the fountain, and original of all my fpiritual life. And thus indeed you fhall find: for if you look into thofe three Epiftles of Paul, To the Romans, the Galatians, and the He brews; yehall find, that the Apostle does give this as the rifeunto all his exhortations unto Holiness of life. In the latter end of the Epiftle to the Romans, the Apoftle does exhort unto holy practises, and to a godly converfation : but in the beginning, he does flate, and prove this Do&rine, of Jaftification by faith alone. So in this Epiftle to the Gala tians; So in the Epiftle to the Hebrews: As if the only rife of all our Holiness, and Godly Converfation were this, Our Free-juftification through the Blood of Chrift, by faith alone.

For the opening,and cleering of this great Truth; I fhall fpend a little time in the explication of the terms. Firft. Juftification by faith alone.

Secondly. I hall labor to demonftrate this Truth unto you, That Justification by faith alone, Is the Fountain, and Original of all our Helines, and Spiritual life.

Thirdly. Anfwer to fome Obje&tions.

Fourthly. Labor to fhew ye, What there is in this Freejustification by faith alone, that may, can, or doth advance our Holiness.

What is meant by this Juftification by faith alone?

That I may be understood by the meaneft. By this juftifi cation, I mean, 1 bat alt ofGods grace, wherby through the imputations of our fins to Chrift, and Cbrifts righteoufness unto us,God the father dotb pronounce us righteous in his fight. This is justifica tion. And this is done by the Righteoufnefs, and the Blood of Christ only, as the Material and Meritorious cause, 'Tis done only by Faith asthe Inftrumental caufe,fo we are faid to be juftified by Faith alone. Yernotfo,as that a man is juftified by faith which hath no works; for all justifying faith is full of works: but thefe works do not come into our juftification: As now,amans fervants, they have him to bed Servants have their Master and Miftris to bed, tend upon them to bed, but they do not go into the bed with

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them: They are with them again in the morning, they bring them water and neceffary things, but they do not come to bed to them. Now faies Luther) Juftification is that bed, where Christ and a Beleeving foul lies: & though good works, Duties, and Prayers tend upon Chrift, and where ever chere is faith, there are thefe; yet this bed of Juftification is kept free, and entire,and only for the Righ teoufnels of Jefas Chrift; and they come not to bed, they come not into this work. Or if you will thus: Ye know, that when an Ifraelite was ftung in the wilderness,by a fiery biting ferpent, he was then to look upon the Brafen ferpent; and by the beholding of the Brafen-ferpent he was cared; the looking of his eyes cured him. He had other members, there was the Arms, and the Legs, and other members that did accompany the Eyes; but though there were other members that did accompany the Eyes, it was the feeing of the Eyes that did cure the perfon. And fo, though works do accompany faith; and there is no faving, Juftifying faith, but works accompany it; yet it is only the beholding of this Brafen ferpent by the eye of faith,that does cure the foul as to the point of Juftification. When Abraham went up into the mountain to offer up his fon, he spake to his fervants to stay below, Stay you here till I come again, atthe foot and bottom of this bill and fo they did. Servants be had, but they ftayed below. And fo when a man goes up into this hill of juftification, this high mountain, he takes only his faith with him, and he fayes unto all his works, and unto all his duties,ftay you below at the bottom of the hil; and there they attend. So that faith, juftifying faith, though it hath alwaies works, yet they come not into this matter of Juftification. 'Tis Faith alone that justifies. This by way of Explication.

But Secondly, You will fay,How may it appear now, that this free juftification of a poor finner by Faith alone,is the original of all our Holineẞ and Spirititual life?

Thus, it appears by contraries: Contraries, bave contrary Confequences. If the Law, and Juftification thereby, be no

friend,

friend, but a real enemy unto all our Grace and Holiness, then Juftification by faith alone is a friend to it: But now take the Law, and you fhal find,that Juftification thereby, is no friend, but a real enemy unto all our Holiness, and the power of godlinefs. What greater enemies had the world ever to the power of godlinefs, than the Jews were? and they fought to eftablish their own Righteoufnefs, and to be justified by the Law. And now a daies, What more bitter,& more fel enemy unto the power of godliness, than a Moral Civil man? Why? Becaufe though he do not underftand himself, yet he doth fecretly feek his acceptance with God, by his own doing, and good meaning. A man can never live to God,that lives to himfelf:So long as a man feek Juftification by his own doing, & working, he lives in himfe!f. Therefore faies the Apoftle, I defire not to be found Phil.3.9. in mine own righteousneß, to be found in it. Hope is the Spring of action. The Plow-man plows in hope, & he fows in hope; Hope is the Spring of action. Now if a man feeks to be juftified by the Law, or the works of the Law, there is no hope; for all works are imperfect: and if no hope, (faies the foul)why should I work? as good never a whit, as never the better. That cannot be the Principle of our grace and holiness, which can neither Convert a man,nor mortifie bis fins, nor quicken one to what is good, nor comfort, or free him from temptation. Now I pray. What is it that Converts a foul to Chrift? is it the Law, or the preaching of the Law? Nay, (faies our Savior) I will fend the Comforter, and be fhall convince the world of fin. But where Job.17.9 do I receive the Spirit? Saies the Apoftle in the next chap ter, (the 3. of the Galations)Oye foolish Galatians this would I know of ye, Received ye the Spirit by the preaching of the Law, or by the bearing of Faith? Not by the preaching of theLaw. And as for Mortification of fin: Can the Law do that? Nay, (faies the Apoftle in the 8. of the Romans) The Law is weak: What the Law could not do, being weak,God fent bis own Son, to condemn fin in the flefb. So that the Law cannot mortifie fin, the Law cannot do it. And as for our Quickening unto what

