Law of Works in our stead so that his Righteousness is accepted for our fulfilling it then must we be justified by his righteousness without any further righteousness or conditions For the Law being fulfilled for us must acquit us and give us life this we defend but he means not so Christ is our legal righteousness with him not by proper fulfilling the Law of Works for us but by taking it out of the way so that no such perfect innocent righteousness should be required of us to Salvation and this he mean by pro-legal instead of our legal righteousness This is still hiding his sence with ambiguous words It remains then that by imputing Christ's Righteousness they intend nothing else but that Christ procured a Covenant of Grace by fulfilling whereof we shall be justified and saved though sinful and imperfect which Justification and Salvation we must originally yet remotely ascribe to Jesus Christ because he procured this mild Covenant for us but the righteousness which constituteth us Just in Law and for which we shall be pronounc'd righteous and Heirs of the Kingdom at Judgment is our own sincere Obedience not Christ's Obedience as appears at large from this Author It is pretended that Luther in the heat of his Spirit and Zeal against Popish Superstitions Object let fall some words which sounded as if he thought Christ's Personal Righteousness was every Believers righteousness Answer to Dr. Tully p. 15. § 11. and their Sins were made his which afterwards he qualified shewing that Christ's Righteousness is â—urs and our Sins his only in the Effects Answ But that Luther maintained the same Imputation as we do in opposition to all works his Sermons and Comments on the Gal sufficiently shew and all both Papists and Protestants do acknowledge And if by imputing Christ's Righteousness in the Effects be meant its Immediate Effects viz. that we should be justified immediately by that righteousness trusted in immedietate formae without the interposition of any other righteousness to be wrought by us it is the Doctrine we contend for but â—f this be meant as the drift seems to be that â—t is imputed so as to merit a New Covenant by performing of which we shall be justified and so it be imputed only in its remote Effects it is manifestly untrue Object It is said again That most of our Reformers rightly asserted that Christ's Righteousness was ours by the way of meriting our righteousness Ibid. p. 16. § 13. though some of them followed Luther's Expressions of the Imputation of Christ's Personal Righteousness Answ Calvin and Melancthon who do not much follow Luther's Expressions affirm That our Justification consisteth in remission of sins for the Merit of Christ received by Faith only and it is most untrue that any of our Reformers talked That Christ only merited that we should be justified by our own Righteousness according to the Gospel Covenant as is here meant Problem loc de Just 6.25 Aretius Melancthon's Scholar defineth Justification by the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and doth charge Thammerus once his fellow Pupil under the same Master with deserting his Masters and the Doctrine of all Reformers for teaching That Faith in the business of Justification includeth Obedience to the Gospel and that we are justified by it as the Fulfilling of the Gospel and that the Works which St. Paul excludeth from justifying are the Works of the Law not the Works of the Gospel also that gratis per gratiam being justified freely by his Grace was meant only that for Christ's Sake our imperfect obedience is accepted to Justification and sinless obedience not insisted on where the Reader may find Thammerus his Arguments and interpretation of Scripture there cited at large for substance the same produced by our Authors and sharply taxed as a deserting from the Reformation Object It is farther said The Papists fastning upon those Divines who held Imputation of Christ's Personal Righteousness in its self Ibid. § 16. in the rigid sence did hereupon greatly insult against the â—rotestants as if it had been their common â—octrine and it greatly stopt the Reformation Answ Thus Bellarmin pretended that amongst the â—rotestants there were several Opinions about â—â—e Imputation of Christ's Righteousness one 〈◊〉 Luther another of Calvin a third of some â—â—hers besides that of Osiander de Just. cap. 22. p. 312. to which B. â—avenant answers Secundam sententiam illoâ—â—m commemorat qui Christi obedientiam juâ—tiam nobis imputatam statuunt esse formalem â—â—usam justificationis at haec communis est nostroâ—â—m omnium sententia neque quod ad ipsam rem â—â—tinet quicquam é nostris aliter aut censit aut â—â—ipsit He reckoneth this a second Opinion our Writers That they say Christ's Righteousness is the formal cause of our Justification i. e. its self is our Righteousness but â—â—is is the common opinion of all of us nor did â—â—er any of us write or speak otherways as to â—â—e substance of the thing He also affirms â—â—at all the difference betwixt our Reformers â—â—as only in the manner of expressing themslves and that Calvin who placeth Justification in Remission of sin did yet mean that Reâ—â—ssion to be granted for the Imputed Righteousness of Christ and that to be the Immediate Cause of it and therefore adds as the â—â—mmon Protestant Doctrine p. 313. Absque imputaâ—â—ne obedientiae Christi nulla remissio peccatorum â—â—inetur haec causa est remissionis haec cauâ—â— acceptationis haec causa translationis à statis â—â—rtis ad statum vitae i. e. without the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness there is no forgiveness this is the cause of Pardon this is the cause of our acceptance with God and of our translation from the state of death to the state of life It is suggested that this offence of the Papists occasioned the German Divines to deseâ—â— the Question of Imputation Object So Dr. Tully § 17. q. 17 18 and to dispute what Righteousness of Christ it is by which we are justified and many Learned Men maintained that it was the Passive only Answ This Question arose and was agitated among themselves as Paraeus informs us in his Miscellanies nor did it at all concern the Papisâ—â— who are Enemies to the proper Imputation of Christ's Righteousness passive as well as active against his bearing our sins as well as performing the Law for us And these Divines who maintain the Imputation of Passive Obedience only yet maintain that to be our Formal Righteousness by and for which we are justified and not that it procured a Covenant of Grace only Th. Theol. de Justif Thus Vrsin Justitia Evangelica est poena peccatorum nostrorum quam Constus pro nobis sustinuit credentibus à Deo grâ—tis imputata So Paraeus in the Treatise alledged and Windeline also in his Theologia capde Justif Thes 6. he saith That the instrumental cause of Justification is
it self doth justifie us or make us accepted and that the righteousness which is imputed to us whereby we are justified is not Obedience to the Law but something else which God for Christ's sake graciously accepteth to our Justification Declar. sentent oper p. 102. What this is he expresseth having said that Christ's Righteousness is the onely meritorious cause of Pardon Statuo hoc censeo benè propriè dici fidem homini credenti in justitiam ex gratia imputari quatenùs Deus Jesum Christum filium suum proposuit tribunal gratiae sive propitiationem per fidem in sanguine ipsius h. e. Faith is imputed to us for righteousness in as much as God hath made Christ the Tribunal of Grace which is all one as to say with ours Christ as a King and Judge doth justifie us by and for believing in him And again in answer to the 26th Article objected to him he contendeth That though Faith may be said to concur as an Instrument to Justification yet the Act of Faith doth justifie as it is graciously accepted for our Righteousness Apprehensio Christi est proprior quam instrumentum apprehendens vel quo objectum apprehenditur Apprehensio autem est actio itaque fides non quà instrumentum sed quà actio imputatur in justitiam quanquam propter illum quem apprehendit Bertius in his Epistles explaineth this that Faith is required by the Gospel instead of perfect Obedience to the Law of Works contra Lubbert and so justifyeth us that should have done as the fulfilling of the Command of God with this difference That perfect Obedience needed no Pardon and Grace but Faith per gratiosam accepti lationem of God's Gracious condescension is accepted as a Man's Righteousness he being pleas'd to require no more of him because of his inability to keep the Law so then Christ's Righteousness hath purchased that we should be justified by our Faith but it self doth not justifie us But do the Arminians by Faith mean only the apprehending or trusting in Christ's Righteousness in opposition to or contradistinction from all other Graces and Works in the matter of Justification Nothing less By Faith they mean Obedience to the whole Gospel and all good Works they say are intended in Faith that Faith and Repentance are all one though sometimes they are separated and spoken of apart for clearness sake Thus Hornbeck proposeth their Opinion Sum. Contro lib. 8. Quest 20. Num coram Deo justificemur non fide apprehendendo Christi justitiam quae sola nobis imputetur in peccatorum remissionem â—sed fide ut est actus opus nostrum includens in se obedientiam operum Evangelicorum propter quam quamvis non ex ejus dignitate merito justificemur i. e. That we are not justified by Faith as it apprehendeth the Righteousness of Christ but as it is an Act or Work of ours including Obedience to all the Commands of the Gospel Harm Remonstr Socin Art 12 17. Joh. Peltius hath largely shewed That by Faith the Remonstrants mean Obedience to the whole Gospel and that this is it by which they would have us justified Take 2 or 3 citations Art 12. Parag. 6. p. 157. ex Remonstr confes cap. 10. Hac ratione considerata fides totam hominis conversionem Evangelio praescriptam ambitu suo continet Faith comprehends man's whole Conversion Episcop disput 22. Fides illa quae credenti imputari dicitur in justitiam bona opera non tantum non tollat sed ea ipsa aut eorum saltem faciendorum propositum natura sua in se contineat comprehendat i.e. Faith which is imputed for righteousness doth not exclude Works but containeth them or at least a purpose of doing them Joannes Geister Confess Bona opera gratia non pugnant inter sese sub fide etiam bona opera comprehenduntur i.e. Grace and Works are not opposite and Faith comprehends Works Yea this Man was so ingenuous as to tell us that we do not contend with the Papists whether we be at all justified by Works in this the Remonstrants and Papists are agreed the question only is By what Works we must be justified Quando cum Papistis disputatur non est inquirendum an per bona opera justificemur sed per quae opera He would only exclude Popish superstitious Works as our Authors would have The Apostle Paul only excludes Jewish Works or Ceremonial Observations from our Justification Would you have the matter yet plainer Adolph Venator will put it out of question Justificamúrne etiam ex operibus Certè ita i.e. Are we justified by works also Yes verily And the Remonstrants in their Apology boldly affirm ex operibus hominem justificari istud non tantum non est absurdum sed verissimum esse totidem verbis pronuntiat Apostolus Jacob. 2. Nec evadent hunc ictum censores cùm hunc locum pro suo more de declaratione justificationis intelligendum esse dicunt i.e. It is so far from being absurd that a man is justified by works that it is most true and the express words of the Apostle James which cannot be evaded by interpreting them of declarative Justification Thus we see that the Arminians meant the same thing when they said the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere the Act and Work of Faith it self doth justifie us that our late Authors do when they ascribe Justification to Faith and Obedience both agree that Faith in its usual acceptation and full latitude comprehendeth assent and obedience to the whole Gospel and that thus it justifies and no other way and in this how the Remonstrants do conspire with the Socinians Peltius doth clearly demonstrate ut supra which also the Arminians do not deny as in their Apology Si quis dicat hanc sententiam Quod Fides quà tenus viva est justificat esse ipsissimam Socini sententiam is dato quod id verum sit necesse est ut fateatur tandem Socinum hac in parte conspirare cum reformatis Ecclesiis quoad substantiam ipsam i.e. If any man say that this is Socinus's Doctrine he must confess that Socinus doth so far agree with the Reformed Churches in substance And this also seemeth to have been the true sence of Pelagius vid. Vos Hist Pelag lib. 3. par 1. viz. That men are justified and saved by their acknowledging and obeying the Gospel for as much as he taught that under the Gospel men were saved by obeying it as the Jews were by observing the Law of Moses and those before Moses by observing the Law of Nature He also ascribeth to the Death of Christ nothing but the pardon of sins acceptance with God must depend upon mens own obedience Christ helping them in it by the instructions and encouragements of the Gospel and by his own Example and this doth not much differ from the Doctrine in hand Thus we see that the First Authors of these
Justification but his granting of this Promise or Act of Grace is the true natural efficient instrumental cause of our Justification even the immediate cause If Christ's Merit was but the remote Cause of Justification then justifying Faith doth respect it but remotely as the procuring cause of the New Covenant and if the grant of an Act of Grace be the only proper and immediate Cause of Justification then Faith only respects that immediately when it justifies and so Christ only as a King or as the Enacter of a New Law Ibid. p. 27. Again he saith It is most evident in Scripture that Merit Satisfaction are but the moral remote preparatory causes of our Justification though exceeding eminent c. and that the perfecting neerer efficient causes were by other Acts of Christ and that all concurred to accomplish the work By this it appears that Justification is an Act of Christ as a King only though his Merit made way for his Kingly Power and his Prophetical teaching promoteth mans obedience that his justifying us is his acquitting us from guilt and condemnation because we have obeyed his Law or New Covenant and that obedience to that Law as obedience to a Royal Law is the condition of our Justification or the thing for which we must be justified and that Faith with these men is nothing but obedience to the Gospel-Precepts grounded upon a belief that they came from Christ and shall be rewarded according to his Promise and therefore when they contend That Faith justifieth not by one act of affiance but by all its acts they do but confound themselves and the question For even according to themselves Faith justifieth properly and immediately by one act only or under one onely notion viz. of obedience to the Gospel and that directed to Christ only as King and that the other acts of it respecting his Merit and Teaching are but accidental to it and without its notion as justifying We are then to prove that obedience to the Gospel is not the condition of our Justification though joyned with or builded upon Faith in the truth of it and thus I argue The First Argument From Rom. 4.16 17. Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the Seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the Faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all c. The Faith here spoken of is that whereby Abraham was justified and by which the Promise should be made sure to all his Seed both Jews and Gentiles which is the Promise of being blessed with him in his Seed Christ Now the Apostle saith That Justification or Blessedness comes by Faith that it might be by Grace i.e. altogether free but Justification upon the condition of obedience is not altogether free therefore justifying Faith includeth not obedience as the condition of Justification I prove the Minor thus Grace and Works are utterly inconsistent in God's dealing with Man for his Salvation For Work bring some worthiness though not strict Merit but Grace supposeth nothing but deseâ—â— of Punishment Rom. 11.6 If by grace the not of works otherways grace is no more grace Election of grace v. 5. excludeth all works why doth not Justification also if it be bâ— Grace If obedience to the Gospel be the condition of our Justification as perfect obedience to the Law of Works was formerly how is it Grace more now than it was then Did God gratiously grant the New Covenant to lost Sinners True here was Grace but when he had granted it he justifieth them only for the performance of it or their obedience to it therefore the giving of the New Covenant is of Grace but Justification by obedience to it is not of Grace but of Works Doth a New Covenant accept of imperfect obedience and carry pardon with it It doâ—â— indeed not insist upon perfect obedience to the Law of Innocency as the only way of life but it doth not dispence with or allow the breach of any of those Commands that were perpetual What then It requireth perfect and exact obedience to the Gospel and fâ—â— want of that obedience men shall be condemned there is no pardon for want of sincere obedience under the Gospel no more that there was for want of perfect obedience to Adam therefore all the mercy grace and pardon of the New Covenant lieth in relaxing the Covenant of perfect works in giving a New and somewhat Milder Covenant to men when they might have been condemned for the breach of the former but still their Justification or right to Life dependeth wholly upon their obedience to this New Covenant and so â—â— no more of Grace properly than Adam should have been But they say our obedience is performed by the efficacy of Divine Grace and therefore we may be said to be justified by Grace though by our Obedience As if the Elect Angels that stand were not justified or accepted in and by their own integrity because preserved by the Grace of God or as if Adam could not have been justifyed by keeping the Law unless he had done it meerly by his own connate strength without additions or assistance of Divine Grace throughout his Life What the Grace is which these men allow to our obedience is yet uncertain but this altereth not the nature of Justification if it be by obedience it is not of grace but of works i. e. a man is pronounced Just or Righteous for his own obedience by what principle soever it be wrought therefore the saith here spoken of neither is nor doth include obedience Again It is a Faith that the Promise may be sure or firm to all the Seed but if obedience be the condition of life the Promise cannot be sure to all or any Believers Ergò this Faith doth not include Obedience Professed Arminians grant there can be no assurance ordinarily of any particular man's Salvation yea that there is no absolute certainty thet any Man should be saved though Christ died for them all Others speak more dubiously but if Justification be suspended upon our Obedience to the Gospel to our lives end it cannot be certain to any Man that he shall be justifyed and saved till he be out of the World there may be indeed an objective certainty of the Promise in general viz. He that obeyeth to the End shall be saved but thus the promise to Adam was as certain viz if he had obeyed perfectly to the End he should thereby be justifyed but here was a Promise to Abraham That he and his Seed should be blessed and this Promise was not made to the Works of the Law but to the Faith of Abraham and his Seed that the promise might be certain i. e. that they should certainly attain the promised blessedness and by no means fall short of it but this certainty comes not from persevering Obedience which is it self uncertain Ergò
