Of free justification

Concerning Faith and Assurance, and what is the proper Object of Faith.

NOW let us discourse of others, ¹who reasoning with more sound Judgment about Faith, do not fetch the proper and genuine Object of Faith, whereby we are ⟨p. 294⟩justified, so far off from the very first Truth, as Thomas; nor reduce it to every particular Truth of Scripture, as the Colonienses; nor define it by the Decrees of the Church, as the Duacene Doctor, and Jesuits of that Place and Order; nor place it in the Infallible Authority of the Roman Chair, as Boniface; but coming much nearer to Evangelical ²Truth, do thus define Faith unto us, that they place its Object in the Mercy of God only. For thus is Faith defined by most of our Divines at this day, to wit, That it is a firm and constant reliance on the Mercy of God, promised freely for the sake of Christ. Which definition, if it be true, by this means it appears that the Object of Faith is placed no otherways, nor in any other thing, but in the free Mercy of God laid hold upon; ³which neither I my self deny to be true in this sense, as Faith in this place is taken for a reliance, as it is often used in this signification, because it hath a respect to Mercy, ⁴and brings forth Assurance in the mind of Believers. But whether this reliance properly justifies us before God, it may here be enquired not without profit.

NOW let us discourse of others,