City to whom as yet I was unknown that I was a green headed novice carryed away with anger and passion rather then zeal yet divers of you my learned Brethren did judge otherwise of me and my labours and God blessed them and made them and your assistance of me therein powerfull and effectuall to the quelling of those errors and to the suppressing of them at that time by putting the Author of them to silence And now for 20. yeares and more they have been buryed in oblivion untill this new Adversary hath raked them up as coales out of ashes and out of a surreptitious Booke which the First Adversary had composed Printed beyond the Seas and procured to be brought in by stealth and sold underhand did bring them into the pulpit and from thence with a tumultuous noyse proclaymed them most confidently Now because I have sufficiently acted my part heretofore in opposing these errors and also divers of you have entered into the lists and with zeale and courage have begun to fight against the reviver of them I should have refrayned my selfe from further medling but because this common adversary hath singled me out and provoked me by a proud challenge to answere his writings I have once more undertaken to answer his challenge which Answer being sent to him privately might there have restâ—d if his most reproachfull and rayling reply full of lyes absurdities contradictions blasphemies and intollerable scoffes and reproaches had not forced me to send it abroad into the world to justifie it selfe from the rayling and slanderous clamours which he and his disciples and factious followers have raised against it I here commend it to your grave censure in hope that the goodnesse of the cause which herein I maintaine will cover mine infirmities and will stirre you up to perfect and finish what I have begun The Truth for which you shall fight is strong and will prevaile all power might glory and victory is Gods for whose cause you stand and our Lord Jesus Christ on whose perfect rigteousnesse you strive to keep the Crown hath all power given him in heaven and in earth To this God eternall and omnipotent and to his eternall Sonne our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to the most holy and blessed Spirit three persons in one God I commend you and your holy and faithfull labours in my dayly Prayers humbly supplicating to his Majesty for this Grace that I may continue till death Your fellow Soldier and labourer in his Vineyard GEORGE WALKER THE ANSWERERS PREFACE To the first Chapter THE question which is propounded and the state and drift thereof laid down in this first Chapter is in the Authors own words this whether the faith of him that truely beleeves or the righteousnesse of CHRIST be imputed for righteousnesse in the act of justification In this question the imputing of Faith is opposed to the imputing of Christs righteousnesse for righteousnesse to justification which no Orthodox Christian durst attenâ—â— to doe at any time for the godly learned in the Scriptures and acquainted with the writings of Orthodox divines both ancient and Moderne from the time of the Apostles to this day doe alwayes joyne Faith with Christs righteousnesse in the act of justification and do never account them such opposites as doe the one exclude the other and cannot both stand together and be reputed for righteousnesse to beleevers in justification Though the Apostle doth oppose justification by faith to justification by works of the Law performed by every man in his owne person as two opposites which cannot stand together in GODS justification of sinners And this all true Christians receive imbrace and hold for a solid truth and a fundamentall article of Christian Religion Yet they abhorre and detest the opposing of Faith and Christs righteousnes in GODS imputing of righteousnes to beleevers and doe with an unanimous consent teach that in this justifying act of GOD Christs righteousnesse of which all true beleevers have communion is that which GOD in a proper sense is said to accept and repute for righteousnesse and Faith as it receives and applies Christs righteousnesse is said to be imputed but in an improper speech the name of the act being used to signifie the object which we see frequently in Scripture as for example Gal. 3.2.25 where the name Faith is used to signifie the thing beleeved that is the doctrine of the Gospell and Coloss. 1.5 where the name Hope is used to signifie the thing hoped for that is the inheritance and reward laid up for us in Heaven of which kind many more instances may be produced But as for them who have called into controversie the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and having propounded this question whether Faith or the righteousnes of Christ is imputed in the act of justification have set up Faith and thrust out Christs righteousnesse they have ever beene branded by all true Churches of Christ for pestilent Heretikes and enemies of GODS saving truth The first mover of this question was one Petrus Abilardus a pestilent and blasphemous Heretick who being full of the spirit of pride and error did in disputing and writing deny the communion of Christs perfect satisfaction obedience and righteousnesse and the imputation of them for righteousnesse in the justification of true beleevers This filthie wretch was gelded for corrupting and defiling of a Maid and for his blasphemous heresies Saint Bernard and the Bishops of France caused him to be excommunicated and condemned for an Heretike and his blasphemous books to be burned publikely The next instrument of the Devill after him mentioned in former Histories was Servetus that blasphemous Heretike who for heresies and blasphemies which hee dispersed as a vagabond in several Countries in divers books was by Master Calvin discovered apprehended at Geneva condemned and burned and dyed blaspheming Christ most horribly as Beza testifieth in vita Calvini The third notorious Heretike who in writing and bookes published did maintaine this wicked errour and by his Disciples dispersed it in Transilvania Polonia and other adjoyning Countries was Faustus Socinus whose blasphemous faction and sect still continueth and infesteth those Countries at this day The fourth Grand Master and propagatour of this heresie who brought it into Holland nearer unto us was Arminius He did first secretly teach and instill it into the eares and hearts of many disciples and afterwards did openly professe it as we read in his Epistle ad Hyppolytum de collibus wherein he confesseth that he held Faith to be imputed for righteousnesse to justification not in a Metonymicall but in a proper sense And although this and other errours held by him are condemned in the late Synod of Dort yet his disciples the Remonstrants doe obstinately persist in this errour though some of that sect would seeme to decline and disclaime it The fift perverse publisher of this heresie who first openly professed it in England and in manuscript Pamphlets and Printed Bookes
which he beleeved to wit Christ promised for righteousnes and salvation was that which by GOD was upon Abrahams beleeving counted to him for righteousnes It was not his faith simply considered in it selfe but his faith embracing Christ promised and possessing him with his righteousnes and satisfaction which was reckned to him for righteousnes and as to him so to every one that beleeveth his faith is counted to him for righteousnes For all true beleevers who by faith lay hold on Christ the promised seed of Abraham and beleeve GOD to be their shield and exceeding great reward in him they are by one spirit baptised into one spirituall body with Christ united to him their spirituall head and made his lively members and sensible partakers of his perfect obedience righteousnes and full satisfaction for redemption remission of sinnes justification and perfect salvation and need not any more to seeke the reward of blessednes by the righteousnes of their owne workes performed according to the tenour of the Law by every man in his owne person but in the LORD Iesus Christ who is Iehovah Zid-kenu the LORD our righteousnes Ier. 23.6 and the end and fulfilling of the Law for righteousnes to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10.4 they have perfect righteousnes And in him GOD is become their reward and the lot and portion of their inheritance Psal. 16.5 And that gracious and free favour which GOD shewed to Abraham when hee beleeved in Christ promised and firmely without staggering applyed to himselfe the blessing promised being fully perswaded that GOD who of his free grace promised was by his power able to performe though by the course of nature and by reason of the deadnesse of Sara's wombe he himselfe seemed to bee and indeed was uncapable of that blessing The same hee will shew to all true beleevers who are Abrahams faithfull seed and children of promise that is as hee reckoned Abrahams faith for righteousnes so hee will count their faith to them for righteousnes that is he will accept and account them for righteous persons as indeed they are not for any workes of their owne nor by any righteousnesse performed according to the letter of the law in their owne persons but by the righteousnes which is through the faith of Christ and is called the righteousnes of faith because it is the righteousnes of Christ GOD and man given to them of GOD and of them apprehended and applyed by faith For being thus justified by faith and having communion with Christ of his full satisfaction and righteousnes GOD whose judgement is according to truth doth certainely judge and count them as truly they are righteous in his sight becomes in Christ their shield and exceeding great reward This is the Orthodox exposition of the Apostles wordes in this Chapter generally received by all both ancient and moderne Divines famous for learning and godlinesse The corrupt and hereticall exposition of the Apostles words made by Socinus and maintained by his followers the Arminians and other fanaticall Sectaries THey of the Socinian faction doe generally hold and obstinately affirme that Abrahams beleeving and his faith taken in a proper literall sense without any trope is here said by the Apostle to be counted to Abraham for righteousnes in stead of all righteousnes which either Abraham himselfe was by the Law bound to performe in his owne person or any surety could performe for him And in like manner to every one that beleeveth his faith is in a proper sense said to bee counted for righteousnes even his faith by it selfe and not the righteousnes of Christ with it This is their exposition And upon these wordes of the Apostle thus falsly and corruptly interpreted they build all their hereticall opinions and doctrines concerning justification of the faithfull before GOD namely these following First that faith as it is in every beleever even as it is inherent in him and is his owne faith and beleeving is the onely thing which GOD of his grace and mercy and out of his absolute soveraigne power and dominion is pleased to ordaine appoint and account for all the righteousnes which a man shall have for his justification though in truth and according to Law and the rule of justice it is not righteousnes being weak oftentimes and full of imperfections Secondly that the Spirit of GOD in these wordes of the Apostle did not intend or meane any communion of the righteousnes and perfect obedience performed by Christ to the Law as our surety and in our stead nor imputation of that righteousnes to every true beleever for justification nor GODS accepting of the faithfull for righteous by that righteousnes communicated to them and of them applyed possessed and enjoyed by faith By faith and believing they do not understand that applying faith which is a gift and worke of GODS Spirit in the elect regenerate and sanctified by which they do believe and are perswaded that they are in Christ and Christ is their head and they as lively members of his mysticall body have communion of all his benefits even of his full satisfaction and perfect righteousnes for justification and full remission of all their sinnes But by faith and believing they understand onely a confidence in GOD that hee will performe his promises made in Christ and an assent unto his word that it is true The tenour of which word and promises they conceive to be this That Christ in his pure unspotted humane nature hath by his righteousnesse suffering and obedience unto death meritted such high favour with GOD that GOD in honour to him is pleased to accept and account the faith of them that believe in him and rest on him for their Saviour for perfect righteousnesse and requires no other righteousnesse to constitute and make them in any sort formally righteous in their justification When they acknowledge that the perfect righteousnesse and satisfaction of Christ is the meritorious cause of our justification they do not meane that they are communicated to us and so apprehended and possessed of us by faith that we are thereby indeed and in GODS account righteous before GOD and justified or that they deserve and are worthy that GOD should so account us for them But their mind and meaning is that Christ by his righteousnesse hath merited that GOD for his sake and in favour to him should account faith to us for righteousnesse without either our owne workes of the Law or Christs righteousnesse imputed to us and made ours by communion And when they say that faith is imputed for righteousnes as an instrument they doe not meane as the instrument or spirituall hand applying Christ his righteousnes to bee after a sort the formall righteousnesse of the believer but that faith as it is the instrument by which the believer doth believe that Christ hath purchased this favour that his believing should be the only thing accounted to him for righteousnes so onely and no other way GOD reckons to him
