The Life of Justification Opened, Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX
Whether Love, purpose of Obedience, or perseverance be Conditions of Justification.
BY what is said, in our foregoing discourse, we may know, what is to be answered unto these Questions, so that we need not insist long, in the discussing of them. Some of late lay downe for a ground (and hereby give occasion to discuss these and such like questions) that whatever is or may be called a… the Covenant of Grace, is, upon that account, & may be called, the Condition of Justification; thus confounding the whole order of the Gospel, & making all duties, required of such, as are in Covenant, & ordained of God for other ends & uses, to be required as Conditions of entering in Covenant, and to have the same use and end in & unto justification, which faith hath; contrary to express Scripture, saying, that we are justified by faith, & not by works of Righteousness, which we do, and contrary to the whole methode of the Gospel, & grounds laid down therein, for an acceptable performance of obedience.
As to Love, Papisit's make it the forme (as they speak) of faith, not in it self simply considered, but in order to Justification & Salvation thereby, saying that faith without Love is dead: And it is true, that true & saving faith worketh by Love: and that faith cannot be called Saving or Justifying, which doth not excite unto acts of Love, and many may deceive themselves with a faith, that will not be found, when tried, to be of the right stamp: as the Apostles Iames teacheth. But yet they put no specifick difference, commonly, betwixt this dead faith & faith informed; for both (as to what is essential & intrinsik to faith, which they hold to be an assent unto all things, revealed by the Lord unto men, upon the account of the Veracity and Authority of the Revealer) are one & the same; so as one and the same faith may be sometime dead, when to wit, not working by Love, & sometime lively, when formed with Love. But of these things we need not here speak: only we see, that with them, Love is in a manner more necessary unto Justification, than faith; & must be looked on, as a necessary condition thereunto, even as that, without which faith can do nothing. And to confute this here is but vaine. seing it shall serve nothing to our purpose; because with them justification is the very same, we call Sanctification.
But others, who have more sound and distinct apprehensions of justification, tell us, That love is the condition of justification, because a condition of the Covenant of Grace; as if all the duties of such, as are in Marriage Relations, were conditions of making up the marriage Relation, Others, who distinguish betwixt Faith & Evangelick Obedience, as betwixt consent to a mans Soveraignity, & obeying him, as Soveraigne, as doth Mr. Baxter Confess. p. 89, 90. Yet say, that Love is comprized in Faith, and is some degree of Justifying Faith & not properly a fruite of it; because the wills apprehension of a thing good, or earnest willing & accepting it, is the fame with Love; so is the wills Consenting, Electing & accepting; & all this being in Faith, Love must be comprehended in it; Yea they say, that as Love & Faith are propounded in the Gospel, as of the same necessity, so they are necessary in Justification, & concurrent in apprehending Christ. So spoke Mr. Baxter in his Aphorismes. And in his Confess. p. 34, 35. he saith. Though Charitie, as it respecteth other objects, is no part of faith, yet as it respecteth an offered Saviour, it is as much essential to faith, to receive Christ with Love, as it is essential to a Saviour (the object of faith) to be good for us; for good as good is received by love. Nor was it ever the Intent of the Holy Ghost, to take faith in Christ, in so narrow a sense, as includeth not Love to him, when it is saving Faith, that is spoken of.
In reference to all which, we need say but those few following things.
1. The Scriptures do plainly enough distinguish betwixt Faith & Love, They are reckoned as distinct fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5: 22. Love, joy-faith yea Faith is said to worke by love Gal. 5: 6. we heare of the work of faith, and labour of love 1. Thes. 1: 3. we heare of Charitie out of a pure heart, & of faith unfaigned. 1. Tim. 1: 5. And the grace of our Lord (saith Paul 1. Tim. 1: 14) was exceeding abundant, with Faith & Love, which is in Christ Iesus. We hear of the brestplate of Faith & Love. 1. Thes. 5: 8.
2. The Scriptures do plainly tell us, that we are Justified by Faith, as we heard, but never saith, that we are justified by love: And sure, as it is best for us, to regulate our expressions, according to the Lord's Revelation of this mysterie; so it cannot but be offensive to use such expressions, as not only are not scriptural, but also seem inconsistent with Scriptural expressions: when the Scripture saith expresly & frequently, that we are Justified by faith, and that in opposition to works, and not only saith it, but proveth it, it cannot be justifiable in us to say, that we are Justified by Love; seing that would at least seem to crosse the Apostle's assertion, the force whereof is (as ours abundantly evince against the Papists) that we are Justified only by Faith, & consequently by no other grace: neither by Love, nor by Hope, nor by Patience, &c.
