was there any guile in his mouth a spotless Lamb. We have that on which is a through conformity to the Law from the beginning of Life to the end of Life But this Righteousness not put on by Faith we are not invested with any thing for which God should declare and pronounce us righteous in the sense of the Law for every mouth must be stopped all the world is become guilty before God Arg. 2. If we are justified or pardoned upon the imputation of Righteousness without works then by the Imputation of Christs Righteousness But so we are Rom. 4.6 7. David describes the blessedness of the Man to whom God imputes Righteousness without works saying Blessed is he whose iniquity is forgiven The former Proposition appears hence because there are but two ways whereby a Creature who hath a Law given him Do this and live failand dye may be justified either by pleading he hath done this and not failed from the beginning of life to the end and so he is to be justified by his works as Angels are justifiable Or if he hath not such works by pleading the Righteousness of a Surety It follows therefore since we have no such works and yet Righteousness is imputed it must be our Saviours for he is our Surety Obj. G. W. Divin of Christ p. 64. saith This Righteousness is not without the works of true living Faith but without the works of the Law of works which in the following Page he explains to be the Ceremonial Law requiring Circumcision For saith he if it should be without the works of Faith Paul and James would clash Answ 1. He knows we hold that he who hath Christs Righteousness imputed hath works of sincere Obedience also that Faith which gives interest therein is a working Faith This James contends for and that works manifest our Justification because they manifest the soundness of our Faith A person is arrested for a Debt of one hundred pounds which he hath borrowed and paid and received an Acquittance for the Judge clears him It might be said he was cleared by his Acquittance as evidencing Payment for which the Judge cleared him Thus according to James Abraham was justified by Works as evidencing his Interest in Christs Righteousness for which God justified him 2. He acknowledgeth that Righteousness is imputed without works of the Law of works This is all I contend for For hence I conclude that Righteousness which is imputed must needs be Christs sinless Obedience from the beginning of Life to the end because God being true who hath said Do this and live fail and die and we having all failed there is no way for us to be justified without the Imputation of Christs never-failing righteousness 3. He errs calling the Ceremonial Law a Law of Works in giving this the Lord gave a Law of Grace to his people that which supposed them fallen and so unable ever by their works to attain to Righteousness and pointed at Christ their Remedy 4. I suppose he looks on the works of Faith as constituting that Righteousness which God is said to impute But then 1. He would make the Scripture speak thus that God imputes works wrought by us without works wrought by us 2. And if the works of Faith be our justifying Righteousness then either the works of Faith before we are perfect or after only If before it follows imperfect works are justifying Righteousness and that God will declare them righteous or conform to his Law who are not so for imperfection is not conformity to Gods Law and that God will acquit them as innocent who are breakers of his Law for imperfection is a breach of Gods Law How can this consist with Gods truth who hath said Cursed is he that continueth not in all Imperfection is no such continuance If works of Faith only after we are perfect be our justifying Righteousness according to this Doctrine all the people called Quakers must look on themselves as in a state of Condemnation for none of them are yet perfect end not having reached perfection they have not a justifying Righteousness so are not yet justifiable and dying in their present state they must all look for damnation and to perish for ever a most sad and uncomfortable Doctrine 3. But were the works of Faith perfect yet could they not be a justifying Righteousness because not a perfect obedience to the Law from the beginning of life to the end thereof Who dares say Gods Law doth not require this And if this be the thing Gods Law requires and God saith Cursed be he that confirme th not all the words of this Law to do them Deut. 27.26 Shew how it consists with the vearcity of God to justifie him that hath not in the beginning of Life as well as in the end done all the works of the Law nor is yet invested with the sinless everlasting Righteousness of Jesus Christ 4. He himself excludes the works of Faith from constituting out justifying Righteousness For he excludes the works of the Ceremonial Law And will he say that Abraham did not in Faith circumcise his Son 5. Since it is not said he imputes any thing we have performed for Righteousness but he imputes Righteousness and since Righteousness in point of Justification is exact conformity to the Law of God from the beginning of life to the end it necessarily follows that the Righteousness imputed is something granted distinct from whatever hath been performed by us and that Christs Obedience to the Law whilst on earth is the thing granted for this only can be called Righteousness in point of Justification Arg. 3. As we are made sinners and condemnable by the Disobedience of Adam so are we made righteous and justifiable by the Obedience of Christ Rom. 5.19 As by one mans Disobedience many were made sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous But the former is by Imputation therefore so is the latter G. W. in answer to Mr. Danson's Synopsis p. 20. tells us We are made Sinners not by any imputation but by a real participation of Adams Sin Answ As if these were inconsistent whereas We could not be partakers of Adams sin were there no Imputation Adams sin was his eating the forbidden fruit we are not partakers of this by our actual commission of it it must be therefore by Gods imputation It cannot be said we are partakers of Adams sin in that we are personal Offenders Let the words be weighed By one mans Disobedience many were made sinners It is not here said By many personal Disobediences we are made sinners though this be true Adams sin of eating the forbidden fruit is really ours by it are we made sinners and this must needs be through imputation The 12th verse clears it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In whom we all have sinned Children are not excepted and yet many of them never committed actual Transgression If it be said through Adams sin we are deprived of Gods Image our
