is opposed to unbelief, staggering, or being weak in faith, ver. 19, 20; and in this 5th verse it is described to be a person's believing on him that justifieth the ungodly. This sense is fixed down by the apostle when he says, "If thou shalt-BELIEVE IN THINE HEART-FOR WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH unto righteousness," Rom. x. 9, 10.

By righteousness here, many understand the righteousness of Christ. This is, indeed, the only meritorious or procuring cause of justification. It is by the righteousness of one, or one righteousness, that the free gift comes upon all men unto justification of life, chap. v. 18. It is by the obedience of one that many shall be made righteous, v. 19. God hath made him to be a sin-offering for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. v. 21. Hence he is said to be made of God unto us righteousness, 1 Cor. i. 30, and we are said to be justified by his blood, Rom. v. 9. Yet I am of opinion that righteousness in the passage under consideration signifies the blessing of justification itself, which is received by faith in Christ's righteousness. This, I apprehend, is the sense of the word through the whole of this chapter and many other places, such as Rom. ix, 30. ch. x. 4, 10. 2 Cor. iii. 9. chap. v. 21. Gal. ii. 21. chap. iii. 21. For to be justified through Christ's obedience is to be made or constituted righteous, Rom. v. 19, or to be made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. v. 21.

But it will be asked, In what sense is a man's faith counted to him for, or unto, righteousness or justification? I cannot better illustrate this than by referring to what is said of the miraculous cures which Christ performed on the bodies of men. He asks some of those who applied, "Believe ye that I am able to do this?" Mat. ix. 28; and to another he says, "Only believe; all things are possible to him that believeth," Mark v. 36. It was certainly Christ's divine power alone that healed them; yet not with

out their believing that he was able to do it; and when they believed that, his power was exerted in healing them according to their faith in it; "As thou hast believed, so be it unto thee," Matt. viii. 13. "According to your faith be it unto you," chap. ix. 29. And so he places their cure to the account of their faith, or counts their faith to them unto healing: "Thy faith hath saved thee," Luke xviii. 42. "Thy faith hath made thee whole," Mat. ix. 22. Christ's power was always the same, whether they believed it or not; but it was when it became the object of their belief that it effected their cure. Nothing could be more gratuitous and beyond the compass of human power than those merciful cures; so that the manner in which they were conferred clearly illustrates the point in hand. Healing the diseased, answers to the justifying the ungodly. Christ's power effected the former; his righteousness the latter ; yet it was by believing that his power and righteousness are alone sufficient for these purposes, that the benefit was obtained, and so it is ascribed to faith. We may therefore run the parallel thus, To him that worked not for his cure, but believed on him that healed the diseased, his faith was counted for, or unto, healing; so, in like manner, “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for, or unto, righeousness," i. e. justification: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness," or to the obtaining of justification, Rom. x. 10.

From the whole it appears to me, that God may as properly be said to justify the ungodly, as to pardon the guilty, reconcile enemies, heal the diseased, or quicken the dead; for certainly the character of ungodly applies to that state wherein men are really such; and if justification be a taking them out of that state, how could it be better expressed than by justifying the ungodly? Indeed, none but the ungodly are capable of being justified in the apostle's

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sense of that word. For, though faith is necessary to justi. fication; yet as it is not the ground of it, but receives it as a free gift, and as this reception cannot be shown to be prior to it in order of time; so it does not constitute a godly character or state, previous to justification; for there is no unjustified godly person, nor is any person in a godly state till he is justified therefore justification must respect the ungodly, and the apostle's expression is the most correct that could be devised. It also appears that justifying faith implies the person's conviction that he himself is ungodly, and has incurred the curse; for he believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, which he would not submit to but for such a conviction. Further, it is evident, that by this faith he is justified, or receives pardon and acceptance with God; for it is said, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now, and not till now, his state is changed, and he is no longer ungodly, nor denominated such. That faith by which he is justified is accompanied by true repentance, purifies his heart, works by love, and is productive of obedience; and though sin, to his grief, still remains in him, of which he becomes more and more sensible as he grows in spirituality and the knowledge of himself; yet it shall not have dominion over him, for he is not under the law, but under grace. He lives by the of the Son of God, and Christ lives in him.

None can believe in Christ for righteousness without a conviction of sin and its consequences, for they can see no need they have of him, nor any suitableness in him without this. But many may have strong convictions of sin awakened in them both by the word and providences of God; their minds may be filled with fear and distress, and an earnest desire of deliverance at least from the punishment of sin, and perhaps from sin itself as the means of obtaining that. They may also be very busily engaged in establishing their own righteousness in a variety of ways, and, among the

rest, in fitting and qualifying themselves to be justified by Christ's righteousness. Nay, they may be taught in theory to renounce all this labor, as if they were doing nothing, and to depend upon the merits of Christ alone for acceptance; and so be engaged in doing and undoing, alternately working, and, as it were, humbly renouncing all their works; while in all this exercise they have not the least notion that they can obtain justification believing in the work and worthiness of the Son of God as alone sufficient to justify the ungodly.

In the Commission, p. 84, 85, I mention the effect which the doctrine I oppose must have upon the mind of an awakened sinner. "He who conceives that, in order to his pardon and acceptance with God, he must first be possessed of such good dispositions and holy affections as are commonly included in the nature of faith, will find no immediate relief from the gospel, nor any thing in it which fully reaches his case, while he views himself merely as a guilty sinner-He does not believe that Christ's death will be of any benefit to him as a mere sinner," i. e. while he views himself only as such; 66 nor does he expect relief to his conscience purely and directly from the atonement, but through the medium of a better opinion of his own heart and character. This sentiment, if he is really concerned about the salvation of his soul, must set him upon attempts to reform his heart, and to do something under the notion of acting faith," (but in reality to qualify himself for Christ) "that he may be justified; and all his endeavors, prayers, and religious exercises will be directed to that end." Thus, he is working with respect to justification, instead of believing on him that justifieth the ungodly purely through the work already finished by his beloved Son.

Mr. Fuller's method of answering this is by entirely changing the case here supposed, and then combating the creature of his own imagination.

He first infers from it that I deny the necessity of repentance in order to forgiveness.* Yet the case supposed is that of an awakened sinner, convinced of guilt, distressed in his mind on account of it, really concerned about the salvation of his soul, and not only earnestly desiring relief, but diligently laboring to obtain it, according to the direction given him, by the exercise of holy affections and dispositions. All this I admit may be previous to faith in Christ and forgiveness through him. And will Mr. Ful. ler deny that this is the repentance he pleads for in order to forgiveness, and as previous to faith in Christ, and which he thinks "a conviction of the being and attributes of God" is sufficient to produce?† Wherein, then, do we differ? Not as to the existence of the thing, but in our judgment of its quality. He supposes that this previous repentance is of a holy nature, including love to God. I do not; for, however much convictions of sin and a sense of need may be necessary to make sinners prize the remedy; yet I have no idea that unbelievers, while such, have any holy affection or true love to God.

Upon this he proceeds to deny that the case which I have supposed, is consistent with itself. "It may be question. ed," he says, "whether this account of things be consistent with itself; or whether any mere sinner ever views himself merely as a guilty sinner: for such views include a just sense of the evil of sin, and of his own utter unworthiness of the divine favor, which no mere sinner ever possessed."+ This is that part of the scheme whereby persons, previous to their believing in Christ, are taught to extract comfort from their convictions; and some are so extravagant as to imagine that, while in this situation, they have arrived at such a pitch of holy affection as to love God disinterestedly, or without any view to his mercy; so that, according to this, the reve+ Page 190.

* Page 189. † Page 173.