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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	faith_n	justification_n	justify_v	7,231	5	9.1878	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91793	Justification by Christ alone, a fountaine of life and comfort, declaring that the whole worke of mans salvation was accomplished by Jesus Christ upon the crosse, in that he tooke away & healed all his, from all sinnes, and presented them to God holy without fault in his sight. And the objections against this are answered, for the consolation of such as beleive; & that they may not ascribe that which is proper to Christs preistly office, to their beleiving. / By Samuel Richardson.	Richardson, Samuel, fl. 1643-1658.; Kiffin, William, 1616-1701.	1647 (1647)	Wing R1408; Thomason E392_32; ESTC R201586	62,108	73

contrary no man may apply salvation to such as beleive not nor may they apply any to themselves such as beleive not have no injoyment of God no true peace no evidence of life no right to Baptisme or the Supper they cannot see the mystery of the Truth He cannot honour God nor love the truth nor suffer for it Yet faith cannot satisfie justice nor merit the pardon of the least sinne only Christ can doe that And that exposition that gives most glory to Christ and least to man I beleive is the truth and that which occasioned me to write at this time For since my Booke intitled the Saints Desire hath been published I have received severall Objections against what I have write in Page 147. Namely That wee are justified by Christ alone and not by our beleiving Some affirme the contrary their Reasons with an answer I here present to your considerations Because I am perswaded I have written the truth that the contrary opinion is dishonourable to our Lord Iesus Christ in that they ascribe not their justification to him alone but to something else namely their beleeving You know this Doctrine I contend for is the Doctrine of free Grace in the knowledge whereof you finde sweetnesse because the works of your salvation is finished by Christ Whose workes are all perfect This glads your hearts and keeps your soules from fainting this removes all objections that otherwise would discourage us this is the Fountaine that cannot be drawn dry that ever flowes with sweet strong consolation full of Spirit and life where our soules may drinke freely at all times and be refreshed with this marrow and fatnesse That all is finished My desire is that they into whose hands this shall come would consider seriously what I have written and know that no man is to be beleived upon his bare word therefore search the Scriptures whether these things be so or no if any thing I have written be not according to them that they let that goe My whole scope and aime in these few lines is to prove that we are justified by Christ alone who is our justification and that wee are not justified by any thing that is in us 2. That faith or any thing in us is not a cause meanes or condition required to pertake of the Covenant of Grace justification or salvation but onely fruits and effects of the Covenant Thirdly That the elect were ever in the love of God did ever so appeare to him just and righteous in and by Christ We have known and beleived the love that God hath to us God is love and he that dwells in love dwelleth in God and God in him The God of love so unite all the hearts of his people to his truth and one unto another that so we may walke in the truth and live and die in love Your fellow servant and brother in the Fellowship of the Saints who keepe the commandements of God the faith of Jesus Samuel Richardson TO THE HOLY SPOUSE OF JESUS CHRIST WHO ARE subject to him in the obedience of the Gospel Grace and Peace be multiplyed Dearely beloved brethren AS there is nothing that fraile man is more lyable to then in the things of God to mistake and call darknesse light and light darknesse so by how much the more spirituall any Truth is by so much the more men are apt to fall short of the knowledge of the glory of it and to intermingle with it something of their owne as that which may make it commendable and beautifull in their eyes And above all others that which this smale insueing Treatise speakes of Namely Justification by Christ alone Without having respect either to any thing in the creature or done by the creature This favouring so much of pure grace in respect of the love of God and that Covenant which lies between Christ and God as that the poore creature man knowes not how to owne or receive it And truely it must be no lesse nor no other power put forth by God to cause the soule to be beleive this then was put forth in raising up Christ from the dead Ephe. 1. 18. And truly amongst those who are the beloved ones of our Lord Jesus who have a like share intrest in him as their life peace There is an aptnesse in men to miscarry in the knowledge of this rich grace of God Some being apt to conceive that there is no Justification of a creature in no sense before and without faith and so make Faith a joynt-partner with Christ in the businesse of Justification For indeed this is to me a certaine truth that whatsoever gives a being to a thing must needs be a part of that thing which it gives being to and therefore if there be no Justification in no sense considered but as it hath respect to faith It is much to be feared That that opinion claimes a great share of that glory which is peculiar to Christ Jesus alone That the Scripture holds forth justification by faith in a sense is very cleare but yet under no other consideration but by way of evidence Heb. 11. 