CHAPTER VIII. 859 grace`, yet, under the christian dispensation, our pardon of sin; and our justification and acceptance with God are more clearly represented to us, and more strongly denied to be owing to our works of obedience, and are much more frequently ascribed to faith ; especially in those places where the holy writers are di- reedy and expressly teaching us the way of justification, accord- ing to the gospel, such as the epistles to the Romans and he Galatians. H. This faith is sometimes represented as faith in the gos- pel,fuith in Jesus Christ, faith: in the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, faith inGod through Jesus Christ, 4c. All these phrases imply or include acknowledgment of insuffi- ciency in ourselves, and dependence on the grace of God, or the mediation of Christ. And they hold forth this lesson to us, viz. that we cannot perform works of obedience or righteousness, answerable to the perfect demands-of God, so as to stand entitled tó impunity and life thereby, under this or any other of his dis- pensations, as we have sheaved before in chapter ii. thereforewe cannot be justified by any law of righteousness, or any righte- ousness of works, whichwe can do : For St. Paul tells us, that if there had been any law which could lieve given life to fallen mankind, verily righteousness or a right to life should have been appointed- and obtained by that law ; Gal. iii. 21. but now since we cannot obtain a right to forgiveness and acceptance with God unto salvation by our works, therefore it must be done by the righteousness of faith, and dependence ; Rom. ix. 30. that is, a righteousness or rectitude in the court of God, or right to life, which we are maclepartakers of, by our trusting in mere mercyt. III. This blessing must come upon us, therefore, as agift of righteousness as Rom. v. 17. or as a justifying righteousness imputed to us; as Rom. iv. 5, 6, 22-24. or reckoned to our account, because we have no justifying righteousness of our own working. And therefore, it is often called the righ- teousness of God ; because it is God out Of his free grace appointed it, and it is God imputes or bestows it, or accepts us into his favour, as though we were perfectly righteous, when we believe or trust in Christ. IV. It is called the righteousness of aith, the righteousness doubt whether the apostle doth not introduce it here, rather as a figure or emblem ofthat part of our salvation whirls consists in our'deLverance from the guilt ofsin, and in pardoning grace. S Ste this matter discoursed of in chapter ii. which should be reviewed, be- fore this chapter is read. t In this and the like scriptures, where mention is made of the righteousness of God, offaith, imputedfor righteousness, of the righteousness which is of the law, the righteousnesswhich is offith, &c the word righteousness is taken in a forensic sense ; not for one or mote acts of obedience or holiness, but for la rectitude to the court of God, or a right to impunity and life.
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