with him then are our sinnes made his by communion and in him satisfied and his righteousnes and satisfaction is made ours and we thereby are pardoned and iustified by it as it is made ours and is not the righteousnes of a stranger nor of one who is another so different from us but that he and we are one spirituall body and all his benefits are ours and we have an interest in them and possesse them and enioy them so far as every one hath need of them As this argument tends to overthrow our union with Christ so A. Wotton in a manuscript of essayes doth professe that our union with Christ is onely metaphoricall Secondly they argue that the righteousnes of Christ cannot be sufficient for the elect nor counted to them for all righteousnesse which is in effect a denying of Christ to be GOD and man in one person for if they acknowledg him to be GOD they must needs hold that his righteousnes and fulfilling of the Law is of more worth and value then if all men in the world had fulfilled the Law in their owne persons without failing in one point Thirdly they argue that if Christ his righteousnes and satisfaction be so made ours and imputed to us that the Law may be said to be fulfilled in us we may said to have satisfied GODS iustice in him our head and by him our surety then is there no place left for pardon and free forgivenesse of our sinnes for pardon and satisfaction are contrary By which they overthrow the Doctrine of redemption and of Christs satisfaction for us and deny Christ to be our redeemer and to have paid our ransome and made a full satisfaction to the justice of GOD for our sinnes contrary to the Scriptures and the judgement and beliefe of all Christian Divines who teach that Christ hath paid our ransome is our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our redeemer And though GODS justice exacted of Christ our surety a full ransome and did not abate him the least farthing of our debt yet we are freely pardoned and have free forgivenesse and are freely iustified by GODS grace because hee did freely give his owne son to satisfy fulfill the Law for us doth freely by his grace and the free gift of his spirit unite us to Christ and make us partakers of his satisfaction imputing his satisfaction freely to us doth for it freely forgive our sinnes and justifie us Fourthly while they argue that faith in a proper sense is all the righteousnes which the faithfull have for justification and yet faith is not any formall righteousnes by their owne confession yea they deny that any formall righteousnes is required in justification hereby they deny the Saints justified to be righteous contrary to the Scriptures which call them the righteous and the generation of the righteous Psal. 1.6 and 14.5 and the righteous nation Isa. 26.2 and in many other places which title GODS spirit would never give to them if they were not formally righteous by righteousnes communicated to them after a spirituall heavenly manner For to hold as they doe that men are justified and counted righteous without any formall righteousnes which doth constitute and give being to a righteous and justified man as he is righteous and justified is a monstrous opinion contrary to reason Fiftly while they deny that the faithfull are constituted and made formally righteous by the obedience of Christ communicated and imputed to them which the Apostle in expresse wordes doth affirme Rom. 5.19 and 8.4 and Rom. 10.4 they in heate of argument fall into the Pelagian heresie and are forced to deny that Adams sinne and disobedience is communicated and imputed to his posterity so as that they are formally sinners by it And rather then they will yeeld that infants which dye before they commit actuall transgression in their owne persons are punished with death because they are guilty of Adams sinne they doe blasphemously affirme that GOD being offended and moved to wrath by the sinnes of parents will out of the magnificence of his judgement and rage of his iustice destroy innocent babes with their sinfull parents for terrour to others which is contrary to GODS word and Law which teach that children shal not dye for the sinnes of their parents unlesse they bee partakers with them either by communion and imputation or by imitation and approbation Whereas they bring for instance that the children of Korah were destroyed with their father though they were innocent and not partakers in the sinne herein they contradict the Scriptures which expressely affirme that the children of Korah dyed not numb 26.11 For they undoubtedly upon Moses his threatning of sudden destruction fled from their fathers tents and escaped and onely they perished who would not be admonished by Moses to separate themselves from the congregation of Korah but adhering to him were partakers of his conspiracy and sinne of rebellion Sixtly when they to colour their heresie proclayme Christs righteousnes to bee the meritorious cause of iustification and yet deny communion and imputation of it to true beleevers what is this but to hold that Christs righteousnes is meritorious to them who have no interest in it which being granted it will follow That Christs righteousnes doth merit for infidels and damned reprobates and doth as much for the justifying of them as it doth to justifie the Elect and faithfull For true reason can conceive no cause why Christ doth merit more or conferre more to the justification of the elect and faithfull by his righteousnesse then hee doth to Infidels and reprobates but onely this that he communicates it to the elect gives them a proper interest in it and makes them truely partakers of it so that it is imputed to them and made their meritorious ransome this while these men deny they deny Christs righteousnes to merit any more for the faithfull then for damned reprobates And thus their bent is to set up Pelagian and Arminian free will and to make this the onely difference betweene them that are justified and them that are damned that whereas both alike have equall share in Christs merits and Christ hath merited as much for the one as the other and given as much grace for iustification the one having power of free will doth use it and will beleeve and so is iustified by his faith imputed for righteousnes the other will not use the universall grace given to him nor beleeve which he might doe if he would and therefore is damned which is a most horrible and abominable Doctrine and hereticall opinion Lastly they argue that as in the first Covenant GOD required workes of the Law performed by every man in his owne person and this was the condition which man was to performe for iustification and eternall life and so that Covenant was not free but conditionall So in the new Covenant GOD requires faith
and beleeving which wee on our part must performe for iustification life and salvation And hereby they abolish the freedome of the new Covenant and make it a Covenant conditionall and not of free grace For what soever is covenanted-and promised upon a condition to be performed is not absolutely free nor freely given and so according to their Doctrine they that are iustified by faith are not freely iustified by grace whereas they plead Scripture for their errour and alledge that iustification and life is promised upon condition of beleeving If you beleeve you shall be saved I answer that this is a grosse and absurd mistake For every conditionall proposition doth not propound the conditition of a Covenant which the party to whom a thing is promised must performe that the promise may bee made good to him for such a condition whensoever it is performed makes the thing covenanted a due debt which the promiser is bound to give But oftentimes a conditionall proposition propounds the meanes by which a free gift is received or the qualification by which one is made capable and fit to receive and enjoy a free gift as for example it is often said in Scripture if yee will heare and hearken yee shall eate the good of the land and shall live and not be destroyed Isay 1.19 Ier. 26.3 and many other places If we love one another GOD dwelleth in us 1 Iohn 4. If we walke in the light we have fellowship one with another 1 Iohn 1.2 If we confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and just to forgive 1 Iohnâ— 9 If a man be just and do that which is right he shall surely live Ezech 18.5.21 In all which and the like places there is no condition of the Covenant propounded but onely the way and meanes to receive blessing or the quality condition by which men are made capable and fit to enjoy the blessing and somtimes the signes tokens and effects of them that are in a blessed estate And even so when GODS word saith If you believe yee shall be saved There is no condition of the Covenant propounded to be performed on our part for justification and salvation but onely the qualification by which GOD of his free grace doth qualify and fit us to be iustified and saved and the meanes by which hee enables us to receive righteousnes and to lay hold on salvation which is freely given to us in Christ. Vpon these particulars severally observed out of their owne words and writings I strongly conclude that this opinion being builded upon such a blasphemous and Hereticall ground and upheld and maintained by such blasphemous arguments must needs be most impious Hereticall and blasphemous Having already proved the Socinian and Arminian opinion to be most false and abominable I proceed to answere the particular arguments contained in this 2. Chapter which was by the Authors owne hand delivered unto me to be answered And because he and his followers shall not complaine of misrelating any of his words I will as I have done in the former Chapter first lay downe his owne words Socinianisme THe first argument brought to prove that faith and believing are in a proper sense Rom. 4. said to be imputed to the believer for righteousnes in justification and not the righteousnes of Christ. First the letter of this Scripture speakes what we affirme plainely and speakes no parable about it yea it speakes it once and twice yea it speakes it the third and fourth time and is not ashamed of it Abraham beleeved GOD and it was imputed to him for righteousnes verse 3. Againe to him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted to him for righteousnes verse 5. And yet againe verse 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnes The same phrase and expression is used also verse 23.24 Certainely there is not any truth in religion not any article of our beliefe that can boast of the letter of the Scripture more full expresse and pregnant for it what is maintained concerning the imputation of faith hath all the authority and countenance from the Scriptures that wordes can lightly give whereas the imputation of Christs righteousnes in that sense which many magnifie hath not the least reliefe either from any sound of wordes or sight of letter in the Scripture Christianisme HIs first argument reduced into the forme of a syllogisme runs thus That opinion which hath the Letter of the Scripture more full expresse and pregnant for it then any truth in religion or article of our beliefe and hath all the authority and countenance from the Scripture that wordes can lightly give is certainely true This opinion concerning the imputation of faith in a proper sense is such Therefore it is a true and sound opinion That this imputation of faith may boast of the letter of Scripture and of all the authority and countenance that wordes can give hee proves because the letter of the Scripture speakes it once twice yea thrice and foure times to wit in this Chapter Rom. verse 3.5 22 23 24. to which I will adde a fift time verse 9. The more true that the proposition is the more false is the assumption wherein hee assumes most falsely to his opinion that which in no wise belongs to it and thereupon inferres a most false conclusion I answere therefore that his assumption is an heap of impudent lyes First the killing letter of the Scripture may give some countenance to it that is speeches of Scripture understood and urged literally which are spoken by GODS spirit tropically and in a figure This Saint Austin calls the killing letter because they who take the words properly and so urge them obstinately they slay their owne soules But the true literall sense of the wordes which are improperly literall will never give any countenance to this hereticall opinion as I have shewed before most fully 2 I cannot but accuse him here of most intollerable impudency in that he affirmes that this most Hereticall opinion hath more full expresse and pregnant testimony from the letter of the Scripture then any truth in Religion or any article of Religion and hath all the authority and countenance from the Scripture that words can give when as in all the Scripture faith is not once said to be imputed for righteousnes in a proper sense in all the word of GOD and is onely seven times said to be counted or imputed for righteousnes and that tropically while the Apostle useth the phrase borrowed from that improper speech which is spoken of Abraham Gen. 15.6 That when Abraham believed GOD he counted it to him for righteousnes For it is manifest that in this Chapter he altogether insists upon that speech and doth but repeat it six times and so likewise Gal. 3.6 Saint Iames also once useth it speaking of declarative justification to prove that Abraham was justified by workes Iam. 2.23 that is declared before men to be
as it comprehends Christs righteousnesse is counted to him that hath it righteousnes and Christs righteousnesse which the beleever by faith possesseth is set on his skore for iustification A second notorious untruth is that such a figure of speech as this is not to be found in all the Apostles writings besides For the same expression and figure of speeches used by this Apostle Cap. 2.26 as I have before plainely shewed Yea foure times in the foure last verses is the same trope used uncircumcision first for a man uncircumcised and secondly for the state of an uncircumcised Gentile and circumcision for a circumcised Iew and againe for inward sanctification whereof circumcision was the signe and Sacrament and ten severall times doth he tropically by faith meane the Gospell and Doctrine thereof which is the obiect of faith Gal. 3 as I have before noted where he discourseth about this weighty point of iustification A third impudent lye and manifest falshood is that the Apostle time after time and in one place after another useth the word faith or beleeving imputed without ever explaining himselfe or changing his speech For that which he calls faith and beleeving and faith it is imputed for righteousnes vers 3. and 5. he explaining himselfe and changing his speech v. 6.11 calls it righteousnes and saith GOD imputeth righteousnes and righteousnesse is imputed In a word I doe challenge him to shew one place in all the writings of this Apostle wherein he useth this phrase of faith or beleeving imputed for righteousnes except onely here in this Chapter and in Gal 3. In both which places he cites that testimony of Moses concerning Abraham that GOD counted faith to him for righteousnes and urgeth it in the phrase of Moses but in all other places where he writes of iustification he useth his owne expressions and saith that wee are iustified by Christs satisfaction made for our redemption as Rom. 3.24 and by his obedience and fulfilling of the Law Rom. 5.19 and 8.4 and 10.3.4 and that Christ is made to us righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1.30 and we are made the righteousnes of GOD in him 2 Cor. 5.21 If he cannot shew any place besides these then let him bee ashamed of his doings in that he hath bent his tongue and pen like a bow for lyes and shootes out in every passage so many notorious untruthes that hee may bee suspected to have full furnished his quiver from the armorie of the father of lyes the Prince of darknesse The second Argument SEcondly verse 5. it is said that to him that beleeveth his faith is imputed to him for righteousnes From which clause it is evident that that faith whatsoever we understand by it which is imputed is his somewhat that wayes truely and properly called his before such imputation of it bee made unto him Now it cannot be said of the righteousnesse of Christ that it is any mans before the imputation of it to him but faith properly taken is the beleevers before it be imputed at least in order of nature though not in time Therefore by faith which is here said to be imputed cannot be meant the righteousnesse of Christ. Answer THe righteousnes of Christ by spirituall union and communion which every true beleever hath with Christ is as truely his as his faith For Christ is made unto him righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1.30 and he is made the righteousnesse of GOD in Christ 2 Cor. 5.22 and that in order of nature before it is counted his righteousnesse For GOD whose judgement is according to truth doth not count that to the beleever which he hath not before communicated or at the same time doth communicate to him Secondly I answer that if faith which is here called his faith be faith in a proper sense and be imputed for righteousnesse to justification then is man justified by his owne inherent righteousnesse and by a worke done and performed in his owne person which every Orthodox Divine will tell him is flat popery or worse The third