A Complete Body of Divinity, Sermons · 125 (Question 33 cont.)
SERMON CXXV.
WE have conſidered the Act of Juſtification, or the things that are done is it. We proceed to obſerve,
II. THE Meritorious and Material … Juſtification. This is expreſt in thoſe … Only for the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt. … are both here included and will call … diſtinct Conſideration. The Righteouſneſs Chriſt ſupplies the room of both there … that with reſpect to both the parts of … fication, viz. the pardon of our Sins, and … accounting of us as Righteous. Here … may Inquire,
1. What is that Righteouſneſs Chriſt which is concerned in our Juſtification
2. How it is the Meritorious Cauſe?
3. … the Material Cauſe?
4. That it is ſo … ſively of all other. Of theſe briefly,
1. WHAT is that Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, which is concerned in our Juſtification.
…ſm RIGHTEOUSNESS may be aſcribed … Chriſt in diverſe reſpects: But there is …ealy, that comes under our preſent Sub…. There is a Righteouſneſs that belongs to … as he is God, and as he is a Divine Perſon. Righteouſneſs is one of the Divine Attributes, and ſo it is aſcribed to God in Scripture. Pſal. 2.9.11.7. &c. which Righteouſneſs is more …ecially aſcribed to him, on account of his …ive Juſtice, in the ſpecial Government … the reaſonable Creature. There is alſo a Righteouſneſs belonging to Chriſt God man, …pecting his Kingly Office, in the diſpenſation of the Mediatorial Kingdom committed … by his Father. Of this it is ſaid con…ing him, Pſal. 45.7. Thou loveſt righteoueſneſs, and bateſt wickedneſs: therefore God, thy … hath an…inted thee with the oyl of gladneſs … by fellows. And Paul calls him the …eous Julge, 2 Tim. 4.8. But neither … theſe is intended in the matter before as. …e is therefore a Righteouſneſs that refers at his Prieſtly Office, as he ſtood engaged in …tiſhip for us, to anſwer all the demands … the Law on our account: In which regard … title is put upon him, Jer. 23.6. THE …D OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. And this … we are enquiring after, and it conſiſts … whole Obedience which the Son of … our Nature yielded to the Law of … his ſtate of Humiliation. Hence we … in Gal. 4.4, 5. But when the fulneſs … was come, God ſent forth his Son made …, made under the law, To redeem them … under the law. that we might receive …tion of ſons. Now this Obedience of … that which anſwered the Law, under … man was placed b… God's ſpecial Go…nt, to the utmoſt extent of it, in both …ctions: According to Mat. 5.17, 18. … not that I am come to deſtroy the law or …: I am not come to deſtroy, but to …. For verily I ſay unto you, Till heaven … …paſs, one jott or one tittle ſhall in no …ſe … from the law, till all be ſulfilled. Here … we are to conſider, that Chriſt ſtood …ny in the Law for fallen men; for whom … was a… work out a compleat Redemption. … that if we would rightly conceive of this righteouſneſs of Chriſt, we muſt conſider how … man ſtans obliged to the Juſtice of the … Covenant, and what is requiſite to anſwer … …ligations, that he may be Juſtified: … this we muſt refer to the Sanctions of … and the Conditions on which thoſe … were eſtabliſhed: for there was an …ble connexion between theſe two. … the promiſe of Life was made to Obe… and the …nreatning of Death was a… …iſobedience. So that, as man by his …ience loſt his title to Life, ſo by his …ion he came under the ſentence of … And though, if man had perſiſted is his …egrity, he had not needed the Obe…ce of another; yet, being come ſhort of it he muſt have one to anſwer for him, or elſe he can never receive the reward of it, conſiſtent with the terms of the firſt Covenant, which muſt be fulfilled. For, not only doth not man's impotenty, by teaſon of ſia, excuſe him from his duty to keep the whole Law of God, but the very tenor of the Covenant requires, that Life be beſtowed on him in no other way, but on account of ſuch a perfect conformity, and his very coming ſhort of the Glory of God in this reſpect, is his ſin. Rom. 3.23. For all have ſinned, and come ſhort of the glory of God. There is alſo a poſitive Obligation lying on finful man to die, Ezek. 18.4. The ſoul that ſinneth it ſhall die. And the Juſtice of the Law cannot be anſwered without it. So that, as it man had not ſinned, a Surety had been needleſs, ſo having ſinned, a ſufficient Surecy muſt ſtand engaged in both theſe parts, the full accompliſhment whereof is that Righteouſneſs, by which we muſt be Juſtified.
