THe Justification of a Sinner before God, is (as one great mystery of the Gospel, and Wonder­ment of Angels; so) that after which every one of the posterity of fallen men hath great reason to be earnestly inqui­sitive; it being the foundation of our pre­sent peace with God, and the ground of our appearing before him with joy in the great day of Accounts. How much Pauls heart and thoughts were taken up with this solli­citude, the Text and Context will make to [Page 2] appear; for having told us how highly pri­viledged he was, verse 4, 5, 6. and how willingly he parted with those priviledges, verse 7. yea, and how resolutely he continu­ed to despise every thing of his own, vers: 8. beginning: he proceeds to render the reason why he so did; and that is drawn up in se­veral particulars, and all relating unto Christ: q. d. I do ask this for Christs sake: there are therefore three ends here specified.

1. To know Christ, vers. 8. which know­ledge he declares to be a very excellent thing.

2. To be entituled to Christ, to win him, to get him for his own, verse 8.

3. To be found in him, Text: q. d. that my relation to him may be real; that there hath been a certain and unquestionable implanting of me into Christ; not only such as will give me the denomination of a Chri­stian among men, but that will prove me to be one of his in the day of judgment. And to let us see that it is no insignificant or mean design that he is so intent upon, he gives us an account of the advantage that he promised to himself hereby, or what be­nefits he expected to receive, as the fruits [Page 3] of this interest in Christ, and these are three.

1. Justification by Faith in him, Text.

2. Communion with him, verse 10.

3. A Glorious Resurrection in the last day, verse 11.

The first of these is that which is to be the subject of the ensuing discourse.

In the words of the Text then, we have presented to us,

1. An expression of Pauls great aim, viz. to be found in Christ; and this should be the reach of every one that would be a Christian indeed.

2. As an Exposition of what he means by this option of his, so a reason given of this desire, in the sequel of the verse: It is, q. d. By being found in Christ. I intend being interested in his Righteousness; or the reason why I would be upon tryal found united to Christ, is, that I may have his Righteousness reckoned to me as mine own; that I may be acquitted and justified in the great day upon his account. The words [Page 4] therefore clearly held out unto us, the whole substance of the great point of Justification, or the way wherein a sinner comes to be Justified before God, viz.

1. In general, he must be found in Christ:

2. More specially or explicitly:

1. He must have a Righteousness for the matter of his Justification; as appears in the setting of an affirmative against the nega­tive: not having mine own, but, &c. one is denied or removed to make way for the other.

2. This Righteousness which he is thus sollicitously reaching after, is expressed,

1. Negatively, not mine own Righteousness, which is of the Law.

2. Affirmatively, but that, &c. i. e. The Righteousness of Christ, whose Righteousness is to be looked upon as the Mevitorious and Matertal Cause of our Jaustification.

3. The Author of this Righteousness is [Page 5] here declared, viz. God, the Righteousness which is of God:

4. The instrument of our Justification by this Righteousness is declared; and that is Faith, which is of God by Faith, and the object of this Faith is also signified, viz. Christ, through the Faith of Christ.

By his own Righteousness of the Law, Paul intends his Personal Righteousness, performed by his own endeavours, and accommodated to the tenour of the Covenant of Works. By the Righteousness which is of God, he in­tends both that which God hath devised and procured for us, and confers upon us freely, and that also which was wrought by a Divine Person, even the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father: By the Faith of Christ, he intends not the Faith which Jesus Christ exerted, or his personal and inherent Faith, but the Faith which both hath the Lord Je­sus Christ for its object, and also flows from or is wrought by Christ, as the efficient of it in us▪

What further explication the words may [Page 6] require, will be taken notice of in the pro­secution of the Subject.

I shall not take up all that might be ob­served from the words, but endeavour to pick up something out of them, which may lead us to that which I intend, viz. a little enquiry into the great article of Justificati­on: Hence,

That Paul is here speaking of Justificati­on, is very plain and evident; for he fully describes to us the quality of that righteous­ness which he would appear in before Gods Tribunal; and no other reason can be ren­dred why he should be so careful about his Righteousness then; but upon the account of his standing justified, and escaping of Condemnation; nay, though he names not [Page 7] the word, yet his terms are the very descrip­tion of Justification by him else where,

In the opening of this great Truth, en­quiry may be made into these things:

1. What is meant by Justification?

2. That it is impossible that it should flow [...] our Legal Righteousness.

3. That it is derived from the Righteous­nes of Christ alone.

4. That it is freely imported by God.

5. That it is received only by Faith.

I intend not here any Polemical, but on­ly a Doctrinal Discourse.

The point of Justification is a main Ar­ticle of the Christian Religion, and that which principally gives us light into (yea wherein mainly consists) the difference between the Law, and Gospel Covenant; one therefore calls it, Arti [...]lum [...] cadentis Eccles [...]; and upon this account it hath been most of all battered by Satan and his Instruments, and made the apple of con­tention; and ball of controversy in many Ages; there is therefore need of the greater care to be well established it, and rightly [Page 8] built upon it, and indeed I [...] see how Christ can rightly be believed in unto Salvati­on, where this Article is either not at all known, or fundamentally mistaken:

I shall therefore endeavour to offer a brief Scripture account of it, and that with the greatest plainness, and accommodation of it as far as I can to the meanest capaci­ties; and let it be attended with diligent heed, for it is our life; there is but one way for a Sinner to be Justified, and if he so mi­stake in that, as finally to come short of it he must fall under everlasting condemna­tion, therefore it infinitely concerns us to take pains with our selves that we may come to be acquainted with it.

Here then,

1. What is meant by Justification?

Answ. To justifie a man, is in Scripture sence, For a Judge to absolve a person from guilt, by pronouncing him Righteous. Now this sentence which is thus past upon this person, is his Justification properly, Justifi­cation is a word borrowed from Courts of Civil Judicature and the right understand­ing of it is best [...] unto by consider­ing [Page 9] of the allusion, and comparing it by these several steps that are taken in this process in order to such an issue. Here then these things may be observed.

1. That Justification presupposeth a Le­gal Tryal. The Apostle is here referring to the day of Judgment, and tells us that he would then be found in Christ, when he comes upon his last Tryal, that so he may be able to stand it out, and find an absoluti­on at Gods Tribunal. If there were no Judgment wherein men are to appear, and give up their accounts, there would be no need of their Justification: but Paul lives in expectation of such a thing, and hath al­so given us to understand that all men have as much reason to expect it as he, it being a truth of which there is not the least ground to make any doubt, 2 Cor. 5. 10. we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, Heb. 9. 27. it is appointed for men once to die, and after that the Judgment: Now if men must be judged, they must then first be tryed, how else shall a Righteous Judgment proceed?

2 That in this Tryal there is a question sup­posed: and this question must be, whether the man whocomes upon his Tryal, be guil­ty [Page 10] of the breach of the Law by which he is to be tryed, or no. For all judgments must have a relation to some Law, which is to be the Rule of Tryal, and according unto which the man must be found guilty or not guilty. In order to such a process, it is re­quisite that there be a Case made, and this Case referred to, or examined and compared by the Law, and thus there must be an ac­count taken of the person, and a distinct en­quiry be made into all such matters as may be alledged either for or against him, hence that, 1 Pet. 4. 5. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judg both the quick and the dead. Giving an account, implies an examination of a case; and the question can be no other than this, Whether the man be un­der the guilt of a breach of Law, whether [...] have any such hold of him as to condemn him; or any thing wherein he is guilty to lay to his Charge; or whether he stands clear of it, and it hath nothing whereof to accuse him.

3. That Justification is properly the act of the Judge of the Court. The mans clearing must proceed according to his Sentence, and none can do it authentically but he. It will [...] profit the man that stands at the Bar, to have all the [...] standers, when they hear [Page 11] his Cause pleaded, to declare themselves for him, and to say that it is good, innocent and faultless; all this cannot justify him, but his case is still depending until the Judg himself speaks, and his Sentence only determines it. Justification is an act of au­thority, Pilate speaks in the quality of a Judg, John 19. 10. Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? God only can justify a Sinner, for he is the mouth of his own Law, and re­serves the dispensation of it to himself, and to his Son (who is also God) who acts by Commission from his Father, all Judgment therefore is given to Jesus Christ, and the ex­ertion of it remains with him, John 5. 22 The Father hath committed all Judgment to the Son.

4. The proper essence of Justification con­sists in two things.

1. The Absolution of the person from guilt. Justification in this respect properly stands in opposition to Condemnation, which is the detaining of a person under guilt, and fast­ning of that guilt upon him, hence we have the opposition express, Prov. 17: 15: He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condem­neth [Page 12] the Just: Now guilt is properly an ob­ligation binding a person over to suffer pu­nishment for some Transgression which he is fallen under; Condemnation is a passing of a Sentence formally upon such an one, adjudging of him so to suffer: and there is only this difference between these two, guilt proceeds immediately from the Law, and is the Sentence of that; Condemnation is the Sentence of the Judge, and proceeds from him, as one that hath the power in his hand of putting the Law in execution. Hence, Justification in reference to this, is the deni­al of any such obligation, or the Judges free­ing of the person under Tryal, from the Law, a delivering him out of its hands, a removal of condemnation from him, so Rom. 8. 1. There is therefore no more condem­nation to those that are in Christ; it is a pro­nouncing the person not guilty; and here­by he sets the person out of danger of being hurt by the Law, and that by an authorita­tive declaration, Signifying that upon tryal and through examination of the case, the Law hath nothing against him who hath done nothing worthy of death or bonds:

2. The pronouncing of him Righteous: I therefore name this as a distinct part of jus­tification [Page 13] from the other, because, though it doth contain that under it, (for if I do de­clare such an one to be righteous, I do neces­sarily and by consequence affirm him not to be guilty, because righteousness and guilt are inconsistent) yet there is here somthing more in it; for there is not only a negative Righteousness consisting in innocency, (which in some cases is enough to free a man from condemnation among men) but there is also a positive Righteousness requi­red in the Law of God, and it was the condition of a glorious reward; and this is a part of our Evangelical Justification, or it is contained in the Sentence of the Judge, that we have this positive Righte­ousness; not only that the man is not worthy of condemnation, because he hath not broken the Law, but that he is wor­thy of life, because he hath kept it, see Rev. 3. 4. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. And though the former of these doth most properly answer the im­port of the word, yet because they are both inseparable each from the other, and also each of them is imputative, they are there­fore suitably looked upon as the constitu­ent parts of our Justification.

[Page 14] How much this manifestly differs from Sanctification, (though by some they are confounded) might largly be made to ap­pear, but it is needless here to insist, only in brief, the one is imputed, the other is inhe­rent; the Righteousness of the one is in Christ subjectively, of the other in the Be­liever; the one is an act, the other is a work; the one a judicial act, the other a Phisical work, the one works a Relative, the other a substantial change; the one is perfect at once, the other gains its perfecti­on by degrees; the one dischargeth a man from guilt, the other frees him from polluti­on; the one declares him righteous, the o­ther makes him holy; and thus briefly for the thing which we are enquiring after, viz Justification, according to the right notion of it.

2. It follows to make it to appear, that it is impossible that our Justification should flow from our legal Righteousness: and in order to the making out of this assertion, we may for an introduction, first enquire what is meant by our Righteousness of the Law, and then what it is for our Justification to flow from this Righteousness; And here,

[Page 15] 1. Our own Righteousness of the Law intends anything that is done by us, what her it spring from a principle of common Morality, or be performed by the vertue of special inherent sanctifying grace: Paul in this Text hath an eye unto both these, for we have him re­nouncing of the former in vers. 7. and un­dervaluing of the latter, in ver. 8. whatsoev­er personal act or work of Obedience we do, whether in our state of unregeneracy or of Regeneration, as it is a work, and bears a respect unto the Law of God, is called our Righteousness, in opposition to the Righte­ousness of Christ.

2. For our Justification to flow from this, is as much as that this should be the matter of our Justification; or that for, and in respect of which the Judge is to pass a Sentence up­on us according to the tenour of the Law; or that this should be the ground and reason of the Sentence which he passeth upon us: for otherwise, there is no scruple to be made but that every true Believer doth sincerely desire to be found in a Righteousness which is according to the Law of God, and to be full of good works: he would be sanctified throughout, and perfectly conformed to Gods [Page 16] holy will, he makes it his study every day to live unto God, and desires to be found so doing when he shall be summoned to appear before his judge: but he hath no mind to be found in it as his trust his reliance, that which he would be tried by, and stand or fa [...] according as it shall be found.

Now that this cannot justifie us, or be the matter of our justification; or that our in­herent Righteousness and good works pro­ceeding from it, will not merit and procure this for us, is the thing to be evidenced and will appear if we lay together these conclu­sions following.

