I might further shew how that our title to the heavenly inheritance ariseth out of our adoption to it as joint-heirs with Christ and from Gods free and bounteous donation as eternal Life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and from our performance of the condition on which it is promised Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life From all which Remission of sin differs and is another thing 5. Our right and title to Remission of sin it self depends upon the same terms as our right to glory does and yet that depends upon our Justification For God first Justifies whom he after glorifies Rom. 8.30 And if our right to Remission of sin depends upon the same terms as right to glory does then Remission of sin can be no more the same thing with Justification than glorification is but depends upon it as an effect upon a cause without which none can receive it Our right to Remission of sin depends upon our believing as the condition on which God hath promised it as well as our right to glory does To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believes in him shall receive Remission of sins Acts 10.43 And this right to Remission of sins depends as much also upon Gods adjudging us to have performed the condition on which he hath promised Pardon as our right to glory does For God does no more actually Pardon any then he glorifies them until he first adjudgeth them to have performed the condition on which he promised Pardon which dijudication of his is his Justifying of them And therefore Remission of sin does as really differ from Justification as Glorification does and is as certainly subsequent to it as Glorification is and therefore cannot be the same thing properly and strictly considered 6. God does not forgive all a mans sins at once nor before they are committed and repented of but multiplies Pardons as his servants multiply sins of infirmity and their repentances and petitions for Pardon And if so and if God do not multiply as many Justifications as he does Pardons to the same person then here is another difference between Justification and Remission of sin 7. Justification is Gods imputing Righteousness to us or our Faith for Righteousness But Pardon of sin is his non-imputation of sin to us God by not imputing sin to us does not reckon us not to have sinned nor not to have deserved eternal destruction but he then does not impute sin when he does not inflict the punishment deserved by and due for sin But when he imputes Righteousness or Faith for Righteousness to us he adjudgeth us to have answered the terms of his new Law of Grace by believing by which Law that Faith becomes our Righteousness Now there is a great difference between Gods adjudging us to have answered the terms of his new Law and his not inflicting the deserved penalty of the Old between his awarding us a recompence of our sincere conformity to the one and his not exacting of us what we had deserved to suffer for transgressing the other And yet so much difference there is between Justification and Remission of sin As for those who place Justification in Gods pardoning of sin they may please to consider that the benefit of Remission of sin does not signifie the less by being called only by its proper name Pardon or Forgiveness and not Justification if by Justification be meant only Remission of sin as they hold it is who limit Justification only to that And if Remission of sin signifie no more when we call it Justification then it does when we call it Pardon or Forgiveness I see little reason why two or three or some small number of Texts of Scripture which speak of Justification fomwhat obscurely should be so much strained as they are to make them seem to mean only Remission of sin when they may be fairly understood in another sense and that too perhaps with more congruity to the signification of the word Justification and to the nature of the thing and to the Scriptures themselves elsewhere Nor can I discern what would be gained by it if it should be granted that Remission of sin were Justification and Justification Remission of sin For yet then the same thing the same benefit would signifie no more when we call it Justification than it does when we call it only Remission of sins as we all agree the Scriptures doe Nor does the placing of Justification in Gods Judicial act in approving and adjudging men to be Righteous in a Gospel sense who have performed the condition on which Pardon of sin and eternal Life are promised make the priviledg of having our sins forgiven the less beneficial to us or the less of Grace from God and our Lord Jesus Christ For Gods approving us to be Righteous in a Gospel sence does not suppose or imply that we stand in no need of Pardon nor of that mercy of God and merit of Christ from which Pardon flows it only supposeth us to be Righteous with such a Righteousness of Faith on condition of which the promise of Pardon of all our sins is made through the blood of Christ But Gods Justifying of us or his approving of us to be Righteous in such a sence does not make our sins to become no sins nor is it I conceive Gods Pardoning act but yet it is that which doth judicially qualifie us for Pardon and which as it were opens the door and lets us into the possession of it For Pardon is the next and immediate act that in order follows Gods adjudging us to have performed the condition on which he promised us Pardon Having said this much of the difference between judicial Justification and Remission of sin it seems requisite to make some enquiry