Jesus Christ our Lord And that it s made ours 1. By a gracious gift abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness 2. It still remain'd inherent in him alone for justification of life came upon all men by the righteousness of one If it were ours there must be as many righteousneses as justifications but here by the obedience of one many are made righteous 3. It s convey'd thorough a Law The word made imports a legal constitution and the first Adam's case shews it until the Law sin was in the world sin is not imputed when there is no law wherever imputation is there is a Law the Hostage cannot suffer for his King or Country but by some Law Christ was made sin for us only by Law and we the righteousness of God in him by law The Debtor is reliev'd thorough the Sureties discharge by a Law and this Law is the Law of Faith that we ought daily to study the Law was If thou as sponsor wilt dye for them they shall live if thou wilt go under the curse of their Law take their Law-place for thy sake they shall have the place of Sons It s much harder to me to comprehend how Adam's first offence should be imputed to us for death then Christs righteousness for life and it seems worthy observation that the one imputation is never very clearly reveal'd until the other be set over against it The Apostle thereby tells us we are no losers but gainers by it an imputed righteousness may well free from an imputed guilt and commends that righteousness imputed for it frees from more than that viz. from all guilt This 5th C. gives account of the Original of imputation how it comes that one should be justified by anothers righteousness or condem'd by anothers sin Solomon Eccles 7.24 among his many learned Enquiries in his latter days enquires after the original of sin how a righteous man should become a sinner One thing have I found that God made man upright but we have found out many inventions The Apostles enquiry is of a greater depth how one mans guilt or righteousness should be convey'd to another Adam's sin or Christ's righteousness 6. It s a righteousness made ours as he was sin 2 Cor. 5.21 Isa 53. which did never inhere in him 7. From the very Title of imputed but that will be made clear in the 2d general head to which I now come and whether I refer a considerable Question belonging to this viz. What righteousness of Christ is it that is imputed II. As to the second Question What is meant by Imputation of righteousness I shall begin with the signification of the word which as others is translated from humane use to signifie by similitude some divine thing Putation thinking belongs to the Art of Logic and in the Greek the words are Conjugates branches of the same root and in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for thoughts too The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men that they are vanity Psal 94.11 2. Computation belongs to Arithmetick and Greek Authors explain this word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to calculate number or reckon and as the Art of Logick has the name from the Greek the Art of Arithmetick Accompting in Hebrew has its Name from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see Munster's Lexicon and so the Scripture uses the word Lev. 25.27 Let him count the years of the sale thereof Eccl. 7.26 Counting one by one to find out the accompt 3. Imputation is an applying of Accompts and the things valued and esteemed thereby it is accompt assign or ascribe by way of counting and reckoning to some particular persons We have here then the righteousness of Christ as a rich treasure of Grace in the bank of God it 's one individual Jewel given of God for the redemption of slaves and its value is so great and the way it 's communicated being by Accompts it may be distributed to pay for the redemption of Millions all at various times and places We have God represented as a great Merchant with his rich Fund and his Books of Accompts the Merchandize Prov. 3. Is better than that of silver or gold Rev. 3. the Naked may buy garments of Righteousness and Isa 55. they may buy without Money or Price Among these Books Rev. 20.12 The books were open'd and another book was open'd There is one Book that is call'd The Lambs Book Rev. 13.8 Whose Names are not written in the book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World There are two Books of Life one for Angels by their own inherent righteousness another for fallen Man who obtain it thorough the Death of the Lamb his passive righteousness In this book Christ has Credit for the redemption of all agreed for between the Father and Son and when a persons Name is put in that Book Christ's righteousness is transferr'd to him for Life for a salvation from all evil Dan. 12.1 Thy People shall be deliver'd every one that shall be found written in the Book Luk. 10.20 Rejoice that your Names are written in Heaven We may then see what the Imputation of Christ's righteousness to us is it