21 S ON JUSTIFICATION.
what lie did and suffered in our stead, by that grant, donation, and imputation of it unto us; or that we may be interested in it, that it may be made ours : which is all we contend for. And this is our actual coalescency into one inystical 2)erson with liim by faith. Hereon doth the necessity of faith originally depend. And if we shall add hereunto the necessity of it likewise unto that especial glory of God v/hich he designs to exalt in our justification by Christ, as also unto all the ends of our obedience unto God, and the renovation of our natures into his image, its station is sufficiently secured against all objections. O.ur actual interest in the satisfaction of Christ depends'"* "^ on our actual insertion into his mystical body by faith, according to the appointment of God.
4. It is yet objected, " That if the righteousness of Christ be made ours, we may be said to be saviours of the world, as he was, or to save others, as he did; for he was so and did so by his righteous- ness, and no otherwise." This objection also is of the same nature with those foregoing, — a mere sophistical cavil. For, —
(1.) The righteousness of Christ is not transfused into us, so as to be made inherently and subjectively ours, as it was in him, and which is necessarily required unto that effect of saving others thereby. Whatever we may do, or be said to do, with respect unto others, by virtue of any power or quality inherent in ourselves, we can be said to do nothing unto others, or for them, by virtue of that which is im- puted unto us only for our own benefit. That any righteousness of ours should benefit another, it is absolutely necessary that it should be ^vrought by ourselves.
(2.) If the righteousness of Christ could be transfused into us, and be made inherently ours, yet could we not be, nor be said to be, the saviours of others thereby; for our nature in our individual per- sons is not " subjectum capax," or capable to receive and retain a righteousness useful and effectual unto that end. This capacity was given unto it in Christ by virtue of the hypostatical union, and no otherwise. The righteousness of Christ himself, as performed in the human nature, would not have been sufficient for the justification and salvation of the church, had it not been the righteousness of his per- son who is both God and man; for " God redeemed his church with his own blood."
(3.) This imputation of the righteousness of Christ unto us, as unto its ends and use, hath its measure from the will of God, and his pur- pose in that imputation; and this is, that it should be the right- eousness of them unto whom it is imputed, and nothing else.
(4.) We do not say that the righteousness of Christ, as onade abso- lutely for the whole church, is imputed unto every believer ; but his satisfaction for every one of them in particular, according unto the
FORMAL CAUSE OF JUSTIFICATION. 219
will of God, is imputed unto them, — not with respect unto its gene- ral ends, but according unto every one's particular interest. Every believer hath his own homer of this bread of life ; and all are jus- tified by the same righteousness.
(5.) The apostle declares, as we shall prove afterward, that as Adams actual sin is imputed unto us unto condemnation, so is the obedience of Christ imputed unto us to the justification of life. But Adam's sin is not so imputed unto any person as that he should then and thereby be the cause of sin and condemnation unto all other persons in the world, but only that he himself should become guilty before God thereon. And so is it on the other side. And as we are made guilty by Adam's actual sin, which is not inherent in us, but only imputed unto us ; so are we made righteous by the righteous- ness of Christ, which is not inherent in us, but only imputed unto us. And imputed unto us it is, because himself was righteous with it, not for himself, but for us.
5. It is yet said, " That if we insist on personal imputation unto every believer of what Christ did, or if any believer be personally righteous in the very individual acts of Christ's righteousness, many absurdities will follow." But it was observed before, that when any design to oppose an opinion from the absurdities which they suppose would follow upon it, they are much inclined so to state it as that at least they may seem so to do. And this ofttimes the most worthy and candid persons are not free from, in the heat of disputation. So I fear it is here fallen out ; for as unto personal imputation, I do not well understand it. All imputation is unto a person, and is the act of a person, be it of what, and what sort it will ; but from neither of them can be denominated a personal imputation. And if an im- putation be allowed that is not unto the persons of men, — namely, in this case unto all believers, — the nature of it hath not yet been de- clared, as I know of