they bid their owne workes of the Law adiew and do no more dreame of iustification by them Secondly that GOD for the cure of their weak consciences tells them in the Gospell that if they beleeve in Christ this beleeving shall bee as good as a perfect compleat righteousnesse by this hee would make GOD a pure Socinian one who takes the Crowne from Christ and the righteousnes from GOD and man and sets it on the head of mans Faith which in the best beleevers and even in Abraham himselfe was mingled with much doubting and many infirmities In a word though all Orthodox Divines doe according to the Scriptures acknowledge that upon a mans beleeving truly in Christ GOD doth impute to him the perfect and compleat righteousnes of Christ which is made his before he can truly apply it by Faith Yet it can never enter into the heart of a true Christian but his soule will abhorre to thinke that any mans beleeving should bee to him as good as perfect compleat righteousnes or that GOD should accept it in stead of perfect righteousnesse and rather then the righteousnes of Christ GOD and man who is made unto us of GOD righteousnes 1 Cor. 1.30 and in whom we are found to have the righteousnes of GOD by faith Philip. 3.9 To conclude this passage let me adde this as a foule absurdity For if hee speake by experience that conscience leads men naturally to thinke that there can be no iustification without righteousnesse which is a perfect fulfilling of the Law Which I confesse my conscience and my reason tell mee and GODS word teacheth mee plainely Then what is become of his conscience who contrary to all truth and reason and the common conscience of all men will teach iustification without any true righteousnesse at all either of Christ or our owne and will crowne mans weak Faith with the Crown of righteousnesse which onely belongs to Christ and his perfect obedience Socinianisme SO that now the state and drift of the question is not either First whether Faith without an object or as separated from Christ bee imputed for righteousnesse for such a Faith doubtles in the point of justification was never dreamt of by any man that kept his 〈◊〉 company men may as well fancy a living man without a soulâ— or a wise man without his witts as a Faith without an object much lesse was such a Faith conceived by any man to bee imputed for righteousnesse Christianisme IN the fourth part or passage he first propounds five foolish quaeres which he denieth to concerne the state of the question Secondly he propounds a sixt quaere and that in plaine and precise termes hee affirmes I will first particularly answere the 5. quaeres and after lay downe the â—iâ—t at large and addresse my selfe to the confutation of his discourse upon it And first whereas he pronounceth him a mad man who dreames of faith without Christ the object or thinks that faith which believes not in Christ should be imputed for righteousnesse Here I must be bold to put him in mind that thus he dreames in the next Chapter where he boldly affirmes and by divers arguments laboureth to prove that the Faith of Abraham which was imputed to him for righteousnes was not a beleeving in Christ neither was Christ and his righteousnes the object of it And therefore by his owne confession and his owne wordes hee doth there play the mad man and keepes not his wits company but his fancy runs wild while he strives to prove that Abrahams Faith imputed to him for righteousnesse was not a beleeving in Christ. The second Quaere NEither is it any part of the intent of the question to enquire whether Faith bee the meritorious cause of a mans justification For both they that affirme and they that deny the imputation of Faith for righteousnes deny the meritoriousnes of Faith every way how ever it is true that they thaâ— would seeme most to disclaime it and cast it further from them doe yet in some of their most beloved tenets draw very neare unto it as will afterwards appeare Answer HEre behold either grosse ignorance or wilfull lying against knowledge and conscience For all the learned know that Faith and beleeving are held by the Church of Rome to be a principall part of mans righteousnesse and workes which GOD imputes and accounts meritorious of justification and of eternall life ex condigno Yea he himselfe in the passage next before hath plainely affirmed that Faith to him that beleeveth as Abraham did is as good as perfect and compleat righteousnes which if it be true then Faith must needs be as perfect and compleat righteousnesse is the meritorious cause of justification And therefore that which he here saith is verified in himselfe though he would seeme most to disclaime the merit of Faith and to cast it furthest from him yet in some of his most beloved tenets hee drawes very neare to it yea hee embraceth it with his heart in his whole discourse the maine drift whereof is to exalt Faith into the place of Christs most meritorious righteousnesse and to put the Crowne upon it For what can be imagined more meritorious of justification then that which GOD in a proper sense judgeth and counteth for righteousnes and for which he doth justifie men and counts them righteous The third Quaere NEither is it the question whether faith be the formall cause of justification that is whether GOD doth justifie a man with his faith as a Painter makes a wall white with whitenes or as a Master makes his Scholler learned with knowledge or learning conveyed into him for both parties make the forme of justification to be somewhat really different from Faith which is the genuine tenet of Arminius Answer THis quere is very ridiculous for to imagine a quality or act in man to be the formall cause of justification which is GODS act is the fancy of a distempered braine and the conceit of a mad man His exposition of his quaere shews his want of Logicall skill For the whitenesse wherewith the Painter makes a wall white is a forme introduced into the wall it is not the formall cause of his action of painting and so learning produced in a scholler is forma docti the forme of a Scholler as hee is made learned not the formall cause of his masters teaching surely his expounding of his quaere by such dissonant similitudes sheweth that hee had need of a Master to teach him some better knowledg and learning and to set on him some better stamp and superscription of rationall authority His phrase of learning conveyed is somewhat improper for learning is not conveyed into a Scholer but produced and begotten in him Let him not therefore condemne tropes of speech seeing he himselfe can and doth often speak tropically and improperly But to come home to his quaere If by justification hee meanes imputative justification in which GOD justifies a man by imputing
was in the first covenant and under the Law So all Divines hold both ancient and moderne The Conclusion THerefore upon mens beleeving GOD shall bee as countable to them to give them the same favour rewards and privileges that should have beene given unto them in regard of the perfect righteousnesse of workes and of the Law if they had fulfilled it First for his negatives heaped up in the proposition wherein wee have a narration of what he holds not if we lay them altogether they will conclude that faith is no way at all imputed for righteousnes for neither in respect of the subject in which the habit of it resteth nor in respect of the actes which man performes by it nor in respect of any thing which GOD by his spirit gives it in the production of it that is for no quantity quality or vertue in it nor in respect of the object Christ nor in respect of the life soule or forme which gives it the specificall being and subsistence so hee plainely professeth and besides these there is no other respect in which it may bee imputed as al reasonable men do know Therefore the conclusion is that it is not imputed at all But yet in affirming nothing but denying all respects which reason can conceive in faith and in roming from himselfe and us he kicks at us and by the way snarls and bytes at the truth For it is most certaine that faith is said to be imputed in respect of GODS production of it by his spirit and in respect of the object Christ and his righteousnes which it doth lay hold on and apply For the spirit of regenerarion being shed on us through Christ dwelling in us and making us one body with Christ partakers of his whole satisfaction doth worke iustifying faith in us and this union and conjunction which in order of nature goeth before faith and concurres to the production of it is