Socinianism in the Fundamental Point of Justification Discovered, Chapter 1 · Christian response 1 – Socinian position 2
Christianisme.
IN this first part here are onelyonly three significations of the word Justification, and Iustifying, rehearsed. The first is Naturall, or Physicall; that is, making a man just with habituall inhaerent righteousnesse.
The second is a Iudiciary sense, properly so called, when a subordinate Iudge doth according to the strict termes, and rules of the Law, acquit, and absolve a man from punishment (which is due by the Law to him being a transgressor) and doth pronounce him just.
The third is a Iudiciary sense, lesse properly so called, when a supreme Iudge, by soveraignety of power, doth acquit and absolve a man, and remit the penalty of the Law, which he deserves, upon weighty consideration, knowne to himselfe, and doth deliver him, and discharge him, as if he were an innocent, and righteous man.
The first Physicall sense, he rejects, and playes upon Bellarmine, for reteining, and using the word Iustifie, in that sense: And yet he himselfe immediatly acknowledgeth, that GOD upon a mans Iustification, begins to Iustifie him Physically, by infusing into him habituall, and inhaerent righteousnesse: But this (he saith) is in Scripture called Sanctification.
The second sense he also disclaimes, and in this dispute embraceth the third sense, to wit, that Iustification signifies GODS forgiving a man freely all that he hath done against the Law; and his acquiting, and discharging of a man from the guilt, and punishment, due by the Law, for such offences; not for any consideration which can be pleaded for him, according to the Law, but for somwhat done for him in this case, to relieve him out of the course, order, and appointment of the Law: His reason why he embraceth this sense, is because he conceives Iustification to stand in forgivenesse of sinne, which belongs to the Law in no respect at all.
In all this part, and passage, I find not one particle of solid truth, but many grosse errors, and falshoods; for of all the three significations, of the word Iustifie, by him here named, onelyonly the first may passe in some tollerable construction, but not in his sense: for though GOD in the creation made our first Parents after his owne Image and similitude, in perfect righteousnesse, indued with a naturall, and habituall uprightnesse, conformable to his revealed will, and Law; and in this respect may be said to have Iustified, that is, made them upright, as the wise Preacher saith, Eccles. 7.29. GOD made man upright: Yet whether this act of creation was a Physicall act of GOD, or rather a voluntary act of his will & of his wisdome, and counsell, and so may be called Artificial, is something disputable. As for the framing and making of the man Christ, the blessed seed, by the power of the holy Ghost, pure, holy, upright, and iust from his first conception; this was a spirituall and supernaturall act, and the holinesse and righteousnesse was a supernaturall gift given from above, not introduced by naturall generation, nor raised from naturall principles. That making of men righteous in their sanctification, which Bellarmine speaks of, is not iustification in a naturall, but in a spirituall sense▪ For the spirit of GOD worketh those habits, and graces of holinesse in men, whom GOD hath begotten of his owne will in the word of truth. And therefore when Bellarmine or Goodwin, or any other call this a Physicall iustifying, they erre grossely. For if it be any iustification at all, it is spirituall and morall. But for my part, I finde not that by the Spirit of GOD in Scripture, any habituall holinesse of men begun in this life, is called righteousnesse simply in it selfe. But as the Saints regenerate, and faithfull are called righteous in respect of their communion with Christ, and participation of his righteousnes: So their sanctity or habituall holinesse, is called righteousnesse, not simply in it selfe, but by coniunction with the righteousnesse of Christ, the head of the body: which as it iustifies them by constituting and making them righteous: so also it iustifies their rectified holy actions, which they performe by the mo…ions of the spirit, and by Faith in Christ, (as learned Beza well observed, and truth affirmeth. Lib. contra Anonymum,) and their sanctification cannot be called iustification, but by reason of coniunction with iustification in the same person. For if it were possible for a sinfull man to be made perfectly holy, and conformable to GODS Law, in his owne person: yet having formerly transgressed the Law, and failed in many things; …his n…w conformity to the Law, by reason of those sinnes, and failings will prove a lame righteousnesse, not fit to satisfie the Law, and to be accepted for perfect righteousnesse to justification, because if a man keepe the whole Law, and faile in one point, he is guilty of all. Iam. 2, 10. No righteousnesse can justifie, which is not a perfect obedience, and conformity of the whole man, to the whol, law in his whole life, frō the beginning to the end. Secondly, that signification of the word Iustification, which hee calls a judiciary sense, properly so called, is, (as he describes it) a foolish fiction of his owne braine: for never did any but a mad-man dreame of Iustifying sinners by a subordinate Judge, absolving them from punishment, according to the strict termes, and rules of the Law; for that were to give a false sentence, and to pronounce a man free from all transgression of the Law, and a perfect fulfiller of it in his owne person. All our learned, and Iudicious Divines, doe hold that the full satisfaction and obedience of CHRIST being communicated, and imputed to true believers, they are absolved, and have their sinnes pardoned, and are counted, and iudged righteous by GOD: as men who have satisfied the Iustice, and iust Law of GOD, by CHRIST their head, and surety, not in their own persons, which the Law in strict termes requires, & this is justification in the Iudiciary sense, which is approved by the learned.
