as the full Tale be brought in or no Righteousness of Christ imputed no Merits of Christ otherwise to be applied Whereas if the End of Christ's doing and suffering what he did in our behalf was that what we do our selves by his Spirits preventing and assisting Grace shall be imputed to us for Righteousness which is the very Truth seeing the Scripture says it that it is our Faith to wit a sound Faith working by Love is and shall be so imputed that is our Faith Repentance New Obedience is accepted in regard to the Reward instead of that Righteousness the Law required to our Justification then we see what Line we have given us for the actuating our Faith and reliance on God's Grace Goodness Mercy and Christ's Merits for Pardoning our Failings as I am saying and taking what is done in such good part as to reward it with Life seeing it is for Christ's sake altogether for his Merits sake only not for its value that it finds acceptation which is the greatest Encouragement to our Endeavours and consequently to a Holy Life that can be in the World I will add that God our Judge who is gracious and wise does consider the diverse Natures Tempers Natural Infirmities Temptations of Men and Women and hath his Grains of Allowance for all according to these Circumstances so as that shall be accepted for the Condition performed in one that falls exceeding short of what is done by another Alas there are such diverse Sizes of God's Children so vast a disproportion I mean as to the Degrees of their Grace that one would hardly think them the Children of the same Father What a Difference is there between a Seth and a Sampson Rahab and Elizabeth Who would think that one Heaven should hold them both He knoweth our Frame and remembreth we are but Dust Upon which Account we read so often of his Compassions toward the Weak and Fainting which gives us this Ground for our trust in him to bear with our Frailty in mollifying to some the Condition Not but all must be Sincere but that this Sincerity is of diverse Degrees in the Sence I speak in regard to God's Acceptance and Grace which hath no Bounds to be set by any And now if any pious Brother shall go to take away this Doctrine from us and the Fruit of it I will wish him to take heed to his own and consider whither it leads If Christ hath died for the Sinner so that God looks on the Sinner to have satisfied the Law in Christ then should he preach this Gospel He should declare to all and every of his Hearers that God is in Christ reconciled to him and that he is to believe it's Christ hath died for Sinners thou art a Sinner All are Sinners Christ hath died for all and thou art to believe thy Sins forgiven Thou art not to believe only that there is Forgiveness of Sins and Everlasting Life but that these Articles through Christ are thy Possession Who loved Me and gave himself for Me. In Christ's Obedience and Sâ—fferings thou hast obeyed the Law and satisfied the Penalty and therefore art justified and in a State of Salvation As for Good Works they are indeed to be done out of Gratitude afterward God commands them and they please him and they do good to Men and therefore thou must do them but nothing is to be done for thy self but believe only in order to thy Justification and Salvation Let a Man but believe once in good earnest that it is so he cannot choose but love God and Jesus Christ and that Love will constrain him to Obedience If you hold the Doctrine of Election he must not stick at that but he must believe also he is Elect and indeed that none but the Elect can believe that is thus believe Or that there can be this Fiducia specialis misericordiae in none ever but the Elect only and therefore is it called The Faith of God's Elect. And what says any of my sober Brethren to this Doctrine Can he find in his Heart to preach it when Christ when John when Peter Acts 2.38 when they began to preach did preach Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand I confess that Luther as I apprehend did at first preach at this rate which was the way to fetch in so many by the Shoals as he did from Popery when the World was groaning under the Burden of their Priests Impositions their Penances Satisfactions Fastings Scourgings praying to Saints worshipping Images Pilgrimages Indulgences besides the Vows of Chastity Poverty and Monastical Obedience as to the more Religious whereby they were made to believe they merited Salvation for themselves and others It was glad Tydings now and a welcome Gospel to the World at this time to tell them that it is Faith alone in opposition to these Works that justifies and saves Men. Nevertheless when that excellent Man saw the Effect of his own Doctrine that such as he had turned from Popery began to run as fast to Antinomianism and Libertinism he saw occasion to change his Preaching to press the Law and Repentance as much as others Nor was the Doctrine of Preparatory Works Man's lying at the Pool Refused