thing by way of proportion but must have its jot for jot title for title or else it will curse Ans. 1. We are to regard here more what the Law-giver and Supream Rector will know than what the letter of the Law will acquiesce in 2. This taketh away the Satisfaction of Christ and all His Sufferings as Mediator and destroyeth that ground of our hope and Salvation for the Law as to its letter saith the Soul that sinneth to it shall die and hath not one jote or title of the Satisfaction and Suffering of a Mediator 3. What shall our Adversary now do with faith doth any jote or title of the Law countenance the Imputation of faith for a proportionable Righteousness doth faith answere every jote title point and letter of the Law He answereth 2. To impute acts of Righteousness to a Man which are proper to another calling is rather to impute sin than righteousness Ans. Christ was a publick person appointed of the Father to represent all the chosen ones did in their place room fulfill the law in all points according as was required of Him by the Supream Lord Rector Law-giver this perfect compleat Obedience is made over to all those who are His not one part to this particular Beleever and another to another or some acts to this man some other acts to that man therefore this reply is groundless As to that viz. That God inflicted on Christ not the circumstantiat curse threatned but its equivalency he saith 1. That in these words Thoushalt die the death there is no necessity to meane precisely determinatly eternal death according to the letter Ans. If that was not threatned in the Law no man shall suffer it for the breach of the Law and so there shall be no eternal death even to such as perish which yet himself granteth 2. It was a spiritual death and such as includeth many circumstances which Christ neither could nor did suffer He saith 2. Gods meaning there was not to threaten eternal death in one kinde or other but to have the word death understood as it indifferently signifieth that evil of punishment which was known by that names for eternity is not of the essence of the punishment due unto sins Ans. The doubt remaineth concerning other circumstances ingredients of that death as threatned to man And whether eternity be of the Essence of the punishment threatned for sin or not this is sure that all for whom Christ hath not suffered shall perish eternally all had perished eternally if Christ had not suffered And when God threatned death to man he know that if that threatning did overtake him his death would be eternal He saith 3. Though God should take liberty to vary from the letter of the Curse yet it followeth not that the creature who was bound to obey the precepts of the Law might take the like liberty to do one thing in stead of another or that God should accept any such payment for them Ans. We assert no liberty for man but why should not this liberty be allowed to the Supream God All the reason he giveth I finde to be this That God accepteth on any mans behalf as a perfect legal righteousness the performance of such things which are not required of him hath no correspondence with any of the Covenants Ans. If God could accept that as a perfect Satisfaction which did not every way answere to correspond with that which Man himself was to suffer why might He not accept of that as a perfect legal righteousness which did not in all particulars answere to correspond with that which every beleever was obliged unto What reason is or can be given for the one which will not hold for the other The answere he hath given is no answere unto this Perfect obedience was required of all by the first Covenant Christ did performe perfect obedience for all His owne this being a perfect legal Righteousness is sufficient for all is not the performance of such things as are not required of them Obj. 2. Chap. 10. pag. 107. That Righteousness which is exactly and precisely fitted to the person of Him that is Mediator between God man cannot be imputed unto any other man But such is the Righteousness of Christ. Ergo. The Major he thus confirmeth He that assumeth this Righteousness of Christ represents himself to God in the glorious attire of him who maketh men righteous may conceue himself as great in holiness as Iesus Christ himself c. Ans. Christ's Righteousness was indeed the Righteousness of a Mediator Surety therefore was imputable to all who by faith should be married to Him have union with Him as their Head Husband are become one person in Law with Him as their Representative Surety though not as it was subjected in Him but according to the nature of the thing to their necessity Hereby therefore is no wrong done to Christ no robbing of Him of His mediatory glory but on the contrary a more clear manifest ascribing of the same unto Him by acknowledging Him for the only Mediator by resting on Him on His Righteousness as our only Righteousness and ground of Acceptance We cleare the matter thus When the payment of a Surety is imputed to the debtor and he pleadeth the same in court for his own absolution he doth no injurie unto the cautioner but rather declareth himself unable to pay ascribeth the honour of the payment unto the Surety for he doth alleige or produce that payment as if he would thereby declare that he himself as Surety had paid the summe for another but only produceth the payment of a Surety in reference to himself as a ground sufficient in Law whereupon he should be absolved from the Charge giuen-in against him by the creditor So when the beleever applieth to himself the Righteousness of Christ he doth not make himself a Mediator or Surety but only applieth the Righteousness payment of his Surety Head Husband for his own use to answere the charge given-in against himself and in reference to his own particular case necessity Hereby the beleever doth not assume to himself an equality of Righteousness with God himself but only assumeth that Mediatory Surety-righteousness which He wrought who was equal with God was God so far as their own case necessity requireth We dream of no such imputation as would give ground to us to conceite our selves to have done said all that He did said This is the fiction of the Adversary not our Assertion Against the consideration of the Union betwixt Christ as the Head beleevers as the Members which is the ground of this Imputation communication He saith pag. 113. 1. Christ Beleevers are a mystical body therefore an universal agreement in all things with a natural body cannot be thought on one difference is this
manifest that Christ must Intercede for such as he did Offer up himself for or he shall not be a Perfect Compleet High Priest or not faithfull to performe all the Offices of the High Priest neither of which can be said 2. The ground of his Intercession is held forth to be his Oblation as the High Priest went into the holy of holies with the blood of the sacrifices which he had offered so Christ entered into the holy place having first obtained by the sacrifice of himself an Eternal Redemption Heb. 9 12. So he is an Advocate with the Father being first a Propitiation for sinnes 1. Ioh. 2 1 2. 3. Both his Death Intercession make up one Compleet Medium are intended designed as one Medium for the end designed viz. the bringing of many sones unto glory saving to the uttermost all that come to God through him c. 4. How unreasonable is it to think that Christ would refuise to Pray for such whom he loved so dearly as to lay down his life for yet he saith expresly that he prayeth not for the world but for others distinguished from the world Ioh. 17 9. 5. As His Death was for such as the Father had given him is we saw above so his Intercession Prayer is restricted to such Ioh. 17 9. I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine 6. Christ's end in coming into the world was to save his people Hence he gote that name Iesus but he should not be able to save them Perfectly Compleetly to the Utermost if he did not joyne his Intercession with his Oblation Yea upon this account he continueth ever a Priest having an unchangable Priesthood Heb. 2 24 25. But this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangable Priesthood wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seing he ever liveth to make intercession for them 7. The Apostle so joyneth them together Rom. 8 34. that they must do manifest violence to the Apostles reasoning who would pull them asunder separate the one from the other It is sais he Christ that died yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us 8. Yea they are so joyned together here that his death alone considered could not yeeld that ground of triumph boasting nor security from Accusations Yea rather that is risen againe c. 9. So that the separating taking of these asunder is greatly prejudicial to the consolation of his people for though they should attaine to some apprehensions of Christ's dying for them as an Advocate with the Father upon new sinnes 1. Ioh. 2 1 2. Though Christ died yet they might be condemned for he must also Interceed and if he do not Intercede for them their Hopes Comforts are gone And so there should be no force in that who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dieâ—â— Rom. 8 34. And a poor soul might be hal saved but not to the uttermust contrare to Heb. 2 25. 