The Life of Justification Opened, Title page – To the reader
THE LIFE OF JUSTIFICATION OPENED. Or, A Treatise grounded upon Gal. 2. 11. Wherein the Orthodox Doctrine of Justification by Faith, & Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, is clearly expounded, solidly confirmed, & learnedly vindicated from the various Objections of its Adversaries. Whereunto are subjoined some Arguments against Universal Redemption. By that Faithful and Learned Servant of Iesus Christ Mr. JOHN BROUN, sometimes Minister of the Gospel at Wamfrey in Scotland.
JER. 23. 6. In His dayes JUDAH shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Iustificatio est Articulus stantis & cadentis Ecclesiae. LUTH.
Printed in the Year. M.DC.XCV.
THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
IT is the true wisdome of a Christian to understand aright and with a spiritual eye to discern the great difference between the Law and the Gospel, the Covenant of Works and that of Grace, the Legal and Euangelical Justification, the ignorance whereof is the great Cause of most errours this day among professed Christians. When our blessed Saviour came into the world, he found flowing out of this bad fountain a multitude of Heresies in the Jewish Church, deceived by the Pharisees, blind Leaders of a blind People, erecting & establishing their our Righteousness before the throne of God. And it is certain that our Lord Jesus Christ was rejected of the Jews, because they could not believe their own unrighteousness, miserie & condemnation by the Law, nor be made to seek in the Messiah his Sufferings & Satisfaction the true expiation of sins and a compleat Righteousness, sufficient to eternal happiness. Certainly they understood not the promises of the Prophets, especially that of Isaiah Chap. LIII. neither looked they to the end of the Ceremonial oeconomie & Law which was to be abolished, 2 Cor. 3. 13. Of this Judaical errour we have a clear example in the Apostle Paul, before his conversion a Pharisee, & by his great Masters well instructed in the letter of the Law. For he looking upon himself, and not understanding the nature of the Law in its Spiritual meaning, was in his own eyes no sinner, but a just man, living, and having a right to pretend a sentence of Justification before God upon the account of his works according to the Law. But when it pleased God to reveal his Son to his soul, he could count all things but l…ss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, and desire only to be found in him, not having his own Righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Christ; the Righteousness which is of God by Faith. Phil. 3. 8, 9. And so became a great example of all true Converts & Believers, & his Conversion a Demonstration of this Euangelical Doctrine, that no man is Justified by his works, but by the Righteousness of Christ imputed & by Faith received & applyed.
No doubt, Christian Reader, but this doctrine is the whole scope of the same Apostle in his Epistles to the Romans & Galatians. For having proved both Jews and Gentiles to be all under sin, & supposing consequently that by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God, he sheweth, that all elected sinners coming short of the glorie of God, must be justified freely by his grace through the Redemption which is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be our Propitiation through faith in his blood, so that all boasting may be excluded; which cannot be, if a man could be justified by his works. Yea the Apostle Chap. 4. gives a Demonstration of this doctrine out of the examples of Abraham & David, to whom after conversion, Righteousness is imputed & sin pardoned by faith in the promise. In his Epistle to the Galatians, he likewise presseth this Doctrine against the heresie of judaizing Ministers, who would have mingled the Law with the Gospel, and rejects their sentence as another Gospel worthy to be Anathematized, with every one who teacheth it, though even an Angel from Heaven; since he saith upon the matter, that Christ is dead in vain, as we see Chap. 1. 8, 11. Chap. 11. 21.
How happy were the Church in these dayes, if the Doctrine of Gospel-Justification did continue pure, & could be propagated & transmitted to the following ages! But it is too manifest that the Christian Church, by Heathenish & Jewish errours upon the one hand, & by Pelagian infusions on the other, hath lost a great deal of her primitive sinceritie & puritie. Certainly the Roman Superstitions, tending only to the establishing of humane Righteousness in Gods sight, are clear demonstrations of a corrupted doctrine, yea of that Apostacie of the latter times so oft soretold by the Apostle Paul. For we see that Popery is wholly erected upon a Judaical & Pelagian Righteousness, proceeding from the bitter root of the Heathenish Free-will, whereby the corruption of Nature is denyed, sin excused, the faculties of Nature, as sufficient to all good works, asserted; especially when they are sustained by a sufficient grace given to all men for obtaining eternal happiness. But this great errour, worthy of the Apostles Anathema, was abominable in the eyes of our Protestant Fathers: and therefore the Doctrine of a contrary Gospel-Justification was the greatest reason of separation, especially when they heard the trumpet from Heaven sounding and crying, come out of Babel, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. And herein we must admire the wonderful providence of God, that the Protestants did aggree in this point of Justification, even when their minds were distracted about the Doctrine of the Lord's Supper: and it is known how careful the Lutherians are, even to this day, in following the Doctrine of their Master in this great Article.
