lost and perishing and forlorne Condition And verily this is an heavy and an overwhelming guilt superadded unto all the rest You should take in Convictions of your condemned Condition and that the Wrath of God abideth on you and will do so as long as you continue in unbelief Do not flatter your selves and delude your own Consciences by saying I have mourned and I have wept bitterly for my sins and over my poor Soul and I have left them and amended and reformed my Life and I thank God I walk so and so blamelesly and exemplarily Be it so yet let me put these two Demands to thy Conscience 1. Are these things the Righteousness of Christ And 2. Are they Faith If they be not the Righteousness of Christ they can never justifie thee from any the least sin And if they be not Faith the Righteousness of Christ will never be upon thee by or thorow them The Scripture no where saith that the Righteousness of Christ is upon us through our repenting not yet through our amending and reforming no nor through any works of Righteousness and Obedience that we have done or can do No this is the Priviledge Prerogative and peculiar Office of Faith True it is these things are thy bounden Duties God will damn thee for neglecting them But yet as true and as certain it is that they neither are the Righteousness of Christ nor will they intitle thee to it and interest thee in it Know therefore that though thou couldst mourn Rivers of Tears or Seas of Bloody though thou couldst amend thy Life and reform thy way and thy heart too so as never more to sin and though for the time past of thy Life thou hadst and for all the time to come shouldst live like a Saint dropt down from Heaven and walk up and down in the World like an Angel in flesh shine and sparkle and glitter among the Sons of God yet as all this is not the Righteousness of Christ so neither would the Righteousness of Christ be upon thee through all these things for they are not Faith Thou art therefore in a state of Condemnation and the Wrath of God abides upon thee and will do so as long as thou continuest without Faith USE 3. This Doctrine speaks earnest exhortation to get Faith to believe And it speaks to you all one and other for you all stand in need of this Righteousness of Christ to be upon you the very least sinner among you all as well as the greatest As the Apostle Paul sometime said to Peter Gal. 2.15 16. We who are Jews by Nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the wâ—rks of the law shall no flesh be justified So I say to you that are not such grievous and atrocious sinners as some others are you as well as the greatest Sinners must believe in Jesus Christ that you may be justified And much more you whose own Consciences neither do nor can make any other judgment of you but that you are among the very chief of Sinners Sinners before the Lord exceedingly O do you get Faith See that you believe For in this way it will come to pass that the Righteousness of Christ shall be upon you and in no way by no means unless you believe You may try other courses you may gad about to change your way from foul to clean from careless and loose and prophane to strict and serious and circumspect but though you wash you with Nitre and take you much Soap yet your Iniquities will stand marked before the Lord your guilt the guilt of all your sins wilt still be upon you You may take up the practise of Duties and abound therein you may attain much light in Spiritual things and become Eminent in Gifts You may walk blamelesly in the Eye of the World you may live in the fellowship of Saints and in the observance of the Ordinances of God in the purest way of their Administration upon earth and yet be without this Righteousness of Christ upon you For these are not Faith It is therefore a preposterous course to begin with taking up of Duties without looking after Faith nay it is an errour in the Foundation and a building on the Sand All your building of Duties and Profession and Hopes will fall down and the fall thereof will be great and fearful Yet I fear it is the oversight and errour of many Professors among us at this day but it is a fatal and Soul-ruining one My advice and Exhortation to you therefore is that whatever you do in the concernments of your Souls look to it that you believe Whatever you neglect neglect not getting Faith Yea look to it in the first place Thus your Teachers should instruct and lead you This is the Apostles direction unto Titus that he should teach them that have believed to be careful to maintain or to excel in good works Tit. 3.8 not to teach and press Sinners in their unbelief to fall to doing good works first and overlook believing wholly or to postpone it after them And thus you should practise else you labour in the fire and weary your selves in very vanity for all your pain and toil and doing will not bring it about that the Righteousness of Christ shall be upon you for they are not Faith But through Faith that Righteousness will be upon you and being upon you it will produce good works and both your Works and your Persons be accepted your Persons first and then your Works And if you believe this Righteousness shall certainly be upon you and you shall be accepted and made Righteous in it how many or how heinous soever your sins have been or how great soever and amazing to your Consciences your guilt be For it is through Faith and net through works of Obedience that it is unto