this be if we consider how many things of far greater Moment and worse Influence this is a foundation to in each of us since in Ephes 2.2 to follow the fashion of the World is a certain sign of a Child of Disobedience I come now to the Last thing in the Verse the strength of the Argument or necessary Connexion between Justification by Works and Glorying what is just ground for the one is just ground for the other also they have a reciprocal Relation Ch. 3.27 28. if no matter of Glorying not justifieed by Works in this Verse not justified by Works because no Matter of Glorying The Reasons of the Connexion are 1. The Sameness and Identity of the Matter the difference between Praising and Justifying lyes only in Circumstances the one is before a Populacy the other is in a Court of Authority the one is a Panegyrick the other a Juridical Transaction the one supposes an Accusation or Suspicion the other not they differ as Comfort and Joy Repentance and Obedience they are of the same Intrinsical Nature Comfort and Joy are the same motion of Blood and Spirits the same Temper of Mind the Acts of Obedience and Repentance are Works of the same Law only the one supposes the Course of Obedience interrupted it 's a repeated or renew'd Obedience after Transgression as Comfort renew'd Joy after Sorrow Justification is a Vindication of Honour and Credit by Authority after some Cloud on it it is renew'd Praise or Glory Among Men there is usually another difference in degree Men are prais'd for Heroick Acts Acts of great advantage to Learning Religion or Countrey but justify'd for obeying Orders doing no Evil or Injury to them But this has no place with God for we are unprofitable Servants at best 2. Humility is the Test of all true Doctrine and therefore a proper Test for this Doctrine of Justification Whatever Doctrine tends to the debasing of a Sinner and humbling of a Creature is sound Doctrine To walk humbly with our God is the summ of our Religion and Rom. 10.3 their going about to establish their own Righteousness is called the want of Submission to God The humble Publican went home justified while the proud Pharisee standing upon his Personal Differences was rejected of God Luke 18.14 The Papists thô in Dispute with Protestants do seem to deny a Glorying to their Works yet Necessary Connexion makes the contrary Conclusion appear in their own Writings against their Will Bell. lib. 5. Ch. 3. De Just says Because it is more honourable to have somewhat of Merit than of Grace alone therefore God that he might the more Honour his Children has done this for them that they might prepare Eternal Life to themselves by their own Merits and yet more proudly Ruard Tap. in Art Lev. God forbid that the Righteous should expect Life Eternal as a poor Man doth Alms for its much more Glorious for them to possess Heaven as Victors and Triumphers do a Palm of Glory due to their own Sweats But the Scripture teaches us Psalm 115.1 to say Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give Glory for thy Mercy and for thy Truths sake Rom. 3.19 Every mouth must be stopt before God for we have not one word to say in our own defence 3. God doth never deny Man his due Humility is the true Sentiment or Value of a Man 's own self in his own Mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are only required not to think of our selves above what 's meet or not to think of our selves more highly than we ought Rom. 12.3 yea 't is added positively that we may think of our selves soberly according to the measure of Faith God has given us And because Scripture is a true Rule to our Judgment we are bid to think not above what 's written If therefore we had any Works to be justified by or any Ground to plead from as of our selves our Glorying so far would not be a Sin God ascrib'd to Abraham Glorying before Men because his due 4. Glorying is a Species of Pride but Self-justifying is a Glorying We can never be justify'd thrô the Exercise of what is most abominable to God Luke 16.15 and 18.12 God resists the proud they are Sins of the same kind and suppose a Diabolical Temper of Mind 1 Tim. 3.6 and a Mind very ignorant of it's own Condition Job 42. he owns he had utter'd what he understood not since more acquainted with God his Judgment is alter'd Paul says thô he were so sinless as to know nothing by himself he durst not adventure a Tryal upon that score yet I am not thereby justify'd 5. To be Justify'd by Sincerity would afford us as much Glorying as Adam by Perfection because his strength proportion'd It 's as much Glory for a Child to do a little thing as a Man a greater that we have receiv'd the Grace thrô a Mediator doth not abate