The Life of Justification Opened, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Some of the duties of such, as live the life of Justification, proposed.
IN the last place, we shall mentione this Use of the Truth, formerly cleared & confirmed, in reference to such as have attained unto this life of justification, through faith, which every one may readily see, That it is the duty of such, as are made partakers of this life, to beware of such things, as may & will provoke the Lord to anger; & will be unsutable for them, who are thus graciously advanced to such an high State & Privilege of grace; & to minde such duties, as do most suite such, as are so highly advanced, and so greatly obliged to him, that hath thus called them effectually, by his grace, and hath wrought up their hearts unto a full compliance with the Gospel-contrivance of free grace. Many such particular duties might here be mentioned: but I shall only pointe at a few, to which others may be reduced.
1. Such, as live this life of Gospel Justification, should beware of intertaining thoughts of pride, or of boasting of any thing, they have freely and graciously received▪ and particularly, they should guard against boasting in this matter, that they are preferred to others, and brought out of a state of death, when others are left yet to lye thereinto. This whole matter is so contrived, and so wisely framed, that no ground of boasting, either before God, or man, may be left unto Man; but that every one may celebrate the praise of Free Grace. Therefore Justification is not by works, or by our obedience to the Law; for then the justified man, being justified upon the account of his own works, or of the works of righteousness, which he hath done, should have ground of glorying, though not before God, yet before Men; as having by his own sweating, working & doing, obtained that, which others by their laziness, negligence & not doing, have come short of. Paul tels us this expresly. Rom. 4: 2. If Abraham were justified by works, he hath to glory, but not before God: and this is further confirmed vers. 4. Now to him, that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. So that if Justification were by works, Justification it self, & all the Consequences thereof should be due debt unto the worker, and his reward: and so, as the hireling may boast of his labour, when he gets his hire & reward; so the justified man, if justification were by the works of the Law, might boast of his own paines & diligence, as having received but his reward, and that which was due to him of debt, and not of grace. But now, that all mouthes may be stopped, & no flesh might glory, or have ground of boasting, in themselves, and before others, the Lord hath contrived a far other way of justification, to wit, by Faith alone, whereby the Man goeth out of himself, renunceth all his own Righteousness, prosesseth himself poor, naked & miserable, & a plaine dyvour, and utterly non-solvendo, & layeth hold on a compleet & alsufficient Righteousness, in Jesus Christ; and so hath no ground of boasting or glorying even before men: for it is nothing that is in him; or that he doth, that is that Righteousness, upon the account of which he is Justified; but only the Righteousness of Christ without him. It is not his faith, not his works, nor his Righteousness; but Christ's Righteousness is equally imputed to all beleevers, to the weakest beleever, as well as to the strongest; and so the strongest beleever hath no ground of boasting before the weakest. Where is boasting-then? (saith the Apostle Rom. 3: 27.) It is excluded by what Law? Of works? nay; but by the Law of faith.
2. Upon the other hand, let all such glory in the Lord, and in his free grace & gracious workings; Let them say, when they reflect on this matter, not unto us Lord, not unto us, but unto thee be glory, seing the matter is so contrived, as that all the justified may see, that God may only have the glory of all, & that none ought to share with him; that he alone should weare the crown; & all his glorified ones should most cheerfully cast their crownes down at his feet. But of him (saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1: 30, 31.) are ye in Christ Iesus, who of God is made unto us Wisdom, Righteousness, & Sanctification & Redemption: that, according as it is written, he that glorieth, Let him glory in the Lord. Christ is made all things unto & for his people, & they have all of God through him, that no flesh should glory in his presence, as it is said vers. 29. Let all such therefore, as are made partaker of this rich & honourable Privilege, comply sweetly & cheerfully with this designe of God, to have God alone exalted, and the mouth of all flesh stopped, that he who glorieth, may alone glory in the Lord.
