STRIC. certain, that in the former portion of the sentence, the parXI. ticle 'as,' or some word like it, must be understood; 'He made

κατάρα.

Gal. 3. 13.

γητος.

κατάρατος.

Him to be a sinner,' i. e. as a sinner; i. e. God the Father willed Christ to be treated as a sinner, and one most wicked, by undergoing the most ignominious death of the cross. So speak Chrysostom, Theophylact, Ecumenius, &c. Without doubt some ellipse or other figure must be understood in the passage; for it would be a fearful blasphemy to say that Christ, although most innocent, and free from all sin, nay, most holy too, was really held in the judgment and estimation of His Father, a sinner and wicked. Thus elsewhere Christ is said to have been made a 'curse for us;' where again is a twofold figure, for κατάρα is put for κατάρατος, and the particle és is understood. So that the sense is, Christ is treated as though He were accursed before God. Nothing worse than this could befal the most wicked man in this life, but execrable indeed were he who would teach à xó- that the 'Ever Blessed' Son of God was really in His Father's sight accursed.' 3rdly, it must be specially observed that the "righteousness of God" does not here mean the 'righteousness of Christ.' For the word 'God' in this passage, as in many other, is used peculiarly of God the Father, as distinct from Christ; and so since as we have said, "righteousness" is here put for 'righteous,' the words "that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him," i. e. in Christ, must be explained in this way,—that we might be made righteous before God, or that we might be accounted righteous of God for Christ's sake. This being taken for granted, it is plain that the passage must be thus explained; As Christ on account of us was made sin, or a sinner, so we for Christ's sake are made the righteousness of God, or righteous before God; i. e. as for our sins Christ has been treated by God as a sinner, although really He was free from sin; so we, on account of His righteousness and satisfaction, are treated by God as righteous, although really we are not perfectly righteous; to wit, our sins are forgiven us on our repentance, on account of Christ's sacrifice, and the right to eternal life is granted to us; so that this passage of the Apostle well confirms the Catholic doctrine of the satisfaction of Christ, while it cannot agree any way with

Scriptural meaning of "reconciliation."

85

XI.

τῆς καταλ

your doctrine of imputation. Lastly, I will add this above STRIC. all, that your exposition of this clause is altogether opposed to the preceding words of the Apostle, ver. 19. For there 2Cor.5.19. St. Paul speaks clearly of the reconciliation made by the death of Christ, and of the non-imputation of sin, which is given to the world without restriction; whence followed the universal covenant of grace and salvation, which he calls the word of reconciliation; this same he expressly rdv λóyov says had been committed or entrusted to him, and the λαγῆς. rest of the Apostles, to be announced to the world. The words are, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." The interpretation of those who here explain the world by the elect' (not to speak more harshly) is bold and rash, and wholly without precedent, neither can it be confirmed by any passage of Scripture where it is evident that the word is taken in that sense. The source of the error is this: that it seems strange to good men that it should be said of the whole world, that God has reconciled it with Himself, still more that He has not imputed sins to it. But there is but little weight of reason in this; for the reconciliation made by Christ's death is expressly attributed by this Apostle in other viz. Rom. places, even to the wicked, and men as yet strangers to a state of grace and salvation. For this reconciliation' means nothing else, than that Divine Justice has been so far satisfied by the death of Christ, that God is now not only inclined and ready, but, by a gracious covenant ratified with men, has bound Himself to grant forgiveness to all, and be at peace with all who, by faith and sincere repentance, will return to Him; henceforth on God's part nothing hinders but that men may be in very deed reconciled with Him. For that actual reconciliation is not meant in this passage is clear from hence, that the Apostle is expressly speaking of such a reconciliation of the world by the death of Christ, as preceded the very announcement of the Gospel or of the word of reconciliation, which was made to the world by the Apostles, much more the faith and conversion of the world to God. But that no one previous to faith and conversion is actually reconciled to God or justified, is declared

5. 10.

XI.

86

Notion of imputed holiness refuted.

STRIC. by Scripture in so many, and those so plain passages, that it is either intolerable ignorance or obstinacy to question it. The same is to be said of the other expression. For when God is said not to have imputed sins to the world' in Christ, the meaning is, that God, although He might have justly willed not to spare a whole world involved in sins, (as He willed not to spare the great multitude of offending angels,) but have punished by eternal death and utterly destroyed the whole human race, (this is to impute sins in the most proper sense and in the highest degree,) yet He was willing to spare them, and even, propitiated by the death of Christ, to enter into a covenant of grace with men, whereby forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation were promised to those who believed and truly repented; so that the saying of the Apostle that God, on account of Christ's propitiation, has not imputed sins to the world, is exactly the same as that of Clement, the intimate companion of the Apostle, (whose words will charm, even though ten times repeated,) “that God, for the sake of Christ's blood-shedding, offered the ' grace of repentance' to the whole world."

