by his Grace I say to do how little soever if sincerely done if it be but the Grain of Mustard-seed in a hungring and thirsting after Righteousness shall be accepted unto Life that is be that Condition upon the Account of what Christ hath done for us this I say is solid Consolation Thou sayest when I look on my Works my Heart sinks I am not sure I am sincere but in the Righteousness of Christ I am safe I say this is certain if thou art not sincere thou art not safe And when I doubt whether I am or not I can have no Support but in this that I hope I am I trust I am and that it is upon the Satisfaction and Merit of Christ that Faith that Hope does depend For that there is any Condition at all that the Condition is such that what I do shall be accepted as the Condition performed it must be all put upon Christ's Performance and Merit in our behalf and his Merit is sufficient however imperfect be our Duty for its acceptance with God When then upon a Sence of my Deficiency instead of sinking I grow bolder in my reliance on Christ's Merits and God's Mercy I do not presume on myself but I magnifie his Grace and the higher I raise my Faith thereupon provided I live not willingly in any Conscience-wasting Sin the more Glory am I humbly perswaded do I give my gracious Saviour and good God Thou Man hast the Comfort to apply to thy self Christ's Merits if thou hast performed the Condition But I have the Comfort to apply Christ's Merits to the Condition which makes his Yoke easie and his Burden light as to the Performance and my Desires and weakest Endeavours to find Acceptance When I read such Prayers of David That God would not enter into Judgment with him that he would not be extream to mark what he had done amiss for then he could not abide it and that yet he will have God to search him and try his Reins and Heart and the like I cannot but be convinced that in the Acceptance of such an imperfect Righteousness as he accounted his was through God's meer gracious Condescension Mercy and Forgiveness to him he placed his Justification in which Sence also he calls him the God of his Righteousness When as for any Acceptance of him through the Righteousness of the Messiah to come a Righteousness without him made his by Faith which could abide God's district Justice I find not the Footstep of one such Thought To rely therefore I will say on Christ's Righteousness as ours without regard to any thing within or without regard to the Condition is Self-deceiving But to rely on God's Mercy and on Christ's Merits for Acceptance of what we do and Pardon for the Failings is substantial Religion and of Justification by Faith in Christ's Blood a good Exposition I will fetch here one Leaf out of my late Book Pacification and put it into the Margin for the Use and Comfort of this Explication I return to Mr. Wotton who indeed does sweat with stir to prove that Remission of Sin is Righteousness for wiping off that blame the Papists lay on his Opinion that a Man is justified without a Righteousness if it be by Pardon only But this I stick upon that though pardon in some Sence is or may be called Righteousness yet is it not this Righteousness it is not the Righteousness of God I am concerned about that the Apostle means and which is by Mr. Wotton's own acknowledgment that which justifies the Believer It did I must needs say at first and still does move me that I find not one Scripture from Genesis to the Revelation that denominates any one to be a just or righteous Person from Pardon but from his righteous living He that doeth Righteousness is righteous Yet that which does convince me is that by Mr. Wotton's leave it is not Remission of Sin in opposition to Works but this Righteousness of God in opposition to Works and that is our Evangelical Righteousness which the Apostle means while he contends that it is by Faith and not Works that we are justified or that is Faith and not Works is our Formal Righteousness in Justification See a peculiar Argument I offer in my Mid. Way of Just p. 48. I am I say convinced that the Notion the Apostle had of Justification could not be Pardon because in his Dispute whether it be by Faith or Works we are justified he does suppose that if a Man had Works they would justifie him and make the Reward of Debt but that Abraham and none had or have them And consequently while he supposes that if a Man could keep the Law as if Adam in Innoceny had kept it he should be justified it is plain he cannot understand Pardon by Justification seeing where such Works are that is perfect Works which he certainly means there were no Sin to Pardon This Argument may be more pungently framed than it is here or there but the Medium of Probation arose to me in my Mind as perfect Conviction I will now define Justification Justification is an Act of Free Grace whereby God imputes to every Sound Believer his Faith for Righteousness upon the Account of Christ's Satisfaction and Merits giving him Pardon and