The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, Treatise · Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAP. II. Justification by faith is not an immanent, and eternall act of God:
S. 1. I Most willingly grant that there was from everlasting in God, a will not to punish his Elect, but yet we must say that God did intend to save the… through Christ, and to justifie them by saith in the blood of Christ: for God doth work all things according to the councill of his will, by what meanes God doth save in time, by …he same meanes he in his decree did intend to save them but this eternall decree of God is not the justification mentioned in the Scriptures, and affirmed to be by faith; you may call that the decree of justification it is not justification it selfe: justification is the act of God in time, the juridicall act of God in the Court of mercy and so it is not an immanent or eternall act. And this I prove.
…. Justification is the act of God as Judge, a juridicall act, because it is oppos'd to condemnation: but God exerciseth his acts as Judge in time: Ergo it is not an eternall act.
2. Justification is a fruit of predestination. Rom. 8. 30. no effect of predestination is bestowd on the elect ab eterno. Ergo justification is not an eternall act.
3. Christ in time did merit for us remission of sins, therefore we had not that ab aeterno, because Christs death in time did merit that for us.
Except. Gods will not to punish us was to do it for Christs sake.
Reply. Yet that decree not to punish, is not justification, for God pardon… in and by Christ, and God declares this in his Court of mercy.
4. So justification, and election are confounded.
Except. They are distinct by their objects, election compreh…nds all the meanes of salvation, justification is a will not to punish.
Reply. That is not enough, for justification is a fruit of election following in time, and so not to be confonded with the decree.
5. Justification imports a change from unjust to just, which cannot be attributed to the simple, and unchangeable decrees of God,
Except. Take justification pro r… volita, for the thing willed (i. e.) the delivery of a sinner from the curse of the law, then there is a change; if you take it for the will of God not to punish, there is no change, God hath not altered his will, the change then ariseth from the law, and mans consideration in reference thereto, but being considered at the tribunall of grace, he is righteous, which is not a different state before God, but a different consideration of the same person.
Reply. 1. Take it as you ought, and then because mans state in time is changed by justification, mans justification is not an eternall act, because in time man is j…stified at the tribunall of grace, this absolution of man in the Court of the Gospell is a transient act of God, and so not eternall.
2. Though in justification righteousness be imputed, there is a reall chang… (i. e.) a morall, the person before in state of damnation is now justified.
3. Though election for a long time make no change inherent, yet justification makes a reall, yet morall change, and so it is a transient act.
6. Gods decree to create, to call, to glorifie, are not creation, calling, glorification. Ergo, his will to justifie is not justification.
Except. Creation, vocation, and glorification import an inherent change in the person, not so justification, that is complete in the mind of God.
Reply. Though justification being by imputation cause not an inherent change in the person justified, yet it causeth a morall change; the person that was in the state of damnation, is now absolved, and that is to be done in some Court, and by God as Judge, and so in time.
7. That which followeth vocation, is in time, but justification followeth vocation, Rom. 8. 30. vocation follows predestination, glorification follows justification: Ergo justification follows vocation.
8. No man can be justified unless he be in Christ, but no man is in Christ ab aeterno: Ergo no man is justified ab aeterno: The major is plaine, Rom. 8. 1. Colos. 1. 14. Ephes. 1. 7. Phil. 3. 9. the minor is plaine, 1. We were not ab aeterno. …. Faith unites to Christ. 3. Some are in Christ before others.
9. No man is justified before his sins be remitted: but we obtaine remission of sins in time, Colos: 1. 14. Iohn preached the baptisme of repentance for remission of sins. Ananias to Paul, arise and be baptized washing away thy sins. Ergo justification is not an eternall act of God.
10. Justification; and sanctification are inseperable companions, but we are sanctified in time, 1. Cor: 6. 10. 11. Eph: 2. 1. 2. 3. Ergo we are justified in time, and not ab aeterno.
S. 3. I proceed to their objections.
Ob. Justification is the act of Gods mind, or will, a will not to punish is justification, so the word foreign and foreign, and we are commanded to forgive from the heart, and so to imitate God.
Sol. 1. We grant that there is in God a will not to punish, nor doth this will arise in God de novo. God did decree to spare, and to pardon, and to accept of such, and to justifie them through faith in Christ: yet we say that this decree of God is not justification, but a decree to justifie, j…stification is Gods juridicall act, in the court of mercy, and God doth this as Judge, and for the merits of his Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of our sins, Colos: 1. 14. and remission of sins is this justification.
