A40370:178
Of free justification
Of free justification by Christ written first in Latin by John Fox, author of the Book of martyrs, against Osorius, &c. and now translated into English, for the benefit of those who love their own souls, and would not be mistaken in so great a point.Of free justification by Christ written first in Latine by John Fox, author of the Book of martyrs, against Osorius, &c. and now translated into English, for the benefit of those who love their own souls, and would not be mistaken in so great a point.
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1694
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.
Against the Jesuits and their Topic Arguments, whereby they confirm Inherent Righteousness out of Aristotle.
Against the Iesuits and their Topick Arguments, whereby they confirm Inherent Righteousness out of Aristotle.
WHAT, say they, have you not at any time read that form of 1reasoning in Aristotle? He is righteous, therefore he is endued with righteousness; Such a man is learned, therefore he hath learning? We have read it, Say they, in the Topics of Aristotle. That is true indeed. But have ye not also at any time read in the Epistles of Paul, these forms of speaking, Christ is our Righteousness? We are made the righteousness of God by him? faith is imputed unto righteousness? 2the Just shall live by faith? What then? Shall we believe Aristotle more than Paul? We believe Fishermen, Saith Ambrose, not Logicians. And should we translate our Faith, which we owe to God with faithful Abraham unto men that are Sophisters? But now, lest those Jesuits should say, that they are not answered, let us look more nearly into the force of their argument, and pierce them through with their own Dart. They deny that ever this external attribution was heard of since the World was; that a thing should receive a name extrinsically from qualities, that can be within, so that they should be accounted righteous before God, not by inherent qualities, ⟨p. 107⟩but the righteousness of another, to wit, Christs, which is applied to us by Faith, &c. And indeed this Reason taken out of Aristotle, might perhaps be of some force, if they had omitted these words (before God.) But now seeing there is a twofold and divers righteousness, the one which is called the righteousness of the Law, the other which is called the righteousness of Faith; and seeing the judgments of God and the judgments of men do differ, they do foolishly and ridiculously argue from humane things to divine, from the righteousness of the Law, to the righteousness of Faith; for men are not justified in the sight of God upon the same account that they are esteemed righteous before men. Yea, oft-times it happens otherways, that those whom this World does most cry up, and judges just by their inherent qualities, God condemns the same men chiefly of unrighteousness out of those very same qualities: and so on the contrary part,