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

But there lies one great objection against this, that the Apostle Paul seems to make an opposition between the righteousness of the law, and the righteousness of faith, and between justification by the law, and justification by grace, and by faith, and by the promise: so a man is not justified by the law, but by the Faith of Jesus Christ. Gal. 2.6, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith, Gal. 3.2. the law is not of faith, Gal. 2.12. if the inheritance be of the law, it is no mere of promise, gal. 3.5, 18. if there had been given a law, that could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law, Gal. 3:21. that I may be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ: the righteousness which is of God by faith, Phil: 3:9: by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, Rom: 3:20, 31: we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law, Rom 3.28. if they that are of the law he heirs, faith is made void, Rom: 4:14: if by grace, it is no more of works, Rom: 11: 6: by these places it seems there is no need of having the righteousness of the law in order to our justification.

The resolution of this doubt does depend upon the right understanding of what is meant by the law, and by the works of the law; by the law he intends a mere covenant of works, abstracted from that gracious way of accomplishing of it, which God has revealed in the Gospel, and thus the law is utterly uncapable of justifying of us, it is weak through the flesh, Rom: 8.3: and the way of life by the law, is distinguished from ⟨p. 28⟩that way by faith; for though the covenant of works leaves room for salvation by Christ, and does no way forbid such a way of salvation: yet it provides no Mediator for fallen man; yea is utterly silent as to a Mediator for him: leaves sinful man in a perishing condition; denouncing the curse against him, shows him no way of salvation: tells him not of any possibility of salvation: the covenant of works made no provision for salvation, but it gave way to mans salvation, in case the righteousness of it were fulfilled by a surety: so that the way of life by the law and by the Gospel, are divers ways, but not opposite; the covenant of grace supposes a covenant of works, and finds out a new way of fulfilling it; yet the practise of those who sought Justification by the covenant of works alone, was contrary to the doctrine of grace, whosoever is justified by the Law, that is, seeks to be justified on conceits that he is justified by the law, is fallen from grace,