Thirdly, that Iudiciary sense, improperly so called, which he approves, & allows in this dispute, is an Hereticall, and Socinian conceipt; for so long as GOD the supreme Iudge of all the world, is immutable, and infinite in Iustice, he neither can, nor will dispense with his eternall iust Law, in any iot, or tittle, but will have it perfectly fulfilled either by our selves or some sufficient surety in our behalfe, and will forgive no sinner, without a full suffering, and satisfaction, made to the Law in the same kind which the law requires, though not in every mans person; and this full satisfaction must be communicated to every one, and made his owne by union, with CHRIST his head; before that GOD will iudge or account him righteous, and pardon al his sinnes. To imagin a somewhat, in consideration whereof GOD forgives sinners, and accepts them as if they were righteous; besides, the full satisfaction of GODS Justice, and just law, is to conceive GOD to bee mutable, and not the same in his infinite justice at all times; and to affirme it, is Samosatenian, and Socinian Blasphemy.
Fourthly, in arguing against the second sense by him propounded, he wrestles with his owne shadow, and fights against a fiction of his owne braine, and discovers his blindnesse, and ignorance of the dictinction, and difference betweene Legal, and Evangelicall justification, and righteousnesse: Legal righteousnesse is the condition of the first covenāt of works, and consists in perfect conformity, and obedience to the law, performed by every man in his owne person, and no man can be legally justified but by his owne personall righteousnesse. Evangelicall righteousnesse, is CHRISTS perfect righteousnesse, and fulfilling of the Law in the behalfe of all the elect and faithfull: It was not the Law, nor our works of the Law, which moved GOD to give CHRIST to be our surety and redeemer; but he of his owne free love and bounty gave Christ, and Christ the Sonne of GOD out of his love, humbled himselfe to become man, and to fulfill the law for us. Neither doe wee obtaine Communion of Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse, by the workes of the Law; but by the Gospell preached & believed as the Apostle teacheth, Gal. 3.2. And therefore though Christ his righteousnes be a perfect fulfilling of all obedience, which the law requires of man; & GOD did exact of him every farthing, of our debt, both in active, and passive obedience, and in respect of the matter and substance, his satisfaction may be called after a sort legall, and is so called by Luther: yet as it was for us, not for himselfe, and performed by him our head, not by every one of us in our owne persons, and is received and applied by Faith, not by our workes of the Law, and is brought unto us by the Gospell, not by the Law, and is given to us freely by GODS grace, not merited or procured by any thing in our selves; so it is not legall but Evangelicall, and GODS justifying of us, and counting us righteous by it, is not a proceeding upon legall grounds, nor pronouncing us legally just, as this calumniator doth, either foolishly imagine, or falsely slander and misreport our Doctrine.
