The Life of Justification Opened

CHAP. XXI.

Justification is by Faith: what this Faith is, & how it is wrought.

HAving thus spoken unto, & labored to clear up the Nature & some causes of this life of • ustification; we come, in the next place, to speak to the following part of the Text. Where the way, how this life of justification is brought about and attained, is pointed forth, when it is said. The just shall live by faith. Faith, we see, is here mentioned, as that which interesseth us in this privilege of life. Whence we see

1. That no man is made partaker of the life of Justification, before Faith; or that until souls exercise faith, they are without this life of Justification. Some talk of a Justification from Eternity; & thus confound Justification with God's love of Election; or with God's decree & purpose to justify. Some speak of Justification of all, in the death of Christ; but neither is this to be admitted, if we speak of actual Justification; It is true, Christ did, when he laid down the full price of Redemption, conform to the Eternal compact betwixt Jehovah & Him, make an absolute & actual purchase of all those, that were given to him to be saved, & did buy & purchase all the Favors, Blessings & Privileges for them, which were afterward to be actually bestowed, in the time, & after the way & method, condescended upon by Jehovah & the Mediator: (I am here speaking of such as came to have a being, in the world, after Christ had in the fullness of time, come & laid down the price; & not of those; who lived before, when Christ's death & Satisfaction had only a Moral being, & yet full efficacy to produce the same saving effects on believers:) and though in this respect, all the Elect may be said to have been virtually justified, when Christ laid down the actual price, and was justified from all the charge of their debt, that was laid upon him (as in some sense, it may be said, that all the Elect were virtually Justified in Him, when he undertook to make satisfaction for their debt) yet there is no actual Justification before Faith; according to the Scriptures that speak of justification, of adoption, & of Sanctification by Faith, showing that these Benefits & Privileges follow Faith, as to their actual being, though they were from eternity decreed, as was also Glorification, & were actually procured by Christ's death: in which respect, as also in respect of Christ's undertaking or substituting himself in the room of sinners, they may be said to have been virtually, Sanctified & Glorified, even then. It is true, that before Faith, the justification actual of the Elect is every way secured, & all things tending thereunto are concluded & firmly laid, & all the other anteceding causes are existent, before Faith, for Christ is appointed & substitute Mediator; Christ hath accepted & undertaken the work of Mediation; He is come in the fullness of time, & hath laid down the full price; The Father is satisfied with the price paid. The Father laid upon him the iniquity of all the Elect, & He hath born it, & made full satisfaction, therefore he is accepted of the Father, as Head of the Elect justified & possessed of glory, so as they may be said to be risen with him in heavenly places, to wit virtually, & meritoriously; & all this before faith, Thus God was in Christ, reconciling the Elect world unto himself, not imputing trespasses unto them, because he imputed them to Christ & made him sin, who know no sin & this before the word of Reconciliation, ministered by the Ambassadors of Christ, hath wrought them up unto God by faith. 2 Cor. 5: 18, 19, 20. And this I think was more, then what Mr. Baxter saith confess. pag. 225, 226. to wit, that he was providing a sufficient remedy for the pardon of it, if they would accept of it freely given; for the world here spoken of is the world of the Elect, though he think other ways ibid. & the Lord's not imputing their sin unto them, was more then his not dealing with them, according to the desert of their sin, but in mercy, for as yet many of them had not a being, and so were not capable of being dealt with, according to the desert of their sin; but it importeth, what is more emphatically expressed thereafter verse. 11. to wit, that God was laying their sins on Christ' and making him sin, as to its demerit, or guilt, for them, that they might in due time be made the Righteousness of God in him.

Yet notwithstanding of all this, actual justification & Reconciliation is not before 〈◊〉 , as is clear from many passages of Scripture, asserting our justification, life to by faith, Rom. 1. 17. & 3. 28. & 9: 1. Ephes 2: 8. Gal. 2: 16, 20. Ad it cannot be said, to evite the force of these & the like Scriptures, that this is to be understood only of justification, as to our feeling, sense & apprehension: for the case, which the Apostle proveth all to be into before justification, in his Epistle to the Romans Chap. 1. & 2. & 3. is such as cannot consist with a justified state, as to be under sin, Rom. 3: 9. to have their mouth stopped & be guilty before God verse. 19. But it is manifest, that many, who are now not under the Law, nor under sin, but delivered from under both yet may & do want the sense & feeling of their justification, & doubt thereof. And beside this crosseth the whole scope of the Apostle, in proving justification by faith, which is to evince, that justification is not by the works of the law, or the works of Righteousness, which we do; so that the justification, whereof the Apostle speaketh, cannot be by works, but by faith alone; but the manifestation of justification to our sense & consciences, can well be by works, as James showeth & proveth Chap. 2. Works can contribute unto this, but not unto that justification, whereof the Apostle speaketh, in his Epistles to the Romans & Galattans & which is justification in the sight of God.

That justification is not before faith, is manifest from the condition, which the Scripture telleth us, such are into, who have not yet believed; for if that condition be such, as is inconsistent with a state of justification & Reconciliation, there can be no justification before faith: now the Scripture telleth us, that such as believe not, are condemned John. 3: 18. dead in trepasses & sins, children of wrath, Ephes. 2: 1, 2, 3. Without Christ, & without God in the world, & strangers from the Covenants of promise Ephes. 2: 12. have made God a liar, 1 John. 5: 10. cannot please God Heb. 11: 6. By all which, & many like passages, that might be cited, it is manifest, that before faith, there is no real justification, Faith is required in order to adoption, & Remission of sins, and therefore must be before justification John. 1: 12. Act. 10: 43. Gal 3: 26. Act. 13: 38, 39, of 26: 18. But enough of this, seeing M. Baxter hath abundantly confuted it, in his Confess. pag. 229, &c.

Some move this Objection. If we are justified by faith, then faith is in order before justification; & consequently the act is before the object, whereas on the contrary, the act depends upon the object, & not the object upon the act, Thus Bellarm • de justif. lib. 1. c. 10. disputeth against the assertion, that maketh the special mercy of God to be the object of justifying faith: wherein the ground of the whole debate, lieth in a mistake of that special mercy of God; and whatever mistake may be, at least as to expression, in the assertion, which Bellarmine opposeth; yet Bellarmius Opinion can no way be owned, who doth so defend the object of faith, as that he maketh justifying faith to be nothing but Historical Faith. Learned & grave Mr. Norton, in his Orthodox Evangelist Ch. 14. p. 314. in answering this objection, distinguisheth betwixt the being of justification & our being Justified; or betwixt justification in abstracto i. e. without the receiving subject thereof, & in concreto i. e. together with the believer, The first, which signifieth Remission of sins and Righteousness to Acceptation prepared, though not yet conferred upon the Elect, he saith, hath a being before Faith and so the object is before the act: though the ather be after faith. But I conceive there is no great necessity of this, for answering of the argument, if any should propose it, to evince justification before faith; and Bellarm. adduceth it not, to this end, as we saw; for I see no ground to assert justification to be the object of justifying faith, as if in order to justification, we were called to believe, that we are justified, and that our sins are pardoned: (as was said above) And as for this justification, considered in the abstract, which is said to have a being not only in the Purpose of God, but also in the Covenant, between the Father, & the Mediator, & in the Purchase of Christ; not only is it not called justification in Scripture, but also, in so far, as it is the object of faith (as all other revealed truths are) it is of the elect in general, and not of this, or that particular person: so that though justifying faith may believe that God Purposed & Christ Purchased, & the Covenant of Redemption did expressly contain the justification of the Elect; yet it doth not believe, in order to the man's justification, that he in particular so was justified, either in the Purpose of God, or in the Purchase of Christ, or in the Covenant betwixt Jehovah & the Mediator; nor is this Faith called for, because this object is not a revealed truth: Yet this same justifying Faith, is of that Nature, as to produce afterward reflecting acts, whereby the man may see his own justification & be persuaded of it, in truth, & hence also be persuaded, that the Lord Purposed to justify him in particular; that Christ Purchased his justification, in particular, and that it was an article of the Covenant of Redemption, that he in particular should be justified.

2. While it is said, That the just liveth by faith, we see that faith is the way, whereby persons come actually to live the life of justification; and hence it cannot itself be the matter of their life: What interest properly faith hath in this affaire, must be debated afterward; to wit, whether it be properly imputed as the matter of our Righteousness; or only be to be considered as an Instrument: or as a Condition, & how so?

3. We see, That this living by Faith proveth that there is no justification by works, in the sight of God; whence it is manifest, that faith here cannot be considered as a work of the Law, or as a duty enjoined by the Law or under any such consideration. (2) That works have no interest as a cause, or condition, with Faith in justification. (3) That the life of justification, as to its continnation is by faith, and by faith, as opposite to works; for the just, (or the man already justified) liveth by faith: This being also questioned, we will have occasion to speak more to it afterward.

4. While it is said, the just liveth by faith, it is considerable, That this faith in its kind, and not in such, or such measure, is here said to be the mean, whereby persons come to live the life of justification. So that this true Faith, how weak so ever is the only mean of interesting a soul in this privilege of justification. This will give occasion to speak of the object of this justifying faith, which will help to clear the nature of it.

Our larger Catechism qu. 72. giveth us such a definition or description of justifying faith, that may satisfy us as to most of these difficulties; The answer is this [justifying faith is a saving grace ( Heb. 10: 39.) wrought in the heart of a sinner, by the Spirit (2 Cor. 4: 13. Ephes. 1: 17, 18, 19.) & word of God ( Rom. 10: 14, 17.) whereby he being convinced of his sin & misery, & of the disability in himself & all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition ( Act. 2: 37. & 16: 30. John. 16: 8, 9. Rom. 5: 6. Eph. 2: 1. Act. 4: 12.) not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the Gosspel ( Ephes. 1: 13.) but receiveth & resteth upon Christ and his Righteousness therein hold forth, for pardon of sin ( John. 1: 12. Act. 16: 31. & 10: 43.) & for the accepting and accounting of his person Righteous in the sight of God, for salvation ( Phil. 3: 9. Act. 15: 11.)] And this question is none of these particulars, wherein Mr. Baxter in his Confess. desireth to dissent from the said Catechism, as the next Question is; as we shall hear.

We may hence take notice of these particulars, concerning this faith', whereby it may be known, & distinguished from what some may mistake for it.

1. As to its nature, & kind, it is saving; for all such, as have this grace of justifying faith, are in the sure way of salvation; & whatever faith persons may have, if they have not this, they are not in the sure path of life. There is a faith of miracles, both Active & Passive, as we may say, that is a faith to do miracles, and a faith to receive miracles wrought upon them. The first was that which the Apostles had and others, who wrought Miracles; and is to be understood Mat. 17: 20, 21. Luk. 17: 6. The other is that, which some of those had, who received miraculous cures, as the woman Mal. 9: 21, 21. and that Man, who cried out, I believe, help mine unbelief Mark. 9: 24. and the man of lystra Act. 14: 9. and others This in it self considered is not a saving grace. Judas had this faith, whereby he cast our devils, and had commission to work miracles with the rest Mat. 10: 8. Luk. 9: 1, 6, 10. So also the Seventy disciples Luk. 10: 9, 17, 19. And how great a privilege so ever this was; yet Christ told them verse. 20. that it was a far greater matter, and much greater ground of joy, to have their names written in heaven, whereby he giveth us also to understand, that these are distinct & different from other, and also separable. Many (saith Christ Mat. 7: 22, 23.) will say to me, in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? & in thy name have cast out devils? & in thy name have done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. And it is of this Faith, that Paul speaketh 1. Cor. 13: 2. & though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing, Importing that this Faith may be, where there is no saving Christian Love. There is an Histori • all faith, that is a believing not only of the histories recorded in the word of God; but of the whole Revelation of God's mind there, yet only as things historically recorded, working up the man, in whom it is, unto a voluntary profession of that truth; This, though true in its kind, yet is not saving, seeing many may have this, who are strangers to true saving Faith. Simon Magns believed thus Act. 8: 13. who yet was but in the gall of bitterness & in the bond of iniquity verse. 23. Many believed in the name of Christ, when they saw the miracles, which he did, to whom notwithstanding Christ did not commit himself John. 2: 23, 24. Christ had many disciples, who professed the truth and yet went back, & walked no more with him John. 6: 66. This faith, when it cometh no further, is but such a Faith, as devils have, who believe, there is a God, & tremble I am. 2: 19. This is the fruitless, workless Faith, that iames speaketh of I am. 2: 14. that cannot save, & which he calleth a dead faith. verse. 17, 20. a faith that cannot work with works verse. 22. There is a Temporary faith, which (whether we look upon, as distinct from the preceeding historical faith, or as an higher measure & degree thereof, the matter is not much) is also different from & far short of this saving Faith, whereby a man cometh to live the life of Justification, though it hath some effect wrought upon the affections; this is the stony-ground that receiveth the sown seed Mat. 13: 20, 21. These are they, who hear the word, and anon with joy receive it, yet have no root in themselves, but endure for a while only; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth, because of the word, by & by they are offended.

2. Every act of saving Faith, is not the justifying act of faith, or that act thereof, whereby we are Justified before God. Saving Faith hath many several acts, as we may see Heb. 11. Though where ever there are any of the real acts of saving faith, that man hath also acted justifying faith: yet we may look on Justifying Faith, or on the act of faith whereby the soul becometh Justified, as some way distinct from other acts of Saving Faith. Though by saving Faith we come to understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God Heb. 11: 3. not in a mere historical manner, but savingly; yet, that act of saving Faith, is not the Justifying act thereof, to speak so. Though the same Faith by which the Ancients subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of Lions, quenched the violence of fire &c. was that by which they were justified, yet these were not justifying acts of that faith; that is, in order to justification, faith acteth in another peculiar manner: Though it be one & the same saving faith, whereby a believer is united unto Christ, in order to answer the Challenges & Accusations of the Law, & to free him from guilt & condemnation, and maketh use of Christ's Right, Strength Support &c. in times of Darkness, Temptations & Difficulties: yet these acts of the same faith are not the same, but may be looked upon as distinct: Faith acteth one way on Christ in order to Justification, & another way in order to Sanctification: Faith acteth one way, when it receiveth in, and another way, when it giveth out, as it were, Faith acteth one way on Christ as Priest, and it acteth another way upon him, as Prophet & as King: yet we would know, that in all these actings of faith, whole Christ is laid hold upon, though more expressly & explicitly, in the uniting act, whereby the soul is married unto Jesus, & thereby becometh one spirit with him. There can be no use making of Christ for any end whatsomever, until the soul be united with himself, and in every act of faith, whereby Christ is made use of, for what ever particular mercy the Believer would have, be it Pardon, Light, Strength, Comfort, or such like, Christ himself is gripped to, & laid hold on; for there is no separating of Him & his favors: yet the Believer, while gripping & laying hold on whole Christ, taketh him up under that Relation, and eyeth that Office; that most nearly answereth to and correspondeth with his present necessity, and pointeth forth that good, which he is now desirous of, & so acteth faith suitablie or putteth forth faith in suitable acts: as for example, when the believer is troubled with conscience of guilt, he runneth to Christ, yet in a special manner he goeth to him, as Priest, & eyeth that Blood, that only can purge consciences from dead works Heb. 9: 14. When he is troubled with Raging Corruptions, & would have them subdued, or would have his hard Rebellious Heart made more soft & pliable to God's will, he goeth to Christ; yet in special manner, he eyeth Christ as a King & acteth Faith upon him accordingly; So when he is troubled with Ignorance, Doubts, and Darkness, he goeth to Christ; yet he eyeth him th • n especially as a Prophet & accordingly acteth Faith upon him. Yet we would know, that when the Believer acteth thus, in this different manner, upon Christ; whether as a Prophet, or as a Priest, or as a King, there is no exclusion, far less any denial of the other offices; which cannot be, because Christ himself, & consequently whole Christ, is always He, to whom the believer goeth, though with a more express, explicit & special application to & usemaking of that office & work of Christ, which most suiteth the believers present necessity. Now, though all these acts of faith, be acts of saving faith; yet they are not all that act of faith which is or may be (for distinctions sake) called, the Justifying act of faith; for this is that act of faith only, which the soul exerteth, in order to Justification, and Absolution from the Curse of the Law.

3. This Faith is no product of the power of Nature, accompanied with all its advantages, & elevated to its highest pitch, & to the highest measure of accomplishments: Nature, as now corrupted & depraved, not only will not willingly complye with the design of Grace in the Gospel; but it cannot, being nothing but pure enmity to the holy Ways & Counsels of God; all its mindings are of the flesh, and all the minding of the flesh, or the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be Rom. 8: 7. Persons, deluded by Satan, may imagine, & suppose with themselves, that it is so wholly in their power to believe, that they can exerte that Faith, at what time so ever they will: But, howbeit, out of their own mouths such unbelievers stand convinced, & condemned, for their not believing; yet the mighty power of God's Spirit must be exerted, ere they be brought unto a believing frame, or their souls be made to look towards Jesus in earnest, so as to lay hold on him by Faith. Therefore is Faith called the gift of God Ephes. 2: 8. There is the working of the might of God's power requisite unto believing Ephes. 1: 19. Such then, as have not the workings of the Spirit of God, Inclining, Drawing, Perswading & Causing the heart believe, are real strangers to this grace, whatever great Enduements & Gifts, or ordinary effects of the Spirit they may be possessed of.

The author of a Discourse of the two Covenants (a book recommended to us by Mr. Baxter, in his preface, prefixed thereunto, as a Treatise, which will give us much light, into the Nature of the Gospel) pag. 24. tells us, that man himself, is not wholly passive, in this change, or what goes to the making of it; but is so far active in it, as to denominate what he doth by God's assistance to be his own act. Whereby he sufficiently discovereth an Arminian design; yet so qualifieth his expressions, as may abundantly show, he intendeth to evade. For he will not say, that man is not at all passive, in this change, but only, that he is not wholly passive; and yet he dar not say this confidently, but must add, or what goes to the making of it: and how much he may comprehend under this, who can tell? But if man be not passive, he must be active. How far then is he active? So far, saith he, as to denominate what he doth by God's assistance, to be his own act. That the act of Faith is man's act, is most certain, for it is he that believeth; but the question is, what change is wrought in the soul, by the Spirit of God, before the act of faith be exerted? and what hand man's labors and endeavors have in the infusion of the new Principle, the Divine Nature? Is not the man purely passive, in the receiving of the effect of that creating act, or in the work of Regeneration? That the Lord prescribeth the use of ordinary means, wherein the man is to wait for the free & gracious working of the Spirit is true; but there is no connection made by the Lord, by any Law or Constitution, betwixt the use of these means, and the gracious work of faith, nor betwixt ordinary Light & Conviction, and the like common effects of these means, and Saving Grace. Yet he tells us afterward, that if man do but what he can do, through the assistance of God's: common providente (in whom we live, & move, & have our being) God is most ready, through his good pleasure, or out of the goodness of his will & pleasure, to work in him, both to will & to do savingly, to carry the work quite thorough. But what Scripture doth teach us this? Sure I am, that Phil. 2: 12, 13. with which he ushereth in this discourse, giveth no ground for this; for that is spoken to such, in whom the work of Salvation is already begun, and who are commanded to work it out, & to say, that the case is the same, is to overturn the whole Gospel, and present us with pure Pelagianism; is there as sure & certain a connection betwixt man's work of nature & God's gracious works of Grace, as is betwixt the work of grace Begun & Carried on? His adducing afterward p. 25. the commands to make ourselves a new heart, & to repent &c. to enforce this, is but the old Pelagian argument brought again upon the stage, to which I have said what I hope will befound Consonant to the Scripture, in my book against the Quakers. But this man discovereth himself more plainly afterward pag. 28, where after mentioning some acts of men, which cannot be called acts of super-natural grace, he tells us, if men will but go thus far (as they can) out of a real-desire to • e happy, I should make no question, but that the Spirit of God would yield them his assistance to carry them quite through, in the work of conversion. Beside that connection, whereof he maketh no question, though the orthodox have hithertill denied it, writing against Pelagians, Jesuits & Arminians, we may observe this, here, That nature can carry the work of conversion quite through, having only the assistance of the Spirit of God; and what difference is there then betwixt Nature & Begun Grace: for begun Grace needeth the assistance of the Spirit of God, to work Salvation quite thorough; and Nature needeth no more? where are then the Infused Habites? Is Regeneration only brought about by assistance? Need they, who are dead, no more but Assistance? If this Author help us to clearness in the doctrine of the Gospel, it must be the Gospel, that only Pelagians, Jesuits, Arminians & Quakers own; but not the Gospel of the Grace of God revealed to us, in the Word; which telleth us of something more requisite unto the Conversion of a sinner, & to the bringing of him to Believe & Repent, than the Cooperation of God's assistance (as he speaketh pag. 25.) & man's endeavors. He tells us pag. 26. that there is a promise of divine assistance to Man, using his • ndeavours in doing what he may, & can do towards the performing the condition of the Covenant: But he showeth us not, where that promise is to be found: and pag. 17. he talks of an implicit promise; and this he very wonderfully inferreth from the Gospel, that was preached to Abraham: for thus he speaketh, for God in promising blessedness to the Nations through Abraham's seed, therein promised all that was absolutely necessary for him to vouch safe to make them blessed, & without which they could not be blessed. And if so, then he therein implicitly promised to assist the endeavors of men to perform the condition of the promise, without the assistance of whose grace, they cannot savingly believe repent & obey. Whence it would seem (1) that all men, are comprehended within this promise; and (2) That no more is promised in reference to the Elect, than to the Reprobat. (3) That the promise of faith & Repentance, is but a promise of of Assistance. (4) And this promise of Assistance, is not to assist Grace, but to assist Nature. (5) That the promise of Faith & Repentance was but an implicit promise, This is a sufficient taste of this Authors Pelagian-Gospel.

