Sermon 53

Isaiah 53:11. Verse 11. — By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, etc.

There is (as I said lately) nothing of greater concern to a sinner to know; than these two, 1. What it is, that satisfies justice; and makes a sinner acceptable before God? 2. To know how that may be attained, or what way it is applied? And this verse, shortly, but very clearly answers both. 1. That which satisfies justice, is the travel of Christ's soul, or his sufferings. 2. The way how this is applied, derived, or communicated, is set down in the latter part of the verse, By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities; This is the effect of Christ's sufferings, that many by them shall be absolved from the guilt of sin, and from the curse; And this is the way, how these many come to be thus absolved; It is by believing on him, for thus his satisfaction is accounted theirs, as if they themselves had satisfied. We proposed the last day, this doctrine to be spoken to from the words; That there is a way through faith in Christ, and resting on his sufferings, by which a sinner, obnoxious to God's curse, may attain to be justified, and declared free before the throne of God; This doctrine implies these two things in general. 1. That there is such a thing possibly attainable by a guilty sinner, as justification. 2. That justification is to be attained only by faith in Christ Jesus, resting on his righteousness. By his knowledge shall he justify many; As there is a necessity to be absolved, so there is a necessity to take this way for absolution; because this, and this only is held out to be the way, how justification is attained; It is by Christ's knowledge, which in short is by faith in him.

We discoursed somewhat of the positive part of this truth the other day; which is of great concern; the understanding thereof, being the very hinge of the gospel, and that wherein, in a special manner the gospel, and [reconstructed: Covenant] of Grace differs from the Law, and Covenant of Works, and pointing out a way for coming by righteousness, and life through Christ; in opposition to the Law, as a Covenant of Works, that holds out a way to righteousness, and life, through our own performances.

We touched also at some uses of the doctrine, for directing of you, to the believing use-making of Christ, for coming at peace with God; It would follow now, that we should speak a little to that use of refutation, that flows natively from this doctrine; For if this be the way, and the only way of the justification of a sinner before God, to wit, by, or through faith in Christ's righteousness: then all these ways that lead not sinners to resting on Christ's righteousness alone, for justification and peace, must be inconsistent with the gospel, and so to be rejected, and abhorred, whether they be in doctrine, or in practice; And we choose the rather to speak a word to this, because it will clear the doctrine of justification by faith the more; when we come to see, and consider these corruptions and errors that are foisted in by heterodox men, in this great truth of God, to the perverting and corrupting thereof; And it will the more provoke us to thankfulness to God, who has graciously delivered us from these snares, errors, and corruptions; An error and mistake here, about the substance of this truth, being such, as though we held all other truths incorrupted, will ruin us.

There are, we suppose, four sorts of errors especially, that contradict this grand truth, concerning justification, by faith in Christ's righteousness, to which we shall speak a little. The first is, that old rooted error of Papists, who, in this point, [reconstructed: enervate] and overturn the whole way of the gospel; And because this is it that great part of the Christian world has been deluded with; though it be in those days, little thought of by many, and because it is not one single error, but as it were a chain of very momentous and fundamental errors, we shall insist a little, in laying it out before you; And you would not so much look on it, as a controversial, or merely speculative, as a grossly practical error, and such as is naturally rooted in all men; You would also look upon it, with holy fear, and jealousy over yourselves, lest inadvertently you slide into it; And besides, you would look on it, and make use of it, as a motive, to provoke you to love the truth the more, and to be as I said, the more thankful to God, who has freed you from that dark, heavy and comfortless way of justification by works, which is now impossible.