Argument THirdly granting a trope or Metonymie in this place and that by faith is meant the object of it or the thing beleeved yet it will not follow from hence that the righteousnesse of Christ should be said to bee imputed here but either GOD himselfe or the promise of GOD made to Abraham For it is said verse 3. that Abraham beleeved GOD not that he beleeved Christs righteousnes except we set up another trope to maintaine the former and by GOD will say is meant the righteousnes of Christ which would bee not a trope or figure but rather a monster of speech Therefore the righteousnesse of Christ is not here said to be imputed for righteousnesse but faith properly taken Yea whereas the object of faith as justifying is expressed with great variety of words and termes in Scripture in all this variety there is not once to bee found the least mention of the righteousnes of Christ as if the holy Ghost foreseeing the kindling of this false fire had purposely withdrawne or withheld all fuell that might feed it Sometimes Christ in person is made the obiect of this faith Iohn 3.16 besides many such expressions Sometimes Christ in his Doctrine or the Doctrine and word of Christ Iohn 5.46 had yee beleeved Moses yee would have beleeved mee Sometimes Christ in the relation of his person and that either as he stands related unto GOD as his father Iohn 20.31 or else as hee stands related to those ancient promises of GOD made unto the Iewes concerning a Messiah to be given and sent unto them Iohn 8.24 except yee beleeve that I am hee yee shall dye in your sinnes Sometimes the raising up of Christ from the dead as Rom. 10.9 Sometimes GOD himselfe is made the obiect of faith 1. Pet. 1.21 Sometimes the record or testimony of GOD concerning his sonne is made the obiect of faith 1. Ioh. 5.10 In all this variety or diversity of expressing the obiect of faith as iustifying there is no sound or intimation of the righteousnes or active obedience of Christ. Not but that the righteousnesse of Christ is and ought to bee beleeved as well as other things revealed and affirmed in the Scriptures yea it is of nearer concernment to the maine to beleeve it then the beleeving of many things besides comprehended in the Scriptures as well as it but the reason I conceive why it is not numbred or reckoned up among the obiects of faith as iustifying is because though it ought and cannot but be beleeved by that faith which iustifyeth yet it may be beleeved also by such a faith which is so farre from iustifying that it denyeth this Christ whose righteousnesse notwithstanding it beleeveth to be the sonne of GOD. Thus some of his owne nation the Iewes have given testimony to his righteousnesse and innocency who yet received him not for their Messiah nor beleeved him to be GOD. And this is the frame constitution of the Turkish faith for the
words then these of Calvin for if a man bee not righteous in himselfe then is hee not righteous by faith in a proper sense for his faith in a proper sense is in himselfe But let us not bee too hastie to insult over his folly it may bee his impudency will catch at some other words of Calvin which do not so expressely contradict him but are more obscure and them hee will wrest and abuse to expound Calvins plaine words in a contradictory sense It is even so indeed for hee cites in the next place some more generall and obscure speeches of Calvin to expound his plaine words and to make them contradictory to themselves I have heard absurd fellowes derided for going about to shew obscurum perobscurius that is to make men see dark things through greater darknesse and for running as the proverb is out of GODS blessing into the warme sun But that any should goe about to make others see the sun when it shineth in full strength by the dimme light of a candle and to perswade them that the sun is the moone this is madnes deserves that the Lunatike Melancholike person so doing should be sent to the Iland of Hellebore there to inhabit till hee recover his wits And doth not he so who seekes to make Calvins plaine words to contradict themselves by citing words wherein he speakes neither so plainely nor so fully as in them But let us see those other speeches of Calvin which hee brings for this purpose one is that Christ by his obedience hath merited and procured for us favour with GOD his Father These words doe not prove that the imputing of Christs obedience and righteousnesse signifies the bestowing of the benefit of it on us that is GODS favour but shew clearely the contrary to that which he intends namely that Christs obedience is made ours and imputed to us because it procures to us the favour of GOD which we cannot enjoy nor appeare gracious in his sight unlesse wee bee cloathed with Christs rich robe of righteousnes and washed cleane from the guilt of sinne by his satisfaction imputed to us Another is Christ by his obedience hath purchased righteousnes for us the true and plaine sense of which wordes is no more but this that Christ by his obedience hath fulfilled the Law of GOD for us and we by that obedience are constituted made righteous as the Apostle expressely affirmes Rom. 5.19 Another is that when we are said to be justified by the grace of GOD and that righteousnes was procured by the death and resurrection of Christ these expressions import the same thing with those that Christ is our righteousnes that is by union with him and communion of his righteousnes which he purchased by his death and resurrection and which GOD graciously gives to us wee are justified Another is men having not any righteousnes in themselves they obtaine it by imputation that is neither a mans owne workes nor faith taken in a proper sense for a gift grace or worke in him can be his righteousnes but onely that which is obtained by imputation to wit Christs righteousnes apprehended by faith which when true beleevers have laid hold on then GOD doth account them righteous and in this improper sense GOD is said to impute faith for righteousnes Thus every speech of Calvin which he brings against Calvin himselfe is like a stone cast against a brasen wall and rebounds against the caster and dasheth out the braines of his hereticall opinion And therefore it was his safest course onely to tell us of more such passages but not to recite any more out of Calvin or other Authors For being seasoned with the salt of their owne interpretation they will prove gravell in his mouth choake him and if it be possible put him to shame and silence From Calvin hee comes home to the Homilies allowed in our Church and they by his owne confession teach that we are justified by the imputation of Christs righteousnes But to prove that by the righteousnes of Christ they meane faith taken in a proper sense that is as it is the gift of faith in us and the operation of it in us even our beleeving hee brings the words of the 11. Article of Religion allowed in our Church by Law viz. we are ac counted righteous before GOD onely for the merit of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith not for our owne workes or deserts where note that whereas the Articles send us to the Homilies as being very profitable plaine expositions of them hee on the contrary sets the cart before the horses to draw them after it Hee brings the text to expound the commentary or plaine exposition of it But hee gets no advantage by doing so for the words of the Article are very exact indeed and make much for us against his opinion they shew that the merit of Christ apprehended by faith is that for which wee are accounted righteous before GOD and that faith is not our righteousnes for then wee should bee accounted righteous for a grace in our selves and for a worke of our owne performed by us even our owne beleeving Oh but the Article doth not say that wee are constituted and made but onely accounted righteous True indeed the Article doth not speak of fundamentall justification mentioned Rom. 5.19 but of imputative justification of which the Apostle speakes Rom. 4 3. which necessarily presupposeth the other For GOD whose judgement is according to truth cannot judge and count us righteous till hee hath communicated Christs righteousnesse to us and by it constituted and made us righteous which when we by faith receive and apply by the assistance of his Spirit which dwells in us and makes us one Spirituall and mysticall body with Christ then GOD accounts us righteous and by our faith and believing we obtene as Abraham did this testimony from GOD that we are righteous as Iustine Martyr saith in the words cited in the next Chapter From the Article and Homilies hee proceedes to Musculus Luther and Chamier who though in their Doctrine they are opposit to his opinion as heaven is to earth yet hee snatcheth here and there some improper speeches out of their writings which hee wresteth to his purpose though they doe most plainely expound their owne meaneing to bee contrary to his mind The words of Musculus are these Faith is accounted for righteousnesse for Christs sake That is faith is accounted for righteousnesse and the true believer is counted a righteous man not sensu proprio nec per se sed propter Christum That is by reason of Christ and his righteousnesse whom the believer apprehendeth and by faith possesseth his righteousnesse and againe this faith ought to be esteemed of us as that which GOD purposeth for Christs sake to impute for righteousnesse to those that believe in him in which words Musculus folowing the phrase of the Apostle intends no more but this that wee
disdaine to take up for his constant dwelling the earthly tabernacles of mens bodies and to worke in them all graces needfull to conforme them to Christ and to make them sensibly to enjoy him with all his benefits This most wonderfully shewes GODS infinite mercy bounty and free goodnesse And all these meanes which are manifested and maintained by our Doctrine of justification this wicked opinion of the Socinians doth utterly take away First it denies GODS justice to require mans communion of such an infinite satisfaction made by Christ for him it treads GODS justice under foote by his soveraignty of power and maugre justice it makes mans imperfect faith to go current for righteousnes and to be accepted for perfect righteouses to justification Secondly if GOD by soveraignty of power can beare downe justice and make any weak and imperfect thing such as mans faith is serve in stead of Christs full satisfaction and perfect righteousnes Then hee might by the same power have appointed the sacrifice of a Lamb or any cleane beast or the satisfaction of any mere man and so it will follow that the giving of his son to bee made man was no point of wisedome but a going farre about and spending much even Christs blood when lesse might have served the turne As for GODS goodnesse mercy and bounty they are hereby made painted shewes and shadowes yea needlesse prodigality and Christs satisfaction is made vaine and superfluous Therfore this opinion which brings in such impious consequences is blasphemous and hereticall Fiftly that opinion which overthrowes the sacraments of the Gospel and takes away the true use of them is heriticall prophane and impious This opinion that Christs righteousnesse is not imputed to the faithfull doth so For the sacraments are seales of our union and communion with Christ Baptisme seales our engraffing into Christ in our new birth by which we become one with him The LORDS Supper is such a lively seale of our communion with Christ in the benefits of his death passion and full satisfaction expressed under the termes of eating his flesh and drinking his blood that it is commonly called the communion of the faithfull when it is rightly received But these Hereticks while by imputing faith in a proper sense they exclude the imputation of Christs righteousnes to the faithfull they deny their communion and union with Christ they take away the truth and the use of the Sacraments for if the faithfull are regenerate and by one spirit ingraffed into Christ and united unto him as Baptisme signifieth and sealeth and if they have spiritual communion with Christ of his righteousnes and all other benefits which the LORDS Supper signifieth and is thereof a seale to them Then GOD whose judgment is according to truth cannot but impute Christs righteousnes to them and accept it for them and account it theirs They who deny GODS imputing of it do either charge GOD with injustice and error of judgment in not counting and iudging that to be theirs in which they have communion and interest or else they deny the union and communion of the faithfull with Christ and make the sacraments lying signes and seales of false things and things which are not Therefore their opinion is most abominable profane impious and blasphemous argument 6 Sixtly that opinion which is invented and maintained by Heretiks who deny the eternall Godhead of Christ and tends mainely to perswade that there is no use of Christs being GOD and man in one person is Hereticall and blasphemous Such is this opinion of the Socinians it is an invention of Haretiks and tends to take away the use of Christs being GOD and to perswade men that there is no necessary use of his being GOD and man in one person For all Orthodox Divines give this reasō why it was necessary that Christ the mediator should be GOD in our nature even that the obedience suffering which he did under goe in mans nature might be the obedience and suffering of GOD and so of infinite value and though of him alone and but for a time yet of more worth then if all men in their owne persons had obeyed as much as hee did and suffered for ever in Hell They teach also that first for the removing of so great evils as the infinite wrath of GOD eternall death and torment in Hell and secondly for purchase of so great a good as is the state of righteousnesse and of grace and also of eternall glory in Heaven GODS justice could require no lesse satisfaction and righteousnes nor be satisfied with any other but that which is performed by him who is GOD and man in one person that is the perfect righteousnes and satisfaction of Christ which alone by the infinite value which it receives from his God-head is fit to remove so infinite an evil and to procure so infinite a good to men But the maintainers of this Socinian opinion by denying that GODS infinite justice stands in strength to exact such a satisfaction being over-ruled and oppressed by absolute soveraignty of power and by teaching that mercy and bounty run beyond reason freeing men from all need of such an infinite satisfaction to be communicated imputed to them and justifying them freely without righteousnes they do take away the use of Christs God-head in his mediation and the causes and reasons for which it was necessary that he should be GOD as well as man And in conclusion in places where they dare be bold to disclose the secret thoughts of their hearts they roundly deny Christ to be the Sonne of GOD of the same substance with GOD the Father Therefore this their opinion is most impious blasphemous and Hereticall And indeed it is never found in Histories to have been maintained by any but Samosatenian Heretiks deadly enemies to Christs deity Lastly that opinion which is builded upon an Hereticall and blasphemous ground and is upheld and maintained by blasphemous arguments which do shake and even raze the maine foundations of true Religion must needs be most wicked and blasphemous and such is this opinion for it is builded upon this blasphemous ground that GOD by his soveraigne power may do and will things contrary to his justice that is count and accept that for righteousnes which is no righteousnes nor worthy to be accounted an act of perfect righteousnes for such is the faith of fraile man taken in a proper sense The arguments by which it is commonly maintained are also blasphemous and wicked to wit First they argue that Christs righteousnes is not imputed to true believers neither can be made or counted theirs by GOD. Because Christs righteousnes is the righteousnes of another far different from them and GOD cannot iustify one by anothers righteousnes and therefore we are not iustified by Christs righteousnesse neither is it imputed in iustification Now what is this but a denying of the union of the faithfull with Christ for if he be one with us and we one
