The Promift ofYuflification. 147 rcmiffion of thefe of the two former kinds being gran.. ted, and a not imputing of thefe ·of the latter fort, as to that guilt;· being fecured, as the Apofile teacherh, Rom. iv. .7· 'Bleifed are they whofe iniquities are for– given, and whofe fins are covered. Ver. 8. Bleffed is' the ~an to whom the Lord will not impute fin; and God will never revoke his pardons, chap.. xi .. 29. 'For the gifts and calling of God are .without repentance.' Secondly, The ,other branch of the promife of juf– tification, is the promif'e of acceptance of their perfons· as righteous in the fight of G~d, according to ' that, Ifa. xlii. 2 .1• . ' The Lord is well pleas'd for his righ– teoufnefs fake:' comp::1red with Matth. iii. 17.' This Js my beloved ~Sm~, in whom I am weil pleafed :' and Eph. i. 6. ' He hath made us accepted in the belov– ed/ A holy righteous God, whofe judgment is .ac– ~ording to truth, .cannot accept finners as righteous, without a righteoufnefs, even a perfect righteoufnefs: · they thatare not truly righteous ~n law, can never pafs for righteous but for unrighteous ones, in the view of his piercing eye : For in .thy fight, fays the PfaJ– mifi, Pfal. cxliii. 2. foal! no man living be jujlijied; ' · to wit, by the duds of the law, or inherert righte– oufnefs, which is imperfect, as the Apofile expounds it, Rom~ iii. 20. Bur. our Lord J~us having, in the covenant, undertaken to fulfill all righteoufnefs for them, who of themfelves could fulfill no righteouf ... · nefs; a- promife was thereupon made, to accept them as righteous upon the account of his Surety-righteouf– nefs, , which becomes ·truly theirs through faith, and that by -a double right. (t.) By right of fi·ee gift re– ceived inafmuch as Chrift's righteoufnefs being made pver in the gofpel, as heaven's free gift to finners; the gift is by faith aCtually claimed an~ re~eived ; whence it is called ' the gift of righteoufi1efs (Rom. v. 17.) revealed unto faith, (Chap. i. 17.) namely to be believed on, and fo received . ' (2.) By right of .commzmio.n with Chrifi: inafinuch as finners being K ·3 uni~q
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