Sermon

*Philippians 3:9.* And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by Faith.

The justification of a sinner before God, is (as one great mystery of the Gospel, and wonderment of angels; so) that after which every one of the posterity of fallen men has great reason to be earnestly inquisitive; it being the foundation of our present peace with God, and the ground of our appearing before him with joy in the great day of accounts. How much Paul's heart and thoughts were taken up with this solicitude, the text and context will make to appear; for having told us how highly privileged he was (verse 4, 5, 6), and how willingly he parted with those privileges (verse 7), yes, and how resolutely he continued to despise every thing of his own (verse 8, beginning), he proceeds to render the reason why he so did; and that is drawn up in several particulars, and all relating to Christ: q. d. I do ask this for Christ's sake: there are therefore three ends here specified.

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

2. To be entitled to Christ, to win him, to get him for his own (verse 8).

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

1. Justification by Faith in him, text.

2. Communion with him (verse 10).

3. A glorious resurrection in the last day (verse 11).

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

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

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

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

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

2. More specially or explicitly:

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

2. This righteousness which he is thus solicitously reaching after, is expressed,

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

2. Affirmatively, but that, &c. that is, the righteousness of Christ, whose righteousness is to be looked upon as the meritorious and material cause of our justification.

3. The author of this righteousness is here declared, namely, God, the righteousness which is of God:

4. The instrument of our justification by this righteousness is declared; and that is Faith, which is of God by Faith, and the object of this Faith is also signified, namely, Christ, through the Faith of Christ.

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

What further explication the words may require, will be taken notice of in the prosecution of the subject.

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

DOCTRINE, That justification of a sinner before God, flows not from his own legal righteousness, but from the righteousness of Christ, freely imputed by God, and received by Faith.

That Paul is here speaking of justification, is very plain and evident; for he fully describes to us the quality of that righteousness which he would appear in before God's tribunal; and no other reason can be rendered why he should be so careful about his righteousness then; but upon the account of his standing justified, and escaping of condemnation; no, though he names not the word, yet his terms are the very description of justification by him elsewhere,

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

1. What is meant by justification?

2. That it is impossible that it should flow from our legal righteousness.

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

4. That it is freely imparted by God.

5. That it is received only by Faith.

I intend not here any polemical, but only a doctrinal discourse.

The point of justification is a main article of the Christian religion, and that which principally gives us light into (yes, wherein mainly consists) the difference between the Law and Gospel Covenant; one therefore calls it, *Articulum cadentis Ecclesiae*; and upon this account it has been most of all battered by Satan and his instruments, and made the apple of contention; and ball of controversy in many ages; there is therefore need of the greater care to be well established in it, and rightly built upon it, and indeed I cannot see how Christ can rightly be believed in to salvation, where this article is either not at all known, or fundamentally mistaken:

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

Here then,

1. What is meant by Justification?

Answ. To justify a man, is in Scripture sense, for a judge to absolve a person from guilt, by pronouncing him righteous. Now this sentence which is thus past upon this person, is his justification properly, justification is a word borrowed from courts of civil judicature and the right understanding of it is best [illegible] to by considering of the allusion, and comparing it by these several steps that are taken in this process in order to such an issue. Here then these things may be observed.

1. That justification presupposes a legal trial. The Apostle is here referring to the day of judgment, and tells us that he would then be found in Christ, when he comes upon his last trial, that so he may be able to stand it out, and find an absolution at God's tribunal. If there were no judgment wherein men are to appear, and give up their accounts, there would be no need of their justification: but Paul lives in expectation of such a thing, and has also given us to understand that all men have as much reason to expect it as he, it being a truth of which there is not the least ground to make any doubt (2 Corinthians 5:10). We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (Hebrews 9:27), it is appointed for men once to die, and after that the judgment. Now if men must be judged, they must then first be tried, how else shall a righteous judgment proceed?

2. That in this trial there is a question supposed: and this question must be, whether the man who comes upon his trial, be guilty of the breach of the law by which he is to be tried, or no. For all judgments must have a relation to some law, which is to be the rule of trial, and according to which the man must be found guilty or not guilty. In order to such a process, it is requisite that there be a case made, and this case referred to, or examined and compared by the law, and thus there must be an account taken of the person, and a distinct enquiry be made into all such matters as may be alleged either for or against him, hence that (1 Peter 4:5): Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge both the quick and the dead. Giving an account, implies an examination of a case; and the question can be no other than this, whether the man be under the guilt of a breach of law, whether [illegible] have any such hold of him as to condemn him; or any thing wherein he is guilty to lay to his charge; or whether he stands clear of it, and it has nothing whereof to accuse him.

3. That justification is properly the act of the judge of the court. The man's clearing must proceed according to his sentence, and none can do it authentically but he. It will [illegible] profit the man that stands at the bar, to have all the [illegible] standers, when they hear his cause pleaded, to declare themselves for him, and to say that it is good, innocent and faultless; all this cannot justify him, but his case is still depending until the judge himself speaks, and his sentence only determines it. Justification is an act of authority, Pilate speaks in the quality of a judge (John 19:10): Do you know not that I have power to crucify you, and have power to release you? God only can justify a sinner, for he is the mouth of his own law, and reserves the dispensation of it to himself, and to his Son (who is also God) who acts by commission from his Father, all judgment therefore is given to Jesus Christ, and the exertion of it remains with him (John 5:22): The Father has committed all judgment to the Son.

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

1. The absolution of the person from guilt. Justification in this respect properly stands in opposition to condemnation, which is the detaining of a person under guilt, and fastening of that guilt upon him, hence we have the opposition express (Proverbs 17:15): He that justifies the wicked, and he that condemns the just. Now guilt is properly an obligation binding a person over to suffer punishment for some transgression which he is fallen under; condemnation is a passing of a sentence formally upon such an one, adjudging of him so to suffer: and there is only this difference between these two, guilt proceeds immediately from the law, and is the sentence of that; condemnation is the sentence of the judge, and proceeds from him, as one that has the power in his hand of putting the law in execution. Hence, justification in reference to this, is the denial of any such obligation, or the judge's freeing of the person under trial, from the law, a delivering him out of its hands, a removal of condemnation from him, so (Romans 8:1): There is therefore no more condemnation to those that are in Christ; it is a pronouncing the person not guilty; and hereby he sets the person out of danger of being hurt by the law, and that by an authoritative declaration, signifying that upon trial and through examination of the case, the law has nothing against him who has done nothing worthy of death or bonds.

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

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

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

1. Our own righteousness of the Law intends anything that is done by us, whether it spring from a principle of common morality, or be performed by the virtue of special inherent sanctifying grace: Paul in this text has an eye to both these, for we have him renouncing of the former in verse 7. and undervaluing of the latter, in verse 8. Whatever personal act or work of obedience we do, whether in our state of unregeneracy or of regeneration, as it is a work, and bears a respect to the Law of God, is called our righteousness, in opposition to the righteousness of Christ.

2. For our Justification to flow from this, is as much as that this should be the matter of our Justification; or that for, and in respect of which the Judge is to pass a sentence upon us according to the tenor of the Law; or that this should be the ground and reason of the sentence which he passes upon us: for otherwise, there is no scruple to be made but that every true believer does sincerely desire to be found in a righteousness which is according to the Law of God, and to be full of good works: he would be sanctified throughout, and perfectly conformed to God's holy will, he makes it his study every day to live to God, and desires to be found so doing when he shall be summoned to appear before his judge: but he has no mind to be found in it as his trust his reliance, that which he would be tried by, and stand or fall according as it shall be found.

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

1. That God in the Justification of a sinner acts the part of a Judge, and justifies the sinner judicially, or as a righteous judge, that is, he does it in the way of a process, and upon trial, and according to equity: He does not act the part of a Father in this case who may connive at, pity and overlook faults and weaknesses in his child, but of a judge that takes the Law for his rule, and clothes himself with righteousness as a garment: Thus is the relation which God stands in to man according to the tenor of the first Covenant, and the respect which condition bears to it; for under that Covenant every sinner stands until he becomes a believer, and from which he must be delivered by this act of justification, and that in such a way as the Law may not be violated, or any injury be offered to it; but the sinner must be fairly discharged from it.

Now in a Judge it is requisite.

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

2. That he be impartial in the examination: That he do not willingly, purposely, or negligently overlook anything that is of the least moment in the case, but search into all matters to the very bottom: that he be not [illegible] or blinded and so induced to connive or wink at any action, or let [illegible] any evidence for favor or affection; but laying aside all undue favor or respect of persons, to keep to, and thoroughly survey the case, and lay it open in all its true colors, and cease not till he comes to the full knowledge of it: thus Job says he did when he was a Judge (Job 29:16): The cause which I knew not I searched out, and this the Apostle ascribes to, or asserts concerning God (Romans 2:11): for there is no respect of persons with God.

3. That he be just and righteous in passing the sentence, after he has taken an account of the whole case. That he condemn not the innocent, nor justify the wicked; Solomon acquaints us that both of these are an abomination to him (Proverbs 17:15). And if he hates these things in others, we may be sure that he will not do them himself; nor is he indeed worthy to be acknowledged a judge, that does not make it his business in matters of judgment to administer impartial justice, hence that in (Genesis 18:25): Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And the conclusion that follows from hence is, that in a legal justification, the person justified must be without fault; or he must be first justified by the Law, before he can be so by the judge: all this therefore is requisite to the justification of a sinner according to the Law of God.

