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eign to his purpose, so it was not true, when thus applied.

As to Pfalm li. 5. Behold, I was fhapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me, to this I anfwer, it is one thing to be conceived in fin,' and another to be conceived a finner; the firft of thefe refers to the fin of the parent, which is the plain. and exprefs words of the text; the latter refers to the fin of the child, which is only a false interpretation put upon it; and therefore, I fay, that this text is urged in this cafe without any appearance of ftrength.

If it fhould be objected, that David was now humbling himself before God, for his great offences of murder and adultery, and therefore the fin of his parents was not a proper ground of humiliation to him upon this occafion; and confequently it was his own fin which he referred to. I anfwer, If it was his own fin, yet that was no more a proper ground for his humiliation, in this cafe, then the fin of his parents; because it was what he was no ways acceffory to, nor could prevent, he being entirely palive therein; therefore the one was as proper a ground for his humiliation as the other. But farther, I fay, the true ftate of the case I take to be this, David in his devotion brings in every thing that might raise or express the height of his affections, whether it were of joy or forrow; and so we find him calling upon the fun and moon to praise God, as in Pfalm cxlviii. 3. Here David did not addrefs or petition the fun and moon to be engaged in this work, but he only used thefe expreffions to raise and exprefs his delight and joy in God. So in like manner, when he was humbling himself for his folly, he reprefents himself, not only as a great finner, but alfo (to heighten and aggravate his forrow) that he proceeded from finful parents. A cafe like this, we have in Ifeiab vi. 5,

N 3

Where

Where the Prophet complains against himself, that he was a man of unclean lips, and to aggravate his debasement, he adds, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.

As to Ifaiah xlviii. 8. I knew that thou wouldeft deal very treacherously, and was called a tranfgreffor from the womb. To this I anfwer, fuppofing this to refpect individuals, yet it does not prove them to be tranfgreffors from the womb; because the fcriptures often use fuch loftiness of speech as expreffes much more than the speaker intends; thus in Pfalm lviii. 3. The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go aftray as foon as they be born, Speaking lies. Here the wicked are reprefented as fpeaking lies as foon as they are born, even before they can speak at all. The meaning is, they are finners from their youth upwards; so that to be tranfgreffors from the womb, is no more than to be tranfgreffors from their youth. But farther, I fay, thefe words were spoken not to individual confidered as fuch, but to the nation of Ifrael, as appears from versfe 1. Hear ye this, O houfe of Jacob, which are called by the name of Ifrael, &c. Now this was true of them, confidered as a nation, whose birth, as fuch, was their coming out of Egypt; for before that time they were at most but a multitude of bondmen. And that they were tranfgreffors from the womb, Moses has given an abundant proof.

As to Eph. ii. 3. And were by nature the children of wrath. To this I anfwer, if St. Paul may be allowed to use the term nature in an improper fenfe, as he does in 1 Cor. xi. 14. Doth not even nature itfelf teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a fhame unto him? In this cafe nature, properly fo called, is unconcerned; for fuppofing that it was then, and always had been a custom, for both men and woman to wear their hair down to their gird

les,

les. Would natural reafon have taught us that this was unseemly in the men, and yet decent in the women? no furely, nature hath nothing to say in this matter. It is cuftom and ufage that make things feemly, or unfeemly, in the prefent cafe. It had been a custom for men to have their hair cut, and not to wear it long as the women did, and this was used as a diftinction of the fexes; and for men to do otherwise the Apoftle faith was a fhame; which is as much as if he had faid, even the common ufage and custom of mankind in this cafe teacheth you, that if a man have long hair, like a woman, it is a fhame unto him, for that is to confound the distinction of fexes. I fay, if the Apostle may be allowed to use the word nature in the fame fenfe as before, then the fence of the Apostle will appear to be this, viz. before you believing Ephefians were converted to chriftianity, your customary and habitual wickedness juftly exposed you to the wrath of God, even as thofe other Gentiles which are in the like cafe. But if the Apostle used the word nature in a proper fenfe, then Ì think his meaning is this, viz. among whom alfo * we all had our converfation in times past, in the lufts of the flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh and of the mind, and as fuch we were naturally expofed to the juft difpleasure and wrath of God, even as the other Gentiles that are in the like wicked and unconverted state.

Thus I have fhewn that the texts referred to, do not answer the purpose for which they were produced, and fo have fully answered this objection.

*The Apoftle, as he was fpeaking to the Gentiles, puts himself in the place of a Gentile, and ufes the term we.

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AN

ENQUIRY

Concerning Juftification.

T

HIS enquiry confifts of two parts; firft, of juftification in general; and Secondly, of the juftification of a chrif tian in particular.

First, Of juftification in general. I obferve that as juftification is a law term, fo it imports (in the first and most proper fenfe) that discharge or act of acquitment which he that fits in judgment pronounces upon the perfon under trial; and therefore juftification prefuppofes feveral things, viz. a governour and governed, a law or rule that the governed is to act by, and a tribunal or act of enquiry, whether the perfon governed has walked exactly according to that rule. And as juftification is an acquitting of the perfon under trial, fo that acquitment is either an act of debt, or of grace If when due enquiry hath been made, the perfon under trial is found innocent, that is, hath acted exactly agreeably to the rule which was given him and by which he is tried, then juftification is a debt which the judge is, in ftrict juftice, obliged to make good, and the innocent perfon may lawfully demand as his right. But if when enquiry hath been made, the perfon under trial is found guilty that is, hath acted difagreeably to the rule given him to walk by, then if he is acquitted, that acquitment must be an act of grace, and not of debt, becaufe the judge is fo far from being obliged, in juftice, to aequit him, that on the contrary

contrary he might juftly condemn him. His tranfgreffion of the rule juftly expofes him to that fentence of cendemnation, which is a proportional punishment to his tranfgreffion; and confequently, if he is acquited, it must be wholly of grace,.

and not of debt.

Secondly, Of the Juftification of a chriftian. I obferve, first, that as juftification is a two-fold. ftream which flows from two different fountains,. the one of debt, flowing from the innocency of the perfon juftified, the other of grace, flowing from the merciful goodness of the lawgiver; fo the juftification of a chriftian is wholly of the later fort, viz. of grace. The chriftian hath no right founded in innocency to claim an acquitment at God's bar, because he is a tranfgreffor of God's law; and therefore his acquitment is founded in the merciful goodnefs of God the lawgiver. For the proof of this obfervation, fee Rom. iii. 9. 23. We have before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under fin.. - All have finned, and come short of the glory of God, James iii. 2. In many thing we offend all. 1 John i. 8, 10. If we fay that we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, If we fay that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Here we fee that all chriftians are chargeable with fin; and confequently, if they are acquitted at God's bar, their juftification must be of grace, and not of debt. Moreover, this is directly afferted by St. Paul. Rom. iii. 24. Being justified freely by his grace, thro' the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift. Eph. ii. 24. &c. But God, who is rich in meriy, for his great love wherewith he hath loved even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift, (by grace ye are faved.) For by Grace ye are faved, tho' faith; and that not of your felves; it is the gift of God: not of works

us,

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