Righteousness imputed 2 It is also to be considered that in that clause Abraham beleeved God it was counted to him for Righteousness it is not said that Faith or his Beleeving was counted to him for Righteousness but that it was counted c. and that is not his Faith but the marrow of the Gospel which God at that time preached unto him and so there is nothing in this clause immediatly ascribed to this act but a third thing is understood Lastly he saith The righteousness of Christ is not the object of faith as justifying only the Scriptures propose his Righâ—eousness or obedience to the Law as that which is to be beleeved so it may be termed a partial object as is the creation of the world that Cain was Adam's son But the object of faith as justifying properly is either Christ himself or the promise of God concerning the Redemption of the world by him Ans. 1 Hereby we see that in stead of a justifying faith he giveth us a meer historical faith and indeed such as deny the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness must of necessity substitute a new sort of faith in room of that which we owne for the only Justifying faith But though justifying faith containe in it that historical faith presuppose it yet it includeth more hath other peculiar actings of soul upon and towards Christ his Righteousness which here we cannot separate far less oppose to other as our Adversary doth in reference to the mans liberation from the sentence of the Law the Curse due to him for the breach thereof now charged home upon him by the Lord an awakened conscience 2 By Christ's Righteousness we do not understand his simple innocency or freedom from the transgression of the Law but his whole Mediatory work in his state of humiliation as satisfying the offended Law-giver answering all the demands of the Law both as to doing suffering which debt we were lying under 3 Justifying Faith eyeth him thus runneth to him accepteth of him as he is thus set forth by God to be a Propitiation through Faith in his blood Rom. 3 25. and as making Reconciliation for faith receiveth the atonement Rom. 5 11. and it receiveth abundance of grace of the gift of Righteousness vers 17. Justifying faith must receive him as the Lord our Righteousness as made of God to us Righteousness Therefore is this Righteousness of God called also the Righteousness of Faith or the Righteousness of God which is by faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all them that beleeve Rom. 3 22. A Righteousness which is through the Faith of Christ or the Righteousness which is of God by Faith Phil. 3 9. Thus have we examined all that this Man hath brought by way of Reason for as for Authorities on the one hand or other I purposely wave them in this whole discourse to prove that Faith properly taken is imputed for Righteousness that the tropical sense commonly received by the orthodox which we have also chosen to follow notwithstanding that there is another sense given of the words by some to evite in part this tropical sense and by which the Adversaries against whom we here deal can receive no advantage is to be utterly laid aside rejected in answering him we have answered others also who do but-urge the same things Yet if any should enquire If the Apostle doth not meane that faith properly taken is our Righteonsness is imputed to us accounted our Righteousness why would he say so plainly that Faith is imputed or counted for Righteousness I Answere The expressions which the Holy Ghost hath used should satisfie us though we should know no reason beside his good pleasure why he did express the matter so It is our part to search into his meaning according unto the surest rules of finding out the sense of the Scriptures among which this is to be reckoned as a â—â—ite one not to be rejected viz. to attend the scope with the connexion cohesion of the words as they lye contribute unto that scope together with the common plaine frequently reiterated expressions assertions of the Spirit of God in other places where the same matter is treated of for to the end that we may be exercised in the study of the Scriptures in comparing Scripture with Scripture for finding out the mind of the Lord hath he thought good to express the same matter in diverse places in various wayes in some places more plainly what in other places appeareth more obscure And it cannot be judged a saife way of interpreting Scripture to fix upon one expression give it a sense or take it in such a sense as tendeth manifestly to darken the whole doctrine of the Spirit of the Lord concerning that truth and to crosse the scope to mat the connexion and to contradict multitudes of other passages of Scripture It is not unusual for the Apostle to use several expressions in a figurative sense How oft is the word Law taken for obedience to the Law What sense could be made of Gal. 3 25. if the word Faith should be there taken