1. That God in the Justification of a Sinner acts the part of a Judge, and Justifies the sin­ner judicially, or as a righteous judge, i. e. he doth it in the way of a process, and upon tryal, and according unto equity: He doth not act the part of a Father in this case who may connive at, pity and overlook faults and weaknesses in his Child, but of a judge that takes the Law for his Rule, and cloaths himself with Righteousness as a gar­ment: Thus is the Relation which God stands in unto man according to the tenour of the first Covenant, and the respect which [Page 17] condition bears unto it; for under that Cove­nant every sinner stands until he becomes a believer, and from which [believing] he must be delivered by this act of justification, and that in such a way as the Law may not be violated, or any injury be offered to it; but the sinner must be fairly discharged from it.

Now in a Judge it is requisite.

1. That be he of a discerning eye; That so he may be able to see into the whole case, to state it right, and to understand the true and full sense of the Law which referrs to it, and to compare the matter of fact with the mind of the Law, that so he may not miss it in his final determination; for the justice or equity of the conclusion hath alwayes an inseparable dependance upon the premises; and such God is declared to be, Psal. 11. 4. His eyes behold, his eye lids try the Children of men:

2. That he be impartial in the Examina­tion: That he do not willingly, purposely, or negligently overlook any thing that is of the least moment in the case, but search into all matters to the very bottom: that he be not [...] or blinded and so induced to connive or wink at any action, or let [...] any evidence [Page 18] for favour or affection; but laying aside all undue favour or respect of persons, to keep to, and throughly survey the case, and lay it open in all its true colours, and cease not till he comes to the full knowledg of it: thus Job faith he did when he was a Judge, Job 29.16. The cause which I knew not I Searched out, and this the Apostle ascribes to, or asserts concerning God, Rom. 2. 11. for there is no respect of persons with God.

3. That he be just and righteous in passing the sentence, after he hath taken an account of the whole case: That he condemn not the innocent, nor justifie the wicked; Solomon acquaints us that both of these are an abo­mination unto him, Prov. 17.15. and if he hates these things in others, we may be sure that he will not do them himself; nor is he indeed worthy to be acknowledged a Judge, that doth not make it his business in matters of judgment to administer impartial Justice, hence that in Gen. 18.25. Shall not the Judg of all the Earth do right? and the conclusion that follows from hence is, that in a legal Justification, the person justified must be without fault; or he must be first justified by the Law, before he can be so by the Judge: all this therefore is requisite to the Justifica­tion [Page 19] of a Sinner according to the Law of God.

2. Hence it follows, that if a man be justified by his own righteousness, there must necessarily be these two qualifications found in it, viz.

1. That the actions and works themselves by which he is judged be found perfect: not only to have some conformity to the Law, that will not be sufficient, but they must ex­actly and fully quadrate therewithal: they must be throughly righteous, and they must not be chargeable with any defect, they must not in the least point fall short; but being laid by the rule of trial, they must answer it in all its dimensions without any the least imperfection, for the Law will not lose one tittle of its own; Mat. 5 18. One jot or tittle of the Law shall not pass till all be fulfilled. that is accusation enough against any for God to have to say to us, Rev. 3.2. I have not found thy works perfect before God: There must therefore be discovered in them, not only the matter of a duty compleat, but also that love to God in it which is required, and that is with all the heart, and soul, and strength and might; and the least degree wanting in it of this, will bring it under a censure, and make it, when weighed in the ballance, be found too light.

[Page 20] 2. That the person thus tried, be not found guilty of transgression in any other points of the Law; or at least that full satisfaction hath been made by him for every such default: There must be no Debts standing out, no arrearages unpaid: for upon the presumption that there be many perfectly good deeds done, yet if there be other deeds that have been faults, o [...] faulty, the Law will not bate them: if a man hath kept the Law in every other point but one, and that one be alledged against him he cannot be justified; for if he have no persisted in all, it declares him to be accu­sed, Gal. 3. 10. Cursed is every one that continue not in all things written in the book of the Law to do them: Hence we have that plain asser­tion of the Apostle James, Jam. 2. 10. Who soever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offence in one point, is guilty of all: and therefore [...] no reparation be made he is unjustifiable.

3. That Justification is properly one entire and perfect act, and therefore must needs flow from an entire and perfect principle. My meaning is, that it must proceed from the whole case as it is taken together, and not separately Justification doth not divide, and say thus far the man is righteous, only herein he [...] something defective; but it layes the whole [Page 21] state of the case together, and in one single sentence it saith, either that the man is righ­teous, or that he is unrighteous. It is not to be denied that in the sentence past for Exe­cution, there is respect had to the offence, and according as it is aggravated, according­ly the doom is more moderate or more severe, so that there are different degrees of punish­ment; but as to the mans state, upon the cog­nizance taken of the whole, he is alwayes either acquitted or condemned; if acquitted he is throughly absolved from the Law, if condemned, the Law takes hold of him: Here then it is to be observed as a necessary conclusion, that Justification requires the whole case to be good, whereas unto Condemnation, one Article proved against him is sufficient, as Jam 2. 10. forecited; and the reason is, because Justification is of the person who exposeth himself to the Law by one delinquency.

4. Hence it will appear that mens inherent Righteousness; or legal, and the exercise of it, cannot justifie them, if we shall consider,

1. The imperfection of mans Righteousness; though he be a Believer, and consequently sanctified by the spirit of God: evangelical­ly indeed he is lookt upon as one that cannot [Page 22] sin, 1 John 3. 9. He cannot sin because he i [...] born of God. But yet at the same time le­gally, he doth nothing at all that is righteous i.e. perfectly and entirely, according to the extent of the Command; and there need but these two things to be thought of suffici­ently to make this evident, viz.

1. That the Command requires constancy i [...] obedience: He that will be justified by the Law, must never transgress it in thought word or deed; no one failing in all his [...] must be able to be laid unto his charge: but it is a great Truth concerning all, eve [...] the most Holy of the People of God, that in many things they offend all, Jam. 3. 2. The just man falls seven times; the bes [...] have had their failings and short comings. It is the Wise mans demand, Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean, [...] am pure from my sin? and the Apostle John with confidence layes down the Assertion, 1 Iohn 1. 8. If we say we have no sin we de­ceive our selves, and the truth is not in us.

2. The Command expects perfect obedience; i. e. that every act of obedience do fully come up to the height of what the Law requires, that there be no flaw or defect in it, whereas [Page 23] the people of God are perfect in no one act. Believers indeed are sincere, and that since­rity is accepted as evangelical perfection; but as for a legal perfection, which properly con­sists in a coming up to the full of the Laws demands, there are none in this life are so far recovered as to be able to attain thereunto; we have Paul himself lamenting of his own grievous imperfection, Rom.7.18, 22,23.

2. The severity of the Law: It is an un­changeable Rule of Gods proceeding with the reasonable Creature, it is that for obedi­ence unto which (and thereby to glorifie God) Man was made, and by which he must be judged at the last: Now this Law will have both Obedience and Satisfaction, or else it will never acquit and justifie us: but man can do neither of these. That he can­not legally obey, hath been already made to appear; but the Law will not release him from that obligation: neither yet can he make satisfaction for his defaults; none of Adams race can clear themselves from ha­ving been Law-breakers, and they have no recompence to make for the wrongs done to it by this transgression of theirs; thousands of Rams will not do it; a whole World will not be taken in Exchange, Mat. 16. 26. and [Page 24] as man is not able to satisfie, so till satisfaction be made, the Law cannot, will not give him an acquittance; if once it layes the Debtor in Prison, there is no hope of a Goal deli­very till the last mite be paid, Luk. 11. ult.

3. The Justice of God; by vertue whereof he neither can nor will condemn the Righ­teous, or acquit the guilty: he declares that man, that earthly Judge, that doth so, to be an abomination in his sight, Prov. 17.15. and denounceth a Curse against any such one Isai. 5.23. which justifie the wicked for a re­ward, &c. he must and he will do that which is right. If he justifieth any person, the Law shall justifie him; he will not pervert the Law nor wrest Judgment; and if the Law justifieth it shall find the person perfect, free from any guilt, perfectly righteous, fully con­formable to it in all things. But when God comes to judge men, he finds none of this perfection in their righteousness, but mani­fold defects, and therefore, for, or upon the account of these he cannot justifie them, he cannot in truth declare that he hath found the man righteous, that he hath seen no ini­quity in him, that all his works are right be­fore God; hence therefore, we shall find the Psalmist deprecating this kind of Judgment [Page 25] or manner of proceeding, Psal. 143.2. Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant, for in thy sight shall no flesh be justified: he knew that up­on a strict Law Tryal, the case must needs go against him. God is a God of Truth, and therefore as he weighs all the actions of the children of men, so he will declare concern­ing them, according as he finds them, and no otherwise: and upon this account we shall find Pauls conclusion to be full and po­sitive, and universal, against all hopes of e­ver obtaining our Justification in such a way as this is, Rom. 3. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofita­ble, there is none that doth good, no not one: So that the conclusion stands, that our works cannot be the matter or meriting cause of our Justification; they must altogether lye by, and either we must find it somewhere else, or otherwise we must for ever despair of obtaining so precious a priviledge as this of Justification is: but such is the wonder­ful kindness of God to the children of men, that though they can find none at home yet it is to be had from abroad; and there­fore,

3. It follows that I make to appear, That the Justification of a Sinner flows from the Righteousness of Christ, and that only. And [Page 26] for a more through discovery of this, there are three things to be disti [...]ctly enquired in­to, viz.

1. How Christs Righteousness merits our Justification?

2. What Righteousness of Christ is to be ac­counted as the matter of our Justification?

3. The ground of the necessity of this Righte­ousness of Christ for our Justification?

1. How Christs Righteousness merits our Ju­stification?

A. Let me here premise this, That by meriting or deserving, I intend a Covenant Merit, or a coming up to the terms of the Covenant, according to which men are to be justified or condemned; that which fully satisfies the demands of the Law of the Co­venant, upon our account, doth properly Merit for us; for a Covenant merit is nothing else but a fulfilling of these Covenant Conditi­ons upon which the promises of it depend: Now every serious soul would willingly be satisfi­ed upon this account; he would be informed in this point, how the righteousness of one can answer for another who hath none of his own; yea, how one mans Righteousness can deserve Justification for a great many, [Page 27] who are themselves sinners: and there can be no rational settlement of the soul in qui­et and comfort, without some good satisfa­ction in this point: And let me answer this,

1. Negatively, It doth not proceed from the Righteousness of Christ barely consider­ed as the Obedience of a meer man to the Moral Law: For,

1. If Chirsts had been a meer man, or onely an humane person, he had owed all his active Obedience to the Law for himself, or upon his own account. The law of nature obliged e­very meer Son of Adam to full, perfect con­stant obedience to all the commands of God and when he had done all, he had done but his duty, and could have challenged the Co­venant reward for none but himself: It is but a just debt which every man ows to God, to love him with all his heart, Soul, strength and might, and his neighbour as him­self, Mat. 22, 37, 38. and if Christs humane nature had been a person by it self, this had been his case, he would have had so much work to do upon his own score, that he would have had no room to have done any thing for any else besides himself.

[Page 28] 2. Neither could the passive obedience of a meer man be of virtue sufficient to satisfie for the offences of many. The eternity of sin­ners sufferings is a full proof for this, for e­ternal death is not a distinct sort of death contained in the curse, but only an acciden­tal continuane of the other; for if Justice could take satisfaction of a meer creature in any measure of time, there would be good ground of hope that the damned might a [...] length have a Jayl. Delivery; for Justice requi­res no more then satisfaction, though it will have that to the utmost, Luke 12 ult. and be­cause it cannot take it in measure upon a finite creature, it is necessarily compensated by the duration; so that if Christ had been a meer man, though he should have died for our offences, yet he could never have risen a­gain for our Justification, but must have been detained an eternal Prisoner, and never have crost the accounts, or taken out the acquit­tance for his people.

2. Positively, there are three things which go in to make up the merit of Christs Righ­teousness for sinners.

1. The Righteousness it self which he hath performed in Obedience to the Law.

[Page 29] 2. The person that performed it.