into the sense and meaning of those Scriptures on which some ground an assertion limiting Justification to Remission of sin only And those Scriptures which above all others seem most to countenance such an assertion and which are most relyed on by those of that persuasion are Acts 13.39 Rom. 5.16 and 4.6 7. To an enquiry into the meaning of which I will only premise this That if we should find cause to think that it may be proved from these or any other Scriptures That we are pardoned by being Justified yet we can have no good reason thence to conclude that we are Justified only by being Pardoned no nor yet in the properest sense neither when we consider how express the Scriptures are elsewhere for a judicial Justification to wit Gods Justifying us by Faith and by accounting or adjudging Faith to us for Righteousness or for a performance of the terms of the Gospel our conformity whereto is as truly our Evangelical Righteousness as our conformity to the terms of the Law would have been a legal Righteousness if it had been found in us To begin now with Acts 13.39
the words are these And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses To be Justified from sin sometimes signifies to be freed from the power and dominion of it Thus in Rom. 6.7 St. Paul having said in Verse 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin adds in Verse 7. for he that is dead is Justified from sin For so it is according to the marginal reading and so the Dutch Translation Englished reads it though in our Translation it is rendred freed instead of Justified from sin And in this sense St. Austin understood this Acts 13.39 as I find him quoted And to this sence of the word Justifie agrees the reading of Revel 22.11 which some upon occasion use Let him that is filthy be filthy still and he that is Righteous let him be Justified still To the same sence of the word Justifie some alledg Rom. 8.30 Tit. 3.5 compared with Verse 7. and 1 Cor. 6.11 But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God Where Justification seems to be ascribed unto the Spirit of God in one respect as to the Lord Jesus in another And doubtless Justification is the effect of the operation of all the Blessed Trinity though the manner of their operation be different Now that to be Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justified by the Law of Moses may be understood in this sense there are two things to be said to render it probable The one is the good agreement which this sence has with other places of Scripture which shew that men are freed from sin through Christ by his Gospel so as they could not be freed from it by the Law of Moses Thus Heb. 7.18 19. There is verily a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof For the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did And again Rom. 8.2 3 4. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and of death For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit So likewise Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace By all which we see that the Law of Moses could not Justifie men from sin as Christ by the Gospel-dispensation does if by being Justified from sin we understand a being freed from sin it self as to its dominion The other thing which may incline us to understand the words under consideration in this sense is what may be observed from the context St. Paul had said in Verse 38. the words immediately before Be it known to you men and brethren that through this man Christ is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Now then if in Verse 39. he should mean no more by being Justified than a being Pardoned he would seem but to say over the same thing again in other words which he had said before which is not usual with him But if this should not be the meaning of those words and should we suppose that by being Justified from all things from which they could not be Justified by the Law of Moses should be meant a being Justified from the guilt of sin as that signifies a being freed from the punishment deserved by it yet let us consider whether it will necessarily follow that the Apostle in those words defines Justification by Remission of sin or whether rather he does not thereby only set forth the subsequent benefits that would accrue to them by being Justified by believing which could not be obtained by their observing the Law of Moses And if so then the meaning would be only this That by their being Justified by their believing they should be delivered from or secured against the evil effects of their sin from which they could be not secured by observing the Law of Moses Now that to be Justified by believing by vertue of the blood of Christ and to be freed from the punishment of sin which is Pardon are two different things seems to be very plain from those words of St. Paul Rom. 5.9 where he saith much more than being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him He infers the certainty of their being Pardoned or saved from wrath from their being Justified and the inference and that from which it is made are doubtless two things We see then that men may be Pardoned by vertue of their being Justified and so be Justified from sin and yet not Justified by their being Pardoned It will no more follow that because by Justification we are Pardoned that therefore Pardon is our Justification than it will follow that because by believing we are Pardoned that therefore our Pardon is our believing and our believing our Pardon And now if we should understand the words Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justified by the Law of Moses in both the forementioned sences for a being delivered both from the guilt of sin and from the power and pollution of it I know no inconvenience in it both being true But if we do so yet we do not thereby necessarily conclude Pardon of sin to be Justification but only that Pardon of sin is by Justification as depending upon it For Gods adjudging of us to have performed the condition in believing on which he promised Pardon which is his Justifying of us together with his imputing that Faith to us for Righteousness intervenes comes between our believing and our being actually Pardoned and is that which gives the immediate right to it as I shewed before What hath been said then may suffice I suppose to shew that in all probability no such thing can be concluded from those words in Acts 13. as that we are Justified by being Pardoned The next Scripture I shall enquire into is Rom. 5.16 the words these Not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift for the judgment was by one or by one offence to condemnation but the free gift is of many offences unto Justification That which is first necessary to be done here is to consider the Translation because these words the free gift of many offences unto Justification seem as we have them in our Translation a little uncouth and somwhat unintelligible I have seen the matter in this part of the Verse Translated from the Original thus But the free gift is unto Justification from many offences not of many offences
price paid ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 a purchase that by which the purchase was bought and paid for purchased with his own blood A ransom that which is satisfactory to God as being content to release and discharge the ransomed upon that account provided they continue not in their rebellion He gave himself a ransom for all 1 Tim. 2.6 These metaphors being borrowed phrases from what is customary among men still signifie a valuable consideration given for what is obtained thereby When we consider that all Nations are but as the drop of the bucket or small dust of the balance in comparison of God and that that person who hath given himself a ransom for us is God blessed for evermore as well as man we must needs conclude that the dignity of his person must needs add an infinite value to his suffering for us and be in the sight of God of great price 2. The other reason of the aptness of our Saviours suffering for us to reconcile God unto us is taken from the congruity analogy or proportion that is in our Saviour's sufferings to answer the end of God's punishing sinners themselves His suffering for us answers Gods end in punishing sinners as well yea better than if we our selves had suffered the demerit of our sins who come to be pardoned thereby We are not to think I conceive that when God makes sinners bear their iniquity themselves in suffering according to their demerits that it is for their suffering-sake that he does it as if he were pleased or gratified with their suffering meerly as such as revengeful men use to be in the suffering of them on whom they revenge themselves or as the Devil is in the destruction of men for destruction sake no certainly God is only pleased with such sufferings of sinners themselves as they serve to worthy ends and purposes He hath plainly told us that he hath no pleasure in the death of him that dies Ezek. 18.32 nay hath sworn as he lives that he hath no pleasure no not in the death of the wicked but that he turn from his way and live Ezek. 33.11 If he had taken pleasure in the suffering as such of the sinners themselves we cannot imagine that ever he would have given a command to his dear Son as he hath done to suffer death to redeem guilty sinners themselves from eternal death when they were all justly obnoxious to the judgment of God God seeks reconciliation with us 2 Cor. 5.19 which is an argument that revenge dwells not in him only as governor of the universe he renders vengeance where the ends of Government call for it Otherwise God saith Fury is not in me Isa 27. God doubtless is only pleased with the suffering of wicked men themselves as those sufferings tend to worthy ends and a publick good For God as a wise and good governour of his whole Creation of rational beings designs the good of the whole by those punishments which he inflicts upon some that are contumacious To punish such is as necessary no doubt for the good of the Creation in general as the cutting off delinquents by the hand of publick Justice is necessary to good order and government in a Commonwealth Now the ends of punishments in reference to the publick good of Gods Creation in general are such as these 1. To awaken and beget a sense in Gods Creation of the turpitude of sin how contrary it is to the holy nature of God how hateful and displeasing to him and of how malignant a nature in reference to his creatures that wherever it fastens it causes great disorders and disturbances setting men against God their maker and one man against another yea every sinner against himself and that it is it which hath brought in all the misery and confusion that is in the visible and invisible world 2. To maintain and keep up the Authority of God and the honour of his Laws by which he governs his Creatures For punishments are the sanction of Divine as well as they are of Humane Laws If it were not for them the Laws of God would lose much of their strength and of that awe and reverence which by means of them is kept up in the minds of