The Life of Justification Opened
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 jus & Law-right unto these blessings, which become hereby a reward not of grace, but of just debt: We acknowledge all our Right & Title to all the blessings of the Covenant, to be from Christ, the only purchaser; & of him must we hold all, that all may be of free grace, & he, even he alone, may have all the Glory, having redeemed us with his precious blood, & purchased the whole Inheritance, of grace & glory for us.
8. We cannot account it a Condition, in their sense, who plead for Universal Redemption; because thereby Christ is only made to have purchased something to all alike, & that Conditionally, & no more grace & glory for Peter than for Judas, but Peter by his own Paines & Industrie, by his Faith & New Obedience, did purchase the whole personal and immediate Right unto the blessings, which he enjoyeth; and hath received no more from Christ, than what Judas had, & so hath no more ground of exalting him for Redeemer, than those have, who perish, seeing what he purchased was common to all, & no more for one in particulur than for another: for this setteth the crown upon man's head, who hath saved himself by his sweating, pains & labor; and spoileth our Lord Redeemer of his glory.
9. Nor can we account it a condition, in their sense, who will have the whole or principal part of what Christ purchased to be the New Covenant & the Termes & Conditions thereof; as if Christ had been a Cautioner for none in particular, but had so far redeemed all, as to have brought them into such an estate, wherein they might now work & won for themselves, run & fight for the prize, according to the new Conditions purchased; and so, if they run well, sacrifice to their own net, and burn incense to their own drag, because by their own industry & care in performing the Conditions, now made easier, than they were to Adam in the first Covenant, their portion is fat, & their meat plenteous.
10. Nor yet can we call it a Condition, in their sense, who will have us look upon it, in the work of Justification, purely as a work of ours & as an act of Obedience to a command; & as such a work, as comprehendeth in it all the works of new Obedience: for thus its peculiar Use of applying Christ, & of apprehending his Surety-Righteousness, is taken from it; & the whole nature of the new Covenant is changed into the old Covenant of works; & Christ's • idejussorie-Righteousness is not made our immediate Gospel-Righteousness; yea when we are thus justified by Faith, we are justified by works; whereby the whole of the Apost • l's dispute is overturned; & we are taught to lean to, & lay our weight upon a Righteousness within ourselves; contrary to the whole scope of the Gospel.
Upon the other hand, we say, Faith may be looked upon, and called a Condition of the Covenant, and of Justification, in this sense; That Christ having purchased all the good things of the Covenant, all the sure Mercies of David, all Grace, and all Glory, unto the chosen ones, and the Father having promised the actual collation & bestowing of all and everyone of these mercies & blessings, so purchased and procured; and Jehovah & the Mediator both, in the counsel of their will condescending on such a method & way of making the ransomed ones the owners of the Blessings purchased, that is, first to give the New Heart and the heart of fless and in effectual calling, work them up to Faith in and Union with Christ and so draw them to the mediator, and cause them accept of him, & wait upon him, and rest there, for life & salvation; and then to Justify, Accepte of as Righteous, Adopte them, and then work the works of holiness by his Spirit & more, in their soul; and so carry on the work unto Perfection, till grace be crowned with glory: matters, I say, being thus wisely ordered, in the council of heaven, there is a Priority of order; Faith, receiving Christ, and resting on his Surety-righteousness, going before; and Justification following, and a firm connection made betwixt the two, that who so ever believeth thus, shall be justified, and none shall be justified who believeth not thus: Now, when by virtue of this constitute order & Method, explained & revealed in the Gospel, the Ambassadors of Christ, in obedience to their Injunctions, call upon all, who hear the Gospel, to receive Christ and refuge themselves under his wings, and receive the atonement through his Righteousness, and promise them thereupon, in their Masters name, Pardon, Peace with God, Reconciliation; and acceptance &c. nothing more is here insinuated, than that such a Method & Order is wisely determined, and that there is a fixed connection made betwixt Faith & Justification; so that whoever would be saved from the wrath to come; & would enjoy God for ever, must come unto God in this way, and according to this method, and must receive his blessings and Favoures, in this order, first believe, and lay hold on Christ and his Righteousness, and then receive Justification &c. Thus we see faith is no legal, Antecedent Condition, no Proper or Potestative Condition; but only a consequent, or Evangelic Condition, or a Condition denoting a fixed and prescribed Order and Method of receiving of the blessings purchased by Christ, with a firm and fixed connection betwixt the performance of the condition, and the granting of the thing promised thereupon. Thus Christ hath the whole glory of the work; Man is abased, and hath nothing to glory of in himself; The reward is not of debt, but purely of grace; The wisdom and love of God is wonderful and remarkable; All ground of carnal security and self confidence is removed; A plain and powerful ground is laid for ministers, to press, exhort, and obtest to Faith in the first place, with all seriousness and zeal; Full security and ground of confidence of being Justified and Accepted of God upon our believing, is given; The difference betwixt the Covenant of works and the Covenant of Grace, is distinctly observed; The Antinomian mistakes, saying we are Justified from Eternity, or at the death of Christ, or at any time before faith, are manifestly obviated; And all grounds of excepting against, or dissatisfaction with this way, are removed from all such, as will willingly comply with the design of free grace, in the Gospel.
CHAP. XXVIII.
How faith is and may be called an Instrument, in Justification.
COncerning the Instrumentality of faith in Justification, much needeth not be said, howbeit too much hath been written, about it & that to very little edification; so I judge: I am sure, to little use, as to the clearing up of that concerning pointe of Justification, & the true interest of Faith therein.
We heard, in the beginning of the proceeding Chapter, how both Socinians & Arminians did disown faith its being an Instrument, and Papists also before them did plead against it: On the other hand, the orthodox, writing against Papists, Socinians, & Arminians, did unanimously assert Faith to be an Instrument, or to be considered as an Instrument, in the matter of Justification. And few, or none, can be instanced of those, who hold with the orthodox, in all chief Controversies, about Justification, that did impugn, or so much as deny Faith to be an Instrument, in justification; Yea John Goodwin, in his book of justification, doth expressly call it an Instrument in justification.
It is true, the Scripture nowhere calleth faith an instrument; & the same being no Scripture expression, there needeth not be much strife about it, nor will there be, among such, as are unanimous, in the main & principal Questions about Justification; or to that, which is only designed & intended by that expression. And though the Scripture doth not use that expression, interminis, yet no man can hence infer, that all use of it, and of the like should be laid aside, nor can such be supposed to add to the Scripture, (as Mr. Baxter hinteth. Apol. against Mr. Blake p. 40.) who call Faith an Instrument; more then he can suppose that himself addeth to the Scripture, when he calleth faith a Condition, or a causa sine qua non, for these are as little to be found expressly, in the Scriptures, as the other. Nor do they, who say Faith is an Instrument, so much plead for the name, as for the thing intended thereby: All expressions, that are not in Scripture, must not be laid aside, in our speaking of divine things▪ for then we must lay aside the word Trinity, Sacrament, Satisfaction & several others: far less must the truth, which we conceive can be intelligibly & usefully expressed by those borrowed words and terms, be laid aside, because the term itself, by which we express our Conceptions of the truth, is not in so many letters & syllabs to be found in Scripture, if so indeed, we had quickly lost a fundamental point of our Religion, and yielded the cause unto the Socinians. If the Scripture may be explained, we may make use of such expressions, terms & sentences, as will, according to their usual acceptation, contribute to make the truths revealed in Scripture intelligible to such, as hear us. And when some terms have been innocently used in Theology, for explication of truths, whether to the more learned, or to the more unlearned, & have p • ssed among the orthodox without control, or contradiction, beyond the ordinary time of prescriptions; it cannot but give ground of suspicion for any, now to remove these old Land-marks, especially when it is attempted to be done, by such means & arguments, as will equally enforce a rejection of many Scriptural expressions: for should all the Metaphorical expressions & sentences, which are in • ature, be so canvassed, & rejected, because everything agreeing properly to them when used, in their own native soil, doth not quadrate with them, as used in the Scriptures, in things divine, where should we Land? If these divine mysteries had been expressed to us only in terms, adequatly corresponding with & suiting the matter; how should we have understood the same? Therefore we find the Lord condescending in the Scriptures, to our low Capacities, and expressing sublime & high mysteries, by low & borrowed expressions, to the end, we might be in case to understand so much thereof, as may prove, through the Lord's blessing, saving unto us: And thereby hath allowed such, as would explain these matters unto the capacity of others, to use such ordinary expressions, as may contribute some light & understanding to them, in the truths themselves.
Now when the orthodox have, according to their allowed liberty, made use of the word Instrument, in this matter, and maintained that Faith was, & was nothing more then an Instrument, in Justification; it is not fair to reject it altogether, because improper, though fit enough to signify what they did intend thereby; & because all the properties, that agree to proper Physical, or artificial Instruments, do not agree to it; and because if the same be strickly examined, according to the rules of Philosophy, concerning Instrumental Causes, it will be found to differ from them. Mr. Baxter himself, writing against D. Kendal. §. 47. tells us, that the thing; which he denieth, is, that Faith is an Instrument, in the strick logical sense, that is, an Instrumental efficient cause of our Justification; & that he expressly discla • meth contending de nomine, or contradicting any, that only use the word instrument, in an improper large sense, as Mechanics & Rhetoricians do: So that the question (saith he), is de re, Whether it efficiently cause our Justification, as an Instrument? But it may be conceived to have some efficient Influence, in our Justification, not as that is taken simply & strickly for God's act justifying, but as taken largely, comprehending the whole benefit: as activly coming from God, & as Passively received by or terminated on us, & that as an Instrument, though not in that proper sense, that Logicians, or Metaphysicians take Instrumental causes, and explain them, in order to physical & natural Effects. We know, that Justification is a supernatural work & effect; and therefore, though in explaining of it in its Causes, we may make use of such terms, as are used about the expressing of the Causes of Natural, or Artificial Works & Effects; yet no Law can force us, to understand by these borrowed expressions, the same proper, & Formal Efficacy, Efficiency and influence, which is imported by these Expressions, when used about Natural Causes & Effects.
But Mr. Baxter against Mr. Blake §. 5. tells us, what great reasons he had to move him to quarrel with this calling of faith an Instrument viz. he found that many learned divines did not only assert this Instrumentality, but they laid so great a stress upon it, as if the main difference betwixt us & the Papists lay here, And yet any might think, that they had reason so to do, when Papist's on the other hand, laid as great stress upon the denying of Faiths Instrumentality. He tells us moreover, that our divines judged Papists to err in Justification fundamentally, in these points 1. about the formal Cause, which is the formal Righteousness of Christ, as suffering & perfectly obeying for us. 2. About the way of our participation herein, which as to God's act is Imputation, & that in this sense, that legaliter we are esteemed to have fulfilled the Law in Christ. 3. About the nature of that faith, which justifieth. 4. About the formal reason of faiths interest in justification, which is as the Instrument thereof. I doubt not (saith Mr. Baxter) but all these four are great errors. But we neither may, nor can call all errors, which Mr. Baxter calleth errors. We have seen above how necessary truths the two first are, and have explained, in part, the third, wherein I confess, too many (yet not all) of the foreign divines have, as to expression, missed the explication of true Justifying faith & it may be, it was not their design to describe it so, as it might agree to the faith of every sincere, though weak believer: but rather to show its true nature, grounds & tendency, when at its best; & yet what Papists hold, on the contrary, is more false & absurd. But as to this fourth, it seems, that it hath a necessary dependence upon the foregoing; and this to me seems to be the main reason, why our Divines did own & plead for Faiths Instrumentality, in the matter of Justification, viz. because the Righteousness, which they called the Formal, or others the Material Cause thereof, was not any Righteousness inherent in us, as Papists said; but the Surety-Righteousness of the Cautioner Christ, without us: And therefore they behooved to look on Faith, in this matter, other ways then Papists did, and not account it a part of our Formal Righteousness, but only look upon it, as an hand to lay hold on & bring-in the Surety-Righteousness of Jesus Christ; and therefore judged it most fit to call it only an Instrumental Cause. And how ever Mr. Baxter exaggerat this matter, as complying with Papist's in condemning us, as to all these controversies, and think it no wonder, they judge the whole Protestant cause naught, because we err in these, and yet make this the main pairt of the Protestant cause; yet we must not be scarred from these truths; Yea, because this point hath such a connection with the other, concerning that Righteousness, upon the account of which we are to be Justified in the sight of God, we are called to contend also for this, & that so much the rather, that, though Papist's do utterly mistake the Nature of Justification, and confound it with Sanctification; yet Mr. Baxter hath more rational apprehensions there about, and yet will not have Christ's Righteousness to be that Formal Righteousness, upon the account of which we are Justified.
Yet notwithstanding, we need not own it for such an Instrument, or such an Instrumental cause, as Philosophers largely treat of, in the Logicks & Metaphysics, knowing that the Effect here wrought is no Natural Effect, brought about by Natural Efficient & Instrumental Causes; Only we say, the Scripture affirming, that we are justified 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , giveth us ground to call Faith (if we will use such terms, to express our mind) an Instrument, seeing these expressions pointe forth, some special interest & influence, that Faith hath in Justification, & no other Influence or Causation can be allowed to it, conform to the Scriptures; but that, which, we express in our ordinary discourse, not in a strick Philosophical sense, by an Instrument. And that so much the rather, that hereby is pointed forth that, which is the main ground & design of using this term, viz. the Application of the Righteousness of Christ, which is made by Faith, as a mean or mid's laying hold upon without which we cannot be Justified, according to the Gospel; And though in these borrowed expressions from Causes, metaphysical accuracy be not intended, yet the true meaning & intendment of the users of these terms being obvious, it is but vanity, to raise too much dust thereabout; unless difference about other more Principal Questions, in the matter of Justification, enforce it, as indeed all such as place the Formal Cause or reason of our justification before God in our own Inherent Righteousness, and not in the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us & received by faith, must of necessity deny all interest of faith here, as an Instrument, or as anything like it; because, having all their Righteousness within them, they have no use for Faith to lay hold-on & bring-in one from without.
There things may satisfy us, as grounds of this Denomination.
1. That in justification, we are said to be receivers, & do receive something from the Lord; not only the Passive justification itself expressed by our being justified, but of something in order thereunto, as of Christ himself, the Abundance of Grace & of the Gift of Righteousness, the atonement, the word of promise, yea everything that concurreth unto justification, or accompanieth it, we are said to receive, John. 1: 12. Col. 2: 6. Rem. 5: 11, 17. Act. 2: 41, & 10: 43. & 26: 18. Heb. 9: 15.
2. That the only Grace, whereby we are said to receive these things, is Faith: receiving is explained to be believing John. 1: 12. Act. 2: 41. comp. with verse. 44. we receive forgiveness of sins by faith Act. 26: 18.
3. That the Surety-Righteousness of Christ, is that only Righteousness, • pon the account of which we are justified before God, & not any Inherent Righteousness within ourselves, hath been evinced above.
4. That this Righteousness of the Surety must be imputed unto such, as are to be Justified, or reckoned upon their score; hath also been evinced.
5. That this Surety-Righteousness of Christ must be laid hold on by us, in order to our justification, hath been shown; & must be granted by all, that acknowledge it to be the Righteousness, upon the account of which we are Justified.
6. That the Scripture saith expressly, that God justifieth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , by faith & through faith, & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 by faith Rom. 3: 24, 25, 28, 30. Gal. 3: 8, & 2: 16. and that even when justification is denied to be by works; So that Faith must have a far other interest in; & must otherwise concur unto our Justification, than any other Works, or Graces; and therefore must be looked upon, as having some peculiarity of interest and influence here, and this peculiarity of interest, cannot be other ways better expressed, so▪ as the matter shall be cleared, then by calling it an Instrument. Not as if it did concur to the produceing of the effect of justification by any Physical operation, as Physical Instruments do; but as a medium & mean required of us, in order to Justification, according to the free pleasure of God, who disposeth the order & method of his bestowing of his Favors upon us, and the Relation & Respect; that one hath unto another, as he seeth most for his own glory, and for our good; and that such a mean, as concurreth therein, and thereunto, according to what is said, in such a way, as we be can best understand by calling it an Instrument; for we cannot allow it to be called any way meritorious, or any formal disposition of the soul or Preparation unto the Introduction of an Inherent Formal Cause of Justification, as Papists say; nor can we allow it to be called such a proper & Potestative Condition, as some would have it to be, as we saw in the forgoing Chapter.
7. That no real inconvenience can follow upon the owning of Faith for an Instrument, in justification; for Justification is not here taken simply & strickly for that, which is properly God's act, but more largely & complexly, including other things requisite unto Justification, such as the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, which Faith, as the Instrument or hand of the soul, layeth hold on, & bringeth-in, for this end, that the man being clothed therewith, may be acquitted before the Tribunal of God, Pardoned, & accepted of as Righteous. And howbeit it be God, that justifieth, & as to this act of God justifying, Faith hath no real interest or influence; yet the Scripture saying, that God justifieth by Faith, and through faith, we must acknowledge some interest, that Faith hath, in the work & Effect; as when the Scripture saith, that He purifieth the heart by faith Act. 15: 9. the purifying of the heart is God's work, and yet it is said to be done by Faith, which is our work. It is said Heh. 11: 11, that through faith Sara herself received strength to conceive seed & verse. 33, 34. that some through faith subdued Kingdoms, stopped the mouths of Lions, quenched the violence of fire &c. all which were the works of God, & yet while they are said to be done by faith, faith must have had some interest & influence in these effects. So in working faith in the soul, which is God's work alone, the Lord useth the preaching of the Gospel, and ministers, & the people's hearkening & listening to what is preached, as means & midses thereunto; though preaching & hearing be men's work, yet God useth them for his ends; and as he sendeth Preachers to preach, & moveth persons to hear, that thereby he may, according to his own will & pleasure, work Faith in then; so he worketh Faith in souls, that he may, thereby Justify them. Nor is it of any weight to say, that if Faith be an Instrument, it must work as an efficient cause, because the Instrumental Cause belongeth to the Efficient; for neither do all Philosophers agree to this, some holding Instruments to be a fifth kind of Cause; nor are we obliged to stand to their prescriptions & rules, especially in these things, that are no natural causes or effects; no man saith, that faith hath the same kind & measure of Efficiency in & towards the effect, justification, that all Instrumental causes, or Instrumental causes so called, have in the Effects, which they concur to the producing of; what efficiency hath an examplary cause, which some Philosophers reduce to the efficient viz. Keckerman: But that Faith hath some Influence, is manifest from the Scripture, not of it self, it is true, but by the gracious appointment of God; and that this Influence cannot be better & more saifly expressed, than by the name of an Instrument, appeareth to us clear; hereby nothing of the glory due to God, or unto Jesus Christ, and to his Righteousness, is ascribed unto man, nor is anymore hereby granted unto Man, than to a beggar, as to the enriching of himself, when it is said, his hand made him rich, by receiving the Purse of gold, that was given unto him: yea hereby is Christ & his Righteousness more fixedly established, in their due place, because faith is considered not as a Righteousness of itself, nor as a part of Righteousness; but purely and simply as an Instrument of the soul laying hold on the Righteousness of Christ, and pleading the same, as the only Formal ground of his justification before God. If it be said, that it were saifer to call it a causa sine qua non. We must first know, what is properly signified thereby, & whether it will help us more, to understand the just & true import of the Scripture expressions about Faith in Justification; for no terms ought to be used, that attain not this end, or have not a direct tendency thereunto; such terms, however we may please ourselves in the invention of their application unto the business in hand, and think we are in case to defend the same against opponents; yet if they do not contribute manifestly to the clearing and explaining of the matter, according to the Scriptures, can only darken the matter: And no reason can enforce us to embrace them, with the arbitrary explications & limitations of the Authors, and to reject or lay aside such, as do more obviously explain the matter, unto all such, as have orthodox apprehensions of the matter; and have given offense to none, nor have been excepted against by any, but such as were not orthodox in the point of justification; & whose erroneous Principles led them to deny, or except against the same. And what for a cause shall we take that, causa sine qua non to be? (which cannot be so explained in our language, as that everyone that heareth it, shall be in case to understand, what it meaneth) Such as speak of it, call it causa fatua, and refer to it external occasions, time & place, and such like things, without which the action cannot proceed, as the place wherein we stand, & the time, wherein we do anything, which have no more interest in, or relation to one action, than another, for all must be done by us, in some time, and in some place: And shall we say, that faith hath no other interest or influence in justification, than the hour of the day, when or the place wherein a minister preacheth, hath into his preaching? Shall we have so mean & low an account of the ordinances & appointments of God, in reference to spiritual ends? Seeing the Lord hath appointed Faith, in order to Justification, we must not look upon it as a causa fatua, or as a mere circumstance, but as having some kindly influence in the effect, by virtue of the appointment of God, & such a connection therewith, that it no sooner existeth, but as soon justification followeth. Faith then cannot be called a mere causa sine qua non. Historical faith & several other antecedents, may be a conditio or causa sine qua non; for no man of age can be justified without it; yet we may not say, that we justified by it, as by saving faith; the same may be said of Conviction & Sense of sin, of some measure at least, of legal Repentance, and of desire of Pardon & of Peace, which yet may be, and oft are without justification. And it may also seem strange, how this causa sine qua non, can be called a potestative condition; or how that, which is said to be a proper Potestative Condition, ex cujus praestatione constituitur jus actual ad beneficium, can be called a mere conditio or causa sine qua non, seeing it hath such a considerable moral influence in the effect?