Life as the Benefits of it I need say nothing of the Genus Definiti an Act of Free Grace it is the Assemblies By a Sound Believer I mean one whose Faith works by Love including Repentance and New Obedience which together makes our Evangelical Righteousness And this Sound Faith is imputed for Righteousness I account in this Sence that God does accept it in the room of a perfect Righteousness not accounting it as perfect but accepting it I say in the room of that Perfection required unto Life by the Law and consequently rewarding it for Christ's Merit sake as much if not more than if it were that I add then giving Pardon and Life as the Effects or Benefits distinguished from the Form of Justification A Right to Impunity and Life Christ hath purchased and gives by his Covenant they that are justified by this Covenant are adjudged to these Benefits so that Pardon and Salvation flow to us I say as the Benefits and are not the Form of Justification One of them is never accounted to be the Form and by the same Reason neither may be the other The Gospel-Law or Covenant does both make and declare all Believers righteous as having a Right to the Benefits of it by Performance of the Condition But as for this or that particular Person that is a Believer or Performer it is God must be Judge This Judgment is to be supposed preceding and the Benefits to be actually conferred by it When I say this Righteousness or Faith is the Form I understand it in that Sence as these Divines do who say Christ's Righteousness is the Form or Remission is the Form the Word therefore is not to be scrupled not
Jew in the Second yet hath he such a Faith as belongs to the first such as the Ancients before Abraham had and so long as that Faith he hath does work by Love or by sincere Obedience to God according to his Light it will justifie him as well as that which is now farther required of us under the Gospel So my Book call'd The Axe laid to the Root of Separation p. 4. From Faith or Trust in God ' Goodness Grace or Mercy which any in every Nation that feared God and wrought Righteousness had thus to be accepted and pardoned before they knew this Ground or Foundation upon which the Righteousness thereof does stand to that Faith we have now who do know it From that Faith they had in God to save them of his Free Grace before the knowledge or our clearer knowledge of Christ and our Redemption by him to that Faith we have now to save us by the same Free Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Ye believe in God says Christ believe also in me where is a Faith and a Faith Consequently from Faith that is a believing in God to a Faith which is a believing in him through Christ the Foundation of our Faith upon the Revelation of the Gospel Even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ to wit since he is revealed Upon these words Mr. Rutherford supposing the Righteousness of Christ to be the formal Righteousness that justifies us thus opposes If our Righteousness and inherent Obedience may be of Grace esteemed formal Righteousness before God by a free Evangelick Paction and an Act of God's Free Will there is no need of Christ's Satisfaction Cou. Op. p. 172 173. I answer This Learned Man hath I account here understandingly exprest the very thing as it is and that he gives for the Reason of his denial is the very Ground upon which this Righteousness as I have explained it is made good If it were not for this Satisfaction of Christ there could be no such Righteousness on God's part or on Ours God should deal with us in his strict Justice and no Man be found righteous accounted or dealt with as so in the Earth But seeing upon this Satisfaction of Christ God may be righteous and abate the Terms as they were in one Covenant and impute them however for Righteousness by another we see how our Evangelick Obedience is indeed the Formal when Christ's Righteousness is the Meritorious Cause of our Justification Our Justification I must say passively taken that is the Formal Cause or Formal Reason or Form itself of that Righteousness whereby we are justified That which we do our selves through Grace or the Spirit acting us is this our Formal Righteousness and that is the Condition of our Justification actively taken and so of the Impunity and Life that follow as the Fruits of it That we may not stray here but keep our Middle-Way between the Extreams of Papist and Protestant we must distinguish Remission and Justification The Papists say Justification is Remission and Regeneration the Protestants say it is Remission and the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness When both then make Remission to be but part of Justification and Totum and Pars may be distinguished these may But I go farther That which goes before and that which comes after Justification must be distinguished from it but such is Remission Remission therefore is Two-fold Universal and Conditional the one Particular and Absolute the other