4. We proceed. This work of the Spirit upon the soul, whereby the man is brought to a closing with, and to a resting upon Christ, is ordinarily wrought by the word: for faith cometh by hearing, & hearing by the word of God Rom. 10: 17. The Lord hath established that great Ordinance of Preaching, for this end; and for this end, he blesseth it unto his chosen ones, we mean not this exclusivly, as i • the word could no other way beblessed; for he blesseth, as he seeth good, for this end, the Reading of, & Meditation on the word also; though the grand & special mean be the Preaching; as we see Act. 2: 37, 41. & 8: 26-30. & 26: 18. The Lord, it is true, may send wakenings by his Judgments & by other like Occasions; & may bless the private Endeavors of Parents & friends, by their private Instructions & Admonitions: yet all these are no way prejudicial unto, but rather contribute to the confirming of the privilege of the word, as the Principal Mean & Ordinance, both as leading thereunto, & as receiving strength thereby: for what ever real beginnings the Lord may work so, they have this effect to commend the word more unto these persons, &, in special, the public Administration thereof by his Authorized Ambassadors: so that whatever saving work be wrought, as it is not altogether without the word, some way or other made known; so it tendeth to the further usmaking of the word publicly administered, where it may be had, as Saul, when under that terrible work of God Act. 9. was directed to go to Ananias in Damascus, to understand what he should do, & Cornelius was ordered Act. 10. to send for Peter, to get instruction in the ways of God. And whatever work of Light, Conviction, or Terror, be wrought upon any occasion, that is attended with a contrary effect, is to be suspected, as not of God, nor saving. How dreadful then their Condition is, who have not the word, but are without the pale of the Church, where this word is preached; & their condition also, who, though living within the Church, have this word as a sealed book, needeth not be said.

5. The condition of soul, unto which the Man is brought by the Spirit, accompanying the Administration of the word, in order to his actual believing, is considerable here; for thereby we will be helped to understand better the Nature and Actings of Faith, whereby only, as a mean, relief is brought unto the soul; and to know what that relief is, and wherein it lieth, that the distessed man is pursueing after, & seeking with earnesness. In order to which, we would know,

(1) That the Spirit by the Word beareth home Convictions of Sin and Misery, discovereth to the man, how he standeth guilty of the breach of the Law of God, & so chargeth sin home upon him, both Original and Actual, & thereby fixeth guilt upon the Conscience, showing how he hath forfeited all Right to blessedness & life, & how moreover he is under the Curse, threatened to the breakers of the Law, and hath the wrath & malediction of God hanging over him: He is made to see the sins he never saw before, both of Omission & Commission, & the sad Consequences thereof, to wit, how he is obnoxious to the penalty, the insupporrable wrath of the living God. Thus the Spirit convinceth of sin John. 16: 8, 9. thus he openeth their eyes, & turneth them from darkness to light, in so far Act. 26: 18. thus the secrets of the heart are made manifest 1. Cor. 14: 24, 25. and they become lost in themselves, like a lost sheep, the lost piece of mency; & the lost son Luk. 15: 6, 9, 24. and like one of those whom Christ came to seek & to save Mat. 18: 11. Luk. 19: 10. These are the sinners mentioned Mal. 9: 13. that is, such as are now brought by the work of the Spirit, to see & feel their sinful condition, to know that they are sinners, and that they are in a lost condition.

2) There is a discovery made of their Inability to relieve & help themselves out of this woeful condition of sin & misery. They are made to see, that nothing in them, or in any other creature, can make satisfaction unto the justice of God & thereby redeem them from the Curse of the Law, and from the wrath of God, that is lying upon them, the sense & apprehension whereof doth now press & pinch them sore. Which maketh them cry out, with these pricked in their hearts Act. 2: 37: & 16: 30. What shall we do to be saved? They see, they cannot keep the Law: & though they could, it would not avail, as a Compensation & Satisfaction to the Justice of God, for the by gone innumerable Transgressions, whereof they stand guilty.

Whereby we see, that the troubled wakened soul, in this case, is brought to a despairing in himself. He is under the sentence, and he seeth nothing under heaven that can command Peace to his soul; nothing within him, nor without him, beside God, that can bring him out of this Prison, & relieve him from this dreadful sentence, under which he is lying, as a condemned Malefactor: And we see, what is properly the relief, that he would be at, and that he only desireth: to wit, To be freed & delivered from the sentence of the Law, and from the curse of God; & to be brought into a state of Favor & Reconciliation with God, that his sins may be pardoned, he may be accepted of God, as Righteous, & so brought into a State of Peace & Salvation. This is the plaster, that his soul is longing for; this is the only remedy that can relieve him; this is the only good that he can be satisfied with: all the Pleasures, Honors, & Rihes of the world will bring no relief or ease to his distressed soul: And when he findeth tha • this is not to be found in himself, nor in any other Creature, he must look for it, elsewhere. And thefore

(3) When the Spirit of the Lord is carrying on this work, he, by the preaching of the Gospel, convinceth the man of the reality & truth thereof, & discovereth the Suitablness, Fulness, Satisfactoriness, Glory & Excellency of the remedy, that is hold forth in that Gospel, that hath brought life & immortality to Light, even in the Gospel of the grace of God, wherein is revealed, what Christ God-man hath done & suffered, to satisfy the justice of God: therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: There he seeth, that the Father is well pleased with him, & with the Sacrifie, which he offered up for sins, Whence the poor wakened sinner seeth, that his case is not utterly desperate, & that there is hope for him, through Jesus; or at least that it is possible, he may be saved from the wrath to come; & a may be of relief is a great relief: And he seeth, that if that Righteousness & Satisfaction of Christ were made over to him, or he interested therein, he were well; for that would sufficiently guard him from the wrath of God, and secure him, as to future blessedness. Thus the Spirit, by the word, revealeth the Gospel of Salvation to the end the wakened sinner may see his relief there, & betake himself to the only relief that is held forth there.

6. Hence we see, that while the wakened sinner is in this condition, his main & only work will be, how he may be interested in that all sufficient Redemption, & Purchase of Christ, to the end he may be partaker of the Ben • fites, that flow there from, and so be freed from the state of Sin, Wrath & Enmity, wherein he is now • plunged: And when the Gospel calleth for Faith, in order to this, & he findeth, that it is not in his power to Believe, but that it is the pure gift of God, who must give the new heart, & the heart of flesh, & must regenerate & beget him of new, & so create a new Principle of grace in his soul, to the end he may be brought to act Faith on the offered mediator & Mediation, & accept thereof, as his only Cure & Remedy.

7. So that, when the Spirit worketh up the soul to believe, he causeth him sweetly acquiesce, in the way of Redemption, revealed in the Gospel, and to count it a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners 1. Tim. 1: 15. and to comply sweetly with the design thereof, in all points: and for that end to close with Christ, and to accept of him upon his offer, and particularly to rest upon him, and his Righteousness, revealed in the Gospel, as the only ground of their hope & peace: This being the thing that their soul longeth after, to wit, how they shall get guilt taken away & they be clothed with a Righteousness, wherein they may with confidence appear before God, the Spirit of God, when working the soul up to a compliance with the remedy, held forth in the Gospel, causeth them accept of Christ, as made of God unto them, Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification & Redemption, and every such soul to say. In the Lord our Righteousness, have I Righteousness. In him alone will I look for Pardon, Acceptance, Reconciliation & life, & on him alone will I roll my debt, & there will I rest, in hope.

8. Therefore, this Faith, though it bring the soul unto Christ, as the only Redeemer, and is the man's clasping his arms about him, & embraceing him, as all his Salvation, & rolling all his weight upon him, yet it looketh to & in a special manner, eyeth the Satisfaction, Merits & Righteousness of Christ; for that is it, which the man mainly now standeth in need of Justice must be satisfied, saith he, my sins must be pardoned, I must be accepted in favor with God, I must have a Righteousness where with my sins may be covered, and the month of justice, of the Law, & of my challenging conscience, may be stopped, & whereby I may have Right to life: and this being held forth in the Gospel, Faith bringeth the soul to a resting on this Righteousness of Christ, that he may be found in Christ, not having his own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the Righteousness, which is of God by faith Phil. 3: 9. This is to believe on Christ John. 3: 16, 36. Act. 16: 31. & faith in his blood Rom. 3: 25. Thus the soul refugeth itself from the storm of wrath, under the wings of Christ, and hideth itself, as it were, in him from the avenger of blood, the wrath of an angry God, purseing for a broken Law. And here, the Man abideth hid in Christ, and eleaveth to him, as being glued to him, and utterly unwilling to be separate from him, or to appear without his garment of Righteo • sness, which faith fasteneth on the soul; and the man by faith trusteth to this way, and resteth upon it with full confidence, nothing doubting of his saiftie thereby.

9. By this we see, how the way of justification by Gospel-faith serveth both for setting forth the Glory of God, the Riches of Free Grace, and for abaseing of Man, as also for secureing of Life unto the Believer: for (1) Hereby the Man is convinced of his guilt & declareth himself to be guilty; for he his guilty before God 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Rom. 3: 19. he is made speachless knowing nothing to speak in his own defense, nor no apology to give in, his mouth is stopped, and he can say nothing, but cry out, guilty, I am a child of death, the Lord is Righteous, should he damn me forever, I must justify him, when he speaketh, and clear him when he judgeth Psal. 51: 4. (2) Hereby the Man pronunceth & sweareth himself poor & bare; he forsaketh all, and renunceth all, that formerly he had any eye upon, or confidence in, counting them loss & dung, as Paul did Phil. 3. He proclameth himself Empty, Lost, & Naked, and declareth he hath nothing that he can lean to, within himself. He accounteth all his former Righteousness to be nothing but rotten rags, and filthy rags, and Professeth that he knoweth nothing within himself, wherefore, or whereupon he can expect Reconciliation with the Lord, and to be Accepted of him. (3) Thus all ground, or occasion of boasting, or of glorying before men, is taken away from the believer Rom. 3: 27. & 4: 1. (4) Thus the glorious beauty of free Grace shineth forth. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be of grace. Rom. 4: 16. Grace here appeareth in its own glory, when free grace without us, & contrary to our demerits, doth all, provideth the Sacrifie, accepteth of the same, in their behalf for whom it was offered up, bringeth them to the actual participation of the fruits and effects thereof by working up their hearts to a satisfaction in it & to a resting upon it, & all this freely, out of free Love. It is corruptly said by the fore mentioned Author of that discourse of the two Covenants pag. 42. that Grace appeareth, in the Lord's making Faith the condition of the promise, in that great things are promised upon such a possible practicable easy condition, as faith is, considering the means and assistance promised by God to work it: for this spoileth Grace of its Glory, when Man is looked upon, & said to be the principal author of saith, as he is, upon the matter, said to be, when all that God doth, is but called assistance, and at least the man may challenge, as his own, no small share of the Glory of acting Faith, and of going so great a length in the way to Faith, without anymore assistance, than he hath need of, to eat his meat when hungry, and of going on his own feet to the very place, where God stood ready to lend him a hand to help him forward. Not to mentione, how this altereth the whole Nature of the Covenant of Grace, making it nothing but a new edition of the old Covenant of works. (5) It is of faith to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed Rom. 4: 16. When all the business is wrought, as it were, to our hand, and nothing more requisite to interesse us, in the noble Effects of all, than our consent, & this also is wrought by the Spirit of God conform to the Covenant of Redemption, can a more ensureing way be imagined? Alas! what ground of Confidence or of Certainty, can the Arminian & Socinian way, followed by the forementioned Author, give to a poor soul? When all is made to hang upon the tottering & inconstant will of man, who hath no more from God, but some common assistances, standing ready to attend him, if he advance so far his alone without them; & when he hath gotten them today, may run back, & undo all again tomorrow, & Apostatize forever; for this also is a part of that Gospel, that this man will teach us, pag. 135. if we believe Mr. Baxter's Preface. Beside that hereby, no man can win to any solid Peace, or Joy, so long as he liveth; for he is but still performing the Condition of his Justification, and perfecting it by his works; so that till they be at an end, the Condition of Justification is not performed, and consequently no Justification: and it is the main scope of this man's discourse to prove the interest of Gospel-obedience (as he calleth it) as a Condition, as well as Faith, or rather as a part or best part of practical Faith, in the matter of Justification.

10. Hence we may also see, how erroneous & dangerous that definition of faith as Evangelical, Christian & Justifying, is, which the mentioned Author giveth us pag. 38. to wit, Such an hearty assent & consent unto God's declaration in the Gospel by his Son, concerning Christ himself & his Grace & Favor towards men by him, & concerning their own duty, as causeth a man to expect from God, and to act in a way of duty, according to the tenor of such a declaration, & his own concerns in it. This upon the matter is the very faith of Adam, only Adam heard no word of Christ; & so it is but a Law-faith, & no Gospel-Faith. And again more plainly by way of explication, he saith pag. 39. nor is it a bare belief, that God will for Christ's sake pardon & save, as many as truly repent & amend their lives & become new creatures; unless they so believe all this, as seriously & heartily to repent themselves of their former folly, and to return to their duty in new Evangelical obedience. Not only doth this man take away from Justifying & saving Faith, all that peculiar closing with Christ, & accepting of him, as Redeemer, & all particular & special eye or respect had to his Righteousness & Mediation; but he maketh Justification depend on works, as well as on faith, or on works, as the integral parts of practical justifying faith: It is true, Saving faith, cannot but bow & incline the man, in whom it is, to all holy Obedience; But to make these thus to be included in Faith, as the Condition of Justification, is to give us the Socinian Justification, & the Socinian Faith, for the true orthodox justification & faith: and if this be the Gospel justification, & Gospel faith which (as Mr. Baxter thinks) this look will help us unto, the Socinians are better acquainted with the Gospel, than the orthodox have been, or are. And to evince this (which is all I need to do here) I shall propose a few of their Assertions concerning Faith, that the Reader may judge what harmony is betwixt this Author & them. The Racov. Catech. cap. 9. de fide tells us, that faith is a Trust in God, whereby we not only confide in him, but also obey him. This is short yet fully the same with our Auther's. Socinus himself dial de justif. f. 11. what is that to believe in his name? It is receive him, to believe his words, to confide in him, & finally to obey him. And in not: in dial f. 25. he tells us, that the faith by which we are justified, doth contain obedience to the commands, not as an effect, but as its substance & form, yea (faith he) it is obedience itself. And again de fid. & oper. f. 60. he faith, I will have nothing else, than to con • ide de in Christ; and this is done & receiveth its perfection, & as it were, its form, when obedience is yielded unto his commands: So that betwixt justifying faith & good works there is no difference. See him further f. 123. 134. Smalcius de divin. Christ. cap. 14. f. 38. tells us, that faith in Jesus Christ is a firm assent unto what he hath said & a confideing truly so called, whereby not only we firmly believe what he hath said concerning us, but we confide in him & adhere to him, (this is much more, than our Author saith) & heartly embrace his doctrine as celestial & saving, placeing our confidence & hope in him, as such & so great, a King, & as our Priest (fy upon our Author, that is less orthodox, than this Socinian) hanging wholly upon him, with a firm hope to obtain these things, which he hath promised to such as obey him, that is, if we amend our lives, according to his prescriptien, we are confident to receive remission of sins, deliverance from death & eternal life. But you will say, there is no mention made of good works in this faith. See therefore what he saith disp. 6. cont. Frantz de bon. ope. Thes. 53, 55, 63, 68. We do not (saith he) consider two parts of faith. Trust in God, & Obedience to his commands, but we distinguish them, as if they were two: for albeit really they may be taken for encthing, & are one, they can be some way distinguished - Obedience is rather the form of faith, or faith itself, than any part of it. And in this, the Arminian Remonstrants in their Confess. cap. 10. s. 1, 2, 3. do homolegate with the Socinians, telling us, that faith comprehendeth all the commands of the Gospel, and that the command of Faith must no other-way be considered, than as by a natural propriety it includeth obedience, and is a fruitful mother of good works: and that faith thus considered comprehendeth a man's whole conversion, prescribed in the Gospel. Socinus is plain Synops. 1. s. 8. and tells us, that the way of justification is the same under both Covenants, seeing in both on God's part was required Remission of sins: & on man's part, Repentance, & Obedience to his commands, which is truly that very faith, that every did, & ever will make man acceptable unto God. And then tells us, that we must beware to make sanctification an effect of justification. These things may show, that this part, at least, of this Authors Gospel is more learned out of the Socinian & Arminian Schools, than out of the Scriptures: and if we would be guided into this, we may follow other more ancient leaders, than is this Author, whom else where, I suppose, Mr. Baxter calleth Mr. W. Allen.

11. We would also take notice of this, That when the Scripture saith, the just liveth by faith, or we are justified by faith, the meaning must not be, we are justified by Hope, or we are justified by Love, or we are justified by Patience or by any other Grace: for though all these Graces of the Spirit, may be conceived as springing from one and the same root, & seed of God, which is planted in the soul, in the new birth; and though, we may, by our acute wits, so explain each, as to include the rest, more or less: Yet as divine Revelation is the ground of all our Faith, in this matter, so Scripture expressions, are the best guide to us, in our Expressions & Conceptions about this matter. And as the Scripture doth speak of and name these Graces, as formally distinct, ascribing to each their distinct, and several Operation, End and Use; so we never read, that we are said to be. justified by Love, or by Patience, or by Hope, or any other; but always by Faith. This certainly must instruct us, that Faith here hath a peculiar and singular interest, & must be considered, as looking to Christ, in a different way, from Hop & Love, which also have Christ for their object, or Christ must be the object of Faith, in another manner & under some other consideration, than he is the object of other graces.

12. It is also considerable, that it is simply said, the just man liveth by faith, or we are justified by faith, and not the just man liveth, or we are justified, by a strong faith, or by a faith continueing to the end: Though it be true, that a true & lively Faith is of that Nature, that it will continue to the end, and will grow; yet we may not say, that only a strong Faith, or a Faith as continueing to the end, is the condition of the Covenant, or of Justification; for hence it would follow, that as no man of a weak, yet true and sincere Faith, could be said to be Justified, so no man could be said to be Justified until his Faith had endured to the end, which is contrary to Scripture, speaking of believers, while in their infancy, as justified & adopted, as partakers of, or at least, as having a Right to the consequences of Justification, such as Pardon, Peace, Glorying in Tribulation, and Comfort &c. The promise granteth Justification and Adoption to Faith, that is of the right kind, & no mention is made of that Qualification thereof, He that believeth is passed from death to life, and shall never die &c. John. 3: 36. John. 3: 16, 18. John. 1: 12. If the meaning of such, as make Faith, as continneing to the end, the condition of the Covenant and of Justification, were this, That Faith as continued in to the end is the Mean of Continuance in the Covenant, and in the state of Justification, they should speak truth: for the just liveth by faith first & last, as by Faith they are brought into the estate, so by faith they are continued therein; Faith maketh the first Union, Faith continueth it: But of this we shall have occasion to speak more afterward.

13. This faith is not one single act of the soul, nor seated in one faculty, The various things, spoken of it in Scripture, and the various objects it acteth upon, and is exercised about, and the various and different necessities, which believers stand into, with the corresponding uses, which faith serveth for, in these necessities, clear it to be no one single act of the Soul: I would rather call it the act of the whole Soul, than the act of any faculty, whatsomever.

CHAP. XXII.

Our act of Faith is not imputed to us a Righteousness.

