Brown - BS2685 B86 1695

C H A P. ;. Dangerous expreflons to be avoided rq that his own Inherent Holinef way as well the ground of his juFification, & the Condition thereof , as Adam's obedience would have been the ground of his juFification. And who kr,oweth nor that Selfcan wax proud & be puffed up, upon a fmal ter ot cation, than is this ? And is it not ftrange, that Paul never once made mention of this diftinc`tion? Shall we think , that Paul denied Abraham to have been juftified by works, becaufe Abraham looked upon them , as the meritorious caufe, & not as the Condition on- ly of his juflilcation ? or that Abraham indeed did fo ? or that Paul in- cluded them as the condition of his juFification , when he faid , he defi- red not to be found in his own Righteoufnefs , meaning not his own righ- teoufnefs as a price , or as the Meritorious caufe of his acceptance ? Why fhould David have fpoken fo abfolutely & faid Pfal. 14 ;: 2. enter not into judgment with thy Servant ; for inthy fight fhallno man livingbeluflified, Icing, even though God fhould enter into judgment with His lei vants, they fhould be jultified as having fulfilled the condition ? And why fhould he have laid Pp/. i 3o: ;. If thou , Lord , fhouldefl mark iniquities, â Lord, who fhail( land¿ feing., though the Lord fhould mark iniquities , yet where the Perfon bath fulfilled the Condition , & bath a Perfonal Inherent Rtghteou- fuefs to hold up , as the fulfilling of the condition required , he is in cafe Co Rand in judgment , & to plead for his juftification , & abfolution , upon the account of his performing all the condition required : And would not vaine man have great ground of boating here ? I t. Neither yet will it prevent this boafling , to fay, That this Inherent Righteoufnefs is but a SubordinatRigitteoufnefs, whereby we have right unto the Merites of Chritt , which are the Principal Righteoufnefs , anfwe- ring the demandes of the Law : for it man have any thing in himfelf, that can be called a Righteoufnefs though but a Subordinar Righteounefs , & yet fuch a Righteoufnefs, as giveth right& ground to juFification, though that juflification be alfo called , only a fubordinat j utlification , conforme to the New Covenant, & the Condition thereof, he will foon boaft, & ac- count his juftification not of free grace . but of due debt , conforme to the covenant : And though this be called, only a Subordinat Righteouf- nefs; yet proud Se /fwill account it the Principal; becaufe upon it depen- deth all his juFification; for thereby not onely bath he a right unto Chria's Nitrites , but unto juftification it Pelf; this being called the proper condi- tion of the New Covenant, wherein juftification, Adoption &c. are pro- mifed (as they fay) upon this condition. And will not proud Man fee, that he bath a price in his hand, & a corn pleet Righteoufnefs , conforme to the Covenant , to prefente unto God where-upon to leek & expel the re- ward of debt , according CO the covenant? And fo much the rather fhould we abflaine from fuch exprrtlìons, in this matter, that we finde no mention made of twofold Righteoufnefs , & of a twofold juftification ; the one fubordinat, the other Principal , in the Scriptures; but all expreffions, in this matter, framed delgnedly to abafe man , & make all appear to be of free grace, that he , who glorieth , may glory in the Lord. And as Selfwill be ready, in this, to make that, which is called a Subordinat Righteoufnefs aPrin- C 3 pal

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