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
which I must speak to not stopping at Human Argument unbacked with Authority of Scripture The one is Acts 13.38 Be it known unto you Men and Brethren that through this Man is preached to you Forgiveness of Sins And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses For this Text I have forelaid a Distinction with some Reference in my Mind to it There is a double Remission I have said a Remission that precedes Justification and a Remission that comes after it That which goes before Justification belongs to All but upon Condition and that is this Remission which in the former Verse of the two is Preached by the Apostle A Universal Conditional Remission and all one with Redemption This now being Preached to all some believe and perform the Condition and as it follows in the other Verse are accordingly justified and then this General Conditional Pardon before Preached becomes Absolute or Actual to such Particular Persons and they are thereby free from the Guilt and Punishment of all their Sins whatsoever even such as there was no Attonement allowed to be made by the Law of Moses The Law or Covenant of the Gospel promises Pardon and Life upon Condition He that performs the Condition hath Right to the one and the other but a Man must be Justified before he is Glorified and therefore before pardoned also There is a Pardon procured by Christ granted and passed by God we must suppose as an Act of Grace passing in Parliament This Pardon is given out orderly The Condition must be performed the Judge find it and then the Man hath the Benefit This aforesaid Distinction therefore is exemplified in this Text and seeing there is no Particular Actual Pardon 'till Man's Believing and God's Justification which is his accounting or declaring him a Believer do orderly intervene as to the Course of the Nature of the Thing it is plain that Remission this Remission as well as the other is not Justification itself but a Benefit of the Covenant that as Conditional goes before but as Actual or Absolute which is that a Particular Man enjoys does follow Justification I must say still as the Effect of it The other Text is in Rom. 4. where Paul shewing that it is not by Works but by Faith that we are justified after Abraham's Example he lays down this Position That not to him that worketh but believeth his Faith is accounted for Righteousness And then in the next Verse coming to bring Proof from David he ushers it in these Words Even as David also described the Blessedness of that Man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without Works whereby it is plain indeed that he intends the same thing by God's counting to a Man his Faith for Righteousness and imputing to him Righteousness without Works that is such Works Meritorious Works Perfect Works which Paul in the Verses before undoubtedly intends But it is not so in the Quotation itself which thus follows Blessed are they whose Iniquities are forgiven and Sins covered Blessed is the Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin It is a mistake here in those many who think this Non-imputation of Sin in this Verse is the same with the imputing Righteousness without Works and Faith for Righteousness in the former St. Paul does intend indeed those two before for one but this he intends only for a Probation He proves that God imputes Righteousness to a Man without Works or Faith for Righteousness by this Medium that they are blessed who are forgiven Now however these Words are construed this is no Definition of Justification by Faith without Works but I say a Probation The Man is blessed whose Sin is pardoned The Man therefore hath Sin to be forgiven He that hath Sin hath not Works such as Paul speaks of to justifie him If the blessed Man then be a justified Man it is evident thereupon that it is not by Works one is justified However from a Probation this Identity cannot be argued They are blessed in one Verse to whom Righteousness is imputed without Works They are blessed in another to whom God imputeth not Sin Ergo Non-imputation of Sin and imputing Righteousness without Works are the same I deny the Argument Blessed are they that hear the Word and keep it Blessed are they whose Sins are forgiven Ergo Hearing and obeying the Word is Forgiveness of Sin But leaving such Pushpin of Pro and Con I will take up with this That which is made a Medium or the Medius Terminus to prove another thing cannot be that thing or intended for the same thing that it proves And seeing the Quotation out of the Psalmist The Man is blessed whose Sins are forgiven is brought by the Disputant for a Probation of his Point in hand that a Man is justified by Faith and not by Works I am sufficiently perswaded that Non-imputation of Sin or Pardon is not intended by him to be the same thing with Justification If any require more Consideration in regard to these two Texts let him read a Book called The Christian Justification stated I need say no more but thus much which is not said there or throughly comprehended by that Author I know indeed and will not pass it that Mr. Truman a Man of a bright Judgment defines Justification as Mr. Wotton by Pardon only and says that Justification is no more or hath no more in it than Pardon and therefore is all one with it This in regard to the common Opinion which says it is more defining it by the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness as well as Forgiveness of Sin is to the purpose But what if I say Pardon is more than Justification then is it nothing to me For whether Justification be more than Pardon or Pardon more than Justification if one be more than the other they are not the same Now Pardon is a Fruit or Benefit of Justification and a Thing alone is not so much as the Thing and its Benefit Pardon and Life makes up Salvation for Salvation from Wrath is Pardon and to Glory is Life but Salvation coming after is a farther Blessing and more indeed than Justification only Pardon Mr. Truman says farther of all Sins he means both of Omission and Commission puts a Man in that State as if he had offended the Law in nothing and that is all one with a State as if he had performed the Law in every thing and therefore Pardon and Justification are the same Our Divines he opposes deny these States to be one Though they be consequentially one they are in their Nature different Pardon is of the Guilty Justification of him that pleads Not Guilty But I will suppose Mr. Truman in the right and that Pardon puts a Man in a State as if he had trespassed in nothing which Quoad rearum poenae is true and consequently as if he had obeyed in all things And therefore do I deny Justification
