propounded become reconcileable unto God actually it is of force to all that have but to none that want the Conditions of it Now the keeping this Gospel-Covenant God expects from us in person tho' by the Assistance of his Spirit which he hath promised to give to them that humbly and earnestly ask it of him Luke 11.1 To affirm that Christ hath kept the Gospel for us too is to utter the most self-contradicting Blasphemy and Absurdity imaginable as if he could repent or believe in himself free except or cancel our Obligation to obey the Moral Law by his own obeying it as if Christ had so done all that nothing remains to be done on our part Such strange extreams do some Men run into that to avoid Justification by Works by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are as yet extravagant on the other hand thinking the Grace of God cannot be free except the Sinner become either a senseless Statue meerly passive or which is yet worse have a writ of ease to be quite idle or which is worst of all a License to Sin by Prerogative Let the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chastise this Insolence Rom. 6.15 shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under grace God forbid If Christ had obeyed the Law for us in the sense of paying a Debt or discharging a Bond the Apostles answer could not stand Rom. 3.31 Doâ—â—e them make void the Law through Faith yea we establish the Law When a Believer breaks the Law he Sins for sin is the transgression of the Law nay he cannot break it willfully but he breaks the very Gospel-Covenant one Condition whereof is sincere Obedience and the guilt of that sin lieth upon him unpardoned until by hearty Repentance and fresh Applications by Faith to the Blood of sprinkling which are the only Titles good in Law the only Gospel-claims to Pardon he hath sued out a new Pardon for actual Remission is only of past Sins Rom. 3.25 according to the Tenour of the New Covenant which is a perpetual Law of pardoning repenting and believing Sinners whomsoever whensoever but as such Neither was Christ's suffering like the cancelling of a Bond a total discharge of us from suffering the Penalty threatned in the Law we die still and Afflictions are Punishments still True indeed upon Christ's Satisfaction made God and he are agreed that a believing Sinner should not be punished with the everlasting destructive Penalty threatned for whosoever believes shall not perish Joh. 3.16 but they are not that he shall not be for he is punished with the temporal corrective Punishments of the threatning as Sickness and natural Death yet even these through infinite Goodness so ordering and disposing it prove much more a Benefit than a Penalty to a Believer Use 2. What cause have we then with the lowest and profoundest Humility to adore the Majesty of the living God First To adore his Holiness Reverence those eyes of his that are purer than that they can endure to behold iniquity Hab. 1.13 Let this God be thy dread and awe Dare not to make a mock of Sin tremble at the horrid Guilt and sinfulness of the least Sin look upon it as an Affront and Treason against an Eternal Majesty as worthy the Curse of the Law and the Wrath of an Almighty God as that which could not be expiated at a lesser rate than the Blood of God Acts 20.28 Secondly To adore his Wisdom in finding out such a person to satisfie his Justice as our Redeemer consider here that God could not suffer could not die nay could not properly satisfie himself for it had not been a Satisfaction to his Justice at all but meer Mercy and so no Justification of a Sinner but meer Pardon if the person satisfying had been only God Again consider that a meer Creature could never satisfie as I before demonstrated a meer Creature had perish'd in the Attempt would have been overwhelm'd and crush'd to pieces with that insupportable Load the guilt of Sin and the wrath of God The person therefore that must fatisfie must neither be Finite nor Infinite neither the Creature nor the Creator neither God nor Man yet must be both Here now the Understandings of Men and Angels must have been tryed to all Eternity and lost for ever in a bottomless Gulf â—â— Horrour and Amazement to find out such a Person O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! Rom. 11.33 see also Ephes 1.7 8. fully hereunto Thirdly To adore the Infinite Riches of his Grace Rom. 3.24 in Justification and here consider 1. God might have let man alone seized the forfeiture as the Tree fell it might have lain for ever what obliged God to accept of Satisfaction 2. The Redeemer hath trodden the Wine press alone what ever was done in this Satisfaction he did it Of the People there was none with him The Sinner hath not the least hand in it could not pay one Christ paid every one to the utmost farthing Thirdly It was the Judge himself who contrived this way to Justifie us and it was at his cost he gave his Son herein God commended his Love to us as Abraham