co quod Christus peccatum pro nobis factus est Hoc autem ipsum est Christi Obedientia Ergo Justitia Dei non est Christi Obedientia Wotton Besides That we might be made the Righteousness of God in him is expressed by the Apostle as the End or Effect of his being made Sin for us He was made Sin for us not Formaliter but Effective in suffering for our Sins His Sufferings was his Obedience and that his Righteousness By the Righteousness of God therefore we must not understand the Righteousness of Christ because that which is the End or Effect of a Thing cannot be the very same Thing but another differing from it There is yet that Text more which will receive the like easie Interpretation on that Supposition Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness to him that believeth the Believer being righteous In and With and not only meritory By his Righteousness according to Rom. 10.4 But the Supposition really is too gross the Notion too hard to be digested as well as dangerous in regard to the Antinomian Consequences of it If in a Law-sence we are righteous and have fulfilled the Law in Christ then in a Law-sence God sees no Sin in us we need no Pardon God cannot in Justice punish for any thing we do with the Lerna of the like Doctrines which follow upon it If in a Law-sence Christ's Righteousness is ours and we have fulfilled the Law in him then are we in a Law-sence justified by Works when by the Works of the Law the Scripture says no Flesh living shall be justified It the Notion of Faith being imputed for Righteousness which is Scripture must be so framed as by Faith we must understand its Object Christ's Righteousness so imputed but first received by Faith or made ours by Faith as the Instrument of that Reception How then shall those many Fathers and Holy Men before Luther who never had any such Notion in their Minds Nay how shall the Patriarchs and all the Holy People from Adam to Christ have been justified as we which is to be Righteous with this Righteousness when they never had the Instrument to receive it An Instrument is that the Efficient works by And when there is not the working Cause how can there be the Effect It is not credible to me that ever any one before Christ or any of his Disciples before his Death did or could believe themselves Righteous by the Satisfaction and Obedience of the Messiah in this sence that his Righteousness should or could be their Formal Righteousness when As St. John tells us He that doth Righteousness is righteous so is this Righteousness done the Formal Righteousness and Christ's Obedience and Satisfaction the Meritorious Cause and the Account we give of its acceptance in the Sinners Justification A Third Text and parallel Place we have in Rom. 8.3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh c. That is I suppose when through the Fall no Man could perform the Condition of the Law of Works God sent his Son as it follows to be a Sacrifice for Sin to procure a Law of Grace That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit How is that when none can fulfil the Law through the Weakness of the Flesh do we fulfil it Yes It is not said fulfilled in Christ but in Us and it is fulfilled by this Righteousness of God which being on our part all one with the Obedience of Faith God upon Christ's Account imputes that to us for Righteousness or reckons it instead of fulfilling it making it as good to us and rewarding us alike as if we had perfectly performed it It is an Obedience or Righteousness indeed not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I have it before according to the Rigour of the Law but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Equity of the Gospel It is not in its own Nature a Righousness falling short of the Law that would justifie us but it does it by Divine Institution and therefore called the Righteousness of God It is an Ordination of Grace through Jesus Christ and therefore is God righteous in what he does But on our part it is called the Righteousness of Faith I do observe therefore how that Religiously Learned Gentleman Sir Charles Wolesley having wrote his Book of Justification after I had wrote and he had read my Sheets on the same Subject hath these Words upon that forementioned Critical Place 2 Cor. 5.21 The meaning is this says he Christ that was without all Sin was ordained of God to be a Sacrifice for Sin that we might thereby be made righteous with the Gospel Righteousness for that is the general meaning every where of the Righteousness of God Sir C. W. p. 64. This I know I delivered as my Judgment in those Sheets and his saying the same after is as much as if he had said I have considered what you say and am convinced that this is the meaning of that Text and that you are right in your Sence of the Righteousness of God It is a walking after the Spirit not after the Flesh though not perfectly up to our Duty And