It may be that this error of Papists will not be thought much of by some; when they hear that they speak of justification by Christ, and by His merits, and by faith, as well as we Protestants do; but it's the more dangerous, that they do so; and therefore, before I show you their way of justification, and the inconsistency of it with the Gospel, I would have you to note these three things. 1. That in this matter of justification, though Papists acknowledge the name, yet they do not acknowledge the thing itself; and so upon the matter, the controversy is not so much, what justification is, as whether there be such a thing as justification at all, taking it to be a thing distinct from sanctification and regeneration; which they in effect deny; for if the form constitutes justification, and if to them the form of justification be the infusing of habitual grace in the soul, then it's nothing different from regeneration and sanctification, and therefore, when they speak of justification, they speak of it in this sense; for a justified person to them, is a man renewed, and made holy, even as to [reconstructed: warm], or heat water, is to make that hot which before was cold; so justification to them, is to make a sinful person just, because of inherent righteousness in himself. 2. When they speak of justification, they make of a twofold justification. The 1st whereof is, that which they call the justification of a wicked person, or of an unrenewed man, when grace is at first infused into him, which they grant a man cannot of himself condignly merit: The 2nd is of a man growing, or increasing in grace, when he attains to more grace, and to more glory; grace and glory being of the same nature, (wherein they and we do not differ,) And to this second justification, they make necessary a man's proper merit of works; for they say, that the first justification will not do a man's turn, who is come to age, though to a child it be sufficient; because their attaining of glory, who are at age, is the proper hire of their works, which supposes holiness; And therefore, when they say, that Christ's merit procures justification, their meaning is, that it procures the first justification, but not the second; that is in effect to say, that it buys habitual grace, as a stock to a man, wherewith he may trade; but when they come to speak of heaven, and glory, which is obtained (as they say) by the second justification, that is come at by the man's own trading with that stock of habitual grace; And so the man's trading, or trafficking with his stock comes in, as that which procures, wins, and merits the prize. 3. Though they use the same names that we use, as of faith, and pardon, or remission of sin, yet there is very great difference between them and us, as to the thing; for they count nothing to be faith but historical faith; which the devils have; and for remission of sin; they divide, and distinguish between the removing, or remission of the blot of sin, and the removing, or remission of the punishment of sin; And they say, that in the first justification, the blot of sin is expelled, by the infusing of habitual grace, even as darkness is expelled by the coming in of light; but as to the punishment of sin, they leave a man to satisfy in part for himself, after his justification.

Now, (as we said) because there is not one error, or two here, but a concatenation, or chain of many errors; therefore, for further clearing of the truth, and discovering of these errors; you would consider, that when the question is proposed, this is the great state of it: what that is on which a sinner may ground his peace before the tribunal of God's justice, as a solid defence, to answer all the challenges of the law, and whereupon he may expect to be absolved, and admitted to heaven? They say, that it is inherent holiness, with which a man's soul is sanctified, renewed, and made conform to the image of God, which (say they) is of that nature, that it cannot but make the person acceptable to God; so that in coming before God's tribunal of justice, he has in himself with which to answer all his challenges, or all the challenges that the law can bring against his inward, and habitual grace, and sanctification. It is true, they grant that God works this grace in them; and that men are not naturally born with it; and that Christ's merit procures the bestowing of this grace; but yet they say, though a man do not merit this first grace, yet he must dispose himself for it, by the exercise of his free will, faith, almsdeeds, and the like; and that so he makes himself congruously meet for, and capable of sanctification, and habitual grace, without which God does not bestow it. And, if we look to the instrumental cause, they take in the sacraments of baptism, penance, and extreme unction, as means whereby God works that grace (and that as they say, by the very work wrought) if he be a man come to age, and if there be not opportunity of getting the sacrament, he has it in his vow, which comes in place of the sacrament; by which means, they have these two effects. The first, is a positive bringing in of grace into the soul. The second, is privative, whereby the blot, or spot of sin, as heat expels cold, or light expels darkness. And this they call remission of sin, when grace shuts, and drives it out, so that the soul is not polluted with it. And because all this takes in but the guilt of sin, which they say is removed in the first justification; they have a second justification, whereby they say that the punishment of sin is removed, and whereby they merit glory. And here came in their dotations, fastings, pilgrimages, peregrinations, etc., whereby they make amends to God; and because they cannot manage to make a full amends here, they have their purgatory, and soul-masses. And so they have not only God to satisfy, for the wrongs which they have done to him, but heaven to procure by their own merits; for they lay down this as a ground, that glory in its full being is the proper reward of merit, which, say they, is not founded on God's promise, for that were to merit congruously only, and not condignly; nor is it founded on Christ's merit, for that were to reward his merit, which to them is absurd; though they grant an intrinsic worth to be in both. But it is merit in strict justice on, and by which, they expect heaven and glory; and having heaven (as we say) to procure by their own merit, because they cannot thus merit it, especially if man's nature be looked on as corrupted; they invent two things, or forge, two devices for that. 1. To deny concupiscence to be sin. And 2. To distinguish between mortal, and venial sins; and venial sins they make to be consistent with merit, in which they take in a world of things, as not deadly. And if a man have not merit enough of his own, they have a treasure of merits of many saints, who have satisfied for more than their own guilt amounted to, and have merited more than heaven to themselves. And the Pope being by them supposed to have a right, and power to dispense these merits; he gives to them that want, a right to such and such a saint's merits. And when all is done, they confess that this way of justification is not certain; that it cannot give peace; that it may be lost, and that being lost, it cannot be recovered, but by a new grace gotten by the sacrament of penance. The very rehearsing of which things may let you see, how unlike their justification is to the gospel; and to the way of justification that it lays down; and what ground of thankfulness you have to God, who has not only contrived, but revealed to you, a more solid and comfortable way of justification. 1. Though their way has much pains, labor and toil in it; yet you see what it amounts to, and how much uncertainty, anxiety, and horror do accompany it, neither do they ever attain to justification before God by it. And this is the second thing we would speak a word to, even to show that this way of justification is inconsistent with the gospel; and that in which a soul can neither have solid peace nor comfort, and we shall speak a little to this. 1. In general, and then 2. More particularly. 1. In general, their way of justification, is the very re-establishing of the covenant of works; for it supposes, that God has conditioned life to none, but on condition of their works, which in their value are meritorious. It is true, they first allow to Christ's merit this much, that he has thereby procured this merit to their works. And 2. that he has procured to them habitual grace, to work these works; though (as we said before,) they must dispose themselves for that grace, but that does not alter the nature of a covenant of works, seeing the terms are still the same. For consider Adam before the fall, he was to expect life, according to the terms of that covenant; do this and live, and here the terms of the covenant are the same, though their use be different; and if the Scriptures so oppose these two — that if it be of grace, it is no more works, and contrarily — then surely this way of justification, that puts a man to the same terms of the covenant that Adam had to expect life by, must necessarily be inconsistent with the gospel. This will be the more clear, if we consider, how they themselves illustrate their meriting by [illegible] works of the saints, by Adam his [illegible] of life while he stood; the which meriting flows from an intrinsic worth in the works themselves, without respect to Christ's merits; and if the covenant of works has these same terms, then their justification, no doubt, must be a re-establishing of that covenant. 2. The Scripture speaks of our obtaining of our justification, and righteousness always in this sense, to wit, by God's imputing the righteousness of Christ to us, not only for coming at the first grace, but for attaining heaven and glory. It is that which Paul leans to, when he comes before God (Philippians 3), that I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is by the law, but the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ. He lays by the one, and betakes himself to the other, as his only defence, and that whereon he does ground his plea before God. Now this being the Scripture way of justification; and their way being quite contrary to it; (for if they were asked, how do you think to answer before God? they would have to say, by the merits of our good works) it must needs be inconsistent with the grace of the gospel; and that which Paul would by no means risk his peace upon. We will find nothing more frequently mentioned in Scripture, for the making of our peace with God, than covenanting with God, the imputation of Christ's righteousness, and justification by faith; but all these three are here in their way of justification, shut out, and excluded. For they have no such thing as covenanting, they scorn the imputation of Christ's righteousness, as but a putative and imaginary thing, and they cannot endure justification by faith.

