Abridgment of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII. VVhat manner of beginning iuſtification hath, and the continuall proceſſe thereof.
1 THAT wee may more eaſilie diſcuſſe what maner righteouſneſſe man may hauehave during the whole courſe of this life,What manner righteouſnes man hath let vsus make a fourefold degree. For men are either indued with no knoweledge of God, as idolaters: or being entered by the ſacramentes, they denie God not with their mouth but in their deedes: or they are hypocrites: or being regenerate they meditate vponupon true holines. In the firſt, when they are to bee iudged by their naturall gifts, there ſhall not be foūd one ſparkle of goodnes frō the crown of the head vntounto ye ſole of the foote.1 Naturall Idolaters.
2 Ob. What excellent giftes ſoeuer are ſeen in the vnbeleeuers they are gifts of God: as in Titus & Traianus iuſtice,Ier. 17 9. Gen. 8.21. moderation, equitie: in Veſpaſian continencie.
3 An. Neuertheleſſe that is true which Auguſtine writeth, that all thoſe which are ſtrangers frō the religion of god, howſoeuer they be counted wō derful for the opinion of vertue which men hauehave of them, are not only worthie of no reward, but rather of puniſhment: becauſe they pollute the pure giftes of God with the filthines of their heart.
Obiect. They are Gods inſtruments to preſerue ſocietie.
An. Notwithſtāding they do moſt wickedlie execute theſe good works of god: becauſe they are kept from doing euil not with any ſincere deſire of goodneſſe,Why the workes of the wicked be no good workes. but by ambition, by the louelove of themſelues, or by ſome ſiniſter affection.
4 Furthermore Iohn ſaith, that there is no life without the ſonne of God: Therefore as for thoſe which hauehave no part in Chriſt,1 Ioh. 5.12 how great ſoeuer they be, whatſoeuer they do or goe aboue, they goe forward notwithſtanding vntounto deſtruction, & vntounto the iudgement of eternal death, foraſmuch as they cannot pleaſe God being deſtitute of faith*.
Heb. 12.6.5 The thing ſhall appeare more plainely, if the grace of God be ſet againſt the naturall condition of mā as cōtrary.The miſerie of man is knowen by the grace of God. The ſcripture crieth that God findeth nothing in man, whereby he may be moued to do good to him, but that he doth preuent him with his free goodnes. For what can a man that is dead, do to recouer life? But when hee doth inlighten vsus with the knowledge of him ſelfe, he is ſaid to raiſe vsus vp from death, and to make vsus a newe creature*.1 Ioh. 5.25. Eph. 2.4.
6 So ſoone as Iſaias hath deſcribed the vniuerſall deſtruction of all mankind, he doth excellentlie adde afterward the order of his reſtoring*.Ieſ. 59.15. If the couenāt of God which is our firſt ioyning with God do reſt vponupon the merciemercy of God,Iuſtification is the beginninge of louelove. Rom. 5.6. Coll. 1.21. 1 Ioh. 4.10 Oſe. 14 5. there is no foundation left for our owne righteouſneſſe. For if iuſtification be the beginning of louelove*, what righteouſneſſe of works do go before it?
7 VnderUnder this ſort are comprehended the ſecond & third order of men. For the vncleanneſſe of their conſcience argueth that they are both of them vnregenerate by the Spirit of God. Againe there is in them no regeneration, becauſe no faith, without which there is no iuſtification. What can ſinners then bring forth, which are eſtranged from God,Hagg. 2.12. but that which is execrable in his iudgement*?
8 Therfore hypocrites and ſuch as keep wickedneſſe inwrapped in their hart, do in vaine ſtudie to bring God indebted to thē by their works.Ieſ. 1.13. For they ſhall more and more prouoke him*, ſeing the ſacrifices of wicked men are abhominable before God*.Prou. 15.8 4 The workes of the Regenerate.
9 Now let vsus ſee what righteouſneſſe thoſe hauehave whom we hauehave placed in the fourth ranke. Let vsus graunt that they are reconciled, iuſtified, mortified, ſanctified by the grace of Chriſt, that they walke in the wayes of the Lord through the guiding of the holy Ghoſt, yet let them not be puffed vp, there remaine remnants of imperfection which may miniſter argument of humilitie. There is none ſo righteous which doth good and not ſinne*.1 Kin. 8.48 Then what maner righteouſneſſe ſhall they hauehave?
30 Againe although it might be, that we might hauehave ſome works which might be pure & perfect, yet one ſinne is ſufficiēt to extinguiſh all the remēbrāce of our former righteouſneſſe, as ſaith the Prophet, and whereto alſo Iames agreeth*,Ezech. 18.24. Iam. 2:10. He which offendeth in one is made guiltie of all.
11 Therefore we muſt ſtand ſtoutly in theſe two: that there was neuer anie worke of anie godly man, which if it be examined by the ſharpe iudgement of God, was not damnable. Secondly if anie ſuch be graunted, yet being corrupted with ſinnes it looſeth his grace. And this is the chiefe point of our diſputation.
12 Obiect. Good workes are not of ſo great value by inward dignitie,The Popiſh woorkes. as that they are ſufficient to obtaine righteouſneſſe, but this that they are of ſo great value, is of grace accepting them. Againe, ſo long as we liue, the faultes which are committed, are recompenced with workes of ſupererogation.
