Chapter II
That the resting in our holy duties and endeavours is an hindrance unto faith;
but a right performance of them is very well consistent with it, and needful.
When we shew that in the working of faith, and in men s coming on to
believe, duties, and good performances, and new endeavours, become to
many the greatest hindrances to believing on Christ alone, and do interpose
themselves and come betwixt Christ and the soul ; men taking up a rest,
and putting confidence in them ere they come to Christ. When, therefore, we cry out against this resting in duties, and shew the vanity and empti
ness of all you can do to save you, or obtain Christ and God s favour, and
bid men, as Luther, take heed not of their sins only, but of their good works also ; then men are apt to say and think that we do cry down all
good performances, and speak downright against good duties, and do drive men wholly off from the performance of them ; and not only carnal men
are apt to think so, but this is the case of poor broken souls, that when
this their error, and the emptiness of all their performances to this end
is discovered to them, their hearts flag, and they sit down discouraged, and their hands grow feeble in the performance of them. And we find
Luther complaining of nothing more than this mistake and cavil which
accompanied his doctrine, the chiefest of whose thoughts and breath was
spent in this very point, to beat men off from carnal confidence in works
(as the deepest and most bottom corruption in man s nature), and to bottom
_ power and the
their faith immediately upon Christ, wherein he makes the
truth of faith to consist ; which, whilst he endeavoured, this calumny was
still raised, that he spake against good works and holy duties. And still
this shadow follows this truth ; and to this purpose he still professeth,*
that as it was the hardest thing in the private exercise of men s spirits not
to consult with duties, to lay works aside, and to cast a man s soul out of
duties, and to lay all upon Christ, so it is the difncultest matter in all the
circle of theology, to give both their limits ; for, whilst duties are only
taught, faith is lost, and whilst faith is urged, carnal people dream (says
he) that good works are spoken against. And thus, whilst Paul taught
justification by faith without the works of the law (Rom. iii. 28), this
objection was started up, that he made void the law, which cavil is there
fore there met withal by him : ver. 31, Do we make void the law ? No ; we
establish it. So whilst Christ taught that publicans and sinners went into
heaven before Scribes and Pharisees, they cast this aspersion, falsely deduced from that his doctrine, that therefore he was a friend to publicans and sinners.
1. To clear this therefore, first, it might be alleged, and that truly, that
our scope, when we speak thus against their good works, is chiefly to dis-
* * Luther in Gal. v.
524 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART III. BOOK III.
cover that works performed in a state of unbelief by carnal men, are wholly sinful and abominable ; and though, if we take them in the abstract, they are to be pressed upon them as their duties, though they spoil them in the performance of them, yet that, in the concrete as performed by them, we cannot but declaim against them, and discover their sinfulness to them. Now for wicked men to argue from the concrete to the abstract, and to infer that, because we speak against wicked men s best performances, and discover them to be sinful, that therefore we speak against the duties themselves commanded, or that they are not their duties, this is an argu ment fetched out of the devil s topics. We profess that wicked men s best works occasionally prove their greatest sins ; as Luther says of the evil
world, Tune est pessimus cum est optimus, they are then worst when they seem best ; and the more holy in appearance they are, and the more good works they do, eb purius diabolo serviwit, they serve the devil more purely. But it follows not that therefore we speak against the duties themselves.
2. But, secondly, I shall propose more pertinent and proper considera tions to the thing in hand : first, by way of explication, I will premise two or three general considerations; and then, secondly, draw up formal and direct answers to this cavil and mistake.
