Of Free Justification by Christ, Book 1 · Part 3
How easie it is to err in the Doctrine of Iustification.
SEeing these things and others like unto them, contain the principal Heads, of all Christian Doctrine; therefore Divines should take a special care lest they err in these; which care, unless they take, there will follow a most grievous ruin and perturbation of all things, the foundations Human Reason understands not the Doctrine of Free Iustification.being as it were put out of their places. And yet I know not how it comes to pass that error is no where more easily committed than in these Points. Neither is it so strange; for so it comes to pass, that this animal nature we call Human Reason, when consulted with about the things of God, is most blind, and sees nothing, unless it be Illuminated with the better Light of Divine Knowledge shining in upon it: For the right understanding of Divine things comes by the Spirit of God, and not by Human Capacity; and though the Law, and the things of the Law, were in some sense born with us, and cleave unto our Nature; Yet the Mysteries of the Doctrine of the Gospel are not apprehended so easily, because the Nature of both is very different. Moreover, you may see many, who following the guidance of Nature, and her precepts more than is meet, do teach and dispute of things belonging to the Gospel; just as if a Philosopher should discourse of the Principles of Nature, or a Moralist of the perfection of Vertues, in which they place their chiefest good; or as if a Pharisee sitting in the Chair of Moses, should dispute about the Righteousness of the Law.
But there will be another occasion of treating of these things, (if opportunity be granted.)
In the mean while, that I may speak ingenuously of thee, O Osorius; with how much the greater natural parts God in his bounty hath adorned thee, and heaped upon thee, it is the more grievous to me that thou art violently drawn aside with others into that blindness of error:- That though you teach us many things in your reasoning about Righteousness, yet you scarcely teach any thing that makes much to the purpose, and nothing at all that is profitable for Salvation, but rather on the contrary that which is very hurtful. For, I beseech you, What assurance can there be of Salvation, if you shut out Mercy, and send us to our own Righteousness as the only way, which conveys us to Heaven? for all your Doctrine of Divinity looks that way. To wit, when discoursing of the hope of remedy, you affirm there is no other way, but that only, of becoming like unto God, and being united unto him; and that this is the only way of a Blessed Life, which consists wholly in Righteousness; which whoso do observe, those you affirm do abound with Divine Riches, and Eternal Glory.
As if there were no hope remaining Osorius de justit. lib. 1. pag. 3.for him, that turns a little aside from these footsteps. Than which what could be said or invented more repugnant to the Gospel? yea also elsewhere, repeating again the same thing, tho' in different Words: How should a Man be saved, say you? Is there any other Lib. 10. de Iustit. pag. 232.paved way to Salvation, but what is contained in the Law of God? None at all, &c.
And again in another Book, as in all your Books reasoning about the Works of the Law; you assert, that Righteousness is purchased by these, that Men go up to Heaven by these as by steps, that eternal Lib. 2. p. 44.rewards are appointed for these; and you plead that this is the only way we have to Heaven, which is paved with renowned Works, &c. Moreover you proclaim Lib. 6. pag. 148.yet with more open Mouth. Wherefore, say you, it must be attested with greater freedom of Speech, that the ascent into Heaven is given to the Merits of the greatest Vertues, and that the Mansions of the Everlasting Kingdom are given justly and deservedly to Holy and Chast Men, &c.
It would take up a long time, and be much more troublesome to rake together out of every one of your Books, every one of those wonderful sayings, which are more than Paradoxes, whereby you plead that all the safeguard of our Salvation, should be placed in nothing else but in the observance and care of Righteousness: which if you could as well perform in effect and reality, as you set them forth in Words magnificently; I should esteem that none were more happy, none more worthy of Heaven than you. But now let us suppose that, which I see you would so fain have granted, that Heaven is only due to perfect Men no other ways, but upon the account of Righteousness, and that there is no other way of coming to those blessed mansions, but that which is trodden by the most pure footsteps of good men, and settled in the perfect integrity of Works. Now we are not against the deserved praises of righteousness, neither do we with-hold from it its rewards: Be it so indeed. But where shall we find this Righteousness? Dic quibus in terris, & erit mihi magnus Apollo. Tell me in what Country (and I All have finned and come short of the glory of God.shall esteem you to be a great Oracle,) This man of righteous life dwells, who will so direct the course of his Life according to this Idea of Vertue proposed by you, that he fails no where, who Roots out all manner of wickedness, who refrains himself from railing with his Tongue, Suppresses the Haughtiness, Insolency, and madness of an Ambitious Spirit, and the rashness of a Headstrong Mind; who Crucifies the Flesh with its Lusts, who suppressing ungodly lustings, by frequent meditation upon Death, brings himself over from all Impurity and Impiety to the resemblance of Christ; who separating his mind from the Contagion of the Body, applies it wholly to the Imitation of Christ, who resembles the humility and meekness of Christ, his bounty and benevolence; and his excellent Holiness in all respects, and also cuts off all defilements of the mind, and all the roots of filthiness and impurity. I say, where will that man be found, who performs these and all other duties of true Piety, and so performs them, that nothing in his Life seems superfiuous, nothing is unequal in his duties, nor defective in his manners? I think he