II. What it is for us to be justified by faith, or how faith justifies. None can, with the least shadow of reason, deny, that justification by faith, is a scripture-mode of speaking, though some have questioned, whether the apostle’s words, _being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ_, gives countenance to the doctrine of justification by faith; for they observe, that by putting a stop immediately after the word _justified_, the sense would be, that they who are justified by Christ’s righteousness, have peace with God by faith, through the Lord Jesus Christ: but though this will a little alter the reading of the text; yet it will not overthrow the doctrine of justification by faith, as contained therein. For if we understand our _having peace with God_, as importing, that peace which they have a right to, who are interested in Christ’s righteousness, and not barely peace of conscience: then it will follow, that to have this peace by faith, is, in effect, the same as to be justified by faith; and this farther appears, from the following words, _by whom also we have access by faith into this grace, wherein we stand_. The _grace wherein we stand_, is that grace which is the foundation of our justification, and not barely peace of conscience: when we are therefore said to have access by faith unto this grace, it is the same as for us to be justified by faith. Moreover, this is not the only place in which we are said to be justified by faith; for the apostle says elsewhere, _We are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ_, Gal. ii. 16. or by faith in Jesus Christ, and again, _the just shall live by faith_, Rom. i. 17. which, agreeably to the context, must be understood of their being justified by faith; in which sense the apostle particularly explains it elsewhere, Gal. iii. 11. and in another place he speaks of _the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ_, Rom. iii. 22. and also of a believer’s _waiting for the hope of righteousness by faith_, Gal. v. 5. We must not therefore deny that justification is by faith; but rather explain the sense of those scriptures that establish this doctrine, agreeably to the mind of the Holy Ghost therein. There are various methods taken to explain the doctrine of justification by faith; particularly one that we think subversive of justification by Christ’s righteousness: the other, that which is contained in the answer which we are explaining.