The Life of Justification Opened, Appendix · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
John Forbes his Arguments, against the Imputation of Christ's active obedience, examined. With a View of Wendelin's reasonings against it.
John Forbes in his Treatise tending to clear the doctrine of justification Chap. 24. pag. 93. &c. cometh to speak of the matter of our Righteousness, that is, that, wherein Christ is made of God Righteousness unto us; And tels us, that this in one word, in the Scripture, is said to be his obedience Rom. 5: 19. But this obedience he restricteth pag. 94. unto the passive Obedience of Christ only in his death: And by this restriction, not only excludeth all his obedience to the Law, but even all his suffering, in his state of humiliation; Yea & his soul-sufferings also, for any thing that appeareth.
He mentioneth a distinction betwixt those things, wherein the Righteousness itself standeth, which is imputed to us, & those things, which are requis…e in Christ, to the end, that in the other he may be Righteousness unto us. And this distinction is good in itself; but not rightly applied, when he referreth all to this last head, which Christ did and suffered, except only in his death.
He granteth pag. 95. that the word obedience is oft times in the Scripture referred to the whole work of Christ's humiliation: But we do not take it so largely here, as to comprehend even his Incarnation; but as comprehending that, which belonged to his work of Mediation, as our Sponsor, in satisfying the Law & the Law-giver, for what we were owing, and were not able to pay: Nor can we so restrict it, as he doth: Let us therefore see his grounds.
His first ground is this. We are not to esteem Christ to be our Righteousness, in any thing, but in that only, wherein God hath purposed, & according to his purpose ordained, & according to his ordinance set forth Christ to be our Righteousness & Propitiation. For the purpose of God, he citeth Col. 1: 19, 20. for the Ordinance 1. Pet. 1: 18, 19, 20. For his setting forth Rom. 3: 25. Ans. We are not to esteem Christ to be our Righteousness in any thing, but in that only where in the Scriptures hold him forth to be so: And in that, wherein the Scripture holdeth him forth to be so, God purposed, ordained & set him forth to be so: But we must not restrict the whole Seripture to these three or four places cited: If the Scriptures elsewhere pointe forth Christ to be our Righteousness in other acts, than in his death, all this argueing is to no purpose. Sure the Scriptures speak of his sufferings in soul, & of his being made a curse for us, & of his being obedient even to the death, of his being made under the Law to redeem them, that were under the Law: And that what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, & for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us. See Phil. 2: 7, 8. Gal. 4: 4. Rom. 8: 3, 4. (2) There is nothing in these texts exclusive of Christ's obedience: And it is loose argueing to say, Christ's death only is mentioned in three or foure places of Scripture. Ergo nothing else is mentioned, or to be understood, any where else: the particle Only is not here to be found, neither expresly, nor tacitely. (3) Beside that in all these passages, there is not one word of a Righteousness, no expression, signifying the matter of imputed Righteousness to consist therein; or that Christ was our Righteousness, upon the account thereof: Nay, neither here, nor no-where finde we Christ called our Righteousness, because he died for us. Nor doth the Apostle attribute our Righteousness unto his blood only Rom. 5: 9. Ephes. 1: 7. Col. 1: 14. No such thing appeareth there. Neither Pardon, nor Justification, which only are there spoken of, are a Righteousness, or our Righteousness, but the consequences, fruites or effects thereof.
His argueing, That without shedding of bloud, there is no remission, & from Heb. 6. & 10. That Christ dieth no more. Therefore Christ is appointed our Righteousness & peace, in nothing, but in his death & bloud of his crosse, is most loose, & can only conclude against those (if there be any such, that say, By Christ's obedience active only, & not at all by his death & sufferings have we peace & remission of sins. We willingly grant, that without shedding of bloud there is no remission; But this saith not, that shedding of bloud alone is all our Righteousness. We conjoine both his active & his passive obedience, & so we take in his whole Mediatory work, which maketh up his compleat Surety-Righteousness: and say that this must be imputed to us, in order to our Justification, Peace, Pardon & Acceptance.
