God, because of the good works they performed, (in faith and obedience to God,) one of them offering to sacrifice his son, the other preserving the spies sent from God's people.

5. The so often using the word imputation of righteousness, instead of justification, doth imply this act not to be a transient operation on the soul of man, but an act immanent to God's mind, respecting man only as its object, and translating him into another relative state: with this sense that word excellently well agreeth, otherwise it were obscure, and so apt to perplex the matter, that probably St. Paul would not have used it.

6. Again, when it is said again and again, that faith is imputed for righteousness;' it is plain enough that no other thing in man was required thereto : to say that he is thereby sanctified, or hath gracious habits infused, is uncouth and arbitrarious: the obvious meaning is, that therefore he is graciously accepted and approved, as we said before.

7. We might in fine add, that the word justification is very seldom or never used in that sense of making persons righteous, or infusing righteousness into them. Bellarmine and Grotius, having searched with all possible diligence, do allege three or four places wherein (with some plausible appearance) they pretend it must be so understood: but as they are so few, so are they not any of them thoroughly clear and certain; but are capable to be otherwise interpreted without much straining; the clearest place, Dan. xii. 3. the LXX. read prò

dikalov, which the Hebrew and sense will bear. Wherefore the other sense, which we have maintained, being undeniably common and current in the Scripture, and having so many par ticular reasons showing it agreeable to St. Paul's intent, seemeth rather to be embraced.

In St. Paul's Epistles I can only find three or four places, wherein the word justifying may with any fair probability be so extended as to signify an internal operation of God on the soul of men; they are these:

' And such were some of you; but ye have been washed, but ye have been sanctified, but ye have been justified in the name of Christ Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God;' where justification being performed by the Spirit of God, seemeth to

imply a spiritual operation on a man's soul, as an ingredient thereof.

'According to his mercy he saved us, by the laver of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he poured on us richly by Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we may be made heirs, according to the hope of everlasting life' where God's justifying us by the grace of Christ seemeth to include the renewing by the Holy Ghost.

'He that dieth, is justified from sin:' where St, Paul speaking about our obligation to lead a new life in holy obedience, on account of our being dedicated to Christ, and renouncing sin in baptism, may be interpreted to mean a being really in our hearts purified and freed from sin.

Whom he predestinated, those he called; and whom he called, those he justified; and whom he justified, those he glorified' where the chief acts of God toward those who finally shall be saved, being in order purposely recited, and justification being immediately (without interposing sanctification) coupled to glorification, the word may seem to comprise sanctification.

If considering these places (which yet are not clearly prejudicial to the notion we have made good, but may well be interpreted so as to agree thereto) it shall seem to any, that St. Paul doth not ever so strictly adhere to that notion, as not sometime to extend the word to a larger sense, I shall not much contend about it it is an ordinary thing for all writers to use their words sometimes in a larger, sometimes in a stricter sense; and it sufficeth to have shown that where St. Paul purposely treateth about the matter we discourse on, the purport of his discourse argueth that he useth it according to that notion which we have proposed.

8. I shall only add one small observation, or conjecture, favoring this notion; which is the probable occasion of all St. Paul's discourse and disputation about this point, which seemeth to have been this: that Christianity should (on so slender a condition or performance as that of faith) tender unto all persons indifferently, however culpable or flagitious their former lives had been, a plenary remission of sins and reception

into God's favor, did seem an unreasonable and implausible thing to many the Jews could not well conceive, or relish, that any man so easily should be translated into a state equal or superior to that, which they took themselves peculiarly to enjoy: the Gentiles themselves (especially such as conceited well of their own wisdom and virtue) could hardly digest it; Celsus in Origen could not imagine or admit that bare faith should work such a miracle, as presently to turn a dissolute person into a saint, beloved of God, and designed to happiness.

Zozimus saith of Constantine, that he chose Christianity as the only religion that promised impunity and pardon for his enormous practices; intimating his dislike of that point in our religion. This prejudice against the gospel St. Paul removeth, by showing that, because of all men's guilt and sinfulness, such an exhibition of mercy, such an overture of acceptance, such a remission of sin was necessary in order to salvation, so that without it no man could be exempted from wrath and misery; and that consequently all other religions (as not exhibiting such a remission) were to be deemed in a main point defective when therefore he useth the word justification to express this matter, it is reasonable to suppose that he intendeth thereby to signify that remission, or dispensation of mercy.

