CALVIN, JUSTIFICATION is an act of God, in which he judicially pronounces the person before his judgment-seat, to be in the view of the law, a just person, against whom justice has no demand, and in favour of whom justice demands acceptance. "So we simply expound justification to be an acceptation, whereby God receiveth us into favour and accepteth us for righteous, and we say, that the same consisteth in the forgiveness of sins, and an imputation of the righteousness of Christ." B. 3. ch. 11. sec. 2. We are justified, in consequence of all which Christ does, either by obedience, suffering, or intercession, to merit justification. B. 3. ch. 11. sec. 3. Whatever procured meritoriously, justification, is the reconciliation, or atonement, by Christ. ed to seek for another righteousness of justification, to be received at God's own hands, that is to say, the forgiveness of his sins and trespasses, in such things as he hath offended. And this justification, or righteousness, which we so receive of God's mercy and Christ's merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of. God, for our perfect and full justification." "Although this justification be free unto us, yet it cometh not so freely unto us, that there is no ransom paid therefor at all." It is of grace, because God "provided the ransom for us, that was, the most precious body and blood of his own most dear and best beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who, besides this ransom, fulfilled the law for us perfectly." "In our justification, there is not only God's mercy and grace, but also his justice, which the apos B. 3. ch. 11. sec. 4. and ch. 16. tle calleth the justice of God, sec. 5. hath "What, I pray you, Christ done for us if we are still and it consisteth in paying our ransom, and fulfilling of the law, and so the grace of God * “What, I pray you,” reader, would be the venerable Calvin's indignation, could he now hear one say, "I am a Calvinist; and believe that Christ opened a door of mercy, so that God CAN pardon or punish; and the atonement does not absolutely secure one sinner from damnation?" Would he thank such an one, for assuming his name, the more effectually, without exciting suspicions of heterodoxy, to propagate doctrines which he denounced? HOPKINS, the human race. Therefore ological Magazine," printed, and re-printed by CORNELIUS DAVIS entitled, " Redemption and Atonement not the same." the offer of salvation is made to all, without exception, and promised to all who believe." Syst. Vol. 2. p. 105. "Atonement does not imply a purchase of God's mercy; it does not imply satisfaction to justice as a cancellation of debt; nor does it infer any obligation JUSTIFICATION consists in the pardon of sin, the acquitting of the sinner's person from the condemnation and curse of the law, together with restoration to favour, and the bestowment on justice for the liberation. of a title to eternal life. Syst. Vol. 2. p. 54. of sinners." Maxey When a sinner is justified, he is pardoned on account of the atonement, and accepted as a just one, on account of the meritorious obedience of his substitute. "The sufferings of Christ did not satisfy distributive justice, since that respects personal character only; and therefore with respect to distributive justice, salvation is an Syst. Part 2. ch. 4. sec. 7. act of perfect grace." Махсу. In order to be justified, the sinner must first be morally united to Christ by a sanctified heart. The sinner must so become one with Christ by love "The death of Christ is to be considered as a great, important and public transaction, respecting God and the whole system of rational beings;" and public justice alone is satisfied by the atonement. Махсу. liable to suffer punishment for our sins? For when we say that he bore our sins upon his body on the tree, (1 Pet. ii. 24.) we mean nothing else thereby but that he suffered all the pain and punishment that was due unto our sins. And the same hath Isaiah more lively declared, when he saith, the chastisement, (or correction) of our peace was upon him. Isa. liii. 5 What is the correction of our peace but the punishment due to sin; and which we should have suffered before we could have been reconciled to God, unless he had stood in our room? Here you see plainly, that Christ suffered the pains due to sin, to deliver them that are his, from them." Inst. B. 3. ch. 4. sec. 30. Hence, believers are never punished because justice de mands it; but are corrected with parental kindness. Their afflictions are not vindictive curses, but the blessings of love. It is not God's design to take vengeance on them, but to make them more dutiful children. B. 3. ch. 4. sec. 31, 32, 33. Neither our own good works, nor the holy nature of that faith, which is produced in us, is the ground of justification, or the reason why one sinner is OTHERS. doth not shut out the justice of God in our justification, but only shutteth out the justice of man, that is to say, the justice of our works, as to be merits of deserving our justification." "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 fulfilier of the law." Homilies of the chh. England, B. 1. sec. 3 part 1. "Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone. Although Christ, by his obedience and death did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice in behalf of them that are justified; yet inasmuch as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son, imputing his righteousness to them, and of him, "that it is proper to OTHERS. "Legal justification is an act reckon or impute the righteous- in favour of one who is actually ness of the Redeemer to the just; but gospel justification is sinner." "The righteousness an act in favour of a transgressof the Mediator comes upon or. This act of justification men, or is imputed to them for does not pronounce him to be their justification, by their uni- undeserving of punishment; ting themselves to him, in a but it delivers him from puncordial approbation of his right- ishment which he actually deeousness, and his holy charac- serves. It does not declare ter." him to be entitled to divine favour, on account of his own perfect obedience; but it secures to him that favour to which he is not thus entitled." "Sinners are united to Christ by faith;" or by such a benevolent disposition as includes all the christian graces. Mass. Miss. Mag. Vol. 2. p. 198. "Faith so unites the be liever to Christ, that it is fit and proper that he should be considered and treated as so far one with him, as to pardon and justify him for the sake of Christ, out of respect to his sufferings and obedience, by which he has merited such favour for all his; for all who are thus united to him," "The believer is so united to him that it is proper and fit that his righteousness should be improved in the sinner's favour." Faith however is by no means the meritorious cause of justification. accepted, rather than another. While enemies we were given to Christ; he died to procure our pardon and justification, and being before enemies, by the act of imputation we are reconciled to God. B. 3. ch. 11. sec. 13, 17, 20, 22, 23. It is a "trifling subtilty" to say, "that our righteousness must stand upon love. We grant indeed with Paul, that no other faith justifieth, but that which effectually worketh with charity or love, but faith deriveth not its power of justifying from that effectualness of charity. Yea, it justifieth by no other means, but because it bringeth us into the communicating of the righteousness of Christ." B. 3. ch. 11. sec. 20. "No man therefore is well founded in Christ; but he who hath a complete righteousness in him: forasmuch as the apostle saith. (1 Cor. i. 30.) not that he was sent to help us to obtain righteousness, but that he himself might be our righteousness namely, (Eph i. 4.) that we are chosen in him from eternity, before the making of the world, by no deserving of ours, but according to the purpose of the good pleasure of God: (Col. .14.) that by his death we have OTHERS. "Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces which do always accompany it, or of good works that are the fruits of it, nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness." Larger Cat. Q. 73: The same taught: doctrines are Con. C. Scot. P. C. U. S. and Say. Plat. ch. 11. sec. 1, 2, 3. The justified are perfectly free in this life, from the revenging wrath of God. Larger Cat. Q.77. |