2. Justification before God is a freedom and absolution from a charge before God, at least it is contained therein ; and the instru- ment of this charge must either be the laio or the gospel. But neither the law nor the gospel do before God, or in the sight of God, charge true believers with unbelief, hypocrisy, or the like ; for " who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect," who are once justi- fied before him? Such a charge may be laid against them by Satan, by the church sometimes on mistake, by the world, as it was in the case of Job; against which this righteousness is pleadable. But what is charged immediately before God is charged by God himself, either by the law or the gospel; and the judgment of God is according unto
EVANGELICAL PERSONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. 157
truth. If this charge be by the law, by the law we must be justified. But the plea of sincere obedience will not justify us by the law. That admits of none in satisfaction unto its demands but that which is complete and perfect. And where the gospel lays any thing unto the charge of any persons before God, there can be no justification before God, unless we shall allow the gospel to be the instrument of a false charge; for what should justify him whom the gospel con- demns? And if it be a justification by the gospel from the charge of the law, it renders the death of Christ of no effect; and a justifi- cation without a charge is not to be supposed.
3. Such a justification as that pretended is altogether needless and useless. This may easily be evinced from what the Scripture asserts unto our justification in the sight of God by faith in the blood of Christ; but this hath been spoken to before on another occasion. Let that be considered, and it will quickly appear that there is no place nor use for this new justification upon our personal righteous- ness, -whether it be supposed antecedent and subordinate thereunto, or consequential and perfective thereof.
4. This pretended evangelical justification hath not the nature of any justification that is mentioned in the Scripture, — that is, neither that by the law, nor that provided in the gospel. Justification by the law is this, — The man that doth the works of it shall live in tliem. This it doth not pretend unto. And as unto evangelical justification, it is every way contrary unto it. For therein the charge against the person to be justified is true,— namely, that he hath sinned, and is come short of the glory of God; [but] in this it in false, — namely, that a believer is an unbeliever ; a sincere person, an hypocrite ; one fruit- ful in good luorks, altogether ban^en : and this false charge is sup- posed to be exhibited in the name of God, and before him. Our acquitment, in true, evangelical justification, is by absolution or par don of sin; here, hy 2l vindication of our own righteousness. There, the plea of the person to be justified is, Guilty; all the world is be- come guilty before God : but here, the plea of the person on his trial is. Not guilty, Avhereon the proofs and evidences of innocency and righteousness do ensue; but this is a plea which the law will not admit, and which the gospel disclaims.
5. If we are justified before God on our own personal righteous- ness, and pronounced righteous by him on the account thereof, then God enters into judgment witli us on something in ourselves, and acquits us thereon; for justification is o, juridical act, in and of that judgment of God which is according unto truth. But that God should enter into judgment with us, and justify us with respect unto what he judgeth on, or our personal righteousness, the psalmist doth not believe, Ps. cxxx. 2, 3, cxliii. 2 ; nor did the publican, Luke xviii.
I^jS on justification.
6. This personal rigliteousness of ours cannot be said to be a sub- ordinate righteousness, and subservient unto our justification by faith in the blood of Christ : for therein God justifieth the iingodly, and imputeth righteousness unto him that worketh not; and, besides, it is expressly excluded from any consideration in our justification, Eph. ii. 7, 8.
7. 1\\\s personal, inherent righteousness, wherewith we are said to be justified with this evangelical justification, is our oiun righteous- ness. Personal righteousness, and our own righteousness, are expres- sions equivalent ; but our own righteousness is not the material cause of any justification before God. For, — (1.) It is unmeet so to be, Isa. Ixiv. 6. (2.) It is directly opposed imto that righteousness whereby we are justified, as inconsistent with it unto that end, Phil. iii. 9; Rom. X. 3, 4.
It will be said that our own righteousness is the rigliteousness of the laiv, but this personal righteousness is evangelical. But, — (1.) It will be hard to prove that our personal righteousness is any other but our own righteousness; and our oiun righteousness is expressly rejected from any interest in our justification m the places quoted. (2.) That righteousness which is evangelical in respect of its efficient cause, its motives, and some especial ends, is legal in respect of the for- mal reason of it and our obligation unto it ; for there is no instance of duty belonging unto it, but, in general, we are obliged unto its per- formance by virtue of the first commandment, to " take the Lord for our God." Acknowledging therein his essential verity and sovereign authority, we are obliged to believe all that he shall reveal, and to obey in all that he shall command. (3.) The good luorks rejected from any interest in our justification, are those whereunto we are " created in Christ Jesus," Eph. ii. 8-10; the "works of righteous- ness which we have done," Tit. iii. 5, wherein the Gentiles are coq- cerned, who never sought for righteousness by the works of the law, Rom. ix. 30. But it will yet be said, that these things are evident in themselves. God doth require an evangelical righteousness in all that do Toelieve; this Christ is not, nor is it the righteousness of Christ. He may be said to be our legal righteousness, but our evan- gelical righteousness he is not; and, so far as we are righteous with any righteousness, so far we are justified by it. For according unto this evangelical righteousness we must be tried ; if we have it we shall be acquitted, and if we have it not Ave shall be condemned. There is, therefore, a justification according unto it.