1 2. And as it respects the taking away of sin from off the Conscience For indeed the debt is paid by the bloud of Christ alone and wee are therefore said to be justified by his bloud Rom. 5. 9. For indeed as Christ Jesus our Lord hath paid the debt The Lord having laid upon him the iniquities of us all So doth he declare this satisfaction and acceptation of us in Christ by faith That being the eye of the understanding whereby the soule comes to see the great things which God the Father hath prepared for them Beloved these are the last times wherein it behooves you to beg with much earnestnesse strength from the Lord that he may put straight stepps to your feet that you may walke to his praise exalting him alone as your life and glory Which was the maine end of the Author presenting these few lines to your consideration wherefore read it carefully and noble B●rean like try all things and hold fast that which is good And it shall be his desire who desires nothing more in this world then your growth in the knowledge of Christ Jesus and your walking as the children of the light That the God of all grace may cause all grace to abound in you to his owne glory So prayeth hee That is yours in the Lord in all services of duty and love WILLIAM KIFFEN JUSTIFICATION BY CHRIST ALONE REVELATIONS 1. 5. Unto him that hath loved us and washed away our sins in his owne blood THese words contain the virtue fruit and effectualnesse of Christs death and the benefit priviledge and happinesse of the sonnes of God by it In these words wee are to consider 1. The persons whose sinnes Christ washed away and they were all those who were given to Christ Jo●. 17. 29. 2. What is he that washed their

by faith Rom. 3. 28. Gal. 3. 24. by Christ Isa. 53. 11. Rom. 5. 9. We have peace with God by faith Rom. 5. 1 2. by Christ Ephes. 2. 8. 3. 12. we are sanctified by faith Act. 15. 9. by Christ Heb. 10. 14. 1 Cor. 1. 30. we overcome the world by faith 1 Joh. 5. 4 5. by Christ Joh. 16. 33. 1 Cor. 15. 57. We are the s●ns of God by faith Gal. 3. 26. by Christ Ephes. 1. 5. we have an heavenly inheritance by faith Act. 26. 18. by Christ Gal. 4. 7. we have eternall life by faith Joh. 3. 16. and 5. 24. and 6. 47. 〈◊〉 Christ 1 Joh. 5. 11 12. we are saved by faith Ephes. 2. 8. by Christ Matth. 3. 21. Joh. 3 17. These things are not proper to faith but onely to Jesus Christ alone Also the Scripture saith It 's God that justifieth Rom. 8. 33. with 3. 24. Christ is said to justifie Isa. 45. 24. 53. 11. that we are justified by his blood Rom. 5. 9. with Rom. 8. 34 35. the Spirit of God is said to justifie 1 Cor. 6. 11. These three are one 1 Joh. 5. The question then is by which of these we are justified before God we conceive that is onely by Jesus Christ Our Reason why we ascribe it to Christ alone is 1. Because it was promised of Christ that he should justifie many Isa. 45. 25. and 53. 11. 2. Reason Because when the Scriptures expressions seem to contradict one another those expressions that ascribe most to Christ are the clearest and nearest the center the rest are to follow that and be interpreted by them for the Scriptures are to be interpreted for Christ and not against him Thirdly Because the whole voice of the Scripture being layed together doth wholly drive to set up and exalt Jesus Christ alone to acknowledge him to be as he is all in all Col. 3. 11. therefore he is called The Author of salvation Heb. 5. 9. and the means of our salvation through his blood Ephes. 1. 7. Col. 1. 14. and Salvation it self Isa. 49. 6. And if we should not ascribe our justification to God to Christ alone God could not be all in all 1 Cor. 15. 28. Col. 3. 11. 4. Because all things else besides God are but means of our knowing and injoying him that is the substance 5. Because all that faith can do is onely to receive remission of sins Act. 26. 18. it cannot give remission of sins faith cannot satisfie justice nor merit pardon for the least sin c. 6. Because the Scripture saith We a●e justified by his blood Rom. 5. 9 c. These and the like Reasons cause us to conceive that we are justified onely by Christ alone And therefore when the Scripture saith we are justified by faith by faith we are to understand Christ or else to understand it not properly but in a large sense not as if faith did justifie us but onely Christ For 1. it is the language of the Scripture to give The names of things to that which is not the thng but the similitude of it thus the similitude of Samuel is called Samuel 1 Sam. 28. 14 15. And an Image is called a God So the Priests offerings are said to cleanse men from sin Levit. 20. 30. and yet they nor their offering did not take away sin 2. So we may be said to be justified by faith as well as we are said to be justified by our works Jam. 2. 24. because by it we are justified to men and cannot be justified before men without faith and works Jam. 2. 24. 3. Because faith hath a relation and dependance on Christ the one implyes the other as a father implyes a son and an husband a wife they are relatives Faith looks onely to Christ and fixed in God That your faith and hope may be in G●d 1 Pet. 1. 