A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.

II. Difference about the manner of iustification.

All, both Papists and Protestants agree, that a sinner is iustified by faith. This agreement is onely in word, and the difference betweene vs is great in∣deede.

And it may be reduced to these three heads. First, the Papist saying that a man is iustified by faith: vnderstandeth a generall or a Catholike faith, whereby a man beleeueth the articles of religion to be true. But we holde that the faith which iustifieth, is a particular faith whereby we apply to our selues the promises of righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ. And that our o∣pinion is the trueth, I haue prooued before: but I wil adde a reason or twaine.

• I. Reason. The faith whereby we liue, is that faith whereby we are iustified: but the faith whereby we liue spiritually, is a particular faith whereby we ap∣ply Christ vnto our selues, as Paul saith, Gal. 2.20. I liue, that is, spiritually, by the faith of the sonne of God, which faith he sheweth to bee a particular faith in Christ, in the very wordes following, who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me particularly: and in this manner of beleeuing Paul was and is an example to all that are to be saued. 1. Tim. 1.16. and Phil. 3.15.
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  II. Reason. That which we are to aske of God in praier, we must beleeue it shal be giuen vs, as we aske it: but in praier we are to aske the pardon of our owne sinnes, and the merit of Christs righteousnes for our selues: therfore we must beleeue the same particularly. The proposition is a rule of Gods word, requiring that in euery petition wee bring a particular faith, whereby wee be∣leeue, that the thing lawfully asked, shall be giuen accordingly. Matth. 11.24. The minor is also euident, neither can it be denied: for we are taught by Christ himselfe to pray on this manner, Forgiue vs our debts: and to it we say, Amen, that is, that our petitions shall without doubt be graunted vnto vs. Aug. serm. de Temp. 182.

  And here note, that the Church of Rome in the doctrine of iustification by faith cuts off the principall part and propertie thereof. For in iustifying faith two things are required: first Knowledge reuealed in the word touching the meanes of saluation: secondly an Applying of things knowne vnto our selues, which some call affiance. Nowe the first they acknowledge, but the se∣cond, which is the very substance and principall part thereof, they denie.

• III. Reason. The iudgement of the auncient Church. a 1.1 August. I demande nowe, doest thou beleeue in Christ, O sinner? Thou saiest, I beleeue. What beleeuest thou? that all thy sinnes may freely be pardoned in him. Thou hast that which thou beleeuest.b 1.2 Bernard. The Apostle thinketh that a man is iustified freely by faith. If thou beleeuest that thy sinnes cannot bee remitted but by him alone against whome they were committed: but goe further and beleeue this too, that by him thy sinnes are forgiuen thee. This is the testimonie which the holy Ghost giueth in the heart: saying, thy sinnes are forgiuen thee. Cyprian. c 1.3 God promiseth thee immortalitie, when thou goest out of this world, and doest thou doubt? This is indeed not to know God, and this is for a member of the Church in the house of faith not to haue faith. If wee beleeue in Christ, let vs beleeue his wordes and promises, and wee shall neuer die, and shall come to Christ with ioyfull securitie with him to raigne for euer.

The II. difference touching faith in the act of iustification, is this. The Pa∣pist saith, we are iustified by faith, because it disposeth a sinner to his iustifica∣tion after this manner: By faith (saith he) the mind of man is inlightened in the knowledge of the lawe and gospell: knowledge stirs vp a feare of hell with a

consideration of the promise of happines, as also the loue & feare of God, & hope of life eternall. Now when the heart is thus prepared, God infuseth the habit of charitie & other vertues, wherby a sinner is iustified before god. We say otherwise, that faith iustifieth because it is a supernaturall Instrument cre∣ated by God in the heart of man at his conuersion, whereby he apprehendeth and receiueth Christs righteousnes for his iustification.

