• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
The doctrine of Justification by Faith,through the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ;explained, confirmed, and vindicated by John OwenThis etext is in the public domain.Search the Scriptures--John 5:29ContentsPrefatory NoteTo the Reader General Considerations, previous unto the Explanation of the Doctrine of JustificationFirst, The general nature of justification--State of the person to bejustified antecedently thereunto, Rom.4:5; 3:19; 1:32; Gal.3:10;John 3:18,36; Gal.3:22--The sole inquiry on that state--Whether itbe any thing that is our own inherently, or what is only imputedunto us, that we are to trust unto for our acceptance with God--Thesum of this inquiry--The proper ends of teaching and learning thedoctrine of justification--Things to be avoided thereinSecondly, A due consideration of God, the Judge of all, necessary untothe right stating and apprehension of the doctrine of justification, Rom.8:33; Isa.43:25; 45:25; Ps.143:2; Rom.3:20--Whatthoughts will be ingenerated hereby in the minds of men, Isa.33:14;Micah 6:6,7; Isa.6:5--The plea of Job against his friends, andbefore God, not the same, Job 40:3-5, 43:406--Directions for visiting the sick given of old--Testimonies of Jerome and Ambrose--Sense of men in their prayers, Dan.9:7,18; Ps.143:2, 130:3,4--Paraphrase of Austin on that place--Prayer of Pelagius--PublicliturgiesThirdly, A due sense of our apostasy from God, the depravation of our nature thereby, with the power and guilt of sin, the holiness of the law, necessary unto a right understanding of the doctrine of justification--Method of the apostle to this purpose, Rom.1,2,3--Grounds of the ancient and present Pelagianism, in the denial of these things--Instances thereof--Boasting of perfection from thesame ground--Knowledge of sin and grace mutually promote each other Fourthly, Opposition between works and grace, as unto justification--Method of the apostle, in the Epistle to the Romans, to manifestthis opposition--A scheme of others contrary thereunto--Testimonieswitnessing this opposition--Judgment to be made on them--Distinctions whereby they are evaded--The uselessness of them--Resolution of the case in hand by Bellarmine, Dan.9:18; Luke 17:10Fifthly, A commutation as unto sin and righteousness, by imputation,between Christ and believers, represented in the Scripture--Theordinance of the scapegoat, Lev.16:21,22--The nature of expiatorysacrifices, Lev.4:29, etc.--Expiation of an uncertain murder,Deut.21:1-9--The commutation intended proved and vindicated,Isa.53:5,6; 2 Cor.5:21; Rom.8:3,4; Gal.3:13,14; 1 Pet.2:24;Deut.21:23--Testimonies of Justin Martyr, Gregory Nyseen,Augustine, Chrysostom, Bernard, Taulerus, Pighius, to that purpose--The proper actings of faith with respect thereunto, Rom.5:11;Matt.11:28; Ps.38:4; Gen.4:13; Isa.53:11; Gal.3:1; Isa.45:22; John3:14,15--A bold calumny answered
 
Sixthly, Introduction of grace by Jesus Christ into the whole of our relation unto God, and its respect unto all the parts of our obedience--No mystery of grace in the covenant of works--Allreligion originally commensurate unto reason--No notions of naturallight concerning the introduction of the mediation of Christ andmystery of grace, into our relation to God, Eph.1:17-19--Reason, ascorrupted, can have no notions of religion but what are derivedfrom its primitive state--Hence the mysteries of the gospelesteemed folly--Reason, as corrupted, repugnant unto the mystery of grace--Accommodation of spiritual mysteries unto corrupt reason,wherefore acceptable unto many--Reasons of it--Two parts of corrupted nature's repugnancy unto the mystery of the gospel:--1.That which would reduce it unto the private reason of men--Thencethe Trinity denied, and the incarnation of the Son of God; withoutwhich the doctrine of justification cannot stand--Rule of theSocinians in the interpretation of the Scripture--2. Want of a duecomprehension of the harmony that is between all the parts of themystery of grace--This harmony proved--Compared with the harmony inthe works of nature--To be studied--But it is learned only of themwho are taught of God; and in experience--Evil effects of the wantof a due comprehension hereof--Instances of them--All applied untothe doctrine of justificationSeventhly, General prejudices against the imputation of therighteousness of Christ: --1. That it is not in terms found in theScripture, answered--2. That nothing is said of it in the writingsof the evangelists, answered, John 20:30,31--Nature of Christ'spersonal ministry--Revelations by the Holy Spirit immediately fromChrist--Design of the writings of the evangelists--3. Differencesamong Protestants themselves about this doctrine, answered--Senseof the ancients herein--What is of real difference amongProtestants, consideredEighthly, Influence of the doctrine of justification into the firstReformation--Advantages unto the world by that Reformation--Stateof the consciences of men under the Papacy, with respect untojustification