properly not for its object as also vers 2 5. of that same Chapter And what sense shall we put upon these expressions They which are of faith Gal. 3 7 9. as many as are of the works of the Law vers 10. upon many such like if all these words must be taken properly Nay how little of this whole matter of Justification is expressed to us without Trops figures which yet do not darken but give a more special divine lustre unto the Truthes so expressed How oft is the word Hop put for its object for the thing hoped for And though this might satisfie us herein yet further if I might adventure to give a reason of this manner of expression here ot rather to pointe forth what this expression should signifie hold forth to us I would say That Paul is not handling this Controversie about Justification in a meer speculative manner therefore doth not use such Philosophical Metaphysical Notions expressions there about as some now think so necessary that without the same they judge themselves not in case to explaine the matter to the capacity of the meanest which would rather have darkened then explained the matter to the ordinary capacity of Christians as I judge the way that some of latetake in explicating this matter contributeth much more to the darkning of the same at least to me But the Apostle is handling this matter in a practical manner so as both such he wrote unto the Church of Christ to the end of the world might so understand this necessary fundamental truth as to put the same in practice And therefore doth say that Faith is imputed unto Righteousness to shew that it is not the Righteousness of Christ conceived in our heads that
to act faith upon him sutablâ—e with hope confidence Therefore as he is a King to subdue Enemies the faith of his people is to act upon him as such when they would have their spiritual Enemies subdued as He is a Prophet to teach the faith of his people must act upon him as such when they would have Light Counsel Direction so as He is a Priest to Die Satisfie make Atonement Reconciliation Peace their Faith is to act upon him as such when they would have Guilt removed Peace made up betwixt God their souls Sixtly The end designe of asserting Christ as King to be as specially the Object of Faith in Justification as is Christ as Priest may sufficiently render it suspicious for it is as we touched above to bring-in our Obedience as distinct from Faith or as included in it to be the Condition of Justification the same manner of way that Faith is though as was cleared above the consequence will not be fouâ—d good The reall question here as is well observed by others is not whether any thing of Christ â— to be excluded from being the Object of Justifying Faith But what in and of our selves under the name of Receiving Christ as King is to be admitted to share with Faith in its place and interest in our Justification Seventhly To say that faith acteth in order to justification in as special a manner on Christ as a King as on Christ as a Priest is to alter the Nature Use Ends of Faith in this work to give it the Place Power of a proper potestative condition as it is a vertue work of ours not to look upon it as bringing all sutable supplies in a distinct manner from Christ as was shown above and this is but sutable to that alteration of the Nature of the New Covenant that is made by the asserters of this whereby it is of the same specifick nature with the Old Covenant of Works as if it were no more but a new Edition thereof with some alterations as to the Conditions Let us now see what Mr. Baxter saith to the contrary in his Catholick Theol. p. 2. of moral works Sect. 7. p. 55. c. He tels us n. 105. That to be justified by faith in Paul's sence is all one as to be justified by becoming Christians Ans. We grant with him that to be a Believer a Disciple and a Christian are all one in the Gospel sense that by the same Faith by which one is justified he is a Christian also but this proveth not that Faith in order to justification acteth not in a special manner on Christ as a Priest and we have found how Paul both in his Doctrine and in his own Practice explaineth the acting of Faith in Justification This may serve for an answere also to what he saith n. 106. to wit that the faith by which we are justified is essentially a beleeving fiducial consent to our Covenant relation to God the Father Son Holy Ghost for we grant that it is but one the same Faith which doth all this but yet this Faith may be conceived as acting in a peculiar manner in order to justification We grant also that it is the same faith by which we have Right to the benefites of the Covenant by which we are justified Yet we say that in order to Justification that same Faith which receiveth whole Christ and thereby a Right to the benefites of the Covenant acteth in a peculiar manner on Christ as Priest in order to Justification He tels us next n. 108. That the faith by which we are justified hath God the Father for its object as essentially as Christ the Saviour Ans. And we do not deny God the Father to be the Object of that Faith by which we are justified And will he say that Faith in God without Christ will justifie a sinner or that there is any beleeving in God the Father now without beleeving also in Christ The places he citeth Ioh. 17 3. 