But alas! it is a sad & lamentable thing, that Arminians (being fomented by the Kings of France & Spain as the immediate way to introduce Popery, saith Wilson in his Historie of Great Britain pag. 119.) when they adopted the Pelagian grounds, did forsake the imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, because they could not join this great mystery of the Gospel with the opinions of Universal Grace & Redemption, as appears in the writings of Episcopius, Curcellaeus, Limburgh, and others, filled not only with Arminian, but also with wicked Socinian errours against the Divinity & Satisfaction of our Saviour Jesus Christ. And how could it be thought, that those books should have been accepted & approved by Reformed Divines & Churches, as we see they are in our neighbouring Kingdom of England? O what errours in that Nation are observed & complained of before by Honorius Reggius in his book de Statu Ecclesiae Britannicae, errours tending even to the ruine of the Protestant Cause! And what shall we say of the latter books, written by Bull, Parker, Sherlock, and others, against the principles of Reformation, expressed hitherto with great agreement in all the Confessions of Reformed Churches. Yea even those who were purer in appearance, pressing the moral duties & practical doctrine of pietie (I mean the followers of that famous Minister Mr. Richard Baxter) did corrupt the true Doctrine of Justification, because they adopted Universal Grace and Redemption. For suspending such an Universal Redemption as Conditional, upon the vertue of Faith, taught, that Justification is depending upon this vertue, and consequently that a man by Faith, as a vertue, must be justified: and because Repentance should be acknowledged as a Condition of eternal happiness, beside the vertue of Faith, therefore they imagine that Justification may be suspended even upon Repentance; so that we must believe, that Justification is not only by Faith, but also by Repentance.
But, O my Brethren, ye are out of the way, ye have left your first love! Remember therefore from whence ye are fallen, and repent, and do the first works! Remember the former dayes and years! Remember your former Divines at the beginning of the Reformation, Iuel, Whitaker, Perkins, and other glorious stars once shining in your Countrey! Remember the Apologie of your Church against that harlot of Rome, written by that most excellent Divine J. Iuel B. of Salisbury, & approved of your Fathers! Remember your Confession aggreeing with all the Confessions of Reformed Churches, and confirmed in the dayes of Q. Elisabeth An. 1562. by a Synodical decree; yea by the Parliament of your Kingdome! Remember the former ages, when the Doctrine of Anselme & Bradwardine Archb. of Canterbury against Pelagianisme sounded & obtained in your Churches! Yea Bradwardine his book de Causa Dei opposed to the Cause of men defended by Pelagianisme, printed first in this age An. 1616. in the dayes of King Iames, who himself was a great Adversarie to Arminian tenets, by the care and studie of George Abboth a worthy successour of that great Divine, because he loved the Doctrine of Grace, and could not endure that Arminian errours should infect the Church of England, to that time depending onelyonly upon the grace of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
But what great iniquitie is it now to neglect this grace, and, leaving the principles of Protestant Religion, to rely upon, and trust to our own works for Salvation? My Brethren, how think ye to mingle the Law with the Gospel? the Righteousness of Christ with your own? your faith, depending alone upon your Saviour, with your works? What will ye say, when you wil dye, & this weighty case of Conscience comes to be resolved, how shall my poor, guiltie & sinful Soul be justified before a Righteous God? How can ye thus prepare the way to return, and lead your followers back again unto Babylon? What fellowship hath Righteousness with unrighteousness? or what communion hath light with darkness?
Yet glory be to God in the highest, who hath reserved by his grace many Protestant and Learned Divines against all these and the like errours. And hence we have the learned Labours of the worthy J. BURGES, J. OWEN. A. PITCAIRN and other eminent Divines, worthy to be remembered in all ages. And to those great Doctours we may very warrantably add the worthy Author of the following Treatise Mr. JOHN BROUN, whose praise liv's deservedly in the Churches, and whose light did for a considerable space shine here in our Low-countreys, when through the iniquitie of the times, he was because of his zeal, pietie, faithfulness and good Conscience obliged to leave his native Land. Yet was he not idle: for while he was here he wrote, with a great deal of wisdom, against the Philosophers of this time, who would subject the Scriptures to Philosophie, setting up humane Reason for a Rule of Scripture-Interpretations. Moreover, he was known in our Churches by his Books of the Perpetual Moralitie of the Sabbath, written with a great efficacie of Arguments, and approved by Fr. Spanheym, that worthy and most famous Divine of our age; besides what other Treatises he wrote in English. But we have here his work of Justification as a Posthumus, full of Wisdom, Doctrine and Pietie. The Author had committed the care of it to his very intimate and dear acquaintance, the Reverend and Learned Mr. JAMES KOELMAN, who, while he was alive, had the care of it at the press: but before the work was perfected, he was called home to his Masters joy, after he had faithfully served God in his generation. And I being now desired to prefix the accustomed Ceremonie of an Epistle to this excellent book of Mr. JOHN BROUN, I undertook it most cheerfully with all my heart. For I must give Testimony to the Reverend & Learned Author of this work, that he wisely expounds the mysteries of Justification according to the Doctrine of the Gospel, & the principles oft he Reformed Churches: that he confirms the expounded Doctrine with efficacious arguments able to stop the mouths of all Adversaries; that he prudently dissolves all their vain oppositions; that he shows himself a true Christian Minister, and a Scribe well instructed by the Holy Spirit unto the Kingdom of God. And therefore this excellent book was worthy to be printed, to be esteemed and loved amongst the best Treatises upon this great and weighty Doctrine of Justification. I need say no more, the work will speak for it self, and the Judicious Readers oun experience will testifie that it is written in the Demonstration of the Spirit & Power, profitable for Doctrine, Reproof, Correction, Instruction in Righteousness and Consolation of penitent souls. I pray the God of all grace, that he would give the Readers the Spirit of Wisdom and of a sound mind, that having the eyes of their understandings enlightened, they may know what are the great mysteries of Redemption, and may be sound in the Faith in order to this fundamental point of Justification here expounded and vindicated, with this full persuasion of mind that the Reformed profession is the true way of Salvation, able to save a sinner eternally, according to the Covenant of Grace revealed in the Gospel.
