A Letter to the Right Rev. Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Oxford, on the Tendency to Romanism Imputed to Doctrines Held of Old, as Now, in the English Church

"is constrained to seek for another righteousness or justification to be received at God's own hands, that is to say, the forgiveness of his sins and trespasses, in such things as he hath offended." Then it speaks of this justification as being bestowed by GOD, and received by faith. "And this justification "or righteousness which we so receive of God's mercy and Christ's merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of God, for our perfect and "full justification." And then, having named the Sacrifice of CHRIST as the meritorious cause of our justification, the writer proceeds: "Insomuch that

infants, being baptized and dying in their infancy, "are by this Sacrifice washed from their sins, brought "to God's favour, and made His children and in"heritors of His kingdom of heaven. And they "which in act or deed do sin after their Baptism, "when they turn again to God unfeignedly, they are "likewise washed by this Sacrifice from their sins, in "such sort that there remaineth not any spot of sin, "that shall be imputed to their damnation." "Here,” observes Mr. Newman 1, "is distinct mention of faith 'justifying after Baptism, but no mention of its justifying before Baptism; on the contrary, Baptism is expressly said to effect the first justification." "The writer proceeds: This is that justification or righteousness which St. Paul speaks of, when he saith, No man is justified by the works of the

1 Lect. x. "Justification by Faith only," p. 263.

Law, but freely by faith in Jesus Christ.' So it seems that St. Paul too, when he speaks of justifi"cation through faith, speaks of faith as subordinate "to Baptism, not as the immediate initiation into a "justified state."

So again Dr. Heylin' sums up this same statement of the homily: "There we find, that by God's mercy and the virtue of that Sacrifice which our High Priest and Saviour Christ Jesus, the Son "of God, once offered for us upon the Cross, we do "obtain God's Grace and remission as well of our

original sin in Baptism, as of all actual sin com"mitted by us after Baptism, if we truly repent and "turn unfeignedly unto Him again. Which doctrine "of the Church of England, as it is consonant to the "word of God in Holy Scripture, so is it also most agreeable to the common and received judgment pure antiquity."

"of

The doctrine of Justification through Baptism is not opposed then to Justification by Faith only, in the sense of the Article, although it is to the theory which some have constructed upon it. "The neces

sity of Baptism," says Bishop Bull 2, "and of those

things which prepare for Baptism, in order to "obtain remission of sins, which is set forth in "sundry places of Scripture, and occurs in almost

1 On the Apostles' Creed, Art. x. c. vi. quoted in Catena Patrum, No. ii. Tracts, No. 76. “Testimony of writers in the later English Church to the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration," p. 26. Apol. pro Harmon. S. 4. § 9.

every page of the Ancients, is alone a sufficient argument to overthrow that solifidianism, which many have attempted to build up out of Holy Scripture and the testimonies of the Fathers; as our most learned and pious Thorndike, of blessed memory, has evinced in different places of his writings. For it appears hence, that faith by itself "does not suffice to obtain justification; but that "outward Baptism is required besides, when it may "be had; but that at all events that promise of

a new life, which is wont to be made at Baptism, "is of necessity required;" and, again', "In the "New Testament, John Baptist is said to have been "sent by God, 'to preach the baptism of repentance "to the remission of sins,' where are set down together the end and the means leading thereto; "the end is remission of sins or justification; the "means our Baptism and repentance."

There is, however, another wide difference between the views which we have inherited from, "to say the least, the greater number of English Divines," and those now held by a large portion of the Church, resulting from our different views of the connection of justification with Baptism. The view prevalent with this class appears to have been borrowed from Luther, and so to be nearly that condemned by the Council of Trent, that " Justifying faith is nothing

2 Sess. 6. can. 12.

"else than a reliance (fiducia) on the Divine mercy

remitting sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this "reliance alone whereby we are justified." The Tridentine doctrine on the contrary is, that "Justifica"tion is not merely the remission of sins, but also "the sanctification and renewal of the inward man by his voluntary reception of grace and gifts. "Whence a man becomes righteous for unrighteous, "a friend [of God] for an enemy, so as to be an heir according to the hope of eternal life, and the com"munication of the merits of the Passion of our "Lord Jesus Christ. This takes place in the very "act of the justification of the ungodly, in that, through the merit of His most Holy Passion, the love of God is through the Holy Spirit shed abroad "in the hearts of those who are justified, and becomes "inherent in them, whence in the very act of justi

fication, man, together with the remission of sins, "receives infused into him, through Jesus Christ, in "Whom he is engrafted, faith, hope, and charity." The Anglican doctrine', or that which we conceive to have been the teaching of the majority of our Church, differs from both these: from the Roman, in that it excludes sanctification from having any place in our justification; from the Lutheran, in that it conceives justification to be not imputation merely, but the act of GOD imparting His Divine Presence to the soul, through Baptism, and so making us temples of the 1 Sess. 6. cap. 7.

Holy Ghost, "the habitation in us of God the Father, and the Word incarnate through the Holy "Ghost:" or to quote a fuller passage 2, "It may "be remarked that whatever blessings in detail we ascribe to justification, are ascribed in Scrip"ture to this sacred indwelling. For instance, is 'justification remission of sins? the Gift of the Spirit conveys it, as is evident from the Scripture "doctrine about Baptism; One Baptism for the "remission of sins.' Is justification adoption into the family of God? in like manner the Spirit is ex

pressly called the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit whereby we cry, Abba, Father.' Is justification reconciliation with God? St. Paul says, 'Jesus Christ "is in you, unless ye be reprobates.' Is justification life? the same Apostle says, 'Christ liveth in me. "Is justification given to faith? he also prays 'that "Christ may dwell in' Christians' hearts by faith.' Does justification lead to holy obedience? Our Lord 66 assures us that he that abideth in Him and He in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.' Is it "through justification that we

rejoice in hope of the

Christ in us' is said

The three views of doctrine part widely in their practical effects; the Lutheran view, especially as

1 Newman on Justif. Lect. 6. "On the gift of Righteousness," p. 160.

2 Ib.

166, 7.

3 The Council of Trent condemns those who hold "that it is

« Anterior Continuar »

Libros

A Letter to the Right Rev. Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Oxford, on ...