it the obedience it demands. That ground of hope, therefore, being renounced, we must rely simply on the Lord Jesus Christ, and seek salvation altogether by faith in him.]
2. A public confession of him under that character —
[No confession of ours can add any thing to his all- finished work. Yet are we required to confess him openly ; because his glory, and the good of man, demand it of us. If we should conceal our faith in him, who would be benefited? or in what respect would he be glorified 1 Methinks such concealment would reflect on him the greatest disgrace ; and it would assuredly tend to harden others in their unbelief. Hence our blessed Lord required, that " all who would derive benefit from him, should deny themselves, and take up their cross daily, and follow him." And if we do not this, he de- clares that he will not acknowledge us as his disciples. Our faith, destitute of this fruit, will be in vain. Thus, though confession cannot add to faith, it is equally necessary with faith ; the one being the root ; the other, the fruit proceeding from it ]
For our encouragement, we are informed what will be,
II. The certain issue of a compliance with those terms —
Whosoever shall thus believe in Christ, and thus confess him, " shall be saved." This expression is plain, positive, unqualified. But we are informed in our text what will be the bearing of each requirement, and in what respect a compliance with each will tend to the attainment of the end proposed. To each of them has the Lord Jesus Christ assigned its proper office:
Faith will invest us with his "righteousness" —
[He has wrought out a righteousness for sinful man; a righteousness fully commensurate with the utmost demands of law and justiceb. This righteousness faith apprehends. In truth, it cannot be apprehended in any other way. If we were able to purchase an interest in it by any works of our own, salvation would in fact be by works; seeing that to purchase salvation, or to purchase that which gives us salvation, is, in reality, and in effect, the same. We are continually told, that this righteousness becomes ours by faith : " It is revealed from
b ver. 4. c c 2