〈◊〉 are reputed or accepted as righteous for that Righteousness alone trusted iâ— by us upon the ground of God's own Premise of accepting us in Christ anâ— Christ's Intention of doing and suffâ—â—ring all he did for us alone to the â—â—tent that our sins should be taken awâ—â— and we are made Heirs of Eternal Lâ—â— thereby Our Opposites on the other side affâ—â—â— That Christ did not obey or suffer 〈◊〉 Penalty of the Law of Works for 〈◊〉 properly that we should be justified 〈◊〉 that Obedience or Death of his Bâ—â— that God imposed on him a certain â—â—culiar Law made up partly of the Mâ—ral Law and partly of some Speâ—â— Commands to him which he fulfillâ—â—â— as a Mediatour betwixt God and Mâ—â— God thereupon might justly and perhaps would give men as moderate 〈◊〉 easie a Law by fulfilling whereof theâ— should be saved the obedience wheâ—â— to should be their Righteousness thâ—â— which should give them right to Life Against this Opinion divers Learnâ— and Pious Men wrote in the form Generation As Mr. Caple in an Aâ—pendix to his Treatise of Temptations Mr. Anth. Burgess in his Second Part of Justification Mr. Lyford his Book against Errors Mr. Blake and reverend Mr. Norton of New-England Anno 1653 in Answer to one Mr. Pinchin who denyed the Imputation of Christ's Active and Passive Obedience â—o us or that it was performed for us â—s Obedience to the Moral Law But â—hat Christ was a Mediatorial Sacrifice for us much after the same notion that 〈◊〉 now vented of his fulfilling the Law â—f a Mediatour Which Book of Mr. Norton because it is not very common I will transcribe the Sum of it â—s it is reduced by himself into three Particulars in the Conclusion and the â—ather because it declareth the thoughts â—f the danger of this Opinion which maâ—y would persuade us differs but in words from the Orthodox and the Difference 〈◊〉 of no great consequence and that â—â—e do not rightly understand the meaning of their Authors for whom they â—ave so great reverence Like the Phyâ—â—cian who seeing in a dissected Body â—hat all the Nerves have their Original from the Brain said he should have believed it was so indeed if Aristotle 〈◊〉 not writ that they proceed from the Heaâ—â— Mr. Norton's words are Taking Heresie for a Fundamentâ—â— Error p. 267. i. e. such as whosoever â—â—â—veth and dieth in cannot be savedâ— The Dialogue containeth three Hâ—resies The first denying the Imputation of the Sin of the Elect unâ—â— Christ and his suffering the Punishment due thereto The second denying that Christ as God-man Mediator obeyed the Law and there with that he obeyed for us as ouâ— Surety The third denying the Imputation of Christ's Obedience unto Justification destroying the very Being of a Sinner's Righteousnessâ— by taking away the Obedience oâ— Christ unto the Law and Imputation which are the Matter and Form i. e. the essential Causes of Justification and placing a Sinner's Righteousness in a fictitious Atonement or Pardon of sin such as in effect manifestly doth not only deny it self to be the Effect of but denieth yea and defieth the very Being of the Mediatorial Obedience of Christ to the Law for us With him in this his apprehension concurred divers Ministers in New-England as appears by their Letter annexed to his Book which is subscribed John Cotton Rich. Mather Zech. Simmes John Willson William Thompson And having prefaced so much concerning the nature and weight of the Controversie I commend the Book to the serious consideration of the Reader and am Thine in the VVork of the Gospel J. TROUGHTON Lutherus Redivivus OR The Protestant Doctrine of Justification by Christ's Righteousness imputed to Believers Explained and Vindicated CHAP. I. The Nature of Justification explained and that it is not a meer forgiving of Sin THE Doctrine of Justification by Free Grace and the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us hath been so abundantly defended by our Protestant Writers of every Nation and every University professing the Reformed Religion that I need say little to confirm it and especially seeing I have met with nothing in our late Authors objected against it but what hath been frequently objected against it by the Papists before and as frequently answered by our Writers The chief Work is to discover the Artifice wherewith the New Doctrine of Conditional Justification is covered and made plausible whereas it is indeed the Old Popish and Arminian Doctrine of Justification by Works as I hope I have in some measure proved in the former Part. Yet that this Treatise may be compleat and that we may not seem only distruere aliena and not at all adstruere propria I shall endeavour briefly to explain the received Doctrine of Justification and imputed Righteousness And first of the Nature of Justification Our fore cited Authors and their Friends generally affirm That the Justification of a Sinner before God is nothing else but a full Pardon of all Sins both of Omission and Commission whereby all guilt and obligation to punishment being removed Man is restored ipso facto to his former State and to all those Priviledges which by Sin he forfeited This they maintain that they may the more effectually overthrow the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness supposing that if the bare Remission of Sin doth both acquit from Punishment and restore a Right to Life or Blessedness then there needeth no positive Righteousness to be imputed to intitle to life and to make us acceptable with God This is the main drift of Mr. Hotchkis his Book about Imputation of Righteousness Great Propi p. 110. c. and is largely prosecuted by Mr. Trueman not without many confident mistakes But this Opinion overthroweth their own Doctrine of Justification upon condition of our Obedience as well as ours of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and more which I thus prove Meer Pardon of Sin is nothing else but a Discharge from the Process of the Law that a Man should not suffer the Penalties of it but enjoy quietly his former freedom and priviledges notwithstanding his Offences Now this Discharge requireth no Righteousness at all our own no more than Christs This Pardon makes a Man righteous in the Law they say i. e. The Law hath no more to do with him or to say against him he is as free from all condemnation as if he were innocent and had fulfilled the Law Hence it follows that a Man is justified without the intervening condition of his own Obedience If any positive righteousness be necessary to pardon it is not meer pardon And why may not Christ's Righteousness imputed be joyned with and be the Cause of Pardon as well as our own sincere Obedience To say a Man is justified upon the condition of Gospel Obedience which is our Inherent Righteousness and that he is justified by the bare Remission of Sins is a Contradiction Moreover these Authors do acknowledge that Christ merited the Pardon of Sin so that a Sinner is
excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus c. that I may win Christ and be found in him c. From hence it appeareth that the Apostle speaks of Justification by Christ in opposition to being justified by any thing else and of rejoycing in him contrary to any rejoycing in our selves In the 9th v. therefore he opposeth being found in Christ to having his own Righteousness which is of the Law sc of any works whatsoever and explaineth it by having the Righteousness of Faith the Righteousness which is of God by Faith What can the Righteousness of God mean when opposed to his own Righteousness of the Law but either the Righteousness of him which is God or a Righteousness which God provideth for him and which he did not work himself which is Christ's Also the Righteousness of Faith is opposed to the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of God by Faith opposed to the same Righteousness of the Law must be a Righteousness which God gives us by believing and this is the Righteousness of Christ imputed Object It is excepted By the Law he means the Jewish Law and by his own Righteousness he means that which was his own when a Jew Hotchkis p. 190. not that which was his own when a Convert to the Christian Faith and that the things there opposed are Judaism and Christianity or Judaical Observances and the practical knowledge of Christ so that our own Evangelical Righteousness is not there opposed to the Obedience of Christ 1. Answ If the Apostle here only compare the Jewish and Christian Religion then all he meaneth is that the Christian Religion is far more excellent than the Jewish but he cannot oppose them properly in the matter of Justification For the sincere Practice of the Jewish Religion did justifie the Jews according to this opinion as well as the Practice of Christian Religion justified Christians Yea methinks these Authors who some of them can allow the Idolatrous Heathens to be justified by their obedience to the Law of Nature and hope in God's Mercy though they have no express knowledge of Christ should not deny that Jews may be saved by their Religion and their Hope in the Messias if they be only ignorant who he is and not malicious against him If so there must be more meant by opposing Faith to the Works of the Law then the Law meerly as Jewish 2ly The Apostle doth not only renounce the Works of the Jewish Law but all other things which may be thought matter of confidence in our selves v. 8. 3ly There is the same reason for the renouncing Christian as Jewish Works in Justification and those are Works of the Flesh when trusted and rejoyced in as well as these For the Moral Law is the same to Christians as it was to the Jews and all the Evangelical Precepts were the same to the Jews as to us if then they could not justifie them they cannot justifie us But if this Author intend only the Ceremonial Law it is contrary to the Text for after mention of the External Rights and Privileges the Apostle saith He was blameless as touching the Righteousness of the Law which must mean the Moral Law and the Ceremonial Law when in force had its part in justifying as well as the Moral and now it is abrogated it cannot be damning if practised out of ignorance only Acts 21.20 c. But that the Righteousness of the Law here doth by parity of reason exclude Christian Obedience from Justifying is thus proved This is not the Righteousness of God sc of God's providing but our own Righteousness as well as Jewish Obedience was It is also the righteousness of a Law the Gospel Law though not the Jewish Law Melanct. in Rom. p. 8. Vocari lex debet ubicunque praecepta leguntur sive in libris Mosis sive in libris Apostolorum c. And further It is not the righteousness of Faith or by Faith any more than the Works of Jews For No Law is of Faith but be that doth it shall live by it Gal. 3.12 It is spoken immediately of the Jewish Law but the Reason extendeth it to every Law he that is justified by obedience to any Law liveth by it is justified by doing it not by believing And it may be said of the Gospel in our Authors Sence He that doth it shall live by it as truly as of the Law of Moses or Adam It hath also been shewed that the Law hath some Faith joyned with it viz. the trust to be justified by performing that Law and therefore when doing and believing are opposed as irreconcileable extreams in Justification believing must mean a trust in anothers Righteousness not in our own for that is doing and thus the righteousness of Faith here excludeth all our own Works therefore must be the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us Add to all this That the Apostle in this place doth not speak of Christian Religion as this Author saith or of the Doctrine of Christ but of his Person and what he wrought for us For having exprest his desire of being found in him not having his own righteousness c. he subjoyneth immediately v. 10 11. That I may know him and the Power of his Resurrection and the Fellowship of his Sufferings c. If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead And v. 12. That I might apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ These things concern Christ himself not the Precepts of his Religion Object The general Evasion whereby those men wave the force of these and the like Scriptures is this Hotchkis p. 44 c. That Christ's Righteousness or Obedience is ours in the Fruits and Effects of it but not our Righteousness properly viz. That Christ's Righteousness is not that for which we are accepted of God immediately Trueman Gr. Prop. p. 116. but that it is the morally efficient or meritorious Cause of our Righteousness i. e. that we shall be accepted with God if we fulfill the Commands of the Gospel because Christ hath removed the Old Covenant of Works and purchased this New Covenant for us 1. Answ Here it may not be amiss to advertise the Reader of the equivocation that lies in these Words especially as used by some Authors whereby they hide their sence and deceive many sc when they oppose the Imputation of Christs righteousness to the Fruits and Effects of it which with us are not opposite For by imputation of his righteousness we do not mean that Christs righteousness is transferred to us and made inherently ours or that we can be denominated righteous by it as if we had wrought that righteousness but we mean that for the obedience of Christ God doth immediately pardon and justifie them that trust in it and give them a right to all the Fruits of it as truly and validly as if it were their own personal righteousness so that God doth
that Book which is misrepresented Chap. 22. he proposeth the Question de Just habit actual Whether we are justified by the Obedience or Righteousness of Christ imputed to us and that be the formal cause of Justification Where he explaineth the Nature of Justification of Imputation the Righteousness of Christ and the Formal Cause of Justification in the same terms as we do and without any difference in sence He gives us the Sum in these words p. 313. Vno verbo utcunque Deus sanctificatos nos reputat at que inchoatè justos per impressam inhaerentem qualitatem justitiae tamen justificatos i.e. à peccatis absolutos ad vitam aeternam acceptatos per propter justitiam Mediatoris nobis ab ipso Deo donatam hac side spiritúque applicatam i.e. Though God reputeth us inchoatively righteous or holy by the habit of holiness wrought in us yet he accounts us justified acquitted from sin and accepted to life by and for the Righteousness of Christ given to us by God and applyed by his Spirit and our Faith Then he layers down two Propositions opposite to the Papists which he pursueth to the 30th Chapter The one excludeth Works as the Papists maintain them the other affirmeth that the most perfect Obedience of Jesus Christ dwelling in us and uniting himself to us is the formal cause of our Justification for as much as it is made ours by Faith and by the Gift of God Prop. 1. Christi Mediatoris in nobis habitantis atque per spiritum sese nobis unientis perfectissima obedientia Ibid. est formalis causa justificationis nostrae utpote quae ex donatione Pei applicatione fidei fit nostra Observe he doth not say Christ's righteousness doth in some sence justifie us or is ours for or in some effects but he saith we are justified for that very righteousness or obedience of Christ this is the form whereby we are made righteous or justified in opposition to our own Holiness and that because it is our righteousness from Gods Gift from our Union to Christ and Faith in him and then he lays down the contrary Position of the Papists to be refuted and answereth their Calumnies against our Doctrine of Imputation which are much the same that are scattered in our late Authors The Proposition is Thesis 2. Papistarum Mediatoris obedientia sive justitia non donatur aut applicatur credentibus vice aut per modum causae formalis Ibid. cujus virtute fiducia stant justificati aut Deo ad aeternam vitam acceptati The Bishop goes on and Chap. 24. answereth 11 Arguments of Bellarmin against Imputation mostly the same with those alledged Chap. 4th Chap. 25. ut supra he answereth Bellarmins Citations out of the Fathers against the same Doctrine Chap. 27. He further explaineth the Nature of Imputation and what we mean by a Formal Cause just as we do Chap. 28. He proveth that Christ's Righteousness is imputed as that very Righteousness which justifieth us which he doth by 11 Arguments and by all the same Scriptures out of the New Testament which have been cited above Chap. 3. and by some others all in the same sence which we take them Chap. 29. He alledgeth the Fathers for our Doctrine Chap. 30. He refuteth the Papists slanders in saying that this Doctrine taketh away the necessity of good works where he hath this memorable passage concerning the difference of the two Covenants Lex in conditione operum vitam habet ipsam vim formam icti faederis p. 396. at Evangelium in Mediatoris sanguine fide apprehenso collocat ipsam vim formam operum autem conditionem annectit ut subservientem huic faederi Evangelico non ut continentem aut constituentem ipsum faedus i. e. the Covenant of Works includeth Works in the very form of it as the conditions of that Govenant but the Gospel placeth the form and force of the Covenant in Faith in the Bloud of Christ but that it subjoyneth works as a subservient condition not as containing any part of the Covenant Can any thing be more contrary to the Doctrine we oppose that the Gospel is a Covenant of sincere Obedience and that Obedience is the condition of the new Covenant whereby we must be justified In all this here is not a word favouring this new Opinion Chap. 31. There is something which may bare a colour of some approbation of this Doctrine but it is but a colour He saith that Works are in some sort necessary to Justification and Salvation but that the term necessary ought not to be used in Disputes with Papists or in Discourses to the People lest they ascribe too much to them Concl. 2 3. And in the 4th he saith No works are necessary neither Legal nor Evangelical p. 402. as a Meritorious Cause but conditions of the Covenant are a meritorious cause Nulla opera bona sunt renatis ad salutem aut justificationem necessaria si per necessaria intelligamus sub ratione causae meritoriae necessaria dico nulla ut excludam non solummodò opera legalia sed etiam opera inchoatae justificationis And then Concl. 5th he saith Bona quaedam opera sunt necessaria ad justificationem p. 403. ut conditiones concurrentes vel praecursoriae ut dolere de peccato detestari peccatum consimilia i. e. Some good works are necessary to Justification though not as efficient and meritorious causes yet as previous or concomitant conditions such as sorrow for sin humiliation begging of mercy hoping in it and the like But by this he meaneth not that these dispositions have any direct influence on Justification it self but that they fit the Justified Person to use and improve his Justification This we all acknowledge that ordinarily in persons that can use their reason there are such ministerial preparations both for conversion and justification and yet they are the causes of neither Nor doth this hinder but that God may extraordinarily sometimes work Grace infuse Faith and justifie men without such previous dispositions The reason following shews this was the Bishop's sence For God saith he doth not justifie Stocks and Beasts but Men and those humble contrite and tractable to his Word and Spirit Ibid. Divina enim misericordia non justificat stipites h. e. nihil agentes neque equos mulos h. e. recalcitantes libidinibus suis obstinatè adhaerescentes sed homines eosdémque compunctos contritos ac verbi spiritúsque divini ductum sequentes vid. plura To make it more plain he adds When we say things are necessary it doth not presently follow that they are necessary as causes but for orders sake Not andum quandò dicimus aliquid necessarium ad hoc vel illud obtinendum p. 404. ex ipsa vi verborum non ninuitur necessitas causalitatis sed ordinis Ibid. Concl. 6th he saith further Good works are necessary to