20 21. Faith and Christ go together where one is present the other is present also And 4. Inasmuch as faith most honours God and is all for God and we enjoy the comfort of our justification through faith Phil. 3. 9. Rom 5. 1. it may have the name in as much as faith is an effect of justification Now it is the manner of Scripture to put the effect for the cause as Rom. 9. 33. with Isa. 28. 16. for making haste in Isa. Paul saith shall not be ashamed Shame and confusion being an effect that follows haste So sinners are said to love death because they love sin which is the cause and death the effect Some affirm faith doth justifie because by faith we receive our justification by the same reason the hand that receives a pardon from the Prince it may be said his hand pardoned him and why may he not as well say he pardoned himself because his hand did receive it I thought giving and receiving had bin two things And if faith may be said to justifie because it receives justification sure it is in a very large sence And seeing we by the act of faith receive justification c. then it 's the acts of faith that justifieth Which yet some evade Secondly our faith that is to say our beleeving cannot justifie us because it is not our righteousnesse For not any thing can be our righteousnesse or justification unto us but that which is made sin and curse for us onely Christ is both these to his He hath made him to be sin for us Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. therefore he bare our sins and was wounded for us that be might bring us to God 1 Pet. 1. 18. Nothing can justifie us but that which is our reconciliation our righteousnesse and peace and nothing can procure peace to us but that which justifieth us and covereth our iniquities that separate us from God Isa. 57. and 59. 2. For he is our peace who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us Ephes. 2. 14 15 17. Can faith do these things for us surely no Christ became our righteousnesse by his obedience Or more strictly by his obedience to the death of the Crosse Col. 1. 20. Ephes. 2. 16. God did ordain him to be our righteousnesse 1 Pet. 1. 18 19 20. and therefore we ought to look upon Christ to be our righteousnesse because God hath made him so 1 Cor. 1. 30. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Nothing can redeem us and set us free from bondage but Christ He● 2. 14 15. Heb. 9. 26 28. Nothing can present us holy and unblameable but Christ Col. 1. 22. therefore Christs Testament declares that all the parts of our redemption justification reconciliation salvation are attributed to Christs blood to his death Col. 1. 20. Ephe. 2. 16. Heb. 9. and 10. Rom. 5. 9. the slaying

3. 17. because by faith we enjoy the presence of that which is not present nor seen as Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Secondly sin is in us yet are not we united to it it 's not I but sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7. 20. If they were one then he could not truly say it 's not I sin and I are two things though sin dwelleth in me A man dwels in an house yet is not united to it so as to be one with the house so it 's here As for Joh. 6. 36. that declares who hath everlasting life viz. he that beleeves hath it but what is this to union with Christ or the time of union And although we say not that men have not life till they beleeve we say there is life in the Son for the elect before they beleeve and they shall have it See Joh. 5. 11. And as for Joh. 1. 12. declares that such as receive Christ are sons and they have right to the priviledges of sons which we grant Ob. Ephes. 2. declares that beleevers before they beleeved there was no difference between them and others for they were by nature the children of wrath afar off and unreconciled Ans. The same Chapter declares that they were made nigh by the blood of Christ v. 13. to 18 we are to consider what it was that made them nigh and reconciled them and when they were made nigh and reconciled this was effected by Christ upon his crosse See Col. 1. 21 22. And if we were not reconciled then why doth the Scriptures say they were Ob. For sin to be crucified and to be mortified is one and a part of sanctification Gal. 5. 22. Ans. We know that our old man is crucified with him c. Rom. 6. 6. 7. 24 25. Sin is a work of the devill c. Christ destroyed it upon the Crosse Christ hath made an end of sin Dan. 9. Psal. 103. 12. c. Ob. Justification by faith R●m 5. 