after a righteousness of their own, by duties of obedience to the law of God, than to imagine they could gain acceptance with God by faith in another. For tell them, and fuch as they, what you please, if they have not a righteousness of their own, which they can fet upon its legs, and "make to ftand" before God, the law will not be accomplished, and fo will condemn them. To demolish this laft fort of unbelief, the Apostle grants that the law must have its end, and be completely fulfilled, or we cannot appear as righteous before God; and he alfo fhews how this is to be done, and where alone it is to be fought after. "For Christ, faith he, is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," ver. 4. The matter in queftion is-A righteousness unto Juftification before God; and this is the righteoufnefs which the law requires. The law is the rale of righteoufnefs; God's prescription of a righteoufnefs; he looks for no other; and that we fhould be righteous herewith was the original end of the law. (Its other ends, at prefent, of conviction of fin, and condemning for it, are accidental to its primitive conftitution.) This righteoufnefs, then, the Jews fought after by their own perfonal performance of its works and duties; but, with their utmost endeavours, they could never fulfil this righteousness, nor attain this end of the law, which yet, if men do not, they muft perish for ever. Wherefore the Apostle declares, that this is done another way; that the righteousness of the law is fulfilled, and its end, as to a righteoufnefs before God, attained; and that this is in and by Chrift: for what the law required, that he accomplished, which is accounted to every one that believes. The law demands a righteousness of us; the accomplishment of this is the end at which it aims, and which is neceffary to our Justification before God. This is e not not to be attained by any works of our own but Chrift is this for us, and to us; which, how he is, or can be, but by the imputation of his obedience in the accomplishment of the law, I cannot understand, nor does the Apostle declare. The way whereby we attain to this end of the law, is by faith alone; for Chrift is the end of the law to every one that believeth. To mix any thing with faith herein, as it is repugnant to the nature of faith and works, with respect to their fitness for the attaining a righteousness, fo it is as directly contrary to the exprefs defign and words of the Apoftle as any thing that can be invented. Let men please themselves with their distinctions, cavils, objections, and feigned confequences; here I shall for ever defire to fix my foul, and herein to acquiefce ; namely, "That Chrift is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." СНАР. XX. Teftimonies from the Epiftles of St. Paul, continued. 1 CORINTHIANS I. 30. UT of him are ye in Christ Jefus, who of God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption." The defign of the Apoftle in thefe words is to shew that whatever is needful for us, in order that we may please God, live unto him, and attain the enjoyment of him, that we have in and by Jefus Chrift. This, on the part of God, is from mere, free and fovereign grace *; he is the principal efficient cause; and the ef * Ver. 26, 27, 28, 29. fect fect is, that we are in Chrift Jefus; that is, engrafted into him, or united to him, as members of his mystical body, which is the conftant fense of that expreffion in Scripture. The benefits which we hereby receive, are enumerated in the following words. But first, the way whereby we are made partakers of them is declared"who, of God, is made unto us wifdom," &c. that is, it is fo ordained of God that Chrift fhould be all this unto us-it is a special ordinance and inftitution of fovereign grace and wifdom, that Chrift fhould be all this unto us and for us. Having no righteousness of our own, he is appointed of God to be our righteoufnefs, and is made fo unto us ; which cannot be but that his righteousness is made ours; for he is made it unto us, fo that all boafting should be utterly excluded, and "that he that glorieth, fhould glory in the Lord,” ver. 29, 31. Now there is a way of being righte ous, which admits of glorying *, and does not exclude boafting; and fo it must be, if righteousness be inherent in us; but Chrift is so made righteoufnefs unto us, that all boafting and glorying on our part, is excluded, and for that very end, that it fhould be excluded; and this can only be by the imputation of his righteoufnefs to us for thereby is the grace of God, the honour of his perfon and mediation exalted, and all occafion of glorying in ourselves cut off. We defire no more from this teftimony, but that, as we are in ourfelves deftitute of all righteoufnefs in the fight of God, Christ is, by a gracious act of divine imputation, made righteousness unto us, in fuch a way, that all our glorying ought to be in the grace of God, and the righteousness of Christ ‡. 