to dispute against Gods imputing of Christs righteousnes in iustification His reasons are 3. First because God required Christs righteousnes of Christ himselfe and therefore it is not required of GOD for our righteousnesse to iustification Secondly because the scope of the Apostle is to shew what must be done and performed by us and what GOD requires at our hands to iustification and Christs righteousnesse is not any thing performed by us and therefore is not here said to be imputed Thirdly if the Apostle had said that we must be iustified by Christ and his righteousnesse without any other thing performed by us this had beene to cast a snare upon us rather then to open to us a dore of life and salvation To which I answere that as his denying of Christs righteousnes to be imputed is Hereticall so also are his reasons brought to confirme his opinion First in that he saith GOD doth not require of us the righteousnes of Christ for our iustification this phrase is not onely harsh and unsavory but also full of calumny and close slander It is harsh and absurd like as if one should say that GOD requires the same particular and individuall act done by another to be not done by him but by us which implies a grosse contradiction It is also full of close calumny for hereby he goeth about to make men beleeve that the orthodox doctrine of iustification by the communion and imputation of Christs righteousnes is a teaching and supposing that GOD requires of us for iustification that we be performers of the same individuall works of the law in the propriety and formality of them which Christ performed and so he openly expresseth his mind in another place which is a base slander as I have before shewed Secondly in that he saith God required Christs righteousnesse of Christ himselfe and not for our iustification This implies that Christ had need of iustification and was bound to fulfill the righteousnesse of the Law as a thing requisit for himselfe and it savours very rank of the Samosatenian and Socinian heresie which denyeth Christs eternall deity for if Christ his humane nature being from the first conception most pure upright and holy was personally united to the eternall Son God equall with the father and so was the Son of God and heir of all things who can doubt but that he in himselfe was worthy of glory at Gods right hand from his birth as his taking of our nature upon him was altogether for us so his infirmities sufferings death and continuance on earth for the performance of all righteousnes and obedience to the Law was for us and for all the elect both them who of old before his comming beleeved in him promised and to come and also for them who now doe beleeve in him already come exhibited and exalted to glory in his humanity To say or thinke that he had need to iustifie and make righteous himselfe by his workes and to merit glory in heaven by his righteousnes is in effect to deny that hee is GOD infinitely worthy of all glory as he was the onely begotten sonne of GOD and heire of all things His second reason is a manifest falshod to wit that the scope of the Apostle is to shew what is to be done and performed by us which GOD may accept at our hands to our justification For the Apostles scope is to shew that wee are justified freely by GODS grace by the things which Christ did for our redemption cap. 3.24 and that obedience righteousnes and satisfaction of Christ we must not obtaine by any workes of our owne according to the Law it is freely given us of GOD and faith is the hand by which wee receive it and our evidence that we are justified by it His third reason is blasphemy and contradiction of Christs owne words For our Saviour professeth and affirmeth that he alone is the dore John 10.7 the way Iohn 14.6 and hee who makes him the way and dore and seeks justification life and salvation by the way of his righteousnes hee is a true disciple of Christ and his Apostles But to call the teaching of men in this way the casting of a snare upon them is blasphemy Far be it from me and from all true Christians not to detest and abhorre such impiety and not to thinke him worthie of the curse of Anathema Maranatha who with his mouth proclaimeth and with an obstinate heart maintaineth that teaching of iustification by Christ and his righteousnes is casting of a snare on men and not of the dore of life and salvation to them Socinianisme THirdly that interpretation which is set up against it and contendeth for the imputation of Christs righteousnes is cleerely overthrowne by severall circumstances and passages in the context First it hath no appearance of a likelyhood in it that the Apostle in the great and weighty point of justification wherein doubtlesse he desired if in any subject besides to speak with his understanding as his owne phrase is that is that what hee himselfe conceives and understands may bee clearly understood by others should time after time and in one place after another without ever explaining himself or changing his speech throughout the whole disputation use so strange harsh and uncouth an expression or figure of speech as is not to be found in all his writings besides to say that faith and beleeving is imputed for righteousnes but to meane that indeed it is the righteousnesse of Christ that is imputed were to speake rather that he might conceale his mind then reveale it Christianisme IN this third way of arguing he layeth downe his arguments against the true Orthodox interpretation of Saint Pauls speeches concerning imputation of faith for righteousnes which interpretation he goeth about to overthrow by severall circumstances or passages in the context I will first sift his first argument here laid downe and then propound and answer the rest Answer to the first argument IN this argument there are more impudent lyes then full pauses or sentences The first impudent lye is that the Apostle expressing the state of righteousnes or of a man justified by Christs righteousnes by the name of faith and beleeving imputed for righteousnes to him should use an harsh strange and uncouth speech and expression what is the man so ignorant of the first grounds of Rhetorick that a trope or figure of speech is harsh strange and uncouth with him It is but a Metonymie to expres by the name of Faith and beleeving the state of a beleever or a faithfull man or the object of faith which faith hath laid hold on so fast that they cannot be separated but he who hath the one hath the other also and by righteousnes to expresse the state of a righteous man justified And when we say faith is imputed for righteousnes to meane that the state of a beleever is counted the state of righteousnes or of a man justified or that faith
fulfilling of the Law for our sakes Ibid. Artic 3. And concerning faith they teach that in justification before God it trusteth neither in contrition nor love nor any other vertues but in Christ alone it is the onely meane and instrument which receives the free grace of GOD the merit of Christ and remission of sinnes and resteth on Christs most perfect obedience by which hee fulfilled the Law for us which obedience is imputed to beleevers for righteousnes Ibid Artic. 3. Calvin is so zealous and so plaine and perspicuous in teaching and maintaining the doctrine of justification by the communion and imputation of Christs perfect obedience to the Law even his full satisfaction and righteousnes that among Christians who read Calvins institutions one would think the very Father of lyers the Divel himselfe should if not blush and be ashamed yet in policy and subtilty be afraid to call Calvin for a witnes on his side in this point least the most simple should see and discerne him for an open lyer and forger and abhorre and hisse him out with derision The Doctrine of Calvin concerning justification I will lay downe in certaine Articles gathered from his owne writings especially his Institutions Lib. 3. cap. 11. and 12. First hee affirmes in plaine wordes that justification consists in remission of sinnes and the imputation of Christs righteousnes cap 11. ss 2. As for the word remission of sinnes hee useth it two wayes somtimes in a large sense for that act of GOD by which he doth communicate and impute the full satisfaction of Christ unto his elect and faithfull so that the whole guilt of all sinnes both of commission and omission is thereby taken away and they are no more accounted nor appeare in his sight as sinners In this sense he calls remission of sinnes in his comment on Rom. totum justificationis and in his Instit. 3. cap. 11. sect 4 totam justificationem For indeed when the guilt of all sinnes of omission and commission are taken away by that part of Christs satisfaction imputed which is called his passive obedience or voluntary suffering of the penalties of the Law and the defects which come in by the sinnes of omission supplied by his active obedience in fulfilling the righteousnes which the Law requires which is the other part of Christs satisfaction imputed so that now the elect are reputed and esteemed as righteous men who have the defects which came by omission supplied and have no more the sinnes of commission or omission imputed the guilt being taken away this is perfect and whole justification and is very fitly called by the name of remission to distinguish it from justification by our own workes and by our owne inherent righteousnes But sometimes hee useth this word remission in a more strict sense for that part of GODS act of communicating and imputing Christs satisfaction which respects the passive obedience of Christ which takes away the guilt of sinnes committed but doth not supply the omission of righteousnesse and in this sense he makes remission of sinnes but a part of justification And GODS imputing of the active part of Christs satisfaction and counting the faithfull righteous by it imputed hee makes the other part of iustification in the wordes before cited Lib. 3. cap. 11. ss 2. Secondly he constantly teacheth and affirmeth that there is no righteousnesse by which a man can stand before GODS tribunall and bee accepted for righteous in his sight but onely the full satisfaction of Iesus Christ and his perfect righteousnesse which he GOD and man performed in our nature For that which is not intire and absolute and without all staine and spot of sinne such as never hath beene nor shall bee found in any meere man can never be accepted of GOD but is with him sleighted and vilified beyond all measure And whosoever prate of any righteousnes in mens owne workes or doings they have no true thought nor least sense of the justice of GOD but make a mock of it Instit. lib. 3. cap. 12. ss 1.3 and 11.16 Thirdly he affirmeth that man is justified by faith when hee is excluded from the righteousnesse of workes and by faith layeth hold on the righteousnesse of Christ with which hee being cloathed doth appeare in the sight of GOD not as a sinner but as a righteous man Instit. 3. cap. 11. ss 1. And the same chap. ss 11. This is that admirable way of justifying that being covered with Christs righteousnesse men doe not feare the iudgement of which they are worthy and while they deservedly condemne themselves they are reputed righteous without themselves Fourthly concerning the office of faith in iustification he teacheth that faith being in it selfe weake imperfect and of no dignity worth price or value is never able to iustifie us by it selfe but by bringing Christ unto us who is given to us of GOD for righteousnesse it is not our righteousnesse but it makes us come with the mouth of the soule wide opened that we may bee capable of Christ. And it is as a vessell or pot for as the pot full of money enricheth a man so faith filled with Christ and his righteousnes is said to iustifie us and to bee counted for righteousnesse It is a foolish thing to mingle our faith which is onely the instrument of receiving righteousnesse with Christ who is the materiall cause and both the Author and minister of this great benefit cap 11. ss 7. And againe ss 17. Faith is hereupon said to iustifie because it receiveth and embraceth righteousnesse offered in the Gospell Fiftly hee affirmeth that the righteousnesse by which beleevers are iustified and stand righteous before GOD is not in themselves but in Christ even his perfect obedience and righteousnesse communicated to them by imputation ss 23. Lastly hee sheweth how this righteousnesse comes to bee the righteousnesse of beleevers and to bee so communicated to them that GOD doth justly impute it to them for justification and accepteth it as if it were their owne to wit by meanes of their spirituall union and conjunction with Christ by which they are made partakers of Christ and with him and in him possesse al his riches Sect. 10.20.23 This is the summe of Calvins Doctrine concerning iustification briefly comprised and collected out of his wordes in the places before cited where the Reader may bee fully satisfied Beza in the doctrine of iustification by faith doth fully agree with Luther and Calvin in all the former articles First he saith that faith is not any such virtue as doth iustifie us in our selves before GOD for that is to set faith in the place of Christ who alone is our whole and perfect righteousnesse But faith iustifieth as it is the instrument which receiveth Christ and with him his righteousnesse that is most full perfection and we say that wee are iustified by faith onely because it embraceth Christ who doth iustifie us with whom it doth unite and couple us that wee may bee
