grieves for his Sins, detefts and for fakes them, and turns to God in Chrift with true Love and fincere purpose of Obedience, he shall be Just in the fight of God; and fo fhall receive Forgiveness of Sins and Right to eternal Life thro' the Blood of Chrift: and if his Life being prolong'd, he fall for the future bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance, (or the worthy Fruits of Repentance,) and fhall grow in Righteousness and Holiness, then the Grace of Justification, which he has afore obtain'd, he fball retain fo long as he continues fuch an One: and confequently if he dies in this State, at the laft Judgment be fhall be publickly and folemnly declar'd Just by the Sentence of Chrift as Judge, and fo fhall be eternally fav'd. Such is our Righteousness according to the Law of the Gofpel, which requires it; and by it according to the fame Law we are conftituted formally Juft, i.e. not guilty of Breaking or Violating the faid Law. Part II. III. Whence it appears 14, that Gofpel-Righteoufnefs is Gofpel-Rightenot abfolutely perfect, but only respectively, viz. in re- oufnels is not ab fpect of the Gofpel-Law, which graciously requires no only respectively, folutely perfect, but more, under eternal Penalty, from faln Man, than what viz. in respect of is agreeable to his now weaken'd and imperfect Strength, the Gospel-Law, affifted by the Divine Grace. It is therefore to be well obferv'd, that when we fay, a Man by the Obfervance of the Gospel-Law becomes formally Juft in the fight of God, we do not fay or mean thereby, that fuch a Man is abfolutely or perfectly Juft in the fight of God, for in this Senfe it is true which is faid Pfal. 143. 2. In thy, viz. God's fight fhall no Man living be justify'd; but what we affirm, is this, that fuch an Obferver of the Gofpel-Law is truly and properly Juft in the fight of God, viz. as to Gofpel-Righteoufnefs, i. e. fuch a One, tho' he be not juft or free from all manner of Fault, yet he is juft or free from all deadly Fault, or to which the Gofpel-Law denounces eternal Death. Whence our Saviour fays, Luk. 15.7. of fuch a righteous Perfon, that he needs no Repentance. IV. 2ly, It appears from the Account afore given of Go. Gofpel-Rightefpel-Righteoufnefs, that it is an active Righteoufnefs, oufnels is active and such as is inherent in our felves, as being what we and inherent in us. Our Part II. Chap. 5. our felves perform by the Grace of the Holy Spirit affifting us. That our Account of Gofpel-Righteoufnefs is in this refpect agreeable to Holy Scripture, is easy to prove. A remarkable place to this purpofe is Ezek. 18. 5, &c. If a Man be Just, and (or rather, even) do that which is lawful and right — has walk'd in my Sta tutes, and has kept my Judgments, to deal truly; He is Just and v. 22. In His Righteousness that he bas Done, fhall be live. From which Words relating to the Gofpel-Covenant it fo plainly appears, that the Righteousness, which God requires in the Gospel, is an active one, that he that will not perceive it, may juftly be esteem'd one, that bearing do's not hear, and feeing do's not fee or understand. The Same was taught long afore to the Jews by Mofes, Deut. 6. ult. It shall be Our Righteoufnefs, i. e. in it fhall Our Righteousness confift, if we obferve to do all these Commandments. Further, it is certain that the Gofpel-Righteousness is no other than what is fometimes mention'd in the New Teftament by the Title of the Righteousness of God, as being fuch as God requires. Whereas then it is faid Rom.3.21. Now the Righteoufnefs of God without the Law is manifefted, being witneffed by the Law and the Prophets: it appears from what has been cited out of the Old Teftament, that the Righteousness commended by the Tefti mony of the Law and the Prophets, for instance, by Mofes and Ezekiel, to pass by others, is an active Righteoufnefs. Further yet, fince Chrift himself teaches us, Matth. 7.21. that he only fhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, that Doth the Will of his Father, i. e. God; it hence reasonably follows, that when Christ says, Mat. 6.33. Seek ye firft the Kingdom of God and his Righteouf nefs, by the Righteoufnefs of God here mention'd is to be understood the Doing the Will of God. Whence it further reasonably follows, that the Righteoufnefs of God mention'd by St Paul, when he is treating of our Juftification before God, is the fame Righteousness of God mention'd by our Saviour, and fo is the Doing of the Will of God, or that Righteousness which we our felves perform by the gracious Affiftance of God. But the moft most clear Proof of all is contain'd in 1 Joh. 3.7. Little Children, let no Man deceive you: he that Doth Righteoufnefs is Righteous, even as He, viz. Chrift is Righ Here he that doth Righteoufnefs, is therefore declar'd exprefly to be Righteous, and that in like manner as Chrift by doing Righteoufnefs was Righteous, and that not only before Men, but also before God. Befides, this is of the greatest Weight, because it is prefaced by the Apostle in fuch a folemn Manner: Little Children, let no Man Deceive you, viz. in this momentous Point of true Gofpel-Righteousness, I am in the next Words going to inftruct you in, and give you a right Notion of, against all Seducers that may at prefent or in future Ages go about to deceive Perfons in this refpect. What further might be here alledg'd to prove the Righteoufnefs requir'd by the Gofpel to be an active Righteoufnefs, or a Righteoufnefs perform'd by our felves, and fo inherent in our felves, will more perly be taken notice of in Chap. 8 and 9. and fo to avoid Repetition, I omit it here. pro Part II. Chap. 5. V. And in the Confeffions Churches. In this Chapter I fhall treat further only of the Righ- of Imputed Righ teousness of Christ as Imputed to us, and fhew, In what teousness. Senfe the faid Expreflion may be understood agreeable Expreffion is no to Scripture, and fo allow'd of; and in what Senfe it where to be found can't be underflood agreeable to Scripture, and fo is not in Scripture, nor to be allow'd of And firft as to the Expreflion it felf, of the most conwhereby Christ's Righteousness is faid to be imputed to derable Reform'd us; it is certain that the faid Expreffion is no where to be met with in the holy Scripture. For as to the Words of St Paul, Rom. 4. 