the ground and reason of the imputation of it If Christ were not made ours and his satisfaction communicated to us faith could not truely believe in Christ nor truely apply his righteousnesse therefore the two last of his negatives are false and haereticall Besides it is not to be passed over in silence that here againe he contradicts himselfe and grants that Christ with his righteousnesse is the object of faith and laying hold on him is the life and soule of faith which hee utterly denyeth and disputes to the contrary in the next Chapter as I have touched before As for his assumption the sum whereof is that faith is imputed and accepted of GOD for righteousnesse upon the same termes that perfect righteousnes of works should have beene in the first Covenant This is Socinian haeresie in the highest degree so grosse and palpable and so openly and expressely affirmed by him that no salt of interpretation can keepe it from stinking in the nostrills of any true Christian. Here also wee may note his ignorance absurdity and nonsense for instead of shewing in what respect faith is imputed hee affirmes that hee holds it to be imputed instead of perfect righteousnesse of our owne workes and that it is in the new Covenant a condition answerable and every way as sufficient and availeable to procure all favours rewards and priviledges to us from GOD as the righteousnesse of workes was in the Covenant of workes and both here and in the conclusion hee makes faith as meritorious and as strong a bond to tye GOD and make him countable for all favours rewards and priviledges under paine of being counted a covenant breaker as the perfect fulfilling of the Law by every man in his owne person was in the covenant of workes and here doth more then give the right hand of fellowship to Popish justification for hee transcends them and makes GOD more obliged to men for them and more countable then any Papists ever did As for the testimonies which hee brings out of Ambrose and Calvin they are nothing to his purpose they onely affirme that as the Law was mans onely guide to salvation and the rule of righteousnesse in the old covenant So faith in the Gospel is the onely way to salvation in the new covenant and the meanes by which we receive the grace of GOD and the righteousnesse of Christ offered to us for justification and salvation Socinianisme SEcondly when we deny the imputation of Christs righteousnes in justification we neither deny the righteousnesse of Christ in it selfe we rather suppose and establish it neither 2º doe wee deny the absolute necessity of it both to the justification and salvation of a sinner neither 3º do wee deny a meritorious efficiencie and causalitie in that righteousnes in respect of the justification of a sinner but verily believe and conceive that GOD justifieth all that are justified not simply or barely for Christs sake or for his righteousnes sake for a man may doe a thing for his sake whom he much loves and respects though he hath not otherwise deserved it at his hands but for the righteousnesse of Christ his death being taken into the consideration with it why GOD should justifie those that believe in him But 4º and lastly that which we deny in denying the imputation of Christs righteousnesse is this that GOD should looke upon a believing sinner and account of him as one that hath done in his owne person all that Christ did in obedience to the morall Law and hereupon pronounce him righteous or which is the same that GOD should impute unto him those particular acts of obedience which Christ performed in that nature and property of them so that hee should stand as righteous before GOD as Christ himselfe or which is the same righteous with the selfe same righteousnesse wherewith Christ was righteous and so GOD make himselfe countable to him for such obedience imputed in as great matters of rewards as he would have beene for the like obedience personally performed by himselfe in a word this is that which we deny and this is that which we affirme concerning the righteousnesse of Christ in the justification of a sinner that GOD cloathes none with the letter of it but every man that believes with the spirit of it 1. that this righteousnes of Christ is not that that is imputed unto any man for his righteousnesse but is that for which righteousnes is imputed to every man that believeth a justified person may in such a sense be said to be cloathed with Christs righteousnesse as Pauls necessities were relieved and supplied by his hands Act. 20.24 these hands saith hee have ministred to my necessities Paul neither eate his fingers nor spun out the flesh of his hands into cloathing and yet was both fed and cloathed with them So may a believer be said to be cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ and yet the righteousnes of Christ it selfe not to be his cloathing but onely that which procureth his cloathing unto him and so Calvin calls that
truth A shrewd nip if you marke it to you learned Doctors Preachers of the Citie of London who are great pretenders to the truth and yet the nearer that hee is come to the truth and makes his unlearned followers able to see it to the bottom as he hath often told us the further off hee is from your approbation If hee be thus bold and ready to nip you who doe not approve his opinion it is no marvaile that his rude followers doe lay all slaunders reproach and aspersions on us who oppose him and charge him with Socinian haeresie and blasphemy whom they admire and proclaime to bee the great light of GODS Church in these last dayes Socinianisme Foure things there are especially which much commend an Interpretation when they are found in conjunction and establish it like that King upon his Throne Prov. 36.31 against whom there is no rising up First if the Letter or Grammar of the Scripture will fairely and strongly beare it 2º If the scope of the place will close directly and intirely with it 3º When the interpretation which is set up against it cannot stand before the circumstances of the text 4º And lastly when the judgement of able learned and unpartiall men are found in concurrence with it If these foure be sufficient to furnish out an interpretation with authority and power then shall wee need no more Scriptures to prove the innocency of our affirmative viz. the imputation of faith for righteousnes the truth of the negative inseparably accompanying it but that one Chapter onely Rom. 4. Christianisme IN these wordes hee makes his enterance into the disputing of the point before propounded to wit faith in a proper sense is imputed for righteousnes in justification which speech excludes the righteousnes of Christ from being the onely righteousnes by which being communicated and imputed to true beleevers they are justified and stand righteous before GOD. First he propounds foure things which when they are found in coniunction with an interpretation of any Scripture they commend and establish it as he saith like that King upon his Throne against whom there is no rising up Prov. 30.31 These foure things First the literal sense strongly bearing it Secondly the scope of the place concurring Thirdly the inconsistence of the circumstances of the place with the interpretation which is contrary Fourthly the Judgement of able learned men agreeing with it these I say may passe for current But whether that one place of Scripture in the interpretation whereof these concurre bee alone without more Scriptures sufficient to prove the innocency of an assertion which is agreeable to that interpretation is a question many interpretations seeme to have all these and yet are contradicted by other Scriptures as that place Hosea 11.1 When Israel was a child out of Egypt have I called my Sonne being interpreted of the Nation of the Israelites was borne up by the letter concurred with the scope and circumstances more then many contrary expositors and all the learned and able Jewes so understood it and yet the Gospell expounds it another way Mat. 2.15 The place of Scripture upon the interpretation whereof established by these foure things hee intends to build his whole dispute in this Chapter is the fourth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans so that his proofes by which hee goeth about to set the royall Crowne which is due to Christ and his righteousnes on the head of mans imperfect faith are according to these foure things divided into foure rankes First he undertakes to prove that the Letter of that Scripture Rom. 4. doth beare up his interpretation to wit