and fuch things are ours, which are really fo; and this is an act of justice: whereas the imputation of righteouf nefs, mentioned by the Apostle, is of mere grace; and therefore these two forts of imputation are abfolutely inconsistent. See Rom. xi. 6.

3. But in one respect they both agree; for whatever is imputed to us, is imputed for what it is, and not for what it is not. If it be a perfect righteoufne/s that is imputed to us, fo it is esteemed, and we are dealt with as poffeffed of a perfect righteoufnefs; and if it be an imperfect righteoufnefs that is imputed, we must be dealt with accordingly. And therefore as our inherent righteousness is imperfect, if that be imputed to us, we cannot be accepted on account of it, as perfectly righteous, without an error in judgment.

4. Hence, then, the true nature of that imputation, which we plead for, is manifeft; and that both negatively and pofitively.

It is not adjudging them to be righteous, who really are not fo. The clamour of the Papifts, and others, is a mere effect of ignorance or malice, who cry out, that we affirm God to esteem them to be righteous who are wicked. But this falls heavily on thofe, who maintain that we are justified by our own inherent righteoufnefs; for then a man is judged righteous who is not fo.

Nor is it a naked pronunciation of any one to be righteous without a juft foundation for the judgment of God therein declared. God declares no man to be righteous but he who is fo; the whole queftion being, how he becomes righteous.

Nor is it the transfufion of the righteoufnefs of another into him who is juftified, fo that it fhould become his fubjectively, which is impoffible. But it is a great mistake on the other hand, to say that therefore the righteousness of one can no way be made the righte

oufnefs

oufnefs of another, which is to deny all imputation. Wherefore, pofitively,

This imputation is an act of God's free grace, whereby, on confideration of the mediation of Chrift, he makes an effectual grant of a true, real, perfect righteousness; even that of Chrift himself, unto all who believe; and accounting it as theirs, on his own gracious act, abfolves them from fin, and grants them right and title to eternal lifɛ.

In this imputation, the thing itself is firft imputed to us, and not any of its effects; but they are made ours by virtue of that imputation. To fay that the righteoufnefs of Chrift is imputed to us only as to its effects, is to fay, we have the benefit of them, and no more; but imputation itself is denied *. The effects of the righteoufnefs of Chrift cannot properly be faid to be imputed to us; for inftance, pardon of fin is a great effect of the righteoufnefs of Chrift; our fins are pardoned on account thereof; God for Chrift's fake forgiveth us all our fins: but the pardon of fin cannot be faid to be imputed to us, nor is it fo. Adoption, Juftification, Peace with God, all Grace and Glory, are effects of the righteoufnefs of Chrift; but that they are not imputed to us, nor can be so, is evident from their nature: but we are made partakers of them all on account of the imputation of the righte oufnefs of Chrift unto us, and no otherwife.

CHAP.

So fay the Socinians, who know well enough, and ingenuously grant, that they overthrow all true imputation by it. The effects of the righteoufnefs of Chrift cannot properly be faid to be imputed to us, if his righteou nefs itself be not imputed. And the Socinians, who deny the imputation of Chrift's righteoufnefs, and plead only for a participation of its effects, do wifely deny fuch a kind of righteoufnefs of Chrift, namely, of his fatisfaction and merit, as alone may be imputed to us.

CHA P. VIII.

Imputation of the Sins of the Church unto Chrift. Grounds of it. The Nature of his Suretifhip. Caufes of the New Covenant. Chrift and the Church one

myftical Perfon; Confequents thereof.

THOS

HOSE who believe the Imputation of the Righteoufness of Chrift to believers for the Juftification of life, unanimously profefs, that the fins of all believers were imputed to Chrift.

The principal foundation hereof is, that Chrift and the Church, in this defign, were one myftical perfon; which state they actually coalefce in, through the uniting efficacy of the Holy Spirit. He is the bead, and believers are the members of that one perfon, as the Apofile declares, 1 Cor. xii. 12. Hence, as what he did is imputed to them, as if done by them; so what they deserved, on account of fin, was charged upon him*.

