their owne consciences by the inward testimony of his spirit and the inward sense and experience of inward grace and outwardly in this life before men and publiquely in the last judgements by their good workes which are evidences of their faith and of their union and communion with Iesus Christ and of their regeneration by his spirit and adoption unto GOD in him First GOD the father is the primary efficient cause of our justification Rom. 3.26.30 and 4.5 and 8.33 Secondly the inward moving cause is GODS owne free grace favour and love Rom. 3.24 Tit. 3.7 The outward moving or impulsive cause is Christs mediation Isa 53.11 Iohn 1â— 21 1 John 2.2 The instrumentall cause is Christ the mediatour communicating his whole obedience to us when by the spirit which GOD sheds on us through him wee are made one body with him 1 Cor. 12.13 Tit. 3.6 The meanes by which wee come to bee justified are either principall viz. the lively operation of the spirit spirituall union with Christ the pure and holy humanity of Christ or lesse principall the word and ministery thereof the Sacraments faith and the like as appeares Rom. 3.25.28 and 10.14 Gal. 3.8 Heb. 9.14 1 Iohn 1. â— Dan. 12.3 The materiall cause that is the righteousnesse it selfe by which they are justified that is made counted and declared to be righteous is Christs perfect righteousnes obedience and satisfaction which he GOD and man performed in our nature in the state of humiliation Rom. 3.24.25 Rom. 5.19 and 8.4 The formall cause of justification is that communion between Christ and us and that reciprocall imputation of our sinnes to Christ and of his righteousnes and full satisfaction to us which communion ariseth and floweth from the spirit which GOD sheds on us through Christ which spirit dwelling in us in some measure so as he dwelleth in the man Christ from whom hee is derived to us doth make us one spirituall body with Christ and works in us faith and all holy graces affections by which we adhere and cleave to Christ and apply and inioy his righteousnes so that it is our formall righteousnes not inherently but imputatively and by spirituall communion for it is that which doth constitute and make us righteous Rom. 5.17 18 19. and 8.4 and â—0 4 and 2 Cor. 5.21 The immediate fruit and benefit of our iustification is the state of righteousnes and of cleanenesse from the guilt of sinne and acceptation with GOD Rom. 3.25 and 4.2 also peace with GOD Rom. 5.1 The end and use of our iustification is the satisfaction and declaration of GODS iustice in that he iustifieth us by the full satisfaction of Christ and not otherwise neither by it till he communicates it to us and makes it ours Also the manifestation of his mercy free grace and bounty in that he would give his sonne to become man and to make satisfaction to the full when no other could bee found able to satisfie for us neither could his iustice by any other meanes be satisfied also in that hee would give us his spirit to unite us to his sonne and to bring us to a true communion of his righteousnes and to worke faith in us by which we receive and enioy Christ with all his benefits Rom. 3.24.26 Tit. 3.4 Ephes. 1.6.12 The contrary Doctrine of Socinus and his faction THough they grant that GOD is the chiefe efficient cause and his free grace mercy and love the inward moving cause yet they erre in the impulsive and instrumentall cause and make Christ and his righteousnes no otherwise meritorious but by procuring that GOD should count faith in a proper sense for righteousnes to them that beleeve neither any other way an instrument of iustification but by bringing faith to this honour to be accepted for or in stead of righteousnes Secondly they deny all causality of Christs righteousnes in justification except onely by way of efficiency whereas indeed and in truth it is the matter about which justification is exercised for what is justification but the communicating of that righteousnes to men and the imputing of it and declaring of them to be thereby righteous the very name of justification signifies so much and what is the forme of a justified man as he is righteous but righteousnes to imagine a righteous and justified man without righteousnes is as if one should dreame of a living man without life or soule Thirdly they deny the principall ground of justification to wit spirituall union and communion with Christ which cannot stand without imputation of Christs righteousnes for communion and union doe necessarily bring with them imputation If wee have communion of Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse GOD must needs judge and count them to be ours for his judgement is according to truth And faith which is an inferiour and subordinate meanes they set up in the place of Christs righteousnes Fourthly as they deny the materiall cause of iustification by reiecting Christs righteousnes from being the proper matter about which it is exercised so also the forme or formall cause even the mutuall communion and reciprocall imputation of our sinnes to Christ and Christs satisfaction and righteousnes to us whereby it is made our formall righteousnes not inherently but spiritually and imputatively for they acknowledge no formality but inherency Fiftly they deny the immediate fruit and benefit of justification to wit that state of righteousnes cleannesse from the guilt of sinne and acceptation with GOD wherein the justified are firmely established before GOD and stand in his sight which is the chiefe honour and prerogative of GODS Saints and their greatest comfort in all their afflictions and temptations Lastly they take away the true end and use of justification to wit the revelation of GODS infinite justice mercy bounty and free grace for they overthrow his infinite justice while they teach that GOD by his soveraign power puts his justice to silence and without Christs full satisfaction made to it for us and made ours by communion and imputation doth accept our weake faith in stead of it and makes himselfe as countable for it in all rewardes as hee would doe for the perfect fulfilling of the Law by our selves or by Christ in our stead They extenuate and vilifie GODS mercy bounty and free grace by setting up faith in stead of Christs perfect righteousnes and making it the condition of the new covenant For whatsoever is given or promised to us upon a condition to be on our part performed is not a gift of free grace and bounty And when justice may bee turned out of doores without a compleat satisfaction there is nothing left for mercy wherein to shew the power of it The infinite mercy of GOD doth appeare in this that when his infinite iustice required that wee should all be damned without a full satisfaction which none could make but the sonne of GOD in our nature and that performed for us and made ours Hee would give his onely sonne
transgressor and doth pronounce him just The third is a Iudiciary sense lesse properly so called when a supreme Iudge by soveraignety of power doth acquit and absolve a man and remit the penalty of the Law which he deserves upon weighty consideration knowne to himselfe and doth deliver him and discharge him as if he were an innocent and righteous man The first Physicall sense he rejects and playes upon Bellarmine for reteining and using the word Iustifie in that sense And yet he himselfe immediatly acknowledgeth that GOD upon a mans Iustification begins to Iustifie him Physically by infusing into him habituall and inhaerent righteousnesse But this he saith is in Scripture called Sanctification The second sense he also disclaimes and in this dispute embraceth the third sense to wit that Iustification signifies GODS forgiving a man freely all that he hath done against the Law and his acquiting and discharging of a man from the guilt and punishment due by the Law for such offences not for any consideration which can be pleaded for him according to the Law but for somwhat done for him in this case to relieve him out of the course order and appointment of the Law His reason why he embraceth this sense is because he conceives Iustification to stand in forgivenesse of sinne which belongs to the Law in no respect at all In all this part and passage I find not one particle of solid truth but many grosse errors and falshoods for of all the three significations of the word Iustifie by him here named onely the first may passe in some tollerable construction but not in his sense for though GOD in the creation made our first Parents after his owne Image and similitude in perfect righteousnesse indued with a naturall and habituall uprightnesse conformable to his revealed will and Law and in this respect may be said to have Iustified that is made them upright as the wise Preacher saith Eccles. 7.29 GOD made man upright Yet whether this act of creation was a Physicall act of GOD or rather a voluntary act of his will of his wisdome and counsell and so may be called Artificial is something disputable As for the framing and making of the man Christ the blessed seed by the power of the holy Ghost pure holy upright and iust from his first conception this was a spirituall and supernaturall act and the holinesse and righteousnesse was a supernaturall gift given from above not introduced by naturall generation nor raised from naturall principles That making of men righteous in their sanctification which Bellarmine speaks of is not iustification in a naturall but in a spirituall sense For the spirit of GOD worketh those habits and graces of holinesse in men whom GOD hath begotten of his owne will in the word of truth And therefore when Bellarmine or Goodwin or any other call this a Physicall iustifying they erre grossely For if it be any iustification at all it is spirituall and morall But for my part I finde not that by the Spirit of GOD in Scripture any habituall holinesse of men begun in this life is called righteousnesse simply in it selfe But as the Saints regenerate and faithfull are called righteous in respect of their communion with Christ and participation of his righteousnes So their sanctity or habituall holinesse is called righteousnesse not simply in it selfe but by coniunction with the righteousnesse of Christ the head of the body which as it iustifies them by constituting and making them righteous so also it iustifies their rectified holy actions which they performe by the moâ—ions of the spirit and by Faith in Christ as learned Beza well observed and truth affirmeth Lib. contra Anonymum and their sanctification cannot be called iustification but by reason of coniunction with iustification in the same person For if it were possible for a sinfull man to be made perfectly holy and conformable to GODS Law in his owne person yet having formerly transgressed the Law and failed in many things â—his nâ—w conformity to the Law by reason of those sinnes and failings will prove a lame righteousnesse not fit to satisfie the Law and to be accepted for perfect righteousnesse to justification because if a man keepe the whole Law and faile in one point he is guilty of all Iam. 2 