justification was not only among the Gentiles who had been without God without Christ all the Meanes of understanding any thing of Salvation through a slaine Saviour but even amongst the Jewes who by the Dispensation of the New Covenant which they were under might have been better principled for it was they who most urged the Interest of the Law of works therebyâ— laboured to corrupt the Gentiles to lead them off the simplicity of the Gospel-truth and of them saith the Apostle Rom. 10 3. that being ignorant of God's Righteousness going about to establish their own righteousness they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God They sought after a Righteousness another way than by faith in Christ who is the end of the Law for righteouness to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10 4. but as it were by the works of the Law Rom. 9 32. IV. The Pharisee who went up to the Temple Luk. 18 11 12. prayed thus with himself God I thank thee that I am not as other men are Extortioners Unjust adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the week I give Tithes of all that I possesse c. hath many followers Many there are who will have confidence in the flesh in what they do Nature never taught Paul to account all his great Privileges Attainments loss dung but rather to account them gaine for he saith they were gaine to him that is while he was a stranger to the Gospel to the Grace of God manifested therein Hence is it that the last are first the first are last such as thought themselves far advanced to have attained a great measure of righteousness so to be children of the Kingdom are shut out Publicanes Harlots are preferred as being willing to renounce themselves their own righteousness more than such Legalists Iusticiaries who confide in something which they themselves do have attained V. This is also manifest from the great difficulty of prevaling with such as seem to themselves to have in them something more than ordinary to relinquish renounce these things to betake themselves only unto Jesus to rest on Him alone for Righteousness Life Salvation from the little fruit that the Gospel Doctrine findeth among them How many subterfuges finde they out under which they think to shelter themselves from the wrath of God How many fig-leaves do they sowe together that they may cover the shame of their nakedness withall And at what cost paines charges are they in seeking to establish their own Righteousness And all to fortifie themselves in their own delusions to keep our the pure Doctrine of the Gospel And how ready are some to take hold of the smallest wig that they may hang upon it finde reliefe if it can yeeld but the least ground of hop in their imaginations ere they betake themselves to Christ according to the Gospel How many Fetches Turnings Windings hath a Soul pursued with wrath the apprehension of death ere it be willing to close heartily with Christ offered in the Gospel Yea if such as have had some wakenings come so far as to change something of their former outward sinful courses be not so loose prophane as formerly how ready are they to sit down even upon that bit of negative righteousness Much more if they be brought the length to go about some religious duties how will they then sit down sing as if all were well All which do plainly evince that there is a strong Inclination in us by nature to follow the way of works that we may have some share of the honour of our own justification VI. This sad truth is hence apparent likewise That when any Opinion is broached that but seemeth to give more to works than ought to be given though possibly upon the matter there be but little said that may make any real Difference how ready are many to close therewith to entertaine that Doctrine to cry it up commend it to improve the Advantages real or supposed there had to the furâ—er Confirmation of that Anti-evangelik errour which their Soul 's fully comply with when upon the other hand there is such a nauseating in many too too manifest at the Simplicity of the Gospel of the Doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ. If it be enquired whence doth this proceed or what can be the true causes hereof I answer Many things have a powerful Influence into this as I. The Natural Enmity unto all the wayes of God that each hath as a piece of his heirship from Adam What ever God willeth we will not yea we will nill though our nilling of it be against ourselves we have no reason for it There is a Spirit of Contradiction Enmity to God in us all by nature that we neither can nor will comply with God's wayes with what tendeth to set forth His Glory It is marked of the Iewes that they stumbled at that stumbling stone Jesus Christ who was the end of the Law for righteousness to all such as beleeve Rom. 10 4. 9 32. They had such a prejudice at Christ at the way of Salvation through Him that they brake their necks upon Him who onely was the rock of Salvation II. The innate darkness of Mens mindes touching themselves all the things of God especially the Mysteries of Salvation is another cause of this Opposition to the Gospel-way of justification They neither know their own hearts nor their own wayes doings nor are they acquainted with the holy righteous Nature of God nor with the nature of His Lawes Commandments c. They know not I say the Corruption of their own Natures the innate wickedness which is there which neither is nor can be subject to the Law of God Hence ordinarily such as erre in this matter of justification do intertaine erroneous apprehensions about Original sin our innate Pravity as do all the Sâ—cinians Papists many Arminians others So they are ignorant of the Law of God not knowing how Holy Good Spiritual it is how it obligeth the whole man Spirit Soul Judgment Understanding Will Affections Memory all the out ward Man condemning the least sin in Thought word or deed commanding the highest pitch of holy duties right Principles Ends Motives c. And hence they see neither Omissions of what is commanded not their Commissions of what is prohibited whether as to their Nature Multitude or other Aggravations and the ignorance of this maketh them to see less the necessity of a Righteousness without them to seek for it with less earnestness zeal whence it cometh to passe ordinarily as is to be seen among Papists that such as are most for works in justification shape the Law according to their minde curtaile it as did the Pharisees of old that
first to convince them of their Sin and Misery by setting home the Law wekening their Consciences as Paul doth Doctrinally follow this method when he is about to cleare-up explaine the truth about Gospel-justification in his Epistle to the Romans where in the first place he convinceth all of Sin both jewes Gentiles Chap. 1. 2. 3. concluding vers 23. That all have sinned come short of the glory of God vers 9. he giveth an account of his foregoing Discourse saying we have before proved both jewes Gentiles that they are all under sin And againe vers 19. that every mouth may be stopped all the world may become guilty before God Now this work of Conviction layeth the sinner low before God for thereby the Man is discovered to himself to be undone in himself to be under Sin Wrath under the Sentence of the Law having his mouth stopped having nothing to plead for himself neither by way of Extenuation nor of Apology having nothing in himself wherewith he can come before the Lord to make Atonement for his Transgressions to make Satisfaction to justice And thus the man is made to despare in himself as being irremediably gone undone if free grace prevent him not II. Whereupon the man is made to renounce all his former grounds of Hop Confidence all his former Duties good works civility Negative Holiness what else he placed his Confidence in formerly Yea all his Righteousnesses are as filthy rags accounted as loss dung So that he hath nothing within himself as a Righteousness that he can expect to be justified by before God but on the contrary he findeth himself under the Curse that what he thought before to be his Righteousness is now by the light of the Law the discovery he hath of his natural condition founde to be sin iniquity before God therefore to be so far from bringing any reliefe unto him that thereby his anxiety is made greater his case more desperat III. The way of Gospel-justification is so contrived the wakened man whom God is about to justifie is now convinced of it that Man must be abased for he is now made to see that he is empty poor hath nothing to commend him to God no Righteousness of his own to produce nothing within him or without him except the alone Righteousness of Christ the Mediator Cautioner that can stand him in stead Nothing of his own must here come in reckoning neither alone nor in conjunction with the Righteousness of Christ for what is of Grace must not be of works otherwise Grace is no more Grace Rom. 11 6. Christ must have all the glory he who glorieth must glory alone in the Lord. And therefore is Christ made Righteousness unto us 2. Cor. 1 30. is become the Lord our Righteousness Ier. 23 6. And all His must say That in the Lord they have righteousness Esai 45 24. IV. Nothing that preceedeth faith no motions or workings of the Law no legal Repentance the like have any infallible connexion with justification nor are they any congruous disposition thereunto or a Condition thereof there being no promise made that all such as are convinced awakened have some legal terrours works of the Law upon their Spirites shall certainely be justified experience proving that several who have had deep convictions Humiliations have with the dog returned to their vomite become afterward worse than ever doth also confirme this So that after the deepest legal Humiliations works of Terrour outward Changes the like Effects of the Law though when they are wrought by the Lord intending bringing about the Elect sinner's Conversion justification they have this kindly work upon the heart to cause the Soul more readily willingly listen to the offers of Salvation Mercy in the Gospel to submit to the termes Method which God hath in His great wisdom mercy condescended unto as to the actual Conferring bestowing of the blessings purchased by Christ for His own chosen ones justification is an Act purely of God's free Grace undeserved of them on any account an act of His meer mercy Love So that they are justified freely by His grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Rom. 3 24. V. Unto this justification their good Works are not required upon what somever account for good works must follow justification not preceed it They must be first accepted through Christ before their works of holiness can be accepted The whole Gospel doth most plainely exclude works of the Law under whatsoever Notion Qualification or Restriction as we manifested above shall more manifest hereafter Yea all works upon what somever account are excluded as opposite to justification by faith through Jesus Christ. The man who had no more to say but God be merciful to me a sinner went home justified when he who said God I thank thee I am not as other men nor as this Publican c. did miss that Privilege Paul hath so directly plentifully proved that no man is justified by works that we need say no more of it and therefore in this matter of justification man hath no ground of boasting but must glory in the Lord alone VI. As without a Righteousness no man can be justified before God because His judgment is alwayes according to truth He will pronunce no man Righteous who is not so or who hath no Righteousness And as no man hath a Righteousness of his own in himself that will abide the trial of God's judgment for if He should enter into judgment with any that liveth they should not be able to stand before His judgment seat be justified but all who are justified are in themselves ungodly void of all Righteousness that can ground a sentence of absolution from the Condemnation of the Law So it is the Righteousness of Christ as Mediator Cautioner which is to them the only ground of their absolution justification this Surety-Righteousness of Christ is imputed to them by God they are clothed therewith being considered as clothed there with are pronounced Righteous by the Lord the righteous judge dealt with as such So that all the Righteousness which is the ground of their absolution from the Condemnation of the Law is without them in another who was appointed their Cautioner therefore all appearance of any ground of boasting in themselves is quite taken away by the Law of faith Rom. 3 27. the reward is now wholly of grace not of debt Rom. 4 4. VII Though faith faith only be required of us in order to our having Interest in Christ His Righteousness to justification therethrough Yet this leaveth no ground of boasting unto man or of glorying in himself for it is in it self a plaine solemne Declaration of the Beleevers Sense
given out against him would think himself a living man if in stead of that sentence which he was every houre looking for he should hear of a free and gracious pardon Much more may this state of Remission be looked upon as a state of life 2 They are hereby freed from that death Slavery and Tyranny which the Law did exercise over them before and doth exerce over all such as are not yet justified for as the Law discovereth sin Rom. 3 20. So it worketh wrath Rom. 4. 15. And thereby hath dominion over a man binding him over in chains as it were unto the wrath Curse of God But Christ hath now delivered them from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for them Gal. 3 13. And they by faith having fled to him are pardoned and the Law hath no more to say especially seing it is satisfied by the Cautioners being made a Curse and having fulfilled it in our Nature and place Rom. 8 3 4. Thus are they freed from and dead to the Law by the body of Christ Rom. 7 4. O what a noble sweet and refreshing life is this to be free of this Slavery and Bondage whereby the Law is alwayes lying about the neck of the poor sinner the Curse and wrath of God as oft as he sinneth And adde to this 3. That they are freed from the just and well grounded managment of the Law against them by Saâ—an or a wakened Conscience I say just and well grounded managment for I grant the Devil and a mis-informed Conscience can bring forth the Law and terrifie therewith a true beleever by charging him with the transgressions thereof even after these transgressions are pardoned but this is unjust and illegal and the beleever is under no obligation to acknowledge these Charges or to admit them but on the contrary to reject them as being groundless contrary to the tenor of the Gospel But the unbeleever and unjustified Soul is laid open to all these fearful charges and dreadful challenges to all those summons that are as so many poisoned darts shot into his very heart every one of which is a death to him which he seeth not how to evite Must not then this be a considerable and noble heavenly life to have sin pardoned and thereby be freed from these Soul-affrighting Heart-pierceing Conscience-burning and Mind-tormenting Acculations Charges Libels and Dittayes brought home and delivered by the wicked Accuser of the Brethren and a wakened enligtened Conscience Must there not be many lives in this one 2. Hereby they have peace and Reconciliation with God being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5 1. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5 18 19. They are now reconciled Rom. 5 10. So Col. 1 20. And having made peace through the blood of His cross by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself Herein also they have received the Atonement Rom. 5 11. And the Enmity is abolished Ephes. 2 15. And slaine v. 16. So that the enmity on both hands is taken away they are reconciled unto the Lord who before were alienated and enemies in their mindes by wicked works Col. 1 21. And the Atonement being made the wrath of God is apaced towards them and that Law-wrath under which they did formerly lye is quite removed and they are no more looked upon nor dealt with as Enemies but owned and regarded as reconciled friends And who can express the good and sweet of this life or who can conceive what an heaven lyeth wrapped up here How justly may he be accounted a dead man who is an Out lawer and a Rebel to God who tasteth nothing of the Kindness and Friendship of God getteth nothing from Him as from a Friend but all as from an Enemie even all the outward favoures he enjoyeth in the World how great and glorious so-ever they be in the eyes of men And on the other hand how happy is he and how justly and deservedly may he be called a living man who can call God his Friend go to Him as to a Friend receive all from Him as from a Friend how inconsiderable so-ever in the eyes of the World the things be which he getteth This is a life the Good the Advantage the Joy the Comfort the Peace of which who can express 3. Hereby they are absolved and acquitted from all that could be justly laid unto their charge for justification in Scripture is expressive of a juridical Act of a just Judge absolving a person from the guilt laid to his charge and from the sentence of the Law due upon the account of that where with he was charged and never doth denote a making of righteous by infusing of tigteousness or by making any real physical change within whatever Papists say as wee see Deut. 25 1. 2 Sam. 15 4. Prov. 17 15. Esai 50 8. 1 King 8 31 32. Exâ—d 23 7. Mat. 12 37. Luk. 7 29. 16 15. And in multitudes of moe places O! what a life is here when a poor self-condemned sinner standeth before the Judge the righteous Lord hath his sinnes charged upon him and the Law brought forth cursing every transgressour for every transgression and justice appearing against him calling for the execution of the sentence according to Law and for death vengeance due by Law and upon all this can look for nothing but doom and present execution of the dreadful sentence what a life I say is it for such a sinner standing in this posture to have a sentence of absolution pronounced and be openly declared righteous and not worthy of death or free of the charge given in against him and thus is it with Beleevers according to the Gospel constitution for though they have sinned come short of the glory of God in themselves yet now they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ and that by faith Rom. 3 22 23 28. Gal. 2 16. Though they were Unrighteous Fornicators Idolaters Adulterers Effeminat Abusers of themselves with mankind Theeves Covetous Drunkards Revilers and Extortioners yet now they are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 6 9 10 11. God justified the Ungodly Rom. 4 5. The Circumcision by faith and the Uncircumcision through faith Rom. 3 30. 4. The ground of this sentence of Absolution passed upon them or in their favours will more manifest both the Reality and Excellency of this life Though they in themselves have been and are sinners and ungodly cannot plead not guilty nor adduce any ground in themselve where upon they can plead Exemption from the penalty of the Law but as they stand guilty in Law so they stand convicted in their own Consciences their mouthes are stopped and they are become guilty Rom. 3 19. They know and acknowlege that they have sinned and come short of the glory of God vers 23. so can expect nothing but
receive the Adoption of Sones and the blessing of Abraham Gal. 3 13 14. 4 4 5. As it is one thing to finish the Transgression to make an end of sin to make Reconciliation for iniquity another thing to bring-in Everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9 24. Yea the redemption from the Law and from its curse is mentioned as preceeding the other as the finishing of transgression is also mentioned before the bringing-in of Righteousness in the passages cited And thus as these Effects are distinguished though inseparable so is the Cause By the Imputation of Christs Satisfaction we have pardon of sin being redeemed from the curse of the Law by His being made a curse for us by the Imputation of His Rigteousness and obedience we are looked upon as Righteous so have a right to the promise and Inheritance Though we need not thus distinctly consider both save only to demonstrat the necessity of the Imputation of both for Christ by His death did also purchase the Inheritance for us and by His obedience made Satisfaction for sin it being a piece of His Humiliation So that both in the deep wisdom of God make up one cause of that one Effect which comprehendeth all Blessedness that is both pardon of sinnes and Right to the Inheritance c. By the Imputation of both or of this compleat Surety-righteousness of Christ including both beleevers are pardoned and adjudged unto life Hence our pardon and justification are often ascribed unto Christs death not as distinctly considered or as excluding His Righteousness obedience but among other reasons because that was the compleating Act of His obedience and to which all the rest preceeding had a respect as to that which should compleat the whole Meritorious part of His Mediation And hereby His obedience can no more be excluded than His foregoing soul-sufferings Nay His death did presuppose and include His obedience for it was the death of one who had perfectly obeyed the Law which death obedience being His Mediatory work in the state of His Humiliation was a compleat Righteousness for the blessedness advantage of all those for whom He appeared whose debt He undertook to pay 5. That the obedience of Christ must also be imputed to sinners is manifest from this That otherwise they should have no Righteousness at all imputed to them that properly can be called a Righteousness for if nothing but that which is commonly called Christs passive obedience or His Sufferings be imputed there can no Righteousness be said to be imputed for dying and suffering the penalty as such are no righteousness being no obedience to the commands of the Law in conformity to which consisteth proper Righteousness as when one dieth for his crime of Murther he cannot be said to be thereby a righteous man or to have obeyed the Law forbidding Murther nor can we be said properly to have obeyed the Law when Christ in our room did suffer the penalty of death due to us for the breach of it They who are in hell suffering the vengeance of eternal fire cannot be said to be obeying the Law It is true Christ in dying did obey a command Imposed upon Him by the Father but that was no command of the Moral Law prescribed unto man thereafter in dying Suffering He gave no obedience to that Law under the obligation to which we were standing no more than He can be said to have Suffered the penalty while He was obeying the Law these two being so manifestly different So that it is clear that if Christs obedience be not imputed to us no proper Righteousness is or can be said to be imputed to us Yea 6 If Christs obedience be not imputed to us that Law which saith do this and live is not fulfilled but rather abrogated quite abolished and it must be said that not withstanding of that constitution of Gods we live though we neither do this nor is our Cautioners doing of it imputed to us And so we have a right to the Reward get it at lenght without the Righteousness required in order thereunto Let us therefore admire the harmonious perfection of this Effect Work of infinite wisdom I know several things are objected against this Truth as there are many other grounds Reasons adduced for the same but these I shall speak to at more length afterward 7. This is also a mysterie here to be noticed That a Righteousness that is not ours inherently but Christs should be made ours made over to us reckoned upon our score or we become clothed therewith there upon justified as Righteous as really effectually as if we had wrought it our selves and it had been properly inherent in us Socinians Papists Arminians others who will not subject their reason unto this mystery and give credite to Revelation will acknowledge no such imputation of Righteousness but at most do grant but an improper imputation that is an imputation as to Effects so that with them Christ neither Suffered nor obeyed in our stead room but only for our good advantage that too conditionally only in case we beleeve and performe the Gospel-condition But this imputation as to Effects only is no imputation at all there being no thing thereby Imputed not the Righteousness of Christ it self for this they expresly deny nor yet the Effects themselves for we no where read of Imputed Justification Adoption Pardon c. which are the Effects Yea it is not enough to them to deny this Imputed Righteousness but in contempt scorne they call that which we name an Imputed Righteousness a putative Righteousness as if it were a meer imaginary thing But whatever such in decision think or say the Gospel holdeth forth to us a Righteousness imputed or the Righteousness of Christ graciously bestowed upon made over to belevers or freely given unto them so that they are dealt with by God as Righteous Juridically legally or as possessours of such a compleat perfect Righteousness that as really to all Effects as if it had been their own inherently performed by them so had been theirs without any such Imputation And because this as the cause is imputed to them made theirs therefore all the Effects thereof shall really certainely be bestowed upon them in God's appointed time methode This is the Truth which the Gospel holdeth forth to the solide peace joy comfort of Beleevers the full clearing vindicating of which would require a just Treatise I shall therefore here propose but a few clear manifest Grounds of this refreshful comfortable truth leaving the further prosecution vindication of them of other arguments that are used in this matter with the examination of what is objected on the contrary till afterward First therefore we say as Christ who knew no sin was made sin that is had the sinnes of His people laid upon Him imputed to Him so
of Christ is Subjectively and inherently in Himself only nor are we the workers of this righteousness Ans. Though the Righteousness of Christ be subjected in Him only wrought by Him alone yet the same being imputed unto Beleevers the Righteousness of the Law may be said to be fulfilled in them because by faith they are in Christ Christ is in them and in them is as much as for them or upon them or on their account as this same person hereafter granteth in a like case so it is accepted of God for all ends as if it were performed by them so it is fulfilled in our nature for for this end He came in the likeness of sinful flesh 3. He saith If by Righteousness of the Law we understand that entire obedience which every beleever according to the great variety of their several conditions callings relations stand bound to performe it cannot be said to be fulfilled in them by the imputation of Christ's righteousness for every beleever is bound to many moe particular acts than can be found in all that golden Catalogue of works of Righteousness performed by Christ. Ans. If the works of Righteousness performed by Christ shall not be a compleat Righteousness that can Satisfie the demandes of the Law where shall beleevers get a compleet Righteousness Shall their poor imperfect obedience wherewith themselves are not satisfied but complaine much of and mourne for be a more perfect compleat fulfilling of the Righteousness of the Law than was the perfect obedience of Christ with which the Father was well pleased Or shall the single weak act of their Faith as this Author saith be a more entire fulfilling of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law than the Catalogue of the works of Righteousness performed by Christ What probable ground is there for this imagination 2. Christ's obedience was perfect the Law-giver was satisfied there with accepted of it in the behalfe of all the chosen ones all their defects sinnes in their various conditions callings Relations were done away by the Satisfaction made by Christ so that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law was perfectly fulfilled in their behalf this being imputed unto them received by faith no more is requisite unto a stateing of them into a state of pardon right to glory 5. He saith The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth not obedience to or conformity with the Law but rather that justification which was the end and intent of the Law or rather that jus or right or Law as it were of the Law Ans. But all this will not weaken our Argument for that right jus or demand of the Law was as to us now sinners both Satisfaction for transgressions committed and full and compleat obedience till both were done performed there could be no justification of sinners and so this rather establisheth than hurteth the doctrine of Imputation whatever he may imagine 6. He saith By the word Law cannot necessarily be understood the Moral Law for 1. The weakness of the Law extends also to the judicial and Ceremonial 2. The jewes to whom he specially addresseth himself in all this disputatiâ—n built as much on the observation of the Ceremonial Law 3. The Moral Law though perfectly observed could not have justified all men at least not the jewes who were obliged to the observation of other Lawes 4. The Imputation of the observation of the Moral Law would not have served for the justification of the jewes who were under the transgression of other Lawes Ans. It wiâ—â— satisfie us if by the Law here be understood that universal Rule of Righteousness which God prescribed unto men that certainely is the Moral Law whereof as to the jewes the Ceremonial judicial were a part or were reduced unto particularly the Ceremonial Law being God's instituted worship they were obliged to observe it by vertue of the Second command And thus both the Exception all the Reasons confirming it evanish for 1. we take not the Law here so narrowly as to exclude the other lawes which God gave to the jewes seing they are all reduced there unto comprehended thereunder 2. Paul is here mainly writting for Information of the Gentiles the Church of Rome though there might be some jewes among them what he saith may be also for their use yet this will not prove that by the Law he understandeth any other than that perfect rule of Righteousness which God gave unto them comprehending these other Lawes as appendices thereof 3. The Moral Law thus taken if observed could have justified even jewes if we suppose they had not been born sinners 4. Christ having fulfilled all Righteousness His Righteousness was an observation of this Universal Law therefore the Imputation thereof can serve for the justification both of jewes Gentiles Lastly He saith The clear meaning of the place seemeth to be this That that justification or way of making men Righteous which the writings of Moses prophefied of long since to wit by faith in the Messiah might be accomplished made good and fully manifested in us or upon us viz in our justification who by an eminency of holiness in our lives above the straine and pitch of men under the Law give testimony unto the world that the Messiah the great justifier is indeed come into the world and having suffered for sin and overcome death hath poured out the Spirit of Grace aboundantly upon those that beleeve Ans. 1. To take the Law here for the meer writtings of Moses then to Interpret the fulfilling thereof as is here done is to exclude the witnessing of the Prophets which Paul expresly mentioneth Rom. 3 21. 2. What could this contribute to prove that there was now no condemnation to such as were in Christ Jesus among the Gentiles 3. How can this be a proof of what was said vers 3. foregoing 4. How can this be the end of Christ's condemning sin in the flesh as himself said it was Except 2 5. He told us before that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did properly Signifie jus right or Law of the Law now I pray what is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this jus right of Moses's writtings And how is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oâ— Righteousness fulfilled 6. What then can be meant by the weakness of Moses's writtings or how could they be said to be weak through the flesh 7. And how could God be said by this Interpretation to send His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh because Moses's writtings were weak through the flesh 8. I see then in us may import the same that upon us importeth though it was excepted against formerly as we heard 9. It seemeth by this Interpretation that there was no Eminency of holiness or walking after the Spirit among those who were under the Law which is utterly false 10. Christ by His coming did not only fulfill Moses's writtings
before the bargane be made and may also be paid down some time before he obtaine the purchase We owne only such consequential conditions here as are but the means and Methods appointed of God for such and such ends which have an immedial connexion with the end here intended And therefore we neither say nor imagine that a man may have the Righteousness of Christ or Faith yet not be justified for in the very moment as was said that a Man acteth true Gospel-and so justifying faith he hath the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him and is justified Every priority in order of Nature doth not conclude also a priority as to time far less can a man be supposed to have the Righteousness of Christ without God's Act of Imputation But Finally all these Argueings returne upon his own head for when he saith that faith is Imputed for Righteousness meaning by faith our act of beleeving he must also say that a man may beleeve and yet not be justified untill his faith be Imputed unto Righteousness by God whose work alone this is and his reply to this will relieve us Obj. 24. That which was Imputed to Abraham for Righteousness in his justification is imputed to other beleevers also But the faith of Abraham was imputed to him for Righteousness Ergo c. And for proof of all he referreth us to what he hath said Chap. 2. upon Rom. 4. Ans. We shall not here anticipat the consideration of that place and of this Argument founded there upon seing afterward we will have a fitter occasion to speak hereunto Obj. 25. Here is his last argument which he largely prosecuteth Chap. 21. pag. 188. c. and it would seem that it is here adduced againe for we had it once if not oftner before that he may take occasion to vent his mind against the Imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity Thus he Argueth If the Righteousness of the Law be not imputable or derivable in the letter and formality of it from one mans person to another then cannot the Righteousness of Christ be imputed to any man in justification But the former is true therefore c. Ans. What may be answered unto this Argum. the Reader may see in the foregoing Chapter Object last I shall not here repeat but go on to take notice of what he saith to that objection which he moveth against himself and proposeth thus If the transgression of the Law be imputable from one Mans person to another then may the Righteousness of the Law be imputed also But the former is hence evident because the sin of Adam is imputed to his posterity He first excepteth against the Major and denieth the Consequence thereof and giveth reasons of his denial 1. There is saith he no such Emphatical restraint of the guilt and punishment to the transgressour as there is of the reward to the performer of obedience for Gal. 3 12. the very man that hath done them shall live by them which is no where said of the Transgressour Ans. But all this is loose reasoning for as the Law saith God will visite the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation so it saith that He will shew mercy to thousands of them that love Him and keep His Commandements and here the one is as Emphatick as the other 2 As he readeth Gal. 3 12. that the man that doth them shall live in them so we read Ezek. 18 3. the soul that sinneth it shall die and Gal. 3 10. Deut. 27 26. Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things which are written in the Law to do them which words do Import as emphatical a restraint as the other But of that Gal. 3 12. we have said enough above we might also mentione that which was said to Adam in the day thou eats thou shalt die which seemeth to have no less an Emphatick Import But 2. he mentioneth this difference Sin saith he is ever greater in ratione demerity than obedience is in ratione meriti Adam might by his transgression merite condemnation to himself and posterity yet not have merited by his obedience Salvation to both because if he had kept the Law he had only done his duty Luk. 17 10. so had been but an unprofitable servant Ans. All this saith nothing where a Covenant is made promising life to the obeyer as well as threatning death to the transgressour Albeit Adam could not be said to have merited life by his obedience in way of proper and strick merite yet in way of merite expacto he could have been said to have merited for the reward would have been reckoned to him not of grace but of debt and there would have been ground of boasting and glorying Rom. 3 27. 4 2 4. How beit he had done but his duty when he had obeyed to the end yet the condescending love of God promising the reward to perseverance in obedience to the end was sufficient to found this Whether Adam had merited Salvation to all his posterity if he had kept the Covenant to the end or not is not our present question to enquire j this we know that by one man sin entered into the world death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5 12. And upon the other hand this we know that Christ was made sin for His as a publick person and all His promised Seed and Children are made the Righteousness of God in Him 1. Cor. 1 30. 2. Cor. 5 21. and those are sufficient for our purpose 3. He saith The Imputableness of the transgression of the Law rather overthroweth the Imputation of the obedience of it than any wayes establisheth it for the more Imputable that is punishable the transgression is the less imputable that is rewardable is the obedience of it Ans. This is very true when we speak of the same man as of Adam in both for he could not both be a Transgressour and a Final Observer of the Law and so both obedience and Transgression could not be imputed to himself Let be to any other the Imputation of the one did quite evacuat the other But what maketh this meer shift to his present purpose which is to show if he could that the Righteousness and obedience of the Second Adam the Lord from heaven is not as imputable to His Spiritual Seed Issue as the Sin and Transgression of the first Adam who was of the earth earthy 1. Cor. 15 47. was imputable to his Natural Seed Next he cometh to the Minor and denieth the Imputation of Adam's sin and this seemeth to be his maine buliness wherein he complieth with the Socinians and others Let us hear him first saith he the Scripture no where affirmes either the Imputation of Adam's sin or of the Righteousness of Christ. Ans. The contrary is sufficiently proven above all his reasons cannot evince what he saith He tels us