all and upon all without difference who do believe Therefore look to it that you do indeed believe look to it that your Faith be the Faith of God's Elect. Vse 4. This Doctrine speaks to Believers and to you it shows how you should live and walk before God so as to please injoy and glorifie him I will instance in three things 1. You should walk holily in all new Obedience If you be redeemed and delivered from Condemnation and Death as verily you are if this Righteousness be upon you it is that you might serve the Lord without fear slavish legal fear in holiness and righteousness in all the Duties required both in the First and Second Table of the Law and that before him in sincerity and uprightness of Heart as in his sight and all this not in a fit only or for a while but all the days of your lives Luke 1.74 75. This
of Jesus Christ is meant Faith upon him that Christ is the object not the subject of it Not that Christ is he that believes but he on whom we believe So is this manner of speaking used elsewhere Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a man is justified by the Faith of Jesus Christ we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Jesus Christ And so ver 20. I live by the Faith of the Son of God So in Acts 3.16 By Faith in his Name It is the same case and construction in the Greek as it is here in the Text and in the Galatians and might as well be rendred Faith of his Name You have the like Mark 11.22 Have Faith in God or as your Margins tell you Have the Faith of God It might as well be rendred here Faith in Jesus Christ as it is their Faith in God The Grammer and the meaning is the same in both places It is genitivus objecti not efficient is or subjecti It being then Faith on Christ let us next consider what this Faith is And I shall briefly touch on three things concerning it 1. The subject of Faith is the heart of a convinced broken-hearted humbled sinner Faith is seated and acted in the heart Rom. 10.10 VVith the heart man believeth unto Righteousness And it is the heart of a convinced contrite humbled Sinner Where there is not any conviction of Sin there is no Conviction of Righteousness For as the whole and well do not need so they do not see and feel themselves sick and wounded unto Death will not seek to a Physician nor commit themselves into his hands He that doth not see himself in danger of Death by the Avenger of Blood will not flee to Christ for refuge to lay hold upon him which is the work of Faith or that which the Soul doth in believing as the Apostle sets it forth Heb. 6.18 The very nature of Faith and the Acting of the Soul in it is such as doth imply and include a sight and sense of Sin and Misery and an over-powering practical lively heart-influencing Conviction of utter helplesness in a mans self and unworthiness to be helped by God In believing the Soul looks on it self as in a perishing Condition Luke 15.14 16 17 19. as a poor and needy Friendless and Fatherless Creature Hos 14.3 and betakes it self to Soveraign Grace and Mercy It believes that it may be justified Gal. 2.16 which implyes that it sees it self lyable to condemnation Yea it knows as the Apostle there speaks that men are not justified by the works of the Law that is in its believing it is under a particular and lively Conviction that by the works of the Law neither any other nor it self shall ever be justified and it is thereby influenced to seek to be justified by Christ in this way of believing Not but that after Faith and Pardon and a sense of it too there are deep humblings and meltings of God according to that promise Ezek. 16.61 63. and we see was in her Luke 7.38 Nevertheless a truth it is that Unhumbledness and Pride are inconsistent with true Faith Joh. 5.44 and so also is impenitency and hardness of Heart the Seed of the word of the Gospel will never take root and grow up in such an heart Matth. 21.32 and 13.20 21. 2. The object of Faith is Jesus Christ that is the anointed Saviour or the Name of Christ as 1 Joh. 3.23 and Joh. 1.12 that is Christ as made known and set forth and declared in the Gospel And in the Gospel he is set forth as the Ordinance and Servant of God for saving Sinners of the Sons of Men. Christ is the next and immediate object of Faith God is the ultimate Object of it For by him we come to God Heb. 7.25 and by him we do believe in God 1 Pet. 1.21 3. The hearts acting towards this object in its believing is most properly in a way of trust and dependence and affiance The Holy Ghost who is the Author and worker of Faith and who best knows the Nature of it doth in Scripture set it forth by great variety of expressions some proper some metaphorical Trusting and believing in are among the proper expressions whereby the Holy Ghost declares the Nature of Faith and the acting of the Heart therein towards Christ and God by him The former is used by him Eph. 1.12 13. Isa 50.10 and 26.3 4. and often elsewhere The latter is used Gen. 15.6 Joh. 1.12 and 6.29 and 14. 