any Glorying Adam's was Free Gift this our Sureties and Brothers Purchase nor that ours subordinate to Christ's for it 's reckon'd the sole Condition of the Covenant of Grace that gives right to Christ's Merits Christ's Merits are no Conditions of that Covenant Works Faith and Repentance are not Lex Negotio addita but Negotium it self in it This is the sense of them who would bring in Evangelical Works as giving a right to Remission of Sin or Glory It 's true the Angels are justifi'd by their Works yet Rev. 5. they ascribe all Glory to God and our Lord Jesus Christ But that is the Glory of those Works they could not perform the Work of Redemption and saving of sinful Man but we do not find them denying themselves to the Glory of not Confederating with the false fallen Ones tho' they deriv'd the Grace by which they stood from God If our Sincerity were the proper Condition or Matter of our Justification Man might Glory of God's yielding to him and coming to lower Terms All own the Works of the Innocent deserves praise but if a Nocent and Guilty Person should bring forth Works worthy of a Justificacion he should deserve more praise than the Innocent because Works of an higher value necessary to it nay more praise than the Works of our Lord Jesus Christ far easier to be Mediator for another than themselves easier for an Innocent to Merit than a guilty Person to Merit Sinlesness was a necessary Qualification in the Mediator but if one sinful could Merit the more Worth must be in the Work Therefore suppose it be granted a Working Meriting Glorying under Christ it may be equal to Adam's for if he had stood as Angels it must have been by freely given Grace but this cannot be allow'd because a more low Humility is required of us than Adam by Repentance Sorrow Grief c. Therefore I add 6. There is no Kind of Works but affords some Matter of Glory in them Rom. 3.27 Where is boasting then it is excuded By what
undertake all these Tribulations on this Condition that in my day thou shalt raise the Dead even all who have died from the first Adam until now and all those that shall be Created and shall save them c. The Conclusion I draw from this large Narrative is That no part of Evangelical Obedience is here wanting Faith and Repentance the influence of the Spirit Jesus a Lawgiver and Principal Meriter Sincerity an acceptable Measure c. And suppose them not all of a Mind yet Charity will ever make us conclude the Believers to be of the best Mind among them And the Error here oppos'd in this Church at Rome by the Apostle is the same that now in the Church of Rome is oppos'd by the Protestants 2 Thes 2.7 This was that wherein the Mystery of Iniquity did already Work the Doctrine of Merit was already begun and no other Error can be found to have such a fair appearance when the Apostle wrote to the Thessalonians the Church at Thessalonica was free of the Error and she of all the Churches only was and may be therefore the Mystery of it was reveal'd to them Mr. Squire of Shore-ditch says on this Epistle to the Thessalonians That the placing of Faith between Mercy and Merits is like the Infant between the two Mothers if divided it must be destroyed It s like the Pale Horse Death sits on it and Hell follows it is a damnable Assertion without peradventure and a Bellarmine after his long Dispute for Merits concludes that it is most safe to trust in Mercy alone And what way Rome had her first beginning by that way she is most likely to attempt her Restauration and by opposing Merit our first Reformation began which has this for its Glory it s a Restauration of Christianity to its Primitive Purity and while we preserve this Doctrine she will never corrupt or stain our Souls however she may prevail to oppress our Bodies But it is to be lamented that so many bearing the Name of Protestants are so deeply tinctur'd with this Doctrine of Opera Tincta Works Meriting because tinctur'd with Christs Merits The Third Enquiry shall be a more close Examination of the Extensiveness and Comprehensiveness of this Law of Wâ—rks that is excluded from being the Rule or Law of our Justification Because boasting would not be excluded from us by it if justified by it and on the most sincere Scrutiny I can make I find all Laws and all Works as perform'd by us are excluded the Arguments for Proof of it I shall reduce to these five Heads 1. The Nature of a Law in general is excluded 2. The Natural Law is 3. The Moral Law is 4. The Mosaical Law is And 5. The Evangelical and our Evangelical Obedience to it is excluded 1. The Nature of a Law in General is for every Law is a Law of Works and a Law of Works is excluded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Law