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Now, to conclude this long letter, I will only further observe, that you may here find, in a summary and concise representation, the true characters of the children of God; as well as matter of conviction to those who cannot, and of consolation to those who can, apply these marks to themselves. If upon an impartial examination, you can justify your claim to the characters here given, let no man rob you of the comfort and hope thereby set before you. But if you cannot find such marks in yourself, never rest till you obtain these evidences of a converted state.

That the Lord may comfort your heart, and establish you in every good word and work, to do his will, is the prayer of,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER XI.

THE DOCTRINE OF A SINNER'S JUSTIFICATION, BY THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST, EXPLAINED AND VINDICATED.

SIR-It is indeed as you represent it, "a matter of great consequence, to have a right view of the way and means by which God will be reconciled to you, and by which you may have a title to life eternal."

"You are, as you have all along been, in great difficulties on the question: and cannot see into the doctrine of a sinner's justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ. You have been lately reading upon that subject; and find many arguments against it that you cannot get over. Your author represents it as unscriptural and unreasonable: you therefore desire me to give you a right view of that doctrine, and to answer your objections against it."

There is, indeed, sir, no cause for you to "suspect,

that you shall wear out my patience." I gladly embrace the opportunity to do any thing in my power to give you satisfaction, and to assist you in your greatest concern, which you have reason to be most solicitous about. I shall, therefore, according to your desire, endeavour in the first place to give a brief view of the doctrine of our justification; by the imputed righteousness of Christ, before I proceed to consider your objections against it.

I shall first consider what we are to understand by justification, and in what sense that expression is used in Scripture. Should I herein follow some of our wrangling disputants, I know not how many distinct meanings of the word justification I might set before you. But this would be to darken counsel, by words without knowledge; the term having one invariable meaning, throughout the whole Bible. It always (as far as I have been able to observe) constantly signifies being "esteemed, declared, manifested, or pronounced righteous." This is what the original word, both in the Old and New Testament, naturally signifies; and in this sense only, it is always used. I need not therefore undertake to give instances of the use of the word in this sense, since in all instances it is used in this sense only. This, I believe, must be acknowledged by every one, that will thoroughly and impartially examine the case. I think there can no text be found, where justification is used for making us inherently righteous.

But though this word has one invariable signification, it is used in Scripture in a threefold respect: either for our present justification in the sight of God, for our justification before men and, our own consciences, or for our justification at the tribunal of our Judge at the last day. It is the first of these that falls under our present consideration: which is to be considered as our acquittance from guilt, and our acceptance with God as righteous in his sight. It is to be considered as a sentence of absolution and acceptance by the great Judge of the world. As justification,

therefore, is always considered in Scripture as a forensic or juridical sentence, it should be carefully distinguished from the infusion of a principle of grace, or inherent righteousness. Justification is usually in Scripture opposed to condemnation. As this latter therefore does not imply the rendering men wicked and guilty, but pronouncing them so: even so the former likewise cannot mean rendering men righteous, but sententially declaring and pronouncing them so. Were this duly attended to, many of the objections made against our doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ, would vanish of course. You will be pleased, therefore, all along to carry this in your mind, that I am not considering how we should become inherently righteous, by a renovation of our nature: but how we may be acquitted from guilt, and accepted as righteous, by the sentence of our glorious Judge.

I proceed to consider what we are to understand by the imputation of Christ's righteousness.

To impute, is to judge or esteem any matter, character, or quality, whether good or evil, to belong to a person as his. And may either refer to what was originally his, antecedently to such imputation, or to what was not antecedently his, but becomes so by virtue of such imputation only. The Scriptures abound with instances of both these sorts of imputation.

We have many instances in Scripture of imputing that to a person, which was originally his own, and performed by him antecedently to such imputation. Thus, sin, is said to be imputed to a sinner, when he is judged or treated as an offender. "Let not my Lord," says Shimei, "impute iniquity unto me," 2 Sam. xix. 19. And thus righteousness is imputed to the saint, when he is judged or acknowledged righteous (in a qualified sense) with relation to a particular fact, done in conformity to the preceptive part of the divine law. "Then stood up Phineas, and executed judgment, and it was imputed to him for righteousness," Psalm cvi. 31. But this is not the imputation

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now to be considered, which respects a justification, that is proposed as the relief of a sinful, perishing world, against the penalty of the condemning law, and implies a change of the sinner's state, from guilt to grace, from death to life, in a relative sense.

I proceed then to observe that also may be said to be imputed to a person, which was not his own originally or antecedently; but is judged and esteemed to belong to him, and is his on account of such imputation only. Thus, a debt is imputed to a surety; and the surety's payment of a debt is imputed to the principal debtor, and is pleadable by him in discharge from his creditor's demands. "If he have wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, (says Paul of Onesimus) put that on my account, (Greek) impute it unto me." Thus our sins are imputed unto Christ; inasmuch as he, in the character of our surety, has undertaken to discharge those debts to the justice of God. And thus his righteousness is imputed unto us; it having been wrought out in our place and stead, and given to God in payment on our behalf.

These things being premised, we are to understand the imputation in question, to be God's gracious donation of the perfect righteousness of Christ to believers, and his acceptation of their persons as righteous, on the account thereof. Their sins being imputed to him, and his obedience being imputed to them, they are in virtue hereof both acquitted from guilt, and accepted as righteous before God.

We are not therefore to understand our justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ as implying and supporting, that God does esteem believers to be what indeed they are not. He esteems them to be poor, sinful, imperfect men, who have no otherwise satisfied the claims of his justice, and the demands of the law, than by the obedience of their surety: Which is really by a gracious imputation become theirs, and they are on the account thereof become indeed righteous in God's sight, although antecedent to that imputation, they were legally condemned criminals, and

though they yet remain inherently imperfect and sinful

creatures.

We are further to consider, that this righteousness of Christ is imputed to none but believers, but is (as the apostle expresses it) revealed from faith to faith. It is not imputed before we have faith, as the Antinomians dream, nor is the imputation delayed till the fruits and effects of faith in an obedient life appear, as some other seem to suppose, but it is imputed at and upon our believing. It shall be imputed, if we believe, Rom. iv. 24. Faith is the receiving an offered Saviour (John i. 12,) in his person, his offices, and all his benefits, and therefore it is a receiving his righteousness, which is one of his benefits, freely offered in the gospel, to all that will accept it.

So I am prepared to observe to you, that we are to understand our justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ to signify and imply. "A gracious sentence of God, whereby a sinner antecedently guilty in his sight, is upon his believing in Christ, acquitted from guilt, accepted as righteous, and entitled to all the benefits of the covenant of grace, on account of what Christ has done and suffered for him."

Thus, Sir, I have endeavoured in as few words as possible to give you a just and clear view of the doctrine before us; and am now ready to consider your objections.

You first object, that "the imputation of our sins to Christ, or the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us, are no where mentioned in the word of God; that the terms and expressions used in this case, are certainly of human invention; and the doctrine therefore to be suspected, as having its origin rather from our scholastic divines, than from the oracles of God."

Your first supposition is, that the imputation of our sins, to Christ, is no where mentioned in the word of God. If you mean by this, that we no where in Scripture find that proposition, in so many express words, that our sins are imputed to Christ, this is true: but I hope to show you it is altogther impertinent. But if you mean by this, that we can no where find

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