f. his Obedience r. our Obedience p. 25. l. 5. leave out I told you p. 27. l. 27. r. an Act of the Creature p. 28. l. 39. put out to have Righoeousness p. 30. l. 23. put out it p. 31. l. 2. r. to be considered p. 32. l. 26. f. interest with Christ r. interest in Christ THE Epistle Dedicatory To those Christians which heard these Sermons from the Pulpit Intirely Beloved THE importunate Desires of many of you have Midwiv'd this imperfect Discourse into the World tho' much against my Inclination and indeed the Reluctancies and Struglings in my Mind about it have hindered the exposing of it to public View until now not because I am in the least measure ashamed of that great and fundamental Truth which is the Subject of this Discourse or unwilling the World should know my Judgment herein This cannot be reasonably supposed if it be considered that these Sermons were not Preached to a few in a Corner but to a very considerable number of People and at a Meeting-Place of as great Note as any in London But because of the Shortness Broken and Abrupt manner of handling it and also considering that many Learned and Worthy Men are in Print on this Subject and lest I should be thought Ambitious to be numbered among them altho' so far as I am acquainted with my own Heart I can say I esteem my self altogether Vnworthy to be Book-Bearer to the least amongst all those Orthodox Ministers that have treated on this Subject however to accomodate your Desires I have adventured to break through the Crowd of Impediments which seemed to lye in the way and having taken a short Review of the whole as it was taken in Short-Hand I find you have in great part the Substance of what I delivered unto you tho' something considerable is omitted but nothing added For I considered if I had put it into another form clipp'd dress'd and made any considerable Additions to it to please the Curiosity of this Censorious Age it would have look'd so much unlike what I Preach'd at Pinners-Hall that you would find your selves disappointed it not proving the same you expected The Discourse was designed for ordinary Capacities and poor plain-hearted Christians for their Information and Establishment in the Truth and I dare say without blushing the Food in this Dish is wholsom Food tho' I am perswaded every Body will hardly believe it and that not a few will utterly reject it because it is not set forth and garnish'd to their Minds but it being intended for the needy and hungry Soul and not for dainty and nice Appetites tho' it may not sute and agree with the punick Stomachs of the latter yet it will please and contribute Nourishment to the Souls of the former if the Lord accompany it with his Blessing which is the Earnest Prayers of Your Affectionate tho' unworthy Servant for Christ's sake Elias Keach 4th Day of the 11th Month 1693 4. A Plain and Familiar DISCOURSE ON Justification c. Rom. 3. xxiv Being justified freely by his Grace thro' the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ I Have continued longer on my last Subject than I did at first intend and I considered if I had proceeded it would have spent all the time that I had to stay in this place and for divers Reasons I thought it convenient to pitch on this Subject of Justification The Apostle in the foregoing Verse informs us of the miserable State that all Men are in by Nature and in this Verse he comes to shew how we come to be delivered out of that Misery and to be defended from that Curse and Wrath that was due to us by reason of Sin and that is freely by God's Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ Being justified from hence forward the Apostle describes all the Causes and Properties of Justification revealed to us in the Gospel And the 1. Cause is the undeserved Grace and Favour of God 2. The meritorious Cause is the Redemption and Reconciliation purchased by Christ 3. The Instrumental Cause or rather that which evidences that it is imputed is Faith 4. The Final Cause is the Glory of God and the Salvation of his Chosen The property of it is that all humane boasting may be excluded Freely That is there being nothing in the Creature that did induce God no foreseen Faith nor Gospel Obedience but it is all of the free Grace of God through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ The word Redemption is taken sometimes into a larger Sense i. e. for all manner of Deliverances but here it doth properly imply such deliverance that is brought to pass by paying of a Ransom according as Christ saith Mat. 20.28 And to give his Life a Ransom for many The Doctrine or Observation that I shall raise from the words is this viz. That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through or by the Imputation of what Christ hath done for us or his perfect Righteousness In speaking to this point of Doctrine I shall 1. Shew you some things previous to the opening of what Justification is 2. Open what Justification is or how or in what sence you may take it 3. Shew you how it is wholly of Grace through the Redemption by Christ and the Imputation of his perfect Righteousness 4. Shew you the Nature of that Faith which apprehends and applies this Righteousness and which is sometimes said to justifie us as Rom. 4.5 But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness 1. I shall shew you some things previous to the opening of what Justification is And 1. This must be
some Sence the whole Body is discharged And that before the Believer acts Faith in Christ though not in every Sence for if that were not the whole of the Capitulation between the Father and the Son then there is something farther to be considered Now we must have Faith in this Satisfaction therefore it was decreed and design'd that Jesus Christ should die and as he shook Hands with the Father in the Covenant of Grace for I don't know of three Covenants as he shook Hands I say with the Father in the Covenant of Grace or Redemption to die and purchase for all the Elect a Ransom and procure them the favour of God so likewise it was designed by the Father that he should die to procure them Faith and every thing else relating to their Salvation So that the case lies here though Jesus Christ did pay the Debt a great while ago and the Sinner was discharged so far that it was impossible for God to speak with reverence to condemn one of those Souls for whom Christ died Yet these were not capable of Embracing this nor knowing this nor improving this Justification till such time that they had Faith by which they did see into this and apply it unto themselves So it is here like as a Purchase is laid down for Slaves in Turkey the Money is first paid down and accepted of though for a considerable time they may not know that they are Redeemed I say so it is here respecting us in being since Christ's Death there is a difference between the thing done and the Declaration of it So then pray take notice there may be this also considered Suppose a Prince shall declare all the Province shall come in and kiss his Hand though he at the same time will draw and incline them to do it Yet he declares they shall first come 〈◊〉 kiss his Hand and acknowledge his Benefits 〈…〉 to be Justified so it is here Faith kissing as 〈…〉 God acknowledges his Benefits in Jesus Christ and this 〈…〉 in the Soul be the holy Spirit the third Person in the blessed Trinity For as the Father design'd such a number should be savâ—d and gave tâ—â—m to his Son and Jesus Christ the Son of God taketh Charge of them and redeems them so here is the third Person in the Trinity that brings them unto and in to the Son Now the case lies here not only doth the Father Elect and the Son die but the Holy Ghost is concerned in the Revelation of the Mind and Will of God to them so that God hath chosen us in Christ and Christ hath Redeemed us and the Holy Spirit in time comes and shows this to us rectifies our Judgment inclines our Will and makes us willing to cast and venture our Souls on this Satisfaction And this Faith is owning his Grace in the Surety for it was God my Beloved who found out the Surety it was he even the Father that did make him the Head of the Body of the Elect. It was he that did six on this Medium that we should believe before we should be declared Just in our own Consciences for that thing that was done a great while ago must be evidenced and applied to us But thus much as to what Justification is III. I am to prove that Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ which that I may the better do I told you I should open each cause of Justification in order namely 1. The Efficient Cause of our Justification 2. The Meritorious Cause of it 3. The Material Cause of it 4. The Formal Cause of it 5. The Applying Cause of it 6. The Final Cause of all And by such time I have gone through these six Heads you may clearly see the nature of Justification 1. The first or Efficient Cause is God the Father the first Person in the Sacred Trinity and it is his free Grace and love to poor Sinners that is the moving Cause and this shall be proved 1. The way of Justification was found out by the Father it was the Contrivance of his Infinite Wisdom that he might be Just and yet Gracious that Sin might be punished and yet the Sinner acquited that Justice might be satisfied and yet we freely pardoned Rom. 3.26 To declare I say at this time his Righteousness that hemight be just and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus 2. Consider God is the Efficient Cause for God was at the Liberty of his own Will I mean the Father to choose whether he would find out a way to Justifie and save Mankind or the sallen Angels or leave them both this I say is to be considered 3. Consider God did not foresee any thing in Man which did oblige to it which did induce him to six on