stead, and accordingly to be made a sacrifice for sin. Now all this implies his having been made a surety for us. But on this point we particularly insisted elsewhere when speaking concerning Christ's satisfaction, which could not be explained without taking occasion to mention his being substituted in the room and stead of those for whom he paid a price of redemption; and we also considered the meaning of those scriptures which speak of his bearing our sins.'"

us.

3. We shall now proceed, then, to consider what Christ did as our surety, in his paying all that debt which the justice of God demanded from us, and which consisted in active and passive obedience. There was a debt of active obedience demanded of man as a creature; and upon his failing to pay it, when he sinned, it became an outstanding debt due from us, but such as could never be paid by God determines not to justify any, unless this outstanding debt be paid. Christ, as our surety, engages to take the payment of it on himself. While, too, this defect of obedience, together with all actual transgressions, which proceed from the corruption of our nature, render us guilty or liable to the stroke of vindictive justice, Christ, as our surety, undertakes to bear that also. This we generally call the imputation of our sin to Christ, the placing of our debt to his account, and the transferring to him of the debt of punishment which was due from us. On this account he is said to yield obedience, and suffer in our room and stead, or to perform active and passive obedience for us. These two ideas the apostle joins in one expression, when he says that he became obedient unto death.' But this having been insisted on elsewhere, under the head of Christ's satisfaction, where we not only showed that Christ performed active as well as passive obedience for us, but endeavoured to answer the objections which are generally brought against Christ's active obedience being part of that debt which he engaged to pay for us, we shall pass it by at present.-Again, that our sin and guilt was imputed to him, may be argued from his having been made a curse for us,' in order to his redeeming us from the curse of the law; from his having been made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him ;'a and from other scriptures which speak of him as suffering, though innocent,-punished for sin, though he was the Lamb of God without spot or blemish,-dealt with as guilty, though he had never contracted any guilt,—and made a sacrifice for sin, though sinless. These things could not have been done consistently with the justice of God, had not our sins been placed to his account, or imputed to him.-It is indeed a very difficult thing to convince some persons, how Christ could be charged with sin or have sin imputed to him, in consistency with the sinless purity of his nature. This some think to be no better than a contradiction; though it is agreeable to the scripture mode of speaking, as he was made sin for us,' and yet knew no sin.' When, however, we speak of sin being imputed to him, we are far from insinuating that he committed any acts of sin, or that his human nature was, in the least, inclined to or defiled by it. We choose, therefore, to use the scripture phrase, in which he is said to have 'borne our sins,' rather than to say that he was a sinner. Much less would I give countenance to the expression which some make use of, that he was the greatest sinner in the world; for I do not desire to apply a word to him, which is often taken in a sense not in the least applicable to the holy Jesus. We cannot be too cautious in our expressions, lest the most common sense in which we understand the greatest sinner' when applied to men, should give any one a wrong idea of him, as though he had committed sin, or were defiled with it. All we assert is, that he was charged with our sins when he suffered for them,-not with having committed them, but with the guilt of them, which, by his own consent, was imputed to him. For had it been otherwise, his sufferings could not have been a punishment for sin, nor could our sin have been expiated, or his sufferings have been the ground of our justification.

4. We are thus led to consider the reference which Christ's suretiship-righteousness has to our justification. This is generally styled its being imputed, which

u See Sect. The Reality of the Atonement,' under Quest. xliv.

y See Sect. The Nature of the Satisfaction required,' under Quest. xliv. a 2 Cor. v. 21.

b Ibid.

x Phil. ii. 8.

z Gal. iii. 13.

is a word very much used by those who plead for the scripture sense of the doctrine of justification, and as much opposed by those who deny it. We are obliged to defend the use of it; otherwise Christ's righteousness, how glorious soever it be in itself, would not avail for our justification.

