of men but of God The same Apostle saith that Abraham received the sign of Circumcision and seal of the righteousness of faith These Scriptures compared together shew that Circumcision did seal the Covenant of Grace between God and his people on the one side confirming the promises of God to them as a seal added to the blood of his Covenant on the other side engaging them to answer the ends of the Covenant by Circumcising their hearts mortifying their corruptions and forsaking their sins The sum of Gods promises sealed by the Sacrament of Circumcision is delivered in these words I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee I conceive this conteineth as much as all the promises of the Gospel For what is there in all the promises concerning pardon of sin justification adoption the graces of Sanctification the comforts and joyes of the holy Ghost Communion with God strength against temptation protection against the assaults of Satan and the world hearing and answering of prayers support under afflictions victory over death everlasting life and salvation and other promises and priviledges granted to Believers in the Gospel I say what is there in all these which is not comprehended in this promise I will be their God God is all sufficient he is all in all and when he giveth himself he giveth all good things and blessings and this was sealed by Circumcision Now this promise and Covenant is fulfilled in Christ for out of Christ men and women are both strangers and Enemies to God and have no interest in him The Lord is so far from being their God that he is their Enemy saith the Apostle When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son The best of men and women are in a state of enmity with God until they are reconciled by Christ. And that Covenant sealed by Circumcision wherein the Lord promised to be the God of Abraham and of his seed was the same for substance with that where he saith I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed I conceive the promise of Christ is twice included here when it is said I will make thee a blessing and again in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed Abraham was made a blessing and the Nations and families of the Earth were blessed in him in this regard because Christ according to the flesh or humane nature was to issue out of his loynes according to that in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed that is in Christ. So that Abraham found that in Christ which was sealed to him by Circumcision Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness and he received the sign of Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being uncircumcised Circumcision attained its end in Christ and he was the substance of this shadow in him believers are reconciled to God and he becometh their God and they are made his people being justified by his righteousness and by his spirit they are circumcised in heart their corruptions are mortified and their body of sin destroyed which is an evidence of their union with Christ and justification by him and this may move us to labour to be found in Christ that we may be circumcised in heart that the power of sin may be killed in us that we may be conformed unto his death our sinful lusts and affections being crucified by virtue of his death on the Cross that so as the Apostle saith we may be circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the Circumcision of Christ. 2. In as much as circumcision was a seal of that Covenant whereby God gave himself to his people to be their God in Christ and a seal of the righteousness of saith and so of the pardon of sin and justification through the righteousness of Christ apprehended by faith It is clear that all the Arguments of the Anabaptists fall to the ground which they build either upon the pretended difference of Baptisme and circumcision or of the Covenants sealed by them or upon the incapacitie of Infants for it is evident that the same Covenant which is confirmed by Baptisme was also sealed by circumcision and if Infants under the old Testament were capable of circumcision how are they made uncapable of Baptism under the Gospel And accordingly you may observe how the Apostle compareth baptisme and circumcision together and sheweth how the latter cometh in place of the former for having warned believers not to hearken to those who would bring them in bondage unto Iewish Ceremonies he telleth them ye are compleat in hi scil in Christ aâ—d so need not to observe those shadows of the Law in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. So that they have the same circumcision in Christ w ch their Fathers had under the Law and therefore needed not the outward circumcision But lest any should think thus our faith under the Gospel needeth outward helps to confirm it as well as theirs under the old Testament he addeth these words ver 12 Buried with him in baptisme wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead as if he had said instead of Circumcision ye have the Sacrament of baptisme signifying the same thing and sealing the Covenant of grace and righteousness of faith Secondly The other Sacrament was that of the Passeover this was instituted by the Lord while Israel was in Egypt and was first