Fiftly in arguing for his owne false, and forged sense of the word Justification, he hath three reasons all which are for us, and prove our Doctrine not his opinion. For if this make a sense of the word Justification, good, because it doth intimate the former guiltinesse of him that is justified, as wel as it doth discharge him from all punishment, (which is his first reason) then is our Doctrine of justification by imputation of Christs satisfaction for all our sinnes, very good and sound, for it intimates a guiltinesse in him who is to bee iustified, as well as a discharge from punishment. Secondly we doe not plead for our iustification, any consideration according to the Law, that is, wee doe not plead our owne innocency, nor satisfaction and righteousnes performed in our own persons; but we plead more then somewhat done for us, even all Christs obedience active and passive, by GODS free grace communicated to us, not obtained, or merited by our works of the law. Thirdly though the law iustifies no sinner, but threatens the curse, death▪ and condemnation as the due reward of the transgressors of it: Yet it iustifies all who are free from all sinnes committed against it, and are made righteous by the perfect fulfilling of it to the utmost. And therefore when the Gospell hath brought us to the Communion of Christs full satisfaction, by which we are made free from all sinne, and perfect fulfillers of the law in him our head; as GOD doth forgive us our sinnes, and counts us righteous: so the law is no more against us, 1 Tim. 1.9. but is witnesse for us, that in Christ we are worthy of remission and iustification. By this are manifest the grosse errours, and absurdities which he uttereth in this first part of his preparative Chapter.
But that his ignorance in the Doctrine of justification, may more fully appeare, I will lay downe the severall significations of the words, justification, and justifying, wherein the Spirit of God doth use them in the holy Scriptures.
First the word iustifie, and iustification signifie, making men righteous, or constituting or seting them in the state of righteousnesse. This signification is justified by several testimonies of Scripture, as Rom. 5.19. Where many are said to be made, or constituted righteous by the obedience of Christ, even as by Adams disobedience many were made sinners, and 1 Cor. 1.30. and 2 Cor. 5.21. Where Christ is said to bee made unto us righteousnesse, and wee are said to be made the righteousnesse of God in him. And Rom. 3.24. and 4, 5. Where we are said to be iustified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ. And God is said to justifie the ungodly, which cannot be meant of counting judging, and pronouncing, but of making them righteous by the Communion of Christs righteousnesse. For to iustifie the wicked by judging and pronouncing them righteous, without making them such, is ao…mination to the LORD, Prov. 17.15. And in this sense Preachers of GODS Word are, as instruments under GOD, said to iustifie many by bringing them unto righteousnesse, and are called foreign iustifiers, Dan. 12.3. This iustifying wee may very fitly call radicall, or fundamentall iustification. This Luther and other learned Divines call actionem individuam, because it is GODS action of communicating Christs righteousnesse in a moment, and not by degrees successively, and in it men are mere patients, and do not worke with GOD, no more then Adam did in GODS first creating of him upright, in his Image: Even regenerate Infants may thus be iustified, and are iustified before they actually beleeve.
Secondly the word iustifie, signifieth GODS iustifying of men by Faith, that is, his counting and reputing them righteous, upon their actuall beleeving, and his enableing them to feele themselves partakers of the righteousnesse of Christ, and to enioy it by Faith, in this sense the word is used, Rom. 4. Where GOD is said to iustifie us by imputing righteousnesse, and counting Faith for righteousnesse, that is, counting a true beleever a righteous person. And thus the word is to bee taken, where we are said to bee iustified by Faith, without the workes of the Law. The Apostle doth much urge, and presse this iustification, Rom▪ 4 and Gal. 3. because though in this taken actively, GOD onelyonly acteth: yet taken passively as it is received of us, and we by Faith feele and discerne in what account we are with GOD, and by beleeving enioy Christs satisfaction for remission of sinnes, and for righteousnes, wee may be said to worke with GOD, by way of receiving, as a begging hand doth in receiving gifts freely given, and put into it. This iustifying doth necessarily presuppose the former, and doth assure us of it. For the iust GOD, whose iudgement is according to truth, cannot r…pute us righteous, till we have communion of Christs righteousnesse, and be thereby truly righteous. And this Justification Divines call imputative. It springs from the former as from the root, and is builded on it as on the foundation.