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

1. That the actions and works themselves by which he is judged be found perfect: not only to have some conformity to the Law, that will not be sufficient, but they must exactly and fully quadrate therewithal. They must be throughly righteous, and they must not be chargeable with any defect, they must not in the least point fall short; but being laid by the rule of trial, they must answer it in all its dimensions without any the least imperfection, for the Law will not lose one tittle of its own (Matthew 5:18): One jot or tittle of the Law shall not pass till all be fulfilled. That is accusation enough against any for God to have to say to us (Revelation 3:2): I have not found your works perfect before God. There must therefore be discovered in them, not only the matter of a duty complete, but also that love to God in it which is required, and that is with all the heart, and soul, and strength and might; and the least degree wanting in it of this, will bring it under a censure, and make it, when weighed in the balance, be found too light.

2. That the person thus tried, be not found guilty of transgression in any other points of the Law; or at least that full satisfaction has been made by him for every such default. There must be no debts standing out, no arrearages unpaid: for upon the presumption that there be many perfectly good deeds done, yet if there be other deeds that have been faults, or faulty, the Law will not bate them. If a man has kept the Law in every other point but one, and that one be alleged against him he cannot be justified; for if he have not persisted in all, it declares him to be accused (Galatians 3:10): Cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the book of the Law to do them. Hence we have that plain assertion of the Apostle James (James 2:10): Whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all: and therefore if no reparation be made he is unjustifiable.

3. That justification is properly one entire and perfect act, and therefore must needs flow from an entire and perfect principle. My meaning is, that it must proceed from the whole case as it is taken together, and not separately. Justification does not divide, and say thus far the man is righteous, only herein he is something defective; but it lays the whole state of the case together, and in one single sentence it says, either that the man is righteous, or that he is unrighteous. It is not to be denied that in the sentence past for execution, there is respect had to the offence, and according as it is aggravated, accordingly the doom is more moderate or more severe, so that there are different degrees of punishment; but as to the man's state, upon the cognizance taken of the whole, he is always either acquitted or condemned; if acquitted he is throughly absolved from the Law, if condemned, the Law takes hold of him. Here then it is to be observed as a necessary conclusion, that justification requires the whole case to be good, whereas to condemnation, one article proved against him is sufficient, as (James 2:10) forecited; and the reason is, because justification is of the person who exposes himself to the Law by one delinquency.

4. Hence it will appear that men's inherent righteousness; or legal, and the exercise of it, cannot justify them, if we shall consider,

1. The imperfection of man's righteousness; though he be a believer, and consequently sanctified by the Spirit of God. Evangelically indeed he is looked upon as one that cannot sin (1 John 3:9): He cannot sin because he is born of God. But yet at the same time legally, he does nothing at all that is righteous, that is, perfectly and entirely, according to the extent of the command; and there need but these two things to be thought of sufficiently to make this evident, namely.

1. That the command requires constancy in obedience: he that will be justified by the Law, must never transgress it in thought word or deed; no one failing in all his [illegible] must be able to be laid to his charge. But it is a great truth concerning all, even the most holy of the people of God, that in many things they offend all (James 3:2). The just man falls seven times; the best have had their failings and short comings. It is the wise man's demand (Proverbs 20:9): Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? And the Apostle John with confidence lays down the assertion (1 John 1:8): If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

2. The command expects perfect obedience; that is, that every act of obedience do fully come up to the height of what the Law requires, that there be no flaw or defect in it, whereas the people of God are perfect in no one act. Believers indeed are sincere, and that sincerity is accepted as evangelical perfection; but as for a legal perfection, which properly consists in a coming up to the full of the Law's demands, there are none in this life are so far recovered as to be able to attain thereunto; we have Paul himself lamenting of his own grievous imperfection (Romans 7:18, 22, 23).

2. The severity of the Law: It is an unchangeable rule of God's proceeding with the reasonable creature, it is that for obedience to which (and thereby to glorify God) man was made, and by which he must be judged at the last: Now this Law will have both obedience and satisfaction, or else it will never acquit and justify us: but man can do neither of these. That he cannot legally obey, has been already made to appear; but the Law will not release him from that obligation: neither yet can he make satisfaction for his defaults; none of Adam's race can clear themselves from having been law-breakers, and they have no recompence to make for the wrongs done to it by this transgression of theirs; thousands of rams will not do it; a whole world will not be taken in exchange (Matthew 16:26). And as man is not able to satisfy, so till satisfaction be made, the Law cannot, will not give him an acquittance; if once it lays the debtor in prison, there is no hope of a jail delivery till the last mite be paid (Luke 12, ult.).

3. The justice of God; by virtue whereof he neither can nor will condemn the righteous, or acquit the guilty: he declares that man, that earthly judge, that does so, to be an abomination in his sight (Proverbs 17:15), and denounces a curse against any such one (Isaiah 5:23), which justify the wicked for a reward, &c. He must and he will do that which is right. If he justifies any person, the Law shall justify him; he will not pervert the Law nor wrest judgment; and if the Law justifies it shall find the person perfect, free from any guilt, perfectly righteous, fully conformable to it in all things. But when God comes to judge men, he finds none of this perfection in their righteousness, but manifold defects, and therefore, for, or upon the account of these he cannot justify them, he cannot in truth declare that he has found the man righteous, that he has seen no iniquity in him, that all his works are right before God; hence therefore, we shall find the Psalmist deprecating this kind of judgment or manner of proceeding (Psalm 143:2): Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight shall no flesh be justified: he knew that upon a strict law trial, the case must needs go against him. God is a God of Truth, and therefore as he weighs all the actions of the children of men, so he will declare concerning them, according as he finds them, and no otherwise: and upon this account we shall find Paul's conclusion to be full and positive, and universal, against all hopes of ever obtaining our justification in such a way as this is (Romans 3:12): They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no not one. So that the conclusion stands, that our works cannot be the matter or meriting cause of our justification; they must altogether lie by, and either we must find it somewhere else, or otherwise we must for ever despair of obtaining so precious a privilege as this of justification is: but such is the wonderful kindness of God to the children of men, that though they can find none at home yet it is to be had from abroad; and therefore,

3. It follows that I make to appear, that the justification of a sinner flows from the righteousness of Christ, and that only. And for a more thorough discovery of this, there are three things to be distinctly enquired into, namely,

1. How Christ's righteousness merits our justification?

2. What righteousness of Christ is to be accounted as the matter of our justification?

3. The ground of the necessity of this righteousness of Christ for our justification?

1. How Christ's righteousness merits our justification?

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

1. Negatively, it does not proceed from the righteousness of Christ barely considered as the obedience of a mere man to the moral law: for,

1. If Christ's had been a mere man, or only an humane person, he had owed all his active obedience to the Law for himself, or upon his own account. The law of nature obliged every mere son of Adam to full, perfect constant obedience to all the commands of God and when he had done all, he had done but his duty, and could have challenged the covenant reward for none but himself: it is but a just debt which every man owes to God, to love him with all his heart, soul, strength and might, and his neighbor as himself (Matthew 22:37, 38). And if Christ's humane nature had been a person by itself, this had been his case, he would have had so much work to do upon his own score, that he would have had no room to have done any thing for any else besides himself.

2. Neither could the passive obedience of a mere man be of virtue sufficient to satisfy for the offences of many. The eternity of sinners' sufferings is a full proof for this, for eternal death is not a distinct sort of death contained in the curse, but only an accidental continuance of the other; for if justice could take satisfaction of a mere creature in any measure of time, there would be good ground of hope that the damned might at length have a jail delivery; for justice requires no more than satisfaction, though it will have that to the utmost (Luke 12, ult.). And because it cannot take it in measure upon a finite creature, it is necessarily compensated by the duration; so that if Christ had been a mere man, though he should have died for our offences, yet he could never have risen again for our justification, but must have been detained an eternal prisoner, and never have crossed the accounts, or taken out the acquittance for his people.

2. Positively, there are three things which go in to make up the merit of Christ's righteousness for sinners.

1. The righteousness itself which he has performed in obedience to the Law.

2. The person that performed it.

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

1. The righteousness itself which is requisite for our justification, must be that which, fully and in all the parts of it answers the terms of the Covenant which was between God and man at the first. The law of that Covenant was the rule of justice and righteousness between these two parties and he that will either do or suffer [illegible] on the account of another, must come up to the whole of that which he was himself to have done or suffered: he that undertakes to pay a debt for another, must either take care to pay the whole debt, or else, by leaving any part of it unpaid, the man is still obnoxious to his creditor. And if this be well considered, it will from there be apparent, that both Christ's active and passive obedience were needed in this case, and no more than what was requisite; and if he had not so, he could not have perfectly merited for us: for Covenant merit is nothing else but the performing of the articles of the Covenant. Therefore Paul resolves our justification into the obedience of Christ as the procuring cause of it, and that both his active obedience (Romans 5:19), 'As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous': Now it was Adam's active disobedience which made men sinners; and his passive obedience (2 Corinthians 5:21), 'For he has made him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' For though it be a truth, that God in his absolute sovereignty might have dispensed with and given a pardon to sin freely, and without any satisfaction, upon man's submission and repentance, the punishing or pardoning sin belonging to his efficiency, and flowing therefore from his will or good pleasure; and though he might have given happiness without consideration of any active obedience, if it had seemed best for him so to have done, yet when God has once entered upon this with his creatures, and engaged himself in such a Covenant, as infinite wisdom had suited to his own purposes for the displays of his glorious holiness, justice, and grace, he now occupies the place of a righteous Judge, and cannot dispense with his own law, because his truth and righteousness engage him to it. Christ's obedience therefore was perfect and full, it answered the law in the whole substance of it, he both did all that was required, and suffered all that was denounced, he fulfilled all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). All this was necessary, but considered alone it was not sufficient, there must be something more to render it meritorious; consider therefore,

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

1. The human nature which was assumed by the Son of God, made him one answerable to the law. The Covenant was made with man, the obedience due to it was required of man; and therefore it must be a man that must do and die; no other kind of being, no not an angel, would have sufficed or answered the Covenant. The Son of God therefore became a man, assumed a true human body, and a true reasonable soul, was the Son of David; the Word was made flesh (John 1:14). And by this way he was fitted to be under the law, and responsible to it, upon our account, and therefore the Apostle puts them together as things inseparable (Galatians 4:4): 'made of a woman, made under the law.' For as if he had been a mere human person he could not have sustained the place of a surety for us, so except he had taken our human nature, he could not have done the work of a surety upon our account. Paul therefore puts a great deal of weight upon this consideration (Hebrews 2:16): 'for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.' We must therefore study the Incarnation of Christ if we would be clear in the nature of his merits.

