prescribeth how wee Ministers may our selves come out of this most dangerous DEAD FAITH and call others out of the same into the true lively and justifying Faith Try all things and keepe that which is good 1 Thessalon 5. 21. And accept Christianly in good part the good will of him that is glad Christian READER if hee may speake or write a word that may edifie thee in thy most holy Faith Iud. 20. Vse it in the feare of GOD. And thus I leave thee to the Word of his Grace which is able to build further Thine in all Christian affection JOHN EATON THE DISCOVERY Of the Most Dangerous Dead Faith AMongst divers and sundry causes of peoples being offended at and of cavilling against the expresse Word of God and the Protestants description of the Wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse by which the justified person is made so truely and so perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God that God doth and by his actuall power can see no sin in his justified children freely by faith onely without workes Revel 3. 18. The chiefest cause of all their cavills containing in a manner all the rest is the Dead faith it being not able to understand the mysteries of Christ as Saint Paul testifieth to the carnall Corinthians saying the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. For the removall of which Dead Faith four main things are here especially to be considered First we must mark how far the Dead Faith will goe in the profession of the Gospel and how like it is to the true lively justifying and saving faith being as like the true faith both in it selfe and in resembling all the actions of the true faith as the Image in the Looking-glasse is like and doth imitate the party that looketh into the same because the Dead Faith consisteth of these three parts First such as are in this Dead Faith may have great knowledge of the whole word and will of God and may joyne therewith the reading of all the Doctors and Expositors in the Church and also may be zealous Preachers of the same as Saint Paul declares Rom. 2. 17. saying Behold thou art called a Iew that is one of Gods chosen above all the Nations of the earth and restest in the Law that is in the Word and Doctrine delivered from heaven and gloriest in God And knowest his will and approvest the thing that are excellent being instructed in the Law or Word verse 18. And art confident that thou art a guid of the blind a light of them that are in darknesse verse 19. An instructer of the foolish a teacher of the ignorant having the whole forme of knowledge and of the truth of the Law c. Againe the Law shall not perish from the Priest nor counsell from the wise nor the word from the Prophet Come let us smite Ieremiah with the tongue Jer. 18. 18. For wee have the adoption and the glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Rom. 9. 4. and such like Scriptures shewing great knowledge in this Dead Faith Secondly such may have a kinde of strong faith in all Gods graces through Christ and thinke that they beleeve them as well and as truely as any other as these and such like Scriptures teach Thou sayest I am rich and encreased with goods and have need of nothing but thou knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked Revel 3. 17. Againe When many beleeved Philip which preached the things that concerned the Kingdome of God and the Name of Iesus then Simon Magus himselfe also beleeved and was baptized and continued with Philip and wondered when he saw the signes and great wonders which were done Acts 8. 12 13. Againe the Apostle saith I would not have you ignorant Brethren that all our fathers were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did all eat the same spirituall meat and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of that spirituall Rocke that followed them and that Rocke was Christ But with many of them God was not well pleased for they were destroyed in the Wildernesse and perished 1 Cor. 10. 2. to 11. Thus we see that many bad guests doe sit downe at the feast of the Gospel seeming in their own opinion to abound in faith and knowledge to whom nothing is wanting but only the not-having on the wedding garment Mat. 22. 12. Thus much of their seeming strong faith Thirdly and lastly such as are in this Dead Faith may have a kinde of great humiliation and earnest repentance As Ahab though hee was a King rent his cloaths in great repentance and put on sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and walked so mournfully that the Lord the searcher of hearts said Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me mark before me the Lord and not before the world onely and yet was Ahab one in this Dead Faith And againe as David in the true faith repenting said I have greatly sinned in that I have done and have done very foolishly So did Saul in the Dead faith say I have sinned and have done foolishly and have erred exceedingly Thou art more righteous than I for thou hast rendred me good and I have rendred thee evill and hee lift up his voice and wept 1 Sam 24. 16 17. 26. 21. Neither onely may such have this great humiliation and earnest repentance but also they may have a great zeale of Gods glory and an earnest endevour of holy and righteous walking in all Gods Commandements as it is plainly declared Esa 58. 