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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50251	The summe of certain sermons upon Genes. 15.6 vvherein not only the doctrine of justification by faith is asserted and cleared, and sundry arguments for justification before faith, discussed and answered : but also the nature and the meanes of faith, with the imputation of our sins to Christ, and of Christs righteousness to us are briefly explained and confirmed / preached at Dorchester in New-England by Richard Mather ... ; and now by him published at the earnest request of sundry well-affected and Godly Christians.	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.	1652 (1652)	Wing M1276; ESTC W18271	50,747	60

THE SUMME OF CERTAIN SERMONS UPON Genes 15. 6. VVherin Not only the DOCRINE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH is Asserted and Cleared And sundry Arguments for IUSTIFICATION before FAITH discussed and Answered But Also The nature and the meanes of Faith with the Imputation of our sins to CHRIST and of Christs Righteousness to us are briefely Explained and Confirmed Preached at Dorchester in New-England by RICHARD MATHER Teacher to the Church there And Now by him Published at the earnest request of sundry well-affected and Godly Christians Printed by Samuel Green at CAMBRIDG in New-England 1652. THE Authors Preface to the Reader Christian Reader WHen these sermons were first preached in the ordinary course of my ministry on going forward on the book of Genesis I had no thoughts at that time that they should ever have been f●…rther published in this way that now tho●… seest But sundry Godly Christians Brethren having heard them delivered in preaching and thinking they might afterwards also bee usefull for the benefit of themselves and their familyes if they might enjoy them printed which they did very much desire they therefore came to mee with a serious solemn request that I would further and fulfill their earnest desires in this thing Against which motion though I alledged many objections 〈◊〉 they still continued to desire as formerly Wherupon at the last considering with my self that God who hath the hearts of all men in his hands might in mooving their hearts to such a desire have some farther ●…ntent ther●… for his own glory and the good of some or other of his servants then I at the first did apprehend or could perceive I therupon began to consider further of the motion and having perused revised some brief notes which I had by me of those sermons I imparted to them a Copye therof yet with renuall of my former objections against printing and proposing to their consideration whether it might not be best to satisfie themselves with that writte●… copie and to let the printing alone But their desires continued as afore and thence it commes to pass that the sermons are committed to publick view Which I thus aquaint the Reader withall partly as some excuse for my self that I would publish such plain stuff as here is cont●…ned in such a knowing and Criticall time as this is for the importunity of request hath compelled me thereto and partly that if any sober and honested hearted christian receive any benefit here●…y hee may know to whom he is indebted for the same even chiefly to the Lord as the principall Author of all good and then unto those godly Christians who have been the instruments of bringing these sermons to be publick which had it not been through their importunity had never seen the light in this way I deny not but sundry of the things here treated of viz the grace of Faith Justification by faith and the Imputation of Christs Righteousness unto justification are mayn and principall points of christian religion and such as that the ignorance of them or erroneous apprehentiōs about them can not but be very perilous in which respect it is the more needfull that the people of God should be established in the belief love of the truth concerning such points as these are And for this cause I the rather yeilded to publish what here thou seest being so importuned therunto as I have said if I might by the blessing of Christ afford any little help to the end afore mentioned And so much the rather because Satan that enemy of all truth father of lyes hath endevoured not only of old but of late also to corrupt the mindes of many people touching these things Heretofore and still amongst the popish sort he would perswade to an opinion of justification by works and not by faith only And now when the perniciousness of that Tenent begins to be more generally discerned he labours to undermine the truth another way instilling into the minds of some a conceit that they may be justified not only without their own works but also without the grace of faith And because it would be too gross at the first to cry down all use of faith which the Spirit of God in the holy Scripture doth so abundantly urge extoll and that therfore such a conceit at the first would hardly take amongst them that have any acquaintance with the Scripture therfore the crafty enemy allowes for the time that there may be some use of faith about this matter of justification viz to know or be assured by it of justification preceding and that though we are justified indeed afore faith yet wee did not know it afore but now do know it by faith A palpable perverting of the truth of God plainly and plenteously laid down in his word especially in Pauls epistles wherin you shall never read of knowing by faith that we are justified without faith or before faith Such language is a stranger in Gods book and amongst the oracles of God and far discrepant from the form of wholsom words wherin nothing is more frequent then that we are justified by faith Now to turn this word Wee are justified into this meaning wee know that we are justified in which sence it will be hard to find it so much as once used in any place where justification by faith is spoken of is a manifest metamorphosing of the words of the Holy one and a wresting of the Scripture I fear unto mens own destruction 2 Pet 3. 16. But do you think that Satan will rest here It is rather to be seared if this delusion takes place a while this use of faith which is yet allowed will be denyed also For some are already come to this to deny that there are any gifts or graces at all in the hearts of justified persons Which if it were true then there is no faith in them and if there be no faith then it is not by faith that men do know their justification for how can they know it by that which is not And ●…o as now they deny that men are justified by faith so when where this other delusion takes place to deny all inherent graces there men must hold that justification may not only be but also be known without faith or else not be known at all A lamentable dreadfull issue wherat Satan drives and whereto this opinion tends if God do not in mercy prevent And because this is a time wherin not only these but many other unsound opinions and some of them very pernicious are scattered abroad therfore I hope the godly Reader will bear with me if out of my unseyned desire of his salvation and of the honour of Jesus Christ and his truth I shall here propound some sew helps for a christians preservation in the truth from the prevailing power of errour And let not this be thought a needless bu●…siness nor let any that loveth his own salvation give way to

