in what He Suffered in His state of Humiliation for to us a Childe was born and to us a Son was given He was made under the law for us that he might redeem such as â—ere under the law that they might receive the Adoption of Sones Esai 9 5. Gal. 4 4 5. 2. This active obedience of Christ saith he was serviceable to that same great End whereunto our righteousness and obedience are subservient viz. the glory of God the advancement of His Kingdom Ioh. 8 49. 7 18. Ans. And was not His death Sufferings also subservient unto this great end Will it therefore follow that He died not to make Satisfaction to justice for the sinnes of His people And if this cannot follow what ever Socinians imagine how shall it or can it hence follow that His obedience was not to satisfie the demands of the law and to procure the reward to His people Is there any Inconsistency betwixt His fulfilling the law as Mediator and Surety in the room of His people His doing it for the glory of God the advancement of His Kingdom 3. Another enâ— saith he is the exemplariness of it Ans. This is but another arrow taken out of the quiver of the Socinians is of no force to weaken our argument seing a subordinat less principal end doth not destroy a more principal end Was He not exemplary to us in His death Sufferings shall we therefore say That there was no satisfaction for sins intended thereby And what is there here peculiar unto Christ as Lord Mediator seing the lives of other Saints are also exemplary 4. It had saith he an excellent Importance to draw to Imitation Ans. This is the same with the preceeding and deserveth no further answere 5. It was saith he a meanes of continueing His person in the love and complacâ—ncy of His Father which was a thing of absolute necessity for the carrying on of the great work of Redemption for if He had once miscarried who should have mediated for Him Ioh. 15 10. 8 29. Ans. As to His Person He was God equal with the Father in power and Glory It were therefore blasphemy once to suppose that His person stood in need of this for any such end or to suppose that He could have failed as to any act of obedience thereby have displeased God Wherefore His obedience being the obedience of one who was is God over all blessed for ever it could not be necessary to Himself unto any such end Therefore it behoved to be wholly for us for whom He was made under the law as He was given to us and borne for us 6. It was saith he of absolute necessity to qualify fit the Sacrifice for the Altar and render Him a person meet by His death and Sacrifice of Himself to make attonement for the world and to purge and take away the sin of it Ans. Shall we think that He who was God was not a fit enoug Sacrifice for the world but that He must be made fit and prepared by acts of obedience And as for His Humane Nature which was no person but did subsist in the Divine Nature being assumed into the subsistence thereof was it not sufficiently fitted to be a Sacrifice by its personal union with the Godhead was it not thereby Holy Harmless undefiled separat from sinners which is all that the Apostle requireth Heb. 7 26 Was not the Humane Nature personally united unto the Godhead from the very first moment of conception The holiness then that consisteth in Acts of Actual obedience was not required unto this Union and after this Union it was not possible that He could sinne as it is not possible that the glorified now in Heaven can break the Lawes that we break here while on earth and yet it will not follow that they are under the same particular obligations to particular acts of commanded duties that we stand under So nor was Christ as to Himself under the obligation of the pâ—rticular duties of the law to which He willingly submitted Himself gave obedience but all this was for us Nor was this necessarily required to make His Sacrifice Holy for His Humane Nature being once united to the Divine could not otherwayes be but holy and without sin and so a sinless and holy Sacrifice And withall we would take notice that the Actions of the Mediator were the Actions of the person and not of either of the Natures alone therefore must not be looked upon as the Actions of a meer man So that His acts of obedience were the acts of obedience of God man or of that person that was God He needeth not then tell us that the Absolute holiness and Righteousness of the humanity it self was of necessary concurrence unto His obedience for we grant it and this flowed from the hypostatical union but that which we deny is That there was an Holiness and Righteousness in acts of outward obedience to the law requisite thereunto as if the humane Nature by vertue of the hypostatical union had not been holy and harmless untecedently unto those outward acts of obedience and so had not been a sinless and holy Sacrifice if He had been offered up in His Infancy or before He was in capacity to do any commanded acts He needeth not say as he doth pag. 204. that we conceive that Christ-man might have been righteous without doing the works of Righteousness which is all one as to say that He might have been Righteous though He had transgressed for not to keep the law in those to whom the law is given is nothing else but to transgress For we neither do nor need assert any such thing for by vertue of the hypostatical union He was Righteous and could not transgress or do any thing contrary to what was imposed upon Him but we say that by vertue of this union as to Himself the Humane Nature was not under the law as we are but He was under the law that He might fulfill it for others not to fit and qualifie Him to be a meet Sacrifice as if for this His Humane Nature had not been meet enough before To this he saith pag. 205. Let this Supposition be admitted that Christ had suffered in the womb and that this Suffering of His had been fully Satisfactory yet had He been as perfectly righteous in this case and consequently had kept the law perfectly as now He hath done for the law requireth of Infants during their Infancy nothing but holiness of Nature I Ans. 1. This is enoug to confirme what we say viz. That all His after actual obedience was not necessary to this end 2 And beside though this holiness of Nature was conforme to the law upon the matter yet it was not a formal obedience unto the law if we speak of Him in reference to Himself for the Humane Nature had this Holiness by vertue of the Hypostatical union and Christ when
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
death destruction if the Lord should enter with them in jugdment and mark iniquity Psal. 130 3. 143. 2. Yet the judgment of the Lord being alwayes according to truth Rom. 2 2. Such as He pronunceth Righteous and absolveth from the sententence of the Law as such must be Righteous for to justifie the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 17 15. And seing they are not neither can be Righteous in themselves nor have a Righteousness of their own which they can present to justice and in which they can appear before God who is a righteous Judge they must needs have a righteousness from some other and this is a Surety-righteousness the righteousness of the Mediator and Cautioner Jesus Christ Imputed to them and received by faith and being clothed with this noble rob of Rigteousness with Christ who is the Lord our Righteousness and beareth this Name and Title Ier. 23 6. And who is made of God unto us Righteousness 1. Cor. 1 30. They may be looked upon as living indeed In the Lord have they righteousness and upon this account in the Lord are they justified and shall glory Esai 45 24 25. This is the Righteousness of God without the Law which is witnessed by the Law and the Prophets the righteousness of God which is by faith of Iesus Christ unto all and upon all them that beleeve Rom. 3 21 22. This is that faith or object of faith that was imputed to Abraham for righteousness Rom. 4 3 5 9. And the righteousness that God imputeth without works vers 6 11. This is the righteousness of faith through which the promise is vers 13. This is the righteousness that shall be imputed to all who beleeve on Him that raised up Iesus our Lord from the deed vers 24. This is the free gift by grace which is by one man Iesus Christ that hath abounded unto many Rom. 5 15. This is that aboundance of grace and gift of righteousness which beleevers receive whereby they reigne in life by one Iesus Christ vers 17. And that righteousness of one by which the free gift come upon all beleevers unto justification of life vers 18. And the obedience of one by which many are made righteous vers 19. And that righteousness through which grace reigneth unto eternal life by Iesus Christ our Lord vers 21. This is the righteousness of the Law fulfilled in us by Gods own Son whom He sent in the likeness of sinful flesh Rom. 8 2 3. This is Gods righteousness to which the Jewes would not submit but went about to establish their own righteousness for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10 3 4. It is that righteousness which is of faith which the Gentiles have attained who followed not after righteousness which Israel did not attaine to though they followed after the Law of righteousness because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone Rom. 9 30 31 32. By this are Believers made the righteousness of God in Him who though He knew no sin yet was made sin for us 2 Cor. 5 21. This is that righteousness which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith Phil. 3 7 8 9. which Paul desired only to be found in and that in opposition to his own righteousness which is of the Law and for which he did account all things which formerly were gaine to him to be loss dung Now what a noble life of faisty and Security is this for a poor naked sinner void of all righteousness and thereby exposed to the lash of the Law to the Curse and wrath of God to be covered with a compleet and perfect righteousness consisting in full satisfaction to all the demandes of the Law both for doing and suffering with which the Self condemned sinner may now with boldness and confidence think of approaching unto and appearing before the Tribunal of God who can express the Serenity of Soul the inward peace calmness and Quietness of mind the Joy Cheerfulness and Exulting of heart that followeth here upon How is the Drooping Sincking Dead and discouraged Soul that hath any sense or feeling of this revived quickened And how beit the sense of it be away as oft it happeneth yet the change that is hereby made when the Lord imputeth this righteousness of Christ causeth the Soul by faith to embrace it and accept of it is as a Resurrection from the dead 5. They have as a benefite necessarily following upon and inseparably accompanying this justification the noble and rich privilege of Adoption For to as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sones of God Joh. 1 12. And all those that are justified receive Him and His righteousness and rest upon it Being thus redeemed from under the Law they receive the Adoption of Sones Gal. 4 5. And being justified by His grace they are made heirs according to the hop of eternal life Tit. 3 7. And by this as their State is demonstrated to be a State of life so the many and exceeding great and rich yea incomprehensibly glorius and excellent favours Advantages and Privileges that lye in the womb of this comprehensive Privilege shew their life to be an excellent life for 1 Being thus adopted they have a new Relation unto God as their Father and they are His Children taken into His Family they have His name put upon them they are called by His name or His name is called upon them Ier. 14 9. Then is that word make good 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord God Almighty Then is He their God in a peculiar manner and they are His People Ier. 31. 1. Then have they written upon them the name of Christs God and the name of the City of His God and His own new name in its earnest and beginnings Revel 3 12. O! what a life is here to stand thus related unto the great God what an honourable life and Privilege is this for such who were by Nature Children of the Devil 2 Being thus Adopted they have a Relation to all the Children of the Family and are united unto them as members of the same Familie as Brethren or Sisters of the chosen Family They are then among those whom Christ hath gathered together in one Ephes. 1 10. And belong to that Church which is His Body the fulness of Him that filleth all in all vers 22 23. They have a relation now unto the Church Triumphant as well as to the Church Militant whence that is in part verified Heb. 12 22 23. But ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the living God the heavenly Ierusalem to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly Church of the first born which are written in
Heaven They are no more Strangers and Forreigners but fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God Ephes. 2 19. 3 Being by Adoption Children they are heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Rom. 8 17. Gal. 4 7. They are now begotten to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for them 1. Pet. 1 4. Hence they are heirs of Salvation Heb. 1 14. Being Abrahams seed they are heirs according to the promise Gal. 3 29. these promises they do inherite Heb. 6. 12. What a life hath the Son and heire of a great King when he may look upon the many great Dominions Kingdomes of his Father as his own But what a greater life is it when a poor sinner that is now adopted through faith may look thorow all the great and precious promises contained in the Book of God and say all these are mine and may look up to Heaven to that glory which eye hath never seen nor ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive say all that is mine through Jesus Christ I am served heire thereunto have the begun possion thereof in mine Head Elder Brother Jesus Christ 4. Being adopted they have the earnest of the Spirit sealing them to the day of Redemption for in Christ they have obtained an inheritance are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession Ephes. 1 11 13 14. 4 30. And who can express what a life this is 5 Being adopted they have free access to the throne of Grace with boldness God being their Father the door standeth open they may approach with liberty freedom filial Boldness for through Christ they have an access by the Spirit unto the Father Ephes. 2 18. And in Him they have boldness access with Confidence by the faith of Him Ephes. 3 12. They may now come boldly unto the throne of Grace that they may obtaine mercy finde grace for help in time of need Heb. 4 16. By Him they have access by faith into the grace wherein they stand Rom. 5 2. And here certainely is a life the riches of the joy Comfort whereof cannot be expressed 6 Being adopted they receive the Spirit of adoption whereby they are delivered from that Spirit of Bondage under which they were formerly are now Principled Spirited â—mboldened to cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15 That slavish fear under which they some time were is away they have now the reverential fear of Children which doth not hinder but encourage them to approach with freedom Enlargment of Spirit now they have the Spirit of prayer Supplication whereby they can call on God as their Father in Christ because they are Sones God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into there hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4 6. What a resurrection from Death unto life is this to have heart tongue loosed to be in case to speak unto the Father in the language of the Spirit through Jesus Christ 7. Being adopted they have a right to all the Privileges of the Sones of God are under the Fatherly Care Inspection Provision Protection Leading Teaching Chastisement of their kind God Father Psal. 103 13 Prov. 3 11 12. 14 26. Mat. 6 30 32. 1 Pet. 5 7. Heb. 12 6. And o what a bundle of Mercies of life is here The beleever may welcome all the Dispensations of God receive them as out of the hand of a tender-hearted Father say Thus thus doth my Father unto me this is the hand working of a Father about me This how sharpe so ever it seem to be yet is the effect of tender love floweth from the heart bowels of a kinde compassionat Father to me 6. Their justification saith They are translated out of nature delivered from that death under which they did lye formerly unable to performe any even the least vital act of life for before justification they are united unto Christ by faith life is begun in their soul the seed of life is beginning to bud in them to bring forth fruit when they are enabled to beleeve to act faith upon to receive Jesus Christ as He is offered in the Gospel The spiritual life is in them is working when it moveth them Christ-ward powerfully draweth inclineth their Soul to close with Christ. This faith is the work of the Spirit of God alone It is not of our selves but the gift of God Ephes. 2 8. This beleeving is according to the working of his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead Ephes. 1 19 20. Therefore is the Spirit called the Spirit of faith which all beleevers have 2 Cor. 4 13. for now in order to the effectual producing of this grace of faith in the Soul their mindes are enlightened to understand Spiritually Savingly the things of God Act. 26 18. For God revealeth them unto them by His Spirit who only knoweth the things of God which Spirit they have received that they might know the things that are freely given them of God 1 Cor. 2 10 11 12. Now they have received the Spirit of Wisdom Revelation in the knowledge of Him the eyes of their understandings being enlightened Ephes. 1 17 18. And as their mindes are changed so is their heart for the heart of stone is taken away the heart of flesh is given according as was promised Ezek. 36 26. their wills are renewed inclined unto good They have gotten the one heart the New Spirit Ezek. 11 19. The Lord hath wrought in them both to will to do Phil. 2 13. Their heart is circumcised to love the Lord according as was promised Deut. 30 6. And the Lord hath put His Spirit in them Ezek. 26 27. thereby hath drawn them unto Christ Ioh. 6 44 45. all which saith that the life of God of Grace is begun in their souls the Spirit of life hath taken possession of them abideth there worketh These things cleare how justly the justified soul may be said to live in what respects the justified state is a real state of life CHAP. VI. What mysteries are in Justification WHat was said in the foregoing Chapter may by way of use First discover unto us that Kindness and Love of God our Saviour that hath appeared unto men whereof the Apostle speaketh Tit. 3 4. For this is one remarkable Instance thereof and calleth for Admiration and praise from us upon that account O! what Tenderness Love and Pity appeareth here And what a wonderful Grace is this that is here manifested what condescension of Love and free Grace is clearly legible in this business And how clear and distinct will all this appear to a self condemned sinner arraigned
