Our own Righteousness is, I confess,1 ⟨p. 394⟩the Righteousness of the Law, and the Righteousness of God is a Righteousness by Faith, or through Faith, because Faith receives it, but it is not Faith it self; The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, Rom. 1.17. Were Faith it self the Righteousness of God, the words must amount to no more than this; Faith is revealed from Faith to Faith. We are made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. 5.21. and who ever construed those words thus, We are made Faith in him? Faith is inherent in our selves, but the Righteousness of God is in Christ, who is Jehovah our Righteousness. The Jews went about to establish their own righteousness, Rom. 10.3. but it doth not appear, that that was a mere external one; we find, that they had a zeal of God, Ver. 2. which surely was internal. Zeal is a mixture of Love and Anger: They had, at least in pretence, a love to God and his Glory; and an anger at the Christian Faith, as supposing it an enemy to God and his Law. All the Jews were not Pharisees, nor did they stick merely in the Letter or husk of external Righteousness; the Scribe could say, That the love of God with all the heart, was more than all burnt-offerings ⟨p. 395⟩and sacrifices, Mark 12.33. and some Jewish Rabbins say, That the heart of man answers to the holy place; there a place must be made for the Shekinah, the divine Majesty to dwell in, and it must be the holy of Holies. No question the Jews, at least some of them, did know, that there must be some inward Sanctity; but still they stuck in their own Righteousness, they would not submit to be justified by the Righteousness of another. Our inherent Graces, as before I noted, are called our own in Scripture, but never the Righteousness of God; that is not our own but another's, that is, Christ's, and made ours only by Imputation. Israel followed after righteousness, but attained not to the Law of righteousness; wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the Law, Rom. 9.31. they attained not to the Law of Righteousness: Had the Righteousness of the Law been only an external one, they might have reached it; but the Law called for all Righteousness and that in pure sinless perfection, and that they attained not, because they sought it not in Christ, in whom perfect Righteousness is, but in themselves, where ⟨p. 396⟩it could not be found:
Our own Righteousness is, I confess,1 ⟨p. 394⟩the Righteousness of the Law, and the Righteousness of God is a Righteousness by Faith, or through Faith, because Faith receives it, but it is not Faith it self; The righteousness of God is reveiled from faith to faith, Rom. 1.17. Were Faith it self the Righteousness of God, the words must amount to no more than this; Faith is reveiled from Faith to Faith. We are made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. 5.21. and who ever construed those words thus, We are made Faith in him? Faith is inherent in our selves, but the Righteousness of God is in Christ, who is Jehovah our Righteousness. The Jews went about to establish their own righteousness, Rom. 10.3. but it doth not appear, that that was a meer external one; we find, that they had a zeal of God, Ver. 2. which surely was internal. Zeal is a mixture of Love and Anger: They had, at least in pretence, a love to God and his Glory; and an anger at the Christian Faith, as supposing it an enemy to God and his Law. All the Jews were not Pharisees, nor did they stick meerly in the Letter or husk of external Righteousness; the Scribe could say, That the love of God with all the heart, was more than all burnt-offerings ⟨p. 395⟩and sacrifices, Mark 12.33. and some Jewish Rabbins say, That the heart of man answers to the holy place; there a place must be made for the Shecinah, the divine Majesty to dwell in, and it must be the holy of Holies. No question the Jews, at least some of them, did know, that there must be some inward Sanctity; but still they stuck in their own Righteousness, they would not submit to be justified by the Righteousness of another. Our inherent Graces, as before I noted, are called our own in Scripture, but never the Righteousness of God; that is not our own but anothers, that is, Christ's, and made ours only by Imputation. Israel followed after righteousness, but attained not to the Law of righteousness; wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but, as it were, by the works of the Law, Rom. 9.31. they attained not to the Law of Righteousness: Had the Righteousness of the Law been only an external one, they might have reached it; but the Law called for all Righteousness and that in pure sinless perfection, and that they attained not, because they sought it not in Christ, in whom perfect Righteousness is, but in themselves, where
- 1Answer.
