Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A95626
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A vindication of the orthodoxe Protestant doctrine against the innovations of Dr. Drayton and Mr. Parker, domestique chaplain to the Right Honourable the E. of Pembroke, in the following positions.
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Tendring, John.
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1657
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Wing T681; Thomason E926_5
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59,895
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91
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for he is righteous actually we imputatively he subjectively we relatively in him and unto him And so in these two last respects we cannot be said to be equally righteous with Christ though we be righteous with the very righteousnesse of Christ He perfectly righteous we righteous by reason of our imputative and inchoative righteousnesse Again as Christ is called holy and sinne and is said to know no sinne and to be made sinne We must thus understand it Holy in himself and sinne in us not by infusion of our sinnes into his most sacred person but by the imputation of our sinnes and the acceptation of the guilt and punishment thereof upon himself So likewise we are said to be just and sinfull just in him by the imputation and application of his justice and sinfull in our selves by the inbred corruption of our own flesh Lastly The finall cause of our justification actively considered is the glory of God which he acquired unto himself by that wonderfull composition of his Justice and Mercy towards men Justice that he would have his own Sonne to dye to make satisfaction for our sinnes rather than our sinnes should escape unpunished And Mercy that he would have the righteousnesse of his Sonne to be imputed unto his Servants rather than we poor slaves should be destroyed for our sinnes And thus much briefly of the causes of our justification actively considered in respect of God Now in the second place we must consider the causes of our justification passively in respect of man And first The efficient cause of our justification passively considered is wholly Instrumentall and it is two fold First Externall which is the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments These are the chief outward Instruments which God useth for the application of Christs righteousnesse for the justification of his Servants and therefore the Gospell is called the word of life Acts 5.10 13 16. And the Ministery of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18 And the Sacraments are called the Seals of the righteousnesse of Faith And our Saviour saith of the Preachers of the Gospell That whose sinnes they remit they are remitted c. Mat. 18.18 Secondly The Internall Instrument whereby we apprehend the Grace of justification is only Faith in Jesus Christ For Christ is set forth to be our reconciliation through Faith in his Blood Rom. 3.25 John 1.12 Gal. 3 24. And therefore the righteousnesse of Christ is called the righteousnesse of Faith and we are said to receive Christ by Faith and to receive the promise of the Spirit by Faith Secondly Faith is the only Instrument whereby we are justified before God the Scriptures are plain and plentifull in this point Es 45.24 25. Ezek. 20 44. Hab. 2.4 Rom. 3.24 26. Gal. 3.8 Acts 13.39 And so in many other places the Apostle doth inculcat the same truth as Gal. 4 5 24. and our Saviour saith John 3.14 15. That is be justified and so be saved only by believing in him as those Israelites that were bitten by those fiery Serpents Numb 21.9 were healed and so saved alive only by looking up to the brazen Serpent The Fathers also are plain and pregnant herein Chrysost in Rom. cap. 3. idem Serm. de fide luce nat Saith God hath justified us using thereto no works of ours but only requiring faith in Christ And without Faith no man obteined life But I am able to shew that a faithfull man hath lived and obteined the Kingdome of Heaven without works so the Thief did only believe and was justified And Basil in Serm. de humilitate saith This is to glory in the Lord when a man doth not boast of his own righteousnesse but doth acknowledge himself destitute of righteousnesse and justified only by faith of Jesus Christ Thirdly the material cause of our justification passively considered or the persons to whom justification doe belong are these sheep of Christ that are known of him and he known to them who hear his voice and follow him c. Whom he predestinated unto life and elected to be justified before the foundation of the World Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them also he justified And Rodolph in Levit. lib. 17. chap. 2. saith That the blood of the High-Priest was the expiation of the sinnes of all Believers and so Christ he hath taken away from the Elect not only originall sinne but also all actuall sins that is in respect of the guilt and punishment and dominion of sinne but not in respect of the corruption and pollution of sin which still remaineth in the best Saints And hath likewise given to them everlasting life saith Haymo in Rom. cap. 5. and to none else doth justification appertain and the Reasons may be these All those that are justified shall