Sermon 55

Isaiah 53:11, Verse 11. — By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, etc.

It's a great matter to have the solid impression of Christ's fullness on our spirits, and to be thoroughly persuaded, that there is a righteousness to be had in Him; yet the consolation is not full, unless there be clearness in the way, how this righteousness is applied, and come by, and a kindly yielding to follow that way. For though we know that Christ died, and that there is a righteousness purchased, yet, there are many that are never justified, and that shall never be saved by it; and therefore it would not be so much, to know that there is such a thing; if he had not laid down a way how we may be partakers of it; which way can no more fail and miscarry, than Christ's righteousness can. And these words hold out the way, By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: that is, through faith in Christ many shall be made righteous; His satisfaction shall be accounted the believers', whereby it shall come to pass, that they shall be as really justified; as if they had borne their own iniquities, because His bearing of them shall be accounted theirs.

We spoke, first, of this general, that there is such a thing as justification, or God's absolving of a sinner, who by his own iniquity, is liable to the curse. Second, that this justification is the proper effect of Christ's death. Third, from the object of it; that they are many, yet not all, who are justified, many being put as a middle between two extremes, neither including all, nor only taking in a very few. Having put by these more general doctrines, we would now speak a little to this great benefit of justification, in reference to the particular causes that concur to the attaining of it, which will lead us to a more distinct understanding of it. There is ground for them all in the text; and therefore we shall put them together; that you may have a short view of this great benefit as a whole.

There are commonly, six causes assigned to, or made necessary to concur in justification; though we know not well how to express them, so as you may take them up, because of the ignorance of many of you. First, there is the efficient cause, and that is God; the party that does justify. Second, the end, or final cause, and that is His own glory. Third, the meritorious cause, or that which procures it, or the ground on which God justifies, and that is Christ's merit. Fourth, the inward instrumental cause, by which we get a title to, and an interest in Christ's merit, and that is faith. Fifth, the formal cause, or that wherein justification consists, and that is the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner upon his acceptance of it, and the absolving of the sinner, by virtue of His righteousness. Sixth, the external instrumental cause, and that is the Word of God, by which this justification is revealed, and wherein God declares, and passes the sentence.

For the first, you would for clearing of it, remember what we spoke in our entering on this doctrine; that this word justification is a legal, forensic, or judicial word; and we are to conceive of God, who is the party offended, as the judge; and of the sinner arraigned, and brought before His tribunal to be judged, as a delinquent. The law gives in the libel, or indictment, founds the challenge, or accusation; the sinner's conscience, and actions are as so many witnesses, proving the breaking of the law, and him to be subject to the curse on that account. In this we say that God is the efficient cause, and so we may take the words, By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; actively, and efficiently to look to Christ, as having this power, as He is God; which is proper to God alone, as is clear (Romans 8:34): It is God that justifies. (1 Corinthians 4:4): Though I know nothing by myself, yet I am not hereby justified, but he that judges me is the Lord. And this is a reason of the former; to wit, that no other can absolve but God, the party offended, who is judge.

