Now, if all works done before justification, have the nature of sin, (both because they spring not of faith in Christ, and because they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done) what becomes of sanctification previous to justification? It is utterly excluded: seeing whatever is previous to justification, is not good or holy, but evil and sinful.
*Altho’ therefore our church does frequently assert, that we ought to repent and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, if ever we would attain to that faith, whereby alone we are justified: yet she never asserts (and here the hinge of the question turns) that these are good works, so long as they are previous to justification. Nay she expressly asserts the direct contrary, viz. That they have all the nature of sin. So that this “Horrid, scandalous, wicked, abominable, venomous, blasphemous doctrine,” is nevertheless the doctrine of the church of England.
6. It remains, to consider what occurs in the homilies, first with regard to the meritorious cause of our justification, agreeable to the 11th, and then with regard to the condition of it, agreeable to the 12th and 13th articles.
“These things must 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 upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jesus Christ.” Homily on salvation, part I.
“So that the grace of God doth not shut [♦]out the justice (or righteousness) of God in our justification; but only shutteth out the righteousness of man——as to deserving our justification.”
[♦] “our” replaced with “out”
“And therefore St. Paul declareth nothing on the behalf of man, concerning his justification but only a true faith.”
*“And yet that faith doth not shut out repentance, hope, love, to be join’d with faith (that is, afterwards; see below) in every man that is justified——neither doth faith shut out the righteousness of our good works, necessarily to be done afterwards. But it excludeth them so, that we may not do them to this intent to be made just (or, to be justified) by doing them.”
“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 unto Christ only.” ibid. Part II.
“The true meaning of this saying, we be justified by faith only, is this, we be justified by the merits of Christ only, and not of our own works.” ibid. Part III.