HENCE there is a double Obedience of Chriſt, that goes in to accompliſh the compleat Righteouſneſs on which our Juſtification is built,
(1.) HIS Active Obedience, whereby be complied. with the condition of the promiſe of Life. When the man is upon his Trial, in order to Juſtification, or with reſpect to his being adjudged to Life, the Queſtion is, Ought this man atcording to Law, to receive the Reward of Life? For reſolution whereof, there are two Inquiries more viz. What is required in order to this Life? And whether the demand is in this regard anſwered by him? And that muſt be, either in his Perſon or Surety. And for this there muſt be a perfect conformity to the whole precept of the Law found. For Juſtice muſt proceed thus, The man hath obeyed, and therefore a Crown of Life belongs to him as his due. Here therefore Chriſt's active Obedience is concerned. For which reaſon he himſelf ſaid, Mat. 3.15. Suffer it to be ſo now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteouſneſs, And for this reaſon, his holy, harmleſs, unſpotted Life, is ſo much recommended to us in Scripture, 2 Cor. 5.21. 1. Pet. 2.20, 23. Heb. 7.26, &c.
(2.) HIS Paſſive Obedience, wherein be complied with the condition of the threatning of Death. In the man's trial, in order to his Juſtification, there is alſo inquiry made about the other Sanction: The Law hath ſaid, the Sinner ſhall die; and hereupon there are two Queſtions here alſo to be canvaſed, viz. Whether the man have not finned? And upon the evidence that he hath ſo done, whether he hath ſuffered the Death denounced? which ſuffering may be called, our Paſſive Obedience to the Law. And in reſpect of Chriſt, it may be called Obedience properly, becauſe, in compliance with his Father's will, he ſubmitted to it in our room. Hence that, Phil. 2, 7, 8. But made himſelf of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a ſervant, and was made in the likeneſs of men. And being jeanl in jaſhias as a man be humbled himſelf; and became obedient to death even the death of the croſs. This therefore belongs to the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, becauſe in it he anſwered the Righteouſneſs of the Law. And for that reaſon he is ſaid to be made Sin, that we ought be made Righteouſneſs, 2 Cor. 3.21.
2. HOW this Righteouſneſs of his, is the Meritorious Cauſe of our Juſ…facation?
Anſ. I uſe this term Meritorious, that I may not ſeem to innovate, it being the word eſed to expreſs this, by Divines generally, both by the Orthodox, and alſo Ar…ician Writers. But the word is to be underſtood Synecdochically, in as much as but one part of the Cauſe is expreſt in it, and is taken for the whoſe, as their Explications on it doth manifeſtly declare. The meaning then is, that it is the procuring Cauſe of our Juſtification: It is that whereby Chriſt hath purchaſed it for us, in compliance with the terms of the firſt Covenant. Now, we have obſerved, that there were two terms in that Covenant, viz. …ife was proniſed to Obedience, and Death denounced againſt Diſobedience, and Chriſt, by his anſwering of both theſe, did procare for us, that we might be both Pardoned, and accepted as Righteous, conſiſtent with the Law of Juſtice. Hence that, Rom. 3.26. To declare, I ſay, at this time his righteouſneſs: that be might be juſt, and the jaſti…er of him which believeth in Jeſus. Now Chriſt purchaſed that we might he accepted as Fighteous by his active Obedience, and that our Sins ſhould be pardened, by his …ve Obedience. The former of theſe in called his Merit, the latter his Satisfaction; both of which are vulgarly aſcribed to the meritorious Cauſe. Here then.
