Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…

'Tis absolutely necessary that in order to a Sinner's being justified, the Righteousness of some other should be reckoned to his Account; for 'tis declared that the Person justified is looked upon as (in himself) ungodly; but God neither will nor can justify a Person without a Righteousness; for Justification is manifestly a ⟨p. 58⟩forensic Term, as the Word is used in Scripture, and the Thing a judicial Thing, or the act of a Judge: So that if a Person should be justified without a Righteousness, the Judgment would not be according to Truth: The Sentence of Justification would be a false Sentence, unless there be a Righteousness performed that is by the Judge properly looked upon as his. To say, that God don't justify the Sinner without sincere, tho' an imperfect Obedience, don't help the Case; for an imperfect Righteousness before a Judge is no Righteousness. To accept of something that falls short of the Rule, instead of something else that answers the Rule, is no judicial Act, or act of a Judge, but a pure Act of sovereignty. An imperfect Righteousness is no Righteousness, before a Judge; For Righteousness [as one observes] is a relative Thing, and has always Relation to a Law: The formal Nature of Righteousness, properly understood, lies in a conformity of Actions to that which is the Rule and Measure of them. Therefore that only is Righteousness in the Sight of a Judge that answers the Law^* ⟨p. 59⟩The Law is the Judges Rule: If he pardons and hides what really is, and so don't pass Sentence according to what Things are in themselves, he either don't act the Part of a Judge, or else judges falsely. The very Notion ⟨p. 60⟩of judging, is to determine what is, and what is not, in any one's Case. The Judge's Work is two fold, it is to determine first what is fact, and then whether what is in fact be according to Rule, or according to the Law. If a Judge has no Rule or Law established before Hand, by which he should proceed in judging, he has no Foundation to go upon in judging, he has no Opportunity to be a Judge; nor is it possible that he should do the Part of a Judge. To judge without a Law or Rule by which to judge, is impossible, for the very Notion of judging is to determine whether the Object of Judgment be according to Rule; and therefore God has declared that when he acts as a Judge he will not justify the Wicked, and cannot clear the Guilty;