The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

The state of the person to be justified, is a state of Sin and wrath, wherein he is liable unto Death and Condemnation. This is that which a convinced Sinner is sensible of, and which alone in the first place he seeks for deliverance from. What shall we do to be saved? This in the first place is presented unto him in the Doctrine and Promise of the Gospel, which is the Rule and Instrument of its application. And this is the death of Christ. Without this no actual Righteousness imputed unto him, not the Obedience of Christ himself, will give him relief. For he is sensible that he hath sinned, and thereby come short of the glory of God, and under the Sentence condemnatory of the Law. Until he receives a deliverance from hence, it to no purpose to propose that unto him which should give him right unto life eternal. But upon a supposition hereof, he is no less concerned in what shall yet further give him title thereunto, that he may reign in life through Righteousness. Herein I say in its order, Conscience is no less concerned than in deliverance from Condemnation. And this order is expressed in the declaration of the Fruit and Effects of the Mediation of Christ. Dan. 9.24. To make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting ⟨p. 486⟩Righteousness. Neither is there any force in the Objection against it, that actually the Obedience of Christ did precede his Suffering. For the Method of their application is not prescribed thereby; And the state of Sinners to be justified, with the nature of their Justification requires it should be otherwise, as God also hath ordained. But because the Obedience and Sufferings of Christ, were concomitant from first to last, both equally belonging unto his state of Exinanition, and cannot in any act or instance be separated, but only in notion or imagination, seeing he suffered in all his Obedience, and obeyed in all his Suffering, Heb. 5.8. And neither part of our Justification, in freedom from Condemnation, and right unto life eternal, can be supposed to be or exist without the other according unto the Ordinance and constitution of God, the whole effect is jointly to be ascribed unto the whole Mediation of Christ, so far as he acted towards God in our behalf, wherein he fulfilled the whole Law both as to the penalty exacted of Sinners, and the Righteousness it requires unto life as an eternal reward.