once did his faith to God in that he spared not his Son his only begotten Son whom he Loved So that if we rightly weigh it it will appear that by how much the Satisfaction is the fuller by so much the pardon is the freer by how much his Justice is the more by so much too is his mercy the more glorified and still still infinitely the more are we obliged Use 3. Consol Here 's unspeakable comfort for every humble though doubting Soul every contrite Spirit that Hungers and Thirsts after Righteousness First Consider how full Satisfaction Christ hath made he is able to save to the utmost all that come to God through him he is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well-pleased all power is committed into his hands God hath exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of sins Secondly Consider he inviteth thee as a Sinner to come in unto this Gospel-righteousness in the general tenour of his Proclamation Whosoever believes c. If any man Sin we have an Advocate with the Father c. 1 Joh. 2.1 2. An whosoever excludes none that excludes not himself Thirdly Consider Christ assures thee that art the Person I now speak to he who is the Truth assures thee thou shalt be welcome Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest c. This is your very case Hark the Master calleth you will you not be of good courage and Go when he saith Come he that never yet cast out any that came unto him that never will he saith so himself Thou maist believe him he never broke his Word yet he will not begin with thee he cannot deny himself Fourthly Consider those standing Monuments of Gods free
THE NATURE OF JUSTIFICATION OPENED IN A SERMON On ROMANS V. 1. BY Mr. GIBBONS sometime Preacher at Black-Fryers LONDON LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercer's Chappel 1695. The NATURE of Iustification opened ROMANS V. 1. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God c. THE Words present us for the Argument of this Morning-Exercise with the great Doctrine of Justification first to be Opened and then Improved 1. To be Opened And that we may not with Aquinas and the Papists In ipso limine impingere Stumble the very first Step we take and so quite ever after lose our way by confounding Justification with Sanctification I shall only premise That as in Sanctification the change is Absolute and Inherent so in Justification the change is Relative and Juridical the former is wrought in the Sinner's Person he becomes a new Creature but this latter is wrought in his State he becomes Absolved at the Bar of Divine Justice for Justification is a Law-state 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it abolisheth the convincing Power of Sin or its Guilt Our Business therefore is to discover the Process at God's Bar in the justification of a Sinner which will be best done by comparing it with that at Man's which we are familiarly acquanted with To be Justified therefore implies in general three things 1. The Person is charg'd with Guilt 2. Pleads to the Charge 3. Upon that Plea is discharged by the Judge 1. A justified Person must be charg'd with Guilt Now Guilt is the Relation which Sin hath to Punishment for Sin is the breach of the Law and Punishment is the Vengeance which the Law threatens for that breach And as the threatning it self is in the nature of it a Guard to the Law to prevent the breach of it bidding as it were the Transgressor come at his Peril break the Law if he dare be wiâ—e before hand lest he rue it too late so the Punishment in the very nature of it is a vindication of the Equity of the injur'd Law the Reparation and Amends it makes it self for the wrong done it by damnifying the Person injuring her proportionally to the Injury Now that a justified Person must be charg'd with Guilt i. e. with the breach of Law and by consequence with desert of Punishment appears because otherwise if a Man be pronounced Righteous whom no body ever accused or questioned he is only praised not justified 2. The Person to be justified must plead for himself either in Person or by his Advocate who sustains his Person for to refuse to Plead is to despair quite of being justified and to abandon ones self over unto Punishment Silence gives conâ—â—â—t it argues the accused Person hath nothing to say for himself why he should not be Condemned Our Law you know sheweth no Mercy to one that will not Plead he is to be Prest to Death An Indicted person must plead therefore something in his own behalf why he should be Justified if he would be Now either the Man is Guilty of the Charge or not Guilty I must speak to both Cases and shew what Pleas are requisite in each and which of them is the Plea upon which a Sinner is justified at the Bar of God Case 1. If the Indicted person be not Guilty of the Charge Justice it self must justifie him upon that Plea Si accusasse sufficiat quis erit innocens An innocent Person may be accused he can never be convinced for that that is