was the putting our Names in among the Number for whom Christ dy'd it 's having all Christ did and suffer'd put so to our accompt that we may actually partake of all the Blessings God's goodness and grace design'd for us but the transgress'd Law render'd it inconsistent with the Governour 's Authority Honour and Wisdom to confer it upon us the way this impediment and bar was remov'd was by the sufferings of Immanuel Imputation is either the application of that benefit from Eternity in the Elective Decree of God or the actual investing the Person with it in time It 's my present Light that the Imputation of Righteousness to Blessedness was the eternal act and the imputation of Faith to Righteousness the temporal the former was 2 Tim. 1.9 a purpose of conferring this grace and gift of Righteousness upon us in Christ before the World began There was a double Gift set down in that Book by him that is God of all grace sovereign Proprietor 1. We were given to Christ Thine they were and thou gavest them me 2. Christ's Righteousness was given to us by his Consent he became surety his Name was put in our Book of Debt and Death and ours in his of Righteousness and Life Two things need proof here 1. That Christ's Righteousness is transferr'd in its Value and Virtue to us in way of accompt 2. That that was from Eternity The first is manifest from the Text for one cannot be justified without an antecedent righteousness the Non-worker and Ungodly person has no righteousness of his own it must then be anothers transferr'd tho' it still inhere in him only yet its value may be transferr'd to us Thus Money may still lye in its old Chests and yet be transferr'd in accompts thorough
forgiven thee Having removed these Limitations with the grounds of them I shall establish the Doctrine more positively And 1. By Testimony Sclater on this Verse reconciles it with Prov. 17.15 where it 's said He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord It were an abomination to justifie a wicked Man without a satisfaction but not where a satisfaction to the Government is given which is the Case of the ungodly Man in the Text. Who 's justified thro' the righteousness of Christ and this he quotes out of Pareus on the place Wilson another English Commentator with great plainness gives it thus At their justification he findeth them ungodly and maketh them godly and he doth it both by taking away the guilt and filth of their sin The Righteousness of Christ is reckoned the Righteousness of that Person who doth by Faith embrace him Pitcairn says Ungodly here is taken in the same sense as when God raiseth the dead and calls that which is not to be it being the term of alienation from which they are remov'd from whence he bids farewell to all antecedent Causes which some call inferiour others in some manner or measure others administrating others sine quo non others Causes of possession tho' not of right for all Holiness comes in as a way to the Kingdom not as Causes of Rule Diest thus Justifying Grace finds him so in himself but leaves him not so For whom he justifies them he sanctifies God Justifies us not as Holy in our selves but as wanting righteousness he imputes a righteousness to us The Anger of Abraham Gen. 15. for want of Children wanted a Pardon even then before this declaration about him that his Faith was imputed to him for righteousness Theodore Szuingerus whom Hottinger commends and notwithout reason as the best Commentator on this Epistle compares the Text with 1 Kings 8.2 condemning the wicked to bring his way on his Head and justifying the righteous to give him according to his righteousness and solves the difficulty these two ways 1. That the one is a Justification of a man's Cause and the other a Justification of his Person which is that in the Text. 2. This Justification of the Ungodly is not against a Law but according to a Law not without a righteousness but without his own only Besides says he Tho' it finds him ungodly it leaves him not in his ungodliness Bucer thus If God should not justifie the Wicked none should be justified for the Lord find us all wicked before we are justified Greneus Tho' Man may not justifie the ungodly God may who has Power to forgive above Law Pareus Tho' they are justified who are wicked in themselves yet not without Cause and against Rule since there is a satisfaction in Christ Marlorat's Ecclesiastick Exposition is thus The first Blessing of Salvation is Pardon and our Pardon being a Justification it must be a justification of the Ungodly What can they say to this that are Slaves to their Belly and yet brag of their Works are they better than Abraham who left his Countrey redeem'd his Brother and offered his Son and Hop'd in his God against all Hope but God in justifying leaves us not ungodly Such therefore ought rather to fear they are not justify'd because they want the fruits of Justification than brag they have the Causes of it in themselves Calvin thus It 's observable