Body of Divinity, Book 7 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Whether Faith alone doth justifie.
GOD justifies judicially, Christs bloud meritoriously, Faith instrumentally, Works declaratively, Rom. 3. 24, 28. Rom. 4. 5. Mar. 5. 36. Luke 8.Vide D. Carlet. Consens. Eccles. Cathel contra Trident. de fide Iustif. l. 1. c. 1, 2 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. See M. Pembl. of Justif. Sect. 2. c. 3. p. 42, 43, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55. Satis constat omnem religionem à vera religione alienam, juxta statuere Iustificationem hominis coram Deo fieri secundum opera. Hinc videre mihi videor mysterium doctrinae Arminianae in negotio justificationis. Nam licet fortè dixerint nos justificari fide, non autem ex operibus, tamen fidem istam non accipiunt relativè ut solent nostri sed formaliter ut qualitas est sive ut opus est. Nostra sententia est, cum dicimus fide justificari hominem, sola Dei gratia & propter obedientiam Christi justificari hominem. Per fidem enim intelligimus obedientiam Christi fide apprehensam. Sed quia dicimus justificationem istam nemini contingere nisi credat; Ideo dicimus hominem justificari fide sin… operibus: Hoc est justificari hominem justitia imputata, non inhaerente. A… …r…inia… nostri sicut Sociniam atque etiam Pontificit hactenus concordant justificari hominem fide, tanquam sanctuate homini inhaerente. Twiss. contra Corvin. cap. 9. Sect. 1. 50. Act. 13. 39.
The Papists, Socinians and Remonstrants all acknowledge Faith to justifie, but by it they mean Obedience to Gods Commandments, and so make it a Work, and not consider it as an instrument receiving Christ and his promise.
A Papist, a Socinian, a Protestant saith, We are justified by faith, but dispositive, saith the Papist, conditionaliter, saith the Socinian, applicativè, saith the Protestant.
Faith justifieth not as a quality *Fides salutaris pro qualitate sumpta non justificat nos, nempè propria dignitate sua & merito, sed tanquam instrumentum recipiens & applicans nobis imputatam Christ… justitiam. Rive…. Cathol. orthod. Down of Justif. l. 1. c. 2.or habit in us, as the Papists teach, Ipsa fides censetur esse justitia, for so it is a part of Sanctification, but as it is the instrument and hand to receive Christ who is our righteousnesse, much lesse as it is an act, as Socinus and his followers teach, as though foreign ipsum credere, did properly justifie, if we should be justified by it as it is an act, then we should be justified by our works, and we should be no longer justified actually then we do actually believe, and so there should be an intercision of Justification so oft as there is an intermission of the act of faith, but Justification is a continued act.
We are justified only by faith, for what else in Scripture mean those many negatives, not by works, Rom. 9. 11. Gal. 2. 16. Titus 3. 5. not of works, Rom. 11. 6. Ephes. 2. 9. not according to works, 2 Tim. 1. 19. without works, Rom. 4. 6. not through the Law, Rom. 4. 13. not by the works of the Law, Rom. 3. 20▪ without the Law, Rom. 3. 27. not but by faith, Gal. 2. 16.
How can a man be justified by his works when he himself must be just before the works can be, Gen. 4. 4. Good works make not a man good, but a good man makes a work good, and shall that work which a man made good return again and makePerkins on Heb. 11. the man good?
When we say, Faith alone doth justifie, we do not mean fidem solitariam, thatNihil est in Scriptura frequentius, quam nos justificari fide, gratis, sine lege, non ex operibus, non ex propria justitia. Rivetus ubi supra. Bishop Down of Justification, lib. 6. cap. 6. See more there. saith which is alone; neither do we in construction joyn sola with fides the subject, but with Justification the predicate, meaning that true faith though it be not alone, yet it doth justifie alone, even as the eye, though in respect of being it is not alone, yet in respect of seeing, unto which no other member doth concurre with it, it being the only instrument of that faculty, it is truly said to see alone, so faith though in respect of the being thereof it is not alone, yet in respect of justifying, unto which act no other grace doth concur with it, it being the only instrument of apprehending and receiving Christ, is truly said to justifie alone.
When we say by faith only, this opposeth all other graces of the same order,Scripsit librum de justificatione Gaspar Conta renus, Cardinalis vir doctus, & pius, postquam jam Lutherus, alliqu… suam sententian de hac re declarassent. Quo libro testatur Protestantes & Catholicos in hac re convenire. Rectè Contarenus, qui, quum ex industria Protestantium doctrinam examinasset, nihil in ea invenire se prositetur, quod à Catholicorum sententia dissentires At in sententia de justificatione non convenit Protestantibus cum Concilio Tridentino, non igitur erat illud Concilium conventus Catholicorum. D. Carl. Cons. Eccles. Cathol. cont. Trid. de sid. justif. c. 6. but not the merits of Christ, or the efficacy of Gods grace, the Apostle Rom. 4. makes it all one, to prove a man justified by Grace, Christ, and by faith. It is to be considered as alone in the act of Justification, but not in the subject justified, therefore that is a reproach cast on Protestants to call them Solifidians. What the judgement of the Catholicks before the Councel of Trent was in this matter of Justification, B. Carlton proves out of Contarenus.