1. Gal. 2.16 2 Tim. 1.12 and in many other places There are also some Metaphorical Expressions used by the Holy Ghost to the same purpose And as they are in their Nature apt and fit to let in a Light of Understanding into our Minds and to guide them in their conceivings concerning the Nature of this Faith through which the Righteousness of Christ comes to be unto all and upon all that believe So the Holy Ghosts using them warrants us to use them in speaking of and describing Faith To give some instances Believing is called looking unto Christ Isa 45.22 and it implyes a looking to him with earnest desire and expectation For that expression in the Prophet is taken from that Ordinance in Moses Numb 21.8 where you find the Israelites directed when stung by the Fiery Serpents to took to the Brazen Serpent that they might not dye but live and be healed Christ shows us that himself was shadowed and prefigured by that Brazen Serpent John 3.14 and his death by the lifting of it up John 12.32 33. and accordingly by their looking to it was believing taught as Christ plainly intimates John 3.15 And therefore as an Israetite who felt himself stung by the Fiery Serpents and dying looked with earnestness of expectation to the Brazen Serpent in like manner doth the Heart of a convinced Sinner work towards Christ in believing Again Believing is called coming to Christ Matth. 11.28 John 6.37 44 45. for in ver 35. he had explained coming to him by believing on him But what manner of coming is it Is it a dead cold careless coming No it is a coming with appetite and affection as an hungry man comes to his Meat and a thirsty man to drink which also is Christs comparison there And thence elsewhere the same Spirit who is the worker of Faith in us and under whose hand the Soul is conducted and doth act in its believing calls it a fleeing unto Christ for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Heb. 6.18 All the expression sets forth earnestness in the Heart in its believing For they are taken from the practise of one who finding himself in danger of Death from the Avenger of Blood fled unto the City of Refuge the Ordinance for which you may see Numb 35.13 15. or from the practice of a self-convicted self-condemned Criminal among the Jewes who fled to the Tabernacle and caught hold on the Horns
this Doctrine There is a righteousness of God which through faith of Jesus Christ is without difference unto all and upon all who believe Here are these six things which offer themselves to be spoken unto for clearing this Doctrine and making way for the Application of it 1. What Righteousness is this and why is it called the Righteousness of God 2. How is it upon those that believe 3. What is the meaning and import here of that Expression without Difference 4. What is this Faith of Jesus Christ and why is it so called 5. What reference has Faith unto this Righteousness's being unto and upon Believers 6. How comes all this about and whence is it that there is this Righteousness provided and that it is through Faith upon all without difference which believe Quest 1. What Righteousness is this and why is it called the Righteousness of God Answ To have this matter rightly stated in our thoughts is very useful and needful both for the direction guiding and fixing of our Faith to its proper Object in its acting and exercise and also for the establishing of our Minds in the Truth of God in this Point lest darkness and mistakes herein should occasion our stumbling and the overturning of our Faith I shall therefore proceed step by step and deliver my self about it in five Propositions in which put together I shall indeavour a clear and just stating and declaration of this Matter Proposition I. This Righteousness is the Righteousness of Christ and not our own So the Apostle useth those Expressions setting our own Righteousness in Opposition to this Righteousness Phil. 3.9 though there be a sense wherein this Righteousness may be said to be ours When I say it is the Righteousness or Christ I mean it is the Righteousness whereof Christ is the original first and native Subject it is the Righteousness which he brought in as the word is Dan. 9.24 a Phrase taken from the Old Testament Ordinance wherein it was commanded that the Priest should carry the Blood of the Sacrifice which was shed at the Altar of Brass without the Tabernacle into the Holy of Holies and there present it unto God And this Righteousness of Christ is justly called the Righteousness of God both because it is a Righteousness of Gods ordaining and providing or devising as her word is speaking of this very thing 2 Sam. 14.14 and also because Christ whose it is primitively and originally is by Nature God over all blessed for ever And I think the Apostle delights to set forth this Righteousness by that Epithet that it is Gods and of God the more to commend it to our Consciences and Hearts as that which beyond all comparison is to be preferred before and rather chosen by us to stand in than that Righteousness which he calls our own The best of our own Righteousness is inherent in us or wrought out by us we are the original Subjects of it though it be in us from God and by his Grace But this Righteousness of Christ as it is called the Righteousness of God in another Sense and on another ground than our own Righteousness can be said to be Gods or of him so this Phrase is used of it for this end namely to denote such a transcendent Excellency in it it is an usual Hebraism to add the Epithet of God to set forth a surpassingness in things thus we read of the Wrestlings of God the Mountains of God the Cedars of God that in comparison of and in competition with this Righteousness the Righteousness of Men and Angels is to be despised and abhorred by us Now that this Righteousness in the Text is the Righteousness of Christ all the Circumstances of the Text