the words are these And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses To be Justified from sin sometimes signifies to be freed from the power and dominion of it Thus in Rom. 6.7 St. Paul having said in Verse 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin adds in Verse 7. for he that is dead is Justified from sin For so it is according to the marginal reading and so the Dutch Translation Englished reads it though in our Translation it is rendred freed instead of Justified from sin And in this sense St. Austin understood this Acts 13.39 as I find him quoted And to this sence of the word Justifie agrees the reading of Revel 22.11 which some upon occasion use Let him that is filthy be filthy still and he that is Righteous let him be Justified still To the same sence of the word Justifie some alledg Rom. 8.30 Tit. 3.5 compared with Verse 7. and 1 Cor. 6.11 But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God Where Justification seems to be ascribed unto the Spirit of God in one respect as to the Lord Jesus in another And doubtless Justification is the effect of the operation of all the Blessed Trinity though the manner of their operation be different Now that to be Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justified by the Law of Moses may be understood in this sense there are two things to be said to render it probable The one is the good agreement which this sence has with other places of Scripture which shew that men are freed from sin through Christ by his Gospel so as they could not be freed from it by the Law of Moses Thus Heb. 7.18 19. There is verily a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof For the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did And again Rom. 8.2 3 4. For the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and of death For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit So likewise Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace By all which we see that the Law of Moses could not Justifie men from sin as Christ by the Gospel-dispensation does if by being Justified from sin we understand a being freed from sin it self as to its dominion The other thing which may incline us to understand the words under consideration in this sense is what may be observed from the context St. Paul had said in Verse 38. the words immediately before Be it known to you men and brethren that through this man Christ is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Now then if in Verse 39. he should mean no more by being Justified than a being Pardoned he would seem but to say over the same thing again in other words which he had said before which is not usual with him But if this should not be the meaning of those words and should we suppose that by being Justified from all things from which they could not be Justified by the Law of Moses should be meant a being Justified from the guilt of sin as that signifies a being freed from the punishment deserved by it yet let us consider whether it will necessarily follow that the Apostle in those words defines Justification by Remission of sin or whether rather he does not thereby only set forth the subsequent benefits that would accrue to them by being Justified by believing which could not be obtained by their observing the Law of Moses And if so then the meaning would be only this That by their being Justified by their believing they should be delivered from or secured against the evil effects of their sin from which they could be not secured by observing the Law of Moses Now that to be Justified by believing by vertue of the blood of Christ and to be freed from the punishment of sin which is Pardon are two different things seems to be very plain from those words of St. Paul Rom. 5.9 where he saith much more than being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him He infers the certainty of their being Pardoned or saved from wrath from their being Justified and the inference and that from which it is made are doubtless two things We see then that men may be Pardoned by vertue of their being Justified and so be Justified from sin and yet not Justified by their being Pardoned It will no more follow that because by Justification we are Pardoned that therefore Pardon is our Justification than it will follow that because by believing we are Pardoned that therefore our Pardon is our believing and our believing our Pardon And now if we should understand the words Justified from all things from which ye could not be Justified by the Law of Moses in both the forementioned sences for a being delivered both from the guilt of sin and from the power and pollution of it I know no inconvenience in it both being true But if we do so yet we do not thereby necessarily conclude Pardon of sin to be Justification but only that Pardon of sin is by Justification as depending upon it For Gods adjudging of us to have performed the condition in believing on which he promised Pardon which is his Justifying of us together with his imputing that Faith to us for Righteousness intervenes comes between our believing and our being actually Pardoned and is that which gives the immediate right to it as I shewed before What hath been said then may suffice I suppose to shew that in all probability no such thing can be concluded from those words in Acts 13. as that we are Justified by being Pardoned The next Scripture I shall enquire into is Rom. 5.16 the words these Not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift for the judgment was by one or by one offence to condemnation but the free gift is of many offences unto Justification That which is first necessary to be done here is to consider the Translation because these words the free gift of many offences unto Justification seem as we have them in our Translation a little uncouth and somwhat unintelligible I have seen the matter in this part of the Verse Translated from the Original thus But the free gift is unto Justification from many offences not of many offences
