The Life of Justification Opened

CHAPT. I.

The Introduction; & the text (the ground of this following discourse) opened-up.

T He Doctrine of Justification cannot but be acknowledged by all, whose thoughts are taken up about an interest in everlasting felicity, to be of great concernment; & debates or Controversies about the same cannot be esteemed vain & fruitless Digladiations, & Disputes about a thing of naught; seeing in this lieth the Ground of all our Hop, peace, & Eternal Salvation; & a Mistake or Error, as to the Theorie in this matter, followed with an answerable & corresponding practice, (I mean as to what toucheth the heart & Substance of this Divine Mystery) may, yea must of necessity, prove not only dangerous to Souls; but even inevitably destructive. Wherefore it cannot be justly accounted blame worthy, that Churches & particular persons, who woule be faithful (& so accounted) unto the grand-interests of Souls, contend, with alle earnestness, for the faith once delivered to the Saints, in this particular; this being the true Basis of all Religion, & of Christianity; without which there can be no access to, nor Communion with, God; No peace with God, nor true peace in our own Consciences; no life of Comfort here, nor true hope of Salvation forever here after; No change of State, nor saving change of li • e & conversation; in a word, no life of Grace here, nor of Glory hereafter: And what then must follow upon the corrupting of this Truth, & upon Erroneous Apprehensions & practices herein, is abundantly obvious to all such, as have not sinned away all sense & consideration, in these matters.

Wherefore it is no wonder, that Satan hath, in all ages, labored, by one Instrument or other, upon one occasion or other, and under one pretext, or other, to corrupt the pure streams of this wholesome Fountain of Truth, in one Measure or other, in one particular or other; & that by such Mediums & Arguments, as he knew would be most taking, & seem most plausible, at these Several times, & upon these Several occasions. What way, & how far the corruption of this Truth was advanced, in the Antichristian Church, is yet known; & what ground, their error in this gave un to such, as began to be enlightened in the knowledge of the Truth, to separate from them, & to appear against them, is manifest: and what Effaies the Devil made, about the beginning of Reformation, or shortly after, to darken this Truth, by Questions & Disputes, even among such, as hold the Truth fast, as to the main, and what since, by Several New Opinions, or new Modes and Methods (as they were called, and given out to be) vented, and improven by Several Artifices, to seeming different Ends, he hath effectuated; to the hardening of some, in their Misapprehensions; & to the Corrupting of the Hearts & Minds of others; and also the Staggering and Shaking of not a few, may be called to mind with grief and sorrow; Not to mention the bold attempt, made by Socinians, to overturn the whole Grounds of Christian Religion; and to take away at once all the pillars of Gospel-justification.

The devil began early, in the breaking up of the clear day of Christianity, to darken this Sun, that the poor Church might forever abide in darkness, if the Church, her Head and Husband had not provided a Remedy, and had not effectually dispelled these Clouds: And he had no small advantage of the corrupt Jews, who had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge, and had a very Specious pretext of crying up the Law, prescribed by God himself, and of Obedience thereunto, and constant observation thereof, in all points, to the prejudice of the Gospel-truth, in the matter of Justification. And though the first rise of this difference and debate was upon occasion of the Ceremonial Law, which was the dispensation of the Grace of God, which the ancient Church was under, while under Tutors & Governors, and in her Non-age state; and was never rightly obeyed, or improven, but when in led them unto the promised Messiah, Christ, the end of that law, in a peculiar manner, the Substance thereof, and veiled thereunder; and which they might have known, was to be done away, when Christ, the Substance of all those shadows, came in to the world, in the due time appointed and foretold; and which, contrary to its very Nature & End, to the many prophecies of old, & to the signal dispensations of God, giving clear significations of his mind, touching the evanishing of these shadows, the Jews, principled with false Conceptions about that Law, & with prejudices against the truth of the Gospel, and animated and encouraged by false Teachers, raised up of Satan, to corrupt the Doctrine of the Grace of God, did strenuously contend for the constant Observation thereof, either Solely, as a Sufficient ground of their Justification; or in conjunction with the Gospel: Yet, because this tookalongs with it, the observation of all that Law, which God had prescribed of old, as the only ground, in their mistaken apprehension, of their Justification, & acceptance with God; therefore we find the Apostle Paul (who was especially stirred up, & immediately inspired of the Spirit, to vindicate the Gospel-way of justification from this corruption; after he had been singularly fitted thereunto, by being in so signal a manner brought to embrace this Truth, (who was formerly so zealous for the Law, & against the Gospel in all points) prosecuting the controversy to the full; & not only handling it in reference to the immediate Rise & occasion thereof; but in reference to that also, where-unto of necessity it must have come, & where it must have landed, at length.

And though there have been few, since those days, & none at present, who will contend for the Observation of the ceremonial Law, in the sense, & for Ends, urged by the Jews, & jewish false Apostles, in the primitive times; yet we must not think, that therefore all the Doctrine of the Apostle hereanent is if no use to us. Many debates & discourses had the Apostle, beside what we have recorded of him in Scripture; & to think, that his Disputes & Discourses, in his Epistles, concerning Justification, are of no more concernment to us, as to the question about justification, because none nowadays, plead for justification by the observation of the ceremonial Law, as did the Jews, against whom Paul Disputed, is, in my judgment, no small imputation upon the Spirit of the Lord, inspireing the Apostle to write these Epistles, & putting them into our Canon: and of this such, in my apprehension must be guilty, who think to wave all the Apostles Discourses, in this matter, with this, that he is only to be understood, as speaking & Disputing against such, as criedup the constant observation of the Ceremonial Law, as such.

But, whatever circumstantial differences, whether as to the Rise or occasion, or as to other things of the like Import, there may seem to be, or may really be, betwixt the Dispute, as then stated, & as now prosecuted; Yet all the Disputes & Differences about the Maine & Essentials of justification, as also about inferior & subordinate Questions, in so far as they depend upon, or are influenced by the Maine, will be found to be, upon the matter, one & the same, whether managed of late or of old: For different Termes & Expressions may be, where the matter & thing so expressed, is really one & the same. And therefore, as we are to observe with thankfulness the Lord's love to & care of His Church, in providing & preserving, for the use & Edification of the same, in all ages, to the end of the world, such a necessary Depositum; & His wonderful wisdom in inspireing His Amanue • ses so to write, as not only to refell the Error, in all its Circumstances & Branches, as it was then broached, to the darkening of Gospel-light; but so also as the Truth might remain full cleared, confirmed & saifguared against all the assaults of Satan, in all time coming, by whatever Instruments, & under whatsomever new Notions, Distinctions, Termes of art, Expressions and pretences, the same may come 〈◊〉 be attacqued: So are we to acquaint ourselves well with the Doctrine of the Spirit of the Lord, in this matter; to the end, we may be fully instructed in the Truth, & enabled, to maintain the same, & fortified against all new Assaults; or, rather, old Assaults renewed, howbeit managed by seemingly new weapons, & new filed Instruments & Arguments.

It would prove long & tedious, to handle at length (& to touch in short, upon them, may seem to some to be but superficiary work) all the various controversies, that are on foot this day, about the matter of justification; & a short discovery of the truth, in this matter, as to the most principal things controverted (to which others may be so reduced, as a Scriptural discovery of the truth, as to those, may serve for a discussion of the rest; at least, so pave the way, that a solution of these Inferior Controversies may be the more easy) may therefore be sufficient to such, at least, whose Edification and Instruction we mostly Intend here; that is, Such, as are not in case to improve what is written of Controversies, in Scholastic & abstruse terms. And, I judge, whoever handle this Controversy, in such terms only, or mostly, as are above the reach of ordinary Christians, who are herein as much concerned, as others, miss that mark, which they should mainly aim at, that is, Edification & Instruction of such, whose high concernment this is; & who have most need to be plainly instructed in this foundamental point of Truth, a Practical mistake in which may prove to them deadly & destructive; & especially of such, who, when under the pangs of an awakened Conscience, & under the convictions of sin, & fears of wrath, pursueing for sin, are then most ready to take any course that may seem to promise present ease & relief; & to be led away from Christ, the only peace-maker, through the slight of Satan, & the deceitfulness of their own heart; & through Ignorance of, or Mis-information about the true Gospel-way of Justification & peace with God; whereby their Ease & Reliefe may prove more deadly, than was their Distemper & Disquiet. As therefore, I Judge, this concerning Truth cannot be made plain enough; so I think, the less use be made of Philosophic or Scholastic terms (which none but such as are well versed in these dry Nations, can competently understand; & which, though never so handsomely, set off, will prove very unsatisfying to awakened Consciences) it will be so much the better; seeing, let men please themselves in them, as they will, as they are not the language, the Spirit of the Lord hath thought good to use in this matter so they darken rather, than clear the matter, at least to me.

The Apostle (that we may in short clear the words, upon which we are to ground our Discourse) in this verse. 11. after other Arguments, formerly adduced to prove the Thesis, which he laid down Chap. 2. verse. 16. to wit, That a man is not Justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ; he bringeth another Argument from Scripture, after he hath again repeated the one half of the grand Thesis, by which the other is suffificiently understood, & more emphatically included in the probation, or Testimony of Scripture adduced, saying,

HE doth not explain what is meaned by that word, Justified; but presupposeth that there was no doubt, concerning the true meaning thereof, among those, with whom he had to do, in this Dispute: as Indeed none, that consider what is the constant use thereof, in the Old Testament, (well known to the Jewish Teachers) yea & in the New Testament also, can doubt of its true Import, how ever Papists do quite mistake its true Nature & Import, supposing that it signifieth an Inward Renovation, or Infusion of Holiness; & so make it the same with Sanctification. But as no man, acquainted with the Scriptures, & with what is said of justification in them, can be ignorant of its right meaning; so every man, exercised with the sense of his own natural condition, & of the curse of the Law, under which he feeleth himself lying, according to what is here said, in the foregoing verse, readily understandeth, what it is to be justified & freed from that curse & Sentence of Condemnation; & so made free from the wrath that he is liable unto, because of the broken Law of God: So that we need say no more of it here.

He saith, No man is Justified by the Law; & so, maketh no exception of any what somever, no not of the holiest mere Man, that ever existed since the fall: & this is of the same import with that expression Chap. 2: 16. No flesh; for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified. So he hath the same expression Rom. 3: 20.

It is here said, by the Law; in the original it is, in the Law: but the sense is the same with that expression Chap. 2: 16. thrice repeated, by the works of the Law. The Ethiopike Version here is rather a short Commentary: for there it is; They are not justified doing the command of the Law. It is observable, That the Apostle useth variety of expressions, in this matter, all tending to clear this one thing. That there is no justification by the works of the Law; so as no color or show of evasion might be left unto any. Rom. 3. 20. he saith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , by or out of the works of the Law; as also Gal. 2: 16. And Rom. 3: 28. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , without the works of the Law; they having no consideration therein. Rom. 4: 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 by, or out of works. So that there is no justification by the Law, nor by works; nor by the works of the Law: all which expressions are used to signify one & the same thing. And in the following verse, he taketh the Law, & doing of them, that is, the commands of the Law, for one & the same thing. Those that were looking to the Law for justification, he saith of them verse 10. That they are of the works of the Law and chap. 4: 21.— Ye that desire to be under the Law. This elsewhere viz Phil. 3: 9. he calleth his own righteousness, which it of the Law: & Tit. 3: 5. works of righteousnoss, which we have done- & Rom. 10: 3. their own righteousness & Rom. 9: 31. the Law of righteousness. But what Law is this, by which, he denieth, that any can be justified? The forementioned Expressions do Sufficiently clear, what Law he meaneth, even all that Law, that was the Rule of Righteousness, & was prescribed of God, as such; & not the Ceremonial Law only: that Law, by the works whereof he denied ( Rom. 4: 1, 2.) that Abraham, the father of the faithful, was justified. That Law, in obedience to which consisted that righteousness, which the Jews labored to cause stand; & that righteousness, which himself desired not to be found in: That Law, which was called the Law of righteouness: That Law, which the Gospel establisheth Rom. 3: 31. In a word, it is that Law, whereof he speaketh, in the preceeding verse, that is, that Law, the transgression of which, in the least particular, bringeth the sinner under the curse, according to that saying. Cursed is everyone, that continueth not in all things, which are contained in the book of the Law, to do them Deut. 27: 26. And here also we see the Law & the book of the Law, are one: & sure, this book of the Law contained more, than the Ceremonial Law, even all the Moral Commandments; in respect of which & not in respect of the Ceremonial Law, the Gentiles, & amongst the rest, these Galatians, at least, so many of them, as had not yet Judaized, were of the Law, & so, under the curse. It is obvious, how useless all the Dispute of the Apostle here, & in his Epistle to the Romans, is rendered by asserting, That Paul's Dispute runneth only upon the observation of the Ceremonial Law; seeing now the very Subject of the debate is taken away from us. And, if matters be so, I would fain know, why the Apostle should have used any other Argument, in all his Dispute, beside this one, That by the Gospel, the subject of the question is wholly removed; the Ceremonial Law being utterly abrogated by the Gospel? Sure, this would have Sufficiently put an end to that debate. But this Supposal is, I confess, a short cut to answer all the otherwise unanswerable Arguments of the Apostle against Justification by works, but yet it is such, as cannot yield satisfaction.

He addeth, in the sight of God, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which is the same, upon the matter, with that expression Rom. 3: 20▪ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , in His sight; whereby we understand, what justification this is, whereof the Apostle speaketh; even; justification before God's Tribunal, in His Court, who is the Supreme & Righteous judge; as it is with Him alone that the poor convinced & wakened Sinner hath to do: And this is the justification, that we are most concerned to know the nature of, & to understand what way it is brought about, or to be had: This is the justification, which the Apostle always denieth to be by works, & asserteth always to be by faith, in opposition to works. As for a justification of ourselves against the false Accusations of Satan, the unjust Surmises of our own treacherous Hearts, & mis-informed Consciences, & the groundless Alleigances of men, judging not according to truth, but according to their own mis-apprehensions (whereof Job's friends were guilty, in an high measure) It is not that justification, whereof the Apostle treateth. And whatever Interest good works may have herein, as real fruits of an upright working faith, & consequenly as evidences of our Interest in Christ, & of our being in a state of justification; Yet they are utterly excluded from having an Interest in that justification, which is before God, & in His sight: & here, Christ's Righteousness, Laid hold on by faith, only taketh place.

The Argument, whereby the Apostle disproveth this justification by the works of Law, in the sight of God, is in the following words, where he ushereth-in the argument with an, It is Manifest, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; to show, That the Argument was irrefragable, & that the truth thereby was certain, & beyond Contradiction. Now, the Argument is taken from the opposition, that is betwixt Faith, & the Law, or, the works of the Law, in the matter of justification: A ground, whereupon the Apostle goeth, in his whole Dispute, upon this matter; as we see Rom. 3: 27, 28. & 4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. & 9: 32. Gal. 2: 16. and therefore it must be a certain truth, That if justification before God be by faith, it cannot be by works; & consequently, whoever assert justification by works, destroy Gospel-justification by faith: and hence, it is also Manifest, That justification cannot be by both together, Faith & works conjoined; because what is of faith cannot be of works; these two being here inconsistent Rom. 11: 6.

That Gospel-justification is by faith, the Apostle proveth from that known sentence, the just shall live by faith; a sentence, which the Apostle adduced first of all, when he was to handle this question, in his Epistle to the Romans Chap. 1. verse 17. saying; for therein (i.e. in the Gospel) is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Where we see, that this Sentence confirmeth the whole nature & contents of the Gospel, that is, That the Righteousness of God, i.e. the Righteousness, which only will stand in God's Court, & be accepted of him, in order to the justifying of sinners; & which is the Righteousness of one, who is God, is revealed from faith to saith; that is to say, is hold forth to be embraced bysinners through faith, first & last; & this Righteousness, thus embraced & laid hold on by faith, is the only ground of the life of justification: so that believers their living by faith, saith, their faith laith hold on the Righteousness of God, revealed in the Gospel, as the only ground of their life.

As to the passage itself, it is cited our of Habakkuk chap. 2. verse 4. where the Prophet being told verse 3. that howbeit sometime would pass, ere the promised delivery should come; Yet it would come; & that therefore he & all the People of God, should wait for it, & live in the certain expectation thereof, addeth these words, as being told him of the Lord, that his Soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him (how variously & these words are rendered by diverse, we need not mentione) the meaning is this, That such, as will not, in faith & patience, wait with confidence upon the Lord's promise, that shall be made good, in His good time; but in their pride & impatience of heart, will think to anticipate their delivery, by sinistrous & sinful means, declare, that their heart is not upright, & that they are void of true faith. Upon the other hand, it is said, the just shall live by his faith, that is, Such, as are real & true believers, will wait in the exercise of faith, till God's time come; & by this faith, trusting & leaning to the faithful promise of God, through the Messiah, in whom all the promises are yea & amen 2 Cor. 1: 20. they shall have a life of it, they shall be carried thorough, supported, strengthened & come • orted. And much to this same Purpose, is this passage, cited by the Apostle Hebr. 10: 37, 38. For yet a little while, & he that shall come, will come, & will not tarry, now the just shall live by faith &c. (of which we have spoken elsewhere) in all these places, the Apostle leaveth out the pronoun his, which the Prophet useth; but that maketh no great alteration, the matter being clear, & that sufficiently understood. The Septuagint's make a great alteration, when they render the words thus, The just shall live by my faith.

The great difficulty is, how these words of the Prophet, spoken of such, as were already justified, & believers; & his saying of them, that they shall live by their faith (for we need not own that sense of the words; which some think may not improbably be given, to wit, That he, who is by his faith just (or justified) shall live ) can be applicable to the Apostle'es purpose, to prove justification by faith. Not to mentione what others say to this, nor judging it very necessary to inquire anxiously into this matter, seeing the Spirit of the Lord's moving & inspireing of Paul to alleige, & apply this passage of Old Testament truth, for confirmation of what he was about to prove, may fully satisfy us, as to its pertinency, though we should not satisfy all by proprosing our thoughts concernin it. • Conceive, the ground may be this, That this being a general truth, & universally true, that even believers, who are already changed, & have a life begun in them, must all their life long make use of faith, gripping to the promises, as yea, & amen in Christ, (promised & come) who is the Substance & Kirnel of them all, to the end they may be supported, Strengthened. Upheld, & carried thorough Difficulties, Distresses, Darknesses, Temptations & the like, without fainting, or doing what is unbeseeming a living Believer, in the day of trial; so that their whole life, even unto the end, is kept-in & continued by faith, bringing new supplies & influences from the head, through the promises; it will hence follow, that without faith no man can at first attain to this life, & change from death; yea, that in this case, faith is much more necessarily requisite, yea faith only without works is & must be, the only way to justification of life: for if the progress, & continuance of this life, or renewing of it after decays, be had by faith, drawing sap, life & influence from the head, much more must this be the way of getting the first change made from death to life. And this way (or not much different) of argueing in this same debate, we see the Apostle followeth Rom. 4. where from what was said of Abraham, a considerable time after he was a believer, he proveth justification by faith, without works, or that Abraham was justified by faith, & not by works. The Import then of the Testimony is, that this life, whereof believers are made partakers, is begun, continued & carried on by faith, & therefore it is not by the works of the Law, but by faith, that they are justified & brought into a state of life; If it be true, that without faith, even believers cannot be supported, nor in case to live, as becometh, to the glory of God, & to their own peace & Comforth, in new Trials & Difficulties; much more is it true, that without faith those, who are in nature, & in state of Enmity to God, cannot live the life of justification, & with it alone they can & shall.

Before we come to speak particularly to any Truthes, deducable from the words, we shall premise some few things considerable.

CHAP. II.

Naturally we are inclined to cry up Selff, in Justification.

THe Apostle, as we see, in all his writings about this matter, is very careful to clear the question of justification so, as Man may have no cause of boasting, or of glorying in himself, upon the account of anything he hath, or he hath done in order to justification; that hereby he might cast a copy unto all such, as would approve themselves faithful unto the Lord, in being co-workers with Him, in the Gospel; & that he might so much the more set himself against that innatelusting of heart, that is in all naturally, unto an exalting & crying up of Self, in the matter of their justification before, & Acceptance with God; and especially we find, how zealously, how frequently, & with what strength & multitude of Arguments, he setteth himself against, & crieth down that, which men do so naturally, & with such a vehement bias, incline unto; to wit, justification by their own works, or by their own obedience to the Law; to the end, their innate pride may have ground of venting itself, in boasting & glorying before men.

From this we may premit, in short, the consideration of these Three things, to prepare our way unto the clearing-up of the Gospel-Doctrine in this matter.