may be found in the Books of Osorius: but not in the The Idea of the Osorian righteousness, can be more easily found in his Books, than in his Mauners.Life, in the daily Confessions, or in the Holy Absolutions of Osorius. There was of Old, I confess the Image of this most perfect righteousness seen and known upon the Earth: But that Phoenix hath long since left the Earth, and departed hence to Heaven, and now sits at the right hand of Majesty, drawing all to himself: and I wish that at length he may draw Osorius The Son of God only was perfectly Holly. Pals. 14.also to himself. What if the Lord himself looking down from Heaven upon the Sons of Men, is affirmed in the Prophetical Psalm, to have found all their ways corrupted and depraved: if the Mystical and Royal Holy Psalmist durst not in confidence of his own righteousness enter into judgment with his God, or present himself to be tryed by him, and condemns Rom. 3. 1 Io. 1. Iacob. 3.all other mortal men of unrighteousness, without excepting so much as one. If Paul writing to the Romans in a very serious debate confirms the same, and stops the mouths of all men, that he may bring men over, having called them away from a vain trust in their own works, and convinced them of the vanity thereof, to the help of the Son of God only, which is placed Oso. 1. 5. p. 21.in the faith of him: If Iohn the Apostle, yea and if that powerful proclaimer and defender of humane righteousness could not himself deny but that in many things we offend all, I pray you, O Osorius! Will you now rise up after them, not the eighth but the ninth Proclaimer of Righteousness, being a mortal and sinful man, who dare affirm to others, that which you cannot perform your self after this manner: That it is either righteousness or nothing, which obtains us the favour of God, and makes us acceptable and like unto him?
Qu. What do I hear? is there nothing else, I beseech you? What then? Is Faith nothing? Is Grace nothing? Is the Mercy and Promise of God nothing? Do the Merits of Christ profit nothing to Salvation? So that now there is nothing which reconciles us to God, but the righteousness of works? What? Do you so place all righteousness in works, that you think there is no righteousness of Faith?
Then you think perhaps that the Osorius confounds the righteousness of faith and works without any distinction.righteousness of faith and works is one and the same, and you make no difference between the Law and the Gospel. whereas Paul teaches you far otherwise, who openly and with great fervency of Spirit deprecates that other righteousness, which is of works, that he may be found in him, not having the righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is of the Faith of Christ, which is of God, righteousness by Faith. Do you not perceive here Phil. 3. It is one thing to be justified by faith, and another thing to be justified by the Law.a manifest opposition between these two: To be justified by the Law, and to be justified by Faith, yea and those very things which Paul removed far away from him as Dung in respect of obtaining Salvation, Will you pave that only way for us to Heaven? And in the mean while disputing about works, I discourse of these things with you, as if there were any such strength of so great vertues, in this life, as could deserve not only the reward of righteousness, but also the name thereof. What will you say, if the most holy performances There are no performances of the most perfect men, that are without some imperfection in the sight of God.and endeavours, undertaken in whatsoever manner by the most perfect men, in this corrupted nature, are so unprofitable to the immortality of Life, that they are rejected by Christ as things without profit, yea that they are despised and utterly We are all as unclean, and all our righteousness as a menstruous cloth. Isa. 64.contemned in the sight of God, like a menstruous cloth, as the Prophet Isaiah witnesseth, unless they be underproped with better Grace, and the commendation of Faith? What if in Isaiah we are all said, and that truly, to have gone astray like Sheep every one in his own way, from whom so great a Prophet doth not separate himself: What do you suppose should be judged of our virtues and righteousness? But you will say, this complaint of the Prophet belongs All we like Sheep have gone astray. Isa. 5. 3. A frivolous exception of Osorius.not to all in the general, but only to the Iews who in those times wickedly forsook their duty: but by the same reason you may affirm, that all the diseases of all men and times were not healed by the Death of Christ, but theirs only, who in those times had gone astray out of the way as lost Sheep. But how frivolous this cavilling is, it appears evident by the context of this Prophetical Prediction.
Whereby you see, (Osorius,) being convinced by Sacred Testimonies, that those merits of our greatest vertues, if they be looked upon in themselves, are far from the perfection of that righteousness, which your Philology Cloaths with very beautiful Colours; Which yet I would not have to be so said by me, nor underslood by you, as if those that live vertuosly, did nothing aright and praise worthy in this life: Or as if the Godly Works of the Saints were not acceptable to God, which God himself hath commanded to The Papists do not clearly enough explain why Works are called good.be done; for thus you reason concerning Works, that they come not indeed without Faith, and the Grace of God, but yet so, that when they come, you affirm, that the Kingdom of Eternal Salvation is due to them by the best right, not only as a recompense and reward, but also as a lawful Patrimony: as if the promise of Salvation depended not on Evangelical Faith, but on the Righteousness of the Law, and not on Christs merits only, unless a Covenant of Works be joined together with it: or as if faith it self profited nothing for the obtaining of Life upon any other What good works do essect according to the opinion of Papists.account, but that it may procure Grace, which may stir us up to the praise-worthy performances of works, by which works we attain unto eternal Life.