We are said to be justified by faith, to live by it, to be saved by it, to have it imputed unto us for righteousness: all which is to be understood not principally, immediately, meritoriously in regard of any worth or dignity of it, or efficaciously in regard of any power or efficacy in it self, but mediately, subserviently, organically, as it is a means to apprehend Christ his satisfaction and his sufferings, by the price and merit whereof we are justified, saved, and stand as righteous in Gods sight, and as it hath a special respect and relation thereto. Mr. Gataker against Saltmarsh, Shadows without Substance, pag. 56.
In the Covenant of Works, Works are considered as in themselves performedId. ibid. by the parties to be justified and in reference unto ought done, or to be done for them by any other; whereas in the Covenant of grace, Faith is required and considered, not as a work barely done by us, but as an instrument or mean whereby Christ is apprehended and received, in whom is found, and by whom that is done, whereby Gods Justice is satisfied, and life eternal meritoriously procured for us, that which carrieth the power and efficacy of all home to Christ.
Object. Faith is a Work, therefore if we be justified by Faith, then by Workes.Occurrendum Pontificiis, qui hinc nos operibus justificari tradunt, quod fide quae opus est justificamur. Nam primum, est foreign adjunctae fidei, pro subjecto Christo: ut si manum camque mancam & ineptam ad operis aliquid faciendum dicamus, Nos ditasse, quod infiniti pretii Margaritam acceperit. Deinde fides est ita Dei opus ut nostrum non sit, utpote in quo Deo non cooperamur, sed merè Deum operantem patimur; cum in aliis bonis operibus Deus ita operetur, ut nostrae animae sacultates ab operatione non excludantur. Cart w. in Harmon. Evang. Faith justifies instrumentally, correlatively, not because of any worth in it, but because of the excellency of Christ, not dispositively by being the root of other graces, so the Papists affirm, but then it would still be in the way of a work.
Answ. With Faith we must joyn the object of it, viz. Christ, Fides justificat non absolutè, sed relativè sc. cum objecto, non efficiendo sed afficiendo & applicando. The Scripture saith, We are justified by faith, and through faith, but never for faith, or because of our faith, per fidem, ex fide, non propter fidem. We can only be justified by that righteousnesse which is universal and compleat, faith is a partial righteousnesse, Phil. 3. 9. and as imperfect as other graces.
Object. Gal. 2. 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Iesus Christ.
Answ. But is adversative, that is, by faith alone. 2. Only faith receives Christ and a promise.
Faith justifies by the meer ordination of God, that on the receiving of Christ, or resting on him we shall be justified. The proper act of faith which justifieth, is, the relying on Christ for pardon of sin.
To justifie doth not flow from any act of grace, because of the Dignity and Excellency of that act, But because of the peculiar nature, that it doth receive and apply, Therefore to receive Christ and to believe in him is all one, and faith is alwayes opposed to works.
Bellarmine objects, That to apply is a work or action; It is true, it is a Grammatical action, but a predicamental passion. But saith Bellarmine, Love layeth hold on Christ, and by love we are made one, but yet there is a difference, love makes us one with Christ extramittendo, faith intramittendo, and besides love joyneth us to Christ after we are made one by faith, so that it cannot justifie us.
Paul and Iames do not contradict one another; Paul sheweth what is that whichSee M. Down of Reconcil. of Paul and Iames. M. Manton on Jam. 2. 24. There is a justification: 1. Ad Regnum, which brings one into the state of Grace, of which Paul speaks. 2. In Regno, Abraham was justified by works, and he was called the friend of God, of that Iames speaks. justifieth, and Iames sheweth what kinde of faith justifieth, viz. a lively effectual faith. Iames sheweth that faith justifieth Quae viva, Paul sheweth that it doth not justifie Qua viva, which is a great difference though the Remonstrants scoffe at such a nicety, Who would give a Lemmon-paring for the difference?
Whether Sanctification precede Justification.Sanctification is of the same time with Justification, but Justification doth in order of nature go before it, for all the graces of Sanctification are bestowed on a man as in Christ, Ephes. 1. 3. so one.
Bishop Downame in his Appendix to the Covenant of Grace, doth oppose my worthy Tutor M. Pemble for holding this opinion, but perhaps a distinction may solve all.
As Sanctification is taken for the act of the holy Ghost working holinesse into us, so it goes before Faith and Justification, so the Apostle puts it before justifying, saying 1 Cor. 16. 21. But ye are sanctified, justified; but as it is taken for the exercise of holinesse in regard of amendment of heart and life, so it follows Justification in nature, but it is joyned with it in time. The Apostle Rom. 8. 30. placeth Vocation before Justification, which Vocation is the same thing with the first Sanctification or Regeneration. See Act. 26. 18.