4 TOO ?he Golpei- MM?,fezy Dire& VI. his merit and righteoufnefs. And they acknowledge, that both falvation itfelf, and fincere obedience are given to them freely by the grace of Chrifl ; fo that all is of grace. They acknowledge alfo, that their falvation is by faith, becaufe fincere obedience is wrought in them by believing the gofpel, and is in- cluded in the nature of that faith, which is the intire condition of our falvation ; and fome call it the re- fignating ait of faith. But air thefe reafons are but a fallacious vizard upon a legal way of falvation, to make it look like pure gofpel ; as I (hail evince by the following particulars Firfl, All that feek falvation by the fincere per- formance of good works, as the procuring condi- tion, are condemned by the Apof£le Paul, for feeking righteoufnefs by the worksof the law, and not by faith, Rom. ix. 32. and fir reeking to be juflified by the law, and falling from the grace of Chrift, Gal. w 4 This one affertion, if it can be proved, is e- nough to pluck off'the fallacious vizard froth the con- dition of fincere`obediencé, and to make men abhor it, as a damning legal doctrine, that bereaveth its followers of all falvation by Chrift. And the proof of it is not difficult to`perfons that warily confider a YDint of fo great moment for their falvation. The ews, and judaizing Chriftians, againft whom the Apoflle chiefly difputed in his whole controverfy, did not profefs any hope of being juflified by petfet obedience, according to the rigour of the law, but only by filch obedience as theyaccounted to be fin- cere, and not hypocritical. And we have no caufe t® doubt, that the judaizing Galatians had learned, by the gofpel, to diftinguifii fincere obedience fromhy4 pocrify. The Jewifh religion bound all that profef. fed it, to acknowledge themfelves to be fanners; as appeareth by their anniverfary humiliation on the day of atonement, and feveral other rites of the law; and many clear'teflirnonies in the oracles of God, that were committed to them, Pfaim cxiiii. 2. Prov.
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