signifies either in general Doctrine as Isa 2.3 Out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Joh. 10.34 Is it not written in your Law I said ye are Gods That is no Precept See Joh. 15.25 Gal. 4.21 Or it is taken properly and then it signifies a Doctrine of Works hence Works and Law are reciprocal without Law Rom. 3.21 is the same with 4.6 without Works We are justified not only without the Law of Works but by a Righteousness without the Law Gal. 3.21 If there had been a Law given which could have given Life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law Works is no Distinctive Addition as Dr. Tuck of Cambtidge says but Explicative Rom. 2.13 The doers of the Law shall be justifi'd to do the Law and Works are the same in the Apostles style they are of so nigh kindred he adds it to tell us what he means by Righteousness of the Law viz. Works Commanded by and Conform to the Law the whole Constituent parts of the Description of a Law manifests this first its generical Nature it s a just Act of a Superiors Will. We call Statutes or Laws Acts of Parliament it s their Will what the Subject should do Psal 33.8 He commanded and it stood fast Psal 143. Teach me to do thy Will and in the Lords Prayer Thy Will be done 2. The Author of a Law is the most Supream Power Dominative Power as the Master over the Servant the Father Husband Tutor c. Juridical Power is not Judges are but Administrators Applyers of the Law to particular Cases and Persons they are Jussa Populi rogante Magistratu the Peoples Commands ratified by the Supream Magistrate It 's very diminutive English of Jussa when it 's called Votes that is only Wishes the old Saxon word is Lowe Consent because a Covenant between Prince and People is the Spring of Laws But why all this Authority The Command needs it it 's to Work hard Work is required and we need Awe to put us on hence Exod. 19. 20. God sets an Emblem of his Power and Authority before his Law 3. The Effects are 1. Obligation 2. Command and Prohibition 3. Punishment or Impunity by permission but all terminate in Works And tho' the Mediatorial Law which was the most severe Penal Law that ever was Sufferings being the great Duty yet the Fruit of it is called Work and Doing I come to do thy Will and to work the Work of his Father 4. The Subjects of the Law are by way of Eminency call'd Subjects Rom. 3.19 They that are under the Law are call'd so from its Energy and working Efficacy in them And therefore tho' only a rational Creature is a doer of a Law mov'd reasonably by Fear or Hope yet the Efficacy occasions Metaphors in mute Creatures Job 38. Hast thou commanded the Morning since thy Day and our Inclinations to Wickedness are call'd the Law of the Members and Rules of Art are call'd Laws Custom which is a Habit of working is call'd a Law 5. The Matter or Object is Work something to be done Th. A. A Law is a Rule directing our Acts what is to be done and what not And again It 's Divine Wisdom as directive of all our Acts and Motions Biel. It 's a sign of Right Reason dictating what we are obliged to do and what not 6. The Properties are Rom. 7.12 Holy Just and Good 1. Holy from the Matter it distinguishes between Holy Actions and the Vile ones 2. Just from the Manner not to give Laws where not Subjects or where they neither Protect nor can Punish The Law-giver must be able to Save or Destroy what he gives Laws to Jam. 4. therefore it 's ridiculous for Man to give Laws to a Spirit or Conscience in Matters religious and where he has Power he must distribute Burdens and Works by Proportion according to Ability to bring one part of a Nation under Penal Laws and another under Priviledges is not an equal distribution except
the Power of Heaven except the Fear of Heaven that is Religion There is a difficulty of reconciling their Opinions about this Point because they also owned a Fate which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Josephus who was one of them says lib. 2. chap. 7. that they attributed all things to God and Fate but it is no wonder for wherever Error is there is Contradiction for every Man holds some Truth and whatever Error he holds is repugnant to the Truth he holds but Camero thus explains their Sense from Josephus his own words That by Faith is meant God's Providential Help but most is to be placed in Man and lib. 18. chap. 2. We are not to separate Man's Will from enclining Fate so that the Sense of it is Providence gives Occasion to Work but the Work it self is wholly Man's own 3. The Pelagians are not inferiour in this Pride to any of the former who confine all God's Grace to Man in giving of this Noble and Natural Endowment