صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

1 John 2. 1.

fed Saviour, thy blood was fhed for the remiffion of finnes, and thou haft invited all that are heavy laden to come anta thee, and thou wilt cafe them: Thou fayeft, if any man fiene, he hath an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, and he is the propitiation for finnes. Now I am thus and thus finful, and thefe guilts fie up n my confcience, I am never able to get them to be pardoned for any thing in me, but I do put my foul upon thee, and do truft to thee to get off these finnes, I put them on thy account, yea all of them, and do beleeve that in thy blood they shall be pardoned, &c.

I Cor.1.30.

2 Cor. 5.21.

SECT. VII.

Ow for the fecond thing which faith looks on in Christ, and that is Righteousnesse.

Now

Beloved, this know, that God doth never Justifie à man, nor will ever (ave a man, who hath not a perfect Righteoufne e, for he is a Righteous God, and will not pronounce the finner guilt leffe; his Law and fuftice must be fatisfied in all points, or elk the finner fhall never come to heaven.

Now the foul of a perfon is marvelloufly diftreffed, when it ferioufly thinks of this; How fhall I ftand before the great and holy God another day,being by nature fo wholly finful, and ac the beft being but defectively and imperfectly good? But faith in this cale brings the foul to Chrift, and in him it findes a moft perfect and ab olure righteoufneffe: For whom faith the fcrupulous foul? for thee, faith Faith; what for me? yea for thee, for the Scripture faith, That Chrift was made the righteousne[[e of God for w, and that he was made finne for us, that we might be made the righteoufneffe of God in him. So that if thou wouldīt have fuch a righteoufneffe, as may anfwer the Law, and fatisfie God, and which God will accept for Juftification: Thou muft By faith get out of thy felf, and lay hold on that righteoufnels which is in Chrift. As Paul, I account all things but dung that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having mine own righ teousneffe which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousnesse which is of God by Faith Phil. 3.8,9.

There

bi

re

There is a twofold righteousneffe.

One inherent, which is in us, and this imperfect, it can never juftifie us in the fight of God.

Another is imputed, which is not in us, yet it is for us; And this is the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ, both in his nature, and in his obedience; Alive, and Paffive, which God reckons unto him who doth beleeve in Chrift, of which the Apostle abundantly in Rom.4.12.c.5. & on this doth faith reft only in the matter of juftication, Though inherent righteoufneffe be abfolutely required to falvation, yet no righteoufneffe but that only which is Chrifts, and is imputed to beleevers, is the matter of our justification. When a finner comes to account it with God, he can never fay, Lord, Lo here I am, fee if there be any fin in my perfon, or defect in my holineffe, I will expoftulate with thee upon bare termes; I have not offended thee, or if I have,here's grace enough to answer for me, my heart is whol ly cleane, my duties at all times in every respect, for, matter and manner, have been performed just as thou requirest in thy holy Law, enter into judgement with me if thou pleafeft; I will be tryed by my own bolinesse, by my own goodneffe. Ono, there can be no fuch thing, no finner can be pro nounced just this way, ever the Saints must caft their crowns to the ground, and give glory to the Lamb who only is worthy. For when we come to the point of juftification before God, we must renounce our own righteoufneffe as filthy rags, we must cry out, enter not into judgement with thy (ervant, for in thy fight shall no flesh living be justified.

But as they who were in danger, fled to the bornes of the Altar for their lives, fo muft we, if we would be juftified, fly by faith to the Altar of Chrifts perfect righteousnesse, and fo doth faith,when it would prefent the perfon of a finner perfect and unblameable before God; It doth bring him unto Christ, and faith before God, I beleeve in him to be the Lard my righteoufnesse.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors][merged small]

How it may appeare, that to believe in the Lord
Jefus Christ is the only way to be faved.

B

Efore I give you the Arguments or Reasons to evince this, I must premise fome particulars, viz.

Firft, That beleeving, or faith,may be cons fidered four wayes; either,

1. Abfolutely, as a fimple habit, or quality of grace, apt to change the unbelievingneffe 3. Premifes, of the heart, and to fend forth the acts of trufting and acceptance. Thus faith is not the only way of falvation, partly becaufe other habits are required as well as faith, and partly because there is not in faith, (abfolutely confidered) any meritorious dignity (of it felf) to challenge falvation. We fay that a Ring is worth a hundred pound, not abfolutely considered, not that the gold which makes the Ring, amounts to that value, but in respect of the Diamond fet in that Ring; so faith is a grace of wonderful price (much more precious then gold) Not fo much in respect of it felf, as if it did by its own natural dig. nity caule our Juftification, and falvation, but in respect of Chrift, whofe perfon it takes, and on whofe righteoufnelle it doth rely; fo though this be true, we are justified by faith, yet this is as true, we are not justified for faith,ut for Christ, on whom faith doth truft.