as the Condition of the Covenant of works and as a Rule of Obedience A duty may be duty now as required by the Law still in force as to its commanding regulating power and yet not be a part of the Condition of the Covenant of works wherein we had failed which Christ fulfilled by giving perfect obedience to that Law as the Condition of Life to which we neither did nor could give perfect Obedience and all our Obedience now though commanded by the same Law is no fulfilling in whole or in part of the Condition of the Covenant of works and therefore can not be said thus to be done twice but once and that by Christ alone He addeth But what man is he that sinneth not Therefore seing it is certaine that no man doth all that he is bound to do by the Gospel in the time measure of his faith hope love fruitfulness c. it followeth that he is a sinner and that he is not supposed to have done all that by Christ which he failed in both because he was bound to do it himself because he is a sinner for not doing of it Ans. As there is a difference betwixt obedience to the Law and the performing the Condition of the Covenant of works so there is difference betwixt sin or failing in Obedience and Violation of the Condition of the Covenant of works as our Obedience now is not the performance so our sinning is not the Violation of the Conditions of the old Couenant Beleevers performed the Conditions of the Covenant only in Christ which they could not do in themselves and therefore their sins now though transgressions of the Law are not counted Violations of the conditions of the Covenant of works under which they are not He saith 3. Yea the Gospel bindes us to that which Christ could not do for us as to beleeve in a Saviour c. Ans. And what then were these part of the Conditions of the Covenant of works If they were Christ hath performed them for He gave perfect Obedience and thereby hath freed us from that obligation If they were not neither can they now be required as part of that Condition He saith 4. The truth which this Objection intimateth we all agree in viz. That the Mediator perfectly kept the Law of Innocency that the keeping of that Law might not be necessary to our Salvation and so such Righteousness necessary in ourselves but that we might be pardoned for want of perfect Innocency be saved upon our sincere keeping of the Law of Grace because the Law of Innocency was kept by our Mediator and thereby the grace of the New Covenant merited and by it Christ Pardon Spirit Life by Him freely given to beleevers Ans. The truth expressed in the Objection is very far different from this Sociniano-Arminian Scheme of the Gospel which we have had often times proposed to us by Mr. Baxter but never yet confirmed nor do we expect ever so see it confirmed We have also at several occasions given our reasons against it and need not therefore here repeat or insist upon it Last object The same person may be really a sinner in himself and yet perfectly Innocent in Christ and by Imputation How or upon what occasion this objection is used Mr. Baxter doth not show and therefore we cannot certainely know the true meaning and Import thereof In one sense it may be very true and yet in another sense it cannot be admitted It is true in this sense The same person may be Inherently a sinner and yet legally Innocent through the Imputation of the Surety-righteousness of Christ. But it cannot be admitted in this sense The same person is legally Innocent in Christ by Imputation for this were a Contradiction What saith Mr. Baxtor to it Remember saith he that you suppose here the person Subject to be the same Man then that the two contrary relations of perfect Innocency or guiltlesness guilt of any yea much sin can be consistent in him is a gross contradiction Ans. There is no contradiction unless the matter be ad idem here it is not so for he may be guilty Inherently as to himself and yet innocent legally as to his Surety But if both be understood of a person legally considered I grant it is a Contradiction for he that is legally Innocent cannot be legally guilty in so far as he is legally Innocent whether the Charge be particular for one sin that is brought in against him or for moe or for all He saith 2. But if you meane that God reputeth us to be perfectly Innocent when we are not because that Christ was so it is to Impute error to God Ans. This cannot be their meaning for they know that God reputeth no man to be other-wayes than he is But yet it must be said that God reputeth Beleevers who have the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them Innocent as to the Violation of the Covenant of works I mean legally Innocent and so not guilty of the charge of sin death upon that account brought in against them for they are so being justified therefore there is now no condemnation to such Rom 8 1. none can lay any thing of that Nature to their Charge vers 33. He addeth But He i. e. God doth indeed first give then Impute a Righteousness evangelical to us in stead of perfect Innocency which shall as certainely bring us to glory Ans. That God doth indeed Impute that is give put upon our score an Evangelical Righteousness that is the Surety-Righteousness of Jesus Christ revealed in the Gospel in stead of our perfect personal Innocency which we neither had nor could attaine to which shall certainely bring us to glory being the Meritorious Cause thereof But Mr. Baxter's sense hereof is a manifest Perversion of the Gospel for thus he senseth it And that is He giveth us both the Renovation of His Spirit to Evangelical obedience a Right by free gift to pardon glory for the Righteousness of Christ that merited it this thus given us he reputeth to be an acceptable Righteousness in us Ans. Now that this is a clear perversion of the Gospel is manifest from these particulars beside several others else where touched 1 Hereby the Covenant of Grace is changed into a Covenant of works only with a Mitigation of the Conditions 2 Christ's Surety-righteousness is not Imputed to us neither as our legal Righteousness nor yet as our Evangelick-righteousness for at most it is only granted to be Imputed as to its Effects 3. We have no other Righteousness hereby properly imputed to us but our own Inherent Righteousness 4 Christ is hereby made of God unto us Righteousness by being made of God Sanctification to us 5 Hereby the immediat ground of our Pardon Right to Glory is not Christ's Surety-righteousness but our own Inherent righteousness 6 Christ hereby meâ—ited neither Pardon nor Glory to be
ever accuse a Beleever of not being a beleever as for Satans or others accusations of this kind a well informed conscience from the light of the word of the Spirit clearing up the work of faith in the soul the true real works of a lively faith will be sufficient to quiet the beleever stop the mouth of all these Accusers without the fiction of a new distinct Justification whereof the Scripture is silent But Mr. Baxter in his last reply to Mr. Cartwright explaineth the matter far otherwayes telling us pag. 46. and forward That the first justification is by God as Rector only by the pure Law of works as Creator the other by God in Christ as Redeemer Rector of the Redeemed world The first is conditionally past upon the whole condemned world that without any condition in man whether faith or works so it is both absolute conditional In the first the Father first condemned his Son as it were see pag. 52. after satisfaction given justified first him as Sponsor then the world for his sake thus God forgave those all the debt who yet perish by taking their fellow servant by the throat Here is a justification both absolute conditional Here is pardon no pardon Here is a justification of all the Reprobat Here is a justification of persons not in being prior to without all faith This therefore is not the justification whereof the Scriptures speak as himself proveth in his Confession CHAP. XX. The state of justification remaineth notwithstanding of after sinnes punishments FOr further clearing up of this life of Justification as to its Continuance we shall remove two objections that may seem to stand in the way of the truth hitherto cleared For it would seem that Justification is not such a continueing uninterruptible state as it was said to be upon this double account first That the sinnes which Beleevers who are justified do commit especially such as are of a more hainous crying Nature do break off this state of favoure reconciliation seing they deserve even the least of them God's wrath curse so expose the sinner unto the just revenges of God which seemeth not to be consistent with a state of Justification And then secondly as their sinnes deserve God's curse wrath so the many sharp sore afflictions which they are made to lye under both are effects of the wrath of God fruites of the Curse also would say that that state is such as can be broken off or at least is not perfect as it was said to be Now for clearing of the truth formerly asserted vindicating of the same from these two Objections to which all others may be reduced we shall propose some few things to consideration 1. None will say that every sin of infirmity weakness which beleevers commit doth or can cut them off from the state of justification for then they should never remaine one day to end in that state for no man liveth that sinneth not the Righteous fall seven times a day if the Lord should stricklymark iniquity no man should stand even the best of their actions are defiled with sin and they cannot answere for one of a thousand So that either it must be said there is no state of justification or that it is consistent with sin in the justified Justification though it take away all the guilt of by paft sins and free the beleever from that obnoxiousness to the wrath curse of God which they were formerly under yet it preventeth not all future sinnes not doth it put the beleever into a perfect sinless state nay nor doth it kill any one sin as to its being but only taketh away the guilt offensiveness the obligation to punishment or the reatus poenae whereby the sinner is bound over unto the Penalty 2. As for such sins as we may suppose if committed would ipso facto as they say forfeit the transgressour of the state of Justification destroy all interest in Christ in the Covenant of grace so transferre them into their former state of Nature while they were under the Curse as being sins inconsistent with a state of Grace Reconciliation with God such as the sin against the Holy Ghost or of full final Apolstasie as for such sins I say the faithfulness of God Mediation of Christ the Operation of the Spirit of Grace are as it were engadged to keep the Iustified from falling into them as all the Arguments proving the perseverance of the Saints do abundantly evince 3. Though every sin being a transgression of the Law of God which still remaineth in force to oblige the beleever as all others unto obedience in all points doth in its own nature deserve God's wrath curse according to the threatning penalty of the Law yet these sins do not annul the state of justification nor interupt it 1 because notwithstanding thereof all their former sins of which they were pardoned remaine pardoned do not bring them againe under the curse their Right to the Inheritance remaineth fiâ—me through Jesus Christ. 2 Because all these after sins were virtually pardoned their obligation to the suffering of the penalty upon the account of these virtually removed in their Iustification for therein was there a legal security laid down given that all future sins should not actually bring them under the curse or into the state of condemnation this is much more than what was before their actual closing with Christ being thereby brought into an estate of justification for though it may be said there was sufficient security laid-in in the Covenant of Redemption betwixt Iehovah the Mediator concerning the Non-perishing of the Elect Yet this security was hid under ground lying in the unchangable purposes of God in the Fathers Election of them giving of them to the Son to be redeemed in the Son 's undertaking for them in due time becoming sin a curse for them so taking on their debt making full compleet satisfaction therefore And this fundamental remote Right as it may be called could not be pleaded by themselves But after they have closed with Christ and are brought into a state of justification their Right appeareth above ground and the security is laid open in the Covenant of Grace whereby they are in case to plead their virtual pardon to be made actual the promises to be made good according to the Gospel termes after the Gospel-method And thus 3. Not only doth the law's threatnings speak to them as shewing what de jure only they may look upon us due unto them not declaring what shall eventually befall them or that eventually they shall fall under the eternal curse for in a sense that is true even of all the elect not yet justified as was said but they have a legal ground Right in the
the Beleevers score and this indeed is no act of just debt but of grace 7. Againe as was said above if Faith properly taken or the act of Beleeving be imputed for Righteousness God should not be the justifier of the ungodly nor could Faith act upon God as such with truth And yet the Apostle tels us here expresly that Faith acteth upon God as one that Justifieth the ungodly He who hath a Righteousness in himself is no ungodly man and God justifying a righteous man could not be said to justifie the ungodly But if we take faith here for the object of faith or for the Righteousness of Christ which faith fleeth unto and layth hold on all is clear harmonious for then that man is not a worker but beleeveth he beleeveth on God that justifieth the ungodly that is one that hath no Righteousness in himself but must have it elsewhere even imputed to him and bestowed upon him through Faith when he thus heleeveth or layelh hold on Christ's Righteousness this Righteousness which by faith he leaneth to is counted on his score for Righteousness he is thereupon justified 8. Leaving what was formerly adduced against this glosse from vers 6 7. 8. of this Chapter Chap. XVIII we shall see what other passages in this chapter will say against it The Faith that was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness when he was in uncircumcision vers 9 10. is the same with the Righteousness of faith which he had being uncircumcised vers 11. But this Righteousness of faith is not his act of Beleeving nor Faith taken properly as an act of Obedience but the Righteousness of the promised seed of the woman in whom all Nations of the earth should be blessed embraced by faith for it is this and not the meer act of beleeving that was sealed by the signe of Circumcision vers 11. for this Sacrament was a seal of the Covenant we know Sacraments seal the whole Covenant all the promises thereof to such as beleeve never seal our Faith or the like to be our Righteousness 9. The same that was imputed to Abraham for Righteousness will be imputed to all beleevers vers 11. But that is not the pure act of Beleeving for Abrahamt act of Beleeving was a strong act and is declared and explained to be such but every beleever who yet must be justified hath not such a strong act of faith as Abraham had And we cannot say that some are lesse some are more justified because the faith of some is weak and the faith of others is strong and yet this must be said if the act of Beleeving be imputed for a Righteousness for the Righteousness of one shall be greater than the Righteousness of another their Justification must hold correspondence with the ground thereof 10. That which was imputed to Abraham will be imputed to all beleevers for a Righteousness vers 11. must be a Righteousness which such have imputed unto them who do beleeve for it is added that he might be the father of all them that beleeve though they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also Abraham had Righteousness imputed to him or reckoned upon his score through faith while he was uncircumcised that he might be the Father of Beleevers among the Gentiles to whom also when they beleeve a Righteousness will be imputed as it was to Father Abraham 11. It is againe called vers 13. the Righteousness of faith through it he sais the promise was to Abraham to his seed but the promise is not through faith as an act of virtue obedience in us for then it should be through the Law but as the promise was made upon the account of the Righteousness of the promised seed our faith can not be said to procure or purchase the promise so its application is by Faith laying hold on gripping to that Righteousness 12. If faith properly taken were imputed it should be made void the promise of none effect they that are of the Law should be heires for faith taken properly for the act of Beleeving belongeth to the Law when it is made our Righteousness it is opposite to the free promise for what is promised or given upon the account of Righteousness or any thing within us is not a free gracious promise And when a free gracious promise is taken away all the right use of Faith is taken away so Faith is made void for the very essence of justifying faith lyeth in looking to laying hold on leaning to a free gracious promise 13. The Apostle vers 15. proveth that they who are of the Law cannot be heirs consequently that Faith or the act of Beleeving cannot be imputed for Righteousness as it is our act done in obedience to the Law by this reason because the Law worketh wrath c. And this also maketh against the Imputation of faith properly taken because that is an act of obedience to the Law cannot become our Righteousness being Imperfect consequently not conforme to the Law which requireth Perfection in all duties or other wayes threatneth wrath And if any shall deny this of faith viz. that it belongeth to the Law they must say that there is no Law for it consequently that not to beleeve is no sin for the Apostle addeth where no Law is there is no transgression 14. The ground of the free promise is that which must be Imputed and laid hold on by Faith But that cannot be Faith properly taken as our act for then the promise should not be of grace as it is expresly said to be vers 16. nor should it be sure if it depended upon our faith not upon that which faith laith hold on These things beside what was mentioned before from this same Chapter vers 6 7 8 23 24. may satisfie us in this matter and sufficiently evince that it is not the Apostles meaning that Faith properly taken as our act or our act of Beleeving is imputed unto Righteousness but that the Object of Faith or the Righteousness of Christ laid hold on and applied by Faith is that Righteousness which is reckoned upon the beleevers score Let us now in the next place see what the Adversaries say to make us beleeve that Paul saith Rom. 4. That our very act of Beleeving is imputed to us for Righteousness that thus the Apostle must be understood not as meaning the object of faith or the righteousness of Christ. The forecited Author Iohn Goodwin of Iustifie Part. 1 Ch. 2. adduceth some grounds for his glosse which must be examined His first ground is the letter of the Scripture that speaks it once twice yea a third a fourth time vers 3 9 22 23 24. Certanely saith he there is not any truth in Religion not any article of â—he Christian beleefe that can boast of the letter of the Scripture more full expresse
flow therefrom be accounted one the same thing but two distinct parts of one compleet effect And therefore the mentioning of the one in stead of the whole proveth no confusion or sameness but rather an inseparablness which is yeelded He move â—in an objection against himself â— 5. thus How can God be said to impute a Righteousness to a man which never was nor ever had a being no Righteousness at least of that kind whereof we now speak having ever been but that perfect obedience which Christ performed to the Law This indeed is a very rational question for our Author talketh much of an imputed Righteousness and never doth nor yet can tell us what that is that can deserve the name of a Righteousness Let us heare what he answereth 1. saith he There is as express compleet a Righteousness in the Law as ever Christ himself performed Ans. But what Righteousness is or can be in a Law but what is there by way of prescription And who doubts 〈◊〉 the perfection of this that acknowledgeth the perfection of the Law This is utterly impertinent to the purpose in hand where the question is of a Righteousness consisting in conformity to the Law and which must be attribute to man to whom the Law is given And what if it be said saith he that God in remission of sins through Christ from out of the Law imputeth to every man that beleeveth such a Righteousness as is proper to him Ans. To say this is to speak plaine non-sense for what is that to furnish a man with a Righteousness out of the Law Can a man be changed into a Law or can a man have any Righteousness prescribed by a Law but by thoughts words deeds bearing a conformity to the commands of the Law And how can 〈◊〉 pardon cause this transformation can the pardon of murther or of any prohibited act make that act conforme to the Law Pardon thus should be a self destroyer for an act that is no transgression of a Law can need no pardon and thus pardon should make itself no pardon What he subjoineth hath bin spoken to elsewhere He giveth a 2. answere saying To say God cannot impute a Righteousness which never had a being i.e. which never was really actually performed by any man is to deny that he hath power to forgive sinâ— Ans. This hath been is full denied it never hath been nor never shall be proved that forgivness of sin is the imputation of a Righteousness Though he addeth from Rom. 4 6. 3 28. c. that it is the imputation of such a Righteousness as consisteth not noâ—es made up of any works performed to the Law by any man which is but a Righteousness that never had a being Ans. This is but a plaine perverting of the Scriptures which speak only of works in that exclusion done performed by us as the whole scope and all the circumstances of the passages demonstrate to any man who will not willingly put out his owne eyes and it were a meer imposing upon the Understandings of the most ordinary Reader and a miserable mispending of time to goe about the evincing of this which is so obvious But what desperat shifts will not a wrong cause put men to use who will not be truths captives His 5. Conclusion cometh here also to be considered It is this He that is fully discharged from his sins needeth no other Râ—ghteousness to give him-Right 〈◊〉 unto life This is as false as the rest for the Law is do this live and pardon for transgressions is not the same with doing of the Law What is his reason death is the wages of sin is of sin only being due to no creature in any other respect nor upon any other terme whatsomever But what then Now he that it free of death no wayes obnoxious thereunto cannot but be conceived to have a right unto life there being neither any middle condition between death life wherein it is possible for a reasonable creature to subsist nor againe any capacity of life but by some right â—itle thereunto Ans. Though this be true as to us now that he who is no wayes obnoxious unto death hath a right unto life Yet the consequence that he would draw from it is not good to wit that that only which taketh away the obnoxiousness unto death giveth also a right to life because God hath inseparably joined these effects together as also their distinct causes together and giveth them inseparably so that he who is pardoned hath also a right to life not meerly upon the account that he is pardoned but because together with the imputation of the Satisfaction of Christ whence floweth pardon he imputeth also Christ's Righteousness upon which followeth the right to life And howbeit now as to us there is no middle state betwixt these two Yet in Adam there was for while he stood he was not obnoxious unto death and yet he had not right unto life but was to work out perfect his rask to that end But he tels us That while Adam stood he was already in possession fruition of life else he could not be threatned with death Ans. This is not the life whereof we are speaking we are speaking of the life promised by that Covenant unto perfect obedience But it seemeth that he joyneth with the 〈◊〉 in this granting no life promised to Adam but a Continuance of what he was already in possession of He enquireth If he had not a right unto life by his freedome from sin but was to purchase this right by an ctlual fulfilling of the Law it would be known what quantitâ—eâ— of obedience to the Law he must have paid before he had made this purchase how long he must have obeyed keept the Law Ans. There is no necessity of any exact knowledge of these things our maine question doth not â—â—and or â—all with the knowledge or ignorance of them Yet we may say and that is sufficient that that Law or Covenant requiring perfect obedience and perpetual without the least omission or commission he must have paid all that obedience which the Law required of him to the day of his transâ—â—â—gration or change to glory before the 〈◊〉 had been made He addeth for had he lived a two yeers in his integrity uprightness without the least touch of any transgression he hâ—d still but a debtor of obedience to the Law upon the same termes that he was at the beginning the least interruption or breach in the course of his obedience had even now been the forfeiture of that life he enjoyed Ans. How long Adam should have lived upon earth before his translation to glory we know not nor is it of use for us to enquire it is sufficient to know that he was to finish his course to persevere in obedience to the end if he would not both forfeit the life he had and the expectation of
in his body on the tree he was not wounded for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was not on him He was not made sin for us He was not our Cautioner High Priest He died not in our room stead Againe 2. saith he some what more properly Christ may be said to have suffered the Curse of the Law because the things which he suffered were of the same nature kinde at least in part with these things which God intended by the Curse of the Law Ans. Though this seemeth to come nigher to the truth than the former Yet it cannot give full satisfaction untill it be explained what that part is in respect of which only Christ's sufferings were of the same Nature kinde with what the Law threatned Let us hear therefore what followeth see if thence satisfaction can come But if by the Curse saith he of the Law we understand either that entire systeme historical body as it were of penalties evils which the Law itself intends in the terme or else include take-in the intent of the Law as touching the quality of the persons upon whom is was to be executed in neither of these senses did Christ suffer the Curse of the Law Ans. 1 This doth not explaine to us what that part is in which Christ sufferings are of the same Nature kind with what was intended by the Curse of the Law 2 There is need of explication here to make us understand what is that entire Systeme historical body of penalties evils which the Law itself intends in the terme Curse or death for this is but to explaine one dark thing by what is more dark so can give no Satisfaction 3 But if the alternative added be explicative so the two particulars here mentioned be one the same then we deny that that doth properly belong to the essence of the penalty as threatned in the Law that is every thing that necessarily attended the punishment as inflicted on man did not directly essentially belong thereunto as threatned by the Law such as the everlastingness of death despaire the like necessarily accompanying this punishment inflicted on sinners so that notwithstanding Christ did not neither could endure these accidental consequential evils Yet he both did might be said to suffer the Curse death threatned by the Law which is to be abstracted from what floweth not from the Law itself but meerly from the Nature of the subject or Condition of the sinner punished But it may be these words of his the intent of the Law as touching the quality of the persons upon whom it was to be executed have some other import that he meaneth hereby no more but this that the intent of the Law was that the sinner should suffer And indeed if so it was impossible that Christ's sufferings could answere the intent of the Law But we have said above that as to this the Law was dispensed with yet notwithstanding Christ the substitute Sufferer did suffer the same kinde of punishment that the Law threatned under the termes of Death Curse What he addeth Further can give no Satisfaction So that God saith he required the death sufferings of Christ not that the Law properly either in the letter or intention of it might be executed but on the contrary that it might not be executed I meane upon those who being otherwise ohnoxious unto it should beleeve Ans. Though it be true that God required the death sufferings of Christ not that the Law either in the letter or intention of it might be executed as to that wherein it was dispensed with Yet God required the death sufferings of Christ that the letter intent of the Law might be executed as to that wherein it was not dispensed with that is as to the punishment therein threatned And unless the Law as to this had been executed no man obnoxious to it should have escaped and that because of the Veracity of God yea because of his justice which he had determined to have Satisfied ere sinfull man should escape the punishment In the next place he tels us that God did not require the death sufferings of Christ as a valuable consideration where on to dispence with his Law towards those that beleeve more if so much in a way of Satisfaction to his justice than to his wisdom Ans. This savoureth rankly of Socinianisme It is not for us to make such comparisons as if God's Wisdom justice were not at full agreement and were not one The Scripture tels us that God set forth Iesus Christ t s be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past To declare I say at this time his Righteousness that he might be just the justifier of him which beleeveth in Iesus Rom. 3 25 26. And so it is manifest that Satisfaction to justice was hereby intended And this is enough to us who know also that in the whole contrivance of the business the Infinite Wisdom of God is eminently relucent And Love not to make any such comparisons only we think that a Propitiation and Satisfaction the like termes used in Scripture in the expressing of this matter have a direct aspect bear a manifest relation unto justice and correspond diâ—ectly there with yea clearly enough inferre the same though there were no other mention made expresly of the justice of God in this matter What saith he next to prove this for doubtless God might saith he with as much justice as wisdom if not much more have passed by the er ansgression of his Law without consideration of satisfaction Ans. What God might have done by his absolute Soveraignity antecedent to his designe purpose as to the punishment or the reatus poenae which must not be extended to the reatus culpae is not to the question But now the Lord having declared his determination purpose to rule governe the world thus to have the glory of his relative justice manifested in the Salvation of lost man could not according to justice passe by transgressions without a satisfaction He adds No man will say that in case a man hath bin injured wronged that therefore he is absolutly bound in justice to seek satisfaction though he be never so eminent in the grace practice of justice but in many cases of injuries sustained a man may be bound in point of wisdom discretion to seek satisfaction in one kind or other Ans. This is the Socinian way of argueing nothing to the pointe for we are to look upon the Lord in this matter not as a private man who may dispense with injuries done him but as a Righteous Governour who is resolved to demonstrate his justice equitie and who therefore cannot suffer sin to go unpunished without a due satisfaction had for the violation of his Lawes