1. is justification it self and not the manifestation of justification Ans. The 1. v. of the 5. Chap. belongs to the last ver. of the former Chap. and is to be read with it the misplacing the stops and cutting asunder books into Chapters and verses hinders the right reading and understanding of the words the division of Chapters and verses you know are but of late invention As I understand by the doctrine of the Scriptures the words are to be read thus Who was delivered for our ●ffences and raised again for ou● justification Therefore being justified By faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ And then the sence is this That we are justified by Christ and by faith we enjoy it the effect of which is joy and peace See pa 26. Ob. Without faith its imp●ssible to please G●d the word please signifieth a delight to him So Basil and Bud. c. Ans. This is answered before And seeing the Scriptures do declare that God's well-pleasednesse with us depends not upon our p●easing of him we are satisfied we regard no mans testimony we own no Doctors but Christ Ob. Can God approve of a greater thing without faith namely our persons and yet not approve of a lesser thing namely our actions without faith this is strange Ans. It 's not faith but Christ that makes our persons accepted and unlesse the action be according to the rule it is not accepted but condemned of God in them whose persons are accepted faith is a part of a good action and unlesse the other parts of the action as matter manner measure time end concurs the action comes short of the rule and so far it is ●in and is not accepted neither for Christ nor faith Our happinesse doth not consist in Gods acceptations of our acti●ns but in our union with him and in that our sins are not imputed to us Joh. 17. 23 24. Heb. 2. 11. Ephes. 5. 30. Psal. 32. 1 2. Ob. Our actions are accepted because our persons are accepted Gen. 4. Ans. It 's strange to me that you should say so Oh the horrible and tragicall effects that naturally flow from this doctrine Was not David a beleever before he fell so foully concerning the matter of Bathsheba and Vrijah And was not Peter a beleever when he denyed Christ and Peter and Barnabas when they dissembled Gal. 2. Many of the actions of beleevers are in some respect worser then the same actions in unbeleevers and God in his Word is so far from accepting them that he condemnes them as deeply as the actions of others If God accepts of mens actions because he accepts of their persons it will follow that when a man is a beleever his person is accep●ed and therfore all his actions after are accepted because his person is accepted So that after a man is once a beleever whose person is accepted he cannot sin in any of his actions or if he do sin his sinfull action is accepted We abhor to open such a gap for sin to enter If you speak even of the best actions of a beleever you cannot free them to be without sin for all our righteousnesses are as fili●y rags Isa. 64. Ob. The word reconcile declares that God is at enmity with us and us with him Re signifies again con signifies together ciliation to call or move to how is there a moving where there was never a removing how together of those who were never asunder how again unlesse there had been once an onenesse which was broken apieces Ans. Though the word signifie so yet it will not follow that God was ever at enmity with the elect Fury is not in me Isa. 27. 4. There are movings and removings in us who are changeable but it is not so in God because he is unchangeable love in him is unchangeable You confesse Gods essentiall purpose is like himse●f eternall and unchangeable c. God is love 1 Joh. 5. And although the elect did sin and so depart from God yet the Scripture doth not say that they fell from the love of God or that God hated the elect for their sin Consider Joh. 17. 23 24 Heb. 13 8. Rom. 5. 9 10. Ob. In saying God was never an enemy to the elect you make the fall of Adam in whom the elect are included a fiction you make the Story of the Gospel touching Christs sufferings a fable and Chri●ts passion a vanity and ye overthrow the nature of God whose purity cannot endure sin You deny many Scriptures that te●tifie tha● God was at enmity with the elect Ephes. 2. Isa. 63. 10 11 Levit. 26 40 41 42. Ezek. 16. 62 63. An. Alas alas here are many high charges and hard speeches indeed Jud. 13. 13. are not these raging w●v●s of the Sea that look bigge and rise high and fall as suddenly into meer fables for no such thing will follow that we professe We say what the Scriptu●es

our enmity the destroying our spirituall enemies c. is attributed to his Crosse therefore the word of the Gospel is called the Word or preaching of the Crosse 1 Cor. 1. 18 23. Therefore the main and speciall thing the Apostle desired to know and drove at in all his Preaching was nothing else but Jesus Christ and him crucified And if the preaching of Christ in wisdom of words the Crosse of Christ might be made of no effect as 1 Cor. 1. 17. much more do they make the death of Christ of no effect who will have any thing besides Christ alone to be their righteousnesse in whole or in part men please themselves with a conceit that they do not dishonour Jesus Christ in their ascribing their justification to faith because faith is a grace of Christ and so from Christ But by the same reason we may ascribe our justification to love patience te● perance goodnesse c. because they are from Christ and fruits of the same spirit faith is Gal. 5. 22. And may we not also by the same reason ascribe our justification to all our spirituall performances prayers tears and all our good works because the power by which we do these is from Christ For without me faith Christ ye can do nothing Joh. 15. 5. O all ye sons and daughters of the most High lift up your voice and cry No inherent holinesse to justification as well as no works of the Law for whatsoever is in us and acted by us and passeth through us is defiled by us All our righteousnesses are as filthy rag● Isa. 64. 