Works of John Bunyan Volume II Part 68

Your book, Sir, is begun in ignorance, managed with error, and ended in blasphemy.

Now the G.o.d of glory, if it may stand with his glory, give you a sight of your sins, against the Son of G.o.d, that you may, as Saul, lie trembling, and being astonished, cry out to be justified, with the righteousness of G.o.d without the law, even that which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe.

Many other gross absurdities, which I have omitted in your whole book, may perhaps, be more thoroughly gathered up, when you shall have taken the opportunity to reply. In the meantime I shall content myself with this.

'Behold the Lamb of G.o.d, which taketh away the sin of the world'

(John 1:29).

'Even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come' (1 Thess 1:10).

'Who when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high' (Heb 1:3).

'Christ died for our sins' (1 Cor 15:3).

'G.o.d hath made him to be sin for us' (2 Cor 5:21).

'Christ was made a curse for us' (Gal 3:13).

'He bare our sins in his own body on the tree' (1 Peter 2:24).

'He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood' (Rev 1:5).

'G.o.d for Christ's sake hath forgiven you' (Eph 4:32).

'We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace' (Eph 1:7).

Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise G.o.d, be honour, and glory, for ever, and ever. Amen.

THE CONCLUSION.

That my reader may farther perceive that Mr. Fowler, even by the chief of the articles of the church of England, is adjudged erroneous; and besides the very fundamentals of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and that in those very principles that are in the main, I say, and that most immediately concern Christ, faith, and salvation, will be evident to them that compare his design of Christianity, with these articles hereunto recited.

The Article [X.] concerning Free-will.

'The condition of man, after the fall of Adam, is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith, and calling upon G.o.d: wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to G.o.d, without the grace of G.o.d by Christ preventing[37] us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.'

The Article [XI.] concerning Justification.

'We are accounted righteous before G.o.d, ONLY for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith; and not for our own works, or deservings. Wherefore that we are justified by faith ONLY, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort,'

&c.

The Article [XIII.] of Works before Justification.

'Works done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to G.o.d, for as much as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ,--or deserve grace of congruity: yea rather, for that they are not done as G.o.d hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the NATURE of sin.'

These articles, because they respect the points in controversy betwixt Mr. Fowler, and myself; and because they be also fundamental truths of the christian religion, as I do heartily believe, let all men know that I quarrel not with him, about things wherein I dissent from the church of England, but do contend for the truth contained, even in these very articles of theirs, from which he hath so deeply revolted, that he clasheth with every one of them, as may farther be shewn when he shall take heart to reply.

But to wind up this unpleasant scribble, I shall have done when I have farther shewed, how he joineth with papist, and quaker, against these wholesome, and fundamental articles.

Mr. Fowler's Doctrine compared with Campian the Jesuit, upon that question whether Faith only justifieth: saith Campian,

1. Campian. 'We [Papists] say, that as grace is put into us in justification, so also our righteousness is enlarged through good works, and is inherent in us; therefore it is not true that G.o.d doth justify by faith ONLY.'

Fowler (p. 221), 'Justifying faith is such a belief of the truth of the gospel, as includes a sincere resolution of obedience unto all its precepts: and that it justifieth as it doth so.--In short, is it possible that faith in Christ's blood, for the forgiveness of sins, should be the only act which justifieth a sinner?' (p.

224).

2. Campian. 'So that faith is urged, but not faith ONLY; again, by faith is meant all Christianity, and the whole religion of Christians.'

Fowler (p. 222), 'For surely the faith which ent.i.tles the sinner to so high a privilege, as that of justification, must needs be such as complieth with all the purposes of Christ's coming into the world; especially with his grand purpose,--as Lord, and that it is no less necessary that it should justify as it doth this.'

3. Campian. 'Though works void of Christ are nothing; yet through grace they serve to justification.'

Fowler (p. 225,226), 'Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness,--this is the true explication; it consists in dealing with sincerely righteous persons: as if they were perfectly so, for the sake and upon the account of Christ's righteousness. The grand intent of the gospel being to make us partakers of an inward and real righteousness; and it being but a secondary one, that we should be accepted, and rewarded, as if we were completely righteous.'

4. Campian. 'Speaking of faith, hope, and charity, he confesseth; that faith in nature is before them, but it doth not justify before they come.'

Fowler (p. 223), 'What pretence can there be for thinking, that faith is the condition, or instrument of justification, as it complieth with only the precept of relying on Christ's merits, for the obtaining of it: especially when it is no less manifest than the sun at noon-day, that obedience to the other precepts, [or works of love,] must go before obedience to this' (p. 284).

5. Campian. 'I deny [that faith ONLY doth justify] for you have not in all the word of G.o.d, that faith only doth justify.'

Fowler (p. 225), 'And for my part, I must confess, that I would not willingly be he that should undertake to encounter one of the champions of that foul cause, with the admission of this principle, that faith justifieth, only as it apprehendeth [resteth or relieth on (p. 224)] the merits, and righteousness of Jesus Christ, I must certainly have great luck, or my adversary but little cunning, if I were not forced to repent me of such an engagement.'

6. Campian. 'Abraham being a just man, was made more just by a living faith.'

Fowler (p. 283), 'He only is a true child of Abraham, who in the purity of the heart obeyeth those substantial laws, that are imposed by G.o.d, upon him.'

7. Campian. 'I say that charity and good works, are not excluded [in the causes of our justification].'

Fowler (p. 214,215), 'For we have shewn, not only that reformation of life from the practice, and purification of heart from the liking of sin, are as plainly as can be a.s.serted in the gospel to be absolutely necessary to give men a right to the promises of it, but also that its great salvation doth even consist in it.'

Mr. Fowler's Doctrine compared with William Penn the Quaker.

1. Penn's Sandy Foundation (p. 19 [p. 16 ed. 1684]), 'Life and salvation is to them that follow Christ the light, in all his righteousness, which every man comes only to experiment, as he walks in a holy subjection to that measure of light and grace, wherewith the fulness hath enlightened him.'

Fowler (p. 8), 'That is, those which are of an indispensable, and eternal obligation, which were first written in men's hearts, and originally dictates of human nature.'

2. Penn (p. 32 [p. 26 ed. 1684]), 'I really confess that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Father's will, and offered up a most satisfactory sacrifice, but not to pay G.o.d, or help him [as otherways being unable] to save men.'

Fowler (p. 85), 'Christ was set forth to be a propitiatory sacrifice for sin; I will not say that his Father [who is perfectly sui juris]

might be put by this means into a capacity of forgiving it.'

3. Penn (p. 16 [p. 14 ed. 1684]), 'G.o.d's remission is grounded on man's repentance, not that it is impossible for G.o.d to pardon without a plenary satisfaction.'

Fowler (p. 84), 'There are many that do not question but that G.o.d could have pardoned sin, without any other satisfaction, than the repentance of the sinner,' &c.

4. Penn (p. 27 [p. 22 ed. 1684]), 'Justification doth not go before, but is subsequential to the mortification of l.u.s.ts.'

Fowler (p. 14,15), 'This blessing of making men holy, was so much the design of Christ's coming, that he had his very name from it': observe the words are, 'He shall save his people from their sins'; not from the punishment of them. And that is the primary sense of them, which is most plainly expressed in them: 'That he shall save his people from the punishment of sin, is a true sense too; but it is secondary and implied only; as this latter is the never failing and necessary consequent of the former salvation.'