We mark it for this practical use which the Apostle makes of it, which is to bid us lay less weight upon others, thinking well of us, or absolving us; and on our own absolving of ourselves; the Lord charges some thus, (Luke 16:15) "You are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts." Paul will not justify himself, for that is God's place and prerogative; how many are there, who take another person's testimony for God's, and think, that since others love, respect, and commend them, they are in a good condition, and well enough; but, alas, is that person God? Except men's testimony be founded on the grounds that are held forth in the Word, (and if so, then it's God's testimony) it will not do the business, nor avail you anything; except there be a sentence of absolution pronounced, and [reconstructed: cast] by Him, their sentence, or your own will be recalled. Though many of you do not downright profess this, yet many of you practically fall into it; always remember, that it is God that justifies, and that His absolution is different from men's, and from your own; many may have good thoughts of you, and so may you of yourselves, when God may have none. For the second, to wit, the final cause, it is clear here also, by comparing the former verse with the words going before, in this same verse; and you may take it in this observation: that the glory of God, and of the Mediator, is the end that God has before Him, in the justifying of sinners. Therefore it is called the Lord's pleasure, or delight, and the Mediator's satisfaction; because He has proposed to Himself therein the glory of His grace, especially, and also of others of His attributes, as His end, and so has a kind of longing desire, and thirst after it. For the Lord being absolutely glorious, cannot but love His own glory, and being the infinitely pure, all-sufficient good, He cannot but love Himself, and His own glory; and therefore, for attaining of this end, He justifies and absolves poor sinners. Now God is glorified here two ways. First, He gets the glory of His grace, that is exceedingly magnified thereby, as is clear, (Ephesians 1:5) "Having predestinated us to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace." It's the Lord's pleasure, to glorify His grace; and this proves to be to the glory of His grace, when a sinner liable to wrath is fully justified, and entitled to heaven. Second, He gets thereby the glory of His justice, and righteousness, which takes in the glorifying of God's holiness and wisdom; He is seen here to be a holy God, who will needs testify His dislike at sin, wherever it is; a just God, that will needs punish it, a gracious God, that will pardon; and such a wise God, as finds out the way how both to punish and pardon, without any the least imputation, either to His justice, or to His mercy, and grace. And so He shows Himself to be infinitely just, gracious, wise and holy, in the justification of sinners. These we may see, (Romans 3:24-26) "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ." There justice and grace shine clearly, justification is free, yet there is a price laid down, and a satisfaction made to justice; and the 26th verse shows the end, to wit, "To declare his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of them who believe in Jesus." He has indeed taken a way, how to pardon sin, but so as it is through a redemption, or by the exacting of a price, that He may be seen to be just, who will not pardon sin without a satisfaction; justice appears in this, that Christ is put to pay a great price. And that He may be seen to be gracious, He has laid down a way, how the price that was to be paid by Christ, might be imputed to or reckoned, on the account of the guilty sinner, and that He might thereby be absolved. And thus justice and grace kiss each other, in this admirable contrivance. And although none almost except Socinians deny the justice of God, in the justification of sinners; yet as they do doctrinally, in substance deny it; so many of us, who profess to abhor their doctrine, do practically deny it also.

And therefore, as the first use of it, let me speak a little to unbelievers, and ask you, what think you will become of you? You must either betake yourselves to Christ's satisfaction, or you must resolve to satisfy for yourselves. Secure hypocrites think of nothing but of grace, and that God will always be gracious; and never suffer themselves to think of the necessity of a satisfaction to be made to His justice; and thus they slight, and on the matter deny His justice. As if He were not to be glorified, in that attribute as well as in His grace, and mercy; whereas there is no other way to declare God to be just, in the justification of them that believe; but this which brings them to Christ's satisfaction.

Use 2. It's ground of notable consolation, and encouragement to a poor exercised soul, sensible of sin, on which to expect justification. It's God's end in justifying sinners, to set out the glory of His grace; and is it not much, that God should contrive such a way for glorifying of Himself, as should carry along in it good to us? Yea, such a way as should resolve in our good, which comes in as a subordinate end, to the glorifying of His grace, as the ultimate end. May not this be an encouragement to them, to seek after justification on these terms, and for this end?

Use 3. It shows, that as many as submit not to the way of this righteousness, and of justification by grace, are thwarting God's end; they set themselves to hinder and obstruct it, even that He should not be glorified in His justice and mercy; they do what they can, that God should neither be just nor gracious; but He shall be just in condemning them; whether they will or not, though He be not glorified in His grace, as to them, they setting themselves, what they can to let it, yet in His justice, He shall most certainly be glorified. O, that men and women believed how deep their guilt draws, who are found standing in the way of the glorifying of God's grace; it will be found in some respect, to draw deeper than the guilt of these abominable sins of adultery and murder in the day of the Lord; and yet many of you will be found to have done this, and to have come short of righteousness. For the third. That is the meritorious cause; take it in this doctrine, That the meritorious cause, that procures our justification, and with respect to which God justifies a sinner, is the alone merit and satisfaction of Christ Jesus; and this arises from the text, on these two considerations. 1. Because this justification is laid down, as an effect of Christ's soul-travel, and suffering; and if justification be the proper, and immediate effect of Christ's sufferings; then His soul-sufferings must be the meritorious cause of it, we cannot imagine another; He purposes by His sufferings, for the elect, that they shall by His knowledge be justified, therefore they must be absolved, and justified by His interposing, to [reconstructed: take] on their debt, and to His sufferings must be the procuring cause of it. The 2nd consideration, is taken from the words following, He shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities; if Christ's bearing of our iniquities, be the ground of our justification, or that by which it is procured, then His sufferings must be the meritorious cause of our justification, or that on account of which we are justified; because His bearing of our iniquities can no other ways be the cause of our justification, but by His interposing to merit the same to us by His sufferings. Would you know, as if the Prophet had said, how Christ's sufferings shall be the cause of our justification? Here it is, He shall bear our iniquities, and therefore our justification flows therefrom; the Lord by the Prophet has so knit these two together, that His sufferings, both go before, and are subjoined to His justifying of many, that it may be put out of question, that the Mediator's suffering, is the alone meritorious cause of His pronouncing the sentence of justification, and of accepting and accounting us as righteous before Him.

