The Nature of Justifying Faith. 13 t Particularly, He defigned herein the Glory of his Righte- oufnefs. To declare his Righteoufnef ; Rom. 3. 25. Of his Love ; God fo loved the world, Joh. 3. 16. Herein we per- ceive the Love of God that he laid down his life for us, I Joh. 3. 16. Of his Grace ; accepted to the praife of the Glory of his Grace, Ephef. 1. 5, 6. Of his Wifdom ; Chrift Crucified, the Wifdom of God, 1 Cor. 1.24. might be known by the Church the manifold wifdom of God, Ephef. 3. io. Of his Power ; It is the Power of God unto Salvation, Rom. I. 16. Of his Faithfulnefs, Rom. 4. 16. For God defigned herein, not only the Reparation of all that Glory, whole Declara- tion was impeached and obi-Cured by the Entrance of fin, but alto a farther Exaltation and more eminent Manifeftation of it, as unto the Degrees of its Exaltation, and fome efpecial Inftances before concealed, Ephef. 3. 9. And all this is called the Glory of God in the face of jefus Chrifl, whereof Faith is the beholding, 2 Cor. 4.6. 3. This being the principal Defign of God in the way of Juftification and Salvation by Chrift propofed in the Gofpel, that which on our part is required unto a participation of the Benefits of it, is the Af ription of that Glory unto God which he deigns fo to Exalt. The Acknowledgment of all thefe glorious properties of the Divine Nature, as manifefted in the provifion and propofition of this way of life, Righte- oufnefs and Salvation, with an Approbation of the way it Pelf as an effe6t of them, and that which is fafely to be trufted unto, is that which is required of us; and this is Faith or Believing. Being firong in Faith he gave Glory to God, Rom. 4.22. And this is in the nature of the weakeft degree of fincere Faith. And no other Grace, Work or Duty, is fui- ted hereunto, or firftly and direftly of that tendency, but only confequentially and in the way of Gratitude. And al- though I cannot wholly Affent unto him who affirms that Faith in the Epiftles of Paul, is nothing but, Exiflimatio S 2 magnîfce
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