neither without the imputation of these we cannot be entitled to them to our Justification Now that Faith justifies not absolutely and as our Act may appear In Justification there is a judicial proceeding and we must answer to something to the Gospel only or to the Law also if to the Gospel only then Evangelical Justification is in a way frustrative and not perfective of the Law there needeth only Faith to answer the Gospel and not perfect Righteousness to answer the Law But what saith the Apostle to this Having concluded Justification to be by Faith Rom. 3.30 he immediatly adds Do we then make void the Law through faith God forbid yea we establish the Law ver 31. And how is this That Faith which answers to the Gospel receives that perfect Righteousness of Christ which answers the Law in every point Christ being the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth as we have it Rom. 10. Without this it is not at all imaginable how Faith or Justification by it should establish or complete the Law our sincere Obedience which flows from Faith can no more do it than imperfection can reach perfection Again if to the Gospel only then all the Pagans must needs be justified for they have nothing to answer unto not to the Gospel that is not reveiled to them not to the Law of Nature that is but the relicts and broken pieces of the Moral Law And if Christians who have the Moral Law in its entire perfection are not to answer to it then surely Pagans who have only some little Fragments of it need not answer thereunto and by consequence they must be recti in Curia before God But if as of necessity we must we must answer to the Law also then Faith as it is in it self and our Act cannot possibly justifie it being but a piece of the Law and that imperfect God who judgeth according to truth will not esteem those perfectly righteous who are not so indeed nor accept of a partial Righteousness for a total one If reply be made This is true when God judgeth Judicio Justitiae but not when he judges Judicio Misericordiae he in his condescending Mercy accepts of Faith in the room of total perfect Righteousness I answer this cannot possibly stand God's Mercy and Truth are never at variance his Truth will not esteem us righteous upon account of a partial imperfect righteousness and his Mercy will not condescend so far as to interfere with his Truth But when he esteems us righteous upon account of a perfect Righteousness which is not our own but Christ's then Truth and Mercy both shine forth Truth in that there is a perfect Righteousness to answer the Law and Mercy in that it is not our own but our Sureties But further If Faith be taken for a perfect Righteousness then it is lifted up into the room of Christ and his Righteousness If you say no Christ's Righteousness is the foundation of this acceptance of Faith I answer Then will it follow that Christ died not so much for Persons to justifie them as for Graces to elevate Faith above it self into the estimation of a perfect Righteousness and withal that Faith is our proper Righteousness in an immediate formal way and Christ but a remote Cause only much after the same rate as the Papists say Bona opera tincta sanguine Christi justificant Works are made the immediate Cause of Justification and Christ the remote Moreover it is to be remembred that nothing can be Instrumentum instrumentatum the Artificers Tools are not the House he makes the Hysops sprinkling of Blood in the Jewish Sacrifices was not the Blood of Christ Faith is not our Righteousness but the Medium to it Hence Phil. 3.9 we read of righteousness by faith it is not it self our Righteousness but a means to it Thus it appears that Faith in it self and as our Act justifies not therefore it justifies as it is that Evangelical Medium which receives Christ and his perfect Righteousness Thus the Reverend Hooker Faith is the only hand which putteth on Christ to Justification and Christ the only Garment which being so put on covereth the shame of our defiled Natures hideth the imperfection of our Works preserveth us blameless in the sight of God before whom otherwise the weakness of our Faith were cause sufficient to make us culpable yea to shut us from the Kingdom of Heaven where nothing that is not absolute can enter Thus our Church 2. Hom. of salvation The true understanding of this Doctrine That we are justified by Faith in Christ is not that this our own Act to believe in Christ which is within us doth justifie us and deserve our Justification for that were to count our selves justified by some Act or Vertue that is in our selves And in another place This Righteousness 1. Hom. of salvation which we receive of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits embraced by Faith is accepted by God for our perfect Justification But this is past all doubt Mr. Sherlock when it is confirmed by a Metaphor or two A Ring which hath a precious Stone in