that faith in it selfe and in a proper sense is said to bee imputed for righteousnes in justification Secondly by the scope of the place Thirdly by shewing that the circumstances of that Scripture cannot beare the Doctrine of Christs righteousnes imputed Fourthly by the judgement and testimonies of able learned and unpartiall men But how poorely he performes his undertakings and how pitifully hee faileth in them wee shall in the progresse shew That his disputation is like to be very Illogicall we may gather from the foule flaw which appeares in his Logicke in this his first enterance where hee saith wee need no more Scriptures to prove the innocency of our affirmative viz. the imputation of faith for righteousnes the truth of the negative inseparably accompanying it but that Chapter onely Rom. 4. First it is against all true reason and Logicke that the affirmative should be innocent from untruth and that the negative which is opposed to it should have truth accompanying it If his affirmative faith is imputed for righteousnesse in a proper sense be true then the negative must needs be false to wit faith in a proper sense is not imputed But perhaps by the negative he doth not meane the negative of his affirmative but some other negative proposition the subject whereof is different from the subject of his affirmative His hatred and envy against Christs righteousnesse least it should get the Crowne from faith is so great that wee may well conceive that by the negative hee in heart meanes this Christs righteousnes is not imputed in justification which if hee doth wee cannot but blame him for speaking ambiguously which Logick in a disputation abhorreth But I leave his trifling and come to the ground and foundation of his discourse even that fourth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans on which he labours to build his hereticall opinion The words of that Chapter which seeme most to favour him are these Verse 3. Abraham beleeved GOD and it was counted to him for righteousnes and verse 5. To him that beleeveth his faith is counted for righteousnes and verse 9. For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousnes That the truth may more plainly appeare and the contrary falshoode and errour be made more fully manifest I will first lay down the true orthodoxe exposition of the words which is according to the common judgement of the most godly learned and judicious Divines of the best reformed Churches Secondly I will truely rehearse the corrupt exposition of the Apostles wordes made by the hereticke Socinus and his followers the Arminians and other fanaticall Sectaries unto which this adversary adheres and grounds his whole disputation upon it The orthodox exposition I will illustrate and confirme by the scope and circumstances of the rext and by arguments drawne from other Scriptures The corrupt exposition also I will prove to be false and hereticall And afterwards I will proceed to answer this adversaries discourse in every particular The true Exposition explained FIrst these wordes that Abraham beleeved GOD and it was counted to him for righteousnes are generally held to be improper and tropicall and that the meaning of them is not that Abrahams faith or act of beleeving by it selfe in a proper sense was counted to him for righteousnes but that the object of his faith even that
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
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
of obedience none denyeth For suppose our Saviour by reason of imprisonment or some other restraint and impediment had beene hindered from doing divers of those workes of mercy charity and piety which hee did performe being at liberty this had not diminished his righteousnes so long as he had a ready will to doe good upon all occasions and did good workes when liberty and opportunity served Secondly none of our Divines doe thinke or write that Christs righteousnes imputed and communicated to beleevers doth make them rigidly literally and peremptorily righteous constituted and made us perfectly compleatly and legally righteous as Christ himselfe for though they are iustifiâ—d by the Communion of Christs satisfaction and have so much interest in it as to make them truely righteous yet they have it not as Christ hath it performed legally by himselfe in his owne person neither have they power to give the Spirit whereby they may communicate it to others to justifie them to make them righteous The Wife is endowed with her Husbands honours and riches and made honourable and rich but she is not endowed with her Husbands Lordship and dominion over them so far that she may give them away at her pleasure but onely posseseth them in him and with him for her owne use And so it is betweene Christ and the faithfull he is righteous rigidly and legally according to the letter of the Law They are righteous Evangelically by the Communion of his righteousnes that is originally righteous as the head in a naturall body is sensitive and hath sense and motion in it as the root and fountaine They are righteous by Communion from him and possesse his righteousnes as all the rest of the members in a living body possesse life by derivation from the heart not in the same degree as the heart doth to communicate it to others but every one so far as to be a living member Therefore all that hee here saith is but subtilty calumny and falsehood neither Scriptures nor any sound and learned Authors will minister arguments or demonstrations to him to prove any thing contrary to our Doctrine concerning the imputation of Christs righteousnes for iustification The more he strives to wrest and abuse testimonies of Scripture and learned Authors the more evident demonstrations will he give of his wickednesse and wilfull contending against GODS sacred truth Socinianisme GIve me leave here to mention that by the way which prevents many mistakes yea and offences too in reading the writings of many later Divines especially of other Churches touching this point of Justification If we take the phrase of imputing Christs righteousnes unproperly and out of the usuall and formall signification of it as Luther and Calvin and other Divines of the reformed Churches sometimes doe in their writings viz For the giving out and bestowing as it were the righteousnes of Christ in the returne of it that is in the priviledges blessings and benefits that are procured and purchased by it for men So a beleever may be said to be justified by the righteousnes of Christ imputed But then the meaning can be no more but this A beleever is justified by the imputation of Christs righteousnes That is GOD justifies a beleever for Christs righteousnes sake and not for any righteousnes of his owne Such an imputation of the righteousnes of Christ as this is is no wayes denyed or once questioned And thus such passages as those in Calvin GOD freely justifies us by imputing the obedience of Christ unto us Instit. 1. c. 3.11 and againe a man is not righteous in himselfe but because the righteousnes of Christ is communicated or imparted to him by imputation these and such like expressions in this Author are to be interpreted by such passages as these which are frequent in the same Author Christ by his obedience procured and merited for us grace and favour with GOD the Father and againe Instit. 