done before our attainment of that privilege, are spiritually good. In fine, the apostle intimates that, before justification, men are ungodly, Rom. iv. 5. But to him who worketh not, but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

But, says Mr. Bellamy, "you quite misunderstand "Paul, whose real meaning is no more than this; That "it is impossible, that a sinner ever should be justifi❝ed under any other notion, than as being ungodly, "Rom. iv. 5. For one sin in the eye of the law, and SO in the eye of God the judge, denominates a man "ungodly, and subjects him to eternal damnation, Gal. iii. 10.*"*

Answer. It is readily granted, that one sin subjects a person out of Christ to the curse of the broken law; and that all the holiness attainable by believers is of no avail for their justification. This we allow to be included in the meaning of the apostle's expression; but is far from being adequate to the whole import of it; for in order to cut off all pretence for allowing works any place or influence whatever in the affair of a sinner's justification, he teaches, that when God comes to justify a sinner, he finds not only that he has no such holiness and good works as are sufficient for, the purpose of justification; but also that he has none at all.

The person whom God is here said to justify,

* Essay on the nature, &c. page 119, 68. where Mr. Bellamy adds," Nor can any future penitency make any imaginable "satisfaction." It is strange, if he meant hereby to insinuate, that, when his opponents insist upon repentance as a fruit and evidence of justifying faith, they had said any thing that might lead persons to consider it as a satisfaction for sin. By teaching that true repentance comes after a sure interest in the satisfaction of Christ and complete pardon, they took the most effectual method in the world to prevent such an abuse of repentance.

*

is one who worketh not; that is, who has not, as yet, done any work, that is accepted, as such, with God; his faith not being, as yet, accounted a work, but rather opposed to all works: and to set this matter in the strongest light, the apostle adds, God justifieth the ungodly. To say, that the most holy persons may be denominated ungodly, merely because they do not good works with a view to justification, is not that sound speech that cannot be condemned. The glorified saints are made perfect in holiness. Yet they do nothing with a view to their justification before God; the justification which they obtained on earth, being complete and irrevocable. But who will venture on that account to call them ungodly? Besides, it can never be shewn, that unbelievers, or such as are not yet in a justified state, ever do any work or seek any good qualification with any better view, than that of thereby obtaining acceptance with God.†

This view of the text, under consideration, is the most suitable to the apostle's design, which is, to guard the doctrine of justification by the free grace of God in Christ against the corruptions of legal teachers. For though men's good works and qualifications be ever so positively excluded from belonging to that which constitutes our justifying righteousness; yet while they are contended for as conditions or prerequisites, or as any other than fruits of our justification, there is a dangerous departure from the simplicity of gospel doctrine.

We may add here the judgment of two eminent writers on this text. "Who can deny, that the ungodly is said by "Paul to be justified, because he had been ungodly; and in "the very act of justification could be considered no otherwise "in himself? With his justification he is indeed endowed with "the grace of God, whereby he shall afterwards live godly:" but this is done neither before nor in the act of justification; for God absolves a man without works or previous piety," Hoorobecku Socinianismus confutatus." God justifieth the "ungodly, that is, one who is such in himself, and was actually "such, till, in regeneration, he is endowed with that faith by which he is justified."

WITSIUS.

Though the position now under consideration, That good works do not precede, but follow justifica ❝tion," be a leading doctrine of the Protestant religion in opposition to Popery, and though it be plainly founded in the passages of scripture now produced; yet it has been represented as erroneous by Mr. Bellamy and others who profess to hold Calvinistic principles. The freeness of justification," say they, "does "not depend upon the date of it. Holiness may pre❝cede justification, as to time, and yet have no casual "influence on it. On the other hand, it may follow "justification, as to time, and yet may be that which "is accounted for righteousness. The righteousness “of Christ was imputed to Old Testament believers "long before it was actually wrought. Faith works "by love from its first existence, and its thus working "belongs to it as genuine justifying faith. Hence it "is inferred that faith justifies as thus working. To "allege that the property of working by love does not "belong to the nature of faith as justifying, is to con"tradict the apostle, who speaks of receiving the love «of the truth, that we may be saved, and pronounceth "those persons unbelievers, who do not thus receive it. "Abraham at the time when he is said to have be"lieved God, and it was counted to him for righteous"ness; and David, when the blessedness of which "the apostle speaks came upon him, were not in a "state of enmity to God; but had been his friends ❝and servants for a series of years. The self-abase"ment of the publican preceded his going down to "his house justified; yet it was not on this ground that his justification rested."

Answer. The scripture appears to lay much stress upon the date of our reconciliation and justification by

the blood of Christ, as serving eminently to illustrate the freeness of the grace of God in the bestowing of these benefits. When we were enemies, we were re conciled to God by the death of his Son. Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousnes, when he was in uncircumcision. As it appeared, that circumcision was no cause or fœderal condition of Abraham's justification; because he was justified before he was circumcised : so it appears, that our good works are no cause or fœderal condition of justification; because we are justified, before any of our works are good and acceptable to God.

It seems a strange assertion, that holiness may preeede justification as to time, and yet have no casual influence on it: since any active obedience of the creature, which we know to have been acceptable to God, either had a casual influence on justification, or justification had a casual influence on it. The former would have been the case with Adam's obedience, (if he had not fallen) according to the covenant of works; the latter is the case with the obedience of believers according to the covenant of grace. Nor does it seem less strange, to assert, that the holiness or active obedience of the creature may follow justification as to time; and yet may be that which is accounted the creature's justifying righteousness. For, it cannot be shewn, that the righteousness of any mere man could justify him in the sight of God, before it was performed. The justification of a person by his own righteousness is the natural effect of his performance of that righteousness; and therefore to suppose him to be justified by that righteousnes before the performance of it, is to suppose (what is absurd) that a natural effect may exist before its necessary cause. A legalist is so

far blinded by his spiritual pride as to think, that he either has already attained or may attain a righteousness of his own sufficient for his justification; but his natural reason and conscience will not allow him to conclude himself justified by a righteousness not yet performed. Hence Papists, Arminians and other legalists, very consistently, deny, that an infallible assurance of our own justification is attainable in this life. But justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ is a quite different case. For the righteousness of Christ is of infinite value, he being God as well as man; and the imputation of it is made by a special appointment of the free and sovereign grace of God. Hence the efficacy of the righteousness of Christ is not to be measured by the natural efficacy of the righteousness of a mere man: and therefore we may well conceive it to have been sufficient for the justification of his people long before it was actually wrought; as well as it has been since.

We are far from doubting, that it is the property of saving or justifying faith to work by love and to receive the love of the truth. But we say, in the first place, that faith does not justify the sinner as working by love; but as receiving and applying the justifying righteousness of the Lord Jesus, set forth in the gospel. A thing may have several properties besides that by which it produces a certain effect. A person is enriched by a ring which he finds; but it is not by the circular figure of the ring, nor by the value of the ring itself, but by a precious gem inclosed in it. In the next place, we deny, that faith is considered and accepted of God as our work before justification. For, in the matter of justification, faith is not considered as a work at all; but only as a mean or instrument, by

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