10. No righteousnesse can justifie which is not a perfect obedience and conformity of the whole man to the whol law in his whole life froÌ„ the beginning to the end Secondly that signification of the word Iustification which hee calls a judiciary sense properly so called is as he describes it a foolish fiction of his owne braine for never did any but a mad-man dreame of Iustifying sinners by a subordinate Judge absolving them from punishment according to the strict termes and rules of the Law for that were to give a false sentence and to pronounce a man free from all transgression of the Law and a perfect fulfiller of it in his owne person All our learned and Iudicious Divines doe hold that the full satisfaction and obedience of CHRIST being communicated and imputed to true believers they are absolved and have their sinnes pardoned and are counted and iudged righteous by GOD as men who have satisfied the Iustice and iust Law of GOD by CHRIST their head and surety not in their own persons which the Law in strict termes requires this is justification in the Iudiciary sense which is approved by the learned Thirdly that Iudiciary sense improperly so called which he approves allows in this dispute is an Hereticall and Socinian conceipt for so long as GOD the supreme Iudge of all the world is immutable and infinite in Iustice he neither can nor will dispense with his eternall iust Law in any iot or tittle but will have it perfectly fulfilled either by our selves or some sufficient surety in our behalfe and will forgive no sinner without a full suffering and satisfaction made to the Law in the same kind which the law requires though not in every mans person and this full satisfaction must be communicated to every one and made his owne by union with CHRIST his head before that GOD will iudge or account him righteous and pardon al his sinnes To imagin a somewhat in consideration whereof GOD forgives sinners and accepts them as if they were righteous besides the full satisfaction of GODS Justice and just law is to conceive GOD to bee mutable and not the same in his infinite justice at all times and to affirme it is Samosatenian and Socinian Blasphemy Fourthly in arguing against the second sense by him propounded he wrestles with his owne shadow and fights against a fiction of his owne braine and discovers his blindnesse and ignorance of the dictinction and difference betweene Legal and Evangelicall justification and righteousnesse Legal righteousnesse is the condition of the first covenaÌ„t of works and consists in perfect conformity and obedience to the law performed by every man in his owne person and
for righteousnes The orthodox exposition I will in the first place prove and confirme froÌ„ the words of the Apostle himself by other strong reasons afterward confute overthrow the Socinian hereticall exposition The true Exposition proved and confirmed FOr the right understanding of the Apostles wordes three things come first to be considered and explained 1. What is here meant by faith and believing 2. What righteousnes is here meant 3. What is meant by imputation First by faith in this text wee must not understand that naturall habit and power which is common to all reasonable men who upon their apprehension and knowledge of things spoken and promised do give willing assent unto them that they are true either for the authority of the speaker whom they doe respect and judge to bee faithfull or because they see good reason in the things spoken and promised And if the things spoken and promised bee such as tend to their owne good they rest upon them confidently and perswade themselvs that they are sure and certaine of them already or shall receive and enjoy them in due time without faile But here by faith we are to understand that supernaturall gift and grace of beleeving wrought in the elect regenerate by the spirit shed on them abundantly through Iesus Christ Tit. 3.6 which is therefore called most holy faith Iud. 20. verse This faith agreeth with the other in foure points First as that is an habit and power of beleeving so is this Secondly as that containes in it notitiaÌ„ in intellectu and assensum in voluntate that is both a notice and knowledge of the things spoken and beleeved and an assent of the will so doth this also Thirdly as that faith when it goeth no further then knowledge and assent is called hlstoricall so this also Fourthly as that faith when it reacheth to good things promised to our selves particularly to apply them and to rest on them hath also fiduciam in corde et affectionibus a trust and confidence of the heart and affections in it so hath this also and is called a firme perswasion trust and confidence But they differ in divers things First that is a naturall power or habit this is a spiritual wrought in men by the spirit of GOD dweling in them and uniting them to Christ in one mysticall body Secondly that hath in it no knowledge but naturall arising from light of naturall reason nor any assent of the will or confidence in the heart and affections but such as are drawne stirred up and wrought by meanes of naturall light and common causes This hath in it a spirituall knowledge arising from the spirit of GOD inlightning the understanding the spirit also inclines and moves the will to give assent and confirmes the heart with confidence and firme perswasion Thirdly that is common to all reasonable men This is proper to the elect regenerate and sanctified by the holy Ghost shed on them through Christ and is the first and as it were the radicall grace and vertue of renovation Fourthly that hath for the object or things beleeved either naturall and worldly things onely or things heavenly and supernaturall seene and discerned through the dimme mist of naturall reason and assented to and rested on with a carnall and unsanctified will and heart This hath for the object things supernaturall heavenly and spirituall discerned by supernaturall light assented to with an holy and sanctified will confirmed to the heart by a spirituall sense and sweet taste of the things promised wrought by the holy spirit in the true beleever apprehending and applying them But to come nearer to the text the believing which the Apostle speakes of in 3.9 and 22. verses is the faith and believing of Abraham who divers yeares before this act of believing which it here said to be counted to him for righteousnesse was called out of his owne country and by faith obeyed GOD calling and went and soiourned in the land promised to him and his seed as appeares Heb. 11.8 9. He had overcome and slaughtered foure mighty Kings and their victorious armies by faith and confidence in GODS promises And Melchizedek King of Salem the Priest of the most high GOD had blessed him as we read Gen. 14. And after these things the LORD appeared to him and sayd feare not Abraham I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward and withall hee renued the promise of the blessed seed by meanes of which seed all the families of the earth should be blessed in Abraham and should become his faithfull Children besides his naturall seed and posterity which should come of the Son and heire of his owne bowels as appeares Gen. 15. verse 1.4 These were the promises which GOD made to Abraham and which Abraham believed to be true and resting upon the LORD by firme faith and beliefe for the performance of them the LORD counted it to him for righteousnesse Gen. 15.6 or as the Apostle expresseth the same sentence in the same sense though in words somewhat different it was counted to him for righteousnesse verse 3. even faith was reckoned to him for righteousnes verse 9. Now this faith was first an holy and spiritual beliefe and the faith of a man long before called of GOD sanctified by his Spirit and made obedient to GOD and his word Secondly it was a beliefe not onely of the promise of Christ the blessed seed in generall but more specially that Christ the blessed seed should according to the flesh come out of his owne bowels and that by Christ the Son of GOD made man of his seed the redemption both of him and of his faithfull seed all true believers should be wrought and performed GODS wrath appeased the Law fulfilled and justice satisfied and perfect righteousnes brought in for their justification and by his and their union with Christ by one spirit and communion of all his benefits they should have GOD for their portion and reward and for their shield and defence and should not need to seeke the blessing and reward from their owne workes or their righteousnesse and fulfilling of the Law in their owne persons but merely from the free grace of GOD and of his free gift in Christ as a reward of Christs righteousnesse freely given to them and of them apprehended by faith and believing Thirdly this faith of Abraham was not a weake but strong faith and beliefe without staggering even a full perswasion that GOD who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as if they were was able to make good and to performe what hee had promised yea it was a believing in hope against hope that GOD could out of a dead body and womb raise up a lively seed and make them spiriritually righteous which are by nature and according to the Law wicked sinners All these things are manifâ—st by the place before cited Gen 15. and by the expresse words of the Apostle in this Chapter from the tenth verse to the
City to whom as yet I was unknown that I was a green headed novice carryed away with anger and passion rather then zeal yet divers of you my learned Brethren did judge otherwise of me and my labours and God blessed them and made them and your assistance of me therein powerfull and effectuall to the quelling of those errors and to the suppressing of them at that time by putting the Author of them to silence And now for 20. yeares and more they have been buryed in oblivion untill this new Adversary hath raked them up as coales out of ashes and out of a surreptitious Booke which the First Adversary had composed Printed beyond the Seas and procured to be brought in by stealth and sold underhand did bring them into the pulpit and from thence with a tumultuous noyse proclaymed them most confidently Now because I have sufficiently acted my part heretofore in opposing these errors and also divers of you have entered into the lists and with zeale and courage have begun to fight against the reviver of them I should have refrayned my selfe from further medling but because this common adversary hath singled me out and provoked me by a proud challenge to answere his writings I have once more undertaken to answer his challenge which Answer being sent to him privately might there have restâ—d if his most reproachfull and rayling reply full of lyes absurdities contradictions blasphemies and intollerable scoffes and reproaches had not forced me to send it abroad into the world to justifie it selfe from the rayling and slanderous clamours which he and his disciples and factious followers have raised against it I here commend it to your grave censure in hope that the