made our selves unable so much as to think a good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 But our Adversaries have and doe further object That a regenerate man hath sufficientia principia rectae operationis sufficient causes and means of well doing as knowledge to understand what is good will to desire what is good and power to effect what is good his soul being enlightned sanctified and assisted by Gods Spirit therefore he may doe what is good and all what God commands I answer That we grant a regenerate man to be enabled to doe good but how farre enabled Surely not perfectly for our knowledge is but in part obscured with ignorance our will is distempered with many turbulent affections and our power hindred to doe many good things we would doe by many lustfull temptations And therefore these principia operationis being not perfecta principia our actions cannot be perfect which proceed from them Who can tell saith David how oft he offendeth Cleanse thou me from my secret sinnes You see Gods Saints have secret sinnes I may have many sinnes and fail in many things which no man knoweth of nor my self but only known to God I may sin and not know mine own sin yet God seeth the same We cannot judge mens hearts for we know not our own it is Gods preroagative to search and try the Reines Jer. 17.9.1 John 3.20 And it is our duty to pray with Nehemiah 13.12 Accept my obedience but pardon mine iniquity That chosen vessell was compelled to say this although he knew nothing by himself yet he knew that thereby he could not be justified And this I hope may suffice for the cleering the first Branch of the second Position That no man can perform such perfect obedience to the Law of God as not to offend against the same or by his obedience thereunto be justified before God And for further confirmation of the truth thereof I dare appeale to any mans conscience if he be not too arrogant how upon the confirmation of Gods strict Judgement and his own manifold infirmities he dares justifie himself in any one act against God And I doubt not but the proudest heart would soon tremble and the boldest face would blush and be ashamed and affraid to have his best works even his prayers scan'd according to the strictnesse of Gods Law or the rigor of Gods Justice And of the adversaries to this truth I require this one thing That they will either produce a man and prove it That hath ever performed in his own person such perfect obedience to the Law of God as not to offend against the same Or else let them acknowledge their error with shame and forbear opposing the truth and disturbing the peace of Gods Church Lest by persisting in their malicious wickednesse their sinne become unpardonable I shall pray for them as for my self that the Lord would be pleased to convince us of the errors of our waies humble us in the sense of our sinnes and be mercifull to our poor Souls Come we now to the second Branch of the second Position which hath in it these two parts to be considered First That no man can be justified by the works of the Law Secondly That we are only justified by the righteousnesse of Christ And first of the first In part I have cleered it before but for further confirmation The Apostle Paul reasons admirably and plainly in this point saying Rom. 15.6 If Salvation be of Grace it is no more of works for else were Grace no more Grace And if it be of works it is no more of Grace for else works were no more works But Salvation is of Grace for by Grace yee are saved through Faith and that not of your selves It is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast Eph. 2.8 And our Saviour tells us plainly that when we have done our best We are but unprofitable Servants Ergo Salvations is not of works Again Reason it self drawn from the Scriptures doth sufficiently prove that we cannot be justified by our works For if any works doe justifie us they must be done either before or after justification But First no works done before the Grace of justification can justifie us Because evill trees cannot bring forth good fruit and being not done of Faith they must needs be sinne for whatsoever is not done of Faith is sinne and without Faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 Whereupon Saint Paul saith That all men before they be ingrafted into Christ by Grace are the Servants of sinne farre from righteousnesse and bringing forth nothing but fruits deserving shame and death Rom. 6.20 Secondly Our works done after Grace Reason it self sheweth That they cannot be the cause of Grace for how can that which commeth after be any cause of that which goeth before The cause must precede the effect And so August tells us That good works doe not goe before him that is to be justified but doe follow him that is already justified And therefore as good fruits cannot be the cause of the goodnesse of the tree so good works cannot be the cause of justification And that place of the Apostle which I cited before Rom. 3.20 makes it cleer By the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified For first in the 9. ver he tells us That both Jews and Gentiles are under sinne because all are transgressors of the Law Therefore all the world must be guilty before God and can no wayes be justified by pretending innocency in keeping the Law Secondly He sheweth the Reason why no flesh can be justified