Christian's ear, justifying patience, justifying repentance! and if they were concerned in tlie act of justification, as faith is, the name would as well become them as it doth faith itself But we find this appropriated to faith, and the rest hedged out from having to do in the act of justification, thougli included and supposed in the person who is justified. It is faith that justifies withont works. This is Paul's task to prove, Rom. iii. But this faith which justifies is not dead or idle, but a lively, working faith, which seems to be James's design, chap. ii. of his Epistle. As God did single Christ ont from all others, to be the only mediator between him and man, and his righteousness to be the meritorious cause of our justification, so he hath singled faith out from all other graces, to be the instrument or means for appropiiating this righteousness of Christ to ourselves. Therefore as this righteousness is called ' the righteousness of God,' and opposed to our own righteousness, though wrought by God in us, Rom. x. 3, because it is wrought by Christ for us, but not inherent in us as the other is ; so also it is called 'the righteousness of faith,' Rom. iv. 11, 13; not the righteousness of repentance, love, or any other grace. Now wherefore is it called the righteousness of faith, and not of love, repentance, &c. ? Surely, not that faith itself is our righteousness ; then we should be justified by works, while we are justified by faith, contrary to the apostle, who opposeth faith and works, Rom. iv. In a word, then, we should be justified by a righteousness of our own, for faith is a grace inherent in us, and as much our own work as any grace besides is. But this is as contrary to the same apostle's doctrine, Phil. iii. 9, where our own righteousness, and the righteousness which is by faith, are declared to be inconsistent. It can therefore be called the righteous- ness of faith, for this reason and no other, because faith is the only grace whose ofiice it is to lay hold on Christ, and so to appropriate his righteousness for justification to our souls. Christ and faith are relatives, which must not be severed. Christ he is the treasure, and faith the hand which receives it. Christ's righteousness is the robe, faith the hand that puts it on ; so that it is Christ who is the treasiu-e. By his blood he dischargeth our debt, and not faith ; whose office is only to receive Christ, whereby he becomes ours. It is Christ's righteousness that is the robe which covers our nakedness, and makes us beautiful in God's eye, only faith hath the honoin- to put the robe on the soul ; and it is no small honour that is therein put upon faith above other graces. As God graced Moses exceedingly above the rest of his brethren, the Israelites, when he was called up the mount to receive the law from God's mouth, while they had their bounds set them, to stand waiting at the bottom of the hill till he brought it down to them ; so doth God highly honour faith, to call this up as the grace by whose hand he will convey this glorious privilege of justifica- tion over to us.
Quest. But why is faith, rather than any grace else, employed in this act? — Alls. First, Because there is no grace hath so proper a fitness for this office as faith. Why hath God appointed the eye to see, and not the ear? Why the hand to take our food, rather than the foot? It is easily answered ; because these members have a particular fitness for these functions, and not the other. Thus, faith hath a fitness for this work peculiar to itself: we are justified, not by giving anything to God of what we do, but by receiving from God what Christ hath done for us. Now faith is the only receiving grace, and therefore only fit for this office.
Secondly, There is no grace that God could trust his honour so safely with in this business of justification as with faith. The great design God hath in justifying a poor sinner, is to magnify his free mercy in the eye of his creature : this is written in such fair characters in the word, that he which runs may read it. God was resolved that his free mercy should go away with all the honour, and the creatiu-e should be quite cut out from any pretensions to part- nership with him therein. Now no way like to this of being justified by faith, for the securing and safe-guarding the glory of God's free grace, Rom. iii. 25, 2(5. When the apostle hath in some verses together discoursed of the free justification of a sinner before God, he goes on to shew how this cuts the very comb, yea, throat of all self-exalting thoughts, ver. 27 : ' Where is boasting, then ? it is excluded. By what law? of works ? Nay, but by the law of faith.' Princes, of all wrongs, most disdain and ablior to see their royal bed defiled ; so
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434 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH.