Justification but his granting of this Promise or Act of Grace is the true natural efficient instrumental cause of our Justification even the immediate cause If Christ's Merit was but the remote Cause of Justification then justifying Faith doth respect it but remotely as the procuring cause of the New Covenant and if the grant of an Act of Grace be the only proper and immediate Cause of Justification then Faith only respects that immediately when it justifies and so Christ only as a King or as the Enacter of a New Law Ibid. p. 27. Again he saith It is most evident in Scripture that Merit Satisfaction are but the moral remote preparatory causes of our Justification though exceeding eminent c. and that the perfecting neerer efficient causes were by other Acts of Christ and that all concurred to accomplish the work By this it appears that Justification is an Act of Christ as a King only though his Merit made way for his Kingly Power and his Prophetical teaching promoteth mans obedience that his justifying us is his acquitting us from guilt and condemnation because we have obeyed his Law or New Covenant and that obedience to that Law as obedience to a Royal Law is the condition of our Justification or the thing for which we must be justified and that Faith with these men is nothing but obedience to the Gospel-Precepts grounded upon a belief that they came from Christ and shall be rewarded according to his Promise and therefore when they contend That Faith justifieth not by one act of affiance but by all its acts they do but confound themselves and the question For even according to themselves Faith justifieth properly and immediately by one act only or under one onely notion viz. of obedience to the Gospel and that directed to Christ only as King and that the other acts of it respecting his Merit and Teaching are but accidental to it and without its notion as justifying We are then to prove that obedience to the Gospel is not the condition of our Justification though joyned with or builded upon Faith in the truth of it and thus I argue The First Argument From Rom. 4.16 17. Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the Seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the Faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all c. The Faith here spoken of is that whereby Abraham was justified and by which the Promise should be made sure to all his Seed both Jews and Gentiles which is the Promise of being blessed with him in his Seed Christ Now the Apostle saith That Justification or Blessedness comes by Faith that it might be by Grace i.e. altogether free but Justification upon the condition of obedience is not altogether free therefore justifying Faith includeth not obedience as the condition of Justification I prove the Minor thus Grace and Works are utterly inconsistent in God's dealing with Man for his Salvation For Work bring some worthiness though not strict Merit but Grace supposeth nothing but deseâ—â— of Punishment Rom. 11.6 If by grace the not of works otherways grace is no more grace Election of grace v. 5. excludeth all works why doth not Justification also if it be bâ— Grace If obedience to the Gospel be the condition of our Justification as perfect obedience to the Law of Works was formerly how is it Grace more now than it was then Did God gratiously grant the New Covenant to lost Sinners True here was Grace but when he had granted it he justifieth them only for the performance of it or their obedience to it therefore the giving of the New Covenant is of Grace but Justification by obedience to it is not of Grace but of Works Doth a New Covenant accept of imperfect obedience and carry pardon with it It doâ—â— indeed not insist upon perfect obedience to the Law of Innocency as the only way of life but it doth not dispence with or allow the breach of any of those Commands that were perpetual What then It requireth perfect and exact obedience to the Gospel and fâ—â— want of that obedience men shall be condemned there is no pardon for want of sincere obedience under the Gospel no more that there was for want of perfect obedience to Adam therefore all the mercy grace and pardon of the New Covenant lieth in relaxing the Covenant of perfect works in giving a New and somewhat Milder Covenant to men when they might have been condemned for the breach of the former but still their Justification or right to Life dependeth wholly upon their obedience to this New Covenant and so â—â— no more of Grace properly than Adam should have been But they say our obedience is performed by the efficacy of Divine Grace and therefore we may be said to be justified by Grace though by our Obedience As if the Elect Angels that stand were not justified or accepted in and by their own integrity because preserved by the Grace of God or as if Adam could not have been justifyed by keeping the Law unless he had done it meerly by his own connate strength without additions or assistance of Divine Grace throughout his Life What the Grace is which these men allow to our obedience is yet uncertain but this altereth not the nature of Justification if it be by obedience it is not of grace but of works i. e. a man is pronounced Just or Righteous for his own obedience by what principle soever it be wrought therefore the saith here spoken of neither is nor doth include obedience Again It is a Faith that the Promise may be sure or firm to all the Seed but if obedience be the condition of life the Promise cannot be sure to all or any Believers Ergò this Faith doth not include Obedience Professed Arminians grant there can be no assurance ordinarily of any particular man's Salvation yea that there is no absolute certainty thet any Man should be saved though Christ died for them all Others speak more dubiously but if Justification be suspended upon our Obedience to the Gospel to our lives end it cannot be certain to any Man that he shall be justifyed and saved till he be out of the World there may be indeed an objective certainty of the Promise in general viz. He that obeyeth to the End shall be saved but thus the promise to Adam was as certain viz if he had obeyed perfectly to the End he should thereby be justifyed but here was a Promise to Abraham That he and his Seed should be blessed and this Promise was not made to the Works of the Law but to the Faith of Abraham and his Seed that the promise might be certain i. e. that they should certainly attain the promised blessedness and by no means fall short of it but this certainty comes not from persevering Obedience which is it self uncertain Ergò
themselves with that yet they that be throughly woundeâ— and humbled can never build their peace upon purposes or promises of obedience but upon the free Mercy of God in Christ from whence also they must have their power to obey or their purposes are in vain and also the acceptance and forgiveness of their poor imperfect obedience Whatever are the disputes of curious Wits or of rational Parts who would sain bring the Methods of Sovereign Grace to the Rules of Humane Reason yet I never met with any serious man nor I believe never shall who would soberly say That he expected to be saved or justified for and by his Obedience to the Gospel CHAP. X. An Answer to the Arguments for Obedience being the Condition of Justification WE come now for a close of this Work to consider the Principle Arguments that are brought to prove That Obedience to the Gospel or Faith as comprehending all Obedience is the Condition by fulfilling whereof we must be justified and it is alledged 1st That this way of Justification seemeth most rational obvious and agreeable to the whole Tenour of Scripture which maketh the Promises both of this Life and that which is to come to Obedience 1 Tim. 4.8 And that the way of Justification by trusting in the Promise of Mercy putteth some force both upon Reason and many Texts of Scripture Thus Mr. Trueman often 1st It was Melancthon's Observation Answ Lex com de isustif judic in Rom. That man's Reason which he call'd humana Philosophia doth always cherish a notion of being justified by Works and therefore Justification by Faith ever hath been and ever shall be opposed both by curious Wits and by grave Moral Men not only among Heathens but in the Church also which cometh partly from the Pride of Man who would fain be something but chiefly from the impression of the Law of Nature or Works which taught and allowed no other way of Justification and therefore men's Consciences though they hear the Letter of the Gospel do not cannot believe that they can be justifyed by Free Grace without any respect to their Works till they are inwardly persuaded by the Spirit of Christ Christ crucifyed was a stumbling Block to the Jews who trusted to the Works of the Law and Foolishness to the Greeks who thought themselves wise and rational men 1 Cor. 1.23 It is therefore no inconvenience that Justification by obedience is most agreeable to carnal and unsanctified reason and Justification by Faith not suitable to it But I suppose this Author by rational meant That the several parts and consequences of the Dostrine of Justification by Obedience did better cohere and agree together than if it were affirmed to be by Faith only Of this let the â—ious Reader that hath been sensible of sin â—â—d guilt and feelingly understands the grounds of a Christian's Hope and Peace â—â—dge They say That man being under â—rath for breaking the Law of Works destiâ—te of the Image or Grace of God did yet receive a New Law purchased by the Death â—f Christ to repent believe and obey the â—recepts of it and for so doing he should be â—â—aved his former sins forgiven yet all this â—hile he is not able to repent believe or oâ—â—y nor is there any promise that he shall be â—ade able and if he receive Grace to do this â—any measure yet it is not insured to him he may and many do lose it yea he may recover and and lose it again and if death should seise him in any of these sad intervals all his obedience profiteth nothing but he perisheth for ever if this will comfort or settle an afflicted unsettled conscience or be agreeable to the tasts any have had of the Grace oâ— God let such judge On the other side we teach That man being utterly lost by guilâ— and inability to obedience God sent his Soâ— fully and absolutely to satisfie his Justice and to purchase eternal life for as many as he had chosen This purchase he declared in the Gospel promising pardon and eternal life to alâ— that humbly fly to and trust in him for it that when his promise is published God sendetâ— forth his Spirit and perswadeth the hearts oâ— his Elect to trust in it that hereupon he giveth them pardon of all their sins and a right to eternal life for the sake of his Son's satisfaction and purchase that being thus reconciled to them he doth further make them hâ—â— Children and heirs of Glory for his Son sake and because they are his Children hâ— giveth them the Spirit of his Son to reneâ— them after his Image to continue and perseâ— grace in them and forgiveth all their infirmâ—ties and blesseth them with all temporal anâ— spiritual blessings in Christ and ordereth aâ— his providences for their good to purge oâ—â— sin and to perfect grace till at last of his Fatherly Goodness he crowns them with eternâ— life after their hard service on Earth to eâ—â— courage them in which Heaven was proposed as a Reward to them wherein is this irrational or inconsistent with it self The Scripture for the most part speaketh to the Conscience and Affections 2dly more than the Judgement and therefore handleth not things distinctly and didactically but putteth many things together saith and obedience in general or in particular duties as is most suited to practice and therefore it is no good Argument Faith and Obedience are joyned together often times as the means of Salvation without distinguishing the several Offices of each and what influence each have upon the several parts of our Salvation ergò both together and alike do justify us before God Yet it is evident from the whole Tenour of the Scripture That forgiveness of sin reconciliation peace with God hope of Heaven all come by our flying to and hope in Mercy and Grace alone This was renew'd to Adam by promise of the Seed of the Woman Gen. 3.17 And by Sacrifices in like manner renewed to Abraham by promise with the Seal of Circumcision and a more particular promise of Christ The Psalms practically exemplify That our only refuge is Free Mercy The Prophets are full of promises of Pardon of healing Backslidings Jer. 3.12 of loving freely Hos 14.4 of forgiving beyond man's thoughts Isa 54.6 7 8. and the like Our Saviour and the Apostles preached this Doctrine to convinced and humbled Sinners though they insist much upon Obedience to convince and reclaim the hypocritical backsliding Jews To the Heathens who had no excuse for sin they preached nothing but pardon at first and besides this when the Doctrine of Justification is distinctly propounded and proved it is wholly ascribed to Faith in the Promise in two most argumentative Epistles to the Romans and Galatians upon which they that would bring in obedience are fain to make a manifest force whereas we force no Scripture but explain those that speak generally by shewing the several Acts of Faith and ascribing to it and to