but Sated and Approved by his Followers A Convinced Sinner is the only Subjectum capax Justificationis even with Dr. Owen Of Just p. 133. The Second PART I Know that several of our chiefest Divines have been so far from imbibing the Sence of this Righteousness which is my Theme The Righteousness of God revealed in the Gospel that their Doctrine in opposition to the Papists is extream in the thwarting without being truly aware of it When those Prudential Catholicks who understand that Qualitas Gratiae infusa non Natura sua sed ex Dei acceptatione ordinatione habet ut Hominem Deo gratum reddat are to be heard rather than them Nay the deep and acute Mr. Baxter so far as I remember any thing he has never came to lay this Righteousness of God enough to his Thoughts when nothing almost else escapes him as it appears by his frequent approbation or mention of the Learned Sober Logically Judicious Mr. Anthony Wotton and sometimes Mr. Hotchkis his Follower I will examine therefore a little into Mr. Wotton's Opinion Justification by him is thus defined It is Reconciliationis pars qua Deus in Christum credentibus fidem reputans ad justitiam omnia illis peccata condonat Reconciliation is God's Return into Grace and Favour with Sinners as he says whom Sin had made his Enemies through Satisfaction given him by Christ God is said to be angry with Sin and Sinners and upon Christ's Satisfaction and their Repentance to be appeased or reconciled Not that Man's Repentance or Christ's Satisfaction works any change in God but Ex Connotatione Objecti God is denominated Man's Repentance changes himself and Christ's Satisfaction makes a change in the Order of Things but God is unchangeable while yet the
many for fear on one hand least they live short of that universal unreserved Obedience which is the most general Mark given of Sincerity and on the other hand when they have come to be satisfied a little as to that least they split on the Book of trusting to themselves or resting in Duty instead of the Righteousness of Christ received by Faith only All things that are comprized any way in following after Righteousness such as are all our Duties and Works are excluded from any Influence in our Justification says the Doctor p. 490. And in p. 493 he says When the Apostle James affirms that a Man is justified by Works and not by Faith only he cannot intend our Justification before God where it is impossible they should both concur I have no doubt but St. James and St. Paul both understood by the Justification they speak of our Justification before God I have proved it Mid. Way of Just p. 51 52. The Justification of Abraham before and at his Offering his Son argues nothing but that Justification is a continued Act as a Pardon at Law and seeing his Faith and Works had Influence in it against the Doctor I conceive that Faith and Works may be made to concur in Justification more kindly than Justification and Sanctification can in their Preaching of the Gospel The most of the Objections the Doctor tells us that are raised against his Doctrine do arise he says for want of a due Comprehension of the Order of the Work of Grace and our Compliance therewithal in a Way of Duty I must say the same of him and as to all that is raised by any against the Doctrine of the Righteousness of God which I am endeavouring to establish against that which is the Doctor 's and the common Protestants Own instead of Paul's Revealed in the Gospel The Gospel calls for Repentance out of Question as well as Faith and the Doctor and others could never exclude all Works from Justification against St. James but for want of a due Comprehending the Way and Method of becoming Righteous which God of his Grace and abundant Mercy when we were lost and liable to Damnation through the need of an irrecoverable Innocency hath instituted through Christ's Redemption and the Evangelick Condition accepted by him instead of the Righteousness of Works from whence we are fallen This is the Righteousness of God in a short Explanation * Well! Let us consult what is that Righteousness of God St. Paul speaks of Rom. 1.17 Rom. 3.21 22 26. Rom. 10.3 2 Cor. 5.21 Phil. 3.9 which he calls so God's Righteousness the Righteousness of Faith that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith in opposition to Works in the Point of Justification Is it the Righteousness of Christ who is God I am perswaded this is a First Thought so shallow that it must be short What then indeed is it This Righteousness of God is that Way and Method of becoming Righteous which is of God's Institution as Another hath expressed it That is not the Righteousness of Christ but that Righteousness through Christ which is Ordained of God and promulgated in the Gospel to be accepted I say through him unto Justification and Salvation But what Way and Method is that When God made Man we must conceive he had in his Prospect what to do with him and that was to glorifie