perfection in their own works, and believing in Chrift, were made partakers of a righteoujnefs, adequate to the largest demands of God's holy law; by whofe voice, and confentaneous to whose sentence, they were abfolved, acquitted, accepted. Hence David defcribes the bleffednefs of the man to whom the Lord, imputeth righteousness without works. Rom. iv. 6, and Chrift is faid to be the end of the law for righteousness, &c. Rom. x. 3.

In fcripture language, faith is faid to be imputed for righteousness, as Abraham believeth God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and, to lim that worketh not, but believeth, his faith is counted to him for righteousness, Rom. iv. 3. 5. Hence fome will have faith to be our righteoufnefs, understanding these scriptures literally; which opinion could it be proved a truth, would neceffarily difcard and fet afide the obedience of Chrift, feeing a two-fold righteousness is not neceffary. But this opinion can have no foundation but upon a fuppofition, that Ged the fupreme legiflator, will accept of a righteoufnefs under the gospel, which is very different from that required by the law; which fuppofition has not only no foundation to fupport it in the holy fcriptures, but muft neceffarily be atrended with confequences not very agreeable to the plan of the gofpel. For on this fuppofition, ift, There muft either be another law iffued in refpect of the gospel, less holy in its nature, and more mild in its exactions, than the moral law first imposed upon Adam, in his perfect ftate, and afterwards more explicitly given by the miniftration of Mofes; or, a righteoufnefs illegal, and inadequate to the precepts of the moral law, muft be accepted in the juftification of a finner. But

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heaven and earth, fhall fooner pafs away, than the former fhall ever take place, Matt. v. 18. and thé whole human race be left obnoxious to the curfe, e'er God will justify and fave them, in a way fo difhonourable, and unbecoming as the latter, Gal. iii. 10. 2. God who is immutable in his nature, and unchangeable in his purposes, muft on this fuppofition, vary his defigns, and change his laws and ordinances, like a frail, and fhort fighted mortal; and by fubftituting faith for perfect righteousness, must leffen in our esteem, the boliness of his nature, on which the law is founded, the inflexibility of his justice, and the odiousness of fin which is oppofed to both.

6th, The fcripture every where fets forth the neceffity of faith, in order to the juftification of a finner; but to put faith as the meritorious caufe of fuch juftification, would be moft infufferable, feeing faith can poffibly have no merit, as it is an operation of the fpirit of God in the heart of a finner now regenerate, and the glorious workidf our Immanuel, can only lay claim to merit. Faith, as above, can only be confidered as an instrument in the matter of juftification, receiving, and ap plying that righteoufnefs which is neceflary to falvation; but that which receives fomething without, and separate from itself, viz. that righteoufnefs which is neceffary to falvation, cannot be that righteousness itself; therefore faith cannot be that righteousness.

Furthermore, the fcriptures fpeak of different degrees of faith, Oye of little faith. And, O woman great is thy faith, &c. So we read of lambs in the flock, and of children, young men, and fathers, &c. now if faith be our righteousness,

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according to the measure and degree of this faith, we are more or less righteous; and as faith is fuppofed to be imputed in the act of justification, a man must be more or less justified, as his faith is weak or strong, which I conceive to be an abfurdity. Moreover, I think this tenet must be a every dry breast to believers in a time of trial and fpiritual desertion; when joys feem withered, love cold, and the fhield of faith totters, and the foul fees herself affaulted on every fide; then to have no hopes of acceptance but in and through a righteousness so imperfect and weak, as faith is in fuch time of trial found to be, must needs be very uncomfortable to a poor creature's mind. Whereas on the contrary, when agreeable to the scripture doctrine of juftification, faith takes hold on the righteousness of Christ, and his obedience, active and paffive, is imputed to a poor finner in his juftification for righteousness, he needs no longer remain in doubt, and thereby in diftrefs, whether bis faith be ftrong enough to procure him a compleat pardon, feeing that in the days of the greataft darkness and difquietude, when his faith is most feeble, and his comforts moft fading, the glorious bbject of his faith is ftill the fame; and the lowest degree of faith apprehends a righteousness perfect, compleat, and thoroughly acceptable to God, If. xlii.

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Hence it is the church can rejoice in the name of her bridegroom, and the honour conferred upon her in being named together with him, the Lord our righteousness, Jer. xxiii. 6, xxxiii, 16, (and each believer in particular can gladly fay, furely in the Lord have I righteousness and ftrength, If. xlv. 24.

7th, To argue, as fome have done, that if a

ாமாரி: finner be justified by the righteousness of Chrif imputed to him, he is juftified by the law, fee ing that righteoufnefs confifted in a perfect conformity thereto, is no better than vain jangling, 10 and below the man of attention. What can we think would the bleffed apostle have faid to any one in his day, who should have dared in fo grofs and palpable a manner to have perverted his words, and wrefted the force of his arguments? Doubtlefs, with zeal no less rapid and fervent than that with which he defended the truth of the gofpel, against the disturbers of the church of Galatia, he would have reproved the ignorance and infolence of fuch Antinomians, and oppofers of the righteousness of Chrift. "Ye vain, and self"feeking generation, how long will ye perfift in "your ftupidity? Does not the gospel I have "preached unto you principally tend to take you "off from felf-feeking and depending? Does it «Ε not wholly point you to the Lord Chrift, and "hold forth his righteoufnefs as the fole merito"rious caufe of your acceptance, and for the fake "of which, ye as guilty finners are imputed juft "in the prefence and efteem of a holy God? "Are not your own imperfect works, the best of "which come fhort of the glory of God, contrafted

in all my writings, with the compleat, and per"fect obedience of Chrift, who has magnified "the law, and made it honourable. Think ye O "vain men that God is fuch an one as yourself? "Did he once give a law which required perfect "obedience from his creatures, and can he now difpenfe with a righteoufnefs which will bear a confiftency of fin with it? Is Chrift then become "the minifter of fin? Came he into the world to

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"defraud the law of what it juftly demanded, and "to do difhonour to an effential attribute of the

deity, viz. juftice? Know O vain man, that hea"ven and earth fhall pafs into nothing, fooner than "one jot, or one tittle of the law fhall fail of per"fect fulfillment. Nor can you ever ftand before "God, and in the congregation of the juft, but " as you are esteemed righteous by juftice itself,

through the blood and righteousness of the Lord "Jefus imputed to you, fo that with the free and "full confent of both law and juftice, you can "enter into glory; for no finner will be unjustly "faved."

8th, The imputation of Chrift's righteousness, feems not only to be most agreeable to the word of God, (as I hope to manifeft more fully by and by ;) but alfo appears to be most confiftent with the divine attributes, which hereby are made to harmonize, and sweetly accord with each other; hereby, mercy and truth meet together, righ"teoufnefs and peace embrace each other," Pf. lxxxv. 10, in this moft admirable, and beft adapted plan, we see the rights of government fecured in a way and manner, that must reflect eternal honour on the wifdom that contrived it; and the law of God hereby, abides immutable and inflexible, as the unchangeable attribute on which it ftands: Whereas a righteoufnefs any way deficient, and imperfect, will be found a covering too narrow to wrap a naked finner in, If. xxviii. 20.

9th, Some have thought their own righteouf nefs fufficient to recommend them to God; of this number were the pharifees of old, and of the fame fpirit, temper, and opinion, are the felfjufticiaries of this and other age; but David's blef

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