Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Section 26
SECT. XXVI. Of final Justification, and how Paul and James agree about Juſtification by Works.
352. Having ſaid this much of constitutive Juſtification, and the notloſing of it, and aſſurance of it and its continuance, and touched the ſecond and third ſorts of Juſtification, (ſentential and executive) as they are here in the way, I need not ſay much of them as after this life, becauſe it may be gathered from what is ſaid of Pardon and Juſtification conſtitutive: Yet a little I will add. And 1. At death a particular doom is paſſed on the Soul as ſeparated: But whether only by execution and ſelfconviction, we know not.
353. The Reſurrection as ſuch is a common effect of Redemption, in right antecedent to mens well or ill deſerving: And therefore all are raiſed Joh. 5▪ 22, 25, 26, 27.by Chriſt.
354. The Juſtification of Believers at the laſt day, will be that great Juſtification, to which all that went before were but means, and imperfect.
355. Chriſt will be here both Judge and Advocate, and as both juſtifie Believers: And he will be the condemning Judge of the Wicked.
356. All men ſhall be then judged according to their Works or Deeds done in the Body, whether Good or Evil.
*It is a groſs over-ſight of D. Petavius, Elen. Ther. Vincent. c. 27. p. 110, 111. to acknowledge no other Reatus but obligation ad poenam; when as there is, 1. Reatus facti. 2. Culpae, which is the violation of the Precept. 3. Ad poenam, which reſulteth from the threatning. And worſe, p. 110. that non omne peccatum eſt culpa ſed hoc ſolum quod ex voluntate, id eſt▪ libero arbitrio & alectione committitur nec imputatur in culpam niſi ex deliberatione & libera voluntatis electione trocedat. A'as, that God's Law muſt be thus denied or depraved, that ſin may be made no ſin, and ſo to need no Chriſt or Pardon. Cont. 1. Analogically it is peccatum in an Ox to go out of the furrow: But properly nothing in man is peccatum, but culpa: And all breaking a Law is culpa, and nothing elſe is peccatum. 2. Not to deliberate is a great and uſual ſin. 3. The omiſſion of the Wills election or intention is ſin, as well as an ill election. Woe to him that repenteth not of theſe, and is not pardoned them.357. To be juſtified then will not be to be judged ſinleſs, (as is aforeſaid) but to be judged one that by Gods Law (which muſt be the norma judicii) is not to be damned to Hell, but to be glorified in Heaven, or to be ſentenced to endleſs life, and acquit from this Accuſation that we are damnandi, or to be puniſhed in Hell. And in order to this, to be ſentenced ſuch as have the true cauſes and conditions of Right to Impunity and Life: which are, 1. Immediately the gift of this Right by God himſelf in his Covenant, with Chriſt the Fountain of it.
2. A true Right and Relation to Chriſt as our Head and Saviour, and the only Meriter of this Covenant-Gift, and Juſtification, and Adoption, by his habitual, active and paſſive Righteouſneſs and Sacrifice, advanced in dignity by Union with his Divine perfection. 3. True Faith and Repentance, with Love, Obedience and Perſeverance, as the title-conditions required by the donative and condonative Covenant.
358. As I have before ſaid, that a man muſt be juſtified at that Day from the charge of Infidelity by his Faith it ſelf (and not by Chriſt's Merits) and from the charge of Impenitence by his Repentance it ſelf; So I add, that he muſt be juſtified from the charge of Hypocriſie by his ſincerity, and from the charge of Rebellion by his ſubjection, and from the charge of wickedneſs by final godlineſs and obedience, and from the charge of Apoſtacy by perſeverance; But from the charge of his wickedneſs before Converſion, and his pardoned ſins and weakneſs ſince, only by Chriſt's Sacrifice and meritorious Righteouſneſs, and the Pardon purchaſed thereby, and given in the New Covenant. And from the accuſation that we are Sinners in general, we have no Juſtification at all.
359. Judgment is the Genus, and Juſtification, and Condemnation are the Species: Therefore to be judged according to our Works, is to be juſtified or condemned according to our Works.
360. As I ſaid, that it is God's Juſtice and Mercy, and Chriſt's Redemption of us, which are chiefly to be glorified at that Day; but it is our perſonal Goſpel-Righteouſneſs, or performance of the Conditions of the New Covenant, which is then to be tried, and we, and not Chriſt, that are to be judged; So I add, that the New Teſtament referring to this fore-ſeen, doth uſually ſpeak accordingly, of juſtifying us by Faith, by our words, or by our works, that he that doth righteouſneſs is righteous, &c. And it ſpeaketh of that ſame Righteouſneſs as conſtituting us juſt firſt, by which we muſt be judged juſt at laſt.
