An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches by reconciling explication without much disputing. Written by Richard Baxter.

CHAP. XXII. Of the Imputation of Righteousness. (Book 22)

§. 1. THE great Contentions that have been a∣bout this Point, tell us how needfull it is to distinguish between real and verbal Contro∣versies: The opening of the Doctrine of Redem∣ption before, Chap. XI. hath done most that is need∣ful to the solution of this Case, we are commonly agreed in these following Points.

§. 2. 1. That no man hath a Righteousness of his own performance, by which he could be justi∣fied, were he to be judged by the Law of Inno∣cency; that is, all are Sinners, and deserve ever∣lasting Death.

§. 3. 2. That Jesus the Mediator undertook to fulfil all the Law which God the Father gave him, even the Law of Nature, the Law of Moses, and that which was proper to himself, that there∣by God's Wisdom, Goodness, Truth, Justice, and Mercy, might be glorified, and the ends of God's Government be better attained, than by the De∣struction of the sinful World; and all this he per∣formed in our Nature, and suffered for us in our stead; and was the second Adam, or Root to Be∣lievers.

§. 4. 3. That for this, as the meritorious Cause, God hath given him power over all Flesh, that he might give eternal Life to as many as are drawn to him by the Father, and given him, Joh. 17. 2. He is

Lord of all, and all power in Heaven and Earth is given him, Matth. 28. 19. and he is made Head over all things to the Church, Eph. 1. 22, 23. Rom. 14. 9: And for these his Merits, a Covenant, or Law of Grace is made to sinful Man, by which all his sins are freely pardoned, and Right to Impunity and Life is freely given him, if he will accept it, and penitently turn to God.

§. 5. 4. Whenever a man is pardoned and justi∣fied (or hath Right to Life) this Law of Grace doth it, as God's donative Instrument: And whoever is so pardoned and justified, it is for and by these Merits of Christ's Righteousness.

§. 6. 5. But Christ doth initially pardon and justifie none by this Covenant but penitent Believers, and therefore hath made it our Duty to repent and believe, that we may be forgiven, and have right to life; as the Condition, without which his do∣native and condonative Act shall be suspended.

§. 7. 6. God never judgeth falsely, but know∣eth all things to be what they are: And therefore he reputeth Christ's meritorious Righteousness and Sacrifice, to be the meritorious Cause of all mens Justification, who are justified (and of the condi∣tional Pardon of all the World, 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19, 20.) and as sufficient and effectual to the assigned ends, as our own personal righteousness or suffering would have been, and more (though it be not so ours, as that of our own performance would have been, nor so immediately give us our Right to Impunity and Life, but mediately by the Cove∣nant.)

§. 8. 7. And as God reputeth Christ's Righte∣ousness to be the prime meritorious Cause for which we are justified by the Law of Grace, as afore-said,

so he truly reputeth our own Faith and Repentance (or Covenant-consent) to be our moral Qualification for the gift, and our Holiness and Perseverance to be our moral Qualification for final Iustification and Glory; which Qualification being the matter of the Command of the Law of Grace, and the Condition of its Promise, is so far our righteousness indeed, and oft so called in the Scripture, as is afore∣said.

§. 9. 8. Therefore God may in this Sence be truly said, both to impute righteousness to us, and to impute Christ's righteousness to us, and to impute our Faith for righteousness to us in several re∣spects.

§. 10. Thus much being commonly agreed on, should quiet the Minds of Divines that are not wise and righteous overmuch; and it beseemeth us not to make our arbitrary Words and Notions a∣bout the Doctrine of our Peace with God, to be Engines to break the Church's Peace, seeing Angels preached to us this great Truth; That Christ came into the World for GLORY to God in the highest, and for PEACE on Earth, and for GOOD-WILL or LOVE from God to Man (or mutual compla∣••ency;) and his Servants should not turn his Go∣spel into matter of strife.

