edc'b PERSON dflinaisy. 335 To this alto I fhall return anfwcr as briefly as I can, in the eofaingob- frvations. (1.) The placing of our Gofpel obedienceon the right foot of account, that it may neither be exalted into a Rate, condition, ufe, nor end, not gi- ven it of God, nor any reafon, caufe, motive, end, neceffity of it on the other hand, taken away, weakned or impaired, is a matter ofgreat impor- tance. Some make our obedience, the works of faith, our works the mat- ter or caufeof our juftification tome the condition of the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chrif, fome the qualification ofthe perfon juttified, on the one hand; Tome exclude all the neceffity of them, and turn the graceof God into lacivioufnefs on the other. To debate thefe differences, is not my pre- fent bufìnefs, only I fay, on this and other accounts, the, right Dating -úf our obedience, is ofgreat importanceas to our walking with God. (a,) We do by no means afiign the fame place, condition, Date and ufe, to the obedience of Chrif, imputed to us, and our obedience performed- to God. If we did, they were really inconfiRent. And therefore thofe, who affirm that our obedience is the condition or caufe of our juftification, do all of them deny the imputationof the obedience of Chrift unto us The righ- teoufnefs of Chrilk is imputed to us, as that on the account whereof we are accepted, and efteemed righteous before God, andare really fo, though not inherently. We are truly righteous with the obedience of Chrif, imputed to us, as Adam was or could have been, by a compleat righteoufnefs of his own performance. So Fem. v. 18. by his obedience ire are made righteous; made fo truely, and fo accepted, as by the difobedienceof Adam we are tru- ly made trefpaffors and fo accounted. And this is that which the apoftle delires to be found in, in oppofttion to his own righteoufnefs, Phil. iii. 9. But our own obedience is not the righteoufnefswhereupon we are accepted and juftified before God; although it be acceptable to God, that we should abound therein. , And this difin&ion the apoftle doth evidently deliver and confirm, foes nothing can be inoreclearly revealed, Epb. ii. 8, 9, 1 o. For by grae we arefaced through faith, and this not of our felves, it is the gift ofGod. Not of works, lea/1 any man fhould boa/l. For we are his workman- fhip, created in Chri/1 `j<efus unto good works, which God bath prepared that wefhould walk in them. We are faved, or juftified (for that it is whereof the apoftle treats) by graeethrough faith, which receives Jefus C.hrift and his obedience; Not of works le/I any man fhould boa/!, but what works are they that the apoftle intends? The works of believers, as in the beginning. of the next words, is manifeft; For we are; we believers, with our obedi- ence and our works, of whom I fpeak, yea but what need then of works? need Dill there is, We are theworkmanfhip, &c. Two things the apoftle intimates in thefe words. [a.] A reafon whywe cannot be faved by works, namely, becaufe we do them not in, or byour own flrength, which is neceifary we fhould do, if we will be faved by them, or juftified by them, but this is not fo faith the apoftle, forwe are the workmanfhip ofGod, &c. All Our works are wrought in us byfull and effectual, undeferved grace. [a.] An aiiertion of the neceffity of good works, notwithfanding that we are not faved by them, and that is, that God has ordained that we Rail walk in them, which is a fufficient ground of our obedience whatever be the ufe of it. Ifyou will fay, then, what are the true and proper Gofpel grounds, rea- fonss ufes and motives of our obedience, whence the neceflity thereof may be
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