this great design he could see nothing in Man Neither was there any thing in us to present to God by which prevail with him to shew us Mercy Rom. 5.7 8. For scarcely for a Righteous Man will one die yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die But God commendeth his Love towards us in that while we were yet Sinners Christ died for us so you see that God look'd on us as we were Sinners he did not foresee us as we were Righteous 4. Consider that God the Father offered or propounded if I may so say with Reverence this way of Justification of the Sinner to his own Son our Saviour in the Everlasting Covenant 5. Had not God the Father found out such a way of his mere Grace and Goodness Mankind had been for ever lost which we nor all the Angels in Heaven could not do We could not sind any Ransom Job 33.24 Then is he Gracious unto him and saith deliver him from going down to the Pit I have found a Ransom Where did God find out this Ransom Even in his own Bosom in his own Heart Christ came out of the Bosom of the Father Though Popish Expositors tell us thus I saith the Papist have found a Ransom i.e. I have sound his good Works I have found his Repentance I have found his Tears I have found his Prayers I have found his Alms-deeds and I see that in him which I saw not before for which cause I will justifie him O cursed Doctrin Now others amongst us say he hath humbled himself and I am satified But my Beloved alass and woe to us for all good Works Repentance Tears and Alms-deeds and Humiliation none of these are a Ransom No Christ is our Ransom and the price of our Redemption and this Ransom the Father found out for us Wisdom found him out Free Grace Bowels of Mercy and undeserved Love put Wisdom to work to find out this Blessed Ransom 6. To manifest farther the infinite Grace of God the Father consider the Costliness of our Ransom God had but one only Son in whom his Soul delighted and that lay in his Bosom
so Why Faith is an Act of the Creature to believe is an Creature tho' we do it by Grace Inherent yet it is the Creature himself that Believes Faith is called a Work it is Faith that worketh by Love and Love is called a Labour or work of the Creature and so other Graces as they are Acts and improved by the Creature it is the work of the Creature so then if it were so that we were Justified by a Righteousness Inherent then we were Justified by Faith as an Act and so the Active and Passive Obedience or perfect Righteousness of Christ would be Excluded in point of Justification as the matter of it and our own good Works would be put in the room thereof The Quakers say That they are Justified by living up to the Light within why say we then you expect to be Justified by Works Hold you there say they for we cannot do any Works but it is God by his mighty power that worketh in us both to will and to do It is the work of Christ in us it is the work of the Holy Spirit in us this is our Righteousness this Justifies us Now pray take notice it salls out then thus the Spirit as they call it is as a Leader and Guide as an Enlightener and it enlighters the Understanding informs the person of his Duty and by its powerful Operations it inclines the Will Now grant this that therefore the person is willing and desirous to do the things that are good and commendable and this produces good Thoughts and good Words and moral good Actions Now what is this but to say that the Spirit teaches me to think well and so enabling me to speak well and to act well now this is as much as to say the Spirit teaches me to save my self for it is my Heart that thinks my Tongue that speaks and my Actions that spring forth in my Life and Conversation so that which Justifieth the Quakers must be their good Works which we deny Now I say in this case if it were so then we are justified by our own Works for as much as the Exercise of all Grace is our own Work it is we Believe it is we Love it is our Meekness it is our Humility nay it is a work if it be but the exercise of our Thoughts And now to be Justified by this is to be Justified by works but I have formerly told you that to Justifie doth not signifie 1. To make us inherently Righteous by infusing Grace or doing of Works of Righteousness 2. I have told you that we are Justified by the Grace of God through Christ without Respect had to any deserving Cause in us by Grace infused but this before-mentioned hath some Respect to some deserving Cause even our inward Righteousness but in Justification that which we speak of and by which all that are Justified must be Justified for there is no other that will discharge from the wrath of God and this comes thro' Christ without any regard had to any deserving cause in us by any Grace infused into us or by any good Works done by us 3. I told you it is by the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us namely the Righteousness done or performed