intelligent beings to whom they are made known 3. Another end of punishing some offenders for the good of the whole is to deter others from falling into such a hardened state of rebellion against God as for which final execution of Divine Justice passeth upon them One great use of Gods visible Judgments here in this world upon notorious offenders is for caution to the rest Thus Gods Judgments upon the Israelites thousands of years before were for examples unto us and for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10.6 11. Sodom and Gomorrah in what befel them are set forth for examples to the rest of the world suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. And we do not know of what use to the invisible world of Gods Creation the execution of Divine Justice upon incorrigible offenders is now or will be hereafter amongst them We see what is befallen the Apostate Angels in the invisible world is made use of for admonition to those of this visible 2 Pet. 2.4 Jude 6. And it 's evident that the wise method of Gods proceeding in the matter of our Redemption was designed as of good use to the invisible world it was to the intent that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God Eph. 3.10 And it is not incredible but that on the other hand the punishment of obstinate transgressors in another world for what they have done in this may be of good use among them of the invisible world 4. This punishing of sinners in another world for impenitency in sin in this is when it is made known as it is now of great use to bring men to repentance when hope is given them as there is that they shall escape the like punishment upon their repentance and not otherwise These and such like being the reason and ends of Gods inflicting punishment upon sinners themselves that are impenitent I am now to shew that these ends are as well yea in some respect much better provided for and secured by the sufferings of our Saviour for us though we that are saved by his sufferings do not suffer than they would have been in case every sinner without redemption had born his own iniquity and suffered for himself the desert of his sin For in that first God would not spare his own Son when he espoused the cause of sinful men not to justifie or defend them in it but to suffer for them rather than they should have no terms granted them of escaping suffering themselves what they had deserved I say when in this case God would not spare his own dear Son notwithstanding the dignity and
our Saviour hath said Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass away Mat. 24.35 Those are the Vnbelievers which shall certainly perish who will not believe God who will not believe the Son of God when they have spoken their mind fully and plainly but will needs flatter themselves with hopes that they will be better than their words 3. Our Saviour to take away from men such vain hopes and to convince them of the necessity of their being reconciled to God hath told them that if they will not be reconciled to him they cannot be reconciled to happiness that their nature cannot be capable of the happiness of the next world unless they are reconciled to God in this Except a man be born again saith he he cannot see the kingdom of God John 3.3 Except such as have contracted ill habits by bad living be born again they are not capable of the happiness of that state That is in other words except they put off the old man and put on the new Col. 3.10 or which is yet more plainly exprest Ephes 4.22 23 24. except they put off concerning their former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of their minds and do put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness except this be done they cannot see the kingdom of God i. e. they cannot enjoy it He doth not say they shall not but that they cannot see it And the reason is because the happiness of the heavenly state is of such a nature as between which and the nature of man as viciated and corrupt there is no congruity And that which hath a contrariety in it to the nature of a creature is not matter of pleasure but of torment to it The holy God the holy Jesus the holy Angels and holy Men are the inhabitants of Heaven And what felicity can unholy men take in such company Solomon saith the upright are an abomination to the wicked Prov. 29.27 And if they be so here where they are but in part holy how much more will they be so in the other world when they are altogether so What Communion saith St. Paul hath righteousness with unrighteousness no more than light with darkness 2 Cor. 6.14 They do not love God here as he is holy nor is it pleasure to them to think of him as such and therefore unless they be sanctified and made so here they are not capable of enjoying God in the next world in the enjoyment of whom the happiness of Heaven doth consist Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 And they are such as are pure in heart which shall see God Mat. 5.8 Besides those sinful lusts which wicked men carry along with them into the next world will keep them from being happy in what place soever they are when they shall be deprived of those carnal objects to satisfie them which they found in this world And lest any should think that God will be so merciful to them as so to alter and change their nature when they come into the other world as that they shall be capable of the happiness of Heaven though they are not changed in this our Lord hath told them aforehand to prevent such a conceit that though many shall say unto him in that day