the Discourse is not about the way of living but about the Causes of Salvation He argues from contraries and as Bucer says not from words but sentences This Sentence is full of Energy Believeth on him that justifies the ungodly wherein both the Nature of Faith and Righteousness are contain'd In short no body can come to the Righteousness of Faith but who is in himself Ungodly for Faith adorns us with anothers Righteousness which it beggs of God hence God is said to justifie when he freely forgives and vouchsafes to love them with whom he may be justly angry Ver. 6. without Works they meerly cavil who think all Works are not excluded for he says not Works of the Law but simply and without restriction Works of all kinds Beda venerabilis Anno 700. says on this Text What can he be but ungodly until he be justified by Grace for what Grace gives it gives freely I dare not determine which of the two is the greater work to make a just man or to justifie an ungodly man both require equal power but the latter greater grace or mercy Boast not of thy works before faith for faith found thee a sinner Man works not righteousness until he be justified and that begins with Faith Tho. Aquinas 1260. on this Text To believe is the first act of Righteousness which God works in us by this man doth not merit righteousness but subject himself to God's justification and so thereby receives its effect This says he the Apostle proves 1. From David's sense v. 6. He is a blessed man to whom God gives a righteousness without forgoing works 2. From David's words proving he had no righteousness for he needed for Orignal Actual and Venial sin for the guilt of the Offence Fact and Penalty of sin Ambranat a late Papist 1665. Paris The Apostle before acted an Orator by interrogations and frequent Questions but now a Philosopher with clouds of Arguments before he oppos'd Gift and Works now he opposes a Believer and Worker a believer in him that endues the ungodly with his own righteousness Patiatur ergo si non operatur when he is not a doer he is made a receiver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Erasmus says Ungodly here comprehends all kind of Unrighteousness there is no kind that is excepted But there is no end of humane testimonies for within my Cognizance I can reckon an hundred Interpreters of this Epistle I shall add two more of greatest Authority in England 1. The Westminster Assembly I shall not quote the Annotations bearing their Name but as I am inform'd on far less ground than Anthony Burgess his book of Justification which was examin'd and approv'd by them one of his Titles is That gracious works are not so much as the condition or cause sine qua non of justification and on this Text p. 288. God doth account him as righteous though a sinner in himself p. 290. While looking into our selves we see nothing but matter of death and condemnation and he has another Sermon to prove that the Act of Faith is not imputed to justification which the Assemblies Catachism expresly mentions A Second Authority is the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England But Dr. Wallis has done that in a Sermon ex preposito I shall conclude with these two noted Fathers Ambrose and Augustine the former defines a worker to be not a transgressor of the Law and a Non-worker a Transgressor the latter in his Propositions on this Epistle Tom. 4. p. 1193. Qui justificat
change in the divine nature to turn him out of an angry temper into a gracious kind and merciful one for the gift of the Son flow'd from the unchangeableness of his Love but God as Supream King and Governour by a just Law well and wisely establish'd could not in Honour admit Rebels to the Priviledges he design'd for them without a satisfaction made to the Government which must be what the Law required and that required Death and as our Death begins with a mortal nature and encreases thorough sickness and weakness until it be compleated in a Death-stroke or some violence prevent the gradualness so Christ became like us in all things excepting sin one drop of Christ's Blood one day of his humility had dignity enough in in it but he was to pay what the Law required and the Law obtained all its ends in him This may help us to understand these Phrases used very rudely that God loves the elect when sinning as well as when praying It s true as he is God for there is no change in him but not true as our God or Governour and the Language of Scripture is in this latter sense as he manifests himself thorough Law or Gospel these being Rules of his dispensations and glasses of our knowledge 5. On the other hand though we obey the Law in some measure and have a measure of suffering which is acceptable to God thorough Christ if we have faith in him yet this comes in as no satisfaction to that primitive Law for we are not oblig'd to do what he did for us it comes in as a preparing us for a possession in a holy Society where no unclean thing can enter so the