2. The divine nature which assumed the human into his Person, put an infinite virtue and value into his obedience; for the human nature losing its personality in the Person of the Son of God, hereupon all the righteousness which he performed is accounted (and that properly) the righteousness of God. And that is one reason why it is so called in our text, and (2 Corinthians 5:21), it is not of God only that he ordained it, nor yet because he did accept it of his hands, but mainly because the person that did it was God. Upon this score also is his blood called the blood of God (Acts 20:28): 'The Church of God which he has purchased with his own blood.' And hereby it came to pass that the obedience of Christ was of greater worth by far, than the obedience of all the world could have been, because he was a divine Person that did it. And from hence it came to pass that there was enough in it to merit for a great many, even a whole world; the blood of redemption is therefore called precious blood (1 Peter 1:18). And there we have found a valuable price to merit, that which has in it enough to answer for the justification of sinners, but still this added to the former yet falls short of the actual meriting of it, there is yet something more wanting, but that also is supplied by Christ, hence consider.

3. The office of this person, and that was mediatorial, see it expressed in 1 Timothy 2:5. There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. It was the office of a surety that he bare, and therefore he is so called (Hebrews 7:22). He was set up and anointed to that very business, that he might reconcile God and man again, whom the sin of man had separated each from the other: so that Jesus Christ neither lived for himself, nor died for himself, but he went through both for us, and that as he was constituted a Mediator; and that is that which properly rendered his work of obedience satisfactory and meritorious, which otherwise would in no wise have turned to our account. So that in Christ we are not only to consider his personal fitness to be a Redeemer, and to satisfy justice fully for us, and that he was made man, and took our nature upon him, and was completely furnished with all these graces in his human nature, whereby he was carried through the work which he was engaged in: but we are also to eye his deputation or appointment to this work in the Covenant of Redemption, which passed between his Father and him in the days of eternity, and in the consideration of that Covenant we are to observe these two things.

1. What was done by God the Father in order to the bringing of it about, and that was, he made a proposal of the work to him, and exhibited before him a promise of this reward on the condition of his performance of it; those are the words of the Father (Isaiah 53:13), when he shall make his soul an offering for sin, his soul shall see his seed; and they are a declaration of the terms of the Covenant. The Apostle assures us that he took not this office upon him without a special call given him to it (Hebrews 5:4, 5). And there was a great deal of reason for this; for fallen man was God's prisoner, and it was at his pleasure whether he would accept of an atonement for sinners at the hand of another in their behalf. It was not a matter of mere debt, where if the money be paid, the creditor has no reason but to be satisfied, and cannot trouble his debtor any further; but the case was properly criminal, man had forfeited himself, his life to divine justice, and it lies in the breast of the Judge whether he will take another in exchange to die for him, and let him go free. If he refuses such a ransom, and resolves that he who has offended shall in person suffer the smart of it, none can lay injustice to his charge. If therefore there had not been an agreement about this between the Father and Son, there had been no efficacy of it.

2. What was done by Jesus Christ in the performance of it; and that was, he both undertook the work, and went through with it: he accepted the offer and condition that was proposed to him, and did all that was required on his part for the purchasing of this benefit (Psalm 40:7, 8). Then I said I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of me, I delight to do your will, O God! (Philippians 2:7, 8). He made himself of no reputation, &c. So that in this way God made himself a debtor to Christ by a free promise, that he would justify all such for whom he should make satisfaction, and that his righteousness should stand for their justification (Isaiah 53:11). By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justify many. And thus by this Covenant, the righteousness of Christ came to be, not only equivalent in virtue and worth, but the very actual price of the ransom of sinners (1 Timothy 2:6). Who gave himself a ransom: and Christ not only virtually but actually, properly, and according to Covenant, merited the pardon of sin and life eternal for all of God's elect; he is therefore said to purchase them with his blood (Acts 20:28), and his death is called a ransom (Matthew 20:28), and a propitiation (1 John 2:2), and Christ is said to be made of God to us, our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:20). In a word, if Adam had completely obeyed the Law, though there were no proportion between the work he had done, and the reward to be enjoyed, yet he had merited by Covenant; so, much more the Lord Jesus Christ, having done and suffered that which was virtually meritorious for us, and doing this under a Covenant of Life, he must of necessity merit it for us. So that all his redeemed ones are worthy to live, in as much as he has bought their lives for them, and fully satisfied the justice of God upon that score: and thus we have a brief account of the way in which the righteousness of Christ merits our justification.

2. What righteousness of Christ is accounted as the matter of our justification?

A. Though (as we heard) there was required to the making of Christ's righteousness meritorious, not only the work itself, but the person also that did it, and the office by virtue whereof he did it; yet we are here to consider, that the thing which is applied to us for our justification, or that which God tries us by when he justifies us, and in which he finds the ground or reason for his so doing, is only the righteousness itself which this person by virtue of his office did perform. That therefore which is applied to us, and by which we are justified, is the [illegible] obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, both active and passive. Whatever the Son of God in our nature either did or suffered, either in his life or death, or throughout the whole state of his humiliation, wherein he was considered as standing under the Law, and (as so) acting for us; goes into the righteousness of his which is by God accepted for us, and is reputed as our righteousness: this is that which God looks upon as he is the Judge, when, and for which he pronounces us righteous.

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

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

That it is the justification of sinners that Christ stands engaged for; so the Scripture calls it (Romans 4:4), "Believes on him that justifies the ungodly": and this is a thing to be well considered, that when God comes to justify any person he is in himself a sinner, an ungodly one; and the way how such a thing may be so fairly done, calls for a special consideration and enquiry. If the case were only for the justifying of a just person, one to whose charge nothing could be laid, there would need no great ado for that: his own righteousness would stand up for him, it would plead his innocence, challenge the discharge of the law, and his active obedience were sufficient, for the man was never obnoxious. But it is another manner of thing when it comes to the justifying of a condemned sinner, who has transgressed the law, and thereby incensed and opened its mouth against him; and here is a great deal more required to prepare the way that justice may give such a man an acquittance: and as a sinner can have no righteousness of his own personal, so there must be a manifold righteousness in him who will obtain this favor for him. Hence,

There are two things required to the perfect justification of a sinner, namely, there must be a remission of the guilt of his sins, and there must be the reputation of him as just before God: for it is before intimated, that justification absolves a person from guilt, and declares him righteous, and that according to the law: and these two are inseparable, as being essential parts of justification; and there is reason for it, because by God's law, no man can be declared free from guilt, except he be found perfectly righteous, and that because it necessarily involves a man in guilt not to be so. For there is a guilt in omission [illegible] as well as in commission; such are therefore pronounced accursed (Galatians 3:10), "Cursed is every one that continues not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them."

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

In order to a sinner's acquittance from guilt there must be a pardon procured for him, and applied to him. This is a plain and known thing, that where offence or transgression of the law has gone before, there a pardon properly attends upon justification, and he cannot be justified except the offence be forgiven: for the law in its charging of [illegible] upon him does together condemn him for it and adjudges him to suffer the threatened death: and till such time as that be suffered either by himself, or his surety in his stead the law is not satisfied, nor will ever give him acquittance. As for the prerogative which (among men) the supreme judge assumes to give a free pardon without satisfaction to one condemned by law, it is a liberty which he enjoys above the law, and there may be great reason for it in some cases: but this consideration has no room in the present case, for God is resolved to proceed in all things according to the law which he has constituted; and this infers the necessity of the passive obedience of Christ, his death, his sufferings, his undergoing of all that which we should have undergone ourselves. This the great Judge must have to look upon and regard in his setting of the prisoner free, who was a lawful captive; and for this we read such expressions (Isaiah 53:5), "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed": and for this reason it is said, that he was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now these sufferings that Christ thus underwent are the very matter of the satisfaction of the law for sinners, that righteousness which it accepts of upon this account, hence that in (Romans 8:34), "Who is he that condemns? it is Christ that died."

