Right Thoughts, Part 2 · Section 36
Sect. XXXVI.
High thoughts of Imputed Righteouſneſs. Rom. 4 24. Phil. 3.8, 6.ANd how Highly Reported ſhould that Imputed Righteouſneſs be by Thee, which the Apoſtle counts a Gain, for which He willingly Suffered the loſs of All, nay for the working out of which Chriſt Himſelf became poor, that We by his poverty might be made …ch. 'Twas this Righteouſneſs that was look'd at in the Sacrifices, … 8.9. He…. ….14, 15.and through the Sprinklings of the Law, for ſaith the Holy Ghoſt, If the Blood of Bulls and …oats, and the ſprinkling them that are unclean, Sanctifie as to the purifying of the Fleſh, how much more ſhall the Blood of Chriſt, &c. purge your Conſcience? &c. And that the Thoughts of the Old Teſtament-Believers ran ſo much upon, Davids eſpecially, his very Dying Thoughts ran of this,2 Sam. 23.1. as appears by his laſt words, Although mine Houſe be not ſo with God, yet God hath made a Covenant with me, Ordered in all things and ſure, this is All my Salvation, Verſe 5.and All my deſire, &c. Bleſſed be God what ever is out of Order, the Covenant of Grace is Ordered in All things and ſure; my help and my hope is not in my ſelf, or in any thing of my own, 'tis laid up elſewhere in better keeping, One ſhall ſay, Iſaiah 45.24.IN the Lord I have ſtrength, and I have Righteouſneſs: and IN the Lord, the whole Houſe of Iſrael (that is,Verſe 25. all that ever ſhall have Peace) ſhall be Juſtified and ſhall Glory; thus Iſaiah: So Jeremy ſpeaking of the Church,Jer. 33.16. He that ſhall call her is The Lord Our Righteouſneſs; So Daniel, Now therefore, O our God, Dan. 9.17. Ezek. 14.14.hear the Prayer of thy Servant, &c. and cauſe thy face to ſhine, &c. for the Lords Sake. You ſee Daniel, who is reckon'd by the Holy Ghoſt with Noah and Job, one of the beſt men that ever was, hath not a Thought of any Acceptance or Audience from any Righteouſneſs or Works of his Own; but onelyonly for Chriſts ſake, Lord do it, ſaith he, for the Lords ſake. 2 Cor. 12.12. 1 Cor. 15.10. Acts 24.16.Nay S. Paul that came behind no Man, and Laboured more abundantly than All, that exerciſed himſelf alwayes to have a Conſcience void of Offence, both towards God and towards all Men, that Beat down his Body to bring it in Subjection, &c.1 Cor. 9.27. 2 Cor. 11.22. to the end. R m. 4. chap. Rom 5. chap. In a word, Wherein-ſoever any might ſeem to have any thing to boaſt, He had more, yet you find no man more triumphing in an Imputed Righteouſneſs, by FAITH, GRACE, FREE GIFT; No man more abaſing, nay abhorring the very Thought of all ſelf-wrought Righteouſneſs (not of Works, ſaith He,Eph. 2.9. leaſt any man ſhould boaſt) but ſweeping down, throughout his writings (eſpecially the Epiſtles to the Romans, Rom. chap. 5. and 6.Galatians, Epheſians) the Spiders Web, as the Holy Ghoſt calls all that Hope and Confidence which Man Spins, Gal. chap. 2. and 3. Eph. chap. 2. Job 8.14.as it were, out of his own Bowels; nay diſclaiming all compoundings and blendings in the buſineſs of Juſtification, He will have nothing there but a Chriſt apprehended and received through Faith, and that too not of our ſelves, Eph. 2.8. Rom. 11.6.but the Gift of God; for ſaith He, If it be of Grace, it is no more of Works, or elſe Grace were no more Grace; but if it be of Works, it is no more of Grace, elſe Work were no more Work.
And how plain, and indeed terrible is that Text? What ſhall We ſay then? Rom. 9.30.that the Gentiles which followed not Righteouſneſs, have attained unto Righteouſneſs, even the Righteouſneſs which is of Faith: Verſe 31.32.But Iſrael which followed after the Law of Righteouſneſs, hath not attained to the Law of Righteouſneſs. Wherefore? becauſe they ſought it not By Faith, but as it were, by the works of the Law, for they have ſtumbled at the ſtumbling ſtone, as it is written, Verſe 33.Behold I will lay in Sion a ſtumbling ſtone, and a Rock of Offence; And every one that Believeth in Him ſhall not be aſhamed. Let Papiſts then mock on, and call this Imputed Righteouſneſs a Putative (or an imaginary) Righteouſneſs, yet what is to them Fooliſhne's, 1 Pet. 2.6. Philip 3.3.and to many a ſtumbling ſtone, let it be to thee, O my Soul, a Foundation; Rejoyce thou in Jeſus, and have thou no confidence in the Fleſh.