by the Law because the Law convinceth us of sinne for by the Law commeth the knowledge of sinne But the Law convinceth them that are under Grace and which hath the greatest measure of Grace to be sinners Phil. 3.9 Therefore they that doe the works of the Law by the help of Grace cannot be justified by the Law because the Law sheweth them likewise to be sinners as well though not as great as they that endeavour to keep the Law without the help of Grace And therefore the Apostle concludeth That we are all justified by the righteousnesse of God without the Law as you may see in Rom. 3. from 2. ver therefore not by any righteousnesse of the Law done either by the help of Grace or without Grace For he that obeyeth the Law how ever he doth it with the help of Grace or his own strength yet he hath the same righteousnesse The righteousnesse of the Law because the different manner of obteining it altereth not the nature of the thing But the Apostle sheweth a great difference betwixt the righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of Faith For Moses describeth the righteousnesse which is of the Law That the man which doth these things however he doth them by his own strength or some other help if he doth them he shall live by them Rom. 10.5 But the righteousnesse of Faith speaketh on
this wise If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved ver 6.9 And therefore seeing the Apostle opposeth doing of the Law and believing in Christ and not doing the Law by our own strength and doing the Law by the help of grace It is apparent That we can never be justified by the works of the Law by what means soever we doe them whether by the strength of nature or by the help of grace But Bellarm. in his first Book cap. 19. de justific laboureth to prove that all works of the Law are not excluded from our Justification by three especiall Reasons First Because Faith is a Work and that there is a Law of Faith as well as of Works and therefore if all Works be excluded from our Justification then Faith it self must be excluded And so to be justified by Faith were to be justified without Faith Because the Apostles intent Rom. 3. That neither the Jewes by the bare observing of Moses Law nor the Gentiles by their morall Works And so neither Jewes nor Gentiles before they believed in Jesus Christ could be justified by any Works that they could doe Because the Apostle Rom. 4.4 sheweth That the Works which he excludeth from Justification are those Works to whom wages are due by debt not by grace and those saith Bellarmine are all such Works as are done by our own natural abilities without the assistance of any supernatural grace But for answer unto all these I say That we confess Faith to be a Work and it is the Commandement of God That we believe in Jesus Christ But we deny Faith to justifie us as it is a Work performed in obedience to this command but as it is an Instrument imbracing the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ It is not the act of beleiving but the thing holden and possessed by believing that is our righteousness Secondly I say That Bellarmine is mistaken in the whole scope of the Apostle and that St. Paul doth not only not give us the least intimation that he meaneth that we are not justified by any works done by our own naturall strength But rather sheweth that in as much as we are all sinners against the Law therefore by our obedience to the Law howsoever done by grace or without grace no man can be justified in Gods sight Thirdly I say That the Apostle in Rom. 4.4 intendeth no such distinction of Works as Bellarmine alledgeth but he excludeth all Works as well those that are done by the help of grace as that are done without grace from the Justification of Abraham For those Works of Abraham are excluded wherein Abraham might glory before men but these are the Works that he did by the help of grace for otherwise if he were justified by the Works done without the help of grace he might as well glory before God as before men But the Apostle tells us That although by these Works done by the help of grace he might glory before men yet not before God And therefore not justified by these works in the sight of God For if we could be justified by any works howsoever done by grace or not grace then the wages that is eternal life is not counted of favour but of debt But when we cannot be justified by our works but by believing in him that justifieth the ungodly that is in Jesus Christ that we are justified by his righteousness and saved by his merits Then Faith saith the Apostle and not any kinde of Works is imputed unto us for righteousnesse Romans 4.5 I shall then close this point with these conclusions First That no man which is a sinner can be justified by his own obedience to the moral Law Secondly That no man which hath offended the Law can be justified by his own satisfaction for his transgression First Whosoever is a transgressor of the Law cannot be justified by his obedience to the Law For by the Law commeth the knowledg of sinne Rom. 3.20 That is the Law convinceth all such to be sinners and condemneth them as transgressors And therefore they can never be pronounced guiltless by that Law which proves them guilty But every man is a Transgressor of the Law as the Scripture teacheth Rom. 3.9 Gal. 2.1 John 1.8 and 10. and our Consciences testifie