When a sinner is declared righteous, he is together with it adjudged to receive the [illegible] reward of righteousness. Justification not only exempts a sinner from hell, and wrath, and eternal death, which he had been obnoxious to, but it also appoints him to life, and peace, and salvation; and this also must be done according to the tenor of the law. Now if we search, we shall find that the law of God propounded happiness to man upon condition; it was to be the reward of his keeping this law (Romans 10:5), "Moses describes the righteousness of the law that the man that does these things, shall [illegible] by them." It did exact obedience of man [illegible] a duty, and looked upon him as [illegible] under a bond, obliging of him to [illegible] performance of it; and as he was to [illegible] no reward of life, except he did so [illegible] so to fail of or omit it was death: hence, as without such a righteousness he cannot clear himself of the threatening, but it will take hold of him, and bring him under condemnation, so much less can he without it expect to receive the recompense of reward [illegible] and this is that which is called active obedience, and this also must be performed either by him or [illegible] surety, and because he herein [illegible] he did in the former, and as he has not wherewith to satisfy for his offences, so neither has he any strength to perform what is his duty, hence as Christ did [illegible] all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), so he did it for us; his passive obedience was not only for us, and his active for himself, but both served to the [illegible] of redemption, and in whatever he was made under the law, it was that he might redeem such as were under the law, and makes them partakers in the [illegible] of [illegible] (Galatians 4:4, 5), his holiness of life did not only fit him to be an acceptable sacrifice for us, but it was also a part of his mediatorial work on our account; and this is the very matter of the righteousness for which we are adjudged to receive a crown of life, and so made heirs of eternal glory, according to the promise made in the Law Covenant on this condition.

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

2. This obedience of Christ is in the Scripture reckoned to be the matter of our justification: those expressions do fully infer it, in (Romans 5:19) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. How is it possible that one man can be made righteous by the obedience of another, but only as his obedience is made ours in Law; or as when it tries us, it does it by his obedience, and not by our own personal? Like to this in that (2 Corinthians 5:21) He has made him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. How can we be made the righteousness of God, in him, but by our having of his righteousness so looked upon as if we ourselves had been the actual performers of it? And what else but this can the Apostle aim at in our Text, when he desires to be found in him, under the robe of his righteousness, and not of his own, but that he would have that to cover his defects, and stand for him in the trial of the Law, and so become the matter upon which he is to be judged, and according to which the sentence may pass?

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

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

2. That God having entered into a Covenant with man when he first made him, he has therein engaged his justice to the confirmation and fulfilment of his part of the Covenant. It is one thing to say what God might have done by virtue of his absolute Lordship, and unconfined prerogative, if he had not voluntarily obliged himself in the threatening annexed to his own Command; and [illegible] in positively threatened man with death if he should disobey it; and another thing, what he will do when he has so bound himself to the terms of a Covenant. God's word is now past, he positively said (Genesis 2) [illegible] In the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die. And his truth engages him to see to the performance of his word. Eve greatly missed it when she interpreted it to be only [illegible] as if God had only said, lest you died the fall did not barely expose man to the hazard, but brought him under a necessity of dying; it not only made him obnoxious to God's displeasure, if he should see meet to sue the forfeiture, but it brought him under a full, firm, and engaged sentence of death: and God must be true and faithful to his threatenings as well as his promises. [illegible] This the Prophet confirms the sentence denounced against Saul (1 Samuel 15:29) The strength of Israel will not lie, nor repent, for he is not a man that he should repent. There is then no hope of man's escaping the righteous judgment of God: he fell under the Law, and this great rock will grind him to powder if there be no way to remove it off from him.

Hence man must of necessity have a righteousness to offer to God's justice for his justification; if ever he hopes to attain it; and not only so, but he must have such a righteousness as may in all the parts of it answer to the demand of the Covenant. For, without a righteousness to look upon, and proceed according to, the justice of God can have nothing before it which it has any advantage to justify him by or for, and except this be as large and full as the Law requires, it has not that in it which is sufficient to the end of it; as good none at all, as an imperfect one; for if it be found to have any flaw in it, then either justice must connive, and give him some abatement, which it never will, nor were in justice if it should; or else it must be rejected as a thing altogether insignificant; and so it shall, for not a jot or tittle of the Law shall pass, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18).

Though God has positively engaged his justice to require satisfaction for man's offences, yes, and to stand upon punctilios in the case; yet he has not absolutely bound it to exact the satisfaction of the person himself who is the offender; or that it must be a personal satisfaction that is given, and no other: for, though it was not plainly expressed in the first Covenant, in so many words, nor had man any apprehension of any such thing, till God was pleased to reveal it to him, but fell under a fearful expectation of dying by the hands of God: yet it is certain that God did leave room for the interposing of a Surety, and the event, which is the best interpreter of God's mind has proved it to be so; for God has accepted of one, which he would not have done over the head of his own Law. No, it is certain that in that everlasting contrivance and engagement between the Father and the Son, there was a Surety laid in or provided, before this Covenant was made with Adam: and as Paul speaks (Galatians 3:17), so may we a little varying of his words: (and for ought I know the text may ultimately refer to it) the Covenant of works which was made with Adam in time, could not disannul the Covenant of suretyship which was made between God the Father and God the Son in the days of eternity. Yes, and we may now find some tracks or footsteps of this truth in the very nature of the first Covenant: it seems to intimate that there was some room left there for such a transaction by a surety, because God dealt with man at first in Adam as in a surety, and he it was that lost them; and all that ruin which is fallen upon his progeny, refers to his first transgression; hence therefore he might, for their recovery again, deal with them, if he saw meet, in another surety, who should restore them: it is true, it was all his pleasure, and he was free in it, but the way was consonant to equity, and that he has so done, himself has made to appear, by bringing in of this new way of life. Paul makes a kind of parallel between these (1 Corinthians 15:22): As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive: he is therefore called the second man, or second Adam.

This surety, if he will take off man's guilt, and render him just, must be able to do and suffer all that the Law requires: if he will acquit guilty man from his condemnation under which he is detained, and procure for him eternal life, which he has lost, he must fulfill all the Covenant articles for him. Jesus Christ therefore assures us that this was his errand and work that he came into the world about (Matthew 5:17): I came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. Now this is a work that every person is not competent for, a province that any one cannot successfully undertake, it requires one that is of sufficient abilities, for it is not undertaking that will do, but it must be fulfilling: justice is not so regardless of its own glory as not to be sure that the surety be sufficient and solvent, before it will indent for the delivering up of its prisoner.

This is more than any mere creature can possibly do: there is no created being, that is such and nothing more, that is able to stand in the judgment before God for sinners, and obtain their absolution. That man cannot by his own righteousness obtain this for himself, has been already proved in this discourse; that the whole creation of second beings cannot do it for him, is as certain and undeniable; for (and there need no more to be said of them in this case) they are finite beings, and their obedience but a finite obedience, and of a limited virtue: the things of the world are of no value, thousands of rams signify nothing for satisfaction (Micah 6:6); the men of the world are under the same condemnation, and need a surety, and so are incapable; the holy angels only remain, of whom this may be affirmed, that though they are not themselves under guilt yet they are under a Law, and that requires as much as they can do; all the active obedience which they are able to offer to God, is but their own duty, and will but suffice for themselves at the best: and as for a passive obedience, all they can suffer is far short of being a valuable price for the redemption of God's elect; besides that they are of another nature, and therefore their suffering could not truly be called the suffering of man whereas it is man who is come under condemnation, and his surety must be a man (Hebrews 2:16).

Hence if Christ had not come and done this work, it could never have been done, and so we could never have been justified. When we have seen all other persons and things stand by refused, a whole creation counted but an insignificant cipher in this respect; there remains now no other but Jesus Christ to do it for us; and on this account he is said to come and die, when we were without strength (Romans 5:6), and to be sent forth in due time; and in fullness of the time (Galatians 4:4) when we were just dropping into the pit, and the gulf was ready to shut its mouth upon us: when Justice was upon the point of doing execution, and there was none to stay it; yes he is said to come when there was no other Savior to be found (Isaiah 63:15). Woe, yes ten thousand woes had fallen upon poor sinners, if the Lord Jesus Christ had not undertaken this work, to obey for our justification; to become our righteousness, and stand between us and all our harms, to look Justice itself in the face, and by his perfect obedience to set us free from that dreadful sentence of condemnation, which had past upon a world of sinners, and exposed them to suffer for ever the revenges of the law, and impression of the holy indignation of the great God.

In the next place I am to make it evident that this righteousness of Christ is freely imputed of God. It has already been made to appear, that there must be a righteousness presented to Justice for the procuring of our justification; that this cannot be our own personal; that there is both a complete sufficiency in the righteousness of Christ for the bringing of this about, and that there was an actual intendment of it to this end: but still, except it had been so, that all Adam's lost progeny had been equally advantaged by it, all that is hitherto said, is not enough to satisfy an inquisitive soul [illegible] for the great enquiry yet remains, namely, how shall I come by it? In what way are any of the children of men made partakers of it [illegible]. Here therefore there is something done [illegible] God's part, and something on our part in order to this. The former of these, or what is done on God's part is now under our consideration, and that is his gracious imputation of this righteousness to sinners. Here then there are two things that offer themselves to be made good.

