when they are dying they should hold practise euery day while they are liuing In the last cōclusiō they teach that we must not onely beleeue in generall but also apply vnto our selues the promises of life euerlasting But they differ from vs in the very manner of applying They teach that the promise is to be applied not by faith assuring vs of our owne saluation but onely by hope in likelihood coniecturall We hould that wee are bound in dutie to apply the promise of life by faith without making doubt thereof and by hope to continue the certentie after the apprehension made by faith We doe not teach that all and euerie man liuing within the precincts of the Church professing the name of Christ is certen of his saluation and that by faith but that he ought so to be and must indeauour to attaine thereto And here is a great point in the mysterie of iniquitie to be considered for by this vncerten application of the promise of saluatiō and this wauering hope they ouerturne halfe the doctrine of the gospell For it inioynes two things first to beleeue the promises therof to be true in themselues secondly to beleeue by faith to applie them vnto our selues And this latter part without which the former is voide of comfort is quite ouerturned The reasons which they alleadge against our doctrine I haue answered before now therfore I let them passe To conclude though in coloured tearmes they seeme to agree with vs in doctrine concerning faith yet indeed they deny abolish the substance therof namely the particular certen application of Christ crucified and his benefits vnto our selues Again they faile in that they cut off the principall dutie office of true sauing faith which is to apprehend and to applie the blessing promised The XXI point Of Repentance Our consent Conclus I. That repentance is the conuersion of a sinner There is a twofold conuersion passiue and actiue passiue is an action of God whereby he conuerteth man beeing as yet vnconuerted Actiue is an action wherby man beeing once turned of God turnes himselfe and of this latter must this conclusion be vnderstood For the first cōuersion considering it is a worke of God turning vs vnto himselfe is not the repentance whereof the Scripture speaketh so oft but it is called by the name of regeneration and repentance whereby we beeing first turned of God doe turne our selues and doe good works is the fruit thereof Conclus II. That repentance standes specially for practise in contrition of heart confession of mouth satisfaction in work or deede Touching contrition there be two kinds thereof Legal and Euangelical Legal contrition is nothing but a remorse of conscience for sinne in regard of the wrath and iudgement of God and it is no grace of God at all nor any part or cause of repentance but onely an occasion thereof and that by the mercie of God for of it selfe it is the sting of the law and the very entrance into the pit of hell Euangelical contrition is when a repentant sinner is greeued for his sinnes not so much for feare of hell or any other punishment as because he hath offended displeased so good mercifull a God This contrition is caused by the ministerie of the Gospell and in the practise of repentance it is alwaies necessarie and goes before as the beginning thereof Secondly we holde and maintaine that confession is to be made and that in sundrie respects first to God both publikely in the congregation and also priuately in our secret and priuate prayers Secondly to the Church when any person hath openly offended the congregation by any crime and is therefore excommunicate Thirdly to our priuate neighbour when we haue vpon any occasion offended and wronged him Mat. 5. 23. If thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee goe first and be reconciled to him now reconciliation presupposeth confession Lastly in all true repentance we holde and acknowledge there must be satisction made first to God and that is when wee intreate him in our supplications to acecpt the death and passion of Christ as a full perfect and sufficient satisfaction for all our sinnes Secondly it is to be made vnto the Church after excommunication for publike offences and it stands in duties of humiliatiō that fitly serue to testifie the truth of our repentance Thirdly satisfaction is to be made to our neighbour because if he be wronged he must haue recompence and restitution made Luc. 19. 8. and there repentance may iustly be suspected where no satisfaction is made if it lie in our power Conclus III. That in repentance we are to bring forth outward fruites worthie amendment of life for repentance it selfe is in the heart and therefore must be testified in all manner of good workes whereof the principall is to endeauour day by day by Gods grace to leaue and renounce all and euery sinne and in all things to doe the will of God And here let it be remembered that we are not patrones of licentiousnes and enemies of good workes For though we exclude them from the acte of our iustification and saluation yet we maintaine a profitable and necessarie vse of them in the life of euery Christian man This vse is threefold in respect of God of man of our selues Workes are to be done in respect of God that his commandements may be obeied 1. Ioh. 5. 