Secondly, The reply and answer — ' It is God that justifieth.' This implieth two things : (1.) his finding out a way to acquit them, according to the terms of the gospel, as when all men were vttoSikoi, ©ew, obnox- ious to God's vengeance ; but now a clear and sure way of pardon : Eom. iii. 19-22, 'Now we know that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin ; but the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets ; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe.' There is mercy for all penitent believers, to accept and bless them.
(2.) He doth actually acquit all those that submit to these terms : Eph. i. 6, ' Who hath accepted us in the beloved, to the praise of his glorious grace.' The covenant setteth down the terms, and by per- forming them we are capable of this benefit of absolution.
Doct. That no charge or accusation will take effect, to prejudice the acceptation of them whom God justifieth.
1. Wiiat is justification? It consisteth in two things — first, in the pardon of all our sins ; secondly, in the acceptation of us as righteous in Christ.
[1.] The first is necessary, for God doth not vindicate us as innocent, but pardoneth us as guilty ; those that are impleaded before his tri- bunal are all sinners, and sinners are not vindicated, but pardoned ; and the apostle describeth justification by the pardon of sin : Rom. iv. 6, 7, 'As David describeth the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works, saying. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins arc covered.' God, in justify- ing his people against the imputations of the world, doth bring forth their righteousness as the noon-day ; but in justifying them against the accusations brought before his own tribunal, doth not vindicate our innocency, but show his own mercy in a free discharge of all our sins. This is sometimes set forth in scripture by the blotting out of all our transgressions ; as Isa. xliii. 25, 'I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own name's sake, and will remember thy sins
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no more ;' as we are no more charged with what is cancelled or blotted out of a debt-book; so Isa. xxxviii. 17, 'Thou hast cast my sins behind thy back,' as men cast behind tliem such things as they list not to look on; and Micah vii. 19, 'Thou wilt cast our sins into the depth of the sea.' As that which is cast into the sea is lost, forgotten, and cannot be recovered ; so sin shall not be brought into the judgment against the pardoned sinner.
[2.] In accepting us as righteous in Clirist, who died for our sins to reconcile us unto God ; and therefore sometimes he is said to be 'made righteousness to us,' 1 Cor. i. 30, and we are said to be ' made the righteousness of God in him,' 2 Cor. v. 21 ; that is, we have the effect of his sufferings, as if we had suffered in person ; for they were under- gone in our stead, and for our sakes, and the fruit of it given to us by God himself.
2. How many ways doth God justify ? Four ways especially — (1.) By way of constitution; (2.) estimation; (3.) sentence; and (4.) execution.
[1.] Constitutively, by his gospel-grant, or the new covenant in the blood of Christ. The covenant of grace is God's pardoning act and instrument by which we know whom, and upon what terms, God will pardon and justify — namely, all such as repent and believe the gospel. We are constituted just and righteous, and exempted from the curse and penalties of the law. We may know the true way of justification by its opposition to the false or pretended way : Acts xiii. 38, 39, ' Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins ; and by him all that believe are justified from all those things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses.' The Jews expected to be justified by the law of Mose.s, but we are justified by the law of Christ ; that is, this constituteth our right. And herein justification and sanctification differ, — God sanctifieth by his Spirit, but justifieth by the sentence of his word, or promise of the gospel. Our right immediately results tlience, as by an act of indemnity we are freed from all the penalties which otherwise we might incur, without any further act of the magistrate. We are constituted righteous by his d6ed of gift in the gospel, but made holy by his Spirit ; but if any quarrel at this term, and say that God by the new covenant doth declare who are justifiable, but doth not justifj^ I answer further, we are justified —