before God--Alterations made therein by the light of this doctrine, though not received--Alterations in the Paganunbelieving world by the introduction of Christianity--Design andsuccess of the first reformers herein--Attempts for reconciliationwith the Papists in this doctrine, and their success--Remainders of the ignorance of the truth in the Roman church--Unavoidableconsequences of the corruption of this doctrineI. Justifying faith; the causes and object of it declaredJustification by faith generally acknowledged--The meaning of itperverted--The nature and use of faith in justification proposed toconsideration--Distinctions about it waived--A twofold faith of thegospel expressed in the Scripture--Faith that is not justifying,Acts 8:13; John 2:23,24; Luke 8:13; Matt.7:22,23--Historical faith;whence it is so called, and the nature of it--Degrees of assent init--Justification not ascribed unto any degree of it--A calumnyobviated--The causes of true saving faith--Conviction of sinprevious unto it--The nature of legal conviction, and its effects--Arguments to prove it antecedent unto faith--Without theconsideration of it, the true nature of faith not to be understood--The order and relation of the law and gospel, Rom.1:17--Instanceof Adam--Effects of conviction--Internal: Displicency and sorrow;fear of punishment; desire of deliverance--External: Abstinencefrom sin; performance of duties; reformation of life--Notconditions of justification; not formal disposition unto it; notmoral preparations for it--The order of God in justification--The
 
proper object of justifying faith--Not all divine verity equally;proved by sundry arguments--The pardon of our own sins, whether thefirst object of faith--The Lord Christ in the work of mediation, asthe ordinance of God for the recovery of lost sinners, the proper object of justifying faith--The position explained and proved, Acts10:43; 16:31; 4:12; Luke 24:25-27; John 1:12; 3:16,36; 6:29,47;7:38; Acts 26:18; Col.2:6; Rom.3:24,25; 1 Cor.1:30; 2 Cor.5:21;Eph.1:7,8; 2 Cor.5:19II. The nature of justifying faithThe nature of justifying faith in particular, or of faith in theexercise of it, whereby we are justified--The heart's approbationof the way of the justification and salvation of sinners by Christ,with its acquiescency therein--The description given, explained andconfirmed:--1. From the nature of the gospel--Exemplified in itscontrary, or the nature of unbelief, Prov.1:30; Heb.2:3; 1 Pet.2:7;1 Cor.1:23,24; 2 Cor.4:3--What it is, and wherein it does consist.--2. The design of God in and by the gospel--His own glory hisutmost end in all things--The glory of his righteousness, grace,love, wisdom, etc.--The end of God in the way of the salvation of sinners by Christ, Rom.3:25; John 3:16; 1 John 3:16; Eph.1:5,6; 1Cor.1:24; Eph.3:10; Rom.1:16; 4:16; Eph.3:9; 2 Cor.4:6--3. Thenature of faith thence declared--Faith alone ascribes and givesthis glory to God.--4. Order of the acts of faith, or the method inbelieving--Convictions previous thereunto--Sincere assent unto alldivine revelations, Acts 26:27--The proposal of the gospel untothat end, Rom.10:11-17; 2 Cor.3:18,etc.--State of persons called tobelieve--Justifying faith does not consist in any one single habitor act of the mind or will--The nature of that about which is thefirst act of faith--Approbation of the way of salvation by Christ,comprehensive of the special nature of justifying faith--What isincluded there in:--1. A renunciation of all other ways,Hos.14:2,3; Jer.3:23; Ps.71:16; Rom.10:3.--2. Consent of the willunto this way, John 14:6--3. Acquiescency of the heart in God, 1Pet.1:21.--4. Trust in God.--5. Faith described by trust--Thereason of it--Nature and object of this trust inquired into--Adouble consideration of special mercy--Whether obedience beincluded in the nature of faith, or be of the essence of it--Asincere purpose of universal obedience inseparable from faith--Howfaith alone justifies--Repentance, how required in and untojustification--How a condition of the new covenant--Perseverance inobedience is so also--Definitions of faithIII. The use of faith in justification; its especial object farther clearedUse of faith in justification; various conceptions about it--By whomasserted as the instrument of it; by whom denied--In what sense itis affirmed so to be--The expressions of the Scripture concerningthe use of faith in justification; what they are, and how they arebest explained by an instrumental cause--Faith, how the instrumentof God in justification--How the instrument of them that dobelieve--The use of faith expressed in the Scripture byapprehending, receiving; declared by an instrument--Faith, in whatsense the condition of our justification--Signification of thatterm, whence to be learnedIV. Of justification; the notion and signification of the Word inScriptureThe proper sense of these words, justification, and to justify,considered--Necessity thereof--Latin derivation of justification--
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...