was there any guile in his mouth a spotless Lamb. We have that on which is a through conformity to the Law from the beginning of Life to the end of Life But this Righteousness not put on by Faith we are not invested with any thing for which God should declare and pronounce us righteous in the sense of the Law for every mouth must be stopped all the world is become guilty before God Arg. 2. If we are justified or pardoned upon the imputation of Righteousness without works then by the Imputation of Christs Righteousness But so we are Rom. 4.6 7. David describes the blessedness of the Man to whom God imputes Righteousness without works saying Blessed is he whose iniquity is forgiven The former Proposition appears hence because there are but two ways whereby a Creature who hath a Law given him Do this and live failand dye may be justified either by pleading he hath done this and not failed from the beginning of life to the end and so he is to be justified by his works as Angels are justifiable Or if he hath not such works by pleading the Righteousness of a Surety It follows therefore since we have no such works and yet Righteousness is imputed it must be our Saviours for he is our Surety Obj. G. W. Divin of Christ p. 64. saith This Righteousness is not without the works of true living Faith but without the works of the Law of works which in the following Page he explains to be the Ceremonial Law requiring Circumcision For saith he if it should be without the works of Faith Paul and James would clash Answ 1. He knows we hold that he who hath Christs Righteousness imputed hath works of sincere Obedience also that Faith which gives interest therein is a working Faith This James contends for and that works manifest our Justification because they manifest the soundness of our Faith A person is arrested for a Debt of one hundred pounds which he hath borrowed and paid and received an Acquittance for the Judge clears him It might be said he was cleared by his Acquittance as evidencing Payment for which the Judge cleared him Thus according to James Abraham was justified by Works as evidencing his Interest in Christs Righteousness for which God justified him 2. He acknowledgeth that Righteousness is imputed without works of the Law of works This is all I contend for For hence I conclude that Righteousness which is imputed must needs be Christs sinless Obedience from the beginning of Life to the end because God being true who hath said Do this and live fail and die and we having all failed there is no way for us to be justified without the Imputation of Christs never-failing righteousness 3. He errs calling the Ceremonial Law a Law of Works in giving this the Lord gave a Law of Grace to his people that which supposed them fallen and so unable ever by their works to attain to Righteousness and pointed at Christ their Remedy 4. I suppose he looks on the works of Faith as constituting that Righteousness which God is said to impute But then 1. He would make the Scripture speak thus that God imputes works wrought by us without works wrought by us 2. And if the works of Faith be our justifying Righteousness then either the works of Faith before we are perfect or after only If before it follows imperfect works are justifying Righteousness and that God will declare them righteous or conform to his Law who are not so for imperfection is not conformity to Gods Law and that God will acquit them as innocent who are breakers of his Law for imperfection is a breach of Gods Law How can this consist with Gods truth who hath said Cursed is he that continueth not in all Imperfection is no such continuance If works of Faith only after we are perfect be our justifying Righteousness according to this Doctrine all the people called Quakers must look on themselves as in a state of Condemnation for none of them are yet perfect end not having reached perfection they have not a justifying Righteousness so are not yet justifiable and dying in their present state they must all look for damnation and to perish for ever a most sad and uncomfortable Doctrine 3. But were the works of Faith perfect yet could they not be a justifying Righteousness because not a perfect obedience to the Law from the beginning of life to the end thereof Who dares say Gods Law doth not require this And if this be the thing Gods Law requires and God saith Cursed be he that confirme th not all the words of this Law to do them Deut. 27.26 Shew how it consists with the vearcity of God to justifie him that hath not in the beginning of Life as well as in the end done all the works of the Law nor is yet invested with the sinless everlasting Righteousness of Jesus Christ 4. He himself excludes the works of Faith from constituting out justifying Righteousness For he excludes the works of the Ceremonial Law And will he say that Abraham did not in Faith circumcise his Son 5. Since it is not said he imputes any thing we have performed for Righteousness but he imputes Righteousness and since Righteousness in point of Justification is exact conformity to the Law of God from the beginning of life to the end it necessarily follows that the Righteousness imputed is something granted distinct from whatever hath been performed by us and