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Juftification the Apostle likewife ftyles, Juftification without the Law, or Juftification without Works; and rightly. For that may be faid to be without the Law, or without Works; to which neither the Law, nor our Works, confidered as relative to the Law, contributes any thing. And this is the Cafe here. For if we had fulfilled the Law; the Law, and our Works done according to the Law, would have availed to our Juftification. But forafmuch as we are Sinners against the Law; the Law and our Works can avail only to our Condemnation; as the Apoftle argues, Chap. iii. ver. 20. For by the Law is the Knowledge of Sin; i. e. all that the Law can do is, to fhew that we are Sinners; it will not declare our Forgiveness. This must be the free Act of our great Lawgiver, and Judge, as the Apoftle here obferves. Being juflified freely by his Grace.

And again, Eph. ii. 8, 9. By Grace ye are faved-not of yourselves, it is the Gift of God. Not of Works, left any Man fhould boaft. This Gift of God; this Grace in justifying Man, is the Fruit of Chrift's Sacrifice; which is here fet forth, as a Propitiation for Sin. So Coloff. i. 14. In whom we have Redemption through his Blood, even the Forgiveness of Sins.

For

For it pleafed the Father-having made Peace by the Blood of his Crofs, by him to reconcile all things, (i. e. all Mankind) to himself. ver.

19, 20.

THIS Doctrine was ill relished by the Jews, who, overmuch addicted to the Law of Mofes, placed all their Hopes there, and looked upon the Offers of God's Grace, as confined fingly to themselves. This Notion gave Occafion to the Argument which the Apostle introduces in the fourth Chapter. What shall we fay then, that Abraham our Father as pertaining to the Flesh bath found? As much as to fay; "Ye "who truft to the Law for Juftification "confider how the Cafe ftood with Abraham. "For Abraham was juftified, fo his Sons "alfo must be juftified." And how was

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Abraḥam justified? By Works? No. For (as the Apostle fubjoins) if Abraham were juftified by Works, he bath whereof to glory. He that can plead Righteousness by the Law, justifies bimfelf. There is no room for Grace, and Mercy, in the Forgiveness of Sin, where there are no Sins to be forgiven. Such a Man pleads his own Merit; which is what the Apostle means by Glorying. But Abraham

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"of its being accepted and allowed of God." Now if this be St. Paul's Doctrine (and you fee plainly that it is fo) it will follow, that what he fays about Juftification, in any other Parts of his Writings, must be reduced to this ftandard; and in particular, that when he says, (as he often does) that we are faved, or juftified BY FAITH, it is but a fhorter Way of faying, that we are faved by the FREE MERCIES of God, in Jefus Chrift as offered by the Gofpel. St. Paul often uses the Word Faith in this Sense. Thus; the Faith of God, is the Gospel of God. Rom. iii. 2.-The Law of Faith, is the Law of the Gospel, ver. 27.making void the Law through Faith; is making void the Law by the Gospel, ver. 31. And chap. iv. -making Faith void, is making the Gofpel void, ver. 14. So Gal. iii.-the bearing of Faith, is the hearing of the Gofpel, ver, ii. -they which are of Faith, are they who receive the Gospel, ver. 7.-and before Faith came, fignifies before the Gospel was published, ver. 23. In all these Places Faith is put to fignify (not the INTERNAL ACT of Believing, but) the OBJECT about which Faith is converfant; or the GRACE which Faith accepts, and embraces. And thus our Reformers understood

the

ONLY, and

In

the Matter. For in the fecond Part of the fame Homily it is declared," This faying, "that we be juftified by FAITH ONLY"is fpoken to take away clearly all MERIT "of our Works-and therefore WHOLLY to "afcribe the Merit and Deferving of our Juftification UNTO CHRIST "his moft precious blood-fhedding." which Paffage it is clear that the being juftified BY FAITH ONLY, and BY CHRIST and his most precious blood-fhedding ONLY, ftand as Terms of the fame Import; for otherwife Juftification could never be given wholly to either. But it affords a very clear Senfe, to say that Faith accepts that Grace and Mercy, which the Gofpel offers through Chrift, and which is our SOLE Juftification; `and in this Construction, to be juftified by Faith, and to be juftified by the Grace of the Gofpel, will be one and the fame thing. This was the Senfe of our Reformers. For in the third Part of the fame Homily, it is faid"Because Faith doth directly send us to Christ " for Remiffion of our Sins, and that by Faith

given us of God, we embrace the Promises of "God's Mercy, and of the Remiffion of our Sins, (which thing none other of our Virtues

or

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or Works properly doth,) therefore the Scripture ufeth to say, that Faith-doth justify." A Man may be chafte, fober, and charitable: But neither Chaftity, Sobriety, or Charity, is the Acceptance of the Grace offered by the Gospel. But he who believes that he is justified by God's Mercies in Chrift, and acts according to that Belief, does accept the Grace offered by the Gofpel; and in this Cafe it is one and the fame thing, whether you fay he is justified by Faith, or by the Grace of God. The Grace of God is that, and that ONLY, which juftifies him; and Faith is the Act by which he accepts that Juftification. It is as if a Creditor fhould forgive a Debtor a Sum of Money. The Benefit is owing folely to the Kindness of the Creditor; but it is the Debtor's Acceptance that puts him in Poffeffion of it.

THE not attending to this, and the referring Juftification ITSELF, to fome ACT of the Human Mind, was the Foundation of all thofe intricate Difputes about Juftifying Faith, which vexed the Church foon after the Reformation. For it being clear from Scripture, and confeffed, that ALL Faith will not justify, Divines

were

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