The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

It is moreover urged, That upon the supposed Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ, it will follow that every Believer is justified by the works of the Law. For the Obedience of Christ was a legal Righteousness, and if that be imputed unto us, then are we justified by the Law, which is contrary unto express Testimonies of Scriptures in many places. Ans. (1) I know nothing more frequent in the Writings of some Learned Men, then that the Righteousness of Christ is our legal Righteousness; who yet I presume are able to free themselves of this Objection. (2) If this do follow in the true sense of being justified by the Law, or the Works of it, so denied in the Scripture, their weakness is much to be pitied who can see no other way ⟨p. 313⟩whereby we may be freed from an Obligation to be justified by the Law, but by this Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ. (3) The Scripture which affirms that by the deeds of the Law no man can be justified, affirms in like manner, that by Faith we do not make void the Law, but establish it; that the Righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us; that Christ came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it, and is the End of the Law for Righteousness unto them that do believe. And that the Law must be fulfilled or we cannot be justified, we shall prove afterwards. (4) We are not hereon justified by the Law or the Works of it, in the only sense of that Proposition in the Scripture, and to coin new senses or significations of it, is not safe. The meaning of it in the Scripture is, that only the doers of the Law shall be justified, Rom. 2.13. and that he that doth the things of it shall live by them, chap. 10.5. namely, in his own person, by the way of personal Duty which alone the Law requires. But if we who have not fulfilled the Law in the way of inherent personal Obedience, are justified by the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ unto us, then are we justified by Christ and not by the Law. But it is said, that this will not relieve. For if his Obedience be so imputed unto us, as that we are accounted by God in Judgment to have done what Christ did, it is all one upon the matter, and we are as much justified by the Law, as if we had in our own proper persons performed an unsinning Obedience unto it. This I confess I cannot understand.