that Christs Obedience to the Law whilst on earth is the thing granted for this only can be called Righteousness in point of Justification Arg. 3. As we are made sinners and condemnable by the Disobedience of Adam so are we made righteous and justifiable by the Obedience of Christ Rom. 5.19 As by one mans Disobedience many were made sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous But the former is by Imputation therefore so is the latter G. W. in answer to Mr. Danson's Synopsis p. 20. tells us We are made Sinners not by any imputation but by a real participation of Adams Sin Answ As if these were inconsistent whereas We could not be partakers of Adams sin were there no Imputation Adams sin was his eating the forbidden fruit we are not partakers of this by our actual commission of it it must be therefore by Gods imputation It cannot be said we are partakers of Adams sin in that we are personal Offenders Let the words be weighed By one mans Disobedience many were made sinners It is not here said By many personal Disobediences we are made sinners though this be true Adams sin of eating the forbidden fruit is really ours by it are we made sinners and this must needs be through imputation The 12th verse clears it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In whom we all have sinned Children are not excepted and yet many of them never committed actual Transgression If it be said through Adams sin we are deprived of Gods Image our
their whole bodies be full of darkness it follows that there no true Light at all in them the Light that is is real darkness It therefore is added If the Light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness Luke 11.35 Take heed that the Light which is in thee be not darkness If there were no danger that a mans Light should be darkness what room were there for this warning It is therefore uudeniable that there is a Light in man which is but darkness And I ask what Light is that Not Christ himself in the Saints not his holy Spirit that dwelleth in them not the Light of the Gospel taken in by Faith not the special illumination of the Holy Ghost Tell us then what Light can it be but the Light we brought with us into the world the Light that is in every man He that hath no more but this Light is all Darkness Therefore it is said Eph. 5 8. Ye were sometimes Darkness All darkness Ye had then not one Drachm of Light in you the Light you had was but Darkness Q. But how can this be If it be Light 't is Light how can it be and not be the same thing Ans It can of it self without Scripture teach Moral Duties that God is to be worshipped Parents obeyed c. as hath been hinted often and in this respect 't is Light But it cannot reveal Christ of it self When he is revealed by the Striptures and preaching of the Gospel it cannot discern him nor any other spiritual Mystery of the Gospel for they are spiritually discerned the Natural man with all his Light cannot reach to this And in these two respects 't is meer darkness no more able to guide a man to Salvation than darkness it self Obj. We may not put Light for Darkness Ans When Christ evidently hints the Light within may be darkness must he be thus reproved You may not put Light for Darkness That which in respect of Morals is Light he calls Light and the same being in respect of Spirituals real Darkness he properly calls it so He doth not therefore put Light for Darkness And G. W. himself acknowledgeth Div. of Christ in Answer to Mr. Dawson p. 42. That the Natural man bath not power to discern spiritual things Is not his Light darkness then What he adds yet he hath a power to receive them is very odd For how do men receive spiritual things into their Souls but first by discerning them then approving and embracing them His Reason is miserable for after Conversion he doth saith he receive them He might as well have said the Unconverted hath power to receive spiritual things for after Conversion he doth discern them 'T is as if he should have said When Sampson was an Infant he had power to carry the Gates of a City up the Hill for when he was a man he did it In Conversion we receive a new Light and a new Heart which is a new power to receive spiritual things This Light that is wrought in us by the Spirit of God when put upon it to direct us how to obtain Pardon and Justification bids us seek it by the works of the Law never pointing to Christ therefore at least being forced to speak through our fault where it should be silent as being unable to direct herein it both can and doth misguide It will be yielded in terms I think that there is no Pardon or Justification without Faith in Christ And it hath been proved that this light of it self cannot speak one Syllable of Christ therefore it cannot tell us how to obtain Pardon and Justification If then we will force it to speak in this point it must needs speak Falshood if any thing See it thus directing Rom. 2.13 14. The doers of the Law shall be justified for when the Gintiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law to themselves The Apostle lays down the way of Justification by the Law of works The Doers of the Law shall be justified He proves it for the Light of Nature puts the Gentiles upon doing of the works of