3 Ps. Ixxvi. 7, and cxliii. 2; Job ix. 15, xxii. 2-4, and xxxv. 7. The saints are said (Rer. vii. 15) to be clothed in white robes, not because they had merited, or adorned them- selves with good works, but because they had washed and made white their robes in the blood of the Lamb. ■* i. 15, 3, 5. ii. 12, 5-7. iii. 11, 5.— G.
232 OF THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST.
There is the mediatory righteousness of Christ. Now this is that righteousness which he wrought for us as mediator, whereby he did subject himself to the precepts, to the penalties, commands and curses, answering both God's vindictive and rewarding justice. There is Christ's active righteousness, and there is Christ's passive righteous- ness, &c. Of these I have spoken already in this treatise, and therefore a hint here is enough ; but, thirdly, There are some expressions in the text that is under consideration that do best agree with the righteous- ness of Christ ; as first that, that * she is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.' 1 This clearly points at imputed righteousness, which Christ puts upon his bride as a royal robe. That which makes Christ's bride beautiful, yea, whiter than the snow, and more glorious than the sun in his eyes, is not any beauty of her own, nor any inherent righteousness in herself, but the white robe of Christ's own righteousness that he puts upon her ; second, that expression in the text, ' to her it was granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen,' &c. ' It was granted to her,' to shew that this fine linen was none of her own spinning, it was a free gift of Christ unto her. Saints have no other righteousness, to make them comely and lovely in the eyes of God, but the robe of Christ's righteousness, which is that fine white linen that Christ gives them, and that he puts upon them ; lastly, observe the confirmation and ratification that is given to these words in the 9th verse, ' Write, these are the true sayings of God.' These are not my sayings, nor the sayings of angels, but they are the sayings of that God that is truth itself, that cannot die, nor lie, nor deny himself, nor de- ceive the sons of God ; and therefore you may safely rest upon these sayings of God, both in the 8th and 9th verses, as most sure and cer- tain. Surely the righteousness the believer hath is imputed ; it is an accounted or reckoned righteousness to him ; it is not that which he hath inherently in himself, but God through Christ doth esteem of him as if he had it, and so deals with him as wholly righteous — (1.) It stands with reason that that satisfaction should be imputed to me, which my surety hath made for my debt. Now Christ was our surety, as the apostle calls him, Heb. vii. 22. (2.) Adam's sin was justly imputed by God to all his posterity, though it was not their own inherently and actually, as the apostle tells us, Kom. v. 14 ; and the sins of all the elect were imputed unto Christ, though they were not his own inherently and actually. ' He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,' saith the apostle, 2 Cor. v, 21 ; and ' upon him was laid the iniquity of us all,' ^ Isa. liii. 6. All the sins of all the believers in the world, from the first creation to the last judgment, were laid on him. How laid on him but by imputation ? Surely there was in Christ no fundamental guilt ! No, no ; but he was made sin by im- putation and law-account ; he was our surety, and so our sins were laid on him in order to punishment. And to prefigure this, all the
* How can it stand with reason that the Papists by the Pope's indulgences should be made partakers of the merits and good works one of another, and yet be against reason that we by the ordinance of God should be made partakers of the merits and righteous- ness of Jesus Christ ?
" This must be Luther's meaning when he saith, Christ was the greatest sinner ; he was Manasseh that idolater, David that adulterer, Peter that denier of his Master, &c., to wit, by imputation only, he being made sin for them, as the apostle speaks.
OF THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST. 233
iniquities of God's people were imputed to their sacrifice, though they were not inherently his own, as we read. Lev. xvi. 21, 22, ' Aaron shall put all the iniquities of all the children of Israel, and all their trans- gressions, and all their sins, upon the head of the goat ; and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities.' And why then should it seem strange that the perfect righteousness of our sacrifice and surety, though it be not our own inherently, should be imputed to us by the Lord and made ours ? ^