decretis Publicis Politicis Ecclesiasticis fuit sancita roborata Sic ergò habent Articuli quos in Anglicum Sermonem versos exhibemus X. Of Free-will This is the condition of man after Adams fall that by his own Power and good works he cannot convert and prepare himself to Faith and calling upon God Wherefore without the grace of God which is by Christ preventing us that we may will and to operating while we will for doeing works of Pietie which are acceptable and well pleasing to God we can doe nothing XI Of Mans Justification Wee are only reputed Righteous before God for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ by Faith not for our works and merits For which cause the Doctrine of our being Iustified by Faith alone is most wholsome and full of consolation as it is explained in the Homilie about mans Iustification at more length XII Of Good Works Good works which are the fruits of Faith and follow the Iustified although they cannot expiat our sins or endure the severity of Divine Iustice Yet they are pleasing and accepted by God in Christ and necessarily flow from a true and lively Faith So that plainly by them a vive faith can be known as a tree can be judged by it's fruit XIII Of works before Justification Works which are done before the Grace of Christ and the influence of his Spirit since they do not proceed from the Faith of Iesus Christ are not at all acceptable to God neither doe they merit the grace which many call congruous Yea because they are not done according to Gods will and command we doubt not but they have the nature of sin XVII Of Predestination and Election Predestination to life is the eternal purpose of God whereby He before the setling of the foundations of the world by his Counsel hid indeed as to us Immutably decreed those whom he had chosen in Christ out of mankind should be delivered from the curse and destruction and as vessels made to honour brought to eternal Salvation by Christ. Hence those who are gifted with this notable favour of God are called in due time according to his purpose His own Spirit working they obey by Graces call are Iustified freely are Adopted to be the sons of God and made consorme to the Image of his only begotten Son Iesus Christ they walk holily in good works and in end by the mercy of God they come to eternal happiness As the pious consideration of our Predestination and Election in Christ is sweet pleasant and full of ineffable consolation to the truely Godly and to those who find in themselves the efficacie of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the deeds of the flesh and members which yet are upon the earth and by force drawing the mind to things above both because it does much establish and confirme our Faith of obtaining eternal Salvation as also because it vehemently kindles our love toward our good So it is a very destructive precipice to curious and carnal men and who are destitute of the Spirit of Christ to have alwayes the sentence of Gods Predestination proposed to their view whereby the Devil either presses them to despair or into equally pernicious security of a most impure life Thereafter the Divine Promises most be so imbraced as they are generally proposed to us in the holy Scriptures and the will of God which we have expresly revealed in Gods word is to be followed by us in our actions Atque hi quidem sunt Ecclesiae Anglicanae de Gratia Iustificatione Articuli convenientes utique cum aliarum Ecclesiarum praesertim Ecclesiae Scoticanae doctrina â—ti ex hujus Confessione Art III. VIII XII XIII manifestum est THE LIFE OF JUSTIFICATION Through faith cleared from Gal. 3 11. For the Iust shall live by faith CHAPT I. The Introduction the text the ground of this following discourse opened-up THe Doctrine of Iustification cannot but be acknowledged by all whose thoughts are taken up about an interest in everlasting felicity to be of great concernment debates or Controversies about the same cannot be esteemed vaine fruitless Digladiations Disputes about a thing of naught seing in this lyeth the Ground of all our Hop peace Eternal Salvation a Mistake or Errour as to the Theorie in this matter followed with an answerable corresponding practice I meane as to what toucheth the heart Substance of this Divine Mystery may yea must of necessity prove not only dangerous to Souls but even inevitably destructive Wherefore it cannot be justly accounted blame worthy that Churches particular persons who woule be faithful so accounted unto the grand-interests of Souls contend with alle earnestness for the faith once delivered to the Saints in this particular this being the true Basis of all Religion of Christianity without which there can be no access to nor Communion with God No peace with God nor true peace in owr own Consciences no life of Comfort here nor true hope of Salvation for ever here after No change of State nor saving change of liâ—e conversation in a word no life of Grace here nor of Glory hereafter And what then must follow upon the corrupting of this Truth upon Erroneous Apprehensions practices herein is aboundantly obvious to all such as have not sinned away all sense consideration in these matters Wherefore it is no wonder that Satan hath in all ages laboured by one Instrument or other upon one occasion or other and under one pretext or other to corrupt the pure streames of this wholesome Fountaine of Truth in one Measure or other in one particular or other that by such Mediums Arguments as he knew would be most taking seem most plausible at these Several times upon these Several occasions What way how far the corruption of this Truth was advanced in the Antichristian Church is yet known what ground their errour in this gave un to such as began to be enlightened in the knowledge of the Truth to separate from them to appear against them is manifest and what Effaies the Devil made about the beginning of Reformation or shortly after to darken this Truth by Questions Disputes even among such as hold the Truth fast as to the maine and what since by Several New Opinions or new Modes and Methods as they were called and given out to be vented and improven by Several Artifices to seeming different Ends he hath effectuated to the hardening of some in their Misapprehensions to the Corrupting of the Hearts Mindes of others and also the Staggering and Shaking of not a few may be called to minde with grief and sorrow Not to mention the bold attempt made by Socinians to overturne the whole Grounds of Christian Religion and to take away at once all the pillars of Gospel-justification The devil began early in the breaking up of the clear day of Christianity to darken this
that they were all caused to meet together on Him Esai 53 6. He therefore was made a Sacrifice for sin or dealt with punished as a sinner though no sinner inherently but only by Imputation for He did bear our griefs carried our sorrowes was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities Esai 53 4 5. to wit now imputed to Him by God reckoned upon His account who knew no sin in Himself inherently So are we made the Righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5 21. that is have His Righteousness who is God imputed to us who were in our selves inherently sinners being in Him by faith are dealt with as Righteous The manifest scope of the place the plaine Import of the word must enforce this truth on all who are not more than ordinarily blinded with prejudice Secondly as Adam's posterity who were not existing when he transgressed the Law of God but were only in his loines federally comprehended with him in that covenant by God's voluntary disignation appointment so did not actually really eat that fruit which Adam did eat yet have that sin guilt so imputed unto them that it is really accounted theirs not meerly in its Effects for its Effects are not truely Imputed neither can be saied to be so for that natural contagion corruption of Nature which is truely propagated to the posterity all actuall trangressions the fruits thereof cannot be said to be imputed because they are really theirs inherent in them But that original sin which is the guilt of Adam's first sin is only it which can be imputed unless we mean such an Imputation whereby our actual sinnes which we commit are said to be imputed to us when they are laid to our charge we actually punished therefore to them who did not actually commit it in their own person by vertue of this Imputation they are accounted guilty of that self same sin therefore are dealt with punished upon the account thereof no less than if they had actually committed it themselves in their own persons no less than Adam himselfs was punished therefore So are Beleevers being by faith united unto Christ made real members of His mystical body now interessed in Him as His Children Brethren made partakers of His Righteousness have it imputed unto them for all ends uses as if it had been their own without any Imputation The reading of the Apostles discourse Rom. 5. from vers 12. forward to the end may satisfy any as to this whole affaire who will yeeld themselves captives unto Truth for upon this doth the Apostle found His whole discourse explication of the rich advantages had by Christ His Righteousness clearing illustrating the same by that similitude of Adam whom He expresly calleth the figure of Him that was to come vers 14. so asserteth that as by one man sin entered into the world death by sin so death passed upon all beâ—ause all did sinne so by one man Jesus Christ the second Adam righteousness ontered into the world life by it so life passed upon all that were in Him because they are righteous in Him or have His righteousness imputed unto them Nay in the following verses the matter is cleared with an advantage unto Beleevers in Christ. But saith he vers 15 16 17 18 19. not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God the gift by grace by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded unto many c. And so he goeth on to shew what how great things beleevers receive from Christ with no less Yea rather with much more of a certainety than the Posterity of Adam were interessed in what he did and therefore as judgment was by one to condemnation saith he so the free gift is of many offences unto justification if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they who beleeve or receive aboundance of grace of the gift of righteousness shall reigne in life by one Iesus Christ. And as the offence of one Adam was imputed unto all thereby guilt judgment came upon all making them liable to condemnation So by the righteousness of one Jesus Christ imputed to all that receive this aboundance of grace of the gift of righteouseess the free gift of justification cometh unto them reconciling them to God instating them for life And the ground reason of this is laid down vers 19. for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so were guilty made liable to judgment condemnation So by the obedience of one that perfect obedience to the Law that Christ performed opposite to Adam's transgression disobedience shall many be made righteous that is constituted righteous therefore dealt with as such through this imputed righteousness so justified made heirs of life for vers 21. he addeth as sin hath reigned unto death even so grace must reigne through righteousness unto eternal life by Iesus Christ our Lord. They then who will deny or oppose themselves unto this Imputation of Christ's righteousness must do manifest violence unto the whole discourse of the Apostle in this place Thirly Hence another evidencing ground of this imputation for as what is done by a publick person representing others whether upon one ground after one manner or another is accounted legally to be done by those who are represented they are dealt with accordingly as Adam was a publick person representing all his posterity that were to come of him by ordinary generation according to the ordination appointment of God So Christ of whom Adam was a figure was a publick person representing all whom the Father had given to Him for whom He had undertaken for whose sake He sanctified Himself Ioh. 17 19. become their Brother taking on their Nature Heb. 2 11 14. becoming like them in all things sin only excepted Heb. 2 17. comp with Heb. 3 15. Therefore He took not upon Him the Nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2 16. He was the Captaine of their Salvation vers 10. He is also made called the Head of the Church which is His body fulness Ephes 1 22 23. 5 23. Col. 1 18. and so He with His Church make up one mystical body whereof He is the Head Beleevers are members Thus there is a closs mystical union betwixt Christ Beleevers beyond any union that is in Nature whether it be that of Head members of Root Branches of King Subjects or of that betwixt Husband wife for all these are but dark resemblances of this Spiritual Union betwixt Christ Beleevers which is therefore compared unto these in part explained thereby for our better understanding of the matter but none of
a Mediator Surety for us accept of His Mediation and Satisfaction most freely out of free Grace and Love when we neither had done nor could do any thing to move Him hereunto or to procure this at His hands yea when all our carriage all that He could see in us did rather cry aloud for the contrary dealing 4 Was it no Act of Soveraigne Grace that God should provide all this remedie for a few whom He did choose for Him self out of free Grace and Love and gave away to Christ to bee redeemed by Him leaving the rest passing them by though no more unworthy than such as were chosen 5 Is it no Act of grace mercy that in order to this great favour of justification no more should be required on our part than faith in Jesus Christ seing this very faith including an Union with and a marriag-consent unto Christ is in it self a favour nothing in a manner inferiour to the pardon of all our sinnes to the accepting of us as Righteous in His sight 6 Is justification no Act of grace and mercy though it be upon the account of the obedience and Satisfaction of Christ when that very faith which is only required of us in order to our full interest in Christ His merites is also the free gift of God Ephes. 2 8 If these particulars will not aboundantly say that we are saved in justification by grace by the exceeding riches of Gods grace kindness towards us through Christ Jesus according to Ephes. 2 7. what will 9. Here is a great and wonderful mystery in this matter That the Innocent should suffer and the guilty escape go free The Socinians that they may strengthen them selves in their mischievous prejudices against the Satisfaction of Christ imagine an Impossibility here an Inconsistency with Justice that an Innocent person should be put to suffer But what ever they dream who will walk in these mysterious matters by no other guide than the dim light of corrupt nature it comporteth aboundantly with Justice that the Surety be put to pay what he hath undertaken to pay for the principal debtor And here was no wrong done to our Surety Jesus Christ who willingly undertook this debt and was lord of His own life having absolute power to lay it down and power to take it up againe and to raise him self from the dead knowing withall how richly to compensate make up that loss another way so as He should be no loser when He should see His Seed and receive the rich reward of His laboures from the Father whose Servant He was in this affaire Here is then a mystery of wisdom Grace and Love that the Innocent Lamb of God who knew no sin who did no violence nor was guile found in his mouth 2 Cor. ◠21. Esai 53 9. Who when He was reviled reviled not againe 1 Pet. 2 22 23. Who was Holy harmless undesiled and separat from sinners Heb. 7 26. That He should be made sin by God 2 Cor. 5 21. And so legally guilty obnoxious to the punishment due for sin that He should be made an High Priest to offer up Him self a sacrifice for sin Heb. 9 14 28. That He should bear our grieves carry our sorrowes and be wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities that the punishment of our peace should be upon Him He should stripes be oppressed afflicted and be cutt off out of the Land of the living have strokes upon Him make His grave with the wicked be bruised be put to griefe and make His soul an offering for sin Esai 53 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. That he who could not be charged with sin should yet be put to suffer most grieveous torments immediatly in his soul Mat. 26 37 38. 27 46. Luk. 22 44 Ioh. 12 27. And paines in his body Mat. 26. 27. Chapters That He should die and that He should die the Shamful Painful and cursed death of the Cross Gal. 3 13. Phil. 2. 8. And upon the other hand that we who were the sinners and guilty and so obnoxious to all the miseries of this life to death it self and to the paines of hell and wrath of God for ever should escape and be healed by His stripes Esai 53 5. 1 Pet 2 24. become the righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5 21. And be justified and made heirs of the promises O! what an unsearchable mystery of Love and free grace shineth forth here 10. This is also a Part of this Mystery That nothing should be forgiven yet all should be forgiven Nothing was forgiven to our Surety He paid all that was required of Him for the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all He gave full obedience to the Law in all its demandes made a perfect compleat Satisfaction for our Offences so that the Father was well pleased in Him the same was at two several times declared expressed out of heaven once at His Baptisme Mat. 3 17. againe at His Transfiguration Mat. 17 5. The sword of Justice was awakened against Him though He was Gods fellow Zech. 13 7. And did abate Him nothing of what was due The Lord Jesus gave him self for us an offering and a Sacrifie to God for a sweet smelling savour Ephes. 5 2. He is a perfect High Priest continueing for ever having an unchangable Priest-hood and therefore is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him for He needeth not daily as the High Priests under the Law to offer up Sacrifie first for His own sinnes then for the People for this He did once when He offered up Himself for the word of the Oath maketh Him a Priest who is consecrated for ever more Heb. 7 24 25 26 27. And yet though He had nothing forgiven or abated to Him while standing in our room but paid all to the outmost farthing all notwithstanding is freely forgiven to us and we have blessedness by the Lords forgiving our Iniquities covering our sins or not imputing them to us Psal. 32 1 2. Rom. 4 7 8. Our Redemption is forgiveness of sinnes Ephes. 1 7. Col. 1 14. And all sinnes must be forgiven to us or our Redemption should not be perfect nor we saved for one sin would ruine us for ever because if the Lord should mark iniquity enter in to judgment no man should stand no flesh should be justified Psal. 130 3. 143 2. 11. Here is another Mystery considerable in our justification That though thereby we be declared pronounced righteous so acquite absolved from what was or might be charged upon us Yet we have need of Pardor must be freely pardoned Socinians cannot or will not 〈◊〉 Conexion that Infinite Wisdom hath made here therefore make use of forgiveness free pardon of sinnes as an Argument wherewith to fight
Salvation we must be clothed with the Righteousness of Christ which is that which faith grippeth to apprehendeth that the shame of our nakedness may not appear and we may be in case to stand before the Tribunal of God CHAP. X. Some Arguments for the Imputation of Christs Righteousness Vindicated from the Exceptions of John Goodwine THe truth concerning the Imputation of Christs Righteousness hath been hitherto asserted from Scripture several of these passages have been vindicated from the Exceptions of Mr. Goodwine a maine adversary thereunto For further clearing of the matter we shall see what Exceptions the same man bringeth-in against the Arguments which are made use of by the Orthodox for the truth asserted Argum. 1. If there be no standing in judgment before God unless we be endued with perfect Righteousness then must the Righteousness of Christ be imputed to us in our justification But there is no standing for us in judgment before God unless we be endued with a perfect Righteousness Ergo c. Against this he excepteth pag. 192. Chap. 7. saying That the consequence of the former proposition is not good And so doth Bellar. answere de Iustific lib. 2. cap. 7. So do also the Socinians But let us hear his reasons Remissin of sins saith he which is the purchase procurement of the death of Christ is a perfect Righteousness is every way able to bear us out in judgment Ans. Remission of sins neither is nor can be called righteousness â—or a pardoned person is noâ— the same with one that hath kept the law though by vertue of this pardon he is freed from the punishment due to the transgressours of the law yet hath he no right to the reward promised to the keepers of the law 2 Remission of sins being the purchase of Christs death Sufferings cannot be had without the Imputation of the death Sufferings of Christ unto the Beleever so hereby one halfe of the truth must be granted But His Sufferings Obedience going together both making up one Mediatory Surety-righteousness performed by Christ in His estate of humiliation both most be Imputed made over to the Beleever to the end he may receive pardon right to Glory Arg. 2. He that is justified by the Righteousness of another and not by his own must needs be justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed because there is no righteousness to be found in any other for the justification of a person in the sight of God But every man that is justified is justified by the righteousness of another and not by his own Ergo c. He excepteth 1. The Major is false because the passive obedience of Christ is the Righteousness of another and men may be are throughly fully justified by the merite hereof communicated to them in the free pardon of their sinnes and so need not the imputation of His active obedience Ans. 1 We plead not for the sole Imputation of Christs active obedience but for the Imputation of all that He did and suffered for in the room stead of His owne 2 Where are Christs meer Sufferings as distinguished from His obedience called a righteousness or how can meer Sufferings as such or bearing of the punishment threatened by the law be called a righteousness doth not righteousness denote the conformity of actions unto the law 3 When it is said the merite of Christs passive obedience is communicated unto us the meaning must be one of these two either that it self is properly made over imputed to us or onely in its effect free pardon of sinnes If this latter be said Then no other Imputation is granted than what Socinians will yeeld unto how can it be said to be Imputed as to its Effects when it self is not Imputed in order to the partaking of these effects If the former be said then there is something that is in it self imputed not meerly in its Effects And if Christs Passions Sufferings be imputed abstracted from His righteousness Active obedience they shall be justified without a righteousness And it neither is nor ever will be proved that pardon of sinnes is the whole of justification or that a pardoned man is 〈◊〉 ipso that he is pardoned a righteous man or that a pardoned man meerly as such hath right to the recompence of reward promised to the fulfiller of the law Except 2. to the Minor A man may be said saith he to be justified by the Righteousness of another and not by his own in a double sense Either 1. by way of merite and then it is true that every one is justified by the Righteousness of another that is by the merite of the righteousness of another or 2. by way of forme so it is altogether untrue for that Righteousness where with a man is formally made Righteous is alwayes a mans own by donation Possession Ans. 1 When a man is justified by the merite of the Righteousness of another that Righteousness of the other must be imputed to the justified person or we have no other Imputation than what Socinians yeeld to 2. If the righteousness whereby one is formally justified be his owne by donation possession no other possession be thereunto requisite then we may be said to be formally justified by the righteousness of Christ for we affirme that Beleevers are possessed thereof by Gods free donation and Imputation thus the whole is granted for nothwithstanding hereof that same righteousness which is made over to the Beleever by free donation Imputation is Christs Inherently so is the righteousness of another Whereby we see that the members of this distinction thus explained are not different Yet we must not think that this righteousness of Christ is so given to us as that it is inherent in us wrought in us as Faith Repentance are for even Remission of sinnes whereby he will have us formally justified is not so in us as Faith and Repentance are in us And through Gods Imputation and Donation the righteousness of Christ may be the Beleevers when it is received by faith as well as Remission of sinnes for to speak in his own language that which is given unto man by God may truely and properly be called his own 3 That remission of sins is formal justification will never be proved and seing he will have Remission of sins to be the pure Effect of Christs Sufferings and death so must justification be and then why saith the Apostle Rom. 4 25. Who was delivered viz. to Sufferings and death for our offences and raised againe for our justification Arg. 3. If Beleevers have a true and real communion with Christ then is his Righteousness theirs by imputation But the former is true c. It may be he proposeth the Argument in such a mode way as may be most to His own advantage for who argueth thus he nameth not Yet it is true that
Gods act the person justified must be righteous ere God can judge pronounce him to be such for the judgment of God is alwayes according to truth no person having a righteousness of his own all that are justified must have a Righteousness imputed to them and there is no Righteousness that can be said to be imputed but the Surety righteousness of Christ and particularly in satisfying all the demands of the law He Excepteth pag. 211. against the Minor 1. That however it be true that justification cannot take place without a perfect Righteousness being nothing else than the making of a man perfectly Righteous yet a Righteousness consisting determinatly of such a tale of righteous acts as Christ performed unto the Moral law is not absolutely necessary for in reference to the jewes there must have been righteous acts performed unto the ceremonial law also Ans. 1 Justification is not the making of a man perfectly righteous but the judicial pronouncing declaring of a man to be so through the Righteouseness of Christ imputed to him received by faith 2 A perfect Righteousness consisting in compleat obedience the law is required we urge not such a determination of acts in number tale to the moral or to the Ceremonial law only we assert the necessity of a full obedience to the Rule of Righteousness which God prescribed unto men this was the Moral law Though as to the jewes there were other prescriptions proposed than were to others of the world yet these same prescriptions consisting in Ceremonials or in Judicials were reduced to the Moral law were enjoined thereby so long as they stood in force and were not repealed by the Supream Law giver Except 2. Neither is it so absolutly true that there is no perfect Righteousness to be found beside Christs There is a Righteousness in the law as absolut compleat And it is much more probable that if God Imputes a legal Righteousness unto Men in justification He fournisheth them this way out of the law Ans. But what is that Righteousness in the law doth the law hold forth any Righteousness but perfect obedience and how can God furnish them with this but by Imputing unto them the perfect obedience of Christ seing He hath not so ordered matters as they shall be in case while here perfectly to keep the law themselves 2 He remitteth us to what he said formerly in the same Treatise and in that place he maketh this compleat Righteousness to consist in Remission of sinnes And yet it is certaine that Remission is no obedience nor is it a Righteousness held forth in the law not is it any Satisfaction to the law yea it agreeth noth with common sense nor with Reason to say that by Remission of sins men are made formally Righteous Except 3. That perfect Righteousness wherein justification consisteth and where with men are made formally Righteous when they are justified is nothing else but Remission of sins Rom. 4 6 7. Ans. Remission of sins is not a perfect Righteousness This hath no countenance from Scripture nor from Reason or common sense Who ever thought or said that a pardoned Thiefe or Murderer was a Righteous man or that his pardon made him formally Rightheous and an observer of the law Though thereupon he be freed from the penalty or from the punishment threatned in the law against such transgressours yet is he nor thereupon either made or declared to be Righteous but his pardon is a virtual declaration that he is not Righteous but a Transgressour How that place Rom. 4 6 7. is perverted when adduced to give countenance to this fiction is declared already He addeth pag. 215. two Reasons for this the first is That remission of sins is equivalent unto and virtually containeth comprehendeth in it the most absolute and entire obedience unto the law Ans. Remission of sins as such is so far from being equivalent to this or from comprehending this in it that it is a plaine declaration of the contrary for where entire obedience is there Remission hath no place and Remission must presuppose a Transgression The next is Because swaith he it hath all these great and high privileges annexed to it and depending upon it which a Righteousness most strickly so called could have as the Love Favour acceptation and approbation of God Ans. If we speak of Remission of sinnes in it self and abstractly considered this is also false for though a pardoned man be freed from the punishment due to Transgressours yet as meerly pardoned he hath no right to Reward promised to the perfect observers of the law Nothwithstanding hereof we grant that the man pardoned of God hath all these high and great privileges but not by vertue of his meer pardon but because there is a Righteousness imputed to him upon which these privileges do depend and Exemption from punishment dependeth upon his pardon He hath two other Reasons elsewhere pag. 5 6. to this purpose as 1. That Remission includeth the acknowledgment of the observation of the whole law even as the Imputation of the law fulfilled necessarily includeth the non-imputation of sin Ans. Though in our justification this might be granted to be true upon the matter because there is an Imputation of the whole Surety-righteousness of Christ together and the one part is not separated from the other so that the one consequently inferreth the other But when it is thus reasoned against the Imputation of the one the Inference here must be understood of a formal Inference and so it is false that Remission includeth the acknowledgment of the observation of the whole law for it only includeth the non-Imputation of guilt notwithstanding that the law was broken yea as is said it manifestly supposeth the contrary viz. That the law was not perfectly observed for had the law been perfectly observed there had been no place for pardon Moreover Remission as such giveth no Right to the reward promised unto perfect obedience but only impunity from the punishment threatned for disobedience 2. saith he He cannot be said to have all this sinnes fully forgiven who is yet looked vpon as one that hath transgressed either by Omission or Commission intended to be dealt with all as such Ans. Though he whose sinnes are fully forgiven cannot be dealt with as one guilty of sin that is as one liable to the punishment yet he may be looked on as one that was guilty and so did not give full and perfect obedience and therefore though he cannot be dealt with as a Transgressour yet neither can he be dealt with upon the account of his Remission as one that hath yeelded perfect obedience did never transgress Wherefore seing he cannot be looked upon as one that never transgressed he cannot be looked upon as one that hath a perfect Righteousness and so a Right to the Reward The similitudes taken from a phisician restoreing his patient to health by recovering him from his sickness and
posterity after him into the same condemnation And how could they be punished for that same guilt if it was not some way theirs by the just righteous Judge Governour of the world The posterity can no more be justly punished for the great hainous sins of their progenitors than for their lesser sinnes if they have no interest in these sinnes nor partake of the guilt thereof But as to Original sin the Scripture giveth the Sin as the ground of the punishment maketh the one to reach all as well as the other telling us Rom. 5 12. that by one Man sin â—ntered in to the world death by sin so death passed upon all Men for that all have sinned or in whom all have sinned See vers 19. 2. The Narrownese or scantisness of Adam's Person who could not beat that fulness of punishment which God might require for that great sin we cannot think that God should sit down with loss Ans. This is his second pillar But neither is it sufficient for God could have punished Adam condingly for his sin but when the posterity is punished for that sin also that sin must be theirs Though for great crimes as Treason the like the Posterity suffeâ—eth when the guilty is forfeited I yet the posterity are not properly punished for that sin nor can be said to be so as we are punished for Original sin because it is ours we sinned in Adam 3. His 3d. maine pillar is the peculir near relation of the posterity of Adam to his person for then they were in it as it were a part or some what of it so that Adam was us all we were all that one Adam as Augustine speaketh the whole generation of mankind is but Adam or Adam's person expounded at large Ans. This is sufficient for us for it will hold forth the Covenant relation wherein Adam stood as representing all his posterity so they were as well in him a part of him in his sin as in his punishment which is all we desire for hence it appeareth that all sinned in that one Adam as well as they were all punished in him Then he tels us that all these three are jointly intimat Râ—â— 5 12. Where first there is the demerito Imported when death is said to enter the scantiness of Adam's person when it is said to have passed upon all men the relation of his posterity to him in that all are said to have sinned in him Ans. But the maine thing which he denieth is there also imported when it is said that all men sinned in him or became guilty of his sin for thereby it is manifest that only they had an interest in his person but that they had such an Interest in relation to his person as so stated as standing in a Covenant-relation to God that they sinned in him or became guilty of his sin therefore suffered with him the demerite thereof Whence it is evident howbeit he seemeth confident of the contrary pag. 207. That the Imputation of Adam's sin or of his sinful Act as sinful or as it was a sin not of the act as such for that himself faith once againe was directly efficiently from God himself therefore was good is the ground or cause of punishment that cometh on his posterity But he saith pag. 208. If any Imputation be in this case it is of every mans own sin in Adam for is was Adam alone that sinned but all sinned in him It is not said that Adam's sin is Imputed to his posterity but rather that his posterity themselves sinned in Adam Ans. If he wil stand to this we need not contend with him about the word Impute this expression of Scripture comprehending plainely holding forth all that we would say And if he will grant as much in reference to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness as is here said of Adam who was the type of him that was to come he must I judge retract all that he hath said against the same What followeth in that Chapter being but founded upon what is already mentioned examined needeth not here againe be repeated or expressed considered Thus we have taken notice of all which this voluminous Adversary hath said upon this matter both against the Truth for his own Errour no doubt he hath scraped together all that he could finde giving any seeming contribution unto the Notion which he hugged hath laboured after his usual manner to set of with a more than ordinary measure of confidence with an affected pedantrie of language supplying with bombast expressions the want of reality of truth solidity of reasoning What remaineth in that book concerning the Imputation of faith in opposition to the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ shall be examined when we come to the second part of our Text to speak of the matter of justification And as for other things we may take notice of them elsewhere CHAP. XIII M. Baxter's opinion Concerning Imputation examined THere being so frequent mention made in Scripture of Imputation of Righteousness or of Righteousness Imputed of Christ's being our Righteousness or of our being Righteousness or Righteous in Him the like many that even plead much against the Doctrine of the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ maintained by the orthodox must yet yeeld to it in some sense or other at least in such a sense as may in their apprehensions not cross their other Hypotheses Dogmes Yea sometimes grant this Imputation in that sense at least in words which overthroweth or weakeneth all their Disputations to the contrary Schlightingius in defence of Socinus against Meisnerus pag. 250. will grant That Christ's Righteousness may be called accounted ours in so far as it redoundeth to our good righteousness is the cause of our justification And Bellarmin will also say de just lib. 2. cap. 10. That Christ is said to be our Righteousness because He satisfied the father for us so giveth communicateth that Satisfaction to us when He justifieth us that it may be said to be our Satisfaction Righteousness Mr. Baxter though he seemeth not satisfied with what is commonly hold by the Orthodox anent the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ yet will not professe himself an Enemie to all Imputation but on the contrary saith he owneth it in a right sense And it is true men have their own liberty in expressing their sense meaning of Truths where there seemeth to be some considerable difference as to words expressions yet there may be little or none upon the matter And it is not good I confess to make real differences of these that are but verbal nor is it good to be so tenacious of our own expressions as to exaggerat the expressions of others whose meaning may be good because not complying with our own in all points Let us