promised life by it 〈◊〉 to use the Ordinances and promised grace by them and that in believing him we shall have life everlasting So Faith as the rest is Gods instrument as to appointment anâ— success ours as to the use and practice of it 〈◊〉 only it is not proper to call it a passive instrument as some do or to say it justifies passively whose mistake is rather in the term thaâ— in the sence For Faith is a Moral not 〈◊〉 proper Physical instrument which only can be passive Again a passive instrument is thaâ— which hath no activity at all but is meerly used by the Agent in his action as a Knife Saw or the like but Faith justifieth actively or as a grace whereby the whole Soul understanding the promise of pardon in Christ accepts it trusteth in it expecteth Salvatioâ— only that way now this is a moral reception or acceptation of and dependance upon Christ in the Promise not a Physical passiveness as the term seems to imply We are now to prove That we are thus justified by Faith as hath been laid down because though the Scripture is full and express for it in many places yet other sences are now put upon them Argument 1. Faith is the means of obtaining all particular merits both spiritual and temporal only by trusting in the promise of them hence blessedness is ascribed to trusting in God Ps â—4 13 and many times God delivered men because they trusted in him 2 Chr. 20.20 Obedience qualifies and fits the subject to receive â—ercies but still Faith is supposed as that â—hich giveth right to mercies The Vertues 〈◊〉 Unbelievers have no promise the promise to Faith therefore Justification also comâ—â— by Faith in the Promise of pardon for â—ere is the same reason for all the Promises â—aith as faith obtain other Promises why â—t this also besides the Promise of Justification is the foundation of all the rest and â—â—udes them virtually therefore if Faith enâ—â—le to all other Promises and Mercies much â—â—re to this nay Faith in particular Promiâ—â— obtains mercy chiefly upon this account â—â—cause it hath first obtained reconciliation â—â—h God and the promise of his love in Christ for upon this all promises are founded and true trusting in them doth suppole our trusting in God first for Justification yea is a secondary act of the same Faith 2 Cor. 1.24 Argument 2. As Abraham was so are all men justified Gal. 3.7 8 9. all Believers are his Seed anâ— blessed with him and in the same way buâ— Abraham was justified by Faith as it is a trusting in the promise of God viz. a promisâ—â— that he and all the World should be blesseâ— in Christ Ergò That Abraham was thus justified the Apostle affirms Gal. 3.6 He believed and it was imputed to him for righteousness and this believing is opposed to seeking righteousness by the works of the Law v. 10. Thsy that are of the Law are not blessed with Abraham but under the Curse because thâ—â— keep not the whole Law which comprehenâ—â— the Moral as well as Ceremonial thereforâ— faith as trusting in the promise justified himâ— Moreover Christ redeemed us from the Cuâ—â— of the Law that we might receive the promiâ—â— of the Spirit by Faith v. 13 14. Vnto Abraham and his Seed were the Promises made v. 1â— and the Inheritance is not of the Law but 〈◊〉 Promise v. 18. The Faith then that justifiâ—â— Abraham was a trust in Gods Promises contradistinct to obedience to the Law or Commands If you ask what Promise I answer v. 17. directe us to it The Law was 400 〈◊〉 30 years after the Covenant or Promise whiâ—â— points at the time when Abraham was first â—alled and of the Promise made to him then â—nd to all Nations in him Gen. 12.1 2 3. by believing that promise Abraham was justified â—nd his faith in the promise of a Son mentioned above Chap. 15.6 and Rom. 4. was but a subsequent act of his justifying faith and its â—eing imputed for righteousness Vid. Prest On the Cov. Serm. 11. but an instance or evidence that his faith in the promise of being blessed in Christ did justifie him before God Argument 3. The Just shall live by Faith Habak 2.4 The Prophet spoke it immediately concerning temporal deliverance in publick calamities but these deliverances to the Children of God are tokens and fore-runners of deliverance from the Wrath to come and effects of their reconciliation with God therefore â—s it is usual in the New Testament to apply such promises to spiritual things so the Apostle applieth this of the Prophet to Justification wherefore as to live in the Prophet principally signified preservation from the temporal effects of the wrath of God so with the Apostle it signifieth to be delivered from eternal wrath and eternal death by the special favour of God i. e. to be justifyed now this he ascribes to Faith only Rom. 1.17 where he proveth that the Gospel is the power of God to Salvatian in them that believe because therein is the righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith which is further confirmed because the Just shall live bâ— Faith it is believing then that saves meâ— and faith that makes them partakers of thâ— Righteousness of God revealed in the Gospel therefore by that they live i. e. are justified and yet more express Gal. 3.11 The Apostle proves by this Text That a Man cannot be justified by his Works and thinketh it aâ— Argument above exception but that no maâ— is justified by the Law in the sight of God it 〈◊〉 evident for the Just shall live by Faith Argument 4. To be justified by Faith is directly opposed to Justification by Works and by ouâ— own Righteousness therefore Faith justified only by trusting in Gods Mercy through Chrisâ— The Antecedent is the Apostles Rom. 10.5 6. The Righteousness of the Law saith That hâ— that doth them shall live in them but the righteousness of Faith saith If thou believe in thy heart that God raised Christ from the dead thou shalt be saved v. 9. likewise Gal. 3.10 having said the Just shall live by Faith he adds the Law is not of Faith but the Man that doth them shall live by them therefore Man cannot be justified by the Works of the Law iâ— must be by Faith only will they again sayâ— that these places only exclude the works oâ— the Ceremonial Law Surely Moses in the place cited Lev. 18.5 speaketh of the whole Law given to the Jews as the context sheweth and as it is interpreted by the Prophet Ezekiel 20.13 Or will they say that only perfect Works and the Law of innocency are excluded not imperfect sincere Obedience Ans If any works justifie they must be perfect else there must be a conjunction of Gods mercy and Mans own works to justifie him and so a Medium betwixt Justification by Faith and by Works even to be justified by both together and so the Apostle argues imperfectly yea
falsly à malè divisis ad benè conjuncta we are justified by Faith Ergò not by works nay it may be by both together Argument 5. We are justified freely by Gods grace therefore by faith as a trust in the Promise The Antecedent is the Apostles Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ the Consequence is his also for he adds God hath set forth him to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Bloud likewise Rom. 4.16 It is by Faith that it may be by Grace If we are justified by Obedience to any Commands as Obedience then may we be justified by grace in part there may be some mercy in it but not freely by his grace Faith only accepteth Salvation as a gift of meer grace pleading nothing but the free Promise of God in which it trusts and Faith only applyeth the Righteousness of God by trusting in it but Obedience be it what it will provides a Righteousness of our own and hereby only is all the glory of our Salvation ascribed to God when we trust to nothing of our own in any sort But Christ is Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption to us which is by Faith only 1 Cor. 1.30 31. For obedience as obedience brings something to God and doth not receive from him and some of the Glory is due to it Argument 6. The Spirit is given by Faith as affiance to trust therefore we are justified by it The consequence is gathered hence the Spirit is the Author of all Grace in the Sanctified and of useful gifts both in them and in the unsanctified for the edifying of the Church both these are means of fitting men for Heaven If then Faith obtain the means surely it obtaineth a Right and Title to Heaven first The Antecedent is the Apostles Gal. 3.2 in a question importing a negation as to Works and an affirmation as to Faith Received you the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith And v. 5. He that ministreth the Spirit and worketh miracles amongst you doth he it by the Works of the Law or by the preaching of Faith The former words I understand of the Graces the latter of the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost but doth come not by preaching obedience to the Law but the Promises of the Gospel Again v. 14. We receive the Promise of the Spirit by Faith now here they cannot say the Apostle opposeth the works of the Law to the works of the Gospel implied in Faith as they do sometimes For those he disputes against were believing Jews and such as pretended the Authority at least the Example of Peter and John for their Doctrine as appears Chap. 2. and Acts 15.5 These did not exclude the works of the Gospel but meant that men should be saved by believing in Christ and fulfilling the Precepts of the Law and Gospel and differed nothing from our late Authors in this point but in that they accounted the Ceremonial Law still to oblige Gal. 1.6 7. I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the Grace of Christ unto another Gospel which is not another but there are some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ If they had contended for the works of the Law distinct from the Gospel it had been another Gospel they had preached their Doctrine therefore was a mixture of Faith and Works Nor is it the Ceremonial Law only whose works are excluded For these Teachers endeavoured that the Gentiles should be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses Act. 15.5 the whole Law which is also opposed to the Promise made to Abraham by which he and his Seed were justified Gal. ◠16 17. Ceremonies indeed are particularly instanced in because men put most trust in them whether appointed by God or devised by themselves and chiefly because they were the bond and badge of the whole Law Gal. 5.3 I testifie to every man if he be circumcised he is a Debtor to keep the whole Law It is therefore Justification by obedience to God's Commands as well as believing in Christ ushered in by imposing the Jewish Ceremonies which the Apostle disputes against in this Epistle and against which he proves We are justified by Faith in the Promises Argument 7. Miraculous Faith as trusting in the Promise and Power of God obtaineth miraculous Effects therefore Faith in the Promise of Pardon obtains Justification The Antecedent is frequently laid down in the Gospel Thy Faith hath saved thee thy Faith hath made thee whole be it unto thee according to thy Faith And that general Promise Mat. 17.20 If you have Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you shall say to this Mountain Remove to yonder place and it shall obey you and nothing shall be impossible for you The consequence is thus proved The Faith of Miracles as in the unsanctified it was an extraordinary degree of common or notional Faith so in the Godly it was but an extraordinary degree of that sound Faith which justifies them We have no reason to make it a distinct gift or grace no more than that Faith whereby we believe particular promises in spiritual or temporal things should be distinct from the Faith of the Pardon of Sin Now then if a trusting in extraordinary promises will procure these extraordinary effects thereby promised by the same reason trusting in the Promise of Justification should be effectual to justifie us Argument 8. Ex opposito If Faith doth not justifie as trust in the Promise but Obedience with it and as a part of Obedience then it may be said truly and properly there is Justifying Repentance Justifying Love to God and our Neighbour Justifying Patience c. as well as Justifying Faith in that we are justified by them as well as by Faith but the Scripture is silent to any such thing Nor will it serve to say Faith justifieth principally and primarily works secondarily and less principally and therefore it is ascribed only to Faith For besides that we must not distinguish where the Scripture doth not Works in their intrinsecal value are much more excellent than Faith To believe the Scriptures or trust in a Promise is of it self the meanest lowest Act that man can perform to God and which he doth only for his own good but in Obedience man denieth himself and seeketh only the Honour of God And if you say as a condition Faith is principal Works less principal I answer It is strange that the less considerable thing should have the greatest weight laid upon it But let it be shewed how Faith doth reconcile us to God more than Love and Obedience till then we may look upon this distinction but as an old Popish Evasion revived CHAP. VIII Objections against this Doctrine answered IT is objected by a late Author Object 1. If we are justified by trusting in the Mercy of God through the Bloud of Christ then the whole
end of justifying Sinners is to glorifie the Mercy of God without providing for the Honour of his Justice or Holiness both which seem better secur'd if Justification depend upon man's works as well as faith that he cannot be reconciled to God without a holy life as well as believing in Christ For thus God would appear not only merciful but just and holy also in that he will not pardon Sinners but in a way of holiness Answ 1. The Justice and Holiness of God were abundantly declared in exacting satisfaction to the Law of Jesus Christ his obedience and death did more declare and vindicate the Justice and Holiness of God infinitely more than the worthless imperfect obedience of men can do Hereby it was declared That God would not justifie Sinners but in a way of Holiness and perfect obedience to his Law There was perfect holiness and justice towards Christ though infinite Mercy towards Sinners Though man be justified by Faith not by Holiness yet he is not saved without Holiness it is that which qualifies him to receive the Kingdom and Faith also procureth and obtaineth his Holiness For we believe not in Christ for pardon only but for grace to bring us to glory Nor doth Christ purchase oâ— God promise pardon only but grace and power to obey him He gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purchase to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 So then Faith trusting in God's mercy and free grace supposeth for its foundation the Obedience of Christ whereby God's Justice and Holiness hath been highly glorified and also obtaineth for men by and from Jesus Christ the Spirit of Adoption by whom they shall in due time be make conformable to the Image of his own Son and so more excellently holy than they would have been if they had not sinned Therefore in justifying a Sinner in the whole design Holiness and Justice are as much magnified as Mercy though Mercy only appear in the Act of justifying him without his own Righteousness This Doctrine seems to lead to Enthusiasm Object 2. If there be nothing for man to do that he may be justified but only to believe in God's Mercy and Christ's Righteousness then may they fancy themselves justified when they please and if this Faith must be wrought by God then must men onely expect till God will infuse Faith and so justifie them What use then of the preaching of the Gospel Answ For Fancy May not men as well fancy their obedience to be sincere and their works â—o be such as argue them good Christians and give them hopes to be saved yea do not most men thus think and profess If works must be tried by the Scriture so must faith also and â—hen this is no more liable to fancy than the â—ther Answ 2. For Enthusiasm which is nothing else but infusion or inspiration of something into the Mind we grant all the godly do injoy it in the working and increase of supernatural grace and so must our Opposites also unless they will turn down right â—elagians and say That all Grace is the meer work of Nature and Reason Thus Enthusiasm follows from the Doctrine of Supernatural Grace whether we be justified â—y Faith or Obedience But Enthusiasm is were taken in the worst sence and so the meaning must be The Doctrine of Justification by Faith doth necessarily lead to ungrounded unwarranted Enthusiasm Now this may be reduced to two sorts for matter and for manner for matter when men pretend Inpiration of God for things contrary to â—cripture which God hath given as a standing rule to the Worlds end for manner â—hen Inspirations are expected to exclude and â—upersede the use of reason Scripture and â—ll Divine Ordinances these are properly called Enthusiasts who pretend to these Now our Doctrine of Faith naturally leads to neither of these Not to the first in the matter for faith apprehends resteth only upon the Promises revealed in the Scripture out of that it seeâ—eth nothing for its foundation and that somâ— Antinomians have leaned to unwarranted Revelations and Fancies is no more a natural consequence of Justification by Faith thaâ— the Papists pretending Revelation for Image worship and many of their Will-worship do naturally flow from from the Doctrine 〈◊〉 Justification by Works Not the second 〈◊〉 the manner We are so far from teachingâ— That men must expect Faith to be wrought oâ— increased without the use of means appointed that on the contrary we say with thâ— Scripture That faith cometh by hearing anâ— hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.15 Thaâ— God requires men to know understand anâ— meditate on his Word to use their Reason Conscience and Affections and while they thuâ— do he inspires faith into his Elect which enables them to do it effectually and savingly much like as our Saviour John 9. made Clay anointed the Eyes of the blind man with iâ— sent him to wash in the Pool of Siloam anâ— while he thus did by his divine Power he restored his Sight The same also may be said if we must be saved by our Obedience wâ— may sit still and expect God to work all 〈◊〉 us unless they will say we need no supernatural Grace or at least that it depended on and followeth the Will of man Enthusiasms therefore are the abuses not the just consequences of this Doctrine It is objected If we be justified by Faith only Object 3. then there need be no care of good works Answ This follows as much as that objected to the Apostle Rom. 3.8 We are slanderously reported to say let us do evil that good may come of it and Rom. 6.1 Let us continue in sin that grace may abound Surely there is more shew of reason to say if we are justified by free grace only then no matter though we sin grace will be but the more magnified in our forgiveness than to say Because God justifies freely through Faith therefore we need need not care to please him The Apostle was not moved to mitigate this Doctrine for the said slanders Ungodly men will speak and act according to their own lusts whatever their Opinions be and Calvin observes among the Papists as we may the same among Protestants that none are more zealous maintainers of Justification by good Works than they who have fewest good works to shew it seems therefore that the Doctrine of Justification by Works is not such a real incentive to holiness as some men think but rather that the Doctrine of Justification by Faith crosseth corrupt nature more and stirs up to more deep and inward holiness else why should profane Wits and unsanctified hearts so generally oppose it But that this Doctrine doth not naturally lead to unholiness but to most strict and spiritual holiness may thus appear 1. As Faith trusteth in the promise of eternal life it doth naturally stir up men to use all means to attain that and
