Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Conference 11 · Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
CHAP. VII. Whether Juſtifying Faith be a Believing in Chriſt as a Teacher, Lord, &c. or only a Receiving of his Righteouſneſs?
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VI. AS to this your ſixth Charge, I have ſaid ſo much elſewhere, in my Diſputations of Juſtification, and in other Books, that I cannot juſtifie the tiring of Readers by repeating it: And will ſay now but this little following:
1. That Paul doth not diſtinguiſh between juſtifying faith, and ſaving faith, but excludeth the Works excluded by him, from being the cauſes either of Juſtification or Salvation.
2. That if [Receiving Chriſts Righteouſneſs] be meant by them properly and phyſically, it is no ſort of faith at all; but only [the effect of the donation,] which they call [Juſtificari,] or paſſive Juſtification: But if it mean a moral metonymical Reception, that is nothing but [Conſent to have the offered gift]; And if only Conſent to have Chriſts Righteouſneſs be Juſtifying faith, then all the Aſſenting part is excluded (in which Scripture much placeth it, and moſt Divines in part, and many in whole, beſides Cam…ro and his followers). And ſo alſo all the Affiance or Fiducial …cts are excluded, which almoſt all include; even that which they call Recumbency being diſtinct from Conſent.
3. All theſe acts following are eſſential to Juſtifying faith, as well as this Conſent to be Juſtified:
1. An Aſſenting belief in God, in the baptiſmal ſenſe. 2. An Aſſent to the truth of Chriſts Perſon, Office and Doctrine. 3. A belief in the Holy Ghoſt. 4. A belief of Pardon, Sanctification and Glory as poſſible, purchaſed and offered by Chriſt. 5. A Conſent that God be our God in Chriſt. 6. And a Conſent that Chriſt be our Teacher. 7. And our King, and Ruler. 8. And our Interceſſor. 9. And our Judge and Juſtifier by ſentence (and as our Advocate). 10. A belief of his Reſurrection, Power and Glory. 11. A Truſting to the Father and the Son according to theſe forementioned Offices. 12. A Conſent to be Sanctified by the Holy Ghoſt.
4. Plainly our Juſtifying and Saving Faith in Pauls ſenſe is the ſame thing with our Chriſtianity, or becoming Chriſtians: And the ſame thing with our Baptiſmal faith and conſent.
5. To believe in Chriſt as Chriſt is in Scripture Juſtifying faith: But to accept his righteouſneſs only, and not to believe in him as our Lord, and our Teacher and Interceſſor, &c. as aforeſaid, is not to believe in him as Chriſt.
6. In my Anſwer (ubi ſup.) to Mr. Warner, and elſewhere, I have detected the fraud of their quibling diſtinction, who ſay, that All this is in faith quae juſtificat, but not quà juſtificat, as ſuppoſing a falſhood, that any act of faith quà talis juſtifieth.
7. They that ſay that only our Acceptance of Chriſts Imputed Righteouſneſs is the Juſtifying act of faith, and that to expect to be Juſtified by any other (viz. by Believing in God the Father, and the Holy Ghoſt, and believing a Heaven hereafter, and believing the Truth of the Goſpel, and of Chriſts Reſurrection, Aſcenſion, Glory, &c. and by taking him for our Teacher, Ruler, Interceſſor, &c.) is to expect Juſtification by Works in Pauls diſclaimed ſenſe, and ſo to fall from Grace; I ſay, they that thus teach, do go ſo far towards the ſubverting of the Goſpel, and making a Goſpel or Religion of their own, as that (I muſt tell them, to move them to repentance) not only the adding of Ceremonies is a ſmall corruption in compariſon of this, but many that in Epiphanius are numbred with Hereticks, had far leſſer errors than this is.
CHAP. VIII. Of Faiths Juſtifying as an Inſtrument.
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VII. ANd I have ſaid ſo much in the foreſaid Diſputations of Juſtification and other Books, of Faiths Inſtrumentality and the reaſon of its Juſtifying intereſt, that I cannot perſwade my ſelf now to talk it out with you all over again; but only to ſay,
1. That I have fully oft proved from many plain Scriptures, that pardon and ſalvation are given (with Chriſt) in the Covenant of Grace, on Condition of a penitent believing fiducial acceptance. And therefore that it is moſt certain that faith is a Condition of our Juſtification; and ſo to be profeſt in Baptiſm.
2. The name of An Inſtrument given to faith, and its Juſtifying as an Inſtrument, are of mens deviſing, and not in Gods Word.
3. But as to the ſenſe, It is certain that faith is no Inſtrument of our Juſtification (Gods or Mans,) if it be meant properly of an Inſtrumental efficient cauſe.
4. But if it be taken Metaphorically, for an Act whoſe Nature or eſſence is An Acceptance of a free Gift, and ſo by Inſtrumentality be meant the foreign credere, that is, Faiths very Eſſence in ſpecie, then no doubt it is what it is.
5. Or if by an Inſtrument be meant, A Moral aptitude or Diſpoſition of the perſon to be juſtified (anſwerable to the Diſpoſitio Recipientis vel materiae in Phyſicks) then it is ſuch an Inſtrument. But how well this is worded, and what cauſe there is to contend for a word both of humane invention and metaphorical, and this as if it were a weighty Doctrine, I leave to ſober judgements.
6. But it is certain that the Accepting Act of faith is but its Aptitude to be the condition of the Gift, and therefore that its being made by Chriſt the Condition is its Moral neareſt intereſt in our Juſtification.