3. By the Scriptures telling us, that we are Justified by Faith, & never saying, that we are Justified by any other grace, as by Love &c. we are given to understand, that Faith hath other Operations, Uses & Ends, in the office of justification, than Love, or any other grace hath: And therefore to insinuate, that love hath the same Interest & Office in & about justification, that Faith hath, is to deny, or overturn the proper & specifick actings of Faith, in order to justification: And, how small a matter soever this may appear to be at first; yet, when it is further prosecuted, or the ground of this searched into, or its designe & tendency considered impartially, it will befound of a deeper consequence, & to tend to the alteration of the whole specifick nature of the Covenant of Grace, as it is distinct from the Covenant of Works: for though both Faith & Love may & must be looked upon, as acting upon the same object Christ; yet when Faith is conceived as acting no other way, than Love, and both, as potestative Conditions, or as parts of one Potestative Condition, and no other way; it is plaine enough, how the special actings of faith, in compliance with the designe of God's Wisdom, Grace, and Love in the Gospel contrivance, and thereupon in receiving & resting upon Christ, as the alone propitiating Sacrifice, and on his Surety-Righteousness, as that alone, by vertue of which they are to expect Justification & Acceptance with God, & to receive the Atonement, are laid aside: And the beleeving soul is supposed not to act on Christ, nor apply Him & his Righteousness in order to the being Acquit from the sentence of the Law, & from the Curse, due for the breach of the same, in that particular manner, that both its case & condition requireth, and the Gospel pointeth forth, and the experience of soul, attaining hereby to Peace, doth confirme.
4. It is true, there is Love to Christ, in the soul, that beleeveth, and it must be so; and it is true also, that this Love is called for in the Gospel; but hence it will not follow, that Love is the Condition of Justification, or that every thing, that is present with, or accompanieth faith in justification, hath the same Life, Ends, and Interest in Justification, or the same Influence thereupon, that faith hath; far less will it follow, that that which followeth faith, and whereby faith worketh through all the after-carriage of a Beleever, hath the same Place, Power and Interest in & about justification, that faith hath, as we shewed above of Repentance.
5. If by this Love nothing else were meaned, but that Love of desire, that necessarily accompanieth the souls accepting, and closeing with what is good, or offered as good; sure, it would have given no ground of offence to have called it so, & would have been more acceptable, than to have called it otherwayes, even though speaking strickly, the Love of desire may be called Love, and is a Love, in its own kinde: and therefore, I judge, that denomination might have been rather chosen, which would have given no offence, than the other, which to avoide suspicion and offence, calleth for so much waste of words, to render the expression less, noxious, especially, seing for all that is said, in clearing of the same, all ground of suspicion is not removed, but that some other thing was intended, than that meer Love of desire, that is inseparable from the will's earnest pursuite after, or embraceing any good thing offered; especiasly when it is said, That Ioh. 16: 27. & 14: 21. make Love the antecedent Condition of God's Love & Christ's Love to the person. And that that goeth with Remission and is a Love of Reconciliation; and Reconciliation comprehendeth Remission: At least you will never shew out of Scripture, that the procureing God's Love, and the Procuring Remission & Reconciliation have not the same conditions: for hereby it is manifest, that Love, even as distinct from faith (as it is Ioh. 16: 26 -because ye have loved me & have beleeved that I am come out from God) is made as formal & full a Condition of Reconciliation & Pardon, & consequently of justification, as faith his; Yea & that both faith & Love are made Conditions procuring God's Pardon & Reconciliation. Thus speaketh Mr. Baxter against Mr. Cartwright pag. 202. But lest any should think, that either of these places cited should prove, what Mr. Baxter alledgeth them for, it would be considered. (1) That Ioh. 14: 21. He is speaking of such, as are already beleevers & justified, when he is speaking of such as have already Christ's commandemants, & keep them. (2) He speaketh of the Fathers & of his own Love of such, in the future time, which cannot be meaned in reference to his Disciples, unless we think, they were not yet justified, contrary to the very forgoeing verse, & many other passages in that discourse, particularly Chap. 14: 1, & 15: 3, 4, 5, 9. (3) This is meaned of a Love of Manifestation; as Christ's own words added exegetically declare. And I will Love him & will manifest my self to him. (4) This same sort of expression of Love is also to be understood Ioh. 16. as the whole scope cleareth, this being spoken to perswade them, that they should receive the returne of their prayers & should not ask the Father in vaine; for such a Love carrieth he towards you (as if he had said) that, in a manner, I need not intercede for you. (5) And so the Love of the disciples here mentioned, is that Love of complacencie, which they had in Christ, in abiding still in his Company, and delighting in him, whom they had followed as their Master, all alongs; and the cause from whence this flowed, is added, and have beleeved, that I came out from God.