this Comfort here tho' none else in the World for this alone is worth a World that we may must ought to trust lean cast our selves upon the Satisfaction and Merit of Christ for pardoning all our Failings and accepting our poor Mite and if the Soul remains in doubt it must quiet itself upon him If with the Pharisee I justifie myself God may condemn me If I condemn myself with the Publican he may acquit me And what must I do in this Case Behold O Lord I am at thy Bar and I commit my Cause unto my Judge Thy Bar is a Bar or Throne of Grace I cast myself on thy Grace And the Lord send me a good Deliverance at the Great Day As for Actual Pardon and Life that follows Justification the Merit is to be attributed to that which procured Justification on that Condition There is nothing of Merit but Christ's throughout It is Christ's Satisfaction runs through all I must still say as the Meritorious Cause when Performance of the Condition becomes thereby the Formal Cause of our Justification I know how hardly this is like to be received by many when Dr. Owen will allow nothing of any Personal Righteousness or any Works Legal or Evangelical but excludes them all from our Justification supposing that if it be of Works any way it is not of Grace at all when it is therefore of Faith or upon the Evangelick Condition that it may be of Grace Dr. Owen is a Person whose Name I honour for his Worth Learning Comprehensive Parts and one in whom was more of a Gentleman as to his Deportment than in any Divine I knew ever among us Yet is he more Authorative sometimes in his Book than he needs which being liable to hurt the humbly Inquisitive I will speak the more positively in this matter that the Doctor is out as I believe and never came to the plain true knowledge of what Paul means by the Works he opposes to Faith in this Point of Justification Which Works are such as would justifie a Man in the Apostles Account if he had them but that no Man is justified by Works because he has them not This I am past doubt is Paul's meaning and in this particular the Learned and Honoured Sir Charles Wolesley before quoted is rather to be attended A Man says Sir Charles that has not a Legal Sinless Perfection is that Paul means by the Ungodly Rom. 4.5 In my first Papers I wrote I had this Sence of the place and I have it before and in my Pacification I say the like of that Text * For solving this Matter Austin and from him the Schools distinguish of Opera Naturae and Opera Gratiae We are not saved by Works or according to Works done in our own Strength but by Works done by Grace But is this the Apostle's meaning No I have shewn in my Book of Just that One Thing of Three wherein Austin was out and hath misled the Schools is this Notion of Grace By Grace he understands still this inherent Grace or Operation of God's Spirit in us when Paul understands it of that without his Favour or Condescension to us Not of Works but of Grace is all one as not of Desert but of Favour only Grace is Mercy without or contrary to Merit Now when the Papist receives the Solution mentioned the Protestants generally will have all Works tho of the Regenerate to be but Rags and Christ's Righteousness alone to save us But they are both out for Paul's meaning it plainer than they think Not by Works of Righteousness we have done The Righteousness which the Jew hath done is living according to the Law of Moses The Righteousness which the Gentile hath done is his living according to the Law of Nature There is neither one or the other that fulfil that Righteousness which answers God's Law so as it should be able to save him and therefore it is of Grace or Mercy that Any are saved Pacif. p. 29. Not by the Works of Righteousness we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us Which Words have put so many to the inventing Distinctions when the right understanding is to make none the meaning being only Not by the Works of Righteousness we have done because we have not done them and it must be of Mercy therefore and in another way we are saved or not at all See the Quotation above The Works then I have said there and here and must still say which Paul means are such as would justifie us such as would make the Reward of Debt if we had them that is perfect Works Such says the Judicious Le Blanc as the Law requires to Justification And as for that the Doctor hath in answer to this that it is a wild Imagination that the perfect Works of the Law will not justifie us but imperfect Works which answer not the Law will do so it does confirm what I judge of the Doctor 's Conceptions that certainly he never understood the Apostle as to this Matter who I say excludes not Works of the Law from Justification as if they would not justifie us if we had them but because none have them to be justified by them It is therefore the Righteousness of God the Righteousness of the Evangelick Condition that he in his Mercy through Christ's Merits hath instituted in the room of Works to justifie the Christian And as for the Doctor 's quoting Socinus saying this to prejudice the Reader against it I must needs say I like this excellent Doctor 's Judgment the meaner and seeing I took the Notion from Scripture and am sure I am no Socinian myself Socinus was a Man of Reason and it is to be lik'd the better for that It is a thing whether so proposed or not more worth the Thoughts of a serious Man how the Doctrine of Justification as formerly it hath been taught and is maintained by the Doctor can be made to lodge with the Doctrine of Sanctification or Regeneration in the same Scripture or be preached together in the same Gospel The Papists are so careful to have these agree that they make them one The Protestants are so careful to keep them asunder that they will not have any Works of ours not Faith itself as a Work or the Fruits of it Repentance and a Good Life to be brought into our Justification least by going to establish our own Righteousness we submit not to the Righteousness of God and perish Let the Works be wrought in us says the Doctor Of Just p. 524. if they be also wrought by us I fear their Introduction into our Justification doth include beasting This he adds is a dangerous Point even like to make us lose all the Benefit we might otherwise expect by the Grace of God I cannot but remember since I was young holy Mr. Shepherd's Book The Sincere Convert and do reflect sometimes on that Terror the Reading that and the like Books hath wrought in