Here it is necessary for us to explain what we mean by the imputation of Christ's righteousness. There are some who oppose this doctrine by calling it a putative righteousness, the shadow or appearance of what has no reality; or our being accounted what we are not, whereby a wrong judgment is passed on persons and things. We are not, however, to deny the doctrine because it is thus misrepresented, and thereby unfairly opposed. It is certain that there are words used in scripture and often applied to this doctrine, which, without any ambiguity or strain on the sense of them, may be translated to reckon,' 'to account,' or to place a thing done by another to our account, or as we express it, to impute.' This respects either what is done by us, or something done by another for us. Imputation in the former of these senses, our adversaries do not oppose. Thus, it is said, that 'Phinehas executed judgment, and it was counted unto him for righteousness, 'd that is, it was approved by God as a righteous action. This expression seems to obviate an objection which some might make against imputation. They might suppose that Phinehas did that which more properly belonged to the civil magistrate, or that his judicial act was done without a formal trial, and, it may be, too hastily. God, however, owns the action, and, in a way of approbation, places it to his account for righteousness, that it should be reckoned a righteous action throughout all generations. Again, sometimes that which is done by a person, is imputed to him or charged upon him so that he must answer for it, or suffer the punishment due to it. Thus Shimei says to David, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me;' that is, Do not charge upon me that sin which I committed, so as to put me to death for it, which thou mightest justly do.' And Stephen prays, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge; that is, impute it not to them, or inflict not the punishment on them which it deserves. No one can deny that what is done by a person himself may be placed to his own account; so that he may be rewarded or punished for it, or that it may be approved or disapproved. This, however, is not the sense in which we understand imputation, when speaking concerning the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us; for this supposes that what was done by another is placed to our account. This is the main thing which is denied by those who have other sentiments of the doctrine we are maintaining. They pretend that, for God to account Christ's righteousness ours, is to take a wrong estimate of things, to reckon that done by us which was not. This, they say, is contrary to the wisdom of God, who can, by no means, entertain any false ideas of things; and they add, that, if the action be reckoned ours, the character of the person performing it must also be applied to us,-which is to make us sharers in Christ's mediatorial office and glory. But this is the most perverse sense which can be put on the words, and a setting of this doctrine in such a light as no one takes it in who pleads for it. We do not suppose that God looks upon man with his all-seeing eye, as having done that which Christ did, or as sustaining the character which belonged to him in doing it. We are always reckoned by him as offenders, or as contracting guilt, and unable to do any thing which can make an atonement for it. Hence, what interest soever we have in what Christ did, is not reputed our action. God's imputing Christ's righteousness to us, is to be understood in a forensic sense; which is agreeable to the idea of a debt being paid by a surety. It is not supposed that the debtor paid the debt which the surety paid; yet the payment of it is placed to his account, or imputed to him as really as if he had made it himself. So what Christ did and suffered in our room and stead, is as much placed to our account as if we had done and suffered it ourselves; so that we are, in consequence, discharged from condemnation.

This is the sense in which we understand the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us; and it is agreeable to the account we have in scripture. Thus we are said to be made the righteousness of God in him;'s that is, the abstract being put

for the concrete, we are denominated and dealt with as righteous persons, acquitted and discharged from condemnation in virtue of what was done by him. Elsewhere, also, he is styled 'the Lord our righteousness.' The apostle, too, speaks of his 'having Christ's righteousness; that is, having it imputed to him, or having an interest in it, or being dealt with according to the tenor of it. In this respect, he opposes it to that righteousness which was in himself as the result of his own performances. Again, Christ is said to be made of God unto us righteousness;' that is, his fulfilling the law is placed to our account. Further, the apostle speaks of 'Christ being the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth;'i which is the same as what he asserts in other words elsewhere, concerning the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us, 'k who could not be justified by our own obedience to it, in that it was weak through the flesh,' or by reason of our fallen state. Christ, therefore, performed obedience for us, and accordingly God deals with us as if we had fulfilled the law in our own persons, inasmuch as it was fulfilled by him as our surety. This may farther be illustrated, by what we generally understand by Adam's sin being imputed to us, as one contrary may illustrate another. As sin and death entered into the world by the offence of one,' namely, the first Adam, in whom all have sinned; so by the righteousness of one, the free gift,' that is, eternal life, 'came upon all men,' namely, those who shall be saved, unto justification of life.' For this reason the apostle speaks of Adam as the figure of him that was to come. Now, as Adam's sin was imputed to us as our public head and representative, so that we are involved in the guilt of it, or fall in him; so Christ's righteousness is imputed to us, as he was our public head and surety. Accordingly, in the eye of the law, that which was done by him was the same as if it had been done by us; so that, as the effect and consequence of it, we are justified. This is what we call Christ's righteousness being imputed to us, or placed to our account; and it is very agreeable to the acceptation of the word, in dealings between man and man. When one has contracted a debt, and desires that it may be placed to the account of his surety, who undertakes for the payment of it, it is said to be imputed to him; and the debtor's consequent discharge is as valid as if he had paid it in his own person.

