plains the method of justification; of which this is the sum: That Christ, in pursuance of the covenant of grace, fulfilled all righteousness in the stead of his people; that this righteousness, being performed for them, is imputed to them; that by virtue of this gracious imputation they are absolved from guilt, and entitled to bliss; as thoroughly absolved, and as fully entitled, as if in their own persons they had undergone the expia. tory sufferings, and yielded the meritorious obedience. Lest it should seem strange, in the opinion of a Jew or a Gentile, to hear of being justified by the righteousness of another, the wary apostle urges a parallel case, recorded in the Jewish revelation, but ratified by uni versal experience, namely, our being condemned for the unrighteousness of another. In this respect, he ob serves, Adam was a type of our Lord, or, a figure of Him that was to come ;'t the relations the same, but the effects happily reversed: Adam the head of his pos terity; Christ the head of his people. Adam's sin was imputed to all his natural descendants; Christ's righte ousness is imputedto all his spiritual offspring. Adam's transgression brought death into the world, and all our woe; Christ's obedience brings life and all our happiness. The whole closes with this very obvious and no less weighty inference, "Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation ; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men to justification of life."

I do not recollect any other similitude which the apostle so minutely sifts, and so copiously unfolds. He explains it; he applies it; he resumes it; he dwells upon it, and scarcely knows how to desist from it. I am sure you will not blame me if I imitate the sacred

By the pains and death which infants in every nation endure, which are unquestionably punishments, and to which they are doomed by the righteous judgment of God,

+ Rom, v. 14.

Quemadmodum peccatum Adami,' says Bengelius, 'sine peccatis que postea commisimas, mortem attulit nobis; sic justitia Christi, sine bonis operibus, quæ deinceps a nobis fiunt, vitam nobis conciliat.' That is, As the sin of Adam, without any concurrence of the sins which we ourselves respectively commit, occasioned our ruin; so the righteousness of Christ, abstracted from all consideration of our personal obedience, procures our Rom. v. 18.

recovery.

author, revert to the subject, and quote another passage from the same paragraph: Much more shall they, who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." Here, I am ready to think, the inspired writer puts a difference between the two grand blessings purchased by Emmanuel, remission and righteousness;t for, who are the persons which 'receive abundance of grace?" They, I apprehend, that, having sinned much, have much forgiven. Who are the persons which 'receive abundance of the gift of righteousness? They that, having in their own conduct wrought out none which will bear the test of God's impartial scrutiny, have one placed to their account which the all-seeing eye of heaven approves. However, whether the distinction I have ventured to propose be fanciful or substantial, of this I am persuaded, that the gift of righteousness must signify a righteousness not originally their own, but another's; not what they themselves have acquired, but what was fulfilled by their Surety, and is, by an act of heavenly indulgence, consigned over to them. Accordingly, it is represented, not as a work, but as a gift; and those who are interested in it are styled, not workers, but receivers.

Rom. v. 17.

+ Non tantum peccata sublata, sed justitia præstita.

I cannot but wonder at the assertion of a late writer, who roundly declares that there is not one word in this whole chapter relating to the antecedent obedience of Christ's life, but expressing only his passive obedience.' Must, then, this group of expressions, δικαιοσύνη, δικαιωμα, υπακοή, be confued barely to the sufferings of our Lord? To put such a sense upon the words of the apostle, is, according to my apprehension, not to hear his voice, but to gag his mouth; not to acquiesce in the sacred oracles, but to make them speak our own meaning. Beza, who perhaps is inferior to no critic with regard to a masterly skill in the Greek language, thus explains dikacaua, 'Justificationis est materia, nempe Christi obedientia; cujus imputatio nos justos facit. Mintert, in his accurate and copious Lexicon for the Greek Testament, gives this interpretation of dikaloσvvn, Opera Christo a Patre præscripta hoc nomine veniunt; nimirum omnia quae ab ipso præstanda erant, tam ad legis divine impletionem, quam ad generis humani redemptionem, quæ nobis Imputata,et per fidem accepta, faciunt ut coram Deo justificemur. And as for UTакоn, surely that cannot, without the utmost violence to its native signification, be so applied to the passive as to exclude the active obedience. The contrary notion, if an artful disputant should espouse it, might appear somewhat plausible; but this has not the least air of probability.

I should but faintly copy the apostolic example, if I did not once again avail myself of this important to pic. Suffer me therefore to transcribe one more verse from this admirable chapter: As by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners, so by the obe dience of one, shall many be made righteous." The disobedience of one' is the disobedience of Adam; his actual transgression of the divine law. Hereby many were made sinners;' sinners in such a sense as to become obnoxious unto condemnation and death. All this, I think, is, from the apostle's own words, indisputable. And, if we would preserve the propriety of his antithesis, or the force of his reasoning, we must allow that the obedience of one' is the obedience of Christ; his actual and complete performance of the whole law. Hereby many are made righteous;' righteous in such a sense as to be released from condemna tion, and vested with a title to life eternal.-How clear and easy is this meaning! how just and regular this argumentation! What subtilty of evasion must be used to give a different turn to the instructive text!