13 1. shew the contrary Adam's Faith indeed was such before the fall but our Faith now must be of another kinde It is to as little purpose for him to say n. 109. That it is as essential to this faith to beleeve in Christ as the Purchaser of Holiness heaven as to beleeve in him as the purchaser of pardon For he purchased all as a Priest not as a Prophet or King when faith acteth on him as a purchaser it acteth on him as a Priest But he addeth And to beleeve in him as the Teacher Ruler of the Church as to beleeve in him as the justifier of beleevers True because beleeving in him as a Ruler beleeving in him as the justifier of beleevers are both to beleeve in him as a King And this is not the thing that is denied Beleeving in Christ as the justifier of beleevers is not the same with beleeving in him as a Priest in order to justification which is the thing he should have said here if he would have spoken to the purpose What he saith n. 110. concerning Faith's being the act of the whole soul having for its object God the Father Son Holy Ghost in Christ all that is essential to him as a Saviour was granted asserted also by us formerly but it maketh nothing to our present question He tels us n. 111. That to say that some one only of these parts of Christ's office as they are conceptus inadaequati of a Saviour is the only object of justifying faith or that by beleeving in Christ as our Teacher Ruler as well as Priest as a Iustifying judge as well as a justifying Sacrifice and as a fulfiller of the Law is to â—xpect justification by works as Paul denyeth it This is a vaine distinguishing a falsifying the doctrine of Faith Iustification a departing from the Scripture simplicity by corrupting seeming subtility one of those humane Inventions which have wronged the Church Ans. These are but angry words carry with them no force of reason And who is most guilty of vaine distinguishing of falsifying the doctrine of Faith Justification c. he or such as he opposeth in this matter indifferent persons are at freedom to judge And whether his new Doctrine or the old which he so violently in all his writtings oppugneth hath more of seeming subtility in it to the wronging of the Church in its peace quiet every one may judge by the effects But as to the matter in hand he may know 1 that there is a difference betwixt saying that some one only part of Christ's office is the only object of justifying Faith as he here speak saâ—ing that faith whose adaequate object is confessed to be as large as he himself doth make it in order to a souls justification acteth in special manner on Christ as a Priest not excluding Christ as a King or
THE LIFE OF JUSTIFICATION OPENED Or A Treatise grounded upon Gal. 2. 11. Wherein the Orthodox Doctrine of Justification by Faith Imputation of Christ's Righteousness is clearly expounded solidly confirmed learnedly vindicated from the various Objections of its Adversaries Whereunto are subjoined some Arguments against Universal Redemption By that Faithful and Learned Servant of Iesus Christ Mr. JOHN BROUN sometimes Minister of the Gospel at Wamfrey in Scotland JER 23. 6. In His dayes JUDAH shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is His name whereby He shall be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS Iustificatio est Articulus stantis cadentis Ecclesiae LUTH Printed in the Year M.DC.XCV THE PREFACE TO THE READER IT is the true wisdome of a Christian to understand aright and with a spiritual eye to discern the great difference between the Law and the Gospel the Covenant of Works and that of Grace the Legal and Euangelical Justification the ignorance whereof is the great Cause of most errours this day among professed Christians When our blessed Saviour came into the world he found flowing out of this bad fountain a multitude of Heresies in the Jewish Church deceived by the Pharisees blind Leaders of a blind People erecting establishing their our Righteousness before the throne of God And it is certain that our Lord Jesus Christ was rejected of the Jews because they could not believe their own unrighteousness miserie condemnation by the Law nor be made to seek in the Messiah his Sufferings Satisfaction the true expiation of sins and a compleat Righteousness sufficient to eternal happiness Certainly they understood not the promises of the Prophets especially that of Isaiah Chap. LIII neither looked they to the end of the Ceremonial oeconomie Law which was to be abolished 2 Cor. 3. 