3. The Office which this person sustained in this performance.

1. The Righteousness it self which is requi­site for our Justification, must be that which, fully and in all the parts of it answers the terms of the Covenant which was between God and man at the first. The Law of that Covenant was the rule of Justice and Righteousness between these two parties and he that will either do or suffer u [...]n the account of ano­ther, must come up to the whole of that which he was himself to have done or suffer­ed: he that undertakes to pay a Debt for another, must either take care to pay the whole Debt, or else, by leaving any part of it unpaid, the man is still obnoxious to his Creditor: and if this be well considered, it will thence be apparent, that both Christs active and passive obedience were need [...] case, and no more than what was [...] re­quisite; and if he had not so [...] he could not have perfectly merited for us: for Covenant merit is nothing else but the per­forming of the Articles of the Covenant: and therefore Paul resolves our Justification into the obedience or Christ as the p [...]cu­ring cause of it, and that both his active obe­dience [Page 30] Rom.5.19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous: Now it was Adam's active disobedience which made men sinners; And his passive obedience, 2. Cor. 5.21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. For though it be a truth, that God in his ab­solute Soveraignty might have dispensed with and given a pardon to sin freely, and without any satisfaction, upon man's submission and repentance, the punishing or pardoning sin belonging to his efficiency, and flowing therefore from his will or good pleasure; and though he might have given happiness with­out consideration of any active obedience, i [...] it had seemed best for him so to have done yet when God hath once entred upon th [...] with his creatures, and engaged himself in such a Covenant, as infinite wisdom had suited to his own purposes for the displayes of his glorious Holiness, Justice, and Grace he now occupies the place of a righteous Judge, and cannot dispense with his own Law, because his Truth and Righteousness engage him to it: Christs Obedience there­fore was perfect and full, it answered the Law in the whole substance of it, he both did all that was required, and suffered all [Page 31] that was denounced, be fulfilled all Righte­ousness, Mat. 3. 15. all this was necessary, but considered alone it was not sufficient, there must be something more to render it meritorious; consider therefore,

2. The person that did all this; and that was no other then the Eternal Son of God in our nature. If it had been any other kind of person, it would have yielded us no comfort; for what if his Obedience had been perfect; yet if not extensive, what advantage could there have accrued unto us from it? but when we look upon it as performed by such an one, that renders it not only right for the kind, but also valuable or of sufficient worth to answer the end for which it was done, and that will be evident if we consider what each nature contributed to it, and put both toge­ther; For,

1. The Humane Nature which was assumed by the Son of God, made him one answerable to the Law. The Covenant was made with man, the Obedience due to it was required of man; and therefore it must be a man that must do and die; no other kind of be­ing, no not an Angel, would have sufficed or answered the Covenant, the Son of God [Page 32] therefore became a man, assumed a true hu­mane body, and a true reasonable soul, was the Son of David; the word was made flesh, John 1. 14. and by this way he was fitted to be under the Law, and responsible to it, up­on our account, and therefore the Apostle puts them together as things inseparable. Gal. 4. 4. made of a woman, made under the Law for as if he had been a meer humane person he could not have sustained the place of a surety for us, so except he had taken out humane nature, he could not have done the work of a surety upon our account Paul therefore puts a great deal of weight up on this consideration, Heb 2. 16. for verily be took not on him the nature of Angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham: we must therefore study the Incarnation of Christ if we would be clear in the nature of his merits.

2. The Divine Nature which assumed the Humane into his Person, put an infinite vertue, and value into his Obedience; for the humane nature losing its Personality in the person of the Son of God, hereupon all the Righteous­ness which he performed is accounted (and that properly) the Righteousness of God, and that is one reason why it is so called in our Text, and 2 Cor 5. 21. it is not of God only [Page 33] be ordaned it, nor yet because he did accept it of his hands, but mainly because the per­son that did it was God: upon this score al­so is his blood called the blood of God, Acts 20. 28. The Church of God which he hath pur­chased with his own blood, and hereby it came to pass that the Obedience of Christ was of greater worth by far, than the Obedience of all the world could have been, because he was a Divine Person that did it: and from hence it came to pass that there was enough in it to merit for a great many, even a whole world, the blood of Redemption is therefore called precious blood, 1 Pet. 1. 18. and there we have found a valuable price to merit, that which hath in it enough to answer for the Justification of Sinners, but still this ad­ded to the former yet falls short of the actu­al meriting of it, there is yet somthing more wanting, but that also is supplied by Christ, hence consider.

3. The Office of this person, and that was Mediatorial, see it expressed in 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. It was the Office of a surety that he bare, and ther­fore he is so called, Heb. 7. 22. he was set up and anointed unto that very business, [Page 34] that he might reconcile God and man again, whom the sin of man had separated each from the other: So that Jesus Christ neither lived for himself, nor died for himself, but he went through both for us, and that as he was constituted a Mediator; and that is that which properly rendred his work of: Obedi­ence Satisfactory and Meritorious, which o­therwise would in no wise have turned to our account: So that in Christ we are not only to consider his personal fitness to be a Redeemer, and to satisfie Justice fully for us, and that he was made man, and took our nature upon him, and was compleatly furnished with all these graces in his humane nature, whereby he was carried through the work which he was engaged in: but we are also to eye his deputation or appointment to this work in the Covenant of Redemption, which past between his Father and him in the days of Eternity, and in the considerati­on of that Covenant we are to observe these two things.

1. What was done by God the Father in or­der to the bringing of it about, and that was, he made a proposal of the work to him, and exhibited before him a promise of this reward on the condition of his performance of it; [Page 35] those are the words of the Father, Isai. 53.13 when he shall make his soul an offering for sin, his soul shall see his seed; and they are a declaration of the terms of the Covenant: the Apostle assures us that he took not this Office upon him without a special call given him unto it, Heb. 5.4, 5. and there was a great deal of reason for this; for fallen man was Gods Prisoner, and it was at his pleasure whe­ther he would accept of an attonement for sinners at the hand of another in their be­half. It was not a matter of meer Debt, where if the money be paid, the Creditor hath no reason but to be satisfied, and can­not trouble his Debtor any further; but the case was properly Criminal, man had for­feited himself, his life to divine Justice, and it lies in the breast of the Judge whether he will take another in exchange to dy for him, and let him go free; if he refuseth such a Ransom, and resolve that he who hath offen­ded shall in person suffer the smart of it, none can lay injustice to his charge: If therefore there had not been an agreement about this between the Father and Son, there had been no efficacy of it.

2. What was done by Jesus Christ in the per­formance of it; and that was, he both under­took [Page 36] the work, and went through with it: he accepted the offer and condition that was proposed to him, and did all that was requi­red on his part for the purchasing of this be­nefit, Psal. 40. 7, 8. Then I said I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will Oh God! Phil. 2. 7, 8. He made himself of no reputation, &c. So that in this way God made himself a Debtor to Christ by a free promise, that he would justifie all such for whom he should make satisfaction, and that his righteousness should stand for their justification, Isai. 53. 11. By his know­ledg shall my righteous Servant justifie many. And thus by this Covenant, the righteousness of Christ came to be, not only equivalent in vertue and worth, but the very actual price of the ransome of Sinners, 1 Tim. 2.6. Who gave himself a ransom: and Christ not only vertually but actually, properly, and accord­ing to Covenant, merited the pardon of sin and life eternal for all of Gods Elect; he is therefore said to purchase them with his blood, Act. 20.28. and his Death is called a Ransom, Mat 20.28. and a Propitiation 1 Joh. 2.2 and Christ is said to be made of God unto us, our Righteousness, 1 Cor. 1.20. In a word, if Adam had compleatly obeyed the Law, though there were no proportion between [Page 37] the work he had done, and thereward to be enjoyed, yet he had merited by Covenant; so, much more the Lord Jesus Christ, having done and suffered that which was vertually meritorious for us, and doing this under a Covenant of Life, he must of necessity me­rit it for us: so that all his redeemed ones are worthy to live, in as much as he hath bought their lives for them, and fully satisfied the justice of God upon that score: and thus we have a brief account of the way in which the Righteousness of Christ merits our Justi­fication.

2. What Righteousness of Christ is accounted as the matter of our Justification?

A. Though (as we heard) there was re­quired to the making of Christs Righteous­ness meritorious, not only the work it self, but the person also that did it, and the office by vertue whereof he did it; yet we are here to consider, that the thing which is ap­plied to us for our Justification, or that which God tryes us by when he justifies us, and in which he finds the ground or reason for his so doing, is only the righteousness it self which this person by virtue of his Office did perform: That therefore which is applied to us, and by which we are justified, is the [...] medi [...]rly [Page 38] Obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, both active and passive. Whatsoever the Son of God in our nature either did or suffered, either in his life or death, or throughout the whole state of his Humiliation, wherein he was considered as standing under the Law, and (as so) acting for us; goes into the righte­ousness of his which is by God accepted for us, and is reputed as our righteousness: this is that which God looks upon as he is the Judg, when, and for which he pronounceth us righteous.

For a more distinct clearing up of this, let us here consider;

1. That the whole active and passive Obedi­ence of Christ was requisite to our Justification; we stand in need of them both, and this will appear undeniably if we observe,

1. That it is the Justification of sinners that Christ stands engaged for; so the Scripture calls it, Rom,4.4. Believeth on him that justi­fieth the ungodly: and this is a thing to be well considered, that when God comes to justifie any person he is in himself a Sinner, an ungodly one; and the way how such a thing may be so fairly done, calls for aspecial consideration and enquiry: If the case were only for the justifying of a just person, one [Page 39] to whose charge nothing could be laid, there would need no great ado for that: his own righteousness would stand up for him, it would plead his innocence, challenge the discharge of the Law, and his active Obedi­ence were sufficient, for the man was never obnoxious: but it is another manner of thing when it comes to the justifying of a condemned sinner, who hath transgressed the Law, and thereby incensed and opened its mouth against him; and here is a great deal more required to prepare the way that Justice may give such a man an acquittance: and as a sinner can have no righteousness of his own personal, so there must be a manifold Righteousness in him who will obtain this favour for him. Hence,

2. There are two things required to the perfect Justification of a sinner, viz. There must be a remission of the guilt of his sins, and there must be the reputation of him as just be­fore God: for it is before intimated, that Justi­fication absolves a person from guilt, and de­clares him righteous, and that according to the Law: and these two are inseparable, as being essential parts of Justification; and there is reason for it, because by Gods Law, no man can be declared free from guilt, ex­cept [Page 40] he be found perfectly righteous, and that because it necessarily involves a man in gui [...] not to be so: For there is a guilt in omission [...] w [...]ll as in commission; such are therefore pro­nounced accursed, Gal. 3.10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are writ­ten in the Book of the Law to do them.

3. To each of these parts these is required [...] answerable righteousness. If man had never sinned, one righteousness had sufficed for him, and there had been no occasion for the other; but now he is become a sinner before God that will not do, but he needs a doub [...] righteousness: For,

1. In order to a sinners acquittance from guilt there must be a Pardon procured for him, and ap­plied unto him. This is a plain and known thing, that where offence or transgression [...] the Law hath gone before, there a pardon properly attends upon Justification, and he cannot be justified except the offence be for given: for the Law in its charging of [...] upon him doth together condemn him for it and adjudgeth him to suffer the threatned death: and till such time as that be suffered either by himself, or his Surety in his stead the Law is not satisfied, nor will ever give [Page 41] him acquittance: As for the prerogative which (among men) the supreme Judge assumeth to give a free pardon without satis­faction to one condemned by Law, it is a liberty which he enjoyes above the Law, and there may be great reason for it in some cases: but this consideration hath no room in the present case, for God is resolved to proceed in all things according to the Law which he hath constituted; and this infers the necessity of the Passive Obedience of Christ, his Death, his Sufferings, his under­going of all that which we should have un­dergone ourselves: this the great Judg must have to look upon and regard in his setting of the Prisoner free, who was a lawful cap­tive; and for this we read such expressions, Isa. 53. 5. He was wounded for our Transgres­sions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed: and for this reason it is said, that he was made sin for us, 2 Cor. 5. 21. Now these sufferings that Christ thus underwent are the very matter of the satisfa­ction of the Law for sinners, that Righteous­ness which it accepts of upon this account, hence that in Rom. 8 34. Who is he that con­demneth? it is Christ that died.

[Page 42] 2. When a sinner is declared righteous, he is together with it adjudged to receive the [...] reward of Righteousness. Justification not only exempts a sinner from hell, and wrath, and eternal death, which he had been ob­noxious unto, but it also appoints him to life, and peace, and salvation; and this also must be done according unto the tenour of the Law. Now if we search, we shall find that the Law of God propounded happiness to man upon condition; it was to be the re­ward of his keeping this Law, Rom. 10. 5. Moses discribeth the righteousness of the Law that the man that doth these things, shall [...] by them. It did exact obedience of man [...] a duty, and looked upon him as [...] under a bond, obliging, of him to [...] perfor­mance of it; and as he was to [...] no re­ward of life, except he did so [...] so t [...] [...]ail of or omit it was death: hence, as with­out such a righteousness he cannot clear himself of the threatning, but it will take hold of him, and bring him under condem­nation, so much less can he without it ex­pect to receive the recompense of reward [...] and this is that which is called active obedi­ence, and this also must be performed either by him or [...] surety, and because he herein [...] he did in the former, and [Page 43] as he hath not wherewith to satisfie for his offences, so neither hath he any strength to perform what is his duty, hence as Christ did [...] all Righteousness, Mat. 3. 15. so he did it for us; his passive obedience was not only for us, and his active for himself, but both served to the [...]cs of Redemption, and in whatsoever he was made under the Law, it was that he might redeem such as were un­der the Law, and makes them partakers in the [...] of So [...], Gal. 4. 4, 5. his holiness of life old not only fit him to be an acceptable sacrifice for us, but it was also a part of his Mediatorial work on our account; and this is the very matter of the Righteousness for which we are adjudged to receive a Crown of life, and so made heirs of eternal glory, according to the promise made in the Law Covenant on this condition.