(1.) The first thing that I premise by way of explication is, that when we
speak against trusting and resting in duties, as opposing the work of faith, we mean not only resting in them with an opinion of merit, and satisfying God in the most gross and popish sense, for that opinion may be renounced, when yet the heart practiseth a more refined, fine-spun popery secretly, and that is, that though men expect that it is Christ alone must pardon them, and think that their performances are not able to satisfy God for their sins, but Christ s satisfaction is it which must stand them in stead, yet they look upon their own performances as those which may compass Christ and an
interest in him, and they look at them as motives that may prevail with God to give them Christ ; which secret opinion is not much less derogatory from God s grace and Christ than the other, for Christ is more than justifi cation, because he brings justification and all with him. If he hath given us his Son,
< how shall he not with him give us all things ? Bom. viii. 32. All are less than Christ ; and therefore to think, though not to merit, yet to obtain Christ for our own performances, and so to rest in them, is as bad as the former. It is indeed a new shift, beyond what gross popery dreamt of; yet as it is in laws, though never so direct and express cautions be made to prevent all evasions, yet cunning heads will invent new to de fraud and go beyond the statute ; so though our divines have expressed themselves never so fully against works, yet men renouncing merits, their hearts have yet farther inventions of resting in works and duties, as motives to move God, they think, to give them Christ, which yet are as opposite to faith as the other, and therefore are excluded by the apostle, Kom. x. 6, The righteousness of faith, saith he, speaks on this wise, Say not in thy heart, &c. For let us preach Christ never so fully, and let men s opinions be never so much convinced, yet their hearts are apt, in their secret con sultations about their own salvation, to think of a course of doing
: Who shall ascend up to heaven, to fetch Christ thence ? Though the way be by Christ, yet they think, by doing, to get him and procure him. No, says the apostle ; it is by a sheer way of faith, closing with him as freely given, and put into your mouths and hearts.
(2.) The second thing I premise is, that as God, in giving Christ, and in
justifying us by Christ, looks at no performances either as meriting or as
moving him to do either, so faith, that apprehends and lays hold on Christ
CHAP. II.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 525
as given, and upon justification in him, whether by an act of casting a man s self on Christ for justification or otherwise, looks not at duties, or
all that ever a man hath done, either as meriting or moving causes, that do
further him any way in either, or prevail with God to bestow either. So
that look as there is an exact opposition between grace and works in God
(Rom. xi. 6, that if it be of mere grace, then all duties are excluded ; and
if of works, then grace is excluded, so as these two cannot mingle), so there
is as exact an opposition between faith and duties, in point of apprehending Christ and justification by him ; for faith is a grace chosen on purpose to
suit with God s free grace, to cause our thoughts to answer to his in this
great business, to take Christ as given, upon the same considerations that God bestows him, and so his righteousness too. Therefore, to be justified by grace and by faith, is all one ; and therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace. And when we are said to be justified by faith without works, what is the meaning of it, and why is it attributed to faith, but because faith
is the sole instrument of apprehending God s giving me Christ, and justify
ing of me ? As also because in that its apprehension, as God in justifying looks not to works, nor any thing in me, as the moving cause, or any way conducing to it, so faith apprehends it, having no eye to works, why it
apprehends it, and so is said to justify without works, that is, to apprehend
it, having no eye to works as moving causes. Yea, as God looks not to
faith itself, as a work, but only as an instrument apprehending, so faith
looks not on itself as a work, any way having any influence into obtaining Christ and his righteousness, but only as a hand receiving it. And there
fore, God chose this grace of faith, knowing that though, when the believer
believes, he performs a work, yet he would not look to that act as a work, but look to Christ and his free grace
* When
: as Luther expresseth himself,
I believe, I use to imagine, as if there were no such quality in me as faith, &c. So as, says he in another place,
* I do not know whether there be
any righteousness else, or unrighteousness in the world. Hence then it comes to pass that faith, when it goes about its proper business of laying hold upon Christ and justification through him, is careful to shut out and
exclude works ; it beats all duties and graces off with poles, as it were, from
putting their hands to this ark, which it alone is appointed to touch and
possess ; and it is exceeding jealous of duties, lest they should step in and
spoil her virginity, as Luther calls it, which she reserves for Christ, which
is tainted and polluted, if works mingle their help with faith in this busi
ness. For, as I said before, if it were any way of works, grace should be no grace ; so if the soul thought it any way of duties, it were no faith. And
therefore Paul, though he had never so many performances to boast of, and
elsewhere to men he doth boast of them, yet in point of justification he
* Though I know nothing by myself, yet hereby I am
thinks not of them :
not justified, but it is the Lord that freely of himself doth, without relation
to any thing in me. And therefore, 1 Pet. i. 13, we are exhorted to trust
perfectly, to trust and lean, fully and wholly, on grace ; not so as to stand
mainly upon it, and lean to works, but wholly and upright upon it.