satisfie that demand by dying the shameful death of the cross undergoing the wrath curse due to us for sin thereby making a more perfect Satisfaction unto the Sanction and threatning part of the Law than we could have done by lying in hell for ever more And by faith closeing with Christ resting upon Him as such a satisfying Cautioner Redeemer the sinner acknowledgeth the Law in all its force confessing himself a Transhressour and obnoxious to the Curse now presenting to the Law Law-giver the obedience Satisfaction of Christ whereby both its commands Sanction are fully answered resting thereupon as the only ground of his Absolution from the sentence of the Law for his guilt and of his right to the Crown which he formerly had forfeited 4. Here is another mystery That such as are unrighteous and Ungodly should be declared and pronunced Righteous In justification the person is declared not guilty of what was laid to his charge in order to punishment that juridically and so he is declared free from the punishment that the Accuser was seeking to have inflicted upon him and so is declared pronunced to be a righteous man though not one that hath not sinneth yet now one that is juridically righteous But how can this be seing every man and woman is guilty before God and is come short of the glory of God The mystery lyeth here as was said The righteousness of their Cautioner Christ is reckoned upon their score and is imputed to them they receive it by faith and so it becometh theirs for now by faith they are united unto Christ become members of His mystical body He being the Head and true Representative thereby He and they are one Person in Law being one Spirit as the Husband and the Wife are one person in Law being one flesh and as the Representer and Represented the Cautioner principal debtor and thus they have a true Interest in His Righteousness obedience to the Law which He yeelded not upon His own account being not obliged thereunto antecedently to His own voluntary condescension for us for as to His person He was God and so not obnoxious to any such Law imposed upon man who is in the way to the obtaining of a Crown as the end of his race yea nor was this requisite as to His humane Nature which by vertue of the personal union with the God-head was as to it self either in Patria and in possession of the State of blessedness or in a capacity thereto without working therefore And it is certaine that therefore His being made under the Law was for His owne people that in their room He might in the Nature of Man give perfect obedience to the Law and so make up a righteousness with which they might all become clothed by Imputation on Gods part by faith receiving it on their part and so be justified Hence-saith the Apostle by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Rom. 5 19. And thus are they who are unrighteous in themselves being Transgressours of the Law constituted righteous as to the Commands of the Law by the righteousness of their Cautioner As also they are though guilty in themselves obnoxious to wrath yet pronunced free and absolved from that charge by the Imputation of the Satisfaction of Christ made in His sufferings death who did bear our griefs and carry our sorrowes and was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed Esai 53 4 5. 1 Pet. 2 24. And his own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree 3. There is likewise a mystery here That the Imputation of the obedience and Righteousness of Christ doth not take away the Imputation of His Satisfaction nor make His Satisfaction useless of no Importance or necessity as Socinians imagine who cast the whole Gospel in the mould of their own corrupt Reason and understanding For they think if Christs Righteousness be imputed to us we are perfectly righteous and if we be perfectly righteous we have no sin if we have no sin there is no need of Satisfaction for our sin But they little consider that we are both guilty of the broken Law and also nothwithstanding obliged to perfect obedience It is unreasonable to think that Adam by his breach of the Law was exeemed delivered from any obligation to obey the Law sin doth not neither can dissolve that obligation otherwayes the best way of being freed from the Lawes of God or Man were to break them cast them at our heels We then being transgressours still under the obligation of obedience to the whole Law our Mediator and Cautioner must not only obey the Law for us to the end we may inherite the promised reward but must also make Satisfaction for the Violation of the Law to the end we may escape Gods Curse wrath threatned in the Law and due to us for the breach of the same Had we perfectly kept the Law we had then had no need of any Satisfaction for our breach thereof but being guilty of sin this Satisfaction and the Imputation thereof to us is absolutely necessary And though we need not nicely here distinguish betwixt this Righteouness Satisfaction in reference to the different ends and say that by His Righteousness imputed to us we have right to the Crown by His Satisfaction freedom from death which was the penalty of the broken Law for God hath joined both together for both ends what He hath thus joined together as we should not separat so neither may we nicely scrupulously distinguish but adore the wonderful wisdom of God in this contrivance and observing our necessity of both sweetly acquiesce in and thankfully accept of both But you will say if we be perfectly righteous by the Imputation of Christs righteousness what need have we of any more are we not possessed of right to the reward and being righteous are we not free of our sin I answer It is true indeed if we said that Christs Righteousness or compleet obedience was first imputed to us or if the Scripture gave any ground to say so there might be some coloure for this Exception but as the Scripture giveth no such ground so neither do we assert it Only we have need of both both are graciously imputed and received by faith yea we being sinners if we might speak of an order here Satisfaction must first be imputed that thereby we may be freed from the sentence of the Law which most presseth a wakened convinced sinner who is most anxious hereanent crying out How shall I escape the wrath and curse of God But as the Lord hath graciously and wonderfully knit the effects together so is the Cause Both Christs obedience and Sufferings were so woven together that they belonged both to made up His
that they were all caused to meet together on Him Esai 53 6. He therefore was made a Sacrifice for sin or dealt with punished as a sinner though no sinner inherently but only by Imputation for He did bear our griefs carried our sorrowes was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities Esai 53 4 5. to wit now imputed to Him by God reckoned upon His account who knew no sin in Himself inherently So are we made the Righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5 21. that is have His Righteousness who is God imputed to us who were in our selves inherently sinners being in Him by faith are dealt with as Righteous The manifest scope of the place the plaine Import of the word must enforce this truth on all who are not more than ordinarily blinded with prejudice Secondly as Adam's posterity who were not existing when he transgressed the Law of God but were only in his loines federally comprehended with him in that covenant by God's voluntary disignation appointment so did not actually really eat that fruit which Adam did eat yet have that sin guilt so imputed unto them that it is really accounted theirs not meerly in its Effects for its Effects are not truely Imputed neither can be saied to be so for that natural contagion corruption of Nature which is truely propagated to the posterity all actuall trangressions the fruits thereof cannot be said to be imputed because they are really theirs inherent in them But that original sin which is the guilt of Adam's first sin is only it which can be imputed unless we mean such an Imputation whereby our actual sinnes which we commit are said to be imputed to us when they are laid to our charge we actually punished therefore to them who did not actually commit it in their own person by vertue of this Imputation they are accounted guilty of that self same sin therefore are dealt with punished upon the account thereof no less than if they had actually committed it themselves in their own persons no less than Adam himselfs was punished therefore So are Beleevers being by faith united unto Christ made real members of His mystical body now interessed in Him as His Children Brethren made partakers of His Righteousness have it imputed unto them for all ends uses as if it had been their own without any Imputation The reading of the Apostles discourse Rom. 5. from vers 12. forward to the end may satisfy any as to this whole affaire who will yeeld themselves captives unto Truth for upon this doth the Apostle found His whole discourse explication of the rich advantages had by Christ His Righteousness clearing illustrating the same by that similitude of Adam whom He expresly calleth the figure of Him that was to come vers 14. so asserteth that as by one man sin entered into the world death by sin so death passed upon all beâ—ause all did sinne so by one man Jesus Christ the second Adam righteousness ontered into the world life by it so life passed upon all that were in Him because they are righteous in Him or have His righteousness imputed unto them Nay in the following verses the matter is cleared with an advantage unto Beleevers in Christ. But saith he vers 15 16 17 18 19. not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God the gift by grace by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded unto many c. And so he goeth on to shew what how great things beleevers receive from Christ with no less Yea rather with much more of a certainety than the Posterity of Adam were interessed in what he did and therefore as judgment was by one to condemnation saith he so the free gift is of many offences unto justification if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they who beleeve or receive aboundance of grace of the gift of righteousness shall reigne in life by one Iesus Christ. And as the offence of one Adam was imputed unto all thereby guilt judgment came upon all making them liable to condemnation So by the righteousness of one Jesus Christ imputed to all that receive this aboundance of grace of the gift of righteouseess the free gift of justification cometh unto them reconciling them to God instating them for life And the ground reason of this is laid down vers 19. for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so were guilty made liable to judgment condemnation So by the obedience of one that perfect obedience to the Law that Christ performed opposite to Adam's transgression disobedience shall many be made righteous that is constituted righteous therefore dealt with as such through this imputed righteousness so justified made heirs of life for vers 21. he addeth as sin hath reigned unto death even so grace must reigne through righteousness unto eternal life by Iesus Christ our Lord. They then who will deny or oppose themselves unto this Imputation of Christ's righteousness must do manifest violence unto the whole discourse of the Apostle in this place Thirly Hence another evidencing ground of this imputation for as what is done by a publick person representing others whether upon one ground after one manner or another is accounted legally to be done by those who are represented they are dealt with accordingly as Adam was a publick person representing all his posterity that were to come of him by ordinary generation according to the ordination appointment of God So Christ of whom Adam was a figure was a publick person representing all whom the Father had given to Him for whom He had undertaken for whose sake He sanctified Himself Ioh. 17 19. become their Brother taking on their Nature Heb. 2 11 14. becoming like them in all things sin only excepted Heb. 2 17. comp with Heb. 3 15. Therefore He took not upon Him the Nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2 16. He was the Captaine of their Salvation vers 10. He is also made called the Head of the Church which is His body fulness Ephes 1 22 23. 5 23. Col. 1 18. and so He with His Church make up one mystical body whereof He is the Head Beleevers are members Thus there is a closs mystical union betwixt Christ Beleevers beyond any union that is in Nature whether it be that of Head members of Root Branches of King Subjects or of that betwixt Husband wife for all these are but dark resemblances of this Spiritual Union betwixt Christ Beleevers which is therefore compared unto these in part explained thereby for our better understanding of the matter but none of