4. Hence it follows, that the Law is upon this account said to be fulfilled by us in believing. Such an assertion we find in Rom. 8. 3, 4. God sending his own Son, &c. that the Righte­ousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, and chap 10. 4. for Christ i [...] the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth. Now this could in no kind sence be true, if it were not upon this account, viz. that [Page 44] our Faith laying hold upon Christ, and clo­sing in with him, doth, in so doing, embrace and receive as our own, legally, or in point of Law, the righteousness, which doth in all respects and degrees answer the whole de­mand of the Law from us; and that is both active and passive obedience: for it is cer­tain that believing is not it self the obedience which the Law requires, and therefore it must needs entitle us to something that is so, else, though it might be looked upon as a new condition of life, in a new Covenant yet it could not be accounted as the fulfilling the condition of the old Covenant. In su [...] Christ by doing of what we should have done, and by suffering of what we should have suffered, affords us something to take hold of for our clearing, and the Law mat­ter upon which to proceed to justifie us: for we are as defective in doing to acceptance, as insufficient for satisfactory suffering. Hence

2. This obedience of Christ is in the Scrip­ture reckoned to be the matter of our Justifica­tion: those expressions do fully inferr it, in Rom. 5.19. For as by one mans disobedience ma­ny were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. How is it possi­ble that one man can be made righteous by [Page 45] the obedience of another, but only as his o­bedience is made ours in Law; or as when i [...] ­trieth us, it doth it by his obedience, and not by our own personal? like unto this in that 2 Cor. 5.21. He hath made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righte­ousness of God in him. How can we be made the righteousness of God, in him, but b [...]our having of his righteousness so looked upon as if we our selves had been the actual per­formers of it? and what else but this can the Apostle aim at in our Text, when he desires to be found in him, under the robe of his Righteousness, and not of his own, but that he would have that to cover his defects, and stand for him in the trial of the Law, and so become the matter upon which he is to be judged, and according to which the Sentence may pass?

3. Now let us a little consider and enquire into the ground of the necessity of our having the righteousness of Christ for our justification; and there will need no more for the making of this manifest, but only the laying toge­ther of these few following Conclusions.

1. That Justice as well as Mercy must shine out in the pardoning of a sinner, and pronouncing [Page 46] of him righteous. God must be righteous or else not be God: there can be no unrighte­ousness at all with him. It is one of his in­separable Attributes: the Psalmist therefore acquaints us that these two Attributes of God viz. his Justice and Mercy do in the great affair of Man's Salvation meet and consent most harmoniously Psal. 85. 10. Mercy and Truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. As it is a truth that i [...] God be not merciful the sinner cannot be pardoned, fallen man must be made a monu­ment of mercy, or he must be forever hope­lesly miserable; it is no less true, that if God be not just, he cannot be the Judge of the whole World, for Justice is absolutely re­quisite in him who bears the place of a Judg Rom. 3. 5, 6. Is God unrighteous, who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbids how then should God Judge the World? and he tells us, ver. 19. That all the World is become guilty before God. Had God only intended the display of his mercy to mankind, it had been another case; but since there is his righteousness that must be signally made known, it is therefore necessary that where guilt hath gone before, there revenging Ju­stice must take place, and prepare the way for mercy to display it self.

[Page 47] 2. That God having entred into a Covenant with man when he first made him, be hath therein engaged his Justice to the confirmation and fulfilment of his part of the Covenant. It is one thing to say what God might have done by vertue of his absolute Lordship, and unconfined prerogative, if he had not vo­luntarily obliged himself in the threatning annexed to his own Command; and [...] in pos [...]itively threatned man with death if he should disobey it; and another thing, what he will do when he hath so bound himself to the terms of a Covenant: Gods word is now past, he positively said, Gen. 2. [...] In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely dye. And his truth engageth him to see to the performance of his Word. Eve greatly mist it when she interpreted it to be only [...] as if God had only said, left ye died the fall did not barely expose man to the hazard, but brought him under a ne­cessity of dying; it not only made him ob­noxious to Gods displeasure, if he should see meet to sue the forfeiture, but it brought him under a full, firm, and engaged Sentence of death: and God must be true and faithful to his threatnings as well as his promises; [...] this the Prophet confirms the Sentence de­nounced against Saul, 1 Sam. 15. 29. The [Page 48] strength of Israel will not ly, nor repent, for he is not a man that he should repent. There is then no hope of mans escaping the righteous Judgment of God: he fell under the Law, and this great rock will grind him to powder if there be no way to remove it off from him.

2. Hence man must of necessity have a righte­ousness to offer unto Gods Justice for his Justify [...]; if ever be hopes to attain it; and not only so, but he must have such a righteousness [...] may in all the parts of it answer to the demand of the Covenant. For, without a righteous­ness to look upon, and proceed according unto, the Justice of God can have nothing before it which it hath any any advantage to justifie him by or for, and except this be [...] large and full as the Law requires, it hath [...] that in it which is sufficient [...] end of it; as good none at all, as an imper­fect one; for if it be found to have any flaw in it, then either Justice must connive, and give him some abatement, which it never will, nor were in Justice if it should; or else it must be rejected as a thing altogether in­significant; and so it shall, for not a jot or tittle of the Law shall pass, till all be fulfilled, Matth. 5.18.

[Page 49] 4. Though God hath positively engaged his Justice to require satisfaction for mans offences, yea, and to stand upon punctilio's in the case; yet he hath not absolutely bound it to exact the satis­faction of the person himself who is the offender; or that it must be a personal satisfaction that is given, and no other: for, though it was not plainly exprest in the first Covenant, in so many words, nor had man any apprehend­sion of any such thing, till God was pleased to reveal it to him, but fell under a fearful expectation of dying by the hands of God: yet it is certain that God did leave room for the interposing of a Surety, and the event, which is the best interpreter of Gods mind hath proved it to be so; for God hath ac­cepted of one, which he would not have done over the head of his own Law; nay, it is certain that in that everlasting contri­vance and engagement between the Father and the Son, there was a Surety laid in or provided, before this, Covenant was made with Adam: and as Paul speaks, Gal. 3. 17. so may we a little varying of his words: (and for ought I know the Text may ultimately refer to it) The Covenant of works which was made with Adam in time, could not disanul the Covenant of suretyship which was made between God the Father and God the Son in the dayes [Page 50] of Eternity. Yea, and we may now find some tracks or footsteps of this Truth in the very nature of the first Covenant: it seems to intimate that there was some room left there for such a transaction by a surety, because God dealt with man at first in Adam as in a surety, and he it was that lost them; and all that ruine which is fallen upon his Progeny, refers to his first Transgression; hence ther­fore he might, for their recovery again, deal with th [...], if he saw meet in another surety, who should restore them: it is true, it was all his pleasure, and he was free in it, but the way was consonant to equity, and that he hath so done, himself hath made to appear, by bringing in of this new way of life; Paul makes a kind of parallel between these, 1 Cor. 5.22. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive: he is therefore called the second man, or second Adam.

5. This surety, if he will take off mans guilt, and render him just, must be able to do and suffer all that the Law requires: If he will acquit guilty man from his condemnation under which he is detained, and procure for him E­ternal Life, which he hath lost, he must full­fil all the Covenant Articles for him. Jesus Christ therefore assures us that this was his [Page 51] Errand and work that he came into the world about, Mat. 5. 17. I came not to de­stroy the Law, but to fullfil it. Now this is a work that every person is not com­petent for, a province that any one can­not successfully undertake, it requires one that is of sufficient abilities, for it is not undertaking that will do, but it must be fullfilling: Justice is not so regardless of its own glory as not to be sure that the surety be sufficient and solvent, before it will indent for the delivering up of its Prisoner.

6. This is more than any meer creature can possibly do: there is no created being, that is such and nothing more, that is a­ble to stand in the Judgment before God for sinners, and obtain their absolution. That man cannot by his own Righteousness ob­tain this for himself, hath been already prov­ed in this discourse; that the whole Creation of second beings cannot do it for him, is as certain and undeniable; for (and there need no more to be said of them in this case) they are finite beings, and their Obedience but a finite Obedience, and of a limited vertue: the things of the world are of no value, thou­sands of rams signifie nothing for satisfaction Mic. 6.6. the men of the world are under the [Page 52] same condemnation, and need a surety, and so are incapable; the holy Angels onely re­main, of whom this may be affirmed, th [...] though they are not themselves under guilt ye they are under a Law, and that requires [...] much as they can do; all the active Obedi­ence which they are able to offer to God, [...] but their own duty, and will but suffice for themselves at the best: and as for a passiv [...] Obedience, all they can suffer is far short [...] being a valuable price for the Redemption [...] Gods Elect; besides that they are of an other nature, and therefore their suffering could not truly be called the suffering of man whereas it is man who is come under con­demnation, and his surety must be a man Heb. 2. 16,

7. Hence if Christ had not come and done this work, it could never have been done, and so we could never have been justified: When we have seen all other persons and things stand by refused, a whole Creation counted but an insignificant Cipher in this respect; there remains now no other but Jesus Christ to do it for us; and on this account he is said to come and die, when we were without strength, Rom. 5. 6. and to be sent forth in due time; and in fullness of the time, Gal. 4.4 when we were just dropping into the pit, [Page 53] and the gulf was ready to shut its mouth up­on us: when Justice was upon the point of doing execution, and there was none to stay it; yea he is said to come when there was no other Saviour to be found, Isa. 63.15. woe, yea ten thousand woes had fallen upon poor sinners, if the Lord Jesus Christ had not un­dertaken this work, to obey for our Justifica­tion; to become our Righteousness, and stand between us and all our harms, to look Justice it self in the face, and by his perfect Obedience to set us free from that dreadful sentence of Condemnation, which had past upon a world of sinners, and expo­sed them to suffer for ever the revenges of the Law, and impression of the holy indig­nation of the great God.

4. In the next place I am to make it evi­dent that this Righteousness of Christ is freely imputed of God. It hath already been made to appear, That there must be a Righteous­ness presented to Justice for the procuring of our Justification; That this cannot be out own personal; That there is both a com­pleat sufficiency in the Righteousness of Christ for the bringing of this about, and that there was an actual intendment of it to this end: But still, except it had been so, [Page 54] that all Adams lost Progeny had been equal­ly advantaged by it, all that is hitherto said, is not enough to satisfie an inquisitive soul [...] for the great enquiry yet remains, viz. how shall I come by it? in what way are any of the children of men made partakers of it [...] Here therefore there is something done [...] Gods part, and something on our part in order to this. The former of these, or what is done on Gods part is now under our con­sideration, and that is his gracious imputati­on of this Righteousness unto sinners. Here then there are two things that offer them­selves to be made Good.

1. That Christs Righteousness justifies us in way of imputation.

2. That this imputation is an act of Gods free grace.

1. That Christs Righteousness justifies us in way of Imputation; or by the reputing and accountng of his Righteousness to be ours: That this is a great and undeniable Truth, there needs no more to clear it up, then the consideration of the plentiful Te­stimony of the Scripture, which ascertains us that it is so: The word [ Justification] as it is used in the word of God doth almost [Page 55] every where intend a change of a mans state as it is legally considered, or refers to the relation which he bears to the Law, but be­sides we read, 1 Cor. 1. 30. That Christ is made of God our Righteousness to us; wherein is ex­pressed one of the great benefits which be­lievers are made partakers in by Christ; namely, that he is that Righteousness which is accepted as theirs; so that when Justice looks for a Righteousness which it may ac­quit them for, it finds it in him: and we read 2 Cor. 5.19. that we are reconciled to God in Christ: and ver. 21: proves it to be by imputation; for no otherwise could he possibly be made sin for us, who knew none in himself; or we be made the Righteous­ness of God through him, who in our selves were sinners, and in Rom. 5. 19. the Apo­stle makes our Condemnation in Adam, and our Justification by Christ to be parallel, when he saith, as by one mans Disobedience many were made sinners, so by the Obedience of one shall many be made Righteous; but that was by imputation, and therefore so must this, and it must needs be so, otherwise it would be an unjust thing to justify the un­godly; nor could God be both just, and the Justifier of them that believe, both which things the Apostle doth assert, Rom. 4. 5. 3. [Page 56] 26. But that which I would a little further commorate upon it, to consider how, or [...] what way the Righteousness of Christ come to be imputed to the people of God [...] theirs. I shall not need here to say much in the explaining of what it is to impute [...] thing to any person; acknowledging, reck­oning, accounting a thing to a man as [...] own, all sound one and the same thing. Im­putation of Righteousness in a process [...] Law, is an act of the Judge properly; and [...] is of two sorts:

1. When a mans own personal Righteous­ness, being proved, and made legally to ap­pear, and all the grounds of suspicion alledg­ed against it are removed and confuted, [...] judicially declared to be his, and also to be sufficient to answer the demands of the Law and thus if Adam had perfectly obeyed, and kept the Law in all its parts, that Righteous­ness of his should have been imputed to him and he have been justified by it; and this would truly have been that which the Scrip­ture calls a being justified by Works.