it which will stanch blood may be said to stanch it but the Virtue lies in the Stone Faith is the Ring Christ the precious stone all that Faith doth is to bring home Christs Merits to the Soul and so it justifies an invention I never met with before And again In the Body are Veins that suck nourishment from the Stomach Faith is a sucking Vein that draws Virtue from Christ Is not this plain that we are saved by Christ as the Body is nourished by the Stomach That of the Ring is no new or absurd invention Answer it was many years since used by Dr. Pomeran Melch. Ad. in Vita Georg. Anhalt in these words Vt Annulus magnò estimatur amatur propter gemmam non propter aurum sic dicitur fide justificari homines propter gemmam Filium Dei hanc autem gemmam fide amplectimur With this Similitude George Prince of Anhalt was much delighted Neither need the Author have found fault with that other Similitude of a sucking Vein all spiritual nourishment is drawn from Christ and that by Faith Now to make all clear Mr. Sherlock we may give a Philosophical Account why God chose Faith to be the Instrument of our Justification Because it is an humble Grace and gives the Glory of all to Free Grace If Repentance should fetch Justification from Christ a man would be ready to say This was for my Tears strange deserving Creatures these who can dream of meriting Heaven with a few tears But Faith is humble it is an empty Hand and what merit can there be in that Doth the poor man's reaching out his hand merit an Alms yes just as much as a few tears merit Heaven Faith is only a golden Bucket that draws water out of the Well of Salvation But why may not
preservation in Jesus Christ But take away the Mystical Vnion he is a man out of Christ he stands upon his own bottom he subsists by himself alone he receives no influences from Christ the Head nor is acted by any higher Spirit than his own and in such a case the next news we hear of him must be an utter downfall But to say no more of the Mystical Vnion that other Point touching the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to us hath also been ever owned in the Church he that denies it must I fear in the consequent overturn the Law the Gospel and the Satisfaction of Christ He must overturn the Law for he must own a Justification without a Righteousness answering thereunto inherent Righteousness being imperfect and imputed a Nullity there is nothing to answer the Law and yet we are justified which is as much as to say the Law is no Law If it be a Law none can be justified without a Righteousness adequate to it if we may be justified without such a Righteousness the Law is no Law which is what the Antinomians would have That a Law should be in force and a man should be justified without an adequate Righteousness and that before a most righteous Judge who judgeth according to truth is utterly impossible Again he must overturn the Gospel and that upon a double account The one is this He must subvert the Promises of Justification made in the Gospel the Promises run thus That we shall be justified by Christ's blood made righteous by his obedience that his blood shall cleanse away sin and purge our consciences from dead works and how can these be fulfilled without an Imputation To say that Christ's Blood founded the Covenant will not serve the turn these are Promises of a Covenant founded already and a founded Covenant doth not promise the founding of it self Christs blood as it founded the Covenant is precedent to the Promises and by it as such the Promises cannot be fulfilled for then they should be fulfilled before they were made or at least in the making of them It remains therefore that Christs righteousness must be made ours by imputation thereby the promises may be made good to us If the Promises mean as they speak then we must be justified by Christs blood obedience which infers Imputation if the Promises how plain how emphatical soever the words be mean not that we shall be justified by Christ's Blood or Righteousness then Christ shed his Blood for us that we might be justified without it he satisfied for us that we might be pardoned without a satisfaction which is an odd reflection on his satisfaction if not a total evacuation of it The other is this he must pervert the Conditions of the Gospel from their true end and scope These Conditions were in infinite Wisdom accommodated and attempered to the death of Christ which founded them they were made to be subordinate and subservient to Christ's satisfaction and the glory of it The Faith required in them was not intended to be the matter of our Justification and in that notion to discharge and justifie us the main scope and end of those conditions was to shew upon what terms Christ's righteosness and satisfaction should discharge and justifie us Now as long as these conditions are made but conditions as long as Faith keeps its proper station all is well