ing or ufe of a word. Let it be allowed, that Chrift has fulfilled the righteousness of the law for believers, that his righteoufnefs is become theirs, that they have thereby remiffion of fins, are juflified before God, and made righteous; let these things be owned: and it will not be of fo great importance, whether you confent to the propriety of the word Imputation, in this cafe, or not. Now thefe things you muft allow, or deny the very language of the quoted texts and by allowing thefe things, you will allow all that is intended by thofe who plead for the imputation of Chrift's righteousness. But why muft the word Impute, or Imputation be found fault with? Be pleafed to read the fourth chapter to the Romans, and obferve how often righteoufnefs is there

id to be imputed to them that believe. Though the righteoufnefs there faid to be imputed, is not exprefly called the righteoufnefs of Chrift; yet that it is fully implied. For it was a righteoufnefs, whereby Abraham was juftified, ver. 2. A righteoufnefs without works, ver. 6. A righteoufnefs, by which our fins are covered, that the Lord will not impute them, ver. 6, 7. A righteoufnefs, by which God is the father of all them that believe, ver. 11. And a righteoufnefs, through which Abraham had the promise that he should be the heir of the world, ver. 13. Now can any man pretend to a perfonal righteoufnefs, which all thefe characters are fairly applicable to? Or can these characters juftly be applied to any other, fave the righteousness of Je, fus Christ only?

I hope, by this time, you are convinced, that the feripture is not a ftranger to the doctrine of juftification by the imputed righteoufnefs of Chrift. I would therefore, Sir, intreat you to confider, it is of infinite confequence, that you yourfelf be not a ftranger to that faith, by which you may receive this righteoufnefs, may have this imputed to you, and may in virtue of this be accep. ted (your perfon and your fincere performances) as righteous before God.

But I have been too tedious in my answer to your firft objection. I therefore haften to confider what you have further to object against this important truth..

Your author (you tell me) argues that if faith be

imputed for righteoufnefs, unto the juftification of a ⚫ finner, then Chrift's obedience cannot be imputed to that end, unlefs our faith and Chrift's righteoufnefs be fuppofed to be the fame thing: that there is nothing more evident, than that faith (which is fo often faid to be imputed for righteoufnefs, Rom. iv.) is properly our own personal righteousness: that the word faith, fignifies faithfulnefs, as well as believing; and includes evangelical obedience in the nature of it: that God deals with us as moral agents: and imputes to us the righteoufnefs which we perfonally have, and ་ not that which we perfonally have not.'

I take this to be the most plaufible, and the most weighty objection against the doctrine under confideration, that has ever been made: and it therefore deferves to be distinctly taken notice of. I fhall accordingly endeavour to fhew, that the faith, which is imputed unto righteoufnefs (for fo, I think, fhould the words be rendered) does not include obedience in the nature of it. 1 hall proceed to prove, that the faith which is imputed to believers unto their juftification, is not their own perfonal righteoufnefs. And then endeavour to make it evident, that if your conftruction of thofe paffages in Rom. iv. were granted, it would make nothing against the doctrine of our juftification by the imputed righte oufnefs of Christ.

I am first to fhew, that the faith, which is imputed unto righteoufnefs, does not include obedience in the nature of it: confidering faith in its reference to justification, or (as fome express themselves) in its office of justifying. For, though a true and lively faith has its influence in purifying the hearts and lives of men, and producing obedience; yet it is of the very nature of faith, to exclude all opinion of merit in ourselves, to refpect the promife of God's mercy, and directly fend us to Chrift for juftification and acceptance with God, through his merits and righteoufnels. So that juftifying faith, as uch, does not include in its nature, works of obedience, I need not ufe many arguments to prove this; the apof tle having in the plaineft and ftrongeft terms declared it. It is the very scope and defign of the apostle's argument in this fourth chapter to the Romans, to prove, that we

are juftified by faith, without works. This was the ar gument of the preceeding chapter; which is confirmed and illuftrated in this, by the examples of Abraham and David. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory: but not before God. For what faith the fcripture? Abraham believed God; and it was coun ted unto him for righteoufnefs. Now to him that worketh, is the reward reckoned, not of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that jufti. fieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David alfo defcribed the b'effedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness, without works, Rom. v. 2. 6.

