Socinianism in the Fundamental Point of Justification Discovered, Chapter 1 · Christian response 7
Christianisme.
THe second thing in this last part or passage is a profession of his meaning in denying Christs righteousnes to be imputed in justification.
First because he would have an adversarie for him to triumph over, and least his admired sophistry should be idle, for want of an opposite against which it might magnifie it selfe in the eyes of senselesse sectaries; hee suffers Christs righteousnes to have a being, and doth not deny it in it self, but doth approve and establish it, and so by good hap hee escapes one base absurdity in his disputing, to wit, denying of the subject of the question.
Secondly, because he would have his competitor, or corrivall to be of some great note, the more to glorifie his victory over him, hee doth not deny an absolute necessity of Christs righteousnes, both to the justification and salvation of sinners; we thanke him, that for saving of himselfe from the hatred and skorne of the world, he would grant so much of truth openly testified in Scripture. Thirdly he doth not deny a meritorious efficiency, or causality of Christs righteousnesse in respect of the justification of a sinner. In this hee comes somewhat neere to us, but I doubt it is not in sincerity and truth, but rather in show, to make the ignorant to conceive better, or at least, not to judge so hardly of his opinion, for marke his slubbering, and dawbing, with untempered morter, I verily believe (saith hee) that GOD justifieth them that are justified, not simply, or barely, for Christs sake, or for his righteousnesse sake, but for the righteousnesse of Christ, his death being taken into consideration with it: here you see a plaine contradiction, for Christs righteousnesse, his death, being taken into consideration with it, is no more but his perfect righteousnesse, because his active obedience, without his passive obediēce to death, is no perfect fulfilling of the Law; so that here is a contradiction, even an affirmation, and negation of one, and the same thing, in one continued sentence. The parenthesis also, which hee inserts to trouble the reader, is false, and frivolous, to wit, (for a man may doe a thing for his sake, whom hee much loves, and respects, though hee hath not otherwise deserved it at his hands.) First let mee aske him what is his drift in these words? It seemes to mee, either to be wholly superfluous, or to intimate that Christs righteousnes did not deserve our justification at GODS hands, but that GOD out of love and respect to Christs person, without the merit of his righteousnesse, doth accept us, and count us righteous. Secondly, let mee tell him, that when a man doth any thing for another out of love, without desert, hee doth it for his owne loves sake, and for the magnifying of his kindnes, and free bounty▪ and thus GOD did in giving his Sonne for us, undeserving sinners: But when justice doth stand up in strength and pleades for right, as in the justification of sinners, then a full satisfaction must come between, & love can no otherwise be rightly, and lawfully shewed, but by making a satisfaction, or by apposing one who is sufficient to make satisfaction, that no evill but good may be done to the party loved, and respected: and thus the case stands in justification of sinners. Thirdly, though a man out of his corrupt, and carnall love, may doe a thing for his favorite, without desert, or just consideration, yea contrary to justice, yet it is not so with GOD, who is no respecter of persons, in matter of justice, and justification: Hee doth never out of his free love decree to doe any thing, but withall, hee decrees, and ordeines a just consideration, why hee should doe it; so that this is a frivolous parenthesis, both false and from the matter.
In the fourth place hee sheweth what hee denies in denying the imputation of Christs righteousnesse, viz. That GOD lookes upon a believing sinner, and accounts him as one that hath done in his owne person, all that Christ did in obedience to the morall Law, and hereupon pronounceth him righteous, so that he doth stand as righteous before GOD, as Christ himselfe, because righteous with the same righteousnesse; and so GOD makes himselfe countable to him for such obedience imputed in as great matters of reward, as hee would have beene for the like obedience, particularly performed by himselfe. In this expression of himselfe, here is much calumny, error, and untruth. First he doth calumniate, and slander the true Doctrine of Christ professed by us concerning the imputation of Christs righteousnesse; for no man in his right wits did ever hold that imputation of Christs righteousnesse to believers, is GODS accounting them to have performed in their owne persons, every act of obedience, which Christ performed to the Law▪ This is a manifest contradiction, fitter for a giddy fancy to imagine, then for any true Christian to professe. The truth which wee professe is this, that true believers being by that one spirit which workes faith in them, united to Christ, and made partakers of his