Lord Lord open unto us for we have heard thee preach in our streets have eat and drunk in thy presence have prophesied and cast out devils in thy name and done many wonderful works yet they having lived and died unreformed he will then say unto them depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not Mat. 7.22 Luke 13.25 26. And St. Paul his Apostle hath told us also that we must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ that every one may receive according to that he hath done in the body whether it be good or bad We must receive we see according to what is done in the body here in this life before the separation of soul and body by death 2 Cor. 5.10 Now is the accepted time now the day of Salvation and those that out-stand this it will be said unto them as our Saviour doth in Rev. 22.11 He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still By all these Revelations made by our Saviour he hath as any that will consider them may easily see put men upon a necessity of being reconciled to God unless they had rather chuse to be everlastingly miserable And in this with the forementioned Motives there is a very great aptitude to reconciel men to God as the reason of the thing shews and the event hath declared And thus we have now seen how the Mediatory Righteousness of our Saviour his obedience in executing the Law of Mediation doth operate to our Justification in reference both to God and men By his sufferings he reconciled God to penitent sinners by making satisfaction to his governing Justice and by securing the ends of his inflicting punishment upon impenitent offenders while he spares the penitent And by the Gospel which he hath set on foot the Holy Spirit concurring he reconciles men to God that is he reconciles their minds and wills their lives and actions to Gods Holy Nature Government and Laws which is their Evangelical Righteousness in which capacity he delivers them up to God to be Justified and Pardoned according to the tenor of the Covenant of Grace which he likewise obtained for us it being founded on his Mediatory obedience of which Covenant I am now in the next place to speak CHAP. III. How and in what respect the Covenant of Grace operates to our Justification THE Covenant of Grace operates to our Justification in several respects But however it doth this or in what respect soever yet all that operation is owing to the Mediatorial Righteousness or Obedience of our Saviour For I have shewed in what goes before that the Covenant it self was obtained by and founded in the Mediatorial Righteousness of our Saviour the obtaining of which was one of the ends of the Office and Work of Christ as Mediator And as it is one of the effects of our Saviours death it is called a Testament though in other respects it is called a Covenant yea a Law As its promises are made by God on condition of duty to be performed by us so it is a pact or Covenant As it absolutely enjoyns that as duty which is also the condition of our happiness so it is a Law But as it comes out of the hands of Jesus Christ and is the Fruit of his death so it is a Testament because by that it receives its vigor and strength A Testament saith the Apostle is of force when men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all while the Testator liveth Heb. 9.17 This being premised I come now to
him a God keeping Covenant and Mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandments or that walk before with all their hearts And though the hearers of the Law were not just before God yet the doers of Law were justified when they depended upon the Grace and Mercy of God for acceptation in doing their duty Rom. 2.13 Conclude we then that there is nothing in these Scriptures to prove the Natural Law and the Law of Grace not to consist without the one being altered by the other And thus we see how the Law of Grace operates to our Justification by reconciling the Original Law to us upon our repentance that was against us it is reconciled to us because we are reconciled to it by the Law of Grace By the way then it is remarkable how greatly it conduceth to the consolation of all truly repentant sinners and of how great a ground of their confidence towards God it is that the Natural Law as well as the Law of Grace is now on their side it is not only not against them but is made to be for them by the blessed undertaking and performance of our Saviour for them when once they are persuaded to be sincerely for it 2. The Covenant of Grace operates to our Justification as it is an act of Grace by which God doth institute and ordain that Faith as it is an operative principle of sincerity of repentance of love to God and man and of all holy obedience shall be accepted and accounted for Righteousness upon the account of our Saviours Mediatory Righteousness And for our better understanding and satisfaction in this matter I shall endeavour these three things 1. To shew that there is a Righteousness found among men which the Scripture calls so and calls those Righteous that have it their having sinned notwithstanding 2. To shew what it is and in what it consisteth 3. How it comes to be such 1. That there is a Righteousness found among men which the Scripture calls so and calls those Righteous which have it notwithstanding all the world stand guilty before God of unrighteousness and are concluded under sin according to the first Law we were under This is a thing so well known to those that read the Scriptures or hear them read that it 's needless to cite particular Texts to prove it We