or Delegate The 4. is but a consequent of this and consequently saith he to repute a double formal Righteousness to result from the said habites acts passions one to Christ as the Natural Subject Agent another to us as the Moral Political or reputed Subject agent so His formal Righteousnese not to be imputed to us in it self as ours but another to result from the same matter This is too Philosophical for me to owne or follow The 5 is or else that we are reputed both the agents Subjects of the matter of His Righteousness morally also of the formal Righteousness of Christ himself All these are but the effuvia of a braine floteing swimeing in ill digested Philosophical Notions School dregs contribute nothing to the clearing of Gospel-Truth which hath little or rather no affinity with aery Philosophical Notions but tende manifestly to the darkening of the same But now when all these Philosophical Notions Relations are at an end we can proceed no further where is that Imputation which is legal plaine to every ordinary Man viz whereby the Satisfaction made to a judge Governour for a crime committed by the delinquen'ts friend or that payment Satisfaction made to the creditor for the debtor by a friend Interposing is in Law-sense accounted the delinquent's debtor's he as really effectually delivevered out of prison therefore as if he had made Satisfaction in his own proper person or had paid the summe out if his own Substance If any Philosopher after Mr. Baxter's manner here should with such Philosophical Whimseyes I call them so for they are no other in this case laboure to disprove any such Imputation say it must be in one of those five senses c. would not any countrey man smille at this But now let us see Mr. Baxter's sixt sense wherein he granteth the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Or else saith he by Imputation is meant here that Christ being truely reputed to have taken on the Nature of sinful Man become an Head for all true Beleevers in that undertaken Nature office in the person of a Mediator to have fulfilled all the Law imposed upon him by perfect Holiness obedience offering himself on the cross a sacrifice for our sins voluntarily suffering in our stead as if He had been a sinner guilty of all our sins as soon as we beleeve we are pardoned Iustified Adopted for the sake Merites of this Holiness obedience Penal Satisfaction of Christ with as full demonstration of divine Iustice at least more full Demonstration of His wisdom Mercy than if we had suffered our selves what our sinnes deserved that is been damned or had never sinned And so Righteousness is imputed to us that is we are accounted or reputed Righteous not in relation to the Precept that is innocent or sinless but in relation to the Retribution that is such as have right to impunity Life because Christ's foresaid perfect Holiness Obedience Satisfaction meritedour pardon Adoption and the Spirit or merited the New Covenant by which as an Instrument Pardon justification Adoption are given to Beleevers and the Spirit to be given to Sanctifie them and when we beleeve we are justly reputed such as have right to all these purchased gifts As to this I shall only note a few things 1. Christ's fulfilling of the Law imposed on Him doth not hinder but that He paid our debt so came in our Law-place substitute Himself in our room to do what we should have done to suffer what we should have suffered according to the Law in all the essentials Substantials of that punishment for had He not done this He could not be said to have suffered in our stead for he only suffereth in the room stead of another who suffereth what that other should have suffered If one be condemned to suffer death another that suffereth only Imprisonment for his delivery cannot be said to suffer in this stead but onely for his cause good as the Socinians say Christ suffered for us 2. Christ not only suffered in our stead as if he had been a sinner guilty but as sinner legally juridically guilty having sins imputed to Him though He was most free of all sin inherently and knew it not the reason is manifest for otherwayes Divine justice should not have shined forth in His sufferings it being no Demonstration of justice to punish one who neither inherently nor Imputatively legally is or can be accounted reputed a sinner 3. Wee cannot with right be reputed Righteous except we be either inherently righteous or righteous by Imputation so legally juridically in Law-sense righteous by vertue of the Imputation of the Surety-righteousness of Christ our Sponsor 4. Righteousness must properly respect the Commands Prohibitions of the Law but secondarily the Retribution if not most Improperly as unrighteousness is in reference to the Law as commanding or forbidding very improperly attributed to any in reference to the punishment threatned And therefore if we be accounted Righteousness it must be in relation to the precept at least in the first place Nor can we be accounted Righteous in reference to the Retribution that is have a Right to Impunity life in the sight of God who judgeth reputeth according to equity right unless we be first accounted Righteous in reference to the precept for this is the only just legal foundation of the other 5. Upon this it doth not follow that we are Innocent or sinless inherently far less that we never transgressed but on the contrary it clearly saith that we were sinners but now are legally or juridically innocent sinless by the Imputation of the side jussorie Righteousness of Christ therefore are not obnoxious to the penalty or to punishment but have right to Impunity life 6. When he speaketh of what Christ merited he expresseth himself dubiously not being positively clear whether Christ merited our pardon c. or the New Covenant the disjunctive particle Or saith He did not merite both in his judgment but before we heard him plainly affirming that Christ merited the New Covenant consequently He did not purchase pardon Adoption the Spirit to any immediatly but only mediatly in purchasing the Covenant which promiseth these to such as performe the Conditions thereof 7. By this way Beleevers are repute such as have right to all these purchased gifts not immediatly by vertue of Christ's Merites righteousness imputed to them bestowed upon them but by vertue of their being inherently Righteous with that Gospel-righteousness faith which is the potestative Condition of the Covenant is now imputed to them accounted their Righteousness according to his judgment Speaking afterward pag. 55. of Christ as an Head Root he tels us that He was no Natural Root or Head which is undeniable Yet He
pledge or hostage suffer for those he standeth for may not he be said to suffer in their Law-person If a Surety be put in prison for the debtor may he not be said to suffer in the debtor's Law-place in his person in Law-sense He addeth And we mean that He took upon Him the person of a sinner in as much as He consented to suffer for sin Ans. This is good we accept of it cheerfully in tantum for it explaineth to us in part the meaning of these words He made Him sin for us And so he addeth personating here is not meant becoâ—ing any other mans person in Law-seuse so as that other legally suffered what he did but it is only his own persons becoming a sufferer in the stead of sinners for their sins As the Apostle saith He was made sin for us that is so far by Imputation as that he undertook to suffer what sinners suffer for their sins Ans. But when Christ came in the Law-place of sinners did substitute Himself in their room suffered what they were obliged to suffer sure He took on their person in a Lawsense they for whom He suffered can be said in His in His Fathers designe so far legally to have suffered what He suffered as never to be made to suffer the same themselves But he seeth that this is but a wordy Controversie therefore to free the matter of ambiguity of words he pag. 77. addeth several things as 1. That as we hold that Adam was the Natural Root or parent of Mankind so also that Christ was the foederal root of all the saved in several respects though not all a second Adam Ans. We hold that Adam was not only the Natural Root but he was also the federal Root of all mankinde for the Covenant was made with him and with all his posterity in him and hence it was that all sinned in him fell with him in his first transgression Rom. 5 12. 1. Cor. 15 20 21. He addeth 2. Adam was but one single Natural person nor did God by errâ—ur or arbitrary reputation esteem or account Him to be any other than he was None of our persons were distinct persons in Adam nor those persons that now they are Therefore we were not so personally in him at his fall But all our persons are in time mediatly by our progenitors derived lineally from him not as having been persons existent in him but being persons caused remotely by him Ans. Adam it is true was but one single Natural person in a physical sense yet in a Law-sense as he was constitute the federal Head Root we were all that one Adam or he was us all representing all so did God esteem or account him not by errour but by a Right Reputation founded on His own Constitution 2 None of our physical persons were distinct persons in him yet our legal persons were in him when he represented us all as a federal Head 3 We know that our physical persons were only seminally or virtually in him we grant also that to be only virtually in Adam is terminus diminuens as to personal inexistence but I know not how we could be personally in-existent in him even when existent in a physical sense But all this taketh not away that federal inexistence whereby in a Law-sense we were in him as our federal Head Root But it seemeth Mr. Baxter doth not acknowledge this because he maketh our Natural relation to Adam to be the only reason of out partaking of his sin We do not deny our Natural Interest in Adam but we superadde to it this federal Interest He saith It is our Natural relation to Adam supposed in God's Law which is the reason of our participation in his sin not any will or judgment of God without or beyond our Natural Interest for else it should be God most properly who by His arbitrary Imputation should either make us sinners or repute us such when we are none Ans. I have granted that we have a Natural relation to Adam but I adde that that is not the sole ground or reason of our participation in his sin but the federal relation with the Natural relation And hence it doth no way follow that God doth properly make us sinners or repute us such when we are not by His arbitrary Imputation for this Imputation being founded upon this double preconstituted relation cannot be called meerly arbitrary nay nor could it be so called though it were said to be solely founded upon this federal relation more than when it is said to be grounded upon the Natural relation Though in another sense it might be so called as well when said to be founded on the Natural as when said to be founded on the federal Relation God being the free Author Constitutor of both 3. He addeth So Christ is though not the Natural yet the federal Adam Root of Beleevers When he satisfied merited we were not in Him either as in Adam seminally as in a Natural Generator nor as existent persons nor did God falsly so repute us to be But He was then the Cause materially or had that virtus effectiva which would justifie Sanctifie Glorifie us in due time Ans. Christ it is true is no Natural but a federal Root so keepeth Correspondence with the first Adam a federal Root 2 It is true also we were not in Christ when He satisfied as in Adam seminally as in a Natural Generator but yet the Elect were in Him in a more noble supernatural manner as given of God to Him as undertaken for by Him when He did substitute Himself in their Law-place became their Surety 3 If Christ had only been the material cause as having that virtus effectiva how could He be called their federal Head or how could they be said to be chosen in Him before the foundation of the world It was the nature of sinners saith he though not a sinful Nature which He assumed But that Nature which He undertook was existent in His Individual person no other individual person was existent in His existent personal Nature What then So that he addeth when we say it was the common Nature of Man we mean only specificè that Nature which is of the same species with all other mens but not that which existed individually in any but himself Ans. Notwithstanding of all this Christ was a federal Head a Publick Person undertaking for and therein representing all those that were given to Him to save and this his following words confirme when he saith But it was individual persons in whose stead or place Christ suffered whom He undertook to justifie sanctify save gather into an holy Society to that end to that end He undertook performed His office merited all this by His perfect Righteousness so that hereby He made Himself a federal Head Root of an holy
examined by an assise is really changed as to his Law state when cleared by an assise and pronunced not guilty and so absolved as to that whereof he was accused and set at liberty he is now a free man in Law much more is there a great change in a mans Law-state when before he was guilty of death lying bound in fetters keeped unto the day of execution and now getteth a free Remission of all when of a Man of death he is made a free liege as there is a change in a mans state and Relation when he is made an Adopted son so is there a new state wherein the sinner is brought when he is absolved from the sentence of the Law and declared a Righteous man Sanctification Regeneration and Glorification do all of them hold forth a new real State whereinto he is brought who is made partaker thereof so Iustification with Adoption held forth a new relative state which is also real as real is opposed to what is false or imaginary Hence is it that a beleever is justified even while he is sleeping not acting faith as a person remaineth in a married state though not actually consenting unto the match the consent once granted enstateth the person in that new Relation Propos. 2. This new state of Iustification is continueing permanent not in this sense that God reneweth frequently reiterateth the enstating of them into this new relative state but in this sense that once justified alwayes justified they are fixed preserved in that state as Adoption is a permanent state because once adopted alwayes a child of God Hence it is called a grace wherein me stand Rom. 5 2. It is a state of Reconciliation and Peace wherein we stand It is no fluctuating state wherein one may be to day be out of it to morrow and againe brought into it The ground of this sentence is fixed lasting and permanent to wit the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ once clothed therewith never naked or spoiled thereof againe the gifts and calling of God being with out Repentance Rom. 11 29. The foul's union with Christ through faith is lasting and abiding once in Him alwayes in Him once a member of his mystical body married to him as his spouse and alwayes so for he must finally present all such holy without spotâ— or wrinkle or any such thing Ephes. 5 27. Faith whereby the knot is made and the marriage consent is given remaineth as to its root and habite Christ prayeth that it fail not Luk. 22 32. They are keeped by the power of God through faith unto Salvation 1. Pet. 1 5. All the arguments proving Perseverance of the Saints which we cannot here summe-up do confirme this Propos. 3. Hence Iustification is a State that is not Interrupted and broken off and renewed and reiterated againe as it cannot be quite taken away and annulled so neither can it be broken off for a time so as for that time they should be in a non-justified state the marriage once made is not broken the sentence once pronunced is not recalled sinnes once pardoned by God are not laid againe to his charge The Spirit that once spoke peace said Son be of good cheer thy sinnes are forgiven thee will not be againe a Spirit of bondage unto fear Rom. 8 15. If Iustification could at any time be thâ—s interrupted Adoption behoved to be interrupted with it and so a childe of God behoved to be for that time a childe of the devil The Scripture speaketh not of any such relapse into the state of Nature Sin And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus by the Spirit of our God 1. Cor. 6 11. once brought out of Nature never reduced into that state againe No more new Iustification than new Adoption once quickened never againe brought into a state of death in trespasses sins Ephes. 2 1 5. for such are then brought into a saife state being quickened together with Christ as Christ being raised from the death dieth no more death hath no more dominion over him Rom. 6 9. so they who are planted with him in the likeness of his Death and Resurrection may alwayes reckon themselves dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ vers 4 5 11. Hence there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8 1. They are not under the Law but under grace Rom. 6 14. And this holdeth true notwithstanding of after-sins for if after-sins remanent sinnes and corruption could break of this relation and make an alteration in this state no man should be said to be one day in a justified state for the best of men falleth seven times a day in sin and no man can say that he is free of sin there being no perfection here there could be no state of Justification consequently no state of Adoption and Reconciliation if after-sins could break of this Relation or Relative State a beleever could not be said to be partaker of any of the privileges attending this state for one day to end New sins indeed call for new Remissions but these new Remissions are fatherly pardons and not such a sentence of absolution as the person had at first when translated out of the Rate of Death into Life for then the person was not a reconciled Son but now he standeth in a state of Reconciliation and Sonshipe his new pardons are the pardons of a Father granted to a Son as we see Psal. 89 30 31 32 33 34. If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgments if they break my statutes keep not my commendements then will I visite their transgression with the rod their iniquity with stripes never the less my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my fatihfulness to fail my Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone of my lips So 1 Ioh. 1 8 9. If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 2 1 2. My little children these things write I unto you that ye sin not and if any man sin we have an Advocat with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous And he is the Propitiation for our sins Psal. 103 3 8 9 12 13. Who forgiveth all thine Iniquities The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger plenteous in mercy he will not alwayes chide neither will he keep his anger for ever as far as the east is from the West so far hath heremoved our transgressions from us like as a Father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him So this state remaineth firme and unbroken notwithstanding of the various changes which are in their apprehensions concerning it these may
the score of Beleevers as if he had recalled the former pardon granted for he remembereth their sin no more Ier. 31 34. Heb. 8 12. 10 17. And for future sins by vertue of their State they have access to seek for pardon and have ground 3 The Righteousness of Christ which is a perfect Righteousness is fully and perfectly communicated and imputed so as thereby they become the Righteousness of God in Christ 2. Cor. 5. last He is their whole Righteousness in order to Iustification and wholly their Righteousness as made of God Righteousness unto them Ier. 23 6 1. Cor. 1 30. And with this Righteousness they are wholly perfectly covered to expect it as found hid there Phil. 3 9. are made Righteous Rom. 5 19. 10 4. 4 They are now wholly Reconciled unto God and have Peace with Him and not by halfes or in some certain respects only as if in other respects they were still Enemies or in a state of Enmity Being justified by faith they have Peace with God Rom. 5 1. once they were enemies but now they are reconciled vers 10. by Christ they have now received the Atonement vers 11. once alienated enemies in their mindes by wicked works but now reconciled Col. 1 21. once a far off but now made neer Ephes. 2 13. the enmity being staine vers 16. No more strangers or forreigners now but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God vers 19. Then is the Lord pacified toward them for all that they have done Ezek. 16 63. 5 They are compleetly translated into a new Covenant state not halfe the children of Saran and half the children of God not halfe in Nature and halfe in the state of Grace not half translated halfe not Ephes. 2 13 19. Col. 1 21. not halfe quickened with Christ and halfe not Ephes. 2 5. They are not now halfe without Christ or aliens from the common wealth of Israel or strangers from the Covenants of promise c. Ephes. 2 12. There is a perfect change as to their state 1. Cor. 6 11. 6 They are secured as to final Condemnation There is no condemnation for them Rom. 8 1. being beleevers they shall not perish but have eternal life Ioh. 3 15 16. He that beleeveth is not condemned vers 18. See also Ioh. 3 36. 6 47. They are passed from death unto life Ioh. 5 24. 1. Ioh. 3 14. being discharged of all guilt of eternal punishment which formerly they deserved by their sinnes And all this holdeth good notwithstanding of their after sins which as we shall shew do not annull or make any such breach upon their state of Justification It is true these sins must also be Pardoned will be Pardoned but yet when they are pardoned their Justification as to their state is not hereby more perfected as to these respects formerly mentioned It holdeth good also notwithstanding of what shall be at the great day for that will put no man in a new Justified state who was not Reconciled to God before It is true there will be many additions as to the Solemnitie Declaration Consequences Effects thereof in that day but not withstanding hereof the state of Justification here as to what respecteth its grounds the essential change it maketh together with the Right that beleevers have thereby unto all that in that day they shall be put in possession of is perfect may be said so to be Propos. 7 By what is said it is manifest how in what respects this life of Iustification differeth from the life of Sanctification 1 Sanctification maketh a real Physical change Iustification maketh a Relative change And thereby they come to have a new State or Relation unto the Law unto God the judge 2 Sanctification is continueing work wherein beleevers are more more built up daily Iustification is an act of God or a juridcial sentence Absolving a sinner pronunceing him free of the charge brought in against him and not liable to the penalty 3 Sanctification is a groÌ„wing and increasing work admitteth of many degrees is usually weak and small at the beginning Iustification doth not grow neither doth it admit of degrees but is full compleet adequate unto all ends here 4 Sanctification is ever growing here and never cometh to full Perfection before death Justification is perfect adequate unto all ends as we shewed 5 Sanctification is not alike in all but some are more some are less sanctified But Iustification is equal in all none being more justified then others 6 Some measures degrees of Sanctification which have been attained may be lost againe But nothing of Iustification can really be lost for we are not here speaking of the sense and feeling of Justification which frequently may be lost but of Justification it self 7 Sanctification is a progressive work Iustification is instantaneous as was shown 8. Sanctification respecteth the Being Power Dominion of â—in in the beleever and killeth subdueth and mortifieth it Iustification respecteth its guilt demerite taketh away guilt and the obligation to punishment or obnoxiousness to the paying of the penalty 9 In justification a man is accepted upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him and received by Faith But in Sanctification grace is infused and the Spirit given to perfecte holiness in the fear of God 10 In Iustification there is a right had unto life and unto the rich recompence of reward upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed whence they are said to have passed from death to life But in Sanctification they are made meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light 11 Unto Iustification nothing is required but faith in Christ whereby the soul may become united to Him have a right to his benefites But unto Sanctification all the graces of the Spirit are requisite and all the exercises of the same all diligence is required and an adding of Vertue to Faith of Knowledge to Vertue of Temperance to Knowledge of Patience to Temperance of Godliness to Patience of Brotherly kindness to Godliness of Charity to Brotherly kindness 2 Pet. 1 5 6 7. Propos. 8 Hence it followeth also thar there is no ground to assert a first a second Justification as Papists do meaning by the first an Infusion of an inward Principle or Habite of Grace which is no Justification nor part thereof but the beginning of Sanctification and by the Second another Justification which with them is an Effect or Consequent of the former having good work which flow from the foresaid infused principle of grace love for its proper formal cause This Justification they say is by works where as the former is by faith and yet this second they make to be an Incrementum an increase of the first and for this they say the church prayeth when she saith Lord increase our saith hope
Covenant of Grace securing them from Condemnation they have accless ground in Law to plead this Right so to plead for actual Pardon in the termes according to the methode of the Gospel I do not say that the justified while lying in sin without making application to Iesus Christ acting faith on him in order to pardon have ground to plead for actual pardon for that is repugnant to the Methode of the Gospel requireing new acts of faith in order to new acts of Pardon I mean the implicit acts if faith to speak so in reference to dayly infirmities unseen sins the more explicit acts of faith in reference to grosser sins seen lamented But they have ground to plead for grace to discover their sins to humble them for their sins to excite their soul to renewed acts of faith in Christ and thereupon to expect according to the Gospel methode Remission and to plead for it in the merites of Christ unto which they have a sure Right Therefore 4. New sins cannor annul the state of justification because not only are beleevers secured that de eventu they shall not come into Condemnation for these sins but even as to any legal dueness of punishment that new sins may bring them under there is a sure saife remedie at hand the blood of Christ that taketh away all sin to which they are called to go that they may wash their souls there by faith and be clean be delivered from guilt 4. For further clearing of this we could consider that there is a difference to be put betwixt Sin in order to its direful effects considered in it self and considered as it is in the Iustified Though sin in it self is alwayes mortiferous and exposeth to the curse and wrath of God having a malignant demerite constantly attending it Yet it is not so being considered as it is in the justified for as poison is alwayes deadly in it self working towards death yet it is not so as in a person who hath received a sufficient antidot Though every act of felonie in it self make obnoxious unto death according to the Law yet some acts as committed by one who can read will not have that effect so the beleever is antidoted by the Covenant of Grace that howbeit sin remaine still deadly in its own nature yet as to him it cannot produce these effects 5. Though after sins in a justified person may have before they be pardoned very sad effects in reference to Comfort or comfortable Improvment of their Privileges Advantages yet they cannot disinherite them or put them from their Right Though leprosie did deprive the leper of the comfortable enjoyment and use of his own house yet it did not destroy his right though the miscarriages of the prodigal son did incapacitate him for any present enjoyment of his interest in his Fathers affection yet they did not destroy his Sonshipe Luk. 15 17. So though sins not yet washed away in such as have been justified may and will certainly prejudge them of many comfortable Advantages which they might otherwayes have yet they do not take away their Sonshipe nor their Right to the Inheritance of sones 6. Though after sins not yet pardoned through faith do and will stirr up Fatherly Anger Displeasure against them who are justified and become his Adopted children Esai 54 7 8. Yet they bring not justified man under pure judicial wrath and under the Curse and Law-anger so as God is no more their Father but hath cast them out of his familie fatherly favour It is one thing to be under the frowns gloomes of an angry Father another thing to be under the severe aspect of an angry judge 7. It is considerable also That through grace and the Lord 's great love and wisdom after-sins are so far from destroying their State and Right to the inheritance that upon the contrare they are ordered to the Justified mans good and further establishment in grace not that sin it self hath any such natural tendency but it is by accident to sin which is so ordered by the wise disposal of a loveing Father making all things work togerher for good and thus counter-working Satan without Corruption within making that which Satan had designed to their ruine and destruction contributo to their good advantage by giving them fresh occasion of exercising Humility Repentance of Renewing their gripping of Christ by Faith of Watching more with Diligence here-after as also hereby they are put to search examine themselves to try their Rights Securities thus to make their calling election sure to their further establishment comfort in the Holy Ghost 8. Thus we see whatever present alteration after sins not yet taken to Christ to the end they may be pardoned through his blood do or can make as to the present Condition of the justified yet their State remaineth firme unshaken for thereby they fall not againe under the old Covenant nor under the sentence thereof nor under pure Law wrath pure Justice the Curse of a broken Covenant but being under Grace not under the Law they are secured as to Condemnation Rom. 8 1. as to the loss of the favour friendship of God Rom. 8 35 39. for not only is the guilt of Original sin of all their preceeding Actual sins taken away through faith in Christ when they were justified but there is a sure way condescended upon betwixt Jehovah the Mediator how their after-sins shall be Pardoned taken out of the way the same method and way is declared in the Gospel made sure by the Covenant of Grace and by their being in the Covenat they have a right unto the promises thereof and ground to press for the performance so for Remission for all things requisite thereunto or following thereupon yea they have a sure pledge of Remission already to wit the actual Pardon of what is past and their past Justification that is a comforting strenthening word Rom. 5 9 10. much more then being now justified by his bloud we shall be saved from wrath through him for if when we are enemies we were reconcile â— to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life so is that Rom. 8 32. He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things 9. We may adde That if sins afterward committed could take away Justification then they should also take away Adoption Regeneration so the justified man should by after sins not only become an unjustified man but also the child of God should become againe the childe of the devil the Relation should be quite broken off he who was borne againe should return unto his former state of black Nature thus there should be a second a
