A brief discourse of justification. Wherein this doctrine is plainly laid down according to…

2. Hence it follows naturally, that Faith hath no natural or proper virtue in it self to justify a Sinner; for that which hath in it self a real virtue to justify, must answer the Law in all its demands, whereas Faith in it self answers to none of them: there is no such thing as a legal obedience in Faith, for it is the property ⟨p. 96⟩of Faith to fly from the Law unto Grace and therefore it never designs a personal answering of the Law, but seeks a deliverance from it in and through Jesus Christ; and that is the privilege of believing, Rom. 6. 14. ye are not under the Law but under Grace. Faith fetcheth in all virtue from abroad: and in truth it justifies a man no more, than the look of a bitten Israelite upon the Brazen Serpent healed him: now it was not the virtue of the look, but the virtue that was put into the Brazen Serpent that healed him who so looked upon it, else he might have looked long enough before he had been cured: so it is not the virtue of believing, but of Christ who is believed in, that justifies. Faith justifies a sinner, as the Woman's touch of Christs Garment healed her Issue of Blood, and that was the virtue, not of the touch, but of Christ, which issued from him upon her touching him; and therefore he declares that he felt virtue to go out of him, upon that exertion of her Faith in so touching him, Luk. 8.46.

2. Hence it follows naturally, that Faith hath no natural or proper vertue in it self to justifie a Sinner; for that which hath in it self a real virtue to justifie, must answer the Law in all its demands, whereas Faith in it self answers to none of them: there is no such thing as a legal obedience in Faith, for it is the property ⟨p. 96⟩of Faith to fly from the Law unto Grace and therefore it never designs a personal answering of the Law, but seeks a deliverance from it in and through Jesus Christ; and that is the priviledge of believing, Rom. 6. 14. ye are not under the Law but under Grace. Faith fetcheth in all virtue from abroad: and in truth it justifies a man no more, than the look of a bitten Israelite upon the Brazen Serpent healed him: now it was not the vertue of the look, but the vertue that was put into the Brazen Serpent that healed him who so looked upon it, else he might have looked long enough before he had been cured: so it is not the vertue of believing, but of Christ who is believed in, that justifies. Faith justifies a sinner, as the Womans touch of Christs Garment healed her Issue of Blood, and that was the vertue, not of the touch, but of Christ, which issued from him upon her touching him; and therefore he declares that he felt vertue to go out of him, upon that exertion of her Faith in so touching him,