Imputation, and the Nature of it. 23 5 belong unto us. (2) A Will of dealing with us, or an actual dealing with us according unto it. Wherefore in the Impu- tation of any thing unto us, which is ours, God efteemeth it not to be other than it is. He doth not efteem that to be a perfect Righteoufimy which is imperfe& ; fo to do might ar- gue either amiftake of the thing judged on, or perverfenefs in the Judgment it felf upon it. Wherefore if, as fòrne fay, our own Faith and Obedience are imputed unto us for Righte- ouftiefs, Peeing they are imperfect they mull be imputed unto us for an imperfect Righteoufnef, and not for that which is perfe &. For that Judgment of God which is according un- to Truth, is in this Imputation. And the Imputation of an imperfect Righteoufnef unto us, efteeming it only as fueh, will ftand us in little ftead in this matter. And the Acceptilation which fome plead, ( traducing a fi &ion in humane Laws, to interpret the myftery of the Gofpel) doth not only over- throw all Imputation, but the fatisfa&ion and merit of Chrift alfo. And it muff be obferved, that this Imputation is a meer Act of Ju, ftice, without any mixture of Grace, as the Apoftle declares, Rom. I T. 6. For it confifts of thefe two parts. (I) An acknowledging and judging that to be in us which is truly fo. (2) A Will of dealing with us according unto it ; both which are Acts of Jufiice. The Imputation unto us of that which is not our own, an- tecedently unto that Imputation, at leált not in the fame man- ner as it is afterwards, is various alfo, as unto the Grounds and. Caufes that it proceeds upon. Only it mutt be obferved, that no Imputation of this kind, is to account them, unto whom any thing is imputed, to have done the things themfelves which are imputed unto them. That were not to impute but to err in Judgment, and indeed utterly to overthrow the whole nature of Gracious Imputation. But it is to make that to he ours by Imputation, which was not ours before, unto all ends and purpofes whereunto it would have fer cd i c H h 2 it
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