12. that his will may be done 1. Thess. 4. 3. that we may shew our selues to be obedient children to God our father 1. Pet. 1. 14. that we may shewe our selues thankefull for our redemption by Christ Tit. 2. 14. that we might not grieue the spirit of God Eph. 4. 30. but walke according to the same Gal. 5. 22. that God by our good workes may be glorified Math. 5. 16. that we may be good followers of God Eph. 5. v. 1. Againe workes are to be done in regard of men that our neighbour may be helped in worldly things Luc. 6. 38. that he may be wonne by our example to godlines 1. Pet. 3. 14. that we may preuent in our selues the giuing of any offence 1. Cor. 10. 32. that by doing good wee may stop the mouthes of our aduersaries Thirdly lastly they haue vse in respect of our selues that we may shew our selues to be new creatures 2. Cor. 5. 17. that we may walke as the children of light Eph. 5. 8. that we haue some assurance of our faith and of our saluation 2. Pet. 1. 8 10. that we may discerne deade and counterfait faith from true faith I am 2. 17. that faith and the gifts of God may be exercised and continued vnto the ende 2. Tim. 1. 6. that the punishments of sinne both temporall eternall may be preuented psal 89. 32. that the rewarde may be obtained which God freely in mercie hath promised to men for their good works Gal. 6. 9. The
lay hold of any thing and to receiue a gift but the hande hath no propertie to cut a peice of wood of it selfe without saw or knife or some like instrument and yet by helpe of them it can either deuide or cut Euen so it is the nature of faith to goe out of it selfe and to receiue Christ into the heart as for the duties of the first and second table faith cannot of it selfe bring them forth no more then the hand can deuide or cut yet ioyne loue to faith and then can it practise duties commanded concerning God and man And this I take to be the meaning of this text which speaketh not of iustification by faith but onely of the practise of common duties which faith putteth in execution by the helpe of loue III. Reason Faith is neuer alone therefore it doth not instifie alone Ans. The reason is nought and they might as well dispute thus The eye is neuer alone from the head and therefore it seeth not alone which is absurd And though in regard of substance the eye be neuer alone yet in regard of seeing it is alone so though faith subsist not without loue and hope and other graces of God yet in regard of the act of iustification it is aloue without them all IV. Reason If faith alone doe iustifie then we are saued by faith alone but we are not saued by faith alone and therefore not iustified by faith alone Ans. The proposition is false for more things are requisite to the maine ende then to the subordinate meanes And the assumption is false for we are saued by faith alone if we speake of faith as it is an Instrument apprehending Christ for our saluation V. Reason We are saued by hope therefore not by faith alone Ans. We are saued by hope not because it is any cause of our saluation Pauls meaning is onely this that we haue not saluation as yet in possession but waite patiently for it in time to come to be possessed of vs expecting the time of our full deliuerance that is all that can iustly be gathered hence Nowe the doctrine which we teach on the contrarie is That a sinner is iustified before God by faith yea BY FAITH ALONE The meaning is that nothing within man and nothing that man can doe either by nature or by grace concurreth to the act of iustification before God as any cause thereof either efficient materiall formall or finall but faith alone All other gifts graces as hope loue the feare of God are necessarie to saluation as signes thereof consequēts of faith Nothing in mā concurrs as any cause to this worke but by faith alone And faith it selfe is no principall but only an instrumentall cause by we receiue apprehend and apply Christ and his righteousnes for our iustification Reason I. Iohn 3. 14. 15. As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue eternall life In these wordes Christ makes a comparison on this manner when any one of the Israelites were stung to death by fiery serpents his cure was not by any phisicke surgery but onely by the casting of his eye vp to the brasen serpent which Moses haderected by Gods commandement euen so in the cure of our soules when we are stung to death by sinne there is nothing required within vs for our recouery but onely that we cast vp and fixe the eye of our faith on Christ and his righteousnes Reason II. The Exclusiue formes of speach vsed in scripture proue thus much We are iustified freely not of the lawe not by the lawe wiihout the lawe without workes not of workes not according to workes not of vs not by the workes of the lawe but by faith Gal 2. 