13. Of this Judaical errour we have a clear example in the Apostle Paul before his conversion a Pharisee by his great Masters well instructed in the letter of the Law For he looking upon himself and not understanding the nature of the Law in its Spiritual meaning was in his own eyes no sinner but a just man living and having a right to pretend a sentence of Justification before God upon the account of his works according to the Law But when it pleased God to reveal his Son to his soul he could count all things but lâ—ss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ and desire only to be found in him not having his own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith Phil. 3. 8 9. And so became a great example of all true Converts Believers his Conversion a Demonstration of this Euangelical Doctrine that no man is Justified by his works but by the Righteousness of Christ imputed by Faith received applyed No doubt Christian Reader but this doctrine is the whole scope of the same Apostle in his Epistles to the Romans Galatians For having proved both Jews and Gentiles to be all under sin supposing consequently that by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God he sheweth that all elected sinners coming short of the glorie of God must be justified freely by his grace through the Redemption which is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be our Propitiation through faith in his blood so that all boasting may be excluded which cannot be if a man could be justified by his works Yea the Apostle Chap. 4. gives a Demonstration of this doctrine out of the examples of Abraham David to whom after conversion Righteousness is imputed sin pardoned by faith in the promise In his Epistle to the Galatians he likewise presseth this Doctrine against the heresie of judaizing Ministers who would have mingled the Law with the Gospel and rejects their sentence as another Gospel worthy to be Anathematized with every one who teacheth it though even an Angel from Heaven since he saith upon the matter that Christ is dead in vain as we see Chap. 1. 8 11. Chap. 11. 21. How happy were the Church in these dayes if the Doctrine of Gospel-Justification did continue pure could be propagated transmitted to the following ages But it is too manifest that the Christian Church by Heathenish Jewish errours upon the one hand by Pelagian infusions on the other hath lost a great deal of her primitive sinceritie puritie Certainly the Roman Superstitions tending only to the establishing of humane Righteousness in Gods sight are clear demonstrations of a corrupted doctrine yea of that Apostacie of the latter times so oft soretold by the Apostle Paul For we see that Popery is wholly erected upon a Judaical Pelagian Righteousness proceeding from the bitter root of the Heathenish Free-will whereby the corruption of Nature is denyed sin excused the faculties of Nature as sufficient to all good works asserted especially when they are sustained by a sufficient grace given to all men for obtaining eternal happiness But this great errour worthy of the Apostles Anathema was abominable in the eyes of our Protestant Fathers and therefore the Doctrine of a contrary Gospel-Justification was the greatest reason of separation especially when they heard the trumpet from Heaven sounding and crying come out of Babel my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues And herein we must admire the wonderful providence of God that the Protestants did aggree in this point of Justification even when their minds were distracted about the Doctrine of the Lord's Supper and it is known how careful the Lutherians are even to this day in following the Doctrine of their Master in this great Article But alas it is a sad lamentable thing that Arminians being fomented by the Kings of France Spain as the immediate way to introduce Popery saith Wilson in his Historie of Great Britain pag. 119. when they adopted the Pelagian grounds did forsake the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ because they could not join this great mystery of the Gospel with the opinions of Universal Grace Redemption as appears in the writings of Episcopius Curcellaeus Limburgh and others filled not only with Arminian but also with wicked Socinian errours against the Divinity Satisfaction of our Saviour Jesus Christ. And how could it be thought that those books should have been accepted approved by Reformed Divines Churches as we see they are in our neighbouring Kingdom of England O what errours in that Nation are observed complained of before by Honorius Reggius in his book de Statu Ecclesiae Britannicae errours tending even to the ruine of the Protestant Cause And what shall we say of the latter books written by Bull Parker Sherlock and others against the principles of Reformation expressed hitherto with great agreement in all the Confessions of Reformed Churches Yea
