piation, as they were in the day of creation." From ver. 30. The apostle declares their imperfection Heb. x; but this is the Language of every expiatory sacrifice; let the guilt be upon him. Hence the sacrifice itself was called (CHATAH and ASHEM) sin and guilt * By this means did God instruct the church in the transjerring of the guilt of sin to him who was to bear their iniquities, with their discharge and justification thereby. 66 So God laid upon Christ the iniquities of us all, that by his stripes we might be healed.+ Our iniquity was laid upon him and he bore it; and through his bearing it, we are freed from it. His stripes are our healing; our sin was his, imputed to him; his merit is ours, imputed to us. He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." This is that commutation I mentioned, he was made sin for us, we are made the righteousness of God in him; God not imputing sin to us, but imputing righteousness to us, doth it on this ground alone, "that he was made sin for us." And if by his being made s'n, only his being made a sacrifice for sin is intended, it is to the same purpose. For the formal reason of any thing being made an expiatory sacrifice, was the imputation of sin to it by divine institution. The same is expressed by the same apostle, Rom. viii. 3, 4. God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, aud for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." The sin was made his, he answered for it, and the righteousness which God requireth by the law is made ours; the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us; not by our doing it, but by his. This is that blessed change and commutation in which alone the soul of a convinced sinner can find rest and peace. 66 But as some bave excepted against what I formerly said to this purpose, I shall now declare the whole of my judgment in it, in the words of others, in the quotations from their writ ings which follow. * Lev, iv. 29. viii. 2, 10, 17. † Isa. liii. 5, 6. ‡ II Cor. v. 21, JUSTIN MARTYR. 66 'He gave his Son a ransom for us; the Holy for transgressors; the innocent for the nocent; the just for the unjust; the incorruptible for the corrupt; the inmortal for mortals. For what else could cover our sins but his righteousness? In whom else could we wicked and ungodly ones be justified, or esteemed righteous, but in the Son of God alone? O SWEET PERMUTATION, or exchange! 0 unsearchable work or curious operation! O blessed beneficence exceeding all expectation! That the iniquity of many should be hid in one Just One, and the righteousness of one should justify many transgressors.” GREGORY NYSSON. "He hath transferred unto him. self the filth of my sins, and communicated unto me his purity, and made me partaker of his beauty." AUGUSTINE. "He was sin that we might be righte ousness, not our own, but the righteousness of God, not in ourselves but in him. As he was sin not his own but ours; not in himself but in us.". CHRYSOSTOM. On those words of the apostle, "That. we might be made the righteousness of God in him."*"What word, what speech is this, what mind can comprehend or express it; for he saith he made him who was righteous to be made a sinner, that he might make sinners righteous; yet he doth not say so, but that which is far more sublime and excellent. For he speaks not of an inclination or affection, but expresseth the quality itself. For he says not, he made him a sinner, but sin, that we might be made not merely righte ous but righteousness, when we are justified not by works, for if we should, there must be no spot found in us; but by grace, whereby all sin is blotted out." ALBERTUS PIGHIUS. "God was in Christ, saith the apostle, reconciling the world unto himself; not imputing unto men their sins." In him therefore we are justified before God, not in ourselves, not by our own, but by his righteous II Cor. v, 21. fess; which is imputed to us now communicating with him. Wanting righteousness of our own, we are taught to seek for righteousness without ourselves, in bim. So he saith, him who knew no sin, he made to be sin for us, that is, an expiatory sacrifice for sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him; we are made righteous in Christ, not with our own, but with the righteousness of God. By what right? The right of friendship, which makes all common among friends, according to the ancient proverb. Being engrafted into Christ, fastened, united to him, he makes his things ours, communicates his riches to us, interposeth his righteousness between the judgment of God and our unrighteousness, and under that as under a shield and buckler, he hides us from that divine wrath which we have deserved; he defends and protects us therewith, yea he communicates it unto us and makes it ours, so as that being covered and adorned therewith, we may boldly and securely place ourselves before the divine tribunal, so as not only to appear righteous, but so to be. For even as the apostle affirmeth that by one man's fault all were made sinners, so is the righteousness of Christ alone, efficacious in the justification of us all; and