goodnesse of the cause which herein I maintaine will cover mine infirmities and will stirre you up to perfect and finish what I have begun The Truth for which you shall fight is strong and will prevaile all power might glory and victory is Gods for whose cause you stand and our Lord Jesus Christ on whose perfect rigteousnesse you strive to keep the Crown hath all power given him in heaven and in earth To this God eternall and omnipotent and to his eternall Sonne our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to the most holy and blessed Spirit three persons in one God I commend you and your holy and faithfull labours in my dayly Prayers humbly supplicating to his Majesty for this Grace that I may continue till death Your fellow Soldier and labourer in his Vineyard GEORGE WALKER THE ANSWERERS PREFACE To the first Chapter THE question which is propounded and the state and drift thereof laid down in this first Chapter is in the Authors own words this whether the faith of him that truely beleeves or the righteousnesse of CHRIST be imputed for righteousnesse in the act of justification In this question the imputing of Faith is opposed to the imputing of Christs righteousnesse for righteousnesse to justification which no Orthodox Christian durst attenâ—â— to doe at any time for the godly learned in the Scriptures and acquainted with the writings of Orthodox divines both ancient and Moderne from the time of the Apostles to this day doe alwayes joyne Faith with Christs righteousnesse in the act of justification and do never account them such opposites as doe the one exclude the other and cannot both stand together and be reputed for righteousnesse to beleevers in justification Though the Apostle doth oppose justification by faith to justification by works of the Law performed by every man in his owne person as two opposites which cannot stand together in GODS justification of sinners And this all true Christians receive imbrace and hold for a solid truth and a fundamentall article of Christian Religion Yet they abhorre and detest the opposing of Faith and Christs righteousnes in GODS imputing of righteousnes to beleevers and doe with an unanimous consent teach that in this justifying act of GOD Christs righteousnesse of which all true beleevers have communion is that which GOD in a proper sense is said to accept and repute for righteousnesse and Faith as it receives and applies Christs righteousnesse is said to be imputed but in an improper speech the name of the act being used to signifie the object which we see frequently in Scripture as for example Gal. 3.2.25 where the name Faith is used to signifie the thing beleeved that is the doctrine of the Gospell and Coloss. 1.5 where the name Hope is used to signifie the thing hoped for that is the inheritance and reward laid up for us in Heaven of which kind many more instances may be produced But as for them who have called into controversie the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and having propounded this question whether Faith or the righteousnes of Christ is imputed in the act of justification have set up Faith and thrust out Christs righteousnesse they have ever beene branded by all true Churches of Christ for pestilent Heretikes and enemies of GODS saving truth The first mover of this question was one Petrus Abilardus a pestilent and blasphemous Heretick who being full of the spirit of pride and error did in disputing and writing deny the communion of Christs perfect satisfaction obedience and righteousnesse and the imputation of them for righteousnesse in the justification of true beleevers This filthie wretch was gelded for corrupting and defiling of a Maid and for his blasphemous heresies Saint Bernard and the Bishops of France caused him to be excommunicated and condemned for an Heretike and his blasphemous books to be burned publikely The next instrument of the Devill after him mentioned in former Histories was Servetus that blasphemous Heretike who for heresies and blasphemies which hee dispersed as a vagabond in several Countries in divers books was by Master Calvin discovered apprehended at Geneva condemned and burned and dyed blaspheming Christ most horribly as Beza testifieth in vita Calvini The third notorious Heretike who in writing and bookes published did maintaine this wicked errour and by his Disciples dispersed it in Transilvania Polonia and other adjoyning Countries was Faustus Socinus whose blasphemous faction and sect still continueth and infesteth those Countries at this day The fourth Grand Master and propagatour of this heresie who brought it into Holland nearer unto us was Arminius He did first secretly teach and instill it into the eares and hearts of many disciples and afterwards did openly professe it as we read in his Epistle ad Hyppolytum de collibus wherein he confesseth that he held Faith to be imputed for righteousnesse to justification not in a Metonymicall but in a proper sense And although this and other errours held by him are condemned in the late Synod of Dort yet his disciples the Remonstrants doe obstinately persist in this errour though some of that sect would seeme to decline and disclaime it The fift perverse publisher of this heresie who first openly professed it in England and in manuscript Pamphlets and Printed Bookes
dispersed it in London and from thence into severall places of the Countrie about 28. yeares agoe was Anthony Wotton who being discovered and hotly opposed by the Author of this answer was by his zeale and the industrie of some other Preachers in London quickly quelled and his opinion suppressed but yet because he would uphold a secret faction he wrote a booke in Latine wherein he seemed to retract or rather to run from some desperate opinions and speeches which are to bee seene in his private manuscripts given by him from hand to hand and formerly dispersed For whereas in divers of them he professeth in plaine words his dissent from all our Orthodox Divines which had beene before written of Justification saying I am inforced to dissent from them all He in that booke laboured to make a shew of consent with them and did wrest some of their doubtfull speeches to countenance his Socinianisme This booke intituled De Reconciliatione some of his fiery factious and zealous disciples with much difficulty after it was rejected at Leiden and Amsterdam procured it to be printed at their owne cost brought over the Copies and sold them under hand in London And out of it wee may justly suspect that this Scribler and babler hath stollen the most part of his conclusions arguments and distinctions for I am informed that he is a great admirer of that book and of the Author also So that if this Socinian Iohn will and must needs have and usurpe that high Title which our Saviour gave to Iohn the Baptist and will bee called as his disciples stick not to stile him the shining light of the Church in these last dayes Surely he is but a borrowed light or rather a wandring light like that ignis fatuus which in darke nights leadeth the followers into ditches loggs praecipces and breakneck downfalls as the Philosophers write of it For the recalling of the ignorant who are by him seduced for the confounding of them who are by him perverted and for the stopping of the foule lying and slanderous mouthes of those factious sectaries his followers of a scarred conscience who as they have his person in high admiration so also are bold to revise and defame all godly and learned Preachers who oppose his errours and preach against them I will spend a few spare houres to sift his written discourse at least so much of it as is come to my hands hoping by evidence of truth plaine Scriptures solid reasons and testimonies of the best writers to make it manifest to GODS people that he is a mere Socinian Sophister and dangerous seducer and that his discourse is an hotch potch of pestilent errours and full of â—eâ—giversations contradictions and perverse wrestlings of Scriptures and of the words and writings both of Ancient and moderne Divines And that neither he himselfe nor his clamarous disciples may have the least colour or occasion to complaine that I have not dealt fairely with him I will first set downe his Socinianisme word for word out of his owne writings without concealing any word or sentence And to every part thereof I will oppose the contrary doctrine of Christ under the name of Christianisme And first I begin with his preface with which he begins his first Chapter The Preface to Socinianisme FOr the cleare understanding of the state and drift of the question something would be premised which for the evidence sake might be privileddg and exempted from passing under much dispute and contradiction yet if any thing be not sufficiently prepared for assent in the briefe proposall of it the ensuing discourse will labour to reconcile the disproportion And in the progresse make satisfaction for what it shall receive upon curtesie in the beginning The Answer to the Preface THis short Preface doth by the affected stile and phrase of it discover the Author to bee one who hath studied to preach himselfe more then Christ and to set forth his owne absurd conceits in the entising words of carnall wisedome not to declare the Testimony of GOD in Apostolicall plainenesse nor in demonstration of the Spirit and of power as Saint Paul did The loftie words and short cut speech which hee useth here and in this ensuing discourse are so farre beyond the capacity of his rude unlearned followers that his wooden pulpit shall assoone as they understand them unlesse he first teach them his Grammaticall skill before hee admit them into his Theologicall auditorie But belike hee knowes the ready way to catch the wavering unstable and giddie multitude those wandering Starres of these last times who are like clowdes without water carried about with windes of every new and strange Doctrine and of all people are the fittest to bee his disciples For the mouth which speaketh great swelling words is admired of them who have mens persons in admiration and farre fetcht phrases are fine fooleries to tickle the itching eares and win the hearts of such as desire to seeme and bee counted something when indeed they are nothing but bubbles and empty bladders who as they admire every bewitching Simon Magus as the great power of GOD and extoll to the Skies his most cursed errours So they abhorre and revile all sincere and godly Preachers rebukers of their madnesse blaspheme GODS word in their mouthes and speake evill of the good things which they understand not untill in the gainsaying of Core they utterly perish Moreover to give him his due he appeares to mee in his stile and phrase a very skilfull Artist in his owne way as cunning as the subtle Serpent in cloathing and trimming his strange Doctrines with strange conceited words fited to them by which they who affect strange novelties may easily be allured and insnared But when the children of truth hunt him by the smell and strong savours of his rankling errours which stink as well as fret like an eating Cancer and are ready to catch him hee doth by his inkhorne termes so obscure and darken his meaning that onely they who have a sharp quick and strong sight can lay fast and sure hold on him Wee may well resemble him to the crafty fish Sepia of which we read that when she is pursued and ready to be taken she spueth forth a black inke wherewith she darkneth the waters round about and so escapes away in thick darknesse through which she cannot be seene and discerned But to omit his stile and to come to the matter of his preface it is a promise and pretence of somewhat by him premised which shall serve for the cleare understanding of the state of the question and for evidence sake might be priviledged from passing under much dispute and contradiction but hoc aliquid nihil est this something is nothing we find no performance of promise nor truth in what hee pretendeth neither his briefe proposall nor his ensuing discourse gives us any satisfaction neither can his beginning progresse or ending receive from us any thing upon curtesie For if