'm

Justification an Act of God's Free Grace.

We shall now consider justification as an act of God's free grace. This point is particularly insisted on in one of the Answers we are explaining. We are not to suppose, however, that our being justified by an act of grace, is opposed to our being justified on account of a full satisfaction made by our surety to the justice of God; in which respect we consider our discharge from condemnation as an act of justice. The debtor is, indeed, beholden to the grace of God for this privilege ; but the surety who paid the debt, had not the least abatement made, but was obliged to glorify the justice of God to the utmost, which accordingly he did. Yet, there are several things in which the grace of God is eminently displayed.

1. It is displayed in God's willingness to accept satisfaction from the hands of our surety. He might have demanded the satisfaction of ourselves. The debt which we had contracted was not of the same nature with pecuniary debts; in which case the creditor is obliged to accept payment, though the offer of it is made by another and not by him who contracted the debt. But, in debts of obedience to be performed or of punishment to be endured, he to whom satisfaction is to be given, must of his free choice accept one to be substituted in the room of him from whom the obedience or sufferings were originally due, otherwise the overture made, or what is done and suffered by the substitute, is not regarded, or available to procure a discharge for him in whose room he substituted himself. God might have exacted the debt of us, in our own persons; and then our condition would have been equally miserable with that of fallen angels, for whom no mediator was accepted, no more than provided.

2. The grace of God farther appears in having provided a surety for us. We 1 Chap. v. 18.

h Phil. iii. 9.

i Rom. x. 4.

k Chap. viii. 3, 4.

m Ver. 14.

could not have provided a surety for ourselves, nor have engaged Him to be so who was the only person that could bring about the great work of our redemption. The only creatures who are capable of performing perfect obedience are the holy angels. These, however, could not be our surety; for, as was formerly observed, whoever performs it must be incarnate, that he may be capable of paying, in some respects in kind, the debt which was due from us. He requires, therefore, to suffer death, and consequently to have a nature which is capable of dying. But this the angels had not, and could not have, but by the divine will. Besides, if God should have dispensed with that part of satisfaction which consists in subjection to death, and have declared that active obedience should be sufficient to procure our justification, the angels, though capable of performing active obedience, would, notwithstanding, have been defective in it; so that justice could not, in honour, have accepted it, any more than it could have dispensed with the obligation to perform obedience in general. It would not have been of infinite value; and it is the value of things which justice regards, and not merely the matter or perfection of them in other respects. Hence, the obedience must have had in it something infinitely valuable, else it could not have been accepted by God, as a price of redemption, in order to the procuring of our justification; and such an obedience could be performed by none but our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious author and procurer of this privilege. It was impossible for man to have found out this Mediator or surety. The appointment of him had its origin with God, and not with us. It is he who found a ransom, and laid help upon one that is mighty. This was the result of his will. Hence, our Saviour is represented as saying, Lo, I come to do thy will.'" That we could not, by any means, have found out this surety, or engaged him to have done that for us which was necessary for our justification, will evidently appear if we consider that, when man fell, the Son of God was not incarnate. Even if we allow that fallen man had some idea of a trinity of persons, in the unity of the divine essence, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that he had, since it was necessary that this doctrine should be revealed to him in order to his performing acceptable worship; yet, can any one suppose that man could have asked such a favour of a divine person, as to take his nature, and put himself in his room and stead, and expose himself to the curse of that law which he had violated? Such a thing could never have entered into his heart; yea, the very thought, if it had taken its rise from him, would have savoured of more presumption than had he entreated that God would pardon his sin without a satisfaction. But if he had supposed it possible for the Son of God to be incarnate, or had conjectured that there had been the least probability of his being willing to express this instance of condescending goodness, how could he have known that God would accept the payment of our debt at the hands of another, or commend his love to us who were such enemies to him, in not sparing him but delivering him up for us? If God's accepting a satisfaction, as well as the perfection or infinite value of it, be necessary in order to its taking effect; it is certain, man could not have known that he would have done it, for this was a matter of pure revelation. Moreover, should we suppose even this possible, or that man might have expected that God would be moved by entreaty to appoint and accept the satisfaction; yet such was the corruption, perverseness, and rebellion of man's nature as fallen, and so great was his inability to perform any act of worship, that he could not have addressed himself to God in a right manner, to entreat that he would admit of a surety. Besides, God cannot hear any prayer but that which is offered to him by faith; which supposes a Mediator, whose purchase and gift it is. Now, as the sinful creature could not plead with God by faith that he would send his Son to be a Mediator, how could he hope to obtain this blessing? It evidently follows, then, that, as man could not give satisfaction for himself, so he could not find out any one who could or would give it for him. Hence, the grace of God, in the provision which he has made of such a surety as his own Son, unasked for, unthought of, as well as undeserved, is very illustrious.