what is good; Can the Law dothat? Nay, (laies the Apoftle) The Lam is a dead letter; and, the Law is the minißration of death: And can that which is a dead letter, and the ministration of death, quicken us unto what is good? certainly it cannot. And as for our Temptations, and freedom from them; Does the Law do that? Ye know, the A poftle triumphs, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect? And who fhall lay any thing to my charge? thall the Anger,and wrath of God? fhall Satan, or mine own Confcience? I will not be much afflicted (faies be:) why? for, It is God that justifies. He does not fay, for it is Mofes that juftifies but 'tis Chrift that died, and God juftifies, not Mofes. Sampfon (ye know) found honey combs in the body of the dead lyon; not in bives at home,or crees abroad; but he found honey combs in the body of the dead lyon. So does a poor tempted foul find all the honey combs. of comfort,in the body of the dead Lyon of the tribe of Judah, not in bis own hive. I have read of a certain man, that was much in prayer, fasting, and reading; and the Devil came unto him and told him, Friend, Why doeft theu Pray fo much, and Reade fo much, and fast so much? is all to no purpose, for thou shalt go to Hell at the last, thou shalt never go to Heaven: faies he, As for that, I leave that to God; it is not my Queftion, whether I shall go to Heaven, or Hell: but my Question is, How shall I ferve Cod, and live to God? Had he now fought Juftification in a way of works, and by the Law; could he have ever bin able to have anfwered to this tempration ? Ye may lee what the Apoft. faies, in the 7, chap. of his Epifle to the Romans, he gives you a Similitude thus: As a woman; fo is the foul of eve ry man: So long asa woman is married unso one man, the brings forth Children unto him, and not unto any other, but is dead unto all others: but when that man dies, the is free to marry; and he marries another,and fhe bring forth. children unto him. Now faies the Apostle (at the 4 verf.) Wherefore my brethren, ye also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ, that re should be married to another, evento bia,

whe

who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. So that, fo long as a man is married to the Law, he can never bring forth fruit unto God. Now then, thus lies the Reason: If that the Law, and juftification thereby, be no Friend, but a real Enemy unto all our Holiness: then (contraries having contrary confequences) Juftification by faith alone is a Friend, and no Enemy unto our Spiritual life and Holinefs.

Secondly. This alfo will appear, if ye confiler the pa-ralel between the first and second Adam. Chrift is our fe cond Adam: Now faies the Apoftle in the 5. of the Romans, Arby the fin of one, death came upon all men to condemnation: fo by the Righteoufne ene, life comes unto many. Well, but how came condemnation upon all men by the fin of one? The firt Adam, he was a common perfon, he did ftand for all mankind: when he finned, all mankind finned: and therefore affoon as any one is born, the fin ot Adam being imputed to him judicially; that imputation is the origi nal of all the unholiness that is among the children of men. So our Lord and Savior Jefus Chrift, being our fecond A dam he is a common perton, ftands in the room of all the EleЯ, he was obedient, not for himself, but for Them: Chriftus non merunt fibi Obeyed not for Himfelf: and he died not for himfelf, but for them, righteous for them. When therefore, a mar is born into the world, is regenerate by faith? then all that Righteoufnefs of Chrift, the fecond Adam, is impored to him.

And this imputation of his Righteousness by faich, is the originaliof all that Holmef that is in our lives, thus: Aval the Unholiness, and Wickedness that is in the world, does How from the imputation of the firft Adams fin: So al that grace and holiness that is in the world, does flow from the imputation of the fecond Adams Righteoufnefs. Now by faith alone, this Righteoufness is imputed, and does become ours, and therefore, Juftification by faith alone isthe principle and original of all our graceand holiness.

Thirdly. If free remiflion of fin, and the fence thereof,

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