16. Alboasting excluded onely beleeue Luc. 8. 50. These distinctions wherby works and the law are excluded in the worke of iustification doe include thus much that faith alone doth iustifie Reason III. Very reason may teach thus much for no gift in man is apt and fit as a spirituall hand to receiue and applie Christ and his righteousnes vnto a sinner but faith Indeede loue hope the feare of God and repentance haue their seueral vses in men but none serue for this ende to apprehende Christ and his merits none of them all haue this receiuing propertie and therefore there is nothing in man that iustifieth as a cause but faith alone Reason IV. The iudgement of the auncient Church Ambr. on Rom. 4. They are blessed to whome VVITHOVT ANY LABOVR OR VVORKE DONE iniquities are remitted and sinne couered NO VVORKES OF REPENTANCE required of them but ONELY THAT THEY BELEEVE cap. 3. Neither working any thing nor requiting the like are they iustified by FAITH ALONE through the gift of God And 1. Cor. 1. This is appointed of god that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shalbe saued without any worke BY FAITH ALONE freely receiuing remission of sinnes Augustine There is ONE propitiation for all sinnes to beleeue in Christ. Hesyc on Levit. lib. 1. c. 2. Grace vvhich is of mercy is APPREHENDED BY FAITH ALONE and not of workes Bern. Whosoeuer is pricked for his sinnes and thirsteth after righteousnes let him beleeue in thee who iustifieth the sinner and beeing iustified by FAITH ALONE he shall haue peace with God Chrysost. on Gal. 3. They said he which resteth on faith alone is cursed but Paul shevveth that he is blessed vvhich resteth ON FAITH ALONE Basil. de humil Let man acknovvledge himselfe to want true iustice and that he is iustified ONELY BY EAITH in Christ. Origen on c. 3. Rom. We thinke that a man is iustified by faith without the works of the law and he saith that iustification by faith alone sufficeth so as a man onely beleeuing may be iustified And Therefore it lieth vpon vs to search who was iustified by faith vvithout workes And for an example I thinke vpon the theefe who beeing crucified with Christ cried vnto him Lord remember me vvhen thou commest into thy kingdome and there is no other good worke of his mentioned in the Gospell but for this alone faith Iesus saith vnto him This night thou shalt be with me in Paradise III. Difference The third difference about iustification is concerning this point namely how farforth good works are required thereto The doctrine of the Church of Rome is that there be two kindes of iustification the first and the second as I haue saide The first is when one of an euill man is made a good man and in this workes are wholly excluded it beeing wholly of grace The second is when a man of a iust man is made more iust And this they will haue to proceed from works of grace for say they as a man when he is once borne can by eating and drinking make himselfe a bigger man though he could not at the first make himselfe a man euen so a sinner
bodie without which a bodie can not be 4 In the Creede we confesse that Christ is ascended into heauen and there after his ascension sits at the right hand of his Father and that according to his manhoode Hence I conclude that Christs bodie is not really and locally in the Sacrament and in euerie Host which the priest consecrateth This argument was good when Vigilius against Eutyches said WheÌ„ it the flesh was on earth it was not in heauen and because it is now in heauen it is not on earth and he addes afterward that this is the Catholike faith confession And it was good when Fulgentiâ—s saide According to his humane substance he was absent from earth when he vvas in heauen and he left the earth vvhen he ascended into heauen And The same in seperable Christ according to his whole manhood LEAVING THE EARTH locally ascended into heauen and sits at the right hand and according to the same whole manhoode he is to come to iudgement And it was good when Cyril said No man doubts but that when he ascended into heauen though he be alwaies present by the power of his spirit HE VVAS ABSENT IN RESPECT OF THE PRESENCE Oâ— HIS FLESH And it was good when Augustine said According to the flesh which the Word assumed he ascended into heauen HE IS NOT HERE there he sits at the right hand of the father and he is here according to the presence of his maiestie And He went as he was man and he aboad as he vvas God he went by that whereby he was in one place he aboad by that whereby he was euery where 5 Again in that we beleeue the Catholike church it follows that the Catholike church is inuisible because things seene are not beleeued And the answer commonly vsed that we beleeue the holines of the Church will not serue the turne For the words are plain and in them we make