metaphor or mystical expression as we are plainly told Isai. 3. Say ye to the Righteous It shall be well with him for they shall eat the fruit of their doings But Wo to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him In the other two places Rom. 1.17 and Gal. 3.11 the Emphasis seems to ly on the word Faith The just shall live by Faith or The just by Faith shall live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For here the main point in Question was in both Epistles concerning Justification to Life Whether by Works or by Faith And the Conclusion was That by the Deeds of the Law shall no flesh be Justified in the sight of God for by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin But being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. In confirmation of which truth the Apostle cites this testimony out of Habakkuk For it is written saith he The Just shall live by Faith And proves it further from the examples of Abraham and David Who were Justified he tells us not by Works but by Faith To whom God imputed Righteousness with works Thus in the Epistle to the Romans And in like manner in that to the Galatians He argues That Abraham's Believing was accounted to him for Righteousness And That in him the Gentiles also are Justified by Faith And do thereby become the Children of faithful Abraham And this he there also confirms by the same testimony That no man is Justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident he tells us For the Just shall live by Faith or The Just by Faith shall live That is Being justified by Faith we shall obtain Life or become Happy Being Justified by Faith we have Peace with God So that the stress of the Proof from this Testimony is laid upon those words By Faith Not of Works but by Faith We have now therefore dispatched these two things from these Words First That this Happiness whatever it be belongs only to the Just the Righteous the Godly Person and to no other That is to those whom God in favour shall repute so And therefore it concerns Us if we would partake of this Happiness to make sure to be of this number That we be such as whom God will account Righteous Otherwise how ever we may flatter our selves or what ever opinion others may conceive of us God tells us His Soul shall have no pleasure in us Secondly That it is by true Faith in Jesus Christ and no other way that we can be reputed Just or Righteous in Gods sight Not for any Righteousness of our own not by works of Righteousness which we have done Our Works perhaps may look glorious in the sight of Men but not in the eyes of God that we should in His sight be justified by Them Our Works may serve to justifie our Faith We may shew our Faith by our Works and By Works is Faith made Perfect But it is our Faith must justifie us Abraham believed God as there is follows and it was imputed to him for Righteousness If Abraham were Justified by Works saith S. Paul he had whereof to Glory but not before God But Abraham's Believing God for so it follows was accounted to him for Righteousness And this God would have so to be That Himself might have all the Glory of his Grace And That Man may have nothing to Glory in nothing to boast of Now to him that worketh as there it follows the Reward is not reckoned of Grace but of Debt But to him that worketh not but Believeth on him that justifieth the Vngodly his Faith is counted to him for Righteousness And David allso as he further argues describeth the Blessedness of that Man to whom God imputeth Righteousness without Works that is not upon the account of Works saying Blessed are they who 's Iniquities are forgiven and who 's sins are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not Impute sin Not He that hath no sin for then no man would be blessed but to whom it is not Imputed Who ever therefore would be thus accounted Righteous in Gods sight must be contented to Disclaim his Own Righteousness as to any thing of Merit therein and accept of this Imputed Righteousness on the account onely of Christs Righteousness and Merits to the benefit of which we are intituled by Faith in him So far is the Doctrine of S. Paul from the Popish Doctrine of Merits and Supererogation as if we were able to do no onely as much as is sufficient but more than is necessary to make us Just on the account of Works But when we thus exclude the Merits of good Works as to our Justification We do not deny the Necessity of them as to our Practice For it is not every Faith or every thing which a presumptuous wicked person shall call Faith that will Justifie us in the sight of God But such a Faith as works by Love and By Works is Faith made perfect Not an Idle Lazy Faith But an Operative a Working Faith a Faith that purifieth the Heart A Living a Lively Faith But Faith without Works is Dead and can in no other sense be called Faith than as a Dead man or the Picture of a man may be called a man A Faith in the Heart which doth produce Holyness in the Life For without Holyness no man shall see God For it was never the design of S. Paul nor of our Church neither when shee saith Wee are Justified by Faith onely to derogate from the Necessity of Good Works But he doth directly Assert it And he doth not without some Indignation Disclaim that consequence that some would slanderously fasten upon his Doctrine of Free Grace and Justification by Faith onely What shall we say then Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid And as to those for some such there were who as a consequence of his Doctrine did affirm that he said Let us do evil that good may come thereof He says They do slanderously report it and That their condemnation is just But you will say If we be Justified as our Church tells us by Faith onely what need is there of Holyness or a Godly Life I say Much every way For we must be Sanctified as well as Justified if ever we be saved And though Justification and Sanctification go allways together For God Justifies none whom he doth not also Sanctify yet the Notions of the one and the other are very different And whatever some would slanderously insinuate of those who exclude Good Works from Justification as if they were Enemies to Good Works and held That by Faith a man may be saved let his Life be never so Wicked It will be found in experience That they are not less zealous of good Works who think