§. 11. That which we are yet disagreed about, is the Names and Notions following: As, 1. What is meant by the Phrase of [Imputing] in several Texts of Scripture; as Rom. 4. 11. [That righte∣ousness might be imputed (or reckoned) to them also.] Ans. The words seem to me to have no difficulty, but what men by wrangling put into them. To have righteousness impu••ed to them, is to be reputed, judged, or accounted as righteous

Men, and so used (the cause being not in the Phras•• it self, but fore-described.)

§. 12. So what is meant, Rom. 4. 6. by imputing righteousness without works? Ans. Plainly, repu∣ting, or judging a man righteous without the works which Paul there meaneth.

§. 13. So what is meant by Not imputing sin, Psal. 32. 2. 2 Cor. 5. 19. Rom. 5. 13. Lev. 7. 18. 1 Sam. 22. 15. 2 Sam. 19. 19. Rom. 4. 8? Ans. Not-judging a man as a Sinner guilty of punish∣ment, not charging his sin upon him in Judgment; which is as 2 Sam. 19. 19. &c. because he is not truly guilty; or as Rom. 4. 8. &c. because he is forgiven.

§. 14. 2. What is meant by [imputing our Faith to us for righteousness?] But of that more purposely anon.

§. 15. 3. Whether imputing Christ's righteous∣ness to us, be a Scripture-phrase? Ans. Not that I can find.

§. 16. 4. Whether it be a fit or lawful Phrase, and whether in so great matters, departing from Scripture-phrase, and pretending it necessary so to do, be not adding to God's Word, or the cause of Corruptions and Divisions in the Church, and an intimation that we can speak better than the Holy Ghost? Ans. God hath not tied us to use only Scripture-words or Phrases; and use may make them convenient and needful for some times and places, which else are less significant or congruous. And in this case I see not, but that the Phrase is lawful well explained. But if any will pretend their own Phrases to be more necessary than they are, and will calumniate those as not Orthodox, who will not use them, or subscribe to them, I

cannot justifie such from the guilt of Presumption, and Injury to the Church, the Truth and Christ, and the Love of Brethren.

§. 17. 5. Whether they that affirm, That Christ's Righteousness is imputed to us, or those that deny it are to be accounted Orthodox?

Ans. Perhaps both, if they both hold the same sound Doctrine under various Phrases: And per∣haps neither, if by their various Phrases, each mean something that is unsound.

§. 18. They heinously err, who deny Christ's Righteousness to be so far imputed to us, as to be reputed the meritorious Cause of our Pardon and Right to Life (or our Justification) performed by our Mediator, as the Sponsor of the New Cove∣nant, (for our sakes, and his Sufferings in our stead) as is afore-expressed.

§. 19. And they heinously err, and subvert the Gospel, who say, that Christ's Righteousness is so imputed to us, as that God reputeth, or judg∣eth Christ to have been perfectly holy and righteous (or obedient) and to have suffered, though not in the Natural, yet in the Legal or Civil Person of the Sinner or Believer, as their strict and pro∣per Representer; and reputeth us to have been perfectly holy, righteous, or obedient in Christ, as our Representer, and so to have our selves fulfilled all righteousness in and by him, and in him to have sa∣tisfied Justice, and meri••ed Eternal Life, and Christ's Righteousness to be ours in the same sence of Propriety, as it was his own: For his Divine Righteousness is the Essence of God, and his Hu∣mane his Habits, Acts, and Relations, which are the Accidents of his own Person only as the Sub∣ject, and cannot be in another (as is after shewed.)

§. 20. Though most of us now leave this Do∣ctrine to the Antinomians or Libertines, yet so many Protestants formerly have seemed to own it by their unmeet Phrases, in extreme opposition to the Papists, or at least to come too near it, as hath greatly scandalized and hardened their Adver∣saries, and injured the Reformed Churches.

§. 21. The Person of our Mediator was neither in the Sence of the Law, or in God's account, properly the person of the Sinner; Christ and we are distinct persons.