and as it ought to be but if those conditions be advanced above their own station if our inherent righteousness be made the very matter of our Justification as indeed it must if imputed Righteousness be denied then the conditions of the Gospel are corrupted and perverted from their true end they are no longer subordinated to Christ's satisfaction but made to set up our inherent Righteousness in the room of it they shew no longer upon what terms Christs satisfaction shall discharge us but how our own Righteousness may do it which is plainly to pervert the conditions of the Gospel Moreover he must overturn the satisfaction of Christ Touching this three things are considerable viz. Christ's surrogation in our room Gods acceptation of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on our behalf and the operation of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our discharge none of which can stand without an imputation The first thing is Christ's surrogation he suffered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 20.28 in stead of many he was our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putting his Soul in the room of ours or else he could not have satisfied for us Now that Christ should suffer in our room and stead and his sufferings should not be accounted or imputed to us is a contradiction take away Imputation and you take away Surrogation take away Surrogation and you take away Satisfaction The second thing is Gods acceptation of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on our behalf Christs Sacrifice was a sweet-smelling savour unto God Eph. 5.2 God accepted it on our behalf or else Christ could not have satisfied for us Now that Christs sufferings should be accepted by God as on our behalf and yet that they should not be accounted or imputed is utterly impossible so far as Christs Satisfaction was accepted by God for us so far it must be imputed to us if it was accepted only for a remissibility then it is imputed no further but then remission will be without satisfaction which is what the Socinians would have but if as the truth is it was accepted for Remission and Justification to be dispensed upon believing then it is imputed to that end actually to justifie and discharge us Take away Imputation and you take away Acceptation and with it Satisfaction The third thing is the operation of Christ's satisfaction in our discharge Satisfaction is destructio obligationis it doth really and properly discharge him for whom it is made accepted absolutely it discharges him immediately accepted on terms it discharges upon the performance and that as properly and really though not so soon as in the other case its vertue and efficacy which was suspended by the condition breaks forth into effect upon the performance this is the nature and property of Satisfaction A Satisfaction which doth not discharge doth not satisfie that is in plain terms it is no Satisfaction Now the satisfaction of Christ doth no discharge us immediatly but upon believing which is the Evangelical Condition and how doth it do it Surely one of these two ways either it discharges us meerly as it founded the Covenant or else as it is made ours by Imputation the former cannot be it founded the Covenant before our believing if it do no more after it discharges us not for it doth as much before believing before which it discharges not as after It founded the Covenant for those that perish at least so far that upon believing they might have been justified if it do no more for those that are saved it discharges us not for it doth operate as much and as far
Glory in Heaven though it cannot but be more estimable than all the Providences in Nature must be a meer Pendant on the fickle Will of Man But the Author urges upon the Doctor That it is impossible for us according to his Principles to do any thing that is good that is I suppose without Faith in Christ without which our Church in her Homily of good Works declares that no good work can be done I take it for a very Truth That from the first good Thought to the last Act of an holy Life all that is truly good must come from Grace But saith the Author This turns us into meer Machins and pag. 379. he glosses upon one of his Opposites as if Christ were to make us willing against our will Unto which I answer The very same was cast into St. Austin's dish by the Pelagians Sub nomine inquiunt Ad Bonisacdib 2. cap. 5. Gratiae it a satum asserunt ut dicant quia nisi Deus invito reluct anti homini inspir averit boni ipsius imperfecti cupiditatem nec à malo declinare nec bonum posset arripere To which as a meer Calumny St. Austin returns That a man may as well call St. Paul fati assertorem for saying It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Indeed it is a very strange charge doth Grace destroy Nature or may we be willing against our Will It is impossible That of the Schoolman may reconcile