a Mediator Surety for us accept of His Mediation and Satisfaction most freely out of free Grace and Love when we neither had done nor could do any thing to move Him hereunto or to procure this at His hands yea when all our carriage all that He could see in us did rather cry aloud for the contrary dealing 4 Was it no Act of Soveraigne Grace that God should provide all this remedie for a few whom He did choose for Him self out of free Grace and Love and gave away to Christ to bee redeemed by Him leaving the rest passing them by though no more unworthy than such as were chosen 5 Is it no Act of grace mercy that in order to this great favour of justification no more should be required on our part than faith in Jesus Christ seing this very faith including an Union with and a marriag-consent unto Christ is in it self a favour nothing in a manner inferiour to the pardon of all our sinnes to the accepting of us as Righteous in His sight 6 Is justification no Act of grace and mercy though it be upon the account of the obedience and Satisfaction of Christ when that very faith which is only required of us in order to our full interest in Christ His merites is also the free gift of God Ephes. 2 8 If these particulars will not aboundantly say that we are saved in justification by grace by the exceeding riches of Gods grace kindness towards us through Christ Jesus according to Ephes. 2 7. what will 9. Here is a great and wonderful mystery in this matter That the Innocent should suffer and the guilty escape go free The Socinians that they may strengthen them selves in their mischievous prejudices against the Satisfaction of Christ imagine an Impossibility here an Inconsistency with Justice that an Innocent person should be put to suffer But what ever they dream who will walk in these mysterious matters by no other guide than the dim light of corrupt nature it comporteth aboundantly with Justice that the Surety be put to pay what he hath undertaken to pay for the principal debtor And here was no wrong done to our Surety Jesus Christ who willingly undertook this debt and was lord of His own life having absolute power to lay it down and power to take it up againe and to raise him self from the dead knowing withall how richly to compensate make up that loss another way so as He should be no loser when He should see His Seed and receive the rich reward of His laboures from the Father whose Servant He was in this affaire Here is then a mystery of wisdom Grace and Love that the Innocent Lamb of God who knew no sin who did no violence nor was guile found in his mouth 2 Cor. ◠21. Esai 53 9. Who when He was reviled reviled not againe 1 Pet. 2 22 23. Who was Holy harmless undesiled and separat from sinners Heb. 7 26. That He should be made sin by God 2 Cor. 5 21. And so legally guilty obnoxious to the punishment due for sin that He should be made an High Priest to offer up Him self a sacrifice for sin Heb. 9 14 28. That He should bear our grieves carry our sorrowes and be wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities that the punishment of our peace should be upon Him He should stripes be oppressed afflicted and be cutt off out of the Land of the living have strokes upon Him make His grave with the wicked be bruised be put to griefe and make His soul an offering for sin Esai 53 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. That he who could not be charged with sin should yet be put to suffer most grieveous torments immediatly in his soul Mat. 26 37 38. 27 46. Luk. 22 44 Ioh. 12 27. And paines in his body Mat. 26. 27. Chapters That He should die and that He should die the Shamful Painful and cursed death of the Cross Gal. 3 13. Phil. 2. 8. And upon the other hand that we who were the sinners and guilty and so obnoxious to all the miseries of this life to death it self and to the paines of hell and wrath of God for ever should escape and be healed by His stripes Esai 53 5. 1 Pet 2 24. become the righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5 21. And be justified and made heirs of the promises O! what an unsearchable mystery of Love and free grace shineth forth here 10. This is also a Part of this Mystery That nothing should be forgiven yet all should be forgiven Nothing was forgiven to our Surety He paid all that was required of Him for the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all He gave full obedience to the Law in all its demandes made a perfect compleat Satisfaction for our Offences so that the Father was well pleased in Him the same was at two several times declared expressed out of heaven once at His Baptisme Mat. 3 17. againe at His Transfiguration Mat. 17 5. The sword of Justice was awakened against Him though He was Gods fellow Zech. 13 7. And did abate Him nothing of what was due The Lord Jesus gave him self for us an offering and a Sacrifie to God for a sweet smelling savour Ephes. 5 2. He is a perfect High Priest continueing for ever having an unchangable Priest-hood and therefore is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him for He needeth not daily as the High Priests under the Law to offer up Sacrifie first for His own sinnes then for the People for this He did once when He offered up Himself for the word of the Oath maketh Him a Priest who is consecrated for ever more Heb. 7 24 25 26 27. And yet though He had nothing forgiven or abated to Him while standing in our room but paid all to the outmost farthing all notwithstanding is freely forgiven to us and we have blessedness by the Lords forgiving our Iniquities covering our sins or not imputing them to us Psal. 32 1 2. Rom. 4 7 8. Our Redemption is forgiveness of sinnes Ephes. 1 7. Col. 1 14. And all sinnes must be forgiven to us or our Redemption should not be perfect nor we saved for one sin would ruine us for ever because if the Lord should mark iniquity enter in to judgment no man should stand no flesh should be justified Psal. 130 3. 143 2. 11. Here is another Mystery considerable in our justification That though thereby we be declared pronounced righteous so acquite absolved from what was or might be charged upon us Yet we have need of Pardor must be freely pardoned Socinians cannot or will not 〈◊〉 Conexion that Infinite Wisdom hath made here therefore make use of forgiveness free pardon of sinnes as an Argument wherewith to fight
of Christ is Subjectively and inherently in Himself only nor are we the workers of this righteousness Ans. Though the Righteousness of Christ be subjected in Him only wrought by Him alone yet the same being imputed unto Beleevers the Righteousness of the Law may be said to be fulfilled in them because by faith they are in Christ Christ is in them and in them is as much as for them or upon them or on their account as this same person hereafter granteth in a like case so it is accepted of God for all ends as if it were performed by them so it is fulfilled in our nature for for this end He came in the likeness of sinful flesh 3. He saith If by Righteousness of the Law we understand that entire obedience which every beleever according to the great variety of their several conditions callings relations stand bound to performe it cannot be said to be fulfilled in them by the imputation of Christ's righteousness for every beleever is bound to many moe particular acts than can be found in all that golden Catalogue of works of Righteousness performed by Christ. Ans. If the works of Righteousness performed by Christ shall not be a compleat Righteousness that can Satisfie the demandes of the Law where shall beleevers get a compleet Righteousness Shall their poor imperfect obedience wherewith themselves are not satisfied but complaine much of and mourne for be a more perfect compleat fulfilling of the Righteousness of the Law than was the perfect obedience of Christ with which the Father was well pleased Or shall the single weak act of their Faith as this Author saith be a more entire fulfilling of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law than the Catalogue of the works of Righteousness performed by Christ What probable ground is there for this imagination 2. Christ's obedience was perfect the Law-giver was satisfied there with accepted of it in the behalfe of all the chosen ones all their defects sinnes in their various conditions callings Relations were done away by the Satisfaction made by Christ so that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law was perfectly fulfilled in their behalf this being imputed unto them received by faith no more is requisite unto a stateing of them into a state of pardon right to glory 5. He saith The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth not obedience to or conformity with the Law but rather that justification which was the end and intent of the Law or rather that jus or right or Law as it were of the Law Ans. But all this will not weaken our Argument for that right jus or demand of the Law was as to us now sinners both Satisfaction for transgressions committed and full and compleat obedience till both were done performed there could be no justification of sinners and so this rather establisheth than hurteth the doctrine of Imputation whatever he may imagine 6. He saith By the word Law cannot necessarily be understood the Moral Law for 1. The weakness of the Law extends also to the judicial and Ceremonial 2. The jewes to whom he specially addresseth himself in all this disputatiâ—n built as much on the observation of the Ceremonial Law 3. The Moral Law though perfectly observed could not have justified all men at least not the jewes who were obliged to the observation of other Lawes 4. The Imputation of the observation of the Moral Law would not have served for the justification of the jewes who were under the transgression of other Lawes Ans. It wiâ—â— satisfie us if by the Law here be understood that universal Rule of Righteousness which God prescribed unto men that certainely is the Moral Law whereof as to the jewes the Ceremonial judicial were a part or were reduced unto particularly the Ceremonial Law being God's instituted worship they were obliged to observe it by vertue of the Second command And thus both the Exception all the Reasons confirming it evanish for 1. we take not the Law here so narrowly as to exclude the other lawes which God gave to the jewes seing they are all reduced there unto comprehended thereunder 2. Paul is here mainly writting for Information of the Gentiles the Church of Rome though there might be some jewes among them what he saith may be also for their use yet this will not prove that by the Law he understandeth any other than that perfect rule of Righteousness which God gave unto them comprehending these other Lawes as appendices thereof 3. The Moral Law thus taken if observed could have justified even jewes if we suppose they had not been born sinners 4. Christ having fulfilled all Righteousness His Righteousness was an observation of this Universal Law therefore the Imputation thereof can serve for the justification both of jewes Gentiles Lastly He saith The clear meaning of the place seemeth to be this That that justification or way of making men Righteous which the writings of Moses prophefied of long since to wit by faith in the Messiah might be accomplished made good and fully manifested in us or upon us viz in our justification who by an eminency of holiness in our lives above the straine and pitch of men under the Law give testimony unto the world that the Messiah the great justifier is indeed come into the world and having suffered for sin and overcome death hath poured out the Spirit of Grace aboundantly upon those that beleeve Ans. 1. To take the Law here for the meer writtings of Moses then to Interpret the fulfilling thereof as is here done is to exclude the witnessing of the Prophets which Paul expresly mentioneth Rom. 3 21. 2. What could this contribute to prove that there was now no condemnation to such as were in Christ Jesus among the Gentiles 3. How can this be a proof of what was said vers 3. foregoing 4. How can this be the end of Christ's condemning sin in the flesh as himself said it was Except 2 5. He told us before that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did properly Signifie jus right or Law of the Law now I pray what is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this jus right of Moses's writtings And how is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oâ— Righteousness fulfilled 6. What then can be meant by the weakness of Moses's writtings or how could they be said to be weak through the flesh 7. And how could God be said by this Interpretation to send His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh because Moses's writtings were weak through the flesh 8. I see then in us may import the same that upon us importeth though it was excepted against formerly as we heard 9. It seemeth by this Interpretation that there was no Eminency of holiness or walking after the Spirit among those who were under the Law which is utterly false 10. Christ by His coming did not only fulfill Moses's writtings
the Union which beleevers have with Christ is the ground or their communion with Him in all things which He was made or God to be for them which their necessity called for among which His whole Surety-righteousness doth challenge a chiefe pâ—ace Nor would I argue from the Union communion in general but from such a particular Union and communion as is darkly shadowed forth unto us in the Scriptures by such and such similitudes such as the Union betwixt Man and Wife who are one flesh as Christ and Beleevers are one Spirit as the Union betwixt the principal debtor and the Cautioner and betwixt the publick Head and Representative and the Members represented as betwixt the Redeemer and the Redeemed and the like And to argue from such an Union for such a peculiar end to such a communion as we here plead for may stand against all his Exceptions pag. 195. c. Which are these following Except 1. The Major wants truth because a true and real communion with Christ may stand without His active obedience being made theirs by Imputation There is a real Union and communion between the head and the feet in the same Natural body yet is not the braine or the proper functions operations of the head made the braine or functions of the feet So between the Husband and the Wife yet is not the holiness strength and Wisdom of the Husband made over to the Wife by Imputation And. Similitudes go not alwayes upon foure â—eet and as these Similitudes come short of expressing the Union and Communion that is betwixt Christ and Beleevers so they are not apposâ—â—ely here applied for neither is the end of the Union and Communion between the Head and the Feet that the braines and operations of the Head should be communicate to the feet but that the head should use its proper operations functions for the good of the feet nor do the feet stand in need of any other thing from the head And thus also is it in the other Similitude as to the particulars Instanced yet in other particulars this last Similitude will come neerer to our business for though the Husbands Wisdom Holiness or Strength which are not communicable be not imputable to the Wife yet his Honour Riches can be are imputed or communicated for though before the Mariage the Woman was in a base condition yet being matched with on honorable person she partaketh of his honour and being before the marriage a person in debt her Husbands riches are so imputed to her that she may be is made thereby solvendo and freed from her Creditors pursuit and her Husband and she becometh one person in law he becometh chargable with her debt obliged to pay it So that as there is an Imputation or a real devolving by law of the debt of the Wife upon the Husband so his making payment Satisfaction for the same is by law accounted hers she is thereupon freed from all charge trouble from her creditours Except 2. The Major wanteth reason for there is no coloure of truth in it that that Union and Communion which beleevers have with Christ should of necessity draw after it the Imputation of His active obedience so that this obedience of His should become their formal Righteousness more than the Imputation of His Wisdom Power and Glory Ans. 1 If by formal righteousness he understand with Papists inherent holiness or righteousness it is nothing to the purpose for we assert no such Imputation 2 That the whole of Christs Surety-righteousness be so imputed to beleevers as that it becometh theirs so that they meerly upon the account thereof and clothed therewith may be and are repute and held to be persons just in the account of God so be justified in His sight is the thing we assert and that this doth necessarily flow from Beleevers Union with Him by faith and is a part of the Communion they have with Him and that upon a double account First because He became Surety and undertook their debt so was made under the law and obeyed and Suffered all that it could have demanded of them for this end and purpose that what He thus did suffered as a publick person or Surety might stand for them be accepted on their behalfe Secondly because their case and necessity called for this in order to their justification and Acceptance with God 3 His Wisdom and power are other waves improven and laid forth to their advantage according to the Nature of the thing and necessity Arg. 4. If there be no other principal End Reason or Necessity why Christ should fulfill the law but only that His obedience thereunto might be imputed to us for Righteousness in our Justification then is not the Imputation thereof to be denied But the former is true Ergo c. And sure if Christs obedience to the law was not necessary in respect of Himself it must have been performed upon the account of Beleevers and that principally and mainely for their Justification and Salvation and therefore for this end that it might be imputed unto them Against this pag. 197. c. He Except There are diverse other ends reasons and necessities to be assigned hereof Ans. This is not the maine thing that is here denied nor will all this help our Adversary unless it can be shown that those other Ends which we deny not are prejudicial unto inconsistent with that which we look upon as the chiefe as peculiar to Him as Mediator Surety standing in the room of His people who did mainely stand in need of this Let us now see the particular ends he toucheth 1. One reason saith he might be to procure the greater Authority deeper reverence to the Doctrine which he taught Matt. 7 28. Ans. 1 The Socinians upon the same account deny that His death was any proper Satisfaction for Beleevers and if this be a weak argument in their mouth it cannot be strong in the mouth of our present Opposites 2 This End is but subordinat unto and no way inconsistent with the principal End which we have mentioned 3 Though Christs Miracles had a more direct tendency to procure this Reverence than His Holy life yet neither the one nor the other were peculiar to Him alone for both the Miracles wrought by others such as Prophets and Apostles and their holy life had a tendency to procure Reverence and Beleef to their Doctrine And himself confirmeth this in the following words saying It is a truth of general acknowledgment that the holiness uprightness and unblameableness of the lives of Teachers have a powerful Influence into the consciences of Men to render them more observant awfull in their attention to the things which are taught by them citeing Mat. 2â— 32. Ioh. 5 35. 8 46. 1 Tim. 4 12. 2 Tim. 3 14. 4 We are to consider Christ as Mediator and Surety in what He did as well as
