II. It is objected" That the imputation of the "righteoufnefs of Chrift overthroweth all neceffity of repentance for fin, in order to the pardon of it; for "if Chrift fatisfied for all our fins, and paid all our "debts, and his righteoufnefs be made ours before we repent, then is all repentance needlefs *.”

Anfwer. 1. We require evangelical faith, in order of nature, antecedently to our Juftification; and whatever is neceffary thereto, is in like manner required; among which is forrow for fin, and a repentance of it: for whoever is truly convinced of fin, as to its evil nature and dreadful confequences, cannot but be perplexed in his mind, that he hath involved himfelf therein; and this will be accompanied with fhame, fear, and for

Hence arife refolutions, and fincere endeavours. to abftain from fin, and reform the life. This is ufually called legal repentance; becaufe its motives are taken chiefly from the law. There is alfo required unto it, that temporary faith of the Gospel, before defcrib, ed; and as it doth usually produce great effects in con, feffion of fin, humiliation for it, and change of life, as. in Ahab and the Ninevites; fo, ordinarily, it precedeth true faving faith and Juftification thereby. The neceffity, therefore, of repentance is not weakened by our doctrine, but ftrengthened; for without it, in the order of the Gospel, an intereft in the righteoufnefs of Christ cannot be attained.

2. Juftifying faith includes, in its nature, the entire principle of evangelical repentance; fo that it is utterly impoffible that a man fhould be a true believer, and not at the fame inftant be truly penitent and therefore are they fo frequently joined in Scripture as one fimultaneous duty: Yea, the call of the Gofpel unto repentance, is a call to faith, acting itself by repentance. The fole reafon of that call to repentance, to which the forgiveness of fins is annexed, (Acts ii. 38.) is the

*Socinus, in ibid.

ver. 39.

the proposal of the promise, which is the object of faith, And thofe conceptions and affections which a man hath about fin, upon a legal conviction, being enlivened and made evangelical by the introduction of faith, as a new principle of them, and giving new motives unto them, become evangelical: fo impoffible is it that faith fhould be without repentance.

3. It is granted, that Chrift, as our Surety, "fatis"fied for all our fins; paid all our debts; and that his "righteousness is really communicated to us :" but it does not hence follow, "that there is no need of repentance, all being done for us already." Muft we

affent to one part of the Gospel, to the exclusion of another? Was it not free to God to appoint what way, method, and order he pleafed, whereby these things fhould be communicated to us?

It was neceffary that this righteoufnefs of Chrift fhould be made ours in fuch a manner, as that God might be glorified therein; this was to be by faith. It was equally neceffary that our nature, which is corrupt and depraved, fhould be renewed and changed, in order to our partaking of the righteoufnefs of Chrift; and therefore, as faith, under the formal confideration of it, was neceffary to the first end; it was neceffary alfo, to the fecond end; that this faith fhould be accompanied with, and include in itself, the feeds of all thofe graces wherein that divine nature confists, whereof we are to be made partakers. Wherefore, although Chrift did, as a furety, make fatisfaction for all the fins of the church, and pay all their debts; yet the particular interest of every one in what he did and suffered, depends upon the way, means, and order appointed of God to that end. This alone gives the true neceffity of all the duties which are required of us, with their order and their ends.

III. It

III. It is objected, "That the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which we defend, overthrows "the neceflity of faith itself; for, on this fuppofition, fay they, the righteousness of Chrift is ours before we believe for Chrift fatisfied for all our fins, as if we had satisfied in our own perfons; and he who is "esteemed to have fatisfied for all his fins, in his own perfon, is acquitted from them all, and accounted juft, whether he believe or not; nor is there any "reason why he should be required to believe *.”

I answer, that the whole fallacy of this objection lies in oppofing one part of the defign of God's grace to another; or in taking one part of it for the whole, of which we before warned the reader: for it fuppofes that the fatisfaction of Christ must have its whole effe&t without believing on our part, which is contrary to Scripture. And, I fay,

1. When Chrift died for us, "God laid all our fins upon him ;"" he bare them all in his own body on the tree ;" and made a full fatisfaction for our fins.