partakers of him and all his goods which being imputed to us are sufficient that wee may bee absolved before GOD and deemed righteous Confess cap. 4. ss 7. in notes on Romans 3.22.24 Secondly that faith sends to Christ for perfect righteousnesse to justification and that it assures us of salvation through his righteousnesse alone because whatsoever is in Christ is imputed to us as if it were our owne if so bee wee embrace him by faith The righteousnesse of Christ which is imputed hee describeth to bee the greatest and most absolute perfection of righteousnesse consisting in these two things First that he hath no sinne in him Secondly that hee hath fulfilled all the righteousnesse of the Law confess cap. 4 ss 8. in his notes on Rom 3.22.26 and Rom. 4.5 and 5.12 and Phil. 3.9 Thirdly hee sheweth that wee come to have communion of Christs righteousnesse by spirituall union and mariage with Christ. If saith he wee bee united and ioyned together into fellowship with Christ by faith nothing is more properly ours then Christ and whatsoever is Christs confess 4. ss 9. Fourthly hee pronounceth that it is no lesse then wicked blasphemie to denie the mutuall and reciprocall imputation of the sinnes of beleevers to Christ and of Christs perfect satisfaction to beleevers Lib. contra Anonymum de justificatione Fiftly hee affirmes that righteousnesse which iustifieth men before GOD must bee both a full satisfaction for sinne and also a perfect fulfilling of GODS commandements in every part on Rom 3.20 Our learned Whitakers in his answere to Campions 8th reason pagâ—8 â—8 and in the 8 Book against Duraeus pag 177.182 183. doth pithily dispute and stoutly maintaine the Doctrine of the righteousnes of Christ imputed which he proves to be the onely perfect righteousnes able to justifie us before GOD. Master Perkins also in his Golden Chaine Chap. 37. makes the translation of the beleevers sinnes to Christ and Christs righteousnes to the beleever by a mutuall reciprocall imputation the very forme of iustification Polanus in Syntagmate Theolog l. 6 c. 36. doth maintain the same dâ—ctrine with Luther Calvin MelaÌ„cthon Beza Whitakers proves every point fully by plain testimonies invincible argumeÌ„ts out of the holy Scriptures And in his Symphonia catholica he brings testimonies of the ancients affirming every article of our doctrine and in his Theses de iustifi hee shewes the consent of the most famous Orthodox Divines of the reformed religion since Luther As for Musculus and Junius whom hee brings as favourers of his errour with other later Dâ—vines let their owne writings speake and declare how wickedly hee doth abuse them in bringing their wordes to overthrow the imputation of Christs righteousnes Musculus on Rom. 8.4 expounds the Apostles wordes that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us to be meant first of all imputatively by the righteousnesse of another even of Christ which is also ours for wee are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones and Rom. 10.3.4 and by the righteousnesse which iustifieth beleevers hee understands Christs perfect righteousnesse imputed to us Also Iunius thes 35. and 36. doth affirme that the righteousnesse of faith imputed to beleevers is the righteousnesse which the Law requires performed by Christ differing onely in this that legall righteousnesse is every mans fulfilling of the Law in his owne person but this Evangelicall is the fulfilling of the Law by Christ GOD and man our surety and mediatour And for this Socinian hereticall opinion of faith imputed in a proper sense for righteousnesse in iustification No man can shew greater enmity against it nor with greater detestation oppose and condemne it then Paraeus in his commentary on the Romans and in other his workes Thus much for the vindicating of the best learned both Ancient writers and moderne Divines from the foule slanders most falsly belched out against them by this most impudent forger of false witnesses without any feare of GOD or shame of men And by their owne testimonies and plaine wordes rehearsed out of their owne writings I have made manifest their unanimous consent in the true Doctrine of iustification by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to true beleevers and of them apprehended and applyed by faith Now I leave it to all indifferent readers and zealous Christians to consider whether it bee not their dutie both to take heed to themselves and also to admonish others that they have no fellowship with so openly profest Socinian sectaries as this man and his followers are you see the Doctrine which they maintaine is wicked and blasphemous heresie And after many admonitions given by grave learned Divines divers publick coÌ„fuatations censures often passed in publique against this errour they still persist in their pestilent heresie and are more mad to disperse it then before And when truth cannot help them they flee for aide to the father of lyars and make lyes their refuge and in forging lyes they sinne being condemned of themselves even against their knowledge and conscience as the Apostle foretold of heretikes Tit. 3.11 How wilfully against the known truth and his owne conscience this desperate man hath proclaimed Luther Calvin Beza Musculus Iunius and others to bee of his opinion I have sufficiently proved if ever he hath looked into the writings of any of them his own eyes have taught him how opposite they are to his heresie But it is no new and strange thing for heretikes to sin being condemned of themselves when they are once subverted The Apostle hath foretold us that we must expect no better from such in that place before named Tit. 3 11. Now in conclusion I appeale to all Christian readers and desire their opinion and judgement in the particulars following First whether I have not in all this answere declared and expressed what I meane by the righteousnesse of Christ which I have proved to be imputed to beleevers for justification If I have made manifest by plaine profession that by the righteousnes of Christ I understand his perfect fulfilling of the whole Law of God and performing whatsoever the Law requires of man for righteousnesse even a full satisfaction made in mans behalfe to the Law of justice Then I appeale to the judgement of all reasonable men whether my adversary hath not most wickedly belyed me in word and writing for he hath both wayes charged me that I neither hold Christs habituall holynes and uprightnes of his humane nature nor his active obedience to the whole Law or any righteousnes of workes by him performed nor both these together to be the righteousnes of Christ imputed and thereupon he clamours against me that I hold and teach a righteousnes of Christ which never was in Christ I confesse I have ever taught and held That neither the habituall nor actuall righteousnes of Christ alone nor both together without his satisfaction of justice by bearing our sinnes and suffering the punishments due to them are a sufficient ransome to redeeme us nor a compleat and perfect obedience and fulfilling of the whole able to justifie us in the sight of GOD and to reconcile us to him Now to affirme that all three together are imputed is not to deny the imputation of the two first though they that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Calumniators may so wrest the words Secondly whether hee who hath beleeved and preached and in writing maintained for 28 yeares last passed to this houre what hee in this answere hath professed held and maintained can without wilfull lying and more then Jesuiticall forging be reported abroad confidently charged for a turnecoat whom this Adversary by this his Socinian learning and Sophistry hath so confounded and convinced him that hee is wholly turned to be of the same opinion and hath vowed to maintaine his Socinianisme both publikely and privatly to the utmost of his power So this mans followers have reported and have withall added that so many as have come within his breath are all illuminated by him and being converted to his opinion do rejoyce in the light by which he hath shined into their hearts Thirdly whether this Answer to his Socinianisme be such that both it and the Author of it have nothing in them but words and passion and that herein hee is strangely and monstrously metamorphosed from a Minister of Christ into an Angell of darknes besmearing the brightnes of his face with the foot and grease of Hell that the words and phrases of this answere are the black Princes coine and there is little in it besides cursing and rayling For many such fiery darts hath this Adversary throwne against the Answerer in a scurrilous Libel fraught with lies forgeries absurdities contradictions and blasphemies and sent forth under the name of a replie which is also confuted by the Answerer and the filthynesse thereof so plainely discovered that all true Christians and modest men will say of it that the reciting of it is a full confutation From all such wicked spirits the GOD of truth defend his Church and People and grant a free passage to his Gospel and to his faithfull Ministers a doore of utterance that they may preach among all men every where the unsearchable riches of Christ. To this GOD of truth let us consecrate our tongues and pens and resolve with both to maintaine his truth by his grace and the assistance of his Spirit so long as strength breath and life shall last And to him let us give all glory now and ever Amen FJNJS December 8. 1640. Jmprimatur THOMAS VVYKES Epistolica Collatio cum Bertio pag 1. 2. Lib. con Anonymum Wotton de Reconciliatione 1 Cor. 2.12 1 Part. 2 Part. 3. Part. 4. Part. Ans. Answer Answere Answere
SOCINIANISME in the Fundamentall point of Justification discovered and confuted Or an Answer to a written Pamphlet maintaining that faith is in a proper sense without a trope imputed to Beleevers in justification Wherein The Socinian fallacies are discovered and confuted and the true Christian Doctrine maintained viz. That the righteousnesse by which true beleevers are justified before God is the perfect righteousnesse and obedience which the Lord Iesus Christ God and man did performe to the Law of God both in his life and death By George Walker B of Divinity and Pastor of S. Iohn the Euangelists Church in Watling-street London A man that is an Hereticke after the first and second admonition reiect knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Tit. 3.10 11. LONDON Printed by R. O. for Iohn Bartlet at the Signe of the gilt Cup in Pauls Church-yard neare S. Augustins Gate 1641. To his Reverend Brethren the Godly Orthodox Pastors and Preachers of Gods Word in and about the City of London the Author of this brief discovery and confutation wisheth all increase of Grace peace and happinesse with the abundance of blessings from God on their faithfull labours MY Reverend and dearely beloved Brethren it is not unknown to divers of you what great conflicts I have had with the adversaries of this Socinian Faction about this main fundamentall point of Justification what pains I have taken to vindicate the truth above six and twenty yeares agoe from the opposition and subtile Sophistry of a cunning adversary who by the fame and opinion which men had of his great Learning and no lesse Piety had drawn many zealous Professors of Religion into some liking of his Errours His written Pamphlets went currently through the City and were to be found in the hands of many men in which he First utterly renounced the Law in whole and part performed by our selves or any other in our stead for the justifying of us in the sight of God Secondly rejected as a meere device of our late Divines the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and satisfaction not onely his habituall righteousnesse but also his whole obedience both active and passive and affirmed it to be a thing wherof there was no testimony or proof in Scripture nor any necessary end or use thereof Thirdly he professed and undertook to prove thot Faith even the act of beleeving and trusting in Christ for salvation after a generall and confused manner as a favourite of God and not as a perfect satisfyer of his justice and just Law is that which God accounts and accepts for righteousnesse to justification in stead of righteousnesse and perfect obedience performed to the will and Law of God either by Christ or our selves These and divers other errors which were here and there interlaced I did at the first discover in some sermons to be no Doctrines of sacred Truth by him digged out of the deep mines of holy Scripture and newly brought to light as his seduced Disciples proclaymed them to be for the inlightning of the blind world in these last dayes of darknesse and perillous times but the old errors and Heresies of Servetus and Socinus newly revived and raked out of hell by Arminius Bertius and others of their Faction Divers of his Friends who had begun to imbrace his opinion were not a little terrified at the hearing of these things and earnestly besought me to give him a meeting who at that time was to me unknown by face I condescended to their desire but wheras I came with an heart full of tender compassion and with Prayers in my mouth and teares in mine eyes layd open before him the danger of his errors and the evill and mischiefe which by meanes of his obstinate persisting in them might accrue to himselfe and those who were by him seduced and misled he on the contrary hardened his heart to maintain per fas et nefas and dolo malo his foresaid erroneous opinions shewing out of Luther on the Galatians some words which seemed to favour his error and to exclude the righteousnesse of the Law from justification which words he applyed to the righteousnesse of the Law performed by Christ for us and did most stiffly so urge them but the words which immediately followed to wit that God justifies us by the righteousnesse of his Son Jesus Christ and by his fulfilling of the Law for us he covered with his fingers till I pluckt the Book out of his hands and read them to those that were present whereby he was much confounded Now the issue of my fair and Christian dealing with him and of my modest and mild opposing of him without such sharpnesse as the cause and his carriage did require was the same which the gentle behaviour of Orthodox Divines towards perverse Hereticks hath commonly had in all former ages For his Factious disciples did impute it to the weaknesse of my Cause and to his arguments convincing my Conscience that his opinions were not so dangerous as I had censured them to be but rather unreprovable yea and laudable And upon my departure out of the City immediately after to Cambridge whither my occasions called me in my absence they reported that at our meeting he did so convince and confound me with strong arguments that I humbled my selfe to him confessed my ignorance imbraced his opinions and promised to hold and maintaine them till death This wicked and Jesuiticall policy which they used to retaine divers of his disciples who wer ready to fall off from him to recall those who were fallen off already did produce a quite contrary effect For when I returned again to the City and was saluted as a Socinian onvert and informed of their false reports lying forgeries I was inflamed with a double desire to vindicate both the truth of God and mine own reputation from their slanderous aspersions and hereupon I betook my selfe to handle and expound that place of Scripture Rom. 5.17 18 19. which doth most pithily and plainly set forth the Doctrine of Justification by the communion of Christs righteousnes and obedience And because I discerned in mine Adversaries a perverse Hereticall spirit and that they had made lyes their refuge and did sinne being condemned of themselves I did with all zeale confute their errours lay open the deadly poyson and malignity of them and cloath them with such reproachfull titles as divers grave and learned Divines of the best reformed Churches had before shaped and fitted to them I proved them to be profane and abominable Doctrine even the damned Heresie of Servetus and Socinus as Sibrandus Lubertus had before stiled them And that their denying of the reciprocall imputation of Christs righteousnesse and satisfaction to the faithfull and of their sinnes to Christ was impiety and blasphemy as learned Beza calls it Though by this meanes my adversaries were enraged and did suggest into the eares and minds of many godly people in the
