The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

2. It is likewise granted that Believers, from the performance of this Obedience, or these Works of Righteousness are denominated Righteous in the Scripture, and are personally and internally Righteous, Luke 1.6. Joh. 3.7. But yet this denomination is no where given unto them, with respect unto Grace habitually inherent, but unto the effects of it in Duties of Obedience, as in the places mentioned. They were both Righteous before God, walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless. The latter words give the Reason of the former, or their being esteemed Righteous before God. And he that doth Righteousness is Righteous; the denomination is from doing. And Bellarmine endeavouring to prove that it is habitual not actual Righteousness, which is as he speaks, the formal cause of our Justification before God, could not produce one Testimony of Scripture wherein any One is denominated Righteous from habitual Righteousness. De Justificat. lib. 2. cap. 15. but is forced to attempt the proof of it with this absurd Argument, namely, that we are justified by the Sacraments, which do not work in us Actual but Habitual Righteousness. And this is sufficient to discover the insufficiency of a Pretence for any Interest of our own Righteousness from this Denomination of being Righteous thereby, seeing it hath not respect unto that which is the principal part thereof.

3. This Inherent Righteousness, taking it for that which is habitual and actual, is the same with our Sanctification; neither is there any difference between them, only they are divers names of the same thing. For our Sanctification is the inherent Renovation of our Natures, exerting and acting it self in newness of Life, or Obedience unto God in Christ, and works of Righteousness. But Sanctification and Justification ⟨p. 216⟩are in the Scripture perpetually distinguished, whatever respect of causality the one of them may have unto the other. And those who do confound them, as the Papists do, do not so much dispute about the Nature of Justification, as endeavour to prove that indeed there is no such thing as Justification at all. For that which would serve most to enforce it, namely, the pardon of sin, they place in the exclusion and extinction of it, by the Infusion of inherent Grace, which doth not belong unto Justification.