The me the church §. II. That this doctrine of juftification hath Obfervat. been and is greatly vitiated in the church of Rome, thod of juf is not by us queftioned; though our adverfaries, tification who for want of better arguments do often make taken by lyes their refuge, have not fpared in this refpect of Rome. to ftigmatize us with popery, but how untruly will hereafter appear. For to fpeak little of their meritum ex condigno, which was no doubt a very common doctrine of the Romish Church, especially before Luther, though most of their modern writers, efpecially in their controverfies with Proteftants, do partly deny it, partly qualify it, and feem to ftate the matter only as if they were propagators and pleaders for good works by the others denied; yet if we look to the effects of this doctrine among them, as they appear in the generality of their church members, not in things difapproved, but highly approved and commended by their father the Pope and all his Clients, The pope's as the moft beneficial cafualty of all his reve- doctrine of nue, we shall find that Luther did not without moft benegreat ground oppofe himself to them in this mat- his revenue ter and if he had not run himself into another extreme, of which hereafter, his work would have ftood the better. For in this, as in most other things, he is more to be commended for what he pulled down of Babylon, than for what he built of his own. Whatever then the Papifts may pretend, or even fome good men among them may have thought, experience fheweth, and it is more than manifeft by the univerfal and approved practice of their people, that they place not their juftification fo much in works that are truly and morally good, and in the being truly renewed and fanctified in the mind, as in fuch things as are either not good nor evil, or may truly be called evil, and can no otherways be reckoned good than because the Pope pleafes to call them 0 2 merits, the depends upon the pope'sbulls. ments. nance. Papifts juf- them fo. So that if the matter be well fifted, it will tification be found, that the greatest part of their juftification depends upon the authority of his bulls, and not upon the power, virtue, and grace of Chrift revealed in the heart, and renewing of it, as will Proof I. appear, Firft, From their principle concerning Their facra- their facraments, which they fay confer grace ex opere operato. So that if a man partake but of them, he thereby obtains remiffion of fin, though he remains as he was; the virtue of the facraments making up the want that is in the man. So that this act of fubmiffion and faith to the laws of the church, and not any real inward change, is that which juftifieth him. As for example; if a man make ufe of the Sacrament, as they call it, of Papift's pe- penance, fo as to tell over his fins to a prieft, though he have not true contrition, which the Lord hath: made abfolutely neceffary for penitent finners, but only attrition, a figment of their own, that is, if he be forry he hath finned, not out of any love to God, or his law which he hath tranfgreffed, but for fear of punifhment, yet doth the virtue of the facrament, as they affirm, procure to him remiffion of fins; fo that being abfolved by the prieft, he stands accepted and juftified in the fight of God. This man's juftification then proceedeth: not from his being truly penitent, and in any mea fure inwardly changed and renewed by the working of God's grace in his heart, but merely from the virtue of the facrament, and authority of the priest, who hath pronounced him abfolved; fo that his juftification is from fomewhat without him, and not within him. Pr. II. Secondly, This will yet more appear in the matPrinter of indulgences, where remiffion of all fins, not unces. only past but for years to come, is annexed to the v.fiting fuch and fuch churches and reliques, faying fuch and fuch prayers; fo that the perfon that fo doth doth is prefently cleared from the guilt of his fin, and juftified and accepted in the fight of God. As for example: he that in the great jubilee will go to Rome, and prefent himfelf before the gate of Peter and Paul, and there receive the Pope's bleffing; or he that will go a pilgrimage to James's fepulchre in Spain, or to Mary of Loretto, is upon the performance of thofe things promised forgiveness of fins. Now if we ask them the reafon how fuch things as are not morally good in themselves come to have virtue? they have no other answer but because of the church and Pope's authority, who being the great treasurer of the magazine of Chrift's merits, lets them out upon fuch and fuch conditions. Thus alfo the invention of faying mass is made a chief inftrument of Papist mass juftification; for in it they pretend to offer Chrift what it is. daily to the Father a propitiatory facrifice for the fins of the living and dead; fo that a man for money can procure Chrift thus to be offered for him when he pleafes; by which