from eternal death; but not from a neceffity in the nature of the things themselves, but only in the free conftitution of God: he might have pardoned men their past fin, and placed them in a condition of seeking righteoufnefs for the future, by the works of the law; for this would answer the original state of Adam : hence it is evident, that the difpofal of men into this state and condition of right to life and falvation, doth not proceed from the pardon of fin, but hath another caufe; which is, "the imputation of the righteouf"nefs of Chrift unto us, as he fulfilled the law for "" us." 3. The laft part of the objection is, "That our "doctrine is pernicious, because it takes away the ne"ceffity of our perfonal obedience, introducing Anti"nomianifin, Libertinifm, and all manner of evils.” I refer an answer to this to its proper place; for though it be urged by fome against this part of the doctrine in a peculiar manner, yet it is advanced by others against the whole of it: and although we should grant, that the obedience of Christ unto the law is not imputed to us; yet shall we not be freed from this falfe accufation, unless we will renounce the whole of the fatisfaction of Chrift alfo: and we intend not to purchase peace with the whole world at fo dear a rate. Wherefore, I fhall, in its proper place, give this part of the charge its due confideration, as it reflects on the whole doctrine which we believe and profess. Hitherto we have treated of and vindicated the imputation of the active obedience of Christ unto us, as the truth of it was deduced from the preceding argument about the obligation of the law of creation. I fhall now briefly confirm it with other reasons and teftimonies. That which Chrift, the Mediator and Surety, did in obedience to God, in the discharge of his office, he did for us, and it is imputed to us. This hath been proved already; " for "for what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God fending his own Son in the likeness of finful flefh, and for fin, condemned fin in the flesh, that the righteoufnefs of the law might be fulfilled in us," Rom. viii. 3, 4. Whatever is fpoken of the grace, love and purpofe of God, in fending or giving his Son, or of the love, grace, and condefcenfion of the Son, in coming and undertaking the work of redemption affigned to him, gives teftimony to this affertion. Yea, it is the fundamental principle of the Gofpel, and of the faith of all who truly believe. Wherefore, what he fo did, is to be inquired into. And, 1. The Lord Chrift, our mediator and furety, was, in his human nature, made under the law; not for himfelf, but for us. But, as made under the law, he yielded obedience to it; this therefore was for us, and is imputed to us. The exception of the Socinians, that it is the judicial law only that is intended, is too frivolous to be infifted on: for he was made under that law, whofe curfe we are delivered from: and if we are delivered only from the curfe of the law of Mofes, wherein they contend, that there were neither promifes nor threatenings of eternal things, we are ftill in our fins, under the curfe of the moral law, notwithstanding all he has done for us. It is excepted, with no colour of fobriety, "that he was "made under the law only as to the curse of it;" for it is plain, that he was made under it as we are made under it" to redeem them that were under the law :" and if he were not made fo as we are, there is no confequence from his being made under it unto our redemption from it. But we are fo under the law, as not only to be obnoxious to its curse, but so as to be obliged to all the obedience, that it required, as has been proved. And if he hath redeemed us only from the curfe, by undergoing it, leaving us, in ourfelves, to an fwer its obligation to obedience, we are not freed nor delivered. And the expreffion, under the law, properly fignifies the obligation of it unto obedience, and confequentially only with a respect to the curfe. Gal. iv. 21. "Tell me, ye that defire to be under the law."-They did not defire to be under the curfe of the law, but its obligation to obedience. 