third yea multiplied Regeneration whereof the Scripture is silent nay it clearly depones the contrary 10. And if it be enquired how it cometh to passe that after sins may not at least gradually impaire the State of Justification as sins do impaire and weaken Sanctification I answere and this may further help to clear the business under hand The reason is manifest from the difference that is betwixt these two blessing and benefites Iustification is an act of God changing the Relative-state of a man and so is done and perfected in a moment Sanctification is a progressive work of God making a real physical change in the man whence sin may tetard this or put it back but cannot do so with the other which is but one single act once done and never recalled the gifts and calling of God being without repentance Rom. 11 29. In justification we are meerly passive it being a sentence of God pronunced in our Favours in Sanctification as we are in some respect patients so are we also Agents and Actors and thus sin may retard us in our motion and as it evidenceth our weakness for acting so it produceth more weakness Moreover Sin and Holiness are opposite to other as light and darkness therefore as the one prevaileth the other must go under and as the one increaseth the other must decress But there is no such Opposition betwixt sin pardon which is granted in Justification And whereas it may be said that sin expelleth also grace Meritoriously yet that prejudgeth not the truth in hand for it can expell grace meritoriously no further than the free constitution of God hath limited and so though it can and oft doth expell many degrees of Sanctification yet it cannot expell make null the grace of Regeneration or the Seed of God so no more can it expell or annul Justification because the good pleasure of God hath secured the one the other made them both unalterable By these particulars we see how the first doubt is removed out of the way we shall next speak to the Second which is concerning afflictions Punishments which are the fruits and deserts of sin and seem to be part of the curse or penalty threatned in the first Covenant To which we need not say much to show that notwithstanding hereof the State of Justification remains firme and unaltered These few things will suffice to cleare the truth 1. Though all affliction and suffering be the fruite consequent of the breach of the Covenant by Adam the head of mankind for if he had stood and the Covenant had not been violated there had been no Misery affliction Death or Suffering and though in all who are afflicted in this world there is sin to be found And though it cannot be instanced that God ever brought an afflicting or destroying stroke upon a Land or Nation but for the provocations of the People yet the Lord may some rimes afflict outwardly or inwardly or both a particular Person in some particular manner though not as provoled thereunto by that persons sin or without a special reference to their sin as the procuring Cause thereof as we see in Iob and as Christ's answer concerning the blinde man Ioh. 9 3. Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents that he was born blinde but that the works of God should be made manifest in him giveth ground to think 2. Though it doth oftner fall out that God doth afflict Punish and Châ—sten his people even because of their sinnes as well as other wicked persons yet the difference betwixt the two is great though the outward Camitie may be materially the same To the godly they flow from Love are designed for good are sanctified and made to do good they are covenanted mercies but nothing so to the wicked They are mercies to the one but curses to the other They speak out love to the one but hatred to the other They are blessed to the one but blasted cursed to the other They work together for good to the one but for evil to the other and all this notwithstanding that the outward affliction calamity that is on the godly may be double or treeble to that which is upon the wicked Yea there is mercy and love in the afflictions of the Godly when the prosperity of the wicked is cursed Whence we see that all these afflictions cannot endanger or dammage their Justified state 3. Though the Lord may be wroth smite in anger his own people chasten punish them in displeasure yet this wrath anger is but the wrath and anger of a Father and is consistent with fatherly Affection in God and therefore cannot be repugnant to a state of Sonshipe in them Prov. 3 11 12. Heb. 12 5-8 Psal. 89 30 33 34. Revel 3 19. 4. In all these afflictions that seem to smell most of the Curse and of the death threatned and are most inevitable such as death c. there is nothing of pure vinâ—ictive justice to be found in them when Justified persons are exercised with them for Christ did bear all that being made a curse for them and as to this the Lord caused all their iniquities to meet together upon him He drunk out the cup of Vindictive anger and left not one drop of the liquor of the Curse of the Law for any of his own to drink He alone did bear the weight of revenging justice and there is nothing of this in all that doth come upon beleevers So that the very sting of death is taken away the sting of all these Afflictions is sucked out and now they are changed into Mercies Blessings 1 Cor. 3 21 22. Therefore we must not think that they contribute the least mite unto that Satisfaction which justice required for sins Christ payed down to the full justice was fully satisfied with what he paid down nor must we think that God will exact a new satisfaction for sins or any part thereof of the hands of beleevers after he hath received a full satisfaction from the Mediator Christ did rest satisfied therewith The afflictions and Punishments then that the godly meet with being no parts of the Curse nor of that Satisfaction that justice requireth for sin nor flowing from vindictive justice but being rather fatherly chastisments mercies meanes of God can do no hurt unto their state of justification nor can any thing be hence inferred to the prejudice of that glorious state 5. But it is said Pardon and Justification is one thing and a man is no more Justified than he is Pardoned and Pardon is but the taking off of the obligation to punishment and consequently of punishment it self and seing punishment is not wholly taken off but there remaineth some part of the curse or of the evil threatned for sin and will remaine untill the resurrection it is cleare that pardon is not fully compleet not consequently Justification so long as we live But
beleeve Mr. Baxter's Preface Beside that hereby no man can win to any solide Peace or Joy so long as he liveth for he is but still performing the Condition of his Justification and perfecting it by his works so that till they be at an end the Condition of Justification is not performed and consequently no Justification and it is the maine scope of this mans discourse to prove the interest of Gospel-obedience as he calleth it as a Condition as well as Faith or rather as a part or best part of practical Faith in the matter of Justification 10. Hence we may also see how erroneous dangerous that definition of faith as Evangelical Christian Justifying is which the mentioned Author giveth us pag. 38. to wit Such an hearty assent consent unto God's declaration in the Gospel by his Son concerning Christ himself his Grace Favour towards men by him concerning their own duty as causeth a man to expect from God and to act in a way of duty according to the tenor of such a declaration his own concerns in it This upon the matter is the very faith of Adam only Adam heard no word of Christ so it is but a Law-faith no Gospel-Faith And againe more plainly by way of explication he saith pag. 39. nor is it a bare beleefe that God will for Christ's sake pardon save as many as truely repent amend their lives become new creatures unless they so beleeve all this as seriously heartily to repent themselves of their former folly and to return to their duty in new Evangelical obedience Not only doth this man take away from Justifying saving Faith all that peculiar closing with Christ accepting of him as Redeemer all particular special eye or respect had to his Righteousness Mediation but he maketh Iustification depend on works as well as on faith or on works as the integral parts of practical justifying faith It is true Saving faith cannot but bow incline the man in whom it is to all holy Obedience But to make these thus to be included in Faith as the Condition of Justification is to give us the Socinian Iustification the Socinian Faith for the true orthodox justification faith and if this be the Gospel justification Gospel faith which as Mr. Baxter thinks this look will help us unto the Socinians are better acquainted with the Gospel than the orthodox have been or are And to evince this which is all I need to do here I shall propose a few of their Assertions concerning Faith that the Reader may judge what harmonie is betwixt this Author them The Racov. Catech. cap. 9. de fide tels us that faith is a Trust in God whereby we not only confide in him but also obey him This is short yet fully the same with our Auther's Socinus himself dial de justif f. 11. what is that to beleeve in his name It is receive him to beleeve his words to confide in him finally to obey him And in not in dial f. 25. he tels us that the faith by which we are justified doth containe obedience to the commands not as an effect but as its substance forme yea faith he it is obedience it self And againe de fid oper f. 60. he faith I will have nothing else than to conâ—ide de in Christ and this is done receiveth its perfection as it were its forme when obedience is yeelded unto his commands So that betwixt justifying faith good works there is no difference See him further f. 123. 134. Smalcius de divin Christ. cap. 14. f. 38. tels us that faith in Iesus Christ is a firme assent unto what he hath said a confideing truely so called whereby not only we firmly beleeve what he hath said concerning us but we confide in him adhere to him this is much more than our Author saith heartly embrace his doctrine as celestial saving placeing our considence hope in him as such so great a King as our Priest fy upon our Author that is less orthodox than this Socinian hanging wholly upon him with a firme hope to obtaine these things which he hath promised to such as obey him that is if we amend our lives according to his prescriptien we are confident to receive remission of sins deliverance from death eternal life But you will say there is no mention made of good works in this faith See therefore what he saith disp 6. cont Frantz de bon ope Thes. 53 55 63 68. We do not saith he consider two parts of faith Trust in God Obedience to his commands but we distinguish them as if they were two for albeit really they may be taken for encthing are one they can be some way distinguished Obedience is rather the forme of faith or faith it self than any part of it And in this the Arminian Remonstrants in their Confess cap. 10. s. 1 2 3. do homolegate with the Socinians telling us that faith comprehendeth all the commands of the Gospel and that the command of Faith must no other-way be considered than as by a natural proprietie it includeth obedience and is a fruitful mother of good works and that faith thus considered comprehendeth a mans whole conversion prescribed in the Gospel Socinus is plaine Synops. 1. s. 8. and tels us that the way of justification is the same under both Covenants seing in both on God's part was required Remission of sins on mans part Repentance Obedience to his commands which is truely that very faith that every did ever will make man acceptable unto God And then tels us that we must beware to make sanctification an effect of justification These things may shew that this part at least of this Authors Gospel is more learned out of the Socinian Arminian Scholes than out of the Scriptures and if we would be guided into this we may follow other more ancient leaders than is this Author whom else where I suppose Mr. Baxter calleth Mr. W. Allen. 11. We would also take notice of this That when the Scripture saith the just liveth by faith or we are justified by faith the meaning must not be we are justified by Hope or we are justified by Love or we are justified by Patience or by any other Grace for though all these Graces of the Spirit may be conceived as springing from one and the same root seed of God which is planted in the soul in the new birth and though we may by our acute wits so explaine each as to include the rest more or less Yet as divine Revelation is the ground of all our Faith in this matter so Scripture expressions are the best guide to us in our Expressions Conceptions about this matter And as the Scripture doth speak of and name these Graces as formally distinct ascribing to each their distinct and several Operation End and Use so
by others to the same end from the Exceptions of Iohn Goodwine in his Treatise of Iustification part 2. Ch. 6. The first Argum. is thus framed That which impeacheth the truth or justice of God can have no agreement with the truth This is undeniable But the imputation of our act of Beleeving for Righteousness doth so because then he should esteem account that to be a Righteousness which is not Therefore c. He excepteth against the Assumption its probation thus 1. This was in effect the plea of Swencfeâ—dus as recorded by Zanchy Epist. lib. 1. p. 215. likewise of the Councel of Trent as Calv. hath observed Antidot ad Sess. 6. p. 324. to prove that the word Justification in the Scripture was not to be taken in a juridical sense to wit for absolution but in a physical or moral sense for making of a man compleetly just righteous Ans. What Swencfeldus said I finde not recorded by Zanchie in the place cited in my edition if his words be rightly repeeted in the margine he hath had the same judgment that Papists have which is sufficiently known with whom none in reason will say we conspire upon the account of this argument who but observeth this which abundantly discovereth the impertinency of this Exception That the minor its Probation speak not of the act of God Justifying but of his simple act of Estimating or Judging which must alwayes be according to truth therefore we cannot think or say that God judgeth or estimateth that to be a compleat Righteousness which is nothing so And beside though Justification it self were here understood yet it might be said without any ground of imputation either of Popery or of Swencfeldianisme that God who is the just Righteous Judge will not absolve a person as Righteous who is not Righteous nor pronunce him Righteous who hath not a Righteousness as he hath not who hath nothing but his act of Beleeving imputed to him Except 2. Any action conformable to a righteous Law may be is called Righteousness as that fact of Phineas Psal. 106 30. And faith being an obedience to a special commandement 1 Ioh. 3 23. 2 Pet. 2 21. Rom. 1 5. it may be with truth sufficient propriety of speach called a righteousness Ans. But of a particular Righteousness we are not here speaking nor of a particular Justification of such an act but of a Justification as to State and of a corresponding Righteousness which must be universal answerable to the challenge of the Law and no particular act of Obedience will be accounted such a Righteousness by God who is Truth Justice it self in order to the condemned mans Justification Beside himself tels us in end that this exception is nothing to the purpose for he doth not conceive that by Faith when it is said to be imputed is meaned an act of conformity to any particular precept of God And therefore he Excepteth 3. That which we meane is this that God looks upon a man who truely beleeveth with as much grace favour intends to do as bountifully by him as if he were a man of perfect righteousness Ans. But this Excepter should have said that Faith in the letter formality of it is imputed for thus he disputes against the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and he should have said that God looketh upon the simple act of Faith as Perfect Obedience to all the Law for when we plead for the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness he said that thereby we make God to look upon us as performing that Righteousness in our own persons Neither will he others understand any other Imputation and yet we see how they can speak when explaining the imputation of faith that they may think to evite the force of an argument But 2 though it be true that God dealeth thus as is said with Beleevers Yet that can give no ground to think that he imputeth Faith for Righteousness because it is not upon the account of Faith taken as an act of their obedience that the Lord dealeth so with them but upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them and received by faith 3 A Justified person is accounted Righteous not inherently but imputativly and is accepted as such and pronunced such and therefore must be righteous indeed for the judgment of God is according to truth And if nothing be imputed to the justified but his faith unto Righteousness that faith must be accounted to be a Perfect Righteousness which yet it is denied to be He Excepteth 4. Nothing is more frequent with the best writers than that God accounts those just who in strickness of speach are not such but only have their sinnes forgiven them Ans. And their ground is good because they alwayes suppose that such as have their sins pardoned have a perfect Righteousness imputed to them and received by Faith without which their could be no Pardon Argum. 2. If faith should be imputed for Righteousness then should Justification be by worksâ— or by some what in our selves But the Scripture every where rejecteth works all things in our selves from having any thing to do in Justification He excepteth That by works or some what in ourselves may be understood either by way of merite and in this sense the Consequence of the Proposition is false or by way of simple performance then the Assumption is false for the Scripture expresly requireth faith or a work of us in order to Iustification When Faith is required in order to Justification in way of simple performance it is not required as our Righteousness far less as all the Righteousness which the Justified soul must have but only as a mean or Instrument laying hold upon and putting on the Righteousness of Christ which is offered and imputed and whereby the beleever resteth upon and wrappeth himself in that Righteousness as the only Righteousness wherein he can think to appeare before God's tribunal and thus Faith is not considered as our act making up our Righteousness but as bringing in with a begger 's hand a Righteousness from without But when faith or Beleeving is purely considered as our work and as an act of obedience in us and yet is called our Righteousness said to be all that Righteousness which is had is imputed in order to Justification it justifieth as a work upon the account of it as something in our selves we are said to be justified all this in perfect opposition to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness 2 It is but a Popish evasion to say that by Iustification by works the Scripture only meaneth justification by works that are meritorious as if either any work of ours what somever could be meritorious or as if such against whom Paul disputed did meane a meritoriousness in their works or as if the Scripture did not inferre merite from every work that is ours and that we do to make up a
through his blood the forgivness of sins c. Ephes. 1 4 5 6 7. the chosen ones are predestinated both to the end to the meanes leading to the endâ— But this matter is not consistent with their Assertion who say that Christ by his death hath purchased Faith New Obedience to be the Condition of the Covenant because by their Universal Redemption they leave all at an uncertainty especially when also they will not grant that Christ hath purchased Faith itself to any person 12. It must be said ... that Christ purchased the termes of the new Covenant ... and purchased that God should abolish the Law quite and not require a conformitie thereunto as our Righteousness by vertue of the new Covenant nor exact full Obedience to the Law from any in our name consequently it must be said that Christ hath purchased that the Law giver should wholly passe from that established Constitution do live without any real accomplishment thereof or requiring the accomplishment thereof from any on their behalf to the end the Lord might be just when he is the justifier of him that beleeveth in Jesus 13. This assertion also stricketh against Christ's being the Surety of the New Covenant for it is not the work of a Surety as such to purchase the Making Constitution of a Covenant but to confirme ratifie the same to engage for the party for whom he is a Surety that he shall performe the conditions accorded to in the Covenant so to establish the Covenant or contract already agreed unto constituted 14. Thus it should be said that Christ died rather for graces than for persons to wit That Faith new obedience may be elevated beyond their ordinare sphere exalted to be the Condition of the New Covenant But the whole Scriptures speak otherwise of Christ's death 15. If this were the thing that Christ procured he could not be said to have Redeemed any not so have died in the room stand of any but only for our good as say the Sociniant To purchase a new Covenant is not to be a Propiltation an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to â—ear our sins to Reconcile any unto God 16. Mr. Baxter himself against Mr. Cartwright p. 91. hath these words And therefore the Performer the Accepter did themselveâ— NB. choose on what termes it i.e. Christ's Righteousness should be applied to us or be made ours quoad fructus And the termes resolved on were the New Covenants conditions which are now required of us to our participation hereof These words import some other rise unto this Covenant than the purchase of Christ. CHAP. XXVII How Faith is and may be called a Condition of the new Covenant and of Justification how not IT may be of some use ... to enquire in what way faith is and may be called a Condition ... The orthodox never denied that it may be called a Condition ... yet with all we must alwayes look upon Faith as an Instrument or Instrumental Meane in Justification because of its being as the hand of the soul to receive bring-in grip-to lay hold on the Righteousness of Christ as the Righteousness of a Cautioner of a publick person to the end they might be Justified Absolved from the sentence of the Law Accounted pronunced Righteous in the sight of God Upon the other hand Socinians Arminians who cast the whole Gospel in a new mould of their own deny Faith to be an Instrument assert that it is only a Condition or a cause sine qua non as they speak And this they do that their doctrine about Justification which is wholly corrupt may appeare to hang the better together We heard how they denied the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness now they must of necessitie also deny Faith to be considered here as an Instrument â— for they know that it was called an Instrument meerly upon 〈◊〉 account of the Surety-Righteousness of Christ which it was to apply to receive to put on They affirmed that Faith properly taken was imputed unto Righteousness by vertue of Christ's merites was accepted of God for a Righteousness was so accounted now consequentially they must say that Faith together with new Obedience which they also 〈◊〉 conjoine as making up one Righteousness is to be looked upon us a Condition or causa sine qua non Socinus de Iustis tels us that though that obedience which 〈◊〉 performe unto Christ be neither the different nor Meritorious cause of our Iustification eternal Salvation yet it is the causâ— sine quation as they say The same he saith Synops justis 2. p. 14. So doth Volkelius do vera Relig. lib. 4 c 3. Smalc Coner Frantz disp 4. p. 103. So the Remonstrants in their Apologief 112. Faith say they if we consider the matter aright cannot properly be called an Instrument of Iustification nor can the act of beleeving be an Instrumental action far less can it as an Instrument be opposed to faith as an action Corvin cont Tilen Faith carrieth that respect unto the gift of adoption that it is an obedience required of God upon condition of which the gift of adoption is decerned unto the sinner for a reward faith is not a meanes or instrument but a condition ordained of God for obtaining of life Simon Episcop disp 22. faith in this matter cometh to be considered not as an instrument apprehending Christ's Righteousness imputed but as apprehending Christ Iesus by whom that Righteousness is obtained It cannot be called properly an instrument but a condition prescribed by required in the Gospel-Covenant without which God will not pardon sin impute Righteousness Lawyers as may be seen in Spigely Calvinilexic â—urid tell us of various sorts of Conditions Some Possible Some impossible Some certaine some uncertaine Some ... Voluntarie conditions say they do suspend the whole obligation untill they be performed Casual also necessary conditions do only prorogue the effect of the obligation the obligation itself its force is instantly perfected A condition thus taken they usually define Suspensio cujus de futuro effectus vel confirmatio pendet or futurus eventus pendet or leâ—â— adposita hominum actionibus eas suspendens or Modus qui suspendit actum donec ca existente confirmetur or Modus vel causa que suspendit id quod agitur donec ex post facto confirmetur They tell us with all that the word Conditio is some time in the Law taken pro Modo though in many things these two differ much and that it is the same with ratio lex pactio pactum fortuna status locus jus causa so that it admitteth of various significations and in which of these significations here definitly to take it the Scripture giveth no determination for it is no scripture-expression in this matter And if it be said that the termes used in Scripture in this matter such as these beleeve
the Inheritance or would receive them But all this is nothing to our present question Obj. 4. He citeth in the Margine Luk. 24 47. And that Repentance Remission of sins should be preached in his name And Luk. 15 7. I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth Ans. This last place maketh no mention of Pardon or of Justification only saith that Repentance will Include Faith doth import the whole Conversion of a sinner unto God whereof Faith in Christ is the first chiefe step As to the other place we told before that by Repentance here is understood all that duty which is called for in the Gospel this being a short summe of the whole preaching of the Gospel that therefore by Remission of sins all the blessings favours that sinners need are promised in the Gosspel must be understood So that this maketh nothing against us Yea if these two expressions were strickly to be taken it would give ground to inferre that Repentance alone were the Condition of Remission But what saith all this to the purpose now in hand do any of these expressions give the least coloure to inferre that Repentance strickly taken hath the same use Interest in Justification that Faith hath Obj. 5. Others possibly may urge Act. 8 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee Ans. 1 If this place prove any thing that way it will say as much for the Interest of Prayer in Justification equal to the Interest of Faith as for the Interest of Repentance 2 Yea plead for these only with exclusion of Faith or at least for the Sufficiency of Repentance prayer without Faith which is not here expresly mentioned 3 But Repent here is taken in a comprehensive sense as including Faith its ground Cause whereof it is the expressive evidence sensible effect So that the presence of Repentance in such as would be Pardoned may hence be well inferred which is granted necessary upon several accounts but the present question is whether it hath the same Place Office Influence in Justification Pardon that Faith hath Obj. 6. It may be some will fâ—rther object Luk. 13 3 5 except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish And this likely was the passage which Mr. Baxter cited in the first place the printer putting vers 35. for 3. 5. through a mistake But I Ans. This place only proveth what is not denied to wit That Repentance is necessarily required of such as would be saved And if hence it be inferred that therefore not only its presence but its interest is the same with Faiths in Justification the Interest of good works of all commanded duties may be hence inferred to be the same with Faiths in justification because these are as necessary in order to Salvation as is Repentance Obj. 7. Prov. 28 13. He that covereth his sin shall not prosper but who so confesseth forsaketh them shall finde mercy Ans. 1 If forsaking of sin be here taken strickly for Repentance if this place be urged pertinently to the point now in hand Confession of sin will be made to have the same influence will be made more necessary than Faith it self which is not here expresly named 2 Finding mercy is not strickly to be understood of Justification or of meer Pardon but is to be taken more largly for Felicity here hereafter as being opposed to a not prospering And so hence can only be inferred the necessity of the presence of confessing forsaking of sin in such as would finde grace mercy in the eyes of the Lord would prosper in all their wayes Obj. 8. Christ is sent to preach good tidings to the meek the broken hearted the mourners to such as are under the Spirit of heaviness Esai 61 1 2 3. Ans. This place indeed proveth that Christ was annointed to preach good tidings unto the meek to binde up the broken hearted to comfort all that mourne to appoint give unto them beauty for ashes the oile of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness but here as the Repentance imported is something more than ordinary as the expressions intimate so the good that Christ is here said to be sent to do unto them is something more than ordinary to wit Comfort Joy in an high measure which is more than meer Pardon or Justification some pardoned justified may stand in need hereof being indeed mourners in ashes under a spirit of heaviness notwithstanding of their being in a justified state So that this place cometh not home to the point now in question Obj. 9. Is not this to favoure the Antinomians who say that Repentance is needless and is a meer legal duty neither to be urged nor practised under the Gospel Ans. Though we say that Repentance hath not the same Place Office Interest in about Justification Remission of sins that Faith hath Yet we give no countenance unto the Antinomian errour because we affirme Repentance to be necessary in all such as are Justified and the real beginnings of Gospel Repentance to be also necessary unto such as are to be justified I say the beginnings because I conceive the principal parts or workings of saving Gospel-Repentance follow faith and upon Faith in Christ is the union betwixt Christ the Beleever made and the man brought into a justified state Seing then we presse urge the exercise of Repentance as a constant duty require it in all such as would enjoy Peace Comfort here be saved here after we yeeld nothing unto the Antinomians And against them we urge the same Scriptures that have now been alledged others also as irrefragable proofs of the necessity of this grace though to other ends than to be justified thereby in such manner as we are said to be Justified by Faith Obj. 10. Do not our Divines ordinarily say prove that Faith Repentance are Conditions of the Covenant of Grace I Ans. True but their meaning is not that Repentance is the same way a Condition of Justification that faith is but that terme Conditions of the Covenant they take largely to wit to signifie import the duties required of such as are within the Covenant of Grace not strickly for Conditions of entering into Covenant These two are carefully to be distinguished many things may be called the Conditions of marriage that is duties of married persons to other that can not be called Conditions of making up the marriage Relation as is manifest so is it here Many duties are required of Beleevers that neither are nor can be called Conditions of Justification or of entering into Covenant with God Obj. 11. But do not many both in sermons in writtings even when speaking of Pardon of justification joyn Repentance with
our Pardon whatever seeming assurance we had formerly So that this place speaketh nothing of the Condition of our pardon but of the condition rather of our Sense Feeling grounded Assurance of Pardon which is a far different thing These are the Scriptures whereby he would prove his first argument His 2. Arg. is this Our first faith having the nue nature of a Covenanting with Christ giving ourselves to him taking him for our Lord Redeemer therefore it followes that as the Covenant making accepting was of necessity as the condition of our first right remission so is our Covenant keeping of the same necessity to our continued right And that God is as it were disobliged if we should not keep Covenant And the keeping hath more in it than the bare making No Covenant-relations usually are entered among men but the Covenant keeping is more than the making and the conditions of their continued right more then of their first right So it is with a Subject to his Prince wife to a husband Souldier to a commander Scholer to his Teacher Servant to his Master c. Promising will give them the first right but performing in the essentials must continue it it or will cease for the end of the promise was its performance And in that respect faith which is the Covenant is inferiour to obedience which is promised though in other respect it may be superiour Ans. 1 Though Justifying Faith be also a Covenanting faith and of uniteth he soul with Christ Yet in order to Justification it hath not to use his words the true Nature of a Covenanting with Christ nor a giving up ourselves to Him but rather it is a receiving resting on Him and his Righteousness and a fleeing to his Merites for refuge 2 Nor doth faith in order to Justification as we cleared above receive Christ or goe to him as Lord King but rather as Priest 3 Nor doth the receiving of Christ at first as King formally include Obedience or a promise of obedience as was also manifested above 4 Therefore from this first acting of faith in order to justification it can no way follow that Obedience or Covenant keeping as he speaketh is the condition of our continued Right or of our continued justification 5 What God hath promised upon Covenant-keeping he is it is true disobliged from giving to speak so when the Covenant is not keeped But we find not that he hath promised Justification or the continuance thereof upon these termes 6 There is no Covenants among men that can fully quadrate either with God's Covenanting with us or with the matter of Justification about which we are now speaking The sentences of judges absolving the debitor upon the payment of the Cautioner instructed agreeth more with this and we finde not in such sentences any such-like Conditions mentioned of their Continuance in force 7 Some of these Relations or Covenants mentioned are purely aliene being betwixt a Master his servant and the Captain and the Souldier these are meer mercenary contracts having Obedience service for their only end promiseing a reward upon that Condition Our justification hath no likeness to this 8 Even in these Relations every act of disobedience or non-performance of the duties required doth not dissolve the Relation and therefore it cannot be said that upon the contrare performance as a condition the continueing of the Relation dependeth Mr. Baxter seeing this addeth a restriction in the essentials And in our case I would require what he will account Essential It must be that sure the contrary whereof is inconsistent with a Justified state and what can this be but a total Apostasie From which there is full securitie laid-in in the New Covenant which is not in any of the Covenants among men which he hath mentioned And this total Apostasie must include a full renuncing of Christ his Righteousness as to Justification And this rather would say that the continuance of Justification dependeth on the continuance of Faith adhereing to Christ his Righteousness to this I shall willingly assent And this taketh away the force of the 3. Arg. which he adduceth saying 3. Arg. If there were no more necessary to the continueing of our Iustification but only the same thing which did constitute it then we should be justified by no none act of faith to our lives end but only the first instantaneous act so our faith after that instant should never more be justifying faith But that 's false c. Ans. This whole argument I yeeld unto for I plead not against the interest of faith here but against our works being the condition of continued Justification as was said above CHAP. XXXVI Of the Interest of Repentance in the Pardon of after-sinnes WE spoke before Chap. 29. of Repentance in order to the first pardon of sinnes or to justification and in the foregoing Chapter we shew that the continuance of Justification did not depend on our works as the Condition thereof But now the question will be moved touching Repentance Whether it may not be said to be required as a Condition of the Continuance of Justification or at least as a Condition of the Pardon of sins committed after justification Concerning which we would premit these things 1. It is granted that Repentance is not only necessary at the first Conversion of a sinner but is a Grace that is constantly to be exercised by a Beleever so long as he liveth both in respect of its terminus a quo of its terminus ad quem or both in respect of its aversive of its conversive part for he is still more more to depart fâ—om sin and to turne unto God and to all the wayes of his Commandements Psal. 119 59. The very body of death is constant matter of groaning and mourning unto him Rom. 7 24. his dayly iniquities transgressions ought to keep him low and to put him to this exercise Beside what at extraordinarie times of publick wrath or judgment against the Land Church or Place he liveth in or judgments upon his own neer Relations Familie c. or upon occasion of his own more hainous out breakings as in David Psal. 51. 2. It is also granted That where is no Repentance or no true Repentance for sinnes committed there is no ground for that man to suppose that his sin is pardoned I do not here speak of the measure or expressions of Repentance for there may be mistakes on both hands some thinking their Repentance is naught because not in such a sensible measure as they think is required may therefore inferre that their case is worse than indeed it is others upon the other hand may suppose they have repented when it is not so so inferre pardon when they have no ground But this is granted that where true sincere Repentance is not there is no Pardon from God of sins whereof such are guilty for to such as