next care is how he shall hold out to serve God and to be brought to his Kingdom and then upon knowledge of the Promises of the Spirit and Grace of Christ flowing from him as Prophet and King he trusteth in them to be preserved to the Heavenly Kingdom but this follows his Justification and is the immediate root of his Obedience for having hope in Christ for grace and perseverance he is thereby stirr'd up to make a Covenant or Promise of all Obedience but all this is nothing to prove that our Obedience is the condition whereby we must be justified but the quite contrary Argument 2. The usual language of the Scripture is p. 14. that we are justified by Faith in Christ or by believing in him without any exclusion of any essential part of that Faith But Faith in Christ doth essentially contain our believing in him as Teacher Priest and King or Lord Ergò Answ To the Major Faith as including habits and acts of all grace is an aggregatum and hath no essential parts and as a single habit is a quality or something like it and hath not essential parts To the Minor I answer That justifying Faith doth contain an assent to the Doctrine of Christ's Person and his Offices at least implicitely and a trust in the promise of the benefits of them all and this is essential to it but from hence it follows not that Obedience justifies as well as Faith But if by believing in Christ as Prophet Priest and King be meant as it seemeth to be a belief of and subjection to the whole Gospel of Christ then the Minor is false Justifying Faith doth not include this as the essential parts of it Obedience to the Gospel and to Christ as King and Prophet is the effect not a part of Faith or any elicit act of it and though Faith do essentially rather integrally include a belief of the whole Doctrine of the Gospel yet the sum of that Doctrine is comprised in the Promise of Justification by Christ all other truths being some way subservient and to be referred to it and so Faith hath nothing else essential to it but an assent to and trust in the promise and those things th t belong to it When it is added That we are to prove that to justifie is restrained to any one Act of Faith exclusive of the rest that is sufficiently done when we prove that Works are excluded and that Faith justifies only instrumentally or as a trust in the Promise The Scriptures alledged do some of them prove that Faith taken complexly for all Gospel-obedience is required to Salvation Mar. 16.16 Joh. 3.16 17 18. and v. 36. but then Salvation also is taken complexly for the whole deliverance from sin and misery till we are brought to Heaven whereof Justification is but one part and others spake of Faith properly which is opposed to Works said to justifie us without them as Rom. 1.16.17 18. and Rom. 3.22 25 28 31. Rom. 5.1 c. And this we deny to include the promise or purpose of Obedience Here it is not unseasonable to shew the concurrence of Dr. Preston with us in his explaining justifying Faith to extend to all the Offices of Christ because he is confidently alledged by those we dispute against for their Opinion though as injuriously as the two former They that will satisfy themselves may please to peruse his 11th Sermon on the Govenant out of which I observe these few things He saith That the way to obtain the Spirit 1st Vse 3. Ibid. to mortify Sin is to believe to apply to a man's self the Covenat of Grace the promise of the Pardon of his Sins These are his own words That is the way to get the Spirit that is the way to mortify the deeds of the flesh and to get the heart changed and to be made a new Creature For he adds Hope of pardon and mercy melteth the heart and maketh a man go about the Commands of God as now possible yea to be delighted in It is plain the Dr. maketh the Covenant of Grace and the promise of Pardon to be believed and applyed to our selves before we can make any Covenant of Obedience with God and that believing is trusting in the Covenant as a Promise and that the Promise of Pardon is the first thing a Sinner is to apply to himself as the meansto humble change and to bring him to God He saith Vse 4. God's Covenant with Abraham and with all believers is to give them all blessings in Christ and distinctly from all his Offices pardon from his Priesthood teaching from his Prophetical the Spirit and Victory over all their corruptions together with all other Priviledges from his Kingly Office He saith The Condition of this Covenant that God requireth to make a man Partaker of these Blessings is Faith alone The Condition saith he is Thou shalt believe this thou shalt believe that such a Messiah shall be sent into the World Art thou able to believe this Abraham c. Again Abraham did believe and God accounted that Faith of his for Righteousness i. e. he accepted him for it for that Faith he reckoned him a man sit to make a Covenant withal he accounted him a Righteous person i. e. he was willing to enter into a Covenant with him because he believed him Moreover That his believing for a Son and for the Inheritance of Canaan were tryals whether he could believe the Promise of the Messiah that they were not the Faith that did immediately intitle him to the Covenant but acts of the same Grace of Faith of the same habit or gracious disposition whereby he believed the Promise of the Messiah and that his Faith was tried again when he was commanded to offer his Son whereupon God renewed his Covenant with an Oath Sure saith he I will perform my Covenant since I see that thou believest me and fearest me and preferrest me before thine onely Son N. B. These are but the Concomitants of Faith Again The Condition that God requires of every man to be made Partaker of his Covenant is nothing but to believe in God i.e. God saith I will give my Son to you and I will make him a King a Priest and a Prophet to bless you he shall give you remission of sins he shall teach you to mortifie your lusts and shall make you Partakers of his Kingdom he shall make you Heirs and Sons This is a very great Promise can you believe this If a man will but believe God now I say it makes him Partaker of the Covenant Hence it is manifest that Faith only intitleth to the Covenant of Grace that this Faith is nothing else but a trust in the Promise of the Benefits of Christ in all his Offices and that by a Condition is meant only a qualification of the Subject whereby he is made fit to be covenanted with This is further proved by the Reasons he giveth why
Faith only is the condition 1st Because it works sanctification not that it is a part of it 2ly Because nothing else can answer the Covenant but Faith The Covenant is not a Commandment Do this and live but a Promise it runs all upon Promises I will give thee a Seed in that thou shalt be blessed c. The Covenant on God's part stands all in Promises Now you know it is faith that answers the Promise for the Promise is to be believed If the Covenant had stood in Commandments and Rules of the Law then it must have been answered by Works and Obedience and therefore it could not be by Obedience for that holds not proportion there is not agreement between them but since the Covenant consists of Promises that must needs be by Believing and not by Works 4ly It is of Faith that it might be of grace and not of Debt for if God should give a Law and Rules to men and promise them life upon it then when they had performed the work they would challenge it of debt No saith the Lord it is an inheritanee I do not use to deal with my Children as Men do with their Servants that I should give them work to do and when they have done I should give them Wages Lastly he saith Sermon 12. at the beg That Christ giveth first Remission of sins as a Priest wherein consists Justification next as a Prophet he gives Knowledge and then as a King he gives Guidance Peace and Victory over Spiritual Enemies Thus we see he opposeth Faith to Obedience to Commands and saith The Covenant is nothing but a Promise on God's part and that Faith must first look for Remission of sins from the Priesthood or Satisfaction of Christ and for other Benefits from his other Offices afterwards which is the Doctrin we defend and yet this must be meant onely implicitely as to a great part of Believers few having the knowledge and skill to make this distinct use of Christ's Offices Argument 3. The Scripture doth not only by the specifick denomination p. 19. but also by description and mentioning those very Acts include the believing in Christ as our Lord and Teacher c. in that Faith by which as a condition we are justified Ergò we are justified by believing in Christ as our Lord and Teacher Answ We deny the Antecedent Faith doth neither justifie as a condition nor doth the Scripture ascribe Justification to any other acts of Faith than trusting in the Promise of Life through Christ Let us consider the Proof Rom. 10.4 to 10. We are said to be justified 1st by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ v. 9. Therefore his Lordship is included in the object of Faith as justifying Answ Here is nothing but a designation of the person not a distinct intimation of his Kingly Office and yet Faith which justifyeth trusteth in Christ as Lord and King as was said before We must also believe that God raised him from the dead which was no part of his Priestly Office 2ly Answ Christ's Resurrection doth belong to his Priestly Office though it cannot be properly called a part of it For it was the complement or consummation of his Satisfaction and immediately necessary to his appearing in Heaven there to present his Satisfaction and to intercede for us as the High-priest after the Sacrifice of the Goat went into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the Bloud before the Mercy-Seat and to pray for the People Besides to believe in Christ as rising from the dead is nothing else but believing in him as having made a compleat satisfaction which was evidenced by his Resurrection The same Answer will serve to what is pleaded from Rom. 4.24 25. only it is added here that we must believe in him that raised Christ from the dead Answ Ergò Faith respects not Christ only Faith immediately respects the Promise of Life by Christ as the formal object of or reason why it expecteth Salvation by Christ then it trusteth in God to justifie for Christ's sake and then in Christ as him that hath purchased Justification for us and will see it applied To believe in him that raised Christ from the dead is to trust in God to justifie us who hath testified his acceptance of Christ's Satisfaction for us by raising him from the dead What is this to Obedience 1 John 1.9 11 12. The Faith whereby we are adopted wherein Justification is included or presupposed respecteth Christ as the Light that enlightneth every Man Answ It believeth the promise of salvation preached by Christ and so trusteth in it what is this to a Promise of subjection to Christ's constant teaching as a Prophet 2ly It respecteth his Person it receiveth him and not one single benefit Answ Nor do we say that Justification giveth or justifying faith obtaineth but one single benefit it obtaineth reconciliation with God and right to life which either include or draw after them all saving benefits 3ly It is believing in his name that signifieth his Person and Offices and is all one with taking him for the Messiah and becoming his Disciples Answ To believe in God's name is the same that trusting in him They that know thy Name will trust in thee so to believe in Christ's Name was to trust in him as the Messiah or Saviour and this gives right to Adoption 4ly Faith doth not physically receive Christ by way of apprehension as I receive Gold in my hand whoever said it did but dispositively it qualifieth the subject in the sight of God and he giveth power thereupon to become his Sons Answ But how is this proved from the Text If it had been said power was given c. to them that receive him without any explication there might have been some colour for this plea but it is explained by believing on his Name i. e. trusting in him but trust is no proper legal qualification though it putteth the subject into an immediate natural capacity or disposition to receive the benefit and Moral also when the object is Moral Many other places are added where we are said to believe in the Son of God to hear his voice and believe that he was the promised Messiah c. which denote the whole Person of Christ Ergo. Justifying Faith respects immediately and directly all his Offices Did ever any Man contend that we are justified by believing in one part of Christ's Person or cannot we trust in the whole Person of Christ without respecting all his Offices distinctly primarily and immediately Do we divide the Essence of God or exclude his other Attributes absolutely when we do immediately respect his Wisdom alone or his Power or Goodness according to our present occasion at that time not distinctly making use of others and yet justifying Faith doth trust in Christ for the benefit of all his Offices Answ as before This proveth not that Obedience is joyned with it in justifying
all the immediate proper causes of Justification both internal and external and wanting only the remote preparatory causes If obedience to the Gospel as the Law of Christ be that alone to which Justification is promised then unbelief of his Merit when a man is not convinced of the truth of it can no more damn him than the unbelief of any other History concerning Christ suppose his being born at Bethlem or living at Nazareth c. when a man is not sufficiently perswaded of them For these were necessary ex Hypothesi because God would have it so and Christ's Merit was no more by their confession nor was it impossible according to their Principles but Christ might have been a King and enacted this Law of Grace though he had not been a Priest and satisfied for Sin And thus we have the bottom of this Mystery Next it is proved that Christ justifyeth as a Prophet p. 25. because the Gospel is a Law that must be promulgated and expounded and a Doctrine that must be taught and pressed on Sinners till they receive it and believe that they may be justified and this Christ doth as a Teacher and Faith must accordingly respect him Answ Faith must believe and trust in the Promise of Life made in Christ and preached by Christ and revealed to the heart by his Spirit But what is this to prove that a professed subjection to the teaching of Christ must justify us as well as Faith and yet methinks he that teacheth That the Covenant of Grace is written in all men's hearts and is a Secondary Law of Nature teaching men that God will forgive them that serve him sincerely though they know not that it was to be brought about by the Mediatour should not make it necessary to Justification to believe That Christ in Person preached the Gospel We have here Scriptures multiplied to prove that Christ hath power to forgive sins which is an Act of a King Mat. 9.6 ch 11. v. 27 28. ch 28. v. 19 20 c. which we grant he hath Ministerially viz. To declare the Promise of Forgiveness and to pronounce Pardon For he received this Power of the Father It followeth therefore that we must trust in him to declare and pronounce us forgiven but it is for his own Righteousness not for our Obedience Argument 5. It is a necessary condition of our being baptized for the Remission of Sins p. 27. that we profess a Belief in more than Christ's Humiliation and Merits Ergò More is a necessary condition of our actual Remission Mat. 28.19 20. 