of Free-Will by which a Man is able to do all good Commanded They say none can give a Man spiritual Riches but himself for these he is justly Praised and jure Preferred to others for these can have no Being but in himself and from himself hence he taught this Form of Prayer Lord behold the Purity of my Lips by which I Pray to thee and the Innocency of my Hands which I stretch forth before thee 4. The Papists especially Jesuites and Molinists tho' others seem to diminish the Power of Free-Will when they write on that Head yet when they come to the Point of Merit they again extoll it Bel de Just lib. 5. chap. 3. because it is more honourable to obtain a thing by Merit than by Grace alone therefore that God might Honour his Children he has granted that they might prepare Eternal Life to themselves by their Merits and more proudly Ruard in Top. Art Lov. God forbid that the Righteous should expect Eternal Life as a Poor Man doth an Alms since it is more glorious for them as Victors and Triumphants to possess it as the Crown and Palm due to their Sâ—eats and Labours and their Common Doctrine is that by the strength of Nature preparing our selves we Merit ex Congruo special Grace and afterwards being made just by it we can so perfectly fulfill the Law that we Merit Heaven ex Condigno and why may not a Workman glory in his Work 5. Socinians and Arminians who hold the Freedom of the Will inconsistent with any Necessity and that it is out of the Power of God effectually to Call a Sinner when he will or according to the Terms in Dispute Grace is always resistable but the Will of Man unconquerable 6. We find many others and more ancient too much extolling Man on this account as Prudentius in his Poems on that Subject Insubjecte potens rerum arbiter arbiter idem judex Mentis propriae Powerfull being subject to none Lord of all things Lord also and Judge of thy own Mind And elsewhere He that made thee Lord of all things would he not make thy self free He that made thee King of the World would he not make thee King of thy self would he so Curtail thine Honour and Matter of glorying Besides the common Definition of it signifies no less that supposing all things in act that are fit or have Power to move or encline it it may Act or not Act or act the contrary as it will Neither God nor Angels Men or Devils have Poweâ— certainly to determine it 7. They who have their Minds better instructed yet have Practical Sentiments secretly latent in their Minds of this kind which we may learn from our Observation of our selves As 1. When Men adventure on sin because they think they can make amends by Repentance 2. When Peâ—sons delay Repentance upon this ground that they can do it afterwards 3. When Persons stifle Convictions and quench the Spirit because they think they can enjoy it again when they will 4. When Persons do not Pray from this latent Error that they have a Power to Accomplish their Designs themselves 5. When men Neglect the outward Ordinances and Means of Salvation which God has appointed not only as Means between Us and the End but as Means between our Can and our Cannot because we cannot do any thing of the Essentials of Salvation Meriting Pardon Enlightning the Understanding or Sanctifying our Wills God has prescribed these Means that we can do and has Promised to Perform that which we cannot Phil. 3. Work in and about your own Salvation with fear and trembling for he worketh in you to will and to do Now that which many Neglect the Means for is because they think they can go about the thing it self The Security that destroys the most of perishing Souls is founded on this corrupt Root that we have a Power in a very short time to do all the Business of our Salvation Were it not for this Sinners Despairing wholly in themselves wou'd be rolling themselves in the Dust and prostrating themselves before a Father of Mercies and God of Grace and constantly Watching for the Angels troubling of the Waters they would be daily waiting at Wisdoms Gates for the Spirit promised to Attendants upon appointed Means In opposition to all this I shall lay down these Eight Propositions with their several Confirmations to prove that this Noble Principle that God hath endowed Man with though it hath exalted him above Brutes it affords him no ground of Pride or glorying before God four are Positive and four Negative 1. Free-Will is a part of that Excellency by which Man is the Image of God All in Man by which he excells meer Animals he therein is God's Image This is a great Dignity to be in the Image of God but this should humble Man before God because he is but an Image tho' in respect of inferiour Creatures they being only a