do evince every thing which is here said of this Righteousness agreeing to the Righteousness of Christ which is brought in by him for us It is a Righteousness of God it is manifested without the Law for the Law that is the Covenant of Works tells us nothing of it yet it is witnessed unto by the Law and the Prophets and though it was heard of in the Old Testament times yet it was veiled under many shadows then but now in the days of the New Testament it is very clearly revealed and manifested It is a Righteousness which is unto all and upon all without difference who do believe and the way of its being on them is through Faith It is that Righteousness in which we stand justified freely of Grace it is that Righteousness which contains a price of Redemption and which hath Propitiation or Atonement in it and whereof the Blood of Christ is a part all which are true of the Righteousness of Christ and of no other and lastly it is either the Righteousness of Christ or our own the Scripture mentions no other Righteousness that is upon us but one of these But it is not our own Righteousness for our own Righteousness consisting in our Conformity to the Law that being to us the Rule of Righteousness we should then be justified by the deeds of the Law which the Apostle here tells us no Flesh shall for by the Law is the knowledge of Sin Proposition II. This Righteousness of Christ which through Faith is upon all that believe is the Mediatory Righteousness of Christ viz. That Righteousness which he as Mediator doth bring in for us and present unto God and therefore in which he acts as Mediator between God and us I mention this because I would set by and seclude the Essential Righteousness of Christ from being any part of this Righteousness which is upon us by Faith By his Essential Righteousness I mean that perfection of the Divine Nature which we commonly do also call Holiness and Justice and this belongs to Christ as he is God co-equal with the Father and the Holy Ghost being one of the blessed Perfections of the Divine Essence But this Righteousness cannot be said to be upon us through Faith For then we might be said to be justified by the Righteousness of the Father and of the Holy Ghost as we are by the Righteousness of Christ Atonement or Reconciliation with God is not made for us by this Essential Righteousness of Christ nor is it brought in before God for us nor are we said to have it nor do we stand accepted in it nor is it imputed to us all which the Scripture speaks of this Righteousness of Christ in the Text. I conclude therefore it not being the Essential Righteousness of Christ as God it is his Mediatorial Righteousness that Righteousness which Christ as Mediator and by Virtue of his being clothed with that Office doth bring in before God for us Proposition III. It is that part of Christs Mediatorial Righteousness which belongs to his Priestly Office and is brought in by him as a Priest Christ is Righteous as a Prophet and as a King and that for us that is for our good and benefit But this Righteousness of his
his Mercy 2 Tim. 4.8 it is a Crown of Righteousness given by the Lord the righteous judge And as in our being glorified the righteousness of God is exerted and shineth forth so it is likewise in our being justified 1 Joh. 1.9 Rom. 3.25 26. and indeed throughout the whole of our Salvation he is a just God and a Saviour Isa 45.21 Hence appears the Necessity of this Suretiship-Righteousness of Christ It must be provided and brought in that God may be Just in showing Mercy and appear Righteous in extending Grace unto us and saving us with that great Salvation to which he hath appointed us For it is the unchangeable Constitution of the unchangeable God to glorifie the one Attribute as well as the other Justice as well as Grace in our Salvation Of this Suretiship-Righteousness of Christ there are two parts without either of which it would not be compleat and perfect and would not serve our turn And the reason thereof is because Christ being our Surety is thereby under an Obligation to pay our Debt and we owe a double Debt unto the Moral Law viz. a Debt of Satisfaction by suffering the penalty as transgressing guilty Creatures and a Debt of Service and Obedience to the Precept as rational Creatures constituted in the way to our Everlasting Condition Hence there are two parts of Christ's Suretiship-righteousness This is that which the Apostle saith and on which he puts so much Remark and Emphasis 1 John 5.6 This is he who came by water and by blood Jesus the Christ not in water only but in water and in blood The Language and Phrases are Levitical Conceive the meaning of them thus The first Adam came by Water in a Spotless Cleanness and Purity as to all that the Precept requir'd of him But Jesus Christ came not by Water only not only in such Purity and Cleanness as fully answered all the Demands of the Precept of the Law but he came by Blood also which neither Adam nor Angels did Jesus Christ the Son of God came in a way of satisfactory Sufferings to Expiate and make Atonement for the Sins against the Precept which we were guilty of this he did by his Blood The reason is he was made our Surety his Name was put not only into the Covenant of Works but into it as a broken Covenant 1. His subjection to and suffering of the penalty of the Law This is commonly called the Passive Obedience or Righteousness of Christ because it consists in his