3. Let such as are thus advanced, minde the great duty of holiness, and of growing in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ; The way of faith is not to make void the Law, but it doth establish it Rom. 3: 31. as Christ is made of God unto is Righteousness, so is he made Sanctification. As he is Priest to reconcile us to God, and become Righteousness to us, so is he a King to cause us walk in the Lord, & to subdue our spiritual enemies, and so become Sanctification to us. It is the language of the flesh & of corruption, to argue from this Change & advancement unto a liberty to sinne. Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? will the flesh object. But the Apostle answereth. Rom. 6: 2. &c. God forbid, how shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? It is repugnant to the nature of that state, whereinto now they are bro…ght, to give way to sin: Therefore the justified should minde what they are called to, & what new grounds, new advantages, new helps, new encouragements they have unto holiness, that they had not before, all plainly & fully set down by Paul Rom. 6. & eise where.
4. How should they commend & cry up the free grace of God, and that love that visited them, when they were lying in their blood, and no eye pityed them. They were ungodly & without strength, yet Christ died for them Rom. 5: 6. and the Lord did justifie the ungodly, even them, who had no righteousness of their owne, nor nothing to commend them unto him, Rom. 4: 5. Yea where sin abounded, grace did much more abound Rom. 5: 20. Not only had they nothing more then others to commend them unto God, but even they had less, and …et God through free grace set his Love upon the less worthy; for, saith Paul (1 Cor. 1: 26, 27, 28.) ye see your calling, Brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise; & God hath chosen the weak things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to naught things which are. That no flesh should glory in his presence. Should not the thoughts of this raise their wondering, & cause them speak to the commendation of the rich and free grace of God?
5. Let such as are brought into this state of life, wherein they have peace with God, and are reconciled to Him, through Jesus Christ, carry as persones no more strangers unto him, & as forraigners, but as now madenigh by the blood of Jesus; & therefore let such remember, that through him, they have an access by one Spirit unto the Farher, being now fellow-citisens with the Saints, and of the houshold of God Ephes. 2: 13, 14, 18, 19. Rom. 5: 2. Therefore should improve this advantage, both for their own good and for the good of others; & should exercise communion & fellowshipe with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ & so walk with him. as agreed with Him, & have their conversation in heaven. Hath the Lord brought them into his houshold, yea & admitted them to his presence, that they may kisse his hand, & stand before his face continually, in the lower chamber of presence; and should they carry as yet estranged from him? Is He at peace with them, and should they have jealous thoughts of him? Is He reconciled unto them, and should they carry, as keeping up some grudge against Him?
6. Such should account this state, whereinto now they are brought, their only blessedness here below. Even as David (saith Paul Rom. 4: 6, 7, 8.) also describeth the blessedness of the Man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works; saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sinnes are covered: blessed is the man unto whom the Lord will not impute sin. Here is the poor self-condemned sinners blessedness, that he hath a righteousness imputed to him, who had none of his owne, and who thereupon hath his iniquities forgiven, covered, & not imputed. And such as are made partakers of this blessedness, should account it their happiness, that how ever it be with them, as to outward things in the world, yet they are now brought within the Covenant, and are covered with the mantle of Christ's Righteousness and have all their iniquities covered, cast into the midst of the sea, so that they shall never be reckoned upon their score.
7. This should be aground for them of glorying in the Lord, in the hardest condition, they can be into in the world; being thus justified, they should glory in tribulations knowing that they can suffer no loss o… disadvantage thereby, but on the contrary reap much good and advantage; for tribulation worketh in such as are thus justified, and at peace with God, patience, and patience experience, & experience hope, & hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost. Ought they not then to carry under all oppressions, persecutions, hard usages of men, upon the account of owning Christ & his Interest, as persons that are upon the gaining hand, and reaping much spiritual advantage, being now brought through grace into such a state of life? And how would they hereby glorify God in the world?