Vestigium or a Print of some one perfection as the Print of a Man's Foot represents but one part of him an Image represents the whole or most principal Parts Free-will is founded in Wisdom and Power and in these Man is God's Image but this Excellency affords no Matter of glorying 1. From the Scriptures own Expression Psalm 39.6 there is a Reason given why Man in his best Estate that is in the Purity of his Nature in the unfaded and unstained flower of all his Senses and spiritual Faculties is but Vanity because every Man walks in a Vain shew so we Translate it but the Original is Bezalim the same Word which in Gen. 1. is used for the Image of God Man is Vanity because at best but an Image Our greatest Perfections by Nature did not free us from Defectibility 2. Indifferency doth not represent the Will of God as terminate upon himself but as terminate upon the Creatures to him it was indifferent whether they should be or not
be They are Lusus Dei the Fruit of his meer Pleasure things of no moment so when we experience in our selves that the Foot the Tongue the Hands the Eyes move in Obedience to the Will as Nimbly as we can think it doâ—â— not represent God's Essence but his Relative Sovereignty over his Creatures so 't is but an inferiour part of an Image 3. The Will of God is a Power and causes these real goods that are its Objects but the Liberty of Man is only admissive or rejective of these Objects in the Understanding and gives occasion to their Influence upon the Faculties of the Soul and so affords no Matter for Glory in the Work of our Conversion Suppose the Sun-beams should enter a Room before dark by some Casement or Cranny and fill this room with Light yea render its Earth flourishing and verdant should we ascribe this great Change to the Sun or to the Casement Nay suppose farther that the Sun by its perpetual Heat and repeated Influence has made the Boards give way and made its own entrance should we ascribe the Glory of the Action to that which so long hindered it and is yet the Cause of the Works being so weak And this is the very Case as far as Matter can represent Spirit for the Lord opened the Heart of Lydia and he says Rev. 3. Behold I stand at the door and knock and if any Man open I will come in 4. The Will of God never acts without the highest Wisdom Ephes 1. According to the Counsel of his Will Therefore the setting up of a Liberty in Man distinct from the Conduct of the Understanding is a Chimera no Image of God who cannot deny himself in any of his Works he never did any thing that might give us false Sentiments of his Nature 5. Our Liberty is much inferiour to God's because of the Narrowness of its Sphere The Beast has only Sense Man has also spiritual things for his Object to Converse about but the Divine Will converses about those things we never saw nor heard nor has it entered into our Heart to conceive 6. Our Liberty is a Gift God's is Self-originate ours a Shadow his the Substance ours but an Emanation of his as the Image of a Face in a Glass but we have no such Help distinct from him he is the Support and Spring of both 7. His is Infallible always equal vigorous active Ours faints and wearies as in Sleep and Infancy and fails as in every Sin 2 Prop. The Liberty of the Mind of Man consists to be more particular about it in a Freedom from Physical Necessity or Coaction in a Freedom from Sense or Matter It is a general Axiom and therefore needs the less proof That Free-will is only the Property of thinking and reasoning Creatures that propose an End to their Actions and deliberate about what is fittest for gaining that End The Fire burns whatever comes nigh it but the Will doth not choose every thing proposed The Imagination of a Beast is confined to Material Ideas but the Mind of Man is not determined nor limited to such Objects A Beast can only be allured by present things but things of a hundred years distance can move a Mind this is a great Priviledge but affords no matter of Glory For 1 It lays us under the greater Obligation to our Maker who made us Men and not Beasts 2 Our Abuse of it in making our selves worse than Beasts being carnally minded and lead by Sense who have more Noble Faculties to govern us 3 The more Knowledge the more Liberty by this Rule and therefore our Blindness and Ignorance should make us bemoan our Confinement The Natural man knoweth not the things of Godâ— and thereâ—ore can have no Liberty about them But more of this under another Head 3 Prop. Liberty consists in a Freedom from Restraint an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goes to the making up of this Perfection a Willingness as well as a Judgment Augustine de Spir. Lib. Chap. 