Wproceed now to clear, at some further length, several Particulars, touched in the foregoing Chapt. contributing to the explication of our Justification by Faith: The first & great Question anent Faith is, whether it be imputed unto the Believer, as his Righteousness, whereupon he is justified? Adversaries to the truth both Socinians & Arminians do plainly assert, that our faith, or that grace of faith is the very thing, which is imputed to the Believer for his Righteousness. They are all convinced, that the sinner, must be clothed with a Righteousness, some way or other, in some sense or other, ere he can be Justified, for the Lord is Righteous, & will not justify the wicled, that is such as have no Righteousness: and being willing to yield to the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, they substitute, in place of Christ's Righteousness, Faith, properly taken, or our act of Believing, as is it performed by us, in obedience to the Gospel-command. Socinus de Serv. lib. 4. c. 4. Cum igitur &c. i.e. seeing he teacheth, by the example of Abraham that Righteousness is imputed, when can doubt, that nothing else can hereby be under stood, but that we arerighteous before God, because it hath seemed good to the Lord, to account our faith, in place of Righteousness. And thereafter. That faith is imputed unto righteousness, is nothing else, than that faith is accounted to us in place of Righteousness, but not that the Righteousness of christ is imputed to us & cap. 11. Themselves say, that that saith justifieth not by its proper worth, but because it apprehendeth Christ: But that apprehension of Christ of yours, is a mere human fiction, & a most vain dream. And when we read, that faith was imputed to Abraham for Righteousness, or unto Righteousness, we have no reason to think, that mention is there made of the Righteousness of another, when it is manifest, that he is speaking of his own. In his dial. de Justis. f. 14, 15. he tells us, that faith is by God imputed to us for Righteousness, & he accounteth that in place of Righteousness, faith is in very deed that whereby the Scripture witnesseth that we are justified that is, accounted Righteous before God, & have our sins pardoned. This faith maketh us acceptable unto God unto eternal life. And in not. ad dial. f. 27. Nothing else was said, than that faith is accounted to us of God, & imputed for Righteousness, & that that faith is truly in us, who will deny seeing these words are said to exclude the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness? The Arminians do homologate with the Socinians, in this Arminius himself cont. Perkins. faith expressly, that faith itself is imputed to us & in Praf. ad Hyppolit. this (faith he) is my opinion about justification, that faith, & that alone is imputed unto Righteousness, that by it we are justified before God, absolved from our sins, and accounted righteous, pronounced & declared by God giving sentence from the tribunal of grace. Some blaine ine for saying, that the act of faith itself, the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere is imputed unto Righteousness, & that in a proper sense, not metonymically I say, faith is imputed unto us unto righteousness, for Christ & for his righteousness sake. He owneth the same decl. Sent. ad Ord. f. 65. 66. & in Resp. ad 31. Artic. f. 152-154.

John, Goodwin in his Treatise of Justification Part. 1. Ch. 2. asserteth the same most considently from Rom. 4. whose reasons hereafter shall be examied. The same purpose he prosecuteth Part. 2. Ch. 6. answering the arguments of the orthodox against that imputation, which shall be considered in due time.

Mr. Baxter in his Confess. pag. 18, 19. Excepteth against some words in our larger Catechism & Confession of faith, to wit, that it is denied, that the grace of faith, or any act thereof is imputed for Justification, unless it be thus understood, that our faith is not imputed to us, as being instead of a perfect Righteousness of Obedience, to the ends, as it was required by the Law of works; nor is our faith the matter, or the meritorious cause of the remission of our sin, or of our right to Salvation. But the meaning of the Assembly is plain enough against that, which is the opinion of Socinians & Arminians, as the words of the Answer to quest. 73. of the larger Catech. make manifest; where it is said (in answer to that Question, How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?) Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of these other graces, which do always accompany it, or of good works, that are the fruit of it; nor a • if the grace of faith, or any act thereof were imputed to him for his justification (& this is confirmed from Rom. 4: 5. comp. with Rom. 10: 10.) but only as it is an instrument, by which he receiveth & applieth Christ, & his Righteousness. And in the Confess. of Faith. Ch. 11. f. 1. nor by imputing faith it self, the act of believing, nor any other evangelical obedience, to them, as their Righteousness. Nor is this a determining of a point, expressly against the words of God, as he supposeth; for it is not the bare words, as Heretics interpret them, that is the mind of God, but the true sense & meaning of his words: And in Confessions & Catechisms, I judge that matters should be made plain, and that it were not plain & ingenuous dealing to set down the truth in these expressions, that heretics can subscribe unto, when it is known, they have an exposition of these words contrary to truth: It seemeth that Mr. Baxter will not say, in the explication of the Sacrament of the Lord's supper, that the bread is not changed into the body of Christ, lest he seem to contradict express Scripture, which saith, that Christ said of the bread, this is my body.

But now, as to the matter, I assert, with our Confess. & Catechis. and with all the orthodox against Socinians & Arminians. That faith, considered, as our act of obedience, is not that which is accounted our Righteousness, in order to Justification, nor that, which is properly imputed to us for that end; Nor is that the meaning of the Apostle. Rom. 4. And of this I give these reasons.

1. The Apostle, in his whole Dispute about Justification, opposeth Faith & Works as inconsistent with, yea as repugnant to other: as is notoure; But this could not be, if Faith as our act of obedience were imputed to us, as our Righteousness; for faith, as our act of obedience, is a work, and a work commanded by the Law of God, other ways it should be unlawful, or a work of supererogation. The meaning then of the Apostles Conclusion Rom. 3: 28. should be this, a man is justified by one dead of the Law, without all works or deeds of the Law; which were a contradiction. And it is certain, that when the Apostle excludeth the works of the Law, he excludeth their from being looked upon, as our Imputed Righteousness; for Adversaries did plead for their interest in justification, as a Righteousness to be imputed to the doers, where upon they might be justified: if then faith as our work, were imputed as our Righteousness, Paul's dispute should be, whether all works should be imputed for Righteousness, or one work of faith only: Nor can it be said, that by the Law here, the Apostle understandeth only the Law of Moses, as such, for he is speaking this, even of the Gentiles, who never were under the Law of Moses, and instanceth Chap. 4, in Abraham, who was justified long before the Law of Moses, as such, had a being. And he is speaking of the Law, by which is the knowledge of sin. Rom. 3: 20. & which worketh wrath Rom. 4: 15. which cannot agree to the Law of Moses only.

2. By asserting, that Faith, properly taken, is accounted our Righteousness, the whole scope & all the Arguments, which the Apostle useth in this matter, should be enervated and contradicted; as a very light view of them might make manifest, and the following Arguments will evince.

3. Faith, considered as our act of obedience, and as a work of ours, is not that Righteousness of God without the Law, which is witnessed by the Law, and the Prophets: Nor is it that Righteousness of God, which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe Rom. 3: 21, 22. Neither Law nor Prophets did bear witness, that faith, as our act & work, was accounted all the Righteousness that was to be imputed to the believer: Nor said, that our act of faith was the Righteousness of God, without the works of the Law. Nor is it imaginable, how faith can be that Righteousness of God, which by Faith is imputed unto all, and put upon all that believe. Shall we think, that the Apostles words have but this sense, That faith is unto & upon them, that have faith; or that faith is imputed by faith? Sure the Apostles words must be so understood, as to import, that the believer hath by his faith something imputed to him, which is distinct from faith, as is obvious.

4. If faith, as our work, were imputed as Righteousness, how could the Righteousness of God be declared in the justification of sinners, & God be just, when he was the justifier of him, which believeth in Jesus; as the Apostle saith Rom. 3: 26? Is our Believing such a perfect & complete Righteousness, that God cannot but account us Righteous, because of it, & so justify us, as Righteous, upon the account of it? Is it not sick of the same discemper of weakness with other graces?

5. If Faith, as our act & work, were imputed to us, as our Righteousness, how should boasting be excluded, & all occasion of glorying, though not before God (before whom even Adam, though he had continued in his state of innocence unto the end, could not have gloried) yet before Men, taken away, as it is in the matter of justification Rom. 3: 27. & 4: 2. The Law of works will not exclude boa • ing, & faith, as our work belongeth to the Law of works: and if we were justified by Faith, as our imputed Righteousness, we should certainly have ground of glorying before Men, as well as Adam should have had, if he had stood in his integrity, & obtained the crown by his doing.

6. If Faith, as our work, were imputed to us for our Righteousness, Justification & the reward should not be of grace, but of debt; as the Apostle expressly affirmeth. Rom. 4: 4, 5. Now to him, that worketh (& he who believeth, in this, which he now opposeth; worketh) is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt; but to him, that worketh not, but believeth (believing then here is opposite to working, & therefore cannot be considered, as a work of obedience in us, but as carrying us out of ourselves, to seek & lay hold on the Righteousness of Christ, without us) on him, that justifieth the ungodly, his Faith is counted for Righteousness; that is, the Righteousness of Christ, which Faith laith hold on, is counted for Righteousness.

7. If Faith, as our act of obedience, were accounted our Righteousness, & we were justified upon the account of it, as our Righteousness, God should not be he, who justifieth the ungodly, as he is expressly styled Rom. 4: 5. And the reason is, because he cannot be called an ungodly person, who hath a Righteousness inherent in him, & which is his own, & which the Lord accounteth to him for a Righteousness: he is not unrighteous, whom God accounteth Righteous, & he whom God accounteth Righteous, cannot be called ungodly: so that if God account Faith to us for our Righteousness, putting it up upon our score, as our Righteousness, when God justifieth us as Righteous, by virtue of our faith, or as clothed with faith, as a complete Righteousness, he cannot be said to justify such as are ungodly. But now, the Scripture tells us, that God is one, that justifieth the ungodly, that is, one who hath no Righteousness inherent in him, upon the account of which the just & righteous God can justify him; but one that must have a Righteousness from without, Imputed to him, upon the account of which he is Justified, and accounted Righteous in Christ, though unrighteous & ungodly in himself; our Faith cannot be said to be imputed to us, as our Righteousness.

8. If Faith, as our act of obedience, were imputed to us, as our Righteousness, Paul could not say, as he doth Rom. 4: 6. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputed righteousness without works: for then Righteousness should not be imputed without works; but a prime, special, principal & comprehensive work (for with our Adversaries here, faith is in a manner all works, or comprehendeth them, as we heard, towards the end of the foregoing Chapter ) should be imputed, as our Righteousness, & not a Righteousness without works.

9. Free pardon of sins will never prove the man blessed, unto whom God imputeth Faith, in a proper sense, for his Righteousness; as it doth prove him blessed, unto whom God imputeth Christ's Righteousness, or a Righteousness without works: And the reason is, because faith is no satisfaction to the justice of God; & therefore cannot be our Righteousness, upon which we are pardoned & justified. Now the Apostle argueth thus Rom. 4: 6, 7, 8. Even a, David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works; saying, blessed are they, whose iniquities are forgiven, & whose sins are covered, blessed is the man, to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

10. The Righteousness imputed is something distinct from our Faith, & is not our faith itself, for the Apostle saith Rom. 4: 23, 24. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him &c. If Faith itself were the Righteousness imputed, these words could make no good sense. Shall we think, that the meaning of the Apostles words is nothing but this. Faith shall be imputed if we have faith, or our Believing shall be imputed to us, if we Believe. This looks not like one of the discourses of the Apostle.

11. The imputation of our Believing, as our Righteousness, cannot ground our Peace with God, not have we by it access into this grace, wherein we stand; nor can we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; nor glory in Tribulation: for it is obvious, how weak a ground that were for such a great building. But the Righteousness of Christ laid hold on by Faith, can be a sufficient basis for all this Rom. 5: 1, 2, 3.

12. Faith, as our work of obedience, is not the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which must be imputed to us, as our Righteousness, upon the account of which we are to be justified: as the offense & transgression of Adam was imputed to his posterity, as the ground of death, passing upon them, and of judgment or guilt to condemnation: But is only our receiving of that abundance of grace, and of the gift of Righteousness Rom. 5: 17. But that which is imputed, as the ground of Justification, as Adam's disobedience was imputed, as the ground of their Condemnation, is the Righteousness of the Second Adam, of whom the first was a figure verse. 14, 15, 18, 19.

13. When the Apostle saith 2. Cor. 5: 21. for he made him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God, in him; his meaning cannot be, that our Faith is the Righteousness of God, or that we are made the Righteousness of God upon that account of having faith: for the Apostle is holding forth here a comfortable commutation, which God maketh betwixt Christ & us, as the ground of that ministry of Reconciliation; to wit; that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, mentioned verse. 18, 19. And therefore as Christ hath something, that was properly ours, imputed to him by God, that is Sin or Guilt, which he had not in himself: so we must have something, as the native fruit & effect of that, that is properly Christ's, imputed to us of God, that is, his Righteousness, which we have not in ourselves. And beside, this Righteousness of God is that, whereupon Reconciliation is founded, as is manifest, comparing verse. 19. with 21. But who will say, that our Reconciliation unto God is founded upon our Faith, as if that were our Peacemaker, & our Atonement, & Satisfaction; & as if that were Christ, in whom God was reconciling the world unto himself. Was Christ made sin, that the imperfect grace of faith might be made a complete Righteousness & become our complete Righteousness?

14. When the Apostle saith Rom. 9: 31, 32. That Israel hath not attained to the Law of righteousness, because they sought it not by faith, he must mean a Righteousness, that is distinct from Faith, and therefore he cannot mean Faith itself: for if he meaned faith itself, as our work, the words should have this sense, they sought not Faith by Faith, and therefore they did not attain to Faith. Shall we impute such jejune & insipide expressions to Paul, or rather to the Spirit of God speaking in & by Paul?

15. The same Apostle tells us Rom. 10: 3, 4. That the Jews being ignorant of God's righteousness, & going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God: And by this Righteousness of God, he cannot mean, Faith: for their faith had been their own, & so their own Righteousness, if Faith had been Righteousness: but he must mean the Righteousness of Christ, which faith laith hold on, for he addeth, for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness, to everyone that believeth: So that it is the Righteousness of him, who is the end of the Law, that is that Righteousness, unto which they should have submitted themselves by Faith; & it is not Faith itself, but a Righteousness which is had from Christ; who is the end of the Law, & a Righteousness, which is had by Faith, and which everyone partaketh of that believeth, as the following words show.

16. When the Apostle saith Rom. 5: 19. by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous, doth he mean by that obedience of one, our Faith; & not rather the Obedience of Christ, which is imputed, and whereby we become Righteous? As the disobedience of Adam was not some particular after deed of his posterity, which was imputed to them for their disobedience; but it was the particular fact of Adam, eating the forbidden fruit, which was imputed to all his posterity, and whereby they were constituted sinners: so this obedience of Christ cannot be any act of obedience in us, be it Faith, or what you will; but the acts of Christ obeying the Law, & imputed to us, whereby we become Righteous, & are constituted Righteous in the sight of God.

17. When Paul said Phil. 3: 9. and be found in him (i. e. Christ) not having mine own righteousness, which it of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, which is of God by faith, can he mean by this Righteousness, which he was desirous to be foundin, only Faith? If he had meaned Faith, had not that been his own Righteousness? Is not our Faith called our own? If not, why saith James Chap. 2. show me thy faith, & I will show thee my faith. And should not this Righteousness, if his believing had been it, been of the Law? Or is faith according to no Law? If it be according to no Law, it is no act of obedience. Moreover, how could Faith be said to be through Faith? Is Faith a mean to itself? How can Faith be the Righteousness of God, which is by faith? Was not the Apostles scope & desire, to win Christ? And is Faith Christ?

18. If our act of believing be imputed to us as our Righteousness, then we cannot say. In the Lord have we righteousness, contraire to Isaiah. 45: 24. in order to a saying, in the Lord we shall be justified, as verse. 25. but rather in ourselves have we Righteousness, in order to this end, for Faith or our act of Believing is in ourselves immediately, and is said to be our Righteousness, Nor can we thus call the Lord our righteousness, contrate to Ier. 43: 6. But rather our own act of believing shall be our Righteousness, & trusted to as such. Nor yet could we say, that Christ is made of God to us righteousness. As it is 1 Cor. 1: 30. unless that because by virtue of his mediation, our act of believing is made of God to us Righteousness sure I am the emphasis of the words pointeth out some other thing, as hath been seen.

19. Is our believing that rob of Righteousness, wherewith the Lord covereth such, as have ground to rejoice greatly in the Lord, and to be joyful in their God Isaiah 61: 10? Such might as well rejoice greatly in themselves, & be joyful in themselves, & in their Believing.

20. Is Faith that everlasting Righteousness, that the Messias was to bring in Dan. 9: 24 Doth our act of believing last forever? Paul hinteth some other thing. 1 Cor. 13.

21. When Paul saith Rom. 10: 10. that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, must not this Righteousness be something distinct from believing? If not, we may as well say, that Confession with the mouth is the same with Salvation, for he addeth, & with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation, wherefore, as Confession is but a mean & way unto Salvation, so Believing is but a mean & way unto Righteousness.

22. Can we with any color of reason suppose, that our act of believing is that Righteousness of God, which is revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1. 17. Can faith be said to be revealed from itself, & to itself?

23. Our act of Believing cannot be that Righteousness, whereof Noah become heir Heb. 11: 7. for he became heir of this Righteousness by Faith: & he could not be said to be come heir of Faith by Faith.

24. Faith is among the works of Righteousness, which we do: and all • these works of Righteousness the Apostle excludeth from an interest in that Righteousness, where-upon we are Justified, as opposite to mercy. Tit. 3: 5. Therefore our Believing cannot be our Righteousness unto Justification.

25. If our act of Believing be imputed to us for Righteousness, then it alone must be that fine linen, wherein the lambs bride is arrayed; and it must be the fine linen, that is clean and white, for this fine linen is said to be the Righteousness of the saints Revel. 19: 8. But that cannot be because our Faith is not so pure, as that it may be called clean & white linen; the Saints themselves are ashamed of their faith, as being so full of blemishes and imperfections; as also because this favor granted to her to be arrayed in this linen, cometh in after that she hath made herself ready verse. 7. which (as Mr. Durham on the place showeth) is to be meaned of Faith.

26. All this work about the Imputation of Faith taken properly, for our act of Believing, is made of purpose, to shoot out the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ; as is clear by John Goodwines whole dispute; & from his very stateing of the question part. 1. pag. 7. saying. But the Question in precise terms is this. Whether the Faith of him, who truly believes in Christ, or whether the Righteousness of Christ himself be in the letter & propriety of it, that which God imputes to a believer for righteousness, or unto righteousness, in his Justification. Now let any judge which of the two hath more countenance in Scripture, when the one, to wit, the Imputation of Faith, is but to be drawn, with any show of probability, from one place of Scripture (and yet how small countenance that giveth to it shall be seen hereafter) and the other is so emphatically expressed, in so many places, both in the Old & New Testament; And which of the two deserve most the name of Righteousness, in order to our Justification: and the Imputation of which of the two is most consonant unto the genius of the Gospel Covenant, which we must suppose to be far different from the Nature & Constitution of the Covenant of Life, made with Adam; & withal, which of the two ways speaketh out most distinctly the riches of the Love & Grace of God, & giveth most sure ground of hope & Confidence unto a poor wakened and distressed Soul; & finally, which of the two is that, which the seriously exercised Christian dar with fixedness of Resolution, Lean the weight of his soul upon, & exercised Christians find to be that, whereupon they Loaning & resting find Peace, & Quietness of Soul?

CHAP. XXIII.

Some Arguments against the imputation of Faith, Vindicated from the Exceptions of John Goodwin.

AFter these Reasons against the Imputation of our act of Believing, drawn from the Scriptures, we come here to Vindicate some Arguments adduced by others to the same end, from the Exceptions of John Goodwin, in his Treatise of Justification. part. 2. Ch. 6.

The first Argum. is thus framed. That which impeacheth the truth, or justice of God, can have no agreement with the truth. This is undeniable. But the imputation of our act of Believing for Righteousness doth so; because then he should esteem & account that to be a Righteousness, which is not. Therefore &c.

He excepteth against the Assumption & its probation thus. 1. This was in effect the plea of Swencfe • dus, ( as recorded by Zanchi Epist. lib. 1. p. 215.) & likewise of the Council of Trent ( as Calv. hath observed Antidot. ad Sess. 6. p. 324.) to prove that the word Justification in the Scripture, was not to be taken in a juridical sense to wit for absolution: but in a physical or moral sense, for making of a man compleetly just & righteous. Ans. What Swencfeldus said, I find not recorded by Zanchi in the place cited, in my edition, & if his words be rightly repeeted in the margin, he hath had the same judgment, that Papists have, which is sufficiently known, & with whom none in reason will say we conspire, upon the account of this argument, who but observeth this, (which abundantly discovereth the impertinency of this Exception) That the minor & its Probation speak not of the act of God Justifying, but of his simple act of Estimating or Judging, which must always be according to truth, & therefore we cannot think, or say, that God judgeth, or estimateth that to be a complete Righteousness, which is nothing so. And beside, though Justification itself were here understood: yet it might be said, without any ground of imputation either of Popery or of Swencfeldianisme, that God, who is the just & Righteous Judge, will not absolve a person as Righteous, who is not Righteous, nor pronunce him Righteous, who hath not a Righteousness, as he hath not, who hath nothing but his act of Believing imputed to him.

Except. 2. Any action conformable to a righteous Law may be & is called Righteousness, as that fact of Phineas Psal. 106: 30. And faith being an obedience to a special commandment (1 John. 3: 23. 2 Pet. 2: 21. Rom. 1: 5.) it may be with truth, & sufficient propriety of speech, called a righteousness. Ans. But of a particular Righteousness we are not here speaking, nor of a particular Justification of such an act, but of a Justification, as to State, and of a corresponding Righteousness, which must be universal, answerable to the challenge of the Law; and no particular act of Obedience will be accounted such a Righteousness by God, who is Truth & Justice itself, in order to the condemned man's Justification. Beside himself tells us, in end, that this exception is nothing to the purpose; for he doth not conceive, that by Faith, when it is said to be imputed, is meaned an act of conformity to any particular precept of God. And therefore he.

