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

This is not enough,¹ said the Doctor, that we are not guilty, we must also be actually righteous; not only all sin is to be answered for, but all righteousness is to be fulfilled: Now this Righteousness we find only in Christ, we are reconciled to God by his Death and saved by his Life; that actual Obedience he yielded to the whole Law of God is that Righteousness whereby we are saved; we are innocent by virtue of his Expiation, and righteous with his Righteousness. Upon which words the Author infers; This is a mighty comfortable discovery, how we may be ⟨p. 75⟩righteous without doing any thing that is good or righteous; but the Gospel tells us that he is righteous who doth righteousness; that without holiness no man shall see God; that the only way to obtain pardon of sins, is to repent of and forsake them: The only thing that gives a right to the promises of future Glory is to obey the Laws and imitate the Example of our Saviour, and to be transformed into the Nature and likeness of God.

1. 1Mr. Sherlock.

The Doctor is no enemy to Holiness,¹ but cannot assign it an Ubi in Justification; no more doth our Church, who, in the Homily touching the Salvation of Man, saith, All men are sinners and breakers of the Law, therefore can no man by his own Acts, Works and Deeds (seem they never so good) be justified and made righteous before God, but every man is constrained to seek for another Righteousness; which afterwards is declared to be Christ's fulfilling the Law and making satisfaction. In Justification no other Righteousness can take place but that Active and Passive one of Christ, which answers the pure and righteous Law in every point: He that doth righteousness is righteous, that is, his doing shows, but doth not make him righteous in Justification. Repentance ⟨p. 76⟩