the matter Voluntas humana induci potest ab agente creato mutari ab agente increato Bonaâ—â—â—â— in 〈◊〉 2.25 cogi à nullo The Will without ceasing to be it self cannot be compelled but Grace changes it without Coaction breaks off its Chains without destroying its Liberty and per suavissimam omnipotentiam makes the unwilling Will willing But still there is a more glorious Discovery behind that is Mr. Sherlock The glorious end whereunto Sin is appointed and ordained I suppose the Dr. means by God is discovered in Christ viz. for the demonstration of God's Vindictive Justice in measuring out to it a just recompense of reward and for the praise of Gods glorious Grace in the pardon and forgiveness of it that is It could not be known how just and severe God is but by punishing sin nor how good and gracious God is but by pardoning it And therefore lest his Justice and Mercy should never be known to the World he appoints and ordains Sin to this edd that is Decrees that men shall sin that he may make some vessels of wrath and others vessels of mercy This is a Discovery which Nature and Revelation could not make for Nature would teach us that so infinitely a glorious Being as God is needs not sin and misery to recommend his Glory and Perfections and that so holy a God who so perfectly hates every thing that is wicked would not truckle with Sin and the Devil for his glory and that so good a God had much rather be glorious in the happiness and perfection and obedience of his Creatures than in their sin and misery And Revelation tells us the same thing That God delights not in the death of a sinner but rather that he should return and live that is He had rather there were no occasion for punishing than be made glorious by such acts of vengeance Vindictive Justice and pardoning Mercy are but secondary Attributes of the Divine Nature and therefore God cannot primarily design the glorifying of them for that cannot be without designing the sin and misery of his Creatures which would be inconsistent with the goodness and holiness of his Nature And afterwards pag. 57. He appointed sin for the glory of his Justice and Grace and since nothing can withstand the Decrees of God it pleased God that Man should sin but when he hath sinned he is extremely displeased with it and now his Justice must be satisfied This falls hard on those miserable Wretches whose ill fortune it was without any fault of theirs to be left out of the Roll of Election and who have no way to satisfie divine Justice but by their eternal torments It is I suppose agreed by all that God did willingly permit the entry of sin upon the World of Angels and Men he could have kept all the Angels up in their primitive Station and then there would have been no Tempter to Man or had their been one he could have sent the holy Angels to warn him from the late downcast of their fellows against his own and to tell him that the poyson would come from the Serpent or if not that he could have sent him such strong auxiliaries of Grace as should have out wrestled the temptation he could no doubt as easily as he confirms the Saints and Angels in Heaven he could for ever have barred out sin but he would not he freely suffered it to come in only the question is How he did it Whether there be only a nude Permission such as leaves the event pendulous and uncertain till Man's Will hath determined or whether there be a Preordination of the Event so that it falls out infallibly Deo permittente and Creatura liberè agente Two things constrain me to believe the latter The one is this That without a Preordination the Event of sinful Actions must be casual and what then shall become of Providence The Moments which hang upon those Events are great and weighty Multitudes of Angels Courtiers of Heaven turn Apostates out of their Fall comes a Tempter who at one blow draws Man and all his Posterity into sin that entring into the world makes way for a glorious Redemption by Christ The Four first Monarchies rowl about upon the Lusts and Ambitions of Men The poor Church like the Ark floats upon the waters and now and then a storm of persecution comes dashing down upon it Errors and Heresies successively break forth as so many Torrents ready to carry away every Article of our Creed and what mighty Concerns are these Admirable are the Methods and Mysteries of Providence in and about such Events Joseph's Brethren sell him into Egypt and the Church is provided for in the famine Absolon goes in to his Fathers Concubines and David is visited for his Adultery Judah and Tamar commit Incest and this way came the holy One into the flesh The wicked Jews crucifie the Son of God and out comes the great Work of Redemption Persecutors scatter the Church and God by this means scatters the Gospel Act. 8. In such Actions as these the Light shines out of Darkness God's Mercy Justice Wisdom Holiness Power break forth out of Man's Cruelty Injustice Folly Filthiness and Weakness In every Ataxy God hath a secret Order either an Order of Penalty Sin punishing Sin or an Order of Conducibility Good coming out of Evil. Nullum est malum in mundo saith profound Bradwardine quod non est propter aliquod magnum