1.2.17 and againe 1.3 c. 11.12 Christ by his obedience procured or purchased righteousnes for us And againe in Gal. 3.6 All such expressions as these import the same thing that wee are justified by the grace of GOD that Christ is our righteousnesse and that righteousnes was procured for us by the death and resurrection of Christ. By all which passages and many more of like importment that might be produced out of the same Author it s fully evident that where he mentions any imputation of the righteousnes of Christs in justification the meaning is onely this that the righteousnes of Christ is onely the meritorious cause of our justification and hee hath procured and purchased this for us at GODS hand that upon our beleeving we should bee accounted righteous by him or which is but the same that our faith should be imputed for righteousnes to us To which purpose hee speakes more significantly and expressely in the place last mentioned Gal. 3.6 men not having righteousnes lodged in them they obtaine it by imputation which imputation he thus explicates and interprets Because GOD doth impute or account their faith unto them for righteousnes Divers like passages might be drawne together out of other Authors which must be seasoned with the same salt of interpretation to bee made savorie and meet for spirituall nourishment In the Homilies of our Church there are severall passages that mention the imputation of Christs righteousnes in justification for the genuine sense whereof if wee consult with the 11. article of Religion which is concerning justification and is framed with all possible exactnes this way that so few words are capable of that will lead us directly to the same interpretation of them Wee are accounted righteous before GOD saith our Article onely for the merit of our LORD and Saviour Iesus Christ by faith and not for our owne workes or deservings Where it s to be observed that we are not said to bee constituted or made righteous before GOD in justification but onely that we are accounted or reputed such 2. It s not said that wee are accounted righteous with the righteousnes nor yet with the merit of Christ but onely wee are accounted righteous before GOD onely for the merit of our LORD Christ by faith The merit of Christ or of his righteousnes hath so farre prevailed with GOD on our behalfe that by our faith we shall bee accounted righteous before him which is in effect the same truth wee maintaine viz. that GOD for Christs sake or for Christs merits sake doth impute our faith for righteousnes unto us And thus Musculus expresseth himselfe roundly Faith is accounted for righteousnes for Christs sake And againe Loc. com de justifica This faith ought to be esteemed of us as that which GOD purposeth for Christs sake to impute for righteousnes to those that beleeve in him So Luther also ad Gal. 3.6 GOD for Christs sake accounts this imperfect faith for perfect righteousnes And Chamier calls remission of sinnes the righteousnes which is imputed to us
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
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
comprehends and includes in it even the perfect righteousnesse and full satisfaction of Christ GOD and man for there is a metalepsis or double trope as in the place before expounded By righteousnes we must understand the state of a man justified and made righteous by the communion of Evangelicall righteousnesse and by counting and imputing we must understand the accepting approving esteeming and judging of Abraham and every true believer to bee in the state of a man justified and GODS setting on his skore and imputing to him being faithfull the righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by faith which no man can truely by faith lay hold on untill by one spirit he be united to Christ and have communion with him Heare then the true sense and meaning of the speeches in question parallelled with the sentence and speech before expounded Chap. 2.26 which I thus lay down paraphrastically Abraham upon a true inward spirituall sense of his union and communion with Christ did believe and was surely perswaded that GOD was his reward and this beliefe and faith apprehending Christ and after a sort containning in it as by a fast holding and possessing hand of the soule Christs righteousnesse GOD counted it to him for righteousnes that is set it on his skore and reckoned to him for justification and judged esteemed and accepted him for a man truely righteous as indeed hee was by Evangelicall righteousnes And so whosoever doth not rest on his owne workes for justification nor seeketh thereby to be iustified but by faith feeling himselfe by nature ungodly fleeth to Christs righteousnesse and by faith feeles himselfe to have communion of it and holds it fast and applies and enioyes it His faith is to him an evidence of his righteousnes and GOD who iudgeth according to truth knowing him to have share in Christs righteousnes doth accept it for him and counts him righteous and useth him as a man truely iustified Thus you see how the Apostles former using of this phrase in the second Chapter doth shew the true meaning of it here where it seemes to be more doubtfull The summe of the argument reduced into a short syllogisme is this That exposition of a doubtfull phrase which is most agreeable to the manifest sense and meaning of the same phrase used by the same Author in the same discourse is the best Our exposition of the phrase in question to wit faith and believing is imputed for righteousnesse is most agreeable to the manifest sense of the same phrase of speech used by this same Apostle Cap. 2.26 in this same Epistle Therefore undoubtedly our exposition is best argument 2 Secondly wheresoever the Apostle useth the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of imputing one thing for another there the thing imputed differeth from that for which it is imputed and cannot in any proper sense be called the same as in the place before cited Rom. 2.26 Rom. 9.8 and so it is Psal 106.31 where Phineas his executing of judgement is said to bee counted to him for righteousnesse And wheresoever a thing is said in a proper sense to be counted or imputed or set on ones skore it is said simply to be counted imputed set upon a mans account as Rom 4.4 where the reward is said to be counted of debt to him that worketh and verse 6. and 8. where GOD is said to impute righteousnes and not to impute sinne and verse 11. that righteousnes might be imputed unto them and Rom. 5.13 sinne is not imputed when there is no Law 2 Cor. 5.19 not imputing their trespasses to them 2. Tim. 4.16 I pray GOD it may not be laid to their charge or counted to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Philem. 18. put that on my account Now here in the speeches controverted faith and believing are not said simply to be imputed to believers but to be imputed for righteousnes and therefore faith is not said to be imputed in a proper sense neither can it truely be counted or called righteousnes by it selfe and in a proper sense but the speech is tropicall and improper A third argument is drawne argument 3 from the Apostles words in the 4. verse where hee saith to him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace but of debt these words imply that the righteousnesse here said to be imputed brings the reward of blessednes to the believer which reward is of grace and not of debt Now there is nothing which can bring the reward of blessednesse in eternall life to him unto whom it is counted and set on his skore but the perfect righteousnesse and satisfaction of Iesus Christ. That all do grant to be meritorious of eternall life to all that are partakers of it and because the communion and imputation of it is of GODS free grace and the faith by which we receive and apply it is GODS free gift therefore the reward of it to wit eternall life is of free grace and not of debt as the Apostle here saith whereupon the conclusion followes that the righteousnes which GOD accepts and imputes is properly the righteousnes of Christ apprehended by faith Fourthly the Apostle teacheth argument 4 expressely verse 6. and 7. that the thing imputed simply and properly by GOD is righteousnes and such a righteousnes as being imputed brings forgivenes of iniquity covers sinnes and so makes the believer blessed Now there is no righteousnes to be found among all mankind but Christs perfect righteousnes and satisfaction and that is a perfect propitiation for all sinnes and an expiation of all iniquity to them who by faith have put on Christ therefore it is the righteousnes which is imputed to every believer for justification Fiftly that which is said to be imputed to Abraham and to every true believer is righteousnes argument 5 to justification for the discourse of the Apostle both here and in the Chapters next going before that which next followeth is altogether of justifying as appeares Chap. 3.24 25.26 28 30. and Chap. 5.1 16 17 18 19. in all which places he names expressely justification justifying and here in this 4. Cap. he brings Abrahams example and Davids testimony to shew how we are justified Now there is nothing which doth serve to us for justification but that which is found in Christ our mediator even his righteousnes and perfect fulfilling of the Law so he plainely affirmes and teacheth Chap. 5 19. and 8 3 4. and 10.3 4. and therefore his righteousnes upon the true believing of Abraham and the faithfull is counted and imputed to them and set on their skore and they by it are justified argument 6 Lastly as the imputing of any thing for righteousnes is to be taken in other places of Scripture wheresoever it is mentioned so undoubtedly it is here to be taken For the Scripture is the best expounder of it selfe and the spirit of God therein speaking doth best understand shew his own meaning Now the onely place in all