2. When another person hath done this for a man, and is accepted in which he hath done upon this account, and the man is [Page 57] thereupon declared to be looked upon as if he had done it himself, and is on this very account acquitted; now is the other persons doing imputed to him. That there is such a kind of imputation as this is, [...] evident and very well known among men. If a man be sued for a Debt, if he can prove that another hath paid it for him, and is able to produce the acquittance given for it, it is accepted, and the Law can take no place against him. If another man offer himself to bear the pu­nishment of an Offender, and the Judg hath consented to such an exchange, and accor­dingly inflicted the penalty upon him instead of the other, he now imputes this to the prime Offender, and so he is delivered from the sentence of the Law, as having thus sa­tisfied it: though in the latter case there is this difference from the former; viz. That such a proffer to bear the punishment in ex­change is not of it self sufficient, except the Judg shall see cause to accept of it, but if he doth, it sufficeth: and this is that which is done when God justifieth a Sinner, viz. to accept of the righteousness of Christ, his active and passive obedience for him, and accounts it to be as really and truly the Sin­ners, as if he had personally wrought it: and in this sence some Divines take notice [Page 58] that the words counted, reckoned or imputed, are used at least ten times in Rom. 4. and now it may not be amiss, briefly to enquire after the way in which Christs Righteousness comes to be justly imputed to us, and reckoned as ours, unto our Justification; and this may be taken up in the consideration of these few following Conclusions.

1. The Son of God assumed our nature, not for any perfection which it added unto him, but for the redemption and salvation of Gods Elect. His own divine Person was not any whit perfe­cted, or made better or more compleat and happy by this Assumption; for he had [...] the fulness of Divine and Glorious perfecti­ons in himself, being God: and what addi­tion of glory can such a thing be conceived to be capable of making to him, for the eter­nal King to take upon him the form of a Servant? no; if we had not been sold for Bond-slaves, and thereupon stood in need [...] being Redeemed; if we had not been lost, & must either be recovered again, or undone the Son of God would have had no occasion for his incarnation: we stood in absolute need of it, and could not have been saved without it, and his great love to us put him upon such a thing: this business therefore [Page 59] was engaged in for us, Isai. 9. 6. Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and Paul plainly tells us what he came into the world for, 1 Tim. 1. 15. Jesus Christ came to save sinners.

2. Jesus Christ to the end that he might be a Redeemer to mankind, took upon him to be a Surety for men, He is therefore called the Surety of the new and better Covenant, in which the salvation of mankind is con­trived and laid up, Heb. 7 22. now the proper work belonging to a Surety as such, is to take upon him the state, and to bear the penalty which is due to the person or persons for whom he thus becomes a Surety; he is to stand in their room, and whatsoever it be that that the Law hath to lay to their charge and to doom them for, he is to stand to all the hazard of it, and undergo it; to pay their Fines, to bear their punishment in their stead, or for them i. e. in way of Exchange; for there is an Exchange that is made when a Surety comes in the room of a principal Debtor. The Lord Jesus Christ took upon him this Office, namely, to stand in the room of Gods Elect, to ly liable to the Law in all its suits and demands, and for this is he said to be made sin for us, 2 Cor. 5. 21.

[Page 60] 3. God the Father accepted of this. Suretyship of Jesus Christ upon the account of his Elect: God the Father is, according to Scripture Language, looked upon as the supream Judge (not exclusively as shutting out the Son and Holy Ghost, but inclusively; for it is cer­tain that the Deity is offended by sin, and every person is equally interested in the satisfaction that is to be made; but only the Word of God is wont to ascribe works par­ticularly to that person wherein his order and manner of working doth especially ap­pear) Jesus Christ God man is Judge, 2 Cor. 5.10. We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ: But he is a delegated Judge his Kingdom is a Mediatory Kingdom, and he must resign it again, when the work so laid upon him shall be accomplished, 1 Cor. 15.26,27. his Father put this Judgment into his hands, Joh. 5. 22. The Father judgeth [...] man, but [...] committed all Judgment to the Son. Now God seeing how infinitely this Suretyship of the Lord Jesus Christ would redound to the Glory and Praise both of his Mercy and Justice, accepted of him as our Surety: for, as it is at the liberty of the Judg to accept or refuse, so it belongs unto his prudence to consider and well weigh the ca­pacity of the Person thus making a tend­ry [Page 61] of himself to become a Surety, and to look to all the consequences which will result from such a thing, and accordingly either to receive or reject him; and in such exchan­ges persons are wont to take care at least that there shall be no disadvantage or loss arising therefrom; and the Great God saw and considered, that Justice would fit in the highest State, when it led the Son of God in triumph: That Christ should be put under the Law, and made to bear the rigour of it, af­forded i [...] a far greater Triumph than if all the World had been Judged and Condemned by it. Never did Justice sit in such State, or appear in such Majesty, as when it arreigned, condemned, and did execution upon the Son of God. When Gods Sword was awakened a­gainst the man that was his fellow, (so is he called by God himself, Zech. 13.7.) he [...]hen declared himself righteous to purpose; and not only so, but he also saw that grace should in this way appear gloriously, which other­wise must never have been heard of in the World; I mean saving Grace, whereby ruined and condemned man is restored to life, and the lawful Captives are set at liber­ty, which is a most strange and stupendious thing, Isai. 49.24, 25. God therefore volunta­rily accepted of this; and how could he but [Page 62] accept of it since it was his own contrivance and he proposed it to the Son, and he came a­bout the work to do his Father Will in it, Psal. 40.7. and he hath given his testimony to this acceptance of his, Isai. 42.1. Behold my Ser­vant whom I have chosen, mine Elect in whom my Soul delighteth. Mat. 17.5. This is my [...] loved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear [...] him: It is therefore said of the work under taken by him, that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand, Isai. 53.10.

4. The Lord Jesus Christ having gone through this work as a Surety, and full accomplished it it was now in justice looked upon as their work for whom, he did it in Suretyship. The act ve [...] and passive obedience of Christ must of ne­cessity be accounted theirs, and they must have a real title to it for whom it was done by him, and in whose name it was accepted of by the Father; I say the active as well as the passive obedience; for though it was due from him as a man, and as under the Law, yet the Son of God was neither man, nor under the Law for himself but for his people. Christ therefore, taking upon him the person of his Elect, to answer and satisfie for them, and God receiving him in this quality, having before deputed him to it, it was as much in [Page 63] the exact rigor of God's Justice, as if they themselves had done and suffered in their own persons.

5. Hence, the Lord Jesus, when he had gone through with, and finished the work of Redem­ption, received a full acquittance in the name of Gods Elect. That the Son of God, after he had done and suffered, was actually acquit­ted is evident, for otherwise he had never so risen from the dead in such a glorious man­ner as is recorded of him. Justice, which had him its Prisoner, under the bonds of Suretyship, would never have knockt off his Bonds, and set him at liberty on any other account, but because it had received satisfa­ction from him: and what satisfaction could that be, but the compleat answering of the obligation wherein he stood bound: he had made no personal forfeiture of himself by any Transgression; for he did no sin, neither was there any guile found in him: it was there­fore satisfaction for us, according to all that which was required of us: so that his acquit­tance was in the respect that he stood Sure­ty, and on that score it was our acquittance, we were discharged in it, and thus much is intended in that, Rom. 4.25. He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our Justifi­cation. [Page 64] Intimating, that as he had never been condemned but for us, so his Justification was for us: as he had never died, if our of­fence had not procured it, so when he arose from the dead, he brought with him a full discharge for his people.

6. Hence, when God accepts any into favour, and pardons their sins, it is upon the meer account of the righteousness of Christ. It is a true and bare respect which God hath to his obedience, he fixeth his eye upon that, when he doth this, and for the sake thereof he doth it: That God seals a Pardon, and gives evidence of it to the Souls and Consciences of any of the Children of men, upon their believing, fetcheth its reason from hence, because Christ was righteous: we therefore find such an expression in the Scripture, of our being, ac­cepted in the beloved, Eph. 1.6. Having Redem­ption and forgiveness through his blood, ver. 7.

7. From the premises it naturally follows, that Christs Righteousness is made ours by imputation; or, that that very individual Righteousness of his, which he in person performed as our Sure­ty, is the righteousness which is reckoned to be ours, so as that we are justified before God upon the account of that, and no other: and [Page 65] there are divers considerations which will serve to enforce the credit of this Article. for,

1. It must necessarily be either by imputation, [...] by infusion: a third way is not to be thought of, and a mixture of these is in no wise to be admitted, for that would be to confound the two Covenants; that the individual and per­sonal Righteousness of Christ cannot be in­fused into a Believer, is a truth so plain and necessary, that to assert the contrary, is to speak a contradiction; and therefore if it be any way ours, it must needs be imputed to us. Every one that knows anything of the na­ture of things, can tell that acts themselves are confined to the doer of them, and termi­nate in him, and that no other person can in propriety of speech be said to do that indivi­dual action that another did: but on the other hand, this is a notion that is very well agree­ing with common reason, that another did such a thing for this man, such an one paid a Debt for him, &c. that though the action terminated on the agent, yet the vertue of it extended to the benefit of another: and thus Paul tells us that Christ did for him, Gal. 2.2. Who loved me, and gave himself for me: It is not the same individual Grace that Believers receive from Christ, but Grace for Grace, Joh. [Page 66] 1. 16. i.e. a like Grace, Grace of the sa [...] kind, and out of the same treasure.

2. The infused Righteousness of believers [...] not in this life perfect: That believers have in­fused Righteousness is not denied: they ha [...] the renewing of the Image of God upon them, which is in Righteousness and true holi­ness, Eph: 4.24. there is the grace of Sancti­fication, as well as the grace of Justification but still this Image is restored here but in [...] and not in perfection: God hath not [...] to his people such a measure of it as will en­dure the Covenant of Works; Paul had [...] Righteousness personal, but he durst not [...] ­rogate perfection to his Obedience, but alto­gether disclaims it, and gives us to understand that he is but in pursuit of it, Phil. 3. 12, 1 [...] so that although it be so, that Christ doth [...] his Spirit infuse an holiness and Righteous­ness into his people, when he works the wor [...] of Conversion in them; yet it is not th [...] thing we are justified by or for; for tha [...] which is imperfect, though it may be accep­ted in a way of grace and pity, yet it cannot justifie in a way of Law and equity, for these two things are quite of a distant nature th [...] one from the other; and therefore there must be another Righteousness found for th [...] [Page 67] doing of that, and another way discovered, wherein it may become ours: which Righte­ousness (as is before proved) can be no o­ther but the perfect Righteousness of Christ, (for it must be a perfect one) and that can become ours in no other way but only by Imputation.

3. That which is by anothers Righteousness, as being done by him, and accepted for us, can be ours only in the way of Imputation: for this is the very notion of a thing which is impu­ted, it is the proper nature and definition of Imputation; and it is impossible that there should be any other conception of a way wherein it should be translated from the one to the other, to become his right, and to give him the liberty to challenge a true and real propriety in it.

4. That Justification which is of the ungod­ly, must needs be by imputation; and the rea­son for it is this, that where God justifies, there also the Law justifies: It is never to be denied, or so much called into question, but that God speaks the Truth, and there is no deceivableness in his word, when he saith, that he sees no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel; he [...] not dissemble; it is not because he [...] eyes, and resolves not [Page 68] to see or regard it, but the Reason must be, because he hath received full satisfaction, for it, the Law is answered, and therefore ac­cording to the Judgment of that he is as clear as if he had never sinned; and though it be a Gospel Truth, that a believer being once in Christ by Faith, and so justified, is not to be looked upon as an ungodly man af­ter Justification; yet before Faith, and till he is justified he is ungodly, God finds him such when he comes to do this favour for him, Rom. 4. 5. God who justifieth the un­godly: and not only so, but he would also be so accounted still, were it not that God hath found a Righteousness in Christ that answers for him: If we say we are without sin, we lie, and the Truth is not in us, 1 John 1. 18. and thus sin, if there were nothing to answer for it, would stand for our Condemnation, and rigorous Justice would certainly pass the sentence of the Law upon us for it: the sentence therefore of Justification must needs proceed from a Righteousness which we never performed, or else God must baulk his own Law, in declaring us righteous; which he never will; Hence also,

5. They who have sin remaining in them af­ter Justification, must needs be justified by im­putation, [Page 69] & so have the best believers, Paul himself complains of soul captivating sin, such as made him to cry out of his wretchedness, Rom. 7. and the wise man makes a challenge to all the holy men living, Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? satisfaction is but in part, there is something of the old man and his works; these things are obstructious to being justifi­ed for our own doings; the Psalmist cries out, Psal 141. 2. Enter no [...] into Judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no flesh be justified, and Psal. 130. 3. If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity, who could stand? and therefore there must needs be anothers Righ­teousness reckoned to Gods people as their own, or else they would every day lay them­selves open to be Condemned.