10. And that place Rom. 8 33. restricteth both equally unto the Elect who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect 11. When Christ laid down his life a Ransome for sinners he could not but know that by that Ransome none should be actually saved without his Intercession it being accorded betwixt Father Son that the mediator should mediate both by Price by Prayer And he could not but know for whom he purposed intended to Interceed how shall we then suppose that he would lay down his life for those for whom he was purposed not to Pray Or that he would do the most for them For whom he would not do the least 12. Christ's intercession is really a presenting unto God the Oblation made Therefore sayes the Apostle Heb. 9 24. that Christ is entered into heaven it self to appear in the presence of God for us And so by appearing he Interceedeth his appearing is in his owne blood whereby he obtained Eternal Redemption Heb. 9 12. so his Intercession must be for all for whom the Oblation was the eternal Redemption was obtained 13. Yea both these are so joyned together by Esaias Chap. 53 12. as that they are made one ground procureing cause of God's divideing him a portion with the great of Christs own divideing the spoile with the strong Because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he bare the sin of many and made â—ntercession for the transgressours 14. This is further clear from the reasons we gave to confirme that fast connexion betwixt Christ's Impetration Application in the foregoing paragraph for the Actual Application of the benefite fruit of his oblation is attributed to his Intercession 15. Nay that whole Chapter Ioh. 17. confirmeth this for there Christ is both Offering himself or sanctifying himself thereunto vers 19. and Interceding and these are so lincked together both in themselves as to the persons for whom that it must argue at least much incogitancy to imagine a divulsion separation of these two acts of his Priesthood 16. If Christ Intercede not for the same persons for whom he died we ask for whom he Intercedeth Is it for actuall beleevers Then we ask a Scripture ground for this restriction And then it is manifest hence that Christ Intercedeth not for the working of faith in any And yet Esaias tels us that he maketh Intercession for transgressours And we see Ioh. 17 20. that he prayeth not only for those who were already beleevers but for such also as were not yet beleevers He told us Himself also that he would pray the Father for the Spirit Ioh. 14 vers 16. And among other things this is one work of the Spirit to cause a sinner beleeve 2. Cor. 4 13. Ephes. 1 17 18 19. The point we are upon will be further cleare if we consider 22. That Christ's death was a Redemption we are said to be Redeemed thereby Gal. 4 5. 3 13. Rom. 3 24. Ephes. 1 7. Col. 1 14. â— Pet. 1 8. Revel 5 9. Tit. 2 14. And therefore all such as he laid down this Redemption or Redemptionmoney for must of necessity be redeemed saved consequently he died not for all seing all are not redeemed saved His Ransome or Price of Redemption which he laid down viz. his blood which he shed is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ransome Mat. 20 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 2 6. That all such for whom this Redemption-money was payed this Ransome was given must be saved is cleare for 1. Other wayes it were no Redemption a Ransome given for Captives doth say that these Captives in Law Justice ought to be set at liberty 2. This Redemption is the same with as to the effect or hath attending it forgiveness of sins Col. 1 14. Ephes.
justification by faith to cry down justification by the Law or by the works of the Law which some false Teachers were perswading those Galatians to beleeve he adduceth a passage of Scripture which saith the just shall live by faith thereby giving us to understand that the just man or the justified man is a living man for the just liveth And it is too narrow to interprete this life of eternal life this would make the Apostles argument very obscure we must therefore undeâ—stand it of a life begun here which shall certainely end in glory this is most consonant both to the Prophet's scope to the scope of the Apostle here Whence we may gather That in justification by faith there is a real life obtained by justification the soulâ— is brought into a new state of life by it such as were really dead are really made alive This may be further cleared from these particulars following I. Such are said to be born again Iob. 3 5. not only by the Spirit which may import Sanctification but also by Water which may import Iustification wherein iniquities are pardoned the Soul is washen from its guilt through the bloud of Jesus Christ represented by the Water in Baptisme Thus are they also put into a new state being delivered from the Power of darkness and translated into the Kingdome of His dear Son Col. 1 13. Christ now owneth them as His Satan hath no more power and jurisdiction over them their guilt being removed and their sinnes being pardoned for because of sin hath Satan as a jailour had power over them as so many prisoners but sin being taken away in their justification they are loosed from his bondes and delivered from his prison and power We see Paul was sent Act. 26 18. To open eyes and to turn from darkness to light from power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sinnes c. 2. Hereby they are brought into a State of Salvation and being out of harmes way they are said to be saved being now in a State of life and Salvation through Jesus Christ Ephes. 2 5 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith and how was this It was by Christ together with whom they were quickened when before they were dead in sins trespasses v. 5. So Tit. 3 5. Not by works of rigteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost But how was this work of Salvation begun See vers 7. That being justified by His grace we should be made heirs according to the hop of eternal life So that as justification maketh way for Adoption so it bringeth Souls into a saife state a state of Salvation so as they in a sense are already denominated saved that is brought out of the state of death and put into a state of Salvation Thus are they also said to be quickened together with Him i. e. Christ having forgiveness of all their sinnes Col. 2 13. This will be further clear if we consider how 3. Those who are justified shall certainly be saved not only in respect of the Decree and purpose of God but in respect also of the Gospel constitution and the declared will of God Therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 8 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Iesus And all such as are in Christ Jesus are justified as the Gospel cleareth And againe more clearly vers 30. And whom he justified them he also glorified The connexion betwixt these two is indissoluble So doth the Apostle not only assert but he confirmeth this Rom. 5 9. Much more being now justified by his bloud we shall be saved from wrath through Him And againe vers 17. For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive aboundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness That is who welcome embrace and receive the rich offer of grace and the rigteousness of Christ freely and graciously presented in the Gospel to all that will accept thereof shall reigne in the life by one Iesus Christ. So likewise vers last That as sin hath reigned unto death even so might grace reigne through righteousness unto eternal life by Iesus Christ our Lord. 4. They who are justified are brought into a state of blessedness and therefore may well be said to live or to be made partakers of a life Rom. 4 6 7 8. Even as David also describeth the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works saying blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin See Psal. 32 1 2. If then they be brought into a state of blessedness they must be a in a state of life for death and blessedness are inconsistent 5. They are said to be redeemed and consequently brought out of the state of death wherein they were Ephes. 1 7. In whom we have redemption through his bloud the forgâ—veness of sins according to the riches of his grace In by justification is this forgiveness of sinnes whereby they are made partakers of a redemption See Col. 1. 