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remember that that spotless robe will never be permitted to cover an unsanctified heart. Those only have reason to expect the benefit of it that are found in Christ; and if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Lavington.

But in what sense is this righteousness imputed to believers? In this: All believers are forgiven and accepted, not for the sake of any thing in them, or of any thing that ever was, that is, or ever can be, done by them, but wholly and solely for the sake of what Christ bath done and suffered for them. I say again, not for the sake of any thing in them, or done by them, of their own righte ousness or works: Not for works of righteousness which we have done, but of his own mercy he saved us." "By grace ye are saved through faith; not of works, lest any man should boast;" but wholly and solely for the sake of what Christ hath done and sui fered for us. We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that in Christ Jesus." And this is not only the mean of our obtaining the favour of God, but of our continuing theren. It is thus we come to God at fest; it is by the same way we cam: unto him ever after. Wewak in one and the same new and ing way, till our spirit returns to God.

Waley's Sermons, vol. i.. L. F

That justice, viuri ■ amputed to the believer, is in Chris, n hesion, in us by mputation. Our adversaries deny, tha: a st... ture there is any mention mate of the imputation: but war be clearer than these sing places! Rom. iv. 6." David CHIZZER man blessed, to whom God mynteth righteousness without Phil. iii. 8,9.+1 at all things dang that I may gan and be found in him at laring my own righteousness, the law, but that which is by the faith of Christ," ta righteousness which is of God by faith," This is ch that autifies, wendy ours are imputed to Chrica justice imputed to 2021 He made that he sho sin for us who knew, die we might be made the right ness of God in i The papists also think it as absurd, that w should be juted by die jones of aer; a me shull

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Christ's body, and shedding of Christ's blood, but also his perfect fulfilling of the law, are the adequate price of our redemption. All these act conjointly, they sweetly harmonize, in the great and glorious work. To suppose their disunion, is a doctrinal mistake, somewhat like that practical error of the papists, in severing the sacramental wine from the sacramental bread; administering to the laity the symbols of the slaughtered body, but withholding the symbols of the streaming blood.

There are other clauses in the same homily, which set the seal of the church to our sentiments. I shall content myself with transcribing one from the conclusion: "Christ, says that form of sound words, is the righteousness of all them that do truly believe. He for them paid their ransom by his death. He for them fulfilled the law in his life. So that now, in him, and by him, every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law; forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked, Christ's righteousness hath supplied." This authority is as clear, as the doctrine authorised is comfortable! May the former sway our judgment; may the latter cheer our

hearts.

Hervey.

It would have remained a puzzling question to men and angels, How should man be just with God? had not his grace employed his wisdom to find out a ransom, whereby he has delivered his people from going down to the pit of corruption; which ransom is no other than his own Son, whom he sent, in the fulness of time, to execute the scheme he had so wisely formed in his eternal mind; which he did, by finishing transgression, making an end of sin, making reconciliation for iniquity, and bringing in an everlasting righteousness, which being wrought out by Christ, God was wellpleased with, because hereby his law was magnified and made honourable; and, having graciously accepted of it, he imputes it freely to all his people, and reckons them righteous on the account of it. The Hebrew word and the Greek words, which are used to express this act of imputation, signify to reckon, repute, estimate, attribute, or place any thing to the account of another; as when the apostle Paul said to Philemon, concerning Onesimus, "If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on my account;"

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Phil. 18. let it be reckoned or imputed to me. So, when God is said to impute Christ's righteousness to us, the meaning is, that he reckons it as ours, being wrought out for us; and accounts us righteous by it, as though we had performed it in our own persons. And now, that it may appear that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, observe,

1. That we are in our own persons ungodly, who are justified; for God justifieth the ungodly; Rom. iv. 5. if ungodly, then without a righteousness, as all Adam's posterity are; and if without a righteousness, then, if we are justified, it must be by some righteousness imputed to us, or placed to our account, which can be no other than the righteousness of Christ.

2. We are justified either by an inherent or by an imputed righteousness: not by an inherent one, because that is imperfect, and nothing that is imperfect can justify us. Besides, this is a righteousness within us, whereas the righteousness by which we are justified is a righteousness without us; it is unto all and upon all them that believe. Rom. iii. 22. And if we are not justified by an inherent righteousness, then it must be by an imputed one, because there remains no other.