(3.) The third thing I premise is this, that man s nature is exceedingly prone to rest and trust in his own performances, and not to look out wholly to God s free grace and to Christ ; Mahtm hoc est communissimum (as Luther
calls it), the most common evil, and deepliest rooted. Some of our divines, as Chemnitius, &c., have gone about to shew that, from Cain and Abel to
this very day, this hath been the great and standing controversy in the
world, and difference between the world and believers, whether we are
accepted before God by works or by faith. Cain thought by sacrifice to do
526 OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART III. BOOK III.
it, and neglected faith ; but Abel, though he brought sacrifice also, yet, Heb. xi., he offered it by faith, not resting in it, and so
* by faith offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness he was
righteous, which the other did not, thinking alone by sacrifice to do it ; the
apostle puts the difference on purpose, Heb. xi. 4. Thus, in Asaph s time, God by Asaph corrects it as the common error of that age, and shews it was not by works, not by sacrifice, that they are accepted, Ps. 1. 7, 8. Thus it was in Isaiah s time also, Have we not fasted, and thou seest
not?" Isa. Iviii. 2. And thus in Christ s time too, What shall we do to work the works of God ? John vi. 28. They thought to obtain righteous ness by doing, and therefore Christ, as correcting their error, points them to believing. Thus the Pharisees
* trusted in themselves, says the text, that they were righteous, Luke xviii. 9, that is, the righteousness they trusted unto, it was that only in themselves, and out of themselves. In a word, Paul says of them all, Rom. ix. 32, 83, that they sought not
righteousness by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. The pro mise of salvation they hoped for as well as believers, but, as some expound that place, in Acts xxvi. 7, of the unregenerate Jews, they hoped to come to the promise by works ; which promise, though Paul also looked for by faith, yet they thought by serving God day and night only to attain it; that was their way to attain ; but Paul, though he aimed at the same pro mise, yet sought it by faith. And this was the general error of all the twelve tribes, as he says there. And this was the reigning error in popish times, that they still trusted in their works, and though they knew Christ as a redeemer, yet they left him, and faith in him, and sought justification by the works of the law. Now, that a corruption should be so general in
all ages from time to time, and so universal and so irreclaimable, that all Christ and his apostles did could not work men off from it, this argues that
it is most natural, and that nature sticks here. As why have Pelagian con troversies been still in the church started, though still more refinedly, but because there are Pelagians fibra, Pelagian fibres in every man s heart, as he said, roots, and a spring of it within ? Now the other error about works hath been more ancient than this, and more lasting, because more natural. Yea, so natural is it, that oven believers, that have faith begun, are apt to rest in, and trust too much in duties. The apostles could not
get rid of all the grudgings of it, Mat. xix. 27. We have forsaken
all, what shall we have therefore ? And though he tells them what
they should have, yet elsewhere he beats down that. Therefore Luke
xvii. 7, 8, 9, Christ there endeavours to beat down all swelling conceits of their performances in them, tells them that when they had done all
they could, they must confess themselves unprofitable servants. And upon what occasion comes it in ? Look the 5th and 6th verses, and you will find that it is upon occasion of a conference about faith, they desiring the in crease of it, and Christ commending it, and telling them, that a grain of it was more worth than all their works, and then he comes in with this asser
tion, as removing the main hindrance of it. And therefore the Galatians, a whole church that had received Christ, yet how soon, says the apostle, were they removed to another gospel from the grace of Christ, Gal. i. 6. That other gospel was looking partly to works and partly to Christ, and
joining Christ with the law. And this we all find by experience to be true more or less ; and the reason is, because reason hath the law for its object, and to be justified by the works of the law, and accepted for them ; and so when men hear of grace and Christ, they think that yet they should go that way too. This most agrees with reason and the dictates of a natural con-
CHAP. II.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 527
science, for it was that way which in innocency was the way, and so some sparks of light that men should be saved by works are in every man s heart, as well as of the duties of the law, the legal way of salvation ; and though a man be brought to acknowledge that Christ pardons, yet he will have as much of his own way as he can, so that natural reason hath some knowledge of justification by the law; but of justification merely by grace, now man is fallen, this reason is ignorant of, and there is no such spark of