not can never be demonstrated the Judge or Jury were themselves Guilty if they found Innocence Guilty Now to be Justified thus is to be purely and meerly Justified not at all to be Pardoned for such a one stands upon his Terms bears himself upon his own Righteousness begs no Mercy 'T is no favour to justifie him 't is his due he is not beholding to the Judge a jot the exact rigor of the Law acquits him To bring this to the present Business I shall demonstrate that we can never be justified at the Bar of God by pleading not Guilty For First The Plea is false Altho' in a very restrained Sense there is none so wicked but he may plead not Guilty and be justified as to this or that particular Fact charged upon him Nimrod was not Guilty of Abel's Murther Nay a Saint may be guilty of some Sins which the Devil may plead not Guilty to as grieving the comforting the sealing Spirit abusing the Redeemer's Grace c. yet nothing short of Universal Innocence nothing but a perfect Righteousness a total exemption from all manner of Guilt will entitle us before God's Tribunal to this Plea For whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 1. Because the Punishment due to the breach of the whole Law viz the Curse of God is due to every breach of every part Cursed is he that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3.10 Deut. 27.26 The wages of sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of every single sin is death Rom. 6.23 2. Because He that offends in one point affronteth the Authority of all as is excellently observed in the next Verse For he that said Do not commit adultery said also Do not steal Jam. 2.11 Every Sin hath Atheism in it it denies the God that is above to trample upon the Majesty of God shining in one Commandment is at once to trample upon that Majesty which enacted all 3. Because therby he becomes infected with a contagious Disposition to be guilty of all the same Principle which emboldned him now will another time if but excited with equal Strengths of Temptation to commit any other Sin or to repeat the same Sins again and again though excited with still weaker and weaker Temptations for as frequent Acts strengthen the habit of Sin so the habit facilitates the Acts. From hence it appears That the holy Angels that Adam in Innocency that the Man Christ Jesus might indeed plead not Guilty before God and be justified upon that Plea but now impossible forms Rom. 3.20 23. Psal 1â— â— 1 Joh. 1.8 Secondly The Plea being false there is no hâ—â—e â—pon this Issue to be justified unless there were some defect in the Judge or in the Evidence In the Judge either of Prudence in not Understanding or of Integrity or Poweâ— in not executing the Law might But in our Case these are a like that is infinitely impossible for we have to do with the All wise Legislator himself who is also the Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty and shall not this â—udge of all the earth do right Gen. 18 2â— Nor can there be any defect in the Evidence for the bâ—â—â—ks shall be opened at the last day and the dead shall be judged out â—f these things which are written in the books according to their works
Rev. 20.12 Nay even now there are two Day books a â—â—lling down goes every Hour every Moment all we do and think and speak in the Book of God's Remembrance fairly written not an Iota not a tittle either mist or blurred of this God hath given us a counterpart to â—eep in our own Bosoms the Register of Conscience though a very imperfect Copy full of Bloâ— Mistakes Omissions yet enough â—lâ—â—e to â—onvince us instead of a thousand Witnesses for every Sinner will be his own Accuser and Condemner rising up as an Advocate in the behalf of the great Judge against himself at the day of Judgment Prima est haec ultio quod se Judicâ— â—eâ—o nocenâ— absolvitur Case 2. And this was the first Plea not Guilty but the Case is not ours and therefore this Plea will never justifie us I come therefore to the other which in our Case is Guilty and here are two ways of pleading First Meer Mercy for Mercies â—â—ke but indeed this is not to Plead at all but to Beg. And as in the last Case when an innocent Person upon his pleading not Guilty is discharged that is pure Justification but no Pardon so here quite contrary when a guilty Person is discharged out of Mercy this is pure Pardon but no Justification for there shines not one Beam of Justice in such a Discharge meer Mercy is all in all Whence it follows that the Socinians who to avoid the necessity of acknowledging Christ's Satisfaction to Divine Justice affirm That Justification is nothing but meer Remission of Sins do abuse the Word and contradict themselves for who seeth not that to be pardoned gratis out of pure Mercy without the least Reparation made either for the Injury and Indignity done to the Law or Satisfaction to the Honour Justice and Authority of the Law-giver by the Sin affronted is not to be justified at