be saved and former sins forgiven but if we fail as we may both the Curse of the Law and the Condemnation of the Gospel will fall upon us all this while we are but Probationers for life and all God's kindnesses to us spiritual and temporal are merciful encouragements to us but not the Effects of reconciliation 2ly Not the present favour of God God indeed out of his infinite goodness bestoweth many blessings for our present comfort to own and to encourage obedience but they proceed not from the Love of a Father to Children the greatest inward comfort and joys of the Godly cannot be tokens of fatherly love or certain special favour For Adoption doth certainly presuppose Justification God must 1st justify us before he be our Father and so accept our persons before he accept our obedience as the service of Children but obedience to the end being the condition of our Justification neither Justification nor Adoption nor the special Fruits of it can take place in this life and I think none will say we have inchoate adoption for God to be our Father and we to be his Children in this life imperfectly and when our obedience is compleat that Relation will be consummate also 3ly Nor joy in the hope of Glory for upon the uncertain condition of obedience which no man can be sure by this Doctrine that he shall persevere in a man can have at the most but a good probability of his Salvation mixed with fear and danger and this fear will be the greater the more serious men be and apprehensive how hard it is to enter in at the strait Gate what room then is there for great Joy and even boasting in the hope of Glory 4ly Nor joy in Tribulations Afflictions by this Doctrine are accounted some part of the curse fruits of vindicative Justice we must bear them Num. 196 197. but what great comfort can there be in them How can we be sure that they shall not sift out our Grace rather than our Chaff and that we shall have a blessed Issue of them seeing we have no Promise of any such thing but what depends only upon the condition of our own obedience 5ly Nor can the heart be filled with the sence of God's Love The largest apprehensions of the general offers of mercy and love though they may calm the Soul yet cannot make it joyful under afflictions nor fill it with joy and peace in believing and if there be a sence of Gods particular eternal love to us sealing to redemption and swallowing up all fears and the sence of other troubles as cannot be denied to have been in many Martyrs and some other Godly persons this must suppose their Salvation to be out of danger and not to depend upon conditions not yet fulfilled If Christians do here receive in some sort the end of their Faith the Salvation of their Souls and rejoyce even with joy unspeakable and full of glory and can be thankful for it then the finishing of their obedience is not the condition of it but it comes by believing 1 Pet. 1.8 9. Argument 5. If we are justifyed by obedience to the Gospel or obedience be the condition of our Justification which is all one then it may be truly said we are justifyed by love patience by self-denyal and every other grace as well and as much as by faith For these in habit and exercise are the parts of Gospel-obedience and Faith it self is but a part of the same and in it self not so noble and excellent a part as Love and some other Graces but the Scripture is wholly silent of any such matter We are never said to be justifyed by Love Patience c. but always by Faith and when it is once said Jam. 2. A man is justified by works and not by faith only Justification is taken improperly viz. That a man cannot be a true Christian and saved by Faith which brings not forth obedience If they say that it must be taken properly and that works in general include every particular Grace and so we may be said to be justifyed by them severally in part I demand how faith is opposed to works in justifying in the Apostle's Dispute about it in the Epistle to the Romans and Galatians Doth Faith signifie obedience to the Gospel flowing from Faith or a belief of it and Works perfect obedience to the Law Thus they say but I would fain know why obedience to the Gospel should be called Faith rather than obedience to the Law for Faith had as great aâ— part in it and as great influence upon that obedience as upon Gospel-obedience Adam that he might have kept the Law of God perfectly must have perfectly believed the Existence and Nature of God his Authority over him that this Law was from him that it was just and good for him to obey that the Promises and Threatnings annexed would be certainly fulfilled as there was occasion and then in the course of his Obedience he must have trusted in God for the fulfilling of every Promise which concerned each part of his Obedience and moreover that he should be happy â—â— he did persevere to the end Now Gospel-Faith according to this Doctrine doth no more it believeth that Jesus Christ is King and Saviour that he gave the Gospel as his Will and Law that if we keep it to the end we shall be saved that all the Promises and Threatnings of it in the general shall be performed and in particular as there is occasion for them in our lives only this Faith is imperfect as well as our obedience mixed with unbelief and subject to wavering why then may not Faith comprehend perfect as well as imperfect obedience or why should the latter be called Faith in opposition to the former if it be said Gospel-Faith doth also include a belief of the Pardon of Sin which Adam's Faith did not I Answer The addition of one new partial object alters not the nature of the habit Faith is Faith still though it believe some particulars under the Gospel which it did not extend to under the Law as it did then extend to some particular v. 9. perfect freedom from all trouble in the continuance of innocency which it doth not believe under the Gospel but perhaps belief of pardon may be the reason why it may be opposed to perfect works it may be the reason why imperfect works and the Faith joyned with them may be opposed to perfect works and their faith but it can be no reason why imperfect works should be called faith simply without any limitation and perfect works be called works simply as if they included no Faith Moreover the belief of pardon in the Gospel is but accidental by this Doctrine â—â— for eternal life is promised to sincere Obedience to the Precepts of the Law the direct and principle object of Gospel Faith here iâ— the promise of life to Obedience i. e. if they obey the Gospel sincerely they
shall be saved and this was the nature of Adam's Faith to believe if he obeyed perfectly he should be saved now it is accidental to this that men be sinners and need pardon and so must believe that they shall be pardoned and yet with these men Pardon is nothing but nolle punire that God will not condemn foâ— sin and thus when we believe God will save us if we obey sincerely we do consequently and implicitely believe he will not condemn us i. e. will pardon us all our sins but thiâ— is implicite and indirect therefore the belief of Pardon cannot be a reason why Gospel Obedience should be called Faith and opposed to the Works of the Law Argument 6. If Faith and Obedience be the Condition of Justification then the great falls of the godly such especially as wast Conscience and make a breach upon their sincerity must interrupt their Justification and bring them into a state of damnation so that their only remedy must be to begin their Repentance and Obedience a new and if they have not time to do that but should die in their sin or senselesness after it they must perish for ever but we do not find in Scripture any word of this We read of the fall of some as Noah Lot Sampson and read nothing of their recovery and yet no question made of their Salvation We read also of David's and Peter's Repentance and their great Sorrow yet not that they reckoned themselves under condemnation We find David and others in the Psalms and Prophets much complaining of their Sins and Afflictions the fruit of them of the want of God's Favour and Presence yet they call him their God and beg the restoring of his Favour that he would not take his Spirit utterly from them Psal 51.11 12. All their Complaints and Prayers argue want of present fense of God's Favour and the quicknings of his Spirit not that they were utterly out of favour or a reconciled state It is true it is not safe for young or unexperienced Christians when guilty of foul sins or great decays of Zeal to retain mueh confidence of their good state but rather to remember from whence they are fallen and to repent and do their first works because they may be easily mistaken about the truth of grace when there hath been but little proof of it but well-rooted and experienced Christians upon their miscarriages are not bound to question their Justification but to humble themselves greatly for abusing the grace and kindness of God and submit to his fatherly correction and should they doubt as some do yet is not that the best and most proper motive to humble and recover them but rather a discouragement and hinderance Fear of Hell and such like Motives work best upon the unexperienced and ignorant but the want of God's Presence and other effects of his Fatherly displeasure are more suitable and more effectual to grown Christians Nor doth the Scripture speak any thing of the condemnation of those that die in actual sin and either have not actual repentance or not time to make proof of the sincerity of it The young Prophet 1 King 14 and the excellent Josiah 2 Chron. 35.21 22. were both slain presently upon an act of disobedience to the express Commands of God and yet nothing is said to render their Salvation doubtful and in this case I would ask whether the habit of Faith and Obedience be utterly extinguished If not it is strange that Men should go to Hell with a real disposition to love and serve God only wanting time to recover themselves from some fall If it be extinct it is also strange that one or a few acts of sin it may be for a few moments should utterly root out grace which hath been long in planting and confirming Argument 7. Lastly If Faith and Obedience be the Condition of Justification then there is no way to comfort Consciences troubled for sin but from the evidence of their sincerity past or by telling them they must be obedient for the time to come but for the present there is no peace nor hope no though they were going out of the World This Argument is much used by our first Reformers Luther Melancthon Chemnitius c. and they thought it unanswerable viz. That however men insensible of sin might dispute for the influence of their works on Justification yet when men have sore terrors of Conscience wounded for sin neither their works past nor their promises and purposes of what they will be for the future will comfort them but only the Doctrine of Free-grace and Pardon by hoping in the Mercy of God Our Martyr Mr. Bilney hearing a Rhetorical Preacher laying great stress upon Repentance and Obedience as the only ground of hope was offended and said How uncomfortable would this Poctrine have been to me when I was in my great terrors for my fall The Consequence is undeniable If we must be justified by Obedience and that persevering to the end there is no comfort to a distressed sinner unless you can shew him that he hath sincerely obeyed sometime past and therefore is fulfilling the Condition of Justification or by telling him he must now resolve to be obedient for the future and if he do so resolve there is some probability he may be saved but there can be no good hope till after some process of time he hath evidenced the sincerity of his Obedience which should he quickly die there would be no time for therefore no to lerable ground of hope or comfort for him but a bare perhaps that his purpose of obedience may be true and sincere and so accepted for his Justification But the Scriptures teach otherways our Saviours who knew best how to speak to the Soul saith to the Paralytick Mat. 9.22 Be of good chear thy sins are for given thee and to the Woman Luke 7.48 Thy sins are forgiven thee and Peter Act 2.37 38 c. when the Jews were pricked at their hearts biddeth them repent and bâ— baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of sins and that they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost because the Promises did be long to them and their Children We see forgiveness is immediately promised to trembling souls and they are directed to hope for that and look to the Promises of it for present peace and comfort and certainly when God enlightneth the Conscience and setteth sin in order before it vid. Job 9. v. 19 to 23. and v. 13 to the end no man's sincerity will be a sufficient stay to him his obedience will appeaâ— very small not fit to be presented to God the best will cry out If thou Lord shouldâ— mark iniquity who shall stand Psal 130. v. 2â— and enter not into Judgement with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no flesh be justified Ps 143 3. And though they that be but lightly touched with sin are ready to promise great matter for the future and to quiet
themselves with that yet they that be throughly woundeâ— and humbled can never build their peace upon purposes or promises of obedience but upon the free Mercy of God in Christ from whence also they must have their power to obey or their purposes are in vain and also the acceptance and forgiveness of their poor imperfect obedience Whatever are the disputes of curious Wits or of rational Parts who would sain bring the Methods of Sovereign Grace to the Rules of Humane Reason yet I never met with any serious man nor I believe never shall who would soberly say That he expected to be saved or justified for and by his Obedience to the Gospel CHAP. X. An Answer to the Arguments for Obedience being the Condition of Justification WE come now for a close of this Work to consider the Principle Arguments that are brought to prove That Obedience to the Gospel or Faith as comprehending all Obedience is the Condition by fulfilling whereof we must be justified and it is alledged 1st That this way of Justification seemeth most rational obvious and agreeable to the whole Tenour of Scripture which maketh the Promises both of this Life and that which is to come to Obedience 1 Tim. 4.8 And that the way of Justification by trusting in the Promise of Mercy putteth some force both upon Reason and many Texts of Scripture Thus Mr. Trueman often 1st It was Melancthon's Observation Answ Lex com de isustif judic in Rom. That man's Reason which he call'd humana Philosophia doth always cherish a notion of being justified by Works and therefore Justification by Faith ever hath been and ever shall be opposed both by curious Wits and by grave Moral Men not only among Heathens but in the Church also which cometh partly from the Pride of Man who would fain be something but chiefly from the impression of the Law of Nature or Works which taught and allowed no other way of Justification and therefore men's Consciences though they hear the Letter of the Gospel do not cannot believe that they can be justifyed by Free Grace without any respect to their Works till they are inwardly persuaded by the Spirit of Christ Christ crucifyed was a stumbling Block to the Jews who trusted to the Works of the Law and Foolishness to the Greeks who thought themselves wise and rational men 1 Cor. 1.23 It is therefore no inconvenience that Justification by obedience is most agreeable to carnal and unsanctified reason and Justification by Faith not suitable to it But I suppose this Author by rational meant That the several parts and consequences of the Dostrine of Justification by Obedience did better cohere and agree together than if it were affirmed to be by Faith only Of this let the â—ious Reader that hath been sensible of sin â—â—d guilt and feelingly understands the grounds of a Christian's Hope and Peace â—â—dge They say That man being under â—rath for breaking the Law of Works destiâ—te of the Image or Grace of God did yet receive a New Law purchased by the Death â—f Christ to repent believe and obey the â—recepts of it and for so doing he should be â—â—aved his former sins forgiven yet all this â—hile he is not able to repent believe or oâ—â—y nor is there any promise that he shall be â—ade able and if he receive Grace to do this â—any measure yet it is not insured to him he may and many do lose it yea he may recover and and lose it again and if death should seise him in any of these sad intervals all his obedience profiteth nothing but he perisheth for ever if this will comfort or settle an afflicted unsettled conscience or be agreeable to the tasts any have had of the Grace oâ— God let such judge On the other side we teach That man being utterly lost by guilâ— and inability to obedience God sent his Soâ— fully and absolutely to satisfie his Justice and to purchase eternal life for as many as he had chosen This purchase he declared in the Gospel promising pardon and eternal life to alâ— that humbly fly to and trust in him for it that when his promise is published God sendetâ— forth his Spirit and perswadeth the hearts oâ— his Elect to trust in it that hereupon he giveth them pardon of all their sins and a right to eternal life for the sake of his Son's satisfaction and purchase that being thus reconciled to them he doth further make them hâ—â— Children and heirs of Glory for his Son sake and because they are his Children hâ— giveth them the Spirit of his Son to reneâ— them after his Image to continue and perseâ— grace in them and forgiveth all their infirmâ—ties and blesseth them with all temporal anâ— spiritual blessings in Christ and ordereth aâ— his providences for their good to purge oâ—â— sin and to perfect grace till at last of his Fatherly Goodness he crowns them with eternâ— life after their hard service on Earth to eâ—â— courage them in which Heaven was proposed as a Reward to them wherein is this irrational or inconsistent with it self The Scripture for the most part speaketh to the Conscience and Affections 2dly more than the Judgement and therefore handleth not things distinctly and didactically but putteth many things together saith and obedience in general or in particular duties as is most suited to practice and therefore it is no good Argument Faith and Obedience are joyned together often times as the means of Salvation without distinguishing the several Offices of each and what influence each have upon the several parts of our Salvation ergò both together and alike do justify us before God Yet it is evident from the whole Tenour of the Scripture That forgiveness of sin reconciliation peace with God hope of Heaven all come by our flying to and hope in Mercy and Grace alone This was renew'd to Adam by promise of the Seed of the Woman Gen. 3.17 And by Sacrifices in like manner renewed to Abraham by promise with the Seal of Circumcision and a more particular promise of Christ The Psalms practically exemplify That our only refuge is Free Mercy The Prophets are full of promises of Pardon of healing Backslidings Jer. 3.12 of loving freely Hos 14.4 of forgiving beyond man's thoughts Isa 54.6 7 8. and the like Our Saviour and the Apostles preached this Doctrine to convinced and humbled Sinners though they insist much upon Obedience to convince and reclaim the hypocritical backsliding Jews To the Heathens who had no excuse for sin they preached nothing but pardon at first and besides this when the Doctrine of Justification is distinctly propounded and proved it is wholly ascribed to Faith in the Promise in two most argumentative Epistles to the Romans and Galatians upon which they that would bring in obedience are fain to make a manifest force whereas we force no Scripture but explain those that speak generally by shewing the several Acts of Faith and ascribing to it and to