1. That Christ's righteousness justifies us in way of imputation.

2. That this imputation is an act of God's free grace.

1. That Christ's righteousness justifies us in way of imputation; or by the reputing and accounting of his righteousness to be ours: that this is a great and undeniable truth, there needs no more to clear it up, than the consideration of the plentiful testimony of the Scripture, which ascertains us that it is so. The word [Justification] as it is used in the word of God does almost every where intend a change of a man's state as it is legally considered, or refers to the relation which he bears to the law, but besides we read (1 Corinthians 1:30) that Christ is made of God our righteousness to us; wherein is expressed one of the great benefits which believers are made partakers in by Christ; namely, that he is that righteousness which is accepted as theirs; so that when Justice looks for a righteousness which it may acquit them for, it finds it in him. And we read (2 Corinthians 5:19) that we are reconciled to God in Christ: and ver. 21 proves it to be by imputation; for no otherwise could he possibly be made sin for us, who knew none in himself; or we be made the righteousness of God through him, who in ourselves were sinners. And in (Romans 5:19) the Apostle makes our condemnation in Adam, and our justification by Christ to be parallel, when he says, as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous; but that was by imputation, and therefore so must this, and it must needs be so, otherwise it would be an unjust thing to justify the ungodly; nor could God be both just, and the Justifier of them that believe, both which things the Apostle does assert (Romans 4:5, 3, 26). But that which I would a little further commorate upon it, to consider how, or [illegible] what way the righteousness of Christ come to be imputed to the people of God [illegible] theirs. I shall not need here to say much in the explaining of what it is to impute [illegible] thing to any person; acknowledging, reckoning, accounting a thing to a man as [illegible] own, all sound one and the same thing. Imputation of righteousness in a process [illegible] law, is an act of the Judge properly; and [illegible] is of two sorts.

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

When another person has done this for a man, and is accepted in which he has done upon this account, and the man is thereupon declared to be looked upon as if he had done it himself, and is on this very account acquitted; now is the other person's doing imputed to him. That there is such a kind of imputation as this is, [illegible] evident and very well known among men. If a man be sued for a debt, if he can prove that another has paid it for him, and is able to produce the acquittance given for it, it is accepted, and the law can take no place against him. If another man offer himself to bear the punishment of an offender, and the judge has consented to such an exchange, and accordingly inflicted the penalty upon him instead of the other, he now imputes this to the prime offender, and so he is delivered from the sentence of the law, as having thus satisfied it: though in the latter case there is this difference from the former; namely, that such a proffer to bear the punishment in exchange is not of itself sufficient, except the judge shall see cause to accept of it, but if he does, it sufficeth. And this is that which is done when God justifies a sinner, namely, to accept of the righteousness of Christ, his active and passive obedience for him, and accounts it to be as really and truly the sinner's, as if he had personally wrought it. And in this sense some divines take notice that the words counted, reckoned or imputed, are used at least ten times in Romans 4. And now it may not be amiss, briefly to enquire after the way in which Christ's righteousness comes to be justly imputed to us, and reckoned as ours, to our justification; and this may be taken up in the consideration of these few following conclusions.

The Son of God assumed our nature, not for any perfection which it added to him, but for the redemption and salvation of God's elect. His own divine Person was not any whit perfected, or made better or more complete and happy by this assumption; for he had [illegible] the fullness of divine and glorious perfections in himself, being God: and what addition of glory can such a thing be conceived to be capable of making to him, for the eternal King to take upon him the form of a servant? No; if we had not been sold for bond-slaves, and thereupon stood in need [illegible] being redeemed; if we had not been lost, and must either be recovered again, or undone, the Son of God would have had no occasion for his incarnation. We stood in absolute need of it, and could not have been saved without it, and his great love to us put him upon such a thing. This business therefore was engaged in for us (Isaiah 9:6): "To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given." And Paul plainly tells us what he came into the world for (1 Timothy 1:15): Jesus Christ came to save sinners.

Jesus Christ, to the end that he might be a Redeemer to mankind, took upon him to be a surety for men. He is therefore called the surety of the new and better covenant, in which the salvation of mankind is contrived and laid up (Hebrews 7:22). Now the proper work belonging to a surety as such, is to take upon him the state, and to bear the penalty which is due to the person or persons for whom he thus becomes a surety; he is to stand in their room, and whatever it be that the law has to lay to their charge and to doom them for, he is to stand to all the hazard of it, and undergo it; to pay their fines, to bear their punishment in their stead, or for them, that is, in way of exchange; for there is an exchange that is made when a surety comes in the room of a principal debtor. The Lord Jesus Christ took upon him this office, namely, to stand in the room of God's elect, to lie liable to the law in all its suits and demands, and for this is he said to be made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).

3. God the Father accepted of this suretyship of Jesus Christ upon the account of his elect: God the Father is, according to Scripture language, looked upon as the supreme judge (not exclusively as shutting out the Son and Holy Ghost, but inclusively; for it is certain that the Deity is offended by sin, and every person is equally interested in the satisfaction that is to be made; but only the Word of God is wont to ascribe works particularly to that person wherein his order and manner of working does especially appear). Jesus Christ God man is judge (2 Corinthians 5:10). We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ: but he is a delegated judge, his kingdom is a mediatory kingdom, and he must resign it again, when the work so laid upon him shall be accomplished (1 Corinthians 15:26,27). His Father put this judgment into his hands (John 5:22). The Father judgeth [◊] man, but [◊] committed all judgment to the Son. Now God seeing how infinitely this suretyship of the Lord Jesus Christ would redound to the glory and praise both of his mercy and justice, accepted of him as our surety: for, as it is at the liberty of the judge to accept or refuse, so it belongs to his prudence to consider and well weigh the capacity of the person thus making a tender of himself to become a surety, and to look to all the consequences which will result from such a thing, and accordingly either to receive or reject him; and in such exchanges persons are wont to take care at least that there shall be no disadvantage or loss arising therefrom. And the great God saw and considered, that justice would sit in the highest state, when it led the Son of God in triumph: that Christ should be put under the law, and made to bear the rigour of it, afforded [illegible] a far greater triumph than if all the world had been judged and condemned by it. Never did justice sit in such state, or appear in such majesty, as when it arraigned, condemned, and did execution upon the Son of God. When God's sword was awakened against the man that was his fellow, (so is he called by God himself, Zechariah 13:7,) he then declared himself righteous to purpose; and not only so, but he also saw that grace should in this way appear gloriously, which otherwise must never have been heard of in the world; I mean saving grace, whereby ruined and condemned man is restored to life, and the lawful captives are set at liberty, which is a most strange and stupendous thing (Isaiah 49:24,25). God therefore voluntarily accepted of this; and how could he but accept of it since it was his own contrivance and he proposed it to the Son, and he came about the work to do his Father's will in it (Psalm 40:7). And he has given his testimony to this acceptance of his (Isaiah 42:1): Behold my servant whom I have chosen, mine elect in whom my soul delights. Matthew 17:5: This is my [◊] loved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear [◊] him. It is therefore said of the work undertaken by him, that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand (Isaiah 53:10).

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

5. Hence, the Lord Jesus, when he had gone through with, and finished the work of redemption, received a full acquittance in the name of God's elect. That the Son of God, after he had done and suffered, was actually acquitted is evident, for otherwise he had never so risen from the dead in such a glorious manner as is recorded of him. Justice, which had him its prisoner, under the bonds of suretyship, would never have knocked off his bonds, and set him at liberty on any other account, but because it had received satisfaction from him: and what satisfaction could that be, but the complete answering of the obligation wherein he stood bound. He had made no personal forfeiture of himself by any transgression; for he did no sin, neither was there any guile found in him: it was therefore satisfaction for us, according to all that which was required of us: so that his acquittance was in the respect that he stood surety, and on that score it was our acquittance, we were discharged in it. And thus much is intended in that (Romans 4:25): He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. Intimating, that as he had never been condemned but for us, so his justification was for us: as he had never died, if our offense had not procured it, so when he arose from the dead, he brought with him a full discharge for his people.

6. Hence, when God accepts any into favor, and pardons their sins, it is upon the mere account of the righteousness of Christ. It is a true and bare respect which God has to his obedience, he fixes his eye upon that, when he does this, and for the sake thereof he does it: that God seals a pardon, and gives evidence of it to the souls and consciences of any of the children of men, upon their believing, fetches its reason from hence, because Christ was righteous. We therefore find such an expression in the Scripture, of our being accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6), having redemption and forgiveness through his blood (ver. 7).

7. From the premises it naturally follows, that Christ's righteousness is made ours by imputation; or, that that very individual righteousness of his, which he in person performed as our surety, is the righteousness which is reckoned to be ours, so as that we are justified before God upon the account of that, and no other: and there are divers considerations which will serve to enforce the credit of this article.

1. It must necessarily be either by imputation, [illegible] by infusion: a third way is not to be thought of, and a mixture of these is in no wise to be admitted, for that would be to confound the two Covenants. That the individual and personal righteousness of Christ cannot be infused into a believer, is a truth so plain and necessary, that to assert the contrary, is to speak a contradiction; and therefore if it be any way ours, it must needs be imputed to us. Every one that knows anything of the nature of things, can tell that acts themselves are confined to the doer of them, and terminate in him, and that no other person can in propriety of speech be said to do that individual action that another did. But on the other hand, this is a notion that is very well agreeing with common reason, that another did such a thing for this man, such an one paid a debt for him, &c. that though the action terminated on the agent, yet the virtue of it extended to the benefit of another. And thus Paul tells us that Christ did for him (Galatians 2:2), Who loved me, and gave himself for me. It is not the same individual grace that believers receive from Christ, but grace for grace (John 1:16), that is, a like grace, grace of the same kind, and out of the same treasure.

2. The infused righteousness of believers [illegible] not in this life perfect. That believers have infused righteousness is not denied: they have the renewing of the image of God upon them, which is in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). There is the grace of sanctification, as well as the grace of justification, but still this image is restored here but in [illegible] and not in perfection. God has not [illegible] to his people such a measure of it as will endure the Covenant of Works. Paul had [illegible] righteousness personal, but he durst not arrogate perfection to his obedience, but altogether disclaims it, and gives us to understand that he is but in pursuit of it (Philippians 3:12, 1[illegible]). So that although it be so, that Christ does [illegible] his Spirit infuse a holiness and righteousness into his people, when he works the work of conversion in them; yet it is not that thing we are justified by or for; for that which is imperfect, though it may be accepted in a way of grace and pity, yet it cannot justify in a way of law and equity, for these two things are quite of a distant nature the one from the other. And therefore there must be another righteousness found for the doing of that, and another way discovered, wherein it may become ours: which righteousness (as is before proved) can be no other but the perfect righteousness of Christ, (for it must be a perfect one) and that can become ours in no other way but only by imputation.