1 Pet. 3.21 Act. 8.37 1st Answ Here is continually ignoratio Elenchi We do not say that Christ's Humiliation and Merits are the only object of justifying Faith excluding his Person or any of his Offices but that Faith as justifying doth trust only in the promise of Reconciliation through the Merit of Christ but that it doth also in subsequent distinct Acts trust in the Promises of Illumination and Sanctification and in Christ himself to work these in us as a Prophet and King and to obtain them for us by his Priestly Intercession but all by virtue of his Merit and satisfaction which as it is the foundation of the other Offices of Christ so Faith always respects it as the foundation of all other Blessings to be hoped for 2ly 2ly I deny that any thing is necessary to Baptism for remission of sins more than a trust in Christ or the promise of Reconciliaon through his Bloud Baptism is as Circumcision was a Seal of the righteousness of Faith Rom. 4.11 i. e. that we shall be forgiven through believing It is God's Seal to his Covenant or Promise which men are supposed to have a right to before they are baptized and so before they can promise obedience Believing in the whole Trinity and then believing Christ to be the Son of God proveth nothing but that the remission which Baptism sealeth is to be expected from the true God in opposition to the Heathen and Jewish false Gods or false Notions of God viz. That we are to trust in the Father to justify us through the Bloud of his Son who will bring us to eternal life by the Operation of his Spirit and that Jesus of Nazareth is this Son of God so to be trusted in Mat. 28.20 Men are first to be baptised being instructed in the Doctrine of Christ afterwards taught all his Commandments and thus the Apostles practised preaching through Christ the remission of sins and then baptising them that believe Acts 10. Acts 13. If a Promise of Obedience be the condition of Baptism then Infants are not to be baptised 1 Pet. 3.21 only sheweth that Baptism as an outward Sign will not profit without reallity in the heart in believing or trusting in Christ which will produce obedience The Covenants of Obedience which the Church annexed to Baptism are not annexed to it as conditions of obtaining Remission of Sins but as conditions of men's Admission into the Fellowship of the Church and those as evidences of the reality of their Faith in Christ Argument 6. The Apostles of Christ themselves before his death p. 28. were justifyed by believing in him as the Son of God and the Teacher and King of the Church yea perhaps without believing at all in his Death and Ransom thereby Ergò Answ If believing here mean as it ought the Apostles acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God King and Teacher of his Church and their giving themselves to obey him then I deny the Antecedent they were not hereby justifyed but by their trust in the Promises of Pardon and Reconciliation through the Messias whom they now knew to be Jesus Christ though they knew not the particular way how he was to reconcile them to God They were justifyed as Abraham and David and all the former Saints were and their Love and Obedience to Christ so far as they understood him was an effect of their Faith All the Proof is The Apostles were justified and they acknowledged loved obeyed Christ as King and Prophet and understood not that he was to die for them therefore this justifyed them Which is no Consequent Argument 7. The Satisfaction and Merits of Christ are not the only objects of the Sanctifying and Saving Acts of Faith p. 30. therefore not of Justifying 1st Answ Faith looketh only to the Satisfaction of Christ or rather to the Promise founded on that merit as the procuring cause for Sanctification and Perseverance viz. That as perfect Justification so perfect Sanctification is purchased for us by Christ But the Sanctifying Act must respect Christ's following applicatory Acts p. 31. and not the purchase of Sanctification only so the justifying act must respect Christ's following collation or application and not only his purchase of Justification Answ 1 This still changeth the Question which is Whether Faith in Christ as Prophet Priest and King i. e. Obedience as well as trust
if that be imputed then Christs Righteousness is imputed also to them that believe Moreover if Adams Sin be not imputed to us then are we not guilty of the breach of the First Covenant â—en we were never obliged to yield perfect obedience nor is the want of it properly a â—â— in us and so men are born in such a forworn and lost state as the Scripture prescribes â—â—em to be The reason of the consequence is â—e were never under the first Covenant in â—r own persons it was made with Adam â—t with us and if his breach of it be not impted to us it must follow that the Covenant is intended for him only not for his Posteriâ—â— his Obedience should not have profited them to Justification as well as his Disobedience not hurt them to condemnation and â—â—s the Covenant of Works is wholly made and by Adams Fall nor was it ever renewed a Covenant of Life Moreover Mr. Baxter's Preface to the Treat of the 2 Covenants p. 2 3. our Opposites teach that the Covenant of Grace was â—â—de with all Mankind immediately after 〈◊〉 Fall they had all new Terms of Life given â—â—m in Christ If then Adams Sin be not imâ—â—ed to his Posterity they have indeed lost â—â—se blessed Priviledges which Adam sinned â—â—ay and so could not convey to them but â—â—y were not at all oblig'd to the Covenant of â—â—fect obedience but were all immediately in under the Covenant of Grace and are â—â—y to answer for their neglect of and disobedience to that Thus much for the first argument from the Imputation of Adam's Argument 2. Christ was made subject to Bradshaw de Just c. 18. and fulfilled the Law to which Man was subject and the which Man had broken Ergò his Obedience of Righteousness is imputed to us For he was not made subject to that Law for his own saâ—â— but for ours nor did he fulfill it for himself but for us he fulfilled it not simply as a general Law of Obedience but as the Law give to Man and broken by him therefore what he did in this case was done in Mans stead aâ—â— to be imputed to him for his Righteousness that the Curse of the Law might be remove and the Blessing of the Law might descend up on Mankind Sermon of the Salvation of Mankind Vid. Homilies of the Church of England Christ is the Righteousness of all them that 〈◊〉 truely believe in him He for them paid the Ransom by his Death He for them fulfilled 〈◊〉 Law in his Life So that now in him and 〈◊〉 him every true Christian Man may be called Fulfiller of the Law forasmuch as that which their Infirmities lacked Christs Justice has supplied But this consequence will not 〈◊〉 denied it is the Antecedent that must be proved viz. That Christ fulfill'd the Law whâ—â— was given to and broken by Man and that was made Subject to that Law For to avâ—â— this Argument our Authors have devised new Notion That Christ fulfilled not the Law as given to Man knowing that then his Righteousness must be imputed to Man but the teach that Christ fulfilled only a particular Law given to himself which they call the Law of a Mediator which consisteth so much of the Law given to Mankind in general and of so much of the Jewish Law as the Father thought fit to appoint him to perform and also of some particular precepts peculiar to Christ alone wherein Men were not concern'd which Law if Christ would fulfill Men should have a New Covenant of Life given them But they could not be justified by his fulfilling this Law because it contained not all things to which they were obliged and moreover did contain some things peculiar to Christ in which Men were not concerned It must therefore be proved That Christ was oblig'd to and did fulfill the Law of perfect Obedience given to Men and the Jewish Law which concerned that Nation It is sometimes said by our Opposites That Christ is our Legal Righteousness that Righteousness which the Law of Works required of us If so then he must have fulfill'd and satisfied that Law but this hath been touched before I argue therefore Christ was subject to the Law of Mankind else he needed not to have been Man The only reason why Christ was made Man is that the same Nature that sinned might also satisfie for Sin it must therefore be by fulfilling that Law which concerned Humane Nature For if any other way of satisfaction might be admitted why might it not be accepted from a Person of another Nature that was not Man If there was no necessity that the Law broken by Man should be fulfilled but that it was sufficient that something should be done to repair God's Honour some other way though his Law was not properly satisfied Why might it not have been enough if Christ as God only without assuming any created Nature would have undertaken to conquer the Devils to bring all Mankind to Repentance to accept once of Pardon and to restore them to perfect Obedience again This would have repaired the Honour of God and of the Law as much or more than the procuring a New Covenant of Salvation for Sinners which for any thing Christ did merit might have never took effect in any Why might not this have served without his taking Mans Nature upon him Moreover the Angels are obliged by the same general Law of Love to God and their Fellow creatures that Men are though the particular Wages of exercising it be different If then it were enough that Christ fulfill'd some Generals of the Law without being obliged to all the Particulars that concerned Men why might it not have sufficed him to have taken the Nature of Angels and not to have come down into this miserable World for in that he might have performed the Law of a Mediator However à fortiori he needed not to have been the Son of Adam born of a Woman and in the same condition with other men or to have taken upon him the Form of a Servant Phil. 2.7 He might have been immediately created as Adam was and not have derived his Nature from him if it were not that he must be subject to the same Law which Adam had broken It is said Gal. 4.4 That God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons If Christ could not redeem the Jews without being born a Jew subject to their Law then neither could he redeem the Sons of Adam in general without being himself the Son of Adam subject to the same Law that he was I argue also from the Nature of the Law The End of the Law was Obedience and for failure that the Penalty of it should be suffered and this was the absolute establisht Decree or Sanction of God It must therefore be fulfilled by some one it was not done by Men therefore
it must be by Christ To say that some of it was fulfilled and some Honour done to it by the Mediatorial Law is of small moment for this did not fulfill it or satisfie the End of it The Law as a Law and as a Covenant betwixt God and Man was clearly laid aside if Christ fulfill'd it not and all Mankind after the Fall were by him brought under a Covenant of Grace and so the Law is made void by Faith contrary to the Apostle Rom. 3.31 Our Saviour also testified of himself Mat. 5.17 That he came not to destroy but to fulfill the Law This was the End of his coming into the World and his fulfilling was his obeying performing the Law as he had said before Mat. 3.15 It becometh us to fulfill all Righteousness Therefore he was Baptized and therefore much more ought he to observe the Law which was of ancienter Institution This is confirmed by the Reason he giveth for his fulfilling the Law Mat. 5.18 viz. That not one Jota or Tittle of the Law should pass away till all was fulfilled though Heaven and Earth might pass away The Sanction of the Law is more stable than the Ordinances of Heaven and Earth and must attain its End Therefore every Child of Adam must be subject to it Our Saviour adds v. 19 20. That he was so far from relaxing of the Law that on the contrary he affirmed whosoever should break the least Commands and teach others so should be shut out of Heaven Nay that he required a stricter Observation of it than the Scribes and Pharisees for all their pretended severities in some things Now that all this was meant of the Law as given by Moses chiefly of the Moral Law is manifest by his proceeding to expound and vindicate the Commandments in his following Discourse v. 21. to the end from the slight Comments of their present Teachers In like manner when it is said Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness to all them that believe Rom. 10.4 It is meant of the Law of Moses for it is immediately added v. 5. Moses describeth the Righteousness of the Law that the Man that doth them shall live in them Now Christ is the End of the Law not simply by waving it and disannulling its Obligation for then the Law should not have its End nor be unchangeable as he had told us it was but He is the End of it for righteousness to them that believe by fulfilling it in his own person for them so that their Righteousness or Justification may not depend upon their own Obedience to it Again Christ redeemed us from the Curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 being made a Curse for us How was Christ made a Curse but by bearing the Penalty of the Law for Sin For the Curse is not only the Matter of Punishment the evil inflicted but formal punishment viz. Evil inflicted for Sin for the satisfaction of Justice and the violated Law Now how came this Curse to fall upon Christ Even by the Law it self adjudging him to it For thus the Apostle argueth v. 10. They that are of the Works of the Law under the power of it are under the Curse And v. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law by being made a Curse for us This is the Argument Men cannot be justified by the Law for that curseth all that are under it but we shall be justified by Faith in Christ v. 12. because he bore the Curse of the Law for us He must therefore be under the Law as we were And it is further proved because it is written i. e. the Law saith Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree Deut. 21.23 What is this to the Death of Christ if he were not under the Law And if he were under the Jewish Law which pronounced the Death of the Cross accursed in special manner then by the same reason he was under the Law of Adam which pronounced Death in general as a Curse for Sin Lastly If the Sufferings of Christ were not inflicted by virtue of the Law of Works then they were not Penal nor had they any thing of God's wrath in them for it was that Law only that threatned a Curse They were only Prudential viz. that something should be suffered which that Law threatned that so it might decently be laid aside Now if Christ were subject to the Law as to the Curse he was also subject to the Precept and so his Obedience was in our stead and therefore to be imputed to us for our Justification We were not obliged to the Law of a Mediator Christ fulfilled not that in our stead if then he did and suffered any thing in our stead it was in obedience to our Law and so to be placed to our Account CHAP. III. More Arguments to prove the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us Argument 3. THirdly I argue from those Scriptures which call Christ our Righteousness and say we have Righteousness in him He is not our Righteousness inherently his Righteousness is not implanted in us therefore it is ours by imputation or not at all Isai 45.24 25. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength This is a Prophesie of Christ and Salvation by him which is to be brought about by this means viz. having Righteousness and Strength in him If we translate it as some do In the Lord there is Righteousness and Strength the sence is the same but our Translation agrees best with the following Verse Now how have we strength in Christ Surely he communicates grace and life to us and doth not only procure and grant a Covenant of Grace he must likewise communicate Righteousness to us and that his own not a Righteousness wrought in us or else it is not distinct from grace or strength mentioned in the Text which the next words also confirm In the Lord shall all the Seed of Israel be justified and shall glory It is a justifying Righteousness distinct from Grace or Strength infused into us which we have in Christ and this cannot be ours but by Imputation Jeremiah 23.5 6. This is the Name whereby Israel shall call him The Lord our Righteousness Who this is the former words shew sc the Righteous Branch to be raised up to David i. e. Christ as also the Reason of this Name because in his days his People shall be saved and chiefly with a Spiritual Salvation this is because he is Jehovah our Righteousness Our Salvation springs primarily from hence That we are made righteous or justified before God and this righteousness comes from Christ As God is our Wisdom our Strength c. because he is the Author of it in us and to us as also our Guide and Protector so Christ is our righteousness i e. the Author of righteousness to us and that he will justifie us by it Object Some object against this That in chap. 33. v. 15 16. Jerusalem the Church seems