6. Not by worke of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us c. Tit. 3. 5. to 9. But in the Lord have I righteousnesse Isa. 45. 24 25. He is our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. I will make mention of thy righteousnesse even of thine onely Psal. 71. 16. My tongue shall talk of thy righteousnesse all the day long ver. 24. For no other righteousnesse is not to be compared to this as it is acted by us is not worth the talking on 3. Our beleeving cannot justifie us because nothing that we do though by grace is perfect our best acts and works of righteousnesse by reason of the sin and corruption in us that cleaves to all we do is defiled with some spot of sin and hath not that perfection the Law of God requires so that our beleeving is so far from justifying us as God may reject it as sin as when our love is not so much or such as it ought to be then it is imperfect and we 〈◊〉 so we say of our faith our beleeving is called unbeleef Mark 9. 24. His purity cannot justifie us for that which is not perfect if all our righteousnesse be as filthy rags Isa. 64. 6. Tit. 3. 5. is not our act of beleeving so doth not Daniel include his most holy acts when he names his righteousnesses Dan. 9. 18. The perfect love in 1 Joh. 4. 18. is the love of God manifested to us not our love to him Fourthly our beleeving cannot justifie us because the act of faith is a work and if we be justified by our faith then we are justified by works That the act of faith is a work appears 1. Because we are commanded to beleeve as we are to love one another as he gave us commandment 1 Joh. 3. 23. 2. To obey a command is a work but to beleeve is to obey a command 1 Joh. 3. 23 24. Faith is an obeying of the will of God therefore it 's a work and a good work 3. It 's a work because we are reproved for the smalnesse of our faith Christ said O ye of little faith Matth. 6. 30. why are ye fearfull wherefore do ye doubt O ye of little faith Matth. 8. 26. If faith were not acted by us although the power is of God why are we reproved for not beleeving 4. It 's a work because the Saints are exhorted to exercise faith Let us draw neer with full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. We are not exhorted to nothing but to that which is our duty as it is to do a good work as beleeving is 5. It 's a work because to beleeve is a work of all the faculties of the soul viz memory conscience affections principally the understanding and will Rom. 10. 9 10. 6. To receive a thing is an act of the whole man but to beleeve in Christ is to receive him 1 Joh. 1. 12. Therefore to beleeve in Christ is a work 7. Because unbeleef is a work of darknesse therefore to beleeve is a work of righteousnesse Tit. 3. 5. 8. Because to a good work faith is required therefore it partakes of the nature of a good work and so is a part of every good work 9 It 's a work because we are said to do it If thou beleevest I do beleeve Act. 8. 37. To beleeve is the action of the heart viz will With the heart man beleeveth He doth it as truly as he confesseth with his mouth Rom. 10. 9 10. 10. If to confesse Christ be a duty and a work though by grace we do both then is the act of beleeving a work also and a work that we do and is one of those works of righteousnesse that we have done Tit. 3. 5. with Isa 64. 6. If it be objected that faith is put in opposition to works therefore faith is not a work I answer When faith is put in opposition to works then by faith is alwayes to be understood Christ for he alone is the matter of our righteousnesse therfore when the Apostle excludes works from justifying us we are to understand all our outward and inward acts and all internall vertues faith it self Rom. 3. 28. For no command of the Law could be obeyed without faith therefore faith was a part of the fulfiling of the Law that faith was required appears Matth. 22. 37 38 40. The Law required purity but such as beleeve not are defiled their minds and consciences are defiled Tit. 1. 15. Therefore faith was required as a deed of the Law Rom. 3. 28. Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saves us Tit. 3. 5. Doth not the Apostle in these words exclude all in us or that we do to justification And inasmuch as to beleeve is required the power of God so that in respect of the power by which we beleeve in Christ it may be said to be a work of God Joh. 6. 29. And as acted by man a work of man by Gods grace Rom. 10. 9 10. Fifthly if we speak of justification in the conscience in a strict sense faith cannot be said to justifie the conscience for this is the work of the Spirit of Christs which speaks peace to the