he mindeth to Pardon he giveth also a Spirit of Repentance as both Scripture Experience proveth 3. Yet notwithstanding of this it is true that an outward Repentance where there is no inward real sanctified change wrought may hold off for a time or prorogue the inflicting of temporal strokes as we see in Aabh Nineveth others 4. It will be granted also by all the orthodox that Repentance is no proper meritorious cause of pardon not doth it make any Satisfaction to God or appease his wrath anger 4. I shall also grant that where there is true unfeigned Repentance after some sin committed there that person may saifly inferre that his sin is pardoned Repentance is a good signe of Remission because it is a good evidence that the man hath run to the fountaine to the blood of Jesus and there hath washen himself made himself cleane See Esai 1 16 17 18. 5. The Exercise of Repentance is very usefull to make sin become bitter mercy welcome to make the soul more careful watchful in time to come But the Question is whether Repentance be a proper Condition of Pardon of sins committed after Justification or not And when we speak of Repentance here we consider it by itself not as being the sensible signification expression of Faith for the Question is not whether Faith acting in through Repentance or working the soul up unto unfaigned Repentance be the Condition of Remission for that is not Repentance but Faith accompanied with acting the soul to Repentance but the Question is of Repentance considered in itself as a distinct grace from Faith And speaking of Repentance as such considered in itself I say that it is not the Condition of Remission of after sins but faith only acting in a Gospel manner on Jesus Christ his Bloud Merites And the reasons are 1. Because it is Faith not Repentance that carrieth the sinner away to the Bloud of Jesus Christ to his Merites through whom by which alone Remission is had Ephes. 1 7. Col. 1 14. Zach. 13. 1. Heb. 9 14 22. Revel 1 5. Repentance as such layeth not hold on Christ grippeth not his Merites maketh no application of these but is wholly exercised about another object about sin 2. This would give man too great ground of boasting in himself if upon his Mourning Sorrow Repentance Pardon were to be had and would give occasion to think that there were some merite worth in that work some thing satisfying or appeasing to God for the man hereby is keeped within himself upon the account of something within himself or done by himself is he pardoned as he might suppose 3. This should be derogatorie to the Bloud Merites of Christ by which alone we have pardon first last and the Gospel is so contrived as that Christ must have all the Glory and all the methodes meanes order of the Gospel and new Covenant are in like manner framed so that man may be abased free grace exalted Christ acknowledged the only Redeemer But if our Repentance were made such a Condition there should be no application made of Christ of his bloud by the sinner No acting on him on his merites in order to the obtaining of Pardon and so no occasion of exalting free grace and Love in Christ no occasion of wondering at the wise contrivance of the Covenant of Grace in all points If it be said There is no derogating from Christ his Merites here because it is by vertue of his Merites that Repentance is made such a Condition I Ans. This is not cleared from the Scripture nor is it sutable to the frame of the Gospel-Covenant for the whole of it is so contrived as that Christ is immediatly to be made use of But this way keepeth the soul off all immediat going to applying of and resting upon Christ in order to Remission of new sinnes setteth them only upon the exercise of Sorrow Repentance within themselves 4. The Apostle Iohn pointeth out the way to beleevers of obtaining Remission-of sins 1. Ioh. 2 1 2. And if any man sin we have an Advocat with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous And he is the Propitiation for our sins Now Repentance doth not make use of Christ as an Advocat as a Propitiation but Faith doth And it is the proper work of Faith in order to Remission to make use of Christ in his Priestly office to carry the soul away to his Propitiation Intercession 5. The dayly experience of the Saints evidence this when upon conviction of sin they betake themselves to the free Mercy of God in Christ to the Bloud of sprinkling crying out for Pardon for the Lord's sake and seeking to be washen in his blood It is not their Repentance or Sorrow that they flee to as the ground of their hope of Pardon but the merites of Christ held forth in the new Covenant is that fountaine wherein they must wash be cleane See Psal. 25 11. 51 7. 6. This was sufficiently held forth under the Law when for their Errours Failings dayly Transgressions the people were to bring their Sacrifices to the Priest which were to be offered up as types of Christ they were to lay their hands upon the head of the Sacrifice in signe of their resting upon the Sacrifice typified of rolling their sins upon that only Sacrifice of expecting Acceptance Pardon through it alone See Levit 4 20 26 31 35. 5 10 13 16 18. 6 7 19 22. 7. If Repentance be the Condition then this must either be said of that part of Repentance which preceedeth the acting of faith or of that which followeth This last cannot be said for then it would follow that upon the acting of faith that preceedeth there were no Remission so faith laying hold on Christ his Merites should be utterly excluded from having any Interest in the pardon of sins Nor can the first be said for then there should be Remission before without all application made of Christ by Faith Yea the very imperfect beginnings of Repentance should be judged sufficient for Remission which cannot be said If it be said that this is meaned of compleat Repentance I Ans. Compleet Repentance cannot be without Faith it is against what is said to make Repentance considered alone by itself or as abstracted from Faith the only Condition seing this would be a manifest exclusion of Faith altogether If it be said that Repentance Faith may be considered together as joyned together called the Condition of Pardon I Ans. Seing it is manifest that both do not neither can act one the same way on Christ they cannot be considered as equally sharing in the place interest of a condition And therefore I judge it saifest to say That faith acting in by Repentance or so discovering itself to
be true lively is the sole Condition of Pardon 8. As at first so alwayes that holdeth true which Peter saith Act. 10 43. To him i. e. to Jesus give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive Remission of sins As the stung Israelit was alwayes in order to his cure to look to the brazen serpent so is the Beleever that would be cured of the guilt of new transgressions to have his recourse by Faith unto the Mediator crucified lifted up Ioh. 3 14 15. Obj. 1. It is said that Repentance is necessary both as commanded and as a meane appointed for attaining Remission of sins And therefore must be the Condition of Remission Ans. The consequence is not good for this same may be said of Prayer and other Duties which yet cannot be called proper Conditions of Pardon That prayer is a commanded duty none will deny That a praying sinner may be said to be using the meanes to attaine unto Pardon and to be in the way of obtaining of it will also be granted and so in that respect prayer may be accounted a meane and yet it cannot be called the Condition for then every one that prayeth should have pardon though he act not faith And if it be said that it must be prayer in faith Iam. 5 15. I Ans. True but then the Condition is not Prayer but Faith exerting itself and acting in through Prayer And the same we say of Repentance and so keep it in its due place and presse it in the Gospel way methode Obj. 2. It is said That there is a kind of congruity sutablness in this order by subjoining the promise of pardon to it for it is more sutable that a penitent sinner should have Pardon than an impenitent Ans. So this same may be said of Prayer for it is also more sutable that a praying sinner be pardoned than a sinner that nevâ— once asketh pardon And this tendeth more also to the exalting of free grace But the truth is in pardon there is not only a declaration exalting of Grace Mercy but also of divine Justice Rom. 3 25 26. and unto this Faith is singularly fitted because it layyeth hold on the Propitiation and on bloud for the declaration of God's Righteousness for Remission of sins and hereby is the Lord declared to be just when he is the Justifier Pardoner of the beleever So that neither prayer nor Repentance nor Self-searching c. can be properly called the Condition but Faith acting in by these Obj. 3. It is said that Repentance qualifieth the sinner in reference to the promise of pardon or putteth him within the reach of the promise so that he may take hold of the promise of pardon And it disposeth him to accept the offered Salvation freely and to rest upon Christ alone for that end Ans. 1 What disposeth to accept of Salvation c. cannot for that cause be called the Condition of Pardon unless we speak improperly as felt poverty in a beggar though it disposeth him to receive an offered almes thankfully Yet it is not the proper Condition No more self conviction in our case a Condition of Pardon 2 If it qualifieth for the receiving of the offered Salvation then it qualifieth immediatly for Faith but mediatly remotly for Pardon 3 The promise of Pardon is not made to the penitent properly as such but to the Penitent beleever that is to faith acting exerting itself in by Repentance Obj. 4. Esai 1 15 16. put away the evil of your doings cease to do evil c. this is Repentance then vers 18. full pardon is promised though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow c. Ans. Yet with all he bids them wash make cleane which could only be by the blood of the Messiah for that only cleanseth 1. Ioh. 1 7. and this they had neglected in going about their Sacrifices which therefore were abominable in the eyes of the Lord vers 11 12 13. because not accompanied with Faith that purifieth the heart Act. 15 9. Obj. 5. 2. Chron. 7 14. the Lord promiseth to forgive sin if his people would turne from their wicked wayes Ans. But with all it is required there that they seek the face of God that was in through the Messiah typified by the Temple to which their prayers were to be directed as we see Chap. 6 20 24 26 29 31 34 38. Obj. 6. Prov. 28 13. He that confesseth his sin forsaketh it shall finde mercy Ans. True because none will do that a right but the beleever who laith hold on the Merites of Christ. And so this the like places are not exclusively to be taken but principally to be understood of Faith so acting and evidencing itself to be true lively and of the right stamp by its acting so FINIS CHAP. I. Imputation both of Christs Active and Passive Obedience necessary MR. Iohn Goodwine in his Treatise of justification part 2. Ch. 2. laith down several conclusions whereby he might overturne this Truth what he saith must be examined His 1. Conclusion in this He for whose sins a plenary satisfaction hath been made either by himself or another for him hath been accepted by him against whom the transgression was committed is as just righteous as he that never sinned but had done all things that were requisite meet for him to do Ans. If by just righteous be meaned one who only hath not deserved the punishment threatned then his Conclusion is true but if by just righteous be meaned one who not only hath not deserved the punishment but hath also deserved the reward promised then his Conclusion is false for the Satisfaction if it respect only the transgression committed can only put the man for whom it is given accepted in the state of one that is under no obligation to be punished but it cannot put him in the state of one who not only is not to be punished but is also to be rewarded He addeth This is evident because there is as much justice righteousness in repairing the the wrongs injuries done to any as there is in abstaining from doing wrong Ans. True in reference to the wrong done and therefore such an one is rightly justly delivered from the obligation to punishment but is not made so righteous as to challenge the reward till a more compleet satisfaction be made to wit such as may comprehend also perfect conformitie unto the Law in all points to the end he for whom this is done may be looked upon as a fulfiller of the Law therefore to have right to the reward as he would have had if he had in his own person perfectly keeped it He that simply repaireth the wrong done doth not that which deserveth the reward The simile he annexeth confirmeth this and demonstrateth how far out he is
also by the imputation of a Righteousness for being in this State of Righteousness we have not only the Obligation to wrath eternal punishment removed which is done by Remission upon the account of the Satisfaction of Christ imputed but we have also a right to the reward the crown of life which is had by imputation of Righteousness or of obedience though it were better to say we have both by both or we have both by the imputation of that compleet Satisfaction merite which comprehendeth or consisteth of both His 3. Conclusion is this Adam whilst his innocency stood with him and till his fall by sin was compleetly Righteous in an estate of justification before God Yea for the truth substance of Righteousness as Righteous as he could or should have been if he had lived to this day in the most entire absolute obedience to the Law Ans. Adam while he remained innocent was compleatly Righteous that is was changable with no transgression it is true That he was compleatly Righteous that is had full right to the reward as having done all his duty and compleated his work it is most false Therefore 2 it is false to say he was in a state of justification unless nothing else be hereby meaned than that he was not in a state of condemnation Though there be no mids betwixt these two now as to us but either we must be in a state of justification or in a state of condemnation Yet Adam while he stood was in neither Not in a state of condemnation because he had not yet transgressed the Law Nor yet in a state of justification because he had not yet done all his duty for he was to persevere in obedience to the end And if he had been justified he had full right to the reward so had been glorified for whom the Lord justifieth he glorifieth But Adam was not glorified upon his Law-obedience and consequently was not justified by his Law-obedience 3 The truth substance of Righteousness unto which he would restrick all is not the thing enquired after nor is it at all to the point for upon Adam's having of that simply he could not expect the reward of life that was promised because the Covenant he was under required continuance perseverance in all the several duties called for by the Law even to the end ere he could challenge a right to the reward And further Adam had this truth substance of Righteousness at the first it was concreated with him Yet he could not upon that account have challenged glory as his due He addeth Even as the second Adam was as compleatly perfectly Righteous from the womb so from his first entrance upon his publick ministrie as he was at last when he suffered death Ans. If we speak of our Lord Jesus as the second Adam that is as standing in the room of sinners as the Head publick Person engadging in their behalfe whom he did represent to pay all their debt though he knew no sin and upon that account was perfectly Righteous and separat from sinners Yet he was to finish the work laid upon him and to performe the whole debt both of duty suffering which he had undertaken and till the last penny of that debt was payed his work was not finished and untill his work was finished he could not challenge his reward And so this confirmeth what we have said of the first Adam To say he addeth that Adam was not perfectly Righteous consequently in a justified estate or condition before God untill his fall by sin is to place him into an estate of condemnation before his sin there being no middle or third estate betwixt these two Ans. This was obviated before Adam's state before his fall was a state of Innocencie wherein he enjoyed the favour presence of God he being perfectly Righteous in reference to that state to what was required of him but justified he was not for the reward was not adjudged unto him So that as to him there was a middle state betwixt a State of Justification a State of Condemnation though as to us there is not as the places which he citeth afterward namely Rom. 5 18. 8 1 2 shew the whole Scriptures evince He closeth this matter thus Therefore to grant that forgiveness of sins puts a man into the same estate condition wherein Adam stood before his fall which is generally granted by men of opposite judgment in this controversie nothing granted neither in this but the unquestionable truth is to grant the point in question to acknowledge the truth laboured for throughout this whole discourse Ans. It is not granted that remission of sins as such putteth a man every way into the same Condition wherein Adam stood before his fall for it putteth not a man in the same estate of inherent holiness wherein Adam was but it putteth a man into the same estate of freedome from any obligation to punishment for it taketh away the reatus poenae so that a pardoned man as such is no more under the actual obligation unto the curse wrath of God threatned for transgression than was Adam before he fell and this is all that is confessed Which is far yea very far from granting the point that he goeth about to establish for he would have remission as such put a man in the state of full right to the reward to the end he might exclude the imputation of the obedience or Righteousness of Christ as not being necessary unto this end contrary to the Scriptures of truth Adam before he fell had not right unto the promised reward because he was to finish his course of obedience before he could obtaine that And therefore the granting that remission putteth a man into the same Condition wherein Adam stood will contribute nothing to his end His 4. Conclusion is That perfect remissien of sins includeth the Imputation or acknowledgment of the observation of the whole Law even as the imputation of the Law fulfilled necessarily includes the non imputation of sin or the forgiveness of all sin in case any hath been committed Ans. The conclusion is manifestly false if we speak of remission simply abstractivly as such And the ground here alleiged for it is ambiguous for the imputation of the Law fulfilled may either be to sach as never broke it then it doth not include remission but taketh away all necessity of it or to transgressours and then indeed it may presuppose remission but doth not include it as such But to remove ambiguities we shall distinguish say that perfect Remission of sins includeth the acknowledgment of the observation of the whole Law in respect of Punishment but not in respect of the Reward that is perfect Remission of sins exeemeth a man from Punishment as well as if he had perfectly keeped the Law but doth not give him right to the Reward for unto this
was requisite the perfect observation of the Law Now perfect observation of the Law saith there was no transgression but remission saith supposeth that the Law was not perfectly observed So the imputation of the Law fulfilled either saith the Law was not broken or that now satisfaction is made for the breach thereof therefore the person unto whom this imputation is made hath a right unto the reward which this imputation doth directly immediatly respect as such But in our case both these go together perfect remission the imputation of the Law fulfilled because freedom from the obligation to punishment right to the reward go also together inseparably For how can he be said saith he to have all his sins fully forgiven who is yet looked upon or intended to be dealt with all as one that hath transgressed either by way of omission or commission any part of the Law Ans. He that hath his sins fully forgiven may well be looked upon as one that hath transgressed either by omission or by commission or by both because he must be so looked upon for pardon presupposeth sin no man can be pardoned but a sinner and no man can think or dreame of a remission but withall he must suppose that the person pardoned hath sinned But it is true he who is said to have all his sins fully forgiven cannot be intended to be dealt withall as one that hath transgressed for pardon destroyeth that obligation to punishment but doth not so destroy sin as to cause that it never was for that is impossible What more And he that is looked upon as one that never transgressed any part of the Law must needs be conceived or looked upon as one that hath fulfilled or keeped the Law Ans. This is very true But what then Which is nothing else saith he but to have a perfect Righteousness or which is the same a perfect fulfilling of the Law imputed to him Ans. This is also true taking this imputation of a perfect fulfilling of the Law to be to one who never broke the Law by sin but it is not true in our case who are transgressours all the imputation of Righteousness in the world can not make us to have been no sinners Yet he inferreth So that besides that perfect remission of sins which hath been purchased by the bloud of Christ there is no need of indeed no place for the imputation of any Righteousness performed by Christ unto the Law Ans. The inconsequence of this is manifest from what is said But he addeth a reason Because saith he in that very act of remission of sins there is included an imputation of a perfect Righteousness Ans. This is but the same thing which was said is manifestly false Remission regairdeth only the punishment or the obligation thereunto dissolveth it but as such giveth no right to the reward which was promised only to obedience to the Law But then he tels us more properly with Scripture-exactness as he saith that that act of God whereby heremitteth pardoneth sin is interpretativly nothing else but an imputation of a perfect righteousness or of a fulfilling of the Law compare Rom. 4 6 with vers 7. 11. Ans. This is but the same thing needeth no new answere for it is denied that that act of God whereby he pardoneth sin considered in itself as such is interpretativly an imputation of perfect Righteousness But it is true in our case it may be called so interpretativly in this respect that there is such an in dissoluble connexion betwixt the two that the one inferreth the other necessitate consequentis And this is all that can be proved from Rom. 4 6 7 11. He addeth Even as the act of the Physician by which he recovereth his patient from his sickness may withfull propriety of speach be called that act whereby he restoreth him to his health Ans. The Physician purging away the humors the causes of the distemper is the cause of health by being the causa removens prohibens because ex natura rei health followeth upon the removal of that which caused the distemper but the connexion of pardon of imputation of Righteousness is not ex natura rei but ex libera Dei constitutione connecting the causes of both together His next similitude of the sun dispelling darkness filling the aire with light is as little to the purpose because here is a natural necessary consequence light necessarily expelling darkness which is denied in our case Hence there is no ground for what he addeth when he saith In like manner God doth not heal sin that is forgive sin by one act restore the life of righteousness that is impute righteousness by another act at all differing from it but in by one the same punctual precise act he doth the one the other For we are not here enquiring after the oneness or diversitie of God's acts in a Philosophical manner God can do many things by one Physical act but we are enquireing concerning the Effects whether they be one precise thing flowing from one moral cause or so diverse as to require diverse moral causes grounds or whether the one doth naturally essentially include the other as being both but one thing His following words would seem to speak to this when he saith forgiveness of sins imputation of Righteousness are but two different names expressions or considerations of one the same thing one the same act of God is sometimes called forgivness of sins sometimes an imputing of Righteousness the forgivness of sins is sometimes called an imputing of righteousness to shew signifie that a man needs nothing to a compleet Righteousness or Iustification but the forgivness of his sins And againe the Imputing of Righteousness is sometimes called the forgivness of sins to shew that God hath no other Righteousness to conferre upon a sinner but that which standeth in forgiveness of sins Ans. This is but gratis dictum nothing at all is proved These two pardon of sins imputation of Righteousness are two distinct parts of one compleet favour and blessing granted of God in order to one compleet blessedness consisting likewise in two parts to wit in freedome from punishment which was deserved in right to the promised inheritance which was lost And because these two both in the cause and in the effect are inseparable conjoined by the Lord therefore the mentioning of the one may doth import signifie both by a Synecdoche And hence no man with reason can inferre that they are both one the same precise thing flowing from one the same precise cause and import only the different names expressioâ—s or considerations of one the same thing Christ's obedience to the Law and his suffering for sin were not one the same thing under various considerations or names but distinct parts of one compleet Surety-Righteousness no more can the effects that
4 When he saith that to be justified constitutively is nothing else but to be made such as are personally themselves just he speaketh very indistinctly not only as confounding being made just being justified as if they were formally the same but also as not giving us to understand what he meaneth by these words personally thâ—mselves just Hereby he would seem to say that only by something inherent in our persons we are constituted Righteous are justified and not by any thing imputed to us And if so the ground of all Anti-evangelick boasting glorying in ourselves is laid 5 Pardon of sin as such is neither a making a just nor a justifying and the same we say of Right to Christ to Glory 6 Christ's Righteousness according to Mr. Baxter can not be called the meritorious cause of our pardon justification Right to Glory c. because it is only made by him the meritorious cause of the New Covenant wherein pardon Right to Christ to Glory are promised upon New Conditions so is made the meritorious Cause of the connection betwixt the performance of these New Conditions the obtaining of Pardon that Right so that by vertue of Christ's Merites these New Conditions are made the proper immediat meritorious cause ex pacto of these favours And by this way Man can not but boast glory in himself immediatly and give Christ only some remote far-off thanks for procuring the New termes 7 Christ's Righteousness cannot be called our Material Righteousness any other way than as it hath purchased the New Covenant according to Mr. Baxter this being equally for all Christ's Righteousness shall be the Material Righteousness of the Reprobat as well as of Beleevers And how can that be called ours which is not ours nor our own nor are we by it made personally just ourselves as he spoke before 8 According to this doctrine Christ Righteousness meriteth to us another Righteousness which is our own on ourselves by this we are formally justified that is according to what went before to what followeth we are formally justified by our own personal inherent holiness for of this he is speaking only and yet that which he here mentioneth as the Righteousness which formally justifieth us is said to be pardon of sin a Right to Christ to Glory which formally is no Righteousness at all nor no where so called in Scripture is but a consequent of that which elsewhere he calleth our Gospel Righteousness and the Condition of Justification He goeth on n. 182. He that is no cause of any good work is no Christian but a damnable wretch worfe than any wicked man I know in the world And he that is a cause of it must not be denyed falsly to be a cause of it Nor a Saint denied to be a Saint upon a false pretence of self-denyal Ans. Of such a cause of any good work he knoweth the objection speaketh that should have the glory praise thereof and of good works as the ground formal Cause of justification which these against whom Mr. Baxter here disputeth do deny But we may see here what Mr. Baxter accounteth good works even such as the most damnable wretch and possiblie the devil himself may do that is a work materially good though far different from the good works described to us in Scripture And thus the Justification upon good works which Mr. Baxter here meaneth must be a Justification that all Heathens damnable wretches yea devils themselves are capable of But this is not the justification we speak of of which who ever are partakers shall be glorified Rom. 8 30. We say nothing that giveth him ground to think that our thoughts are that a Saint should be denyed to be a Saint upon pretence of Self-denyal Only we say that such as are Saints indeed will be loth to rob God of his glory or take any of that to themselves which is due to him alone in so far as they act as Saints And they should not because Saints glory boast as if their justification before God were by their Sanctity good works not of meer grace through the imputation of the Surety-Righteousness of Christ. One thing I would ask Doth Mr. Baxter think that Christ's Righteousness hath merited that justification which those damnable wretches devils may partake of by any good work which they do himself told us in the foregoing n. 81. that all Righteousnuss which formally iustifieth is our own that to be made just to be justified are the same or equipollent and to be Justified constitutively is nothing else then to be made such as are personally themselves just Now when devils damnable wretches may be the causes of some good work that good work cannot but formally justifie them and they thereby become constitutively justified I would enquire whether this Justification be purchased by Christ or not And againe I would enquire whether this Justification be accompanied with pardon of sin with Right to Christ to glory or not If not how can it be called a justification if it be not a justification how can they be hereby formally justified constitutively justified He tels us next n. 183 As God is seen here in the glass of his works so he is to be loved praised as so appearing This is say I good reasonable What then Therefore saith he he that dishonoureth his work dishonoureth God hindereth his due love and praise This consequence I grant is good but what is it to the point in hand And his most lovely honourable work saith he on earth is his holy image on his Saints as Christ will come to be admired glorified in them at last so God must be seen glorified in them here in some degree Neither say I is any thing of this to the purpose in hand He addeth And to deny the glory of his image is the malignants way of injuring him that in which the worst will serve you And what then He that will praise God saith he further as Creator Redeemer must praise his works of Creation Redemption And is it the way of praising him as our Sanctifier to dispraise his work of Sanctification Ans. What maketh all this to the purpose Must all such be guilty of this malignant wickedness who tell men that no part of their Righteousness is in themselves by which they are to be justified but that it is all in Christ only or that say that God must have all the glory of what good action they do This is hard that either we must be wicked Malignants or Sacrilegious robbers of God of the Glory due unto him But I see no connexion and Mr. Baxter hath not yet demonstrated the same He must then prove the Consequence of this argueing He addeth n. 184. Those poor sinners of my acquantance who lived in the grossest sins against
power as that of himself he can specifie the acts of his own will without any predetermining Motion of God Can he then beleeve in Christ. Hope savingly in God yeeld Christian Obedience to all the commands of God without God's Predetermining motion upon his heart And is that Common General influx whereby he is preserved in his being his faculties power not taken away enough to make a man turn from Nature unto Grace if he will be so good natured as to bow his own will determine himself as he may Why do we then condemne the Pelagians What did or could Pelagius say more But enough of this here In the following Paragraph n. 188. He tels us that some men teach that Christ strippeth a Christian of two things his Sins his Righteousness Or that two Things must be cast away for Christ Sins Righteousness And he is not satisfied with such speeches though they be consonant to yea upon the matter the very same with the speeches of Paul Phil. 3 8 9. He faith they should speak better if they would not deceive And why saith he not so of the Apostle Paul also May it serve him that we speak as Paul did Nothing saith he is to be cast away as evil but sin True and yet the Apostle desired to be found in Christ not having his own Righteousness what was a Righteousness in his eyes before and was a Righteousness which is in the Law and wherein he was blameless he now accounted loss for Christ yea he accounted them but dung which includeth a rejecting casting of it away with detestation He addeth Righteousness truely such is good never to be cast away If it be no Righteousnâ—ss why do they falsly say that we must cast away our Righteousness Ans. Let the Apostle Paul answere this whom it concerneth as much as us And let Mr. Baxter in soberness consider how this reflecteth upon the Spirit of the Lord inspiring the Apostle to speak so As for us we are not very anxious in this matter but can freely tell Mr. Baxter that though our personal Righteousness be good Yet in the matter of justification before God and absolution from the condemnatory sentence of the Law adjudication to life we must lay it aside and betake ourselves solely to the Righteousness of Christ and seek to be found in him alone after the example of the Apostle according to the clear doctrine of the Gospel And this we are resolved to do how displeased soever Mr. Baxter be with us upon that account He addeth To cast away a false conceit of Righteousness is not to cast away Righteousness but Sin only indeed beside sin we are said justly to cast away that which would be the object matter of sin And the phrase is fitlier applied to a thing Indifferent than to a thing necessary lest it seduce Ans. To account our Righteousness consisting in our obedience to the Law to be dung as Paul did in the business of justification is all we plaid for let Mr. Baxter call it a casting away of a false conceite of Righteousness if that will satisfie him but even in this we cast away our Righteousness when we will not trust to it as our Righteousness in order to justification or as that Righteousness upon the account of which we expect to be justified in the sight of God And if Mr. Baxter be afraid of Seducing here he may know where we ground our expressions I suppose Paul was far from seducing when he spoke as he did Phil. 3 8 9. There is nothing so good saith he which may not be made the object of sin not Christ or his Righteousness or God himself excepted But we must not thus objectivly abuse them Ans. And what is all this to the purpose Doth he think that those teachers he here opposeth were enemies to holiness or would have men laying aside all thoughts of it and care about it when they spoke so He may as well inferre such things from the Apostles speaches But what is meaned secundum quid should not be understood as spoken simpliciter His reasoning here then is impertinent as also is that which followeth when he saith So holiness true Righteousness inherent or imputed may be objects of sinful pride boasting But it is not edifying doctrine therefore to say that we must cast away inherent imputed Righteousness For we plead not for casting away every thing that may be abused but for casting away our own Righteousness in the matter of justification that impured Righteousness may only take place But how imputed Righteousness can be the object of sinful pride boasting he would do well to teach us that Inherent Righteousuess may be so we know and to plead for justification upon that account is to lay the foundation of sinful pride boasting as the Scriptures teach us He addeth But yet true self denyâ—l requireth that we deny our Righteousness inherent or Imputed to be that which indeed it is not Ans. And therefore we deny that our inherent Righteousness is the ground or formalis ratio objectiva of our justification But what way Self-denyal teacheth us to deny our imputed Righteousness to be what it is not he must be pleased to informe us and to speak thus alike of both our inherent imputed Righteousness is not very faire as if there were no difference Further he tels us And so when men accounted the jewish observations to be a justifying Righteousness in competition with in opposition to Christ Paul counteth it as loss dung nothing in that respect when yet elsewhere he saith I have lived in all good conscience to this day And Christ himself fulfilled that Law Righteousness Ans. What meaneth Mr. Baxter by these jewish observations Meaneth he nothing but their observance of the Ceremonial Law But did Paul meane nothing but his consciencious observance of this Law when he said I have lived in all good conscience to this day And did he mean nothing else by that Righteousness which he counted loss dung Phil. 3 The Apostle himself distinguisheth betwixt the Law touching which he was a Pharisee and that Law touching the Righteousness whereof he had been blameless And sure before the writting of this Epistle he had preached down the observation of the Ceremonial Law and was far from the observation thereof yet now he accounted that same Righteousness which formerly was gaine to him now to be loss dung so that this could not be his Ceremonial Observances for it had been a small demonstration of his excessive desire to win Christ to count thaâ—loss now which he had before comdemned as unnecessary Yea as unlawfull had laid aside as such So that he meaneth all that which could be called his own Righteousness which is of the Law and was not that Righteousness which is through the Faith of Christ and of God by Faith And it is also