celebrated that same night that they came out of that house of Bondage The sum of the ordinance was this that every family should chuse a Lamb a male of the first year without blemish they were to separate it from the rest of the flock on the tenth day of the Month setting apart four days until the fourteenth day at even when it was to be killed they were to take of the blood and strike it upon the two side-posts and on the upper door-posts of the houses wherein the Lambs was to be eaten and the same night they were commanded to eat the flesh of the Lamb roasted with fire and with unleavened bread and bitter herbs but if any family were too little for a Lamb it was to joyne with the next and they were to eat it in hast with their loines girded their shoes on their feet and their staffe in their hand as men prepared to travel
The reason that was given for it is this in effect that the Lord that night would pass through the Land oâ— Egypt and smite all the first born both of man and beast among the Egyptians but would spare those houses of the Israeliteâ— when he saw the blood of the Lamb on the door-posts This in it self was a great deliverance but there was a far greater mystery and deliverance intended which was accomplished in Christ. First then The Lamb was a figure of Christ whom Iohn Baptist according to his office pointed out to the people saying Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world and another day Behold the Lamb of God And the Apostle saith Christ our Passeover is Sacrificed for us And the Apostle Peter saith Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot As the Lamb appointed for the Passeover was to be without blemish so Christ the Lamb of God was without all blemish or spot of sin actual or original being conceived by the divine power of the holy Ghost in the wombe of a pure Virgin Again as the Lamb of the Passeover was taken from the rest of the flock so Christ in regard of his humane Nature was taken from the rest of mankind and made one person with the Son of God that he might be all-sufficient for this great end scil to take away the sins of the world The Lamb for the Passeover was set apart certain days before it was slain Christ was set apart in the eternal counsel of God fore-ordained before the foundation of the world And as the blood of the Lamb was to be put upon the door posts of the Israelites houses that so the destroyer might pass over them and not destroy any of them whereas the first-born were slain in those houses that were not marked with the blood of the Paschal Lamb So the most precious blood of Christ is to be sprinkled by faith upon the souls of Believers his blood death satisfaction righteousness is to be applied to their souls by faith unfeigned that so the destroying curse of the Law and wrath of God may not abide upon them but pass over them while others who have no interest in this Lamb of God and his most precious blood lye open to the curse of the Law and the wrath to come So that we see also how this Ceremony and Sacrament of the Passeover attained its end in Christ and is accomplished in him and in that sense established And in particular this is declared in the doctrine of justification through the satisfaction and righteousness of Christ apprehended by faith For as the houses marked with the blood of the Paschal Lamb escaped the destroyer so those souls who by faith unfeigned apply the blood and righteousness of Christ to themselves are delivered from condemnation and accepted of God as righteous Let us labour to improvâ— this First As the Israelites were never delivered out of Egyptian bondage until they kept the Passeover so let us assure our selves that As it had been impossible for any men and women to get out of the slavery of sin and Satan unless the Lamb of God had been slain for thâ—â— Redemption so none are actually redeemed and delivered from this woful bondage untill they keep the Passeover in a spiritual manner until they imbrace Christ the Lamb of God and feed upon him by the lively actings and exercisings of faith unfeined Many may be convinced of their misery and sigh for hard bondage as the Israelites did in Egypt but they cannot be made free unless they keep this Passeover If the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed If ye be found in Christ and feed upon this Lamb of God ye shall be free indeed not otherwise Secondly Admire with all Thankfulness the infinite goodness of God who before the foundation of the world provided such a precious remedy for poor sinners even a Lamb without blemish and without spot â—eparated from the rest of the flock one of the seed of the woman set apart from among all the rest of the children of men and personally united to the eternal Son of God that so he might be a full and perfect propitiation for sin Thirdly As Christ is a Lamb without spot so let all that will be saved by him labour to be more conformed to him in holiness purging themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit for every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself as he is pure What is that but an unsound self-deceiving hope which doth not stir up the soul to conform it self to Christ in purity and holiness Fourthly Labour with all diligence for faith