A Treatise of Justification, Book 5 · Chapter 4
CAP. IV. Testimonies of Writers both Old and New, proving justification by righteousnesse imputed.
§. I.
I Beginne, as Bellarmine did, with aAd diagnetum. foreignIustin Martyr. For what other thing, saith he, could hide or cover our sinnes, but the righteousnesse of the Sonne of God? In whom was it possible, that wee sinners and ungodly should bee justified, but in the onelyonly Sonne of God? O sweet commutation—that the iniquity of many should be hid in one just person, and that the righteousnesse of one should justifie many sinners!
2. bAthanas. tom. 2. adv. eos qui negant Christum ex natura nostra sumpsse primitias. foreign.Athanasius, affirmeth that the fulfilling of the Law wrought by the first fruits (whereby he meaneth the flesh of Christ) is imputed to the whole lumpe.
3. cIn Cantic. hom. 2. foreignGregory Nyssene, marvell not (saith the Spouse) that uprightnesse hath loved me: but that being blacke by reason of my sinne, and by my workes drawing neere to darkenesse, hee hath made mee beautifull by his love, making an exchange of his beauty with my blacknesse. For having translated the filthinesse of my sinnes unto himselfe, hee hath made me partaker of his purity, communicating unto me his owne beauty.
4. dChrysost. in Rom. 10. 4. bomil. 17. and afterwardse foreign.Chrysostome, here the Apostle sheweth that there is but one righteousnesse, and that that (of the Law) is recapitulated or reduced to this (of faith.) And that he which hath gotten this which is by faith, hath also fulfilled that: but he that despiseth this, he falleth from that together with this: and a little after … if thou beleevest in Christ, thou hast fulfilled the Law and hast performed much more, than the Law commanded. For thou hast received a farre greater righteousnesse. For as he had said in the words going before, that Christ hath justified us by faith foreign, more amply, than we would have been justified by the Law. This greater, this more ample righteousnesse must needs be understood of Christs righteousnesse imputed unto us.
5. fIn Psal. 119. conc. 3. qui dicit iniquitates suas Deo iustificatur.Ambrose, he that confesseth his sinnes to God is justified, that is, obtaineth remission of sinne, which is also testified by S Iohn 1 Ioh. 1. 9. and is verified in David, Psalm. 32. 5. and in the Publican, Luk. 18. 14. But he that is justified by remission of sinne, is also justified by imputation of righteousnesse: for as Bellarmine confesseth, the not imputing of sinne bringeth with it imputation of righteousnesse.
6. gAdv. Pelag l. 1. Tunc. iusti sumus q…avdo nos peccatores fatemur, & iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito, sedex. Dei consistis misericordia.Hierome, to the like purpose, then are wee just, when wee confesse our selves to bee sinners: and our righteousnesse consisteth not in our owne merit, but in Gods mercy.
7. hIn Ioan. tr. 3.Augustine, omnes qui per Christum justificati, j…sti non in se, sed in illo. All that are justified by Christ, are just, not in themselves, but in him. And thereunto adde the testimonies before *Huius libri c. 1. §. 5.cited out of Hierome, iIn 2 Cor. 5. 21.Augustine, kEnchirid. c. 41.S…dulius, and lIn 2 Cor. 5. 21.Anselmus, who all have taught, that wee when wee are justified, are made righteous, not in our selves, but in Christ.
Againe, mDe civit. D. l. 19 c. 27. ut potius remissione peccatorum constet, quàm perfectione virtutum.Augustine teacheth that our justice in this life doth stand rather in the remission of sinnes, than in perfection of vertues. That is, as I understand him, that our chiefe righteousnesse in this life, is that of justification, and not of sanctification: for that is perfect, and so is not this: by that we are justified before God and intitled unto heaven, so are we not by this. Here nDe iustif l. 2. cap. 13.Bellarmine would seeme to acknowledge that remission of sinne concurreth to justification: but his constant and perpetuall doctrine is, that justification consisteth wholly, in the infusion of righteousnesse expelling sinne, in so much that remission of sinne and infusion of righteousnesse are not two actions but one, &c. which assertion supposed, how could Augustine say, that our righteoufnesse is such in this life that it consisteth rather in the forgivenesse of sinne, than in the perfection of vertues, seeing vertue infused is the force of justification, and expelleth sinne, and is all in all, and if that assertion of the utter deletion of sin, when it is remitted were true, most vaine were that boasting of oDe Iacob. & vita beat. l. 1. c. 6.Ambrose, who saith, gloriabor, non quia vacuus peccati sum, sed quia mihi remissa sunt peccata. *Homil de expos. symboli.Maximus Taurinensis, when God doth remit sinne, indulgentia facit innocentem, by his indulgence he maketh the party innocent.