himself in Saving him There was two Ways to do this Either by the Way of Works or Grace Man was Created with an Original Righteousness and what was Original must be Natural and if he had stood he must according to Nature have been Righteous and all his Posterity and the Reward then as it is reckon'd by the Apostle would have been of Debt or Merit and not of Grace God hereby should have glorified his Justice and Goodness in Saving Man but he should have shewn no Mercy nor Man have any need of it No nor any need of a Saviour or Redemption or the Holy Spirit 's Operation That is of that Grace which is Medicinal or Habitual Grace for I say if he had an Original Righteousness he had no need of the Infusion of a New to heal Original Corruption He would have been saved by Works proceeding from Nature Ex Regula viribus Naturae and not from Grace or the Spirit and have needed none of that Grace neither which is Favour but only God's Justice to have dealt with him according to that Law of Innocency which he had performed God therefore did not choose this Way that Man should be saved by a Righteousness of his own according to Nature but by Way of Grace and Works proceeding from Grace or the Holy Spirit and not of himself and that is by a Righteousness which is of God by Faith For by Grace are ye saved through Faith and not of your selves least any Man should boast That is not a Righteousness of your effecting but of God's own Contrivance who hath chosen this way rather than that of Works that none may ascribe that to themselves which is due only to God Not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of Water and renewing of the Holy Ghost Note here is the Righteousness we have done and the Renewing of the Holy Ghost so opposed as that we are saved by that Righteousness which is of God and of God's Spirit and not by that which is our Own How is that Why They being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to establish their own have not submitted to that which should have saved them The Performance of the Law of Moses was the Jews Righteousness for God says This shall be your Righteousness and the Performance of the Law of Nature or Covenant of Works is all Mankind's Righteousness and when neither Jew could perform the One nor any Mortal the Other there are none can be saved by the Righteousness of their Own but it must be by Another Righteousness called by the Apostle the Righteousness of God But now the Righteousness of God without the Law is manifest being witnessed by the Law and Prophets even the Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ. Here is a Righteousness that was ever on foot in the World or none else could have been saved but now revealed by the Gospel which is the Righteousness that save us in opposition to the Righteousness of the Law or of Works even the Righteousness of Faith that is a Righteousness according to the Law or Covenant of Grace which Christ hath procured by his Blood Hence do we read it is said of Christ in Daniel that as he should make Reconciliation for Iniquity so he should bring in an Everlasting Righteousness that is by his Death he should procure a Covenant or Law of Grace by our Performance whereof without the Law we are righteous and must be justified and saved
Jew in the Second yet hath he such a Faith as belongs to the first such as the Ancients before Abraham had and so long as that Faith he hath does work by Love or by sincere Obedience to God according to his Light it will justifie him as well as that which is now farther required of us under the Gospel So my Book call'd The Axe laid to the Root of Separation p. 4. From Faith or Trust in God ' Goodness Grace or Mercy which any in every Nation that feared God and wrought Righteousness had thus to be accepted and pardoned before they knew this Ground or Foundation upon which the Righteousness thereof does stand to that Faith we have now who do know it From that Faith they had in God to save them of his Free Grace before the knowledge or our clearer knowledge of Christ and our Redemption by him to that Faith we have now to save us by the same Free Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Ye believe in God says Christ believe also in me where is a Faith and a Faith Consequently from Faith that is a believing in God to a Faith which is a believing in him through Christ the Foundation of our Faith upon the Revelation of the Gospel Even the Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ to wit since he is revealed Upon these words Mr. Rutherford supposing the Righteousness of Christ to be the formal Righteousness that justifies us thus opposes If our Righteousness and inherent Obedience may be of Grace esteemed formal Righteousness before God by a free Evangelick Paction and an Act of God's Free Will there is no need of Christ's Satisfaction Cou. Op. p. 172 173. I answer This Learned Man hath I account here understandingly exprest the