2. Notwithstanding this plenary fatisfaction, all men continued to be born" Children of wrath ;” and whilft they believe not," the wrath of God abideth on them:" nor can any one be faid to have an intereft in it, antecedent to another act of God in its imputation to him.

3. That which Chrift paid for us, is as truly paid, as if we had paid it ourselves; but yet the act of God, in laying our fins on Chrift, conveyed to us no actual right to what he did and fuffered; becaufe God hath appointed something elfe, not only antecedently thereto, but as the means thereof, unto his own glory.

4. God hath appointed that there fhall be an immediate foundation, for the imputation of Christ's righteoufnefs

*Socinus, de Serv. lib. 4. cap. 2, 3, 4, 5. 1 Pet. ii. 24.

+ Ifa. liii. 6.

oufnefs to us, whereon we may be faid to have done and fuffered in him, what he did and fuffered in our ftead, by that grant, donation, and imputation of it unto us and this is our actual coalefcence into one myftical perfon with him by faith. Hereon the neceffity of faith originally depends: to which, if we add, the neceflity of it unto that fpecial glory of God, which he designs to exalt in our Juftification, and alfo to the ends of our obedience to him, its ftation is fufficiently fecured against all objections.

IV. It is objected, "That if the righteoufnefs of "Chrift be made ours, we may be faid to be Saviours of the world as he was; for he was a Saviour by his "righteousness." This, like the former, is a mere fophiftical cavil; for

The righteousness of Chrift is not inherently in us, as it was in him; or wrought by us, as it was by him; but only imputed to us, for our own individual benefit: and if it were inherently ours, yet we could not fave others thereby; the righteousness performed by Christ in the human nature, would not have been fufficient for the falvation of the church, had it not been the righ teousness of his person, who is both God and man; for "God redeemed the church with his own blood."

"

V. It is objected, "That if we infift on perfonal imputation to every believer of what Chrift did; or if "any believer be perfonally righteous in the very indi"vidual acts of Chrift's righteoufnefs, many abfurdities will follow."

Anf. I have never heard of any who have thus expreffed themselves; and therefore I am not concerned in their defence. And the objection feems to me to fuppofe not only that Chrift did every individual act required of us, but also that thofe acts are made our own inherently; which is falfe and impoffible. What we plead for is, That what Christ did and suffered, as

our furety, in anfwer to the law, for us, and in our ftead, is imputed to every believer; and this is fufficient to that end without any fuch fuppofals. (1.) From the dignity of his perfon. (2.) From the nature of his obedience, which was a perfect compliance with and fatisfaction to the whole law, in all its demands. (3.) From the conftitution of God; that what he did and suffered, as a public perfon, and our furety, fhould be reckoned to us as if done by ourfelves. But it does not therefore follow, that "God judgeth that we have "in our own persons done those very acts which Christ "did ;" for this would overthrow all imputation: nor does it follow, that "Chrift, in his own perfon, per"formed every individual act, which, in our own

circumftances, is required of us." This imputation ftands on other foundations. Nor does it follow, that every faved perfon's righteoufnefs before God "is the fame identically and numerically with Chrift's, "in his public capacity, as Mediator :" for this objection deftroys itself, by affirming, that, as it was his, it was the righteoufnefs of God-Man; and so hath a fpecial nature as it relates to his perfon: but there is a wide difference in the confideration of it, as his absolutely, and as made ours: his inherently; ours by imputation: his actively; ours passively; wrought in the perfon of God-Man for the whole church; imputed to each fingle believer, as to his own concernment only. Nor is there any abfurdity in the fuppofed confequence of our doctrine, that thus we fhall be accounted to have done, what was done long before we were in a

capacity of doing any thing:" for what is done for us, and in our ftead, before we are in any fuch capacity, may be imputed to us, as is the fin of Adam: and there is a manifold fenfe in which men may be faid to have done, what was done for them, and in their name, before their actual exiftence.

VI. It