First. That there is a corrupt bias in the heart of men by nature, & a strong Inclination, to reject the Gospel-Doctrine of free justification, through faith in Christ; & to ascribe too much to themselves, in that affaire: as if they would hold the life of justification, not purely of the free grace & rich mercy of God, through Jesus Christ; but of themselves, either in whole, or in part, in one measure, or another.

Secondly, That it is the duty of all, who would be found faithful Ambassadors for Christ, after the example of the Apostle, so to preach forth the Grace of God, in this mystery, & to explain the same, as corrupt Nature within, & such without, as are biased with mistakes about this matter, & are led away with proud & carnal self conceits, may have no apparent or seeming ground of boasting; nor be confirmed in their natural prejudices & Mistakes therein.

Thirdly, That in very deed, free Gospel-justification is so contrived & ordered as that none have any real ground of boasting, or of glorying in themselves, or of ascribing any part of the glory thereof unto themselves, as if they, by their deeds & works, did contribute anything to the procuring thereof.

It will not be necessary to speak to these at any length, but only briefly to touch upon them, to make way unto what followeth to be said on this weighty subject, which is of so much concernment to us all.

As to the First of these (to which we shall speak little, in this Chapter, & thereafter of the rest, in their due order) it is too too apparent to be a truth from these grounds following.

I. This is most manifest from the many Errors & false opinions, that are Vented, Owned & Maintained, with so much Violence & corrupt zeal, & all to cry-up Self, in less, or in more; & to cry down Grace. Hence so many do plead, with great confidence, for an Interest of our works, in our justification; Such as Papists, (who quite mistake the nature of true justification) Socinians, Arminians, & Others, who side with these in less, or in more; & will plead for a justification by our inherent Righteousnoss, or works of Righteousness, which we do. Others, that will not plead for such an early Interest of our works, in this matter, will plead for faith, as our Gospel-Righteousness; & affirm, that the very act of our Obedience in us, is imputed for a Righteousness to us, & is accounted such by God; & so, hath the same place in the New Covenant, that complete & perfect obedience had in the Old Covenant of works, made, with Adam; which, as shall hereafter appear, driveth us upon the same rock.

II. It is manifest likewise from the large & frequent Disputes about this matter, that we have in Paul's Epistles. If there had not been a great pronness in man, by nature, to cry-up himself, & to set up his own Righteousness, in matter of justification, why would the Spirit of the Lord have been at so much pains (to speak so) to cry down Self & our works, in this matter, as He is, in these Epistles of Paul, if He had not seen the great necessity thereof, by reason of this strong Inclination, that men Naturally have hereunto? We must not think, that anything is there spoken in vain; or that the Spirit of the Lord would have left that Doctrine so fully cleared, wherein our works are so expressly excluded, if there had not been a necessity for it, & if it had not been as necessary, in all after ages of the Church, as at that time, when first written. Whatever the truth be, that is so frequently & pungently inculcated in the Scriptures, we may saifly suppose, that as the faith & practice of that truth is necessary; so there must be much reluctancy of Soul in us to receive the same, & to close with it, and a strong Inclination to believe & practice the contrary.

III. In the Infancy of Christianity, we see, what a strong Inclination there was to cry-up works, what we do, & the Law, as the only ground of justification; or, at least, to have a share with Christ, in that Interest, which gave occasion to the penning of these Epistles of Paul, where this matter is so fully & clearly handled; particularly that to the Romans, & that to the Galatias; & unto the speaking less or more hereunto, in almost all his other Epistles. And this Inclination to the crying up of works & the Law, in Opposition to the pure Gospel-way of justification, was not only among the Gentiles, who had been without God, & without Christ, & all the Means of understanding anything of Salvation, through a slain Savior; but even amongst the Jews, who, by the Dispensation of the New Covenant, which they were under, might have been better principled; for it was they, who most urged the Interest of the Law, & of works, & thereby • labored to corrupt the Gentiles, & to lead them off the simplicity of the Gospel-truth; and of them, saith the Apostle Rom. 10: 3. that, being ignorant of God's Righteousness, & going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. They sought after a Righteousness another way, than by faith in Christ, who is the end of the Law for righteouness, to everyone that believeth Rom. 10: 4. but as it were by the works of the Law Rom. 9: 32.

IV. The Pharisee, who went up to the Temple Luk. 18: 11, 12. & prayed thus with himself God, I thank thee, that I am not, as other men are, Extortioners, Unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican: I fast twice in the week, I give Tithes of all that I possess, &c. hath many followers. Many there are, who will have confidence in the flesh, & in what they do. Nature never taught Paul, to account all his great Privileges & Attainments loss & dung; but rather to account them gain; for he saith, they were gain to him; that is, while he was a stranger to the Gospel, & to the Grace of God, manifested therein. Hence is it, that the last are first, & the first are last; such, as thought themselves far advanced, & to have attained a great measure of righteousness, & so to be children of the Kingdom, are shut out, & Publican's & Harlots are preferred, as being willing to renounce themselves & their own righteousness more, than such Legalists & Iusticiaries, who confide in something, which they themselves do, & have attained.

V. This is also manifest from the great difficulty of prevaling with such, as seem to themselves to have in them something more than ordinary, to relinquish & renounce these things, & to betake themselves only unto Jesus, & to rest on Him alone, for Righteousness, Life & Salvation; & from the little fruit that the Gospel Doctrine findeth among them. How many subterfuges find they out, under which they think to shelter themselves from the wrath of God? How many fig-leaves do they sow together, that they may cover the shame of their nakedness withal? And at what cost, pains & charges are they, in seeking to establish their own Righteousness? And all to fortify themselves in their own delusions, & to keep our the pure Doctrine of the Gospel. And how ready are some to take hold of the smallest wig, that they may hang upon it, & find relief, if it can yield but the least ground of hop, in their imaginations, ere they betake themselves to Christ according to the Gospel? How many Fetches, Turnings & Windings hath a Soul, pursued with wrath, & the apprehension of death, ere it be willing to close heartily with Christ, offered in the Gospel? Yea, if such, as have had some wakenings, come so far, as to change something of their former outward sinful courses, & be not so loose & profane, as formerly, how ready are they to sit down, even upon that bit of negative righteousness? Much more, if they be brought the length, to go about some religious duties, how will they then sit down & sing, as if all were well? All which do plainly evince, that there is a strong Inclination in us by nature, to follow the way of works, that we may have some share of the honor of our own justification.

VI. This sad truth is hence apparent likewise, That when any Opinion is broached, that but seemeth to give more to works, than ought to be given, though possibly upon the matter, there be but little said, that may make any real Difference, how ready are many to close therewith, to entertain that Doctrine, to cry it up & commend it, & to improve the Advantages, real or supposed, there had, to the fur • er Confirmation of that Anti-evangelik error, which their Soul's fully comply with: when, upon the other hand, there is such a nauseating in many too too manifest, at the Simplicity of the Gospel, & of the Doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ.

If it be inquired, whence doth this proceed? or what can be the true causes hereof? I answer, Many things have a powerful Influence into this, as.

I. The Natural Enmity unto all the ways of God, that each hath, as a piece of his heirship from Adam: What ever God willeth, we will not, yea we will nill; though our nilling of it be against ourselves, & we have no reason for it. There is a Spirit of Contradiction & Enmity to God in us all by nature, that we neither can, nor will comply with God's ways, & with what tendeth to set forth His Glory. It is marked of the Jews, that they stumbled at that stumbling stone, Jesus Christ, who was the end of the Law for righteousness, to all such as believe Rom. 10: 4. & 9: 32. They had such a prejudice at Christ, & at the way of Salvation through Him, that they brake their necks upon Him, who only was the rock of Salvation.

II. The innate darkness of Men's minds, touching themselves, & all the things of God, especially the Mysteries of Salvation, is another cause of this Opposition to the Gospel-way of justification. They neither know their own hearts, nor their own ways & doings; nor are they acquainted with the holy & righteous Nature of God, nor with the nature of His Laws & Commandments &c. They know not, I say, the Corruption of their own Natures & the innate wickedness which is there, which neither is, nor can be subject to the Law of God. Hence ordinarily such as err, in this matter of justification, do entertain erroneous apprehensions about Original sin, & our innate Pravity; as do all the S • cinians, Papists, & many Arminians & others. So they are ignorant of the Law of God, not knowing how Holy, Good & Spiritual it is; & how it obligeth the whole man, Spirit, Soul, Judgment, Understanding, Will, Affections & Memory; & all the out ward Man; condemning the least sin, in Thought, word or deed, & commanding the highest pitch of holy duties, & right Principles, Ends & Motives &c. And hence they see neither Omissions of what is commanded, not their Commissions of what is prohibited, whether as to their Nature, Multitude, or other Aggravations; and the ignorance of this maketh them to see less the necessity of a Righteousness without them; & to seek for it with less earnestness & zeal: whence it cometh to pass, ordinarily (as is to be seen among Papists) that such as are most for works, in justification, shape the Law according to their mind, & curtaile it, as did the Pharisees of old, that it may look more conform to their works, when their works are no way conform to it. So likewise, they are ignorant of god, & of His Holiness, & Righteousness; & because they see, that if He be Such, as the Orthodox say He is, according to His Word, they cannot stand before His justice; therefore they deny His justice altogether, as do Socinians; or Imagine Him to be all Mercy &c. & so imagine Him to be altogether such an one, as themselves; & therefore are not very zealous for any other righteousness, than what may come most readily to hand, & they themselves can make up with their own diligence & care; never remembering, that the justice of God must be satisfied; therefore deny all Satisfaction (as do Socinians; ) or suppose Christ hath satisfied for all, & procured a New Covenant, or way to life, wherein we may bring what we have, & it will be accepted, & there is no more to do: Nor remembering, that we must have an Interest in Christ by faith, ere we have any Interest in His Merits & Satisfaction; & that the whole of our Salvation is so contrived, as Man may be abased, & Christ only exalted.

III. A vain conceit, that all things in Religion must be just as we apprehend them to be; & our blind, corrupt & biased Reason & Understanding must be the Supreme judge & Determiner of all these Mysteries. Hence the Socinians down-right say that 〈◊〉 the Scripture say what it will, & how oft it will, they are to believe & to receive nothing, but according to their Reason: so that, what their blinded Reason cannot comprehend, they may & will reject. And others, who possibly will not so plainly lay down this ground; Yet instead of conforming their judgments and Apprehensions to the word, & of being led by it, do frame a conception of the Matters of God, in their own heads, & then cause the Scriptures comply with their Apprehensions, by Interpreting them accordingly. So that following a corrupt guide here, they cannot but incline to that way, which suiteth most with that corrupt Principle; & be most averse from compliance with the Mystery of God, which is most opposite there-unto.

IV. Natural corrupt self love is another evil Principle, concurring to this effect, by its malignant Influence. We love to cry-up ourselves, to have something of our own to boast of, & to glory of before men; and hence we cannot naturally comply so sweetly with that way, which taketh away all boasting, & leaveth no ground for man to glory in any thing, save in the Lord; & such is the way of faith, & of Gospel-justification Rom. 3: 27 & 4: 2.

V. A vain & groundless high conceit, that people have of themselves, & of what they do, as if there were worth & excellency in it, to oblige God, to bestow upon them, what reward they think meet; not knowing, that when they have done all they can, they are but unprofitable, & that they have nothing but what they have received; & that for any good they do, they are more beholden to God, than God is beholden to them; & that the best of their actions are so defiled, that they could not answer for one of them, nor stand, if God should enter into judgment with them, & strickly mark iniquity Psal. 130: 3 & 143: 2.

VI. Pride of heart is another malignant cause of this Aversation & Unwillingness, to comply with God's way; & of this strong Inclination to the way of justification by Works. This was it, which led the Jews away from Christ, the end of the Law for righteousness: they would not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God Rom. 10: 3. & because they would not bow themselves to take on this Righteousness, therefore they were at so much pains & labor, to establish their own, & to cause it stand. Proud man would work, & enjoy the reward of his labors, & will not willingly hearken to any other way. he will not be beholden to free Grace, nor ascribe glory to the Lord Mediator; but will still be at the old way of the first Covenant, at work & wages; that he may have it to say, he hath erned & purchased the crown of life with his own hands & industry.

Therefore, from this we should all take warning, to look about us, & to guard against this strong & violent torrent, that is ready to carry us headlong to our ruin; & to be jealous of our treacherous hearts. Hence also we may see, whence it cometh, that the Gospel getteth so little footing among many; & how nothing less than the mighty power of God, will be able to prevail with a Natural Soul, & cause it comply with the Gospel-way of justification, & submit itself unto the Righteousness of God, & hold on Christ by faith. Further, We need not wonder to see, so many rising-up, in all ages, against the Gospel of the Grace of God, & corrupting the Gospel-Doctrine of justification, seeing blinded & unmortified Man is not in case, to be cast in its mould, nor willing to embrace it, until he be broken, & broken over again.

CHAP. III.

The Doctrine of justification should be keeped pure with all diligence; & what dangerous expressions should be shunned.

WE come next to speak a word unto the Second particular mentioned; to wit, That all, who would be found faithful Ambassadors, & be accepted of the Lord, should endeavoure, both in practice & in Doctrine, to keep this doctrine of the Grace of God pure & unmixed: & particularly guard against the giving ground, or occasion to proud Nature, to cry-up Self, in the matter of justification, by any expression, used in the explication thereof. We see here & elsewhere, how careful Paul is in this Matter, using such expressions, as may most emphatically exclude man, & all his pains, & set free grace on high, that God alone may be exalted; for here & elsewhere he debaseth man, & excludeth all his works, even the works of the best of men; even his works, who was the father of the faithful: & he crieth up Christ as all, & free grace as beginning & carrying on all; consonant to what the Prophet Isaiah said Isaiah. 45: 24, 25. Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness & strength (or, as it is in the Margine, Surely, he shall say of me, in the Lord is all righteousness & strength) Even to him shall men come—In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, & shall glory. So that such, as look to Him (as it is verse 22.) & come to Him (as it is verse 24.) have all their righteousnesses in the Lord, & from Him; and in Him alone are they & shall they be justified, & shall glory; & not at all in themselves. So Jeremiah Chap. 23: 6. expresseth the matter very emphatically, holding it forth, as one of Christ's glorious & comfortable Titles of honor, that He shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness, thereby Importing, that all the Saints their righteousness, in order to their justification before, & acceptance with God, was in Christ; & that it would be a robbing of Christ of His due honor, to seek for a righteousness else where. So Chap. 33: 14, 15. it is promised that the Lord will cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, & that hereby Judah should be saved, & Israel should dwell saifely: And it is further said, that His spouse should wear her husbands name, & be called after Him, the Lord our righteousness; thereby professing her adherence to Him, as her Husband, & her owning of Him, as all her righteousness, & glorying in that, that He and He alone is her righteousness.

In compliance herewith, we should beware of expressing our conceptions, about the matter of justification so, as may give proud man ground of boasting, & of robbing Christ of His Crown, Title & Glory, in less, or in more: and these expressions following seem to me justly chargable herewith.

I. To say, That all works are not excluded in justification; but such only as are done by the mere Power & Strength of Nature; & not the works of Grace, wrought by the Spirit. But who seeth not, how this is to set up proud Man, whom Paul would have debased & kept down? And doth not Paul expressly tell us, that neither Abraham, nor David were so justified Rom. 4? And that if our father Abraham were justified by works, he should have had, whereof to glory, though not before God verse 2? And doth he not also tell us, that this would make the reward to be reckoned not of grace, but of debt verse 4? & would exclude faith & its operations, in reference to justification, & take away that blessed & refreshful style of God, that He justifieth the ungodly verse 5? Should we not thus be saved by works of righteousness, which we do, & not according to His mercy, expressly contrary to Tit. 3: 5.

2. In like manner to say, That we are not justified by the works of the Ceremonial Law; but by obedience to the Moral Law, is peccant here also: for the works of the moral Law are works of righteousness, which we do, & such as obey this Law, & are considered as such, cannot be called ungodly. Neither doth the Apostle thus distinguish, that proud man might have any Interest. Nor doth he exclude only such works, when he saith, that Abraham was not justified by works; for his works were not works of the Ceremonial Law, but of the Moral, which will as well give ground of boasting, & make the reward of debt, & not of grace, as works of the Ceremonial Law, if not more. And it is manifest, that Paul speaketh of that Law (& of obedience to it, or of works commanded by it) which convinceth of sin, & discovereth it Rom. 3: 20. & 7: 7. & maketh all the world guilty Rom. 3: 19. & bringeth them under the curse Gal. 3: 10. is established by faith Rom. 3: 31. & hath the promise of life annexed to it Rom. 10: 5. Gal. 3: 12. Nor doth he exclude only such works, when he speaketh of himself Phil. 3: 9.

3. Likewise to say, That all works are not excluded, but only Outward works, which are done out of Principle of fear, & not out of love & faith, & are not inward works of grace; is to add Fuel to this fire of pride, & to please proud Self, & proud Man: for who can think, that only such works, would lay the ground of boasting, & of glorying before men? or that only such would make the reward of debt? or that any in these days were pleading for justification, upon the account only of such works? or that such works were to be understood by the Law, as if the Law did command no other? or that such were Abraham's works? or that Paul thought of none other, when he desired not to be found in his own righteousness Phil. 3: 9?

4. They are guilty of the same crime, who say, That Paul only excludeth the jewish Law: for if thereby they mean only the Ceremonial Law, it is manifest from what is said, that hereby Self & Man shall be much exalted, when justification is made to be by, & according to the works of the Moral Law. If they mean thereby the Judicial Law, then justification should be by obedience to the Moral Law; yea & by obedience to the Ceremonial Law, as well as by obedience to the Moral Law, quite contrary to the whole discourse of the Apostle. And if they mean all the Law, that was given to the Jews, then the Moral Law is included: & so all works are excluded, which are done in obedience to any Law of God.

5. It is no less injurious to truth, & favorable to proud Self, to say with Socinus, That Paul only excludeth perfect works, done in full conformity to the perfect Law of God; but not our Imperfect works, which through grace are accepted, & accounted our righteousness: for even these works being works of righteouness, which we do, would not exclude boasting, but give ground of glorying before men. Neither did Abraham, or Paul, or any other Saint suppose, that their works were perfect. Nor is it Imaginable, that any in these days did plead for justification, by their own works, upon the account, that they were perfect, & wholly commensurat unto the Law. Nor doth Paul insinuate, in all his discourse, any such Distinction, or give any ground to think, that Imperfect works should be the ground of justification, when Perfect works are not. And all this is grounded upon this gross mistake, That by faith, which the Apostle opposeth to works, is meaned our Imperfect Obedience unto the Commands of God.

6. It is injurious, upon the same account, to say, That Paul only excludeth such works, as are accompanied with a conceit of merit, & none else: for he excludeth all works, without any such Distinction, even the works of Abraham, (who, doubtless, was far from any such fond conceit, to think, that his works were meritorious) & all such works, as give ground of boasting before men, though not before God. And who will say, that even Adam's works, performed in Innocency, had any proportion, in the balance of commutative justice, or would merit at God's hand, ex condigno? And yet, sure, such works would have made the reward of debt, according to the Compact. Yea, the Apostle, in his way of argueing, supposeth, that works cannot be mentioned in this case, without merits; so that merit is inseparable from them. And shall we think, that Paul Phil. 3: 9. meaned, by his own righteouness, only such works, as he expressly accounted meritorious? Or that he could, or did account any of his works such?

7. It runneth far in the same guilt, to say, That faith itself, which is our work, & considered as our act of obedience, is Imputed to us for righteousness, & is that righteousness, upon which we are justified: for how easily might proud Self lift up its head, & boast & say, it was justified, because of something within it, or because of one work of righteouness, done by it: & so glory in itself, & not in the Lord? for though it were granted, that faith were the gift 〈◊〉 God yet that would not sufficiently keep down pride, seeing such, as plead for justification by good works, will also grant, that these good works come from the Grace of God, & are wrought by the Spirit: & yet such a justification would lay a foundation of boasting, & of glorying before men; & some would have more ground of boasting, than others, because of their stronger faith: And justification by this way, would as well be opposite to justification through Christ, & His Imputed righteousness, & by Grace, as justification by good works; for faith here would not be considered, as bringing-in & laying hold on a Righteousness without, the Righteousness of Christ imputed; but as a commanded duty, & as a piece of obedience to the Law; & would as well make the reward of debt ex congruo, & ex pacto, as if justification were by works.