Rom. 5. But otherwise and in reference to such as have contracted ill habits by their own actual sin the pardon obtained by our Saviour for the whole world or which he came to obtain was but Conditional it was upon condition of their being prevailed withal to be reconciled unto God Otherwise and if this were not so all would have been saved whether they believed and repented or no. Whereas our Saviour hath said it he that believeth not shall be damned and that repenteth not shall perish Though God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son yet he loved it but so as to promise salvation by him only to those that believe John 3.16 Now this pardon thus obtained and granted upon account of our Saviours obedience unto death but upon condition of mens being persuaded to be reconciled to God and yet certain to be conferred upon that condition is a most powerful motive and means to persuade men to be reconciled to God when it comes to be divulged and made known and when it is believed that pardon is certainly to be obtained this way and no way without it And therefore the Scripture speaks of it as the Method used by God to reconcile the world to himself 2. Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses that is provided they would not wilfully persist in them 4. Another end of the Mediatorial obedience of our Saviour subordinate to the former that last mentioned and as a means to effect it was the obtaining and founding of a new Law of Grace the new Covenant promising both pardon and eternal life upon condition and stating and declaring that condition to be published to the world as Gods great instrument of prevailing with men to be reconciled to God in order to their obtaining pardon and Salvation Upon which account the Gospel which is this new Law of Grace is said to be the power of God to Salvation to every one that believes it Rom. 1.16 Now all having sinned no flesh living could be justified but in a way of grace and mercy And therefore there was a kind of necessity of a new Law a Law of Grace by virtue of which men should be justified if justified at all But it did not seem meet to the divine wisdom to make such a Law of Grace but upon condition that some such thing should be undergone and suffered by our blessed Saviour on our bebehalf as would as well answer the end of the penalty of the original Law transgressed as if that penalty had been inflicted on the transgressors of it themselves But this being done by the sufferings of our Saviour as I shall shew afterward a fair way was thereby prepared for the Constituting a new Covenant promising pardon and eternal life upon new terms and conditions such as are not only possible but also feisable as well as reasonable in our state and condition Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith that is that we might receive the blessing and benefits of a new Covenant Gal. 3.13 14. And accordingly the Scripture frequently represents to us that the new Covenant is made with mankind upon account of what Christ did and suffered for us It was not only ratified and confirmed by the Sacrifice of his death but also thereby procured This I say saith S. Paul that the Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ c. Gal. 3.17 And all the promises of God are in him Yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 And the New Testament is called the New Testament in his bloud Mat. 26.28 and his blood the bloud of the Everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 And when the Scriptures speak of Gods promising eternal life before the world began Tit. 1.2 and of Gods purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began 2 Tim. 1.9 they seem to refer to what God the Father promised Christ on the behalf of mankind upon his Mediatory undertaking for them even then when this was resolved on and concluded by the Father and the Son before the world began For a conclusion of this matter and to shew that the Covenant of Grace was granted upon the account of the righteousness of Christ hear what S. Peter saith 2 Pet. 1.1 To them saith he that have obtained like precious Faith with us through the Righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Whether you take Faith here for the act of believing the Gospel or the Gospel it self as the object of Faith which seems most likely or for both yet this is given through or upon account of the righteousness of him who is both God and our Saviour If you ask how the Mediatory righteousness of our Saviour in this subordination of ends doth operate to our Justification I answer Our reconciliation to God by being renewed in heart and life is the matter of our Evangelical Righteousness upon which we are justified For God justifies none that are not reconciled to him nor which are not Evangelically righteous But then our reconciliation to God and our becoming Evangelically righteous thereby and our being justified thereupon as I shall after shew we are are all owing to the Mediatory obedience or Righteousness of Christ for from that it is that they are what they are And so far as these operate to our Justification they do it in Virtue of Christs Mediatory performance And so do those two great motives the hopes of the forgiveness of sin and eternal life by which we are persuaded to be reconciled to God and to become Evangelically righteous for these also are founded in the Mediatorial obedience of our Saviour without which we could have had no such hopes and therefore Christ is well and worthily said to be our hope 1 Tim. 1.1 And then for the new Covenant as that operates to our Justification as it is a new Law constituting a new Righteousness and as it is the rule according to which we are approved as righteous and adjudged to be righteous when God justifies us so this operation receives its life and being and virtue from another operation and that is from the operation of the Mediatorial obedience and righteousness of our Saviour by which the Covenant it self was obtained Indeed all that any ways operates to our Justification and Salvation depends upon our Saviours Mediatorial performance except what God himself doth and yet what he himself doth in relation thereto is still done with reference to the undertaking and performance of his Son Jesus Christ for us Christ is the foundation which God himself hath laid which bears up the whole fabrick of our Redemption and Salvation which indeed is built upon it Isa 28.16 Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tried stone