MELCHIOR LEYDECKER. S. S. Th. D. & Prof. Dabam Ultraj. 1 Apr. 1695.
P. S.
Atque haec quidem ego Britonum Sermone, ut potui. Si quid commissum est culpae adversus linguae genium, id condonandum Belgae est. Conari & imitari exterorum linguam, eruditis haud vulgarem, satis erat. Interim si Latino Sermone uti licuisset, pluribus Doctrinam Ecclesiae Reformatae de Gratia & Justificatione explicuissem, ut forte horum animum moverem, qui prima Principia ipsius Euangelii a Paulo ad Romanos, ad Galatas, ad Ephesios demonstrata neglexerunt, ac deseruerunt. Nunc sufficiat ex Confessione Anglicana quosdam Articulos notasse, in quos digitum Praefatione intendebam, uti habentur in Corpore & Syntagmate Confessionum fidei, quae in diversis Regnis & Nationibus, Ecclesiarum nomine fuerunt Authenticè editae: Haec enim ibi medium habet locum, quod cum caeteris accurate conveniret. Utinam tali haberetur hodie veneratione, quali fuit habita antiquitus, quando decretis Publicis, Politicis & Ecclesiasticis fuit sancita & roborata! Sic ergò habent Articuli, quos in Anglicum Sermonem versos exhibemus.
X. Of Free-will.
This is the condition of man after Adams fall, that by his own Power, and good works, he cannot convert, and prepare himself to Faith, and calling upon God. Wherefore without the grace of God, which is by Christ preventing us, that we may will, and to operating, while we will for doeing works of Pietie, which are acceptable, and well pleasing to God, we can doe nothing.
XI. Of Mans Justification.
Wee are only reputed Righteous before God, for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ by Faith, not for our works and merits. For which cause the Doctrine of our being Iustified by Faith alone, is most wholsome, and full of consolation, as it is explained in the Homilie about mans Iustification, at more length.
XII. Of Good Works.
Good works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow the Iustified, although they cannot expiat our sins, or endure the severity of Divine Iustice; Yet they are pleasing, and accepted by God in Christ and necessarily flow from a true and lively Faith; So that plainly by them a vive faith can be known, as a tree can be judged by it's fruit.
XIII. Of works before Justification.
Works which are done before the Grace of Christ, and the influence of his Spirit, since they do not proceed from the Faith of Iesus Christ, are not at all acceptable to God; neither doe they merit the grace, which many call congruous. Yea, because they are not done according to Gods will and command, we doubt not, but they have the nature of sin.
XVII. Of Predestination, and Election.
Predestination to life, is the eternal purpose of God, whereby He, before the setling of the foundations of the world, by his Counsel hid indeed as to us, Immutably decreed, those whom he had chosen in Christ out of mankind should be delivered from the curse and destruction, and (as vessels made to honour) brought to eternal Salvation by Christ. Hence those who are gifted with this notable favour of God, are called in due time, according to his purpose, His own Spirit working, they obey by Graces call, are Iustified freely, are Adopted to be the sons of God, and made consorme to the Image of his only begotten Son Iesus Christ, they walk holily in good works, and in end, by the mercy of God, they come to eternal happiness. As the pious consideration of our Predestination, and Election in Christ is sweet, pleasant, and full of ineffable consolation to the truely Godly, and to those, who find in themselves the efficacie of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the deeds of the flesh, and members, which yet are upon the earth, and by force drawing the mind to things above, both because it does much establish, and confirme our Faith of obtaining eternal Salvation, as also because it vehemently kindles our love toward our good: So it is a very destructive precipice to curious and carnal men, and who are destitute of the Spirit of Christ, to have alwayes the sentence of Gods Predestination proposed to their view, whereby the Devil either presses them to despair, or into equally pernicious security of a most impure life. Thereafter, the Divine Promises most be so imbraced, as they are generally proposed to us in the holy Scriptures, and the will of God, which we have expresly revealed in Gods word, is to be followed by us in our actions.
Atque hi quidem sunt Ecclesiae Anglicanae de Gratia & Iustificatione Articuli, convenientes utique cum aliarum Ecclesiarum, praesertim Ecclesiae Scoticanae doctrina, …ti ex hujus Confessione Art. III. VIII. XII. XIII. manifestum est.