even those who were purer in appearance pressing the moral duties practical doctrine of pietie I mean the followers of that famous Minister Mr. Richard Baxter did corrupt the true Doctrine of Justification because they adopted Universal Grace and Redemption For suspending such an Universal Redemption as Conditional upon the vertue of Faith taught that Justification is depending upon this vertue and consequently that a man by Faith as a vertue must be justified and because Repentance should be acknowledged as a Condition of eternal happiness beside the vertue of Faith therefore they imagine that Justification may be suspended even upon Repentance so that we must believe that Justification is not only by Faith but also by Repentance But O my Brethren ye are out of the way ye have left your first love Remember therefore from whence ye are fallen and repent and do the first works Remember the former dayes and years Remember your former Divines at the beginning of the Reformation Iuel Whitaker Perkins and other glorious stars once shining in your Countrey Remember the Apologie of your Church against that harlot of Rome written by that most excellent Divine J. Iuel B. of Salisbury approved of your Fathers Remember your Confession aggreeing with all the Confessions of Reformed Churches and confirmed in the dayes of Q. Elisabeth An. 1562. by a Synodical decree yea by the Parliament of your Kingdome Remember the former ages when the Doctrine of Anselme Bradwardine Archb. of Canterbury against Pelagianisme sounded obtained in your Churches Yea Bradwardine his book de Causa Dei opposed to the Cause of men defended by Pelagianisme printed first in this age An. 1616. in the dayes of King Iames who himself was a great Adversarie to Arminian tenets by the care and studie of George Abboth a worthy successour of that great Divine because he loved the Doctrine of Grace and could not endure that Arminian errours should infect the Church of England to that time depending onely upon the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ. But what great iniquitie is it now to neglect this grace and leaving the principles of Protestant Religion to rely upon and trust to our own works for Salvation My Brethren how think ye to mingle the Law with the Gospel the Righteousness of Christ with your own your faith depending alone upon your Saviour with your works What will ye say when you wil dye this weighty case of Conscience comes to be resolved how shall my poor guiltie sinful Soul be justified before a Righteous God How can ye thus prepare the way to return and lead your followers back again unto Babylon What fellowship hath Righteousness with unrighteousness or what communion hath light with darkness Yet glory be to God in the highest who hath reserved by his grace many Protestant and Learned Divines against all these and the like errours And hence we have the learned Labours of the worthy J. BURGES J. OWEN A. PITCAIRN and other eminent Divines worthy to be remembered in all ages And to those great Doctours we may very warrantably add the worthy Author of the following Treatise Mr. JOHN BROUN whose praise liv's deservedly in the Churches and whose light did for a considerable space shine here in our Low-countreys when through the iniquitie of the times he was because of his zeal pietie faithfulness and good Conscience obliged to leave his native Land Yet was he not idle for while he was here he wrote with a great deal of wisdom against the Philosophers of this time who would subject the Scriptures to Philosophie setting up humane Reason for a Rule of Scripture-Interpretations Moreover he was known in our Churches by his Books of the Perpetual Moralitie of the Sabbath written with a great efficacie of Arguments and approved by Fr. Spanheym that worthy and most famous Divine of our age besides what other Treatises he wrote in English But we have here his work of Justification as a Posthumus full of Wisdom Doctrine and Pietie The Author had committed the care of it to his very intimate and dear acquaintance the Reverend and Learned Mr. JAMES KOELMAN who while he was alive had the care of it at the press but before the work was perfected he was called home to his Masters joy after he had faithfully served God in his generation And I being now desired to prefix the accustomed Ceremonie of an Epistle to this excellent book of Mr. JOHN BROUN I undertook it most cheerfully with all my heart For I must give Testimony to the Reverend Learned Author of this work that he wisely expounds the mysteries of Justification according to the Doctrine of the Gospel the principles oft he Reformed Churches that he confirms the expounded Doctrine with efficacious arguments able to stop the mouths of all Adversaries that he prudently dissolves all their vain oppositions that he shows himself a true Christian Minister and a Scribe well instructed by the Holy Spirit unto the Kingdom of God And