2. Though foreign signifies to think, and import …an act of the mind, Gods not impuring sin, and impuring righteousness is not a meere act of his mind, but the act of God in his court according to his purpose, it is Gods act as Judge according to the sentence of the Gospell which is Gods court, and this will appeare, 1. Because God is said to blot out, to hide, cover, not to lay them to ones charge. 2. Because here is Christ our advocate, who died in time, by whose blood we are justified. 3. Because there is our faith, by which we receive Christ to our justification.
3. We are to forgive from the heart, so doth God too; for the sentence of the Gospel is Gods sentence, according to his owne will, or mind, and … stands firme, and that for ever.
Ob. God by this immanent act doth secure men from wrath, and by it the elect stand discharged, and Gods love to them is everlasting, and who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? Rom. 8.
Sol. 1. God by his eternall decree did resolve to save the elect, but God doth justifie them in his court of mercy, this is his juridicall act, and so they are to bee secured; this they have to plead, and thus they may stand against all the assaults of Satan, because God in the Gospell doth acquit them.
2. Gods eternall love to the elect doth not infer an eternall justification; justification is an effect of that eternall love, and God in time, or after time, confers on the elect all the fruits of his everlasting love.
3. Though God doth justifie the elect in their severall generations, yet they are not justified quatenus elect, but in as much as they are believers, and accepted in his beloved, in whom they have remission of sins.
Ob. Justification is an immanent act of God, because it doth not worke any inherent change in man, but remaines complete in the mind of God.
Sol. Though it cause no inherent, or phisicall change, yet it causeth a morall change, so as a juridicall act may: it alters the state of the person, and that before God, he that was in state of damnation, and under the curse of the law, is now justified, and absolved: and justification is not meerely Gods decree, but the absolution of the believer in the court of mercy according to Gods decree.
Ob. We were elected in him before the foundation of the world, Ephes… 1. 4. Ergo we were justified ab aeterno.
Sol. We were elected in him, not that we were actually existing in him, but that we might b… ingraffed into Christ, and justified, and saved by him.
Ob. 2. Tim… 1. 9. Who saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Jesus Christ before the world began.
Sol. 1. We confesse that Gods decre… of election is eternall, and that it i… of rich grace.
2. Yet the fruits of election are conferred in time, as the sending of Christ; our vocation, and sanctification, and also our justification.
CHAP. III. Faith in the point of justification is not to be taken objectively but subjectively it doth not denote to us Christ in whom we believe, but our faith, by which we believe in Christ.
1. THis is so plaine, that it needs no explication, yet that none may un justly blame us, we constantly affirme, that we are justified through the redemption that is in Christ, and we have remission of sins in his blood, and he is the Lord our righteousness; but we are called to believe in Christ, Joh. 3. 16. and none else shall be saved, Marke 16. 16. and we are justified by faith in his blood, and this I prove.
Arg. 1. The word calls us to believe, Ioh: 14. 1. 2. Ioh: 3. 16. Mat: 11. 28 &c but our believing is not the object of our faith.
2. The Sacraments serve to excite, and to confirme our faith, and to shew our spirituall union with Christ by faith; so that we by faith dwell in him, and hee in us.
3. In the point of Justification, Christ the object of our Faith is plainly named, and our Believing is mentioned as our act, as something in us, and not without us: Christs righteousness is received by our faith, and it is by faith in his blood, and we have believed in Christ to be justified, Gal. 2. 16.
4. The sentence of the Gospel, which is Gods sentence, pronounceth: that the believer is saved, justified, absolved; that the unbeliever is under wrath, and he that believeth not shal be damned.
5. The Apostle shews, that Abraham believed, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, Rom 4. and we are justified so as he was.
6 You say, that faith doth evidence this in the court of the conscience after we believe, you grant then that faith in the point of Justification must bee taken subjectively, for our believing, and not objectively for Christ in whom we believe.
S. 3. Yet Mr. Eyres objects.
Ob. Faith is our work, and to say that we are justified by faith subjectively, is to say that we are justified by our worke, which is contrary to the doctrine of the Apostle, who denies justification by works.
Sol. 1. We willingly acknowledg what Zanchy saith on Rom: Faith doth not justifie as a vertue, or worke of us, not by it's owne merit, dignitie, or worth, no; faith comes to Christ for all merit, yet we that are justified by Christs merits receive Christ by faith, and beeing in him are justified.
2. To be justified by faith in Christ, and to be justified by works are by the Apostle opposed, so that to be justified by faith in Christ, is not to be justified by works, Rom. 3. 28. Eph. 2. 8. Gal. 2. 16.
3. You cannot in the same sentence take faith objectively, and subjectively too; you cannot therefore in the point of justification take it objectively, but subjectively, Christ the object of a saving faith is set forth to us in other fit, and convenient words, faith i… Christs blood doth justifie.