2 3. saying Yet they seeke me daily and delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did righteousnesse and forsook not the ordinances of their God They aske of me the ordinances of justice They take delight to draw near unto God by prayer and fasting and punishing and afflicting of themselves And this they may doe not onely not dissemblingly and for vain glory and praise of men as many grosse Hypocrites and Pharisees did mentioned Matth. 6. but as other Pharisees did of a good intent so zealously ayming at Gods glory in resisting their corruptions and sins and so fervently following righteousnesse according to the Law of God Rom. 9. 31. to the intent to be a holy people unto God by their workes and well-doings that concerning prayer and fasting and all good works and righteousness of the Law they may be unblameable as Paul testifieth of himself and many other Jewes before their conversion to the Gospel saying I beare them record that they have the zeale of God Rom. 10. 2. Instantly serving God day and night Act. 26. 7. So eagerly following the Law of righteousnesse as it were by the works
sepulchre with their tongues they have used deceit the poyson of Asps is under their lips whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse their feet are swift by anger and malice to shed blood destruction and misery are in their wayes and the way of peace they have not knowne there is no feare of God before their eyes And whereas the naturall man in the dead faith will by his civill honest and supposed sanctified life put all this away from himselfe to such as are profane and grosly wicked saying that this is spoken of them that are meerly and wholly in the estate of nature and that so peradventure he might have been such a one but now thanks be unto God he is not such a one yet the true sanctified children of God that are truly enlightned to see the spirituall meaning of the Law doe grant and truly feele that by their daily and continuall spirituall breaches of the Law they are truly such indeed as Paul here describeth so shut up under sin both they and all their best sanctified good works Gal. 3. 22. that there is not one that doth good no not one Whereby they feele that every mouth even of the most sanctified is stopped and all the world is found subject to the judgement of God A cleare example of the truth hereof is Paul himselfe who although he was one of the most sanctified amongst men yet he cried out saying The Law is spirituall but I am carnall sold under sinne for to will is present with me but I finde no meanes how to performe that which is good Rom. 7. 18. And thus feeling in himselfe with the Prophet Esay that all his righteousnesse of sanctification was as foule menstrous filthy rags Esay 64. 6. because in all his good works he brake the tenth Commandement and so as much as lay in him did destroy himselfe in all his good works Hosea 13. 9. Even death it selfe being in the pot of his most sanctified good works and best actions therefore hee cried out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. This is to bee slaine by the Law this is to understand the Law rightly especially the tenth Commandement And this is the first means to come out of this dead faith and to call others out of the same being throughly marked and deeply considered 2 The second meanes to come out of this dead faith and to call others out of the same is truly to understand and open unto others the excellency of free justification That as the spirit hath convinced us and all our best works of sinne by the looking-glasse of the Law so the spirit may also convince us of free given righteousnesse Joh. 16. 8 9 10. namely that wee and all our works are of unjust made just that is perfestly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely by faith only without works And mark how I say not simply free justification but the excellency of free Justification must be diligently looked into and deeply considered in foure principall respects 1 First in the most excellent and glorious causes of it being the glorious work of the whole Godhead wherein God the Father in giving his sonne and God the sonne in pouring forth his blood and life and God the holy Ghost in applying it to us and in cloathing though mystically yet truly our souls and bodies with this wedding garment and in creating the new eyes of faith to see these spirituall riches doe all work severally and wonderfully to effect the same upon us and that also freely onely by free grace that is God respectign no goodnesse or worthinesse in us to deserve the same but rather that we feele our wretched misery nor respecting no evils or unworthinesse in us to hinder the free taking of his rich grace That it might be to the praise of the glory of his free grace wherewith hee hath made us freely accepted in his beloved one Eph. 1. 6. And for this cause doth God bestow this benefit upon us that is upon the young children of Christian parents usually and ordinarily in our baptisme even when wee were little Infants God pitying our misery when we could not pitty our selves and washed us from the spirituall blood of our originall sinne Ezek. 16. 6 9. with the washing of the new birth and renewing of the holy Ghost that we being iustified by his grace should be made heires of eternall life Tit. 3. 5 6 7. