DISCOURSE. III. 205 nations be blessed." And it iscalled the promise, to distinguish it from the law of Sinai, and indeedfrom all proper laws : for as I shahshew, the gospel does not save us in the wayof a law ; and therefore is not a proper law. Quest. 3. What is meant by the law's giving life.Answ. The word is .e4oro,lcai, which more naturally signifies quickening, or bringing a dead thing into life, by putting a spirit or life into it, or by making it active in a vital manner : And so it might seem to imply giving new spiritual life to 'those who are dead in trespasses and sins. But the wholecontext rather constrains us to construe it, the giving a title to eternal life and happiness to men in a judicial or legal manner. This no law of Godcan do, as the apostle here asserts. Quest 4. What is meant by righteousness?Answ. A jus- tifying righteousness, or a sentence ofjustification, a rectitude in the court of God, a freedom from punishment, and a right to life, which is the natural and proper effect of perfect obedience to any law of God given to men. But this blessingmay begiveir also another way, viz. by the free grace of God, without any such obedience or righteousness of our own working. Quest. 5. What have we. to understand by the scripture concluding all under sin ? Ansrv. It signifies that the scripture, or theword of God, declares that all mankind are sinners, there is none righteous, no not one ; Rom. iii. 10. Andas sinners, they are under a sentence of condemnation by the law of God, what- ' soever law they are under, whether the law of nature, or any laws of revelation : forasmuch as no man hath ever perfectly ful- filled any law that God had given him, and therefore all are come short ofjustification and life, all are fallen short of the glory of God, promised to obedience. See this at large, both declared, pronounced, and argued; Rom. iii. 9-20. By the law shall no flesh living bejustjed, &c. Quest. 6. What is that promise given by the faith of Christ to them that believe ? Answ.. The promise of salvation, and the inheritance of heaven, typifiedby the land of Canaan, given originally and eminently to Abraham andhis seed, and continued to those who arelhis spiritual seed, viz. who believe or trust in Christ, who is the Messiah promised to Abraham : For byfaith in Christ we are made the children of Abraham ; Gal. iii. 29. i. e. as we are imitators of his faith, so we are invested in his benefits i. e. those who imitate Abraham by trusting in the mercy of God through the Messiah, now he is come in the flesh, as Abraham trusted in him before he came, are account- ed in the sight of God, the children or posterity of Abraham, and are partakers of those blessings of the inheritance of eter- nal life, which was promised to Abraham, under types and figures of the land of Canaan; Gal, iii. 7, S, 9, 29. And as
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