Lutherus Redivivus OR The Protestant Doctrine of JUSTIFICATION By Christ's Righteousness Imputed to BELIEVERS Explained and Vindicated PART II. By John Troughton Minister of the Gospel sometimes Fellow of S. John's Coll. in Oxon. Augustin Epist 105. Ad Sixtum Presbyterum Romanum Nullane ergò sunt merita Justorum Sunt planè quia justi sunt sed ut justi fierent merita non fecerunt Justi enim facti sunt cum justificati sunt sed sicut dicit Apostolus Justificati gratis per gratiam ipsius LONDON Printed for Sam. Lee near Popes-Head-Alley in Lumbard-Street 1678. THE PREFACE TO THE READER Courteous Reader IN the former Part of this Work I endeavoured to open and refute the Novel Opinion of Justification upon condition of Obedience to the Gospel Which however plausibly worded and vented is in substance no other than the Old Popish Doctrine of Merits and Justification by Works And wherein it is refin'd from the old School-Notions it cometh but so much the nearer to Socinianism from whence the whole Platform of this Doctrine was taken and differs from it very little In this present Treatise my work is to explain and confirm the Protestant Doctrine of Justification by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us by God and received by us by Faith which is denied by the Assertors of Conditional Justification They are indeed almost as loath the People should know that they deny us to be justified by the Merits or Righteousness of Christ as once Steph. Gardner was That the Doctrine of Justification by Free Grace should be preached to them And for the same Reason viz. The saving of their own Credit And hence they tell us That the Term of Imputation of Righteousness is still to be retained That Christ meriteth our Justification That he is our Legal or Pro-legal Righteousness c. They speak as like our Orthodox Divines as they can that it may not commonly appear wherein they differ Yet in all this they mean no more but that Christ by his Obedience or Death or both obtained a New Covenant for us i. e. the Evangelical Law which if we fulfill and continue in it to the end of our Lives we shall have our Sins pardoned shall be accepted and saved So that the Righteousness for which we shall be accepted and made Heirs of Eternal Life is our Obedience to the Gospel not the Obedience or Righteousness of Jesus Christ and with them the Imputing of Christ's Righteousness to us for Justification is our being justified by our own Obedience to the Gospel-Covenant which Christ procured by his Righteousness not our being justified or accepted to life for the Righteousness of Christ intended and performed immediately and only for us as all Protestants have hitherto taught except the Dutch Arminians and their Followers They do endeavour to obscure and perplex the Question what they can partly by the Rhetorical and sometimes Imprudent Expressions of Popular Preachers and Writers which ought rather to be interpreted and qualified than exagitated to the prejudice of Truth and partly by the Philosophical Notions and School-Terms accommodated to this Doctrine as well as others and too much transferred from the Schools of the Learned to the Pulpit and popular Congregations From both these they pick matters of quarrel against this received and fundamental Truth And always propose the Question in such terms that it may seem they dispute only against the Antinomians or some that have spoke too like them or else some Logical Notions and Formalities of School-Divines Amongst all that I have read with some care to know the true state of the Question and what the New Doctrine of those men is I have not met with one that doth fairly and ingenuously state the Question according to the Sence which they intend and dispute for But they always thrust in some terms lyable to exception which belong not to the substance of the Question it self e. g. They usually propound the Question thus Whether Christ's Righteousness be imputed to us so that we are accounted by God to have done and suffered all that Christ did and suffered for us whether we fulfill the Law in him and suffered the Penalty of it in him And then they infer from the Doctrine of Imputation in general what followeth only from their misrepresenting it That we satisfied for our selves obeyed and suffered for our selves were our own Mediatours and Saviours c. Which Consequences seem not only uncooth but absurd I and are readily received by the unlearned and precipitant Wits who had rather seem ingenious in finding fault with old received Doctrines than take pains to understand them throughly I have endeavoured to divest the Doctrine of Justification by Christ's Righteousness Imputed of the Additions both of School-Notions and popular Rhetorick and to present it in the plain Scriptural dress to prove it by plain Scripture and Arguments deduced thence in the three first Chapters and then to examine their Obâ—ections against it which when they are levelled against the Question as it is plainly stated are so inconsiderable that I cannot but wonder that Learned and Pious men should lay so great a stress upon them as to innovate and alter the Doctrine which all the Protestants have profest writ and died for this is done in the fourth Chapter In the fifth and sixth I examine the original and true meaning of the opposite Opinion and refute it In the rest of the Book I explain and defend the Instrumental Office of Faith in justifying us and answer the Objections against it The Question betwixt us is plainly this Whether God doth justifie Believing Sinners i. e. acquit them from Guilt and Punishment and give them a Right to Eternal Life for their own Obedience to the Gospel Or immediately for the Righteousness of Christ wrought for them and trusted in by them as it is declared in the Promises of the Gospel The former they affirm and we have disproved in the other Part The latter they deny and we affirm and â—â—ove viz. That God doth accept believing Sinners and gives them a certain grant of Eternal Life directly and immediately for the Obedience of Christ â—â—ought for them and proposed to them 〈◊〉 the Promises We say further As to impute Sin 〈◊〉 to account a man a Sinner and juâ—â—ciously to charge his Sin upon him to â—â—s Condemnation when a person hath â—â—thority to do it So to impute Righteousness is to account a man Righteous and judicially to discharge him â—â—om accusation and to grant him the â—â—ivileges and Benefits belonging to 〈◊〉 Righteous Man And therefore when righteousness is said to be imputed 〈◊〉 us without Works the meaning is â—â—at God accepteth us as Righteous â—schargeth us from all the Accusations 〈◊〉 the Law and grants us Right to all â—â—iritual Blessings without any respect 〈◊〉 our Obedience But immediately â—â—d properly for the Righteousness of â—â—rist wrought for us which is thereâ—â—re said to be imputed to us because
justified or pardoned and so restored to favour for the sake of Christs Satisfaction Doth it not then follow that the Death of Christ is the Cause of Pardon then it is not meer pardon but pardon procured or merited and if Christs Death be the meritorious cause of pardon to every Believer then it is imputed or applyed to every pardoned sinner For no cause can produce its effects without Application to the Subject in whom the effect is wrought and the Application of a meritorious cause to the Subject for whom it meriteth is Imputation or accounting that what was done by that Cause was done for that Person And thus we see this Doctrine maketh more against themselves than against us But that Justification includeth more than Pardon of Sin even a positive Righteousness whereby Man is accepted to Life Eternal I shall thus evince 1. From the Notation of the Words To Pardon is only to release from the Penalty of the Law but to Justifie is to Acquit in Judgment to discharge from guilt and accusation Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that Justifieth It is confessed that to justifie an innocent person is to acquit but to justifie a Sinner they say is only to forgive him But in what Language doth the word so signifie When the King pardoneth an Offender doth any man say doth the Law ever say the King justifies him A Brother is commanded to forgive his Brother from the Heart and so Job did no doubt forgive his Friends and yet he saith God forbid I should Justifie you Job 27. v. 4. Is any Man said to justfie him whom he pardoneth Why should the Scripture besides the familiar words of Pardoning and Forgiving use another term viz. to Justifie which in its Etymology and common use signifieth to declare Righteous and yet mean no more by Justification than bare Forgiveness 'T is said A full Pardon makes a Man righteous forasmuch as he that is discharged from all Sin is accounted not to have broke the Law and not to have broke it is all one as to have fulfill'd it But this is a mistake He that forgives an Offender does not therefore account or make him Righteous though he will not exact the Penalty of him Pardon doth suppose a Man to have been a Sinner and so it leaves him as one that hath deserv'd punishment though by favour he is exempted from it the Law still chargeth him with sin and sentenceth him to punishment though the Judge supersedeth his Sentence and will not execute the Law But it is said Great Prop. p. 121. Pardon is dissolutio obligationis ad poenam dissolveth the Obligation to punishment and when there is no obligation to punishment a man is innocent and hath right to impunity I Answer The Antecedent is untrue The Obligation to punishment ariseth from the intrinsecal Nature of the Law which being broken exacteth punishment as a due Debt The Wages of Sin is death Rom. 6.23 So that if pardon take away the obligation to punishment it maketh sin to be no sin But sin is sin though forgiven and the Sinner deserves to die although he shall not die Pardon taketh away the Ordination or Destination of a Man to Punishment that he is not appointed to die but not the Obligation that he doth not deserve to die I conclude Pardon doth not render a Man as innocent as no Transgressor and therefore 't is not all one with justifying or declaring righteous 2. From those Phrases whereby Justification is expressed Eph. 1.4 It is paraphrased thus As he hath chosen us in him that we should be holy and without blame before him in love He who is only forgiven his Sins is not accounted as holy and blameless Pardon supposeth guilt and that which some call reatum culpae the guilt of the fault remaineth after pardon viz. That such a Man hath broken the Law and by such habits or actions he hath been disobedient to the Commands Pardon only takes away reatum penoe the appointment of a Man to punishment therefore there must be something more to render men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy and blameless before God and Objects of his Love Rom 4.3 4 5. Justification is called Imputing of Righteousness And Rom. 10.5 6. Justification by Works and by Faith are opposed by the Names of the Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith To justifie therefore is to reckon or to declare in judgment that a Man is righteous and as if Man had been justified by the Law of Works he had then been pronounced righteous So now he is to be justified by Faith he is to be declared righteous by the Righteousness of Faith though not of Works Therefore Justification is more than Forgiveness Object 'T is said Pardon maketh a Man Righteous as if he had not brok'n the Law Answ Ans w. This hath been answer'd before I am sure we should take it very ill if one that hath greatly offended us and received his life and all from our Mercy should plead that he is as good as an innocent or righteous person because he is exempted from the Punishment he deserved Object A person of quality argues thus If pardon be not a Sinners Righteousness and maketh him not righteous then a man may be pardoned and be unrighteous still in the eye of the Law which he thinketh absurd Justific Evangelical p. 18. or else there must be a medium betwixt being righteous and unrighteous which he thinketh impossible Answ Both parts of the disjunction are untrue the first that he that is pardoned is not unrighteous still for if by favour punishment be remitted and no satisfaction be made to the Law then the Law remains broken still and he is a Sinner still though forgiven For it is not the Law that pardoneth if that might take effect it would condemn but the Law-Giver by his own Prerogative which pardon is not therefore looked upon as the fulfilling or the Righteousness of the Law But if as in our case the Law was satisfied and by reason of that satisfaction man is pardoned as this worthy Author acknowledgeth a little before then that satisfaction of the Law repaireth the Breach of it and so there is the real righteousness of the Law first imputed to a Man and then by reason thereof he is pardoned i.e. acquitted from punishment to which he was obnoxious before And thus here is a fair Contradiction that a Man is justified by a righteousness satisfactory to the Law yet barely pardoned The second part of the Disjunction That there is no medium betwixt being righteous and unrighteous is also untrue we speak of a declarative Righteousness Now it is apparent that there is a Middle betwixt being justified and being condemned viz. Medium negationis or rather privationis Adam before he fell was not condemned having not yet sinned nor was he justified having not finished
Spirit to abide with us for ever Joh. 14.16 And the powring out of the Spirit was reserved till his Work of Redemption was finished and he should be possessed of Glory John 16.7 And then he promised the Spirit â—o lead us into all truth to reveal himself to us and to glorifie him in us v. 12 13 14. Lastly He prayed for sanctifying Grace and perseverance for them that did and all that should hereafter believe till they all come to be one in him John 17.15 16 21. And wherefore is the Power of giving Grace committed to the Mediatour if not purchased by him and why doth he interceede for that he never bought and paid for If then Christ purchased Grace as well as a Right to Life then Justification giveth a Right to Grace as well as to Life it self and so is more than Pardon 5. I argue from the Impulsive Causes Pardon is an Act of meer Mercy but Justification is an Act of Justice therefore it is not meer Pardon God justifieth Believers not as a meer Act of Favour though free Mercy be the Foundation and the prime impulsive cause of Justification and all the Fruits of it but immediately it is an Act of Justice Justice being the immediate Impulsive Cause It is not only a Just thing with God to justifie a Sinner through Christ that he may do it without wrong to his Justice as some gloss it but it is an Act of proper Justice having received satisfaction to his Law to justifie and acquit him it would not be just to deny it This is intimated Rom. 8.33 35. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that Justifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who shall indite or implead them in course of Law or Judgment or else there is enough to be charged against them The Reason is because it is God that justifieth God who is to be Judge to give the Sentence and therefore will justifie judicially or as an Act of Judgment And the ground of this is in the next words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who shall condemn in Judgment seeing Christ has died and so satisfaction is made to Justice When we pardon an Offence which we might justly punish we do cedere de jure forbear our Right and Justice gives place to Mercy but Justice cannot pardon or acquit unless it be satisfied unless it have what is right and due according to Law Object But it is said That God pardoneth legally and judicially by virtue of the Evangelical Law so it is an Act of Justice as well as of Mercy Vid. Justiif Evang. p. 23. So Truman They say a Sinner is not pardoned by Free Grace and Absolute Pardon but upon conditions and terms required in the Gospel to be performed by him which when he hath performed the Evangelical Law doth justifie him pronounce him pardoned and so his Pardon is an Act of Justice according to the Gospel Law though not according to the Law of Works which is content with nothing but Satisfaction Answ Let any fair Disputant judge whether this 〈◊〉 not to shift the Question They have said â—â—at Justification is meer Pardon bare Pardon nothing but Pardon and yet it is not abâ—â—ute Pardon but Pardon upon condition to 〈◊〉 performed by him that will receive Pardon â—â—re not these Conditions when persormed our â—â—angelical Righteousness This they conâ—â—d for And are they not a positive Righteousness Yes they are Gospel Obedience â—â—hat sence is it then to say we are pardoned â—â—thout any positive Righteousness that Pardon alone is all our Righteousness It may be â—â—ese conditions are so small and so necessary to â—â—e receiving of pardon ex natura rei that â—â—y are not to be accounted as any righteousness Nay but in the Gospel Law all the â—â—oral Duties that were required in the Coveâ—â—nt of Works are required still though not â—â—th the same necessity of perfection And â—â—w they are much more difficult than before â—â—me Moral Duties are required also and necessary which were not directly nnd properly â—â—uties under the First Covenant as Self-deâ—â—l Mortification and bearing the Cross â—â—sides these the Gospel prescribeth new posiâ—â—e Duties which neither were nor could be â—â—uties under the Law of Works viz. Faith â—â—ve and Obedience to the Mediator with 〈◊〉 holy and reverend use of all the positive Inâ—â—tutions of the Gospel Are these small things â—â—s it necessary to meer Pardon that the pardoned should not only return to their forme Duty but also receive new Terms and Conditions which were never their Duty before If a Prince subdue Rebels and then promiâ—â— them Impunity if besides returning to theâ—â— ancient Duty and Allegiance they will receive some new Terms which he shall please to impose on them doth he freely pardon them doth he not deal with them as in a way 〈◊〉 Mercy so in a way of Soveraignty givâ—â— them new Laws and making advantage to himself and accession to his Power by occasion 〈◊〉 their misdemeanour Besides this is veâ—â— improper to talk of legal and judicial Pardon Pardon by a Law For a Law is properly preceptive and judicial Proceedings are acquiting or condemning for keeping or breakiâ—â— the Law Pardon is granted by supersedâ—â— the Sentence of the Law at least the Execution of it or by a Promise or Declaration 〈◊〉 Grace which when establisht for securitiâ—â— sake and promulgated is sometimes called aâ— Act of Grace yet it hath not the full Naturâ— of a Law It is the Soveraign Legislator whâ—â— pardoneth who hath power to relax the Execution of the Law a Law cannot pardon But the plain meaning of those men is Thâ—â— God seeing through the Fall it was become impossible for man to keep and so to be saâ—â— by the Law of Works was pleased to maâ—â— a new milder and easier Law and to declaâ—â— that if they would keep it they should 〈◊〉 pardoned and saved Pardon then with theâ—â— is nothing else but a waving of the Covenaâ—â— of Works i. e. God will not proceed with men according to that Covenant if they will submit to his new Covenant so then for all their specious words of meer Pardon to exclude Christ's Righteousness they only mean that God will not execute his First Covenant which men have broken but will save them if they fulfil his Second Covenant i. e. will be righteous and obedient according to the Gospel and thus they acknowledg a righteousness of a man 's own besides pardon whereby he must he justified 6. The Law requireth a positive righteousness by the fulfilling of it The end of every Law being obedience to it Just Evang p. 38 39. Therefore Justification cannot be Pardon of Sin without Imputation of Righteousness 'T is said That the Law of Works required a sinless perfect righteousness which Christ hath satisfied for but the Law of Grace is a better Covenant accepting an imperfect Righteousness But this is nothing to the purpose let the righteousness be