it to our faces Therefore no man can be justified by his own obedience to the Law Secondly That a sinner which hath once offended can never by any action or passion of his own make satisfaction to the justice of God for his trangression And the Law being broken there is no way to be justified by the Law but only by making a plenary satisfaction for the transgression But this no sinners satisfaction can doe because a finite Act can never be of sufficient value to satissie the offence that is done against an infinite goodnesse And likewise because all that we can doe is required of us as our duty to the Law and therefore cannot be rendred as a payment for the breach of the Law To conclude this branch We are not under the Law for justification of our persons as Adam Nor for satisfaction of divine justice as those that perish but we are under it as a document of obedience and a rule of living It is now published from Mount Sion as a Law of liberty and a new Law not as a Law of condemnation and bondage The obedience thereof is not removed but the disobedience thereof is both pardoned and cured The observance thereof is necessary as a fruit of faith not as a condition of life and righteousness necessary necessitate Praecepti as a thing commanded the transgression whereof is an incurring of sin not necessitate Medii as a strict undisponsible means of Salvation the transgression whereof is a peremptory obligation to death And thus much briefly of the first branch wherein I have cleerly shewed unto you That no man can be justified by the obedience to the Law nor the works of the best Christians cannot justifie them Come we now to the last Branch and that is That we are only justified by the righteousnesse of Christ We believe and maintain as the Scripture teacheth us That we are acquitted and absolved from all our sinnes and so justified in the sight of God by and for the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Rom. 5.18 As by the offence of one Judgement came upon all men to condemnation so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life And in 2 Cor. 5. last vers He that knew no sin God hath made him to be sin for us that we should be made the righteousness of God by him And in Act. 13.39 For all things which yee could not be justified by the Law of Moses by him every one that believeth is justified And 1 Cor. 6.11 Ye are justified that is in whole from the guilt and punishment
not doe it being a doctrine that shews us the way of life but doth not minister grace unto us to walk therein But all these which the Law could not doe Jesus Christ by whom commeth grace and life hath done unto us Therefore there is no life to be found in the observance of the Law It being impossible for the Law to give They therefore that seeke life only in the observance thereof shall never find it Again the Apostle in another place calls the Law the Ministery of death and condemnation and that because it instantly bindes men under death for every transgression of her Commandements So that he that hath eyes to see what an universall rebellion of nature there is in man to Gods holy Law Yea what imperfections and discordance with the Law are remanent in them who are renewed by grace may easily espy the blinde presumption of those who seek life in the ministry of death Yet so universall is this error that it hath overgone the whole posterity of Adam Nature teaching all men who are not illuminated by Christ to seek salvation in their own deeds that is to stand to the covenant of works But the Supernaturall doctrine of the Evangelist teacheth us to transcend nature to goe out of our selves and to seek salvation in the Lord Jesus And so to use the Law not that we seek life by fulfilling it which here is impossible but as a School-master to lead us unto Christ in whom we have remission of our sin sanctification of our nature acceptance of our imperfect obedience benefits which the Law could never afford us Thus you see it is impossible for us in our own persons to fulfill the Law of God no such grace being given from above as I shewed you before or if we could yet it is not possible for the Law to save us not in respect of any desert or imperfection in the Law For the Law is just good and holy Rom. 7.12 But in regard of the corruption of our nature which is not able to yeeld such perfect obedience unto the Law as the Law requireth Nay I say further that although the Law be good yet it is not good to this end neither was it ordained of God for this purpose For the Law was given to a double end First common to all men Secondly proper to two sorts of men First to the Elect and Reprobates First in respect of all men the Law was given First to shew unto all men what was sin for by the Law commeth the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. and I had not known that lust had been sin had not the Law said thou shalt not lust Secondly to shew the wrath of God for sinne and by the transgression thereof to make all men see how justly they be worthy of eternal death And therefore the Apostle saith in 1 Cor. 3. that the Law causeth wrath and is the ministry of condemnation because it sheweth unto us how justly we deserve wrath and condemnation Thirdly to be a rule of righteousnesse to restrain all men from sin and to retein them in a civill course of living for the common good of humane