unfeigned whereby ye may sprinkle the most precious blood of Christ upon your Souls applying his death suffering satisfaction righteousness to your selves that ye may escape the destroying curse of the Law and wrath of God that being justified by faith in the blood and righteousness of Christ there may be no condemnation unto you What had it profited the Israelites that the Lamb for the Passeover was slain if they had not followed the Lord his direction in putting the blood upon the door posts of their houses What shall it profit any that live under the Gospel that Christ the Lamb of God is slain and in the preaching of the word set forth as it were crucified before their eyes if they do not sprinkle their souls in particular with his blood rightly applying his satisfaction and righteousness to themselves Will not the Lord look upon them rather as Egyptians then Israelites and deal with them accordingly Fifthly As they did eat the Lamb at the feast of the Passeover So let Christians endeavour every day to keep this feast unto the Lord by feeding upon this living bread upon the body and blood of Christ in lively actings of faith upon him and more especially in the use of his ordinances his word and the holy Supper As they kept the Passeover with unleavened bread so let us keep the feast not with old leven neither with the leven of malice and of wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth The Lord Christ warned his Disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharises and of the Sadduces and though at the first they mistook his meaning yet afterward they understood it of the doctrine of the Pharises and Sadduces so he said unto his Disciples Beware of the Leaven of the Pharises which is Hypocrisie So that all manner of evil outward and inward in heart in opinion in conversation may be comprehended under this Leaven and they that will rightly feast with Christ and feed upon him must
so the people of God had need every day morning and evening to flee to Christ and to apply his sacrifice and satisfaction to themselves and through him to seek pardon of God for their dayly sins and infirmities every day sprinkling the blood of Christ the Lamb of God upon their souls 2. This may stir up Christians dayly to offer up a morning evening sacrifice to the Lord in confession of sins prayers praises thanksgivings We read of special blessings which the Lord vouchsafed at those times The King of Iudah Israel and Edom with their Army were in danger to perish for want of water and in this great distress they had recourse to the Prophet Elisha now it is said ver 20 and it came to pass in the morning when the meat-offering was offered that behold there came water by the way of Edom and the country was filled with water So Danâ—ul having prayed with much importunity for the Church which was then in captivity saith the man Gabriel to wit the Angel Gabriel in the likeness of a man being caused to fly swiftly touched him about the time of the evening oblation and so as it followeth there opened the counsels of God unto him according to his request I conceive it is very probable that the people of Israel in their several houses did use to pour out their prayers to God about the time of the morning and evening sacrifices and that Daniel and others of the godly when they were in captivity did observe those times though then the Temple was destroyed and the daily sacrifice interrupted A second sort of Sacrifices were sin offerings this kind of offering is called in the Hebrew expresly Sin because in a typical or figurative way the guilt or sin of him for whom the sacrifice was offered was laid upon the creature sacrificed So the Apostle sheweth that God hath made him scil Christ to be â—in for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him The sin-offering called sin figured the imputation of mens sin to Christ who had no sin of his own bnt voluntarily took upon him the guilt of mens sins as a surety taketh upon him anothers debt 1. See here how exceedingly the Son of God abased himself for sinners as to stand under the guilt of numberless sins If we consider the infinite holiness glory and Majesty of Christ is it not evident that this degree of humiliation and abasement passeth all understanding Admire therefore his infinite love and unconceivable goodness which moved him hereunto Learn highly to exalt and honour him 2. See here the baseness of sin which thâ— abased the Son of God when he took the guilâ— of it upon him out of compassion to sinnerâ— No outward estate condition calling imployment doth so abase any as the least sin doth in the Lord his account and yet hoâ— vain is the corrupt heart of man in being ashamed of many other things more thâ— of sin yea how many are there that arâ— ashamed of holiâ—ess and ready to glory iâ— sin 3. If Christ did thus abase himself for thâ— sins of others as to be made a sin-offering or to be made sin by imputation How shoulâ— we take shame to our selves and be exceedingly humbled and abased for our own sins As David I have sinned greatly in that I haâ— done I have done very foolishly And 〈◊〉 I abhor my self and repent in dust 〈◊〉 ashes 2. The blood of the sin-offering was to sprinkled seven times before the Lord and seâ— is noted for a number