But secondly, and more particularly, behold and consider, how universally it corrupts, and even destroys the doctrine of the Gospel. First, it corrupts and destroys the nature of grace; for it hangs it on man's free will, he must dispose himself for it, and it gives him liberty to choose, or reject it as he pleases; and it makes that to flow from man himself, that satisfies God's justice, as if remission of sins were not free; and in the second, justification and admission to heaven and glory. It utterly excludes grace, and takes in merit, and makes heaven the proper reward of man's own merit. Secondly, it enervates the merit of Christ, and His purchase, though it seem in words to acknowledge it; because it neither admits of the merit of Christ, as the satisfaction to justice, by which the punishment is taken away; nor to be that by which life is procured; but it takes in works, satisfaction by penance, whippings, pilgrimages, etc. And all that it leaves to Christ's death, is the procuring of a new covenant of works, and the buying of a stock of habitual grace to man to send for himself; but it lays not the removing of the punishment, on Christ as our surety, in our name satisfying the justice of God for our sins, but it leaves it on ourselves, and on our keeping the covenant of works; as that to which the promise is made. Thirdly, it overturns the nature of God's covenant, for either it makes no covenant at all, or it transforms the covenant of grace into a covenant of works; putting us to expect life through the merits of works; for they will have no promise of life to be made on condition of Christ's merit, laid hold upon by faith; but on condition of our own works alone; for though they pretend that it may be called Christ's merit, because, say they, He has procured grace to work these works; yet in effect their way of justification, is to restore us to that covenant which Adam had, and to ability to keep the same terms, though, as we said the rise be different. Fourthly, it is inconsistent with our natural state; for it supposes man before conversion to have a free will to good, and ability to dispose himself to receive grace, and gives him a hand in turning himself to God; as if he were not dead in sins and trespasses; and so the sovereignty of grace is bounded, and limited to wait on a man so disposed, and so disposing himself. Fifthly, it destroys the nature of God's law, as if it were consistent with His holy law, to have such and such lusts abounding within, and did not exact a reckoning for such branches of it, as they call venial sins. Sixthly, it overturns the Scripture doctrine concerning sin, for it makes many sins to be in effect no sins. Seventh, it corrupts and destroys the nature of the sacraments; and makes new sacraments, that God never appointed; and gives them power to work that which God never gave them; as if the very works wrought did confer grace. Eighthly, it is inconsistent with the justice of God; as if forsooth, such poor trifles, and toys as these which they invent were satisfaction enough to His justice; yes, as if some men could more than satisfy justice, and could not only merit heaven to themselves, but also help to merit it to others; and as if God were bound in proper justice to the creature; and that not only on the account of His promise, but also, if not mainly on the account of merit of condignity. All these things are involved in this Popish way of justification, and inconsistent with the truth of the Gospel; and we have touched on them, to let you see, that it is not one error that is here, but a complication of errors; and truly, if there be not an abhorrence at Popery, because of this gross error in justification, there is but little ground to expect, that men will keep at suitable distance from it in other things.