not to Trust in them to be Justified by them either in Whole or in Part. As to Justification she tells us in the 11 th Article That we are Justified by Faith onely and that this is a Wholsome Doctrine and full of Comfort And as to Good Works she tells us in the 12 th Article That though they do not Justifie but follow after Justification yet are they pleasing and acceptable unto God are the necessary fruit of a true and lively Faith and by which it s known as a Tree by its Fruit. And in the Homily or Sermon to which the Article refers she tells us the same more fully That there can no man by his own acts works and deeds seem they never so good be justified and made righteous before God But every man of necessity is constrained to seek for another righteousness or justification to be received at Gods own hands That is to say the forgiveness of his sins and trespasses That this justification or righteousness which we so receive of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits embraced by Faith is taken accepted and allowed of God for our Perfect and Full Justification That all the world being wrapped in sin by breaking of the Law God sent his onely Son our Saviour Christ into the World to Fullfill the Law for Vs and by shedding of his most pretious bloud to make a Sacrifice and Satisfaction or as it may be called Amends to his Father for our sins to asswage his Wrath and Indignation conceived against us for the same That sinners when they turn again to God unfeignedly are washed by this Sacrifice from their Sins in such sort that there remaineth not any Spot of Sin that shall be Imputed to their Damnation That this is that Justification or Righteousness which S. Paul speaketh of when he saith No man is justified by the Works of the Law but freely by Faith in Jesus Christ And again he saith We believe in Jesus Christ that we be justified freely by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law because that no man shall be justified by the Works of the Law That Although this Justification be Free to Vs Yet it cometh not So freely to us that there is no Ransom paid therefore at all But God hath tempered his Justice and Mercy together that he would neither by his Justice condemn us to the Everlasting Captivity of the Devil and his Prison of Hell remedyless for ever without Mercy Nor by his Mercy deliver us clearly without Justice or payment of a Just Ransom And whereas it lay not in us that to do He provided a Ransome for us that was the most precious Body and Blood of his own most dear and best beloved Son Jesus Christ. Who beside this Ransome Fullfilled the Law for us Perfectly With much more to the same purpose Shewing That Christ Alone hath payd the Whole Ransome and made Full Satisfaction to God's Justice and that our Righteousness or Good Works come not in for any Share or Part thereof as if by them we should at lest in Part be justified This Doctrine I know is not pleasing to the Socinians nor to the Papists Not to the Socinians Because they Deny that any such Satisfaction is made to Gods Justice at all For if they should allow that Christ alone were able to make a sufficient Satisfaction for the Sins of All they must allow him to be more than Man And therefore in order to the Denying of his Divinity they deny his Satisfaction too Nor to the Papists For though they allow a Satisfaction to Justice Yet they would have this to be done at lest in Part by our selves To make way for Purgatory and consequently for Popish Pardons For if we must pay part of the Debt our selves Christ having not payd the Whole and have not payed it in this Life we must either pay it in Purgatory or else by way of Commutation pay Money for the Popes Pardon to be excused from it But Wee who are not concerned for either of these As neither denying Christs Divinity nor being obliged to maintain Purgatory Have no reason to depart from the Language of our own Church Now to make this the more clear our Church observes further That there are Three things which must go together in our Justification Vpon Gods part his great Mercy and Grace Vpon Christs part Justice that is the Satisfaction of Gods Justice or the Price of our Redemption by offering of his Body and shedding of his Blood with fullfilling the Law perfectly and throughly And upon Our part true and lively Faith in the Merits of Jesus Christ which yet is not ours but by Gods working in us So that in our Justification is not onely Gods Mercy and Grace but his Justice also Which the Apostle calls the Justice of God And it consisteth in Paying the Ransome and fullfilling the Law And so the Grace of God doth not shut out the Justice of God in our Justification but onely shutteth out the Justice of Man that is to say the Justice of our Works as to be Merits of deserving our Justification And therefore S. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of Man concerning his Justification but onely a true and lively Faith which nevertheless is the Gift of God and not Mans onely working without God And yet that Faith doth not shut out Repentance Hope Love Dread and the Fear of God to be joyned with Faith in every man that is justified But it shutteth them out from the Office of Justifying So that though they be all present together in him that is justified yet they justify not all together Nor the Faith allso doth not shut out the Justice of our good Works as necessary to be done afterwards of Duty towards God for we are most bounden to serve God in doing good deeds commanded by him in his holy Scripture all the days of our Life But it excludeth them so that we may not do them to this intent to be made Good by doing them For all the good Works that we can do be unperfect and therefore not able to deserve our Justifiction But our Justification doth come freely by the meer Mercy of God And of so great and free Mercy that whereas all the World was not able of their selves to pay Any Part towards their Ransome it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite Mercy without any our desert or deservings to prepare for us the most precious Jewels of Christs Body and Blood whereby our Ransome might be fully payd the Law fullfilled and his Justice fully satisfied So that Christ is now the Righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him He for them payd the Ransome by his Death He for them fullfilled the Law in his Life So that now in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a Fullfiller of the Law For as much as that which their Infirmity lacked Christs Justice hath supplied I