all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but only to be gratified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. disoharged upon the sole account of Mercy without any consideration had of Justice This is the first way of pleading when Guilty meer Mercy for Mercies sake but to be justified upon this Plea is an evident Contradiction Therefore 〈◊〉 The only Plea for a guilty Person to be justified upon is to plead Mercy for the sake of some Satifaction made to the Justice and Honour of the Law And by how much the fuller this Satisfaction is by so much the fullen is the Justification of such a person as is upon this Plea discharged Nâ—â— as full Satisfaction may be made two ways 1. By suffering the whole Penalty due 2. When a valuable Consideration is accepted by the offended Party or Judge wherein the Honour of the Law is as much saved as if it had never been broken or as if being broken the full Penalty had been inflicted on the Breaker And here I have these two things to prove 1. That Man could never make such Satisfaction to the Justice of God nor any Creature for him 2. That the Lord Christ hath made such full Satisfaction that it stands now with the Honour of the Holy God to justifie Sinners upon the terms of the Gospel 1. Assertion First That neither Man nor any Creature could satisfie offended Justice 1. Not by suffering the Penalty for that being Infinite requires an infinite Continuance under it there being no other way for a Finite Creature to suffer Infinitely and so the whole Penalty will ever be suffering but can never be suffered for in Eternity stop where you will and there is yet as much to come as is already past nay infinitely more for that which is past is but a Finite time of suffering though Millions of Ages are past but an Eternity of suffering is yet to come and after as many more Millions of Ages still still an infinite Eternity is future that never can be so exhausted but an Eternity will still be left Secondly Not by any act of Service which amounts to a valuable Consideration worthy to be accepted of the Judge as Satisfactory to his affronted Justice for two Reasons 1. Because God is more dishonoured by one Sin than honoured by an Eternity of Obedience for God is not at all obliged to Cherubims and Seraphims for obeying him all the Creation naturally oweth its utmost possibility of Service as an Eternal Debt to its great Creator Now the least act of Disobedience or Sin being Injury and Treason thereby a new Obligation is contracted viz. to suffer condign Punishment the former Obligation unto Duty remaining eternally in as full Force as ever which if we could discharge yet were we but imprositable servants Luke 17.10 Can a man be profitable to God Job 22.2 If thou be righteous what givest thou to him or what receiveth be of thine hand Job 35.7 An Eternity of Service in the highest perfection is every Creature 's Debt as a Creature and beside this an Eternity of suffering too is every delinquent Creature 's Debt as delinquent But one Debt cannot pay another since therefore all that the whole Creation can do for ever would but just satisfie the first natural Obligation unto pure Justice viz. the Debt of Obedience it is quite impossible that ever any Creature should supererogate or spare any thing from hence towards satisfying the Secondary super-added Obligation unto offended Justice viz. the Debt of Punishment either in its own behalf or anothers Secondly The other Reason why neither Man nor any Creature for him can ever satisfie the offended Creator by the highest Services because they all have it from him when they do Obey him of his own do they give him for in him we live and move and have our Being What hast thou O Man nay O Angel O Arch-angel that thou hast not received All our nay all their Springs are in him without him we can do nothing The more we do for God the more he doth for us and consequently still the more we owe him So that acts of Obedience are so far from satisfying our Obligations to God as that they contract new ones for even for them are we obliged 2. Assertion Having cleared the first we come to the second Point That Christ hath so fully satisfied his Father's offended Justice as it stands now with the Honour of the Holy God to justifie every Sinner that can upon Gospel terms plead his Interest in this Satisfaction Here we must enquire into these three things 1. The Matter of this Satisfaction 2. The Form or that which makes it infinitely Satifactory and Meritorious 3. What are those Gospel terms First For the matter of Christ's Satisfaction I humbly conceive that the whole State of his Humiliation from his Conception to his Resurrection for at his Resurrection began the second State of Christ as Mediator viz. his Exaltation to be continued to the general Resurrection and then he shall resign up the Kingdom to the Father and God shall be thenceforward all in all 1
