A30248:664
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,…
The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errors of Papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially Antinomians in XXX lectures preached at Lawrence-Jury, London / by Anthony Burgess ...The true doctrine of justification asserted and vindicated, from the errours of Papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially Antinomians in XXX lectures preached at Lawrence-Iury, London / by Anthony Burgess ...
London: printed by A. Miller for Tho. Underhill, 1651
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
There are two places of Scripture, that seem to give a check to this Doctrine. The first is, Ezek. 18.24, 26. where God saith, If a righteous man turn away from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, his righteousness shall not be mentioned, but he shall die in his sin. Quid clarius? s•ith Bellarmine: What is more clear then this place? Hence this is strongly insisted upon by Papists, Arminians, Lutherans, as the Achilles.
There are two places of Scripture, that seem to give a check to this Doctrine. The first is, Ezek. 18.24, 26. where God saith, If a righteous man turn away from his righteousnesse, and commit iniquity, his righteousnesse shall not be mentioned, but he shall die in his sin. Quid clarius? s•ith Bellarmine: What is more clear then this place? Hence this is strongly insisted upon by Papists, Arminians, Lutherans, as the Achilles.
Now to this place, these Answers are given,
First, That the Prophet speaks not of a truly righteous man, but a pharisaical, bragging man, who hath a conceit of his righteousness, without any reality at all; and such a feigned righteousness may quickly melt away; but this may seem too much forced (though learned men insist on it) partly, because the opposition is made of a righteous man to one really wicked; partly, because it is such a righteousness, which if a man had continued in, would have saved him, he should have lived by it. Others therefore say, The expression is only conditional, and by supposition, if he do this, which doth only imply a posse, if a man be left to himself, not an esse, or that indeed he will do so; yea God useth these conditional comminations, as a sanctified means to keep a righteous man from falling. This is a good Answer: but there are others with whom I join, that say, The Scripture doth here consider a man as of himself, and what he is in his own power, not what he is by a Covenant of Grace (which is only per accidens, and ex hypothesi) a mere extrinsical and accidental thing to a man. And now, speak