Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Secondly, Justification by Faith doth make the promise sure to all the seed. If unto a beggar should be proposed some excellent benefit upon condition to perform some acceptable and perfect service unto the person that offers it; whom yet it would be impossible to please by working, without some exact ability for the duty required; the man might easily doubt of the certainty of the benefit, because his performance of the condition required is uncertain: but if the same benefit should be proposed upon no other act on his part required, then only the acknowledgement of his own want, and the willing acceptance of the thing offered, a man could not be unsure of it: So if the Lord should propose righteousness o• salvation to a man upon condition of his moral obedience, mans corruptions are so many, and his abilities so weak, his enemies so potent, and his heart so treacherous to comply with them, that the promise cannot be made sure to him upon the concurrence of his own works. But when there is nothing required of a man but to cleave to Christ, nothing but to relinquish his own endeavours, and to accept the help of a sure Saviour, and to rely upon the sure mercies of David, this must needs make our righteousness and salvation to be as certain as is the value of the merits, or fidelity of the promise, on which we rely. If there be nothing requisite to the firmness and consistency of a house, but only to be put upon the foundation, then the house must needs be as sure as the foundation; if there be nothing requisite to the safeness of a mans money or writings, but to put them in a closet or box, the things must needs be as safe as the place into which they are put: so since nothing else is required to make our salvation sure but only to rest upon Christ, who is a safe foundation to his Church, Math. 16. 18. ⟨p. 484⟩and a certain Treasure, Col. 3. 3. Faith which alone puts us into him, doth therewithal make our Salvation sure unto us. Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect and precious, (there is both our foundation and our Treasure) now the safety which Faith brings from hence is this, He that believeth shall not be confounded, or put to shame; in the Prophet it is, shall not make hast, 1. Pet. 2. 6