be glorified For whom he justifieth them he glorifieth Rom. 8.30 but all men shall not be glorified because the Kingdome of Heaven shall be given but only unto them for whom it is prepared Mat. 20.23 Secondly Because Christ is called Jesus for that he should save his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 But though all men are his people jure creationis by right of creation yet all men are not his people jure donationis given him to be redeemed For of them thou gavest me I lost none John 17.12 And ye belive not saith Christ because ye are not of my Sheep John 10.26 therefore he shall not justifie all men thereby to save them from their sinnes Thirdly The formal cause of our Justification passively considered is the particular application of the righteousnesse of Christ unto every faithfull soul where these two things are to be considered First That Faith must apply unto us all the benefits that Christ hath effected for us Secondly That every man in particular must apply those things to himself For the first This is one of the manifest differences betwixt the faith of Gods Elect and the faith of Devils and wicked men That the godly doe apply all the benefits of Christ unto themselves and the other know them but have not the grace to apply them for so saith Augustine and Peter Lumbard lib 3. sent dist 23. That there is a great difference between him that doth believe Christ and him that doth believe in Christ for the Devils believe Jesus to be Christ but they believe not in Christ Because it is one thing to believe God another thing to believe that there is a God and another thing to believe in God For to believe God is to believe that he speaks the truth in Scriptures and to believe God is to believe that God is But to believe in God is to believe with love and by loving him to goe unto him and to cleave unto him to be made one with him to dwell in him and he in us and this is that faith by which a sinfull man is instrumentally justified and accounted righteous in Gods sight For the second We must understand that this application of Faith or of Christ through Faith must be particularly applied by every man unto himself and that in a most speciall manner Because a generall Faith is not the right justifying Faith For St. Paul testifieth that Agrippa did believe the Prophets Acts 26.27.28 And yet Agrippa confesseth that he was no Christian And a naturall man by the force of reason may be induced to acknowledge a God and that this God is powerfull just and true and therefore to a generall perswasion of the truth of such things as are to be believed And yet all this faith is not sufficient to justifie us Because the true justifying Faith is no natural quality but a supernatural gift of God as the Apostle teacheth Eph. 2.8 Phil. 1.29 and therefore the generall faith of the Scriptures is not sufficient to make us Christians but as we read the Saints of God doe apply the promises of Salvation unto themselves as David saith God is my Rock and my Redeemer and Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth and Mary saith My Soul rejoyceth in God my Saviour Luke 1.47 and I homas saith My Lord and my God John 21. and Paul Galat. 2.20 Christ loved me and gave himself for me So must every Christian that looks for salvation apply in particlar the grace and favour of God to himself and this faith instrumentally justifieth the sinner Lastly The finall cause of our Justification passively considered is peace of Conscience in this life and the attonement of eternal happinesse in the life to come The first is attained unto by two especiall things First by an assured perswasion that all our sinnes are forgiven us So being justified by Faith that is from all the sinnes that we have committed we have peace towards God through Jesus Christ Secondly by an unwearied study to strive against the stream of our own natural corruptions and to keep a constant course in the waies of godlinesse For Christ gave himself for us and did bear our sinnes in his body upon the tree that we being dead to sinne should live unto righteousnesse 1 Pet 2.24 or as Zanch. saith 1 Luke 74.75 and so St. August That Christ died for the wicked not that they should remain wicked but that they being justified through faith should be converted from their wickednesse and bring forth the fruits of holinesse Because as St. August saith also grace justifieth that we might live justly The second end of our Justification is That the eternall blessednesse which shall be attained hereafter when Christ shall say unto all his justified Saints Come ye blessed c. Matthew 25.34 And so much for all the Causes of our Justification actively and passively considered And I hope this may suffice for the proof of the truth of this last Branch of the second Position That we are only justified by the righteousnesse of Christ I shall end with that of our Saviour John 12.48 The word that I have spoken the same shall judge you in the last day I pray God to enable us all to hold the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and that we may renounce all those Doctrines that sets up any thing of man to the abasing of Christ And that we may imbrace those Doctrines that abases man and exalts the Lord according to that of the Psalmist Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory c. Psalme 115 1. FINIS