This is the most consistent sense in which I can understand Rom, viii. 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' That the righteousness required by the holy but broken law, might be thoroughly accomplished; accomplished by our public Representative, and in our human nature; so as to be deemed, in point of legal estimation, fulfilled for us and by us.t This, I say, is most consistent with the tenor of St. Paul's arguing, and with the exact import of his language. With the tenor of his arguing,-for, he undertakes to demonstrate the impossibility of our justification by any personal conformity to the law; whereas, if we could satisfy its penalty, and obey its precepts; or, in other words, fulfil its righteousness, this impossibility would cease. With the exact import of his language, for the original phrase denotes, not a sin

*Rom. v. 19.

+ It is remarked by a judicious critic, and very valuable expositor, that the preposition ev sometimes signifies by or for, and is so translated, Matt. v. 34. Heb. 1. 1. See Dr. Guyse's Exposition of the New Testament.

cere, but a complete obedience; not what we are enabled to perform, but what the law has a right to demand; which every one must acknowledge is not fulfilled in any mere man since the fall, but was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, for our good and in our stead. This interpretation preserves the sentences distinct, and makes a very natural introduction for the following clause, where the persons interested in this privilege are described by their fruits, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit:' implying, that justification and sanctification are, like the ever-corresponding motion of our eyes, inseparable concomitants; and we vainly pretend to the former, if we continue destitute of the latter.

We have produced positive proofs of our doctrine; we have heard an apostle declaring the assured happiness and complete justification of true believers; let us now observe the same sagacious judge of men and things, discovering the danger of these self-justiciaries, who reject the Redeemer's righteousness.

He is filled with the darkest apprehensions concern. ing his brethren the Jews; he is impressed with me. lancholy presages relating to their eternal state.t What was the cause of this tender solicitude? had they cast off all religion, and given themselves over to gross immoralities? On the contrary, they were worshippers of the true God, and had, in their way, not only a regard but a zeal for his honour. Wherefore then does this compassionate Father in Israel feel the same trembling uneasiness for his kinsmen according to the flesh, as Eli felt for the endangered ark? Himself assigns the reason because they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righte

It may be worth our while to observe, that St. Paul, when treating on this subject, uses three distinct words, all derived from the same original: Akatwσic, which expresses justification, the accounting or declaring a person righteous: Aikacoσvvn, which never signifies justification, but righteousness, either performed by us, or imputed to us: Aikawa, the phrase which occurs in this place, and denotes the right or demand of the law, as that which is indispensably necessary to the justification of ↑ Rom. x. 2.

man.

+ Rom. ix. 2.

ousness of God; not knowing that immaculate holi ness which the perfect nature, and equally perfect law of the most high God require: being wilfully ignorant of that consummate obedience which an incarnate God vouchsafed to perform for the justification of his people, they sedulously, but foolishly endeavoured to establish their own righteousness; to make it, scanty and decrepit as it was, the basis of their hopes. Thus were they resting their everlasting all on a bottom, not precarious only, but irreparably ruinous. A boundless eternity the fabric! Yet they built (wonder, O heavens!) on the foam of the waters; and (which added stubbornness to their folly) in avowed contempt of that strong and sure foundation, laid by God's own hand in Zion. For this the good apostle was afflicted with great heaviness and continual sorrow :' for this he made the prophet's pathetic complaint his own; Oh! that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might bewail day and night,'t the incorrigible perverseness of my people! For my people have committed two evils:' in not thankfully submitting to the righteousness of God, they have forsaken the fountain of living waters: in attempting to establish their own righteousness, they have hewed themselves out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'

Having shewed their fatal error, he strengthens his representation by displaying the happy success of the Gentiles, What shall we say then?" This, however improbable it may seem, we confidently affirm, that the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness,' who had no knowledge of it, and no concern about it; even they have attained to righteousness.' Strange assertion! how is this possible? Doubtless, the righteousness which they attained, could not be any personal righte ousness; of this they were totally destitute. Instead of practising moral virtues, or religious duties, they

Rom. x. 3.

Surely this must signify more than attaining to the profession of a religion whereby they may be justified and saved. To this multitudes attain, who continue, as the prophet speaks, stouthearted, and far from righteousness; who derive no real benefit from their profession, but are rendered utterly inexcusable, and Hable to more aggravated condemnation.