an Eclipse of the Glory of his God-head And his passive Righteousness was every where active because what he suffered was not by constraint or against his Will no it was his own voluntary Act and Deed all along let me instance in the greatest of his Sufferings his very dying was the Product both of the freeness of his Love and the Majesty of his Power John 10.17 18. Rev. 1.5 In the third place Both Christ's active and passive Righteousness what he did and what he suffered partake in common of the form of satisfaction therefore they are both integral parts or joynt Ingredients thereof for forma dat esse but this brings me to the second Enquiry 2. Query What is the form of Christ's Satisfaction or that which renders it Satisfactory I answer the infinite Merit of what he did and suffered which infinite Merit stands 1. In the dignity of his Person the fullness of the God-head dwelt in him bodily Col. 2.9 John 1.14 Now for the work of a Servant to be done by the Lord of all renders his Active and for him to suffer as a Malefactor between Malefactors who was God blessed for evermore renders also his passive Righteousness infinitely Meritorious no wonder the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all Sin for it is the Blood of God Acts 20.28 1 John 1.7 And this is the Reason why the Righteousness of one redounds unto all for the justification of life Rom. 5.18 19. because his active and passive Righteousness is infinitely of more value than all that the Creatures in Heaven and Earth could have done or suffered to Eternity the very Man Christ Jesus is above all the Angels Heb. 1.6 for he is the Man that is God's fellow Zech. 13.7 And this infinite Worthiness of the Redeemer's Person you have excellently described as irradiating and infinitely exalting all he did and suffered Phil. 2.6 7 8 9. Heb. 7.24 25 28. 2. The active and passive Righteousness of Christ are of infinite Merit because not at all due but both meer supererrogations of an infinitely glorious Person And First For his active Righteousness it stood in his Obedience to the Ceremonial and Moral Laws 1. His Obedience to the Ceremonial Law was a meer supererrogation for the Substance to comply with the Shadows the Antitype to do homage to its own Types besides he submitted to those very Ordinances whose End and Institution supposeth Guilt and whose Nature argues them designed only for the use of Sinners what foreskin of Impurity had he to be cut off in Circumcision what Filth to be wash'd away in Baptism Did the holy Child Jesus defile his Mother's Womb. as common Mortals do that are conceived in Sin and brought forth in Iniquity And yet he was Circumcised and Baptized and his Mother offered for her Purification Luke 1.21 22. chap. 3.21 No imaginable Obligation lay on him to these Submissions being to him meer Ciphers wholly insignificant 2. His Obedience to the Moral Law Although it must be granted that as Man it was his Duty Gal. 4.4 yet was it not his Duty to become Man True a Creature 's homage was due from him when a Creature a Servant's Work when in the form of a Servant but the whole was free and Arbitrary because his entring into that State was so for what but his own infinite Love could ever move the Eternal Word to pitch his Tent in our Nature What Obligation lay on the Heir of all things to take the form of a Servant Who bound the Eternal Son of God to become in the fullness of time the Son of Man And as his active Righteousness so Secondly His Passive too was a meer Supererrogation for his Almighty Father's Holy All-seeing Eye could never espy the least Iniquity in him to punish What had the Divine Justice to do with him for he was a sinless Person he suffered not for himself Dan. 9.26 No for us 2 Cor. 5.21 And therefore since no Obligation lay on him to do what he did or to suffer what he suffered he may impute the Merit both of the one and the other to whomsoever and upon what terms soever he and his Father please But before I come to consider the terms upon which Christ's Satisfaction is applied I must answer some Questions and clear the Scruples in the way 1. Object 1. What is become of the Law of that first Covenant made with Adam in Paradise Gen. 2.17 repeated again to the Jews Deut. 27.26 The summe of which you have fully expressed Ezek. 18.4 The soul that sinneth it shall dye I answer It is not fully executed nor abrogated but released or dispensed with First It is not fully executed for there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. Rom. 8.1 Secondly It is not abrogated for it is in part executed upon Believers they are liable to the first or natural Death which is the wages of sin although the second death hath no power over them besides all manner of Chastisements and Afflictions Psal 89.30 31 32. And also that Law is totally executed upon finally Impenitent Unbelievers over whom not the first only but the second Death also hath Power 2 Thess 1.8 For he that believeth not is condemned already John 3.18 That is the Gospel finds