his Obedience or Disobedience must be imputed to them and be Cause â—f their life or death even the immediate Cause Object Some say this Obedience of Christ is only is Sufferings according as he is said to be obedient to the death Phil. 2.6 and to have â—â—me to do the Will of God in offering up his â—wn Body Heb. 10. v. 6. to the 11th Answ 1. This maketh nothing against our main posiâ—â—on viz. That the Righteousness of Christ is â—â—puted to us and we justified by it For â—hether it be his Death only or his Life and â—eath both for which we are accepted and â—stified it is all one in this Question so long 〈◊〉 imputation of that Righteousness to us be â—e way whereby it justifies us And if they â—ean that his Sufferings are his only obedience here mentioned to make us righteous by â—â—ocuring a Covenant of Grace to be fulfilled â—â— us then they might as well have said His â—â—tive Obedience without his Sufferings doth â—â—ake us righteous For the Text leads to â—â—e no more than the other And Mr. Trueâ—â—an when he had disputed against the Imputation of Christs Active Obedience and for the Passive only and yet that must be only to procure a Law of Grace afterwards fairly grants That in this sence viz. of procuring the Covenant of Grace both Active and Passive may be said to be imputed to us 2ly But the words will not bear this sence Adam's Actual disobedience made us formally Sinners and guilty of death So the Obedience i. e. the Sufferings of Christ procureth right to life for us Thus they must run but when is the Parallel The Sufferings of Christ can not be said to make us righteous formally aâ— this Author tells Sufferings are not righteousness much less suffering the Penaltys oâ— the Law for the breach of it but Christ suffered the Curse of the Law for our sin against it his Sufferings delivered us from the Curse oâ— the Law it having been born by him but could not make us righteous according to thâ— Law that we should obtain the reward 〈◊〉 Life It is true Christ was obedient in his Sufferings and did the Will of his Father in offering himself if they had not been voluntary and obediential they could not have been meritorious but that his Sufferings as suffering of the Penalty of the Law are his only Obedience that justifies us or that he performeâ— no other obedience for us doth not folloâ— at all 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. Here is exprest that God hath made Christ our righteousness sc by giving him to satisfie the Law for us and accepting us for his righteousness And here we may observe that the Apostle purposely proveth against the despisers of Christ the Greeks who boasted of their own Wisdom and the Jews who trusted in their own Works v. 22 23. that Believers have all in Christ v. 24. and that they are in themselves weak foolish nothing v. 25.28 29. all their excellency is in and from Christ and therefore their righteousness and Justification as well as their Sanstification Farther observe that Righteousness here is distinguished from Wisdom and Sanctification and therefore must mean that Christ is our justifying Righteousness or that we are justified by Christ as our righteousness â—f we were to be justified by our habitual and â—ctual holiness as the Condition of the Gospel â—hen righteousness and sanctification are all â—ne Lastly The Apostle saith we have all these â—n Christ that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord We may glory in Christ in that we â—ave all grace from him but how shall we glory in him as to our Justification if we be not justified by his Righteousness but by our own though wrought by the help of his grace even as Adam if he had kept the Law of Works would have been justified by his own righteousness and might have gloried in himself that he had done his duty though it was by the power of the grace and assistance of God 2 Cor. 5.21 Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Here righteousness by a usual Hebraism is put for righteous we are made the righteous of God i. e. before God or acceptable with him in Christ by or through Christ as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a Dative case is often used and how are we made righteous by Christ even by his being made sin for us as he satisfied for our sin so by that satisfaction are we made righteous as he that knew no sin was sacrificed punished for our sins so we that had no righteousness are made righteous by him and this must be by imputation Thus B Vsher out of Claud. and Sedul in locum That this righteousness therefore is not ours nor in us but in Christ in whom we are considered as Members in the Head Non nostra non in nobis sed in Christo quasi Membra in Capite Rel. Just p. 15. Object Against these two Scriptures it is excepted that in the former it is only said that Christ is made our righteousness Hotchkis p. 191. not that his obedience is imputed to us for righteousness Answ Christ cannot be made our Righteousness any other way than by imputing his perfect Obedience to us and therefore the Scripture in saying the one in words sayeth the other also in sence Object To the latter place 't is said That it saith only that we are made righteous by Christ being made a Sin Offering for us not by imputing his Obedience to us Answ If Christ was made a Sacrifice for our Sins then our Sins were so imputed to him as that he was punished for them and if this make us righteous then his bearing the Punishment of Sin is imputed to us and so his Righteousness is imputed Phil. 3.8 9. That I may win Christ and be found in him not having my own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith The Apostle in this place exhorteth to rejoyce in the Lord i. e. Christ v. 1. and to beware of Judaising Christians who joyned the Works of the Law with Christ v. 2. saying That true Believers are the true Circumcision the true people of God even they who rejoyce in Christ and have no confidence in the Flesh i. e. their own Works v. 3. And then reckoning up what he had to alledge for himself from the observation of the Ceremonial and Moral Law v. 4 5 6. he saith That he counted all this loss for Christ v. 7. and not only what might be alledged from observing the Law but whatever else might be thought excellent or a ground of self-confidence and rejoycing v. 8. Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the
oâ— that he was accounted to have sinned to have been the Author or any way the Cause of our sins or that God lookt upon him as such These things we account blasphemous but we mean that Jesus Christ in all he did and suffered did intend to satisfie the Law of God which Man should have kept and particularly in his Sufferings did intend and actually bare the punishment due to our sins to satisfie the Law thereby and that the Father in imposing this Obedience and in inflicting these Sufferings upon Christ did intend that his Law which man had broken should be satisfied thereby and that Christ should bear the Punishment of our Sins and further that God did accept of these Sufferings of Christ as a satisfaction for our Sins and did look upon his Justice as executed and satisfied in him Thus our sins are said to be imputed to Christ because he was truly and in the Fathers and in his own intentions punished for them He was not reckoned an Offendor but he was reckoned and dealt with as he who had undertaken to bear the Punishment due to Offenders Many labour to make this Position odious by misrepresenting it and putting it into harsh and unscriptural terms But the Question is plainly this Whether the Sufferings of Christ were truly and intentionally the Punishment of the Sins of Man laid upon him whether Christ was properly punished for their Sins And this the Scripture abundantly and expresly affirmeth Isaiah 53.4 He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows Yet more plainly v. 5. He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed v. 6. We have gone astray c. and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all v. 8. For the transgression of my people was he stricken v. 10. His Soul was made an offering for sin v. 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many And the means whereby he cometh to justifie them is because he shall bear their iniquities v. 12. He bore the sin of many Can any thing be more express If Christ was wounded bruised stricken offered as a Sacrifice for sin then he was properly punisht for sin and though the other terms bearing of sin carrying our griefs c. may have a larger interpretation yet being joyned with those other more express and significant words they are to be taken in the same sence Galat. 3.13 He was made a Curse for us c. The Curse is the Punishment of Sin laid upon a person in pursuance of the Sentence of the Law Christ then was punisht the Sentence of the Law executed upon him with intention to satisfie the Law 2 Corinth 5.21 He was made Sin for us Our Authors paraphrase this He was made a Sacrifice for Sin the Sin-offering being sometimes in Hebrew called Sin And the Interpretation is not much amiss but the Sacrifice for sin died for the Sinner and did typically bear the punishment of his Sin Therefore Christ the Antitype did really undergo the punishment of Sin It is to be observed that our Lord was put to death without the City on purpose to answer the Type of the Sin offering in special above the rest of the Sacrifices which was to be carried out and burnt without the Camp Lev. 6.3 Heb. 13.11 12. 1 Peter 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own Body on the Tree by whose stripes ye were healed Here it is exprest that Christ in his own person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bore our sins upon the Cross in his own Body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore his Sufferings upon the Cross were the punishment for our sins Our Opposites interpret this to be spoken figuratively Trueman â— â—rop p. 89. The Sufferings of Christ were not properly an Execution of the Law though they may figuratively be so called but a satisfaction to Justice that the Law-threat might no be executed They mean That Christ's Sufferings were for sin i. e. to take away Sin by bringing in a Covenant of Grace and possibility of Pardon but not that he satisfied offended Justice by bearing the Punishment of Sin in his own person Now this is not to die for sin at all nor to bare sin be wounded for it or stricken for it but only to suffer by occasion of sin as sin was the occasion that Christ suffered to bring in a way of Pardon and so as Christ's Righteousness is not the cause of our Justification but the occasion of it that which made some way for it as we have proved above so also by this Doctrine our sins were not the cause had no proper influence upon the death of Christ but were an accidental occasion of it because if we had not sinned he had not died to bring in a Covenant of Grace and pardon What can be spoken full and clear enough if these plain Scriptures may be so easily waved The same Author saith p. 86. That Christ's death was a Satisfaction to Justice that God might be Just if he should pardon not an Execution of the Law but a satisfaction to Justice that the Law might not be executed I answer The Justice of God is twofold Absolute and Essential which is the infinite Holiness of his Nature whereby he can do nothing but what is becoming himself or limited and ordinate which is a voluntary Obligation which God hath laid upon himself to proceed in his dealing with Creatures according to the Law which he hath prescribed them I demand which of these Christ satisfied not the first any further than as it is included in the second viz. as it is becoming God's infinite and essential Holiness to proceed with his Creatures according to his own Laws when he hath given them Laws to act by For this Author and his Friends do not deny that Essential Justice might have been content to have pardoned and restored Adam and us in him without the death of Christ it must therefore be limited and ordinate Justice which Christ satisfied Now by this Justice God is obliged to proceed according to his own Law to see his Law fulfilled and executed and that it attain the end for which it was made therefore there is no satisfying of this Justice but by having the Law executed To talk of satisfying Justice of which the Law is the Rule without executing the Law yea that the Law might not be executed but taken out of the way is by fair consequence a Contradiction Argument 7. 7ly I argue Either Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us we are justified immediately by believing in it or Christ only purchased a Law of Grace by fulfilling whereof we should be justified There is no medium betwixt these two in the Question about Imputation but the latter is false therefore the former is true This is that our Opposites contend for That Christ only purchased that we should be saved
