grace are ye saved through faith ; and not of works," is so to be
justified. So it is expressed by pardon, or the " remission of sins," which is the effect of it, Rom. iv. 5, 6 ; by " receiving the atonement," chap. V. 11 ; not " coming into judgment " or " condemnation," John V. 24; "blotting out sins and iniquities," Isa. xliii. 25; Ps. Ii. 9; Isa. xliv. 22; Jer. xviii. 23; Acts iii. 19; "casting them into the bottom of the sea," Micah vii. 19; and sundry other expressions of an alike importance. The apostle declaring it by its effects, says, A/xa/o/ -/.aTaffTaQriGovrat o'l croXXoi' — " Many shall be made righteous," Rom. V. 19. AiKaio; xadiffTarai, [he is made righteous] who on a juri- dical trial in open court, is absolved and declared righteous.
And so it may be observed that all things concerning justification are proposed in the Scripture under a juridical scheme, or forensic trial and sentence. As, — (1.) A judgment is supposed in it, concern-
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iiig wliich the psalmist prays that it may not proceed on the terms of the law, Ps. cxliii. 2. (2.) The judge is God himself, Isa 1. 7, 8 ; Rom. viii. 33. (3.) The tribunal whereon God sits in judgment, is the "throne of grace/' Heb. iv. 16. "Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you ; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you ; for the LoED is a God of judg- ment," Isa. XXX. 18. (4.) A guilty person. This is the sinner, who is Wljbr/.og rw Qsw, — SO guilty of sin as to be obnoxious to the judgment of God; Tw bmaiu/jbari rou Qeov, E,om. iii. 19, i. 32, — whose mouth is stopped by conviction. (5.) Accusers are ready to propose and pro- mote the charge against the guilty person ; — these are the law, John V. 45; and conscience, Rom. ii. 15; and Satan also, Zech. iii. 1, Rev. xii. 10. (6.) The charge is admitted and drawn up in a hand-writ- ing in form of law, and is laid before the tribunal of the Judge, in bar, to the deliverance of the offender, Col. ii. 14. (7.) A j^/ea is prepared in the gospel for the guilty person; and this is grace, through the blood of Christ, the ransom paid, the atonement made, the eternal rigliteousness brought in by the surety of the covenant, Rom. iii. 23-25; Dan. ix. 24; Eph. i. 7- (8.) Hereunto alone the sinner hetaJces himself] renouncing all other apologies or defensatives whate^^ei', Ps. cxxx. 2, 3, cxliii. 2 ; Job ix. 2, 3, xlii. 5—7 ; Luke xviii. 13; Rom. iii. 24, 25, v. 11, 16-19, viii. 1-3, 32, 33; Isa. liii. 5, 6; Heb. ix. 13-15, x. 1-13; 1 Pet. ii. 24; 1 John i. 7. Other plea for a sinner before God there is none. He who knoweth God and him- self will not provide or betake himself unto any other. Nor will he, as I suppose, trust unto any other defence, were he sure of all the angels in heaven to plead for him. (9.) To make this plea effectual, Ave have an Advocate with the Father, and he pleads his own propi- tiation for us, 1 John ii 1, 2. (10.) The sentence hereon is absolu- tion, on the account of the ransom, blood, or sacrifice and righteous- ness of Christ ; with acceptation into favour, as persons approved of God, Job xxxiil 24; Ps. xxxii. 1, 2; Rom. iii. 23-25, viii. 1, 33, 34; 2 Cor. V. 21 ; Gal. iii. 13, 14.
Of what use the declaration of this process in the justification of a sinner may be, hath been in some measure before declared. And if many did seriously consider that all these things do concur, and are required, unto the justification of every one that shall be aaved, it may be they would not have such slight thoughts of sin, and the way of deliverance from the guilt of it, as they seem to have. From this consideration did the apostle learn that " terror of the Lord," which made him so earnest with men to seek after reconciliation, 2 Cor. v. 10, 11.
I had not so long insisted on the signification of the words in the Scripture, but that a right understanding of it doth not only exclude
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the pretences of the Romanists about the infusion of a habit of charity from being the forinal cause of our justification before God, but may also give occasion unto some to take advice, into what place or con- sideration they can dispose their own personal, inherent righteousness in their justification before him.
CHAPTER V.
The distinction of a first and second justification examined — The continuation of justification : whereon it doth depend.
Before we inquire immediately into the nature and causes of justification, there are some things yet previously to be considered, that we may prevent all ambiguity and misunderstanding about the subject to be treated of. I say, therefore, that the evangelical justi- fication, which alone we plead about, is but one, and is at once cotn- pleted. About any other justification before God but one, we will not contend with any. Those who can find out another may, as they please, ascribe what they will unto it, or ascribe it unto what they will. Let us, therefore, consider what is offered of this nature.