him and every one in a state of Condemnation but those who believe it proclaims Deliverance to those who through Unbelief reject it judging themselves unworthy of everlasting Life see Acts 13.46 it leaves such as it found them viz under the Condemnation of the old Covenant since they refuse the pardoning Mercy of the New Thirdly I answer therefore positively That the first Covenant is released and dispensed with by super-inducing a New Covenant of Grace over it That whosoever closeth with and comes into the terms of the New should be exempted from the Rigor and Extremity i. e. from the Eternal Condemnation of the old John 3.16 It is not said He that believes shall not be Sick shall not be Afflicted shall not Die No but he shall not perish Thus you see the Covenant of Works as to its Execution upon such as are in the Covenant of Grace is in the chief part restrained but yet in some part inflicted They never shall complain under the Eternal and Destructive yet they do complain under the Temporal and Corrective Punishment of their Sins Lam. 3.39 Yet more particularly for the clearer understanding of this we must consider that the first Covenant lays a double Obligation on sinful Man First In reference to what is past and here it requires Satisfaction and Reparation from us for our Sin in breaking it And Secondly In reference to the future after such Satisfaction and amends made it requires perfect Conformity still as at first absolute Obedience to all God's Commands being the Eternal Debt of the reasonable Creature to that God that made it in his own Image if therefore we could which hath already been proved to be impossible ever
my People But then this justifying Faith hath two Daughters that inseparably attend her 1. Repentance Here sinful Man retracts and undoes his Faults cries peccavi weeps wrings his Hands smites upon his Breast and cries What have I done Laments after the Lord and abhors himself in Dust and Ashes He calls himself Fool mad Man Beast Traytor to his God and to his Soul In a word executes the Law upon himself and since God excuseth him from the Punishment he accuseth himself of the Guilt and condemns himself to the shame of his Sin and hereby the Sinner honours the Equity of the threatning by his Tears acknowledging that his Blood was due 2. Newness of Life Here the Sinner acknowledgeth perfect Obedience to be still his Duty this honours the Equity of God's Commandments And the Redeemer by making this one of the Conditions of the Gospel-Covenant hath given his Father his Law back again he doth not repeal it no it 's still the rule of Life and every Commandment still obligeth a Believer Christ hath only released us from the condemning Power of it not the commanding Power of it We must still press after Perfection but though we fall short of it we shall not die for it Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us but hath left us under the Government and Command of the Law The whole matter is excellently expressed 1 John 2.1 My little Children these things I write unto you that you sin not and if any man fen we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous 3. Having thus discoursed to the three general Points first propounded and shewed that the Person justified is charged with Guilt And Secondly that he pleads to the Charge where I have largely opened the nature of that Plea I come now to the third general Point to shew how upon his Plea he is discharged or justified A Sinner is then actually justified when he is constituted or made Righteous in Law Righteousness is a Conformity to the Law he that fulfills the Law is Righteous in the Eye of that Law he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 within the Protection of it as he that transgresseth the Law is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guilty in the Eye of the Law and without the Protection of it Now the Law of the New Covenant runs thus He that believeth shall not perish so that a Believer keeps and fulfills this Law and therefore Faith is imputed to him for Righteousness Rom. 4.22 23 24. because Faith is the keeping of the New Covenant which therefore is called the Law of Faith Rom. 3.27 in opposition to the Old Covenant called there by the Apostle the Law of Works As therefore Innocency or perfect Obedience would have justified Adam had he stood by vertue of the Law of Works or Old Covenant whose Tenour is Obey and Live for then he had fulfilled that Law and as his Disobedience actually condemned him by vertue of the same Law Disobey and die for it Gen. 2.17 So now believing in Christ justifieth by vertue of the Law of Faith for it is the keeping and fulfilling of the Gospel-Covenant whose Tenour is Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved And again Unbelief actually condemneth by vertue of the same Law He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God John 3.18 That is because the Unbeliever is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the