the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus after which we walk in our measure does set us free from the Law of Sin and Death I will proceed to some Consequences like to be good or ill as they follow upon a right or mistaken understanding of this Righteousness If by it the Righteousness of Christ imputed be understood By the exercise of Faith in apprehending the same to be made ours so as to bring it before the Tribunal of God's Justice for our Justification thereby according to the Law of Works the very Life of that Faith or Comfort of that Life which consists in trusting resting relying on God's Mercy and Goodness for pardoning all the Failings of our Performances and accepting them even our very Desires and weakest Endeavours through the Merits of Christ unto Life so as by that Faith we have access to the Throne of Grace and are justified according to the Gospel is stopt perverted if not quite contradicted and lost Nay if the End of Christ's Obeying and Satisfying the Law was that his Satisfaction and Obedience should be made ours upon Condition for our Divines here are cautious and do generally take heed to put in that to wit upon Performance of the Terms the Gospel requires of us in order to it and not otherwise then cannot the Merits of Christ be so rationally I think applied thus as I speak to the Performance of the Condition Our Divines indeed do say that Christ hath not only procured this Imputation on Condition but Grace also for the Performance of the Condition some say General Grace for all that will some Special that makes some to will but this Condition must be performed by our Free-Will or Grace so
in God's sight whatsoever they were in their own but that all have sinned and need that Messias they expected to make Reconciliation for their Sins that our Lord Jesus Christ being that true Messias by his Death answering their Legal Sacrifices hath born the Curse of the Law and so redeemed us from it That God's undeserved Goodness here in accepting of Sinners through this meritorious Sacrifice of his to Pardon and Life upon Condition which he gives the Grace also to perform presupposed and by me acknowledg'd it is another Righteousness and not that of the Jews Not that Paul calls his own as a Jew or not a Righteousness of Works Perfect Works but a Righteousness of Faith which makes the Reward only of Grace Of Faith that it may be of Grace a Righteousness of Faith but a true Faith working by Love which is an Internal Righteousness though imperfect and not as the External Works of the Jews was is that Righteousness of God in opposition to the Terms of the Law whereby we are justified and saved The Apostle I observe in one place speaking of Faith calls it the Obedience of Faith the same Word if you compare that Text Rom. 11.30 31. with the Margin signifying both to Believe and Obey And the People believed God and his Servant Moses I will conclude hereupon that Christ's Redemption in the immediate fruit thereof which is the Grant of a General Pardon through his Satisfaction to all the World on Condition being laid as a foundation To be justified by Faith is to be justified by performing that Condition To be justified by Faith Believe me at parting is in St. Paul's Mind to be justified by the Obedience of Faith in opposition to the task of the Law that is in St. Paul's Mind I say opposing the Jew by embracing the Christian Religion and living according to it Reader In p. 14. l. 34. correct the Word its and make it it with a Full Point after Other Errataes you may find at the end of the Book or mend your self OF THE Righteousness of GOD In the Matter of JUSTIFICATION The First PART BEcause upon the right Understanding of what the Apostle means by the Righteousness of God without the Law revealed now in the Gospel which indeed is dark and hardly understood I think by Papist or Protestant in their Disputes and much less by our Brethren in their present Differences does depend the Elucidation of the Great Article of Justification whereof I wrote some Sheets formerly called The Middle Way and more lately six Sheets called Pacification I have thought good yet to write a few more upon some further increase of my own Knowledge about this Subject And under this Title I beseech God for his Light and Truth and for Integrity of Heart and Pardon of my Weakness and Failings for my self and for the removal of Prejudice from and the establishing the Judgment of others who shall read what is written The Search after Truth is indeed hard Work it is digging in a Mine It was so to me in writing on this Point at first and it is still What I dig up is but rude it is the Ore as it comes naturally and that is best to edifie those that would improve it I am one whose Genius is averse from any Notion imposed and receives none without distrust that does not arise first out of my own Mind or that I see something new to cultivate it I do not only bear with others but