As to the second particular, to wit. Purpose of obedience. M. Baxter in his Aphorismes told us, that as the accepting of Christ for Lord (which is the hearts (Subjection) is as essential a part of justifying faith, as the accepting him for Saviour: So consequently, sincere obedience (which is the effect of the former) hath as much to do in justifying us before God, as (some) Affiance, which is the fruit of the latter. Hereby he would seem to give the same Interest unto actual Obedience, in Justification, that he giveth unto Affiance, which cannot be wanting unto Justifying Faith, yea himself confesseth to be an essential act of Faith, in the margine of these words, Printed with Mr. Cartwrights observations and his Reply pag. 204. But in his Confess. (as we heard above) p. 89, 90. he putteth as great a difference betwixt faith, & Evangelick Obedience, as betwixt the Consent to Marriage Relation, and the conjugal Fidelity & Obedience of a wife to her husband: So that hereby it is manifest, that with him, all Obedience cannot comprized in faith, & so cannot be a Condition with Faith of Justification: and this he saith pag. 90. expresly. So that I do no more (as I am accused) comprize all Obedience in Faith, because I comprize a Love to the Redeemer, & a Consent to be governed by him, then I comprize all Coujugal Obedience & Fidelity of a woman to her husband, in the Marriage …venant or Consent, because I comprize in it Love to the Man & a Covenant of fidelity & obedience to the future. His meaning is not then, that actual Obedience is either a part of faith, or hath the same interest of a Condition in Justification, that faith hath. Therefore he tels us more plainly & positively his meaning, as to this, Confess. pag. 38: 39. n. 22. This Covenant (saith he, meaning the Covenant, that a Beleever entereth with Christ, as a Saviour, and in him, with the offended majestie (containeth an engagement to future obedience: So that though our first faith be not the same thing with Obedience to Christ - yet in taking Christ for King, it essentially containeth a Resolution & Covenant to obey him. Hereby we see, that a Resolution, Promise, or Covenant to obey Christ, for the future, is essentially included in faith, as justifying, & consequently that this must be as kindly a part of the Condition of Justification, as any thing in Faith. And next, that the ground of this is, because justifying faith, as justifying, doth as kindly & really take Christ for a King, as for a Priest. This is further explained by what he saith immediatly before n. 21. The very nature of this saving Faith, is to be a Heart-Covenanting of a Sinner with Christ, as a Saviour - Even as is a Covenant of a woman to her husband, a Souldier to his Commander; a Subject to his Prince, a Scholler to his Master; it is our becoming his Disciples.
By which we see these things laid down, as truthes to be received.
1. That the souls Covenanting with Christ, or accepting of him, as offered in the Gospel, is like the Covenanting of a woman with her Husband, of a Souldier with his Commander▪ a Subject to his Prince &c.
2. That as the Woman, Souldier or Subject, Resolve, Covenant & Promise to performe obedience unto the Husband, Commander, or King, so the Sinner, in Covenanting with Christ, doth Resolve, Covenant and Promise to performe Obedience unto Him.
3. That therefore, this Resolution, Covenanting & Promising to performe obedience, being essential to Justifying Faith, is a formal Condition of Justification, & the meaning of faiths being the Condition of Iustification must be this, the Man's Resolution, Covenanting & Promising to performe Obedience, is the Condition of Iustification; or at least this part of faith, as well as others, is the Condition.
4. And the ground of this is, because Justifying faith, even as Iustifying, or in order to Iustification, acteth as directly & expresly on Christ as a King, as on Christ, as a Priest.
In Answere to which, I shall but briefly say these things.
