Shepherd the Flock

Continuing my study of the imputed righteousness of Christ, which is of course at the very heart of the biblical gospel, I picked up what was said to be a little classic in Trail’s Justification Vindicated.
What I found here was a pleasantly short but thoroughly precise treatise on the doctrine of Justification.

The book is actually a letter written by Trail to a friend in response to the “neonomian controversy” of his day. Because of this format, the book takes on the feel of an epistle of sorts, and would thus fall more on the ‘devotional’ side of literature instead of the strictly academic. This is a great benefit in my opinion, for it puts this great Puritan into a format that even children and young Christians should be able to follow and understand.

But the “neonomian controversy” isn’t really detailed in the book, and this is somewhat unfortunate because it at times leaves the reader wondering what exactly Trail is arguing against. From what I gathered, and from what Trail does cite, the controversy surrounded how we are justified before God (obviously), and the righteousness by which we are justified (in other words, how are we saved? What is the gospel?). In this controversy Trail stands firmly with the reformers and traditional protestant Christianity in declaring that man is ‘not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ‘, which is rooted in the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, as opposed to his opponents, who declared that our good works must cooperate in our justification.

In other words, is salvation up to man’s free will, based at least partly upon man’s good works, and fully consummated upon man’s ability to obey these good works until death? Or is salvation based upon God’s grace and favor alone, by faith alone, and defendant upon the righteousness of Another alone, namely the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to a believer completely apart from works of obedience? Trail of course affirms the later and refutes the former.

If I could sum up the book in one word, it would be ‘refreshing’. It was simply refreshing to read a man defend the imputation of Christ with such fervor. Trail goes back to the imputed righteousness of Christ again, and again, and again. He rightly shows that this doctrine is at the heart of the Biblical gospel, and that almost every doctrinal error and perversion can be traced back to some deviation from the precious truth of imputation.

Lastly, here are a few choice quotes:

(Quoting Foxes Book of Martyrs): “Expound the law truly, and open the veil of Moses to condemn all flesh, and prove all men sinners…and then as a faithful minister, set abroach the mercy of our Lord Jesus, and let the wounded consciences drink of the water of Him. And then shall your preaching be with power, and not as the hypocrites…and all doctrine that casteth a mist on these two, to shadow and hide them, I mean the law of God and the mercy of Christ; that resist with all your power.”

“The plain old Protestant doctrine is that the place of faith in justification is only that of a hand or instrument, receiving the righteousness of Christ, for the sake of which alone we are justified.”

“All proud secure sinners are against us, that go about, with the Jews, to establish their own righteousness…the proud have medicine at home and despise that which came down from heaven.”

“…if men’s hearts were seen by themselves, if sin were felt, if men’s consciences were enlivened, if God’s holy law were known in its exactness and severity, and the glory and majesty of the Lawgiver shining before men’s eyes…the gospel salvation by Jesus Christ would be more regarded.”

“…faith in Jesus Christ justifies only as a mere instrument, receiving that imputed righteousness of Christ, for which we are justified.”

“We are not ashamed of teaching: The ineffectualness of the law, and all the works of it, to give life; either that of justification, or of regeneration and sanctification, or of eternal life…”

“…The law of God can only damn sinners; that it only rebukes, and thereby irritates and increases sin; and that it can never subdue sin, till gospel grace comes with power upon the heart; and then when the law is written in the heart it is copied out in the life…”

“…the principles of Arminianism are the natural dictates of a carnal mind which is emnity both to the law of God and to the gospel of Christ; and, next to the dead sea of Popery –into which this stream also runs — they have, from Pelagius on to this day, been the greatest plague of the church of Christ and, it is likely, will be till His second coming.” (Please note this post when understanding how Trail uses the term ‘Arminianism’.

“There is not a minister that deals seriously with the souls of men but he finds an Arminian scheme of justification in every unrenewed heart. And is it not sadly to be bewailed, that divines [ministers] should plead that same cause that we daily find the devil pleading in the hearts of all natural men?”

And to conclude, a beautiful summation of the gospel:

“There can be no justification without a righteousness; no righteousness can suffice but that which answers fully and perfectly the holy law of God; no such righteousness can be performed but by a divine person; no benefit can accrue to a sinner by it unless it is in some way his and applied to him; no application can be made of this but by faith in Jesus Christ…If a man trusts his own righteousness, he rejects Christ’s; if he trusts to Christ’s righteousness, he rejects his own.”

Other posts on this book:

The “Greatest Plague of the Church”