society Secondly the Law was given to these two proper ends First in respect of the Reprobate to make them without excuse because the Law teacheth them what should be done and what should be left undone And therefore it leaves them without excuse if they leave the one and commit the other Secondly In respect of the elect the Law was given to be a means by the sight of their sinnes to seek out a Saviour that should deliver them from their sinnes And in this respect As he that informeth us of some dangerous disease doth tacitly advise us to seek for some expert Physitian So is the Law said to be our Schoolmaster to teach us by the manifestation of our sinnes to seek unto Christ for our deliverance But the Law was never intended to that end that it should justifie us and of it self bring us to eternall life For first if eternall life had been promised only to them that keep the Law then the promise had been made vain because it was impossible for our corrupt nature to perform it Secondly if righteousnesse could have come by Law then Christ had died in vain because it was superfluous for him to dye for us when as we might procure life by the works of the Law And therefore it is apparent that by the works of the Law no flesh living can be justified Thirdly For hypocriticall Gospellers such as seem Saints in ostentation that they may play the Divels without supicion which say they have Faith but shew no works that are not vayled with hypocrisie and intended to wrong ends let Esayas tell you how acceptable these works are to God Esay 1. and whether they be like to justifie them before God or not For the Lord complayneth that he is weary of them that his Soul hateth them and biddeth them to bring no more such sacrifice unto him Fourthly For the true Christians that are born not of Blood nor of the Will of the Flesh but of God If any works could justifie it must needs be that their works wrought in them and thorow them by the Spirit of God should justifie them And yet we say that the best works of the best regenerate men cannot justifie them before God And thus we prove it First Because all the Graces that we receive in this life are but in part given unto us as I shewed in the proof of the other position and so imperfect Graces Not that the Spirit of God works imperfectly but that he means not here to inrich us with any Grace while we are conversant with sinfull men in this vale of misery but only so farre forth as he seeth fit to bring us to the Kingdome of perfection where that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13.10 and therefore our inherent justice being but as our knowledge in part and therefore imperfect it is impossible that it should perfectly justifie us before God Secondly Because that although our good works are perfect in respect of Gods Spirit which effecteth them Yet seeing as fair water is defiled by running through a dirty Channell so our best works are tainted when they passe through us that are so subject to sinne and so many times polluted with so many iniquities It is unpossible we should be justified before him in whosepresence nothing in the least manner polluted can stand uncondemned and therefore as the Prophet saith all our righteousnesse is as astained clothe Esay 64.6 And as Gregory saith Moral lib. 21. cap. 15. lib. 5. cap. 7. All mens righteousnesse should be found unrighteousnesse if God should strictly Judge it And Aug. Wo to the most laudable and best life of man If God laying aside his mercy should discusse the same in the strictnesse of his Justice for alas who knoweth not that God is a God of
pure eyes which found folly in his Angels And the best of men whilest he lives on earth is both a Saint and a sinner A Saint by reason of Gods Grace wrought in him And a Sinner by reason of his own naturall corruption which in some measure tainteth every Grace of God And therefore not only the worst of men but also the best of Gods Saints that being compared with their fellowes might seem just indeed Yet looking to the strictnesse of Gods justice they disclaimed all their own righteousnesse and relyed wholly upon the righteousnesse of God so Job 4.17 18 19. and Job 15.14 and 9.2.3 and Psal 130. and Psal 143.2 and Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 4.4 That he knew nothing by himself Yet he confesseth that thereby he was not justified because that although he served God most faithfully in the inner man yet he saw another Law in his members which did alwaies rebell against the Law of his mind and made him therefore cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. Thirdly Because that although it were granted that some works of the Saints might be perfectly good yet because any one sin blotteth out the memory of our precedent righteousness as Ezekiel 18. and makes us guilty of all the Law as the Apostle witnesseth James 2. and that we are so prone to commit sin and so frail to resist sin that in many things we sin all And therefore taught to beg every day of God that he would forgive us our trespasses It is impossible that any righteousnesse of man should justifie him before God Fourthly Because St. Paul saith plainly Rom. 3.28 We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law and Gal. 5.3.4 That is if you seek to be saved or justified by the works of the Law then are you bound to fulfill the whole Law