14. Where the same is asserted by the Apoâ—â—le For further clearing of this let us see wherein this life consisteth and then we shall not only see that it is really a life but also that it is a special and excellent life To this end therefore let us consider these following particulars 1. Hereby they have Remission and pardon of their Iniquities as was now cleared and is manifest from Rom. 3 24 25. Being justified freely by this grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation for the remission of sins that are past c. And by this Remission and pardon of sins they have a freedom and exemption from the Curse and wrath of God that was lying upon them and to which they were obnoxious by sin and guilt Orginal and Actual which they were to be charged with that being the penalty threatned in the Law even death and the Curse of God for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the Law to do them Gal. 3 10. Deut. 27 26. O how excellent a life is this to be delivered from the wrath of the Almighty sin-revenging God and from the Curse and malediction of the great Legislator and dreadful Judge How rightly may they be said to live who are freed from the sentence of death to which they were liable from the penalty of the broken Law of the great God of Heaven and Earth and from that doom that all who shall not share of this rich privilege of Remission shall be made to hear at length depart from me ye Cursed c. A person guilty of death and lying in chaines looking for nothing but the sentence doom to be
sinners before He can be looked upon as a Righteous person or be dealt with as a Righteous person He must first have a Righteousness imputed to him and bestowed upon him for how can God whose judgement is according to truth look upon a person as Righteous and conferre privileges upon him due only to such as are Righteous who is not Righteous indeed Must He not first bestow a Righteousness upon him reckon a Righteousness upon his Score to the end He may be just and Righteous when He is the justifier of him that beleeveth Lastly He said Here is neither peer nor peep of the least ground or reason to perceive that by Righteousness in this Scripture should be meant the Righteousness of Christ. Ans. It is enough that the Text saith Righteousness is imputed for the man here spoken of hath not a Righteousness of his own as the Apostle hath proved in the preceeding Chapters doth here take for granted And therefore this Imputed Righteousness must be the Righteousness of another and it must be such a Righteousness of another as can found free Remission of Sins And whose Righteousness else can this be if it be not Christ's Is there any third competitour here imaginable must it not be the Righteousness of Him whom faith goeth out unto laith hold on in order to justification Must it not be His Righteousness who was the Mediator who laid down the price of Redemption was a propitiation as He told us in the preceeding Chapter Some men in alleiging a difference betwixt a Righteousness imputed to us Sinners and the Righteousness of Christ as if there could be any other Righteousness imputable to us except the Surety-righteousness of Christ as they expresly in this joine with Socinians See Volkel de vera Relig. lib. 5. cap. 21. p. 565. with Papists Arminians so they declare themselves utter strangers to the Gospel yea greater strangers than those were against whom the Apostle wrote who took it for granted that if any Righteousness from without or that was not by any thing which we do were imputed it behoved to be the Righteousness of the Mediator And this we may conceive is the reason why the Apostle doth not say in so many express words that it was the Righteousness of Christ for who could have thought of another Fourthly Rom. 5 19. a place with its whole contexture pregnant for our purpose for the Apostle is not onely here confirming but also illustrating this whole matter from the Imputation of Adam's Sin unto his posterity after many various and emphatick expressions used there-anent from vers 12. and forward he saith here vers 19 for as by one mans disobedience many were made Sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Socinus de Servat lib. 4. cap. 6. is so bold as to tell us That he supposeth there is nothing written in the Scriptures that hath given us a greater occasion of erring than that comparison betwixt Adam Christ which Paul made did prosecute at length here And he would cleare to us the comparison thus That as by Adam's Sin disobedience it came to passe that all men were condemned and died so by Christ's righteousness and obedience it came to passe that they wero absolvod and did live for Christ by His own Righteousness and Obedience by vertue of the decree of God did penetrate the heavens there to reigne for ever and there he begote eternal life and everlasting blessedness both to Himself and to His. How aliene this is from the whole of the Apostle's discourse needs not be declared seing there is not one word giving the least hint of the Apostle's designe to be to declare how what way Christ obtained power and authority to save Yet He goeth on to tell us That as Adam's fault made him guilty of death whence it came to passe that all mankind that are procreat of him after that guilt is obnoxious to death so Christ by His Righteousness purchased to Himself eternal life whence it cometh te passe that who ever are procreat of him partake of this life But He never once taketh notice that Paul giveth for the ground of all mankind's becoming guilty of death their sinning in him vers 12. even such as had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression vers 14. yea in every verse this cause is noted or pointed at it being Notour of it self that ifall mankind did sin in Adan Adam's sin must be imputed unto them so Christ's Righteousness must be imputed unto all His inreference to their justification that with a much more Let us now see what Iohn Goodwine excepteth pag. 142. c. It is not here said He said that by the Imputation of Adam's disobedience men are made formally Sinners but simply sinners that is either obnoxious to death and condemnation or else sinners by propagation not Imputation Ans. This is the same upon the matter with Bellarmin's answer de justif lib. 2. cap. 9. here we have a distinction proposed without any explication to wit betwixt simply sinners and formally sinners And what can he meane by formally sinners possibly he meaneth that which otherwise is expressed by inherently sinners And if so though Adam's posterity so soon as they come to have a being have an universal corruption of Nature convoyed by propagation yet that is not it which is properly said to be Imputed for that which is imputed is the guilt of Adam's sin whereby they become sinners that is guilty legally and so obnoxious to punishment death condemnation this is enough for us for as the posterity of Adam have the sin of Adam so imputed to them that they become guilty and obnoxious to wrath so Beleevers have the Righteousness of Christ imputed unto them and they thereupon are accounted legally righteous 2 Whileas he will not grant that Adam's posterity are sinners by imputation he joineth with the Socinians who turne these words vers 12. 〈◊〉 not in whom but because or whereas which the Ethiopick version doth better sense saying Because that sin is imputed unto all men even unto them who know not what is that sin And the Arabick turne thus seing all have now sinned and the Syriack word is Behi or Bhi which may as well be interpreted in whom as because And in several other places this praeposition so construed as here in the Greek hath this same import as Mark 2. 4. Luk 5 25. 11 22. Rom. 6 21. Phil. 4 10. 1. Thes. 3 7. But enough of this here seing that matter is sufficiently cleared by the orthodox writting against the Socinians and we have also spoken of it against the Quakers Againe saith He Neither doth the Apostle here oppose unto or compare the Obedience of Christ with the disobedience of Adam as one Act unto or with another but as Satisfaction to and with the provocation or the Remedie to and with the
