At this stage, the second division of the treatise may be held to begin, — the previous disquisitions being more of a preliminary character. The scope of what follows is to prove that the sinner is justified, through faith, by the imputed righteousness of Christ. This part of the work embraces four divisions ; — general arguments for the doctrine affirmed; testimonies from Scripture in support of it; the refutation of objections to it ; and the reconciliation of the passages in the Epistles of Paul and James which have appeared to some to be inconsistent.
Under the head of general arguments, he rebuts briefly the general objections to imputation, and contends for the imputation of Christ's righteousness as the ground of justification; — first, from the insufficiency of our own righteousness, or, in other words, from the condition of guilt in which all men are by nature in- volved, X.; secondly, from the nature of the obedience required unto justification, according to the eternal obligation of the divine law, xi. ; and, as a subsidiary and collateral consideration, from the necessity which existed that the precept of the law should be fulfilled as well as that atonement should be rendered for the violation of it, — in short, from the active as well as the passive righteousness of Christ ; and here the three objections of Socinus, that such an imputation of Christ's obedience is impossible, useless, and pernicious, receive a detailed con- futation, XII. ; thirdly, from the difference between the two covenants, xiii. ; and fourthly, from the express terms in which all works are excluded from justifica- tion in Scripture, XIV.; while faith is exhibited in the gospel as the sole instrument by which we are interested in the righteousness of Christ, xv. The testimony of Scripture is then adduced at great length, — passages being quoted and commented on Irom the prophets, xvi. ; from the evangelists, xvii. ; and from the epistles of Paul, XVIII. The ohjections to the doctrine of justification are reviewed, and the cliief objection, — namely, that the doctrine overthrows the necessity of holiness and subverts moral obligation,- — is repelled by a variety of arguments, xix Lastly, t!ie concluding chapter is devoted to an explanation of the passages in Paul and James whicli are alleged to be at variance, but which are proved to be in perfect liaimony, xx. — Ed.
TO THE READER.
I SHALL not need to detain the reader with an account of the nature and moment of that doctrine which is the entire subject of the ensuing discourse ; for although sundry persons, even among ourselves, have various apprehensions concerning it, yet that the knowledge of the truth therein is of the highest importance unto the souls of men is on all hands agreed unto. Nor, indeed, is it possible that any man who knows himself to be a sinner, and obnoxious thereon to the judgment of God, but he must desire to have some knowledge of it, as that alone whereby the way of delivery from the evil state and condition wherein he finds himself is revealed. There are, I confess, multitudes in the world who, although they cannot avoid some general convictions of sin, as also of the consequents of it, yet do fortify their minds against a practical admission of such conclusions as, in a just consideration of things, do necessarily and unavoidably ensue thereon. Such persons, wilfully deluding themselves with vain hopes and imaginations, do never once seriously inquire by what way or means they may obtain peace with God and acceptance before him; which, in comparison of the present enjoyment of the pleasures of sin, they value not at all. And it is in vain to recommend the doctrine of justification unto them who neither desire nor endeavour to be justified. But where any persons are really made sensible of their apostasy from God, of the evil of their natures and lives, with the dreadful consequences that attend thereon, in the wrath of God and eternal punishment due unto sin, they cannot well judge themselves more concerned in any thing than in the knowledge of that divine way whereby they may be delivered from this condition. And the minds of such persons stand in no need of arguments to satisfy them in the importance of this doctrine ; their own concernment in it is sufficient to that purpose. And I shall assure them that, in the handling of it, from first to last, I have had no other design but only to inquire diligently into the divine revelation of that way, and those means, with the causes of them, whereby the conscience of a distressed sinner may attain as- sured peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I lay more weight on the steady direction of one soul in this inquiry, than on disappointing the objections of twenty wrangling or fiery disputers. The question, therefore, unto this purpose being stated, as the reader will find in the beginning of our discourse, although it were necessary to spend some time in the explication of the doctrine itself, and terms wherein it is usually taught, yet the main weight of the whole Ues in the interpretation of Scripture testimonies, with the application of them unto the experience of them who do believe, and the state of them who seek after salvation by Jesus Christ. There are, therefore, some few things that I would desire the reader to take notice of, that he may receive benefit by the ensuing discourse ; at least, if it be not his own fault, be freed from prejudices against it, or a vain opposition unto it.