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have made any distinct observation of the actings of their faith in their justification before God.

2. The Scripture plainly declares that faith as justifying, respects the sacerdotal office and actings of Christ alone. In the great representation of the justification of the church of old in the expiatory sacrifice when all their sins and iniquities were pardoned, and their persons accepted with God, the acting of their faith was limited unto the imposition of all their sins on the head of the sacrifice by the high priest, Lev. 16. "By his knowledge, that is faith in him, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities,” Isa. liii. 11. That alone which faith respects in Christ as unto the justification of sinners, is his bearing their iniquities. Guilty convinced sinners look unto him by faith, as those who were stung with fiery serpents did to the brazen serpent; that is, as he was lifted up on the cross, John iii. 14, 15. So did he himself express the nature and actings of faith in our justification, Rom. iii, 24, 25, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." As he is a propitiation, as he shed his blood for us, as we have redemption thereby, he is the peculiar object of our faith, with respect unto our justification. See to the same purpose, Rom. v. 9, 10. Eph. i. 7. Col. i, 14. Eph. ii. 13, 14, 15, 16. Rom. viii, 3, 4. "He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21. That which we seek after in justification is a participation of the righteousness of God; to be made the righteousness of God, and that not in ourselves but in another, that is in Christ Jesus. And that alone which is proposed unto our faith as the means and cause of it, is, his being made sin for us, or a sacrifice for sin, wherein all the guilt of our sins was laid on him, and he bare all our iniquities, This therefore is its peculiar object herein. And wherever in the Scripture we are directed to seek for the forgiveness of sins by the blood of Christ, receive the atonement, to hë

justified through the faith of him as crucified, the objeet of faith in justification is limited and determined.

3. Neither the consideration of the kingly and propbetical offices of Christ themselves, nor of any of the peculiar acts of them, are suited to give the souls and consciences of convinced sinners, that relief which they seek after in Justification. We are not in this whole cause to lose out of our eye, the state of the person who is to be justified, and what it is be seeks after. Now this is pardon of sin, and righteousness before God alone. That therefore, which is no way suited to give or tender this relief unto him, is not, nor can be the object of his faith, whereby he is justified. This relief it will be said, is to be had in Christ alone; it is true, but under what consideration? for the sole design of the sinner, is how he may be accepted with God, be at peace with him, have all his wrath turned away, by a propitiation or atonement, Now this can no otherwise be done, but by the acting of some one, towards God, and with God on his behalf; for it is about the turuing away of God's anger, and acceptance with him, that the enquiry is made. It is by the blood of Christ, that we are made nigh, who were far off; Eph. ii. 13. By the blood of Christ are we reconciled who were enemies; v. 16. By the blood of Christ we have redemption. Rom. iii, 24, 25. Eph, i, 7. &c. This therefore, is the object of faith.

All the actings of the kingly and prophetical offices of Christ, are all of them from God, that is in the name and authority of God towards us. Not any one of them is towards God on our behalf, so as that by virtue of them, we should expect acceptance with God. They are all good, blessed, holy, in themselves, and of an eminent tendency unto the glory of God in our salvation: yea, they are no less necessary unto our salvation to the praise of God's grace, than are the atonement for sin and satisfaction which he made; for from them is the way of life revealed unto us, grace communicated, our persons sanctified, and the reward bestowed. Yea, in the exercise of his kingly power doth the Lord Christ pardon and

justify sinners. Not that he did as a king constitute the law of justification, for it was given and established in the first promise, and he came to put it in execution; John. iii. 16. But in the virtue of his atonement and righteousness imputed unto them, he doth pardon and justify sinners. But they are the acts of his sacerdotal office alone, that respect God on our behalf. Whatever he did on earth with God for the church, in obedience, suffering, and offering up of himself, whatever he doth in heaven in intercession, and appearance in the presence of God for us, it all entirely belongs unto his priestly office. And in these things alone doth the soul of a convinced sinner find relief, when he seeks after deliverance from the state of sin and acceptance with God. In these therefore alone the peculiar object of his faith, that which will give him rest and peace, must be comprized, And this last consideration is of itselt sufficient to determine this difference.

Sundry things are objected against this assertion, which I shall not here discuss, because what is material in any of them, will occur on other occasions, where its consideration will be more proper,

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CHAPTER, IV.

Of justification, the notion and signification of the word in the Scripture.

NTO the right understanding of the nature of justification, the proper sense and signification of these words themselves, justification and to justify, is to be enquired into For until that is agreed upon, it is impossible that our discourses concerning the thing itself should be freed from equivocation. Take words in various senses, aud all may be true that is contradictorily affirmed or denied concerning what they are supposed to signify. And so it hath actually fallen out in this case, as we shall see more fully afterwards. Some taking these words in one sense, some in another, have appeared to deliver contrary doctrines concerning the thing itself, or our justification before God; who yet have fully agreed in what the proper determinate sense or signification of the words doth import. And therefore the true meaning of them hath been declared and vindicated already by many. But whereas the right stating hereof, is of more moment unto the determination of what is principally controverted about the doctrine itself, or the thing sign fied, than most do apprebend; and something at least remains to be added for the declaration and vindication of the import and only signification of these words in the Scripture, I shall give an acount of my

observations concerning it, with what diligence I can.

The latin derivation and composition of the word justificatio would seem to denote an internal change from inherent unrighteousness, unto righteousness likewise inherent; by a physical motion, and transmutation, as the Schoolmen speak For such is the signification of words of the same composition. So sanctification, mortification, vivification, and the like do all denote a real internal work on the subject spoken of. Hereon in the whole Roman school, Justification is taken for Justifaction, or the making of a man to be inherently righteous by the infusion of a principal or habit of grace, who was before inherently and habitually unjust and unrighteous. Whilst this is taken to be the proper signification of the word; we neither do, nor can speak ad idem in our disputations with them about the cause and nature of that justification, which the Scripture teacheth.

Justificatio and justifico belong not indeed unto the latin tongue; nor can any good Author be produced who ever used them, for the making of him inherently righteous by any means who was not so before. But being derived from jus and justum, they must respect an act of jurisdiction, rather than a physical operation or infusion. Justificari is justus censeri, pro justo haberi; to be esteemed, accounted or adjudged righteous. So a man was made Justus filius in adoption unto him, by whom he was adopted. Wherefore as by adoption, there is no internal inherent change made in the person adopted; but by virtue thereof he is esteemed and adjudged as a true son, and hath all the rights of a legitimate son; so by justification, as to the importance of the word, a man is only esteemed, declared and pronounced righteous, as if he were completely so. And in the present case, justification and gratuitous adoption are the same grace for the substance of them, John i. 12. only respect is had in their different denomination of the same grace, unto different effects or privileges that ensue thereon.

But the true and genuine signification of the words is to

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