The Covenant of Life Opened, Part 1 · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
Q. WHether is Christs Righteousnesse imputed and made ours, because we believe and apprehend it ours; or do we believe, because it is ours first before we believe?
A twofold imputatiō of Christ, one legall, another Evangelick.Ans. There is a twofold imputation, one legall, another which for Doctrines cause we call application or reall (though the legall imputation be also reall; but not to us as the former) the Lords act of laying the iniquity of us all upon Christ, Isa. 53.6. and the Lords making him sin for us, that is a sacrifice for sin, 2 Cor. 5.21. evinces necessarily the truth of this, the former imputation. For 2 Cor. 5.21. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. If it be expounded of actuall reconciliation of persons, it may say something, for the other imputation, but the other imputation is clear, Rom. 4.3. Abraham beleeved God, and it was counted to him for righteousnesse, v. 7. Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered, v. 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin, v. 9. Faith (that is, that which faith beleeved, as hope is put for the thing hoped for, Col. 1.5. Rom. 8.24. was imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse, though Gomarus give another exposition, to wit, that by faith or the act of beleeving we obtain this to be reputed righteous, and it suits better with the Text. And as to the former imputation, God could not in justice wound Christ for our transgressions, nor bruise him for our iniquities, nor could the Lord break him, nor deliver him to the death for us all, except God had both made him the sinner, that is, imputed and reckoned him the sinner in Law (for intrinsecally and inherently he was not the sinner but holy, harmlesse, &c.) and laid our debts upon him, Isa. 53.6. and except he had been willing to have been counted the sinner, and had said (thou hast given me a body, here am I, to do thy will, Psal. 40.7. Heb. 10.6, 7.) this reckoning of Christ to be the sinner is not only in the eternall decree, but also a laying of our iniquities upon him in time, Isa. 53.6. or a dealing with him in Law in punishing him as the sinner. And 2. by using the humane nature as an instrument of our Redemption on the Crosse. Antinomians take this imputing of our sins to Christ,The mistake of Antinomians ▪ and reckoning Christ to be the sinner, to be the justifying of the sinner, which is a grosse mistake; for so without beleeving all that Christ died for should be justified upon the Crosse. But the Scripture is so far from ascribing Justification to any but to a beleever, that it saith Abrahams faith was imputed to him for righteousnesse. Now the faith of multitudes for whom Christ died when he suffered on the Crosse, is a very nothing: Many are not born, and a nothing or a non ens cannot be counted for righteousnesse.
It is to be observed that payment made by the surety absolveth the debter, so as the Law, except it be the generall Law of gratitude, requireth no act of love, of faith, of service from the debter, nor doth the Law of suretyship in its essence and nature require that the Creditor, & sub eo titulo should pay the homage of faith,Obedience to the surety. Christ is by a speciall Law. indeed when the Creditor is both the Creditor and the offended Party, and also the supream Law-giver GOD, he may require of the captives the obedience of faith. So would justice, which saith, we should hurt none, give to every man his own, presse, that the debter repay to the surety, so far as he is able to make up his losses, but to pay the obedience of faith as a part of the ransome due to offended Justice, is no Gospel-Law, nor any part thereof, nor can it bea… truth, except we deny the reall satisfaction made by Christ, which both Papists do weaken when they mix the merit of faith therewith, and Socinians deny.
4. The satisfaction performed upon the Crosse for sinners, though it be for a certain particular number, determined of God, & quoad numerum numerantem, & quoad numerum numeratum, both as touching the number, so many, not all and every one, and such persons, by head, name, birth, &c. Yet it is not the justifying of me, or John, or Paul, for I, nor no man can know that Christs satisfaction stands for you or me, by name and person, while first I or you beleeve, because it is the hid Decree of God. 3. Nor is this legall imputation beleevable, nor is it revealed, as …t is terminated to single persons, to me or to you, untill by faith we apprehend it.
5· But the imputation of application is that in which our justification standeth.