no man can be legally justified but by his owne personall righteousnesse Evangelicall righteousnesse is CHRISTS perfect righteousnesse and fulfilling of the Law in the behalfe of all the elect and faithfull It was not the Law nor our works of the Law which moved GOD to give CHRIST to be our surety and redeemer but he of his owne free love and bounty gave Christ and Christ the Sonne of GOD out of his love humbled himselfe to become man and to fulfill the law for us Neither doe wee obtaine Communion of Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse by the workes of the Law but by the Gospell preached believed as the Apostle teacheth Gal. 3.2 And therefore though Christ his righteousnes be a perfect fulfilling of all obedience which the law requires of man GOD did exact of him every farthing of our debt both in active and passive obedience and in respect of the matter and substance his satisfaction may be called after a sort legall and is so called by Luther yet as it was for us not for himselfe and performed by him our head not by every one of us in our owne persons and is received and applied by Faith not by our workes of the Law and is brought unto us by the Gospell not by the Law and is given to us freely by GODS grace not merited or procured by any thing in our selves so it is not legall but Evangelicall and GODS justifying of us and counting us righteous by it is not a proceeding upon legall grounds nor pronouncing us legally just as this calumniator doth either foolishly imagine or falsely slander and misreport our Doctrine Fiftly in arguing for his owne false and forged sense of the word Justification he hath three reasons all which are for us and prove our Doctrine not his opinion For if this make a sense of the word Justification good because it doth intimate the former guiltinesse of him that is justified as wel as it doth discharge him from all punishment which is his first reason then is our Doctrine of justification by imputation of Christs satisfaction for all our sinnes very good and sound for it intimates a guiltinesse in him who is to bee iustified as well as a discharge from punishment Secondly we doe not plead for our iustification any consideration according to the Law that is wee doe not plead our owne innocency nor satisfaction and righteousnes performed in our own persons but we plead more then somewhat done for us even all Christs obedience active and passive by GODS free grace communicated to us not obtained or merited by our works of the law Thirdly though the law iustifies no sinner but threatens the curse death and condemnation as the due reward of the transgressors of it Yet it iustifies all who are free from all sinnes committed against it and are made righteous by the perfect fulfilling of it to the utmost And therefore when the Gospell hath brought us to the Communion of Christs full satisfaction by which we are made free from all sinne and perfect fulfillers of the law in him our head as GOD doth forgive us our sinnes and counts us righteous so the law is no more against us 1 Tim. 1.9 but is witnesse for us that in Christ we are worthy of remission and iustification By this are manifest the grosse errours and absurdities which he uttereth in this first part of his preparative Chapter But that his ignorance in the Doctrine of justification may more fully appeare I will lay downe the severall significations of the words justification and justifying wherein the Spirit of God doth use them in the holy Scriptures First the word iustifie and iustification signifie making men righteous or constituting or seting them in the state of righteousnesse This signification is justified by several testimonies of Scripture as Rom. 5.19 Where many are said to be made or constituted righteous by the obedience of Christ even as by Adams disobedience many were made sinners and 1 Cor. 1.30 and 2 Cor. 5.21 Where Christ is said to bee made unto us righteousnesse and wee are said to be made the righteousnesse of God in him And Rom. 3.24 and 4 5. Where we are said to be iustified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ. And God is said to justifie the ungodly which cannot be meant of counting judging and pronouncing but of making them righteous by the Communion of Christs righteousnesse For to iustifie the wicked by judging and pronouncing them righteous without making them such is aoâ—mination to the LORD Prov. 17.15 And in this sense Preachers of GODS Word are as instruments under GOD said to iustifie many by bringing them unto righteousnesse and are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iustifiers Dan. 12.3 This iustifying wee may very fitly call radicall or fundamentall iustification This Luther and other learned Divines call actionem individuam because it is GODS action of communicating Christs righteousnesse in a moment and not by degrees successively and in it men are mere patients and do not worke with GOD no more then Adam did in GODS first creating of him upright in his Image Even regenerate Infants may thus be iustified and are iustified before they actually beleeve Secondly the word iustifie signifieth GODS iustifying of men by Faith that is his counting and reputing them righteous upon their actuall beleeving and his enableing them to feele themselves partakers of the righteousnesse of Christ and to enioy it by Faith in this sense the word is used Rom. 4. Where GOD is said to iustifie us by imputing righteousnesse and counting Faith for righteousnesse that is counting a true beleever a righteous person And thus the word is to bee taken where we are said to bee iustified by Faith without the workes of the Law The Apostle doth much urge and presse this iustification Rom 4 and Gal. 3. because though in this taken actively GOD onely acteth yet taken passively as it is received of us and we by Faith feele and discerne in what account we are with GOD and by beleeving enioy Christs satisfaction for remission of sinnes and for righteousnes wee may be said to worke with GOD by way of receiving as a begging hand doth in receiving gifts freely given and put into it This iustifying doth necessarily presuppose the former and doth assure us of it For the iust GOD whose iudgement is according to truth cannot râ—pute us righteous till we have communion of Christs righteousnesse and be thereby truly righteous And this Justification Divines call imputative It springs from the former as from the root and is builded on it as on the foundation Thirdly this word iustifie signifies a manifesting and declaring of men to be righteous and iustified and that three wayes First in foro conscientiae in the court or iudgement of our own conscience when a man being troubled in his conscience with the sight of his sinnes and his want of righteousnesse after humble prayer and poenitent seeking
of obedience none denyeth For suppose our Saviour by reason of imprisonment or some other restraint and impediment had beene hindered from doing divers of those workes of mercy charity and piety which hee did performe being at liberty this had not diminished his righteousnes so long as he had a ready will to doe good upon all occasions and did good workes when liberty and opportunity served Secondly none of our Divines doe thinke or write that Christs righteousnes imputed and communicated to beleevers doth make them rigidly literally and peremptorily righteous constituted and made us perfectly compleatly and legally righteous as Christ himselfe for though they are iustifiâ—d by the Communion of Christs satisfaction and have so much interest in it as to make them truely righteous yet they have it not as Christ hath it performed legally by himselfe in his owne person neither have they power to give the Spirit whereby they may communicate it to others to justifie them to make them righteous The Wife is endowed with her Husbands honours and riches and made honourable and rich but she is not endowed with her Husbands Lordship and dominion over them so far that she may give them away at her pleasure but onely posseseth them in him and with him for her owne use And so it is betweene Christ and the faithfull he is righteous rigidly and legally according to the letter of the Law They are righteous Evangelically by the Communion of his righteousnes that is originally righteous as the head in a naturall body is sensitive and hath sense and motion in it as the root and fountaine They are righteous by Communion from him and possesse his righteousnes as all the rest of the members in a living body possesse life by derivation from the heart not in the same degree as the heart doth to communicate it to others but every one so far as to be a living member Therefore all that hee here saith is but subtilty calumny and falsehood neither Scriptures nor any sound and learned Authors will minister arguments or demonstrations to him to prove any thing contrary to our Doctrine concerning the imputation of Christs righteousnes for iustification The more he strives to wrest and abuse testimonies of Scripture and learned Authors the more evident demonstrations will he give of his wickednesse and wilfull contending against GODS sacred truth Socinianisme GIve me leave here to mention that by the way which prevents many mistakes yea and offences too in reading the writings of many later Divines especially of other Churches touching this point of Justification If we take the phrase of imputing Christs righteousnes unproperly and out of the usuall and formall signification of it as Luther and Calvin and other Divines of the reformed Churches sometimes doe in their writings viz For the giving out and bestowing as it were the righteousnes of Christ in the returne of it that is in the priviledges blessings and benefits that are procured and purchased by it for men So a beleever may be said to be justified by the righteousnes of Christ imputed But then the meaning can be no more but this A beleever is justified by the imputation of Christs righteousnes That is GOD justifies a beleever for Christs righteousnes sake and not for any righteousnes of his owne Such an imputation of the righteousnes of Christ as this is is no wayes denyed or once questioned And thus such passages as those in Calvin GOD freely justifies us by imputing the obedience of Christ unto us Instit. 1. c. 3.11 and againe a man is not righteous in himselfe but because the righteousnes of Christ is communicated or imparted to him by imputation these and such like expressions in this Author are to be interpreted by such passages as these which are frequent in the same Author Christ by his obedience procured and merited for us grace and favour with GOD the Father and againe Instit. 1.2.17 and againe 1.3 c. 11.12 Christ by his obedience procured or purchased righteousnes for us And againe in Gal. 3.6 All such expressions as these import the same thing that wee are justified by the grace of GOD that Christ is our righteousnesse and that righteousnes was procured for us by the death and resurrection of Christ. By all which passages and many more of like importment that might be produced out of the same Author it s fully evident that where he mentions any imputation of the righteousnes of Christs in justification the meaning is onely this that the righteousnes of Christ is onely the meritorious cause of our justification and hee hath procured and purchased this for us at GODS hand that upon our beleeving we should bee accounted righteous by him or which is but the same that our faith should be imputed for righteousnes to us To which purpose hee speakes more significantly and expressely in the place last mentioned Gal. 3.6 men not having righteousnes lodged in them they obtaine it by imputation which imputation he thus explicates and interprets Because GOD doth impute or account their faith unto them for righteousnes Divers like passages might be drawne together out of other Authors which must be seasoned with the same salt of interpretation to bee made savorie and meet for spirituall nourishment In the Homilies of our Church there are severall passages that mention the imputation of Christs righteousnes in justification for the genuine sense whereof if wee consult with the 11. article of Religion which is concerning justification and is framed with all possible exactnes this way that so few words are capable of that will lead us directly to the same interpretation of them Wee are accounted righteous before GOD saith our Article onely for the merit of our LORD and Saviour Iesus Christ by faith and not for our owne workes or deservings Where it s to be observed that we are not said to bee constituted or made righteous before GOD in justification but onely that we are accounted or reputed such 2. It s not said that wee are accounted righteous with the righteousnes nor yet with the merit of Christ but onely wee are accounted righteous before GOD onely for the merit of our LORD Christ by faith The merit of Christ or of his righteousnes hath so farre prevailed with GOD on our behalfe that by our faith we shall bee accounted righteous before him which is in effect the same truth wee maintaine viz. that GOD for Christs sake or for Christs merits sake doth impute our faith for righteousnes unto us And thus Musculus expresseth himselfe roundly Faith is accounted for righteousnes for Christs sake And againe Loc. com de justifica This faith ought to be esteemed of us as that which GOD purposeth for Christs sake to impute for righteousnes to those that beleeve in him So Luther also ad Gal. 3.6 GOD for Christs sake accounts this imperfect faith for perfect righteousnes And Chamier calls remission of sinnes the righteousnes which is imputed to us
Therefore wheresoever whether in the Homilies of our Church or in other Authors we meet with any such expressions of the righteousnes of Christ imputed in justification wee must not understand this righteousnesse of Christ in the letter propriety and formality of it but in the Spirit or merit of it to be imputed And this manner of speech to put the name of a thing in the propriety of it instead of the value worth benefit and returne of it is both usuall and familiar in ordinary passage of discourse amongst us and very frequent in the Scriptures when we say a Merchant grew rich by such or such a commodity our meaning is that hee grew rich by the gaine or returne of it hee may be made rich by the commodity and yet have never a whit of it with him so when we say such a man grew rich by his place or office our meaning is that he grew rich by such gaine or profit as his office afforded him we do not meane that the place it selfe or office were his riches so it may be said that wee are justified by the righteousnesse of Christ and yet not have the righteousnesse it selfe upon us by imputation or otherwise but onely a righteousnesse procured and purchased by it really and essentially differing from it viz. remission of sinnes as will appeare in due time Thus in the Scriptures themselves there is no figure or forme of speech more frequent then to name the thing it selfe in the propriety of it in the stead of the fruite of it good or bad benefit or losse vantage or disadvantage merit or demerit of it Thus Iob 33.26 GOD is said to render unto man his righteousnesse the fruit and benefit of his righteousnesse in the favour of GOD and manifestation of it in his deliverance and restauration the righteousnesse it selfe in the propriety of it cannot bee rendered unto him So Ephes. 