A40370:234
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.
But you on the contrary plead, that it seems not to be just at all, that any man should seem just by another mans righteousness, who is unrighteous himself. I answer to the contrary, and thus I plead; neither 1was it just that Christ being innocent should be […] into the condemnation of Death, who was in himself free of all spots; You object to me the definite nature of Justice: Which because it is a virtue, giving to every man according to his desert, therefore you argue that it cannot be, but it must measure unto all men by equal right, whatsoever is due to their merits: Be it so, and why then doth not this same justice, my good friend, distribute to Christ the Son of God according to his deserving? Why is the innocent beaten with stripes? Why is he torn unjustly with punishments? wherefore contrary to his deserving, contrary to Right and Justice is he drawn to the judgment of Death, and being innocent, is stretched forth upon the Cross? What can you answer me in this case? What say you? ⟨p. 130⟩What have you, whereby you may defend this distributive Justice? What will Justice it self bring for it self, which is the most exact and perfect of all things, so often proclaimed by you, and in so many books; Which it may probably make a pretence for the receiving of so great an injury? Except that it may say this only: That we, and the sins of us all, came under punishment in this one most innocent body of his, and there were with deserved punishments most justly recompensed by God.
But you on the contrary plead, that it seems not to be just at all, that any man should seem just by another mans righteousness, who is unrighteous himself. I answer to the contrary, and thus I plead; neither 1was it just that Christ being innocent should be 〈…〉 into the condemnation of Death, who was in himself free of all spots; You object to me the definite nature of Iustice: Which because it is a vertue, giving to every man according to his desert, therefore you argue that it cannot be, but it must measure unto all men by equal right, whatsoever is due to their merits: Be it so, and why then doth not this same justice, my good friend, distribute to Christ the Son of God according to his deserving? Why is the innocent beaten with stripes? Why is he torn unjustly with punishments? wherefore contrary to his deserving, contrary to Right and Iustice is he drawn to the judgment of Death, and being innocent, is stretched forth upon the Cross? What can you answer me in this case? What say you?