righteousnesse, and believing, and applying by faith to themselves, his satisfaction particularly are accounted truly righteous before GOD by communion, and imputation, not by legall performance in their owne persons: And though the righteousnesse by which they are justified, is the very same which is in Christ, and which hee performed, yet it doth not follow, that they thereby are as fully righteous as Christ himselfe, for he is originally righteous, by his owne personall righteousnes, as the justifier; they are righteous by communion, and imputation, as justified: And as the hands and feet, and other inferior members, live by the same life, and are sensitive by the same sense which is originally in the heart, and head of the same body; yet they are not so lively, and sensitive, as the heart and head, but in a competent measure, and proportion, fit for every one of them. So it is in the mysticall body of Christ, betweene him the head, and them his believing, and justified members, as I have before touched. So that here we have an intollerable calumny, and slander, laid upon GODS sacred truth, and the true professors of the same. Secondly, he utters a notorious untruth when he saith, that to bee righteous by the same righteousnes which Christ performed, is nothing else, but to be performers of every act of his obedience in our persons. Thirdly, it is a wicked error to thinke (as hee doth) that obedience and righteousnes, ether performed by ourselves or communicated to us, should make GOD countable to us▪ that is, bound to give us the greatest rewards. For the righteousnes of justification and the holynes, and obedience of sanctification, are onelyonly free gifts which GOD gives to make us capable of eternall life, and fit to stand in his presence, and to see and enjoy his glory; not bands to tye himselfe, and to make him countable to us; for if we be righteous what give we to him, or what receiveth he at our hands? Iob 35.7. eternall life, though by Christ purchased for us; yet is the free gift of GOD in Christ. Rom. 6.23. Here therefore this sublimate Doctor doth bewray his owne ignorance in the maine mysteries of salvation, and is as David saith, Psal. 14. become filthy, stinking, and abominable in his thoughts, and imaginations, concerning GOD himselfe, while hee doateth after Socinian subtilties, and sets himselfe to be singular, by preaching his fond errors, and heresies. Lastly, after all this, in conclusion, hee takes upon him to elude, and evacuate those most plaine testimonies of holy Scripture, wherein Christ is sayd to cloath, and cover us with the garments of salvation, and the robe of his righteousnesse Isa 61.10. that our sinnes and staines, being thereby covered, Psal. 32.1. sinne might no more be imputed to us; but we in the robes of his righteousnesse may stand cloathed as with long white linnen robes, Revel. 19.8. And like Iacob in the garments of the first borne, yeelding a sweet smelling savour, may be accepted of GOD our heavenly father. First hee saith, that GOD in the justification of sinners, cloathes none with the letter of Christs righteousnesse, but every man that believes with the Spirit of it: that is, not with the righteousnesse it self, but with the fruite and benefit of it: that is, with faith counted for righteousnesse, where note, that (in his conceipt,) the righteousnesse of a justified man, is a thing inhaerent in himselfe, and a worke performed in his owne person, not communicated to him from another, ab extra, as garments are, and so no cloathing: here is one grosse absurdity, like as if one should say, a mans cloathes are not on him, but in him. That speech of Paul, these hands have ministred to my necessitie, Act 20.34. are nothing to the purpose, for he doth not say his hands were his necessary meat, and cloathes, but by working did get him necessaries; and so Christ by his obedience procured righteousnesse for us, which he doth communicate to us, and cloathes us with, and by GOD it is imputed to us: and this Calvin calles righteousnesse gotten by Christs death and resurrection: and all this is for us, and against himselfe.
The other instances which hee brings from Scripture to prove that Christs righteousnesse is by a metonymie of the cause for the effect, used to signifie the fruite and effect of it in us, prove no such thing at all. The first of them Iohn 17.3. (this is eternall life, to know thee the onelyonly true GOD, &c. It is mistaken, for to know GOD, and Christ (that is, to have experimentall knowledge of GOD, and Christ, and to enjoy GOD in Christ, as the word (know) by an Hebraisme signifies) is not there mentioned, as the efficient cause of eternall life, but as the thing wherein it doth formally consist: So also that speech, Iob 33, 26. (as Master Perkins truely expounds it) doth not speake of the fruite of a mans righteousnesse, which GOD renders to him; but of the righteousnesse of Christ, which GOD renders to a man a fresh, and after temptation, doubting, and distresse, makes him feele and enioy it in himselfe, when by repentance, and humble and faithfull prayer hee seekes it.