31. defines it to be A Power of doing what we will and thus it doth principally consist in the Imperate acts called free because they proceed from a free Principle To will and to can are two different things a Man may will what he cannot and then the Will hath not this Freedom The Scripture seems to take it in this sence 1 Cor. 7.37 Having no Necessity but hath power over his own Will and hath so decreed in his heart By Freedom from Necessity there is meant a Power to put his Purpose in Execution And so Rom. 7. What I would that do I not The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak Taking Liberty thus for a freedom from Constraint or a Power of doing what we will it affords no matter of Glorying to Man he is under so many Restraints by his Nature by his Sin by Punishment all his Faculties are restrained about Objects Natural Moral and much more Spiritual he is restrained and limited As we see among sensitive Creatures some are confined to the Water as Fish some to the Earth but others have a more ample Sphere of Activity and a more vigorous Principle to carry them through Water Earth or Air. So we find Man more confined than Angels we can only underâ—tand Earthly things John 3. Christ tells Nicodemus that there was a Necessity of representing Heavenly things under some Earthly Similitude that we might be capable of understanding them 1 Peter and Paul were Saints of the first magnitude and yet when they were brought to converse with Heavenly things the one confessed he knew not what he heard and the Spirit asserts of the other that he knew not what he said It is an old Jewish saying That God descends in a humane Mantle that we may have some suitable Apprehensions of him and it is most amazing Humility in God to reckon our highest Thoughts of him an Honour or a Glory to him 2 By Sin the Scripture calls Man Darkness led captive at the will of Satan a slave to Sin and deaâ— in Sin therefore he is wonderfully confined and restrained by it A Habit in any one particular Vice how doth it ensnare and confine one to its Courses How can you believe that receive honour one of another The Pharisees who were covetous derided the Doctrine of Charity They that are accustomed to do evil can no more do good than the Aethiopian can change his Skin or the Leopard his Spots 3 All Afflictions and Sufferings put Restraints on Mans Liberty John 21.18 Thou girdest thy self and walkedst whither thou wouldst here was Liberty but another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not here is a Restraint or Compulsion A man may have a will to move a gouty Finger or stop a Convulsive or Paralitick Motion of his Nerves but he has no Liberty to do it as Dr. Lock says well 4 In our Intellect and elicit acts of
Law it can never be Justified by the Law If it be accepted tho' imperfect upon the account of Christ the Person who performs it must first have an Interest in Christ for in him we are Created to good works It is on the account of this imperfection of Works in themselves and as to such an Office and End that the Prophet says in the Name of the Church Isaiah 64.6 We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy raggs And so the Apostle Philip. 3.8 I count all things but dung that I may win Christ Bellarmine exclaims against Chamier and other Protestant Writers for calling Gospel Holiness Dung and Rags and therefore denies it to be comprehended in this Text of the Apostle but thinks it to be understood in the 9th Verse by that Expression The Righteousness which is of God by Faith But these Arguments move me to think otherwise 1. In the 6th Verse he particularized Pharisaical Righteousness Touching the Righteousness which is in the Law blameless but here in the 8th Verse he comprehends more than what he had before said I count all things but loss Now there can be nothing greater than Legal Righteousness but an Evangelical Righteousness as to that Concern and therefore the Evangelical must be comprehended under all if any thing more be which 2. Doth appear from the Constellation of particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the English cannot emphatically enough express yea doubtless without all peradventure or exception I count all these things named and all things else but loss c. 3. The change of the Tense of the Verb I counted V. 7. when I was first Converted and my Eyes were once opened I presently counted all my former Gains in Opinion Loss V. 8. I do count all things still Loss a known Christ is above all I have yet gain'd I can only persevere in my Opinion but among all my New Priviledges and Gifts since I was a Christian I count that the best 4. There is reason enough