8. It is of the same Nature, to say, That Paul excludeth the works of the Law, but not the works of the Gospel: for the same ground of pride, boasting & glorying should be laid, that would be laid, by pleading for the works of the Law: because these are still works of righteousness, which we do, & so opposite, in this matter, unto mercy, Tit. 3: 5. And Paul, to exclude all boasting & glorying before Men, opposeth faith, (not considered in it Self, but as laying hold on the Righteousness of Christ, & as carrying the Man out of himself to Christ for Righteousness) unto works; & not Gospel-works unto works of the Law. And, sure, we cannot say, that none of Abraham's works were Gospel-works, or works required in the New Covenant, seeing even then he was a believer, when the object of his faith, or that which he laid hold on by faith, in the Gospel, which was preached unto him, was said to be imputed unto him for righteousness. And is it not plain, that if justification were upon the account of Gospel works, that God should not then be said to justify the ungodly; seeing he, who is clothed with a Gospel righteousness, cannot be called, or accounted an ungodly person? And yet faith looks out unto, & laith hold upon a God, that justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4: 5. In a word, the asserting of this would be the same, upon the matter, with asserting of justification by the works of the Law: for what ever is required in the Gospel, is enjoined by the Law; & so is an act of obedience to the Law, which is our perfect Rule of Righteousness, & all our obedience must be in conformity thereunto.

9. It must also be accounted dangerous, for puffing-up of Self, to say, That we are justified by our Inherent Righteousness: for then the Man could not say, that all his righteousnesses were as filthy rags Isaiah. 64: 6. Nor could that be true, which is Psal. 143: 3. for in they sight no man living should be justified, to wit, if God should enter into Judgment with him. Why should Job have abhorred himself Chap. 42: 6. if he had a righteousness within him, & had been justified by the Lord, upon the account of that inherent righteousness? And had not Paul as good ground, as any, to assert his justification by his personal inherent holiness & righteousness? Yet we hear of no such thing out of his mouth; but on the contrary, his accounting all things but less & dung, that he might gain Christ, & be found in His Righteousness, hath a far different import. How proud might man be, if he had it to say, that he was justified in the sight of God by works of Righteousness, which he had done, or by his own inherent righteousness?

10. Nor will it much help the matter, to say, That this Inherent Righteousness is not the price laid down, but only the Condition, or Causa, sine qua non, or the like: for still man would hereby have something to be proud of, & to glory of before men; because, he would have it to say, that his own Inherent Holiness was as well the ground of his justification, & the Condition thereof, as Adam's obedience would have been the ground of his justification. And who knoweth not, that Self can wax proud, & be puffed up, upon a smaller occasion, than is this? And is it not strange, that Paul never once made mention of this distinction? Shall we think, that Paul denied Abraham to have been justified by works, because Abraham looked upon them, as the meritorious cause, & not as the Condition only of his justification? or that Abraham indeed did so? or that Paul included them, as the condition of his justification, when he said, he desired not to be found in his own Righteousness, meaning, not his own righteousness as a price, or as the Meritorious cause of his acceptance? Why should David have spoken so absolutely, & said Psal. 143: 2. enter not into judgment with thy Servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified, seeing, even though God should enter into judgment with His servants, they should be justified, as having fulfilled the condition? And why should he have said Psal. 130: 3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities; ô Lord, who shall stand? seeing, though the Lord should mark iniquities, yet where the Person hath fulfilled the Condition, & hath a Personal Inherent Righteousness to hold up, as the fulfilling of the condition required, he is in case to stand in judgment, & to plead for his justification, & absolution, upon the account of his performing all the condition required: And would not vain man have great ground of boasting here?

11. Neither yet will it prevent this boasting, to say, That this Inherent Righteousness is but a Subordinat Righteousness, whereby we have right unto the Merits of Christ, which are the Principal Righteousness, answering the demands of the Law: for if man have anything in himself, that can be called a Righteousness, though but a Subordinat Righteouness, & yet such a Righteousness, as giveth right & ground to justification, though that justification be also called, only a subordinate justification, conform to the New Covenant, & the Condition thereof, he will soon boast, & account his justification not of free grace but of due debt, conform to the covenant: And though this be called, only a Subordinat Righteousness; yet proud Self will account it the Principal; because upon it dependeth all his justification; for thereby not only hath he a right unto Christ's Merits, but unto justification itself; this being called the proper condition of the New Covenant, wherein justification, Adoption &c. are promised (as they say) upon this condition. And will not proud Man see, that he hath a price in his hand, & a compl ••• Righteousness, conform to the Covenant, to present unto God where-upon to seek & expect the reward of debt, according to the covenant? And so much the rather should we abstain from such expressions, in this matter, that we find no mention made of twofold Righteousness, & of a twofold Justification; the one subordinate, the other Principal, in the Scriptures; but all expressions, in this matter, framed designedly to abase man, & make all appear to be of free grace, that he, who glorieth, may glory in the Lord. And as Self will be ready, in this, to make that, which is called a Subordinat Righteousness, a Prinpal Righteousness; so it will have this fair & plausible ground to do so; to wit, That upon our own Righteousness, we are Immediatly accepted of God, as Righteous; especially when the Merits of Christ are made subservient unto our personal Righteousness, as procuring the New covenant; & that therein our Personal Righteousness shall be accepted, & accounted perfect & complete, though it be not so in itself, & we thereupon immediately justified, & accepted of God, as Righteous; as they love to speak, who assert these things.

12. Though faith be indeed the mean of our justification, that is, the only thing required of us, in order to our Interest in Christ, & actual participation of the benefits of His Redemption, & of justification in the first place, according to the Gospel method: Yet it is too favorable to proud Self, to call it such a Condition, as hath a far more dangerous Import; That is, (1.) To call it a Condition, & withal deny, that it is an instrumental Cause, or that it is to be considered, in the matter of justification, as it laith hold on Christ, & His Righteousness. (2.) To say, that the very act of faith, or the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 credere is imputed for Righteousness; & that Paul is to be so understood Rom. 4. as speaking properly, & not metonymically (3.) To say, that this is the Righteousness, which is imputed to us, in order to justification, & not the Righteousness of Christ, except as to its Effects, in respect of some whereof, Yea the chief & only immediate, it is equally Imputed to all, Reprobat, as well as Elect. (4.) To say, that this faith is our Gospel-Righteousness, & because a Righteousness, is perfect, & adequate to the Rule of the New Covenant. (5.) To say; that this faith hath the same place & consideration, & consequently, the same force & efficacy, in the New Covenant, that perfect obedience had in the Old Covenant with Adam. (6.) To say, that Christ hath purchased the New Covenant, & that this shall be the condition of persons partaking of the benefits thereo • : & withal (7) To say, that Christ hath died for all, & by his death made Satisfaction to justice for the breach of the Law; & so purchased freedom from the Curse of the Law to all, equally, at least conditionally; whereby it is apparent, that all are put in statu quo prius, in the state, they were once in, & that equally; & now have new conditions proposed unto them, which, if they perform, they are righteous, & upon that performance are freed from the Curse, & made heirs of Glory: and thus the New Covenant is of the same Nature & kind with the Old, only its Conditions are a little altered, & made more easy; & their Performance of the condition must-have a 〈◊〉 with it, at least, ex pacto, though not ex condigno, as neither Adam's Perfect obedience could have had. And the performers of this condition, in this case, may reflect upon their own deed, & lay their weight on it, &, it being their Righteousness, may plead upon it, as their immediate ground of right, before God, unto justification, & Acceptance. Let any man now consider these things, & see whether or not, the asserting of faiths being such a condition, as this, be not a plain gratification of proud Self, & the laing down a ground for vain man to boast, & of glorying, though not-before God, yet before others; And whether this be not an ascribing more to faith, than is done by such, as, yielding it to be a condition, of the mean appointed of God, & required of us, in order to justification, say with all, that it is to be considered not in itself, nor as an act of our obedience; but as an Instrument, or mean laying hold upon the Righteousness of Christ without us, that it may be ours, & our only Righteousness, where upon we may expert, according to the Gospel justification & absolution, &c.

13. It tendeth too much to blow up proud Self, to say, That if works of Obedience be not the Condition of our first justification, yet they may be called the Condition of our Second justification, or of the Continuance of our justification: for, as the Scripture speaketh nothing of a Second justification; so to assert our works to be the Condition thereof, is to cross the argueings of the Apostle, & manifestly to lay a foundation of glorying for Man: for if even Abraham had been justified by works, a considerable time, after he was first justified, and first a believer, he should have had, whereof to glory, though not before God, as saith the Apostle Rom. 4: 2. And verse 3. he proveth that he was justified by faith, & that after he had been a believer; for that passage, Abraham believed God, & it was imputed to him for righteousness, was not spoken of & at his first believing; & so cannot be properly meaned of his First justification only; but some years there after: & therefore must be true, of his Second justification, if there were any such; Yea, the just liveth by faith (a passage that the Apostle useth (as we have seen) to prove justification by faith, both here in our Text, & Rom. 1: 17.) all along, both first & last; so that the beginning & continuance of this life of justification is by faith, & not by works.

14. It is also dangerous, to say, That the work of the Law, convining of sin, with the Effects & Consequences thereof, Sorrow, grief, Anxiety, Legal Repentance, &c. are either Dispositions, Preparations, or Conditions of justification, or Meritorious thereof by way of Congruity; as if there were a certain & constituted connection betwixt these & the blessing of justification, made by any Law or promise of God; & as if none could be justified, that had not these sensible & affecting Effects going before. Sure, the asserting of this cannot but contribute much, to stir up & foster pride in Man, & give occasion to think, that man himself hath done or suffered something, that calleth for, procureth, &, in congruity at least, meriteth justification.

CHAP. IV.

Justification is so contrived, in the Gospel, as man may be abased, & have no ground of boasting.

THirdly, we come to speak to the third thing mentioned above, to wit, That justification is so contrived, begun & carried on, that man hath no real, or apparent ground of glorying before men, or of boasting in himself. A few particulars will sufficiently clear this.

I. The Lord's ordinary & usual Method, in bringing His Chosen ones into a justified State, is first to convince them of their Sin and Misery, by setting home the Law, & wekening their Consciences; as Paul doth Doctrinally follow this method, when he is about to clear-up, & explain the truth, about Gospel-justification, in his Epistle to the Romans; where in the first place, he convinceth all of Sin, both Jews & Gentiles Chap. 1. & 2. & 3. concluding verse 23. That all have sinned, & come short of the glory of God, & verse 9. he giveth an account of his foregoing Discourse, saying, we have before proved both Jews & Gentiles; that they are all under sin. And again verse 19. that every mouth may be stopped, & all the world may become guilty before God. Now this work of Conviction layeth the sinner low before God; for thereby the Man is discovered to himself, to be undone in himself, to be under Sin & Wrath, under the Sentence of the Law, having his mouth stopped, & having nothing to plead for himself, neither by way of Extenuation, nor of Apology; & having nothing in himself, wherewith he can come before the Lord, to make Atonement for his Transgressions, & to make Satisfaction to justice: And thus the man is made to despare in himself, as being irremediably gone & undone, if free grace prevent him not.

II. Whereupon the man is made to renounce all his former grounds of Hop, & Confidence, all his former Duties, good works, civility, Negative Holiness, & what else he placed his Confidence in formerly; Yea all his Righteousnesses are as filthy rags, & accounted as loss & dung. So that he hath nothing within himself, as a Righteousness, that he can expect to be justified by, before God; but on the contrary, he findeth himself under the Curse, & that what he thought before to be his Righteousness, is now, by the light of the Law, & the discovery he hath of his natural condition, found to be sin & iniquity before God; & therefore to be so far from bringing any relief unto him, that thereby his anxiety is made greater, & his case more desperate.

III. The way of Gospel-justification is so contrived, & the wakened man (whom God is about to justify) is now convinced of it, that Man must be abased; for he is now made to see, that he is empty & poor, & hath nothing to commend him to God, no Righteousness of his own to produce; nothing within him, or without him, except the alone Righteousness of Christ the Mediator & Cautioner, that can stand him instead; Nothing of his own must here come in reckoning, neither alone, nor in conjunction with the Righteousness of Christ; for what is of Grace, must not be of works, otherwise Grace is no more Grace Rom. 11: 6. Christ must have all the glory, & he, who glorieth, must glory alone in the Lord. And therefore is Christ made Righteousness unto us. 2. Cor. 1: 30. & is become the Lord our Righteousness Ier. 23: 6. And all His must say, That in the Lord, they have righteousness Isaiah. 45: 24.

IV. Nothing, that preceedeth faith, no motions or workings of the Law, no legal Repentance, & the like, have any infallible connection with justification; nor are they any congruous disposition thereunto, or a Condition thereof, there being no promise made, that all such, as are convinced & awakened, & have some legal terrors & works of the Law upon their Spirites, shall certainly be justified; & experience proving, that several, who have had deep convictions & Humiliations, have, with the dog, returned to their vomit, & become afterward worse than ever, doth also confirm this. So that, after the deepest legal Humiliations & works of Terror & outward Changes, & the like Effects of the Law (though when they are wrought by the Lord, intending & bringing about the Elect sinner's Conversion & justification, they have this kindly work upon the heart, to cause the Soul more readily & willingly listen to the offers of Salvation & Mercy, in the Gospel; & to submit to the terms & Method, which God hath, in His great wisdom & mercy, condescended unto, as to the actual Conferring & bestowing of the blessings, purchased by Christ, for His own chosen ones) justification is an Act purely of God's free Grace, undeserved of them, on any account; & an act of His mere mercy & Love. So that they are justified freely by His grace, through the Redemption, that is in Christ Rom. 3: 24.

V. Unto this justification, their good Works are not required, upon what somever account: for good works must follow justification, & not precede it. They must be first accepted through Christ, before their works of holiness can be accepted. The whole Gospel doth most plainly exclude works of the Law, under whatsoever Notion, Qualification, or Restriction, as we manifested above, & shall more manifest hereafter: Yea, all works, upon what somever account, are excluded, as opposite to justification by faith, through Jesus Christ. The man, who had no more to say, but God be merciful to me a sinner, went home justified, when he, who said, God, I thank thee, I am not as other men, nor as this Publican, &c. did miss that Privilege. Paul hath so directly & plentifully proved, that no man is justified by works, that we need say no more of it; and therefore, in this matter of justification, man hath no ground of boasting, but must glory in the Lord alone.

VI. As without a Righteousness no man can be justified before God, because His judgment is always according to truth, & He will pronunce no man Righteous, who is not so, or who hath no Righteousness: And as no man hath a Righteousness of his own, & in himself, that will abide the trial of God's judgment; for if He should enter into judgment, with any that liveth, they should not be able to stand before His judgment seat, & be justified; but all, who are justified, are in themselves ungodly, & void of all Righteousness, that can ground a sentence of absolution from the Condemnation of the Law: So it is the Righteousness of Christ, as Mediator & Cautioner, which is to them the only ground of their absolution & justification; & this Surety-Righteousness of Christ is imputed to them by God, & they are clothed therewith; & being considered as clothed there with, are pronounced Righteous by the Lord, the righteous judge, & dealt with as such. So that all the Righteousness, which is the ground of their absolution from the Condemnation of the Law, is without them, in another, who was appointed their Cautioner: & therefore all appearance of any ground of boasting in themselves, is quite taken away by the Law of faith Rom. 3: 27. & the reward is now wholly of grace, & not of debt Rom. 4: 4.

VII. Though faith, & faith only be required of us, in order to our having Interest in Christ & His Righteousness, & to justification therethrough; Yet this leaveth no ground of boasting unto man, or of glorying in himself; for it is in itself a plain solemn Declaration of the Believers Sense, Conviction, & Acknowledgment of his own Beggarliness. Poverty & Nakedness, & of his being a dyvoure & non-solvendo, haiving no Righteousness of his own, & renounceing all that is in him, in order to his own justification; &, as it were, a swearing of himself bare; & a laying hold upon a Righteousness without him, even the Righteousness of Christ, who is the End of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth Rom. 10: 3, 4. & resting upon it; & a producing of it, as the ground of his Absolution, in face of court, to his own shame, & to the glory of his Cautioner So. far is it from being the man's Righteousness, that it is a plain & open declaration, that he hath no Righteousness, but must go to Christ for a Righteousness. And so far is the believer from reflecting on it, as his Righteousness, & from darring to present it to God, as his Righteousness, & plead for absolution upon the ground thereof, as if it were perfect, & a full Righteousness, according to the Gospel; that he only thereby saith, in the Lord have I Righteousness; & he looks upon it, as most weak & imperfect; &, being encouraged by the free promise of God, he laith hold on Christ, with the trembling & weak hand of faith, which he hath; & ostentimes, so far is he from having any confidence in his faith, that with much doubting & hesitation, he, as almost despairing of being the better thereby, seeing no other outgate, or remedy, ventureth, with a peradventure, he may be saved so, & that how ever he can but perish. How far, such a soul, that is fleing to Christ for refuge, is from conceiveing any ground of boasting in himself, is sufficiently plain, & the sense & experience of all, so exercised, can declare.

VIII. Even this Act of the soul, looking out, going to, gripping & laying hold upon Jesus Christ & His Righteousness, held forth & offered in the Gospel to all self condemned sinners, despairing in themselves, is not of themselves; it is the gift of God Ephes. 2: 8. The Spirit of Jesus boweth & inclineth the soul hereunto, & determineth the doubting man unto this choice, & maketh him willing, whether it be in a lesser, or in a greater degree, to flee to Christ for shelter, from the storm of wrath, & to be saved from the Curse: And though the soul, in the mean while, be not in case to observe & take notice of the powerful workings of grace herein; Yet afterward he is in better case to see it, & to celebrate the rich & free grace of God, who hath visited him in his low condition, & began à work in him & never left him, until he landed him in Christ, in whom was all fullness, & he found he was complete, & through whom he obtained that delivery from wrath, which he was seeking after, merely out of his wonderful free grace & mercy.

CHAP. V.

In Justification there is a State of life.

HAving premised these three particulars, not unworthy of our consideration, & serving to prepare the way unto what followeth to be spoken unto; we come more particularly to handle the words, & to see what may be drawn out of them for our Information & Edification, that we may be instructed concerning the nature of this noble Privilege, & concerning the way, how it is brought about, & persons may be made partakers thereof, as also stirred up unto a right Improvement of the truth herein, whether we be already made partakers thereof, or are yet strangers thereunto.

We Intend not (as we hinted at the beginning) to touch upon, far less to discuss at lenghth, all the many & perplexed controversies, that are moved, both of old & of late, by men of different Principles & persuasions. Nor do we intend to handle the several Arguments, which the Apostle adduceth for confirmation of the Truth, in this matter, But our purpose only being to touch upon, &, at least, to endeavoure the clearing of some of the Principal Questions, moved in this matter, in reference to the forementioned ends, we shall satisfy ourselves, at present, with speaking to such particulars, as the Text will give ground for.

The words having been cleared, & the Scope of the Apostle declared, which cannot be hid from the eyes of any, who will read the purpose, there are only two things, which call for our Consideration; First The Conclusion, which the Apostle is disproving & confuting with a manifesto; to wit, That no man is justified in the sight of God by the Law, or by the works of the Law. Next The argument, which the Apostle maketh use of, to this end; for the just shall live by faith.

The Apostles way of argueing here, & elsewhere, with the same, or the like Argument, whereby he stateth an Inconsistency, yea an Opposition, betwixt justification by the Law, & justification by faith, saith, that it will not be very necessary to speak much to that, which is here the Apostles Conclusion; that is, to clear, that justification is not by the works of the Law: for the clearing of justification by faith will enforce that of it self. We shall not therefore insist upon that, howbeit we may in end, consider, what is said by some for justification by works, & what way such think to shun the odium, of manifestly contradicting the Apostle, & of maintaining that Error, which he setteth himself so peremp • orily against, as acted by the Spirit of God.

The Principal thing then, which we have here to do, is to consider the Import of the Apostles argument, for the just shall live by faith, yet we are not to consider these words, in their just length & breadth, nor particularly, in reference to the use, which the Prophet Habakkuk maketh of them. Hab. 2: 4. & this same Apostle Heb. 10: 38. (of this we have spoken elsewhere) But only in reference to the use, which the Apostle here maketh of them, in clearing up the way, how justification is brought about. And considering them in this respect, we will have two things only to take notice of; First The assertion of justification by faith. Next The Influence, that this assertion hath into the Apostles Conclusion; to wit, That therefore justification is not by the Law, nor by the works of the Law.

In speaking to the First, we will have occasion to speak both to the beginning, the nature & ground of this change, made in justification, as also to the continuance of that state of justification. And then we will have occasion to show, how both the beginning & Continuance of justification is by faith: for as the sinner at first becometh just, or is brought into a justified state by faith, so is he carried on & continueth in that state of life, to the end: this being always true, that first & last, the just liveth by faith; faith beginneth, & faith carrieth on this life, until the justified man be glorified.

