SPIRI'PUAL PEACE :AND COMFORT., 273 affections towards him, before ever you know yourself to be adopt- ed; much more, though you may have frequent returning doubts of your adoption. Having thus showed you how far you may expect thewitness of the Spiritand how far you may and must make use of marks and qualifications, or actions of your own, for theobtaining of assurance and settled peace, I shall add an answer to the principal objections of the Antinomians against this. Object. They say, This is to draw men fromChrist to them- selves, and from thegospel to the law; to lay their comforts, and build their peace upon any thing in themselves, is to forsake Christ, and make themselves their own saviors: and those teachers that persuade them to this, are teachers of the law, and false prophets, who draw men fromChrist to themselves. All our own righteous- ness isas filthy rags, and our best works are sin; and therefore we may not take up our assurance or comforts from them. We shall be always at uncertainties, and at a loss, or inconstant, up and down in our comforts, as long as we take them from any signs in our- selves : also our own graces are imperfect, and therefore unfit to be the evidences, for our assurance. -Annie. Because I am not now purposely confuting the Antino- mians, but only forearming you against their'assaults ; I shall not therefore give you half that I should otherwise say, for the expli- cation of this point, and the confutation of their errors, but only so much as is necessary to your preservation; which I do, because they pretend to be the only preachers of free grace, and the only right comforters of troubled consciences; and because they have written so many books to that endwhich, if they fall into your hands, may seem so specious, as that you may need some preserva- tive. I suppose you remember what I have taught you so oft, con- cerning the difference of the law of works, and the law of grace, with their different conditions. , Upon which supposition I expli- cate the point thus: 1. No man may look at his own graces or duties as his legal righteousness; that is, such as for which the law of works will pronounce him righteous. 2. Nor yet may he take them for part ofhis legal righteousness, in conjunction with Christ's righteousness, as the other part'; but here we .must go wholly out of ourselves, and deny and disclaim all such righteousness of our own We have no works which make the reward to be not of grace, but of debt. 3. We must not once think that our graces, duties or sufferings, can make satisfaction to God's justice for-our sin and unrighteousness; nor yet that they are any part of that satisfaction. Herewe ascribe all to Christ, who is the only sacri- fice-and ransom. 4. Nor must we think that . our duties or graces are properly meritorious ; this also is to be left as the sole honor VOL. I. 35
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