justify the wicked for reward, (Isaiah v. 22, 23.) but does not God rather pronounce a blessing than a woe on him who converteth a sinner from the error of his ways? (James v. 19, 20.)

Hence we conclude that justification is being accounted just, and not being made holy. In the case of fallen man, therefore, to be justified before Almighty God, is to be approved of him as free from the guilt of sin and its deserved punishment, and as having that righteousness which entitles to the reward of life.'

But how can sinful man be just with the holy God? He will by no means acquit the guilty; his Law is holy, just, and good; it declares, The soul that sinneth it shall die. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them. A law necessarily requires perfect conformity to it, in order to our being justified by it: a single failure forfeits the blessing, and incurs the curse; but we have sinned. We are, therefore, under sentence of the death and the curse of the Law. The wrath of Almighty God is impending over us; how shall we escape?

The convinced sinner says, "I feel this; I am in this tremendous condition. I am under the load of guilt, I am impotent to fulfil even present duty, how, O how can I be justified?" It is a heart-thrilling question. Eternity depends upon it. Shall I attain the life of eternal bliss and glory, or sink to be the companion of accursed spirits in the dread regions of eternal woe. My brethren, it is not a mere topic of controversy, a subject only to manifest our skill and triumph over an adversary-it is our life or our death, our eternal life or our eternal death.

And here we must have, not man's word to support us, but God's word; the word of our Creator, our Governor, and our final Judge; that word which will stand when heaven and earth pass away-we must have not man's devices, but God's own wisdom to help us, or we sink, and that for ever.

Blessed, for ever blessed be our God, the Gospel reveals to us a satisfaction made to the divine justice by the death

1 See Jonathan Edwards' very able Discourse on Justification, in his Works. Vol. VI. p. 213-315.

of the only Son of God, and a righteousness for sinners, and reckoned1 theirs through faith in him. All those who believe the testimony of God concerning Christ Jesus

I The Greek term Aoyfoudi signifying to reckon, or impute, is used on the subject of Justification eleven times in one chapter. (Rom. iv.) See Barlow on Justification. The doctrine of imputed righteousness, through faith, is held by the great body of the Protestant Church, and is so expressly and repeatedly asserted in this chapter, that we see not how it is possible, believing the Scriptures, to refuse assent to the doctrine in general terms. Whatever may be the different modes of explaining the words of the apostle, it is clear that righteousness, without works, is counted, reckoned, or imputed by our God to all that believe; and it is not, therefore, our own proper righteousness by which we can be accepted before God, but the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe. What then is the divine righteousness? St. Paul says, by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous, and Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. St. Peter gives this as the general character of Christians, that they have obtained precious faith (ev) in the righteousness of God, even our Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter i. 1.) As Christ was made sin for us, so we are made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. v. 21.) Chrysostom's remarks on this (quoted by Hervey, in his letters to Mr. Wesley) are striking :-"What words can express, or what thoughts can conceive the greatness of these things; he made THE RIGHTEOUS ONE a sinner, that he might make wretched sinners righteous. This, though marvellously great, is not all. The word is not in the concrete, but in the abstract. He made the JUST ONE not a sinner, but sin, that we might be made not righteous only-but righteousness itself—yea the righteousness of God." The passages of Scripture, above quoted, seem to me, when taken together, to show that this divine righteousness is the righteousness of Christ, and to justify the phrase of "the righteousness of Christ imputed to us," a phrase which has been long used by our oldest and best Divines. Bishop Barlow remarks, (p. 47) that faith is sometimes put for the object of faith, and that" when St. Paul speaks of our Justification before God, and says, that faith is accounted for righteousness, Rom. iv. 5. and that righteousness is imputed by God, Rom. iv. 6; by faith here its object, Christ Jesus, his sufferings and satisfaction is, and must be intended, for he is our righteousness which God imputes and makes ours. 1 Cor. i. 30." It is not necessary, however, to put a construction on the words of the Apostle that appears forced, however substantially true, in order to maintain this doctrine. Faith is counted for righteousness, because it receives Christ, and with him his righteousness, and every other good; and it is rather named than Christ, to show the way of our receiving the blessing. Our Lord frequently ascribed that to faith, which more directly belongs to himself, that faith might be honoured and encouraged, that its necessity might be made prominent, and men might be directed how to obtain the benefit. Thus he says, Thy faith hath made thee whole, not I have made thee whole; Thy faith hath saved thee, not I have saved thee. Christ notices not his own power and grace, but the faith of the applicant, and thus teaches his hearers a twofold lesson; showing them, not only that he is the giver of the blessing, but that faith is the

are now then, according to the sentence and infallible declaration of the Divine word, already justified in the sight of God.

The true meaning of that faith which justifies must now also be cleared. St. James plainly demonstrates that it is not a dead faith, unproductive of obedience, nor a vain profession of our belief. The faith which

means of their receiving it. His own honour is secured; for it is the very property of faith in him, to give all the glory to his name.

