but alfo on themselves. In order to calm the confciences of believers, when thus fhaken by the falfe accufer, they have need to be abfolved from this accufation, and juftified from this falfe teftimony before God; which God alfo daily does, affuring the elect of the fincerity of their converfion, by the teftimony of his fpirit, and thereby fhewing, that the praife of a true Few is of him, Rom. 2. 29. This justification is, indeed, very different from that other, of which we fhall prefently treat, wherein the perfon is abfolved from fins, whereof he is really guilty, and which are forgiven him on Chrift's account. In this we are fpeaking of, he is acquitted of fins, which he is not chargeable with, and is declared not to have committed.

Its foun- XXIV. The foundation of this juftification can be dation in- nothing but inherent holiness and righteoufnefs. "For, righteouf- as it is a declaration concerning a man, as he is nefs. in himself by the regenerating and fanctifying

herent

grace of God, fo it ought to have for its foundation, that which is found in man himself: He that doth righteousness is righteous, fays John, t John 3. 7; and Peter fays, Acts 10. 34, 35, of a truth, I perceive, that, in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with God. And Luke, in the name of God, gives this teftimony to the parents of John the Baptift, that they were righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless, Luke 1. 6. But yet inherent righteoufnefs is not the foundation of this justification, from its own worthinefs, or because it is a holinefs exactly commenfurate with the rule of the law, but because it is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Elect, which God cannot but acknowledge and delight in as his own, and because the failings, with which it is always ftained in this world, are forgiven for Chrift's fake.

This juftiXXV. In this fenfe we think the Apostle James fication fpeaks of juftification, in that much controverted

paffage,

กา

paffage, Jam. 2. 21, 24: where he declares, that treated of Abraham was not justified by faith only, but also by works, by James. and infifts upon it, that every man ought to be juftified in this manner. For, the scope of the Apoftle is to fhew, that it is not fufficient for a Chriftian to boast of the remiffion of his fins, which indeed, is obtained by faith only, but then it must be a living faith on Chrift: but that befides, he ought to labour after holiness, that, being juftified by faith only, that is, acquitted from the fins he had been guilty of, on account of Chrift's fatisfaction, apprehended by faith, he may likewise be juftified by his works, that is, declared to be truly regenerated, believing and holy; behaving as becomes thofe who are regenerated, believing and holy. Thus our father Abraham behaved, who, having been before now juftified by faith only, that is, obtained the remiffion of his fins, was afterwards alfo juftified by his works. For, when he offered up his fon to God, then God faid to him, now I know, that thou feareft God, feeing thou hast not withheld thy fon, thine only fon from me, Gen. 22. 12. And James infifts upon it, that this laft juftification is fo neceffary to believers, that, if it be wanting, the firft ought to be accounted only vain and ima!ginary.

XXVI. These things are evident from Scripture: The fame but, leaft any after, the manner of the world, fhould owned by ridicule this, I inform the more unfkilful, that this our moft celebrated is no invention of mine, but that the moft celebrated divines. divines have, before me, fpoken of fuch a juftification according to inherent righteousness and of works. Bucerus in altero Colloquio Ratisbonenfi, p. 313, fays, we think that this begun righteousness is really a true and living righteoufnefs, a noble and excellent gift of God; and that the new life in Christ confists in this righteousnefs, and that all the faints are alfo righteous by this righteoufnefs, both before God and before men, AND THAT ON ACCOUNT THEREOF THE SAINTS ARE ALSO JUSTIFIED BY A JUSTIFICATION OF WORKS, that is,

H/4

are

a finner,

anes approved, commended and rewarded by God, Cal vin teaches much the fame, Inftit, lib. 3. c. 17. fett. 8, which concludes with thefe words, The good works, done by believers, are connted righteous, or, which is the fame, ARE IMPUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. The very learned Ludovicus de Dieu has at large explained and proved this opinion, in Comment. ad Rom. 814. And he quotes, as agreeing with him, herein, Daniel Colonius, formerly regent or profeffor of the French colledge at Leyden. The fame is alfo maintained by the Revd. Dr. Peter de Witte, that very able defender of the truth, in Controverfia de juftifica tione adverfus Socinianos. And Triglandius explains the paffage of James to the fame purpose with us, making use of the very fame diftinction of juftification, in Examine Apologia Remonftrantium, c. 21 p. 316.