6.8 Whatsoever good thing any man doth the same hee shall receive of the LORD hee shall receive benefit and consideration from GOD for it so Reve. 14.12 and 13.10 here is the patience and faith of the Saints that is the benefit and unspeakable reward of the faith and patience of the Saints to bee seene when the Beast and all that worship him shall bee tormented in fire and brimstone for evermore and those that have constantly suffered for not worshiping him shall be delivered from drinking of that bitter cup so Psal. 128.2 Thou shalt eate the labour of thy hands that is the fruite of thy labour So on the other hand Heb. 9.28 To those that looke for him hee shall appeare the second time without sin without the guilt or punishment of sinne charged upon him Gen. 19.15 Least thou be destroyed in the iniquitie of the citie that is in that judgement which fell upon them by meanes of their iniquity In such a construction of speech as the holy Ghost himselfe useth in these and such passages in Scripture the righteousnesse of Christ may be said to be the righteousnes by which we are justified or which is imputed unto us in justification Christianisme THis fifth part or passage is nothing else but first the propounding of a new and strange imputation of Christs righteousnesse contrary to sense and reasoÌ„ to the common signification of the phrase of imputing righteousnesse or counting a thing for righteousnesse Secondly a wresting and abusing of some speeches of Scripture and learned writers that hee may father on them an opinion which they abhorred and in expresse words disclaimed and confuted First hee saith that the phrase of imputing Christs righteousnesse is by Luther Calvin and other Divines taken unproperly and out of the usuall and formall signification for the giving and bestowing of the returne that is the priviledges blessings and benefits which are purchased by Christs righteousnesse for men and the meaning can be no more but this that GOD justifies a believer for Christs righteousnesse sake and not for any righteousnes of his owne To this I answere First that this signification of the phrase is so unproper unusual deformed that it is never found in all the Scriptures nor any approved Author as hereafter I shall make manifest onely Socinus they of his faction are coiners and forgers of such strange barbarismes Secondly it is so contrary to common sense and reason that if any man should say the Sun the ayre or other Elements are imputed to us by GOD because GOD hath given us the benefit of them every man would laugh at such a barbarisme even the most simple would discerne it to be ridiculous If Master Goodwin or any of his disciples comeing into some country house for shelter from some cruel tempest which overtooke him as hee travelled on his journy should for the benefit which hee received under the mans roofe presently chaleng that the house is imputed to him and is to be counted his and set on his skore it is a thousand to one that the owner of the house would take him for a mad man and put a fooles feather in his cap or cast him out of the doores by the head and shoulders for a sawcy companion hee had not best therefore use such speeches nor write such phrases with his pen for if they once proceed out of his mouth and come to other mens eares hee will thereby purchase to himselfe much scorne and derision But let us proceed to examine the instances by which hee goeth about to proue this strange signification of the word imputing righteousnesse wherein righteousnesse is put for the fruit of it by a metonymie of the cause for the effect imputing is put for bestowing by a new Socinian trope and GODS bestowing for mans receiving by a monstrous metonymie of one opposit for another I wonder here by the way how this man who disclaimes in the next Chapter the Apostles using of tropes and figures in the waighty Doctrine of justification and calles it a monster of speech to use two tropes in one phrase dares here make in this one phrase so many tropes and monstrous figures The first instance which hee brings to prove that Calvin did use the phrase in this signification is this GOD freely justifies us by imputing Christs obedience to us and againe a man is not righteous in himselfe but because the righteousnesse of Christ is communicated and imparted to him by imputation I might here blame his false quotations to wit Instit. 1. c 3.1.11 and 1.2.17 and 1.3.14.17 In which places no such wordes are to be found but I willingly embrace these words as Calvins for they are most cleare and manifest to prove that GOD not onely give us the returne or benefits of Christs righteousnesse but also doth by imputation communicate and impart to us the righteousnesse it selfe so that if this man had studied all his dayes to contradict his owne opinion and to confute his forged signification hee could not have found more ful plaine and pâ—rspicuous
his owne personall righteousnes as the justifier they are righteous by communion and imputation as justified And as the hands and feet and other inferior members live by the same life and are sensitive by the same sense which is originally in the heart and head of the same body yet they are not so lively and sensitive as the heart and head but in a competent measure and proportion fit for every one of them So it is in the mysticall body of Christ betweene him the head and them his believing and justified members as I have before touched So that here we have an intollerable calumny and slander laid upon GODS sacred truth and the true professors of the same Secondly he utters a notorious untruth when he saith that to bee righteous by the same righteousnes which Christ performed is nothing else but to be performers of every act of his obedience in our persons Thirdly it is a wicked error to thinke as hee doth that obedience and righteousnes ether performed by ourselves or communicated to us should make GOD countable to us that is bound to give us the greatest rewards For the righteousnes of justification and the holynes and obedience of sanctification are onely free gifts which GOD gives to make us capable of eternall life and fit to stand in his presence and to see and enjoy his glory not bands to tye himselfe and to make him countable to us for if we be righteous what give we to him or what receiveth he at our hands Iob 35.7 eternall life though by Christ purchased for us yet is the free gift of GOD in Christ. Rom. 6.23 Here therefore this sublimate Doctor doth bewray his owne ignorance in the maine mysteries of salvation and is as David saith Psal. 14. become filthy stinking and abominable in his thoughts and imaginations concerning GOD himselfe while hee doateth after Socinian subtilties and sets himselfe to be singular by preaching his fond errors and heresies Lastly after all this in conclusion hee takes upon him to elude and evacuate those most plaine testimonies of holy Scripture wherein Christ is sayd to cloath and cover us with the garments of salvation and the robe of his righteousnesse Isa 61.10 that our sinnes and staines being thereby covered Psal. 32.1 sinne might no more be imputed to us but we in the robes of his righteousnesse may stand cloathed as with long white linnen robes Revel 19.8 And like Iacob in the garments of the first borne yeelding a sweet smelling savour may be accepted of GOD our heavenly father First hee saith that GOD in the justification of sinners cloathes none with the letter of Christs righteousnesse but every man that believes with the Spirit of it that is not with the righteousnesse it self but with the fruite and benefit of it that is with faith counted for righteousnesse where note that in his conceipt the righteousnesse of a justified man is a thing inhaerent in himselfe and a worke performed in his owne person not communicated to him from another ab extra as garments are and so no cloathing here is one grosse absurdity like as if one should say a mans cloathes are not on him but in him That speech of Paul these hands have ministred to my necessitie Act 20.34 are nothing to the purpose for he doth not say his hands were his necessary meat and cloathes but by working did get him necessaries and so Christ by his obedience procured righteousnesse for us which he doth communicate to us and cloathes us with and by GOD it is imputed to us and this Calvin calles righteousnesse gotten by Christs death and resurrection and all this is for us and against himselfe The other instances which hee brings from Scripture to prove that Christs righteousnesse is by a metonymie of the cause for the effect used to signifie the fruite and effect of it in us prove no such thing at all The first of them Iohn 17.3 this is eternall life to know thee the onely true GOD c. It is mistaken for to know GOD and Christ that is to have experimentall knowledge of GOD and Christ and to enjoy GOD in Christ as the word know by an Hebraisme signifies is not there mentioned as the efficient cause of eternall life but as the thing wherein it doth formally consist So also that speech Iob 33 26. as Master Perkins truely expounds it doth not speake of the fruite of a mans righteousnesse which GOD renders to him but of the righteousnesse of Christ which GOD renders to a man a fresh and after temptation doubting and distresse makes him feele and enioy it in himselfe when by repentance and humble and faithfull prayer hee seekes it And although the nation of the Israelites are often as hee alledgeth called by the name of Jacob in Scripture because he was their Father and they his naturall progeny yet this proves onely that the Scripture useth tropes of speech many times which we acknowledge willingly and in the next Chapter will prove fully Where hee forgetting and contradicting himselfe utterly disclaimes tropes and figures and exclaimes against all the learned who hold that Saint Paul useth a trope in saying that faith is imputed for righteousnesse Well for the present wee will grant him that our cleannesse from the guilt of sinne and the state of righteous and justified persons wherein we stand before GOD being the issue and fruite of Christs satisfaction communicated to us may very well be called by a trope the righteousnesse of Christ but this doth not overthrow but rather strongly prove the communion and imputation of Christs righteousnes to us Thus we see how hee labours in the fire and in vaine beats his braines and out of the confusion and distemper of them doth say and gainsay affirme and deny the same things oftentimes being like a clowd without water carried about with winds sometimes one way and againe the contrary way and never settling upon solid truth nor building upon a sure foundation Now what he promiseth in the conclusion of this Chapter you shall see how hee performeth by my answer to his second Chapter wherein as he begins here so he goeth on entangling and beating himselfe forging and falsifying and in every passage discovering his ignorance and folly mingled with much impudency hereticall perversenesse and pravity which that it may better appeare and that we may see his Socinian heresie to the bottome clearely I will lay downe the chiefe heads of the Doctrine of Justification as it is taught in the Scriptures and maintained by all Orthodox Divines both ancient and moderne Justification taken in a full sense is that act of GOD by which he justifies his elect and faithfull in his son Iesus Christ by the communion of his spirit that is doth make them righteous by Christs perfect righteousnes and full satisfaction spiritually made theirs and doth count them righteous by imputing the same unto them and doth declare them to be righteous inwardly to
the Scripture where any thing besides faith and believing is said to be counted to man for righteousnes is that place of the Psalmist Psal. 106. and 31. where the godly zealous act of Phinees in executing just judgement on Zamri and Cosbi is said to be counted to him for righteousnes Now the meaning of the wordes there cannot be that this act of Phinees was accepted of GOD and counted to him for righteousnes to justification For then it will follow that a man may bee justified before GOD by one act or worke of his owne Which the Apostle here utterly condemneth as a grosse errour and bends his whole discourse against it The true sense and meaning of the phrase is no more but this that Phinees performing such an act of godly zeale as is proper onely to a faithfull righteous man who by the spirit of regeneration dwelling in him is so united unto Christ that by faith he was a true partaker of his righteousnes GOD upon this act gave him the testimony of righteousnes and declared and judged him to bee a righteous man truly justified Therefore the Apostles phrase of counting faith to the beleever for righteousnes which he often useth in this Chapter signifieth after the same manner GODS counting a true beleever for a righteous man and giving him the testimony of righteousnes because he is righteous indeed by communion of Christs righteousnesse which hee hath apprehended applied and enjoyeth by faith The confutation of the false hereticall exposition of the Apostles wordes maintained by the Socinian faction FIrst whereas they hold that faith considered by it selfe in a proper literall sense without consideration of the object or laying hold on Christ and his righteousnes is counted to the beleever for righteousnes to justification and GOD requires in and of us no other thing for righteousnes neither our owne workes performed in our owne persons according to the Law nor Christs perfect righteousnes and fulfilling of the Law made ours by spirituall union and communion with Christ and accepted of GOD for us This I prove to bee false hereticall and blasphemous by these arguments following First faith taken in a proper sense is a part of our conformity and argument 1 obedience to the Law of GOD which above all things requires that wee give honour to GOD by beleeving him and his word and by trusting in him as our onely rock the GOD of our strength and salvation They therefore teaching that faith in a proper sense is counted for righteousnes doe teach that wee are iustified by a worke of obedience to the Law performed in our owne persons and GOD requires on our behalfe no other righteousnes for justification which Doctrine the Apostle utterly condemnes Therefore their opinion and exposition is hereticall and more impious then the Pelagian and Popish heresies concerning iustification Secondly that which was properly argument 2 imputed to Abraham and is so imputed to true beleevers is righteousnes so the Apostle in plaine wordes expresseth verse 6. and 11. but faith in a proper sense is not righteousnes For righteousnes is perfect conformity to the Law as sinne is transgression of the Law yea humane righteousnes is a mans keeping of the whole Law and his observing to doe all GODS commandements with his whole heart all the dayes of his life as wee read Deuteronomie 8. Thirdly that which chargeth argument 3 GOD with errour and falshood in his iudgement is blasphemous This opinion that GOD counts faith for righteousnes that is thinketh iudgeth and esteemeth it to bee righteousnes in a proper sense chargeth GOD with errour and falshood in his iudgement For faith is not any true righteousnes properly Therefore this opinion is blasphemy If they plead that GOD by his absolute soveraignty of power may accept and repute that for righteousnes which is not true righteousnes This doth but more entangle them and involve them in errour For GOD and his soveraigne power are all one as GOD cannot lye nor make contradictories true so his sovereignty of power cannot either make that to bee righteousnes which is not or truely iudge it so to bee Neither can his infinite iustice bee satisfied without perfect fulfilling of his Law nor allow any man to bee iustified without righteousnes nor will his truth suffer him to count any iust who is not iust Therefore by this base shift and wicked pretence devised to hide and cover their blasphemy they do runne further into blasphemy and make his soveraigne power a tyrant and oppressour of his iustice and truth argument 4 Fourthly that opinion which taketh away and denyeth the meanes by which GOD is revealed to be infinitely iust mercifull and wise and makes the satisfaction of Christ and his perfect fulfilling the Law a vaine and needlesse thing is most hereticall impious and blasphemous This opinion that GOD by his sovereigne power can and doth accept and count imperfect faith for perfect righteousnes takes away the meanes by which GODS iustice mercy and wisdome are revealed to be infinit yea it extenuates and vilifies GODS iustice mercy bounty and wisdom and makes Christs full satisfaction a vaine superfluous and needlesse thing Therefore it is an impious and blasphemous opinion First that which reveales GOD to be infinitly iust is that he cannot be reconciled to men that have sinned without execution of iustice to the full and a full satisfaction made according to his iust Law if not by men in their owne persons which is impossible yet by their mediator and surety in their behalfe and by him communicated to them and made theirs as truly as if they had fulfilled the Law in their owne persons And though this satisfaction be of infinit value yet it cannot profit them nor actually merit for them till they be partakers of it truely and really by spirituall communion This is that meanes by which GOD is known to be infinitly iust Secondly when GODS infinite iustice was so strict that nothing could satisfie it nor redeeme mankind but a satisfaction of infinite value made for them And when all the world was not able to find such a satisfaction that his wisedome should finde one out and have it ready before hand in her eternall treasures even a full satisfaction performed in mans nature by GOD the eternall son and also the meanes to make it truely and really the satisfaction of every man truely beleeving that is by the Holy Ghost shed on them through the Sonne Christ and making them one spirituall body with him This reveales GOD to be infinite in wisedome Thirdly in that GOD the Father would in this case give his onely begotten sonne to be humbled in our nature and to obey suffer and make such a satisfaction for poore miserable men in that the sonne would willingly take all this upon him to doe and suffer whatsoever iustice could require and in that the holy Ghost when this satisfaction could not otherwise profit men nor bee made theirs doth not
