JUSTIFICATION AS DECLARED BY PAUL. 345
And this cannot possibly be but when our righteousness is inherent in us ; for that, however it may be procured, or purchased, or wrought in us, is yet our own, so far as any thing can be our own whilst we are creatures. This kind of righteousness, therefore, is here excluded. And the Lord Christ being so made righteousness unto us of God as that all boasting and glorying on our part, or in ourselves, may be excluded, — yea, being made so for this very end, that so it should be, — it can be no otherwise but by the imputation of his right- eousness unto us; for thereby is the grace of God, the honour of his person and mediation exalted, and all occasion of glorying in ourselves utterly prescinded. We desire no more from this testimony, but that whereas we are in ourselves destitute of all righteousness in the sight of God, Christ is, by a gracious act of divine imputation, made of God righteousness unto us, in such a way as that all our glorying ought to be in the grace of God, and the righteousness of Christ himself. Bellarmine attempts three answers unto this testimony, the two first whereof are coincident ; and, in the third, being on the rack of light and truth, he confesseth, and grants all that we plead for. 1. He says, " That Christ is said to be our righteousness, because he is the efficient cause of it, as God is said to be our strength ; and so there is in the words a metonymy of the effect for the cause." And I say it is true, that the Lord Christ by his Spirit is the efficient cause of our personal, inherent righteousness. By his grace it is effected and Avrought in us; he renews our natures into the image of God, and without him we can do nothing: so that our habitual and actual righteousness is from him. But this personal righteousness is our sanctification, and nothing else. And although the same internal habit of inherent gTace, with operations suitable thereunto, be some- times called our sanctification, and sometimes our righteousness, with respect unto those operations, yet is it never distiuguished into our sanctification and our righteousness. But his being made righteous- ness unto us in this place is absolutely distinct from his being made sanctification unto us; Avhich is that inherent righteousness which is wrought in us by the Spirit and grace of Christ. And his working personal righteousness in us, which is our sanctification, and the im- putation of his righteousness unto us, whereby we are made righteous before God, are not only consistent, but the one of them cannot be without the other.
'1. He pleads, " That Christ is said to be made righteousness unto us, as he is made redemption. Now, he is our redemption, because he hath redeemed us. So is he said to be made righteousness unto us, because by him we become righteous;" or, as another speaks, " because by him alone we are justified." This is the same plea with the former, — namely, that there is a metonymy of the effect for the
S4iS ON JUSTIFICATION'.
cause in all these exjiressious ; yet what cause they intend it to bo who expound the words, " By him alone we are justified," I do not un- derstand. But Bellarmine is approaching yet nearer the truth : for as Christ is said to be made of God redemption unto us, because by his blood we are redeemed, or freed from sin, death, and hell, by the ran- som he paid for us, or have redemption through his blood, even the for- giveness of sins; so he is said to be made righteousness unto us, because through his righteousness granted unto us of God (as God's making him to be righteousness unto us, and our becoming the righteousness of God in him, and the imputation of his righteousness unto us, that we may be righteous before God, are the same), we are justified.
His third answer, as was before observed, grants the whole of what we plead ; for it is the same which he gives unto Jer. xxiii. 6 : which place he conjoins with this, as of the same sense and importance, giving up his whole cause in satisfaction unto them, in the words before described, lib. ii. cap. 10.
Socinus prefaceth his answer unto this testimony with an admira- tion that any should make use of it, or plead it in this cause, it is so impertinent unto the purpose. And, indeed, a pretended contempt of the arguments of his adversaries is the principal artifice he makes use of in all his replies and evasions; wherein I am sorry to see that he is followed by most of them who, together with him, do oppose the imputation of the righteousness of Christ. And so of late the use of this testimony, which reduced Bellarmine to so great a strait, is admired at on the only ground and reason wherewith it is opposed by Socinus. Yet are his exceptions unto it such as that I cannot also but a little, on the other hand, wonder that any learned man should be troubled with them, or seduced by them; for he only pleads, " That if Christ be said to be made righteousness unto us because his righteousness is imputed unto us, then is he said to be made wisdom unto us because his wisdom is so imputed, and s© of his sanctification ; which none will allow : yea, he must be redeemed for us, and his redemption be imputed unto us." But there is nothing of force nor truth in this pretence: for it is built only on this sup- position, that Christ must be made unto us of God all these things in the same way and manner; whereas they are of such different natures that it is utterly impossible he should so be. For instance, he is made sanctification unto us, in that by his Spirit and grace we are freely sanctified ; but he cannot be said to be made redemption unto us, in that by his Spirit and grace we are freely redeemed. And if he is said to be made righteousness unto us, because by his Spirit and grace he works inherent righteousness in us, then is it plainly the same with his being made sanctification unto us. Neither doth he himself believe that Christ is made all these things unto us in