The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errors of Papists, Arminians,…The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errours of Papists, Arminians,…

And this is the ground of all that dangerous error in Popery, they look upon it as against the principles of reason, that we should be accounted righteous any other way, then by that which is inherent in us; and this made Luther profess, that when he did rightly understand the doctrine about free remission of sins, yet he was exceedingly troubled with the word Justify, for that old opinion had much soaked into him, that it must be to make righteous, as sanctificare is to make holy, or calefacere to make hot; some positive quality to be brought into a man, which he might oppose against the judgement of God. And hereby you may see, that its no wonder if the people of God are so difficultly persuaded of their Justification; if they be again and again plunged into fears about it; because this way which God taketh is above our thoughts: It is a great matter to deny our own righteousness, and to be beholding to Christ only for pardon.

And this is the ground of all that dangerous errour in Popery, they look upon it as against the principles of reason, that we should be accounted righteous any other way, then by that which is inherent in us; and this made Luther professe, that when he did rightly understand the doctrine about free remission of sins, yet he was exceedingly troubled with the word Justifie, for that old opinion had much soaked into him, that it must be to make righteous, as sanctificare is to make holy, or calefacere to make hot; some positive quality to be brought into a man, which he might oppose against the judgement of God. And hereby you may see, that its no wonder if the people of God are so difficultly perswaded of their Justification; if they be again and again plunged into fears about it; because this way which God taketh is above our thoughts: It is a great matter to deny our own righteousnesse, and to be beholding to Christ only for pardon.

Fourthly, As the Doctrine it self is by peculiar revelation, ¹so the Scripture hath proper words to express it by, which we must wholly attend to. This would be a good Pillar and Cloud to direct us; for then men began to decline from the truth, when they left off a diligent search of the use of the word in the Scriptures. What makes it so confidently and generally asserted by Papists, that Justification is a transmutation, a change from the state of unrighteousness to the state of holiness, but only neglect of the Scripture-use of this word?