That one mans deed can no more be the deed of another than one mans death or paine can be the death or paine of another that in deeds of the law the deed it self is not simply called for but the proper deed of every one who is under the law that nothing can be more ridiculous than to say that one mans righteousness can be the righteousness of another who is unrighteous in himself that it is against common sense to say that one may obey for another But howbeit we easily grant there neither is nor can be any physical translation or removing of Righteousness from one to another yet to deny all legal translation is to deny all Suretiship cautionry yea and all Satisfection therefore the Socinians who see the force of this consequence do peremptorily deny that Christ made any Satisfaction to justice or payed the debt of the chosen ones as their Surety such as deny this legal translation of Christ's Righteousness would do well to consider if they do not hereby weaken the truth concerning Christ's Satisfa ion His dying in the Room place Stead of the Elect. As for the thing it self every one that knoweth what a Surety is knoweth that his payment of the debt is by law reckoned on the score of the principal debtor so transferred upon him as he is no more liable to the charge of the Creditor or to the execution of the law against him for non-payment than if he himself had laid down the full Summe He would prove what he alleigeth thus This Scripture doth not barely and simply deny a possibility of translation of the Righteousness of the law from one person to another but denieth it emphatically Ans. Howbeit it be a truth that no meer-mans righteousness is derivable from him to another set this Text proveth no such thing but only telleth us the nature 〈◊〉 of the Covenant of works viz. that it required personal and perfect obedience of him that would have right to the promised reward Which speaketh nothing against the new contrivance of the Gospel wherein the Supream God and Law-giver the great Rector of the world did in Mercy Love appoint Jesus Christ to be the Mediator Surety for the chosen ones to pay their debt suffer for them did ordaine a way how they should in due time come to have an Interest in to partake of that Surety-righteousness of Christ Jesus that so they might be justified dealt with as Righteous persons having Christ's Surety-righteousness imputed to them reckoned upon their score when by faith they close with Him and lay hold on it He addeth for proof for it denies a possibility of it to be done even by faith which was the likeliest hand to have done it if the nature of the thing had not resisted the doing of it Ans. The meaning of these werds the law is not of faith is only to shew That the way of justification by faith by the law are so far different that they cannot agree together but not to show that by faith Beleevers are not made partakers of the Righteousness of Christ or have it not imputed unto them reckoned upon their score as the whole scope circumstances of the place show That therefore is not true which he addeth By which it appeareth also that be i.e. the Apostle had an Intent particularly to make the righteousness of the law as performed by Christ himself uncapable of this translation or Imputation For though the law should be against the Imputation of the Righteousness of one man who is Naturally and every way under the law obliged by his being to obey the law unto another yet it is not against the Imputation of the Righteousness of one who is God so under the law only by voluntary Submission is appointed thereunto by the Supream Law-giver Rector unto all such as were committed given to Him to save that way in a way condescended upon by Jehovah and the Mediator He proceedeth The meaning of these words the law is not of faith must be this that the righteousness of the law doth not arise or come upon any man out of his faith or by his beleeving this is proved because the very doer shall live in or by them Ans. It is true the law-way of justification or the way of justification revealed in and by the law and hold forth in the old Covenant saith only that the man that doth these things shall live in them and doth not prescribe the way of justification through faith But the Gospel revealeth how the righteousness of the law which was part of our debt being performed and payed by the Lord Jesus the Surety appointed of God is transferred and imputed unto those He did represent He addeth further The word law here is put for the Righteousness or fulfilling of the law Ans. And why also shall not the word be taken in that sense in the following vers where it is said Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law so the meaning will be from the curse of the righteousness or fulfilling of the law Againe what though the word had that Import here can any thing more hence follow than that personal Righteousness is not derivable now from one man to another so as to stand for his personal righteousness But how shall this sense of the words make them a proof or confirmation of what was said in the former verse He answereth to this saying The Apostle in the former verse had delivered it for a truth that no man could be justified by the law i.e. by the righteousness or works of the law because the Scripture saith the just shall live by faith Now because this consequence might seem doubtful upon this account that it might be said why may not the just live by faith by the works of the law too may not the righteousness of the law be made over to them by faith No saith the Apostle The law is not of faith there can be no legal rigteousness drawn upon men by faith c. Ans. This confirmation is manifestly perverted for there was no occasion for that question whether the righteousness of the law could be made over by faith whether it be taken in his sense viz. Whether the Righteousness of Christ performed to the law could be made over and received by faith as appeareth from what he had said of the Gospel-way vers 8 9. Or whether it be taken in this sense that the righteousness of the law performed by a meer-man only for himself according to his obligation can be now made over to another by faith for no man over dreamed of such a thing But enough of this froathy trash What he talketh afterward of the opposition betwixt the law and faith in the matter of justification is utterly impertinent because quite mistaken and misunderstood by him for he only
is justified is justified out of the inherent dignity of that which justifieth him but he that is justified by faith is justified by the free gracious acceptation of it by God for that which is justifying in its own Nature by vertue of its inherent worth dignity Ans. What God Imputeth reputeth to be a Righteousness in order to justification must be accounted such or a man shall be justified without all consideration of a Righteousness and so be pronounced declared Righteous though he be not Righteous upon any account or in any manner of way And if faith be not accounted for the self same thing or for the equivalent with the Righteousness of the Law how shall it be accounted a Righteousness in order to the justification of a sinner who is under the Curse of the Law who because of the breach of the Law hath no right to life wherefore faith must have that inherent worth that the Righteousness of the Law should have had else it cannot be a Righteousness whereupon a sinner can be justified before God who is Just and Righteous and will not pronounce such to be Righteous as are not Righteous 2 If God upon a man's faith will as fully justify a man as if he had fulfilled the Law either that faith must be a Righteousness and so accounted which he here denieth or the man must be declared Righteous who hath no Righteousness and so the judgment of God should not be according to truth or upon his beleeving he must be justified as being Righteous by an Imputed Righteousness which is the thing he peremptorily denieth 3 When one is justified by faith by God's free gracious Acceptation of it this act of grace must either import that faith is accepted as a Righteousness so accounted of God or still the beleever shall be declared and pronounced Righteous though he hath no Righteousness or the meaning of this Acceptation must be that God hath graciously condescended to appoint this mean way of sinners having an Interest in the Righteousness of Christ whereby he may be accounted Righteous justified as really as is he had performed that Righteousness himself in his own person in this sense it is most true but utterly destructive of his designe 4 If faith be accepted for that which is justifying in its own Nature by vertue of its Inherent worth dignity it must either be that which is of such inherent worth or it must be accepted for that which it is not so a man must be judged by God to have that which he hath not He concludeth thus Wherefore the Imputation of faith for righteousness may well stand with personal sins in him to whom this Imputation is made in respect of which sins he remaines obliged to repent but the Imputation of a perfect legal Righteousness makes a man perfectly righteous in the letter formality of it Ans. Then it seemeth that by the Imputation of faith for Righteousness a man standeth not invested possessed of a full entire right unto life for that he said before was a privilege wholly inconsistent with the least tincture of sin 2 If by a perfect legal Righteousness he meane a Righteousness required of the Law performed by us personally we plead not for the Imputation of any such but if he mean a Righteousness consisting in full conformity to the Law performed by Christ graciously imputed to us received by faith that is well consistent with inherent personal sins What he meaneth by making a man perfectly righteous in the letter formality of it I know not till some be pleased to explaine it Obj. 6. Another argum he prosecuteth pag. 149. c. thus If men be as Righteous as Christ himself was in his life there was no more necessity of His death for them than for himself then the just should not have died for the unjust but for the just Ans. If we had not transgressed the Law there had been no necessity that either we or any for us should have died but having transgressed the Law thereby fallen under the Curse wanting all right to life we must have a Surety-righteousness whereby not only the Curse shall be taken away but the blessing of Abraham may come upon us we may have a full right to life therefore both the Active passive Righteousness of Christ is necessary 2 Christ died for the unjust because His death which was the period terminating act of His obedience and Surety righteousness which He undertook to performe in our room and Law-place was for sinners lying under the Curse void of all right title to life He imagineth that first Christ's Active Righteousness is imputed thereby the person is constituted Righteous then inferreth the nonâ— necessity of Christ's death By we say that Christ's whole Surety-righteousness consisting in what He did suffered in His state of Humiliation in our room and as Cautioner is at once imputed and not in parts that so the necessity of sinners may be answered in all points He thinks to prove this consequence by these words Gal. 2 21. If righteousness be by the Law then Christ died in vaine rejecting the sense of the word Law viz. as importing the works of the Law as performed by us in our own person thereby doing violence to the whole Scope of the place to the constant acceptation of the expression supposing that the Consequence will be strong though the works of the Law as performed by Christ be here understood that meerly upon this false ground Because the Righteousness of Christ's life imputed had been a Sufficient every wayes a compleat Righteousness for us Nor need we say as he saith in our name That there was a Necessity that Cbrist should did that so the righteousness of His life might be imputed to 〈◊〉 For the necessity of His death arose from our transgressing of the Law being under the Curse Obj. 7. Chap. 14. pag. 151. He alleigeth that this Imputation evaniateth Remission of Sins saying for if men be righteous with the same righteousness wherewith Christ was righteous they have no more need of pardon than He had Ans. We spoke to this above Chap. 6. Mystery 11. therefore need say no more here then that the Consequence is null that the probation is insufficient for though we be constituted Righteous through the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness it is but a Surety-righteousness not our own inherently the Surety not being of our appointing or fitting furnishing our pardon is a Consequent Effect of this Imputation 2 The consequence is no more valide from the Imputation of the Active Righteousness of Christ than from His passive and Satisfaction and so with Sociâ—ians he must also hereby deny Christ's Satisfaction that he may establish his free Remission But Gospel free forgiveness is rather established than any
of the debtor not meerly accepted for him If the payment were purely accepted neither could it be said that the Surety was anteriourly obliged nor that the Creditor might not refuse that payment neither of which can be affirmed As for the first sense of his Acceptation we owne it not more than he the second is true but not full plaine being only general nor is it as thus generally expressed any sense of his Acceptation for when two persons are obliged for a summe conjunctly severally the Creditor may distress either for the whole when one payeth the whole he may be said to pay for the other yet Common sense will not Suffer us to say that his payment was only accepted for the other He tels us afterward that Sponsors Sureties with us are of several Sorts that they who lay all upon the very name of a Surety as if the word had but one signification all Sureties properly represented the Person of the Principal obliged person do deal very deceitfully Ans. But there is no remedie against some Mens censures Some will possibly think that his dealing is not faire to speak in the Answere of Sureties representing the principal debtors when the Objection as himself set it down speaketh only of their being one person in Law sense these two are not every way the same every one that representeth another is not his Surety or Sponsor nor doth the Surety in every case represent the Principal debtor neither is he said so to do But sure it is plaine dealing to take the word Surety or Sponsor in that sense wherein it is alwayes taken by Men that use it untill he demonstrat that of necessity it must have a peculiar sense in this matter in this place and it is not faire to object deceitful dealing to us in this untill he hath first discovered the deceit He reckoneth up three or foure various things in which persons may become Sureties as Debt Punishment Duty the like But to what purpose I know not Doth he think that we make Christ such a Surety as agreeth in all things with every Surety among men We know there never was nor never will be such a Surety as our Lord Jesus is A Surety notwithstanding we acknowledge Him to be because He is so called in what respects He is a Surety we know from the Scriptures where that is aboundantly declared not from the simple name of a Surety The name tels us that that must be said of Christ which agreeth to all Sureties or is commonly acknowledged to agree unto them that is that they in so far as they are obliged or have obliged themselves whether before or after the Principal Debtor stood obliged for this maketh no difference as to the obligation Instit. fidejus ff eod l. II. are one person in Law-sense with the principal Debtor so that their payment Satisfaction is acknowledged in Law as the payment Satisfaction of the Principal Debtors His Novices that look into Calv. Lex Iurid for Fidejussor Sponsor will finde nothing contrary to this Yea they will finde that fidejussor dicitur qui pro alio fidem