sinner righteous before God But I demaund of the Patrons of this doctrine whether when the workes of preparation are done the doer is in Christ or out of Christ If he be in Christ he is also iustified before he is iustified If he be as yet out of Christ Paul hath giuen the senteÌ„ce that the said workes are to be esteemed as losse and that the merit of coÌ„gruitie is not meate for them that desire to feede on Christ but rather food for dogges Lastly hence we learne howe Christ is to be receiued of vs. Such as would truely come to Christ and receiue him must make losses of al things they must come naked and emptied of all their owne righteousnesse As men in a shipwracke cast out their commodities and when there is no remedie leaue their ship and betake themselues to the sea thus come swimming to the shore euen so must all men first forsake all then come to Christ. Beggars that they may obtaine their almes come in their ragâ— vnfolding legges and armes that their sores and botches may be seene Benadad king of Syria that he might recouer the fauour of the king of Israel castes off his crowne and royall robes he and his men come in sackcloath with halters about their heads and thus he obtaines his desire In like manner comming to Christ we must lay aside all opinion of our owne goodnesse and in abasing of our selues follow beggars fashions and with Benhadad cloath our selues with signes of guiltinesse and confusion of face We must first be annihilated and vtterly in respect of goodnesse be made nothing in our selues that we may be what we are out of our selues in Christ. There is no entring into the kingdome of heaueÌ„ except we receiue it Christ as a little child in all meeknesse and humilitie For there must be nothing in vs to receiue Christ but meere faith resting on meere mercy Let all such think on this as desire to be in Christ and to receiue true comfort by him Thus much of Pauls losses before his conuersion nowe come to be considered the things which were his losses after his conuersion and they are set downe in the words following But doubtlesse I doe thinke all things losses for the excellent knowledge of Iesus Christ my Lord. That these losses may be the better knowne let vs a little consider the meaning of the words Whereas before Paul had said that herefore he counted things to be losse vnto him for Christ that had beene his aduantage some man might happily thinke this is but rash iudgemâ—nt in Paul he therefore to cut off this surmise saith Daubtlesse I count all things losse that is that I may not be thought to speake rashly I say more that I doe nowe account all things losse and I speake it confidently as beeing resolued what I say When he saith I doe count he speakes in the time present of himselfe as beeing not only a Christian but also an Apostle of Christ. And wheÌ„ he saith ALL things the generall speech must be obserued for he excepteth nothing pertaining to him but his knowledge and faith in Christ. Here therefore we must first of all vnderstand the priuiledge of an Apostle secondly all inward Christian vertues as hope feare loue of God good conscience c. for of al the inward gifts none is excepted but faith as I haue said Thirdly here we must vnderstand works not of nature but of grace done and effected by the spirit of God in vs. For in the verse following he doth reiect his owne righteousnes which is of the law Now he saith of all these that they are his losses for Christ. But how are they losses The speach must warily be vnderstood least it be offensiue They are losses not in respect of godly conuersation for they are the causes thereof and they are meanes of shewing our thankfulnes to God and loue to man Now then they are losses onely in respect of iustification and saluation when they are reputed and maintained as meritorious causes thereof either in whole or in part Though when they are rightly vsed applied they are the excellent gifts of God yet when they are brought into the Acte of iustification and saluation they become as losses and dung And this I take to be the meaning of these words To the like purpose the prophet Isai saith in the name of the whole church confessing hir sinnes All our righteousnes is as a cloath vtterly to be cast away And Paul to the Galatians If righteousnes be by the law Christ died without cause or in vaine that is if the righteousnes of the law be our aduantage Christ must be our losse and on the contrarie if he be our aduantage the righteousnesse of the law must be our losse This doctrine of Paul that all vertues and workes both of nature and grace are losses in the case of our saluation soundes not in mans reason and there be many things brought to the contrary First it is alleadged that God doeth accept and crowne our works and therfore that they are not losses I answer God doeth as it were keepe a double court One of iustice the other of mercie In the court of iustice he giues iudgement by the lawe and accurseth euery man that doth not continue in all things written in the lawe to doe them In this court nothing can stand but the passion and righteousnesse of Christ for the best workes that we can doe we may not looke for any acceptation or reward but vse the plea of Dauid Enter not