8. The consideration of their present state of life, should cause them triumph, in the midst of all difficulties & temptations, that they shall meetwith in their way, as knowing, that the life of justification, whereof now they are made partakers, shall continue: and that it shall end in the life of glory; for whom the Lord justifieth, them he also glorifieth. Rom. 8: 30. Who shall then lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he that condemneth? Who shall then separat such from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or persecution, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or perill, or sword? Nay in all these things they are more then conquerours, through him that loved them: Rom. 8: 33, 34, 35, 37. Hear how Paul concludeth that matter for himself & others vers. 38, 32. for I am perswaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God: which is in Christ Iesus, our Lord. Should not therefore such carry, as persons that cannot be made miserable? How much doth the Apostle insist on this, and cleare it from this ground Rom. 5: 9, 10. saying, much more then being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him, for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God, by the death of his Son; much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And againe vers. 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reigne through righteousness unto eternal life, by Iesus Christ, our Lord. There being then a sure ground of confidence & assurance of life & of compleet salvation, laid in justification, all such are called to rejoice in hope of the glory of God Rom, 5: 2. And to have confidence in the Lord, that he will perfect what he hath begun & to rest assured, that all they, which receive abundance of grace, & of the gift of righteousness, shall reigne in life by one Jesus Christ. Rom. 5: 17.
9. Yea particularly, the consideration of their many sinnes should not discourage them, or cause them despond: for being now justified, all their bygone sins are pardoned, & shall not be by the Lord laid to their charge againe, however the memory of them may humble them, & cause them run to the fountaine of the blood of Jesus; & all their future sins shall be pardoned, according the Gospel grounds, & after the Gospel-methode, so that they shall not prejudge them of their promised possession of glory and life everlasting. Now the free gift is of many offences, unto justification Rom. 5: 16. There is a sure way laid down, in the Gospel, whereby all their sins shall be taken away, and the very body of death shall be killed more & more dayly, so that they shall not finally perish, what ever Satan, & body of death within shall do, to prejudge them of the promised inheritance. Hence the Apostle inferreth from his foregoing discourse Rom. 8: 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to then, which are in Christ Jesus.
10. Such as are thus justified, should follow the example of Paul Phil. 3: 7, 8, 9. and so account such things less for Christ, which formerly were gaine yea & count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Jesus, their Lord, yea & account them but dung, that they may win Christ, and be found in him; Here should their heart & delight be: about this should their whole occupation be, to win and gaine Christ more, to know him & the power of his Resurrection and the followshipe of his sufferings, & to be made conformable unto his death vers. 10. that hereby Christ may be their gaine, their glory, & their all. How jealous should they be of their deceitful hearts, that nothing be admitted, to share of the glory due to Christ, or to possesse any of that room in the heart, that is due to him? He should have the throne, for He is well worthie of it: And whatever cometh in competition with him, be it within us, or without us, should be rejected that He alone may be exalted in our souls.
11. Such as have been made partaker of this royal life of justification, through a Crucified Christ, laid hold on by faith, should labour to keep this doctrine pure both by word & deed, so far as they can, that … grace of God, that so eminently shineth forth therein, may not be darkned by mens erroneous apprehensions; & that so much the rather, that Satan without & corruption within many, are so far at enmity with this doctrine of the grace of God, that they laboure by all meanes, either more directly, or more indirectly to perver…tit, & to presse for a mixture of works upon one consideration, or other, in this matter, which it will not admit: and that because, it is so crosse & contrary to the corrupt inclinations of Man, who is so proud of nothing, that he will not be beholden to Christ for less and for more, and for all. We see Paul was most jealous in this matter, and most zealous for the truth, & therefore on all occasions did assert & vindicate it, as we may see especially in his Epistle to the Galatians, where he did so zealously withstand Peter Chap. 2: 14. and immediatly did state the question, vers. 16. saying, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Iesus Christ, even we have beleeved in Iesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ & not by the works of the Law &c. adding vers. 18. that he for his part, would not build againe the things, which he had destroyed, & so make himself a transgressour. Nor would he vers. 21. frustrate the Grace of God.
12. Finally all such, as have by faith laid hold on Christ, & his righteousness, and are by faith justified, and so made partaker of this life through faith in Christ, must resolve to abide in Christ by faith, that life may be preserved, and by new acts of faith dayly on Christ, get as it were new breath, that their life may be continued, and thus live continually the life of justification by faith, & by faith take their new sinnes to Christ, that they may be done away in his blood; for the Righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by Faith; But of this we are to speak more hereafter.