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

4. That justification which is of the ungodly, must needs be by imputation; and the reason for it is this, that where God justifies, there also the Law justifies. It is never to be denied, or so much called into question, but that God speaks the truth, and there is no deceivableness in his word, when he says, that he sees no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel. He [illegible] not dissemble; it is not because he [illegible] eyes, and resolves not to see or regard it, but the reason must be, because he has received full satisfaction for it, the Law is answered, and therefore according to the judgment of that he is as clear as if he had never sinned. And though it be a Gospel truth, that a believer being once in Christ by faith, and so justified, is not to be looked upon as an ungodly man after justification; yet before faith, and till he is justified he is ungodly, God finds him such when he comes to do this favor for him (Romans 4:5), God who justifies the ungodly. And not only so, but he would also be so accounted still, were it not that God has found a righteousness in Christ that answers for him. If we say we are without sin, we lie, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:18), and thus sin, if there were nothing to answer for it, would stand for our condemnation, and rigorous justice would certainly pass the sentence of the Law upon us for it. The sentence therefore of justification must needs proceed from a righteousness which we never performed, or else God must baulk his own Law, in declaring us righteous; which he never will; hence also,

5. They who have sin remaining in them after justification, must needs be justified by imputation, and so have the best believers. Paul himself complains of soul-captivating sin, such as made him to cry out of his wretchedness (Romans 7), and the wise man makes a challenge to all the holy men living (Proverbs 20:9), Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? Satisfaction is but in part, there is something of the old man and his works; these things are obstructive to being justified for our own doings. The Psalmist cries out (Psalm 141:2), Enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight shall no flesh be justified, and (Psalm 130:3), If you Lord should mark iniquity, who could stand? And therefore there must needs be another's righteousness reckoned to God's people as their own, or else they would every day lay themselves open to be condemned.

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

2. In the next place we are to take notice that this imputation of Christ's righteousness to our justification, is an act of God's free grace; in order to the evidencing of this, let me here premise;

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

2. That it does not take from, but increase the greatness of the free grace of it, that the righteousness which is imputed to us, was to Jesus Christ a costly righteousness: the kindness of a benefactor discovers itself, in his bestowing of that upon others for nothing but their accepting of it, which cost him a great sum to purchase for them, more than it would if he had only parted with that which stood him in nothing at all. The doctrine of Christ's satisfaction for the working out of a righteousness for us, by the which we might be justified, does not derogate from, but greatly illustrate the doctrine of the free grace of God: if a man redeem a captive, and set him at liberty without any repayment, his kindness is valued according to his expense; and so it is in the present case, for though it cost Christ an unknown price to obtain it, yet all this cost is laid out upon the sinner gratis. Now that this righteousness of Christ is freely imputed to us, or is an act of rich and eminent grace, will appear, if we consider these things.

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

2. The way wherein Jesus Christ came to be the meritorious cause of our justification; or made way for this imputation of his righteousness to be made to us, and that was in a covenant-way; in which God's free and willing acceptance of him to be such an one for us intervened, to give such an efficacy or operation to this righteousness of his. It is true, that the obedience of Christ was in it self an obedience so full, and so worthy, and every way so completely answering to the law, for the matter of it, that it had in it self and intrinsically a sufficient value and virtue, enough to stand for the price of the redemption of all sinners, as is before proved; so that if God had seen meet to have justified and saved the world, and every individual of the race of fallen man, there needed no more to be done for the doing of it in a way of justice, than what was to be found in the obedience of Christ. But still, that which made it actually to become a ransom for us, was that God accepted it at his hands for us, or on our account, and if he had refused it, it had not been a ransom, though its real worth had been nothing less than it now is. Ahab proffered to Na[illegible]th a full and valuable price for his vineyard, whatever in reason he would ask for it, but yet he did not so buy it, or that was not the purchase of it, because he refused to accept it, who was the owner of it, and did not lie under the obligation to sell, because the other had a mind to buy. God has sinners forfeited into the hands of his justice and for sin bound to die, yes the condemnation of death is past upon them. They a[illegible] his prisoners, and he may do with them [illegible] pleasure: till therefore he takes a price for their redemption, all offers of all one how worthy soever it may be, are altogether insignificant. Now when God imputes us the righteousness of Christ for our justification, and so delivers us from our judge, he in so doing gives away that right of his which he had over us to have destroyed [illegible] for ever, and that of his own mere motion, for if he had refused so to do, and fallen upon us with implacable fury, none could [illegible] this have charged him with the least injustice. Herein therefore he displays the freedom of his own grace, in that he was free willing that sinners should be saved; and it is an observation which deserves to be much thought upon, and carries great consolation in it, that God was as forward for man's deliverance by Christ, as Christ was to undertake it, that the heart of the great God is as much engaged in love to poor men that have undone themselves that there may be saved, as the heart of Christ was in [illegible] through that great work in which it was accomplished; or otherwise it had been frustrated and come to nothing.

2. Because, though God in his justifying of a sinner, looks at, and requires the full merit of Christ's obedience, yet he looks not at any righteousness at all in the person who is to be justified. He has no consideration of the person in this case, nor is it enquired about him, whether he have been a greater or lesser sinner, whether he has lived a longer or a shorter time in a state of alienation from the life of Christ; but this righteousness is as readily and willingly applied to a chief sinner, such as Paul confesses himself to have been (1 Timothy 1:15), as to one that has not sinned so notoriously but been more restrained in his conversation. He as well, and as soon justifies one that has been a blasphemer, a drunkard, an idolater, a profane sabbath-breaker, swearer, &c. as him that has been a civil and moral man, see what a crew Paul reckons up (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10), and yet tells his Corinthians that though some of them had been such, yet they were justified (ver. 11). The force of this reason lies here: that the sinner never struck one stroke to the procuring of his own justification, or to his deserving to have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him. There is not one grain of his own righteousness in it, but it is all Christ's: this garment of righteousness is made to his hand; yes, and he does not so much as put it on of himself. Imputation alone is that which makes it his, and that [illegible] God's act; and he did never by any thing that he has done lay any the least obligation upon God to do it; and that must needs be most free, to the earning and procuring which, we have never done any thing, [illegible] not so much as to move his favor toward us.

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

5. Because till God imputes the righteousness of Christ to him, the sinner is in no better a state than the rest of mankind: he is a child of wrath by nature as well as they (Ephesians 2:3). All the difference which there is made between them, proceeds merely from God's good will and until that breaks out, there is no intrinsical difference between the one and the other: it is true, God makes him holy too but yet he was as faulty in himself till God came to do this for him: if therefore God is righteous in withholding of this imputation from all the rest of mankind, that had an equal goodness in them with those that are justified, the imputation of Christ's righteousness to them for their justification must needs be free grace, for, what other reason can enter into man's thoughts to conceive, why two that are every way themselves alike, and one has nothing in him more to engage the good will of God to him than the other, should have such a vastly different dispensation of providence dispensed to them, that the one should be justified, and the other left under condemnation? If it be said that the one believes, and the other believes not, it is readily answered, that this faith was given him for his justification.

5. The last thing offered to consideration, is to clear it up that this righteousness of Christ is received only by faith, we have already seen what is done on God's part in order to the making of Christ's justifying righteousness ours; he reckons or imputes it to us, and that to this mere grace: we are now a little to consider what is done on our part to this end; and that is we are to receive it: if a man will be the possessor of a gift which is given him, he must take it, give it acceptance: now the hand which here entertains this free favor of God, is faith: here therefore three things may be enquired into, namely,

1. What is justifying faith?

2. How this faith serves to our justification?

3. How may it appear that faith only on our part is instrumental to our justification?

1. What is true justifying faith?

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

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

1. That the next and immediate object of justifying faith is Jesus Christ. Faith that justifies closeth in with the person of Christ; not barely considered as he is the second person in the Trinity, but as he is God-man-Mediator. Justification is one piece of communion with Christ in his benefits; now our union to him. Christ himself must be ours, if ever his righteousness come to be ours; he is therefore called the Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6), and is said to be made righteousness itself to us (1 Corinthians 1:30), which expressions refer to his person: so that when once we have gotten an interest in him, and are really entitled to him, we are then, and not till then, invested with a righteousness which will clear us from all guilt, and declare us to be righteous; for in him it is that we are to have it (Isaiah 45:24): In the Lord have I righteousness and strength, and ver. 25: In the Lord shall the seed of Israel be justified: on this account it is that Paul in our text concludes upon this, that if he can but be found in him, he is then safe enough, as having a righteousness to friend, which will justify him perfectly.