confession that we beleeue not onely the holines of the church but also the church it selfe 6 Lastly the articles Remission of sinnes Resurrection of the bodie and Life euerlasting containe a confession of speciall faith For the meaning of them is thus much I beleeue the remission of mine owne sinnes and the resurrection of mine owne bodie to life euerlasting and that by the iudgement of learned Antiquity Augustine saith If thou also beleeue that thou shalt rise againe and ascend into heauen because thou art sure of so great a patrone thou art certen of so great a gift And Make not Christ lesse who brings thee to the kingdome of heauen for remission of sinnes Without this faith if any come to baptisme he shuts the gate of mercie against himselfe And Whosoeuer faithfully beleeueth and holdes this profession of his faith in vvhich all his sinnes are forgiuen him let him prepare his will to the wil of God and not feare his passage by death And The whole Sacrament of baptisme stands in this that we beleeue the resurrection of the bodie and remission of sinnes to be giuen vs of God And He gaue these kaies to the Church that whosoeuer in his Church should not beleeue his sinnes to be forgiuen they should not be forgiuen vnto him and whosoeuer beleeued and turned from them abiding in the lap of the said Church at length shalbe healed by faith and amendment of life And That vvhich thou hast heard to be fulfilled in the glorious resurrection of Christ beleeue that the very same shall be fulfilled in thee in the last iudgement and the resurrection of thy flesh shall restore thee for all eternitie For vnlesse thou shalt beleeue that thou art to be repaired by death thou canst not come to the reward of life eternall And in auncient time the article of the resurrection hath beene rehearsed on this manner The resurrection of THIS FLESH and the last applied vnto it TO EVERLASTING LIFE Hence then two maine opinions of the church of Rome are quite ouerthrowne one that we cannot by special faith be certen of the remission of our sinnes and the saluation of our soules the other that a man truly iustified may fall away and be damned Now this cannot be if the practise of the auncient Church be good which hath taught vs to beleeue euerlasting life ioyntly without remission of sinnes To come vnto the decalogue first of all it is a rule in expounding the seuerall commandements that where any vice is forbidden there the contrarie vertue is commaunded and all vertues of the same kind with all their causes occasions furtherances This rule is graunted of all and hence it followes that counsells of perfection if they haue in them any furtherance of vertue are inioyned in and by the law and therefore prescribe no state of perfection beyond the scope of the law Secondly the commandement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. hath two seuerall parts The first forbiddes the making of carued or grauen images the second forbids the adoration of them Now the first part is notably expounded by Moses Deutr. 4. 16. Take good heede vnto your selves that ye corrupt not your selves and make you a grauen image or representation of any figure in the likenesse of male or female Marke the reason of this prohibition in the same place for saith he ye savv no image in the day the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb. and v. 15. Ye heard the voice of the vvordes but savv no similitude saue a voyce Now the reason beeing vnderstood of the image of God himselfe the prohibition must needes be so vnderstood Againe there is no question that God directs his commaundement against a sinne in speculation but against some common and wicked practise of the Iewes and that was to represent God himselfe in likenesses and bodily formes Esai 40. 18. And that was also the practise of the Gentiles that were farre more grosse in this kinde then the Iewes Rom. 1. 23. This then is plaine to any indifferent man that the first part of the commandement forbids the making of grauen images or likenesses of the true Iehova thus the Romane Catechisme vnderstands the wordes As for the second part it must be vnderstoode according to the meaning of the first and therefore it forbids vs to bowe downe to any image of God Hence then it followes that to worship God or Saints in or at images to worship images with religious worship is abhominable idolatrie And common reason might teach vs thus much For they that adore and worship the true God in images doe bind the presence of God his operation grace and his hearing of vs to certen things places signes to which he hath not bounde himselfe either by commaundement or promise and that is otherwise to worship God and to seeke for his blessings then he hath commanded himselfe to be worshipped or promised to heare vs. Vpon this ground is plainely ouerthrowne the excuse which they make that