the Law that they may be justified having no knowledge of the Law of Grace which direct to Christ by Faith for Justification they walk by the Law of works which is no way to Heaven for a fallen Creature The like we may see in several of the Israelites Rom. 9.32 They sought for Righteousness not by Faith but by the works of the Law And that the Light within them did put them upon this we may see chap. 10.2 I bear them Record that they have a zeal of God This they did then in a zeal for God designing his Glory and to do his will But never doth a man any thing in zeal to Gods glory but when his Reason his Judgment his Conscience his best Understanding the best Light he hath puts him on And that this is not the way to obtain Justification is evident chap. 9.32 The works of the Law are called a stumbling Stone It is a truth indeed that the Doers of the Law shall be justified but no man can possibly be a Doer He that hath once in thought word or deed in all his life broken the Law is not a Doer of the Law but a Transgressor therefore this is no way for our Justification because in our hearts are motions of darkness and errour because Satan hath access to insinuate evil into us because the Light we brought into the world doth not reveal all necessary Truths because we have not an infallible Spirit to discern these few Truths it doth reveal from Errours suggested in our hearts and because 't is possible for this very light it self to suggest errour we are not sure upon good grounds that all Counsels out of our hearts are from God as werare sure all Counsels out of the Scriptures are from God No can we so safely walk after Counsels out of our own hearts for the Counsels of the light within come out of our own hearts as we can safely walk after Counsels out of the Scripture These are infallible to us the other not Before I end I must answer what he brings to prove this Light an infallible Rule Arg. 1. p. 17. l. ult Christ bids us believe in the Light He would not have us believe in that that might deceive us Answ John 12.36 Whilst ye have the Light believe in the Light The words intimate they were like to lose the Light according to the Threat Matth. 21.43 The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you The true sense here is Whilst ye have the Gospel believe in me the Light of the world 'T is not Believe in the Light you brought with you into the World Nor was this to be taken from them Not believing in Christ they were to cary this to Hell with them to torment them for their Sin Arg. 2. The
inherent holiness Or if the truth of the Charge cannot be denied Justice demanding What hast thou to say for thy self why thou shouldest not be condemned the only defence is by pleading Though I am guilty yet satisfaction hath been made for that guilt Because therefore the same fault cannot be twice punished after satisfaction 't is as if it never were This is the only way of Defence we have at Gods Tribunal We cannot plead we never broke the Law for we have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God But we must plead Satisfaction made to the Law and Justice of God for our guilt by our Surety the Lord Jesus Christ and evidence our right to the benefit of this Satisfaction by our Faith in his Blood even such a Faith as hath wrought by Love 3. Justification doth formally denote a Declaration that the Party accused is Just or Innocent and an Acquittance of him by the Sentence of the Judge But this Acquittance as to us fallen Creatures is a proper Absolution or Pardon Had Adam in Innocency been accused his Justification had been a Declaration of him Innocent in his own person and an Acquittance of him from all penalty of the Law as not deserved Our Justification is a Declaration of us who have been guilty in our own persons just or innocent through the Satisfaction or Righteousness of Christ our Surety made over and reckoned to us through Gods free Grace upon our delieving and an acquitting of us from all penalty of the Law though deserved which is properly Absolution or Pardon So that though Adam in Innocency or a good Angel could be justified without a Pardon yet 't is impossible we should be justified any other way but by being pardoned To sum up our Doctrine If the Question be What is it to be justified The Answer is to be declared just and to be absolved If the Question be Who is it that doth justifie or pronounce us just and absolve us The Apostle answers it Rom. 8. It is God that justifieth If the Question be We are guilty in our own persons for what is it that God doth justifie us The Answer is for the Satisfaction or Righteousness of Christ Rom. 5.18 By the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to Justification and Life If the Question be What is it that gives us interest in Christs Righteousness or upon which it is imputed or reckoned to us The Answer is Our Faith Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth unto Righteousness If the Question be What will evidence our Faith to be living and sound Faith The Answer is Our sincere Obedience to the Law Jam. 2.24 You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by Faith only We are justified by works as evidencing our Faith living by Faith as giving Interest in Christs