most part at this day Answere IN this third argument he undertakes to prove that if faith were said to be imputed by a trope or metonymie and that by faith were meant the object of it yet Christs righteousnesse cannot be meant because the object of that faith which is said to be imputed is GOD himselfe or the promise of GOD But to understand that by GOD is meant Christs righteousnes would be not a trope or figure of speech but a monster of speech To which I answere that Abrahams faith which was imputed was a believing that GOD in Christ was his shield and his exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 Now no man can in believing by a true faith separate the righteousnes and full satisfaction of Christ GOD and man from Christ himselfe To beleeve GOD to be our reward is to believe that GOD is become our righteousnes and so our reward for the reward of blessednes is the reward of righteousnes and is called the Crowne of righteousnes 2. Tim. 4. So that the argument may be turned thus against himselfe Whosoever truely believes GOD to be his reward he believes that GOD is righteousnesse and so Christ as he is IEHOVAH his righteousnes Abraham when his faith was counted to him for righteousnesse believed that God was his reward Therefore hee believed that God was his righteousnes and so Christ as hee is IEHOVAH our righteousnes was the obiect of his justifying faith Secondly he hath here one most grosse and absurd speech which shewes either his palpable ignorance in Rhetorick or desperat impudency That is that if one should speak of believing God and meane believing Christs righteousnes this were not a trope or figure but a monster of speech Here I will intreat him to tell me ingenuously whether he doth hold the Lord Christ who appeared and spake to Abraham and the Fathers and whom they believed to be the true God If he denyeth him to be the true God then wee shall take him to be in all points of heresie a compleat Socinian if hee grants that Christ is God and his righteousnes performed in our nature is the righteousnes of God and inseparable from his person then hee who truely believes in Christ and enjoyes him must needs believe his righteousnes and enjoy it and to speak of believing in Christ God our shield and reward and to meane not his Godhead barely or his naked person but his righteousnes also and that he is IEHOVAH our righteousnes this is but a metonymie of the subject which non cane call a monster of speech but hee who is ignorant in the grounds of Rhetorick Thirdly in his denying that Christs righteousnes is the object of justifying faith he doth most openly contradict that which hee hath writ in the former Chapter in the 6 part where hee professeth that Christ and his righteousnes is the object of that faith which is imputed and if it doth not lay hold on Christ it is not capable of imputation His rehearsing of the variety of the objects of faith mentioned in the Scripture and denying Christs righteousnes to be any object or thing beleeved hee doth notoriously delude and gull his readers and shewes great impudency for what more often required in the Scripture to be beleeved then that Christ is our true sacrifice for sinne and our sacrifice of righteousnes and that he is the end and fulfilling of the Law for righteousnes to every one that beleeveth yea he gives himselfe the ly and by his owne argument overthrowes his conclusion For among the things which the Scriptures require that we should believe he reckons Christ himselfe and the doctrine of Christ and the promise of Christ the testimony which GOD hath given of his Son and the resurrection of Christ every one of which includes in it Christs righteousnes for if wee believe in Christ aright wee believe him to be the righteous servant of GOD in whom his soule delighteth who hath fulfilled all righteousnesse is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every beleever and is Iehovah our righteousnes such a one he was promised to be The Gospel which is his doctrine teacheth him to be such a one The testimony which GOD hath given of him is that in him we have eternall life which is the crowne of righteousnes His resurrection is the evidence of his righteousnes and that the Law was fulfilled by him and death therefore could not hold him captive so that by rehearsing these as the objects of faith hee confuts himselfe and confirmes our doctrine And lastly he professeth vaine tergiversation openly by granting that Christs righteousnes is to be believed But whereas hee saith that Turkes and Iewes believe not Christ and yet believe his righteousnes this is a monster in speech sense and reason For how can a man beleeve that a person which is not is righteous and that righteousnes may subsist without a subject None can beleeve Christs righteousnes to be as the Scripture calles it the righteousnes of GOD unlesse he believe Christ to be GOD. Some Turks acknowledg Christ to have beene a Prophet but his perfect righteousnes performed to the whole Law for us they do not believe And the Iewes to this day blaspheme Christ and call him a lyar an Impostor a deceiver and malefactor justly crucified for his wickednes And therefore in this argument he sheweth that his tongue and pen are applied to ly and forge to contradict himselfe and to be constant in nothing but in holding obstinately his hereticall conclusions 4 Argument FOurthly that faith which is said to be imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse ver 3. is that faith by which he believed in God that quickeneth the dead and calleth the things which are not as if they were ver 17. But the righteousnesse of Christ can in no tollerable construction or congruity of speech be called that faith by which Abraham beleeved in God that quickeneth the dead Therefore the righteousnes of Christ is not that faith which is here said to be imputed for righteousnesse Answere I Answere first that a true believer may truely say my righteousnes which I have in Christ is this that I believe in God who quickneth the dead and graciously calleth and counteth me who am not righteous in my selfe nor by my owne righteousnes a righteous and justified person Secondly that God did not quicken and raise up Christ till he had perfectly fulfilled all righteousnesse and satisfied the law for us as our surety Neither doth hee quicken any dead but through his righteousnes and by his spirit communicating it to them the debtor or his surety layd up in prison cannot be released til the debt be fully discharged And therefore Christs righteousnes is comprehended by that faith which believeth in God who quickeneth the dead because quickning the dead necessarily presupposeth their communion of the righteousnes of Christ and under the name of that faith may by a metonimie be truely said to be imputed to justification
one Anselme on Rom 5. saith that by the righteousnes of one comming upon all the elect they come unto justification that they may bee justified by participation of Christs righteousnesse These with many other testimonies which might easily bee gathered out of the Ancients from the primitive times untill Luther doe abundantly shew the impudency of this man who so peremptorily affirmeth that the communion and imputation of Christs righteousnesse for iustification was never dreamed of among ancient writers but onely faith imputed for righteousnesse in a proper sense all these Ancients before named testifie the contrary But to descend to Orthodox writers of this last age since Luther It is well knowne that they generally hold imputation of our sinnes to Christ and of Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse to us for iustification to bee the forme of iustification by which beleevers are iustified Luther acknowledged that it was the doctrine of Saint Bernard concerning iustification by Christs righteousnesse imputed and not by our owne workes which moved him to suspect the popish doctrine and to grow into dislike and loathing of their religion And in his commentary on Galat where he doth debase the righteousnesse of workes and doth most highly extoll the righteousnesse of faith he telleth us that faith being weak in many of GODS children cannot be accepted for righteousnesse of it selfe that is in a proper sense and therefore there is necessarily required imputation of righteousnesse for iustification on Galatians 3.6 In editione Jenensi Tom. 1. pag. 32. hee saith faith obtaines what the Law commands and what is that but obedience and righteousnesse and againe by faith Christ is in us yea one bodie with us but Christ is righteous and a fulfiller of the Law wherefore wee all doe fulfill it while Christ is made ours by faith Also Tom. 3. p. 539. when Paul ascribes iustification to faith wee must of necessity understand that hee speakes of faith laying hold on Christ which makes Christ of efficacy against sinne and the Law Also Tom. 2. pag. 515. Faith settles us upon the workes of Christ without our owne workes and translates us out of the exile of our sinnes into the kingdome of his righteousnesse And Tom. 1. pag. 410. Sinne is not destroyed unlesse the Law be fulfilled but the Law is not fulfilled but by the righteousnes of faith and page 437. To keepe the Law is to have and possesse Christ the fulfiller of the Law And Tom. 4. pag. 44. Faith iustifieth because it comprehendeth and possesseth that treasure to wit Christ and page 45. wee say that Christ doth forme faith or is the forme of faith And Tom. 2. upon Genesis The laying hold on the promises is called sure and firme faith and doth justifie not as it is our work These speeches shew plainely that Luther conceived Christs righteousnes to be after a sort the formall righteousnes of the believer though not formally inherent yet formally possessed and enjoyed by faith Concerning this justifying righteousnes Luther also teacheth that it is not in our selves but in Christ even his fulfilling of the Law for us made ours and imputed to us Tom. 1. pag 106. By faith saith hee are our sinnes made no more ours but Christs upon whom GOD hath laid the iniquities of us all and he hath borne our sinnes And on the other side all his righteousnes is made ours for he layes his hand upon us And pag 178. The righteousnes of a Christian is the righteousnes of another and comes to him from without It is even Christ who is made unto us of God righteousnes so that a man may with confidence glory in Christ and say Christ his living doing and suffering is mine no otherwise then if I had lived done and suffered as he did as the married man possesseth all that is his wives and the wife all the goods which are her husbands for they have all things common because they are become one flesh and so Christ and the Church are one spirit by faith Christs righteousnes is made ours and all his are ours yea himselfe is ours And Tom. 2. pag 86. The righteousnes by which we are justified before GOD is not in our owne persons but without our selves in GOD because man shall have no cause to boast of his owne proper righteousnes before GOD. And Tom. 2. pag 385. A Christian is not formally righteous by reason of any substance or quality in him but relatively in relation to Christ in whom hee hath true righteousnes Melancthon in Epist. ad Rom. 8.4 saith wherefore Pauls meaning is thus to be taken that Christ is given for us that we may be counted to have satisfyed the Law by him and that for him we may be reputed righteous Although we our selves do not satisfie the Law anothers fulfilling of it is freely given to us and is imputed to us and so the Law is imputatively fulfilled in us And so when the Apostle saith that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnes that is hee who hath Christ is righteous hee is reputed to have satisfied the Law and hee imputatively hath that which the Law requires And on chap. 10.4 upon these wordes Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnes c hee saith this is the simple meaning Christ is the fulfilling of the Law to the believer and hee who hath Christ that is believes in him is righteous and hath imputatively what the Law requires The Booke of concord subscribed by so many hundreds of Evangelicall Ministers of the reformed Churches in Germany in the Articles of justification saith that when we speak of justifying it is to be knowne that these three objects concurre which are to be believed 1. The promise of the benefit that is mercy for remission of sinnes and justification 2. That the promise is most free which excludes our merits 3. The merits of Christ which are the price and propitiation and a little after faith doth not justify because it is a worke worthy by it selfe that is in a proper sense but onely because it receives the mercy promised And againe How shall Christ be our mediator if in justification we do not use him for our mediator that is if we do not feele that for him we are reputed righteous The Divines of the Augustane confession condemned Osiander who held that the righteousnes of faith was the essentiall righteousnes of GOD and also them who taught that Christ is our righteousnes onely according to his humane nature And in the Epitome of the Articles controverted by some they with one consent affirmed that the righteousnesse of faith is remission of sinnes reconciliation and adoption to be Sons of God for the obedience of Christ onely which by faith alone of meere grace is imputed to all beleevers Artic 3. de fidei justitia And this obedience of Christ which is imputed for righteousnes they affirme to be the obedience which hee performed both in his death and passion and also in his