Excepteth 3. That, which we mean, is this, that God looks upon a man, who truly believeth, with as much grace & favor, & intends to do as bountifully by him, as if he were a man of perfect righteousness. Ans. But this Excepter should have said, that Faith in the letter & formality of it, is imputed; for thus he disputes against the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness: and he should have said, that God looketh upon the simple act of Faith, as Perfect Obedience to all the Law: for when we plead for the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, he said, that thereby we make God to look upon us, as performing that Righteousness, in our own persons. Neither will he & others understand any other Imputation: and yet we see, how they can speak, when explaining the imputation of faith, that they may think to evite the force of an argument. But (2) though it be true, that God dealeth thus, as is said, with Believers; Yet that can give no ground to think, that he imputeth Faith for Righteousness: because it is not upon the account of Faith, taken as an act of their obedience, that the Lord dealeth so with them, but upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and received by faith. (3) A Justified person is accounted Righteous not inherently but imputativly, and is accepted as such, and pronounced such; and therefore must be righteous indeed: for the judgment of God is according to truth: And if nothing be imputed to the justified, but his faith, unto Righteousness, that faith must be accounted to be a Perfect Righteousness; which yet it is denied to be.

He Excepteth 4. Nothing is more frequent with the best writers, than that God accounts those just, who, in strickness of speech, are not such, but only have their sins forgiven them. Ans. And their ground is good; because they always suppose, that such, as have their sins pardoned, have a perfect Righteousness imputed to them, and received by Faith, without which their could be no Pardon.

Argum. 2. If faith should be imputed for Righteousness, then should Justification be by works • or by some what in ourselves. But the Scripture everywhere rejecteth works, & all things in ourselves from having anything to do in Justification.

He excepteth. That by works or some what in ourselves may be understood either by way of merit, and in this sense the Consequence of the Proposition is false; or by way of simple performance, & then the Assumption is false, for the Scripture expressly requireth faith, or a work of us, in order to Justification. When Faith is required in order to Justification, in way of simple performance, it is not required, as our Righteousness, far less as all the Righteousness, which the Justified soul must have; but only as a mean, or Instrument, laying hold upon, and putting on the Righteousness of Christ, which is offered and imputed, and whereby the believer resteth upon, and wrappeth himself in that Righteousness, as the only Righteousness, wherein he can think to appear before God's tribunal, and thus Faith is not considered as our act, making up our Righteousness, but as bringing in, with a beggar's hand, a Righteousness from without. But when faith or Believing is purely considered, as our work, and as an act of obedience in us, and yet is called our Righteousness, & said to be all that Righteousness, which is had, & is imputed, in order to Justification, it justifieth as a work; & upon the account of it, as something in ourselves, we are said to be justified; & all this in perfect opposition to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness (2) It is but a Popish evasion to say, that by Justification by works, the Scripture only meaneth justification by works, that are meritorious; as if either any work of ours what somever could be meritorious; or as if such, against whom Paul disputed, did mean a meritoriousness in their works; or as if the Scripture did not infer merit from every work, that is ours, and that we do to make up a Righteousness by, upon the account of which we might be justified. Saith not the Apostle Rom. 4: 4. Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt, inferring debt & so merit from all works that we do, whereby to patch up a Righteousness, in order to Justification? He doth not distinguish betwixt works, that are by way of merit, & other works, but meaneth even such works, as were performed by Abraham; who was far from imagineing any merit is his works. (3.) And sure, if any work be accounted meritorius, in this case, that must be so accounted, which is made the whole of our Righteousness, upon which we are justified; & is said to be the only Righteousness, that is imputed to us, for that end, that we may be Justified. Is not that believing made our Righteousness, & thereby declared to be no less meritorious, than Adam's perfect Obedience would have been?

Argum. 3. That which maketh justification not to be of grace, cannot stand with the truth of the Gospel. But the imputation of Faith for Righteousness maketh Justification not to be of Grace.

He excepteth, The Scripture still maketh a perfect consistency of free grace with the condition of saith Eph. 2: 8. Rom. 3: 24, 25. Nay the work of believing is purposely required, that the freeness of his grace might have place Rom. 4: 16. How can a gift be conceived to be more freely given, than when nothing more is required, than that it be received: now believing is nothing else, but a receiving of that righteousness or justification, which God giveth in & with his Son Jesus Christ Job. 1: 12. Ans. Here are good words, but nothing to loose the argument, for Faith, receiving a Righteousness, or the gift of Righteousness, or the Atonement, or Christ & his Righteousness, is but the instrument (as it were) of the soul, laying hold on, & in law presenting (to speak so) the fidejussorie-righteousness of the Surety, Christ, as the Righteousness, upon the account of which, & for which alone, he is to be justified. But believing, considered in itself, as our work, & made to be our Righteousness, & all our Righteousness, & said to be imputed for our Righteousness, is not considered as a receiving of a gift of Righteousness; (which is distinct from Justification, howbeit he confound them) but really is made a price in our hand, wherewith to purchase the gift of Justification; & the reckoning of this work to us (which is our work) as our Righteousness, in order to justification, maketh Justification not of grace, but of debt, as the Apostle argueth Rom. 4: 4. & maketh our Justification to be of works, & if it be of works, it is no more of grace, as the Apostle asserteth Rom. 11: 6. The consideration of Faith, as the act of the soul, receiving & laying hold upon a Righteousness, or on Christ, & his Righteousness, establisheth the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness; but the Imputation of Faith, properly taken doth quite extrude it: & these two are made incompatible by our adversaries; & the one is asserted, that the other may be denied; for which there were no necessity, if Faith were considered, in the Scripture sense, as it ought to be, that is an Instrument laying hold on & bringing in a Righteousness from without, even the Surety-Righteousness of Christ. So that this exception, if it be ingenuous, must overthrow the Position maintained.

Arg. 4. That which ministereth occasion to the flesh of boasting in it self, is not consonant to the tenor of the Gospel. But the imputation of Faith for Righteousness doth minister occasion to the flesh of boasting Therefore &c.

He excepteth, Suppose the act of believing, which is so imputed for righteousness, be a man's own work, yet it is so by the mere gift of God Ephes. 2: 8. Phil. 1: 29. 1 Cor. 2: 12. & 3: 6. and this cuttech off all groud of boasting. 1. Cor. 4: 7. Ans. (1) Though there be no true ground of boasting of that, which is freely given; yet the flesh can take occasion therefrom to boast, as the Pharisee did Luk. 18. when yet he acknowledged all to be gives, for he thanked God for what he was not, & for what he did, & so acknowledged all to be given, and all to be given freely. (2) The Apostle saith expressly, that boasting is not excluded by the Law of works Rom. 3: 27. and yet all works are given, & are not absolutely of & from ourselves. (3) Saith not the Apostle expressly. Rom. 4: 2. If Abraham were justified by works, he hath to glory: And yet I hope, Abraham did acknowledge, that all these works of his were of grace, & of God's free gift, and not absolutely & every way his own. (4) The works, required in the old Covenant of works, were not absolutely Adam's own, but were in some sense also given of God; yet by that way of Justification, there had been ground of boasting. (5) Though now there should be no ground of boasting before God; (as neither would there have been ground of boasting before him, by the way of works; for the Apostle addeth Rom. 4: 2. but not before God ) yet there is ground laid for boasting before men, when our Believing is made our Righteousness, upon the account of which we are justified & pronounced righteous in order to Absolution from what was brought in against us. (6) Therefore is the way of Justification now so contrived, that man should have ground or color of ground of boasting, even before men: for all that Righteousness, which is required unto Justification, as that Righteousness upon the account of which they are to be justified, and by which only they are to be declared & pronounced Righteous, is not in them; but in another and imputed unto them; it is the Righteousness of Christ made over unto them of God's free grace, & received by Faith, which receiving hand is also given: so that the Righteousness, upon which all are justified, is one & the same, & is a Righteousness without them; & therefore the flesh hath no seeming occasion of boasting in this matter.

He excepteth 2. Suppose the act of believing were from a man's self, yet there were no cause of boasting; because that weight of glory is not given to faith for any worth in it, but by the most free gracious & good pleasure of God. If a King for taking a Pin of a Mans sleeve should raise his house, & make him honorable in the State, were it not a ridiculous thing for such a man to brag of the Pin of his sleeve &c. Ans. (1) Can we think, that those, against whom the Apostle disputed, in this matter, did think, that there was worth & excellency in all their works, to merit the exceeding great & eternal weight of glory? did Abraham think so. And yet though we cannot say, that he thought so, Paul not withstanding denieth, that he was justified by his works. (2) If the act of Believing were from a Mans self, & made all that Righteousness, which he is conceived to have when justified, & upon the account of which he is justified, he should not only have occasion, but even cause of boasting before men, notwithstanding of the disproportion betwixt faith & the weight of glory: for it might then be said, that he had made himself to differ; & that he had laid down, out of his own purpose, the whole price, that was required, and so had, according to the terms of the Compact, made a purchase of glory to himself: as the man with the pin in his sleeve, if the Law & Covenant had so stood, that all that gave the Prince a Pin out of his sleeve, shall receive such & such great things; & he only & a few moe were so good merchants, as to give the Pin, when others did not, might well have boasted & said, he had not gotten those great things for nothing, for he laid down the full price, condescended upon by Law & Covenant, and had ground of boasting, at least, before men, though not before the Prince, who graciously condescended to reward so richly such a mean gift. (3) This answer will say, that there had been no ground of boasting, even by the old Covenant of works, though man had keeped the Law perfectly: for even then, it might have been said, that the weight of glory was not given, for the really worth & excellency of perfect Obedience; Perfect Obedience & Holiness having its sufficient reward in its own besom; for it is a reward to itself.

But he saith. If men had fulfilled the Law, & been justified that way, there had been some pretence of boasting or glorying in themselves. Ans. And why not also, if faith be now accounted the fulfilling of the Law, and be now imputed to us, as all our Righteousness? Let us see, if the reasons, which he bringeth for the former, will not also evince this.

His first is this; Because such a Righteonsness had held some proportion at least that should have been given to it Rom. 4. verse 4. God had given them no more, than what they had (at least in some sort) deserved. Ans. But who can tell us, what that proportion, or that sort would have been? And may not also the Righteousness of Faith (which is here supposed to be of our selves, and not the mere gift of God) be said to hold some proportion, at least in some fort? Yea, may it not, in this respect, be said to hold a greater proportion, viz. that the exerting of the act of Faith now would argue more strength of free will, to that which is good, that Perfect Obedience in Adam; for though we should suppose, that man now had as full a power to believe, if he would, as Adam had to obey, yet it cannot be denied, but there is much more opposition now even within, to that which is good, than there was in Adam; and consequently that the virtue appearing in the acting of Faith, must be conceived as greater, than what could have appeared in Adam's full obedience, who had nothing within to oppose him, or prove a remora in his way? As it would argue more valor for a weak soldier to go a quarter of a mile fighting with his enemies in the way, then for a giant to go twenty miles, wherein he should meet with no opposition. But though the proportion were granted to be greater betwixt the reward and Adam's Obedience; than is betwixt the reward & Faith; yet there must be & will be a proportion granted: for majus & minus non variant speciem, degrees make no variation in kind. (2) Can or will it be said, that God had given the perfect obeyer no more, than he had, in some sort at least, deserved, if we should suppose, there had been no promise made of such a reward to obeyers, or antecedently to a Covenant? And if this cannot be said (as it cannot be said, by any I suppose, who seriously consider the matter) then the reward was made such only by God's free Condescension; & God had, in that case, given what they had deserved according to the Covenant made, wherein such a reward was promised to obeyers; and, in justice, bestowing it as a reward upon such, as did fulfill the condition. Now, when Faith is said to have the same place, in the New Covenant, that Perfect Obedience had in the old, and so the same Efficacy & influence in the reward; & withal, it is supposed, that Faith is now no more the gift of God, than Perfect Obedience was under the old Law; is it not as true now, that God giveth no more, than what believers have by Faith (at least in some sort) deserved, by virtue of the Compact & New Covenant, wherein this reward is promised, as it would have been under the old Covenant? And is it not hence also manifest, that the New Covenant is made to be of the same Nature with the Old, and that the reward is as well now of debt, as is would have been by the Old Covenant? Is it not also hence undeniable, that hereby there is a proportion acknowledged, in some sort, betwixt Faith & the Reward? where is then the difference? Let us see, if his next reason will help here.

Secondly (he saith) because if they had made out their happiness, that way they had done it out of themselves, that is, out of the strength of those abilities, which were essential to their Natures, & in the strickest & most proper sense that can be spoken of, or applied to a creature, their own. Ans. (1) When he supposeth (as we saw in the Exception) the act of Believing to be from a man's self, must we not also say, that the believer making out his happiness this way, doth it out of himself, though not out of the strength of abilities essential to his Nature. (2) I much doubt, if those abilities (if he speak of moral abilities, as he must, or speak nothing to the purpose) can be said to have been essential to man's Nature, for then it would follow, that man, after he lost these abilities (as it must be granted he did, when he fell) was no more a complete man, wanting something that was essential to his nature. These abilities may be said to have been natural or con-natural to him, considering the state, the Lord thought good to create him in, and so not merely supernatural; but how they can be said to have been Essential to his Nature, I see not. (2) When God gave Adam these Abilities, and thereby furnished him with a sufficient stock; was he not to acknowledge God for all that he did? or was he afterward to act without dependence upon, or influence from God, the first Cause? If not as it is confessed, when it is said to be so only in a sense, that can agree to a creature; and when Faith is here supposed to be from man's self acting in the same dependence on God, and receiving the same influence from him, as the first Cause, may not Faith also be said to be man's own, in as strick & proper a sense as can be spoken of, or applied to a Creature? And even though we speak of Faith, in the orthodox sense, as being the gift of God, yet seeing it floweth nativly from the new Nature given in Regeneration, & is said to be man's faith, & his act, all this difference will not exclude all occasion of boasting & glorying before men, more then Abraham's works would have done, if he had been justified by them. And yet the Gospel-way of Justification perfectly excludeth all boasting, being so contrived in all points, as that he who glorieth may only glory in the Lord.

Argum. 5. If Faith be imputed unto us for Righteousness, then are we justified by that, which is Imperfect, & which itself needeth a Pardon; seeing no man's Faith is perfect in this life. But there is no Justification to be looked for before God by that which is Imperfect, but by that, which is Perfect. Therefore &c.

He excepteth. These words then, we are Justified by that, which is imperfect, may either have this sense, that we are justified without the concurrence of anything, that is simply perfect, to our justification, or that somewhat that is comparativly imperfect, may some ways concur & contribute towards our justification. In the first sense the proposition is false, in the later sense the assumption goeth to wreck Ans. This distinction is to no purpose; for it doth not loose the difficulty, in regard that the argument speaketh of a Righteousness, as the formal cause, or as the formal objective cause of Justification, or as that upon the account of which the person is Pronunced & Declared to be Righteous, and Justified: and so is levelled against Faith, concluding that it cannot be our Righteousness, or the formal Objective cause of our justification (as it is said and supposed to be by such, as say, that it is imputed to us for Righteousness, for it is made by them to be all the Righteousness that is imputed to us) & that because of its Weakness & Imperfection.

He addeth, in application of this distinction. The truth is, that the Imputation of faith for Righteousness presupposeth somewhat, that absolutely perfect, as absolutely necessary unto justification. Had not the Lord Christ, who is perfect himself, made a perfect atonement for sin, there had been no place for the Imputation of faith for righteousness, for it is through this, that either we believe in him or in God through him; & it is through the same atonement also, that God justifieth us upon our believing, that is, imputes our faith unto us for righteousness. Ans. This presupposal doth not help the matter; for notwithstanding thereof, Faith itself is made the only Imputed Righteousness; and faith is not considered as an Instrument, receiving Christ's Righteousness; and the Atonement there through, but as a work, making the reward of the Atonement to be of debt, ex pacto, and not of free grace, and so to have a worth & a merit in it. Our Adversaries will not grant, that this presupposed Righteousness of Christ, whereby the perfect Atonement was made, is imputed unto us; for this is expressly denied: and beside, they say, that it was equally made for all, and so is equally imputed to all; so far, as that thereby, all are put into such a state, as, notwithstanding of the former breach made, they may now, upon the new terms of Faith, receive the promised reward. And thus, it is manifest that with them, this imperfect thing, saith is that, for & upon the account of which, they are justified. As for example (that we may hereby illustrate & clear the matter) if we should suppose, that Christ had by his Atonement delivered all from wrath, due for the former transgression of the Covenant, and had put them into the former state, wherein Adam was, before he fell, & procured that God should take a new essay of them, and make promise of life unto them, upon the old terms (as some, who plead for Universal Redemption, say God might have done, had he so pleased, after the Atonement was made) in this case, might it not be said that every person, that should now be Justified, upon the performance of these terms, were justified by the performance of the Condition, as by his own Righteousness; & that this new Obedience were all the Righteousness he had, & declared to have, when justified? & should he not be justified upon the account thereof solely? And was he more obliged unto the Atonement of Christ, than others, who did violate of new these Conditions? And seeing now Faith is put in the same place, and made to have the same Force & Efficacy; shall we not now be Justified by this one act of Obedience, as we would have been, in the other case, by perfect Obedience? And if it be so, is it not manifest, that we are justified by a Righteousness, that is Imperfect, & that all the presupposal of a perfect Atonement, doth not avail? (2) When it is said, that it is through the Atonement, made by Christ, that we believe in him, or in God through him, it must be granted, that Christ hath purchased Faith, & that either to all, or to some, and if to all, then either absolutely, or upon condition if to all, & that absolutely, then all should have faith; if upon condition, we desire to know, what that condition is? If not to all, but to some only, then Christ cannot be said to have died alike for all. (3) as to that he faith, viz. That it is through the same atonement, that God imputeth our faith to us, for righteousness, & justifieth us upon our believing, it being the same that others say, who tell us, that Christ hath procured faith to be the condition & terms of the new Covenant, we shall say no more now, than that we see no ground to asserte any such thing, & here after we shall give our reasons.

Argum. 6. If faith be imputed to us for Righteousness, then God should rather receive a Righteousness from us, then we from him, in our Justification. But God doth not receive a righteousness from us, but we from him in Justification. Therefore &c.

He excepteth by denying the consequence upon these reasons. (1) Because God's imputing Faith for righteousness doth no ways imply that faith is a righteousness, properly so called, but only that God by the means thereof, & upon the tender of it, looks upon us as righteous, yet not as made either meritoriously, or formally righteous by it, but as having performed that condition or Covenant, upon the performance whereof he hath promised to make us righteous, meritoriously by the death & sufferings of his own son; formally with the pardon of all our sins. Ans. All this can give no satisfaction, for. (1) If no Righteousness be imputed to us, in order to Justification, but Faith, and if faith itself be hereby made no Righteousness, then we are justified without any Righteousness at all; & God shall be said to pronunce them Righteous, who have no Righteousness at all; or Justification must be some other thing, than a pronunceing or declaring of a man Righteous. (2) Why have we heard so much above said for Faiths being Righteousness & why have there been so many passages of Scripture adduced to confirm this, particuiarly such as mention the Righteousness of faith, or the Righteousness of God by faith? But it may be, this salvo is added, a Righteousness properly so called: Yet then it will follow, that it must be, at least, a Righteousness improperly so called, and that must be an improper speech, faith is imputed for righteousness, and if that be an improper speech, why is there so much noise made about the impropriety of the speech, when we take Faith for the object of faith, in that sentence, faith imputed unto righteousness? All that great clamoure must now recur upon the excepter, and his followers. (3) If this, which he hath given, be the meaning of these words, faith imputed unto righteousness, let any judge, whether our sense of them, or this be most genuine, & freest of trops & figures, & which of the two is apparently farthest fetched. (4) Faith then, it seemeth, is tendered unto God, & faith being but a Righteousness improperly so called, we tender unto God, in our Justification a Righteousness only, that is improper, & thereupon are declared Righteous, whether properly, or improperly, I know not. (5) If upon the tender of Faith, God look upon us as Righteous, then we m • st be righteous; for we must be what he seeth, & acknowledgeth us to be: And then I ask, whether doth he look upon us, as properly Righteous, or as improperly Righteous? (6) If God look upon us, as having fulfilled the condition of the Covenant, & as Righteous upon that account, then he must look upon us, as properly righteous & faith must be a proper righteousness; or he must say, that Christ hath purchased, that an improper Righteousness shall be the Condition of the Covenant, for we heard, he said, that Christ had purchased, that Faith should be the condition. But the performance of the Condition of God's Covenant must be hold for a proper Righteousness, as perfect obedience was under the first Covenant. And we heard lately, that Faith was truly & properly called a Righteousness, & that it might be so called with truth, & in sufficient propriety of speech, in his answer to the first argument. (7) If we be righteous by faith, & be looked upon, as such by God, having performed the condition of the Covenant, it is not imaginable, how we shall not be, if not meritoriously, yet at least formally Righteous; seeing as Adam by Perfect Obedience, would have performed the Condition of that Covenant, under which he was, and thereby had been both Meritoriously & formally Righteous; so must it be now, in respect of faith, which is made to have the same place, force & efficacy, in the new Covenant, and that through the procurment of Christ, that Perfect Obedience had in the old Covenant. (8) He saith, we are made meritoriously righteous by Christ's sufferings. But what is the meaning of this? Is this the meaning thereof, that Christ's sufferings hath merited a Righteousness to us? Then hereby nothing is spoken to the point; for we are not now speaking of Christ's Righteousness, but of ours. And again I would inquire, what Righteousness hath it merited unto us? Whether a meritorious Righseousness, or a formal Righteousness (as he distinguishad) or both? Or is the meaning this, That through Christ's merits & sufferings, we have a Righteousness, which is meritorious? If so, I inquire, what is that Righteousness? Whether is it Christ's Righteousness imputed to us, & made ours; or is it our Faith that becometh meritorious? If this last be said, that is granted, which was denied; & Faith must be accounted our meritorious Righteousness. If the former be said, imputation of Christ's Righteousness will be granted, & more than we dar say. (9) He saith, we are made formally righteous, with the pardon of sins: But this is never proved, and it hath been often asserted: And how will he make this a Formal Righteousness, & Righteousness properly so called? Is this any conformity to a Law, in whole, or in part? Did not himself insinuate in his answer to the first Argum. that nothing can with truth, and in sufficient propriety of speech, be called a Righteousness but what is a conformity to the Law of God? And sure I am, Pardon of sins is not any such conformity. (10) The sum of this answer is, this Faith is not imputed, as a Righteousness; but it is said to be imputed unto Righteousness, because it is the fulfilling of the Condition of the new Covenant, whereby we come to be made Righteous meritoriously by Christ's death, & Righteous formally with the pardon of sins. And what a wiredrawn, untelligible & self-contradictory sense this is, let everyone judge.