Law of Works in our stead so that his Righteousness is accepted for our fulfilling it then must we be justified by his righteousness without any further righteousness or conditions For the Law being fulfilled for us must acquit us and give us life this we defend but he means not so Christ is our legal righteousness with him not by proper fulfilling the Law of Works for us but by taking it out of the way so that no such perfect innocent righteousness should be required of us to Salvation and this he mean by pro-legal instead of our legal righteousness This is still hiding his sence with ambiguous words It remains then that by imputing Christ's Righteousness they intend nothing else but that Christ procured a Covenant of Grace by fulfilling whereof we shall be justified and saved though sinful and imperfect which Justification and Salvation we must originally yet remotely ascribe to Jesus Christ because he procured this mild Covenant for us but the righteousness which constituteth us Just in Law and for which we shall be pronounc'd righteous and Heirs of the Kingdom at Judgment is our own sincere Obedience not Christ's Obedience as appears at large from this Author It is pretended that Luther in the heat of his Spirit and Zeal against Popish Superstitions Object let fall some words which sounded as if he thought Christ's Personal Righteousness was every Believers righteousness Answer to Dr. Tully p. 15. § 11. and their Sins were made his which afterwards he qualified shewing that Christ's Righteousness is â—urs and our Sins his only in the Effects Answ But that Luther maintained the same Imputation as we do in opposition to all works his Sermons and Comments on the Gal sufficiently shew and all both Papists and Protestants do acknowledge And if by imputing Christ's Righteousness in the Effects be meant its Immediate Effects viz. that we should be justified immediately by that righteousness trusted in immedietate formae without the interposition of any other righteousness to be wrought by us it is the Doctrine we contend for but â—f this be meant as the drift seems to be that â—t is imputed so as to merit a New Covenant by performing of which we shall be justified and so it be imputed only in its remote Effects it is manifestly untrue Object It is said again That most of our Reformers rightly asserted that Christ's Righteousness was ours by the way of meriting our righteousness Ibid. p. 16. § 13. though some of them followed Luther's Expressions of the Imputation of Christ's Personal Righteousness Answ Calvin and Melancthon who do not much follow Luther's Expressions affirm That our Justification consisteth in remission of sins for the Merit of Christ received by Faith only and it is most untrue that any of our Reformers talked That Christ only merited that we should be justified by our own Righteousness according to the Gospel Covenant as is here meant Problem loc de Just 6.25 Aretius Melancthon's Scholar defineth Justification by the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and doth charge Thammerus once his fellow Pupil under the same Master with deserting his Masters and the Doctrine of all Reformers for teaching That Faith in the business of Justification includeth Obedience to the Gospel and that we are justified by it as the Fulfilling of the Gospel and that the Works which St. Paul excludeth from justifying are the Works of the Law not the Works of the Gospel also that gratis per gratiam being justified freely by his Grace was meant only that for Christ's Sake our imperfect obedience is accepted to Justification and sinless obedience not insisted on where the Reader may find Thammerus his Arguments and interpretation of Scripture there cited at large for substance the same produced by our Authors and sharply taxed as a deserting from the Reformation Object It is farther said The Papists fastning upon those Divines who held Imputation of Christ's Personal Righteousness in its self Ibid. § 16. in the rigid sence did hereupon greatly insult against the â—rotestants as if it had been their common â—octrine and it greatly stopt the Reformation Answ Thus Bellarmin pretended that amongst the â—rotestants there were several Opinions about â—â—e Imputation of Christ's Righteousness one 〈◊〉 Luther another of Calvin a third of some â—â—hers besides that of Osiander de Just. cap. 22. p. 312. to which B. â—avenant answers Secundam sententiam illoâ—â—m commemorat qui Christi obedientiam juâ—tiam nobis imputatam statuunt esse formalem â—â—usam justificationis at haec communis est nostroâ—â—m omnium sententia neque quod ad ipsam rem â—â—tinet quicquam é nostris aliter aut censit aut â—â—ipsit He reckoneth this a second Opinion our Writers That they say Christ's Righteousness is the formal cause of our Justification i. e. its self is our Righteousness but â—â—is is the common opinion of all of us nor did â—â—er any of us write or speak otherways as to â—â—e substance of the thing He also affirms â—â—at all the difference betwixt our Reformers â—â—as only in the manner of expressing themslves and that Calvin who placeth Justification in Remission of sin did yet mean that Reâ—â—ssion to be granted for the Imputed Righteousness of Christ and that to be the Immediate Cause of it and therefore adds as the â—â—mmon Protestant Doctrine p. 313. Absque imputaâ—â—ne obedientiae Christi nulla remissio peccatorum â—â—inetur haec causa est remissionis haec cauâ—â— acceptationis haec causa translationis à statis â—â—rtis ad statum vitae i. e. without the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness there is no forgiveness this is the cause of Pardon this is the cause of our acceptance with God and of our translation from the state of death to the state of life It is suggested that this offence of the Papists occasioned the German Divines to deseâ—â— the Question of Imputation Object So Dr. Tully § 17. q. 17 18 and to dispute what Righteousness of Christ it is by which we are justified and many Learned Men maintained that it was the Passive only Answ This Question arose and was agitated among themselves as Paraeus informs us in his Miscellanies nor did it at all concern the Papisâ—â— who are Enemies to the proper Imputation of Christ's Righteousness passive as well as active against his bearing our sins as well as performing the Law for us And these Divines who maintain the Imputation of Passive Obedience only yet maintain that to be our Formal Righteousness by and for which we are justified and not that it procured a Covenant of Grace only Th. Theol. de Justif Thus Vrsin Justitia Evangelica est poena peccatorum nostrorum quam Constus pro nobis sustinuit credentibus à Deo grâ—tis imputata So Paraeus in the Treatise alledged and Windeline also in his Theologia capde Justif Thes 6. he saith That the instrumental cause of Justification is
Faith or Affiance in that thing for which we are acquitted in the Judgment of God and taken into favour even the Merit of Christ Instrumentalis of sides h. e. fiducia qua id amplectimur nobis â—pplicamus per propter quod in judicio Dei absolvimur à maledictione legis in gratiam reâ—ipimur nempe Christi meritum And Thes 7. That the satisfaction of Christ for our sin or his Passive Righteousness is that for which or by which we are justified Materia ejus est id â—â—er quod propter quod coram tribunali divino â—â—maledictione legis absolvimur innocentes â—â—usti reputamur est id perfecta Christi pro nobis satisfactio qua poenas propter peccata nobis deâ—â— it as nostro loco ipse fuit c. And that Mr. Gataker hereafter quoted was of the same mind â—s evident from his learned posthumons Treaâ—ise of Justification In all this here is no footstep of our Author's Notion of Imputation â—or the question is not What Righteousness of Christ is imputed but How it is imputed whether formally properly and immediately as all these Divines affirm or remotely only â—â—mediately and metaphorically as some of late â—â—contend In England most Divines used the Phrase Object Ibid. § 18. That we were justified by the Forgiveness of Sin and the Impputation of Christ's Righteousness and being accepted as righteous unto life thereon but the Sence of Imputation few pretended accurately to discusse c. Answ True they did not distinguish away the sence of Imputation leave only an equivocal term Our Homilies speak expresly that we may be said to have obeyed and suffered in what Christ hath done and suffered for us ut supra cap. 2. The Doctrine of the Church of England hath been constantly that we are justified by Faith as an Hand receiving as an Instrument applying the righteousness of Christ as is manifest by the Homilies King Edward's Catechism composed by Dr. Ponet B. of Winchester where the Phrase of Faith being an hand is extant by the 39 Articles with Articles of Lambeth the whole University of Cambridge in the Recantation which they enjoyned Barret by the Articles of Ireland composed by English men mostly and by the publick Question disputed in both Universities collected out of their publick Records by Mr. Prin in his Antiarminianism and sure this is nothing to Christ's procuring a Covenant of Obedience and justifying us by that Nor do Mr. Wotton's three Assertions as here alledged overthrow the substance of our Doctrine We grant there is an over rigid sence of these words We are justified by Christ's fulfilling the Law as if we had fulfilled it in him Yet this proveth not That we are not justified immediately by Christ's fulfilling the Law as intended and wrought for us Pag. 24 25. the Author gives us his own sence viz. That all the Righteousness of Christ habitual active passive and divine as advancing them in value is the meritorious cause of our Justification But are we accepted and justified immediately for this Righteousness No Yet that is the Imputation all former Divines maintained How then Why for this Righteousness God maketh a Covenant of Grace in which he freely giveth Christ Pardon and Life to all that accept the Gift as it is so that the Accepters are by his Covenant or Gift as surely justified and saved by Christ's Righteousness as if they obeyed and satisfied themselves c. viz. That the conditions of the Gift in the Covenant of Grace being performed by every penitent Believer that Covenant doth pardon all their sins as God's Instrument and giveth them a right to eternal life for Christ's Merit This is a confession of what we represented before sc That the fulfilling the Gospel-conditions of faith repentance c. is the righteousness which gives us the immediate right to pardon and life and that Christ's righteousness only merited this grant of life upon those conditions It might be expected by this History of the controversie that some Divine should have been quoted which taught this Doctrine but alas here is not one since the Reformation Therefore I shall quote the true Authors of this Opinion after I have vindicated B. Davenant and Mr. Bradshaw who are here and elsewhere ingeniously represented as laying the ground of this Opinion and as maintaining Imputation in another sence than all had done before them For the most Learned and Pious Bishop It is said p. 18 19. That though he most stifly defended Imputation in words yet when he telleth what Protestants mean by it he saith That our own Actions and Passions and Qualities may not only be imputed to us but also some extrinsecal thing neither inherent in us nor done by us de facto autem imputantur quando illorum intuitus respectus valent nobis ad aliquem effectum aequè ac si a nobis aut in nobis essent i.e. They are imputed when the sight or respect of them doth profit us for any effect as much as if they were in us or done by us Note that he saith but ad aliquem effectum non ad omnem i.e. to some not to every effect Answ By this we are to understand that the Bishop meant Christ's Righteousness was imputed for some certain Effect viz. To procure a New Covenant not immediately to justifie us I see I need not despair but my Books hereafter may be quoted for metaphorical imputation In truth the Bishop doth not say ad aliquem tantùm but to some effect but aliquem effectum simply meaning quemvis any effect sc That things without us he intends Christ's Righteousness may be imputed i.e. profit us to any effect as well as things in us or done by us and that the following Similitudes shew of a slothful person promoted for the Merits of his Ancestors or a Malefactor pardoned by anothers suffering in his stead which in both cases is done by the immediate impâ—tation of such merits and suffering without performing conditions by the Parties But that the Bishop maintained imputation in the same sence that we do and almost in the same words is so evident that I am ashamed to produce the Proofs in so clear a case His 37th Determination is That Justifying Faith is fiducia affiance in God for the remission of sins through the satisfaction of Christ that this is the very formal Act of Justifying Faith His 8th Determination is That the Sanctified may be sure of Salvation which will not consist with conditional Justification and one Proof is Arg. 4. As it is most certain that Christ paid a sufficient price for all men so it is no less certain hanc satisfactionem omnibus fidelibus paenitentibus imputari applicari quasi ab illis ipsis Deo oblata praestita fuisset i.e. That this satisfaction is imputed to all Believers as if they themselves had made it and offered it to God But I shall confine my self to