He▪ argueth next from Adam, as the Type Rom. 5. & sayeth, that this Type teacheth us foure things. 1. That our Righteousness should proceed from one man Iesus Christ. 2. That our Righteousness should consist in the obedience of that one man. 3. That our Righteousness should consist in one obedience only of that one man. 4. That our Righteousness should consist in the only one obedience of that one man, once only performed. Ans. (1) If our Righteousness consist in the obedience of Christ, & that in opposition to Adam's disobedience to the Law; then it must not consist in his sufferings alone; for sufferings, as such, are no obedience to the Law: And further Christ's obedience is called his Righteousness Rom. 5: 18. but suffering & dying is no Righteousness. (2) There is no ground to assert either of the two last, much less both: for though Adam's act of disobedience was one, and that done at once; Yet it will not follow that therein he was a Typ of Christ; or that therefore Christ's obedience must be one act only, & that performed at one time only: for Paul hinteth no such comparison, and we must not make typical similitudes without warrand. And againe, one act of disobedience, once committed, is a violation of the Law, & enough to constitute one unrighteous; but one act of obedience, howbeit frequently performed, far less once only performed, cannot be a compleet Righteousness, which requireth conformity to the whole Law, in all points, & that all the dayes of our life. Wherefore Christ's obedience, being a Righteousness (which consisteth in full conformity to the Law) must be perfect, & correspond with the whole Law, & cannot be one only act, once only performed; & that such an act too, is no formal act of obedience to the Law at all.
His Second ground is taken from the signes & seals of the Righteousness, which is by faith, that is Baptisme & the Lord's supper, & tels us, that they signifie & represent to us, what is the Righteousness it self, whereby we are justified, & seale & confirme unto us, that that Righteousness is ours. Ans. I should rather think, that they represent & exhibite whole Christ, & seal to beleevers, or the worthy receivers their interest in Him, & Right to Him, and to all his Spiritual benefites. And though these Sacraments, do in a more special manner, represent Christ, as suffering, or as dying; Yet it is no good consequence hence to inferre, that his dying alone & shedding his blood is our Righteousness; for his death is principally & specially there held forth, as being the last & compleeting act of his Mediatory obedience, in his state of humiliation, unto which all his former acts of obedience had a special respect; & in which they did all ultimatly terminate. And by what reason, will it be proved, that nothing done or suffered by Christ, can be any part or portion of our Righteousness in him, but what is distinctly & expressly represented & pointed forth by these seales; What shall then become of his soul sufferings in the Garden, & on the Crosse? these were not his bloud, nor his broken body: & therefore, according to him, make no part of our Righteousness in Christ. But we dar not say this.
His Third ground is from Heb. 10: 5, 6, 7. &c. cited out of Psal. 40. And thus he argueth. The obedience of Christ, in the matter of our Righteousness, is of no larger extent, than is the will of God, which he did obey & by which we are sanctified. But this is restrained only to the offering of Christ. Ans. The minor is here denied, there being no such restraint made, as is alleiged: for he came to do all the will of God & therefore was baptised, that he might fulfill all Righteousness: It was not se…ving to the Apostles scope, to mentione any other act of obedience, than his offering up of himself; but his mentioning no other there, will not exclude all, mentioned elsewhere: Sure, the Adversarie will not exclude the promptitude & readiness of mind, that Christ had unto the offering up of himself, long before the appointed time, as being no part of that obedience, that he performed; It cannot then be said, that by his once offering up of himself, at the last, alone, we are sanctified, & by nothing going before in conjunction with this. But he tels us, that our Iustification, Reconciliation, &c. are ever attributed unto the bloud, death & Crosse of Christ. Ans. Never exclusively as to his preceeding obedience: Yea we are to be saved by his life Rom. 5: 10. & justification is upon Christ's Righteousness vers. 18. And all this will as well conclude for the exclusion of his foregoing obedience from being requisite in Christ (as he said above) to the end he may be Righteousness to us, as for excluding of it from being any part of our Righteousness: as also the next thing he saith, concerning Paul's respecting in his preaching only the crosse of Christ: for the Apostle is not there speaking meerly of the matter of our Righteousness, but of the Gospel way of Salvation, through a crucified Mediator, which the wisdom of this world despised; And to this, sure, our Author will willingly acknowledge that more belongeth, than his death abstractivly considered.
