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OF JUSTIFICATION.

[BOOK III. the Scribes and Pharisees falsely accounted foolishness, to be, as it really is, the most consummate wisdom, and cleared it from the calumny of folly, with which it was branded. In the same sense it is said, Luke vii. 29. "all the people and the publicans justified God."

IV. Nor can this word have any other than a forensic signification, when Christ is said to be justified, 1 Tim. iii. 16. and still more fully Isa. 1. 8. where the Lord himself thus speaketh : "he is near that justifieth me, who will contend with me? Let us stand together; who is mine adversary ?" Almost in the same manner as the apostle speaks of the elect, Rom. viii. 33, 34. How was Christ justified? 1st. When the Father declared that he was holy and without spot, according to his mind and will, and even such "in whom he was well pleased," Matt. iii. 17. and xvii. 5. 2dly. When he pronounced him innocent of all the crimes with which he was falsely accused, and for which he was unjustly condemned. 3dly. When he declared, that he had made full satisfaction to his justice, and was no longer under the guilt of those sins which as Surety he took upon himself. The two former acts of justification respect Christ as man; the last as Mediator. And in this view he is called "the righteous or just servant of God," Isa. liii. 11. not only as holy and without sin in himself, but as one who had also fulfilled all that righteousness to which he bound himself by his voluntary engagement, whereby, though he was the Son, yet he became the servant of God, and by his resurrection was declared to have performed the whole, and so was exalted to that state, that be might be able to justify many, or procure righteousness for many, by virtue of his own righteousness.

V. But we are not to imagine we have accomplished any great matter, when we have shewn that justification is often taken in a forensic or law sense. For scarce any who love to be called Christians, have such a bold front or stubborn mind as to deny it. Certainly the Popish doctors themselves generally own it; Bellarm. de justificat. Lib. 1. c. i. Becan. Sum. Theol. T. 2. Tract. 4. c. iii. Tirin. Controvers. 15. No. 1. Nor do they deny that Paul himself sometimes treats of justification in that sense: Estius in Comm. ad Rom. ii. 13. observes, that to be justified there is the same thing as to be "adjudged, declared, accounted righteous, according, says he, to the most usual language of scripture." Which interpretation Ruardus Tapperus also approves, ad Art. 8. p. 32. I will do my * townsman the honour to quote his words. "As to what was a foresaid, says he, it is to be considered, that in scripture, to be

⚫ENCHUSA NO meo. For it seems, Tapperus was born at Enkhuysen as well as

Witsius.

justified, not only signifies, to be endowed and adorned with righteousness; but sometimes also to be pronounced, declared, adjudged, allowed, and esteemed just or righteous. According to which interpretation, blessed Augustine explains the apostle Paul's expression. The doers of the law shall be justified, “that is, says he, shall be accounted and esteemed just." In like manner, Cornelius a Lapide on Rom. viii. 88. it is God that justifieth," thus comments; "it is God that acquits these elect persons, namely, his faithful people and true Christians, from their sins, and absolves from the charge brought against them by sin and the devil, and pronounces them just," or righteous. The state of the controversy therefore between us and the doctors of the church of Rome, is not whether justification be sometimes taken in a forensic or law sense: for that is confessed on both sides.

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VI. What then? Are we thus to state the question, namely, whether the term to justify has always in scripture a forensic sense? But the most eminent Protestant divines do not affirm this, and therefore it would be too harsh and inhuman to charge them with prevarication on that account. Beza on Tit. iii. 7. thus comments; "I take the term justification in a large sense, as comprehending whatever we obtain from Christ, as well by imputation, as by the efficacy of the Spirit in out sanctification, that we may be ago, that is, perfect and complete in him. Thus also the term justify is taken, Rom. viii. 30. Much to the same purpose Thysius in synops. Prior. Theolog. Leyden. Disput. 23. sect. 3. Nor yet do we deny, that, on account of their very great and close connection, justification seems sometimes to comprise sanctification also, as a consequent, Rom. viii. 30. Tit. iii. 7, &c. I shall add one testimony more, namely, Chamierus Panstrat. T. 3. Lib. 10. c. 1. No. 6. who speaks to this purpose: "We are not such ridiculous judges of words as not to know, nor such impertinent sophisters, as not to allow that the terms justification and sanctification, are put one for the other: yea, we know that they are called saints principally on this account, that in Christ they have remission of sin. And we read in the Revelations, let him that is righteous, be righteous still; which can only be understood of the progress of inherent righteousness; and we deny not, that there may be a promiscuous use of the words perhaps in other places."

VII. And indeed this ingenuity of these very great men is not to be too much canvassed, who, though they have granted so much to their adversaries, have yet, in the main question, happily triumphed over them. Nevertheless we see no suffi

cient reasons why they should have been so liberal to them, There had been no violence put on the alleged passages, if in them the term justification should be taken in the sense in which Paul commonly takes it: nor doth it appear that all things would have flowed less agreeably.

VIII. What should hinder us from explaining Rom. viii. 30. in this manner? Whom he did predestinate, that is, whom, by his most free and immutable decree, he has chosen to grace and glory, them he also called, that is, by his word and Spirit he sweetly invited, and powerfully drew them from a state of sin and misery to communion with Christ, and being endowed with faith, regenerated them: and whom he called, them he also jus tified; that is, as soon as they were united to Christ by the Holy Spirit and by faith, he, on the account of the merits of Christ, imputed to them, acquitted them from the guilt of sin, and adjudged them to have a right to all the good things of Christ, as well in grace as in glory: and whom he justified, them he also glorified; that is, he not only gave them a right, but also put them in actual possession of the greatest blessings, 1st. By sanctifying them, and transforming them more and more to his own image, and making them partakers of a divine nature, which doubtless is a great degree of glory. 2dly. By plentiful ly pouring in upon them the sweetest consolations of his Spirit, which are, as it were, the preludes of joy and gladness. 3dly. and lastly, By making them perfectly happy, first in soul, and then in soul and body together.