8. Among the latter Writers I will give the first place to Bernard, who saith death pAd milites temploserm. 11.by the death of Christ is put to flight, & Christi nobis justitia imputatur, and the righteousnesse of Christ is imputed to us.
2. What could qEpist. 190.man doe of himselfe to recover his righteousn…sse once lost, being the servant of sinne and the bondman of the devill? Assignata est ei proinde aliena justitia, qui caruit suâ: therefore …nother mans righteousnesse was assigned unto him, who wanted his owne.
3. rIbid.One dyed sor all, ut viz. satisfactiounius omnibus imputetur: that the satisfaction of one might be imputed to all.
3. If he shall say sIbid.thy father (Adam) made thee guilty: I will answere that my brother hath redeemed me…: Why not righteousnesse from another, seeing guilt is from another?
5. Hee will tIbid.not condemne the just, who had mercy on a sinner. I may call my selfe just, sed illius justitiâ, but by his righteousnesse, and what is that? Christ the end of the Law unto righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth, Finally, who of God the Father was made righteousnesse unto us. Is not that therefore my righteousnesse which was made righteousnesse unto me?
6. Lord uIn cant. serm. Domine bi. memo… abor iustitiae tuae solius, ipsa enim est & mea, &c.I will mention thy righteousnesse onelyonly: for that is mine also: for thou of God was made righteousnesse to mee: should I feare, that it being but one, should not suffice us both? It is not a short cloake, which is not able, according to the Prophet, to cover two. Thy righteousnesse is an everlasting righteousnesse: What is longer than Eternity? Thy eternall and large righteousnesse it will cover largely both thee and me: And in me truely it covereth a mul…itude of sinnes: but in thee, Lord, what doth it cover but the treasures of piety: and riches of bounty? which testimony doth plainely prove against Bellarmine, that Bernard by Christs righteousnesse which he saith is made ours, doth not meane that righteousn…sse which is inhe…ent in us, but that which is out of us in Christ, And the same is evidently proved by those testimonies before *Supr. l. 1. § 5.alleaged, that we are made the righteousnesse of God in Christ, not ours but his, not in our selves but in him: even as Christ was made sinne, not his, but ours; not in himselfe, but in us.
9. Cardinall Contarenus xDe iustif p. 591., in a treatise of justification which he wrote Anno. 1541. testifieth that God with his Spirit giveth Christ unto us, and doth freely of his merciemercy make all Christs righteousnesse to bee ours, and imputeth it to us, who put on Christ. That by faith wee doe attaine to a double righteousnesse: the one, inherent in us, by which we begin to bee just, and are made partakers of the divine nature, and have charity diffused in our hearts: the other, not inherent, but given unto us with Christ. I meane (saith hee) the righteousnesse of Christ and all his merits, both which are in time given together. Now saith he, forasmuch as I have said, that by faith we attaine to a twofold righteousnesse, the one, inherent in us, viz. charity, or that grace by which we are made partakers of the divine nature: the other being the righteousnesse of Christ given and imputed to us, because wee are ingrafted into Christ; and have put on Christ,: It remaineth we should inquire on whether of them we ought to rely, and to thinke our selves justified before God, that is, to beheld or esteemed holy and just: I meane by such a righteousnesse which may beseeme Gods children, and satisfie the eyes of God? Ego prorsus existimo. yEgo prorsus existimo piè & Christiane dici, quòd debemus niti, niti, inquam, tanquam restabili, quae certò nos sustentat, iustitia Christi nobis donata, non autem sanctitate & gratia nobis inherente.I doe utterly thinke, that it may be godlily and Christianly said, that we ought to rely, I say, to rely, as upon a sure thing, which doth assuredly sustaine us, on the righteousnesse of Christ given unto us, and not on that holinesse and grace which is inherent in us. For this our righteousnesse is but begun and unperfect, which cannot safegard us, but that in many things we offend, and daily doe offend; and have need to pray daily, that our debts may be forgiven us: wherefore in the sight of God zIdcirco in conspectu Dei non possumus ob banc iustitiam nostram haberi iusti. &c.wee cannot for this justice be accounted just and good, as it would become the sonnes of God to be good and holy. But the righteousnesse of Christ which is given unto us, is tru… and perfect justice, which is altogether pleasing in the eyes of God, in which there is nothing which may offend God, or which doth not highly please him: upon this therefore being certaine and sure we are to rely, and for it alone to beleeve, that we are justified, that is, to bee held and pronounced just. This is that pretious treasure of Christians, who so findeth, selleth all he hath, that he may buy it. This is that precious pearle, which who findeth, leaveth all, that he may have it. The Apostle Paul saith, I esteemed all other things losse, that I might gaine Christ, not having mine owne righteousnesse, but that which is by the faith of Christ And a little after he saith, that the more holy any men are, so much the more they understand themselves to stand in need of Christ and his righteousnesse vouchsafed to them: and therefore forsaking themselves rest upon Christ alone, &c.