That which gives the soul the advantage to take hold of the person of Christ, is the promise of special mercy in which he is exhibited. It is not to be denied that the whole Scripture is serviceable to the faith of God's Elect; and it all some way or other leads to Christ; and for this reason is the Scripture called the word of Faith (1 Timothy 4:6). And it is all of it to be believed, because it is all true, and confirmed by the testimony of God himself; it is the word of him who is the Truth; and it is all profitable, and there are various uses to which it serves, both in the drawing of men to Christ, to believe in him, and in the building of them up in their most holy faith, and for the direction of them how they ought to serve him in all things; see 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. But yet every portion of Scripture does not alike nextly serve to give the sinner an advantage to lay hold upon Jesus Christ. The Scripture consists of diverse parts, and these serve nextly to various ends and uses, though all of them contribute something to the helping forward of the glory of God in the happiness of fallen man: there are recorded in it many histories; and these serve partly for holy example, and partly for solemn caution to men; there are moral precepts, there are sharp reproofs, there are severe threatenings, &c. all of which have their particular profit and will serve, either to the preparing of a sinner for this closure with Christ by faith, or for the helping of a believer home to the heavenly Kingdom. But that which nextly and most properly gives us the advantage and encouragement to believe in Christ, is that special revelation which God has been pleased to make of him, in which revelation he gives us to understand, that as he is a complete and all sufficient Savior, so he invites sinners to come to and accept of him, and put their trust in him, and engages to all such as so do, that they shall in and by him obtain the pardon of sin, and peace with God; that if they will but take Christ on his terms, he shall be theirs. Hence it is that by the promise we are said to be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), and it was upon a promise that Abraham believed, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:5, 6), and such a promise is a necessary medium for faith to come to Christ and take hold of him by. For sin, which all the children of men are naturally guilty of, has separated between God and man, and all mankind was for sin under a severe threatening: so that they had no hold of God at all, but were quite knocked off from any such thing; and now how shall they believe that this God will pardon them, and be reconciled to them without some encouragement. The alone and bare consideration of God's power to do them this kindness is not enough, because there is a dreadful curse standing between to dishearten them from taking hold of that; and until it be removed they may be certain that God will never be so propitious to them. It must therefore be only a word of promise that can offer a sinner any encouragement at all. To believe that God will accept of and pardon us in Christ, before such time as he has declared himself willing to do it, is not faith but frenzy: because before the word of promise did break out, there was nothing else but wrath, and a sentence of condemnation to be read or heard of for the sinner; here therefore is the first peephole of hope.

That property of faith whereby it justifies, is that it helps the soul to rely upon Christ for all the good which is laid up in the promise; this reliance, trust or confidence is the proper justifying act of faith. It is true, as there is a promise revealed to the soul, by which he comes to take hold of Christ by faith, so there are two things necessarily pre-required to this confidence: As

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

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

He that does not give credit to the truth of the promise, will never rely upon it for mercy and salvation. He that comes to God (that is, in faith) must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 12:6). It is therefore one great part of Gospel work, to enlighten [illegible] understandings in the knowledge of Christ, and of the great things purchased by him to be conferred upon his people (Ephesians 1:18, 19). And if ever we come to take hold of the promise by faith, and of Christ in it, we are to believe that God is true in all that he says, that his testimony carries its own credit with it, because it is the Word of God who cannot lie; and that this word of promise is his word; and that there is salvation sufficient in Jesus Christ who is exhibited [illegible] us in this promise, and that this salvation shall without fail be bestowed upon all such as do believe in him, according to it: that he who has promised is faithful, and will also perform. Without a free and full assent to, and credit of all this, there is no hope that a soul should be persuaded really to adventure itself upon the word of promise.

But still this is not all that is requisite, no there may be all this, yet not a saving faith; that therefore which is the proper distinguishing note of this faith, in that upon all [illegible] the soul is carried forth to close with, and cast itself upon Christ as he is revealed in the promise. I am not here speaking of the strength by which this is done, but only [illegible] the act itself; and to make the thing more distinct, let me propose these things to consideration.

1. That it is not the promise itself, but that which is promised in it, which is the object of justifying faith. The promise itself is not our justification, but it is a medium to it, or it brings something along with it, that is by it offered to us, which is able to justify us, and that is Christ and his righteousness. It therefore contains in it a revelation of that great mystery of salvation by Jesus Christ. The promise indeed makes offer to the children of men of a pardon of sin, and of reconciliation to God; but this is not all, but together with such an offer made, it exhibits the way by which, and the Author by whom it is to be enjoyed, and that is no other but Jesus Christ. So that the promise in the proper notion of it, is nothing else but an instrument of bringing Jesus Christ to the soul, and helping it to its closing in with him.

2. That Jesus Christ is in the general promise offered to every one in particular, that is privileged to hear it, upon a Gospel condition. A general bears a true respect to all and every of the individuals that are contained under it; when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to a company of sinful men, and it is proclaimed to them, and in their audience, that whoever will may come and drink of the waters of life freely (Revelation 22:17), that everyone who is thirsty may come and buy and eat, etc. (Isaiah 55:1). Now every person for himself, that comes within the sound of such a proclamation, may with great safety thus argue in himself, I then am herein concerned, I may come if I will, the invitation is made to me, why then should I neglect to accept it, or shut out myself by unbelief? Such is the Gospel promise: and it is also made upon a condition, there are the terms annexed to it, there is the way declared in which the good promised may be obtained. For God in bringing sinners home to Christ, brings them under a new covenant relation, and the promise that is revealed in it, is the great encouragement of the covenant, giving men to understand what shall be the advantage that shall accrue to them by putting [illegible] themselves under it; and as it is in it [illegible] an encouragement, so it always carries in [illegible] something that is required in order to [illegible] being made the owners of it, and heirs of [illegible] the good which is contained in it. Now the condition is believing: that which the Gospel says, is, that if we ever hope to get pardon of all our sins, and have our person to find acceptance with a holy God, [illegible] and through Jesus Christ, we must believe [illegible] him; and this is so positive and unalterable that the want of it will exclude us from [illegible] hope of participation in such a favor. And therefore it is not only assured to all [illegible] but denied to all others (Mark 16:16): he that believes and is baptized, shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned (1 John 5:12). He that has the Son has life, but he that has not the Son has not life.

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

4. This is done by every one who upon the Gospel invitation, is perswaded by the Spirit of God to cast himself upon Christ, and to put his trust in him. It is not a believing Christ to be, but a believing in Christ: it is not a bare act of the understanding that is here exerted, but the promise comes in at the understanding, which judgeth of it, and gives approbation to it as that which is true and eligible and so passeth it over to the affections, which are raised and stirred by it, but all this is too little alone, but at last the Will sets its seal to it, chuseth, embraceth, rolls it self upon it. So that faith and unbelief are rooted in the Will: hence we shall find that Christ layes the blame of mens not believing in him upon their Wills (John 5:40). "You will not come to me that you may have life": thus also the Scripture is frequently expressing the work of faith, by the soul's putting of its trust in Christ, as (Psalm 2:12) "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." So (Isaiah 50:10) "Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." And unbelief is called a departing from him (Hebrews 3:12). Faith also is expressed by the notion of embracing the promise, and so of the good that is brought in it (Hebrews 11:13): "they were perswaded of them, and embraced them." So that every one who believes, has performed the thing which is required; he has come up to that which the promise chalenged of them that would be entituled to it.

5. Hence, when a soul is enabled to believe in Christ as he is revealed to us in the promise, Christ now becomes his to all those intents and purposes for which he was exhibited therein. So that when Christ is his, then all of Christ's that is communicable is his also in the same Covenant; for Christ and his benefits go together, as being inseparable, and as we cannot have his benefits, except we have his person, so we cannot enjoy him, but we must withal participate in all the precious fruits of his redemption. The Scripture therefore delights to be frequently setting forth this thing under the name and notion of a marriage covenant between a man and woman, in which it is known that a propriety in the person, gives a right to the estate. Now one part of Christ's treasure, a title whereunto he conveys to such as do believe in him, and so are married to him in an everlasting Covenant, is his righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30): "He is of God made to us, Our Righteousness." All the new Covenant relations of Christ, do pass over in this conveyance to the believer, and he has an unquestionable claim to them all; he is now our Redeemer, our Mediator, our Surety, our Advocate. And upon this account it is, namely, because in believing we receive Christ to an efficacious justification, that it is called justifying faith.

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

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

1. That faith does not justifie us, as it has any worth or merit of its own in it, to deserve or earn justification for us. They do very grosly mistake themselves, who think that faith has every way the same consideration in the new Covenant, which obedience or works had in the old. It is true, it is the condition of this as obedience was the condition of the other: but yet there is this plain and manifest difference, that in the old Covenant God had a proper respect to the work of obedience, as that which had a Covenant merit in it, or for which man was to have been justified, if he had continued in it (Romans 10:5): "Moses describeth the righteousness, which is of the Law, that the man that does these things shall live by them." But in the process of Gospel justification, it is Christ's righteousness which stands to answer in the room of ours, and not our faith. So that the merit of our justification is in the object, namely, Christ; and not in the act of faith. If we believe in him, he then stands to answer for us to our Judge, and all his earnings are made over to us upon our believing, and placed to our account.

2. Hence it follows naturally, that faith has no natural or proper vertue in it self to justifie a sinner; for that which has in it self a real virtue to justifie, must answer the Law in all its demands, whereas faith in it self answers to none of them. There is no such thing as a legal obedience in faith, for it is the property of faith to fly from the Law to grace and therefore it never designs a personal answering of the Law, but seeks a deliverance from it in and through Jesus Christ; and that is the priviledge of believing (Romans 6:14): "you are not under the Law but under grace." Faith fetcheth in all virtue from abroad: and in truth it justifies a man no more, than the look of a bitten Israelite upon the brazen serpent healed him. Now it was not the vertue of the look, but the vertue that was put into the brazen serpent that healed him who so looked upon it, else he might have looked long enough before he had been cured: so it is not the vertue of believing, but of Christ who is believed in, that justifies. Faith justifies a sinner, as the woman's touch of Christ's garment healed her issue of blood, and that was the vertue, not of the touch, but of Christ, which issued from him upon her touching him; and therefore he declares that he felt vertue to go out of him, upon that exertion of her faith in so touching him (Luke 8:46).