of perfection The Souâ— and Consciences of sinners are so deeply slaâ—ned and defiled with sin that they neeâ— much purging How often should we laboâ— by â—aith to sprinkle the blood of Christ upon our souls and to apply it to our selves This blood of the sin-offering was to bâ— sprinkled seven times before the vail of 〈◊〉 holy place so it is the blood of Christ 〈◊〉 maketh way for believers to the mercy-seat which their sins had shut up against theâ— Having therefore Brethren boldness to enteâ— into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh and having an high-priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true â—eart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience and our bodies washed with pure water with hearts and souls sprinkled with the blood of Christ by faith and so purged from the guilt of sin and bodies washed with pure water being baptized outwardly and inwardly with water and the sanctifying graces of the holy spirit 3. Some of the blood was to be put upon the horns of the sweet incense Altar scil the Golden Altar so Christians are to ground their faith and confidence in offering up the Incense of prayer upon the blood and Mediation of Christ having no hope of acceptance but only through him and his satisfaction and intercession The Golden Altar being a type of Christ as he intercedeth for his people The blood of the sin-offering put upon this Altar may intimate unto us that Christ intercedeth with his Father and pleadeth for his people by presenting to him his blood the merit of his death and fulness of his satisfaction which he underwent not for himself who had no need but for them 4. The fat of the Inwards Kidneys c. were to be burned upon the Altar The fat may signifie carnal security senselessness and sottishness in heavenly and spiritual things Make the heart of this people sat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes and the Kidneys and fat upon them may signifie fleshly lusts and therefore as these things were consumed by fire upon the Altar so let Christians earnestly pray and labour for more and more of the spirit of Christ to consume and burn up their earthly and carnal affections and sinful lusts And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Sion and he that remaineth in Ierusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Hierusalem when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the Daughters of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Hierusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Iudgement and by the spirit of burning 5. The skin of the Bullock for the sin-offering and all his flesh with his head and with his leggs and his inwards and his dung even the whole Bullock was to be carried without the Camp where the Ashes were poured and there to be burnt and as this was to be done without the Camp while they were in the Wilderness as they were when these things were written so it seemeth after they were settled in Canaan it was done without the City The Apostle giveth us
the way of the Lord make his paths strait Yea the Lord Christ himself in his own person sounded this Silver Trumpet From that time Iesus began to preach and to say Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand He who gave himself for a sacrifice and poured forth his blood to make atonement and reconciliation between God and sinners did preach repentance to them to prepare them for atonement and reconciliation It is very lamentable to consider how many live under the sound of the Silver Trumpet many years and yet are not prepared for atonement and reconciliation to God through Christ nor brought to the beginnings of sound and saving repentance but either are secure careless dead-hearted minding earthly things or resting in outward performances or openly profane and wicked Oh how dreadful will the sound of that Trumpet be at the last day for the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-Angel and with the Trumpet of God I say how dreadful shall the sound of that Trumpet be to such who go on hardning their hearts in security and impenitency against the sound of the Silver Trumpet of the Gospel 2. The day of atonement and humiliation was about four or five days before the feast of Tabernacles wherein they were to rejoyce before the Lord so sincere humiliation and repentance make way for sound spiritual joy Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted godly sorrow maketh way for heavenly rejoycing But when a man goeth on to glut himself with the pleasures of sins or earthly contents not afflicting his soul for sin he hath no part in this spiritual feast to such belongs that sad threatning Wo unto you that laugh now for ye shall mourn and weep Fifthly Consider their manifold washings with water in divers Cases to purifie themselves from legal uncleannesses Ceremonial pollutions as when any was cleansed from the Leprosie he was to be sprinkled with water mingled with blood seven times and afterwards to wash both his cloaths and his body in water so they that had running issues when they were cleansed from them were commanded to wash their cloaths and their bodies in water and so in divers other Cases Now the Apostle Iohn proves that the Lord Jesus is The Christ thus This is he