Rogers on Article XI: Of the Justification of Man

The propositions.

1. Onely for the merit our Lord and Sauiour Christ are we accounted righteous before God.

2. Onely by Faith are we accounted righteous before God.

3. Not for our owne workes, or deseruings are we accounted righteous before God.

1. Proposition. Onely for the merit of our Lord, and Sauiour Christ, we are accounted righteous before God.

The proofe from the word of God.

BY Christ his blood onely wee are cleansed.

Hee is the Lambe of God, which taketh away the sinne of the world ¹.

Wee are iustified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus ².

Wee are bought with a price ³, euen with the pretious blood of Christ, the lambe vndefiled and without spot ⁴; which cleanseth vs from all sinne ⁵.

By his onely righteousnes, wee are iustified.

By the obedience of one many be made righteous ⁶.

Christ is the ende of the Lawe for righteousnesse vnto euery one that beleeueth ⁷. He of God is made vnto vs wisdome, and righteousnesse, and sanctification, and redemption ⁸: and wee are made the righteousnes of God in him ⁹. And therefore from heauen we looke for the Sauiour, euen the Lord Iesus Christ ¹⁰.

And this is the faith, and Confession of all Churches reformed ¹¹.

Errors & Adversaries to this truth.

This truth is neither beleeued, nor acknowledged

Of the Atheists, who are neither perswaded of the life to come, nor vnderstand the mysteries of mans saluation through the merits of Christ.

Nor of the Pharise is, and their followers, who thinke that by ciuill, and externall righteousnes we are iustified before God ¹².

Nor of Matthewe Hamant; who held that man is iustified by Gods meere mercie without respect vnto the merits of¹³ Christ.

Nor of Galeotus Martius, which was of opinion, that all nations, and persons whosoeuer liuing according to the rules of nature, should be saued, and inherit euerlasting happines ¹⁴.

Nor of the Turkes, who think that so many as either goe on pilgrimage vnto Mecha, or doe kisse the sepulchre of Mahomet, are iustified before God, and thereby doe obtaine remission of their sinnes ¹⁵.

Nor of the Familie of Loue: who teach by the shedding of Christ his blood, is meant the spreading of the Spirit in our heartes ¹⁶.

Nor of the Papists, whose doctrine is, that

1. Though Christ hath suffered for all men in generall: yet not onely each man must suffer for his owne part in particular ¹⁷: but also that the workes of one man may satisfie for another ¹⁸.

2. They teach next, that sinnes veniall are done away, and purged by prayer, Almes-deedes, by the worthy receiuing of the blessed Sacrament of the Altar; by taking of holy water; knocking vpon the breast with holy meditation, the Bishops blessing, and such like ¹⁹, by holy water, and such ceremonies ²⁰, sacred ceremonies ²¹. as Confiteor, tundo, conspergor, conteror, oro, Signor, edo, dono, per haec venialia pono: that is: I am confest vnto the preist, I knock mine heart and breast with fist; With holy water I am besprent, And with contrition all yrent; I pray to God, and heauenly host, I crosse my forehead at euery post; I eate my Sauiour in the bread; I deale my d[?]ale when I am dead. And doing so, I know I may, My veniall sinnes soone put away.

And sinnes mortall, not by the merits of Christ onely, but many waies besides are clensed, thinke the said Papists, as By the mirits of dead Saints, namely of S. Mary the virgine: Threnosa compassio dulcissimae Dei Matris Per[?]ucat nos ad gaudiasummi Dei Patris. The pittifull compassion of Gods best pleasing mother, Bring vs to the ioyes of God the soueraigne father.

²² And of Thomas Becket, Tu per Thomae sanguinem, quem pro[?]e impendit, Fac nos Christe soandere, quo Thomas ascendit. By the Blood of Thomas, which he for the expended, Make vs Christ, to climbe vp, where Thomas ascended.

By Agnos Deis, whereof they say: Peccatum frangit, vt Christi sanguis, & angit. It breaketh sinn, and doeth good, As well as Christ his pretious blood ²³.

By reading certaine parcels of Scripture, according to their vulgars.

Per Euangelica dicta, Deleantur nostra delicta ²⁴. Through the sayings and wordes, euangelicall, Our sinnes blot out and vices all.

2. Proposition. Onely by Faith are we accounted righteous before God.

The proofe from Gods word.

Onely beleeue ²⁵, all that beleeue in Christ, shall receiue remission of sinnes ²⁶: frō all things, from which ye could not be iustified by the law of Moses, by Christ euery one that beleeueth is iustified ²⁷.

The Gospel is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth ²⁸.

