and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus, Rom. iii. In which, a twofold manner of righteousness presents itself unto us; of which the one is divine, and is attributed to God only; the other is only referred to men. The first therefore, is peculiar to God, the other is called "our righteousness;" but what difference is between this and that, there is no great difficulty to discern. For that which is the righteousness of God, appears evident in all his works, and the perfect exactness of his holiness. But that which

is the righteousness of men, is received by faith only; not that faith in acting is wholly without works, but because in justifying, works do nothing before God, and that is it which the apostle seems to intend in these words: saying, For this purpose, that he may be just, and the justifier of him, that is of the faith of Jesus Christ, &c. For this purpose, saith he, that he may be just. How is he just? by faith? no, but by works; that thou mayest be justified in thy sayings, and mayest overcome when thou art judged. But now, What way are we justified? by works? Not at all, but by faith. Concerning which the apostle saith, A justifier of him who is of the faith of Jesus Christ.* said not, Him that behaved himself well by working-but, Him that is of the faith of Jesus Christ. Whence, a disciple being witness, whosoever shall believe in Christ with a direct and intent faith, it follows by necessary consequence that this man is esteemed righteous, and is justified before God. For otherwise, to what purpose should God be said to justify us by faith, or what need would there be here of any mention of faith at all, if holy works, of themselves, were sufficient to make up a righteousness?

He

All which being thus deduced and confirmed, it is easy to understand what should be judged of your definition. For if there is no other righteousness, but that which by your definition is placed in holy works, and a perfect obedience to the law of God, it thence follows, that either we are not tainted with any sins at all, or that we must necessarily confess that we are excluded " from all possession of righteousness." Both of which are false; for though sin and righteousness, in respect of one and the same thing, through a mutual antithesis, whereby they are opposed one against another, cannot come together, yet nothing hinders, but we may be sinners, and also righteous upon a

* Psalm li. Rom. iii. God is justified one way, and men are justified before God another way. Marginal note.

different account. You will say, How can that be? If you know not, I will tell you, and, in a word, that you may understand the more expeditiously. We are sinners in ourselves, we are righteous in Christ. Hereunto belongs the mystery of Christ the Son of God, given to us by his Father, that he, with all his works and benefits, may become wholly ours, for our right and for our advantage. So he is said by the prophet to be born; so he is said to be given, not for himself, but for us. So he was righteous, so he fulfilled the law, so he died and rose again, that his life might be to us righteousness, his death might be redemption, and his resurrection might be life and glory. Moreover, whatsoever is Christ's, yea, whatsoever Christ is, is not so much his own as yours, and as mine, and as it is all ours who by faith are Jesus Christ's. Therefore our salvation consists of the redemption purchased by another, and not of our own works. For herein shines forth the more than stupendous mercy, and unspeakable grace of a most tenderhearted God, that he even dedicated his only begotten Son wholly to our advantage, so that whatsoever was performed by him was performed, not for his sake, but for ours. Neither had it respect to him who had no private need, but it redounds as a public good to us all, because he sustains the public person of all before his Father. Wherefore, if you desire to know what is our righteousness, Paul and Peter will show it to you much better than in the Romish definitions. For our righteousness is Christ, our righteous Lord, through whose name as many as believe in his name, receive remission of sins. What more, I pray you, would you require unto perfect righteousness, than that sins may never be imputed, and that the punishments due to your sins may never be inflicted on you?

19. Concerning inherent and imputed righteousness.

But perhaps it is not enough to you, that the sins you committed are not imputed to you, but you desire that nothing may be committed, which may be justly imputed. And for that cause you think no man should be reckoned among the just, but he whose life, being upon all accounts untainted, is conformable to the perfect rule of the law, having abolished the footsteps of all sins. And indeed that should be wished for, if wishes in this case could do any good.

But if those things cannot be kept by us which are commanded by God, that comes not to pass through any default of his, but through our default; who being at first created by him very good, brought this disability upon ourselves, and threw ourselves into that state of sinning. And then, what if it so seemed good to his omnipotent wisdom, to do thus for a delaration of his own righteousness? as St. Paul teaches, Rom. iii. for this purpose that he should be righteous; that is, that his righteousness might by this means become the more evident through our un righteousness, which could not otherwise have been, unless he only had been declared to be righteous, and we upon the same account unrighteous, according to works. Which if it had not been so, what need had there been why he should justify us by faith, whom he had seen to be righteous and perfect by works?