integrum intire freedom to do what he pleased then Christ did as freely offer his Obedience to the Father to do what he pleased with it or upon it and certainly this is not to merit Thus Slatius declar apert Jesus Christus per passionem mortem suam nihil meritus est nec solvit pro nostris peccatis veluti vas pro debitore qui non est solvendo If they say that he took away the Covenant of Works and the necessity which God was under to condemn men and this might be the Effect of his Merit this is not true By this Opinion Christ did not take away the Covenant of Works nor the Sentence of it For then man must have been discharged without any further Covenant or Terms which is the thing they oppose They must say Christ offered himself to his Father in such manner that he might take occasion from it if he thought it justly to lay aside his Obligation to Punish by the Law of Works and proceed to terms of Grace but not that he must do either and so Christ merited nothing at all of his Father 2ly It followeth from this Doctrine That Christ's Obedience and Death were not properly satisfactory to Divine Justice The say That by Christ's Death God's Justice wâ— satisfied the obstacle of Justice was removed But how God's Justice in this case is nothing else but his Will or voluntary Obligation of himself to deal with men according to his Law To satisfie God's Justice is to satisfied his Law and to satisfie the Law is to fulfill 〈◊〉 by obedience to it or suffering the penalty 〈◊〉 it or both But they will not allow That Christ properly satisfied the Law of God Mr. Trueman saith Ibid. p. 89. His death was not proper Payment at all And if Christ did properly satisfie the Law then those for whom be did it must be hereupon discharged without any further conditions to be required or 〈◊〉 be performed of them But if Christ satisfied not the Law how could he satisfie Divine Justice which hath the Law for its Rule 〈◊〉 is tied to it It was of Divine prerogative or infinite Soveraignty that God did accept of Christ to fulfill the Law for man to whâ—â— it was given and who only was obliged by 〈◊〉 But when the Law-makers Prerogative 〈◊〉 accepted of the Surety and of his underâ—â—king for the Sinner then he himself was mâ—â—â— under the Law and satisfied Justice by satisfying the Law but if he satisfied not the Law then his Obedience was not performed as Obedience to the preceptive part of the Law or his sufferings indured as subjection to the unitive part of it and so neither of them â—ere exacted in a way of Justice or performed as submission to Justice either preceptive or punitive and so Justice could no â—ay be satisfied by his Obedience Moreover 〈◊〉 after all the Obedience of Christ God was â—ree to save or not to save men then he was â—ree either to give them new conditions of Life â—r to proceed to destroy them according to â—he sentence and curse of the Law of Works and is it possible that Gods Justice should have received real satisfaction from an infinite Price and Person and yet the Persons for whom satisfaction was made not be discharged but Justice still be left in full force to take vengeance if the Judge pleased Surely among men if Justice be satisfied either by the guilty person or by his Surety by the Judge's consent even Justice it self must acquit and discharge the party concerned The truth is By this Doctrine there was no satisfaction made to Divine Justice by Christ's Obedience and therefore the Sinner hath no discharge procured but the whole transaction of the business of Man's Redemption betwixt the Father and the Son was but a point of honour or a kind of generosity if we may so speak As if a young generous Prince should perform some noble and difficult exploits for the honour of his Father and the Father again should pardon some condemned Rebels and restore them to his Favour hereupon not as being any way obliged to it but as an act of a Noble and generous mind and to express some honour and requital to his Son Thus Slatiâ—â— Epist ad N. Martin An Christus pro nobâ— satisfecit Respondeo Nos negare i. e. Did Christ satisfie for sin We deny it And he gives five reasons the last whereof is The God could neither punish for sin nor require Faith as a condition in order to Salvation 3ly It followeth also that Christ's Death was no Ransom Redemption or Price for Sinners For if God after the death of Christ was still free to save or not to save Sinners then this death had properly bought or purchased nothing of him A ransom or price is not a valuable consideration only for a thing worth it or equal in value to it but it must also be paid with the Compact or Agreement that the thing bought or ransomed shall for that price become the Buyers and the property be transferred to him and no longer remain in the Seller If then Christ propetly bought us ransomed us c. then our Salvation became his de jure he had a right to it upon his death and it could no longer remain in the free power of God to grant or not to grant it But if there were no compact that life should be granted to Sinners if Christ would die for them if to give Life was still in God's absolute disposal then his obedience is no ransom nor was he a Redeemer he did not purchase his Church with his own Bloud nor was that Bloud a Price of their Redemption 4ly It followeth that Christ did not at all die for sin The Prophet saith He was wounded and bruised for our iniquities yea his Soul â—us made an Offering for Sin Isa 53.5 10. But if Christ did not take away sin and procure pardon but left God still free to pardon or â—ot then he did not die for sin sin was not â—he meritorious cause of his Death nor was â—he pardon of sin the immediate end of his Death but only to free the Father from the necessity of condemning Sinners Sin could be â—t the most but a remote occasion or causa â—ne qua non of the death of Christ if that had not been God would not have been bound up from the exercise of his natural goodness and â—o there would have been no occasion of Christ â—o die to remove that obstacle out of the way And yet it is not easie to imagine what these â—en mean by the obstacle of God's Justice which hindred his Mercy to Sinners which was removed by Christ's Obedience For â—oth they and their Friends the Arminians â—eem generally to grant That God of his infinite Sovereignty might have pardoned sin without satisfaction so that his absolute Justice 〈◊〉 as not an obstacle to his Mercy and for his Law and that Justice which respecteth it
Christ say they did in no proper sence satisfie 〈◊〉 and therefore his Obedience could have â—o proper respect to Divine Justice much less â—o sin that had offended Justice 5ly Nor was Christ's Death a Propitiation â—r Atonement for our sins The Apostle 1 Joh. 2.1 saith That Christ was a Propitiation for our Sins that he loved us and washed us from our sins with his own Bloud Apâ—â— 1.5 But this is true only accidentally and eventually if the immediate effect of Christ's death was only that God might pardon not that he must and it was not the prime and principal intention of his death Since God hath pleased to grant terms of Salvation upon the death of Christ his death may improperly be said to have made atonement or reconciliation for them because it occasioned it 〈◊〉 made some way for it but that which left God still intirely free to pardon or not that did not appease his Anger remove his displeasure reconcile him or obtain his good Will as is the nature of a Propitiation or propitiatory Sacrifice nor was it immediately 〈◊〉 directly intended for that end 6ly Nor can it properly be ascribed to God's Love to the World that he gave his Son to die or to the Son's Love to Mankind that he gave himself For if love to men were the Motive of Christ s Obedience and Death both to the Father and the Son men's Salvation would have been immediately designed and intended in it it would have been medium ordinatum a proper means design'd to bring about their Salvation But they tell us it was designed only to save God's Honour in case he should forgive Sinners but not that he had obliged himself any way to do it no nor that he had resolved with himself or deliberately purposed to grant terms of Salvation when he sent his Son into the World or when he laid his wrath a curse upon him it seems God did not yet know what use he would make of the Death of his Son neither could the Son know when the Father was not resolved Thus we see this Opinion overthroweth the whole Nature and Intendment of Redemption and Christ's Merit Satisfaction Ransom Sacrifice and all that belong to it are but improper Metaphors and the greatest Mystery of Godliness must fly for refuge to a poor Trope to save it from being an untruth and Christ himself must be at most but an honorary Mediator and Redeemer The Second Opinion concerning the End of Christ's death is That he died to purchase the Covenant of Grace or Conditions and Terms of Salvation by the fulfilling whereof men might be saved Thus the Arminians used to speak That Christ died viam salutis pandere to open a way for Mens Salvation to purchase conditions whereupon they might be saved whereas before their Salvation was impossible by reason of the Curse or Sentence of the Law of Works Act. Syn. Dort Art 2. Remon Christus merito mortis suae Deum Patrem universo generi humano hactenus reconciliavit ut Pater propter ipsius meritum salva justitia veritate sua novum gratiae foedus cum peccatoribus damnationi obnoxiis hominibus inire sancire potuerit voluerit Thus Mr. Baxter faith That Christ purchased Justification and life to be given by his New Covenant not that he purchased these absolutely to be certainly given to any persons but that he purchased a Covenant or Law of Grace whereby these are promised upon condition of Faith and Obedience And this must be the sence if any of those that assert Christ dying for all men to make them salvabiles salvable and to render their Salvation possible being impossible before while the Law of Works stood in such sorce For before Christ's death Mens Salvation was possible to God no new power was acquired to him and possible in its self Men being subjects naturally capable of Salvation this possibility then must be a possibility in Law as we say id possumus quod jure possumus that Christ purchased a Law and grant of Salvation upon certain Terms whereby it now became possible for all Men to be saved if they should have sufficient notice of it This Opinion is a little more plausible but no more true than the former which I thus prove 1. It cannot be conceived how Christ did purchase this Covenant according to the rest of their Notions The occasion or ground of this Purchase was That God was bound by his own Law of Works violated by Men to condemn them without Mercy Now then could this Obligation be dissolved without satisfaction to and fulfilling that Law which yet they will not allow Christ to have done unless per accidens as part of it is comprised in that special Law of Mediator which was given to him If it was the Law which hindered God from shewing mercy and made mans Salvation impossible then that Law doth oblige God to see it fulfilled or else to grant no life to Sinners and if Christ did not fulfil it nor was made properly subject to it as they teach then he could not properly purchase a Covenant of life if he did fulfil it for sinners then they must be discharged by his satisfaction without further conditions imposed on them as hath been often said They say the Law of Works was neither abolished nor fulfille by Christ but relaxed I suppose they mean That God did not insist upon the absolute performance of the Law but was pleased to admit of an aequivalent reparation of his Honour by the Obedience of Christ to that Law which he should impose on him wherein should be comprehended a great part of the Moral Law I reply If God did relax the Law so as not to require the proper fulfilling of it then he did lose the obligation which was laid upon him to see it fulfilled The ordinate or relative Justice of God obliged him to proceed according to that Law and if he admitted of another way of reparation to his Honour he did not proceed in a way of Justice in all that he laid upon Jesus Christ and he might as well have saved Man without the Obedience of Christ as with it his Justice or Law allowing that relaxation no more than a total superseding or laying aside the Law by this purchase therefore they can mean no more but that Jesus Christ did so honour the Father by his Obedience and Sufferings that he might with Decorum to his Majesty give to Sinners terms of Salvation and would do it but this is no purchase which transferreth a legal right to the Purchaser if the Purchase be accepted but dependeth meerly upon Promise or Terms of Honour It is also great presumption for Men to judge what is becomming Divine Majesty and what will salve his Honour other then what is according to his Law or Promise wherers here they make him to wave his own declared Law founded in the highest reason and equity 2ly Nor in this sence is the death
of Christ a ransome satisfaction or propitiation A ransome respecteth persons to be redeemed it is a price given for them not for Laws and Covenants Whoever paid a ransome without agreeing to whom it should extend and that it should take certain effect whereas here is nothing purchased but a Covenant or Promise that all those that believe and obey the Gospel should be saved which perhaps might be none nor was it agreed how long the World should stand and so what number of Men should be made or should need or be capable of this Redemption A satisfaction to God in this case is a satisfaction to his Law whereby the Sinner must immediately be discharged A Propitiation is a Sacrifice appeasing and reconciling God to Man neither of which it done if only a Promise be procured to save Men upon their fulfilling the conditions of a New Law 3ly If Christ only purchased a Covenant of life then his Redemption is much more in-effectual to fave than Adam's Fall was to destroy Man The Apostle Rom. 5.17 18 20. comparing the Death of Christ with Adam's Fall saith As Sin reigned to death so Grace much more reigneth to life as Sin abounded to condemnation Grace much more aboundeth to justification and life but where is this much more the Obedience of Christ falls far short of Adam's Disobedience in its effects if he only purchased conditions of life Adam in a few moments by one transgression procured a sentence of certain death upon every individual person that should naturally descend from him as soon as they should have a Being but Jesus Christ by his transcendent Obedience of thirty four years by induring the Wrath of God the rage of Men and Devils and a most ignominious death purchased life for no one certain Man but only conditions whereupon they that should hear of them not half Mankind should be saved if they did fulfil them which for any thing he purchased or was contained in the Covenant of life was a meer contingency viz. whether any should ever believe and be saved or not 4ly If Christ only purchased a Covenant of life then he purchased no more for the Elect than for others no more for the Sheep than the goats and they that go to Heaven may hereafter say Christ redeemed them no more than he did those in Hell the difference betwixt them proceeded from their applying and performing the Covenant and its conditions which others neglected For the Covenant is equal to all that hear it promising life upon conditions only which every one is equally concerned in alike capable of Salvation and one no more likely to perform the conditions than another The Arminians grant this that Christ died for all alike Syn. Dordr Ibid. Th. 2. Heterodox Christi mortem impetrasse omnibus hominibus restitutionem in statum gratiae salutis 5ly It follows also That for any efficacy there was in the death of Christ there must have been no man saved For the Covenant of Grace which only he purchased would have been as true and as firm a Covenant viz. That they should be saved who would believe and obey the Gospel though no man had fulfilled it and so been saved by it as the Covenant of Works was which according to them was never fulfilled nor ever gave life to any The Covenant required no more then that God should be ready