You are called to be saints, Rom. i. 7. Show your vocation by a Bible conversation. Shall not ilowers smell sweeter than weeds? Shall not they who are ennol)led with grace have more fragrancy in their lives than sinners? 1 Pet. i. 15., " As he wlio hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of c-fm- versation." O dishonour not your hi"h calling, by any sordid carriage! Wjien Antigonus was going to defile himself with women; one told him, "he was a kin<r's son." O remember your dignity : ' called of God !' of the blood-royal of heaven : do nothing unworthy of your honourable call- ing ! Scipio refused the embraces of au harlot because he was general of an army : abhor all motions to sin, because of your high calling. It is not fit for them who arc tlie called of God, to do as others; though others of the Jews did drink wine, it was not fit for the Nazarite, because he had a vow of separation upon him, and had promised abstinence. Though Pagans and nominal Christians take libertv to sin, vet It IS not ht for them who are called out of the world, and have the mark of electicm upon them, to do so; ye are consecrated persons, your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and your bodies must be a sa- cristy or holy of holies.
OF JUSTIFICATION.
Rom. iii. 24. Being justified freely by his Grace.
Quest. XXXIH. WHAT is justijica- tioTi ?
Jxs. It is an act of God's free grace, whereby he pardoneth all our sins, and ac- cepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Cmnsr, im])uted to us, and received by faith alone.
Justification is the very hinge and pil- ar of CHRISTIANITY : and an error about
justification is dangerous, like a crack in the foundation, or an error in the first con- coction. 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 deatii the doctrine of justi- fication would be corrupted ;" as it hath been in these latter times : the Arminiaus
\b2
OF JUSTIFICATION.
and Socinians liavc (;ast a dead fly into this box of |)recious ointment.
I shall endeavour to follow the star of scri|i4uie to lii^ht nic through this myste- rious point
(jui:s'i\ JVhat is meant by jiislification 9
Ana. It is vtrbum forense, — a word bor- rowed from law-courts, wherein a person arraigned is pronounced righteous, and is openly absolved in the court. Thus God, iu instirying a person, pronounccth him to bo iigliteous, and looks upon him as if he had not sinned.
Quest. What is the ground of justification ?
Jns. The causa., — 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 ex- pounds, " 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 dehnquent. Justification is a mercy spun out of the bowels of free grace. God doth not justify us because we are worthy, but by justifying us makes us worthy.
Quest, llliat is the material causCi or that by which a sinner is justified ?
Ans. 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 inno- cent 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.
Quest. But how teas ChrisCs satisfaction meritorious, and so sufficient tojustijy ?
Ans. In respect of the divine nature : as he was man he suffered, as God he satisfi- ed ; by Christ's death and merits, God's justice is more abundantly satisfied, than if we had suffered the pains of hell for ever,
Quest. JVherein lies the formality or es- sence of our justification?
Ans. In the imputation of Christ's righ-
Tzidkennu" The Lord our righteous- ness. 1 Cor. i. 30., " He is made to us righteousness." This righteousness of Christ which doth justify us, is a better righteousness than the angels' ; theirs is the righteousness of creatures, this of God.
Quest. JVhat is the means or instrumerU of our justification ?
Ans. Faith, Rom. v. 1., " Being justified by faith." The dignity is not in faith as a grace, but relatively, as it lays liold ou Christ's merits.
Quest. What is the efficient cause of our justification ?