His fourth ground is from Heb. 10: 18. whence it followeth, saith he, that i… nothing, which is in Christ himself, before his death, consisteth the remission of our sins, & so consequently our righteousness. Ans. We willingly grant, that in nothing, that Christ did before his death, considered abstractly from his death, and separatly by it self, did remission of sins consist, or to speak more properly, was satisfaction made, in order to remission; Yet hence it will not follow, that all his preceeding obedience was no part of his Righteousness, or of that, whereof we are made partakers in him; more than it will follow, that it was not requisite in him, to the end, he might become Righteousness to us: If any said (as he seemeth to alleige) that all our iniquities both original & actual were pardoned in his preceeding actual obedience, (which I shall be loath to say, nor know I who speaketh so) then his argueing were good, that then Christ should be made to dye without a cause. If any say, (as he insinuateth also pag. 104.) that Christ was offered only to remove the punishment of our sin, and not the sin, or guilt thereof, I shall not approve of it. Yet I cannot assent to what he saith. Ibid. That the very offering of Christ for sin, secludes all things preceeding whatsoever, from all vertue or efficacy of removing iniquity; for then it should seclude his soul sufferings, which, sure, were no small part of the Satisfaction made by him for sin. Neither will it hence follow, that all his foregoing acts of obedience made no integral part of that Surety-Righteousness, which he undertook to performe. He citeth for his first ground 1. Ioh. 1: 7. To which we say, That it is true, the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin, because it was the bloud of him, who had fulfilled all Righteousness, & in his death had compleeted that Satisfaction he undertook to do: He tels us againe pag. 105. from Rom. 4. That unto eternal blessedness it is sufficient to have remission of sins. But he remembereth not, that all such as have remission of sins, there, have Righteousness also imputed without works: & we deny, that Righteousness consisteth, in remission of sins alone: But in all this, he is disputing only against such, who say, that remission of sins is had by the imputation of Christ's actual obedience, & by his death, freedome from punishment is obtained; & with such, I have nothing to do. To what he here addeth of the difference betwixt an innocent man, & a just man, enough hath been said already elsewhere.
His sixt & last ground pag. 108. is builded upon the Law of the Priesthood, which saith he, was ordained of God, for this end to make expiation of our sins, & to bring us unto God, which two were shadowed in two actions, in the day of Expiation viz. in offering sacrifice &c. & in carrylng the names of the tribes, ingraven in the stones on his shoulder & brest plate. And this is so far from making against us, that it consirmeth rather our opinion: for that carrying of the names of the Tribes, on the Ephod, which was upon the other holy garments, together with that plate of pure gold, that was upon the mitre, on the forefront having engraven upon it HOLINESS TO THE LORD Exod. 28. was sufficient to typifie & hold forth Christ's holy obedience & Righteousnest, & could not typifie his death & sacrifice. And without a Righteousness, there is no coming or approaching unto God, & this Righteousness is some other thing, than meer remission of sins. His argueing from the Priests first entry on their office at 30. Yeers of age, & Christ's doing the like Luk. 3: 21. to inferre, that no action performed by Christ before that time, can be accounted the action of expiation of sin, or of reconciliation of us to God, is most vaine; for (1) we make no limitation or restriction of his expiatory work to what he did before he was 30 yeers of age. (2) This will make against himself, & nothing for limiting & restricking all to his last act of death. Therefore he addeth. That no action done after by Christ, can be accounted a Priestly action of expiation except only the offering of himself, & entering with his own blood into the heavens for us. But then (1) what will he do with his prayer & intercession before his death, specially Ioh. 17? (2) There was more than expiation of sins requisite to bring us unto God; Therefore the High Priest was to carry that memorial on the front of his Mitre.