This is not in so many words professedly controverted, or denied by the Papists, with whom we here deal; for they grant, that Christ, by His sufferings, procures grace, and God's acceptation of our good works, in so far as they are rewarded beyond their condignity: but to make the difference between them, and us the more clear, we shall put in four words in the doctrine and speak a little to them. We say then, that Christ's satisfaction is not only the meritorious cause of justification, but also 1. It is the nearest, and most immediate cause. 2. The alone meritorious cause. 3. The meritorious cause, as contradistinguished from, and opposed to our own works, and inherent righteousness. 4. It is the meritorious cause, as inherent in Him, and as imputed to us; these four are clear in the text, and may very well be put in the doctrine.

1. Then we say, it's not only the meritorious cause but the next immediate cause, [reconstructed: causa propinqua], (as we use to speak in the School) of our justification; so that if it be asked, what is the cause or ground, on which God absolves a sinner, or the next immediate thing, that He has a respect to in His justifying of him? It's Christ's merit, His soul-travel, and sufferings; Papists deny this; and make the next immediate cause to be the grace infused in us, that which is called, gratia gratum faciens: but if you ask the Prophet, what is the ground, I mean the next immediate cause, on which justification is derived to many? He tells us that it's not the inherent righteousness of these who are justified: but that it's Christ's soul-travel, and His bearing of our iniquities; hence, 1 Corinthians 1:30. Christ is called our righteousness, He is, (says the Apostle) made of God to us, wisdom, righteousness, etc. Not only by Christ have we a righteousness, that makes us acceptable to God, but His righteousness is ours, and God respecting of us, in, or through it makes us acceptable.

Secondly. Not only is His righteousness the meritorious cause, but it's the only meritorious, or the alone meritorious cause; and herein Papists and we differ: they grant that Christ's satisfaction is the meritorious cause, but remotely only, as it procures inward, or inherent grace, by which we merit; but they will not have it to be the only meritorious cause; but will needs have our own works to merit also, and that properly; whereas the Prophet speaks of justification as the effect of Christ's soul-travel only; and if so, then there can be no other thing admitted, for there cannot be two social, or joint meritorious causes; therefore, throughout the Scripture, when the merit of justification is attributed to Christ, it excludes all other things, and is opposed to our own works; which is the third thing.

Thirdly, we say that Christ's righteousness is the meritorious cause of our justification, as contra-distinguished from, and opposed to our own inherent righteousness, or works; and herein also Papists and we differ; they grant indeed a meritorious influence to Christ's righteousness; but that is (say they) as it makes our own righteousness meritorious; not as contra-distinguished from, and opposed to our own righteousness, but as having influence on it. Now these are directly opposed in Scripture; I shall only name that one clear place, Philippians 3:9: That I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ; where Paul considering, and resolving what he will betake himself to, as his defense at the bar of God. We see, 1. that it is his scope and design, that in the day of judgment, he may be found in such a case and posture, that he may be able to abide the trial. And 2. that he speaks of two righteousnesses: the one is his own, that is the inherent grace which he has gotten, and the works which he has done; the other is the righteousness of Christ without him, which is by faith. Now when he lays his reckoning, he is so far from joining these two together, as co-causes, or social causes of his justification, that he opposes them: That I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness — in him, without my own, etc. — in him, as having given up with, denied, and renounced my own righteousness. He will not admit of that on any terms, in less or in more; so clearly does he, as to his justification before God, exclude his own righteousness, and betake himself to Christ's righteousness alone, as contra-distinguished to his own.

