Justification Justified, Theses · Thesis 66 – Thesis 88
LXVI.
'Tis hard to find a similitude that may sufficiently illustrate that darksome saying of the Reverend Amesius; yet I think some light may be given thereunto by such a similitude, or similitudes as follow.
Admit an Annuity of fourscore pounds a year settled upon any person for the time of his life, to be paid by quarterly portions, 20 l. every quarter, upon condition that he shall come to such a one to receive it, as oft as it becomes due, and shall give him an Acquittance, wherein he shall greatly acknowledg his thankful acceptance of the Doner's bounty. In this case, I say, there is fourscore pound a year settled upon the foresaid party all at once, virtually, for by one deed he is made capable of challenging it in such equal proportions as oft as it shall become due, making good the forementioned proviso's, viz. that he come himself in person for it, to the party that is appointed to pay it, and do give him a thankful Acquittance, &c. Till the proviso's upon which the actual payment of each Sum of Money be complyed with, he cannot actually receive it, but yet it was all virtually vested in him from the very first, and he from the first time he was instated in the Annuity, put into a capacity to receive it, from time, to time, as it should grow due. Or possibly the thing may be better explained by some such similitude as this.
A rich Father sending his Son to travel beyond the Seas, desires a great Merchant of that country, in which his Son is to reside, to defray all his expences, and to pay off all the bills which shall be brought in upon his account, provided he shall from time, to time bring the bills of his charges, and expences to him, and request him to see them fully discharged; and in case any of his bills appear to have been inflam'd by great prodigality, and extravagancy he shall confess, and bewail his fault, and promise amendment; and having so done, then, and not till then, the Merchant aforesaid, is, and shall be requested to make full payment to all his Creditors, and to see all, and every of his debts discharged. The Son whose case this is may be said to have all his debts virtually pay'd, from the time that his Father took order with such a Merchant for the payment of them, who undertook to see it done, because by this means, he can command his debts at any time, doing in order thereunto only some certain things which are in his power to do: yet the debts of this Son cannot be said to be actually pay'd, because many of them are not yet contracted, as to others of them, he has not yet carried in his bill to the Merchant that undertook to pay whats… ever he should owe, or he hath not as yet co… fessed, and bewailed his fault, as to some deb… contracted by great Profuseness, which was t… precede the payment of them, and therefor… the actual payment of them is yet suspended notwithstanding it is in his power to procur… the actual payment of them, at no long war… ing, by doing such previous things as are in h… power to do, and therefore may all his debts b… said to be virtually paid, but not actually.
The accommodation of that similitude t… the purpose in hand is very easie. Or, suppos… a Prince has a Favourite, so great in his favou… that he hath resolved that he shall never be pu… to Death for any offence that he can pardon t… him, and yet the said Favourite falls time, after time, into such misdemeanors, for which h… cannot but be arraigned by Law, and sentence… to Death according to the common course o… Justice; yet forasmuch as the Supreme Magistrate has given him assurance that he shall no… dye for any offence that he can pardon, an… consequently upon humble application for… particular pardon, so oft as he is condemne… afresh, he is sure to obtain it; this man may b… said to be pardoned virtually, though not actually, &c.
LXVII.
An Elect, Believing, and therefore justified Sinner, may be said to have all his sins pardoned virtually, and in the Subject, or Person sinning, though not in themselves (as Amesius speaketh) because God hath resolved, yea, so ordered, and fore-laid the matter that such a one shall not be finally lost, and undone, condemn'd, and damn'd: but that the satisfaction of Christ shall, from time, to time be so effectually applyed by him, for, and in order unto taking away the guilt, or condemning power of sin, that eventually it shall never be his ruin.
LXVIII.
Though all the sins of such a one may be said to be pardoned in Subjecto, or in, and as to the Person sinning, meaning thereby forasmuch as 'tis certain he shall not be damned for his sins, he hath a pardon tantamount. Yet may some of his sins be said not to be actually pardoned, seeing it is a real truth, that to suppose a Believer might live or dye without renewed Faith, and Repentance, after the commission of some great, and deliberate sin, were to suppose he might be damn'd. For such sins do deprive even Believers, and justified Persons themselves, though not of jus ad rem, as to matter of Salvation, yet of jus in re. In which sense these words of St. John are to be understood, viz. No murtherer hath eternal Life abiding in him, i. e. hath an immediate, actual fitness, and capacity for Heaven, at the present, as those that were unclean, or in a Journey had not for partaking of the Lord's Passeover, though they had a habitual right to it.
