The Scripture Gospel defended, and Christ, grace, and free justification vindicated against the libertines…

But that Christs righteousness is the meritorious cause of ours, is past doubt. And therefore they that affirm and they that deny it to be the material cause (which is the common Doctrine of Protestant disputers) do but differ about a name. For if Adam had merited his own glorification had not his works been both the meritorious cause, and the material? that is, the matter of that meritorious righteousness: And why may we not say so of Christ? It is therefore the material because it is the meritorious, that is, the meriting matter. For righteousness being a Relation hath strictly no ⟨p. 26⟩matter, but a Subject. And Christs Acts and habits were the first Subject of that righteousness of his person whose merit justifieth us: But the believer is the Subject of his own personal righteousness thus merited by Christ. It's pity that holy things should be brought down to such Logical trifling; but more pity that Church teachers that will do so, should abuse them by their ignorance in their own way. The matter of the righteousness which meriteth our Justification from the Laws damnation of us, is Christs own righteousness; (unless by the matter you mean the Subject person.) But the matter of our subordinate righteousness is in and of our selves, of which anon.

Cont. 9. Whether the Union between Christ and believers be not so near, as maketh them the same Subject, and so the accident of Christs righteousness to be ours?

Cont. 9. Whether the Ʋnion between Christ and believers be not so near, as maketh them the same Subject, and so the accident of Christs righteousness to be ours?

Ans. So some think, but this tremendous mystery must not be rashly and profanely handled. In a Union Specific of humanity, all mankind is one with Christ that is, of one Species of humane nature: And so that which is predicated of one as such, is predicated of the other.