Of free justification

Of Sin and the healing thereof by Christ.

FOR Andradius, Hosius, Vega the Spaniard, and those others of the same Faction confederate with these, seem so to contend about the Righteousness of Charity, that having almost banished Faith out of the City of Rome, they place all the parts of our Salvation, or at least the chiefest in Charity and Sanctification. And now by what Scriptures will they demonstrate that? What, say they, doth not Christ heal us just as the Brazen Serpent healed the Wounds of those that were hurt? Were we not all healed by his stripes? Is not ¹he the Lamb that takes away the sins of the World? Is not he the Life-giving Serpent, who gives cure for our wounds? And what are our Wounds, say they, but Sin? What is the healing of Wounds but the putting away of Sins? What then, shall the Serpent be more powerful in fixing his sting, than Christ in taking it out? Shall Alam be more powerful to infect Nature, than Christ to cleanse it? But how is nature purged, if yet the contagion of sin remains? As in a diseased body, unless the hurtful humours are purged off, health is not recovered, and as the Air being surrounded on every side with black darkness, begins not to shine, before the brightness of the Sun being returned the darkness vanishes: In like manner ⟨p. 77⟩in the inward diseases of minds, the causes of maladies must first be taken away, before health is restored. But the causes of evils are sins, which if they are taken away by Christ, how can they remain in the Saints? But if they abide not, by necessary consequence then it follows, that the roots of all sins being cut away, they are righteous ²in the sight of God by that righteousness, not which is imputed, but which properly inheres in them, which is free of all spot of sin, which carefully observes the Law, which informs the mind with Charity, and beautifies it with Divine Ornaments, and makes us partakers of the Divine Nature. But let us put all these together for brevities sake into the exact form of an argument.