1. CHRIST merited Eternal Life for us by his active Obedience. The word, merit, is indeed an equivocal word, and had need cautionary to be underſtood. The word, merit, may be underſtood either abſolutely, or with a limitation. I ſhall not here inquire how many things are required to an abſolute merit, ſince that which is limited will anſwer our preſent occaſion. And here, that which is proper to our purpoſe is a Covenant merit. And that is, when there is a Reward promiſed, on the account of a work to be done; the party, upon the full performance of that work, hath earned his Reward: and this was proper to the firſt Covenant. For which reaſon the Apoſtle tells us, that boaſting was not thence excluded but from the new Rom. 3.27. Where is boaſting them? it is excluded: By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of ſath. But this doth not of it ſelf exclude Grace. And indeed there was great Grace manifeſted in the Covenant of Works; ſince man's Obedience was a due debt. God had no need of it, and the aſſiſtance and ſtrength to perform it, muſt come from God. However, there was a work to be done, and for that, man was to receive 3 reward of Life by promiſe. Now, though. Chriſt's Obedience came neates an abſolute merit then ours, in that the Son of God did not owe it naturally, but undertook it voluntarily at his Father's de…, and in as much as, the Grace and Strea… was not borrowed, but his own; yet … much as it fully anſwered all the Obliga… lying on us to duty, by the Covenant, … therein had a Covenant merit, to pra… Eternal Life for us. That therefore … neceſſarily at leaſt in part, if not principolly reſpect his active obedience. Rom. 5.19. For as by one man's diſobedience, many were … ſianers: ſo by the obedience of one, ſhall … be made righteous. And on this account … ſaith he came to fulfill the Law, Mat. 5.11. Beſides, he was the ſecond Adam, and wo… told, 1 COr. 15.22. For as in Adam all … even ſo in Chriſt ſhall all be made alive, And the words, as and ſo, there uſed, in… ſimilitude, or that it was in like ma… as therefore Adam loſt our Life by Sin, ſo Chirſt purchaſed our Life by Obedience to the La….
2. CHRIST ſatisfied the Law for us, … procured our Pardon by his paſſive Ob… We had made a forfeiture of our lives … the hands of Juſtice, and were to die for … but Chriſt ſtept in for us, and took the … nalty upon him, and by that means be … perly called Satisfaction then merit, though … more looſe ſenſe, it may come under that denomination. On this account he is ſaid … die, the juſt for the unjust, 1 Pet. 3.18. … himſelf a ranſom, 1 Tim. 2.6. and we are … to be bought with a price, 1 Cor. 6.20. … the Scripture abounds with expreſſions, … neſſing that his Sufferings were to … Juſtice, and expiate our Guilt, and ſo … an holy and juſt God to us. And thi… ceth to prove that his Righteouſneſs for this very deſign, to procure us par… acceprance with God, by taking away … pleas of the Law, which ſtood againſt … All the demur is, whether there were a … neſs of Merit and Satisfaction in this Righteouſneſs of his, to anſwer theſe ends of … And that there was ſo, will appear … confider,
1. IT is a Righteouſneſs that ſully … the firſt Covenant, which was the rule of Ju… cation. Were there any defect in it is … regard, it would be dificient; but … not. The Law could make no more do… either of a man, or a finner, then … entirely complied withal. He kept the … without the leaſt tranſgreſſion of it. His … was a perfect exemplification of it: … bare the Curſe, till Juſtice it ſelf, was … pleaſed to ſay, it is enough, and give … his diſcharge. So that in his Perſon … Law was fulfilled. There could nothing … be exacted upon a man, than what … compliſhed by his Obedience.
2. IT was the Righteouſneſs of One that … God as well as Man, and therefore is had … value in it. His Perſon put worth into … Obedience. For though, if it had not … corextenfive with that latitude of the … … done by a Divine Perſon would not …e ſufficed; yet, in being ſo, this made it …valent with the Obedience of all men, … more worth than all. There is therefore … in calling it the Righteouſneſs of God, …. 3.25. And the Blood that was ſhed … is called the Blood of God. Act. 20.28. … could the Juſtice of God ever have been … …ed, in any other way, as in having … …ernal Son of God ſubjected to it.
