Quest. How do men come by this righteousness and everlasting life?
Ans. By faith men lay hold upon it, and apply it to their own souls in particular (Gal 2:20). For it is by faith they are justified, as also saith the scripture (Rom 5:1). That his faith lays hold on and applies, that which this Christ of God hath done, and is a doing, and owns it as his own.
Quest. What is this faith that doth justify the sinner?
Ans. It is a gift (Eph 2:8), fruit (Gal 5:22) or work, of the Spirit of God, whereby a soul is enabled, under a sight of its sins, and wretched estate, to lay hold on the birth, righteousness, blood, death, resurrection, ascension and intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess 2:7), and by the assistance of the Spirit, whereby it is wrought, to apply all the virtue, life and merit of what hath been done and suffered, or is a doing by the same Lord Jesus Christ, to its own self in particular (Gal 2:20; Rom 7:24,25), as if itself had really done all that the Lord Jesus Christ hath done: I do not say that the soul doth any thing for justification, but it doth know, that whatsoever Jesus Christ hath done in point of justification, is given to, and bestowed upon it (Rom 3:22) and God finding the soul in him, that is in Christ, doth 'justify it from all things, from which it could not be justified by the law of Moses' (Acts 13:39).
Quest. Well, but is there no way to come to the Father of mercies but by this man that was born of the virgin? Is there no way to come to God but by the faith of him?
Ans. No, 'there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved' (Acts 4:12). And Jesus himself, that was born of the virgin Mary, said, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me' (John 14:6).
Quest. And where is this man, that was born of the virgin, that we may come to the Father by him?
Ans. He ascended away from his disciples in a cloud, into heaven, as we may read (Acts 1:9-11).
Quest. What doth he there?
Ans. He ever lives to make intercession for all that come unto God by him (Heb 7:25). That is, they shall come out of themselves to him, and venture their souls on what he did and suffered when he was on earth, and is doing now in heaven; shall certainly be saved: For he ever lives to save them, that do thus come to the Father by him. And it is, because he spilt his blood for all that shall by the faith of God's elect lay hold upon him. And thus it is written where he saith, 'Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [Mark this] whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, [that is, to declare God's righteousness] for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth [or layeth hold] in Jesus' (Rom 3:24-26).