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CHAPTER XIL

Justification by Faith.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith; and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the homily of justification. Art. 11.

It is of the free grace and mercy of God, by the mediation of the blood of his Son Jesus Christ, without merit or deserving on our part, that our sins are forgiven us, that we are reconciled and brought again into his favour, and are made heirs of his heavenly king dom.-1 Hom. on fasting, P. 165.

Whose mediation (i. e. the mediation of Christ) was so

CALVIN.

Let us first explain the meaning of these expressions, To BE JUSTIFIED IN THE SIGHT OF GOD, TO BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH OR BY WORKS. He is said to be JUSTIFIED IN THE SIGHT OF God, who in the divine judgment is reputedrighteous and accepted on account of his righteousness: for as iniquity is abominable to God, so no sinner can find favour in his sight, as a sinner, or so long as he is considered as such. Wherever sin is, therefore, it is accompanied with the wrath and vengeance of God. He is justified, who is considered, not as a sinner, but as a righteous person, and on that account stands in safety before the tribunal of God, where all sinners are confounded and ruined. As, if an innocent man be

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acceptable to God the Father, through his absolute and perfect obedience, that he took his act for a full satisfaction of all our disobedience and rebellion: whose righteousness he took to weigh against our sins; whose redemption he would have stand against our damnation.-3 Rogation Hom. p. 297.

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brought under an accusation before the tribunal of a just judge, when judgment is passed according to his innocence, he is said to be justified or acquitted before the judge; so he is justified before God, who, not being numbered among sinners, has God for a witness and assertor of his righteousness. Thus he must be said, therefore, to be JUSTIFIED BY WORKS, whose life discovers such purity and holiness as to deserve the character of righteousness before the throne of God; or who by the integrity of his works can answer and satisfy the divine judgment. On the other hand, he will be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, who being excluded from the righteousness of works, apprehends by faith the righteousness of Christ, invested in which, he appears, in the sight of God, not as a sinner, but as a righteous man. Thus we simply explain justification to be an acceptance, by which God receives us into his favour, and esteems us as righteous persons. And we say, that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.—Institut. l. 3. c. 11.

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tion, or (as it may be called) amends to his Father for our sins. Homily of salvation, P. 1. p. 12.

With his endless mercy, he joined his most upright and equal justice. His great mercy he showed unto us, in delivering us from our former captivity, without requiring of any ransom to be paid, or amends to be made upon our parts; which thing, by us, had been impossible to be done. And whereas it lay not in us that to do, he provided a ransom for us, that was the most precious body and blood of his own most dear and best beloved son Jesus Christ; who, besides this ransom, fulfilled the law for us perfectly. And so the justice of God and his mercy did embrace together, and fulfil the mystery of our redemption.-Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness, to every one that believeth.-Ibid. p. 13.

The apostle toucheth three things specially, which must go together in our justification. Upon God's part, his great mercy and grace. Up

Rom. iii. 26. iv. 5.

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that God imputes righteousness through faith? Again, when he says that God "jus tifieth the ungodly which be lieveth in Jesus,"* what can be the meaning but that he delivers him by the blessing of faith, from the condemnation deserved by his ungodliness? He speaks still more plainly in the conclu sion, when he thus exclaims, "who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who alsomaketh intercession for us." For it is just as if he had said, who shall accuse them whom God absolves? Who shall condemn those for whom Christ intercedes? Justification there. fore is no other than an acquittal from guilt of him who was accused, as though his innocence had been proved. Since, therefore, God justifies us through the mediation of Christ, he acquits us, not by an admission of our per sonal innocence, but by an imputation of righteousness: so that we who are un

Ibid. viii. 33. 34.

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on Christ's part, justice; that is, the satisfaction of God's justice, or the price of our redemption, by the offering of his body, and the shedding of his blood; together with fulfilling of the law perfectly and thoroughly. And upon our part, true and lively faith in the mèrits of Jesus Christ, which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us. Ibid.

It pleased our heavenly Father, of his infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him. He for them paid their ransom, by his death. He, for them, fulfilled the law in his life. So that now, in him, and by him, every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law." Ibid. p. 14.

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righteous in ourselves, arc considered as righteous in Christ. This is the doctrine preached by Paul in the xiiith chapter of the Acts: "through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."* You see that after remission of sins, this justification is mentioned as if by way of explanation: you sce clearly that it means an acquittal; that it is separated from the works of the law; that it is a mere favour of Christ; that it is apprehended by faith you see, finally, the interposi tion of a satisfaction, where he says, that we are justified from sins by Christ. Thus, when it is said that the publican went down to his house justified," we cannot say that he obtained righteousness by any merit of works. The meaning therefore is, that after he had obtained the pardon of his sins, he was considered as righteous in the sight of God.-Institut. l. 3. c. 11.

All the good works that we can do, be imperfect; and therefore not able to de- s. 3. * Acts xiii. 38.

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Luke xviii. 14,

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serve our justification: but our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God.-1 Hom. of salvation, p. 13.

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Paul certainly describes justification as an acceptance when he says to the Ephesians, "God hath predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted."* For the meaning is the same as when in another place we are said to be "justified freely by his grace." But in the fourth chapter to the Romans, he first mentions an imputation of righteousness, and immediately represents it as consisting in remission of sins. "David," says he,

By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; for it is the gift of God, and not of works, lest any man should glory. And, to be short, the sum of all Paul's disputation is this: that if justice (i. e. justification) come of works, then it cometh hot of grace; and if it come of grace, then it cometh not of works. And to this end tend all the prophets, as St. Peter saith in the xth of the Acts. Of Christ, all the prophets (saith St. Peter) do describeth the blessedness witness, that through his of the man unto whom God name, all they that do be- imputeth righteousness withlieve in him, shall receive out works, saying, Blessed the remission of sins.-St. are they whose iniquities are Hilary speaketh these words forgiven." &c. He there plainly, in the ixth canon indeed argues not concernupon Matthew, "Faith only ing a branch, but the whole justifieth." And St. Basil, a of justification. He also Greek author, writeth thus: adduces the defination of it This is a perfect and whole given by Dayid, when he rejoicing in God, when a pronounces them to be blessman advanceth not himself ed who receive the free for his own righteousness, forgiveness of their sins. but acknowledgeth himself Whence it appears, that this

Eph. i. 5, 6.

1

† Rom. iii. 24.

Rom. iv. 6-8.

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