Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 26 – Chapter 27
Of iuſtification by Faith: and what Faith is. CHAP. 26
THE PROTESTANTS
ANd this Iuſtification, which by our workes we can not deſerue, yet by faith we do obtaine. Not becauſe our faith can of it ſelfe worke any ſuch effect.What faith is. But it beeing a liuely and certain perſwaſion of our heart and conſcience, that God for Chriſt Ieſus his ſake, forgiueth vsus al our ſinnes, and in him accounteth vsus holie and righteous, doeth thus iuſtifie vsus, not as that that worketh our iuſtification, but as that which apprehendeth and taketh holde of that righteouſnes, that Chriſt hath wrought for vsus. And ſo by faith he being made ours, is vntounto vsus wiſdome, 1. Cor. 1.30.and righteouſneſſe, and ſanctification, and redemption. And being thus iuſtified by faith, Rom. 5.1wee hauehave peace with God, through our Lord Ieſus Chriſt.
THE PAPISTS
BVT our aduerſaries, becauſe they like not that Chriſt ſhoulde bee the onelyonly ſalue for our ſores, neyther will they hauehave faith to bee the hande that applieth this ſoueraigne medicine to our maladies. But they are content to confeſſe that it doeth iustifie, yea,Bellar. de iuſtif. li. 1. ca. 15. Con. Trid. Seſſ. 6. cap. 6. Orth. explica. li. 6. and that faith doth ſomewhat merit our iuſtification: becauſe it doeth prepare and diſpoſe the hart to iuſtification: or as Andradradius ſaith, becauſe it goeth before to open, as it were the doore to hope and charitie, and is the beginning and foundation of iuſtification: but that it iustifieth as the inſtrumentall cauſe, that maketh vsus to reſt and ſettle our ſelues for our iustification onelyonly vponupon Chriſt, without any regarde to the merit and woorke of Fayth, they will not graunt.
A great cauſe of the difference betwene vsus and the papiſts in this queſtion, is that we agree not in the ſignification of the worde, what it is to be iuſtified. This therefore is the queſtion, whether wee that are not only by nature ſinners, but alſo euen after our regeneration, hauehave that Lawe in our members rebelling, againſt the lawe of the minde, Rom. 7.27 Bellar. de Amiſſ. grat. li. 5. ca. 13.which ſaint Paul calleth ſinne, and the papiſts themſelues confeſſe to be euil, damned and hated of God: whether I ſay we being ſuch ſinners ſhal appeare righteous before God, in hauing our ſinnes pardoned, couered and not imputed vntounto vsus, and Chriſts righteouſneſſe accounted ours: or in that goodnes or holines, or thoſe good workes, which Gods grace worketh in vsus. We ſay that Chriſt by faith is made ours: Chriſt I ſay with all his holineſſe and righteouſneſſes,Ephe. 1.7 By whom we hauehave redemption through his bloud, the forgiuenes of ſinnes, according to his rich grace. And in this aſſurance we ſtand euen before Gods iudgment ſeat without feare, and ſay with the apoſtle Who ſhall laie anie thing to the charge of gods choſen? Rom. 8.33.34.It is God that iuſtifieth who ſhal condemne vsus. It is Chriſt that is dead, yea or rather is riſen againe. Who is alſo at the right hand of God, and alſo maketh requeſt for vsus. And in this faith and aſſured perſwaſion, we hauehave peace of conſcience here, and are in Chriſt and for his ſake accounted righteous elſewhere, euen before him that ſhall iudge the quicke and the dead. They teach vsus that after baptiſme ſinne is ſo killed within vsus,Popiſh iuſtification. that we are able to doe ſuch workes as doe merit iuſtification and eternall life.That iuſtification is not by works, but by imputation. Gen. 22.18. And by this righteouſneſſe that is in vsus, we are made ſo iuſt and righteous, that we are ſo iuſtified before God. To confirme that which we teach, we hauehave the promiſe made to. Abraham That in his ſeede all the nations of the earth ſhould be bleſſed. In his ſeede I ſay, not in our ſelues we muſt all be bleſſed. And that Chriſt is this ſeede, ſaint Paul to the Galathians doth affirme.Gal. 3.16. Secondly the iuſtification of the people of the Iewes, which they by their ſacrifices obtained, is a right pattern of our iuſtification. For though the bloud of of the beaſts could not make them holy, yet the ſacrifice being offered for them according to the law,Hep. 9.9. did worke ſo much, that they who before