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B. New Testament. Rom. iii. 24, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS."

CHRIST'S Merit.

Perfect Innocence, John viii. 46. 1 Pet. ii. 22.

1 John iii. 5.

Perfect Obedience to the Law,

See also John iv. 34; xv. 10.

Matt. iii. 15.

Heb. vii. 26-28.

Obedience unto death, Phil. ii. 8.-See also Rom. iii. 22; iv. 23-25; v. 18, 19; viii. 3, 4; x. 4. 1 Cor. i. 30. 2 Cor. v. 19-21. Gal. iii. Ephes. 1, 7. Phil. iii. 21.

21, 22; iv. 4, 5.
Col. ii. 10.

3. Human Testimony.

A. Fathers. Polycarp, Epist. ad Philip. c. 1, "Whom not having seen ye believe, but believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, into which many desire to enter, knowing that ye are saved by grace, not of works, but by the will of GOD, through JESUS CHRIST."-See also Tertull. adv. Marc. lib. IV. c. xviii. August. ad. Ps. lxx. ii. 5, vol. IV.

xii. xiii.

B. Confessions. 1 Helvetic, Art. xii. 2 Helvetic, c. xv.
Bohemian, c. vi. Gallican, Arts.
Belgic,
Art. xxii. Augsburg, Art. iv. Suevic, Art. iii.
Wirtemburg, c. v. Westminster, c. viii. §5; xi. § 1.

PROP. II. We are accounted righteous before GOD, only for the merit of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, by Faith.3

1. The Testimony of Reason.

To affirm that CHRIST's merits are not sufficient, is to make
Him only in part our SAVIOUR.

All men have sinned, and are therefore incapable of working
a perfect righteousness, which alone GOD accepts as a
fulfilment of His law.

3 It is not meant that faith, by itself, or of itself, doth justify us; for faith is but only as an instrument, whereby we apprehend CHRIST, Who is the LORD our Righteousness.

M

2. Divine Testimony.

A. Old Testament. Gen. xv. 6, "And he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness." Hab. ii. 4, "The just shall live by his faith."-See also Isa. xxviii. 16. Jer. xxiii. 6; xxxiii. 16. Joel ii. 32.

B. New Testament.

Rom. iii. 21,

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."-See also Mark xvi. 16. John i. 12, 13; iii. 18, 36; v. 24; vi. 40, 47; vii. 38; xi. 25, 26; xx. 29. Acts x. 43; xiii. 39; xvi. 31; xxvi. 18. Rom. i. 16; iii. 4-6, 22-26, 30; iv. 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 20–24; v. 1, 2; viii. 15; ix. 30–33; x. 4, 9, 11.

1 Cor. i. 30, 31.

V.

Gal. ii. 16; iii. 8, 5, 6. Ephes. i. 6; ii. 8, 9; iii. 12.

9, 11, 22, 26;

Phil. iii. 8, 9. Col. i. 20. Heb. vi. 18; x. 35, 38, 39; xi. 6, 7. 1 John v. 1, 4, 5.

1 Pet. i. 5, 9. 2 Pet. i. 1; ii. 6.
Rev. xix. 8.

3. Human Testimony.

A. Fathers. Clement of Rome, Epist. to the Cor. c. xxxii.,
"And we therefore, being called by His will in CHRIST
JESUS, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own
wisdom, or prudence, or piety, or works which we have
done in holiness of heart, but by that faith, by which
the Almighty God justified all from the beginning.".
See also Just. Mart. Dial. c. Tryph. cc. xxxiii. and cii.
Epist. ad Diogn. Iren. adv. Hæret. lib. IV. cc. xiii. lxvii.
Cyprian Test. ad Qurin. lib. III. c. xliii.; Ep. lxiii.
Origen in Rom. iii. vol. IV. p. 516, 517. August.
in Ps. xxxi. Basil, Hom. xxii.; De Humil. vol. 1.
p. 473. Id. in Ps. cxiv. vol. 1. p. 267. Chrysost. in
Gal. c. iii. vol. III. p. 738, in 2 Cor. v. Hieron.
vol. XI. in Rom. iv. Id. in Gal. iii. Ambros. vol. II.
App. p. 48, in Rom. iii. and iv.
Greg. Nyss. Orat. ii.,
in Cant. August. Enchirid. ad Laurent. c. xli. Hilar.
in Matt. ix.

