Chapter 25: What Faith Is Required in the Gospel

There is a legal faith, a duty commanded, the object of which is twofold. 1. Truths relating to the mind revealed and to be revealed. So Adam had a habit or habitual power to believe the Law and the Gospel upon supposition, it should be revealed. As a whole man believes skill in his physician to prevent diseases before they come, and to remove them, when come. It's folly to say Adam stood in need, before he fell, of a supernatural power to believe Evangelical truths, if he believed God to be true, he had such a power as to believe all was true, that God should reveal. 2. Adam had a faith of dependency, to rely upon God in all possible evils feared.

2. The promise of life is not made to Law-faith more than to Law-love, or Law-fear, or Law-desire, more than to any other, but the promise is made to Evangelical faith that lays hold on Christ as our righteousness. But for obeying the commands Adam was to live (Galatians 3:13), 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in them, by doing them (Ezekiel 20:11). As Lavater, there is no absurdity if it be said men shall live, that is merit by free paction, life eternal: but then (says Calvin) if a man keep the Law, he needs not the grace of Christ. Objection: If faith be imputed, as it lays hold on Christ's righteousness, it must be the meritorious cause of Justification and by its inherent dignity, for there is nothing more essential to faith, than to lay hold on Christ's righteousness. Answer: If faith were imputed as righteousness according to the act of laying hold on Christ, it were true, but the act of faith is not imputed, but that which faith lays hold on, it being an instrument to wit, the righteousness of Christ, it is not an act of believing, says a Jesuit. And though they say the works Evangelical are from the habit of grace, so was Adam a patient, when God concreated his image, and habitual righteousness in him. But Arminians and Jesuits do not say, nor dare not, that predetermining grace is from Christ's merits, therefore yet the sinner may more boast than Adam, and say I have justified myself by the acts of free will which is indifferent and from under all the bowing and determining or swaying of the grace of Christ, for the free will should have so whether Christ had died or not died.