shall they be reconciled surely no way so well as by looking unto their different intentions from whence it will appear that St. Paul removes works all works from being the things that do justifie and St. James requires them only as conditions and qualifications upon which we are justified For the purpose of St. Paul is by the breach of the Law to demonstrate the necessity of the Gospel that that only is the power of God unto Salvation for since all the world stands culpable before God it follows of necessity that either we must perish without remedy or else be justified by a Gospel of mercy which he well terms the justification of faith in meer opposition to works all works even faith it self as the things which may be thought to justify Now St. James intent is only to vindicate this wholsom and necessary Doctrine from the abuse of Heretical Spirits whose evil words had at once corrupted both St. Pauls meaning and their own good manners affirming that since works could not justifie no works were necessary and therefore it mattered little to observe the Law it was enough only to believe the Gospel Against these dissolute Epicures this Apostle as St. Augustin observes wholly directs his dispute the purpose whereof is not to place justification in the works of the Law for in many things saith he we offend all and if but in one yet are we guilty of the whole but only to shew that unless the works of the Law though formerly broken do come at length to accompany our faith we can never be justified by any grace of the Gospel So then if we divide rightly according to these intents we must distinguish of a twofold justification by Innocence and by Pardon for it must be either by works or by mercy a legal justification or an Evangelical And of two sorts of works subservient unto these several justifications and of two sorts of ways by which they do justify Works of Perfection and perpetual perfection that inherently justifie and formally in strictness of Law but are excluded by St. Paul as no where found in any and works of Renovation after the breach of the Law required by St. James in every one that expect the justification of the Gospel Those works perfectly keep the Law and never break it These keep the Law sincerely but after it is broken They justifie therefore in themselves and by their own worth These not so but because found in none but sinners prepare only and qualifie for the justification of Christ They justifie these obtain justification That strictly the justification of works this properly the justification of faith which is their fountain And faith alone alone without these may justifie yea cannot justifie with them for such works evacuate faith as not needing it which is St. Pauls doctrine But faith alone without these cannot justifie yea without them is not faith not a true and a living faith which is St. James his assertion And in this Reconcilation doth appear the reconciliation and opposition too of both Law and Gospel Faith and works how they conspire and meet how they jar and refuse to mingle For the justification of the Law evacuates Christ who then died in vain as St. Paul speaks For there needs no Saviour where there is no sin And the justification of Christ disanulls again that of the Law as arguing it to be broken yea and the condemnation of the Law too notwithstanding the breach So they contradict and dissolve one another But what the Gospel excludes by remission of sins it closeth withal again by the manner of remitting Never pardoning offences till they be first forsaken and men return again to the observance of the Law nor yet continuing that pardon longer than they shall continue to observe it saying unto none but the penitent Thy sins are forgiventhee nor yet unto them without saying also Sin no more lest a worse thing happen unto thee So the terms stand thus No condemnation from the Law though broken whensoever we return to observe it and until we do observe it no grace or mercy by the Gospel and so they meet and are reconciled For so far the Gospel doth establish the Law yea and farther for it not only requires but gives grace for the performance of that it doth require even the observance of the Law And this reconciliation St. Paul himself the great urger of the opposition every where doth acknowledge for they are his own words not the hearers but the doers of the law shall be justified And that the law is done by faith is evident for faith worketh by love and love is the fulfilling of the law So the Apostles are both met St. James requires Faith and Works St. Paul a working Faith working by love and that even all the Commandments of God not so as to justifie in themselves but only to qualify for the justification of Christ. The Commandments therefore are no freewill offering at pleasure no voluntary duty of gratitude only but a duty necessary unto our justification here and eternal wellfare if any be necessary For this is the whole duty of mâ—n Why but yet for there is no end of wrangling though this wrangle shall end all though a duty now and a necessary yet since the Gospel affords a Mediator were it never so due the debt we hope may be paid by another that is our Surety and that surety is Christ who hath