were accounted vncleane, and might not appeare before the Lord, nowe were accounted cleane, and might ſerue before him. Euen ſo we, though wee bee not in our ſelues, yet by this our ſacrifice that hath offered him ſelfe a ſweete ſmell vntounto God the father, wee are accounted cleane and without ſinne,Rom. 5.2. and hauehave by him acceſſe vntounto that grace wherein we ſtand. Thirdly, this iuſtification is commended vntounto vsus by Dauid, Pſal. 32.1.2Bleſſed is he whoſe wickedneſſe is forgiuen, and whoſe ſinne is couered. Bleſſed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie. And for this cauſe he ſtirreth vp his ſoule to praiſe the Lord:Pſal. 103.3 becauſe ſaith he, He forgiueth al thine iniquities. It is promiſed by Ieremie, I will forgiue their iniquities, Iere. 31.34and remember their ſinnes no more. And the Prophet Hoſe teacheth the people to pray for it,Hoſe. 14.2 ſaying thus. Take vntounto you words, and turne to the Lord, and ſay vntounto him, Take away all iniquitie, and receiue vsus graciouſly. Where this is alſo by the way to be marked, that ye prophet here biddeth vsus come to God, with ſuch words, as if he had ſaid, Your works are euill, and cannot helpe, they cannot merit, Yet come with good words, be ſuiters for grace. Fourthly, our ſauiour Chriſt doth commend vntounto vsus this iuſtification which we hauehave by him, & apprehend by faith. Whoſoeuer beleeueth in him ſhall not periſh, Iohn 3.16but hauehave euerlaſting life. Of whom the apoſtles alſo hauehave learned that we are iuſtified by faith, that righteouſnes is imputed vntounto vsus, & that we are accounted righteous.Rom. 3.28 Rom. 4.3.11 Laſtly, we ſee how ye apoſtle doth exclude works frō iuſtifying, than which there can be no ſtronger argumēt againſt this inherent iuſtification which the papiſts contend for, or for the imputation of righteouſnes by faith in Chriſt Ieſus, which we according vntounto the ſcriptures doe preach. And therefore he doth not onelyonly exclude works in generall from iuſtification,Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.11. Rom. 4. Iuſtified by faith without the workes of the law: But alſo thoſe works that Abraham did after his firſt calling, when now he was regenerate, euen then, I ſay, attributing iuſtification to faith and not to his workes. And likewiſe for his owne works long after he was regenerate,Phil. 3.9. he reiecteth them that he might attaine vntounto righteouſneſſe by faith. So little did he truſt vntounto that inherent righteouſneſſe, that he counted it but dung: and ſo wholie did he depend on that righteouſnes that we hauehave by faith in Chriſt Ieſus. But of this I hauehave ſpoken in the end of the former chapter. And I truſt this may ſerue the turne, to ſhew how farre we are from that inherent righteouſnes and keeping of the law, which our popiſh Phariſees dreame of: eſpecially if we conſider what great perfection the law requireth to be in our workes,Maſter. Bellar. his profe for inherent iuſtice. De iuſtif. li. 2. cap. 3. Rom. 5.19. and what want through our corruption there is in the ſame. But maſter Bellarmine bringeth ſome arguments to proue this inherent righteouſneſſe. The firſt is out of theſe words, As by one mans diſobediēce many were made ſinners, ſo by the obedience of one many are made iuſt. Of this argument, becauſe I hauehave ſpoken at large, towards the latter ende of the 23. chapter, I leaue the reader to that place. His ſecond argumēt is this, Al are iuſtified freely by his grace, Rom. 3.24.25.throgh the redemption that is in Chriſt Ieſus, whom God hath ſet to be a reconciliation. In which place by grace maſter Bellarmine vnderſtandeth that righteouſneſſe that God hath giuen, or infuſed into vsus: for ſo he ſpeaketh. But ſaint Auguſtine in that place vnderſtandeth by Grace,De gratia Criſti cont. pelag. & Celeſt. cap. 31. Prim. vponupon this place. that which is ſet againſt workes. And Primaſius ſaith, By (his grace) becauſe hee paid for vsus that which hee ought vsus not, that he might ſaue vsus being freely redeemed. Thus doth Auguſtine and Primaſius take this word Grace, for Gods louelove to vsus, not for any vertue inherent in vsus, cleane contrarie to maſter Bellarmines minde. And by theſe and ſome other places he would faine proue, that the worde of iuſtifying, may ſometime ſignifie an inherent righteouſneſſe. And what if we grant that to him? yet thereof it followeth not, that that inherent righteouſneſſe doth iuſtifie vsus before God, which maſter Bellarmine would faine proue. As for that which he ſaith of Abel and Noah, that they were accounted iuſt: if hee will by that commendation that is giuen to them, exempt them from all ſin, ſaint Auguſtine will be directly againſt him,De peccat. merit. & remiſſ. lib. 2. cap. 12. 