Of Free Justification by Christ, Book 1 · Part 27
Christ begins his Benefits in this Life, and perfects them in the Life to come.
Now these great Benefits of the Son of God consist chiefly in this, that sin being totally abolished, death being destroyed, he restores us, being plucked out of the Kingdom of the Devil, unto the possession of eternal Life, in which God communicates himself wholly to us, and is wholly all in all. And this most glorious work of his, most full of the highest dignity, he begins in this miserable life, and will compleat it in the other life, when that shall come to pass, which is written Death is swallowed up in Victory: O Death where is thy Victory? O Death where Hosea 13. 1 Cor. 15.is thy Sting? Howbeit these things are not said upon this account, as if there were nothing in the interim, or but little in this life, which the help of the grace of Christ does for us. As of old the help of the Eternal God was never wanting to the Israelites in the waste Widerness, whom he was to bring into the habitations of promise; so verily neither are Christs benefits towards us little, and the riches of his bounty are not small, which the present Grace of Christ pours daily upon us with a full hand, when in this sinful Nature he often helps our infirmities, forgives our sins, instructs us with his word, refreshes us with hope, supports us by Faith, feeds and strengthens us by the Sacraments, and refreshes us by his own The Land of Promise the figure of our inheritance. What and how great benefits the grace of Christ confers upon us in the present life.Spirit, adorns us with his gifts, renews our hearts, and stirs them up to spiritual motions of better life and obedience, restrains vitious affections, by whose guidance there increase in us the beginnings of eternal life, the knowledge of God, invocation, fear, faith, true repentance, a new law, and the image of him, who Created us, &c.
And seeing Christ works these things in us with continual care, daily more and more, promoting and bringing unto maturity that which he hath begun in us; there is therefore no cause why the Graces of Christ here should seem needless to any Man.
But these beginnings of Divine Grace must be distinguished from The grace of Christ is never idle in his own.that perfect and compleat renovation of Nature, which shall be seen in the glorified after this life. For though it should not be doubted but great advantages are communicated to Believers by the Divine help of the Holy Spirit, both to shun those things that are grievously offensive, and also to exercise the Offices of Piety; of which Paul Rom. 8. They Rom. 8.who are led, saith he by the Spirit of The life of the Saints in this World is not so much life of the flesh as of saith; it is not so much discerned in justice as in justification.God, are the Sons of God. Yet there is not given to the regenerate in this life a compleat conformity to the Law of God, but it is reserved for the other life; for the life of the Saints in this World should not be called a life of the flesh but of Faith rather, not a life of perfect, but of begun love and mortification; as being not so much discerned in justice as in justification, not in perfect holiness, but in sanctification; not in perfect purity, but in purification, not in perfection, but in going forward.
But this good Friend ours thinks this should by no means be suffered: Who so fights against us, as if all the Nature of Salvation consisted not in Osorius by no means receives the word justification.Iustification (the name whereof he doth not account worthy of any mention) but in Iustice it self, not in the growth, but in the perfection of Vertues: And as if it were not allowable, otherways to aspire to those just rewards of Felicity, but by performing these Offices of Life, which are contained in the Law.
O miserable condition of Mortal Men, if those things are true, which you Evangelize to us. But by what Authority of the Gospel do you confirm those things, which you assert? You say, There is no reason that any Man should be joyned to God, unless Osor. de just. lib. 4. pag. 96.he be a Friend to him. I hear you. What then? But no Man can be his friend unless he be like him. That is harder: Let the induction proceed. But the Divine similitude consists wholly of the study and exercise of true Vertue. From all this therefore it is concluded. That there is no other way, that joyns us to God, but what consists in the performance of Vertue, and in worthy Offices.
And now what will become of those, who being Iust Men fall Proverbs 24. 1 Iames 3.seven times a Day, and yet rise up again? What also will become of all those, concerning whom Iames speaking, saith, in many things we offend all? Moreover, what will become of those, whom Christ bids Pray, Lord forgive us our debts.
Moreover whereas you say, that no Man is joyned to God, or received into favour, but he that is his Friend: If that be so, How then doth God agree to his own Law, which commands not only to love Friends, but to pray for Enemies? Iob. 3.I beseech you, when God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, what else was this World then, but an Enemy to God, which yet he had so great a favour to? Yea, Paul expresly testifies, that we were reconciled to God, not when we were Friends, but Enemies; and therefore he says the love of Christ is commended in this, that he dyed for Enemies. And again, if, whilst we were Rom. 5.Enemies, we were reconciled unto God, by the Death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his Life.