exactly kept the Law and is made unto us Wisdom Justice Sanctification and Redemption so saith the Apostle But no surety in this kind That which is the duty of Man is every Man 's own duty and must be performed in his own Person True indeed it is Christ our Lord fulfilled the Law exactly but that we may break it in our selves and yet at the same time fulfil it in him that is our Mediator this I take it is not so true The Apostle saith indeed that he accounted all things loss and dung too that he might be found in Christ not having his own righteousness which is of the Law but the righteousness which is of God by faith Yea farther that God made him to be sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him but yet this righteousness of God is not to be taken for Gods own righteousness but only as he said in the former place for the righteousness which is of God by Faith which righteousness includes both justification which is imputative and sanctification which is inherent but yet neither in St. Paul's sence is our own because not of the Law but of grace and mercy by the faith of Christ. Be it then that Christ is made unto us Justice and Sanctification both yea Wisdom and Redemption also yet not all after one and the same manner Wisdom he is made because he hath revealed his Fathers will Redemption because he hath appointed a day to vindicate his Children
alone without the works of the Law So St. Paul assures us But however a duty it is and a necessary duty necessary even to life unless no duty be necessary or Solomon here be deceived For this is the whole duty of man Justification indeed is that act of God which by remission of Sins through Christ puts men into the state of Life here and gives them right and title unto Life eternal hereafter And though therefore an estate attainable by the Gospel only not by the Law which all have transgressed yet is it most true that so long as any shall continue wittingly and deliberately to transgress the Law they are not capable of this or any other benefit of the Gospel The Gospel it self and whole Scriptures are clear in the point Now then saith even St. Paul on whom they rely speaking of the time of the Gospel now then there is no condemnation and no condemnation is full justification but to whom to them that are in Christ Jesus but who are they that follow which walk not after the flesh but after the spirit If any man walk otherwise he hath nothing to do with Christ If we say we have Communion with him and walk in darkness we lye saith St. John and do not the truth 1 John i. 6. He that loveth not his Brother that is one of those that according to him walks in darkness and as he wants light so life too he hath no life abiding in him yea manet in morte he remains in death 1 Joh. iii. 14. And what is said of one Sinner is true of all for be not deceived neither Fornicator Adulterer unclean person or covetous or any other the like hath any inheritance in the kingdom of God and of Christ. As little therefore in justification which is the estate of life and hath right to that inheritance no marvail therefore if St. James be bold to conclude in terms clean contrary Ye see then that by works a man is justified and not by faith only James ii 24. Indeed much stir hath been about the seeming differences between these Apostles He said not amiss Meum Tuum are the common Barrators of the world and Faith and Works seem no less to have broken the peace in the Church The points have been beaten so long as some think it time now they were beaten even out of all discourse But the truth is they are some of the noblest that our Faith doth yield and unto the Christian Religion of all other most essential though most abused as discovering the necessity of the Gospel and invalidity of the Law with the main differences and union too of both Law and Gospel And peradventure are not driven so home as they might be unless by very few unto their just and right issue even unto this day If any thing lead the way unto that it must be the perfect reconciliation of these two which by divers ways and distinctions hath been attempted on either side but not I suppose with so good success as may fully satisfy for in this I take it Iliacos intra muros peccalur extra To distinguish of the Law Ceremonial and Moral as some do supposing that St. Paul excludes the works of the Ceremonial Law and St. James requires those only of the Moral is to no purpose for clear it is as the Sun that St. Paul excludes both for he disputes against Jew and Gentile but especially the works of the Moral Law as that which is broken by all and therefore cannot justify any Neither will it be more available to distinguish with others of works preceeding faith works of Nature and such as follow and are effects of faith works of Renovation and grace for St. Paul utterly rejects from the ability of justifying all works whatsoever whether before faith or after it because the Law being once broken no after-observance can so satisfy for the breach but that it will still condemn all those that shall stand at that Tribunal The distinction then of works not prevailing others fall to distinguish of justification and indeed that is the right way if it be rightly done The