Fourthly, we say that Christ's righteousness, as it is in him and imputed to us, or made ours by imputation, is the alone meritorious cause of our justification and salvation; so that what he has purchased is reckoned and accounted the sinner's, as if it were his own inherently and personally. This I also gather from the words: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Would you know — as if the prophet had said — how Christ is the meritorious cause of justification? Thus it is, because he shall bear their iniquities; if he has taken on the burden of their sins, and had their sins imputed to him, then it will follow by proportion, that they are justified by the imputation of his righteousness to them. And there is nothing that the Scripture does more inculcate than this, that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ, without us, and imputed to us, or reckoned ours — we by faith laying hold upon it, and God's accepting of it for us makes it become ours. And yet there is nothing that we do more particularly err in, and which Papists do more scorn and flout at, wholly undermining the way and contrivance of grace, by excluding and shouldering out the righteousness of Christ (calling it in derision a putative, or merely fancied and imaginary righteousness, as if there were no reality in it), and by bringing in and establishing their own righteousness. Though it be very clear from this and many other Scriptures that Christ's righteousness must be ours by imputation, because he bore our iniquities; he became our righteousness by paying our debt as our guarantor, and no otherwise; the Scripture never speaks of his being our righteousness by procuring ability to us to pay our own debt.

I shall clear this fourth branch a little further, because it will serve to clear the rest — that is, that Christ's righteousness, as it is in him and imputed to us, is the only meritorious cause of our justification. And if we consider, 1. the way of justification that is used among men, this will be the more plain; there being two covenants, by the one of which life was once attainable, and by the other of which it is only now attainable. 1. The covenant of works, which absolves a man that never broke it; which is, as when one among men, or before men's court, is declared to be free, because he was never owing the debt. 2. The covenant of grace, that provides a guarantor to pay the sinner's debt, upon whose payment thereof — had recourse to by faith — there is access in law to the sinner to call for absolution: even as it is in men's courts; though the principal debtor has nothing to pay, yet if the guarantor pays the debt, it is the principal debtor's clearing. And if he should be again charged to pay the debt, his immediate defense would be that the guarantor had paid it already. So is it here; the Lord has borrowed and made use of this way that is used among men, to make the mystery of justification, which passes in the court of God, the more clear to us. It is as if one should allege that such a person is owing so much, and he should say, I cannot be charged with it — and upon what ground? Not because I was not owing the debt, but because such a one has paid it for me. So says the Apostle, Romans 8:34: Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect, it is God that justifies, who shall condemn? It is Christ that died, etc. The defense proposed before the tribunal of God is Christ's dying, and that is as much as he has paid the price, or debt; who then can charge it on the principal debtor? And the frame and arrangement of the words shows that it is a judicial procedure; for they suppose a charge or libel, and a sentence, and the meritorious cause of the sentence of absolution is that Christ has died.

Secondly, if we consider the nature of the two covenants, and compare them together, it will be clear, the Papists confound the two covenants; for works, to them, is the condition of both covenants, making use of that place, Matthew 19:17 [reconstructed: and verse 21:] Keep the commands, if you will be perfect, sell all you have, and give to the poor, quite contrary to the scope of it; for therein Christ is putting the man to a thing impossible to himself, to bring him to see the necessity of a Mediator; and discover his unsoundness, when he will not forgo his great possessions for him. But the Scripture does so clearly difference the covenant of grace, and the covenant of works that they are opposed; for the covenant of works says, do this and live; and the covenant of grace says, If you shall believe with your heart in the Lord Jesus, and confess with your mouth, you shall be saved. And therefore the account of one's being justified in the covenant of grace must be different, from the account on which one is justified in the covenant of works, otherwise they would not be opposite. The covenant of works respects inherent righteousness, as the condition; the covenant of grace respects faith taking hold of the righteousness of Christ; and therefore His righteousness must justify, as being in Him without us, and as imputed to us, it cannot be our righteousness within that justifies; for so, it should be the same with the covenant of works; for though Christ did procure inherent righteousness to us, it makes no difference in the condition itself, which is works.

