Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…

The Thing that the Scripture guards, and militates against, is our imagining that 'tis our own Goodness, Virtue, or Excellency, that instates us in God's Acceptance and Favour. But to suppose that God gives us an Interest in Christ• in Reward for our Virtue, is as great an Argument that it instates us in God's Favour, as if he bestowed a title to eternal Life, as it's direct reward. If God gives us an Interest in Christ, as a reward of our Obedience, it will then follow, that we are instated in God's Acceptance and Favour by our own Obedience, antecedent to our having an Interest in Christ. For a rewarding any one's Excellency, ever-more supposes Favour and Acceptance on the Account of that Excellency: It is the very Notion of a reward, that it is a good Thing, bestowed in Testimony of respect and Favour for the Virtue or Excellency rewarded. So that it is not by Virtue of our Interest in Christ and his Merits, that we first come into Favour with God, according to this Scheme; for we are in God's Favour before we have any Interest in those Merits; in that we have an Interest in those Merits given as a Fruit of God's Favour for our own Virtue. If our Interest in Christ be the Fruit of God's Favour, then it can't be the Ground of it. If God did not accept us, and had no Favour for us, for our own Excellency, he never would bestow so great a Reward upon us, as a Right in Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness. So that such a Scheme destroys it self, for it supposes that Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness are necessary for us to recommend us to the Favour of God; and yet supposes that we have God's Favour and Acceptance▪ before we have Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness, and have these given as a Fruit of God's Favour

The Thing that the Scripture guards, and militates against, is our imagining that 'tis our own Goodness, Vertue, or Excellency, that instates us in God's Acceptance and Favour. But to suppose that God gives us an Interest in Christ• in Reward for our Vertue, is as great an Argument that it instates us in God's Favour, as if he bestowed a title to eternal Life, as it's direct reward. If God gives us an Interest in Christ, as a reward of our Obedience, it will then follow, that we are instated in God's Acceptance and Favour by our own Obedience, antecedent to our having an Interest in Christ. For a rewarding any one's Excellency, ever-more supposes Favour and Acceptance on the Account of that Excellency: It is the very Notion of a reward, that it is a good Thing, bestowed in Testimony of respect and Favour for the Vertue or Excellency rewarded. So that it is not by Vertue of our Interest in Christ and his Merits, that we first come into Favour with God, according to this Scheme; for we are in God's Favour before we have any Interest in those Merits; in that we have an Interest in those Merits given as a Fruit of God's Favour for our own Vertue. If our Interest in Christ be the Fruit of God's Favour, then it can't be the Ground of it. If God did not accept us, and had no Favour for us, for our own Excellency, he never would bestow so great a Reward upon us, as a Right in Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness. So that such a Scheme destroys it self, for it supposes that Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness are necessary for us to recommend us to the Favour of God; and yet supposes that we have God's Favour and Acceptance before we have Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness, and have these given as a Fruit of God's Favour