[1.] That this righteousness of Christ should be communicated unto us, and be made ours, in such a way and manner as that he himself might be glorified therein, seeing he hath disposed all things, in this whole economy, unto " the praise of the glory of his grace," Eph. i. 6. This was to be done by faith, on our part. It is so; it could be no otherwise : for that faith whereby we are justified is our i::iving unto God the glory of his wisdom, grace, and love ; and what- ever doth so is faith, and nothing else is so.
[2.] That whereas our nature was so corrupted and depraved as that, continuing in that state, it was not capable of a participation of the righteousness of Christ, or any benefit of it, unto the glory of God and our own good, it was in like manner necessary that it should be reneived and changed. And unless it were so, the design of God
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in the mediation of Christ, — which was the entire recovery of us unto himself, — could not be attained. And therefore, as faith, under the formal consideration of it, was necessaiy unto the first end, — namely, that of givmg glory unto God, — so unto this latter end it was neces- saiy that this faith should be accompanied Avith, yea, and contain in itself, the seeds of all those other graces wherein the divine nature doth consist, whereof we are to be made partakers. Not only, there- fore, the thing itself, or the communication of the righteousness of Christ unto us, but the way, and manner, and means of it, do de- pend on God's sovereign order and disposal. Wherefore, although Christ did maike satisfaction to the justice of God for all the sins of iive church, and that as a common person (for no man in his wits can deny but that he who is a mediator and a surety is, in some sense, a common person); and although he did pay all our debts; yet 'doth the particular interest of this or that man in what he did and suffered depend on the way, means, and order designed of God unto that end. This, and this alone, gives the true necessity of all the duties which are required of us, with their order and their ends.
o. It is objected, " That the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, which we defend, overthrows the necessity of faith itself." This is ho7ne indeed. " Aliquid adha3rebit" is the design of all these o})jections; but they have reason to plead for themselves who make it. " For on this supposition," they say, " the righteousness of Christ is ours before we do believe ; for Christ satisfied for all our sins, as if Ave had satisfied in our own persons. And he Avho is esteemed to have satisfied for all his sins in his oa\ti person is acquitted from them all and accounted just, whether he believe or no ; nor is there any ground or reason Avhy he should be required to believe. If, therefore, the righteousness of Christ be really ours, because, in the judgTuent of God, we are esteemed to have AVTOught it in him, then it. is ours before we do believe. If it be otherwise, then it is plain that that righteousness itself can never be made ours by believing; only the fruits and effects of it may be suspended on our belicAdng, Avhereby Ave may be made partakers of them. Yea, if Christ made any such satisfaction for us as is pretended, it is really ours, Avithout any far- ther imputation ; for, being performed for us and in our stead, it is the highest injustice not to have us accounted pardoned and acquitted, Avithout any farther, either imputation on the part of God or faith on ours." These things I have transcribed out of Socinus, De Serva;t6re, lib. iv. cap. 2-5 ; Avhich I Avould not have done but that I find others to have gone before me herein, though to another purpose. And he concludes Avith a confidence which others also seem, in some measure, to have learned of him ; for he saith unto his adversary, " Hsec tua, tuorumque senteutia, adeo foeda et execrabilis est, ut pestilentiorem
21G ON JUSTIFICATION.
errorem post homines natos in populo Dei extitisse non credam," — speaking of the satisfaction of Christ, and the imputation of it unto believers. And, indeed, his serpentine wit was fertile in the inven- tion of cavils against all the mysteries of the gospel. Nor was he obliged by any one of them, so as to contradict himself in what he op- posed concerning any other of them ; for, denjdng the deity of Christ, his satisfaction, sacrifice, merit, righteousness, and overthrowing the whole nature of his mediation, nothing stood in his way which he had a mind to oppose. But I somewhat wonder how others can make use of his inventions in this kind ; who, if they considered aright their proper tendency, they will find them to be absolutely destruc- tive of what they seem to own. So it is in this present objection against the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, If it hath any force in it, as indeed it hath not, it is to prove that the satisfaction of Christ was impossible; and so he intended it. But it will be easily removed.