To him that worketh not, but beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly, his faith is counted for righteousnesse ²⁹, Christ is the ende of the law for righteousnesse, to euery one that beleueth ³⁰.

Knowe that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law, but by the faith of Iesus Christ, &c. ³¹

God would iustifie the Gentiles through faith, &c. They which be of faith, are blessed with faith full Abraham ³².

By grace are ye saued, through faith, and that not of your selues ³³

Yea, doubtlesse I thinke all things [?]ut losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord, for whom I haue counted all things losse, and doe iudge them to be doung, that I might winne Christ; and might be founde in him, not hauing mine owne righteousnesse, which is of the Lawe, but that which is through the faith of Christ, euen the righteousnesse which is of God through faith ³⁴.

The Cburches of Christ by their publike confessions giue testimonie vnto this truth ³⁵.

The Errors, and adversaries vnto this truth.

³⁶Pertakers of the prophet, and sweetens of this doctrine are, not they which be altogether ignorant of this mysterie.

Nor they who knowe the same, but applie it not to their owne soules, and consciences, but altogether despise the same, as did Pilate, in condemning Christ; Herod, in killing Iames ³⁷; Agrippa, in not defending Paul ³⁸; the Iewes in, persecuting the Apostles: and doe the Deuills ³⁹, and many vngodly persons, Tyrans, false Christians, and Apostataes.

Nor they which teach not a sure confidence in Iesus Christ, but an historicall knowledge of him, as the Papists ⁴⁰.

Nor they which hold that all and euery man is to remaine doubtfull, whether he shall be saued or no, as doe the same Papists ⁴¹.

Nor they which teach that man is iustified,

Either by workes, without faith, as did the false Apostles in Asia ⁴², and do the Turkes, and Anabaptists ⁴³.

Or by faith, and workes, as both the Pseudapostles at Hierusalem ⁴⁴, the Ebionites ⁴⁵, and the Papists ⁴⁶, with the Russians ⁴⁷.

Or neither by faith, nor workes, as they which contemne both faith in Christ Iesus, and good workes too, hoping yet to be saued, as they carnally secure worldlings.

Neither shall they be partakers of the sweetnes of this truth, which say that for Christians to trust onely by Christ his passion, or by Faith onely to be saued, is a breach of the first commandement, as Vaux ⁴⁸, is the doctrine of Deuills, as Frier Lawrence a Villanicentia ⁴⁹; and the doctrine of Simon Magus, as do the Rhemists ⁵⁰.

Nor they finally which maintaine how the truly righteous apprehend not Christ by Faith, but haue him, and his rigteousnesse essentially, and inherent within them, which is an error of the Catharists ⁵¹, Papists ⁵², Osiandri[?]ns ⁵³, and Familie of Loue ⁵⁴.

3. Proposition. Wee are accounted righteous before God, not for our owne workes, or deseruings.

The proofe from Gods word.

Besides what hath bin said, that workes haue no place, nor portion in the matter of our iustification, it is euident in the holy scripture, where wee finde, that

All men be sinners, and destitue of the glorie of God. And therefore that no man can be iustified by his owne workes ⁵⁵.

Eternall life commeth vnto vs, not by desert; but partly of promise ⁵⁶. partly of gift ⁵⁷.

The iust shall liue by faith; and the Law is not of faith ⁵⁸.

Moreouer, as the godly in old time were; so Christians in these daies, are, and shall be iustified: But the godly were iustified, not for any good workes, or worthinesse of their owne, so iustified was Abraham ⁵⁹, the Iewes ⁶⁰, the Samaritans ⁶¹, Paul ⁶², the Eunuch ⁶³, the Iailo[?] ⁶⁴, and the Ephesians ⁶⁵.

All Churches reformed with a sweete consent applaude & confesse this doctrine ⁶⁶.

The Errors and adversaries vnto this truth.

Adversaries herevnto are,

The Pharisies, who thought men were iustified by externall righteousnesse, morall ⁶⁷, and ceremoniall ⁶⁸.

The false Apostles in Asia ⁶⁹, and at Ierusalem ⁷⁰.

The Pharisaicall Papists, who against the iustification by faith alone doe hould a iustification by merits, and that of Congtuitie, dignitie, condignitie ⁷¹.

The said Papists teach besides, that life eternall is due vnto vs of debt, because wee deserue it by our good workes ⁷².

They teach finally that by good workes our sinnes are purged ⁷³.

