Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers in what sense [sic] sound Protestants…Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers in what sence [sic] sound Protestants…

Obj. 1. YOU confound a Natural and a Political person: Christ and the several believing sinners are not the same natural Person, but they are the same Political. As are with us, saith Dr. Tully, the Sponsor and the Debtor, the Attorney and the Client, the Tutor and the Pupil; so are all the faithful in Christ, both as to their Celestial regenerate nature, of which he is the first Father, who begetteth sons by his Spirit and seed of the Word to his Image, and as to Righteousness derived by Legal Imputation. Vid. Dr. Tully, Justif. Paul. p. 80, 81. It's commonly said that Christ as our surety is our Person.

Obj. 1. YOƲ confound a Natural and a Political person: Christ and the several believing sinners are not the same natural Person, but they are the same Political. As are with us, saith Dr. Tullie, the Sponsor and the Debtor, the Attorney and the Clyent, the Tutor and the Pupil; so are all the faithful in Christ, both as to their Celestial regenerate nature, of which he is the first Father, who begetteth sons by his Spirit and seed of the Word to his Image, and as to Righteousness derived by Legal Imputation. Vid. Dr. Tullie, Justif. Paul. p. 80, 81. It's commonly said that Christ as our surety is our Person.

Ans. 1. The distinction of a Person into Natural and Political or Legal, is equivoci in sua equivocata: He therefore that would not have contention cherished and men taught to damn each other for a word not understood, must give us leave to ask what these equivocals mean. What a Natural Person signifieth, we are pretty well agreed; but a Political Person is a word not so easily and commonly understood. Calvin tells us that Persona definitur homo qui caput habet civile. (For omnis persona est homo, sed non vicissim: Homo cum est vocabulum naturae; Persona juris civilis.) And so (as Albenius) civitas, municipium, Castrum, Collegium, Universitas, & quod. libet corpus, Personae appellatione continetur, ut Spigel. ⟨p. 105⟩But if this Definition be commensurate to the common nature of a civil person, then a King can be none; nor any one that hath not a civil head. This therefore is too narrow. The same Calvin (in n. Personae) tells us, that Seneca Personam vocat, cum prae se fert aliquis, quod non est; A Counterfeit: But sure this is not the sense of the Objectors. In general saith Calvin, Tam hominem quam qualitatem hominis, seu Conditionem significat. But it is not sure every Quality or Condition: Calvin therefore giveth us nothing satisfactory, to the decision of the Controversy which these Divines will needs make, whether each believer and Christ be the same Political Person. Martinius will make our Controversy no easier by the various significations gathered out of Vet. Vocab. Gel. Scaliger, Valla; Which he thus enumerateth. 1. Persona est accidens conditio hominis, qualitas quâ homo differt ab homine, tum in animo, tum in corpore, tum in externis. 2. Homo qualitate dictâ proditus: 3. Homo insigni qualitate praeditus habens gradum eminentiae, in Ecclesia Dei, &c. 4. Figura, seu facies ficta, larva histrionica, &c. 5. Ille qui sub hujusmodi figura aliquam representat, &c. 6. Figura eminens in aedificiis quae ore aquam fundit, &c. Individua substantia humana, seu singularis homo. 8. Individua substantia Intelligens quaelibet. Now which of these is Persona Politica vel Legalis. Let us but agree what we mean by the word and I suppose we shall find that we are agreed of the Matter. When I deny the Person of Christ and the sinner to have been the same, or to be so reputed by God, I mean by Person, univocally or properly, An Individual Intelligent substance.