EVANGELICAL PERSONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. 69. either the Law or the Gopel; but neither of these. charges the true believer with unbelief, hypocrify, or the like. "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" If Satan, the world, or others do, this, righteoufness is pleadable againft it. But what is, charged before God, is charged by God himfelf, either by the Law or the Gofpel; if by the Law, by the law we must be juftified: but the plea of fincere obedience will not fatisfy the law; it demands perfect obedience. And where the Gospel exhibits a charge against any before God, there can be no Juftification before God, for what can justify him whom the Gospel

condemns ?

3. This pretended Juftification is altogether needlefs and useless. Let that be confidered, which has already been fpoken concerning our Juftification by the blood of Chrift, and it will appear, that there is no place nor ufe for this, neither antecedent and fubordinate thereto, nor confequential and perfective thereof.

4. It agrees with no fcriptural account of Juftification. Juftification by the Law is this-" The man "who doth all the works of it shall live in them;" but this is not pretended and as to evangelical Juftification, it is entirely contrary to it; for therein the charge against the perfon to be juftified is true-" He hath finned, and come fhort of the glory of God:" in this, the charge is falfe, namely, that a believer is an unbeliever a fincere perfon, an hypocrite, &c.; and this falfe charge is fuppofed to be exhibited in the name of God and before him. In true Juftification, our acquittal is by abfolution of fin; here, by vindication of our own righteousness: there, the plea is, Guilty; here, Not guilty but this is a plea which the law will not admit, and which the Gofpel difclaims.

:

5. If we are juftified before God by our own perfonal righteoufnefs, then "God enters into judgment with us" on fomething in ourselves, and acquits us

thereon,

thereon, which neither did the Pfalmift *, nor the Pub licant believe. Befides, God juftifieth the ungodly, and imputeth righteoufnefs to him that worketh not." "Perfonal righteoufnefs," and "our own righteoufnefs," are equivalent terms; and our own righteousness is unmeet to be the material caufe of our Juftification ‡, and is directly oppofed to the righteoufnefs whereby we are justified, and expressly excluded as inconfiftent with it unto that end ||.—§

A few words may fuffice, with refpect to what is

called

SENTENTIAL JUSTIFICATION at the day of Judgment; for of whatever nature it be, the perfon concerning whom that fentence is pronounced, was actually and completely justified before God in this world; and was made a partaker of all the benefits of that Juftification, even to a bleffed refurrection . Besides, the fouls of the most will long before have enjoyed a blessed rest : with God; abfolutely acquitted from all their fins, and difcharged from all their labours: nothing remaining but an actual admiffion of their whole perfons into eternal glory. Wherefore this judgment need not be reduced

* Pf. cxxx. 2, 3.

Pf.

Ifa. liv. 6.

cxliii. 2. + Luke xviii. || Phil. iii. 9. Rom. x. 3, 4. Eph. ii. 7, 8. § If it be faid, that our own righteoufnefs is the righteousness of the Law, but this is evangelical;" I answer, (1.) It will be hard to prove, that it is any other than "our own righteousness," which is exprefsly rejected, Phil. iii. 9, &c. (2.) That Righteousness, which is evangelical, in respect of its efficient caufe, motives and ends, is legal in refpect of the formal reafon of it, and our obligation to it; for there is no inftance of duty belonging to it, to which we are not obliged by the first commandment-acknowledging therein his effential verity and fovereign authority, we are bound to believe all he shall reveal, and to obey all he shall cominand. (3) The good works rejected from any intereft in our Juftification, are thofe unto which we are created in Christ Jefus, Eph. ii. 8, 9. Tit. iii. 5. works in which the Gentiles are concerned, who never fought for righteousness by the works of the law, Rom. ix. 30.

¶I Cor. xv.

reduced to a new Jftification, but confidered as merely declaratory, to the glory of God, and the everlasting refreshment of believers. The defign of that folemn judgment, in the manifeftation of the wifdom and righteoufnefs of God in appointing falvation by Jefus Christ, as well as in giving the Law-the public conviction of those who have tranfgreffed the law, and defpifed the Gofpei-the vindication of the righteouf ness, power, and wisdom of God, in the rule of the world by his providence-the glory and honour of Chrift triumphant over all his enemies; and the glorious exaltation of grace in all who believe, is fufficiently manifeft.

