5. Hence it was that he treats this subject with peculiar earneftness and vehemence of fpirit. Thus, on the part of Chrift, whom he would exalt, he mentions not only the knowledge of him," but " the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord," with an emphasis in every word; and those other redoubled expreffions" all lofs for him-that I may win him— that I may be found in him-that I may know him”— all argue the working of his affections under the conduct of faith and truth, unto an acquiefcence in Christ alone, as all in all. Somewhat of this frame of mind is neceffary to all who would believe his doctrine. Those, who are utter strangers to the one, will never receive the other.

In his expreffion of all other things which are our own, that are not Chrift, whether privileges or duties, however good, ufeful, and excellent in themfelves, yet, in comparison of Chrift and his righteoufnefs, and with refpect to our acceptance with God, with the fame vehemence of fpirit he cafts contempt on them, calling them (oxi Bara) dog's-meat; to be left for them whom he terms dogs that is, evil workers of the concifion ; or the wicked Jews, who pertinacioufly adhered to the righteoufnefs of the law, ver. 2 *.

6. The queftion being thus ftated, the inquiry is, What any perfon, defiring acceptance with God, or a righteoufnefs whereby he may be juftified before him, ought to betake himself unto. One of the ways propofed, he must adopt. Either he must comply with the Apostle in his refolution to reject all his own righteouf

nefs,

* Bellarmine objects, "That it is blafphemous to call the duties "of inherent righteoufnefs" lofs and dung." I anfwer: The Apostle doth not call our inherent righteousness dung, but only says that he accounts it fo; and he accounts it so not abfolutely, which he was far from, but only in comparison of Chrift, and as to his truft in it for the purpose of Juftification. And the prophet Isaiah speaks of it with the fame contempt, chap. Ixiv. 6.

nefs, and confide alone in that of Chrift, or invent fome exceptions to the Apostle's conclufion, or some diftinctions which may prepare a reserve for his own works in his Juftification. Here every one must chuse for himself. In the mean time we thus argue.

If our own righteousness, and the righteoufnefs of God by faith, are oppofite and inconfiftent in the work of Juftification before God, then are we juftified by faith alone, through the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chrift unto us. The confequence is plain from the removal of all other ways, caufes, means, and conditions of it, as inconfiftent with it; but the antecedent is expressly the Apoftle's not my own, but that of God." Again,

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"found in

That whereby, and wherewith, we are Chrift," is that whereby alone we are justified before God; for "to be found in Chrift," expreffes the state of the person who is to be justified before God: to which is opposed to be found in ourselves:" and according to thefe different states doth the judgment of God pafs concerning us. And as for those who are found in themfelves," we know what will be their portion; but in Chrift" we are found by faith alone *.

* All manner of evafions are ufed to escape the force of this teftimony, the fubftance of which is included in the objections of Bellarmine (Lib. 1. cap. 18 and 19. Lib. 5. cap. 5. de Juftif.), who faith, "That the righteoufnefs which is by the law, and opposed to that of faith, is not the righteousness written in or required by the law, but that which is wrought without the aid of grace; and that "the righteousness which is by faith is our evangelical righteouf"nefs, or righteous works wrought in faith." But all this is mere fophiftry, and has been repeatedly answered by the author in former parts of this work, and therefore his large refutation of thefe and fimilar evations is here omitted. (Edit.)

CHAP. XXII.

Objections against the Doctrine confidered. Perfonal Holiness and Obedience not obftructed but furthered by it.

THA

"HAT which remains to close this discourse, is the confideration of fome objections that are made in general against the truth pleaded for. Many, indeed the principal of these, we have already occafionally met with, and removed. Those we have now before us, are rather fophiftical cavils, from fuppofed abfurd confequences, than real theological arguments. To infist on them all would be endless; there are two, however, pleaded by all forts of perfons; Papifts, Socinians, and others, which I fhall notice. The firft is, “ That the doctrine of Juftification, by the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, renders our perfonal righteoufnefs needlefs, and overthrows all neceffity of an holy life:" The other is, "That the apostle James, in his epiftle, plainly afcribes our Juftification to "works; and what he affirms there, is inconfiftent with "that fenfe of many other teftimonies of Scripture which we plead for."

