The Imputation of Christs Righteousness, Polemic 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. The Reaſons of our denying the fore-deſcribed rigid ſence of Imputation.
Though it were moſt accurate to reduce what we deny to ſeveral Propoſitions, and to confute each one argumentatively by it ſelf, yet I ſhall now chooſe to avoid ſuch prolixity; and for brevity and the ſatisfaction of ſuch as look more at the force of a Reaſon, than the form of the Argument, I ſhall thruſt together our denyed Sence, with the manifold Reaſons of our denyal.
WE deny, that God doth ſo Impute Chriſts Righteouſneſs to us, as to repute or account us to have been Holy with all that Habitual Holineſs which was in Chriſt, or to have done all that he did in obedience to his Father, or in fulfilling the Law, or to have ſuffered all that he ſuffered, and to have made God ſatisfaction for our own ſins, and merited our own Salvation and Juſtification, in and by Chriſt; or that he was, did and ſuffered, and merited, all this ſtrictly in the perſon of every ſinner that is ſaved; Or that Chriſts very individual Righteouſneſs Material or Formal, is ſo made ours in a ſtrict ſenſe, as that we are Proprietors, Subjects, or Agents of the very thing it ſelf ſimply and abſolutely, as it is diſtinct from the effects; or that Chriſts Individual Formal Righteouſneſs, is made our Formal Perſonal Righteouſneſs; or that as to the effects, we have any ſuch Righteouſneſs Imputed to us, as formally ours, which conſiſteth in a perfect Habitual and Actual Conformity to the Law of Innocency; that is, that we are reputed perfectly Holy and ſinleſs, and ſuch as ſhall be Juſtified by the Law of Innocency, which ſaith, Perfectly Obey and Live, or ſin and die.] All this we deny.
Let him that will anſwer me, keep to my words, and not alter the ſenſe by leaving any out. And that he may the better underſtand me, I add. 1. I take it for granted that the Law requireth Habitual Holineſs as well as Actual Obedience, and is not fulfilled without both. 2. That Chriſt loved God and man with a perfect conſtant Love, and never ſinned by Omiſſion or Commiſſion. 3. That Chriſt died not only for our Original ſin, or ſin before Converſion, but for all our ſin to our lives end. 4. That he who is ſuppoſed to have no ſin of Omiſſion, is ſuppoſed to have done all his duty. 5. That he that hath done all his duty, is not condemnable by that Law, yea hath right to all the Reward promiſed on Condition of that duty. 6. By Chriſts Material Righteouſneſs, I mean, thoſe Habits, Acts and Sufferings in which his Righteouſneſs did conſiſt, or was founded. 7. By his and our Formal Righteouſneſs, I mean the Relation it ſelf of being Righteous. 8. And I hold that Chriſts Righteouſneſs, did not only Numerically (as aforeſaid) but alſo thus totâ ſpecie, in kind differ from ours, that his was a perfect Habitual and Actual Conformity to the Law of Innocency, together with the peculiar Laws of Mediator-ſhip, by which he merited Redemption for us, and Glory for himſelf and us: But ours is the Pardon of ſin, and Right of Life, Purchaſed, Merited and freely given us by Chriſt in and by a new Covenant, whoſe condition is Faith with Repentance, as to the gift of our Juſtification now, and ſincere Holineſs, Obedience, Victory and Perſeverance as to our poſſeſſion of Glory.
Now our Reaſons againſt the denyed ſence of Imputation are theſe.
1. In general this opinion ſetteth up and introduceth all Antinomianiſm or Libertiniſm, and Ungodlineſs, and ſubverteth the Goſpel and all true Religion and Morality.
I do not mean that all that hold it, have ſuch effects in themſelves, but only that this is the tendency and conſequence of the opinion: For I know that many ſee not the nature and conſequences of their own opinions, and the abundance that hold damnable errors, hold them but notionally in a peeviſh faction, and therefore not dammingly, but hold practically, and effectually the contrary ſaving truth. And if the Papiſts ſhall perſwade Men that our doctrine, yea theirs that here miſtake, cannot conſiſt with a godly life, let but the lives of Papiſts and Proteſtants be compared. Yea in one of the Inſtances before given; Though ſome of the Congregational-party hold what was recited, yet ſo far are they from ungodly lives, that the greateſt thing in which I differ from them is, the overmuch unſcriptural ſtrictneſs of ſome of them, in their Church-admiſſions and Communion, while they fly further from ſuch as they think not godly, than I think God would have them do, being generally perſons fearing God themſelves: (Excepting the ſinful alienation from others, and eaſineſs to receive and carry falſe reports of Diſſenters, which is common to all that fall into ſidings.) But the errors of any men are never the better if they be found in the hands of godly men: For if they be practiſed they will make them ungodly.