the Prima Sapientia In the Sale of Joseph Man was cruel but God merciful In the Act of Judah and Tamar Man was unclean but God holy aiming at the Messiah in it In Rehoboam's rough Answer Man was foolish but God wise to accomplish his word In the Assyrian Tyranny Man was unjust but God righteous to correct his people In the strong Delusions sent to those that love not the Truth Man was weak but God strong in Spiritual Judgements and to name but one more In the Crucifixion of Christ there was Malice Blood and Wickedness on Man's part but Love Justice and Righteousness on God's one Attribute or other of his glitters in the Event with no more taint than is upon the pure Sun-beams by their converse in unclean places It 's true God needs not Sin to recommend his Glory no nor Virtue or Holiness in the Creature but sure he uses Sin that way and that so holily that it deserves a more reverent Expression than trucking with sin and the Devil As to the Event God preordains it I confess the Event of sinful Actions is evil in it self but in some respect it may be good to a third person Confess li. 9. cap. 8. A railing Servant wrought a cure upon Monica as St. Austin relates Nay in some case it may be good to the sinner De Civit. l. 14. c. 13. Audeo dicere superbis esse utile cadere in aliquod apertum manifestúmque peccatum unde sibi displiceant qui jam sibi placendo ceciderant saith the same Author And again on those words Omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8. he adds Etiam si deviant exorbitent De Correp cap. 9. hoc ipsum eis faciat proficere in bonum quia humliores redeunt doctiores But however the Event be evil to the sinner it is not so to God as Ordinator The Event of Adam's Fall was evil to him but as it made way for the Redeemer was not so to God which made one cry out O foelix culpa quae tantum meruit Redemptorem The Event of the vile Affections in the Gentiles was evil to them but as it was punitive of their Idolatry was not so to God Hence St. Austin saith elegantly Tradit Deus in passiones ignominiae Contr. Jul. lib. 5. ut fiant quae non conveniunt sed ipse convenienter tradit even those inconvenient Affections were convenient for Gods Justice to inflict on them Is it not good that Sin should be punished with Sin The Scripture plainly affirms it and if the Event may be good as to God because of the Order of just penalty why may it not be such because of the Order of wise Conducibility God by his holy Ordination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dion de Div. Nom. cap. 4 as far as that Ordination is Hence the Apostle puts a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the Event of Heresies Dial. de Ver. cap. 8. and Anselm puts a Debet esse upon the Event of Sin and St. Austin lays it down clearly Euch. cap. 96. Vt sent mala bonum est aliter nullo modo esse sinerentur ab omnipotente bono every thing is good so far as ordinated by him In this sence the Medes are God's sanctified ones without sanctity in themselves and Events are good without goodness in themselves that which is evil in Specie may be good in Ordine and so far as it is good it is a fit Object for his Will especially seeing it is ordained to come to pass Deo permittente on the one hand and Creaturâ liberè agente on the other On such Terms as these I may say Deo ordinante pulchra sunt omnia But saith the Author The Creature cannot act freely for nothing can withstand the Decrees of God To which I answer Gods Providence is ever salvative of the Creatures Liberty inferring not a necessity of Coaction but Immutability Instances in Scripture are abundant Antiochus blasphemes according to his own will yet it was determined Dan. 11.36 The Chaldees march in violence and in the pomp of freedom insomuch that the Text saith That their judgment and dignity proceeded of themselves yet God had ordained them for judgment Hab. 1. The Kings in Revel 17. gave their Kingdom to the Beast and what freer than gift yet God put in their hearts to do so The Jews freely crucified Christ yet God's hand and counsel was in it After such pregnant Scriptures ought we not to acquiesce in this Truth That God's Decree and Man's Liberty may consist together Cajetan is an excellent Pattern for us who laying down the Common Opinion That Humane Acts are evitable as to us but inevitable as to Providence and then mentioning some distinctions to reconcile the matter piously concluded that he would captitivate his Uunderstanding in obsequium fidei and so we should all Having so prolixly spoken of the Ordination of such Events a very little may serve as to the End when God preordains such Events to be sure he doth