7. In this state we were, even all mankind, when _God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end we might not perish but have everlasting life_. In the fulness of time, he was made man, another common head of mankind, a second general parent and representative of the whole human race. And as such it was that _he bore our griefs_, the Lord _laying upon him the iniquities of us all_. Then _was he wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He made his soul an offering for sin_: he poured out his blood for the transgressors: he _bare our sins in his own body on the tree_, that _by his stripes we_ might be _healed_: and by that one oblation of himself once offered, he hath redeemed me and all mankind; having thereby made a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.
8. In consideration of this, that the Son of God hath _tasted death for every man_, God hath now _reconciled the world to himself, not imputing to them their former trespasses_. And thus, _as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification_. So that for the sake of his well-beloved Son, of what he hath done and suffered for us, God now vouchsafes on one only condition (which himself also enables us to perform) both to remit the punishment due to our sins, to reinstate us in his favour, and to restore our dead souls to spiritual life, as the earnest of life eternal.
9. This therefore is the general ground, of the whole doctrine of _justification_. By the sin of the first _Adam_, who was not only the father, but likewise the representative of us all, we all _fell short of the |favour| of God_: we all became _children of wrath_: or, as the apostle expresses it, _judgment came upon all men_ to _condemnation_. Even so, by the sacrifice for sin made by the second _Adam_, as the representative of us all, God is so far reconciled to all the world, that he hath given them a new covenant. The plain condition whereof being once fulfilled, _there is no more condemnation for us_, but we are _justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ_.
II. 1. But what is it to be _justified_? What is _justification_? This was the second thing which I proposed to shew. And it is evident from what has been already observed, that it is not, the being made actually just and righteous. This is _sanctification_: which is indeed, in some degree, the immediate _fruit_ of justification: but nevertheless is a distinct gift of God, and of a totally different nature. The one implies, what God _does for us_ through his Son; the other what he _works in us_ by his Spirit. So that altho’ some rare instances maybe found, wherein the term _justified_, or _justification_, is used in so wide a sense as to include _sanctification_ also; yet in general use, they are sufficiently distinguished from each other, both by St. _Paul_ and the other inspired writers.
2. Neither is that far-fetch’d conceit, that justification is, the clearing us from accusation, particularly that of _Satan_, easily proveable from any clear text of holy writ. In the whole scriptural account of this matter, as above laid down, neither that accuser nor his accusation appears to be at all taken in. It cannot indeed be denied, that he is the _accuser of men_, emphatically so called. But it does in no wise appear, that the great apostle hath any reference to this, more or less, in all that he hath written touching justification, either to the _Romans_ or the _Galatians_.
3. It is also far easier to take for granted, than to prove from any clear scripture-testimony, that justification is, the clearing us from the accusation brought against us by _the law_. At least, if this forced, unnatural way of speaking, mean either more or less than this, that whereas we have transgressed the law of God, and thereby deserved the damnation of hell, God does not inflict on those who are justified, the punishment which they had deserved.