The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Faith, and repentance are conditions required in the Gospel, yet they are not our Evangelicall righteousness, nor are we justified by our works.
S. 1. I Come now to deale with Mr. Baxter. When I saw his Aphorisms, the doctrine that he delivered in them seemed to me to be new, and unsound. I could not well brooke that he made Christ but causasine qua non, when the Scripture declares him to be not only the meritorious cause of our justification, but the author of our salvation, and that God doth blesse us with all spirituall blessings in Christ Jesus. Nor do I like that he calls Christs righteousness, our legall righteousness, sith that is the righteousness whereby we are justified before God in the court of the Gospel, but on this I shall not now insist. With him our faith, and repentance, yea and our obedience flowing from faith is our Evangelicall righteousness, which is a position strange; and unsound; faith and repentance are conditions required in the Gospel, that we may be justified, faith as an instrumentall cause uniting us to Christ, repentance as that without which pardon will not passe, sith God will so manifest his mercy, as not to dishonour his holiness: but they are not our righteousness, nor is any title in the word that doth in the least measure attribute our justification to our owne righteousness. I will therefore with convenient brevitie assert, and vindicate these two positions.
1. Position. Faith and repentance are not our evangelicall righteousness: we are not justified by workes.
2. Position. Faith, and repentance are not our evangelicall righteousness.
S. 2 Mr. Baxter against Mr. Eyre, pag. 26. layes downe some positions to explaine his meaning, wherein he makes faith a cause fine qua non, or the condition fine qua non: yet a subordinate righteousness to Christ, being the performance of the conditions required, but he in his Aphorismes saith, that Christs righteousness is the causa sine qua non, and so faith is ranked yet high enough, and too high. In a word faith unites to Christ, by whose righteousness we are justified, and yet is a condition required in the court of the Gospel, which is a cou…t of grace, pronouncing pardon to believers, and it is not our evangelicall righteousness.
Arg. 1. The righteousness whereby we are justified before God, is allwaies declared to be the righteousness of Christ, So. Rom. 2. 24. 2. Cor. 5. 21 &c.
2. Because there is no one title in the word concerning our owne righteousness, to be justified by it before God, that consists in remission of sins, and in the imputation of the righteousness of another, Rom 4.
3. When holy men are called, and reputed righteous for their owne righteousness, it is that they are not thereby justified before God, but because they attaine to a good measure of vertue, which yet cannot stand before Gods tribunall, so Psal 1…. and 142. so Zachary and Elizabeth, Luke 1. were righteous, walking in Gods commandements. God accepted of that in Christ, not as …t whereby they …re to be justified, but as that whereby he was … So. … 5. 1…. 16. Joh. …5, herein is my father glorified.
4. Though be covenant of works (had men been obedient) had justified man by his owne righteousness, yet the covenant of grace offers man the righteousness o… another to be justified by, it doth not call for mans owne righteousness, the Gospel is the court of mercy pardoning sin, not requiring of us righteousness of our owne: and in this the law and Gospel differ.
5. It is no… agreeable neither with truth, nor with humilitie required of us to call our faith and repentance, our righteousness, to be justified by it. No, we must abhorre our selves, and account all losse and dung to win Christ, to be in Christ, and to seeke of God in Christ the righteousness of faith, Phil. 3. 9. and as A…st…stine, my merit is Gods mercy, and as Bernard, thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, it shall cover both thee and mee.
Mr. Eyre, chap 6. p 52. disputes against M. Baxters notion of our Evangelicall righteousness.
1. Arg. We are not justified by our works. Tit. 3. 5. &c.
Except. We are not justified by works of the Law, but by works of the Gospel.
Mr. Eyre goes on, and disputes thus. 1. The word admits no such distinction, but excludes all our workes. 2. Because the reward is not of debt. 3. Abraham was not so justified, Rous. 4. 4. Workes of the Gospel are the same for substance that are commanded in the law. 5. Because the Apostle disputes against justification by works, which we presume we can performe.
Mr Baxter excepts. It admits that distinction, else Paul and James will hardly be reconciled: yea Paul distinguisheth in excluding the works of the law.
Exam. 1. We can reconcile Paul, and Iames, without your new divinitie: the Lutherans reject Iames out of the Canon, the Papists distinguish betweene the first, and second justification, Iames speaketh of the second justification, our learned Protestants have reconciled them thus: Faith justifies instrumentally, works declaratively, and that is sounder then your new invention: but of that more in what followeth.
2. Paul excludes all works, and attributes all to Christ.
Mr. Baxter. Except. Paul excludes not all debt, but that which may claime is as meritorious, not as a mee…e condition.
