dition of the New Covenant; Comprehending all the duty which it requires. And this feems to be the Prevailing Notion among all the Writers of that new Stamp.

Now do I Blefs God for the Scriptures, and particularly S. Paul's Epifiles: from which I can easily gather up a Satisfying Notion of Juftifying Faith: When these men,methinks lead us into a Wood; as if they had a mind only to Darken a Plain matter, and Amufe and Lofe the Reader. And while they Confound Faith with Works, and make no difference between Believing and Obeying; what do they but take away all diftinction between the Cause and the Effect; And may as well tellus, That the Sun in the Firmament, and the Fruits upon the Ground are one and the fame: Or that a man's natural Life, and all the Actions produced by that Life, are the fame. For Faith works by Love; and is fhew'd by good, Works; As the Sun helps to produce Fruits,and the Life to perform A&ions. It does indeed virtually include Obedience, and is the Principle of it. But yet

yet 1 cannot call it the very Obedience it felf. For Effence and Properties ftill ufe to have a diftin&t confideration: Tho' the truth of that may better be known, by the Workings of thefe: Tet ftill, 'Tis one thing, What the true Juftifying Faith is; and another thing, What it does Effect, where it is. I grant that it is ever productive of good Works; but must deny that the Works fo produced do Justify us in the fight of God.

Now fome that take pains to prove, That to be no true Faith, which works not a Holy Life, do only tell you, What Faith is not: To guard it from the Abuses of rude Pretenders: But they fay nothing at all, What it is, to the Eftablishment of any true Believers: As long as they Conceal or deny, Faith to be the Soul's Relying and Trufting on the Merits and Satisfaction of Chrift Jefus for Pardon and Salvation: Nay while they hold you in hand, (by the Drift of all their Difcourfes on Faith,) That Right Believing is nothing else but boly Living; and that no Faith, but Evangelical Obedience, or a Godly, Righteous and Sober Converfation, (which

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(which we grant, is the neceffary way of Salvation; and a Superstructure that must be built upon Faith's Foundation. That nothing elfe) will ever avail to Juftification, i. e. (directly oppofite to the Apostle,) That we are Juftified by Works, and not by Faith. And here their Afurance and Swaggering grows to fuch a height; that they feem to carry all before'em. And had we not better Authority and stronger Convicti on, wherewith to Confront their words and Reasonings, We must even give up the Caufe; and Own our Silly Mistake. But when we come to Confult Scriptures; the Unanimous Confeffions of the Reformed; the pofitive Determinations of our own Church; the Confciences of the Best men; and the Experiences of all true Believers in the World; Then we cannot but ftand amazed at the Audacity of fome Church-men, and Proteftant Writers, That they should fo coarfely use their own Church; and fo fiercely let fly at the Proteftant Religion. And from fuch I fhall not be much Startled to hear Antinomian: which I know they can throw, as a hard word,

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at the heads of fome that leaft deferve it When really the mad rage is at another thing, that founds like it, [AntiArminianifm:] This is meant; Tho' lefs nam'd; because the other founds more Invidious.

But indeed, They that make Believing Infignificant; where there is but the Probity of Living, thus ftand ready to Surrender the great Articles of our Faith, to any Jews, Turks and Infidels: Provided they lead but a Good Life, or what they are pleas'd to call fo. And then Tully and Seneca may do even as well as S. Peter and S. Paul: And we must not regard our Lord Jefus, when he is fo pofitive, Joh. 8. 24. If ye Believe not that I am He, you fhall die in your Sins. I will not fay, They would bring us back from Chrift to Mofes again: For indeed it is from Chrift and Mofes both to the old Pagans; that had but the Light of Nature: which thefe now fo cry up, and Magnify above the Law and the Gospel too; And affect to be fuch Rational Preachers, that they forget themselves to be Gofpel-Preachers. Divinity's

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• Divinity's tranfcendent Sky
With th' Edge of Wit they cut and carve,
Reafon triumphs, and Faith lies by.
Herb.

And at the fame time, How do they Run down the Doctrine of our Church? Which teaches us. (Art. 18.) They are to be had Accurfed, who presume to fay, That every man fhall be Saved, by the Law or Sect which he profeffeth; So that he be diligent to frame his Life according to that Law, and the Light of Nature.

But tho' I grant, (and in the following Difcourfe, fhall make appear, to all Abufers of our Doctrine.) That any Pretences to Good Faith, without Good Life, are a dangerous Cheat, and scandalous Hypocrify: Yet we must not therefore fumble and Confound the Nature and Diftinction of things, to make Credenda and Agenda Terms Synoni, mous: Nor dare to give God the Lye, in refusing to Believe the Record which he has given of his Son. 1 John v. IO, II. That he has given to us Eternal Life: and this Life is in his Son, Tho' we might pretend to Live as well, without

that