light sown in man s heart by nature ; therefore the apostle, Rom. x. 3, gives this as the reason they were ignorant of God s righteousness, that is, of God s way of justifying. And therefore it must be revealed, Rom. i. 17, and when it is revealed, it is entertained only by faith ; and that not to faith at first, but from one degree of faith to [another, for faith only is apprehensive of it ; so as if God would make a man more and more to cast himself upon Christ s righteousness, and add a farther insight into it, he must add to a man s faith ; and look how much carnal reason there is, and want of faith, so much relying upon duties there will be even in the best. And though men s opinions may be set right, yet this being an innate spark and principle in the heart, which is rooted out of it only by faith, therefore the heart under-hand will have recourse and rest in performances more or less ; for we, in the working of our hearts, are not guided by our notions, but by the rooted principles of nature ; therefore though men s judgments are convinced that there is a God, and that fully and clearly, yet atheism is rooted, and a settled principle in the heart, and therefore sways in the workings of a man s spirit ; and accordingly, as
< the fool says in his heart, There is no God, so naturally a man says in his heart, Duties must help me to Christ. And therefore the righteousness of faith is brought in as checking and contradicting such sayings that are apt to arise in a man s heart, which are not wrought out by opinion, but by a principle of faith, and a divine light accompanying
< The righteousness of faith says, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, to bring Christ down from above, Bom. x. 6. And therefore, in another place, God carefully meets with those thoughts of their own righteousness, Deut. ix. 4, Speak not in thine heart, that for my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land, &c., either as the moving cause, or the meriting cause. And ver. 6, he comes over it again with a more special instruction in this point when he says, Understand, therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land for thy righteousness ; for of all else the heart is most uncapable of this lesson, to discern the way of faith and works. And as ignorance and opposite reason, so also pride (which is the other reason
there, Rom. x. 2, used by the apostle) makes men to trust in their duties, they being ignorant of God s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness. He brings both in as reasons why they submitted not to God s righteousness of faith, for they would set up their own. Na ture desires to do so, because as self-love hath set up itself for a man s God and end, so for a man s Christ also ; there is the same reason of the one that is of the other, and pride is seen in both ; forwe would have wherewithal to boast. Therefore, Deut viii. 14, 17, he bids them take heed of the lift ing up of their hearts, in saying, My might, and the power of mine hand, hath got me this wealth. As it is thus in matters of wealth, so pride makes men think that through their prayer and their fasting, they should
get Christ. And this corruption was so rooted, that the main end of the
forty years troubles in the wilderness was to work out this conceit, and that by humbling them, ver. 16, which shews that pride was the original of this corruption.
OF THE OBJECT AND ACTS [PART III. BOOK III.
These things premised, the answers to that fore-mentioned cavil and mis take are easily framed. As,
1. In drawing men on to a right way of believing, we speak not at all
against duties, but only discover, and bid men beware of this corruption which so naturally accompanies the performance of them in men s hearts, which because it is so natural, and so prevalent, and so dangerous, therefore
it is as much to be spoken against. Now this corruption is but accidental
to the duties ; and therefore the duties, however, ought to be performed, and
are holy and good. We speak not against the things, but the ground of
performing them, with an eye to them, as anything that might move God
to give you Christ, which you are apt unto. And thus as when we speak against merits of works in our controversy with the papists, we speak not
against works, but their performing them upon that ground ; or, as when we speak against things lawful, and s:iy, that more are damned for things lawful than unlawful, and that they condemn themselves in what they allow ; and, that more are cast away upon sands than upon rocks, viz.
gross sins ; we in this speak not against the lawfulness of the things, or forbid men to use them, but against their corruption that place so much
their happiness and rest in them, that they are kept from God their chiefest
good. Now as things lawful step in betwixt God and men, so duties step in betwixt Christ and them, but both through their corruption ; and in this sense Luther said, Cavendum est a peccatis, imo a bonis opcribus, we are
to beware of sins, ay, and of good works too.