Thirdly, it will be clear if we consider how the Scripture speaks of Christ's righteousness becoming ours, even as our sins became Christ's, and was the cause (if we may so speak) of His condemnation; that is, as He became liable to the curse, that as He stood a legal person in our room, He became guilty, and liable to the payment of our debt; for otherwise it is abominable once to speak of His condemnation. And if His righteousness becomes ours, as our sin became His, then certainly His righteousness is the cause of our justification, as it is in Him inherently, and in us by imputation only. The blasphemy of Antinomians is most detestable, and not at all pleaded for, even by Papists; and therefore we stand not on it here. Now our sin became Christ's by imputation, therefore His righteousness must be ours the same way. If it then were asked, How are we justified? the text answers, He shall justify many, because he shall bear their iniquities; the prophet makes his sufferings to be the antecedent of which our justification is the consequent, for His bearing of our iniquities is given as the reason of our justification. This is also clear, (2 Corinthians 5:21) He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him; in which words the Spirit of the Lord does so explain, bound, and inculcate this, that there can be no rational exception against it, nor evasion from it. He was made sin, that is a sin offering, or an offering for our sin, though there was no guile found in His mouth, though He had no sin, neither was capable of sin; yet He was made a sacrifice for our sin. As He was made sin, so are we made the righteousness of God in him; if any should ask what it is to be made righteous? the apostle answers, even as Christ was made sin, the same way are we made righteous; and that is, by imputation of Christ's righteousness to us, and not by our own merit. We have no more merit than He had sin; but as He was accounted to be the sinner, though free of sin in His own person; so a believing sinner is accounted righteous, though without any merit in himself, because God has engaged in His covenant, to make Christ's righteousness forthcoming to the believer. Though that were enough; yet the Spirit of the Lord adds a further word; in him, to answer that question, whether Christ has procured inherent holiness to us, that thereby we may be justified. No, says he, that is not the way; our righteousness is in him, and not inherent in us, even as the [reconstructed: sin] imputed to Christ is not inherently in us; so the righteousness by which we are justified, is inherently in Him.

4ly. It may be clear from this, that frequently it is called a righteousness that is attained by faith, and that is opposed to our own righteousness, and working; now it cannot be conceived, how we can get a righteousness by faith, but by pleading, that His righteousness may be imputed to us (Romans 3:22). It is called the righteousness which is by faith, and verse 25, whom God has set forth for a propitiation through faith in his blood; and (Romans 4:5), to him that does not work, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness; faith taking hold of His righteousness offered to sinners in the gospel; His righteousness so taken hold of, becomes a propitiation to pacify God towards the sinner, as if He had satisfied in His own person. Even as if a company of men had been out in rebellion; and a proclamation of pardon comes forth from the king, because he is satisfied by a great friend, who has paid their ransom: which proclamation of pardon runs on these terms, whoever will lay down arms, and come in, and accept of the king's pardon, that is procured, and made offer of, shall be acquitted of the guilt of rebellion, and received into favor; who, whenever they are challenged, will plead their absolution on that friend's procurement, and offered such terms in the proclamation. Now suppose (as I hinted before, not long ago) that when these rebels have yielded themselves, and accepted of the terms; if any of them should be called to answer at the bar, or the king's bench, as being challenged for his rebellion; his answer, and defense would be, that such a proclamation was made to us, and I laid down my arms, and accepted of the pardon; this in justice would be admitted, and sustained as relevant, because that procurement, or procured pardon, becomes the persons, according to the terms of the proclamation. It is even so here, we are rebels to God, Christ Jesus steps in, as the great friend of sinners, and satisfied justice; and thereupon the proclamation comes out, as it is (Acts 13:38-39), Be it known to you, men and brethren, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. When the sinner is arraigned before the tribunal of God, He has two acts of His faith; one that submits to God, and to His way of absolving sinners, and another that pleads for absolution, not on the terms of his own innocency, but on the terms on which Christ's satisfaction is made offer to him; and so faith justifies as it takes hold of the meritorious cause, and builds its defense at God's bar, on Christ's righteousness, alone. It is the procurement of the mediator that it pleads upon, and in this sense, the imputed righteousness of Christ, and the righteousness of faith are one and the same, because faith takes hold of the righteousness without us, which can be no other but the righteousness of Christ.