The Apostle (that we may come to speak something to clear the nature of this State of justification) is asserting justification by faith, to cry down justification by the Law, or by the works of the Law, which some false Teachers were persuading those Galatians to believe; & he adduceth a passage of Scripture, which saith, the just shall live by faith, thereby giving us to understand, that the just man, or the justified man, is a living man; for the just liveth. And it is too narrow, to interpret this life, of eternal life; & this would make the Apostles argument very obscure; we must therefore unde • stand it of a life begun here, which shall certainly end in glory: & this is most consonant both to the Prophet's scope, & to the scope of the Apostle here.

Whence we may gather, That in justification by faith, there is a real life obtained: by justification the soul • is brought into a new state of life; & by it, such, as were really dead, are really made alive. This may be further cleared from these particulars following.

I. Such are said to be born again Job. 3: 5. not only by the Spirit, which may import Sanctification, but also by Water, which may import Justification, wherein iniquities are pardoned, & the Soul is washen from its guilt, through the blood of Jesus Christ, represented by the Water in Baptism. Thus are they also put into a new state, being delivered from the Power of darkness, and translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son, Col. 1: 13. Christ now owneth them, as His, & Satan hath no more power and jurisdiction over them, their guilt being removed, and their sins being pardoned: for, because of sin hath Satan, as a jailour, had power over them, as so many prisoners, but sin being taken away, in their justification, they are loosed from his bonds, and delivered from his prison and power. We see Paul was sent Act. 26: 18. To open eyes, and to turn from darkness to light, & from power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, &c.

2. Hereby they are brought into a State of Salvation, and being out of harms way, they are said to be saved, being now in a State of life and Salvation, through Jesus Christ, Ephes. 2: 5, 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith: and how was this? It was by Christ, together with whom they were quickened; when before they were dead in sins & trespasses, v. 5. So Tit. 3: 5. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. But how was this work of Salvation begun? See verse 7. That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs, according to the hop of eternal life. So that as justification maketh way for Adoption; so it bringeth Souls into a safe state, a state of Salvation; so as they, in a sense, are already denominated, saved; that is, brought out of the state of death, and put into a state of Salvation: Thus are they also said, to be quickened together with Him, (i. e. Christ) having forgiveness of all their sins, Col. 2: 13. This will be further clear, if we consider how

3. Those, who are justified, shall certainly be saved, not only in respect of the Decree and purpose of God; but in respect also of the Gospel constitution, and the declared will of God. Therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 8: 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them, which are in Christ Jesus. And all such, as are in Christ Jesus, are justified; as the Gospel cleareth. And again more clearly, verse 30. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. The connection betwixt these two is indissoluble. So doth the Apostle not only assert, but he confirmeth this, Rom. 5: 9. Much more being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. And again, verse 17. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they, which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness. (That is, who welcome, embrace and receive the rich offer of grace, and the righteousness of Christ, freely and graciously presented in the Gospel to all that will accept thereof) shall reign in the life by one Jesus Christ. So likewise, verse last. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Lord.

4. They who are justified, are brought into a state of blessedness, and therefore may well be said to live, or to be made partakers of a life, Rom. 4: 6, 7, 8. Even as David also describeth the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness, without works; saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord will not impute sin. See Psal. 32: 1, 2. If then they be brought into a state of blessedness, they must be a in a state of life; for death and blessedness are inconsistent.

5. They are said to be redeemed; and consequently brought out of the state of death, wherein they were, Ephes. 1: 7. In whom we have redemption, through his blood, the forg • veness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. In & by justification is this forgiveness of sins, whereby they are made partakers of a redemption. See Col. 1. 14. Where the same is asserted by the Apo •• le.

For further clearing of this, let us see wherein this life consisteth; and then we shall not only see, that it is really a life, but also, that it is a special and excellent life. To this end therefore, let us consider these following particulars.

1. Hereby they have Remission and pardon of their Iniquities, as was now cleared, and is manifest from Rom. 3: 24, 25. Being justified freely by this grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation for the remission of sins, that are past, &c. And by this Remission and pardon of sins, they have a freedom and exemption from the Curse and wrath of God, that was lying upon them, and to which they were obnoxious by sin and guilt, Orginal and Actual, which they were to be charged with, that being the penalty threatened in the Law, even death and the Curse of God; for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things written in the Law, to do them, Gal. 3: 10. Deut. 27: 26. O how excellent a life is this, to be delivered from the wrath of the Almighty, sinrevenging God, and from the Curse and malediction of the great Legislator, and dreadful Judge? How rightly may they be said to live, who are freed from the sentence of death, to which they were liable; from the penalty of the broken Law of the great God of Heaven and Earth; and from that doom, that all, who shall not share of this rich privilege of Remission, shall be made to hear at length, depart from me, ye Cursed, &c. A person guilty of death, and lying in chains, looking for nothing but the sentence & doom to be given out against him, would think himself a living man, if instead of that sentence, which he was every hour looking for, he should hear of a free and gracious pardon. Much more may this state of Remission be looked upon as a state of life. (2) They are hereby freed from that death, Slavery and Tyranny, which the Law did exercise over them before, and doth exerce over all such, as are not yet justified, for as the Law discovereth sin, Rom. 3: 20. So it worketh wrath Rom. 4. 15. And thereby hath dominion over a man, binding him over in chains, as it were, unto the wrath & Curse of God. But Christ hath now delivered them from the Curse of the Law, being made a Curse for them, Gal. 3: 13. And they by faith having fled to him, are pardoned, and the Law hath no more to say, especially seeing it is satisfied by the Cautioners being made a Curse, and having fulfilled it in our Nature and place, Rom. 8: 3, 4. Thus are they freed from and dead to the Law by the body of Christ, Rom. 7: 4. O what a noble, sweet and refreshing life is this, to be free of this Slavery and Bondage, whereby the Law is always lying about the neck of the poor sinner, the Curse and wrath of God, as oft as he sinneth. And add to this (3.) That they are freed from the just and well grounded management of the Law against them by Sa • an, or a wakened Conscience. I say, just and well grounded management; for I grant, the Devil and a mis-informed Conscience can bring forth the Law, and terrify therewith a true believer, by charging, him with the transgressions thereof, even after these transgressions are pardoned; but this is unjust and illegal; and the believer is under no obligation to acknowledge these Charges, or to admit them, but, on the contrary, to reject them, as being groundless, & contrary to the tenor of the Gospel. But the unbeliever and unjustified Soul is laid open to all these fearful charges and dreadful challenges, to all those summons, that are as so many poisoned darts, shot into his very heart, everyone of which is a death to him, which he seeth not how to evite. Must not then this be a considerable and noble heavenly life, to have sin pardoned and thereby be freed from these Soul-affrighting, Heart-pierceing, Conscience-burning and Mind-tormenting Acculations, Charges, Libels, and Dittayes, brought home and delivered by the wicked Accuser of the Brethren, and a wakened enligtened Conscience? Must there not be many lives in this one?

2. Hereby they have peace and Reconciliation with God, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, Rom. 5: 1. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, 2 Cor. 5: 18, 19. They are now reconciled, Rom. 5: 10. So Col. 1: 20. And, (having made peace, through the blood of His cross) by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself. Herein also they have received the Atonement, Rom. 5: 11. And the Enmity is abolished, Ephes. 2: 15. And slain v. 16. So that the enmity on both hands is taken away; they are reconciled unto the Lord, who before were alienated and enemies in their minds by wicked works, Col. 1: 21. And the Atonement being made, the wrath of God is apaced towards them, and that Law-wrath, under which they did formerly lie, is quite removed, and they are no more looked upon, nor dealt with as Enemies, but owned and regarded, as reconciled friends. And who can express the good and sweet of this life? or who can conceive what an heaven lieth wrapped up here? How justly may he be accounted a dead man, who is an Out lawer and a Rebel to God, who tasteth nothing of the Kindness and Friendship of God, getteth nothing from Him, as from a Friend, but all as from an Enemy, even all the outward favoures he enjoyeth in the World; how great and glorious so-ever they be, in the eyes of men? And, on the other hand, how happy is he, and how justly and deservedly may he be called a living man, who can call God his Friend; go to Him as to a Friend; receive all from Him as from a Friend, how inconsiderable so-ever in the eyes of the World the things be, which he getteth. This is a life, the Good, the Advantage, the Joy, the Comfort, the Peace of which, who can express?

3. Hereby they are absolved and acquitted from all, that could be justly laid unto their charge: for justification in Scripture, is expressive of a juridical Act of a just Judge, absolving a person from the guilt laid to his charge, and from the sentence of the Law, due upon the account of that, where with he was charged; and never doth denote a making of righteous by infusing of tigteousness, or by making any real physical change within, whatever Papists say, as we see, Deut. 25: 1. 2 Sam. 15: 4. Prov. 17: 15. Isaiah. 50: 8. 1 King. 8: 31, 32. Ex • d. 23: 7. Mat. 12: 37. Luk. 7: 29. & 16: 15. And in multitudes of moe places. O! what a life is here, when a poor self-condemned sinner standeth before the Judge, the righteous Lord, & hath his sins charged upon him, and the Law brought forth, cursing every transgressor, for every transgression, and justice appearing against him, calling for the execution of the sentence, according to Law, and for death & vengeance due by Law; and upon all this can look for nothing but doom and present execution of the dreadful sentence: what a life, I say, is it for such a sinner; standing in this posture, to have a sentence of absolution pronounced, and be openly declared righteous, and not worthy of death, or free of the charge given in against him: and thus is it with Believers, according to the Gospel constitution; for though they have sinned, & come short of the glory of God, in themselves; yet now they are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, and that by faith, Rom. 3: 22, 23, 28. Gal. 2: 16. Though they were Unrighteous, Fornicators, Idolaters, Adulterers, Effeminat, Abusers of themselves with mankind, Thieves, Covetous, Drunkards, Revilers, and Extortioners; yet now they are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, 1 Cor. 6: 9, 10, 11. God justified the Ungodly, Rom. 4: 5. The Circumcision by faith and the Uncircumcision through faith, Rom. 3: 30.

4. The ground of this sentence of Absolution, passed upon them, or in their favors, will more manifest both the Reality and Excellency of this life. Though they in themselves have been, and are sinners and ungodly, & cannot plead not guilty, nor adduce any ground in themselve where upon they can plead Exemption from the penalty of the Law; but as they stand guilty in Law, so they stand convicted in their own Consciences, their mouths are stopped, and they are become guilty, Rom. 3: 19. They know and acknowledge that they have sinned, and come short of the glory of God verse 23. & so can expect nothing, but death & destruction, if the Lord should enter with them in jugdment, and mark iniquity, Psal. 130: 3. & 143. 2. Yet, the judgment of the Lord being always according to truth, Rom. 2: 2. Such as He pronunceth Righteous, and absolveth from the sententence of the Law, as such, must be Righteous; for to justify the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 17: 15. And seeing they are not, neither can be Righteous, in themselves, nor have a Righteousness of their own, which they can present to justice, and in which they can appear before God, who is a righteous Judge, they must needs have a righteousness from some other; and this is a Surety-righteousness, the righteousness of the Mediator and Cautioner, Jesus Christ, Imputed to them, and received by faith: and being clothed with this noble rob of Rigteousness, with Christ, who is the Lord our Righteousness, and beareth this Name and Title, Ier. 23: 6. And who is made of God unto us Righteousness. 1. Cor. 1: 30. They may be looked upon as living indeed. In the Lord have they righteousness, and upon this account, in the Lord are they justified, and shall glory, Isaiah. 45: 24, 25. This is the Righteousness of God, without the Law, which is witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe. Rom. 3: 21, 22. This is that faith, or object of faith, that was imputed to Abraham for righteousness, Rom. 4: 3, 5, 9. And the righteousness, that God imputeth without works verse 6, 11. This is the righteousness of faith, through which the promise is, verse 13. This is the righteousness, that shall be imputed to all, who believe on Him, that raised up Jesus our Lord from the deed. verse 24. This is the free gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, that hath abounded unto many, Rom. 5: 15. This is that abundance of grace, and gift of righteousness, which believers receive, whereby they reign in life, by one Jesus Christ, verse 17. And that righteousness of one; by which the free gift come upon all believers, unto justification of life. verse 18. And the obedience of one, by which many are made righteous, verse 19. And that righteousness, through which grace reigneth unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Lord, verse 21. This is the righteousness of the Law, fulfilled in us, by God's own Son, whom He sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, Rom. 8: 2, 3. This is God's righteousness, to which the Jews would not submit, but went about to establish their own righteousness: for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth, Rom. 10: 3, 4. It is that righteousness, which is of faith, which the Gentiles have attained, who followed not after righteousness; & which Israel did not attain to, though they followed after the Law of righteousness, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the Law, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone, Rom. 9: 30, 31, 32. By this are Believers made the righteousness of God in Him, who, though He knew no sin, yet was made sin for us. 2 Cor. 5: 21. This is that righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, which is of God by faith, Phil. 3: 7, 8, 9. which Paul desired only to be found in, and that in opposition to his own righteousness, which is of the Law; and for which he did account all things, which formerly were gain to him, to be loss & dung. Now, what a noble life of faisty and Security is this, for a poor naked sinner, void of all righteousness, and thereby exposed to the lash of the Law, to the Curse and wrath of God, to be covered with a complete and perfect righteousness, consisting in full satisfaction to all the demands of the Law, both for doing and suffering; with which the Self condemned sinner may now, with boldness and confidence, think of approaching unto, and appearing before the Tribunal of God? who can express the Serenity of Soul, the inward peace calmness, and Quietness of mind, the Joy, Cheerfulness and Exulting of heart, that followeth here upon? How is the Drooping, Sincking, Dead and discouraged Soul, that hath any sense or feeling of this, revived & quickened? And how beit the sense of it be away (as oft it happeneth) yet the change, that is hereby made, when the Lord imputeth this righteousness of Christ, & causeth the Soul by faith to embrace it, and accept of it, is as a Resurrection from the dead.

5. They have, as a benefit, necessarily following upon, and inseparably accompanying this justification, the noble and rich privilege of Adoption: For to as many, as received Him, to them gave He power to become the Sones of God, Joh. 1: 12. And all those, that are justified, receive Him and His righteousness, and rest upon it. Being thus redeemed from under the Law, they receive the Adoption of Sones, Gal. 4: 5. And being justified by His grace, they are made heirs, according to the hop of eternal life, Tit. 3: 7. And by this as their State is demonstrated to be a State of life; so the many and exceeding great and rich, yea incomprehensibly glorious and excellent favors, Advantages, and Privileges, that lie in the womb of this comprehensive Privilege, show their life to be an excellent life: for (1) Being thus adopted, they have a new Relation unto God, as their Father, and they are His Children, taken into His Family: they have His name put upon them, they are called by His name, or His name is called upon them, Ier. 14: 9. Then is that word make good, 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty. Then is He their God in a peculiar manner, and they are His People, Ier. 31. 1. Then have they written upon them the name of Christ's God, and the name of the City of His God, and His own new name, in its earnest and beginnings, Revel. 3: 12. O! what a life is here, to stand thus related unto the great God? what an honorable life and Privilege is this, for such, who were by Nature Children of the Devil! (2) Being thus Adopted, they have a Relation to all the Children of the Family, and are united unto them, as members of the same Family, as Brethren or Sisters of the chosen Family. They are then among those, whom Christ hath gathered together in one, Ephes. 1: 10. And belong to that Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him, that filleth all in all, verse 22, 23. They have a relation now unto the Church Triumphant, as well as to the Church Militant; whence that is in part verified. Heb. 12: 22, 23. But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, & to an innumerable company of Angels; to the General Assembly & Church of the first born, which are written in Heaven. They are no more Strangers and Foreigners but fellow-citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God, Ephes. 2: 19. (3) Being by Adoption Children, they are heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, Rom. 8: 17. Gal. 4: 7. They are now begotten to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them. 1. Pet. 1: 4. Hence they are heirs of Salvation, Heb. 1: 14. Being Abraham's seed, they are heirs according to the promise, Gal. 3: 29. & these promises they do inherit, Heb. 6. 12. What a life hath the Son and heir of a great King, when he may look upon the many great Dominions & Kingdoms of his Father, as his own? But what a greater life is it, when a poor sinner, that is now adopted through faith, may look thorough all the great and precious promises, contained in the Book of God, and say all these are mine; and may look up to Heaven, & to that glory, which eye hath never seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, & say, all that is mine, through Jesus Christ I am served heir thereunto, & have the begun possion thereof, in mine Head & Elder Brother Jesus Christ? (4.) Being adopted, they have the earnest of the Spirit, sealing them to the day of Redemption: for in Christ they have obtained an inheritance, & are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession Ephes. 1: 11, 13, 14. & 4: 30. And who can express what a life this is? (5) Being adopted, they have free access to the throne of Grace with boldness, God being their Father, the door standeth open, & they may approach with liberty, freedom, & filial Boldness; for through Christ, they have an access by the Spirit unto the Father Ephes. 2: 18. And in Him, they have boldness & access with Confidence, by the faith of Him Ephes. 3: 12. They may now come boldly unto the throne of Grace, that they may obtain mercy, & find grace for help in time of need Heb. 4: 16. By Him they have access by faith into the grace, wherein they stand Rom. 5: 2. And here certainly is a life, the riches of the joy & Comfort whereof cannot be expressed. (6) Being adopted, they receive the Spirit of adoption, whereby they are delivered from that Spirit of Bondage, under which they were formerly; & are now Principled, Spirited & • mboldened to cry Abba, Father Rom. 8. 15, That slavish fear, under which they some time were, is away, & they have now the reverential fear of Children, which doth not hinder, but encourage them to approach, with freedom & Enlargment of Spirit & now they have the Spirit of prayer & Supplication, whereby they can call on God, as their Father in Christ; because they are Sones, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son, into there hearts crying Abba, Father Gal. 4: 6. What a resurrection from Death unto life is this, to have heart & tongue loosed, & to be in case to speak unto the Father, in the language of the Spirit through Jesus Christ? (7.) Being adopted, they have a right to all the Privileges of the Sones of God, & are under the Fatherly Care, Inspection, Provision, Protection, Leading, Teaching & Chastisement of their kind God & Father Psal. 103: 13: Prov. 3: 11, 12. & 14: 26. Mat. 6: 30, 32. 1 Pet. 5: 7. Heb. 12: 6. And o! what a bundle of Mercies of life is here? The believer may welcome all the Dispensations of God, & receive them, as out of the hand of a tender-hearted Father; & say, Thus & thus doth my Father unto me; this is the hand & working of a Father about me: This how sharp so ever it seem to be, yet is the effect of tender love, & floweth from the heart & bowels of a kind & compassionat Father to me.

6. Their justification saith, They are translated out of nature, & delivered from that death, under which they did lie formerly, unable to perform any, even the least, vital act of life: for before justification, they are united unto Christ by faith, life is begun in their soul, the seed of life is beginning to bud in them, & to bring forth fruit, when they are enabled to believe, & to act faith upon, & to receive Jesus Christ, as He is offered in the Gospel. The spiritual life is in them, & is working, when it moveth them Christ-ward, & powerfully draweth & inclineth their Soul, to close with Christ. This faith is the work of the Spirit of God alone; It is not of ourselves, but the gift of God Ephes. 2: 8. This believing is according to the working of his mighty Power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead Ephes. 1: 19, 20. Therefore is the Spirit called, the Spirit of faith, which all believers have 2 Cor. 4: 13. for now, in order to the effectual producing of this grace of faith in the Soul, their minds are enlightened to understand Spiritually & Savingly, the things of God Act. 26: 18. For God revealeth them unto them by His Spirit, who only knoweth the things of God; which Spirit they have received, that they might know the things, that are freely given them of God 1 Cor. 2: 10, 11, 12. Now they have received the Spirit of Wisdom & Revelation, in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of their understandings being enlightened Ephes. 1: 17, 18. And as their minds are changed, so is their heart; for the heart of stone is taken away, & the heart of flesh is given, according as was promised Ezek. 36: 26. & their wills are renewed & inclined unto good: They have gotten the one heart, & the New Spirit, Ezek. 11: 19. The Lord hath wrought in them both to will & to do Phil. 2: 13. Their heart is circumcised to love the Lord, according as was promised Deut. 30: 6. And the Lord hath put His Spirit in them Ezek. 26: 27. & thereby hath drawn them unto Christ John. 6: 44, 45. all which saith, that the life of God & of Grace is begun in their souls; & the Spirit of life hath taken possession of them, & abideth there & worketh.

These things clear, how justly the justified soul may be said to live; & in what respects, the justified state is a real state of life.

CHAP. VI.

What mysteries are in Justification.

