302 The Doctrine of Jufizi acafion fent, are faid to wait for our adoption, i. e. the man- ifeftatioi of it, Rom. viii. 23. And thus even God is faid to be juftified, when we judge of his anions as we ought to do, and deem them to be righteous, Job. xxxii. z. I falm li. 4. Luke vii. 29. though no- thing canbeadded to the infinite righteoufnefs of God. And wifdom is faid to be juftified of her children, Mat. xi. ig. So j ufification is not a real change ofa finger in hirnfelf (tho' a real change is annexed to it) but only a relative change with reference to God's judgement. And thus the word is ufed in the text, and fo alfo in matters of judicature throughout the fcripture. Yea, fome contend againitthe Papifts, that it is no where in fcripture ufed otherwife, except by a trope borrowed from thisas the proper fenfe. And, in the text, it is beyond all doubt meant of being deemed and accounted juft in the fight of God; for fuch a juftification is here only treated of, as appears in the text, and before, ver, 19, 20. And I have been the longer explaining the fenfe of the word, becaufe the miftaking it, by reafon of its compofition, occa- fioned that Popifh error, whereby the benefit figni. fied by it is obfcured, yea, overthrown: fo that we had need to contend for the fenfe of the word. In the text we have, i, The perlons juftified, (i.) Sinners. (2.) Such finners of all forts that fhall believe, whether Jews or Gentiles. 2. The juftifier, or efficient caufe, God. 3. The impulfive caufe, grace. 4. The means effecting, or material caufe, the re. del-option of Chrift. 5. The formal caufe, the remiffion of fins. 6. The inftrulnental caufe, faith. 7. The time of declaring, the prefent time. 8. The end, that God may appear juft. From hence therefore, will arife feveral ufeful ob. fervations, all tending to explain the nature ofjufli, cation ; which (hall be laid down, and cleared out
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