was in them :" And all thofe, in which God declares his delight in them alone, who "hope in his mercy," and trust in his name;" pronouncing a curfe upon them, who truft in any thing elfe, or who glory in themselves." All these teftimonies prove, that the best of God's faints have not a righteoufnefs of their own, whereon they can be juftified before God; for they all renounce any fuch thing, and fly to grace and mercy alone. The Second part of the present argument is taken from The nature of the thing itself; our own personal inherent righteoufnefs, what it is, and of what use in our Juftification. 1. We have before granted, that there is an inherent righteousness in all believers; for "the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness *;" and though righteousness be generally taken for a fpecial grace or duty, yet it may be taken for the whole of our obedience; and is fo ufed, where our own righteousness is opposed to the righteoufnefs of God. And this is either habitual or actual. There is an habitual righteoufnefs inherent in believers, as they have " put on the new man, and are created in Chrift Jefus unto good works" and there is an actual righteoufnefs, confifting in thofe good works unto which they are fo created †. But this perfonal inherent righteousness is not that by which we are juftified before God, for it is imperfect; it does not perfectly anfwer any rule of obedience which is given to us, and therefore cannot be our justifying righteoufnefs. Eph. v. 9. Rom. vi. 20. It This being the conftant doctrine of all the Reformed Churches and Divines, it is an open calumny whereby the contrary is afcribed to them. Bellarmine affirms, that no Proteftant writers acknowledge an inherent righteoufnefs, but only Bucer and Chemnitius; whereas there is not one of them by whom it is denied; only they carefully diftinguish between inherent holiness, and that righteousness whereby we are juftified. It is imperfect, as to the principle of it; for there is a contrary principle of fin abiding in us; "the flesh lufting always contrary to the Spirit." None of the faculties of our fouls are perfectly renewed; "the inward man is renewed day by day ;" and we are always to be "purging ourselves from all pollution of flesh and fpirit." Believers find in themselves the remainders of indwelling fin, in the darkness of their minds; whence, at best, they know but in part, and are ready to wander out of the way. I know not how any one can think of his pleading his own righteoufnefs, on this very account; fuch notions arise from ignorance of God and ourfelves, or want of a due confideration of both neither can I apprehend how a thousand diftinctions can fafely introduce it into any place in our Juftification. He who can search, in any measure, by a fpiritual light, into his own heart, will find, "God be merciful to me a finner," a better plea than any work of his own. It is imperfect alfo, with refpect to every act and duty of it; whether internal or external. There is iniquity cleaving to our holy things; and " all our righteousnesfes are as filthy rags.' "" It has been often and well obferved, that if a man, the best of men, were left to choose the best of his works, and thereon to enter into judgment with God, if only under this notion, that he hath fulfilled the condition required of him, as to his acceptance with God, it would be his wifeft course (fo Bellarmine thought) to renounce it, and betake himself to grace and mercy alone. It is imperfect, by reason of the incurfion of actual fins. Hence our Saviour hath taught us continually to pray for the forgiveness of our fins; and if we fay that we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, for in many things we offend all." And what confidence can be placed in this righteousness, which is thus weak, maimed, and imperfect? I have but touched on these things; but enough has been said, to prove, that though this righteousness of believers believers be on other accounts like the fruit of the vine, that gladdens the heart of God and of man; yet, as to our Juftification before God, it is like the wood of the vine, a pin cannot be taken from it to hang any weight of this caufe upon *. I fhall conclude this argument, by obferving, 1. That righteoufnefs, which anfwereth neither the law of God, nor the defign of God in our Juftification by the Gospel, is not the righteoufnefs by which we are juftified; but fuch is the inherent righteousness of believers. That it anfwereth not the law of God, has been proved from its imperfection; nor doth it answer the defign of God in our Juftification by the Gofpel; for this is to take away all glorying in ourselves; so that the whole might be to the praife of his grace +: but it is evident, that no man can poffibly have any greater occafion of boafting, than that he is juftified by performing the condition of it, which confifts in his own perfonal righteoufness. 