Faith justifieth as it imbraceth the righteousnesse of God. But Christ only is the righteousnesse of God, allowed and ordained of God to be our righteousnesse. In the third to the Romans and elsewhere, oft we meet with this phrase, We are justified by faith: Now in the fifth Chapter of that Epistle, vers. 17. it is said, that we shall raigne in life through Jesus Christ, and verse 19. that by his obedience we shall be made righteous. What in the first place is called Justification and Salvation by faith, that in the other is called making righteous and raigning in life through Christ and him believed on. And so we reade, that of faith, and Rom. 3.30. &
5.1by faith, and through faith we are justified; but we never reade for faith we are justified, Act. 3. 16. First, Peter saith, His name hath made this man sound, through faith in his name: And then, the faith which is by him, hath given to him this disposition of body. Is it not plain here, that faith hath healed him, is as much as his name, or Christ believed on hath healed him: the one phrase expounding the other. Christ brought in everlasting righteousnesse into the world, Dan. 9. 24. But faith was in the world before the comming of Christ in the flesh, Heb. 11. 2. And the Spirit of God in Scripture evidently distinguisheth betwixt faith, and Christ apprehended by faith: saying, The Fathers who believed, received not the promise; that is, Christ the matter of the promise, and consequently of righteousnesse. Faith they had received: but the promise they had not received: because Christ (in whom their blessednesse was promised) was not exhibited in their daies. For allbeit by faith they apprehended Christ crucified to come, and the righteousnesse, which he was to bring unto the world at his comming: yet that righteousnesse in the substance and matter of it, was never brought into the world. So that the very designing of a precise time for the bringing in of our righteousnesse into the world, declareth that that righteousnesse materiall, is to be distinguished from faith, which was in the world in all ages before it was brought in. For faith was in the world, and did apprehend righteousnesse, which was to be brought into the world, long before it came, as well as now long after that righteousnesse performed, it can lay hold upon it to justification. For the faith of Gods children before the day of Christ, and the faith of Gods children now after the day of Christ did never, nor yet doth apprehend any other righteousnesse, but that which in that day wasbrought
Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/80
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68
Of the Covenant of Grace