But saith Mr. Baxter against Mr. Blake §. 27, faith cannot justify both as a Condition, & as an Instrument of Justification; for either of them importeth the proximam & causalem rationem of faith, as to the effect; & it is utterly inconsistent with its nature, to have two such different nearest causal interests. Ans. When we speak of Faiths justifying, as an Instrument, we consider the physical, or quasi physical way of its operation, and denote only its kindly acting on Jesus Christ, and on his Righteousness which it layeth hold on, applieth, apprehendeth, & putteth on. And when we say it justifieth as a condition, we consider it as appointed of God unto that end, & as placed by Him, in that state & relation unto justification, which now it hath: And either of these can be called the proxima ratio causalis of Faith, according to its different consideration: if justification, (meaning not God's act only, but the complex relative change) be considered in genere Physico, or quasi physico, then the nearest causal interest of faith, is its instrumentality: but if it be considered in genere morali, or legali, then its nearest causal interest is, that it is a condition. As when a rich man bestoweth a purse of gold on a beggar, & requireth that he, in order to the possessing of it, streatch forth his hand, & take it, considering this act of enriching him in genere physico, his hand acteth herein, as an Instrument, apprehending the purse, & taking it to himself: considering this, in genere legali or morali, the streatching forth of his hand, and apprehending the purse is a condition; for so the donor hath determined to give the riches, after such a manner & method, for his own ends, according to his good pleasure. Thus we see, how faith can, in its way, produce one & the same effect of justification, both as an Instrument, and as a Condition, taking these terms, in a large sense, according to the matter in hand.
Mr. Baxter saith Confess. p. 89. he denieth that Faith is an Instrument of Justification, because he dar not give so much of Christ's honor to man, or any act of man's, as to be an efficient cause of pardoning himself. Ans. And he knoweth, that the orthodox do of purpose, call faith an Instrument in justification, in opposition to the Papists, that Christ may wear the honor alone, and man may be abased: & if they have been unhappy, in falling upon the medium to that end; Yet their Intention was honest. But when Faith is called an Instrument in justification, justification is not taken for an act of accepting & pardoning alone; for they knew, that it was God only that accepteth & pardoneth, & that it is he only, who Justifieth; but they took justification in a more comprehensive sense, as including Christ's Righteousness, the only formal ground of justification, in reference to which, Faith is said to act as an Instrument receiving. And this may satisfy such, as will not have the mysteries of God cast in a pure Philosophical mould, because some such terms are used for explications sake.
Mr. Baxter Confess. p. 95. saith. Such as say, faith justifieth qua instrumentum, de most certainly make it to justify, as an action. And in his postscript, to Mr. Cartwright. Those that make faith to justify, as an Instrument, or as apprehensio Christi, do set up the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere, which they cry down; for that, which they call instrumentality, is the apprehensive act, & apprehendere & credere are here all one. They contradict themselves in saying, that Paul excludes all works, because faith (say they) justifieth not as a work: for to justify qua instrumentum, or qua apprehensio Christi, is to justify as a work, or as this work. And so this doctrine sets up justification by works & that in an unlawful sense; for it maketh the formal reason of Faiths justifying to be its apprehension, that is, that it is such an action; or its instrumentality, which is an operation.] Ans. This is no new Objection; for Schlichtingius the Socinian Cont. Meisnerum p. 130. did object the same upon the matter. It is true, when we say faith Justifieth as an Instrument, we make it to Justify as an action, taking qua specificative as he himself also must do, when he faith it justifieth as a Condition Potestative, for a potestative condition is some action performed, & himself, as we heard, called it actio voluntaria de futuro. But he knoweth, that when it is said, that Faith justifieth, as an Instrument, the meaning is but more emphatically to show, that it is the Righteousness of Christ, which faith apprehendeth, by which we are justified, & that they, who cry up the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere, make that the Righteousness, by which we are justified; so that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere in their sense, who will have it imputed to us for Righteousness, respecteth immediately the benefit, to wit, Pardon, Acceptation &c. Faith as an Instrument, or apprehension, in our sense, respecteth Christ & his Righteousness immediately, which it receiveth as an Instrument, in order to the benefit, which is had upon the account of Christ & his Righteousness, made ours; In our sense, faith is no more, but as the hand receiving bread, and as the mouth eating it, in order to food & nourishment thereby; in their sense, faith is made the very food & nourishment, or meat itself that nourisheth: When we say, that Faith Justifieth as an Instrument, it is but, as if we said, man liveth by his hands taking meat, and by his mouth eating it; when they say, that faith justifieth as a work, & that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere is imputed for Righteousness, it is, as if they said, the hand & the mouth are the very food, or the meat itself, by which we live and are nourished: we, looking upon Faith as an Instrument, as upon the hand and mouth, as instruments of nourishment, ascribe all the virtue of nourishment unto the meat. They, denying the hand and the mouth to be considered here as instruments, and saying that we live and are nourished by the hand and the mouth, (just as they do, when they make the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere our Righteousness, in reference to justification) ascribe all the virtue of nourishment unto the hand & the mouth, and so set up the hand & the mouth, in the place, that is due unto the meat, and rob the meat, of that power & virtue, that is only proper to it. Yet withal, when we say, that hands and mouth nourish us as Instruments, we do not deny, but in a general sense, our receiving of meat with our hands, & eating of it with our mouth, are conditions of nourishment, importing hereby, that the wise God hath appointed this order and method, giving us hands to receive meat, & mouths to eat it, & a stomach to digest it, in order to the living, and receiving thereby nourishment; only we do not say, they are such conditions, as have all the virtue of nourishment in them. This is but a similitude, and so must halt in some things, as all similitudes do; yet it serveth to illustrate the matter, and to show the difference betwixt our expressions, and the expressions of our Adversaries, in this matter; & how little ground there is so this objection, and particularly how, when we say faith justifieth as an Instrument, we do not withal say, it justifieth, as a work, in our Adversaries sense; And how, when we say, Faith is a condition, we do not withal say, that it justifieth as a potestative proper condition, in our Adversaries sense; as also, how we cannot admit, that faith shall be called no more, than a causa sine qua non; seeing it is so manifest, that eating & digesting of meat hath another influence into nourishment by food, than a mere causa sine qua non hath into any effect.
Mr. Baxter Confess. p. 95. 96. I must therefore profess, that after long consideration I know no one term, that properly expresseth this nearest & formal interest of faith in justification, but only the term condition, as that is usually taken for the condition of a free gift, & when the Scripture telleth us, how faith justifieth, it is in such terms, as these, if thou confess with thy mouth &c. he that believeth shall be saved &c. In all which, if the conditional if, & the conditional form of the promise, express not a condition, I despair of ever understanding it in this life. Ans. As for the nearest & formal interest of Faith, in Justification, if all other questions touching that fundamental truth of Justification, were satisfyingly determined, & put to an end, there needed not be much controversy; but when as we have seen, the decision of this hath such an interest in the decision of more substantial points, or necessarily attendeth the same, inquiry with sobriety after the truth, even in these lesser things, cannot be condemned; And, on the contrary, receding from, & condemning received terms & expressions, which have an obvious, plain & sound meaning, being taken, according as they have been constantly used, because not quadrating every way with men's new Philosophical and too metaphysical apprehensions & notions, in this matter, cannot but be displeasing. And too much Philophical accuracy in the clearing up of these mysteries, is not the most edifying & safe way of explication. 2. We are not against the use of the term Condition in this matter, knowing that faith may well be called a condition, but the question is in what sense we must take the word, condition: And to say, that it is taken, as commonly used for the condition of a free gift, will not satisfy in our case; because though the gift which we expect by faith, is to us indeed free; yet it is a purchased free gift; & such a free gift, as these who get it, have all the legal title & Right thereunto, through the Ca • tioners purchase & payment, & only come to the possession of it through Faith, according to the wise method & Connection, made by the Sovereign Lord. Adam's perfect obedience might have been called the condition of a free gift: and we cannot give the same place & power to Faith in the New Covenant, that perfect obedience had in the old; for Adam if he had perfectly obeyed, had gote his reward without any intervention of a Price by a Mediator, purchasing it, but we must hold all our reward solely of Christ, that he may have the glory of all (3) as ( if ) can denote a Condition, so (by, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ) can denote an instrumental cause. Himself tells us some-where in his Confut, of Ludom, Colvinus, aliàs Ludov, Molinaeus, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 denoteth an efficient cause & we read, that we are Justified by faith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . And further, though these passages, which he citeth, and the conditional if, and the conditional form of the promise, do indeed express a Condition; yet they do not say, or prove that the term Condition is the only one term, that properly expresseth the nearest & formal interest of faith in Justification; or that the term of an Instrument is no way fit to express this near & formal interest of faith in justification, seeing to be justified by faith, or through faith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (all which the Scripture useth) is as expressive of an Instrumental interest, as if thou believe &c. is expressive of a condition.
He saith ibid. p. 89. Conclus. 10. That the difference betwixt him & others, is not that he giveth anymore to works, than they; but that they give more to faith, than he, & consequently to man: & if he be guilty of equalling faith & obedience too much, it is not by bringing up works too high (to be Instruments of Justification, as they make Faith) but in taking down Faith too much, & consequently, in too much abaseing all acts of man. Ans. If he bring up works to Faith, in our Justification, & give a like interest to both, he giveth more to works, than the orthodox will do: And when we call faith an Instrument in justification, we give not so much to it, as they do, who call it conditio potestativa, and give it the same place in the New Covenant, that perfect obedience had in the old, as was seen above: And whoever say this, are so far from debasing man & his actions, that they give him, as much ground of glorying & boasting, as ever Adam would have had, if he had fulfilled the condition, & given full & perfect Obedience: And he cannot but know, that that term, Instrument, was of purpose applied to Faith, in this matter, to depress man, & to keep the crown upon the head of Christ, as it is apt enough to do, if it be but candidely understood, & taken as it is applied, and no further, nor vexed with metaphysical niceties, a way, that might render every borrowed term, whether from arts or sciences, how expressive so ever of our meaning, & explicative of the matter intended, utterly useless. It is true, when he calleth faith only a causa sine qua non, he seemeth to giveless to Faith, than we do, if that term be taken, in its strick sense, as it is by Philosophers taken, who will not have it called a Cause at all, but rather conditio sine qua non: But thus he depresseth it below that place & interest, which is due to all the institutions & appointments of God, as such; for none of them can rightly be called conditio sine qua non, and no more, in reference to that effect & end, for which they are appointed of him; and far less can Faith be said to be only conditio sine qua non, in reference to justification, seeing by the unalterable appointment of the Sovereign Lord, justification so dependeth upon & is connected with Faith, that whoever believeth (to wit, savingly, or with that Faith, which here we only understand) whensoever he believeth, doth immediately pass from death unte life, and is justified. But no man will say, that the effect doth so much depend upon, or is connected with that, which is but a conditio sine qua non, as was before shewn, in several Instances: And where is then his Conditio Potestativa? is that but a causa fatua.
But ibid. Conclus. 9. he tells us, that one main reason, which constrained him to deny that Faith is an Instrument in justification, is because he dar not give so much of Christ's honor to man, or any act of man's, as to be an efficiont cause of pardoning himself. Ans. When we make Faith an Instrument in justification, we make it not an Instrument of the act of pardoning, which is solely the Lord's act; but taking justification largely as including the Righteousness of Christ the only ground thereof, we say, that in reference to Christ, & this Surety-Righteousness of his which is imputed, in order to the Lord's justifying & Pardoning of us, faith acteth as an Instrument, apprehending Christ & his Righteousness, & upon that account is to be considered as an Instrument, in the matter of justification: And himself Concl. 11. ibid. saith that he ever held, that it is only faith, that is the receiving of Christ, & that faith being the only receiving grace (wherein no mere moral duty or grace doth participate of its honor or nature) it was therefore by God peculiarly destinated or appointed to the office of justifying, as fittest to the glorying of free grace, & of God Redeemer therein. And if this be the all. (as to the substance) of what we say, or the most of that which we mean, when we call faith an Instrument, what ground was there of differing from his brethren? or what ground was there to fear, that Christ's honor should have been wronged thereby? Sure, while Faith is called an Instrument, as receiving Christ & his Righteousness, in order to justification, Christ is more honored in that affaire, than when our Faith is made our Gospel-Righteousness, & called a perfect Righteousness & so our whole Righteousness (as some) a chief part of it (as others) upon the account of which we are justified.
CHAP. XXIX.
What Interest Repentance hath in our Justification.
IN reference to the clearing of this Question, about the Interest of Repentance in Justification, it will not be necessary to speak much of Repentance itself, the premitting of a few things will be sufficient unto our purpose.
The Hebrew word, which is rendered repent, is of a general signification for it signifieth to return, whether from a place, or from the distemper of our minds, or from our former courses; & so denoteth a motion or change of the body from one place to another; or of the mind from any purpose, or of the whole way & walk, and in special, it sometime signifieth a change of the whole man to the better, both as to his Mind, Resolution, and Deportment, & thus denoteth a man's turning unto God: And accordingly we read in the New Testam. of the Prodigals coming or returning to himself, or to his right mind & wits; and we hear of Repentance towards God. In the N. Testam. there are two greek words, the one 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 importing such a change, as it attended with after care; the other 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifying such a change, as denoteth after-wit or after thought. Some do so difference these two, as that they say, the last signifieth so to sorrow for what is done, as to amend it, called by the latines Resipiscere & therefore properly is meaned of a good & saving Repentance, wherein the penitent returneth to his right wits, so as to reform & amend what hath been amiss; and the other denoteth properly care, anxiety & solicitude after something done, called by the Latins poenitere, and this may be used in an evil sense, as denoting properly no change of mind or carriage to the better, but simply such a trouble & anxiety for what is done, as maketh them wish, it were not done, whether the thing done was good or evil. But in the New Test. we find not this difference constantly observed; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is taken both in a good sense, for a good Repentance, & saving Mat. 21: 32, 29. and for a common Repentance, that is not saving. Mal: 27: 3. where mention is made of Judas repenting 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 indeed & 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that cometh therefrom, import a good & saving Repentance, except, Heb. 12: 17.
What this word denoteth, when used of God, either affirmativly, or negativly, we need not here inquire. It is more for our purpose to consider, that Repentance may be taken in a threefold sense, 1. for a common work of legal sorrow through conviction of hazard, because of sin, whereby the man may rew, be grieved, & be sorrowful for what he hath done, and wish he had not done it, as Judas repented of his wickedness. This may be; and yet not be attended with Pardon of sins: And, as to such, in whom the Lord purposeth to carry on the work of Condition, & Humiliation until it come to real Conversion, and an Union with Christ, though it may be called a conditio sine qua non of Justification & Pardon, in such, in regaird that usually, if not always, the Lord premitteth something of this, as to some sensible measure, or other, unto his more gracious workings; yet this Common Repentance hath no proper interest in justification, & cannot be called a Condition thereof, far less a Cause, seeing in itself it hath no certain connection with justification, & though it be an antecedent in the justified, yet it may be, and often is, where no justification followeth, being in many nothing but the sorrow of the world, that worketh death 2. Cor. 7: 10.
But 2. There is a Repentance, that is only peculiar unto such, as are already Justified & Pardoned, following upon & flowing from the sense and intimation of Pardon expressed by Self-abhoring, Self-loathing, Melting of heart, and Tenderness & the like. so Ezek. 16: 63. That thou mayest remember & be confounded, & never open thy mouth anymore, because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee &c. So Ezek. 36-25, 26, 27, 28. comp. with verse. 31: See also Ier. 31: 19, 20. Neither can this be called, or accounted a Condition of Justification, & Remission, because it manifestly followeth not only Justification, & Remission, itself, but also the sense and intimation thereof; & therefore cannot go before it.
But. 3. The greatest difficulty is anent that work of Repentance, which is a saving work of the Spirit going a longs with Faith, ariseing from the sense of sin committed, and the apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, causing spiritual & kindly grief, sorrow and indignation at themselves and their sinful ways; with an hatred of sin & a fixed purpose to forsake it, and to turn to the Lord & this is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. Now this Repentance may be considered two ways, first as it is in these, in whom the Lord is working a work of Conversion, & whom He is translating out of dearkness in to the Kingdom of his dear Son, and Secondly as it is in such, as are already brought in to a justified state, after new sins committed. As to this last, we will have a fit occasion to inquire afterward, how or what way it is required in reference to Remission & Pardon of after-sins. The first falleth now under consideration, because we are speaking of Justification, which holdeth forth a change of state, as was formerly explained.
That we may therefore proceed the more distinctly in this Inquisition, we must fi • st take notice of the several senses of the word, or of the terms equipollent in Scripture; and see what is properly denoted there. by. And
1. Sometime it denoteth most grief, sorrow, or that which is called contrition, or that part of Repentance, as Luk. 10: 33. where it is explained by sitting in sackcloth & ashes. Ier. 8: 6. - No man repented him of his wickedness, saying what have I done. Thus it may also be taken 2. Cor. 11: 21.- & that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, & have not Repented of the uncleanness & fornication & lasciviousness, which they have committed. Here, I say, it may be looked upon as mostly denoting this part of Repentance; though not as excluding the other parts.
2. Some time it denoteth mostly a change of former courses & ways; whether of error, as 2. Tim. 2: 25. If God per adventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; or of Conversation, called Repentance from dead works Heb. 6: 1. So 2. Chron. 7: 14. it is called a turning from their evil ways & from sins Ezek. 18: 21. It was said to Simon Magus Act. 8: 22. repent of this thy wickedness. See Rev. 2: 21, 22.
3. Sometime it denoteth the whole work of Conversion & turning unto God, Act. 26: 20 - that they should Repent & turn to God, where the latter expression is but exegetick of the former. So also Act. 3: 19. Repent ye therefore & be converted: where both expressions denote one & the same thing, the last being explicative of the former Ezek. 18: 30. Repent & turn yourselves. And this is imported by many Synonimous expressions, in the Old Testament, as Seeking the Lord Deut. 4: 29. Turning to the Lord verse. 30. Returning to the Lord. Hos 5: 4. Seeking the face of God 2. Chron. 7: 14. & the like. See also Revel. 3: 19.
4. It is sometimes expressly distinguished from Godly sorrow, & mentionned as a Consequent, or fruit & effect of it 2. Cor. 7: 9 - ye sorrowed to Repentance. 10. for Godly sorrow worketh Repentance.
5. Sometime it is express distinguished from Faith, as Act. 20; 21 - Repentance toward God, & faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. 6: 1. not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, & of faith towards God. So Ier. 31: 19. after I was turned (that is wrought up to faith) I repented.
6. Sometime it signifieth nothing else, upon the matter but a receiving of the Gospel & a believing in Christ, not only Mark. 1: 15. repens ye & believe the Gospel; where the later is explicative of the former, but also in many other places, where John Bapist 's ministry is spoken of, the sum whereof is said to have been Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Mat. 3: 2. and his baptism was called the Baptism of Repentance Mark. 1: 4 or unto Repentance Mat. 3: 11. See also Luk. 3: 3. Act. 13: 24. Now, that this preaching of Repentance, & Baptism of or unto Repentance, which is said to have been John's ministry, & work, was the preaching of Faith in the Messiah, Paul telleth us expressly Act. 19 4. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of Repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him, which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. So that, by this Commentary of Paul's, we understand both what was the scope of his Baptism of Repentance, & also what was the meaning of his calling on his hearers to Repent, to wit, to embrace Christ, who came after him, & to believe in him. And by this Commentary, we may understand the purpart of Christ's preaching Mat. 4: 17. from that time Jesus began to preach, & to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And this is called Mark. 1: 14. the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. As also of the preaching of the Apostles & Seventy disciples, when they were sent to say, the Kingdom of God was come, or is nigh unto you Luk. 10: 9. Mat. 10: 7. which is called the Gospel Luk. 9: 6. and Repentance Mark. 6: 12. they went out & preached that men should Repent. By this also we may understand the meaning of these & the like passages Mat. 9: 13 - I am not come to call the Righteous, but sinners to Repentance. So Mark. 2: 17. Luk. 5: 32. as likewise of that passage Luk. 15: 7, 10 - joy in heaven, over one person, that repenteth: for this is Christ's saving of the man, that was lost Mat. 18: 11. Luk. 15: 4. & 19. 10. See also Mat. 11: 20. Act. 2: 38. & 11: 18. & 26: 18. & 20. compared together.
7. Sometime it denoteth a recovery from some measure of defection, into which persons are backslidden, as Revel. 2: 5. Remember therefore, from whence thou art fallen, & Repent, & do shy first works. So Ch. 3: 3. Remember therefore, how thou hast received, & heard, & hold fast, & Repent.
8. Sometime it is distinguished from works of Obedience, that follow upon it & flow from it; as Mat. 3: 8. bring forth fruits meet for Repentance, that is fruits suiting or answerable unto a Christian state, or a state of believing in Christ, which before we saw was denoted by John's Baptism. So Luk. 3: 8. & Act. 26: 10.
9. Sometime it includeth all, that is required, in order to Salvation, upon man's part, as 2 Pet. 3: 9 - not willing that any should pert • h, but that all should come to Repentance. So that Repentance includeth all, that is requisite to escape perishing. So Luk. 13: 3, 5 - except ye Repent ye shall all likewise perish. So also Act. 5: 31. to give Repentance to Israel, & Remission of sins; where, as Remission of sins may comprehend all the spiritual favors and privileges, which Christ bestoweth, so Repentance may include all the gra • es & blessings, which he bestoweth, in order to the actual participating of these privileges. Thus we may understand it Act. 17: 30. but now commandeth all men everywhere to Repent, that is, by the preached Gospel, wherever it cometh, commandeth all men to relinquish their courses of vanity & to embrace the Gospel of Salvation, & to walk accordingly. So Luk. 24: 47. And that Repentance & Remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations: which is the short sum of the Apostles Commission, to wit, to exhort to all Christian duties, imported by Repentance; & hold forth all Gospel privileges, as an encouragement thereunto, included in Remission of sins.
Having premitted these things; in order to the clearing of the question, we would know further.
1. That the Question is not, whether the doctrine of Papists about Repentance in order to Justification, be to be owned, in whole, or in part? for none now appeareth in the direct owning of their Assertions, who commonly are utterly ignorant of true Justification, as different from Sanctification, as may sufficiently appear by the very naming of their positions for (1) They look upon Repentance as having force & efficacy to expel sin, as light hath to expel darkness, taking Remission to be a destroying of the very being of sin, & expelling of Corruption by contrary gracious Qualities, & inherent Holiness, of which they make Repentance a part. (2) They make Repentance concur, as a material cause dssposing the soul for receiving a gracious Quality, for the expelling of sin. (3) They make Repentance to obtain pardon by way of merit, and (4) by way of Satisfaction. Not to mention (5) their Sacrament of Penance. All which the Reader will find not only rejected; but also shortly & solidly confused by worthy & judicious Mr. Durham in his Comment, on the Revel. in that digression on Repentance. pag. 251.