If any shall here further enquire, at what time this Righteousness of Christ is accepted for us, and imputed to us for our Justification? I Answer; That if we speak of what is past in Heaven, and there transacted between God the Father, and God the Son upon the account of all his Elect; it is then very cer­tain, that there was an act past for this in the days of eternity, in the Covenant of Redemption, where, as God gave unto the Son the names of all his chosen ones, for [Page 70] whom he undertook to merit life and salva­tion, so they were appointed to obtain pardon and eternal life through this merit of his; and therefore Christ calls them those whom his Father had given to him before the world was, i. e. as to their Redeemer There was also another time, viz. at Christs Resurecti­on, when there was a solemn act of Justifi­cation past for, or in the behalf of all these when our great High Priest had, on the day of Attonement, born the names of his Israel upon his shoulders, and breast plate before God: and made expiation for them with [...] blood, he received a discharge of all their debts, and they were set free unto him; for he rose to our Justification, Rom. 4. 25. But still this notwithstanding, there is yet a time wherein Gods Elect, lying in sin, and living out from God, and remaining in a state of natural corruption, have not the application of this grace made unto them personally, but they remain children of wrath, Eph. 2. 3. i.e. the curse is still lying upon them, they are not actually brought under the condition of the Covenant of Grace; Paul therefore at verse 12. speaking of the time preceding their conversion, declares concerning the believing Ephesians, that at that time they were without Christ, being aliens from the common [Page 71] wealth of Israel, and strangers from the Cove­nants of Promise, having no hope, and without God in the world; and that time was after that Christ was risen, for it was the time when the Apostles came to Preach the Gos­pel to them, which was many years after Christs Resurrection: so that the Applicati­on, or actual imputation of Christs Righte­ousness to sinners, by vertue whereof they are justified, and have this priviledge confer­red upon them, to be delivered from the hands of the Law, and just accusations of a condemning conscience, is at such time as God gives them the grace to believe and lay hold on this Righteousness of Christ to that end, and not before: till when they are held under condemnation, as will appear under the next head: for though they are justified to Christ, yet they are not justified in them­selves. The substance of what hath been here said, amounts to thus much; viz. that he only who could pay our debts of Active and Passive Obedience to the Law, could possibly be our Justification before God, and this there was none but Christ could do: and therefore God who justifieth, must needs as a righteous judge have a proper re­spect to his Righteousness in his proceeding to justifie us: we could not obey the Law [Page 72] perfectly in our own persons, but wofully fell short in all respects; but God is there­fore pleased to reckon as if we had done all because Christ did all in our behalf.

2. In the next place we are to take no­tice that this imputation of Christs Righteous­ness to our Justification, is an act of Gods fre [...] grace; in order to the evidencing of this, let me here premise;

1. That the freeness of Imputation doth no shut out the condition of believing which is re­quired in the Gospel Covenant, as will appear more fully under the next general head. All conditions do not destroy the freeness of [...] gift; nay there are some which do properly and purposely make it the more manifest, and of this nature is Faith, which is the Gos­pel condition; God confined it to this, that so through it his rich grace might shine out the more conspicuously, Rom. 4. 16. There­fore it is of Faith, that it might be by grace; as a man that bequeaths a Legacy, on con­dition that the Legatee shall receive it as a kindness: and much less then doth it obscure the riches of grace, when we consider that he himself who makes, doth also give the condition, as well as the gift of Justification [Page 73] following upon it; and we are assured that he doth so, Eph. 2. 8, 9. by grace are ye saved through Faith, and that (namely faith) not of your selves, it is the gift of God; and indeed we are no more able to believe of our selves, than we are able to justify our selves, for none can come unto Christ without the Father draw him: So that it is evident, that a gra­cious vocation doth not destroy, but contra­rily establish the grace of Justification, it being nothing else but an Antecedent Grace bestowed upon us in order to our being made to participate in one that follows.

2. That it doth not take from, but encrease the greatness of the free grace of it, that the Righteousness which is imputed to us, was to Jesus Christ a costly Righteousness: the kind­ness of a benefactor discover it self, in his be­stowing of that upon others for nothing but their accepting of it, which cost him a great summe to purchase for them, more than it would if he had only parted with that which stood him in nothing at all: The Doctrine of Christs Satisfaction for the working out of a Righteousness for us, by the which we might be justified, doth not derogate from, but greatly illustrate the Doctrine of the free grace of God: if a man Redeem a [Page 74] captive, and set him at liberty without any Repayment, his kindness is valued according to his expense; and so it is in the present case, for though it cost Christ an unknown price to obtain it, yet all this cost is laid our upon the sinner gratis Now that this Righte­ousness of Christ is freely imputed to us, or is an act of rich and eminent grace, will ap­pear, if we consider these things.

1. The first and highest cause from whence is derived, and that is Gods own meer good ples­sure. He was the first that ever thought [...] this thing, and if he had not thought of it would never have entred into our heart. It was rooted in his eternal Decree of Ele­ction, and the foundation of it was laid [...] the Covenant of Redemption: in that b [...] contrived the way how it might be done agreed about it, and made it sure; and hen [...] it comes to pass that our Justification is de­rived down to us from this well-head, Rom. 8. 29, 30. Whom he foreknew, them he predes­tinated, whom he predestinated; them he called and [...] he called, them he also justified Justification is one of those benefits that [...] receive by and with Christ; and all that par­take in his benefits, were predestinated there unto before time, Eph. 1. 5, 6. having pre­destinated [Page 75] us to the Adoption, &c. and what can there be thought of but his own grace that should put God upon it, when we were not, to lay in for a Justification for us when we should come to stand in need of it?

2. The way wherein Jesus Christ came to be the Meritorious Cause of our Justification; or made way for this imputation of his Righte­ousness to be made unto us, and that was in a Covenant-way; in which Gods free and willing acceptance of him to be such an one for us intervened, to give such an effica­cy or operation to this Righteousness of his: It is true, that the Obedience of Christ was in it self an Obedience so full, and so worthy, and every way so compleatly an­swering to the Law, for the matter of it, that it had in it self and intrinsically a suffi­cient value and vertue, enough to stand for the price of the Redemption of all sinners, as is before proved; so that if God had seen meet to have justified and saved the world, and every individual of the race of fallen man, there needed no more to be done for the doing of it in a way of Justice, then what was to be found in the Obedience of Christ: but still, that which made it actually to become a ransom for us, was that God accepted [Page 76] it at his hands for us, or on our account and if he had refused it, it had not been a Ran­som, though its real worth had been nothing less than it now is: Ahab proffered to Na­ [...]th a full and valuable price for his Vine yard, whatsoever in reason he would ask for it, but yet he did not so buy it, or that was not the purchase of it, because he refused to accept it, who was the owner of it, and did not lie under the obligation to sell, because the other had a mind to buy. God hath sinners forfeited into the hands of his Justice and for sin bound to dye, yea the condem­nation of death is past upon them: they a [...] his Prisoners, and he may do with them [...] pleasure: till therefore he takes a price for their Redemption, all offers of all one how worthy soever it may be, are altogether insignificant. Now when God imputes us the Righteousness of Christ for our Justi­fication, and so delivers us from our Judge he in so doing gives away that right of his which he had over us to have destroyed [...] for ever, and that of his own meer motion for if he had refused so to do, and fallen up­on us with implacable fury, none could [...] this have charged him with the least inju­stice: herein therefore he displays the free­dom of his own grace, in that he was free [Page 77] willing that sinners should be saved; and it is an observation which deserves to be much thought upon, and carries great con­solation in it, that God was as forward for mans deliverance by Christ, as Christ was to undertake it, that the heart of the great God is as much engaged in love to poor men that have undone themselves that there may be saved, as the heart of Christ was in [...] through that great work in which it was ac­complished; or otherwise it had been frus­trated and come to nothing.

2. Because, though God in his Justifying of a sinner, looks at, and requires the full merit of Christs Obedience, yet he looks not at any Righ­teousness at all in the person who is to be justi­fied. He hath no consideration of the per­son in this case, nor is it enquired about him, whether he have been a greater or les­ser sinner, whether he hath lived a longer or a shorter time in a state of alienation from the life of Christ; but this Righteousness is as readily and willingly applied to a chief sinner, such as Paul confesseth himself to have been, 1 Tim. 1. 15. as to one that hath not sinned so notoriously but been more restrai­ned in his conversation: he as well, and as soon justifies one that hath been a blasphe­mer, [Page 78] a Drunkard, an Idolater, a profane Sabbath-breaker, Swearer, &c. as him that hath been a civil and moral man, see what a crew Paul reckons up. 1 Cor. 6. 9. 10. and yet tells his Corinthians that though some of them had been such, yet they were Justified, ver: 11. the force of this Reason lies here. That the sinner never struck one stroak to the procuring of his own Justification, of to his deserving to have the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him: there is not one grain of his own Righteousness in it, but it is all Christs: this garment of Righteousness is made to his hand; yea, and he doth no so much as put it on of himself: Imputation alone is that which makes it his, and that [...] Gods act; and he did never by any thing that he hath done lay any the least obligati­on upon God to do it; and that must need be most free, to the earning and procuring which, we have never done any thing, [...] not so much as to move his favour toward us.

4. Because at the same time when God justi­fies a sinner, he might by the sinners own ac­knowledgment justly condemn him: he hat plea enough against him; when a poor sen­sible sinner, ready to sink under the load of sin and guilt, betakes himself to God in the [Page 79] name of Christ for pardon and peace, he there ingeniously confesseth his own unwor­thiness of it, and that in himself he can lay no claim to it, thus doth the Prodigal, Luke. 15. 18, 19. Father, I have sinned against hea­ven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son; yea he confesseth his own worthiness to be condemned, Dan. 9. 8. to us belongeth shame and confusion of face; and therefore he puts mercy and forgiveness toge­ther, and acknowledgeth them to be Gods prerogative, ver. 9. to the Lord our God be­longs mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; and what can such an imputation be less than free grace, that is applied to one that lies at the foot of Sove­raignty, and is perswaded that if God spurn him away to hell, he shall do him no injury at all? that knows nothing but mercy can spare and save him.

5. Because till God imputes the Righteousness of Christ unto him, the sinner is in no better a state than the rest of mankind: he is a child of wrath by nature as well as they, Eph. 2. 3. all the difference which there is made betwixt them, proceeds meerly from Gods good will and until that breaks out, there is no intrin­secal difference between the one and the [Page 80] other: It is true, God makes him holy too but yet he was as faulty in himself till God came to do this for him: if therefore God is righteous in withholding of this imputation from all the rest of mankind, that had an equal goodness in them with those that are justified, the imputation of Christs Righte­ousness unto them for their Justification must needs be free grace, for, what other reason can enter into mans thoughts to conceive, why two that are every way themselves a like, and one hath nothing in him more to engage the good will of God to him than the other, should have such a vastly different dis­pensation of Providence dispensed to them, that the one should be justified, and the other left under condemnation? if it be said that the one believes, and the other believes not, it is readily answered, that this faith was given him for his Justification.

5. The last thing offered to considera­tion, is to clear it up that this Righteous­ness of Christ is received only by Faith, we have already se [...] what is done on Gods part in order to the making of Christs Justifying Righteousness ours; he reckons or imputes it to us, and that to this meer grace: we are now a little to consider [Page 81] what is done on our part to this end; and that is we are to receive it: If a man will be the possessor of a gift which is given him, he must take it, give it acceptance: now the hand which here entertains this free favour of God, is Faith: here therefore three things may be enquired into, viz.

1. What is Justifying Faith?

2. How this Faith serves to our Justificati­on?

3. How may it appear that Faith only on our part is instrumental to our Justification?

1. What is true Justifying Faith?

A. That there are several sorts of Faith made mention of in the Scripture, is easily obvious unto such as are acquainted with it; but there is one sort only by which we are Justified; and I shall not here need to take notice of any other, nor enquire after any other, nor enquire after any other consideration of this Faith besides what is proper to it as it justifies; and accor­dingly it may be thus described: Justifying Faith is a particular receiving of Christ in the promise of special mercy, by a confidence of reli­ance of the Soul upon him, for all that good [Page 82] which be hath purchased, and God hath promi­sed.