that it is nothing to the present question But this we say That all men by nature and so Beleevers before they be justified by faith in Christ are not only under the Curse because of sin but are under the demand of the law or the commanding power of the law requiring perfect obedience in order to the reward And that therefore both these demands of the law must be satisfied by their Surety and the same must be imputed to them and reckoned upon their score before they can be looked on as free of the Curse and as heirs of the Reward promised to full perfect obedience 3. We are not saith he therefore exempted from keeping the law no not in respect of justification it self because we have transgressed it but because 1. having once transgressed it we are utterly uncapable of such an observation whether personally or by imputation which may amount to justification or exemption from punishment 2. That relaxation or release from an observation of or dependance upon the law by justification accrueth unto us by meanes of our dependance upon Christ for justification through his death Rom. 7 4. Ans. 1 If our transgression of the law doth not exeem us from the obligation to keep it perfectly in order to justification then ere we be justified that obligation must be satisfied as well as the obligation to punishment and so the law must be perfectly keeped as well as its penalty suffered And seing we our selves can do neither our Surety must do it for us that must be accepted for us imputed to us 2 Nor can it be said that our uncapableness to keep it so as may amount to justification doth exeem us from the obligation or destroy the lawes power to require that of us more than our uncapableness to suffer the penalty so as may amount to a justification doth or can exeem us from the obligation to suffer or destroy the lawes power to require the penalty of us It is true that no man now is called of God to endeavoure this way of justification yet all such as live without the Gospel have not the better more sure way through faith in Christ made known unto them The obligation to perfect obedience remaining after the transgression saith that ere a man that was both obliged to Suffer and to yeeld perfect obedience can be justified the law as to both these demands must be satisfied the Sureties Satisfaction to both must be reckoned upon his score 3 Justification Exemption from punishment are not one the same in our case more than pardon Righteousness 4 The Exemption that accrueth to beleevers saith not that there was no obligation upon mankind both to suffer and to obey in order to justification anteriour to Christs doing both 4. God never required saith he pag. 210. of any man but only of Christ both exactness of obedience to the law subjection to punishment due to the transgression of the law conjunctim but divisim only He that shall perfectly keep the law is not bound to suffer the penalty Ans. 1 Then our transgressing of the law should exeem us from the obligation to obedience contrare to what was granted in the First Exception 2 Though he who perfectly keepeth the law is obnoxious to no punishment yet he who breaketh the law as we all did in Adam beside our daily transgressions is obnoxious to punishment this obnoxiousness to punishment no more dissolveth his obligation to obedience than his transgression was able to do And therefore we are all considered in our Natural state obliged to both conjunctim for we are borne sinners and yet born under the obligation of keeping the law of God 3 Gods requiring both of Christ who was Mediator Surety saith that both were required of us for what was required of him as Surety was required of the principal debtors 5. He saith In case a Man hath transgressed the law hath suffered whether by himself or by some other for him the full punishment threatned he is no further a debtor unto the law neither in point of punishment nor of obedience for the punishment is of equal consideration to the law with the most absolute conformity and as no man can be obliged to fulfill the law twice for his justification so neither is it reasonable to conceive that he who hath suffered the full penalty that being as satisfactory to the law as the exactest obedience should be still bound to the observation of the law Ans. When the law promiseth life to the fulfillers as well as threatneth death to the transgressours the suffering of death for the transgression is not such a fulfilling of the law as hath the promise of life annexed to it Devils though now suffering the vengeance of eternal fire the death threatned yet cannot be said to be fulfilling the law or obeying unto life nor can they be said to be justified nor to be suffering any thing in order thereunto In order therefore to our justification Acceptance with God as heirs of the life promised who were both obnoxious to punishment also obliged to give perfect obedience to the law the law as to both must be satisfied Nor can we say that the punishment of Devils is of equal consideration to the law with the conformity yeelded thereunto by the confirmed Angels And though the suffering of the penalty in lawes penal or such as promise no reward unto the obeyers may be said to be of equal consideration with the keeping of the law yet this cannot be said in lawes which promise a Reward to the observers as well as threaten a punishment to transgressours Nor can the man that suffereth the punishment suppose to the full that is threatened in the law be said to have fulfilled the law and to have deserved the reward promised to obeyers 2 Though Christ hath both obeyed the law suffered the punishment yet the law is not twice fulfilled but once because as was granted such as were sinners and obnoxious to punishment were also obliged to yeeld perfect obedience for transgression did not destroy this obligation As when a man is punished for breach of a law that not only required obedience under such a penalty but also promised a reward to the observers when he is put to performe what was commanded ere he can have the promised reward he is not put to fulfill the law twice for his punishment was but Satisfaction to one part of the law or to threatning but it was no satisfaction of the law as to the reward promised Arg. 6. If there be no justification without a perfect Righteousness no such Righteousness to be found but the Righteousness of Christ performed to the law then of Necessity this Righteousness must be imputed to us unto justification But the former is true Ergo c. The ground of this Argument is that justification is the pronouncing of a person righteous justification being
for us according to any obligation that ever fell upon our persons How proveth he this For 1. saith he we were never personally bound to perfect personal perpetual Obedience as the Condition of life for that Covenant as to the promise condition ceased before any man was born Ans. That Covenant I grant ceased to be the way to life as it was to Adam at first because it became a thing impossible yet as Adam fell under the Curse of that broken Covenant so did all his posterity fall with him in him hence when his posterity come to be existent persons they are Children of wrath are under the Curse of that Covenant and all their Actions afterward committed are further sins violations of that Covenant for we may not think that Adam after his first sin was not in case to violat that Covenant any more And though before any man was born the new Covenant or Gospel was promulgat yet notwithstanding thereof all men were born under the Curse of the first Covenant and were never delivered from under that untill they closed with the termes of the second Covenant or Covenant of Grace But he saith 2. All the duty in the world which we are bound unto is to be done for Euangelical ends for recovery grace unto gratitude Ans. And was not Adam before the fall also bound unto gratitude But he possibly meaneth gratitude for Redemption yet he hath proved that all the world Heathens I meane such as never heard of the Gospel are obliged to Gratitude upon the account of Redemption or that all that is required of them is to be done for Gospel ends But in all this I am little concerned who see no necessity of restricking Christ's obedience so 8. He saith That we see not that our own answere implieth the truth of what he and others assert and is the same which they give but our cause is uncapable of What then saith he his We say saith he that Christ did indeed most perfectly obey the Law of Innocency so far for us in our stead though not in our persons as doing that which we should have done did not hath merited for us a better Covenant which obligeth us not at all to obey for the ends of the first Covenant viz. that our perfection might be our Righteousness or the Condition of life but only to obey for the ends of the New Covenant for the obtaining improving of recovering grace Salvation by Christ freely given us which we ourselves must do or perish Ans. 1 If Christ obeyed for us and in our stead I see not why he may not be said to do it as our Surety and so in our Law-person seing according to our Common discourse the Surety Principal debtor are one person in Law But about ambiguous termes we need not debate It is of greater moment to differ as to this that he thinketh the us comprâ—hendeth all persons Elect Reprobat 2 That Christ did merite the New Covenant is no where said in Scripturâ— yet this is all that Mr. Baxter here mentioneth as merited by Him 3 I think he is as much concerned as we are to loose his own difficulties formerly proposed for 1. How can He be said to have fulfilled all the Law for us that did not fulfill it to all due ends 2. Can the Law require more than absolute