the Scripture where any thing besides faith and believing is said to be counted to man for righteousnes is that place of the Psalmist Psal. 106. and 31. where the godly zealous act of Phinees in executing just judgement on Zamri and Cosbi is said to be counted to him for righteousnes Now the meaning of the wordes there cannot be that this act of Phinees was accepted of GOD and counted to him for righteousnes to justification For then it will follow that a man may bee justified before GOD by one act or worke of his owne Which the Apostle here utterly condemneth as a grosse errour and bends his whole discourse against it The true sense and meaning of the phrase is no more but this that Phinees performing such an act of godly zeale as is proper onely to a faithfull righteous man who by the spirit of regeneration dwelling in him is so united unto Christ that by faith he was a true partaker of his righteousnes GOD upon this act gave him the testimony of righteousnes and declared and judged him to bee a righteous man truly justified Therefore the Apostles phrase of counting faith to the beleever for righteousnes which he often useth in this Chapter signifieth after the same manner GODS counting a true beleever for a righteous man and giving him the testimony of righteousnes because he is righteous indeed by communion of Christs righteousnesse which hee hath apprehended applied and enjoyeth by faith The confutation of the false hereticall exposition of the Apostles wordes maintained by the Socinian faction FIrst whereas they hold that faith considered by it selfe in a proper literall sense without consideration of the object or laying hold on Christ and his righteousnes is counted to the beleever for righteousnes to justification and GOD requires in and of us no other thing for righteousnes neither our owne workes performed in our owne persons according to the Law nor Christs perfect righteousnes and fulfilling of the Law made ours by spirituall union and communion with Christ and accepted of GOD for us This I prove to bee false hereticall and blasphemous by these arguments following First faith taken in a proper sense is a part of our conformity and argument 1 obedience to the Law of GOD which above all things requires that wee give honour to GOD by beleeving him and his word and by trusting in him as our onely rock the GOD of our strength and salvation They therefore teaching that faith in a proper sense is counted for righteousnes doe teach that wee are iustified by a worke of obedience to the Law performed in our owne persons and GOD requires on our behalfe no other righteousnes for justification which Doctrine the Apostle utterly condemnes Therefore their opinion and exposition is hereticall and more impious then the Pelagian and Popish heresies concerning iustification Secondly that which was properly argument 2 imputed to Abraham and is so imputed to true beleevers is righteousnes so the Apostle in plaine wordes expresseth verse 6. and 11. but faith in a proper sense is not righteousnes For righteousnes is perfect conformity to the Law as sinne is transgression of the Law yea humane righteousnes is a mans keeping of the whole Law and his observing to doe all GODS commandements with his whole heart all the dayes of his life as wee read Deuteronomie 8. Thirdly that which chargeth argument 3 GOD with errour and falshood in his iudgement is blasphemous This opinion that GOD counts faith for righteousnes that is thinketh iudgeth and esteemeth it to bee righteousnes in a proper sense chargeth GOD with errour and falshood in his iudgement For faith is not any true righteousnes properly Therefore this opinion is blasphemy If they plead that GOD by his absolute soveraignty of power may accept and repute that for righteousnes which is not true righteousnes This doth but more entangle them and involve them in errour For GOD and his soveraigne power are all one as GOD cannot lye nor make contradictories true so his sovereignty of power cannot either make that to bee righteousnes which is not or truely iudge it so to bee Neither can his infinite iustice bee satisfied without perfect fulfilling of his Law nor allow any man to bee iustified without righteousnes nor will his truth suffer him to count any iust who is not iust Therefore by this base shift and wicked pretence devised to hide and cover their blasphemy they do runne further into blasphemy and make his soveraigne power a tyrant and oppressour of his iustice and truth argument 4 Fourthly that opinion which taketh away and denyeth the meanes by which GOD is revealed to be infinitely iust mercifull and wise and makes the satisfaction of Christ and his perfect fulfilling the Law a vaine and needlesse thing is most hereticall impious and blasphemous This opinion that GOD by his sovereigne power can and doth accept and count imperfect faith for perfect righteousnes takes away the meanes by which GODS iustice mercy and wisdome are revealed to be infinit yea it extenuates and vilifies GODS iustice mercy bounty and wisdom and makes Christs full satisfaction a vaine superfluous and needlesse thing Therefore it is an impious and blasphemous opinion First that which reveales GOD to be infinitly iust is that he cannot be reconciled to men that have sinned without execution of iustice to the full and a full satisfaction made according to his iust Law if not by men in their owne persons which is impossible yet by their mediator and surety in their behalfe and by him communicated to them and made theirs as truly as if they had fulfilled the Law in their owne persons And though this satisfaction be of infinit value yet it cannot profit them nor actually merit for them till they be partakers of it truely and really by spirituall communion This is that meanes by which GOD is known to be infinitly iust Secondly when GODS infinite iustice was so strict that nothing could satisfie it nor redeeme mankind but a satisfaction of infinite value made for them And when all the world was not able to find such a satisfaction that his wisedome should finde one out and have it ready before hand in her eternall treasures even a full satisfaction performed in mans nature by GOD the eternall son and also the meanes to make it truely and really the satisfaction of every man truely beleeving that is by the Holy Ghost shed on them through the Sonne Christ and making them one spirituall body with him This reveales GOD to be infinite in wisedome Thirdly in that GOD the Father would in this case give his onely begotten sonne to be humbled in our nature and to obey suffer and make such a satisfaction for poore miserable men in that the sonne would willingly take all this upon him to doe and suffer whatsoever iustice could require and in that the holy Ghost when this satisfaction could not otherwise profit men nor bee made theirs doth not
disdaine to take up for his constant dwelling the earthly tabernacles of mens bodies and to worke in them all graces needfull to conforme them to Christ and to make them sensibly to enjoy him with all his benefits This most wonderfully shewes GODS infinite mercy bounty and free goodnesse And all these meanes which are manifested and maintained by our Doctrine of justification this wicked opinion of the Socinians doth utterly take away First it denies GODS justice to require mans communion of such an infinite satisfaction made by Christ for him it treads GODS justice under foote by his soveraignty of power and maugre justice it makes mans imperfect faith to go current for righteousnes and to be accepted for perfect righteouses to justification Secondly if GOD by soveraignty of power can beare downe justice and make any weak and imperfect thing such as mans faith is serve in stead of Christs full satisfaction and perfect righteousnes Then hee might by the same power have appointed the sacrifice of a Lamb or any cleane beast or the satisfaction of any mere man and so it will follow that the giving of his son to bee made man was no point of wisedome but a going farre about and spending much even Christs blood when lesse might have served the turne As for GODS goodnesse mercy and bounty they are hereby made painted shewes and shadowes yea needlesse prodigality and Christs satisfaction is made vaine and superfluous Therfore this opinion which brings in such impious consequences is blasphemous and hereticall Fiftly that opinion