Footnotes

1. Ioh. 1.29. ↩

2. Rom. 3.24. ↩

3. 1 Cor. 6.20. ↩

4. 1. Pet. 1.19.
   ↩
5. 1. Ioh. 1.7.
   ↩

6. Rom. 5.19. ↩

7. Ibid. 10.4. ↩

8. 1. Cor. 1.30.
   ↩
9. 2. Cor. 5.21.
   ↩

10. Philip. 3.2[?]. ↩

11. Confess. Helv. 2. cap. 15. Bohe. c. 6. Gal. ar. 12. Belg. ar. 22. August. ar. 4. VVittemb. ar. 5. Sucvica. c. 3. ↩

12. Math. 5.20. ↩

13. Holinsh. chro. fol. 1299. ↩

14. P. Iovius eleg. doct. vir. p. 97. ↩

15. Lo[?]ic. Tur. hist. Com. 1. l. 2. par. 2. c. 14.15.18. ↩

16. Display, in Allens confess. ↩

17. Test. Rhem. an. Rom. 8.17. ↩

18. Ibid. an. Col. 1.24. ↩

19. Vaux catech. c 4. ↩

20. Test. Rhem. an. Joh. 13.10. ↩

21. Test. Rhem. an. marg. [?]. 258. ↩

22. Horum B. Virg. S. Mar. secundum v[?]um Sarum. ↩

23. Cerem. lib. [?] tit. 7. ↩

24. Breviar. secundum Sarum ↩

25. Mark. 5.36. ↩

26. Act. 10.43. ↩

27. Act. 13.39. ↩

28. Rom. 1.16. ↩

29. Rom. 4.5. ↩

30. Rom. 10.4. ↩

31. Gal. 2.16. ↩

32. Gal. 3.8, 9. ↩

33. Eph. 2.8. ↩

34. Phil. 3.8, 9. ↩

35. Confess. Helv. [?]. cap. 16. Basil. ar. 8. Bohem. c. 6, 7. Gal. ar. 20. Belg. ar. 22. August. ar. 4. Saxon. ar. 3.8. VVittemb. ar. 4. Suev. cap. 3. ↩

36. Matth. 27.24. ↩

37. Act. 12.1. ↩

38. Act. 26.26. ↩

39. Iam. 2.19. ↩

40. Canis. catech. c. 1. Vaux catec. [?]. 1. Test. Rhem. an. Rom. 4.14. 1. Tim. 3.15. ↩

41. Conci[?]. Trid. sess. 6. cap. 9. Test. Rhem. an. Rom. 5.1. ↩

42. 2. Tim. 1.
    ↩

43. Bale myst. of iniquit. p. 53. ↩

44. Act. 15.1. ↩

45. Euseb. l. 3. c. 24. ↩

46. Test. Rhem. an. Luke. 7. marg. Luk. 10.28. Ioh. 3.18. Iames 2.2[?]. ↩

47. Russie Comm. vveale. cap. 23. ↩

48. Catech. c. 3. ↩

49. De fo[?]atu[?]. S. con[?]. lib. [?]. c. 2[?]. ↩

50. Tost. Rhem. an. Act. 8.18. ↩

51. Jsidor. c[?]y[?]. l. 8. c. de haeris. ↩

52. Conci. Trid. sess. 6. c. 16.7. ↩

53. Calvin. contra Osiand. epist. fol. 303. […] epist. 1. ↩

54. Displ[?]y in A[?] lens confess. ↩

55. Psal. 14.2, 3. Psal 53.2. and 51.4. Rom. 5.12. ↩

56. Act. 2.30. Act. 3.25. Act. 13.32. 2. Tim. 1.1. ↩

57. Ioh. 17.2. Rom. 6.23. 1. Ioh. 5.11. Reuel. 2.10. ↩

58. Gal. 3.11, 12. ↩

59. Rom. 4.1, 2. Gal. 3.6. Heb. 11.17. ↩

60. Act. 2.44. &c. ↩

61. Act. 8.12. ↩

62. 1. Tim. 1.14, 16. Act. 22.16. Phil. 3.6.9.
    ↩

63. Act. 8.36. ↩

64. Act. 16.31. &c. ↩

65. Eph. 2.4, 5, &c. ↩

66. Confess. Helvet. 2. c. 16. Basil. ar. [?] Bohem. c. 7. Gal. ar. 22. Belg. ar. 24. August. ar. 6.26. ↩

67. Mat. 5.21. &c. ↩

68. Math. 15.2. ↩

69. 2. Tim. 1.
    ↩

70. Act. 15.2. ↩

71. Gab. Biel. l 2. dist. 27. q. 1. ↩

72. Concil. Trid. sess. 6. can. 32. ↩

73. Petrus a Solo asser. cath. de bonis oper. ↩