(6.) Faith, as we said before, is our own; and that which is our own may be imputed unto us. But the discourse of the apostle is about that which is not our own antecedently unto imputation, but is made ours thereby, as we have proved ; for it is of grace. And the imputation unto us of what is really our own antecedently unto that imputation, is not of grace, in the sense of the apostle; for what is so imputed is imputed for what it is, and nothing else. For that imputation is but the judgment of God concerning the thing imputed, with respect unto them whose it is. So the act of Phinehas was imputed unto him for righteousness. God judged it, and declared it to be a righteous, rewardable act. Wherefore, if our faith and obedi- ence be imputed unto us, that imputation is only the judgment of God that we are believers, and obedient. " The righteousness of the righteous," saith the prophet, " shall be upon him, and the wicked- ness of the wicked shall be upon him," Ezek. xviii. 20. As the wickedness of the wicked is upon hmi, or is imputed unto him; so the righteousness of the righteous is upon him, or is imputed unto him. And the wickedness of the wicked is on him, when God judgeth him wicked as his works are; so is the righteousness of a man upon him, or imputed unto him, when God judgeth of his right- eousness as it is. Wherefore, if faith, absolutely considered, be im- puted unto us as it contains in itself, or as it is accompanied with, works of obedience; then it is imputed unto us, either for a perfect righteousness, which it is not, or for an imperfect righteousness, which it is ; or the imputation of it is the accounting of that to be a perfect righteousness which is but imperfect. But none of these can be affirmed : —
[1.] It is not imputed unto us for a perfect righteousness, the righteousness required by the law; for so it is not. Episcopius con- fesseth in his disputation, disput. 45, sect. 7, 8, that the righteousness which is imputed unto us must be " absolutissima et perfectissima," — " most absolute and most perfect." And thence he thus defineth the imputation of righteousness unto us, — namely, that it is, '■' gratiosa di\'ina3 mentis aestimatio, qua credentem in Filium suum, eo loco reputat ac si perfects Justus esset, ac legi et voluntati ejus per omnia
320 ON JUSTIFICATION.
semper paruisset." And no man will pretend that faith is such a most absolute and most perfect righteousness, as that by it the right- eousness of the law should be fulfilled in us, as it is by that righteous- ness which is imputed unto us.
[2.] It is not imputed unto us for what it is, — aw imjierfect right- eousness; for. First, This would be of no advantage unto us; for we cannot be justified before God by an imperfect righteousness, as is evident in the prayer of the psalmist, Ps. cxliii. 2, " Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight no man living" (no servant of thine who hath the most perfect or highest measure of imperfect righteousness) " shall be justified." Secondly, The imputation of any thing unto us that was ours antecedently unto that imputation, for what it is, and no more, is contrary unto the imputation described by the apostle ; as hath been proved.
[3.] This imputation pleaded for cannot be a judging of that to be a perfect righteousness which is imperfect ; for the judgment of God is according to truth. But without judging it to be such, it cannot be accepted as such. To accept of any thing, but only for what we judge it to be, is to be deceived.
Lastly, If faith, as a work, be imputed unto us, then it must be as a work wrought in faith; for no other work is accepted with God. Then must that faith also wherein it is wrought be imputed unto us ; for that also is faith and a good work. That, therefore, must have another faith from whence it must proceed ; and so " in infinitum."
Many other things there are in the ensuing explication of the justi- fication of Abraham, the nature of his faith and his righteousness before God, with the application of them unto all that do believe, which may be justly pleaded unto the same pui^pose with those pas- sages of the context which we have insisted on ; but if every testi- mony should be joleaded which the Holy Ghost hath given unto this truth, there would be no end of writing. One thing more I shall ob- sei've, and put an end unto our discourse on this chapter.
Rom. iv. 6-8. The apostle pursues his argument to prove the free- dom of our justification by faith, without respect unto works, through the imputation of righteousness, in the instance of pardon of sin, which essentially belongeth thereunto. And this he doth by the testimony of the psalmist, who placeth the blessedness of a man in the remission of sins. His design is not thereby to declare the full nature of justification, wliich he had done before, but only to prove the freedom of it from any respect unto works in the instance of that essential part of it. " Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works," (which was the only thing he designed to prove by this testimony), " saying. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven." He de-