O Lord into iudgement with thy seruant for no flesh shall be iustified in thy sight Nowe in the court of grace and mercie God hath to deale with his owne children that stand before him iustified and reconciled by Christ. And the obedience of such he accepteth in this court and mercifully rewardeth though otherwise it be imperfect yet not for the merit thereof but for the merit and worthinesse of Christ. Thus then good works in rigour of iustice are worthy condemnation are accepted of mercie procured by the merit of Christ. Secondly it is alleadged that workes are necessarie to saluation and therefore not to be reputed losses I answer workes may be considered either as causes of saluation or onely as a waie directing thereto If they be considered as causes they are not necessary but in this respect they are dung If they be respected as a way leading and directing to eternall life they are indeede necessarie thus no otherwise Thirdly it is obiected that the law requires workes and the law must be satisfied therfore that he which is iustified must be iustified by workes The answere is that whosoeuer is iustified and saued is iustified and saued by works But works must be distinguished Some are personall workes done in and by our selues These neither iustifie nor saue any man but in the case of saluation are losse and doung Besides these there
meeknesse patience and obedience be in vs which was in Christ. For the same fruites argue the same spirit v. 9. Not hauing mine owne righteousnes which is of the law but that which is of the faith of Christ c. The Apostle hauing taught in generall tearmes that Christ is his gaine here beginnes to declare the same in more particular sort For he sets downe a threefold gaine which he desired to obtaine of Christ the first is the righteousnes of Christ the second is inward fellowship with him the third is the resurrection of the bodie to eternall glorie Now this righteousnesse of Christ which Paul makes his first gaine is handled in the 9. verse for the better knowledge whereof I will first open the meaning of the wordes And first of all it must be knowne that they are an exposition of the wordes which went before For whereas Paul had desired to be found in Christ now he shewes his owne meaning that he desired therein nothing els but that he might be accepted of God for Christs sake and be esteemed righteous in his righteousnes And that this righteousnesse may be the better discerned he sets downe two sorts of iustice the one he refuseth the other he desireth and chooseth The righteousnes refused he calls it his owne because it is within him and it is exercised by the powers of his soule namely his minde will affections He saith further it is of the law that is of the workes which the Law requireth for as Paul saith the righteousnes of the law is this He that doth these things shall liue therein Againe of the iustice desired he saith it is by the faith of Christ that is it ariseth of the obedience of Christ apprehended by faith For in this manner to the Romanes he puts the faith of Christ for faith in the blood of Christ. And whereas some man might happily say that euen this righteousnes is ours as the former Paul addeth further that it is of God wholly and onely and not of vs either in whole or in part beeing freely giuen of him vpon our faith that is when we beleeue In these few wordes Paul coucheth many weightie points of doctrine I will distinctly propound them one by one First of all he makes a double iustice one of the Law the other of the Gospel yea he opposeth them as contraries in the case of iustification and that they may the better be conceiued he describes them seuerally Touching the iustice of the law he sets it downe by two things First he saith it is within vs because it is nothing els but a conformitie of heart life to the will of God reuealed in the said law And the law knowes not the righteousnes which is without vs. Secondly he notes the matter of it that it consists of such vertues and workes as the law prescribeth Now the iustice of the Gospell it is likewise set forth by foure things First it is not in vs but forth of vs because Paul opposeth it to the righteousnesse which is ours and within vs. Secondly Paul sets downe the matter of it or the person in whome it is namely Christ. Of whome Ieremie saith Iehoua is our righteousnes And Christ must be considered two waies as God and as Mediatour according to which two respects he hath a double righteousnes One as God and that is infinite and therefore incommunicable The other as Mediatour is the Obedience of Christ which he performed in his manhood consisting of two parts his sufferings in life and death and his fulfilling of the law for vs. And this very obedience which is in Christ and not in vs is the very matter of the iustice of the Gospel Thirdly Paul sets downe the meanes whereby this iustice is made ours and that is Faith which doth rest on Christ and applie his obedience to vs. Lastly Paul sets downe the author of this Iustice and that is God who of his grace and mercy freely giues Christ and his obedience vnto vs when we beleeue Out of these foure points a definition of the Iustice of the Gospell may be framed thus It is the righteousnes