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having made us pure and clean by the washing of water through the word That hee might even when wee were little senselesse Infants and thereby as good as double dead to all sense and feeling in trespasses and sinnes and by nature the children of wrath make us to himselfe a glorious Church not having now at this present time as the Greeke and Latine participles signifie one spot or wrinkle of sinne or any such thing but are holy and without blame Ephes 5. 26 27. Because wee are made thus perfectly pure and clean before God not onely from that one offense of our originall sinne but also from all the many actuall sinnes of our whole life even in our baptisme even when we are Infants that is utterly helplesse in our selves that all this blessednesse may be the more freely upon us And that as Saint Paul saith Although the iudgment was by one offense unto condemnation yet the gift is not so but the free gift is of many offenses to iustification Rom. 5. 16. So that if by one mans offense death reigned by one much more they that receive that abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse shall reigne in life by one that is Iesus Christ vers 17. And thus wee see that as there is no difference of young or old but all have sinned and are deprived and come short of the glory of God so all that receive this free gift of righteousnesse are justified freely by Gods grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Rom. 3. 23 24. And thus much of the excellent causes of free justification briefly touched 2. Secondly wee must consider deeply the excellent nature it self of free iustification in that it is the head and chiefest benefit of the Gospel whereby by the power of Gods imputation we are so clothed with the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse that of uniust we are made iust before God that is so perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely by faith alone without works That as St. Paul speaketh wee are made the righteousnesse of God in him that is in this faith in him The excellency of which benefit was so rightly marked and so diligently considered by Chrysostome that he thereupon breaketh out into these words of ioy and admiration of the same saying Qualis sermo what a saying is this what heart or understanding can
another being Gods whip of five strings with which he lasheth the children of men in one place or other daily and continually which are these five 1. First the curse of God Deut. 28. 15. to 20. If thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God namely which he spake in thundering and lightning and flaming fire but dost break his commandments that is dost do the least sin then all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee cursed shalt thou be in the town and cursed in the field cursed shall bee thy basket and thy store that is thy abundance that seemes to thee a blessing shall be to thee accursed cursed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land and the encrease of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep cursed shalt thou bee when thou comest in and cursed also when thou goest out The Lord shall send upon thee cursing vexation and trouble in all that thou settest thy hand to do c. 2. The second punishment is hardnesse of heart that is no spirituall sense or feeling but little caring for this curse of God upon us for sin and a sleight regarding of free justification which is the onely remedy and means that should heal us of this sinne and curse Matth. 13. 15. For this peoples heart is waxed grosse and their ears are dull of hearing and with their eyes they have winked lest they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares and should understand with their hearts and should bee converted and I should heale them But my people would not heare my voice nor Israel would none of me So I gave them up to the hardnesse of their hearts and they have walked in their own counsell Psal 81. 11 12. whereby thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart heapest up like a treasure to thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the just judgment of God Rom. 2. 5. 3. The third sort of punishment for sinne is all manner of miseries crosses and afflictions to body goods and name which are ready every moment to strike us but to what end to knock for us and give us warning to be sure that we bee freely justified and have on the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse as it is expressed Iob 33. 19. to verse 26. A man is chastened with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong paine so that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meats His flesh is consumed away and his bones that were not seen stick out his life draweth neare to the grave c. But if there be a messenger with him an interpreter one of a thousand to shew unto a man his righteousnesse that is his justifying righteousnesse by Christ then God is gracious unto him and saith deliver him from going down into the pit I have found a ransome 4. The fourth punishment of sinne is that uncertain death is ready every moment to strike us wee knowing neither the time when nor the place where nor the manner how death will strike us as God himself saith Deut. 28. 66. If thou breakest my Commandements and so dost sin thy life shall hang in doubt before thee c. Thou shalt have just cause to feare both night and day for thou shalt have no assurance of thy life For God said to the rich man Luke 12. 