Now since this perfect, this complete and constant Obedience to the Law, was our Duty, and that Debt we owed to God, Dare you deny Christ as our Surety, paid it? Certainly had he not fulfilled the Preceptory part of the Law (as well as born the Penal part) for us, we could not be justified from the Charge and Curse thereof: But why must we (because we say Surety hath done this) be justified by the Law or Covenant of Works? Are we Saviours or Mediators, because we have his Righteousness imputed to us of mere Grace? Is the Debtor the Surety, because the Surety's Payment is accepted for him? The old Covenant-Righteousness was an inherent Righteousness, a Righteousness in a Man's self, i. e. Adam's own Righteousness, not a Righteousness imputed, but inherent: the Righteousness of your new Law, is a Legal or Law-Righteousness, and looks more like an old Covenant-Righteousness, because 'tis inherent, or infused into you, not put upon you, or imputed to you, as being wrought out for you without you. And, Sir, is there no favour showed to us, because our Surety has paid this Debt? Was it not great Love, great Grace and Favour for God to accept of a Surety? nay, to substitute his own Son in our stead to satisfy all the Demands of the Law and Justice? True, we are not simply dealt with in a way of Mercy, (I mean pardoned only) but in a way of Justice and Righteousness also: Justification has more than Pardon in it (as your Notion allows;) we found not the Surety, but God found him; therefore all is of God's free Grace, tho also all is by the Obedience ⟨p. 47⟩of Christ, i. e. by his keeping Law for us, and dying in our stead. To plead for a Righteousness by Obedience to any mild Law, is no other than to plead for a Legal Righteousness in our selves to justify us; and that is as opposite to the Righteousness of God, as the trusting in the Moral and Ceremonial Law, it being opposite to Grace: the Righteousness therefore of the Law, by which no Flesh can be justified, is a Righteousness rested in, or trusted to, that is inherent in us, whatsoever Thoughts a Person may have of it, i. e. as perfectly, or only sincerely kept.
Now since this perfect, this compleat and constant Obedience to the Law, was our Duty, and that Debt we owed to God, Dare you deny Christ as our Surety, paid it? Certainly had he not fulfilled the Preceptory part of the Law (as well as born the Penal part) for us, we could not be justified from the Charge and Curse thereof: But why must we (because we say Surety hath done this) be justified by the Law or Covenant of Works? Are we Saviours or Mediators, because we have his Righteousness imputed to us of meer Grace? Is the Debtor the Surety, because the Surety's Payment is accepted for him? The old Covenant-Righteousness was an inherent Righteousness, a Righteousness in a Man's self, i. e. Adam's own Righteousness, not a Righteousness imputed, but inherent: the Righteousness of your new Law, is a Legal or Law-Righteousness, and looks more like an old Covenant-Righteousness, because 'tis inherent, or infused into you, not put upon you, or imputed to you, as being wrought out for you without you. And, Sir, is there no favour shewed to us, because our Surety has paid this Debt? Was it not great Love, great Grace and Favour for God to accept of a Surety? nay, to substitute his own Son in our stead to satisfy all the Demands of the Law and Justice? True, we are not simply dealt with in a way of Mercy, (I mean pardoned only) but in a way of Justice and Righteousness also: Justification has more than Pardon in it (as your Notion allows;) we found not the Surety, but God found him; therefore all is of God's free Grace, tho also all is by the Obedience ⟨p. 47⟩of Christ, i. e. by his keeping Law for us, and dying in our stead. To plead for a Righteousness by Obedience to any mild Law, is no other than to plead for a Legal Righteousness in our selves to justify us; and that is as opposite to the Righteousness of God, as the trusting in the Moral and Ceremonial Law, it being opposite to Grace: the Righteousness therefore of the Law, by which no Flesh can be justified, is a Righteousness rested in, or trusted to, that is inherent in us, whatsoever Thoughts a Person may have of it, i. e. as perfectly, or only sincerely kept.
