Chapter VI. Evangelical personal righteousness, the nature and use of it — Final judgment, and its respect unto justification
Evangelical personal righteousness; the nature and use of it — Whether there be an evangelical justification on our evangelical righteousness, inquired into — How this is by some affirmed and applauded — Evangelical personal righteousness asserted as the condition of our righteousness, or the pardon of sin — Opinion of the Socinians — Personal righteousness required in the gospel — Believers hence denominated righteous — Not with respect unto righteousness habitual, but actual only — Inherent righteousness the same with sanctification, or holiness — In what sense we may be said to be justified by inherent righteousness — No evangelical justification on our personal righteousness — The imputation of the righteousness of Christ does not depend thereon — None have this righteousness, but they are antecedently justified — A charge before God, in all justification before God — The instrument of this charge, the law or the gospel — From neither of them can we be justified by this personal righteousness — The justification pretended needless and useless — It has not the nature of any justification mentioned in the Scripture, but is contrary to all that is so called — Other arguments to the same purpose — Sentential justification at the last day — Nature of the last judgement — Who shall be then justified — A declaration of righteousness, and an actual admission into glory, the whole of justification at the last day — The argument that we are justified in this life in the same manner, and on the same grounds, as we shall be judged at the last day, that judgement being according unto works, answered; and the impertinency of it declared
The things which we have discoursed concerning the first and second justification, and concerning the continuation of justification, have no other design but only to clear the principal subject whereof we treat from what does not necessarily belong unto it. For until all things that are either really heterogeneous or otherwise superfluous are separated from it, we cannot understand aright the true state of the question about the nature and causes of our justification before God. For we intend one justification only, — namely, that whereby God at once freely by his grace justifies a convinced sinner through faith in the blood of Christ. Whatever else any will be pleased to call justification, we are not concerned in it, nor are the consciences of them that believe. To the same purpose we must, therefore, briefly also consider what is usually disputed about our own personal righteousness, with a justification thereon; as also what is called sentential justification at the day of judgment. And I shall treat no farther of them in this place, but only as it is necessary to free the principal subject under consideration from being intermixed with them, as really it is not concerned in them. For what influence our own personal righteousness has into our justification before God will be afterwards particularly examined. Here we shall only consider such a notion of it as seems to interfere with it, and disturb the right understanding of it. But yet I say concerning this also, that it rather belongs unto the difference that will be among us in the expression of our conceptions about spiritual things whilst we know but in part, than unto the substance of the doctrine itself. And on such differences no breach of charity can ensue, whilst there is a mutual grant of that liberty of mind without which it will not be preserved one moment.
It is, therefore, by some apprehended that there is an evangelical justification upon our evangelical personal righteousness. This they distinguish from that justification which is by faith through the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, in the sense wherein they do allow it; for the righteousness of Christ is our legal righteousness, whereby we have pardon of sin, and acquitment from the sentence of the law, on the account of his satisfaction and merit. But, moreover, they say that as there is a personal, inherent righteousness required of us, so there is a justification by the gospel thereon. For by our faith, and the plea of it, we are justified from the charge of unbelief; by our sincerity, and the plea of it, we are justified from the charge of hypocrisy; and so by all other graces and duties from the charge of the contrary sins in commission or omission, so far as such sins are inconsistent with the terms of the covenant of grace. How this differs from the second justification before God, which some say we have by works, on the supposition of the pardon of sin for the satisfaction of Christ, and the infusion of a habit of grace enabling us to perform those works, is declared by those who so express themselves.