In this their doctrine is a twofold error: I. that they make faith which iusti∣fieth, to goe before iustification it selfe, both ••or order of nature, as also for time: whereas by the worde of God, at the very instant, when any man belee∣ueth first, he is then iustified and sanctified. For he that beleeueth, eateth and drinketh the bodie and blood of Christ, and is alreadie passed from death to life. Ioh. 6.54. The second is, that faith beeing nothing else with them but an illumination of the minde, stirreth vp the will: which beeing mooued & hel∣ped, causeth in the heart many spirituall motions: and thereby disposeth man to his future iustification. But this indeed is as much as if we should say, that dead men onely helped, can prepare themselues to their future resurrection. For we are all by nature dead in sinne, and therefore must not onely be in∣lightened in mind, but also renued in will, before we can so much as wil or de∣sire that which is good. Nowe we (as I haue said) teach otherwise: that faith iu∣stifieth as it is an instrument to apprehend and apply Christ with his obedi∣ence; which is the matter of our iustification. This is the trueth, I prooue it thus. In the couenant of grace two things must be considered: the substance thereof, and the condition. The substance of the couenant is, that righteousnes and life euerlasting, is giuen to Gods Church and people by Christ. The condition is, that we for our parts, are by faith to receiue the foresaid benefits: and this condition is by grace as well as the substance. Now then, that we may attaine to saluation by Christ, he must be giuen vnto vs really, as he is propounded in the tenour of the foresaid couenant. And for the giuing of Christ, God hath appointed speciall ordinances, as the preaching of the word, and the admini∣stration o•• ••••e Sacraments. The word preached is the power of God to salua∣tion to euery one that beleeues: and the end of the sacraments is to communi∣cate Christ with all his benefits to them that come to be partakers thereof: as is most plainely to be seene in the supper of the Lord, in which the giuing of bread and wine to the seuerall communicants, is a pledge and signe of Gods particular giuing of Christs bodie and blood with all his merits, vnto them. And this giuing on Gods part cannot be effectuall without receiuing on our parts: and therfore faith must needes be an instrument or hand to receiue that which God giueth, that we may find comfort by this giuing.

The III. difference concerning faith is this: the Papist saith, that a man is iustified by faith: yet not by faith alone, but also by other vertues, as hope, loue, the feare of God, &c. The reasons which are brought to maintaine their opinion are of no moment.

• I. Reason. Luke 7.47. Many sinnes are forgiuen her, a 1.4 because shee loued much. Whence they gather that the woman here spoken of, was iustified and had the pardon of sinnes by loue. Ans. In this text, loue is not made an impulsiue cause to mooue God to pardon her sinnes, but onely a figne to shew and ma∣nifest

• that God had alreadie pardoned them. Like to this is the place of Iohn who saith, 1. Ioh. 3. 14. We are translated from death to life, because wee loue the brethrē: where loue is no cause of the chāge, but a signe & consequent therof.
• II. Reason. Gal. 5.6. Neither circumcision, nor vncircumeision auaileth any thing, but faith that worketh by loue. Hence they gather that faith doeth iustifie togither with loue. Ans. The propertie of true faith is, to apprehend and re∣ceiue something vnto it selfe: and loue, that goes alwaies with faith, as a fruite and an vnseparable companion thereof, is of another nature. For it doeth not receiue in, but as it were giue out it selfe in all the duties of the first and second table towards God and man: and this thing faith by it selfe cannot doe: and therefore Paul saieth, that faith worketh by loue. The hand hath a propertie to reach out it selfe, to lay hold of any thing, and to rec••••ue a gift: but the hand hath no propertie to cut a peece of wood of it selfe, without saw or knife, or some like instrument: & yet by help of thē, it can either deuide or cut. Euen so it is the nature of faith, to goe out of it selfe & to receiue Christ into the heart: as for the duties of the first and second table, faith cannot of it selfe bring them forth; no more then the hand can deuide or cut: yet ioyne loue to faith, & then can it practise duties commended concerning God and man. And this I take to be the meaning of this text, which speaketh not of iustification by faith, but onely of the practice of common duties, which faith putteth in execution by the helpe of loue.
• III. Reason. Faith is neuer alone, therefore it doth not iustifie alone. Ans. The reason is naught, and they might as well dispute thus. The eie is neuer a∣lone from the head, and therefore it seeth not alone: which is absurd. And though in regard of substance the eie be neuer alone, yet in regard of seeing, it is alone: and so though faith subsist not without loue and hope and other graces of god, yet in regard of the act of iustification it is alone without thē al.
• IV. Reason. If faith alone doe iustifie, then we are saued by faith alone: but we are not saued by faith alone; and therefore not iustified by faith alone. Ans. The proposition is false: for more things are requisite to the maine ende then to the subordinate meanes. And the assumption is false: for wee are saued by faith alone, if we speake of faith as it is an instrument apprehending Christ for our saluation.
• V. Reason. We are saued by hope: therefore not by faith alone. Ans. Wee are saued by hope, not because it is any cause of our saluation. Pauls meaning is onely this: that we haue not saluation as yet in possession, but waite patiently for it, in time to come to be possessed of vs, expecting the time of our full de∣liuerance: that is all, that can iustly be gathered hence.