as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man many are made righteous. This is the righteousness of Christ, even his obedience, whereby in all things he fulfilled the will of his Father. As on the other hand our unrighteousness is our disobedience, and our transgression of the commands of God. But that our righteousness is placed in the obedience of Christ, it is from hence, that we being incorporated into him, it is accounted unto us as if it were ours so that therewith we are esteemed righteous. And as Jacob of old, though he was not the firstborn, being hid under the habit of his brother, and clothed with his garment which breathed a sweet savour, presented himself to his father that in the person of another he might receive the blessing of the primogeniture; so it is necessary that we should lie hid under the precious purity of the firstborn our eldest brother, be fra grant with his sweet savour, and have our sin buried and covered with his perfection that we may present ourselves before our most Holy Father, to obtain from him the blessing of righteousness." And again, And again, God therefore doth justify us by his free grace or goodness wherewith he embraceth us in Christ Jesus, when he clothes us with his innocence and righteousness as we are engrafted into him; for as that alone is true and perfect which only can endure in the sight of God, so that alone ought to be presented and pleaded for us before the divine tribunal, as the advocate of, or plea in our canse; resting hereon, we obtain the daily pardon of sin; with whose purity being covered, our filth and the uncleanness of our imperfections are not imputed to us, but are covered as if they were buried, that they may not come into the judgment of God. 66 This blessed permutation of sin and righteousness, is a principal object of our faith, as that whereon our peace with God is founded. And although both the imputation of sin to Christ, and the imputation of righteousness to us, be the acts of God; yet we are, by faith, to exemplify them in our own souls.-Christ calls to him those that are weary and heavy laden with the bu den of sin upon their consciences. This burden Christ bore when God made to meet upon him the iniquity of us all." In the appl cation of this to the soul, a believer, sens ble of the weight and burden of his sins, considers that God hath laid all our iniquities upon him; yea that he hath done so, is an especial object upon which faith is to act: which is faith in his blood. This the believer approves of, and embraces the righteousness and grace of God, with the infinite condescension and love of Christ and no more attempting to establish his own righteousness, he submits to the righteousness of God. By faith he leaves that burden upon Christ which he called him to bring, and complies with the wisdom and righteousness of God in laying it upon him; and receives the "everlasting righteousness," which the Lord Christ brought in when he made an end of sin, and reconciliation for transgressors. This blessed permutation of sin and righteousness, is a principal object of our faith, as that whereon our peace with God is founded. And although both the imputation of siu to Christ, and the imputation of righteousness to us, be the acts, of God; yet we are, by faith, to exemplify them our own souls.-Christ calls to him those that are weary and heavy. laden with the burden of sin upon their consciences. This burden Christ bare when God “made to meet upon him the inquity of us all." In the application of this to the soul, a believer sensible of the weight and burden of his sins, considers that God hath laid all our iniquit es upon him; yea that he hath done so, is an especial object upon which faith is to act: which is faith in his blood. Thus the believer approves of, and embraces the righteousness and grace of God, with the infinite condescension and love of Christ: and no more attempting to establish his own righteousness, he submits to the righteousness of God. By faith he leaves that burden upon Christ which he called him to bring, and complies with the wisdom and righteousness of God in laying it upon him; and receives the "everlasting righteousness," which the Lord Christ brought in when he made an end of sin, and reconciliation for transgressors. Nor are we to regard those who reject this work of faith as the mere effort of fancy. For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to the natural wisdom of men. No one can understand it but by the Spirit of God. Those who know the terror of the Lord,-who are sensible of the guilt of their apostacy from God and of their actual sins; and who are seeking after a real solid foundation of acceptance with Him, have other thoughts, and find believing to be quite of another nature than such men suppose. It is not a work of fancy to deny and abhor ourselves,--to subscribe to the righteousness of God in denouncing death as due to our sins,-to renounce all hopes of rel ef from any righteousness of our own,--to mix the word and p omise of God concerning Christ and righteousness by him with faith, and thence to give up ourselves to universal D |