^ A Christian's plea from the passive obedience of Christ. God did insist on it, that our surety should pay down the whole debt at once, and accordingly he did, Heb. x. 10, 12.
218 OF THE IMPUTED EIGHTEOfSSESS OF CHRIST.
Son, being made flesh, hath suffered death for sin in the flesh • th^
aSout'of ff' ^'^ '' '""^'^^'•' ""•* ^ nonsuits toeaotn' and Tmnp^ /<^^\Tll "' ""J"'**- Thus Whereas sin would have con- fix? /f',^''"'* ^^^^ •condemned sin ; he liath weakened yi nuS fied and taken away sin, in the guilt and condemning power rf ?t W
Wsao^;t >'*'"■"'"??•'"' ^' ^^'^ S'™" t° the/us"^ cTof God ll
mediator outeries the clamour of sin and this must be « Oh • r *"
joy and triumph and plea in the greatday of Z Lo d J^sus T
Christ was ' made sin for us,' 2 Co? v 21 so thp T orri ^i^ft • .
the sufferings of Christ to ns^that is, he ac^ts of them'on o„r Zat
S: t iT- bS nra s^frth^^s ^rt £? ?{Srbi:ofL-h:sfri-^^^^^
m<.e^to say to you but this. ■ EntL into th^jo; oTyouTiord/MaT . y The fiftli plea that you are to make in order to the ten scririfnrpc
rigihteous person, and receiving him into iavouTao-ZT^lflT^ ..ver offended. This is most^clear and evidrt^nTh^'l^sfedlcrf^
\[1.] First TJiere is an act of absolution and acquittal from the auilf ofs^.n^ andSreedomfrom the condemnation deserved hy sin^t^^Z^ of siii IS an mseparabe accident or concomitant of it that can never be removed. It may be truly said of the sins of a justified person that they deserve everlasting destruction; but justification is thffSn^^^^^ a sinner from the guilt of his iniquity, whereby he was actua % Snd over to condemnation.2 As soon as any man doth sin, there is a S
^ Eccles. xi. 9\andxii. 14; Mat xii 14 nnrl yv,-;; oq t i • ,, ^
2 Cor. y.lO; Hdb. ix. 27, and xiii. 17 • I'pet iy 5 ^^ ' ^"^' ^"^•^' Rom.xiv.lO;
m:nt"i.dr'court^UTiSu;e I LnSt Ttl' [,t*^"f '' ^^^* ^« '^ "^ --^«* mulct or penalty to te inflicted upon ?he gdUy person ^^^^^ '^'"''^"^ *
OF THE IMPUTED KIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHKIST. 219
upon him, by which he is bound over to the wrath and curse of God ; and this guilt or obligation is inseparable from sin; the sin doth deserve no less than everlasting damnation. Now, forgiveness of sin hath a peculiar respect to the guilt of sin, and removal of that. When the Lord forgives a man, he doth discharge him of that obligation by which he was bound over to wrath and condemnation: Kom, viii. 1, 'There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus ;' ver. 33, ' Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? It is God that justifieth ;' ver. 34, ' Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died.' Beloved, the Lord is a holy and just God ; and he ' reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousness,' Kom. i. 18 ; and there is a curse threat- ened to every transgression of the law. Gal. iii. 10 ; and when any man sinneth, he is obnoxious unto the curse, and God may inflict the same upon him, Rom. i. 32 ; but when God forgives sins, he therein doth interpose, as it were, between the sin and the curse, and between the obligation and the condemnation, Eom. vi. 23. When the sinner sins, God might say unto him, Sinner, by your sinning you are now fallen into my hands of justice ; and for your sins I may, according to my righteous law, condemn and curse you for ever ; but such is my free, my rich, my sovereign grace, that for Christ's sake 1 will spare you and pardon you, and that curse and condemnation which you have deserved shall never fall upon you. Oh, my bowels, my bowels, are yearning towards you, Jer, xxxi. 20 ; and therefore I will have mercy, mercy upon you, and will deliver your souls from going down into the pit, Job xxxiii. 13, 24, 28, 30. When the poor sinner is indicted and arraigned at God's bar, and process is made against him, and he found guilty of the violation of God's holy law, and accordingly judged guilty by God, and adjudged to everlasting death, then mercy steps in and pleads, I have found a ransom, Job xxxiii. 24 ; the sinner shall not die, but live. When the law saith, Ah, sinner, sinner ! thus and thus hast thou transgressed, all sorts of duties thou hast omitted, and all sorts of sins thou hast committed, and all sorts of mercies thou hast abused, and all sorts of means thou hast neglected, and all sorts of offers thou hast slighted ; then God steps in and saith. Ah, sinner, sinner ! what dost thou say, what canst thou say, to this heavy charge ? Is it true or false ? — wilt thou grant it or deny it ? — what defence or plea canst thou make for thyself ? Alas ! the poor sinner is speech- less : Mat. xxii. 12, i^i^ioiOrj, he was muzzled or haltered up, that is, he held his peace as though he had a bridle or a halter in his mouth. This is the import of the Greek word here used : he hath not one word to say for himself ; he can neither deny, nor excuse, or extenuate what is charged upon him. Why now, saith God, I must and do pronounce thee to be guilty ; and as I am a just and righteous God, I cannot but adjudge thee to die eternally. But such is the riches of my mercy, that I will freely justify thee through the righteousness of my Son; I will forgive thy sins, and discharge thee of that obligation by which thou wast bound over to wrath, and curse, and condemnation ; so that the justified person may triumphingly say, ' Who is he that con- demneth?' He may read over the most dreadful passages of the law without being terrified or amazed, as knowing that the curse is removed, and that all his sins, that brought him under the curse, are pardoned,
220 OF THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST.
and are, in point of condemnation, as if they had never been. This is to be justified, to have the sin pardoned and the penalty remitted: Kom. iv. 5-8, ' But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly^ his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, to whom God im- puteth righteousness without works ; saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.' It is observable that what David calleth forgiveness of sin, and not imputing of iniquity, St Paul styles a being justified. But,