and so you have no need of Christ But no man is able to fulfill the whole Law therefore it is impossible that you should be justified by the works of the Law And that St. Paul excludeth not only ceremoniall works or morall or any other kiâ—de of works before we receive faith but also all works whatsoever it is hereby apparent For he writes these things not to unbelieving Jewes but to the Galatians they were believing Christians Fiftly Because no work of man can be good before the person of that man be justified before God for without faith it is impossible to please God Abel was first accepted and then his offering And therefore it is impossble that any works shall justifie us when we must be justified before we can doe any works that can be accounted good But then it may be objected That it is to no purpose to doe good works if we can neither be justified by them nor merit by them I answer That as gold is good yet not to asswage hunger for then Mydas had not died with gold in his mouth And as the Sun hath divers admirable effects yet is not able to make a blinde man see so then Bartimeus had had no need of our Saviours help that he might receive his sight So good works have many profitable and available necessary uses yet not to justifie us before God nor to merit any thing at the hands of God For when we have done all we can we are unprofitable c. Luke 17.10 Ob. 2 But our adversaries object That if God gives us Commandements which we could not perform them First It were in vain to exhoâ—t us to obey them seeing we are unable to perform them Secondly His promises of happinesse for performing them were but mockeries as if I should promise a Child a thousand pounds for carrying away a Milstone which I know he is not able to wagg such were rather meer mockeries than true promises Thirdly 〈…〉 nishments should he unjust upon the transgressors because 〈…〉 ommandements are beyond their power of performance For Lawes must be made according to the power that we have to perform them Else may he as well be termed a Tyrant and unjust that enacteth the Law which we cannot keep as he which punishes an Innocent which never offended But these cannot stand with the wisedome and justice of God and therefore it cannot be that God should give us a Law beyond our ability or the performance of obedience To this I answer That the consequence is false for though God commandeth us things that we cannot perform Yet these consequences cannot follow because as August saith de lib. arbit cap. 16. God commandeth us to doe those things which he knoweth we are unable to doe that we might learn to know what we ought to seek of him and so likewise for three speciall ends First to teach us what we could have done and what we owe to God because Adam received strength to fulfill it and we had had that strength if Adam had not lost it Secondly To shew unto us that it is our own fault that we cannot doe it because man abusing his power and free liberty to doe what he would did loose himself and his power that now he must doe what he would not Because as Adam received that strength both for himself and us so he lost it both for himself and us Thirdly To teach us what we should ask and of whom we should crave what we want for God doth therefore command us to doe what we cannot perform that seeing our own infirmities and being wearied under the Law of equity We might sue unto the Throne of Grace for mercy and for the gracious assistance of his holy Spirit whereby we may be enabled in some measure to perform that which he so justy requireth As August saith In the Commandement we must know what we ought to have In the punishment we must learn that we our selves are the cause of all our wants And in prayer we must understand from whâ—â—â—â— we must supply the defects that is from God Or to answer more methodically I say That God being on Mount Sinai to deliver a Law not de novo that was never given before but such as was formerly engraven in mans heart and now defaced and obliterated through sinne It was not for him to bend the Rule of Righteousnesse to the crookednesse of our affections to make it answerable to our abilities But rather to set down a straight Rule Not in favour of our sinfull nature but to expresse our whole duty though it be impossible for us to perform it now after we have lost our ability For as he that lent thee a thousand pounds may without injustice demand the same of thee when he knoweth that thou through thy lavishnesse hast spent all and as a Bankrupt art not able to pay one penny So God having given us power to obey all his precepts may at any time most justly call for the performance of the same though he knoweth that we by our sinnes have