And the faith by which as by an instrument we are justified, presupposeth three unions,Faith presupposeth three unions, & maketh the fourth. and maketh a fourth union. It presupposeth an union,
1. Naturall.
2. Legall.
3. Federall.
1. Naturall, that Christ and we are not only both mankind, for CHRIST and Pharaoh, Judas the traitour and all the sons of perdition are one, specie & naturâ, true men, but one in brotherhood. He assuming the nature of man with a speciall eye to Abraham, Heb. 2.16. that is, to the elect and beleevers, for with them he is bone of their bone, and is not ashamed to call them brethren, Heb. 2.11, 12. Ps. 22.22.
2. It presuppones a Legall union between Christ and them, that God made the debter and the Surety one in Law, and the summe one in so far as he laid our debts on Christ, Isa. 53.6. … Cor. 5.21.
3. It presuppones an union Federall, God making Christ our Surety, and he was willing to be our Surery, and to assume not only our nature in a personall union, but also our state, condition, and made our cause his cause, our sins his sins, not to defend them, nor to say Amen to them, as if we might commit them again, but to suffer the punishment due to them. And our faith makes a fourth union betwixt Christ and us, whether naturall, as between head and members, the branches and the Vine Tree, or mysticall, as that of the spouse and beloved wife, or artificiall, or mixed between the impe and the tree. Or 4. Legall, between the Surety and the Debter, the Advocate and the Client, or rather an union above all, is hard to determine, for these are but all comparisons, and this Christ prayes for, Joh. 17.23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.
6. Now to the Question, as the Law condemns not a man, but him who is first a sinner, and an heir of wrath by nature in the first Adam, for the Law is essentially just: So God justifies not a man, but the man who, by order of nature, is first by faith in CHRIST, Rom. 5.18. Therefore … by the offence of one (judgement) came upon all men unto condemna…n, even so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon a…l men (in Christ, as the other were in the first Adam) unto the justification of life: and so we must say, that all, ere they be justified, and before God impute faith to them, that is, Christs believed righteousnesse to be theirs, must have faith and so believe, and so be one with Christ. And this imputed righteousnesse is ours, because we believe, and not untill we first believe, and the other imputation goes before faith: So the faith of Gods speciall mercy is two wayes so called. 1. As it leaneth upon and apprehendeth God in Christ, for the obtaining of mercy and remission of sins, and imputed righteousnesse: So faith goes before justification, and we believe that our sins may be pardoned, and that our sins may not be imputed, and that we may be justified and freed from condemnation: so by the act of believing, righteousnesse is imputed to us. And thus justification and remission, i. e. relaxing of our persons from a state of eternall condemnation, as is meant, Rom. 8.1. are not the object of faith, but the effect and fruit of faith. 2. The faith of speciall mercy to me is considered as it apprehendeth and believeth,We believe that Christs righteousnes may be made ours, & because it is ours, we believe it to be ours also. or rather feelingly knoweth speciall mercy, imputation of Christs righteousnesse now given to me, and as Christ hath payed a ransome for me, and satisfied justice for me, and so imputed righteousnesse and justification are the object of faith; Or rather the object of the sense of faith, which is most carefully to be observed. To answer Bellarmines unsolide Argument, we either believe remission of sins past, or to come, &c. But remission is liberation from punishment eternall or temporall, but justificat…on is freedome from the fundamentall guilt-deserving punishment, and remission is a consequent thereof.
Q. Whether or not, is Justification taken one and the same way in the Old and New Testament?
Ans. The Apostle is clear, Rom. 4. where he proves both Jews and Gentiles are justified as Abraham and David. But 2. Justification by Grace hath not in iisdem apicibus in the same points, the same adversaries.Four or five sort of adversaries who caused various cō siderations of the question of justification in the Old and in the New Test. 1. Moses and the Prophets contend most with Ceremoniall hypocrits, who sought righteousnesse much in Ceremonies, Washings, Sacrifices, New Moons, and also their own inherent godlinesse, Deut. 5. Deut. 7. Deut. 10. Deut. 11. Isai. 1.10, 11, 12, &c. Mic. 6.6, 7, 8. Psal. 50.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Ps. 4.2, 3, 4, 5. 1 Sam. 15.22, 23. Isa. 66.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Jer. 7.1, 2, 3, — 21, 22, 23.