perfection 3. Was not absolute perfection in Christ's holy Obedience 4. Is not gratitude an end required in the Law of Innocency 5. If Christ fulfilled only the Law of Innocency did he not fulfill the Law for Adam Eve only or for us as in them c. Let him answere these himself and he shall help us Next n. 190. he bringeth some in saying That we may as wel say that man must not die because Christ died for us as not obey because Christ obeyed for us then tels us that we strangely use their reason against ourselves know it not But what if this be his mistake Let us hear his reason For we say saith he that we must die because we did not perfectly either obey the Law or suffer all its penalty by Christ as our legal person but he suffered only to satisfie justico in tantum to this end that man himself suffering death temporal afflictions obeying the Law of grace might be saved from all the rest of the punishment But if we had so fulfilled the Law as afore said by doing or suffering we could not have died or suffered the least affliction as a penalty for all punishment in the essence of the relation is for sin Ans. Though I had rather say That Christ Suffered Obeyed for His own in their stead as their Surety willingly undertaking the debt that they were under than that we Suffered Obeyed in Him yet it may be they who speak so are far from that meaning that Mr. Baxter putteth on their words when they call Christ our legal person they mean no more than that he was a Surety or a publick Person 2 Though he suffered not to deliver His own from temporal death yeth he did bear the Curse satisfied Vindictive justice and left nothing of that for them to suffer what chastisements they meet with yea death it self is made to work together for their good He bringeth them in againe n. 190. saying It is more Inconvenient to say that Christ was perfect in our person than that He satisfied in our peâ—son we by Him And here possibly the same mistake is but continued But as he taketh it up he thinketh that hereby the Gospel is subverted Ans. The whole dependeth upon the Explication of these words in our person Mr. Baxter thinketh that these words in our person in a Law sense import that we payed all in Christ as a man payeth a Summe of Money by his servant whom he sendeth to carry it or some such thing And if this be not their meaning who use this expression all this outcry is to no purpose and is only a fighting against his own imagination a meer striving about words yet he granteth that we may fitly say that Christ suffered in the person of a sinner but he bids us mark the sense saying 1. Suffering as penal belongeth to a sinner as such but Satisfaction is an effect of Christ's Suffering which resulteth not from the meer suffering nor from the person of a sinner but from the will Covenant of God made to that excellent person who was God perfect man Well what next 2. Note 2. saith he that it is not any other mans person that we mean that Christ suffered in but His own Ans. And no man ever dreamed that He either did or could suffer in any other man's physical person But seing He was made sin for us so died in our room stead why may He not be said to have died in our Law-person If a
the score of Beleevers as if he had recalled the former pardon granted for he remembereth their sin no more Ier. 31 34. Heb. 8 12. 10 17. And for future sins by vertue of their State they have access to seek for pardon and have ground 3 The Righteousness of Christ which is a perfect Righteousness is fully and perfectly communicated and imputed so as thereby they become the Righteousness of God in Christ 2. Cor. 5. last He is their whole Righteousness in order to Iustification and wholly their Righteousness as made of God Righteousness unto them Ier. 23 6 1. Cor. 1 30. And with this Righteousness they are wholly perfectly covered to expect it as found hid there Phil. 3 9. are made Righteous Rom. 5 19. 10 4. 4 They are now wholly Reconciled unto God and have Peace with Him and not by halfes or in some certain respects only as if in other respects they were still Enemies or in a state of Enmity Being justified by faith they have Peace with God Rom. 5 1. once they were enemies but now they are reconciled vers 10. by Christ they have now received the Atonement vers 11. once alienated enemies in their mindes by wicked works but now reconciled Col. 1 21. once a far off but now made neer Ephes. 2 13. the enmity being staine vers 16. No more strangers or forreigners now but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God vers 19. Then is the Lord pacified toward them for all that they have done Ezek. 16 63. 5 They are compleetly translated into a new Covenant state not halfe the children of Saran and half the children of God not halfe in Nature and halfe in the state of Grace not half translated halfe not Ephes. 2 13 19. Col. 1 21. not halfe quickened with Christ and halfe not Ephes. 2 5. They are not now halfe without Christ or aliens from the common wealth of Israel or strangers from the Covenants of promise c. Ephes. 2 12. There is a perfect change as to their state 1. Cor. 6 11. 6 They are secured as to final Condemnation There is no condemnation for them Rom. 8 1. being beleevers they shall not perish but have eternal life Ioh. 3 15 16. He that beleeveth is not condemned vers 18. See also Ioh. 3 36. 6 47. They are passed from death unto life Ioh. 5 24. 1. Ioh. 3 14. being discharged of all guilt of eternal punishment which formerly they deserved by their sinnes And all this holdeth good notwithstanding of their after sins which as we shall shew do not annull or make any such breach upon their state of Justification It is true these sins must also be Pardoned will be Pardoned but yet when they are pardoned their Justification as to their state is not hereby more perfected as to these respects formerly mentioned It holdeth good also notwithstanding of what shall be at the great day for that will put no man in a new Justified state who was not Reconciled to God before It is true there will be many additions as to the Solemnitie Declaration Consequences Effects thereof in that day but not withstanding hereof the state of Justification here as to what respecteth its grounds the essential change it maketh together with the Right that beleevers have thereby unto all that in that day they shall be put in possession of is perfect may be said so to be Propos. 7 By what is said it is manifest how in what respects this life of Iustification differeth from the life of Sanctification 1 Sanctification maketh a real Physical change Iustification maketh a Relative change And thereby they come to have a new State or Relation unto the Law unto God the judge 2 Sanctification is continueing work wherein beleevers are more more built up daily Iustification is an act of God or a juridcial sentence Absolving a sinner pronunceing him free of the charge brought in against him and not liable to the penalty 3 Sanctification is a groÌ„wing and increasing work admitteth of many degrees is usually weak and small at the beginning Iustification doth not grow neither doth it admit of degrees but is full compleet adequate unto all ends here 4 Sanctification is ever growing here and never cometh to full Perfection before death Justification is perfect adequate unto all ends as we shewed 5 Sanctification is not alike in all but some are more some are less sanctified But Iustification is equal in all none being more justified then others 6 Some measures degrees of Sanctification which have been attained may be lost againe But nothing of Iustification can really be lost for we are not here speaking of the sense and feeling of Justification which frequently may be lost but of Justification it self 7 Sanctification is a progressive work Iustification is instantaneous as was shown 8. Sanctification respecteth the Being Power Dominion of â—in in the beleever and killeth subdueth and mortifieth it Iustification respecteth its guilt demerite taketh away guilt and the obligation to punishment or obnoxiousness to the paying of the penalty 9 In justification a man is accepted upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him and received by Faith But in Sanctification grace is infused and the Spirit given to perfecte holiness in the fear of God 10 In Iustification there is a right had unto life and unto the rich recompence of reward upon the account of the Righteousness of Christ imputed whence they are said to have passed from death to life But in Sanctification they are made meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light 11 Unto Iustification nothing is required but faith in Christ whereby the soul may become united to Him have a right to his benefites But unto Sanctification all the graces of the Spirit are requisite and all the exercises of the same all diligence is required and an adding of Vertue to Faith of Knowledge to Vertue of Temperance to Knowledge of Patience to Temperance of Godliness to Patience of Brotherly kindness to Godliness of Charity to Brotherly kindness 2 Pet. 1 5 6 7. Propos. 8 Hence it followeth also thar there is no ground to assert a first a second Justification as Papists do meaning by the first an Infusion of an inward Principle or Habite of Grace which is no Justification nor part thereof but the beginning of Sanctification and by the Second another Justification which with them is an Effect or Consequent of the former having good work which flow from the foresaid infused principle of grace love for its proper formal cause This Justification they say is by works where as the former is by faith and yet this second they make to be an Incrementum an increase of the first and for this they say the church prayeth when she saith Lord increase our saith hope