The learned Wendeline, in his Great Systeme of Theology lib. 1. c. 25. Thes. 7. pag. 1116. &c. disputeth against the imputation of the Active obedience of Christ together with the Passive, making it only a Condition requisite in the Mediator, so as without it, he could not be our Mediator, & merite any thing to us, by his death: So that in his judgment, Christ's active obedience, whereby his obedience to the Law of God is understood, & that no doubt, moral, Ceremonial & Judicial, did only contribute to qualify him, to be a fit Mediator, which it seemeth then, according to him, he was not by his hypostatical union; & to put a value upon his passive obedience, (by which he understands his suffering & dying, so undergoing the Curse of the Law, & paying the penalty in our room) which his being God did not, as it would seem, sufficiently doe: And thus all his acts of obedience, while under the Law, & in the state of humiliation, howbeit in all he may be conceived as a sufferer, are excluded from being any part of the Satisfaction, he was to make unto justice, & to the Law-giver, for us & in our room, or any part of that Righteousness, which is imputed to us, in order to Justification.
He first proposeth his Arguments & Vindicateth them, & then proposeth, some, used for the contrary opinion, adding his Answers.
His 1. Arg. is, Christ, as man, was bound to give active obedience to the Law, for himself; every Creature is bound to obey his Creator. Therefore it is not imputed unto us. Ans. The Antecedent is denied; neither doth the proof adduced confirme it; for the humane Nature of Christ, now in the state of glory, is & will be a creature for ever; Yea the consirmed angels, & Saints made perfect are Creatures, yet not subject to any Law as Viatores, but as Comprehensores; such was not the obedience of Christ, while in the flesh. He was obedient, as a Viator, but in respect of himself, he cannot be looked upon as a meer Viator, his Humane Nature being personally united unto the divine, & subsisting therein, in respect whereof he became heir of all things, & Lord of life; & therefore stood in no need of working out a life of obedience for a crown to himself: wherefore, what he did as a Viator was for us, for whom he subjected himself, & became obedient, even to the death: And moreover all his acts of obedience were not the acts of obedience of a meer creature, out of one who was God-man; for his humane Nature did not subsist of it self, and so did not of it self as a nature not subsisting, performe acts of obedience, but in the Godhead, & performed acts of obedience, as so subsisting. We have said enough to this at several occasions before.
It was Answered Christ was made man, not for himself, but for us; Therefore he obeyed not for himself, but for us, that is, in our place. He Replyeth. 1. The Anteced. is ambiguous: If you say Christ was made man for us, that is, for our good, it is granted, if for us, that is in our room, it is denied: for what Christ was made, in our place, that we are not bound to do & to be, as he was made a curse for us, that we might not be an eternal curse. But Christ by his Incarnation did not obtaine, that we should no more be men, or be bound to do things congruous to humane Nature. Ans. We grant that he was made man for us, not in our room, but for our good: Yet do hence gather, that he being made man for our good, to the end he might come under the Law, both as to its duty, & as to its curse, under both which we were lying, what he did, as well as what he suffered, while in that Condition, in order to the ends of his being made man, for our good, was in our room & stead; because this was our debt & he became man for our good, that in our stead, he might pay our debt. The reply is not grounded upon that word alone, he was made of a woman, but on that, with what followeth. Made of a woman, made under the Law. And if it would have necessarily followed, from his being made of a woman, that he would have been under the Law for himself; to what purpose was this added, made under the Law? And yet we see the maine emphasis lyeth here, because of what is added to redeem them, that were under the Law. And why did the same Apostle Phil. 2: 7, 8. after he had said, that he took upon him, the forme of a servant, & was made in the likeness of men, & found in Fashion, as a man, tell us moreover, that he humbled himself, & became obedient unto death, seing this did necessarily follow his being man, & that for himself? And may it not hence be inferred, that the exaltation afterward mentioned vers. 8, 9. was given to him, not as Mediator, but for himself, as an humble, obedient man?
He R…plieth 2. denying the Conseq. for (saith he) albert Christ was made man, not for his own, but for our good; Yet after he was made man, he was a man by himself, & therefore subject to the Law by himself, & for himself, as man… as after he assumed a body subject to corruption of itself, he stood in need for himself, of meat, drink, rest &c. As it was not necessary for man to be created, so nor for the Word to be incarnate, & to assume the forme of a servant, but only upon supposition. Yet as man, being created, is necessarily subject to the Law of his Creator; So the Word being made man, is, as man, necessarily subject to the Law of God. Ans. (1) Christ, being made man, for our good, & particularly for this end, that he might come under the Law, & pay our debt, he was not subject to the Law for himself. (2) Though he was true man, having mans Nature, yet he was not made man, as other men are; for his humane Nature had no subsistence of its own, as other men have; & therefore could not for it self be subject to the Law, as other men are. (3) How or what way Christ's body was subject to corruption, of it self, we need not here debate; it is sufficient, to note, that our question here is about moral actions as such, the performance of which was a part of our debt. (4) What is added, is but a repetion of what is denied, to wit that the foreign the word, becoming man, did become, upon that account, necessarily subject to the Law for himself.
