832 A P P E N D I X . 33 All God's elect are in their time infeparably united unto Chrift, by the effectual and vital influence of the Holy Ghoft, derived from him, as from the head, unto every true member of his myftical body. And being thus madeone with Chrift they are truly regenerated, and made partakers of him and all his benefits. Of jufiification andfaith. 34 ` T E are accounted righteous before God, only for the me- rit V of our Lord and Saviour of Jefus Chrift, applied by faith, and not for our own works or merits. And this righteoufnefs, which we fo receive of God's mercy and Chrift's merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of God, for our perfeâ and full juftification. 35. Although this juftification be freeunto us, yet it cometh not fo free- lyunto us, that there is no ranfom paid therefore at all. God fhewedhis mercy in delivering us from our former captivity, without requiring any ranfom to be paid, or amends to be madeon our parts, which thing by us had been impoffible to be done. And whereas all the worldAvas not able of themfelves to pay any part towards their ranfom, it pleafed our heavenly Father, of his infinite mercy, without any defert of ours, to provide for us the molt precious merits of his own Son, whereby our ranfommight be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his juftice fully fatisfied ; fo that Chrift is now the rightecufnefs of all them that truly believe in him he for them paid their ranfom by his death ; he for them fulfilled the law in his life ; that now in him, and by him, every true chriftian man may be called a fulfiller of the law ; for as much as that which our infirmity was not able to effect, Chrift's jußice bath performed ; and thus the juftice and mercy of God do embrace each other, the grace of God not (hutting out the juftice of God in the matter of our juftifica- tion, but only (hutting out the juftice of man (that is to fay, the juf- tice of our own works) from being any caufe of deferving our juftifica- tion. 36. When we fay; that we are juftified by faith only, we do not mean, that the faid juftifying faith is alone in man without true repent,. ance, hope, charity, and the fear of God (for fuch a faith is dead and . cannotjuftify) neither do we mean, that this our aft to believe in. Chrift, or this our faith in Chrift, which is within us, doth of itfelf juftify us, or deferve our juftification unto. us (for that were to account ourfelves to be juftified by the virue or dignity of fomethinng that is within our- felves but the true under Landing and meaning thereof is, that al.. though.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=