C r A P. 3r Dangerous expreffions to be avoided. are excluded , which are done in obedience to any Law of God. 5. It is no lefs injurious to truth, & favourable to proud Self, to fay with Socinus, That Paul onely excludeth perfeét works, done in full con- formity to the perfect Law of God ; but not our Imperfeét works, which through grace are accepted, & accounted our righteoufnefs : for even thefe works being works of righteounefs, which we do , would not exclude boa - fling , but give ground of glorying before men. Neither did Abraham or Paul, or any other Saint fuppofe , that their works were perfed. Nor is it Imaginable , that any in thefe dayes did plead for juftification , by their own works, upon the account, that they were perfed , & wholly com- menfurar unto the Law. Nor doth Paul infinuate , in all his difcourfe, any fuch Dittindion, or give any ground to think , that Impeded works fhould be the ground of luftification , when Perfed works are not. And all this is grounded upon this grofs miflake , That by faith , which the Apofile op- pofeth to works is meaned our ImperfeEt Obedience unto the Commands of God. 6. It is injurious, upon the fame account, to fay , That Paul onely ex- cludeth Inch works , as are accompanied with a conceite of merite , & no- ne elfe : for he excludeth all works, without any fuch Diflintion, even the works of Abraham, (who, doubtlefs, was far from any filch fonde conceite , to think , that his works weretmeritorious) & all fuch works, as give ground of boafting before men , though not before God. And who will fay, that even Adam's works, performed in Innocency, had any pro- portion, in the bailance of commutative juftice, or would merite at God's hand , ex condign? And yet , fare, fuch works would have made the re- ward of debt, according to the Compaél. Yea, the Apoftle, in his way of argueing, fuppofeth, that works cannot be mentioned in this cafe, without merites; fo that merite is infeparabie from them. And fhall we think, that Paul Phil. 3: 9. meaned, by his own righteounefs, only filch works, as he exprefly accounted meritorious ? Or that he could, or did ac- count any of his works fuch 7. Lt runneth far in the fame guilt, to fay, That faith it felf, which is our work, & confrdered as our adl of obedience, is Imputed to us for righteoufnefs, & is that righteoufnefs, upon which we are juftified: for how eauly might proud Self lift up its head, & boaft & fay , it was ju- flified, becaufe of forne thing within it, or becaufe of one work of righteou- nefs, done by it : & fo glory in it Pelf , & not in the Lord ? for though it were granted, that faith wer.. the gift of God yet that would not fuffi- ciently keep down pride, feing fuch, as plead for jollification by good works, will aifogrant , that thefe good works come from the Grace ofGod, & are wrought by the Spirit : & yet Inch a jutlification would lay a foun- dation of boafting , & of glorying before men; & force would have more ground of boafting, than others, becaufe of their ftrongerfaith : Andju- llification by this way , would as well be oppofite to jutlification through Chrift, & His Imputed righteoufnefs, & by Grace, as julification by good works; for faith here would not be confidered, as bringing-in & laying ( hold
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