{"number":35,"title":"Of JUSTIFICATION","part":null,"questions":[33],"paragraphs":[],"clauses":[],"items":[],"text":"*Rom. 3.24.* Being justified freely by his grace.\n\nQuest. XXI. *What is Justification?*\n\n*Resp.* It is an Act of God’s Free-grace, whereby he pardoneth all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the Righteousness of CHRIST imputed to us, and received by Faith.\n\n*Justification* is the very Hinge and Pillar of CHRISTIANITY; and an Errour about *Justification* is dangerous, like a Crack in the Foundation, or an Errour in the first Concoction. *Justification* by Christ is a *Spring of the Water of Life,* and to have the Poison of corrupt Doctrine cast into this Spring, is damnable. It was a Saying of *Luther, That after his Death the Doctrine of Justification would be corrupted.* As it hath been in these latter Times, the *Arminians* and *Socinians* have cast a dead Fly into this Box of precious Oyntment.\n\nI shall endeavour to follow the Star of Scripture to light me through this Mysterious Point.\n\nQuest. *What is meant by Justification?*\n\n*Resp.* It is *verbum forense,* a word borrowed from Law-courts, wherein a Person arraigned is pronounced Righteous, and is openly absolved in the Court. Thus God in justifying a Person, pronounceth him to be Righteous, and looks upon him as if he had not sinned.\n\nQuest. *What is the Ground of Justification?*\n\n*Resp.* The *Causa,* 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the inward impellent Motive or Ground of *Justification* is the Free-grace of God. So in the Text, *Justified freely by his grace.* Which *Ambrose* expounds, *Not of the Grace wrought within us, but the Free-grace of God.* The first Wheel that sets all the rest a running, is the Love and Favour of God. *Being justified by his Grace*; as a King freely Pardons a Delinquent. *Justification* is a Mercy spun out of the Bowels of Free-grace. God doth not justifie us because we are worthy, but by justifying us makes us worthy.\n\nQuest. *What is the material Cause, or that by which a Sinner is justified?*\n\n*Resp.* The *Matter* of *our Justification* is *Christ’s Satisfaction* made to *his Father.* If it be asked, How can it stand with *God’s Justice* and *Holiness* to pronounce us Innocent, when we are Guilty? This answers it, Christ having made *Satisfaction* for our Fault, now God may in Equity and Justice pronounce us Righteous. It is a just thing for a Creditor to discharge a Debtor of the Debt, when a *Satisfaction* is made by the Surety.\n\nQuest. *But how was Christ’s Satisfaction meritorious, and so sufficient to Justifie?*\n\n*Resp.* In respect of the *Divine Nature:* As he was Man he suffered, as God he satisfied; by Christ’s Death and Merits God’s Justice is more abundantly satisfied then if we had suffered the Pains of Hell for ever.\n\nQuest. *Wherein lies the Formality or Essence of our Justification?*\n\n*Resp.* In the *Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness* to us, Jer. 23.6. *This is the name whereby ye shall be called, Jehovah Tzidkennu, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.* 1 Cor. 1.30. *He is made to us righteousness.* This Righteousness of Christ which doth justifie us, is a better Righteousness then the Angels, theirs is the Righteousness of Creatures, this of God.\n\nQuest. *What is the Means or Instrument of our Justification?*\n\n*Resp. Faith,* Rom. 5.1. *Being justified by faith.* The *Dignity* is not in *Faith* as a Grace, but relatively, as it lays hold on Christ’s Merits.\n\nQuest. *What is the Efficient Cause of our Justification?*\n\n*Resp.* The *whole Trinity,* all the Persons in the Blessed Trinity have an Hand in the *Justification* of a Sinner: *Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa.* God the Father is said to justifie, *Rom.* 8.33. *It is God that justifieth.* God the Son is said to justify, Acts 13.39. *By him all that believe are justified.* God the Holy Ghost is said to justifie, 1 Cor. 6.11. *But ye are justified by the spirit of our God.* God the Father justifies as he pronounceth us Righteous; God the Son justifies as he imputes his Righteousness to us; and God the Holy Ghost justifies as he clears up our *Justification,* and seals us up to the Day of Redemption.\n\nQuest. *What is the End of our Justification?*\n\n*Resp.* The End is, 1. That God may *inherit Praise,* Eph. 1.6. *To the praise of the glory of his grace.* Hereby God raiseth the everlasting Trophies of his own Honour: How will the justified Sinner proclaim the Love of God, and make Heaven ring of his Praises.\n\n2\\. That the justified Person may *inherit Glory,* Rom. 8.30. *Whom he justified them he also glorified.