§. XXVIII.
The eighth Heresie is to assert, That we believe that we may be justified declaratively. The Case I take to be thus: The Apostle saith in Gal. 2.16. We believe that we may be justified by the Faith of Jesus; from whence the Neonomians conclude, that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere, our Act of Faith, is that very Thing which justifies us, or that we are justified by our Work of Faith; if not by Works of Faith and Holiness, (which sometimes they joyn) yet at least by a Work, by our Act of Believing: Whereas the Orthodox, according to the Homilies and Doctrine of the Church of England, from plain Scrip∣ture, put Faith it self from us, as that Act that justifies, and say, Faith justifies only declaratively, as it manifests to the Conscience our being justified by Christ's Blood, Rom. 5.9. and freely by his Grace (not our Grace of Faith) through the Redemption that is in Jesus. Rom. 3.24. Titus 3.7. It is still ascribed to his Grace, not any Grace in us; our Grace of Faith being only the Instrument, or Hand, given us of God to receive Christ, and all in him. If Justification be as they would have it, from any Act of ours as the Ground or Cause of it, then we are not freely justified by his Grace, but by our Work of Believing; which, if not a Popish, is an Arminian Te∣net, to blemish the Free Grace of God in Jesus Christ So that it may be safely concluded, that it is no Heresie to say, our Justification by Faith is declarative, in as much as the Essence of Justification is by the Blood of Jesus, and the Grace of God, imputing it to us, is the form of our Justification; which being received by Faith, is thereby manifested or declared to the Conscience by the Illumination of the Holy Spirit, concurring with our Spirits therein. See the Assemblies Catechism.