CHAP. X. Whether Faith alone doth justifie.
GOD justifies judicially, Christs bloud meritoriously, Faith instrumen∣tally, Works declaratively, Rom. 3. 24, 28. Rom. 4. 5. Mar. 5. 36. Luke 8. 50. Act. 13. 39.
The Papists, Socinians and Remonstrants all acknowledge Faith to justifie, but by it they mean Obedience to Gods Commandments, and so make it a Work, and not consider it as an instrument receiving Christ and his pro∣mise.
A Papist, a Socinian, a Protestant saith, We are justified by faith, but disposi∣tive, saith the Papist, conditionaliter, saith the Socinian, applicativè, saith the Protestant.
Faith justifieth not as a quality or habit in us, as the Papists teach, Ipsa fides censetur esse justitia, for so it is a part of Sanctification, but as it is the instrument and hand to receive Christ who is our righteousnesse, much lesse as it is an act, as Socinus and his followers teach, as though 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ipsum credere, did properly justifie, if we should be justified by it as it is an act, then we should be justified by our works, and we should be no longer justified actually then we do actually believe, and so there should be an intercision of Justification so oft as there is an in∣termission of the act of faith, but Justification is a continued act.
We are justified only by faith, for what else in Scripture mean those many nega∣tives, not by works, Rom. 9. 11. Gal. 2. 16. Titus 3. 5. not of works, Rom. 11. 6. Ephes. 2. 9. not according to works, 2 Tim. 1. 19. without works, Rom. 4. 6. not through the Law, Rom. 4. 13. not by the works of the Law, Rom. 3. 20▪ without the Law, Rom. 3. 27. not but by faith, Gal. 2. 16.
How can a man be justified by his works when he himself must be just before the works can be, Gen. 4. 4. Good works make not a man good, but a good man makes a work good, and shall that work which a man made good return again and make the man good?
When we say, Faith alone doth justifie, we do not mean fidem solitariam, that saith which is alone; neither do we in construction joyn sola with fides the subject, but with Justification the predicate, meaning that true faith though it be not alone, yet it doth justifie alone, even as the eye, though in respect of being it is not alone, yet in respect of seeing, unto which no other member doth concurre with it, it be∣ing the only instrument of that faculty, it is truly said to see alone, so faith though