SER M. fins blotted out and washed away, being cleansed from VIII. fin; and the like: thus confidering the nature of the matter, and defign of his discourse, would incline Acts ii. 38. us to understand this word.

iii. 19. v. 3T.

xi. 32. iii. 19, 23.

Gal. iii. 22.

ὑπόδικος.

2. Again, the manner of his profecuting his dif1 John i. 7. courfe, and the arguments by which he inferreth his conclufions concerning the Gofpel, do confirm this notion. He difcourfeth, and proveth at large, that Rom. iii. 9. all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, were shut up under fin, that all had finned, and did fall short of the glory of God (that is, of rendering him his due glory by dutiful obedience), that every mouth was stopped, having nothing to fay in defence of their tranfgrefiwi-fions, and that all the world flood obnoxious to the feverity of God's judgments; that not only the light of nature was infufficient to preferve men from offendRom. viii. 3. ing inexcufably, even according to the verdict of Gal. iii. 21. their own confciences, but that the written Law of iii. 20. vii. God had (to manifold experience) proved ineffectual Gal. ii. 16, to that purpofe, ferving rather to work wrath, to bring men under a curfe, to aggravate their guilt, to convince them of their finfulness, to difcourage and perplex them; upon which general ftate of men (fo implicated in guilt, fo liable to wrath) is confequent a neceffity either of condemnation and punishment, or of mercy and pardon.

Rom. iv. 15.

7.

20.

Rom. v. 20.

vii. 8.

He doth alfo imply (that which in the Epiftle to the Galatians, where he profecuteth the fame argument, is more exprefsly delivered) that no precedent difpenfation had exhibited any manifeft overture, or promife of pardon; for the light of nature doth only direct unto duty, condemning every man in his own judgment and confcience, who tranfgreffeth it; but as to pardon in case of tranfgreffion, it is blind Rom. i. 20. and filent; and the Law of Mofes rigorously exacteth punctual obedience, denouncing in exprefs terms a condemnation and curfe to the tranfgreffors thereof in any part; from whence he collecteth, that no man can be juftified by the works of the Law (natural or

ii. 15.

12.

Rom. iii.

20.

Mofaical;

Mofaical; or that no precedent difpenfation can 5 E R M. justify any man), and that a man is juflified by faith, VIII. or hath abfolute need of fuch a juftification as that, which the Gofpel declareth and tendereth ; λογιζόμεθα , we bence, faith he, collect, or argue, that a man is juftified by faith, without the works of the Law: which juftification must therefore import the receiving that free pardon, which the criminal and guilty world did ftand in need of, which the forlorn and deplorable state of mankind did groan for, without which no man could have any comfort in his mind, any hope, or any capacity of falvation. If the ftate of man was a state of rebellion, and confequently of heinous guilt, of having forfeited God's favour, of obnoxioufness to God's wrath; then that juftification, which was needful, was a difpenfation of mercy, remitting that guilt, and removing those penalties.

Tit. iii. 5.

Again, St. Paul commendeth the excellency of the evangelical difpenfation from hence, that it entirely doth afcribe the juftification of men to God's mercy and favour, excluding any merit of man, any right or title thereto, grounded upon what man hath performed; confequently advancing the glory of God, and depreffing the vanity of man; If, faith he, Rom. iv. 2, Abraham were juflified by works, he had whereof to 4. iii. 27. boaft; for that to him who worketh wages are not Eph. ii. 9. reckoned as beflowed in favour, but are paid as debt : Rom, xi, 6. fo it would be, if men were juftified by works; they might claim to themselves the due confequences thereof, impunity and reward; they would be apt to please themselves, and boaft of the effects arifing from their own performances: but if, as the Gofpel teacheth, men are justified freely (gratis) by God's Rom. iii. mercy and grace, without any regard to what they 24. formerly have done, either good or bad, those who have lived wickedly and impioufly (upon their com-. pliance with the terms propofed to them) being no lefs capable thereof, than the most righteous and Rom. iv. 5. pious perfons; then where is boafting? It is excluded;;

then

Rom. iii.

Eph. ii. 9.

SER M. then furely no man can affume any thing to himself, VIII. then all the glory and praife are due to God's frank goodness the purport of which reafoning (fo often ufed) doth imply, that a man's juftification fignifieth his being accepted or approved as juft, ftanding rectus in curia; being in God's esteem, and, by his fentencé, abfolved from guilt and punishment; the which cannot otherwise be obtained, than from divine favour declared and exhibited in the Gospel; Eph. i. 6, 7. according as St. Paul otherwhere fully speaketh: To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of his grace.

24, 25, 26.