Universal Conditional Remission goes before Justification Particular Absolute follows as its Effect and so Neither must be made the Formal Reason of it He hath given us the World of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their Trespasses And we are his Embassadors beseeching you in Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God 2 Cor 5.18 19 20. Here we see a Reconciliation of God to us obtained for the World so that a Non-imputation of Trespasses belongs to all which yet precedes our being Reconciled to him and consequently our actual Believing and Justification The Reconciliation of the World to God by the Non-imputation of Sin in this Text is indeed no other but what the Apostle otherwhere calls Redemption In whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Now that Redemption does precede Justification both in the Nature of the Thing and Intent of the Apostle is manifest Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Redemption is the Ground we see of our Justification and the Ground is necessarily first to be supposed before that which is built upon it And what is Redemption Redemption is Christ's procuring or purchase of Man's delivery from Wrath due to us according to the Law for Sin or of our discharge from the Penalty called sometimes Freedom from the Law sometimes Forgiveness of Sins by the Price of his Blood or Satisfaction in our behalf but to be given out to us no otherwise than as God and Christ please and that is upon the Terms of the Gospel Of this Remission which preceding Justification must be Universal for where it is Particular the Man is justified and Conditional for if it were Absolute all must be saved no Man must conceive me to imagine our Righteousness the Formal Cause or any Cause nay or Condition Nevertheless this General Remission being given out I say to particular Persons by a new Law or Covenant which requires of us to the participating thereof that we believe repent and walk sincerely before God this Evangelical Righteousness upon that Account is the Thing that Formally justifies us Upon our Faith God does account us Believers or Performers of this Law or Covenant that is righteous by the Righteousness of Faith the Forma per quam we are made so and then this Remission before Conditional becomes Absolute or Actual Remission so commonly called as the Effect together with a Right to Heaven of this Justification Now when the Protestants ordinarily that distinguish not Remission from Justification are vehement here in reference to Grace and Works and say that no Man does or can do any thing in order to the Remission of his Sin That there is nothing and can be nothing in the whole World interposed between our Sins and God's Wrath to stave that off us but Christ's Satisfaction which was made by him and accepted of God for us while we are Sinners Enemies and have no other Qualification so that therefore our Righteousness is so far from being any Cause Efficient Material or Formal that it is not so much as a Condition of it I say it is all true it is all granted The Absolute Free Grace of God and our Redeemer is to be received with the utmost Humility of our Hearts and Thankfulness Only one thing is necessary which is that it be understood aright It must be understood of
as the full Tale be brought in or no Righteousness of Christ imputed no Merits of Christ otherwise to be applied Whereas if the End of Christ's doing and suffering what he did in our behalf was that what we do our selves by his Spirits preventing and assisting Grace shall be imputed to us for Righteousness which is the very Truth seeing the Scripture says it that it is our Faith to wit a sound Faith working by Love is and shall be so imputed that is our Faith Repentance New Obedience is accepted in regard to the Reward instead of that Righteousness the Law required to our Justification then we see what Line we have given us for the actuating our Faith and reliance on God's Grace Goodness Mercy and Christ's Merits for Pardoning our Failings as I am saying and taking what is done in such good part as to reward it with Life seeing it is for Christ's sake altogether for his Merits sake only not for its value that it finds acceptation which is the greatest Encouragement to our Endeavours and consequently to a Holy Life that can be in the World I will add that God our Judge who is gracious and wise does consider the diverse Natures Tempers Natural Infirmities Temptations of Men and Women and hath his Grains of Allowance for all according to these Circumstances so as that shall be accepted for the Condition performed in one that falls exceeding short of what is done by another Alas there are such diverse Sizes of God's Children so vast a disproportion I mean as to the Degrees of their Grace that one would hardly think them the Children of the same Father What a Difference is there between a Seth and a Sampson Rahab and Elizabeth Who would think that one Heaven