As to the first of these, those who oppose the truth we contend for, though they differ among themselves, as to what they exalt in oppofition to it, yet agree to urge it with great vehemence; and the charge, as managed by thofe of the church of Rome, must be acknowledged by all fober men to be an open calumny: for the wifeft of them, and thofe of whom it is hard to conceive but that they knew the contrary, as Bellarmine*, Vafquez, Suarez, openly aver, that Proteftant writers deny all inherent righteoufnefs; that they maintain

*Belamine excepts Bucer and Chemnitius.

maintain that men may be faved though they live in all manner of fin; that nothing is required of them but to believe that their fins are forgiven, and that while they do fo, though they give up themselves to the moft fenfual vices and abominations, they may be affured of their falvation. Socinus alfo purfues the fame honest courfe: for he charges it on the Protestant Divines, that they taught that God juftifieth the ungodly, not only those who are fo, and while they are fo, but though they continue fo-That they require no inherent righteousness or holiness in any, nor could they on their principles, feeing the imputed righteoufness of Chrift is fufficient for them, though they live in fin; and fo introduce Libertinif:n and Antinomianifm into the church. Tantum religio potuit fuadere malorum.

So will men, out of a perverse zeal to promote their own interest, wilfully give up themselves to the worst of evils, fuch as falfe accufation and open calumny; for fuch is the nature of these affertions, which none of the writings or fermons of those who are fo charged ever gave the least countenance unto. Whether the forging and promulgation of fuch impudent falfehoods, be an expedient to obtain Juftification by works, they who continue in them will do well to confider. For my part, I must say, that it is all one to me what religion men are of, who can justify themselves in fuch proceedings. When I find men at this kind of work, I have very little concern in what they fay afterwards, be it true or falfe.

The objection itself, properly ftated, is this-“ If "God juftify the ungodly, merely by his grace, through faith in Chrift Jefus, fo that works of obedience are "not antecedently neceffary to Juftification, nor are any part of that righteoufnefs whereby they are juf"tified, then are they no way neceffary, but men may "be juftified and faved without them.'

This

This objection has already been fufficiently anfwered, in what we have faid concerning the Nature of juftifying faith, and the Continuation of the moral law in force as a rule of obedience to all believers; an unprejudiced confideration of which, will discover the iniquity of this charge, and fhew that our doctrine does not give the leaft countenance to it *. A few things, however, may be spoken on the prefent occafion: and we premife,

1. That we do not affert that all who maintain this doctrine, have exemplified it in a holy and fruitful converfation. Many, it may be feared, have lived and died in fin; and fome, poffibly, have abufed this doctrine, to countenance themselves in their fins, and neglect of duty. The best of holy things or truths cannot be fecured from abufe, fo long as the fophiftry of the old ferpent hath an influence on the depraved minds of men. So it was with them of old, who "turned the grace of God into lafciviousness;" or, from the doctrine of grace, countenanced themfelves in their ungodly deeds. Many, from the beginning, fo walked as to manifeft, that "their belly was their God, and their end deftruction." It is one thing, to have only the conviction of truth in our minds; another, to have the power of it in our hearts. The former will produce an outward profeffion; the latter only, effect an inward renovation of our fouls. However, I must add

three things to this conceffion.

(1.) I am not fatisfied, that any of those perfons whonow oppose this doctrine, furpafs in holiness, in faith, love, zeal, felf-denial, and all other christian graces,

thofe,

* See alfo the author's difcourfe on the Holy Spirit, particularly book iv. chap. 1. On the Nature of Sanctification and Gofpel Holinefs; and book v. On the Neceffity of Holinefs, with the grounds. and reafons thereof, in compliance with the doctrine of Juftification; the perufal of which will abundantly detect the vanity of this charge. (Edit.)