The Life of f hri fi. 483 tcoüfneffe and workes ; din in giving us workes to de ferr.e our righteouliieffe. Secondly, Iutlification by Faith doth make the pro- mile lairs to all the feede. If unto a beggar (houki bee propofed fome excellent benefit upon condition to per- forme force acceptable and perfe5 fervice unto the per - fon that offers it ; whom yet it would bee impoílible to pleafe by working , without fame exaa abilitie for the dutie required ; the man might ugly doubt of the certaintie of the benefit, becaufe his performance of the condition required is uncertaine : but if the fame benefit ( hould bee propofed upon no other as on his part re quired, than only the acknowledgement of his owne want, and the willing acceptance of the thing offered, a man could not bee unfure of it : So if the Lord fhould propofe righteoufneffe or falvation to a man upon con- dition of his morali obedience, mans corruptions are fo many, and his abilities fo weake, his enemies fo potent, and his heart fo treacherous to comply with them, that the promife cannot bee made Pure to him upon the con- currence of his owne workes. But when there is no- thing required of a man but to cleave to Chriíf, nothing but to relinquifh his owne endeavòurs, and to accept the helpe of a fure Saviour , and to rely upon the lure mercies of David, this mutt needs make our righceotaf neffe and falvation to be as certaine as is the value of the merits, or fidelitie of the promife,, on which we relie. If there bee nothing requilite to the firmeneffe and con - (iftencie of a houfe, but onely to be put upon the founda- tion, then the houfe muff needs be as Pure as the foun da- tion ; if there bee nothing requifite to the fafenefle of a mans money or writings, but to put them in a clofet or boxe, the things muff needs bee as fafe as the place into which they are put : fo lince nothing elfe is required to make our falvation fure but onely to reft upon Chrill, who is a fafe foundation to his Church, (Matth.16.18. Ii 2 and
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