the circumstances of his case are altered upon the account of Christs performance for him We cannot say that the Natural Law was ever against the justification and pardoning of such repentant sinners for whom Christ undertook to suffer for if it had it would be so still now he hath suffered for that Law is intirely unalterable and inflexible Till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law saith our Saviour until all be fulfilled Mat. 5.18 Now if the Law were never against the justification and pardon of such penitents as aforesaid then there needed no alteration to be made in it to make way for their justification and pardon And as all this appears as we see from reasons taken from the nature of God and from the nature of the Law it self as reconciled by the death of Christ to penitent sinners So it appears also by express Testimony of Scripture St. Paul speaking of such repentant sinners as in whom were found the fruits of the Spirit saith that against such there is no Law Gal. 5.23 and if no Law then not the Natural Law And when in another place the question is put whether it may be said that the Law is against the promise of God He rejects it with a kind of indignation saying God forbid Gal. 3.21 To conclude then for God to justifie pardon and make men happy when in vouchsafing this favour to repentant persons upon account of the death of his Son his Authority Law and Government is not left unvindicated nor the ends of his Government unsecured nor any creature hurt by it it is doubtless agreeable to the highest reason and therefore congruous to the Law Natural and infinitely becoming so good a being as God is And it may very well be that upon this account God is said to be just in justifying him that believeth in Jesus Rom. 3.26 and faithful and just to forgive us our sins 1 John 1.9 And this doubtless is the satisfaction which God the Father receives by the suffering of his Son for our sins about which there have been so many disputes in the world It is doubtless infinitely satisfactory and well pleasing to Almighty God that by means of his Sons suffering he can now shew Mercy to repentant sinners in justifying pardoning and saving them without suffering the least dishonor or suspition of dishonor in reference either to his Nature Law or Government and in full compliance with the immutable Law of Righteousness and Reason Nor will it follow from what hath been discoursed as some perhaps may object that the Natural Law and the Law of Grace are all one For although the Natural Law is not against the favour exhibited by the Law of Grace upon the reason and the terms on which it is done yet the Revelation of that reason which is the Mediatorial performance of Christ is not made by the Natural Law but by the Gospel or Law of Grace For no man can merely by any natural light know it but is knowable only by the Gospel Revelation or Law of Grace The natural man cannot know the things of the spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned that is by means purely spiritual or supernatural 1 Cor. 2.14 For this reason and by reason of all the honor which redounds to the Eternal Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ and all the benefit which accrues to men by this Revelation which is exceeding great it was necessary that this Law of Grace should be constituted and published as a Law distinct from the Natural Law But whereas the Scripture in some places seems to represent the Law and the Promise as inconsistent so that if one take place upon a person the other must in some sort give way according as I my self have somtimes thought I shall now look a little more narrowly into those Texts In Rom. 4.14 i'ts said If they which are of the Law be heirs faith is made void and the promise made of none effect And again Gal. 3.18 If the inheritance be of the Law it is no more of Promise but God gave it unto Abraham by promise For a right understandnig of these and such like Scriptures we must consider that the Apostle doth not in them represent the inconsistency of the Law and the Promise as they are in themselves and in their proper use and rightly understood but he therein represents the erroneousness of their opinion against whom he disputes upon the account of the absurd consequence of it as rendring the Law and the Promise inconsistent For otherwise when St. Paul speaks his own sense of the Law and Promise he with great vehemency denies the Law to be against the Promises when he says Is the Law then against the Promises God forbid Gal. 3.21 The case was this the Pharisaical Jews held Righteousness or Justification to be by the Law in opposition to its being by Grace I do not frustrate the grace of God saith St. Paul meaning that he did not do it by his doctrine as they did by theirs for if righteousness come by the Law saith he then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2.21 They held their legal performances were of themselves a Righteousness that would of themselves Justifie them before God But St. Paul taught that it was meerly by grace and by virtue of Christs death that the faith and sincere though otherwise imperfect obedience of such as have been once sinners is imputed or counted to them for Righteousness So that their opinion of Righteousness coming by the Law if admitted would have rendred the death of Christ to be in vain and the Promise of none effect or useless which yet proceeded from Grace and was in it self an act of Gods Grace And if righteousness had been by works in their sense then it would not have been of Grace otherwise Grrace would have no more Grace as St. Paul reasons But if it was of Grace as the Apostle affirmed that it was then it could not be of works in their sence otherwise work would be no more work Rom. 11.6 So that the drift of St. Paul in his writings was to shew that their opinion of Justification by the Law was pernicious for that it opposed the Law to the Promise as rendering the Promise useless But that his doctrine of Justification by Grace through Faith did not evacuate the Law nor make it useless in the matter of our Justification but rendered both very well consistent Do we then make void the Law through Faith saith he God forbid yea we establish the Law Rom. 3.31 The good men among the Jews under the Law were Justified by Grace even then when they were approved of for Righteous upon the account of their sincere obedience to the Law of Moses and accordingly they depended upon the Grace and Mercy of God for acceptation and approbation in their sincere observation of all his Laws And therefore they from time to time stiled