2. Nor is the Question, whether the Lord call for Repentance as a duty, at the hands of such as either are to be Justified, or are already Justified? for both these we willingly grant, as being divine truths, richly confirmed in the Scriptures, what ever Antinomians say to the contrary.
3. Nor is the Question, whether Repentance be a Condition of the Covenant, or not? For if by a Condition of the Covenant, we understand every thing, that is a duty, required of the Covenanters, it is readily granted, as was said, that Repentance is a duty required of such as are really in Covenant with God; but if by a Condition of the Covenant be meaned a duty required in order to the closing of the Covenant, or entering into Covenant, upon the performing of which the Covenant is immediately closed & entered into, this • s denied; and abundantly confuted by Mr. Durham, in the forecited Digression.
4. But the Question is, if Repentance hath the same Place, Office, Use & Consideration in Justification, that Faith hath; so that it may be every way as well, & as fully called the Coudition of Justification, as Faith is; & so that it is called for in order to Justification, upon the same account, and under the same formality, that Faith is called for. Socinians & Arminians (as we heard above) join Repentance & Faith, in the same Order & Place, & ascribe the same Office Use & Power unto both, in order to Justification. And Mr. Baxter tells us Confess. pag. 37. n. 19. That Repentance is made by God, in the Gospel, a proper Condition of our first general pardon of sin, as well as Faith is. And he laith down a ground for this interest of Repentance (which, I suppose, will reach to the including of other works also) in the foregoing n. 18. saying, a quatenus ad omne vale • consequentia. If faiths formal interest in pardon be, as it is the Condition of the act of pardon, then whatsoever is such a Condition, must have the same Kind of formal interest, as faith. By the first general purdon of sin here, he meaneth Justification; for with him Remission of sins & Justification is all one thing. And yet afterward pag. 96. Concl. 29. he hath words, which would seem to give some peculiar interest unto Faith; & so contradict what is here said, for he saith, If any say, that seeing faith hath a peculiar aptitude to this office, therefore it must have a peculiar Interest. I answer, so it hath. For I, it doth alone, without (merits, or) any positive Gospel works of obedience (as such at least) procure (as far as belongs to its office) our first full Justification. 2. The love of Christ received, Gratitude &c. are but as modification of Faith, which is called the receiving itself. Though some of them be distinct physical acts, yet all the rest, morally considered, are but as it were, the modification of faith: I mean of that act, which is the acceptance of Christ, & life freely given &c. Now, I suppose, he will grant (as he doth above, as we may see) that Repentance hath not that peculiar aptitude, to this office, that Faith hath; & consequently cannot have that peculiar Interest, as he confesseth: I suppose also, that he will put Repentance, in the same rank with Gospel-Works of Obedience; & consequently it must no more share of that special Interest, that belongeth to Faith, in this office, than they: I suppose likewise, that he will grant Repentance to be but, a Modification of Faith, as well, as Love & Gratitude: and then I would know, how Repentance can be said to be as proper a Condition of Justification, as Faith is? Sure, if it be as proper, it must have as peculiar an interest, for this peculiarity of Interest cannot respect its aptitude merely, but its de •• gned & appointed state, in that office; other ways the objection, which he moved, and answered, should have this sense, seeing Faith hath a peculiar aptitude to this office; therefore it must have a peculiar aptitude to this office, which were non sense.
Now that Repentance hath not the same Interest in Justification, that Faith hath, we judge evident from these grounds.
1. The Scripture tells us, that we are justified by Faith, and that several times, & not only saith it, but proveth it, as we saw above: But it nowhere saith, that we are justified by Repentance. And reason would require, that such as say, that Repentance hath the same Interest in Justification, that faith hath, should tell us, where it is said, we are justified by Repentance: for when it is thus said of Faith, & nowhere thus said of Repentance: there must be a vast difference, as to their interest in Justification; unless they can give us some Scripture expressions concerning the Interest of Repentance, equivalent to this, we are justified by Repentance. If it be said. That this is equipollent when it is said, Repent that your sins may be blotted out: & Repentance & Remission of sins are joined together & the like. I answer, Leaving the particular examination of these & the like passages alleged, until afterward, I shall only say this at present. (1) That justification & Remission of sins are not every way the same. Though Mr. Baxter hath several times said it; yet in his Catholic. Theolog. of God's Covenant &c. Sect. XIII. n. 203. he saith our first constitutive justification is in its own Nature a Right to impunity (& this, as he oft elsewhere tells us, is Remission) & to life or glory. Now what is beside a Right to Impunity, also a Right to life & glory, is more than Remission of sins: And therefore the consequence from Remission to Justification cannot stand. (2) In like manner, because it is said Luk. 6: 37 - forgive & it shall be forgiven you, it may be inferred, that for-giving of our Neighbor some fault, that he hath done us, is the Condition of our Constitutive Justification, & hath as great an interest in our Justification, as Faith it se • f, and by it we have as really Right to impunity, and Right to life & glory, as by Faith. It is true, Mr. Allen will not think this very absurd, who reasometh from this same passage, not far otherwise. In his discourse of the two Covenants. pag. 52. Yet I suppose, others will: & I doubt, if Mr. Baxter shall make this one & the same thing with Faith, as he laboreth in his Catholic Theol. to make Faith & Repentance one.
It will be said, when we are said to be Justified by Faith, it is all one, as if we were said to be Justified by Repentance: for Mr. Baxter cleareth, Of God's Govern. Sect. XII. how Faith & Repentance is all one thing. I Ans. (1) if the Spirit of the Lord had but once said, in his word, that we were justified by Repentance, we might then be allowed, to think of such explications, as might make either both one thing, or show, how both hath the same interest in Justification: but when the Scripture never once saith, that we are justified by Repentance, for us to devise such explications, as to make the Scripture speak what it never speaketh, is not fair, nor is it to edification, because it hath no tendency to explain the matter, as expressed in the Scriptures; and is so far from clearing up the truth, that it darkeneth all; for hereby we are taught to understand faith, wherever we hear of Repentance, & Repentance, where mention is made of Faith; so that we may ascribe all to Repentance, that is spoken of Faith Heb. 11. & say, that Repentance is the substance of things hoped for, & the evidence of things not seen &c. (2) Though it is true, the word Repentance (as we have seen) is sometime taken so largely, as to include faith; yet that will not allow us, to say, we are Justified by Repentance, as we are justified by Faith: It is best for us to follow Scripture language: The Scripture expressly denieth, that we are justified by works; & yet Repentance is sometimes, taken in such a large sense, as to include all acts of Obedience; This way then would allow us to sav, we are justified by all works of obedience, (even as to constitutive Justification) as we are by Faith: Yet Mr. Baxter in his Confess. p. 89, 90. putteth a difference betwixt Faith & Evangelic Obedience as to this Constitutive Justification, making the one, like consent to marriage relation, or taking one to be my Captain; & the other like conjugal fidelity & obedience, or obeying the captain, & sighting under him, & tells us, that he no more compriseth all Obedience in Faith, than conjugal obedience in the marriage consent. (3) That Repentance is not the same with Faith in the matter of justification; (in reference to which, we now speak of both) will appear from our following reasons: So that whatever pains be taken to make them one, on other accounts, will be to no purpose, as to our present business.
2. If Repentance have the same interest in Justification, that Faith hath, then works shall have the same interest with Faith; but this is diametically opposite to all the Apostles dispute Rom. 3. & 4. & Gal. 2. & 3. The reason of the Consequence is, because Repentance includeth works, & is a special work & act of obedience itself Mr. Baxter tells Confess. p. 94. That Paul's scope is both to take down Moses's Law (especially its necessity & conceited sufficiency) & the Dignity of legal works (& consequently of any works) & that therefore by works Paul meaneth to exclude only merits, or works, which are conceited Meritorious, or which for the worth of the dead done, should procure Pardon & acceptance with God, without a Mediators blood; & so Paul himself described the works, that he speaketh against. Rom. 4: 4. That they are such as make the Reward to be not of Grace, but of debt. Ans. This is but the same we heard before from John Godwine, and the same answer may suffice. (1) If the scope of Paul had been only to take down Moses's Law; why did he speak so much of the Gentiles, & show how they were all under sin, & therefore must be justified by Faith, & not by the Law, or by works? This had no manifest tendency to that scope. (2) Why brought he in the Instance of Abraham, who was before the Law of Moses? Abraham's not being justified by works, could not prove the insufficiency of Moses's Law thereunto: (3) To think, that the Jews did conceit, that they would obtain Pardon & Acceptance with God, only by their laborious performance of Ceremonies & costly Sacrifices, excluding all Moral acts of obedience, is apparently groundless; contrary to Rom. 9: 30, 31, 32. & 10: 3, 4, 5. & would say, that Paul took not a right medium to destroy that conceit, for his nearest & surest course had been to have shown the nullity of that Law, now under the Gospel; hereby all occasion of further debate being perfectly removed. (4) Paul is so far Rom. 4: 4. from describing the works, that he speaketh of, to be such only as make the reward of debt, that he proveth that Justification cannot be by works, by this medium, because then the reward should be reckoned, not of grace, but of debt, and so telleth us, that all work make the reward of debt: This is a manifest perversion of the Apostles argument: for he saith not, now to him, that so worketh, as to conceit his works meritorious, the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt; but now to him that worketh: far less can this be the meaning or construction of the words, now to him, that maketh the reward to be not of grace, but of debt: for what sense is here? And further the meaning of the following words must accordingly be this; but to him that so worketh, as not to make the reward of debt but of grace, his working is counted for Righteousness. While as the Apostle saith a plain other thing. But to him, that worketh not, but believeth on him, that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Sure, working without this conceit of merit, is not believing on him, that justifieth the ungodly, neither are these works counted for Righteousness; for holy Abraham wrought without that conceit & yet he was not justified by works, verse. 2, 3. Nor did David mean, that man's blessedness did consist in the imputation of such works; nor did he describe that blessedness, when he said, blessed are they, whose iniquities are forgiven &c. Consider 1. Cor. 4: 4, Ephes. 2: 9. Phil. 3: 9. Tit. 3: 5.
3. Repentance hath no instrumental acting on Christ & his Righteonsness, in order to our being justified. But Faith hath this, as was shown in the foregoing Chapter. Therefore Repentance hath not the same Interest in Justification, that Faith hath. It is requisite & necessary, in order to our Justification, that we be clothed with a Righteousness, even the Surety-Righteousness of Christ: and Faith only can lay hold on this & put it on, & not Repentance. Repentance doth not act so upon anything without a man, to bring it home that it may become the man's Righteousness, it hath other work, & acteth upon another object, upon sin within the man. It is true Mr. Baxter in his Catholic Theol. of God's Government Sect. XI. will have faith rather to be called a receiving cause than an Instrumental, & a medium or dispositive cause of the effect, justification as as received, but not as given. And then Sect. XII. he calleth Repentance a disposit to materiae recipientis too, & a part of the condition of the Covonant. But we think it needless here to distinguish, with him, betwixt, receiving Justification, & being Justified, we do not call Faith an Instrument of God's act Justifying, as was said above. If Faith & Repentance be dispositive causes of the effect & causa dispositiva be part of the causa materialis, as he also saith, I suppose, they are not mere causae sine quibus non; as he said elsewhere. But to our business, we have cleared before, how • aith acteth in the matter of Justification, how it receiveth an imputed Righteousness & laith hold on this Surety-Righteousness of Christ & applieth it, to the end, the accused impeached man may have wherewithal he may stand before the Tribunal of God, & be accepted of as Righteous, in his Cautioner, & through his Cautioners Righteousness imputed to him, & now received by Faith: & though Mr. Baxter do account Faith's accepting of Christ, & life offered on that condition, only its aptitude to the office, & that the formal reason of its office as to our Justification, is its being the performed condition of the Covenant, as he there speaketh; yet that will not invalidat our argument: for (1) Faiths aptitude (as he calleth it) or rather its work & acting in Justification, is not merely an accepting of Christ, & life offered on that condition; but it is the accepting, laying hold on, leaning to, & applying the Surety-Righteousness of Christ, presupposing the accepting of Christ himself. (2) Though it may be said, that the nearest formal Reason of Faiths office, is the Lord's appointment; yet this being too too Philosophical here contributeth nothing to the clearing up of the matter, in order to practice, so neither was Philosophical accuracy the ground whereupon they went, who said, that Faiths interest in Justification, was as an Instrument, but rather their end was to clear the matter in order to Practice; so as poor souls might not fall into mistakes; & this I judge to be the best Theological acuracie, howbeit he should account many such speeches nothing but unintelligible phrases, and such doctrine to contain such senselessness & consequents, as the opening up of would offend, as he there speaketh. (3) It is certain, that Repentance doth not so act on Christ, and his Surety-Righteounsness, in order to Justification, as Faith doth, Repentance, as such is no acceptance of a free gift, far less of a gift of Righteousness, & of an Atonement there-through; Repentance acteth not thus on Christ: Yea the reason he giveth Confess. p. 39. why Repentance was made a condition of pardon, doth sufficiently show, that it cannot have that interest, that Faith hath. His reason is this. Because without it (Repentance) God & the Redeemer cannot have their end in pardoning us; Nor can the Redeemer do all his work, for which we do accept him: for his work is, upon the pardoning of us, to bring us back in heart & life to God; from whom we were fallen & strayed. This was Christ's work. Therefore the condition, which Christ maketh, are, as if he should say, If you will be saved by me, & are willing that I shall bring you back to God, I will both bring you into his favor by Pardon, and into a capacity of personal pleasing & enjoying of him. Now, our Repentance is our consent to return to God, & the change of our minds, by turning from former sin, that was our idol, & being willing by Christ to be restored to obedience. By this, I say, it is clear, that Repentance hath a more direct aspect upon, & reference to the consequences of Pardon & Justifiction itself; we grant its necessity unto all the ends mentioned, and its necessary presence in such as are Justified; & that its contrary, or positive impenitency, cannot consist with Faith, in such as are to be Justified: Yet that will not give ground to infer, that it hath the same Interest, Influence & Consideration, in Justification, that Faith hath.
Mr. Baxter In his Confess. p. 39, 40. seemeth to grant this whole Argument, when he expresseth himself thus. This I say, that man may see, I do not level Faith with Repentance, much less (as they charge me) with actual external works of obedience, which in this first remission & justification, I take not to be so much, as existent. What he addeth concerning the Ratio forma • ts, why faith or Repentance have such an interest in our Pardon, to wit, because God hath made them the Conditions of the promise, cannot hinder our conclusion, until first it be proved, that God hath made Repentance such a Condition, we are speaking here of the difference, that is betwixt the two, as to their Nature & Aptitude, which he confesseth to be very great, & also as to their place & use because of the great difference, that is betwixt them, as to Nature & Aptitude.
4. If the Interest of Faith be not, as it is a work, or inward grace. inherent in the soul, but as such a going out of the soul from itself, & all its own inherent good, and from all external privileges, or what may be called adherent personal good, unto an offered Mediator, that it may embrace him, & lay hold on, and lean to his fide jussorie -Righteousness; then Repentance cannot share in this Interest with it. But the former is true. Therefore &c. The Conncection may be cleared from what is already said: we are not speaking of that here which Mr. Baxter will have to be the nearest formal reason, nor of that only, which he will have to be its nature & aptitude: but of its Use & proper Actings in this office, in reference to the end, Justification; which are such, as cannot agree to Repentance, as is manifest. Himself tells us in his Confess. p. 89, 90. That he takes Repentance to be to our faith in Christ, as the breaking off from other Suitors & Lovers, & turning the mind to this one, is to Marriage. Whereby we see, that though Repentance be necessarily required, in one that is a believer, and that faith can not be without Repentance; Yet Repentance hath no place in the office of Justification, it hath no plain formal & immediate interest in the receiving of Justification; as that turning to the mind from other Suitors to that one hath no formal interest or place, in closing the Marriage Covenant, though it be a very necessary prerequisite unto right closing & consenting the marriage Covenant. This giveth ground for another Argument.
5. As upon the account that a woman hath changed her mind from other Suitors, to one, it cannot be said or inferred, that therefore the Marriage Relation is made up with that one Suitor; which is done only by a formal full & explicit Consent: so upon the account that one is a penitent, it cannot be formally inferred, that that persons is in Covenant with Christ, and is Justified. Because as Mr. Baxter hath told us, Repentance is unto Faith, but as the woman's changing her mind from other Suitors to one, is to the consenting unto the Marriage proposal. And if upon a Persons being a Penitent it cannot be formally inferred, that he is in Covenant with God & a Justified person, then Repentance hath not that interest in Justification, that Faith hath, for upon a man's believing, it can formally & immediately be inferred, that he is in Covenant, and is Justified. I say formally; because consequentially it will also follow, that a Penitent man (meaning one that is truly penitent) is justified, upon this account, that where ever there is true Repentance, there is also true Faith: But as the change of the woman's mind is not formally the making up of a marriage Covenant; So neither is Repentance that, which formally constitutes a man a Covenanter with Christ, and a Justified person, only Faith doth this; as the woman's consent maketh up the marriage-Relation.
6. I • Repentance hath the same interest in Justification with Faith; then as our Adversaries say, that Faith is imputed to us, as our Gospel Righteousness; so must they say, that our Repentance is imputed to us for Righteousness. But, beside the reasons, whereby we proved above, that Faith was not imputed to us, as our Gospel Righteousness, which will also serve here, mutatis mutandis, we may add this, that there is nothing in Scripture giving the least countenance hereunto, even as to words or expressions.
7. If Repentance have such an interest in Justification, as Faith hath, then this must either be true of Repentance as begun, or as perfected (I mean as to p • rts) But of neither it can be true; not of begun Repentance, for questionless there are some beginnings of Repentance before Faith; (taking Repentance largely, as it is here taken,) as the woman's change of her mind from other Suitors, is before her closing a Marriage Covenant with this man & then it would follow, that a man were Justified before Faith; which I suppose will not be said. Not of compleeted Repentance, for that followeth faith; for thus it followeth godly sorrow, 2. Cor. 7: 10. and is expressed by that Carefulness, Clearing of ourselves, Indignation, Fear, Vehement desire, Zeal, & Revenge, mentioned 2. Cor. 7: 11. all which must follow Faith; And repenting Ephraim Ier. 31: 19. said, after I was turned, I repented; & after I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded &c. This being instructed, & being turned includeth Faith; & the rest, that followed upon it, are expressions of Repentance: and hence it would follow, if only compleeted Repentance be that Repentance, that hath the Interest in justification that Faith hath, a man cannot be said to be justified upon his believing, no not until Repentance be brought to this Perfection; And then Faith cannot be the consenting act, whereupon the bargane is closed.
8. Repentance can bring nothing in, that can stay, or prove a support unto an awakened soul, pursued with the sense of wrath for the breach of the Law; nor can it present anything unto God, as a ground, whereupon to be delivered from guilt & wrath, as Faith can do & doth, by laying hold on Christ & his Righteousness, an only sufficient ground, whereupon the poor soul can have hope, and with confidence can expect Absolution: Therefore it cannot have the same interest, in justification. The antecedent is clear, & undeniable, & the Consequence is also manifest; because this interest in the matter of justification must be estimate according to the ground of Hope, that is yielded thereby unto the poor vexed & tossed soul, & the ground of Confidence that is had thereby of Acceptance of God.
9. To say, that Repentance hath the same interest in justification, that Faith hath, will prove, I judge, dangerous doctrine to many poor wakened sinners; & prove a mean to keep them off the Rock of ages, and at least, a mean to hinder or retard their motion Christ-ward, in order to Peace & Reconciliation with God: for experience teacheth such, as deal with wakened Consciences, that the most of their work oft times is to keep them from resting on someting within themselves, in order to Peace, and particularly from relying & resting upon some sort of Griefe, Sorrow, or Repentance, which they conceive to be in themselves & to b • ing them unto a cleanly resting upon Christ & his Righteousness, forsaking all other things: And when now they hear, that Repentance hath the same interest in justification that Faith hath, how will they be fortified in their Resolutions, so that all the labor & pains of Ministers, or other Christians may prove much fruitless, unless the Lord come in a wonderful manner, & many others may perish in their presumptuous thoughts, founded on their inward Sorrow & Repentance, as they supposed, because they would never go out of themselves to lean to Christ & his Righteousness. It is true, These of the contrary mind, press not Repentance alone, but Faith & Repentance together. Yet by their way, I find not the right Gospel-exercise of Faith-pressed, that is, faith bringing in an imputed Righteousness, or laying hold on Christ for Righteousness, & refuging the Soul in Him, & resting upon that, as the only & absolutely surest ground of Confident appearing before God, and of expecting Pardon & Peace; but only such or such an act of faith pressed, as being now under the New Covenant in the same place, that Perfect Obedience had in the Old, whereby, as the Old Covenant is but renewed, so the wakened or alarmed sinner is but taught to look after & lean to something within himself, as his immediate Righteousness, upon which he must be justified.
10. If the Surety-Righteousness of Christ imputed by God, & received by Faith, be only that Righteousness, upon the account of which, the poor sinner is to be accepted of God as Righteous, & to be absolved from the Curse of the Law; As we have above proved it to be; then Repentance cannot have the same interest in justification, that Faith hath; because it neither doth, nor can so lay hold upon this Cautionary-Righteousness, as Faith doth. Or we might frame the argument thus. If Repentance have the same interest in justification, that Faith hath, Christ's Cautionary-Righteousness shall not be the only Righteousness, with which, the soul that is to be justified, must be clothed; because Repentance cannot put on Christ & his Righteousness, as faith doth. But this last cannot be said, for reasons given already.
