8. That the denial of our faith and obedience to be the condition of our justi- fication, or the asserting that we are justified by the obedience of Christ imputed to us, is the ready way to overthrow all obedience, and drive all holiness and righteousness out of the world.
'• Quod Christus factus sit nobis a Deo justitia, 1 Cor. i. 80, id minime eo sensu dici, quasi loco nostri legem impleverit, sic ut nobis deinceps ipsius justitia imputetur," etc. — Schlichting. ad Meisner. Disput. pro Socin. p. 277. "Tertius error est, Deum im- putare credcutibus innocentiam et justitiam Christi. Non innocentiam, non justitiani Christi Deus imputat credentibus, sed fidem illorum illis imputat pro justitia."— Smalc. Refut. Thes. Franz, disp. 4, p. 104. " Alterum est extremum, quod vulgo receptum est, non sine summa animax-um pernicie; videlicet, ad justificationem nostram nihil prorsus bona opera pertinere, nisi quatenus sunt ipsius justificationis efifecta. Ubi qui ita sentiunt," etc. — Idem.
9. That, as the beginning, so the continuance of our justification depends on the condition of our faith, repentance, and obedience, Avhich are not fruits conse- quent of it, but conditions antecedent to it, Socin. Thes. de Justificat. p. 18; Fragm. de Justificat. p. 113. And therefore, in the first place, we are to be soli- citous about what is within us, about our sanctification, before our absolution or justification, Socin. Ep. ad Ch. MN. de Fide et Operibus.
" Sic apparet tandem vestigationcm nostram circa ea esse debere, quae in nobis in- venientur, cum justificati sumus. — Quocirca diligonter pri mum vest igai-e debcmus an revera res istae, sive utraque, sive una tantum, et utra (si modo res diversae sint) ad nos justificandos pertineat, ac deinde quid sint, aut quales esse debeant, ne erremus, nobis- que fortasse videamur illas habere, cum tamen longe ab eis absimus. Quod enim ad misericordiam Dei attinet Christique personam, una cum iis omnilms, quae idem Chris- tus pro nobis fecit, et facturus est, quamvis hte sunt verae, et praecipute causae justifi- cationis nostrtc, tamen aut jam illarum sumus, erimusve participes, antequam intra nos certtim aliquid sit, et sic supervacaneum est de illis cogitare, quatenus per eas justifi- cari velimus; aut illarum, nee jam sumus, necfuturi erimus participes, nisi prius intra nos certum aliquid sit, et sic de hoc accurate quaerere debemus. Id autem inveniemus nihil praetur fidem et opei'a, esse." — Socin.
1.0. As to the death of Christ, our sins were the impulsive cause of it, and it was undergone for the forgiveness of sins, and occasioned by them only, and is in some sense the condition of our forgiveness.
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"Causa impulsiva externa sunt peccata nostra, quod itidem aperte sacrte literse decent, dum aiunt, Christum propter peccata nostra percussura, vulneratum, et tradi- tum esse." — Crell. de Caus. Mort. Christi, p. 2. " Q. What Avas the procuring cause of Christ's death? A. He was delivered for our offences." — Biddle's Cat. chap, xii p. 69.
Though some (not of them) say that his death was rather occasioned than merited by sin ; as they sjjeak sometimes, —
" Finis ideo mortis Christi, nt sacrse hterffi sat aperte decent, est rcniissio pecca- torvim nostrorum, et vitse nostrte emendatio, ad quorum finem priorem vel solum, vel potissimuni, illi loqucndi modi refereudi sunt ; cum dicitur Christum mortuum esse pro peccatis nostris, seu pro nobis." — Crell. de Caus. Mort. Christi, p. 1.
11. That absolution and pardon of sin are by no means the immediate effects of the death of Christ : —
" Cum sacrse Scripture asserunt Christum aut pro peccatis nostris aut pro nobis esse mortuum, aut sanguinem ejus esse effusam in remissionem peccatorum, et siqua sint his similia, eerum verborum ea vis non est, ut signilicent omnino effectum ilium qui morti Christi in his locutionibus tribuitur, proxime fuisse ex ea consecutum." — • Crell. de Caus. Mort. Christi, p. 85.
And now let the Christian reader judge whether I had any just occasion for the expressions above mentioned or no. If he be resolved that those words had better been omitted, I shall only profess myself in a vex'y great readiness to pass by such mistakes in others, but leave my.self to his censure.
And with this touch by the way am I (as far as I have observed) dismissed to the eighth chapter, where all that I am concerned in will receive an equally speedy despatch.
In the entrance of that chapter Mr B. lays down two propositions that he re- jects, and another that he intends to prove.
Those he rejects were before mentioned, and my concernment in them spoken to.
That which he proposes unto confirmation is: —
" The justification by faith, so called in the Scripture, is not the knowledge or feel- ing of justification before given, or a justification in and by our own conscience, or terminated in conscience, but is somewhat that goes before all such justification as this is, and is, indeed, a justification before God."
There is but one expression in all this proposition that I am concerned in, which the reader may easily discover to be plucked into the thesis by head and ears ; and that is, " Terminated in conscience." What it is I intend by that ex- pression, or what inconsistency it hath with that Mr B. asserts in pretended opposition unto it, he doth not explain. Now, I say that in the sense Avherein I afSrm that justification is terminated in conscience, I may yet also afiirm, and that suitably to the utmost intention of mine in that expression, that "justification by faith is not the knowledge or feeling of justification before given, or a justifica- tion in and by our own conscience, but somewhat that goes before all such justi- fication as this is, and is a justification before God." I am, then, utterly uncon- cerned in all Mr B.'s arguments ensuing, but only those that prove and evince that our justification before God is not terminated in our consciences ; which when I can find them out, I will do my endeavour to answer them, or renounce my opinion. I find, indeed, in some of his following conclusions the words men- tioned ; but I suppose he thought not himself that they were any way influenced from his premises. I know he will not ask what I mean then by " terminated in conscience," seeing it would not be honourable for him to have answered a matter before he understood it. But upon this expression chiefly is it that I am enrolled into the troop of Antinomians.