Since faith (as all other graces in a child of God) is imperfect and still growing, 2 Pet. 3.18. and we are to pray, Lord increase our faith, none shall be justified and saved, but he that hath the greatest faith, if faith only, which endures to the end, be the condition of the Covenant, and such a faith as groweth and endures to the end: For take one who for twenty years believeth, the first two years he being united to Christ, hath right to Christ, Joh. 15.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Joh. 17.21, 22. Joh. 14.16. Joh. 16.7, 8, 13. Joh. 4.14. Joh. 7.37, 38, 39. he shall not be judged, not condemned, hath passed from death to life, shall never die, Joh. 3.36. 1 Joh. 5.11, 12. Joh. 4.24. Joh. 11.25, 26. then should he die the end of the first year of his believing, by the Scripture, he must be saved, else he must be damned, who yet died in true faith and yet never fell away, which were strange: But by this opinion either the remnant sound believing should be no condition of justification and salvation, because the man is justified and saved without it, and the faith of one or two years gave him right to Christ and saved him? Ergo the remnant faith is not a condition of the Covenant, but a persevering by grace promised and a persevering in that faith, as also by their way who make persevering faith the only condition of the Covenant of Grace 1. Faith and works are confounded: whereas to be saved by faith is to be saved before, and to be justified before we can do good works, and the jus or title to righteousness and salvation, coming only from the price and Redemption that is in Jesus Christ, is not more or less, and grows not more then the worth of the ransom of the blood called the blood of God, Acts 20.28. does grow, and it is to be justified by grace and by ⟨p. 204⟩faith, and then works come in as the fruit of our justification and salvation,1 Eph. 2. Ye are not saved by works, lest any man should boast, in a righteousness of his own, coming from no merit of Christ, which buyeth determinating grace, and indeclinably leads and bows the will; Otherwise we may boast, that is, glory in the Lord, who worketh all-our works for us, Psal. 34.2. Isa. 41.16. Isa. 26.12. The salvation and righteousness is the gift of God. What then shall be the room of works? He answers, No room at all as causes of justification and salvation, by an excellent antanaclasis,2 as learned Trochrig:
Since faith (as all other graces in a child of God) is imperfect and still growing, 2 Pet. 3.18. and we are to pray, Lord increase our faith, none shall be justified and saved, but he that hath the greatest faith, if faith only, which endures to the end, be the condition of the Covenant, and such a faith as groweth and indures to the end: For take one who for twenty years believeth, the first two years he being united to Christ, hath right to Christ, Joh. 15.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Joh. 17.21, 22. Joh. 14.16. Joh. 16.7, 8, 13. Joh. 4.14. Joh. 7.37, 38, 39. he shall not be judged, not condemned, hath passed from death to life, shall never die, Joh. 3.36. 1 Joh. 5.11, 12. Joh. 4.24. Joh. 11.25, 26. then should he die the end of the first year of his believing, by the Scripture, he must be saved, else he must be damned, who yet died in true faith and yet never fell away, which were strange: But by this opinion either the remnant sound believing should be no condition of justification and salvation, because the man is justified and saved without it, and the faith of one or two years gave him right to Christ and saved him? Ergo the remnant faith is not a condition of the Covenant, but a persevering by grace promised and a persevering in that faith, as also by their way who make persevering faith the only condition of the Covenant of Grace 1. Faith and works are confounded: whereas to be saved by faith is to be saved before, and to be justified before we can do good works, and the jus or title to righteousnesse and salvation, coming only from the price and Redemption that is in Jesus Christ, is not more or lesse, and growes not more then the worth of the ransone of the blood called the blood of God, Acts 20.28. does grow, and it is to be justified by grace and by
- 1How boasting is excluded by grace.
- 2Boidius Comment. Eph. 2.
