The Breastplate of Faith and Love

And not only works of the ceremonial law, but all the works of the moral law also considered as the means of justification; because they are opposite to faith, they exclude faith, and faith excludes them, so as they are as well to be shut out as the works of the ceremonial law. None of these saith the Apostle, will do it. For you must know the way to salvation is contrary to that of damnation: Look how you lost the kingdom of God, so you must get it, look what gate you went out at, by the same gate (as it were) you must come in at. What was it that lost all mankind the kingdom of heaven? You know it was not our particular breaches of the moral law, but it was the fall of Adam, and when the root was dead, you know, all the branches died with it. Well, what way is there then to regain this loss? We must go in again into Paradise by the same way that we went out, that is, by being borne of the second Adam, and by being made partakers of his righteousness: By being borne of him, or ingrafted into him. As you communicate of the sin of the other, because you are his children, so you must partake of his righteousness. Again, ⟨p. 4⟩saith the Apostle, it is the Lords pleasure that you should be saved after this manner, because he would have it to be of grace. If you should have been saved by any works of your own, you would have imputed it to your selves, and to your own strength: But the Lord would have it to be of grace, of his free will, and therefore he will have it merely of faith, by taking the righteousness of the second Adam which he hath wrought for you. Again, he would have it sure to all your seed: if it had been by works, it would never have been sure unto you, you could never have kept the law so exactly: But since Christ hath wrought righteousness, and you have no more to do but to take it, now it is sure, or else it would never have been sure. Again, if it had been by works, the flesh had had wherein to rejoice, it might have something to boast of: But the Lord will have no man to rejoice in the flesh; but let him that rejoiceth, rejoice in the Lord. Now if it had been by works, if it had been by any inherent righteousness, by any ornament of grace that the Lord had beautified us with, we had had rejoicing in our selves;

And not onely workes of the ceremoniall law, but all the workes of the morall law also considered as the meanes of justification; because they are opposite to faith, they exclude faith, and faith excludes them, so as they are as well to be shut out as the workes of the ceremoniall law. None of these saith the Apostle, will doe it. For you must know the way to salvation is contrary to that of damnation: Looke how you lost the kingdome of God, so you must get it, looke what gate you went out at, by the same gate (as it were) you must come in at. What was it that lost all mankind the kingdome of heaven? You know it was not our particular breaches of the morall law, but it was the fall of Adam, and when the root was dead, you know, all the branches died with it. Well, what way is there then to regaine this losse? We must goe in againe into Paradise by the same way that wee went out, that is, by being borne of the second Adam, and by being made partakers of his righteousnesse: By being borne of him, or ingrafted into him. As you communicate of the sinne of the other, because you are his children, so you must partake of his righteousnesse. Againe,