by him when on the Earth in our nature that Righteousness is the matter and the form of it is the Imputation of it to us And 4. We hence have proved Works of what nature soever do not justifie us as causes of our being rendered Righteous before God to Justification No then what are good Works good for say some Why Works springing from effectual Faith are Fruits and signs of our Justification and so declare us to be Justified to the sight of Men and to our own Consciences and since I have proved that all works are excluded as done and performed by the Creature insomuch that there is nothing of the Creatures Sincerity nor inward Righteousness no not the least dram of it mixt with that Righteousness that is the matter of our Justification I shall now proceed to the second thing viz. 2. The Formal Cause of our Justification which as I have already told you is the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us this is the Formal Cause and I shall show what we mean by Imputation or the imputing Righteousness And my Beloved consider to have Righteousness or to be accounted Righteous as it may be taken is one thing and to have a Righteousness imputed or accounted to us is another thing for a Man amongst Men may be reckon'd and judged to be Righteous when there is no cause for such an Imputation for they may mistake and make no right judgment as you know some are counted Wise when they are Fools and some Rich when they are are Poor but this is thro' Mistake and Ignorance of Men so that Men may be reckoned to be that which they are not in Truth Now it is not reckoning a Man to be Righteous that is not Righteous for God doth not account them Righteous who have not a perfect Righteousness for if we have something that may be called a Righteousness yet if it be not a perfect Righteousness it is not agreeable to the nature of God nor the Sanction of his Law which doth require a perfect Righteousness God doth not reckon or repute a Man Righteous by an imperfect Righteousness such a one as is this Inherent Righteousness he doth not repute a Man Righteous for that nor doth he account any Righteous but such as are perfectly Righteous therefore he that is accounted Righteous must have a real and perfect Righteousness of anothers imputed to him as the foundation of that Reckoning or Imputation For God doth not reckon Righteousness to a Man without a just Ground not on an imperfect foundation wherefore the other Sense to reckon one perfectly Righteous who hath none but is ungodly is not the thing that we speak of But to have a perfect Righteousness that is none of our own before it is imputed to us is the thing that we contend for Consider my Beloved that to impute to us that which is not our own before or that which we had no Title to in our selves That Imputation doth denote two things 1. To impute that unto us to which we had no Title in our selves that Imputation doth denote a free Act of Grace and divine Donation so that this is made ours altogether freely paid and given us and this is that Righteousness by which we are Justified It is true a Man cannot think well nor speak well nor act well without a principle of Morality and this must come from God Man is not able in a natural way to move without some natural Life and this comes from God But the Righteousness which is made ours to which we had no Title in our selves nor are not in the least concerned in the working of that Righteousness is altogether of free Donation and the whole Glory of it is ascribed
cannot be actually freed till such time as we have actually a Being our Freedom from Eternal Wrath is brought about by Christ by his satisfaction And our deliverance from Sin and Satan Christ merited and procured for us and that long ago tho' my Beloved we are not actually united to Christ thro' Faith therefore tho' Christ hath long ago brought into the presence of God a perfect Righteousness yet it is not proper to say that we are actually Justified till we have a Being and this benefit be actually applied to us It is no more proper to say so than to say an Heir is an actural Possessor of an Estate when he is first intitled to it for tho' Christ did long ago lay down a plenary satisfaction at the loot of God's Justice and we were virtually Justified When he rose from the Dead and virtually Glorified when he Ascended inâ—o Heaven yet we are not actually justified till we have a Being and are in actual Union with the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit What Christ did he did as our Surety who hath espoused our case and our being in actual Union with him brings us to have a legal and personal Right to his Righteousness to Justification and Eternal Life Consider first therefore what it is that is imputed to us in order to Justification which you have heard is the Active and Passive Obedience of Christ Secondly Consider the end and Reasons why this