13. who ſpeaking of Iobs righteouſneſſe, ſheweth, that perfection was not in Iob, neither that it can be any. But in compariſon of others he was iuſt. And if perfection cannot be in any, then ſhall no man by any inherent righteouſneſſe, anſwere Gods iuſt iudgement.Ber. epiſt. 34. For Our greateſt perfection is deſire to bee more perfect, and alwayes to confeſſe our imperfection. Two or three argumentes mo hath maiſter Bellarmine in that place, but becauſe they are not woorth anſwering, of purpoſe I omit them, concluding with that golden ſaying of ſaint Ambroſe: Amb. epiſt 32 lib. 5.not the lawe, but faith maketh a man iuſt, becauſe righteouſneſſe is not by the law, but by faith.
That good workes are neceſſarie duties for all Chriſtians to performe. CHAP. 27.
THE PROTESTANTS
BVt although we denie that our good workes, cā any thing merit our iuſtification,Ephe. 1.4. yet we affirme that God hath choſen vsus vntounto himſelfe before the foundations of the world were laid:Ephe. 2.19. ſo, wee are his workmāſhip, created in chriſt Ieſu vntounto good works, which God hath ordained that we ſhould walke in them. For the ſame ſpirite of God, that worketh in vsus faith, and maketh it to take ſure hold of Chriſt, doth alſo make it as a fruitfull plant, to bring foorth fruite in great abundance of holie obedience. Neither can this faith, if it bee a true faith, be idle, but it will worke by louelove. By louelove, I ſay, towards God, wherby we will bee readie to louelove him, carefull to ſerue him, and willing to pleaſe him. By louelove alſo towardes our neighbour, to the performance of al Chriſtian duties in mercifulneſſe, and brotherly kindneſſe. For wee know that God hath giuen vntounto vsus his law, that though we cānot be ſaued by it, yet we ſhould walke in the ſame law with our whole indeuour.
THE PAPISTS
BVt our aduerſaries teach vsus, not to do good workes for Gods ſake,Mat. 5.16. That men ſeing our good works may glorifie our father which is in heauen: but for our owne ſake, namely to purchaſe heauen thereby, and to ſatisfie for our ſins. So that this is the difference betwene vsus and thē That good works ſhould be done, wee crie it as lowd as they: But we differ ſomtime in the worke it ſelfe: for wee ſay, that is onelyonly a good worke that is done according to Gods commandements.Mat. … 5.9 And ad. Orthod. expli. lib. 5. They teach for doctrines the precepts of men, yea, that men may offende God more ſometime in breaking the lawes of the church, than Gods law. Which how blaſpemouſly it is written, let the world iudge, We alſo direct our workes to another end than they do We do good works to glorifie God, and becauſe hee hath commanded vsus, that we may ſo offer vntounto him a ſacrifice of obedience. They worke that they may merit thereby, and ſo do diſgrace the merit of Ieſus Chriſt.
And thus much I thought good to ſet down concerning this point, to ſtop the mouthes, & to ſtay the pens of ſlaunderous papiſts, who go about to diſcredit our true doctrine with the ſimple and ignorant, as though wee ſpake againſt good works: when as in truth we exhort earneſtly all men, to ſhew their faith by their workes, and to walke worthy of their calling. Only this we admoniſh all men out of Gods worde, that they eſteeme not as good workes, the fooliſh fancies of mans deuice: (for wee muſt giuegive God leaue, to teach vsus what is good, and what is euill, for he is our law-maker) then alſo that they refer vntounto Gods glory the good works which they do, and to no other end, and that they do them in ſinglenes of heart, to performe their dutifull obedience to God. And theſe points being obſerued, we inſtantly exhort, yea, & command all men,Gal. 6.9.10. whileſt they hauehave time to do good, and neuer to be wearie of well doing.