B. Confessions. 2 Helvetic, cc. xv. xvi. Basil, Art. viii.
Bohemian, cc. vi. vii. Gallican, Arts. x. xii. Belgic,

Art. xxii. Augsburg, Arts. iv. (1531) xx. (1540).
Saxon, Arts. iii. viii. Wirtemburg, cc. iv. v. viii.
Sueveland, c. iii. Westminster, c. xi. § 1.

PROP. III. We are not accounted righteous before GOD for our own works or deservings.

1. The Testimony of Reason.

Because we are not under the covenant of works.

Because our works are not perfect.

Because we are already obnoxious to Divine justice for our original and actual sin.

2. Divine Testimony.

A. Old Testament. Job xli. 11, "Who hath prevented Me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is Mine."-See also Job ix. 2, 3, 20; xxii. 2, 3; xxv. 4; xxxv. 7. Ps. cxxx. 3; cxliii. 2. Isa. xliii. 26.

B. New Testament. Gal. iii. 11, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of GOD, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith."-See also John xvii. 2. Acts ii. 30, 44; iii. 25; viii. 15, 36; xiii. 32, 39; xvi. 31; xxii. 16. Rom. iii. 20; iv. 2-5; vi. 23; viii. 3; ix. 31, 32; x. 3, 4; xi. 6. Gal. ii. 16; iii. 16; v. 4. Ephes. ii. 8, 9; iii. 4, 5. Phil. iii. 6-9. 1 Tim. ii. 4-6. 2 Tim. i. 1. Tit. iii. 5, 7. Heb. xi. 17. 1 John v. 11. Rev. ii. 10.

It is by faith only in CHRIST that we are accounted righteous before God. This is St. Paul's doctrine, Rom. iii. 28.-It is by works only that such faith can be declared and proved. This is the doctrine of St. James, Epist. ii. 24. Good works are assured arguments, signs, and witnesses of that faith which lieth hid in the heart. Faith is not merely a belief in the history, but it is also a sure confidence in the promise of mercy made to us in CHRIST our Mediator. St. Paul treats of justification in foro DEI; St. James of it in foro hominis. While both Apostles illustrate their doctrine from the history of Abraham, they select those events in the Patriarch's experience which agree with their seemingly opposite, but really consistent statements.-Comp. Rom. iv. 9-23, with Gen. xv.; and James ii. 21-24, with Gen. xxii.

See Bp. Coverdale's Old Faith, pref. p. 6. "This is the faith of CHRIST, which all the Scripture speaketh of. This is the faith that St. Paul preacheth to justify in the sight of GoD; as St. James teacheth, that works justify in the sight of men, and that it is but a dead faith which hath no works."

3. Human Testimony.

A. Fathers. Ambros. de Vocat. Gen. The Redemption by the blood of CHRIST would grow to be vile (vilesceret), and the prerogative of human works would not yield to God's mercy, if justification, which is by grace, were due unto foregoing merits, so that it should not be a gift of Him that giveth, but a reward of him that worketh.

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C. Confessions. Augsburg, Arts. iv. vi. (1531), xx. (1540). 1 Helvetic, Arts. iv. xiii. xvi. 2 Helvetic, cc. xv. xvi. Basil, Art. viii. Bohemian, cc. iv. vi. Gallican, Arts. xiii. xxii. Belgic, Art. xxiv. Wirtemburg, c. vi. Sueveland, c. iii. Westminster, c. xi. § 1.

PROP. IV. That we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

1. Divine Testimony.

A. Old Testament. Hab. iii. 17-19, "Although the fig

tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall
yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will
rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the GOD of my
salvation. The LORD GOD is my strength, and He will
make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to
walk upon mine high places." See also Ps. lxxi. 16;
lxxxix. 16. Isa. xlv. 24; lxi. 10.

B. New Testament. Rom. v. 1, "Therefore being justified
by faith, we have peace with GOD through our LORD
JESUS CHRIST."-See also Rom. i. 16, 17; viii. 17.
Gal. iv. 17.

2. Human Testimony.

A. Fathers. Basil, Hom. xxii.

De Humil. "He that

rejoiceth, let him rejoice in the LORD; saying, that

5 See Syllog. Confess. p. 182, Oxon, 1827.

CHRIST is made unto us of GOD, wisdom and righteous-
ness, and sanctification, and redemption, as it is written,
He that rejoiceth, let him rejoice in the LORD.
this is perfect and sound rejoicing in GOD, when a man
is not puffed up by reason of his own righteousness, and
that he is justified by faith alone in CHRIST."

B. Confessions. 2 Helvetic, c. xvi. Bohemian, c. vi. Gallican, Art. xiii. Belgic, Art. xxii. Augsburg, Arts. iv. v. xx.

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