do like them often better that they differ from me because I know I differ from the most Where the Mine though is Gold as the Scripture is there is no Dust of it but must be saved The least Dust of Gold is Gold and if any other who hath better Words and Parts will be at the pains to sift and order what I have digged I doubt not but they may make Gold of that which I have brought to be but the Dust of Gold When a Book is so Methodized as it does exhaust its Subject there is no coming after it But when there is only some Ore turn'd up something of Notion for others to refine a riper Wit will be encouraged to an Endeavour of bringing that Something to more perfection It is so with my Middle-Way Books I am content to be but the Digger I expect some others should be the Refiners of what I have digged The Trent Doctrine which is the perfect papists I must confess is lead them bâ— St. Austine They say Justification is the making a Man just Ex impio Christianum by Infusion of Grace inherent or Charity Being justified freely by his Grace Augustine being immersed in his Dispute with Pelagius could think of Grace in no Sence but this and by Freely Gratis justified he understood only that Works preparatory did not merit this infusion which the Trent-Doctors also say after him The Efficient Cause quae efficit is the Spirit the Instrumental Cause qua efficitur Baptism the Meritorious Cause propter quam Christ's Death the Formal Cause per quam of Justification is this Grace infused Gratia Habitualis Habitual Righteousness making the Man before ungodly now righteous in God's sight This habitual Righteousness then being infused by Baptism they say does abolish Sin so that there remains in the Baptized after the Opus Operatum nothing that is Peccatum but Fomes Peccati only and upon that Account is perfect so by the Law justifies and the Works proceeding from it meritorious of Salvation This is their Opinion and they fall foul on us for holding Justification by Pardon only or by Christ without inherent Grace as if Good Works were laid aside by us altogether Our Protestants therefore renouncing this Charge do grant an habitual Righteousness or Grace infused as necessary in the justified Person but deny this Righteousness to be that which justifies him they deny Justification to be Regeneration and distinguish these as two things It is not this inherent Righteousness say they that can be opposed between the Wrath of God and our Conscience of Sin to be the Cause Propter quam we are not condemned No there is a Righteousness they add without us that is the Righteousness of Christ performed for us and by our Faith made ours that we rely upon to do this for us Our inherent Grace is inchoate imperfect and cannot standing in Judgment before God This being now partly well on both sides there is a Middle Way appears which we must take between them It is true against the Papists that there is no such Righteousness inherent though infused by the Holy Spirit as does abolish Sin and make us so just that we can oppose it to Gods Wrath so as to render him appeased with the Sinner or that the Conscience can rest on it as that Proper quod he is forgiven or saved It is true likewise against the common Protestant that there is not any Righteousness without us that can be made ours so as we
'T is that is this Righteousness If Christ had not procured for us this New Law there could have been no Righteousness in the Earth for the Law of Innocency no Man can perform and therefore hath he by procuring this New Covenant brought in a Righteousness in the World and that which is the abiding Righteousness the Righteousness of this Covenant whereby all are saved that have or ever shall be saved Now when we have here a Righteousness which lies in the Performance of the Law of Grace purchased for us by Christ and wrought in us by the Spirit of Grace for the spirit we must know is not given to perform the Law of Works but this Law we do see what does belong to this Way of Grace which God hath chosen to save Man by This Way of Grace does contain in it the giving of Christ the Redemption we have by him our Reconciliation with God Pardon of Sin the Covenant itself and the Dispensation of the Spirit or his Grace for performing the Condition of it All this and more hang together so that when we say it is not by Works but by Grace that we are saved it is all one as to say it is not by Perfect Works but by an Evangelical Righteousness by Mercy by Pardon by Christ See what this Righteousness of God comes to in its right and full Definition Mid. Way of Just p. 57 58. I have two Pages to set it out more fuller in my Mid. Way of Just p. 57 58 and I have two Pages in my Pacif. p. 27 28 29 30. which should be read rather than here abridged The Design of God to save Man was to magnifie his Grace and therefore of two Ways to do it God chose this of Grace and not the Way of Works unto which yet was Man