Cl/ A P. z r; O6jelliens from scripture ,tráfivered. 139 r& pronounceth Lobe Righteous, muff be Righteous; & feing he hath no Righteoufnefs of his own , he muti have his Suretie's Righteoufnefs imputed to him. (a) And fo, in this.fenfe, juftification,is an acquitting , or fetting a man free from the guilt & penalty , due to fuch things as were laid to his charge ; for he is pronounced Righteous. But it is not a fimple dilcharge of the perfon from the guilt ancfpenalty , upon a pardon & Remif;ion for a pardoned man is not a junified man , but rather is fuppofed to be ,guilty , & is pardoned, becaufegurlty. He proceedech In the Scripture , it is ufually oppofed to condemning Prov. 17: 15. Where , by jufiifying the wicked, waling is meant , but the making of them ju fi, in the rights e privileges of juil men , which are freedom from cent ure, pu- vishment, &c. So that by juftifying the wicked , nothing elfe is meant , but the trot condemning of birn , Rpm. S:33,34. 6'15:19. Therefore by juftifying nothing elfe is meant but acquitting from condemnation ; & fo to be yuflified d7 live are equipollent , Gal. 3: I I, 2I. Efai. 5 3: i i. An` (i) That jufifying is oppofed to condemning , is granted ; but thismaketh for us; for condemning is fome- ,thing elfe, than a not pardonin , even a pronouncing or declaring of a per- fon guilty; 8z therefore an ad;i ing ofhim to the punishment, due for the guilt; and therefore ¡unificationmull be fomethingelfe than pardon. (z) ju- ffification is more than not condemning; for not condemning may be a meer fufpendingofrhefentenceófcondemnatton: & while the Procefs is under tryal, or the guilty perfon not yet convicted in law , he is not condemned; yet heis not therefore justified. (3) When jufli ftcation & life are Paid to be equipollent it is manifeft , that juftification is more than pardon, even an adjudging of one to the reward promifed : for life here isnot a meer Nega- tive or privative life , but a pofitive life , calleda Reigningin life , Rom. ç:17. dr the bleffing of Abraham sal.3: i 4. the promife of the Spirit, ibid. & all the blef fins of the Covenant vers 17. & the Inheritance vers x8. Here then is a diffe- rence betwixt jutlification in our cafe,& ¡uftification among men : for among men , jollification is ufually in reference to the Accufation given-in ; & the accufation bearer h a reference only unto the fin committed & to the punish - ment due to fach or fach tranfgreflburs : fo that the justified man is declared not guilty, & therefore not liable unto the penalty; but there is no word here of a Reward , due to the obfervers of the law, unlefs in cafes, where a reward is exprefly promifed. And vet , even where there is no more , but a fimpledeclaring of the perfon not guilty, & fo not liable to the punishment, ¡unification is more than meer.pard ®n. But in our cafe, when the Lord jufti:- fieth the Belee ver , He not only declareth him not liable to the punishment, due to tranfgreffours of the law ; but alfo ad j udgeth him to the Reward prop mifed tothe obfervers : and therefore here the perfon is declared and pro- nounced righteous, having a right to the reward, through imputed righ- reoufnefs. Fourykly, He objefleth from Phil.3 :9. This objection mutt be hard -hea- ded, & sheweth, with what confidence, f ®me men, once in /love with their own darling conceipt , can abufe the moft plaine paffages of Scripture: fór what can be more plaine fill againft our Adyerfaries, than is this R Text?
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