8. Secondly God in making promise of saluation respects not mens worthinesse For he chose vs to life euerlasting when we were not he redeemed vs from death beeing enemies and intitles vs to the promise of saluation if vve acknovvledge our selues to be sinners Matth. 9. If vve labour and trauaile vnder the burden of them Matth. 11. If we hunger and thirst after grace Ioh. 7. 37. And these things we may certenly and sensibly perceiue in our selues and when wee finde them in vs though our vnworthines be exceeding great it should not hinder our assurance For God makes manifest his power in our weaknes 2. Cor. 12. and he will not breake the bruised reede nor quench the smoking flaxe Isa. 42. Thirdly if a man loue God for his mercies sake and haue a true hope of saluation by Christ he is in Christ and hath fellowship with him and he that is in Christ hath all his vnworthines wants laid on Christ and they are couered and pardoned in his death and in respect of our selues thus cōsidered AS VVE ARE IN CHRIST we haue no cause to wauer but to be certen of our saluatiō that in regard of our selues The fourth point touching the iustification of a sinner That we may see how farre we are to agree with them and where to differ first I will set downe the doctrine on both parts secondly the maine differences wherein we are to stande against them euen to death Our doctrine touching the iustification of a sinner I propound in fowre rules Rule I. That iustification is an action of God whereby he absolueth a sinner and accepteth him to life euerlasting for the righteousnes and merit of Christ. Rule II. That iustification stands in two things first in the remission of sinnes by the merit of Christ his death secondly in the imputation of Christ his righteousnes which is an other action of God whereby he accounteth and esteemeth that righteousnes which is in Christ as the righteousnes of that sinner which beleeueth in him By Christ his righteousnes we are to vnderstand two things first his sufferings specially in his death and passion secondly his obedience in fulfilling the law both which goe togither for Christ in suffering obeied obeying suffered And the very shedding of his blood to which our saluation is ascribed must not onely be considered as it is passiue that is a suffering but also as it is actiue that is an obedience in which he shewed his exceeding loue both to his father and vs and thus fulfilled the law for vs. This point if some had well thought on they would not haue placed all iustification in remission of sinnes as they doe Rule III. That iustification is from Gods meere mercie and grace procured onely by the merit of Christ. Rule IV. That man is iustified by faith alone because faith is that alone instrument created in the heart by the holy ghost wherby a sinner laieth holde of Christ his righteousnes and applieth the same vnto himselfe There is neither hope nor loue nor any other grace of God within man that can doe this but faith alone The doctrine of the Romane Church touching the iustification of a sinner is on this manner I. They holde that before iustification there goes a preparation thereunto which is an action wrought partly by the holy Ghost and partly by the power of naturall freewill whereby a man disposeth himselfe to his owne future iustification In the preparation they consider the ground of iustification and things proceeding from it The ground is faith which they define to be a generall knowledge whereby wee vnderstande and beleeue that the doctrine of the word of God is true Things proceeding from this faith are these a sight of our sinnes a feare of hell hope of saluation loue of God repentance and such like all which when men haue attained they are then fully disposed as they say to their iustification This preparation being made then comes iustification it selfe which is an action of God whereby he maketh a man righteous It hath two parts the first and the second The first is when a sinner of an euill man is made a good man And to effect this two things are required first the pardon of sinne which is one part of the first iustification secondly the infusion of inward righteousnes whereby the heart is purged and sanctified and this habite of righteousnes stands specially in hope and charitie After the first iustification followeth the second which is when a man of a good or iust man is made better and more iust this say they may proceed from works of grace because he which is righteous by the first iustification can bring forth good works by the merit wherof he is able to make himselfe more iust and righteous and yet they graunt that the first iustification commeth onely of Gods mercie by the merit of Christ. 