it in great Wisdom and Reason some End there is in it If any will say it was done quià Voluit I am content his Will is never irrational if he will say further that it was for his Glory I am satisfied that is the supreme End if he will yet go on and say it was for the manifestation of his Justice and Mercy I cannot tell how to assign a better End if the after-use made of Sin may interpret God's meaning that shews forth the Illustration of both those Attributes The Apostle tells us That God is willing to shew his wrath and power in some and to make known the riches of his glory in others Rom. 9. Suppose there were no Ordination but only a nude Permission a man may ask Why did God permit such an Apollyon as Sin to enter the World Why suffered he so many glorious Angels to fall into sin and immediately without any place for Repentance to sink into Chains of Darkness for ever There is scarce any appearance but of meer Sovereignty Justice in it Why suffered he Man and all his Posterity with him to fall into sin and wrath It is plain that the work of Redemption in which Justice and Mercy were both shewed forth was ushered in upon it It 's true as the Scripture saith That God delights not in the death of a sinner not in death as it is the misery of the Creatute not in the death of a repenting sinner his Repentance which is there opposed to Death is more grateful However the sins of men fall under his Providence and without repentance their death as an act of Justice wil be grateful to him insomuch that he will laugh at it Prov. 1. There are behind yet two other Expressions the one puts the Doctor 's Opinion into odious colours after this manner It pleased God that Man should sin but when he had sinned he is exceedingly displeased at it But upon the very
Righteousness should not be imputed to us Another place I shall instance in is that Rom. 8.3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us Unto which I shall also add that other Rom. 10.4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Righteousness of the Law is a pure and spotless Perfection the least defect makes a breach upon it and ushers in a Curse The chief and primary End of the Law was absolute Obedience and how is the Righteousness of the Law fulfilled or its great End attained Our inherent Graces can no more reach it than defect can reach perfection or a spotted Face absolute Beauty Neither doth the Apostle say that the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by us but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us it is not our own work but in the Righteousness of Christ the Law hath its end and completion and when that Righteousness is made over to us by Imputation then the Law may be said to be fulfilled in us The Apostle Rom. 5.18 saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life Here we have a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Christ answering to that in the Law and that being ours by imputation the Law is fulfilled in us St. Chrysostome putting the question on that place Rom. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is the Righteousness What would the Law have And answering himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That we should be without sin adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This therefore is performed for us by Christ The last place I shall quote is that Eph. 1.6 He hath made us accepted in the Beloved Where we may observe that we are not accepted in our selves in our inherent Righteousness but in Christ the beloved in his perfect Righteousness which becomes ours by Imputation Thus far I have asserted Imputed Righteousness by Scripture I shall now add some Reasons to prove it And 1. God the righteous Judge proceeds judicially in Justification his judgment is according to truth Rom. 2. 2. he esteems no man righteous which is not such nor doth he account an imperfect Righteousness to be a perfect one such as justifies before him Hence it appears that our inherent Graces because imperfect cannot be our Righteousness or the matter of our Justification and what then shall we doe How may we be justified before him Must not the perfect Righteousness of Christ come in and to make it ours a divine Imputation No other expedient can be thought of because there must be a Righteousness and a perfect one to justifie us If any reply That in and through Christ our inherent Graces though imperfect are accepted of God in the room of a perfect Righteousness I answer God is mercifull but his Mercy never clashes with his Truth which calls for a perfect Righteousness He accepts of our Graces but they must pass as St. Austin saith of our Life sub veniâ under pardon and under the Wings of Christ he accepts them but not as the Matter of our Justification nor in the room of Christs perfect Righteousness Justification of Life comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by one