shall find that good men such as are justified are called the Righteous or the Just no less I think than fourscore times in the Books of Psalms and Proverbs besides so many other places as are not easily to be numbered 2. That which is more necessary is to shew what this Righteousness is and wherein it doth consist In general it consisteth in our conformity to the terms of the Gospel the new Covenant or Law of Grace As mans Natural and Original Righteousness stood in a conformity in his nature and actions to the Original Law of Righteousness from which we are fallen And as the Mediatorial Righteousness of Christ consisteth in his conformity to the Law of Mediation so doth the Evangelical Righteousness of a Christian stand in his conformity to the terms of the new Law of Grace And therefore as the Gospel it self is frequently called the Faith and somtimes the Law of Faith as being both the Object and the Rule of the Christian Faith so is a Christians conformity to it frequently stiled likewise the Righteousness of Faith and the Righteousness by Faith and the obedience of Faith Rom. 3.22 and 4.11 13. and 9.30 and 10.6 Gal. 5.5 Phil. 3.9 Rom. 16.26 Now this conformity to the Gospel which God counts to us for Righteousness doth consist in a hearty belief or firm persuasion that God upon the account of what Christ our Mediator hath suffered and done for sinners will receive such into his favour pardon and save them as upon such a belief do truly repent them of their sins and seriously resolve and sincerely endeavour to please God for the future in the whole course of their lives and in actual resolutions and endeavours suitable to this belief This belief or persuasion when it becomes thus practical in operations proper to the nature of such a persuasion as it is then the true Christian Faith so it is then also the Christians Righteousness for it is imputed reckoned and counted to them for Righteousness as the Scripture shews It 's true Abraham is said to have had this Righteousness Rom. 4.11 and Noah to be an heir of it Heb. 11.7 And yet we cannot say that they had any such explicite Faith in reference to Christ the Mediator as the meanest Christian has under the Gospel Revelation And yet their Faith in the general nature of it was the same then with the Christians now For they had such Revelations made by God one way or other by which they did believe him to be reconcileable and propitious to all such as fear and love him and sincerely endeavour to please him And upon this Principle doubtless it was that they and other good men in those elder times lived such holy and virtuous lives as hath procured them upon publick Record honour and renown for Righteous men unto all Generations For so saith that sacred Author speaking of them Heb. 11.39 These all received a good report through Faith Thus Abel obtained witness even from God himself that he was Righteous by reason of his Faith in God in conjunction with what he did by virtue of his Faith Heb. 11.4 And when the Scripture saith Jam. 2. of some of these that they were justified not only by their Faith but also by their Works the meaning I doubt not is that they were approved of by God as Righteous men upon the account of both It 's true indeed Righteous and Holy men are frequently described by their fear of God and by their love and obedience to him without mentioning their Faith as at other times they are described by their Faith without mentioning their fear love or obedience And the reason seems to be this because where any one of these is in truth there are the other also No man truly fears God or loves and obeys him but he that hath first Faith towards God that he is Gracious Merciful and ready to forgive the repenting and reforming sinner without which Faith it is impossible to love him or reverence him with an awful love There is forgiveness with him that he may be feared feared with a fear mixed with love as the right fear of God always is Psal 130.4 Now this their fear of God love to him and care to please him which grows out of their Faith is as I say their Righteousness as well as their Faith it self more strictly considered because their conformity to the Law of Grace which is their Righteousness consists in these as well as in that and the same promises are made to these as to that He that doth Righteousness is Righteoas 1 Joh. 3.7 All his transgressions which he hath
Righteous without all mixture of that which deserves not the name of holiness and goodness nor they without unrighteousness antecedent to this and before they had repented and therefore is not such a compleat Righteousness as would hold measure according to the standard of the Law of innocency if we were to be tried by that to be Justified or Condemned by that In this regard the best of us have cause with the Psalmist to cry out and say If thou Lord shouldst work iniquity O Lord who shall stand Psal 130.3 It is indeed a growing Righteousness that is by degrees growing up towards a perfect state such in whom it is are perfecting holiness in the fear of God But before it is grown to this perfect state it is in the account of grace and by way of favour and for Christs sake accepted and approved by God for such Righteousness as unto which he hath promised the pardon of all past offences and of all such after infirmities as are consistent with this Covenant-Righteousness in its lower degree and also eternal Life it self So that in a word this thing we call everlasting Righteousness by which we are Justified owes it self its very being such a