The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

2. With respect unto this state and condition of men, or men in this state and condition, the enquiry is, What that is upon the account whereof, God pardoneth all their sins, receiveth them into his favour, declareth or pronounceth them Righteous, and acquitted from all Guilt, removes the Curse, and turneth away all his wrath from them, giving them Right and Title unto a blessed Immortality or life Eternal. This is that alone wherein the Consciences of sinners in this estate are concerned. Nor do they enquire after any thing, but what they may have to oppose unto, or answer the Justice of God in the commands and curse of the Law, and what they may betake themselves unto, for the obtaining of Acceptance with him unto life and salvation.

That the Apostle doth thus and no otherwise state this whole matter, and in an Answer unto this Enquiry, declare the nature of Justification and all the causes of it, in the third and fourth Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, and elsewhere, shall be afterwards declared and proved. And we shall also ⟨p. 3⟩manifest that the Apostle James in the second Chapter of his Epistle, doth not speak unto this Enquiry, nor give an Answer unto it; but it is of Justification in another sense, and to another purpose whereof he treateth. And whereas we cannot either safely or usefully treat of this Doctrine, but with respect unto the same Ends for which it is declared, and whereunto it is applied in the Scripture, we should not by any pretences be turned aside from attending unto this Case and its Resolution, in all our Discourses on this subject. For it is the Direction, Satisfaction and peace of the Consciences of men, and not the curiosity of Notions or subtlety of Disputations, which it is our Duty to design. And therefore I shall as much as possibly I may, avoid all those Philosophical Terms and Distinctions wherewith this Evangelical Doctrine hath been perplexed rather than illustrated. For more weight is to be put on the steady Guidance of the Mind and Conscience of one Believer really exercised about the Foundation of his peace and acceptance with God, then on the confutation of ten wrangling Disputers.