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CHAPTER II.

Of the Two Parts of Justification-Pardon, and Title to Eternal Life.

THE whole doctrine of Justification has been so adulterated by its enemies, and so slighted by its friends, that many who possess the complete blessing see but that first half which so obtrudes itself on our notice, that they who have virtually forfeited, still claim its benefits. The forgiveness of sins is, then, admitted, though inconsistently, by Romanists, to be a part of our Justification, and is scarcely less inconsistently supposed, by some Protestants, to be the whole. But, when the apostle says, "that righteousness might be imputed to them," and speaks of "the gift of righteousness," and "of justification of life," we are taught that there is a second part of the blessing, the imputation of a righteousness which entitles us to eternal life.

The Westminster Assembly of Divines defines Justification thus: "It is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, and received by faith alone.'

Here, by the righteousness of Christ is meant his obedience unto death, including his life and death. If these are to be distinguished, the atoning death of Christ is the ground of the forgiveness of sin, and the obedience of his life the meritorious cause of our being declared entitled to the reward of righteousness, which is eternal life.

But whatever definition we adopt, it must be remembered, that we speak of the sentence or declaration of the supreme Judge, which is authoritative and definitive, constituting us judicially what he pronounces us to be. Just as his condemnation is not a mere declaration, or a telling of a thing, but really condemns, though judicially, and does not make us worthy to be condemned; so his justification, being that of the Supreme, does not merely declare, or tell the fact, but is the fact itself; and does not make us worthy to be justified, for that is supposed to exist as the ground of our justification, which is in Christ. This was necessary to be noticed, because Dr. Newman sometimes speaks of a mere declaration, as if he thought God's declaration did not really constitute us righteous judicially. But when we oppose the idea of Justification making us righteous, we mean, in the sense of sanctifying us; for it does make us righteous judicially, though it does not make us so in any other sense; and Justification being always treated in Scripture as an affair of jurisdiction, we contend for the necessity of adhering exclusively to that idea.

When, therefore, we are justified, it is by the moral Governor, acting as the just God and the

Saviour, declaring our sins freely forgiven, for the sake of the great atonement of Christ, and our persons accepted as righteous, and entitled to eternal life, in consideration of Christ's obedience, we being considered as one with him, who is "the Lord our righteousness."

There is nothing parallel to this in human affairs. For a guilty person cannot be justified by an earthly judge, and the moral conduct of one person cannot be the ground of justifying another.

I. The forgiveness of sins, which demands our first attention, might be compendiously despatched, as it is not denied by any; were it not that what is inconsistently admitted, is neither fully nor firmly held.

The Scriptures declare, that as "by one man's disobedience many were sinners, so we are conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity, and Christians themselves are by nature children of wrath, even as others." "There is none righteous, no, not one; but every mouth must be stopped, and all the world be guilty before God."

The actual sins of each adult, when tried by the holy law of God, will be found innumerable; SO that he whose conscience is most alarmed by the severest inspection of his heart and life, may still exclaim, "Who can tell his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults." "Thou hast set my iniquities before thee, my secret sins in the light of thy countenance." "There is not even a just man that liveth and sinneth not. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Those

who best know themselves are most sensible of this humiliating truth, and therefore the holiest men are the humblest.

This remains an everlasting truth, that we have sinned and done wickedly, and if God were to enter into judgment with us, and, dealing with us according to our sins, reward us according to our iniquity, we could not stand before him. If, then, we are ever to appear as righteous, or justified in his sight, it must be, not on account of what we are in ourselves, but our Justification must come from without, however some may scorn an extrinsic, and prefer an inherent righteousness.

But "the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost, and to bear the sin of many." "The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.” "The Lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. He was made sin for us, though he knew no sin ;" and when he died, he said, "It is finished; and the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; for he has magnified the law, and made it honourable."

In our Justification, this satisfaction for sin is declared to be applied to us for our individual benefit. He who received atonement to his justice from the hands of Christ, pronounces us acquitted of all crime, because the atoning Lamb made his soul an offering for sin. He gave his life a sacrifice for many, and we are declared

justified from all things from which we could not be justified by the law," so that we may say, "Who shall condemn us? It is Christ that died for us; yea,

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rather, that is risen again; for he was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." The apostle, therefore, speaks of being justified from sin.

The charge of guilt that was brought against us, and that we could not deny, for it was true, and our conscience, as well as the law and omniscience of the Judge declared it to be so, is rebutted by this single sentence-"Christ died for our sins, the just for the unjust." This accounts for the manner in which Justification is opposed to accusation and condemnation. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who shall condemn us? It is Christ that died for us." The first Adam is exhibited as bringing on us a condemnation, to which the second opposes Justification. Romans v.

This first part of the privilege, which is so important that it strikes every attentive observer, may seem to be put for the whole, as indeed it is never separated from the other half. It is even admitted by those whose definition of the blessing virtually excludes it. No person, however, can impartially survey this half, and observe how it is admitted even by the opposite party, without perceiving that it convicts their definition of falsehood, proving that Justification is a judicial act, or sentence of our Judge pronouncing our pardon; while they say, that though this is, "in exact propriety, the meaning of the word, it is not the thing" intended; which is, according to them, making a person righteous, in character, and, therefore, is identical with Sanctification. Why, then, introduce into Justification