Protection of the Gospel or Law of Faith he cometh not up to its Righteousness he is condemned already as a Sinner by the Law of Works and yet once more with a Witness condemned as an Vnbeliever as a Monster that hath twice been accessary to his own Murther First in wounding himself and Secondly in refusing to be healed The Law of Works includes us all under Sin we are all dead our Case was desperate but God who is rich in mercy through his great love wherewith he hath loved us Ephes 2.4 his immense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when we were dead in Sins and Trespasses hath sent his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 And this is that Law according to which he will judge the World according to my Gospel faith Paul Rom. 2.27 Every Believer therefore though he wants the Righteousness of the Law of Works viz. Innocency yet he shall not be condemned because he hath the Righteousness of the Gospel viz. Faith which is the New Law in force according to which God now dealeth with us and shall judge the World at the last day And here it will be richly worth our very heedful Observation that although a Believer hath not the Righteousness of the Law of Works inherent in himself for if he had he were not a Sinner but should be justified by that Law yet by Faith he lays hold upon Christ's Satisfaction which in the very Eye of the Law of Works is an unexceptionably Perfect and infinitely glorious Righteousness So that Faith justifieth us even at the Bar of the Law of Works Ratione objecti as it lays hold on Christ's Satisfaction which is our legal Righteousness it justifieth us at the Bar of the Gospel or Law of Faith formaliter ratione sui as it is Covenanting-keeping or a fulfilling of the Gospel-Law For he that keeps a Law is Righteous where that Law is Judge the Law-maker by his very making of the Law makes him Righteous and the Judge that pronounceth according to the Law for a Judge is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will infallibly pronounce him so But that with all requisite Distinctness we may apprehend this great Affair let us take a view of some of the most considerable and important Causes which concur to the producing this excellent Effect the discharge and justification of a Sinner and state their several Interests and Concernments in their respective Influences upon and Contributions towards it And First 1 1. How free grace justifieth The free Grace of God is the first Wheel that sets all the rest in motion It s Contribution is that of a Proegumenal Cause or Internal Motive disposing God to send his Son Joh. 3.16 That sinners believing might be justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 For Christ died not to render God good he was so Eternally but that with the Honour of his Justice he might exert and display his Goodness which contriv'd and made its self this way to break forth into the World Secondly 2 2. How Christs Satisfaction Christ's Satisfaction is doubly concern'd in our Justification 1. In respect of God as a Procatartick Cause of infinite Merit and Impetrative Power for the sake of which God is reconciling himself unto the World in Christ not imputing their Trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5.19 2. In respect of the
Law of Works Christ's Satisfaction justieth us formally as our proper legal Righteousness I call it our Righteousness because it becomes imputed to us upon our Believing Faith being our Gospel Title by pleading which we lay claim to all the Benefits accruing from the Merit of Christ's Performance to all Effects Uses and Purposes as if it had been personally our own I call it our legal Righteousness because thereby the Law of God owns it self fully apaid and acquiesceth in it as in full Reparations and Amends made unto it for the injury and dishonour received by the Sin of Man We must plead this against all the Challenges and Accusations of the Law who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is Christ that died c. Rom. 8.33 And thus our legal Righteousness required in the first Covenant that of Works is wholly without us in our Redeemer yet imputed upon our Account Thirdly The Gospel justifieth quâ Lex lata 3 3. How the Gospel as it is the Law of Faith for the very Tenour of the Gospel-Covenant is Believe and thou shalt be saved Fourthly Faith justifieth vi Legis latae 4 4. How Faith as it is our Evangelical Righteousness or our keeping the Gospel-Law for that Law suspends Justification upon Believing Faith pretends to no Merit or Vertue of its own but professedly avows its dependance upon the Merit of Christ's Satisfaction as our legal Righteousness on which it layeth hold nor can it shew any other Title to be it self our Evangelical Righteousness but only God's Sanction who chose this Act of believing to the honour of being the Justifying Act because it so highly honoureth Christ so that as a most judicious Pen expresseth