and to all his Spiritual benefites And though these Sacraments do in a more special manner represent Christ as suffering or as dying Yet it is no good consequence hence to inferre that his dying alone shedding his blood is our Righteousness for his death is principally specially there held forth as being the last compleeting act of his Mediatory obedience in his state of humiliation unto which all his former acts of obedience had a special respect in which they did all ultimatly terminate And by what reason will it be proved that nothing done or suffered by Christ can be any part or portion of our Righteousness in him but what is distinctly expressly represented pointed forth by these seales What shall then become of his soul sufferings in the Garden on the Crosse these were not his bloud nor his broken body therefore according to him make no part of our Righteousness in Christ. But we dar not say this His Third ground is from Heb. 10 5 6 7. c. cited out of Psal. 40. And thus he argueth The obedience of Christ in the matter of our Righteousness is of no larger extent than is the will of God which he did obey by which we are sanctified But this is restrained only to the offering of Christ. Ans. The minor is here denied there being no such restraint made as is alleiged for he came to do all the will of God therefore was baptised that he might fulfill all Righteousness It was not seâ—ving to the Apostles scope to mentione any other act of obedience than his offering up of himself but his mentioning no other there will not exclude all mentioned elsewhere Sure the Adversarie will not exclude the promptitude readiness of mind that Christ had unto the offering up of himself long before the appointed time as being no part of that obedience that he performed It cannot then be said that by his once offering up of himself at the last alone we are sanctified by nothing going before in conjunction with this But he tels us that our Iustification Reconciliation c. are ever attributed unto the bloud death Crosse of Christ. Ans. Never exclusively as to his preceeding obedience Yea we are to be saved by his life Rom. 5 10. justification is upon Christ's Righteousness vers 18. And all this will as well conclude for the exclusion of his foregoing obedience from being requisite in Christ as he said above to the end he may be Righteousness to us as for excluding of it from being any part of our Righteousness as also the next thing he saith concerning Paul's respecting in his preaching only the crosse of Christ for the Apostle is not there speaking meerly of the matter of our Righteousness but of the Gospel way of Salvation through a crucified Mediator which the wisdom of this world despised And to this sure our Author will willingly acknowledge that more belongeth than his death abstractivly considered His fourth ground is from Heb. 10 18. whence it followeth saith he that iâ— nothing which is in Christ himself before his death consisteth the remission of our sins so consequently our righteousness Ans. We willingly grant that in nothing that Christ did before his death considered abstractly from his death and separatly by it self did remission of sins consist or to speak more properly was satisfaction made in order to remission Yet hence it will not follow that all his preceeding obedience was no part of his Righteousness or of that whereof we are made partakers in him more than it will follow that it was not requisite in him to the end he might become Righteousness to us If any said as he seemeth to alleige that all our iniquities both original actual were pardoned in his preceeding actual obedience which I shall be loath to say nor know I who speaketh so then his argueing were good that then Christ should be made to dye without a cause If any say as he insinuateth also pag. 104. that Christ was offered only to remove the punishment of our sin and not the sin or guilt thereof I shall not approve of it Yet I cannot assent to what he saith Ibid. That the very offering of Christ for sin secludes all things preceeding whatsoever from all vertue or efficacy of removing iniquity for then it should seclude his soul sufferings which sure were no small part of the Satisfaction made by him for sin Neither will it hence follow that all his foregoing acts of obedience made no integral part of that Surety-Righteousness which he undertook to performe He citeth for his first ground 1. Ioh. 1 7. To which we say That it is true the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin because it was the bloud of him who had fulfilled all Righteousness in his death had compleeted that Satisfaction he undertook to do He tels us againe pag. 105. from Rom. 4. That unto eternal blessedness it is sufficient to have remission of sins But he remembereth not that all such as have remission of sins there have Righteousness also imputed without works we deny that Righteousness consisteth in remission of sins alone But in all this he is disputing only against such who say that remission of sins is had by the imputation of Christ's actual obedience by his death freedome from punishment is obtained with such I have nothing to do To what he here addeth of the difference betwixt an innocent man a just man enough hath been said already elsewhere His sixt last ground pag. 108. is builded upon the Law of the Priesthood which saith he was ordained of God for this end to make expiation of our sins to bring us unto God which two were shadowed in two actions in the day of Expiation viz. in offering sacrifice c. in carrylng the names of the tribes ingraven in the stones on his shoulder brest plate And this is so far from making against us that it consirmeth rather our opinion for that carrying of the names of the Tribes on the Ephod which was upon the other holy garments together with that plate of pure gold that was upon the mitre on the forefront having engraven upon it HOLINESS TO THE LORD Exod. 28. was sufficient to typifie hold forth Christ's holy obedience Righteousnest could not typifie his death sacrifice And without a Righteousness there is no coming or approaching unto God this Righteousness is some other thing than meer remission of sins His argueing from the Priests first entry on their office at 30. Yeers of age Christ's doing the like Luk. 3 21. to inferre that no action performed by Christ before that time can be accounted the action of expiation of sin or of reconciliation of us to God is most vaine for 1 we make no limitation or restriction of his expiatory work to what he did before he was 30 yeers of age 2
sufficiat non est pallium breve quod secundum Prophetam non possit operireduos justitia tua justitia in aeternum te pariter me opertet larga aeterna justitiâ— in me quidem operit multitudinem delictorum i. e. Shall I make mention of my Righteousness Lord I will make mention of thine only for that is also mine because thou art made of God unto me Righteousness Is it to be feared that that one shall not serve two It is not a short cloak that according to the Prophet cannot cover two thy Righteousness is an everlasting Righteousness that large eternal Righteousness shall cover both thee me in me indeed it shall cover a multitude of sins Id. Dom. 1. post Octav. Epiph. Serm. 1. Veruntamen ut jam non sit quod causeris O homo contra inobedientiam Adae datur tibi obedientia Christi ut si gratis venundatus es gratis redimaris i. e. But that thou ô man should not have whereof to complean fore against the disobedience of Adam which he said before was imputed the obedience of Christ is given unto thee to the end that if thou be sold for nothing thou shalt also be redeemed for nothing Idem Epist. 190. ad Innocent Pont. Rom. Quid namque ex se agere poterat ut semel amissam justitiam recuperaret homo servus peccati vinctus diaboli assignata est ei proinde aliena qui caruiâ— sua ipsa sic est Venit Princeps mundi in Salvatore non invenit quicquam cum nihilominus innocenti manus injecit justissime quos tenebat amisit quando is qui morti nihil debebat accepta mortis injuria jure illum qui obnoxius erat mortis debito Diaboli solvit Dominio Qua enim justitia id secundo exigeretur homo siquidem qui debuit homo qui solvit nam si unus inquit pro omnibus mortuus est ergo omnes mortui sunt ut viz saâ— factio unius omnibus imputetur sicut omnium peccata unus ille portavit nec alter jam inveniatur qui forte fecit alter qui satisfecit quia Caput Corpus unus est Christus Satisfecit ergo Caput pro membris Christus pro Visceribus suis c. quod si dixerit Pater tuus addixit te Respondebâ— sed Frater men's redemit me cur non aliunde justitia quia aliunde reatus alius qui peccatorem constituit alius qui justificat a peccato alter in semine alter in sanguine An peccatum in semine peccatoris non justitia in sanguine Christi non convenit filium portare iniquitatem patris fraternâ— fieri exortem justitiae i. e. For what could man a servant of sin a bound slave of the devil do of himself to recover the Righteousness which he had once lost Therefore another is assigned unto him because he wanted his own the same is so The Prince of the world came found nothing in the Saviour when notwithstanding he put hands on the Innocent he lost those most justly when he held when he who owed nothing to death having received the injurie of death he did by right loose him who was liable to the debt of death deliver him from the Dominion of Satan for by what Right could he exact that the second time seing as it was man who owed so it was man who payed for if one he saith died for all then are all dead that to wit the Satisfaction of one might be imputed to all as that one did bear the sins of all Neither now is it found that one did the wrong another satisfied for the Head the body are one Christ the Head therefore did satisfie for the members Christ for his own bowels But if he shall say Thy Father bound thee over I shall answer but my Brother hath redeemed me why should not Righteousness be from another as guilt was from another one who made man a sinner another who justifieth from sin the one in the seed the other in blood Was sin in the seed of a sinner shall not Righteousness be in the bloud of Christ. It is not right that the Son should bear the iniquity of the Father be defrauded of the Righteousness of his Brother Idem Serm. ad Milites Templi c. 1. Qui peccati meritum tulit suam nobis donando justitiam ipse meritis debitum solvit reddit vitam sic namque mortua morte revertitur vita quemadmodum ablato peccato redit justitia porro mors in Christi morte fugatur Christi nobis justitia imputatur c. Qui nostram induit carnem subiit mortens putas suam nobis negabit justitiam Voluntarie incarnatus voluntarit passus voluntarie crucifixus solam à nobiâ— retinebit justitiam afterward ibid. Unus peccavit omnes tenentur rei unius innocentia soli reputabitur uni Unius peccatum omnibus operatum est mortem unius justitia uni viâ—am restituet Haud Dei justitia magis ad condemnâ—ndum quam ad restaurandum valuit aut plus potutt Adam in malo quà m Christus in bono Adae peccatum imputabitur mihi Christi justitia non pertinebit ad me i. e. He who took away the desert of sin giving to us his Righteousness the same by his merites paid the debt restored life for if death be dead life returneth even as sin being taken away Righteousness returneth Moreover death is banished away in Christ's death and Christ Righteousness is imputed to us c. He who took on our flesh underwent death thinks thou that he shall deny to us his Righteoysness He who willingly was incarnate willingly suffered willingly was crucified shall he withold his Righteousness from us?-one man sinned all are guilty shall the innocency of one be accounted only to one One mans sin hath wrought death unto all shall the Righteousness of one restore life only to one Shall God's Righteousness be more powerfull to condemne than to restore Could Adam do more in sin than Christ in good Shall Adam's sin be imputed unto me shall not Christ's Righteousness belong unto me Ambros. lib. 3. de Virginit p. 100. Omâ—ia Iesus est nobis si volumus Si vulnus curari defideras Medicus est Si febribus aestuas sons est Si gravaris iniquitate justitia est si auxilio indiges virtus est Si mortem times vita est si câ—lum desideras via est si tenebras fugis luxest si cibum quaeris alimentum est i. e. Christ is all things to us if we be willing if thou desirest to have thy wound cured he is the chyrurgen if thou burn with feavers he is a fountain If thou be burdened with sin he is Righteousnâ—ss If thou want help he is vertue If thou fear death he is the life if thou desirest heaven he is the
holy men how farther they advance in the truth please themselves the less therefore do more understand that they have need of Christ of his Righteousness given unto them wherefore they relinquish themselves and leane upon Christ alone This cometh not to passe because they become of a more base Law spirit Yea the further they advance in holiness they are of greater spirits see more clearly FINIS Arguments against Universal Redemption AS concerning the point of Universal Redemption we finde various sentiments or various explications of the matter given to us by Adversaries for they do not all agree in their apprehensions of the thing Some explaine the matter thus God sent his only begotten Son to be a Redeemer and Propitiator for Adam and all his Posterity who by his death did pacific an angry God and restore Mankinde to their lost inheritance so as all who are now condemned are not condemned for their former sins and guilt for Christ hath abundantly satisfied for these but for their Unbeleef for not beleeving in the Redeemer of the world and for rejecting the Reconciliation made the grace of God declared in the word And thus they must say that Christ hath died for all sinnes but Unbeleefe and that salvation doth not certainly follow upon this Reconciliation and so that it is rather a Reconciliableness than a Reconciliation and they must necessarily maintaine that this matter is revealed unto all and every son of Adam who otherwise cannot be guilty of Rejecting this reconciliation other wayes it shall be of no advantage to them unless they say that the want of the Revelation putteth them out of a capacity of being guilty of Unbeleefe and so they must necessarily be saved and thus their condition shall be undoubtedly better than is the condition of such as hear the Gospel and then the revelation of the Gospel shall be no Favour but a Prejudice rather And in reference to this they devise an Universal Antecedanious Love whereby God out of his Infinite Goodness was inclined to desire the happiness and salvation of every mothers son and therefore to send his Son to die for as if God had such Natural Necessary Inclinations and as if all his Love to Mankinde and every appointment of his concerning us were not the free act of his good pleasure and as if there were any such Antecedent Conditional will in God that could or might have no issue or accomplishment but as Lord Freewil would and as if the Love that sent Christ were only such a Poor Conditional Inclination towards all Mankinde which the Scripture holdeth forth as the greatest of Loves as the ground or all the Effects Grants which mans full Salvation calleth for But why could not this Love effectuat the good of all Therefore they tell us that Justice being injured by sin unless it were satisfied that Love of God whereby he wisheth well to all sinners could effectuat nothing as to the recovery of any upon this ground they imagine Christ was sent to make an Universal Atonement so Justice being satisfied might not obstruct the salvation of any whose Freewill would consent unto termes of new to be proposed Others hold forth the matter thus Christ according to the eternal Counsel of God did properly die for this end and by his propitiatory sacrifice obtaine that all and every man who beleeve in Him should for his sake actually obtaine Remission of sins Life Eternal but others in case they would Repent Beleeve might obtaine it But thus we hear no word of Christs obtaining any thing to any in particular no word of his obtaining Faith Repentance and what Counsel of God can this be to send Christ to die for persons upon that condition which he knew they would not could not performe And what by this meanes hath Christs Propitiatory Sacrifice obtained more than a meer possibility of salvation to either one or other Shall we imagine that God designeth good to persons who shall never enjoy it Or that God hath Conditional Intentions Designes By this means Christs death was designed and no person designed thereby to be saved yea Christ should be designed to die and that for no certain end unless to procure a meer possibility by stopping the mouth of justice that it should not stand in the way but then we can not say that God sent Christ to die for any man much less for all Others express the matter thus Christ out of the gracious Decree Purpose of God did undergoe death that he might procure obtaine Reconciliation with God for all sinners whatsomever without any difference before that God would open againe the door of salvation enter into a new Covenant of Grace with sinners But this Reconciliation hath no more force or import but that God might enter againe into a Covenant with sinners and so there is no Actual Reconciliation of sinners unto God And all that is obtained is for God nothing for man save a Possibility of Salvation by a new Covenant nor are we told whether Christ hath satisfied for the breach of the First Covenant so that that sin is fully pardoned unto all or not untill the condition of the second Covenant be performed nor are we told upon what account the sins against the second Covenant are pardoned Or if they be unpardonable Others explaine the matter thus Christ died for all and every man not only that God might without any violation of Justice enter into a new Covenant with sinners upon what condition he pleased but that it should be upon this Condition that man should be united with Christ the Cautioner and not only that Redemption Salvation should be possible to all but that really most certainly Salvation should be bestowed on such as Christ thought good But seing Christ knew that his death would profite none but these few whom he had designed to what purpose should he have laid downe his life for the rest And how can his death be a price of Redemption for the rest How can Christ be said to satisfie for the rest Did he purchase Faith to these few and would he not purchase Faith to the rest yet lay downe the great price for them What was the end obtained for the rest was it only a Possible Call of all Justice bein satisfied But of what import could that Possible Call be if Salvation was not also possible unto them And whereunto is that Call They will not say it is unto Salvation but to Faith But did not Christ know that this call would not be obeyed by them Did he procure Grace unto them to obey it then he procured Faith and if he procured Faith than he procured Salvation Againe if Justice be satisfied for these others why are they not liberat If they say the new Condition is not fulfilled Then it cannot be simply said that Christ satisfied Justice on their behalfe for
one person should be reconciled are the Reprobate his brethen Ephes. 5 25 26. To what end did Christ give himself for his Church And all the world of mankinde belong not to his Church It was that he might sanctifie cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spotor wrinkle or any such thing but that it shâ—uld be holy and without blemish Is this a meer Possibility Then might Christ have died have no Church to present to himself faire spotless his Church might have remained full of spots wrinkles unholy full of blemishes yea should have been no Church Tit. 2 14. He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Do all the world belong to his peculiar people doth Christ redeem all the world from all iniquity Is all the world purified made zealous of good works Or is all this meer may be which may not be 2. Corinth 5. vers 21. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him Was Christ made sin or a sacrifice for sin that all the world might possibly be made the Righteousness of God in him that is that possibly not one person might be made the Righteousness of God in him who can dream thus that God's intentions designes should be so loose frustrable that God should be so uncertain in his purposes Gal. 1 4. why did the Lord Jesus give himself for our sinnes It was that he might deliver 〈◊〉 from this present evil world according to the will of God and our Father This is no meer Possible Deliverance and it is such as was designed not for all the world but for the us there mentioned So Chap. 4 4 5. God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sones This Real Benefite is manifestly here restricked Ioh. 17 19. for their sakes I sanctify my self that they also may be sanctified through the truth Christ sanctified himself to be an obâ—ation not to obtaine a meer may be but 〈◊〉 they for whose sakes he did sanctifie himself that is they that were given to him vers 6 9. and were his owne vers 10. were in due time to beleeve in him vers 20. might Really Actually be Sanctified through him Heb 13 12. wherefore did Jesus suffer without the gate it was that ho might sanctifie the people with his own bloud sure this is more than a may be Rom. 3 25 26. Why did God set forth Christ to be a propitiation It was to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sinnes that are past that he might be just and the justifier of him that beleeveth in Iesus a Certaine Real thing Many moe passages might be added to this purpose but these may suffice to discover the absurd falshood of this doctrine Adde 6. such passages as mention the Actuaâ— Accomplishment Effect of Christ's death where it will yet more appear that this was no meere may be or Possible thing but that which was to have a certaine Being Reality as to the persons for whom it was designed Such as Heb. 1 3â— when he had by himself purged our sinnes Can their sinnes be said to be purged who pine a way in hell for ever because of their sinnes could this be true if no man had been saved and yet if it had been a mere possible may be Redemption it might have come to passe that not one person should have been actually saved So Heb. 9 12. by his owne blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption Is a meer possible Redemption to be called an eternal Redemption and was that all that Christ obtained Then Christ's blood was more ineffectual in the truth than the type was in its typicalness for the blood of buls goats and the ashes of an hiefer sprinkling the unclean did not obtaine a possible and may-besanctification and purifying of the flesh but did actually really sanctify to the purifying of the flesh vers 13. Againe vers 14. which also confirmeth what is now said how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God So that all such for whom he offered himself and shed his blood and none else have their consciences purged from dead works to serve the living God and who darsay that this is common to all or is a meer may be which the Apostle both restricteth asserteth as a most certaine real thing Againe vers 26. but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself So that he did Actually Really and not Possibly Potentially only put away sin the sin viz. of those for whom he was a sacrifice even of them that look for him and to whom he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation vers 28. and sure no man in his wits will say that this is the whole world Gal. 3 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a curse for us 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Iesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith Here are three Ends Effects of Christ's Redemption mentioned which no Man will say are common to all viz. Redemption from the Curse of the Law and this was Really not potentially only done by Christ's being made a curse for us the Communication of the blessing of Abraham and the Promise of the Spirit which are ensured to such as are Redeemed from the Curse of the Law and to none else So Ephes. 2 13 14 15 16. But now in Christ Iesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ for he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in his flesh the enmity the Law of commandements in ordinances for to make to himself of twain one new man so making peace and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the crosse having slaine the enmity thereby To which adde the paralled place Col. 1 21 22. 2 14 15. was all this delivery from Wrath Enmity Law of commandements whatever was against us but a meer Potential thing and a may be common to all in whose power it was to cause it take effect or not as they pleased Esai 53 5. He was wounded for our transgressions â—e was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed with
his grace So likewise Col. 1 14. Now when sinnes are thus taken away they are blotted out not remembered Esai 43 25. Fer. 31 34. Heb. 8 12. Yea they are blotted out as a cloud and as a thick cloud Esai 44 22. So they are said to be subdued casten into the depths of the sea Mica 7 19. Shall we now say that Christ hath died to purchase this Redemption the Forgiveness blotting-out as a thick cloud and casting into the depths of the sea of sin and yet multitudes of those for whom this was purchased and that by the blood of God should never obtaine this benefire but have all their owne score This so pincheth the Adversaries that the best evasion they can fall upon is to say that none shall have Original sin charged upon them But the Scripture no where restricteth this Remission to that sin only Others therefore say That no sin now shall be be charged upon any but the sin of Unbeleef Then Iudas doth not suffer to day for betraying his master was it for this sin only that the Old World was drowned or that the Cities of Sodom are suffering the vengeance of eternal fite Iude seemeth to say some other thing vers 7. so are there other sins there reckoned up vers 8 9 10 11 12. to which is reserved the blakness of darkness for ever vers 13. But some say that these are all but pardoned upon condition Then the Redemption is neither Actual Real nor Compleat but a poor may be and a may not be and how can such sins be said to be forgiven or blotted out and casten behinde God's back and into the depths of the sea Did Christ know whether or not this condition would be performed If not then He is not the omniscient God If he knew that it would not be performed by the greatest part how can we imagine that he would notwithstanding lay downe his life to purchase a Remission for them And how 〈◊〉 we think that He should purchase a Pardon to all and let the event hang upon the pendulous tottering will of a sinfull creature But as to that Condition we shall Propose 9. this consideration The not performance of that Condition was no doubt a sin and if Christ died for all the sinnes of the world he died for that too And if he died for that too that is taken out of the way or there must be another Condition imagined upon performance of which that is to be taken our or the way and the non-performance of this Condition being also a sin our proposition will recurre upon this and so in infinitum but if this sin be taken out of the way it cannot prejudge them of the pardon of therest and thus all their sins being pardoned they must needs be saved and yet it is not so But it is said that Christ died not for the sin of Final Unbeleef yet it seemeth that it will be granted that he died even for the sin of Unbeleefe of all the world and for unbeleefe continued in until the last houre of a mans life but not for that last act which yet is but the same Unbeleefe continued in an hour longer and shall we think that Christ bare the Unbeleefe of 20 40 60. or moe yeers in his body on the crosse not the same Unbeleefe for one houre or halfe houre yea or quarter of an houre Who seeth not how little ground there is for such an imagination But the thing I would have mainly here considered is this That for whose sinnes Christ hath died he hath died for all their sins and therefore if he died for the sinnes of all the world he died for the Final Unbeleefe of all the world But this will not be granted therefore neither can it be said that he died for the sinnes of all men Whose sinnes he took upon him to make satisfaction for he left none for them to answere for for he is a compleat Mediator and is sole Mediator If he died for all the rest of the sinnes of the Reprobat and of the whole world why not for that also Sure when the Scripture speaketh of Christs taking away of sin and of the Redemption that is forgiveness of sins which people enjoy through him there is no sin excepted He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquitie Esa. 53 5. the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all vers 6. or made the iniquitie of us all to meet on him there is no ground for any exception here when he was stricken for transgression vers 9. and his soul was made an offering for sin vers 10. is there any appearance of the exception of any one sin when he bear their sin and their iniquities vers 11 12. what intimation is given of an exception of any Yea if this exception was to be made which would null destroy all what consolation could the declaration of this Redemption remission of sins yeeld unto poor sinners Col. 1 14. Ephes. 1 7. When the Lord made him to be sin for us was it only in part how then could we be made the Righteousness of God in Him 2. Cor. 5 21 was the Lord in Christ reconcileing the world unto himself not imputing only part of their trespasses to them but the imputing of one sin would mar the reconciliation for ever Is not final unbeleef a dead work Doutbles yet the blood of Christ purgeth Consciences from dead works Heb. 9 14. Did the blood of buls goats so sanctify as to the purifying of the flesh as to leave the most defileing spot of all untaken away How could healing come by his stripes if he bear but part of our sins in his body on the tree seing final unbeleef alone would mar all for where that is there is no coming to God imaginable But moreover the Scripture tels us that the blood of Iesus Christ his Son oleanseth us from all sin 1. Ioh. 1 7. and that if any man sin there is an Advocat with the Father who is a propitiation for sins 1. Ioh. 2 vers 1 2. and so must be for all sins otherwayes there were little ground of comfort here And it was foretold by Daniel Chap. 9 24. that he should make an end of sin finish the transgression so bring-in everlasting Righteousness Doth this admit of exceptions and of such an exception as would unavoidably make all null No certanely But you will ask of me if I think that Christ did die for final unbeleefe I Answ. Not for I judge it is the sin only of Reprobates who hear the Gospel and I judge that Christ did not die for any sin of Reprobats But this I hold and have cleared That for whose sinnes soever Christ hath died he hath died for all their sins And because he hath not died for Final Unbeleef therefore he hath not died for any sin of such as shall be guilty of this and as for
