but also in respect of God hath utterly abolished them out of his Fathers sight by making them of unjust just that is re ipsa in very deed perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely yet notwithstanding say these Objectors alledging this place for their proofe hee sees their sinnes in them which is as much as if they should say hee sees them not of unjust made just that is perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely but sees them still although there been no punishment belonging to them for the same in the soule pickle of their sinnes seeing the least sinne although there were no punishment for it yet for the very nature of it is ever horrible and abhominable in the sight of God But how comes God to see them in us after hee hath covered them out of his own sight These Objectors answer By looking under the covering But I would gladly know of them wherefore did God cover them out of his sight if hee peepe under the covering to see them againe Or I would know of them whether God so cover our sinnes out of his owne sight as men cover things with a net that lye as naked to view as they did before they were covered But howsoever by thus alleadging of this Scripture hereby the justified excepting some difference of guilt and punishment yet in respect of the sin it selfe which is worse than the guilt and punishment being the image of the Devill and in respect of Gods seeing the very being of sin in them are made all one with the Reprobate and wicked Secondly Gods covering is made all one with mans covering nay rather with the deceitfull covering which the wicked make to themselves And thirdly the wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse is made all one in respect of the being of sinne it selfe in Gods sight with the hypocrisie and security of the wicked Are not every one of these points horrible blasphemy against Christ and his righteousnesse Thus handsomely and thus properly doth unbeliefe and infidelity alleadge Scriptures may we not worthily suspect these Objectors in alleadging other Scriptures against the truth that alledge this so absurdly Againe secondly this allegation seeming to stand for and defend the all-seeing nature of God is blasphemous not only because it robs God of his power namely that God cannot above our reason sense and feeling make his children so perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in his sight freely that he doth see no sin in them but also whereas by the truth of his Word and by the power of Christs blood and by the testimony of all the former faithfull witnesses he doth so and true faith that sees invisible things more plainely than any demonstration can make them and doth see it more brightly than any bodibly sense can discerne it but on the other side unbeliefe is blind and cannot see and discern invisible things yet shee is not content to bee blind her selfe but also being as bold as blind Bayard shee would goe about to make God blind also viz. that he cannot see this his own mysticall and supernaturall work wrought in and upon his children by the blood and righteousnesse of his own Son but he must needs bee blind thus this blind bold Betteresse unbeliefe makes God to her selfe both impotent blind and a liar 1 Iohn 5. 10. and then 1 Ioh. 5. 10. layes the blame of all this upon faith And thus men stumbling at the block of their own sense sight and feeling doe break the neck of their faith so endanger to break the neck of their soules Wherein the example of Zachary the Father of Iohn Baptist is written Zachary an example of unbeliefe to terrifie us who being so good a man was yet notwithstanding at the very entrance of the Gospel for an example of all unbeliefe strucken dumb nine months because hee did not beleeve the Angell Gabriel that spake of fruitfulnesse in him contrary to the course of nature and work of God in him by nature which hee saw and felt in himself how much more if we believe not Christ the Prince of Angels speaking of perfect cleannesse in us Can. 4. 7. And of perfect righteousnesse Cant. 4. 7. Rom. 8. 4. in us Rom. 8. 4. contrary but to the worke and Image that the Devill hath wrought and defiled us with in the sight of God and for which Christ shed out his deerest heart-blood to destroy take away and abolish the same out of his Fathers sight how much more I say if wee beleeve neither the word of Christ nor the blood of Christ contrary to our sense reason sight and seeling doe we deserve to be smitten with everlasting dumbnesse to be never able to speak feelingly of the mercies of God any more The Lord keep us from this Judgement by taking warning of the Prince that would not beleeve the Prophet of the Lord because his reason sense and feeling spake strongly the contrary and therefore was shamefully trodden under-foot to death that he might never 2 King 7. 20. enjoy the promise 2 King 7. 20. Now therefore for the weaker understanding and memory briefly to re-collect what hath been said against this first objection breathing out nothing but Six absurdities arising from former objections unbelief do arise and ensue these six maine absurdities First the nature and essence of Faith to beleeve what God speaketh contrary to Reason sense and feeling is denyed Secondly Justification of unjust making us Just that is reipsa perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely is destroyed and so baptisme is denyed and Christ is denyed for look how much sin God seeth in us so much unrighteousnesse he sees in us look how much unrighteousnesse hee sees in us so much doe we come short of being made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely and so Christ is made an unperfect workman and baptisme is damnified And again wee see that the truely learned hold that untill the cause be thus taken away which is sinne it selfe the effects of guilt and punishment doe not truly cease Thirdly by it hypocrisie is nourished for hypocrisie not seeing what an infinite horrible thing the sinne it selfe is in the sight of God cares for no more than for selfe-love to have the guilt and punishment done away but as for the sinne it selfe which is the immediate abuser of God and the meere worke and image of the Divell and spirituall high treason against the highest spirituall Majestie defiling all her good works she cares not greatly whether that be taken away or she by her supposed holy walking will put out and take away that her selfe she will not trust Christ with that businesse to doe it by himselfe alone although therein relies the very glory of the Godhead of Christ Heb. 1. 3. and
so perfectly just and righteous in the sight of God freely that we are faire yea and all faire and there is no spot in us Cant. 4 7. all Cant. 4. 7. which is by Gods speaking it really so indeed spiritually in the sight of God and yet we see and feel nothing but soulenesse and spottednesse And this object and matter of faith is expressed in the Text in these words Verse 17. Before God that quickneth the dead and calleth Verse 17. those things that be not as though they were the meaning whereof is this God calleth that is worketh effecteth causeth maketh that thing to have a true reall being before himselfe by speaking it which to Beza in Rom. 4. 17 quae â—ccâ—t essicit Deus apud quem jam sunt quae alioqui reipsa non sunt ut qui vel verbâ— quid vis possit ex nihilo efficeâ—e sense sight and feeling is not and yet to have by his call as true and reall a being before himselfe as though it were and had an outward being to sense sight and feeling therefore doth Beza rightly thus expound those words saying What God calls those things he effecteth before whom those things are already which otherwise indeed are not as he that can with his word make what he will of nothing Secondly followes the battel of faith in which the 2 The battell of Abrahams faith order of nature and sense and reason grounded upon naturall causes doe shew a flat contrariety and impossibility of the matter spoken and promised against Piscat in Rom. â— 18. Contra spem scilicet quam coâ—e peâ—e poter â— exconsideratione naâ—â—raererum which faith opposeth the meere word and power of God speaking and this battel of faith is expressed in the next verse in these words verse 18. Which Abraham above or contrary to hope beleeved under hope according to that which was spoken that is contrary to hope namely which he might conceive by the consideration of the nature of things But under hope namely which Subsâ—e scilicet quam concipere poterat ex consideratione potentie Dei loquâ—ntis 3. The victory oâ— Faith he did conceive by the consideration of the power of God which had spoken Thirdly followes the victory of faith by which it shutteth her eyes and considereth not nor lookes upon but as it were winketh at and turnes quite from and forgetteth the order of nature and naturall causes and things that doe to reason sense sight and feeling shew a contrariety and impossibility in the matter promised spoken and resteth wholly and only upon the Word promise and power of God speaking whereby visible things that to reason are contrary to the promise doe become as things of nothing and having as it were no being and invisible things spoken by God become to be the only things that Quicquid in se ipso ac circa se intueri poterat promissionis coÌ„plemento adversabatur have substance and ground with us and this victory of faith is expressed in the next verse in these words verse 19. That he not weake in faith considered not or would not thinke of his owne body which was now dead nor Ergo ut locum Divin 8 veritati saocret ab ils quae in conspectu erant animum yetraxit quasi oblitus est Calv. Marlor in Rom. 4. 19. the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe c. that is whatsoever he could behold either in himselfe or about himselfe was against and contrary to the accomplishment and fulfilling of Gods promise and therefore to give place to the truth of God he wholly withdrew his minde from the things which he saw and felt and did as it were forget himselfe because it is truely said of another Interpreter of Gods mysteries That seeing the Cum tanta sit potentia Dei aequum est c. power of God is so great that quickens the dead it is meet that we believe him even when he promiseth things impossible to nature and to the judgement of our reason Fourthly hereupon followes the Triumph of faith 4. The â—â—iumph of Faith yeelding to God only upon the foresaid grounds of his truth and power his full glory of truely sufilling upon us that which he hath spoken whereby he hath ascribed unto him the glory of his truth and power and we have the blessing and benefit thereof for ever and this triumph of faith is expressed in the next verses in these words That he doubted not of the promise of God by unbeliefe but was strengthened in faith and gave glory to God Being fully assured that he which had spoken it was also able to doe it All which the Apostle flatly testifies must be imitated of us in the case of Free Iustification by Christ who was delivered to death to abolishour sinnes out of Gods sight and is risen againe for our full justification Rom. 4. 15. The manner whereof Rom. 4. 15. Luther is notably expressed by that Hercules of Gods glory upon the song of Zachary saying thus In what place soever the borne of salvation Iesus Christ is exalted there is no accesse neither for sinne nor death wherefore a Christian is both foule and yet without sinne How comes this to passe after this sort Beloved you have often heard that God leaveth in us an appearance and feeling whilst we live here both of sinne death and the Devill God suffereth these to remaine and taketh them not quite away from sense and feeling for this appearance must continue that we may perceive and feele that we are nothing else of our selves but sinners subject to sinne and Satan But all this is but a certaine outward appearance before my sight and the sight of the world which know and judge no otherwise but that sinne and death are present and yet under this appearance lieth hid innocency life and Faith is the substance of things not appearing dominion and victory over sinne death and Satan for because faith is the evidence and substance of things not appearing therefore that faith may have place it is necessary that all things which are beleeved be hid but they cannot be more deeply hid than under the contrary object sense and experience But when as we see all our sinnes laid upon Christ and to be victoriously conquered of him by his resurrection and doe confidently beleeve this then they are dead and brought to nothing for being laid upon Christ they must not remaine so but are swallowed up in the triumph of his resurrection So saith S. Paul Christ was delivered to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our Iustification that is by his death he hath taken upon him our sins and thereby utterly abolished them out of the sight of God as the Sun-beames abolish darknesse and by his resurrection hath made us perfectly righteous so that a true Christian may be bold to say Lord God maker of the whole world it
in his own sight freely and that he hath made us hereby as I said before truely blessed persons Galath 3. 8 9. Galat. 3. 8. 9. We give him the praise honour and glory of his rich Grace great mercy and glorious bounty Ephes 2. 7. Ephes 2. 7. Luthâ—in Galath cap 3. vers 6. fol. 110. And therefore it is most true which that magnanimous Dispenser of Gods mysteries testifieth of faith saying thus Paul by these words Abraham beleeved of faith maketh the chiefest worship the chiefest duty the chiefest oâ—edience and the chiefest sacrifice Let him that is a Rethorician amplifie amplifie this place and he shall see that faith is an almighty thing and that as it may appeare by the whole eleâ—enth chapter to the Hebrews the power thereof is infinite and inestimable for it gives glory unto God which is the highest service that can be given unto him Now to give glory unto God is to beleeve in him to count him in that which he speaketh true wise righteous mercifull almighty This Reason doth not but saith this is that which makes us divine people and as a man would say it is the creator of a certaine divinity not in the substance of God but in us for without faith God loseth in us his glory wisedome righteousnesse and mercy To conclude no majesty and divinity remaineth unto God where faith is not but the chiefest thing that God requireth of man is that he give unto him his glory and his Divinity The second maine priviledge of faith is that if we The second maine priviledge of faith is in foure things beleeve that Christ by washing us in his owne blood hath made us whiter than snow from all spot or wrinkle of sinne in the sight of God freely that then we give to Christ his Son his due glory especially in these foure points First we yeeld him the virtue of his name for he is called Iesus because hee doth thus perfectly save his people from their sinnes Mat. Math. 1. 21. 1. 21. Secondly we yeeld him hereby the glory of his Godhead that he is able to make us above our reason sense and feeling from all spot or wrinkle of sinne in the sight of God whiter than snow as also we give him hereby the glory of his Kingly power that he is a true Melchisedec that is King of righteousnesse by making his true subjects in the sight of God from all spot or wrinkle of sin or any such thing perfectly righteous freely Thirdly we give to Christ the glory and truth of his Prophetship who did long before and especially by the mouth of David prophesie that if he did take in hand to purge us we should be cleane and when he did take in hand to wash us we should be whiter than snow Psal 51. 7. which Psal 51. 7. if wee beleeve to bee by his blood now done and wrought upon us we make him by beleeving a true Prophet and give him his glory of fulfilling the truth of his prophecying Fourthly by beleeving wee yeeld and give unto him the virtue and glory of his Priesthood who was wounded for our iniquities and broken and bruised for our transgressions but to no other end than that the chastisement of our peace might be upon him and that by his stripes we might be healed Esay 53. 5. Esay 53. 5. which if we beleeve that by his blood we are from all our sins made in his sight whiter than snow and so perfectly healed in Gods sight we give him the true glory of his Priesthood because if the Priest offering but the blood of Bulls and Goats made the beleevers cleane from all their sinnes before the Lord Levit. 16. 30. Levit. 16. 30. how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God by making us cleane in the sight of God from all sinne purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. of which the more wee assure our Heb. 9. 14. selves the more doe we yeeld him the virtue and glory of his Priesthood whereby is brought to passe that God not so much as remembring our sins any more there is no more sacrifice for sinne Heb. 10. 17 18. because Heb. 10. 17 18. with one offering he hath made perfect continually and for ever all them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. Oh Heb. 10. 14. Jesus Christ who will not beleeve in thee magnificently The third priviledge of faith yeelding to God The third priviledge of faith is to glorifie the word and spirit of God so great honour and glory is because that wee beleeving the plaine and naked word of God speaking simply and plainely to the weakest capacities without wresting and wringing it à gemino sensu from the proper and Grammaticall sense of the words to sort and accord as they shall be most agreeable to humane wit and naturall reason doe greatly glorifie the word of God speaking in the mysteries of Christ in his proper sense and plaine and literall and Grammaticall signification captivating our sense and understanding to the Scripture speaking so farre above reason sense and feeling And doe also greatly glorifie the spirit of God and holy Ghost speaking in the Scriptures because we have an eare to heare what the spirit saith unto us Revel 2. and 11. and not what mens glosses Revel 2. 11. doe make agreeable to humane wit not expresly taught in the word the reason wherof is because as Luther truly saith major est verbi Dei authoritas quà m De captivitate Babylonica nostri ingenii capacitas greater is the authority of the plaine and simple grammaticall speaking of Gods word than the capacity of our shallow wits quam etsi philosophia non capit fides tamen capit which plaine speaking although Philosophy and humane reason cannot conceive yet faith is able to comprehend and therefore he gives this worthy and stable rule against the wresting of the words of the Scripture from their proper sense to the maintaining of error sounding more fit to humane reason namely Quod verbis divinis non est ulla facienda vis neque per hominem neque per Angelum sed quâ—ntum fieri potest in simplicissima significatione servanda sunt c. that is to the words of the divine Scripture must no wresting sorce be offered neither by man nor Angel but as much as can bee possible they must be kept in their most simple and plaine signification and except the manifest circumstance doe constraine they are not to be taken out of the signification that is grammaticall and proper lest there bee given an occasion to adversaries to clude the whole Scripture in which consideration for neglecting the grammaticall speaking Origen was of ancients justly rejected because thereby the words of the Scripture may be extenuated and set light of and may with great injury be made void of
