2. ' Justification ' was, further, a common experi- ence under the Old Covenant. The proof of this lies first and foremost in the fact oi forgivene.'!s, which St. Paul treats as constituting an integral part of justification, even if he does not, as some hold, identify the two. Forgiveness followed on the ottering of appointed sacrifices, and is represented as an experience which many had, and all might have, at the hands of God. The frequent in- junctions to trust in the Lord, and the many declarations that it is a good thing to tnist in Him, point in the same direction. How otherwi.se shall we account for the consciousness of righteousness which is expressed by men who at the same time make confession of sin ? And the confidence placed in (!<id n.s the hearer and answerer of prayer, a.s n refuge and stronghold, as a support and adcfrnce, and so forth? Tliese are either justification itself or its fruits.
3. It scarcely nee<ln saying that the fact of justification Inifore Go<l is the great theme of NT, especially of the Epistles to the Galntinns, Romans, and Hebrews. Whilst, as wa.s |H>inted out, the .self rectification of man's abnormal re- lation to God, whether by 'works of law," i.e. by a self-generated right4,*ousne.ss, or by means lif sacrifice and olferingn or other religious service*
B28
JUSTIFICATION
JUSTIFIC ITION
(Gal 3*""), is treftted as almost ridiculously im- practicable, the blessed news is brought that though all have sinned, all may find justification throujrh faith in Christ, whom God has set forth as a propitiation (Ho 3^'"**).
III. But by what right, it will be asked, can 'justification be atfirmed, not only of Israelites, but even of Gentiles ? The Apostle Paul's correla- tion of Abraham with believers in Clirist (Ro 4*°""), lias puzzled commentators enough ; how tlien can it be nght to correlate with them tliose whom St. Paul is supposed to represent as having been shut up under a law which brought the knowledge of sin (Ro 3*), and therefore the certainty of judgment (Ro 2'""); whilst the sacrifices which were offered are said to make no one perfect as pertaining to the conscience? (He 9"). And is it not still less admis.sible to extend 'justification' to those who are characterised as 'sinners of the Gentiles ' » (Gal 2").
The difficulty now touched upon affects all the three aspects of the subject, ^•iz., first, the divine action (Ko 3*'" et passim) ; then, the human faith, which, no less than di\-ine action, is necessary to justification ; and, finally, the very nature of the relation itself, which is termed justification.
It can only be met by the recognition, on the one hand, of the distinction between implicit and ex- plicit justification ; and, on the other, of the fact that Between implicit and explicit justification there are or may be stages which are not subjected to the limits of earth and time.
The three points just referred to can be repre- sented by means of concentric spheres, the outennost of which shall stand for the Gentiles, the two inner ones respectively for the Israelites and Christian believers; though it needs to be noted that since the break-up of the Je^^■ish system — perhaps, also, largely prior thereto — the distinction between the Israelites and the Gentiles, so far as justification is concerned, has gradually been becoming less and less ; their two spheres have therefore been merging into one. For there is no nation now that can be said to have legal, sacrificial, and religious institu- tions to which God stands in the same relation, or which discharges the same function relatively to God, as those which are summarily designated 'he Je^vish Dispensation or Covenant. Let us consider the three points in relation to the three classes of cases specified.
1. In the case of the Gentiles, the divine action consists in the opening of the human eve to the sacredness and absoluteness of the right. This takes place ordinarily in connexion with some specific duty. ' I am under a sacred or absolutely binding obligation to do this or not to do that,' the Tn&n feels, or possibly says to himself. His eye or ear has been opened: a revelation has been made to him. If he respond, yea, and is ready to do what he sees to be right or avoid what he sees to be wrong, he has attained to a footing which for his stage of personal development is nght, — in other words, he has exercised that element of faith which is possible at that stage, and attained implicit justification.
If he continue faithfully to say, yea, with the same purpose of obedience, even though he have to confess many failures of execution, he is destined one day to stand face to face with Christ, and, by the exercise of full, explicit faith in Him, to become partaker of that conscious peace with God of which previously he had and could have only glimpses and foretastes.
2. Speaking generally, the purpose of the Jevyish Dispensation was, negatively considered, to check the uecrease in humanity of the sensitiveness which conditioned justification of the kind just described ; positively considered, on the one hand, to develop
a moral personality that should be capable of justifi- cation at ever higher stages ; and, on the other hand, prepare the way for tlie coming and work of the Son ol God, by which justilic.Uion in its highest potence was to be rendered possible,