C H A P. z r. 3tuftíftc4nien is by fait% zg3 Bellarmine o ppofeth ; yet Bellarmius Opinion can no way be owned , who doth fo defend the objeE'tof faith , as that he maketh junifying faith to be nothing but Hinorical Faith. Learned & grave Mr. Norton , in his Orthodox Euange/ifl Ch. 14. p.314.. in anfwering this objeétion, diftinguisheth be- twixt the being of ;unification & our being ]uftified ; or betwixt juftification in abfiraElo-i. e. without the receiving fubjeEt thereof, & in concreto i. e. to- gether with the beleever, The firft , which fignifieth Remiflion of fins and Righteoufnefs to Acceptation prepared , though not yet conferred upon the EleEt, he faith , hath a being before Faith and fo the object is before the at : though theother be after faith* But I conceive there is no great neceffrtie of this , for anfwtring of the argument , if any should propose it , to evince juftification before faith; and Bellarm. adduceth it not , to this end , as we faw ; for I fee no ground to affert juftification to be the object of juflifying faith, asif in order to juftification, we were called tó beleeve ,;that we are junified, and that our fins are pardoned : ( as was faid above ) And as for this ¡unification , confidered in the abfiraét, which is laid to havea being not only in the Purpofe of God , but alto in the Covenant , between the Father, & the Mediator , & in the Purchafe of Chrin; not onlylis it not called ;unification in Scripture , but alío , in fo far , as it is the object of faith ('as all other revealed troches are ) it is of the electin general , and not of this , or that particular perfon : fo that though juftifyingfaith may beleeve that God Putpofed & Chrift Purchafed , & the Covenant of Re- demption did exprefly containe the jollification of the Elea ; yet it doth no t beleeve, in order to the mans juftification, that he in particular fo was jufli- fied , either in thePurpofe.of God , or in the Purchafe of Cbrin, or in the Covenant betwixt Iehovah & the Mediator ; nor is this Faith called fcr , be- caufe this ob;eEtis not a revealed truth : Yet this fame juftifying Faith , is of that Nature , as to produce afterward rtfleéting as , whereby the man may fee his own juftification & be perfwaded of it , in truth , & hence alto be perfwaded , that the Lord Purpofed to junffie him in particular; that Chrift Purchafed his juftification , in particular, and that it was an article of the Covenant of Redemption , that he in particular shoulcibe juftified. 2. While it is laid , That the jNf1 liveth by faith-, we fee that faith is the way , whereby perfons come aetually to live the life of juftification; and hence it can not it felf be the matter of their life : What intereft properly faith bath in this affaire, muff be debated afterward ; to wit , whether it be properly imputed as the matter of our Righteoufnefs; or only be to be confi- dered as an Inftrument : or as a Condition , & how fo ? 3. We fee, That this living by Faith proveth that there is no juftification by works , in the fight of God ; whence it is manifen , that faith here can.. not be confidered asa work of the Law , or as a duty enjoined by the Law or under any fuch confideration. (z) That works have no interen as a caufe , or condition, with Faith in jollification. ( 3 ) That the life of juftification , as to its eontintiation is by faith ,'-and by faith , as oppofrte to works ; for the jun, (or;the man already ¡unified) liveth by faith : This being alfoque- ftioned, we will have occafion to (peak more to it afterward. M m 4. While k' 6. x.
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