A Synopsis of Quakerism, Error 4
Errour, 4. That our Good Works (as they are wrought in the Spirit) are a Meritorious (or deſerving) Cauſe of our Juſtification. Geo. Whitehead, Voyce of Wiſdom. p. 19. Printed 1659. The Arguments I urge againſt this Errour, are Three.
Arg. 1. OUr good Works fall ſhort of the rule of Juſtification, which is the whole Law. Rom. 8. 3. What the Law could not do, in that it was weak, through the Fleſh, God ſending his own Son, &c. The ſum of the Verſe is, that Chriſt was ſent to fulfull the Law for our Juſtification, which we could not do our ſelves, through our corruption, which makes us as a verſe, ſo impotent, to Obedience of the Law.
Arg. 2. That we ſhould be juſtified by our good Works, is inconſiſtent with the profeſſed end of God, in the way of our Juſtification; which is, that whoſoever Glorieth, may Glory in the Lord, verſ. 31. Which Affirmative implies the Negative, ſpoken of on another account, verſ. 29. That no Fleſh may Glory in his preſence. But if we be juſtified by our good Works, all Glorying is not taken away from us: as appears by Rom. 3. 27. Where is boaſting then? it is excluded: By what Law? of Works? Nay, but by the Law of Faith. I mean (and ſo does the Apoſtle) ſuch glorying or boaſting, as the creature is capable of. The Apoſtle tells us indeed, that if Abraham were juſtified by Works, he hath whereof to Glory, but not before God, Rom. 4. 2. I ſuppoſe, partly becauſe all his ſtrength (and ſo proportionably any of ours, ſo juſtified) to do thoſe Works, was originally from God (which conſideration is ſuggeſted, to check our boaſting, either of Gifts or Graces;) What haſt thou, that thou didſt not receive? now if thou did…t receive it, why doſt thou Glory, as if thou hadſt not received it? 1 Cor. 4. 7. And partly becauſe we have an immediate dependance upon God in our Operations, John 15. 5. Without me, ye can do nothing, foreign, Seorſima me, ſeparate, or apart from me, rela…ing to that myſtical Union between Chriſt and his People, whereby their dependance upon him in all the good they do, is as neer and intimate, as that of the Branches upon the Vine, by vertue of their natural Union, in the bearing any Fruit. So the 4 verſe ſtates the Compariſon, As the Branch cannot bear Fruit of it ſelf, except it abide in the Vine, no more can …ee, except ye abide in me.
3. There is no natural Equivalency between our good Works, and a Reward, as there ſeem… to be between our Evil Works, and Puniſhment, though the Law had expreſſed no penalty.
What boaſting then you will ask, is the Creature capable of, and hath he ground for, in Juſtification by his own good Works or Righteouſneſs? I anſwer, That there comes nothing, as the reaſon or Me…itorious Cauſe of the reward promiſed, between the promiſe of Reward to our Good Works, and the performance of it; but the goodneſs of our Works, or their conformity to the rule, the Law of God. The truth of this will appear, if we compare the Tenor of the Covenant of Works, and Grace, Gal. 3. That no man is juſtified by the Law in the ſight of God, is evident; For the juſt ſhall live by Faith, and the Law is not of Faith; but the man that doth them, [i. e. the many things contained in the Law] ſhall live in them. verſ. 11. 12. Tis evident to any attentive Reader, that a compariſon is here made between the two Covenants in point of Juſtification; and their difference lies in this▪ that in the one, the doe… of the Law lives in o… by it; but the juſt [Evangelically] lives by Faith▪ not by Faith as a Work (for, conſidered as ſuch, Faith being oppoſed to the deeds of the Law, is oppoſed to, and excludes it ſelf) but Faith i… metonymically put for its object, Chriſt cloſed with for Juſtification, or Righteouſneſs of Chriſt made ours by Faith, called therefore, … Righteouſneſs through the Faith of Chriſt, the Righteouſneſs which is of God, by Faith, viz. in reſpect of the actual Collation or beſtowing of it, not of the Proviſion or Preparation of it, for that is before Faith) Phil. 3. 9. And becauſe God deſigns to take away glorying in Juſtification, Faith in God through the Meſſias, is called a Walking humbly with God, Micah. 6. 8. That it does relate to the Law of Faith, and but only by conſequence, if at all, not di…ectly to the Law of Providence, or Submiſſion to afflictions, I am induced to believe upon theſe two grounds:
1. Becauſe otherwiſe God returns no anſwer (which be ſeems plainly to deſigne) to the Query, what the Lo…d will be pleaſed with, or what Satisfaction ſhall be given him for Iſraels ſin, which is the ſum of the Queſtions, verſ. 7. Will the Lord be pleaſed with thouſands of Rams, or with ten thouſands of Rivers of Oyl? Shall I give my firſt-Born for my Tranſgreſſion, the fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul? But underſtanding it thus, there is a plain Anſwer, (viz.) I do not expect any Righteouſneſs of thy gift, but of thy acceptance: or thus, I ſhall not be pleaſed with any Righteouſneſs which thou bringeſt, unleſs it be what I have firſt beſtowed on thee by Faith.