truth saying This is a passive and heavenly righteousnesse which we have not of our selves that is our active doings but receive it from heaven which wee work not but which by grace is wrought in us mark meerly passively wrought in us and apprehended by faith whereby we mount above all Lawes and Works Then he proceeds and saith What will some man say do we then nothing doe wee work nothing for the obtaining of this righteousnesse I answer saith he nothing at all For like as the earth ingendereth not raine nor is able by her own strength labour and travell to procure the same but receiveth it of the meere gift of God from above so is this heavenly righteousnesse a meere passive righteousness given us of God without our works or deservings for in this we work nothing we render nothing unto God but only we receive and suffer another to work in us mark to work in us that is to say God therefore it seemeth good unto me to call this righteousnesse of faith or Christian righteousnesse the passive righteousnesse but that it is wrought in us not inherently and actively but is thus in us meerely mystically that is after a secret and unutterable manner utterly hid to reason sense and seeling and so to be comprehended and apprehended by faith only he expresseth plainly in the next words saying This is a righteousness hidden in a mystery which Luther ibid. the world doth not know yea Christians themselves doe not throughly understand it and can hardly take hold of it especially in the time of tentations therefore it must bee diligently taught and continually practised for who so doth not understand and apprehend this righteousnesse if hee doe but know the horriblenesse of the least sinne in the sight of God must needs in afflictions and terrors of conscience be overthrown for there is no comfort of conscience so sirme and so sure as this passive righteousnesse Neither doe these foresaid Dispensers of Gods mysteries only as Doctor Whittaker and especially Luther abundantly testifie That this righteousnesse of Christ is mystically even in us and passively wrought even in us but also other learned and faithfull Restorers of the Gospel in the Church doe testifie as Calvin likewise shewing that those words of the Apostle Rom. 8. 4. Namely that the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us is not wrought as the Papists doe expound it by inherent and active fulfilling of the Law by us but passively by imputation presently addeth the manner how saying For the Lord Christ c. And again intreating upon those words in Iob 15. 15. Behold the heavens are not clean in Gods sight How much more is man abhominable and filthy which drinketh iniquitie like water he saith more plainly after this manner That although mans nature bee thus defiled and made abominable by sinne yet there remaines this remedy against the same That all our filthinesse is washed away with the blood of Gods Sonne and his righteousnesse being imputed unto us and wee thus cloathed in his garments are acceptable to our good God why because saith he we have a perfect and more than Angelicall righteousnesse in us he meanes not inherently and actively in us for of this he is both against the Papists and against the Anabaptists in all his writings a continual and earnest Impugner but mystically objectively and passively in us as by the power of Gods imputation we are though spiritually yet truly cloathed with the garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse abolishing mystically all our filthinesse from before God and making us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely the full passive manner whereof he enlargeth out of Ambrose by a similitude in another place plainly thus That as Iacob having not of himselfe deserved the preheminence of the first begotten Son did cloath How Iacob got the blessing himselfe in the faire cloathes of his elder brother whereby Isaac smelling the sweet and well pleasing savour of his eldest Son Iacob got thereby into the favour of his father and received the blessing of the elder brother to his own benefit and commodity so we being by the power of Gods imputation cloathed with the precious purenesse of Christ The Lord Christ doth in such sort communicate his righteousnesse with us that after a certaine marvellous manner hee poureth the force thereof into us so much as belongeth to satisfie the Iustice of God whereby we get a testimony of righteousness in the sight of God Yea so great a testimony of righteousnesse in the sight of God that Luther testifieth that God doth see nothing else in true beleevers but a meere cleansing and righteousnesse saying thus Christ by dying upon the Cross hath so purged and perfectly cleansed us from all â—â—nnes that God would see nothing else in the whole world if it did beleeve but a meere How this righteousnesse is in us makes us per 〈◊〉 righteoâ—s â— Gâ—ds sâ—ght cleansing and righteousness Now that this righteousnesse though mystically yet is so truely in us that it makes us above our sense and feeling perfectly righteous in the sight of God whereby we are not imaginarily counted righteous as the Papists doe cavill but Verè reipsa facti sumus justi that is truly and in very deed made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely although I wonder that any Protestants of any reading should doubt thereof much lesse by mouth and pen deny it seeing it is not only evidently taught in the Scriptures but also testified abundantly of all except two or three at the most the best Dispensers of Gods mysteries especially such as by this Doctrine reformed the Church and were the first Restorers of the Gospel amongst us so that I dare undertake to collect out of Luthers workes a thousand testimonies of this Doctrine That by the power of Gods imputation facti sumus justi we are truly made righteous in the sight of God And although I have briefly touched this before in my first defining of Free Iustification yet because by reason of the old sore of outward seeing and feeling the contrarie it is so hardly beleeved it is necessarie that I further prosecute this point and prove both by plaine Scriptures and common consent of the learned that by this forme of Christs perfect righteousness we are not barely counted righteous but are after the nature of the from truly and in very deed made perfectly righteous in the sight of God freely and that as all other formes doe so this also gives us not only the name but also the being of persons made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely THe first plaine expresse Scripture is Rom. 5. 19. Scrip. 1. Rom. â— 19. Proving we are not only counted but are indeed perfectly righteous in Goâ—â— sight where the Apostle not speaking of sanctification untill hee comes to the sixth
new life to the eyes of men Yea more although our inherent righteousnesse of sanctification flowing thus from our Justification be imperfect in it selfe and makes all our actions imperfect in righteousnesse yet so mighty is this originall righteousnesse as Luther calls it in respect of the secondarie inherent actuall righteousnesse of our The exceeding efficacy of our originall righteousnesse that is Christs sanctification That as the Sun-beames lying continually in a house that can cast forth continually nothing but shadowish darknesse doth continually swallow up that shadowish darknesse and makes both the house and all things in the house all light so doth the glorious Sun of Righteousnesse Christ Jesus by the power of his imputation so cloath us with his own righteousnesse that continually swallowing up and abolishing the imperfections of our sanctification doth make and continually preserve and present us and all our actions that were darknesse in themselves to be all light in the Ephes 5. 8. Lord Ephes 5. 8. that is made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne continually in the sight of God freely Which comparison between Adam and Christ although it is proposed as equall to shew the truth reallnesse and verity between them as vers 19. where the Apostle saith that As by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners So by the obedience of one are many also made righteous Yet in other places is the working of Christ shewed to be farre more rich plentifull and abundant in making us perfectly righteous than the working of Adam in making us sinners so that the Apostle to expresse the plentifull working of Christ above Adam doth not stick to use the words Abounding in the work of Christ above Adam lesse than foure times in the later part of that fifth chapter saying That although through the offense of one many bee dead Yet much more doth the grace of God and gift by Grace abound unto many yea although the Law entred in upon sinne and made sinne to abound and to be out of measure sinfull yet grace in Iustification abounds much more so that saith hee they which receive the abundance of grace and this gift of righteousnesse doe even reigne in life by this Iustification of life But that saying 2 Cor. 5. 21. is more admirable that He which knew no sin 2 Cor. 5. 21. was made sin for us that we being translated into Christ might be made the very righteousnesse of God The Abstract importing as I said before that we are made so perfectly completely and gloriously holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely That we are nothing else but meer righteousnesse in the sight of God And hath Christs work passed Adams making of sinners in swallowing up and utterly abolishing all our sinne from before God as if Iosephs barnes had swallowed up the leane kine in Pharaohs vision and made us so richly plentifully and abundantly righteous in the sight of God and shall we be troubled more with the feeling of Adams work upon us than be filled with joy with the exceeding glory of Christs work upon us should we not by such regard of sense and feeling that is of old Adam and weaknesse of faith greatly dishonour the God-head of Christ in the second Adam This comparison between Christ and Adam doth Luther also strongly presse for the strengthning of faith saying thus For as we cannot deny but that wee are all sinners and are constrained to say that through the sinne of Adam we were all lost were made the enimies of God and guilty of eternall death for this doe all terrified hearts feele and confesse and more indeed sometimes than they should doe so can wee not deny but that Christ died for our sinnes that he might make us righteous for he died not to justifie the righteous but the unrighteous and to make them the children of God and Inheritors of all spirituall and heavenly blessings therefore when I feele and confesse my selfe to be a sinner through Adams transgression why should I not say that I am made righteous through the righteousnesse of Christ especially when I heare that hee loved me and gave himselfe for me This did Paul most stedfastly beleeve and therefore he speaketh these words with so great vehemencie and full assurance which He grant unto us in some part at the least which hath loved us and given himselfe for us The third help to strengthen our weak faith to beleeve above our sense and feeling that we are made thus perfectly and gloriously holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely Is for the inconveniences and evills that otherwise will follow this distrust briefly and plainely expressed by Luther saying thus Except thou dost beleeve above thy sense and feeling and confesse that thou art thus righteous in the sight of God thou dost great injury to Christ who hath made thee cleane by the washing of water through the word who also died upon the â—rosse condemned sinne and killed death that through him thou mightest obtaine righteousnesse and everlasting life these things thou canst not deny except thou wilt openly shew thy selfe to be wicked and blasphemous against God and utterly to despise God and all his promises Iesus Christ with all his benefits and so consequently thou canst not deny but that thou art righteous Now concerning the other part of the objection Object namely that we feele so great unworthinesse in our selves that wee dare not assume so great glory to our selves that we are made so perfectly and gloriously holy and righteous in the sight of God as that wee are only and meerly the Righteousnesse of God in his sight To which I answer againe with Luther that there Answ be two great causes beside the malice of the Devill why we doe not beleeve and so receive this precious gift First the inestimable greatnesse of the gift is the cause that we do not beleeve it and because this incomparable treasure is freely offered therefore it is despised And secondly because as Luther truly saith in another place the doctrine of the Gospel speaketh of farre other matters than any Book of policy or Philosophy yea or the very Book of Moses himselfe to wit of the unspeakable and most divine gifts of God which farre passe the capacity and understanding both of men and Angels whereby the inestimable A threefold remedy against feare of applying so great riches greatnesse of Gods bounty in the gift engenders in us an hardnesse to beleeve it But for this there is a threefold Remedy able to strengthen us effectually in faith The first is expressed by Luther saying after this manner We must not weigh so much how great the thing is that is given and how unworthy we are of it for so should the greatnesse of the gift and our unworthinesse terrifie us but we must principally consider first the greatnesse of the giver and secondly that
Moon or rather a candle for brightnesse so farre doth our glorifying of God directly to his own eyes the first way by joyfull embracing the greatnesse of his benefits passe the glorifying of him by works to the eyes of men the second way Because the first is meerly passive in us suffering God to glorifie himselfe upon us by working his inestimable benefits freely upon us The second is declarative and active in us by which wee declare the free goodnesse of God freely bestowed upon us The first is inward spirituall and divine wholly tending to the prayse of God first creating as it were the glory of God in us For whereas it is the nature of unbeliefe as Brentius well describes to be very curious and inquisitive and at the smallest appearance contrary to the promise doubts of God speaking it one while making question whether the Word be the Word another while making question of the meaning of the Word another while ☞ looking to the fewnesse and simplenesse of them that hold the Word another while looking at the multitude and greatnesse of them that hold otherwise but ever seeking some witty evasion whereby it may seem to do honestly in not believing the Word of God as it plainly speaks And sorobs God of the glory of his truth and of his power and with seeming wit makes him a liar So on the contrary side faith resting upon the naked and plain word spoken because it seemes contrary to reason and outward sense and feeling it flies to the truth and power of the Promiser making him true in his speaking and able to perform it and so gives him the glory of his Living and Being and true working in us whereby as Luther truly speaks faith is as a man would say the Creator of a certaine Divinity not in the substance of God but in us and so by putting us in possession of Gods bounteous divine benefits doth truly make us divine people And for this first kinde of glorifying God is Abraham so often called in the Word the friend of God But the second kind of glorifying God is outward more fleshly and humane not creating and making but shewing after a grosser manner to the eyes of worldly men that we are made divine persons whereof S. Peter speaks saying By the exceeding great and precious promises you are partakers of the Divine nature But how manifested and declared In that saith he yee flie the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4. And this second active kinde of glorifying God because we are Agents in it and doe it by the spirit greatly inclines to the glorifying of man as S. Paul speaking of the sanctified works and holy life of Abraham saith What shall we say then that Abraham our Father hath found concerning the flesh For if Abraham were justified that is made righteous in the sight God by the holy works of his sanctification he had wherein to rejoyce or glory viz. before men but not before God But what saith the Scripture Abraham believed that God himselfe took in hand to make him righteous by clothing him with his Sons righteousnesse whereby he was made spiritually divinely heavenly and perfectly righteous not for mans account which counteth of righteousnesse by halfes but in Gods account whose count is perfect and counts it not righteousnesse except he himselfe alone by himselfe doe make his creature perfectly and gloriously holy and righteous from all spot of sin in his own sight freely This Abraham believed enjoyed the benefit thereof and gave glory to God and therefore was called the friend of God because he glorified him in this principall glory wherein hee will be glorified in the greatnesse of his benefits freely bestowed which especially in his Gospel are correspondent and agreeable to his great and glorious nature and therefore being above humane capacitie and to reason impossible is principally glorified by taking them by faith and this faith seeing and discerning the greatnesse and glory of them makes the true Believer to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious 1 Pet. 1. 8. 1 Pet. 1. 3. But alas here wee may take up Luthers complaint That this knowledge and benefit of Christ to come the Saints of the Old Testament rejoyced more in and so glorified God more for the same than wee now doe when hee is so brightly and comfortably revealed and exhibited unto us Indeed saith hee we do confesse that this knowledge of Christ and of the righteousnesse of faith is an inestimable treasure but wee conceive not thereby such a full joy of spirit as the Prophets and Apostle did But what is the reason hereof Because saith Luther in another place They did not consider so coldly the promises made unto the Fathers as wee doe but did reade them and weigh them with great diligence But they that understand not this benefit of fee Justification whereof the Gospel specially intreateth and so doe prize no other righteousnesse besides the righteousnesse of works works when they heare this righteousnesse of faith pressed and the excellencie thereof advanced they are offended objecting that it is so farre from glorifying God two wayes that it makes men secure and carelesse to all good works But what saith the Doctrine of our Church is the cause hereof Even this as Luther also testifieth Because they understand nothing of Free Iustification or else they understand it carnally for their minds are occupied with other cogitations and fantasticall imaginations of their own works therefore things seeme unto them strange matters and no meanes to glorifie God neither passively by faith nor actively by works but the children of wisdome will imitate the Prophets and Apostles who because they conceived the great glory thereof and felt true joy of spirit for the same therefore saith Luther did they especially Paul so plentifully set forth and so diligently teach the Article of Justification For saith he this is the proper office of an Apostle or as one may say the essence of a Minister of the Gospel to preach among people the unsearchable riches of Christ Ephes 3. 8. especially Ephes 3. 8. the cause and fountaine of all the rest namely Free Justification wherewith as David saith Psal Psal 119. 32. Gal. 5. 1. 119. 32. when our heart is set at liberty Galat. 5. 1. wee will runne the way of Gods Commandements Hence it is that the Prophet Ieremy also set out so magnificently the glory of Free Justification as it should be fully revealed under the time of the Gospel saying I will make them cleane from all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against mee and whereby they have rebelled against mee c. Yea saith he in an other place Ierem. 31. I will make a new covenant with Ierem. 31 33. the house of Israel and this shall be the Covenant That I will so forgive their iniquities that I will remember their sinnes no more And it shall bee to mee a name a
