The Substance of Christian Religion, Lecture 23
The three and twentieth Lords day.
Rom. 3. 24, 25.
Verse 24 Bei…g justified freely by his grace through the r… demption that is in Iesus Christ.
25▪ Whom God …ath …et forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood▪ to declare his right…ousnesse for the r… mission of sinnes that are past, through the … of God.
THe Apostle had before proved, that all mankind was unde… most grievous guilt of sin, a…d therefore had need of justification, that they might be saved▪ which justification also he had sh…wn that it could not be had from any …, no… from the Law; which he had set down as the conclusion of his discourse… in the 20▪ verse of this Chapter▪ From then…e he also … … further, … justification is of necessity to be … in that way of the Gospell, which is proposed in Christ Jesus. The whole dispute may be summed up in this Syllogisme▪ Men are either justified by Nature, or by Law, or by the Gospell: But neither by Nature, nor by the Law; and therefore of necessity by the Gospell. The Proposition is presupposed and tacitly understood, as manifest in it self. The Assumption is prov…d in the first part of the Epistle, unto the 21. verse of this Chapter. The Conclusion is proposed and illustrated in that 21. verse to the end of that Chapter, and afterwards. The words in our Text set down, contain a description of this Gospell-justification▪ And it is described, 1. From its principal and highest cause, God; Whom God appointed. 2. From the manner of this cause, which consists not in comm… tative justice, that gives like for like, or so much for so much; nor yet from distributive justice, which looks at the worth of men, and deales with them in a proportionable manner; but in meer and pure grace, or free favour; in these words, we are iustified freely of his free grace, or free favour▪ where a singular emphasis or force of speech is laid on this part of the description, by this doubling or repetion, freely, and of his fr…e favour. 3. It is is described from its impulsive, or meritorious cause, which becomes also in some sort the formal cause of our …ustification; to wit, our redemption ma…e by Iesus Christ. 4. From its instrumental cause; which is faith; by▪ faith in his blood. 5. From its final cause; which is the manifestation of the justice and mercy of God; for shewing of his justice, &c.
Doct. 1. It is God that justifieth us.
He is said to justify us, not in that he in…useth righteousness unto us, or makes us fit to do things that are just; which is the errour of Papists, placing justification first in the infusion of the habits of faith, hope, and charity; and next in the good works that comes from those habits; with which they mix a certain sort of remission of sinnes: But therefore he is said to justify us, because by his judicial sentence he absolves us from the guilt of all sin, and accepts or accounts of us, as fully just and righteous for eternal life, by the righteousness of Christ, which he giveth us. This appears from hence, that this justification is used in Scripture to be opposed unto a charging with crimes, and unto condemnation; Rom. 8. 33. And this is done of God, as it were by these degrees. 1. In his eternal counsell and decree, because from eternity he intended to justify us. 2. In our head Christ rising again from the dead, we were virtually justified, & in some sort actually; as in Adam sinning all his posterity were virtually condemned to death by the Law, and in some sort actually, because in some sort actual sinners. 3. He justifies us fullier actually and formally in our selves, and not onelyonly in our head; when by his Spirit, and our faith the work of his Spirit, he applies Christ unto us, to our justification. 4. And further yet, he justifies us actually and formally to our sense and feeling, when by our own reflex knowledge, and examination of our estate, he gives us to perceive this application of Christ made, and so to have peace and …oy in him.
Reas. 1. Because ou… sins from which we ought to be justified, are done against the majesty of God, 1▪ Sam▪ 2. 25. And none can forgive an offence done against another, or an injury done to another, in a proper way of speaking.
Reas. 2. Because the guiit of sin depends on the obligation of the Law, and of divine justice and truth: And therefore cannot be taken away but by him that is above the Law, and knowes what is agreeable to his own truth and meaning, in the first making of it.
Reas. 3. Because by justification we are received into the favour of God, and life eternal, and God himself (in some sort) is given unto us: all which can no otherwise be done, but by God himself alone.
Use 1. Of Refutation, against Papists, who set down manners and means of justification, from humane tradition, and their owne authority, unto …retched men; as if it were in their power to justi…ie men after what way they please, when it is God …lone that justifieth, and that therefore prescribes …he manner and means of justification onelyonly.
Use 2. Of Consolation, as it is set down, Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to our charge, it is God that justifi…th? And verse 31. If God be for us, who can be against …s?
Doct. 2. This justification is meer, pure, and infinite grace, or favour.
So in the Text; freely, his free favour. The grace of God in justification appears as it were by these degrees. 1. In that God pursues not his right against us and our sins, according to that rigour that his Law might have been taken in, and his revenging justice might have extended its self to; but left place for some reconciliation. 2. In that being himself the party offended; yet he himself of his own good-will both invented, appointed or ordered, and revealed both the manner and means of this reconciliation. 3. In that he spared not his onelyonly begotten Son, for procuring of this reconciliation. 4. That without any merits or worth of ours, he ingrafts us into his Son and our Lord Jesus Christ, and so makes us partakers of that reconciliation which is in him. This was altogether necessary, that our justification might be of free favour.