2. The Pride of mans heart makes him as loath to accept of a Righteouſneſs freely offered him, as to acce…t of the puniſhment of his Iniquity juſtly afflicted. It makes him as loath to part with the priviledge he had in the Old Covenant, as he that hath ſet up for himſelf ſom… time, is to turn an Apprentice: and therefore, tis as true an act of Humility, to accept of Gods Righteouſneſs, as of his Chaſtiſments for Sin.
Arg. 3. If Righteouſneſs were by the Law, (i e. by our perſonal Obedience to it) then Chriſt died in vain; they foreign.are the Apoſtles own Words, Gal. 2, Gratis immerito, without ſufficient Cauſe.21. which we may make a perfect Hypothetical Syllogiſme, by adding the Minor. But Chriſt died not in vain, and the Concluſion, therefore Righteouſneſs comes not by the Law▪ The reaſon of the Conſequence in the Major, which the Apoſtle affords us, is, becauſe the end of Chriſts Death was to provide us a Righteouſneſs, to be tendred to God; acceptance, and which (ſuppoſing the Covenant of Grace) he neither would, nor could refuſe: But if we have Righteouſneſs ſufficient for the end of Righteouſneſs, Juſtification; the Righteouſneſs provided by Chriſt, comes a-day after the Fair, (as we ſay) too late to beſtead us. Chriſt's end in his Death, was to do that for us (in point of Juſtification) which we could not do for our ſelves, (as may well be inferred, from the place touched at above, Rom. 8. 3, 4.)
The Scriptures they alledge, are;
Arg. 1. James 2. 24. A man is juſtified by Works, and not by Faith onelyonly.
Anſw. If we take Juſtification in a proper ſence, for the Abſolution or Acquitting of a Sinner, this place would contradict that in Rom. 3. 28. Therefore we conclude, that a man is juſtified by Faith, and not by the Deeds of the Law. But there is alway a ſweet conſent, though ſometimes a ſeeming diſſent between one Scripture and another.
I therefore diſtinguiſh between Juſtification, as it imports, the Abſolution of a Sinner, and as it imports, the Approbation of a Believer. I alſo diſtinguiſh the word, Faith, as it is taken, for a living, or for a dead Faith; that is, for the reality of Faith, or the bare Proſeſſion. And then I anſwer, that James tells us, how a Man is declared or manifeſted to be a juſtified Perſon, (viz.) not by a profeſſion of Faith only, but by Works alſo; we are juſtified by Works, as our Faith is made perfect by Works, Jam. 2. 22. that is declaratively. Faith is declared or evidenced to be perfect; that is, ſincere and true by Works. As the Tree is not made, but ſhewn to be good by the Fruit it bears. And hence tis ſaid, that Faith without Works is dead, verſ. 20. It is ſo, and appears to be ſo, as the Tree that bears not at all. And the ſcope of the place is to convince the Hypoc…ites, that ſaid they had Faith, and had none, as appears, verſ. 14. and onward. Whereas Paul in the other place, Rom. 3. 28. ſhews u… how a Sinner is formally juſtified in the ſight o… God, viz. by a True Faith in Chriſt, as will appear to him that obſerves verſ. 25. 26. where God is ſaid to juſtifie him that believes in Jeſus; Whom God hath ſet forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood.
