4. Upon this God looks upon us as righteous. For mark, though justification be a judicial act, yet it is not a naked sentence of pardon without any ground or reason ; it hath a real ground and foundation, — the donation and application of Christ's righteousness to believers. Therefore when God looks upon a sinner as a sinner, he will never
4S0 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeK. XVI.
acquit him ; but it is founded upon the donation of a true and perfect righteousness, proved by Christ, and communicated to behevers upon God the Father s ordination and appointment ; for the apostle saith, Kom. iii. 26, ' God will be just, and the justiiier of them that believe in Jesus,' When a person is made thus righteous, then God is just in justifying him. God will pronounce none just but those that by faith are thus interested in the satisfaction of Christ. There is first a true donation and effectual application of Christ's righteousness, then is the sentence passed in the court of God.
5. The sentence of God is twofold — (1.) He absolves us from all sin and death, and he doth that by a free and full pardon ; (2.) He accepts us as righteous to eternal life. The parts of our justification are privative and positive : John iii. 16, 'That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' The one is done by Christ's passive obedience and the other by Christ's active obedi- ence.
[1.] For the former part ; the form of that is laid down, Job xxxiii. 24, there is the formal sentence of God the Father, ' Deliver him from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom.' Let that soul live, and deliver him from hell and death. Look, as when Abraham found the ram, he let Isaac go ; so God, receiving a ransom, a satisfaction to his justice by the sufferings of Christ, the sinner is absolved — 'Deliver him.' And indeed this is that we may plead when our consciences return upon us and implead us, that we are one in law with Christ, his ransom is our ransom : Gal. ii. 20, ' I am crucified with Christ ;' that is, I have satisfied the law in Christ. Faith must look to the surety, and see justice satisfied, and all for me : Col. ii. 14, ' Blotting out the hand- writing of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to liis cross.'
[2.] The second part of the sentence is accepting of ns as righteous unto eternal life ; for Christ hath not only satisfied the old covenant by his death, but ratified the new by his solemn obedience ; not only taken away the reign of sin, but also established the reign of grace ; therefore the apostle saith, Rom. v. 21, ' As sin hath reigned unto death, so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.' Now the form of acceptance to lite we have in those words, Mat. XXV. 34, ' Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- pared for you from the foundation of the world.' It will be most comfort- able when we shall hear this out of Christ's own mouth at the last day.
Secondly, The reasons why faith is deputed to this service.
1. Because it is the most receptive grace. Other graces are more operative, but faith is most receptive, so fitly suiting the needy condition of the creature. It is the empty hand of the soul to take in the ful- ness of Christ. Since the fall man is needy and indigent, and lives by borrowing ; therefore those graces are most serviceable that are most receptive. Love gives, but faith takes and borrows. We are beggars now rather than workers ; therefore the honour is put upon faith rather than love.
2. Because it is most loyal and true to God. It looks for all from him, and ascribes all to him. This is the reason the apostle giveth why faith is made to be the condition of the new covenant : Rom. iii. 27, * To
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exclude boasting ; ' that the creature may look for all from God. God would humble proud creatures ; whatever they have, it is but bor- rowed.
3. To make the way the more sure : Rom. iv. 16, ' Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace ; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed.' Things are not so floating and uncertain as when built upon works. We have a sure foundation in Jesus Christ, and a sure tenure by covenant: 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, 'He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.' And we have a sure holdfast by faith : Heb. vii. 19, ' Which hope we have, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.'
Thirdly, The third question is, what this faith is that justifieth ? It is not a general assent, or loose acknowledgment of the articles of religion. The apostle shows that the devils may assent to the truth of the word^ and brings the primitive and fundamental truth of all for the confir- mation of it, that there is one God. There is a faith which (to dis- tinguish it from all others) is called justifying, described thus — It is a grace wrought in our hearts by the Spirit of God, by which the soul doth rest and cast itself upon Christ, tendered to us in the offer of God for pardon and acceptance. I shall not stand examining every part of this definition, but shall endeavour to discover the nature of faith in the acts of it. There are some things implied, and other things more express and formal in faith.