He denieth the consequence. 2. Because, suppose that this inference lay in the bowels of what we hold, that faith were a proper righteousness; yet neither would this argue, that therefore God should receive a righteousness from us, in our justification; for we rather receive our faith from God for our justification, shen God from us, in our justification; though I grant that in a sense a far off, & with much ado, it may (haply) be made a truth, that God receives our faith from us in our justification. Ans. But, sure, though Adam's obedience was originally from God & efficiently, he being the First Cause; yet had Adam been justified, according to that Old Covenant, he had been justified by his own works, & not by the Righteousness of another, bestowed on him by God; so he had been said to have presented his own Righteousness unto God, in order to his justification, and God might have been said to have received it from him, in his justification, or rather, in order thereunto. Now, just so is it here, as to Faith: for faith is our work, & we come with it to God, & he taketh it from us, & thereupon justifieth us, according to our Adversaries opinion, not in a sense a far off, or made with much ado, as he supposeth, but in a sense most plain & obvious.

He saith lastly. That that imputation of faith for righteousness, which he protecteth, supposeth a righteousness given unto & received by men, because it could not be truly said, that God doth impute faith for righteousness unto any man, except he should make him righteous upon his believing. Now, as it is impossible, that a man should be made righteous without a righteousness in one kind or other; so is it impossible also, that that righteousness, wherewith a man is made righteous in justification should be derived upon him from any other, but from God alone, for this righteousness can be none other, but forgiveness of sins. Ans. (1) How can the Imputation of Faith suppose a Righteousness given, unless the Righteousness be given, before Faith be imputed, seeing what is supposed is always first in order of nature, if not also in order of time? And if matters be thus, sins are first forgiven, and then Faith is imputed. (2) If the supposing of a righteousness will follow, to wit Remission of sins, then there is no answer to the argument, for the argument speaketh of a Righteousness anterior to Justification, and in order there unto. (3) It is again said, but was never proved, that to forgive sins is to give a Righteousness. And I would ask, what for a Righteousness this pardon of sins is? is it a Righteousness perperly so called? But that cannot be, for all such Righteousness consisteth in obedience to the Law: therefore it must be a Righteousness improperly so called, & if so, it cannot be called our formal righteousness, as he said it was. (4) When he saith, we are made righteous in justification, & yet will not grant an Imputed Righteousness, and his Remission of sins is not yet found to be a proper Righteousness, the sense must either be Popish, or none at all.

I shall not here add other reasons against this Assertion, whereby it might be made manifest, how dangerous this Opinion is, if it be put in practice; & how it tendeth to alter the Nature of the Covenant of Grace: It may suffice at present, that we have vindicated these few reasons against it, & that we have found it, in the foregoing Chapter, inconsistent with the doctrine of grace, in the New Testament & repugnant to the Nature of Justification, as declared & explained to us by the Apostle: and that we shall find it, in the next Chapter, without any footing in the Apostles discourse Rom. 4. which is the only place adduced for its confirmation.

CHAP. XXIV.

The imputation of Faith itself is not Proved from Rom. IV.

THe main, if not only ground, whereupon our Adversaries build their Assertion of the Imputation of our act of Believing, is Rom. 4. where they tell us, the Apostle doth frequently & expressly say, that Faith is imputed unto Righteousness. We must therefore, in order the vindication of truth, vindicate this place from their corrupt glosses; & to this end, we shall first show, that that cannot be the meaning of the Apostle, in this place, which our Adversaries contend for; & next we shall examine what they say to enforce their Exposition of the place.

That the meaning of the Apostle Rom. 4. where it is said Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness: & afterward his faith is counted for righteousness, and faith was counted to Abraham for righteousness &c. is not that Abraham's act of believing was accounted the Righteousness, whereupon he was accepted, & was imputed unto him as a Righteousness in order to his justification; and consequently, that the act of Believing is now imputed to Believers for their Righteousness, as said Servetus, Socinus & his followers, Arminius & his followers, Papists, & others; that, I say, this is not the true meaning of the place, may appear from these particulars.

1. If the act of Believing be accounted a Righteousness, it must either be accounted a Perfect Righteousness, or an Imperfect Righteousness: If it be accounted for an Imperfect Righteousness, no man can be thereupon Justified; But Paul is speaking of a righteousness that was accounted to Abraham the father of the faithful, in order to Justification, & that behooved to be a perfect righteousness, for all his works, wherein was an Imperfect Righteousness, were rejected: It cannot be accounted for a perfect righteousness, because then it should be accounted to be,what it is not, and this accounting being an act of God's judgment, it would follow, that the judgment of God, were not according to truth; contrary to Rom. 2: 2. The reason is, because our faith is not perfect in itself, there being much dross admixed, & many degrees wanting in it: far less can it be a Perfect Righteousness, seeing a Perfect Righteousness must comprehend full Obedience to the whole Law of God.

2. The Imputation, whereof the Apostle speaketh, is of something to be made the Believers, by the Imputation of God, which the Believer had not before: But this cannot be Faith, or the work of Believing, because Faith is ours before this Imputation; for Abraham believed God, & then followed this Imputation; and verse. 24. it is said, that it ( to wit, some other thing, than the act of believing) shall be imputed to us, if we believe: therefore it is not the act of Believing, properly taken, that is imputed, or accounted here.

3. Faith being antecedent to this Imputation, if the act of Believing be imputed, the word impute, or account here, must not signify to Bestow, Grant or Reckon upon their score; but simply to Esteem, Judge or Repute: and thus Faith, or the act of believing shall be in a believer, and yet not be a Righteousness, till God repute it, to be so: But when God esteemeth, judgeth, or reputeth anything to be in us, he doth not change it, nor make it something, that it was not before; but judgeth it to be, what it is indeed, for his judgment is according to truth Rom. 2: 2.

4. This sense & gloss is quite opposite unto, and inconsistent with the Apostles main scope, in the first part of that Epistle, which is to prove, that Righteousness is now revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1: 17. and that we are not Justified by the works of the Law, but freely by grace, through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3: 24, 25. And therefore not through the Imputation of Faith, the act of Believing, or any work of Righteousness, which we have done: for that should not exclude boasting, or glorying; but through the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, received by Faith.

5. That which was accounted to Abraham for righteousness, did exclude all works, and that to the end, that all ground of boasting, even before men, might be take, away verse. 2. & 3. Therefore Faith as a work, or the act of believing cannot be it, which is here said to be reckoned or accounted to Abraham for righteousness: for this is a work, and being made the Ground & Formal Objective Cause of justification, cannot but give ground of glorving before men.

6. This gloss maketh the Apostles discourse wholly incoherent; for he saith verse. 4, 5. Now to him, that worketh, is the reward not reckoned ef grace, but of debt: but to him, that worketh not, but believeth on him, that justifieth tht ungodly, his faith is counted for Righteousnese. Now if Faith, properly taken, be imputed, the reckoning shall be of just debt: for to reckon a men righteous, who is righteous antecedent to that act of accounting, is no act of grace, but of just debt: but Faiths being accounted for Righteousness is an act of grace, and therefore it must be the Object of Faith, or the Righteousness, that Faith laith hold on, that is here said to be counted upon the Believers score; and this indeed is no act of just debt, but of grace.

7. Again, as was said above, if Faith properly taken, or the act of Believing be imputed for Righteousness, God should not be the justifier of the ungodly; nor could Faith act upon God, as such, with truth. And yet the Apostle tells us here expressly, that Faith acteth upon God, as one that Justifieth the ungodly. He who hath a Righteousness in himself is no ungodly man; and God justifying a righteous man; could not be said to justify the ungodly. But if we take faith here, for the object of faith, or for the Righteousness of Christ, which faith fleeth unto, and layth hold on, all is clear & harmonious; for then that man is not a worker, but believeth, & he believeth on God, that justifieth the ungodly, that is one, that hath no Righteousness in himself, but must have it elsewhere, even imputed to him, and bestowed upon him, through Faith; & when he thus heleeveth, or layelh hold on Christ's Righteousness, this Righteousness, which by faith he leaneth to, is counted on his score for Righteousness, & he is thereupon justified.

8. Leaving what was formerly adduced against this gloss from verse. 6, 7. 8. of this Chapter Chap. XVIII. we shall see what other passages in this chapter will say against it. The Faith that was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness, when he was in uncircumcision, verse. 9, 10. is the same with the Righteousness of faith, which he had, being uncircumcised verse. 11. But this Righteousness of faith is not his act of Believing, nor Faith taken properly, as an act of Obedience; but the Righteousness of the promised seed of the woman, in whom all Nations of the earth should be blessed, embraced by faith: for it is this, and not the mere act of believing, that was sealed by the sign of Circumcision verse. 11. for this Sacrament was a seal of the Covenant; & we know, Sacraments seal the whole Covenant, & all the promises thereof, to such as believe; & never seal our Faith, or the like, to be our Righteousness.

9. The same, that was imputed to Abraham for Righteousness will be imputed to all believers verse. 11. But that is not the pure act of Believing; for Abrahamt act of Believing was a strong act, and is declared and explained to be such, but every believer, who yet must be justified, hath not such a strong act of faith, as Abraham had: And we cannot say, that some are less, & some are more justified, because the faith of some is weak, and the faith of others is strong: and yet this must be said, if the act of Believing be imputed for a Righteousness, for the Righteousness of one shall be greater than the Righteousness of another: & their Justification must hold correspondence with the ground thereof.

10. That which was imputed to Abraham, & will be imputed to all believers, for a Righteousness verse. 11. must be a Righteousness, which such have imputed unto them, who do believe; for it is added, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: Abraham had Righteousness imputed to him, or reckoned upon his score, through faith, while he was uncircumcised, that he might be the Father of Believers, among the Gentiles, to whom also, when they believe, a Righteousness will be imputed, as it was to Father Abraham.

11. It is again called verse. 13. the Righteousness of faith, & through it, he sais, the promise was to Abraham, & to his seed: but the promise is not through faith, as an act of virtue & obedience in us; for then it should be through the Law; but as the promise was made upon the account of the Righteousness of the promised seed, (our faith cannot be said to procure, or purchase the promise) so its application is by Faith, laying hold on & gripping to that Righteousness.

12. If faith properly taken were imputed, it should be made void, & the promise of none effect, & they that are of the Law should be heirs, for faith taken properly, for the act of Believing, belongeth to the Law: & when it is made our Righteousness, it is opposite to the free promise; for what is promised or given upon the account of Righteousness, or anything within us, is not a free & gracious promise: And when a free & gracious promise is taken away, all the right use of Faith is taken away; & so Faith is made void; for the very essence of justifying faith lieth in looking to, laying hold on & leaning to a free & gracious promise.

13. The Apostle verse. 15. proveth, that they, who are of the Law, cannot be heirs; & consequently that Faith, or the act of Believing cannot be imputed for Righteousness, as it is our act, done in obedience to the Law; by this reason, because the Law worketh wrath &c. And this also maketh against the Imputation of faith, properly taken, because that is an act of obedience to the Law, & cannot become our Righteousness, being Imperfect, & consequently not conform to the Law, which requireth Perfection in all duties, or other ways threateneth wrath. And if any shall deny this of faith viz. that it belongeth to the Law, they must say, that there is no Law for it, & consequently that not to believe is no sin, for the Apostle addeth, where no Law is, there is no transgression.

14. The ground of the free promise is that which must be Imputed, and laid hold on by Faith: But that cannot be Faith properly taken, as our act; for then the promise should not be of grace, as it is expressly said to be verse. 16. nor should it be sure, if it depended upon our faith, & not upon that, which faith laith hold on.

These things, beside what was mentioned before from this same Chapter verse. 6, 7, 8, 23, 24. may satisfy us, in this matter, and sufficiently evince, that it is not the Apostles meaning, that Faith, properly taken, as our act, or our act of Believing, is imputed unto Righteousness; but that the Object of Faith or the Righteousness of Christ laid hold on, and applied by Faith is that Righteousness which is reckoned upon the believers score.

Let us now, in the next place, see what the Adversaries say, to make us believe, that Paul saith Rom. 4. That our very act of Believing is imputed to us for Righteousness: & that thus the Apostle must be understood, & not as meaning the object of faith or the righteousness of Christ. The forecited Author John Goodwin of Iustifie. Part.1. Ch. 2. adduceth some grounds for his gloss, which must be examined.

His first ground is the letter of the Scripture, that speaks it once & twice yea a third & a fourth time verse. 3, 9, 22, 23, 24. Certanely, saith he, there is not any truth in Religion, not any article of • he Christian belief, that can boast of the letter of the Scripture, more full, express, & pregnant for it. Ans. We find it only twice said, in express terms, that faith is counted for Righteousness verse. 5. and again verse. 9. that faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness. It is then too widely spoken, when he saith, that there is not any truth in Religion, nor any article of the Christian Faith, that can boast of more full, express & pregnant letter of Scripture; yea even, though it were as oft & as express as he allegeth: but we must let many such confidente expressions pass with him. (2) The question is not touching the letter, or the words; but the true meaning: & if a truth be but once delivered, in the Scriptures, it is sufficient to command our faith; but words never so oft repeated, when corruptly glossed, yield no foundation to faith. We know, what Papists say, of these words, This is my body, which with them is as full, express and pregnant a proof of their dream; as this passage of Paul's is of our Adversaries fancies. And we know what Arians say of these words My Father is greater than I: And yet their false glosses cannot be embraced for truths, let them boast of express Scriptures, never so much. And what error I pray, or heresy is it, that doth not pretend to the like? Let us see his next ground.

2. Saith he. The scope of the place rejoiceth in the Interpretation given. I grant indeed, that this is a good rule or interpreting of Scriptures; for it is as a sure thread to lead us through many labyrinths: But, which is the misery, many imagine that to be the scope of the place, which is not so indeed; & thus perv • rting or mistaking the scope, they must needs pervert all. Yet let us see, how he would make the scope contribute to his Notions. The Apostles main drift (saith he) was to hedge up with thorns that false way of Justification, which lay through works & legal performances; & with all to open and discover the true way of justification, that is, to make known what they must do, & what God requireth of them to their justification; & that is (as John. 6: 28, 29.) faith or to believe in the proper & formal signification, & not the righteousness of Christ, this he required of Christ himself, he requireth our faith in Christ himself, & nos in his righteousness. Ans. Paul's scope is indeed to hedge up all Justification by the Law, or by the works thereof, in subordination to this other, of showing, that in the Gospel, the Righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith Rom. 1: 17. And therefore he cannot speak, for the Imputation of Faith, in its proper & formal signification; for that is a work, commanded by the Law of God; & the Imputation thereof is expressly alleged by our adversaries, to shoot out the Righteousness of God, which is revealed from faith to faith. (2) To say, that the Apostle here only requireth faith in Christ, and not faith in his Righteousness, in order to Justification; is either to divide Christ & his Righteousness, or to give us an Historical Faith, instead of justifying Faith; that is such a faith in Christ as is the faith of any other truth revealed in the Scriptures, such as the creation of the world: And this is indeed to make a fundamental Alteration, in the Gospel Covenant & to destroy the true Nature of Justifying faith. (3) It is true, the Apostle is withal showing what we must do, in order to our Justification; but this no way impeacheth the interest of Christ's Righteousness, as the formal ground of the Justification of the ungodly; but rather establisheth it: for he showeth, that we are not now Justified by our doing, or working, but by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us, & received by Faith. (4) Though God doth not require of us the performance of the Righteousness of Christ; yet he requireth of is, that we lay hold thereupon, and be covered therewith by faith, that under that rob, we may appear before our judge; for to this end, is Christ made of God unto us Righteousness, and is become the Lord our Righteousness, 1. Cor. 1: 30. Ier. 23: 6. And he requireth of us, that we renunce all our own Righteousness, in this affaire, & acknowledge the Righteousness of Christ the only Righteousness, upon which we are to be justified, and therefore he willeth us to say that in the Lord have we Righteousness. Isaiah. 45: 24. He is pleased to add Therefore for Paul to have said, that the righteousness of Christ should be imputed unto them, had been quite beside his scope. Why so? His telling them what was required of themselves, maketh nothing against this, but doth rather confirm it; for when faith is pressed upon us, it is clearly supposed, that the Righteousness of Christ is Imputed, this being the peculiar work of faith, as justifying, to bring in & put on Christ's Righteousness: and so, where our Redemption or Justification by Christ is mentioned, faith (though it be not expressly mentioned) is to be understood, as the Mean or Instrument, whereby the same is applied to us; as also the Redemption & Righteousness of Christ is to be understood, where Justification by faith is only expressed: And as sometimes we find both expressly mentioned; so both are most emphatically comprehended and included, in that expression, now under consideration. Such a glorious & firm connection is betwixt all these Causes of our Justification, & such a beautiful harmony of grace, that as they cannot be separated, so the deforming, misplaceing or any way altering of any one piece thereof, destroyeth the harmony, & darkeneth the beauty of the whole.

In the third place he argueth against faiths being here taken Tropically or Metonymically & to this end adduceth these confiderations 1. It is not likely that the Apostle, in this great & weighty point, should time after time, in one place after another, without ever explaining himself, through out the whole disputation use such an harsh & uncouth expression, or figure of speech, as is not to be found in all his writing beside, nor in all the Scriptures. Ans. Figurative expressions are neither harsh in themselves, being rather emphatically explicative, and more forcible upon the understanding, as to the uptaking of these mysteries; nor are they strange & uncouth to the Apostle, even in this matter, as might be abundantly evinced, almost as to every expression, used in this matter, or at least, as to such expressions as are about the main parts thereof: Let any read Paul's writings on this subject, here, & his Epistle to the Gallatians & he shall find this true, almost in every Chapter. But it should satisfy us, that the Holy Ghost hath thought fit, to express the matter thus; & that to prevent mistakes, he hath given both here & elsewhere, abundance of clear, plain, and down right expressions, for a supply, as hath been shown above, so as none may mistake, but such as will willfully step aside to follow their own ways: And it is not fair for such, to object this, who, of all others, make the Scriptures to speak most figurativly & trop • cally, when they have a mind to evade the dint of our arguments from Scripture; of which very many instances might be adduced. It cannot but seem strange to any, who hath read the Scriptures with attention, to hear one with such confidence saying, that the naming of the act for the object is such an harsh & uncouth expression & figure of speech, as is not to be found in all the Scriptures again; when the same man hereafter cannot but, confess that Hop is oft put for the thing hoped for, and is manifest from Rom. 8: 24. Col. 1: 5, 27. & else where & also faith put for Christ Gal. 3: 23. twice, 25. once. This putting the object for the act is a known and common Hebraism.

His 2. consideration is this: It is evident (said he) that that faith, or believing, which verse. 3. is said to be imputed to Abraham for righteousness, is opposed to works or working verse. 5. Now between faith properly taken & works, and so between believing & working, there is a constant opposition: but between the active obedience of Christ & works, there is no opposition. Ans. It is most true, that in the matter of justification, believing is opposed to working, & that constantly; and therefore he is concerned to look to it, who will have us considering Faith here only in such a way, as it cannot be opposed to, but every way agree with works, as one of them. (2) The opposition betwixt our Righteousness, consisting in works which we do, & the Surety-Righteousness of Christ, consisting, not in his Obedience Active only, (as he mistakingly supposeth all along) but in both active & passive Obedience, whereby he gave full satisfaction to the Law, in all its demands, is so Palpable, that it cannot be well dissembled, far less denied.