for answere to clear up the matter in hand more we say 1 Pardon of sins is not adequatly the same with Justification nor the whole thereof but at most a part or rather a partial effect in justification the person is constituted Righteous and declared such and thereupon hath his sins pardoned and a Right to the purchased reward and he is thus made declared Righteous through the Mediators Surety-Righteousness imputed to him and laid hold upon by faith 2 When a person is justified he is at once and for ever freed from the punishment due from the Law from vindictive justice for the broken Covenant the Obligation to punishment required by vindictive justice is taken away and dissolved Christ having fully born that Punishment and satisfied that demand of Justice they in through him are delivered from the Curse and the maledictory sentence 3 Hence all their sufferings afflictions here being no part of the Curse nor of Satisfaction to divine vindictive justice nor of the Condemnation threatned how ever they be materially evil and Fatherly Chastisments or Punishments yet are no effects of Law-vengeance nor parts of vindictive Punishment and so cannot give ground to inferre an imperfect Pardon or an imperfect Justification 4 Nor must we call them any part of the Punishment threatned by the Law remaining yet unremoved for that would make them parts of the Curse and yet Mr. Baxter Confess p. 125. conceiveth it fittest to say that beleevers are freed from the curse are not under it and addeth his reasons there And the consequence is clear because what the Law threatneth as such belongeth to the Curse for the Law saith Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do then Gal. 3 10. Deut. 27 26. And therefore every Punishment that is a punishment of the Law must be part of the Curse So if the Punishments or Afflictions that the Godly are now under be part of the Curse that is yet remaining unremoved or of the Punishment as Mr. Baxter there p. 124. saith it will inevitablie follow that beleevers are yet under the Curse and not wholly delivered there from and as to these outward afflictions many of the truly Godly shall be more under the Curse then several of the wicked and if they be under any part of the Curse how can they be pronunced Blessed how can they be said to be Redeemed from the Curse of the Law how can Christ be said to have been made a curse for them how shall their sufferings not be a part of Satisfaction to Vindictive justice Shasl not they be in part Satisfiers for themselves Shall not they then be beholden to Christ only in part How shall then these Afflictions flow from love run in the channel of love and work-out their good through grace love if they be any real formal parts of the Curse Shall not the curse then be a part of the blessedness of the Saints and of their bequeathed portion which they may owne as theirs as well as they may owne life Shall not the curse or a part of the curse separat from the Love of God and of Christ What I pray will if that do it not and yet the Apostle tels us Rom. 8 33. c. that afflictions cannot do it nor death it self How can any part of the curse work for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory and yet Afflictions do that 2. Cor. 4 17. The curse will not conforme us unto Christ yet afflictions will and do Rom. 8 29. 5 Even as to the remnants of the body of death that cause the godly to groan and cry out Miserable man c. if we consider them as an Affliction we cannot say that they are a remanent part of Law-vengeance of Law-punishment or of the curse threatned in the Law for then they should be effects of God's hatred towards the Persons of pure vengeance and of juridical judicial Wrath Anger and were not capable of Sanctification to their spiritual advange and Beleevers upon this account could not be said to be delivered from the Law and dead to that wherein they were formerly held as they are Rom. 7 6. for they who are under the Curse and under such an especial part or Effect thereof cannot but be under the Law and that as a cursing Condemning Law Gal. 3 10. Nor could the Apostle inferre as he doth after the mentioning of the sad wrestlings that the godly have with the body of death Rom. 7 15. c. that there is now therefore no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8 1. for this would not follow from their being really properly under such a great part of the Curse Sure this cannot but be derogatory unto the perfect Satisfaction made by Christ seing hereby there is in some measure a Satisfaction made unto the justice of God and it was the end of Christ's suffering satisfaction to deliver his people from the curse of the Law in whole and in part from that penalty threatned in the Covenant of works Christ was made a curse for us and thereby did redeem us not in part only but wholly from the curse of the Law and this penal Law Mr. Baxter must understand pag. 127. Confess or he speaketh not to the purpose Nor can I say with him ibid. p. 119. that every threatning is it in one sense the execution in another that is commonly called the curse of the Law for the execution of the Law upon any person is inconsistent with loving-kindness towards that person but so is not every threatning nay nor the execution thereof upon beleevers as we see Psal. 89 30 31 32 33. Nor could these executions of threatnings be said to flow from Love contrare to Revel 3 19. Heb. 12 6. Prov. 3 12. for there is no fatherly Love in executing of the Curse CHAP. XXI Justification is by Faith what this Faith is how it is wrought HAving thus spoken unto laboured to clear up the Nature some causes of this life of â—ustification we come in the next place to speak to the following part of the Text. Where the way how this life of justification is brought about and attained is pointed forth when it is said The just shall live by faith Faith we see is here mentioned as that which interesseth us in this privilege of life Whence we see 1. That no man is made partaker of the life of Justification before Faith or that untill souls exercise faith they are without this life of Justification Some talk of a Justification from Eternity thus confound Justification with Gods love of Election or with Gods decree purpose to justifie Some speak of Justification of all in the death of Christ but neither is this to be admitted if we speak of actual Justification It is true Christ did when he laid down
of what is denied to wit that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word becoming man did become upon that account necessarily subject to the Law for himself His 2. Arg. is If Christ did performe active obedience in our room so as it might be imputed to us unto Righteousness then we should be no longer obliged to performe active obedience to the Law The reason of this he taketh from the like saying as we are not obliged to undergo eternal death because Christ hath sustained that in our room Ans. To this enough hath been said elsewhere I shall only here say That it will no more hence follow than from the Satisfaction of Christ whatever Socinians alleige that we are loosed from all obedience to the Law but only that we are loosed from that obedience which was required under the Old Covenant of works to wit to perfecte obedience thereby obtaine the prize as our reward of debt and faile in the least lose all which were the Conditions of the Old Covenant and as to this we deny the minor He replieth by denying what is now in question to wit That Christ performed active obedience in our room to procure eternal life to us affirming that he was bound to do it for himself so did merite nothing to ut thereby Ans. This is but what was said above hence it is cleare that in his judgment Christ wrought for the crown of glory to himself did merite it to himself so had no Right thereto before by vertue of his hypostatical union let be possession albeit all the Angels were to worshipe him his throne was for ever ever Heb. 1 6 8. He addeth If notwithstanding of Christ's active satisfaction we be obliged to satisfie actively so notwithstanding of his passive satisfaction we should be bound to satisfie passively that is suffer eternal death Ans. All the obedience now required is no satisfaction to the Old Covenant-Conditions Christ hath satisfied that and left no part thereof for us to do And therefore it will not follow that we are bound to suffer eternal death or any part of the Curse as such To that answere that some gave that by Christ's active obedience we have this advantage that we are more obliged unto rigide exact obedience He replieth That then we should not sin by short-coming or negligence Ans. But by that rigide exact obedience is not meaned full conformitie unto the Law but such a conformitie as was the Condition of the Old Covenant as is said that is we are now freed from obtaining the crown or right thereto by perfect conformity which to us is impossible from loseing of the crown upon the least escape or failing All obedience runneth now in another channel though the commands the Law as a Law rule of walk remaine the same His 3. Arg. is The Scripture every where speaking of our justification pardon mentioneth Christ's passive not his active obedience As Esai 53 5 6. Rom. 3 24 25. 