And although the nation of the Israelites are often (as hee alledgeth) called by the name of Jacob in Scripture, because he was their Father, and they his naturall progeny: yet this proves onelyonly, that the Scripture useth tropes of speech many times, which we acknowledge willingly, and in the next Chapter will prove fully. Where hee forgetting, and contradicting himselfe, utterly disclaimes tropes and figures, and exclaimes against all the learned, who hold that Saint Paul useth a trope in saying that faith is imputed for righteousnesse: Well, for the present wee will grant him, that our cleannesse from the guilt of sinne, and the state of righteous, and justified persons, wherein we stand before GOD, being the issue and fruite of Christs satisfaction communicated to us, may very well be called by a trope the righteousnesse of Christ; but this doth not overthrow, but rather strongly prove the communion, and imputation of Christs righteousnes to us. Thus we see how hee labours in the fire, and in vaine beats his braines, and out of the confusion, and distemper of them, doth say, and gainsay, affirme and deny the same things oftentimes; being like a clowd without water, carried about with winds, sometimes one way, and againe the contrary way, and never settling upon solid truth, nor building upon a sure foundation. Now what he promiseth in the conclusion of this Chapter▪ you shall see how hee performeth by my answer, to his second Chapter, wherein as he begins here, so he goeth on entangling and beating himselfe, forging and falsifying, and in every passage discovering his ignorance and folly, mingled with much impudency & hereticall perversenesse and pravity, which that it may better appeare, and that we may see his Socinian heresie to the bottome clearely, I will lay downe the chiefe heads of the Doctrine of Justification, as it is taught in the Scriptures, and maintained by all Orthodox Divines, both ancient and moderne.
Justification taken in a full sense is that act of GOD, by which he justifies his elect, and faithfull in his son Iesus Christ by the communion of his spirit; that is, doth make them righteous by Christs perfect righteousnes, and full satisfaction spiritually made theirs, and doth count them righteous by imputing the same unto them, and doth declare them to be righteous inwardly to their owne consciences by the inward testimony of his spirit, and the inward sense and experience of inward grace; and outwardly in this life before men, and publiquely in the last judgements by their good workes, which are evidences of their faith, and of their union and communion with Iesus Christ, and of their regeneration by his spirit, and adoption unto GOD in him.
First GOD the father is the primary efficient cause of our justification. Rom. 3.26.30. and 4.5. and 8.33. Secondly the inward moving cause is GODS owne free grace favour and love Rom. 3.24. Tit. 3.7. The outward moving or impulsive cause is Christs mediation Isa 53.11. Iohn 1….21. 1 John 2.2.
The instrumentall cause is Christ the mediatour communicating his whole obedience to us, when by the spirit which GOD sheds on us through him, wee are made one body with him, 1 Cor. 12.13. Tit. 3.6. The meanes by which wee come to bee justified are, either principall; viz. the lively operation of the spirit, spirituall union with Christ, the pure and holy humanity of Christ, or lesse principall▪ the word and ministery thereof, the Sacraments, faith and the like, as appeares, Rom. 3.25.28. and 10.14. Gal. 3.8. Heb. 9.14. 1 Iohn 1.…. Dan. 12.3.
The materiall cause, that is, the righteousnesse it selfe by which they are justified, that is, made, counted, and declared to be righteous, is Christs perfect righteousnes obedience and satisfaction, which he, GOD and man performed in our nature, in the state of humiliation, Rom. 3.24.25. Rom. 5.19. and 8.4. The formall cause of justification is that communion between Christ and us, and that reciprocall imputation of our sinnes to Christ, and of his righteousnes, and full satisfaction to us, which communion ariseth, and floweth from the spirit which GOD sheds on us through Christ, which spirit dwelling in us (in some measure, so as he dwelleth in the man Christ, from whom hee is derived to us) doth make us one spirituall body with Christ, and works in us faith and all holy graces, & affections by which we adhere and cleave to Christ, and apply and inioy his righteousnes, so that it is our formall righteousnes not inherently, but imputatively, and by spirituall communion, for it is that which doth constitute, and make us righteous, Rom. 5.17, 18, 19. and 8.4. and …0.4. and 2 Cor. 5.21.
The immediate fruit and benefit of our iustification, is the state of righteousnes and of cleanenesse from the guilt of sinne, and acceptation with GOD, Rom. 3.25. and 4.2. also peace with GOD, Rom. 5.1.
The end and use of our iustification is the satisfaction and declaration of GODS iustice, in that he iustifieth us by the full satisfaction of Christ, and not otherwise, neither by it till he communicates it to us and makes it ours; Also the manifestation of his mercy, free grace and bounty, in that he would give his sonne to become man, and to make satisfaction to the full, when no other could bee found able to satisfie for us, neither could his iustice by any other meanes be satisfied, also in that hee would give us his spirit to unite us to his sonne, and to bring us to a true communion of his righteousnes, and to worke faith in us by which we receive and enioy Christ with all his benefits, Rom. 3.24.26. Tit. 3.4. Ephes. 1.6.12.