i 5 8 GoThel Remifsion. juflifies is not meerly to cart ones felf on the mercy of God (for there is none, but in a natural way know that God is a merciful God ) but the main ground of Juftification, or of juflifying faith , is the free grace of God through Jefus Chrift ; That God is merciful through a Mediator: Otherwife theground of your faith is tut on a meer confufed notion of the mercy of God, which will certainly fail you ; a heathen may have as much to be theground of his faith, that the great Creator of Heaven and Earth, pitties thofe that are in mifery, and I am a poor creature in mifery ; I'le cry to him, and i'le reformmy life, and i'le rely on him ; thus far a heathen may go : but theground and bottom of faith is not the mer- cy of God in general, but the mercy of God in and through a Mediator ; obferve a little further, the ground of jullifying faith is not thus, that God for Chrifts fake will forgive me for what Chrift bath done to purchafe my pardon, but there is another work of faith in the fouls of believers, though the foul apprehend it not ; 'tis not the workof faith in jufti- fication, to believe that Chrift bath paid fo much as my debt comes to ; but thus, the work of faith is to bring the foul unto Chrift,and to pitch it upon theperfon of Chrift, to be made mine firfß,and then the righteoufreefs of Chrift to be mine : 'Tis not thus, I believe this is my debt, and there is fo much money to pay it ; but this is thework offaith,tobring thee to be marryed to fuch a perfon ; and fo the debt is tranfacted on him to whom thou art marryed , and he will difcharge the debt, becaufe thou art marryed to him ; fo that theground of faith is not to look unto God meerly through his fon that fo I may have pardon ; but thus, I molt come tohave Chrift to be mine ; I mull be marryed with Chrift, and fo throughmy union with the perfon of Chrift, I come to have all that Chrift bath done and fuffered tobe made over to me; and therefore when Icome to look upon the riches of the grace of God . in the mediation of his fon , I mull come with an eye of faith, to be marryedunto Chrift , and Chrift with ar. The riches of Gods grace in Chrift was opened before ; we now make ufe of it as a trial to íhew' the danger of falte grounds in relying up- on God for pardon. Fur-
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