See. I beseech you, how great a difference is between Paul's Assertion and yours, Osorius. He affirms we were reconciled to God when we were Enemies, you admit no Man unto favour, but him that is a Friend to him, and conform to him in the whole fimilitude of his Life. And how then will that command of Christ consist, concerning loving Enemies, and that by the example of his Father's bounty, who bestows the benefit both of Sun and Rain, not only on Friends, but also on Enemies; if so be the Grace of Divine favour is accessible to none but Friends. and those that are like himself.
And that I may by the by touch something here of the Mysteries of Prophetical Scriptures, tell me what else is pointed at unto us by the reception of Iacob, and his Sons into the Land of AEgypt. Gen. chap. 47. Whom that very loving Gin. 47.King being brought unto him, to whom they had not been so much as known before, received for Inhabitants of Foreigners, and for dear Subjects of Men unknown; not only into the Common Wealth, but into Friendship, not at all for their own sakes, who brought nothing with them but hunger and poverty: But only for the sake of Ioseph, whom the King had a very dear love for. What else doth Ioseph represent to us, but the sublime Son of God, dearly beloved of him? What else should you understand in the Brethren, Father, and the whole Kindred, but us miserable Sinners, whom being dead in Sins, Christ hath quickned, and of Enemies reconciled us in Friendship to his Father, not for any merit of our Works or Conformity, but only by that favour, whereby he is powerful with the Father.
But now let us briefly bring the Osorian Argument into a regular Osor. de just. lib. 9. Nu. 96. lib. 8. nu. 20.form, that we may the better view each part thereof.
Argument.
Ma. Those only are joyned in friendship with God, who are like unto him.
Mi. They who are infected with the pollution of Sins, are not like God.
Concl. Therefore, none of those, to whom pollution of Sin cleaves, have any Union with God.
And thence on the contrary sense it is gathered, that it must be concluded by necessary consequence, that all spots of Sins being abolished; That man who desires Union with God, should agree with him by a certain eminent resemblance.
I Answer, First, to the major which is not always true. Though the similitude of manners hath oftimes no small strength to procure Friendship in the common There is nothing that so much allures unto Friendship as simili tude, whereby it comes to pass that good Men love good Men. Cicero, in Lelius. The like always cleaves to the like. Plat. of Love.use of Life, as Cicero says; yet all things that are any way unlike are not so opposed, that they cannot consist together without fighting one against another. As there are many differences in things, yet every difference doth not unty the bond of love. As again neither do all Men every where cleave to one another by a firm bond of Friendship, whosoever do some way agree in endowments and Ingeny. Verily in the Divine Love, this agreement of Conformity hath no place; That they should be received into favour, who came nearest to his Image. For so it would come to pass that all other Creatures being excluded, Almighty God would embrace only Angelical Vertues, with his Divine Favour.
Though neither here, if you look to Angels themselves, doth any proportion of similitude unite into one with the Divine Holyness, according to the Testimony of Roffensis: Who says that the Righteousness Roffens. cont. Luther. Articul. 38.of Men is another than that of Angels; and again, that their Righteousness is another than that of God. As therefore this Righteousness of Angels, if you compare it with the Righteousness of God, will seem imperfect, and beyond all comparison coming short of that highest Righteousness, and which yet perhaps is without Sin: So if you compare Human Perfection with Angelical, it will have some Imperfection; yet so, that all its works are not subject to Sin. Hitherto spake Roffensis. Augustin also comes to this Point, who comparing our Righteousness Aug. de tempore: Sermone 49.which now is with that which is to come, hath these words concerning its dissimilitude; when that Righteousness, saith he, according to which they live, shall be, and where no evil concupiscence shall be, let every Man measure himself what he is now and what he shall be then, and he will find in comparison of that Righteousness, that all his works now are loss and dung, &c.
And presently after: In the Resurrection we believe we shall fulfil Righteousness, that is, that we shall have full Righteousness. In comparison of that all the Life we live now is dung, &c. And now, Osorius, what Agreement of similitude will you find between this Life of dung, and that highest Author, and Prince of all Holiness.