2. Paul had other Adversaries, Rom. ch. 3. ch. 4. ch. 5. ch. 9. ch. 10. especially Antinomians, who drew the Doctrine of free Justification by Grace to licencious loosnesse, then we may sinne, if so and so, we be justified (said they) then is the Law of none effect, Rom. 6.1. But his chief Adversaries, on the other extream, were men that stood much for Justification by the works of the Morall Law: And Paul, Rom. 3. proves that all, Jews, Gentiles, David, Abraham, could be justified neither by works of Nature nor of Grace, and casts down the Jews righteousnesse by Law-doing, Rom. 9. Rom. 10.
3. There were a third Classe of Adversaries to free Justification, Galatians, seduced and false Apostles, who contended for Justificatication by Circumcision and the necessity of keeping the Ceremonial Law, if they would be saved, Act. 15.1, 2, 3, 4, &c. Gal. 2. Gal. 3. Gal. 4. Gal. 5. ch. 6. Who mixed the Gospel and Moses his Law, and Paul proves, Gal. 3. that we are not justified by the works of the Morall Law, for that Law, Deut. 26.27. involves all that omit the least duty of the Law, Gal. 3.10, 11, 12, 13. under a curse, and Christ was made a curse for us. And Paul proves in the generall, we are justified by neither the works of the Morall, nor of the Ceremoniall Law.
4. James had to do with another gang of loose livers, the Gnosticks, who contended for justification by a bare nominall faith without love or good works. And James proves that we are justified before men and to our selves by faith working by love, and not by a dead faith.
5. John contends much for reall and speaking marks of justification and conversion, against dead Professours void of love to the Brethren.
Q. 3. What is the dominion of the Law over a sinner?
A. It is the legall power to condemn all such as are under the Law, as a Covenant of Works; as marriage is dissolved, if either of the parties be dead: So Rom. 7.4. Ye are dead to the Law through the body of Christ, and it is not every commanding power that Paul, Rom. 7. denies to the Law, but a Lordly dominion, such as Lords of life and death have and exercises,Of the dominion of the Law. foreign, and we are dead to the Law through the body of Christ, which mortification or dying is not understood subjective, as if it were in us, but legally and objectively in Christ, because Christ in his body on the tree did bear our sins, 1 Pet. 2.24. and was made a curse for us, in our place, Gal. 3.13. For Christ (saith Ambrose, Ambro· Mori legi est vivere Deo, quia lex dominatur peccatoribus cui ergo dimittuntur peccata is moritur legi, boc est liberatur a Lege per corpus Christi, hoc consequimur beneficium … tradens enim corpus suum Servator, mortem vicit & peccatum damnavi….clearing the place) giving his body as a Saviour, overcame death and condemned sin: Hence these two words, Rom. 7.4. Wherefore ye also my brethren, are become dead to the Law. Gal. 2.19, For I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God; As the death to the Law is legall, I am no more under Law-condemnation then a dead man, so the living to God is a Law living to God on a Law-absolution (as the absolved malefactor cleared of a capitall crime which might have cost him his head, liveth, and so is set free) so there is another most emphatick word which insinuats that Christ is dead to the Law, as Paul was, for after Paul saith, Gal. 2.19. I through the Law am dead to the Law, he adds, v. 20. I am crucified with Christ legally, that is, as Christ was crucified for sin by the sentence of the Law, so I am crucified with him. Rom. 6.8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we beleeve that we shall also live with him, which is not only to be expounded of mortification and inherent newnesse of life, but also of legall dying with Christ: For Christ died no death but legall death, there is no inherent mortification or slaying of a body of sin in him as in us, though from his death there also flow a… merited and inherent personall mortification in us, for it is added, v. 9. knowing that Christ being raised from death dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him, then Christ, by Law, cannot die twice, so Christ being once crucified, the Law and death, which had once dominion over him, hath now no more dominion over him. Then, first, as Christ died a Law-death and was under death, because under the Law, so are we legally in him freed from the Laws dominion, and death following thereupon. 2. As Christ defies the Laws dominion and death,Christ Mystical, Christ & believers are freed from the law-dominion. so do we. 3. As Christ cannot twise satisfie the Law by dying (for then the first had not been sufficient) so neither can we ever be under Law-death and Law-condemnation, for we was once in Christ legally condemned and crucified in our Surety and so cannot suffer in our persons legall condemnation and legall death. 