His 2. Arg. is. If Christ did performe active obedience, in our room, so as it might be imputed to us unto Righteousness, then we should be no longer obliged to performe active obedience to the Law. The reason of this, he taketh from the like, saying; as we are not obliged to undergo eternal death, because Christ hath sustained that, in our room. Ans. To this enough hath been said elsewhere: I shall only here say, That it will no more hence follow, than from the Satisfaction of Christ (whatever Socinians alleige) that we are loosed from all obedience to the Law; but only that we are loosed from that obedience, which was required, under the Old Covenant of works, to wit, to perfecte obedience, & thereby obtaine the prize, as our reward of debt; and faile in the least, & lose all, which were the Conditions of the Old Covenant; and as to this we deny the minor.
He replieth by denying, what is now in question, to wit, That Christ performed active obedience, in our room, to procure eternal life to us, affirming that he was bound to do it for himself, & so did merite nothing to ut thereby. Ans. This is but, what was said above; & hence it is cleare, that, in his judgment, Christ wrought for the crown of glory to himself, & did merite it to himself: & so had no Right thereto before, by vertue of his hypostatical union, let be possession, albeit all the Angels were to worshipe him, & his throne was for ever & ever Heb. 1: 6, 8.
He addeth. If notwithstanding of Christ's active satisfaction, we be obliged to satisfie actively; so, notwithstanding of his passive satisfaction we should be bound to satisfie passively, that is suffer eternal death. Ans. All the obedience now required, is no satisfaction to the Old Covenant-Conditions: Christ hath satisfied that, and left no part thereof for us to do; And therefore it will not follow, that we are bound to suffer eternal death, or any part of the Curse, as such.
To that answere, that some gave, that by Christ's active obedience we have this advantage, that we are more obliged unto rigide & exact obedience. He replieth. That then we should not sin by short-coming, or negligence. Ans. But by that rigide & exact obedience, is not meaned full conformitie unto the Law; but such a conformitie, as was the Condition of the Old Covenant, as is said; that is, we are now freed from obtaining the crown, or right thereto by perfect conformity (which to us is impossible) & from loseing of the crown upon the least escape or failing. All obedience runneth now in another channel, though the commands & the Law, as a Law & rule of walk, remaine the same.
His 3. Arg. is. The Scripture every where, speaking of our justification & pardon, mentioneth Christ's passive, & not his active obedience. As Esai. 53: 5, 6. Rom. 3: 24, 25. & 5: 9. Gal. 3: 13. 1. Ioh. 1: 7. Ans. It is denied, that the Scripture doth every where mentione only Christ's passive obedience, and the contrary hath been frequently showne. And as to the places mentioned, none of them containe any exclusive particle, or hinte the exclusion of his active obedience: And our Adversaries themselves must understand these & the like passages, Synecdochically, otherwayes they shall exclude Christ's soul sufferings, as well, as his active obedience, & restrick all to his death & bloud shed on the crosse; which yet they will not do.
Now followeth his answere to some Arguments for the contrary Arg. 1. Two things are required unto our Salvation, delivery from death, & the gift of life; that is had by expiation of sin by his suffering, this by the donation of Righteousness, or imputation of his active obedience.
He answereth. The passive obedience of Christ both expiateth sin, & giveth life, his death giveth life 1. Pet. 2: 24, & 3: 18. Ans. True, but the reason is, because it was the death of one, who had fulfilled all Righteousness: we need not speak of his obedience & of his sufferings, so distinctly, as to ascribe to each severally, these several effects; It is better, I judge, to take both conjunctly, as one compleet Righteousness, for us, & one meritorious cause of all the benefites procured thereby.