And therefore, from what has been said, take a few directions, as your use of it; and if we were tender, it might do us good, now and then to get a little view of such errors. First, then see here the necessity of being more distinct, and clear in God's way of justification; in the way how peace is made between Him and a sinner, when we see how many errors follow, and creep in after one error; and when we consider, how Popish priests, and Jesuits are moving, and how this same error which has so many errors with it, is stealing in, you had much need to be well acquainted with the truth, and to be guarding yourselves against errors, especially, when some lay so little weight on it, that they call it a striving about words, which says, that there is but little abhorrence of the thing; I am apt to think, that the most part of them that are called Christians, could not well tell how to expose Popery, Arminianism, or Antinomianism, if they were tempted to embrace them, or any other erroneous heresy; And when also we consider, how naturally we are inclined to shuffle by the Covenant of Grace; and to cleave to the way of works, or to turn the Covenant of Grace into a covenant of works; we would try well, what we incline to in this point, whether in our judgment, or in our practice, lest we fall from that which is right, in practice at least, if not in opinion also: I entreat you to study this, as a main point of Christian religion; even that you may know, and be clear in your knowledge of the way how God accepts of and justifies a sinner. Secondly, know that this error of Popery in particular, is not of so little concern as many think it to be; it is a wonder that men should think, differences about matters of religion to be so light, and so little a matter, as if it were but the change of outward ceremonies, or of words; hence it comes to pass, that there is so little care and zeal to prevent the rise, and spreading of errors: we shall only commend to you three things for guarding you in reference to this error. First, place yourselves often before the tribunal of God's justice, till your hearts be brought under suitable impressions of God's holiness, and justice; of the severity and strictness of his law; and of the necessity of your answering to it in your own persons, or in the person of a surety; and then consider what will be your defense in such a posture. Secondly, carry always along with you the impression of your original sin, and natural corruption; and of the sinfulness of your practices; this will make you loathsome, and abominable in your own eyes, and Christ precious, and such a soul will not be in such danger of putting his own merits in the room of Christ's. Third, think upon that which in God's offer is presented to you, as the way of making your peace; though you would study holiness, in order to that end, when you are so sinful, and when divine justice is so severe; it looks not like the way to peace; but when you consider God's offer in this Gospel, as it is held forth (Acts 13:38-39), "Be it known to you men and brethren, that through this man is preached to you forgiveness of sins, and by him, all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses;" and the invitation that is given (Isaiah 55) to them that have no money to come and buy freely, without money, and without price; and see God [reconstructed: grounding] His call on another ground than your holiness; and putting in your offer Jesus Christ, and His righteousness; it is a raising and rousing up of the soul, to expect absolution before the throne of God, on a more solid foundation; that will bear its weight: we would beware of taking that way of justification, and of making our peace with God, that seems to be most rational to our corrupt nature; for as many say, to be sorry for sin, to study to make amends, and to do what they can, seems to be the most reasonable way, and agrees best with our corrupt nature; but that is not it which will do your purpose, but the way which God has held out; and that is, by His knowledge, by faith in the righteous Servant. Thirdly, see here, how much we are obliged to God, for holding out to us the right way to life; if you look to many nations abroad; the way to life is held out to them on this ground, even their own inherent holiness, their own good works, their giving of considerable parts of their estates, their penances, etc., which yet can never quiet the conscience nor satisfy God's justice; indeed our own predecessors in this nation were drowned in the same errors; and we were as foolishly, and senselessly superstitious, as the inhabitants of any other nations, before the light of the Gospel broke up among us; accounting such and such sins to be no sins, leaning to their merits, to the merits of saints, to indulgences, soul-masses, whippings, and a number of things of that kind; and now that God has mercifully freed us of these fooleries, how much are we obliged to him? Has Scotland ever been thankful as it is fitting for this mercy? We do, by our unthankfulness, darken and obscure the freedom of grace, that by this Gospel is preached to us; and there needs no other evidence of it but this; that many are to this day as ignorant of the way of justification of sinners, and as removed from, and as great strangers to the right way of making use of Christ's righteousness as if it had never been revealed to them; or if