But because there is no danger to us from false accusation before the all-knowing God, therefore Scripture saith nothing of any such Justification, Yet at the bar of men it is frequently useful, where false accusations may be heard; & therefore David, Job, &c. do plead their Innocency against their accusers. Also at the bar of our own erroneous Consciences this kind of Justification is frequently ⟨p. 130⟩full; for there Satan hath more hope that his false accusations may take place, then at the Bar of God: Wherefore he more usually accuseth Christians to themselves of being graceless, and unbelievers, and impenitent, and of having no part in Christ, then of breaking the Law by their sins. And in such cases, when the accusation is false, we have no way to answer it, but by pleading not guilty, & casting back the accusation as a lying slander, and producing our Faith and Gospel-Obedience, or what ever grace we are accused to want: And so it is that our own graces and duties may be properly our comfort: It will be but a senseless shift in such an accusation to show Christs Legal Righteousness in stead of our own Evangelical Righteousness. To tell Satan, that Christ hath fulfilled the Law for us, when he is accusing us of not fulfilling the Gospel; silly women are made believe by Antinomian Teachers, that this is a solid way of comforting: But Satan is a better Logician then to take quid pro quo, and to be baffled with such arguing. And as silly, and more false a shift it will be, to tell him, that Christ hath believed, repented and fulfilled the Gospel-Conditions for us, as I have showed before. The best is, these Teachers do but spoil the comforts of believers, and not their safety; for in the case in hand, we suppose the accusation to be false: But yet by such grounds they may very ⟨p. 131⟩easily overthrow the safety also of unbelievers, while they teach them how to comfort themselves without Faith, or to look at all out of themselves in Christ, and so to silence the accusation of both Covenants, by producing only the Righteousness of one.
BUt because there is no danger to us from false accusation before the all-knowing God, therefore Scripture saith nothing of any such Justification, Yet at the bar of men it is frequently usefull, where false accusations may be heard; & therefore David, Iob, &c. do plead their Innocency against their accusers. Also at the bar of our own erroneous Consciences this kind of Justification is frequently ⟨p. 130⟩full; for there Satan hath more hope that his false accusations may take place, then at the Bar of God: Wherefore he more usually accuseth Christians to themselves of being graceless, and unbeleevers, and impenitent, and of having no part in Christ, then of breaking the Law by their sins. And in such cases, when the accusation is false, we have no way to answer it, but by pleading not guilty, & casting back the accusation as a lying slander, and producing our Faith and Gospel-Obedience, or what ever grace we are accused to want: And so it is that our own graces and duties may be properly our comfort: It will be but a senceless shift in such an accusation to shew Christs Legall Righteousness in stead of our own Evangelicall Righteousness. To tell Satan, that Christ hath fulfilled the Law for us, when he is accusing us of not fulfilling the Gospell; silly women are made beleeve by Antinomian Teachers, that this is a solid way of comforting: But Satan is a better Logitian then to take quid pro quo, and to be baffled with such arguing. And as silly, and more false a shift it will be, to tell him, that Christ hath beleeved, repented and fulfilled the Gospell-Conditions for us, as I have shewed before. The best is, these Teachers do but spoyle the comforts of beleevers, and not their safety; for in the case in hand, we suppose the accusation to be false: But yet by such grounds they may very ⟨p. 131⟩easily overthrow the safety also of unbeleevers, while they teach them how to comfort themselves without Faith, or to look at all out of themselves in Christ, and so to silence the accusation of both Covenants, by producing only the Righteousness of one.
