I draw three points from the words thus opened —
1. That by faith we are justified and made righteous. It is said, 'By which he obtained witness.'
2. That upon the solemn operation of faith in lioly duties we obtain witness that we are thus righteous, and are accepted with God.
3. That the works only of such righteous persons are accepted with God.
First Abel's person is accepted in Christ by faith, and the apostle infers that, because God accepted his gifts.
Doct. 1. By faith we are justified, made righteous, and accepted with God.
Justification by faith is one of the most cardinal articles of religion ; and here it is confirmed by the instance of Abel, one of the ancientest
YeR. 4.j SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 477
experiences of the church. Therefore I shall not pass it over without some regard.
Three things I shall inquire into — (1.) How we are justified by faith; (2.) Wliy faith is deputed to this service of all other graces; (3.) What kind of faith it is that justifieth.
JFirst, How we are justified by faith?
Ans. 1. Negatively : (1.) Not by faith as a joint cause with works; (2.) Not by faith as an act and grace in us ; (3.) Not by faith as it receives the Spirit's witness.
1. Not by faith as a joint cause with works ; as the papists say that we are justified by faith, as it receives a merit and value by works. This were to part stakes between God and the creature, and to con- found the covenants, which are altogether inconsistent, as the apostle reasoneth, Eom. xi. 6, ' If by grace, then it is no more of work ; other- wise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace ; otherwise work is no more work.'
2. Faith doth not j ustify as it is an act of grace in us, but relatively and instrumentally ; not as it works by love, but as it apprehends Christ ; not as if the act of believing were instead of perfect obedience to the law, but only with reference to the object as it lays hold of Jesus Christ, because of its necessary concurrence as the instrument and con- dition of the covenant. There are difterent expressions in scripture ; sometimes God is said to justify, and Christ is said to justify, and faith is said to justify, but with a difterent respect.
[1.] God is said to justify, and that two ways ; partly as the first moving cause. The rise of all is God the Father's mercy in ordaining Christ : Eom. iii. 24, ' Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' By the antecedent and free elect- ing love and mercy of the Father, as the first moving cause. Partly, as the supreme judge: Eom. viii. 33, 'Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth";' that is, how shall the executioner lay anything to my charge ? God is there spoken of as the supreme judge. So Eom. iii. 26, ' The Father is said to justify him which believeth in Jesus;' 1 John ii. 1, ' If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,' &c. In the order of the persons he sus- taineth the person of the highest judge, and all things are authoritatively ordered by him.
[2.] Christ is said to justify ; as Isa. liii. 11, ' By his knowledge shaU righteous servant justify many;' that is, Jesus Christ, as God's righteous servant of his eternal decrees. Now Christ justifies, partly by meriting that righteousness for us which will serve for justification. It is he that hath procured it by his obedience and death, and suftering in our stead; and therefore he is said to introduce 'an everlasting righteousness,' Dan. ix. 24. His obedience is the matter of our justi- fication, being ' the the Lord our righteousness,' Jer. xxiii. 6. And partly by interceding for us, that we may be interested in this right- eousness, that the Spirit may work faith in us.
[3.] Faith is said to justify, because without it we cannot apprehend the righteousness of Christ ; as the hand may be said to feed and nourish the body, but the nutritive virtue is not in the hand, but in the meat. And therefore when faith is said to justify, it is meant, as is.
478 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XVI.
receives the righteousness of Christ, and with reference to its ohject. There is nothing more usual than to apply that to the instrument that is proper to the object ; and usually in the expressions of the word it is complicated and folded up together with its object. Faith in Christ, faith in his blood' — it receives all its merit and value from thence. As also the righteousness of faith is spoken of as contradisiinct from the righteousness which is in ourselves ; therefore it cannot be understood of faith itself, but of the righteousness of Ciirist : Rom. x. 3, ' Tliey being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God ; ' and, Phil. iii. 9, ' And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is thi-ough the faith of Christ, the righteousness wiiich is of God by faith.' Yea, there are dis- tinct places which call it ' God's righteousness,' in opposition to any act of man and make faith only to be the instrument to leceive it : Rom. i. 17, * The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith ; ' that is, in opposition to the act of man, procured and merited by a person, that is, God, and accepted by God: Rom. iii. 21, 22, 'The righteousness of God, which out of the law is manifested,' &c ; ' even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Clirist unto all, and upon all them that believe.' We are not said to be justified p?-op/er_/idem but per Jidem.