of the Mediatour namely the obedience of Christ giuen vs freely of God and receiued by our faith By this distinction of Legall and Euangelicall iustice we learne the difference of the Law and the Gospel The Law promiseth life vpon the condition of our workes or obedience performed according to the tenour of the law The Gospell requires not the condition of merit or of any work to be done on our parts in the case of our iustification but onely prescribes vs to beleeue in Christ and to rest on his obedience as our iustice before the Tribunall of God Secondly by this we learn that the church of Rome and the learned therein are ignorant of the right difference betweene the Law and the Gospel For they teach that the righteousnesse which stands in our inherent vertues and workes done by vs is required for iustification as wel in the Gospell as in the Law and that the difference lies onely in this that the law is more darke and without grace the Gospel more plaine hauing also the grace of God annexed vnto it to inable vs in our own persons to doe that which both law and Gospell require But this is indeede to make a confusion of the law and Gospell and to abolish the distinction of the twofold iustice before named which may not be The second point of doctrine deliuered by Paul is That a sinner standes iust before the tribunall seat of God not by the iustice of the law but by the iustice of faith which is the obedience of Christ without any works of ours And because this point of doctrine is of great moment and is withall oppugned of many I will further confirme it by some speciall reasons First of all in the iustification of a sinner God manifests his mercie and iustice to the full For as Paul saith he iustifieth freely by his grace and in iustifying he is not onely a iustifier but also iust Now this concurrence of mercie and iustice is no where to be found but in the Obedience of Christ performed by him in our roome and stead As for all Christian vertues and works of godly men they are by mercie accepted of God but they do not satisfie the iustice of God according to the tenour of the law Secondly Paul in the epistle to the Rom. considering Abrahā not as an idolater vnconuerted but as a beleeuer yea as the father of all the faithfull saith that then he was iustified without workes and that his faith that is the Messias apprehended by his faith was counted vnto him for righteousnesse long after his conuersion Nowe as he who is a patterne for vs to follow is iustified so must we be iustified and no otherwise Thirdly as by Adams disobedience we are made sinners so by Christs obedience are we made righteous but
but by Adams disobedience imputed to vs are we made sinners therefore we are made iust by the obedience of Christ imputed Bernard vsed this reason Whome saith he another mans fault defiled another mans water washed Yet in calling it another mans fault I doe not denie it to be ours otherwise it could not defile vs. But it is another mans because we all not knowing of it sinned in Adam It is ours because we haue sinned though in an other and it is imputed to vs by the iust iudgement of God though it be secret Yet that thou maist not complaine ô man against the disobedience of Adam there is giuen thee the obedience of Christ that beeing sould for naught thou maist be redeemed for naught Again the doctrine of imputed iustice he teacheth expresly saying Al are dead that the satisfaction of one might be imputed to all as he alone bare the sinnes of all Againe Death is put to flight by the death of Christ and the righteousnes of Christ is imputed to vs. Fourthly Paul saith Christ is made vnto vs of God iustice that is iustice imputed for in the next words he saith he is made our sanctification that is our iustice not imputed but inherent Fiftly as Christ was made sinne so are we made the iustice of God but Christ was made our sin not by any conueiance of any corruption into his most holy heart but by imputation We therefore are made the iustice of God by like imputation And least any man should yet surmise that this iustice is not imputed but infused into vs Paul saith We are made the iustice of God IN HIM that is in Christ. Hence it followeth manifestly that there is no vertue or worke within vs which iustifieth before God and that our iustice whereby we are iust in the fight of God and accepted to life eternall is out of vs placed in Christ. Thus much haue the Fathers obserued vpon this text of Paul Augustine saith that Christ was made sinne that we might be made iustice not our iustice but Gods iustice neither in vs but in him as he declared sinne not to be his but ours not placed in him but in vs. Hierome saith Christ being offered for vs tooke the name of sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him not ours nor in vs. In the same manner speake Theophilact Anselme Sedulius presbyter and others Lastly mā considered as a creature before his fall owed vnto God the fulfilling of the lawe which as a certaine tribute was daily to be paid vnto him After the fall he doubled his debt because he then became debter to God of a satisfaction due for the breach of the lawe Now the not paiment of this double debt is our vnrighteousnes But where