Of Free Justification by Christ, Book 1 · Part 34
The Errour of the Tridentines in defining Grace is examined.
I Have explained the sayings of some Divines, which differ several ways from one another, yet they are all wonderfully agreed in this one thing, as it were by a common Conspiracy, that they may take away from sinners that saving Grace which only justifies us. Let us joyn also unto these, if you please, the Sophisters of later times, and especially the Nobles of Trent, and the Hereticks of that Council, whose Writings, Opinions, and Decrees, when they are read, what do they declare? I will say in a word, and truly, nothing that is sound, nothing that is not full of Errour, nothing that does not disagree with the genuine verity of the Word. But what that Errour is, lest we should seem to accuse them without cause, let us explain in a few words, but true; to wit, seeing there is a twofold Testimony of the Grace of the Father towards us in the Scriptures; the one whereby in a free gift he bestowed his Son upon us … the other, whereby he bestowed his Spirit: The Son to die for us, the Spirit to … our Life; there is not any man, but should confess that they are both great gifts. He gave his Son, than whom nothing was dearer to him; he bestows his Spirit, than which nothing is higher in Heaven. But for what purpose doth he bestow both? how does he give them for our advantage? for what end? with what fruit? what did he design in so doing? by what Reason was he persuaded? by what necessity? by what mercy was the most gracious Father and maker of the World moved? I would very willingly ask this first, either of Thomas Aquinas, or rather of those Tridentine fellow-Priests; for if Free-will being helped by the grace of the Sprit of God, as they say, could do so much by meriting through the infused Vertues, even as much as was sufficient for obtaining Salvation, what cause then was there why all this charge should be put upon Christ the Son of God? What need. was there of his blood? Why did not the most gracious Father spare his Life? But if so be that all other helps of grace could afford no help to expedite the business of our Redemption; Then it remains to be asked of those men, what they affirm of Christ, whether they acknowledge him the only Saviour or not? And indeed I know that they will not deny that Christ is the only Saviour. But in the mean while it remains that they should answer me this, after what manner this only Saviour saves his own, whether only by his Innocency and Death, or by adding other helps besides? Now if they judge that other securities are necessarily required, it must be why the holy Spitit is given. Thom. 12. qu. 114. Art. 4. The motion of humane mind to the fruition of divine good, is a proper act of Charity, by which all acts of other Vertues are appointed for this end, according to which other Vertues are commanded by chariey, and therefore the merit of Eternal Life belongs chiefly to charity. &c. Censura Gololoniens. fol. 148, 149. christ by his Death hath merited this, that Believers are endued with charity and other Vertues, which qualities, being now received by the Merit of christ, man himself by. Inherent Righteousuess merits a greater Righteousness, Reconciliation, and at length Life Eternal, &c. And fol. 170, Faith is only the preparatory Cause and way to Iustification, that afterwards we may by another thing be righteous before God, not by Faith apprehending Christ, &c. Iustification is divided into two parts.known what sort of Securities these are. Aquinas with his Associates answers, that those are gifts procured by the Holy Spirit, and habitual Infusions of Charity, and the like faculties of exercising Righteousness, which helps unless they are added, the Death of Christ, according to his Opinion is not of such efficacy that it should be able enough of it self alone to merit Salvation. And now, what then if those are added? doth then at length full and perfect Righteousness arise from these together, partly from the blood of Christ, and partly from renovation by new qualities, which may reconcile us being justified unto God. For thus Andradius with his fellow. Tridentines divides Iustification, which Paul attributes simply to Faith, into two parts, of which he affirms that the one consists in the remission of sins, and the other in the obedience of the Law. O the Pest of Sophistical Divinity, and intolerable deceits! for by this distinction it will come to pass, that Christ is not the only Saviour, nor a compleat one, but the Spirit that bestows these qualities; for if the only formal cause of our Iustification consists in nothing but only the renovation of the Iacob. Pava. Orthod. Exp. 6. p. 470. Then the Spirit is communicated, when, at the coming of Righteousness; we are made righteous; when all our sins being extinguished, we are renewed by charity spread abroad in our hearts by the Spirit; which Charity, because it informs the mind with the Love of the Divine Law, is called Righteousness. Of how large an extent the fruit of the Lord's passion is.inner man, by a willing receiving of grace and gifts; what shall now remain that may be attributed to Christ the Saviour and his blood, but that he should only give a Dye to our merits, which being so Dyed, may bring us directly into Heaven. But if it be so, that the Death of Christ alone doth not fully compleat our Redemption; to what purpose, or what way did he say it was finished, when his passion was finished? Or how are all things in Heaven and in Earth reconciled by the blood of his Cross, as Paul witnesseth? Moreover, the same Paul in many places, and in all his Epistles, places the price and Redemption in no other thing, but only in the Blood and Cross of the Son of God: In whom, saith he, we have Redemption through his blood: But how shall we say that all things are reconciled by blood, if Charity and the other gifts of Renovation, and Merits are the things which make us acceptable to God, Ephes,and claim unto themselves, the greatest part of our Reconciliation? What is this else, but to thrust Christ down not only from his Office, but also from the Throne of his glory Christ only by his Personal Office is a Saviour, and the Holy Spirit by his Office is a Helper and Comforter of them that are saved.with a gigantick fury?