For These Reasons

For these Reasons.

If the sin of Adam were imputed to us for our condemnation, as soon as we were alive by natural life before we had done any act of life, good or evil: then the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us to our justification, as soon as we be alive to God by faith, before we have done any act of faith.

But the former is plain (Romans 5:18, 19).

Therefore the latter also.

If our faith be first active, to lay hold upon Christ for his righteousness, before God imputes it to us; then we take Christ's righteousness to ourselves, before it be given to us.

But that we cannot do, for in the order of nature, giving is the cause of taking; unless we take a thing by stealth.

If our faith be first active in laying hold on Christ for his righteousness, before God imputes it to us; then we do justify God, before he does justify us.

For he receives the testimony which God has given of his Son: that God has given us life in his Son, he has set to his seal that God is true (John 3:33). And so he which justifies God, as others that do not receive the testimony, condemn God of lying (1 John 5:10).

But we cannot justify God before he justifies us; no more than we can love him before he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

If our faith be first active to lay hold on Christ for his righteousness, before God imputes his righteousness to us: then we are righteous men to act, and work out our own righteousness, before we be righteous, by the imputed righteousness of Christ.

But we be to our best acts and works of righteousness, unrighteous, till our sins be pardoned, which is not until the righteousness of Christ be imputed to us.

In the order of nature, the object is before the act that is conversant about it: therefore it is in the order of nature, before the act of our faith.

To believe on the name of Christ is an act of faith; to believe on the name of Christ, is to receive Christ (John 1:12).

Therefore the receiving of Christ is by an act of faith.

The place in John, upon which the weight of this argument lies, says no more, but that they which received Christ in the second Aorist in the time past, do believe on his name in the time present. Which we willingly grant; that they who receive Christ, their faith becomes active through him to believe in his name, that so they might receive him, and his righteousness.

We are justified by faith (Romans 3:28).

When we are said to be justified by faith; it is by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

Abraham's To credere, his act of believing, was imputed to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3).

It is taken generally among the learned, for a singular opinion of Master Wotton, that To credere, the act of believing should be imputed for righteousness.

For, indeed, the act of believing is neither a righteousness according to the law; for the law is perfect (Psalm 19:7). Nor a righteousness according to the Gospel; for the act of believing is an act of our own, though given of grace: but the righteousness of the Gospel is not an act of our own. And therefore Paul desires that he may be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith (Philippians 3:9), to wit, the righteousness of Christ imputed.

But this doctrine is opposite to the stream of all the learned; a passive faith is not heard of among men, and they do generally make faith an instrumental cause of their justification.

A passive faith is rarely heard of out of my mouth, but yet the thing meant by it, is never rare in the writings of the learned, nor sometimes the word passive faith.

Two things are meant by the word of faith, and may be said to be passive in our justification, in a double respect.

Because a habit of faith may be called passive, before it puts forth any act, and we are justified as soon as by a habit of faith we are alive in Christ; in the first moment of our conversion, before faith has put forth any act: as we were all guilty of Adam's sin, before we were active to reach forth any consent to it.

Faith may be said to be passive in our justification, because it does not lay hold on Christ, to fetch justification from him, till Christ have first laid hold on us, and imputed his righteousness to us; and declared it to us by his Spirit, in a free promise of grace: and then faith becomes active, actually to receive Christ's righteousness; and actually to believe on it, either by way of dependance, or assurance.

For the truth is, seeing we are not justified, neither as it is a gift in us; nor as it is an acting and working from us; but in regard of his object, the righteousness of Christ which it receives.

Therefore which way soever faith may receive Christ first or last, by the same way we may be justified by it.

Now faith of itself, even the habit of faith is an emptying grace, and so is as an empty vessel, fit to receive Christ and his righteousness.

And both the act of faith, whether of dependance on Christ, or of our assurance in Christ, carries us out of ourselves to him, and so makes us fit to receive Christ, and his righteousness.

Thus I have explained what I mean by a passive faith.

Let me show you, that neither the word, nor the naming of it, is an untruth from our best learned men of eminent worth for parts and abilities.

Calvine in his Institutions, Lib. 3. cap. 3. Sect. 5. Quoad Justificationem.

Ursinus in his Catechisme, Quest. 60, Sect. 5. Potius Deum primum.

Chemierius de fide, lib. 13. Chap. 6. Verissimum esse duo.

Doctor Amesius in Medullam Theologiae, lib. 1. Cap. 26. Recepti Christi.

Paul Banes on the Ephesians 2. Vivificant. He quickened us, since he acknowledges a passive receiving of Christ, he must acknowledge a passive faith: for there is no receiving of Christ, but by faith.

In a book of choice English sermons, that goes under the name of Doctor Sybbs, and our Brother Hooker, and Master Davenport, there one styled the Witness of Salvation, on Romans 8:15, 16, where in page 135 are these words: In justification, faith is a sufferer only; but in sanctification, it works, and purges the whole man.

As for our learned men that do generally make faith an instrumental cause of their justification, I confess it is true; but I do not understand them (as Chenerius does in the like case) to mean no other kind of causa; than Cause sine qua non, or, Causa removens, or prohibens. For faith keeps the soul empty of confidence in itself, and makes a way for the receiving of the righteousness of Christ. Even as the poor widow's empty vessels made a way for the receiving of the oil out of the cruse; whereas the fullness of the vessel caused the stay.

The good Lord empty us more and more of ourselves, that we may be filled with him, out of whose fullness we receive grace for grace (John 1:16).

Gloria sit soli Deo.