6. David defcribes the Blefjedness of the Man, unto whom God imputes Righteoufnefs without Works: we have there mention'd an imputed Righteousness, but not the Righteousness of Christ, but of One that has been a Sinner; not the Righteousness which the faid Sinner has himself really Done, but which he is graciously esteem'd to have Done, All his paft Sins being, as it were, cover'd with the Holiness of his new Life, fo that he now appears as if Juft, who has been in reality Unjust, but being converted bas learnt Righteousness. That this place of St Paul is fo S Part II. to be understood, the very Words of David here al Chap. 5. ledg'd fhew, Rom. 4. 7. Bieffed are they whofe Iniquities are forgiven, and (or even) whofe Sins are Cover'd: bleffed is the Man, to whom the Lord will Not Impute Sin. Whence it is as clear as the Sun, that to impute Righteousness do's not v. 6. fignify, to impute Christ's Righteoufnefs to a Sinner, as if the Sinner had done it; but not to impute to a Sinner his own Sins, as if he had not committed them. And this Imputation of Righteousness, or rather not imputing of Sins, is indeed caus'd thro' the Righteoufness of Chrift as its meritorious Caufe; but this very Righteousness, which confifts barely in not imputing Sin, is not fo imputed to us, as that thereby we are denominated and become truly and properly Righteous, as will further appear from what fol lows. I fhall obferve here, that as the Expreffion, wherein it is faid that Chrift's Righteousness is imputed to us, is not to be met with in the boly Scripture; fo neither is it to be met with in the Confeffions of the moft and molt confiderable Reform'd Churches, viz. not in Ours, or that of Augsburg, Strasburg, Wirtem berg, Bohemia, &c. VI. Imputed Righte with Faith being teousness. 2ly, It is obfervable, that the forefaid Expreffion ouinets ill agrees do's very ill agree with that known Expreflion of Scricounted for Righ- pture, wherein Faith is faid to be counted for Righteouf nefs unto one, as Rom. 4. 3, 5, &c. For this laft Phrafe can be taken in no other Senfe than this, that God do's count our Faith (viz working by Love, as St Paul explains himself, Gal. 5. 6.) for our Righteoufness, and efteems it worthy to be rewarded. So that not Chrift's Righteoufnels, but our Faith is imputed to us for Righteoufnefs, on the alone Account of Chrift's meritorious Satisfaction, whereby he obtain'd of God, that under this Condition we should become Partakers both of Righteousness and Salvation. So that according to Scripture Chrift's Righteousness, properly fpeaking, is (N. B) not That which is imputed, but That for which our Faith is imputed to us for Righteoufnefs. VII. The Catholick Do Accordingly the Catholick Doctrin concerning our rin concerning Righteoufnefs by the Gospel is this, that Faith, Repen tance, Part II. what Senfe Impu tance, Hope, Love, and the other Virtues, and our own good Works, do by no means of themselves, or by their Chap. 5. own Merit or Worth, avail to a Man's Juftification by our Golpel-RighGod, or being pronounced by God formally and truly teousness, and in Juft; but that the Whole of this is owing only to the ted Righteoufnefs meritorious Satisfaction of Chrift, as being that where may be allow'd of. by was obtain'd, and wherein was founded the gracious Covenant of the Gofpel, according to which, on the. forefaid Conditions of Faith, Repentance, &c. we become Partakers of Juftification and Salvation. Thus our Church in its eleventh Article: We are accounted. Righteous before God, only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, and not for our own Works or Defervings. So all the Confeffions of the other Reform'd Churches a little aforemention'd, viz. Augsburg, Straf burg, &c. Nor is any thing elfe meant by thofe very. few Confeffions of other Reform'd Churches, wherein the Phrafe of Chrift's Righteoufnefs being imputed to us is exprefly ufed. Thus in Article 18. of the Confeffion of the French Reform'd Church: Renouncing all Opinion of Merit, we altogether acquiefce in the alone Obedience of Chrift, which is Imputed to us, both that all our Sins may be cover'd, and alfo that we may obtain Grace before God. Where Chrift's Righteoufnefs is faid to be imputed to us only fo far, as that by Reafon thereof we obtain Forgivenefs of Sins, and are graciously accepted' by God unto Salvation. Now whofo fincerely profelfes that he means no more by the Imputation of Chrift's Righteoufnefs than this, no one will go about to deny him the Liberty of Ufing the faid Expreffion; but then on the other hand he muft not deny others the Liberty of not Ufing the faid Expreflion, or blame them for not fo doing, fince they think it best not to afe it, forafmuch as it is, not only an Unfcriptural Expreffion, but alfo is liable to be and actually is underfood by fome in fuch a Senfe, as that from it may be drawn the most Dangerous or Antichriftian Doctrins. For it is manifeft that there are fome, who under- of imputed Righftand Chrift's Righteoufnefs to be fo imputed to us, as and prov'd to be to become really our own Righteoufnefs, and that by falfe & pernicious God by feveral Argu S 2 VIII. The falle Do&trin teoufnels what > ments. |