no man can be legally justified but by his owne personall righteousnesse Evangelicall righteousnesse is CHRISTS perfect righteousnesse and fulfilling of the Law in the behalfe of all the elect and faithfull It was not the Law nor our works of the Law which moved GOD to give CHRIST to be our surety and redeemer but he of his owne free love and bounty gave Christ and Christ the Sonne of GOD out of his love humbled himselfe to become man and to fulfill the law for us Neither doe wee obtaine Communion of Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse by the workes of the Law but by the Gospell preached believed as the Apostle teacheth Gal. 3.2 And therefore though Christ his righteousnes be a perfect fulfilling of all obedience which the law requires of man GOD did exact of him every farthing of our debt both in active and passive obedience and in respect of the matter and substance his satisfaction may be called after a sort legall and is so called by Luther yet as it was for us not for himselfe and performed by him our head not by every one of us in our owne persons and is received and applied by Faith not by our workes of the Law and is brought unto us by the Gospell not by the Law and is given to us freely by GODS grace not merited or procured by any thing in our selves so it is not legall but Evangelicall and GODS justifying of us and counting us righteous by it is not a proceeding upon legall grounds nor pronouncing us legally just as this calumniator doth either foolishly imagine or falsely slander and misreport our Doctrine Fiftly in arguing for his owne false and forged sense of the word Justification he hath three reasons all which are for us and prove our Doctrine not his opinion For if this make a sense of the word Justification good because it doth intimate the former guiltinesse of him that is justified as wel as it doth discharge him from all punishment which is his first reason then is our Doctrine of justification by imputation of Christs satisfaction for all our sinnes very good and sound for it intimates a guiltinesse in him who is to bee iustified as well as a discharge from punishment Secondly we doe not plead for our iustification any consideration according to the Law that is wee doe not plead our owne innocency nor satisfaction and righteousnes performed in our own persons but we plead more then somewhat done for us even all Christs obedience active and passive by GODS free grace communicated to us not obtained or merited by our works of the law Thirdly though the law iustifies no sinner but threatens the curse death and condemnation as the due reward of the transgressors of it Yet it iustifies all who are free from all sinnes committed against it and are made righteous by the perfect fulfilling of it to the utmost And therefore when the Gospell hath brought us to the Communion of Christs full satisfaction by which we are made free from all sinne and perfect fulfillers of the law in him our head as GOD doth forgive us our sinnes and counts us righteous so the law is no more against us 1 Tim. 1.9 but is witnesse for us that in Christ we are worthy of remission and iustification By this are manifest the grosse errours and absurdities which he uttereth in this first part of his preparative Chapter But that his ignorance in the Doctrine of justification may more fully appeare I will lay downe the severall significations of the words justification and justifying wherein the Spirit of God doth use them in the holy Scriptures First the word iustifie and iustification signifie making men righteous or constituting or seting them in the state of righteousnesse This signification is justified by several testimonies of Scripture as Rom. 5.19 Where many are said to be made or constituted righteous by the obedience of Christ even as by Adams disobedience many were made sinners and 1 Cor. 1.30 and 2 Cor. 5.21 Where Christ is said to bee made unto us righteousnesse and wee are said to be made the righteousnesse of God in him And Rom. 3.24 and 4 5. Where we are said to be iustified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ. And God is said to justifie the ungodly which cannot be meant of counting judging and pronouncing but of making them righteous by the Communion of Christs righteousnesse For to iustifie the wicked by judging and pronouncing them righteous without making them such is aoâ—mination to the LORD Prov. 17.15 And in this sense Preachers of GODS Word are as instruments under GOD said to iustifie many by bringing them unto righteousnesse and are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iustifiers Dan. 12.3 This iustifying wee may very fitly call radicall or fundamentall iustification This Luther and other learned Divines call actionem individuam because it is GODS action of communicating Christs righteousnesse in a moment and not by degrees successively and in it men are mere patients and do not worke with GOD no more then Adam did in GODS first creating of him upright in his Image Even regenerate Infants may thus be iustified and are iustified before they actually beleeve Secondly the word iustifie signifieth GODS iustifying of men by Faith that is his counting and reputing them righteous upon their actuall beleeving and his enableing them to feele themselves partakers of the righteousnesse of Christ and to enioy it by Faith in this sense the word is used Rom. 4. Where GOD is said to iustifie us by imputing righteousnesse and counting Faith for righteousnesse that is counting a true beleever a righteous person And thus the word is to bee taken where we are said to bee iustified by Faith without the workes of the Law The Apostle doth much urge and presse this iustification Rom 4 and Gal. 3. because though in this taken actively GOD onely acteth yet taken passively as it is received of us and we by Faith feele and discerne in what account we are with GOD and by beleeving enioy Christs satisfaction for remission of sinnes and for righteousnes wee may be said to worke with GOD by way of receiving as a begging hand doth in receiving gifts freely given and put into it This iustifying doth necessarily presuppose the former and doth assure us of it For the iust GOD whose iudgement is according to truth cannot râ—pute us righteous till we have communion of Christs righteousnesse and be thereby truly righteous And this Justification Divines call imputative It springs from the former as from the root and is builded on it as on the foundation Thirdly this word iustifie signifies a manifesting and declaring of men to be righteous and iustified and that three wayes First in foro conscientiae in the court or iudgement of our own conscience when a man being troubled in his conscience with the sight of his sinnes and his want of righteousnesse after humble prayer and poenitent seeking
saying To us a Child is borne and to us a Son is given Thirdly as he denies the satisfaction of Christ to be imputed to us so he denies the imputation of our sinnes to Christ and that very closely and cunningly under colour of that challenge which Christ made to the Iewes which of you can convince me of sinne For our Saviour speakes of sinne committed by himselfe and such aspersion none can say upon him But all our iniquities GOD laid upon him and he bare all our sinnes Esa. 53. And was made sinne for us 2 Cor. 5 21. and to cast this aspersion of all our sinnes on him is a sure foundation of the peace and safety of the Church In the second proposition hee doth most notoriously aequivocate and play the Hypocrite First in that he seemes to acknowledg the sacrifice of Christ to be an attonement and satisfaction for the world and a propitiatory sacrifice for the sinne of it Secondly in that he denyeth his Lord and Master Socinus and calles the Spirit which wrought in him a Spirit of error whereas indeed he himselfe is lead by the same Spirit and doth deny Christ to be the propitiatory sacrifice for our sinnes as far as Socinus ever did For in a propitiatory sacrifice offered to purge sinne and to make attonement there were three necessary requisits First the thing offered must be of his owne proper goods for whom it was offered so the Law required and therefore David durst not offer for his sinne that which was not his owne Purchased with his money 2. Sam. 24 24. Secondly the owner whose expiatory sacrifice it was did lay his hand upon the head of the Beast which was to be offered and thereby in a type imposed all his sinne and guilt upon it so that it became 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his guilt Levit 5 6. and Exod. 30.10 and did beare upon it all his sins Lev. 16.22 Thirdly this sacrifice offered up by the Priest in that manner which GOD praescribed in the Law GOD accepted as a propitiation for him it was set on his skore and covered his sinne as the Hebrew words signifie Levit. 