02.04.03. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 Shews, that Faith is not a Condition of our Justification, and that it is not imputed to us for Righteousness.

I. A Proper Condition is an Addition to a Promise, by which we will that what is to be granted, or to be, should be conferr’d, in Case some other Thing is done. And therefore two Things enter into the Nature of a proper Condition. A Delay to fulfil the Promise, and an Uncertainty of the Bestowment of the Thing promised. For if the Condition is not fulfill’d, Right to the Benefit promised on that Condition, cannot take Placef61. Some have apprehended, that Faith is a proper Condition of our Justification by the Righteousness of Christ. That an everlasting Righteousness is brought in, for the Justification of Sinners that it is accepted of God to such a Purpose; and, that it is in itself sufficient to that end, am granted; but it is not allow’d to be imputed to any particular Person, except upon the Condition of believing in Christ. Against this Opinion, I object Thus,

1. This Principle supposes, that Christ was not made under the Law, nor obey’d it, for one Man, more than another: Or that he as much designed the Justification of Judas by his Obedience, as the Justification of Paul or Peter, which is entirely incontinent with that peculiar Love he bore to them, and in which Judas had no Interest.

2. There is a foederal Union between Christ and those Persons, on whose Account he fulfill’d the Law: He is their Head, and they are his Members, which can only be said of the Church of the first-born, who are written in Heaven, who are his Body, and to whom he is a Head exclusive of all others, to them therefore, he had a particular View, in his Obedience to the Law, and only intended the Justification of those Persons.

3. As we have before prov’d, this Condition is not in the Power of Men to perform. Now it would be an Impeachment of the Wisdom of Christ, and no Instance of Goodness in him, to design his Righteousness, as the Matter of our Acceptance with God, upon an impossible Condition.

4. If God gives that Grace to Men, which effectually enables them to fulfil this Condition, the Nature of a proper Condition, as to us, is lost: For Justification with Respect to Men becomes absolute, and what there is of Conditionality in it, is not on our Part, but on the Part of God.

5. If all those are not justified, for whom Christ: obey’d the Law, with a View to their Justification, he is disappointed of the End he propos’d to himself in his obeying of it, then he magnified the Law, and made it honourable in vain, as to these Persons, which may not be thought, any more than that he dy’d in vain.

6. Since Christ knew, that God would not enable such Men to believe, who are not of his Sheep, for Men continue in Unbelief, because they are not of that happy Number: Ye believe not, because ye are not of my Sheep, he must be suppos’d to intend, the Justification of such Patrons, as he certainly knew never could be justified, which can’t be thought without a manifest Impeachment of his Wisdom: Nor consistent with his Submission to the Father’s Will.

7. This supposes, that a Believer for a Time is not justified but condemn’d, for according to this Opinion, Faith is prior to Justification, which if it is, then a Believer may be considered as an unjustified Patron, at least until after his first Act of Faith; but thus he may not be conceived of.

II. Some are of Opinion, that Faith, i.e. the Grace of Faith is imputed for Righteousness, as the Socinians and Arminians. Dr. Doddridge declares himself to be of this Mind, tho’ he also believes the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness, which Arminius likewise did. I have said, (so he speaks) that I believe both, i.e. that the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, and that our Faith is imputed for Righteousnessf62. And says Dr. Doddridge, all manner of Imputation seems to be a Metaphor, taken from Books of Account, between Creditor and Debtor. To impute any Act of Sin, or of Obedience, is therefore properly no other than to let it down to his Account. The great God of Heaven and Earth is represented in Scripture, with humble Condescension to our Manner of acting and conceiving of Things, as keeping a most exact Book of Records and Accounts, in which things are registered concerning every one of us, which he wilt bring into that final Review and Survey, by which our Characters and States shall finally be determin’d. And as a most exact and perfect Obedience is a Debt which we owe him, as our great Creator, Benefactor, and Governor; so on the Breach of his Law, we owe him some proper Satisfaction for it. In this view, we are all charged as Debtors, poor, miserable and insolvent Debtors in the Book of God: Innumerable sins are imputed, or set down to our Account: And were Things to go on in this Course, we should e’er long be arrested by the divine Justice, and being found incapable of Payment, should be cast into the Prison of Hell, to come out no more. But God in Pity, to this our calamitous State, has found out a Surety and a Ransom for us, and has provided a Satisfaction in the Obedience and Sufferings of his Son; which is what we mean by the Righteousness of Christ, or his active and passive Obedience. It is with a gracious Regard to this, to express his high Complacency in it, and if I may so speak his pleasing Remembrance of it, that all who are finally justified and saved, meet with divine Acceptance and Favour: Or to pursue the Metaphor open’d above, the Righteousness of Christ is in the Book of God, imputed offer down to their Account, as that by which the Debt is balanced, and they are intitled to such Favours as righteous Persons might expect from God. But then it is an invariable Rule in the divine Proceedings, that this Righteousness, or this Atonement and Satisfaction of Christ, (for I think it matters but little, by which of these Names it shall be called) be a Means of delivering those, and only those, that believe. Pursuant therefore to the afore said Metaphor, when any particular Person believes, this is set down to his Account, as a most important Article, or as a Memorandum (if I may so express it) in the Book of Gods Remembrance, that such a one is now actually become a Believer, and therefore is now entitled to Justification and Life by Christ. In this Sense his Faith is imputed for Righteousness. Yet it is not regarded by God, as the grand Consideration which balances the Account, or indeed as paying any Part of the former Debt, which it is impossible it should; but only as that, which according to the gracious Constitution of the Gospel gives a Man a Claim to that which Christ has paid, and which God has graciously allowed as a valuable Consideration, in regard to which be may honourably pardon and accept all who shall apply to him in his appointed Way, or in the Way of humble believing, aa Faith was described abovef63. On this extraordinary Paragraph we may remark as follows.