20. Thou fool this night will they that is the devils fetch away thy soule from thee and then whose shall these things bee which thou hast provided So is every man that is not rich in God that is which hath not on the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse which only maketh us rich in God Pro. 8. 18. 5 The fifth and last punishment for sinne is when death which is so uncertain is come then follows the full execution of Gods justice in hell fire there to endure easlesse and endlesse torments for ever and ever Therefore saith Christ the Teacher of true wisedome I say unto you my friends be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that are not able to doe any more But I will forewarne you whom you shall feare Feare him which after he hath killed hath power also to cast into hell yea I say unto you feare him Luke 12. 4 5. for then he shall say Depart yee cursed which all are that are not justified into everlasting fire prepared for the devill and his angels and these shall goe away into everlasting paine but the righteous only that is only they that are made perfectly holy and righteous in the sight of God freely with Christs righteousnesse shall goe into life everlasting Mat. 25. 41 46. Thus ought these three maine things that the Law teacheth concerning sin to be daily and diligently pressed upon sleeping consciences secure in the least sin untill the most upright honest yea and most sanctified man in works may feele himselfe slaine by the Law especially by the tenth Commandement as Paul was Rom. 7. 9. saying For I once was alive without the Law but when the commandement thou shalt not lust or covet that is thou shalt not have the least motion to any sinne came that I understood it sinne revived that is I saw my best good works to be sinne which I took to be no sinne before but I died that is I saw my selfe lost and damned by that beautifull sinne which I took to be a good work before God and no sinne And the same Commandment which was by obeying it ordained unto life I found by breaking it in my best good works to be unto death For sinne that is originall corruption dwelling in me taking occasion or force by the commandement deceived me that is made my best good works as I did them sinne when I took them to be no sinne and by it that is by the commandement disobeyed and broken slew me that is made me to see and feele my selfe to be in my best and most sanctified good works a lost and damned creature Because sinne that is originall corruption dwelling in me that it might appeare sinne did work death in me by that which is good that is by that turning that into sinne by defect which was done by the good and holy Law of God that sinne by the commandement disobeyed might become out of measure or exceeding sinfull Hereupon and for this cause doth the most sanctified childe of God truly enlightened and slaine by the Law by this right understanding of this tenth commandement see and feele that which is spoken of by Paul Rom. 3. 9. to 19. to be most true in himselfe and in his best sanctified works namely That there is none righteous no not one there is none that understandeth there is none that seeketh God they are all gone out of the way they are altogether become abominable and unprofitable There is none that doth good no not one Their throat is an open
in the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before this joyfull newes of the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all the Gentiles bee blessed So that they that bee of this faith of free justification are blessed with faithfull Abraham Gal. 3. 8 9. And can our hearts wish or desire any more This is the royalty of having on the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse freely given us to cleanse us from our secret sinnes and breaches of the tenth commandement unknown unto our selves Psal 19. 12. And to make us and all our works both naturall civill and religious pure clean perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely without workes or our perfect working of them as Saint Paul testifieth saying to the pure all things that is our naturall works and our civill works and our religious workes and all things are pure Tit. 1. 15. Thus onely by free justification hath Christ delivered us from this present evill world according to the will of God even our father Gal. 1. 4. Thus hath God made us meet to bee partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Because he hath thus delivered us from the power or kingdome of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his deare sonne Col. 1. 12 13. Thus our righteousnesse exceeding the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees we are entred into the kingdom of heaven Matth. 5. 20. which kingdome of heaven is within us Luk. 17. 21. For the kingdome of heaven is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And thus if any man either Preacher or private Christian have some true touch first of the horrible filthinesse of the least sin in Gods sight and then of this glorious excellency of free justification thus perfectly healing us of it it will make us to say with Saint Paul Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledg sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may make my gain of Christ and be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3. 