different state between these things, it would prove, that there is no intermediate estate between being pardoned, and having a right unto the heavenly inheritance. But this is a fond imagination.

It is true, that right unto eternal life, doth succeed unto freedom from the guilt of eternal death. That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified.' But it doth not do so, out of a necessity in the nature of the things themselves, but only in the free constitution of God. Believers have the pardon of sin, and an immediate right and title unto the favour of God, the adoption of sons, and eternal life. But there is another state in the nature of the things themselves, and this might have been so actually, had it so seemed good unto God; for who sees not, that there is a status,' or conditio personæ,' wherein he is neither under the guilt of condemnation, nor hath an immediate right and title unto glory, in the way of inheritance? God might have pardoned men all their sins past, and placed them in a state and condition of seeking righteousness for the future, by the works of the law, that so they might have lived; for this would answer the original state of Adam. But God hath not done so; true; but whereas he might have done so, it is evident that the disposal of men into this state and condition of right unto life and salvation, doth not depend on, nor proceed from, the pardon of sin, but hath another cause, which is, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ unto us, as he fulfilled the law for us.

And in truth, this is the opinion of the most of our adversaries in this cause; for they do contend, that over and above the remission of sin, which some of them say is absolute, without any respect unto the merit or satisfaction of Christ, others refer it unto them; they all contend that there is moreover, a righteousness of works required unto our justification; only they say, this is our own incomplete, imperfect righteousness, imputed unto us, as if it were perfect, that is, for what it is not; and not the righteousness of Christ imputed unto us for what it is.

From what hath been discoursed, it is evident that unto our justification before God, is required, not only that we be freed from the damnatory sentence of the law which we

are by the pardon of sin, but moreover, that the righteousness of the law be fulfilled in us,' or, that we have a righteousness answering the obedience that the law requires, whereon our acceptance with God, through the riches of his grace, and our title unto the heavenly inheritance do depend. This we have not in and of ourselves, nor can attain unto, as hath been proved. Wherefore, the perfect obedience and righteousness of Christ is imputed unto us, or in the sight of God we can never be justified.

Nor are the cavilling objections of the Socinians, and those that follow them, of any force against the truth herein. They tell us that the righteousness of Christ can be imputed but unto one, if unto any. For who can suppose that the same righteousness of one should become the righteousness of many, even of all that believe. Besides, he performed not all the duties that are required of us in all our relations, he being never placed in them. These things, I say, are both foolish and impious, destructive unto the whole gospel. For all things here depend on the ordination of God. It is his ordinance that as 'through the offence of one many are dead; so his grace, and the gift of grace, through one man Christ Jesus hath abounded unto many; and as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men unto condemnation, so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all unto the righteousness of life, and by the obedience of one many are made righteous;' as the apostle argues, Rom. v. 'For God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us;' Rom. viii. 3, 4. For he was the end of the law' (the whole end of it) for righteousness unto them that do believe; chap. x. 4. This is the appointment of the wisdom, righteousness, and grace of God, that the whole righteousness and obedience of Christ should be accepted as our complete righteousness before him, imputed unto us by his grace, and applied unto us or made ours through believing, and consequently unto all that believe. And if the actual sin of Adam be imputed unto us all, who derive our nature from him unto condemnation, though he sinned not in our circumstances and relations, is it strange that the actual obedience of Christ should be imputed unto them who derive a spiritual nature from him, unto the justification of life?

Besides, both the satisfaction and obedience of Christ, as relating unto his person, were in some sense infinite, that is, of an infinite value, and so cannot be considered in parts, as though one part of it were imputed unto one, and another unto another, but the whole is imputed unto every one that doth believe; and if the Israelites could say, that David was worth ten thousand of them,' 2 Sam. xviii. 3. we may well allow the Lord Christ, and so what he did and suffered, to be more than us all, and all that we can do and suffer.

There are also sundry other mistakes that concur unto that part of the charge against the imputation of the righteousness of Christ unto us, which we have now considered. I say of his righteousness; for the apostle in this case useth those two words dikaiwμa, and úñakon righteousness and obedience, as loodvvaμovvra, of the same signification; Rom. v. 18, 19. such are those, that remission of sin and justification are the same, or that justification consisteth only in the remission of sin; that faith itself as our act and duty, being it is the condition of the covenant, is imputed unto us for righteousness; or that we have a personal inherent righteousness of our own, that one way or other is our righteousness before God unto justification; either a condition it is, or a disposition unto it; or hath a congruity in deserving the grace of justification, or a downright merit of condignity thereof. For all these are but various expressions of the same thing, according unto the variety of the conceptions of the minds of men about it. But they have been all considered and removed in our precedent discourses.

