Ch. 4: ,uftification Rom Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto himforrighteoufnefs. 3. For what account Both the Scripture give us ofhis Righteoufnefc?.dbraham believedGod, (viz. That he would perform his free Promife ofGrace and Peculiarity made to him and his Seed, and allNations ofthe Earth in him) and it was c'munred to him for Righteoufnefs. And though God made his Promifes to him alto for his obedience, Becafe hefeared not his onlySon; yet this was not becaufe he never deferved death by any Sin, but as it was a work of Faith, and fo a confequent part of the Righteoufnefs of a Believer, accepted, though imperfeti, through the Merits and Righteoufnef. of:hrift, forgiving hisSin, and freely adopting himan Heir ofLife. 4. Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned ofgrace, but ofdebt. 4. Now to him that metiteth by the perfe&i- n of his Obedience, or that never deferved death by Sin, (much more to him that benefiteth .another by his Work) the Reward is not reckon- el to be the free gift of a Bene£a&or, but the juts giving a Man that which is his deferved due (in the firft cafeby governing Jaftice ; and in the fecond by Commutative Juftice.) ;. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs. y. But to him that bath no fsuh meritorious work for the value ofwhich the Reward should be his due, but truffeth wholly to his free Grace, who firft maketh, and then Judgeth them laft, char were before ungodly and unjuft, (or, who juftifieth them that by Sin have deferved death, and never merited life by the worth of their good Works) his Faith is counted for Righteoufnefs, by she Covenant of Grace; that is, God ac- t_ptethit as the 94lifrcadcn or condition, which .tussle he faint) iii him, (without fuck merited. húi iWorks) to make him partaker of that rardón, Adoption, 4.1d Salvationfreely given by Grace, upon the confideeatidn'ofthe meritorious Righteoufnefs of Chrift. (Indeed Faith, Repen- once, Prayer, Confeffion, Love, &e. are Aots that mailbe called Wrk,t. in another retire : But h is Works deferving life for their perfe&ion, or not defervingpunifhmetic by the Law, which are here fpokenof). 6 Even as David alfo defcribeth thebleffédnefsof the mart unto whom God imputeth righteouïnefs'w..rhput works, 7. Saying, BlefThd are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and whole fins are-covered. 8; Bleffed is ans: by Faith. Ch. q., the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin. 6, 7, 8. So David alto defcribeth the qualifi. cation of a Blefied Man (which is a man juaifi- ed) Not that he hash no Sin, which deferved death, but that God Bothnot impute his Sin to him fa: his condemnation, but forgivethand co. vereth it, and imputeth Righteoufnefs to him; that is, judget'i and ufeth him as one that is not obliged to punifhment, but hath right to Salva- tion: and this, not becaufe his Works deferved not Death but Life ; but becaufe he forgiveth him, and freely faveth him for the Righteouf- nefs and Intercef iiom of Chrift; and ufeth him not as he deferved. omeththis bleffednefs then up- on the circumcifion only, or upon the uncircumcifion alto ? For we fay that faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteoufnefs. g. And are none pardoned and Pavedbut the Circumcifed ? Are not the Uncircumcifedpardon., ed and blefi'ed allô? If Faith was imputed for Righteoufnefs to ,Abraham, will it not be fo to all that have it ? I o. Howwas it then reckoned ? when he was in circumcifion, or in uncircumcifion ? not in circumcifion, but in uncircumcifion. r o. And the time when this was Paid of .A. braham will clear up all this; for it was not after he was Circumcifed, but before ; even Uncin cumcifed, as theGentile Chtiftians be. t t. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a foal of the righte- oufnefs of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcifed : that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circum- cifed ; that righteoufnefs might be imputed unto them alfo : 's r. And he after received the Sign of Cir. cumpifion, riot as a Legally juftifying Sign, but as a Seal ofchat Righteoufnefs which God before imputed to him as a Believer; that fo he might be, by Prosbife and Eaa:nple, the Father, not onlyof his Ca nal and Circumcifed Sec d, but of all them that believr, throughout the World, thtt fo Rightcoufnefr might Ix: imputed to them as Believers, as it was to him. I2. And the father ofcircumcifion to them who are not of the circumci- fion only, but alto walk in the Reps of that faith of our father' Abraham, which behad beingyet uncircumcifed. t a. And
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