110 ON JUSTIFICATION.
our minds the meaning and intention of the scriptural expressions so often used, t/ots/, sx 'xianug, dia msnug, there is none so proper as this of an instrument or instrumental cause, seeing a causality is included in them, and that of any other kind certainly excluded; nor hath it any of its own.
But it may be said, that if faith be the instrumental cause of justification, it is either the mstrument of God, or the instrument of believers themselves. That it is not the instrument of God is plain, in that it is a duty which he prescribeth unto us: it is an act of our own; and it is we that believe, not God; nor can any act of ours be the instrument of his work. And if it be our instrument, seeing an efficiency is ascribed unto it, then are we the efficient causes of our own justification in some sense, and may be said to justify ourselves; which is derogatory to the grace of God and the blood of Christ.
I confess that I lay not much weight on exceptions of this nature. For, First, Notwithstanding what is said herein, the Scripture is ex- press, that " God justifieth us by faith." " It is one God which shall justify the circumcision sx, v'lGTiwg" (by faith,) " and the uncircum- cision hia 7r\g vidrioig," (through or by faith,) Rom. iii. 30. "The Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith," Gal. iii. 8. As he " purifieth the hearts of men by faith," Acts XV. 9, wherefore faith, in some sense, may be said to be the instru- Tnent of God in our justification, both as it is the means and way ordained and appointed by him on our part whereby we shall be justified ; as also, because he bestow^eth it on us, and works it in us unto this end, that we may be justified: for " by grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God," Eph. ii. 8. If any one shall now say, that on these accounts, or with re- spect unto divine ordination and operation concurring unto our jus- tification, faith is the instrument of God, in its place and w^ay, (as the gospel also is, Rom, i. 16 ; and the ministers of it, 2 Cor. v. 18; 1 Tim. iv. 6 ; and the sacraments also, Rom. iv. 11 ; Tit. iii. 5, in their several places and kinds), unto our justification, it may be he will contribute unto a right conception of the work of God herein, as much as those shall by whom it is denied.
But that which is principaUy intended is, that it is the instrument of them that do believe. Neither yet are they said hereon to justify themselves. For whereas it doth neither really produce the effect of justification by a physical operation, nor can do so, it being a pure sovereign act of God ; nor is morally any way meritorious thereof; nor doth dispose the subject wherein it is unto the introduction of an inherent formal cause of justification, there being no such thing in " rerum natura;" nor hath any other physical or moral respect unto the effect of justification, but what ariseth merely from the con-
THE USE OF FAITH IN JUSTIFICATION. Ill
stitution and appointment of God; there is no colour of reason, from the instrumentality of faith asserted, to ascribe the effect of justifi- cation unto any but unto the principal efficient cause, which is God alone, and from whom it proceedeth in a way of free and sovereign grace, disposing the order of things and the relation of them one unto another as seemeth good unto him. A/xa/&Li,«,£i/o/ dupiav rfj au-oij ^dpiTi, Kom. iii. 2-i; A/a t5jj irisnojg sv riZ aurov a/'^cir/, verse 25. It is, therefore, the ordinance of God prescribing our duty, that we may be justified freely by his grace, having its use and operation to- wards that end, after the manner of an instr-ument ; as we shall see farther immediately. Wherefore, so far as I can discern, they con- tribute nothing unto the real understanding of this truth, who deny faith to be the instrumental cause of our justification ; and, on other grounds, assert it to be the condition thereof, unless they can prove that this is a more natural exposition of these expressions, viarii, ix ^r/ffrswg, Bia rr^g -Trlffrsug, which is the first thing to be inquii'ed after. For all that we do in this matter is but to endeavour a right under- standing of Scripture propositions and expressions, unless we intend to wander " extra oleas,'"' and lose ourselves in a maze of uncertain conjectures.
Secondly. They designed to declare the use of faith in justification, expressed in the Scripture by apprehending and receiving of Christ or his righteousness, and remission of sins thereby. The words whereby this use of faith in our justification is expressed, are, Xa/MQavu, '^rapaXa/j^Qdvoj, and xaraXa/MQdvoj. And the constant use of them in the Scripture is, to take or receive what is offered, tendered, given, or granted unto us; or to apprehend and lay hold of any thing thereby to make it our own: as s'TnXa/j.Qdvo/Mcti is also used in the same sense, Heb. ii. 16. So we are said by faith to " receive Christ," John i. 12; Col. ii. 6 ; — the " abundance of grace, and the gift of righteous- ness," Rom. V. 17; — the " word of promise," Acts ii. 41; — the "word of God," Acts viii. 14; 1 Thess. i. 6, ii. 13 ; — the "atonement made by the blood of Christ," Rom. v. 11 ; — the " forgiveness of sins," Acts X. 43, xxvi. 18; — the "promise of the Spirit," Gal. iiL 14; — the "pro- mises," Heb. ix. 15. There is, therefore, nothing that concurreth unto our justification, but we receive it by faith. And unbelief is expressed by " not receiving," John i. 11, iii. 11, xii. 48, xiv. 17. Wherefore, the object of faith in our justification, that whereby we are justified, is tendered, granted, and given unto us of God ; the use of faith being to lay hold upon it, to receive it, so as that it may be our own. What we receive of outward things that are so given unto us, we do it by our hand; Avhich, therefore, is the instrument of that reception, that whereby we apprehend or lay hold of any thing to appropriate it unto om-selves, and that, because this is the peculiar ofiice wliii'h,