2. No man was ever juftified by it in his own confcience, much lefs can he be juftified by it in the fight of God: for "God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things." There is no man in the world fo righteous, or holy, but his confcience will charge him with coming fhort of the obedience required of him, in Some plead, that this righteousness is abfolutely perfect; hence feme fay they are perfect and finless; but were it fo with any, his having been a finner would spoil all but this vain imagination is fo contrary to Scripture and experience, that I fhall not infift on the refutation of it. Others fay," that it is the accomplishment of the condition of the "new covenant, though it fulfil not the moral law." I answer, If this obedience answer the only rule of it, then there is no fin, nor need of pardon; but whoever confiders the principle of it, its acts and duties, will find that it answers not the commands of the Gospel, any more than the commands of the Law. Befides, this opinion puts an irreconcileable difference between the Law and the Gospel; for according to it, God declares a man by the Gospel to be perfectly righteous, who is declared by the Law to be a finner, and under its curse. + Rom. iii. 27. I Cor. i. 29, &c. in matter, manner, or degree of perfection. Let any man try himself, whether he can be justified in his own confcience by his own righteousness, and he will be condemned at his own bar: and he who doth not thence conclude, that there must be another righteousness than his own, whereby he must be justified, will be at a loss for peace with God. CHA P. XI. The Nature of the Obedience that God requireth of us. The eternal Obligation of the Law thereto. OUR fecond argument fhall be taken from the na requireth of us, that we may be accepted of him. This is a copious fubject, but I fhall reduce what belongs to our prefent concern in it, to the following heads. 1. God being a moft perfect, and therefore a most free agent, the existence, and natural circumstances of mankind, together with all his actings towards them, are to be refolved into his fovereign will and pleafure: no other reafon can be given of the original-of the whole fyftem of them*. 2. The order of all things, and their relation to each other depend on the free Conftitution of God, no less than their existence; and in this order fome things may be relatively neceffary, which were not abfolutely fo, in their own nature. 3. It was a free, fovereign act of God's will to create man, intelligent, rational, capable of moral obedience, with rewards and punishments; and being fo formed, he could *See Pfal. cxv. 3. cxxxv. 6. Prov. xvi. 4. Eph. i. 9, 11. Rev. iv. II. could not be governed like the brutes, by a mere phyfi cal influence, but by a moral inftrument of law or rule, influencing his rational faculties to obedience, and guid ing him therein. 4. This law did neceffarily enfue upon the conftitution of our nature in relation to God; and is nothing but the rule of that relation; which is therefore indijpenfable, invariable, and eternal. 5. The fubftance of this law was, that man, adhering to God, in truft, love, and fear, as the chief good, the author of his being and happinefs, fhould yield obedi ence to him; refpecting his infinite wifdom, righteouf nefs, and power, to protect, reward and punish. And nothing more is required to the establishment of this law, but that God be God, and man be man. Wherefore, 6. This law doth eternally and unchangeably oblige all men unto obedience to God; even that obedience which it requires, both as to the fubftance and manner of it for God cannot deny himself, nor is the nature of man changed as to the effence of it (to which alone this law has refpect), by any thing that can fall out. 7. In the conftitution of this order of things, God made it poffible, and forefaw it would be future, that man would rebel against this law. This gave, occafion to the conftituting the punishment of man upon his tranfgreffion of it. But this was not an effect of arbitrary will, any more than the law itself was. On the creation of man, the law was neceffary, from all the properties of the divine nature; and on the tranfgreffion of man, the conftitution of the punishment was a neceffary effect of divine righteoufnefs. The conftitution of the penalty, therefore, is no more liable to change, than the law itself. 8. This is that law, which Chrift came cr not to defroy, but to fulfil; that he might be the end of it for righteousness to thofe who believe." This law he abro gated |