offering he is faid to obtain remiffion of fins, and to ftand juftified in the fight of God. From all which, and much more of this nature which might be mentioned, it doth appear, that the Papifts place their juftification, not fo much in any work of holinefs really brought forth in them, and real forfaking of iniquity, as in the mere performance of fome ceremonies, and a blind belief which their teachers have begotten in them, that the church and the pope having the abfolute difpenfation of the merits of Chrift, have power to make thefe merits effectual for the remiffion of fins, and justification of fuch as will perform thofe ceremonies. This is the true and real method of justification taken by the generality of the church of Rome, and highly commended by their publick preachers, efpecially the monks, in their fermons to the peo 0 3 ple, the Pro teftants op ple, of which I myself have been an ear and an eye-witnefs; however fome of their modern writers have laboured to qualify it in their controverLuther and fies. This doctrine Luther and the Proteftants then had good reason to deny and oppofe; though many pofing the of them ran into another extreme, fo as to deny trine of good works to be necessary to justification, and to works, fell preach up not only remiffion of fins, but justification other ex- by faith alone, without all works, however good. So treme of no that men do not obtain their juftification according neceffary to as they are inwardly fanctified and renewed, but pope's doc into the good works juftifica tion. are justified merely by believing that Chrift died for them; and fo fome may be perfectly justified, though they be lying in grofs wickedness; as appears by the example of David, who they fay was fully and perfectly justified while he was lying in the grofs fins of murder and adultery. As then the Proteftants have fufficient ground to quarrel and confute the Papifts concerning those many abuses in the matter of juftification, fhewing how the doctrine of Christ is thereby vitiated and overturned, and the word of God made void by many and ufelefs traditions, the law of God neglected, while foolish and needlefs ceremonies are prized and followed, through a falfe opinion of being juftified by the performance of them; and the merits and Sufferings of Chrift, which is the only facrifice appointed of God for remiffion of fins, derogated from, by the fetting up of a daily facrifice never Papifs de appointed by God, and chiefly devifed out of covice to get vetoufness to get money by; fo the Protestants on money. the other hand, by not rightly establishing and holding forth the doctrine of justification according as it is delivered in the holy fcriptures, have opened a door for the Papifts to accuse them, as if they were neglecters of good works, enemies to mortification and holiness, fuch as esteem themfelves juftified while lying in great fins: by which 1 kind of accufations, for which too great ground hath been given out of the writings of fome rigid Proteftants, the reformation hath been greatly defamed and hindered, and the fouls of many infnared. Whereas, whoever will narrowly look into the matter, may obferve these debates to be more in Specie than in genere, feeing both do upon the matter land in one; and like two men in a circle, who though they go fundry ways, yet meet at last in the fame center. lief of jufti fication For the Papifts fay, They obtain remiffion of fins, Papifts beand are juftified by the merits of Chrift, as the fame are applied unto them in the use of the facraments meets in the of the church, and are difpenfed in the performance of fame center Juch and fuch ceremonies, pilgrimages, prayers, and performances, though there be not any inward renewing of the mind, nor knowing of Christ inwardly formed; yet they are remitted and made righteous ex opere operato, because of the power and authority accompa nying the facraments and the difpenfers of them. Westminst. The Proteftants fay, That they obtain remission of Proteftfins, and ftand juftified in the fight of God by virtue ants belief. of the merits and fufferings of Chrift, not by infusing So faith the righteousness into them, but by pardoning their fins, Confeffion and by accounting and accepting their perfons as of Faith, righteous, they refting on him and his righteousness set. 1. by faith; which faith, the act of believing, is not imputed unto them for righteoufnefs. So the juftification of neither here is placed in any inward renewing of the mind, or by virtue of any fpiritual birth, or formation of Chrift in them; but only by a bare application of the death and fufferings of Chrift outwardly performed for them: whereof the one lays hold on a faith refting upon them, and hoping to be juftified by them alone; the other by the faying of fome outward prayers and ceremonies, which they judge makes the death of Chrift effectual unto them. I except here, being O 4 unwil chap. 11. |