righteousness as that place may be read Rom. 5.18 and that one only Righteousness is the perfect Obedience of Christ no other Righteousness may take away its Crown But further should God accept of an imperfect Righteousness in Justification some I fear might ask why he could not abate a little more and accept of a No-righteousness why he could not pardon justifie wilful and impenitent sinners which the impure Socinus himself will not allow of yet if the true holy one might decline from a perfect Righteousness in Justification what may not men imagine or presume upon 2. God hath set down in the Gospel his own Way and Method of Justification The Apostle Rom. 3.28 30. having drawn his Conclusion up That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law that Circumcision and Uncircumcision are justified in one and the same way of Faith adds ver 31. Do we then make void the Law through faith God forbid yea we establish the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we make the Law to stand in its firmness and perfection That God might justifie poor sinners returning and believing he doth not abrogate the Law and so accept of their imperfect Grace in the room of that perfect Righteousness which the Law calls for but he introduces the perfect Righteousness of a Mediator and imputes it to Believers and so stablishes the Law and justifies in a way completive and perfective of it Hence Christ is said to be the End of the Law and the Law is said to be fulfilled in us The Obedience of Christ answers the Law in every point and makes the old Promise Do this and live dead through our Impotency spring and bud again with life Here the infinite Wisdom of God shews forth it self that as all the Types and Shadows of the Law which were but Temporaries were perfected in Christ the true Substance so all Moral Commands which are of an immortal Goodness were completed in his Righteousness it pleased God through the perfect Righteousness of Christ imputed to us to justifie that being a way perfective of the Law neither may any man presume to contradict his Method 3. A man in Justification is presumed to stand at God's Bar and to answer to somewhat and what must he answer to to the Gospel only or to the Law also If to the Gospel only I confess Faith answers to the Terms of it but mean while all the Pagans in the World must be in a justified State They as well as others are only to answer to the Gospel and to that because unreveiled they need make no answer at all and having nothing to make answer unto they must needs be in a justified condition And mean while also all true Believers must be in a state of Perfection the defects of their Graces must be no sins for the truth of Grace in them answers to the Terms of the Gospel and to more than these they are not to answer But if in Justification a man be to answer to the Law also nothing less than the perfect Righteousness of Christ and that made his by Imputation can possibly serve his turn nothing else is an answer to the pure perfect Law nothing else can stand before the divine Tribunal of Heaven Hence the Reverend Bishop Andrews saith with respect to that Name Jehovah our righteousness we may say Esto justitia Sermon of Justif in Christ's Name fac justitiam esto justitia intra in judicium cum servo tuo With
the truth of our Union to Christ and the truth of our holy life both at once An holy life taken not meerly in its outward acts but in its efflux from Faith is an infallible mark of our Union to Christ At other times these Men make the work of Sanctification so imperfect Mr. Sherlock and so like an unsanctified state that it is impossible to distinguish a sanctified and unsanctified Man upon this account holyness must be a very sorry evidence of our union to Christ when it is so imperfect that it cannot be known An unregenerate Man is under the Law of sin under the reigning power of it and a regenerate Man as they describe him is in a state as like this as one Egg is another For a regenerate Man may be carnal sold under sin that is a Slave and Captive to it he may do those things he allows not nay those things which he hates that is he may sin against the clearest convictions of conscience and sense of duty he may neglect to do those things which he knows he ought to do and do those things which he knows he ought not to do he may find a Law in his Members that when he would do good evil is present with him a Law in his Members warring against the Law of his mind which brings him into captivity to the Law of sin that is in his Members For so they tell us that St. Paul complains of all this in the person of a regenerate Man Rom. 7. Now an unregenerate man does the very same and indeed cannot do much worse he sins against conscience is brought into captivity to sin is overpowered by indwelling sin he finds natural fears and terrors when he is tempted to sin which gives some check to him and makes