1. It is supposed that the Satisfaction of Christ is not real and proper; but is graciously allowed of God as a valuable Consideration for our Discharge, altho’ it is not so in itself, for if so it is, it is not a Favour to allow it to be such.

2. That this was paid for such, as may have no Claim to it for want of Faith. The Churches of Christ, in Northamptonshire, may expect to soon hear the universal Extent of Christ’s Death in express Words asserted, when they are sufficiently prepared for it, by such artful and sly Insinuations of it.

3. That it is Faith which intitles Men to this Satisfaction of Christ’s, such as it is allowed to be: We have thought that it was God’s Acceptation of it for us, and his Imputation of it to us, that made it ours, and not any Act which we perform, but it seems this old Protestant Doctrine proves a Mistake.

4. It is here suppos’d, that we are not constituted and made righteous, by the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness to us; but receive Favours from God, as if we were righteous, tho’ in Reality we are not so made.

5. It is expressly affirm’d that Faith, i.e. the Grace of Faith is imputed for Righteousness: So say Papists, Socinians, and Arminians, the learned Man, if that will afford him any Degree of Pleasure, may observe, that all who are averse to the most important Point of the truly reform’d Religion, viz. the Doctrine of Justification by the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ ALONE, differ not from him, in this his Opinion of the imputation of the Grace of Faith for Rightousness. ‘Tis not a little strange that such a Congregation as that at Rowel in Northamptonshire, should press the Publication of Doctrine, quite the Reverie of what they have been faithfully instructed in, by a Succession of able and judicious Ministers, for many Years, and which they have profess’d to cordially believe: But tho’ they so did, I can’t persuade myself to think, that they will give up the glorious Truths of the Reality and Perfection of Christ’s Satisfaction, the Inconditionality of an Interest in it, and in the Remission of Sin, arising from it and secured by it. Nor that of Justification by Christ’s Obedience without any Act of ours. I would here advance some Arguments to prove that the Grace of Faith is not imputed for Righteousness,

1. If Faith is imputed for Righteousness, it is either the Act of Faith only, or it is the Act with the good Works, Which attend it and spring from it: If it is the Act of Faith itself, then we are justified by an Act of our own, and in Justification God imputes not Righteousness to us without Works; but on the contrary, he imputes to us in order to Justification, an Act or Work of our own, for such is Faith. If Faith in Connection with its Fruits, Repentance and holy Obedience, is imputed to us for Righteousness, then we are justified by Works, and therefore this great Benefit with all the Fruits attending it become due to us, and the Reward is not reckoned of Grace; but of Debt, if the Apostle’s Reasoning is right.

2. If Faith itself is the Matter of our Acceptance with God, then he justifies us, on Account of an imperfect Work, for such is our Faith, and by Reason of the Imperfection of it, we become liable to Condemnation according to the holy Law of God, which requires absolute Perfection in order to Justification: So that an Act to which Remission is necessary, is the Foundation of our Justification before the awful and holy Tribunal of God. Nothing more false or absurd than is this, that an Act which in strict Justice deserves Punishment, because of its defective Nature, is accepted of God, as our justifying Righteousness, and intitles us to divine Benefits, will soon be invented.

3. In Justification God either accounts us perfect and sinless, or imperfect and deficient in the Practice of our Duty: If he reckons us perfect, then Faith which is imperfect cannot be our justifying Righteousness in his Sight, that is, if his Judgment is formed of us according to Truth: If God justifies us as imperfect, then he pronounces Men righteous, who are unrighteous, for one single Act of Offence against the Law, justly denominates a Man a Transgressor, and this his Act of Disobedience subjects him to legal Condemnation, and wilt be an eternal Bar to his Justification by his own Acts of Obedience, how sincere soever.

4. If Men are justified by Faith itself, they have whereof to Glory, and Boasting is not excluded, especially as Faith is thought to be produced, by the Concurrence of the human Will, with the Operations of divine Grace, and Men are suppos’d in Part at least, to be the Cause of their differing from others.