2. It confoundeth the Perſon of the Mediator, and of the Sinner: As if the Mediator who was proclaimed the Beloved of the Father, and therefore capable of reconciling us to him, becauſe he was ſtill well-pleaſed in him, had (not only ſuffered in the room of the ſinner by voluntary Sponſion, but alſo) in ſuffering and doing, been Civilly the very perſon of the ſinner himſelf; that ſinner I ſay, who was an enemy to God, and ſo eſteemed.
3. It maketh Chriſt to have been Civilly as many perſons as there be elect ſinners in the World: which is both beſide and contrary to Scripture.
4. It introduceth a falſe ſence and ſuppoſition of our ſin imputed to Chriſt, as if Imputatively it were his as it is ours, even the ſinful Habits, the ſinful Acts, and the Relation of evil, Wicked, Ʋngodly and Ʋnrighteous which reſulteth from them: And ſo it maketh Chriſt really hated of God: For God cannot but hate any one whom he reputeth to be truly ungodly, a Hater of God, an Enemy to him, a Rebel, as we all were: whereas it was only the Guilt of Puniſhment, and not of Crime, as ſuch that Chriſt aſſumed: He undertook to ſuffer in the room of ſinners; and to be reputed one that had ſo undertaken; But not to be reputed really a ſinner, an ungodly perſon, hater of God, one that had the Image of the Devil.
5. Nay it maketh Chriſt to have been incomparably the worſt man that ever was in the World by juſt reputation; and to have been by juſt imputation guilty of all the ſins of all the Elect that ever lived, and reputed one of the Murderers of himſelf, and one of the Perſecutors of his Church, or rather many: and the language that Luther uſed Catechreſtically, to be ſtrictly and properly true.
6. It ſuppoſeth a wrong ſence of the Imputation of Adams ſin to his poſterity: As if we had been juſtly reputed perſons exiſtent in his perſon, and ſo in him to have been perſons that committed the ſame ſin; whereas we are only reputed to be now (not then) perſons who have a Nature derived from him, which being then ſeminally only in him, deriveth by propagation an anſwerable Guilt of his ſinful fact, together with natural Corruption.
7. It ſuppoſeth us to be Juſtifiable and Juſtified by the Law of Innocency, made to Adam, as it ſaith [Obey perfectly and Live.] As if we fulfilled it by Chriſt: which is not only an addition to the Scripture, but a Contradiction. For it is only the Law or Covenant of Grace that we are Juſtified by.
8. It putteth, to that end, a falſe ſence upon the Law of Innocency: For whereas it commandeth Perſonal Obedience, and maketh Perſonal puniſhment due to the offender: This ſuppoſeth the Law to ſay or mean [Either thou, or one for thee ſhall Obey; or, Thou ſhalt obey by thy ſelf, or by another: And if thou ſin thou ſhalt ſuffer by thy ſelf, or by another.
Whereas the Law knew no Subſtitute or Vicar, no nor Sponſor; nor is any ſuch thing ſaid of it in the Scripture: ſo bold are men in their additions.
9. It falſly ſuppoſeth that we are not Judged and Juſtified by the new Covenant or Law of Grace, but (but is ſaid) by the Law of Innocency.
10. It fathereth on God an erring judgment, as if he reputed, reckoned or accounted things to be what they are not, and us, to have done what we did not. To repute Chriſt a Sponſor for ſinners who undertook to obey in their natures, and ſuffer in their place and ſtead, as a Sacrifice to redeem them, is all juſt and true: And to repute us thoſe for whom Chriſt did this. But to repute Chriſt to have been really and every one of us, or a ſinner, or guilty of ſin it ſelf; or to repute us to have been habitually as Good as Chriſt was, or actually to have done what he did, either Naturally or Civilly and by Him as our ſubſtitute, and to repute us Righteous by poſſeſſing his formal perſonal Righteouſneſs in it ſelf; All theſe are untrue, and therefore not to be aſcribed to God. To Impute it to us, is but to Repute us as verily and groundedly Righteous by his Merited and freely-Given Pardon, and Right to Life, as if we had merited it our ſelves.
11. It feigneth the ſame Numerical Accident [their Relation of Righteouſneſs] which was in one ſubject to be in another, which is Impoſſible.
