2. The scripture leaves all unbelievers, without distinction, under condemnation and wrath. The curse of^ the law lies upon them all till they believe, John iii. 18. " He that beHeveth in him is not " condemned ; but he that believeth not, is condemned already." And, Eph. ii. 3, 12, 13. The very elect themselves were hy nature the children ofwrath^ even as others. They were at that time, or during that state of nature, (which takes in all that whole space betwixt their conception and conversion) without Christ, without hope, without God in the zcorld. But if this opinion be true, that the elect were justified from eternity, or from the time of Christ's death, then it cannot be true, that the elect by nature are chil- dren of wrath, without Christ, without hope, without God in the world ; except these two may consist together, (which is absolutely impossible) that the children of wrath, without God, Christ, or hope, are actually discharged from their sins and dangers, by a free and gracious act of justification.
Objection. But doth not scripture say, Rom. viii. 33. " Who " shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect.?" If none can charge the elect, then God hath discharged them.
Solution. God hath not actually discharged them, as they are elect, but as they are justified elect; for so runs the text, and clears itself in the very next words. It is God that justifieth. When God hath actually justified an elect person, none can charge him.
(3.) It is cross to the scripture order of justification, which
OF AXTIXOMIANISM. 563
places it not only after Christ's death in the place last cited, Rom. viii. 3f3. but also after our actual vocation ; as is plain, ver. 30. *' Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and " whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, *' them he also glorified." It is absurd to place vocation before predestination, or glorification before justification .? Sure then it must be absurd also to place justification before vocation ; the one as well as the other confounds and breaks the scripture order : You may as well say, men shall be glorified that were never jus- tified, as say they may be justified before they believed, or existed. So that you see the notion of justification from eternity, or before our actual existence, and effectual vocation, is a notion as repug- nant to sacred scripture, as it is to sound reason.
Reason 3. And as it is found repugnant to reason and scrip- ture, so it is highly injurious to Jesus Christ and the souls of men.
(1.) It greatly injures the Lord Jesus Christ, and robs him of the glory of being our Saviour; for if the elect be justified from eternity, Christ cannot be the Saviour of the elect, as most assuredly he is ; for if Christ save them, he must save them as persons subject to perishing, either de facto or de jure. But if the elect were justified from eternity, they could, in neither respect, be subject to perishing : For he that was eternally justified, was never condemned, nor capable of condemnation ; and he that never was, nor could be condemned, could never be subject to perishing ; and he that never was, nor could be subject to perishing, can never truly and properly be said to be saved.
If it be said the elect were not justified till the death of Christ, I demand then what became of all them that died before the death of Christ.? If they were not justified, they could not be glorified; for this is sure, from Rom. viii. 30. that the whole number of the glorified in heaven is made up of such as were justified on earth : Let men take heed, therefore, lest, under pretence of exaltino- Christ, they bereave him of the glory of being the Saviour of his elect.
(2.) It bereaves him of another glorious royalty. The scripture every where makes our justification the result and fruit of the me- ritorious death of Christ, Rom. iii. 24, 25. Rom. viii. 3, 4 2 Cor. V. 19, 20. Gal. iii. 13, 14. Eph. i. 17. but if men were justified from eternity, how is their justification the fruit and result of the blood of the cross .? as it plainly appears from these scriptures to be. Nay,
(3.) This opinion leaves no place for the satisfaction of justice by the bl(X)d of Christ for our sins. He did not die according to this opinion to pay our debts. And here Antinomianisra and Socinian- VoL. III. N n
564* THE SECOND AITEXDIX.
ism meet, and congratulate each other: For if tliere were no debts o^v^llg to the justice of God from eternity, Christ could not die to pay them ; and it is manifest there v/ere no debts due to God's jus- tice from eternity, on the account of his elect, if the elect were from eternity justified ; unless you will say, a person may be justified, and yet his debts not paid: For all justification dissolves the obliga- tion to punishment.
If there were any debt for Clirist to pay by his blood, they must either be his own debts, or the elect's. To say they were his own is a blasphemous reproach to him ; and, according to this opinion, we cannot say they were the elect's; for if they were justified from eternity their debts were discharged, and their bonds cancelled from eternity. So that this opinion leaves nothing to the blood of Christ to discharge, or make satisfaction for.
(4.) And as it hath been proved to be highly injurious to the Lord Jesus, so it is greatly injurious to the souls of men, as it naturally leads them into all those M'ild and licentious opinions, which naturally flow frcm it, as from the radical, prolific error, whence most of the rest derive themselves, as will immediately appear in
Error II. T/uit justification hy faith is no more hut the mani-
Jestation to us of zdiat was really and actually done before ; or a
being pe?'suaded more or less of Christ s love to us; and that when
persons do hclicve^ that ivhich was hid before doth then only appear
Refutation. As the former error dangerously corrupts the doc- trine of justification, so this corrupts the doctrine of faith ; and therefore deser\'es to be exploded by all Christians.
That there is a manifestation and discovery of the special love of God and our own saving concernment in the death of Christ to some Christians at some limes cannot be denied. St. Paul could say. Gal. ii. ^0, 21. Christ loved him, and gave himself for him ; but to say that this is the justifying act of faith, whereby a sinner passes from* condemnation and death into the state of righteousness and life ; this I must look upon as a great error ; and that for the fol- lowing reasons :