Romanists according to the Council of Trent make it twofold a first and a second justification From the first St. Paul removes works and St. James they suppose requires them only to the second But they are frustrate in both distinction and application too for since their second Justification is but the increase and augmentation of that Righteousness which is infused in the first they cannot be two justifications since more or less will not afford a specifick difference or numerical either And were they two yet the works which St. James requires he requires for necessary unto the first justification as well as the second for he doth instance in Rabab not justified before by their own confession And the works which St. Paul removes he removes from the second justification as well as the first as first or last never to be found in any And therefore he makes his instance in Abraham that was justified long before even that time of his instance The distinction of justification in the obtaining and of justification already obtained is much after the same manner and is choked utterly with the self same answer Others on the other side distinguish Justus factus from Justus declaratus of justification before God and justification in the Eyes of men St. James's words they refer unto this and St. Paul's to the former but most erroneously also for nothing is plainer than that both of them speak of justification in the sight of God St. James as well as St Paul for he plainly denies salvation unto faith if not accompanied with works with an interrogation Can thy faith save thee and proves too that it cannot as being a dead faith and the faith of Devils and such sure can justify neither with God nor man sooner indeed with men than with God That way therefore which is most general and hath been thought the best peradventure because the subtlest is to distinguish between the act of justifying and the Subject or Person to be justified St. James as is supposed requiring only the presence of works in the Subject which St. Paul removes only from the Act and is but thus in other terms Fides sola justificat sed fides quae justificat non est sola This may have a promising look but will not satisfy neither but is out too and that on both sides for St. Paul clearly removes the works he speaks of from the Person to be justified as well as from the act that doth justifie non operanti to him that worketh not but believeth on him qui justificat impium that justifieth the ungodly And St. James requires the works he speaks of no less than faith unto the Act as well as in the Subject His words are express ex operibus by works a man is justified and not by faith only Why but how then
out of the hands of corruption into liberty which is glorious Justice because he hath offered up himself a Sacrifice for sin but Sanctification because he hath given us his Spirit Christ therefore unto us is all these but yet not all these by imputation for then his Wisdom should be imputed too yea and even the redemption of our bodies from the grave imputative also Indeed we can dream willingly of nothing but imputation All seems nothing worth unless Christ did so do all for us as we may not have any thing to do for our selves I doubt we may come in time to conceive that he did believe and repent for us too for these are his Commandments and so believe only this that neither Faith nor Repentance are in our persons necessary For if Christ as a surety hath absolutely undertaken any thing for us we like the scape-Goat must go free upon his performance The same debt may not with justice be required of the surety and principal too if so then do what we list all things are done to our hands already O this were to be a gracious Saviour to purpose if we might take our pleasure ryot in Intemperance and Luxury and withal have his Abstinence and Moderation imputed to us be beheld of God at the time as no less Temperate and Chaste than Christ himself Were it not glad tidings a Gospel indeed that we might be Feasting Carousing Swearing Drinking and yet under the eye of God at the same instant as if we were Watching Fasting Praying Weeping even with Christ himself in the Garden As though God beheld Men through Christ as Men do other things by a perspective which representeth them to the Eye not in their own colours but in the colour of the glass they pass through No God is not deceived with shadows neither doth Christ cast any such He takes not good for evil nor yet evil no not for Christs sake ever for good And let not us be deceived with vain shews neither The truth is it is well that upon our Repentance we are justified by imputation we shall be too putative if we conceipt an imputed sanctification too for two such imputations will not well agree together one of them will be needless ever or impossible for justification that is remission of sins is it self sufficient without imputation of farther sanctity because as St. Austin hath it Omnia ut fact a deputantur quando quod factum non est ignoscitur And perfect sanctification imputed on the other side will leave no room for remission or imputative justification so Christs death might have been spared since we should then be saved by his life for what use