It may be objected that St. Austin and some others of the Fathers do use the word commonly according to the sense of the Tridentine Council. I answer, that the point having never been discussed, and they never having thoroughly considered the sense of St. Paul, might unawares take the word as it sounded in Latin, especially the sense they affixed to it, signifying a matter very true and certain in Christianity. The like hath happened to other Fathers in other cases; and might happen to them in this, not to speak accurately in points that never had been sifted by disputation. More, I think, we need not say in answer to their authority.

VI. So much may suffice for a general explication of the notion; but for a more full clearing of the point, it may be requisite to resolve a question concerning the time when this act is performed or dispensed. It may be inquired, when God justi

fieth, whether once, or at several times, or continually. To which question I answer briefly :

1. That the justification which St. Paul discourseth of, seemeth in his meaning, only or especially to be that act of grace, which is dispensed to persons at their baptism, or at their entrance into the Church; when they openly professing their faith, and undertaking the practice of Christian duty, God most solemnly and formally doth absolve them from all guilt, and accepteth them into a state of favor with him that St. Paul only or chiefly respecteth this act, considering his design, I am inclined to think, and many passages in his discourse seem to imply.

If his design were (as I conceive it probable) to vindicate the proceeding of God, peculiarly declared in the gospel, in receiving the most notorious and heinous transgressors to grace in baptism, then especially must the justification he speaketh of relate to that; to confirm which supposition, we may consider, that,

1. In several places justification is coupled with baptismal regeneration and absolution: Such were some of you; but yehave been washed, ye have been sanctified, ye have been justified in the name of Christ Jesus:' (where, by the way, being sanctified and being justified seem equivalent terms; as in that place where Christ is said to have given himself for the church, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,' sanctification, I conceive, importeth the same thing with justification.) Again, He saved us by the laver of regeneration, that having been justified by his grace, we may be made heirs of everlasting life.'

2. St. Paul in expressing this act, as it respecteth the faithful, commonly doth use a tense referring to the past time: he saith not δικαιούμενοι, ' being justified, but δικαιωθέντες, having been justified;' not dikaιovole, 'ye are justified;' but SukatOnre, ye have been justified;' namely, at some remarkable time, that is, at their entrance into Christianity. (Our translators do render it according to the present time; but it should be rendered as I say, in our text, and in other places.)

3. St. Paul in the 6th to the Romans discourseth thus: Seeing we in baptism are cleansed and disentangled from sin,

are dead to it, and so justified from it,' God forbid that we should return to live in the practice thereof, so abusing and evacuating the grace we have received; which discourse seemeth plainly to signify, that he treateth about the justification conferred in baptism.

4. He expresseth the justification he speaketh of by the words πάρεσις τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων, “the passing over foregoing sins,' which seemeth to respect that universal absolution, which is exhibited in baptism. Being,' saith he, 'justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.'

5. The relation this justification hath to faith, being dispensed in regard thereto, (or on condition thereof,) doth infer the same faith is nothing else but a hearty embracing Christianity, which first exerteth itself by open declaration and avowal in baptism, (when we believe with our hearts to righteousness, and confess with our mouth to salvation;') to that time therefore the act of justification may be supposed especially to appertain then, when the evangelical covenant is solemnly ratified, the grace thereof especially is conferred. On such considerations I conceive that St. Paul's justification chiefly doth respect that act of grace, which God consigneth to us at our baptism. But farther,

2. The virtue and effect of that first gratifying act doth continue (we abide in a justified state) so long as we do perform the conditions imposed by God, and undertaken by us at our first justification; holding fast the profession of our hope without wavering; keeping faith, and a good conscience;' so long as we do not forfeit the benefit of that grace by making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience,' relapsing into infidelity, or profaneness of life. Our case is plainly like to that of a subject, who having rebelled against his prince, and thence incurred his displeasure, but having afterward on his submission, by the clemency of his prince, obtained an act of pardon, restoring him to favor and enjoyment of the protection and privileges suitable to a loyal subject, doth continue in this state, until by forsaking his allegiance, and running