Ver. 3 3. the 8tb Chapter to the R O MAN S. 3 3 5 are an abomination unto the Lord now what is an abomination unto the Lord, is furely contrary to his nature, Exod. 34. 7. He will by no means clear the guilty. Anfwer. There is no abating the force of thefe obje&ions, if there were not good ground for Gods abfolution, or f ntence of juftification. I (hall mention three: Chrifts ranfom, the Covenant of grace, and our faith, or converfion to God. Finn, Chri(ts ran - fom nlaketh it reconcilable with Gods juftice, and the honour of his law and govern- ment, Job 33. 24. Then he is gracious unto him, and faith, deliver him from going dawn into the pit; I have found a ranfom. Rom. 3. 25. Whom God bath fet firth to be a propitia- tion through frith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnef for the remiffion of fns. There is full fatisfaítion given to Gods wronged juftice. 2. His Covenant reconcileth it with his wildom. God is not miftaken in judging us righteous, when we are not; for we are conftitured righteous, and then deemed and pronounced fo : made righteous,as theApoftle fpeaketh, Rom. 5.19 Our right is founded in Chrifts obedience, but refulteth from the promife. The conflitution is by Covenant; God Both fir(t put us into a Rate of favour and reconciliation, and then treateth and dealeth with us as fuch ; conftituteth us righteous by his Covenant, and then in his judgment accepteth us as righteous; he will not acquit them in judgment, whom his Covenant doth not firft pardon. g. Effel ual calling, or the converfion of man, reconcileth it with his holinefs; for a /inner, as a firmer, is not juftified, but a penitent believer : "'tis true, 'tis f, id, God jufiifìeth the ungodly, Rom. 4.5. thofe that were once fo, but not thtife that continue fo; certainly he fanllifieth before he juRifieth, Ads 26. t 8. To open their eyes, and turn them from darknef to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive fier- givenefs of/ns, and inheritance among them that a'e fanfáifted, by faith that is in me. And in many other places. No man is freed from the guilt of fin, which rendreth us obnoxi- ous to Gods wrath ,who is not .freed from the filth of fin, which tainteth our faculties; for Chrift is made to us both righteoufnefì and fanilifrcation, t Cor. I. 3o. By Iogng Gods image, we loft his favour; and in the order wherein we loft it, we recover it. God regenerateth, that he may pardon and juftifie, and reftoreth.firft our holinefs, and then our happinefs : 'tis not confiftent with Gods holinefs to give us pardon, and let us alone in our fins. A man would not put à Toad in his bofome. But more fully to give you a profpelt into this matter, let us take notice of the Cenral things which are mentioned in Scripture, as belonging Wont juftification.; as for infance, fometimes we are faid to be jellified by grace, as Rom. 3. 24. Being juflifiedfreely by his grace: fometimes by the blood of Chrift, as Rom. g. 9. Being juflifed by his blood, we /hall be faved from wrath through him: fometimes by, faith, as Rom. q. 1. Being ju/íified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord jefus Chrifi: fometimes by works, James 2. 24. re fee then how that by works a man is juftified, and not by faith only. All there things concur to our juftification, and do not contradiEt, but imply one another: The fire moving caufe of all is grace; the meritorious caufe, is Chrifts blood : the means of applying, or the condition on our part upon which we are capable at firft of receiving fo great a pri- viledge, is faith: and the means of continuing in our jellified eftate, is by good works, or new obedience. I fay, our firft aftual pardon, juftification, and right to life, is given upon condition of our finii faith and repentance; but this e(tate is continued to us both by faith, Rom. 1. 17. and new obedience; thefe fairly accord. The grace of God will do nothing without the intervention of Chrifts merits ; and Chrifts merits doth not profit us, 'till it be applyed by faith ; and found believers will live in a courfe of new obedience. Let us confider them feverally. r. The firft moving caufe that inclined God to (hew us mercy, in our undone and loft euate, was meetly his grace : God might have left us obnoxious to the curie with- out any offer of peace, as he., did the fallen Angels; but fuch was his grace, that he thought of the way of our recovery, how we might be redeemed, renewed, and jultifi, ed ;furely all this is of grace, Titus 3. q, 6, 7. Nat by works of righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to hit mercy he faved us, by the waffling of regeneration, and the renew- ing of the Holy Ghofi; which he ¡bed on us abundantly, through Jefas Chrifi our Saviour, that being ju fiified by his grace, we fhould be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life, The rife of all is the love and good will of God. 2. We are juftified by the blood of Chrifl.4 Blood in not exclufive of the other parts of his obedience, but doth imply them rather, as the confummate aft thereof, Phil. 2.. 7. He
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