§. 22. Had we been perfectly holy, innocent, and obedient in Christ, it would follow, 1. That we are justified by the Law of Innocency, as having perfectly done all that it commanded us, which is not true: It is by the pardoning Law of Grace that we are justified.

§. 23. 2. That we have no need of Pardon, nor of Christ's Sufferings for our Pardon, nor of Prayer for Pardon, nor any means for it; for he needeth no pardon that is perfectly innocent.

§. 24. 3. Therefore they assert Contradictions when they say, that we both perfectly obeyed by, and in Christ, and yet suffered or satisfied in, or by him for our Disobedience.

§. 25. 4. It would follow, that all penalties (even corrective) laid on us by God, are in∣juries, or no penalties, because we are inno∣cent.

§. 26. 5. And that God's denying us any helps of his Spirit, and permitting the remnant of our Sin yet unhealed, and the weakness of our Graces, are an injurious denying us our Right.

§. 27. 6. It would follow, that we have present Right to the present possession of the whole Re∣ward,

both Grace and Glory, and that our delay is our wrong; because he that is supposed to have done all that the Law maketh his Duty from his Birth till his Death, hath right to the Reward by the Law or Covenant.

§. 28. 7. And it would follow, That no Duty could be required of us as a Condition of any Be∣nefit purchased by Christ, nor any sin charged on us so far as to be indeed our sin, because we are reputed perfectly holy and innocent.

§. 29. Many other such Consequents I pass by, and other Arguments against this Opinion, and the Confutation of the contrary, because I have done it all elsewhere, especially in a peculiar Di∣scourse on this * 1.1 Subject, and in my Disputations of Justifica∣tion.

§. 30. Christ's own Righteousness habitual or actual, is not ours, as it is his, in strict sence in it self, as if we were the Proprietors, the Subjects of his Habits, or the Agents of his Acts: For it is impossible that the Accidents of several Subjects should be the same.

§. 31. And the form of Christ's Righteousness is therefore no more ours, than the Matter: For Righteousness in Christ, and Righteousness in each Believer, are distinct Righteousnesses.

§. 32. Many Divines have pleaded, That Christ's Righteousness is the form of ours; and others, that it is the Matter; and others, that it is the me∣ritorious Cause; and have too much troubled the Church with Logical Notions. The meritorious Cause it is undoubtedly; and they that say, That it cannot then be the material Cause, must con∣sider,

that we mean, that it is the Matter of the meritorious Cause: And had we been innocent our selves, would not our Innocency have been both the Matter of our righteousness (or Merit) and the meritorious Cause of our right to Life.

§. 33. But this supposeth that the Matter of the Gospel subordinate righteousness which consisteth in that Repentance, Faith, and Holiness, which is required in us to our right to life, is to be found in our selves, and not in Christ for us.

§. 34. But the form of Christ's righteousness cannot be the form of ours, as is aforesaid; but it is the form of that which is the meritorious Cause of ours: But what need have we of th••se Di∣sputes?

§. 35. The Not imputing of sin, is called also by some, the Form of Iustification; and by others, that, and the Imputation of righteousness conjunct; and by others, that, and God's accepting us as righ∣teous; others call these the Matter of Iustification; and thus mens Logick, ill-managed, troubleth the Hearers, which I would not mention, had it not been necessary to disintangle them.

§. 36. They that will dispute what is the form of Iustification, must first confess the Ambiguity of the Word, and tell us in which Sence they take it: There are so many things that are truly the form of Iustification taken in many Sences, that with∣out such distinguishing to dispute of the form of Iustification, is worse than to say nothing: Iusti∣fication taken actively, as the Act of the Iustifyer▪ hath one form: Iustification passively taken for the state of the justified, hath another form: And ••••ch of these are subdivided into many Acts, and many Effects, which have each their form. The Act of