very thing as it is and that he gives for the Reason of his denial is the very Ground upon which this Righteousness as I have explained it is made good If it were not for this Satisfaction of Christ there could be no such Righteousness on God's part or on Ours God should deal with us in his strict Justice and no Man be found righteous accounted or dealt with as so in the Earth But seeing upon this Satisfaction of Christ God may be righteous and abate the Terms as they were in one Covenant and impute them however for Righteousness by another we see how our Evangelick Obedience is indeed the Formal when Christ's Righteousness is the Meritorious Cause of our Justification Our Justification I must say passively taken that is the Formal Cause or Formal Reason or Form itself of that Righteousness whereby we are justified That which we do our selves through Grace or the Spirit acting us is this our Formal Righteousness and that is the Condition of our Justification actively taken and so of the Impunity and Life that follow as the Fruits of it That we may not stray here but keep our Middle-Way between the Extreams of Papist and Protestant we must distinguish Remission and Justification The Papists say Justification is Remission and Regeneration the Protestants say it is Remission and the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness When both then make Remission to be but part of Justification and Totum and Pars may be distinguished these may But I go farther That which goes before and that which comes after Justification must be distinguished from it but such is Remission Remission therefore is Two-fold Universal and Conditional the one Particular and Absolute the other Universal Conditional Remission goes before Justification Particular Absolute follows as its Effect and so Neither must be made the Formal Reason of it He hath given us the World of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their Trespasses And we are his Embassadors beseeching you in Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God 2 Cor 5.18 19 20. Here we see a Reconciliation of God to us obtained for the World so that a Non-imputation of Trespasses belongs to all which yet precedes our being Reconciled to him and consequently our actual Believing and Justification The Reconciliation of the World to God by the Non-imputation of Sin in this Text is indeed no other but what the Apostle otherwhere calls Redemption In whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Now that Redemption does precede Justification both in the Nature of the Thing and Intent of the Apostle is manifest Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Redemption is the Ground we see of our Justification and the Ground is necessarily first to be supposed before that which is built upon it And what is Redemption Redemption is Christ's procuring or purchase of Man's delivery from Wrath due to us according to the Law for Sin or of our discharge from the Penalty called sometimes Freedom from the Law sometimes Forgiveness of Sins by the Price of his Blood or Satisfaction in our behalf but to be given out to us no otherwise than as God and Christ please and that is upon the Terms of the Gospel Of this Remission which preceding Justification must be Universal for where it is Particular the Man is justified and Conditional for if it were Absolute all must be saved no Man must conceive me to imagine our Righteousness the Formal Cause or any Cause nay or Condition Nevertheless this General Remission being given out I say to particular Persons by a new Law or Covenant which requires of us to the participating thereof that we believe repent and walk sincerely before God this Evangelical Righteousness upon that Account is the Thing that Formally justifies us Upon our Faith God does account us Believers or Performers of this Law or Covenant that is righteous by the Righteousness of Faith the Forma per quam we are made so and then this Remission before Conditional becomes Absolute or Actual Remission so commonly called as the Effect together with a Right to Heaven of this Justification Now when the Protestants ordinarily that distinguish not Remission from Justification are vehement here in reference to Grace and Works and say that no Man does or can do any thing in order to the Remission of his Sin That there is nothing and can be nothing in the whole World interposed between our Sins and God's Wrath to stave that off us but Christ's Satisfaction which was made by him and accepted of God for us while we are Sinners Enemies and have no other Qualification so that therefore our Righteousness is so far from being any Cause Efficient Material or Formal that it is not so much as a Condition of it I say it is all true it is all granted The Absolute Free Grace of God and our Redeemer is to be received with the utmost Humility of our Hearts and Thankfulness Only one thing is necessary which is that it be understood aright It must be understood of