therefore this excellent book was worthy to be printed to be esteemed and loved amongst the best Treatises upon this great and weighty Doctrine of Justification I need say no more the work will speak for it self and the Judicious Readers oun experience will testifie that it is written in the Demonstration of the Spirit Power profitable for Doctrine Reproof Correction Instruction in Righteousness and Consolation of penitent souls I pray the God of all grace that he would give the Readers the Spirit of Wisdom and of a sound mind that having the eyes of their understandings enlightened they may know what are the great mysteries of Redemption and may be sound in the Faith in order to this fundamental point of Justification here expounded and vindicated with this full persuasion of mind that the Reformed profession is the true way of Salvation able to save a sinner eternally according to the Covenant of Grace revealed in the Gospel MELCHIOR LEYDECKER S. S. Th. D. Prof. Dabam Ultraj. 1 Apr. 1695. P. S. Atque haec quidem ego Britonum Sermone ut potui Si quid commissum est culpae adversus linguae genium id condonandum Belgae est Conari imitari exterorum linguam eruditis haud vulgarem satis erat Interim si Latino Sermone uti licuisset pluribus Doctrinam Ecclesiae Reformatae de Gratia Justificatione explicuissem ut forte horum animum moverem qui prima Principia ipsius Euangelii a Paulo ad Romanos ad Galatas ad Ephesios demonstrata neglexerunt ac deseruerunt Nunc sufficiat ex Confessione Anglicana quosdam Articulos notasse in quos digitum Praefatione intendebam uti habentur in Corpore Syntagmate Confessionum fidei quae in diversis Regnis Nationibus Ecclesiarum nomine fuerunt Authenticè editae Haec enim ibi medium habet locum quod cum caeteris accurate conveniret Utinam tali haberetur hodie veneratione quali fuit habita antiquitus quando
sap life influence from the head much more must this be the way of getting the first change made from death to life And this way or not much different of argueing in this same debate we see the Apostle followeth Rom. 4. where from what was said of Abraham a considerable time after he was a beleever he proveth justification by faith without works or that Abraham was justified by faith not by works The Import then of the Testimony is that this life whereof beleevers are made partakers is begun continued carried on by faith therefore it is not by the works of the Law but by faith that they are justified brought into a state of life If it be true that without faith even belevers cannot be supported nor in case to live as becometh to the glory of God to their own peace Comforth in new Trials Difficulties much more is it true that without faith those who are in nature in state of Enmity to God cannot live the life of justification with it alone they can shall Before we come to speak particularly to any Truthes deducable from the words we shall premise some few things considerable CHAP. II. Naturally we are inclined to cry up Selff in Justification THe Apostle as we see in all his writtings about this matter is very carefull to cleare the question of justification so as Man may have no cause of boasting or of glorying in himself upon the account of any thing he hath or he hath done in order to justification that hereby he might cast a copie unto all such as would approve themselves faithful unto the Lord in being co-workers with Him in the Gospel that he might so much the more set himself against that innatelusting of heart that is in all naturally unto an exalting crying up of Self in the matter of their justification before Acceptance with God and especially we finde how zealously how frequently with what strength multitude of Arguments he setteth himself against cryeth down that which men do so naturally with such a vehement byasse incline unto to wit justification by their own works or by their own obedience to the Law to the end their innate pride may have ground of venting it self in boasting glorying before men From this we may premit in short the consideration of these Three things to prepare our way unto the clearing-up of the Gospel-Doctrine in this matter First That there is a corrupt byasse in the heart of men by nature a strong Inclination to reject the Gospel-Doctrine of free justification through faith in Christ to ascribe too much to themselves in that affaire as if they would hold the life of justification not purely of the free grace rich mercy of God through Jesus Christ but of themselves either in whole or in part in one measure or another Secondly That it is the duty of all who would be found faithful Ambassadours for Christ after the example of the Apostle so to preach forth the Grace of God in this mystery to explaine the same as corrupt Nature within such without as are byassed with mistakes about this matter are led away with proud carnal self conceits may have no apparent or seeming