Arg. 2. Rom. 8. 2, 4. The Law of the Spirit of lif… in Chriſt Jeſus, hath made me free from the Law … Sin and Death. That the Righteouſneſs of the La… may be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the Fleſ… but after the Spirit. From the firſt of theſe verſe… they conclude, that we are made free Meritoriouſly by the Law of the Spirit in us, from the Law of Sin and Death, becauſe it is the ſame Law of the Spirit of Life that is in Chriſt, and the Saints. From the ſecond they obſerve, tha… the Righteouſneſs of the Law is fulfilled in th… Perſons of the Saints.
Anſ. To the ſecond Verſe, theirs cannot b… the meaning of the Text: For, ſuppoſing a ſta… of freedome from ſin attainable in this life, an… that by the Law of ſin and death, is meant only death, the fruit of ſin: yet how can there be an… colour for merit of juſtification, when the ver… priviledge of that ſtate addes to thoſe obligations, by which all the ſervice our capacity wil… extend to, had been due to God, if we had never ſinned? Two other Sences ind…ed the word… ſeem to learned Men not uncapable of.
1. That the Apoſtle give… a reaſon of the connexion between juſtification and ſanctification, becauſe the ſame Chriſt Jeſus that juſtifies by his blood, ſanctifies by his ſpirit. So Calvin, &c. in loc. 2. That they contain the meritorious cauſe of that juſtification, which is evidenced by an holy life, viz the active obedience of Chriſt. So Beza. And to this I rather incline.
As for Ver. 4. ſome underſtand them to note this end of Chriſts ſending into the World, viz. that Gods righteous Laws might not be abſolutely contemned, and ſo given in vain; but might be obſerved (though imperfectly) by believers. Others, of the imputation of Chriſts ſurety, righteouſneſs, Fide juſſoria juſtitia. The Quakers to be ſure miſtakes; for I ſhall ſhew under the next head, no perfect perſonal righteouſneſs is attainable in this life.
Arg. 3. If our evil works are the meritorious cauſe of our condemnation, then our good works are the meritorious cauſe of our juſtification. But the antecedent is true, therefore the conſequent. S. Fiſhers diſpute at Sandwich.
The conſequence he proves from that Rule in Logick, Contraria contrariorum ratio, of contraries there is a contrary reaſon or conſequence.
Anſ. We deny the conſequence of the major.
1. Becauſe our good, and our evil works, are not perfectly contrary. For our evil works are perfectly evil; for malum fit ex quilibet defectu. Any one defect makes our works evil: but ou… good works are but imperfectly good. For, Bonum fit ex integris cauſis. There muſt be a conformity in all reſpects to the Law to make our work… good. For that Rule on which Fiſher ground… his conſequence, holds only of immediate or perfect contraries, not of mediate. And ſo his conſequence is but like this. If cold Water will chil… a Man's body, luke-warm Water will ſcald it.
2. Becauſe there is no condignity in our goo… works, were they perfectly good; There canno… be a proportion between a finite work, and infinite reward. 'Tis true, the Apoſtle ſays, To him that worketh, the reward is reckon'd not of grace, but of debt. Rom. 4. 4. But it is to be underſtood of a debt, Ex pacto gratiae non ex operis dignitate, due by promiſe, not by any merit preceding the promiſe.
Arg. 4. Rom. 2. 13. Not the hearers of the Law are juſt before God, but the doers of the Law ſhall be juſtified. Pen. p. 26.
Anſ. The words give the reaſon of their periſhing, who had the Law, (viz.) the Jews, becauſe God cannot juſtifie any on the terms of the old Covenant, that do not perfectly fulfill it; which the Jews were far enough from being able to do, or indeed from indeavouring it. They pleaſed themſelves in their priviledges, and external acts of worſhip (for which, hearing is put by a Synecdoche) as equivalent in merit to a perfect legal righteouſneſs.