LXIX.
That Man cannot be said to be Actually an… compleatly pardoned, who has any block o… bar in his way to Heaven for the present, or wh… cannot enter into Life, or be saved under hi… present circumstances, which may be the cas… of a true Believer, and justified Person… (witness David, &c.) therefore every justif… ed Person is not compleatly and actually pardoned, all his sins, at all times, but some may ye… be after a sort, charged upon him: yet sith a… Elect Believer shall certainly have all thos… blocks taken out of his way, first, or last, o… before he dyes, all his sins may be said to be virtually pardoned, and in equivalency. A… that man might virtually, and in effect, be sai… to be secured from dying by the means of… Pleurifie, who hath a Physitian alwayes at hand, perfectly able (if there be any such) and a… willing to Cure him of it, because in that cas… his Life would be secured from that Diseas… virtually, yet could he not be said to be actually delivered from that Disease, or the danger o… it, in case he were apt ever, and anon to fall into it, to such a degree, that if great means, and remedies were not used it would be sure to be his death, &c. So would the greater, and deliberate sins of justified Persons, certainly be the death of their Souls if Jesus Christ their great Physitian, did not from time to time, by renewing Faith in them, whereby to take hold of the Satisfaction and expiation which he by his blood has made in such cases, relieve them against the same, which sheweth that though they be virtually pardoned, as to all their sins, yet not compleatly, actually, and to all intents, and purposes: for as Divines say, there can be no such pardon obtained for any great, and wilful sin, without particular renewing of Faith, and Repentance. In that sense it is that they do own these kind of sins to be mortal, and not to have a pardon of course, as lesser sins have upon a general Repentance, which therescore they call venial.
LXX.
Reverend Mr. Durham in his Book on the Revelation, p. 259. puts the Question in these words (for I chuse to give you his own) How can a man at the first exercising of Faith be said to be justified or pardoned of all his sins, seeing his sins after Justification are not pardoned till they be committed, and Repented of?
His Answer thereunto is in these words.
Both are true (saith he) for future sins are not actually pardoned till they be committed, and repented of, yet is the man a justified person, and in a justified estate, having a ground laid in his Justification for obtaining the pardon of those sins that follow, so that they shall not overturn his former Absolution, for Gods Covenant hath both fully in it, yet in due way to be applyed. And it is (saith he) as if a company of Rebels were subdued, and by Treaty they are pardoned, changed from the state of Enemies, to be natural Subjects, and priviledged with their priviledges, so that if they fall in after faults (as Subjects may fall in) yet are they never again counted Enemies, nor is their first Freedom Cancel'd, but they are dealt with as native Subjects falling into such offences, and have priviledges that Strangers have not, nor can plead in the same faults; one of which priviledges may be supposed to be, that they shall not be rigidly fallen upon, although their guilt deserve death, but that they shall have means used to reclaim them, (and these such as cannot but be effectual) and that upon recovery they shall be pardoned those faults, and be preserved from the deserved punishments, &c. It is so by the Treaty of Grace, and Justification; the believing Sinner is tra…sl…ted from the state of an Enemy, to the condition of a Friend, this is unalterable, he cannot afterwards but be a Friend; yet because a Friend may be ingrateful, and may fail to his Benefactor, therefore in this Treaty it is provided, that there shall be a way to forgiveness by vertue of the Covenant, yet so as there shall be a new exercise of Repentance and Faith, for the commending of the way of grace: And so a sinning Believer is a sinner, but not in the state of sin, nor is an Enemy as he was before Justificati…n, even as a faulty Subject is guilty, yet is no Enemy, nor Rebel, nor can be punished by death when he becomes penitent, although he deserveth it, because the Law of Grace is such to the Subjects of that Kingdom, that the pleading of that former Treaty, and betaking themselves to the terms hereof, is ever to be accepted as a righteousness for them in reference to any particular sin following Justification, as well as what proceeded. And this no Stranger to God can plead, who hath no such ground for his recovery from sin, or that God will give him Repentance for it, much less that he will certainly pardon him. Yea it differeth from a Penitents case at first conversion, because a Covenanter may expect pardon by vertue of that same Covenant in which he is ingaged, and to which he hath already right, and he hath Jus ad rem: Another cannot do so, but must consider the Covenant as aforesaid only, and so expect pardon, not because God is actually ingaged to give it to him, as in the others case, but because God doth offer to accept of him on those terms, and then to pardon him. Thus far Mr. Durham, &c.