the Remission which precedes Justification It must be understood of this Universal Conditional Remission Reconciliation Redemption when that Remission which comes after Justification as its Effect that is Particular Absolute or Actual Remission is made so or obtained only upon the Terms of the Gospel As in our Laws when a Law that is good proves inconvenient we make a New one that does not Repeal that Law but brings a Remedy against that Inconvenience So is it here The Law of Innocency or Nature is good and such as stands and must stand in all respects Unrepealed for ever but upon Man's Fall there being this Inconvenience that no Man being able to perform it perfectly we must all perish a New Law is obtained by Christ and granted by God or an Act of Grace passed by way of Remedy a Remedying Law which Enacts thus That tho' a Man does not fulfil this Law of Works as all ought yet if he Believes and Repents only he shall be pardoned and saved Every Man that does not is condemned already but if he does as soon as he does he is justified by this New Law from that Condemnation When I see Men denominated Righteous through the Old and New Testament only from their upright Walking with God and yet the most Upright to have their Failings and to place their Comfort and Hopes in God's Mercy and Grace to pardon their Failings and accept their Endeavours to please him notwithstanding their Imperfections as we may observe more especially in the Psalms When those Christians that have gone before us holy Men and Fathers have signified the like Temper in such like Expressions Tota justitia mea Domine est tui indulgentia Vae hominum vitae quantumvis laudabili si remota misericordia judicetur Inhaerens justitia sanctorum in hac Vita magis remissione pâ—ccatorum constat quam perfectione Virtutum Ego fidenter quod ex me mihi deest usurpo mihi ex visceribus Domini quoniam miserecordia affluunt nec desunt foramina per quae effluunt Omnia facta deputantur cum quod non fit ignoscitur And when in their Prayers after Confession of Sin they have been wont as they used to express themselves to fly from God's Tribunal of Justice to his Throne of Grace from his Severity to his Mercy through Christ Which through Christ must be for his Merits sake not through his imputed Righteousness for then they should stay at the Bar of his Justice still and by the Law be justified When I say I let these Reflections enter my Soul I cannot but be perswaded that the Righteousness of God whereof I am speaking and the Gospel hath Revealed to be that Righteousness whereby we are justified in opposition to Works must receive between Protestant and Papist a Middle Exposition And what now is said hitherto may be confirmed by the Light it brings for the understanding several Scriptures which are otherwise very hard of Interpretation I will begin with that in Romans the First where we find a Free Gift mentioned in several places which by the Righteousness of One came upon All Men the Apostle speaks unto Justification What is that Free Gift In one Verse we are told it is the Gift of Righteousness But what Righteousness Is it the Righteousness of Christ Our Protestants even the judicious Davenant against the Papists say so but it cannot be For that which comes by the Righteousness of One cannot be that Righteousness of One itsself nor Justification itself that follows it What is it then Why very probably this Righteousness of God we are speaking of that runs so much in the Apostle's Mind which is on God's part the Grace of the Gospel that gives Pardon and Life upon Condition of Faith and so brings Salvation to all Men procured by this Righteousness of One and that as the Medium to Man's Justification By this Key let him that will and has a better Faculty of Words than I open for me the rest of the Chapter I proceed to another Text Rom. 3.31 Do we then make void the Law by Faith God forbid Yea we establish the Law How is that The Law is established I remember Austin tells us Implendo and Faith does establish it by fetching Grace from God to fulfil it So he I add by fetching not only this Grace which is Inherent and Operative but that Grace which is Favour and Mercy in pardoning all that is defective and accepting what is done how weak soever if sincere notwithstanding those Failings unto Life through the Merits of Christ Jesus Or thus It is done by Faith because Faith which is sound and works by Love is this very Righteousness of God on our part we speak of which he accepts of unto Life instead of that of the Law upon Christ's Account And here are there certain Words I meet with in Melancthon and Chemnitius which tho' not in their perfect Sence may be used and approved Faith establishes the Law say they Dupliciter by Inchoation and by Imputation By Inchoation in the New Obedience whereof Faith is the Principle or Faith receives the Spirit as they speak to work in us that