may there be of his blood for Remission so long as beheld in his righteousness that never sinned If no sinner he needs no pardon if he need a pardon he must of necessity be beheld as a sinner and therefore Remission of sins and perfect Righteousness are opposite forms that cannot at the same time possibly be imputed unto the same person for they expel and shut out one another Let it suffice then that our blessed Lord vouchsafed to shed his blood for our sins let us not therefore suppose that we are not bound to forsake them ourselves that were to shed his blood afresh and crucifie him again as the Apostle speaks But as he did that for us which if we neglect it not will prove our justification so we through his assistance must do this for our selves otherwise we shall want our sanctification and wanting it want the other also That indeed is the meer act of God but on those that are qualified for it This proceeds from God and his grace but is the true duty of man and which gives him his qualification and in man therefore it must inhere for the righteousness of justification is perfect but not inherent but the righteousness of sanctification now inherent but not perfect hereafter in that glory whither it leads us it will be both perfect and inherent yea inherent perfect and perpetual also Rightly therefore to conclude all this righteousness of the Commandments the duty of man still and since Faith is included in it as being now commanded as rightly the whole duty of man That duty which doth accomplish his election for if any man purge him self from these things he shall be a vessel unto honour fulfils the end of his Creation created unto good works that we might walk therein makes effectual the Divine Vocation for we are called unto holiness is it self our sanctification for the Commandment is holy and just and good procures our justification they wrought righteousness and gained the promises and lastly leads into Glory for they that have their fruit in holiness have their end everlasting life That fruit here this blessed end hereafter the God of Glory grant unto us all in his Kingdom even for Jesus Christ his sake the righteous To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit c. Amen A SERMON OF CHRIST'S Coming to JUDGMENT SERMON III. Upon MATT. XVi. 27. For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels And then he shall reward every man according to his works I Left untouched in my former Text the second reason wherewith Solomon ends his Book and confirms his Conclusion of Fear God and keep his Commandments which is this For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil And now for variety sake I have chosen to prosecute the same subject not in Solomons words but in our Saviour's for these are infer'd unto the same end and much too after the same manner In the verses precedent What shall it profit a man saith Christ to gain the whole world and lose his own sâ—ulâ— or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul As if he had said Gain any man what he list or what he can be it never so much for the world indeed runs all after gain and never enough yet if by this means he come at last to lose his own Soul there is no profit in it He will still be a loser by his gain Or on the other side lose in this life whatsoever he hath or may lose Pleasures Profits Honours or any thing else even Life it self yet if in the loss of all other things he may preserve and gain his own Soul he will be a winner even in his losings To keep his Soul he can part with nothing that is too dear or if he would part with his Soul he can receive nothing that is dear enough for what can either way be of sufficient value to make a just exchange for the Soul But yet so it is small things are given in exchange for great and according to the momentany works and behaviour of men here so shall their Souls be gained or lost eternally hereafter For the son of man c. The words deliver
have there is none no not Polagius himself that in plain terms ever durst deny He will … if pressed for shame acknowledge and subscribe unto the necessity of Grace in shew of words but as the manner of all Hereticks is he doth but equivocate making terms in themselves plain by secret reservation false and fraudulent that so he might have a back-door at a time of need whereat to deceive and abuse both himself and his reader For secretly within his own mind he desires Grace by quicquid gratis datur that by this means under the name of Grace he might hedge in free-will and abilities of Nature Nay if this fraud be detected he will come yet closer for he will not refuse to confess a necessity of true internal Grace such as the Gospel mentions the Grace of Christ and of his Holy Spirit and that it is the gift of God yea a special gift which all have not yet still he keeps this secret in the deep of his Heart that all might have it and that it is their own faults if they have it not since as he holds this Grace is given and withheld according to the merits or demerits of Men by a former good or evil use of their free will ut gratia sonaret meritum delitescret that so grace might sound in their words and yet they retain merit in their minds Such shift doth proud slime and