1.4 He who denies any one of these overthrowes the sacrifice of attonement Now this dissembler doth with Socinus deny all these things in Christs offering of himselfe a sacrifice of attonement to purge sinne First he denies the true reall Spirituall union betweene Christ and the persons pardoned and justified by which Christ and they are made one body and hee is their head and they his members For if he and the faithfull be one then all his goods are theirs and their debts are his and his satisfaction and righteousnesse is theirs and is set on their skore which he denyeth and altogether opposeth and so denyes their interest and propriety in Christ and their union with him as his Master Wotton did in expresse word In his Essayes of Justification Secondly he also denieth that the sinnes of the faithfull were layd on Christ and imputed to him and in this he chargeth GOD with notorious injustice who laid the punishments of all our sinnes on Christ without the sinnes For he saith that Christ bare the punishmeÌ„ts though hee had no share in our sinnes by any imputation Thirdly he denyeth that the sacrifice of Christs suffering and obedience offered up by him is imputed to us set on our skore and accepted for us And thus in the doctrine of Christs sanitisfaction and attonement he declares himselfe a true disciple of Socinus lead by the same spirit of error and of the same opinion though in words he denyes it And what he here seemes to grant is no more but what all Socinians yeeld unto In the third proposition viz. that Christ is the sole and entire miraculous cause of every mans justification c. Hee doth aequivocate and delude the simple and while hee deceives them hee is deceived himselfe as the Apostle saith of wicked seducers 2 Tim. 3 13. For if he doth understand his owne words that Christ is the sole meritorious cause of every mans justification that is justified by GOD he must needs grant that Christs satisfaction made to GODS justice and his perfect righteousnesse as it is meritorious and of great value in it selfe so it is appropriated communicated imputed to him that is it is made actually meritorious for him and makes him worthy to be counted righteous and to be iustified for his words signify so much though hee is in his purpose and meaning as contrary as darknesse is to light for he meanes no more but that Christ meritted for himselfe that GOD should gratifie and honour him with the justification of those that believe in him so hee explaines himselfe in the last words It is certaine that a thing may be merritorious in it selfe for the worth of it but it cannot be meritorious to any particular person till it be appropriated to him and set on his skore Wotton his Master this point being proved to his face with undeniable arguments was driven to disclaime the word merit denyed Christs meritting for the faithfull and rejected it as a thing not named in Scripture in his Essayes of Justification Besides this deceiving of himselfâ— and misconceiving of his owne words I find here much absurdity First in that he is wavering and not setled in his Iudgment for in many places he holds faith to be the righteousnesse of a man justified and here he calles absolvtion from sinne and condemnation the righteousnesse which is given to every man in his justification I grant that in a man iustified there is no righteousnesse inhaerent but his cleanenesse from guilt of all sinnes both of commission and omission and in this sense Calvin Luther and others say that all the righteousnesse in a man iustified is the remission of his sinnes that is his cleanenesse from the guilt of them but this is not the righteousnesse which iustifieth him and which is communicated to him to make him cleane and to worke this cleannesse from the guilt of his sin that is the righteousnesse inhaerent in Christ which makes him cleane and puts him in a stare of righteousnesse before GOD but this profound Doctor with that stamp and superscription of rationall authority which hee conceiveth to be set on him hath not yet searched into the deep things oâ— GOD. Secondly he is most absurd in imagining that Christ hath purchased favour and honour witâ— GOD that he might iustifie theâ—… that believe in him by Procuring that faith in a proper sense should be accepted for righteousnesse For Christ as he was GOD man was infinitely of himselfe in favour and honour with GOD and humbled himselfe onely for us and in our behalfe fulfilled the Law not to purchace honour and favour to himselfe nor to make himselfe worthy to be gratified and honored by GOD as hee affirmeth Thus wee see his absurdities and his deceiving of himselfe The fourth
words then these of Calvin for if a man bee not righteous in himselfe then is hee not righteous by faith in a proper sense for his faith in a proper sense is in himselfe But let us not bee too hastie to insult over his folly it may bee his impudency will catch at some other words of Calvin which do not so expressely contradict him but are more obscure and them hee will wrest and abuse to expound Calvins plaine words in a contradictory sense It is even so indeed for hee cites in the next place some more generall and obscure speeches of Calvin to expound his plaine words and to make them contradictory to themselves I have heard absurd fellowes derided for going about to shew obscurum perobscurius that is to make men see dark things through greater darknesse and for running as the proverb is out of GODS blessing into the warme sun But that any should goe about to make others see the sun when it shineth in full strength by the dimme light of a candle and to perswade them that the sun is the moone this is madnes deserves that the Lunatike Melancholike person so doing should be sent to the Iland of Hellebore there to inhabit till hee recover his wits And doth not he so who seekes to make Calvins plaine words to contradict themselves by citing words wherein he speakes neither so plainely nor so fully as in them But let us see those other speeches of Calvin which hee brings for this purpose one is that Christ by his obedience hath merited and procured for us favour with GOD his Father These words doe not prove that the imputing of Christs obedience and righteousnesse signifies the bestowing of the benefit of it on us that is GODS favour but shew clearely the contrary to that which he intends namely that Christs obedience is made ours and imputed to us because it procures to us the favour of GOD which we cannot enjoy nor appeare gracious in his sight unlesse wee bee cloathed with Christs rich robe of righteousnes and washed cleane from the guilt of sinne by his satisfaction imputed to us Another is Christ by his obedience hath purchased righteousnes for us the true and plaine sense of which wordes is no more but this that Christ by his obedience hath fulfilled the Law of GOD for us and we by that obedience are constituted made righteous as the Apostle expressely affirmes Rom. 5.19 Another is that when we are said to be justified by the grace of GOD and that righteousnes was procured by the death and resurrection of Christ these expressions import the same thing with those that Christ is our righteousnes that is by union with him and communion of his righteousnes which he purchased by his death and resurrection and which GOD graciously gives to us wee are justified Another is men having not any righteousnes in themselves they obtaine it by imputation that is neither a mans owne workes nor faith taken in a proper sense for a gift grace or worke in him can be his righteousnes but onely that which is obtained by imputation to wit Christs righteousnes apprehended by faith which when true beleevers have laid hold on then GOD doth account them righteous and in this improper sense GOD is said to impute faith for righteousnes Thus every speech of Calvin which he brings against Calvin himselfe is like a stone cast against a brasen wall and rebounds against the caster and dasheth out the braines of his hereticall opinion And therefore it was his safest course onely to tell us of more such passages but not to recite any more out of Calvin or other Authors For being seasoned with the salt of their owne interpretation they will prove gravell in his mouth choake him and if it be possible put him to shame and silence From Calvin hee comes home to the Homilies allowed in our Church and they by his owne confession teach that we are justified by the imputation of Christs righteousnes But to prove that by the righteousnes of Christ they meane faith taken in a proper sense that is as it is the gift of faith in us and the operation of it in us even our beleeving hee brings the words of the 11. Article of Religion allowed in our Church by Law viz. we are ac counted righteous before GOD onely for the merit of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith not for our owne workes or deserts where note that whereas the Articles send us to the Homilies as being very profitable plaine expositions of them hee on the contrary sets the cart before the horses to draw them after it Hee brings the text to expound the commentary or plaine exposition of it But hee gets no advantage by doing so for the words of the Article are very exact indeed and make much for us against his opinion they shew that the merit of Christ apprehended by faith is that for which wee are accounted righteous before GOD and that faith is not our righteousnes for then wee should bee accounted righteous for a grace in our selves and for a worke of our owne performed by us even our owne beleeving Oh but the Article doth not say that wee are constituted and made but onely accounted righteous True indeed the Article doth not speak of fundamentall justification mentioned Rom. 5.19 but of imputative justification of which the Apostle speakes Rom. 4 3. which necessarily presupposeth the other For GOD whose judgement is according to truth cannot judge and count us righteous till hee hath communicated Christs righteousnesse to us and by it constituted and made us righteous which when we by faith receive and apply by the assistance of his Spirit which dwells in us and makes us one Spirituall and mysticall body with Christ then GOD accounts us righteous and by our faith and believing we obtene as Abraham did this testimony from GOD that we are righteous as Iustine Martyr saith in the words cited in the next Chapter From the Article and Homilies hee proceedes to Musculus Luther and Chamier who though in their Doctrine they are opposit to his opinion as heaven is to earth yet hee snatcheth here and there some improper speeches out of their writings which hee wresteth to his purpose though they doe most plainely expound their owne meaneing to bee contrary to his mind The words of Musculus are these Faith is accounted for righteousnesse for Christs sake That is faith is accounted for righteousnesse and the true believer is counted a righteous man not sensu proprio nec per se sed propter Christum That is by reason of Christ and his righteousnesse whom the believer apprehendeth and by faith possesseth his righteousnesse and againe this faith ought to be esteemed of us as that which GOD purposeth for Christs sake to impute for righteousnesse to those that believe in him in which words Musculus folowing the phrase of the Apostle intends no more but this that wee