LXXI.
Besides the principal efficient cause of Justification, which is God, the inwardly moving or Proegumenal cause which is Free Grace, the Procatarctick cause which was Jesus Christ, the Material cause which was the Obedience of Christ, the Formal cause, viz. the Imputation of Christs Obedience, and the Final cause, all which have been spoken of already, and proved to be such: there is another cause of Justification, which might have been brought in under the efficient (for thereunto it belongs as efficiens minus principalis) viz. the Instrumental cause which is very necessary to be discoursed of by all those who treat of Justification, forasmuch as there are some considerable controversies which do depend upon it. Now the Instrumental cause or condition of Justification (for you may call it either in different respects) is Faith: I call Faith the Instrument of Justification, not that it is so immediately (for that might seem to ascribe unto man some kind of efficiency in point of justifying himself) but mediately, forasmuch as it is the hand whereby, or wherewith, a Believer receiveth the Righteousness of Christ, by the imputation of which Righteousness he is justified. So that as properly as the cause of a cause may be said to be the cause of that cause its effect, (as the Grandfather of the Granchild) may Faith be said to be the Instrument of Justification, it being the instrument of applying, or receiving that Righteousness, by which Believers are justified.
They must needs own Faith to be Instrumental in, and towards Justification, who affirm it to be the condition thereof: For doubtless to perform the condition of any promise made by a faithful person, must needs be instrumental for, and towards the performance and enjoyment of the promise it self, sith a faithful promiser when the condition of the promise which he hath made is performed, cannot but perform his promise, if it be in his power. Yea forasmuch as Faith is the one onelyonly condition upon which the promise of Justification is suspended, Faith, in strictness of speaking, is the only (to be sure the most principal) instrument of Justification: For what is, or can be so instrumental to obtain the benefit of a good man's promise, as to fulfil the condition upon which he suspended it, when that's done, all is done, for that is all in all.
LXXII.
Though there be other more remote, and less principal Instruments of Justification, yet the most immediate, and most principal, and the only Internal Instrument thereof is Faith alone.
The Word of God, whereby as an instrument, Faith is ingendered: for Faith cometh by hearing, the Ministers of God who dispense that word, and the holy Sacraments which are a kind of visible Gospel, and Seals of the Righteousness of God which is by Faith, are remote instruments in the hand of God whereby to bring about the Justification of a sinner, Dan. 22.3: But the most principal, and immediate instrumental cause of Justification, is Faith: For that doth immediate attingere effectum. Hence such passages as these, Being Justified by Faith. By him all that belive are Justified.
LXXIII.
Mr. Gattaker p. 70. saith that Though to the full enjoyment of life eternal in Heaven are required many conditions in the Covenant of the Gospel, as Faith, Repentance, Charity, Humility, Holiness, Mortification, Self-denyal, Obedience, Patience, and Perseverance in good works; yet unto Justification is required only Faith. For excepting that one place of St. James, which assign… Justification to works, ye shall find the Justification of a sinner assigned to Faith constantly, in places almost innumerable, and never attributed either to the Love, or Fear of God, or to Charity, or Patience, but to Faith in Christ's bloud, Romans 3.25.
LXXIV.
Mr. Perkins in his Catholick Reformed, Controvers. 4. cap. 1. saith, Faith is the alone and only Instrument wrought of God in the heart of a man, whereby he laieth hold on Christ, applying hi… Righteousness to himself, which neither Hope, nor Charity, nor any other Grace can do.