not be condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11.32 Secondly Subordinately for our Sanctification That we may be partakers of his holinesse Heb. 12.10 Secondly Propitiation is a reconciling us to God through the blood of Christ and it is the accomplishment of that which was typified by the Mercy-Seat Exodus chap. 30. For first As God gave his Oracles unto the people out of the Mercy Seat so he did reveal his will unto us by Jesus Christ John 1.17 Secondly As God was said to dwell between the Cherubims which covered the Mercy-Seat so in Christ the fullnesse of the Godhead dwelleth bodily Coloss 2.9 And thirdly As God was made propitious and favourable to his people to assist them and blesse them by the blood which the High Priest sprinkled before the Mercy Seat so is God pacified and reconciled unto us and procured to enrich us with spirituall blessings through the blood of Jesus Christ Col. 1.18 Again The ground of those benefits or meritorious cause thereof is the most perfect and absolute obedience which our Saviour Christ performed unto his Father for our sakes and is to be considered first actively secondly passively First the active obedience of Christ is a most perfect performance of Gods Law even to the utmost tittle thereof Touching which we must consider First That although Christ as Man fulfilled the Law for himself that in both natures he might be a holy High-Priest to offer Sacrifice unto God Yet as Mediator as God and Man he became subject to the Law and did fully and perfectly execute the same for us For Christ is not only our redemption by that ransome which he paid for our sinnes but he is also the perfection of the Law unto Salvation unto every one that believeth And there be three things that prove the necessity hereof to be performed for us First The Justice of God that will not justifie the wicked Pro 17 15. Exod. 20.5 but such as are just and righteous either by a proper or imputed rigteousnesse Secondly The Office of a Mediator that was to undergoe for us whatsoever was required of us to be done Thirdly Our recuperation or recovery of happinesse which could not be obteined without perfect righteousness because the death of Christ freeth us from eternall death and the obedience of Christ brings us to everlasting life And therfore we say That Christ was born for us not only auferre peccata to take away the sin of the World by his voluntary suffering the most bitter death of the Crosse But afferre Justitia to bring righteousnesse to us by his plenary obedience to the most holy Law of God And therefore those Scriptures that doe ascribe our whole Salvation unto the virtue of Christs death are not to be taken exclusively or denying the active obedience of Christ to be imputed unto us But Synechdochically for the accomplishment of the whole obedience of Christ that was to be performed for us and with this agrees the major and melior part of all orthodox Divines and most of the Fathers Secondly The passive obedience of Christ is all the sufferings of Christ both in life and death for our sinnes because the justice of God required that we should never be freed from death without a just punishment laid upon our selves or upon some other for us And therefore the Prophet Isay prophecied That the Messias should be broken for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities Esay 5.35 And Daniel saith He should be cut off but not for himsef Dan. 9.26 And St. Peter saith He did bear our sinnes in his own body on the Crosse 1 Pet. 2.24 and St. John saith Rev. 15. That he washed us from our sinnes in his own blood And here we must observe that this obedience of Christ is of sufficient merit to satisfie for all sinnes by reason of the dignity of the person that did obey for the hypostaticall union of the Manhood of Christ with his Godhead makes the obedience of Christ to be of unvaluable value Acts 20.28 Thirdly The formall cause of our justification actively considered is the free imputation of Christs actuall righteousnesse whereby the merits of Christs obedience is applyed unto all believers that is the accompting of us as just and righteous for the merrits of that obedience which Christ hath effected for us For as we apply unto our selves the righteousnesse of Christ and make the same our own by Faith and acceptation So God himself applyeth it unto us by imputation and accepteth us for righteous for the righteousnesse of Christ And this imputation of righteousnesse is a work of Grace not of nature a communicating of anothers righteousnesse unto us and not a conferring of any reall or habituall righteousnesse upon us And this is a sweet exchange saith Justin Martyr in Epist ad Diogen That one should be made sinne for many and the iniquity of many should be covered with the righteousnesse of one and that the justice of one should make many that are unjust to be reputed just To omit what most of the Fathers speaks to this purpose I shall only note one of their own Fryar Farrus Ser. 1. in Dom. 1. Advent where he saith Christ hath made all his partakers of his justice and merits that so they might be able to stand in the sight and to sustain the judgement of God Because saith he there is no mortall man living whose righteousnesse can be sufficient to attain unto eternall Salvation And therefore his righteousnesse is made ours not because it is infused or translated into us to abide habitually in us But because it is imputed and reputed unto us when God doth acquit from sinne and adjudge us just for the justice of Jesus Christ And therefore the force of our justification is not any habituall sanctity subjectively remaining in us But the righteousnesse of Christ freely imputed unto us and so though it be without us yet it is made ours by right of giving The Apostle remarkably in Rom. 4.6.7 joyneth both the imputation of righteousnesse and the remission of sinnes as the two speciall means to make us happy Blessed is the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works And blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne But this righteousnesse of Christ imputed unto us must be considered in a three fold respect First In respect of the truth of our imputed righteousnesse And so we say that we are as truly righteous before God as Christ himself because we are righteous with the sime righteousnesse as he is righteous Secondly In respect of the quantity But so we deny that it is in the same measure in us as it is in him for in him it is in its fulnesse and largest measure but in us it is only received so farre forth as it serveth to justifie any particular Believer Thirdly In respect of the quality And so we say That this is not in the same manner in us as it is in him