ground of boasting nor be confirmed in their natural prejudices Mistakes therein Thirdly That in very deed free Gospel-justification is so contrived ordered as that none have any real ground of boasting or of glorying in themselves or of ascribing any part of the glory thereof unto themselves as if they by their deeds works did contribute any thing to the procuring thereof It will not be necessary to speak to these at any length but only briefly to touch upon them to make way unto what followeth to be said on this weighty subject which is of so much concernment to us all As to the First of these to which we shall speak little in this Chapter thereafter of the rest in their due order it is too too apparent to be a truth from these grounds following I. This is most manifest from the many Errours false opinions that are Vented Owned Maintained with so much Violence corrupt zeal all to cry-up Self in less or in more to cry down Grace Hence so many do plead with great confidence for an Interest of our works in our justification Such as Papists who quite mistake the nature of true justification Socinians Arminians Others who side with these in less or in more will plead for a justification by our inherent Righteousnoss or works of Righteousness which we do Others that will not plead for such an early Interest of our works in this matter will plead for faith as our Gospel-Righteousness affirme that the very act of our Obedience in us is imputed for a Righteousness to us is accounted such by God so hath the same place in the New Covenant that compleet perfect obedience had in the Old Covenant of works made with Adam which as shall hereafter appear driveth us upon the same rock II. It is manifest likewise from the large frequent Disputes about this matter that we have in Paul's Epistles If there had not been a great pronness in man by nature to cry-up himself to set up his own Righteousness in matter of justification why would the Spirit of the Lord have been at so much paines to speak so to cry down Self our works in this matter as He is in these Epistles of Paul if He had not seen the great necessity thereof by reason of this strong Inclination that men Naturally have hereunto We must not think that any thing is there spoken in vaine or that the Spirit of the Lord would have left that Doctrine so fully cleared wherein our works are so expresly excluded if there had not been a necessity for it if it had not been as necessary in all after ages of the Church as at that time when first written Whatever the truth be that is so frequently pungently inculcated in the Scriptures we may saifly suppose that as the faith practice of that truth is necessary so there must be much reluctancy of Soul in us to receive the same to close with it and a strong Inclination to beleeve practise the contrary III. In the Infancy of Christianity we see what a strong Inclination there was to cry-up works what we do the Law as the only ground of justification or at least to have a share with Christ in that Interest which gave occasion to the penning of these Epistles of Paul where this matter is so fully clearly handled particularly that to the Romans that to the Galatias unto the speaking less or more hereunto in almost all his other Epistles And this Inclination to the crying up of works the Law in Opposition to the pure Gospel-way of
of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith The question is not whether Christ be made Sanctification to us but whether that Sanctification be any part of that Righteousness which Christ is made of God to be unto us What more He addeth It is God who honoureth these that honour him praiseth his Saints as the excellent on the Earth his Jewels peculiar Treasure adorneth with his own lovely image partakers of the divine Nature and members of Christ as his own flesh And it is Satan wicked men that vilifie dishonour them Ans. This is but a Continuance of the same cheat for it is no part of the question whether the Saints should be vilified or honoured But the question is whether the Saints should rob God of his glory and ascribe that unto themselves which is due unto him be it in less or in more We know the Saints are God's excellent ones his Jewels his peculiar treasure but all this is through the free underserved grace of God making them beautiful lovely with his own graces and partakers of his divine Nature And therefore we say that for all that they ought to be humble knowing what their birth â—ativity was and whence all this is come and who ought to have the glory of all this and notwithstanding of this what is the sole ground of their justification before God and what is that Righteousness upon the account whereof they are justified in the sight of God And I have oft lamented it saith he furder that these very men that hold this kind of doctrine of self-abosement as having no part of Righteousness nor share