For what has man here to boast of? No righteousness, nor yet of the application of it to his soul. The righte ousness is Christ's, not the sinner's. The imputation is God's, not the sinner's. The cause of imputation is God's grace and love, not the sinner's works of righte ousness. The time of God's imputing righteousness is, when the sinner was a sinner, wrapped up in ignorance, and wallowing in his vanity: not when he was good, or when he was seeking of it; for his inward gospel-goodness is a fruit of the imputation of justifying righteousness. Where is boasting then? Where is our Pharisee then, with his brags of not being as other men are? It is excluded, and he with it, and the poor Publican taken into favour, that boasting might be cut off.— "Not of works, lest any man should boast." There is no trust to be put in men; those that seem most humble, and that to appearance, and farthest off from pride, it is natural to them to boast; yea, now they have no cause to boast; for by grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. "Not of works, lest any man should boast."

But if man is so prone to boast, when yet there is no ground of boasting in him, nor yet in what he doth, how would he have boasted, had he been permitted by the God of heaven to have done something, though that something had been but a very little something towards his justification? But God has prevented boasting, by doing as he has done, Eph. ii. 8, 9. Nay, the apostle addeth further, (lèst any man should boast) that as to good works, "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them," ver. 10. Can the tree boast, since it was God that made it such? Where is boasting then? "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; that according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord," 1 Cor. i. 30, 31. Where is boasting

then?

then? Where is our Pharisee then, with all his works of righteousness, and with his boast of being better than his neighbours?

It may be said, If we should be justified for the sake of our inherent righteousness, since that righteousness is the gift of God, will it not follow, that boasting is in the occasion thereof cut off?

Ans. No for although the principle of inherent righteousness be the gift of God, yet it bringeth forth fruits by man, and through man; and so man having a hand therein, though he should have never so little, he has an occasion offered him to boast. Yea, if a man should be justified before God by the grace, or the working of the grace of faith in him, he would have ground of occasion to boast, because faith, though it be the gift of God, yet as it acteth in man, takes man along with it in its so acting; 'yea, the acting of faith is as often attributed to the man by whom it is acted, and oftener, than to the grace itself. How then can it be, but that man must have a hand therein, and so a ground therein or thereof to boast?

But now, since justification from the curse of the law before God, lieth only and wholly in God's imputing of Christ's righteousness to a man, and that too, while the man to whom it is imputed is in himself wicked and ungodly, there is no room left for boasting before God, for that is the boasting intended; but rather an occasion given to shame and confusion of face, and to stop the mouth for ever, since justification comes in a way so far above him, so vastly without him, his skill, help, or what else soever, Ezek. xvi. 61, 62, 63.

6. Righteousness by imputation must be first, "that justification may not be of debt, but mercy and grace. This is evident from reason: it is meet that God should therefore justify us by a righteousness of his own, not of his own prescribing: for that he may do, and yet the righteousness be ours; but of his own providing,

that

that the righteousness may be his. "Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt," Rom. iv. 2, 3, 4. If I work for justifying righteousness, and that way get righteousness, my justification is not of grace, but of debt. God giveth it not unto me, but he oweth it unto me; so then it is no longer his, but mine: Mine, not of grace, but debt. And if so, then I thank him not for his remission of sins, nor for the kingdom of heaven, nor for eternal life; for if justifying righteousness is debt, then when I have it, and what dependeth thereon, I have but mine own; that which God oweth to me.

Nor will it help at all to say, But I obtain it by God's grace in me, because that doth not cut off my work, nor prevent my having of an hand in my justifying righteousness.

Suppose I give a man materials, even all materials that are necessary to the completing of such or such a thing; yet if he worketh, though the materials be mine, I am to him a debtor, and he deserveth a reward. Thou sayest, God has given thee his Spirit, his grace, and all other things that are necessary for the working up of a complete righteousness. Well, but is thy work required to the finishing of this righteousness? If so, this is not the righteousness that justifieth; because it is such as has thy hand, thy workmanship therein, and so obtains a reward. And observe it, righteousness, justifying righteousness, consisteth not in a principle of righteousness, but in works of righteousness; that is, in good duties, in obedience, in a walking in the law to the pleasing of the law, and the content of the justice of God.

I suppose again, that thou shalt conclude with me, that justifying righteousness, I mean that which justifies from the curse of the law, consisteth only in the obe dience of the Son of God: and that the principle of grace that is in thee, is none of that righteousness, no, not then when thou hast to the utmost walked with

God

God according to thy gift and grace: yet if thou concludest, that this principle must be in thee, and these works done by thee, before this justifying righteousness is imputed to thee for justification, and layest in a caveat against justification by grace; and also concludest, that though thou art not justified by thy righteousness, but by Christ, yet thou art justified by Christ's righteousness, for the sake of thine own, and so makest justification to be still a debt. But here the scripture doth also cut thee off: "Not for thy righteousness, or for the righteousness of thine heart, dost thou possess the land," (which was but a type of heaven); and if our righteousness cannot give us, by its excellency, a share in the type, be sure, that for it, we shall never be sharers in the anti-type itself. "Un

derstand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it, for thy righte ousness; for thou art a stiff-necked people," Deut. ix. 5, 6.

Gospel preformances, therefore, are not first; that was first, for the sake of which God did receive these people into favour with himself, and that was a covenant-righteousness; and where could that covenantrighteousness be found, but in the Prince, Mediator, and High Priest of the covenant: For it was he, and he only, that was appointed of God, nor could any but himself bring in everlasting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24, 25. This is evident from these texts last mentioned; it was not for their righteousness that they possessed the land.

Again, As it was not for their righteousness that they were made possessors of the land, so it was not for the sake of their righteousness that they were made partakers of such a righteousness that did make them possess the land. This is plain to reason; for personal righteousness, when by us performed, is of no worth to obtain of God a justifying righteousness. But if it be of no worth to obtain a justifying righteousness,

then

then, it seems, it is more commodious to both parties than justifying righteousness. First, it is more commodious to him that worketh it; and, secondly, it is more commodious unto him that receiveth it, else why doth he for it give us a due debt, and so put upon us the everlasting justifying righteousness?

Perhaps it will be objected, That God doth all this of grace; but I answer, That these are but fallacious words, spoke by the tongue of the crafty. For we are not now discoursing of what reward God can give to the operation of his own grace in us, but whether he can in a way or justice (or how he will) bestow any spiritual blessing upon sinful creatures, against whom, for sin, he hath pronounced the curse of the law, before he hath found them in a righteousness, that is proved to be as good justice and righteousnees, as is the justice and righteousness of the law, with whom we have to do.

I assert he cannot, because he cannot lie, because he cannot deny himself; for if he should first threaten the transgression of the law with death, and yet afterwards receive the transgressor to grace, without a plenary satisfaction, what is this but to lie, and to diminish his truth, righteousness, and faithfulness; yea, and also to overthrow the sanction and perfect holiness of his law? His mercy, therefore, must act toward this sinner that justice may be satisfied, and that can never be, without a justifying righteousness.

Now what this justifying righteousness should be, and when imputed, that is the question. I say, it is the righteousness, or the obedience of the Son of God in the flesh, which he assumed, and so his own, and the righteousness of no body else otherwise than by imputation.

I say again, that this righteousness must be imputed first, that the sinner may stand just in God's sight from the curse, that God might deal with him in a way of justice as well as mercy, and yet do the sinner no harm.

But