Righteous without all mixture of that which deserves not the name of holiness and goodness nor they without unrighteousness antecedent to this and before they had repented and therefore is not such a compleat Righteousness as would hold measure according to the standard of the Law of innocency if we were to be tried by that to be Justified or Condemned by that In this regard the best of us have cause with the Psalmist to cry out and say If thou Lord shouldst work iniquity O Lord who shall stand Psal 130.3 It is indeed a growing Righteousness that is by degrees growing up towards a perfect state such in whom it is are perfecting holiness in the fear of God But before it is grown to this perfect state it is in the account of grace and by way of favour and for Christs sake accepted and approved by God for such Righteousness as unto which he hath promised the pardon of all past offences and of all such after infirmities as are consistent with this Covenant-Righteousness in its lower degree and also eternal Life it self So that in a word this thing we call everlasting Righteousness by which we are Justified owes it self its very being such a Righteousness as it is unto the Covenant of Grace or that Grace of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ which is put into a Covenant for us 3. The Covenant operates to our Justification as being the rule by which those are justified in judgment to be Righteous persons such as to whom the promise of pardon and eternal life is made that are justified at all Righteousness as I have formerly shewed receives its denomination as it doth its nature from its conformity to some Law And this Covenant-Righteousness the Righteousness of Faith receives its denomination from its Conformity to the Covenant of Grace as being that qualification in the person on condition of which the promises of the Covenant are made and therefore every man that is Justified is Justified by this Law to be such a person as to whom the promises are made It is by this Law that such a person is Justified in his cause if a man be not a Just and Righteous person in the sense of this Law he will not be Justified by God for he judgeth of men and their cause by this Law Jam. 2.12 So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the Law of liberty that is the Gospel or Covenant of Grace And our Saviour saith The word that I have spoken the same shall judg you in the last day John 12.48 4. The Covenant operates to our Justification as an instrument of making us to become Righteous and so capable subjects of Justification And this it doth by way of motive or persuasion The great and precious promises made to men in this Covenant of pardon of sin and eternal Life on condition of the Righteousness of Faith Sobriety Righteousness and Godliness and not otherwise they out of a desire and love to the benefits promised are persuaded to imbrace the condition without which they cannot enjoy them that is to become Righteous The Gospel ministration is called the ministration of Righteousness 2 Cor. 3.9 And it is so both as it ministers to us the knowledg that there is another Righteousness than that which is of the Law and also as it ministers to us powerful motives and assistances to follow after Righteousness by which they become Righteous and so to be Justified St. Paul saith The Gospel is the power of God to Salvation in as much as therein the Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith Rom. 1.16 17. the terms on which God will account them Righteous and the motives to make them so these are revealed by the Gospel by which it becomes the power of God to Salvation to those that believe it The Gospel is a ministration of Righteousness and of Justification as it is the ministration of Reconciliation of reconciling us to God of reconciling our nature to the holy nature of God and to his holy Laws by making us partakers of a Divine Nature a God-like Nature in Holiness and Goodness which is done by the great and precious promises of the Gospel of pardon and eternal Life as powerful motives persuading men to become new creatures in order to the obtaining these great benefits promised and attainable only upon condition of such our reconciliation to God which puts us into a perfect capacity of Justification that is of being approved of as those who have performed the condition of the foresaid promised benefits Thus the Gospel is called the word of reconciliation which was committed to the Apostles and others and their Ministry the ministry of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18.19 And by a practical knowledg and belief of these things revealed by the Gospel men come to be justified that is approved of as those that have known believed and obeyed the Gospel By his knowledg saith God concerning Christ shall my righteous servant justifie many Isa 53.11 That is by the knowledg of him in what he is hath done and suffered revealed and taught What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh as to free us from the Law of sin and to bring us to that Righteousness which it did design but could not effect that is now done by the Law of the spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus to wit the Gospel The Law without the Gospel could not give us that assurance of Gods willingness to be reconciled to us and of pardon upon repentance which the Gospel does much less of a glorious reward of new obedience For the promise of pardon for Christs sake upon our repentance the promise of the Resurrection of the Body and of the Celestial Glory are brought to light by the Gospel being matters of supernatural Revelation Now it is the great assurance which the Gospel gives us of these things upon the account of Christs death that is the powerful motive of prevailing with men to be reconciled to God and to become Evangelically Righteous that they may be Justified And therefore the preaching of the Cross is said to be to them that are saved the power of God and for wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1.18 24. That is it contains and lays open Gods most wise contrivance of reconciling sinners to himself and by that means becomes his powerful motive of drawing men to it that so they may be Justified Pardoned and Glorified The Law made nothing perfect it is the bringing in of this better hope by the Gospel that doth it Heb. 7.19 The Law which laid a burden of strict obedience upon men backt with severe threatnings in case of transgression prevailed little upon men but to keep them under a spirit of bondage to fear while they were unacquainted with the rich grace and indulgence of the Gospel by which the Yoke of Christ is rendered easie and his burden light The Gospel prevails much