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cepting his prince's pardon is his deliverance from execution or as a beggar's accepting an alms is his preservative from starving. As in these cases it is not the act of receiving Christ but the benefit received, that is the preservation: So in that case it is not the act of receiving Christ, but the benefit received by faith, that is the believer's righteousness."

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But you cannot understand how faith's being imputed to us for righteousness, can intend that Christ's righteousness is imputed to us." Well then, let it be even supposed, that faith is here taken subjectively; and that it was Abraham's faith itself, considered as an act of his own, that was imputed to him. It may notwithstanding be set in such a view, as will secure the truth of the doctrine I am pleading for, if the text be considered as it is in the original Greek. "His faith was imputed UNTO righteousness." That is, as he was reckoned, judged, or esteemed of God to be a sound believer, so the faith which was imputed or reckoned to him, was unto righteousness; was instrumental to his attaining of righteousness; was the means that "by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon him, unto justification of life;" or in other words, was the means of his interest in that righteousness of Christ, by which he was justified. In this sense, the imputation respects his faith; and intends an approbation and acknowledgment of it as true and sincere, and effectual to its proper purposes. He was approved of God, as having a true and sound faith, a faith effectual, as an applying means, unto righteousness, and thereby unto justification; a faith which interested him in Christ and his righteousness, and thereby entitled him unto acceptance with God, and eternal life. He was judged to be such a believer, as to have a right according to the terms of the covenant of grace, to "have righteousness imputed to him without works," as it is expressed in verse 6th. According to this view of the case, imputation is considered in this context in both the senses, before explained. Abraham was reckoned or esteemed a true believer; in consequence whereof, a justifying

righteousness was imputed to him, "even the righteousness of God without the law."

I think, I have before sufficiently proved to you, that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ received by faith, and cannot be justified by any personal inherent righteousness of our own. This has been illustrated from the nature of things, and confirmed by full and plain Scripture testimony: and this upon an impartial search and inquiry, I think, would appear to you to be the whole scope and design of the gospel of Christ. I have now removed your great difficulty out of the way, and shown you how this doctrine, so plainly taught every where else, may be true in a full consistence with those texts, which in your apprehension seemed to make against it. I would now propose one method more, to confirm you in the important truth under consideration: and that, if duly attended to, cannot fail.

Allow me, Sir, the freedom to advise you, that you place yourself in the presence of the infinitely great and glorious God, and give yourself to meditation, on such subjects particularly as may tend to enlighten and establish you in the present truth. With this view solemnly contemplate God's infinite justice, his infinite purity and holiness, his infinite abhorrence of sin and sinners, especially as to be seen in the glass of Christ's sufferings. Also contemplate your own state and moral character, both by nature and practice. Contemplate the sinful defects of the best works of righteousness that ever you have done, the pollutions mingled with the best duties that ever you performed. Contemplate the unbelief which accompanied the highest actings of faith you were ever capable of; the formality and hypocrisy which has mixed with your devoutest prayers; the desultory thoughts and dead frames which have accompanied you to the most sacred ordinances of God's house; the frequent violations of the most solemn resolutions and covenant obligations by which you have bound your soul to the Lord. And in a word, contemplate the greatness of your sins, their vast number, and dreadful

aggravations; with the nothingness of your best performances and highest attainments in religion; how much you have done against God, and how little for him. And then consider what plea you have to make before this infinitely great, this absolutely just, this perfectly pure and holy God, for justification in his sight, and acceptance with him. Will you plead your acting of faith in him and his promises? Alas, how will your prevailing unbelief fly in your face, and put you to silence! Will you plead your personal obedience, and works of righteousness that you have done? Alas, how will a vast degree of sin and unrighteousness cover and confound you! Will you plead your sincerity before God? But what will you do with that prevalent formality and hypocrisy, which your own conscience will accuse and convince you of? Will you not be forced at last to cry out with David, “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand?"—and with Job, "Behold, I am vile! What shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further." Will you not then see your necessity of a more perfect righteousness, to plead before God, than any personal inherent righteousness of your own, to cover your dreadful sinfulness and infinite defects, and to render you acceptable to God, notwithstanding all the challenges which the justice, the holiness, and the law of God, together with your own conscience, have against you? Surely, on due reflection, you must see yourself in perishing necessity of Christ, and his righteousness, to recommend you to the Divine favour.

Dear Sir, I intreat you to consider in season what you must consider first or last: and let you and I be now solemnly careful to lay our foundation sure, that we may meet with comfort at the great trial, and receive the "well done" of our Judge, in that awful and great day; which is the prayer of,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER XII.

WHETHER WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND OBEDIENCE TO THE GOSPEL, AS A NEW LAW OF GRACE.

SIR-I can with greater encouragement use my endeavours to remove your difficulties, and to satisfy your desires, since "you do not throw difficulties, either in your own way or in mine, out of any conceived prejudice, or from ostentation, or wrangling disposition, but from a sincere desire of building your hope upon the sure foundation laid in Zion." Would all men act from views so worthy of this great concern, it would be a likely means, not only to put an end to the prevailing confusions among us, but to give a triumphant progress to the truth, and to establish men in the faith delivered to the saints.

"You have (you say) been so sensibly affected by my last, and are so fully convinced of the danger of mistaking your way, that you are the more solicitous to be set right, and have your remaining difficulties removed; and therefore you entreat me to bear with you, while you propose your strongest objection against the doctrine I suppose to be of so great importance. Your author (you say) tells you that our blessed Saviour has purchased for us new and easier conditions of life; and instead of the sinless obedience required by the moral law, he has now given us a new law of grace, which only requires faith with sincere obedience to the gospel, as the condition of our justification and acceptance with God. Whence it is a necessary consequence, that our justification, or title to eternal life, depends not upon Christ's righteousness imputed to us, but upon our faith, including sincere obedience to the gospel, as the condition to which it is promised: and that as our obedience is imperfect, so our state of justification is imperfect also, and we shall not be perfectly justified till our obedience be perfected."

That I may distinctly consider this case, I shall en

deavour in the first place, to make some proper inquiries and reflections upon this scheme, and offer some objections against it, and then take notice of the arguments which you have brought to support it.

I would first inquire, where you find any thing in Scripture of our Saviour's purchasing this new law of grace, whereby faith and sincere obedience are made the conditions of our justification? Perhaps your author is silent upon that head; and, for my part, I do not know that I have ever read any thing at all about it, in the word of God. We read often, of our blessed Saviour's "giving himself a ransom for us;" of his "being a propitiation for our sins;" of his being "the Lord our righteousness;" of his having "brought in everlasting righteousness;" of "his being the end of the law for righteousness, unto every one that believeth;" and of his being "of God made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption;" with many other like representations of his procuring a justifying righteousness for us. But of his purchasing this new law of grace, not one word is to be found in the Scriptures. May we not justly suppose, that if this scheme were right, we should have it plainly represented to us in the oracles of God, and not to be left to grope in the dark, and to find out by far fetched consequences, what is the foundation of our practice and hope? How vast is the difference between the one and the other side of this question! On the one side, we have, (or at least we think we have) very numerous, plain, express Scripture authorities for our justification by the righteousness of Christ. On the other side, there is a deep silence throughout the whole word of God, about any purchase of a new law, such a law of favourable terms; and about those new conditions of our justification, those easier terms, our faith and sincere obedience. This scheme therefore may be presumed to be at best of human invention.

I would further inquire, whether in the nature of things there can be any justification at all, upon such conditions as you speak of? I have shown you, that

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