3. The reconciliation we have with God is a thing tendered to us, and we do receive it: Verse 11, KaraXXay^v kXaZo/izv^ " We have re- ceived the reconciliation (or atonement)." Now, this cannot be spoken in reference to our reconciliation to God as on our side, but of his to us, and our acceptation with him. Our reconciliation to God is our conversion; but we are not said to receive our conversion, or to have our conversion tendered to us, but to convert ourselves or to be converted.
4. The state and condition from whence we are delivered by this reconciliation is described in this, that we are called enemies, — being " enemies, we were reconciled." Now, enemies in this place are the same with sinners; and the reconciliation of sinners, — that is, of those who had rebelled against God, provoked him, were obnoxious to wrath, — is certainly the procuring of the favour of God for them. When you say, " Such a poor, conquered rebel, that expected to be tortured and slain, is by means of such a one reconciled to his prince," what is it that you intend ? Is it that he begins to like and love his prince only, or that his prince lays down his wrath and pardons him?
5. All the considerations before insisted on, declaring in what sense we are saved by the death of Christ, prove our reconciliation with God to be our acceptation with him, not our conversion to him,,
2 Cor. V. 18-21 is a place of the same importance with that above mentioned, wherein the reconciliation pleaded for is asserted, and the nature of it explained: "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ, recon-
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ciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them ; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.''
There is in these words a twofold reconciliation: — 1. Of God to man: Verse 18, " God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ." 2. Our reconciliation to God, in the acceptance of that reconciliation which we are exhorted to.
The first is that inquired after, the reconciliation whereby the anger of God by Christ is turned away, and those for whom he died are brought into his favour, which comprises the satisfaction pro- posed to confirmation ; for, —
1. Unless it be that God is so reconciled and atoned, whence is it that he is thus proclaimed to be a Father towards sinners, as he is here expressed ? Out of Christ he is a "consuming fire" to sinners and " everlasting burnings," Isa. xxxiii. 14, being of " purer eyes than to behold evil," Hab. i. 13; before whom no sinner shall appear or stand, Ps. v. 4, 5. So that, where there is no "sacrifice for sins," there " remaineth nothing to sinners but a certain fearful lookinsr for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adver- saries," Heb. x. 26, 27 How comes, then, this jealous God, this holy God and just Judge, to command some to beseech sinners to be reconciled to him? The reason is given before. It is because he reconciles us to himself by Christ, or in Christ ; that is, by Christ his anger is pacified, his justice satisfied, and himself appeased or recon- ciled to us.
2. The reconciliation mentioned is so expounded, in the cause and effect of it, as not to admit of any other interpretation.
(1.) The effect of God's being reconciled, or his reconciling the world to himself, is in these words, " Not imputing to them their trespasses." God doth so reconcile us to himself by Christ as not to impute our trespasses to us; that is, not dealing with us according as justice required for our sins, upon the account of Christ's [work] remitting the penalty due to them, laying away his anger, and receiv- ing us to favour. This is the immediate fruit of the reconciliation spoken of, if not the reconciliation itself Non-imputation of sin is not our conversion to God.
(2.) The cause of it is expressed, verse 21, "He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." How comes it to pass that God, the righteous judge, doth thus reconcile us to himself, and not impute to
us our sins? It is because he hath made Christ to be sin for us
that is, either a sacrifice for sin, or as sin, — by the imputation of our sin to him. He was "made sin for us," as we are "made the righteous-
538 VINDICI^ EVANGELICiE.
ness of God in him/' Now, we are made the righteousness of God by the imputation of his righteousness to us: so was he made sin for us by the imputation of our sin to him. Now, for God to reconcile us to himself by imputing our sin to Christ, and thereon not imputing it to us, can be nothing but his being appeased and atoned towards us, with his receiving us into his favour, by and upon the account of the death of Christ.