' Stanislaus Ilosius was a Roman Catholic author. Ilis collected works passed through several editions, of whicli the earliest seems to have been one published at I'aris in 1552. His treatise, " Do Expresso Dei Verbo," was also published separately in 1610. — Ed.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS, 41
of sin. So the psalmist complains that his " sins were a burden too heavy for him," Ps. xxxviii. 4. Such was Cain's apprehension of his guilt, Gen. iv. 13. This burden Christ bare, when it was laid on him by divine estimation. For so it is said, ''^D^ N^n Dniij?l^ Isa. liii. 11, — " He shall bear their iniquities" on him as a burden. And this he did when God made to meet upon him " the iniquity of us all," verse 6, In the application of this unto our o^vn souls, as it is required that we be sensible of the weight and burden of our sins, and how it is heavier than we can bear; so the Lord Christ calls us unto him with it, that we may be eased. This he doth in the preachings of the gospel, wherein he is " evidently crucified before our eyes," Gal. iii. 1. In the view which faith hath of Christ crucified (for faith is a "look- ing unto him," Isa. xlv. 22, Ixv. 1, answering their looking unto the brazen serpent who were stung mth fiery serpents, John iii. 14, 15), and under a sense of his invitation (for faith is our coming unto him, upon his call and invitation) to come unto him with our burdens, a believer considereth that God hath laid all our iniquities upon him; yea, that he hath done so, is an especial object whereon faith is to act itself, which is faith in his blood. Hereon doth the soul approve of and embrace the righteousness and grace of God, with the infinite condescension and love of Christ himself. It gives its consent that what is thus done is what becomes the infinite Avisdom and grace of God; and therein it rests. Such a person seeks no more to establish his own righteousness, but submits to the righteousness of God. Herein, by faith, doth he leave that burden on Christ which he called him to bring with him, and complies with the wisdom and righteous- ness of God in laying it upon him. And herewithal doth he receive the everlasting risjhteousness which the Lord Christ brought in when he made an end of sin, and reconciliation for transgressors.
The reader may be pleased to observe, that I am not debating these things ao-gumentatively, in such propriety of expressions as are required in a scholastic disjjutation ; which shall be done afterward, so far as I judge it necessary. But I am doing that which indeed is better, and of more importance, — namely, declaring the experience of faith in the expressions of the Scripture, or such as are analogous unto them. And I had rather be instrumental in the communica- tion of light and knowledge unto the meanest believer, than to have the clearest success against prejudiced disputers. Wherefore, by faith thus acting are we justified, and have j^eace with God. Other foun- dation in this matter can no man lay, that will endure the trial.
Nor are we to be moved, that men who are unacquainted with these things in their reality and power do reject the whole iuo7^k of faith herein, as an easy effort of fancy or imagination. For the preaching of the cross is foolishness unto the best of the natural
42 ON JUSTIFICATIOX.
wisdom of men ; neither can any understand them but by the Spirit of God. Those who know the terror of the Lord, who have been really convinced and made sensible of the guilt of their apostasy from God, and of their actual sins in that state, and what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God, — seeking thereon after a real solid foundation whereon they may be accepted with him, — have other thouG^hts of these thinsfs, and do find believing a thinjj to be quite of another nature than such men suppose. It is not a work of fancy or imagination unto men, to deny and abhor themselves, to subscribe unto the righteousness of God in denouncing death as due to their sins, to renounce all hopes and expectations of relief from any righteousness of their own, to mix the word and promise of God con- cerning Christ and righteousness by him with faith, so as to receive the atonement, and therewithal to give up themselves unto a universal obedience unto God. And as for them unto whom, through pride and self-conceit on the one hand, or ignorance on the other, it is so, we have in this matter no concernment with them. For unto whom these things are only the work of fancy, the gospel is a fable.
Something unto this purpose I had written long since, in a prac- tical discourse^ concerning " Communion mth God." And whereas some men of an inferior condition have found it useful, for the strength- ening themselves in their dependencies on some of their superiors, or in compliance with their o^vn inclinations, to cavil at my writings and revile their author, that book hath been principally singled out to exercise their faculty and good intentions upon. This course is steered of late by one Mr Hotchkis, in a book about justification; wherein, in particular, he falls very severely on that doctrine, which, for the substance of it, is here again proposed, p. 81. And were it not that I hope it may be somewhat useful unto him to be a little warned of his mimoralities in that discourse, I should not in the least have taken notice of his other impertinencies. The good man, I perceive, can be angry with persons whom he never saw, and about things which he can not or will not understand, so far as to revile them Avith most opprobrious language. For my part, although I have never written any thing designedly on this subject, or the doctrine of justification, before now, yet he could not but discern, by what was occasionally delivered in that discourse, that I maintain no other doctrine herein but what was the common faith of the most learned men in all Pro- testant churches. And the reasons why I am singled out for the ob- ject of his petulancy and spleen are too manifest to need repetition. But I shall yet inform him of what, perhaps, he is ignorant, — namely, that I esteem it no small honour that the reproaches wherewith the doctrine opposed by him is reproached do fall upon me. And the ^ See vol. ii. of Ijis works.