for he is righteous actually we imputatively he subjectively we relatively in him and unto him And so in these two last respects we cannot be said to be equally righteous with Christ though we be righteous with the very righteousnesse of Christ He perfectly righteous we righteous by reason of our imputative and inchoative righteousnesse Again as Christ is called holy and sinne and is said to know no sinne and to be made sinne We must thus understand it Holy in himself and sinne in us not by infusion of our sinnes into his most sacred person but by the imputation of our sinnes and the acceptation of the guilt and punishment thereof upon himself So likewise we are said to be just and sinfull just in him by the imputation and application of his justice and sinfull in our selves by the inbred corruption of our own flesh Lastly The finall cause of our justification actively considered is the glory of God which he acquired unto himself by that wonderfull composition of his Justice and Mercy towards men Justice that he would have his own Sonne to dye to make satisfaction for our sinnes rather than our sinnes should escape unpunished And Mercy that he would have the righteousnesse of his Sonne to be imputed unto his Servants rather than we poor slaves should be destroyed for our sinnes And thus much briefly of the causes of our justification actively considered in respect of God Now in the second place we must consider the causes of our justification passively in respect of man And first The efficient cause of our justification passively considered is wholly Instrumentall and it is two fold First Externall which is the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments These are the chief outward Instruments which God useth for the application of Christs righteousnesse for the justification of his Servants and therefore the Gospell is called the word of life Acts 5.10 13 16. And the Ministery of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18 And the Sacraments are called the Seals of the righteousnesse of Faith And our Saviour saith of the Preachers of the Gospell That whose sinnes they remit they are remitted c. Mat. 18.18 Secondly The Internall Instrument whereby we apprehend the Grace of justification is only Faith in Jesus Christ For Christ is set forth to be our reconciliation through Faith in his Blood Rom. 3.25 John 1.12 Gal. 3 24. And therefore the righteousnesse of Christ is called the righteousnesse of Faith and we are said to receive Christ by Faith and to receive the promise of the Spirit by Faith Secondly Faith is the only Instrument whereby we are justified before God the Scriptures are plain and plentifull in this point Es 45.24 25. Ezek. 20 44. Hab. 2.4 Rom. 3.24 26. Gal. 3.8 Acts 13.39 And so in many other places the Apostle doth inculcat the same truth as Gal. 4 5 24. and our Saviour saith John 3.14 15. That is be justified and so be saved only by believing in him as those Israelites that were bitten by those fiery Serpents Numb 21.9 were healed and so saved alive only by looking up to the brazen Serpent The Fathers also are plain and pregnant herein Chrysost in Rom. cap. 3. idem Serm. de fide luce nat Saith God hath justified us using thereto no works of ours but only requiring faith in Christ And without Faith no man obteined life But I am able to shew that a faithfull man hath lived and obteined the Kingdome of Heaven without works so the Thief did only believe and was justified And Basil in Serm. de humilitate saith This is to glory in the Lord when a man doth not boast of his own righteousnesse but doth acknowledge himself destitute of righteousnesse and justified only by faith of Jesus Christ Thirdly the material cause of our justification passively considered or the persons to whom justification doe belong are these sheep of Christ that are known of him and he known to them who hear his voice and follow him c. Whom he predestinated unto life and elected to be justified before the foundation of the World Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them also he justified And Rodolph in Levit. lib. 17. chap. 2. saith That the blood of the High-Priest was the expiation of the sinnes of all Believers and so Christ he hath taken away from the Elect not only originall sinne but also all actuall sins that is in respect of the guilt and punishment and dominion of sinne but not in respect of the corruption and pollution of sin which still remaineth in the best Saints And hath likewise given to them everlasting life saith Haymo in Rom. cap. 5. and to none else doth justification appertain and the Reasons may be these All those that are justified