which overthrowes the sacraments of the Gospel and takes away the true use of them is heriticall prophane and impious This opinion that Christs righteousnesse is not imputed to the faithfull doth so For the sacraments are seales of our union and communion with Christ Baptisme seales our engraffing into Christ in our new birth by which we become one with him The LORDS Supper is such a lively seale of our communion with Christ in the benefits of his death passion and full satisfaction expressed under the termes of eating his flesh and drinking his blood that it is commonly called the communion of the faithfull when it is rightly received But these Hereticks while by imputing faith in a proper sense they exclude the imputation of Christs righteousnes to the faithfull they deny their communion and union with Christ they take away the truth and the use of the Sacraments for if the faithfull are regenerate and by one spirit ingraffed into Christ and united unto him as Baptisme signifieth and sealeth and if they have spiritual communion with Christ of his righteousnes and all other benefits which the LORDS Supper signifieth and is thereof a seale to them Then GOD whose judgment is according to truth cannot but impute Christs righteousnes to them and accept it for them and account it theirs They who deny GODS imputing of it do either charge GOD with injustice and error of judgment in not counting and iudging that to be theirs in which they have communion and interest or else they deny the union and communion of the faithfull with Christ and make the sacraments lying signes and seales of false things and things which are not Therefore their opinion is most abominable profane impious and blasphemous argument 6 Sixtly that opinion which is invented and maintained by Heretiks who deny the eternall Godhead of Christ and tends mainely to perswade that there is no use of Christs being GOD and man in one person is Hereticall and blasphemous Such is this opinion of the Socinians it is an invention of Haretiks and tends to take away the use of Christs being GOD and to perswade men that there is no necessary use of his being GOD and man in one person For all Orthodox Divines give this reasō why it was necessary that Christ the mediator should be GOD in our nature even that the obedience suffering which he did under goe in mans nature might be the obedience and suffering of GOD and so of infinite value and though of him alone and but for a time yet of more worth then if all men in their owne persons had obeyed as much as hee did and suffered for ever in Hell They teach also that first for the removing of so great evils as the infinite wrath of GOD eternall death and torment in Hell and secondly for purchase of so great a good as is the state of righteousnesse and of grace and also of eternall glory in Heaven GODS justice could require no lesse satisfaction and righteousnes nor be satisfied with any other but that which is performed by him who is GOD and man in one person that is the perfect righteousnes and satisfaction of Christ which alone by the infinite value which it receives from his God-head is fit to remove so infinite an evil and to procure so infinite a good to men But the maintainers of this Socinian opinion by denying that GODS infinite justice stands in strength to exact such a satisfaction being over-ruled and oppressed by absolute soveraignty of power and by teaching that mercy and bounty run beyond reason freeing men from all need of such an infinite satisfaction to be communicated imputed to them and justifying them freely without righteousnes they do take away the use of Christs God-head in his mediation and the causes and reasons for which it was necessary that he should be GOD as well as man And in conclusion in places where they dare be bold to disclose the secret thoughts of their hearts they roundly deny Christ to be the Sonne of GOD of the same substance with GOD the Father Therefore this their opinion is most impious blasphemous and Hereticall And indeed it is never found in Histories to have been maintained by any but Samosatenian Heretiks deadly enemies to Christs deity Lastly that opinion which is builded upon an Hereticall and blasphemous ground and is upheld and maintained by blasphemous arguments which do shake and even raze the maine foundations of true Religion must needs be most wicked and blasphemous and such is this opinion for it is builded upon this blasphemous ground that GOD by his soveraigne power may do and will things contrary to his justice that is count and accept that for righteousnes which is no righteousnes nor worthy to be accounted an act of perfect righteousnes for such is the faith of fraile man taken in a proper sense The arguments by which it is commonly maintained are also blasphemous and wicked to wit First they argue that Christs righteousnes is not imputed to true believers neither can be made or counted theirs by GOD. Because Christs righteousnes is the righteousnes of another far different from them and GOD cannot iustify one by anothers righteousnes and therefore we are not iustified by Christs righteousnesse neither is it imputed in iustification Now what is this but a denying of the union of the faithfull with Christ for if he be one with us and we one
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
way and what not Now that which GOD precisely requires of men to their justification in stead of the works of the Law is their faith or to beleeve in the proper and formall signification He doth not require of us the righteousnes of Christ for our justification this hee required of Christ himselfe that which hee requires of us for this purpose is our faith in Christ. Therefore to certifie or say unto them that the righteousnes of Christ should be imputed to them for righteousnes would fall short of his scope and intent this way which was plainely and directly this to make known unto them the counsaile and good pleasure of GOD concerning that which was to be done and performed by them to their justification which he affirmeth from place to place to be nothing else but their faith in Christ or beleeving whereas to have said thus unto them that they must be justified by Christ or by Christs righteousnes and withall not to have plainely signified what GOD requires of them and will accept at their hand to give them fellowship in that righteousnes For justification which is by Christ and without which they could not be justified had beene rather to cast a snare upon them then to have opened a dore of life and salvation unto them Christianisme His second way of arguing to proue his opinions from the scope of the place and the intent of the Apostle in this discourse of justification His maine argument reduced into forme runs thus The scope of the place and intent of the Apostle is to hedg up with thornes the false way of justification which lay through works and to turne men from it as also to discover the true way to them to wit what they must do and what GOD requireth of them to their justification and what hee will accept at their hands instead of the workes of the Law and that is it which he here saith is imputed for righteousnesse But faith and believing in a proper and formall signification is that which they must do and performe to their justification which also GOD requires of them instead of workes of the Law and will accept at their hands instead of them Therefore faith in a proper sense is here said to be imputed To this argument I answere First that in the first proposition there is some truth affirmed but immediately contradicted and many falsehoodes intermingled That the Apostles scope and intent is to hedge up the false way of justification which lay through workes and to discover the ture way we grant for truth But like a mad or drunken man he immediately contradicts the truth which he had affirmed and tels us that the right way is doing and performing something which GOD requires at our hands to our iustification And what is this but the way which lyes through workes For to doe and perform somthing required of us that it may be accepted of GOD at our hands to our justification is to seek justification by the way of working in the judgement of men that are sober and in their wits Besides this manifest contradiction I find also much falshood and evill meaning 1. In saying the truth that the false way lyeth through works that is works performed in obedience to the Law by every man in his own person which is the true intent and meaning of the Apostle