And

* The ancients exprefs themfelves in the fame manner." We "hear the voice of the body from the mouth of the head. The "Church fuffered in him, when he fuffered for the Church; as he "fuffers in the Church, when the Church fuffereth for him: for

as we have heard the voice of the Chuch in Chrift fuffering-My "God, my Lord, why haft thou forfaken me? fo we have heard the "voice of Chrift in the Church fuffering-Saul, Saul, why perfe"cuteft thou me?" Augustine, Epift. 120. ad Honoratum.

So Cyprian fpeaks: "He bare us," or fuffered in our perfon, "when he bare our fins."--Eufebius applies those words of the Pfalmist to Chrift; "Heal my foul, for I have finned against thee:" "be"caufe (faith he) he took of our fins to himself; communicated our "fins to himself, making them his own. How then did he make our "fins to be his own, and how did he bear our iniquities? Is it not "from thence, that we are faid to be his body, as the Apostle fpeaks? "You are the body of Chrift, and members, for your part, or of one "another; and, as when one member fuffers, all the members do "fuffer; fo the many members, finning and suffering, He, accord

ing

And here it will be unneceffary for us critically to inquire, what a person is, and in what fenses that word may be used; or what is the true notion of a perfon, whether natural, legal, civil, or political; for Chrift and believers conftitute not any fuch perfon, as the laws and cuftoms of men acknowledge; they are one mystical perfon, of which there are only fome imperfect refemblances among men; and because of the weakness of our understanding, which is unable to comprehend the depth of heavenly myfteries, it is compared to various kinds of union: for inftance, that of a man and wife; not from thofe natural affections, which give them only a moral union, but from the extraction of the first woman from the flesh and bone of the first man. See Eph. v. 25, &c. where the Apostle declares, that, from the union thus represented, "we are members of his body, of his flesh and his bone," or have fuch a relation to him as Eve had to Adam. So it is compared to the union of the head and members of the fame natural body * ; and to a political union also between a ruling head and its political members; and fo alío to a vine and branches. It is declared also by the relation that was between Adam and his pofterity, by God's inftitution and the law of creation §. The Holy Ghoft, by fuch a variety of resemblances, fhews that this union cannot be reduced to any one of them; which will be more evident by confidering the causes of it.

The first spring or caufe of this union, lieth in the eternal compact, that was between the Father and the Son

-

"ing to the laws of sympathy in the fame body, took their forrows on "him -For what was he, but a fubftitute for us? A price of re"demption for our fouls? In our perfon therefore the Oracle speaks"whilst freely uniting himself unto us, and us unto himself, and "making our fins his own, I have faid, Lord, be merciful unto me; "heal my foul, for I have finned against thee."

* 1 Cor. xii. 12. † Eph. iv. 15, John xv. 1. Rom. v. 12. &c.

Son concerning the recovery of fallen man; wherein, the affumption of our nature, (the foundation of this union) was defigned. In this human nature he was predeftinated unto grace and glory; both that which was peculiar to himself, and that which was to be communicated through him to the church. Of the first fort was the grace of perfonal union, that fingle effect of divine wisdom, of which there is no fhadow or resemblance in the whole creation: full of grace and truth: and this includes all his perfonal glory, power, authority, and majefty, as mediator at the right hand of God.

But he was thus predeftinated also with respect to that grace and glory which in him and by him was to be communicated to the Church. (1.) As the pattern and exemplary caufe of our predeftination: for we are "predeftinated to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, that he might be the first born among many brethren +." (2.) As the means of communicating all spiritual bleffings, grace and glory to us, who are chofen in him ‡. (3.) He was thus foreordained, as the head of the Church; it being the defign of God to gather all things into a head in him §. (4.) All the elect of God were, in his eternal purpose and covenant, committed to him, to be delivered from the law, fin, and death, and to be brought to the enjoyment of God: "Thine they were, and thou gavest them unto me." (5.) In the profecution of this defign, in the fulness of time, he took upon him our nature, and took it into perfonal fubfiftence with himself. The special relation, that enfued hereon, between him and his people, is declared at large, Heb. ii. 10-17. (6.) On these foundations he undertook to be the SURETY OF THE NEW COVENANT, Heb. vii. 22. Jefus was made a furety of a better teftament." This, alone, of all the fundamental confiderations of the imputation of our

fins

* 1 Pet. i. 20. † Rom. viii. 29. Eph. i. 3-5 § Eph. i. 10. John xvii. 6.