3. The righteousness by which we are justified is not our own. righteousness, but the righteousness of another—the righteousness of Christ. "That I may be found in Christ, (says the apostle) not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. Phil. iii. 9. Now the righteousness of another cannot be made ours, or we be justified by it, any other than by an imputation of it.

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4. The same way that Adam's sin becomes ours, or we are made sinners by it, the same way Christ's righteousness becomes ours, or we are made righteous by it. Now Adam's sin, becomes ours by imputation; and so does Christ's righteousness, according to the Apostle: "As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners; so, by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Rom. v. 19.

5. The same way that our sins became Christ's, his righteousness becomes ours. Now our sins became Christ's by imputation only;

Christ's body, and shedding of Christ's blood, but also his perfect fulfilling of the law, are the adequate price of our redemption. All these act conjointly, they sweetly harmonize, in the great and glorious work. To suppose their disunion, is a doctrinal mistake, somewhat like that practical error of the papists, in severing the sacramental wine from the sacramental bread; administering to the laity the symbols of the slaughtered body, but withholding the symbols of the streaming blood.

There are other clauses in the same homily, which set the seal of the church to our sentiments, I shall content myself with transcribing one from the conclusion: "Christ, says that form of sound words, is the righteousness of all them that do truly believe. He for them paid their ransom by his death. He for them fulfilled the law in his life. So that now, in him, and by him, every true Chris tian man may be called a fulfiller of the law; forasmuch as that which their infirmity lacked, Christ's righteousness hath supplied." This authority is as clear, as the doctrine authorised is comfortable! May the former sway our judgment; may the latter cheer our hearts. Hervey

It would have remained a puzzling question to men and angels, How should man be just with God? had not his grace employed his wisdom to find out a ransom, whereby he has delivered his people from going down to the pit of corruption; which ransom is no other than his own Son, whom he sent, in the fulness of time, to execute the scheme he had so wisely formed in his eternal mind; which he did, by finishing transgression, making an end of sin, making reconciliation for iniquity, and bringing in an everlasting righteousness, which being wrought out by Christ, God was wellpleased with, because hereby his law was magnified and made honourable; and, having graciously accepted of it, he imputes it freely to all his people, and reckons them righteous on the account of it. The Hebrew word and the Greek words, which are used to express this act of imputation, signify to reckon, repute, estimate, attribute, or place any thing to the account of another; as when the apostle Paul said to Philemon, concerning Onesimus, "If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on my account;"

Phil. 18. let it be reckoned or imputed to me. So, when God is said to impute Christ's righteousness to us, the meaning is, that he reckons it as ours, being wrought out for us; and accounts us righteous by it, as though we had performed it in our own persons. And now, that it may appear that we are justified by the righteous ness of Christ imputed to us, observe,

1. That we are in our own persons ungodly, who are justified; for God justifieth the ungodly; Rom. iv. 5. if ungodly, then without a righteousness, as all Adam's posterity are; and if without a righteousness, then, if we are justified, it must be by some righteousness imputed to us, or placed to our account, which can be no other than the righteousness of Christ.

2. We are justified either by an inherent or by an imputed righteousness: not by an inherent one, because that is imperfect, and nothing that is imperfect can justify us. Besides, this is a righteousness within us, whereas the righteousness by which we are justified is a righteousness without us; it is unto all and upon all them that believe. Rom. iii. 22. And if we are not justified by an inherent righteousness, then it must be by an imputed one, because there remains no other.

3. The righteousness by which we are justified is not our own righteousness, but the righteousness of another-the righteousness of Christ. "That I may be found in Christ, (says the apostle) not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. Phil. iii. 9. Now the righteousness of another cannot be made ours, or we be justified by it, any other way than by an imputation of it.

4. The same way that Adam's sin becomes ours, or we are made sinners by it, the same way Christ's righteousness becomes ours, or we are made righteous by it. Now Adam's sin, becomes ours by imputation; and so does Christ's righteousness, according to the Apostle: " As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners; so, by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Rom, v. 19.

5. The same way that our sins became Christ's, his righteousness becomes ours. Now our sins became Christ's by imputation only;

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