Q. Wliat speaketh the righteousness which is of faith ?
A. Rom. X. 8, 9, " The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach ; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
OF JUSTIFICATION AND FAITU. 5G3
The object of justifying faith, namely, Jesus Christ as dying and rising again from the dead, to the obtaining of eternal redemption and bringing in everlasting righteousness, is in these words described. And this is that which the righteousness of faith is said to speak, because Christ dying and rising is our righteousness. He is made so to us of God, and being under the consideration of his death and resurrection received of us by faith, we are justified.
His next question is: —
Q. In the justification of a believer, is the rigJUeousness of Christ imputed to him, or is his own faith counted for righteousness ?
A. Rom. iv. 5, " His faith is counted for righteousness."
What Mr B. intends by faith, and what by accounting of it for righteousness, we know full well. The justification he intends by these expressions is the plain old pharisaical justification, and no other, as shall elsewhere be abundantly manifested. For the pre- sent, I shall only say that Mr B. doth most ignorantly oppose the imputing of the righteousness of Christ to us, and the accounting of our faith for righteousness, as inconsistent. It is the accounting of our faith for righteousness and the righteousness of works that is opposed by the apostle. The righteousness of faith and the right- eousness of Christ are every way one and the same ; — the one denot- ing that whereby we receive it and are made partakers of it ; the other, that which is received and whereby we are justified. And, indeed, there is a perfect inconsistency between the apostle's inten- tion in this expression, " To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness," taken with his explication of it, that we are made partakers of the righteousness of Christ by faith, and therein he is made righteous- ness to them that believe, and Mr B.'s interpretation of it, which is (as shall be farther manifested), " To him that worketh, and believes on him that justifies the righteous, his obedience is his righteous- ness." But of this elsewhere.
The next question and answer are about Abraham and his justifi- cation ; which being but an instance exemplifying what was spoken before, I shall not need to insist thereon. Of his believing on God only, our believing on Christ, which is also mentioned, I have spoken ahready, and shall not trouble the reader with repetition thereof.
But he farther argues : —
Q. Doth not God justify men because of the full price Christ paid to him in their stead, so that he abated nothing of his right, in that one drop of Christ's blood was sufficient to satisfy for a thousand worlds? If not, how are they saved ?
A. Rom. iii. 24, " Being justitied freely," Eph. i. 7.
That Christ did pay a full price or ransom for us, that he did stand in our stead, that he was not abated any jot of the penalty of the law that was due to sinners, that on this account we are fully
564 VINDICI^ EVANGELICiE.
acquitted, and tliat the forgiveness of our sins is by the redemption that is in his blood, have been already fully and at large evinced. Let Mr B., if he please, attempt to evert what hath been spoken to that purpose.
The expression about " one drop of Christ's blood" is a fancy or imagination of idle monks, men ignorant of the righteousness of God and of the v^'hole nature of the mediation which our blessed Saviour undertook, wherein they have not the least communion. The close of the chapter is, —
Q. Did not Christ merit eternal life a7id purchase the kingdom of heaven for us?
A. Rom. vi. 23, " The gift of God is eternal life." Luke xii. 32, '•' It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Eternal life is the gift of God, in opposition to any merit of ours, and in respect of his designation of him who is eternal life to be our mediator and purchaser of it; yet that Christ did not therefore obtain by his blood for us eternal redemption, Heb. ix. 12, that he did not purchase us to himself, Tit. ii. 14, or that the merit of Christ for us and the free grace of God unto us are inconsistent, our catechist attempts not to prove. Of the reconciliation of God's pur- pose and good pleasure, mentioned Luke xii. 82, with the satisfac- tion and merit of the Mediator, I have spoken also at large already.
I have thus briefly passed through this chapter, although it treat- eth of one of the most important heads of our religion, because (the Lord assisting) I intend the full handling of the doctrine opjDosed in it in a treatise just to that purpose, [vol. v.]
CHAPTER XXXTII.
Of keeping the commandments of God, and of perfection of obedience — How attainable in this life.