5ly. It is clear from the plain, and direct expressions of Scripture to this purpose; take but these few, as (Romans 4:3) and verse 22, compared with (Genesis 15:6), Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness; he had the promise of Christ to come, and received, and rested on it; it was not his faith, but the promise of the Messiah rested on by faith, that was imputed to him for righteousness. And verse 6, even as David described the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works; it is not blessed is the man who is holy (though such a man is seriously studying to be holy, albeit not in order to his justification thereby) but blessed is he to whom righteousness is imputed without works. And he confirms it from (Psalm 32), Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes not iniquity: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes righteousness, though he have it not in himself, and to whom he imputes not sin, though he have it in himself. So (2 Corinthians 5:19), God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, Jesus Christ is the reconciler of the world to God by His own merit; being God and Man in one Person, the efficacy of His sufferings reconciles the world of the elect, and how is this purchased reconciliation applied? By not imputing their trespasses to them; that which here is called justification, is there called not imputing of transgression, through that righteousness which Christ has purchased, or through offering up of Himself in a sacrifice to God, to satisfy His justice.

Sixthly, we might say, that this way of justification through the imputation of Christ's righteousness ought to [reconstructed: be] admitted according to Papists' own [reconstructed: grounds]; for, 1. They grant that young children, who cannot merit, are justified, and admitted to glory by Christ's merit, as the immediate, and proxime cause of their justification, and why not also of these that are at age? Is He not the common cause? What absurdity is in the one more than in the other? Is not the justification of both alike free? Though there be a difference in the manner of application, yet in the meritorious cause there is no difference; and seeing to children, Christ is the meritorious cause of their justification; why not also to these come to age? 2. They will grant an imputation of the righteousness, and merits of other saints to them that want of their own, as to the removal of temporal plagues, and the taking them out of Purgatory; and if they grant that there may be an imputation of the merits of saints; why deny they the imputation of the merits of Christ, as to the removal of eternal wrath? Is there any probability, that there can be any imputation of the one, and not an imputation of the other? 3. They allow an imputation of Christ's merits, as to the procuring of the first grace without all faith apprehending Him; and, if by their own doctrine, it be not absurd to speak of Christ's merit, as to the infusing of grace at first, why shall it be thought absurd to speak of Christ's merit, as to the procuring of glory? 4. They grant, that there is an imputation of Christ's righteousness, as to the procuring of glory, in a higher degree; (though they say, that it is a far better life, which comes by our own works) and why not, as to the procuring of glory, in a lower degree, indeed, both of grace and glory, and of every good thing? We have insisted on this the more. 1. Because it's the main foundation of our faith, and the end of it, and the great scope of the Gospel. 2. Because there are so many mistakes about this, and a gross mistake in this is remediless, when we come before God; even before the tribunal of men, if we make a wrong defense, it hazards our cause; so is it here, for to have a hiding place in Christ, and under the cover of His righteousness, is our only defense before the dreadful tribunal of God. 3. Because it serves much to clear this truth, for we would have you knowing, that it's not enough to speak of Christ's merit, as the cause of our friendship with God; a Papist will do that, who yet leans not to Christ's merits alone, but to his own, at least in part, and in conjunction with Christ's; and therefore we would now and then speak of this, because there is such horrible ignorance of it though a fundamental truth; how many gay honest folks (as they are called and accounted) are there among us, that cannot tell how they came to be justified, or what is the ground which they have to rest on, if they were going to die? Is it not absurd, that men should be called Protestants, and live so long under the clear light of the Gospel, and yet be ignorant of this main point of the Protestant religion?