WHat was said in the foregoing Chapter may by way of use, First, discover unto us that Kindness and Love of God our Savior, that hath appeared unto men, whereof the Apostle speaketh, Tit. 3: 4. For this is one remarkable Instance thereof, and calleth for Admiration and praise from us, upon that account. O! what Tenderness, Love and Pity appeareth here! And what a wonderful Grace is this, that is here manifested? what condescension of Love and free Grace is clearly legible in this business? And how clear and distinct will all this appear to a self condemned sinner, arraigned in its convinced Conscience, before the tribunal of God; and then seeth, in the Gospel, a well contrived way of absolution, & closeth with it? How will all this shine forth unto them with a heavenly Luster and Majesty? And how sweetly will their hearts acquiesce in this Sure and Saife way of obtaining life?

Secondly, This may discover unto us, what a manifold wisdom of God is to be seen & observed, in the Gospel dispensation, that even Principalities and powers may look into, and wonder at; as it is said to be made known unto them, by the Church, Ephes. 3: 10. That is, by what they see and observe, in the administration thereof, in the Church. And in this part of Gospel-device, there are several things remarkable, that may give us ground to wonder at this manifold Wisdom of God. The whole is a mystery, and this is a prime part of the mystery, and in this mystery there are many mysteries, a short view of which may be of some use to us.

1. What a mysterious and wonderful thing is it, That such, as are dead by Law, lying under the sentence thereof, & so bound over to the wrath of God, according to the threatening of the Law, which is just and righteous in all points; and such, as have nothing to defend themselves by from the threatened death, unto which they are obnoxious; nor anything, whereby to make Satisfaction to the demands of the Law, or to the offended Lawmaker, or where with to appease Him; should notwithstanding hereof be Really, Formally and Effectually absolved from the sentence of the Law, by the sentence of the Judge; and so made and declared to live juridically & in Law-sense; and to be as free of the curse and penalty of the Law, as if they had never been guilty of the transgression thereof. And thus is it here indeed; Such, as were dead in trespasses and sins, and in the uncircumcision of the flesh, are quickened together with Christ, Ephes. 2: 1, 5. Col. 2: 13. He, who before had the wrath of God on him, and abiding on him, by believing on the Son of God, hath everlasting life, John. 3: 36. And they, who were in a manner condemned already, yet, by believing on Him, are not condemned, yea have eternal life, John. 3: 15, 18.

2. What a mystery is this, That God, who is righteous and just, and the righteous Judge of the World, and who hath declared, that he looketh upon it, as an abomination for any man to justify the wicked Prov. 17: 15. And whose judgment is always according to truth. Rom. 2: 2. Should be one that justifieth the Ungodly? And yet so is He said to be, and so is He styled, and so is He held forth, as the object of faith, Rom. 4. 5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him, that justifieth the Ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, Papists & others, who will not suffer their Reason to follow Revelation, but will measure all the mysteries of the Gospel, by the corrupt rule of Reason; and wiredraw those, according to the dictates of this, pretend an Inconsistency here; and therefore will rather pervert the whole nature of Gospel-justification, than yield to the Spirits Revelation of the matter. Hence it is, that they say, a person cannot be justified by God, until he be a Godly man, and have a Righteousness within him, upon the account of which he must be justified; little adverting, That by their own principles it would follow, that no man should ever be justified: for, seeing God is a God of righteousness, and it is a sure and certain thing, that His judgment is always according to truth, He could not absolve a Person as righteous, that were not perfectly righteous, and void of all sin; & where is the man, (not out of his wits) that dar say this, remembering what David said, Psal. 130. 3. & 143. 2. But here lieth the truth & the mystery. Such as are really and truly Ungodly in themselves, and have nothing of their own, but unrighteousness within them, and whose righteousnesses are but as filthy rags, Isaiah. 64: 6. are yet justified by God upon the account of a perfect righteousness, imputed to them, & received by faith. In the judgment of God, such, as in themselves are Ungodly, are considered as clothed with the perfect righteousness of the Mediator, Christ, that Head & public person, which free grace putteth on them, & they receive & stand under by faith; and so are justified & declared to be righteous by God, whose judgment herein and sentence is most righteous, & most consonant to truth: for he justifieth such, as are righteous, though not with their own inherent righteousness, yet with the righteousness of their cautioner, now made theirs.

3. Here is another piece of this mystery, That Transgressours of the Law shall be Absolved and Justified; & yet the Law established, which threateneth death to Transgressours, and promiseth life only to such, as observe it in all points. Who can reconcile this seeming Contradiction, that is not acquainted with the glorious mystery of the Gospel? Paul, a man well acquainted with this mystery, tells us expressly, that the Gospel-way of justification, which he preached, and fully cleared in his Epistles, derogateth nothing from the Law, but establisheth it, Rom. 3: 31. Where, after he had cleared & confirmed the Nature and Causes of Gospel-justification, & had said verse 30. that He was one God, who would justify the circumcision (or Jews) by faith, and the uncircumcision (that is, the Gentiles) through faith; hy obv • ateth this objection, that some might have proposed, & said, What shall then become of the Law? you make it void, by speaking of faith, & ascribing justification to it, as a mean, in opposition & contradiction to works: he answereth. Do we then make void the Law, through faith? That be far from us, yea we establish the Law. So that there is nothing, in this Gospel justification, that weakeneth, or maketh void the Law; but, on the contrary, it is thereby more fully confirmed and established: for, what the Law could not do, in that it was weak, through the flesh, God sending His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, & for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteouness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, Rom. 8: 2, 3. Here is then the mystery, Transgressours of the Law are justified, upon the account of what their Mediator, and Surety, their public person & Representer did & suffered, for Satisfaction to Law, Justice & the Law-giver; & by what He did & suffered, the Law is more established, then it would have been by anything that we did, or could suffer; for He made Satisfaction to all its demands; there was perfect obedience given thereunto, & its commands answered, in all points, by our Lord Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth, 2 Cor. 5: 21. Isaiah. 53: 9. And because it was violated by sinners, & the Curse threatened was due, therefore, He did also satisfy that demand, by dying the shameful death of the cross, & undergoing the wrath & curse, due to us for sin; & thereby making a more perfect Satisfaction unto the Sanction and threatening part of the Law, than we could have done, by lying in hell forever more. And by faith, closing with Christ, & resting upon Him, as such a satisfying Cautioner & Redeemer, the sinner acknowledgeth the Law, in all its force, confessing himself a Transhressour, and obnoxious to the Curse; & now presenting to the Law & Law-giver the obedience & Satisfaction of Christ, whereby both its commands & Sanction are fully answered; & resting thereupon, as the only ground of his Absolution from the sentence of the Law for his guilt, and of his right to the Crown, which he formerly had forfeited.

4. Here is another mystery. That such, as are unrighteous, and Ungodly, should be declared and pronounced Righteous. In justification, the person is declared not guilty, of what was laid to his charge, in order to punishment, & that juridically; and so he is declared free from the punishment, that the Accuser was seeking to have inflicted upon him; and so is declared & pronounced to be a righteous man, though not one, that hath not sinneth, yet now one, that is juridically righteous, But how can this be, seeing every man and woman is guilty before God, and is come short of the glory of God? The mystery lieth here (as was said) The righteousness of their Cautioner, Christ, is reckoned upon their score, and is imputed to them, & they receive it by faith, and so it becometh theirs; for now by faith they are united unto Christ, & become members of His mystical body, He being the Head and true Representative; & thereby He and they are one Person in Law, (being one Spirit) as the Husband and the Wife are one person in Law (being one flesh) and as the Representer and Represented, the Cautioner & principal debtor: and thus they have a true Interest in His Righteousness & obedience to the Law, which He yielded, not upon His own account, being not obliged thereunto, antecedently to His own voluntary condescension for us; for as to His person, He was God, and so not obnoxious to any such Law, imposed upon man, who is in the way to the obtaining of a Crown, as the end of his race: yea nor was this requisite, as to His human Nature, which, by virtue of the personal union with the God-head was, as to itself, either in Patria, and in possession of the State of blessedness; or in a capacity thereto, without working therefore: And it is certain, that therefore His being made under the Law, was for His own people, that, in their room, He might, in the Nature of Man, give perfect obedience to the Law; and so make up a righteousness, with which they might all become clothed, by Imputation on God's part, & by faith receiving it, on their part; and so be justified. Hence-saith the Apostle, by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous, Rom. 5: 19. And thus are they, who are unrighteous in themselves, being Transgressours of the Law, constituted righteous as to the Commands of the Law by the righteousness of their Cautioner. As also they are, though guilty in themselves & obnoxious to wrath, yet pronounced free, and absolved from that charge, by the Imputation of the Satisfaction of Christ, made in His sufferings, & death, who did bear our griefs, and carry our sorrows, and was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed, Isaiah. 53: 4, 5. 1 Pet. 2: 24. And his own self bear our sins, in His own body on the tree.

3. There is likewise a mystery here, That the Imputation of the obedience and Righteousness of Christ doth not take away the Imputation of His Satisfaction, nor make His Satisfaction useless & of no Importance, or necessity, as Socinians imagine, who cast the whole Gospel in the mould of their own corrupt Reason and understanding: For they think, if Christ's Righteousness be imputed to us, we are perfectly righteous; and if we be perfectly righteous, we have no sin; & if we have no sin, there is no need of Satisfaction for our sin. But they little consider, that we are both guilty of the broken Law, and also nothwithstanding obliged to perfect obedience. It is unreasonable to think, that Adam, by his breach of the Law, was exeemed & delivered from any obligation to obey the Law; sin doth not, neither can, dissolve that obligation; other ways, the best way of being freed from the Laws of God, or Man, were to break them, & cast them at our heels. We then being transgressors, & still under the obligation of obedience to the whole Law, our Mediator and Cautioner must not only obey the Law for us, to the end, we may inherit the promised reward; but must also make Satisfaction, for the Violation of the Law, to the end we may escape God's Curse & wrath, threatened in the Law, and due to us for the breach of the same. Had we perfectly kept the Law, we had then had no need of any Satisfaction for our breach thereof: but being guilty of sin, this Satisfaction and the Imputation thereof to us, is absolutely necessary. And though we need not nicely here distinguish betwixt this Righteouness & Satisfaction, in reference to the different ends; and say, that by His Righteousness imputed to us, we have right to the Crown, & by His Satisfaction, freedom from death, which was the penalty of the broken Law: for God hath joined both together for both ends; & what He hath thus joined together, as we should not separate, so neither may we nicely & scrupulously distinguish; but adore the wonderful wisdom of God in this contrivance, and observing our necessity of both, sweetly acquiesce in and thankfully accept of both. But you will say, if we be perfectly righteous by the Imputation of Christ's righteousness, what need have we of any more? are we not possessed of right to the reward, and being righteous, are we not free of our sin? I answer. It is true indeed, if we said, that Christ's Righteousness, or complete obedience, was first imputed to us; or if the Scripture gave any ground to say so, there might be some color for this Exception: but, as the Scripture giveth no such ground; so neither do we assert it: Only we have need of both, & both are graciously imputed, and received by faith: yea, we being sinners, if we might speak of an order here, Satisfaction must first be imputed, that thereby we may be freed from the sentence of the Law, which most presseth a wakened, convinced sinner, who is most anxious hereanent, crying out, How shall I escape the wrath and curse of God? But, as the Lord hath graciously and wonderfully knit the effects together, so is the Cause. Both Christ's obedience and Sufferings were so woven together, that they belonged both to, & made up His state of humiliation; & by both imputed by God, and received by faith, the believer receiveth the whole Effect, that is, both Immunity from punishment, & a Right to the reward promised to obedience, or to the Crown. As Christ, the Messias, made an end of sins, & made reconciliation for iniquity; so He brought in an everlastingh righteousness, Dan. 9: 24. And believers have the benefit of both; for as they receive the grace of God, & the gift by grace, & abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness; so they shall reign in life; and grace through righteousness reigneth unto eternal life, Rom. 5: 15, 17, 21.

5. Upon the other hand, this mystery is also observable. That Christ's Satisfaction taketh not away the necessity of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness & obedience; as some do say, who think, that because we have full pardon of all sins, by virtue of the Satisfaction of Christ; therefore we need no more; a person, who is pardoned, being therefore one, that is not unrighteous; & one that is not unrighteous, being righteous, for (say they) there is no mids betwixt just, or righteous, and not unjust, or not unrighteous; & he, who is righteous, having done all his duty, & so having a right to the promised reward of life. So that, upon this ground they suppose, there is need of no more, in order to obtaining of life: & beside, say they, the Scripture saith, that the man is blessed, to whom the Lord imputeth not sin; & he, who is blessed upon this account, needeth no righteousness to be added, to render him blessed, and to give a right unto glory. But (1) we were (as was said) guilty of the breach of the Law, & so, liable to punishment, & were also under obligation, to give perfect obedience unto the Law; Satisfaction therefore for our breach, & our pardon upon Satisfaction, faith not, that we have not broken the Law; and if we have broken the Law, we cannot be said to have yielded perfect obedience unto the Law, when God pardoneth upon a Satisfaction made, He doth not judge, or suppose, that the person pardoned hath perfectly kept the Law; for His judgment is according to truth; and the very pardon supposeth a Transgression; and a Transgression taketh away perfect obedience; as perfect obedience destroyeth or rendereth useless all pardon. Wherefore neither before God, nor man, can a person, merely because of Pardon, be said, or be accounted to have all that was required. Upon Pardon, it is true, he is as much exeemed from the obligation to punishment, as if he had kept the whole Law; but yet, by that pardon, he is not made, nor accounted to be one, who never broke the Law, & there upon hath a right unto the reward promised: As (supposing for illustrations sake) when a Prince maketh a Law, & commandeth such & such persons to obey the same, under the pain of death; & with all promiseth to such, as observe the Law, and do what is commanded, that they shall enjoy a rich reward, & become heirs of a great Kingdom; and the persons, after they have broken the Law and become guilty of death, are pardoned, upon the Interposition of some great person, & Satisfaction made by the same for the failure; they cannot, upon the account of this Satisfaction, & their pardon thereupon, be said to have done what was commanded, nor to have right unto the reward, & to the Inheritance, promised to such, as obeyed the Law. (2) Therefore, though a person, that is pardoned, be one that is not unrighteous, that is, obnoxious to the penalty; yet he is not one that is righteous positively, or in reference to the reward; but only one that is negatively righteous; that is, one that though he hath no right to the reward, yet he is not liable to the punishment: and therefore, though he be thus negatively not unrighteous, that is, one that is freed from the punishment; yet he cannot be accounted one, that hath done all that was commanded; & so he cannot be accounted Righteous, in reference to the reward. (3) So that there is a manifest mids betwixt being righteous, that is, one having a right to the reward, and being not unrighteous, that is, not obnoxious to the punishment, as is clear by the Instance of Adam, before his fall; for during that time (how long, or how short so ever it was) he could not be said to be untighteous, because he had not yet sinned; nor could he be said to be righteous, in reference to the reward, that was promised, on condition of perfect obedience to the end; that is, such as had done all his duty: for if he had then done all his duty, or all that was required, in order to the reward, he had then had a full and complete right to the reward of life promised, & God would have given it to him, according to the Covenant and Promise. But we know it was not so; for he was to finish his course & run his race to the end, before he could have challenged a right to the promised inheritance; and this he did not. So that before he fell by transgression, it might have been said of him, that he was not unrighteous, that is, that he was one, that had not yet transgressed, and deserved the punishment-threatened; but he could not be said to have been fully & positively righteous, that is one, that had done all his duty; and therefore had now a full & complete right unto the reward. (4) It is true, the Scripture saith, that the man is blessed, to whom the Lord doth not impute sin: but it doth not say, That he is blessed, to whom the Lord only imputeth not sin, or to whom He giveth no more: nor doth the Scripture say, that this pardoning, or not imputing of sin, purely & abstractively considered, that is, considered alone without anymore (as it must be considered by such, as oppose us here) is that complete blessedness, whereof the Scripture speaketh. But the reason, why such are said to be blessed, to whom the Lord doth not impute sin, is, because Imputation of • ighteousness is inseparebly annexed with non-imputation of sin: & therefore in that same place of Scripture; to wit, Rom. 4. 6. It is said, that David Psal. 32: 1, 2. describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness, while he saith, blessed is the man, unto whom the Lord will not impute sin, &c. Whereby we see, that both these are so firmly connected by the Lord, that the one cleareth and confirmeth the other; & that whoever hath the one, hath the other also; and upon that account are blessed, enjoying the whole Effect of the Imputation of Christ's whole Surety-righteousness: and these two, to wit, pardon of sins, and the Right to the Inheritance, flowing from the Imputation of Christ's Satisfaction, & of His obedience, though they are never separated, yet they are distinguished, & spoken of distinctly in Scripture. It is one thing to be delivered from under the Law, & another thing to receive the Adoption of Sones, and the blessing of Abraham, Gal. 3: 13, 14. & 4: 4, 5. As it is one thing to finish the Transgression, to make an end of sin, & to make Reconciliation for iniquity; & another thing to bring-in Everlasting Righteousness, Dan. 9: 24. Yea, the redemption from the Law and from its curse is mentioned, as preceeding the other; as the finishing of transgression is also mentioned before the bringing-in of Righteousness, in the passages cited. And thus, as these Effects are distinguished, though inseparable, so is the Cause. By the Imputation of Christ's Satisfaction, we have pardon of sin, being redeemed from the curse of the Law, by His being made a curse for us, & by the Imputation of His Rigteousness, and obedience, we are looked upon as Righteous, & so have a right to the promise and Inheritance: Though we need not thus distinctly consider both, save only to demonstrate the necessity of the Imputation of both: for Christ by His death did also purchase the Inheritance for us; and by His obedience made Satisfaction for sin, it being a piece of His Humiliation. So that both, in the deep wisdom of God, make up one cause of that one Effect, which comprehendeth all Blessedness; that is, both pardon of sins and Right to the Inheritance, &c. By the Imputation of both, or of this complete Surety-righteousness of Christ including both, believers are pardoned and adjudged unto life. Hence our pardon and justification are often ascribed unto Christ's death, not as distinctly considered, or as excluding His Righteousness & obedience; but, among other reasons, because that was the completing Act of His obedience; and to which all the rest preceeding had a respect, as to that, which should complete the whole Meritorious part of His Mediation. And hereby His obedience can no more be excluded, than His foregoing soul-sufferings. Nay His death did presuppose and include His obedience; for it was the death of one, who had perfectly obeyed the Law; which death & obedience, being His Mediatory work in the state of His Humiliation, was a complete Righteousness, for the blessedness & advantage of all those, for whom He appeared, & whose debt He undertook to pay. (5.) That the obedience of Christ must also be imputed to sinners, is manifest from this, That otherwise they should have no Righteousness at all imputed to them, that properly can be called a Righteousness: for if nothing but that, which is commonly called Christ's passive obedience, or His Sufferings, be imputed, there can no Righteousness be said to be imputed; for dying and suffering the penalty, as such, are no righteousness; being no obedience to the commands of the Law, in conformity to which consisteth proper Righteousness: as when one dieth for his crime of Murder, he cannot be said to be thereby a righteous man, or to have obeyed the Law, forbidding Murder, nor can we be said properly to have obeyed the Law, when Christ in our room did suffer the penalty of death, due to us for the breach of it. They who are in hell, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, cannot be said to be obeying the Law. It is true, Christ in dying did obey a command, Imposed upon Him by the Father; but that was no command of the Moral Law, prescribed unto man: & thereafter in dying & Suffering, He gave no obedience to that Law, under the obligation to which we were standing; no more than He can be said to have Suffered the penalty, while He was obeying the Law; these two being so manifestly different. So that it is clear, that if Christ's obedience be not imputed to us, no proper Righteousness is, or can be said to be imputed to us. Yea (6) If Christ's obedience be not imputed to us, that Law, which saith, do this and live, is not fulfilled; but rather abrogated & quite abolished: and it must be said, that not withstanding of that constitution of God's, we live, though we neither do this; nor is our Cautioners doing of it imputed to us. And so we have a right to the Reward, & get it at length, without the Righteousness required in order thereunto. Let us therefore admire the harmonious perfection of this Effect, & Work of infinite wisdom. I know several things are objected against this Truth, as there are many other grounds & Reasons adduced for the same; but these I shall speak to at more length afterward.

