The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

To this purpose is his discourse, Part 3. cap. 5. de Servat. Jam vero manifestum est, Christum quia homo natus fuerat, & quidem, ut inquit Paulus, factus sub lege, legi divinae inquam, quae aeterna & immutabilis est, non minus quam caeteri homines obnoxium fuisse. Alioqui potuisset Christus aeternam Dei legem negligere, sive etiam universam si voluisset infringere, quod impium est vel cogitare. Immo ut supra alicubi explicatum fuit, nisi ipse Christus legi divinae servandae obnoxius fuisset, ut ex Pauli verbis colligitur, non potuisset iis, qui ei legi servandae obnoxii sunt, opem ferre & eos ad immortalitatis firmam spem traducere. Non differebat igitur hac quidem ex parte, Christus quando homo natus erat a caeteris hominibus. Quocirca nec etiam pro aliis, magis quam quilibet alius homo, legem divinam conservando satisfacere potuit, quippe qui ipse eam servare omnino debuit. I have transcribed his words, that it may appear with whose weapons some young Disputers, among our selves, do contend against the Truth.

The substance of his Plea is, That our Lord Jesus Christ was for himself, or on his own account, obliged unto all that obedience which he performed. And this he endeavours to prove ⟨p. 367⟩with this Reason, Because if it were otherwise, then he might, if he would, have neglected the while Law of God, and have broken it at his pleasure. For he forgot to consider, That if he were not obliged unto it upon his own account, but was so on ours, whose cause he had undertaken, the obligation on him unto most perfect obedience, was equal to what it would have been, had he been originally obliged on his own account. However hence he infers, that what he did, could not be for us, because it was so for himself, no more then what any other man is bound to do in a way of duty for himself, can be esteemed to have been done also for another. For he will allow of none of those considerations of the Person of Christ which makes what he did and suffered, of another nature and efficacy, then what can be done or suffered by any other Man. All that he adds, in the process of his discourse, is, That what ever Christ did that was not required by the Law in general, was upon the especial command of God, and so done for himself; whence it cannot be imputed unto us. And hereby he excludes the Church from any benefit by the Mediation of Christ, but only what consists in his Doctrine, Example, and the Exercise of his Power in Heaven for our good, which was the thing that he aimed at: But we shall consider those also which make use of his Arguments, though not as yet openly unto all his Ends.