1. The similitudes adduced halt in one thing, & that one thing, is all, as to our present business. A woman Covenanting with her husband, and thereby promising obedience, or a Souldier with his Commander, or a Subject with his Prince, presuppose & acknowledge, Power & Strength in themselves to performe the obedience promised, & upon the Supposition & Conviction of this power & ability in themselves to performe what shall be commanded, they willingly & of their own accord, promise to put forth that Power, Strength & Ability of theirs, unto the performance of obedience, that shall be required. But it is not so, in our case, The Sinner, who is now supposed to be about Covenanting with Christ, through the Spirit of Conviction, & Humiliation, is put far from all his natural Pelagian conceits & apprehensions of himself, & of his own abilities; He is now made to see, that as he hath nothing at present, wherewith to Satisfie God, for the sins that are charged upon him; nor to allure Christ, to do for him; unless it be wretchedness & miserie, that may move Christ to compassionate his case; so he can do nothing for the future, that can be accepted of God, till he be renewed; He is made to see, that there is a Natural Impotency (I mean not a physical impotency, as if he wanted a soul, or Faculties) in him to any thing that is good, & a pravitie of Will, whereby it is impossible, that he can do any thing, conforme to the will of God, untill he be Regenerated, made willing by an omnipotent Power, & have a new active Principle of life and grace, given unto him, or infused in him, by the Spirit of Jesus.
2. Whereupon, it is manifest, That a sinner in that plight (& in that Condition we must consider him to be, who is now seeking to be Justified, and to be delivered from the wrath of God for sin) in fleeing to Christ for refnge, cannot be thought to be making any such Promises, or having any such Resolutions, in order to his Justification, and & Freedom from the Curse of the Law; He, that is throughly convinced of his total Impotencie, will not think (while he is under the power of these Convictions) of making any Engagements for obedience in time to come: Yea, where any such things really were, it might be feared, that the work of Conviction was not keep enough; and that such, so acting, would not receive Christ freely, as he is offered in the Gospel; but rather came with a price in their hand, a parcel of faire promises for the future, of doing that, which was not in their power. But it will possibly be said. That though there be no express and explicite Engaging & Promiseing here; yet there cannot but be a virtual engageing; as in the making of Marriage, though the woman do not explicitly promise obedience, yet her engagement is included in her acceptance of the person. I Answere. Let us suppose, that the woman is every way as unable to obey her husband, as the sinner, not yet converted, is to obey the commands of God; & that from her husband alone she must receive that, whereby she shall become able: & then see, if her consenting to the match do formally include, even virtually, her engagement to future obedience. I do not suppose, by all this, that the Beleever is under no Obligation, or Engagment to Obedience; for as he hath received a principle of obedience, even the new heart, the willing minde, and the renewed faculties; so he is under many Obligations, Promises, Vowes & Engagements explicite & virtually, to carry as devouted unto God, in all obedience: but we are speaking here of a person, not yet out of the state of nature, but being under the terrours of the Lord, and Convictions of guilt & misery, is seeking after a Reliete, unto his present case, to wit, how he may be freed from the Curse of the Law, and put in a Justified state, & in Favoure with God.
3. Hence, it is much to be doubted (however it be put beyond all doubt, or disput, with Mr. Baxter) whether Faith, Saving & Justifying, include essentially any such formal Engagement & Resolution unto Obedience; seing the person, of whom we are speaking, fleeth to Christ, for reliefe, as one, that is throughly convinced of his own Impotency, Inability to do any thing less or more for his own help, or for pleasing of God. This Resolution unto new obedience is rather included in Repentance (which is distinct from Faith, as we saw above) & so it is mentioned, in the description of Repentance, given in our shorter Catechisme.