Obedience And then by Imputation in that our inchoate Obedience being imperfect and not answering the Law Faith doth apply the Satisfaction and Merits of Christ already intimated for the pardoning all its Defects and rendring it acceptable to God for his sake This I take to be agreeable to the Father before quoted Tunc tota lex impletur quando id quod non fit ignoscitur Only I must add Et quando id quod fit imputatur ad justitiam propter Christum I know these worthy Followers of Luther and also most of Calvin's Followers do understand by their Imputation more than thus even no less than that Christ's Righteousness is made ours by Faith so as God does reckon the Believer to have satisfied and obeyed the Law in him Upon supposition of which Notion here were so easie a Construction to be made of these Texts and others that are chiefly stood upon that no wonder if after one or two such Leaders there were so many embraced it If Christ's Righteousness which is perfect be in a Law-sence the Believer's then in a Law-sence the Believer performs it and so the Law is established according to this place In a Law-sence he is made Righteous by the Obedience of One and so becomes as Righteous as that One according to another Text Rom. 5.19 He is made the Righteousness of God in him Indued with the Righteousness of him who is God according to 2 Cor. 5.21 But the words Of and In Of God and In Him do plainly shew that God and Him are two and consequently that serious Man Mr. Mather with such other Divines must be out when they understand by the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of Christ who is God seeing this Construction makes them one * Justitia Dei est finis sive effectum ex
co quod Christus peccatum pro nobis factus est Hoc autem ipsum est Christi Obedientia Ergo Justitia Dei non est Christi Obedientia Wotton Besides That we might be made the Righteousness of God in him is expressed by the Apostle as the End or Effect of his being made Sin for us He was made Sin for us not Formaliter but Effective in suffering for our Sins His Sufferings was his Obedience and that his Righteousness By the Righteousness of God therefore we must not understand the Righteousness of Christ because that which is the End or Effect of a Thing cannot be the very same Thing but another differing from it There is yet that Text more which will receive the like easie Interpretation on that Supposition Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness to him that believeth the Believer being righteous In and With and not only meritory By his Righteousness according to Rom. 10.4 But the Supposition really is too gross the Notion too hard to be digested as well as dangerous in regard to the Antinomian Consequences of it If in a Law-sence we are righteous and have fulfilled the Law in Christ then in a Law-sence God sees no Sin in us we need no Pardon God cannot in Justice punish for any thing we do with the Lerna of the like Doctrines which follow upon it If in a Law-sence Christ's Righteousness is ours and we have fulfilled the Law in him then are we in a Law-sence justified by Works when by the Works of the Law the Scripture says no Flesh living shall be justified It the Notion of Faith being imputed for Righteousness which is Scripture must be so framed as by Faith we must understand its Object Christ's Righteousness so imputed but first received by Faith or made ours by Faith as the Instrument of that Reception How then shall those many Fathers and Holy Men before Luther who never had any such Notion in their Minds Nay how shall the Patriarchs and all the Holy People from Adam to Christ have been justified as we which is to be Righteous with this Righteousness when they never had the Instrument to receive it An Instrument is that the Efficient works by And when there is not the working Cause how can there be the Effect It is not credible to me that ever any one before Christ or any of his Disciples before his Death did or could believe themselves Righteous by the Satisfaction and Obedience of the Messiah in this sence that his Righteousness should or could be their Formal Righteousness when As St. John tells us He that doth Righteousness is righteous so is this Righteousness done the Formal Righteousness and Christ's Obedience and Satisfaction the Meritorious Cause and the Account we give of its acceptance in the Sinners Justification A Third Text and parallel Place we have in Rom. 8.3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh c. That is I suppose when through the Fall no Man could perform the Condition of the Law of Works God sent his Son as it follows to be a Sacrifice for Sin to procure a Law of Grace That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit How is that when none can fulfil the Law through the Weakness of the Flesh do we fulfil it Yes It is not said fulfilled in Christ but in Us and it is fulfilled by this Righteousness of God which being