Suffering the penalty or curse of the Law The Scripture calls it the Blood of Christ Ephes 1.7 and the Death of Christ Rom. 5.10 under that eminent part including and intending the whole of his Sufferings And also Christ's being made Sin 2 Cor. 5.21 and being made a Curse Gal. 3.13 The ground and reason of this Suffering of Christ under the Curse of the Law is because our Guilt our Sins were upon him and thence he suffered in our stead for them Isa 53.5 6. God the Father with his own consent put upon him the Garments of us Sinners and then awaked his Sword against him even the Sword of his Revenging Justice and ran him through and poured out his Blood as if he had been a Sinner Zach. 13.7 The end of it with reference to God is the restoring to him the Honour of his Authority and Supremacy over us and of his other perfections which shine forth in the Law which we by disobeying him had robbed him of Psal 69.4 With reference to us the end and attainment of it is reconciling us to God Rom. 5.10 Thence Christ is said to reconcile us and make peace between God and us by the blood of his Cross Eph. 2.14 15 16. Colos 1.20 21. The necessity of this part of Christ's Suretiship-righteousness being brought in for us ariseth partly from the glorious Holiness and Justice of Gods Nature whence he cannot but maintain his own Supremacy and the Rational Creatures Moral dependance on and subjection to himself which being violated by Sin can no way be re by satisfaction nor satisfaction be made but by the suffering of Punishment and partly from the veracity of God in his threatning wherein he hath in Wisdom and Justice established a connexion between Sin and Death and made the latter to be the wages of the former Gen. 2.17 Deut. 27.26 Insomuch as in regard of the Sanction of the Law that of the Apostle Heb 9.22 takes place and holds true without blood there is no remission 2. His subjection to and fulfilling the precept of the Law is also a part of Christ's Suretiship-Righteousness This is commonly called Christ's active obedience and by the Apostle his Obedience Rom. 5.19 viz. Obedience not only in Suffering but Obedience to the precept of the Law as Adams Disobedience to which it is there opposed was a violation of the precept By Christ it is called his fulfilling all righteousness Matth. 3.15 and his doing the will of God Psal 40.8 Heb. 10.7 9. The reason and ground of Christs obligation to bring in this part of righteousness for us is because he is our Surety and we owe this Debt to the Law of God And there is a necessity of it because God will magnifie his Law and make it Honourable in his being well pleased in Christ with us for his righteousness sake Isa 42.21 And because it is the unchangeable constitution of God that all the saying Good and Blessing which shall be given us shall be given not only from Free Grace but by the hand of Justice and in the way of being purchased for us by a just price Thence as in the former part of Christ's Suretiship-righteousness God's vindictive justice appeared and was glorified so in this part of it his remunerative justice shines forth and is exerted For by this part of Christ's righteousness he hath obtained for us in a way of purchase or merit by paying down a just price Salvation and Eternal Life Heb. 9.14 Eph. 1.14 Under this Obedience or Conformity of Christ to the Precept of the Law I include both all the course of his Holy walking and also the habitual created inherent Holiness of his humane Nature for the precept of the Law requires Holiness both in heart and Life and therefore Christ paid both Heb. 7.26 28. Isa 53.9 1 Pet. 2.22 and 3.18 I mention this in the second place after the other part of his Suretiship-righteousness because though that was compleated and finished at his Death and his Active Obedience to the precept of the Moral Law was yielded in his Life yet the consideration of them and the Natural order of them as availing and accepted for us is that suffering under the penalty goes before Obedience to the precept because there is no room for merit or purchase till satisfaction be first made As among Men you cannot purchase of another till your Debt be paid and former Arrearages into which you have run with him be satisfied and
short of his blessed Pattern Even with reference to this Suretiship-righteousness of Christ and its being on Believers they cannot with any truth or sobriety be said to be in all respects righteous as Christ is righteous as he is their Surety For this very Suretiship-righteousness of Christ is upon him as the Original Native subject and efficient of it he wrought it out But it is on Believers by derivation from Christ as they are in him Hence the Glory of bringing it in is his even Christ's peculiar and wholly Due to him alone they share not at all with him therein though they do through his Grace participate in the righteousness thus brought in by Christ and in the precious Effects and Fruits of it Moreover as it is Christs and upon him it is a Publick or Common Righteousness for he is a publick or common Person being a Surety for all the Elect as performed by him it was performed for them all as accepted from him it was accepted for them all But now every Believer is made Righteous by it for himself only it is upon him not as a Publick but only as a Private Particular Single Person And therefore though Christ by this Righteousness be the Saviour and the Redeemer of the