dispensable, because in every situation, the creature is bound to be subject to God, and to obey him. The federal subjection arises from the law as prescribing a condition, upon the fulfilment of which, a reward is to be attained; respects the creature as placed in a covenant state; and prescribes the performance of duty under the promise of rewards and punishments. The penal subjection respects the creature as placed in a state of sin and condemnation, and binds him to suffer the punishment which the law denounces. The first is absolute and immutable; for as long as there is a creature, and a Creator, the creature must be subject to the Creator. God can no more dispense with his claim of subjection upon the creature than he can deny himself. The second is economical and changeable, because it respects,man not in a natural, but in a constituted state, it continues in force as long as man continues in that state, and no longer. So soon as he has finished his probation, and by fulfilling the condition, has obtained the reward, he is freed from this subjection. The third is necessary, and inevitable, whenever the creature falls into sin, which is necessarily followed by punishment. The first is founded in a right essential to God-in that natural, underived and necessary authority, which he has a right to exercise over the creature,—and the natural dependence of the creature upon him. The second is founded in the sovereign pleasure of God; it results from, and depends upon the will of Deity, whereby he has been pleased to enter into a covenant with his creature, and promise it life under this, or that condition. The third is founded in the judicial authority, and avenging justice of God; and by it he avenges the transgressions of his creature. "Vengeance is mine," saith God," and I will repay." All creatures, angels, and men, are under the natural subjection to the law. Adam, in a state of innocence, was under the federal subjection. Devils and reprobate men are under the penal subjection.

In this third respect, it is easy to conceive how Christ was subjected to the law-" Made under the law," as the apostle expresses it; and whether he was subjected to the

law for himself or for us. As a man there is no doubt but he was subject to the law for himself as a rule of holiness,* by a common and natural subjection, under which angels and glorified saints are in heaven, who love God and are bound to worship him. But it does not follow from this that he was subject to the law as exhibiting a condition of happiness

that his subjection was a federal subjection, binding him to obtain life by fulfilling a condition. This he must of necessity obtain by the hypostatical union. Much less was he subjected to the law for himself, by a penal subjection, for he was most holy, and absolutely free from all sin. So that when he undertook the twofold office of fulfilling the precepts of the law, and suffering its sanction; all this was to be done in consequence of a voluntary arrangement, by which he as Mediator, engaged to perform them for us. He voluntarily entered into a covenant with his Father, to do and suffer as our surety all those things, which the law claimed of us, and which were necessary to our redemption.

These remarks being premised in order to an accurate understanding of the subject; we shall now proceed to offer proofs in support of the opinion which we embrace. It is confirmed from many passage of scripture. The first which we shall adduce is Rom. v. 19. "For as by the disobedience of one many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one, are many made righteous." Here the atonement is referred to his obedience, not to that of his death, but also that of his life. 1. Because the apostle treats of his whole obedience, without any limitation; hence this obedience

*Witsius, the elegant author of the Economy of the Covenants, as well as Mr. Turrettin and President Edwards, takes this view of the obligations of Christ as a creature. But as Mr. Turrettin says the human nature of Christ is only an adjunct of his divine person, he could owe no obedience for himself. It is a person only, who is the subject of the moral law, and the person of Christ is the second person of the trinity, who is Lord of the law. His humility is every where in scripture represented as voluntary. Had he been subject to the law for himself he could not have performed an obedience for others. Those great divines rather express themselves loosely than erroneously; not foreseeing the bad use which men of subtle and unsound mind would make of their inaccurate phrases.

must be perfect, and continued from the beginning of his life to the end. An incomplete obedience will not suit the language here used by the Spirit. 2. He treats concerning an obedience, which imports universal conformity to the law, not only with respect to the penal sanction, but also, and indeed chiefly, with respect to observing its precepts. 3. He treats of what is called, v. 17. the "gift of righteousness," which cannot be applied to the sufferings of Christ. 4. He speaks of an obedience which is opposed to the disobedience of Adam; and as the disobedience of Adam was a violation of the whole law, so the obedience of Christ must be a fulfilment of the whole law. 5. Of an obedience which was due from us both as to precept, and penalty. It will be of no avail to object," that the obedience is nothing else than the one righteousness mentioned verse 18, and which is said to be to justification of life, and that the condemnation of sin under which we have fallen arose from one sinful act of Adam." The righteousness spoken of here does not intend one act of righteousness; it denotes a righteousness effected by a complete and perfect obedience,

a fulfilment of all righteousness. Nor, though the offence came upon all from one sin, can the righteousness be derived to all from one act; because the least failure in performing the demands of the law is sin: whereas goodness requires a perfect course, righteousness requires the fulfilment of the whole law.