but also Christ the Son hath really given himselfe to make us holy and hath made us clean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might make us to himselfe a glorius Church and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 people not having now at this present time as both the Greek and Latin Participles signifie one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing because by his death upon the crosse he hath made us so holy that wee are without all blame and without all fault in his sight if we continue rooted and grounded in this Ephes 5. 25 26 27. Colos 1. 22 23. faith Ephes 5. 25 26 27. Coloss 1. 22 23. And hath not only sworn it and by his Son wrought it but also sealed the truth and power of the same upon us by his own seale of Baptisme and not only so sealed it upon us but also confirmed the assurance thereof unto us by so many faithfull dispensors of Gods mysteries as is before shewed as with a cloud of witnesses shall wee notwithstanding all these sayings and doings of God say in the secrets of our hearts by unbeliefe hold thy peace God hold thy peace Christ you may say what you will but I can by a subtle distinction of mine own braine of taking away out of Gods sight not the sin which I see but the guilt which thou hast forgotten to speak of make an evasion from all this and will beleeve my sence sight and feeling rather then you Is this faith is not this to make God no God but to make our reason sense and feeling our God If wee had no sin in us and if we did see and feel no sin in us what place were there left for faith to beleeve these sayings of God that wee have no sin in the sight of God but now because wee have sin in us and do see it and feele it therefore should wee so much the rather upon these sayings of God beleeve the cleane contrary to our sense and feeling that wee have no sin in the sight of God this is true faith and where there is reasoning from sense and feeling there is not faith For if Abraham had not beleeved that hee and his wife were fruitfull and should have children clean contrary to that which they both had and saw and felt in themselves hee being almost an hundred yeeres old and dead and his wife both barren in her youth and in her age past child-bearing hee had never grown to so mighty a Nation but he doubted not to beleeve clean contrary to that which he both had saw and felt in themselves and so was strengthned in true faith and gave glory to God being fully assured that hee which had promised was also able to do it how contrary soever it seemed to his present sight sense and feeling so if we could beleeve that God is able above our reason sense and feeling by his Sons blood and righteousnesse utterly to abolish out of his own sight all our sins being the work and image of the Devill which Christ came purposely to destroy and that he doth make us whiter than snow from them all so that wee have not now one spot or wrinkle of sinne that defiles us nor any such thing in the sight of God and that he is faithfull to doe this as he hath spoken it Eph. 5. 26 27. contrary Ephes 5. 26. 27 to our reason sense and feeling then have wee true faith then should wee truly glorifie God and Christ and find Sanctification and all other blessings both spirituall and temporall with a fuller hand then wee doe Which people doe much faile of because they marke not that there is a twofold making of us clean and abolishing of our sinnes made mention of in Gods word and testified in the consent of the former witnesses of Justification First a mysticall and secret abolishing of our sins A twofold clâ—nsing or abolishing of sinne 1 Mysticall Iohn 1. 29. 1 Iohn 1. 7. wrought only by Christ and his righteousnesse in the sight of God only mentioned Iohn 1. 29. saying Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world And 1 Iohn 1. 7. The blood of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God doth make us clean from all sinne and in many other such like places of Scripture which is called mysticall because it is wrought seene and apprehended above reason sense and feeling that is by faith only and is the meere and sole glory of Christs Godhead Heb. 1. 3. Heb. 1. 3. Secondly a grosse and palpable abolishing of our 2 Grosse and palpable sinnes wrought by us by the help of Gods spirit to our sense and feeling by sanctification mentioned by S. Paul 2 Cor. 7. 1. saying Let us clense our selves from 2 Cor. 7. 1. all filthinesse of the flesh and 1 Iohn 3. 3. He that hath 1 Iohn 3. 3. this hope doth purifie himselfe as he is pure which later way we shall never feele to be perfected in us untill the life to come that there may be place for the first way and for faith for as I said before what place were there left for faith to beleeve that Christ hath made us perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely if we could see and feele our selves to be so in the sight of God But if sticking only in this later we idlely prattle and talk by the light of nature of Gods power and presence and all-seeing and all-searching nature after a Gentileish and Heathenish manner to the frustrating of his word and promises because wee see and feele the contrary as if God were not able or cannot abolish that sinne which we daily feele dwelling in us out of his owne sight above our reason sense and feeling then we reject faith dishonour God rob him of his power spoile him of his truth and finde him to be no more our God than the Gentiles and Heathen did although they also talked goodly and vainegloriously of his power and providence and presence and all-seeing and all-searching nature For that saying of the learned is most true that it is not the light of nature or reason talking Not the light of nature but faith only gives God his due glory and discoursing of the almighty power providence and presence of God that gives him the glory of his Godhead but it is faith only placing Gods power and all-seeing nature in the fulfilling of his promises and verifying the truth of them to be in us and upon us which unto the naturall man and Gentile seemes foolishnesse that makes us to passe the Gentiles and Heathens in talking of Gods power and all seeing and all-searching nature and gives him truly the glory of his Godhead whereas the contrary seeming to glorifie him doth indeed rob him of the glory of his Godhead Two Scriptures objected Whereby we may now see how unbeleeving Gentileish and Heathenish that Papisticall cavill is saying Doe
so hath made them Psal 51. 7. perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely For thus hath Christ washed us from our sins in his blood Revel 1. 5. Therefore are Revel 1. 5. these in the presence of the Throne of God that is under his most loving and safe protection Psal 91. Ps 121. Psal 91. 1. Psal 121. 5. And they serve him day and night in his Temple that is continually and zealously in his true Church And hee that sitteth in the Throne of power and glory will dwell among them that is will manifest and declare himselfe and his goodnesse among them more and more Psal 103. 7. These are they that are absolutely justified Psal 103. 7. and these are the matter and argument of this Treatise The last place of Scripture but not the least pressed is 2 Cor. 12. 7 8. objected and cleared 2 Cor. 12. 7 8. viz. Paul both had the remnants of sin in him and also prayed thrice that the same might depart from him ergo the Justified children of God are not made so perfectly holy and righteous that they have not one spot of sinne in the sight of God To which I answer that although this might bee referred to the former objection out of the seventh to the Rom. where it is fully answered yet because it is so much urged it is not amisse to open this place more fully that these Objectors may see how carelesly they trifle with the Scriptures and so take Gods Name in vaine in alledging by their ignorance that so much against the truth which being throughly marked makes stongly for the truth True it is that Paul and all the true children of God both have and feel the remnants of corruption dwelling in them yea and the more grace they have the more by their true hatred of sin and love of righteousnesse wrought in them by their Sanctification doe they feel sin to bee like a thorn or splinter run into their flesh whereby they cannot choose but pray thrice and thrice and thrice that is continually groan by the vigor and force of their Evangelicall continuall true repentance and still sigh to be freed from the same of which although God doth not for the exercise of their Faith free them to their sense and feeling untill the time of their appointed change yet doth he call them by his Word and Spirit to see better and better by the eye of faith that Two advantages by being healed from sin he hath perfectly healed them thereof in his own sight before they pray as if he said yea I have healed thee with a twofold or double advantage both to thee and to me For first my Grace of Justification which is the Mother and abundant grace of graces Rom. 5. 15 17. Rom. 5. 15 17. is sufficient for thee that is although mystically above thy sense and feeling that thou maist not live by sense and feeling but by faith of my power yet truly it makes thee sufficiently righteous in my sight How sufficiently that is perfectly holy and righteous from all spot or wrinkle of sin or any such thing in my sight freely Eph. 5. 27. which thy sanctification can never effect and Ephes 52. bring to passe is not this to be sufficiently righteous Againe thou art not only made sufficiently righteous in my sight but also the second advantage is that hereby my power is made perfect in thy weaknesse that is when thou feelest nothing but weaknesse and infirmitie in thy selfe then for mee notwithstanding to make thee sufficiently and perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in my sight freely herein my power is mightily magnified for if thou hadst no sin in thee to thy sense and feeling how couldst thou live by faith and how couldst thou above thy sense and feeling bee made perfectly holy and righteous in my sight from that which thou hast not Thus it is plaine that although God knowes the sin that dwels in his sanctified children yet hee sees them abolished out of his own sight and sees them sufficiently and perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in his own sight and sees and defends his power to be therein greatly magnified Which wrought such true contentment in S. Paul in the midst of all his infirmities that he cryed out that hee rejoyced in his infirmities that this power of Christ in Justification might dwell in him whereby hee came to feele this Miracle even of contraries to be reconciled together in him namely that when hee was weak then was he strong Which when wee begin to feele to work in us also then doe we truly begin to live the life of faith Thus having blown over these clouds of their doubts obscuring in their minds the bright Sunne of Free Iustification arising of the soggy mist of mis-understanding these Scriptures let us now proceed to the second ranke of objections as followes CHAP. VI. Wherein is contained an answer to the objection of the examples of David and such like persons as were Iustified and yet God saw and took notice of sin in them and punished them for the same THe second rank of objections is mustered together of the examples both in the old and new Testament of such persons as were Justified and yet not withstanding God saw sin in them and punished some of them also for the same ergo the children of God are not made by Justification so perfectly holy and righteous that they have no spot or wrinkle in the sight of God concluding with an epiphonema or acclamation how it comes to passe that God should see sinne in them and not in us To which I answer that although this doubt is most plainly cleered both by the expresse Scripture it selfe and by the common consent of the best orthodox Writers in the Church yet through little understanding and marking and lesse practise of the same not only the Papists especially pressing the example of David do greatly stumble to the overmuch dignifying and extolling of works A threefold difference of the time of the Church but also some Protestants doe dangerously halt herein But how is it cleered I answer By a threefold distinction and difference of time for distingue tempora saith Augustine loca contraria conciliantur that is distinguish the times and then places and things that seem contrary wil be reconciled Now these three severall times were these first the time of the Law secondly the time of Iohn Baptist and thirdly the time of the Gospel the difference whereof is this that the first time was glorious the second more glorious and the third time was most glorious of all For first the time of the Law was glorious because 1 First the time of the Law Heb. 13. 8. Jesus Christ was in the same yesterday and to day and the same for ever Heb. 13. 8. Whereupon David said even in his dayes
is true that I feele sinnes in my selfe but through Christ that hath taken them away out of thy sight I am certaine that I am perfectly righteous good and holy before thee c. for of these things must a sincere Christian be partaker and of these things he ought to glory if he bee a true Christian and he that cannot glory of these things is not yet a Christian THe second spirituall weapon to overcome doubting 2 The second spirituall weapon against deubting is that whereas our reason sense sight and feeling are our strongest enimies not only to drive us into doubting but also sight by saying I see sinne in me and sense by truly saying I feele sinne in me and reason by saying it is impossible but this should make me foule in the sight of God will thus strongly perswade us that wee are not made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely wee must mark out of the former description that it is the very nature heart and essence of faith to mortifie these enimies and to tell them that they are all lying sophisters of true principles assuming false inferences and to beleeve the cleane contrary to them because God and the blood of Christ do assure us the contrary namely that we seeing by the light of Gods word that one spot of sinne makes us in the sight of God foule like the Devill and accursed Galat. 3. 10. the blood of Christ doth make us so Gal. 3. 10. cleane 1 Iohn 1. 7. that we are whiter than snow 1 Iohn 1. 7. Psal 51. 7. from all spot of sinne in the sight of God Psal 51. 7. But if thou ask me how and by what meanes may I Quest mortifie my reason sense and feeling and come to beleeve the contrary unto them I answer by removeing Answ what they pretend out of thy sight and minde as Abraham did the deadnesse of his body and the deadnesse of Sarahs wombe by not considering the same Rom. 4. 19. and by trusting in the word alone spoken Rom. 4. 19. although as Christ dealt at first with the woman of Math. 15. Canaan God himselfe and all creatures pretend otherwise than the word speaketh thus Sarah stumbling at the first yet at length got the victory over her doubting by forgetting her barrennesse and old age that pretended impossibility and by judging him faithfull that had spoken Heb. 11. 11. And thus doth faith Heb. 11. 11. make a man shut his eyes against what he sees and seeles in himselfe and doth bore his eares Psal 40. 6. Psal 40. 6. to heare what God speaketh Because it is most true that Luther saith That this is the chiefe virtue and cunning of faith that it seeth those things that are not seene or felt and seeth not those things which are felt yea which are now sore upon us and doe presse and urge us As on the contrary side diffidence and unbeleefe seeth nothing but that which it feeleth agreeing with naturall reason neither can it rest upon any other thing but that which it feeleth But faith saith otherwise it resteth only in the word and trusteth wholly unto it neither doubteth it that any thing will fall out otherwise than the word speaketh This is a right and strong faith when as a man leaveth sense wisedome reason and trusteth wholly to the word of God For this cause those things are of God laid upon faith to overcome them which the whole world is not able to beare as sinnes death the world and the Devill neither doth God suffer it to be occupied with small matters Because this right faith thus trusting to and relying upon the testimony of the word of God doth perceive and firmely beleeve things to nature impossible and therefore incredible to humane reason and yet firmely beleeves them meerely considering the truth and power of God speaking calling and thereby effecting the same For faith saith I beleeve thee O God when thou speakest and what saith God impossible things lies foolish weak absurd abhominable hereticall and devillish things if thou beleeve reason For reason doth not understand that to heare the word of God and to beleeve it is the chiefest service that God requireth of us but when God speaketh reason judgeth his word to be heresie and the word of the Devill for because it is against reason it seemeth unto it absurd and foolish Therefore Abraham killed reason by faith in the word of God whereby seed was promised to him of Sarah who was barren and now also past child-bearing unto this word reason yeelded not straitway in Abraham and yet bore more sway in Zacharie but it fought against faith even in him both he and especially Sarah judging it to be an absurd a foolish and impossible thing that Sarah who was now not only ninety yeeres old but also was barren by nature should bring forth a sonne Thus faith wrestled with reason in Abraham but herein faith got the victory killed and sacrificed reason that most cruell and pestilent enimy of God and gave glory to God So all the godly entring with Abraham into the darknesse of faith when feeling and reason would perswade them that they are not cleane from all spot of sinne in the sight of God they crucifie feeling and kill reason saying reason thou arâ— foolish thou Reason to bee killed by faith dost not savour those things which belong unto God therefore speak not against me but hold thy peace judge not but heare the word of God saying that the blood of Iesus Christ hath made us so cleane that we are whiter than snow from all sinne in the sight of God freely and beleeve it Thus faith corrupteth not the word by seeking for a meaning of it that may be agreeable to reason but killeth reason and slayeth that beast which the whole world and all creatures cannot kill and so gives glory to God Thus sincere Christians that have overcome the foresaid timerous conscience and have a good conscience and in whose heart the spirit of God abideth although they feele their sinnes Yet they are enforced to say Howsoever sinne is yet I know no sinne by my selfe neither am I subject to death and hell and here they strive and wrestle and at length overcome But I finde it farre otherwise if I set my life before my sight here life and the word must be seperated farre a sunder If thou wilt consider life I will set before thee the lives of S. Peter Paul and Iohn and thou shalt finde even them not to have lived without sinne when thou desirest to bee holy and righteous before God leane not to thy life unlesse thou wilt perish forever For thou must trust only to grace and to the wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse revealed in the word and nto to life or works but being cloathed in this wedding-garment all thy sinnes are quite abolished out of Gods sight and so thou