His 3. Consideration is, that it is said verse. 5. His faith is imputed to him, where it is evident, that that faith (whatsoever we understand by it) which is imputed for Righteousness is His, that is, some what that truly & properly may be called his, before such imputation be made unto him. Now it cannot be said of the Righteousness of Christ, that that is any man's, before the imputation of it be made unto him: But faith properly taken is the believers, before it be imputed, at least in order of nature, if not of time. Ans. The words verse. 5. are, His faith is counted for, or unto Righteousness. And so whatever be understood by faith it may in some respect, at least, in order of nature, be his, before it be counted for or unto Righteousness, or reckoned upon his score; Yea it must so be, that it may rightly be reckoned on his score: And this is clear of the Righteousness of Christ, which becometh the believers by faith, and is given to him, & bestowed upon him, & so made his, by virtue of his union with Christ through faith: His mistake lieth here, that he taketh these words counted for Righteousness, to be every way the same, with imputing to or bestowing upon a person; while as the formal difference is manifest, though the one includeth the other, & Accounting unto Righteousness doth in this matter, presuppose the Imputation or bestowing of that, which is counted to such an end. Further, why may not his faith, denote the object of his faith, as our hope, or our love may denote the object of our hope & love? And whence then shall there any necessity arise to say, that that object shall be truly & properly called his before the Imputation of it be made unto him, taking this Imputation for bestowing, as he seemeth here to do? but if Imputation be taken for counting on their score it presupposeth their interest in the same, prior in order of nature, (as is said) & that most manifestly.

In the fourth place he saith. Though we should grant a trope in this place, & by faith, its object should be meaned: Yet it will not follow, that the Righteousness of Christ, should be here said to be imputed, but either God himself, or the promise of God, for it was God be believed verse. 3. Ans. In that promise made to Abraham, & which he believed, the sum of the Gospel was comprehended, as Paul himself teacheth us Gal. 3: 8. And this promise was a bundle of promises, and therefore is called promises, in the plural number Gal. 3: 16, 21. and was the Covenant confirmed of God in Christ verse. 17. & the Inheritance verse. 18. & life verse. 21. which cannot be had without a Righteousness Ibid. even the Righteousness of Faith that was to come, to wit of Christ verse. 22, 23, 24. who is the only mediator verse. 20. and is there expressly called Christ & was to be revealed. Hence they, that have believed in Christ Jesus & are baptized into Christ, and have put on Christ, and are in Christ, & are Christ's, are Abraham's seed & heirs according to the promise verse, 26, 27, 28, 29. And if such be Abraham's seed, Abraham must have been such himself; that Father & Children may be of one Complexion; for the promise, that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the Law, but through the Righteousness of faith. Rom. 4: 13. that is, through the Righteousness of Christ the object of faith, & who is expressly called Faith Gal. 3: 23, 25. And it is added Rom. 4: 14. for if they, which are of the Law, be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Faith, that may be, Christ, the object of faith, is made void, & all the actings of faith upon him are vain & of none effect, conform to what the same Apostle saith Gal. 2: 21. If Righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain. And as this Faith is made void, so the promises of this Faith, that was to come, are of no effect. Therefore the object of Abraham's Faith was Christ, the promised Messiah & that Faith that was to come, and the Righteousness of that Faith. He reckoneth up, in the following words, to very little purpose, the several objects of faith from John, 3: 16. & 5: 46. & 20: 31. & 8: 24. Rom. 10: 9. 1. Pet. 1: 21. John. 12: 44. 1. John. 5: 10. And supposeth, that nowhere Christ's Righteousness is mentioned as the Object. But where ever Faith, or its Object is mentioned, in the matter of justification, Christ's Righteousness is never excluded, more then himself, for as himself was the Cautioner, so his Righteousness was fide-jussry; & faith acting upon one must necessarily act on both, these being inseparable; beside, that elsewhere this is expressly enough mentioned. Yet he granteth, that it is of nearer concernment to the main, to believe this righteousness of Christ than the believing of many other things besides, comprehended in the Scriptures. But why, I pray, if this belong not to the object of justifying faith? He not only will have us believe, that Christ's Righteousness is not reckoned amongst the objects of faith, as justifying; but he will also give a reason, why it is no • so reckoned; to wit, because, though it ought to be & cannot but be believed by that faith, which justifieth, yet it may be believed also by such a faith, which is so far from justifying, that it denieth this Christ to be the Son of God. Thus some Jews gave testimony to his innocence, who yet received him not for their Messiah, not believed him to be God; & this is the frame of the Turkish faith, for the most part, concerning him, at this day. Ans. It is one thing to believe a Righteousness, but it is another thing to believe in it, & rest upon it. The innocence of Christ as man, before men is one thing, but his complete Surety Righteousness as one that was both God & man, is another thing. Now Justifying faith looketh to, & resteth upon his whole Surety-Righteousness & looketh upon him, as God-Man; Therefore it cannot be thus believed (which is the only right way of believing it) but only by such, as lean to this Righteousness, as the Righteousness of the promised Messiah, & Mediator, God-Man, as Abraham did, and as all his children do: and this is the only Faith, that is Justifying & Saving. It seemeth by this expression, that there is no more to be regairded in Christ's Righteousness, but the mere innocence of a man.

Fifthly he tells us. That faith, which is here said to be imputed verse. 3. is that faith, by which be believed in God, that quickeneth the dead &c. verse. 17. But the Righteousness of Christ can in no tolerable construction be called that Faith. Ans. That the Proposition is false, appeareth sufficiently from what is said: And these words verse. 17. show, how firmly & fixedly Abraham received, and rested on the promise, and thing promised: but it is not said, that that was imputed to him for his Righteousness; but that which was imputed was the Righteousness of the Faith, that was to come, whereon he believed and rested.

Sixthly & Sevently he saith, that the faith, that was imputed unto Abraham was that, wherein he was said not to be weak verse. 19 & is opposed to doubting verse. 20. & by which he was fully assured, that he who had promised, was able to do it verse. 21. Ans. This is like ways denied: for the thing that was imputed, was not that act of Faith, but the Righteousness of the Messiah, whom he undoubtedly expected to come out of his loins, as Man, & that even when he had no appearance of an issue: for it is this Righseousness which is the Righteousness of Faith, and is distinct from the act of Believing; for it is said, that it shall be imputed to us, if we believe; which expression could be no way satisfying, if nothing were meaned to be imputed here, but our Believing; for then the sense would be this, we shall be reputed believers, if we be believers.

Eighthly he saith. That which shall be imputed unto us for Righteousness, is said to be our believing on him, that raised up the Lord Jesus verse. 24. Ans. This is sick of the same disease with the foregoing: nothing like that is here said, but rather we may see, that some distinct thing is promised to be imputed to us, if we believe on him, that raised up Christ from the deed, which clearly saith, that the Imputation of something to us for Righteousness is promised, when we believe: & shall any man then think, that Believing itself is the thing, which is to be imputed?

Lastly he tells us, (which is but what we heard before, & is shortly this) That a tropical & metonymical interpretation, turneth Paul's perspicuity into greater obscurity, than any light of the Scripture knoweth well how to re •• eve. Ans. Whatever darkness he conceive herein, Yet others see in these tropical expressions a greater beauty of illustration, & a greater emphasis of strength & signification, than all his Rhetoric is able to darken. The Apostle, not only here, but almost everywhere, while speaking of this subject, followeth this same manner of expression, Especially Gal. 3. Nor do we say, that the word Faith is here taken simply for Christ's Righteousness; but for Christ's Righteousness laid hold on & applied by Faith; so that what is in one place called the Righteousness of Christ, is in another place called the Righteousness of Faith, & the Righteousness, which is by Faith & through faith: as Christ is called our hope, not simply, but as our hope acteth upon him, as the real & true object thereof.

He cannot deny, but Faith is sometimes taken for its object, even for Christ; yet he saith. 1. That though the faculty be sometimes put for the object, yet the act seldom, or never. The act or exercise of the grace of hope is never put for the things hoped for, but hope itself is sometimes found in that signification as Col. 1: 5. Tit. 2: 13. N • w that which is here said to be imputed unto Abraham, was not the habit or grace of Faith, but the act. Ans. Neither habit, nor grace, nor act of Faith is here said to be imputed, but the object, which the act may also denote, as well as the habit. And if he limit & restrick this to any particular act, he must say, that Abraham was not • ustified before • his time & that after this act was past, it could not be said, that his Faith was imputed to him for Righteousness,

But 2. he saith. That though it were granted, that as well the act itself, as the faculty or habit may be sometimes put for the object, yet when the act & object have been named together, & the act expressed by an object proper to it, & further something immediately ascribed to this act, under that consideration (all which is plainly seen in this clause, Abraham believed God, & it was imputed to him for Righteousness) in this case to conceive & affirm, that what is ascribed, is neither ascribed unto the act itself, there mentioned, nor unto the object mentioned, but unto a third thing, not once mentioned in the text, is to turn our back upon the text. Ans. Do we not see Tit. 2: 13. where it is said, looking for that blessed hope & glorious appearing of the great God, & our Savior Jesus Christ, that Christ is denominated by the act or habit of hope, and called our hope, and that here both act & object are named together, to wit, looking, looking for our Savior Jesus Christ? It is true, there is nothing here immediately ascribed to this act; but not withstanding thereof, we see Christ the object of hope, denominated by the act or habit of hope. And whereas it is said that this third thing, the Righteousness of Christ, is not once mentioned, it may suffice, that it is sufficiently included, & clearly enough expressed, when mention is made of Righteousness, & of the Righteousness of faith, & of Righteousness imputed. (2) It is also to be considered, that in that clause, Abraham believed God, & it was counted to him for Righteousness, it is not said, that Faith, or his Believing was counted to him for Righteousness, but that it was counted &c. and that is not his Faith, but the marrow of the Gospel, which God at that time preached unto him, and so there is nothing in this clause, immediately ascribed to this act but a third thing is understood.

Lastly, he saith, The righteousness of Christ is not the object of faith, as justifying; only the Scriptures propose his Righ • eousness, or obedience to the Law, as that, which is to be believed; & so it may be termed a partial object, as is the creation of the world, & that Cain was Adam's son. But the object of faith as justifying properly is either Christ himself, or the promise of God concerning the Redemption of the world by him. Ans. (1) Hereby we see, that instead of a justifying faith, he giveth us a mere historical faith: and indeed such as deny the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, must of necessity substitute a new sort of faith, in room of that, which we own for the only Justifying faith. But though justifying faith contain in it that historical faith, & presuppose it; yet it includeth more, & hath other peculiar actings of soul upon and towards Christ, & his Righteousness (which here we cannot separate, far less oppose to other, as our Adversary doth) in reference to the man's liberation from the sentence of the Law, & the Curse due to him for the breach thereof, now charged home upon him by the Lord, & an awakened conscience: (2) By Christ's Righteousness we do not understand his simple innocence, or freedom from the transgression of the Law; but his whole Mediatory work, in his state of humiliation, as satisfying the offended Lawgiver, & answering all the demands of the Law, both as to doing & suffering, which debt we were lying under. (3) Justifying Faith eyeth him thus, runneth to him & accepteth of him, as he is thus set forth by God to be a Propitiation, through Faith in his blood Rom. 3: 25. and as making Reconciliation, for faith receiveth the atonement Rom. 5: 11. and it receiveth abundance of grace, & of the gift of Righteousness verse. 17. Justifying faith must receive him, as the Lord our Righteousness; & as made of God to us Righteousness. Therefore is this Righteousness of God called also the Righteousness of Faith, or the Righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe. Rom. 3: 22. A Righteousness, which is through the Faith of Christ, or the Righteousness, which is of God by Faith. Phil. 3: 9.

Thus have we examined all, that this Man hath brought by way of Reason (for as for Authorities on the one hand, or other, I purposely wave them in this whole discourse) to prove, that Faith properly taken is imputed for Righteousness & that the tropical sense, commonly received by the orthodox (which we have also chosen to follow, notwithstanding that there is another sense given of the words by some, to evite in part this tropical sense, and by which the Adversaries against whom we here deal, can receive no advantage) is to be utterly laid aside & rejected; & in answering him, we have answered others also, who do but-urge the same things.

Yet if any should inquire. If the Apostle doth not mean, that faith properly taken is our Righteonsness, & is imputed to us & accounted our Righteousness, why would he say so plainly, that Faith is imputed, or counted for Righteousness. I Answer. The expressions, which the Holy Ghost hath used, should satisfy us, though we should know no reason beside his good pleasure, why he did express the matter so: It is our part, to search into his meaning, according unto the surest rules of finding out the sense of the Scriptures, among which this is to be reckoned as a •• ite one, not to be rejected, viz. to attend the scope, with the connection & cohesion of the words as they lie, & contribute unto that scope, together with the common plain & frequently reiterated expressions & assertions of the Spirit of God, in other places, where the same matter is treated of: for to the end, that we may be exercised, in the study of the Scriptures, & in comparing Scripture with Scripture for finding out the mind of the Lord, hath he thought good to express the same matter in diverse places, & in various ways, & in some places more plainly, what in other places appeareth more obscure. And it cannot be judged a safe way of interpreting Scripture, to fix upon one expression & give it a sense, or take it in such a sense, as tendeth manifestly to darken the whole doctrine of the Spirit of the Lord, concerning that truth, and to cross the scope, to mat the connection, and to contradict multitudes of other passages of Scripture. It is not unusual for the Apostle to use several expressions, in a figurative sense. How oft is the word Law taken for obedience to the Law? What sense could be made of Gal. 3: 25. if the word Faith should be there taken properly, & not for its object? as also verse 2, & 5. of that same Chapter. And what sense shall we put upon these expressions. They which are of faith Gal. 3: 7, 9. & as many as are of the works of the Law verse. 10. & upon many such like, if all these words must be taken properly? Nay, how little of this whole matter of Justification is expressed to us, without Trops & figures? which yet do not darken, but give a more special & divine luster unto the Truthes, so expressed. How oft is the word Hop put for its object, for the thing hoped for? And though this might satisfy us herein; yet further, if I might adventure to give a reason of this manner of expression here, ot rather to pointe forth what this expression should signify & hold forth to us, I would say, That Paul is not handling this Controversy about Justification, in a mere speculative manner; & therefore doth not use such Philosophical & Metaphysical Notions & expressions there about, as some now think so necessary, that without the same they judge themselves not in case to explain the matter to the capacity of the meanest, which would rather have darkened, then explained the matter to the ordinary capacity of Christians, as I judge the way, that some of latetake, in explicating this matter, contributeth much more to the darkening of the same: at least to me: But the Apostle is handling this matter in a practical manner; so as both such he wrote unto, & the Church of Christ to the end of the world, might so understand this necessary & fundamental truth, as to put the same in practice: And therefore doth say, that Faith is imputed unto Righteousness, to show, that it is not the Righteousness of Christ, conceived in our heads, that will save & justify us; but his Righteousness laid hold on, brought home & applied by Faith: that so all might see & be convinced of the necessity of faith, whereby the soul goeth out to Christ, layeth to his Righteousness, and might not satisfy themselves with a Notion of Christ & his Righteousness, never applied by Faith; but be induced to lay hold on him by Faith, to the end they might have an interest in Christ's Righteousness, the same being, upon their faith, bestowed upon them, and reckoned upon their score. The expression is most emphatick to hold forth, the necessity now of faith, according to the Lord's Sovereign appointment, as if thereby Christ's Righteousness & their faith were become one thing, as being wholly inseparable in this affaire, so that it cometh to one, whether by faith, we understand the Grace as acting upon & connoting the Object, or the Object, as acted upon by the Grace of Faith as in that expression, the Righteousness of faith Rom. 4: 13. Faith may either be interpreted to be Christ, as said hold on by faith, & so the meaning will be through the Righteousness of Christ, laid hold on by Faith, & faith may be the same way explained in the following verse. 14. & 16. for if they which are of the Law, be heirs, faith is made void, i. e. if the grand heritage come by the Law & by obedience to it, the Gospel, holding forth Christ to be laid hold on by faith, is made void, as to this end: and again verse. 16. therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace i. e. it is of & by Christ, laid hold upon by Faith, that it might be by grace. Or faith in all these may be interpreted to be faith as acting upon the object, Christ & his Righteousness; & the consequence & force of the words will be found to be the same, whether of these ways we explain the matter. As, when speaking of the Israelites stung in the wilderness, it were all one to say, they were healed by the brazen serpent, to wit, looked to; or they were healed by their look, to wit, upon the brazen serpent, for still it will be understood, that all the virtue came from the brazen serpent (or him rather, that was typified thereby) yet so as it was to be looked upon; & that their looking was but an Instrumental mean thereunto, and when a mean thereunto must include the object looked unto. We hear it sometimes said of persons miraculously cured, that their Faith made them whole, while as the virtue came from the object acted upon by faith, as Peter fully explaineth the matter saying Act. 3: 16. And his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong. Thus we see, how this matter may be saifly & must be understood, when the virtue and efficacy of the Principal cause is attributed to the Instrumental cause: And yet, lest any should stumble at the expression, & pervert it, as many do, today, the Apostle abundantly Caveats against this by telling us so plainly & so fully & so frequently, of the Righteousness of God, which is had by faith, & through faith, as we have seen; & never speaketh of a Righteousness had, because of faith, or for Faith; nor saith he, that faith is our Righteousness, while treating of Justification.

CHAP. XXV.

Faith is not our Gospel-Righteousness.

OUr Adversaries, to strengthen their Assertion of the Imputation of Faith, in a proper sense, to the exclusion of the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, have other two Positions, which they own & maintain. One is, that our Faith or our act of believing is the whole of our Gospel-Righteousness: And the other is. That Christ hath procured that it should be so, by procuring the New Covenant, whereof this faith is made the Condition. To this last we shall speak something, in the next Chapter; & of the other here.

How much Mr. Baxter doth contend, for our Faiths being called & accounted our Gospel-Righteousness, is known. The forenamed Author of the discourse of the two Covenants is very plain pag. 48, &c. where he is explaining, what God's counting Abraham's faith to him for Righteousness is. There he tells us, that he takes it to signify thus much, to wit. That God, in a may of special grace, or by virtue of a new Law of grace & favor, which was established by God, in Christ (Gal. 3: 17.) that is, in reference to what Christ was to do & suffer, in time then to come, did reckon his practical faith to him for Righteousness, that is, that which in the eye of that new Law, should pass in his estimation for righteousness, subordinate to Christ's Righteousness, which procured this grant or Law. And thereafter pag. 40. he tells us, That it is an act of God's special favor, & by virtue of his new Law of grace, that such a faith, as he hath described (that is, a faith taking in all Gospel Obedience, as we saw above) comes to be reckoned or imputed to a man for Righteousness; & through God's imputing it for righteousness, to stand a man in the same, if not in a better stead, as to his eternal concerns, as a perfect fulfilling of the original Law from first to last would have done. Christ's Righteousness being presupposed the only Meritorious Cause of this grant or Covenant. Thereafter pag. 50. he tells us, there are two things, which constitute & make up the Righteousness of the Law of Grace, first, that which consisteth in the forgiveness of sins & 2. the righteousness of sincere obedience: And in inference to both, he saith, faith is imputed for righteousness be virtue of the Law of Grace; for, saith he, faith as practical is imputed to a man for righteousness, as it is that & all that, which is required of him himself by the Law of Grace, to entitle him to the righteousness, which consisteth in remission of sins. And then as to the second he saith pag. 52. That faith is imputed for righteousness, which is practical or productive of sincere obedience, without which proper • y it is not a fulfilling of the Law of Grace, as a condition of the promised benefits, & consequently cannot justify a man, in the eye of that Law: for, as he addeth, there must be repentance, & forgiving men their injuries, & faith must be such as worketh by love, & then he tells us, that Abraham was justified by his works. Jam. 2.

