Ver. 34. xxvth Chapter of St. MATTHEW. i 7 5 milé. ; but yet this qualification muff be taken notice of by our Judge in the great day, as the Reafon of his Sentence., The fprinkling of the Door -ports with Blood, was nit a proper caufe to move the deftroying Angel to pafs over, but according to that Rule he rrtuft proceed ; the admitting all that have a Ticket to any Solemnity, is not the Caufe why they are worthy to be received. This is clear, that a Perfon is juftified, in forre other way than a Sentence is juftified Tlidé works are produced, to Iuftifie the Righteoufnefs Of his Sentence before the whole World. A Sinner is juftified by Faith ; Chrift's Sentence by the Believers Obedience. > (2.) That Works merit not the Bleffings promifed, and adjudged to us, is evi- dent : For they are due, Luke i7. to. SO ltkewife ye, when ye (hall have, done all thofe things which are commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable Servants ; we have done that which was our Duty to doe. And they are imperfect, Phil. 3. 52. Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfetl. And they are Gifts of God, for which we ought to give him thanks, a Cor. S. r. A Grace of God beftowed on us ; and Gifts have no Equality with the Reward, Rom. 8. 58. And they are done by Servants redeemed by an Infinite Price, r Pet. r. re. With the Precious Blood of (hrifl, as of a Lamb without blemifh, and without fpot ; being already appointed Heirs of Eternal Life, Rom. 8. 57. Deferving eternal Death, Rom. 6. 17. and that need continually implore the Mercy of God for the Pardon of Sin : So much as you afcribe to mans Merit, fo much you detract front the Grace of God : And the more fn is ac- knowledged, the more Illuflrious is Grace, Rom. S. so. Where fin abounded, Grace did much more abound. You crofs the Counfel of God, all glorying in himfelf; I Cor. I. 29. That no fefb fbould glory in his pretence : And Deut. 9. 4, g, 6. Speak not thou in thy Heart, after that the Lord thy God hob call them put from before thee, flying, For my Righteoufnefs the Lord bath brought me in to poffefs this Land: but for the wickednefs o tbefe Nations, the Lord doth drive them out from.before thee. Not for thy Righteoafìiefs, or for the uprightnefs of thine heart, daft thou go to pof- fefs their Land : But for the wickednefs of thefe Nations, the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the i..ord (ware un- to thy Fathers, Abraham, ¡fasc and facob. `Underhand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land .to poffefs it, for thy Righteoufnefs, for thou art a flip Necked People. (i.) That Works are produced as the undoubted Evidences and Fruits of a true and found Faith : Juftification is oppofed to Accufation before Gods Tribunal. A double Accufation may be brought againft us : That we are Sinners, or guilty of the breach of the firft Covenant : And that we are no found Believers, having not fulfilled the Conditions of the Second : From the firft Accufation we are juftified ßy Faith : From the latter we are juftified by Works ; and that not only in this World, but in the day of Judgment. Chrifts Commilfon and Charge is to give Eternal Life to true Believers, and the Mark of true Believers is Holinel's : There- fore if his Judgment be right, by producing this Fruit and Effect it mull be jtiffi- fied. A Judge is to proceed, Secundum regulas iris, & allegata (r probata, as to the parryes judged : And becaufe in the day of Judgment, the Covenant of Grace bath the force of a Law, therefore it belongeth to Chrift as a Judge, to fee we have fulfilled the Condition of ir, which is Faith : And that our Faith is true, is proved by Works. When we are firft preffed with Sin, : becaufe the Promife of Jollification, or Remiffion of Sin, requireth Faith ; it muff be embraced by Faith, and taken hold of by Faith ; our Faith mutt pitch upon it, draw Comfort from it, even before good Works are done by us : But becaufe the next Accufation will prefently arife, as if our Faith were not true ; we muff be juftified from this Ac- cufation by good Works : Not be contented with one or two good Works, but abounding in all ; that thus we may be juftified more and more, and approved by our Judge. (4.) That Faith is implyed in all the Works mentioned, is evident, (t.) From Chrifl's fripe : The Manner of judging thofe in the Vifible Church, is intended : And, (2.) The Expreuon theweth it ; for 'sis Chrift they, refpe&ed in his Members : Now it "requireth Faith to fee Chrift in a poor Beggar, or Prifoner ; to love Chrift in them, above our worldly Goods, and A &ually to part with them for Chrift's fake. Self- denyal.is the Fruit of Ruth : 'Tis not meerly the Relieving of the Poor, but the doing of it as in and to Chrift. (3.) There is a near link between Faith and
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