And Learned Bp. Abbot saith, (writing in defence of Perkins) that Faith though not negatively considered excluding other Graces, yet privatively abstracted from the consideration of them is said to justifie. The wounded Israelites were cured by meer seeing, or looking at the Brazen Serpent without working, John 3.14. There believing in Christ is compared unto the beholding of the Brazen Serpent.
Chemnitius, in his Examen Concil Trident. de fide Justif. giving reasons why the Protestants use the word Sola of Faith in Justification, maketh one to be ut ostendatur organum se… medium applicationis. For not by works, but Faith alone is the Promise received.
Burges, Prop. 1. saith, They who are for Works and Faith, joyning these in our Justification, ought to leave out the word Sola or only, in Praying, and Preaching.
LXXV.
If som… had rather call Faith the Condition than the Instrumental cause of Justification, provided that by Faith, and by Condition, they understand what they ought to do, and will own Faith to be the only Condition of Justification, I see no cause to be offended at them.
LXXVI.
It may be safely said that we are justified by Faith, as it is a Condition, provided, the Conditionality of it be limited to the Receptive office of Faith, and Gods designment thereunto. B. Prop. 4. My meaning is, that Faith may be said to justifie as it is a Condition, provided you allow it to be the condition of Justification, not as it is an excellent Grace, Quality, or Work; but as it has a peculiar property for the receiving of Christ, and his Righteousness, even as …ating nourisheth us (or is as I may say the condition of our being nourished) not meerly as it is an action, for then walking, or speaking, might do the same thing; but as it is that action by which nourishment is received into our bodies. It seemeth indifferent whether we call Faith the Condition, or the Instrumental cause of Justification, and either is done upon the following accounts.
LXXVII.
Faith is calllled the Condition of the Covenant, because it is upon that Condition that Justification is offered unto us therein, and upon this Condition God becomes our God, and Christ our Righteousness. And it is also called the Instrumental cause of our Justification, because it acteth by receiving Christ, as he is held forth in the Word: If that, viz. the Gospel be justly called the External Instrumental cause which doth offer Christ for our Righteousness, then may Faith well be called the Internal Instrumental cause, because it doth receive him for the same end, and because by this receiving he becometh our Righteousness, upon which our justification is founded, Durham, 234.
LXXVIII.
When we say that Faith is the only Internal Instrument (for there are several external ones) of our Justification, and that it is the condition thereof; our meaning is, that no other work, or grace, is so concern'd in, and with our Justification, as Faith is, or that justifying of a sinner is not suspended upon any other than the one onelyonly condition of believing, though justifying Faith, be not alone, yet Faith alone justifieth, in the quality of of a condition, and is the only Internal Instrument of Justification.
LXXIX.
To be yet more plain (if we can be so) God doth not impute the Righteousness of his Son to a sinner, and thereupon make, and account him Righteous to Eternal Life, or one that by his Surety hath satisfied his Law and Justice, with respect had to his Love, Humility, Repentance, and other Graces (which do accompany saving Faith) though upon the account of them also they are by God accounted formally, and inherently, but imperfectly Righteous) but only with regard to his Faith considered in a privative abstractiveness, or abstractive from all other graces, forasmuch as the promise of Justification is made to the Grace of Faith, and to that alone, or to a Believer only as such.
LXXX.
It is no contradiction to exclude other graces from a conditionality as to the act of Justification, and yet to affirm them requisite necessarily in the Subject justified, &c. This Protestant Divines do a thousand times over illustrate by divers similitudes. Because Repentance is required as well as Faith must their Office, and work be confounded? Certainly it is not Repentance, but Faith that receiveth the Pardon.
LXXXI.
The distinction of Faith Justifying, quae viva, but not qua viva, which is lively, and working, but not as it is lively, and working, is very good, and sound; that is, Though only that Faith which is accompanied with Love to God and Man, godly sorrow for sin and other graces do justifie (because that is the only living and true Faith) yet this living Faith in the business of justifying, or as it justifieth Instrumentally, is not concurr'd with by any other grace, but is by it self alone.