shall be glorified For whom he justifieth them he glorifieth Rom. 8.30 but all men shall not be glorified because the Kingdome of Heaven shall be given but only unto them for whom it is prepared Mat. 20.23 Secondly Because Christ is called Jesus for that he should save his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 But though all men are his people jure creationis by right of creation yet all men are not his people jure donationis given him to be redeemed For of them thou gavest me I lost none John 17.12 And ye belive not saith Christ because ye are not of my Sheep John 10.26 therefore he shall not justifie all men thereby to save them from their sinnes Thirdly The formal cause of our Justification passively considered is the particular application of the righteousnesse of Christ unto every faithfull soul where these two things are to be considered First That Faith must apply unto us all the benefits that Christ hath effected for us Secondly That every man in particular must apply those things to himself For the first This is one of the manifest differences betwixt the faith of Gods Elect and the faith of Devils and wicked men That the godly doe apply all the benefits of Christ unto themselves and the other know them but have not the grace to apply them for so saith Augustine and Peter Lumbard lib 3. sent dist 23. That there is a great difference between him that doth believe Christ and him that doth believe in Christ for the Devils believe Jesus to be Christ but they believe not in Christ Because it is one thing to believe God another thing to believe that there is a God and another thing to believe in God For to believe God is to believe that he speaks the truth in Scriptures and to believe God is to believe that God is But to believe in God is to believe with love and by loving him to goe unto him and to cleave unto him to be made one with him to dwell in him and he in us and this is that faith by which a sinfull man is instrumentally justified and accounted righteous in Gods sight For the second We must understand that this application of Faith or of Christ through Faith must be particularly applied by every man unto himself and that in a most speciall manner Because a generall Faith is not the right justifying Faith For St. Paul testifieth that Agrippa did believe the Prophets Acts 26.27.28 And yet Agrippa confesseth that he was no Christian And a naturall man by the force of reason may be induced to acknowledge a God and that this God is powerfull just and true and therefore to a generall perswasion of the truth of such things as are to be believed And yet all this faith is not sufficient to justifie us Because the true justifying Faith is no natural quality but a supernatural gift of God as the Apostle teacheth Eph. 2.8 Phil. 1.29 and therefore the generall faith of the Scriptures is not sufficient to make us Christians but as we read the Saints of God doe apply the promises of Salvation unto themselves as David saith God is my Rock and my Redeemer and Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth and Mary saith My Soul rejoyceth in God my Saviour Luke 1.47 and I homas saith My Lord and my God John 21. and Paul Galat. 2.20 Christ loved me and gave himself for me So must every Christian that looks for salvation apply in particlar the grace and favour of God to himself and this faith instrumentally justifieth the sinner Lastly The finall cause of our Justification passively considered is peace of Conscience in this life and the attonement of eternal happinesse in the life to come The first is attained unto by two especiall things First by an assured perswasion that all our sinnes are forgiven us So being justified by Faith that is from all the sinnes that we have committed we have peace towards God through Jesus Christ Secondly by an unwearied study to strive against the stream of our own natural corruptions and to keep a constant course in the waies of godlinesse For Christ gave himself for us and did bear our sinnes in his body upon the tree that we being dead to sinne should live unto righteousnesse 1 Pet 2.24 or as Zanch. saith 1 Luke 74.75 and so St. August That Christ died for the wicked not that they should remain wicked but that they being justified through faith should be converted from their wickednesse and bring forth the fruits of holinesse Because as St. August saith also grace justifieth that we might live justly The second end of our Justification is That the eternall blessednesse which shall be attained hereafter when Christ shall say unto all his justified Saints Come ye blessed c. Matthew 25.34 And so much for all the Causes of our Justification actively and passively considered And I hope this may suffice for the proof of the truth of this last Branch of the second Position That we are only justified by the righteousnesse of Christ I shall end with that of our Saviour John 12.48 The word that I have spoken the same shall judge you in the last day I pray God to enable us all to hold the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace and that we may renounce all those Doctrines that sets up any thing of man to the abasing of Christ And that we may imbrace those Doctrines that abases man and exalts the Lord according to that of the Psalmist Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory c. Psalme 115 1. FINIS