Righteousness by Christs Righteousness imputed to us as constituting us righteous and satisfying for our Guilt for the sake of which God doth impute us righteous and absolve us This is the Doctrine we teach G. W. on the contrary teacheth that Justification is by Faith in Christ and by the Works that follow Faith without Christs Righteousness imputed In this we agree there must be a working Faith or no Justification And we must believe in Christ for Sanctification In this we differ whereas according to the Law of God this Charge is and will be brought against us You have not from the beginning of your Life to the end perfectly obeyed the Law It is therefore demanded what have you to say why you should not bear the Curse He saith Faith in Christ and the Works that follow without any mention of Christs holy Life and Sufferings is our sufficient defence against this Charge is that which constitutes us righteous before God as the Law requires and for which consequently God doth declare us righteous and acquit us in Judgment We say that Christs holy Life and Sufferings is our only Defence or Apologie against this Charge the only thing that can constitute us righteous according to what the Law requires the only thing for which God doth declare us righteous in Law and for which he absolves and frees us from the Curse of the Law as being imputed and made ours upon believing And again Christs holy Life and Sufferings being the only thing for which God doth justifie us We say that Faith in Christs Blood and Righteousness as the only thing that can satisfie the Demands of the Law and Justice of God is the only justifying Faith and that Faith that overlooks this Object Christs Obedience to the Death as the only thing that can satisfie the Demands of the Law and Justice of God is but a Soul-destroying Faith whatever it be He on the contrary holds that Faith in Christ for Sanctification only is enough to bring him to Heaven The Controversie thus stated I come now to prove we are justified by Christs Righteousness imputed and not without it From which if I make it good the other point clearly appears That that Faith which carries not out the Soul to Christs Righteousness to have it imputed is but a Soul-destroying Faith Arg. 1. No man can be declared Righteous in a Legal sense but who hath the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him But every one that God doth justifie he declareth righteous in a Legal sense Therefore there is no man justified but who hath Christs Righteousness imputed to him The Minor is proved from what hath been already manifested To justifie is to declare just to declare just in a Legal sense because it is to discharge him from the accusation of the Law and in justifying God doth judge us by the Law though by the Gospel also The Major will easily appear if we consider what 't is to be righteous in a Legal sense It is to be invested with a sinless Righteousness from the beginning of Life to the end thereof for this the Law requires It doth require perfection not only in the end of our Lives but in the middle also and in the beginning It never allows us to sin If at ten years of age a person commits Murder and then lives according to the Law of the Land in every tittle forty years then arraigned for this he pleads that after that Offence he continued to live exactly according to the Law the Judge cannot pronounce him innocent and so acquit him because the Law did not allow him to commit Murder any part of his Life In regard God wants not knowledge and proof of our Offences if we have had but one evil thought or have committed but one sin only all our dayes if he looks not on us in his Son reckoning his sinless Righteousness to us how should he declare us righteous in a Legal sense For the Judgment of God is always according to truth Rom. 2.2 Having Christs Righteousness imputed we are invested with an everlasting Righteousness he did not sin nor
if Sanctification and Holiness without Christs dying for thee could suffice to redeem thy lost soul Christ gave his Life a ransom in vain 2. Christs sufferings are of that worth that they are abundantly sufficient to redeeâ— our lost souls If not I am willing mine should perish everlastingly But he is God blessed for ever who purchased the Church with his blood Act. 20.28 In his sufferings then there is worth enough worth abundantly enough to redeem our souls for ever Heb. 9.12 He hath obtained eternal Redemption for us We may be as confident of it as we are that we live Our soul is pretious and Christs blood is as pretious and far more pretious 1 Pet. 1.17 18. We are not redeemed with corruptible things but with the pretious blood of Christ Let us then with Paul abhor all sanctification in us all Holiness all works of Faith whatever is wrought by us in comparison of what we spie by faith in Christ And let us put our whole trust in Christs sufferings for the redemption and acquittance or discharge of our lost souls from whatever damnation they are by sin exposed unto that is for justification Arg. 12. For that only doth God justifie us which doth suffice to turn away his wrath from us But Christs sufferings only not any thing done or suffered by us is that for which God doth justifie us