The juft XXVII. Let us now at length proceed to treat of fication of the justification of man as a finner, but confidered as confidered in Chrift the furety, As this fubject is the foundation as in Chrift of all folid comfort, fo it is full of myteries and per defined. plexed with many controverfies: nevertheless it is

God

clearly delivered in the Scriptures, if men would only be fatisfied with their fimplicity, and not shut their eyes against the light, which fo freely fhines upon them, nor give way to curious niceties, and the roving of a luxuriant fancy. We thus define the Gospel juftification of a finner: it is a judicial, but gracious act of God, whereby the elest and believing fin› ner, is abfolved from the guilt of his fins, and bath a right to eternal life adjudged to him, on account of the obedience of Chrift, received by faith.

XXVIII. This is evident, that all men, confidered could not in themfelves, are abominable finners before God, juftly jufand obnoxious to eternal death. Paul before proved tify finners, but both Jews and Gentiles, to be all under fin; fo that every as confi- mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become dered in guilty before God, Rom. 39, 19. But fince, as we obferved before, the judgment of God is always ac

Chrift,

'

cording

cording to truth, it cannot be otherwife, but that God declare those, who in themselves are finners, and liable to death, to be really fo in themselves, Yet the fcripture declares, that God juftifies finners, that is, acquits them from fin and from being liable to eternal death, and adjudges them a right to eters nal life. And unless this was the cafe, the falvation and hope of all mankind had been at an end. But certainly, God does this agreeably to his truth and justice. It is therefore neceffary, that they, who are finners in themselves, appear in another light to a justifying God, namely as confidered in another, whose perfect rigteoufhefs may be fo imputed to them, as, in virtue thereof, they may be reputed righteous. And this is the mystery of our juftification in the faith of Chrift.

elect every

XXIX. After all had finned in Adam, and come Chrift perThort of the glory of God, the only begotten fon of formed God offered himself as furety to the father and for the promised, that, at the time appointed, he would thing ne fulfil all the demands of the law forthe elect. And ceffary for he also executed this with all fidelity: he was born their juftiof a virgin, without any fpot of fin, being con-fication. ceived by the Holy Ghoft, and endowed with original righteousness, in order to remove the guilt of original fin, and make up the defect of original righteoufhefs which the elect are born without. Be fides, from his very infancy, and thro' the whole course of his life, efpecially at the close thereof, he endured all manner of fufferings, both in foul and in body, humbling, nay emptying himself, and being obedient to the father unto death, even the death of the cross; that he might bear, in their ftead, the punishment due to the fins of his chofen people; the dignity of the perfon, who fuffered abundantly compenfating what was wanting in the duration of the punishment, which otherwise must have been eternal. In fine, he fully performed for his people all that the law required, in order to obtain a right

to

And juftly

to them.

to eternal life. Had the elect themselves, in their own persons, performed, what Chrift did for them, there is no doubt, but they would have obtaind that, for which they might, have been justified by God, nay and ought to have been fo, at least according to the covenant.

XXX. Moreover, fince whatever of this kind imputed Jefus performed, he did it by a voluntary undertaking with the fathers approbation, in the room and ftead of the elect: It is defervedly imputed to them, and placed to their account: juft as what a furety pays for a debtor, or in his ftead, is accounted as paid by him to the first creditor. Paul, in the fifth chapter of his epistle to the Romans, has handled this point in an excellent and divine manner; the fum of which is contained v. 19, as by one man's difobedience many were made conftituted finners; fo by the obedience of one, fhall many be made constituted righte

him.

Gus.

When by XXXI Moreover, to fet the ground of this faith unit imputation in a clearer light, we must observe that ed into one Chrift, according to the eternal counsel of the father body with not only undertook all these things for the elect, and fulfilled them, agreeable to his undertaking, but also, that the elect, before the righteoufnefs of Christ is imputed to them for juftification of life, are fo closely united to him by faith, as to be one body, 1 Cor. 12. 13, and which is ftill more indivifible, or indiffulable, one fpirit with him, 1 Cor. 6. 17; nor are they only united, but he and they are ONE and that by fuch an unity or oneness, in which there is fome faint refemblance of that moft fimple oneness whereby the divine perfons are one among themselves, John 17. 22, 23. But in virtue of this

I

The author, I fuppofe, means that covenant, which fays, the man which doth those things, fhall live by them, Rom. 10.5.