3. IT p…s the Righteouſneſs of One that was … and conſtituted Mediator & Redeemer … God himſelf. God deputed him, and ac…d of him and made him Surety, Heb. 7. …. And out Righteouſneſs, 1 Cor. 1.30. He … …i… Sin for us, 2 Cor. 5.21. So that it … p… only ſufficient for us, but really … out in our behalf. Chriſt neither … died for himſelf, but for thoſe whom … …s to redeem. Hence that, 1 Tim. 2.5., 6. … there is one God, and one Mediator between … men, the man Chriſt Jeſus. Who gave … …ranſ… for all. Rom. 3.25. Whom … ſet …orth to be a propitiation, through … in his blood, to declare his righteouſneſs … of ſins that are paſt, through … …e…ance of God. So that the vertue … needs derive to thoſe for whom it … accompliſhed, and whatſoever of Merit … …tisfaction there was in it, muſt conſeq…ly redound to them.
3. HOW it is the Material Cauſe of our Juſ…
THIS is well to be conſidered, becauſe … …n …in…e of the Diſputes of … Age. Many that conſent with us in … the meritorious, will not yield it … material Cauſe. Hence ſome deny … Obedience of Chriſt, to have any … influence into our Juſtification, but … …e a thing requiſite to make him ca… of being a Sacrifice for Sin in his … Obedience. The dangerous conſe… whereof ſome otherwiſe Orthodox, … warily conſidered, & hereupon have … his whole merit to his paſſive Obedience … confounded it with his Satistaction … the material Cauſe of Juſtification … underſtand nothing elſe, but that … …eſs, on the account whereof this … doth paſs. A man that is upon … …ot Authoritatively be juſtified, … …re be ſomething found for him that … …ver him from the Penalty and enti… … the Benefits of the Law by which …. It is God that juſtifies, Rom. 8.33. … juſtifying the man, he declares him … …eous; now either he is not ſo, or he … were not ſo, there would then be … …ſneſs with God, which is blaſphe… …; if he be ſo, then the Law hath … lay to his charge, being every … …red; for if that have any thing … …inſt him, he is not righteous. The … in that Obedience on which he … tried, will condemn him, Gal. 3. … many as are of the works of the law, are under the curſe: for it is writt…, …rſed is every one that continueth … in all things which are written in the book of the l…w to d… them. And it is certain, that our trial for Juſtification, muſt paſs upon the law of the Covenant of Works, though it paſs according to the tenor of the Covenant of Grace, and ſo the righteouſneſs muſt quadrate to the Precepts of it. This then can be no other than the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and for this reaſon Paul dared not to appear in his own, but muſt have this to be found in, Phil. 3.9. And be ſound in him, not having mine own righteouſneſs, which is of the law, but that which is through the ſaith of Chriſt, the righteouſneſs which is of God by ſaith. And the reaſon is, becauſe his righteouſneſs will, and no other can anſwer the demands of Juſtice for us; and therefore it muſt be either that or none. When God declares a ſinner to be righteous, he looks upon the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and doth it for the ſake of that; and this leads to the laſt thing.
4. THAT Chriſt's Righteouſneſs is the meritorious and material Cauſe of our Justification, excluſively of all other. It muſt derive to us by and through this, or not at all. And here theſe two Concluſions may be obſerved,
1. THAT there is no other Righteouſneſs that can obtain our Juſtification beſides this or without it. If we have not this to plead we cannot be juſtified, by any elſe, whatſoever. If we build our hopes upon any other, it will fail us, and our vain expectations will betray us to Condemnation. Every other confidence will prove a broken reed, and let us fall, if we lean upon it. As to the World, and things of that, they who make it their truſt will find themſelves wofully defeated, Pſal. 49.6, &c. As to Angels & Saints, as they greatly derogate from the honour of Chriſt, who make them Mediators of Interceſſion, ſo they horribly deſpiſe the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, who depend on the merits of theſe for their Juſtification. But there is a Righteouſneſs of their own, which too many truſt to, and ſet it up in oppoſition to that of Chriſt; this was the Jews miſtake and undoing, Rom. 9.31, 32. & 10.3. And it is too apparent, that too many do practically reſt here; their repentances, reformations, exact walking, rellgious duties, works of charity &c. But if men make a Chriſt of theſe to themſelves, and have no other plea, they will be undone. What ſaith David Pſal. 130.3. If thou, Lord, ſhouldeſt mark iniquities: O Lord, who ſhall ſtand? And, 143.2. And enter not into judgment with thy ſervant: for in thy ſight ſhall no man living be juſtified. They will not bear the trial of the Law, they have ſinful ſtains and defects on them. Hence, Prov. 20.9. Jam. 3.2. 1 Job. 1.8. There is no merit in them, and if there were, yet they make no ſatisfaction to the wronged Juſtice of God, on the account of that ſin which the whole race of fallen men do ſtand charged with, and for which there muſt be an arocement, it ever they be juſtified.
