A medium betwixt two extremes wherein it is proved that the whole first Adam…

The Doctrine of some Men about Faith justifying the Sinner, tends to bring in a new Covenant of Works, i.e. a mild Law of Faith, and sincere Obedience in the stead of the severe Law of perfect Obedience, and plainly renders the Satisfaction and Righteousness of Christ defective or insufficient; as if Faith was part of our justifying Righteousness, or as if we were not fully reconciled to God by the death of his Son, but that he was only reconcilable; and that it is Faith and sincere Obedience indeed, which completes that Reconciliation.

The Doctrine of some Men about Faith justifying the Sinner, tends to bring in a new Covenant of Works, i.e. a mild Law of Faith, and sincere Obedience in the stead of the severe Law of perfect Obedience, and plainly renders the Satisfaction and Righteousness of Christ defective or insufficient; as if Faith was part of our justifying Righteousness, or as if we were not fully reconciled to God by the death of his Son, but that he was only reconcileable; and that it is Faith and sincere Obedience indeed, which compleats that Reconciliation.

Brethren, Faith, I say again, is said to justify us only in respect of the Object Jesus Christ, whom it apprehended; and it is no part of the matter which doth justify us (the Righteousness of Christ being alone the material cause of our ⟨p. 24⟩Justification) nor doth Faith add any thing to Christ's Satisfaction, or to his Righteousness which alone is imputed to us to our Justification before God. Tho we say that Righteousness is not imputed to the actual and personal Justification of any Man till he has actual Union with Christ; yet I deny that Faith in order of Nature is before Union (or at least before the reception of the Spirit in order to Union) tho not as to time; for Christ takes hold of us before we can take hold of him; also Faith is a Fruit of the Spirit; and sure the Seed must be sown before there can be Fruit. We are passive in Regeneration, but not in the act of Faith. But when a poor Sinner receives the Spirit, then it is that he in his own Person is declared and pronounced righteous; he being in Christ is pardoned, and actually acquitted and discharged from that Legal Guilt, or from that Obligation he lay under to Condemnation in the first Adam, the Sentence being then taken off, and he loosed from those Fetters and Chains by which he was before bound; and this therefore is more no doubt than simply justified in his own Conscience.