may we find a sufficient paiment for this debt We our selues by our sinnes daily increase the said debt And our owne workes though proceeding of faith are no conuenient paiment because we cannot by one debt paie an other And if we shall search through heauen and earth there is nothing to be found that may stand for paiment with God but the obedience of the Redeemer which he hath presented and laid downe before the throne of the Almightie as an endlesse treasure to make paiment in our behalfe And because the said obedience is a satisfaction for our vnrighteousnes it is also our iustice in the acceptation of God By these and other reasons it appeares that nothing can absolue vs before God and procure the right of eternall life but the onely obedience of the Mediator Christ God and man that without any vertue or worke of ours Hence it followes that the present Church of Rome corrnpts the article of iustification by mingling things togither which can no more be compounded and mingled togither then fire and water namely the iustice of the gospell with the iustice of the law For it makes a double iustification the first containes two parts pardon of sinne by the death of Christ and the infused habit of charitie The second is by workes which they say do meritoriously increase the first iustification and procure eternall life Here we see the soueraigne medicine of the Gospel namely remission of sinnes tempered with the poison of the lawe For though vertues and workes prescribed in the lawe haue their place as good giftes God in our liues and cōuersations yet whē they are set vp higher and brought within the circle of iustification as meritorious causes they are put quite out of their place and are no better then poison and hereupon are tearmed of Paul losse and dongue But such as desire to be tearmed Catholickes alleadge for themselues against vs that the obedience of Christ that is the righteousnesse of an other cannot possibly be our righteousnesse I aunswer that the iustice of another may be our iustice if it be really made ours And this is true in Christ. For when we begin to beleeue in him though our persons remaine euermore distinct and vnconfounded yet are we made one with him and according to the tenour of the Euangelicall couenant are we giuen to him and he to vs so as we may truely say Christ is mine as we can truly say this house or this land is mine Now if Christ be ours then also his obedience is not onely his but ours also his because it is in him ours because with him it is giuen vs of God Againe they alleadge That when Paul refuseth the righteousnesse of the lawe he means nothing els but the workes of the lawe that are perfourmed by the strength of nature and that he doth not exclude the workes of Grace I answer it is false for he speakes of himselfe in the time present when he was a Christian Apostle and therefore he excludes all righteousnes of his own which he had by the law euen when he was an Apostle And the obiection Rom. 6. 1. what then shall we sinne that grace may abound cannot be inferred vpon iustification by workes of grace but vpon a iustification by the obedience of Christ imputed to vs without all workes of our owne Againe that we are iustified not by the iustice of the lawe but by the iustice of faith here is the foundation of our comfort For hereupon if we be tempted in the time of this life we may oppose against the tempter this our iustice If Satan plead against vs that we are sinners and therefore subiect to eternall damnation let vs answere him that the obedience of Christ hath freed vs from this damnation If he plead further that we neuer fulfilled the lawe and consequently that we haue no right to eternal life we must answer him that Christ fulfilled the lawe for vs. If he shall vexe and vpbraid vs with the consideration of our manifold wants and corruptions let vs tell him that so long as we turne vnto God from all our euill waies bewaile our corrupttions and beleeue
therefore imagine to finde Christ where and how we list but we must seeke him in the word and sacraments and there must we receiue him if we desire to receiue him aright The second point to be considered is How faith is a meanes to iustifie I answer thus Faith doth not iustifie as it is an excellent worke of God in vs for then all vertues might be meanes of iustification as well as faith It doth not iustifie as it is an excellent vertue in it selfe because it is imperfect and mingled with vnbeleefe It doth not iustifie as a meanes to prepare and dispose vs to our iustification for so soone as we begin to beleeue in Christ we are iustified without any disposition or preparation comming betweene faith and iustification Lastly it doth not iustifie as it containes in it all other vertues and good workes as the kernell containes the tree with all his branches For then should it be a part yea the principall part of our iustice Whereas Saint Paul distinguisheth iustice and faith saying that our righteousnes is of God vpon faith and not for faith but by faith Now then faith iustifies as it is an Instrument or hand to apprehend or recceiue the benefits of Christ for ours and this apprehension is made when we doe indeede beleeue Christ and his benefits to be