never sinned 2 Faith is said to be imputed Rom 4. 5 9 22 23 24. And how is that meant when faith is said to be imputed There are two wayes how that is understood First of all when faith it self is said to be imputed that is to be imputed reckoned to us as our own though it be not our own any otherwise then as the gift and work of God in us according as it is said to be the gift of God Phil. 1. 29. Ephe. 2. 8. and that no man can come to Christ that is believe in him except he be drawn by the father Ioh. 6. 44. But yet when God hath given faith he then imputes and reckons this faith as ours though himself have wrought it in us And this may seem to be needfull to the end that Christ his righteousness which by faith we possess may be our own and imputed reckned to us as our own For though Christ righteousness be a perfect righteousness and we possess it by faith yet how can it be accounted ours unless faith it self the meanes of possessing it bee counted ours but when faith is accounted ours then the righteousness of Christ possessed by faith is accounted ours also If we take the imputing of faith in this sence then when faith is said to be imputed or counted for righteousness that particle for must not be so understood as if faith it self were in the room and steed of righteousness for it hath been shewed ●…fore that such an apprehention will not stand or agree with truth But the word for doth here only note why or wherfore as if it were rendered faith is impu●…a unto righteousness that is to say to the end we may attain unto righteousness And in another-place the same preposition is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 twice in one ve●… Rom 10. 10. with the heart man believeth unto righteousness with the mouth confession is made unto salvation and so it might be here Rom 4. faith is imputed unto righteousness This exposition of the phrase when faith is said to be accoūted or imputed for righteousness is given by some very godly judicious and I mention it as worthy consideration But that sense of the word which is more usually given and wherin I should rest is when faith is taken relatively for its object which is Christ his righteousness and so these words faith is accounted for righteousness have this meaning that Christ and his righteousness are so accounted For as hath been shewed afore it is not unusuall that faith should be taken in this sense namely for its object Christ Jesus That which in one verse is called faith in another is called Christ Gal. 2. 16 17. so likewise Gal. 3. 23 25. of which sense more hath been spoken afore 3 There is yet another expression in this matter of imputation and that is the imputing of righteousness which phrase is used Rom 4. 6 11. So then for the form manner of justification there is the not imputing of sinn and the imputing of righteousness and the imputing of faith unto righteousness But for farther opening of this point of Imputation sundry questions may be proposed viz 1 VVhat is that righteousness which God doth impute unto us for our justification It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Redeemer Mediatour that which was wrought by him in his own person this righteousness of his is imputed unto us by God and the imputation of it is the formal cause of our justification That this righteousness of Christ is imputed to us such reasons as these may make manifest 1 If righteousness be imputed as the text plainly expressly affirms that it is Rom 4. 6 1●… then it must either bee our own righteousness that is so imputed or else the righteousness of some other But our own righteousness it can not bee for wee being all sinners have none such of our own as can justifie us Rom 3. 10. Psal. 143. 2. Isai 64 6. And besides this righteousness is said to be imputed without works Rom 4. 6. that is without our own works so that the righteousness of our own works is not imputed It must then be the righteousness of another Now that other can be none else but Christ alone Any other whose righteousness may be imputed for justification besides Christ can not be imagined 2 The text is plain that we are justified by Christ his righteousness Jer 23. 6. Isai 45. 24 25. Rom 5. 9 19 1 Cor 1. 30. And if so then his righteousness is imputed to us because there is no other way how it can be cōmunicated to us but by imputation And yet communicated it must be else how shall wee be justified by it Riches Pearls of great value can make no man rich till they be applyed and become his own and so it is in this case 3 As we are made sinners by the sin of Adam so are we made righteous by the righteousness of Christ Rom 5. 19. 1 Cor 15. 22. But we are made sinners by the sin of Adam by imputation for the guilt and punishment of that sinn can no otherwise be made ours And therfore we are made righteous by the righteousness of Christ by imputation 4 Look how Christ was made a sinner by our sinn so are wee made righteous by his righteousness 2 Cor 5. 21. Now how was Christ made a sinner by our sinn not inherently as if there were any sin inherent in him either in his heart or life the Scripture is express against that Heb 4. 15. 1 Pet 2. 22. for he knew no sinn in that sence 2 Cor 5. 21. It were a most wicked thing to imagine any such matter of him And therfore it remayneth that he was made a sinner by imputation only he was made sinn for us 2 Cor 5. 21. the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Isai 53. 6. But now this also may be questioned by some Whether our sinns were imputed to Christ and whether he bare any punishment due to us for our sinns There are sundry reasons that may clear this also 1 It may be cleared by all those Scriptures where it is said that Christ suffered and dyed for our sinns Rom 4. 25. 5. 6 8. 1 Cor 15. 3. 1 Pet 3. 18. Isai 53. 5 8. Heb 2. 9. Christ did not dy w●…out a cause Gal. 2. last for our sinns were the cause And if our sinns were the cause of his death and that he dyed for them then they were imputed to him so that when he suffered and dyed he bare the punishment of our sinns 2 Christ is said to bear our sinns 1 Pet. 2. 24. Isai 53. 11 12. Now to hear them doth imply that he bare the punishmēt of them and that they were imputed to him for that end For wheras some do think that to bear our sinns doth signifie no more but that hee bare them away from us without bearing