7. This is also a mystery here to be noticed, That a Righteousness, that is not ours inherently, but Christ's, should be made ours, made over to us, & reckoned upon our score, or we become clothed therewith, & there upon justified as Righteous, as really & effectually, as if we had wrought it ourselves, and it had been properly inherent in us. Socinians, Papists, Arminians & others, who will not subject their reason unto this mystery, and give credit to Revelation, will acknowledge no such imputation of Righteousness: but at most do grant but an improper imputation; that is an imputation as to Effects: so that with them, Christ neither Suffered, nor obeyed, in our stead & room; but only for our good & advantage; & that too conditionally only, in case, we believe and perform the Gospel-condition. But this imputation as to Effects only, is no imputation at all, there being nothing thereby Imputed; not the Righteousness of Christ itself; for this they expressly deny; nor yet the Effects themselves, for we nowhere read of Imputed Justification, Adoption, Pardon &c. which are the Effects. Yea, it is not enough to them to deny this Imputed Righteousness; but in contempt & scorn, they call that, which we name an Imputed Righteousness, a putative Righteousness, as if it were a mere imaginary thing. But whatever such in decision think or say, the Gospel holdeth forth to us a Righteousness imputed, or the Righteousness of Christ, graciously bestowed upon & made over to believers, or freely given unto them, so that they are dealt with by God, as Righteous Juridically & legally, or as possessors of such a complete & perfect Righteousness, & that as really, & to all Effects, as if it had been their own inherently, & performed by them, & so had been theirs without any such Imputation. And because this, as the cause, is imputed to them & made theirs; therefore all the Effects thereof shall really & certainly be bestowed upon them, in God's appointed time & method. This is the Truth, which the Gospel holdeth forth, to the solid peace, joy & comfort of Believers; the full clearing & vindicating of which would require a just Treatise. I shall therefore here propose but a few clear & manifest Grounds of this refreshful & comfortable truth, leaving the further prosecution & vindication of them, & of other arguments, that are used in this matter, with the examination of what is objected on the contrary, till afterward. First therefore, we say, as Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin; that is; had the sins of His people laid upon Him, & imputed to Him; so that they were all caused to meet together on Him Isaiah. 53: 6. & He therefore was made a Sacrifice for sin, or dealt with & punished, as a sinner, though no sinner inherently, but only by Imputation, for He did bear our griefs, & carried our sorrows, & was wounded for our transgressions, & bruised for our iniquities, Isaiah. 53: 4, 5. to wit, now imputed to Him by God, & reckoned upon His account, who knew no sin in Himself inherently: So are we made the Righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5: 21. that is, have His Righteousness, who is God, imputed to us, who were in ourselves & inherently sinners; & being in Him by faith are dealt with as Righteous. The manifest scope of the place, & the plain Import of the word, must enforce this truth, on all, who are not more than ordinarily blinded with prejudice. Secondly as Adam's posterity, who were not existing, when he transgressed the Law of God, but were only in his loins, & federally comprehended with him, in that covenant, by God's voluntary disignation & appointment; & so did not actually, & really eat that fruit, which Adam did eat; yet have that sin & guilt so imputed unto them, that it is really accounted theirs; & not merely in its Effects, for its Effects are not truly Imputed, neither can be said to be so; for that natural contagion & corruption of Nature, which is truly propagated to the posterity, & all actual transgressions, the fruits thereof, cannot be said to be imputed, because they are really theirs, & inherent in them. But that original sin, which is the guilt of Adam's first sin, is only it, which can be imputed (unless we mean such an Imputation, whereby our actual sins, which we commit, are said to be imputed to us, when they are laid to our charge, & we actually punished therefore) to them, who did not actually commit it, in their own person; & by virtue of this Imputation, they are accounted guilty of that self same sin; & therefore are dealt with & punished, upon the account thereof, no less than if they had actually committed it themselves, in their own persons; & no less than Adam himselfs was punished therefore. So are Believers, being by faith united unto Christ, & made real members of His mystical body, & now interested in Him, as His Children & Brethren, made partakers of His Righteousness, & have it imputed unto them, for all ends & uses, as if it had been their own, without any Imputation. The reading of the Apostles discourse Rom. 5. from verse 12. & forward to the end, may satisfy any as to this whole affaire, who will yield themselves captives unto Truth: for upon this doth the Apostle found His whole discourse & explication of the rich advantages, had by Christ & His Righteousness, clearing, & illustrating the same by that similitude of Adam, whom He expressly calleth the figure of Him, that was to come verse 14. & so asserteth, that as by one man sin entered into the world, & death by sin, & so death passed upon all, be • ause all did sin; so by one man, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, righteousness ontered into the world, & life by it, & so life passed upon all, that were in Him, because they are righteous in Him, or have His righteousness imputed unto them. Nay, in the following verses, the matter is cleared with an advantage unto Believers in Christ. But (saith he verse 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.) not as the offense, so also is the free gift; for if through the offense of one, many be dead; much more the grace of God, & the gift by grace, by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many, &c. And so he goeth on to show what & how great things believers receive from Christ, with no less, Yea rather with much more of a certainty, than the Posterity of Adam were interested in what he did: and therefore, as judgment was by one to condemnation; (saith he) so the free gift is of many offenses unto justification; & if by one man's offense, death reigned by one, much more they who believe or receive abundance of grace, & of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. And as the offense of one Adam was imputed unto all, & thereby guilt & judgment came upon all, making them liable to condemnation: So by the righteousness of one Jesus Christ, imputed to all, that receive this abundance of grace & of the gift of righteouseess, the free gift of justification cometh unto them, reconciling them to God, & instating them for life. And the ground & reason of this is laid down verse 19. for as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners; & so were guilty, & made liable to judgment & condemnation; So by the obedience of one, that perfect obedience to the Law, that Christ performed, opposite to Adam's transgression & disobedience, shall many be made righteous, that is, constituted righteous; & therefore dealt with as such, through this imputed righteousness; & so justified & made heirs of life: for verse 21. he addeth as sin hath reigned unto death, even so grace must reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ, our Lord. They then, who will deny, or oppose themselves unto this Imputation of Christ's righteousness, must do manifest violence unto the whole discourse of the Apostle, in this place. Thirly. Hence another evidencing ground of this imputation: for as what is done by a public person, representing others, whether upon one ground, & after one manner, or another, is accounted legally to be done by those, who are represented, & they are dealt with accordingly, as Adam was a public person, representing all his posterity, that were to come of him by ordinary generation, according to the ordination & appointment of God: So Christ, of whom Adam was a figure, was a public person, representing all, whom the Father had given to Him, & for whom He had undertaken, & for whose sake He sanctified Himself John. 17, 19. & become their Brother taking on their Nature. Heb. 2: 11, 14. & becoming like them in all things, sin only excepted Heb. 2: 17. comp: with Heb. 3: 15. Therefore He took not upon Him the Nature of Angels, but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2: 16. & He was the Captain of their Salvation, verse 10. He is also made & called the Head of the Church, which is, His body & fullness Ephes 1: 22, 23. & 5: 23. Col. 1: 18. and so He with His Church make up one mystical body, whereof He is the Head, & Believers are members; Thus there is a close & mystical union betwixt Christ & Believers; beyond any union, that is in Nature, whether it be that of Head & members, of Root & Branches, of King & Subjects, or of that betwixt Husband & wife, for all these are but dark resemblances of this Spiritual Union betwixt Christ & Believers, which is therefore compared unto these, & in part explained thereby, for our better understanding of the matter: but none of them, nor all of them do fully unfold the mystery. And in it there is ground enough to suppose, Christ to be a public person & a Representative; as also for asserting of this Imputation; because Believers being thus united unto Christ, are made partakers of His righteousness, & of what He, as Head & Husband, did & suffered, in their room & place; & they thereupon are blessed with all the fruits & effects thereof. Fourthly His being called a Surety Heb. 7: 22. doth also give ground & confirmation unto this Imputation: for as He who becometh Surety for another, undertaketh to do or suffer, what he, for whom he is Surety, was obliged to do, or suffer: As when Paul became Surety for Onesimus; & bound himself, as such, unto Philemon, he would have Philemon, requiring all, that Onesimus was due to him, at his hand, & reckoned upon his score; & he undertook to satisfy him for this debt, or for what he could crave of Onesimus; as we see Philem. verse 18, 19. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that upon mine account, I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it. So what the cautioner doth, or suffereth, as such, or according to his undertaking, is reckoned upon the score of the Principul debtor; as Paul's paying of what Onesimus & imputed to was endue te Philemon, was to be reckoned on the score of Onesimus, him, that he thereby might be freed from all pursuit of Law, or action against him, at the Instance of Philemon. Wherefore as Christ, becoming Surety for His Children, & saying to the Father, Lo, I come, in the volumne of they book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will; ô God Psal. 40: 7, 8. Heb. 10. 7. did take upon Himself the debt of sinners, & engaged to pay all; that is, both to give perfect Obedience to the Law, & fulfill all Righteousness, Mat. 3: 15. as also to pay the penalty, to make Satisfaction to Justice, by becoming a Curse, & suffering Griefs, Sorrowes, Bruisings, Mockings, & the cursed death of the Cross: for all this He did willingly & cheerfully. I have (said He) a baptism to be baptized with, (meaning His death) & how am I straitened (or pained) until it be accomplished Luk. 12: 50. He laid down His life, that He might take it again; & no man took His life from Him, against His will; but He laid it down of His own accord John. 10: 17, 18. And as Christ did really & actually perform all, that He did undertake, so that He said upon the Cross, it is finished: It must of necessity follow, that all they, for whom He became Surety, & undertook to do & suffer what was laid upon Him, must have that Imputed, & made over unto them, & they must be clothed with that rob of Righteousness, which He did make for them, & must appear before the throne of justice clothed therewith. Fifthly Christ's making proper & full Satisfaction to the Father, in the Name & room of His people, saith also, That there is an Imputation of Christ's Righteousness unto them, for whom He performed that Righteousness; as His Satifaction must be for them. So that if Imputation be denied, Satisfaction also must be denied. Hence the Socinians wickedly deny both: & indeed, whoever deny the one, must also deny the other, or not speak consequentially; for when one laith down a satisfactory price for another, it must be reckoned upon the score of & imputed to that other; to the end, he may be dealt with, as if he had laid it down himself; & thereby be freed from what other ways he must have undergone: & if upon the account of that Satisfaction, he be not so freed, it cannot be called a Satisfaction for him. When Christ laith dwon his life for His sheep, His sheep must not die & perish; for if they perish, He did not die for them; & if they perish not because of His dying for them, His death must be imputed to them; & upon the account of it they must be saved So that Christ's dying for His own is dying in their Room, Person, place & Stead, as the particle for manifestly importeth 2 Sam. 18: 33. Gen. 44: 33. Numb. 3: 12. Rom. 5: 6, 7. Hence His Ransom is expressly called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , 1 Tim. 2: 6. Many moe arguments might be here adduced, for confirmation of this Truth; but I shall satisfy myself at present, with these few & plain ones; & so proceed.

8. This Mystery is also considerable here, That both the justice of God, the Mercy & free Grace of God, take place in this matter. Socinians cry up the Mercy & free Grace of God, in the matter if justification: but it is to this end, that they may, with more desperate confidence, shut out the Justice of God, so as it may have no place there: & therefore they deny all Satisfaction, Redemption & Atonement &c. (except what is merely metaphorical) because they cannot see, how justice & mercy both can with joint hands concur to our justification. But the Apostle, better taught than they, & better acquainted with the mind of Christ, in this Mystery, than they are, seeth no Inconsistency; But rather declareth the sweet & & perfect harmony & concurrence of these, in this mystery; telling us Rom. 3: 24, 25, 26. That we are justified freely by His grace; & yet addeth, through the redemption, that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood, to declare His righteonsness, &c. And again, to declare His righteousness, that He might be just, & the justifier, of him, which believeth in Jesus. Here is a free grace triumphing; & yet Justifice declared and manifested; God declared to be just, and His righteousness manifested; & yet sinners and believers justified freely by grace. So Eph. 1: 7, 8. There is a Redemption through the price of blood; & yet a free pardon of sins, according to the riches of God's grace, wherein He hath abounded towards us, in all wisdom & prudence. But if it be inquired, wherein appear to this mercy and freedom of grace, in our justification, seeing there was a Satisfaction made to justice, for all the sins of His peaple? I answer, (1) was it not an Act of wonderful free grace & mercy, that, when the Lord might have executed the sentence of the Law upon us, according to that threatening, that day thou eats, thou shalt die; and so have made us, sinners, who transgressed the Law, to die and suffer; yet He would accept of a Satisfaction, at the hands of a Surety & Cautioner? (2) Was it not Act of grace & mercy to us, that He himself would provide a Surety and put His name in our obligation; & so make Him sin for us, who know no sin, & lay all our iniquities upon Him, that He might bear the punishment, due to us for the same? See John. 3: 16. (3) Was it no Act of Sovereign grace & mercy, that God should both provide a Mediator & Surety for us, & accept of His Mediation and Satisfaction, most freely, out of free Grace and Love, when we neither had done, nor could do anything to move Him hereunto, or to procure this at His hands; yea, when all our carriage, & all that He could see in us, did rather cry aloud for the contrary dealing? (4) Was it no Act of Sovereign Grace, that God should provide all this remedy for a few, whom He did choose for Him self out of free Grace and Love, and gave away to Christ, to be redeemed by Him, leaving the rest, & passing them by, though no more unworthy, than such, as were chosen? (5) Is it no Act of grace & mercy, that in order to this great favor of justification, no more should be required on our part, than faith in Jesus Christ; seeing this very faith, including an Union with and a marriag-consent unto Christ, is, in itself, a favor nothing, in a manner, inferior to the pardon of all our sins, & to the accepting of us as Righteous, in His sight? (6) Is justification no Act of grace and mercy, though it be upon the account of the obedience and Satisfaction of Christ; when that very faith, which is only required of us, in order to our full interest in Christ & His merits, is also the free gift of God, Ephes. 2: 8? If these particulars will not abundantly say that we are saved in justification by grace, & by the exceeding riches of God's grace & kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus, according to Ephes. 2: 7. what will!

9. Here is a great and wonderful mystery, in this matter, That the Innocent should suffer, and the guilty escape & go free. The Socinians, that they may strengthen them selves in their mischievous prejudices against the Satisfaction of Christ, imagine an Impossibility here, & an Inconsistency with Justice, that an Innocent person should be put to suffer. But what ever they dream, who will walk in these mysterious matters by no other guide, than the dim light of corrupt nature, it comporteth abundantly with Justice, that the Surety be put to pay what he hath undertaken to pay, for the principal debtor. And here was no wrong done to our Surety, Jesus Christ, who willingly undertook this debt, and was lord of His own life, having absolute power to lay it down, and power to take it up again, and to raise him self from the dead; & knowing withal, how richly to compensate & make up that loss another way, so as He should be no loser, when He should see His Seed, and receive the rich reward of His labors from the Father, whose Servant He was, in this affaire. Here is then a mystery of wisdom, Grace and Love, that the Innocent Lamb of God, who knew no sin, who did no violence, nor was guile found in his mouth, 2 Cor. • : 21. Isaiah. 53: 9. Who; when He was reviled, reviled not again. 1 Pet. 2: 22, 23. Who was Holy, harmless, undesiled and separate from sinners, Heb. 7: 26. That He should be made sin by God, 2 Cor. 5: 21. And so legally guilty, & obnoxious to the punishment due for sin; that He should be made an High Priest to offer up Him self a sacrifice for sin, Heb. 9: 14, 28. That He should bear our grieves, & carry our sorrows▪ and be wounded for our Transgressions, and bruised for our Iniquities; that the punishment of our peace should be upon Him; & He should stripes, & be oppressed & afflicted, and be cut off out of the Land of the living; have strokes upon Him, & make His grave with the wicked; be bruised & be put to grief, and make His soul an offering for sin. Isaiah, 53: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. That he, who could not be charged with sin, should yet be put to suffer most grieveous torments, immediately in his soul, Mat. 26: 37, 38. & 27: 46. Luk. 22: 44 John. 12: 27. And pains in his body, Mat. 26. & 27. Chapters. That He should die, and that He should die the Shamful, Painful, and cursed death of the Cross, Gal. 3: 13. Phil. 2. 8. And, upon the other hand, that we, who were the sinners, and guilty, and so obnoxious to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell and wrath of God forever, should escape, and be healed by His stripes, Isaiah. 53: 5. 1 Pet 2: 24. & become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor. 5: 21. And be justified and made heirs of the promises; O! what an unsearchable mystery of Love and free grace shineth forth here?

10. This is also a Part of this Mystery, That nothing should be forgiven, & yet all should be forgiven. Nothing was forgiven to our Surety, He paid all that was required of Him; for the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He gave full obedience to the Law, in all its demands, & made a perfect & complete Satisfaction for our Offences; so that the Father was well pleased in Him; & the same was at two several times declared, & expressed out of heaven; once at His Baptism, Mat. 3: 17. & again at His Transfiguration, Mat. 17: 5. The sword of Justice was awakened against Him, though He was God's fellow, Zech. 13: 7. And did abate Him nothing of what was due. The Lord Jesus gave himself for us, an offering and a Sacrifie to God, for a sweet smelling savor, Ephes. 5: 2. He is a perfect High Priest, continueing forever, having an unchangeable Priest-hood, and therefore is able to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by Him; for He needeth not daily as the High Priests under the Law to offer up Sacrifie first for His own sins, & then for the People; for this He did once, when He offered up Himself: for the word of the Oath maketh Him a Priest, who is consecrated forever more, Heb. 7: 24, 25, 26, 27. And yet, though He had nothing forgiven or abated to Him, while standing in our room, but paid all to the outmost farthing; all notwithstanding is freely forgiven to us, and we have blessedness, by the Lord's forgiving our Iniquities, & covering our sins, or not imputing them to us, Psal. 32: 1, 2. Rom. 4: 7, 8. Our Redemption is forgiveness of sins Ephes. 1: 7. Col. 1: 14. And all sins must be forgiven to us, or our Redemption should not be perfect, nor we saved; for one sin would ruin us forever; because if the Lord should mark iniquity, & enter in to judgment, no man should stand, & no flesh should be justified Psal. 130: 3. & 143: 2.

11. Here is another Mystery, considerable in our justification, That though thereby we be declared & pronounced righteous, & so acquit & absolved from what was, or might be charged upon us; Yet we have need of Pardor, & must be freely pardoned. Socinians cannot or will not 〈◊〉 Conexion, that Infinite Wisdom hath made here; & therefore make use of forgiveness & free pardon of sins, as an Argument, wherewith to fight against true Gospel justification, or the justification of a sinner upon the account of the Imputed Righteousness of Christ; & against the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness to this end, that the sinner may be absolved & pronounced righteous, & accepted as such. But the Scripture seeth no Inconsistenry or Repugnancy here, but an harmonious & sweet accord betwixt the Lord's causing people their iniquities pass from them, & His clothing them with change of raiment Zach. 3: 4. And the Apostle joineth both, as inseparable; yea he declareth the necessity of both, saying Rom. 3: 21, 22. That now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested— even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, & upon all them that believe. where upon it followeth, verse 24. that they are freely justified by His grace. But then, what need is there of Remission? might one say: doth not this quite take away all Remission? No; for he addeth verse 24, 25. through the redemption, that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath setforth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins, that are past. Yea, the forgiveness of sins establisheth & confirmeth the Imputation of righteousness, where by we are justified; for thus speaketh the Apostle Rom. 4: 6, 7, 8. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they, whose iniquities are forgiven, & whose sins are covered; blessed is the man, unto whom the Lord will not impute sin. Where we see, that non-imputation of sins is so far from shutting out Imputation of Righteousness, that it confirmeth it, & proveth it, & is in separable from it, & must necessarily presuppose it: for we, being sinners, can have no Absolution, until the Satisfaction of Christ be applied to us, & made ours by Imputation: & where this is imputed by God, the soul must be absolved from all that can be laid to its charge. Therefore in justification, as we are declared righteous, by reason of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us & received by faith; so have we thereby a full remission of all our sins. Paul tells us 2 Cor. 5: 19. That God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. And what giveth he for the ground of this? See verse 21. for) saith he) He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

