But it is replied, — These things are not to be understood absolutely, and without limitations. Sundry distinctions are necessary, that we may come to understand the mind of the Holy Ghost and sense of the Scripture in these ascriptions unto grace, and exclusions of the law, our oivn works and righteousness from our justification. For, — 1. The law is either the moral or the ceremonial law. The latter, indeed, is excluded from any place in our justification, but not the former. 2. Works required by the law are either wrought be/ore faith, without the aid of grace; or after believing, by the help of the Holy Ghost. The former are excluded from our justification, but not the latter. 3. Works of obedience wrought after grace received may be considered either as sincere only, or absolutely perfect, according to what was originally required in the covenant of works.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 31
Those of tlie latter sort are excluded from any place in our justifica- tion, but not those of the former, 4. There is a twofold justifica- tion before God in this life, — a first and a second; and we must diligently consider with respect unto whether of these justifications any thing is spoken in the Scripture. 5. Justification may be con- sidered either as to its beginning or as unto its continuation; — and so it hath divers causes under these diverse respects. 6. Works may be considered either as meritorious ex condigno, so as their merit should arise from their own intrinsic worth ; or ex congruo only, with respect unto the covenant and promise of God. Those of the first sort are excluded, at least from the first justification : the latter may have place both in the first and second. 7. Moral causes may be of many sorts : preparatory, dispository, meritoi^ious, conditionally efficient, or only sine quibus non. And we must diligently inquire in what sense, under the notion of what cause or causes, our works are excluded from our justification, and under what notions they are necessary thereunto. And there is no one of these distinctions but it needs many more to explain it; which, accordingly, are made use of by learned men. And so specious a colour may be put on these things, when warily managed by the art of disputation, that very few are able to discern the ground of them, or what there is of substance in that which is pleaded for; and fewer yet, on whether side the truth doth He. But he who is really convinced of sin, and, being also sensible of what it is to enter into judgment with the holy God, inquires for liimself, and not for others, how he may come to be accepted with him, will be apt, upon the consideration of all these distinctions and sub-distinctions wherewith they are attended, to say to their authors, " Fecistis probfe, incertior sum multo, quam dudum." ]\[y inquiry is. How shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? how shall I escape the wrath to come? What shall I plead in judgment before God, that I may be absolved, ac- quitted, justified? where shall I have a righteousness that will endure a trial in his presence? If I should be harnessed with a thousand of these distinctions, I am afraid they would prove thorns and briers, which he would pass through and consume.
The inquiry, therefore is, upon the consideration of the state of the person to be justified, before mentioned and described, and the pro- posal of the reliefs in our justification as now expressed, whether it be the wisest and safest course for such a person seeking to be justi- fied before God, to betake himself absolutely, his whole trust and confidence, unto sovereign grace, and the mediation of Christ, or to have some reserve for, or to place some confidence in, his own gi'aces, duties, works, and obedience? In putting this great difference unto umpirage, that we may not be thought to fix on a partial arbitrator.
82 ON JUSTIFICATION.
we shall refer it to one of our greatest aud most learned adversaries in this cause. And he positively gives us in his determination and resolution in those known words, in this case: "Propter incertitu- dinem propria3 justitias, et periculum inanis glorise, tutissimum est fiduciam totam in sola misericordia Dei et benignitate reponere," Bellar. de Justificat., lib. v. cap. 7, prop. 3 ; — " By reason of the uncer- tainty of our own righteousness, and the danger of vain-glory, it is the safest course to repose our whole trust in the mercy and kindness or grace of God alone."
And this determination of this important inquiry he confirmeth with two testimonies of Scripture, as he might have done it with many more. But those which he thought meet to mention are not impertinent. The first is Dan. ix. 18, "We do not present our sup- plications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies ; " and the other is that of our Saviour, Luke xvii. 1 0, " When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say. We are unprofitable servants.'' And after he hath confirmed his resolution with sundry testimonies of the fathers, he closeth his dis- course with this dilemma: "Either a man hath true merits, or he hath not. If he hath not, he is perniciously deceived when he trusteth in any thing but the mercy of God alone, and seduceth himself, trusting in false merits; if he hath them, he loseth nothing whilst he looks not to them, but trusts in God alone. So that whether a man have any good works or no, as to his justification before God, it is best and safest for him not to have any regard imto them, or put any trust in them." And if this be so, he might have spared all his pains he took in writing his sophistical books about justification, whose principal design is to seduce the minds of men into a contrary opinion. And so, for auglit I know, they may spare their labour also, without any disadvantage unto tlie church of God or their own souls, who so earnestly contend for some kind of interest or other for our own duties and obedience in our justification before God; seeing it will be found tliat they place their own whole trust and confidence in the grace of God by Jesus Christ alone. For to what purpose do we labour and strive with endless disputations, arguments, and distinctions, to prefer our duties and obedience unto some office in our justification before God, if, when we have done all, we find it the safest course in our own persons to abhor ourselves with Job in the presence of God, to betake ourselves unto sovereign grace and mercy with the publican, and to place all our confidence in them through the obedience and blood of Christ?