An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

¹And Learned Chemnicius saith, Paulum non tantùm uti praeterito tempore [Greek or Hebrew], de operibus praecedentibus conversionem, sed praesenti [Greek or Hebrew], ut ostendai quòd operibus suis, etiam post renovationem fact is, non tribuat Justificationem coram Deo. Even our inherent Graces (how precious soever they be in Sanctification) must not assume the Royal seat of Christ and his Righteousness, they must not be our very Righteousness in Justification. Bellarmine indeed here cries out, Quanta, quaeso, blasphemia est! How great is this blasphemy, to call good works done out of the Faith and Grace of Christ no better than dung! But Paraeus answers him very well, That they are not so called absolutely in themselves, but comparatively to the Righteousness of Christ; nefas enim ducit in ullis operibus fiduciam Justificationis ponere coram Deo: In the Matter of Justification, the whole Church calls her Righteousness a filthy Rag; St. Paul will not there own his own inherent Graces, no more than holy Job would know his own Soul. But ⟨p. 363⟩this is yet more clear, ver. 9. The Apostle would be found in Christ, not having his own Righteousness, which is of the Law; he excludes his own Righteousness, that is, his inherent Graces in the point of Justification; I say, his inherent Graces, for he had before shut out his external Pharisaical Righteousness, ver. 7. and (his after-speech being not a Battology or vain repetition, but progressive or expressive of more than went before) he doth in the 9. Verse put by his inherent Graces, under the name of, his own Righteousness; and (which further confirms this Sense) inherent Graces are in Scripture said to be our own: Hence we find, my faith, and thy faith, Jam. 2.18. and our Saviour saith, Except your righteousness shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven, Matth. 5.20. See here, a Righteousness, and that exceeding a Pharisaical one, called theirs. The Apostle excludes the righteousness which is of the Law: In the 7. Verse he had shut out the Righteousness of the Law taken in the Pharisaical sense; but in the 9. Verse he goes on, and puts by the Righteousness of the Law taken in its own spiritual ⟨p. 364⟩