12. It is also observable in this mysterious business, That though our jestification be an act of God's free grace, wherein, only upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ Imputed to us by God; & not upon the account of anything in us, or done by us, He pardoneth our sins & accepteth our persons as righteous: Yet this is not with an exclusion, bur rather with an Inclusion of faith, which is a Receiving, a laying hold upon, & a Leaning unto the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, So • inians & others are utter strangers unto this mystery; & make use of their wit here, to plead against the imputation of Christ's Righteousness, the only ground of our justification; because faith is required of us, in order to our justification, and 〈◊〉 (as they say) itself 〈◊〉 to us as our Righteousneis; upon the account of which we are justified. They suppose, that if Christ's Righteousness be imputed to a person, & he thereupon acquit & pardoned of all his sins, that person must be righteous, pardoned & Justified, whether he believe, or not; & the Righteousness of Christ must be his, before he believe, But, leaving the debating of that Question, whether faith properly taken, that is, as our act, done in obedience to the command of God, be Imputed to us, as our righteousness? until we come to the next part of the words. I shall only now say, as to the other thing here alleiged, That they, as ignorant of the Gospel, feign an opposition in things, among which the Gospel pointeth forth to us a perpetual & harmonious agreement; & upon the other hand, they will patch up a reconciliation & agreement betwixt those things, which the Gospel setteth at perfect Opposition & variance: for Paul, better acquainted with the Gospel, & with the nature of Gospel-justification, than they, tells us, yea he proveth it by many Arguments, That by the deeds of the Law, there shall no flesh be-justified; & consequently, not by faith, as one deed or work of the Law. And he maketh mention of the righteousness of God without the Law; & saith, that that righteousness of God is imputed to & upon all them, that believe. And notwithstanding of this; he tells us, that this Righteousness is by faith of Jesus Christ, & imputed to all that believe, exclusive of others Rom. 3: 20, 21, 22. And again he tells us, that as we are justified freely by bis grace; yet it is through the Redemption, that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood verse 24, 25. And again verse 26: as God is declared in this matter to be just; so is he the justifier of him only, that believeth in Jesus. Moreover verse. 27. he mentioneth the Law of faith, as opposite to the Law of works, in that it excludeth boasting; & concludeth again verse 28. That a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law, and verse 30. that God justifieth by faith & through faith. Yet we never hear, that he faith, we are justified for faith or upon the account of faith. Further, That faith is required, in order to justification, is clear from Rom. 9: 31, 32. where it is said, that Israel which followed after the Law of righteousness, hath not attained to the Law of righteousness, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the Law. This also is fully proved by the same Apostle, in this Epistle to the Galatians, knowing (saithe he Chap. 2: 16.) that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of iesus Christ; even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. And to pointe forth this Interest of faith; & yet not as imputed for our righteousness; when properly taken, the same Apostle Phil. 3: 9. calleth that righteousness, which he opposeth unto his own righteousness, which is of the Law, a righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ, & the righteousness which is of God by faith. By all which, & many other passages mentioning our justification by faith, which might be cited, we see that the Lord hath so ordered the matter, that faith should have an Interest in justification as an Instrumental cause, or some such thing (for to contend about words, is not much to edification) as may fully denote & pointe forth the Emphasis of the Scripture expressions herein; such as are to be found Rom. 3: 22, 28, 30. & in other places now cited; and that because faith carrieth a poor convicted & self-condemned sinner out of himself, to seek a righteousness in Christ, in & upon the account of which, he may be accepted of God & justified: & so bringeth him to close with Christ & to accept of His righteousness, & put it on, that he may appear in it before God, & so receive the Atonement & abundance of grace and & of the gift of righteousness Rom. 5: 11, 17. And albest it may satisfy us to know, that so the Lord God hath ordained it, that the self-condemned sinner should flee to the Righteousness of Christ, held forth in the Gospel, lay hold on it, & lean to it, thereby he may attain Justification and Remission, without enquireing after reasons of this Contrivance: Yet we may clearly see the wisdom of God shining forth, in this appointed way of justification: for the sinner is hereby brought to swear (as it were) himself bare, to renounce all in himself, to declare & profess himself a plain bankrupt; and so to despare in himself; that the riches of the free grace of God, & everlasting love may shine forth in him, in a more divine luster, & in a singular heavenly beauty: & hereby all ground of pride, boasting, or glorying in himself is taken away; & the sinner is made to see & to subscribe unto the glorious wisdom, that then appeareth in that contrivance, & to wonder; as also to see his everlasting obligation unto the Lord contriver, & to the Lord Ransomer. So is he made to see the perfect ground of security & saifty in this way, when he seeth, that, in order to his partaking of the great blessings & favoures, his soul longeth for, he must first be united unto Jesus Christ himself, & married unto Him, in a perpetual marriage-Covenant, that shall never be dissolved. And he winneth hereby to a sure ground of peace & Tranquillity of soul, when he seeth, that it is nothing in himself, that is taken, as Satisfaction to the Infinite justice of God; but the Righteousness of Christ who is God & Man in one person; & so a perfect & Infinite Righteousness, able fully to repare the breach made, & to make Satisfaction for the wrong done to the Infinite God. So that upon this ground, he may boast & glory in the Lord alone, & triumph over all assaults & Temptations of Satan. Hereby then as the Lord hath consulted His own glory; for the sinner, fleing to the Righteousness of Christ, as his only refuge, & resting there, doth proclaim God to be Holy, Just, Righteous, Gracious & only Wise; so he hath consulted the saifty, Peac, joy, & Confidence of His own. The consideration whereof should make us comply sweetly with this noble contrivance; & instead of disputing against it, or ourselves out of it, acquiesce with all our heart in it, & rest there.

13. We may observe further another mystery, in this matter of justification to wit. That the way of justification, through the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, doth not take away the necessity & Usefulness of the Exercise of the Grace of Repentance. Socinians & others, who follow their footsteps, can observe no harmony here, & cry-out against the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, because (as they suppose) it 〈◊〉 the Use and Necessity of Repentance, and enervateth all the commands enjoining it. But (1) This mistake must certainly flow from a misconception of the true Nature Use & ends of Gospel-repentance, for they must of necessity Suppose, that Gospel-Repentance is required for the same Ends & Uses, for which the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness is required; otherwise they could not think, that the asserting of the one should tend to the justling out of the other. But whatever they imagine, we assert no such thing; but affirm. That Christ hath purchased the whole of our Remission: and Repentance, whatever Papists say, hath no interest herein; nor hath it any merit with-it, whether ex condigno, or ex congruo, to procure Remission, & the Favoure of God, or Reconciliation with Him; but it is only required in its own place, to accompany faith, & to follow upon it, as a suitable & profitable exercise for sinners, advanced to such high favoures & Privileges. And the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, can no more prejudge the exercise of this grace, than of any other Gospel-Grace, or duty, such as Love, Fear, Hop, prayer, Patience &c. but rather incite & encourage to it (2.) what was formerly said of faith & its harmonious agreement with the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, will sufficiently also clear & confirm this: for if the Adversaries speak of legal Repentance, the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness will no more take that away, than faith, for it preceedeth faith, whereby the sinner laith hold on Christ. And if they speak of Gospel Repentance (which is more to the purpose) they must know, that though in its Exercise (at least in its remarkakle exercise) it doth follow faith, and in order of Nature is posterior to it; Yet it is inseparably-connected therewith; so that where faith is, there is & must also be Repentance, at least, in its root & begun exercise: for a sinner cannot rightly accept of & close with Christ, as offered in the Gospel, for Gospel ends, & in a Gospel manner, & according to the call of the Gospel, but withal he must have a sight & sense of his sins, & a hatred thereof, as also a purpose firm & fixed, to turn from them unto God, as also an Endeavor after new obedience. Yea, we find sometimes, Repentance pressed, as including faith in it; as when pressed in order to pardon & acceptance with God: Sometimes again it is mentioned together with faith, as being inseparable therefrom. (3.) As the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, and the justification of believers thereupon, doth not put them in such a case, as they shall sin no more afterward, so neither doth it take away the Usefulness and necessity of renewed Acts of faith and Repentance; nor in the least weaken the after exercise of these Graces, but rather doth excite thereunto, each in their proper place, and to their proper ends, in order to actual pardon, according to the Gospel Method, in which it is required, that justified persons or Believers repent of their after sins, and by faith flee to Christ for pardon, and as at the first, so afterward there can be no true exercise of faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, for pardon of after sins, without a true exercise of Repentance towards God, these perpetually accompanying other: yet we must not think, that Repentance considered by itself, and as distinct from faith, hath the same Interest in the Covenant, for pardon, first or last, that faith hath: for neither doth it so act on Christ and his Righteousness, in order to pardon, as faith doth; nor is it appointed or called for, for that end: and when it is enjoined and mentioned, in order to Remission, it is to be taken as distinct, far less as separated from faith, but as including faith, being the necessary concomitant and consequent thereof, as also the public and sensible expression and evidence of true and lively faith: for Repentance being towards God, & a turning to God, from whom Sin draweth the Soul away, must of necessity have faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, accompanying it, and laying a ground for it, seeing there is no coming to the Father, but by the Son. John. 14: 6. (4.) To say, that by Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, we should have no more need of Repentance, than Christ had, who was wholly without Sin, is to imagine, that we dream of such an Imputation, as maketh us to have been no Sinners, or under no guilt; and consequently to have stood in need of no gracious Imputation. But we assert no such thing; for we were Sinners, and so stood in need of a Righteousness to be imputed to us, in order to our justification. And he who graciously did provide this Righteousness for us, might also, without the least derogation from the freedom and glory of his Grace & Favoure, as appointe the means, Method & way, how he will have us made partakers of the benefits of this Grace & Imputed Righteousness first & last; so also to prescribe what duties He thought meet for such, as He had so visited with Grace & Mercy.

14. Another part of this Mystery lieth in this, That justification through the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, taketh not away the rich & honorable privilege of Adoption. Such, as are Adversaries unto this Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, alleige that there is no consistency here; because, say they, if Christ's Righteousness or Obedience should be imputed unto us, that so we may have a Right and Title to life, according to the tenor of the Covenant, do this and live, Adoption, by which this Title and Right is conveyed, according to the Scriptures, is rendered Useless. But not to mentione the great difference, that is betwixt the Life and Privileges of Life, a Right whereunto is solemnly had in Adoption; and the Life, that was promised in the old Covenant, by these words, do this and Live. They consider not, that the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness doth no more destroy or take away Adoption, than it doth destroy, or take away pardon; and that it is so far, from rendering either Useless, that it establisheth both, & is the ground and firm Basis of both: for as without the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and Satisfaction, there can be no ground for pardon; so without the Imputation of his Righteousness and obedience there is no ground for Adoption. As justification is a solemn and formal stating of a person in Favor & reconciliation with God, and in pardon of Sins; so Adoption is a Solemn and formal stating of a person in a Right to glory and to all the Privileges of Son-ship here & hereafter. Now netther of these are rendered Useless, through the Doctrine of Imputation; but both are the more cleared, confirmed and secured thereby. The Imputation of Righteousness is not formally pardon itself, nor is it formally a Right to glory; but the necessary ground of both. Christ's Righteousness is Imputed, that we may be justified, and that we may be Adopted; that is, solemnly and formally placed in a state of pardon & Reconciliation, & into a state of Right & Interest in the Privilege of Son-ship. As the producing of the cautioners payment, in judgment, is not formally the absotion of the debtor, but the ground of a formal sentence of absolution; so the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness and Satisfaction, is not the formal sentence of Absolution & pardon, but the ground thereof: And as the paying of the price condescended on for Land or houses, is not a formal infeofing, or a formal and legal conveyance of Right & Title, by Charter and Seasing, but the ground thereof; So the Imputation of Christ's merits and obedience is not the formal & legal Conveyance of Right to the Inheritance of glory, and glorious Privileges of Son-ship; but is the ground thereof, upon which necessarily followeth adoption, which is, as it were, the Believers Infeosment and Seasing, whereby Right is formally & legally, conveyed unto him, to all these Privileges.

15. This is also a mystery in this matter, that such as are adversaries to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, cannot understand, to wit, That Believers should be accounted Righteous, & there upon justified, through the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ; and yet the Lord should see sin in them. They say, if believers be righteous with the righteousness of Christ, God can no more see sin in them, than in Christ. But they distinguish not betwixt the being of sin, and obnoxiousness to punishment, which is separable from the being of sin, otherwise there could be no pardon. In such, as are coered with the Righteousness of Christ, imputed by God, and received by faith, God seeth sin in its being, for He pardoneth it, and pardon doth not make sin to have been no sin; nor say, that the man hath not sinned; for then pardon should be no pardon, seeing all pardon supposeth sin: but he seeth not sin so, as to punish and condemn for it: for in respect of this Reatus, guilt and obligation to punishment, sin is taken away, forgotten, cast behind God's back, & in to the depths of the sea &c. As the Scripture expresseth this matter. The judge seeth not the debtor guilty & obnoxious to the sentence, when the payment made by the cautioner is instructed in open court: yet He cannot but see, that he hath contracted debt, and was thereupon obnoxious to the sentence. Neither do our Adversaries here consider, that by this way of argueing, they destroy all pardon; for when a man is pardoned, he is no more obnoxious to punishment; and God cannot see sin in him, in order to condemnation, because it is pardoned; & thereby that obligation to condemnation is taken away: And so, if they mean this only, by God's not seeing of sin, when they deny this, they must deny Remission, nor yet do we say, that the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness taketh away the being of all after sins, and maketh them no sins; but only that it ensureth their pardon. Nor do we argue the not being of after sins, or God's not seeing of them, from this Imputation, but only the Non imputation of them unto condemnation; for we know, that sin, in its being, is killed and mortified another way viz by the work of Sanctification.

16. To the same end, we may consider. That though by the way of justification through the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, and faith laying hold on the same, the Law is not made void, but established; as the Apostle saith Rom. 3: 31. and the righteousness of the Law is in some sense fulfilled in us, being fulfilled in our Nature, by Christ, the Mediator and Surety Rom. 8: 4. yet we are not justified by the Law, but by the Gospel; not by the Covenant of works, but by the Covenant of Grace. The Adversaries to Imputation alleige, that we, by asserting the same, do establish justification by the works of the Law, because the obedience of Christ was obedience to the Law, and so legal Righteousness; and if that be imputed to us, so as we are accounted to have done what he did, we must be justified by Law-righteousness, & consequently by the Law; which is contrary to the Scriptures. But in answer to this I say (1.) They advert not, that some of themselves do expressly call Christ's Righteousness, our legal, or prolegal righteousness; & therefore it must be a righteousness answering the Law, & also made ours. (2.) Nor do they observe, that justification by the Law, or by the works of the Law, which the Scriptures speak so much against, is not to be understood in their sense; the obvious, plain and only meaning thereof being this, that no man can be justified by his own personal obedience to the Law, for by the Law, the doers only of the Law are justified Rom. 2: 13. The plain tenor of the Law is Set down: Rom. 10: 5. Where Moses is mentioned, as describing the Righteousness of the Law to be this, that the man, who doth those things, shall live by them. Levis. 18: 5. When therefore the Law saith, that the man, that doth these things, shall live by them, & not, the man that either doth those himself, or getteth a cautioner to do them for him, shall be justified; it is manifest, that we are not justified by the Law, seeing we do not these things ourselves, in our own persons; but by the Gospel, which only provideth this Surety, & proposeth justification through His Righteousness imputed & received by faith. Thus we see. That justification through the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, doth quite annul & destroy our Justification by the Law: all Imputation being inconsistent with Law-justification, & repugnant thereunto, because it is of grace; & what is of Grace, neither is, not can be of works, Rom. 11: 6. (3.) We assert not Imputation in this sense, to wit: That we are accounted & reputed to have done what Christ did; for that cannot be, God cannot judge amiss; but He should judge amiss, if He should judge, that we did what Christ did. Our meaning is this, that the Believer, being now united unto Christ, hath an Interest in Christ's Righteousness & upon the account thereof, now reckoned upon his Score by Imputation, he is freed from all that the Law could charge upon him, and that as fully, to all ends, as if he had performed that Righteousness himself.

17. It is likewise here considerable, That we are justified upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed; and yet this Righteousness of Christ is the proper meritorious cause of our justification, & of all that followeth there upon. Some, who oppose this Imputation, imagine an opposition here: But mistakingly they think, that the Righteousness of Christ must be made the meritorious cause of itself, or of that Righteousness, which is imputed; whileas we only say, That Christ's Rightteousness is the meritorious cause of our justification, Adoption &c. and that it is also imputed to us, for this end, that we may be thereby formally righteous, juridically & in Law sense; and so justified. &c. And who seeth not, that it must be so, seeing we can be justified by no Righteousness, which is not a proper meritorious cause of our justification: & consequently, that we cannot be justified by any other Righteousness than the Righteousness of Christ; & so not by our own Gospel-righteousness, nor by faith, as suchs a Righteousness; for that cannot be a meritorious cause of our justification.

18. This is also a considerable part of this mystery, which carnal eyes cannot see, and which men, carried away with prejudice at the pure doctrine of the Grace of God, in the Gospel, cannot sweetly comply with; to wit. That our justification is Solely upon the account of the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, and not upon the account, or because of anything wrought in us, or done by us: & yet our obligation to holiness & conformity to the Law of God, in all points, is not hereby in the least weakened. Paul's frequent preoccupying of this Objection, in his Epistles, may let us see, how ready carnal hearts are to abuse the doctrine of the Grace of God, revealed in the Gospel, to carnal liberty; and what a propensity there is in us, to look for justification upon the account of our works only; so that if we hear of anything, to put us of this apprehension, we presently are ready to conclude, that all study of and endeavor after holiness, is wholly useless & unnecessary: and that we need not wonder much at Socinians & others, who do thus reason against the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ. But Paul doth clear to us a sweet consistency betwixt free justification upon the account of Christ's Righteousness imputed, and the serious study of holiness. He saw no Inconsistency betwixt the study of obedience to the Law, in all points, and the expectation of justification by faith in Christ alone, whatever men, who would seem sharp-sighted, & zealous for the study of holiness, do suppose they cannot but see. And albeit men in those days were ready enough to except against free justification, through the Imputed Righteousness of Christ; and to pretend, that the asserting thereof did take away all study of holiness: yet (& this is very remarkable) the Apostle, to remove that objection, never giveth the least hint of the necessity of our works of obedience, in order to our justification. And though He doth frequently press to holiness; yet he never maketh use of any argument thereunto, which might so much as insinuate, that we were justified by works, in one measure, or other. Nay, we will find, that He draweth arguments, pressing unto holiness, from the very nature of their Gospel-justification, & of their State by virtue thereof. And experience proveth, this day: that the most effectual Medium to holiness, is taken from free justification, through faith in Christ alone; and that the holiness and obedience of such, as practice the orthodox doctrine, concerning justification, hath another heavenly luster (as it floweth from another fountain, & standeth upon another ground) and looketh more like true holiness, & universal sincere obedience, than what is to be seen among such, as lay most weight upon their own duties, whether we speak of Papists, Socinians, Arminians, or of others. And whatever inconsistency men may imagine to be betwixt free justification, through the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, and the Universal, Sincere, & Acceptable study of holiness, yet the Gospel knoweth no such thing; but presseth holiness, though not for this end, that we may thereby be put into a state of justification, or might sweat & foil, run & work for the prize, as the hire & ways of our work; yet upon more Spiritual & Gospel like grounds; and by Arguments more suitable to the state of the justified, who only are in case to perform acts of obedience, and duties of holiness, acceptably unto God; Such as the Image of God proposed for our Imitation; the perpetual obligation of His Law; the Relation they stand into; the holy appointment of God; the engagments they stand under, the Spiritual help & furniture, which is at hand, the Nature of holiness itself; the genius & kindly inclination of the new Nature, whereof they are partakers; and the many advantages thereof here and hereafter, too many, here to be mentioned. Let any consider the Arguments, used to this purpose by Paul Rom. 6. & 7. & 8. Chapters, and in many places elsewhere, & he shall find this true

CHAP. VII.

Justification through the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, cleared out of the Old Testament, & the Passages Vindicated from the exceptions of JOHN GOODWINE.

WE shall now proced unto another use, & mentione another way, how this Truth, That believers in Christ attain unto a life in justification, ought to be improved, to wit Secondly That we may hence take notice of a loud call herein to all Persons, not yet justified, to beware of a cheat in this matter, & not fix upon a wrong bottom in Justification, nor lay their weight on anything within themselves, or on any thing else whatever, except upon the Imputed Righteousness of Christ alone, which they are to embrace & to lean to by faith. If they lean to their own works, and make them the condition & ground of their justification, they will be disappointed; for by the works of the Law • an no man be justified, in the sight of God, as the Apostle asserteth, & proveth, in our Text, & irresragably concludeth Rom. 3: 20, 28. & in several other places. Yea, if they lean unto faith itself, which is called for only to interesse us in the Righteousness of Christ, that free grace may be exalted, & proud man abased, they deceive themselves; & not only disappoint themselves of what they are expecting, but even destroy the very Nature & Ends of true Gospel-justifying faith: for its native & proper work is, to carry the man out of himself wholly unto Christ, for Righteousness, Life & Salvation: for faith is the Mans looking to Christ, as the stung Israelite in the wilderness did look unto the brazen serpent John. 3: 14, 15. and saying, as it is Isaiah. 45: 24. In the Lord have I righteousness: and it is the believers putting-on of the Lord Jesus, that he may be found in Him, & clothed with His Righteousness Phil. 3: 9. It is the Man's receiving of Christ John. 1: 12, and receiving of the Atonement in Him, & through Him. Rom. 5: 11. and of abundance of grace & of the gift of Righteousness. Rom. 5: 17. Therefore it is called a believing on His name. John. 1: 12. & on Him, whom the Father hath sent &c. John. 6: 29 & 7: 35. & 17: 20. Act. 16: 31. & 19: 25. And because faith laid hold on this Righteousness of Christ; therefore is this Righteousness called the Righteousness of faith Rom. 4: 11. & the righteousness, which is of faith Rom. 9: 30. & that, which is through the faith of Christ, the Righteousness, which is of God by faith, Phil. 3: 9. Now if this be the native work of justifying faith (as we shall more fully clear afterward) to receive Christ, and His Righteousness; & consequently to carry the Man out of himself, that he may find & partake of that all sufficient Righteousness of Christ, to the end he may with confidence stand before God, and expect pardon and Acceptance; It cannot be said without destroying the & Native work of justifying faith, that faith is that Gospel-Righteousness, unto which they may lean, & upon the account of which they may expect justification. Faith, in this matter, is as the eye of the Soul • , that, seeth not itself, but looketh out to another. Beside, this would overturn the whole Nature of the Covenant of Grace, and is irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Apostle Paul about justification, as shall be manifested hereafter. Therefore, all, who would live the life of justification, must betake themselves to Jesus Christ, & lean to Him, & to His Righteousness: for with the rob of His Righteousness must they alone be clothed, & in Christ alone must they be found; & they must think of standing before God, having on His Righteousness, that God imputeth unto Believers, & which they receive by faith, in order to their justification.

