Burroughs - Houston-Packer Collection BT750 .B945 1674

28 Gojpel Remysion. tion ; fo faith isnot the righteoufnefs it felf, but unto righteot.f:, Obled. nefs, that is, by faithwe come to get righteoufnefs But why (ayes. the 4cripture God imputed it unto righteoufnefs ? I take tt tnfiv. thus, that forafmuch as faith is fo glorious a Principle ( infufed of God) above any thing of our own, God is pleafed to account of it as f it were our own , and fo imputes it unto righteouf- nefs ; the truth is, it is not our own ; no, not fo our own as other graces are our own : tut God in point ofJuftification is pleafed to impute it as our own, that wemay come to have righ_ teoufnefs by it,as if itwere our own : Now this is a great myf}e- ry, that God in the workof pardon of fin, fhould do it by the grace of faith, and that this excludes all boafting; and yet righte- oufnefs imputed to it as if it were our own. Hence by the way, let us take heed of the Opinion of thofe that fay, faith it felt is imputed for righteoufnefs, and that God through Chrift accepts of faith as the matter ofour rightecufnefs : The Papifts fay we are juftified by works, and that God is pleafed through Chrift toaccept not of Faith only, but ofHumility, Fear, Love, Repentance, Joy, &c. though they be impeded, yet he is pleafed to accept of thefe for our righteoufnefs ; fayes the other opini- on, faith is our righteoufnefs, though Godmight require exa& obedience to the whole Law, yet he is pleafed to accept of faith ; both thefe Opinions arebefides the truth, and therefore there is the fame danger in the one as in the other, and therefore both to be avoided. Of the eighth Myfizerie, God is infinitely 3uft,andyet infinite- &e2lerciful. 8. The eighth particular is this, that thews pardon offin is a great myfterie, becaufe where ever Godpardonsfin, he is infi- nitely jufl, andyet infinitelymerciful ; there is an admirable re-. conciliation,between Gods. Juftice and Mercy, which (hews it to be a great myfterie : There are threegreat myfteriesin Religion, I. The great myfterieof the Trinity, that there fhould be di- vers Perfons, and yet but one God. The fecond is, that in the Perfon ofChrift there fhould be two Natures, and yet but one Perfon. And. then. the third is, the, reconciliation of the mercy and

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