Thirdly, this word iustifie, signifies a manifesting and declaring of men to be righteous and iustified, and that three wayes. First in foro conscientiae, in the court, or iudgement of our own conscience, when a man being troubled in his conscience with the sight of his sinnes, and his want of righteousnesse, after humble prayer, and poenitent seeking, receives either the inward testimony of the Spirit, and is enlightned by GOD, to see that he is in the state of righteousnesse absolved and iustified; or by inward sense of his sanctification, Faith, and other graces proper to the righteous iustified; is declared and made manifest to his owne conscience, that he is justified and righteous, and hath all his sinnes pardoned, and is accepted of GOD for a righteous man. This is that which wee are taught by Christ to pray for in that petition, forgive us our debts or trespasses, that is, pacify and cleare our consciences, by manifesting to us that we are justified, and have remission of all our sinnes by thy free grace, and by communion of Christs full satisfaction; and thus wee are to understand the word, wheresoever it is opposed to the accusations of Satan, and the horrours and troubles of conscience, as a remedie against them, as Rom▪ 8.33.
Secondly it signifies declaring, and proving men righteous in foro humano, in the judgement and sight of men openly, and that by outward fruites of Faith, and externall workes of righteousnes, and holinesse. When GOD enableing us, and moving us to doe such workes, and bring forth such fruites as are by his word continually pronounced, and proclaimed to be righteous, and holy works and evidences of justification, doth thus declare, and prove us to be faithfull and righteous, hee is said to justifie us before men. In this sense the word is used, Iob 13.18. where Iob saith that if hee may plead before GOD the integrity of his life, he knoweth hee shall be justified: as afterward he did cap. 31. and was thereby declared to be righteous, and so justified. And Iam. 2.21. where it is … that Abraham was justified by workes, that is, declared to be a righteous man.
Thirdly it signifies judging, and declaring men to bee persons justified, and righteous in the universall judgement at the last day, when the LORD Christ shall by the evidence of their workes of love and charity, done to him in his members, declare them to bee his faithfull servants, and children of his Father, justified by the communion of his righteousnes, and in him worthie of eternall life; and also adjudge them unto the inheritance of the kingdome of Glory. In this sense the word is used, Rom. 5.16.18. where it is called foreign Justification of life, and is opposed to the sentence of everlasting condemnation. These are all the significations of the word (iustifie) recorded in the Scriptures; And this great promiser here sheweth himselfe ignorant of them all: and therefore how little satisfaction he hath given to any, but such fooles as delight to fill themselves with huskes, let the learned iudge.
Socinianisme.
2 Part.THat Iesus Christ the naturall sonne of GOD, and supernaturall sonne of the Virgin Marie, ran a race of obedience with the Law, (as well Ceremoniall as Morall) and held out with every letter, iot and title of it, as farre as it any wayes concerned him, dureing the whole continuance of his life in the flesh; no mans thoughts ever rose up to deny; but those that denyed him the best of his being, (I meane his God-head) which of you can convince mee of sinne? was his chalenge to the nation of the Iewes, whilst he was yet on earth, Iohn 8.46. And remaines through all ages, as a challenge to the whole World. He that can cast the least aspersion of sinne upon Christ, shall shake the foundation of the peace and safety of the Church.
That this Christ offered himself as a Lamb, without spot in sacrifice upon the Crosse, to make an atonement for the World, and to purge the sinnes of it, I know no spirit at this day abroad in the world that denyes, but that which wrought in Socinus formerly, and still workes in those that are baptized into the same spirit of errour with him.
I conceive it to bee a truth of greater authority amongst us, then to meet with contradiction from any, that Iesus Christ is the sole entire meritorious cause of every mans iustification, that is iustified by GOD; or that that righteousnesse or absolution from sinne, and condemnation which is given to every man in his iustification, is duplicate page duplicate page somewhat, yea a principall part of that great purchase, which Christ hath made for the world: even as GOD for Christs sake freely forgave you. Forgivenesse of sinnes, or iustification is from GOD for Christs sake, hee is worthie to be gratified or honoured by GOD, with the iustification of those that beleeve in him.
It's a truth which hath every mans iudgement concurrent with it, that Faith is the condition appointed by GOD, and required on mans part, to bring him into communion and fellowship of that iustification, and redemption which Christ hath purchased for the children of men, and that without beleeving no man can have part, or fellowship in that great and blessed businesse.