IX. But we think it far more proper to comprise sanctifica tion under glorification than to refer it to justification. For, it is familiar to the Holy Spirit, to delineate holiness under the names of beauty, ornament, and glory. Thus Psal. xciii. 5. holiness becometh thine house. Psal. cx. 3. thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness. Nay, by the very term glory, holiness and righteousness are expressed, Psal. xlv. 13. the king's daughter is all glorious within: But what else is meant there by that glory, but the genuine holiness of believers? Or as Peter speaks, 1 Pet. iii. 4"the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price:" add Isa. lxii. 2. and the Gentiles shall see thy RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all kings thy GLORY; where these two words are used alternately one for the other: and justly, for the highest pitch of our glory consists in a perfect conformity to God, 1 John iii. 2. But holiness is the image of God, Eph. iv. 24. so that saints who accurately express, or resemble that image, are on that account called the glory of Christ, 2 Cor. viii. 28.

Why then should we not account our conformity to God in holiness as no contemptible first fruits of glory? Certainly Paul calls the progress made in sanctification, a transformation, or a being changed from GLORY to GLORY, 2 Cor. iii. 18.

X. It is plain, that with the same propriety we may under. stand by justification, Tit. iii. 7. absolution from guilt, and an adjudging to eternal life. For the first work of a man who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, is the work of faith, the infallible consequent of which is, the remission of sins; this is either succeeded by, or attended with, the hope of the inheritance of eternal life. What probable reason is there then to make us to depart from this sense? And if we would have sanctification contained in any of the words which the apostle makes use of, why shall we not rather refer it to regeneration, and the renewal of the Holy Ghost? For really, sanctification differs no otherways from the first regeneration and renovation than as the continuance of an act differs from the beginning of it. And we are sure, that the apostle exhorts the Romans who had been, for some time regenerated, to a progress in sanctification, when he writes, Rom. xii. 2. be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds; and in like manner, Eph. iv. 23. be renewed in the spirit of your mind. As the beginning of this renovation goes before justification strictly so called, so the gress of it serves to promote the certainty and the sense of jus tification; and in both respects it was excellently well said by the apostle, that the elect are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, shed on them abundantly; that being thus justified by his grace, that is, acquitted from sin, and conscious to themselves of absolution, they might lawfully, yea, in full assurance, hope for the inheritance of eternal life.

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XI. As to Rev. xxii. 11. he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; it does not appear that any fuller sense can be put on these words, than if we thus explain them: whoever is reputed righteous before God by faith on Christ, should think it his duty, or concern, to verify by his actions this his justifi cation before men and to his own conscience; and so by faith and the exercise of it, and by studying the word of God, he may have a more abounding consolation concerning his righte ousness. And by this reasoning too the forensic use of this term is still retained,

XII. Others also allege, 1 Cor. vi, 11. but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." But even this testimony does not prove that justification is equivalent to sanctification, rather the contrary. For after the apostle

had said that the Corinthians were washed, that is, delivered from the power of sin, he more particularly shews wherein that washing consisteth. Now the power of sin over man is twofold. 1st. That it compels him to the servile works of wickedness. 2dly. That it condemns him. The dominion is destroyed by sanctification: the power of condemning, by justification. Both these are bestowed on the Elect in the name of the Lord Jesus; that is, on account of his merits, and by his authority and will; and by the Spirit of our God, who is the author of sanctification, and sweetly insinuates the sentence of justification into the minds of believers. Both these benefits are sealed in baptism, to the washing of which there is here an evident allusion. Nor should it offend us, that sanctification is here put before justification; a diligent enquirer cannot but know that the scripture does not always exactly observe that order, as that things first in time are set in the first place. Thus even Peter puts vocation before election, 2 Pet. ì. 10. Besides, justification consists of various articles, as we will shew more distinctly in its place.

XIII. However, I cannot conceal that there are two places in which the term justify may seem to denote something more than a mere declaration of righteousness, though that be also included. The first is, Isa. liii. 11. " by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many." It is indeed true that our Lord Jesus Christ is constituted judge by the Father, and consequently empowered to absolve his Elect who were given him: but here he is not represented as a judge pronouncing sentence, but as the cause which, both by merit and efficacy, brings and gives to his own people that righteousness on account of which they may be absolved at the bar of God and the unusual construction of the word with the particle of the dative case calls for our notice. It is therefore the same as if the prophet had said, he will make a righteousness unto many, that which he himself performed as the cause of righteousness, he will communicate to many: and thus dixar his righteousness will redound to many, and unto justification of life, as the apostle speaks, Rom. v. 18. which I would have to be compar ed with this passage.

KIV The other testimony I hinted at is, Dan. xii. 3. where the faithful preachers of the Gospel are said to be jus tifying many. None doubts that belongs to the office of the ministers of the Gospel to publish, in the name of God, absolution from sin to the contrite in heart. But the compass of their function is much more extensive, namely, that by their preaching, example, and prayers, they may bring as