* God in justifying doth not only *absolve* a Soul from Guilt, but *advance* him to *Dignity:* as *Joseph* was not only loosed from Prison, but made Lord of the Kingdom. *Justification* is crowned with *Glorification.*\n\nQuest. *Whether are we justified from Eternity?*\n\n*Resp.* No; for first, by Nature we are under a Sentence of *Condemnation,* Joh. 3.18. But we could not be at all condemned, if we were justified from Eternity.\n\n2\\. The Scripture confines *Justification* to those who believe and repent, *Acts* 3.19. *Repent, that your sins may be blotted out.* Therefore their sins were uncanciled and their Persons unjustified, till they did repent: though God doth not justifie us *for* our Repentance, yet not without it. The *Antinomians* erroniously hold, That we are justified from *Eternity.* This Doctrine is a Key which opens the Door to all Licentiousness; what sins do they care they commit, so long as they hold they are *ab Aeterno,* justified whether they repent or no.\n\nBefore I come to the Uses, I shall lay down four Maxims or Positions about *Justification:*\n\n*Position* 1. That *Justification confers a real benefit* upon the Person justified. The acquitting and discharging the Debtor by Vertue of the *Satisfaction* made by the Surety, is a real Benefit to the Debtor: A Robe of Righteousness, and a Crown of Righteousness are real Benefits.\n\n*Position* 2. All Believers are *alike justified: Justificatio non recipit magis & minus:* Though there are Degrees *in Grace,* yet not *in Justification*; one is not *justified* more than another. The weakest Believer is as perfectly *justified,* as the strongest: *Mary Magdalen* is as much *justified* as the *Virgin Mary.* This may be Cordial-water to a weak Believer. Though thou hast but a Dram of *Faith,* thou art as truly *justified* as he who is of the *highest stature* in Christ.\n\n*Position* 3. Whomsoever God *justifies* he *sanctifies:* 1 Cor. 6.11. *But ye are sanctified, but ye are justified.* The *Papists* calumniate the *Protestants,* they report we hold that Men continuing in sin are *justified*; whereas all our Protestant Writers affirm, That Righteousness imputed, *viz. Justification,* and *Righteousness inherent,* viz. *Sanctification* must be inseparably united. Holiness indeed is not the cause of our *Justification,* but it is the concomitant: the Heat in the Sun is not the cause of its Light, but it is the concomitant. It is absurd to imagine that God should justifie a People, and they go on Sin. If God should justifie a People and not sanctifie them, he should justifie a People whom he could not glorifie. God as he is an Holy God, cannot lay a Sinner in his Bosom. The Metal is first refined before the King’s Stamp is put upon it: First the Soul is refined with Holiness before God puts the Royal Stamp of Justification upon it.\n\n*Position* 4. *Justification* is *inamissibilis,* it is a fixed permanent Thing, it can never be lost. The *Arminians* hold an Apostasie from *Justification:* To day justified, to morrow unjustified; to day a *Peter,* to morrow a *Judas*; to day a Member of Christ, to morrow a Limb of Satan; a most uncomfortable Doctrine. Indeed justified Persons may fall from degrees of Grace, they may leave their first Love, they may lose God’s Favour for a time, but not lose their *Justification.* If they are justified then they are elected; they can no more fall from their *Justification,* then from their *Election.* If they are justified then they have Union with Christ, and can a Member of Christ be broken off? If one justified Person may fall away from Christ, then all may, and so Christ should be an Head without a Body.\n\n*Use* 1. See from hence, that there is nothing within us could justifie us, but something without us, not any Righteousness *inherent* but *imputed:* We may as well look for a Star in the Earth, as for *Justification* in our own Righteousness. The Papists say we are justified *by Works.* But the Apostle confutes it, *Not of works least any man should boast,* Eph. 2.9. But the Papists say, *The Works done by an unregenerate Man indeed cannot justify him, but works done by a regenerate Man may justify.* This is most false, as may be proved both by Example and Reason:\n\n1\\. By Example *Abraham* was a regenerate Man, but *Abraham* was not justified by Works but by Faith, Rom. 4.3. *Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.*\n\n2\\. By Reason: How can those Works justify us which defiles us? Isa. 64.6. *Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Bona opera non praecedunt justificationem, sed sequuntur justificatum:* Good Works are not an Usher to go before *Justification,* but an Handmaid to follow it.\n\n*Object.