5 9. Gal. 3 13. 1. Ioh. 1 7. Ans. It is denied that the Scripture doth every where mentione only Christ's passive obedience and the contrary hath been frequently showne And as to the places mentioned none of them containe any exclusive particle or hinte the exclusion of his active obedience And our Adversaries themselves must understand these the like passages Synecdochically otherwayes they shall exclude Christ's soul sufferings as well as his active obedience restrick all to his death bloud shed on the crosse which yet they will not do Now followeth his answere to some Arguments for the contrary Arg. 1. Two things are required unto our Salvation delivery from death the gift of life that is had by expiation of sin by his suffering this by the donation of Righteousness or imputation of his active obedience He answereth The passive obedience of Christ both expiateth sin giveth life his death giveth life 1. Pet. 2 24 3 18. Ans. True but the reason is because it was the death of one who had fulfilled all Righteousness we need not speak of his obedience of his sufferings so distinctly as to ascribe to each severally these several effects It is better I judge to take both conjunctly as one compleet Righteousness for us one meritorious cause of all the benefites procured thereby Arg. 3. for the Arg. 2. I passe as judging it not cogent The actual disobedience of Adam made us sinners He answereth If by actual obedience of Christ in the Conseq his active obedience be understood for his passive may also be called actual in that actually not potentially only he suffered that imputed to us the consequens is denied for Christ's passive obedience imputed hath restored unto us what we lost by Adam's disobedience Ans. But thus the comparison that Paul maketh Rom. 5. betwixt Adam's disobedience Christ's obedience is taken away He opposeth the Righteousness of Christ to the offence of Adam now Christ's death suffering is no where called his Righteousness So he opposeth obedience to disobedience therefore as the disobedience was the violation of the Law obedience must be the keeping of the Law Christ's death imputed is no Righteousness answering the commands of the Law and therefore though it did merite the recovery of what we lost in Adam being the death of one that fulfilled all Righteousness Yet considered abstractly by it self without his active obedience it cannot be our formal Righteousness with which we must be covered as having which we must be considered when justified of God who pronunceth none Righseous but such as are Righteous indeed Arg. 4. With Christ's active obedience his passive was conjoined He ans Denying the conseq that therefore the one cannot be imputed without the other for things conjunct can be distinguished as the one can be known so also imputed without the other Ans. But they are so conjoined as being integral parts of one compleat Surety-Righteousness Satisfaction for our debt therefore belong to his Estate of humiliation during which in all his obedience there was suffering for a part of his subjection was that he was made under the Law even under the commanding power thereof because otherwayes being God Man in one person he was not subject to the Law as a Viator in reference to himself So in all his sufferings there was obedience And what is thus inseparably conjoined we ought not to separate especially seing our case necessity calleth for the imputation of both Arg. 5. If only Christ's passive obedience were imputed then only the halfe of Christ should be given unto us contrary to Esai 9 6. He Ans. denying the Conseq because it is one thing to be given to us another thing to be imputed even Christ's humanity deity is given unto us Ans. But Christ was so given as that all he did suffered as such a given publick person
to the Socinians Then it seemeth all the Hypostatical union his having the Spirit without measure was not sufficient to make him a fit Redeemer for us Nor was he a fit Mediator untill he had finished his whole course of obedience And yet he was borne a Saviour Luk. 2 11. And was the Lord's Christ vers 26. Salvation vers 50. Arg. 8. We are made acceptable unto God in the beloved Christ Ephes 1 6. He Ans. We are acceptable to God by inherent obedience which Christ hath purchased by his sufferings Ans. But the Text is to be understood of a being made acceptable in order to our obtaining the redemption mentioned vers 7. that is the forgiveness of sins so cannot be meaned of that acceptation which is upon our inherent holiness which followeth our Justification Pardon Arg. 9. Christ hath purchased his Church that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle Ephes. 5 27. He Ans. That Christ did purchase by his death the churches inherent Righteousness Ans. This is granted But not withstanding the expressions here used in the foregoing verse will hold forth a full cleansing not only from the staine power of sin in Sanctification but also from the guilt of sin in justification the Church must be presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing cleansed with the washing of water holy without blemish Now in order to justification the sinner must be clothed with a compleat Righteousness Arg. 10. Beleevers are found in Christ having a Righteousness Phil. 3 9. How forceable this place proveth our point hath been shown elsewhere He Ans. The Righteousâ—ess of Faith is twofold one is imputed apprehended by Faith which is Christ's passive obedience the other is inherent which is also by Faith Ans. But Paul here layeth by all his inherent Righteousness which was his own was according to the Law only betaketh himself to that Righteousness which is of God by Faith this is not to be restricked to Christ's sufferings only for these as such are not a Righteousness as hath been oft said the contrary hath never yet been proved though it be the maine ground of all Arg. 11. We are perfect compleat in Christ Col. 2 10. He Ans. Christ maketh us perfect in justifying sanctifying glorifying us by the imputation ef his passive obedience only Ans. This is but to assert the thing that is a disproving we say we cannot be justified without the imputation of a compleat Righteousness because in justification we receive a right to life this cannot be had according to the Constitution of God do this live till the Law be satisfied by obedience because we could not do it we must have it in from Christ in whom we are compleat have all we need Arg. 12. Christ hath delivered us from all our debt both of yeelding perfect obedience of suffering for disobedience Col. 2 14. He Ans. He denyeth this sayeth Christ hath not delivered us from giving perfect obedience for we remaine obliged thereunto wherein we come short it is pardoned for his satisfaction imputed to us it is piece piece made up by begun holiness which hereafter shall be perfected Ans. This looseth not the force of the argument for though we be obliged to keep the Law in all points yet we are not under that obligation by vertue of the Old Covenant so that the least breach should frustrate us of heaven so as the reward should be of debt and of this obligation the Argument is to be understood Now because by vertue of this Covenant which must be satisfied we cannot partake of the prize because it is violated therefore it must be satisfied by the perfect obedience of another of our Surety which must be imputed unto us in order to life for all our begun sanctification will not avail us Christ's satisfying by his suffering according to that that day thou eats thou shalt die doth not withall satisfie that other part of the Law do this live Arg. 13. We must