at all in any good work are yet too oft so proudly conceited of their own goodness even for holding that they have none for which they are praise worthie as that their pride is no small trouble to the Churches all about them Ans. I shall not plead for pride or proud conceits in any but whether such as lay down doctrinal grounds of pride and teach men to be proud or such as lay down contrary grounds but do not practise accordingly be most blame worthie I leave Mr. Baxter to judge One thing I would ask How Mr. Baxter came to know that such as he opposeth here were proudly conceited of their own goodness Pride a proud conceit lyeth most within is not obvious to the view of every one especially being upon such a ground I hope Mr. Baxter will not take upon him to judge of hearts And if it be by their contendings for that which they conceive to be truth If this be an infallible mark no man can be judged more proud than is Mr. Baxter none having in this matter contended by so many so great volumnes as he hath since his Aphorismes come abroad that indeed to the no small trouble of the Churches And further some might think that if Mr. Baxter did aright lament that any were proudly conceited of their own goodness he should not have laid doctrinal grounds for fomenting of this pride nor moved such an objection against himself as he doth here for no man can rightly lament at the practice of that doctrine which himself embraceth teacheth He proceedeth â— 177. Whatever is of God is good whatever is good is laâ—dable or praise-worthie meriteth to be esteemed as it is Ans. True therefore God who is the Author thereof should have the glory it should be esteemed as it is to the glory of God not to puff us up with proud conceits or to be the ground we leane to in order to be justified accepted of God He addeth n. 178. All the Sanctified are inherently righteous but with an imperfect Righteousness which will no further justifie them in judgment save only against this Accusation that they are unholy Ans. Mr. Baxter then is much to blame who will have this Imperfect Righteousness to be a perfect Righteousness as being our Gospel Righteousness and the Poâ—estative condition of our Justification absolution at judgment and so the immediat sole formal ground of our Justification before God But this answere is also impertinent for these he here writteth against speak not of a particular justification from this or that false Accusation but of that justification before God whereof Paul treateth in his Epistles to the Romans Galatians which is a justification of the ungodly Rom. 4 5. He addeth n. 179. There is no Righteousness which will not justifie him that hath it in tantum so far as he is Righteous for the contrary is a contradiction for to be just is to be justifiable Ans. This is sick of the same impertinency with what went before for the question is not concerning a particular Righteousness a particular justification upon that account but of a general justification as to our state that from the just accusation of Law justice under which we stand by Nature in reference to which all our inherent Righteoâ—sness how great so ever it be is no ground nor part of the merite or formalis ratio of that Paul had no small share of this Righteousness when he said he knew nothing by himself And yet he addeth Yet am I not hereby justified 1. Cor. 4 4. and we would say the same speak after this manner if Mr. Baxter would suffer us Next n. 181. for 180. he saith All the Righteousness which formally justifieth us is our own or on ourselves where it justifieth us for to be made just or justified in the first sense constitutivly is nothing else but to be made such as are personally themselves just Pardon of sin is made our own Right to Christ glory is made our own though Christ's Righteousness was the only meritorious cause of all this which therefore is may be called our Material Righteousness as that which meriteth it is the matter Ans. There seemeth to be nothing here but confusion for 1 he speaketh ambiguously when he saith that all that Righteousness which formally justifieth us is our own or on ourselves for this may be true whether by that Righteousness he mean the Surety-Righteousness of Christ which he doth not meane for he is too much against the imputation of that as we have seen beeause we say that is made ours by imputation in order to our justification upon the account thereof or whether he mean our own inherent Righteousness but then if this be his meaning it is false that we are hereby formally justified unless he mean as before only a particular justification which is nothing to the point as was said 2 To be made just to be justified are not formally the same but to such only who Love confusion 3 He who is made just is but constituted justifiable is not eo ipso constitutive justified But Mr. Baxter loveth his own Expressions Explications of them