on our part all one with the Obedience of Faith God upon Christ's Account imputes that to us for Righteousness or reckons it instead of fulfilling it making it as good to us and rewarding us alike as if we had perfectly performed it It is an Obedience or Righteousness indeed not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I have it before according to the Rigour of the Law but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Equity of the Gospel It is not in its own Nature a Righousness falling short of the Law that would justifie us but it does it by Divine Institution and therefore called the Righteousness of God It is an Ordination of Grace through Jesus Christ and therefore is God righteous in what he does But on our part it is called the Righteousness of Faith I do observe therefore how that Religiously Learned Gentleman Sir Charles Wolesley having wrote his Book of Justification after I had wrote and he had read my Sheets on the same Subject hath these Words upon that forementioned Critical Place 2 Cor. 5.21 The meaning is this says he Christ that was without all Sin was ordained of God to be a Sacrifice for Sin that we might thereby be made righteous with the Gospel Righteousness for that is the general meaning every where of the Righteousness of God Sir C. W. p. 64. This I know I delivered as my Judgment in those Sheets and his saying the same after is as much as if he had said I have considered what you say and am convinced that this is the meaning of that Text and that you are right in your Sence of the Righteousness of God It is a walking after the Spirit not after the Flesh though not perfectly up to our Duty And the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus after which we walk in our measure does set us free from the Law of Sin and Death I will proceed to some Consequences like to be good or ill as they follow upon a right or mistaken understanding of this Righteousness If by it the Righteousness of Christ imputed be understood By the exercise of Faith in apprehending the same to be made ours so as to bring it before the Tribunal of God's Justice for our Justification thereby according to the Law of Works the very Life of that Faith or Comfort of that Life which consists in trusting resting relying on God's Mercy and Goodness for pardoning all the Failings of our Performances and accepting them even our very Desires and weakest Endeavours through the Merits of Christ unto Life so as by that Faith we have access to the Throne of Grace and are justified according to the Gospel is stopt perverted if not quite contradicted and lost Nay if the End of Christ's Obeying and Satisfying the Law was that his Satisfaction and Obedience should be made ours upon Condition for our Divines here are cautious and do generally take heed to put in that to wit upon Performance of the Terms the Gospel requires of us in order to it and not otherwise then cannot the Merits of Christ be so rationally I think applied thus as I speak to the Performance of the Condition Our Divines indeed do say that Christ hath not only procured this Imputation on Condition but Grace also for the Performance of the Condition some say General Grace for all that will some Special that makes some to will but this Condition must be performed by our Free-Will or Grace so
by his Grace I say to do how little soever if sincerely done if it be but the Grain of Mustard-seed in a hungring and thirsting after Righteousness shall be accepted unto Life that is be that Condition upon the Account of what Christ hath done for us this I say is solid Consolation Thou sayest when I look on my Works my Heart sinks I am not sure I am sincere but in the Righteousness of Christ I am safe I say this is certain if thou art not sincere thou art not safe And when I doubt whether I am or not I can have no Support but in this that I hope I am I trust I am and that it is upon the Satisfaction and Merit of Christ that Faith that Hope does depend For that there is any Condition at all that the Condition is such that what I do shall be accepted as the Condition performed it must be all put upon Christ's Performance and Merit in our behalf and his Merit is sufficient however imperfect be our Duty for its acceptance with God When then upon a Sence of my Deficiency instead of sinking I grow bolder in my reliance on Christ's Merits and God's Mercy I do not presume on myself but I magnifie his Grace and the higher I raise my Faith thereupon provided I live not willingly in any Conscience-wasting Sin the more Glory am I humbly perswaded do I give my gracious Saviour and good God Thou Man hast the Comfort to apply to thy self Christ's Merits if thou hast performed the Condition But I have the Comfort to apply Christ's Merits to the Condition which makes his Yoke easie and his Burden light as to the Performance and my Desires and weakest Endeavours to find Acceptance When I read such Prayers of David