should hold them both He knoweth our Frame and remembreth we are but Dust Upon which Account we read so often of his Compassions toward the Weak and Fainting which gives us this Ground for our trust in him to bear with our Frailty in mollifying to some the Condition Not but all must be Sincere but that this Sincerity is of diverse Degrees in the Sence I speak in regard to God's Acceptance and Grace which hath no Bounds to be set by any And now if any pious Brother shall go to take away this Doctrine from us and the Fruit of it I will wish him to take heed to his own and consider whither it leads If Christ hath died for the Sinner so that God looks on the Sinner to have satisfied the Law in Christ then should he preach this Gospel He should declare to all and every of his Hearers that God is in Christ reconciled to him and that he is to believe it's Christ hath died for Sinners thou art a Sinner All are Sinners Christ hath died for all and thou art to believe thy Sins forgiven Thou art not to believe only that there is Forgiveness of Sins and Everlasting Life but that these Articles through Christ are thy Possession Who loved Me and gave himself for Me. In Christ's Obedience and Sâ—fferings thou hast obeyed the Law and satisfied the Penalty and therefore art justified and in a State of Salvation As for Good Works they are indeed to be done out of Gratitude afterward God commands them and they please him and they do good to Men and therefore thou must do them but nothing is to be done for thy self but believe only in order to thy Justification and Salvation Let a Man but believe once in good earnest that it is so he cannot choose but love God and Jesus Christ and that Love will constrain him to Obedience If you hold the Doctrine of Election he must not stick at that but he must believe also he is Elect and indeed that none but the Elect can believe that is thus believe Or that there can be this Fiducia specialis misericordiae in none ever but the Elect only and therefore is it called The Faith of God's Elect. And what says any of my sober Brethren to this Doctrine Can he find in his Heart to preach it when Christ when John when Peter Acts 2.38 when they began to preach did preach Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand I confess that Luther as I apprehend did at first preach at this rate which was the way to fetch in so many by the Shoals as he did from Popery when the World was groaning under the Burden of their Priests Impositions their Penances Satisfactions Fastings Scourgings praying to Saints worshipping Images Pilgrimages Indulgences besides the Vows of Chastity Poverty and Monastical Obedience as to the more Religious whereby they were made to believe they merited Salvation for themselves and others It was glad Tydings now and a welcome Gospel to the World at this time to tell them that it is Faith alone in opposition to these Works that justifies and saves Men. Nevertheless when that excellent Man saw the Effect of his own Doctrine that such as he had turned from Popery began to run as fast to Antinomianism and Libertinism he saw occasion to change his Preaching to press the Law and Repentance as much as others Nor was the Doctrine of Preparatory Works Man's lying at the Pool Refused but Sated and Approved by his Followers A Convinced Sinner is the only Subjectum capax Justificationis even with Dr. Owen Of Just p. 133. The Second PART I Know that several of our chiefest Divines have been so far from imbibing the Sence of this Righteousness which is my Theme The Righteousness of God revealed in the Gospel that their Doctrine in opposition to the Papists is extream in the thwarting without being truly aware of it When those Prudential Catholicks who understand that Qualitas Gratiae infusa non Natura sua sed ex Dei acceptatione ordinatione habet ut Hominem Deo gratum reddat are to be heard rather than them Nay the deep and acute Mr. Baxter so far as I remember any thing he has never came to lay this Righteousness of God enough to his Thoughts when nothing almost else escapes him as it appears by his frequent approbation or mention of the Learned Sober Logically Judicious Mr. Anthony Wotton and sometimes Mr. Hotchkis his Follower I will examine therefore a little into Mr. Wotton's Opinion Justification by him is thus defined It is Reconciliationis pars qua Deus in Christum credentibus fidem reputans ad justitiam omnia illis peccata condonat Reconciliation is God's Return into Grace and Favour with Sinners as he says whom Sin had made his Enemies through Satisfaction given him by Christ God is said to be angry with Sin and Sinners and upon Christ's Satisfaction and their Repentance to be appeased or reconciled Not that Man's Repentance or Christ's Satisfaction works any change in God but Ex Connotatione Objecti God is denominated Man's Repentance changes himself and Christ's Satisfaction makes a change in the Order of Things but God is unchangeable while yet the