that came by water and blood even Iesus Christ nâ—â— by water only but by water and blood and iâ— is the spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is Truth whereas there was great use of water and blood in the Law of Ceremonies the blood of the 〈◊〉 and the water many wayes used for cleansing and purifying it sheweth that all these things were accomplished in Christ and attained their end in him he performed and fulfilled what was signified and typified both by water and blood His blood was shed as the blood of the most perfect sacrifice to take away the guilt of sin and to justifie sinners and save them from condemnation and the sanctifying spirit and grace of Christ cleansing his people from the filth of sin washing their hearts from wickedness and making them holy as he is holy and therefore he addeth ver 8 there are three that bear witness in earth the spirit the water and the blood And ver 10 He that believeth hath the witness in himself He that savingly believeth in Christ being united to him by faith hath this threefold witness in himself the spirit of Christ witnessing with his spirit that he is in Christ reconciled to God by Christ an adopted child and Heir of God through Christ the only begotten Son of God and Heir of all things the blood of Christ cleansing his Conscience from the guilt of sin the grace of Christ resembled by water sanctifying him and conforming him to Christ in holiness so that such an one hath an evidence in his own soul both that Jesus is the very Christ and that he is his Christ for he findeth that Christ hath fulfilled that in and upon his soul which was figured by the blood and water under the Law of Ceremonies This is a blessed and most precious priviledge which all that are under the Gospel should labour with all diligence to make their own Oh what an happiness is it for Christians to have this threefold witness in themselves In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established Here are three witnesses beyond exception A Christian having this threesold witness in himself in the poorest outward estate is richer and happier then all the treasures of the earth and all the Kingdoms of the world can make him but how few are they that have any other witness of their interest in Christ but their own fancy how few do seriously and diligently seek for any other In that great and last day how will ye stand in the presence of God when numberless sins are charged upon you Will ye say Christ hath satisfied for your sins what shall this profit you unless ye be united unto Christ Will ye plead that ye believe in Christ and so are made one with him where is your witness Oh take heed of appearing before the all-seeing God without a witness And therefore I beseech you consider seriously of your condition and rest not till ye are in Christ and until he come into your souls both by water and blood and give you the witness of his spirit 2. Those frequent washings under the Law of Ceremonies may stir up Christians to frequent endeavours dayly to purifie themselves as Christ is pure to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God to draw cleansing and sanctifying virtue from Christ more and more by faith They were to wash their bodies and cloaths to be sprinkled with water seven times There is a fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness a fountain of most precious blood and water of most Soveraign virtue the sufferings of Christ and the grace of God are to wash away the guilt of sin and the uncleanness and pollution of sin Do not forsake your own mercies and neglect so great salvation It is sad that when such a precious fountain is opened so few are washed and cleansed Thus much concerning the Ceremonial Law to shew how and in what respects it is established by the doctrine of the Gospel CHAP. VII THere are two other Laws mentioned by the Apostle in the former part of this Epistle by neither of which men can be justified in the sight of God One is the Law of Nature the other is the Moral Law written and delivered in the Scriptures It was needful for the Apostle to speak distinctly of both these For 1. His great design was to make known the only way whereby men might be justified and accepted as righteous in the sight of God the righteous judge of all the world that so they might be everlastingly blessed and
of impenitency and unbelief That full satisfaction which Christ made to the Law ratifieth the Authority of the Law and proclaimeth to the world that the Law spareth none that are under the Law and so are all that are not in Christ and so under grace and therefore rest not one day in this condition sin lieth at the door he avenger of blood is at thy back the voice of the Law is pay that thou owest It is a groundless plea to say Christ hath paid all if thou remainest out of Christ. Secondly If sin were so exceeding grievous and bitter unto Christ Oh let it not be sweet and delightful unto thee It sin imputed were such an unspeakable torment to the Lord Jesus Christ What a shame is it for any that pretend to be members of Christ to make it the matter of their contentment Dost thou call thy self a Christian and canst thou see the Son of God abased for sin put to an open shame buffetted spit upon crowned with thorns