are not to seeke righteousnes by our owne workes but by faith in Christ for if wee can obtaine grace to believe in him and to lay hold on his righteousnesse wee are for Christ and his righteousnesse sake upon our believing counted righteous before GOD because by our communion which wee have with Christ by the Spirit dwelling in us and enabling us to believe The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us imputatively by the righteousnesse of another even of Christ which is also ours for we are flesh of his flesh that is one with him these are Musculus his owne words in which hee roundly expresseth himselfe in Rom. 8.4 and 10.3.4 Luthers words at which hee catcheth in vaine are to the same purpose in Gal. 3.6 GOD for Christs sake accounts this imperfect faith for perfect righteousnesse Here Luther doth not charge GOD with error or iniquity in judgement by judgeing and accounting that for perfect righteousnesse which is imperfect for his speech is tropicall imitating the phrase of the Apostle by imperfect faith hee meanes a true believer by a weak faith laying hold on Christs righteousnesse and by perfect righteousnesse a man set in a state of perfect righteousnesse by communion with Christ and this is the sense of the words that if a true believer doth lay hold on Christ by faith which in the best of us is but weake and imperfect yet GOD accounts him perfectly righteous with the righteousnesse of Christ which is most perfect and compleat Thus Luther expounds himselfe 1 Tom. pag 32. Editionis Ienensis Christ saith hee is in us by faith yea one with us but Christ is righteousnesse and a fulfiller of all GODS commaundements therefore wee also doe by him fulfill all GODS commandements when hee is by faith made ours And 2 Tom. pag. 515. Faith puts us upon Christs workes of righteousnesse without our owne workes and translates us out of the exile of our sinnes into the Kingdome of his righteousnes And Tom. 1. pag 106. By faith our sinnes are made no more our owne but Christs upon whom GOD hath laid the iniquities of us all and againe all Christs righteousnesse is made ours for he layeth his hand on us If a man had the tongue of men and Angels hee could not speake more fully for the communion and imputation of Christs righteousnes to believers for justification and of their sinnes to Christ for remission then Luther doth in these and divers other places as I shall more fully shew in the second Chapter As for Chamiers words who calles remission of sinnes the righteousnesse which is imputed to us they shew that faith is not that imputed righteousnesse for faith or believing is our act remission is GODS act who can forgive sinnes but GOD But indeed the meaning of Chamier is the same with Calvin to wit that our cleannesse from the guilt of sinne which is Passive remission or justification is that which GOD lookes upon in us when hee counts us righteous in Christ as I have before shewed wherefore I conclude with the contradictory of his conclusion which hee inferres upon the speeches of our Homilies and of other learned Authors to weet thus That wheresoever we find in the Scriptures or any Authors of sound learning this phrase of faith or believing imputed for righteousnesse we must not understand faith in a proper sense but the righteousnesse of Christ even his fulfilling of the Law for us which together with the power and merit of it so far as every believer hath need is communicated to him and imputed to him for justification For as a Merchant cannot be said to be enriched by the gaine of a commodity which never was his owne and in which hee never had any interest or propriety nor any man by an office which was never his owne nor by him executed So none can have the merit and benefit of Christs righteousnesse nor be said to bee thereby justified neither can any such thing be imputed to them except they have a propriety in it and communion of it Thus his instances and similitudes are turned against himselfe to the confusion of his haereticall opinion But that his sinne may appeare out of measure sinfull hee doth not content himselfe with his abusing wresting and perverting of the godly sayings of other Authors and using similitudes which are most contrary to his purpose but hee also layeth profane hands on the holy Scriptures That excellent saying Iob 33 26. which Master Perkins learnedly expounds to be meant of Christs righteousnesse which when men humbly seeke to GOD by repentance and faithfull prayers GOD renders unto them by renuing their sense and assurance of their communion with Christ in his whole satisfaction This Doctor novice most Popishly applyes to a mans owne righteousnesse and saith that GODS rendring to a man his righteousnesse is giving him the benefit of it not the righteousnesse it selfe And yet if wee should grant what hee perversely seekes it will availe him nothing for as the fruite and benefit which GOD renders to a man is not the fruit of a righteousnesse in which he hath no propriety or interest but is his righteousnesse so the fruite and benefit which we receive of Christs righteousnesse GOD renders to us when that righteousnesse is become ours in the propriety of it That place Ephes. 6.8 whatsoever good a man doth the same hee shall receive of the LORD it is for us and against himselfe for as the good which a man receives from GOD for well doing is the good fruite of his owne well doing so is the fruite and benefit which wee receive in our justification the fruite of Christs righteousnes made ours and imputed to us Those speeches Revel 13.10 and 15.10 here is the faith and patience of the Saints c. are not to be understood of the fruite and reward of their patience as the circumstances shew which are killing and slaying and leading into captivitie but of the patience and faith themselves that in such times they are seene tride and proved and GOD at such times gives them patience and faith by threatning and foretelling the finall destruction of their enemies as learned Brightman truely expounds the wordes Besides if patience and faith were here used to signifie the fruit and benefit of patience and faith yet he cannot say it is the fruit of any patience or faith but of the Saints themselves who receive the benefit Likewise if wee grant that in the other places Psal. 128.2 Labour signifies the fruit of labour and Heb. 9.28 Sin signifies the punishment of sinne and Gen. 19.15 iniquitie signifies the judgement of GOD on Sodom for iniquitie by a trope or Metonymie of the cause for the effect This proves that faith which is the hand or instrument of the soule receiving Christ with his righteousnes may by the same trope be used to signifie that state of righteousnes which we receive by it as by an hand or instrument Thus while he runs
for us to satisfie in our stead and his holy spirit to unite us to his Sonne and to bring us to communion of his satisfaction Thus wee see that they shut up the doore of Heaven and stop that onely way to eternall life by overthrowing justification which is the making and accounting of men righteous by that onely righteousnes of Christ besides which there is not any other to be found sufficient and able to beare us out before GODS tribunall of justice Now let all true Christians well weigh and consider the difference betweene truth and errour life and death true Christianity and Antichristian infidelity for such is the damned Socinianisme before discovered And if any man in the midst of the light of the Gospell shining so clearely and discovering so plainely cursed heresie will be blind let him bee more blind still and if any will be filthie let them bee more filthie still And if any love not the LORD Jesus but hate and blaspheme his truth let him be Anathema Maranatha Amen THE SECOND CHAPTER OF Socinianisme Wherein the imputation of faith for righteousnesse in a proper sense is undertaken to be proved from the Scriptures and the interpretation of those Scriptures confirmed both by reason and authority as well of ancient as moderne Divines THE PREFACE WHat it is that should be imputed for righteousnesse in justification all the wisdome and learning under heaven is not so fit or able to determine as the holy Ghost speaking in the Scriptures being the great Secretary of heaven and privie to all the wayes and counsels of GOD and therefore there is none to him to take up any difference or to comprimise betweene the controverters about any subiect in Religion All the difficulty and question is because though hee speakes upon the house top yet hee interprets in the eare all the Christian world either knowes or readily may know what hee speakes in the Scripture But what his meaning and intent is in any thing he leaves unto men to debate and make out amongst them To some indeed hee reveales the secret of his counsell the Spirit of his letter in some particulars but because these are not marked in the forehead therefore their apprehensions and thoughts though the true begotten of the truth are yet in common esteeme but like other mens till some stamp or superscription of rationall authority be set upon them to make the difference yea many times the nearer the truth the further off from the approbation of many and sometimes even of those that are greatest pretenders to the truth The Answere THe first part or speech is a solid truth to wit that no wisdome and learning under heaven is so fit or able to determine what is imputed for righteousnes in justification as the holy Ghost speaking in the Scriptures But this truth he contradicts in the next words which follow immediately where he saith that the holy Ghost leaues his meaning and intent to men to debate which if it be true then men are to determine and to take up every difference about any subject in Religion This beginning with contradiction is very ominous and prodigious and from hence we may gather what we are likely to find in his ensuing discourse The rule by which men are to judge of the Spirits meaning is the stamp and superscription of rationall authority set upon them so hee here expressely affirmes and in this hee openly professeth himselfe to be of the faction of the Socinian and Arminian remonstrants who doe teach that the best judge of the meaning of the Scriptures is recta ratio that is their owne carnall reason rectified by the art of Sophistrie Againe hee affirmes that all the Christian world knowes or readily may know what the holy Ghost speaks in the Scripture If this be true then they are all taught of GOD and the Spirit leaues not his meaning to men to debate and to promise betweene controverters Here is another contradiction Hee proceeds yet further in his absurdities and tells us that the holy Ghost reveales not to all the Christian world but to some the secret of his counsell the Spirit of his letter this is a contradiction to that which went next before And whereas before hee saith that all the Christian world knowes what the holy Ghost speakes in Scripture that is all saving truth here hee saith that hee reveales the secret of his counsell but in some particulars thus in every thing he contradicts himselfe and like a lunatick broken out of Bedlam he raves first saying and affirming and immediately denying and gainesaying in the same things But yet a lunatick persons have high conceits of themselves that they are of noble and royall blood right heires to Crownes Kingdoms and Empires or if not the holy Ghost himselfe yet persons wonderfully illuminated and inspired by him And many times they will not utter their conceits in expresse words but tell you of such great persons and complaine of your blockish dulnesse and stupidity if you doe not presently discerne that they speake of themselves and they are the men So here doth this illuminated Doctor deale with us He tells us of some speciall ones to whom the Spirit interprets in the eare and reveales the secret of his councell the Spirit of his letter who are the true begotten of the truth and that hee takes himself to be a chiefe among these it appeares first by his undertaking to give a reason of the counsell and purpose of GOD in his former Chapter as I have there noted Secondly by his taking upon him here to determine this question which none but such illuminated ones can be able to do And hee breakes off his prologue with a kind of complaint and exprobration full of disdaine namely this that because they meaning himselfe and his fellowes are not marked in the forehead by the Spirit of illumination therefore their thoughts and apprehensions are yet in common esteeme like other men you see non sapit humanum nec est mortale quod optat till some stamp and superscription of rationall authority be set upon them to make the difference Here hee seemes in this last clause to take courage and to conceive some hope that by the rational authority of his new coined Logick of which he lately gave us a tast whē he told us that causes are opposit ex diametro therefore the efficient impulsive instrumentall materiall formall and finall causes of mans justification and salvation cannot all or the most of them concurre in one person Christ though GOD and man hee will make the difference knowne betweene his excellency and other mens ignobility and obscurity The last clause of his complaint wherewith hee concludes his Preface is an overthwart blow to some where speaking of those first begotten of the truth he saith yea many times the nearer the truth the further off from the approbation of many and sometimes even of those that are the greatest pretenders to the