his owne he died to prevent their falling into and to keep them from this sin for he died to bring them unto God that they might have the Adoption of sons that they might be sanctified and live unto Righteousness be made Righteous yea the Righteousness of God as is clear 1. Pet. 2 24. Heb. 10 10. 2. Cor. 5 21. 1. Pet. 3 18. Rom. 5 19. what then will they say to this Final unbeleef is certainly a sin and Christ either died for it or not if he died for it than it can be laid to no mans charge or Christ's death is of no value If he died not for it he died not for all the sinnes of all men but at most for some sinnes of all men and if that was all no man could thereby be saved for one sin is enough to procure damnation Moreover 10. we finde the Persons for whom this price of blood was laid down designed more particularly and the Object of this Redemption restricted and so it could not be for all every one It is said to be for Many Esai 53 11. Matth. 20 28. 26 28. Mark 10 45. Heb. 9 28. and what these many are is abundantly declared in other Scriptures where they are called Christ's Sheep Ioh. 10 15. Christ's People Mat. 1 21. His People whom according to the predictions of the Prophets which have been since the world began he should save from their enemies and from the hand of all that hate them to performe the mercy promised to the Fathers and to remember his holy Covenant the oath which he swore to Father Abraham that he would grant unto them that being delivered out of the hand of their enemies they might serve him without fear in holiness Righteousness before him all the dayes of their lifo Luk. 1 68 70 71 72 73 74 75. His Church Ephes. 5 25. Act. 20 28. His Body Ephes. 5 22. The Children of God that were scattered abroad Ioh. 11 52. Sones Sanctified Brethren the Children that God gave him that Seed of Abraham Heb. 2 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. They are the Sheep that shall infallibly beleeve because sheep Ioh. 10 26. and Whom Christ knoweth and of whom he is known vers 14. and such as shall heare his voice vers 16. follow him vers 27. to whom he will give eternal life so that they shall never perish who are given to him of his Father vers 28 29. the Elect 2. Tim. 2 10. He is bread giving life unto the World of them that the Father hath given him and shall come to him Ioh. 6 33 39. They are these concerning whom the Fathers will was as being given of him that he should lose nothing but raise it up againe at the last day ver 38 39 47. The Redeemed ones that are numbered by God 144000. are the first fruites unto God and the Lamb. Revel 14 3 4 5. They are such as are the Lords whom the Lord knoweth for his 2. Tim. 2 19. are enrolled in the Lambs book Revel 13 8. 20 15. So are they designed to be these for whom God is and who shall have unquestionably all things the Elect who shall be justified who shall not be separated from the Love of Christ are in all things more then Conquerours Rom. 8 31 32 33 34 37 38 39. These with whom the Covenant shall be confirmed Dan. 9 27. The redeemed out of every Kinred Tongue People Nation and made Kings Priests Revel 5 9 10. Further 11. if Christ died for the sinnes of all persons how cometh it that they are not all actually pardoned It cannot be said that Christ's death was not a satisfactory price nor that the Father did not accept of it If then he shed his blood for the remission of sins Mat. 26 28. are not all these sins pardoned virtually fundamently or shall they not all actually be pardoned in due time If it be said they shall be pardoned upon Condition of their faith But if the sinnes of all be equally payed for and equally in a virtual manner discharged in Christ's being actually discharged from that debt in the day of his Resurrection and the actually discharge depending upon the uncertain Condition of mans Will man who willingly performeth the Condition shall praise himself for the actually pardon and none else for Christ did no more for him as to the Actual Pardon than for others who never shall be blessed with actual forgiveness and yet forgiveness is held forth as a special act of free grace forgivenesse of sinnes is according to the riches of his grace Ephes. 1 7. Moreover as to that Condition whether did Christ purchase it or not If he did not purchase it than man is not beholden to Christ for the Condition be it faith or what ye will it is no purchased mercy but man is beholden to his good Lord Free Will for it and so he may sacrifice to his own net and sing glory to himself for making himself to differ and for obtaining to himself Actual Remission of all his sinnes and consequently blessedness Rom. 4 6 7 8. for had not his owne well disposed Lord Free Will performed that Condition all that Christ did had never more advantaged him than it did others that perish If it be said that grace to performe the condition though it be not purchased by the blood of Christ yet it is freely given by God to whom he will I Answer Not to insist here on the proof of faith's being purchased by Christ because we shall cleare it afterward there is nothing else assigned for the condition I would enquire whether Christ knew to whom this grace would be given or not if not then we must deny him to be God if he knew why shall we suppose that he would lay down his life equally for all when he knew before hand that many should never get grace to performe the condition upon which his death should redound to their actual pardon justification what Ends or what Advantages can we imagine of such an Universal Redemption 12. If the Condition upon which actual pardon justification is granted in the blood of Christ be purchased by Christ then either all shall certainly be Pardoned Justified or Christ hath not purchased an Equal Common Possible Redemption to all and every man But the former is true it is not true that all shall certainly be pardoned actually justified for then all should be glorified That the condition to wit Faith Repentance is purchased by Christ who can deny seing he is expresly called the Author of Faith Heb. 12 2. and a Prince exalted to give Repentance forgiveness of sins Act. 5 31 So that as forgiveness of sins is founded upon his death as the Meritorious cause so must Repentance be and Christ as an exalted Prince Saviour hath this power to dispose of his owne purchased legacy which he hath
in so many words syllabs yet that same is said in a more clear convinceing emphatick manner so that he who seeth not this lying in these words must be more blinde than Bellarmine was When this righteous Branch is raised up by Jehovah gotteth this name the Lord our Righteousness what can be more manifest than that He is made Righteousness to His people Yea all their Righteousness that this Righteousness is made over to them so that He is in a manner wholly theirs nothing but theirs all that He hath is theirs particularly that His Righteousness is all the Righteousness they owne as their Righteousness He excepteth 2 That in no tolerable sense can Christ being a person be said to be imputed to us Ans. Do we not hear that a childe was born to us a Son was given to us Esai 9 6. was not that child Son a person And may not a person be as well said to be Imputed as given seing imputation upon the matter is nothing but a giving or bestowing Yet we do not say that Christ is Imputed but that this expression here used doth manifestly evince that we are righteous through the righteousness of Christ made ours that Christ is become the Lord our righteousness that true beleevers receive owne Him as such rest upon His righteousness alone by faith He excepteth 3. The plaine direct meaning is that He shall be generally acknowledged celebrated by his people of the jewes as the great author procurer of that righteousness or justification in the sight of God upon which aboundance of outward glory peace prosperity should be cast upon them Ans. 1. That this is not to be restricted to the jewes is manifest seing it is spoken of the Gospel times when the righteous Branch shall be raised up unto David a King shall reigne prosper 2. It is too carnal an Interpretation to think the text speaketh only of such a justification as is followed with aboundance of outward Glory peace Prosperity whileas the whole Gospel informeth us of something more spiritual attending upon following justification 3. Righteousness justification are here made Synonymous which ought not to be though these two be inseparably lincked together yet they are formally different 4. Wherein standeth this righteousness justification He tels us in the place to which he here referreth us that it standeth in Remission of sins But pardon of sins is no righteousness though a man pardoned hath freedom from the obnoxiousness to punishment yet righteousness is another thing respecteth the obligation to duty required in the Law 5. Though it is true Christ is indeed the author of our justification pardon which is an effect of God's pronouncing us righteous of His accepting of us as righteous in justification as of our peace yet that needeth not destroy what we assert there being no inconsistency here but a necessary essentiall agreement betwixt the Imputation of Christ ' righteousness justification but it rather contributeth to the establishment of our Assertion Yet it is obvious that when Christ is called the Lord our Righteousness there is more Imported than His being the author of our peace justification even the way also how He bringeth about our peace justification is here denoted to wit His being made of God righteousness to His people so that His righteousness becometh theirs in order to their peace justification But to confirme his Interpretation he tels us 1. That the Imposition of name upon either thing or person often notes the quality or proprity in either or same benefite redounding from either answereable thereunto as Esai 9. his name shall be called wonderfull that is he shall be acknowledged looked upon by men as a doer of things very strange Ans. Seing all these names given to Christ Esai 9. cannot be so interpreted as to have this import mentioned for who will say that the name everlasting Father the mighty God can be so interpreted as to denote only some answerable benefite redounding there from who seeth not how little this can satisfie But 2. be it so that this name shall denote some benefite redounding therefrom why may it not denote this Effect which is only answerable hereunto to wit that His people shall be made partaker of His Surety-righteousness have the same made over unto them as they become united unto Him have His name called upon them He tels us 2. That it is familiar to attribute the Effect to its Cause or Author by a verbe substantive only as when Christ is called our Hop our life Resurrection peace Glory meaning that he is the author purchaser of all these Ans. Yet this proveth not that He is the author of all these Effects after one the same way He is otherwise our hope of which He is the Object as well as the Author than He is our life And He is otherwise our life and peace which He worketh createth in us than He is our Resurrection and Glory So He is our Righteousness by making us partaker of His Surety-righteousness imputing it unto us that it may be reckoned on our Score for this the nature of the thing requireth seing a Righteousness we must have ere we be justified and a Righteousness of our owne we have not and therefore must have one imputed to us and what Righteousness can suite us better than His who is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS He tels us 3. That by Righteousness is meaned that justification which standeth in Remission of Sinnes and the meaning is that through Him God would be reconceled to them and pacified with them Ans. Justification is something else than pardon of sins for a justified man is one that is declared and pronunced Righteous in order to pardon of Sins and in order to a persons being declared such by God who alway judgeth according to truth he must be Righteous Righteous can no man be in the sight of God in order to his justification by what is in himself therefore he must have a Righteousness from some other seing Christ is called the Lord our Righteousness it must be His Righteousness which must be bestowed upon them in order to God's being reconciled to them pacified with them Fiftly another passage is Dan. 9 24. to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting Righteousness That all this is to be understood of the grâ—at spiritual effects of power Grace which are to be brought about by the Messiah no Christian candeny and among the rest we see He is to bring in a Righteousness and a Righteousness of ages an everlasting Righteousness that shall endure for ever shall have everlasting effects and this Righteousness is something more than Remission of Sins is distinct from it which is
sufficiently held forth by the foregoing Expressions of finishing transgressions of making an end of Sins and of making reconciliation for iniquity which saith that to justification there is a Righteousness required that this Righteousness is not meer Remission of Sins but some thing beside that must endure when sin is taken away This Righteousness is to be brought in by the Messiah as a favoure distinct from the preceeding yet inseparable there from firmly connected therewith This Righteousness which the Messiah is to bring in being something beside Remission of Sins must be a Righteousness wrought by the Messiah brought in for the use and advantage of His people who as they are to be made partaker of the foregoing favoures are also to be made partaker of this and consequently must have it imputed to them seing no other way it can be made theirs Sixtly We way adduce to this purpose Zech. 3 4. take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said behold I have caused thine iniquity to go from thee I will cloth thee with change of rayment Here by a vision is signified to the propher how the Lord would at length be reconciled to His Church bring her in to His favour againe that her service might become acceptable to Him which now was wholly defiled and so defiled that even their High priest who should weare the holy garments whereupon was engraven Holiness to the Lord is said to have had on filthy garments whereby the accuser of the Brethren Satan the enemie had no small advantage against them and the way is set down in borrowed termes which are in part explained First the Lord caused to take away the filthy garments from the High Priest and this is more plainely expressed in these words I have caused thine iniquity to go from thee But beside this there is a Righteousness required in order to acceptance with God as was said above therefore that this work of justification may be compleated it is added I will cloth thee with change of rayment Some it is true would referre this to Sanctification but others unto justification Iunius's Notes the English annot take in both and sure if this be true of Sanctification which is wrought in us it is much more true of the Righteousness that is required unto justification which is without us and must be put on And the Chaldee Paraphrase turneth it thus behold I have taken away thine iniquity have clothed thee with Righteousness The word in the original which is translated change of rayment importeth some suite of apparell that is not for ordinary wearing but kept for solemne times so may well import the Saints wedding or Marriage-suite that which is added in the sollowing verse may be understood as denoting Sanctification which is added with the Mitre on his head signifying the graces of the Spirit qualifying the High priest for his work CHAP. VIII Some passages of the New Test. confirming the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Vindicated from the exceptions of JOHN GOODWINE HAving seen what countenance the Old Test. giveth unto the Truth we are asserting vindicat some of these passages from the Exceptions of Iohn Goodwine We come next to search for confirmation of this truth out of the New Test. and I shall here beginne with such as the said Author taketh notice of in order to excepting against them in his Treatise of justification First Rom. 3 21 22. But now the Righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the Righteousness of God which is by faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all them that beleeve But if men would disput against this truth they should except against whole Chapters in that Epistle and disput against the very scope designe yea and all the Arguments of the Apostle who in the first part of that Epistle is about to clear and confirme that which he setteth down Chap. 1 17. as the summe of the whole Gospel and clear demonstration of its being the power of God unto Salvation c. to wit that in it the Righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith a Righteousness revealed laid open and offered to all that hear the Gospel that they may lay hold on it by faith a Righteousness revealed from the true and faithful God unto our faith as Ambrose P. Martyr and others understand it or revealed from faith to faith that is only to faith as Pareus or as Calvin Beza Musculus and others from a weak faith to a stronger faith or rather to faith first and last through the whole of a Saints life here as the following words clear it as it is written the just shall live by faith Yet let us see what he excepteth pag. 136. He 1. Supposeth that he hath proved before that this passage speaketh plainly for the imputation of faith for Righteousness but no way for the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ for any such purpose And. We may have occasion hereafter to examine his grounds both from this and other passages for the Imputation of faith in opposition to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness I shall only say at present that this Righteousness cannot be faith it self because it is revealed to faith it is called the Righteousness of God which is by faith of Iesus Christ so not faith it self One thing cannot be both the Act the Object of that Act. And what sense would that make to say faith is upon all them that beleeve 2. He said By the Righteousness of God some under stand here His truth and faithfulness in keeping promise Ans. But though God's Righteousness may elsewhere import signifie His faithfulness in keeping promise yet that is not the Righteousness here understood for this suiteth a guilty sinner such as the Apostle hath been proving in his foregoing discourse both jewes Gentiles to be is such a Righteousness as is requisite to such as would be justified in God's sight vers 20. cannot be had by mans doing the deeds of the Law by which is the knowledg of sin which therefore rendereth their case more desperat such a Righteousness as is had by faith which is unto all upon all them that beleeve vers 20 22. and such a Righteousness as is manifested without the Law vers 21. All which and much more which might be mentioned show that some other thing is here understood by the Righteousness of God than His Faithfulness Truth even the Righteousness of God which is imputed unto bestowed upon all that beleeve 3. He saith Hereby is meaâ—t that way method meanes which God himself hath found out to justisis or make men Righteous or else that very Righteousness by which we stand justified or Righteous in the sight of God But not the Righteousness of Christ nor is there the least appearance in the context of
Grevinchovius ag Amesius But it is true they yeeld more who grant that he purchased the New Covenant Yet by this purchase they can not say that Christ died to redeem us from our sinnes from the wrath of God from a vaine conversation to save us And indeed the same person last named saith expresly that Christ died not properly to saye any one And what can else be said by such as make this the whole of what Christ did purchase And how-rational is that consequence which the same person hath when he saith it might so have come to passe that Christ had had the end of his death that no one had fulfilled the new Covenant had been saved for they will not grant that Christ did purchase faith 3. Hence we see that such as say that this was all which Christ procured by his Death Merites do manifestly spoile us of all the rich Benefites which Christ hath purchased as being no immediat fruites of his death such as Faith Justification Adoption Sanctification Grace Glory thus evacuat the whole vertue of the death of Christ And this do Mr. Allen's words p. 54. import while he saith that all the benefites of the Covenant accrue to us upon our beleeving obeying upon his account for his sake and so they do not accrue to us upon his account for his sake immediately but immediatly upon the account for the sake of our Beleeving Obeying only for Christ's sake is this connexion made 4. Who ever assert that Christ hath purchased the framing Constitution of this Covenant in its termes conditions ought to confirme this their assertion out of Scripture till this be done we are a liberty to deny it how confidently so ever it be affirmed It is certane that such a principal point ground article of our Religion would not be darkly expressed in the Scriptures far less wholly passed over in silence as for any thing that yet is made to appear it is for as for 1. Cor. 1 30. Ier. 23 6. which Mr. Allen citeth any may see how impertinent they are that we say no more 5. If so then we must say with Papists that Christ hath procured a worth to our Faith Obedience to merite ex pacto the good things promised unto such as are beleevers obedient Yea hereby there would be more of merite in our Faith then in Christ's obedience 6. We mnst say that Christ hath purchased that we might be Justified by an Imperfect Righteousness For sure our faith new Obedience is not perfect even when sincere they laboure of many Imperfections have drosse faultiness admixed As also that he hath purchased that an Imperfect Righteousness should be accounted estemed a perfect Righteousness consequently that the judgment of God shnuld not be according to truth which were blasphemeous iniquous to imagine 7. Thus in effect Christ should be made the minister of sin by changing the conditions of the old Law which were perfect compleet Obedience into an obedience far short of that thus he must be come either to dissolve the Obligation of the Law that it should not exact now what it did exact of old or to loose us from the Obligation thereof that we should be in part Law less neither of which can be asserted yet this Position maketh clear way for either or for both 8. Then we must say that Christ hath purchased such a way of Justification as leaveth ground to men to glory boast though not before God yet before men for hereby he is made to purchase the renewing of the old Covenant of works with some mitigation as to tht termes though with little mitigation as to the persons unless we say with these Arminians that Man is as able to beleeve obey sinâ—erely if he will as Adam was to obey perfectly But sure Christ came for a far other end than to leave man any ground of boaâ—ting or of glorying in himself for his Justification Salvation as having made himself to differ 9. Then Christ hath purchased a way whereby man might hold his Pardon Justification Adoption c. more of himself than of Christ for Christ by this way cannot be said to have purchased our Pardon Justification c. but only that we should have these favoures upon our Faith or have such such a reward of our Faith Obedience As he who procureth that a person shall have such a benefite upon condition he performe such a piece of service cannot be said to have procured that reward for notwithstanding of this procurement if it may be so called which is at best but a conditional uncertain thing the person might never have gote the reward 10. Then the making of the New Covenant and the making of it on these termes should be an act of meer Justice in God and not an act of his free Grace Love good Pleasure Will Kindness for it is Justice Righteousness in God to do that which Christ hath purchased procured to be done though it is true it may thus be accounted a meer favoure that it was of God's free will to enter into such termes of agreement with the Mediator to yeeld to the making of such a condition upon Christ's purchase But the Apostle tels us Ephes. 1 9. that God made known unto us â—he mysterie of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself Which mysterie of his will is the New Covenant dispensation of grace in the Gospel it is ascribed not to the merites of Christ but to God's good Pleasure to the Purpose which he purposed in himself So the saving of such as beleeve floweth from the love of God as well as no less then the sending of Christ Ioh. 3 16. God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that every beleever in him should not perish but have everlasting life So Ephes. 3 9 10 11. the fellowshipe of the mysterie was hid in God the manifold wisdom of God which shineth forth in the New Covenant was according to the eternal Purpose which he had purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is ascribed to God's Love Ioh. 3 16. will Ioh. 6 40. 11. I grant it may be said that as Christ hath purchased to his own Pardon Justification Adoption Salvation so as a consequence of this he hath purposed the Meanes or rather the Application of the meanes thereunto that so the good things purchased may be actually conferred according to the manner methode condescended upon by Jehovah and the Mediator in the Coveuant of Redemption for He hath chosen us in himself having predestinat us unto the Adoption of children by Iesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us acctpted in the beloved in whom we have redemption
not expresly say so and yet this he will not say seing he granteth that his obedience was an essential requisite absolutly necessary to the constitution of him our Priest and his Sacrifice propitiatory But we read of his being made under the Law to redeem these that were under the Law Gal. 4 4 5. and of his Righteousness obedience as necessary to our Righteousness justification and as having a no less direct influence into the same than Adam's offence disobedience had unto our death damnation Rom. 5 17 18 19. CHAP. II. Christ underwent the Curse of the Law MR. Goodwine tels us in his 14. Conclusion That the sentence or Curse of the Law was not properly executed upon Christ in his death But this death of Christ was a ground or consideration to God where upon to dispense with his Law to let fall or suspend the execution of the penalty or curse therein threatned Ans. 1 This is directly contrary to what the Apostle saith Gal. 3 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree It was the Curse of the Law that we were under were to be delivered from and this Christ hath delivered us from by coming in our stead bearing it for us yea bearing it so that he is said to have been made it being made a Curse for us which is a most emphatick expression to hold forth Christ's bearing the very penalty threatned in the Law which cursed every one that continued not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them vers 10. Deut. 27 26. If Christ underwent the Curse of the Law he sure did suffer the very sentence or punishment threatned in the Law for the Curse of the Law can import no other thing 2 If Christ did not bear the sentence or Curse of the Law how could he be said to have died or suffered in our place room or stead No man is said to suffer in the place stead of another who doth not suffer that same particular kind of punishment that the other is obnoxious to and is obliged to suffer 3 Why was Christ said to be made sin for us 2. Cor. 5 21. to bear our iniquities Esai 53 6. 1. Pet. 2 24. If he did not undergoe the very punishment that was due to us because of sin 4 This is to give away the cause in a great measure unto the Socinians who will not yeeld that Christ's death was any satisfaction to the justice or payment of our criminal debt or a suffering the punishment of sin due to us for if Christ did not suffer the curse sentence of the Law he did not suffer the punishment which the Law threatned and justice required he did not suffer any punishment at all if he suffered not our punishment or that which was due to us he did not stand in our Law-place to answere all the demands of justice according to what we were liable unto by the Law nor did he bear our sins in his own body on the cross 5 If Christ's death was a ground or consideration to God whereupon to dispense with his Law then it is apparent that the consideration of Christ's death was anterior to the dispensing with the Law whereas the contrary is rather true to wit that the Lord's dispensing with the Law was anteriour to his sending of Christ because the Law properly knowing no mediator and requiring none to suffer the penalty for another must first in order of nature be considered as dispensed with before Christ be substituted in the room of sinners to undergo what they deserved 6 If it was only a ground to God whereupon to let fall or suspend the execution of the penalty then it seemeth Christ's death was no full payment or Satisfaction for a full Satisfaction requireth more than a suspension of the execution of the punishment even a full delivery there-from Let us heare his reason Because saith he the threatning Curse of the Law was not at all bent or intended against the innocent or Righteous but against transgressours only Therefore God in inflicting death upon Christ being innocent and Righteous did not follow the purport or intent of the Lawâ—but in sparing forbearing the transgressours who according to the 〈◊〉 of the Law should have bin punished manifestly dispenseth with the Law and doth not execute it Ans. All this being granted yet it will not follow that the sentence Curse of the Law was not executed upon Christ in his death for notwithstanding of this dispensing with the Law as to the persons Yet was there no Relaxation of the Law as to the punishment threatned Though the Law did not require that the innocent should suffer Yet the Supream Lord Ruler dispensing with his own Law so far as to substitute an innocent person in the room place of sinners the Law required that that innocent person taking on that penalty and thereby making himself nocent as to the penalty should suffer the same that was threatned consequently bear the Curse threatned in the Law As saith he further for explication when Zaleucus the Locrian Law-giver caused one of his own eyes to be put out that one of his son's eyes might be spared who according both to the letter intent of the Law should have lost both he did not precisely execute the Law but gave a sufficient account or consideration why it should for that time be dispensed with Ans. This speaks not home to our case wherein we pay not the half nor no part of the penalty But Christ payeth the whole as substitute in our room If Zaleucus had substituted himself in the room of his son suffered both his own eyes to be put out though the Law had been dispensed with as to the persons yet the penalty of the loss of both eyes had been payed the same punishment which the Law required had been exacted And so it is in our case as is manifest Yet he granteth that in some sense Christ may be said to have suffered the penalty or Curse of the Law as 1. It was the Curse or penalty of the Law saith he as now hanging over the head of the world ready to be executed upon all men for sin that occasioned his sufferings Ans. If this were all all the beasts senseless creatures may be as well said to have suffered the penalty Curse of the Law consequently to have suffered for man to have born mans sin in order to his Redemption as Christ for the sin penalty of sin whereunto man was liable did occasion their suffering or being subjected to vanity Rom. 8 20 21. Thus our whole Redemption is subverted the cause yeelded unto the wicked Socinians for if this be so Christ had not our sins laid upon him he did not beare our sins
Nor is it to the point to tell us that some hold that God if it had pleased him might have pardoned Adam's transgression without the Atonement made by the death of Christ for they speak not of what God may now do having determined to manifest the glory of his justice but what he might have done in signorationis ante decretum And as for that word Heb. 2 11. It became him c. it will as well respect the justice of God as his wisdom seing it became him upon the account of justice which he would have glorified Mr. Baxter in his Confess Chap. IX Sect. 5. pag. 289. thinketh that to say that Christ paid the same thing that the Law required of us not only satisfied for our not payment is to subvert the substance of Religion But this is only in his apprehension as he taketh up their meaning who say so And others possibly may have no lower thoughts of some who hold that Christ only gave such a sacrifice to God as might be a valuable consideration on which he might grant us the benefites on such conditions as are most sutable to his ends honour that he did not suffer the same which the Law threatned The screwing up of differences to such an hight as to make either the one or the other subversive of the substance of Religion had need to be upon clear undeniable grounds and not founded on meer sandy and loose consequences such as those seem to me by which Mr. Baxter maketh out this Charge For he tels us The Idem is the perfect obedience or the full punishment that the Law requires It is supplicium ipsius delinquentis Ans. But now seing such as say that Christ paid the Idem will say as well as he that when Christ suffered that which they call the Idem the person himself that sinned did not suffer And I would enquire at Mr. Baxter whether paid Christ the Idem as to all other respects beside that is whether Christ suffered all that penalty which the Law did threaten to transgressours only this excepted which must be excepted that he did it in another person that he was not the person himself that sinned or not If he say Not then the difference goeth deeper but why doth he not then to make out this heavy charge Instance some particulars threatned in the Law which Christ did not undergo And why doth he insist only on this one that he was not ipse delinquens but another person If he grant that in all other respects Christ paid the Idem no man sure can see such difference here as shall make the one side subvert the Substance of Religion for it is a meer sâ—â—ife about a word it cometh all to this whether when one man layeth down his life to save another condemned to death after all satisfaction in money lands rents service or what else hath been rejected he can be said to pay the Idem which the Law required or not Some Lawyers would possibly say he did pay or suffer the Idem Mr. Baxter would say not because he was not ipsa persona delinquens was not the very person that was condemned but another And yet death unto which the other man was condemned was inflicted upon him and no less would be accepted as satisfaction at his hands which would make some say that all that debate whether it was the same or the equivalent were a meer needless contest about a word And if it be but just so here in our present debate every one will judge it very hard to call that a subversion of Religion which after examination trial is found to be but a strife about a word Now how will Mr. Baxter prove that the suffering of the Idem is only when it is supplicium ipsius delinquentis And not also when the same punishment in all its essential ingredients is undergone suffered by another When the Law imposeth the penalty of death or of such a great summe of money on a person transgressing such a Law common discourse would say I suppose the Law give allowance thereto that when another came payed the same penalty for him without the least abatement he payed the same penalty which he Law impofed and not another and not meerly a valuable consideration It is true the Law threatened only the transgressour obliged him to suffer but notwithstanding another might pay the very same thing which the Law threatned requireth He saith next p. 290. the Law never threatned a Surety nor granteth any liberty of substitution that was an act of God above the Law If therefore the thing due were payed it was we ourselves morally or legally that suffered Ans. Sure some Lawes of men will threaten Sureties grant liberty of substitution too But if he speak here only of the Law of God we grant that it threatned only the transgressour that it was an act of God above the Law dispensing therewith that granted a substitution Yet notwithstanding of this it is not proved that that Substitute did not or could not suffer the same punishment which the Law threatned And if Mr. Baxter think that the lawes not threatning a Surety nor granting liberty of a substitution will prove it it is denied Next His other consequence is as uncleare viz. That if the thing due were payed it was we ourselves that suffered personally all these consequences run upon the first false ground that no man can pay the Idem but the very transgressour What he meaneth by we ourselves morally he would do well to explicate And as for legally we ourselves may be said to do legally what our Surety undertaker doth for us And if this be all he meaneth viz. that if the thing due to wit by Law as threatned there be payed either we in our own persons or our Surety for us in our room Law place payed it it is true but subversive of his hypothesis It must then be some other thing that he meaneth by morally or legally it must be the same with or equivalent to personally or the like but his next words cleare his meaning for he addeth And it would not be ourselves legally because it was not ourselves naturally And what lawyer I pray will yeeld to this reason I suppose they will tell us that we are said to do that legally which our Cautioner or Surety doth for us But if he think otherwayes here also that nothing can be accounted to be done by us legally but what is done by our selves Naturally which is a word of many significations might occasion much discourse that is personally Yet it will not follow that no other can suffer the Idem that was threatned but the delinquent himself At length he tels us That if it had been ourselves legally then the strickest justice could not have denied us a present perfect deliverance ipso facto seing no justice can