on the ground of our personal innocence, but by imputing to us the righteousness of his Son; so that we are accounted righteous in Jesus Christ, although not so in ourselves. "But farther, to abandon a dispute about the word, if we consider with attention the thing itself, as represented to us in the scriptures, there can be no difficulty. For St. Paul makes use of the word acceptance, when he intends to shew that God justifies us. · We are,' says he, 'predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.'* The apostle's meaning here is synonimous with what he expresses in other passages; that God justifies us freely by his grace. In the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romaus, he asserts primarily that we are just because God accounts us so by his grace; after which he makes our justification consist in the remission of sins. Thus,' says he David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man * Ephes. i. 5. to whom the Lord will not impute sin. It is evident that he there speaks, not of a detached part of our justification, but of our justification entire. He asserts also that the prophet David expresses it, by pronouncing those happy who have obtained the gratuitous pardon of their faults. From whence it appears evidently, that he considers as two opposite points, being justified, and being considered as guilty. But there is no passage more express in proof of my assertion, than that in which he teaches, that the foundation and essence of the gospel consists in reconciling us unto God, because God is willing to receive us into his favour, by not imputing to us our sins. Let the reader examine carefully the whole text of the apostle. For he immediately adds, that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for us; expressing thereby the method of our reconciliation, and understanding, consequently, nothing by the word to reconcile, but, to justify. Nor can his expression in another place be maintained, unless we are considered just before God in Jesus Christ, and out of ourselves."* Not to pursue our author in his refutations of the wild reveries of Osiander, whom he opposes; let us listen to the language in which he cele* Instit. lib. iii. cap. 11. brates the praise of this illustrious doctrine, as it secures and promotes that peace of conscience, which passes all understanding, and includes the pledge and antipast of celestial bliss. "If we enquire," says he, "how the conscience may become tranquil, and rejoice before God, we shall find that it is not possible for peace and joy to reign there, unless God of his pure mercy confer upon us his own righteousness. What Solomon observes in his Proverbs, ought ever to be impressed upon our minds. • Who can say, I have made my heart clean? I am pure from sin.'* There is certainly no man whose heart is not crowded with impurities. Let the most righteous and the most perfect examine their conscience and their conduct. What must be the issue of such a process? Dare they quietly take their repose, as though they had gained their cause by pleading against God, and had henceforth nothing to transact with him? On the contrary, if they are esti mated according to their works, will they not be rent by dreadful torments, while they experience that they carry about with them the cause of their condemnation? The conscience, as it respects God, must either enjoy peace with him, without fearing his judgment, or be in * Prov. xx. 9. perpetual alarms, and as it were, besieged by inconceivable terrors. We, therefore, make no progress while disputing about righteousness, unless we establish such an one, upon the firm→ ness of which our souls may rest and be supported before the tribunal of God. "It is, therefore, not without reason that the apostle urges this argument, whose words I abundantly prefer to my own. If they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.'* He infers, that faith becomes useless and void, if righteousness respects the merits of our works, or depends upon the observance of the law. "The ground of assurance is explained by this apostle, and stated to be the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.† As if he had said, our souls can never be in a calm and tranquil state, unless we are firmly persuaded that we are acceptable to God. Whence personating believers universally, he exclaims, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?'t For until we have reached this haven, the least storm will be sufficient to alarm us, every * Rom. iv. 14. † Rom. v. 5. T Rom. viii. 35. |