C H A P. 7. lames .: r &c. Cleared and Vindicated. 195' this juRification is brought about ; but how it is evidenced & proven no he true, and net a meet prefumptuous conjecture. They fay next. It is fait verJf 2 5. that the Scripture was f,/filled ; not -, that it twat shawl to be fulfilled. .4uf. That facing of Scripture was truth before this time , even when Abra- ham fi,ft beleeved ; which was before he was circumcifed as we file Gen. 15. comp. with Gen. 17. & Rpm. 4: 9, lo, i r. And therefore was not now firft fu'fi:led, or verified. And to talk of the increafe of imputation according to the increafe of Faith , and to meaftre the excellencie of faith , by t he ex- cellencie of that obedience which it produceth , as that SociniarIAuthor loth , is to give us nothing but the Popish Uglification ; for Relations ( of which Nature we hold Jultibcation to be ) are not intended & remitted in themfel ves , but only as to their evidence : We efteem it a Socinian dream, to fay , that the fief} Narration of Faith & J, ítification , which is Gen. i ç. was but a rude draught of that, whiLh-was afterward Gen.22. Abraham's faith was afterward laid to be perfe *d by that fpecial work, of offering pp. his fon , not in It feif , forhe had a !iron?, faith before From 4: 19,20, 2 r. but in its manifeflation after thar fignal trill, It is raid further. Mans juflification cannot be here underflood , forthatis not receffaryto fàlvation, nor univcrftlly true, Join men may jußsfie other , upon váine grounds. Anf. Nor do we underftand any fuch Uglification pronuuced by men here , but a true juftification before God , yet as evidenced , proven & declared by of eEts , unto all , that will judge undeiftandingly &fpiritually, fo that works here are mentioned as the Et eEls , and yet as the Caufes of Uglification. But then they objeci fur- ther.' Thar , ac the Apofle from that Faith, which the vaine man bcaßcd cf de - nib') the man to be juflified , fo frost work] he proveth jußi ftcatin , tbat rrs an- tecedent_Anf. The Apoftlesheweth, that the vaine man who had no mo- re , but ayaine dead empty faith , had no ground to conclude hia.f lfa jufli- fied Man : for this is no Caufe or Gmndition of Juftificatinn : t? nd hence it will not follow , that works, by which both the reality of favinó Faith, & of luftification thereupon , may be evidenced , are antecedent Gaufes, or Conditions of )unification.. It is obieSfedagaine'by the forefaid Sccinian c u- th rr. That if the meaninn r fthefe words, t he Scripture was .ful fill ed, be, that the Scripture was showne to be falfi'led ; then the nteaningshotuld be, that it unit demon, ?rated to Abraham's two fervants , who went with him to the mouruainc,di; by them ta other; ; But then it mull be fappofed, that before this time, rleae'whsch paged Gen. 15. was known tinto them: ,h it mull he fs.,d , that by a work, done long afterward , men may fee , that the trorlieer war jufli fled. But that should not faste iarnes's fcope, Icing by this meaner they might think to delay for a long time their good works , d,^' yet fùppofe tbeinjelves prefently jujihfsed. Anf. All this is but vaine language; for it is all one to th r fcope of tamer whether this come to the actual knowledge of few , or of many , & who they were ro whale knowledge it came; He is only shewng, that loch , as had but a dead faith, that brought fort h no works of obedience, when called for , had no eviden- ce , or clear ground toaffert their own juftification , icing Abraham's ;uíti- hcation was thus declared by his fignal obedience , to l that came or ever should come to the knowledge of that a6t of obedience of his to the end of P P P 3 the
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