inherent holiness Or if the truth of the Charge cannot be denied Justice demanding What hast thou to say for thy self why thou shouldest not be condemned the only defence is by pleading Though I am guilty yet satisfaction hath been made for that guilt Because therefore the same fault cannot be twice punished after satisfaction 't is as if it never were This is the only way of Defence we have at Gods Tribunal We cannot plead we never broke the Law for we have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God But we must plead Satisfaction made to the Law and Justice of God for our guilt by our Surety the Lord Jesus Christ and evidence our right to the benefit of this Satisfaction by our Faith in his Blood even such a Faith as hath wrought by Love 3. Justification doth formally denote a Declaration that the Party accused is Just or Innocent and an Acquittance of him by the Sentence of the Judge But this Acquittance as to us fallen Creatures is a proper Absolution or Pardon Had Adam in Innocency been accused his Justification had been a Declaration of him Innocent in his own person and an Acquittance of him from all penalty of the Law as not deserved Our Justification is a Declaration of us who have been guilty in our own persons just or innocent through the Satisfaction or Righteousness of Christ our Surety made over and reckoned to us through Gods free Grace upon our delieving and an acquitting of us from all penalty of the Law though deserved which is properly Absolution or Pardon So that though Adam in Innocency or a good Angel could be justified without a Pardon yet 't is impossible we should be justified any other way but by being pardoned To sum up our Doctrine If the Question be What is it to be justified The Answer is to be declared just and to be absolved If the Question be Who is it that doth justifie or pronounce us just and absolve us The Apostle answers it Rom. 8. It is God that justifieth If the Question be We are guilty in our own persons for what is it that God doth justifie us The Answer is for the Satisfaction or Righteousness of Christ Rom. 5.18 By the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to Justification and Life If the Question be What is it that gives us interest in Christs Righteousness or upon which it is imputed or reckoned to us The Answer is Our Faith Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto Righteousness If the Question be What will evidence our Faith to be living and sound Faith The Answer is Our sincere Obedience to the Law Jam. 2.24 You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by Faith only We are justified by works as evidencing our Faith living by Faith as giving Interest in Christs Righteousness by Christs Righteousness imputed to us as constituting us righteous and satisfying for our Guilt for the sake of which God doth impute us righteous and absolve us This is the Doctrine we teach G. W. on the contrary teacheth that Justification is by Faith in Christ and by the Works that follow Faith without Christs Righteousness imputed In this we agree there must be a working Faith or no Justification And we must believe in Christ for Sanctification In this we differ whereas according to the Law of God this Charge is and will be brought against us You have not from the beginning of your Life to the end perfectly obeyed the Law It is therefore demanded what have you to say why you should not bear the Curse He saith Faith in Christ and the Works that follow without any mention of Christs holy Life and Sufferings is our sufficient defence against this Charge is that which constitutes us righteous before God as the Law requires and for which consequently God doth declare us righteous and acquit us in Judgment We say that Christs holy Life and Sufferings is our only Defence or Apologie against this Charge the only thing that can constitute us righteous according to what the Law requires the only thing for which God doth declare us righteous in Law and for which he absolves and frees us from the Curse of the Law as being imputed and made ours upon believing And again Christs holy Life and Sufferings being the only thing for which God doth justifie us We say that Faith in Christs Blood and Righteousness as the only thing that can satisfie the Demands of the Law and Justice of God is the only justifying Faith and that Faith that overlooks this Object Christs Obedience to the Death as the only thing that can satisfie the Demands of the Law and Justice of God is but a Soul-destroying Faith whatever it be He on the contrary holds that Faith in Christ for Sanctification only is enough to bring him to Heaven The Controversie thus stated I come now to prove we are justified by Christs Righteousness imputed and not without it From which if I make it good the other point clearly appears That that Faith which carries not out the Soul to Christs Righteousness to have it imputed is but a Soul-destroying Faith Arg. 1. No man can be declared Righteous in a Legal sense but who hath the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him But every one that God doth justifie he declareth righteous in a Legal sense Therefore there is no man justified but who hath Christs Righteousness imputed to him The Minor is proved from what hath been already manifested To justifie is to declare just to declare just in a Legal sense because it is to discharge him from the accusation of the Law and in justifying God doth judge us by the Law though by the Gospel also The Major will easily appear if we consider what 't is to be righteous in a Legal sense It is to be invested with a sinless Righteousness from the beginning of Life to the end thereof for this the Law requires It doth require perfection not only in the end of our Lives but in the middle also and in the beginning It never allows us to sin If at ten years of age a person commits Murder and then lives according to the Law of the Land in every tittle forty years then arraigned for this he pleads that after that Offence he continued to live exactly according to the Law the Judge cannot pronounce him innocent and so acquit him because the Law did not allow him to commit Murder any part of his Life In regard God wants not knowledge and proof of our Offences if we have had but one evil thought or have committed but one sin only all our dayes if he looks not on us in his Son reckoning his sinless Righteousness to us how should he declare us righteous in a Legal sense For the Judgment of God is always according to truth Rom. 2.2 Having Christs Righteousness imputed we are invested with an everlasting Righteousness he did not sin nor