dust make to magnifie the arm of flesh and so unwilling is it to give the true and whole glory unto God whose it is Yet this is not all Men have more subtilties to rob God or rather to deceive themselves Arminius and his followers the late Semi-pelagians step one Step farther and with the Catholick truth acknowledge not only a true and internal Grace but a liberal free and preventing Grace a Grace given not deserved But for all this he understands only such a Grace as is common to both to Elect and Reprobate upon the good or evil use whereof it is that Men become either For according to these Election doth not provide or prepare according to St. Austin any special Grace for particular Men but some particular men are specially elected upon foresight of their well-husbanding of that Grace which is common so that Man must still have the preheminence For however it be from Gods Grace that they have ability to obtain Salvation yet that they are saved when others who received the same Grace are not this must needs be not from his help but their own will An old rancid opinion long since broached by Faustus and Cassianus whose Books for this were condemned by Gelasius and a Council of seventy Bishops more for erroneous and Apocryphal and now lately again revived by Arminius and others who are not the Authors and Inventors but only strenuous Advocates requiring a relief after Judgment of a dead and rotten a damned and long since condemned Heresie So that it is a good judgment of a Reverend Bishop Faustum Cassianum quasi per Metempsyohosin in Arminio Bertio revixisse That the Souls of Faustus and Cassianus do as it were live again in Arminius and Bertius they do so justly jump and conspire with their Doctrine of universal Grace and Election upon foresight than which no opinion can be more injurious unto God or more grossly and demonstratively false in it self For however it retains the name it perverts the end and destroys the very Nature of Election causing that Predestination which the Apostle unto the Ephesians tells us was ordained in laudem gloriae gratiae suae to the praise of the glory of his Grace to serve and tend only unto the honour of our own propension and will since he that reigns in Heaven hath no more whereof to thank God than he that lies burning in Hell because from equal Grace they have wrought out these their unequal fortunes And therefore say St. Paul what he will Salvation is rather of him that willeth and runneth that believeth and worketh than of God that sheweth mercy whereas it is not neither doth it less pervert the End than the Nature thereof converting the cause into the effect and the effect into the cause making Election a consequent of Faith and Repentance when these are the true fruits of Election which is the well-head of Grace and all the rest of Gods favours and our good deeds but streams issuing from that Fountain who have all obtained mercy with St. Paul not because we were but that we should be faithful Non vos me elegistis for you have not chosen me but I have chosen you saith our Saviour and have ordained you for what that you should go and bring forth and that your fruit should remain for I have ordained I that do both begin and perfect the good deed that do work in you both to will and to do do work in you also to do and to persevere and that by my free Election and absolute decree Ego posui for I have ordained that you go and bring forth fruit and that that fruit remain It were an endless work and a bootless expence of Travel to heap up places of Scripture for the enforcing of this point they are every where obvious the Glory of Gods grace through a free and undeserved Election being a main branch of the Gospel and therefore often inserted but by St. Paul purposely disputed and proved in a set discourse wherein these new oppugners are so directly confuted as if the Holy Ghost had especially looked on them when he spake by his mouth for there is no other intent or purpose in that place but to demonstrate that the Adoption of the Sons of God doth not depend upon the carnal Generation of Abraham as the Jews conceived nor yet upon our own or our Forefathers works but simply upon the Eudochie the meer good will and pleasure of God This he makes manifest in all in a Type under the names of two Jacob and Esau Brethren equal in all things only unequal in the favour of God both begotten by the same parents and both born at the same birth on either side no advantage by blood and as little in quality they had done neither good nor evil nor could do at that time wherein notwithstanding that the purpose of God might be known to stand according to Election it was said I have loved Jacob and hated Esau No difference in the Persons and yet a different respect of God who is no respecter of persons which moves the Apostle to a strange interrogation but natural unto the place Nunquid iniquitas apud Deum what then is there iniquity with God God forbid but how doth he answer it doth he with these reply that though they had then done neither good nor evil yet God elected the one and rejected the other upon foresight of the good and evil which they afterwards would do This had been an acute and brief answer Quis iftum acutissimum