2. Actually, (that is) for the very act of beleeving: Arminiw, and Birtiw, and fome of that cut,do fay, That not the righteoufnele of Christ is that which juftifieth, but the act of Beleeving on it, is that which is imputed in our Juftification. A righteousnese of Chrift they do grant, but 'tis the act of our beLeeving on this, which (by divine acceptation or favour)

[ocr errors]

is imputed for righteounesse; but this is a rotten opi-

nion.

Becaufe-first, it makes void the righteoufneffe of Chrift: by his blood we are justified, Rom 5.9. By his obedience are we made righteous, verfe 19. If this doth juftifie us, then faith as an act doth not, unleffe we will be doubly justified.

Secondly, no works of ours, before or after grace, do justifie as, but the act of faith is one of theie.Ergo,

3. Correlatively (that is) with relation to Chrift and his righteoufneffe, and in this refpect faith is the onely way: one faith well, faith doth not justifie as an action, but as a paffion; his Bucer.. meaning is this, not faith apprebending, but the thing apprebended by faith doth justifie: It is true, I muft by faith apprehend Chrift if I will be faved; but it is not the apprehenfion which faves, but he who is apprehended is the caule of my falva tion. If I were like to be drowned in the water, I must put forth my hand to him, who stands and reacheth out his hand unto me; yet it is not the meer putting forth of my hand which faves me from drowning, but his hand which is laid hold on by mine, which draws me forth, and fo I am preferved,both muft meet, but the cause is in him.

1

4. Inftrumentally, or in respect of office; you know well how to distinguish 'twixt actions a man doth as a man,and actions which a man doth as an officer: If a man be condemned, and ready for execution, and one comes from the King with the meffage of pardon, the delivering of this message is an act of his employment and office, not of his abfolute nature as a man only. Thus it is with faith, it sends out some actions, as an abfolute grace, and it performes others as a grace in office, as an inftrument defigned and deputed; It juftifies us in this latter refpect; not that it is the matter or caufe which cleares all for us with God, 'but because it is the inftrument, laying hold on him who doth this for us: As the hand.is faid to cloath the body, not that the hand is any cloathing (for a man doth not weare his hand) but because it is the inftrument to put on our cloathing or as the cup is faid to quench our thirst, not that the mettal of the cup can go down and fatisfie that natural appetite, but because it holds that wine or liquor which coth quench; fo doth faith justifie a finner, not as

H37

the.

A twofold reference of things.

Bernard.

the object, not as the canfe, but as the inftrument (that is) as the hand of the foule, laying hold on the Robes of Chrifts righteorfneffe, putting on that garment of his, and as an inftrument, receiving, and bolding, and bringing to the foul that precious blood of Chrift, which onely can (immediately)fatisfie God, and appease a thirsty conscience.

2. Againe we must distinguish of the manner and peculiar habitudes, or refpect of things unto falvation; fome things have a reference to falvation by way of proper causality, which have in them a meritorious reafon, for the proper dignity of which a perfon is justified and faved; And in this refpect we fay,that beleeving in Jesus Christ is the only method, and way of falvation. Not that faith can (from its own worth) difpute and challenge from God, but because Jesus Christ, (who is the object of faith) bath as a cause merited our pardon, juftification and falvation,

Other things have a reference by way of order; As suppose a man were to be Knighted by the King, to obtaine this Knighthood, he must come to the Court, and stoop down on his knee, and fo receive that honour; This acceffe to the Court, and humbling on his knee, is not a matter of merit or cause, but only of order and condition: In this latter respect, we deny not but good works look towards salvation,and are required there to. Not as any cause (Christ only is the cause) but as conditions, and orderly steps, and wayes, which we must tread, if we will be famed, via ad regnum,non caufa regnandi.

When we fay, that beleeving in Christ Jesus is the onely Way to be faved; you must not understand it fo, as if no other grace were required from a man but faith only, but thus, There is no other grace which layes hold on Chrift (who is the cause of falvacion) but faith only: As it was with the father of the Prodigal, when he mer his fonne, falling down on his knees, he prefently forgave him but before he brought him into his boule, be did cloath him with other garments: So doth God our Father, upon our humbling and believing, freely confer on us re miffion of fins for his Christs fake; yet before he brings us to heaven, he doth inveft our fouls with the fingular graces of his holy Spirit; yea, though juftification be not sanctification, yet where God doth the one, he ever beftowes and works the

other.

« السابقةمتابعة »