faithfully to give eternal life ro all that fulfilled it and all that Christ purchased was a Promise that he would so be which would have been true though all men had perished by their unbelief and so Christ might have had the empty Title of a Redeemer without any person being redeemed by him And this Arminius Gravirch and others are not ashamed to confess Arnoldus contra Molin Omnino credo futurum fuisse ut finis mortis Christi constaret etiamsi nemo credidisset Some of ours fay That God had his Elect whom he purposed to bring to Christ and save by him But the Scriptures are as express that Christ died for the Elect as that God elected them And if Christ purchased no more for them then for others they might have perished as well as others for any thing his Redemption or Purchase could do for them or had done 6ly If Christ intended his death for certain particular persons then he purchased more than a meer covenant or conditions of Life The consequence is evident If he purchased life to be given to certain men certainly infallibly then he purchased more than offer of life to them upon conditions which they might or might not perform The Minor That Christ in his death intended the redemption of certain particular persons the Scriptures assirm He laid down his Life for the Sheep Joh. 10.15 16. even for those of the Gentiles that were not of the Jewish Fold and so yet knew him not And the effects of this laying down his life for them was on purpose to call them in due time v. 16. to teach and make them follow him v. 27. and to keep them safe to life eternal by his own and the Fathers power v. 28 29. and from these Sheep are distinguished those who are not of his Sheep and therefore all means are ineffectual to make them believe v. 25 26. He died to gather together in one all the Children of God Joh. 11.52 that were scattered abroad i. e. all the Elect of God dispersed throughout all Nations And the Apostle Paul saith of himself He loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2.30 Therefore Christ redeemed particular persons and did not only purchase Grants and Covenants 7ly Christ purchased the Spirit and Grace to make his Death effectual to those he died for therefore he purchased more than a Covenant of Grace A meer Covenant of Grace only promiseth Life upon conditions of Faith and Obedience leaving it to men whether they will perform them or not as the Covenant of Works promised life to perfect obedience and then left it to Adam whether he would obey or not A meer Covenant makes no provision of grace and strength to enable men to perform it If then Christ purchased grace to believe and to obey for the Elect he purchased more than a Covenant of Grace and that he did so hath been partly proved and may be further evidenced by this That when Christ saith he laid down his life for the Sheep Joh. 10.16 c. he presently adds he must bring home all the Sheep and make one Fold under one Shepheard himself and that he will make them follow him and will preserve and lead them to Eternal Life and no Wolves shall pluck them out of his hand v. 27 28 29. Also that he died to gather into one all the Children of God This must be done by his Spirit and Grace purchased by his Redemption and that power which is given to him not only to purchase but also to apply the blessed Fruits of Redemption to them Thus our
men to obedience whether there be Promises or Threaâ— or none or whatever they be which he doâ— in this life with many infirmities and in Heaven without any CHAP. IX That Faith doth not justifie as a Condition and that it doth not justifie as believing in Christ as King and Prophet as well as Priest THat Faith justifieth a Sinner as it is a trust in the Promise of Life through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ hath been proved and vindicated in the preceding Chapters We are now to consider what the opposite Opinion is concerning Faith and its Influence upon Justification The Scriptures teach that Abraham the Father and great Exemplar of all Believers was justified by Faith his Faith was counted to him for Righteousness Rom. 4.3 And that this Faith was a Trust in the Promise of God is evident both from the occasion and immediate Object of it the Promise of a Son against all natural hope and probability and that his Seed should be numerous be the people of God the Blessed of the World Gen. 15.4 5 6 18. c. and also from the Apostles Explication or Amplification of this Faith in this Chapter v. 19 20 21 22. viz. That it was a believing in hope against hope and a not considering the natural impossibility of the thing promised and not staggering at the Promise through unbelief but being strong in Faith and fully perswaded that God was able to perform what he promised and that this Faith justified him as such a trust in the Promises and not as an Act of Obedience is evident from the Apostles own Reason in the close of that Discourse v. 22. Therefore iâ— was imputed to him for Righteousness Wherefore Because it was a firm trust in the Promise of God It is also added v. 23. That this Example was written not for Abraham's sake only but for ours that succeed because Faith also shall be imputed to us for Righteousness if we believe in him that raised Christ from the dead who died for our sins and rose again for our justification v. 24 25. If this was written for our sakes then the Faith that justifieth us must be a trust in the Promise as Abraham's was even in the Promise of Life through the death of Christ and must justifie us as a trust in that Promise as his did him and not upon any other account It is the Righteousness of Christ for which God justifies believing Sinners but because they are rational Creatures God doth not justifie them without their knowledge consent or acceptance but with and by means of it and this is Faith sc Man's trusting in or acceptance of Life promised in Christ which doth render the subject as a rational Creature capable of pardon and mercy by a Promise though that natural capacity of the subject would not obtain pardon if it were not promised to it and this is all we mean when we say Faith is the Instrument of our Justification viz. That God having promised Justification through Christ to all that believe or trust in it this Faith doth trust in it or is that disposition of the soul whereby it doth trust in that promise and so obtain a grant of Jnstification We acknowledge to believe God's Promises is commanded by him and an act of our Obedience to him always indispensibly due but we say That Faith obtaineth any thing promised and Justification in particular not as or because it obeyeth the general command of believing Gods Promises but as it trusteth in dependeth upon the Promises and consequently that God fulfilleth the Promise of Pardon Justification and the immediate fruits of it to a Believer out of his meer goodness and faithfulness not out of remunerative Justice and Debt as he must if he justifieth for Faith as an act of Obedience to any Command But our Opposites will have Faith to justifie us as the condition of the New Covenant 〈◊〉 Gospel not as a meer trust in the Promise A condition saith Amyrald Amyrald dissert de grat unic p. 52. is a certain â—aw added to a matter or business which is required to be performed by a man Conditio 〈◊〉 Lex addita negotio quae ab homine exigitur â—o that believing in Christ is annexed to the promise of Justification as a Law requiring that faith and then saith must justifie as obedience to or fulfilling of that Command is Perfect Obedience was the condition of the â—aw So they tell us Faith is the condition of the Gospel and one justifyeth now as the other did then sc as Man should then have been justified for his Perfect Obedience as the fulfilling of the Law to which life was promised so now Faith justifieth as or because it obeyeth the Gospel Chmmand of believing in Christ to which life is promised to Sinners To strengthen this they further say which indeed is but a just consequence of it that as the Covenant of Works upon the condition of Perfect Obedience was made with all Mankind in Adam so also the Covenant of Grace was made with all Mankind in him also after the Fall and renewed to Noah upon the condition of Faith in Christ i. e. as before they were all commanded to obey perfectly and they should live for so doing so now they are all commanded to believe in Christ and they shall live for so doing Foedus gratiae salutaris in Adamo cum omnibus singulis hominibus initum Ibid. p. 87. et in Noa cum omnibus singulis hominibus sancitum fuit sub fidei conditione adeo ut si omnes singuli crederent salutis à Christo partae compotes fierent This we are now to examine and there are two Opinions about it One acknowledgeth Faith to be fiducia a trust in the promise and this only to be the condition of Justification the other makes Faith to include Obedience to the Gospel Command so that when they sayâ— Faith justifys they mean Faith and Obedience flowing from it To begin with the First 'T is usual with Divines to call Faith the Condition of the Gospel and Justification but they take the terâ— condition improperly and largely for any thing required of us and that must be in us in order to being justifyed they mean no more but that men are not justifyed by the Death of Christ as a Ransom paid for them without any thing in them to apply it to themselves in particular but that his death doth justify them being offered in the Promises trusted in them for themselves in particular Ibid. in this sence we grant Faith to be a condition of Justification But some Amyraldus and others take a condition strictly for something required not only as a disposition of the subject or as an internal rational means of obtaining a thing but also as acquiring a right to it as the performance of that Command which required it and thus they say Faith is the Condition of Justification i. e. we are justifyed
Argument 4. We are justifyed by Christ as Priest p. 24. Prophet and King conjunctly and not by any of these alone much less by his Humiliation and Obedience alone then according to the Opponents own Principles who argue from the distinct interest of the several parts of the Objects to the distinct interest of the several acts of Faith we are justified by believing in Christ as Priest Prophet and King Answ Faith as a distinct habit hath no acts but practical assent to a revealed truth which in respect of the promise is called trust or affiance One habit hath but one sort of elicite acts though it may cause divers effects upon the will and affections according to the nature of divers objects therefore we do not argue from the distinct interest of several acts of Faith but from Faith as trusting in the Promise of Justification as the special object of the act that justifieth Again the Object of justifying Faith according to this Opinion must be the whole declared Will of Christ or the whole Gospel for that is it which we believe and obey and Obedience to it is the form or righteousness by and for which we are justifyed therefore those Terms of Christ's justifying in his whole Person and all his Offices or Faith justifying with respect to them are added in vain they being no more included in the nature of Justification or respected by Faith as justifying in this way than in ours The promise of life by Christ to believing only is as much founded upon his whole Person and all his Offices as if the promise were made to our Obedience to the whole Gospel But we deny the Antecedent let us hear the proof The Word Justification signifieth these 3 acts p. 24. 1st Condonation or constitutive Justification by the Law of grace or promise of the Gospel 2ly Absolution by sentence in judgment 3ly The execution of the former by actual liberation from penalty The two former are more properly called Justification As for the first I argue Christ doth as King and Benefactor on supposition of his antecedent Merits enact the Law of grace or promise by which we are justified Ergò As King and Benefactour he doth justifie us by condonation or constitution As the Father by a right of Creation was Rector of the new created World and so made the Covenant of Life that was then made so the Son and the Father by right of Redemption is Rector of the new redeemed World and so made the Law of grace that gives Christ and life to all that will believe c. Answ Christ as God the same in substance with the Father did together with him enact both the Covenants of Works and of Grace but as Mediator which only is to our purpose he did not enact the Covenant or Law of Grace and it is only said that he did and not proved It was God as God and in special the Father according to the order of the Three Persons that gave the Law of Works that was offended by sin that condemned sinners and therefore he only that could appoint a way whereby they should be saved and he only coul justifie him Christ as Mediator though God in Nature yet in Office was God's Servant Isa 53.11 Mat. 12 18. and his business was not to enact Laws or constitute a way for Man's Redemption but to work out and bring to pass that way which God purchased and to fulfil his Will in it Heb. 10.7 which he did first by satisfying the Law and purchasing Reconciliation as a Priest then by declaring as a Prophet that Pardon was to be had by believing in his Bloud and Lastly as a King yet ministerial under the Father by overpouring the hearts of Gods Elect to believe that God might justify them and then by sanctifying and ruling them by his Word and Spirit to bring them to life It belongeth to the Father to justifie constitutively i. e. to propose the way wherein Men should be justified and through believing to justifie them to the Mediator almost but ministerially to declare it to Men by authority from the Father but most properly to bring it to pass by the execution of all his Offices Rom. 8.33 34. It is God that justifies it is Christ that died rose and intercedeth p. 25. 2ly It is said Justification by sentence of judgment is undeniably by Christ as King for God hath appointed to judge the World by him Acts 17.31 c. Answ Christ in judging the World is but a ministerial King For God is the Supream Judg Heb. 12.23 however we deny what is here took for granted That the sentence of the General Judgment is a declaration of a sinners Justification from the guilt of sin It is only the adjudging of justified Believers to Glory in Heaven for their Obedience according to Gods Fatherly promise p. 25. 3ly It is said For the execution of the sentence by actual liberation there can be little doubt being after both the former Answ Christ is ministerial in this also for he calleth Believers to inherit the Kingdom as being the blessed of the Father and it being prepared for them from the beginning of the World Mat. 25.34 Besides Glory in Heaven is a fruit of Adoption not of Justification immediately and Adoption is the act of the Father not of the Mediator And let it be observed That here all Justification is referred to Christ as King properly and immediately as was before said and he as Priest and Prophet did but make way for his justifying of us as King and therefore these offices are mentioned in the Question only for a shew that they acknowledge we are justifyed by his Bloud This is in effect confessed in the following words As the Teacher of the Church Christ doth not immediately justify but yet mediately he doth Ibid. and it is but mediately that he justifyeth by his Merits It is also said That Christ's granting the Promise or Act of Grace is the true natural p. 25. efficient instrumental Cause of Justification even the immediate Cause So then the whole Gospel as to be obeyed by us is the proper and immediate Instrument of our Justification and our obedience to the Gospel together with God's acceptance of it is the only internal Cause of Justification or the Righteousness for which we are justifyed and Christ's Merit and Righteousness and his Promulgation of the Gospel are but extrinsecal remote and preparatory Causes of it and these not absolutely necessary seeing these Authors do not deny but that God might have saved man without satisfaction and then it will follow if a man obey the Precepts of the Gospel and acknowledge Christ as Lord and King he may be saved although he believe only in a Glorified Saviour as the Jesuites preached to the people of China yea I understand not but a Socinian may be saved by obeying the Gospel though he deny the Merit of Christ having