11. If Repentance hath the same interest in justification, that faith hath, then even by Gospel justification, there should be ground left to man, to boast, & to glory before men; & the reward should not be of grace, but of debt; contrary to Rom. 3. &. 4. The Consequence is clear, because Repentance acteth not on a Righteousness without us; and can be considered no other way, then as an act of Obedience in man, and so as a work: and Faith by this way goeth under the same Consideration; & is not considered, as bringing-in the Surety-Righteousness of Christ, and laying hold on it alone; (as it is by our way) for both are looked upon as dispositive causes, and as parts therefore of the material cause, and as proper potestative conditions, just as perfect obedience was under the Old Covenant. And whatever difference be acknowledged to be betwixt them, as to their Essence & Aptitude, whereby Faith is said to be an acceptance of the gift formally, Repentance not so, in its averting act (as Mr. Baxter is speaking Cath. Theol. ubi supra Sect. XII. n. 201.) whatever it may be as to other acts: yet they are both made formal Potestative conditions, as is said, & so solely considered, as works done by us: and all such, as was evidenced above, make the reward of debt, & give ground of boasting; because, being our formal works, they are made the immediate & formal, legal ground of our Justification, being made our immediate, formal & perfect Gospel-Righteousness; as was seen above.
12. Add to these. That if Repentance have the same Interest in Justification, that Faith hath, God cannot be believed on, as the justifier of the ungodly, contrary to Rom. 4: 5. for Faith & Repentance are hereby made the man's personal Righteousness, and Mr. Baxter tells us Confess. p. 46. n. 38. that there is no such thing in rerum natura, as a true Righteousness, which doth not formaliter make the person so far Righteous. Now a Righteous man cannot be an ungodly man; that were a contradiction. It is not here enough to say, that the man is ungodly before he be Justified; for in the act of justifying, or while he is a justifying, he is considered, not as ungodly, but as Righteous, yea antecedenter to his being Justified, he is considered as a Righteous man, & is therefore justified because Righteous in himself, having performed the conditions, whereby he becometh personally Righteous. And therefore while he is justified, God doth not justify an ungodly man. But it will be said, that this will as well follow upon our way. I Ans. Not at all, because though we place Faith in priority of Nature, before Justification, yet we make not faith a personal Righteousness; so that while the believer is justified, a man guilty in himself & void of all Righteousness in himself, is justified; so that God justifieth an ungodly man. But it will be said. By our way, the believer is considered as clothed with Christ's Righteousness; & upon that account, cannot be called nor accounted an ungodly man. I Ans. He is still, notwithstanding an ungodly man in himself, having nothing, wherewith to satisfy justice, or to procure Peace to himself; but what he hath imputed to him, from a Cautioner: And thus God is justifier of the ungodly, in himself; that by his faith proclaimeth himself such & one that is not in case to pay one farthing of his own debt.
Other Arguments may be brought from our foregoing debate against the Imputation of Faith, in a proper sense, and Faiths justifying as a work, I shall now proceed to examine what is alleged for the Interest of Repentance.
Obj. 1. Mr. Baxter. In his Confession pag. 37. n. 19. citeth some passages of Scripture, whereby he thinks to prove, that Repentance is made by God, in the Gospel, a proper Condition of our first general Pardon of sin, as well as Faith is. The first whereof is Luk 13: 35. But this I judge is miscited, there being nothing there, that looketh here away possibly it should be Luk. 13. v. 3, 5. & of this place, we will have occasion to speak afterward. The next he citeth is Act. 3: 19. Repent ye therefore, & be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Ans. But (1) Repent here cannot be meaned of the acting of that Repentance, whereof we are here speaking, to wit, of that particular & special grace, which is distinct from Faith, & that because of the exegetical term added, & be converted. So that Repent here can denote nothing else, but a turning from all their sinful opinions & ways, and an embraceing the Gospel way of Salvation, that thereby they may be saved forever. And (2) Neither is the Apostle speaking here of constitutive justification, or of our first general Pardon; but of a blotting out of sins a long time hereafter, to wit, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, at his second coming, as the following verses show. So that (3) As by this blotting out of sins, all the favors & great rewards of free grace, which the Righteous judge will give in that day, are signified, or comprehended under it, which he mentioned especially, that it might suite the charge of the grievous guilt of killing the Prince of life, which he was laying home upon them; so under the other two terms, of Repenting & being Converted the whole of the duties, required in the Gospel, are to be understood. If it be said. That Repent & be Converted is as much as Repent & believe, & so the Particular grace of Repentance is here understood. I Ans. (1) Then it will follow, that neither are conditions of Pardon here: but both are requi • ed in order to Pardon, at the great day, when Christ shall come agai • e; for the blotting out of sins, here mentioned, is said to be at that time, as the following words clear. (2) This will say only (though it were the true meaning thereof, as it is not) that Repentance is required of those, that would expect of Christ Pardon at his second coming, as well as faith; which we deny not. (3) This Repentance should not be complete Gospel Repentance, because it is anteriour to Conversion, or to Faith, while as the best part of true Repentance followeth, as we cleared above.
Obj. 2. He citeth next Act. 2: 38- Repent & be baptized everyone of you, for the remission of sins. Ans. (1) This would plead for Repentance alone, without Faith. (2) It would plead for as great an interest for Baptism, as for Repentance: Neither of which can be owned, as true. Therefore the true meaning of the place is, Turn from your former way of seeking slavation, by your own corrupt Imaginations & Superstitions, which led you, out of blind zeal, to crucify the Lord Christ; & embrace the Gospel of Salvation, now preached to you through that Lord, whom ye crucified, that ye may receive Remission of sins, through Faith in him; & be baptized, that you may have the outward sign of your professing of having Remission of sins through him, & a seal of Remission, granted to you, through him. And this may be cleared from the promise subjoined, & ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost, which is nowhere promised unto Repentance; but unto the faith of the Gospel, and the receiving of Christ therein, & was accordingl • bestowed Act. 8: 12. with 15, 17. & 9: 17. & 13: 52. & 15: 7, 8. & 19, 1: 2, 6. And what Peter exhorted then unto, they did verse. 41. And what was it, that they did? They gladly received his word, that is; willingly and cheerfully they embraced the Gospel, and so were added to the Church.
Obj. 3. He citeth Act. 26: 20. that they should repent & return to God, and do works, meet for repentance. Ans. But here is no mention made of Justification, or of Remission of sins; And who denieth, but people are to Repent, & return to God, & do works meet for Repentance? This is not the thing, that is here in question. If he mean verse. 18. where it is said. To open their eyes, & to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, & inheritance among them, that are sanctified by Faith, that is in me. I Ans. There is no word of Repentance here, but express mention made of Faith. It is true, turning from darkness to light &e. will include Repentance: Yet it is by Faith, that both Forgivness of sins, & the Inheritance, & Sanctification is had; for by Faith that is in me, may refer to all these three: And though this should be denied; Yet all that could be hence inferred, would amount but to this, That Repentance is necessarily called for in these, who receive forgiveness, and the Inheritance, or would receive them. But all this is nothing to our present question.
Obj. 4. He citeth in the Margine Luk. 24: 47. And that Repentance & Remission of sins should be preached in his name. And Luk. 15: 7. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner, that repenteth. Ans. This last place maketh no mention of Pardon, or of Justification, & only saith, that Repentance will Include Faith, & doth import the whole Conversion of a sinner unto God, whereof Faith in Christ is the first & chief step. As to the other place, we told before, that by Repentance here is understood all that duty, which is called for in the Gospel, this being a short sum of the whole preaching of the Gospel, & that therefore by Remission of sins all the blessings & favors, that sinners need & are promised in the Gosspel, must be understood. So that this maketh nothing against us: Yea if these two expressions were strickly to be taken, it would give ground to infer, that Repentance alone were the Condition of Remission. But what saith all this to the purpose now in hand? do any of these expressions give the least color to infer, that Repentance strickly taken hath the same use & Interest in Justification, that Faith hath?
Obj. 5. Others possibly may urge Act. 8: 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, & pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. Ans. (1) If this place prove anything that way, it will say as much for the Interest of Prayer in Justification, equal to the Interest of Faith; as for the Interest of Repentance. (2) Yea & plead for these only with exclusion of Faith, or at least for the Sufficiency of Repentance & prayer without Faith, which is not here expressly mentioned. (3) But Repent here is taken in a comprehensive sense, as including Faith, its ground & Cause, & whereof it is the expressive evidence, & sensible effect; So that the presence of Repentance in such, as would be Pardoned, may hence be well inferred: which is granted necessary, upon several accounts, but the present question is, whether it hath the same Place, Office & Influence in Justification & Pardon, that Faith hath?
Obj. 6. It may be, some will f • rther object Luk. 13: 3, 5- except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish: And this likely was the passage, which Mr. Baxter cited in the first place, the printer putting verse. 35. for 3. 5. through a mistake. But I Ans. This place only proveth, what is not denied, to wit. That Repentance is necessarily required of such, as would be saved: And if hence it be inferred, that therefore not only its presence, but its interest is the same with Faiths, in Justification; the Interest of good works & of all commanded duties, may be hence inferred to be the same with Faiths, in justification, because these are as necessary, in order to Salvation, as is Repentance.
Obj. 7. Prov. 28: 13. He that covereth his sin, shall not prosper; but who so confesseth & forsaketh them, shall find mercy. Ans. (1) If forsaking of sin be here taken strickly for Repentance, & if this place be urged pertinently to the point now in hand, Confession of sin will be made to have the same influence, & will be made more necessary, than Faith itself, which is not here expressly named. (2) Finding mercy is not strickly to be understood of Justification, or of mere Pardon, but is to be taken more largely for Felicity here & hereafter, as being opposed to a not prospering: And so hence can only be inferred the necessity of the presence of confessing & forsaking of sin, in such as would find grace & mercy in the eyes of the Lord, & would prosper in all their ways.
Obj. 8. Christ is sent, to preach good tidings to the meek, the broken hearted, the mourners, & to such as are under the Spirit of heaviness Isaiah. 61: 1, 2, 3. Ans. This place indeed proveth, that Christ was anointed to preach good tidings unto the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint & give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning & the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; but here, as the Repentance imported is something more than ordinary, as the expressions intimate, so the good, that Christ is here said to be sent to do unto them, is something more than ordinary, to wit, Comfort & Joy in an high measure, which is more than mere Pardon, or Justification; some pardoned & justified may stand in need hereof, being indeed mourners in ashes, & under a spirit of heaviness, notwithstanding of their being in a justified state. So that this place cometh not home to the point now in question.
Obj. 9. Is not this to favoure the Antinomians, who say, that Repentance is needless, and is a mere legal duty, neither to be urged, nor practiced under the Gospel. Ans. Though we say, that Repentance hath not the same Place, Office & Interest in & about Justification & Remission of sins, that Faith hath; Yet we give no countenance unto the Antinomian error, because we affirm Repentance to be necessary, in all such as are Justified, and the real beginnings of Gospel Repentance to be also necessary, unto such as are to be justified, I say the beginnings, because I conceive, the principal parts or workings of saving & Gospel-Repentance follow faith, and upon Faith in Christ is the union betwixt Christ & the Believer made, and the man brought into a justified state. Seeing then we press & urge the exercise of Repentance as a constant duty, & require it in all such, as would enjoy Peace & Comfort here, & be saved here after, we yield nothing unto the Antinomians. And against them we urge the same Scriptures, that have now been alleged, & others also, as irrefragable proofs of the necessity of this grace, though to other ends, than to be justified thereby, in such manner, as we are said to be Justified by Faith.
Obj. 10. Do not our Divines ordinarily say & prove, that Faith & Repentance are Conditions of the Covenant of Grace. I Ans. True, but their meaning is not, that Repentance is the same way a Condition of Justification, that faith is; but that term, Conditions of the Covenant they take largely, to wit, to signify & import the duties required of such, as are within the Covenant of Grace; & not strickly, for Conditions of entering into Covenant; These two are carefully to be distinguished: many things may be called the Conditions of marriage, that is, duties of married persons to other, that cannot be called Conditions of making up the marriage Relation, as is manifest; & so is it here. Many duties are required of Believers, that neither are, nor can be called Conditions of Justification, or of entering into Covenant with God.
Obj. 11. But do not many both in sermons & in writings, even when speaking of Pardon & of justification, join Repentance with faith? Ans. It may be so; but their meaning is not, I conceive, to give an equal share of Interest, Power & Office in & about justification, unto Repentance, with that, which they acknowledge Faith to have, but either their purpose is, hereby to show the inseparable connection, that is betwixt faith & Repentance, or to show, that they speak of that faith, which is attended with this necessary Grace of Repentance, & doth effectually work the same; or both rather: So that their true meaning is, to give the due privilege & interest unto that saith, which can prove itself to be real & true justifying faith, by effectuating Repentance, never to be repented of; and thus they withal satisfy an Objection, or question, that might be made, if they had mentioned faith alone; for it might be inquired, How shall we know, whether our faith be of the right kind, or not? Now their joining of Repentance with faith, doth shortly answer this question; Repentance being a concomitant, and a fruit of true faith, & more sensibly felt, & obvious to their perception, might be to them a vive & perceptible expression of true & justifying faith.
Obj. 12. But seeing faith by some is called, that which doth morally qualify the subject to be a fit patient so be justified: why may not Repentance have an equal share in this moral Qualification, with Faith? I Ans. If we should make faith to have no other Interest in justification, than Repentance hath, or may be yielded to have, we may easily grant, that Repentance hath the same & equal Interest with faith: but it is denied, that faith hath no other Interest, but as that, which doth morally qualify &c. drieness in wood may qualify it for the fire, & yet the wood may be long so, before it become the subject of fire; & so may it be with moral qualifications: many a man may be morally qualified to be a fit match for such a woman; or a woman for such a man; & yet the marriage Relation never be made up betwixt them: But this cannot be said of faith, whereby the marriage is made, & the person is actually justified, & not a bare fit patient to be justified.
CHAP. XXX
Whether Love, purpose of Obedience, or perseverance be Conditions of Justification.
BY what is said, in our foregoing discourse, we may know, what is to be answered unto these Questions, so that we need not insist long, in the discussing of them. Some of late lay down for a ground (and hereby give occasion to discuss these and such like questions) that whatever is or may be called a • the Covenant of Grace, is, upon that account, & may be called, the Condition of Justification; thus confounding the whole order of the Gospel, & making all duties, required of such, as are in Covenant, & ordained of God for other ends & uses, to be required as Conditions of entering in Covenant, and to have the same use and end in & unto justification, which faith hath; contrary to express Scripture, saying, that we are justified by faith, & not by works of Righteousness, which we do, and contrary to the whole method of the Gospel, & grounds laid down therein, for an acceptable performance of obedience.
As to Love, Papisit's make it the form (as they speak) of faith, not in itself simply considered, but in order to Justification & Salvation thereby, saying that faith without Love is dead: And it is true, that true & saving faith worketh by Love: and that faith cannot be called Saving or Justifying, which doth not excite unto acts of Love, and many may deceive themselves with a faith, that will not be found, when tried, to be of the right stamp: as the Apostles James teacheth. But yet they put no specific difference, commonly, betwixt this dead faith & faith informed; for both (as to what is essential & intrinsik to faith, which they hold to be an assent unto all things, revealed by the Lord unto men, upon the account of the Veracity and Authority of the Revealer) are one & the same; so as one and the same faith may be sometime dead, when to wit, not working by Love, & sometime lively, when formed with Love. But of these things we need not here speak: only we see, that with them, Love is in a manner more necessary unto Justification, than faith; & must be looked on, as a necessary condition thereunto, even as that, without which faith can do nothing. And to confute this here is but vain. seeing it shall serve nothing to our purpose; because with them justification is the very same, we call Sanctification.
But others, who have more sound and distinct apprehensions of justification, tell us, That love is the condition of justification, because a condition of the Covenant of Grace; as if all the duties of such, as are in Marriage Relations, were conditions of making up the marriage Relation, Others, who distinguish betwixt Faith & Evangelic Obedience, as betwixt consent to a man's Sovereignty, & obeying him, as Sovereign, as doth Mr. Baxter Confess. p. 89, 90. Yet say, that Love is comprised in Faith, and is some degree of Justifying Faith & not properly a fruit of it; because the wills apprehension of a thing good, or earnest willing & accepting it, is the fame with Love; so is the wills Consenting, Electing & accepting; & all this being in Faith, Love must be comprehended in it; Yea they say, that as Love & Faith are propounded in the Gospel, as of the same necessity, so they are necessary in Justification, & concurrent in apprehending Christ. So spoke Mr. Baxter in his Aphorisms. And in his Confess. p. 34, 35. he saith. Though Charity, as it respecteth other objects, is no part of faith, yet as it respecteth an offered Savior, it is as much essential to faith, to receive Christ with Love, as it is essential to a Savior (the object of faith) to be good for us; for good as good is received by love. Nor was it ever the Intent of the Holy Ghost, to take faith in Christ, in so narrow a sense, as includeth not Love to him, when it is saving Faith, that is spoken of.
In reference to all which, we need say but those few following things.
1. The Scriptures do plainly enough distinguish betwixt Faith & Love, They are reckoned as distinct fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5: 22. Love, joy-faith yea Faith is said to work by love Gal. 5: 6. we hear of the work of faith, and labor of love 1. Thes. 1: 3. we hear of Charity out of a pure heart, & of faith unfeigned. 1. Tim. 1: 5. And the grace of our Lord (saith Paul 1. Tim. 1: 14) was exceeding abundant, with Faith & Love, which is in Christ Jesus. We hear of the breastplate of Faith & Love. 1. Thes. 5: 8.
2. The Scriptures do plainly tell us, that we are Justified by Faith, as we heard, but never saith, that we are justified by love: And sure, as it is best for us, to regulate our expressions, according to the Lord's Revelation of this mystery; so it cannot but be offensive to use such expressions, as not only are not scriptural, but also seem inconsistent with Scriptural expressions: when the Scripture saith expressly & frequently, that we are Justified by faith, and that in opposition to works, and not only saith it, but proveth it, it cannot be justifiable in us to say, that we are Justified by Love; seeing that would at least seem to cross the Apostle's assertion, the force whereof is (as ours abundantly evince against the Papists ) that we are Justified only by Faith, & consequently by no other grace: neither by Love, nor by Hope, nor by Patience, &c.
3. By the Scriptures telling us, that we are Justified by Faith, & never saying, that we are Justified by any other grace, as by Love &c. we are given to understand, that Faith hath other Operations, Uses & Ends, in the office of justification, than Love, or any other grace hath: And therefore to insinuate, that love hath the same Interest & Office in & about justification, that Faith hath, is to deny, or overturn the proper & specific actings of Faith, in order to justification: And, how small a matter soever this may appear to be at first; yet, when it is further prosecuted, or the ground of this searched into, or its design & tendency considered impartially, it will befound of a deeper consequence, & to tend to the alteration of the whole specific nature of the Covenant of Grace, as it is distinct from the Covenant of Works: for though both Faith & Love may & must be looked upon, as acting upon the same object Christ; yet when Faith is conceived as acting no other way, than Love, and both, as potestative Conditions, or as parts of one Potestative Condition, and no other way; it is plain enough, how the special actings of faith, in compliance with the design of God's Wisdom, Grace, and Love in the Gospel contrivance, and thereupon in receiving & resting upon Christ, as the alone propitiating Sacrifice, and on his Surety-Righteousness, as that alone, by virtue of which they are to expect Justification & Acceptance with God, & to receive the Atonement, are laid aside: And the believing soul is supposed not to act on Christ, nor apply Him & his Righteousness in order to the being Acquit from the sentence of the Law, & from the Curse, due for the breach of the same, in that particular manner, that both its case & condition requireth, and the Gospel pointeth forth, and the experience of soul, attaining hereby to Peace, doth confirm.
4. It is true, there is Love to Christ, in the soul, that believeth, and it must be so; and it is true also, that this Love is called for in the Gospel; but hence it will not follow, that Love is the Condition of Justification, or that everything, that is present with, or accompanieth faith in justification, hath the same Life, Ends, and Interest in Justification, or the same Influence thereupon, that faith hath; far less will it follow, that that which followeth faith, and whereby faith worketh through all the after-carriage of a Believer, hath the same Place, Power and Interest in & about justification, that faith hath, as we shown above of Repentance.
5. If by this Love nothing else were meaned, but that Love of desire, that necessarily accompanieth the souls accepting, and closing with what is good, or offered as good; sure, it would have given no ground of offense to have called it so, & would have been more acceptable, than to have called it other ways, even though speaking strickly, the Love of desire may be called Love, and is a Love, in its own kind: and therefore, I judge, that denomination might have been rather chosen, which would have given no offense, than the other, which to avoid suspicion and offense, calleth for so much waste of words, to render the expression less, noxious, especially, seeing for all that is said, in clearing of the same, all ground of suspicion is not removed, but that some other thing was intended, than that mere Love of desire, that is inseparable from the will's earnest pursuit after, or embraceing any good thing offered; especiasly when it is said, That John. 16: 27. & 14: 21. make Love the antecedent Condition of God's Love & Christ's Love to the person. And that that goeth with Remission and is a Love of Reconciliation; and Reconciliation comprehendeth Remission: At least you will never show out of Scripture, that the procuring God's Love, and the Procuring Remission & Reconciliation have not the same conditions: for hereby it is manifest, that Love, even as distinct from faith (as it is John. 16: 26 -because ye have loved me & have believed that I am come out from God ) is made as formal & full a Condition of Reconciliation & Pardon, & consequently of justification, as faith his; Yea & that both faith & Love are made Conditions procuring God's Pardon & Reconciliation. Thus speaketh Mr. Baxter against Mr. Cartwright pag. 202. But lest any should think, that either of these places cited should prove, what Mr. Baxter alledgeth them for, it would be considered. (1) That John. 14: 21. He is speaking of such, as are already believers & justified, when he is speaking of such as have already Christ's commandemants, & keep them. (2) He speaketh of the Fathers & of his own Love of such, in the future time, which cannot be meaned in reference to his Disciples, unless we think, they were not yet justified, contrary to the very forgoeing verse, & many other passages in that discourse, particularly Chap. 14: 1, & 15: 3, 4, 5, 9. (3) This is meaned of a Love of Manifestation; as Christ's own words added exegetically declare. And I will Love him & will manifest myself to him. (4) This same sort of expression of Love is also to be understood John. 16. as the whole scope cleareth, this being spoken to persuade them, that they should receive the return of their prayers & should not ask the Father in vain; for such a Love carrieth he towards you (as if he had said) that, in a manner, I need not intercede for you. (5) And so the Love of the disciples here mentioned, is that Love of complacency, which they had in Christ, in abiding still in his Company, and delighting in him, whom they had followed as their Master, all along; and the cause from whence this flowed, is added, and have believed, that I came out from God.
