That we may briefly Confute this Sophistry, whereas neither the Holy Scriptures, nor the Godly Doctors of the Primitive Church acknowledge ⟨p. 436⟩any manner of justifying, but one only: How comes it to pass, that those men have devised a twofold Justification? making two, of that which is but one: So that the first Justification consists of Faith only, and the second is made up of Works? But it is easy to withstand this absurd device, by the Authority of sufficient witnesses; amongst whom Ambrose comes first into 1Mind: who hath expressed himself thus; Because there is one God of all, he hath justified all after the same manner; and what that manner is, he shows in these Words, He justifies them no otherways, but as they are Believers. And presently after, he excludes all Merit of Works; For nothing, saith he, is the cause of Dignity and Merit, but Faith only: And again, Seeing that a Man is not justified before God, but by Faith only, &c. Therefore let us infer 2from these Words of Ambrose, if there is one manner of justifying, as there is one God; Then no Distinction can make two Justifications of that which is one only: As no Distinction can make the one only God, that justifies, to be two. Again, if Believers are no otherways justified before God but by Faith, according to the Testimony of Ambrose, and there is no other Dignity nor Merit, that God regards, but only Faith; what place is there for a second Justification made up of the Merits of Works?
That we may briefly Consute this Sophistry, whereas neither the Holy Scriptures, nor the Godly Doctors of the Primitive Church ackonwledge ⟨p. 436⟩any manner of justifying, but one only: How comes it to pass, that those men have devised a twofold Iustification? making two, of that which is but one: So that the first Iustification consists of Faith only, and the second is made up of Works? But it is easie to withstand this absurd device, by the Authority of sufficient witnesses; amongst whom Ambrose comes first into 1Mind: who hath expressed himself thus; Because there is one God of all, he hath justified all after the same manner; and what that manner is, he shews in these Words, He justifies them no otherways, but as they are Believers. And presently after, he excludes all Merit of Works; For nothing, saith he, is the cause of Dignity and Merit, but Faith only: And again, Seeing that a Man is not justified before God, but by Faith only, &c. Therefore let us inferr 2from these Words of Ambrose, if there is one manner of justifying, as there is one God; Then no Distinction can make two Iustifications of that which is one only: As no Distinction can make the one only God, that justifies, to be two. Again, if Believers are no otherways justified before God but by Faith, according to the Testimony of Ambrose, and there is no other Dignity nor Merit, that God regards, but only Faith; what place is there for a second Iustification made up of the Merits of Works?
- 1Ambrose in Cap. 3. ad Rom.
- 2It is proved out of Ambrose, that a twofold manner of Justificatoin is impossible.It is proved out of Ambrose, that a twofold manner of Iustificatoin is impossible.