All which abomination of doctrine, & perversion of the right ways of the Lord, we are not here to examine: It is enough, in reference to the clearing of what is now before us & under consideration; that we see here a plain d • lmeation & explication made of that Gospel, which Mr. Baxter said, this Treatise would lead us into the knowledge of: & which is the very same, upon the matter, with that Gospel, which Socinians & Arminians hold forth, joining herein with Papists, as we saw in part above Chap. XVIII. towards the beginning, & we shall at this occasion trouble the Reader with some more of their expressions, that we may see, that the doctrine, which is now so much cried up, & followed after, is nothing but old Socinianism & so, owned & professed by such, as do not deserve to be called Christians, Socin. de Servat. lib. 4. c. 4, 7, 11. God justifieth the ungodly, but now converted, penitent, & after he hath left off to be ungodly: the justified are not ungodly in themselves, neither are they so called, yea they are not sinners; & which is more, they do not now sin. And so faith & works, that is, obedience to the commands of Christ, as the form of faith, doth justify us before God, & by them through them (per illa, ex illis) he justifieth us. Smalcius disp. 4. c. Frantzium. Regeneration, all other good works, Love, Prayer, Obedience, Faith, Charity &c. are so far from being effects of justification, that without them justification can no way really exist, for God justifieth no man, but him, who is compleetly adorned with all these virtues • yea the study of good works & walkeing before God were the cause (though not the chief) of the justification of Noah, Abraham & others, who are said to be justified by faith. Socin. ubi supra de Serv. lib. 1. c. 4. Faith doth not justify by its proper virtue, but by the mercy & go • d will of God, who justifieth such, as do such a work, & imputeth it for righteousness. With Paul, to have righteousness imputed is nothing else, but to have faith imputed, & to be accounted just, faith is so imputed to us, as that because of faith, we, howbeit guilty of many unrighteousness, are esteemed perfectly righteous, or God so dealeth with us, as if we were perfectly righteous who can doubt, that the Apostle meaneth no other thing than that we are not righteous before God, because our works require that, as a due reward, but because it hath so seemed good to the Lord, to take our faith in place of righteousness; so that we receive the reward of grace, by which we are declared righteous before him. More might be adduced for this end, as it might be shown also, how herein the Arminians conspire with them against the orthodox. And as for the judgment of Papists, in this point, it is likewise known.

It will not be necessary that we insist, in disproving that, which hath been so much witnessed against by the orthodox writing against Papists, Socinians, & Arminians, upon these heads: It will suffice, I suppose, if we give a few reasons, why we cannot acquiesce in the doctrine, proposed by the forenamed Author.

1. Hereby works of obedience are exalted to the same place, & are allowed the same Force, Influence & Efficacy into Justification, with Faith, whereby all the Apostles disputes for Faith & against Works, & for faith as inconsistent with & exclusive of works, are evacuated & rendered useless; So that the Apostle hath either not spoken to the purpose, or hath not spoken truth: either of which to say is blasphemy. The Apostle argueth thus, we are Justified by faith; therefore we are not Justified by works. This man reasoneth on the contrary, we are justified by faith, therefore we are justified by works; because by a faith that includeth works; as if the Apostle had meaned a Faith that was dead, & had no affinity with works.

2. Hereby he confoundeth all these duties, which are required of Believers, or of such, as are in Covenant with God, with that which is solely required of them in order to their first entering in Covenant, or into a state of Justification: as • one should say, that all the marriag-duties, required of such as were already in that marriage state, were conditions of entering into the marriag-state.

3. Hereby he confoundeth Justification, with Glorification, making all that Faith & sincere obedience, which is required in order to actual Salvation & Glorification, to be necessary before Justification: And thereby must say, that no man hath his sins pardoned, so long as he liveth; but if he be sincerely obedient, he is in the way to a Pardon, & to Justification. He cannot say, that by a practical Faith, he only meaneth such a true and lively Faith, as will in due time produce these effects: for, as that will not consist with his explication of that practical Faith, so it would cross his whole design. The just man in the eye of this new Law, (as he saith p. 49.) is everyone that rightly believes, repents & sincerely obeys, because that is all that it requires of a man himself to his Justification & Salvation. Where we see, that with him, Justification & Salvation go together, & have the same conditions, and he that is just must be one, that hath these Conditions; and he who hath not these Conditions is not just in the eye of that new Law; and if he be not just in the eye of that new Law, his faith cannot be accounted to him for Righteousness, nor he Justified.

4. The man hereby confoundeth the two Covenants, or giveth us a new Covenant of Works, instead of the Covenant of Grace; for this practical Faith, which includeth all obedience, hath the same place, force & efficacy in the new Covenant, that complete Obedience had in the old. And this Gospel is but the old Law of works, only with this change, that where as the old Law required Perfect Obedience to the end, in order to Justification & Salvation; this new Covenant of works requireth Sincere Obedience to the end, in order to Justification & Salvation: And so thus we are Justified & saved as really by & upon the account of our works, as Adam would have been, if he had continued in obedience to the end; & this Faith and sincere Obedience is as really, &, to all ends & purposes, as effectually and formally our Righteousness, as Perfect Obedience would have been the Righteousness of Adam: And thus the reward must as really be reckoned to us of debt, & not of grace, as it would have been to Adam, if he had stood: And as fair a ground is laid for us to boast & glory, though not before God, as had been for Adam, if he had continned to the end. The evasion he hath to make all this of grace, saying p. 49, 50. And yet every believers justification will be all of grace, because the Law by which they are justified is wholly of grace, & was ena • ed in mere grace & favor to undone man, is not able to help him; for it was wholly of undeserved grace & love, that God did so far condescend to Adam, & to all mankind in him, as to strick a Covenant with him, a promise of such an ample reward upon his performance of the condition of Perfect Obedience to the end; & yet, notwithstanding this Law was wholly of grace & was enacted in mere grace & favoure: for neither was the Lord necessitated thereunto; nor could Adam say, he had deserved any such thing at God's hand, the reward had been reckoned to Adam, if he had stood, of debt, not simply and absolutely, but ex pacto; by reason of the compact: So that we see, the cases run parallel & the Covenant is of the same nature & kind. The difference betwixt the Power granted to Adam, & now to man, to perform the conditions required, is with him, the same upon the matter; for if man will go the length he can & may, he may be sure of God's help to convoy him all the length he should; And what had Adam more? And as for the diversity of the conditions, which then were Perfect Obedience, & now only Sincere, that can make no alteration in the Nature of the Covenant: and beside, I see not, why this Man cannot as well say that if man now will go as far, as he may & can, by his own stock of power, unto the performance of Perfect Obedience, God will certainly give him his help to carry him forward; as he saith, that if man will now go all the length he can unto the performance of Faith, Repentance, & new sincere obedience, God is ready & willing to contribute his help to carry him forward thereunto.

5. He confoundeth the right to, with the possession of life eternal, as to their Causes & Antecedents; for as new & holy Obedience is by us made the way to the possession of the Kingdom: so by him it is made the way or cause of the Right jus to the Kingdom; for he requireth it as antecedent to a man's Justification & first being brought into a Covenant state with God, when he first receiveth the Right to the inheritance; And thus the Inheritance is made to be of the Law, & not of promise, contrary to Gal. 3: 18, for the whole and sure Right thereunto is had by Obedience to the Law, with him.

I shall say no more to this here, because there is a sufficient confutation of this to be found in Mr. Durham on the Revel. pag. 234. &c. where that digression is handled, concerning the way of Covenanting with God, & of a sinner obtaining of Justification before him. And in all such as write against Papists and Sociniant, on this head.

But if it be asked, may not faith be called our Gospel-Righteousness, & be said to be imputed to believers, as such a Righteousness, without any wrong done to the Righteousness of Christ, which keepeth still its own place of being our legal or pro legal Righteousness? I Ans. Though it be true, that Faith is now required of all that would be Justified; yet I nowhere find, that it is called our Gospel Righteousness; and I judge it not safe to admit expressions, without warrand of the word, in this tender matter; especially such expressions, as have a manifest tendency to corrupt, rather then explicate the truth, in this particular; as, I judge, will be found true of this expression; for how beit it be said by the Asserters thereof, that Faith, is but a less principal & Subordinat Righteousness; Yet in effect, according to their explication of the whole doctrine (as may be seen by this Treatise last mentioned & answered) it is made the Principal & only Righteousness, that is imputed to us: for Christ's Righteousness, say they, is only imputed, as to is effects, or in its causality. See Baxter against D. Tully p. 70. (just as Suarez said de divin. gr. lib. 7. de sanct. hom. c. 7. §. 39. cited by Mr. Rutherfoord Exercie. Apel. Exerc. I. c 2. pag. (mihi) 64. the merits of Christ are not given to us, that we might be formally justified, but that they may be a price wherewith we may buy a Righteousness, whereby we may be formally justified; as he who giveth a price to another, whereby he may buy clothes, is said to clothe him, not foomally, but effectivly, morally, as is manifest: ) And even as to these effets it dependeth wholly upon Faith, and this Faith is only said to be properly imputed for our Righteousness. And beside, they tell us, that the Righteousness of Christ is alike common to all, to the Reprobat as well, as to the Elect, and so it can be imputed properly to none: And as to its effective • mputation (as Suarez calleth it) or Imputation, as to its effects or in its causality (as others speak) after that it is offered & held forth to all, & hath the same common effects, unto all, until the condition be performed, that dependeth wholly upon man's performance of the Condition; And as to its antecedent effects, it is equally & absolutely imputed to all; that is, it is imputed to none, but the effects thereof are equally made common to all, in making Salvation possible, & the condition to be faith, and the like: And as to the special effects, (as they may be called) which depend on faith, when one believeth, & so fulfilleth the Condition, he hath thereby a Gospel-Righteousness, or this Faith of his is reckoned upon his score, for a Gospel-Righteousness, & thereupon he receiveth Pardon, Justification &c. Now let any Judge, whether or not these effects are not more the effects (at least more immediately) of their own Gospel-Righteousness, than of Christ's: for Christ by all his Righteousness did purchase these effects to all a like, & that conditionally; and now they themselves by their own personal Gospel Righteousness of Faith, do make an actual purchase of these effects, according to the Covenant, ex pacto. And to say, That Christ did by his merits purchase the New Covenant, doth but confirm, what I have now said, to wit, That all that, which Christ procured, was, That all such, as should acquire a Gospel-Righteousness of their own, shonld be justified &c. And thus Christ died to purchase a virtue & merit to our faith, & that to this end, it should become a Gospel-Righteousness, whereby they might have whereof to boast & to glory before men, at least. Hence we see that Christ's Righteousness might rather be called the Subservient & ours the Principal. And further, (which may justly make Christians ab horre this opinion) Thus this poor convinced sinner, pursued by justice for a broken Law, is called to lean his whole weight of Acceptance with God, & found all his hope of Pardon & Justification, upon his own Faith, or Gospel Righteousness, as the only Righteousness, wherewith he is to be covered, & the only Righteousness, which is imputed unto him; & not upon Christ & his Righteousness, for what Christ did or purchased was common to all, & had only a conditional virtue, which the personal Righteousness reduceth into act, & so must have a principal share of the glory; for as to what Christ did, Judas had the same ground of thankfulness & praise, that Peter had, & Peter no more then Judas; and thus Peter was to sing the song of praise for his Justification & Pardon, unto his own personal Faith & Gospel-Righteousness. If this be not the Native result of this doctrine, let any put it in to practice (which I shall be loath to advise) & try, whether thereby more of their weight is laid on Christ, or on their own faith: And on the other hand, let any serious & exercised Christian be inquired, & see if their practice agree with this doctrine.

If it be said, That there is no such hazard, so long as Faith is not considered here as abstracted from its Object Christ, but is considered with a respect thereunto. I Ans. (1) We have seen, what a poor & general respect faith by some of our Adversaries is said to have to Christ, whereby it is made nothing but a mere historical faith & the Author of the Discourse of the two Covenants, p. 31. saith, that even that faith, that had not the Messias in the promise is imputed for Righteousness. (2) As for such as confess that justifying faith hath a special respect to Christ & his Righteousness, we would know, whether it hath this respect, that it peculiarly refugeth the soul there from the storm of wrath, and bringeth in thence Christ's Righteousness, or cartieth the man out to it, that he may lean upon it, & plead the same, as the only ground of his Absolution from the sentence of the Law? And if this be granted, then it is manifest, that the believer hath no Righteousness, but Christ's Surety-righteousness, where withal he desireth to appear before God, & this is it alone, to which he leaneth, & through which alone he hopeth for Pardon & Acceptance, without the least reflecting act of soul upon his own Faith. (3) But again if so, faith must stand alone, as acting thus in a peculiar manner on Christ, which no work else is fitted to do; & therefore Faith & Works must not be joined together; nor must Faith be considered, in this affaire, as comprehending all Obedience in it, as we see, they say. (4) But when Faith is made our Gospel-Righteousness, in whole, or in part, howbeit they say, they consider Faith, as acting on its object Christ; yet it is manifest, that it is then considered with relation to its object, in a Physical, or metaphysical manner, as all acts (specified from their objects) may & must be considered; but not in a theological sense, as required in the Gospel, to bring-in the Surety Righteousness of Christ, & to lean the soul thereupon, as its only Righteousness: for when it is said to be our whole Gospel Righteousness, it is considered as a moral vert • e, & as an act of Obedience in us, constituting us Righteous in a formal sense, according to the new Law, which is hereby fully & in all points performed & obeyed; much more, when works are joined with it, doth it with works put on a far other respect, than to be the hand receiving the Atonement, & the gift of Righteousness.

But saith Mr. Baxter against Mr. Cartwright p. 179. In regai • d of that justification, which is from the accusation of the Law of works, I say faith is but a condition & no otherwise justifieth, but because it is made that condition by a New-Law, per legem remediantem, & we must be judged by that Law: therefore, when the case is, whether we have performed the conditions of that new law, or not? then faith is materially that Righteousness, by which we must be justified, against all accusations of Non-performance. Ans. (1) I doubt if such as never heard a report of Christ, shall be judged by the New-Law; far less by it alone. (2) God will not call in question a Believers faith, nor accuse him of Non-performance. Nor will the Gospel, or New-Law do it; so that the Believer needs not plead his performance; in reference to a Justification at the tribunal of God. (3) When Faith is made a Condition by a New-Law, & thereby become the believers Righteousness, this Righteousness is the Condition, and is therefore a Righteousness, because made a condition, by that new Law; yea & elsewhere ibid. pag. 106. this Righteousness is said to be complete & perfect, as all Righteousness must be: we see, what weight is laid upon it. And when there is no other Righteousness properly imputed to us, (for as for that Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, which he would yield to as the only sound sense, it is but what Jesuits, Socinians, & Arminians yield to, & we cannot be satisfied with,) who seeth not, how this matter is framed so, as all the weight of the soul must be laid upon this personal Righteousness, especially when it is made another Sort of Condition, than we can acknowledge it to be, as shall be seen afterward; and when it is the immediate ground of our Right to Pardon, Justification, Adoption &c. for Christ's purchase was (to him) general & common, and no more for one, than for another, and to all conditionally.

If it be said. What hazard is there, so long as Christ's Righteousness is held to be that, which satisfieth for the breach of the Covenant of Works, & is full Satisfaction to justice, and which hath purchased the New-Covenant, and the new easy terms; our Righteousness, in performing the new easy terms, whereby we come to have Right to life & all the benefits purchased by Christ, is no way prejudicial unto that, nor robbeth not Christ's Satisfaction of the least of the glory due to it. I Ans. The hazard still continueth, for hereby 〈◊〉 Gospel Righteousness, be it Faith alone, or Faith & Works together, is made the immediate & sole ground of our Right to the benefits; for what Christ did, was general & common, and He, by what he did, made no particular purchase of any good unto any, but procured the New-Covenant, and the new grant of life upon the easy terms, alike unto all: the satisfaction, which he made unto the Law giver for the breach of the old Covenant, was not as a peculiar Cautioner, for any in particular, but was equally for all, & as much for the damned, as for the saved; So that our Right to the benefits cometh purely & wholly from our performance of the New-Termes, which Christ is said to have purchased. Therefore, though our personal Righteousness hath no interest in purchasing the New Covenant, or in making satisfaction to Justice, unto that end; yet Justice being now satisfied equally for all, and the New Covenant being purchased alike for all, our personal Righteousness is that, which must bear the glory of our interest in the benefits: & the Obligation, where in we stand to Christ, upon that account, is the same that others are under who reap none of the benefits, which we reap by our New Righteousness. And here it is also manifest, that Faith (if that should be made the Gospel-Righteousness alone, without works) in order to the justification of a sinner, is not conceived to act upon Christ, as the Lord our Righteousness, that the soul may put on his Surety-righteousness & thereby answer all challenges of the broken Law: but is conceived as our Work, and as our Performance of the New Conditions, and as such is rested upon, & leaned to; Whereby man, hath ground of glorying before men, in himself, and not in the Lord alone, for all have alike ground of glorying, upon that account, seeing what the Lord did was common to all, and this new personal Righteousness maketh the difference.

But it will be said, That Christ's Righteousness, being acknowledged to be our only legal Righteousness, whereby we answer the charge of the Law, the asserting of a Gospel-Righteousness, whereby we come to have an interest in that legal Righteousness, can do no prejudice. I Ans. Beside that this maketh two distinct Righteousness as, & the one a mean to obtean another, the one within us a price ( ex pacto ) for the other without us; and all this in order to Absolution from one charge of the Law brought in against the sinner: hereby, as to us, our personal Righteousness is really made our legal Righteousness, because it is made that Righteousness, whereupon this man, and not the other that wants it, is freed from the charge of the Law: for, according to this way, Faith is not employed to lay hold on Christ's Righteousness, that by presenting that Surety-Righteousness unto justice, the soul may escape the charge, but when the charge of violation of the Law of God is brought in against the sinner, his only relief is his Gospel-Righteousness, which he presenteth, whereupon he pleadeth for Pardon & Absolution, by virtue of the new Covenant, which Christ hath purchased; for should he allege the death & satisfaction of Christ that should give no relief, because that was for all alike, & thereby the New Covenant was purchased where in the Gospel Righteousness (whether Faith alone, or Faith & New Obedience) was set down, as the Condition; and therefore it can stand him in no avail; but he must refuge himself from wrath under the wings of his own Gospel-Righteousness (for he hath no other) and thereupon rest secure, & be confident of his Absolution from all that the Law could charge against him. As, for example, if the Princes son should by a valuable price, given to the Prince, procure new Termes and Conditions to be proposed to a company of condemned treatours lying in prison: if any one of these were challenged for the old crime, & threatened with the execution of the sentence past upon that account, it would be of no avail to him, to say, the Princes son hath laid down a valuable price to buy me from death, because he knew, that he did that for all the rest, in purchasing a New Covenant, & new conditions; but the first & sure course he would take, would be to present his performance of the new conditions, & say, the charge cannot reach me, because I have performed the Conditions of the New Covenant, procured by the Princes son. This I suppose is plain & clear, & this in our case, would be found to be the only safe course, that poor challenged sinners would take, if they should act according to the doctrine of our Adversaries, to which, (as I said) I should not dar to advise one or other. But really the Gospel-way (which is opposite to this) is plain & safe, if we have but so much humility, as to complye therewith: And a difference may seem small, in the debate, which yet in practice may prove great & of dangerous consequence.

CHAP. XXVI.

Christ did not procure by his death the New Covenant, or the terms thereof.

WE heard what the Author of the discourse of the two Covenants, & what John Goodwin said of this New Covenant. As the foundation of their assertion of the imputation of faith, properly taken, they tell us, that the New Covenant wherein this Righteousness is required, as the condition thereof, is founded wholly in the blood of Christ, so that whatever is required of man by way of condition of his acceptation with God, becomes accepted to that end, upon account of Christ's suffering, Mr. Allen p. 16. & p. 53. 54. saith. Nor doth this, that faith accompanied with obedience is imputed for righteousness, at all derogate from the obedience & sufferings of Christ, in reference to the ends, for which they serve. Because the whole Covenant, & all the parts & terms of it, both promises of benefits, & the Condition on which they are promised, are all founded in Christ his undertaking for us; and all the benefits of it accrue to us upon our believing & obeying, upon his account & for his sake. Mr. Baxter also telleth us, in his book against D. Tully p. 66. That that which Christ did by his merits, was to procure the new Covenant. And elsewhere p. 181, that they were the meritorious cause of the forgiving Covenants, & the like he • aith elsewhere frequently. The Arminians ground the imputation of faith upon the merits & obedience of Christ Apol. f. 113. And Arminius himself disp. 19. thes. 7. that justification is attribute to faith, not because it is the very righteousness, which may be proposed to God's rigide & severe judgment, howbeit acceptable to God; but because, by the judgment of mercy triumphing over judgment, it obtaineth pardon of sins, & is graciously imputed unto righteousness, the cause of which is both God righteous & merciful, & Christ by his obedience, oblation & intercession. And in his Epistle ad Hyppolet. he tells us, that the word imputing signifieth that faith is not the righteousness itself, but that it is graciously accounted for righteousness, whereby all worth is taken away from faith, except, that which is by God's gracious estimation & that gracious estimation of God is not without Christ, but in respect of Christ, in Christ, & for Christ. Christ by his obedience is the impetrating cause, or meritorious, why God imputeth faith to us unto righteousness. And again in his Artic. perpend. de justif. What fault is it so say, that faith by free & gracious acceptation is accounted for righteousness, because of Christ's obedience.

But with this assertion, we are not satisfied, for these reasons

1. The Arminians, who maintain this so confidently, make it the whole of what Christ merited by his death & Satisfaction, saying that Christ by his death did so satisfy the offended party, as he would be favorable to the offender; and so say, that he acquired to the father a jus & a will to enter into a new Covenant with men. See their Confess. c. 8. §. 9. collat. cum Apolog. c. 8. §. 9. and as the learned Voetius inferreth Select. dispp. p. 2. p. 233, 234. it followeth hence, that Christ was not in very deed our Cautioner; that he died not in our room & stead; that he did properly obtain & acquire nothing to us; & that he did not sustain the person of the elect, while he suffered on the cross.

