An Expojition of the Epijile N}OV' but becaufe it is newly created in Chrill Jefus, hence therefore you can heve be ~ Caved by it. This is a manifell and clear Corolary and Deduction from thisT r b that once they were in a Natural Condition~ as we ~11 were : For if we recei~~ .. ~ new Workmanfhtp created to good Works tn Chbfl: Jefus, it is then meerly b Grace ; and we therefore receive it by Chrifl: Jefus,becaufe once we were dead i~ Sins .md TreJPaffis; we were in our Natural Condition, hence therefore thefe Works that How from this new Workmanfhip can never Cave or jullify a Man. 3· It cloth teach us in the way of believing one Le!Ton, which we fliould never have learned but only for the Conlideration that we were once in the State ofNa– ture ; It is the highefi Le!Ion in Faith's School (fo I may call it) and it's this That whenfoever a Man comes to Chrifi for Jufl:ification, he fi10uld look upon himfelf as an Ungodly Perfo.n: that although he have never fo much Grace in him, yet becaufe he one~ was m the StateofNatur~,and anUngodly Perfon,he is to confider htmfelf(as m htmfelf) fo for ever. There ts that clear place for it, in Rom-4-;. The Apol1le had proved, and he cloth prove there, that we are jullified only by Faith. and he proves it from the example of .Abraham our Father, and he takes the Ex~ ample of.Abraham after he had lived long in the State ofGrace; for he quoteth that Scnpmre tn Genejis, He be!teved God, and 11 was co11nted 11nto him for Righte01t(nefl, ver. 3· Now what faith he, Not 11nto him that wor"-!th, b11t to him that work.!th not, b11t believeth 011 him that j~tflijieth the Vngodly (he works this out from .Abraham's Example) his Faith it accountedfor Righte01tfoefl. So that nowAbrahatli \vhen he did come to believe twenty, thirty years after he was converted unto God, he frill believed upon that God that jufl:ifieth the Ungodly. SaithAbraham; I was an Ungodly Perfon once, and an Idolater, and what ever Grace I have now in me, what ever I have done fince, .that.goes upon another Account, but fiili as in my felf, when I come to look for Jullification and for Righteoufnefs, I look up" on my felf as an Ungodly Perfon, as tfl had no works at all. And that is the ineaning ofit, to hi11t that wor"-!th not, that is, that regardeth not in the point of Juftification, that is, as ifhe wrought not, but believeth on him that juflifieth the Ungodly, is hi; Faith accounted 11ntohim for Rightwtfoefl. This is the Faith that is the Faith ofR.ighteoufneCs, and we lhould never have had occafion for fuch a Faith as this, bad not it been for that Condition in which we all lay in by Nature. 4· It may help us againfl: Temptations ofall forts ; Thou that livedO: in thy na• tural Condition, it may be many years, and didfl: begin to fee thy felfa loO: Man without the Lord Jefus, it was a very bold adventure ofthee when thoudidftfirfi put forth thy hand to lay hold upon Jefus Chri!l; thou camell then trembling to Chrifl: for Pardon ofSin, whenas thou fawefl: nothing in thy (elf, nothing at all; there was not any fufpicion of Grace to be in thee, nothing but the contrary; and yet thou didll believe then: it may be God fell upon thy Soul, a!fured thee ofhis Love too upon thy believing and throwing thy felfupon him. Mark, thou canfi never be put more to it (take thy whole courfe to thy dying day) than thou wart then; for the worft Temptation that can befal thee, is that thou art in fuch a State and Condi<ion. Why when thou didfi firll begin to believe, thou wertin that Condition (that's certain) therefore now it is but putting forth fi1ch an ACl: ofFaith now in the mid(! of fuch a Temptation as thou didll put forth at firft, or as all Believers do put forth at firfl:; it is but to live by.that Faith at wor!l which thou didfi at firll begin to live by. My Brethren, Men ufe to eafe their Faith by looking to what is in themfelves; but look upon your felves as Ungodly : Sup– pofe your [elves fo, fuppofe the worfl: (I do n~lt fay, take it for granted that your State is fuch) in your felves you are fuch ; but fuppofe it ; it is but making t~at venture upon Chrill which you made at firfi. So that now that fir{[ Act of Fatth thou puttefl: forth upon theConfideration of thy former State andCondition,doth but teach thee and prompt thee, what Faith thou art to Jive by in all Temptations whatfoever. 5· It is a great help to firengthen aMan's Faith for Perfeverance. Tho~weme!l: on perhaps, as many ofthe Saints have done, many years tn a way ?f Stn; thou canfl: not be,nor art now in a worfe Condition than thou wert then m ; the Lord did then, when thou wert broke,fet thee up again ; why he will do fo again tho . thou
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