An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

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

§. 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 righteous; 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 Justification, must first confess the Ambiguity of the Word, and tell us in which Sense they take it: There are so many things that are truly the form of Justification taken in many Senses, that without such distinguishing to dispute of the form of Justification, is worse than to say nothing: Justification taken actively, as the Act of the Justifier▪ hath one form: Justification 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 ⟨p. 264⟩pardoning sin, is one thing, and therefore hath one form: The Act of making us inherently righteous, or performers of the Condition of the Covenant 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, another: The Act of sentencing us righteous, another: And the Act of executive Justification, or rewarding and saving us, as righteous, another. And accordingly Justification passively taken, hath as many forms as it signifieth various Effects. To be in a state of conditional Justification, 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 regni coelestis, a right to Glory, as a gift, and as a reward (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 Justification as constitutive and virtual in Law; and each part hath its proper form: And then Apologetic, Judiciary (or Sentential) and Executive Justification, are also various Species, which have their Forms.