OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. 373
by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ doth render oior personal righteousness needless, and overthrows all necessity of a holy life. The other is, that the apostle James, in his epistle, doth plainly ascribe our justification unto works; and what he affirms there is inconsistent with that sense of those many other testimonies of Scripture which we plead for.
For the first of these, although those who oppose the truth we contend for do proceed on various different and contradictory prin- ciples among themselves, as to what they exalt in opposition unto it, yet do they all agree in a vehement urging of it. For those of the chui-ch of Rome who renewed this charge, invented of old by others, it must be acknowledged by all sober men, that, as managed by them, it is an open calumny: for the wisest of them, and those whom it is hard to conceive but that they knew the contrary, as Bellarmine, Vasquez, Suarez, do openly aver that Protestant writers deny all in- herent righteousness (Bellarmine excepts Bucer and Chemnitius); that they maintain that men may be saved, although they live in all manner of sin ; that there is no more required of them but that they believe that their sins are forgiven ; and that whilst they do so, al- though they give themselves up unto the most sensual vices and abominations, they may be assured of their salvation.
" Tantum relligio potuit suadere malorum !"
So will men, out of a perverse zeal to promote their own interest in the religion they profess, wilfully give up themselves unto the worst of evils, such as false accusation and open calumny ; and of no other nature are these assertions, which none of the writings or preachings of those who are so charged did ever give the least coun- tenance unto. Whether the forging and promulgation of such im- pudent falsehoods be an expedient to obtain justification by works in the sight of God, they who continue in them had best consider. For my part, I say again, as I suppose I have said already, that it is all one to me what religion men are of who can justify themselves in such courses and proceedings. And for those among ourselves who are pleased to make use of this objection, they either know what the doctrine is which they would oppose, or they do not. If they do not, the wise man tells them that " he who answereth a matter before he hear it, it is folly and shame unto him." If they do understand it, it is evident that they use not sincerity but artifices and false pretences, for advantage, in their handling of sacred things ; which is scandalous to religion. Socinus fiercely manageth this charge against the doctrine of the Reformed churches, De Servat. par. 4, cap. 1 ; and he made it the foundation whereon, and the reason why, he opposed the doctrine of the imputation of the satisfaction of Christ, if any
S74 ON JUSTIFICATION.
Buch satisfaction should be allowed ; which yet he peremptorily denies. And he hath Avritten a treatise unto the same purpose, defended by Schlichtingius against Meisnerus. And he takes the same honest course herein that others did before him ; for he chargeth it on the divines of the Protestant churches, that they taught that God justi- fieth the ungodly, — not only those that are so, and whilst they are so, but although they continue so; that they required no inherent righteousness or holiness in any, nor could do so on thek principles, seeing the imputed righteousness of Cluist is sufficient for them, although they live in sin, are not washed nor cleansed, nor do give up themselves unto the ways of duty and obedience unto God, whereby he may be pleased, and so bring in libertinism and anti- nomianism into the church. And he thinks it a sufficient confuta- tion of this doctrine, to allege against it that " neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers," etc., " shall inherit the kingdom of God." And these are some of those ways which have rendered the management of controversies in religion scandalous and abomin- able, such as no wise or good man will meddle withal, unless com- pelled for the necessary service of the church; for these things are openly false, and made use of with a shameful dishonesty, to promote a corrupt design and end. When I find men at this kind of work, I have very little concernment in what they say afterward, be it true or false. Their rule and measure is Avhat serves their own end, or what may promote the design and interest wherein they are engaged, be it right or ^vrong. And as for this man, there is not any article in religion (the principal whereof are rejected by him) on whose account he doth with more confidence adjudge us unto eter- nal ruin, than he doth on this of the satisfaction of Christ, and the imputation of it unto them that do believe. So much darkness is there remaining on the minds of the most of men, — so many inveterate prejudices on various occasions axe they pestered withal, especially if not under the conduct of the same enhghtening Spirit, — that some will confidently condemn others unto eternal flames for those things whereon they place, on infallible grounds, their hopes of eternal blessedness, and know that they love God and live unto him on their account. But this wretched advantage of condemning all them to hell who dissent from them is greedily laid hold of by all sorts of persons, for they thereby secretly secure their o^vn whole party in the persuasion of eternal salvation, be they otherwise what they will ; for if the want of that faith which they profess will certainly damn men whatever else they be, and how good soever their lives be, many will easily suffer themselves to be deceived with a foolish sophism, that then that faith which they profess will assuredly save them, be their lives what they please, considering how it falls in with their inclina-