To close this argument, and our vindication of it, and therewithal to obviate an objection, I do acknowledge that our blessedness and life eternal, is in the Scripture ofttimes ascribed unto the death of Christ: but it is so, 1. Kar' ¿1⁄2oxýv as the principal cause of the whole, and as that without which no imputation of obedience could have justified us; for the penalty of the law was indispensably to be undergone. 2. It is so karà ovyyévɛiav; not exclusively unto all obedience, whereof mention is made in other places, but as that whereunto it is inseparably conjoined; 'Christus in vita passivam habuit actionem; in morte passionem activam sustinuit; dum salutem operaretur in medio terræ.' Ber

nard. And so it is also ascribed unto his resurrection Kar' Evduv, with respect unto evidence and manifestation. But the death of Christ exclusively as unto his obedience, is nowhere asserted as the cause of eternal life, comprising that exceeding weight of glory wherewith it is accompanied.

Hitherto we have treated of and vindicated the imputation of the active obedience of Christ unto us, as the truth of it was deduced from the preceding argument about the obligation of the law of creation. I shall now briefly confirm it with other reasons and testimonies.

1. That which Christ the mediator and surety of the covenant, did do in obedience unto God, in the discharge and performance of his office, that he did for us, and that is imputed unto us. This hath been proved already, and it hath too great an evidence of truth to be denied. He was 'born to us, given to us;' Isa. ix. 6. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us ;' Rom. viii. 3, 4. Whatever is spoken of the grace, love, and purpose of God in sending or giving his Son, or of the love, grace, and condescension of the Son in coming and undertaking of the work of redemption designed unto him, or of the office itself of a mediator or surety, gives testimony unto this assertion.. Yea, it is the fundamental principle of the gospel, and of the faith of all that truly believe. As for those by whom the divine person and satisfaction of Christ are denied, whereby they avert the whole work of his mediation, we do not. at present consider them. Wherefore what he so did, is to be

inquired into. And,

But

1. The Lord Christ our mediator and surety, was in his human nature made vrò vóμov, under the law;' Gal. iv. 1. That he was not so for himself, by the necessity of his coudition, we have proved before. It was therefore for us. as made under the law, he yielded obedience unto it; this therefore was for us, and is imputed unto us. of the Socinians, that it is the judicial law only that is inThe exception tended, is too frivolous to be insisted on. under that law whose curse we are delivered from. For he was made

And if

we are delivered only from the curse of the law of Moses,

wherein they contend that there was neither promises nor threatening of eternal things, of any thing beyond this present life, we are still in our sins, under the curse of the moral law, notwithstanding all that he hath done for us. It is excepted with more colour of sobriety, that he was made under the law only as to the curse of it. But it is plain in the text, that Christ was made under the law, as we are under it. He was made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. And if he was not made so as we are, there is no consequence from his being made under it, unto our redemption from it. But we were so under the law, as not only to be obnoxious unto the curse, but so as to be obliged unto all the obedience that it required, as hath been proved. And if the Lord Christ hath redeemed us only from the curse of it by undergoing it, leaving us in ourselves to answer its obligation unto obedience, we are not freed nor delivered. And the expression of under the law' doth in the first place and properly signify being under the obligation of it unto obedience, and consequentially only, with a respect unto the curse. Gal. iv. 21. Tell me ye that desire to be vπò vớμov, 'under the law;' they did not desire to be under the curse of the law, but only its obligation unto obedience; which in all usage of speech, is the first proper sense of that expression. Wherefore, the Lord Christ being made under the law for us, he yielded perfect obedience unto it for us, which is therefore imputed unto us. For that what he did, was done for us, depends solely on imputation.

2. As he was thus made under the law,so he did actually fulfil it by his obedience unto it. So he testifieth concerning himself; Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfil;' Matt. v. 17. These words of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by the evangelist, the Jews continually object against the Christians, as contradictory to what they pretend to be done by him, namely, that he hath destroyed and taken away the law. And Maimonides in his treatise De fundamentis Legis, bath many blasphemous reflections on the Lord Christ as a false prophet in this matter. But the reconciliation is plain and easy. There was a twofold law given unto the church; the moral and the ceremonial law.