"that Christ was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."* By which it is to be understood, that, as those sins which violated the law, were imputed to Christ, so his righteous actions, by which he fulfilled the law, are imputed to us for a justifying righteous

ness.

The same doctrine is established from 1 Cor. i. 13.; where it is said, that "Christ is not divided." Hence, we infer that his righteousness is not to be divided, but as a whole, and unique inheritance, it is to be bestowed on us. The paschal lamb was to be eaten whole; and, in like manner, Christ, who was typically represented by that lamb, is to be received by us in all his mediatorial fulness, both as to what he did and suffered. This view of the subject attributes greater glory to Christ, and presents richer fountains of consolation. This consolation is greatly diminished by those who take away from the price of our redemption a part of his perfect righteousness, and most holy obedience, and thus rend his seamless coat.

We shall now proceed to the removal of objections. If our redemption and salvation are attributed to the death and blood of Christ, this is not done to the exclusion of the obedience of his life; for such a restriction is no where mentioned in scripture. On the contrary, the work of man's salvation, is, in many places, as shewn above, attributed to the obedience and righteousness of Christ. When the death or blood of Christ is mentioned alone, and our redemption ascribed to it, this is done by a synechdoche, a figure, which puts a part for the whole. The reason is, that his death was the lowest degree of his humiliation, and the completion of his obedience, that which supposes all the other parts, and without which they would have been of no avail. No righteousness merits any thing unless it is persevered in to the last breath; a payment is never perfectly made, until the last farthing is paid, and the bond cancelled.

Though the apostle Paul attributes† the glorification of

*

2 Cor. v. 21.

† Rom. xvi. 7.

the saints to the remission of sin which flows from the blood of Christ, yet it does not follow from this, that all our righteousness, and the whole of the satisfaction made by Christ, are founded in his passion. Because the apostle does not argue from the pardon of sin's being precisely equivalent to glorification, and its proceeding precisely from the same thing in the atonement, but from the indissoluble connection among the blessings of the new covenant, a connection so intimate, that every one who obtains pardon of sin, necessarily and immediately obtains a right to life, and becomes an heir of the kingdom of heaven. In the same way Paul treats of love to our neighbour, and the fulfilling of the whole law, as the same thing;* because when love to our neighbour exists, all the other duties of the law will necessarily be performed.

Though each obedience of Christ, as well that of his life as of his death, was perfect in its kind, yet neither of them alone was a sufficient satisfaction, which required the observance of precepts as well as the suffering of punishments, that liberation from death, and a right to life might be procured. One does not exclude the other, nay, they mutually embrace each other.

What one person owes for himself, he cannot pay for another, if he be a private person. But nothing prevents such a payment, when the person is a public character, who may act both in his own name, and in the name of those whom he represents. He who pays what he owes for himself, cannot by the same thing make a payment for others, unless he has voluntarily made himself a debtor for them, in which case he can. For, although he may be a debtor, yet this character arises from his own voluntary act,-the debt which he has to pay for himself, is a debt, which, were it not for his own voluntary deed, he is not bound to pay, and hence, while he is paying for himself, he may, by the same act, pay for another. So Christ, who became man, not for his own sake, but for our sakes, was under no obligation to

* Gal. v. 14.

fulfil the law in order to merit life for himself; but, to me. rit it for us, he was under obligation to keep the law. Though Christ, as a creature, was naturally subject to the law, yet he was not under it by a covenant and œconomical subjection, binding him to obtain life for himself, but that he should stand as a surety in the room of sinners; and this last arose from a voluntary agreement entered into between him and his Father. In an economical sense, he owed nothing for himself, because he is the Son of God, and Lord of the law. As to his human nature, he was not thus bound either absolutely or partially. Not absolutely, for his human nature was an adjunct of his divine person, which was not subject to the law. He could not be thus subject to the law, for his assumption of human nature was a part of his humiliation; hence, in relation to those duties which flow from his humiliation, his obligation to discharge them was a covenant obligation. He could not, in respect of his human nature, be subject to the law as procuring for himself life; because, as man he was not bound by the old covenant obligation to discharge those duties, which belonged to those whom Adam represented, and who were naturally descended from him. From all which I infer, that he was under no obligations to perform the duties of the law to acquire for himself a right to life; which right, of necessity results from the connection of his human nature with the Logos,the second person of the Trinity. Hence also I infer, that Christ owed all his covenant obedience for us, and this in the character of a surety who represented us.