Righteousness as it is unto the Covenant of Grace or that Grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ which is put into a Covenant for us 3. The Covenant operates to our Justification as being the rule by which those are justified in judgment to be Righteous persons such as to whom the promise of pardon and eternal life is made that are justified at all Righteousness as I have formerly shewed receives its denomination as it doth its nature from its conformity to some Law And this Covenant-Righteousness the Righteousness of Faith receives its denomination from its Conformity to the Covenant of Grace as being that qualification in the person on condition of which the promises of the Covenant are made and therefore every man that is Justified is Justified by this Law to be such a person as to whom the promises are made It is by this Law that such a person is Justified in his cause if a man be not a Just and Righteous person in the sense of this Law he will not be Justified by God for he judgeth of men and their cause by this Law Jam. 2.12 So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the Law of liberty that is the Gospel or Covenant of Grace And our Saviour saith The word that I have spoken the same shall judg you in the last day John 12.48 4. The Covenant operates to our Justification as an instrument of making us to become Righteous and so capable subjects of Justification And this it doth by way of motive or persuasion The great and precious promises made to men in this Covenant of pardon of sin and eternal Life on condition of the Righteousness of Faith Sobriety Righteousness and Godliness and not otherwise they out of a desire and love to the benefits promised are persuaded to imbrace the condition without which they cannot enjoy them that is to become Righteous The Gospel ministration is called the ministration of Righteousness 2 Cor. 3.9 And it is so both as it ministers to us the knowledg that there is another Righteousness than that which is of the Law and also as it ministers to us powerful motives and assistances to follow after Righteousness by which they become Righteous and so to be Justified St. Paul saith The Gospel is the power of God to Salvation in as much as therein the Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith Rom. 1.16 17. the terms on which God will account them Righteous and the motives to make them so these are revealed by the Gospel by which it becomes the power of God to Salvation to those that believe it The Gospel is a ministration of Righteousness and of Justification as it is the ministration of Reconciliation of reconciling us to God of reconciling our nature to the holy nature of God and to his holy Laws by making us partakers of a Divine Nature a God-like Nature in Holiness and Goodness which is done by the great and precious promises of the Gospel of pardon and eternal Life as powerful motives persuading men to become new creatures in order to the obtaining these great benefits promised and attainable only upon condition of such our reconciliation to God which puts us into a perfect capacity of Justification that is of being approved of as those who have performed the condition of the foresaid promised benefits Thus the Gospel is called the word of reconciliation which was committed to the Apostles and others and their Ministry the ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18.19 And by a practical knowledg and belief of these things revealed by the Gospel men come to be justified that is approved of as those that have known believed and obeyed the Gospel By his knowledg saith God concerning Christ shall my righteous servant justifie many Isa 53.11 That is by the knowledg of him in what he is hath done and suffered revealed and taught What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh as to free us from the Law of sin and to bring us to that Righteousness which it did design but could not effect that is now done by the Law of the spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus to wit the Gospel The Law without the Gospel could not give us that assurance of Gods willingness to be reconciled to us and of pardon upon repentance which the Gospel does much less of a glorious reward of new obedience For the promise of pardon for Christs sake upon our repentance the promise of the Resurrection of the Body and of the Celestial Glory are brought to light by the Gospel being matters of supernatural Revelation Now it is the great assurance which the Gospel gives us of these things upon the account of Christs death that is the powerful motive of prevailing with men to be reconciled to God and to become Evangelically Righteous that they may be Justified And therefore the preaching of the Cross is said to be to them that are saved the power of God and for wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1.18 24. That is it contains and lays open Gods most wise contrivance of reconciling sinners to himself and by that means becomes his powerful motive of drawing men to it that so they may be Justified Pardoned and Glorified The Law made nothing perfect it is the bringing in of this better hope by the Gospel that doth it Heb. 7.19 The Law which laid a burden of strict obedience upon men backt with severe threatnings in case of transgression prevailed little upon men but to keep them under a spirit of bondage to fear while they were unacquainted with the rich grace and indulgence of the Gospel by which the Yoke of Christ is rendered easie and his burden light The Gospel prevails much