Under the covenant of works as made with Adam, perfect obedience was the condition of acceptance with God and of eternal life ; under the Gospel, for Christ's sake, imperfect, or evangelical obedience, is the ground of justification, i. e., it is that (propter quam) on account of which God graciously grants us the remission of sin and the reward of eternal life.
We have then the three great systems. First, that of the Ro- manists, which teaches that on account of the work of Christ God grants, through Christian baptism, an infusion of divine grace, by which all sin is purged from the soul and all ground for the infliction of the penalty is removed and the sinner rendered inherently just or holy. This is the first justification. Then in virtue of the new principle of spiritual life thus imparted, the baptized or regenerated are enabled to perform good works, which are really meritorious and on account of which they are admitted to heaven.
Secondly, the Arininian theory, that on account of what Christ has done, God is pleased to grant sufficient grace to all men, and to accept the imperfect obedience which the believer is thus en- abled to render in lieu of the perfect obedience required under the covenant made with Adam, and on account of that imperfect obedience, eternal life is graciously bestowed.
Thirdly, the Protestant doctrine that Christ, as the representa- tive and substitute of sinners or of his people, takes their place under the law, and in their name and in their behalf fulfils all righteousness, thereby making a real, perfect, and infinitely mer- itorious satisfaction to the law and justice of God, which right- eousness is imputed, or set to the account of the believer, who is thereupon and on that account freely pardoned and pronounced righteous in the sight of God, and entitled not only to the remis- sion of sin but also to eternal life. Being united to Christ by faith, the believer becomes partaker of his life, so that it is not he that lives but Christ that liveth in him, and the life which the believer now lives in the flesh is by faith of the Son of God, who loved him, and gave Himself for him.
Comparison of the Different Doctrines. The first remark which suggests itself on the comparison of these several schemes is, that the relation between the believer and Christ is far more close, peculiar, and constant on the Protes- tant scheme than on any other. He is dependent on Him every hour ; for the imputation of his righteousness ; for the supplies of