Arg. 3. (for the Arg. 2. I passe, as judging it not cogent.) The actual disobedience of Adam made us sinners.
He answereth. If by actual obedience of Christ, in the Conseq. his active obedience be understood (for his passive may also be called actual, in that actually & not potentially only he suffered) & that imputed to us, the consequens is denied: for Christ's passive obedience imputed hath restored unto us what we lost by Adam's disobedience. Ans. But thus the comparison, that Paul maketh Rom. 5. betwixt Adam's disobedience & Christ's obedience is taken away: He opposeth the Righteousness of Christ to the offence of Adam: now Christ's death & suffering is no where called his Righteousness: So he opposeth obedience to disobedience, & therefore, as the disobedience was the violation of the Law, obedience must be the keeping of the Law. Christ's death imputed is no Righteousness answering the commands of the Law; and therefore, though it did merite the recovery of what we lost in Adam, being the death of one, that fulfilled all Righteousness; Yet considered abstractly, by it self without his active obedience, it cannot be our formal Righteousness, with which we must be covered & as having which we must be considered, when justified of God, who pronunceth none Righseous, but such as are Righteous indeed.
Arg. 4. With Christ's active obedience, his passive was conjoined.
He ans. Denying the conseq. that therefore the one cannot be imputed without the other: for things conjunct can be distinguished; & as the one can be known, so also imputed without the other. Ans. But they are so conjoined, as being integral parts of one compleat Surety-Righteousness & Satisfaction for our debt; & therefore belong to his Estate of humiliation; during which in all his obedience there was suffering, for a part of his subjection was, that he was made under the Law, even under the commanding power thereof; because otherwayes, being God & Man in one person, he was not subject to the Law, as a Viator, in reference to himself. So in all his sufferings, there was obedience. And what is thus inseparably conjoined, we ought not to separate, especially seing our case & necessity calleth for the imputation of both.
Arg. 5. If only Christ's passive obedience were imputed, then only the halfe of Christ should be given unto us; contrary to Esai, 9: 6.
He Ans. denying the Conseq. because it is one thing to be given to us, & another thing to be imputed, even Christ's humanity & deity is given unto us. Ans. But Christ was so given, as that all he did & suffered, as such a given & publick person & which our case called for, was to be made over to us, in order to our receiving the grand benefites of pardon & life: Now it was necessary for us, to have a Righteousness, consisting in perfect obedience to the Law, because of that Constitution, Do this & live, & Suffering, as such, is no obedience to the Law.
He addeth. Their opinion is hard, who deny that Christ's passive obedience is imputed to us unto Righteousness, & that it is the cause of the reward, or of life eternal. How could Christ's blood purge us from all sin, if it were not the Cause of our Righteousness? how should he give his flesh for the life of the world, if life were not restored to us thereby; ho… should we be healed by his stripes, if we were not sanctified by him? how should Christ's death be our life, if we gote not life thereby? betwixt freedone from the Curse of the Law, & right to the everlasting inherita…ce, there is no middle state. Ans. (1) We deny only, that Christ's passive obedience alone is imputed to us, unto Righteousness; for alone considered, being only the paying of the penalty, it is not the Righteousness required in the Law. (2) The paying of a penalty, though it may deliver from punishment; yet cannot procure a right to the reward, promised to keeping of the Law; as is manifest; & therefore Christ's passive obedience, considered alone, cannot procure a right to that reward of life, that was promised to the fulfilling of the Law by obedience. (3) Christ's blood, being the blood of one, that fulfilled also the Law; and conjunct with that obedience, both purgeth from sin, & meriteth life: And so we say of the rest following; only I cannot see how pertinently, in the last, sanctification is mentioned; for we are speaking of right to life eternal. (4) It is true, as to us now, there is no midd'le state, betwixt freedom from the Curse of the Law, & Right to the Inheritance … because Christ's whole obedience both active & passive is imputed, as a compleat Satisfaction & Righteousness, whereby we come to obtaine both a freedome from the Curse, & a right to the Inheritance: But in Adam before he fell, there was a middle state, for so long as he stood, he was free of the Curse, & yet was to finish his course of obedience, in order to obtaining the right to the promised reward; unless it be said, that no more was promised, than the continuance of what he possessed.
