The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

Protestant Divines until of late, have unanimously affirmed Faith to be the instrumental cause of our Justification. So it is expressed to be in many of the public Confessions of their Churches. This Notion of theirs concerning the Nature and Use of Faith, was from the first opposed by those of the Roman Church. Afterwards it was denied also by the Socinians, as either false or improper. Socin. Miscellnn. Smalcius adv. Frantz. disput. 4 Schlicting. adver. Meisner. de Justificat. And of late this expression is disliked by some among our selves; wherein they follow Episcopius Curcellius and others of that way. Those who are sober and moderate do rather decline this Notion and Expression as improper than reject them as untrue. And our safest course in these cases is to consider what is the thing or matter intended. If that be agreed upon, he deserves best of Truth, who parts with strife about propriety of Expressions, before it be meddled with. Tenacious pleading about them will surely render our Contentions Endless; and none will ever want an Appearance of probability to give them countenance in what they pretend. If our design in teaching be the same with that of the Scripture, namely, to inform the Minds of Believers, and convey the Light of the knowledge of God in Christ unto them, we must be contented sometimes to make use of such Expressions, as ⟨p. 148⟩will scarce pass the Ordeal of arbitrary Rules and Distinctions through the whole compass of notional and artificial Sciences. And those who without more ado reject the instrumentality of Faith in our Justification as an unscriptural Notion, as though it were easy for them with one breath to blow away the Reasons and Arguments of so many Learned Men as have pleaded for it, may not I think do amiss to review the Grounds of their Confidence. For the Question being only concerning what is intended by it, it is not enough that the Term or Word it self of an instrument is not found unto this purpose in the Scripture. For on the same Ground we may reject a Trinity of Persons in the Divine Essence, without an acknowledgement whereof, not one Line of the Scripture can be rightly understood.

Protestant Divines until of late, have unanimously affirmed Faith to be the instrumental cause of our Justification. So it is expressed to be in many of the publick Confessions of their Churches. This Notion of theirs concerning the Nature and Ʋse of Faith, was from the first opposed by those of the Roman Church. Afterwards it was denied also by the Socinians, as either false or improper. Socin. Miscellnn. Smalcius adv. Frantz. disput. 4 Schlicting. adver. Meisner. de Justificat. And of late this expression is disliked by some among our selves; wherein they follow Episcopius Curcellius and others of that way. Those who are sober and moderate do rather decline this Notion and Expression as improper than reject them as untrue. And our safest course in these cases is to consider what is the thing or matter intended. If that be agreed upon, he deserves best of Truth, who parts with strife about propriety of Expressions, before it be medled with. Tenacious pleading about them will surely render our Contentions Endless; and none will ever want an Appearance of probability to give them countenance in what they pretend. If our design in teaching be the same with that of the Scripture, namely, to inform the Minds of Believers, and convey the Light of the knowledge of God in Christ unto them, we must be contented sometimes to make use of such Expressions, as