such as the Law will accept perfect or imperfect it is all one if the Law doth require a positive righteousness then a man cannot be justified without it And do not they themselves teach that the Gospel requireth obedience to it as our Evangelical Righteousness therefore that cannot justifie us without a righteousness conformed to it self 'T is said further Legal Justification Ibidem i. e. according to the Law of Works requireth a fulfilling of that Law but not Evangelical Justification A fallacy in words Legal and Evangelical Justification differ not specie sed modo applicationis not in the righteousness which justifieth but in the manner of its application to us Had we fulfilled the Law of Works we had been legally justified by our own righteousness but now Christ hath fulfilled that Law for us we are still legally justified to wit by the righteousness of that Law yet in an Evangelical or Gracious manner that righteousness being not our own but Christ's imputed to us a◠shall be proved in the next Chapter and I beseech you when men are justified i. e. pardoned say you what Law is it that accuseth them for the violation whereof they are pardoned Is it not the Law of Works for i◠they break the Gospel Covenant there is n◠more sacrifice for sin There must then be a legal Justification by that Law of Works unless it be wholly waved and made void by the Gospel Object But the Law of Works is satisfied by the suffering of Christ and so pardon of all sins i◠a sufficient Justification from it Great Prop. p. 116. There needeth not Obedience and suffering too Answ The Law doth not directly and immediately require both obedience and suffering the penalty but obedience only is the end of the Law suffering the penalty is no fulfilling of or proper satisfaction to the Law but a recompence to Justice for the breach of the Law that so contempt may not lie upon it so that if the Law be broken it doth accidentally require both obedience and suffering of punishment the latter for the recompence of injured Justice that the Law may not be despised or broken impunè and the former as that which is the proper and natural end of the Law When a man suffereth the penalty of any Law the Law is so far satisfied that it can exact no farther punishment but doth he therefore deserve the rewards of the Law as if he had obeyed it He is indeed restored to his former State i. e. punishment ceaseth and he is admitted to the priviledge of other men to live in obedience to the Law for the future but he hath not the reward of obedience nor is accounted for his suffering to be upon the same terms with the obedient In like manner our Lord Christ by suffering the penalties of the Law did recompence the injured Honour and Justice of God and of the Law so that it could require no more punishment of him or of those that believe in him but he did not therefore deserve the rewards of the Law they were procured by his obedience to it It is not true of the Law of God that it requireth either to be obeyed or that the penalty should be endured for so men should obey and fulfill the Law in a sort by going to hell for breaking it The Law promised life only to obedience not to the suffering of death therefore Christ by suffering of death did fulfill what the Law required but accidentally and secondarily by reason of sin but by obeying the Law he fulfilled the primary and immediate end of the Law and so merited the promised reward There must therefore be a righteousness of conformity to the Law whereby must be procured a right to life as well as a suffering of the penalty whereby a stop is put to further punishment which is all that meer pardon of sin amounteth to Upon these grounds I take leave to describe Justification an Act whereby God doth acquit and accept a Sinner as righteous unto life eternal for the righteousness of Christ whereby he hath fulfilled the precept and suffered the penalty of the Law Justification actively taken is Gods Act acquitting or declaring a man righteous passively taken it is a mans state or relation to that Act of God being declared and accepted as righteous of which as it supposeth a change from a former state of guilt and condemnation the terminus a quo or state from which he is tranflated is a state of Sin and wrath the terminus ad quem is a state of absolution or being righteous before God pardon of sin or stop of punishment is included in it or doth immediately result from it so that Justification is one single Act and not several concurring to make it up though divers things are given or granted by it either immediately or consequentially as flowing from the immediate effect or benefit of it The main Argument against this Doctrine is That the Scripture doth frequently describe Justification by pardon and forgiveness as if they were aequipollent terms But the reason of this is First Because men being sensible of sin and misery do first look after pardon and therefore pardon is promised as that which will be most welcome and comfortable to them and also because men should be fensible of their own guilt and in capacity of making satisfaction to God and therefore that the righteousness by which they must be justified is not their own but Christs nor contrived or provided by them but by God himself for them What then Justification is called pardon of sin ergò it is nothing else but Pardon This is no consequence Object But the Apostle Rom. 4. fully describeth Justification the nature of it and he saith v. 6 7. That Blessedness cometh by forgiving Justif Evang p. 27. covering not imputing sin Answ But he saith also Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Now in the place here quoted Gen. 15.6 and the context there is a promise of positive Blessing made to Abraham and he believed that promise and this was accounted to him for righteousness Shall we say Abraham believed and this was accounted for pardon of sin There is a positive righteousness intimated as well as a positive act whereby it was procur'd and appli'd and positive promises granted thereupon David indeed under great horrors for his sin comforts himself most with apprehensions of forgiveness as most suitable to his case but what good will the fullest pardon imaginable do a man without a certain right to eternal life and a promise of effectual Grace to bring him to it will he not sin again and so lose the benefit of his former pardon Object But a Sinner is capable of no other righteousness but that of forgiveness Answ What then must become of the Evangelical Righteousness of Faith and Works which they contend for A Sinner can have no other righteousness but
his Obedience or Disobedience must be imputed to them and be Cause â—f their life or death even the immediate Cause Object Some say this Obedience of Christ is only is Sufferings according as he is said to be obedient to the death Phil. 2.6 and to have â—â—me to do the Will of God in offering up his â—wn Body Heb. 10. v. 6. to the 11th Answ 1. This maketh nothing against our main posiâ—â—on viz. That the Righteousness of Christ is â—â—puted to us and we justified by it For â—hether it be his Death only or his Life and â—eath both for which we are accepted and â—stified it is all one in this Question so long 〈◊〉 imputation of that Righteousness to us be â—e way whereby it justifies us And if they â—ean that his Sufferings are his only obedience here mentioned to make us righteous by â—â—ocuring a Covenant of Grace to be fulfilled â—â— us then they might as well have said His â—â—tive Obedience without his Sufferings doth â—â—ake us righteous For the Text leads to â—â—e no more than the other And Mr. Trueâ—â—an when he had disputed against the Imputation of Christs Active Obedience and for the Passive only and yet that must be only to procure a Law of Grace afterwards fairly grants That in this sence viz. of procuring the Covenant of Grace both Active and Passive may be said to be imputed to us 2ly But the words will not bear this sence Adam's Actual disobedience made us formally Sinners and guilty of death So the Obedience i. e. the Sufferings of Christ procureth right to life for us Thus they must run but when is the Parallel The Sufferings of Christ can not be said to make us righteous formally aâ— this Author tells Sufferings are not righteousness much less suffering the Penaltys oâ— the Law for the breach of it but Christ suffered the Curse of the Law for our sin against it his Sufferings delivered us from the Curse oâ— the Law it having been born by him but could not make us righteous according to thâ— Law that we should obtain the reward 〈◊〉 Life It is true Christ was obedient in his Sufferings and did the Will of his Father in offering himself if they had not been voluntary and obediential they could not have been meritorious but that his Sufferings as suffering of the Penalty of the Law are his only Obedience that justifies us or that he performeâ— no other obedience for us doth not folloâ— at all 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. Here is exprest that God hath made Christ our righteousness sc by giving him to satisfie the Law for us and accepting us for his righteousness And here we may observe that the Apostle purposely proveth against the despisers of Christ the Greeks who boasted of their own Wisdom and the Jews who trusted in their own Works v. 22 23. that Believers have all in Christ v. 24. and that they are in themselves weak foolish nothing v. 25.28 29. all their excellency is in and from Christ and therefore their righteousness and Justification as well as their Sanstification Farther observe that Righteousness here is distinguished from Wisdom and Sanctification and therefore must mean that Christ is our justifying Righteousness or that we are justified by Christ as our righteousness â—f we were to be justified by our habitual and â—ctual holiness as the Condition of the Gospel â—hen righteousness and sanctification are all â—ne Lastly The Apostle saith we have all these â—n Christ that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord We may glory in Christ in that we â—ave all grace from him but how shall we glory in him as to our Justification if we be not justified by his Righteousness but by our own though wrought by the help of his grace even as Adam if he had kept the Law of Works would have been justified by his own righteousness and might have gloried in himself that he had done his duty though it was by the power of the grace and assistance of God 2 Cor. 5.21 Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him Here righteousness by a usual Hebraism is put for righteous we are made the righteous of God i. e. before God or acceptable with him in Christ by or through Christ as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a Dative case is often used and how are we made righteous by Christ even by his being made sin for us as he satisfied for our sin so by that satisfaction are we made righteous as he that knew no sin was sacrificed punished for our sins so we that had no righteousness are made righteous by him and this must be by imputation Thus B Vsher out of Claud. and Sedul in locum That this righteousness therefore is not ours nor in us but in Christ in whom we are considered as Members in the Head Non nostra non in nobis sed in Christo quasi Membra in Capite Rel. Just p. 15. Object Against these two Scriptures it is excepted that in the former it is only said that Christ is made our righteousness Hotchkis p. 191. not that his obedience is imputed to us for righteousness Answ Christ cannot be made our Righteousness any other way than by imputing his perfect Obedience to us and therefore the Scripture in saying the one in words sayeth the other also in sence Object To the latter place 't is said That it saith only that we are made righteous by Christ being made a Sin Offering for us not by imputing his Obedience to us Answ If Christ was made a Sacrifice for our Sins then our Sins were so imputed to him as that he was punished for them and if this make us righteous then his bearing the Punishment of Sin is imputed to us and so his Righteousness is imputed Phil. 3.8 9. That I may win Christ and be found in him not having my own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith The Apostle in this place exhorteth to rejoyce in the Lord i. e. Christ v. 1. and to beware of Judaising Christians who joyned the Works of the Law with Christ v. 2. saying That true Believers are the true Circumcision the true people of God even they who rejoyce in Christ and have no confidence in the Flesh i. e. their own Works v. 3. And then reckoning up what he had to alledge for himself from the observation of the Ceremonial and Moral Law v. 4 5 6. he saith That he counted all this loss for Christ v. 7. and not only what might be alledged from observing the Law but whatever else might be thought excellent or a ground of self-confidence and rejoycing v. 8. Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the
to his Righteousness being imputed to us The Learned may find every one â—â— these Objections against the Imputation 〈◊〉 Christ's Righteousness with some others â—â— the like kind urged to the same purpose by Bellarmin and answered by B. Davenant for substance as we do de Justi Cap. 24. and B. Downam in many Chapters of his Learned Discourse of Justification Object It is further objected Our own works anâ— said to be accounted to us for Righteousness as that Act of Phincas in slaying Zimri anâ— Cozby Numb 25.7 Psal 106.30 31. And restoring the poor Man's Pledge Deut. 24.13 It shall be righteousness to thee before the Lord And the keeping of all God's Commandments Deut. 6.25 It shall be our Righteousness if 〈◊〉 observe all these Commandments before the Lord Therefore Christ's Righteousness is not immediately imputed to us for our Justification Answ When our own works are said to be ouâ— Righteousness or accounted for Righteousness it is only meant that God doth accept then and reward them Thus he promised Phines the Priest-hood for ever which was yet revoked for the sins of Elies Sons 1 Sam. 2.30 c. And the Reason subjoyned sheweth hoâ— this Righteousness was accounted viz. Thâ—â— that honour me I will honour and those that aâ—â— spise me shall be lightly esteemed It was accounted for Righteousness i. e. honoured and rewarded Thus mercy to the Poor shall be our righteousness before God i.e. he is pleased with it and will reward it with like kindness when we need it Psal 41.1 And our keeping all the Commandments shall be our Righteousness shall be accepted and rewarded as the obedience of Children But all this proveth not that we shall be made the Children of God have our sins forgiven and be intituled to Grace and life for our own obedience We acknowledge obedience to Gods Commands is our Righteousness whereby we are morally and inherently righteous i.e. conformable to God's Law and Will and this while imperfect is our inchoate or imperfect Righteousness and when it shall be consummate it will be our perfect and compleat righteousness as B. Davenant saith well against the Papists Calumnies de Just cap. 22. But the Righteousness for which we are pardoned accepted and made Heirs of Life must be every way a perfect and compleat righteousness even the righteousness of Christ as the same Author saith Apertè affirmamus Deum justissimum neminem justificare h.e. cap. 22. p. 311. ut exposuimus à reatu absolvere justum declarare ad vitam aeternam quae est justitiae praemium acceptare nisi interveniente vera perfecta justitia quae etiam verè fiat ipsius justitia And again Dicimus neminemjustificari nisi qui donetur justitia tam cumulatâ tamque perfectâ Ibid. ut Deus in illum oculos conjiciens non possit eadem donatum pro jnsto non habere It is pleaded that Faith is imputed for Righteousness in the same manner that other Works are and so justifieth but as they do and is our Righteousness as they are and thus they interpret Gen. 15.6 Abraham's Faith was accounted for Righteousness i.e. it was reckoned a noble and excellent Act of Faith with which God was well pleased and would reward it Answ 1. Faith in the Promise of Pardon and Life of meer Grace and Free Gift cannot be counted any part of our Righteousness To trust in the general in the Goodness Power and Promises of God is required by the Moral Law and is a Natural or Moral Duty and so a part of our universal Righteousness or Conformity to that Law But to trust in the Promise of Forgiveness and Mercy which only is the Faith in question is not required by the Moral Law but supposeth us Breakers of it and to be under its Condemnation it only seeks for Mercy proposed in a new supervening Promise and therefore is not our Righteousness as Works are The Apostle taketh occasion from a notable Instance of Abraham's Faith in a particular case 2ly and its obtaining the Promise of Great Blessings to argue That Faith in the general Mercy of God in Christ doth obtain Justification Rom. 4.2 3. and that with the exclusion of all works v. 5. To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly Faith is imputed for Righteousness and this Justification is explained by having sins forgiven covered not imputed v. 6 7. Faith therfore is imputed for righteousness only as it doth obtain the forgiveness of sin the acceptance of them that have no works that are ungodly in themselves and this must be by the Righteousness of Christ not by its self being our righteousness Object It is also said If we are justified immediately by the Righteousness of Christ imputed then there is nothing for us to do to obtain Justification we must only believe we are justified and we are justified Answ There is nothing for us to do to purchase Justification this is done by Christ But we must apply this purchase to our selves by believing or trusting in it flying to it for Justification When a Ransom is paid for a Captive there is nothing left for him to do to purchase his liberty yet he must accept and challenge the Fruit of this Purchase to himself before he can enjoy it Though Adam hath procured and intituled to death upon all his Posterity yet that Curse reacheth not us till we receive a Being from and do habitually consent to his Sin In like manner Christ purchased life for all the Elect yet they do not partake of it till they are ingrafted into him and we do at least habitually consent and trust to be saved by him Object Lastly it is argued If Christs Righteousness be properly imputed then we should perfectly be delivered from all sin and misery and immediately brought to Heaven Answ Justification it self obtaineth remission of all sins and an immutable right to life or the Favour of God and an actual entrance into that Favour this every justified person doth obtain upon believing 1 Joh. 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life Rom. 8.1 Justification hath its proper effect in this life viz. it taketh away sin and the Curse or Obligation to Punishment it reconcileth to God and brings us into that Favour which will endure for ever but God having redeemed us by his Son intendeth not only to justifie us from our sins and give us the Life promised by the Law but also to make us his Children to give us glory in Heaven to make us Partakers of his Sons Glory and Kingdom And for this it pleases him to breed us to nurture and sit us for it by conflicting with sin by overcoming the World and the Devil that the Glory of his Son and Grace may appear the more Therefore the imperfect troublesome state of Believers in this life is not because their Justification is not perfect but because God hath a further design
