417 nefs of Another, the wary Apoftle urges a parallel Cafe; recorded in the Jewish Revelation, but ratified by univerfal* Experience; namely, Our being condemned for the Unrighteousness of Another. In this Refpect, He obferves, Adam was a Type of our LORD; or, a Figure of HIM that was to come t. The Relations the fame, but the Effects happily reverfed. Adam the Head of his Pofterity; CHRIST the Head of his People. Adam's Sin was imputed to all his natural Defcendants; CHRIST's Righteoufnefs is imputed to all his fpiritual Offspring. Adam's Tranfgreffion brought Death into the World, and all our Woe; CHRIST's Obedience brings Life and all our Happiness The Whole clofes with this very obvious and no less weighty Inference; Therefore, as by the Offence of One, Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation; even fo, by the Righteousness of One, the free Gift came upon all Men unto Juftification of Life .

I do not recollect any other Similitude, which the Apoftle fo minutely fifts, and fo copiously unfolds. VOL. II.

D d

He

• By the Pains and Death which Infants, in every Nation, endure. Which are unquestionably Punishments, and to which they are doomed by the righteous Judgment of GOD.

+ Rom. v. 14.

1 Quemadmodum Peccatum Adami, fays BENGELIUS, fine Peccatis que poftea commifimus, Mortem attulit nobis; fic Juftitia CHRISTI, fine bonis Operibus, quæ deinceps a nobis fiunt, Vitam nobis conciliat. That is; As the Sin of Adam, without any Concurrence of the Sins, which We Ourselves refpectively commit, occafioned our Ruin; fo the Righteoufnefs of CHRIST, abftracted from all Confideration of our perfonal Obedience, procures our Recovery.

|| Rom. v. 18.

He explains it; He applies it; He refumes it; He dwells upon it; and fcarcely knows how to desist from it. I am fure, you will not blame me, if I imitate the facred Author; if I revert to the Subject; and quote another Paffage, from the fame Paragraph. Much more fall They, who receive Abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteoufness, reign in Life by One, JESUS CHRIST*.

I was once inclined to think, that the inspired Writer specifies, in this Place (what I apprehended to be the two grand Bleffings, procured by IMMANUEL) Remiffion of Sins, and Imputation of Righteousness. But this Notion, though not without its Patrons †, now appears incorrect and groundlefs. The Imputation of CHRIST's Righteoufnefs is, not a Part, but the Caufe-the whole entire Cause of our Pardon, our Peace, our complete Juftification. And this Righteousness, the Apostle declares, is of Grace. It is made ours, not on Account of any Deeds or Duties, which We perform; but from the Abundance of Grace, which GOD difpenfes. It is called a Gift ‡. Every Gift implies fomething, not originally our own, but another's. This Gift must fignify, not what We Ourfelves

Rom. v. 17.

The great Dr. GOODWIN feems to patronize itwhen He says, “ Over and above the Man's Absolution, "there is fome other Thing to be added, viz. The Im"putation of Righteoufnefs"-when He fays again,

Though Pardon and the confequent Imputation of "Righteousness are never to be separated." Vol. IH. pag. 340.-Whereas I fhould rather fay, That Pardon of Sin and Acceptance to Life, can never be separated from our REDEEMER's Righteoufness. Which is, not the Confequent of any, but the Cause and Origin of all fpiritual Bleffings.

* Δωρον εσιν αύτη ολόκληρον. Chryfoft.

felves have acquired, but what was fulfilled by our SURETY; and is, by an Act of heavenly Indulgence, configned over to our Enjoyment.-Accordingly, they who are interested in this Bleffing, are ftyled, not Workers, but Receivers; not Purchafers, but Heirs, of the Righteousness which is by Faith.

