Brown - BS2685 B86 1695

1$ Pag. C H A P. III. The Do &rine of juflification fhould be keeped pure with all diligence; & what dangerous expref- fions fhould be fhunned. E come next to fpeak a word unto the Second particular men- tioned; to wit, That all , who would be found faithful Ambaffa- dours , & be accepted of the Lord , fhould endeavoure both in pratlice & in Do&rine , to keep this do6trine of the Grace of God pu- re & unmixed : & particularly guard againft the giving ground or occa- fion to proud Nature, to cry -up Self, in the matter ofjuflification, by any expreffron, ufed in the explication thereof. We fee here & elfewhe- re , how careful Paul is in this Matter, ufìng fuch expre(l'ions, as may mofi emphatically exclude man , & all his paines, & fet free grace on high, that God alone may be exalted; for here & elfewhere he debafeth man , & exclu- deth all his works, even the works of the heft of men;even his works,who was the father of the faithful : & he crieth; up Chrift as all , & free grace as be- ginning & carrying on all ; confonant to what the Prophet Efaias faid Efai. 45: 24, 25. Surely fhall one fay in the Lord have l righteoufnefs e flrength (or, as it is in the Margine , Surely he [hall ray of me , in the Lord is all righte- oufnefs dT flrength ) Even to him fhall men come --- In the Lord pall all the feed of 1 f rael be yufl, fled, e [hall glory. So that fuch , as look to Him (as it is vers 22. ) & come to Him (as it is vets 24.) have all their righteoufnef- fes in the Lord , & from Him ; and in Him alone are they & fhall they be juftified, & fhall glory ; & not at all in themfelves. So Jeremiah Chap, 23 :_ 6. expreffeth the matter very emphatically, holding it forth, as'one of Chrifl's glorious & comfortable Titles of honour , that He fhall be called, the Lord our Righteoufnefs, thereby Importing, thatalltheSainistheirrigh - teouinefs, in order to their juftification before , & acceptance with God, was in Chrift ; & that it would be a robbing of Chrift of His due .honour, to Peek for a righteoufnes elfe where. So Chap. 33: 14, 15. it is promifed that the Lord will caufe the Branch of righteoufnefs to grow up unto David, & that hereby Judah fhould be Paved, d? Ifrael fhould dwell (aifely : And it is further faid , that His fpoufe fhould wear her hufbands name , & be called after Him , the Lord our righteoufnefs; thereby profeflì.ng her adherence to Him, as her Hufband, & her owning of Him, as all her righteoufnefs; & glorying in that , that He and He alone is her righteoufnefs. In compliance herewith, we fhould beware of expreflìng our conceptions, about the matter of juftification fo, as may give proud man ground of boaf- ting , & of robbing Chrift of His Crown , Title & Glory , in lefs , or in more : and thefe expreflìons following feem to me juftly chargable herewith. I. To fay , That all works are not excluded in jutlification ; but fuch only as are done by the meer Power & Strength of Nature; & not the works of

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