not only not be unjust but we must be just if we would have life eternal Therefore Christ's Righteousness must be imputed as well as his death He Ans. denying the Conseq And saith We are freed from the Curse of the Law by Iustification whereby the Passive Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us Purity is begun in us in Sanctification Ans. By justification we have no Righteousness imputed to us for we must be Righteous before we be justified therefore must have a Righteousness imputed before 2 Our begun Sanctification is no purchase of the reward of life 3 delivery from the Curse is but a freeing us from punishment or from the guilt of punishment but this is nothing but a being not unjust as Adam was before he fell It is not a being positivly just in order to the reward for to this is required compleat obedience to the Law that unto the end in which respect Adam was never just having never finished his course of obedience that he might have had a right unto the reward promised I mean in himself CHAP. X. The Fathers give Countenance to the Doctrine of Imputation and some Papists approve it THat it may not be thought that the Doctrine of the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ is a new up-start opinion I shall here set down some of their Testimonies unto this truth Iustin. Martyr Epist. ad Diognet p. 386. Quid enim aliud peccata nostra potuit tegere quam ejus justitia in quo alio nos iniqui impii pro justis haberi possumus quam in solo Dei filio O dulcem permutationem o impervestigabile artificium O beneficia expectationem omnem superentia ut iniquitas quidem multorum in justo uno abscondatur justitia autem unius faciat ut multi injusti pro justis habeantur i. e. for what else could cover out sins but his i. e. Christ's Righteousness in whom else could we who are naked ungodly be accounted for Righteous persons than only in the Son of God O sweet permutation O unsearchable Contrivance O benefites exceeding all expectation that the iniquity of many should be hid in one just one the Righteousness of one should make many who are unrighteous be accounted Righteous Againe in lib. de Expositione fidei Filius Dei quatenus homo vitam ab crimine remotam traduxit mortemque voluntariam pertulit per exactam accuratam Conversationem peccatum obliterans per mortem indebitam debitum delens i. e. The Son of God as Man led a life free of all fault and suffered a voluntary death obliterating sin by his exact accurat Conversation deleting the debt by an undue death Irenaeus Adv Haeres c. 15. Dominus in Amicitiam nos reduxit per suam inâ—arnationem mediator Deâ— hominum factus propitians
1 7. forgiveness of sins is with justification hath blessedness attending it Rom. 4 6 7 8. 3. Salvation necessarily followeth upon this Ransome Redemption as is clear 1. Tim. 2 4. compared with vers 6. 4. This Redemption is from a vaine Conversation 1 Pet. 1 18. consequently is attended with Salvation 5. It is attended with justification Rom. 3 24. being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ. 6. Hence it is called the Redemption of the transgressions Heb. 9 15. that is either of Transgressours by a metonimy or of us from the evil of transgressions that upon a valuable compensation satisfaction for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Redemption from evil by the Intervening of a Price a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Ransom 7. This was a Redemption from the Law for God sent forth his son made under the Law to redeem them who were under the Law Gal 4 4 5. so by this redemption there is a liberation had from the Law its Curse Penality 8. And it is a Redemption of such as were under the Law for this end that they might receive the adoption of sones Gal. 4 5. But this Adoption of sones is not common to all 9. All which receiveth confirmation from this that the Father who received this ransome did himself send his Son to lay it down so it was his own Ransome and therefore must have been payed upon a certaine designe of actually Redeeming delivering from Sin Satan Death Hell those for whom it was laid downe 10. So is there an other end of this Redemption mentioned Gal. 3 13 14. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Iesus Christ. 11. Seing the Lord Iehovah might have refused to free the sinner upon any Redemption or Satisfaction offered exacted all of the sinners themselves that they lay under by the Law it was a great condescendence in love of this great Lord a gracious act of Soveraignity to accept of a mediation of Love free grace to provide a Redeemer we cannot but in reason think that His good pleasure did regulare this matter as to the Persons who should be Redeemed as to the manner method after which they should actually partake of the Redemption And that therefore the persons to be redeemed were condescended upon and the persons condescended upon were certanely to be Redeemed the Lord having intended in the contrivance of this Redemption the certaine Salvation Redemption of those who were condescended upon of none else and the Intentions Designes Purposes of God are not vaine nor frustrable Further 23. Christ's death ha◠a real Merito in it that is a worth and value to procure the good things it was given for so that thereby there was a Purchase made Act. 20 28. And therefore we cannot suppose that all that was Procured Purchased hereby was a General Uncertaine meerly Possible thing If it had a value worth in it as no question it had to purchase procure grace glory unto all for whom it was given and was accepted as a valuable price of the Father why should not the thing hereby purchased be given granted in due time To say that all was suspended upon a condition is to made all Uncertaine or we must say that Christ's death did procure that Condition also and then all is right for that is it we say 24. Christ's death is to be considered as the death of a Testator Heb. 9 15 16 17. And for this cause he is the Mediatour of the New Testament that by meanes of death for the redemption of transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance for where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testatour for a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all while the Testatour liveth So he said himself of the cup in the Sacrament that it was the blood of the New Testament Mat. 26 28. Mark 14 24. that it was the cup of the New Testament in his blood Luk. 22 20. and Paul calleth it the New Testament in his blood 1. Cor. 11 25. So that his Death Bloodshed was the death of a Testatour for the confirmation of the New Testament and for ascertaneing of the Legatees of the good things bequathed to them in legacy by the Testament Now a Testament commonly is a declaration of the Testatours free Absolute Voluntary Purpose of bestowing such such benefites to such such friends and so it is the Testatours letter will whereby he willeth that this legacy be given to this person that to another It is true men may insert some Conditions as to some legacies because they are but men know not contingent future things nor have they the wils dispositions of such they appoint legatees in their own hand and power But it is otherwayes with our Testatour and therefore we cannot think that He left the legacies in his Testament at the uncertainty of conditions to be performed by men especially considering how as he died to ratify the Testament so he rose againe to administrate the same as the sole executor thereof by his Spirit that what legacies he left to be bestowed upon such such conditions he left not the matter at an uncertainty for the condition it self was bequeathed as the necessary good of the Testament without which all would have been to no purpose It is unreasonable then to think that Christ died to give force to his Testament and yet it might come to passe that he should have no heire to enjoy the goods left in legacy Nor is it reasonable to think that all the world were equally his heires seing the Inheritance and Kingdom is for the little flock Luk. 12 32. and a peculiar select number 1. Pet. 1 4. Ioh. 17 24. Col. 1 12. who are heires of the promises of God of salvation of the Grace of God of the Kingdom c. Rom. 8 17. Gal. 3 29. 4 7 30. Ephes. 3 6. Heb. 1 14. 6 1. 11 7. Iam. 2 5. 1. Pet. 3 7. Therefore all whom Christ hath appointed heires in his Testament shall certainly enjoy the good things tested in due time for his Death gave force to his Testament as being his Last Unchangeable will so that they cannot misse of the inheritance and be disappointed especially considering that Christ by his death laid down a valuable rich price to purchase all these good things which he left in legacy to his friends heires Christ's death moreover 25. is to be considered as the death of a Sponsor Cautioner and this will further confirme our point Hence he is called a Surety Heb. 7 22. and is said