I know, this doctrine is not favourie to many, nowadays, & as Papists, Socinians & Arminians do oppose themselves with all their Industrie & learning unto this doctrine of the Imputation of the Surety-Righteousness of Christ; so there are now a days, and have been of late, who would not willingly be reckoned among either of these mentioned, and yet do oppose this foundamental truth, the sure ground of our Hop, Peace & Comfort. As the Principles, whereupon these mentioned go, are different, so are the grounds, upon which they plead against this truth; yet they do unanimous enough join in this: 〈◊〉 , & argu • against this Imputation, which the Orthodox have owned and do own.

Before I come to consider the chief (at least) of their Arguments against the Truth, which hath been now asserted, I shall, with what brevity & plainness I can, lay down & vindicate the Grounds and Reasons of our Assertion; and then take notice of their contrary Objections; that this Truth may be made plain & clear to such, as are concerned therein. As to our Grounds, I shall first begin with Scripture Authority; & here propose our Reasons from the Old Testament.

First The First passage to this purpose, which I shall take notice of, is Isaiah. 45: 24. Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness, (or in the Lord is all righteousnesses) to wit, for me: and this following upon what was said verse 22. look unto me, & be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; which was an Invitation & call to them, to act faith upon Him, in order to their Salvation; as the stung Israelites did look unto the brazen serpent, in order to their recovery; this looking being clearly explained by coming verse 24. Even to Him shall men come (and we know how frequently faith is held forth & expressed by coming, in the Gospel) saith, that hereby is pointed forth the rich Advantage, that such shall have, who look & come to Him by faith, & submit unto Him heartily & cheerfully, imported by bowing of the knee, & swearing with the tongue, to wit. That they shall have a righteousness in Him; & this they shall avow & profess: and this being exclusive of all others, as the Context cleareth, saith, that they should be brought to that, that they should renounce all other righteousness what somever, & rest on this God alone, who is the only God verse 22. & on His righteousness; for in Him they shall be made to look for it, & that in rich abundance: And upon this followeth their justification, & glorying in the Lord alone verse 25. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, & shall glory. This passage therefore doth clearly hold forth a justification, through the righteousness of the Messiah, of the true & living God, laid hold upon & applied by faith, or owned & embraced, as their only righteousness: & this righteousness is not a righteousness wrought in them; for such a righteousness is abundantly hold forth by the word strength; but a righteousness made over over Believers, & which they own as theirs, and rest upon.

It is too narrow & scanty an Interpretation, to limit this justification, to the Lord's vindicating of His people's sincerity & Innocency, in respect of their Enemies, at whose hands they suffered great things, and that unjustly; & not to take in their Spiritual justification, & delivery from the guilt of sin, through faith in the Messiah; especially seeing there is an Invitation going before to them, to lay hold on the Lord Messias by faith, according to the Gospel Method; and upon this followeth their glorying in the Lord conform to what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 1: 30, 31. that the Lord Jesus is made of God Righteousness to His people, that he that glorieth, may glory in the Lord.

Nor is there any weight in that, which Io 〈◊〉 in this Treatise of justification Par • . 2. pag. 129. 130. alleigeth, to Infringe the authority of this Testimony, to wit. That the meaning only is this, that they receive these favoures, of the free grace and donation of God, by Jesus Christ. For, as the expressions are more emphatick; so all the circumstances of the Text, pointe out their eyeing of the Lord, and coming to Him, and that in order to their justification and Salvation; together with their profession of owneing the Lord's Righteousness alone, for their Righteousness, renouncing all other Righteousness, in themselves, or in others, in order to justification: and thereby declaring, that they look upon it as necessary for them to have a Righteousness; and that this is only the Righteousness of Jehovah, or of the Messiah, where with they desire to be clothed, and rest satisfied. All which import the Lord's bestowing of this Righteousness upon them, that is, imputing of it unto them; for without this they cannot have it, nor glory in it, as their own.

Secondly, it is said Isaiah. 61: 10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; My Soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with garments of Salvation, He hath covered me with the rob of Righteousness &c. And this coming in upon the back of what was said, in the beginning of the Chapter, concerning Christ's furniture for His work of Mediation, His Call thereto, and His special work, or the End, for which He was sent, to wit, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the Captives &c. pointeth forth the sweet welcome, and hearty acceptance, that the anointed Messiah should have among His own chosen ones: for these words hold forth their expression of their sense of what they had received from Him, and of their joy upon the account thereof. They profess openly their joy & rejoiceing in the Lord, because He had clothed and covered them with the garments of Salvation, and with the rob of Righteousness. Now this rob could not be a rob of their own making; nor can it be understood of their Inherent holiness; for it is a Garment put on, and wherewith they are covered. Thus are we said to put on the Lord Jesus Rom. 13: 14. Gal. 3: 27. And John Rev. 19: 8. helpeth us to understand the meaning of this Expression, when he saith. And to her was granted, that the should be arrayed in white Linen, clean and white: for the fine Linen is the Righteousness of Saints.

Against this Testimony; the fore-named Author Io. Goodwin. pag. 130. &c. maketh some Exceptions. as 1, These Expressions (sai's he) concern the Jews only, and are meaned of their deliverance out of Babylon; if not out of their present Condition; which is an effect of God's faithfulness and truth, or of his goodness and graciousness. Ans. (1.) To limit this to the Jews, and to their outward and temporal delivery, is but a part of their Socinian fiction, without any apparent ground in the Text. Nay, the first part of the Chapter, which Christ applieth to Himself Luk. 4. and the several particulars there mentioned, may shame this out of countenance; unless we mind to make Christ only a temporal deliverer • , as the Jews did dream their Messias would be. And the Gospel reacheth us Spiritually to expound, as pointing forth Spiritual promises, even such promises, as savoure more of temporal things, as to the letter, that what are here mentioned do (2.) it is but ground-less to imagine (and a piece of the ordinary course of Socinians, in evading clear Testimonies of Scripture, brought against them) that Righteousness here doth signify God's faithfulness: for though somewhere, where mention is made of God's Righteousness, and other circumstances of the Text make it evident, this sense might be admitted; yet it cannot be so understood here, where the Righteousness is said to be granted to the people, as a rob and a garment to cover them: and the very following words of the verse show, that this is meaned of Some thing, bestowed upon them, for it is added, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels; or, as Some render the words, He hath decked me with ornaments, as a bridegroom, and with jewels as a bride.

2. He excepteth, If these words be taken in a Spiritual sense, the promise, which is contained in them, cannot suite the Church; because the Church is at all times and always clothed with Christ's Righteousness, being justified in Him Ans. This one answer will destroy all the Spiritual promises, hold forth by the prophets, as the fruits & effects of Christ's coming; for the Church of true and faithful believers was really, in some measure answerable to that more dark dispensation, made partaker of these Saving and Spiritual benefits, both at that time, and before, even from the beginning: and thus there shall be no promises in all the old Testam of Spiritual things, touching pardon of Sin, Justification, Grace and Sanctification, and the like, made unto the Church; but all of them must be interpreted of carnal things: though the New Test. teacheth us the contrary, as might be evinced by multitudes of places. But the matter is clear, to wit. That this is mentioned, as the open profession of the Church, with joy and thankfulness, of what she was blessed with, and made partaker of in Christ; and had, as a fruit and effect of His performing His Mediatory work; that is, That she was clothed with a rob of Righteousness; and that by Him, which was, and would be to her a ground of perpetual joy, and rejoiceing in the Lord.

Against that passage Rev. 19: 8. which was adduced for clearing of the place, now under hand, he excepteth thus, These words only pointe forth the honor and dignity, which Christ now conferreth upon the Church, in remembrance of her Righteousness: for it is parallel to that other place Rev. 3: 4. Ans. This is nothing, but a plain perversion of the Scriptures; for it is not said, for her Righteousness; nor for the Righteousness of the Saints: but in these words a reason is given, why by this araying in fine Linen, the bride is said to be made ready; and withal hereby the signification and Import of that finelinen is held forth, when it is said, for the fine linen is the Righteousness of the Saints. The Spirit of the Lord is here speaking of the return of the Jews, and of their marrying of new with their former husband, from whom they had so long departed, by playing the harlot; (as worthy and judicious M. Durham showeth, in his comment on the place) and of this new Bride it is said, that she is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; and this linen is explained to be the Righteousness of Saints, or justifications of Saints, the word is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the same, that is used Rom. 5: 16, 18. Where it is translated justification; and it is called here the Righteousness, or justifications of Saints, because it is no other, than that which is common to all Saints; whereby is signified, that the Jews, at their conversion, shall be accepted and justified, after the same manner, that all the Saints have been; even after that self same manner, at which they formerly stumbled, and which wickedly and peremptorily they refused and rejected. This Righteousness therefore can be nothing else, than the Righteousness of Christ imputed: for this only is clean and white, all other having spots and defilements. This is not within, but from without, and is put on, & is granted to the Church, and so imputed.

Against that saying of putting on Christ, twice mentioned, he excepteth saying. That none of them speak of justification, but that Rom. 13: 14. speaketh of Sanstification; and that Gal. 3: 27. of profession. Ans. If we are said to put on Christ in Sanctification, and as to a profession, much more may we be said, to put Him on in justification, which is the basis and ground work of Sanctification, and the truth & reality of that which is professed. Without justification there is no Sanctification; and except we be clothed with Christ, and put Him on in order to justification, we cannot put Him on, in order to Sanctification. And as such, as are baptized in Christ, have declared, that they have put on Christ; so such have done it in truth and reality, who are the Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and are Christ's and are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise Gal. 3: 26, 29. Not could they be said to do this outwardly, as to a profession, in their Baptism, if a real putting on of Christ were not to be found in such, as had the Spiritual and inward thing Imported & signified by outward Baptism.

Thirely a 3 passage is Ier. 23: 5, 6. Bohold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a Righteous Branch, and a King shall reign & prosper, and shall execute judgment & justice, in the earth. In his days judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell saifly: and this is His name, whereby He shall becalled, the Lord, our Righteousness. It is undeniable and manifest, that this is spoken of Christ, who was the Branch, raised up unto David; and the King that should reign and prosper; and it is through Him, that judah is saved, and Israel made to dwell sai • lie. Now of this Righteous Branch, it is said, that His name shall be called Jehovah our Righteousness: He shall be owned and embraced as such; whereby it is declared, that as we have need of a Righteousuess, and have none of our own; so this Righteous Branch shall become a Righteousness to us: in Him, and in Him alone shall all His people have a Righteousness: He and His Righteousness shall be made over unto them. And as they shall glory in Him, acknowledging all their Righteousness to be in and from Him; so He shall glory in that style and Title, which shall be given to Him upon that account, and He shall own it, as His glorious Title and Name, for their further refreshment and Consolation. He shall look upon that, as His greatest honor, to be called the Lord our Righteousness, Jehovah that purchaseth and prepareth for and bestoweth a sufficient Righteousness on His people. This passage with its forcible light so opened the eyes of Bellarmine, the popish adversary to the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, that he was forced to confess, That Christ is said to be our Righteousness, because he hath made Satisfaction for us to the Father; and doth so give and communicate that Satisfastion unto us, when He justifieth us, that it may be said to be our Satisfaction & Righteousness—and in this sense, it would not be absurd, if any should say, that the Righteousness of Christ & His merits are imputed unti us, as if we ourselves had satisfied. De justif. lib. 2. cap. 10.

Fourthly, add to this Ier. 33: 15, 16. where, as Junius & the Dutch translation have it, this same Title is repeated, as given unto the righteous Branch: but if we take the words, as they are rendered by others, & as they are in our Translation, as the Style & name of the Church, they willcon tribute not a little to our present purpose. And this, wherewith she shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNES: for hereby is clearly Imported the Churches glorying in that Title, & in having all her righteousness in & through her Head & Husband; that as she owned herself to be the Spouse of Christ, & had His name called upon her; so this would be all the name, that she would own, as her greatest glory; & by that alone would she be called; thereby professing, with glorying & satisfaction, that she had no righteousness of her own; & if any would know her aright, & give her her highest titles, they should know her under that notion, & give her that Name, that should openly declare, that she were void of Righteousness in herself, & were ungodly, & had all her Righteousness from her husband, & would appear before God in no righteousness, but in her husbands. So that she would own that Title alone, which should be a proclamation to all the world, that she was covered with her Husbands, righteousness, & with that alone, & a constant Memorandum, to keep her in the fresh conviction, Faith & Profession of this.

Against these clear & pregnant passages John. Goodwin excepteth. pag. 127. saying, It is not here said, the righteousness of the Lord shall be our righteousness, or shall be imputed to us for righteousness. Avs. Though this be not said, in so many words & syllabs, yet that same is said in a more clear, convinceing & emphatick manner: so that he, who seeth not this lying in these words, must be more blind than Bellarmine was. When this righteous Branch is raised up by Jehovah, & gotteth this name, the Lord our Righteousness, what can be more manifest, than that, He is made Righteousness to His people; Yea & all their Righteousness; & that this Righteousness is made over to them; so that He is, in a manner, wholly theirs, & nothing but theirs, & all that He hath is theirs; & particularly that His Righteousness is all the Righteousness they own, as their Righteousness.

He excepteth 2 That in no tolerable sense, can Christ, being a person, be said to be imputed to us. Ans. Do we not hear, that a child was born to us, & a Son was given to us? Isaiah. 9: 6. & was not that child & Son a person? And may not a person be as well said to be Imputed, as given, seeing imputation, upon the matter, is nothing but a giving, or bestowing? Yet we do not say, that Christ is Imputed; but that this expression here used, doth manifestly evince, that we are righteous through the righteousness of Christ made ours, & that Christ is become the Lord our righteousness, & that true believers receive & own Him, as such, & rest upon His righteousness alone by faith.

He excepteth 3. The plain & direct meaning is, that He shall be generally acknowledged & celebrated by his people of the Jews, as the great author & procurer of that righteousness, or justification in the sight of God, upon which abundance of outward glory, peace & prosperity should be cast upon them, Ans. (1.) That this is not to be restricted to the Jews, is manifest, seeing it is spoken of the Gospel times, when the righteous Branch shall be raised up unto David, & a King shall reign & prosper. (2.) It is too carnal an Interpretation, to think, the text speaketh only of such a justification, as is followed with abundance of outward Glory, peace & Prosperity; whileas the whole Gospel informeth us of something more spiritual, attending upon & following justification. (3.) Righteousness & justification are here made Synonymous, which ought not to be; though these two be inseparably linked together; yet they are formally different. (4.) Wherein standeth this righteousness & justification? He tells us, in the place, to which he here referreth us, that it standeth in Remission of sins: But pardon of sins is no righteousness; though a man pardoned hath freedom from the obnoxiousness to punishment; yet righteousness is another thing, & respecteth the obligation to duty, required in the Law. (5.) Though it is true, Christ is indeed the author of our justification & pardon (which is an effect of God's pronouncing us righteous, & of His accepting of us, as righteous in justification) as of our peace; yet that needeth not destroy what we assert, there being no inconsistency here, but a necessary & essential agreement betwixt the Imputation of Christ' righteousness & justification; but it rather contributeth to the establishment of our Assertion: Yet it is obvious, that when Christ is called the Lord our Righteousness, there is more Imported, than His being the author of our peace & justification; even the way also, how He bringeth about our peace & justification, is here denoted, to wit, His being made of God righteousness to His people; so that His righteousness becometh theirs, in order to their peace & justification.

But to confirm his Interpretation, he tells us, 1. That the Imposition of name upon either thing or person, often notes the quality, or proprity in either, or same benefit redounding from either, answereable thereunto, as Isaiah. 9. his name shall be called wonderful, that is, he shall be acknowledged & looked upon by men, as a doer of things very strange. Ans. Seeing all these names given to Christ Isaiah. 9. cannot be so interpreted, as to have this import mentioned; for who will say, that the name everlasting Father, & the mighty God can be so interpreted, as to denote only some answerable benefit redounding there from; who seeth not how little this can satisfy? But (2.) be it so, that this name shall denote some benefit, redounding therefrom, why may it not denote this Effect, which is only answerable hereunto, to wit, that His people shall be made partaker of His Surety-righteousness, & have the same made over unto them, as they become united unto Him, & have His name called upon them.

He tells us 2. That it is familiar to attribute the Effect to its Cause, or Author, by a verb substantive only; as when Christ is called our Hop, our life, Resurrection, peace & Glory, meaning that he is the author & purchaser of all these. Ans. Yet this proveth not, that He is the author of all these Effects after one & the same way. He is otherwise our hope, of which He is the Object▪ as well as the Author, than He is our life: And He is otherwise our life and peace, which He worketh & createth in us, than He is our Resurrection and Glory. So He is our Righteousness, by making us partaker of His Surety-righteousness, & imputing it unto us, that it may be reckoned on our Score; for this the nature of the thing requireth, seeing a Righteousness we must have, ere we be justified; and a Righteousness of our own we have not; and therefore must have one imputed to us: and what Righteousness can suite us better than His, who is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS?

He tells us 3. That by Righteousness is meaned that justification, which standeth in Remission of Sins: and the meaning is, that through Him God would be reconceled to them and pacified with them. Ans. Justification is something else, than pardon of sins; for a justified man is one, that is declared and pronounced Righteous in order to pardon of Sins; and in order to a persons being declared such, by God, who always judgeth according to truth, he must be Righteous; & Righteous can no man be in the sight of God, in order to his justification, by what is in himself; & therefore he must have a Righteousness from some other: & seeing Christ is called, the Lord our Righteousness, it must be His Righteousness, which must be bestowed upon them, in order to God's being reconciled to them, & pacified with them.

Fifthly another passage is Dan. 9: 24. to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, & to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting Righteousness. That all this is to be understood of the gr • at & spiritual effects of power & Grace, which are to be brought about by the Messiah, no Christian candeny; and among the rest we see, He is to bring in a Righteousness, and a Righteousness of ages, an everlasting Righteousness, that shall endure forever, & shall have everlasting effects: and this Righteousness is something more, than Remission of Sins, & is distinct from it, which is sufficiently held forth by the foregoing Expressions of finishing transgressions, of making an end of Sins, and of making reconciliation for iniquity: which saith, that to justification there is a Righteousness required, & that this Righteousness is not mere Remission of Sins; but something beside, that must endure, when sin is taken away. This Righteousness is to be brought in by the Messiah, as a favoure, distinct from the preceeding, & yet inseparable there from, & firmly connected therewith. This Righteousness, which the Messiah is to bring in, being something beside Remission of Sins, must be a Righteousness wrought by the Messiah, & brought in for the use and advantage of His people, who, as they are to be made partaker of the foregoing favoures, are also to be made partaker of this; and consequently must have it imputed to them▪ seeing no other way, it can be made theirs.

Sixthly We way adduce to this purpose, Zech. 3: 4. take away the filthy garments from him: and unto him he said, behold, I have caused thine iniquity to go from thee; I will cloth thee with change of raiment. Here by a vision is signified to the propher, how the Lord would at length be reconciled to His Church, & bring her in to His favor again, that her service might become acceptable to Him, which now was wholly defiled, and so defiled, that even their High priest, who should wear the holy garments, whereupon was engraven Holiness to the Lord, is said to have had on filthy garments; whereby the accuser of the Brethren, Satan the enemy, had no small advantage against them: and the way is set down in borrowed terms, which are in part explained. First the Lord caused to take away the filthy garments from the High Priest; and this is more plainly expressed, in these words, I have caused thine iniquity to go from thee. But beside this, there is a Righteousness required, in order to acceptance with God, as was said above: therefore that this work of justification may be completed, it is added,