It was excpted, That the Law is not fulfilled by suffering the punishment: for the Law & the command is one; but punishment fulfilleth not the commandement, it only satisfieth the threatning. Therefore the suffering of the punishment can not be the cause of the reward.
He ans. by denying the Antec. & saying, that by suffering of the punishment the Law is fulfilled by the Mediator, partly formally, in that he suffered the punishment due to us by the Law, partly efficiently, in that by his sufferings he not only took away the Curse, but acquired a holiness to us, & with holiness, life eternal. Ans. This answere is no way satisfying; for suffering of the punishment, as such, is no obedience to the Law; and of the fulfilling of the Law by obedience to the commands thereof, did the Exception only speak, no man will say, that such as are now suffering the punishment in hell, are any way fulfilling the Law. Neither is that holiness, procured by Christ's death, any fulfilling of the Law, according to the Old Covenant; & such a fulfilling is required, in order to the obtaining of a right to the reward of life, promised in that Covenant.
He answereth againe, that when the threatning of the Law is satisfied, that is done, which the Law commandeth to be done; & so in part the Law is fulfilled. Ans. Suffering as such is no commanded thing, & the Law constituting a penalty, maketh only suffering to be due, but doth not enjoine any suffering: So that though the Law be satisfied with a Satisfaction laid down by another, so far as that the other is not to suffer; Yet by this paying of the penalty, the Lawes commands are not fulfilled, in whole, nor in part; And the Law, as to the commands, must be fulfilled, ere a right to the reward, promised to obedience…, be obtained.
Arg. 6. is taken, from passages of Scripture, mentioning the active obedience of Christ, such as Dan. 9: 24. Ier. 23: 6. 1. Cor. 1: 30. Rom. 5: 19. Phil. 2: 8.
He Ans. 1. That these places do not prove, that Christ's active obedience is imputed, so as by it we are accounted observers of the Law. Ans. These passages sufficiently prove, that his active obedience belongeth to that Righteousness & Satisfaction, which is imputed unto us; & the fruites of the Righteousness of Christ, imputed, are here as well ascribed to his active, as to his passive obedience: of the places in particular, we have said enough elsewhere: our disput here is not about imputation, but about that which is imputed, or that, which is reckoned to us, as our Righteousness, & this, we say, cannot be pure suffering of the penalty; for that, as such, is no Righteousness nor no where is it so called.
He Ans. 2. That it only followeth, that the reforming of our corrupt nature could not be had from Christ & by Christ, without his active obedience. Ans. The same may as well be said of the passive obedience; & so the cause shall be yeelded unto the Socinians: But the matter is clear. That Christ is our compleat Righteousness, not effectivly: for he worketh no compleat legal Righteousness in us, that is a Righteousness according, as was required in the Old Covenant: And beside the expiation of sin, he brought in a Righteousness, which is called everlasting Dan. 9: 24. which can not be understood of our imperfect sanctification. And beside that he is our Sanctification, he is our Righteousness 1. Cor. 1: 30. & therefore must be our Righteousness another way, than by working it in us; for so is he our Sanctification. And Rom. 5. our justification & life is directly ascribed to his Obedience & Righteousness.
To that Phil. 2: 8. he saith. The meaning is, that Christ from his birth to his death, did so accommodate himself to his Fathers will, that he suffered all most patiently, that was to suffer, even the cursed death of the crosse. Ans. It was a suffering of what he was to suffer, even to come under the Law, for that was a part of his humiliation; & the text saith, he humbled himself, & became obedient; and there is no ground to restrick the word Obedient, to his suffering only.
Arg. 7. Christ was made under the Law for us Gal. 4: 4, 5.
He Ans. He was made under the Law for our good, that he might be a fit Mediator. Ans. Why may not we as well admit the same sense of Christ's being said to be made a curse for us, to wit, that it was only for our good; and so give up the Cause to the Socinians? Then it seemeth all the Hypostatical union, & his having the Spirit, without measure, was not sufficient to make him a fit Redeemer for us. Nor was he a fit Mediator, untill he had finished his whole course of obedience. And yet he was borne a Saviour Luk. 2: 11. And was the Lord's Christ vers. 26. & Salvation vers. 50.