Sanâ—tification Glory and all the good which ever â—â—e receive to be given us freely in his own time and on his own terms by his New Covenant by â—is Spirit and by his Providence and that we are as justly and certainly justified pardoned and saved by and for this meritorious Righteousness and Sacrifice of Christ as if we had done and suffered all our selves and that he suffered for us and in our stead that we might not suffer and fulfill'd all Righteousness for us that were Sinners to those proper uses we have and need no other Righteousness and though it be not Scripture Phrase we may truly say that thus Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us c. This was writ to avoid the charge of denying Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and therefore worded in Protestant Phrases as much as could be and yet a different sence couche in them viz. in those words to be given us on his own terms and by his New Covenant whereby is intended that Christ merited â—â— Reconciliation Justification c. to be given to us as the immediate Effects of his Purchase but to be given us upon the fulfilling the Commands of the Gospel so that it is â—â— Christ's Righteousness that justifies us or â— imputed to us to Justification but it did only merit a New Covenant or Law by fulfilling whereof we should be justified We shall not endeavour to make plain what these men would obscure and hide viz. the difference betwinâ— them and us in the point of Imputation It is the usual Protestant Doctrine that Jesus Christ undertook to fulfill that Law which men broken and to bare that Punishment which their Since deserved in the behalf of his Elect and that God accepting this undertaking of his from Eternity and the performance of it in time did therefore promise and grant pardon of sin right to eternal life and his Spirit and all spiritual blessings to be conferred upon each of these Elect Persons when by the Grace of Christ they should claim them and put their trust in him Hereupon we say when a man is actually pardoned and intituted to life by virtue of this undertaking and grant that Christ's Righeousness is imputed to him i. e. that these benefits are bestowed upon him for that Righteousness which Christ wrought and â—â—d accepted and he flyeth to for Salvation â—â—d for no other reason And hereupon ariâ—â—h in justified persons an immutable right to â—â—e and the Grace of God to bring them to it â—ereupon they may be certain of their Perseâ—â—rance and Salvation But on the contrary â—â—ese men teach first That though Christ â—â—d materially fulfill the Law broken by men â—â—d bore the Punishment due to their sins 〈◊〉 did many things which the Law commanâ—â—d and suffered many things which it threatâ—d against Sin yet that he did not intend directly and properly to satisfie that Law by oâ—â—ying the Precepts and undergoing the Penalâ—â—s of it but did only fulfill the Law of a Meâ—â—ator imposed upon him and peculiar to him which was to do and suffer such things as God â—â—eased to enjoyn him 2ly That this which â—hrist did and suffered did respect and was intended not for any particular persons but â—â—r all mankind equally as Adam's Sin did â—â—y That therefore this Obedience or Righâ—â—ousness of Christ did not purchase Pardon â—â—stification or any of the Fruits of it for all 〈◊〉 for any man immediately 4ly But that 〈◊〉 procured this only That God being content â—â—ot to insist upon the Law of Innocency and 〈◊〉 hold man to that which was now become â—â—possible through the weakness of sinfull â—â—esh he should grant a Covenant of sincere â—bedience to them that would repent of their â—â—rmer sins and receive Christ for their Lord â—â—nd Saviour that they should be saved as â—ertainly as if they had not broke the Law of Innocency or had satisfied it when broken 5ly And therefore their Justification must be mutable as their sincere obedience is 6ly This is then that which they mean by Impuâ—â—tion of Christ's Righteousness and its pâ—â—chasing Justification for us viz. That it waâ— a means of taking the Covenant of Works on of the way and of procuring a New Covenant of sincere Obedience which if men do perform they shall be justified or live by it notwithstanding their sins and imperfections aâ—â— much as they should have been justified bâ— doing the Law of Works so that this Coâ—â—nant being the Effect of Christ's Death 〈◊〉 the Benefits of it Justification Adoption c. are to be reckoned the Fruits of it alâ—â— and when we enjoy these Benefits his Righteousness is imputed to us i.e. we receive the Benefit of that Covenant which his righteouâ—â—ness purchased Now I demand what it is thâ—â— justifyeth or giveth us a right to life immediately and properly By this Doctrine it is our fulfilling of the New Govenant the Christ's Righteousness doth not properly â—â—stifie us or immediately procure our Pardâ—â— or Life then this Righteousness is not impâ—â—ted to us for Justification To call this Impâ—â—ting of Christ's Righteousness to us is a sence so remote from the state of the question which is By what Righteousness we are justified immediately before God and from the very Notion of the word Imputation and impâ—â—ting or reckoning to one that I cannot callâ—â— less than equivocation or trifling Object But they say that Faith and Repentance or â—ur fulfilling of the Gospel-Covenant is a means â—f applying Christ's imputed Righteousness 4 disp of Just p. 264. â—nd so is a Righteousness subordinate and subservient to his not at all derogating from 〈◊〉 Answ By applying Christ's Righteousness they â—â—ean that then we have the Benefits and Effects of Christ's satisfaction when we have fulfilled the Terms of the Gospel As when a Man hath served his Apprentiship in a Corporation then he enjoyeth the Privileges of the Charter which was boutht or given many â—ears before but will any man say that then â—he buying or procuring of the Charter is â—mputed to him They teach that God hath â—romised to pardon and save them that obey â—is Gospel what is it then that gives the immediate right to Pardon and Salvation that â—s constitutive of a man justified in Law is it â—ot this Obedience to the Gospel Then this â—s it which is imputed to a man for righteousness but Christ's righteousness is not applied is that which doth constitute us righteous for which we are justified but when we are justified by our obedience to the Gospel this is a favour which we should never have had if Christ had not purchased it To call this applying or imputing of Christ's Righteousness â—s to hide a Heterodoxie with usual and Orthodox terms Object But the same Author acknowledgeth that Christ's Righteousness is our only legal righteousness or rather pro-legally p. 274. Ibid. a righteousness instead of our righteousness or obedience to the Law passim Answ If Christ fulfilled the
preserve the state of Justification Bona opera sunt necessaria ad Justificationis statum retinendum conservandum But how Not as causes that work or deserve the continuance of Justification but as means without which God will not continue it Non ut causae quae per se efficiunt aut mereantur hanc conservationem sed ut media seu conditiones sine quibus Deus non vult justificationis gratiam in hominibus conservare He explaineth himself That a life of obedience is necessary that a justified man may improve and enjoy the Fruits of Justification and also obtain the remission of following particular sins and to prevent a course of sin which is contrary to the nature of a justified man In a word That they are no otherways necessary to the continuance then they were to the beginning of Justification sc by way of concomitance and order not of influence Nam ut nemo recipit Justificationem generalem quae liberat à reatu omnium praecedentium peccatorum nisi concurrente paenitentia c. ita nemo retinet statum à reatu liberum respectu peccatorum consequentium nisi mediantibus iisdem actionibus credendi c. Ratio est quod haec abesse non possint perpetuo ut non ad esse incipiant illorum opposita quae pugnant cum natura justificati Ibid. Again Quia Deus non vult carnales c. frui beneficio justificationis requirit assidua opera fidei c. quorum praesen tiâ arcentur incredulitas c. aliáque gratiae justificationis venena at que particularium peccatorum particularis condonatio obtinetur p. 405. And Hae autem actiones non conservant vitam gratiae propriè per se attingendo ipsum effectum conversationis sed impropriè per accidens excludendo removendo causam destructionis He acknowledgeth also that the falls of the Godly do not lose their Justification Ibid. Concl. 7. Vtcunque justificati in via bonorum operum claudicare atque aliquandiu extra hanc viam per abrnpta libidinum suarum aberrare possint statu filiorum haud amisso Lastly He saith good works are necessary to â—alvation and our coming to Heaven Non necessitate causalitatis sed ordinis not as causes â—f it but as the order that God hath appointed that we should first glorifie him on earth and then be glorified with him in Heaven Now what they have gained by the Bishop's Testimony let the Reader judge We willingly â—ubscribe to all this in substance Mr. Bradshaw's Testimony will serve them to better Praefat. de Just they cite his Preface for their purpose his words are Quid enim prohibet quo minus â—traque Christi obedientia ad peccati cujusque reâ—tum tollendum ad peccatorum nostrorum omnium veniam consequendam necessaria statuaâ—ur quid obstat quo minus etiam ad imputationem utriusque hoc sufficere dixerimus quod Deus utramque cum bono nòstro admiserit obediâ—ntiam propter cam utramque nos acceptos â—abeat ac si nos ipsi eo quo par erat modo legem â—livinam implevissemus qut paenas aeternas ex eaâ—em nobis debitas apud inferos sustinuissemus Here he endeavoureth to reconcile those that contend for the Imputation of either the Active or Passive Obedience alone and saith That we may say they are both imputed both performed for us i. e. for our benefit in that way that God thought fit and that we are justified by both as much as if we had fulfilled the Law or suffered Eternal Death But doth Mr. Bradshaw here express the manner how we are accepted by the Obedience of Christ doth he at all derogate from our being justified immediately by Christ's Righteousness or doth he lay any foundation for Justification by fulfilling the Gospel-Covenant There is not a word of that here or in all his Book He doth indeed speak more accurately and cautiously of the notion of Imputation and what Obedience of Christ may be said to be imputed and what not than others do yet in substance he agreeth with them and asserteth the old Protestant Doctrine particularly Chap. 22 23 24. per totum He affirmeth Christ's satisfaction to be the onely matter of our Justification Chap. 22. Th. 1. In satisfactione Christi supradicta vera sola justificationis posita est materia And that by this Satisfaction we are not onely freed from eternal wrath but made truely righteous before God Th. 2. Redemptio sive satisfactio illa qua pretium ejusmodi persolvitur cujus vi peccator non à debita tantùm poena liberetur sed etiam in foro divino vere justissiméque justus factus dicitur non est fucata metaphorica c. And that the form of our Justification is the alledging of Christ's Righteousness Chap. 23. Th. 2. Hujus Justificationis forma est satisfactionis sive justitiae illius in gratiam ejus pro quo praestita est coram Deo factae vel alligatio vel declaratio quaevis And lastly he saith That the immediate effect of Justification is Reconciliation whereby all sins are forgiven and God receives a Sinner into favour for the Satisfaction of Christ accepted in his behalf Chap. 24. Th. 2. Hominis cum Deo reconciliatio ex vera justificatione orta est qua Deus propter Christi satisfactionem gratiosissimè admissam cum peccatore in gratiam rediens remittit eidem peccata universa ipsámque pro verè justo habet In the Conclusion of his Book he gives us the Sum of what he had delivered immediately touching the point of Justification 1. Deus Pater justificat admittendo imputando 2. Deus Filius satisfaciendo advocatum agendo 3. Sacro-Sanctus Spiritus revelando obsignando 4. Fides apprehendendo applicando 5. Bona opera manifestando declarando This is the whole and usual Protestant-Doctrine We must now seek some other Authors of this Opinion Art 24. Arminius in answer to the 31st Article objected to him saith Christi justitia imputatur in justitiam mihi non probari dixi Having in general terms as our Authors profess to acknowledge that Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us and that we are justified by it yet he here denyeth That Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us for Righteousness and gives this reason Quicquid imputatur in justitiam vel ad justitiam vel pro justitia ad ipsum non est ipsa justitia strictè rigidè sumpta At Christi justitia quam ille praestitit Patri obediendo est ipsissima justitia strictè rigidè sumpta Ergò non imputatur in justitiam i. e. That which is imputed to us for righteousness must not be righteousness strictly and properly so called But Christ's Righteousness was a strict and proper Righteousness or obedience to his Father Ergò Arminius we see taketh imputing Christ's Righteousness for nothing else but that it procureth Justification for us not that
Divines at Dort Rationes omnes Act. Syn. Art 2. Ibid. à scripturis fideique analogia petitae quibus Christi incarnatio humiliatio vel exaltatio probatur vel confirmatur eò spectant ut demonstretur divina expressa intentio de fructuoso hujus tanti mysterii effectu non conditionaliter producendo nempe si homines cùm aeque nolle possint velint ut hic fructus in de enascatur sed infrustrabiliter efficiendo potentiâ divinâ id operante i. e. All those Arguments that prove the Incarnation Humiliation and Exaltation of Christ tend to this to shew that it was God's express intention to produce the certain effects of that great Mystery infallibly by his own power and not to leave them to be conditional depending upon Man's Will who might as well neglect and refuse as accept of them I conclude the Sum of this Doctrine comes to this That God took occasion by the Incarnation Obedience and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant men terms of Salvation viz. if they should believe and obey the Gospel not as any satisfaction to his Justice or Law which man had broke but as some kind of salvo to his Honour at least as he was pleased to interpret it And what need Christ have been God to do no more than this How easie is the slip from hence into the dead Sea of Socinianism To lay that Christ came by his Life and Death to declare and confirm only this Covenant of Life on condition of Faith and Repentance and to intercede for the Penitents Indeed the whole platform of this Doctrine was borrowed from Socinus by the Arminians from whom most of our modern Writers have it and some immediately from the Socinian from whom also came that common but illogical Evasion of works being not the meritorious but the causa sine qua non of our Justification Opera ea sunt ex quibus justificamur sunt autem opera ista nostra Soc. de Justif apud Pelt i. e. ut dictum fuit obedientia quam Christo praestamus licet nec essiciens nec meritoria tamen causa ut vocant sine qua non justificationis coram Deo at que aeterne salut is nostrae I do not desire this should be believed on my credit much less do I write to reproach any who do in heart abhor that blasphemous heresie however their words and notions may agree too much with it I only beg that Scholars and Divines would take the pains to examin and compare them before they imbibe this new Doctrine CHAP. VII Of the Nature of Faith that it justifieth as an Instrument applying the Promises of life in Christ and not as a Condition or Part of Obedience T The Apostle Paul was sent to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles Act. 26. v. 17 18. to this end that they might receive the forgiveness of sins and an inheritance amongst thom which are sanctified by Faith which is in Christ therefore forgiveness and a right to the heavenly Inheritance comes by Faith But what this Faith is and how it gives right to Life is now to be inquired into In explaining the nature of Faith I shall wave all that is usually drawn from Philosophy to this Argument from the nature and difference of Man's Soul and his Faculties and the difference of the Faculties from each other also from the nature of Habits intellectual or moral which things are fit Exercises for Scholars but not fit to build the Doctrine of Justification and Eternal life upon and if the best Philosophers can give us no certain account how men see and hear and how the external Senses which yet are more material in their operations than the understanding do exercise their functions there is much less certainty to be had concerning the Faculties Operations and Habits of the rational part and the Scripture speaks of believing as a work of the whole Soul With the heart man believeth unto righteousness Rom. 10.9 The like may be said of every Grace and of every Sin that hath the consent of the Heart that they carry the whole Soul with them What then is this Faith The Socinians affirm Faith and Obedience to be really the same thing Peltius Artic. Parag. 21. distinct only formally or docendi causâ Soc. resp ad Epist Joan. Opera Fides nullo modo distinguuntur à Paulo nec ab ea seperari queant imò animo seu forma fidei sunt The Arminians agree with them in this and our late Authors with them both and make believing and obeying the Gospel all one and to be justified by Faith with them is to be justified by obedience to the Gospel Aphor. Th. 70. Hence it is that they describe Faith to be so to believe God as to love him fear him trust him and obey him in every particular command or more briefly to be an accepting of Christ for our Lord and Saviour i. e. to promise obedience to him Ibid. 69 67. and to desire and expect to be saved by him Now we grant as the Gospel is sometime taken for the whole Doctrine or Mind of Christ containing both Promises Precepts and Threatnings though properly it be nothing but a Promise of Life through Christ in contradistinction to all Law and Precepts so also the Faith of Christ and of the Gospel doth sometimes comprehend the whole Christian Profession whereby we promise both a belief of the doctrine and obedience to the Command of Christ Yet Faith taken properly is to be distinguished from all obediential Graces viz. those that are the immediate cause of obedience as much as those graces are distinct from each from other as Love from Fear both from Patience c. That we may wave that Philosophical question also whether Graces be several distinct habits or one universal habit distinguished by several acts and objects it is sufficient if Faith be distinct by its acts and proper object from all other graces as much as they are distinguished each from other And that it is so is evident because it is an assent of the mind to divinely revealed truth Its acts are to believe or assent its formal object is the revealed truth of God as such we speak of Divine Faith only The immediate End of it is the satisfaction of the mind in the certainty of a true proposition and the like All these are distinct from love fear desire which are the immediate principles of all obedience or practice in doing good or avoiding evil Moreover Faith is the root of obedience not as the immediate principle of the elicite acts of obedience but as a more remote principle which doth excite and direct all the immediate principles of it Thus Faith is prerequired to seeking and serving of God Heb. 11.2 to the End and yet the immediate principles of them were fear v. 7. self-denial v. 25. holy courage contempt of the World and the like Faith worketh by love Gal. 5.6 purifieth the