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

4. Neither does faith justify as the principal applier of the justification which is procured by Christ, to us; it is not to be looked upon as the highest cause of the application of the benefit to our persons: this also was to exalt it above its place, and give it a preeminence beyond its due. It is before intimated, that in the application of the Righteousness of Christ to us, there is something done by God, and something done by us: now that which God does is the principal, namely he takes this Righteousness of the hands of Christ, as done for us, and then he gives it to us, or imputes it to our account of his own rich grace, and this imputation is the main efficient of our justification; for it is God that justifies (Romans 8:33), that is principally. Giving is more honourable than receiving, and we owe the acknowledgment of all the benefit we have in being enriched by such a gift, to him that conferred [illegible] upon us, and nothing to ourselves for taking it; although it be still a truth, that if we had not received it, we could not have been enriched by it.

2. Affirmatively; faith justifies instrumentally, as it receives the Lord Jesus Christ, and his merits offered in the Covenant. It is before made clear that the Righteousness of Christ is the thing for which we are justified: now the proper work of faith in this affair, is to receive it to justification; and that because it is the term or condition of the New Covenant. God has in his good pleasure [illegible] choice of this way to convey the [illegible] to, and bestow an interest in the Righteousness of Christ upon sinners, namely by their believing in his Son: He does (as it [illegible]) say, behold here is a Righteousness, [illegible] which I am well contented, it exceedingly pleaseth me to bestow pardoning grace upon sinful men upon the account of it, but if any desire to have the application of it made to them in particular, it is to be effected only in this way, they must believe, and if they so do, it shall be theirs. And thereupon we may come at the right conception of what faith does towards our being justified; this is all that can be with any truth ascribed to it, that it brings us under the Covenant condition, and thereupon it renders us the qualified subjects of the promise of grace which is therein exhibited; and this it does by accepting, embracing, and placing its hope and trust in the Righteousness of Christ. And so it follows that we are justified not for our faith, or believing, but for Christ; but yet it is by faith, or in a way of believing. For our full satisfaction in the truth of this, it is good for us to take notice that the Scripture is pleased to ascribe our justification to divers things, and that tells us that it must have reference to divers respects, and they are to be well understood by such as would not be deceived, but ascribe to each of them, that which belongs to them, and no more or less. And the rather should we labor to be distinct in our conception of them, lest otherwise we should rob Christ of his merits, and God of his grace, and lift ourselves up above our own place, and to err in one of the main and fundamental points of our hopes. Sometimes then it ascribes it to grace (Romans 3:24), being justified freely by his grace: and then it points us to take notice of the imputation, or the act of justifying, which being done by God, proceeds or flows from his mere grace, no ways merited or deserved by us. Sometimes it ascribes it to the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9), much more than being now justified by his blood, and then it directs us to eye the meritorious cause his blood being put metonymically for his satisfaction; and that synecdochically for his whole obedience by which he merited for us, and therefore sometime it gives it to his obedience in general (Romans 5:19), by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous; and so it shows us the matter of our justification. Sometimes it acknowledges it to God (Romans 8:33), it is God that justifies: and so we are given to discover the efficient of our justification, for it is God who applying the righteousness of Christ to us, and covering us with it, does actually justify us. And sometimes faith is honoured with having it ascribed to that (Romans 5:1), being justified by faith; and then it intends the instrument or hand which receives it, for when we have given to each other that which is their due, what else can there remain to be attributed to faith but only this? And this further serves to let us understand, that our actual or personal justification, being one part of the work of application, wherein this fruit of redemption is by the Spirit applied to us upon our believing, that therefore we are not justified in a Gospel sense, before, but in and with our believing in Christ: for then only so that justification which the Son of God has procured for us, and received in our name, is brought home to us, and conferred upon us, which is plainly included in our being said to be justified by faith.

3. In the last place, it remains to make it evident, that faith only on our part is instrumental to our justification: that nothing else of ours has any influence upon the pardon of our sin, and the declaring of us righteous. And to evident this, let it be considered, that there are but two things of ours that can make any pretence to have any share in our justification, and they are our faith and our works of obedience to the law or command of God, or the exercises [illegible] the other graces of sanctification in us. [illegible] will therefore suffice to make it appear to [illegible] of faith alone, and that nothing else that [illegible] done by us can have any influence into it, [illegible] showing how impossible it is that any holy works, or gracious acts of obedience done by us should contribute any thing to our justification before God, from where it will follow that either faith alone, or nothing at [illegible] which proceeds from us is concerned in it. And the truth of this will appear to any that shall but throughly weigh these following conclusions.

1. All the acts of evangelical obedience, as they come from us, [illegible] are done by us, all parts of our righteousness; and therefore for that reason they are wholly excluded from having any influence into our justification, as has been already proved in the foregoing discourse. And there is this one reason which carries enough in it to stop the mouth of all cavillings against it, namely, that which does itself stand in need of a pardon, before it can find acceptance with a holy God, cannot any way help to justify us. But such are all our acts of obedience: there is indeed an evangelical righteousness in them, they are done in sincerity, and they flow from a principle of sanctification, and have a conformity, though imperfect, to the law of God, but yet they cannot justify, because they have their spots, deficiency, short coming, and thereupon they need the righteousness of another for their justification. We are called priests to God, in respect of our new obedience, but we must remember that there was a law requiring that the priest's right ear, right thumb and right toe must be touched with the blood of the sacrifice, intimating that all we do in our service to God stands in need of the imputation of Christ's merit, or else it is of no worth. Yes, and we find that the High Priest, who was principally a type of Christ, was to bear the iniquity of the holy things of the children of Israel, and to make expiation for them, telling us that Christ makes it one part of his work to appease his Father's displeasure, and give ground for the acceptance of all we do in integrity, through his own merits.

2. We are justified by the righteousness of another, namely, of Jesus Christ, which is made ours, and accepted for us, and instead of our own, or in the room of the righteousness which we were by the first covenant obliged to. This has been already proved, and from there it follows by way of corollary.

1. That the righteousness by which we are to be justified is already wrought out and perfected, and if so, then there is nothing of ours that can justify us by addition to, or being a complement of that righteousness. For it has been made to appear that it is alone Christ's righteousness; it admits of no addition to it, or completing of it, it needs no eking out, for then he should not save to the uttermost. As God indented with Christ for so he accepted of his obedience, as the full price of our redemption, and the whole satisfaction to his law; so that God looks only to this, and there is nothing else that he will look upon as the procuring cause of our pardon and acceptance into favor but only his Son's righteousness.

2. Hence there is nothing of ours that can have any hand in our justification, but only that which is instrumental to make this righteousness of Christ to become actually ours. We have nothing to do for our being justified, but to receive Christ's righteousness for it. Now there is nothing of ours but only our faith which is capable of such a thing as this: as for our moral virtues, and all our actions of obedience to the law of God, they are far from having a virtue of receiving Christ, for they are truly and properly our returns, or offerings of thanksgivings to him, in the acknowledgment of his great favors bestowed upon us. So that faith and no other grace is fitted for this work.

3. To be justified by the free grace of God excludes any works of ours from our justification. That the riches of free grace are discerned in this affair has been already made evident. And what contribution can our works of obedience be conceived to make towards our being justified, except we should suppose that they move, and prevail with God, offer him some ground and reason why he should pass this act upon us? And if this be supposed and conceded to, then it will follow that he must justify us for our works, whereas the Apostle assures us that such a notion does certainly exclude grace, and brings in vain boasting, which God had design wholly to remove in the way of man's being justified (Romans 3:27): "Where boasting then? it is excluded, by what law of works? nay, but by the law of faith." (2 Timothy 1:9) "Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace."

They are only the work of a justified believer that are evangelically acceptable to God; and therefore there are no works that can contribute so much as instrumentally to our justification. We no sooner believe, but we are justified, for faith takes on the garment of Christ's righteousness, and we are immediately in him, and stand under the security of his suretyship, and all this passes before we are capable of doing any one action, that in gospel account may be called good. [reconstructed: But] without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Now it is certain, and evident to any rational man, that the effect cannot go before the cause, and be causal to it; it involves a contradiction so to say or suppose. Works are the fruits and evidence of justifying faith, and therefore they cannot possibly be helpful towards the justifying of a sinner before God, who until their persons are accepted, receives none of their sacrifices at the hands of men. It must then be faith alone, that beggarly grace, that carries the soul to Christ, and lays it prostrate at his [reconstructed: feet], and takes hold upon his righteousness, and confides in him for all good. There is nothing else of ours that can have any influence into this affair, and that only in the [reconstructed: sense] before expressed. This does not assert his faith to be alone, for it never is so, but [reconstructed: it] is always accompanied with all the other [reconstructed: graces] and virtues of the Spirit of God, which at the same time when he makes a man a believer, are infused into the man. [reconstructed: Faith] is every day invigorating of, and working by them, in a course of grateful obedience, in acknowledgment of the free [reconstructed: favors] of God bestowed upon him. And therefore the faith by which we are justified [reconstructed: is] not such a faith as emboldens men to [reconstructed: sin]; such a faith as allows men this indulgence, will be found far from justifying. [reconstructed: That] faith, and that only which works by [reconstructed: love], and purifies the heart, can afford men [reconstructed: the] comforts and assurances of the pardon [reconstructed: of] their sins, and their peace with God.