4. But it will be said, How then is Christ received by faith, as a King? I Ans. Not to debate that here, which is to be spoke to afterward, (to wit, whether justifying faith, while it is acting, in order to Justification, doth receive Christ, as a King? or rather, (for this is more properly the question) whether a person, under the Conviction of sin & wrath, & seeking for Pardon & Acceptance in & through Christ, doth six the eye of his soul upon Christ as King, or as Priest? Or whether there is that in Christ, considered as a King, or considered as a Priest, that is more sutable unto the present case of the convinced sinner? Or whether, or not, the Person, in the Condition mentioned, seeketh reliefe rather from Christ, as a Priest, offering up himself, as a Sacrifice giving his bloud for a Ransome, to Satisfie the justice of God for sins; or as a King, endued with Authority to subdue sin? And if the question thus were proposed unto the experienced Christians, or unto the persons, in such a Condition, it would, I suppose, receive a very quick answere.) Unto the question now proposed I say, That, though it were granted, that Faith, in order to the mans Justification, did act as well on Christ as a King, as on Christ, as a Priest (which yet cannot be granted; as is already hinted, and shall be cleared afterward) yet it would not follow, that this Faith did essentially include a Resolution and Engagment to future obedience: for it is not here, as in Subjects receiving a person for their King, as was said already, whose Persons or Subjects, have power & ability, & their will (as to these things) in their own hand, & may therefore promise obedience, according as the Relation made up, formally engageth unto; & yet Mr. Baxter ag. Ludiomaeus Colvin. §. 15. saith That this is but to consent to the Relation, or to his Soveraignity, that they may obey him, and Love, honour & obedience come after. But if we should suppose a company of men, lying bound in chaines, in dunge…ns, under the feet of cruel Tyrants & Enemies. & in that case receiving one for their King; would their receiving of him for their King firstly & primarily import a formal engagement, on their part, to obey him? I suppose, it would import some other thing, anteriour to that, to wit, their ready consent, th…t he, by all the power & might he can make, shall loose their bands, and set them at liberty, & put them in the case & condition of free Subjects. Now the case is so here with us, with advantage; for not only, are we in bands, and lying in prison, and so unable to performe any Obedience; but naturally, till a change be made, we are utterly unwilling & averse from performing any acts of Obedience, though it were in our power, so that before we be in case to yeeld obedience, the whole man must be renewed, Judgment, Will & Affections; when therefore, we, in such a case, receive Christ, as our King, it is firstly & chiefly, that he may make us willing in the day of his power; that he may make us his Subjects, willing & obedient, & ready to do his will; that he may loose our bands, deliver us from the bondage & slavery of sin, bring us out of captivity, & from under the power of Satan, & worke in us both to will & to do, according to his good pleasure. These are Acts of Christ's kingly power, these are Benefites, that answere the present necessity of wakened souls: these therefore must be the good things, their souls must seek after, & for these things must they goe to him, as King, & in reference to these must they lay hold on Him: So that this is mainly implyed in their receiving of Christ, as King. In like manner, when they receive him, as a Prophet they do not come unto him, as other Scholers do to their Masters, bringing a Capacitie, a Faculty & an Ingine with them for learning, without which all the Masters paines in giving Instructions, & theirs in studying hard, will be in vaine: but they come unto him, in the through conviction of their Blindness, Incapacitie to learne, want of Understanding to perceive the things of God, and to take up the mysteries of the Kingdom: that he may teach them, as never man taught; by giving them an hearing eare, and an understanding Heart, by opening their eyes, to see the mysteries of God & of Christ; that he may so teach, as to write his lawes in their heart; cause their hear… to come to wisdome, & cause them, to know the way, wherein they should walk. It is true, the receiving of Christ as King includeth also their obligation to owne him, as such, by receiving his Lawes, subjecting unto his Dispensations, &c. And the receiving of him as Prophet, includeth their obligation to acknowledge him for their only Teacher, and to depend on him for their Instruction: But yet I say, as this speaketh out no formal promise or engagment to actual Obedience & actual learning, but rather an Engagement & Resolution to be willing that he may act the part of a Prophet & of a King towards them, and so cause them carry & look like Scholers & Subjects; so the thing that is firstly & mainely in their eye, in their coming to Christ, is that which suiteth their present case, and answereth their present felt necessity, & is an help to their present pinch. What Engagements may be laid upon them by these Relations; or what Resolutions they may have, after they are renewed in the Spirit of their mindes, and united unto Christ, unto actual obedience, in the power and strength of the Lord, is not to the present purpose, while we are speaking of what the Soul doth, in order to Justification.
5. Hence we see, how groundless it is, to say, that a Resolution to actual obedience is a Condition of justification: This we finde no where required in order to Justification: This is no where called a Condition of Justification. We are no where said to be Justified by this Resolution. This is inconsistent with the frame of a poor wakened soul, seeking Justification. This would in part make the gift of Justification not free & of free grace, but to be of works or of a Resolution for works; and so would give ground (in part at least) of boasting & of glorying, contrare to the whole frame of the Gospel. And so this would lessen the difference betwixt the Old Covenant of works, and the New Covenant of Grace.