As to the second particular, to wit. Purpose of obedience. M. Baxter in his Aphorisms told us, that as the accepting of Christ for Lord (which is the hearts (Subjection) is as essential a part of justifying faith, as the accepting him for Savior: So consequently, sincere obedience (which is the effect of the former) hath as much to do in justifying us before God, as (some) Affiance, which is the fruit of the latter. Hereby he would seem to give the same Interest unto actual Obedience, in Justification, that he giveth unto Affiance, which cannot be wanting unto Justifying Faith, yea himself confesseth to be an essential act of Faith, in the margin of these words, Printed with Mr. Cartwrights observations and his Reply pag. 204. But in his Confess. (as we heard above) p. 89, 90. he putteth as great a difference betwixt faith, & Evangelic Obedience, as betwixt the Consent to Marriage Relation, and the conjugal Fidelity & Obedience of a wife to her husband: So that hereby it is manifest, that with him, all Obedience cannot comprised in faith, & so cannot be a Condition with Faith of Justification: and this he saith pag. 90. expressly. So that I do no more (as I am accused) comprize all Obedience in Faith, because I comprize a Love to the Redeemer, & a Consent to be governed by him, then I comprize all Coujugal Obedience & Fidelity of a woman to her husband, in the Marriage •• venant or Consent, because I comprize in it Love to the Man & a Covenant of fidelity & obedience to the future. His meaning is not then, that actual Obedience is either a part of faith, or hath the same interest of a Condition in Justification, that faith hath. Therefore he tells us more plainly & positively his meaning, as to this, Confess. pag. 38: 39. n. 22. This Covenant (saith he, meaning the Covenant, that a Believer entereth with Christ, as a Savior, and in him, with the offended majesty ( containeth an engagement to future obedience: So that though our first faith be not the same thing with Obedience to Christ - yet in taking Christ for King, it essentially containeth a Resolution & Covenant to obey him. Hereby we see, that a Resolution, Promise, or Covenant to obey Christ, for the future, is essentially included in faith, as justifying, & consequently that this must be as kindly a part of the Condition of Justification, as anything in Faith. And next, that the ground of this is, because justifying faith, as justifying, doth as kindly & really take Christ for a King, as for a Priest. This is further explained by what he saith immediately before n. 21. The very nature of this saving Faith, is to be a Heart-Covenanting of a Sinner with Christ, as a Savior - Even as is a Covenant of a woman to her husband, a Soldier to his Commander; a Subject to his Prince, a Scholar to his Master; it is our becoming his Disciples.
By which we see these things laid down, as truths to be received.
1. That the souls Covenanting with Christ, or accepting of him, as offered in the Gospel, is like the Covenanting of a woman with her Husband, of a Soldier with his Commander▪ a Subject to his Prince &c.
2. That as the Woman, Soldier or Subject, Resolve, Covenant & Promise to perform obedience unto the Husband, Commander, or King, so the Sinner, in Covenanting with Christ, doth Resolve, Covenant and Promise to perform Obedience unto Him.
3. That therefore, this Resolution, Covenanting & Promising to perform obedience, being essential to Justifying Faith, is a formal Condition of Justification, & the meaning of faiths being the Condition of Justification must be this, the Man's Resolution, Covenanting & Promising to perform Obedience, is the Condition of Justification; or at least this part of faith, as well as others, is the Condition.
4. And the ground of this is, because Justifying faith, even as Justifying, or in order to Justification, acteth as directly & expressly on Christ as a King, as on Christ, as a Priest.
In Answer to which, I shall but briefly say these things.
1. The similitudes adduced halt in one thing, & that one thing, is all, as to our present business. A woman Covenanting with her husband, and thereby promising obedience, or a Soldier with his Commander, or a Subject with his Prince, presuppose & acknowledge, Power & Strength in themselves to perform the obedience promised, & upon the Supposition & Conviction of this power & ability in themselves to perform what shall be commanded, they willingly & of their own accord, promise to put forth that Power, Strength & Ability of theirs, unto the performance of obedience, that shall be required. But it is not so, in our case, The Sinner, who is now supposed to be about Covenanting with Christ, through the Spirit of Conviction, & Humiliation, is put far from all his natural Pelagian conceits & apprehensions of himself, & of his own abilities; He is now made to see, that as he hath nothing at present, wherewith to Satisfie God, for the sins that are charged upon him; nor to allure Christ, to do for him; unless it be wretchedness & misery, that may move Christ to compassionate his case; so he can do nothing for the future, that can be accepted of God, till he be renewed; He is made to see, that there is a Natural Impotency (I mean not a physical impotency, as if he wanted a soul, or Faculties) in him to anything that is good, & a pravitie of Will, whereby it is impossible, that he can do anything, conform to the will of God, until he be Regenerated, made willing by an omnipotent Power, & have a new active Principle of life and grace, given unto him, or infused in him, by the Spirit of Jesus.
2. Whereupon, it is manifest, That a sinner in that plight (& in that Condition we must consider him to be, who is now seeking to be Justified, and to be delivered from the wrath of God for sin) in fleeing to Christ for refnge, cannot be thought to be making any such Promises, or having any such Resolutions, in order to his Justification, and & Freedom from the Curse of the Law; He, that is thoroughly convinced of his total Impotencie, will not think (while he is under the power of these Convictions) of making any Engagements for obedience in time to come: Yea, where any such things really were, it might be feared, that the work of Conviction was not keep enough; and that such, so acting, would not receive Christ freely, as he is offered in the Gospel; but rather came with a price in their hand, a parcel of fair promises for the future, of doing that, which was not in their power. But it will possibly be said. That though there be no express and explicit Engaging & Promiseing here; yet there cannot but be a virtual engageing; as in the making of Marriage, though the woman do not explicitly promise obedience, yet her engagement is included in her acceptance of the person. I Answer. Let us suppose, that the woman is every way as unable to obey her husband, as the sinner, not yet converted, is to obey the commands of God; & that from her husband alone she must receive that, whereby she shall become able: & then see, if her consenting to the match do formally include, even virtually, her engagement to future obedience. I do not suppose, by all this, that the Believer is under no Obligation, or Engagment to Obedience; for as he hath received a principle of obedience, even the new heart, the willing mind, and the renewed faculties; so he is under many Obligations, Promises, Vowes & Engagements explicit & virtually, to carry as devouted unto God, in all obedience: but we are speaking here of a person, not yet out of the state of nature, but being under the terrors of the Lord, and Convictions of guilt & misery, is seeking after a Reliete, unto his present case, to wit, how he may be freed from the Curse of the Law, and put in a Justified state, & in Favoure with God.
3. Hence, it is much to be doubted (however it be put beyond all doubt, or dispute, with Mr. Baxter ) whether Faith, Saving & Justifying, include essentially any such formal Engagement & Resolution unto Obedience; seeing the person, of whom we are speaking, fleeth to Christ, for relief, as one, that is thoroughly convinced of his own Impotency, Inability to do anything less or more for his own help, or for pleasing of God. This Resolution unto new obedience is rather included in Repentance (which is distinct from Faith, as we saw above) & so it is mentioned, in the description of Repentance, given in our shorter Catechism.
4. But it will be said, How then is Christ received by faith, as a King? I Ans. Not to debate that here, which is to be spoke to afterward, ( to wit, whether justifying faith, while it is acting, in order to Justification, doth receive Christ, as a King? or rather, (for this is more properly the question) whether a person, under the Conviction of sin & wrath, & seeking for Pardon & Acceptance in & through Christ, doth six the eye of his soul upon Christ as King, or as Priest? Or whether there is that in Christ, considered as a King, or considered as a Priest, that is more suitable unto the present case of the convinced sinner? Or whether, or not, the Person, in the Condition mentioned, seeketh relief rather from Christ, as a Priest, offering up himself, as a Sacrifice giving his blood for a Ransom, to Satisfie the justice of God for sins; or as a King, endued with Authority to subdue sin? And if the question thus were proposed unto the experienced Christians, or unto the persons, in such a Condition, it would, I suppose, receive a very quick answer.) Unto the question now proposed I say, That, though it were granted, that Faith, in order to the man's Justification, did act as well on Christ as a King, as on Christ, as a Priest (which yet cannot be granted; as is already hinted, and shall be cleared afterward) yet it would not follow, that this Faith did essentially include a Resolution and Engagment to future obedience: for it is not here, as in Subjects receiving a person for their King, as was said already, whose Persons or Subjects, have power & ability, & their will (as to these things) in their own hand, & may therefore promise obedience, according as the Relation made up, formally engageth unto; & yet Mr. Baxter ag. Ludiomaeus Colvin. §. 15. saith That this is but to consent to the Relation, or to his Sovereignty, that they may obey him, and Love, honor & obedience come after. But if we should suppose a company of men, lying bound in chains, in dung • ns, under the feet of cruel Tyrants & Enemies. & in that case receiving one for their King; would their receiving of him for their King firstly & primarily import a formal engagement, on their part, to obey him? I suppose, it would import some other thing, anteriour to that, to wit, their ready consent, th • t he, by all the power & might he can make, shall loose their bands, and set them at liberty, & put them in the case & condition of free Subjects. Now the case is so here with us, with advantage; for not only, are we in bands, and lying in prison, and so unable to perform any Obedience; but naturally, till a change be made, we are utterly unwilling & averse from performing any acts of Obedience, though it were in our power, so that before we be in case to yield obedience, the whole man must be renewed, Judgment, Will & Affections; when therefore, we, in such a case, receive Christ, as our King, it is firstly & chiefly, that he may make us willing in the day of his power; that he may make us his Subjects, willing & obedient, & ready to do his will; that he may loose our bands, deliver us from the bondage & slavery of sin, bring us out of captivity, & from under the power of Satan, & work in us both to will & to do, according to his good pleasure. These are Acts of Christ's kingly power, these are Benefits, that answer the present necessity of wakened souls: these therefore must be the good things, their souls must seek after, & for these things must they go to him, as King, & in reference to these must they lay hold on Him: So that this is mainly implied in their receiving of Christ, as King. In like manner, when they receive him, as a Prophet they do not come unto him, as other Scholers do to their Masters, bringing a Capacitie, a Faculty & an Ingine with them for learning, without which all the Masters pains in giving Instructions, & theirs in studying hard, will be in vain: but they come unto him, in the through conviction of their Blindness, Incapacitie to learn, want of Understanding to perceive the things of God, and to take up the mysteries of the Kingdom: that he may teach them, as never man taught; by giving them an hearing ear, and an understanding Heart, by opening their eyes, to see the mysteries of God & of Christ; that he may so teach, as to write his laws in their heart; cause their hear •• to come to wisdom, & cause them, to know the way, wherein they should walk. It is true, the receiving of Christ as King includeth also their obligation to own him, as such, by receiving his Laws, subjecting unto his Dispensations, &c. And the receiving of him as Prophet, includeth their obligation to acknowledge him for their only Teacher, and to depend on him for their Instruction: But yet I say, as this speaketh out no formal promise or engagment to actual Obedience & actual learning, but rather an Engagement & Resolution to be willing that he may act the part of a Prophet & of a King towards them, and so cause them carry & look like Scholers & Subjects; so the thing that is firstly & mainly in their eye, in their coming to Christ, is that which suiteth their present case, and answereth their present felt necessity, & is an help to their present pinch. What Engagements may be laid upon them by these Relations; or what Resolutions they may have, after they are renewed in the Spirit of their minds, and united unto Christ, unto actual obedience, in the power and strength of the Lord, is not to the present purpose, while we are speaking of what the Soul doth, in order to Justification.
5. Hence we see, how groundless it is, to say, that a Resolution to actual obedience is a Condition of justification: This we find nowhere required in order to Justification: This is nowhere called a Condition of Justification. We are nowhere said to be Justified by this Resolution. This is inconsistent with the frame of a poor wakened soul, seeking Justification. This would in part make the gift of Justification not free & of free grace, but to be of works or of a Resolution for works; and so would give ground (in part at least) of boasting & of glorying, contrary to the whole frame of the Gospel. And so this would lessen the difference betwixt the Old Covenant of works, and the New Covenant of Grace.
Having thus dispatched the second particular, we come unto the Third; to wit, to inquire, whether perseverance be a Condition of Justification? And of this we need not speak much, seeing by what is already said, it is apparent how false this is. Every thing, that is required of such, as are Believers, cannot be called a Condition of Justification. It is said, that a Condition suspendeth the obligation, to bestow the benefit promised upon Condition, until it be performed: And so it will hence follow, that, if Perseverance to the end be the Condition of Justification, no man can be justified, until he have persevered to the end; & so no man shall be justified in this life; whereby an end is put to all our present debate, the subject thereof being taken out of the way.
If it be said. That faith is the Condition of Justification, as it endureth to the end. I Ans. That that faith, which will endure to the end, is the Condition, I grant. But I deny, That Faith is the Condition of Justification, as it endureth to the end, we nowhere read of Faiths being the Condition, under this reduplication, as enduring to the end; for then it would follow, that no lively faith, how strong so ever, could unite a soul to Christ, until it had endured to the end, and so man upon his first Believing 〈…〉 be never so livly & strong, can be said to be justified, to have passed from death to life; contrary to all the Scriptures. And this would too much assimilate the New Covenant unto the Old, wherein Adam was to work out his days work to the end, ere he had Right to his wages. Yea & hence it would follow, that in this life, there were none of the fruits of justification to be had, such as Peace with God, Access to God, Glorying in tribulations, Joy & Comfort, contrary to experience, & the Scriptures. Rom. 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11. & 8: 35. to the end. Luk. 7: 50. Mat. 9: 2. 2. Thes. 2: 16. Heb. 6: 18, 19. 1. Pet. 1: 4.
So that in a word, from what hath bein said, it is evident, how little ground M. Br. hath to glory in this way of his, and though to an inadvertent person it may appear Plausible, what is adduced for a reason, yet when considered, it will be found fioath and a flourish of words: for be it so, that justifieing faith receive whole Christ (which we do not deny: for Christ is not divided: for as there is but one faith, so but one Christ. And I will have occasion to speak more fully to this matter afterward.) Yet what doth Mr. Baxter gain? hath he gained his Pepper-corn of Faith or Gospel-obedience to be imputed unto us for Righteousness according to the new law (he should say, the new edition of the Old Covenant, or rather the Old Covenant newly established?) no, by no means: for be it grainted, That Iustifieing Faith as such respected Christ equally as King and Prophet, as it doth him as Priest (which yet I deny, and shall, without divideing Christ, make it appear) I ask him, how doth it receive Christ Jesus the Lord? Surely he cannot but say, as he is offerred in the Gospel; well then, the Lord, who knoweth what we are, offereth him to us, and makes him to us wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and redemption, so that God in the offer of his Christ as a King, looks upon the sinner in the same capacity to obey him, as in the offer of him as a Priest he is to pay his debt, and that is not only in no capacity but as opposit to such a thing of himself. Hence it as evident that Faith receives Christ as a King not by promiseing or purposeing to obey him, but from a Conviction of its own aversion to purpose to please God, that he by his Kingly Power shall kill the enmity, Conquer the soul, bring it to purpose, as well as practice, work in it to will as well as to do, cast down imaginations, that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought in captivity to his obedience, so when Faith acts on him as a Prophet, there is in this act neither purpose nor promise, to obey him as a teacher &c. But from a Conviction that the mind is not only void of light, but it is prepossessed with corrupt principles, so that the man that hath nothing but the soul of a man, takes up the whole Gospel Mystery as foolishness. And it is impossible for him, to know these things, since they must be spiritually discerned. I say from this Conviction he receives Christ as his wisdom, as he that shall give him an understanding, to know him that is true; and to make him who is not only as a beast, but so much worse, that his light is darkness, of a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord, and wise to salvation. Now this exactly answereth the sinners need, and hath all his wants made up by Jesus Christ according to his riches in glory, and God's end in making his Christ to poor sinners wisdom, Righteousness &c. That so he, who glorieth may glory in the Lord. Now if Mr. Baxter will Consider this, he will even lay aside his Pepper-Corn as of no Price; for here all is without money and without Price to the poor soul &c. and he is considered as a receiver of all from Christ.
CHAP. XXXI.
Gospel-obedience is not the Condition of Justification.
THough, as we heard, Mr. Baxter himself will not say, that Gospel-obedience is the Condition of Justification; yet he recommendeth a book to us to peruse, to the end we may receive much light in the knowledge of the Gospel, I mean the discourse of the two Covenants formerly mentioned, wherein this is asserted with great confidence: And though this be sufficiently confuted by what is said; yet we shall in short take some notice of the grounds of this Mans Confidence, & give some remarks upon what he saith.
He tells us pag. 132. That the sense, in which the Apostles did assert it, (i.e. Justification by Faith without the works of the Law) was, that faith Iustifieth without works, antecedent to believing (This is what Bellarmine & other Papist's say) & without works, as the works of a literal observation of Moses law, which was opposed by the Jews to faith. This is but his fiction, and its grounds may come to be considered afterward. But what is this Faith? It is a Faith (saith he) that hath Repentance, Regeneration & sincere Obedience in a holy life for its inseparable effects. Then (1) this Faith is not fruit of Regeneration, because Regeneration is an effect of it. (2) Then upon a man's sincere Believing, he cannot be said to have passed from death to life, & be freed from Condemnation, nay not until all the effects of faith be produced. And this he expresseth more clearly within a line or two, calling Regeneration & new obedience parts of the Condition; thus making men able to Regenerat themselves, with some help of the Spirit, according to his former doctrine.
Passing his inveighing pag. 134. & forward, against the orthodox doctrine, concerning Justification by faith alone; and loading it with Socinian reproaches, wherein he bewrayeth more acquaintance with Popish, Socinian & Arminian Principles & Consequences, than with the Gosp. I doctrine, either in Theorie or pract • ce, I proceed to examine his grounds, which he layeth down Chap. 7. pag. 140, 141. and prosecuteth to the end of that Chapter. His grounds are Ten in number.
The first is. That works of Evangelical obedience are never in Scripture opposed to God's grace in reference to Justification & Salvation. Ans. (1) Here we have the fundamental error of his whole discourse hinted to us; when he putteth Justification & Salvation together, making all that is antecedently required unto Salvation, to be also antecedently required unto Justification; or he must acknowledge no justification, until Salvation come; (2) A perfect contradiction to this ground of his we have Ephes. 2: 8, 9, 10. for by grace are ye saved, through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast: for we are his workmanshipe, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them. Here grace is opposed to works, to good works, unto which we are created in Christ Jesus, & in which we are to walk, and that in reference to the Salvation, that is in justification. The man was so wise for his own unhallowed ends, as never once to take notice of this place. He cannot but grant, that Works & Grace are opposed to other: but he giveth us a very sceptick evasion, telling us, that then by works we are to understand either works antecedent to conversion, or as they are denied (I think he would have said deemed, or some such thing) to merit, at the hands of God; or the works of the Law of Moses, as erroneously contended for by the Jews; or the works of the Law as Typical & as opposed to things typified; or the works of the Law, as the Law is in its rigor opposed to the milder oeconomie of the Gospel. And yet all this will not help the matter, for Paul tells us, that even Abraham was not justified by his works, but by faith, in opposition to works Rom. 4: 1, 2, 3. And Abraham's works here excluded from Justification, can be reduced to none of these heads of works here mentioned; They were not works antecedent to Conversion; for in opposition to these it is said, his Faith was reckoned unto him for Righteousness, long after his Conversion. Nor did the holy father dream of any merit in his works, nor were these the works of the Law in any of the senses mentioned; for Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness, even when he was in uncircumcision. Rom. 4: 9, 10, 11. &c.
He taketh notice of Tit. 3: 5. not by works of Righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he s • ved us: but giveth us p. 143. this gloss. This change of their condition was not effected, or so much as begun among them by any reformation of their own, till the Gospel came to work it (which is meant by the appearing of the kindness & Love of God verse. 4. & is of like import with. Ch. 2: 11, 12. Ans. By what either Law or Reason he restraineth that appearing of the kindness, & Love of God, mentioned verse. 4. to the Gospel, I know not. (2) And though the Gospel were here understood, that would not help the matter; for the Text saith, that after this did appear, he saved them (that is Justified in the first place, as we see verse. 7.) according to his mercy, & not by work of Righteousness. (3) These works are called works of Righteousness; But no works of their own, before Conversion, can be so called: can the works of such as are foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lasts & pleasures, living in malice & envy, hateful & hating one another, be called works of Righteousness? and yet such were these, before the kindness & Love of God reached them, as verse. 3. showeth. He thinks the same answer may be given to 2. Tim. 1: 9. And so we think, the same reply may suffice.
His 2. ground is p. 114. That Paul, in speaking against Justification by works, giveth sufficient caution not to be understood thereby to speak against Evangelic obedience in the case. That is, not to speak against justification by Evangelic works; which were to say, he took much pains for nothing; for if he had but said, that the Ceremonial Law was abrogate, he had sufficiently confuted justification by the Ceremonies, if that had been all the Law he meaned. But how proveth this man, what he here alledgeth? He adduceth Rom. 3: 31. But I wonder how did the Apostle by his doctrine establish the Ceremonial Law? In the Spirit of it (saith he) in as much as in preaching Justification in the Gospel way, he preached in plain precepts, the necessity of that spiritual purity unto Salvation, which was but darkly taught by the Ceremonial Law. Ans. (1) Then this man supposeth, that he is establishing the Ceremonial Law, by his doctrine in this book; for he thinks, that therein he is preaching up Justification in the Gospel way. (2) Neither did the Ceremonial Law more darkly, nor doth the Gospel in more plain terms preach the necessity of spiritual purity, as the Condition of Justification: So that this Author beggeth what he cannot prove. (3) But that this is the Moral Law, hath been frequently shown above; as also it hath been shown, how & what way it was established, by the doctrine of just • fication without works; so that we need not regaird his saying; that by the doctrine of justification by faith, they established the moral Law, both in the letter & Spirit of it, in teaching the necessity of Evangelical obedience to it, after a more spiritual & forcible manner, than had been taught before. For this saith nothing for their pleading for obedience to this Law, as a Condition of Justification; which is the thing, he should have said: And if he know not, how Justification without the works of the moral Law, can consist with necessity of Obedience to the Moral Law, upon Gospel grounds, he is ignorant of the Gospel, and hath been more educate in Socinus his School, than in the orthodox Church.
