346 How faith is an Ttrffrunadítit. CH A r. 2$. faEtion with this way , are removed from all fuck , as will williMg,ty comply with the defigne of free &race, in the Gofpel. C H A P. XXVIII. How faith is, and may be called an Inftrument, in JuííiJication. Oncerning the Inftrumentality of faith in Juffification,much needeth not befaid, howbeit too much bath been written, about it & that to very little edification ; fo I judge : lam lure, to little ufe, as to the clearing up of that concerning pointe of Juitification & the true intereti of Faith therein. We heard , in the beginning of the proceeding Chapter , how both Soci- nians & Arminians did difowne faith its being an Inftrument , and Papifis all(' before them did plead againft it : On the other hand , the orthodox , writ - ting againft Papißs, Socinians, & Arminians, did unanimoufly afhert Faith to bean Inftrument , or to be confidered as an Inftrument , in the natterof Ju- fhification. And few, or none , can be inftanced of thofe, who hold with the orthodox, inallchiefe Controverfies, aboutJuttification-, that did im- pugne , or fo much as deny Faith to be an Inftrutnent, in julification; Yea 3ohnGoodu,ine, in his book of juflification , doth exprefly cad it an Initrurnent in juftifi_ation. It is true, the Scripture no where calleth faith an inftrument ; & the fame being no Scripture expreilion , there needeth not he much ftrii;'e about ir, nor will there be , among Inch , as are unanimous in the maine & principal Qlueftions about Jufifica_tion ; or to that , which is only deigned & intended by that exprefiiòn. And though the Scripture Both not ufe that expref- lion , 'interminir , yet no man can hence inferre , that all ufe of it, and of the like should be laid afide , nor can fuch be fuppofed to adde to the Scriptu- re , ( as Mr. Baxter hinteth. Apo'. againit Mr. Blare p. 40, ) who call Faith an Iríftrument; more than he can fuppofe that hirrtfeif adde!h ro the Scriptu- re , when he calleth faith a. Condition , or a chufa fine qua non, for thefe are as little-ro be found exprefly , in the Scriprui es , as the of her. Nor do ¡hey, who fay Faith is an Inftrument , fo much plead for the name , as for the thing intended thereby : All expreffìons, - that are not in Scripture, muff not be laid afide , in our fpeaking of divine things for then we muff lay afi- de the word Trinity, Sacrament,S It:Vat-lion & feveral others : far lets muff the truth which we conceive can be intelligibly & ufefullyexprefl'edby thole borrowed wordsand termes ,'be laid afide, becaufe the terme itfelf, by which cue eXpï e fs our Conceptions of the truth ," is not in fo- many letters & fyllabs to be found in Scripture , if fo indeed , we had quickly loft a fun- damenral point of our Religion , and yeelded the caule unto the Socinianr. If the Scripture may be explained, we may make ufe of filch expreffions, termes
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