That God would not enter into Judgment with him that he would not be extream to mark what he had done amiss for then he could not abide it and that yet he will have God to search him and try his Reins and Heart and the like I cannot but be convinced that in the Acceptance of such an imperfect Righteousness as he accounted his was through God's meer gracious Condescension Mercy and Forgiveness to him he placed his Justification in which Sence also he calls him the God of his Righteousness When as for any Acceptance of him through the Righteousness of the Messiah to come a Righteousness without him made his by Faith which could abide God's district Justice I find not the Footstep of one such Thought To rely therefore I will say on Christ's Righteousness as ours without regard to any thing within or without regard to the Condition is Self-deceiving But to rely on God's Mercy and on Christ's Merits for Acceptance of what we do and Pardon for the Failings is substantial Religion and of Justification by Faith in Christ's Blood a good Exposition I will fetch here one Leaf out of my late Book Pacification and put it into the Margin for the Use and Comfort of this Explication I return to Mr. Wotton who indeed does sweat with stir to prove that Remission of Sin is Righteousness for wiping off that blame the Papists lay on his Opinion that a Man is justified without a Righteousness if it be by Pardon only But this I stick upon that though pardon in some Sence is or may be called Righteousness yet is it not this Righteousness it is not the Righteousness of God I am concerned about that the Apostle means and which is by Mr. Wotton's own acknowledgment that which justifies the Believer It did I must needs say at first and still does move me that I find not one Scripture from Genesis to the Revelation that denominates any one to be a just or righteous Person from Pardon but from his righteous living He that doeth Righteousness is righteous Yet that which does convince me is that by Mr. Wotton's leave it is not Remission of Sin in opposition to Works but this Righteousness of God in opposition to Works and that is our Evangelical Righteousness which the Apostle means while he contends that it is by Faith and not Works that we are justified or that is Faith and not Works is our Formal Righteousness in Justification See a peculiar Argument I offer in my Mid. Way of Just p. 48. I am I say convinced that the Notion the Apostle had of Justification could not be Pardon because in his Dispute whether it be by Faith or Works we are justified he does suppose that if a Man had Works they would justifie him and make the Reward of Debt but that Abraham and none had or have them And consequently while he supposes that if a Man could keep the Law as if Adam in Innoceny had kept it he should be justified it is plain he cannot understand Pardon by Justification seeing where such Works are that is perfect Works which he certainly means there were no Sin to Pardon This Argument may be more pungently framed than it is here or there but the Medium of Probation arose to me in my Mind as perfect Conviction I will now define Justification Justification is an Act of Free Grace whereby God imputes to every Sound Believer his Faith for Righteousness upon the Account of Christ's Satisfaction and Merits giving him Pardon and Life as the Benefits of it I need say nothing of the Genus Definiti an Act of Free Grace it is the Assemblies By a Sound Believer I mean one whose Faith works by Love including Repentance and New Obedience which together makes our Evangelical Righteousness And this Sound Faith is imputed for Righteousness I account in this Sence that God does accept it in the room of a perfect Righteousness not accounting it as perfect but accepting it I say in the room of that Perfection required unto Life by the Law and consequently rewarding it for Christ's Merit sake as much if not more than if it were that I add then giving Pardon and Life as the Effects or Benefits distinguished from the Form of Justification A Right to Impunity and Life Christ hath purchased and gives by his Covenant they that are justified by this Covenant are adjudged to these Benefits so that Pardon and Salvation flow to us I say as the Benefits and are not the Form of Justification One of them is never accounted to be the Form and by the same Reason neither may be the other The Gospel-Law or Covenant does both make and declare all Believers righteous as having a Right to the Benefits of it by Performance of the Condition But as for this or that particular Person that is a Believer or Performer it is God must be Judge This Judgment is to be supposed preceding and the Benefits to be actually conferred by it When I say this Righteousness or Faith is the Form I understand it in that Sence as these Divines do who say Christ's Righteousness is the Form or Remission is the Form the Word therefore is not to be scrupled not