4. Let us then make all that allowance to others, which were we in their place, we should desire for ourselves. Who is ignorant (to touch again on that circumstance only) of the amazing power of education? And who that knows it, can expect, suppose, a member of the church of Rome, either to think or speak clearly on this subject? And yet if we had heard even dying Bellarmine cry out, when he was asked, “Unto which of the saints wilt thou turn?” “Fidere meritis Christi tutissimum: It is safest to trust in the merits of Christ:” would we have affirmed that notwithstanding his wrong opinions, he had no share in his righteousness?
5. “But in what sense is this righteousness imputed to believers?” In this: all believers are forgiven and accepted, not for the sake of any thing in them, or of any thing that ever was, that is, or ever can be done by them, but wholly and solely for the sake of what Christ hath done and suffered for them. I say again, not for the sake of any thing in them or done by them, of their own righteousness or works. Not for works of righteousness which we have done, but of his own mercy he saved us. By grace ye are saved thro’ faith.—Not of works, lest any man should boast: but wholly and solely for the sake of what Christ hath done and suffered for us. We are justified freely, by his grace, thro’ the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. And this is not only the means of our obtaining the favour ofGod, but of our continuing therein. It is thus we come to God at first: it is by the same we come unto him ever after. We walk in one and the same new and living way, till our spirit returns to God.
6. And this is the doctrine, which I have constantly believed and taught, for near eight and twenty years. This I published to all the world in the year 1738, and ten or twelve times since, in those words, and many others to the same effect, extracted from the homilies of our church. “These things must necessarily go together in our justification, upon God’s part his great mercy and grace, upon Christ’s part, the satisfaction of God’s justice, and on our part, faith in the merits of Christ. So that the grace of God doth not shut out the righteousness of God in our justification, but only shutteth out the righteousness of man, as to deserving our justification.”
“That we are justified by faith alone, is spoken to take away clearly all merit of our works, and wholly to ascribe the merit and deserving of our justification to Christ only. Our justification comes freely of the mere mercy of God. For whereas all the world was not able to pay any part toward our ransom, it pleased him, without any of our deservings, to prepare for us Christ’s body and blood, whereby our ransom might be paid, and his justice satisfied.Christ therefore is now the righteousness of all them that truly believe in him.”
7. The hymns published a year or two after this, and since republished several times (a clear testimony that my judgment was still the same) speak full to the same purpose. To cite all the passages to this effect, would be to transcribe a great part of the volumes. Take one for all, which was reprinted seven years ago, five years ago, two years ago, and some months since.
“Jesu, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are my glorious dress:
Midst flaming worlds in these array’d
With joy shall I lift up my head.”
The whole expresses the same sentiment, from the beginning to the end.