Nowe the doctrine which we teach on the contrarie is, That a sinner is iusti∣fied before God by faith: yea, by faith alone. The meaning is, that nothing with∣in man, and nothing that man can do either by nature or by grace concurreth to the act of iustification before God, as any cause thereof, either efficient, material, formal, or final, but faith alone: all other gifts & graces, as hope, loue, the feare of God, are necessarie to saluation, as signes thereof, & cōsequents of faith. Nothing in mā cōcurs as any cause to this work but by faith alone. And faith it selfe is no principall but onely an instrumentall cause whereby we re∣ceiue,

apprehend, and apply Christ and his righteousnesse for our iustificatiō.

Reason I. Ioh. 3.14,15. As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse, so must the sonne of man be lift vp: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life. In these words Christ makes a comparison on this maner: when any one of the Israelites were stung to death by fierie serpents: his cure was not by any phisicke surgerie, but onely by the casting of his eies vp to the brasen serpent, which Moses had erected by Gods commandement: euen so in the cure of our soules, when we are stung to death by sinne, there is nothing required within vs for our recouery, but onely that we cast vp and fixe the eye of our faith on Christ and his righteousnes.

Reason II. The exclusiue formes of speech vsed in scripture prooue thus much. We are iustified freely, not of the lawe, not by the lawe, without the lawe, without workes, not of workes, not according to workes, not of vs, not by the workes of the lawe but by faith. Gal. 2.16. All boasting excluded, onely beleeue. Luk. 8.50. These distinctions, whereby workes and the lawe are excluded in the work•• of iustification, doe include thus much: that faith alone doth iustifie.

Reason III. Very reason may teach thus much: for no gift in man is apt & fit as a spirituall hand to receiue & apply Christ and his righteousnes vnto a sinner, but faith. Indeede loue, hope, the feare of God, and repentance, haue their seuerall vses in men, but none serue for this ende to apprehend Christ and his merits; none of them all haue this receiuing propertie: and therefore there is nothing in man, that iustifieth as a cause but faith alone.

Reason IV. The iudgement of the auncient Church. Ambr. on Rom. 4. They are blessed to whome without any labour or worke done, iniquities are re∣mitted and sinne couered: no workes or repentance required of them, but onely that they beleeue. And cap. 3. Neither working any thing, nor requiting the like, are they iustified by faith alone through the gift of God. And 1. Cor. 1. this is ap∣pointed of God that whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall be saued without any worke by faith alone, freely receiuing remission of sinnes. a 1.5 Augustine, There is one pro∣pitiation for all sinnes, to beleeue in Christ. Hesyc. on Leuit. lib. 1. c. 2. Grace which is of mercy is apprehended by faith alone and not of workes. Bernard. b 1.6 Whosoe∣uer is pricked for his sinnes and thirsteth after righteousnes, let him beleeue in thee, who iustifieth the sinner, and beeing iustified by Faith alone, he shall haue peace with God. Chrysost. on Gal. 3. They said, he which resteth on faith alone•• is accursed: but Paul sheweth, that he is blessed which resteth on faith alone. Basil. de Humil. Let man acknowledge himselfe to want true iustice, and that he is iustified onely by faith in Christ. Origen. on c. 3. Rom. Wee thinke that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe: and he saith iustification by faith alone sufficeth, so as a man onely beleeuing may be iustified. And, therefore it lieth vpon vs —, to search who was iustified by faith without works. And for an exāple, I thinke vpon the theife who beeing crucified with Christ, cried vnto him, Lord remember me when thou cō∣mest into thy kingdome: and there is no other good worke of his mentioned in the Gospell: but for this alone faith, Iesus saith vnto him, This night thou shalt be with me in paradise.

Notes

• a 1.1

  de verb. dei serm. 7.
• b 1.2

  S••rm. 1. d•• Annunc.
• c 1.3

  Serm. de Natal.
• a 1.4

  Particula non causalis∣sed illatiua vel rationa∣lis.
• a 1.5

  de verbis dom•• ser. 4••.
• b 1.6

  supra Can. serm. 22.