2. As Chrift was thus made under the law, fo he did actually fulfil it, by his obedience to it. "Think not, faid he, (Matt. v.17.) that I am come to deftroy the law, but to fulfil *;" fo he exprefsly declares, in his enfuing difcourfe; fhewing both its power of obliging us always to obedience, and giving an expofition of it. This law he came (won) to fulfil; that is, to yield full perfect obedience to its commands, whereby they are abfolutely fulfilled. It is a vain exception of fome," that he ful filled the law by his doctrine, in the expofition of it. The oppofition between the words (ynpwoai and xaraAvoa) to fulfil and to deftroy, will admit of no fuch sense; and our Saviour himself expounds the "fulfilling of the law," by doing the commands of it, ver. 19. Wherefore Chrift, as our mediator and furety, fulfilling the law, by yielding perfect obedience to it, he did it for us, and to us it is imputed. This is exprefsly, and in terms, afferted by the Apoftle, Rom. v. 18, 19. "Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even fo by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came upon all men unto Juftification of life. For as by the difobedience of one many were made finners, fo by the obedience of one fhall many be made *The Jews object these words against the Chriftians, as contradictory to what they pretend to be done by him; but the reconciliation is plain and easy There was a twofold law; moral and ceremonial; the firft is of eternal obligation; the other was given for a time, and then to be abolished, as St. Paul proves, in his epiftle to the Hebrews: Chrift first accomplished it, and then abolished it, Eph. ii. 14, &c. But the law, which obliges all men to obedience, he came not to destroy. made righteous." The full vindication of this testimony, I refer to its proper place; here I fhall only ob-' serve, that the Apostle exprefsly affirms, that by the obedience of Chrift we are made righteous ; which cannot be, but by the imputation of it unto us. CHAP. XIII. The Nature of Juftification proved from the Difference of the Covenants. OUR third argument is taken from the difference be tween the two Covenants. I. By the two covenants, I understand those which were abfolutely given to the whole church, and were all to bring it to a perfect state: that is, the covenant of works, or the law of creation, with promises and threatenings annexed; and the covenant of grace, propofed in the first promise. 2. The effence of the covenant of works confifted in this; That, upen our perfonal obedience, we should be accepted and rewarded; and whatever covenant proceeds on these terms, however varied or altered, it is ftill the fame; for as in the renovation of the promise, wherein the effence of the covenant of grace was contained, God made frequent additions to it, as to Abraham and David; yet it was ftill the same covenant; fo whatever variations or additions may be made to the difpenfation of the first covenant, fo long as this rule is retained, "Do this and live," it is ftill the fame covenant, for the substance and effence of it. 3. In this covenant, obferve, (1.) All things were transacted immediately between God and man; there was no mediator on either part : for the whole depending on every one's perfonal obedience, there was no place place for a mediator. (2.) Nothing but perfect finless obedience would be accepted; there was no provision for any defect, nor for the pardon of fin. 4. This covenant, being once established, no new covenant could be made, unless the effential form of it were new, fo that our own perfonal obedience should not be the condition of acceptance with God; for while this is fo, however the covenant may be reformed or reduced to fuit our present state, it is ftill the same. nature. 5. Wherefore the covenant of grace, fuppofing it to be a covenant abfolutely new, and not an alteration of the old one, must differ from it in effence, substance, and And this it cannot do, if we are to be juftied before God on our perfonal obedience, wherein the effence of the first covenant confifted. If then the righteousness, wherewith we are justified, be our own, we are yet under the first covenant, and no other. For, 6. But the new covenant is totally different. (1.) It is of grace, which wholly excludes works; that is, fo of grace, that our own works are not the means of Juftification before God. (2.) It hath a mediator and furety, which fuppofes, that what we ourselves cannot do, and which was originally required of us, fhould be done for us by him. And this is one of the very first notions of the chriftian religion, that the Lord Chrift was given to us, born to us; that he became our mediator, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves; and not merely to fuffer what we had deferved. And here, inftead of our own righteoufnefs, we have the righteoufnefs of God; inftead of being righteous in ourfelves before God, he is "the LORD our Righteoufnefs:" and nothing but a righteoufnefs of another kind and nature unto Juftification before God, could conftitute another covenant. Wherefore, the righteoufnefs, whereby we are juftified, is the righteousness of Chrift imputed to us, or we are ftill under the law, under the covenant of works. CHAP. |