361. It is very eaſie therefore where prejudice blindeth not men, to ſee the concord of Chriſt's ſaying, We are juſtified by our words, and Paul's by Faith, and not by Works, and James by Works, and not by Faith only. Chriſt ſpeaketh of a particular Juſtification, from a common great Crime, a wicked Tongue as the ſign or product of a wicked Heart; And this muſt be part of the perſonal material Righteouſneſs, by which we muſt be juſtified as true Chriſtians. *Tolet in Rom. 3. Annot 17. Eſtius in Rom. 3. 28. & Vega de juſti…. qu 3. p. 899. ſay of Juſtification by Faith, as the Proteſtants do. Vid. & Stapleton. de Juſtifi. li. 8. c. ult. & Bellarm. de Juſtif. l. 2. c. 7, 10, 11. Suarez de Grat. l. 7. c. 7. n. 29. Topper. art. 8. de Juſtif. p. 25, 26, 27. Vaſqu. in 1. 2. diſput. 202. c. 6. n. 45. Coſter. Enchir. p. 292.Paul ſpeaketh of our being juſtified by being Chriſtians, and not by keeping Moſe's Law, or doing any Works which will be to us inſtead of a Chriſt or a free-given Pardon, and Righteouſneſs by him. And James ſpeaketh of the full condition of Juſtification, as continued final and compleat, as it conſiſteth of its eſſential parts.
362. The Key of Underſtanding Paul's Diſcourſes of Juſtification is, to know, 1. That the grand queſtion which he firſt manageth is, Whether the Gentiles may not be ſaved without keeping the Jewiſh Law, as well as the Jews with it? 2. To prove the Affirmative, he proveth that the Jews themſelves cannot be ſaved or juſtified meerly or primarily by the Law, notwithſtanding the divinity and great excellency of it; but muſt be juſtified by a Saviour, and free-given Pardon and Right to Life, and to which the ſincere keeping of Moſe's Law was intended to be but ſubſervient. 3. That therefore it appeareth, that the Jews did ſo fondly admire the Law, and their national priviledges under it, that they thought that the exact keeping of it was neceſſary and ſufficient to Juſtification and Salvation: And they thought the Meſſiah was not to be their Righteouſneſs, as a Sacrifice for Sin, and Meriter of free Pardon, and the Gift of Life, but only a great King and Deliverer, to redeem them by Power from all their Enemies and Bondage. 4. That it was not Adam's Covenant of Innocency or Perfection which the Jews thus truſted to, or Paul doth ſpeak againſt as to Juſtification (though a minore ad majus, that alſo is excluded.) For the Jews knew that they were Sinners, and that God pardoned Sin as a merciful God, and that their Petavius de Leg, & Grat. li. 1. c. 7. Well openeth the various ſenſes, in which the Law doth or doth not promiſe life eternal: And through his two Books is much worth the reading of the difference of the Law and Goſpel: See Mr. Allen's Treat. of the Two Covenants, with my Preface; And Mr. Truman's Great. Propitiat. with the Append.Law had Sacrifices for Pardon and Expiation, with Confeſſions, &c. But they thought that ſo far as God had made that Law ſufficient to political ends, and to temporal Rewards and Puniſhments, it had been ſufficient to eternal Rewards and Puniſhments; and that of it ſelf, and not in meer ſubordination to the typified Meſſiah. Therefore they thought that he that kept the Law ſo far as to comit no ſin which the Law puniſhed with death or abſciſſion, and that for all his other pardonable ſins, performed the required Penances and Sacrifices, was by this, which is called The Works of the Law; that is, the keeping of the Law, a righteous juſtifiable perſon. 5. That the thing therefore which Paul diſproveth them by is, 1. That the Law was never made for ſuch an end. 2. That even then it ſtood in ſubordination to Redemption and free-given life. 3. That the free Gift or Covenant of Grace containing the Promiſe of the Meſſiah, and Pardon and Life by him, was before the Law, and juſtified Abraham and others even without it. 4. That their Law was ſo ſtrict, that no man could perfectly keep it all. 5. That every Sin deſerveth death indeed, though their Law puniſhed not every ſin with death by the Magiſtrate. 