pardoning sin, is one thing, and therefore hath one form: The Act of making us inherently righte∣ous, or performers of the Condition of the Co∣venant of Grace hath another form: The Act of esteeming us righteous, hath another: The Act of our Advocate defending our righteousness, another. The Act of Justifying-evidence and Witness, an∣other: The Act of sentencing us righteous, an∣other: And the Act of executive Justification, or rewarding and saving us, as righteous, another. And accordingly Iustification passively taken, hath as many forms as it signifieth various Effects. To be in a state of conditional Iustification, to be Performers of the Condition of the Law of Grace, to have jus impunitatis, right to Impunity (that is, to be pardoned) and to have jus Doni & Praemii reg∣ni coelestis, a right to Glory, as a gift, and as a re∣ward (in several respects) are all Effects of God's foresaid Acts, and every one hath its proper Being and Form: And all this as given us; for the Merits of Christ's righteousness, concur to make up our whole Iustification as constitutive and virtual in Law; and each part hath its proper form: And then A∣pologetick, Judiciary (or Sentential) and Execu∣tive Justification, are also various Species, which have their Forms.

§. 36. Obj. Unius rei unica est forma: Justi∣fication is one thing, and therefore hath but one form.

Ans. 1. One Iustification is but one thing; but there are divers things so called, even in Scripture. When Christ saith, By thy words thou shalt be justified, Mat. 12. and Paul saith, that we are justified by the ••pirit of God, 1 Cor. 6. 10. and Iohn saith, He that is just, let him▪ be justified still, Rev. 22. they have not all the same Sence. 2. One thing may

have one form, and yet its many parts have many forms: Our righteousness taken for the whole of it, is one whole, whose form is signified by that general Name of our total righteousness; and yet its parts are all those before-mentioned, which yet each severally are commonly called righteous∣ness. But of these things before.

§. 37. Either then let us meddle as little as may be, with arbitrary Logical Notions in Theo∣logy, or let us handle them exactly, or else un∣skilful using them in weighty matters, becomes a vain entangling of poor Souls, and a childish way of troubling the Church of God. The truth is, the forms of such Acts are best known by their bare Names, if they be rightly named; and by the Name many understand what they are, where nei∣ther they nor their Teachers can find other words by which to give you a fair Definition of them, which maketh me think of some of our over-wise, and over-righteous Catechizers of the ig∣norant, who use to turn plain, honest persons from the Sacrament of Communion, if they can∣not tell them what God is, what Holiness is, what Faith, Repentance, Sanctification, Iustifica∣tion, Adoption is, by some congruous Descripti∣on, when yet a wise Examination might shew, that by the Name they understand the Matter it self, though not by distinct Notions; and when the Catechizer too often would be found shamefully to seek, if he were put to answer his own Questions by a true Definition (as I have tried.)

§. 38. To conclude, there are many sharp Volumes written of late, which reproach Imputed

Righteousness, to which they seem induced by some mens misexplication of it; and by such unwarran∣table words as some Independents use of it, in their Savoy-Confession: And they dream that we deny all necessity of Personal fulfilling the Con∣ditions of the Law of Grace, as a means of our Justification and Salvation: But they utterly wrong the generality of Divines of my acquain∣tance and notice: And I must tell them, for the Independents, that they did not subscribe or vote that Confession, as some present assure me, but on∣ly a very few men brought it in and read it, and none spake against it: And some worthy per∣sons of that Assembly, upon conference, assure me, That how ill soever it be worded, they them∣selves did mean it as I and other Protestants do, and did disclaim the obvious ill sence.

And I add, Had these Contenders but taken up with the distinction of Imputation which Mr. Brad∣shaw giveth in the Preface to his reconciling Tractate of Iustification, it might have quieted them; by in∣forming them, in what sence Christ's Righteous∣ness is imputed to us, and in what not: And they would have seen that which is not ours, as Pro∣prietaries of the thing it self in se, may be called ours, because the Effects are ours, and it was gi∣ven to God, for the meriting of those Effects for us.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Against Dr. Tul∣ly's Accusations.