things" because, "the Righteousness of our God and Saviour is unto all and upon all them, that believe: for, by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh living be justified:" whereas, "Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness, or Justification, to every one, that believeth: that God may be just, and the Justifier of him, that believeth in Jesus." Rom. iii. 26. As, in the history of the glorious Reformation of the sixteenth Century, this Article was considered, not merely as the great Line of distinction between Protestantism, and Popery, but, as the very Hinge upon which Christianity was thought to turn, I shall urge no other excuse for inserting the substance of it, in a few comprehensive Propositions, in this place*. If they are not as obvious, * Among the several articles, which form the celebrated PROTEST, from whence the name of Protestant is derived, the following should be particularly noticedthat, "No doctrine was so certain as The Word of God, and nothing should be taught besides it: that, obscure and as fundamental, in the christian Religion, as the belief of the existence of God, I confess myself incompetent to decide, whether two and two make four. PROPOSITION 1. Justification is altogether a gracious and judicial Act of God-whereby he pronounces a guilty guilty criminal criminal perfectly passages of Scripture could not be better explained than by other plain places of the same Scripture: and that, the Writings of the Old and New Testament should be taught with the greatest plainness and purity. This is the only sure and infallible Way."-Such was the Spirit and Character of Protestantism in the year 1531. Since that period, has it not turned Proteism? Has it not assumed as many different forms, and appearances, as Scepticism, Philosophy, Duplicity, Craft, and Candour, could possibly give it? I congratulate the ignorance of the man, who knoweth not all the hideous metamorphoses, to which they have prostituted the sacred name of Christianity, during the eighteenth Century. Let us feast our eyes with its undistorted and native Image, in the pure Revelation of heaven. Nothing is intreated of the Reader here, but that he will survey it fairly, in all its parts, and in its connection; as the beautiful effect results very materially from the tout ensemble. righteous, in, and for the sake of, Christ Jesus." Where is boasting then? It is excluded." How so? Because, "the grace of Justification is given to sinners without any regard to, or consideration of, any qualifying meetness, work, or condition, to be found in them, either before they are justified—or, when they are justifiedor, after they are justified *. PROPOSITION 2. The first moving Cause of justification is divine Grace†. PROPOSITION 3. The material or mediatorial Cause of Justification, is, the imputed Righteousness of Christ; considered as the Representative, Surety, and Substitute of those, • Proofs. Is. liii. . . . . xlv. 25..... Acts, xiii. 38, 39.. Rom. iii. 24. viii. 29, 30.. II.... Rom. viii. 33 ... + Proofs. Rom. iii. 24. . . . iv. 4, 16.. ... I Cor. vi. ... V. 2, 21... ii. 6. . . . . Gal. v. 4. .. .. Eph. i. 6, 7..... ii. 5, 7.... 2 Tim. i. 9. ... Tit. iii. 7. ... 1 Pet. v. 10. who are justified in and through Him.With the objections, that are started, to this Principle, we have no manner of concern the simple enquiry for us is, whether this be a Doctrine of pure Revelation. If it be, all human opinions and authorities, which oppugn it, are despicable; and, instead of being treated with Candour, should be rejected with pious Contempt*. PROPOSITION 4. The instrumental or recipient Cause, by which we become personally, or actually interested in this Righteousness of Christ, for our complete justification, is, Faith †. .... .... Proofs. Ps. lxxxix. 15, 16. . . . . Is. xlv. 24... liv. 17. .... Ixi. 10..... Jer. xxiii. 6. Dan. ix. 24. Rom. i. 16, 17..... iii. 21, 22. . . . . v. 18..... ix. 30, 31, 32, 33..... x. 3—13..... .... .... .... 17, I Cor. i. 30, 31.. 2 Cor. v. 18. -21. .. Rom. iv.-After such plain and decisive authorities, for the doctrine of imputed Righteousness, should we pity, or should we despise, the Subtilty, the Sophistry, the Blasphemy, that dares to oppose it? + Proofs. Rom. iii. 19-31...... ix. 30...... x. 6. ... Gal. iii..... Eph. ii. 8.... iii. 12, 17..... Ingenuous Minds will not suffer themselves to detach one link of this golden Chain from another, for the purpose of venting any malicious opposition to sacred Truth; and, they will generously recollect, how this grace, of Faith, has been exhibited in a former part of the present Summary. PROPOSITION 5. The Faith, by which we are justified, and saved, is the special Gift of Godpeculiar to his Elect-and of his own ... Phil. iii. 9. 2 Tim. iii. 15. . . . 1 Pet. i. 5. ... 2 Pet. i. I..... Rom. v. 1, 2. . . . Fidei quæ justificat objectum generale asserimus esse totum Dei verbum: speciale, Christum Mediatorem; formale quod justificat, Christum ut Pontificem, Sacerdotem, ut pov et pretium Redemptionis nostræ non quòd Christi officia in negotio Justificationis disjungimus, sed distinguimus. Fides justificat sub ratione Instrumenti: non ut Instrumentum physicum, sed morale-cujus tota vis pendet ex institutione divinâ; non aliter quàm ærei Serpentis aspectus valebat olim ad levamen et salutem Israelitarum. Sic fide justificamur; sed non ex dignitate fidei, sed ex dignatione divinâ-cui de integro debetur tanti et tam gratuiti beneficii Honos et Gloria. |