As the Sun which giveth Light, giveth heat also, but it doth not give heat as it is Corpus luminosum, but as it is Corpus calidum. The heat of the Sun doth not enlighten, nor the light of the Sun heat, and warm. A King that goeth to his Parliament to sign Bills, and compleat Acts of Parliament, seldom goeth without a considerable Guard, and Retinue, but when all comes to all, 'tis he that signs all the Bills, and the rest of his Company have nothing to do in that affair. So Faith hath a large Retinue of Graces, useful for many other good purposes, but such as do not meddle or make more or less in that great business of Justification, but leave all that affair (as God hath left it) to Faith alone, &c.
LXXXII.
We may observe, saith Mr. Gataker p. 79. that God's pardon is often ascribed to Repentance as well as to Faith, (Acts 2.38. Mark 1.4. & alibi possim) both being conditions of our reconciliation to God, but Justification is only attributed to Faith, but never to Repentance. The Reason (saith he, is evident) because sorrow for sin though serious and effectual in the conversion of a sinner to God, brings not an equivalent satisfaction to the Justice of God, but Faith brings with it the Righteousness of Christ, and tenders the obedience of Christ our Surety as our own unto God for Justification, B. Prop. 1.
LXXXIII.
Though Protestant writers in this controversie did chiefly militate against the merit, and causality of works in Justification, then asserted by the Papists; yet it is plain that they did thereby exclude their Conditionality also as to the act of Justification, &c. We cannot, saith Gattaker, 68. be too zealous in this because the conceit of Justification by Works is a slippe…y opinion, and we see by Experience how easily, though almost insensibly, the Papists stid and fell by rising in their own proud Imagination from Justification by Works into the presumption of merit, by good works. But the Apostle opposeth the former, and by consequence a Minori ad majus, excludes the latter.
LXXXIV.
Neither is this Justification by Faith alone, excluding the Conditionality of Works to be applyed to our Justification, at first, only, but as continued: so that first, and last, we are justified by Faith alone, Gal. 3.11. The just shall live by Faith, which belongs to the whole course of their Lives respectively to Justification. And when the Apostle saith, Rom. 5. Being justified by Faith we have peace with God; would it not be irrational to limit it only to our Justification at first? Is not the Righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith, not from Faith to Works? Rom. 1.17.
LXXXV.
That Faith is concerned in the business of Justification only, as a condition, or Instrument, so far, and no farther, is evident, because though the Scripture doth often speak of our being justified foreign, & foreign, yet never foreign by Faith, yet never for Faith.
LXXXVI.
If it be enquired what that Faith is which is the condition or Instrument of Justification; I shall answer no more at present but this, viz. Faith is that Grace whereby Jesus Christ is so received to all intents and purposes as he is offered to sinners in the Gospel.
LXXXVII.
The fore-said description of Faith furnisheth us with one Argument for Faith's being the only Condition, or Instrumental cause of Justification, Ex. gr. It is the Righteousness, Obedience, or Satisfaction of Christ imputed, or put to our account which justifieth. That Righteousness is freely offered to sinners in the Gospel to be made theirs upon such terms. Being so offered, there is nothing more requisite to make it ours but our so accepting of it. Now, Faith is that our acceptance of it so as it is offered, &c.
When so accepted the Righteousness of Christ becomes ours, and when it is once actually so, then are we actually justified without any more ado, and other Graces are servicable to us for other purposes, but not to justifie us. For frustra fit per plura, and when any thing is heartily off…red, there needs nothing but accepting it upon the terms specified.
LXXXVIII.
When Faith is spoken of in the Scripture as the Instrument, or Condition of Justification (call it whether you will) thereby is meant the Habit, Grace, or Act of Faith, such as was expressed, not the object, viz. The Gospel of Christ, or Covenant of Grace, as some would carry it, because the word Faith is sometimes so taken, Er. gr. Gal. 3.23. Before Faith came. For besides that words are to be taken in the most usual and famous sense, unless there be particular, and special reason to the contrary (which cannot be shewed in those places where Faith is spoken of as the Instrument or Condition of Justification; I say, besides that, it will be found that if you put the word Gospel, or Covenant of Grace, instead of the word Faith where Faith is spoken of as the Instrument of Justification; there will arise a very inconvenient sense.