1 Cor.1.30.

§ 11. The third passage is: "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." I answer: I cannot sufficiently admire your and some others' acuteness, that you can deduce from this passage your imputed righteousness. Your argument is of this sort:-Christ is made to us righteousness by God; therefore the righteousness of Christ is so imputed to us that it really becomes ours, and through it we are accounted perfectly righteous by God. Following this method of arguing, let us go on to the next words of the Apostle: "Christ is made to us sanctification by God;" therefore the holiness of Christ is so imputed to us that it becomes really ours, and through it we ourselves are denominated holy. But whoever heard, whoever dreamed, of imputed holiness, save an Antinomian or Libertine? Let us go back to the preceding words: "Christ is made to us of God wisdom;" therefore the wisdom of Christ is so imputed to us that it really becomes ours, and through it we ourselves are denominated wise. What trifling!! The sense of the passage is plain enough; in the Apostle's

Inherent righteousness denied by the Censurer.

87

XI.

words there is a constant metonymy of the effect put for the STRIC. cause: "Christ is wisdom to us," i. e. through Christ alone we are imbued with true and heavenly wisdom: "Christ is our righteousness," i. e. we are justified through Christ alone: "Christ is our sanctification," i. e. through Christ alone we are gifted with a richer measure of the Holy Spirit: "Christ is our redemption," i. e. through Christ alone we are one time to be freed from death, which is called our redemption. Rom.8.23. Surely, you cannot here well interpret redemption of the Eph.4.30. satisfaction of Christ; since that has been plainly implied in the preceding words of the Apostle, "Christ is made unto us righteousness." So Theophylact has rightly explained the passage, "Christ is to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,' i. e. He has made us wise and righteous, and holy and free:" and again, "First He made us wise, delivering us from error, and teaching us the knowledge of God; then righteous, by giving us a remission of our sins; afterwards He sanctified us by the Holy Spirit; and thus bestowed on us a complete deliverance from all evils." On the passage in the Philippians iii. 8, 9, 10, I have said enough. Harm. From all I have said on the imputation of the righteousness Diss. xii. Apost. II. of Christ, it is at length, I think, sufficiently clear, that 6. 145. you p. hold an imputed righteousness which is not true.

§ 12. It remains to shew briefly the second point; viz. that you take away altogether all inherent righteousness. This also is sufficiently evident from your doctrine of imputed righteousness: for you hold such an imputation of the righteousness of Christ as is altogether incompatible with the necessity of inherent righteousness, as has been already shewn above. This, however, can be proved in other ways. You say, that you acknowledge inherent righteousness; but, though you affirmed it a hundred times, I could hardly believe it. If you had said that you acknowledged a holiness or good quality inherent in all justified persons, I had not objected: but you cannot acknowledge inherent righteousness in them, if you would speak consistently. To explain myself-Inherent righteousness can be called our righteousness in no other way than that we are made righteous through it, i. e. that it is a condition of our justification required in the Gospel covenant. But you deny this, and consequently take

XI.

88 Inherent righteousness a condition of justification. STRIC. away all inherent righteousness. All righteousness has reference to some law, standard, or rule, according to which it is exacted and he is righteous, who performs what the law requires, by the rule of which he is to be judged: one thing then remains to be examined, by what law we are accounted righteous according to this inherent righteousness. Surely, by the law of grace or the Gospel. The law of grace says: "He who believes and repents," i. e. is grieved from the heart at his sins, detests and leaves them, and turns to God in Christ from a true love and sincere purpose of obedience, shall receive pardon of sin, and a right to eternal life and the blood of Christ: and he who afterwards, if he live, shall bring forth worthy fruits of repentance, and shall grow in righteousness and holiness, shall retain the grace of justification which he obtained, as long as he remains such; and accordingly, if he die in this state, shall be saved eternally. The performance of this condition is our righteousness according to the law of the Gospel, which requires this; and by the performance of this condition, we are through the same law determined to be righteous, i. e. we are not found guilty of having failed to perform the condition required in that law. Surely, he is blind who does not see that this our righteousness is subordinate (so to speak) to the righteousness of Christ, and entirely depends on it. For the law or covenant of the Gospel is founded and established in the blood of Christ. Christ obtained from the Father, that we should be judged by so gracious a covenant; and His most perfect righteousness and obedience was effectual with God to the end that our righteousness, though maimed and imperfect, should be accepted unto salvation, as if it were in truth completely and in all points perfect. These statements are plain and easy to be understood; but your continually repeated observations, both on imputed and inherent righteousness, are so intricate and perplexed, that the reader who reflects upon them will fancy he has fallen into some labyrinth, from which he will not easily be able to extricate himself.