The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

But the Judgement of most Protestants is not only candidly expressed, but approved of also by Bellarmine himself in another place. Non esset (saith he) absurdum si quis diceret nobis imputari Christi justitiam & merita; cum nobis donentur & applicentur; ac si nos ipsi Deo satisfecissemus. De Justif. lib. 2. cap. 10. It were not absurd if any one should say that the Righteousness and Merits of Christ are imputed unto us, when they are given and applied unto us, as if we our selves had satisfied God. And this he confirms with that saying of Bernard and Innocent, Epist. 190. Nam si unus pro omnibus mortuus est, ergo omnes mortui sunt, ut videlicet satisfactio unius omnibus imputetur, sicut omnium peccata unus ille portavit. And those who will acknowledge no more in this matter, but only a Participation Quovis modo, one way or other, of the Benefits of the Obedience and Righteousness of Christ, wherein we have the concurrence of the Socinians also, might do well as I suppose, plainly to deny all Imputation of his Righteousness unto us in any sense as they do, seeing the Benefits of his Righteousness cannot be said to be imputed unto us, what way soever we are made Partakers of them. For to say, that the Righteousness of Christ is imputed unto us with respect unto the Benefits of it, when neither the Righteousness it self is imputed unto us, nor can the Benefits of it be imputed ⟨p. 72⟩unto us, as we shall see afterwards, doth minister great occasion of much needless variance and contests. Neither do I know any Reason why men should seek countenance unto this Doctrine under such an Expression as themselves reflect upon as unscriptural, if they be contented that their minds and sense should be clearly understood and apprehended. For Truth needs no subterfuges.

The Socinians do now principally make use of this Objection. For finding the whole Church of God in the use of sundry Expressions, in the Declaration of the most important Truths of the Gospel that are not literally contained in the Scripture, they hoped from an Advantage from thence in their opposition unto the things themselves. Such are the Terms of the Trinity, the Incarnation, Satisfaction and Merit of Christ, as this also of the Imputation of his Righteousness. How little they have prevailed in the other Instances hath been sufficiently manifested by them with whom they have had to do. But as unto that part of this Objection which concerns the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ unto Believers, those by whom it is asserted do say;