Exam. 1. That faith and repentance are conditions required to our justification, I have proved: did you say no more, the matter were ended: but where are faith and repentance called our righteousness, or works required to justification?
2. If you b…ing in our righteousness, that will too much claime it as debt.
3. If you consider it, what God gives in mercy, is not debt, but grace, God will performe his promise because he is true, not that he ow…s it.
Mr. Baxters. Excep. Works are to be taken as Paul doth, or as James, in necessary subordination to Christ: Abraham was not justified by works, as they make the reward of debt, but as workes are subordinate In Christ.
Exam. 1. Paul excludes all works. 2. Works that follow faith come after justification. 3. Ou… works, if brought to justifie us before God, are not subordinate to Christ, but oppose him. 4. Abraham was justified before God by faith: but before men by works; he was justified before Isaac was born.
Mr. Baxter. 4. The Gospel is a subordinate law informed with a new promis….
Exam. 1. What then, yet where is a promise that …oth promise us pardon on our obedience?
2. Yet Mr. Eyres Argument stands firm, because works required in the Gospel are the same that are required in the Law: but works of the Law cannot justifie us before God: Ergo not works of the Gospel.
Mr. B. 5. Except. The Jewes thought not to be justified by perfect unsining obedience, but they thought that their obedience and sacrifices might procure their justification.
Exam. 1. The Apostle shewes, that no righteousness will justifie if it be not perfect. Rom. 3. 20. Gal. 3. 10. 2. Yet if the Apostle had aim'd at this fancy of the Jewes, yet Mr. Eyres argument stands in force, Paul disputes against justificacion by works, which men presume they can perform: Ergo he disputes against your justification by works, because you presume that you can perform such works as may justifie.
Mr. Eyre Arg. 2. We are justified before God by a perfect righteousnesse, therefore not by our obedience to Gospel precepts.
Mr. B. excepts. The meritorious cause of our righteousnesse must be perfect, but our righteousnesse is a meer condition, and subordinate to the other.
Exam. 1. The Word mentions no righteousnesse of our own to justifie us, and so this distinction is vain. 2. Though faith and repentance be conditions in justification, yet good works are not required to justification in any sens… whatsoever, but wholly excluded. Works of the Law, Rom. 3. 28. and works of the Gospel, be…se they come too late.
Mr. Eyre 3. Arg. Our righteousnesse by which we are justified, is the righteousnesse of God, but our obedience to Evangelicall precepts is not the righteousnesse of God: Ergo.
Mr. B. excepts. The righteousnesse mentioned Mat. 25. was personall, and Iames 2. and 1. Iohn 3. He that doth righteousnesse is righteous.
Exam. 1. But that righteousnesse cannot stand before Gods tribunall, to justifie any one, that is Gods righteousnesse that will stand before his tribunall, but our righteousnesse cannot stand before his tribunall, because it is imperfect.
2 Mat. 25. is not described the manner how God doth justifie a a sinner, in and through Christ, but how he doth crown the faithfull after their labor ended. Nor doth Iohn shew how a man is just, so as to be justified before God, but how a man approves himself to be obedient after that he is justified, and so Iames speaks not of justification before God.
Mr. Eyre. 4. Arg We are not justified by two righteousnesses existing in two distinct subjects, therefore not by our obedience to Gospel precepts: and we are just…fied by Christs righteousness alone, and we cannot rely on our owne righteousness.
Mr. Baxter. 1. Not by two righteousnesses coordinate, our righteousness is subordinat… t… Christ. 2. Christs righteousness is imputed to us. 3. Our righteousness is required as a condition, not as an addition to Christs perfect righteousness. 4. We are not to r…ly on our owne righteousness, our righteousness is to rely on Christ.
Exam. 1. Gods word mentions but one righteousness to be justified by, there is no righteousness of our owne to justifie us either coordinate or subordinate.
2. The Papists presume not to make their works coordinate with Christ.
3. Faith and repentance are required as conditions on our part, yet not as our righteousness.
4. Works are not conditions to justification.
Mr. Eyre. It overthroweth the difference betweene the law, and the Gospel.
Mr. Baxter If you speake of a subordinate righteousness, I denie it.
Exam. Call faith and repentance conditions, and not our evangelicall righteousness, I joyne with you; but if you call them our evangelicall righteousness, and a…d to them our Gospel obedience, you will not evade; for in this they differ, in that the law requires a righteousness of our owne by our works, to justifie, the Gospel affords us the righteousness of Christ, and excludeth our righteousness in justification.