created and by which he should have lived if he had stood and it is such Works which Dr. Owen never came to consider unto which Grace is opposed by the Apostle To this End the Fall is permitted Redemption by Christ appointed This Redemption is double from Sin and from Condemnation Christ redeems us from Death by the Sacrifice of himself upon which an Act of Grace passes that gives Pardon and Life upon Condition and the Condition is Repentance toward God and Faith toward Jesus Christ. Redemption from Sin is by the Grace of God's Spirit working in us this Repentance and Faith in order to our Justification and is called by our Divines Effectual Vocation It is so far therefore from Truth to exclude Evangelical Works from any Interest in our Justification that they are ordained of God in order to it God hath linked his Golden Chain so that Election does enter our Calling for Effectual Calling is Actual Election and our Effectual Calling does enter our Justification for the Works of it Faith Repentance New Obedience are imputed to us for that Righteousness that justifies us and our Justification and inchoate Righteousness does enter and is the Infancy of Glory From hence the Justification of a Sinner by the Righteousness of God may come under a double Consideration It may be consider'd Precisely in itself or Complexly with its Antecedents and Consequents That which is Antecedent to it is Redemption and that from Damnation as that from Sin both being wrought without our doing any thing not so much says Ruiz as to give an Active Occasion towards it but wholly of Grace It is like that in regard to the Antecedents the Apostle speaks of the Freeness of our Justification so as he does Rom. 3.24 and the like places when otherwise he lets us know that without Conversion or a Call of Turning from Sin unto God no Man can be justified and saved Unto whom I send thee to turn them from Darkness to Light from the Power of Satan unto God that they may receive Forgiveness of Sins Acts 27.18 There is therefore the Antecedents the Constituents and Subsequents of this Righteousness of God and our Justification by it Redemption and Calling are Antecedents The Work of that Calling which is the Performance of the Condition and the Imputation of it for Righteousness the one being as it were the Matter and the other giving the Form to it are the Constituents Actual or Absolute Pardon and Life the Subsequents or Benefits of it This Distinction I would not omit before I go off because I would have none so stiff in theri own Opinions much less froward but that they may yield to others also something in theirs If Austin will place Justification in the Infusion of Grace I will grant it him as Antecedent to it If Mr. Wotton will place it in Pardon I will grant it him as Consequent to it or as the Special Benefit of it If the Assembly will place it in Pardon and the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness if they mean it Per modum Meriti and not In se I will grant it If Mr. Baxter will place it in a Personal Righteousness subservient to the Righteousness of Christ not formally made Ours but in the Effects that is as much as to say required in order to our having Impunity and Life as Comprehensive of all its Effects or Benefits I will grant it him as Constituent of it If Dr. Owen will be content tho' others differ from him so long as Remission of Sin Acceptance with God Right to Life are acknowledged all to be owing to the Righteousness of Christ and not the Merit of our Works I kiss Dr. Owen's Hand also Let this Righteousness of God for Justification of Life be taken in its Complex Consideration and we may all joyn in some Agreement in it tho' where it is Precisely taken every own will stand for his own Opinion I was long before I could come to this God accounting a Man righteous by the Law of Grace as having performed the Condition I always thought to be Justification and this Mr. Baxter granted me Pardon then I counted the Effect of this and therefore different from it besides that the Word methoughts would not allow them to be the same Pardon of Sin is not signified by the Word Justification in any place of Scritpure says Dr. Owen p. 173. The Word is never found so used either in the Hebrew or Greek Writers Sacred or Profane nor in our common Speech says Gattaker on Isa 5.23 who was in this yet a more competent Judge How these two Things being different as the Cause and Effect should enter the same Definition and be made one I could not devise or admit 'till I was taught by one Word in a Letter I receiv'd from Mr. Baxter Pardon says he is not that Justifications The Word That instructed me that Justification being a Forensical Term opposed to Accusation According to the Accusation such he counted Justification There are now two Charges as most say against the Sinner a Charge of the Law and a Charge of the Gospel The Charge of the Law is that we have broke