In clearing up of this description we may observe these things.

1. That the next and immediate object of Justifying Faith is Jesus Christ. Faith that justifies closeth in with the person of Christ; not barely considered as he is the second person in the Trinity, but as he is God-man-Mediator. Justification is one piece of com­munion with Christ in his benefits; now our Union to him. Christ himself must be ours, if ever his Righteousness come to be ours; he is therefore called the Lord our Righte­ousness, Jer. 23. 6. and is said to be made Righteousness it self unto us, 1 Cor. 1. 30. which expressions refer to his person: so that when once we have gotten an interest in him, and are really entituled to him, we are then, and not till then, invested with a Righte­ousness which will clear us from all guilt, and declare us to be righteous; for in him it is that we are to have it, Isa. 45. 24. In the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength, and ver. 25. In the Lord shall the seed of Israel be justified: on this account it is that Paul in our Text concludes upon this, that if he can but [Page 83] be found in him, he is then safe enough, as having a Righteousness to friend, which will justifie him perfectly.

2. That which gives the soul the advantage to take hold of the person of Christ, is the pro­mise of special mercy in the which he is exhibi­ted. It is not to be denied that the whole Scripture is serviceable to the Faith of Gods Elect; and it all some way or other leads to Christ; and for this reason is the Scripture called the word of Faith: 1 Tim. 4. 6. and it is all of it to be believed, because it is all true, and confirmed by the Testimony of God himself; it is the word of him who is the Truth; and it is all profitable, and there are various uses to which it serveth, both in the drawing of men to Christ, to believe in him, and in the building of them up in their most holy Faith, and for the direction of them how they ought to serve him in all things; see 2 Tim. 3. 16, 17. But yet every portion of Scripture doth not alike nextly serve to give the sinner an advantage to lay hold upon Jesus Christ. The Scripture con­sists of dive [...]s parts, and these serve nextly to various ends and uses, though all of them contribute something to the helping forward of the glory of God in the happiness of fal­len [Page 84] man: There are recorded in it many histories; and these serve partly for holy example, and partly for solemn caution to men: there are moral precepts, there are sharp reproofs, there are severe threatnings, &c. all of which have their particular profit and will serve, either to the preparing of a sinner for this closure with Christ by faith, or for the helping of a believer home to the heavenly Kingdom: But that which nextly and most proper gives us the advantage and encouragement to believe in Christ, is that special revelation which God hath been plea­sed to make of him, in the which revelati­on he gives us to understand, that as he is a compleat and all sufficient Saviour, so he in­vites sinners to come to and accept of him, and put their trust in him, and engageth to all such as so do, that they shall in and by him obtain the pardon of Sin, and peace with God; that if they will but take Christ on his terms, he shall be theirs: hence it is that by the promise we are said to be parta­kers of the Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. and it was upon a promise that Abraham believed, and it was accounted to him for Righteousness, Gen. 15. 5, 6. and such a promise is a neces­sary mediam for faith to come to Christ and take hold of him by. For Sin, which all [Page 85] the children of men are naturally guilty of, and separated between God and man, and all mankind was for Sin under a severe threat­ning: so that they lead no hold of God at all, but were quite knockt off from any such thing: and now how shall they believe that this God will pardon them, and be reconci­led unto them without some encouragement. The alone and bare consideration of Gods power to do them this kindness, is not e­nough, because there is a dreadful curse stands between to dishearten them from taking hold of that; and until it be removed they may be certain that God will never be so propositions to them. It must therefore be only a word of promise that can offer a Sinner any en­couragement at all. To believe that God will accept of and pardon us in Christ, before such time as he hath declared himself willing to do it, is not faith but frenzy: because before the word of promise did break out, there was nothing else but wrath, and a sentence of condemnation to be read or heard of for the Sinner; here therefore is the first peeps hole of hope.

3. That property of Faith whereby it justi­fies, is that it helps the soul to rely upon Christ for all the good which is laid up in the pro­mise; [Page 86] this reliance, trust or confidence is the proper justifying act of Faith. It is true, at there is a promise revealed to the soul, by which he comes to take hold of Christ by Faith, so there are two things necessarily pre­required to this confidence: As

1. That he have the understanding or appre­hension of the things that are promised, and of the terms of the promise: there can be no jus­tifying Faith without this; the object must be revealed to the man, or otherwise it can not be relied upon by him; without the knowledge he cannot close in with the good of the promise, an ignorant faith is a great contradiction: Paul knows whom he hath trusted; our Saviour Christ speaking to the woman of Samaria, tells her, John 4. 22. Ye worship ye know not what? we worship what we know: Faith is the act of a reasonable creature; now the natural motion of the will in man, is by the light of the under­standing, which is to be eyes unto it, and hence Faith is said to come by hearing, Rom. 10. 17. and that there is no believing in him of whom men have not heard, ver: 14. now hearing is counted the sense of discipline, because by it the understandings of men are [Page 87] wont to be informed in the notion of the things that they are told of:

2. That in his Judgment, he yield a credit and assent to the Truth of these things that he knows, for although an historical Faith a­lone, will not amount to a justifying Faith, yet there must of necessity be such a Faith in order to the other, and without this there cannot be any of that in the man.

He that doth not give credit to the truth of the promise, will never rely upon it for mercy and salvation; he that comes to God, (i. e, in Faith) must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb, 12.6. It is therefore one great part of Gospel work, to enlighten [...] un­derstandings in the knowledge of Christ, and of the▪ great things purchased by him to be conferred upon his people, Eph. 1. 18, 19. and if ever we come to take hold of the promise by Faith, and of Christ in it, we are to believe that God is true in all that he faith, that his Te­stimony carries its own credit with it, because it is the Word of God who can­not lye; and that this word of promise is his word; and that there is salvation [Page 88] sufficient in Jesus Christ who is exhibited [...] us in this promise, and that this salvation shall without fail be bestowed upon all such as do believe in him, according unto it: that he who hath promised is faithful, and will also perform: without a free and full assent to, & credit of all this, there is no hope that a soul should be perswaded really to adven­ture it self upon the word of promise.

But still this is not all that is requisite, nay there may be all this, yet not a saving faith that therefore which is the proper distingui­shing note of this faith, in that upon all [...] the soul is carried forth to close with, and cast it self upon Christ as he is revealed in the promise. I am not here speaking of the strength by which this is done, but only [...] the act it self; and to make the thing more distinct, let me propose these things to con­sideration.

1. That it is not the promise it self, but that which is promised in it, which is the object of Justifying Faith. The promise it self is not our Justification, but it is a medium to it, or it brings something along with it, that is by it offered unto us, which is able to justifie us, and that is Christ and his Righteousness: [Page 89] It therefore contains in it a revelation of that great mystery of Salvation by Jesus Christ. The promise indeed makes offer to the children of Men of a pardon of sin, and of reconciliation unto God; but this is not all, but together with such an offer made, it exhibits the way by which, and the Author by whom it is to be enjoyed, and that is no other but Jesus Christ: so that the promise in the proper notion of it, is nothing else at an instrument of bringing Jesus Christ to the Soul, and helping it to its closing in with him.

2. That Jesus Christ is in the general pro­mise offered to every one in particular, that is priviledged to hear it, upon a Gospel condition. A general bears a true respect to all and every of the individuals that are contained under it; when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Preached to a company of sinful men, and it is proclaimed to them, and in their audi­ence, That whosoever will may came and drink of the waters of Life freely, Rev. 22. 17. That e­veryone who is a thirsty may come and buy and eat, &c. Isai. 55. 1. now every person for him­self, that comes within the sound of such a Proclamation, may with great safety thus argue in himself, I then am herein concerned [Page 90] I may come if I will, the invitation is made to me, why then should I neglect to accept it, or shut out my self by unbelief? such is the Gospel promise: and it is also made up on a condition, there are the terms annexed to it, there is the way declared in which the good promised may be obtained: for God in bringing Sinners home to Christ, bring them under a new Covenant Relation, and the promise that is revealed in it, is the gray encouragement of the Covenant, giving men to understand what shall be the advan­tage that shall accrue to them by putting [...] themselves under it; and as it is in it [...] an encouragement, so it alwayes carries in [...] something that is required in order to [...] being made the owners of it, and heirs of [...] the good which is contained in it; now the condition is believing: that which the Go­spel saith, is, that if we ever hope to get Pardon of all our sins, and have our person to find acceptance with an Holy God, [...] and through Jesus Christ, we must believe [...] him; and this is so positive and unalterable that the want of it will exclude us from [...] hope of participation in such a favour; an therefore it is not only assured to all [...] but denied to all others, Mark 16. 16. [...] that believes and is Baptized, shall be saved [Page 91] but he that believes not shall be damned, 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life, but he that hath not the Son hath not life.

3. That he who performs the condition of the general Gospel Promise, doth in so doing make the good of it so to become his own by promise. If there were no promise made to such a thing, or if the party doing it were no way related to it, it not being propounded and of­fered to him, the performance were then of no force; but if there be a promise made and offered, and accepted, and the demand of it performed, the fulfilment of it stands engaged. If God saith, let him that will be­lieve in Christ, and if he doth, I will certain­ly justifie him, then whosoever hears the con­dition, is perswaded by the promise to enter­tain it, and accordingly doth believe, he thereby comes under a particular and perso­nal relation to the good exhibited, and hath a security of it in the promise: If Christ invites a whole company of weary and heavy laden sinners to come to him, and tells them, that he of them that doth come shall find rest to his Soul, then if this or that person, if one or more of the company come, though all the rest stay away; they take him at his word; they do, as it were bi [...]d the Cove­nant [Page 92] and bring Christ himself into Bonds; so that God can as well deny himself, as re­fuse to justifie such; his word is past, the of­fer is his own, and he neither may, nor can, nor will in any wise reverse it.

4. This is done by every one who upon the Go­spel invitation, is perswaded by the Spirit of God to cast himself upon Christ, and to put his trust in him. It is not a believing Christ to be, but a believing in Christ: it is not a bar [...] act of the understanding that is here exerted, but the promise comes in at the understanding, which judgeth of it, and gives approba­tion to it as that which is true and eligible and so passeth it over to the affections, which are raised and stirred by it, but all this is too little alone, but at last the Will sets its Seal to it, chuseth, embraceth, rolls it self upon it: So that Faith and Unbelief are rooted in the Will: hence we shall find that Christ layes the blame of mens not believing in him up­on their Wills, Joh. 5.40. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life: thus also the Scri­pture is frequently expressing the work of Faith, by the Souls putting of its trust in Christ, as psal. 2.12. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. So Isai. 50. 10. Let him [Page 93] trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. And unbelief is called a departing from him, Heb. 3.12. Faith also is expressed by the notion of embracing the promise, and so of the good that is brought in it, Heb. 11. 13. they were perswaded of them, and embraced them. So that every one who believes, hath performed the thing which is required; he hath come up to that which the promise cha­lenged of them that would be entituled to it.

5. Hence, when a Soul is enabled to believe in Christ as he is revealed to us in the promise, Christ now becomes his to all those intents and purposes for which he was exhibited therein. So that when Christ is his, then all of Christs that is communicable is his also in the same Covenant; for Christ and his benefits go together, as being inseparable, and as we can­not have his benefits, except we have his person, so we cannot enjoy him, but we must withal participate in all the precious fruits of his Redemption: the Scripture therefore de­lights to be frequently setting forth this thing under the name and notion of a Marriage Covenant between a Man and Woman, in which it is known that a propriety in the person, gives a right to the estate: Now own part of Christ Treasure, a tide whereunto [Page 94] he conveys to such as do believe in him, and so are married to him man everlasting Co­venant, is his Righteousness, 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is of God made unto us, Our Righteousness, All the new Covenant relations of Christ, do passover in this conveyance to the Believer, and he hath an unquestionable claim to them all; he is now our Redeemer, our Mediator, our Surety, our Advocate: and upon this ac­count it is, viz. because in believing we re­ceive Christ unto an efficacious Justification that it is called justifying Faith.

2. It follows to consider how Faith Justi­fies, or how it serves to our Justification; and this may be easily gathered out of the fore­going Discourse: the nature of justifying Faith, if it be duely pondered, will tell us what influence it hath into the justification of a sinner: but to make it a little more clear and easie, we may make a little more distinct and particular enquiry into it, and consider of it.

1. Negatively; and here let us observe these things;

1. That Faith doth not justifie us, as it hath any worth or merit of its own in it, to deserve or earn Justification for us: they do very grosly mistake themselves, who think that [Page 95] Faith hath every way the same consideration in the new Covenant, which obedience or works had in the Old: It is true, it is the condition of this as obedience was the condi­tion of the other: but yet there is this plain and manifest difference, that in the old Co­venant God had a proper respect to the work of Obedience, as that which had a Cove­nant merit in it, or for which man was to have been justified, if he had continued in it, Rom 10. 5. Moses describeth the Righteousness, which is of the Law, that the man that doth these things shall live by them. But in the process of Gospel Justification, it is Christs Righteous­ness which stands to answer in the room of ours, and not our Faith: So that the merit of our Justification is in the object, viz. Christ; and not in the act of Faith: If we believe in him, he then stands to answer for us to our Judg, and all his earnings are made over to us up­on our believing, and placed to our account.

