you see how God "hath made him to be sin" that is, a sin-offering, "for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." a And this, in order "that he might be just," that is, a holy God in hating, and a righteous God in punishing sin, "and" yet "the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus," that is, might also show himself to be a merciful God in pardoning it.* "For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” b "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Thus the law is honoured because justification proceeds on the ground of a righteousness which meets and satisfies its demands. And this is what is meant by the imputed righteousness of Christ, viz., the sinner is pardoned and accepted from regard to what Christ has done and suffered in his behalf. For, Christ being God as well as man, there is an infinite value in his obedience unto death; so that the law could not be more honoured than by the obedience of such a person, nor justice be more fully satisfied even by the everlasting punishment of the whole human race. This wonderful plan of redemption displays, on part of God, a just regard to his holy law, and also a merciful regard to sinful man. "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."d с From these remarks you see how "Christ hath merited to make us just "but" (to use the words of Hooker), "as a medicine which is made for health doth not heal by being made, but a 2 Cor. v. 21. b Gal. iii. 21, 22. c Rom. viii. 3, 4. The bishop of St. Asaph (Dr. T. V. Short) thus relates the account given by a Hindoo as to the effect produced upon his mind by the gospel: "When I listened to a Christian teacher, he told me of Jesus, the Son of Mary, who had come down from his Father in heaven to die for sinners. This was what I needed. The God of the Christian hated the sin, but he spared the sinner; and I fled to Jesus, and found peace." (Bishop Short's "What is Christianity?" c. ii. p. 19. J. W. Parker, 1844.) by being applied; so by the merits of Christ there can be no justification, without the application of his merits." Now the means of applying these merits to ourselves is faith. And it is faith only, that the sinner may have nothing to glory in before his God. As it is written, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." With this agrees the eleventh article of our church (on "The Justification of Man"), which declares that "We are accounted righteous before God, only for" that is, on account of (propter) "the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by" that is, through (per) "faith, and not for (propter) our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the homily of justification." And this homily declares that "it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do believe in him. 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 justice hath supplied." c* not only so, but the penitent And a Disc. on Justification, s. 4. b Rom. iii. 27, 28. c End of part i. * The writer has always thought that the doctrine of vicarious satisfaction may be aptly illustrated by an incident alluded to in the leading Article of the “ Morning Herald" newspaper, of 27th May, 1845. It appears that his Grace the Duke of Wellington nearly lost his life while walking in Park lane, Piccadilly, through the furious driving of a man in a tilted cart. The noble duke happily sustained no material injury; but he brought the offender to justice, (not in resentment, but,) as his grace distinctly stated, "upon public grounds," and in order to protect the public from exposure to similar dangers. A fine was imposed on the delinquent, and in default of payment, he was committed to prison. Within a day or two there appeared in the columns of the "Morning Herald," a letter from a correspondent who subscribed himself "Truth," stating the following "fact," viz., (to quote the words of the writer) that "the very evening of the day on which the man, believer in Christ is adopted as a child of God, "for," says the Apostle, "ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."a And therefore he receives the Spirit of adoption, and serves God as his heavenly Father in Christ Jesus. (See Gal. iv. 6; Rom. viii. 14-16.)* If it be here asked, why may not imperfect works justify, as well as imperfect faith? The answer is this-the indispensable condition of justification by works, is their perfection; consequently any claim founded upon works must either be made good by a perfect obedience, or the hope of salvation be abandoned. Whereas faith, though it may be weak and imperfect, instead of exalting itself against the justice of God, and standing before Him in self-righteous confidence, utterly disclaims all merit, and ascribes unto God the whole glory of salvation. Thus it is written, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be of grace." "And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But, if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."c For, "to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." But justification and salvation come of God's free mercy alone, and are bestowed as a gift; as it is written, "Being justified freely by his grace through the re b Rom. iv. 16. c Rom. xi. 6. a Gal. iii. 26. d Rom. iv. 4. See this beautifully illustrated at length in "Thoughts on the Parental Character of God," by Capt. Sir W. E. Parry, R. N. (Hatchard.) who was convicted before Mr. Hardwick, of an assault on the Duke, and sent to the House of Correction, in default of payment of the fine of £4, for one month, he was discharged by the Duke, through