imputation of Christ's obedience takes not away the necessity of our obedience more than his passive takes away the necessity of our suffering or dying It 's appointed for all once to dye though Christ died and it s appointed for all to obey though Christ obey'd neither our suffering nor our obedience comes in as a part of that righteousness that first Law requir'd of us as belonging to the covenant of Works the breaking of this clay vessel either by Death or what 's equivalent is necessary for our habitation in another Sphere where this cannot enter blessings of that would be a torment to this constitution Sufferings are necessary to make us sensible what we deserve and what our Saviour suffer'd for us Holiness and Righteousness is necessary by precept and as a means to fit and prepare for that possession 3. Thorough a congruity as a fruit and an effect of that image of God begun to be drawn in us by reason of which when in its perfection it may be said The Law is not made for a righteous man and we read of no Law given to Adam but Ceremonial Laws the nature of God is the first Law the Moral Law reveal'd is but a Copy of that divine temper and when it s perfectly writ in a Man's Heart without any blot mistake or defect to live holily is to live as he list and by reason of this disposition of Soul a Saint can never be said to be without law yet if we take law for an external Command swaying by the force of its sanction against the stream of Inclination a man is neither of the Law nor under the Law The 2d and last Head propos'd was about the sense of these words Faith imputed to Righteousness about which there are these three Opinions Some say that Faith is taken objectively Faith comprehending Christ's Righteousness is put for it or Faith in justification is always valued as comprehending Christ's Righteousness 2. Others say that God out of his Gracious Acceptation takes faith for the Righteousness Blessedness is due to we say Christ's Righteousness comes in the room of that they that Christ merited that faith should be taken for it The 3d. Which my judgement embraces is that faith is reckon'd of God the mean of Application or Instrument of conveyance of Christ's Righteousness to us Imputation applied to Faith is a note of Distinction implying a double use of Faith the one is by inhesion and so it sanctifies us the other is by imputation and so it justifies us because it is the ceremony of Seisin by which we are invested with and entitled to the righteousness of Christ this suits best with the former Metaphor of imputation in Books of accompts for 't is not only usual and necessary to transfer and impute Estates in Books of Accompts where great Funds and Banks are but there is given to the person who is made Creditor a Bank-bill or Tally bearing the value of the transferr'd summ so that bit of Stick or Paper thorough imputation if we compare it with these bank-Bank-Books makes the Man worth so much money as the transfer'd summ is so in the Lamb's Book of Life there 's not only a transferring of his righteousness to us but there is given out this Bill or Tally of Faith to us by which we are entitled to it There are many Arguments which may both prove and explain this 1. It is without doubt that all our priviledges are convey'd one way Faith bears the same relation to them all Rom. 4.16 It 's said the inheritance is of Faith that it might be by grace now Heb. 11.1 Faith 's call'd the substance of things hop'd for Substance saith Tho. Aquin. is the beginning of a thing that necessarily at last infers the whole that 's in our English an Earnest now if Faith be an earnest of Heaven it bears the like relation to other priviledges as Rev. 2.17 We read of a white stone and in the stone a New Name that was the stone of absolution the Judge anciently instead of speaking his Sentence convey'd it by the giving of a white or black stone so if Faith be the earnest of our hopes it 's the stone of our pardon it 's the Ring of our Marriage with Christ it 's the Winte Raiment Feast and New Name of our Manumission by justification out of Slaves we are made Freemen and Faith is the mean and instrument of Investiture with it 2. This sence of it removes a considerable difficulty among Divines the Question is since Justification is a transitory act of God and terminates upon the Creature what it is that he doth when he justifies or what bears the room of the justifying sentence most say the Word of God the Gospel but there 's a great distinction between the voice of the Law and the voice of the Judge the Law says Whosoever believes shall be justified but the voice of the Judge is thou John or Thomas art absolv'd it s a particular positive and authorative Application of the Law Mr. Baxter thinks that God proclaims some publick Sentence among the Angels but that 's a groundless Notion this seems to me most reasonable that the gift of Faith being such a fruit of his special grace that he gives to no sinner but