* But doth not the Apostle *James* say, *Abraham was justified by works?*\n\n*Resp.* The answer is easie, Works declare us to be righteous before Men, but they do not make us righteous before God. Works are Evidences of our *Justification,* not Causes. This Name only must be graven upon the Golden Plate of our High Priest Christ, *The LORD our righteousness.*\n\n2\\. *Use of Exhortation. Branch* 1. Adore the infinite Wisdom and Goodness of God to find out such a way to justify us, by *rich Grace* and *precious Bloud.* We were all involved in Guilt, none of us could plead, *Not Guilty*; and being Guilty we lay under a Sentence of Death; now that the Judge himself should find out a way to justify us, and the Creditor himself contrive a way to have the Debt paid, and not distress the Debtor; this may fill us with Wonder and Love. The Angels admire the Mystery of Free-grace in this new way of Justifying and Saving lost Man, 1 *Pet.* 1.12. and should not we who are nearly concerned in it, and on whom the Benefit is devolved, cry out with the Apostle, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, *O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God!* &c.\n\n*Branch* 2. Labour for this high Priviledge of Justification: There is *Balm in Gilead,* Christ hath laid down the *Price* of our Justification, *viz. His Bloud,* and he *offers himself* and all his Merits to us, to justifie; he invites us to come to him, he hath promised to give his *Spirit,* to inable us to do what is required. Why then Sinners will ye not look after this great Priviledge of *Justification?* Do not starve in the midst of Plenty; do not perish when there is a Remedy to save you. Would not he be thought to be distracted, if having a Pardon offered him only upon the Acknowledgment of his Fault, and promising Amendment, he should bid the Prince keep his Pardon to himself, for his part he was in love with his Chains and Fetters, and would dye? Thou who neglectest *Justification* offered thee freely by Christ in the Gospel, art this distracted Person. Is the Love of Christ to be slighted? Is thy Soul and Heaven worth nothing? O then look after *Justification* through Christ’s Bloud!\n\nConsider, 1. The *necessity* of being justified: If we are not justified, we cannot be glorified, Rom. 8.30. *Whom he justified them he also glorified.* He who is Outlawed, and all his Goods confiscated, must be brought into Favour with his Prince, before he can be restored to his former Rights and Liberties. So we must first have our Sins forgiven, and be brought into God’s Favour by *Justification,* before we can be restored to the Liberty of the Sons of God, and have Right to that Happiness we forfeited in *Adam.*\n\n2\\. The *Utility* and *Benefit:* By *Justification* we enjoy *Peace* in our Conscience, a richer Jewel then any Prince wears in his Crown, Rom. 5.1. *Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.* Peace can sweeten all Afflictions, it turns our Water into Wine: How happy is a justified Person, who hath the Power of God to guard him, and the Peace of God to comfort him. Peace flowing from *Justification,* is an Antidote against the Fear of Death and Hell, Rom. 8.34. *It is God that justifies, who is he that condemneth?* Therefore labour for this *Justification* by Christ; this Priviledge is obtain’d by believing in Christ, Acts 13.39. *By him all that believe are justified.* And, Rom. 3.25. *Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud.* Faith unites us to Christ, and having Union with his Person, we partake of his Merits, and the glorious Salvation which comes by him.\n\n*Use* 3. Comfort to the Justified, 1. It is Comfort in case of Failings: Alas, how defective are the Godly, they come short in every Duty! But though Believers should be humbled under their Defects, yet not despond, they are not to be justifi’d by their Duties or Graces, but the Righteousness of Christ. Their Duties are mixed with Sin, but that Righteousness which justifies them, is a *perfect Righteousness.*\n\n2\\. Comfort in case of hard Censures: The World censures the People of God for Proud and Hypocritical, and the *Troublers* of *Israel,* but though Men censure and condemn the Godly, yet God hath justified them: And as he hath *now,* justified them, so at the Day of Judgment he will openly justifie them, and pronounce them Righteous before Men and Angels. And God is so just and holy a Judge, that having once justified his People, he will never condemn them. *Pilate* justified Christ, *I find no fault in him*; yet after this he condemned him. But God having publickly justified his Saints, he will never condemn them: *Whom he justified, them he also glorified.*"}