1. Our consent and difference Now let vs come to the points of difference betweene vs and them touching iustification The first maine difference is in the matter thereof which shall be seene by the answer both of Protestant and Papist to this one question What is the very thing that causeth a man to stand righteous before God and to be accepted to life euerlasting we answer Nothing but the righteousnesse of Christ which consisteth partly in his sufferings and partly in his actiue obedience in fulfilling the rigour of the law And heare let vs consider how neare the Papists come to this answer and wherein they dissent Consent I. They graunt that in Iustificatiō sinne is pardoned by the merits of Christ that none can be iustified without remission of sinnes and that is well II. They graunt that the righteousnesse whereby a man is made righteous before God commeth from Christ from Christ alone III. The most learned among them say that Christ his satisfaction and the merit of his death is imputed to euery sinner that doth beleeue for his satisfaction before God and hitherto we agree The very point of difference is this we hould that the satisfaction made by Christ in his death and obedience to the lawe is imputed to vs and becomes our righteousnes They say it is our satisfaction and not our righteousnes whereby we stand righteous before God because it is inherent in the person of Christ as in a subiect Now the answere of the Papist to the former question is on this manner The thing saith he that maketh vs righteous before God and causeth vs to be accepted to life euerlasting is remission of sinnes and the habite of inward righteousnes or charitie with the fruits therof We condescend and graunt that the habite of righteousnes which we call sanctification is an excellent gift of God and hath his reward of God and is the matter of our iustification before men because it serueth to declare vs to be reconciled to God and to be iustified yet we denie it to be the
thing which maketh vs of sinners to become righteous or iust before God And this is the first point of our disagreement in the matter of iustificatiō which must be marked because if there were no more points of difference betweene vs this one alone were sufficient to keepe vs from vniting of our religiōs for hereby the church of Rome doth race the very foundation Now let vs see by what reasons we iustifie our doctrine and secondly answere the contrary obiections Our Reasons Reason I. That very thing which must be our righteousnes before God must satisfie the iustice of the lawe which saith doe these things and thou shalt liue Now there is nothing can satisfie the iustice of the lawe but the righteousnes or obedience of Christ for vs. If any alleadge civill iustice it is nothing for Christ saith Except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises you cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen What shall we say that workes doe make vs iust that can not be for all mens workes are defectiue in respect of the iustice of the lawe Shall we say our sanctification whereby we are renewed to the image of God in righteousnes and true holinesse that also is imperfect and cannot satisfie Gods iustice required in the law as Isai hath saide of himselfe and the people all our righteousnes is as a menstruous cloath To haue a cleare conscience before God is a principall part of inward righteousnes and of it Paul in his owne person saith thus I am priuie to nothing by my selfe yet am I not iustified thereby 2. Cor. 4. 4. Therfore nothing can procure vnto vs an absolution and acceptance to life euerlasting but Christs imputed righteousnes And this will appeare if we doe consider how we must come one day before Gods iudgement seate there to be iudged in the rigour of iustice for whē we must bring some thing that may countervaile the iustice of God not hauing onely acceptation in mercy but also approbation in iustice God beeing not onely mercifull but also a iust iudge II. Reason 2. Cor. 5. 21. He which knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that we might be made the righteousnes of God which is in him Whence I reason thus As Christ was made sinne for vs so are we made the righteousnesse of God in him but Christ was made sinne or a sinner by imputation of our sinnes he being in himselfe most holy therefore a sinner is made righteous before God in that Christs righteonsnes is imputed and applyed vnto him Now if any shall say that man is iustified by righteousnes infused then by like reason I say Christ was made sinne for vs by infusion of sinne which to say is blasphemie And the exposition of this place by S. Hierome is not to be despised Christ saith he beeing offered for our sinnes tooke the name of sinne that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him NOT OVRS NOR IN VS If this righteousnesse of God be neither ours nor in vs thē it can be no inherent righteousnes but must needes be righteousnes imputed And Chrys. on this place saith It is called Gods righteousnes because it is not of works because it must be VVITHOVT ALL STAINE or want that cannot be inherent righteousnes Anselme saith he is made sinne as we are made iustice not ours but gods not in vs but in him as he is made sinne not his owne but ours not in him selfe but in vs. Reason III. Rom. 5. 