2. THAT there is no …her Righteouſneſs that can contribute any thing … the merit, or mater of our Juſtification. There is no righteonſneſs of ours, that can here be joined with that of Chriſt, either Co-ordinately or Subordinately, as cauſal of our Juſtification. There is indeed an Evangelical Righteouſneſs, or the Sanctification of our hearts and lives, which is inſeparable from, and a good evidence of our being juſtified, but it neither merits it, nor will it ſtand for the matter of it. There is an Opinion that hath gotten too much rooting among Proteſtants, viz. That though we are beholden to Chriſt for his merit and ſatisfaction, without which nothing of ours would ever obtain acceptance, unto Juſtification, yet in and through him, our gracious actions of new Obedience will ſtand for our Juſtification in the Great Day. And …ce they would make it at leaſt one part of the matter of it And for this, among other Scriptures of like import, they bring that in, M…t. 25.34, &c. But this proceeds from a ſcandalous ignorance of the right notion of the genuine nature of juſtification, and a confounding of it with the Doctrine of Glorification. That God doth accept of, and will gloriouſly reward the holy Lives and Actions of his Children, according to the Promiſe of the Covenant of Grace is certain, 1 To…ſ 5.24. And accordingly he will declare and make it known in the Great Day; by which alſo he will juſtify his own proceedings, to the confuſion of u…godly men. But what is all this to the Juſtification of a Sinner from the claims of the Law againſt him? In ſum, as there needs no other Righteouſneſs but that of Chriſt for our Juſtification, it being compleat; and therefore it is to derogate from the honour of Chriſt, and the ſufficiency of his Merit and Satisfaction, to eke it out with any other: So our beſt Righteouſneſs hath no capacity of contributing any thing to this Score, becauſe its acceptance is through Chriſt, and of it ſelf, it will not endure a Law Trial. What do the Church acknowledge, Iſai. 64.6. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteouſneſſes are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind, have taken us away. It is God's Grace, that he will ſmell a ſweet ſavour in what we do. And we are told of a Sacrifice on this very ſcore, Lev. 1 16. Our beſt Service needs a pardon and perfume; how then can it be produced for our Juſtification, any farther then an evidence of it, being a fruit of the Spirit accompanying Salvation, in thoſe that are Juſtified?
USE. BE we then all adviſed, Utterly to refuſe Reliance on any other Righteouſneſs, and to ſecure a titls to that of Chriſt. We muſt be Juſtified, if ever we be Glorified. The extent of theſe benefits, is to the ſame Subjects, Rom. 6.30. Whom he juſtified, them he alſo glorified? If we be not delivered from our Judge, we ſhall never be inveſted with the robe of Glory. If we hope for a Pardon without a Juſtification, or for a Juſtification without a Righteouſneſs, we miſtake the … of Goſpel Grace. And if we think any Righteouſneſs, but that which is perfect & … will do for this, and ſo hope that any … but that of Chriſt will do for us, we d… our ſelves. Let us then count it our … intereſt to be able to ſtand in the Jud…, and anſwer the claims of the Law upon … And accordingly, let us ſee more & … defects a…d ſhort comings of our beſt D… and caſt off all re…ce upon them; … being perſwaded of the ſufficiency of the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, let us inquire … we may come to be related to it, and made partakers in it, and never reſt till we … comfortable evidence of our being … owners of it. And for that end, let us … God for it, and wait upon him, in all the ways wherein it is to be obtained: That being cloathed with that long white robe, all … defects may be covered. And being …d … him, we may hold up our heads … dread, as knowing that there can nothing … alledged againſt us, or laid to our …, but what that Righteouſneſs will abou… anſwer for, to our Everlaſting Conſo….
[OCTOBER 25. 1698.]