Albertus aPigh. de fide & iustif. cont. 2. fol. 46. v.Pighius, having shewed that all men are sinners and subject to the Curse from thence inferreth, that most miserable had beene our estate, if God had not most mercifully fuccoured us in his Son, & nostrâ justitiâ vacuos, ejus involvisset justitia: and being void of our owne righteousnesse, had inwrapped us in his righteousnesse: and a little after, bFol. 47. a.nisi ipse sua impartiretur justitia, qui nostra planè destituimur, quae nostram iniquitatem & injustitiam tegeret—David doth not say the man is blessed who hath not committed sinne, nor done iniquity: but blessed are they whose iniquities are mercifully forgiven of God, whose sinnes he doth cover and hide with his justice. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne, which he can scarcely be without, or at least never is without, and againe; In illo, &c. in Christ therefore wee are justified before God, not in ourselves, not with our righteousnesse but with his, which now is imputed to us having communion with him: wanting righteousnesse in our selves we are taught extra nos in illo justitiam quaerere, to seeke for righteousnesse out of ourselves in him.—Now saith he cFol. 47. 6.that our righteousnesse standeth in Christs obedience, hence it is, because wee being incorporated into him, it is accepted of God in our behalfe as if it were ours, insomuch that by it selfe we are held just. And even as Iacob when not being the first borne, but hiding himselfe under the habit of his brother, and clothed with his garment, which sent forth a fragrant smell, obtayned the blessing from his Father: so we, that we may obtaine the blessing of righteousnesse from our heavenly Father, it behoveth us to lye hid under the pretious purity of our eldest Brother, to smell sweet with his odour, and to have our sinnes covered with his perfection. And finally he saith, that if wee speake formally, and properly wee are justified neither by faith nor charity, but by the onelyonly righteousnesse of God in Christ by the onelyonly righteousnesse of Christ communicated to us, and by the onelyonly merciemercy of God forgiving our sinnes, which, saith he, I have before made evident.
11. Conradus Clingius dLoc. com. l. 2.maketh justification to be either imputative, which we call justification: or active, which we call sanctification: the righteousnesse of the former, being wholly in Christ: of the latter, in us: so that he differeth but in termes from us.
12. The Au…hors of the Booke called Antididagm eCap. de iustif.. Coloniens. say, that the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us, is the principall and ch…efe cause of our justification, upon which chiefly we ought to rely and trust.
13. To these we may adde the confession of our adversaries, who cannot deny, but that Christ his satisfaction is imputed to all that are justified, or shall be saved, as I have shewed before. Ye… this is the confession of all Christians, who professe Christ to be our Saviour, that the Lord accepteth the merits of Christ, that is, his obedience and sufferings in their behalfe, as if they had performed the same in their owne persons. And what is this but to impute the obedience of Christ and his sufferings unto us? Doth not God accept Christs righteousnes for us, or did hee not thereby satisfie for us? To what end then, as Bellarmine fDe iustif. l. 2. c. 5.well inferreth, did Christ take upon him our nature? to what end and purpose did he humble himselfe to doe and to suffer so great things for us? For this confession I argue thus. What righteousnesse and obedience of another the Lord accepteth for us, that hee imputeth to us for righteousnesse, for by imputation we meane nothing else.
But the righteousnesse and obedience of Christ the Lord accepteth for us, otherwise he could not have been our Saviour. Therefore the righteousnesse and obedience of Christ is imputed to us for righteousnesse.