8 9. which one Scripture I have now divers times alledged because it so fully describeth the markes or rather the very nature and essence of the true saving faith That whosoever doth in any measure of truth feele the same with Paul in his heart let him certainely know that he hath escaped out of the most dangerous dead Faith and hath Pauls faith that is the true lively and justifying faith which onely most certainly saveth him and glorifieth him For whom God justifieth them also hee glorifieth Rom. 8. 30. And thus much be spoken of the two main points of religion which being thus thorowly looked into and deeply considered are the effectuall means to deliver us out of the dead faith and to translate us into the true lively justifying and saving faith Now out of these two points thus thorowly looked into and deeply considered will infallibly flow a third thing which as St. Iohn teacheth in all his three Epistles is Love which Paul also very resolutely testifieth saying For in Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which is effectuall operative or workfull by love For the true beleever having by this true faith a feeling of the true love of Christ toward him it onely and infallibly inflames his heart with the true love of Christ againe and of God in Christ and of his whole Church of every child of God in particular which true love constraineth the beleever 2 Cor. 5. 14. Not onely to doe his vocation diligently and so with David to serve his generation faithfully Act. 13. 36. as S. Paul likewise teacheth Gal. 5. 13. saying Brethren ye have been called unto liberty that is Now after that faith is come ye are no longer under the whipping Schoole-master Gal. 3. 25. Wherein though ye were heires yet being as little children ye differed nothing from servants Gal. 4. 1. Onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another but also it constraineth him to break off from and to mortifie all sinne and ungodly conversation and to walke freely cheerfully sincerely and zealously in all Gods will and commandements declaratively to manward which is true sanctification And thus it is most true which the established doctrine of our Church largely teacheth saying That this true faith of free justification is a thing of perfect vertue and wonderfull operation strength and power to bring forth all good motions and good works or else it is not the true lively justifying faith but the blind dead faith that leaves men in sin death and double damnation as these and such like Scriptures teach Titus 2. 11. to 15. For that grace of God namely of free justification bringeth salvation for nothing brings salvation upon men but onely the grace of free justification and therefore it is called the iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. hath appeared to all men and teacheth us dictamine charitatis by the instructing power and force of love to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world What is the moving or effecting cause hereof Because Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all our iniquities and purge or purifie or make us clean to be a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works vers 14. Thus Paul pithily expresseth also to the Ephesians chap. 2. 10. saying For wee are Gods workmanship namely by free justification created in Christ Iesus that is made by free Justification new creatures to Godward 2 Cor. 5. 17. 21. that is formed anew in Christ Jesus Gal. 4. 19. unto good workes that is to Sanctification Repentance Mortification Sincerity and Vniversall declarative obedience to all Gods will and commandements declaratively to man-ward Which God hath fore-ordained that we should walk in them Hence it is that Saint Iohn also so vehemently testifieth 1 Iohn 3. 6 9. saying whosoever is borne of God that is whosoever is iustified sinneth not that is sinneth not wittingly and willingly with free stream running to sinne as before his free iustification For Gods seed that is some true sight of Gods pure and righteous nature infinitely hating the creature defiled with the least sinne in his sight and some feeling of the infinite love of Christ bleeding out his bloud and life to iustifie him this seed remaineth in him and hee cannot sinne that is hee cannot lead so dissolute a conversation in sinne as he did before Because he is born of God that is Because of a wilde crab-tree he by free iustification is made a perfect good tree to
Godward Therefore hee cannot choose but bring forth the good fruit to man-ward of Sanctification This is largely taught in the whole fifth and sixth chapters of the Epistle to the Romanes where it is shewed that free justification as the cause and sanctification as the effect doe alwayes follow unseparably one the other Hence it is that S. Iames 2. 14. doth so sharply taunt carnall professors of free justification saying What doth it profit my brethren for a man to say hee hath faith and hath not works Can that faith save him No But shew me thy faith by thy works And here mark how he saith not shew God thy faith by thy works nor shew thy selfe thy faith by thy works but shew me that am thy Christian Minister that have the charge of thy soule and have the keyes given me of the Kingdom of heaven to binde thee and loose thee Matth. 16. 