360 HARMONY OF ALL RELIGIONS. of God byfaith, and that righteousness which is through thefaith, of Christ ; as in Phil. iii. 9. because it implies an acknowledg- ment of sin and imperfection in our works, and a dependence, faith or trust on the mercy or grace of God, as manifested more clearly in,the gospel, through Jesus the great Mediator : Or a trust in Christ, who is called the Lord our righteousness, Jer. xxiii. 6. and who is made of God righteousness to us; 1 Cor. i. 30. that is, we are justified for the sake of his doings and sufferings. V. And therefore this -faith is called faith in Christ, faith in his name, faith 'in his blood, faith in his righteousness : Gah iii. 24. John i. 12. Rom. 25. 2. Pet. i. 1. to shew that we must trust or depend on Jesus Christ, ourMediator, andon what he has done and suffered, for our pardon and acceptance with God, or our justification '. It is he bath wrought out such a perfect righteousness, by his obedience and sacrifice, which are perfectlywell pleasing to God, and perfectly satisfactory to God, whom we had offended, and which are the true and only ground and foundation of our pardon, justification or acceptance with God. VI. Thus we are justjed by faith or trust, as an appoint- ed medium, to be performed by us, in order to our interest in this blessing ; and we are justified by the righteousness of Christ, or his obedience unto death, as the only foundation or ground of it : We are justified also by thefreegrace of God, as the prime author of this blessed transaction, and we are justified by the gospel or covenant of grace, as the great rule of divine conduct or government in this affair. VII. Nor should it be forgotten in this place, that as Adam is more clearly described or represented, in the New Testament, as the spring or head of all that sin, condemnation and death, which are imputed, or derived, or any way conveyed to all his posterity ; so our Lord Jesus Christ is called the second Adam ; >F Here let it be observed, that the words ate t and '<<cc o, which continually return upon us in reading the Greek Testament, should be frequently translated, by trust and trusting in God, or Christ, especiallywhere the preposition rs or tg is added to. it. and it should not. be no often called belief or believing; for it is not such a mere assent.w the gospel of Christ, as excites hope or trust in mercy, and so draws forth the soul to love God, repent of sin, and fulfil the duties of holiness. . . The Hebrew words which imply trust and dependance in the Old Testament, are representedoften by ntçsvw in the New Testament, as well as those wnicb sig. nifvbelief or assent : And therefore David, in the Psalms, where he expresses the inward actings of his soul towards God, is ever using the words trust and hope;; and the translators of our.New Testament should have much oftener used them to express the true meaning of the words ançsç and meanw in the sacred writers. As John xiv. I. Ye trust in God, trust also in me, Acts xci. 13. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thorn shalt be saved. Mark vi. 22. Have trust in God. Acts xx. 21. Repent- ance towards God, and trust in our LordJesus Christ. Rom. iii. 25. He is set forth as a propitiation through trusting in his blood ; and many other places. This is the con. stunt sentiment of our protestant divines in their opposition to the papists, that. " &des est fiducia."
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