suam obligat fide sua id est periculo suo esse jubet quod alius debet that fidejussor proprie decitur debitor that even fidejussor conditional is nomine debitoris continetur fidejussorem proprie esse debitorem fere omnes tradunt quia jura eum plerumque appellant debitorem The same is to be seen in Spigelius As for that which Mr. Baxter addeth that fide juffor non est conveniendus nisi prius principali debitore Convento it neither altereth the case nor was it universally so but only in some certaine cases as he migt have read in the same place So that it still holdeth true that the Sponsor the Debitor are one person in Law that so that if the Debitor pay the Sponsor is free if the Sponsor pay the Debitor is free See Instit. lib. 3. Tit. 30. quibus modis tollitur obligatio l. 13. § si fide jussor D. de Acceptil Where it is said that the debitor is liberat if the Sponsor give only that which is called solutio imaginatia There must be saith he some what more than the bare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 once used of Christ as Mediator of Gods Covenant or the name of a Surety as now used among men that must go to prove that the Mediator the several sinners are the same legal Persons in Gods account Ans. What he meaneth by God's covenant he would do well to explaine That the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used of Christ as Mediator if he take this as reduplicatively he should prove When he saith the Mediator the several sinners are the same Legal Persons it is ambiguously uttered no clear Declaration of our minde But as to the thing we would faine know a reason why we may not take this word in its common acceptation among men seing there is nothing in Scripture to the contrary yea though this greek word be but here only found yet as we saw we have an hebrew word of the same Import several times used in the old Test the whole matter that we seek after clearly held forth thereby if the places be but lookt into To put a close to this we would call to mind that five fold Law-identity sameness that is betwixt Christ the Surety Sinners for whom He satisfied mentioned by worthy Mr. Rutherfoord in his Treatise of the Covenant part 2 pag. 251. which are these 1. Though Physically the Surety the Debtor be two different Men yet in Law they are one the same Person one the same legal party the same object of justice who so in Law pursueth the Surety doth also pursue the Debtor 2. The Debt Summe is one not two Debts not two Ransomes nor two Punishments nor two Lives to lose but one 3. It is one the same Solution Satisfaction there cannot in Law-justice come another Reckoning Dying payment asking after the Surety hath payed 4. There is one the same Acceptation upon the creditor's Part if he accept of Satisfaction in the payment made by the Surety he cannot but legally accept of the Debtor cannot pursue him in Law but must look upon him as no debtor c. 5. It is one the same legal effect Christ crucified in the Spirit risen againe 1. Tim. 3 16. we in Him as in the Meritorious Cause are legally justified Mr. Gillespy in his late piece Chap. 21. hath several things which will both cleare up confirme what is said we shall mention only a few pag. 373 374. He tels us that 3. Suretiship imports not only a voluntary obligation for another person but also union of parties Assumption of the Condition of that person in the lawes sense so that
the person pardoned doth legally remaine obnoxious to punishment though it will be eternally true that he is the man that did contract that dueness onbnoxiousness so it is inconsistent with justification to say that the person justified is legally chargable with the offence though it will be eternally true that he is the man that did contract that guilt sin He saith 2. Therefore if by Reatus culpae you meane an obligation to punishment for that fault this being in deed the reatus poenae is done away So that we are I think all agreed de re de nomine you may say that the Reatus culpae is done away or remitted or not in several senses in se it is not nullified nor can be but as dueness of punishment followeth that is pardoned Ans. The Reatus culpae is the ground of the obligation to punishment not the same with Reatus poenae it is a being chargable with such a crime offence and this as we said much be as well done away in a legal sense as the obligation to punishment Nay in our case the obligation to punishment cannot be taken away untill first this chargableness with the sin be removed The Lord will not declare that man non-obliged to punishment who remaineth legally and Juridically reus culpae chargable with the crime And so long as we differ herein we are not agreed de re nor de nomine The Reatus culpae in se is as well nullified in a legal sense as the Reatus poenae and neither the one nor the other can be otherwayes nullified But I see Mr. Baxter is so for pardon as to destroy all Justification or he thinketh that Pardon and Justification are all one thing and by both nothing is taken away but the obligation to punishment and thus the pardoned and justified person is still chargable with the sin the obligation to punishment is taken away where the charge of guilt remaineth and thus God is supposed to justifie a person that is not justifiable except by an iniquous sentence Yea hereby we have the Socinian pardon owned but not the orthodox pardon for the Socinian-Pardon can well consist with this chargableness of guilt because they acknowledge no Satisfaction to remove the Reatus culpae but the orthodox pardon doth presuppose the removal in a legal sense of the guilt or chargableness of sin and is a Native consequent thereof for because of Satisfaction made by the Surety Christ and the same now imputed to the sinner and made his guilt is taken away he is no more chargable with that guilt but looked upon as Righteous and therefore all obligation to punishment is actually removed he is no more obnoxious thereto in Law being rectus in curia Object 7. You have said that though we are not personally but seminally in Adam when he sinned yet when we are persons we are persons guilty of his actual sin And so we must be persons that are partakers of Christ's actual Righteousness and not only of its effects as soon as we are beleevers for Christ being the second Adam publick person we have our part in His Righteousness as truely and as much as in Adam's sin His answere to this is long He saith 1. Our Covenant Union Interest supposeth our Natural Union Interest it is an adding to God's word Covenant to say that He Covenanted that Adam should personat each one of his posterity in God's Imputation or account any further than they were naturally in him so that his innocency or sin should be reputed theirs as far as if they had been personally the Subjects Agents Ans. If the Covenant Union Interest supposeth the Natural Union Interest then there is a Covenant Union and Interest here to be considered and therefore it can be no adding to God's word or Covenant to say That Adam did personat each one of his posterity foederally as well as Naturally Yea to deny this were a corrupting of truth a denying of all Covenant-Union Interest Whence it is manifest that in a Federal or legal sense we must needs say that Adam's Innocency or sin is reputed ours as far as if we had been personally not physically but legally the Subjects Agents If Mr. Baxter shall prove that the Foederal Union Interest which he saith is superadded to the Natural will admit of no other Consideration of the posterity Interessed than what is physical Natural followeth upon the Natural Union he shall then lay a ground for what he would say here but till then he shall but beat the aire when he hath done that he shall destroy what he hath granted viz. all Foederal Union Interest for a Foederal Union Interest will ground a foederal legal Consideration of the persons interessed as well as a Natural Union and Interest will ground a Natural and physical Consideration of the same persons And Mr. Baxter's not adverting to this confoundeth all for hence it is that he will have all things here considered only physically and according to Aristotle's notions with which we have nothing to do while speaking of a Foederal Union and Interest and of what followeth thereupon This being premitted we may quickly dispatch the rest The person of Peter saith he never was in reality or God's reputation the person of Adam nor Adam's person the person of Peter but Peter being virtually seminally in Adam when he sinned his person is derived from Adam's person so Peter's guilt is not numerically the some with Adam's but the accident of another Subject therefore another accident derived with the person from Adam from neerer parents Ans. All this is only true in a physical Natural sense but notwithstanding if we consider Adam and his posterity in a legal foederal sense as we must if there be as is granted a foederal Union Interest then all runneth in another channel The person of Peter is foederally and legally in the person of Adam yea God reputeth them both to be one Federal person and the person of Peter was thus actually in the person of Adam and not virtually and seminally for these notions have no place here And hence Peter's original guilt is numerically the same with Adam's and in this sense Peter had as neer a Relation to Adam as Abel had for here Adam is considered as the Head Center and all his posteriâ—y as equal members of this Political Foederal Body and as Lines coming equally from the same Centre He addeth The fundamentum of that Relation of guilt is the Natural Relation of the peâ—son to Adam so it is relatio in relatione fundata The fundamentum of that Natural relation is Generation yea a series of Generations from Adam to that person And Adam's Generation being the communication of a guilty Nature with personality to his Sones Daughters is the fundamentum next following his personal
fault guilt charged on him by the law So that here is a long series of efficient causes bringing down from Adam's person guilt a distinct numerical person guilt of everyone of this later posterity Ans. 1. The fundamentum of that relation of guilt is more properly proximely the foederal relation of the person to Adam than the Natural relation and the fundamentum of this foederal relation is not Generation but the free Ordination and Constitution of God 2 What he meaneth by these words and Adam's generation being the communication of a guilty nature with personality to his Sons and Daughters is the fundamentum next following his personal fault and guilt charged on him by the Law I do not know If his meaning be that the Communication of a guilty Nature by the peccatum originale originatum is the fundamentum of the following personal fault and guilt by reason of the peccatum originale originans that is if he say that the corrupted Nature is the ground of the Imputation of Adam's transgression it is not consonant to truth nor to what himself said above pag. 34. against Placeus But if he meane that Adam's Generation being the communication of a guilty Nature is the fundamentum that next followeth his personal guilt charged on him by Law I must say I do not understand what he would be at though the words seem to express some such thing But the truth that I shall lay down is this That all Adam's posterity being federally in him sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression by vertue whereof when they come physically by natural Generation to partake of his Nature they are first in order of Nature guilty of Adam's transgression and then have a corrupt Nature communicated as a punishment and consequent of the other this Corrupt Nature being sin hath its own guilt attending it also 3 Though this long series of Efficient causes be requisite to the production of a distinct numerical person from Adam's person in a physical and natural sense yet every one of these physically distinct numerical persons do immediatly derive from Adam their legal and foederal personalities that is these same persons considered foederally are equally and alike neer to Adam their federal Head and Representative And therefore the guilt of Adam's sin cometh from him immedratly to each one of them foederally considered and is consequently the same numerical guilt and all this is founded upon their Federal Union with and Interest in Adam He saith 2. And it is not the same sort of guilt or so plenary which is in us for Adam's act as was on him but a guilt Analogical or of another sort that is he wes guilty of being the wilfull sinning person so are not we but only of being persons whose being is derived by Generation from the wilful sinning persons besides the guilt of our own inherent pravity that is the Relation is such which our persons have to Adam's person as makes it just with God to desert us and to punish us for that our pravity together This is our guilt of original sin Ans. 1 Hereby that original sin whereof we are speaking here viz Adam's breach of Covenant seemeth quite to be taken away for not only is it said that original sin as in us is another sort of thing than what it was in Adam and so not only not the same numerically as he formerly said but not the same specifically but moreover it is said to be only an Analogical guilt yea in end it is made just nothing for it is said that we are guilty of being persons whose being is derived from the wilfull sinning persons and this is no guilt at all no mans simple being let it be by generation from the most prodigiously guilty and wicked persons that can be can be imputed to him for guilt for his receiving a being is contrary to no Law And beside when he addeth by way of Explication that the Relation is such which our persons have to Adam's person as makes it just with God to deserte us he must either make the simple Relation to be the guilt or the ground of guilt and its Imputation The Simple Relation without some guilt following it and founded upon it cannot make it just with God to desert us c. For sin only can do this that Relation is not sin If he say That guilt is Superadded upon this account it is just with God thus to punish I would ask what is this guilt It is not Adam's sin but some analogical thing which Scripture knoweth nothing of and Reason can give us no account whence it came He cannot say that it came from Adam's sin for if we be federally united to Interessed in Adam as we are as he confessed we were and if upon that account we be reputed guilty the same Individual guilt which was on Adam must be upon us and if our guilt be of another sort he must give us another Adam from whom that other analogical sort floweth The Scripture saith that we all sinned in Adam Rom. 5 12. which were not truth if his individual sin were not ours or if ours were of another sort and only analogical But this is the fruit of Mr. Baxter's casting all these things in Aristotle's mould But moreouer 2 It hath a foule aspect towards Pelagianisme to make our guilt another than Adam's because that Adam was the wilful sinning person and so are not we for this is to confirme the Pelagians who say that that sin was only Adam's because he was the only wilfully sinning person we had no will therein 3. He saith And this guilt cometh to us by Natural propagation and resultancie from our very Nature so propagated Ans. It is true we come to be actually charged with this guilt to have it imputed to us when we partake of our beings by Natural Generation or propagation and that because of our federal Union with Interest in Adam and exclusive of this it cannot be said to come to us by resultancy from our very Nature so propagated for the guilt of all Adam's after-Transgressions should as well be said to come to us after this manner as the guilt of that one Transgression Disobedience of which only the Scripture maketh mention Rom. 5. He cometh next to consider our contrary Interest in Christ tels us 1. Our persons are not the same as Christ's person nor Christ's as ours nor ever so judged or accounted of God Ans. Physically this is true but it is not true legally for when he came in the Law-place of the Elect become Surety for-them they and he became one person in Law He saith 2. Our persons were not Naturally seminally virtually in Christ's person any further than He is Creator Cause of all things as they were in Adam's Ans. Adam was a natural Head our Lord is a Spiritual Supernatural Head as to