wandered about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins in Deserts and Mountains in Dens and Caves of the Earth were Destitute Afflicted Tormented c. rather than not Obey the Commands of God And thus through Faith obtained a good Report S. Paul allso as to himself I go bound sayth he in the Spirit to Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City that Bonds and Afflictions abide me But none of these things move me neither count I my Life dear unto me so that I may Fullfill my Course with joy and the Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus Nor would he be disswaded though he knew thus much from going thither Being ready he tells us not only to be Bound but to Dy at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus So great an Incentive there is in Faith to the Obedience of Gods Commands Thirdly As we are thus to give heed to the Commands of God So to the Threatenings of God likewise And this is a part of our Living by Faith allso By Faith Noah being moved with Fear prepared an Ark for the Saving of his House He being warned of God of things not yet seen that the World should be destroyed by a Deluge though as yet there appeared no Likelihood of it Gave Credit to that Threatening while others its like Scoffed at it and at Him too for giving Credit to it and accordingly by Gods direction took Care to Avoid it as to himself and his family while others perished in it By which he Condemned the World and became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith And I choose to give Instances all along in such Examples as are here cited in the following Chapter Heb. 11. Because all that Cloud of Witnesses are there designedly brought-in as a Confirmation of what is here asserted That the Just shall Live by Faith Thus Solomon likewise tells us to the same purpose A Wise man Feareth and Departeth from Evill Forbears the evill of Sin and Avoids the evill of Punishment But the Fool Rageth and is Confident he runs-on without Fear or Wit A Prudent man Foreseeth the Evil and Hideth himself But the Simple pass on and are Punished Like as it was when Moses from God threatened the Plague of Hail in Egypt Who so feared the Lord amongst the Servants of Pharaoh made his Servants and his Cattell to flee into Houses But who so regarded not the Word of the Lord as not beleeving it Left his Servants and Cattel in the Field which were destroyed by the Hail which Smote all that was in the Field both Man and Beast Now Solomon's Wise man is the Good man and his Fool is the Wicked man He that makes a Mock of Sin to whom it is a Sport to do Mischief Who goes on as Solomon speaks of the Wanton Young-man as an Ox to the Slaughter and a Fool to the Correction of the Stocks Till a Dart strike through his Liver as a Bird that hasteth to the Snare and knoweth not that it is for his Life Not like the men of Niniveh who Repented at the Preaching of Jonas Who when Jonah preached Yet forty days and Niniveh shall be Destroyed Beleeved God and proclaimed a Fast and that Every one should turn from the Evill of his ways For who can tell say they if God will Turn and Repent that we Perish not But rather like Lot 's Sons in Law when he warned them of the Destruction then coming on Sodome He seemed to them as one that Mocked and accordingly they mocked at him they looked upon him as one that talked idly or but in jest till in good earnest God rain'd fire and brimstone on them and destroyed them Much at the same rate with those Scoffers who as S. Peter tells us should come in the last days walking after their own Lusts Laughing at Gods Threatenings and saying scoffingly Where is the Promise of his coming For since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation The grave Fathers that talked of these things be Dead and Gone and the World goes on as it was wont to do notwithstanding their Threats Who if they be told from God by his Ministers that Except they Repent they shall all likewise Perish They look upon them as those did on Lot as a company of Brain-Sick men that talk idly Till suddain Destruction come upon them as a Thief in the Night which they did not Expect and as Pain on a Woman in Travail which they cannot Escape Who first Walk in the way of the Vngodly and stand in the Way of Sinners and then Sit in the Seat of Scorners Till at length when 't is too late they shall with those in Wisdome be convinced of their own Folly and Value the Righteous whom before they Despised When with Anguish of spirit they shall say within themselves of him whom before they had in Derision and a Proverb of Reproach We Fools accounted his Life Madness and his End without Honour But How is He numbred among the Children of God and his Lot is among the Saints while We have wearied our selves in the way of Wickedness and Destruction and have not known the Way of the Lord. Who when they Hear the words of the Curse Bless themselves in their Heart saying I shall have Peace though I walk in the Imagination of my Heart adding Drunkenness to Thirst I shall do well enough though I take my pleasure But the Lord saith Moses will not Spare that man he will shew him no mercy His Jealousy shall Smoak against him who sins thus Presumptuously and Promiseth himself Peace notwithstanding Gods Threatenings And all the Curses written in this Book shall light upon him The Lord will Separate him unto Evil out of all the Cities of Israel he will Single him out to make him an Example That others may Hear and Fear and do no more Presumptuously These are those who Beleeve not the Threatenings of God nor fear to incur his Displeasure But Happy is the man that feareth allways That so feareth as to depart from Evill He that so Feareth the Threatenings of God as to Avoid his Judgments And thus to fear is to Live by Faith Fourthly As we are to beleeve the Threatenings of God So to Beleeve the Promises of God allso And so to Beleeve them as to Rest upon them to fetch Strength and Comfort from them And this is one great part of a Christians Living by Faith And of This also we have Examples in the Chapter following By Faith Abraham sojourned in the Land of Promise the Promised Land as in a strange Countrey dwelling in Tabernacles as not taking up his Rest there with Isaac and Jacob Heirs with him of the same Promise Looking