the medium of a particular friend, paying the fine for him." Here the great, the noble Duke brings the offender to justice for example's sake; and though he was himself the injured party, he yet redeemed the poor man, who could never have discharged the debt himself, from the penalty which his country's laws required of him. Would justice have been more fully satisfied by the imprisonment of the offender? Or would the example of his imprisonment have been more likely to make a serious impression upon others, than his thus finding a ransom? Apply this illustration to the case of the Supreme Governor of the universe ;-for example's sake, he denounces punishment against transgressors of his laws; and yet He himself,-the injured Sovereign-in mercy condescends to provide a ransom for all who will stoop to receive it at his hands—a ransom by which they may escape those penalties from which they could never deliver themselves. demption that is in Christ Jesus." "The free gift is of many offences unto justification." "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "According to his mercy he saved us,.... that, being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Thus the cause and ground of our justification, are the grace of God in Christ Jesus; and everything as a procuring cause on our part is excluded. When, therefore, it is said that we are “justified by faith," it is meant that faith is the instrument or means of our justification. Thus it is written, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."e* So that faith has no effect to justify as a work of righteousness of ours; for the very essence of faith in Christ is a denial of all merit of ours, and an unfeigned trust in, and submission to, the righteousness of Christ. And so it is the means by which we become partakers of the benefits of Christ's redemption. And therefore Hooker well observes "that God doth justify the believing man, yet not for the worthiness of his belief, but for his worthiness which is believed." Faith is not our Saviour; it is merely the eye that looks at him; the foot that goes to him; the hand that receives him. "So that our faith in Christ (as it were) saith unto us thus: It is not I that take away your sins, but it is Christ a Rom. iii. 24. b Rom. v. 16. c Rom. vi. 23. d Titus iii. 5, 7. e Ephes. ii. 8, 9. It may be here observed, that this passage is often quoted as an express assertion, that faith "is the gift of God." Now, though this is an undoubted truth, taught in various other passages of Scripture, (e. g. Phil. i. 29; 2 Peter i. 1, 3,) yet to any one who consults the original language, it must be apparent that the word "it," in this place, refers to something more than the single word "faith." For as Bishop Hopkins observes upon it, “the word gift refers rather to salvation than to faith: for so it must needs be, according to grammatical construction:" and that "the words do of necessity carry it, that this expression, 'not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,' must be understood, that the salvation, which we obtain by faith, is not of ourselves, but God's free gift. For by grace ye are saved through faith, and this affair is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' The relative TOUTO, as Chandler observes, being in the neuter gender, cannot stand for TOTIS, faith, which is feminine; but it has the whole sentence which goes before, as its antecedent." (Bishop Hopkins on the Covenants, part 2, pp. 113, 114.) only; and to him only I send you for that purpose, forsaking therein all your good virtues, words thoughts, and works, and only putting your trust in Christ."a By faith the sinner is brought into a living union with that Saviour for whose sake alone we are accepted and saved. He thus receives the benefit of his mediatorial undertaking, and becomes interested in all that Jesus did and suffered on earth, and in all that he is now doing for his people in heaven. So that (to adopt the words of Bishop Hopkins) we are justified, "by the righteousness which faith apprehends and applies." For, as Hooker observes, "Christ hath merited righteousness for as many as are found in him. In him God findeth us if we be faithful; for by faith we are incorporated into him. Then, although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and unrighteous, yet even the man which in himself is impious, full of iniquity, full of sin; him being found in Christ through faith, and having his sin in hatred through repentance; him God beholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not imputing it, taketh quite away the punishment due thereunto by pardoning it; and accepteth him in Jesus Christ, as perfectly righteous, as if he had fulfilled all that is commanded him in the law." With this agrees the statement of the Apostle, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."d But it would be wrong to dismiss the subject without noticing the apparent contradiction in terms between St. Paul and St. James. I say apparent contradiction; because, both writers being inspired, there can be no real contradiction. St. Paul says, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."e St. James says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." As both Apostles refer to Abraham in illustration of their respective statements, it is easy to ascertain their meaning. Saint James, after speaking of Abraham's offering up of Isaac a Homily on Salvation, end of part ii. b Bishop Hopkins on the Covenants, part 2, p. 133. e Rom. iii. 28. d Rom. viii. 1. c Disc. on Justification, s. 6. f Jam. ii. 24. |