The obedience of Christ is said to have been even to death, in which not only its intensity as to degree is expressed an intensity the greatest which can be rendered by any one; but also its extension and duration, from the beginning of his life to its end. This appears from his obedience being referred to the whole of his humiliation, which appeared not in his death only, but in his whole life. In other portions of scripture, the obedience of Christ is described by the writing of the law in his heart,† and his active observance of it. Again it is spoken of as a race

which Christ had to run,* and as a work which he had to perform. These were not to be performed by one act, but by a constant tenor of obedience through his whole life.

It behoved Christ to be made in the likeness of sinful flesh, that he might supply what the law could not do, in that it was weak, and fulfil the claims of the law in us. This weakness of the law is not to be understood subjectively, as if it were in the law, but objectively, as in the sinner, in relation to the law; on account of his inability to perform any of the duties which it commands. This law is said to be weak, not in relation to the infliction of punishment, but as to the observation of its precepts. Christ, therefore, by supplying what the law could not do in us, must fulfil all the law demanded of us, and work out what the apostle calls " righteousness," or the rights of the law, without doubt a right to life, obtained by doing what the law commands. This required not only a passive, but also an active obedience. For seeing the law and commands of God are the same, punishments cannot be said to fulfil the law, or, which is the same thing, its commands. They satisfy it as to its denunciations only. Who would say that a malefactor, who had been capitally punished for his crimes, had obeyed the king or the law? To act agreeably to law is a good and praiseworthy thing, which cannot be asserted respecting the suffering of punishment, per se, unless it will be asserted, that he is to be applauded who suffers the punishments of hell.

We argue, in favour of extending the atonement to the active obedience of Christ, from his being bound to all that the law required of us, in order to acquire a title to life; to which obedience of life was no less requisite than the suffering of death; because the sinful creature is bound to both these, and both were necessary to the obtaining of pardon, and a right to life. In the law, life is not promised to him who suffers its penalties, but to him who performs

* Heb. xii. 1.

Rom. viii. 3, 4.

† John xvii. 4.

the duties which it enjoins. "Do this and thou shalt live." Hence, to undergo the penalty by dying, was not sufficient, without the obeying of the precepts. Let it not here be objected, "that there is a difference between evangelical and legal justification, that in the latter a perfect obedience to the law is requisite, but not in the former." The difference of our justification now, under the gospel, from that under the covenant of works, is not placed in the thing itself, but in the manner in which we obtain it. Justification, whether legal, or evangelical, must be founded on a righteousness, perfect, absolutely perfect, in all its parts,-a righteousness which shall comply with all the conditions that the law imposes for the purpose of obtaining eternal life-a righteousness, which shall answer to the eternal and immutable claims of God upon the creature. These were conditions,. these were qualities in that righteousness, by which we were to be justified, that could not be dispensed with even in Christ; “for he came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it."* Our justification is indeed, an evangelical justification, and comes to us in a different manner. What the law demanded of us as a perfect righteousness to be wrought out in our own persons, has been wrought by another, even by Christ, in our stead.

We infer, that the active obedience of Christ is comprehended in that atonement which he made for sin, from the atonement's being founded in his righteousness, as appears from various passages of scripture. Whence justification is said to be effected by the imputation of righteousness. And the righteousness of Christ does not consist in his suffering, but in his doing. This righteousness of the law is not obtained by suffering, but by doing, even as the sentence of condemnation is pronounced for sinning. Christ testifies, that it "became him to fulfil all righteousness,"§ by doing in every thing the will of his Father; and Paul says,

Matt. v. 17. and Rom. iii. 31.

Rom. i. 17. and iii. 21. and viii. 18. Phil. iii. 2. Dan. ii. 24.
Rom. iv.

$ Matt. xiii. 15.