which he beleeved to wit Christ promised for righteousnes and salvation was that which by GOD was upon Abrahams beleeving counted to him for righteousnes It was not his faith simply considered in it selfe but his faith embracing Christ promised and possessing him with his righteousnes and satisfaction which was reckned to him for righteousnes and as to him so to every one that beleeveth his faith is counted to him for righteousnes For all true beleevers who by faith lay hold on Christ the promised seed of Abraham and beleeve GOD to be their shield and exceeding great reward in him they are by one spirit baptised into one spirituall body with Christ united to him their spirituall head and made his lively members and sensible partakers of his perfect obedience righteousnes and full satisfaction for redemption remission of sinnes justification and perfect salvation and need not any more to seeke the reward of blessednes by the righteousnes of their owne workes performed according to the tenour of the Law by every man in his owne person but in the LORD Iesus Christ who is Iehovah Zid-kenu the LORD our righteousnes Ier. 23.6 and the end and fulfilling of the Law for righteousnes to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10.4 they have perfect righteousnes And in him GOD is become their reward and the lot and portion of their inheritance Psal. 16.5 And that gracious and free favour which GOD shewed to Abraham when hee beleeved in Christ promised and firmely without staggering applyed to himselfe the blessing promised being fully perswaded that GOD who of his free grace promised was by his power able to performe though by the course of nature and by reason of the deadnesse of Sara's wombe he himselfe seemed to bee and indeed was uncapable of that blessing The same hee will shew to all true beleevers who are Abrahams faithfull seed and children of promise that is as hee reckoned Abrahams faith for righteousnes so hee will count their faith to them for righteousnes that is he will accept and account them for righteous persons as indeed they are not for any workes of their owne nor by any righteousnesse performed according to the letter of the law in their owne persons but by the righteousnes which is through the faith of Christ and is called the righteousnes of faith because it is the righteousnes of Christ GOD and man given to them of GOD and of them apprehended and applyed by faith For being thus justified by faith and having communion with Christ of his full satisfaction and righteousnes GOD whose judgement is according to truth doth certainely judge and count them as truly they are righteous in his sight becomes in Christ their shield and exceeding great reward This is the Orthodox exposition of the Apostles wordes in this Chapter generally received by all both ancient and moderne Divines famous for learning and godlinesse The corrupt and hereticall exposition of the Apostles words made by Socinus and maintained by his followers the Arminians and other fanaticall Sectaries THey of the Socinian faction doe generally hold and obstinately affirme that Abrahams beleeving and his faith taken in a proper literall sense without any trope is here said by the Apostle to be counted to Abraham for righteousnes in stead of all righteousnes which either Abraham himselfe was by the Law bound to performe in his owne person or any surety could performe for him And in like manner to every one that beleeveth his faith is in a proper sense said to bee counted for righteousnes even his faith by it selfe and not the righteousnes of Christ with it This is their exposition And upon these wordes of the Apostle thus falsly and corruptly interpreted they build all their hereticall opinions and doctrines concerning justification of the faithfull before GOD namely these following First that faith as it is in every beleever even as it is inherent in him and is his owne faith and beleeving is the onely thing which GOD of his grace and mercy and out of his absolute soveraigne power and dominion is pleased to ordaine appoint and account for all the righteousnes which a man shall have for his justification though in truth and according to Law and the rule of justice it is not righteousnes being weak oftentimes and full of imperfections Secondly that the Spirit of GOD in these wordes of the Apostle did not intend or meane any communion of the righteousnes and perfect obedience performed by Christ to the Law as our surety and in our stead nor imputation of that righteousnes to every true beleever for justification nor GODS accepting of the faithfull for righteous by that righteousnes communicated to them and of them applyed possessed and enjoyed by faith By faith and believing they do not understand that applying faith which is a gift and worke of GODS Spirit in the elect regenerate and sanctified by which they do believe and are perswaded that they are in Christ and Christ is their head and they as lively members of his mysticall body have communion of all his benefits even of his full satisfaction and perfect righteousnes for justification and full remission of all their sinnes But by faith and believing they understand onely a confidence in GOD that hee will performe his promises made in Christ and an assent unto his word that it is true The tenour of which word and promises they conceive to be this That Christ in his pure unspotted humane nature hath by his righteousnesse suffering and obedience unto death meritted such high favour with GOD that GOD in honour to him is pleased to accept and account the faith of them that believe in him and rest on him for their Saviour for perfect righteousnesse and requires no other righteousnesse to constitute and make them in any sort formally righteous in their justification When they acknowledge that the perfect righteousnesse and satisfaction of Christ is the meritorious cause of our justification they do not meane that they are communicated to us and so apprehended and possessed of us by faith that we are thereby indeed and in GODS account righteous before GOD and justified or that they deserve and are worthy that GOD should so account us for them But their mind and meaning is that Christ by his righteousnesse hath merited that GOD for his sake and in favour to him should account faith to us for righteousnesse without either our owne workes of the Law or Christs righteousnesse imputed to us and made ours by communion And when they say that faith is imputed for righteousnes as an instrument they doe not meane as the instrument or spirituall hand applying Christ his righteousnes to bee after a sort the formall righteousnesse of the believer but that faith as it is the instrument by which the believer doth believe that Christ hath purchased this favour that his believing should be the only thing accounted to him for righteousnes so onely and no other way GOD reckons to him
one of his faithfull seed is here meant GODS setting of Christs righteousnes on every true beleevers skore and putting it on his account and judging counting and esteeming him no more guilty of sinne but perfectly righteous by that Evangelicall righteousnes which is called the righteousnes of GOD 2 Cor. 5.21 because GOD performed it in mans nature and the righteousnes of faith Rom. 4.13 and not of workes because it is applyed and enjoyed by faith Philip 3.9 For the confirmation of this exposition and iustifying of this truth wee need seeke no other arguments but such as may bee gathered from the Apostles owne words as in other of his Epistles so especially in this to the Romans argument 1 The first argument is drawne from the 2. Chapter of this Epistle v. 26. where this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it signifies to bee imputed or counted is first used by the Apostle in the very same phrase as here in this Chapter 4.3.5 9. If saith he the uncircumcision keep the righteousnes of the law shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision By uncircumcision in the first clause we must necessarily understand a Gentile uncircumcised as learned Beza in his notes observes and that by a trope of speech which is called Metonymia adjuncti for with some reason it may be supposed that an uncircumcised man may observe the precepts of righteousnes contained in the law but it is against common sense to suppose that the fore-skin of any mans flesh not cut off should performe the righteousnes of the Law no man in his right wits will father such a senseles meaning upon the learned Apostle The same word in the second clause as Beza also well observes cannot with any reason bee thought to signifie the foreskin of mans flesh not cut off that is uncircumcision in a proper sense for that cannot but most falsely be reputed and counted for circumcision because they are contradictories one to another But here by a trope or Metonymie called Metonymia signipro re signatâ the word uncircumcision signifies the state of Gētilisme Neither doth it signifie that state barely considered by it selfe but as comprehending in it the righteousnes of the Law which the uncircumcised man hath kept and performed in that state as the wordes necessarily imply for the Apostle doth not say that uncircumcision simply but uncircūcision which hath kept the righteousnes of the Law shall bee counted for circumcision So that here is a Metalepsis or double trope to wit first uncircumcision put for Gentilisme of which