Use 1: For Information

There are two or three conclusions which properly arise from the doctrine.

1. We may hence [〈…〉] note the main difference between the first and second Covenant, or the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. The difference between these two does not lie in that the one has a righteousness according to which it proceeds, and by which it tries the children of men, and that the other has none at all; it is highly derogatory to the glory of God for any to think that he who was exactly just in the dispensation of the old Covenant between him and man, has left off to be just, and laid aside his holiness and righteousness, that he might so make way to be gracious in the dispensation of the second. No; it is God's glory that he can be both just, and yet justify a sinner — that he can give to him, and accept for him, a righteousness according to which he himself may righteously proceed to acquit him. But here therefore properly lies the difference between these two, namely, that the one looks at a personal, whereas the other has respect to a relative righteousness. There is a great, and in some sense a greater, righteousness in the new Covenant than there was in the old; for the old looks at the righteousness of man, but the new has fixed upon the righteousness of God. That confined the man within himself, and bid him to look for it at home, whereas this sends him abroad to inquire for the matter and ground of his justification. And this consideration may teach us, that all such as hope to be justified, and would not finally miss of their expectation, must go out of themselves for it. This then is essential to justifying faith, that it carries us quite out of ourselves to Jesus Christ for [〈◊〉].

2. Here also we may be informed, that a man may be without sin in respect of justification, and yet have a great deal of the remainders of sin in him, in respect of sanctification. It has offered matter of no little perplexity to serious souls, when they read such texts of Scripture as, speaking of new-born Christians, or regenerate men, represent them to be such as are without sin, as (1 John 3:9) "Whatever is born of God does not commit sin," and (Numbers 23:21) "He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen perverseness in Israel" — and are thereupon ready to conclude themselves not to be of God's Israel, not to be born of God, for alas, they commit sin every day, and that not only thought sin, but word sin, and deed sin too; are strangely overtaken with it, and led captive by it; and certainly if they were truly regenerate it would be otherwise with them. I shall not here dispute how far these Scriptures are applicable with regard to the sanctification of the people of God; it is not to be denied but that in that respect they do not so commit sin as ungodly men do; they have a principle of true holiness in them which hates it, which maintains a spiritual warfare against it, which humbles them, and leads them to godly sorrow and repentance, by reason of it; it is against their new nature, it is no longer they that do it, but sin that dwells in them, it obtains not the full consent of their whole soul. But still it is also woefully true on the other hand, that they are overtaken with sin, drawn forcibly into it; yes, they are miserably hampered with it, the oppression which they suffer from it sets them [〈◊〉] groaning, and fills their souls with distress. Holy Paul makes bitter complaint about it (Romans 7), and so does David too, though a man after God's own heart, as we have instanced in divers Psalms. Yes, they find, by reason of the body of death, that they have in them much of love to it, liking of it, hankerings after it, and proneness to be over-easily carried away with the temptations to it; which fills them with sorrowful groans under the oppressing weight of it, and bitter cries for a deliverance from it. Doubtless, in this sense, there was a great deal of iniquity in Jacob, and perverseness in Israel at this time when God uttered this of them, otherwise they would not have been so soon led aside, and drawn away by the temptation to commit lewdness with the Midianitish women, and to offer their sacrifices to [〈◊〉]. Yes, the same Apostle John, in this very Epistle, tells us (chapter 1:8) that if we say we are without sin, we lie, and the truth is not in us; and in chapter 2, at the beginning, he gives encouragement and direction to believers that do at any time sin, to go to, and wait upon the [〈…〉]. So that the main and full resolution of this case of inquiry — how the children of God may be truly said to be without sin — is by reducing it to this head of justification. God looks upon his Israel, even all those that are regenerate, not as in themselves, but as they are in Jesus Christ; and because he who was their Surety was altogether without sin — he knew none, either as to pollution by it, or commission of it — hence they are also accounted in him to have no sin. Though sin considered in its own nature be sin still, and it will forever be a truth concerning God's best saints here upon earth that they did do such things every day as deserved death, yet sin legally considered ceases to be sin in a law account, when satisfaction is made for it, and a pardon is applied to the sinner, upon which he becomes justified. Now the law no more calls him a sinner, but a righteous person; and God as a Judge can no longer see sin in him, because there is none that does expose or lay him liable to a sentence of condemnation.

3. We are hence further informed, how deeply we are bound and obliged to God in thankfulness for Jesus Christ, and particularly in respect of his righteousness. If this be that alone upon which the foundation of our justification is laid, everlasting praises then are his due for providing poor man with such a righteousness whereby he might be justified. What would have become of us all forever if it had not been for this? See how the Evangelical Prophet comments upon it (Isaiah 52:6): "All we like lost sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." And there are two things especially which serve to heighten the obligation that is lying upon us in this respect, namely,

God's great love appearing in it to the children of men; the Evangelist sets it forth emphatically, or rather Christ himself, for they are his own words (John 7:16). "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, &c." needs must it be a love that transcends all verbal expressions or heart conceptions, that so deeply engaged the heart of the Great God in man's salvation; as not only to give him a precious rule of happiness, and a concreated principle and power to have obeyed it, and been made happy by that obedience, but also, when he had altogether fallen short of it by sin, and thereby subjected himself to eternal ruin, and had set the righteousness of that rule against him, to his unavoidable condemnation, now to find out a remedy for this misery, by providing for him another righteousness, which should completely answer that rule in all its demands; and instead of letting the curse fall upon him in its full weight, which would have crushed him down into the bottomless pit, and sunk him into endless destruction; to interpose his own Son between sinning man, and the curse of God due for sin, to bear it off from them, by bearing of it himself, that so he being made sin for them, who knew none, they might be made the righteousness of God through him. And that he should do all this for those that were his enemies, and had wilfully and unreasonably revolted from and taken up arms of rebellion against him — behold what manner of love God has loved us withal, thus to do for us in our most urgent distress. The Apostle cannot choose but chew upon it (Romans 5:6): "but God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." And that he should accept of Christ for us sinners, and accept of us in him, and do away all our sins by him, is a strange piece of unparalleled love; the world cannot exemplify it in all its records of human kindness.

Our infinite need, which was such as we could not possibly have done well without it; Christ was not given for righteousness to man in innocency, when he had no occasion for such a benefit, being innocent in his present state, and furnished with the habits of a righteousness of his own, by using whereof he might have fulfilled the covenant condition, and for it stood justified before God. But it was to fallen man, when he had lost his own, and stood under the sentence of a law that had no pity or compassion for him, but was fully engaged to his destruction. He was not given to man, when God and he was friends, and there needed no intercessor, but when they were enemies and there was none to take up the controversy between them, and put an end to it: when man must else unavoidably have died, and perished for ever; when he must needs have fallen in the judgment, and execution have been done upon him accordingly. And how can such an one, who has been made the happy subject of this so glorious a privilege, ever enough celebrate the high praises of that God, who has wrought out for him so wonderful a deliverance by Jesus Christ? What strains of thankfulness can be thought too high for him to raise his heart up to, in the solemnization of this unspeakable gift? Had he the oratory of angels, he could never find out expressions full enough to give it its deserved encomium, but must at length, finding of words to fail, lose himself in an ecstasy of silent admiration.