See the diftinguished Pre-eminence and Richness of the Gospel! Philofophy propofed many refined Precepts of Righteousness, but could not bestow a Righteousness upon any Perfon. The Law of GOD itself, though the perfect Rule of all Righteousness, is weak through the Flesh, and cannot make the Comers thereunto righteous. Whereas, by the Gospel, We are not only taught the true juftifying Righteousness, but it is given to Us, and put upon Us.-Nay; We have it in Abundance; in its most confummate Form, and highest Perfection. So that neither Man fhall be able to wish, nor can GOD himself require, a greater or a better.This is a wonderful Saying, but it will appear true, if We confider another Claufe from this incomparable Chapter. Suffer me, therefore, to bring forth another Jewel, from this rich Treafury of the Gospel. And the rather, as the Jewel, which I am going to produce, was the firft that beamed Light and Luftre upon my own Mind. Was the firft happy Occasion of guiding my Feet into the Way of Truth. As by the Disobedience of One Man, many were made Sinners, fo by the Obedience of One, fhall many be made Righteous *.-The Disobedience of One, is the Difobedience of Adam; his actual Tranfgreffion of the divine Law. Hereby, Many were Dd 2

Rom. v. 19.

made

made Sinners, even before, they had done any evil Work. Sinners, in fuch a Senfe, as to become obnoxious unto Condemnation, and justly liable to Death. All this, I think, is, from the Apoftle's own Words, indifputable. If We would preferve the Propriety of his Antithefis, or the Force of his Reasoning, We must allow; That the Obedience of One, is the Obedience of CHRIST; his actual and complete Performance of the whole Law. Hereby, Many are made Righteous, even before they have done any good Work. Righteous, in fuch a Senfe, as to be fecure from all Condemnation ; and, on Principles of Justice, entitled to Life eternal.-How clear and eafy is this Meaning! How regular and exact this Argumentation! What Subtilty of Evafion must be used, before You can give a different Turn to the inftructive Text!

This is the most confiftent Senfe, in which I can understand Rom. viii. 5. That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in Us, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the SPIRIT. That the Righteoufnefs, required by the holy but broken Law, might be thoroughly accomplished. Accomplished in our Nature, and by our REPRESENTATIVE. So as to be deemed, in point of legal Eftimation, fulfilled for Us and by Us *. This, I

fay,

It is remarked by a judicious Critic, and very evan gelical, therefore very valuable Expofitor, that the Prepofition fometimes fignifies by or for; and is so translated, Matt. v. 34. Heb. i. 1. See Dr. GUISE's Expofition of the New Teftament.-It is declared by the Helvetian Church, expounding this Paffage, and making her public Confeffion; "That CHRIST is the Per"fecter of the Law, and our Fulfilling of it. Who, as "He took away the Curfe of the Law, when He was

"made

*

say, is most confiftent with the Tenour of St. Paul's Arguing, and with the Import of his Language. With the Tenour of his Arguing for, He undertakes to demonftrate the Impoffibility of our Juftification, by any perfonal Conformity to the Law. Whereas, if We could fatisfy its Penalty, and obey its Precepts; or, in other Words, fulfil its Righteoufnefs; this Impoffibility would ceafe.-With the Import of his Language: for, the original Phrafe denotes, not a fincere, but a complete Obedience; not what We are enabled to perform, but what the Law has a Right to demand. Which, every One must acknowledge, is not fulfilled in any mere Man, fince the Fall; but was fulfilled by JESUS CHRIST, for our Good, and in our Stead. This Interpretation preferves the Sentences diftinct, and makes a very natural Introduction for the following Claufe; where the Perfons interefted in this Privilege, are defcribed by their Ftuits, who walk not after the Fleh, but after the SPIRIT. Implying, that Juftification and Sanctification are, like the ever-correfponding Motion of our Eyes, infeparable Concomitants; and We vainly pretend to the former, if We continue deftitute of the latter.

Dd3

F

We

"made a Curfe for Us; fo doth He communicate to Us, "by Faith, his Fulfilling thereof."

* It may be worth our while to obferve, that St. Paul, when treating on this Subject, ufes three feveral Words; each diftinct, though all derived from the Original. -Aizawa, which expreffes Juftification; the accounting or declaring a Perfon righteous.-Aixanova, which never fignifies Juftification, but Righteoufnefs; either performed by Us, or imputed to Us.-Amaua, the Phrase which occurs in this Place, and denotes the Right or Demand of the Law; as that, whofe Accomplishment is indifpenfibly neceffary, in order to the Juftification of Man.