He citeth to the same purpose Rom. 10: 4. & tells us, that Christ was the end of the Law in his doctrine, having taught that Righteousness of living, which the Law itself taught, but in a more excellent spiritual & effectual manner. Which is a very Socinian like gloss, but no way suiting the words, nor the scope of the Apostle, as the very reading of them may evince, & the following words verse. 7, 8, 9, 10. may put beyond all question, His citeing thereafter pag. 146. Rom. 7: 4. Gal. 2: 19, 20. is to no purpose; for in neither of these, nor anywhere else, doth he cry up holiness, performed in any man • whatsomever, as a Condition of Justification; and this our Author should show, or he doth nothing: for we are not against the necessity of holiness, but see more Sure, more Comfortable, more Heart quieting, more Divine, and more Gospel-like grounds, whereupon to press holiness, than any he discovereth in all his book, or can, according to his principles.
His 3. ground is p. 147. That Regeneration or the new creature, as including Evangelical Obedience, is opposed to works of the Law, in the business of man's Justification, as well as Faith is, & as well as the grace of God itself is. And this he thinketh to prove from Gal. 6: 15. as Schlightingius the Socinian did before him cont. Meysner p. 148. But one thing is to be proved, to wit, that the Apostle is speaking this, in order to justification, and so contradicting all the former dispute he had; which neither Reason, nor Religion will allow us to think, nor do the words, nor any Circumstance of the words, nor anything of the scope, or of the thread of the Apostles discourse give the least countenance hereunto.
His 4. ground p. 148. is also from Schlichtingius ubi supra. That Evangelical obedience as well as faith, & together with faith, is opposed to the works of the Law, in reference to Justification & Salvation. Gal. 5: 6. Ans. He supposeth here, that Circumcision is the same with the works of the Law, while as these that were crying it up at that time, took it only for a privilege, which might be keeped together with Christianity; and therefore the Apostle told them verse. 3. which they did not take notice of, that by their taking on that badge of circumcision, they made themselves debtors to do the whole Law (2) All that is required in reference to Salvation, is not required in reference to Justification. (3) Faith working by Love denoteth the right & the livly Faith, which only is Justifying & Saving, but bringeth not in all Evangelic Obedience under Love, as sharing with faith, in the same prerogative of justification, as was shown above.
His 5. ground p. 149. is. That Evangelical Obedience alone is opposed to the works of the Law, in reference to Justification. And this he confirmeth by 1. Cor. 7: 19. borrowing it from Schlightingius, the Socinian, where only two things are wanting, to make this passage a confirmation of his Assertion, one is, that by Circumsion here is meaned the keeping of the Law: and what shall then be understood by Uncircumcision? The other is, that the Apostle is speaking this in reference to Justification, contrary to the whole context.
His 6. ground ibid. is. That faith itself is an act of Evangelical obedience. Unto which we need say nothing here, having said so much above, to show, that Faith in the matter of justification is not considered as an act of Gospel-obedience, but as an Instrument, laying hold on the Righteousness of Christ, the Cautioner.
His 7. ground is p. 152. That by Gospel-obedience Christians come to have a Right to Salvation Revel 22: 14. This 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 liberty (as it is translated 1. Cor. 8: 9.) Power or privilege, as it would seem to import 1. Cor. 9: 18. & elsewhere, is no proper Right; for all that can be called proper Right, the Saints have it through the purchase of Jesus Christ; his blood & his blood alone, hath bought the inheritance to us: And hereby we see the true tendency of this Man's doctrine, even to give us heaven as that, which we have bought with our labor & obedience; that is, to give us heaven by a new Covenant of Works, which Christ hath procured to be made with us. But this Right, is but a liberty to take possession of the crown of life purchased by Christ, & promised, at the end of the journay, in the way, wherein the Lord hath appointed us to walk towards the possession thereof: And can only prove, what we deny not, to wit, the necessity of Holiness, in order to the actual enjoyment of life: But what saith this unto justification? He will not have us put any difference betwixt them, alleging that, such as do, are more curious & nice in distinguishing, than Paul was. And why so? Paul calls Justification, the justification of life. Rom. 5: 18. Therefore Justification & Glorification is one & the same, & have every way the same conditions: Ans. It followeth not. He citeth next Rom. 8: 30. which clearly maketh them distinct. What more? He (i.e. Paul) proves that men shall be justified by faith, because it is written, the just shall live by faith Gal. 3: 11. & with him to be justified & blessed are all one Gal. 3: 8, 9. Rom. 4: 7, 8, 9. Ans. What that from Gal. 3: 11. can be made to prove by him, I know not. And as for the next, it will prove as much, that is, just nothing. He might as well infer, that Poverty in Spirit, Mourning, Meekness, Hungering & Thirst • ng after Righteousness, Mercifulness, Purity in heart, Peacemaking & Suffering of persecution, were all the same with glory, because of what is said. Mat. 5: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Yet he proceedeth at this rate, & tells us p. • 54. That Paul useth Righteousness, or Justification & life, as Synonimous terms Gal. 3: 21. Ans. As if Justification were not a state of life, unless it were the same with Glory. We have shown above, what a life it is. And (saith he) Justification & Condemnation are put in direct opposition to eachother Rom. 5: 18. & 8: 33, 34. Ans. And what then? In short (saith he) Salvation as well as justification is promised to believing John. 3: 16. Act. 3: 31. Heb. 10: 39. & therefore both must be the immediate effect of faith. Ans. Himself answereth all this, by adding if we take Salvation, as begun here in this life, as the Scripture represents it to be John. 5: • 4. 1. John. 3: 14. & 5: 12. He would further prove it from I am. 2: 14. As if in one Chapter the Apostle could not speak, both of Justification & Salvation, unless he would make them both one thing: But though there be a life begun in Justification, that shall at length end in Glory, we see no ground to say, for all that he hath brought forth, that they are so the same, as to require the same previous Conditions: How profitable so ever Mr. Baxter account this Treatise to be, yet I cannot think, that he shall approve of this, which yet is the main design of the book.
His 8. ground p. 156. That the promise of forgiveness of sins is sometimes made unto Evangelical obedience. This he goeth about to prove from 1. John. 1: 7. Where the Apostle is showing the Advantages that such have, as have fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, evidenced by their walking in the light (as is clear from verse. 6. and this in particular, that as they will be daily failing, so they will have ready access to the blood of Christ; to get all their sins cleansed away. Neither is the Apostle here speaking of the first Pardon granted, when persons are translated into a state of justification, but he is speaking of such▪ as are already in that State. He cite • h next to this purpose 1. Pet, 1: 2. & addeth they were not elected to the benefit of being sprinkled with the blood of Christ, without obedience. Making that a condition of being sprinkled with the blood of Christ, which the Apostle mentioneth, as a distinct medium, to which they were elected, in reference to eternal life, the supreme end, as to them: And he might as well say, they were not elected to the benefi • e of obedience without being sprinkled with the blood of Christ: and that too agreeth more with truth.
His 9. ground p. 157. is. That to forgive injuries is an act of Evangelical obedience to that precept Mat. 11: 25. And yet without this, men cannot be pardoned & so not justified Mark, 11: 25. Mat. 6: 15. & 18: 35. Ans. Though men cannot be pardoned without this, it will not follow, that therefore it is a part of the condition of Justification: but only proveth, that this must be present, as an evidence of their acting Faith on Jesus Christ, in truth & reality, in order to pardon: And these passages are explications of the fifth petition of the Lord's prayer, the sense whereof is well given in our larger Catechism §. 194. in these words, which we are the rather emboldened to ask. & encouraged to expect, when we have this testimony in ourselves, that we from the heart forgive others their offenses.
His 10. & last ground is. That Repentance is an act of Evangelical Obedience Act. 17: 30. & yet pardon of sin, which is essential to justification, is not to be obtained without it. Luk 13: 3, 5. Ans. Of Repentance we have said enough above Chap. XXV. I wonder how he can to this end cite Luk 13: 3, 5. where no mention is made of Remission of sins; but perishing threatened to all, that will not repent.
I shall not here meddle with his mis representation of our doctrine, in the following pages, nor with the grounds & reasons of the preference he giveth, unto his way, seeing, by all that he speaks, he bewrayeth utter ignorance of the Gospel truth, which we own, & of its true Tendency to promove Gospel holiness, beyond any other way, what somever, hatched by Papist's & Socinians, that may be little or nothing beholden to Jesus Christ, for Grace here, or for Glory hereafter. And his Insinuations, as if we did not press Repentance & Holiness, is little to his credit, or to the credit of the cause he maintaineth, seeing the contrary is so well known, to say no more.
Nor shall insist on the grounds he layeth down, to overturn the whole argueings of the Apostle in this matter, seeing they are, upon the matter, the same, that others have laid down, and have been before spoken to: for from a tedious discourse concerning the mistaking apprehensions of the Jews, about the Law & the works thereof, in order to justification, to very little purpose, he inferreth p. 117. that doubtless Paul's denial of Justification & Salvation to be by the Law, is to be understood in the very same sense, in which the incredulous Jews, against whom he disputed, did hold these so be attainable thereby: Forgetting with all, that what Paul wrote, was dictated by the Spirit, & so that for the use of the Church unto the end of the world. But sure, if no other works were here understood, than this Author will have here understood, it could be of little use to the Gospel churches, after the subject of the question, the Ceremonial Law, itself is taken away: And had it not been a shorter & most effectual way to have confuted the Jews error here, simply to have proven (as he doth elsewhere) the abolishing of that Law? Beside, we find many things spoken of this Law, against Justification by obedience to which the Apostle disputeth, that cannot agree to the Ceremonial Law, as hath been several times touched. But let us hear what the true question was. We must understand him (saith he) to deny a freedom from the eternal punishment to be attainable by legal Sacrifices: & also to deny that the promise of eternal life was made upon Condition of literal Circumcision, & a literal observation of the Mosaical Law. Ans. If this had been all to what purpose, I pray, did the Apostle labor so much to prove, that not only the Jews, but that the Gentiles also were under sin, Rom. 1. & 2. The Gentiles were not, nor yet were to be under the Law of Ceremonies. (2) How could the Apostle infer, that by the deeds of the Law, there should no flesh be justified, from his proving, that both Jews & Gentiles were guilty of the breach of the Moral Law, whereby every mouth was stopped, & all the world become guilty before God Rom. 3: 10-20? (3) did only the Law of Ceremonies give the knowledge of sin? Himself proveth the contrary pag. 57. (4) did the curse only belong unto the Ceremonial Law? or did Christ only become a Curse, in reference to the breaches of that? Gal. 3: 10.
He will not so much as yield p. 119. that Paul doth, on the bye, deny Justification by other works: And that merely because it would destroy his fabric of a Iudaical Socinian justification: though he pretend, that thereby the Apostles doctrine would be made inconsistent, not only with the Faith of the holy men of old, but also with his own doctrine: But neither did the holy men of old express the Condition of Justification (which he confoundeth with the Condition of the Covenant of mercy) by loving God & keeping his commandments; nor doth Paul speak any such thing, as we have seen, what ever he with Socinians & Arminians say.
He giveth us another character (which also we heard from others before) of the works, by which Paul denied men were justified, calling them such works, which were apt to occasion boasting Ephes. 2: 9. Rom. 4: 2. But thus he quite perverreth both the sense of the words, scope & argueing of the Apostle; for the Apostle cleareth that it is by grace we are saved: & not by works, upon this very account, that if we were saved or justified upon the account of any of our works, man should boast Ephes. 2: 9. Not of works; why? lest any man should boast, manifestly declaring that all works were laid aside, in this matter, & that for this end, that no man should have any occasion of boasting: & this is not spoken, as everyone may see, to qualify, or specify the works that are excluded; these words carry nothing of a restriction in them: The same is clear also Rom. 4: 2. If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory▪ shalll the meaning be, Abraham was not justified by such works, as give ground of gloriation? then the meaning lieth not in the words, but the words do expressly cross & contradict that sense, unless we shall suppose them to have no sense: to speak nothing of the following verse. 3. where believing is mentioned, & not another sort of works, to wit, such as give no ground or occasion of boasting, which, in this case of justification, no man can describe unto us, or tell us what they are.
He tells us p. 122. that the meaning of these words Rom. 3: 28. Therefore we conclude &c. is no more but this, viz. That a man is justified in the Gospel way But not only is that in the general included; but that Gospel-way is particularly expressed, to be by faith without the deeds of the Law: And consequently his Popish, & Socinian way is diametrically opposite to the Gospel-way.
He goeth about to explain to us p. 124. &c. what is meaned by their own Righteousness, that is so frequently set in opposition to the Righteousness of God, & tells us, that it was so called upon a threefold account. 1. Because they sought the pardon of their sins by their own Sacrifices. Ans. And why not also by their works of Obedience? Sure. neither Abraham, nor David sought for pardon upon any such accout, & they renunced other works, than these. Is that all the Righteousness that Paul renunceth Phil. 3: 9? Was he then occupied about Sacrifices? Some thing else sure is understood. 1. Cor. 4: 4.
2. Because (saith he) they did not think Regeneration, or Supernatural grace necessary to the obtaining of it. Ans. And truly, all the Regeneration & Supernatural grace, which he thinks necessary, is but that a Pelagian, Jesuit & Arminian will think necessary, & no more, as we saw above. But doth he think, that Abraham, or David had any such apprehensions? & yet even their works are excluded from justification. Was that the Righteousness that Paul called his own Phil. 3: 9? I think for shame he will not say it. And what meaneth Paul to say 1. Cor. 4: 4. I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified. This sure, must include works done by supernatural Grace; & after Regeneration.
3. Saith he. Because it was a way of seeking to be justified of their own devising, & not of God's appointing. Ans. This is very true, but it is not the whole truth in this matter: And his way is of the same Nature, no more consistent with the Gospel method of justification, through the Righteousness of God by faith, than theirs is; for the Imputed Righteousness of Christ he rejecteth with contempt: True justification he is ignorant of; He knoweth no Faith, but what is Popish & Socinian. His New Covenant is but a new edition of the old. His Regeneration is Pelagian. His Good Works are but works flowing from a Principle of Nature, aided with a common divine assistance.
Let us now in end hear, what is the result of all his discourse. It is to show; That they were the works ef the Law, as exclusive of Faith in Christ, & his death: & Not those, which are the immediate effects of Faith in Christ, in his death & in his doctrine. But the Gospel tells us, that in the matter of Justification, all the works, of the Law, are exclusive of faith in Christ, even Abraham's works David's works: & Paul's works; & therefore they were all laid aside, & justification was only looked for through Faith.
Thus we have seen, what a Gospel this is, which Mr. Baxter recommendeth to us, the consideration whereof may move some to say.
CHAP. XXXII.
Of the object of justifying Faith.
THough something of the Object of Faith was hinted before Chap. XX. when we were speaking of the Nature of Faith: yet it will not be amiss, to speak a little more of it here, both in reference to what followeth; and also, & more particularly in order to the better understanding of, what it is to Live by Faith.
In order therefore to the explaining of this Object, we would premit these few things.
1. As was mentioned in the forecited place, there is presupposed unto the right exercise, & actual exerting of Faith, accepting the offered Savior & Salvation through him, a Conviction of sin & misery, in one measure, or other, whereby the Sinner is brought to a despairing in himself, seeing he can find no remedy, or relief for himself, within himself, and to a concluding, that he is an undone man, if there be no other remedy, than what he is able to do for himself: for after all means assayed (and a soul in that case is ready to turn to many hands, to seek relief, & until preventing grace come, will embrace & close with any promising way, how chargable & troublesome so ever it be, ere it sweetly comply with the only Manabasing & Grace-exalting way of Salvation, through Faith in Christ, revealed in the Gospel) he findeth himself disappointed. And further, it is presupposed, as necessarily requisite hereunto, some knowledge of the grounds of Religion; & particularly of the Gospel, of Christ, of his offices, Work &c. all revealed in the Gospel.
2. When we speak here of the Object of Faith, we mean that Faith, by which a Soul is united unto Christ, & closeth with Him, as offered in the Gospel, & improveth Him to all ends & uses, which their case & necessity, in all time coming, calleth for. So that it is one & the same Faith, whether it be called Uniting Faith, Saving Faith, Justifying Faith, Sanctifying & heart-purifying Faith, or the like. It is one & the same radical grace, receiving these or the like various denominations, from the effects brought about by it, or the several ends & uses it hath, & is appointed for. And the same Faith bringeth all these effects about, in its way, according to the Order, Method & measure, ordained of God: the same Faith, whereby the believer is Married to Christ, & Covenanteth with Him, as Head, Husband, Lord & Savior, by the same is he justified, adopted & brought into a state of Peace & Reconciliation with God. By the same Faith also doth the man get his heart Purified, & he liveth the life of Sanctification. By the same also he getteth Strength, Reviving, Comfort, & Support in times of Temptation & Trial. So that the Believers life first & last is by Faith, the beginning, progress, all the steps of it, & final Salvation is by Faith; whence it is called Saving Faith, to distinguish it from that Historical Faith, which, (though true in its kind yet) is not from the saving grace of God, nor hath it effects accompanying Salvation.
3. Though this Faith be one & the same, by which the Believer liveth first & last; and which proveth serviceable & useful to him, on all occasions, & to all ends & uses, that his several necessities call for: Yet in reference to these various ends & uses, it acteth not after one & the same manner, in all points: Faith acteth not every way, after one & the same manner, in order to get Strength for Duties, that it acteth, in order to get Sin Pardoned: It acteth not the same way for Subdueing the reigning power of sin, that it acteth for Justification, nor doth it act the same way for Comfort and upholding strength in a day of trial, that it acteth, in order to Justification: And yet we need not say, that it acteth distinctly & differently, according to every distinct benefit, and blessing, that is had thereby: The diffe • ent natures of the necessities we stand into, with the different ways of the • ord's communicating what we stand in need of, according to the various Relations he standeth in, & various offices he hath taken on, in reference to his people's good, may satisfy us herein, & according as these several particular necessities may come under one head, & relief may be conveyed to them, after one & the same manner: All which will be best discerned by the understanding Christian, in his application to Christ, according to his Condition & wants, which he would have helped & supplied.
4. Hence, though the Principal Object of this Faith be always one and the same; Yet there may be some peculiarities in that object, which Faith eyeth more in one case, than in another: As we find the Saints, in their adresses to God, in their several straits & necessities, sometimes pitching upon one attribute of God, sometimes upon another; according as thereby Faith presented God to the soul in a sutablness to the present case it was in; and so when dispensations seemed to cross the promises, Faith eyed God as Faithful & Unchangeable; when enemies appeared strong, difficulties invincible, and the like, Faith took hold on God, as the Almighty, to whom nothing was impossible; & when sin appeared as a discouragment to drive them from their hopes, Faith took hold of the mercy of God &c. So when a poor sinner is under the convictions of sin & threatenings of the Law, Faith must take up Christ in a suitableness thereto, & eye something in Him, that peculiarly suiteth that case; & when again the believer hath need of Light, Instruction, Strength, Comfort, Throwbearing & the like, he fixeth his eye on something in Christ, that suiteth that particular necessity: and so Faith acteth accordingly: And thus, though the object remain the same, and Christ be always made use of; Yet Faith may and doth act more immediately on Christ, as Prophet, when in one case whereunto this office carrieth a respect; and at another time more immediately & directly on Christ, as a King, when the present necessity calleth for help from Christ as King; & again faith acteth on him, as a Priest, when only that, which Christ, as a Priest did, can answer their present necessity. Yet, (which is carefully to be observed, to prevent Mr. Baxter's challenge) I do not say, nor see I any necessity to say, that these several acts of Faith, are as so many several Conditions unto the receiving of the several favors, taking the term Condition in his sense; I do not say, that Faith acting one way on Christ is a proper Condition of Justification, & Faith as acting another way on Christ is the proper Condition of Adoption, & that Faith acting a third way on Christ is the proper Condition of Sanctification &c. but that, as the effects & benefi • es, which sinners stand in need of, are ascribed unto several effectuating acts of Christ, & to the several Relations & offices he hath taken on; so Faith in order to the receiving of these benefits, acteth suitably on Christ, & the Believer is, taught so to do by the Spirit of the Lord, to his Comfort, Hope & Encouragment.
5. I presuppose here the Formal Object of all divine faith, which is the Truth & Veracity of God; for all divine faith giveth credit unto divine Revelations upon the Credite▪ the Truth & Veracity of the Revealer. Thus saith the Lord, who is true, & who is Truth itself, is the sole Formal ground & Ratio of this Faith.
6. I presuppose here also that Comprehensive Material Object of all divine Faith, which is the whole will & mind of God, concerning whatsomever thing it be revealed, whether by the Scriptures, or by the Light of Nature. If the Truth & Veracity of God be the only Formal Ground of this Faith, then all that this God revealeth must be believed & received, as true, when known to be revealed by Him. By faith we understand, that the worlds were framed by the word of God. Heb. 11: 3. & we believe all things which are written in the Law & the Prophets Act. 24: 14. Yea & in the whole word of God: I do not here determine, what particular Truthes, revealed in the word, are necessarily to be expressly & explicitly believed, by everyone, that hath a true Saving Faith, & what not: only this I say, that many particular truths, are revealed, whereof a true Believer may be ignorant, & yet have a true Saving Faith, receiving all, which he knoweth to be revealed by the Lord, & rejecting no one Truth whatsomever, that he knoweth to be revealed.
But we are here to speak of that Object of Faith, which immediately & directly concerneth our delivery from our natural state of sin and misery; and our eternal Salvation: And this, we judge, to be whole Christ Jesus, as he is hold forth and revealed in the Gospel. We say Christ Jesus (1) wholly, and (2) as he is held forth and revealed in the Gospel. And both these, for explications sake, may be branched out, in several particulars.