heart Acts 15.9 Therefore it is not love it self or the purity of the heart but something that inclineth and disposeth to love and purity and surely before we can love and obey God there must be an apprehension of his goodness faithfulness readiness to accept and reward which must incline the heart to it We cannot love and serve him 〈◊〉 we neither know him nor his Mind concerning us nor have any confidence in his good wilâ— towards us And this is Faith which we may thus describe Faith is a hearty and practical assent to all divine truth so as to believe the Histories fear the Threatnings trust in the I remises and expect the fulfilling of Prediction which proceed from God All this is easily gathered out of the 11. Heb. where the Apostle having spoken in the end of the 10th Chapter of believing to the saving of the Soul subjoynâ— this description of Faith v. 1. viz. That it is the substance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the subsistence of things hoped for and the evidence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of things not seen which subsistence and evidence things yet suture have only in God's Word and Man's real belief of it things hoped for properly respect the Promises things not seen the History of things past as the belief of the Creation v. 2. and the Prediction of things to come as Noah by Faith feared the Deluge v. 7. and all the Patriarchs died in faith or expectation of the coming of Christ v. 13. Now that Faith hath several acts and causeth several affections as hope trust fear in the soul is because it hath several objects things to be desired things to be feared and things to be hoped for which is common to it with other graces which have their several acts and affections towards several objects or the same objects severally conâ—dered That special act of Faith which reâ—â—ects Promises or affection immediately â—owing from Faith without which it is not â—ompleat in Scripture is called by several â—ames rouling resting leaning relying upon God flying to him for resuge hiding our â—â—lves under him putting of our selves under â—he Shadow of his Wings which and the like â—re Metaphors from the Body and when we â—eak properly of the acts of the Soul are best â—prest by believing or trusting in the Promises which the Protestants express by fiduâ—a affiance or fiducial recumbence which is â—â—so the Scripture term of putting our hope and confidence in God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pervasion and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a full assurance of â—is Promise Now Faith justifieth a Sinner â—ot in its whole Latitude for so it believeth â—eer Histories as well as practical things and â—e Threatnings as well as the Promises and â—â—useth fear as well as hope But a Sinner cannot be reconciled unto God by fearing his Wrath and Judgment though fearing may â—cite him to look after mercy in the Promise â—or by believing the History of things past as â—â—e Creation and Floud or the Prediction of â—â—ings to come as the Resurrection and day 〈◊〉 Judgment though these things may set forth God's veracity and confirm the Truth of his promise and may excite fear and diligence 〈◊〉 seeking after mercy As trusting in the promises of particular mercies and deliverances is the means of obtaining those mercies as the promises are made to such faith or 〈◊〉 Isa 26.3.4 Thou shalt keep him in perse peace whose mind is stayed on thee because trusteth in thee The promises of deliverant go before and this is added as the means procure the accomplishment of them viz. That they should trust in God so in like mâ—ner the general promise of Pardon and Justfication is made to believing or trusting in and faith gives right to it and is the means having it performed to us Faith then justiâ—â— as it obtains mercy Heb. 11.33 Saintâ— Faith obtained Promises viz. a performan of them and in the Gospel frequently 〈◊〉 Faith hath saved thee and thy Faith hath mâ— thee whole c. As Faith obtains these mercies neither as an act of obedience not the cause or root of obedience but only trusting in the Power and Faithfulness of Gâ—engaged by the particular promises so aâ— Faith justifieth a Sinner by trusting in 〈◊〉 Grace and Mercy of God through Jeâ— Christ expressed in the general Promise of 〈◊〉 Gospel He that believeth shall be saved 〈◊〉 the like We do not contend about the aâ— ception of faith in this proposition We aâ—â— justified by saith whether it be taken objectively only as some think i. e. we are justified by Christ believed on or relatively 〈◊〉 are justified by faith as apprehending the mercy of God promised through Christ and 〈◊〉 by any works of our own it cometh all one at last The Mercy of God is the câ—â—sa proegomena the moving cause of our Justification the righteonsness of Christ wrought for us the meritorious cause procuring our acceptance with God and also the material or formal cause being the very thing for which God accepts us to life The Promise in the Gospel is the external moral or legal means whereby God conveys Justification and this Righteousness having promised 〈◊〉 to them that believe and faith is an internal means on mans part to apply Christ's Righteousness for his Justification by trusting him promising of it and that partly natural is faith is an act or habit or act properly conversant about a promise and partly moâ—al as God hath appointed our faith in the promise of Justification to be a means of obtaining it and this is all that Divines mean by saying Faith justifys as an instrument or intrumentally and when they call it the mouth and the hand of the soul viz. That Man is Justified by the Righteousness of Christ which Justification is proposed and promised in the Gospel to all that will accept it and trust in it which is believing so that Faith it self is â—ot the matter or righteousness which doth Justifie us under the Gospel instead of our Obedience under the Law but it is the means whereby through the Promise of the Gospel Christs Righteousness is imputed or applied to us by and for which we are justified Object It is no better than a cavil which is objected If Faith justifys as an instrument whose instrument is it Gods or Mans if Mans then he justifys himself if Gods then Man doth nothing in the business of Justification which is Antinomian For Answ The like may be asked of all instruments Natural or Moral Our Food whose instrument is it to nourish us If Gods then we need not eat if ours then we nourish our selves The Word and Sacraments are instruments of grace if they are our instruments then we work grace in our selves iâ— Gods then we need do nothing all these and the like are instruments of Gods appointing to be used by us to the right use of which he hath promised a blessing he hath commanded us to take food and
sinful infirmities of the Saints should be pardoned by this Opinion For as the Author tells us Christ did not properly fulfil thâ—â— Old Law so they also say and with moâ—â— truth he fulfilled not the conditions of the Gospel for us nor give he any satisfaction to God for them how then should they be forgiven Thus this Opinion excludes all use of Pardon and teacheth that man is justifind by fulfilling what is required in the Gospel the demands of the Law being waved i. e. he is justified by a Gospel-innocency of his own though not by the Innocency of Adam or the Law of Works Answ 2 We grant as is well used by the Author forenamed if the Covenant of Works had run thus that Man should obey and live and die if he disobeyed either he or his Surety we grant in this case there had been no proper pardon but God in Justice would have been bound to discharge the sinner when the Surety had satisfied the Law for him because it was his own agreement that either the principle or the Surety should satisfy disjunctively and when there is such an agreement it is all one to the Creditor would have been all one to God which pays the debt or fulfils the Law But this is to state the question for us and then to dispute against it We say not that the first Covenant did allow of a Surety much less joyned him in the Covenant with Man Man himself was to obey or die but God as the infinite Sovereign and Law-Mater was pleased to substitute a Surety to fulfil thee Law for him who as he was not induded in the Law so was not there any particular Covenant in the Law against a Surety and this supposed we further answer Answ 3 Though Christ fulfilled the Law in Mans stead and so life for man was a debt to him yet to man it is conveyed by true and proper pardon of sin for the Surety was not provided by Man but by God who was offended yea he was the Son of God and God himself and that when no such thing was conditioned and promised God himself revealed this Surety to Man and gives him that Faith whereby we should have interest in him and benefit by him now in all this here is a voluntary remission of the punishment due to sin a voluntary providing a mean of reconciliation and at last an actual reconciliation discharging Man from guilt and taking him into favour by Faith in Christ and to believe he there daily is a pardon of sinful infirmities upon the account of the fame Righteousness of Christ believed in 1 John ult 2.1 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive them and the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is a Propitiation for our sins 〈◊〉 The bloud and his being a Propitiation are herâ— joyned with forgiveness of Sin Yet we grant further That the Justification of a Sinner is an act of Justice as welâ— as of Mercy Mercy and Forgiveness as to him but Justice as to Christ who by God's appointment and consent had satisfied the Law in Man's stead and therefore it was just and due that they who should be interested in it viz. Believers should be discharged and justified by his Obedience They also must grant if Man be justified by his Obedience his Justification is an act of Justice according to the New Covenant Object 5 It is objected that Afflictions both temporal and spiritual fall on Believers in this life as Chastisements for and therefore punishments of sin therefore they are not fully justified by believing Answ Afflictions may be distributed into three ranks 1. Such as arise from the common condition of Mankind since the Fall as crosses in Children in Worldly Affairs c. in these the Saints must have their share while they live here though they were perfect in grace and perfectly justifyed because these calamities are annexed to this present State and therefore these cannot be reckoned punishments or do argue a defect in their Justification who live here below seeing they befal them upon the account of others more than themselves and they would come were they never so perfect 2ly A Second sort are such as though they were occasioned by sin yet they come not upon the godly for any particular sin but are means of quickning and encreasing grace such were David's in his younger days and Job's and many others dayly who are afflicted from their youth upward That these are not punishments or argue any defects in their Justification is manifest from hence because they usually fall in the greatest measure upon the best Christians where there is most grace to bare them well to the Honour of God If afflictions be properly the punishment of sin then in equity they that are most sinful and least sanctifyed should have most afflictions but it is often otherwise 3ly A Third kind are those which are sent upon occasion of particular sins as the calamities that befel David for his great sin 2 Sam. 12. and these are most properly chastisements the other are means of improving and sometimes of working grace being joyn'd with the Word suited to Man's sinful and dull temper in this life which the godly are not to take as signs of hatred nor to faint under them but these chastisements for special sins are effects of Gods Fatherly displeasure and may be called Paternal punishments yet are they not judicial or legal punishments or any parts of the curse Isa 27.9 By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin If that be all the fruit then that is all that God intendeth by affliction and not to execute the Curse of the Law or to satisfie his Justice Heb. 12.5 6 7. Whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth If you endure chastning God dealeth with you as with Sons but if you be without chastning whereof all are Partakers their are you Bastards and not Sons c. If chastisements be signs that we are Sons of God how are they signs that we are not perfectly justified If they are certain effects of God's Love how are they proper punishments and fruits of the Curse It is rather a fruit of the Curse to want them when we need them a sign we are Bastards and not Sons therefore to have them cannot be a part of the Curse But to make this more clear I shall add these two Reasons The Curse was the Sentence of death pronounced against man 1st of death at last and all miseries tending to that issue Gen. 3.17 18 19. If then the afflictions of this life are parts of the Curse to the godly then are they intended for their death and ruine but if they are intended only for their good then they are natural evils but not
in his death do justify and here Faith both as justifying and sanctifying is taken for a trust in Christ in all his Offices to bestow Justification and Sanctification upon us and we never denied that justifying Faith doth extend it self to all the Offices of Christ As Faith trusteth in Christ as King and Prophet 2dly and Interceder with his Father for the progress and perfecting of Sanctification so we never denied that justifying Faith looketh to Christ as King Interceeder and Prophet for the comfort and effects of Justification But As trusting in Christ's Merits only 3dly obtaineth the grant and habit of Sanctification so trusting in the same Merits obtaineth the grant and actual Justification and looketh no further for it Faith indeed looketh to Christ in his several Offices for daily Sanctification for new degrees of it because that is a divisible and successive work not only to be purchased by Christ but also wrought by him gradually in prosecution of his own purchase but Justification is one indivisible act of the Father whereby a sinner is accepted to life eternal there is no place for subsequent acts and this Justification absolutely considered is only purchased by Christ there needs no other acts to apply it except in the comfort and effects of it Therefore we deny the consequence of the main Argument Faith trusteth in all the Offices of Christ for Sanctification Ergò It doth for Justification Argument 8. It is the same Faith in habit and act by which we are justifyed p. 31. and by which we have right to the Spirit of Sanctification for further degree and Adoption Glorification c. But it is believing in Christ as Prophet Priest and King by which we have right to the Spirit of Sanctification Adoption Glorification Answ I deny the Minor Believing in Christ as Priest or in his satisfaction and the promise o◠life thereupon gives a right to Reconciliation and life immediately and to the Spirit of Adoption and Sanctification consequently the promise of this being annexed to the promise of life and the having it being necessary to fit us for glory but believing or trusting in Christ as Prophet and King distinctly is a means of actual obtaining the Spirit of Sanctification and further degrees of it to which we had right before as Dr. Preston hath expressed it as above and yet many true Believers have little or no skill to make this distinct use of Christ's Offices but trust in the general That as God for Christ's sake doth forgive and take them into favour so that he will for Christ's sake also give them his Spirit and whatsoever is needful to fit them for his Kingdom Our Author takes the Minor for granted by us and offers no proof Argument 9. There is in the very nature of a Covenant p. 25. condition in general and of God's imposed condition in special enough to persuade that the benefit dependeth usually as much or more on some other act as on that which accepteth the benefit it self Ergò We have reason to judge that our Justification depends on some other act as on the acceptance of Justification Answ 1 The consequence if weak If usually Ergò always Therefore in this case this follows not To the Antecedent I deny the supposition 2dly viz. That we are justifyed by a proper strict Covenant condition The Promise of Life through believing is a Testament a Promise and but improperly a Covenant because it cannot be bestowed but upon a capable subject i. e. one that trusteth in it and accepteth of it So Dr. Preston expresly as before Assurance and sence of Pardon usually cometh upon our entring into or renewing a Covenant of Obedience but the right to Pardon and Justification which putteth us into a pardoned State is our humble accepting and trusting in thee Promise of life through Christ And in this God's Covenant or Promise of pardon in Christ differs from Mens Covenants 3dly in that they do usually depend upon conditious to be fulfilled because Men have no other way to prevent the abuse of their kindness or to oblige to duty and gratitude for the future but God that can and will sanctify the heart as well as give right to life and thereby prevent the abuse of his favour needeth not to suspend his mercy upon such engagements and conditions from the creature It is not unusual we have seen many publick instances of it in our days for men to pardon offenders by an absolute act of grace without imposing any conditions 4ly only leaving men to their own ingenuity for the future and to the Law if they offend again It is said p. 36. God is the principle end of his own Covenant and therefore his honour must be principally respected in it and therefore a promise of Obedience and subjection to him and to Christ as the procurer of life which men are most unwilling to must be the principal parts of the condition of the Covenant and the acceptance of Pardon which all men are willing to have can be but a part of the condition and the less principal part Answ Here it is plain That by the foregoing ambiguous discourse of believing in Christ as Prophet Priest and King was meant a promise of subjection to him in all his Offices not a trusting in him for the benefits of them and that Faith here is nothing but Universal Obedience to Christ and a trust in the promise of Pardon or in Christ as a Priest is no part of it nor can go before but must follow after it i. e. when we have promised and in part performed obedience to Christ then may we hope for pardon and not before To the Argument I say the consequence is weak many ways 1st Because God's own Honour is the principle End doth it follow that in order of execution he requireth the Creature immediatly and in his first acting toward him distinctly and principally to aim at his Honour Surely he alloweth and his Word tends to this That self-preservation from the wrath to come should first move the Creature to fly to his Mercy and then as hope of pardon dawneth love to God and his Honour springeth and as hope of pardon increaseth so love to God prevails above the consideration of self-preservation Again God hath had his greatest Honour from the obedience and satisfaction of Christ already before he granteth pardon to the Sinner and is it no honour to God to trust in his free Sovereign Grace for the pardon of Sin and Gift of eternal Life Rom. 4.21 Is it no honour to Christ to trust in him as able to save to the uttermost all that come unto him Surely this is the greatest Honour that can be done to the Grace of God Nor is it so easie a thing rightly to trust in free pardoning Mercy They that know themselves know it is the hardest thing in the world and it seemeth God accounteth it so too by