Again, St. Paul expreffeth juftification as an act of judgment performed by God, whereby he declareth his own righteousness, or juftice; that juftice confifting in acceptance of a competent fatisfaction offered to him in amends for the debt due to him, and in reparation of the injury done unto him, in confequence thereof acquitting the debtor, and reRom. iii. mitting the offence; fo thofe words declare: Being juftified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chrift Fefus; whom God hath fet forth to be a pro- -· pitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare at this time his righteoufnefs, that he might be juft, and the justifier of him which believeth in Fefus. Juftification there we fee is expreffed a refult of Chrift's redemption, and the act of God confequent thereon; fo is remiffion of fins ; God by them jointly demonftrating his juftice and goodness, fo that they may be well conceived the fame thing diverfely expreffed, or having feveral names according to fome divers formalities of refpect. So in other places, fometimes juftification, fometimes remiffion of fins are reckoned the proper Rom. v. 9. and immediate effects of our Saviour's paffion; Being (faith St. Paul in the 5th to the Romans) juftified by

*

bis blood, we shall be faved by him from wrath: and, In s ER M. whom (faith he again in the first of the Epiftle to VIII. the Ephefians) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of fins; which argueth the equivalency

of these terms.

Eph. i. 7.
Col. i.

So likewise a main point of the evangelical cove- Gal. iii. per nant on God's part is made juftifying of a man by Rom. xi. his faith, or upon it; and remiffion of fins upon the 27. fame condition, is alfo made the like principal point, which fometime is put alone, as implying all the benefits of that covenant.

Again, juftification is by St. Paul made the immediate confequent, or fpecial adjunct, of baptifm ; therein, he faith, we die to fin (by refolution and en- Rom. vi. 2, gagement to lead a new life in obedience to God's commandment), and fo dying we are said to be jufti- Rom. vi. 6, fied from fin (that which otherwife is expreffed, or 7. 18. 22. expounded, by being freed from fin): now the freedom from fin obtained in baptifm is frequently declared to be the remiffion of fin then conferred, and folemnly confirmed by a visible seal.

Whereas alfo fo frequently we are faid to be juftified by faith, and according to the general tenour of Scripture, the immediate confequent of faith is baptifm; therefore difpenfing the benefits configned in Eph. v. 26. baptifm, is coincident with juftification; and that difpenfation is frequently fignified to be the cleans- 38. ing us from fin by entire remiffion thereof.

3. Farther, the fame notion may be confirmed by comparing this term with other terms and phrases equivalent, or oppofite to this of juftification.

it.. 5.

Acts xiii.

xxii, 16.

One equivalent phrafe is imputation of righteoufnefs; As, faith St. Paul, David Speaketh of that man's Rom. iv, 6, bleffedness, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without 7, 8. works; Bleffed are they, whofe iniquities are forgiven, and whofe fins are covered. Blefjed is the man, to whom the Lord will not impute fin: whence to him that confiders the drift and force of St. Paul's discourse,

SER M. it will clearly appear, that juftification, imputing VIII. righteoufnefs, not imputing fin, and remiffion of fin, are the fame thing; otherwife the Apostle's difcourfe would not fignify or conclude any thing.

20.

Gal. ii. 16.

For confirmation of his difcourfe (arguing free Rom. iii. juftification by God's mercy, not for our works) St. Paul alfo doth alledge that place in the Pfalm, For Pf. cxliii. 2, in thy fight shall no man living be justified; the sense of which place is evidently this, that no man living, his actions being ftrictly tried and weighed, fhall appear guiltless, or deferve to be acquitted; but fhall ftand in need of mercy, or can no otherwise be justified than by a special act of grace.

22.

Gal. iii. 6.

Again, imputing faith for righteousness is the Rom. iv. 3, fame with juftifying by faith (Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness): but that imputation is plainly nothing elle, but the approving him, and taking him for a righteous perfon in regard to his faith.

Again, juftification is the fame with being rightRom. ii. 13. eous before God, as appeareth by thofe words: Not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law fhall be justified: but being juft before God, plainly fignifieth nothing elfe but being accepted by God, or approved to his esteem and judg

10.

ment.

Being reconciled to God feemeth alfo to be the fame with being juftified by him; as appeareth by Rom. v. 9, these words, Much more then, being now juftified by his blood, we fhall be faved from wrath through him; for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we fhall be faved by his life: where πολλῷ μᾶλλον δικαιωθέντες, and πολλῷ μᾶλλον καταλλαγέντες, feem to fignify the fame; but that reconciliation is interpreted by re2 Cor. v. 19. miffion of fins: God was in Chrift, reconciling the world unto bimfelf, not imputing their trefpaffes unto them.

To