12. It maketh us to have ſatisfied Divine Juſtice for our ſelves, and merited Salvation (and all that we receive) for our ſelves, in and by another: And ſo that we may plead our own Merits with God for Heaven and all his benefits.
13. The very making and tenor of the new Covenant, contradicteth this opinion: For when God maketh a Law or Covenant, to convey the effects of Chriſts Righteouſneſs to us, by degrees and upon certain Conditions, this proveth that the very Righteouſneſs in it ſelf ſimply was not ours: elſe we ſhould have had theſe effects of it both preſently and immediately and abſolutely without new Conditions.
14. This opinion therefore maketh this Law of Grace, which giveth the benefits to us by theſe degrees and upon terms, to be an injury to Believers, as keeping them from their own.
15. It ſeemeth to deny Chriſts Legiſlation in the Law of Grace, and conſequently his Kingly Office. For if we are reputed to have fulfilled the whole Law of Innocency in Chriſt, there is no buſineſs for the Law of Grace to do.
16. It ſeemeth to make internal Sanctification by the Spirit needleſs, or at leaſt, as to one half of its uſe: For if we are by juſt Imputation in Gods account perfectly Holy, in Chriſts Holineſs the firſt moment of our believing, nothing can be added to Perfection; we are as fully Amiable in the ſight of God, as if we were ſanctified in our ſelves; Becauſe by Imputation it is all our own.
17. And ſo it ſeemeth to make our after-Obedience unneceſſary, at leaſt as to half its uſe: For if in Gods true account, we have perfectly obeyed to the death by another, how can we be required to do it all or part again by our ſelves? If all the debt of our Obedience be paid, why is it required again?
18. And this ſeemeth to Impute to God a nature leſs holy and at enmity to ſin, than indeed he hath; if he can repute a man laden with hateful ſins, to be as perfecty Holy, Obedient and Amiable to him as if he were really ſo in himſelf, becauſe another is ſuch for him.
19. If we did in our own perſons Imputatively what Chriſt did, I think it will follow that we ſinned; that being unlawful to us which was Good in him. It is a ſin for us to be Circumciſed, and to keep all the Law of Moſes, and ſend forth Apoſtles, and to make Church-Ordinances needful to Salvation. Therefore we did not this in Chriſt: And if not this, they that diſtinguiſh and tell us what we did in Chriſt, and what not, muſt prove it. I know that Chriſt did ſomewhat which is a common duty of all men, and ſomewhat proper to the Jews, and ſomewhat proper to himſelf: But that one ſort of men did one part in Chriſt, and another ſort did another part in him, is to be proved.
20. If Chriſt ſuffered but in the Perſon of ſinful man, his ſufferings would have been in vain, or no Satisfaction to God: For ſinful man is obliged to perpetual puniſhment; of which a temporal one is but a ſmall part: Our perſons cannot make a temporal ſuffering equal to that perpetual one due to man: but the tranſcendent perſon of the Mediator did.
Obj. Chriſt bore both his own perſon and ours: It belongeth to him as Mediator to perſonate the guilty ſinner.
Anſ. It belongeth to him as Mediator to undertake the ſinners puniſhment in his own perſon. And if any will improperly call that, the Perſonating and Repreſenting of the ſinner, let them limit it, and confeſs that it is not ſimply, but in tantum, ſo far, and to ſuch uſes and no other, and that yet ſinners did it not in and by Chriſt, but only Chriſt for them to convey the benefits as he pleaſed; And then we delight not to quarrel about mere words; though we like the phraſe of Scripture better than theirs.
21. If Chriſt was perfectly Holy and Obedient in our perſons, and we in him, then it was either in the Perſon of Innocent man before we ſinned, or of ſinful man. The firſt cannot be pretended: For man as Innocent had not a Redeemer. If of ſinful man, then his perfect Obedience could not be meritorious of our Salvation: For it ſuppoſeth him to do it in the perſon of a ſinner: and he that hath once ſinned, according to that Law, is the Child of death, and uncapable of ever fulfilling a Law, which is fulfilled with nothing but ſinleſs perfect perpetual Obedience.
Obj. He firſt ſuffered in our ſtead and perſons as ſinners, and then our ſin being pardoned, he after in our perſons fulfilled the Law, inſtead of our after-Obedience to it.
Anſ. 1. Chriſts Obedience to the Law was before his Death. 2. The ſins which he ſuffered for, were not only before Converſion, but endure as long as our lives: Therefore if he fulfilled the Law in our perſons after we have done ſinning, it is in the perſons only of the dead. 3. We are ſtill obliged to Obedience our ſelves.