their owne significations and as if the holy Ghost Conâ—utatio Luthera Rationis I atonia sol 22â— were such an one as could not utter his matters with apt and fit words except men did help thereunto with their devices For saith he in another place If it shall be admitted that the authority of the Scripture doth rest upon doubtfull and uncertaine words what may not a master of any opinion be able to prove or dis-prove to hold or defend because when the authority of a Scripture doth presse him he may by this meanes elude and so interpret it as that it shall not oppresse him And therefore saith he must the sincerity of the Scripture be diligently kept neither let any man presume to utter it better and more sincerely with his owne mouth than God hath spoken it with his mouth for none speaks better than he that best understandeth it but who understandeth the things of God better than God himselfe yea how small is it that man understands of the things of God But rather let wretched man give glory to God and either confesse that he understands not the words of God or cease to prophane them with new or his owne proper words that the lovely wisedome of God may remaine unto us pure and in his proper and native kinde ever letting this to be our wisedome to captivate our sense and understanding to the words of God but not captivating the words of God to our reason and humane understanding And so beleeving above our reason and relying contrary to sense and feeling upon the bare and naked plaine word of God we greatly glorifie the word of God whereupon Paul said Brethren pray for us that the word of God may have free passage and be glorified even as it is with you 2 Thes 3. 1. And againe when the Gentiles heard the 2 Thes 3. 1. word of God expressed Esay 49. 6. and cited by Paul Esay 49. 6. they were glad and by beleeving the same it is said that they glorified the word of God Acts 13. 48. whereupon Acts 13. 48. Calvin truly noteth thus Et certè tunc debito honore prosequimur Dei sermonem cum nos illi obedienter fide subjicimus that is then truly doe we yeeld to the word of God his due honour and glory when obediently we submit our selves unto it by faith The sixth and last weapon to resist and overcome The sixth last Remedy against doubting doubting and to work faith in us is to set before our eyes the great inconveniences and evills that come of doubting being yeelded unto and much more by wranglings maintained which inconveniences and Eight evils by doubting evills are briefly these eight First by doubting whether we be made in the sight of God cleane from all our sins we make God a liar as S. Iohn testifieth saying he that beleeveth not God hath made him a liar because God testifying in his word that the blood of Jesus Christ his Sonne doth make us in his sight so cleane from all sin that we are whiter than snow we beleeve not this record that God giveth of his Sonne 1 Iohn 5. 10. 1 Iohn 5. 10. Secondly by the same reason wee make God to our selves perjured and forsworne two wayes First because he hath sworne saying Esay 45. 23 24 25. Esay 45. 23 24 25. By my selfe have I sworne that in me you shall have righteousnesse and strength whereby the whole house of Israel shall be justified that is made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely and glory in the Lord. And secondly Baptisme is Gods sacramentall oath by which God hath sworne unto us in particular that hee hath washed every one of us in particular and made us whiter than snow from our sins in his blood Revel 1. 5. and we Revel 1. 5. have sworne to take this benefit freely by beleeving it and to become zealously thankfull for the same whereof if we now willingly doubt we make God forsworne and our selves covenant-breakers with God and so flat forsakers of our Baptisme Thirdly by the same reason we make God a deluder mocker and a deceiver of us if God outwardly signifie this perfect washing away and making of us cleane from all spot of sin in his owne sight freely by his owne-invented signe of washing by water of Baptisme and thereby to seale unto us the operation of his Sons blood effecting the same yet wee doubt that hee doth not performe the truth of all this upon us Fourthly by the same reason we rob him in our selves of the praise and glory of his almighty power if we doubt that we are not made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in his sight for any unlikely-hood thereof by reason of the sinne that we see and feele dwelling in us as though he were not able to make good upon us his promise oath and seales above our reason sense and feeling Fifthly by the same reason wee rob him in our selves of the praise and glory of his perfect justice that shines forth more in undertaking with his Sons righteousnesse to make us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in his owne sight freely than if we had performed the law of God our selves in the most absolute perfection Rom. 3. 26. Rom. 3. 28. 6 Sixthly we rob him in our selves of the praise and glory of his free grace great mercy and rich bounty if we doubt for any unworthinesse in us that he hath not with the wedding-garment of his Sons righteousnesse made us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely Seventhly wee spoile Christ in our selves of the glory of his name Iesus in doubting that he not makeing us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely hath not saved us from our sinnes of the glory of his Godhead as not able to effect the same and his Kingly and Propheticall and Priestly offices of their virtue and power as not having done the same and so abolish by our doubting whole Christ to our selves and doe frustrate and make void his Gospel and joyfull newes which hee hath brought from heaven Eighthly by our unbeliefe and doubting we most unthankfully reject from our selves and put away the grace mercy and rich bounty of God so freely offered unto us and with the Scribes and Pharisees despise the counsell of God against our selves Luke 7. 30. and thus Luke 7. 30. by this unbeliefe and doubting doe leese the free-given graces of God and cast our selves downe headlong into everlasting damnation Because it is most true that the Prophet Esay saith If yee beleeve not yee shall not be established Esay 7. 9. which the Apostle Esay 7. 9. Iames most strongly confirmes saying In faith this is nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with
Elect shall be justified in their time and none but the Elect shall bee justified for whom he justifieth those he glorifieth but he glorifies none but the Elect yet the very Elect are not actually and really justified but are darknesse and live in sinne and darknesse untill they be effectually called as Paul expresly testifieth saying Whom he calleth them he justifieth Rom. 8. 30. But who are thus effectually called Rom. 8. 30. Namely such as doe marke in the death of Christ the exceeding horriblenesse of the least sinne there being no sinne little in the sight of God and thereupon come to a feeling of their misery and lost state by true terror in their soules for the multitude of their sinnes thereupon making this conclusion upon themselves that if God dealt so sharply with the green tree Christ for the sinne which he had not done but wherein hee was only a surety for others in what a case of burning in Gods wrath and justice is hee that is a dry tree utterly dry of goodnesse and hath as the principall committed and done himselfe so many sins and thus is Christ made unto him first Wisdome 1 Cor. 1. 30. 1 Cor. 1. 30. to see his sinnes and therein his lost estate then this Rom. 8. 26. makes him with deep groans Rom. 8. 26. to sigh up to Rom 7 24. Christ for some help in this misery Rom. 7. 24. Which is the turning of his spirituall eye of saith to the true spirituall brazen-serpent Christ as really as the Israelites turned their bodily eye to the bodily brazen-serpent and thus is this Elect effectually called to Christ and then is he justified freely that is most certainly helped and healed by being made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely as certainly as he doth with true groans sâ—gh up to Christ for this help and as certainly as the old Israelites were helped and healed of their bodily stingings by their bodily looking up to the brazen-serpent and thus secondly is Christ made unto him Righteousnesse then followes hereof thirdly Sanctification and fourthly full assurance of Redemption unto eternall glory 1 Cor. 1. 30. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Now secondly for the other point namely the 2 How the Elect are justified made perfectly righteous in Gods sight manner how the Elect are thus justified and made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God is thus The God by the power of his imputation conveying his Sonnes righteousnesse to be in us and upon us doth in his own sight so cloath us body and soul both within and without with the wedding-garment of his sonnes perfect righteousnesse that we have our sinnes hereby not only utterly abolished out of Gods sight but also are Evangelically and freely formed that is are in truth and reipsa in very deed made although not inherently and actively as I said in the beginning the Papists would have it yet objectively and passively perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely This I will cleere more fully with a similitude or two and then confirme it with undeniable poofes First I say as nothing doth effect this but Gods imputation of his Sons righteousness for which cause the Apostle saith Blessed is the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works Rom. 4. 6. Yea hereupon Rom. 4. 6. hee maketh mention of this word Imputing and counting righteous no lesse as I take it than eleven times in that fourth chapter which not only shewes that it is an action wrought immediately by the very thought as it were of God himself only and thereby must needs bee very spirituall and mysticall to us farre above our reason sense and feeling but also it must needs bee wrought upon us very freely without any working of ours So likewise we must mark that this imputing being an immediate act proceeding as it were out of Gods own breast is not a light smal weak imaginary thing like mans imputing as the Papists imaginarily scoffingly conceit but Gods imputation is a lively mighty operative and reall working imputation and counting nothing like ours for man may impute and count a thing to be so or so yet the thing if it were not such before becomes such never the more for our imputing or counting it to be so but Gods imputing counting being Almighty gives a reall being and true existing of the thing before himselfe as he counts it for God did but count that there should be light and there was light and hee did but count that his other creatures should bee and presently they were so as he counted so hee doth but impute his Sonnes righteousnesse unto us and counts us perfectly righteous in the same and this imputing doth so operatively and really conveigh the righteousnesse of Christ to be in us and upon us as Paul testifieth saying The righteousnesse of God by the faith of Iesus Christ is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not only unto all but also also upon all that doe believe Rom. 3. 22. That though mystically above our Rom. 3. 22. sense and feeling yet not imaginarily as the Papists prattle against us nor yet only outwardly like painted Tombes as they likewise cavillingly object but truly both inwardly are cloathed with the same in the sight of God and richly roabed and decked and adorned in the same as the faithfull soule in the Prophet Esay joyfully confesseth saying I wil greatly rejoyce and be exceeding glad in God my Saviour Why Because he hath cloathed me with the garment of salvation What garment is that why he hath covered me with the râ—ab of righteousness as a Bridgroome decketh himselfe with ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her selfe with her jewels Esay 61. 10. Hence are the Saints said so often Esay 61. 10. in the Revelation to be cloathed with long white Roabes washed in the blood of the Lamb Hence doth God the Father command his servants the Ministers in the calling in of the Gentiles to the Gospel signified by the return of the Prodigall child to bring forth the best garment and to put it on upon them ministerially as he working with his Ministers doth by the power of his imputation cloath them with it mystically Luk. 15. Luk. 15. 22. Psal 132. 9. Hence it is said Psal 132. that the Ministers powerfully comming forth cloathed not only personally with it for themselves only but also ministerially to cloath the people with it the Saints doe shout for joy because it being objectively and passively in us and upon us doth not only abolish our sins but doth forme us and reipsa in very deed make us not inherently and actively as the Papists hold neither yet imaginatily as they cavill but objectively and passively perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God Now by these words objectively and passively I meane wee doing ☞ nothing hereunto and we working nothing but
the Lord and to the Lord as the Apostle plainly testifies to the Justified Ephesians saying Yee were once darknesse there is the foule in the state of sin and of nature like the house dark at midnight But now are light in the Lord there is Justification by which Christ Jesus the Sun of righteousnesse being risen upon a man and mystically cloathing him both without and within with his owne righteousnesse all his sins are mystically above his sense and feeling utterly abolished from before God and hee is objectively and passively made all light but marke how hee saith not simply light nor yet light in your selves but light in the Lord as the house is not inherently light in its selfe as I said before but made all light in the Sun-beames therefore saith hee walk as the children of light there is Sanctification that is alwayes unseperable from Justification Justification And thus having illustrated by these two similitudes the manner how the true Beleever is not barely counted but truly and reipsa made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely Let us come to some evident proofs of the matter and proove by undeniable Scriptures and testimonies of the learned and faithfull Dispensers of Gods mysteries that wee are by the power of Gods imputation though mystically yet truly so cloathed both without and within with Christs perfect righteousnesse that it is even in us thereby not only so truly and utterly abolishing from before God all our sins as is before shewed in the first part of Justification but also that it doth make us truly and reipsa just that is perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God thus dans nomen esse that is after the right nature of the forme giving us not onely the name but also the true being of just and righteous men in the sight of God freely And First that wee are by the power of Gods imputation so spiritually cloathed in the sight of God both within and without with the wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse that the righteousnesse of Christ is though mystically above our sense feeling yet objectively and passively truly even in us is evident How the righteousnesse of Christ is in us and plaine both expresly and equipollently by many places of Scripture but I will instance only in such as are so expresse and plain that if unbeliefe doe not offer them open violence to wrest them from the plaine simplicity of the Scriptures miraculous speaking to the weakest capacitie and so too grosly make the Scripture like a nose of wax are most evident and plaine and utterly undeniable as namely Cant. 1. 15. and 4. 1. 7. Where it is to bee seene that Cant. 1. 15. 4. 1. 7. when the Church here militant upon earth had before complained that she was black in the sight of God both with the feeling of siane in her selfe and also besmootted with the crosses and miseries of this life as true effects of the same blacknesse in sin Christ tells her flatly in effect that she mistakes the matter and is deceived by her sense and feeling and to draw her from sense and feeling to live by faith in his word to note that in this respect being cloathed in his sight with his own righteousnesse she was above her own capacitie in a double or treble wonderfull estate hee often doubles and trebles the signe of wonder and admiration used in the Scriptures that as the Spirit spake in great wonder and admiration Behold a virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne Esay 7. 14. so saith Christ Behold thou art faire my love Esay 7. 14. Behold thou art faire thou hast doves eyes first commending her cleere eyes of faith for seeing invisible things 2 Cor. 4. 18. which neither eye hath seen nor eare 2 Cor. 4. 18. of naturall man can heare nor heart of naturall man can conceive 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. and then repeats with 1 Cor. 2. 9. 10. deeper emphasis againe for fuller certainty saying yea thou art all fair and there is no spot in thee where we are to mark that he saith not as unbeliefe blends this looking-glasse of Gods word wherein the soule should see her beauty by her cleere eyes of faith although thou are black yet I am all faire for thee But thou art all faire my love neither doth he say although thou hast many spots in thee yet there is no spot in me for thee But there is no spot in thee so that wee must not so grossely pervert the words of Christ and so palpably turne by unbeliefe away the blessing pronounced upon our selves as to turne thou and thee into I and me but so by faith to shut our eyes and open our eares as to know that the Church and every true beleever is so perfectly faire in the sight of God that she hath not one spot in her not inherently and actively by the perfection of her holy walking which then she might feele in her selfe but mystically above her sense and feeling and objectively and passively to God-ward by being so clothed both within and without with Christs righteousnesse that above our sense and seeling it not only truly and utterly abolisheth all our sinnes from before God as is before shewed in the first part of Justification but also wherein consisteth the true wonder and the work of the dove-like eye of faith to see the same it makes us though mystically yet truly perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely And this place not only all Interpreters both ancient and moderne that I have read do expound to be verified upon the children of God by Justification but also Paul himselfe as some learned Expositors teach speaking of the love of Christ in justifying his Church doth allude unto this place saying Christ gave himselfe for his Church to sanctifie it and hath as the originall word imports made it cleane by the washing of water through the Word namely of the free promise of Justification in which sense S. Iohn also saith He hath washed us from our sinnes in his own blood to what end or intent hath hee done this viz. not imaginarily to count us but to make us not to ourselves that is to our sense and feeling but to himselfe a glorious Church corresâ—ondent to her husband Christ how or wherein glorious that is not having now at this present time as the learned know that the Greek and Latine Participles of the present time doe evidently import the Apostle not saying non habituram that is the Church is in such case now as not to have hereafter one spot or wrinkle but non habentem not having now at this present time one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing which cannot be spoken of our sanctification now in this life but yet is true and truly verified upon us mystically in the sight of God by Free Iustification as Christ saith