3. It was a very great display of grace in our Saviour, that he was pleased to

u Heb. x. 7.

consent to perform this work for us. Without his consent the justice of God could not have exacted the debt of him. He being perfectly innocent, could not be obliged to suffer punishment; and it would have been unjust in God to have inflicted it, had he not been willing to be charged with our guilt, and to stand in our room and stead. Though, too, he knew beforehand all the difficulties, sorrows, and temptations which he was to meet with in the discharge of this work, he was not discouraged from undertaking it. Nor was he unapprized of the character of those for whom he undertook it. He knew their rebellion and the guilt contracted by it, which rendered satisfaction necessary in order to their salvation. He knew also that they would, notwithstanding all the engagements he might lay on them to the contrary, discover the greatest ingratitude toward him; that, instead of improving so great a display of condescending goodness, they would neglect the great salvation when purchased by him; and that, in consequence, they would appear to be his greatest enemies, notwithstanding his friendship to them, unless he engaged not only to purchase redemption for them, but to apply it to them, and to work those graces in them whereby they might be enabled to give him the glory which is due to him for his great undertaking.

We are next led to consider the use of faith in justification, and how, notwithstanding what has been said concerning our being justified by Christ's righteousness, we may, in other respects, be said to be justified by faith; and also to show what this faith is, whereby we are justified. These subjects being particularly insisted on in the two following Answers, we proceed to consider them.

THE CONNECTION OF FAITH WITH JUSTIFICATION.

QUESTION LXXII. What is justifying Faith ?

ANSWER. Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner, by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself, and all other creatures, to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.

QUESTION LXXIII. How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?

ANSWER. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God; not because of those other graces which do always accompany it, or of good works that are the fruits of it; nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument, by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness.

As the latter of these Answers, in which faith is considered as that whereby a sinner is justified, seems better connected with what has been before insisted on in explaining the doctrine of justification, we choose to discuss it before discussing the former. In considering the account which it gives of justifying faith, there are two things which may be taken notice of. First, it is observed that, though there are other graces which always accompany faith and the good works which flow from it, none of these are said to justify a sinner in the sight of God. Next, we have a statement of how faith justifies, or what it is to be justified by faith.

Other Graces than Faith do not Justify.

We observe, then, that though there are other graces which always accompany faith and the good works which flow from it, none of these are said to justify a sinner in the sight of God. There is an inseparable connection between faith and all other graces; and, though it is distinguished, it is never separate from them. They are all considered as fruits of the Spirit.' The apostle reckons up several graces which are connected with faith and proceed from the same Spirit, such as 'love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance.' The

o Gal. v. 22, 23.