Reas. 1. Because it was impossible for the laws and the righteousnes thereof to justifie sinners, Rom. 8. vers. 1▪
Reas. 2. Because in the justification of a sinner is remission or pardon of …in; and all pardon is of free …avour▪
Reas. 3. Because in justification is a free Donation of righteousness, and of life eternal, which to sinners, cannot be done, but with especial grace and favour. The satisfaction made by Christ for us, withstands not the freenesse of this favour of justification; because it was of free favour and grace, that Christ himself was given us, and by calling appointed to this satisfaction for us; and of his own freegrace also accepted of that calling.
Use 1. Is of Refutation, against Papists and many others; who will have our justification to depend upon our Works; which yet every where, by the Apostle are opposed to this free grace in our justification.
Use 2. Is of Consolation to believers, and repenters against all these shakings of minde, which they feel, or can feel from the unworthinesse of themselves, that their own consciences tell them of; because our whole justification hangs on the free favour, or grace of God, and not upon our worth or merits.
Use 3. Is of Exhortation: 1. That we alwayes flee to the Free-grace of God, as to the onelyonly garrison of our souls. 2. That from admiration of this grace of God, we alwayes study to be thankfull to God.
Doct. 3. The obedience of Iesus Christ imputed unto us, or given us, and so accounted ours, justifies or makes us righte… and is the foundation of all our righteousnesse.
It is in the Text, By the Redemption made by Iesus Christ. 1. For he that is justified by the Redemption … other, as by paying a ransom: that price is conceived as it were to be paid for him who is redeemed. …. If Christ be the pacification in our justification, when we please God, as it is in the Text, then we please him for something, which Christ hath performed for our good. 3. If Faith justifies, as it hath relation to Christ, and the shedding of his blood, then there is something in his blood thus shed, or in his obedience unto death, by vertue whereof we are justified.
Now the obedience of Christ in respect of our justification, hath 1. the place of a meriting cause, which obtains it for us, because it was the means that Gods justice required to be performed to him, before his grace could justify us. 2▪ It hath the place of the formal cause, in as much as it is so accepted and taken for ours, being given us by free-gift, and so made ours indeed, as that we are lookt on by God, as truly clothed with it: when he pronounces the sentence of our justification: whence that phrase of the Apostle is, Not having mine own righteousnesse, but that which is Christs, Phil. 3. 9.
Reas. 1. Is, because this is most agreeable both to the justice and mercy of God, joyntly: For if our justification had stood in the bare remission of sin, without the imputation of a sufficient righteousness, or obedience for satisfaction to justice, then onelyonly Gods mercy and favour had had place in this businesse, no regard being had of the justice of God, that satisfaction might be made.
Reas. 2. Because if we had been pronounced just without any imputation of a satisfying righteousness, or obedience performed, then there could have been no just ground of such a sentence; to wit, that he should be pronounced just, which was no way just, neither by his own inherent justice or righteousness; nor yet by anothers justification freely given him.
Rea. 3. Because by this means, we have in some manner a divine righteousnesse, or the righteousnesse of God himself; to wit, that which Christ, who is God, performed for us (not the essential righteousnes of God, as Soliander dream'd) as God-man in one person; on which therefore we may rely, and with the greater confidence appear before God, and for it hope for all divine and good things at the hands of God.
Reas. 4. Because in this manner we the more own our salvation as wrought by Christ.
Use 1. Is of Refutation against Papists, Anabaptists, Remonstrants or Arminians, and almost all Sects and Sectarians, who all agree in this errour, that our justification depends upon our works, and is not to be sought by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to us, or accounting his obedience ours.
Use 2. Is of Exhortation, unto due thankfulness towards Christ, by whose Redemption or ransoming of us, we are justified, and set free from sin and death, the wages of sin; and adjudged unto life and glory, above what any meer creatures righteousness could ever have deserved.
Doct. 4. The obedience of Iesus Christ is powerful for justifying of us, by being accepted and laid hold on by our Faith. It is in the Text. Through Faith in his Blood.
Reas▪ 1. The very nature and duty of Faith is to rely on Christ, or on the favour and mercy of God in Christ, for pardon of sins.
Reas. 2. Because by Faith, we are united unto Christ, and ingrafted into him, that so we may be partakers of all the blessings, that in him are prepared for men.
Reas. 3. Because Faith receives, layes hold on, and embraces all the promises of God, and the things in them contained, offered, or proposed; amongst which pardon of sins, and justification in Christ hath a chief place.
The Use is of Direction, that it may be our onelyonly care in the business of our justification, to direct our Faith and confidence towards Christ, and to stir up and confirm it more and more, that we may thence have firm and aboundant comfort.