God of my Fathers

I will not have mine own righteousness; but, ‘I desire not to be found in my righteousness,’ so as to merit salvation thereby. But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by Faith: that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. That is, that righteousness which is in Christ, but laid hold on of me and apprehended by faith; and all that righteousness that he had, both active and passive obedience as Mediator, but especially his passive. For he was born, lived, and died for us; and this is that which St Paul desired to be ‘found in,’ and this is that which we must trust to. But how can this righteousness, performed wholly by him, be mine? I answer, By faith it is made ours; for if Christ be ours, all his righteousness must consequently be made ours. But how can this righteousness performed by Christ be sufficient for us? I answer, First, Because God ordained it to that purpose: 1 Cor. i. 30, ‘Christ by God is made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption and to this end God the Father sealed him,’ John vi. 27. Secondly, I say, Christ is a ‘second Adam,’ and a public person, and became ours, we then being in his loins; so the righteousness of Christ is made ours, we being born in Christ by faith and found in him. He being our head, we have a spiritual life descending upon us; he being our husband, all his goods are ours also. This point is the soul of the church, and the golden key which opens heaven for us. If we join any other thing to it, it opens hell to us, as God will reveal at that great day. It is true the papists do acknowledge now that their good works are not of themselves but from God; but thus did the Pharisee, ‘he thanked God that he was not as other men, nor as the publican,’ Luke xviii. 11. But the poor publican, disclaiming all such goodness, went away justified rather than the other. Let it be our wisdom therefore to rely only on Christ, whose obedience and righteousness is so all-sufficient as nothing may be added thereto, and say with the apostle, ‘Not I, but the grace of God in me,’ 1 Cor. xv. 10.