for calling our Sanctity dung 1. In comparison of Christ do count them but dung that I may win Christ How intolerable and unchristian-like is that Pride that thinks it too mean an Abasement put upon his own Sincerity too vile a Comparison to compare an Intâ—rest in our own Righteousness as an Interest in Dung in comparison of an Interest in Christ's and this Comparative Sense is the Apostle's Dung that I may win Christ and that Sense makes me conclude he particularly eyed his Evangelical Righteousness For Professors to whom he spake and wrote could be under no Temptation of placing any Righteousness else in the room of his Thorough what a Magnifying Glass must a Man see his good Purposes when not One of Ten executed his well intended Vows most basely broken thorough small Temptations his Prayers or Preachings Alms or Ordinances to think Dung too diminishing a Metaphor and therefore conclude the Apostle could not mean Gospel-Holiness Adam's Holiness was Dung in comparison of it Angels Holiness is Dung in comparison of it its Value was from the Divinity it was the Blood of God the Sufferings of Immanuel the Righteousness of God and who can measure the distance between the Creator and Creature the Angels for all the good Service they have done in and to the Church or their own spotless Holiness ascribe all Blessing Honour Glory and Power to him Rev. 5.12 13. all their Works could not merit Pardon for the least sin of the most sinless Saint There are two more respâ—cts in which our Gospel Holiness is Dung 1. For their Infirmity and Imperfection Christians are call'd Saints from begun Holiness in them which makes them differ from the World where none at all And the difference is great to be acted by the Holy Ghost in any measure and to have the Devil wholly ruling Lord and Master of his own House but it 's more than seven times a day the Saint falls in the Dung he is but a Babe 1 Cor. 3. Carnalness and Babes in Christ are consistent A 2d. Respect is as to this Use or place of being the Matter or Merit of our Justification Disorder is Dung Order is Beauty and Comliness and the want of it or what is contrary to it is ugly vile Silver and Gold is Dung as to feeding our Bodies it 's not suitable The Fruits of the Spirit are precious but in us Dung as to this End of Justification they are Dii stercorei tho' mâ—de oâ— Gold 5. V. 9. And be found in hiâ— is more applicable to a Political or Relative Interest than a Spiritual there is an equality from the very Phrase to be in him as a Political as well as Spiritual root to be in him as a Debtor in the Surety as well as a Branch in the Vine but there is a Superiority from the general Scope of the Words which all own to be spoken in relation to Justification and the parallel Language of Scripture doth manifest it Rom. 3.20 Therefore by the Deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified How like is it to this Phrase Not having my own righteousness which is of the Law So Rom. 3 22. Even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ How like is that to the latter part of the Verse But that which is through the Faith of Christ the righteousness of God through Faith Justification being a relative thing this being found in him is most probably of that Nature and Kind 6 His own Legal Righteousness which is here renounced comprehends his Evangelical Righteousness For 1. Evangelical Righteousness is a Man 's own Scripture allows the Expression Faith is God's Gift yet it is ours Rom. 1.8 Your Faith is spoken of Mat. 9.2 Jesus seeing their Faith V. 22. Thy Faith has made thee whole Hosea 14.8 From me is thy fruit found Though God is the Efficient or Author yet the denomination is from the Subject Prayers are ours but the Spirit of God is the Author 2 Cor. 8.8 To prove the sincecerity of your Love that Grace is God's Gift also Good Works are ours but God begins and perfects them Phil. 1.6 Eph. 1.15 After I heard of your Faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the Saints vid. Rev. 3.10 2. As Evangelical Righteousness is ours as well as Adam's innocent Righteousness or Sinners common Gifts for God is the Author of both so it is a Legal Righteousness for a Principle and a Rule are not opposite Faith's being the Principle renders it more legal or more conformed to the Law 3. The very Order of the words Being found in Christ is put before not having mine own righteousness which in order of Nature follows a renunciation of Pharisaical Legal Righteousness The first Husband to wit the Law must be dead before we be marryed to a second to wit Christ as it is expressed Rom. 7.1 2 3. 4. The Apostle's expressing of his own Experience and his daily