6. That their Law was never Obligatory to the Gentile world, who had a Law written in their Hearts; and therefore not the common way of Juſtification. *Janſenius. Aug. To. 2. c. 4. aſſerteth, That the chief difference between the old Law and the new, is, that the old was written in Stone and Tables, and the new only in memory and in the heart, and ſo maketh the Creed to be more properly this Law than the Scriptures, as being written only on particular occaſions. But though we thankfully confeſs that the eſſentials of Chriſtianity are ſo plain and few as may be remembred, yet the Creed is contained and explained in the Scripture, and without written Records, our Faith would have been but ill preſerved, as experience and reaſon prove.7. That their Law, as ſuch, diſcovered ſin, but gave not the Spirit of Grace to overcome it: Inſomuch as though he himſelf deſired perfectly to fulfil it without ſin, yet he could not, but was under a captivity, that is, a moral neceſſity of imperfection, or ſins of infirmity, from which only the Grace of Chriſt could as to guilt and power deliver him. 8. That no man ever came to Heaven by that way of merit which they dreamed of, but all by the way of Redemption, Grace, free Gift and pardoning Mercy. Therefore their conceit that they were juſt in the main, and forgiven their ſins, and ſo juſtifiable by the meer dignity of Moſe's Law which they kept, and by the Works of the Law, and not by the free Gift, Pardon and Grace of a Redeemer, and by the Faith and practical belief of that Gift, and acceptance of it, with thankful penitent obedient hearts, was a pernicious errour. But the true way of Righteouſneſs was to become true Chriſtians, that is, with ſuch a penitent thankful, accepting, practical belief or affiance to believe in God as the Giver of Salvation, in Chriſt as the Redeemer, and his Spirit as our Life and Sanctifier, and to accept Chriſt and all his procured Benefits, Juſtification and Life, as purchaſed by his Sacrifice and meritorious Righteouſneſs, and given in the New Covenant on this condition, and ſo to give up our ſelves to his whole ſaving-work, as to the Phyſician of our Souls, and only Mediator with God. This is the ſum of Paul's Doctrine on this point.
363. I ſay again therefore, for any man to ſay that ſome one phyſical act, either aſſent, or conſent, or affiance, upon one particular Object (Chriſt's Righteouſneſs as offered us) is the inſtrumental cauſe of our Juſtification; and that to look to be juſtified by any other act of Faith on Chriſt, or on the Father, or Holy Ghoſt, or on Heaven the final Object (God in Glory), or ſecondarily as ſubſequent parts of the condition of Salvation, by Repentance, by praying for Pardon, by forgiving others, by Obedience to Chriſt, &c. is to look to be juſtified by Works in the ſenſe that Paul excludeth them; this is but to abuſe the Goſpel and the Church, by a ſcandalous miſinterpretation of a great part of the New Teſtament.
364. St. James therefore having to do with ſome who thought that Leg. Placeum. in Theſ. Salvin. de h…ſce. Vol. 1. & Conrad. Bergium in Prax. Cathol. & …. e Blank. Theſ. de Juſt. and our Mr. Gibbon's Serm. Of Juſtif. in the Morning-Exerciſes at Giles in the Fields. Paraeus de Juſtif. Cont. Bellarm. l. 2. c. 7. p. 469. Nos imputari nobis Chriſti juſtitiam ut per …am formaliter juſti nomin…m…r & ſimus, ne que diximus unquam, ne que ſentimus, ut aliquoties jam oſtendimus: Id enim pugnaret, non minus cum recta ratione quam ſi reus in judicio abſolutus diceret, ſe clementia judicis donantis ſibi vitam, formaliter juſtum eſſe, &c.the bare profeſſion of Chriſtianity was Chriſtianity, and that Faith was a meer aſſent to the Truth, and that to believe that the Goſpel is true, and truſt to be juſtified by Chriſt was enough to Juſtification, without Holineſs and fruitful Lives, and that their ſin and barrenneſs hindered not their Juſtification, ſo that they thus believed (perhaps miſunderſtanding Paul's Epiſtles) doth convince them that they were miſtaken, and that when God ſpake of Justification by Faith, without the Works of the Law, he never meant a Faith that containeth not a reſolution to obey him in whom we believe, nor that is ſeparated from actual Obedience in the proſecution; But that as we muſt be juſtified by our Faith againſt the charge of being Infidels, ſo muſt we be juſtified by our Goſpel perſonal holineſs and ſincere Obedience againſt the charge, that we are unholy and wicked, or impenitent, or Hypocrites, or elſe we ſhall never be adjudged to Salvation, that is, juſtified by God.