19. shew him thy faith by thy works or thy Christian neighbours that dwell round about thee and deale with thee shew them thy faith namely that it is true and sound by thy works that is by thy sanctified words and deeds that flow from love and a godly conversation For know O thou vaine man that faith without such works is dead Seest thou not that by the example of Abraham and Rahab that faith was effectuall operative and powerfull by works and by their works was their faith made perfect that is declared to bee sound and true But as the body without the spirit is dead so faith also without sanctified words and deeds flowing from true love is dead verse 26. This even Christ himselfe teacheth also Mat. 5. 16. saying Let your light namely of free Justification so shine before men how shine by sanctification that they may see the beames of your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven Thus a Christian as Saint Iames speaks is made perfect and entire lacking nothing why because he is pure as the Sunne to Godward by free Justification faire as the Moone to Manward by sanctification and terrible as an army with banners by zeale of Gods glory Cant. 6. 9. This is the established doctrine of our Church this is true Protestancy this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to goe with a right foot to the truth of the Gospel Gal. 2. 14. If any man can shew me a better way I will endeavour to run with him in it But if this be the old way that we bee commanded of God Ier. 6. 16. to ask after that old Abraham and all the ancient saved fathers walked in mentioned Heb. 11. And not only the old way but also the good way which only bringeth rest and peace unto our soules For being justified by faith wee have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. Then let us embrace one another in the truth of this way Let no man be so wilfull and obstinate to his owne damnation as to say with the stubborne lost Jewes Wee will not walk in it Ier. 6. 16. FINIS Abrahams Stepps of Faith The two maine saving points of Religion the deep consideration by Gods holy spirit and thorough marking whereof causeth our true conversion peace of conscience and assurance of free salvation by Iesus Christ Being the expresse word of God and the established Doctrine of our Church at the restoring of the pure Gospel of Christ into this land enjoyned to the Ministers of England by the godly authority and publick consent of Parliamēt to be taught to the people for suppression of Errours and Popery for the quieting of consciences in the matters of religion for the beating down of sin and all vitiousness of life out of the Land consisting of these two main points mentioned Iohn 17. 3. This is eternall life to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent FIrst that the filthinesse of sinne is such to Gods infinite pure and righteous nature that God cannot but detest curse and abhor the creature that hath any sin in his sight as these and such like Scriptures teach Esay 59. 2. Deut. 27. 26. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Rom. 5. 12. Deut. 28. 15. to 20. Because sin being spirituall high Treason against the highest Majesty 1 Sam. 15. 23. and the Image of the Devill doth make the creature spiritually foule filthy loathsome and abominable in Gods sight though no curse and punishment should follow upon the same as these and such like Scriptures teach Iob 15. 15 16. Hab. 1. 13. Mark 7. 20. to 25. Yea and makes the best good works of the most sanctified children of God to be sin and all their righteousnesse of sanctification to be as soule filthy menstruous rags as these and such like Scriptures teach Rom. 7. 18. Esay 64. 6. Rom. 4. 5. Gal. 3. 22. And we must look so deepely into the truth of this first point that wee bee throughly affected with the same as the Prophet Esay was chap. 6. 5. the neglect whereof is the main cause that the huge multitude yea of many zealous workers doe perish in the dead Faith Because they know not God that is his righteousnesse that is his holy and righteous nature where in we were most blinded by the fall of Adam Esay 46. 12. 13. this is the first point The second point is that by the power of Gods imputation we are so clothed with the wedding-garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse that all our sinnes being done away and abolished out of Gods sight we and all our works are freely made of unjust just before God that is perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely by faith only without works as these and such like Scriptures doe teach Dan. 9. 24. Esay 45. 24 25. Esay 53. 11. Rom. 5. 16 17 18. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Rom. 5. 19. Rom. 3. 23 24 28. Tit. 1. 15. Hereby we may see that the parts of free Justification are two First that by the blood and wedding-garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse all our sins are done away abolished not out of us 1 Iohn 1. 8. that we may live by faith Gal. 2. 20. but from before God or out of Gods sight 1 Col. 2. 22. and we and all our works are made pure and cleane from all sin freely in the sight of God as these and such like Scriptures teach Esay 44. 22. Iohn 1. 29. Esay 43. 25. 1 Iohn 1. 7. Revel 1. 5 6. Heb. 9. 26. Act. 10. 15. Act. 15. 8 9. Heb. 1. 3. and 9. 13 14. Col. 1. 22. And this was the Prophet Esay's remedy against the filthinesse of his sin in Gods sight chap. 6. 6 7. Secondly that the same wedding-garmēt of Christs perfect righteousnesse doth also make us and all our works of unjust just before God that is perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely without our perfect workings as these and such like Scriptures teach Esay 61. 10. Rom. 3. 21 22. Eph. 5.