good for the fake of Chrift, by whofe all-perfect Righteoufnefs the Defects of juftified Perfons are fupplied, and by whose most precious Blood their Guilt is washed away.

As for the Works of others, viz. thofe who are not in a State of Juftification by Faith (either because they are not fo much as enter'd into Covenant with God by Baptifm; or because, tho' they have been baptiz'd, yet they have not a juftifying Faith, viz. a Faith working by Love) they do, and muft of Neceffity continue in their own Nature trictly Evil; and confequently they are Sins. So that even thofe Works which are good in Appearance, fuch as the Relief of the Oppreffed, Tempe rance, Juftice, &c. and which we may call, either (for the Reafon above mention'd) fpeciously good Works, or Works comparatively good (becaufe they are less Evil, and approach nearer to the Rule of Action) thofe very Works, I fay, thofe fpeciously or comparatively good Works, which either an Infidel, or a bare formal Profeffor of Chriftianity may perform, are in Reality Splendida peccata, Acts of Vice under the Difguife of Vertue. For fince none of our Actions can be strictly good; and Actions perform'd by fuch Perfons cannot be imputatively good: therefore tho' they are fpeciously or comparatively good, yet by reafon of that Imperfection which muft needs cleave to them, becaufe 'tis not done away thro' Chrift, they are strictly evil, that is,

Sins.

I hope, I have exprefs'd my felf fo clearly, that the Reader throughly underftands the foregoing Diftinctions and Terms, upon which a great deal depends. I procceed therefore to the Confideration of the Article it felf.

This Article contains Two Propofitions.

1. The Condition of Man after the Fall of Adam is fuch, that he cannot turn and prepare himfelf by his own natural Strength and good Works to Faith and Calling upon God. 2. We have no Power to do good Works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the Grace of God by Chrift preventing us, that we may have a good Will, and working with us, when we have that good Will.

The First Propofition. The Phrafe good works does in this Propofition manifeftly denote Works that are only Speciously or comparatively good. This being premised, fee the Fourth Question of the Locus Decimus of Turretin's Syftem.

In the Second Propofition, tho' the good Works are faid to be pleasant and acceptable to God, yet the Church does not mean that they are strictly good, and confequently pleafant and acceptable to him in their own Nature: but fhe manifeftly means Works imputatively good, towards the Performance of which God's preventing and affifting Grace is undoubtedly neceffary. This being premised, the Second Propofition (which is the neceffary Confequence of the Firft, and is therefore connected by the illative Particle wherefore) is treated of by Limborch in the Eleventh and Twelfth Chapters of his Fourth Book, and Dr. Whitby in his Appendix to the Sixth Chapter of the Second Epiftle to the Corinthians, down to Secondly, to explain as far, &c.:

!

The

The ELEVENTH ARTICLE.

W

Of the Juftification of Man.

E are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Chrift by faith, and not for our own Works or defervings. Wherefore that we are juftified by Faith only, is a most wholfom Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

This Article contains Four Propofitions. 1. We are not accounted righteous before God for our own Works or Defervings.

2. We are accounted righteous before God only, for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ.

3. We are accounted righteous before God, only for the Merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Chrift by Faith.

4. That we are juftified by Faith only, is a moft wholsom Doctrin, and very full of Comfort, as more largely is expreffed in the Homily of Juftification.

Our Church exprefly refers to the Homily of Juftification for a more full Explication of the Doctrin of this Article. And what the Church calls the Homily of Juftification, is the Third Homily in the First Book, entituled, of the Salvation. of all Mankind. For in the faid Homily the Do&trin of Juftification is declared and established ; nor is there any other Homily which bears the Title of Juftification. That Homily of Salvation

there

therefore ought in any wife to be carefully perus'd, before a Man paffes a Judgment upon the Doctrin of this Article.

Now whofoever has read the aforefaid Homily, must have observed, 1. That (in how different Senfes foever the Word may be used in either Scripture or other Writers) yet our Church does in this Homily, and consequently in this Article alfo, by Juftification moft certainly mean being in a State of Favour with God, being accounted righteous before him, having our Sins forgiven, fo that they fhall not be imputed to us. 2. That when our Church condemns the Doctrin of Juftification by Works, she does not deny the Neceffity of our living in Obedience to God's Laws, as that without which we cannot poffibly be faved; but fhe denies, that any Works of ours are strictly good, or have a real Worth of their own, fo as to merit or deferve Remiffion of our Sins upon their own account. 3. That by Faith our Church means not the bare Act of Believing, as feparate from other Inftances of Obedience; but a lively Faith, a Faith that works by Love, and is accompanied with every Branch of Gospel Holiness. 4. That when she afferts and maintains Juftification by Faith, fhe does not mean, that Faith is of it self meritorious, or can deferve Remiffion of Sins at God's hand; but that we do by Faith lay hold upon the Merits of Chrift, by whom alone our Peace with God is made, and for whofe Sake alone we are juftified. Faith therefore is the Inftrument by which a Man applies to himself the Virtue of Chrift's Sacrifice. And confequently, 5. When the Church teacheth Juftification by Faith only, fhe does in reality mean the very fame, as if fhe had faid, We are juftified by Chrift only, that is, G

to

to use (a) her own Expreffions, We put our Faith in Chrift, that we be justified by him only, that we be justified by God's free Mercy, and the Merits of our Savior Chrift only, and by noVirtue and goodWorks of ourown,that is in us, or that we can be able to have, or to do, for to deferve the fame:Chrift himself onlybeing theCaufe meritorious thereof.

From whence it follows, that when Justification by Faith, is by our Church oppos'd to Juftification by Works, the Word By is ufed in different Senfes, and confequently the Oppofition is not exact. For Works are by our Adverfaries confider'd as the meritorious Caufe of Juftification, and the Word By expreffes their meritorious Caufality: whereas Faith is not by us confider'd as the meritorious Caufe of Juftification (and confequently the Word By does not exprefs their meritorious Caufality) but as the Inftrument by which Christ's Satisfaction is applied to particular Perfons, and confequently the Word By, when applied to Faith, expreffes (what I may call) the inftrumental Caufality, or the applicatory Cause of our Juftification. Wherefore, when our Church faies, we are juftified by Christ's Merits only, in Oppofition to our Adverfaries, who fay, we are juftified by our own Works (in what Meafure or Degree, is another Question) there is a direct Oppofition; and then the Word By in both contradictory Oppofitions is ufed in the same Senfe but not otherwife.

From what has been faid, our Church's Intention and Doctrin about Juftification by Faith are abundantly manifeft, tho' they are unhappily worded. And the Truth is, St. Paul having spoken fo much of Juftification by Faith, in a Senfe which the Compilers of our Articles and Homilies do not feem

(a) Homily of Salvation, Third Part, near the beginning.