he hath a further wicked meaning namely that our seeking after the righteousnesse of Christ which consists in his works of obedience to the Law is the way which lyeth through works to justification and therefore the false way And this he declares to be his meaning in that he immediatly after labours to beat men off from Christs righteousnesse Wherfore I justly tax him here not onely of blasphemy in calling the righteousnesse Christ who is the way the truth and the life and seeking justification through it a false way but also of stupidity and blindnesse in that he cannot see the difference between our seeking justification by the righteousnesse offered to us in the Gospel to be apprehended by faith even Christs righteousnesse and our doing works of the Law for our justification or Christs performing works of the Law in his own person For Christs righteousnesse as it was performed by himselfe was legall and according to the strict termes of the Law but as it comes to us by communion and is applyed by faith it is Euangelicall 2. In that he saith God requires somthing to be done of men for their Justification which God imputes to them and accepts at their hands instead of the works or righteousnesse of the Law Hereby he sets up justification by some thing which a man doth and performeth which the Apostle altogether opposeth in this discourse and his whole scope is bent against it and his whole intent and drift is to shew that we are justified not by giving or doing but by receiving that which is freely given of GOD and reputed for righteousnes even the righteousnesse of him who is GOD and is called therfore the righteousnesse of God Chap. 3.21 and 10.3 Hereby also he brings in a doing and performing of somthing by men which is accepted of God over and above that which the Law requireth which is a meere Popish fiction tending to dishonour the Law and to make it an imperfect rule of mans wel doing And withall he makes the new Covenant a condicionall Covenant and not of free Grace promising justification and salvation upon condition of mens doing In the second place his assumption wherein he affirms that faith and beleeving in the proper and formall signification is that which men must doe and performe and which God requires and will accept at their hands instead of works of the Law for justification it contains in it most grosse Socinian errour and much absurdity and untruth First in that he calls faith and beleeving a thing done and performed by men this is directly contrary to the Apostle who teacheth that faith is not of our selves but is the gift of God Ephes. 2.8 and that we of our selves are not sufficient to think much lesse to do that which God can accept but our sufficiencies of God 2 Cor. 3.5 and it is God which worketh in us both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 so that faith and beleeving are not a condition performed by us to oblige God but a part of the Grace freely promised in the Covenant and given to us even the worke and motion of his Spirit in us Secondly in that he sets up faith instead of all righteousnesse and perfect fullfilling of the Law hereby he doth professe himselfe a Socinian Hereticke in plain terms and conspires with those Heretickes to overthrow the justice of God in our justification and to make Christs satisfaction vaine and needlesse as I have before shewed After his arguing for the imputation of faith he proceeds here in his second way of arguing as he did in the former
as it comprehends Christs righteousnesse is counted to him that hath it righteousnes and Christs righteousnesse which the beleever by faith possesseth is set on his skore for iustification A second notorious untruth is that such a figure of speech as this is not to be found in all the Apostles writings besides For the same expression and figure of speeches used by this Apostle Cap. 2.26 as I have before plainely shewed Yea foure times in the foure last verses is the same trope used uncircumcision first for a man uncircumcised and secondly for the state of an uncircumcised Gentile and circumcision for a circumcised Iew and againe for inward sanctification whereof circumcision was the signe and Sacrament and ten severall times doth he tropically by faith meane the Gospell and Doctrine thereof which is the obiect of faith Gal. 3 as I have before noted where he discourseth about this weighty point of iustification A third impudent lye and manifest falshood is that the Apostle time after time and in one place after another useth the word faith or beleeving imputed without ever explaining himselfe or changing his speech For that which he calls faith and beleeving and faith it is imputed for righteousnes vers 3. and 5. he explaining himselfe and changing his speech v. 6.11 calls it righteousnes and saith GOD imputeth righteousnes and righteousnesse is imputed In a word I doe challenge him to shew one place in all the writings of this Apostle wherein he useth this phrase of faith or beleeving imputed for righteousnes except onely here in this Chapter and in Gal 3. In both which places he cites that testimony of Moses concerning Abraham that GOD counted faith to him for righteousnes and urgeth it in the phrase of Moses but in all other places where he writes of iustification he useth his owne expressions and saith that wee are iustified by Christs satisfaction made for our redemption as Rom. 3.24 and by his obedience and fulfilling of the Law Rom. 5.19 and 8.4 and 10.3.4 and that Christ is made to us righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1.30 and we are made the righteousnes of GOD in him 2 Cor. 5.21 If he cannot shew any place besides these then let him bee ashamed of his doings in that he hath bent his tongue and pen like a bow for lyes and shootes out in every passage so many notorious untruthes that hee may bee suspected to have full furnished his quiver from the armorie of the father of lyes the Prince of darknesse The second Argument SEcondly verse 5. it is said that to him that beleeveth his faith is imputed to him for righteousnes From which clause it is evident that that faith whatsoever we understand by it which is imputed is his somewhat that wayes truely and properly called his before such imputation of it bee made unto him Now it cannot be said of the righteousnesse of Christ that it is any mans before the imputation of it to him but faith properly taken is the beleevers before it be imputed at least in order of nature though not in time Therefore by faith which is here said to be imputed cannot be meant the righteousnesse of Christ. Answer THe righteousnes of Christ by spirituall union and communion which every true beleever hath with Christ is as truely his as his faith For Christ is made unto him righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1.30 and he is made the righteousnesse of GOD in Christ 2 Cor. 5.22 and that in order of nature before it is counted his righteousnesse For GOD whose judgement is according to truth doth not count that to the beleever which he hath not before communicated or at the same time doth communicate to him Secondly I answer that if faith which is here called his faith be faith in a proper sense and be imputed for righteousnesse to justification then is man justified by his owne inherent righteousnesse and by a worke done and performed in his owne person which every Orthodox Divine will tell him is flat popery or worse The third Argument THirdly granting a trope or Metonymie in this place and that by faith is meant the object of it or the thing beleeved yet it will not follow from hence that the righteousnesse of Christ should be said to bee imputed here but either GOD himselfe or the promise of GOD made to Abraham For it is said verse 3. that Abraham beleeved GOD not that he beleeved Christs righteousnes except we set up another trope to maintaine the former and by GOD will say is meant the righteousnes of Christ which would bee not a trope or figure but rather a monster of speech Therefore the righteousnesse of Christ is not here said to be imputed for righteousnesse but faith properly taken Yea whereas the object of faith as justifying is expressed with great variety of words and termes in Scripture in all this variety there is not once to bee found the least mention of the righteousnes of Christ as if the holy Ghost foreseeing the kindling of this false fire had purposely withdrawne or withheld all fuell that might feed it Sometimes Christ in person is made the obiect of this faith Iohn 3.16 besides many