it the Act of Believing is as the Silver but God's Authority in the Gospel-Sanction is the King's Coin or Image Stamp'd upon it which gives it all its value as to Justification Without this Stamp it could never have been currant and if God had set this Stamp on any other Grace as Love that then would have been currant and have justified us as Faith doth now Fifthly God justifieth in a proper sense two ways 5 5. How God First As a Legislator Secondly As a Judge 1. As a Legislator enacting by his Soveraign Authority that fweet and gracious Law of the New Covenant by vertue of whose Tenour every Sinner that believes is justified from the Guilt of Sin from which he could not be justified by the Law of Moses Acts 13.38 39. This Law of Justification by Faith is God's own Act and Deed the great Instrumentum pacis between God and Man he hath proclaimed his Letters Patents the King of Heaven and Earth hath in the Gospel our Magna Charta given his Warrant under his own Broad Seal That he that believeth shall not be condemned 2. As a Judge the God of Heaven may in three respects be said to justifie a Believer First Forthwith upon his Believing God owneth him secretly within himself as a Person justified God esteems and approves of him as in that state unto which he hath by believing a Title good in Law an indefeasible Right a justified Estate emergeth actually as soon as Faith the Law-Title thereunto emergeth as a necessary Resultance by virtue of the Tenour of the Gospel-Law which only justified Virtually Potentially and Conditionally before every Believer in general but now Actually Absolutely and in particular it justifieth him as a Believer when he is so Secondly At the moment of Dissolution God justifieth as the Judge of all the Earth passing a private Sentence and Award unto everlasting Life upon every believing Soul Thirdly But Eminently at the last Day when the Ancient of Days shall take the Throne and in open Court before the whole Creation by publick Sentence for ever acquit and discharge Believers at that great and last Assizes Sixthly 6 6. How Works Shall I need to add that Works are said to justifie us Jam. 2.4 because they justifie our Faith or demonstrate before God and Man and to our own Consciences that our Faith is not a dead and barren but a true and living one by its fruitfulness in well-doing Seventhly 7 7. How the Spirit But I must not forget Lastly That the Spirit of God is said to justifie us 1 Cor. 6.11 and that two ways First Directly by working Faith in the Heart which is one of the Fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 Now Causa causae est etiam causa causati the Spirit justifieth as it is the Author of the justifying Grace Secondly Reflexibly The Divine Spirit clears up Justification to a Believer's Conscience by discovering the truth of Faith by working Assurance and by sealing a Believer to the day of Redemption The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God and if Children then heirs c. Rom. 8.16 17. Thus I have at length done with my first Task the opening of the Point which finds its self summed up in this Definition Justification is a judicial act of God as Law-giver and Judge of the world graciously discharging a Believer for the sake of Christ's satisfaction from the condemnation of the Law of Works by the tenour of the Gospel-Law or New Covenant which requireth of accepteth from imputeth unto sinners faith in Christ Jesus as their righteousness see Rom. 3.25 6 7 8. Rom. 4.5 Phil. 3.9 Vse Refut To improve it now which was my other Task by way of Refutation I infer against the Antinomians First That Justification is not from Eternity 1. Because a person must be charged with Guilt before he is justified or discharged but nothing can be before Eternity if discharg'd from Eternity when was he charged what from Eternity too then he will be at once eternally charged with and discharged from Guilt which if any excuse from a Contradiction they are much wiser than I am 2. My Text convinceth them actual Faith is not from Eternity therefore not Justification before God for if Faith justifie us not before God but only at the Bar of Conscience then there will be no Justification at God's Bar at all once mention'd in Scripture for Works do it at Man's Bar. What is it I wonder that justifieth from Eternity Not God's Decree to justifie for then his Decree to glorifie would make Glorification from Eternity too but Decreta Dei nihil ponúnt actu in subjecto God's Decrees are immanent Acts and pass nothing actually upon the Creature 3. A justified person was actually under Condemnation whil'st he was an Unbeliever Rom. 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already but he could not be at all Condemned if justified from Eternity 4. Saint Paul expresly affirms that the believing Corinthians were not once but now were justified 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus c. Secondly I infer against them that