Page images
PDF
EPUB

any thing meritorious, or worthy to be rewarded? Indeed, God doth liberally promise whatsoever appertaineth to a blessed life to as many, as sincerely keep his law, though they be not exactly able to do it. Wherefore we acknowledge a dutiful necessity of doing well, but the meritorious dignity of doing well we utterly renounce. We see how far we are from the perfect righteousness of the law the little fruit which we have in holiness, it is, God knoweth, corrupt and unsound: we put no confidence at all in it; we challenge nothing in the world for it; we dare not call God to reckoning, as if we had him in our debt books. Our continual suit to him is, and must be, to bear with our infirmities, and pardon our offen

[merged small][ocr errors]

I had no sooner read this passage, than I acquired such an insight into the strictness and spirituality of the divine law, and the perfection, which a just and holy God, according to that law, cannot but require in all the services of his reasonable creatures; that I clearly perceived my very best duties, on which

my main dependence had hitherto been placed, to be mere specious sins; and my whole life appeared to be one continued series of transgressions. I now understood the apostle's meaning, when he affirms, "That by the works of the law can no flesh be justified before God." All my difficulties in this matter vanished; all my distinction, and reasonings about the meaning of the words law and justification, and all my borrowed criticims about them, failed me at once. I could no longer be thus amused; for I was convinced, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that all men were so notori. ously transgressors of every law of God, that they none of them, could be justified, in his sight, according to any law : I was sensible, that if God should only call me into judgment before him according to the strictness of his perfect law, for the best duty I ever performed, I must be condemned, as a transgressor: When weighed in these exact balances, it would be found wanting. Thus was I effectually convinced, that if ever I were saved, it must be in some way of unmerited mercy, and grace; though

I understood not clearly, in what way, till long after. Immediately, therefore, I took for my text Galatians c. iii. v. 22. "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, that is by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to them, that believe:" and preached from it according to Hooker's doctrine; expressing, as strongly as I could, the defilements of our best actions, and our need of mercy in every thing we did: in order, the more evidently to shew, that salvation was of grace, through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. However, I had not yet attained unto a knowledge of the foulness of that fountain, whence all these polluted streams flow forth so plentifully into our lives and conversations.

I was not then able to receive the following nervous passages concerning justification (page 495): "But the righteousness, wherein we must be found, if we will be justified, is not our own; therefore we cannot be justified by any inherent quality; Christ hath merited righteousness for as many, as are found in him. In

O God findeth us if we be faithful; for by faith we are incorporated into Christ. Then, although in ourselves we be altogether sinful, and unrighteous; yet even the man, who is impious in himself, full of iniquity, full of sin; him being found in Christ through faith, and having his sin remitted through repentance; him God beholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not imputing it, taketh quite away the punishment, due thereunto by pardoning it, and accepteth him in Jesus Christ, as perfectly righteous, as if he had fulfiled all, that was commanded him in the law. Shall I say more perfectly righteous, than if himself had fulfilled the whole law? I must take heed, what

I

[ocr errors]

say; but the apostle saith, God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him;' Such are we in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God himself, Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, or fu ry, or whatsoever; it is our comfort and our wisdom; we care for no know.

ledge in the world but this, that hath sinned, and God hath suffered; that God hath made himself the Son of man, and that men are made the righteousness of God."

Equally determinate and expressive is what he says, page 500, "As for such, as hold with the church of Rome, that we cannot be saved by Christ alone without works; they do not only, by a circle of consequence, but directly deny the foundation of faith; they hold it not; no, not so much as by a single thread," If the judicious Mr. Hooker's judgment may in this important concern be depend ed on, as I suppose it will not easily be proved erroneous; I fear the foundation of faith is only held by a small part of that church, which has honered her champion with this distinction.

Page 508 and 509, he thus defends his doctrine against the objections of the Papists, (for at that time none but the Papists objected to it,) "It is a childish cavil, wherewith, in the matter of justification, our adversaries do

« PreviousContinue »