5. Upon this Principle a Believer cannot truly acknowledge, that his purest Acts and best Services consider’d in themselves, expose him to Condemnation according to the Law: Nor hath he Reason to pray, that God would not enter into Judgment with him; but on the contrary, this he is to expect, and is to be justified or condemn’d, as he obeys or disobeys that Law, which requires Faith, as a Condition of his Justification. 6. Neither may Believers renounce a Dependance on their Works, for if God has expressly declared, that he will justify them, on Account of any Acts, or Act of theirs, they ought not to reject those Acts, or that Act, in the great Business of their Acceptance with the Majesty of Heaven; but agreeable to his revealed Will, place their Hopes of Justification therein, and not act such a preposterous Part, as the Apostle must be supposed to do, (if this Doctrine is true) who counted all Things except the Righteousness of Christ, but Dung, Skuzala Dog’s Meat (Php 3:8.), as the Word signifies, and of no Consideration in the momentous Affair of his Justification before God: Nor may he frame such an Opinion of himself, and of all his own Righteousness, as the Church does of herself and of her Righteousness: We are all as an unclean Thing, and all our Righteousnesses are as filthy Rags. Before I dismiss this Point, it will be proper to answer an Argument, advanced in Favour of the Imputation of the Grace of Faith for Righteousness. The Argument is this, it is expressly said, that Faith was imputed to Abraham for Righteousness, Romans 4:22.

Answ. Faith either intends the Grace or the Object of Faith; it is strenuously insisted on by Papists, Socinians and Arminians, and by some others, who perhaps would not be thought to be of either of those Parties, that the Grace of Faith is intended: But various Things may be objected to it, taken from the Context and the Thread of the Apostle’s Discourse, which will not I apprehend, admit of easy and solid Answers; as, 1. The inspired Writer in Chapters the first and second, and in the first Part of the third Chapter of this Epistle, largely proves the universal Corruption of human Nature, and thereupon infers this Conclusion in the 20th Verse, By the Deeds of the Law, no Flesh can be justified in the Sight of God.

2. He lays down this Proposition in the 21 Verse: The Righteousness of God is manifested and witnessed to, by the Law and the Prophets, which is the Matter of our Acceptance in Opposition to Works. In the 22d Verse he distinguishes this Righteousness from Faith: Even the Righteousness, which is by Faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no Difference. The Grace of Faith, which is so plainly distinguish’d from the Righteousness manifested and witnessed to, by the Law and the Prophets, cannot be that Righteousness itself. In Verses 24, 25, 26, he expresly declares this Righteousness to be the Redemption and Propitiation. of Christ, hence it is evident, that it was the Intention of the Apostle to prove, that the Matter of our Justification before God is not in ourselves, but in Christ; on whom true Faith acts, as its proper Object, and therefore all Boasting is excluded, and the Law is fully establish’d in the Justification of Sinners, thro’ the Perfection of that Righteousness the Gospel reveals. In the fourth Chapter, the Apostle enters upon the Proof of this important and glorious Doctrine, and produces Abraham, as an Instance of this free Justification, by the Righteousness of God. In Verse the 6th he calls it: A Righteousness without Works: Faith is a Work, and therefore cannot be that Righteousness. In Verse the 11th he distinguishes this Righteousness, from that Faith Abrabam had, while he was uncircumcised, and therefore his Faith could not be that Righteousness, which was imputed to him, in order to his Justification. Circumcision was to Abraham a Seal, not of his Faith, but of what God had revealed and promis’d to him, as a Ground of his Hope and Trust, which the Apostle calls the Righteousness of Faith, and which is the Righteousness that the Faith of Abraham had Respect to, and trusted in, and is imputed to such who are not circumcis’d. In the 13th Verse he again calls it the Righteousness of Faith. In the 18th Verse he mentions the divine Promise given to Abraham, as the Foundation of his Hope, and the Object of his Trust. In Verses 19, 20 and 21, he observes the Strength of Abraham’s Faith under the many Difficulties, which attended the Accomplishment of that Promise, to which his Faith had Respect: And then asserts, that this Righteousness of God, on which his Faith acted in so eminent a Manner was imputed to him Verse the 22d. Besides, another Thing which evidently shews, that it was not Abraham’s Faith itself, which was imputed to him for Righteousness, but the Object of his Faith, is this: That which was imputed to Abraham for Righteousness, is also imputed to others, to the same End, which can’t be true of his Faith; but is true of the Object of his Faith, viz. the Righteousness of God, which is to all, and upon all them, that believe without any Difference or Distinction. Thus the Apostle clearly proves the Proposition laid down, that the Matter of our Justification, is not in ourselves; but that it is the Righteousness of God manifested, and witnessed to, by the Law and the Prophets. To there Things we may subjoyn, that the Apostle in the next Chapter, professedly treats of the Imputation of Adam’s Sin to his Posterity, and of the Imputation of Christ’s Obedience to his Seed, in order to Justification of Life. And therefore it could not be his Design in this Chapter to establish the Doctrine of Justification, by Faith, as an Act or Work of ours.