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
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
should be accounted righteous in another's Righteousness and to be that thing Per quod we are justified There is no such Matter in reality but in notion only When one Man is justified and not another something there must be in the one that is not in the other This Righteousness now whatsoever it be as imperfect as it is confessedly yet wrought by the Spirit of God is that and must be that which is the Form per quam he is accepted or justified when the Satisfaction and the Righteousness of Christ we all at least Protestants do grant to be the Ground or Reason of that Acceptation that is the Meritorious Cause propter quam we are pardoned and saved It is not therefore the Papists infused perfect Righteousness for there is no such nor the Protestants imputed Righteousness for that is not ours both of which answer the Law if we could plead them and would make the Reward of Debt But it is a Third Thing The Righteousness of God without the Law as the Apostle calls it a Righteousness now revealed in the Gospel in opposition to Works that is meritorious perfect Works which we have and must have and yet answer not the Law but makes our Justification therefore of Mercy or Grace which is the Righteousness as yet quite out of sight of the most we must advance Paulo Duce in the Doctrine of Justification In one Verse of David's Psalms we have him praying thus Hear my Prayer O Lord answer me in thy Righteousness Where we see a Righteousness of God according to which he is accepted And yet in the next Verse do these Words follow And enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified Where we see a Righteousness according to which no Man can be heard no Man can be accepted no Man can stand in his sight Psal 143.1 2. Thus much then is plain that here is a Righteousness and a Righteousness A Righteousness I may say of strict Justice or a Righteousness of gracious Acceptation A Righteousness which is Severe Justice or Paternal Justice The Righteousness of a condescending Father or of a rigid Judge David does as it were appeal from the one to the other Any one may express themselves in other Terms as please them best But such a Distinction then is to be made in reality according to the Scriptures I will therefore offer yet these other words There is a Righteousness as to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Righteousness to be most plain and full according to the Law or Covenant of Works whereby God might deal with us if he would and so no Man could Live Or a Righteousness according to the Covenant of Grace which is this Righteousness the Apostle means now revealed as that by which he does deal with us in the Gospel God is not unrighteous says one Apostle to forget your Labour of Love Heb. 11.10 If we confess our Sins he is faithful and just says another to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from our Unrighteousness 1 Joh. 1.9 It is a righteous thing with God to render to you rest when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed 2 Thes 1.7 I have fought a good Fight and kept the Faith henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the righteous Judge shall give me and all that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable to him for he will render to Man his Righteousness Job 33.26 Judge me Lord according to my Righteousness and according to my Integrity Psal 7.8 The Lord rewarded me according to my Righteousness for I have kept the ways of the Lord Psal 18.20 21. Remember me O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect Heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Isa 38.3 Remember me O God concerning this and wipe not out my good Deeds I have done for the House of my God and the Offices thereof Neh. 13.14 Remember me O God for good ch ult v. ult By these and the like places the Righteousness of God this Righteousness the Apostle speaks of may be taken Subjective or Terminative in regard to himself or in regard to us Or to wave School-Terms and speak surer on His part or on Our part On God's part this Righteousness is his Grace or Condescention towards us in pardoning the Failings and accepting the Endeavours of all penitent believing Men and Women so long as they be sincere notwithstanding those Failings unto Life according to the New Covenant And on Our part it is these Endeavours thus accepted or that which we do our believing or repenting how frail soever if sincere being the Condition required of us in that Covenant to our Justification and Salvation Now the Righteousness of God without the Law without the performance thereof is manifest says the Apostle It was always in the World but occult as Austine I have said in my first Sheets does speak 'till the Preaching of the Gospel How is that Why in regard to the Foundation I count on which it stands For other Foundation can no Man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 This Righteousness of God which is I say on God's part his Grace or Condescention toward us in passing by our Failings and accepting our sincere Endeavour unto Life notwithstanding all our Imperfections is procured for and vouchsafed to us upon the Account of Christ's Satisfaction and Righteousness the meritorious Cause of the Acceptance and Salvation of all that were saved under the Old Testament as well as of us now but that this Grace stood and was vouchsafed then upon this Account upon Christ's Account was dark to them and they saw it not as we now do and therefore is this Righteousness of God said to be revealed now tho' always afoot so as they had the benefit then or else none before now could have been saved I am not ashamed of the Gospel for therein the Apostle goes on is the Righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith From Faith to Faith And what means that Why this is the meaning * There is one Religion Law or Rule for all Mankind to obtain Life by which being the Law of our Lapsed Nature or Remedying Law containing God's Grace administred to all the Earth in a Threefold State of such as were or are without the Law or before it and under the Law and under the Gospel As this Administration is Threefold so hath the Faith which is the Condition thereof been diversified But now is the Righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith The Righteousness of God is the Righteousness of this Law which hath ever been afoot in the World and tho' a Heathen hath not that Faith as is required of the Christian in the Third Edition of it or that which was required of the