This Argument was also pressed the first dispute and enlarged And there not being one word of answer pertinent in his book I proceed and prove the former Proposition Gods wrath hath been kindled against us A Fire saith God Deut. 32.22 is kindled in mine anger and shall burn to the lowest Hell Tophet is prepared Adam unto whom God said in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death sinned and kindled Gods wrath against himself and all his posterity for we are by Nature the Children of wrath In our own persons likewise we have failed of continuing in all and hence is Gods wrath up against us for the Law worketh wrath If Gods wrath hath been stirred up against us it cannot be that we should be justified till his wrath be turned away God burning in his wrath is ready to condemn us to take vengeance on us to consume us as fire not to justifie and acquit us from our ill deserts That therefore for which we are justified must suffice to turn away Gods wrath from us The next Proposition consists of two parts 1. Nothing done or suffered by us sufficeth to turn away Gods wrath Heb. 10.5 Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not Isa 40.16 Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor the beasts thereof sufficient for aburnt offering ver 15. The Nations are but as a drop of the Bucket How can it be that we poor nothings should be able by doing or suffering any thing turn away the wrath of this Great self-sufficient Soveraign offended with us Can fallen Angels do or suffer any thing When we are made to suffer in our own persons it is for ever for ever that we suffer because miserable worms we never can suffer enough that his wrath should be turned away from us And if burning Ten thousand Millions of years in Hell is not enough to turn his wrath away how little reason is there to imagine that a little faith and the works that follow should suffice If this were enough then in vain did Christ say Heb. 10.7 Lo I come to do thy will O God In vain was Christ our Passover sacrificed for us for what end did he come for what end was he sacrificed for us but that he might make attonement for us that he might make Reconciliation for the sins of the People that he might turn away wrath and so the destroying Angel might pass over us 2. Christs sufferings do suffice to turn away Gods wrath from us 1 Jo. 2.1 2. We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous And he is the Propitiation for our sins Heb. 13.12 But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God Eph. 5.2 Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and asacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Let us then place no confidence in sanctification holiness faith and the works that follow as if these saying aside Christs death on the Cross could turn away Gods wrath and render God so well pleased with us as to discharge acquit justifie us but let us by true faith repose all our trust in Jesus who offered himself a sacrifice for us for justification deliverance from wrath to come He is the only hiding place from the storm the only covert from the tempest Arg. 13. That for which God justifies us must suffice to satisfie his justice for our transgression But Christs sufferings only nothing done or suffered by us can suffice to satisfie Gods justice for our transgression Therefore Christs sufferings and not any thing done or suffered by us is that for which God doth justifie us Justice is satisfied upon transgression when it hath duely punished it This premised I prove the Major We having not continued in all God will not justifie us without satisfaction to his justice for our sin 1. We may judge of this by Gods dealing with fallen Angels there being no provision made for the satisfaction of Justice for their fall God will never justifie them but they are to be condemned and bear their deserved punishment for ever Why should we imagine that God will justifie any of us who have fallen as well as they never punishing our fall as justice doth require 2. We may conclude it from Gods Law the contents whereof are all equal holy just and good In the Law we may take notice of three things each of which are conclusive of the point in hand 1. Gods Judgement which is alwaies according to truth and he hath judged that whoever of us in the least tittle do break so equal so holy just and good a Law we do deserve his Curse If he had not thus judged he would not have added this sanction to his Law and said Cursed is he that continues not in all God judgeth this but a meet and deserved punishment And shall we imagine that God will not do what is meet to be done That God should not act according to his own Judgement Hence I think we may conclude God justifieth none of us without punishing our sins 2. Gods Truth God having said in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death and cursed is he that continues not in all doth not his truth engage him to execute his justice in punishing sin should mercy offer to pronounce any man absolved his sin unpunished Truth would stop the mouth of mercy and say hold I have said Cursed is he that continues not in all and I cannot but be true Hence I conclude no offender is justified but his sin is punished to the full 3.