Thus the Apostle treating of our Justification before God, doth it in these Terms which are both expressive of the thing it self, and were well understood by them with whom he had to do; such as the Holy Spirit in their Revelation had consecrated unto their proper use. Thus on the one hand he expressly excludes the Law, our own Works, our own Righteousness from any interest therein; and in opposition unto, and as inconsistent with them in the matter of Justification, he ascribes it wholly unto the Righteousness of God, Righteousness imputed unto us, the Obedience of Christ, Christ made Righteousness unto us, the blood of Christ as a Propitiation, Faith, receiving Christ and the Atonement. There is no awakened Conscience guided by the least beam of spiritual Illumination, but in it self, plainly understands these things, and what is intended in them. But through the Admission of Exotic Learning, with Philosophical Terms and notions into the way of teaching Spiritual things in Religion, a new face and Appearance is put on the whole matter; and a Composition made between those things which the Apostle directly opposeth as contrary and inconsistent. Hence are all our Discourses about Preparations, Dispositions, Conditions, Merits de congruo & condigno, with such a train of Distinctions, as that if some bounds be not fixed unto the inventing and coining of them, (which being a facile Work grows on us every day) we shall not ere long be able to look through them, so as to discover the things intended or rightly to understand one another. For as one said of lies, so it may be said of arbitrary distinctions, they must be continually new thatched over, or it will rain through. But the best way is to cast of all these coverings, and we shall then quickly see, that the real difference about the Justification of a Sinner before God is the same and no other, as it was in the days of ⟨p. 419⟩the Apostle Paul between him and the Jews. And all those things which men are pleased now to plead for, with respect unto a Causality in our Justification before God, under the Names of Preparations, Conditions, Dispositions, Merit with respect unto a first or second Justification, are as effectually excluded by the Apostle, as if he had expressly named them every one.
Thus the Apostle treating of our Justification before God, doth it in these Terms which are both expressive of the thing it self, and were well understood by them with whom he had to do; such as the Holy Spirit in their Revelation had consecrated unto their proper use. Thus on the one hand he expresly excludes the Law, our own Works, our own Righteousness from any interest therein; and in opposition unto, and as inconsistent with them in the matter of Justification, he ascribes it wholly unto the Righteousness of God, Righteousness imputed unto us, the Obedience of Christ, Christ made Righteousness unto us, the blood of Christ as a Propitiation, Faith, receiving Christ and the Atonement. There is no avvakened Conscience guided by the least beam of spiritual Illumination, but in it self, plainly understands these things, and what is intended in them. But through the Admission of Exotick Learning, with Philosophical Terms and notions into the way of teaching Spiritual things in Religion, a new face and Appearance is put on the whole matter; and a Composition made between those things which the Apostle directly opposeth as contrary and inconsistent. Hence are all our Discourses about Preparations, Dispositions, Conditions, Merits de congruo & condigno, with such a train of Distinctions, as that if some bounds be not fixed unto the inventing and coyning of them, (which being a facile Work grows on us every day) we shall not e're long be able to look through them, so as to discover the things intended or rightly to understand one another. For as one said of lies, so it may be said of arbitrary distinctions, they must be continually new thatched over, or it will rain through. But the best way is to cast of all these coverings, and we shall then quickly see, that the real difference about the Justification of a Sinner before God is the same and no other, as it was in the days of ⟨p. 419⟩the Apostle Paul between him and the Jews. And all those things which men are pleased now to plead for, with respect unto a Causality in our Justification before God, under the Names of Preparations, Conditions, Dispositions, Merit with respect unto a first or second Justification, are as effectually excluded by the Apostle, as if he had expresly named them every one.