other respect therefore He is no Surety at all He is such a Surety as is not in all things like Sureties among men yet in some things every sort of Surety among men may carry some resemblance to Him See for this Mr. Gillespie's late piece on the Covenant of Redemption where the Reader will finde much Satisfaction in this matter I finde no more spoken to the Doctrine of Imputation in this place by M. Baxter that calleth for any particular Notice for we say not as He hinteth ibid. that Christ was our Instrument or Delegate yet we may say He was our Surety that did all in our legal person for He did substitute Himself in our Law-place in so far suffered in the law-Law-person of beleevers as well as in their Nature We come next to Sect. 9. pag. 73. Where Mr. Baxter proposeth an objection that those of his minde do use viz. If we had fulfilled all the Law reputatively by Christ as our legal person we could not be bound to further Obedience to it This is founded if it be directed against the Orthodox not meerly against the Antinomians upon the mistake of the true meaning of these words as our legal person Reputatively When we speak of Christ's being our legal person we mean His becoming our Surety and putting His name in our Bond and satisfying the Law as our Surety in our room stead and that therefore all His own being now united to Him by faith are dealt with as if they had fulfilled the Law themselves Christ's fulfilling of it being now imputed to them and received by faith unto the ends for which it was ordained that is to be accounted theirs and reckoned on theâ— score in order to the obtaining of the Reward promised to Adam on Condition of perfect obedience This being so it is manifest that hence it will not follow that beleevers are not now bound to obedience to the Law What saith he we answere hereunto That we are not bound to obey to the same ends as Christ that is for Righteousness or justification or Merite but in gratitude It is true Beleevers are not now bound to obey the Law for that end that Adam was obliged to that not being now possible and the Lord not requiring it for that end purpose that we should purchase the reward of life to ourselves thereby have a Righteousness whereby we may be justified by the Righteous judge and purchase or merite to ourselves the Reward but among other ends to declare our Thankfulness unto God to set forth His Glory What saith he to this answere He judgeth it to be a yeelding of the Cause ignorantly to destroy our own for 7 or 8 reasons 1. This is to say that when a Man is reputed to have fulfilled all the Law yet it is to be reputed unfulfilled as to certain ends as if he fulfilled all the Law that fulfilled it not to all due ends Ans. This is as if one should reason from our saying that Christ bore the whole Curse and yet beleevers are not freed from Fatherly chastisements that this is to say That he bore all the Curse that did not bear it under all Considerations as to all effects that might passe under other Considerations accordingly be endured for other ends Advantages 2 Beleevers are reputed in Christ to have fulfilled the Law in order to the obtaining of the Crown and in reference to that to have fulfilled the Law to all due ends but not to have done it in themselves or in their own Natural persons Nor is the fulfilling of it by their Surety imputed to them to exeem them from under the Authority of God of His Law far less particularly to exeem them from testifying their Love Gratitude by endeavouring after Obedience to the Law upon Gospel-Principles Grounds upon Gospel-motives for Gospel-ends 2. Or saith he as if the Law obliged one man to fulfill it twice over for the same lefes time once simply in all its obligations another time for other ends Ans. This is denied neither followeth it from what we say Because we cannot fulfill the Law once to which we were obliged there-for must Christ fulfill it for us to the end we may enjoy the promised Reward And His fulfilling of it for this end doth not make us Law-less far less exeem us from Obedience for other Gospel ends to which Adam in Innocency was not obliged Or 3 saith he as if the Law required any more than absolute perfection Ans. We do not say that it doth But all our Obedience with all the superaddition of new ends is most Imperfect 4. Or saith he that absolute perfection had not been in Christ's holy Obedience Ans. Neither doth this follow-from what we say more than from what himself saith Yea not so much for he maketh our Gospel-Obedience a perfect Righteousness which we may lean to plead for our justification Salvation upon Or 5. saith he as if there were any Obedience whose end is not Righteousness justification against the charge of the contrary disobedience Ans. This is but vanity for neither is it denied nor is it any thing to the point because the Righteousness spoken of is a perfect Righteousness answerable to the Covenant of works as the condition of life And who ever performe Obedience with such an eye designe for such an end shall in end meet with a sad disappointment be their diligence attainments what they will 6. saith he And is not gratitude an end a thing commanded by the Law If we obeyed perfectly in Christ we were perfectly thankful in Christ. Ans. It will only follow that we were perfectly thankful in Christ in order to the obtaining of the reward but not so as if we in our own persons were no more obliged to endeavoure thankfulness 7. saith he But if they say That Christ fulfilled the Law only made to Adam for us not his own Law of Grace therefore that he obeyed for us only to the ends of that Law Sure this is the thing that himself will say or he must say that Christ fulfilled no Law for us in our stead But what answereth he If the ends saith he matter of that Law be fulfilled by us in Him our Obedience to any other must be needless for he that is supposed never to have sinned needeth not use any meanes for pardon or remedie Ans. We say not That the Law was fulfilled by us in Him but that He fulfilled the Law as a Surety willingly putting His Name in our obligation undertaking our debt And from the Imputation of this to us it will never follow that we are thereby or can be supposed never to have sinned What next By this rule saith he Christ only fulfilled the Law for Adam Eve for us only as we were in them which is only virtually not actually at all but not at all
pledge or hostage suffer for those he standeth for may not he be said to suffer in their Law-person If a Surety be put in prison for the debtor may he not be said to suffer in the debtor's Law-place in his person in Law-sense He addeth And we mean that He took upon Him the person of a sinner in as much as He consented to suffer for sin Ans. This is good we accept of it cheerfully in tantum for it explaineth to us in part the meaning of these words He made Him sin for us And so he addeth personating here is not meant becoâ—ing any other mans person in Law-seuse so as that other legally suffered what he did but it is only his own persons becoming a sufferer in the stead of sinners for their sins As the Apostle saith He was made sin for us that is so far by Imputation as that he undertook to suffer what sinners suffer for their sins Ans. But when Christ came in the Law-place of sinners did substitute Himself in their room suffered what they were obliged to suffer sure He took on their person in a Lawsense they for whom He suffered can be said in His in His Fathers designe so far legally to have suffered what He suffered as never to be made to suffer the same themselves But he seeth that this is but a wordy Controversie therefore to free the matter of ambiguity of words he pag. 77. addeth several things as 1. That as we hold that Adam was the Natural Root or parent of Mankind so also that Christ was the foederal root of all the saved in several respects though not all a second Adam Ans. We hold that Adam was not only the Natural Root but he was also the federal Root of all mankinde for the Covenant was made with him and with all his posterity in him and hence it was that all sinned in him fell with him in his first transgression Rom. 5 12. 1. Cor. 15 20 21. He addeth 2. Adam was but one single Natural person nor did God by errâ—ur or arbitrary reputation esteem or account Him to be any other than he was None of our persons were distinct persons in Adam nor those persons that now they are Therefore we were not so personally in him at his fall But all our persons are in time mediatly by our progenitors derived lineally from him not as having been persons existent in him but being persons caused remotely by him Ans. Adam it is true was but one single Natural person in a physical sense yet in a Law-sense as he was constitute the federal Head Root we were all that one Adam or he was us all representing all so did God esteem or account him not by errour but by a Right Reputation founded on His own Constitution 2 None of our physical persons were distinct persons in him yet our legal persons were in him when he represented us all as a federal Head 3 We know that our physical persons were only seminally or virtually in him we grant also that to be only virtually in Adam is terminus diminuens as to personal inexistence but I know not how we could be personally in-existent in him even when existent in a physical sense But all this taketh not away that federal inexistence whereby in a Law-sense we were in him as our federal Head Root But it seemeth Mr. Baxter doth not acknowledge this because he maketh our Natural relation to Adam to be the only reason of out partaking of his sin We do not deny our Natural Interest in Adam but we superadde to it this federal Interest He saith It is our Natural relation to Adam supposed in God's Law which is the reason of our participation in his sin not any will or judgment of God without or beyond our Natural Interest for else it should be God most properly who by His arbitrary Imputation should either make us sinners or repute us such when we are none Ans. I have granted that we have a Natural relation to Adam but I adde that that is not the sole ground or reason of our participation in his sin but the federal relation with the Natural relation And hence it doth no way follow that God doth properly make us sinners or repute us such when we are not by His arbitrary Imputation for this Imputation being founded upon this double preconstituted relation cannot be called meerly arbitrary nay nor could it be so called though it were said to be solely founded upon this federal relation more than when it is said to be grounded upon the Natural relation Though in another sense it might be so called as well when said to be founded on the Natural as when said to be founded on the federal Relation God being the free Author Constitutor of both 3. He addeth So Christ is though not the Natural yet the federal Adam Root of Beleevers When he satisfied merited we were not in Him either as in Adam seminally as in a Natural Generator nor as existent persons nor did God falsly so repute us to be But He was then the Cause materially or had that virtus effectiva which would justifie Sanctifie Glorifie us in due time Ans. Christ it is true is no Natural but a federal Root so keepeth Correspondence with the first Adam a federal Root 2 It is true also we were not in Christ when He satisfied as in Adam seminally as in a Natural Generator but yet the Elect were in Him in a more noble supernatural manner as given of God to Him as undertaken for by Him when He did substitute Himself in their Law-place became their Surety 3 If Christ had only been the material cause as having that virtus effectiva how could He be called their federal Head or how could they be said to be chosen in Him before the foundation of the world It was the nature of sinners saith he though not a sinful Nature which He assumed But that Nature which He undertook was existent in His Individual person no other individual person was existent in His existent personal Nature What then So that he addeth when we say it was the common Nature of Man we mean only specificè that Nature which is of the same species with all other mens but not that which existed individually in any but himself Ans. Notwithstanding of all this Christ was a federal Head a Publick Person undertaking for and therein representing all those that were given to Him to save and this his following words confirme when he saith But it was individual persons in whose stead or place Christ suffered whom He undertook to justifie sanctify save gather into an holy Society to that end to that end He undertook performed His office merited all this by His perfect Righteousness so that hereby He made Himself a federal Head Root of an holy
society His Church when ever any person doth beleeve is united federally to Him he then receiveth the effects of that which was before in Christ as a virtus effectiva Ans. But Christ being a federal Head to His own whom in due time He was to bring in to an holy Society beleevers receive the effects of that which was in Christ as such a federal Head which is more than as a virtus effectiva Importeth His Obligation as a Surety to work these effects speaketh out His representing of them as a publick Person and paying their debt according to His Undertaking in the Covenant of Redemption Thereafter pag. 78. from this That the Law made to Adam did not assigne Christ to this office nor oblige Him to suffer for sinners according to it that therefore He suffered not by that obligation which bound us to suffer but by the obligation of His own consent he inferreth that the Law of works took not Christ for the Civil or legal person of Beleevers more than it made Him such Ans. But this consequence is denied for when a debtor is lying in prison a friend who was not formerly obliged undertaking to satisfie the Creditor making satisfaction is by Law taken for the legal person of the debtor who is accordingly dealt with as if he himself had satisfied the Creditor In the 4 5. 6. places he tels us That beleevers receiving Christ Himself receive title to His Grace Spirit Glory are personally actually His Subjects c and have a right to all His conferred benefites which right followeth not Immediatly to them from what Christ did or suffered but from the Covenant of grace therefore they have no right before the time nor any but on the Conditions specified in the Covenant Ans. 1 Though they have no full compleat actual right untill such time as is condescended upon yet by vertue of the compact betwixt Jehovah the Mediator wherein the Mediator undertook particularly for those given unto Him these may be said to have a real fundamental right though that right be not subjected in them nor pleadable by them before the time appointed yet a Right or something equivalent for I will not strive about words must necessarily flow from Christ's Satisfying for them and paying their debt according to His Undertaking As when it is contracted that the Eldest daughter of the marriage shall have such a summe of money when she cometh to be married or to be of such an age that daughter hath another right unto that summe than any other daughter hath that fundamentally from the contract Agreement though before the time designed her right be not such as she can plead it in Law in order to the possessing of the summe 2. Therefore the right that Beleevers have floweth from the Compact Christ's Suffering according to compact though it be conveyed by the Covenant of Grace their possession of the Benefites be immediatly therefrom as that daughters right to the summe is properly from the contract though her actual possession according to the contract be from her Marriage or coming to that age Though beleevers right to the actual possession of the benefites be so conveyed as to the conveyance some be granted absolutly as faith as himself will confess some upon condition of faith that is in that order according to that Methode that faith shall preceed Yet in respect of God their right to all is absolutly purchased by Christ so in a sense theirs though not subjected in them nor pleadable by them till the time appointed come This whole scheme of Mr. Baxter's seemeth to me to be founded upon and to flow from his Notion of Universal Redemption whereby he will have Christ to have died in the room stead of all which to me is in the room place of none to have purchased the New Covenant a Common good to all whereby all that would performe the New Conditions should have right to the benefites as having obtained the same by their performance of these proper Conditions anteriour to which there was no difference at all betwixt them others but this Scheme and the ground thereof I cannot owne 7. He tels us that as none till he was a person could be a person guilty of Adam's sin nor when he was a person any sooner than he was also guilty of his own inherent pravity none that had the use of reason was guilty of either or both these only without the guilt of his own actual sin So none till he be a beleever is related as a member of a perfectly Righteous Saviour that is done no sooner in time then he hath the inherent righteousness of his personal faith federal consent that obligeth him to the further active Righteousness of a holy life Ans. The Protasâ—s Apodosâ—s seem not to agree for as upon our personal existence we become persons guilty of Adam's sin that before as to nature though not as to time we have inherent pravity because this is an Effect Consequent Punishment of the former so upon our faith which is our personal existing grace corresponding to our personal existing in Nature by our Natural being should follow as answering to this Imputation of Adam's guilt the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness but in stead of this he mentioneth nothing but a Relation as a member of a righteous Saviour which according to the comparison should correspond to our relation to Adam which is in nature before our partaking of his sin 2 As answering to our inherent pravity he should have named our justification Adoption c. as the effects of the Imputation of Christ's Righteousâ—ess in stead of this he nameth the Inherent righteousness of our personal faith federal consent thereby Importing that this federal consent is posteriour to our Relation while as I suppose he will say that our Relation is upon the condition of our federal consent Not to mention here his errour hereafter discovered of making faith to be considered here as our personal Inherent Righteousness Then he tels us That all these three conjunct though not coordinat make up the total Righteousness of a Saint viz. 1. our Relation to Christ in Union as to a perfectly Righteous Head who fulfilled all Righteousness for us to merite our justification which is called Christ's Righteousness imputed to us as being thus far reputed ours 2. our penitent beleeving consent to his Covenant which is the condition of the foresaid relation to Christ. 3. And our Sanctification Ans. 1 Here we see that Righteousness made the second Righteousness which yet is the condition of the first as if our Inherent pravity were the condition of the Imputation of Adam's sin to us 2 our Relation to Christ is not one the same with the Imputation of Righteousness to us no more than our relation to Adam is the same thing with the Imputation of