so often repeating his Promises with all manner of confirmations protestations seals oaths examples of the greatest Sinner being forgiven 1 Tim. 1.16 17. Lastly There is no reason why God may not pardon a Sinner and promise him eternal life without interposing the conditions of his obedience so long as he immediately reveals to him That this eternal life consisteth in the love and enjoyment of himself and that holiness of heart and life shall and must be the way to it and doth immediately make the heart of the humbled sinner 〈◊〉 agree to it doth not God sufficiently provide for the Honour of his Holiness in this as in the very act of justifying he did chiefly respect the Honour of his Free Grace Argument 10. The condemning unbelief p. 38. which is the privation of the Faith by which we are justified is the non-believing in Christ as King Priest and Prophet Ergò The Faith by which we are justified is the believing in him as King Priest and Prophet Answ If the word only be put in as it ought viz. That the only condemning unbelief is the non-believing in Christ as King Priest and Prophet I deny the Antecedent But if only be not added the consequence is apparently false viz. This unbelief is one cause of condemnation therefore the contrary Faith is the sole cause of Salvation I suppose this will be admitted for the Scope of what follows is to shew that such a Faith is the only condition of Justification and then the opposite unbelief must be the only sin that damns without remedy that bars all Justification I say therefore directly to the Argument Non-believing in Christ as King Priest and Prophet as it is here taken for subjection to the whole Law of Christ or obedience to him is not the onely damning sin final despair of the Mercy of God in Christ will as certainly damn as final disobedience to Christ and contempt of him yea though there be a willingness to obey if they could have any hope of Mercy but despair is not the oppoâ—â—â—â— of obedience or of faith in Christ as King Priest and Prophet therefore that is not the only unbelief that damns Again If disobedience to Christ be the only damning sin then obedience is the only saving condition then a Socinian that obeys the Gospel Precepts and acknowledgeth Christ to be the Messiah King and Prophet of his Church may and must be saved though he deny his Priesthood and trust not at all in his Bloud For obedience respects not Christ's Priesthood at all though that be here mentioned for a shew Christ as a Priest reconciles us to God and intercedes for us the onely Grace that respects this is Faith or a trust in it for reconciliation and acceptance If therefore obedience be the only saving condition then that will save without a trust in the Bloud of Christ If it be said they make Faith and Obedience both to be the entire condition I answer Their Faith is nothing but Obedience as hath been abundantly proved and is largely insisted on under this Argument particularly from Joh. 3.36 where he that believeth not is expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is sometimes rendred Disobedient hence it is in ferred That the only unbelief is disobedience and the only Faith is Obedience to the Gospel Nor is it possible to joyn Faith and Obedience in the justifying a Sinner in the usual acception of Faith for to trust in meer Mercy for reconciliation and life and to obey precepts that we may have life are things toto genere opposite utterly inconsistent nor can there be a trust in the Promise of Life in their Opinion till a man hath obeyed in some measure because the Promise is made to Obedience So trust in the Promise must follow the condition not be a part of it And thus much for these Arguments to all which I oppose this one Justification is the acquitting of a sinner from sin and guilt and the entitling him to life eternal But this is purchased fully and onely by the Obedience and Bloud of Christ the shedding and offering whereof is his Priestly Office only therefore Christ justifyeth onely as a Priest And Faith apprehending Justification must respect only the Priesthood of Christ I prove the Minor The Bloud of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 He loved and washed us from our sins in his own Bloud Rev. 1.5 When he had by himself purged our sins i. e. by the offering of himself he set down at the Right Hand of the Majesty in the Heaven Heb. 1.3 And the Apostle proves largely That Christ as a Highpriest offering his own Bloud in the Tabernacle of his own Body hath obtained eternal redemption for us that by this one offering he hath brought in remission of sins and for ever perfected them that are sanctified sprinkled with his Bloud as all things under the Law were cleansed by the sprinkling of bloud from Heb. 9.11 to ch 10. v. 18. And in this Christ was a more excellent Sacrifice than those under the Law that they did but typifye pardon and cleansing but his Sacrifice doth really cleanse the Conscience they cleansed from ceremonial pollutions as touching dead bodies c. and restored men to the Congregation but his Bloud cleanseth from dead works our own sins and maketh us really accepted that we may serve the living God Heb. 19.13 14. Now the Levitical Priests were Teachers and Rulers of the People some were Prophets as Jeremiah and Ezekiel some were Kings also as the Macchabees but they took away the sins of the People and reconciled them to God only as Priests by offering up Sacrifices for them so also Christ though he be a Prophet and King yet he maketh reconciliation for Sinners only as a Priest by offering himself in sacrifice to God for them Now the reason of the consequence is Faith that it obtain Justification must look to Christ under that notion or in that way only by which he hath purchased Justification therefore it must look to him only as a Priest or which is all one trust in the Promise of Reconciliation through the satisfaction and death of Christ and thus the Apostle concludes from the same Premises Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. Having therefore boldness to enter into the Holiest by the bloud of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh and having a High-priest over the House of God let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water It is Faith in this High-Priest by which we draw nigh to God with boldness confidence of acceptance and then that makes us devote our selves sincerely to his Service FINIS
in his death do justify and here Faith both as justifying and sanctifying is taken for a trust in Christ in all his Offices to bestow Justification and Sanctification upon us and we never denied that justifying Faith doth extend it self to all the Offices of Christ As Faith trusteth in Christ as King and Prophet 2dly and Interceder with his Father for the progress and perfecting of Sanctification so we never denied that justifying Faith looketh to Christ as King Interceeder and Prophet for the comfort and effects of Justification But As trusting in Christ's Merits only 3dly obtaineth the grant and habit of Sanctification so trusting in the same Merits obtaineth the grant and actual Justification and looketh no further for it Faith indeed looketh to Christ in his several Offices for daily Sanctification for new degrees of it because that is a divisible and successive work not only to be purchased by Christ but also wrought by him gradually in prosecution of his own purchase but Justification is one indivisible act of the Father whereby a sinner is accepted to life eternal there is no place for subsequent acts and this Justification absolutely considered is only purchased by Christ there needs no other acts to apply it except in the comfort and effects of it Therefore we deny the consequence of the main Argument Faith trusteth in all the Offices of Christ for Sanctification Ergò It doth for Justification Argument 8. It is the same Faith in habit and act by which we are justifyed p. 31. and by which we have right to the Spirit of Sanctification for further degree and Adoption Glorification c. But it is believing in Christ as Prophet Priest and King by which we have right to the Spirit of Sanctification Adoption Glorification Answ I deny the Minor Believing in Christ as Priest or in his satisfaction and the promise o◠life thereupon gives a right to Reconciliation and life immediately and to the Spirit of Adoption and Sanctification consequently the promise of this being annexed to the promise of life and the having it being necessary to fit us for glory but believing or trusting in Christ as Prophet and King distinctly is a means of actual obtaining the Spirit of Sanctification and further degrees of it to which we had right before as Dr. Preston hath expressed it as above and yet many true Believers have little or no skill to make this distinct use of Christ's Offices but trust in the general That as God for Christ's sake doth forgive and take them into favour so that he will for Christ's sake also give them his Spirit and whatsoever is needful to fit them for his Kingdom Our Author takes the Minor for granted by us and offers no proof Argument 9. There is in the very nature of a Covenant p. 25. condition in general and of God's imposed condition in special enough to persuade that the benefit dependeth usually as much or more on some other act as on that which accepteth the benefit it self Ergò We have reason to judge that our Justification depends on some other act as on the acceptance of Justification Answ 1 The consequence if weak If usually Ergò always Therefore in this case this follows not To the Antecedent I deny the supposition 2dly viz. That we are justifyed by a proper strict Covenant condition The Promise of Life through believing is a Testament a Promise and but improperly a Covenant because it cannot be bestowed but upon a capable subject i. e. one that trusteth in it and accepteth of it So Dr. Preston expresly as before Assurance and sence of Pardon usually cometh upon our entring into or renewing a Covenant of Obedience but the right to Pardon and Justification which putteth us into a pardoned State is our humble accepting and trusting in thee Promise of life through Christ And in this God's Covenant or Promise of pardon in Christ differs from Mens Covenants 3dly in that they do usually depend upon conditious to be fulfilled because Men have no other way to prevent the abuse of their kindness or to oblige to duty and gratitude for the future but God that can and will sanctify the heart as well as give right to life and thereby prevent the abuse of his favour needeth not to suspend his mercy upon such engagements and conditions from the creature It is not unusual we have seen many publick instances of it in our days for men to pardon offenders by an absolute act of grace without imposing any conditions 4ly only leaving men to their own ingenuity for the future and to the Law if they offend again It is said p. 36. God is the principle end of his own Covenant and therefore his honour must be principally respected in it and therefore a promise of Obedience and subjection to him and to Christ as the procurer of life which men are most unwilling to must be the principal parts of the condition of the Covenant and the acceptance of Pardon which all men are willing to have can be but a part of the condition and the less principal part Answ Here it is plain That by the foregoing ambiguous discourse of believing in Christ as Prophet Priest and King was meant a promise of subjection to him in all his Offices not a trusting in him for the benefits of them and that Faith here is nothing but Universal Obedience to Christ and a trust in the promise of Pardon or in Christ as a Priest is no part of it nor can go before but must follow after it i. e. when we have promised and in part performed obedience to Christ then may we hope for pardon and not before To the Argument I say the consequence is weak many ways 1st Because God's own Honour is the principle End doth it follow that in order of execution he requireth the Creature immediatly and in his first acting toward him distinctly and principally to aim at his Honour Surely he alloweth and his Word tends to this That self-preservation from the wrath to come should first move the Creature to fly to his Mercy and then as hope of pardon dawneth love to God and his Honour springeth and as hope of pardon increaseth so love to God prevails above the consideration of self-preservation Again God hath had his greatest Honour from the obedience and satisfaction of Christ already before he granteth pardon to the Sinner and is it no honour to God to trust in his free Sovereign Grace for the pardon of Sin and Gift of eternal Life Rom. 4.21 Is it no honour to Christ to trust in him as able to save to the uttermost all that come unto him Surely this is the greatest Honour that can be done to the Grace of God Nor is it so easie a thing rightly to trust in free pardoning Mercy They that know themselves know it is the hardest thing in the world and it seemeth God accounteth it so too by