Of justification four disputations clearing and amicably defending the truth against the unnecessary oppositions…

Secondly, But sometime the word Works is taken for that which standeth in a due subordination to grace: and that first, most generally, for any moral virtuous Actions, and so even faith it self is comprehended and even the very Receptive or fiducial act of faith: or less generally, for external acts of obedience, as distinct from internal habitual Grace: and so Repentance, Faith, Love, &c. are not Works: or for all acts external and internal, except faith it self. And so Repentance, ⟨p. 71⟩Desire after Christ, Love to him, denying our own Righteousness, distrust in our selves, &c. are called Works. Or else for all Acts external and internal besides the Reception of Christs Righteousness to Justification: And so the belief of the Gospel, the Acceptance of Christ as our Prophet and Lord by the Title of Redemption, with many other acts of faith in Christ, are called works: besides the disclaiming of our own Righteousness, and the rest before mentioned.

Secondly, But sometime the word Works is taken for that which standeth in a due subordination to grace: and that first, most generally, for any moral virtuous Actions, and so even faith it self is comprehended and even the very Receptive or fiduciall act of faith: or less generally, for external acts of obedience, as distinct from internal habitual Grace: and so Repentance, Faith, Love, &c. are not Works: or for all acts external and internal, except faith it self. And so Repentance, ⟨p. 71⟩Desire after Christ, Love to him, denying our own Righteousness, distrust in our selves, &c. are called Works. Or else for all Acts external and internal besides the Reception of Christs Righteousness to Justification: And so the belief of the Gospel, the Acceptance of Christ as our Prophet and Lord by the Title of Redemption, with many other acts of faith in Christ, are called works: besides the disclaiming of our own Righteousness, and the rest before mentioned.

Secondly, As for the word Justification, it is so variously taken by Divines, and in common use, that it would require more words then I shall spend on this whole Dispute, to name and open its several senses; and therefore (having elsewhere given a brief scheme of them) I shall now only mention these few which are most pertinent to our purpose. First, Some take Justification for some Immanent Acts of God, and some for Transient. And of the former some take it for Gods eternal Decree to justify, which neither Scripture calleth by this name, nor will Reason allow us to do it, but improperly. Sometime its taken for Gods Immanent present Approbation of a man, and Reputing him to be just, when he is first so constituted. And this some few call a Transient Act, because the Object is extrinsic: But most call it Immanent, because it makes no Alteration on that object. And some plead that this is an eternal act without beginning, because it is Gods essence which is eternal; and these denominate the Act from the substance or Agent; And other say, that it begins in time, because Gods Essence doth then begin to have that Respect to a sinner which makes it capable of such a denomination: And so these speak of the Act denominatively, formally, respectively: Both of them speak true but both speak not the same truth.