The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

And this Determination of this important enquiry, he confirmeth with two Testimonies of Scripture, as he might have done it with many more. But those which he thought meet to mention are not impertinent. The first is Dan. 9.18. We do not present our Supplications before thee for our Righteousness but for thy great mercies. And the other is that of our Saviour, Luke 17.10. When you have done all these things which are commanded you, say We are unprofitable Servants. And after he hath confirmed his Resolution with sundry Testimonies of the Fathers, he closeth his Discourse with this Dilemma, Either a man hath true merits, or he hath not. If he hath not, he is perniciously deceived (when he trusteth in any thing but the mercy of God alone) and seduceth himself, trusting in false merits; If he hath them he looseth nothing whilst he looks not to them, but trusts in God alone. So that whether a man have any good works or no, as to his Justification before God, it is best and safest for him, not to have any regard unto them, or put any trust in them. And if this be so, he might have spared all his pains he took in writing his Sophistical Books about Justification, whose principal Design is to seduce the minds of men into a contrary opinion. And so, for ought I know, they may spare their labour also without any disadvantage unto the Church of God, or their own Souls, who so earnestly contend for some kind of Interest or other, for our own Duties and Obedience in our ⟨p. 37⟩Justification before God, seeing it will be found that they place their own whole Trust and Confidence in the Grace of God by Jesus Christ alone. For to what purpose do we labour and strive with Endless Disputations, Arguments and Distinctions to prefer our Duties and Obedience unto some office in our Justification before God, if when we have done all we find it the safest course in our own persons to abhor our selves with Job in the presence of God, to betake our selves unto Sovereign Grace and Mercy with the Publican, and to place all our confidence in them through the Obedience and Blood of Christ.

And this Determination of this important enquiry, he confirmeth with two Testimonies of Scripture, as he might have done it with many more. But those which he thought meet to mention are not impertinent. The first is