2. ... that Christ procured no more, but a power or liberty unto God of prescribing new Conditions; and some go so far, as to say, that this liberty was such only, at the Lord might, if he had pleased, have appointed the old way of works again, for the condition; So said Grevinchovius ag. Ames. But it is true, they yield more, who grant, that he purchased the New Covenant: Yet by this purchase, they cannot say, that Christ died to redeem us from our sins from the wrath of God, from a vain conversation, & to save us: And indeed the same person last named, saith expressly, that Christ died not properly to say any one. And what can else be said by such, as make this the whole of what Christ did purchase? And how-rational is that consequence, which the same person hath, when he saith it might so have come to pass, that Christ had had the end of his death, & that no one had fulfilled the new Covenant, & had been saved; for they will not grant, that Christ did purchase faith.

3. Hence we see, that such as say, that this was all which Christ procured by his Death & Merits, do manifestly spoil us of all the rich Benefits, which Christ hath purchased, as being no immediate fruits of his death; such as Faith, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, Grace, & Glory, & thus evacuat the whole virtue of the death of Christ: And this do Mr. Allen's words p. 54. import while he saith, that all the benefits of the Covenant accrue to us upon our believing & obeying, upon his account & for his sake: and so they do not accrue to us upon his account & for his sake immediately; but immediately upon the account & for the sake of our Believing & Obeying; only for Christ's sake is this connection made.

4. Who ever assert, that Christ hath purchased the framing & Constitution of this Covenant, in its terms & conditions, ought to confirm this their assertion out of Scripture; & till this be done, we are a liberty to deny it, how confidently so ever it be affirmed. It is certain, that such a principal point & ground article of our Religion would not be darkly expressed in the Scriptures, far less wholly passed over in silence, as, for anything that yet is made to appear, it is: for as for 1. Cor. 1: 30. & Ier. 23: 6. which Mr. Allen citeth, any may see how impertinent they are, that we say no more.

5. If so, then we must say with Papists, that Christ hath procured a worth to our Faith & Obedience, to merit ex pacto, the good things promised unto such, as are believers & obedient: Yea hereby there would be more of merit in our Faith, then in Christ's obedience.

6. We mnst say, that Christ hath purchased that we might be Justified by an Imperfect Righteousness; For sure, our faith & new Obedience is not perfect even when sincere, they labor of many Imperfections, & have dross & faultiness admixed: As also that he hath purchased, that an Imperfect Righteousness should be accounted & esteemed a perfect Righteousness; & consequently that the judgment of God shnuld not be according to truth: which were blasphemeous & iniquous to imagine.

7. Thus in effect, Christ should be made the minister of sin, by changing the conditions of the old Law, which were perfect & complete Obedience, into an obedience far short of that, & thus he must be come either to dissolve the Obligation of the Law, that it should not exact now, what it did exact of old; or to loose us from the Obligation thereof; that we should be in part Law less; neither of which can be asserted; & yet this Position maketh clear way for either, or for both.

8. Then we must say, that Christ hath purchased such a way of Justification, as leaveth ground to men to glory & boast though not before God, yet before men; for hereby he is made to purchase the renewing of the old Covenant of works, with some mitigation, as to tht terms, though with little mitigation, as to the persons; unless we say with these Arminians, that Man is as able to believe & obey sin • erely, if he will, as Adam was to obey perfectly: But sure Christ came for a far other end, than to leave man any ground of boa • ting, or of glorying in himself for his Justification & Salvation, as having made himself to differ.

9. Then Christ hath purchased a way, whereby man might hold his Pardon, Justification, Adoption &c. more of himself, than of Christ; for Christ by this way cannot be said to have purchased our Pardon, Justification &c. but only that we should have these favoures upon our Faith: or have such & such a reward of our Faith & Obedience; As he, who procureth that a person shall have such a benefit upon condition he perform such a piece of service, cannot be said to have procured that reward; for notwithstanding of this procurement (if it may be so called, which is at best, but a conditional uncertain thing) the person might never have gote the reward.

10. Then the making of the New Covenant, and the making of it on these terms, should be an act of mere Justice, in God, and not an act of his free Grace, Love, good Pleasure, Will & Kindness: for it is Justice & Righteousness in God, to do that, which Christ hath purchased & procured to be done; though, it is true, it may thus be accounted a mere favoure, that it was of God's free will, to enter into such terms of agreement with the Mediator, & to yield to the making of such a condition, upon Christ's purchase. But the Apostle tells us Ephes. 1: 9. that God made known unto us • he mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. Which mystery of his will is the New Covenant & dispensation of grace in the Gospel; & it is ascribed not to the merits of Christ; but to God's good Pleasure, & to the Purpose, which he purposed in himself. So the saving of such as believe, floweth from the love of God, as well as, & no less then the sending of Christ John. 3: 16. God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that every believer in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So Ephes. 3: 9, 10, 11. the fellowshipe of the mystery was hid in God; & the manifold wisdom of God (which shineth forth in the New Covenant) was according to the eternal Purpose; which he had purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord. This is ascribed to God's Love John. 3: 16. & will John. 6: 40.

11. I grant, it may be said, that as Christ hath purchased to his own Pardon, Justification, Adoption & Salvation; so, as a consequence of this, he hath purposed the Means, or rather the Application of the means, thereunto, that so the good things purchased may be actually conferred, according to the manner & method condescended upon by Jehovah and the Mediator in the Coveuant of Redemption; for He hath chosen us, in himself having predestinat us unto the Adoption of children, by Jesus Christ, unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us acctpted, in the beloved, in whom we have redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins &c. Ephes. 1: 4, 5, 6, 7. the chosen ones are predestinated both to the end, & to the means leading to the end • : But this matter is not consistent with their Assertion, who say, that Christ by his death hath purchased Faith & New Obedience to be the Condition of the Covenant, because by their Universal Redemption they leave all at an uncertainty, especially when also they will not grant, that Christ hath purchased Faith itself to any person.

12. It must be said ... that Christ purchased the terms of the new Covenant. ... and purchased, that God should abolish the Law quite, and not require a conformity thereunto, as our Righteousness, by virtue of the new Covenant, nor exact full Obedience to the Law, from any, in our name; & consequently it must be said, that Christ hath purchased, that the Law giver should wholly pass from that established Constitution, do & live, without any real accomplishment thereof, or requiring the accomplishment thereof from any, on their behalf, to the end, the Lord might be just, when he is the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.

13. This assertion also stricketh against Christ's being the Surety of the New Covenant: for it is not the work of a Surety, as such, to purchase the Making & Constitution of a Covenant; but to confirm & ratify the same, & to engage for the party, for whom he is a Surety, that he shall perform the conditions, accorded to in the Covenant; & so to establish the Covenant or contract, already agreed unto & constituted.

14. Thus it should be said, that Christ died rather for graces, than for persons, to wit. That Faith & new obedience may be elevated beyond their ordinare sphere, & exalted to be the Condition of the New Covenant. But the whole Scriptures speak otherwise of Christ's death.

15. If this were the thing that Christ procured, he could not be said to have Redeemed any, not so have died in the room & stand of any, but only for our good, as say the Sociniant, To purchase a new Covenant, is not to be a Propiltation, an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , to • ear our sins, to Reconcile any, unto God.

16. Mr. Baxter himself against Mr. Cartwright p. 91. hath these words. And therefore the Performer & the Accepter did themselve • (NB.) choose, on what terms it (i.e. Christ's Righteousness) should be applied to us, or be made ours, quoad fructus: And the terms resolved on were the New Covenants conditions, which are now required of us to our participation hereof. These words import some other rise unto this Covenant, than the purchase of Christ.

CHAP. XXVII.

How Faith is, and may be called a Condition of the new Covenant, and of Justification, how not.

IT may be of some use. ... to inquire in what way faith is and may be called a Condition. ... The orthodox never denied, that it may be called a Condition. ... yet with all we must always look upon Faith, as an Instrument, or Instrumental Mean in Justification, because of its being as the hand of the soul to receive, bring-in, grip-to & lay hold on the Righteousness of Christ, as the Righteousness of a Cautioner & of a public person, to the end they might be Justified, Absolved from the sentence of the Law, & Accounted & pronounced Righteous, in the sight of God.

Upon the other hand, Socinians & Arminians, who cast the whole Gospel in a new mould of their own, deny Faith to be an Instrument, & assert, that it is only a Condition, or a cause sine qua non, as they speak: And this they do, that their doctrine about Justification (which is wholly corrupt) may appear to hang the better together. We heard how they denied the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness; & now they must of necessity also deny, Faith to be considered here as an Instrument • for they know that it was called an Instrument merely upon 〈◊〉 account of the Surety-Righteousness of Christ, which it was to apply, to receive, & to put on. They affirmed, that Faith properly taken was imputed unto Righteousness, & by virtue of Christ's merits was accepted of God for a Righteousness, & was so accounted, & now consequentially they must say, that Faith (together with new Obedience, which they also 〈◊〉 & conjoine, as making up one Righteousness) is to be looked upon, us a Condition, or causa sine qua non. Socinus de Iustis. tells us, that though that obedience, which 〈◊〉 perform unto Christ, be neither the different nor Meritorious cause, of our Justification & eternal Salvation, yet it is the caus • sine quation, as they say. The same he saith Synops. justis. 2. p. 14. So doth Volkelius do vera Relig. lib. 4.c. 3. & Smalc, Coner. Frantz. disp. 4. p. 103. So the Remonstrants in their Apologief. 112. Faith (say they) if we consider the matter aright, cannot properly be called an Instrument of Justification; nor can the act of believing be an Instrumental action; far less can it as an Instrument be opposed to faith, as an action, Corvin. cont. Tilen, Faith carrieth that respect unto the gift of adoption, that it is an obedience required of God, upon condition of which the gift of adoption is decerned unto the sinner for a reward, faith is not a means, or instrument, but a condition, ordained of God for obtaining of life. Simon Episcop. disp. 22. faith, in this matter, cometh to be considered, not as an instrument apprehending Christ's Righteousness imputed, but as apprehending Christ Jesus, by whom that Righteousness is obtained. It cannot be called properly an instrument, but a condition prescribed by, & required in the Gospel-Covenant, without which God will not pardon sin & impute Righteousness.

Lawyers, as may be seen in Spigely & Calvinilexic. • urid. tell us of various sorts of Conditions; Some Possible, Some impossible; Some certain, some uncertain; Some ... Voluntarie conditions, say they, do suspend the whole obligation, until they be performed, Casual (& also necessary) conditions do only prorogue the effect of the obligation, the obligation itself, & its force is instantly perfected. A condition thus taken they usually define, Suspensio, cujus de futuro effectus, vel confirmatio pendet; or futurus eventus pendet: or le •• adposita hominum actionibus, ease suspendens: or Modus qui suspendit actum, donec ca existente confirmetur: or Modus vel causa, que suspendit id quod agitur, donec ex post facto confirmetur.

They tell us with all, that the word Conditio is some time, in the Law, taken pro Modo, though in many things, these two differ much; and that it is the same with ratio, lex, pactio, pactum, fortuna, status, locus jus, causa; so that it admitteth of various significations: and in which of these significations here definitly to take it, the Scripture giveth no determination; for it is no scripture-expression, in this matter: And if it be said, that the terms used in Scripture, in this matter, such as these, believe, & thou shalt be saved, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe, if thou shall believe thou shalt be saved, & the like, will sufficiently warrand the use of the word Condition; I Answer, So will the like terms of being justified by Faith, and through faith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , allow us to call faith an Instrument, which yet our Adversaries, as we have seen, will not suffer us to do. But moreover. We do not condemn the use of the word Condition, in this affaire, simply, but allow it, & also make use of it: But this however is manifest, that seeing it is no Scripture word, we are under no Law to receive the word, in that determinate sense, in which the Adversaries use it, & must use it according to their principles: nor are we to conceive of Faith Repentance & new Obedience, as such conditions, as they hold them forth • be.

We know, how variously the word Condition is used, in our ordinary language: & how some time, that is called a condition, which is the real price, & worth of the thing given upon that condition; as when a man is willing to quite his house, lands or horse to another, upon condition of so much money, which is the real price, or a valuable consideration: if we should call Faith & Good Works such a condition, the error would be worse than Popish. But Mr. Baxter tells us Apol. ag. Mr. Black p. 39. § 27. that he doth not understand the word de conditione contractus vendition is & emptionis, vel emphyteusis, or any the like, that is proper pretium; but it is the condition purae donation is, but some what partaking naturae sendi, as to some of the benefits. And yet this will not sufficiently clear the matter, especially seeing that natura feudi is not fully explained, and the feud-duties, (whether we look to the first use of these donations; or to perfect practice, or whether we speak of the highest degree, that is, of the Vassallage of dukes, marquises and Earls. ... And some are most personal, being but yearly pensions, which is extinct with the death of the giver, or of the receiver, other divisions may be seen in Craig de feudis lib. 1. Dieg. 10. And as to the way of giving these: though it be said to be by donation; yet the Service required in most, may be very onerous, to speak nothing of such, as are purchased by money, or by excambion; nor yet of such, as are burdened with that, which we call Ward, & Ward & Reliefe.

Mr. Baxter ibid, defineth to us, the condition of the Covenant, which he calleth a potestative condition, thus; Actio voluntaria de futuro, a Deo legislatore & Christo Testatore, innovalege, foedere, Testamento requisita, ut ex ejus praestatione, constituatur jus actual ad beneficium: vel, ut obligationem & eventum suspend at donec praestetur: for (he addeth) ex stipulatione conditionali neque obligatio, neque act to ulla est, antequam conditto even • at; quia quod est in conditione, non est in obligatione. But first, as to the name potestative condition, as opposed by the Lawyers to what is Casual; & as importing that the person of whom that condition is required, hath full power to perform it, if he will, except some inevitable, & unfore-seen impediment fall out, which is not ordinarily supposed; how can any reckon Faith amongst these, unless they grant, that it is as much in Man's power to believe, as it is to one at Rome, to ascend the Capitol, if he fall not sick, or break not his leg? Whereby to all, who are not Pelagians, Socinians & Arminians in this matter, but acknowledge Faith to be the pure gift of God, & wrought by the Spirit, Regenerating the soul & giving an heart of flesh, it may be manifest, that no kind of Conditions, spoken of by Lawyers, who treat only of Compacts, & other Actions, betwixt man & man, can comprehend this matter; whereof we are now speaking. Where is there such an instance, in all the Law, of a person promising to give or to do such or such a Favor, Courtesie, upon condition that he do something, which is not in his power, nor in his will, & which he only who promiseth, can make him able & willing to do? This would either be looked on by them, as an impossible condition, which is next to none, or if the promiser should possibly make him to fulfil, as a casual condition, or rather, as no proper condition at all. If a father should promise his little child an apple, on condition he should touch the Crown of his fathers head with his finger, which were impossible for him to do, unless the Father should either stoop so low unto him with his head; or take him up in his arms, that he may reach his head; who would call this a potestative condition? But next, what meaneth Mr. Baxter by this jus actual? Is this the same with jus in re, as opposed to jus ad rem? this jus ad rem; which yet I suppose, he will not grant, or doth he mean by this. ... But what is a Potential Right? Is it the same with a remote right? and how very far remote must that Right be (if it be at all) which the Reprobat have? And is there no difference as to this Remote & Potential Right, or what way it may be called, which is opposite to an Actual Right betwixt the Reprobat & the Elect, before Faith? It is like, Mr. Baxter will say, there is none, by reason that the Redemption is Universal and for all alike, & so that Right, how ever it be called, that preceedeth the Actual Right, is equally common to all, if we mean that Potential Right, which followeth upon the Redemption. But to us, who affirm, that Christ died only for the Elect, & that he took on their debt; & in due time made fall satisfaction, according to his undertaking, these Elect ones for whom Christ engaged, in the Covenant of Redemption, have another sort of right, call it Potential, or what you will, than the Reprobat have: because Christ hath purchased all the blessings, promised in the Covenant, unto them: and he hath a Right keeped, for them, and not for the rest: so that a Right unto all these good things, being purchased by their Lord Redeemer, & Cautioner, and left unto them as his sure legacy, in his Testament, & all so ensured, that in due time, according to the method condescended upon, they shall be put in possession of the same, their Right is in Christ's purchase, and they are put in actual Possession of Justification, when they believe; which Faith is also purchased for them: all the benefits they shall enjoy concerning grace & glory are equally by him purchased, & are equally near related unto his merits & death, as to the right, though as to the actual collation, Sovereign wisdom hath appointed an Order, & determining of one, before another, & so hath resolved to give faith, and than Justification &c. And though it be true, that in this case, what is inconditione, non est in obligatione, as to the actual possession; yet we cannot think, but the holy & Just God, having received satisfaction from the Mediator, in behalf of such, for whom it was laid down, is under an obligation (as we may conceive, and speak) unto the Mediator, to cause him see of the travel of his soul, & to give him his seed, and those he purchased, and in due time to call them effectually, & work Faith in them, & then Justify &c. Adopt them &c. & thus bestow all the benefits purchased upon then▪ in the time & method wisely determined. But if Mr.Baxter understand by this jus actual, that is constituted upon the performance of the condition, a plain, and simple Right unto the benefit, we can acknowledge no such Condition, lest we render the death of Christ void: for in him alone, have we all our Law-title & Right to all the blessings of the Covenant, to Faith, & all that follow upon it.

That we may put an end to this, we shall first show, in what sense, we cannot admit Faith to be a Condition, & then show in what sense we do admit the denomination.

As to the first we say. 1. We cannot admit it to be a Condition, in their sense who will have Justification so to depend upon it, as on a Procuring Cause, some way or other meriting, at least ex pacto or ex congruo as Bellarm, saith that benefit as a Reward: for this destroyeth the Freedom of Grace, that: shineth forth in our Justification; & overturneth the whole nature of the Covenant of Grace, & spoileth Christ of his glory; and doth man to come in, as a sharer in the glory of that purchase.

2. We cannot admit it to be a Condition, in their sense, who take a new Obedience with it: for this taketh away the special Use of Faith and its special End, in laying hold on & refuging the soul under the wings of the Surety-Righteousness of Jesus Christ; This changeth the nature of the Covenant of Grace, & maketh it a new Covenant of Works, & giveth ground of boasting & of glorying before men; yea & maketh the reward of Justification, and what followeth thereupon, to be of debt, & not of grace: And such a Condition in the Covenant of Grace we cannot own.

3. We cannot admit it to be a Condition, in their sense, who make it strickly a Potestative Condition; placeing it in the power & free will of man, to believe or not, as he will; for as this overturneth the whole Covenant of Grace, and exalteth proud man; so it parteth, at least, the glory of Redemption betwixt Christ & Man; & giveth man ground to sing to the praise of his own Lord, free will; & to say, he hath made himself to differ, & he oweth but half thanks, & hardly so much, to Jesus Chaist, for all that he hath done and suffered, in order to the purchasing of Salvation.

4. We cannot own it for a Condition, in their sense, who make it, or it & our new obedience together, our Gospel-Righteo • sness, & that Righteousness which only is properly Imputed to us, & Reckoned upon our score, as the Righteousness, upon the account of which, we are Justified: for thus the nature of the Covenant of Grace is changed; God is made to estimate that for a Righteousness, which is no fulfilling of the Law; & Christ is made to have procured, that it should be so; & that his own Surety-Righteousness, should no other ways be imputed.

5. We cannot account Faith a Condition, in their sense, who ascribe to it or to it with works, the same Place, Use & Efficacie in the new Covenant, that Perfect Obedience had in the old Covenant of Works: for this maketh the New Covenant nothing but a new Edition of the old; and shooteth Christ, the Lord our Righteousness, far away, who is & should be our immediate Righteousness, that in him we might be found hid, & secured from the dint of the Law-Curse; and with all giveth proud man too palpable ground of boasting, contrary to the whole Contrivance of the Gospel-Covenant.

6. We cannot own it for a Condition, in their sense, who reject it, and disown it for an Instrument, or an Instrumental Mean, in our Justification; because they deny that particular and special Use, which it hath, in our Justification, & so pervert its whole Gospel-Nature: Its special use & work in Justification being to lay hold on the Lord Jesus, & his side jussorie-Righteousness, to carry the Man out of himself, as renuncing his own Righteousness, & everything that is not Christ & his Righteousness, that as poor, empty, & naked he may lay hold on, & rest upon the Surety-Righteousness of the public person & Cautioner, Jesus Christ: for thus Christ & his Righteousness are put by, and he getteth not that rent of glory that is only due to him; & the soul is made to lean upon something beside this Rock of ages.

7. We cannot admit it for a Condition, in their sense, who will have us hereby to have gotten a legal Title or Right unto Justification & other benefits according. ... following the same; seeing this puts the crown upon Mans head, as having by his deed acquired a