4. As Christ is dead to the dominion of the Law and death having once died and come out from under both, so are we dead and come legally out in him, which answereth the severall tentations we can be under in Christ. Obj. But then may we not sin, because wee are freed from the dominion of the Law and death? as Rom. 6. he had said, ye are not under the Law, but under Grace, v. 15. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under Grace? God forbid, ver. 16, 17. He answers from an absurd, then we that are ransomed by Christ, should not be our ransome-payers servants, but the servants of sin. Now except the meaning had been, we are not under the Law, that is, the Laws dominion and the Laws condemning power, there had been no place for such an Objection, nay, nor any shadow; but the true Objection is, we are not under the Law to be thereby condemned and eternally punished, therefore what is the hazard of sin? We may sinne at will, there is no fear of hell. Paul answers not from that evill of servile fear that followeth sin, but from the woefull ingratitude to our ransome-payer.The Antinomian objectiō charged upon is answered by him. O then we should not be under Christ and the directing light and rule of our Lord Ransomer, if we sin at will, but still servants and slaves to sin and so not redeemed, by which we gather that there is two things in the Law. 1. The condemning power of it. 2. The directive commanding power: As to the former, Christ by being condemned and suffering a cursed death for us, took that wholly away. We are not then under the Law as condemning, yea neither as saving and justifying, for then should we be married to the Law and under conjugall power as wife and husband living together, which Paul refutes, Rom. 2.1, 2, 3, 8. (2.) There is a directive commanding power that CHRIST taks in hand, and commands us to obey our Lord Ransomer, and we should sin against his love, if we should live loosly, because we are freed from condemnation.There is a twofold dominion of sin. Hence also there is a twofold dominion of sin, one legal to condemn us eternally, another (as it were) physicall to keep us under the superlative power of lusts, if Christ had not died, we had been under both.
Q. 4. What is meant by the oldnesse of the letter in which we are not to serve? Rom. 7.
A. He means the idle, fruitlesse, and bare knowledge of the Law in externall Discipline, that reigns in an unrenewed man, by which he remaining in nature under the Law, foments an opinion pharisaicall (for he points at the false and literall glosses of the Law given by Pharisees and refuted by Christ,The oldnesse of the letter, and the newnes of the Spirit. Mat. 5.) Of merit, externall worship, ceremonies without any inward heart-renovation, to which is opposed the newnesse of the spirit, or true new Evangelick obedience and holinesse wrought by the Spirit.
Object. Is not the letter of the Law a bondage, since we are freed in heaven from the letter and from awing threatening?
Ans. To serve God is liberty, not bondage, Psal. 119.45. Rev. 22.3. compared with ver. 5. serving of God and raigning suit well together. See Luk. 1.74, 75. Joh. 8.34, 35, 36. Rom 6.16, 17. but there is a threefold bondage of the letter. 1. Accidentall, in regard of our corruption, the service is wearisome to unrenued nature: This we are saved from in CHRIST, not fully in this life, but it comes not from the Law which is spirituall. 2. A bondage to the dominion of the condemning Law. 3. There is a bulke of Ordinances, hearing, reading, praying, meditating, repenting, receiving of the seals, we are freed from the one in this, and shal be freed from the other in the life to come.
Q. What is the dignity of the Gospel above the Law?
A. By the hearing of faith, that is, of the Gospel we receive the Spirit, Gal. 3. though the Law in the letter be also spirituall and lively and seek of us the lost Image of GOD by way of commanding, yet there is no promise of the Spirit, made in the Law neither gifts nor grace, and both are given by the Preaching of the Gospel.
2. No miracles are wrought by the Law to confirm the Doctrine of the Law,No gifts nor grace can be given by the Law. for it is not new, nor is the gift of miracles given as a reward of Law-obedience, miracles in genere causae finalis, are wrought to avenge Pharaoh and the Aegyptians Law-obedience; but the miracles are wrought by the Name of Jesus, Act. 4. and for the confirming of the Gospel, and for the good of the Church: See Gal. 3.1, 2, 3.