Of Free Justification by Christ, Book 1 · Part 13
The Arguments of Osorius, whereby he attributes Righteousness to Works, are answered.
NOW it must be enquired, by what arguments Osorius pleads for his opinion. And first he brings that out of the Psalms: The Lord, saith he, is Righteous, Osor. lib. 2. p. 39.and loveth Righteousness, his countenance beholds the upright: And again, The Wicked, saith David, shall not dwell with thee; the Unrighteous shall not remain before thy eyes: and thou hatest all those that work Iniquity; thou shalt destroy all them that speak leasing, &c. And now what is gathered from these testimonies? To wit, That the Wicked have no society with the goodness of God. For seeing God is himself the very Law of Equity and Rule of Righteousness, according to which all our actions should be directed, therefore it is his opinion that it is not possible, that he who puts away the rule it self from him and hates it, should be joined to the same. But what do you drive at in all these florid expressions? it is this; He then that asserts it to be possible that God should approve the wicked, and join them to himself, asserts it to be possible for God not to be God.
These things need no prolix answer: Answer.For though we grant this to be very true, which you mention from the Scriptures, that the rule of Divine Iustice is perfect, and that eternal light cannot endure any thing that is wicked, or not agreeable to equity: but you have not yet proved that those should be called wicked; who flying to Christ by Faith, receive from him the Pardon of their Sins, who having their Sins blotted out, and all Iniquity forgiven, are written by the same Psalmist among the number of the blessed whom God himself purifying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, &c. Psal.by faith, and pouring his holy Spirit upon them, of ungodly he hath made them godly, and graciously received them into his favour, for the sake of his dear Son.
And such we were all formerly, as your Oration describes, wicked sinners, and all void of the glory of God, before Christ washed us with his blood: but 1 Cor. 5.now after we are washed from our former filthiness, sanctified and justified in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ, and by the spirit of our God, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Rom. 8.Elect? Those whom God Iustifies, who shall condemn? Then you go on, and deny that it is possible, that God should be unlike himself, to favour wickedness, or make friendship with wicked men of an unclean life. And therefore you conclude we must needs be first righteous, before we are received into the favour of God. Right, but who are they, whom you call by the name of Iust? You must teach us that.
If you judge they are such, as are defiled with no pollution, or can Whence this righteousness of Osorius shall be found.say with Christ: Who amongst you will prove me guilty of Sin? Verily, I confess it seems not unlike to truth; what you prove concerning the conformity of the Righteous unto. God, and that we must needs be all of us such, if we would with acceptance have to do with that most pure Nature of the Divine Righteousness, without a Mediator and Redeemer.
But if you take those for Righteous, Who are called righteous in a Gospel sense.who are Righteous by Faith not by Life, that is, those whom daily forgiveness received by faith, brings as righteous in the Presence of God, in that sense this debate of yours about Righteousness does us no diskindness: For by this means it comes to pass, that whom Faith dayly absolves, you your self cannot hold them guilty of any crime: Therefore if they are not unrighteous, nothing hinders them from being admitted with bold access Osor. de just lib. pag. 39, & 40.into the presence of the Divine Majesty, through the benefit of their Redeemer.
But you deny that it is agreeable to the nature of God, to account any man worthy of his approbation, except him, whom his countenance beholds to be righteous: Therefore it is necessary Of what sort is the Osorian righteousness.that our righteousness should go before the favour of God. But whence that righteousness should come to us, herein is all the contention between us. You seem to acknowledge no righteousness but that which the perfection of life procures. We place all our righteousness in Christ, not in our selves, in the faith of him only, not in our own works. What? say you, can any man obtain favour from that highest goodness as long as he hates not wickedness, as long as be puts not away Iniquity from him, which hath a perpetual A false and lying accusation of Osorius.War with Divine Equity? Who is ignorant of, or denies that? For how can it be, that that everlasting Law should not hate sin and wickedness with the greatest abhorrency? Well, and what do these Mountains of Gilboa bring forth unto us? at length he concludes: That it is therefore necessary, that whosoever thinks to be received Dejust. lib. 2.into the friendship of God, must first hate wickedness. Verily there is no man that denies it. For though we should grant that a wise and wholesom Repentance. Repentance proves a man to be a sinner, but takes not away sin, it causeth not remission, nor satisfies justice.(or) sound sorrow, whereof you speak, makes the first part of our conversion, and that the true righteousness of faith, doth not follow, except some trouble of a penitent mind go before, it doth not therefore come to pass, that the very cause of justification should be attributed unto repentance; for if repentance be nothing else, but a grief of mind at the remembrance of sin, it proves indeed that sin went before, but takes not away that which was committed. It declares perhaps some change of mind in him that committed it, but takes not away the punishment, that is due to justice. Moreover repentance testifies that justice is lost, but repairs not the loss thereof: As pain coming of a wound inflicted makes not a medicine to it self, but receives it from some other thing. In like manner, repentance goes before the remission of sins, but doth not cause it, just as Seryphius did not cause the recovering of the City of Tarentum, who unless he had first lost it, Fabius had not recovered it. How many may you see in a common-wealth, who having violated the publick Laws, or been guilty of Treason against their Prince, being overwhelmed with grief and shame, with all their heart lament the wickedness of their crime, and they do not wickedly that they are ashamed and repent. But yet they do not escape the due punishment of the Law. Therefore the detestation of their sin proves them guilty, but doth not free them from condemnation. But if there is so great severity of Laws and Iudgments in humane offences, which no deploring of ill life can wash away, what then should be judged of these that are committed against the highest and infinite Majesty? Which Angels offending in one thing were not unpunished, having been thrust out of Heaven, and whom no sorrow could restore again, what should be said to us in this frail condition of sinful nature, in which dwelleth no good thing, who offend by a daily, either negligence of duties, or filthiness of deeds? Is it sufficient to turn away the vengeance of so great a God, to say, I have erred, unless there be some other thing besides the sense of grief to help guilty and wounded nature, which may defend this weak part of our repentance with a stronger safe-guard, and may be sufficient to appease The violation of Infinite majesty cannot be expiaced but by an infinite price.and reconcile offended justice with a proportionable price, and, (so to speak,) can contend with Divine Iustice by opposing a righteousness equal thereunto? For as the wound is infinite, that is inflicted on our nature, so it is just, that a remedy of the like nature should be applied, the strength and greatness whereof being infinite, may by proportionable greatness be suited to the Majesty The death of Christ … none but believers, and hence arises the diguity of Faith.offended; which verily consists not in repentance, or charity, or any offices of ours: but is contained in Christ only, who is the only begotten Son of God. And because our Faith only lays hold on him, and he cannot profit any but Believers, therefore it comes to pass, that faith only without works, that is, without any merits of works, compleats all our Righteousness before God.