abstracto i. e. without the receiving subject thereof in concreto i. e. together with the beleever The first which signifieth Remission of sins and Righteousness to Acceptation prepared though not yet conferred upon the Elect he saith hath a being before Faith and so the object is before the act though the ather be after faith But I conceive there is no great necessitie of this for answering of the argument if any should propose it to evince justification before faith and Bellarm. adduceth it not to this end as we saw for I see no ground to assert justification to be the object of justifying faith as if in order to justification we were called to beleeve that we are justified and that our sins are pardoned as was said above And as for this justification considered in the abstract which is said to have a being not only in the Purpose of God but also in the Covenant between the Father the Mediator in the Purchase of Christ not only is it not called justification in Scripture but also in so far as it is the object of faith as all other revealed truthes are it is of the elect in general and not of this or that particular person so that though justifying faith may beleeve that God Purposed Christ Purchased the Covenant of Redemption did expresly containe the justification of the Elect yet it doth not beleeve in order to the mans justification that he in particular so was justified either in the Purpose of God or in the Purchase of Christ or in the Covenant betwixt Iehovah the Mediator nor is this Faith called for because this object is not a revealed truth Yet this same justifying Faith is of that Nature as to produce afterward reflecting acts whereby the man may see his own justification be perswaded of it in truth hence also be perswaded that the Lord Purposed to justifie him in particular that Christ Purchased his justification in particular and that it was an article of the Covenant of Redemption that he in particular should be justified 2. While it is said That the just liveth by faith we see that faith is the way whereby persons come actually to live the life of justification and hence it can not it self be the matter of their life What interest properly faith hath in this affaire must be debated afterward to wit whether it be properly imputed as the matter of our Righteousness or only be to be considered as an Instrument or as a Condition how so 3. We see That this living by Faith proveth that there is no justification by works in the sight of God whence it is manifest that faith here cannot be considered as a work of the Law or as a duty enjoined by the Law or under any such consideration 2 That works have no interest as a cause or condition with Faith in justification 3 That the life of justification as to its continnation is by faith and by faith as opposite to works for the just or the man already justified liveth by faith This being also questioned we will have occasion to speak more to it afterward 4. While it is said the just liveth by faith it is considerable That this faith in its kinde and not in such or such measure is here said to be the meane whereby persons come to live the life of justification So that this true Faith how weak so ever is the only mean of interessing a soul in this privilege of justification This will give occasion to speak of the object of this justifying faith which will help to cleare the nature of it Our larger Catechisme qu. 72. giveth us such a definition or description of justifying faith that may satisfy us as to most of these difficulties The answere is this justifying faith is a saving grace Heb. 10 39. wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit 2 Cor. 4 13. Ephes. 1 17 18 19. word of God Rom. 10 14 17. whereby he being convinced of his sin misery of the disability in himself all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition Act. 2 37. 16 30. Ioh. 16 8 9. Rom. 5 6. Eph. 2 1. Act. 4 12. not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the Gosspel Ephes. 1 13. but receiveth resteth upon Christ and his Righteousness therein hold forth for pardon of sin Ioh. 1 12. Act. 16 31. 10 43. for the accepting and accounting of his person Righteous in the sight of God for salvation Phil. 3 9. Act. 15 11. And this question is none of these particulars wherein Mr. Baxter in his Confess desireth to dissent from the said Catechisme as the next Question is as we shall hear We may hence take notice of these particulars concerning this faith ' whereby it may be known distinguished from what some may mistake for it 1. As to its nature kinde it is saving for all such as have this grace of justifying faith are in the sure way of salvation whatever faith persons may have if they have not this they are not in the sure path of life There is a faith of miracles both Active Passive as we may say that is a faith to do miracles and a faith to receive miracles wrought upon them The first was that which the Apostles had and others who wrought Miracles and is to be understood Mat. 17 20 21. Luk. 17 6. The other is that which some of those had who received miraculous cures as the woman Mal. 9 21 21. and that Man who cried out I beleeve help mine unbeleefe Mark 9 24. and the man of lystra Act. 14 9. and others This in it self considered is not a saving grace Iudas had this faith whereby he cast our devils and had commission to work miracles with the rest Mat. 10 8. Luk. 9 1 6 10. So also the Seventy disciples Luk. 10 9 17 19. And how great a privilege so ever this was yet Christ told them vers 20. that it was a far greater matter and much greater ground of joy to have their names written in heaven whereby he giveth us also to understand that these are distinct different from other and also separable Many saith Christ Mat. 7 22 23. will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name in thy name have cast out devils in thy name have done many wonderful works And then will I professe unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity And it is of this Faith that Paul speaketh 1. Cor. 13 2. though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have no charity I am nothing Importing that this Faith may be where there is no saving Christian Love There is an Historiâ—al faith that is a beleeving not only of the histories recorded in the word of God but of the whole Revelation of God's minde there yet only
under many Obligations Promises Vowes Engagements explicite virtually to carry as devouted unto God in all obedience but we are speaking here of a person not yet out of the state of nature but being under the terrours of the Lord and Convictions of guilt misery is seeking after a Reliete unto his present case to wit how he may be freed from the Curse of the Law and put in a Justified state in Favoure with God 3. Hence it is much to be doubted however it be put beyond all doubt or disput with Mr. Baxter whether Faith Saving Justifying include essentially any such formal Engagement Resolution unto Obedience seing the person of whom we are speaking fleeth to Christ for reliefe as one that is throughly convinced of his own Impotency Inability to do any thing less or more for his own help or for pleasing of God This Resolution unto new obedience is rather included in Repentance which is distinct from Faith as we saw above so it is mentioned in the description of Repentance given in our shorter Catechisme 4. But it will be said How then is Christ received by faith as a King I Ans. Not to debate that here which is to be spoke to afterward to wit whether justifying faith while it is acting in order to Justification doth receive Christ as a King or rather for this is more properly the question whether a person under the Conviction of sin wrath seeking for Pardon Acceptance in through Christ doth six the eye of his soul upon Christ as King or as Priest Or whether there is that in Christ considered as a King or considered as a Priest that is more sutable unto the present case of the convinced sinner Or whether or not the Person in the Condition mentioned seeketh reliefe rather from Christ as a Priest offering up himself as a Sacrifice giving his bloud for a Ransome to Satisfie the justice of God for sins or as a King endued with Authority to subdue sin And if the question thus were proposed unto the experienced Christians or unto the persons in such a Condition it would I suppose receive a very quick answere Unto the question now proposed I say That though it were granted that Faith in order to the mans Justification did act as well on Christ as a King as on Christ as a Priest which yet cannot be granted as is already hinted and shall be cleared afterward yet it would not follow that this Faith did essentially include a Resolution and Engagment to future obedience for it is not here as in Subjects receiving a person for their King as was said already whose Persons or Subjects have power ability their will as to these things in their own hand may therefore promise obedience according as the Relation made up formally engageth unto yet Mr. Baxter ag Ludiomaeus Colvin § 15. saith That this is but to consent to the Relation or to his Soveraignity that they may obey him and Love honour obedience come after But if we should suppose a company of men lying bound in chaines in dungeâ—ns under the feet of cruel Tyrants Enemies in that case receiving one for their King would their receiving of him for their King firstly primarily import a formal engagement on their part to obey him I suppose it would import some other thing anteriour to that to wit their ready consent thâ—t he by all the power might he can make shall loose their bands and set them at liberty put them in the case condition of free Subjects Now the case is so here with us with advantage for not only are we in bands and lying in prison and so unable to performe any Obedience but naturally till a change be made we are utterly unwilling averse from performing any acts of Obedience though it were in our power so that before we be in case to yeeld obedience the whole man must be renewed Judgment Will Affections when therefore we in such a case receive Christ as our King it is firstly chiefly that he may make us willing in the day of his power that he may make us his Subjects willing obedient ready to do his will that he may loose our bands deliver us from the bondage slavery of sin bring us out of captivity from under the power of Satan worke in us both to will to do according to his good pleasure These are Acts of Christ's kingly power these are Benefites that answere the present necessity of wakened souls these therefore must be the good things their souls must seek after for these things must they goe to him as King in reference to these must they lay hold on Him So that this is mainly implyed in their receiving of Christ as King In like manner when they receive him as a Prophet they do not come unto him as other Scholers do to their Masters bringing a Capacitie a Faculty an Ingine with them for learning without which all the Masters paines in giving Instructions theirs in studying hard will be in vaine but they come unto him in the through conviction of their Blindness Incapacitie to learne want of Understanding to perceive the things of God and to take up the mysteries of the Kingdom that he may teach them as never man taught by giving them an hearing eare and an understanding Heart by opening their eyes to see the mysteries of God of Christ that he may so teach as to write his lawes in their heart cause their hearâ—â— to come to wisdome cause them to know the way wherein they should walk It is true the receiving of Christ as King includeth also their obligation to owne him as such by receiving his Lawes subjecting unto his Dispensations c. And the receiving of him as Prophet includeth their obligation to acknowledge him for their only Teacher and to depend on him for their Instruction But yet I say as this speaketh out no formal promise or engagment to actual Obedience actual learning but rather an Engagement Resolution to be willing that he may act the part of a Prophet of a King towards them and so cause them carry look like Scholers Subjects so the thing that is firstly mainely in their eye in their coming to Christ is that which suiteth their present case and answereth their present felt necessity is an help to their present pinch What Engagements may be laid upon them by these Relations or what Resolutions they may have after they are renewed in the Spirit of their mindes and united unto Christ unto actual obedience in the power and strength of the Lord is not to the present purpose while we are speaking of what the Soul doth in order to Justification 5. Hence we see how groundless it is to say that a Resolution to actual obedience is a Condition of justification This we