Yea, you say there is very great need of faith, and you add a reason: "Because all the means of destroying and restraining lust consist in the grace of God alone, which must be obtained by faith; and there is no other way showed to extinguish and destroy it. Therefore faith, as you say, prepares the mind for righteousness, and makes it fit, that the great Author of all good things should bring into it the seed of righteousness."*

But does faith nothing but prepare us for righteousness? And now, what way does it prepare? Because, say you, the grace of God is obtained by faith and the merit of Christ. What follows? "For it is God only, by whose almighty power and bounty we break the force of lust, and restrain all its importunity, and maintain the perfect offices of virtue," &c. Who ever denied, that it is God only that can do those things? But is our whole salvation and righteousness in the sight of God, contained only in driving out of the mind those little heats of all evil lusts whereof you speak, in abolishing the roots of all vices, and in maintaining duly and constantly the office of perfect virtue?

20. How far the works of human life are from the perfection of righteousness.

But now, Do you yourself perform all these things, which you require in us for the perfection of righteousness? Hath the great Husbandman watered the happy ground of your mind, with so great a vigour and verdure of his

Osor. de Just. iv. 90-105.

bounty, that no wild vines or briers do anywhere appear in all your life? That no lust draws you aside from your duty? No perturbation of affections throws you down from your state of constancy? No concupiscence of the eyes defiles the purity of your mind? What if a man is accounted unchaste before God, if so much as his eyes are adulterous; if he is next to a murderer that is so much as rashly angry at his brother; if he that calls his brother Raca, or bespatters the name of his neighbour with the smallest reproach is in danger of the council, Matt. v. what shall be said to him, who hath poured forth so much virulency and gall of bitterness? So that I need not go through all the precepts of the divine law, as concerning loving God above all, concerning the strictest love to our neighbour; concerning shunning offences, putting up with injuries, praying for enemies; the abdication of this world, the framing the life to a dove-like simplicity, and other such like things. Which things, seeing they are so various in kind, and so difficult to observe, we may ask of you, not what ought to be done, but what you yourself do express in deeds? Not what the divine grace is able to do in you, but what it does in effect? Whether he heaps you up with so many and such great gifts of his, that you are able to perform all things, that are written in the royal law. Which if you can avouch so to be, I willingly congratulate your happiness, and am not at all against your obtaining by way of merit that which your works do merit, but that you may go up to the kingdom, and may take yourself unpinioned wings, as Arnobius saith, wherewith you may go happily to heaven, and may fly to the stars, where you may reign with Christ; and you only, all other sinners being shut out, may overcome with God when you are judged! But in the interim here it comes into my mind to ask you a thing, How will this consist with that which the church sings in a holy hymn, and sings so aright: "Thou only art holy?" For how shall he only have the praise of that thing, as saith Jerome, which he hath common to himself with many? What if you think there is no difference between his righteousness and ours; and you suppose there is no righteousness but what proceeds chiefly from works; either let your life show to us the same works which Christ wrought, or if you cannot, let him only have the honour of this title, that Christ only may be righteous, and Osorio may confess himself to be unrighteous and a sinner; that now the

saying may truly have place here, which just now I cited out of Augustine, “Let man take sin to himself, which is his own, and leave righteousness to God."

But, you will say, What then, is there no righteousness which belongs to men? It is not denied that there is; but it is such a righteousness as must be sought elsewhere than in works. But you may say, Where then? Not only I, but also St. Paul will tell you, The righteousness of God, saith he, to all, and upon all that believe. And again in the same epistle; The Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, laid hold on righteousness, namely, the righteousness of faith. On the contrary, Israel which followed after the law of righteousness, attained not unto the law of righteousness. Why so? Because they sought it not by faith, but as by the works of the law. And writing to the Galatians, Knowing, saith he, that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, we also believe in Jesus Christ, that we may be justified by the faith of Jesus Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh shall be justified by the works of the law, &c. Who is so dim-sighted but he may clearly see what the meaning of the apostle is in these words? Wherefore, it is the more to be wondered at, how great a stupidity darkens the minds of some of our own countrymen, and especially those jesuits, who in a thing so perspicuous yield not unto apostolic authority, so that they seem to have sallied out of some Trophonian den, for no other purpose, but that waging war with St. Paul, they may differ wholly from him in their opinion. For what things can more fiercely encounter than such an opposition as this-Christ is our righteousness? Faith is imputed for righteousness? If of work, then grace is not grace? The just lives by faith ?* And after this manner doth the apostle and prophet instruct us. What say they? We are justified by works, and yet grace is no less grace. The just doth not live by faith, but the believer liveth by the righteousness of works. And whereas Paul doth so attribute our righteousness to faith only, that he attributes nothing to works, so often repeating these exclusive words-without works, apart from works, not according to works. If it is grace, then it is not of works. That I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is of the * 1 Cor. i. Rom. iv. xi. Hab. ii.

+ Gal. iii. 2 Tim. i. Eph. ii. Tit. iii. Phil. iii. Rom. iv. ix. xi