and sweating drops of blood exceedingly afflicted in soul bleeding and dying upon the Cross for sin and yet canst thou hold up thy head take a pride in sin glory in it despise reproof gain by it thrive by it rise by it get preferment by it sport and solace thy seâ—f with it and still own the name of a Christian What is this but to be an Enemy to the Cross of Christ harbouring in thy bosom that Enemy which fastned and nailed him to the Cross Thirdly Here'i 's ground of sound comfort for them that are in Christ He hath made full satisfaction to the Law he hath paid the debts of his people cancelled the bond of the Law redeemed them from the Curse the Law can exact no satisfaction from them he hath fully cleared all accounts There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit But of this somewhat may be spoken upon the next point The third particular followeth viz. That the Lord Iesus Christ established the Law by communicating his perfect righteousness to Believers where as in the former points there are two Branches 1. That the perfect righteousness of Christ is communicated to Believers 2. That hereby the Law is established Concerning the former ye heard before of the perfect Righteousness of Christ who both was a Lamb without spot knew no sin and performed compleat obedience to the Law and also did undergo the punishment and Curse of the Law due to the sins of men and women and so made full satisfaction to the Law Now that which is to be cleared is this That this perfect Righteousness of Christ is communicated to Believers 2. How it is received by Believers 3. What are the effects and consequents of the righteousness of Christ thus communicated and received For the first 1. The righteousness of Christ is communicated to Believers not by infusion but by imputation not so as to be inherent in them but so as to be imputed to them so as to be accounted theirs for he hath made him to be sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him As the sins of men were not infused into Christ so as to be inherent in him but imputed to him so the Righteousness of Christ is not infused into Believers so as to be inherent in them but is imputed to them and accounted theirs The satisfaction which Christ hath made to the Law is imputed to them that is reckoned to belong unto them as if they had satisfied the Law in their own persons So it is said of Abraham it was imputed unto him for Righteousness Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him who raised up Iesus our Lord from the dead As if a King should pardon a great Malefactour for his Fathers sake who had done some eminent service to the State his Fathers deservings might be said to be imputed to him accounted his as if they had been his own and when a surety payeth anothers debt the payment is imputed to the debtour and accounted as done by him and he is as fully discharged and esteemed out of debt as if he had paid it with his own mony so Believers have no Righteousness of their own to satisfie the justice of God but the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to them that is accounted theirs as if they had been perfâ—ctly righteous by performing perfect obedience and making full satisfaction in their own persons to the Law and here ye may observe who it is that imputeth the Righteousness of Christ to Believers 2. Of what nature this act of imputation is 1. It is God that imputeth the Righteousness of Christ to Believers saith the Apostle David describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without works it is God who imputeth Righteousness unto justification and it properly belongeth to him as the supream Judge Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Here the Apostle seemeth to set before us a representation of the highest Tribunal or Court of Judicature intimating or supposing the persons indicted the Accuser the Judge the Advocate the Persons indicted or arraigned the Elect of God true believers the Accuser implied in those words Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect the Judge God it is God that justifieth the Advocate Christ who first died and so made satisfaction for the sins of his people 2. Rose again and by this his deliverance out of the grave the prison of Death made it evident that their debts were fully discharged 3. He is at the right hand of God which is a sure argument that he is highly in the Judges favour 4. He improveth his interest in the Judge by making intercession for his people presenting his merit and Righteousness to his Father to be imputed to them and accounted theirs and therein pleading his satisfaction made in their stead for their pardon and justification But the thing for which I bring this place at the present is to shew that it is God who imputeth the righteousness of Christ to Believers it is he that justifieth God is the efficient cause the Authour of the imputation of Christ his righteousness to his people and so of their justification It is one God which shall justifie the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith scil all sincere Believers whether Israelites or Gentiles Now the works of God toward the Creatures are the works of all the three persons of the God-head Father Son and holy Ghost and therefore Christ