Brown - BS2685 B86 1695

CIA A P. I T. ObjeCtions from Scripture an fevered. r 3; His grace , when juftified through the Redemption , that is in Jefus Chrift, Rem. 3:24. He faith 4. & thereby feemeth to reply to what is laft Paid. The Apofile del iverethhimfelfdiffinEllyof that , wherein this Mercy of God he fpea&s of, con- fi fleth , vii, regenerating us , d9"c. Anf: But , I hope , the Apoflles men- tioning or-Regeneration , doth not exclude the Imputation of Chriil's Righ- teoufnefs , the ground thereof; nor can he fuppofe this, unlefs he plead with Pap:fls for juf tificationby our good works , done after Regeneration , &the new birth. He faith 5. Such an inference is neither probable nor pertinent to the purpo fé; becaufé the Apofile rejeEleth the worts ofrighteou fnefs, which henameth, from being any caufe, antecedaneoufly moving God to fave us; d" not from being the formal caufe of juflification: and we our felves (faith he) will not fay, that the works of the law which Chriji bath done , meved God tofave U. Anf. (i) The Inference, which he here fpeaketh of , is his own , and not ours , as we have laid. (2) The Salvation here mentioned iscomprehentive , and includeth 'unifi- cation & Adoption , as vers 7. cleareth ; & the Mercy , mentioned , v. 5, comprehendeth all other fubordinat caufes & meanes , which the Lord bath appointed : & though the obedience of Chrift be no caufe , moving God to decree to fave; yet it may be a caufe of juítification. But then ( faith he pag,. 65.) This will anly.efiablish the meriteof Chrifi's Rsghteoufnefs in jufiifeatic,n, but overthrow the formality of it. And why fo ? Becaufe ( fai6he ) it isunpajji- ble , that one and the felf fame thing , in re fpetl of one and the f el f fame eft should pú on the different habitude both of the Formal d7 Efficient caufe. Anf. All this is but vaine talk , & a reafoning from termer of art, or philofophical notions taken improperly , to the fame taken molt properly & !trickly; as ifa Mo- ral, polititical or legal efeél were every way the fame, with a Naturalphy- fical effeét : and yet in phyfical Efe &s, as fuch , meritorious caufes have no proper Efficiency : But , as to our cafe , we plainly fay , that Chrifi's Righ- teoufnefs is the meritorious caufe of our juflification, & yet may be called ,the formal caufe thereof, as that terme may be adapted & fitly explained, ac- cording as the matter will bear; or the formal objective caufe, which we rather incline to. He fpeaketh againn Gal. 4:4.. pag. 66. faying, that it is adduced to prove, that Paul mentioneth the works of the law, as done by Chrift , in the dif courfe of ;unification ; & confequently , that he had no intent to exclude the works of the law , as done by Chrift from having their part in juflification. But, as was shown above , there are many other places of Scripture evincing this. Yet let us fee what he faith. i. The law , under which Chrif# was made is the ceremonial law, as is clear vers 5. we are not redeemed from the Moral law, which is of eternalobl:gation ;but from the Ceremonial law. Anf. (i) That Chrift was made under the Ceremonial law only , no reafon can evince ; for He was made under that law , under the curie whereof we were, who were to be delivered there-from by Him , Gal. 3: io, 12. But this was not the Cere- monial law only ; otherwife he should have died only for the jewes. Againe, The law , which he fpeaketh of, was ordained by Angels, in the hand of a Q Me-

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