An. That which you call accepting grace is nothing elſe,What acceptinge grace is. but his free goodneſſe, whereby the Father embraceth vsus in Chriſt: when as he clotheth vsus with innocencie, & accounteth the ſame ours, that by the benefit therof he may take vsus for holie, pure, and innocent.
That no works of man doe pleaſe.13 If theſe things be true, ſurely no good workes can make vsus acceptable to God of them ſelues, nay nor pleaſe him, ſaue onelyonly inaſmuch as man, being clothed with the righteouſnes of Chriſt doth pleaſe God, & obtaine remiſſion of his ſins. For God hath not promiſed the reward of life to certaine workes: but onelyonly pronounceth, that he which doeth theſe things ſhal liue: ſetting down a curſe for thoſe which ſhall not abide in all things. Therfore all the righteouſnes of men being gathered on one heap, cannot be ſufficient to make recompēce for one. That doth the ſinne of Adam proue.
14 And to boaſt of workes of ſupererogation, how doth it agree with that which is commanded, that when we hauehave done all things which are commaunded vsus,Workes of ſupererogation. Luk. 17.10. we ſay that we are vnprofitable ſeruants*, and that we hauehave done no more then was our dutie to do. To ſay before God, is not to diſſemble or lie, but to determine with thy ſelf, that wherof thou art certaine.
15 Obiect. Paule did yeelde of his owne right, which he might if he would hauehave vſed: neither dyd he only employ vponupon the Corinthians ſo much as he ought of dutie: but he beſtowed vponupon thē paines freely, beyond the bounds of his dutie.
An. He did this leſt he ſhould hauehave bene a ſtumbling blocke to the weake: but not that he might do ſomewhat of ſupererogation for the Lord. Becauſe all our works are due to the Lord, as the proper poſſeſſions of bondmen.
16 Therfore we muſt driue away two plagues in this point:Confidence and gloryinge are Plagues. Pſal. 143.2. Ieſ. 45.20 & 61 3. the firſt that we put no confidence in the righteouſneſſe of workes. Secondly that we aſcribe no glorie to them. When confidence is once gone, glorying muſt needs be packing alſo*.
17 Furthermore if we reſpect the fower kinds of cauſes, we ſhall find none of them to agree to works in the eſtabliſhing of our ſaluation.1 The efficient. 2 Materiall. 3 Formall. The efficient is the merciemercy of our heauenly Father: the materiall is Chriſt with his obedience: the formall or inſtrumentall is faith. And theſe three doth Iohn comprehend in one ſentence*:Ioh. 3.16. So God loued the world that he gaue his onelyonly begotten Sonne, that euerie one which beleueth in him may not periſh, but hauehave euerlaſting life*.4 Finall. The finall cauſe is the declaration of Gods righteouſneſſe, and the praiſe of his goodneſſe: as Paule witneſſeth*.Rom. 3.25. Therefore ſeeing we ſee all the parts of our ſaluation to be thus without vsus, what cauſe is there why we ſhould nowe hauehave anie affiance in works, or glorie in them?
18 Obiect. But holy men do often make mentiō of their innocency and integritie.Why holie men made mention of their righteouſnes.
An. That is done two wayes: either by cōparing their good cauſe with the euill cauſe of the wicked, they thereby conceaue ſure hope of victorie: not ſo much for commending of their owne righteouſneſſe, as for the iuſt and deſerued condemning of their aduerſaries. Or elſe becauſe euen without cō paring them ſelues with other, when they recorde them ſelues before God: the cleanneſſe of their owne conſcience bringeth them both ſome conſolation & alſo confidence. But when they are buſie about the grounding & eſtabliſhing of their ſaluation, they ſet their eyes vponupon the goodneſſe of God alone.
19 Therfore when holie men cōfirme their faith by innocencie of their conſcience, and take and gather thēce matter of reioycing, they do nothing elſe but call to mind by the frutes of their calling, that they are adopted by the Lord into the place of children*:Pro. 14.26. Gen. 14.40 1 Kin. 20.3 not that they place in them any foundation of their righteouſneſſe and ſaluation.
In pſal. 137. Note.20 This ſelfe ſame thing doth Auguſtine ſhew in a fewe words*, I commend not the workes of mine hands, I feare leſt when thou ſhalt looke into them, thou find more ſinnes then merits, but I ſay, deſpiſe not the works of thine hands: behold thy worke in me & not mine owne worke. If thou ſhalt ſee mine, thou condemneſt it, if thine thou crowneſt it. Becauſe whatſoeuer good workes I hauehave, they are of thee. He ſetteth downe two cauſes, why he dare not boſt of his works before God: firſt becauſe if he hauehave any good works there he ſeeth nothing which is his owne: ſecondly, becauſe euen that is oppreſſed with the multitude of ſinnes.
21 Obiect. The good workes of the faithfull are the cauſes for which the Lord doth good to them.Election is the beginninge of graces.
An. The cauſe wherby God is moued to do good to thoſe that be his, is not thē handled, but only the ordinarie diſpenſatiō. Becauſe God by heaping graces vponupon graces, taketh occaſion by the former to adde the latter, that he may omit nothing which may ſerue to the enriching of his ſeruants: & ſo by this meanes he proſecuteth his liberality, yet ſo that he will alwayes hauehave vsus to reſpect the free election which is the fountaine and beginning.