The Use and Practice of Faith, Question 4
QUESTION IV. Who it is that lives by his Faith?
Queſt. THe Text ſayes, The juſt— Ob. But where ſhall we finde him? Does not the Scripture ſpeak expreſly, Pſal. 14.2. There is none juſt, no not one? And again, Rom. 3.10 &c. They are all gone out of the way, they are all become abominable, &c.
Anſ. A. The meaning is not, as if a man ſhould be juſt, before he come to believe; but becauſe his believing makes him, and proves him juſt, in applying the juſtice and righteouſneſs of Chriſt, Iſa. 53.11. By his knowledge my righteous Servant ſhall juſtifie many. And therefore Jer. 23.6. he is called, The Lord our Righteouſneſs. And this is imputed Righteouſneſs, the Righteouſneſs of Juſtification.
But that is not all. He that believes, is juſt alſo in ſome meaſure by inherent Righteouſneſs, or that which he doth in his own perſon by the help of Chriſts Spirit: 1 Joh. 3.7. Let no man deceive you; he that doth righteouſneſs is righteous, even as he is righteous. Whereas we are apt to be deceiv'd, and to ſay, Faith is ſufficient of it ſelf to declare that I am righteous, you are deceiv'd, ſaith S. John: for ver. 3. He that hath this hope purifieth himſelf, as he is pure; and here, doth righteouſneſs, as he is righteous. So you ſee plainly, as there is a righteouſneſs of Juſtification. ſo there is a righteouſneſs of Sanctification, and the word of the Text comprehends both; The juſt—
Yet mark: He doth not ſay, The juſt ſhall live by his Juſtice; becauſe the righteouſneſs of Sanctification is imperfect, and deſerves death: but by his Faith, becauſe that implyes the Righteouſneſs of Juſtification, the righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and that is perfect. And this diſtinction is enough to avoid that evil and ſlander, which is caſt upon the Miniſters of the Goſpel at this day. They ſay, we preach Law and Goſpel,Note. Chriſt and VVorks both rogether in point of Juſtification. But this is a meer Cavil. For however we teach, That every believer muſt evidence his Faith, or his Righteouſneſs of Juſtification, by his works of Sanctification; yet we do not ſay his Righteouſneſs of Sanctification, is his Righteouſneſs of Juſtification, no more then we ſay, His Righteouſneſs of Juſtification is his Righteouſneſs of Sanctification (as ſome would vainly confound one with the other.) Though we ſay, He that believes the Gospel, muſt do the things contained in the Law; yet we do not ſay, He that doth them ſhall live in them (for that is the voice of the firſt Covenant, the Covenant of the Law) but we ſay, He that doth them ſhall live by his Faith: (for that's the voice of the ſecond Covenant, the Covenant of the Goſpel, the Covenant of Free-grace. For this tells us, There muſt be a juſtice in the perſon that believes, (not an antecedent, but a conſequent juſtice) yet he lives not by his juſtice, but by his faith; and by his faith, as applying the Free-grace of God in Chriſt. The juſt ſhall live by his faith. And thus for the fourth Queſtion, Who it is that lives by his Faith?
Ʋſe 1 OnelyOnly let me now remember you of what I hinted at the firſt, That as every believer is a juſt perſon, or a juſtified perſon; ſo every unbeliever is unjuſt or unjuſtified. For the juſt, is oppoſed to unbeliever. And, therefore to ſay that a man is juſt or juſtified before he believes, I beſeech you to conſider,Note. how contrary it is to this Text, and to the Scripture phraſe throughout.
VVe grant, an unbeliever may be predeſtinated to Juſtification as he may be predeſtinated to Faith; but to ſay he is actually juſtified before he believes, is to be wiſe beyond that which is written. For there is no ſuch thing written in the Scripture; and therefore ſuch wiſdome is forbidden. If we may not think, much leſs may we ſpeak above what is written, 1 Cor. 4.6. We are bound to keep our ſelves not onelyonly to the patern of wholeſome matter, but to the patern of wholeſome words, or ſound words, 2 Tim. 1.13. Hold faſt the form of found words, &c, Now to ſay that a believing perſon is a juſtified perſon, that is wholeſom and ſound, for the Text warrants it; but to ſay an unbeliever is juſt, or a juſtified perſon, is unſound and unwarrantable. For as he that lives by Faith is juſt: ſo he that lives not by Faith is unjuſt.
Ʋſe 2 See briefly from hence further, How much the folly of all thoſe is, that boaſt of Faith, and yet live in all manner of unrighteouſneſs and ſin. Theſe ſhall not live: for, Know ye not, ſaith the Apoſtle, that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the Kingdome of God? whatever they talk of their Faith.
But ſo much for the Perſon, who. The juſt ſhall live—