19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous marke here is a comparison betweene the first and second Adam And hence I reason thus As by the disobedience of the first Adam men were made sinners so by the obedience of the second Adam are we made righteous Now we are not onely made sinners by propagation of naturall corruption but by imputation For Adams first sinne was the eating of the forbidden fruit which very acte is no personall offence but is imputed to all his posteritie in whome we haue all sinned The Fathers call this very sinne Adams handwriting making vs debters vnto God And therefore in like manner the obedience of Christ is made the righteousnes of euery beleeuer not by infusion but by imputation IV. Reason A satisfaction made for the want of that iustice or obedience which the law requires at our hands is accepted of God as the iustice it selfe But Christs obedience is a satisfaction made for the want of that iustice or obedience which the law requires as the Papists themselues auouch Therefore this satisfaction is our iustice And me thinks the Papists vpon this consideration haue litle cause to dissent from vs. For if they make Christs obedience their satisfaction why should they not fully close hands with vs and make it their iustice also V. Reason The consent of the auncient Church Bernard saith epist. 190. The IVSTICE OF ANOTHER is assigned vnto man who wanted his owne man was indebted and man made paiment The SATISFACTION OF ONE IS IMPVTED to all And why may not iustice be from an other as vvell as guiltines is from an other And in Cant. serm 25. It sufficeth me for all righteousnes to haue him alone mercifull to me against vvhome I haue sinned And Not to sinne is Gods iustice MANS IVSTICE is the MERCIFVLNES OF GOD. And serm 61. Shall I sing mine owne righteousnes Lord I vvill remember thy righteousnes alone for IT IS MINE ALSO in that euen thou art made unto me righteousnes of God What shall I feare least that one be not sufficient for vs both it is not a short cloake that cannot couer two it will couer both thee and me largely beeing both a large and eternall iustice August on psal 22. He praieth for our faults and hath made our faults his faults that he might make HIS IVSTICE OVR IVSTICE Obiections of Papists Obiections of the Papists proouing inherent righteousnes to be the matter of our iustice before God are these I. Obiect It is absurd that one man should be made righteous by the righteousnes of an other for it is as much as if one man were made wise by the wisdome of another Ans. It is true that no man can be made righteous by the personall righteousnes of an other because it pertaines onely to one man And because the wisdome that is in one man is his altogether wholly it cannot be the wisdome of another no more then the health and life of one body can be the health of an other But it is otherwise with the righteousnesse of Christ it is his indeede because it is inherent in him as in a subiect it is not his alone but his and ours together by the tenour of the Couenant of grace Christ as he is a Mediatour is giuen to euery beleeuer as really and truly as land is giuen from man to man and with him are giuen all
temporall blessings In the first age he appointed vnto him for meate euery hearb of the earth bearing seed and euery tree wherein there is the fruite of a tree bearing seed Gen. 1. 18. And as for flesh whether God gaue vnto him libertie to eate or not to eate we hold it vncerten After the flood the Lord renewed his grant of the vse of the creatures and gaue his people libertie to eat the flesh of liuing creatures yet so as he made some things vncleane and forbad the eating of them among the rest the eating of blood But since the comming of Christ he hath inlarged his word and giuen libertie to all both Iewes Gentiles to eate of all kindes of flesh This word of his we rest vpon holding it a doctrine of deuills for men to commaund an abstinence from meates for conscience sake which the Lord himselfe hath created to be receiued with thanksgiuing Socrates a Christian historiographer saith that the Apostles left it free to euery one to vse what kinde of meate they would on fasting daies and other times Spiridion in lent dressed swines flesh and set it before a stranger eating himselfe and bidding the stranger also to eat who refusing professing him selfe to be a Christian therefore saith he the rather must thou doe it for to the pure all things are pure as the word of God teacheth vs. But they obiect Ier. 35. where Ionadab commanded the Rechabites to abstain from wine which commandement they obeyed and are commended for doing well in obeying of it therefore say they some kinde of meates may lawefully be forbidden Ans. Ionadab gaue this commandement not in way of religion or merit but for other wise and politicke regardes For he inioyned his posteritie not to drinke wine not to build houses not to sowe seede or plant vineyards or to haue any in possession but to liue in tents to the ende they might be prepared to beare the calamities that should be fall them in time to come But the Popish abstinence from certaine meates hath respect to conscience and religion and therefore is of another kind and can haue no warrant thence II. Obiect Dan. 10. 