ever all them that are sanctified This is the onely Purgatory say these Our onely Purgatory is Christs blood first Restorers of the Gospel amongst us Where in all Christian men must put their whole trust and confidence Now that Gods imputation and spirituall cloathing with his Sonnes righteousnesse doth so really make us righteous that after the manner of the forme dat nomen esse that is it gives us both the name and being righteous although it be cleare and manifest by this former point because whatsoever is made so or so we see by dayly experience that they bee and are so called accordingly yet because it makes to the confirmation of the former point as evident effects of the truth of the former let me briefly touch this also And first that this spirituall cloathing with Christs righteousnesse doth so really make us righteous that only that gives us the name of truly just and righteous persons in the sight of God is manifest by that often repeated axiome of the Apostle The Iust by faith shall live For although some doe darken the sense both of the Prophet and of the Apostle by saying The Iust shall live by faith by joyning the word Faith to the Verb or Predicate shall live yet the true sense and meaning of the Apostle as it is in the Hebrew and Greek is that by faith should bee joyned with the subject Iust as if the Apostle had said they that are by faith made just shall live for the Apostle shewing that the righteousnesse that saves us is offered onely in the Gospel and is revealed to every one from faith to faith that is the more faith hee hath and the more it doth encrease the more hee sees and embraceth this righteousnesse that truly makes him just and righteous in the sight of God he confirmes the same by the Prophet Habakuk saying The just by faith shall live wherein he teacheth two things evidently First that it is faith only embracing and applying the righteousnesse revealed in the Gospel that makes a man just and righteous in the sight of God And Secondly that this righteousnesse not only names him just and righteous but makes him to live also a Christian godly life in this world and then to eternall glory in the world to come so that the Apostle likens this righteousnesse of the Gospel to the soule as if a Christian had two soules in him first as he is a man and secondly as he is a Christian his soule as he is a man is his naturall soule by which he lives truly only to this world but his soule as he is a Christian Christs righteousnesse is to a Christian as the soule is to the body is Christs righteousnesse that also sanctifies him and so is like the life that the soule works in the body and makes him live a godly Christian life in this world and also makes him to live unto eternall glory in the life to come And as the Physitians say that the vital spirits are they that knit and combinde the soule and body together so faith is like those vitall spirits that combinde the righteousnesse of Christ and the Christian together Whereby as the soule gives unto a man both the name and essentiall being of a man so doth the righteousnesse of Christ apprenhended by faith give unto a man both the name and essentiall being of a Christian and makes him to live the life of a Christian in this world and to live unto eternall glory in the life to come and as by reason of the Divine understanding soule made to the Image of God God is said to be neere and to dwell in us whereby as S. Paul saith Acts 17. 28. In him we live Acts 17. 28. and move and have our being and are of his generation so by reason of Christs righteousnesse apprehended by faith Christ himselfe dwelleth in us saith the Apostle by this faith Eph. 3. 17. Whereby in Christ Eph. 3. 1â— wee live and move and have our being and are of his generation or off-spring that is to say Christians All which S. Paul doth testifie Gal. 2. 20. by his own Gal. 2. 20. example in the plainest words that can be saying I live not now but Christ lives in mee and in that I now live I live by the faith of the Sonne of God who loved me and gave himselfe for mee namely to justifie me by his blood and make mee perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely The truth whereof Luther cleerly seeing with the spirituall eye of faith doth with as excellent a spirit testifie the same against the whole world of Papists saying This is the true meane to become a Christian even to bee justified by faith in Iesus Christ and why Because it is most true that Master Downham testifieth of Justification Downham of Iustification saying The beleever is cloathed with the most glorious robe of Christ Iesusâ— his righteousnesse and so appearing before God both clean from all sinne and endued with a perfect righteousnesse he is justified reconciled and eternally saved Now what can bee required more to make a true Christian I grant that where this is there will follow unfallibly a renewed sanctified life with zeale of Holy life maketh not but only declareth a Christian Gods glory but this makes not a Christian but consequently declares and outwardly shewes that he is already before thus freely made a Christian because he being thus clean from all sinne in the sight of God as is here described hath not only the name and imaginary counting but also the essentiall being of a person perfectly just and righteous in the sight of God freely hence it is that the children of God are called by no other name in all the Psalmes and whole word of God more commonly than by the name of the righteous Iust and Saints because they Beleevers are Saints two wayes are so two manner of wayes First they are righteous Just and Saints to God-ward by Justification And Secondly They are righteous Just and Saints to man-ward by Sanctification the first way to God-ward is perfect because otherwise it is no righteousnesse to God-ward which cannot love any thing but that which is perfect but the second way to manward is unperfect which yet being done in sincerity is sufficient for man that is unperfect and therefore because this later way is so exceeding imperfect both in respect of the perfection of the justice and righteousnesse revealed in the Law as also in respect of the perfection of Gods righteous nature described in the Law that loves nothing but that which is perfect in his sight therefore all those large promises made in the Psalms and Old Testament unto the righteous cannot be understood as the Papists conceive of the Saints inherent righteousnesse because David that had so great a measure of inherent righteousnesse cryed out that by this inherent righteousness shall none be found
put out before his Father and therefore hath made it as Bernard saith so large and long a garment for that end and purpose And therefore hearken to the advice of a well approved Labourer in our Church worthy ever the meditating because it is most pithy Evangelicall and truly saving after this manner Cast away the raggs of thy owne righteousnesse as S. Paul did seeing his inherent righteousnesse was farre better than thine Philip. 3. 8 9. And if ever thou wilt get the blessing wrap thy Phil. 3. 8. 9. selfe in this garment of the righteousnesse of thine elder Brother Christ and when thy Father shall savour the smell of thy garments he shall blesse thee and say behold the smell of my Sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed feare not to bee complete in him this long white robe needs no inching or ecking needs no patching say with the holy Martyr and live and die with it in thy mouth only Christ only Christ Consider what I say and the Lord give us understanding in all things The second Objection proceedeth from the weaknesse The second objection is from the weaknesse of faith of faith arising from sense and feeling whereof I have spoken and given Armor of resistance in the ninth chapter but because it much troubleth the faith of the weak Christian let us heare the Objection and shew some further remedy against the same the Objection is this I feele not my selfe to have any righteousnesse Object but rather to bee nothing else but a lump of grosse sinnes so that by mine unworthinesse I dare not confesse of my selfe that I am such only and meere Righteousnesse that I am perfectly and gloriously holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely First to thy sense and feeling I answer thus with Luther Answ Thou must not feele but beleeve that thou art thus righteous and therefore the more thou feelest this unworthinesse and sinne making thee whilst thou pulst down thy eye from the brazen-serpent to look upon thy sore by sense and feeling to cry out Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death so much the more happy and blessed art thou for it doth make thee presently to turn thy eye to the Brazen Serpent Christ Who presently delivers thee and makes thee to say with the Apostle in the sight by faith of thy perfect healing I thank God through Iesus Christ our Lord that there is no judgement punishment or condemnation for that which I feele Why what is the cause that there is no judgment punishment or condemnation for the sinne which I thus feele dwelling in me The reason little marked but is pittiously mangled and rent from the first verse of too many is this Because the righteousnesse of the Law though not legally and actively as the Papists would have it yet Evangelically and passively is fulfilled in us And this is thy present and immediate healing by turning thy eye from thy sense and feeling up to the Brazen-serpent Christ presently shewing thee by his bleeding wounds A present healing that thou art above thy sense and feeling made perfectly and gloriously holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely And thus by this thy feeling the contrary to this perfect healing there is place for faith to beleeve it And therefore to strengthen our weak faith that wee are contrary to our present sense and feeling thus perfectly righteous from all spot of Three meanes to strengthen our weak faith sinne in the sight of God freely We must use a threefold help First it must be thy wisdome to have everbefore thy sight the imitation of the faith of thy Father Abraham walking in this case of Free Iustification as a naturall sonne in the steps of the faith of our Father Abraham after this manner before described but thus applyed That relying upon that God That calleth those things which be not as though they were Rom. 4. 17. that is Rom. 4. 17. who giveth to the things that appeare not as reall a Being before himselfe by his Call or so speaking as if they had a reall Being to our eyes thou must above all hope of thine own feeling whereby thou feelest thine own righteousnesse to bee but as a menstruous cloath yet believe under hope of Christs righteousnesse that thou art perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God according to that which is spoken The blood of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God doth make us clean from all sinne And againe As by the disobedience of one man Adam many were made sinners So by the obedience of one man Christ are many made righteous vers 18. And thou not weak in faith must not consider Vers 18. or think upon thine own body which thou feelest dead in trespasses and sinnes by the fall of Adam neither the violence thereby of thy daily actuall sinnes verse 19. neither must thou doubt of this promise of Vers 19. God by unbeliefe but be strengthned in faith that thou art perfectly holy and righteous freely in the sight of God and so give glory to God vers 20. being fully Vers 20. assured that hee which hath promised to accomplish it upon thee freely by cloathing thee with his Sonnes righteousnesse is also able to doe it verse 21. The second help to strengthen our faith that we are Vers 21. 2 made thus perfectly and gloriously holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely Is not to forget the comparison that Saint Paul maketh in this case Rom. 5. between the first Adam that made us that is both body and soule sinners and damned and the second Adam Christ that as freely makes us both body and soule righteous and saved And although there be some difference in the manner namely that Adam made us all sinners inherently and actively to our sense and feeling but Christ makes us righteous in the sight of God objectively Evangelically and passively and invisibly above our sense and feeling that there may be place for the faith of Gods power of truly and really doing it himselfe alone yet notwithstanding wee must take heed that we give not more power to Adam in making us sinners being but a meer man than to Christ in making us righteous being both God and man but let us know that as the first Adam made us before wee our selves have done any evill work perfectly completely and only and meerly sinners and damnable in the sight of God so strongly that we cannot choose but shew the same in all our life by actuall sins to the eyes of men so much more doth Christ make us before we have done any good perfectly completely and only and meerly gloriously holy and righteous and so perfectly saved in the sight of God so strongly that he makes us to declare the same by sanctification and a
so all her good workes remaine Heb. 1. 3. Luke 16. 15. abhominable in the sight of God Luke 16. 15. But sinceritie that sees what an infinite horrible thing the least sinne is in the sight of God though there were no hell to punish it labours not through selfe-love so much to have the guilt and punishment taken away which is the lesse as to have the blood and righteousnesse of Christ that may take away and utterly abolish out of Gods sight the sinne it selfe which is the greater as is to be seene in the example of David Psal 51. 2 3. 7. Psal 19. 12. and other Saints Psal 51. 2 3 7. and Psal 19. 12. and so hath both the sinne and the effects thereof abolished out of Gods sight Fourthly by this objection seeming to defend the All-seeing and to magnifie the All searching nature of God we runne into a double errour first by saying God is Almighty and seeth all things and it were weaknesse in God not to see that which we see yea and absurd and foolish so to think and such like Here we oppose the power of God against his will for I grant that he seeth all things saving that which he will not see that is the image of the Divell in his children God seeth all things saving that which hee himselfe undertakes to abolish out of his own sight that he may not see it But doth it seeme weaknesse in God and foolish that God should not see that in us which we see when by mysticall cloathing us with his Sonnes righteousnesse hee hath abolished it out of his owne sight but not out of ours that wee may here live in the faith of Gods power yet let us remember that we must rest in this That the weaknesse of God is stronger than men and the foolishnesse of God is wiser than men 1 Cor. 1. 25. And 1 Cor. 1. 25. weighty and well worthy the marking is that Admonition of that heroick dispenser of Gods mysteries Luth. in Galax saying thus True Christian Divinitie as I give you often warning setteth not God forth unto us in his Majestie as Moses and other doctrines doe it commandeth us not to search into the nature of God but to know his will set out to us in Christ But there is nothing more dangerous than to wander with curious speculations into heaven and there to search out God in his incomprehensible power wisedome and Majestie If thou seek thus to comprehend God it cannot be but thou must fall as Lucifer did and in horrible despaire lose God and all together For as God in his owne nature is unmeasurable incomprehensible and infinite so he is to mans nature intolerable Whetefore if thou wouldest be in safety and out of perill of conscience bridle this climbing and presuming spirit and so seeke God as Paul reacheth thee saying We preach Christ crucified to the Iewes a stumbling 1 Cor. 1. 23. 2â— block and to the Gentiles foolishnesse But unto them that are called we preach Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God For to this end he came down was born crucified and dyed that hee might keep us from climbing up into heaven and from the cutious searching of the Divine Majesty to the opposing of his power against his will and to the descanting upon by humane wit and doubting of his promises uttered both in his word and by his faithfull Dispensers of his mysteries untill we finde out away to understand them plausible to humane reason to the great darkning of Christs benefits But the Gospel must be so preached that the benefits procured by his crosse be to them that perish foolishnesse but 1 Cor. 1. 18. unto us which are saved it is the power of God 1 Cor. 1. 18. For thus will God destroy the wisdome of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent verse 19. Therefore when soever thou hast to doe in Verse 19. the matter of Justification and disputest with thy selfe how God will bee found then know thou that Luth. ibid. in Galath there is no other God besides this man Jesus Christ embrace him setting a side all curious speculations of the Divine Majesty for he that is a searcher of Gods Majestie shal be over-whelmed by his glory But out of the matter of Justification when thou must dispute with Jewes Turkes Papists Hereticks and such like concerning the power wisdome and Majesty of God there employ all thy wit and industry to that end and bee as profound a Disputer as thou canst for then thou art in another vaine but in the case of righteousnesse thou must withdraw thy minde wholy from all cogitations and searching of the Majestie of God and look only upon this man Christ thus doing thou shalt perceive the love goodnesse and sweetnesse of God how great it is And thou shalt see his wisdome power and Majestie sweetned and tempered to thy capacity The Reason whereof is plaine which is because in Christ God hath made himselfe after a sort little that he might so submit himselfe to our capacity In Christo Deus quodammodo paruum se secit ut ad captum nostrum se subm ttat Cal. in 1 Pet. 1. 21. Marlor Now if God vouchsafe to speak unto us according to our capacitie is it not high sin for us not to beleeve in things concerning us according to our capacity The second error that this objection runs into is That it supposeth Gods power and Almighty nature to bee diminished and weakned when indeed it is the more magnified and exalted because to beleeve and acknowledge that God is able with his Sons righteousnesse of unjust to our reason sense and feeling to make us above our reason sense and feeling Just that is not having one spot or wrinkle of sin in his sight is to attribute that to the working of Gods power which to reason sense and feeling is impossible so greatly glorifies the power of God Just as Abraham did who withdrawing his eyes from considering his own and his Wives barrenesse and beleeving that he was fruitfull and his seed should be as the Stars of the Firmament when yet he felt the clean contrary in himselfe hereby he stood strong in true faith and gave glory to God but how by knowing that he which had spoken it was also able to doe it and thus hee magnified Gods power and glorified his truth Wheras contrariwise by this unbelieving objection God is made as is before shewed first impotent in his power secondly false in his word and promises thirdly blind that he cannot see his own and his Sons proper work in and upon us whereby fourthly the whole Godhead as Luther truly saith is abolished to them by unbeliefe And the wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse undertaking of unjust to make us just that is perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely is frustrated and made