The apoftle is here using a variety of unanswerable arguments, against the doctrine I am now impleading. He argues, that if Abraham's faith had included works or obedience in it, he would have had whereof to glory. All works, all acts of obedience whatfoever, are formally our own, being done by ourselves; and therefore may be gloried of, as fuch: but Abraham had not whereof to glory before God; and therefore Abraham's faith did not include works of obedience in the nature of it, confidering it as counted to him for righteoufnefs. He next fhews us, that if we had the benefit of justification, as a reward, upon the account of any works, of any obedience whatfoever, the reward would not be of grace, but of debt. For by whatever law, whatever covenant transaction, a reward becomes due to any sort of works, or obedience, it is however become due; and may be claimed as a debt, upon the performance of fuch works, or obedience. Whence it follows, that no fort of obedience, either legal or evangelical, can be included in the nature of a juftifying faith, as fuch, if we are justified of grace and not of debt. He fhews us, that where faith is imputed unto righteoufnefs, it is imputed to him that worketh not, that doeth no works of righteouinefs at all, dependeth upon none at all of his own doing, in order to his jullification: and therefore it cannot poffibly be, that fuch faith has any fort of works, any fort of obedience, included in the nature of it, as it is a juftifying faith It juftifies only as it receives a divine gift, freely offered; or in the apostle's language, as it believeth on

eth not.

him who juftifieth the ungodly. Here is no room left for any evafion. After never fo many critical diftinctions are made, him that worketh not, is him that workHe moreover fhews us, that the faith under confideration is a believing on him that juftifies the ungodly and therefore cannot include evangelical obedience in the nature of it; unless evangelical obedience, and ungodliness, be the fame thing. It is true, that a perfon, when juftified, or when exercifing that faith. through which he is juftified, ceafes to be in his state and habitual courfe ungodly; for he has a faith which not only fends him to Chrift for justification, but for fanctification too, and which not only embraces the promife, but the precept too, and is a vital active principle of all obedience. But then there is no moment of time intervenes between his ftate of ungodliness and his juftification. He further fhews, that God imputeth righteousness, for our juftification, without works: and therefore obedience cannot be included in the nature of justifying faith, as fuch; unless obedience be without works alfo. Here likewife the expreffions are ftrong and plain. There is no room for fhift, or cavil. When all the most plausible pretences in the world are made to avoid the force of thefe expreffions, without works, is without works ftill.

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How admirable does the pretence, which I am oppoling, appear, when the apostle does with his own pen, in as ftrong and pointed language as can be used, obviate the pretence, reject it, and confute it; and that too, in the very context, upon which it is founded. I need therefore offer no other arguments to clear this point; it is effectually done to my hand by the apoftle himfelf and his reafoning ought to take place, against all objections. Could we be juftified by any fort of works or obedience, perfonally performed by us, we fhould have whereof to glory. And were our juftification a reward given on account of any works or obedience of ours, it would be of debt and not of grace. But both these things are inconfiftent with God's gracious difpenfation towards us. He imputeth righteousness to him that worketh not; he justifieth the ungodly: he imputeth righteousness without works and therefore the

faith, which is imputed unto righteoufnefs, does not, cannot as fuch, include any fort of obedience in the nature of it.

I proceed now to prove to you, that the faith, which is imputed to believers unto their juftification, is not their own perfonal righteousness. This will evidently appear, if you duly confider thefe following arguments.

That righteoufnefs, by which a finner is juftified, is the righteoufnefs of God. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, Rom. i. 17. We are made the righteoufness of God in him, 2. Cor. v. 21. The righ teoufness of God, which is by faith of Jefus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe, Rom, iii. 22. Now it cannot be true, that the righteousness of God, and our own inherent perfonal righteousness, are the fame thing. If it be pretended, that faith is the gift of God, and as fuch it is the righteousness of God, the answer is easy. Faith, confidered in itself, as a principle, is ours subjectively, and confidered in its exercife, it is ours formally, or our own personal act; and in that refpect, fo far as it is any righteousness at all, it is our own perfonal righteousness; and therefore as it is our personal righteoufnefs, it can no more properly be faid to be the righteouf nefs of God, than our breath can be faid to be the breath of God, our words to be the words of God, or our locomotion to be the motion of God. For our power to breathe, to fpeak, or to move, is as truly the gift of God, as our power to believe. Befides, all pretences of this kind are utterly excluded by the quoted texts. For if faith cannot with any propriety be faid to be revealed from faith to faith, if we cannot with any propriety fay that faith is a righteoufnefs by faith of Jefus Chrift; then faith is not the righteousness of God, by which we are justified and therefore we cannot be juftified by faith, as it is our own inherent perfonal righteousness, and yet be juftified by the righteoufnefs of God.

Moreover, we are faid to be made righteous by the obedience of Chrift, Rom. v. 19. and to be juftified by the blood of Chrift, Rom. v. 9. But faith, as it is our personal inherent righteoufnefs, is in no refpect the obedience of Chrift, or the blood of Chrift: and therefore faith, as it is our perfonal inherent righteoufaefs, can in no re