GolPel Kemfsion. 17 or innocency : Why ? Becaufe it is now made fuch a grace as excludes all kind of boafting : For were it but the ftirring up of any power we had in Adam, it would no more exclude boaft- ing, than if God ftirred up any other grace ; as Love, Hope, Fear, and the like : But that it excludes boafting) this may be the m'oft fatisfadory anfwer ; Works they could not exclude boafting ; Why, though they were from the race and gift of God, yet they belonged to mans nature ; for.,;if God will make a rational creature,he muff give it thole perfections that are due to that nature : Now the Image of Go.i, was in force regard due to fuch a nature. But now, God when'he comes to give faith, he gives a higher thing than ever was due to the nature of man: hence there is a greater myfterie-in faith than in any other grace ; and therefore it is a great myfterie that God fhould juftifie a man by faith, and yet this excludes boafting more than any ocher thing. I, but theScripture (ayes, God imputesfaithfor righteoufneß; ObJetI, and when God inables ¡so to believe, Is it net our own ? Yea, then we have ir, it is our own . and when we are e4nfw. juftified, it is imputed to us for righteoufnefs ; but mark what I (hall fay, it will be úfeful for the underftanding that Text in Rorn.4..22. Where, it fayes,faitbwas imputed to himfor righte- oufnef ; ye muft not underhand it thus, that is, that God did through the grace of Chrift now accept of Abraham's faith as his righteoufnefs, whereby he should Rand to be juí`ti6ed by it in the fight of God; he didnot thus accept of faith for righteouf- nefs ; no, not through the mediation ofChrift, nor by vertueof any Covenant made by God with Chrift : Goddid never make any Covenant with Chrift,thatwhereas man did owe obedience toall the Law, and that fhould have been his righteoufnefs had he continued in it ; but man now being unable to perform it, that God would be now fo favourable to him as that he would accept . offaith for righteoufnefs, that is not the meaning of it ; for the word in the Original tranllatedfor righteoufnefs, it is thtis, it was imputedunto righteoufnefs, it is the fame word sled in Rona.. 10.10. With the heart man believeth unto Rip-hteoufHers, and with the mouthConfefon is made untoSalvation : NowConfefli onwith the mouth is not made Salvation it felf, but unto Salva- D tion
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