Defense of Perkins Book Called a Reformed Catholic, Point 4 · Section 5
Obiections of Papists.
speaker W. P. Psal. 7. 8. Iudge me according to my righteousnesse. Hence they reason thus; if Dauid bee iudged according to his righteousnesse, then may hee be iustified thereby; but Dauid desires to be iudged according to his righteousnesse: and therefore he was iustified thereby. Answ. There be two kinds of righteousnes, one of the person, the other of the cause or action. The righteousnesse of a mans person, is, whereby it is accepted into the fauour of God into life eternall. The righteousnes of the action or cause is, when the action or cause is iudged of God to be good and iust. Now Dauid in this Psalme, speaketh onelyonly of the righteousnesse of the action, or innocencie of his cause, in that hee was falslie charged to hauehave sought the kingdome. In like manner it is said of Phineas, Psalm. 166. 31. that his fact in killing Zimri and Cosbie, was imputed to him for righteousnesse: not because it was a satisfaction to the lawe, the rigour whereof could not be fulfilled in that one worke, but because God accepted of it as a iust worke, and as a token of his righteousnes and zeale for Gods glorie.
Obiect. II. The Scripture saith in sundrie places, that men are blessed which doe good workes. Psal. 119. 1. Blessed is the man that is vpright in heart, and walketh in the law of the Lord. Ans. The man is blessed that endeauoureth to keepe Gods commaundements. Yet is he not blessed simply, because he doth so; but because he is in Christ, by whom he doth so: and his obedience to the lawe of God is a signe thereof.
Obiect. III. When man confesseth his sinnes and humbleth himselfe by prayer and fasting, Gods wrath is pacified and staied: therefore prayer and fasting are causes of iustification before God. Answ. Indeed men that truly humble themselues by prayer and fasting, doe appease the wrath of God: yet not properly by these actions, but by their faith expressed and testified in them, whereby they apprehend that which appeaseth Gods wrath, euen the merites of Christ in whom the Father is well pleased: and for whose sake alone he is well pleased with vsus.
Obiect. IV. Sundrie persons in Scriptures are commended for perfection: as Noe, and Abraham, Zacharie, and Elizabeth: and Christ biddeth vsus all bee perfect: and where there is any perfection of works, there also workes may iustifie. Answ. There bee two kinds of perfection: perfection in parts, and perfection in degrees. Perfection in parts is, when beeing regenerate, and hauing the seedes of all necessarie vertues, we endeauour accordingly to obey God, not in some few, but in all and eueryevery part of the law: as Iosias turned vntounto God according to all the law of Moses. Perfection in degree is, when a man keepeth eueryevery commandement of God, and that according to the very rigor therof, in ye highest degree. Now then whereas we are commaunded to be perfected, and hauehave examples of the same perfection in Scripture: both commaundements and examples must be vnderstood of perfection in partes, and not of perfection in degrees, which cannot bee attained vntounto in this life; though we for our parts, must dailie striue to come as neare vntounto it, as possibly we can.
Obiect. V. 2. Cor. 4. 17. Our momentarie afflictions worke vntounto vsus a greater measure of glorie: now if afflictions worke our saluation, then workes also doe the same. Answ. Afflictions work saluation, not as causes procuring it, but as a meanes directing vsus thereto. And thus alwaies must we esteeme of workes, in the matter of our saluation, as of a certaine way, or a marke therein, directing vsus to glorie, not causing and procuring it: as Bernard saith, they are via regni, non Lib. de grat. … lib. arb.causa regnandi: The way to the kingdome, not the cause of raigning there.
Obiect. VI. Wee are iustified by the same thing whereby we are iudged: but we are iudged by our good workes: therefore iustified also. Answ. The proposition is false: for iudgement is an act of God, declaring a man to be iust that is alreadie iust: and iustification is an other act of God, whereby hee maketh him to bee iust, that is by nature vniust. And therefore in equitie the last iudgement is to proceed by workes; because they are the fittest meanes to make triall of eueryevery mans cause, and serue fitly to declare whom God hath iustified in this life.
Obiect. VII. Wicked men are condemned for euill workes: therefore righteous men are iustified by good workes. Answ. The reason holdeth not: for there is great difference betweene euill and good workes. An euill worke is perfectly euill, and so deserueth damnation: but there is no good worke of any man that is perfectly good: and therefore cannot iustifie.
Obiect. VIII. To beleeue in Christ is a worke, and by it we are iustified: and if one worke doe iustifie, why may we not be iustified by all the workes of the law. Answ. Faith must be considered two waies: first, as a worke, qualitie, or vertue: secondly, as an Instrument, or an hand reaching out it selfe to receiue Christs merit. And wee are iustified by faith, not as it is a worke, vertue, or qualitie; but as it is an instrument to receiue and apply that thing whereby wee are iustified. And therefore it is a figuratiue speech to say, We are iustified by faith. Faith considered by it selfe maketh no man righteous; neither doth the action of faith, which is to apprehend, iustifie: but the obiect of faith, which is Christs obedience apprehended.
These are the principall reasons commonly vsed: which as wee see, are of no moment. To conclude therefore, we hold, that workes concurre to iustification, and that wee are iustified thereby as by signes and effects, not as causes: for both the beginning, middle, and accomplishment of our iustification is onelyonly in Christ: and hereupon Iohn saith, If any man (beeing alreadie iustified) sinne wee hauehave an aduocate with the father, Iesus Christ, and he is the propitiation for our sinnes. And to make our good workes meanes or causes of our iustification, is to make eueryevery man a Sauiour to himselfe.
speaker A. W. The obiections which M. Perkins makes for vsus in this Article: doe belong either to the question of merits, or of the possibility of fulfilling D. B. P. Pag. 200. This is but a de…ce to s…ft off the ans…vering of them.the law, or to the perfection of our iustice: and therefore I remitte them to those places: and will handle the two latter points, before I come to that of m…rits.
You are still the same man; shifting off that to which you hauehave no answere readie. If you say any thing to these obiections afterward, I will referre the reader to it by A. B. C.