Therefore 1. make this use of it, to inform yourselves in the causes of your justification; and to turn them over into questions and answers to yourselves; [reconstructed: so] that if you ask, what is the efficient cause of justification? It's God the party offended; what is the final cause of it? It is His glory; what is the meritorious cause? It is Christ's merits, or His righteousness imputed to us; what is the inward instrumental cause? It's faith, etc. According to the solid answer given in our Catechism, to that question, what is justification? It is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone; where the efficient cause is God's free grace; Christ's righteousness the only meritorious cause; and the only inward instrumental cause, faith alone; the formal cause, God's pardoning our sin, and accepting of us as righteous. Remember well, that it is not Christ's righteousness, as having a merit in it, to procure inherent righteousness, but as it is imputed to us, and accounted ours, that justifies us. Thus you will remember the difference between Christ's righteousness and our own; and as for the external instrumental cause, it is held out in these words of our Catechism, in the description of faith; as he is offered to us in the Gospel. All these causes must in ordinary dispensation concur to our justification, and the pardoning of our sins.

The 2nd use serves to teach us to be on our guard against the Popish error of justification by works; though we here are mercifully kept free; yet the land is tempted in several corners of it, to shuffle by Christ's righteousness, and to bring in men's own righteousness, or holiness, as the ground of their acceptance before God. There are some spottings of it within a few miles of this place; and since this error draws souls away from that which is their right, and only defense before God, that is Christ's righteousness; it cannot but ruin them; which should make you all to look well about you; and upon this account to abhor it. It is one of the great delusions of the man of sin, which being once admitted, will, with your own consent, bring you again in bondage to a covenant of works.

Use 3. Follow this way in your practice, in your seeking after justification, renounce your own righteousness, and lean to Christ's righteousness alone. What better are many of us in our practice, than Papists? If you ask many, what is it that satisfies the justice of God? Some will answer: 1. Their good prayers, or their good works, and if they have done a fault, they shall make amends. 2. Others will say that they have a good heart to God; and they mean well, though it's but little they can do. 3. Others will thank God, that they have [reconstructed: been] kept from gross evils, and that he has helped them to pray, and to wait on ordinances, and though they have no righteousness of their own, yet God has helped them to do many good things, and thus, all that they lean to, is still within themselves. 4. Others will say, we warrant you, we can merit nothing; but we hope through Christ's righteousness, our holiness and prayers will be accepted; not as duties, or fruits of faith, but they think to make these two concur, as the ground of their justification; to wit, Christ's righteousness, and their own performances together. And what is all this, but black and abominable Popery? And yet, if we go through the generality of professors, great folk, and mean folk, we will find few, but by one or other of these ways, they delude themselves; and that but very few have Christ's righteousness, as the immediate ground of their justification, and defense before God. Be ashamed therefore, that you are so ignorant of this point, and be exhorted to study it, as the main thing, if ever you think to stand before God's tribunal, and to carry your cause. Be exhorted, I say, to be clear in this defense, which only will be found relevant before God, and nothing but this, to wit, the satisfaction of Christ taken hold of and rested on by faith.

The 4th Use serves for notable consolation to a poor sinner, that has no righteousness of his own; and who without this would never have peace. What would any of you think, or say, if you had your prayers, and good works to hold up to God, for the ground of your justification? But here is a way for the most profane and graceless, to be justified; which we do not mention to foster profanity, or an indifference, as to the having or wanting of inherent [reconstructed: grace] and holiness — God forbid we should. But to hold out the excellency of this way of justification by [reconstructed: grace], to which, if you kindly submit, you may come to be justified. It's not your own righteousness, whether you have less or more of it, that justifies you; for to that you must be denied; and endeavor to make this sure and certain. Therefore let not this grace be offered to you in vain; if you slight it, it will be a fearful challenge, and will make you one day stand with a silent mouth, and an empty hand, when you shall be charged; because you have not laid hold on this righteousness, which only can answer all challenges. And you shall stand naked before God, because you had this robe of Christ's imputed righteousness, for covering of your nakedness in your offer, and would not put it on. This is it that bore through David, Abraham and Paul, and all other believers; indeed, that which (to say so) bore through our Lord Jesus who was justified in the Spirit, as he stood in the place of elect sinners. And believers in him may be fully assured of their justification through his imputed righteousness, not that which is his essential, but cautionary righteousness. Therefore [reconstructed: press in] to make use of it; and let God himself bless through Christ what has been said to you to this purpose.