Obj. But yet though there be no ſuch difference in Time, God doth firſt Impute his ſufferings to us for pardon of all our ſins to the death, and in order of nature, his Obedience after it, as the Merit of our Salvation.
Anſ. 1. God doth Impute or Repute his ſufferings the ſatisfying cauſe of our Pardon, and his Merits of Suffering and the reſt of his Holineſs and Obedience, as the meritorious cauſe of our Pardon and our Juſtification and Glory without dividing them. But 2. that implyeth that we did not our ſelves reputatively do all this in Chriſt: As ſhall be further proved.
22. Their way of Imputation of the Satisfaction of Chriſt, overthroweth their own doctrine of the Imputation of his Holineſs and Righteouſneſs. For if all ſin be fully pardoned by the Imputed Satisfaction, then ſins of Omiſſion and of habitual Privation and Corruption are pardoned; and then the whole puniſhment both of Senſe and Loſs is remitted: And he that hath no ſin of Omiſſion or Privation, is a perfect doer of his duty, and holy; and he that hath no puniſhment of Loſs, hath title to Life, according to that Covenant which he is reputed to have perfectly obeyed. And ſo he is an heir of life, without any Imputed Obedience upon the pardon of all his Diſobedience.
Obj. But Adam muſt have obeyed to the Death if he would have Life eternal: Therefore the bare pardon of his ſins did not procure his right to life.
Anſ. True, if you ſuppoſe that only his firſt ſin was pardoned: But 1. Adam had right to heaven as long as he was ſinleſs. 2. Chriſt dyed for all Adams ſins to the laſt breath, and not for the firſt only: And ſo he did for all ours. And if all the ſins of omiſſion to the death be pardoned, Life is due to us as righteous.
Obj. A Stone may be ſinleſs, and yet not righteous nor have Right to life.
Anſ. True: becauſe it is not a capable ſubject. But a man cannot be ſinleſs, but he is Righteous, and hath right to life by Covenant.
Obj. But not to puniſh is one thing and to Reward is another?
Anſ. They are diſtinct formal Relations and Notions: But where felicity is a Gift and called a Reward only for the terms and order of Collation, and where Innocency is the ſame with perfect Duty, and is the title-Condition; there to be puniſhed is to be denyed the Gift, and to be Rewarded is to have that Gift as qualified perſons: and not to Reward, is materially to puniſh; and to be reputed innocent is to be reputed a Meriter. And it is impoſſible that the moſt Innocent man can have any thing from God, but by way of free-Gift as to the Thing in Value; however it may be merited in point of Governing Paternal Juſtice as to the Order of donation.
Obj. But there is a greater Glory merited by Chriſt, than the Covenant of works promiſed to man.
Anſ. 1. That's another matter, and belongeth not to Juſtification, but to Adoption. 2. Chriſts Sufferings as well as his Obedience, conſidered as meritorious, did purchaſe that greater Glory. 3. We did not purchaſe or merit it in Chriſt, but Chriſt for us.
23. Their way of Imputation ſeemeth to me to leave no place or poſſibility for Pardon of ſin, or at leaſt of no ſin after Converſion. I mean, that according to their opinion who think that we fulfilled the Law in Chriſt as we are elect from eternity, it leaveth no place for any pardon: And according to their opinion who ſay that we fulfilled it in him as Believers, it leaveth no place for pardon of any ſin after Faith. For where the Law is reputed perfectly fulfilled (in Habit & Act) there it is reputed that the perſon hath no ſin. We had no ſin before we had a Being; and if we are reputed to have perfectly obeyed in Chriſt from our firſt Being, we are reputed ſinleſs. But if we are reputed to have obeyed in him only ſince our believing, then we are reputed to have no ſin ſince our Believing. Nothing excludeth ſin, if perfect Habitual and Actual Holineſs and Obedience do not.
24. And conſequently Chriſts blood ſhed and Satisfaction is made vain, either as to all our lives, or to all after our … believing.
25. And then no believer muſt confeſs his ſin, nor his deſert of puniſhment nor repent of it, or be humbled for it.
26. And then all prayer for the pardon of ſuch ſin is vain, and goeth upon a falſe ſuppoſition, that we have ſin to pardon.
27. And then no man is to be a partaker of the Sacrament as a Conveyance or Seal of ſuch pardon; nor to believe the promiſe for it.
28. Nor is it a duty to give thanks to God or Chriſt for any ſuch pardon.
29. Nor can we expect Juſtification from ſuch guilt here or at Judgment.
30. And then thoſe in Heaven praiſe Chriſt in errour, when they magnifie him that waſhed them from ſuch ſins in his blood.