him sin against his own will with some unwillingness and reluctancy he approves the Law of God as just and equal his conscience assents to it but there is a strong byass upon his will which runs counter to all those holy Commands and makes him a Slave and Captive to his lusts Now not to dispute which of these two the Apostle means in Rom. 7. I think it is hard to assign any difference between them the regenerate Man according to this description is full as bad as the ungenerate or if there be any difference the regenerate Man is the worst of the two because in the regenerate Man the spirit is led into captivity but in the ungenerate only natural conscience which is a much weaker principle and so is capable of a better excuse is led into captivity But which of these two it is no Man can tell and therefore a regenerate Man hath great reason to fear that he may be unregenerate and an ungenerate Man hath as much reason to hope that he may be regenerate and what becomes then of this evidence of Sanctification to prove our union to Christ when Sanctification it self cannot be distinguished from an unsanctified state According to these Men Answer we cannot distinguish a sanctified and an unsanctified man an unregenerate man is under the reign of sin and a regenerate man as they describe him is so too Why so He may be Carnal Rom. 7.14 but not as the ungenerate totally altogether Carnal without any spark of Spiritual life in him but partially only in respect of the Reliques of corruption abiding in him He is Spiritual so far as he is regenerate yet Carnal because he hath some corrupt flesh in him This appears because though regenerate he is still to go on mortifying the flesh and the flesh is yet lusting in him against the Spirit The Babes in Christ are called Carnal 1 Cor. 3.1 yet they were not unregenerate but their regenerate Man is sold under sin Rom. 7.14 He is so but what as Ahab who sold himself to work evil What as the unregenerate are who are willing Captives ready to obey the desires of the flesh no but he is a captive against his will he cannot wholly rid himself of those lusts which lye as so many heavy chains upon him so far as regenerate he is a free-man but because Regeneration is imperfect he is yet a Captive But their regenerate man may do those things he allows not nay those things he hates Rom. 7.15 Not that as the profane he does outward gross acts of sin and wallows in them but that the inevitabile malum that unavoidable concupiscence though he disallow hate it all its progeny will be stirring in his thoughts and desires nay and sometimes prevailing too That the Apostle speaks of such unavoidable defects is clear from the following words It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me vers 17. which words can be only understood of unavoidable defects But their unregenerate Man neglects duty the good he would do he does not vers 19. not that he doth not do duties to God but that the clog of corruption impedes him from doing them in that pure and uninterrupted manner as he desires He finds a Law in his Members warring against the Law of his mind and bringing him into captivity to the Law of sin which is in his Members vers 23. He hath a Divine Spiritual life in him but because Regeneration is imperfect the indwelling sin is still in him strugling though not reigning by these things it appears that there is a vast difference between a regenerate Man and an ungenerate But if we understand Rom. 7. of an unregenerate Man see if we do not saint him and make him a regenerate Man A regenerate man hates sin Ps 119.128 and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.15 which yet never any unregenerate Man did reach unto A regenerate Man hath a will to that which is good and so hath the unregenerate Rom. 7.18 which is a lift beyond A regenerate Man delights in the Law of God Psal 1.2 and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.22 which is a Divine strain much beyond him A regenerate Man groans under the burthen of the indwelling corruption and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.24 who yet hath little or no sense of it A regenerate Man blesses God for the great deliverance by Jesus Christ and in gratitude serves him and so does the unregenerate Rom. 7.25 who yet never made it his business so to do And thus the unregenerate Man is made as good as the regenerate to conclude the holyness of the regenerate though imperfect and labouring under the indwelling sin is yet a good evidence of their Union with Christ Dr. Jacomb Mr. Sherlock in his Discourse of the Law of sin attempts to assign the difference between the Law of sin in the regenerate and it in the unregenerate and hath given such a Description of an unregenerate state that there is scarce such an unregenerate Man in the World and yet if we must judge what a regenerate Man is by inverting the Character of the unregenerate he is by