Though Christ obeyed God in our room we cannot thence infer, that we are no longer bound to obedience in our own persons. It is indeed fairly to be inferred, that we are not bound to obey for the same end, and by the same kind of subjection-to obtain life by the performance of duties, to which we are bound by covenant obligation. Yet we may be, and we are, in perfect consistency with the obedience of Christ for us, bound by a natural obligation to yield the same obedience to God, not that we may obtain life, but because we have obtained it-not that we may acquire a right to the en

joyments of heaven, but that, having through Christ, obtained a title to them, we may be prepared for entering upon the enjoyment of them. Hence though Christ has died for us, we are still obnoxious to natural death, not, however, for a punishment, but for a deliverance from the evils of this life, and an introduction into heaven.

We must distinguish between a righteousness of innocence, which takes place, when one is accused of no fault, and a righteousness of perseverance, to which a reward is due for duties done. The pardon of sin produces the former kind of righteousness, by taking away every accusation on account of sins committed; but it does not of necessity so produce the latter, that he who obtains it, must be forthwith adjudged to have performed all duties. It is one thing to free a person from punishment which is due to the omission of duty; another to account him really righteous, with the righteousness of perseverance, to which life is promised, and to view him as having omitted no duty, and done no evil. The former of these is obtained in the day of pardon, but not the latter; which would be contrary to truth and the just judgment of God. Pardon does not remove sin, but prevents its imputation. He who is pardoned may commit sin, and he does commit sin; but in consequence of the pardon which he has obtained, it shall not be imputed to him for condemnation. Pardon takes away the guilt only, and consequently its punishment, but does not take away its pollution. Thus, to be viewed as having done no sin, and as having omitted no duty, can be understood in a twofold sense. 1. In relation to punishment-that we can no more be punished than if we had in reality committed no sin, and omitted no duty; because we are freed from all that punishment, which is due to sin. 2. In relation to the obtaining of reward-that he who is esteemed to have performed all duty, and avoided all sin, shall be judged by God to have done all things which are necessary to life. In this latter sense, it is not true, that he whose sins are remitted, is to be esteemed free from all sin; for, as was remarked above, pardon takes away punishment; but God is not, by the sentence of

pardon which he pronounces, bound to hold the sinner as free from all delinquency, as having fulfilled all his duty, and as a perfectly just person. This is not true in fact. The judge is not bound to esteem an accused person righteous, because, through supplication and confession, he has obtained pardon.

It cannot be said, that God demands a double payment of . the same debt; because the law binds the sinner both to obedience and punishment, as is said above; and the actions and sufferings of Christ do not constitute a double payment; they, both together, constitute one payment-one unique righteousness, by which deliverance from death, and a right to life have been acquired for us.

A perfect fulfilment of the law cannot be said to have been condensed into the voluntary death of Christ; for the law demands perfect obedience, as to all its several precepts, and this not in degree only, but in duration, from the beginning to the end of life; all which cannot be accomplished in one action.

So far is the whole of Christ's righteousness, which is imputed to us, from being placed in his sufferings, and hence called active, that, strictly speaking, no righteousness is placed in suffering, but in doing only. No one can be called righteous, merely because he suffers, for misery is not virtue. Besides, sufferings yield no obedience to those commands of the law, to which life is promised; they only satisfy its sanctions, and cannot be called, per se, righteousness. If there is any righteousness in punishment, it belongs to the person who inflicts the punishment, and not to him who is punished.

Calvin, in many parts of his works, teaches the doctrine for which we contend. Take the following passages.* "When it is asked how by the removal of sin, Christ hath taken away the enmity between God and us; and brought in a righteousness, which hath made God our friend? It may be answered in general, that he has done this by the whole course of his obedience. This is proved by the testimony of

*Inst. book ii. cap. 16. sec. 5.