2 CO. Bellarmine fays, that "Chrift is our righteousness, because he is "the efficient cause of it, as God is faid to be our frength." I answer: He is the efficient caufe of our perfonal inherent righteoufnefs, but that is our Sanctification; and is here diftinguished from the righteousnefs of Chrift imputed to us for Juftification. Socinus 2 CORINTH. V. 21. THE truth pleaded for is yet more emphatically expreffed. For he hath made him to be fin for us, who knew no fin, that we might be made the righte ousness of God in him." To display the greatness of the grace of God in our reconciliation by Christ, he describes him, " as he who knew no fin." He knew the nature of fin, and he knew experimentally the effects of it in his fufferings; but he knew it not-that is, was most remote from it, as to its commission or guilt-" he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth"-" he was holy, harmle ́s, undefiled, feparate from finners." There is an emphafis in this mode of expreffion, and those who desire to learn the excellency of the grace of God herein, will not neglect it. "He hath made him to be fin"-that is, fay many expofitors, a facrifice for fin; I fhall not contend about this expofition, becaufe that which is fignified in it is according to truth; but there is a more proper figni us, fication Socinus objects, "That if Christ be faid to be made righteousness "unto us, because his rightecufnefs is imputed to us; then is he "faid to be made Wisdom to us, because his wisdom is so imputed; and "fo of his Sanctification; yea, he must be redeemed for and his Redemption alfo be imputed," &c. I anfwer: Chrift is not made all these things to us in the fame way and manner; they are fo different in their nature, that it is impoffible he should be fo. He is made Sanctification to us, in that by his Spirit and grace we are freely fanctified; but he cannot be faid to be made redemption to us, in that by his Spirit and grace we are freely redeemed; and if he be faid to be made righteoufnefs unto us, becaufe by his Spirit and grace he works inherent righteoufnefs in us, then it is the fame with his being made Sanctification to us. And this is not at all the way whereby Christ was made redemption to us; for this being a thing external, it can only be by the imputation to us of what he did, that we might be redeemed; and not that he was redeemed for us, as he childishly cavils. fication of the word, Sin (apapria), being put for a Sinner (aμaftwλos), that is, passively, not actively; not by inhefion, but imputation; for this the phrafe of fpeech and the force of the antithefis seem to require. And if this was the interpretation of the Greek Scholiafts, as Efthius and others affirm, Luther was not the first, who afferted, "That Chrift was made the greatest "finner ;" namely, by imputation. But we fhall allow the former expofition, provided that the true notion of a fin-offering, or expiatory facrifice be admitted. * "the But, how did God make him to be fin?" He hath made him to be fin;" fo that an act of God is intended; and this is elfewhere expreffed by his laying all our iniquities upon him," or, "caufing them to meet on him ;" and this was the imputation of our fins unto him, as the fins of the people were put on head of the goat," that they should be no more theirs, but his; fo as that he was to carry them away from them. Take fin in either of the fenfes juft mentioned, either of a facrifice for fin, or, a finner, and the imputation of the guilt of fin, antecedently to the punishment of it, and in order thereto, must be understood. In every facrifice for fin, he that brought it, put his hand on the head of it, denoting an impofition of fin, or transfer of guilt unto it ; nor could any fin-offering be made without it. And if the word be taken in the fecond fenfe, namely, for a finner; that also is by imputation; for none can be denominated a finner from mere fuffering. Some affirm, that "fin was imputed to him as to punishment," which is indeed to fay, that the guilt of fin was imputed to him, for the guilt of fin is its respect unto punishment; and that any one should be punished for fin, without the imputation of the guilt of it to him, is impoffible; and were it poffible, would be unjuft. A perfon may fuffer on the occafion of the fin of another, that is no way made Q3 * Ifa, liii. 6. . † Lev. i, 4. and 16, 21. |