365. All this then is paſt controverſie among conſiderate underſtanding men, 1. That Works juſtifie us not as perfect, according to the Covenant of Innocence, becauſe we have them not. 2. That the Works or keeping of Moſe's Law, as conceited ſufficient, or as ſet in oppoſition againſt, or competition with a Saviour or free Gift, or any otherwiſe than as the exerciſes of meer Obedience under Chriſt (as Mary, … chary, Elizabeth, Simeon, John Baptiſt, David, &c. uſed them,) could juſtifie no man. 3. That conſequently no other Works ſet up either in the ſaid oppoſition or competition, or as any thing of Merit, or worth is aſcribed to them, which is proper to Chriſt, or any part of the honour of Gods free Gift, can juſtifie no man; nor any other way, than as meer conditions, and exerciſes of thankful obedience or acceptance, in pure ſubordination to God's Mercy, and Chriſt's Merits, and the free Gift.
But that Works are not excluded from being conditions of our juſtification, or the matter of it in any of theſe following reſpects: 1. That Faith it ſelf, which is our act, and an act of Obedience to God, and is the …iducial accepting belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, for the benefits of the Covenant, is the condition of our firſt Covenantright to theſe Benefits. 2. That this Faith is not actual Obedience to Chriſt as Chriſt (at firſt, but only to God as God). But it is the Souls ſubjection to Chriſt as Chriſt, which is our Covenant-conſent to our future Obedience, and virtually, though not actually, containeth our future Obedience in it. 3. That there is ſomewhat of love, conſent or willingneſs, of Deſire, of Hope, of Repentance, which goeth to make up this moral work of Faith, as it is the condition; even our firſt Christianity it ſelf. 4. That as the making of a Covenant is for the performing of it, and ſubjection is for Obedience and Marriage for conjugal Duties, ſo our ſaid firſt Covenanting-Faith is for our future Faith, Hope, Comfort, and grateful Obedience and Holineſs: And theſe are the ſecondary parts of the condition of Salvation: And ſo are the ſecondary parts of our Juſtifications, condition as continued or not-loſt, and conſummate: For to juſtifie us, is, as is ſaid, to juſtifie our Right to Impunity and Glory. …. That, as is ſaid, our own performance of the condition of the free Gift of Impunity and Glory, by the New Covenant purchaſed by Chriſt's Righteouſneſs, is the thing to be tried and judged in Gods judgment; And therefore we muſt ſo far be then juſtified from the charge of …ot performing that condition, of being Infidels, unſanctified impeni…ent Hypocrites, Apoſtates, and ſo of having no part in Chriſt and the free Gift, even by our perſonal Evangelical Faith, Holineſs, Repentance, …incerity and Perſeverance. And all this juſtification by Works St. James …s for, and it is undeniable by any thing but prejudice, ignorance, and …ding pieviſhneſs. Let the Reader of quick underſtanding pardon my …epeating the ſame thing, which others will not yet underſtand.
366. Chriſt's Sermons, Matth. 5. & 6. 7. & 10. & 13. & 18. & 21. …nd Luk. 6. & 11. & 12. & 16. & 18. & 19. and Joh. 1. & 3. & 5. & 6, &c. with all the Sermons in the Acts, and all the Catholick Epiſtles of Peter, James, Jude and John, and Paul's Epiſt. to the Rom. Chap. 1. 2. 4. 6. 7. 8. …2, &c. Gal. 5. & 6. and a great part of the reſt of his Epiſtles, are …ade up of this Doctrine of *Me-thinks Janſenius greatly wrongeth his Cauſe, when he ſaith, To. 2. c. 13. that Primus Auguſtinus intelligentiam divin… grati… & novi Teſtamenti fide crediti a peruit fidelibus & eccleſiae. If we ſhould ſay, that [Primus Lutherus] they would take it for a note of novelty and errour: was the Church for 400 years ignorant of Grace and fundamental Verities? Contrarily I think that Chriſt's plain Doctrine in his Sermons, and the old Churches for 300 years in their plainer uncurious Writings, plainly delivered all the neceſſary Doctrine of Grace: yea even the Creed it ſelf containeth it.Grace which I have aſſerted; And the …eading of them will better inſtruct you in the true ſenſe of Remiſſion and …ustification, than moſt Treatiſes written on that Subject which I have ſeen.
367. The perfection of Juſtification and Pardon will be by the final executive act, the taking the juſtified into Glory.