Whatever is done in us, or performed by us, as obedience unto God, is our oivn righteousness. Though it be done in faith, and by the aids of God's grace, yet is it subjectively ours, and, so far as it is a righteousness, it is our own. But all righteousness whatever, which is our own, is so far diverse from the righteousness by which we are to be justified before God, as that the most earnest endeavour to establish it, — that is, to render it such as by which we may be justi- fied,— is an eftectual means to cause us to refuse a submission unto, and an acceptance of, that whereby alone we may be so.
This ruined the Jews, and will be the ruin of all that shall follow their example in seeking after justification ; 3'et is it not easy for men to take any other way, or to be taken off from this. So the apostle intimates in that expression, " They submitted not themselves unto the righteousness of God." This righteousness of God is of that na- ture that the proud mind of man is altogether unwilling to bow and submit itself unto; yet can it no otherwise be attained, but by such a submission or subjection of mind as contains in it a total renuncia- tion of any righteousness of our own. And those who reproach others for affirming that men endeavouring after morality, or moral right- eousness, and resting therein, are in no good way for the participa-
342 ON JUSTIFICATION.
tion of the gi'ace of God by Jesus Christ, do expressly deride the dpctrine of the apostle; that is, of the Holy Ghost himself.
Wherefore, the plain design of the apostle is, to declare that not only faith and the righteousness of it, and a righteousness of our own by works, are inconsistent, that is, as unto our justification before God ; but also, that the intermixture of our own works, in seeking after righteousness, as the means thereof, doth wholly divert us from the acceptance of or submission unto the righteousness of God. For the righteousness which is of faith is not our own ; it is the righteousness of God, — that which he imputes unto us. But the righteousness of works is our own, — that which is wrought in us and by us. And as works have no aptitude nor meetness in themselves to attain or re- ceive a righteousness which, because it is not our own, is imputed unto us, but are repugnant unto it, as that which will cast them down from their legal dignity of being our righteousness ; so faith hath no aptitude nor meetness in itself to be an inherent righteousness, or so to be esteemed, or as such to be imputed unto us, seeing its princi- pal faculty and efficacy consist in fixing all the trust, confidence, and expectation of the soul, for righteousness and acceptation with God, upon another.
Here was the ruin of those Jews : they judged it a better, a more probable, yea, a more righteous and holy way for them, constantly to endeavour after a righteousness of their own, by duties of obedience unto the law of God, than to imagine that they could come to accept- ance with God ])y faith in another. For tell them, and such as they, what you please, if they have not a righteousness of their own, that they can set upon its legs, and make to stand before God, the law will not have its accomplishment, and so will condemn them.
To demolish this last sort of unbelief, the apostle grants that the law nmst have its end, and be completely fulfilled, or there is no ap- pearing for us as righteous before God ; and withal shows them how this is done, and where alone it is to be sought after : for " Christ/' saith he, " is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," Rom. x. 4. We need not trouble ourselves to inquire in what various senses Christ may be said to be rsXog vo/mov, — " the end," the complement, the perfection, " of the law." The apostle suffi- ciently detennineth his intention, in afiirming not absolutely that he is the end of the law, but he is so s/s oixaioeuvriv, " for righteoiisness," unto every one that believeth. The matter in question is a right- eousness unto justification before God. And this is acknowledged to be the righteousness which the law requires. God looks for no right- eousness from us but what is prescribed in the law. The law is no- thing but the rule of righteousness, — God's prescription of a righteous- ness, and all the duties of it, unto us. That we should be righteous
JUSTIFICATION AS DECLARED BY PAUL. 343
lierewitli before God was the first, original end of the law. Its other ends at present, of the conviction of sin, and judging or condemning for it, were accidental unto its primitive constitution. This right- eousness which the law requires, which is all and only that right- eousness which God requires of us, the accomplishment of this end of the law, the Jews sought after by their own ijersonal performance of the works and duties of it. But hereby, in the utmost of their endeavoui's, they could never fulfil this righteousness, nor attain this end of the law ; which yet if men do not they must perish for ever.