S. 3. I will now tu…ne to my notes collected out of M…. Baxters Aph… …ismes, for I have not the book now by me; and against that opinion I argue.
1. The Scriptures attribute our justification to faith, to exclude our righteousness.
2 All our works are excluded, Rom. 3. 28. Rom. 4. …. 3. 4.
3. Because our good works follow justification, …ccording to the Scripture and the rule of Augustine, and so come too late to justifie us.
4. We are justified wholly by Christs righteousness.
Yet some seeke to assert the contrary.
Ob. Love is part of faith, and faith is to take Christ for Lord, and to submit to him as King.
Sol. 1. 1 Cor. 13. 13. Faith, hope, and love, these three; these three Theologicall graces.
2. The Schoolmen were deceived in calling love the forme of faith.
3. The proper act of faith as it justifies is to rest on Christs blood, Rom. 3. 25.
4. Faith is to rest on Christ as King, and to stirre up …ove, and humilitie to submit to him, and to set feare on worke to reverence him.
Ob. Abel, &c. are called righteous, because evangelically righteous in justification.
Sol. Our good works cannot justifie us before God, but good men that profited to some good measure of vertue are called righteous, not that they were so justified before God.
Ob. James 2. 24. A man is justified by works.
Sol. Iames apposeth n… Paul. Paul excludeth all works in justification, yet he teacheth that a justifying faith worketh by love, Gal. 5. 6. Iames affirmeth that it is …ot enough o… a man to say that he believes, or … have a dead faith, such a faith will not justifie: thus far both agree.
2. Paul treats accurately concerning the causes of justification, Rom 3 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. …. Iames treats not concerning the causes … justification, but to shew that a justifying faith is a living working faith, and to prov… this, he shews that a dead faith may be devi…ls, but that Abraham, an… R…ab had a lively working faith, and it had been consonant to the scope of Iames …o say, that … justifying faith is a living working faith: yet to speak more pressingly, he puts works with faith for a working faith, by a Metonimie, and this answer hath b…en given by our learned Protestants: and that this is the true way to reconcile Paul and Iames I prove. 1. From the scope of Iames, chap. 2. vers. 14. &c. it is his scope to prove that a dead saith will not save. 2. From the constant doctrine of the Scripture, excluding ou… works in justification, 3. Because Abraham was justified long before Isaac was borne. 4. Because Paul, Rom. 4. proves his doctrine concerning justification by faith without works from the example of Abraham.
Ob. R…mission of sins is attributted to love, repentance, &c.
1. Love is never said to be the cause of remission of sins, Luke. 7. it is a testimonie of remission of sins pr…ceding, not a cause of pardon.
2. Remission of sins is promised to the penitent, yet repentance is required as a condition, not as a cause…
S. 4. I come now to examine their evasions. We argue.
Arg. Paul excludeth works in justification.
Except. Paul excludeth works of the law done before faith, without grace, not works of faith proceeding from grace.
Exam. 1. So Bellar. Abraham was not justified by works preceding faith, but following faith: see how well you agree. 2. If faith that precede works do justifie, works that follow faith do not justifie, but Abrahams faith preceding works did justifie, Rom. 4. 3. Abraham believed. 2. The Apostle doth exclude all Abrahams works from justification, and affirmes that not his works did justifie him, but his faith. 3. Works following faith come too late to justifie.
2. Except. Faith doth begin justification, works do perfect it.
Exam. 1. So the Trert Councill too seeks to shift, but in vaine: see how you agree with them. 2. But this evasion will not serve: for faith doth begin, and finish our justification, Rom. 3. 25. 28. Rom. 4. 3. 4. &c. Rom. 5. 1. being justified by faith we have peace with God. 2 Christs blood alone doth wash away our sin, we partake in that by faith alone, Rom. 3. 25. &c. 3. We must still appeale to Gods mercy-seat, faith goes so to God in Christ.
Except. I do not so require good works as the Papists do, they require it, as merit, or satisfaction, I as a condition required in the Gospel.
Exam. 1. You have the same evasions to elude the places of Scripture. 2. They do not make our righteousness coordinate with Christs righteousness, but subordinate: they are not so sottish as to think their owne works satisfactory to Gods justice, or in themselves meritorious of eternall life, they look for remission of the fault from Christ, and say that Christ did merit that we might merit. 3. It is false that you say, our good works are a condition required in the Gospel to our justification: they are not required of us that we may be justified, but that being justified we may glorifie our heavenly Father. To whom with the Son, and holy Spirit be all glory.
Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Eedes, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith (1654)