We would not wish to retain a particular phrase, however sanctioned by time, when it is not literally found in the Scriptures, did we not fear to lose the doctrine with the phrase. It may be pushed beyond a just use, it may be made the occasion of introducing fanciful ideas and unscriptural distinctions, it may be abused by unsound inferences to antinomian principles; but, on the other hand, in opposing, or in relinquishing such terms, which have so scriptural a foundation, we may introduce self-righteous views, and deprive the believer of the comfort of the completeness of his salvation in Christ, and of a part of the practical influence and blessing of a Scriptural doctrine. We confess our fears are greater on this head than any fears that, by retaining a phrase which justly interpreted contains a most important and invaluable truth, a door should be opened to abuse. The very term impute, indeed, might help to guard us against the error of supposing that we are really righteous, otherwise than as God gives us the benefit and advantages of Christ's obedience unto death. We have thus stated our views, on a point, on which sound Protestants have differed in the mode of expression, but not really differed in the result. All such Protestants agree that the beneficial consequences of the life and death of our Divine Redeemer in our free Justification before God, and in every other spiritual good, are made over to us through faith in him.-The whole of what we would plead for is contained in the close of the first part of the Homily on Salvation, supposed to be written by Archbishop Cranmer,-" Our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God; and of so great and free mercy, that whereas all the world was not able of themselves to pay any part towards their ransom; it pleased our Heavenly Father of his infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the Law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him. He for them paid the ransom by his death. He for them fulfilled the Law in his life. So that now in him, and by him, every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law; for as much as that which their infirmity lacked, Christ's justice (i. e. righteousness) hath supplied."-Bishop Davenant ably maintains the doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ against the Romanists. See his Prælectiones, ch. xxiv. to xxix. See also Dr. Owen's Treatise on Justification, ch. x, xi, xii. for a defence of the doctrine against the arguments of both Socinians and Romanists. Andrew Fuller well guards this doctrine against Antinomian perversion. See his Works, vol. iv. 82-98. vol. v. 149-153. vol. vii. 401-453.

justifies implies a real acknowledgment of those truths which are connected with the mediation of Christ-such as the holiness, goodness, and justice of the divine Law, our guilt and unworthiness, our total ruin, the tremendous evil of sin, the divine equity in our condemnation, the impossibility of help in ourselves, and of salvation by our own goodness; and these things being acknowledged and felt through the operation of the Holy Ghost, it is believing the divine record concerning Christ (1 John v. 9-12.); such a belief as leads us to trust in, and wholly rely upon him as the only and complete Saviour, and to live to his glory. It is a lively faith in Christ, receiving him in all his offices, trusting in his death, and fruitful in love and good works. This faith is the gift of God, and the fruit of the quickening and regenerating Spirit of Christ Jesus. (John i. 12, 13; vi. 44. Eph. i. 19.) But, observe, it does not justify as a virtue, or as the parent of every virtue, but it justifies as it forsakes and gives up all hope in our own goodness, and our own virtues, receives the only Saviour, and connects the soul with him who was made sin for us-that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, (2 Cor. v.21.) according to that declaration, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

We will now endeavour more fully to establish the doctrine of our justification before God by faith in Christ, from the Holy Scriptures.

It would not be difficult to establish it by the concessions of the Romanists themselves;1 even Bellarmine, who was so earnest a defender of justification by works, is said, upon second and more serious thoughts, to have said, "On account of the uncertainty of the present life, it is most safe to rely on Christ alone." It would be easy to prove this doctrine by multiplied testimonies of the Fathers, but the time is too short, and if I had

1 Some concessions of the Romanists are stated by Dr. James in his Manuduction to Divinity. 4to. 1625.-Bishop Hall brings forward sound statements on Justification from Cassander, and Aquinas.-See Hall's Works, vol. ix. p. 45.

2 See the quotation in Barlow, on Justification, page 63.

3 Many of these are collected in the Corpus Confessionum, p. 107130. Willet's Synopsis Papismi, p. 993-1010. Hall's Works, vol. ix. 45, 46. 240, 241. Birckbeck has gathered together testimonies from the Fathers and others, under each century, for fifteen centuries, against the

more time I would not do it. We wish your faith to stand not in the word of man, but in the word of God.

There are two Epistles, that to the Romans and that to the Galatians, the scope of both of which is to confirm the doctrine of our free justification by faith in Christ.

In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle first proves the sinfulness of man, of every man without exception; for he asserts every mouth must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. The law of nature leaves the Gentile without excuse, the law given by Moses leaves the Jew condemned. Thus St. Paul says, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. So far from the law helping, it only discovers our sin.

The Apostle then shows that divine method by which alone sinners can be justified. But now the righteousness of God, without the law, is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets-observe his clear definition of it, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, (observe the reduplication of the expression denoting the freedom of justification,) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set

corruptions of the Romanists on this and other points in difference between them and the Protestants. See Birckbeck's Protestant's Evidence. The testimony of Clement in the first century is unequivocal and decisive. "We also, being called by the same will in Christ Jesus are not justified by ourselves, neither by our own wisdom, or knowledge, or piety, or the works which we have done in the holiness of our hearts, but by that faith by which God Almighty has justified all men from the beginning; to whom be glory for ever and ever."-See Wake's Epistles of the Apostolical Fathers, p. 184. On some of the principal errors of Romanism which Bishop Jewell enumerates, he asserts that for 600 years not one sufficient authority of any old Catholic Doctor, or Father, or General Council, or one example of the Primitive Church could be produced.-See his Works, vol. i. p. 58. He nobly maintained this assertion in his defence of his Apology. Justification was however soon much obscured and confounded with inherent righteousness, and thus primitive simplicity and piety decayed. See Milner's Works, vol. viii. 406-424.

1 Daille's Treatise on the Use of the Fathers, and Dr. Whitby's on their interpretation of Scripture, show how little we can build on their judgment.