The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

I Answer, 1. That the promises of eternal life are not made unto obedience as that which does merit eternal life: and therefore the best of Gods servants do acknowledge themselves unworthy of any good, Gen. 32.10. They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy, Luk. 21.36. Watch ye therefore and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man: but the word [Greek or Hebrew] rendered worthy, often signifies no more than conveniency and suitableness: so Eph. 4.1. walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called: but the obedience of the people of God cannot merit eternal life: there are two ways of meriting, neither of which can belong to the obedience of the Saints: one is when men do merit a reward from absolute justice, from the mere dignity of the work: in this sense one man can merit from another, but no man from God: for whatever man does for God is but a due Debt: and because no man can do any good but by the grace of God, the work it self is the gift of God: there is another way of meriting, and that is according to the tenor of the Law: when man keeps the Law he does deserve a recompense according to the tenor of it: thus Jesus Christ has merited life for us, Eph. 1.14. he has purchased the heavenly possession, so the Angels ⟨p. 156⟩merited blessedness for themselves: but the Obedience of the Saints is not meritorious in this sense: because it fails of legal exactness: there be many sins mixed with their obedience, and their best obedience is very imperfect and polluted: and indeed it is upon the account of Christ that the obedience of the Saints is accepted: 1 Pet. 2.5. We offer Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 2. The promises of eternal life are not made to obedience as the proper condition of it: because God is absolutely engaged to bestow eternal life upon Believers: every Believer has already performed the condition of the Covenant; and is under an absolute promise of life,