that made the Golden Calfe were naked c. that is first their sinnes lay naked and open before God and secondly by reason of their sinnes they themselves are subject to his wrath and indignation Now Christ was crucified naked that hee might take away from us this spirituall nakednesse and also gives us the garment of righteousnesse to cloath us withall in the presence of God called white rayment Revel 3. 18. because our nakednesse that is sin makes Revel 3. 18. us more vile in the sight of God than the most loathsome creature that is can be unto us untill we have put on the righteousnesse of Christ to cover the deformity of our soules that we may appeare holy and without spot before God Thus saith hee and thus all things are naked that is both the hidden and mysticall perfect purenesse and cleannesse of the godly in the sight of God by Justification and the hidden and secret foulnesse and hyprocrisie of the wicked even all things are open and naked in his sight Obj. out of Ps 139. 2. The same answer in effect cleers also the objection out of Psalme 139. Thou knowest my sitting down and my rising up c. knowest all my thoughts Ergo say these Objectors he sees some wicked thoughts To which I answer as I did before true it is that God both Answ knowes and sees the sitting down and rising up c. that is all the thoughts all the words and all the deeds of all men both good and bad when and wheresoever but yet with this great difference that he sees them like I erenties two baskets of figs whereof one was exceeding good and the other was exceeding bad Ierem. 24. 2. For the Justified children of God and â—â—rem 24. 2. two 〈◊〉 of hgs all their thoughts words and deeds are exceeding good in the sight of God not to their sense and feeling by the perfection of their Sanctification for so not some are wicked before God as is here objected but all are wicked Rom. 4 5. because although that be a Rom. 4. 5. good foundation of a godly life unseperable from Justification which S. Iohn laies saying He that is born of God sinneth not neither can sinne because the seed of God abideth in him 1 Ioh. 3. 6 9. that is he cannot 1 Iohn 3. 6. 9. choose but wrestle and strive against all sin both in himselfe and in others and zealously follow holinesse Tit. 2. 14. Yet this foundation of their sanctification Tiâ— 2. 14. is too weak to make them all their thoughts words deeds exceeding good in the sight of God because all their righteousnesse goodnesse of Sanctification is by reason of the imperfection thereof if it should be beholden out of Justification but as a menstrous cloath that is very wicked mortall sin And the more any man is not an hypocrite the more with S. Paul Rom. 7. Rom. 7. he feels bewailes condemnes not some as is here objected but all his best thoughts best best words Dan. 9. 5. 20. Esay 64. 6. best deeds of great wickednesse Dan. 9. 5. 20. Esa 64. 6. But how then come all the thoughts words and Quest deeds of Gods Justified children to bee exceeding good in Gods fight I answer by the perfection of their Justification Answ Iustification maketh the whole course of life to be pure and acceptable whereby not only their persons are Justified that is of unjust are made just that is perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God which is to be exceeding good but also all the figs in the basket that is all their thoughts all their words and all their deeds are justified in the sight of God that is all the evill of all their thoughts words and deeds and all the imperfections of their Sanctification are mystically that is above their reason sense and feeling utterly abolished out of Gods sight and all their thoughts words and deeds are made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely is not this to bee exceeding good And this is manifest by the foresaid saying in Titus To the pure all things are pure all their thoughts all their deeds their rising up their lying down their standing and their walking and all is pure in the sight of God which unseperably and unfallibly brings forth Sanctification also manifesting and declaring this Justification more and more to their sense and feeling and also to the eyes of others to the glorifying of God for the same outwardly also Matth. 5. 16. Hereupon although Matth. 5. 16. this benefit was vailed and lay more hid in his dayes as shall be further shewed hereafter yet hereupon I say did David in Psalme 139. glory with Psal 139 17. such comfort and boldnesse in Gods spying out all his wayes not glorying in the perfection of his Sanctification that that was able to endure such searching into and tryall in Gods sight for so to think were Pharisaicall and Papisticall because of his own righteousnesse of Sanctification and holy walking hee speaks clean contrary in other places saying If thou dost search and marke what is done amisse O Lord who might abide it Psal 130. 3. And againe By his righteousnesse Psal 130. 3. of Sanctification and holy walking shall none living be found righteous Psal 143. But hee rejoyced Psal 143. 2. in a glimmering sight of Justification that he and all his righteousnesse and rising up and lying down was made righteous acceptable and pure in the sight of God in the righteousnesse that should fully be revealed and exhibited in the Messiah to come collecting by his sincere holy walking as by the plainest evidence of those dayes that he was justified in the sight of God Thus in the vertue and power of Justification only are all the thoughts words and deeds of Gods Justified children like the sacrifice of Abell that is excellent in the sight of God Heb. 11. 4. Thus did Christ Hâ—b 11. 4. testifie of Nathanael saying Behold a true Israelite in whom is no guile that is as the Hebrew phrase signifieth no sinne Esay 53. 9. not by the perfection of his Esay 5. 9. sanctification although the truth of his sanctification and sincere holy walking was a manifestation thereof outwardly but by the vertue and power of free Grace by I ustification and that word of free promise saying The iniquity and sinnes of the true Israell shall be sought for but there shall be none Ierem. 50. 20. Thus by free Iustification Ierem. 50. 20. only in all the rising up and lying down and being of Nathanael under the fig-tree did the Godhead of Christ see a true Israelite in whom was no guile Ioh. 1. 47. The same is likewise evident in Abraham that although his rising up and lying down had Ioh. 1. 47. many even outward sins and all his thoughts words and deeds had many
learned interpreters doe well expresse must not bee so understood as if no man at all doth receive Christs testimony seeing both the Apostles and many others beleeving have and daily doe receive the same but because very few in comparison doe receive it who if they bee compared with the huge multitude that make a shew of receiving it by the dead faith but in truth doe not doe appeare to be in a manner none Indeed almost all doe professe that they doe beleeve and doe think in a generall confused manner that they doe receive Christ and his benefits so that Abraham himselfe could not see the day of Christ more Iohn 8. cleerly than they doe saying and thinking by the dead faith I am rich and encreased in goods and have need of nothing when they know not that they are wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked Rev. 3. 17. Revel 3. 17. this is not to receive Christ and the rich benefits testified by him but only to dreame that we have received To receive Christ truly includeth four things Christ but to receive Christ and his benefits truly doth necessarily include in it these foure particular points First to know the time when wee were without Christ and had him not therein feeling our misery and our lost state by the least sinne and what need we had to receive him Secondly to see the excellency and worth of having Christ and his benefits how worthy they are to bee received and retained for no man will take and advisedly receive that which he sees to be little worth except it be for custome and fashion sake because all men do so with whom we live Aesops cock contents himselfe with a barley corne neglecting a pearle because he knowes not the worth of it Thirdly it imports an having of Christ and his benefits to ones owne selfe in particular for he that receives a thing and that also to himselfe doth take it to his owne selfe and so hath and enjoyes the profit use and benefit of it to himselfe in particular as when a sick man hath received a cordiall of his Physitian hee hath it within him there working strength health and livelinesse in himselfe in particular Fourthly and lastly he that hath received to himselfe the enjoying of Christ and his benefits of such excellent worth is filled with great joy according to the excellency of the things received and becomes to the giver of the same full of thankfull zeale highly prizing them according to the worth of them above all other things whatsoever all which is evident by the testimony of Christ saying The Kingdome of heaven that is the true enjoying of Christ and his benefits is like a treasure hid in the field which when a man hath found he hideth it and for joy thereof goes and sells Matth. 13 44. all that he hath and buyeth that field But alas how few are there at this day that doe thus and therefore how few have found this treasure how few receive and consider this very testimony of Christ may we not well say in a manner none but what is the kore of this sore even this because it is a difficult and hard matter to beleeve with Abraham the excellency of the things that God speaketh contrary to our sense sight and feeling and to reason builded upon the same and therefore the paradoxes and mysteries of Christ must be wrested to agree with reason or else the world that is the greatest multitude will be so farre from receiving With what cunning Christs is by many rejected them that they will utterly reject them But how and after what manner will they dare to reject Christ and his benefits even with a threefold cunning device First to palliate their unbeleefe for we must suppose that they are no unbeleevers of any old ancient truth therefore although God himselfe the ancient of daies hath spoken it and hath the unanimous testimony of the Orthodox Interpreters and Dispensers of Gods mysteries yet it must beare the title first of new Doctrine and then it is enough to reject so when Christ came a Minister of the old and ancient truth of God but to confirme the promises made of old unto the Fathers Rom. 15. 8. yet when he began to preach Rom. 15. 8. the same the greatest multitude cried out what new Doctrine is this Marke 1. 17. whereupon it is most Mark 1 17. true that is testified by the Apologie of the Church of England saying We wot not by what meanes but wee Part 5. have ever seene it come to passe from the first beginning that as often as God did give but some light to any people and open his truth unto men though the truth were not only of greatest antiquity but also from everlasting yet of the foresaid greatest multitude it was called newfangled and of late devised Yea Eusebius writeth that the Christian Eusebius Religion that was ever of old from the beginning for very spite was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say New and strange But as Christ unto the Scribes and Pharisees objecting that he brought in a certaine new Religion said If ye beleeved Moses ye would beleeve me also So it may be answered to these that if they beleeved the excellency of Free Iustification they would not stumble at the saying of the Scriptures and unanimous consent of the learned Interpreters as they expresse the same Their next manner of rejecting the benefits of the Gospel is That going about to measure them by humane reason and finding that reason agrees with them no righter than a Rammes horne that Reason may not leese her glory no fault must be found with Lady Reason but Christs benefits must beare the blame namely that they are foolish and absurd and so The Gospell is foolishnesse to Reason foolish and absurd things are not to be received of such wise men as the whole world is these little remembring and lesse regarding to lay the blame where it is namely That the naturall man not only perceives not the things of Gods spirit but they are also foolishnesse unto him 1 Cor. 2. 14. but least of all practising 1 Cor. 2. 14. that admonition of the Apostle That if any man will be wise let him become a foole that he may be wise 1 Cor. 3. 18. but this is an hard saying to such wise heads 1 Cor. 3. 18. who can heare it Then thirdly when they have concluded of Christs benefits that they are not only strange but also foolish Doctrine lest they should be blamed of unbeleefe they think it the best to sharpen the uttermost of their wits by contradicting sophisticating wrangling gaine-saying especially by absurd calumnious consequents of their own collections hatchings as with meer Niocdemicall conclusions yea and by mockings jestings and deridings utterly to beat it down But weighty is that admonition of our Church taught by the first
men they doe nothing else but with their cavills sophisticating and calumniations under a colour of cleering the truth paint over and hide their own ignorance bemuddy the cleer truth disquiet the minds of the simple and trouble mens consciences and so are the true and proper authors of dissention and sects And this Paul complained of not only respecting the present times but also foresaw in spirit that there should bee an infinite number of such in the Church even to the Worlds end for when God sendeth faithfull labourers into his harvest by and by Satan raiseth up his ministers also who will in no case bee counted inferiour to those that are rightly called here straightwaies riseth dissention the wicked will not yeeld one haires-bredth to the godly for they take themselves that they far passe them in wit in learning in godlinesse in spirit and in all other vertues And on the other side the godly although The godly in matters of charity are flexible but unyeelding in matters of faith in matters of charity they are as flexible as a reed enduring all things and suffering all things yet in matters of faith knowing that a little leven doth leven the whole lump they dare not and much lesse ought they to yeeld to the wicked lest the doctrine of faith doe come in danger For alas the faithfull Minister knowes that the Gospel is not delivered unto us that we should thereby seek our own praise and glory or that the people should honour or magnifie us which are the Ministers thereof but to the end that the benefits and glory of Christ might be published and known and that the Father might be glorified in the bounty and riches offered unto us in Christ his Son who thereby enricheth us with his heavenly and eternal good things as for the other they regard not this but to get praise and liking and estimation with the people doe rather sophisticate and wrangle against the benefits of Christ thus provoking one another and envying one another which is a sure token that neither such Teachers nor such Hearers doe live and walk after the spirit but after the flesh and works thereof and so consequently with the Galathians to hold the truth they with the Galathians doe loose the true Doctrine Faith Christ and all the gifts of the holy Ghost and by kicking against the benefits of Christ become worse than the heathens and prove meere ministâ—rs of Satan some of them never failing from time to time to accuse the benefits of Christ not only of error but also of heresie and blasphemie Whereupon comes most truly to passe that Luther saith in the former alleaged place That he that will preach Christ truly and confesse him to be our righteousnesse must be content to heare that he is a pernicious fellow and that he troubleth all things because it cannot be but that Ismael must persecute Isaac and yet Ismael was outwardly and in his own opinion a lover of religion he sacrificed and exercised himselfe in well-doing therefore he mocked his brother Isaac and so persecuted him But Isaac again persecuteth not Ismael Whereupon the same faithfull Dispenser of Gods mysteries concludeth with a weightie saying That who so will not suffer the persecution of Ismael let him not professe himselfe to be a Christian But if those that lie in this literall knowledge bee such meere mocking and persecuting Ismaelites untill God opens their eyes and converreth them let any man judge whether they bee any just cause by their sophisticating and wrangling to stop our faith and to make us to doubt and waver in the excellency of Christs benefits though they excell in all literall learning and in the legall zeale shining as I said before in the righteousnesse and glorious workes of the Law and holy walking never so much THe fifth Remedy to overcome doubting to grow The fifth Remedy against doubting strong in saith is to set often before our eyes the dignity glorious nature and exceeding excellency of beleeving namely that the beliefe that the blood of Christ doth make us cleane from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely is such a good worke in the sight of God as passeth all other good workes whatsoever nay rather if all the good workes and holy walking that were even done or shall be done in the world were heaped together and compared with this one work of beleeving yet all they joyned together are not comparable to beliefe which is not only testified by Christ himselfe in his answer to the Jewes when they asked him dreaming of workes What shall we doe that we may worke the workes of God He answered and said This is the worke of God that is the work of all workes that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent namely to justifie and make you freely righteous in the sight of God but also many reasons grounded upon the very heart and Essence of the Gospel confirm the same as especially may appear by these three maine priviledges of faith As Three maine priviledges of saith 1 It giveth exceeding glory to God foure wayes to Iustice First for the exceeding honor glory that we give to God the Father that also foure manner of wayes as first this beliefe laying hold only of Christ his righteousnesse as only able and ful sufficient to make us from all spot of sinne perfectly righteous in Gods sight freely makes us as Chrysostome saith to conceive a right and high estimation of God for his perfect justice of hating all sin and loving perfect righteousnesse in that he could bestow no benefit upon us as a benefit excepthe had first given us so wonderfully his own Son to justifie and make us perfectly righteous in his own sight and so we give him the praise honour glory of his justice Secondly if we beleeve and take 2 Of truth fast hold of this benefit that God by washing us in his Sonnes blood hath made us cleane from all spot or wrinkle of sinne in the sight of God freely thus perfectly blessing us Galath 3. 8. we give him the glory Galat. 3. 8. of his truth having so gloriously and manifoldly promised the same and by beleeving doe set to our seale that God is true Iohn 3. 33. Thirdly if so farre beyond Iohn 3. 33. our carnall sense and feeling and outward appearance 3 Of power and all outward likelihood we beleeve that God by clothing us with his owne Sons righteousnesse hath made us cleane from all spot of sin in his owne sight freely truely performing upon us such unlikely to present sense and feeling yea and impossible things wee give him the glory of his omnipotent Rom. 4 19 20. power Rom. 4. 19 20. Fourthly by beleeving that God by cloathing us with the wedding-garment of 4 Of rich grace his Sons perfect righteousnesse hath made us perfectly holy righteous from all spot and wrinkle of sin