Arg. 8. We are made acceptable unto God in the beloved, Christ, Ephes. 1: 6.
He Ans. We are acceptable to God by inherent obedience, which Christ hath purchased by his sufferings. Ans. But the Text is to be understood of a being made acceptable, in order to our obtaining the redemption, mentioned vers. 7. that is, the forgiveness of sins; & so cannot be meaned of that acceptation, which is upon our inherent holiness, which followeth our Justification & Pardon.
Arg. 9. Christ hath purchased his Church, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle Ephes. 5: 27.
He Ans. That Christ did purchase by his death the churches inherent Righteousness. Ans. This is granted. But not withstanding▪ the expressions here used, & in the foregoing verse, will hold forth a full cleansing, not only from the staine & power of sin, in Sanctification; but also from the guilt of sin in justification, the Church must be presented without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, & cleansed with the washing of water, & holy & without blemish: Now in order to justification, the sinner must be clothed with a compleat Righteousness.
Arg. 10. Beleevers are found in Christ, having a Righteousness Phil. 3: 9. How forceable this place proveth our point, hath been shown elsewhere.
He Ans. The Righteous…ess of Faith is twofold, one is imputed & apprehended by Faith, which is Christ's passive obedience; the other is inherent, which is also by Faith. Ans. But Paul here layeth by all his inherent Righteousness, which was his own, & was according to the Law; & only betaketh himself, to that Righteousness, which is of God by Faith: & this is not to be restricked to Christ's sufferings only; for these, as such are not a Righteousness, as hath been oft said, & the contrary hath never yet been proved, though it be the maine ground of all.
Arg. 11. We are perfect & compleat in Christ Col. 2: 10.
He Ans. Christ maketh us perfect in justifying, sanctifying & glorifying us, by the imputation ef his passive obedience only. Ans. This is but to assert the thing, that is a disproving: we say, we cannot be justified, without the imputation of a compleat Righteousness, because in justification we receive a right to life, & this cannot be had, according to the Constitution of God, do this & live, till the Law be satisfied by obedience, & because we could not do it, we must have it in & from Christ, in whom we are compleat, & have all, we need.
Arg. 12. Christ hath delivered us from all our debt, both of yeelding perfect obedience, & of suffering for disobedience Col. 2: 14.
He Ans. He denyeth this, & sayeth; Christ hath not delivered us from giving perfect obedience, for we remaine obliged thereunto, & wherein we come short it is pardoned for his satisfaction imputed to us, & it is piece & piece made up by begun holiness, which hereafter shall be perfected. Ans. This looseth not the force of the argument; for though we be obliged to keep the Law in all points, yet we are not under that obligation, by vertue of the Old Covenant, so that the least breach should frustrate us of heaven, & so as the reward should be of debt, and of this obligation the Argument is to be understood: Now because, by vertue of this Covenant, which must be satisfied, we cannot partake of the prize, because it is violated, therefore, it must be satisfied by the perfect obedience of another, of our Surety, which must be imputed unto us, in order to life; for all our begun sanctification will not avail us; & Christ's satisfying by his suffering, according to that, that day thou eats, thou shalt die, doth not withall satisfie that other part of the Law, do this & live.
Arg. 13. We must not only not be unjust, but we must be just, if we would have life eternal. Therefore Christ's Righteousness must be imputed, as well as his death.
He Ans. denying the Conseq. And saith. We are freed from the Curse of the Law by Iustification, whereby the Passive Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us: Purity is begun in us in Sanctification. Ans. By justification we have no Righteousness imputed to us, for we must be Righteous, before we be justified; & therefore must have a Righteousness imputed before. (2) Our begun Sanctification, is no purchase of the reward of life (3) delivery from the Curse, is but a freeing us from punishment, or from the guilt of punishment, but this is nothing but a being not unjust, as Adam was before he fell; It is not a being positivly just, in order to the reward; for to this is required compleat obedience to the Law, & that unto the end, in which respect Adam was never just, having never finished his course of obedience, that he might have had a right unto the reward promised, I mean in himself.