And hence it appears, how little force there is in that argument, which fome pretend to be fo weighty : "As every one, fay they, fhall be judged of God at "the last day, in the fame manner is he justified in "this life. But by works and not by faith alone, fhall

every one be judged at the last day. Wherefore, by "works, and not by faith only, is every one juftified "before God in this life." For,

1. It is no where faid, that we shall be judged at the laft day (ex operibus) for our works, but that God will render to men (fecundum opera) according to their works. But God doth not justify any in this life cording to their works ;" we are juftified

"" ac

freely by

his grace," and "not according to works of righteoufnefs which we have done :" We are juftified in this life, by faith, (ex fide, per fidem), not for our faith (propter fidem), nor according to our faith (fecundum fidem); and we are not to depart from the expreffions of Scripture, where such a difference is conftantly observed.

2. It is fomewhat ftrange, that a man fhould be judged at the last day, and justified in this life, exactly in the fame way; that is, with refpect to faith and works, when the Scripture conftantly afcribes our Juf

tification

." and

tification before God to " faith, without works ;" the judgment at the last day is faid to be "according to works," without any mention of faith.

3. In our prefent Juftification by faith, Chrift is considered as our Propitiation and Advocate; but at the laft day only as our Judge.

4. The end of God in our Juftification, is the glory of his grace; but in the laft judgment, the glory of his remunerative righteousness *.

5. The reprefentation made of the final judgment, in Matt. vii. and xxv. is only that of the vifible church; in which the plea of faith, as to the profeffion of it, is common to all. Upon that plea, it is put to the trial, whether it were true faith, or only that which was dead and barren; and this trial is made folely by the fruits and effects of it; and otherwife in the public declaration of things to all, it cannot be made: In no other way does the faith whereby we are juftified come into judgment at that day .

CHA P. VII.

Imputation, the Nature of it; with the Imputation of the Righteoufnefs of Chrift in particular.

HE first exprefs record of the Juftification of any

THE

finner is of Abraham. Others, doubtless, were from the beginning juftified; but this prerogative was reserved for the father of the faithful," that his Juftification, and the manner of it, thould be firft entered on the facred record. He believed in the Lord, and it was counted (or imputed) to him for righteousness ‡. "Now it was not written for his fake alone, that it "was imputed to him; but for us alfo, to whom it

*

Eph. i. 6. 2 Tim. iv. 8.

fhall

John v. 24. Mark xvi. 16.

Gen. xvi. 6.

"fhall be imputed, if we believe." Wherefore, the first express declaration of the nature of Juftification in the Scripture affirms it to be by imputation-the imputation of fomewhat unto righteoufnefs; and this inftance is recorded as the precedent or example of all who shall be justified.

Under the New Testament, there was a neceffity of a more full and clear declaration of the doctrine of it; for it is one of the principal parts of that mystery of truth, which was to be brought to light by the Gospel. And, befides, there was from the firft a ftrong and dangerous oppofition made to it. The doctrine of Juftification was that on which the Jewish church broke off from God, refufed Chrift and the Gospel, perifhing in their fins +: and, in like manner, an oppofition to it ever was and ever will be a principle and cause of the apoftafy of any profeffing church, as it was among the Galatians. But in this state the doctrine was fully proved and vindicated by the apostle Paul: and this he did, by proving, that the righteoufnefs whereby we are juftified becomes ours by imputation.

But yet, although the first recorded inftance of Juftification is expreffed by imputation; and the doctrine of it, in that great cafe wherein the welfare or ruin of the Jewish church was concerned, is fo expreffed by the Apostle; yet has it fo fallen out in our days, that nothing in religion is more despised and reproached than an imputed righteousness.—A putative righteousness-the Jhadow of a dream—a fancy—a mummery—an imagination, say some among us ‡.

However, the importance of this doctrine, whether true or falfe, is on all hands acknowledged. It is not a dispute about terms and speculations, in which chriftian practice is little concerned, but fuch as has an im mediate influence into our whole prefent duty and eter

*Rom. iv. 23, 24. † Rom. ix. 30. and x. 3, 4. An opinion, faith Socinus, fæda, execranda, pernitiofa,, deteftanda.