292 ydtffificalioYD is by faith. C Li AF. zr for letting forth the Glory of God the Riches of Free Grace , and for aba- fein; of Man , as alfo for fecureing of Lite unto the Beleever : for (t) Here- by the Man is convinced of his guilt & declareth himfelf to be guilty ; for he his guilty before God o34; [torn. 3: 19. he is made fpeachlefs knowing nothing to [peak in his own defence , nor no apologie to give in,his mouth is flopped , and he can fay nothing , but cry our, guilty, I am a chi'. de of death , the Lord is Righteous, should he damne me for ever , I mutt juflifie him , when he fpeaketh , and cleare him when he judgeth Pfal. 51: 4. (1) Hereby the Man pronunceth & fweareth himfelf poor & bare ; he forfaketh all, and renunceth all , that formerly he had any eye upon , or confidence in, counting them lofle & dung, as Paul did Phil. 3. He pro. claimeth himfelf Empty , Loft , & Naked , and declareth he hath nothing that he can leane to, within himfelf. He accounteth all his former Righte. oufnefs to be nothing but rotten rags , and filthy rags , and Profeffeth that he knoweth nothing within himfclf, wherefore , or whereupon he can ex- peCt Reconciliation with the Lord , and to be Accepted of him. (3) Thus all ground , or occafion of boafting, or of glorying before men , is taken away from the beleever Rom. 3: 27. & 4: i. (4.) Thus the glorious beauty of free Grace shineth forth. Therefore it is of faith , that it might Ge of grace; Korn. 4: I 6. Grace here appeareth in its own glory , when free grace without us , &coutrareto our demerites, doth all, provideth the Sacrifia, accepteth of the fame, in their behalfe for whom it was offered up , bringeth them to the aélual participation of the frttites and effeéls thereof by working up their hearts to afatisfaCtion in it & toareffing upon it , & all this freely , out of free Love. It is corruptly Paid by the fore mentioned Author of that dif comp of the two Covenants pag. 42. that Grace appeareth in the Lord's ma- king Faith the condition of the promife, in that great things are prornifed upon filch á poffible pratiic tble eafie condition , as faith is , confidering tbemeaner and ajfißance promifed by God to work it : for this fpoileth Grace of its Glory, when Man is looked upon , & laid to be the principal author of faith , as he is, upon the matter, faid to be, when all that God Both, is but called affiance, and at leaft the man may challenge, as his owne , no (mall share of the Glory of acting Faith , and of going fo great a length in the way to Faith, without any more af[ìflence, than he hath need of, to eate his meat when hungry , and of going on his own feet to the very place , where God flood ready to lend him a hand to help him forward. Not to mentione, how this altereth the whole Nature of the Covenant of Grace making it no- thing but a new edition of the old Covenant of works. (ç) It is of faith to the end the promife might be Pure to all the feed [tam. 4: i6. When all the bu- finefs is wrought , as it were, to our hand, and nothing more requifite to intereffe us, in the noble EffeEts of all , than our confenr, & this alto is wrought by the Spirit of God conforme to the Covenant of Redemption, can a more enfureing way be imagined ? Alas ! what ground of Confidence or of Certainty , can the Arminian & Socinian way , followed by the fore - mentioned Author, give to a poor foul ? When all is made to hang upon the tottering Li; inconitant will of man, who hath no more from God , but foam "13:1ZEINIft.
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