I say then first. That whole Christ is the object of Saving or Justifying Faith. Hence are we so often times commanded to Receive him, & to Believe in & on Him & in his name; & Faith is expressed by a Coming to him, Eating & Drinking of Him, Receiving of him, &c. John. 1: 12. & 3: 16, 36. & 6: 29, 35, 37, 40, 44, 47, 51, 54, 55, 58. & 7: 38. Act. 10: 41, & 13: 38, 39. & 26: 18. Rom 3: 22. Gal. 2: 16. and many moe places. Hence this Faith is called the Faith of Christ Gal. 2: 16. and the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2: 20. So then Saving and Justifying Faith taketh whole Christ.
1. Faith taketh him & closeth with him wholly; as to his Natures: Faith receiveth him, as Mediator, God & Man in one person, though it be formally terminated on him, as God John. 14: 1. & as the Son of God Gal. 2: 20. Yet faith receiveth him, as God manifest in the flesh. 1. Tim. 3: 16. as the word made flesh John. 1: 14. as the Christ, the Son of the living God Matt. 16: 16. John. 6: 63. as the Immanuel, God with us Isaiah. 7: 15. Mat. 1: 23. Luk 1: 31.
2. Faith taketh him wholly, as to his Offices; as a Prophet, as a Priest, & as a King: Faith embraceth him, as that great Prophet Act. 3: 22. as the Word of God, that came out of the bosom of the Father, to reveal his mind & counsel for our Salvation John. 1: 17, 18. Faith receiveth him also as Priest, offering up himself to God a sacrifice for sins, and making Satisfaction to the justice of God, & as Interceeding with the Father Ephes. 5: 2. Heb. 2: 17. & 7: 25. & 9: 14, 28. Hence we hear of Faith in his blood. Rom. 3: 25. And Christ crucified is proposed to Faith to receive, & feed upon. And in order to Justification & Pardon, faith (as we shall hear) hath a special eye unto the Surety. Righteousness of Christ. Faith also receiveth him as a King, to subdue their souls to himself, to make them Subjects, to sway his scepter in their souls, to subdue all their spiritual Enemies, & to Support, Rule, Guide & Defend them by his Spirit Isaiah. 33: 22. Act. 5: 31. Psal. 110. through out.
3. Faith receiveth him wholly, as to the Relations he hath taken on, in reference to his people, to wit, as an Husband Ephes. 5: 30, 31, 32. as an Head Ephes. 5: 23. & 1: 22. Col. 1: 18. as the Chief-Corner stone Ephes. 2: 20. 1. Pet. 2: 4, 5, 6, 7. as a Vine John. 15: 1, 2, 5. As a Witness, Leader & Commander Isaiah. 55: 4. as a Light Isaiah. 42. 6. & 49: 9. Faith receiveth him under whatsoever Title, & Denomination, he is held forth for the comfort of his People.
4. Faith receiveth him wholly, as to the Work imported, & Ends designed by these Offices, Relations, & Denominations, which he took upon him, & under which he holdeth forth himself.
5. Faith receiveth him wholly, as to the Furniture & Qualifications, whereby he was fitted for the discharge of the duties, belonging to the Offices, which he did execute both in his Estate of Humiliation & Exaltation; & for throughing & perfecting of the work, which he undertook to do: so that Faith receiveth him, as the Anointed of the Lord, & as having the Spirit of the Lord upon him, & as having all Fulness, all Power & Authority, even the Spirit without measure, Isaiah. 61: 1. Luk. 4: 18. John. 3: 34. & 1: 14, 16. Col. 1: 19. & 2: 3, 9, 10. Mat. 28: 18.
6. Faith receiveth him wholly, as to all the sinners Necessities, Cases, Wants, Straits, & Difficulties, which they either are, or may be into, from first to last: All the Vessels must hang on Him, as the nail, that it fastened in a sure place Isaiah. 22: 24, 25. Faith eyeth Him, & Him alone, & seeketh the upmaking of all in Him alone, as knowing that in Him only, sinners can be complete Col. 2: 10. & out of his fullness must they receive, & grace for grace. John. 1: 16. Therefore is he held forth, as fournished with all richly, that we stand in need of, as a Store house & Treasury of all necessaries, as having Eye salve, Gold & Rayment, & what we need. Revel. 3: 18.
7. Faith receiveth Him, with all the Sufferings, Crosses, & Inconveniences, that can follow: Faith taketh up the Cross, & followeth Christ. Mat. 10: 37, 38. Mark. 8: 34. Mat. 16: 24. Luk 9: 23.
Next I say, That Christ as revealed, held forth, & offered in the Gospel, is the object of Saving & Justifying faith: And so
1. He is received, as the result (to speak so) of the wonderful Contrivance & Design of free Grace, Love, Goodness, Mercy, & Wisdom, concerning the glorifying of God, in the Salvation of the chosen ones, in & through Him: faith here observeth & closeth cheerfully with that gracious Covenant of Redemption, betwixt Jehovah, or God Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and the Son in order to the Salvation of poor man, through the Sones becoming Mediator, God-man, & becoming Cautioner, for such as were given unto Him, and coming in their Law-place, and suffering for them, and their debt. &c. Faith closeth with, and embraceth this foundamental Ground of Salvation, in all its Parts, Ends & Means: and so receiveth Christ, as standing in such a place, and as engageing to through such a design of Love & free Grace; so far as the Believer cometh to know & understand the same to be revealed. We may consider to this end Isaiah. 53. through out Ephes. 1: 3. & forward. Rom. 3: 21-27. and other places; & there see how Christ is held forth.
2. He is received as the great Gift of God John. 4: 10. as the Sovereign Mean, through which all the great design of Grace is brought about, in a glorious manner, as the authorized Ambassador of God, and messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3: 1. as the grand Effect of Love, Grace & Goodwill Tu. 3: 4. John. 3: 16. as fore-ordained and set forth to be a Propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3: 25. and as made of God unto us wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification & Redemption. 1. Cor. 1: 30. He is received as the Power of God, and as the Wisdom of God 1. Cor. 1: 24. as He, in whom God was reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them 2. Cor. 5: 19. and as made sin, though he knew no sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God, in him 2. Cor. 5: 21. that is, as the Lord our Righteousness Ier. 23: 6. Thus faith, in receiving Christ, as thus held forth in the Gospel, eyeth God, the Giver, the Sender, the Maker of Christ to be sin, and eyeth God, as the Justifier of the ungodly in him Rom. 4: 5. and as the Reconciler of us to himself by Christ 2. Cor. 5: 18. as forgiving sins, and granting Redemption through Christ's blood, according to the riches of his Grace, wherein He hath abounded toward us, in all wisdom & prudence. Ephes. 1: 7, 8. Here is the incomprehensible riches of the Mercy & Grace of God Father. Son & Holy Ghost, eyed as the Object, according to their peculiar method & order of working, in this grand affaire.
3. He is received as offered & held forth in the Promises: Thus was he embraced of old, as the promised Messiah, and as the substance of all the Promises, which the Fathers of old saw a far off Heb. 11: 13. John. 8: 56. That promise made to Abraham that in him all Nations should be blessed, was the Gospel Gal. 3: 8. and contained a bunddle of promises verse. 16. And the faith of this, was that faith, by which Abraham was justified Rom. 4: 16-22. Hence all the promises are made good in and through him; and they are all yea & amen, in him 2. Cor. 1: 20. And he is the Substance of them all; for they either hold forth his Person, or his Work, or something of Him, or something from Him, according to the Various Exigencies & Necessities of his people.
4. He is received as the grand mean of declaring & setting forth the glorious Attributes of God; which the Lord will have manifested in and by this noble design of the Gospel: for Faith sweetly acquiesceth in this design of God's, to preach forth his Excellencies & Virtues, in this manner; and therefore receiveth Christ, as offered & held forth in the Gospel, for such a glorious End; & so receiveth him, as the great Gift of Love John. 3: 16. as the mean, whereby the Righteousness of God is declared Rom. 3: 25. and his Grace Ephes. 1: 5, 6. and as the Power of God. and the Wisdom of God. 1: Cor. 1: 24, Ephes. 3: 10. Thus Faith seeth the glory of God shining with a peculiar splendor, in the face of Jesus Christ 2. Cor. 4: 6.
5. So is he received as the grand & only Mean to bring about all the great Ends, designed of God, and desired by them: so that in the receiving of him, all these ends are closed with, and expected: such as Remission of sins, Justification, Acceptation, Adoption, Sanctification, Peace of Conscience, Joy in the Holy Ghost, yea life, and Immortality & full Redemption Ephes. 1: 7. Col. 1; 14. Act. 26: 18. Rom. 3: 25. & 4: 6, 7, 8. Ephes. 1: 11, 12, 13, 14. Rom. 5: 1, 2, 3. 1. Pet. 1: 3, 4. So that Faith eyeth here, by way of end, all that Grace & Glory, they would have, and can desire to make them up,
6. And, in a word, He is received as the grand mean to Interest them in God, Father, Son & Holy Ghost, as theirs; to bring them nigh unto God, and in Covenant with Him, and to enjoy the several Effects & Benefits of their Workings. They come to God through Him, as the only way to the Father John. 14: 6. They close with the Father, as their God and Father through Him, and with the Holy Ghost, as their Sanctifier, and comforter through Him, who sendeth the Spirit from the Father, John. 15: 26. & 14: 26.
All these several things belong unto the adequate & full Object of that faith, whereby believers become Justified, Adopted, Sanctified, & shall be at length finally Saved, for they shall receive the end of their faith, the Salvation of their souls 1. Pet. 1: 9. Yet to prevent mistakes, we would add some few considerations.
1. By all this, we do not mean, that all these Objects, or Various parts or Considerations of the one adequate & complete Object, are expressly and distinctly conceived & laid hold on by every Believer, when they act faith on Christ, or come unto God through him, according to the Gospel-command: But that these things belong to the full Object of Saving faith, and are implied therein; so that whoever believeth savingly, believeth these several truths, according to the measure of the Revelation of God, and of their Capacity & Information. So that a more full & explicit belief of these particulars is now required under the Gospel, than was required under the Old Testament, when • his Revelation was not so full and plain, as now: and more is required of such, who have had clear information of Gospel truths; than of others, who have wanted that Advantage: and more also is required of such, as have large Capacities & Understandings, than of others, who are more Rude & of a narrower Reach.
2. Wherever any of these truths are rightly believed, and heartily closed with, all the rest are implicitly also received; for they cannot be separated; the whole contrivance is such a noble piece af divine art & of infinite wisdom, that all the several pieces, are indissolubly knit together: Hence what ever piece it be, that the believer first doth directly & explicitly close with, or under whatsoever notion Christ at first be embraced, according us the believer cometh to more distinct apprehensions of other pieces or parts of this contrivance, so his heart complyeth with, and he cordially embraceth the same.
3. We may be hereby helped to understand, the several and various expressions used in Scripture, to pointe forth faith, acting on its object; for, however these be not always one and the same, but different; yet the same whole object is implicitly understood; and these particulars, expressly mentioned, must not be considered abstractly, or alone; but according to their several place in the grand design, and with respect thereto; as when the object of faith is said to be He, who justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4: 5. and to be Him, who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead verse. 24. and in that same Chap. the object of Abraham's faith, whereby he was justified, is the Promise, that God would make him a Father of many Nations &c. verse. 17, 18. &c. all these must be considered with respect unto Christ, the grand medium, who was appointed to be a Savior to all Nations, and was to die & rise again, after satisfaction made to Justice, and in and through whom alone God will Justify the poor sinner, that is ungodly in himself. With reference here unto must we understand the Publicans saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner, and the saints under the Old Testam. their so frequent fleeing to the Grace, Mercy & Bounty of God; for all this was with respect to the only Sovereign way, that the Lord had condescended upon, whereby to show forth, and manifest, his Mercy & Goodness & Grace to sinners. In the New Test. we find more express mention made of Christ, as the object of faith, as Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, who was promised John. 20: 31. 1. John. 5: 9, 10, 20. John. 1, 45. Act. 13: 38. or as Lord & God. John. 20: 28. as the Son of David. Mat. 15: 21. & 9: 27, & 20: 30. & 21: 42. As the Son of God John. 9: 35. as the Christ the Son of God John. 11: 27. Act. 8: 37. as come forth from God John. 16: 30, 27. as the Lord Jesus Act. 16. 31. as raised by God from the dead Rom. 10: 9 as one that died & rose again 1. Thes. 1: 14. as sent of God John. 17: 8. that Jesus is the Christ. 1. John. 5: 1. So that under all these and the like, one and the same thing for substance is pointed forth; though some particular in that grand design of grace is more expressly & immediately pointed at; yet that particular is to be understood with reference to the whole; and the whole is to be included. So also when God is mentioned as the object of faith; either absolutely 1. Pet. 1: 2. Tit. 3: 8. Heb. 5: 1. 1. Thes. 1: 8. or in Reference to Christ, whom he sent John. 5: 24. or through whom he is believed in 1. Pet. 1: 21. or the like, the matter must be thus understood.
4. Hereby also may the Various Explications of this object of faith, given by men, be some way understood & reconciled, when some say, the Mercy of God is it, others say, the Promises, some Remission of sins, and the like? some God the Father, Son & Holy Ghost: for such as seem to restrict it most, may be understood as not speaking exclusively of what else the Scripture mentioneth as belonging thereunto.
5. All this notwithstanding, faith may have & hath a special respect to Christ as Priest, and making Satisfaction to justice, and laying down the Ransom-money, and paying the debt, according to his undertaking as Surety, in order to the particular benefit of Justification, and of Pardon of sins; as was in part cleared above, and may be more spoken to afterward, in the following Chapters.
CHAP. XXXIII.
The Righteousness of Christ is the special Object of Faith in Justification.
COnsidering what hath been said at some length above, concerning the imputation of the Surety-Righteousness of Christ, in order to Justification, we needed not insist on this here; Seeing if what is said touching that fundamental point hold, this will not endure much debate: Yet because Mr. Baxter in his Apology against Mr. Blake §. 11. is pleased to tell us, that Faith, which is the Justifying condition, is not terminated on the Righteousness of Christ: And that it is a mere fancy & delusion to speak of the receiving a Righteousness, that we may be justified constitutive thereby, in such a sense, as if the Righteousness were first to be made ours, in order of nature before, our Justification, & then justification follow, because we are Righteous.
But, sure, this eyeing of, laying hold on, and leaning to the Righteousness of Christ, holdeth clear correspondence with the experience of the Children of God, not only at their first Conversion, when delivered from under the Convictions of sin, and the terrors of the Law; but even afterward, when exercised with new assaults of Satan, objecting unto them their Unworthiness, & Filthiness, and hence inferring their exclusion from the face of God: for then their main quieting refuge is the Righteousness of Christ; wherein they seek only to be found, acknowledging that in themselves, they are but sinners, and so rejecting their own worth & holiness, as too ragged to cover the shame of their nakedness, wherein they have the Apostle Paul going before them Phil. 3: 8, 9. (which may also serve, for a scriptural proof and ground of the truth in hand) He rejected all these things, wherein sometime he gloried, and he did now (even long after his Conversion, while a prisoner at Rome & after all his great Labor & Paines in spreading the Gospel) count all things (nothing is here excepted) but loss (saith he) for the excestency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & do count them but dung. that I may win Christ, & be found in him, not having mine own Righteousness (it is nor good that Mr. Baxter should carp at Writers & Preachers, for speaking & teaching after this manner, as he doth Cath. Theol. Mor. Works §. 176.) which is of the Law; but that, which is through the faith of Christ, the Righteousness which is of God by faith. This saith • early, that in order to Justification before God, faith laith hold on a Righteousness, which is of God, and which is had by the Faith of Christ.
And this Surety-Righteousness of Christ, is that which can only prove suitable unto the case of a wakened sinner, pressed with the guilt of sin, and seeing justice armed against him, stopping his way to life, because of his Un-righteousness. What can be more welcome unto such a sinner, than the news of a Righteousness, and of having Christ to become the Lord his Righteousness, as made of God Righteousness? And what can his faith grippe to more earnestly, than to this Righteousness, that he may be covered therewith, and think with joy of appearing before God? How else shall he think to be justified by God, who is just, even when the justifier of a believing sinner. He knoweth, that God is Righteous, and will not acquit the guilty; and therefore he must have a Righteousness, that he may be in case to stand before the Righteous God: So that he can have no peace, till by faith he have interest in the Surety-Righteousness of Jesus Christ; for he knoweth, that he hath none of his own, and that there is none anywhere else to be had.
And further, this way doth exceedingly serve to demonstrate, upon the one hand, the Righteousness of God, who will not Justify without a Righteousness, or one that hath no Righteousness; and upon the other hand, it commendeth the riches of the free Grace & Mercy of God, when the sinner seeth, how free Love hath provided such an all-sufficient Remedy, a Righteousness against which, no exception can be made, and a Righteousness, under the wings of which, he may saifly hide & shelter himself & being covered with which, he may rest confidente of acceptance, and so may with full peace of mind rest here, and rely upon it. As also it serveth exceedingly to abase man in his own eyes, and to make him forever keep a low sails, and walk humbly before this God, and give Him the Glory of all.
Hence this Righteousness is called the Righteousness of Faith, or of Christ believed in, and laid hold on Rom. 4: 13. & the Righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ Rom. 3: 22. Phil. 3: 9. & a Righteousness through the faith of Christ, ibid. All which & the like expressions do manifestly say, that faith laith hold on a Righteousness, even on the Righteousness of God. And this Righteousness is said to be unto all, & upon all them that believe Rom. 3. 22. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . And imputed, or reckoned upon their score. Rom 4: 24. Mr. Baxter in the forecited book Cath. Theol. §. 131. saith that the meaning of this Rom. 4: 24. is no more, but that God reputeth, or judgeth us Righteous. But how can he repute us Righteous, unless we have a Righteousness, either of our own, or from some other: of ourselves we have not a Righteousness, unless he account believing all our Righteousness, against which we have said enough above; and the very words of the text will not admit of this gloss, as was also shown above. If it be the Righteousness of Christ, who was delivered for our Offences, and was raised again for our Justification verse. 25. then it is fit object for faith to lay hold on, it being Christ's Surety-Righteousness, or the Righteousness, which he performed & wrought out, when he was delivered for our offenses; and which was publicly declared to be accepted, when he was raised again for our Justification. And whatever Mr. Baxter think, this is, and must be so far made our own, through the gracious Imputation of God, that the Righteous God, whose judgment is to according to truth, may pronunce us Righteous, and accept of us, as such. But saith he, Imputing Righteousness to us, is a consequent act (after faith) of God as judge, and not an antecedent donation ] Yet it is such a consequent act of God, as necessarily presupposeth God's free antecedent Donation: for it is God's reckoning that Righteousness upon the believers score, in order to the Justifying of him thereupon; and because this Righteousness must be given, we not having it of ourselves, there must a free donation antecede, and this groundeth Faiths accepting thereof, and receiving of it. And himself immediately before this, saith, that God, giving us all the effects, or Salvation merited, in itself properly, is said also not unfitly to give us the merit or Righteousness, which procured them, that is, as it was paid to God for us, to procure them. And if so, why doth he inveigh so much, in the foregoing pages, against the orthodox doctrine of Imputation; seeing he cannot but know, that they do not say, that God doth give us the very habits of holiness (as he speaketh there) which were in Christ, nor the transient acts which he performed, nor the very sufferings which he under-went, nor the Relation of Righteous Satisfactory & Meritorious, as it was that numerical relation, which immediately resulted from Christ's own habits, acts and sufferings: They dream of no such Translation of accidents. But only say, that seeing (as Mr. Baxter here & elsewhere saith) this satisfactory Righteousness was paid to God for them, and accepted of God, as a complete & Satisfactory Righteousness, they by faith coming to be united unto Christ (according to the way & method, which the Lord hath wisely condescended upon) have an interest in that Satisfactory Righteousness, as legally made over unto them, and therefore have the benefits purchased thereby; as when a stranger, who was not under the Obligation, cometh to pay the debt of a debtor lying in prison, the payment must in Law sense be made, and accounted the debtors, or put upon his score, and received upon his account, ere he can therefore be relieved out of Prison.
But in the fore-cited place against Mr. Blake he maketh this Righteousness & Remission all one thing: And indeed if it were so, it could not belong to the Object of Faith, other ways, than as an end, intended to be obtained thereby. But to us Remission is a benefit purchased by this Righteousness, and followeth upon our having interest therein through Faith, according to the appointment of God: a Pardoned man, as such, is not a Righteous man. But he tells us there, that our divines of the Assembly do perfectly define justifying Faith to be, a receiving & resting on Christ alone for Salvation, as he is offerest in the Gospel. It is of dangerous consequence to define justifying faith to be the receiving of justification, or Righteousness. Ans. Here we have Justification & Righteousness made one and the same, which with me, differ as Cause & Effect; our divines of the Assembly give a more full definition or description of Justifying Faith, in the Larger Catechism, and there tell us, that thereby the convinced sinner receiveth & resteth upon Christ, & (N.B.) his Righteousness therein (i.e. in the Gospel) held forth, for pardon of sin, & for the accepting & accounting of his person Righteous in the sight of God for Salvation. And if Mr. Baxter would say so much, as is here, this debate would be at an end, and yet I find not this among his exceptions, against that Catechism, in his Confession. And when our devines mentione this Receiving & Resting upon Christ's Righteousness, they make not Justifying Faith to be a receiving of Justification; but the one a cause of the other: And he addeth a little thereafter, (which is considerable to our present purpose) That receptio Ethica activa of justification, or of Righteousness (for they are both one thing with him) goeth before Justification, as a small & secondary part of condition, it being the accepting of Christ himself, that is the main condition: And we never spoke of the receiving by Faith of Christ's Righteousness, as exclusive of the receiving of himself. He tells us next. That Christ's Satisfaction or Redemption (solvendo pretium) & merit, cannot properly be received by us; for they are not in themselves given to us. We grant the price was paid to God, but it being paid to God for us, it may be imputed to us, and reckoned upon our score; and we may that way receive it by faith, and Lean our soul upon it, to the end, that the fruit of it may be given to us. And likewise he granteth ibid. that justifying faith doth as necessarily respect Christ's satisfaction & merit, as it doth our Justification thereby procurea. If he will grant, that Justifying Faith respecteth Christ's Satisfaction & Merite, as the Cause, in which we are to have an interest, and under which we must refuge ourselves, and upon the account of which we are to be accepted of God, and accounted Righteous in his sight, all is granted that I desire.
