imports the whole treasure of blessings and favours, which God, who is rich in mercy, will freely bestow on those, whom he accepts as righteous for his beloved Son our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ's sake; which are, first, remission of sins, and an interest in the joys of heaven in this life, and a full consummation both of grace and glory in the life to come. Some, I know, think that St. Paul, when he discourses of justification, thereby intends only remission of sins: and the ground of this opinion is taken from St. Paul quoting those words of David when he states the doctrine of justification, (Rom. iv. 6-8.) where he saith, that "David describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they, whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man, unto whom the Lord will not impute sin." But if this argument out of the Epistle to the Romans be of sufficient force for their sense of justification, then certainly an argument from as express words in the Epistle to the Galatians, will be as concluding for mine (in which Epistle he also purposely states the same questions). The words are, (Gal. iii. 11.) "That no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for the just shall live by faith." Now, to live, I hope, does not signify, to have one's sins forgiven him, but to be saved: therefore, unless St. Paul include a right unto salvation within the compass of justification, that text might have been spared, as nothing at all serving for his purpose. Besides, is not salvation as free, as gracious, as undeserved an act of God, as remission of sins? Is it not as much for

Christ's sake that we are saved, as that our sins are forgiven us? Thus mnch for what I suppose is meant by justification. I will now as briefly and as perspicuously as I can (without using allegories and metaphorical expressions, with which this point is ordinarily much obscured) shew you the combination of these two words, in what sense I suppose St. Paul may use this proposition, "We are justified by faith, without the works of the law."

39. In the first place, therefore, I will lay down this conclusion, as an infallible, safe foundation, that if we have respect to the proper, meritorious cause of our justification, we must not take faith, in that proposition, for any virtue or grace inherent in us, but only for the proper and principal object thereof, Jesus Christ and his merits. And the meaning of that proposition must be, that we are not justified for the merits of any righteousness in ourselves, whether legal or evangelical, but only for the obedience and death of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ. Though this be most true, yet I suppose, that St. Paul in that proposition had not a respect to the meritorious cause of our justification; but to that formal condition required in us, before we be justified; as I think may appear by that which follows.

40. I told you even now, that I would in this point purposely abstain from using metaphors and figurative allusions; and the reason is, because, I suppose, and not without reasonable grounds, that the stating of this point of justification by metaphors, has made this doctrine, which is set down with greater light and perspicuity in Holy Scripture than almost any other, to be a

doctrine of the most scholastical subtilty, the fullest of shadows and clouds of all the rest. For example, in that fashion and dress of divinity, as it is now worn, sliced and mangled into theses and distinctions, we find this point of our justification thus expressed: that faith is therefore said to justify us, because it is that which makes Christ's righteousness ours; it is as it were an instrument or hand, whereby we receive, lay hold on, and apply Christ unto ourselves. Here's nought but flowers of rhetoric, figures and metaphors; which, though they are capable of a good sense, yet are very improper to state a controversy withal.

41. But let us examine them a little: we must not, say they, conceive of faith, as if it were a virtue or grace, or any part of righteousness inherent in us; for faith, as a grace, has no influence at all in our justification. Mark the coherence of these things: faith is considered as a hand or an instrument in our justification, and yet, for all it is a hand, it is nothing in, or of us; for it seems hands are not parts of men's bodies. Again, faith puts on Christ, receives him, lays hold upon him, makes his righteousness ours, and yet it does nothing for all that. Besides, how can faith be properly called an instrument of justification? An instrument is that, which the principal cause, the efficient makes use of in his operation. Now justification, in this sense, is an immanent, internal action of God, in which there is no co-operation of any other agent, nor any real alteration wrought in man, the object thereof. Does God then use faith as an instrument, in producing the act of justification? No, but it is instrumentum passivum,, saith one; that is, a thing

never heard of in nature before; and the meaning is sure, faith certainly is something, but what kind of a thing we know not. By these means it comes to pass, that the doctrine of our justification, as some men have handled it, is become as deep, as unsearchable a mystery, as that of the Trinity.

42. Without question there is nothing can be more evident to a man, that shall impartially consider St. Paul's method in his discourse of justification, than that by faith he intends some operative, working grace in us: for instance, the apostle proves, that we Christians are to seek for justification the same way that Abraham attained unto it, namely, by faith; for, saith the Scripture in his quotation, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." What was that which was accounted to him? his believing; that is, say some, Christ, who was the object of his belief. This is a forced interpretation certainly, and which a Jew would never have been persuaded to. But that Christ was not at all intended in that place, it is evident; for Abraham's belief there had respect to God's promise made to him of giving him a son in his old age, and by that son a seed as innumerable as the stars in heaven, as] appears, Gen. xv. 4-6; whereas the promise of Christ follows three chapters after, to wit, Gen. xviii. 18. Again, the apostle in many places useth these words: We are justified by faith in Christ, and by the faith of Jesus Christ; which speeches of his will admit of no tolerable sense, unless by faith he intends some work or obedience performed by us. This therefore being taken for granted, that by faith is meant some condition required at our hands (and

yet my former conclusion of our justification only for the merits of Christ remaining firm) we will in the next place consider, what kind of obedience that of faith is, and in what sense it may be said to justify us.

43. What satisfaction I conceive may be given to this query, I will set down in this assertion: That since justification, even as it includes remission of sins, is that promise, to perform which unto us God has obliged himself in the new covenant; it must necessarily presuppose in the person to be so justified, such an obedience as the gospel requires; namely, first, repentance from dead works, a conversion to a new obedience of those holy, moral commands, which are ratified in the gospel, and a relying upon Christ as the only meritorious cause of our justification and salvation, by a particular, evangelical faith. All this, I say, is prerequired in the person who is made capable of justification, either in the exercise, or at least in præparatione cordis, in a full resolution of the heart, and entire disposition of the mind: so that, though God be the sole, proper, efficient cause; and Christ, as mediator, the sole, proper, meritorious cause of our justification; yet these inherent dispositions are exacted on our part as causæ sine quibus non, as necessary conditions, to be found in us, before God will perform this great work freely and graciously towards us, and only for the merits of Christ.

44. Reas. 1. This assertion may, I suppose, be demonstrated, first, from the nature of a covenant: for unless there be prerequired conditions on man's part to be performed, before God will proportion his reward, the very nature of a cove