external to us, continued on into an act within us," and a justification which ever remains external to us, accounting us what we never in this life become; it is between "acceptance' on GOD's part leading to acceptableness on man's, imputation to participation,” and an acceptance without an inworked acceptableness, an imputation without a participation of His righteousness.

Again, the righteousness thus claimed as being really inwrought, is not (one is ashamed to be compelled to state it) the ground of the Christian's acceptance; the righteousness of the Christian, inwrought by CHRIST, is not any thing out of CHRIST, in Whom the Christian lives; the gift is not separate from the Giver; spiritual life is not, any more than natural, independent of Him in Whom we live and move and have our being; rather He Himself is our Life, pouring His life into us here, to return to Him hereafter; and as He Himself, no gift even of His, is the "exceeding just reward" of the faithful, so He Himself, not any gift of His, detached from Him, is our life and our righteousness.

"A Christian's life is not only moral as opposed to vice and "crime, not only religious as opposed to unbelief, not only "renewed as opposed to the old Adam, but spiritual, loving, "pleasing, acceptable, available, just, justifying; not, of course, "the origin or well-spring of our acceptableness, (God forbid!) "but we believe this, that He who, eighteen hundred years "since, purchased for us sinners the gift of life eternal, with His

1 P. 92.

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own blood, and at our baptism spoke over each of us the Word "of acceptance, and admitted us at once to His presence, by the

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same Word forthwith proceeded to realize His gracious purpose; that 'His word ran very swiftly,' as being 'living and "powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword;' that it "reached even to our hearts, conveying its virtue into our nature, making us what the Almighty FATHER can delight in, "and so returning to Him not 'void,' but laden with the "triumphs of His grace, the fruits of righteousness in us as 'an "odour of a sweet smell,' as 'spiritual sacrifices acceptable to "GOD, by JESUS CHRIST.' He works out His justification towards 66 us, in us, with us, through us, and from us, till He receives "back in produce what He gave in seed."-pp. 101, 102.

The Christian's ground of confidence is not his own righteousness, but his LORD; the righteousness worked in him is only an earnest to him that he is yet united with His LORD; it is a token to him of his inward life, as the healthy functions of the body are of the presence of the soul; it is in him, but not of him; and his confidence is not in himself, but in Him of Whom it is.

"The charge [is] not unfounded as regards popular Romanism, "that it views or tends to view the influences of grace, not as the "operations of a Living God, but as a something to bargain about, "and buy, and traffic with, as if religion were, not an approach to "things above us, but a commerce with our equals concerning 66 things we can master. And this is the cause of the suspicions "entertained in many quarters against those who in any sense "teach that obedience justifies, as if it implied we had some

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thing in ourselves to rely upon; whereas if, as I would maintain, the Presence of CHRIST is our true righteousness, first "conveyed into us in Baptism, then more sacredly and mys

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teriously in the Eucharist, we have really no inherent righteousness at all. What seems to be inherent, may be more "properly called adherent, depending, as it does, wholly and "absolutely upon the Divine Indwelling, not ours to keep, but as heat in a sickly person, sustained by means external to him"self. If the Presence of CHRIST were to leave us, our renovation "would go with it, and to say we are justified by renovation, only means that we are interested in Him from whom it flows, " that we dwell beneath the overshadowing power of Him who “is our Justifier."—Lect. viii. Righteousness viewed as a Gift and a Quality, p. 216-218.

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Herein then this view differs both from the Romanist and Ultra-Protestant; from the Ultra-Protestant, in that the righteousness is claimed as real; from the Romanist, in that not it, in itself, but He from whom it flows is, from the beginning to the end, the direct source of hope as of strength: engraffing when wild; when engraffed, the sap and nourishment; and accepting the fruit, not as perfected in itself, but as the result of our being in Him, and admitting in us of His richness.

"The inherent righteousness of a true Christian, viewed as "distinct from CHRIST's inward presence, is something real, and "doubtless far higher than that of a Jew; but why should we

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so degrade ourselves, so disparage our own high privilege, as to "view it separately, to disjoin it from Him through whom we do "it, to linger in the thought of it instead of tracing it back to that "which is its immediate source; as if a man were to praise the daylight, yet forget the sun? No, whatever might be the "righteousness of the Jews, we certainly know what is ours; "and it is what they could not have had; it is 'CHRIST,' our "propitiation, 'within us ;' on it we rely, not on ourselves. It "is our boast thus to retreat from the extreme manifestations of

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"life, which is our sanctification, upon that Glory within us, "which is its fount, and our true justification. It is our blessed

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ness to have our own glory swallowed up in CHRIST'S glory, "and to consider our works and our holiness, to avail merely as "securities for the continuance of that glory; not as things to be "dwelt upon and made much of for their own sake, but as a sort "of sacramental rite addressed to Him, for the sake of which "He may be pleased still to illuminate us, as tokens that His 66 grace is not in vain. And after all, what we are, whatever it "is, could not avail, were it tried in the balance, for more than "this, to prove our earnestness and diligence. Even what is acceptable in us, is still so imperfect, that the blood of CHRIST "is necessary to complete what His Spirit has begun; and as "His regenerating grace has infused sweetness into what was "bitter, so must His mercifulness overlook the remaining bitterness in what He has infused of sweetness."--Ib. p. 230, 1.

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It is then, to me, difficult to see wherein the objection of those who judge of this work, not by hearsay or preconceived notions, or upon such acquaintance as may be formed amid anxious duties, but upon careful and competent study, (if any such do object,) really lies. Yet is it better even to take superfluous, and what to some may prove wearisome, pains, if by any means it may remove difficulties out of another's way. I would then draw out some propositions which persons, on whatever grounds, might be anxious to see held, and subjoin some additional passages in which they are substantially contained.

1. Justification is, as a cause, antecedent to sanctification, in which it issues.

"First, Justification is, properly speaking, a declaration of

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righteousness; secondly, it precedes renewal; thirdly, it is the

means, instrument, or cause of renewal. "the Lord' calling us, calling us what we

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It is the Voice of

are not when it calls

us, calling us what we then begin to be."-p. 71. "Our justification is God's announcement, concurrent with His own deed so announced; yet in our case, preceding, not following His deed, because we are but made righteous, and not, as CHRIST, righteous from our birth."—p. 83.

"Our justification is not a mere declaration of a past fact, or a testimony to what is present, or an announcement of what is to come, but it is the cause of that being which before was not, and "henceforth is.”—p. 84.

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Imputed righteousness is the coming in of actual righteousness. They whom God's sovereign voice pronounces just, "forthwith become just. He declares a fact, and makes it a fact "by declaring it. He imputes, not a name, but a substantial Word, which, being 'ingrafted' in our own hearts, is able to save our souls.' "—p. 86.

"Justification is an announcement or fiat of Almighty GoD breaking upon the gloom of our natural state as the Creative "Word upon chaos; that it declares the soul righteous, and in "that declaration, on the one hand, conveys pardon for its past sins, and on the other makes it actually righteous.”—p. 90. "That acceptableness, which He has ever had in the FATHER'S sight, as being the reflection of the FATHER'S perfections, He first imputes, then imparts to us."-p. 116. See also p. 127.

2. Justification is a free pardon of us when guilty, from God's mercy alone, irrespective of any thing in

man.

"The doctrine of our justification not only implies, but derives "its special force from our being by birth sinners and culprits. "It supposes a judicial process, that is an accuser, a judgment-seat, "and a prisoner. Such is our condition by nature; the devil is our