the winde and tossed to and fro Neither let that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord a double or doubtfull minded man is unstable in all his wayes I am 1. 6 7 8. Fearefull examples Iam 1 6 7 8. ever to be set before our eyes to make us strive against Fearfull examples of doubting doubting much more to take heed of wrangling against the excellency of Gods mysteries are First Peter who whilst he rested upon the word 1 Peter Come went safely upon the waters but when he looked at the outward swelling of the windes and waves and began upon the likelyhood of them to prevaile to doubt presently he began to sink Mat. 14. 30. so Math. 14. 30. 2 Zachary Secondly Zacharias when he began to consider outward appearances and likelyhoods of impossibilities of that which the Angel had spoken by reason of his owne old age and his wives impossibility to naturall reason to conceive and thereupon doubted of that which was from heaven spoken was presently strucken dumbe Luke 1. 20. Luke 1. 20. Thirdly the Prince that looking upon outward and 3 The Prince present unlikely hoods and thereupon with the other old unbeleeving Jewes Psal 78. 41. did limit the power Psal 78. 41. of God and so did run into doubting and unbeliefe was trodden under foot of the people and died 2 King 7. 17 20. The reason whereof is concluded by 2 Kings 7. 17 20. God that the just by faith shall live but if any withdraw himselfe namely by doubting and unbeliefe my soule saith God shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. Heb. 10. 38. 38. But we are not they which by doubting and unbeliefe doe with-draw our selves unto peâ—dition and follow not the righteousnesse of works and preposterous holy walking according to the law of righteousnesse as the Jewes did Rom. 9. 31. but follow faith unto the Rom. 9. 31. conservation of our soules verse 39. and therefore Verse 39. briefe but wise and faithfull like Luther â—o him that hath an eare to heare is that saying of Luther namely De libertate Christiana that the first and principall care of every Christian man ought to be in this especially That setting aside all confidence in Gods sight of holy walking he strengthen his faith more and more and by daily encreasings grow in knowledge Whereof not of works but of Christ Jesus and of him crucified for him being so delivered to death to abolish from before God his sinnes and risen againe to make him freely righteous which is the admonition of Peter 2 Epist 3. 18. for as much as none other works doe make a true Christian The same advice giveth Christ himselfe the Lord of wisedome who in the sixth of Iohn when the Luth. ibid. Iohn 6. 28. Jewes asked a question what they should doe to doe the works of God excluding the multitude of works and their preposterous holy walking according to the law of righteousnesse Rom. 9. 31. wherewith he Rom. 9. 31. perceived them to swell and to be puft up in themselves seeming humble yet full of pride Luke 18. 11. Luke 18. 11 did prescribe unto them one only rule saying This is the work of God to beleeve on him to make you freely righteous Rom. 10. 3 4. whom he hath sent for him Rom. 10. 3 4. hath God the father sealed thereunto whereof riseth such a necessity of beleeving and resting only upon this before God that Christ maketh this the short and long of all That he that believeth viz. That the blood of Christ the Sonne of God doth make him cleane from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely 1 Ioh. 1. 7. and is Baptized that is hath this 1 Ioh. 1. 7. my washing of him clean from all sin with my blood sealed unto him putting him out of all doubt hereof by Baptisme shall be saved but he that beleeveth not this shall be damned Mark 16. 16. This is Christs short Mark 16. 16. and long But why is he damned that believeth not this The reason hereof is the horribleness of unbelief notably expressed by the learned Calvin saying thus No injury more grievous can be offered unto God the Father 〈◊〉 in Ioh. 3. 33. sheweth the horriblenesse of unâ—eliefe and unto Christ his Sonne than when the joyfull newes of his Gospel is not beleeved for the truth of God is not acknowledged But God cannot bee spoyled of his truth but his whole glory Majesty are abolished Therfore look how much the faith of the godly maketh to the glory of God so much on the contrary doth the unbeliefe of the wicked not believing in Christ make to the grievous reproach of God Not that their wickednesse doth hurt the truth of God but that in respect of them or as much as lies in them they accuse and condemn God of falshood and lying But peradventure some man will say What is this Quest unbeliefe that is thus horrible before God not only in the effects of it hitherto described but even in the essence and being of it in it selfe I answer That this is plainly expressed by the learned Answ Beza saying thus Significat hoc loco 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Beza in Rom. â—â— 20. that is unbeliefe in this place signifieth Absence of assent or agreement to the word spoken and uttered by God such as is of them to whom the words of the Gospel except they be brewed to agree with humane reason are vel ludibrio vel offendiculo that is either toyish as a merriment or else an offence to them as absurd foolish and hurtfull so that the power of God promising so great so difficult and so unlikely a thing is utterly rejected as if hee did promise that which is impossible to himselfe or else they doe despise nullifie and set light of his will revealed in the same as speaking one thing and willing an other thus running into all those eight inconveniences and evils spoken of before because most true and weighty and therefore worthy often to be thought upon is that testimony of Luther saying thus As there is no honour De liberâ—ate Christianae like unto the opinion conceived of truth and righteousnesse wherewith we doe reverence willingly obey and most highly esteeme of him whom we doe beleeve for what are we able to ascribe to any person more than truth righteousnesse and goodnesse of all parts perfect and absolute And contrariwise it is a detestable reproach to conceive a secret opinion of a man to be false faithlesse and wicked so stands the case between God and the soule of man by beliefe for as long as it beleeveth stedfastly in God that promiseth it doth account him in that which he speaketh even above reason sense and feeling to be true and righteous than which opinion can nothing bee more acceptable to God This is the highest honour of
God But on the otherside what rebellion what impietie what greater reproach can there be unto God than not to beleeve him what he promiseth for what is this else than either to make God a lyar or to be doubtfull that he is true this is as much as to ascribe truth to himself to his own reason and to condemn God of lying and foolshood whereby doth not such an one deny God and set up his own reason as an image to himselfe in his own heart what availe works and holy walking in the chast and meek works of the Law being done in this impietie and unbeliefe though they seeme never so Angelicall and Apostolicall And yet notwithstanding when they of Cains brood heare faith to be entreated of after this sort that it alone doth justifie us by making us perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely They cannot sufficiently marvell at our madnesse as it seemes unto them God turn this away from mee say they that I should affirme my selfe perfectly holy and godly farre bee this arrogancie and rashnesse from mee I am many wayes a miserable sinner I should bee mad if I should arrogate holinesse and righteousnesse unto my selfe and thus they mock at faith and count such doctrine as this for execrable errour and goe about with mighyt and maine to extinguish the Gospel these are they that deny the Faith of Christ and persecute it in the whole world of whom Paul speaketh saying In the later times many shall depart from the faith 1 Tim. 4. 1. But he that 1 Tim. 4. 1. believeth must plainly confesse that he is holy godly righteous the Sonne of God and certainely saved The Confessiâ—a of Faith and that also by the only mercy of God in the wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse making him thus righteous in the sight of God whereof if hee should any thing doubt hee should procure exceeding ignominie and reproach to baptisme which he hath received and to the Lords supper and also reprove the word and grace of God of falshood For that this sacrifice of Confession of this Faith is thus necessary is expresly testified by S. Paul saying With the Rom. 10. 10. heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse that is by beleeving only he is made perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely But with the tongue man confesseth it unto salvation this is the sacrifice of thanksgiving sealing up as it were unto himselfe his assured salvation And in comparison All religions not comparable to the sacrifice of faith of this sacrifice of faith and confession saith Luther aqll the Religions of all Nations and all the works and holy walkings of all Monks and merit-Mongers whereof there are more than many are aware of are nothing at all for by this sacrifice first as I said before they kill reason a great and mighty enimy of God for reason despiseth God and reproveth Luk. 1. 18. 2 King 7. 2. him in that which he speaketh Luk. 1. 18. 2 Kings 7. 2. denyeth his wisdome justice power truth mercy Majestie and Divinity Moreover by the sAme sacrifice they yeeld glory unto God that is they confesse him to be in that which he speaketh above their reason sense and feeling just good faithfull and true Heb. 11. 11. They confesse by beleeving such impossibilities Heb. 11. 11. as reason would pretend that God can doe all things and that all his words and works are holy true lively and effectuall c. which is the highest and most acceptable obedience unto God To be able therefore to give this glory unto God by faith is the wisdome of wisdomes the righteousnesse of righteousnesses the religion of Religions the sacrifice of sacrifices wherefore there can be no greater nor more holy Religion in the world nor more acceptable service unto God than faith is All which is evidently manifest by that saying of Iohn Baptist Ioh. 3. 33. That Ioh. 3. 33. although Christ comming amongst us to testifie the rich treasures of his Gospel no man almost receiveth his testimonie yet â—e that hath received his testimony hath set to his seale that God is true Upon which place Calvin worthily saith thus Truly except we bee more than stony this so excellent praise of faith ought to kindle in our hearts an ardent desire of the same for what The honor of true faith a great honour is this which God vouch safeth us wretched wormes that wee which are nothing but lies and vanity should be counted worthy to approve and make good as it were the sacred truth of God by our subscription because hee that hath received the testimony of Christ hath set to his seale that God is true Seeing therefore that doubting of such rich benefits of Christ pronounced in the Word of God to be wrought upon us is so dangerous and hurtfull and constant Faith and Confession that we are made with Christs righteousnesse perfectly holy and righteous from all spot and wrinkle of sin in the sight of God freely is so precious so excellent and so glorious let us with strong assurance that the blood of Christ hath mde us in the sight of God cleane from all sinne against our reason sight sense and feeling against the World the Flesh and the Devil and against all objections and enimies of our faith whatsoever make with S. Paul this Christian and joyfull tryumph as here followeth The Christian triumph against all sinne perfectly The Christian tryumph against all sin abolished by the blood of Christ out of the sight of God uttered by the true justifying faith magnificently glorifying God Who dare lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen Rom 8. 13. that is who dare accuse them that they have one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing in the sight of God why may none dare so to accuse them Because it is God that justifieth them that is makes them perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely whereupon a faithfull Dispencer of â—ods mysteries challenging the whole world reasoneth against all men invincibly thus Deo justificante absolvente quis ausit accusare that is God making righteous and cleering who dares bee so bold as to accuse them before â—od of anything First because they are made just that is perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely who dares be so impudent to charge a just and righteous man of a crime before a righteous discerning Judge and looks not to have the blame to light upon his own head Secondly because it is God that justifies them and makes them blamelesse before himselfe who dares bee so bold as to confront God and charge them with any matter of blame and fault in his sight seeing the heavenly voyce hath also given warning from heaven saying The things that God hath
and sinne in the same is the spirituall darknesse as it is every where called in the Word of God that blindeth and darkens this house of mens soules as the Prophet saith Esay 60. 2. Behold Esay 60. 2. darknesse shall cover the earth and grosse darknesse the people And againe If we say that we have fellowship with God and walke in darknesse we lye 1 Iohn 1. 6. And againe Hee that is in darknesse walketh in darknesse and knowes not whither he goeth because the darknesse hath blinded his eyes 1 Iohn 2. 11. 1 Iohâ— 11. 2 Secondly Christ Jesus is like the Sun that shines in the Firmament having all true and full light and righteousnesse inherently and actively in himselfe only and for this cause is expresly called by the Prophet Sol justitiae the Sunne of righteousnesse Mal. 4. 2. Mal. c. 4. 2. saying But unto those that feare my name shall the Sunne of righteousness arise with health in his wings Thirdly his righteousnesse by the power of Gods imputation conveighed to be in us and upon us so effectually cloathing us both within and without is â—â—e the beames of this Sun of righteousnesse beating in upon us and thereby without our mortifying of our selves or any other working or labour of outs utterly abolishing all our sinnes from before God and making us perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely as the Sun-beames doe utterly abolish the darknesse out of a dark house and make the house all light freely as Christ testifieth by the Prophet Esay 44. 22. Esay 44. 22. saying I and not you with your labour of mortification even I will put away your sinnes as darknesse and abolish your transgressions like a mist and as the walls of the house cannot of their own nature being corpora opaca but cast forth all day long a shadowish darknesse that would obscure and make the house all dark and yet the Sun-beames doe continually all day long swallow up and abolish that darknesse and make the house light freely all day long So our natures corrupted with sinne although they can doe nothing else continually but cast forth to our sense and feeling the shadowish darknesse of innumerable sinnes both in thought word and deed all day long yet this Sun of righteousnesse by the full revealing and exhibiting of free Justification being risen upon us doth shine upon us with that continuall day spoken of Rev. 21. 25. Revel 21. 25. And thus Christs righteousness by the power of Gods impuration cloathing us both within and without doth although mystically above our sense and feeling yet spiritually and truly continually abolish all our sins from before â—od freely and doth make us perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely all day long and continually for which cause S. Iohn speaking of the power and operation of Christs blood freely justifying us speaketh in the present time saying The blood of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God doth make us clean from all sinne Where although this work is so perfectly done and wrought at one instant upon the faithfull that he might have spoken in the preterperfect time as the doctrine first Reforming our Church from Popery often times in divers Sermons speaketh to the glory of Christ blood saying The blood of Christ the Sonne of God hath made us clean from all sinne and as Saint Iohn himselfe speaketh Revel 1. 5. saying Revel 1. 5. Christ the faithfull witnesse hath washed us from our sinnes in his own blood yet to shew that this work is so perfectly done that it is ever in present action continually making and keeping us thus perfectly clean in the sight â—od therefore he useth the act of the present time saying that it doth make us cleane from all sinne as the Sun-beames beating into a dark house at six of the clock in the morning have at that instant abolished the darknesse that was there before and have made the house all light and yet it doth make it and doth keep it light all day long so wee being by the power of Gods imputation cloathed with Christs righteousnesse it not only hath made us perfectly cleane from all sinne in the sight of God but also doth make us and doth keep us clean all day long And this is testified by the faithfull Expositors upon that place saying Verbum praesentis temporis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth make us clean continuum actum significat that is the Verb of the present time signifieth a continuall action but wherefore because although ever and anon we doe by new sinnes as much as lyes in us even cut off our selves from the love and favour of God yet this continuall and perfect imputation doth continually abolish all our sins and ever and continually retaine and keep us in perfect righteousnesse and fellowship with God which is more plainely testified by the Author to the Hebrewes saying With one sacrifice he hath made perfect for ever or continually them that are sanctified Fourthly and lastly faith beleeving that this wedding-garment of Christs righteousnesse doth make us thus perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely is like the windowes and doores of the house letting in this light into the soule whereupon it is said Act. 14. 27. That God had opened the doore of Acts 14. 27. Faith unto the Gentiles because although the Gospel doe shine by preaching never so brightly unto men yet if this door of Faith bee not opened but remaines fast shut up they still abide in the grosse darknesse of their sins but if the door and windowes of faith be opened then the beames of Christs righteousnesse beating in doe abolish all the darknesse of their sinnes from before God and make them all light which sheweth also that it is not faith that justifieth us actively of it selfe as it is a virtue as the Papists hold but passively as it lets in the imputation of Christs righteousnesse into the soule for if the door of the house be wide open and yet there be no Sun as being not yet risen to shine in the Firmament that may cast in her beames into the same the house abideth still dark though the doores and windowes be open never so wide but if the Sun shine and cast her beames upon the house and then the doore and windowes thereof be open then doe those doores and windowes by passive receiving in the light make the house all light even so doth faith by receiving the imputation of Christs righteousnesse make a man all light in the Lord and yet not inherently to his sense and feeling and actively for then his sanctification should be perfect which is not so in this life but in that he is made all light that is perfectly righteous by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse â—â— is all light indeed both without and within but yet mystically light that is above sight sense and feeling and altogether objectively and passively light in