Having thus dispatched the second particular, we come unto the Third; to wit, to enquire, whether perseverance be a Condition of Justification? And of this we need not speak much, seing by what is already said, it is apparent how false this is. Every thing, that is required of such, as are Beleevers, cannot be called a Condition of Justification. It is said, that a Condition suspendeth the obligation, to bestow the benefite promised upon Condition, untill it be performed: And so it will hence follow, that, if Perseverance to the end be the Condition of Justification, no man can be justified, untill he have persevered to the end; & so no man shall be justified in this life; whereby an end is put to all our present debate, the subject thereof being taken out of the way.
If it be said. That faith is the Condition of Justification, as it endureth to the end. I Ans. That that faith, which will endure to the end, is the Condition, I grant. But I deny, That Faith is the Condition of Justification, as it endureth to the end, we no where read of Faiths being the Condition, under this reduplication, as enduring to the end; for then it would follow, that no lively faith, how strong so ever, could unite a soul to Christ, untill it had endured to the end, and so man upon his first Beleeving … be never so livly & strong, can be said to be justified, to have passed from death to life; contrare to all the Scriptures. And this would too much assimilate the New Covenant unto the Old, wherein Adam was to work out his dayes work to the end, ere he had Right to his wages. Yea & hence it would follow, that in this life, there were none of the fruites of justification to be had, such as Peace with God, Accesse to God, Glorying in tribulations, Joy & Comfort, contrare to experience, & the Scriptures. Rom. 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11. & 8: 35. to the end. Luk. 7: 50. Mat. 9: 2. 2. Thes. 2: 16. Heb. 6: 18, 19. 1. Pet. 1: 4.
So that in a word, from what hath bein said, it is evident, how little ground M. Br. hath to glory in this way of his, and though to an inadvertent person it may appeare Plausible, what is adduced for a reason, yet when considered, it will be found fioath and a florish of words: for be it so, that justifieing faith receive whole Christ (which we doe not deny: for Christ is not divided: for as there is but one faith, so but one Christ. And I will have occasion to speake more fully to this matter afterward.) Yet what doth Mr. Baxter gain? hath he gained his Pepper-corne of Faith or Gospel-obedience to be imputed unto us for Righteousness according to the new law (he should say, the new edition of the Old Covenant, or rather the Old Covenant newly established?) no, by no means: for be it grainted, That Iustifieing Faith as such respected Christ equally as King and Prophet, as it doth him as Priest (which yet I deny, and shall, without divideing Christ, make it appeare) I aske him, how doth it receive Christ Jesus the Lord? Surely he cannot but say, as he is offerred in the Gospel; well then, the Lord, who knoweth what we are, offereth him to us, and makes him to us wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and redemption, so that God in the offer of his Christ as a King, lookes upon the sinner in the same capacitie to obey him, as in the offer of him as a Priest he is to pay his debt, and that is not onelyonly in no capacitie but as opposit to such a thing of himself. Hence it as evident that Faith receives Christ as a King not by promiseing or purposeing to obey him, but from a Conviction of its own aversion to purpose to please God, that he by his Kingly Power shall kill the enmity, Conquer the soul, bring it to purpose, as well as practise, work in it to will as well as to doe, cast down imaginations, that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, and bring every thought in captivitie to his obedience, so when Faith acts on him as a Prophet, there is in this act neither purpose nor promise, to obey him as a teacher &c. But from a Conviction that the mind is not onelyonly void of light, but it is prepossessed with corrupt principles, so that the man that hath nothing but the soul of a man, takes up the whole Gospel Mysterie as foolishness. And it is impossible for him, to know these things, since they must be spiritually discerned. I say from this Conviction he receives Christ as his wisdom, as he that shall give him an understanding, to know him that is true; and to make him who is not onelyonly as a beast, but so much worse, that his light is darkenesse, of a quick understanding in the feare of the Lord, and wise to salvation. Now this exactly answereth the sinners need, and hath all his wants made up by Jesus Christ according to his riches in glory, and God's end in makeing his Christ to poor sinners wisdom, Righteousness &c. That so he, who glorieth may glory in the Lord. Now if Mr. Baxter will Consider this, he will even lay aside his Pepper-Corne as of no Price; for here all is without money and without Price to the poor soul &c. and he is considered as a receiver of all from Christ.