in his body on the tree he was not wounded for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was not on him He was not made sin for us He was not our Cautioner High Priest He died not in our room stead Againe 2. saith he some what more properly Christ may be said to have suffered the Curse of the Law because the things which he suffered were of the same nature kinde at least in part with these things which God intended by the Curse of the Law Ans. Though this seemeth to come nigher to the truth than the former Yet it cannot give full satisfaction untill it be explained what that part is in respect of which only Christ's sufferings were of the same Nature kinde with what the Law threatned Let us hear therefore what followeth see if thence satisfaction can come But if by the Curse saith he of the Law we understand either that entire systeme historical body as it were of penalties evils which the Law itself intends in the terme or else include take-in the intent of the Law as touching the quality of the persons upon whom is was to be executed in neither of these senses did Christ suffer the Curse of the Law Ans. 1 This doth not explaine to us what that part is in which Christ sufferings are of the same Nature kind with what was intended by the Curse of the Law 2 There is need of explication here to make us understand what is that entire Systeme historical body of penalties evils which the Law itself intends in the terme Curse or death for this is but to explaine one dark thing by what is more dark so can give no Satisfaction 3 But if the alternative added be explicative so the two particulars here mentioned be one the same then we deny that that doth properly belong to the essence of the penalty as threatned in the Law that is every thing that necessarily attended the punishment as inflicted on man did not directly essentially belong thereunto as threatned by the Law such as the everlastingness of death despaire the like necessarily accompanying this punishment inflicted on sinners so that notwithstanding Christ did not neither could endure these accidental consequential evils Yet he both did might be said to suffer the Curse death threatned by the Law which is to be abstracted from what floweth not from the Law itself but meerly from the Nature of the subject or Condition of the sinner punished But it may be these words of his the intent of the Law as touching the quality of the persons upon whom it was to be executed have some other import that he meaneth hereby no more but this that the intent of the Law was that the sinner should suffer And indeed if so it was impossible that Christ's sufferings could answere the intent of the Law But we have said above that as to this the Law was dispensed with yet notwithstanding Christ the substitute Sufferer did suffer the same kinde of punishment that the Law threatned under the termes of Death Curse What he addeth Further can give no Satisfaction So that God saith he required the death sufferings of Christ not that the Law properly either in the letter or intention of it might be executed but on the contrary that it might not be executed I meane upon those who being otherwise ohnoxious unto it should beleeve Ans. Though it be true that God required the death sufferings of Christ not that the Law either in the letter or intention of it might be executed as to that wherein it was dispensed with Yet God required the death sufferings of Christ that the letter intent of the Law might be executed as to that wherein it was not dispensed with that is as to the punishment therein threatned And unless the Law as to this had been executed no man obnoxious to it should have escaped and that because of the Veracity of God yea because of his justice which he had determined to have Satisfied ere sinfull man should escape the punishment In the next place he tels us that God did not require the death sufferings of Christ as a valuable consideration where on to dispence with his Law towards those that beleeve more if so much in a way of Satisfaction to his justice than to his wisdom Ans. This savoureth rankly of Socinianisme It is not for us to make such comparisons as if God's Wisdom justice were not at full agreement and were not one The Scripture tels us that God set forth Iesus Christ t s be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past To declare I say at this time his Righteousness that he might be just the justifier of him which beleeveth in Iesus Rom. 3 25 26. And so it is manifest that Satisfaction to justice was hereby intended And this is enough to us who know also that in the whole contrivance of the business the Infinite Wisdom of God is eminently relucent And Love not to make any such comparisons only we think that a Propitiation and Satisfaction the like termes used in Scripture in the expressing of this matter have a direct aspect bear a manifest relation unto justice and correspond diâ—ectly there with yea clearly enough inferre the same though there were no other mention made expresly of the justice of God in this matter What saith he next to prove this for doubtless God might saith he with as much justice as wisdom if not much more have passed by the er ansgression of his Law without consideration of satisfaction Ans. What God might have done by his absolute Soveraignity antecedent to his designe purpose as to the punishment or the reatus poenae which must not be extended to the reatus culpae is not to the question But now the Lord having declared his determination purpose to rule governe the world thus to have the glory of his relative justice manifested in the Salvation of lost man could not according to justice passe by transgressions without a satisfaction He adds No man will say that in case a man hath bin injured wronged that therefore he is absolutly bound in justice to seek satisfaction though he be never so eminent in the grace practice of justice but in many cases of injuries sustained a man may be bound in point of wisdom discretion to seek satisfaction in one kind or other Ans. This is the Socinian way of argueing nothing to the pointe for we are to look upon the Lord in this matter not as a private man who may dispense with injuries done him but as a Righteous Governour who is resolved to demonstrate his justice equitie and who therefore cannot suffer sin to go unpunished without a due satisfaction had for the violation of his Lawes
This will make against himself nothing for limiting restricking all to his last act of death Therefore he addeth That no action done after by Christ can be accounted a Priestly action of expiation except only the offering of himself entering with his own blood into the heavens for us But then 1 what will he do with his prayer intercession before his death specially Ioh. 17 2 There was more than expiation of sins requisite to bring us unto God Therefore the High Priest was to carry that memorial on the front of his Mitre The learned Wendeline in his Great Systeme of Theology lib. 1. c. 25. Thes. 7. pag. 1116. c. disputeth against the imputation of the Active obedience of Christ together with the Passive making it only a Condition requisite in the Mediator so as without it he could not be our Mediator merite any thing to us by his death So that in his judgment Christ's active obedience whereby his obedience to the Law of God is understood that no doubt moral Ceremonial Judicial did only contribute to qualify him to be a fit Mediator which it seemeth then according to him he was not by his hypostatical union to put a value upon his passive obedience by which he understands his suffering dying so undergoing the Curse of the Law paying the penalty in our room which his being God did not as it would seem sufficiently doe And thus all his acts of obedience while under the Law in the state of humiliation howbeit in all he may be conceived as a sufferer are excluded from being any part of the Satisfaction he was to make unto justice to the Law-giver for us in our room or any part of that Righteousness which is imputed to us in order to Justification He first proposeth his Arguments Vindicateth them then proposeth some used for the contrary opinion adding his Answers His 1. Arg. is Christ as man was bound to give active obedience to the Law for himself every Creature is bound to obey his Creator Therefore it is not imputed unto us Ans. The Antecedent is denied neither doth the proof adduced confirme it for the humane Nature of Christ now in the state of glory is will be a creature for ever Yea the consirmed angels Saints made perfect are Creatures yet not subject to any Law as Viatores but as Comprehensores such was not the obedience of Christ while in the flesh He was obedient as a Viator but in respect of himself he cannot be looked upon as a meer Viator his Humane Nature being personally united unto the divine subsisting therein in respect whereof he became heir of all things Lord of life therefore stood in no need of working out a life of obedience for a crown to himself wherefore what he did as a Viator was for us for whom he subjected himself became obedient even to the death And moreover all his acts of obedience were not the acts of obedience of a meer creature out of one who was God-man for his humane Nature did not subsist of it self and so did not of it self as a nature not subsisting performe acts of obedience but in the Godhead performed acts of obedience as so subsisting We have said enough to this at several occasions before It was Answered Christ was made man not for himself but for us Therefore he obeyed not for himself but for us that is in our place He Replyeth 1. The Anteced is ambiguous If you say Christ was made man for us that is for our good it is granted if for us that is in our room it is denied for what Christ was made in our place that we are not bound to do to be as he was made a curse for us that we might not be an eternal curse But Christ by his Incarnation did not obtaine that we should no more be men or be bound to do things congruous to humane Nature Ans. We grant that he was made man for us not in our room but for our good Yet do hence gather that he being made man for our good to the end he might come under the Law both as to its duty as to its curse under both which we were lying what he did as well as what he suffered while in that Condition in order to the ends of his being made man for our good was in our room stead because this was our debt he became man for our good that in our stead he might pay our debt The reply is not grounded upon that word alone he was made of a woman but on that with what followeth Made of a woman made under the Law And if it would have necessarily followed from his being made of a woman that he would have been under the Law for himself to what purpose was this added made under the Law And yet we see the maine emphasis lyeth here because of what is added to redeem them that were under the Law And why did the same Apostle Phil. 2 7 8. after he had said that he took upon him the forme of a servant was made in the likeness of men found in Fashion as a man tell us moreover that he humbled himself became obedient unto death seing this did necessarily follow his being man that for himself And may it not hence be inferred that the exaltation afterward mentioned vers 8 9. was given to him not as Mediator but for himself as an humble obedient man He Râ—plieth 2. denying the Conseq for saith he albert Christ was made man not for his own but for our good Yet after he was made man he was a man by himself therefore subject to the Law by himself for himself as manâ— as after he assumed a body subject to corruption of itself he stood in need for himself of meat drink rest c. As it was not necessary for man to be created so nor for the Word to be incarnate to assume the forme of a servant but only upon supposition Yet as man being created is necessarily subject to the Law of his Creator So the Word being made man is as man necessarily subject to the Law of God Ans. 1 Christ being made man for our good particularly for this end that he might come under the Law pay our debt he was not subject to the Law for himself 2 Though he was true man having mans Nature yet he was not made man as other men are for his humane Nature had no subsistence of its own as other men have therefore could not for it self be subject to the Law as other men are 3 How or what way Christ's body was subject to corruption of it self we need not here debate it is sufficient to note that our question here is about moral actions as such the performance of which was a part of our debt 4 What is added is but a repetion
the Surety debtor are but one party in Law therefore say the Iurists fidejussor proprie dicitur debitor Christ by His Suretyship did not only take out Natures upon Him but He took our condition upon Him He put His name in our Bond that the Law migt reach Him for our debt 4. It imports a Communion betwixt the debtor the Cautioner whereby as the debt of the Principal debtor becometh the debt of the Surety affecteth him so also the Satisfaction Payment of the Surety his Discharge Reliefe becometh the Satisfaction Discharge Reliefe of the principal Debtor Christ's Suretiship imports not only an Union of Parties Conjunction of interests Condition with His People but also a Communion with Debtful broken Man resulting from His Bond of Suretiship whereby as upon the one part our Debt becometh His intirely as the jurists say of all Sureties Singuli in solidum tenenter so upon the other part His Satisfaction Discharge become ours 2. Cor. 5. last Gal. 3 13. 5. It imports a Commutation Surrogation or Substituting of one in the room of another soo Christ was substitute in our stead room as Iudah was in Benjamin's 1. Pet. 2 21. Rom. 4. last 5 8. Gen. 44 33. So pag. 381. His Assert 5. is Christ the Surety broken man the Debtor are one in Law but not intrinsecally one Esai 1. They are legally one or in the Lawes sense one because by a legal Substitution surrogation Christ having put His name in the Beleevers Bond by the Law He is in his place the beleever is put in Christ's law-place so that by a legal act the Surety 〈◊〉 the broken man therefore Christ being made Surety saith I am the broken man all my friends debts be upon me my life for their life my soul for their souls Gal. 4 4 5. Ioh. 1â— 8. Gen. 44 v. 3. Asserts Neither the creditor nor the Law can exact Satisfaction from both the Surety the Debtor but the Surety having paid all Satisfied the broken debtor can say I have paid all I am free he may plead my friend Surety hath done all for me that is as good in fore in the court of justice as if I had paid all in mine own Person Gal. 3 13. Rom. 4 last 1. Pet. 2 24. The debt that Christ paid is our very debt the beleever can say when Christ my Surety was judged Crucified for my sins then was I judged what would you have more of a man than his life Esai 53 6 7 8. So thereafter pag. 422. he saith Among men usually Sureties Debtors enter into one the same Bond with the Creditor but here Christ's single bond lyeth for all Psal. 89 19. here Christ our Surety hath changed Bonds obligations with us putteth out our name putteth in His own in the bloudy Bond of the Law that the Debt Satisfaction Curse may be upon Him alone Gal. 3 13. Esai 53 5. â— Among men the Creditor hath it in his choice which of the two he will seize upon the Surety or the debtor as he seeth it best for his Satisfaction but it is not so here for the Lord the Creditor hath declared that He will take Him to Christ for all hath Determined that all the Satisfaction shall be made by Him and Christ the Surety is content that it shall be so and that the poor broken Creature shall go free and no execution of the bloudy Bond of the Law shall passe against him he being a bankrupt creature which hath obtained a liberation as where there is cessio bonorum Psal 89 19. Heb. 10 7. Rom. 8 1. Esai 53 6. 3. Among men usually the Principal Debtor is first conveened for the debt before the Surety be pursued But it is not so here the curse of the Law and the execution of the bond thereof doth not first strick upon us and then afterward upon Christ to seek from Him what it cannot finde in us But the Lord the Creditor having astricked Himself to the Cautioner the Law stricks first upon Him and can never come to strike against the Beleever unless it should not finde compleet Satisfaction in our Surety which is Impossible Esai 53 8. Gal. 3 13. 4. Among men the debtor is the Principal Bondsman and his obligation and Bond is the Principal obligation the Sureties obligation is but an accession to it for strengthening the Security but here the Surety is the Principal debtor and by His Bond of Suretiship He hath changed the Nature of the Beleevers Bond and Obligation and put His own name in it so as He is become the Principal Debtor His Suretiship hath swallowed up the Debtor's Obligation to satisfie justice the Surety being the Head and Husband of the poor broken Debtor Rom. 7 4. and having changed the Bond of Satisfaction and put out our Name and put in His own whereby He hath transferred the debt upon Himself as Principal Debtor Heb. 10 7. 9. Among men usually the broken Debtor's Name stands still in the Bond even after the responsal Surety hath interveened But here Jesus the Surety of the New Covenant when He put in His own name He puts out our names that the Law might reach Him and might not at all reach us He wrote Himself the sinner legally and wrote us Righteous persons 2 Cor. 5 21. Ier. 50 20. CHAP. XV. Mr. Baxter's Answers to some of our Argum. for Imputation examined MR. Baxter in his book against D. Tully proposeth some Objections that he may make answere unto them according to his own Grounds Though some things here repeated in his answers have been already considered by us yet we shall examine briefly his answers as here given His answere to the first Objection hath been examined in the foregoing Chapt. The 2. is this Christ is called tht Lord our Righteousness He is made Righteousness to us we are made the Righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5 21. by the Obedience of one many are made Righteous He answereth to this 〈◊〉 And are we not all agreed of all this But can His Righteousness be ours no way but by the foresaid personating Râ—presentation Ans And will not Socinians who overturn all the foundations or Christianity and ought not be called or accounted Christians say the same as to the Scripture-expressions are we therefore agreed with them in judgment or is there no difference betwixt us His not agreement in the words but in the sense of Scripture that maketh a true agreement 2. Christ's Righteousness may be and is Ours another way than by that Personating and Representating which he stated as the butt of his arguments another way also than he proposeth as his own judgment as we saw He rels us next how Christ is our Righteousness how His obedience maketh us Righteous in his judgement in 8 or 9 particulars 1. Because the very