it is a signe or adjunct and secondly put not onely for that state of a Gentile but also for the righteousnesse of the Law kept by the man in that outward state of a Gentile uncircumcised which is a Metonymie of the subject containing for the thing contained Yea if wee looke thoroughly into the phrase wee shall see that the state of the man uncircumcised or the man in that estate put for that which hee hath done and performed even the righteousnes of the Law By circumcision we cannot with reason understand the outward cutting away of the foreskin of mans flesh neither taken literally and carnally as the corrupt blind Iewes did take it for a worke of righteousnesse and obedience to the Law for justification The Apostle affirmes Galatians 5.3 that so taken it was an obligation by which the circumcised was bound under paine of cutting off for ever to performe the whole Law And for a righteous Gentile to bee brought under this bondage was no benefit but a miserable condition an ill reward of his keeping the Law Neither can circumcision be here taken sacramentally as it was an outward signe and seale of the righteousnes of faith and of mortification and all vertues of holynesse by which men are sanctified to GOD and become his peculiar people For Ishmael Esau and all the Sonnes of Belial in Israel even Elies wicked Sons and the rest were partakers of the outward signe and sacrament of circumcsion and yet being destitute of the inward grace signified their circumcision was no reward to them but was a witnes to condemne them But the circumcision here mentioned by the Apostle is an honour benefit and a good condition and therefore undoubtedly signifies the inward circumcision of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter so the Apostle doth expound himselfe verse 29. that is true mortification and sanctification The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be counted signifies here in a full sense judging counting approving accepting and using accordingly Now all laid together the meaning of the Apostle must necessarily be this without any contradiction That if a man uncercumcised do keep and observe with all holy endeavour the commandements of GODS Law and the righteousnesse thereof his state of Gentilisme and of outward uncircumcision comprehending in it a conscionable observing of GODS holy commandement shall be accounted and judged by GOD and by all who judge aright as it is indeed the state of mortification and sanctification which by the Prophets is called circumcising of our selves to the LORD and puting away the foreskin of our hearts Ier. 4.4 And this man though uncircumcised in the flesh and a Gentile in outward estate shall be counted of GOD for a true Israelite without guile circumcised with circumcision of the heart in the Spirit whose praise is not of men but of GOD. This sense and meaning of the words of this phrase is so cleare and manifest and so perfectly agreeable to all true reason that no man can deny it unlesse hee will set himselfe to rebell against the light And this phrase being the same with that which is made the ground of this dispute Rom. 4. where the same Apostle saith that faith and believing were counted to Abraham and so are to every true believer for righteousnes yea being the onely place in all this Epistle wherein the Apostle useth the phrase of imputing or counting except onely in this 4. Chap. and once in the 5. Chapter where hee saith sinne is not imputed it must needs give light to these speeches and words in controversie and as it hath the first place in this Epistle so it deserves to goe before as a guide to lead us to the understanding of the rest Wherefore if we will follow the Apostle himselfe and tread in the same steps after him being the surest guide and best expounder of his owne meaning we must by Abrahams believing by a Metalepsis or double trope with our learned Divines understand Abraham setled in the state of a true believer united by one Spirit unto GOD in Christ and having communion of his satisfaction and righteousnes which were of force and efficacy from the beginning to save justifie all the faithfull and to make GOD their reward And by faith imputed we must not understand faith by it selfe in a proper sense but the state and condition of a faithfull man and also that which faith
and beleeving which wee on our part must performe for iustification life and salvation And hereby they abolish the freedome of the new Covenant and make it a Covenant conditionall and not of free grace For what soever is covenanted-and promised upon a condition to be performed is not absolutely free nor freely given and so according to their Doctrine they that are iustified by faith are not freely iustified by grace whereas they plead Scripture for their errour and alledge that iustification and life is promised upon condition of beleeving If you beleeve you shall be saved I answer that this is a grosse and absurd mistake For every conditionall proposition doth not propound the conditition of a Covenant which the party to whom a thing is promised must performe that the promise may bee made good to him for such a condition whensoever it is performed makes the thing covenanted a due debt which the promiser is bound to give But oftentimes a conditionall proposition propounds the meanes by which a free gift is received or the qualification by which one is made capable and fit to receive and enjoy a free gift as for example it is often said in Scripture if yee will heare and hearken yee shall eate the good of the land and shall live and not be destroyed Isay 1.19 Ier. 26.3 and many other places If we love one another GOD dwelleth in us 1 Iohn 4. If we walke in the light we have fellowship one with another 1 Iohn 1.2 If we confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and just to forgive 1 Iohnâ— 9 If a man be just and do that which is right he shall surely live Ezech 18.5.21 In all which and the like places there is no condition of the Covenant propounded but onely the way and meanes to receive blessing or the quality condition by which men are made capable and fit to enjoy the blessing and somtimes the signes tokens and effects of them that are in a blessed estate And even so when GODS word saith If you believe yee shall be saved There is no condition of the Covenant propounded to be performed on our part for justification and salvation but onely the qualification by which GOD of his free grace doth qualify and fit us to be iustified and saved and the meanes by which hee enables us to receive righteousnes and to lay hold on salvation which is freely given to us in Christ. Vpon these particulars severally observed out of their owne words and writings I strongly conclude that this opinion being builded upon such a blasphemous and Hereticall ground and upheld and maintained by such blasphemous arguments must needs be most impious Hereticall and blasphemous Having already proved the Socinian and Arminian opinion to be most false and abominable I proceed to answere the particular arguments contained in this 2. Chapter which was by the Authors owne hand delivered unto me to be answered And because he and his followers shall not complaine of misrelating any of his words I will as I have done in the former Chapter first lay downe his owne words Socinianisme THe first argument brought to prove that faith and believing are in a proper sense Rom. 4. said to be imputed to the believer for righteousnes in justification and not the righteousnes of Christ. First the letter of this Scripture speakes what we affirme plainely and speakes no parable about it yea it speakes it once and twice yea it speakes it the third and fourth time and is not ashamed of it Abraham beleeved GOD and it was imputed to him for righteousnes verse 3. Againe to him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted to him for righteousnes verse 5. And yet againe verse 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnes The same phrase and expression is used also verse 23.24 Certainely there is not any truth in religion not any article of our beliefe that can boast of the letter of the Scripture more full expresse and pregnant for it what is maintained concerning the imputation of faith hath all the authority and countenance from the Scriptures that wordes can lightly give whereas the imputation of Christs righteousnes in that sense which many magnifie hath not the least reliefe either from any sound of wordes or sight of letter in the Scripture Christianisme HIs first argument reduced into the forme of a syllogisme runs thus That opinion which hath the Letter of the Scripture more full expresse and pregnant for it then any truth in religion or article of our beliefe and hath all the authority and countenance from the Scripture that wordes can lightly give is certainely true This opinion concerning the imputation of faith in a proper sense is such Therefore it is a true and sound opinion That this imputation of faith may boast of the letter of Scripture and of all the authority and countenance that wordes can give hee proves because the letter of the Scripture speakes it once twice yea thrice and foure times to wit in this Chapter Rom. verse 3.5 22 23 24. to which I will adde a fift time verse 9. The more true that the proposition is the more false is the assumption wherein hee assumes most falsely to his opinion that which in no wise belongs to it and thereupon inferres a most false conclusion I answere therefore that his assumption is an heap of impudent lyes First the killing letter of the Scripture may give some countenance to it that is speeches of Scripture understood and urged literally which are spoken by GODS spirit tropically and in a figure This Saint Austin calls the killing letter because they who take the words properly and so urge them obstinately they slay their owne soules But the true literall sense of the wordes which are improperly literall will never give any countenance to this hereticall opinion as I have shewed before most fully 2 I cannot but accuse him here of most intollerable impudency in that he affirmes that this most Hereticall opinion hath more full expresse and pregnant testimony from the letter of the Scripture then any truth in Religion or any article of Religion and hath all the authority and countenance from the Scripture that words can give when as in all the Scripture faith is not once said to be imputed for righteousnes in a proper sense in all the word of GOD and is onely seven times said to be counted or imputed for righteousnes and that tropically while the Apostle useth the phrase borrowed from that improper speech which is spoken of Abraham Gen. 15.6 That when Abraham believed GOD he counted it to him for righteousnes For it is manifest that in this Chapter he altogether insists upon that speech and doth but repeat it six times and so likewise Gal. 3.6 Saint Iames also once useth it speaking of declarative justification to prove that Abraham was justified by workes Iam. 2.23 that is declared before men to be