3. Daniel beeing in heauines for three weekes of daies abstained from flesh and his example is our warrant Ans. It was the manner of holy men in ancient times when they fasted many daies together of their owne accordes freely to abstaine from sundrie things and thus Daniel abstained from flesh But the Popish abstinence from flesh is not free but stands by cōmandement and the omitting of it is mortal sinne Againe if they will follow Daniell in abstaining from flesh why doe they not also abstaine from all pleasant bread and wine yea from ointments and why will they eate any thing in the time of their fast whereas they cannot shew that Daniel eate any thing at all till euening And Molanus hath noted that our ancetours abstained from wine and dainties and that some of them ate nothing for two or three daies together Thirdly they alleadge the diet of Iohn Baptist whose meate was Locusts and wild honie and of Timothy who abstained from wine Ans. Their kinde of diet and that abstinence which they vsed was only for temperance sake not for conscience or to merit any thing thereby let them prooue the contrarie if they can Thirdly and lastly we dissent from them touching certaine endes of fasting For they make abstinence it selfe in a person fitly prepared to be a part of the worship of God but we take it to be a thing indifferent in it selfe and therefore no part of Gods worship and yet withall being well vsed we esteeme it as a proppe or furtherance of the worship in that we are made the fitter by it to worship God And herevpon some of the more learned sort of them say Not the worke of fasting done but the deuotion of the worker is to be reputed the seruice of God Againe they say that fasting in or with deuotion is a worke of satisfaction to Gods iustice for the temporall punishment of our sinnes Wherein we take they doe blasphemously derogat from Christ our Sauiour who is the whole and perfect satisfaction for sinne both in respect of fault and punishment Here they alleadge the example of the Ninevites and Achabs fasting wherby they turned away the iudgements of God denounced against them by his Prophets We answer that Gods wrath was appeased towards the Ninevites not by their fasting but by faith laying holde on Gods mercy in Christ and thereby staying his iudgement Their fasting was onely a signe of their repentance their repentance a fruite and signe of their faith whereby they beleeued the preaching of Ionas As for Ahabs humiliatiō it is nothing to the purpose for it was in hypocrisie if they get any thing thereby let thē take it to themselues To conclude we for our parts doe not condemne this exercise of fasting but the abuse of it and it were to be wished that fasting were more vsed of all Christians in all places considering the Lord doth daily giue vs new and special occasions of publike and priuate fasting The thirteenth point Of the state of perfection Our consent Our consent I will set downe in two conclusions I. All true beleeuers haue a state of true perfection in this life Math. 5. 48. Be you perfect as your father in heauen is perfect Gen. 6. 9. Noah was a iust and perfect man in his time and walked with God Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be perfect And sundrie kings of Iuda are said to walke vprightly before God with a perfect heart as Dauid Iosias Hezekias c. And Paul accounteth himselfe with the rest of the faithfull to be perfect saying Let vs all that are perfect be thus minded Phil. 3. 15. Now this perfection hath two partes The first is the imputation of Christs perfect obedience which is the ground and fountaine of all our perfectiō whatsoeuer Heb. 10. 14. By one offering that is by his obedience in his death and passion hath he consecrated or made perfect for euer them that beleeue The second part of Christian perfection is synceritie or vprightnes standing in two things The first is to acknowledge our imperfection and vnworthines in respect of our selues and hereupon though Paul had said he was perfect yet he addeth further that he did account of himselfe not as though he had attained to perfection but did forget the good things behinde and indeauoured himselfe to that which was before Here therefore it must be remembered that the perfection whereof I speake may stande with sundrie wants and imperfections It is saide of Asa that his heart vvas perfect vvith God all his daies and yet he pulled not dovvne the high places and beeing diseased in his feete he put his trust in the Physitians and not in the Lord. Secondly this vprightnes standes in a constant purpose endeauour and care to keepe not