such expressions Sometimes Christ in his Doctrine or the Doctrine and word of Christ Iohn 5.46 had yee beleeved Moses yee would have beleeved mee Sometimes Christ in the relation of his person and that either as he stands related unto GOD as his father Iohn 20.31 or else as hee stands related to those ancient promises of GOD made unto the Iewes concerning a Messiah to be given and sent unto them Iohn 8.24 except yee beleeve that I am hee yee shall dye in your sinnes Sometimes the raising up of Christ from the dead as Rom. 10.9 Sometimes GOD himselfe is made the obiect of faith 1. Pet. 1.21 Sometimes the record or testimony of GOD concerning his sonne is made the obiect of faith 1. Ioh. 5.10 In all this variety or diversity of expressing the obiect of faith as iustifying there is no sound or intimation of the righteousnes or active obedience of Christ. Not but that the righteousnesse of Christ is and ought to bee beleeved as well as other things revealed and affirmed in the Scriptures yea it is of nearer concernment to the maine to beleeve it then the beleeving of many things besides comprehended in the Scriptures as well as it but the reason I conceive why it is not numbred or reckoned up among the obiects of faith as iustifying is because though it ought and cannot but be beleeved by that faith which iustifyeth yet it may be beleeved also by such a faith which is so farre from iustifying that it denyeth this Christ whose righteousnesse notwithstanding it beleeveth to be the sonne of GOD. Thus some of his owne nation the Iewes have given testimony to his righteousnesse and innocency who yet received him not for their Messiah nor beleeved him to be GOD. And this is the frame constitution of the Turkish faith for the
confidently affirme that there is not one Orthodox writer to be found since that time which ever held that faith in a proper sense is imputed for righteousnes and denyed the imputation of Christs righteousnes Servetus Socinus Arminius and the rest of their sect branded for hereticks are the onely maintainers of that opinion To his testimonies and his impudent boasting of the generall consent of interpreters I answere First joyntly and in generall That of all the testimonies which hee hath cited there is not one which either affirmes that faith taken in a proper sense is imputed for righteousnesse or denies the imputation of Christs righteousnes Moreover that all Divines who are the most zealous opposers of his interpretation may say the same words which he cites out of Authors and yet hold justification by Christs righteousnes imputed yea and in proving that truth may with good reason presse and urge the same words rightly understood Soe that a more odious example of folly and impudency cannot be shewed then hee here shewes himselfe by making his folly strive for Mastery with his impudency Secondly for the particular testimonies which he brings both out of ancient and moderne writers They say no more but what Saint Paul saith and wee all acknowledg and embrace for truth viz. That Abraham beleeving that in Christ and through his satisfaction GOD was become his reward was thereupon counted righteous and GOD counted faith to him for righteousnes and so are we all iustified not by our owne righteousnes of workes performed to the Law in our own persons but by faith laying hold on the righteousnes of Christ which is counted for righteousnes not in a proper sense but relatively as it comprehends Christ and his righteousnes which Calvin calls apprehending the goodnes of GOD and trusting in it First for Tertullians words I take them as he doth render and rehearse them and so the rest in order and will take a light view of them that wee may see his vanity in citing testimonies which make nothing for him but some directly against his opinion Tertulian Lib. 5. c. 3 against Marcion BVt how the children of faith and of whose faith if not of Abrahams for if Abraham beleeved GOD and it was deputed to him for righteousnesse and hee thereby obtained the name of the father of many nations wee by beleeving GOD are therefore much rather iustified as Abraham was And lib. de patientia cap. 6. Abraham beleeved and was deputed by him to righteousnesse but hee tried his faith by patience when he was commanded to sacrifice his sonne All this wee grant for here is not a word of imputing faith in a proper sense onely an affirmation that Abraham by beleeving obtained this at GODS hands that he was accounted and reputed to be in the state of a righteous man which we all professe Origen in Epist. ad Romanos Cap. 4. verse 5. IT seemes in this present place that whereas many beleevings of Abraham werk before now in this beleeving his whole faith was gathered together and so was reputed to him for righteousnesse and againe in the same place Abraham was not by GOD testified to bee righteous for his circumcision but for his faith for before his circumcision hee beleeved GODS and it was counted to him for righteousnesse If Origens meaning be as Beza gathered from these and other wordes in that place that Abrahams faith and all his acts of beleeving made up a perfect righteousnesse and conformity to GOD will and law then is hee in as great an errour as the Papists who set up iustification by a mans owne inherent righteousnesse and his testimony is to be abhorred But if his meaning bee that by his beleeving and not by his circumcision he obtained from GOD this testimony that he was righteous by a righteousnesse beleeved then he is full for us and against his interpretation Justine Martyr Dialog with Trypho ABraham not for his circumcision but for his faith obtained the testimony of righteousnesse for before he was circumcised it is said of him Abraham beleeved GOD and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Wee grant that Abraham beleeving GOD to bee his reward in Christ this faith was the evidence of his being righteous by apprehension of Christ and his righteousnesse and therefore by it he obtained a testimony from GOD that he was in the state of righteousnes And Justine Martyres words say the same and so he is cleare for us against them who make faith the righteousnes imputed in a proper sense and not the evidence of righteousnesse Chrysostome on Rom. 4.23 saith that the Apostle HAving spoken many and great things concerning Abraham and his faith saith wherefore is it written but that wee might learne that we also are justified as hee was because wee have beleeved the same GOD and on Gal. 3.6 For what was he the worse for not being under the Law nothing at all for his faith was sufficient to him for righteousnesse All this we grant For as Abrahams faith laying hold on GOD as his reward in Christ by communion of his righteousnesse was sufficient to him for righteousnesse so is our faith also sufficient for us to iustification because by it wee possesse Christs righteousnesse Augustine on the 148 Psal. saith FOr by beleeving wee have found what the Iewes lost by not by unbeleeving for Abraham beleeved GOD and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse and on Psal. 140. for I beleeve in him who justifieth the ungodly that my faith may be imputed to mee for righteousnes and in his book de natura gratia For if Christ dyed not in vaine the ungodly is justified in him alone to whom beleeving in him that justifieth the ungodly faith is accounted to him for righteousnesse and in his 68. sermon de tempore Abraham beleeved GOD and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse See that without any worke hee is iustified by faith and whatsoever was possible to be conferred on him by his observation of the Law his beleeving alone gave it all unto him where note that beleeving gives righteousnes and is not the righteousnes given in iustification Primasius on Rom. 43. saith ABrahams faith by the guift of GOD was so great that both his former sinnes were forgiven and this faith alone is said to be accepted before all righteousnes that is before all righteousnes of his owne not instead of Christs righteousnes For if it had not laid hold and possessed the full satisfaction of Christ it could not have gotten pardon of his sinnes Beda's words which he citeth concerning the faith which is imputed are onely these not every faith but that onely which worketh by love This is a certaine truth for no faith can bring to us a true sense and assurance of our communion with Christ but that which worketh by love Haymo on Rom. 43 saith Quia credidit Deo c. Because hee beleeved GOD it was imputed to him for righteousnesse