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

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, Gal 4: 5. the Law and Gospel are indeed by God in a glorious subordination one to the other: but men by seeking to be justified by the covenant of works alone, do set one in opposition to the other.

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 meer 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, shews 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,