they know, and can speak anything of it, all the use that they make of it, is to turn the grace of God into wantonness; and, because holiness is not the ground of making their peace with God, to take the more liberty to looseness: these are not fruits of the Gospel, other fruits must be brought forth; or else you will repent it, when you cannot mend it: let it therefore affect you, that God is so ill repaid for His goodness; and study to be more thankful to Him, that we may speak of these truths, and discover their errors, and that we are not judicially blinded as many other people and nations are. Fourthly, pity them that are lying under darkness of their delusions and errors, and pray for them; it is a grievous matter, that the most part of the Christian world should have the name of Christians, and yet should maintain such doctrine; and lay down, and hold such a way, as keeps from benefit by Christ Jesus; indeed, as denying in their matter, that He is come; for this is indeed the spirit of Antichrist, and of the man of sin, that takes souls off from Christ; and yet how few make conscience to pray for these poor people; and that God would pursue the whore, and break up, and scatter that market spoken of (Revelation 18); and would discover His truth, and make His Gospel to be purely preached to them, that are sitting in the region of darkness, and in the shadow of death; you would pity bound up, and imprisoned souls, in this error and pray for their reclaiming, and that God would keep this land from it; it is an old seated, and rooted error, and the rest are but fooleries, in comparison of it; this is the devil's great engine and weapon, others are but vaporers, to say so, which may tell us that speaking, and hearing of such a matter is not altogether useless: what if the day should come, that all our Bibles, and every English book that serves to hold out truth, and to discover error should be taken from you, and ordered to be burned, and that books stuffed with their errors should come in their room? Many of you think little, or nothing now of the light and liberty of the Gospel which you enjoy, but if heaven be of so much worth, this Gospel is of much worth to you, and this truth of it in particular. Fifthly, let not this Gospel be preached for nothing; O, receive not this grace in vain; that is, this grace offered to you in the Gospel, and the clearing of such truths to you. O, what a challenge, and aggravation of our guilt will it be, when we come before the throne? When many other nations will be condemned, because they leaned to their own merits, and made not use of Christ; and many of us shall be condemned, because, though we professed an indignation at these errors, yet we made no more use of Christ, than these, who by their doctrine excluded Him: if our predecessors could speak, what could they say? Would it not be this, it is just that you perish, for you had Christ, and His righteousness clearly preached to you, which we had not, and yet you slighted Him: therefore take hold of, and improve the opportunity, God has clearly revealed this truth to the land, and to this place, walk in the light while you have it, else your condemnation will be the greater, as it is (John 3:19). Sixthly, seeing God has given us this a singular mercy, even the clear revelation of the way of justification by Christ's righteousness, and merits; let us not, through our evil conversation, make the truth of God to be evil spoken of, turn not the grace of God into wantonness; it was an evil that soon arose in the primitive church, and which the Apostle disputes against (Romans 2, 3, and 6); because he preached justification by grace, and not by the works of the law, some were ready to abuse that sweet doctrine, and to say, let us sin, that grace may abound, and let us do evil, that good may come of it, whose damnation, says he, is just; and he follows out these objections, and insists in answering of them; and, O, but this is damnable, from the abounding of God's grace, to take the more liberty to sin; and yet what other language have the lives of many, but this? Because justification and happiness are not built on our works; therefore we may live as we please; spitefully and presumptuously reflecting on the way of justification by faith, and on God who has contrived it; but if any of you will abuse God's grace, and sin the more; God shall charge it on your own heads, this Gospel shall never do you good, God will require it of you; your sins are multiplied, and your plagues shall be multiplied above any that have lived under black Popery: I dare say, many of you would probably have had a greater restraint on you from sin, and would have been more charitable, and forward in many external good works, if you had been professed Papists, than now you are, being professed Protestants; a judicial stroke on you, for the abusing of grace; and is this the fruit of the Gospel? No certainly, grace was never preached, that men should grow cold and indifferent in the practice of good works; but that through the laying hold on Christ's righteousness, they might have peace with God, and that through the study of holiness, God might be glorified; therefore study the exercise of faith so, as you exclude not holiness; and study holiness so, as you do not mar the freedom of grace; and put these two together, which are the compendium of the Gospel, when suitably practiced.