2. When we tell you that the performing of duties in many does hinder
faith, the meaning is not that of themselves they do so, for one command of
God doth not hinder another; but it is so by reason of your corruption, that
is apt to rest in them, so they do hinder men. As the law stirred up con
cupiscence, and was the occasion of evil, so are works the occasion of oppo sition to faith ; and therefore the apostle says, Rom. ix. 29, 30, many that are profane attain to the righteousness of faith sooner than others that
follow the righteousness of the law ; not that the righteousness of the law
is in itself contrary, no, this is not Paul s meaning, for, verse 32, he makes the question how it came so to pass
* Wherefore ? Because they sought it not by faith ; had they sought righteousness in a right wav, duties would not have hindered them. For this you must consider, that grace and
works, faith and works, are opposed. But how ? Only in point of justifi
cation, and attaining of Christ ; so that we should not look to them, or use them with an eye to them as causes to move God to bestow Christ on us. Herein they only clash ; and it is man s corrupt opinion too that sets them
at odds. It is the pride of nature that will bring duties in to justle out
faith, else they would not hinder but further each other. Not so much works as boasting are excluded by the law of faith, Rom. iii. 27. Let the heart lay boasting aside, and resting in them and faith, and they will do well otherwise, and both glorify God ; or, as Luther says, when faith
goes to believe and to deal with Christ, then she shuts works out, and
will be with her spouse alone ; naked Christ with naked faith, and works stand at the door as servants, that when faith will walk abroad, they may attend her.
3. We speak not against duties, but would reduce 3^011 to a right method and order in attaining to the right performance of them ; and that is, to
get faith first as the cause of all obedience, and which makes all accepted, without which God is not well pleased with all you do, and not to look at
duties as the cause of faith. Bona opera iwn pariunt fidem, sed fides parit bona opera. Good works do not bring forth faith, but faith brings forth good
CHAP. III.] OF JUSTIFYING FAITH. 529
works : Titus iii. 8, These things affirm constantly that those which have believed may be careful to maintain good works. That is the right method, first to exhort men to believe, then to fall adoing. A physician bids his
patient first take physic, and then drink broth ; he forbids him not to
drink, but to take physic first : so we exhort you to take Christ, and then
fall aworking.
4. Whereas you may ask, Are duties no helps afore faith ? I answer,
fourthly, Holy duties may be considered both as duties commanded to be
performed by God, and so we say all ought to perform them. And
secondly, also as means appointed by God to convey Christ, as conduit
pipes convey water ; or to bring us to Christ as boats convey us over the
water, and so they are back-doors to let us in to Christ : and so we exhort you to them. But the thing we speak against is, that either men rest in the performance of them as duties only, and look not at them further as means ; or, if they do, yet regard them rather as motives to move God to bestow Christ than simply as means, in the use of which God bestows sal vation. Now if the heart rests in them, or looks at them in this manner, then we speak against them.
5. When we go about to shew you the vanity and emptiness of them, we do it not that simply they are vain in themselves, but vain to that end you use them for, and that is to get Christ for them, or to be justified by them. For though they serve not to that end, yet they may serve for another, the other ends above mentioned. If a man that is troubled in conscience would go and take physic, his taking physic may be useful to him, and not
in vain, for he may other ways have need of it ; but yet to the end to cure the wound of his conscience, we may say it is in vain, to make him look to a higher means. And so when we say, the labours of chemists going by their art to get gold is vain and ridiculous, we do not mean that it is simply so; for it is many ways useful, yet not to make gold. So we say of duties, they are useful, but not to justify you, not as you think by your art to get and work Christ out of them. No.
6. When we speak against resting in duties, what is our scope ? To
bring Christ and you together, naked Christ and the naked soul ; that you may not embrace clouds, but Christ in all ; that you may not rest till you have Christ in your eye beyond all duties ; that you may have the work of faith in your eye above all works. This is all our scope, as it was Christ s, who directed them above works to believing, as that great work of God ; and as it was Paul s scope, who directed them to seek it by faith, Rom. ix. 32. We speak not against duties as servants to attend faith, but we would marry you to Christ, and have him to be your husband, and not
duties your paramours.