Church yet it cannot be inferr'd as both Papists and Socinians impotently argue and calumniate that if it be imputed to Believers and they stand righteous in it they are Saviours and Redeemers as well as Christ 2. Believers are nevertheless still under obligation to obey the Law and to walk in all Holy Conversation and Godliness unto all well-pleasing before God 2 Pet. 3.15 16. Colos 1.10 1 Thess 4.1 They are bound not only to do all that the Law requires but to do it in a way of subjection to the Authority of God in the Law and to put a respect of Obedience to his Command upon all that they doe as well as a respect of Love and Thankfulness upon all their Obedience Colos 3.17 Though withal it is true that Believers ought not to yield Obedience to the Law in a Legal manner and Spirit nor from Legal or Old-Covenant Principles nor unto Old-Covenant Ends. They ought not to obey in a servile manner with slavish fear ruling in their hearts nay they may not fear being cast out of Covenant and favour with God for every failure of theirs Nor are they to obey only in the strength of Grace received but to depend on Christ for continual Influences as well as constant acceptance Psal 71.16 Isa 45.24 Nor lastly may Believers obey the Law for the same end as under the Covenant of Works namely that their own Obedience should be their righteousness wherein to stand accepted before God 3. All the swervings of Believers from the rule of the Law and all their comings short of what the precept doth require are sins in them notwithstanding this righteousness is thus upon them Yea these sins of theirs do deserve Eternal Death as justly as much as the like sins in others do Nay they are worse in Believers being greatly aggravated and of deeper demerit by this very thing that the Grace of God hath thus appeared unto them and hath thus exceedingly abounded to them-ward 4. Hence it follows further That it is the Duty of Believers notwithstanding this righteousness is upon them and they are thus righteous by it to lament their sins and to loath themselves for them yea to arraign and condemn themselves as worthy of Eternal Death for even the least of them That promise Ezek. 16.61 63. holds out this to be a Duty and a Practise pleasing unto God Such also was the practice of that Converted pardoned Sinner Luke 7.37 38 47. Her Sins were pardoned and she was justified before and not for or by her so lamenting and condemning her self This righteousness therefore being thus upon Believers should not either incourage them unto Sin or harden their hearts under sin neither indeed doth it nor can it so work in a Believer The abounding of Grace to them much more than Sin hath abounded doth oblige and teach them to abhor continuing in Sin Rom. 5.21 with Rom. 6.1 Yea Believers should argue with and reprove themselves for their Sins as Nathan from God argues with David about his Sin and aggravates it upon him 2 Sam. 12.7 8 9. Even so should Believers aggravate their own sins upon themselves and load their own hearts with them from this Grace of God towards them that this righteousness of Christ is upon them Therefore when I said they should arraign and condemn themselves for their sins you must not understand it as if a Believer upon whom this righteousness of Christ is should judge himself to be in a state of wrath No that would be a false Judgment for there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Rom. 8.1 But a Believer reflecting on his sins should lay his Mouth in the dust and his Neck down upon the block his Conscience should make this Judgment and pass this Sentence on him I am for such and such things which I have done against the Lord worthy of Eternal Death yea I am more worthy of Hell than others I do deserve a deeper place in it than those to whom Grace never so abounded over whom Grace never so reigned through this righteousness of Christ as it hath and will over me unto Eternal Life Quest 3. What is the import of that word without difference Answ I shall lay before you the intendment of it in three words 1. This righteousness of God is upon all Believers one as well as another Gentile as well as Jew greater as well as lesser Sinners even all who have sinned and are fallen short of the Glory of God as ver 23. all who are become guilty before God and whose mouths must be stopped even all the World as ver 19. All flesh who can never be justified in the sight of God by the deeds of the Law all who are in this common Condition of Mankind shall have this Righteousness upon them only provided they do believe Nothing shall hinder nothing in their outward Condition nothing in their Spiritual Condition shall hinder the being upon them of this righteousness in case they do believe That of the Apostle Gal. 3.28 and Colos 3.11 holds true and takes place in this matter that here there is neither Jew nor Greek Circumcision nor Uncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond or Free Male or Female but this righteousness is unto them all and upon them all one as well as another if they believe This Grace is extended to the greatest the foulest Sinners upon their believing as well as unto the least according to 1 Cor. 6.10 11. 2. This righteousness is equally and alike upon them all There is in this also no difference it is in the same measure and degree unto them all and upon them all One hath not more of it than another it is no less truely no less certainly