Of justification four disputations clearing and amicably defending the truth against the unnecessary oppositions…

2. And it Interpreteth all Scriptures (that speak of a Justification in this life) of a strange feigned Justification, which for ought I find hath no ground in Scripture at all; and is wholly alien to our condition; and at least utterly unknown to us, if not known to be untrue. What doth it concern a sinner to be justified or condemned now before a Court of Angels, where he is not present, nor knows any thing of it? nor do we know what Angels have to do in such a business. And what Transient Act is it that God then and there puts forth or performeth? Can you tell? or doth Scripture tell you? God speaketh not to Angels by voice. If you think (as the Schoolmen, some) that they see our Justification, as other things in the face of God; then it is no Transient Act. Else why may not they see it in it self? And then either our Justification is Gods Essence, and they see it in him as his Eternal Being, or else God must be mutable, as having something to be seen in him de novo, which was not in him from Eternity. If you say that this Transient Act is Gods Illuminating the Angelical understanding to know us to be justified; then this supposeth that we are justified already by some former Act (which can be nothing that I know but the moral Act of his Laws:) For their knowing us to be justified is not a justifying us, but presupposeth us to be what they know us to be. I can think of nothing else that you can say, except this, that Christ as man may Vocally (or by some equivalent Transient Act) pronounce us Justified, as he will do at Judgement. But 1. this is without Scripture. 2. and it is God that justifieth. 3. And then how were all the faithful justified before Christs Incarnation and Ascension? Or do you think none were justified before?

2. And it Intepreteth all Scriptures (that speak of a Justification in this life) of a strange feigned Justification, which for ought I find hath no ground in Scripture at all; and is wholly aliene to our condition; and at least utterly unknown to us, if not known to be untrue. What doth it concern a sinner to be justified or condemned now before a Court of Angels, where he is not present, nor knows any thing of it? nor do we know what Angels have to do in such a business. And what Transient Act is it that God then and there puts forth or performeth? Can you tell? or doth Scripture tell you? God speaketh not to Angels by voyce. If you think (as the Schoolmen, some) that they see our Justification, as other things in the face of God; then it is no Transient Act. Else why may not they see it in it self? And then either our Justification is Gods Essence, and they see it in him as his Eternal Being, or else God must be mutable, as having something to be seen in him de novo, which was not in him from Eternity. If you say that this Transient Act is Gods Illuminating the Angelical understanding to know us to be justified; then this supposeth that we are justified already by some former Act (which can be nothing that I know but the moral Act of his Lawes:) For their knowing us to be justified is not a justifying us, but presupposeth us to be what they know us to be. I can think of nothing else that you can say, except this, that Christ as man may Vocally (or by some equivalent Transient Act) pronounce us Justified, as he will do at Judgement. But 1. this is without Scripture. 2. and it is God that justifieth. 3. And then how were all the faithful justified before Christs Incarnation and Ascension? Or do you think none were justified before?