A brief discourse of justification. Wherein this doctrine is plainly laid down according to…

A. Let me here premise this, That by meriting or deserving, I intend a Covenant Merit, or a coming up to the terms of the Covenant, according to which men are to be justified or condemned; that which fully satisfies the demands of the Law of the Covenant, upon our account, doth properly Merit for us; for a Covenant merit is nothing else but a fulfilling of these Covenant Conditions upon which the promises of it depend: Now every serious soul would willingly be satisfied upon this account; he would be informed in this point, how the righteousness of one can answer for another who hath none of his own; yea, how one mans Righteousness can deserve Justification for a great many, ⟨p. 27⟩who are themselves sinners: and there can be no rational settlement of the soul in quiet and comfort, without some good satisfaction in this point: And let me answer this,

1. Negatively, It doth not proceed from the Righteousness of Christ barely considered as the Obedience of a mere man to the Moral Law: For,

1. Negatively, It doth not proceed from the Righteousness of Christ barely considered as the Obedience of a meer man to the Moral Law: For,

1. If Christ's had been a mere man, or only an humane person, he had owed all his active Obedience to the Law for himself, or upon his own account. The law of nature obliged every mere Son of Adam to full, perfect constant obedience to all the commands of God and when he had done all, he had done but his duty, and could have challenged the Covenant reward for none but himself: It is but a just debt which every man owes to God, to love him with all his heart, Soul, strength and might, and his neighbour as himself,