2. Hence it follows naturally, that Faith hath no natural or proper vertue in it self to justifie a Sinner; for that which hath in it self a real virtue to justifie, must answer the Law in all its demands, whereas Faith in it self answers to none of them: there is no such thing as a legal obedience in Faith, for it is the proper­ty [Page 96] of Faith to fly from the Law unto Grace and therefore it never designs a personal an­swering of the Law, but seeks a deliverance from it in and through Jesus Christ; and that is the priviledge of believing, Rom. 6. 14. ye are not under the Law but under Grace. Faith fetcheth in all virtue from abroad: and in truth it justifies a man no more, than the look of a bitten Israelite upon the Brazen Serpent healed him: now it was not the ver­tue of the look, but the vertue that was put into the Brazen Serpent that healed him who so looked upon it, else he might have looked long enough before he had been cured: so it is not the vertue of believing, but of Christ who is believed in, that justifies. Faith justi­fies a sinner, as the Womans touch of Christs Garment healed her Issue of Blood, and that was the vertue, not of the touch, but of Christ, which issued from him upon her tou­ching him; and therefore he declares that he felt vertue to go out of him, upon that exertion of her Faith in so touching him, Luk. 8.46.

3. And from the premises it follows, that Faith doth not justifie as it is a work; for if it did so, then it would either have merit, or at least vertue in it to justifie, but we see that it hath neither. Faith is, in large sense [Page 97] a work; it is an act of Obedience to God, it is an answering to the Gospel command; it is in it self, as it is habitually rooted in the soul, one of the graces of sanctification, and as it exerts it self in the acts of believing, it is an exercise of holiness: God re­quires Faith of all that hear the Gospel, that is his command that they believe in the name of the Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 3. 23. but in this sense it cannot justifie: for then we must not only be justified by believing, but this priviledge must be bestowed upon us for believing; for if it answer faith as a work, then it comes as wages; but justifying Faith excludes all works, and therefore cannot it self justifie as a work; Rom. 3. 28. we con­clude that a man is justified by Faith, without the deeds of the Law: faith is the condition of the New Covenant, and a Covenant re­ceives its denomination from the quality of its condition, if then faith should justifie as a work, it were but a New Covenant of works, whereas it is in truth a Covenant of Grace.

4. Neither doth Faith justifie as the princi­pal applier of the Justification which is procured by Christ, unto us; it is not to be looked up­on as the highest cause of the application of the benefit to our persons: this also was to [Page 98] exalt it above its place, and give it a prehe­minence beyond its due. It is before into mated, that in the application of the Righ­teousness of Christ unto us, there is some­thing done by God, and something done by us: now that which God doth is the princi­pal, viz. he takes this Righteousness of the hands of Christ, as done for us, and the [...] he gives it to us, or imputes it to our account of his own rich grace, and this imputation is the main efficient of our Justification; for it is God that justifies, Rom. 8. 23. i. e. prin­cipally, giving is more honourable than re­ceiving, and we owe the acknowledgment of all the benefit we have in being enrich­ed by such a gift, to him that conferred [...] upon us, and nothing to our selves for tak­ing it; although it be still a truth, that if we had not received it, we could not have been enriched by it.

2. Affirmatively; Faith justifies instrumen­tally, as it receives the Lord Jesus Christ, and his merits offered in the Covenant. It is before made clear that the Righteousness of Christ is the thing for which we are Justified: now the proper work of Faith in this affair, is to receive it unto Justification; and that be­cause it is the term or condition of the new [Page 99] Covenant. God hath in his good pleasure [...] choice of this way to convey the [...] to, and bestow an interest in the Righ­teousness of Christ upon sinners, viz. by their believing in his Son: He doth (as it [...]) say, behold here is a Righteousness, [...] which I am well contented, it exceedingly [...] pleaseth me to bestow pardoning grace [...]on sinful men upon the account of it, but [...] if any desire to have the application of made unto them in particular, it is to be [...]ected only in this way, they must believe, [...] if they so do, it shall be theirs: and [...]eupon we may come at the right concep­tion of what faith doth towards our being [...]tified; this is all that can be with any truth ascribed to it, that it brings us under the Covenant condition, and thereupon it [...]ders us the qualified Subjects of the promise of grace which is therein exhibited; and this [...] doth by accepting, embracing, and placing its hope and trust in the Righteousness of Christ: and so it follows that we are justified [...] for our faith, or believing, but for Christ; but yet it is by faith, or in a way of believ­ing For cu [...] full satisfaction in the truth of this, it is good for us to take notice that the Scripture is pleased to ascribe our Justificati­on to divers things, and that tells us that it [Page 100] must have reference to divers respects, an [...] they are to be well understood by such [...] would not be deceived, but ascribe to each of them, that which belongs to them, and no more or less: and the rather should [...] labour to be distinct in our conception [...] them, lest otherwise we should rob Christ [...] his merits, and God of his grace, and lift [...] selves up above our own place, and to [...] it in one of the main and fundamental point of our hopes. Sometimes then it ascribes it [...] grace, Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by [...] grace: and then it points us to take notice [...] the Imputation, or the act of Justifying [...] which being done by God, proceeds or flow from his meer grace, no ways merited or de­served by us: Sometimes it ascribes it to the Blood of Christ, Rom. 15. Rom. 5. 9. much more than being now justified by his blood, and then it directs us to eye the meritorious cause his blood being put Metonimically; for his sa­tisfaction; and that Synechdochically for [...] whole Obedience by which be merited for us and therefore sometime it gives it to his O­bedience in general, Rom. 15. 19. By the O­bedience of one many shall be made righteous; and so it shews us the matter of our Justifica­tion. Sometimes it acknowledgeth it to God, Rom, 8. 33. It is God that justifieth: and so we [Page 101] [...] given to discover the efficient of our Justi­fication, for it is God who applying the righteousness of Christ to us, and covering [...] with it, doth actually justifie us, and some­times Faith is honoured with having it ascribed to that, Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith; [...] then it intends the instrument or hand whichreceives it, for when we have given to [...]ch other that which is their due, what else [...] their remain to be attributed to Faith [...] only this? And this further serves to let [...] understand, that our actual or personal justification, being one part of the work of application, wherein this fruit of Redempti­on is by the Spirit applied to us upon our be­lieving, that therefore we are not Justified in a Gospel sense, before, but in and with our believing in Christ: for then onely so that Justification which the Son of God hath procured for us, and received in our name, brought home to us, and conferred upon us, which is plainly included in our being said to be justified by Faith.

3. In the last place, it remains to make it evident, That Faith only on our part is in­strumental to our Justification: that nothing else of ours hath any influence upon the par­don of our sin, and the declaring of us Righ­teous: [Page 102] and to evident this, let it be consider­ed, that there are but two things of our that can make any pretence to have any share in our Justification, and they are our Faith and our works of Obedience to the Law or Command of God, or the exercises [...] the other graces of Sanctification in us: [...] will therefore suffice to make it appear to [...] of Faith alone, and that nothing else that [...] done by us can have any influence into it, [...] shewing how impossible it is that any holy works, or gracious acts of Obedience done by us should contribute any thing to our Jus­tification before God, whence it will follow that either Faith alone, or nothing at [...] which proceeds from us is concerned in it and the truth of this will appear to any that shall but throughly weigh these following conclusions.

1. All the acts of Evangelical Obedience, as they come from us, [...] are done by us, all parts of our Righteousness; and therefore for that reason they are wholly excluded from having any influence into our Justification, as hath been already proved in the foregoing discourse: and there is this one reason which carries enough in it to stop the mouth of all cavillings against it, viz. That which doth it self stand in need of a pardon, before it can find [Page 103] acceptance with an holy God, cannot any way help to justifie us; but such are all our acts of O­bedience: there is indeed an Evangelical Righ­teousness in them, they are done in sinceri­ty, and they Flow from a principle of Sanc­tification, and have a conformity, though imperfect to the Law of God, but yet they cannot justifie, because they have their spots, deficiency, short coming, and thereupon they need the Righteousness of another for their Justification: we are called Priests to God, in respect of our new Obedience, but we must remember that there was a Law re­quiring that the Priests right ear, right thumb and right toe must be touched with the blood of the Sacrifice, intimating that all we do in our service to God stands in need of the imputation of Christs merit, or else it is of no worth: yea and we find that the High Priest, who was principally a Type of Christ, was to bear the iniquity of the holy things of the children of Israel, and to make ex­piation for them, telling us that Christ makes it one part of his work to appease his Fa­thers displeasure, and give ground for the acceptance of all we do in integrity, through his own merits.

2. We are justified by the Righteousness of [Page 104] another, viz. of Jesus Christ, which is made ours, and accepted for us, and instead of our own, of in the room of the Righteous­ness which we were by the first Covenant obliged unto; this hath been already prov­ed, and thence it follows by way of cons [...] ­ctary.

1. That the Righteousness by which we are to be justified, is already wrought out and perfected and if so, then there is nothing of ours that can justifie us by addition to, or being a complement of that Righteousness: for is hath been made to appear, that it is alone, Christs Righteousness; it admits of no ad­dition to it, or compleating of it, it needs no eiking out, for then he should not save to the uttermost. As God indented with Christ for so he accepted of his Obedience, as the full price of our Redemption, and the whole Satisfaction to his Law; so that God looks only to this, and there is nothing else that he will look upon as the procuring cause of our pardon and acceptance into favours but only his Sons Righteousness.

2. Hence there is nothing of ours that can have any hand in our Justification, but only that which is instrumental to make this Righte­ousness of Christ to become actually ours: we [Page 105] have nothing to do for our being justifi­ed, but to receive Christs Righteousness for it: now there is nothing of ours but only our Faith which is capable of such a thing as this: as for our moral vertues, and all our actions of obedience to the Law of God, they are far from having a vertue of recei­ving Christ, for they, are truely and properly our returns, or offerings of Thanksgivings into him, in the acknowledgment of his great favours bestowed upon us; so that faith and no other Grace is fitted for this work.

3. To be Justified by the free Grace of God, excludes any works of ours from our Justifica­tion. That the riches of free Grace are dis­cerned in this affair hath been already made evident: and what contribution can our works of Obedience be conceived to make towards our being justified, except we should suppose that they move, and prevail with God, offer him some ground and rea­son why he should pass this act upon us: and if this be supposed and conceded to, then it will follow that he must justifie us for our works, whereas the Apostle assures us that such a notion doth certainly exclude Grace, and brings in vain boasting, which God had design wholly to remove in the way of [Page 106] man's being justified, Rom. 3. 27. Where boasting then? it is excluded, by what Law of works? nay, but by the Law of Faith. 2 Tim 1.9. Who hath saved us, and called us with as holy calling, not according to our works, but ac­cording to his own purpose and grace.

4. They are only the work of a justified Be­liever that are Evangelically acceptable unto God; and therefore there are no works that can contribute so much as instrumentally to our Justi­fication: We no sooner believe, but we are justified, for Faith takes on the Garment of Christs Righteousness, and we are immedi­ately in him, and stand under the security of his Suretyship, and all this passeth before we are capable of doing any one action, that in Gospel account may be called good, [...] without Faith is impossible to please God, He 11.6. now it is certain, and evident to any rational man, that the effect cannot go be­fore the cause, and be causal to it; it in­volves a contradiction so to say or suppose works are the fruits and evidence of Justify­ing Faith, and therefore they cannot possibly be helpful towards the justifying of a Sinner before God, who until their persons are ac­cepted, receives none of their Sacrifices a [...] the hands of men it must then be Faith [Page 107] alone, that beggarly Grace, that carries the soul to Christ, and layeth it prostrate at his [...], and takes hold upon his Righteousness, and confides in him for all good; there is nothing else of ours that can have any in­fluence into this affair, and that only in the [...]nse before expressed. This doth not assert his Faith to be alone, for it never is so, but [...] is alwaves accompanied with all the other [...]races and Vertues of the Spirit of God, which at the same time when he makes a man Believer, are infused into the man; and [...]uth is every day envigorating of, and working by them, in a course of grateful o­bedience, in acknowledgment of the free [...]ours of God bestowed upon him: and therefore the Faith by which we are justified [...] not such a Faith as emboldens men to [...]; such a Faith as allows men this indul­gence, will be found far from justifying: at Faith, and that only which worketh by [...], and purifyeth the heart, can afford men [...] comforts and assurances of the pardon [...] their sins, and their peace with God.