31. And it would be no lie to ſay that we have no ſin, at leaſt, ſince believing.
32. Then no believer ſhould fear ſinning, becauſe it is Impoſſible and a Contradiction, for the ſame perſon to be perfectly innocent to the death, and yet a ſinner.
33. Then the Conſciences of believers have no work to do, or at leaſt, no examining, convincing, ſelf-accuſing and ſelf-judging work.
34. This chargeth God by Conſequence of wronging all believers whom he layeth the leaſt puniſhment upon: For he that hath perfectly obeyed, or hath perfectly ſatisfied, by himſelf or by another in his perſon, cannot juſtly be puniſhed. But I have elſewhere fully proved, that Death and other Chaſtiſements are puniſhments, though not deſtructive, but corrective: And ſo is the permiſſion of our further ſinning.
35. It intimateth that God wrongeth believers, for not giving them immediately more of the Holy Ghoſt, and not preſent perfecting them and freeing them from all ſin: For though Chriſt may give us the fruits of his own merits in the time and way that pleaſeth himſelf; yet if it be we our ſelves that have perfectly ſatisfied and merited in Chriſt, we have preſent Right to the thing merited thereupon, and it is an injury to deny it us at all.
36. And accordingly it would be an injury to keep them ſo long out of Heaven, if they themſelves did merit it ſo long ago.
37. And the very Threatning of Puniſhment in the Law of Grace would ſeem injurious or incongruous, to them that have already reputatively obeyed perfectly to the death.
38. And there would be no place left for any Reward from God, to any act of obedience done by our ſelves in our natural or real perſon: Becauſe having reputatively fulfilled all Righteouſneſs, and deſerved all that we are capable of by another, our own acts can have no reward.
39. And I think this would overthrow all Humane Laws and Government: For all true Governours are the Officers of God, and do what they do in ſubordination to God; and therefore cannot juſtly puniſh any man, whom he pronounceth erfectly Innocent to the death.
40. This maketh every believer (at leaſt) as Righteous as Chriſt himſelf, as having true propriety in all the ſame numerical Righteouſneſs as his own. And if we be as Righteous as Chriſt, are we not as amiable to God? And may we not go to God in our Names as Righteous?
41. This maketh all believers (at leaſt) equally Righteous in degree, and every one perfect, and no difference between them. David and Solomon as Righteous in the act of ſinning as before, and every weak and ſcandalous believer, to be as Righteous as the beſt. Which is not true, though many ſay that Juſtification hath no degrees, but is perfect at firſt; as I have proved in my Life of Faith and elſewhere.
42. This too much levelleth Heaven and Earth; For in Heaven there can be nothing greater than perfection.
43. The Scripture no-where calleth our Imputed Righteouſneſs by the name of Innocency, or ſinleſs Perfection, nor Inculpability Imputed. Nay when the very phraſe of Imputing Chriſts Righteouſneſs is not there at all, to add all theſe wrong deſcriptions of Imputation, is ſuch Additions to Gods words as tendeth to let in almoſt any thing that mans wit ſhall excogitate and ill beſeemeth them, that are for Scripture-ſufficiency and perfection, and againſt Additions in the general. And whether ſome may not ſay that we are Imputatively Chriſt himſelf, Conceived by the Holy Ghoſt; Born of the Virgin Mary, ſuffered under Pontius Pilate, Crucified, &c. I cannot tell.
To conclude, the honeſt plain Chriſtian may without diſquieting the Church or himſelf, be ſatisfied in this certain ſimple truth; That we are ſinners and deſerve everlaſting miſery: That Chriſt hath ſuffered as a Sacrifice for our ſins in our room and ſtead, and ſatisfied the Juſtice of God: That he hath by his perfect Holineſs and Obedience with thoſe ſufferings, merited our pardon and Life: That he never hereby intended to make us Lawleſs have us Holy, but hath brought us under a Law of Grace: which is the Inſtrument by which he pardoneth, juſtifieth and giveth us Right to life: That by this Covenant he requireth of us Repentance and true Faith to our firſt Juſtification, and ſincere Obedience, Holineſs and Perſeverance to our Glorification, to be wrought by his Grace and our Wills excited and enabled by it: That Chriſts Sufferings are to ſave us from ſuffering; but his Holineſs and Obedience are to merit Holineſs, Obedience & Happineſs for us, that we may be like him, and ſo be made perſonally amiable to God: But both his Sufferings and Obedience, do bring us under a Covenant, where Perfection is not neceſſary to our Salvation.