Righteousness is imputed to us and that is 1. The honour of God in all his Divine Attributes for there his Justice is compleatly satisfied and so his Mercy takes place 2. The second end was to answer the just demands and fully to establish the Sanction of God's holy Law we could never be remitted as such as were perfectly obedient unless it was by this way and the Lord Jesus Christ did establish the Sanction of God's Holy Law 3. It was to bring in the pardon of Sin in a Judicial way through Christ's Suffering without which we could not be Righteous no not by the Imputation of the most perfect actual Obedience because that our Sins would ly still upon us therefore the Lord Jesus Christ he takes away our Sins he bears that burthen himself and suffers for it and carries that into the Land of Forgetfulness therefore know also that as we partaking of the sinful nature of the first Adam were condemned as proceeding from his Loâ—â—s so by partaking of the holy nature of the second Adam his Obedience being imputed to us we are actually Justified which is evidenced to us by Faith But now give me leave to speak a little by way of Vse and Applicatiâ—â— 1. Here is a Use of Information you may see my Beloved from hence the Nature Order and Causes of Justification how that our Salvation depends wholly on Christ's glorious Undertaking as the Matter of our Justification 2. That the sin of the first Adam and Death thereby is imputed to you as you proceeded from him till you are Translated in the second Adam and so receive a new nature from him 3. This informs you that till your own filthy Garments be put off this Robe of Righteousness cannot be put on 4. This informs us that we are by nature worse than naked for we are very filthy we are burdened with a Load of Sin and Corruption and Christ must take away the Guilt and condemning Nature of Sin this I say must be Removed so well as we Cloathed c. 5. This informs us that God's imputing Christ's Righteousness is his putting on us this Wedding Garment But Secondly Here is a Vse of Comfort also consider O Believer what comes in what Profit what Advantage what Glory comes in by Justification 1. All you Believers you are acquitted and pronounced Just and Righteous before God 2. You have a full Discharge whatsoever Satan may say or Conscience for want of more light may say you have a full Discharge 3. This is also for your Comfort you are delivered from the Curse of the Law and the wrath of God 4. You appear all Glorious before God without spot or wrinkle for he looks on you in Christ 5. Consider you have an intrest in all that is purchased by our Lord Jesus 6. Finally you shall Eternally be saved and all the powers of Hell cannot hinder you of it But Thirdly A Vse of Terror 1. To such who have not Christ's Righteousness imputed to them for their Sins both Original and Actual are imputed to them 2. You have no Interest with Christ not will not unless his Righteousness be imputed to you through Faith 3. God is a Consuming Fire to all such Divine Holiness cannot but loaâ—h such Divine Justice cannot but consume you if you have no Righteousness but your own Fourthly Here is a Vse of Caution that we all take heed least we err in this great point of Justification O! how prone are we to seek Justification by our own Works but as Christ was made Sin for us so are we made Righteousness in him Now we are not made Righteous before God by Inherent Righteousness but by imputed Righteousness Fifthly Here is a Vse of Counsel Saints go to Christ your all is him take this Counsel and Advice your Mediator he is your Surety go to him don't look into your selves for any thing don't build on your selves for Righteousness but go to Christ he is your Surety and he pleads his own Merits for you 1 John 1.2 If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father c. who doth or may plead Father I took Flesh by thy Order I suffered and died in their stead and gave my self a Ransom for them I was wounded to heal their Wounds I bore their Sin and their Sorrow Oh condemn them not O holy Father for their Iniquities did all meet in me and shall they sink who believe in me I have brought in Everlasting Righteousness for them I have wrought out a Righteousness in my own person for them I have procured all the Blessings that they are Intitled to all comes from me Now consider as Christ pleads with the Father his own Righteousness so you are to plead with the Father Christ's Righteousness there is nothing that will stand you in stead in the last day but Jesus Christ and his Righteousness To whom with the Father and Holy Spirit be all Glory for Ever and Ever AMEN I should now have proceeded to the fourth thing namely to shew you the nature of that Faith which arightly apprehends and applies this Righteousness But I see my time is gone I must therefore leave it to another season if it please God to afford it c. FINIS