properly belongs to the work of our Free Iustification Thirdly the Apostle speakes in the aorist betokening in the participle of the pretertense that he hath made us cleane importing a thing already perfectly done which is proper only in this life to the work of Free Iustification Fourthly for the meanes whereby this work is wrought upon the Elect that is by Baptisme through the Word of promise that the blood of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God doth make us cleane from all sinne it being proper to Justification to bee wrought only by the word of promise and by faith resting upon the same word of free grace as Christ saith Now are yee clean through the word that I have spoken unto you Ioh. 15. 3. Ioh. 15. 3. Fifthly because the Apostle saith That he might make us to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle he saith not to our selves which will be verified indeed by sanctification in the life to come for then even to our selves and to our sense and feeling wee shall not have one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing but hee saith to make us to himselfe that is above our selves and above our own reason yea altogether mystically and contrary to our selves and to our own sense and feeling hath Christ already made us fit brides for so glorious a bridegroome which is only in this life by Free Iustification neither doth the word might make us any whit hinder this sense How the signe might may be attributed to a thing already past and done because when this sign of the potentiall mood doth follow another action importing the purpose or intent of that precedent action the sign might may signifie a thing that is already wrought and perfectly done as any man may say of his brother now living and counted a good Christian That he was baptized that he might be a Christian where the sign might doth not import that he is yet no Christian but shall be so hereafter but meerly the purpose and intent of the precedent action why he was baptized although that purpose and intent be now already fulfilled Sixthly and lastly for the Participle of the present time immediately following because the Apostle saith not non habituram that is the Church is now in such case as that it shall not have one spot or wrinkle of sin hereafter but non habentem not having now at this present time one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing which is only true in this life not to man-ward by sanctification but to God-ward by Free Iustification the Greeks and Latines having their proper Tenses and times fitly to expresse the same But if any object or rather cavill yet further saying Object that in some translations the originall word is not translated That he might make us to himselfe but that hee might present us to himselfe To which I answer that is all one or rather confirmes Answ more fully that which I say because God doth not present to himselfe a false shew like a thing represented on a Stage but indeed and truth doth the thing and then presents it to himselfe such indeed as he hath undertaken to make it to himselfe so that as his counting of a thing makes it by his Almighty power to bee indeed and truth as he counts it so his presenting us to himselfe doth make us to himselfe a glorious Church not having one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing in the sight of God freely Therefore it is well noted in the Margine of our English Bibles upon this Marginall note upon the same place and indeed should bee better noted that ordinarily it is that Baptisme is a token that God hath consecrated the Church to himselfe and made it mark made it holy by his word that is his promise of Free Justification and Sanctification in Christ not having one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing why Because saith the note it is covered and clad with Christs justice and holinesse thereby shewing that the Church is without spot or wrinkle but inchoatively to men-ward by Sanctification but made so perfectly to God-ward by Justification and this Erasmus in his Paraphrase Erasmus in his Paraphrase upon Ephes 5. 26 c. upon the same place collected out of the same ancient Expositors of Gods Word doth more fully expresse saying after this manner Christ gave himselfe unto death to make clean his Church and so of a defiled one hee hath made her pure and holy and whereas she was unclean and foule he hath made her fair and beautifull having washed her clean in the streame of his own blood and hath made her to himself a glorious wife even the congregation having now saith he neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing but is in every point both fair and faultlesse because he hath cleansed her adorned her and made her perfectly trimme in every point Where we see that beside other equivalent phrases of like force he doth foure or five sundry times together avouch that Christ doth not barely count her but hath made her clean and righteous The like Scripture agreeing with this is Coloss 1. Coloss 1. 22. Proving we are not only counted righteous but made righteous in Gods sight 22. where the Apostle saith to those converted Christians And you which were in times past strangers yea and enimies why because your minds were set on evill works hath bee now reconciled how or by what meanes In the body of his flesh through death but wherefore or to what end did hee die in the body of his flesh viz. to make you or as other Translations say To present you holy and unblameable and without fault in Gods sight and so you are perfectly reconciled unto him And this also doth Erasmus in his Erasmus in hiâ— Paraphrase â—pon thâ—s place Paraphrase upon this place notably testifie saying Because there can bee betwixt God and sinners no peace it hath pleased him not by the ministry of Angels but by the bodily death of his own Sonne to forgive you all the offenses of your former life and make you note how hee saith not count you but make you holy unblameable and faultlesse in his sight THe third place of Scripture besides many others Scrip. 2. Pâ—oving that we are not oâ—ly coâ—â—ed but made righteous in Gods most evidently proving that the power of Gods imputation is not a bare counting but a true and reall making righteous is 2. Cor. 5. 21. where the Apostle saith that God hath made him to be sinne for us which knew no sin that we should be made the righteousnesse of 2 Cor. 5. 21. God in him In which place of Scripture although the Papists deny by the consent as they say of the ancient Fathers that Christ by the power of Gods imputation was really made a true sinner but only figuratively being truly but an Host or Sacrifice for sinne our English
Antagonists doe evidently prove both by Scripture and by the common consent of the ancient Fathers as Chrysostome Augustin and others That as Christ was truly made an Host or Sacrifice for sin which is the effect of sinne so the cause thereof went before which was because by the power of Gods imputation Christ so truly took our sinnes upon him and was so really in the sight of God cloathed in the same that although not inherently and actively How Christ was made a sinnâ—r for so he was alwayes and ever the Lamb of God without spot or wrinkle but yet really he was made a true sinner and so God having made him by his imputation really a sinner in his sight did count him a sinner and did rend and teare him upon the Crosse and dealt with him in wrath as if he had committed our sinne himselfe and dyed with bearing our sinne in his own body upon the Crosse as Peter saith 1 Pet. 2. 1 Pet. 2. 24. 24. And yet notwithstanding to avouch our Saviour Christ to bee so a sinner is not as the Papists collect and cavill to say that hee was averted from God the slave of the Devill and Sonne of Perdition because these are consequents only of inherent corruption and sin whereof Christ was inherently utterly free but as hee passively was made a sinner and passively tasted of these things as the Author to the Hebrews speaketh and as he truly cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Whereupon that saying of the ancient Dispensor of Gods mysteries Oecumenius is true saying thus Christus vehementer peccator erat c. that is Christ was greatly a sinner as who did take upon him the sinnes of the whole world and make them proper to himselfe and so was truly made a sinner for that Christ was a sinner saith he heare the Apostle saying Hee made him sinne for us Which words of the Apostle Luther hearing with the right eare overthrowing the whole world of sophisticall Papists by proving that in plaine places of the Scripture speaking in the maine points of our salvation the plaine proper and grammaticall words of the Scripture are the true proper sense of the Scripture saith upon these words thus These words of Paul are not spoken in vaine That God made him sinne for us which knew no sinne that wee in him might be made the righteousnesse of God 2 Cor. 5. 21. And again that place of Esay 53. saying God layed upon him the iniquity of us Esay 53. all we must not make these words lesse than they are but leave them in their own proper signification For God dallieth not in these words but speaketh earnestly and of great love to wit that Christ this Lamb of God should beare the sinne of us all But what is it saith he to beare the Sophisters answer to be punished very well But wherefore is Christ punished Is it not because hee hath sinne and beareth sinne Yes hee hath and beareth all the sinnes of all men in his body not that hee himselfe committed them but for that hee received them being committed or done of us and layed them upon his own body thus was he made a sinner for us and hereupon became as the Apostle saith a curse for us But some saith hee will say It is very absurde and Object slanderous to call the Sonne of God a cursed sinner I answer if thou wilt deny him to be a sinner and to bee Answ accursed deny also that hee was crucified and dyed for it is no lesse absurde to say that the Sonne of God as our faith confesseth and believeth was crucified and suffered the paines of sinne and death than to say that he is a sinner and accursed But if it be not absurde to confesse and beleeve that Christ was crucified between two Theeves then it is not absured to say also that hee was accursed and of all sinners the greatest and why Because saith he we must as well wrap Christ and know him to be wrapped in our sinne in our malediction in our death and in all our evills as hee is wrapped in our flesh and in our blood For unlesse saith he further hee had taken upon himselfe my sinnes and thine and the sinnes of the whole world the Law had no right over him which condemneth none but sinners only and holdeth them under the curse Thus mighty is Gods imputation of our sin upon his Sonne Christ and as Christ by the power of Gods imputation though not inherently and actively yet objectively and passively was made in the sight of God really a sinner and cursed so on the other side are we by the power of Gods imputation of his Sonnes righteousnesse made though not inherently and actively yet objectively and passively really righteous and blessed as Chrysostome testifieth saying Hee made the just a sinner that he might make sinners just that is perfectly righteous in the sight of God freely THe fourth place of Scripture proving that wee Scrip. 4. Heb. 10. 14. Proving that we are not only coâ—nted but truly made righteous are not barely counted but truly made righteous in the sight of God is Heb. 10. 14. Where the Apostle saith that Christ with one offering hath made perfect for ever them that are sanctified that is such as are put apart unto salvation and declare the same by sanctification although their sanctification bee very unperfect yet by Justification God doth not imaginarily count them righteous but perfectos reddidit hath made them in the sight of God perfectly righteous continually and forever where we see that we must not with the Papists draw Gods imputing of his Sonnes righteousnesse unto us to an humane imaginarily counting righteous but reduce our imaginary counting to be an Almighty a reall making us righteous yea and perfectly righteous in the sight of God And therefore very aptly upon this place doth the Doctrine of our Church in the third part of the Sermon concerning prayer doctrine of our Church and the first Restorers of the Gospel amongst us say in the third part of the Sermon concerning prayer speaking against praying for souls in Purgatory after this manner The death and blood of Christ if we apprehend it with a true and stedfast faith purgeth us and cleanseth us from all our sinnes in the sight of God For saith Saint Iohn The blood of Iesus Christ hath clensed us from all sinne Also Paul saith We be sanctified and made holy mark how he saith not counted holy but made holy by the offering up of the body of Iesus done once for all Because as the said Doctrine of our Church saith in another place If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and righteous to forgive us our sinnes and to make us clean from all sinne and not only made holy but also Paul addeth more saying With the one oblation of his blessed body and precious blood he hath made perfect for ever and
because as I said before he hath now revealed in his Gospel that nothing is welcome and acceptable before him but that which is perfectly holy and righteous in his sight but that herein he manifesteth the bottomlesse gulfe of his mercy that hee mâ—kes mercy and truth so to meet together and righteousnesse and peace so to kisse each other That he makes all things new and all the works of his children with the meere tincture of his sonnes righteousnesse to bee mystically above their sense and feeling perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely that so they may bee a well pleasing sacrifice before him Which as it is expresly so taught every where in the Word of God and namely in that saying of Peter That the true beleevers doe offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable by Iesus Christ that is in the tincture of Jesus Christs righteousnesse only made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely so is it as plainly and truly testified together with many other witnesses by a faithfull Dispenser of Gods mysteries in our Church testifying thus against the Papists If any Papist stand out here and say that Christ taketh our works and dyeth them in his blood and then offereth them to his Father who accepteth them as meritorious not for our sakes nor their own but only for Christ I answer That Christ in deed dieth the works of the godly in his blood and so presenteth them unto his Father and his Father accepteth them at his hands but no way in respect of any satisfaction of sinne or merit of salvation but only as testimonies of our thankfulnesse and duty and not otherwise Where we see it is plainly testified that our works although they be made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God doe merit nothing yet notwithstanding that they may be welcome sacrifices of our praise and thanksgiving and testimonies of our thankfulnesse acceptable before God and have the testimonie of God that like the sacrifice of Abel they are excellent before him they must in the tincture of Christs blood and righteousnesse be new died perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely which new die and tincture nothing can ingraine upon them but only the blood and righteousnesse of Christ which therefore is called often in the word and Gospel the righteousnes of God not only because it is the righteousnesse of that person that is both man and God or because it is a righteousnesse given freely by God but also because it being an Hebrew phrase to call whatsoever is excellent to be of God seeing this righteousnesse is so excellent in it selfe and secondly makes the person cloathed in the same excellent in the sight of God and thirdly makes not only his person but also all his works excellent in the sight of God Is it not worthily called the righteousnesse of God But hereupon we may conclude this second proofe of Scripture That if Christs righteousnesse do make not only us our selves excellently and perfectly righteous in the sight of God but also all our works excellently and perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely The saying of the Apostle must needs bee true that wee are so holy that wee are without all blame and without all fault in the sight of God freely Coloss Colos 1. 22. 1. 22. Whereunto Erasmus in his Paraphrase upon the Erasmus in his Paraphrase upon the place same place addeth the reason and necessity thereof drawn from the horriblenesse of sinne saying thus Because there can bee betwixt God and sinners no peace it hath pleased him not by the ministry of Angels but by the bodily death of his own sonne to forgive you all the offenses of your former life and shewing further the power of Gods forgivenesse how great it is hee proceedeth with the Apostle saying And makes you holy unblamable and faultlesse in Gods sight which to bee the meer operation of the righteousnesse of God only able to effect this upon us Beza in his larger Notes Beza in his larger Notes upon Rom. 1. 17. upon Rom. 1. 17. doth thus cleerly testifie saying Haec autem diligenter considerata c. These things being diligently considered doe manifestly declare what is meant by that word of the righteousnesse of God namely that perfection and high integritie revealed in the Gospel with which whosoever is endued hee is presented before God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle speaketh Col. 1. 22. that is holy and unblameable qui nullius criminis possit postulari one that can be reproved and blamed of no fault And I add what can a man wish and desire more for full perfection THe third proofe of Scripture proving that we by 3 The third plaâ—e of Scrâ—pture thaâ— the iustâ—â—â—â—d are perfectly holy and â—ighteoâ—s in gâ—ds sight is Colos 1. 28. â— 10. being cloathed with Christs righteousness are not only truly made righteous but also perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely is Colos 1. 28. and 2. 10. where when the Apostle in the first place hath shewed in his own example what is the proper office and duty of all Ministers and Preachers of the Gospel generally namely to labour every where to present every man perfect in Christ Iesus presently hee addeth in the next chapter in way of application unto the Colossians that were by his labour converted saying And yee are complete in him which is the Head of all principalitie and power where we are to mark that he saith not that being ingraffed into Christ you shall bee complete hereafter in time to come but now in the present time yee are full complete and perfect not by your owne doings but freely because you are the members of such an Head that is the Head of all principalities and powers rich enough to make you also without your owne doings rich in all fulness and completeness of his own sufficient fulness freely and perfectly Of which place of Scripture the learned Interpreters speak worthily thus Est autem sententia valdè insignis digna quam omnes pii semper in conspectu habeant c. that is This is a very notable saying worthy that the godly should have it alwayes in their sight For first it teacheth very cleerly of Justification before God for it shewes saith Calvin that the essence of the Godhead that is in Christ doth herein profit us that being in him nos quoque perfecti sumus we also are perfect As if he said That the whole Godhead dwels in Christ is even for this cause That having gotten and attained him we have and possess full perfection because with one oblation of himselfe he hath made perfect continually and for ever all them that are sanctified Therefore they doe a twofold or double wrong to God that rest not in Christ alone For beside that that they derogate from the glory of God by desiring something more than his