ours And least any should imagine that the very action of faith in apprehending Christ iustifieth we are to vnderstand that faith doth not apprehend by power from it selfe but by vertue of the couenant If a man beleeue the kingdome of France to be his it is not therefore his yet if he beleeue Christ and the kingdome of heauen by Christ to be his it is his indeede not simply because he beleeues but because he beleeueth vpon commandement and promise for in the tenour of the couenant God promiseth to impute the obedience of Christ vnto vs for our righteousnes if we beleeue The third point is whether faith alone be the meanes to obtaine the iustice of Christ for vs or no I answer it is the onely meanes without the helpe of any other vertue or worke For Paul here teacheth that faith apprehendeth Christ for righteousnes without the law that is without any thing that the law requireth at our hands And here by this exclusiue particle without the law he teacheth three things The first that nothing within vs is an efficient or meritorious cause either principall or lesse principall in whole or in part of our iustification or reconciliation with God The second that nothing within vs is an instrument or meanes to applie the obedience of Christ vnto vs but faith which is ordained of God to be an hād to receiue the free fauour of God in the merit of Christ. The third that our renouation or sanctification is no matter forme or part of our iustification but that it wholly stands in the imputation of the iustice of Christ. In a word Paul vtterly excludes all things that are within vs whether by nature or by grace frō the act of iustificatiō that in this article onely grace onely Christ onely faith onely mercie in pardon of sinne may raigne It may be here obiected that Abraham was iustified not by faith alone but by workes as S. Iames teacheth I answer there is a double iustification one of the person whereby a man of a sinner is made no sinner the second is the iustification of the faith of the person whereby faith is declared to be true faith and this second is by workes and of it S. Iames speaketh as appeareth v. 18. where he saith Shew me thy faith by thy workes And whereas he saith that Abraham our father was iustified by workes his meaning is that Abraham by workes iustified himselfe to be a true beleeuer yea the father of all the faithfull and his faith was made perfect by workes verse 22. that is declared or iustified to be a true faith The fourth or last point is when and howe long faith alone iustifieth I answer not onely in the beginning of our conuersion but also in the continuance and finall accomplishment thereof For here Paul desires in the day of iudgement to stand before God onely by the iustice of faith without his owne iustice of the lawe And Paul brings in Abraham as I haue noted before in the very middest of godly conuersation and holy obedience to be iustified without any workes by his faith in the Messias And Paul auoucheth three things of faith by it we haue accesse to the grace of God by it we stand in the same grace by it we reioice vnder the hope of glorie Thus then we see there is one onely waie of iustification namely that we are iustified and accepted of God to life eternall through grace alone by faith alone for Christ alone in the beginning middle and ende of our conuersion And here is plainly discouered the errour of the church of Rome It makes a double iustification one whereby a sinner is made of an euill man a iust mā and this they say is by faith alone the second is whereby a man of a iust man is made more iust and this they say is by faith and workes togither but falsely as I haue shewed By all this which hath beene said we see howe righteousnesse comes by and vpon the faith of Christ. And hence we learne that it stands vs in hand to proue whether we haue faith or no because where is no faith there is no iustice Secondly our dutie is to labour for such a faith that can and doth iustifie it selfe to be true faith by workes of loue to God and men Thirdly we must by this faith rest and wholly relie our selues on the obedience of Christ both in life and death yea whatsoeuer doeth befall vs. Though God should reach out his hād destroy vs we must stil rest vpō him Secondly if our iustice be foorth of vs and we must by faith trust God for it then much more must we trust him for health wealth libertie peace foode and raiment and for all the things of this life And if we cannot trust him in the lesse we shall neuer trust him in the principall Therefore it is our part to walke in the duties of our callings and to obey God therein for the successe of our labours to trust him vpon his word yea when all worldly helpes and succours faile to trust in him still If we cannot trust him for our temporall life we shal neuer trust him for our saluatiō The second gaine which Paul desireth is fellowship with Christ in the 10. verse Where it is set forth first generally and then by his partes Generally in these wordes That I may knowe him Here it must be remēbred that knowledge is twofold knowledge of faith of experience Knowldge of faith is to be assured of Christ and his benefits though it be against all humane reason hope experience Of this Paul