or condition as Ministers remits sins so faith saves declaratively Joh. 20. 23. 3. 16. Mark 16. 16. These words declare how the Gospel is to be preached and applyed by the Preachers and hearers thereof so that neither of them may apply to themselves nor unto any others salvation untill they beleeve and therefore this is a rule to direct how the Gospel is to be preached When he sent them forth he said unto them Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature He that bele●ves and is baptized shall be saved and he that beleeveth not shall be damned Mark 16. 14 15 16. and so they preached the Gospel 2. If faith and Baptisme be a condition required absolutely necessarie without which no man can be saved then our salvation depends upon works now as it did under the Law 3. If faith be a condition required to partake of the covenant of grace then there is a condition required and so the covenant of grace is not absolute nor free If it be said God gives what he requires I answer That makes the condition easie to be performed but still if faith be as a condition required there is a condition but the covenant of grace is absolute and free and unconditionall on our part And that this appears 1. Because the covenant of grace is not made with man but is onely between God and Christ Thou spakest in a vision to thy holy One thou saidst I have layed help upon one that is mighty I have exalted one chosen out of the people My faithfulnesse and my mercy shall be with him I will make him my first-born higher then the Kings of the earth My mercy will I keep for him ☜ my Covenant shall stand fast with him Psal. 89. 19. 24. 27 28. So that all the conditions of the covenant did onely belong to Christ to perform seeing Christ had undertaken it and he onely was ingaged to it and he did it to the utmost which was that Christ should be made a sacrifice for sin and be should see his seed and prolong his dayes and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands Isa. 53. 10 11. See also Psal. 89. 35 36 37. 2. And seeing no covenant is made with the elect there is nothing required from them as any cause or conditions without which they cannot be saved as appears Heb. 8. 10 11 12. For our salvation depends not upon our beleeving but upon Christ Because I live ye shall live also Joh. 14. 19. And that there is not the least condition required from man to partake of the covenant of life and salvation appears by these words His seed will I make to endure for ever If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgements if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquities with stripes Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth Once have I sworn by my holinesse that I will not lye unto Christ Act. 2. 25. His seed shall endure for ever Psal. 89. 29. to 32. 3. Faith is a fruit of the Covenant and a branch of the Covenant but not a condition on our part to perform 4. All the elect were ever in this Covenant for they were ever in Christ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath b●essed us with all spirituall blessings in Christ acco●ding as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Ephes. 1. 3 4. Christ is this Covenant I will give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light to the Gentiles to open their eyes to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit is darknesse out of the prison house Isa. 42. 6 7 8. 49. 9. Therefore faith is not required as a condition to partake of this Covenant nor salvation My kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be remoued saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Isa 54. 10. Thus God to shew unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsell confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things oath and covenant in which it is impossible for God to lye we might have strong consolation Heb. 6. 17 18. with Psal. 89. 35 36. Oh this is strong consolation indeed behold the liberty of the sons and daughters of God To be justified is for to be declared or pronounced just by sentence The word justifie properly signifieth to make just and men are made just 1. By infusion when the habite or vertue of justice is put into a person so God made man upright or just Eccl. 7. 29. 2. Men are made just by the justice of another so were we by Christ As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many are made righteous Rom. 5. 2 Cor. 5. 21. so that Christs satisfaction is our justification And to affirm we are not made just by Christs justice is to overthrow the foundation of Religion and mans salvation 3. Men are said to be made just or justified by sentence or pleading one to be just in this sense a man may justifie himself Job 9. 20. and be justified by witnesses Isa. 43. 9. 26. In this men are said to give righteousnesse and to take the righteousnesse of the righteous from him Isa. 5. 23. This is not to be understood strictly but in a large sence for although this hath the name of justification yet sometimes it is worth nothing having onely but an appearance or shadow of justification and doth men no good at all and is of no force except onely with such as are ignorant and de●uded and is to be abhorred is when persons are declared to be just when they are not so which is to justifie the wicked As Prov. 17. 15. 24. 24. Now to declare one to be just cannot make one just for these Reasons 1. If to declare one to be just doth make a man just then he was not just before 2. God and wisdom are said to be justified by men Rom. 3. 3 4. Matth. 11. 19. Luk. 7. 35. But if to declare him to be so makes him so then he was not so before Which to affirm is blasphemy 3. If to declare one to be just doth make him so is it not good to justifie the wicked and their actions because it must needs be good to make the unjust just But all the declarations of justification the wicked and their actions can have they remain wicked and their actions sinfull still 4. We grant God by his Spirit declares to the soul that he is