But his following exceptions are founded upon a manifest mistake of his own, taking this Righteousness, whereof we speak, and Justification, for one and the same thing: for he saith. To say therefore, that the justifying act of faith, is only the receiving of Christ's Righteousness, or of Justification, is to exclude the receiving of Christ himself, any way, even to exclude him as Satisfier from the justifying act: & to exclude from that act his Redemption by Bloudshed, Satisfaction & Merite. The mistake here is palpable: for we look on Righteousness, which faith receiveth, as the Cause, and on Justification as the Effect: when this Righteousness of Christ, the causa proca • arctica of our Justification, is received by faith, it is impossible, but Christ himself must be received as a Satisfier: his Redemption, Bloudshed, Satisfaction & Merite, cannot be excluded; for therein was the Righteousness, which faith laith hold upon, in order to Justification. He addeth for confirmation, for if it be only the receiving of Righteousness, that is the justifying act; than it is neither the receiving of Christ himself, nor yet the acknowledgment of his Satisfaction & Redemption by his blood. But this is nothing but what was said, repeated again, Neither do we say, that the Justifying act of Faith, as it is called, is a receiving of Christ's Righteousness, as distinct from himself: nor is it imaginable, how Christ's Righteousness can be received, without the acknowledgment of his Satisfaction, and of the Redemption by his blood.
How he can say, that Christ's Righteousness & our Justification, are but one and the same thing, I do not understand, when as he saith himself▪ Cath. Theol. of moral works Sect. 13. n. 208. that our first constitutive justification (which is it whereof we are here speaking, to wit, that by which a soul is brought from an Unrighteous to a Righteous State, as he speaketh, n. 207.) is in its nature a right to impunity & to life, or glory. Now sure, this Relation, or Relative state is one thing, and the Righteousness of Christ, the ground & meritorious cause thereof is a far other thing. And when he saith Apology ag. Mr. Eyre. §. 4. that he is well content to call Christ's Righteousness of Satisfaction the matter of ours, and that the imputation of Christ's Righteousness, taken for Donation, is the form of Constitutive Justification, & that sentential adjudication of Christ's Righteousness to us, is the form of our sentential Justification.
That Faith in order to Justification doth in a special manner, eye the Righteousness of Christ, is clear from Isaiah. 45: 24, 25, Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I Righteousness; & then followeth. In the Lord shall all • the seed of Israel be justified. This truth is also clearly held forth, when faith in the matter of Justification, is called faith in Christ's blood Rom. 3: 25. for when faith laith hold on the blood of Christ, it cannot but lay hold on his Surety-Righteousness, whom God set forth to be a Propitiation; and in & through whom there was a Redemption wrought verse. 24. for this hlood was the Redemption-money, the price paid, in order to Redemption. 1. Pet. 1: 18, 19. And the blessedness of Justification is through the Imputation of Righteousness, without our works Rom. 4: 6. and therefore faith, in order to the obtaining of this blessedness, must eye and rely upon this Righteousness which is the Righteousness of him, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our Justification verse. 25. where we may also observe a manifest difference betwixt this Righteousness, (which consisteth in his being delivered for our offenses) and our Justification; the one being the Cause (as was said) & the other the Effect.
Moreover, this same truth is clear from R • m. 5: 17. where we read of the receiving of the gift of righteousness, which is by faith, and that in order to a reigning in life by one Jesus Christ: where also we see a difference put betwixt this gift of Righteousness & Reigning in life; which is also more clear, in the following verse. 18. Even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto Justification of life: this righteousness of one, to wit, one Jesus Christ, is the Cause, and the Justification of life, is the Effect: And further this difference is again held forth. verse. 19, 20, 21. Our being made Righteous is different from the obedience of one Christ Jesus; and by the Imputation of this Obedience to us, do we become Righteous, as our being made sinners is different from Adam's act of Disobedience; and we are made sinners by the Imputation of it to us. And as sin & death are different, when it is said, that sin hath reigned unto death; so Eternal life is different from Righteousness, when it is said, so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life.
We need say no more of this, seeing it clearly followeth, from what was formerly at length confirmed; to wit, That justification is by the Righteousness of Christ imputed.
CHAP. XXXIV.
Faith in Justification respecteth not in a special manner Christ, as a King; but as a Priest.
MR. Baxter did long ago in his Aphorisms tell us; That the Accpting of Christ for Lord, is as essential a part of Justifying Faith, as the accepting of him for our Savior; that is, as he explained himself, That faith, as it accepteth Christ, for Lord & King, doth justify. And this was asserted by him, to the end, he might clear & confirm how Sincere Obedience cometh in with Affiance to make up the Condition of Justification; for his Thesis LXXII. did run thus. As the accepting of Christ for Lord (which is the hearts Subjection) is as essential a part of Justifying Faith, as the accepting of him for our Savior; So consequently, sincere obedience (which is the effect of the former) hath at much to do in justifying us before God, as Affiance ( which is the fruit of the later. Hence the question arose, and was by some proposed thus; Whether faith in Christ qua Lord, be the justifying act: or, whether the Acceptation of Christ, as a Lord, and not only, as a Priest, doth justify. And Mr. Baxter in his Confess. p. 35. §. 13. saith, that it is not only without any ground in God's word, but fully against it, to say, that faith justifieth only, as it apprehendeth Christ, as a Ransom, or Satisfier of justice, or Meriter of our Justification; or his Righteousness as ours; & not as it receiveth him, as King, or as a Savior from the stain & tyranny of sin.
I have shown before, that the moving of this question, is of little use, in reference to that end, for which, it seemeth, it was first intended, to wit, to prove, that Sincere Obedience hath as much to do in Justification, as faith, or Affiance hath; where I did show the inconsequence of that consequence. That because Justifying Faith receiveth Christ, as King; Therefore Obedience is a part of the Condition of Justification, yea, or therefore a Purpose, or a promise of Obedience is a part of the Condition of Justification. So that, in order to the disproving of that Assertion, that maketh obedience, or a Purpose, or a promise of obedience, an essential part of the Condition of Justification we need not trouble ourselves with this question: Yet, in regaird that the speaking to this may contribute to the clearing of the way of Justification by faith, (which is our great design) we shall speak our judgment there anent. And in order thereunto, several things must be premitted.
As 1. The question is not, whether Christ, as a King, belongeth to the complete & adequate object of that faith, which is the true & justifying faith: for this is granted, as was shown above, this faith, being the same faith, whether it be called True Faith, or Saving Faith, or Uniting & Covenanting faith, or Justifying faith, it must have one & the same adequate Object.
2. Nor is the Question, whether Faith in order to Justification, doth so act on Christ, as a Priest, as to exclude either virtually, or expressly, the consideration of any other of his offices, or of Christ under any other of his offices: for under whatever office Christ be considered; when faith acteth upon him, whole Christ is received, and nothing in Christ is or can be excludeth; So that there is no virtual exclusion; nor can there be any express exclusion of any of his offices, when he, under any other of his offices is looked to a right & received; for such an exclusion would be an open rejection of Christ, and no receiving of him.
3. When we speak here of receiving of Christ, as a Priest, or in respect of his Sacerdotal Office, it is all one, as if we named his Sacerdotal work, or what he did in the discharge of that office, offering up himself a Satisfactory Sacrifice, and giving his blood, and life for that end, and suffering inwardly & outwardly, what was laid upon him by the Father, in order to the making of full Satisfaction to justice, and paying our debt, by his Righteousness Active & Passive.
4. Nor do we, when we speak of Faiths acting on Christ, as a Priest, so limit & restrick the same unto his Sacerdotal work, as to exclude anything, that is presupposed thereunto, concomitant thereof, consequential thereunto & depending thereupon, or is necessarily requisite unto the effectual application of the same unto our Justification & Advantage. When therefore it is said, that in Justification, faith eyeth in a special manner the Sacerdotal office & work of Christ, there is no exclusion of the Consideration of that fountain Love, Grace, & favoure of God, whereby Christ was given unto the chosen, and appointed to be their Priest, and to make Satisfaction for them: Nor of his foregoing Incarnation, Obedience, Resurrection, Asctnsion &c. nor of other thlngs that are necessarily requisite hereunto, for all these are necessarily herein included.
5. When we speak of the Souls acting faith, in order to Justification, we do not suppose, that at that time, the troubled soul can have no other end or design before his eyes; nor be troubled with no other evil, or with the thoughts thereof, that he would be delivered from; and so in order to getting help therein, and a remedy thereof, cannot eye some-thing else in Christ, answering & suiting the same: for a Sinner in that case, may be troubled with the sense of the great Unbelief & Hardness & Impenitency of his heart, the Unholiness of all his ways, his Blindness & Ignorance; as well as with the sense of his Guilt, and of his being under the Curse; and so may & must be supposed, in coming to Christ for relief, to eye in a special manner, that in Christ, which is answerable to these his Necessities: And in this respect, a Sinner may be said to go to Christ, as a Prophet, and as a King, as well as to him, as a Priest; But in reference to these evils, they are not said or supposed to go to Christ, for Justification; for that respecteth merely their state of Sin & Guilt.
6. But the real question should be, what is the special & practical meaning of these words, we are justified, or live by faith: and to this end, the true Question is, what special way doth faith act on Christ (for it is here presupposed, that Christ must be the Object of Justifying Faith) in order to the sinners Justification? or what is that in Christ, that faith specially eyeth, and carrieth the soul out unto, when Justification before God is only designed? Or when the wakened sinner is earnestly desirous of delivery from the Guilt of sin & from the Curse of God, and of enjoying the Favor & Reconciled Face of God, whether he is to apply himself by faith unto Christ, as King, or unto Christ, as a Priest & to what he did as a Priest, for the relief of sinners?
In answer to the Question thus proposed, I say, That the wakened sinner, in that case, while seeking relief from sin & guilt, and from the curse, by Absolution & Justification, in the sight of God, in compliance with the Gospel method & design, making Justification to be by faith, & in obedience to the Gospel command, saying, Believe & be justified, is to act faith in a special manner on Christ's Mediation & Satisfaction; & to betake himself to Christ as a Priest, and rest on him & on what he di • as a Priest, that is, on his death, Blood, and Satisfaction. This is it, which others call the justifyinh Act of Faith: or that special act of faith, required in order to Justification.
Though what was said in the foregoing Chapter to prove, that Christ's Righteousness is the Object of Justifying faith, may serve for confirmation of this; Yet we shall, in short, lay down these grounds of proof, and
First Several Scriptnre-expressions, where Justification is spoken of and cleared in its causes, show and pointe forth what is, which faith should specially eye, and be employed about, in order to the interesting of the soul in this benefit: such as
1. Rom. 3. 24, 25. Being justified freely by his grace, through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation, through faith in his blood. Here, as justification is said to be brought about & effect • at through the Redemption of Christ, who was a Propitiation, & this respecteth only his Priesthood; so the special object of faith, in this affair', is expressly said to be his Blood, through faith in his blood, to tell us, that all such, as would have interest in this Privilege of justification, must by faith eye the Propitiation, the Bloody Sacrifice of Christ; And by blood we find it oft said, that Remission of sins is had Col. 1: 14. Ephes. 1: 7. Mat. 26: 28. and not without it. Heb. 9: 22.
2. Rom. 4: 24, 25.- to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him, that raised up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses, & was raised again for our Justification. As justification, here is held as procured & brought about by Christ, as a Priest, for as such, was he delivered for our offenses, and as such was he raised, or brought out of prison, so faith here, even when acting upon God, yet it is with a special relation to Christ's Priesthood, or to his Satisfaction; for it is a Believing on him, that raised up Christ Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, that is, in God as declaring he hath now received full Satisfaction from the Cautioner Christ by bringing him out of prison; & consequently in that Satisfaction given by Christ, wherewith the Father is now well pleased. See also Rom. 10: 9.
3. Rom. 5: 9, 10. Much more then being now justified by his blood: for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son &c. As the way is here pointed out, how justification & Reconciliation was effectual by Christ, to wit, by his Blood & Death, or by what he did & suffered as Priest & Cautioner; so accordingly is our faith directed to look, in order to a partaking of this Justification & Reconciliation, especially when this is so clearly & expressly explained to us.
4. Rom. 8: 33, 34. - It is God that justifieth - It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh Intercession for us. All which grounds of justification belong to his Priestly Office. And, if these be here laid down for grounds of Comfort & Assurance unto Believers, to fottifie them against all Assaults of the Accuser of the brethren, and against all Accusations, or Condemnations of men or devils; sure, the way is also pointed out, how faith should act, in order to their being brought into a state of justification.
5. 2. Cor. 5: 19, 21. To wit God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; not imputing their trespasses unto them for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The way how Reconciliation was brought about, is here set down, to the end the ministry of Reconciliation, mentioned verse. 18. and whereby persons are beseeched to be Reconciled verse. 20. may be understood, and such as are called upon may know in special what to do, in order to be reconciled, to wit close with him, and be in him, and be united to him, who was made sin, for sinners, that they might be clothed with a sufficient Righteousness in him: so that this points out Faiths eyeing Christ, as such a Cautioner, having the debt of sinners imputed to him, and becoming a Sacrifice for sin.
6. Gal. 2: 16, 20. - We have believed in Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. And what he did, when he thus believed in Christ, that he might he j • stified, he plainly tells us verse. 20. saying I am crucified with Christ: thus he wan to the life of justification; by eyeing Christ on the cross, making satisfaction unto justice, and assenting unto that way, & acquieseing in it, & resting & relying upon it. And in the same verse. he tells us, that his faith by which he lived, was on the Son of God, who have himself for him, that is, unto death.
7. Gal. 3: 11, 13. The just shall live by faith. This is the Text we are upon, and we have cleared how this life here mentioned is the life of justification; But what is the special object of this faith, in order to justification? That is clearly enough pointed to verse. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us. It is Christ, & Christ as Redeeming from the Curse of the Law, & that by being made a curse for us; which only looks to his Priestly office.
8. Phel. 3: 9, 10, 11. Paul was desirous to be found in Christ, & to be partaker of his Righteousness alone, which was by faith▪ But what was it in Christ, that the eye of his Faith was mainly fixed upon? He showeth that verse. 10: 11. That I may know him, & the power of his resurrection, & the fellowship of his Sufferings, being made conformable to his death &c. Christ's Sufferings, Death & Resurrection were most in his eye.
9. John. 3: 14, 15. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. The special object of faith here is Christ, as lifted up, that is, as Crucified. John. 12: 32, 33.
It will not be sufficient for weakening of these reasons, to say. That none of these conclude, that faith in order to Justification, eyeth Christ as a Priest only: for (1) They sufficiently prove, that faith in this matter of Justification goeth to Christ, as a Priest, and eyeth his Sacrifice, Blood & Redemption through his death; and we are called to prove no more, because it lieth upon those, who are of another judgment, to show us from Scripture, that Faith, in order to the obtaining of justification, acteth on Christ's Kingly office, & receiveth him, as Lord. (2) We know what outcries Papists make against the like Arguments of Protestants for justification by faith, because it is not said, we are justified by faith alone. (3) Though the Scriptures do not as plainly say, that faith in justification doth not in an especial manner eye Christ, as King & Prophet; as it saith, we are not justified by works; Yet we are bound to follow the light of the word, and to regulate our conceptions, by what we find there expressed, & if we find not any mention made of faith in Christ's command or Government, or the like relating to his Kingly office, as we hear of Faith in his Blood & the like relating to his Priestly office, we may saifly judge, that the one, being so clearly mentioned & so frequently, is a denying of the other, that is never mentioned.
Secondly. The very case & condition, wherein such are, who are desirous justification, may clear this: for they are now awakened, & made to see their natural state of death, wherein they are under the sentence of the Law, under the Curse & Malediction of God: And therefore the thing, which their soul now seeketh after, is a suitable Reliefe, something that may answer this case and may prove a fit Reliefe to them thus imprisoned, & in chains, because of their Debt & Transgressions: And therefore, as all Reason requireth; so experience proveth, that these wakened sinners seek after the Satisfaction through the Death & Merits of Christ, that they may have an Interest therein, and the benefit thereof, to the quieting of their souls; They lay hold on the Sufferings of Christ, that they may be hid in his wounds (as it were) that so they may be healed by his stripes; and have a Righteousness, under which they may with confidence stand, and appear before God; They become crucified with Christ, sweetly acquiesceing in, resting satisfied with, contentedly accepting of, and confidently resting & relying upon, his Merits, his Death, his Payment & Sntisfaction 〈◊〉 justice. Seeing then, that this (as experience proveth) is the way, that pursued souls take, to refuge themselves under a Crucified Christ, to flee to his Death & Merits, this, or Christ as a Priest dying & paying the debt, must be the special Object of the Faith of an hunted soul, panting after justification, or freedom from Condemnation.
Thirdly, Christ's other Offices, as his Kingly, or Prophetical office, do not hold him forth, as immediately suitable unto souls under this pressure; nor is there anything properly belonging to these offices, that promiseth immediate Reliefe unto a Soul, in this case, seeking after Reconciliation with God, & Pardon of sinners, which is only had by Christ's Death & Blood Rom. 5: 9, 10. & 3: 25. Ephes. 1: 7. Col. 1: 14. Christ by his Kingly or Prophetical office, doth not act towards God, in the behalf of sinners, but by his Priestsly office he doth Heb. 5: 1, 5, 6, 7. And it is after this, that poor sinners, pursued with the sense of wrath, do seek, & this can only give present & futable Reliefe.
Fourthly. The Faith of Believers under the sense of sin & guilt, under the Law, was thus led to act on the promised Messiah, when he was typified unto them by their Sacrifices, & they were to put their hands on the head of the Sacrifice, thereby, rolling their sin & guilt upon the Sacrifice, or on Him rather, who was the true Sacrifice, represented by these outward Sacrifices, & thereby professing their Faith in Him, as the only Satisfying Sacrifice, that could make Atonement, & Pacifie an angry God, & deliver them from wrath.
Fifthly, Christ is held forth, as having taken an these different offices, and as to show his being a full & complete mediator, able to answer all our necessities, and • s authorized to give forth suitable relief; so to instruct us how 〈…〉 , & to act faith upon him sutabl • e, with hope & confidence, Therefore as he is a King to subdue Enemies, the faith of his people is to act upon him, as such, when they would have their spiritual Enemies subdued; & as He is a Prophet to teach, the faith of his people must act upon him, as such, when they would have Light, Counsel & Direction; so, as He is a Priest to Die, Satisfie, make Atonement, Reconciliation & Peace, their Faith is to act upon him, as such, when they would have Guilt removed, & Peace made up betwixt God, & their souls.
Sixthly. The end & design of asserting Christ, as King to be as specially the Object of Faith, in Justification, as is Christ, as Priest, may sufficiently render it suspicious; for it is, as we touched above, to bring-in our Obedience, as distinct from Faith, or as included in it, to be the Condition of Justification, the same manner of way, that Faith is: though, as was cleared above, the consequence will not be fou • d good. The real question here (as is well observed by others) is not, whether anything of Christ, • to be excluded from being the Object of Justifying Faith. But what, in and of ourselves, under the name of Receiving Christ as King, is to be admitted to share with Faith, in its place and interest, in our Justification?
Seventhly. To say, that faith acteth, in order to justification, in as special a manner, on Christ as a King, as on Christ as a Priest, is to alter the Nature, Use & Ends of Faith, in this work & to give it the Place & Power of a proper potestative condition, as it is a virtue & work of ours; & not to look upon it as bringing all suitable supplies, in a distinct manner, from Christ, as was shown above: and this is but suitable to that alteration of the Nature of the New Covenant, that is made by the asserters of this, whereby it is of the same specific nature with the Old Covenant of Works; as if it were no more, but a new Edition thereof, with some alterations, as to the Conditions.
Let us now see, what Mr. Baxter saith to the contrary, in his Catholic Theol. p. 2. of moral works Sect. 7. p. 55. &c.
He tells us (n. 105.) That to be justified by faith in Paul's sense, is all one as to be justified by becoming Christians. Ans. We grant, with him, that to be a Believer, a Disciple, and a Christian, are all one, in the Gospel sense, & that by the same Faith, by which one is justified, he is a Christian also: but this proveth not, that Faith, in order to justification, acteth not, in a special manner, on Christ, as a Priest; and we have found, how Paul both in his Doctrine, and in his own Practice, explaineth the acting of Faith in Justification. This may serve for an answer also to what he saith (n. 106.) to wit, that the faith, by which we are justified is essentially a believing fiducial consent to our Covenant relation to God the Father, Son & Holy Ghost: for we grant, that it is but one & the same Faith, which doth all this, but yet this Faith may be conceived, as acting in a peculiar manner in order to justification. We grant also, that it is the same faith, by which we have Right to the benefits of the Covenant, & by which we are justified; Yet we say, that in order to Justification, that same Faith, which receiveth whole Christ, and thereby a Right to the benefits of the Covenant, acteth in a peculiar manner on Christ, as Priest, in order to Justification.
He tells us next (n. 108.) That the faith by which we are justified, hath God the Father for its object, as essentially, as Christ the Savior. Ans. And we do not deny God the Father to be the Object of that Faith, by which we are justified. And will he say, that Faith in God without Christ will justify a sinner, or that there is any believing in God the Father now, without believing also in Christ? The places he citeth John. 17: 3. & 13: 1. show the contrary. Adam's Faith indeed was such before the fall; but our Faith now must be of another kind. It is to as little purpose for him to say (n. 109.) That it is as essential to this faith to believe in Christ, as the Purchaser of Holiness & heaven, as to believe in him, as the purchaser of pardon: For he purchased all as a Priest, & not as a Prophet or King & when faith acteth on him, as a purchaser, it acteth on him, as a Priest. But he addeth. And to believe in him, as the Teacher & Ruler of the Church, as to believe in him, as the justifier of believers.