4. That Faith doth most directly and properly justify [as its the fulfilling of the Condition of the New Covenant] appeareth thus. 1 The new Covenant only doth put the stamp of Gods Authority upon it, in making it the Condition. A two-fold stamp is necessary to make it a current medium of our Justification. 1. Command. 2. Promise. Because God hath neither Commanded any other means, 2. Nor promised Justification to any other, therefore it is, that this is the only condition; and so only thus Justifieth. When I read this to be the tenor of the New Covenant [Whosoever believeth shall be justified:] doth it not tell me plainly why Faith Justifieth? even because it pleaseth the Lawgiver and Covenant-maker to put Faith into the Covenant, as its condition. 2. What have we else to show at Gods bar for our Justification, but the New Covenant? The Authority and Legality of it must bear us out. It is upon point of Law that we are condemned; and it must be by Law, that we must be Justified. Therefore we were condemned, because the Law which we break did threaten death to our sin: If we had ⟨p. 146⟩committed the same Act, and not under a Law that had threatened it with death, we might not have dyed. So therefore are we Justified, because the New Law doth promise Justification to our faith. If we had performed the same Act under the first Covenant, it would not have Justified. As the formal Reason, why sin condemneth is, because the Law hath concluded it in its threatening: so the formal Reason, why Faith justifieth, is, because the New Law of Covenant hath concluded it, in its Promise. And as where there is no Law, there is no Transgression nor Condemnation: because sin is formally a transgression of the Law, and Condemnation is but the execution of its Threatening: so where there is no fulfilling the new Law, there is no Righteousness nor Justification: because Righteousness is formally a conformity to the Law of Righteousness, and Justification is but the performing of part of its Promise.
4. That Faith doth most directly and properly justifie [as its the fulfilling of the Condition of the New Covenant] appeareth thus. 1 The new Covenant onely doth put the stamp of Gods Authority upon it, in making it the Condition. A two-fold stamp is necessary to make it a current medium of our Justification. 1. Command. 2. Promise. Because God hath neither Commanded any other meanes, 2. Nor promised Justification to any other, therefore it is, that this is the onely condition; and so only thus Justifieth. When I read this to be the tenour of the New Covenant [Whosoever believeth shall be justified:] doth it not tell me plainly why Faith Justifieth? even because it pleaseth the Lawgiver and Covenant-maker to put Faith into the Covenant, as its condition. 2. What have we else to shew at Gods barr for our Justification, but the New Covenant? The Authority and Legality of it must bear us out. It is upon point of Law that we are condemned; and it must be by Law, that we must be Justified. Therefore we were condemned, because the Law which we break did threaten death to our sin: If we had ⟨p. 146⟩committed the same Act, and not under a Law that had threatned it with death, we might not have dyed. So therefore are we Justified, because the New Law doth promise Iustification to our faith. If we had performed the same Act under the first Covenant, it would not have Iustified. As the formall Reason, why sin condemneth is, because the Law hath concluded it in its threatning: so the formall Reason, why Faith justifieth, is, because the New Law of Covenant hath concluded it, in its Promise. And as where there is no Law, there is no Transgression nor Condemnation: because sin is formally a transgression of the Law, and Condemnation is but the execution of its Threatning: so where there is no fulfilling the new Law, there is no Righteousnesse nor Iustification: because Righteousnesse is formally a conformity to the Law of Righteousnesse, and Iustification is but the performing of part of its Promise.