alwaies when it makes use of the word Job 1.1 Job was a perfect man yet not without sin for he cursed his day Phil. 3.15 As many of us as are perfect It signifies not free from all sin for in this sense saith he ver 12. I am not already perfect Hence it follows an Argument from the use of the word in Scripture as I spake wisdome among them that are perfect c. concludes not unless it be first proved that the sense of the word in that place be free from all sin In the First Dispute G. W. objected many things As 1. Christians to destroy the works of the Devil It was Answered So he will in his time He took Six dayes to create the world when he could have done it in a moment Thus he mortifies sin more and more in this Life and will remove its being in the next Quest But why will he not in this Life Answ It is his good pleasure Quest p. 22. Can he see good not to abolish it Can he see the Continuance of evill good Or that his Commands should not be kept Answ He sees good to suffer the ungodly to go on in sin for the eternal advancement of his Justice If it were not so how easily could he change them He sees good to suffer Corruptions in part mortified in his Saints to keep them humble exercise them drive them to his blood and Righteousness for shelter from wrath and to render the infinite perfection of his merits and of his Fathers pardoning grace to all eternity more resplendent and glorious Ob. 2. Then his pleasure and commands are contrary for he hids us be perfect Answ God commands to offer Isaac he purposeth Isaac shall not be offered This shews he doth not efficaciously will every thing he commands Yet though here is a seeming here is no real contrariety By commanding he made it Abrahams duty his pleasure was to make it Abrahams duty Yet was it his pleasure it should not indeed be performed What real contrariety is here If he had further Objected God commandeth us nothing but what he enables us in this life to perform Answ He commands us from the beginning of Life to the end of Life to continue in all things written in the Law to do them yet he enables none of us to obey this command because he will not save us without Covenant of Grace and the continued sinless obedience of Jesus Christ our surety Ob. 3. Either sin is perfectly remeved in this Life or after death If after death whether doth it remain one moment after death Answ It sufficeth me to be assured from Gods word it is not done away in this Life it shall in the next Let the Lord take his own time to effect it Because I see mention of Purgatory p. 20. I further adde that since no unclean thing shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven since Christ is to present us holy unblameable unreproveable in his sight a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle As part of what Christ hath merited touching this point is applyed from time to time to a Believer whereby he dyes unto sin by degrees so at his death the whole of Christs merit is applyed immediately whereby sin is for ever totally abolished and the soul prepared to see God to his unspeakable comfort face to face Ob. 4. But it is the end of the Ministry which is to continue till we come to a perfect man Eph. 4.13 It was Answered That perfect man is Christ with all his Members for he consists of many till we all come to a perfect man And he is thus to be a perfect man in the other world not this Quest Is the Ministry to continue in the other World It was Answered The Ministry is to continue to the last Trump and to the last Trump will sin be in the Saints but then in a Moment will the Saints be changed and perfected and in the same moment will the Ministry cease In the second dispute he urged ver 12. Christ gave Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints Here I asked how long was the Ministry to continue in perfecting of the Saints whether till death or no After a pause he answered not so long as death I gave him a Scripture to prove that the Ministry and Scriptures were perfecting the Saints as long as they live Deut. 17.19 The King shall read therein all the days of his Life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God If he is to learn to fear God all the dayes of his Life Hence thus I argue whilst the Ministry and Scriptures are perfecting the Saints they are not perfected As whilst a Carpenter is building an house the house is not builded whilst God was creating the world the world was not created In the very moment when the world was created in that very moment God did cease from creating But the Ministry and Scriptures are perfecting the Saints all the dayes of their Life therefore the Saints are not perfected all the dayes of their Life He answered the Jews are under another dispensation or Covenant I asked in regard the Scriptures were perfecting the Jews all the dayes of their Life whether he would grant that the Jews at least were not porfected all the dayes of their Life here he was gone for he knew not how to deny it being made so plain though he would not grant it I could get no answer from him Here we may see how false that Assertion of theirs is that there is no coming to heaven for any in the other world who are not first freed from all sin in this It is evident God brought the Jews to heaven yet was not one of them made free from sin in this Ob. Psal 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled It was Answered 1. In point of Justification Believers are in Christ their head spotless clear as the Moon fair as the Sun 2. In point of Sanctification through renewing and assisting grace they do not allow themselves in any known sin but in Gods fear oppose all and this is their evangelical perfection or sincerity Ob. 6. Psal 119.3 They also do no iniquity To which may be added Divin of Christ p 3. He that abideth in Christ sinneth not doth not commit sin in whose spirit is no guile Answ 1. They allow themselves in no sin but sincerely strive to do their duty Answ 2. So far as regenerate and acting from the regenerate part they do no iniquity a Parallel place is Rom. 7.17 It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me Where Paul manifestly distinguisheth between his regenerate and unregenerate part nor is this Tautologie as G. W. insinuates Glory Christs Light p. 21. For to say a man acteth from his regenerate part speaks the springing of his actions from a right principle to say he doth no iniquity speaks the conformity of his Life to a right Rule It follows not hence the Saints are perfectly free