The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

1. Things that are not our own originally, personally, inherently, may yet be imputed unto us ex justitia, by the Rule of Righteousness. And this may be done upon a double Relation unto those whose they are; (1) Federal, (2) Natural. (1) Things done by one may be imputed unto others, propter relationem foederalem, because of a Covenant Relation between them. So the sin of Adam was, and is imputed unto all his Posterity, as we shall afterwards more fully declare▪ And the Ground hereof is, that we stood all in the same Covenant with him, who was our Head and Representative ⟨p. 237⟩therein. The corruption and Depravation of nature which we derive from Adam is imputed unto us, with the first kind of Imputation, namely, of that which is ours antecedently unto that Imputation. But his actual sin is imputed unto us, as that which becomes ours by that Imputation, which before it was not. Hence saith Bellarmine himself; Peccatum Adami ita posteris omnibus imputatur, ac si omnes idem peccatum patravissent. De Amiss. Grat. lib. 4. cap. 10. The sin of Adam is so imputed unto all his Posterity, as if they had all committed the same sin. And he gives us herein the true nature of Imputation, which he fiercely disputes against in his Books of Justification. For the Imputation of that sin unto us, as if we had committed it, which he acknowledgeth, includes both a Transcription of that sin unto us, and a dealing with us, as if we had committed it; which is the Doctrine of the Apostle Rom. 5.

1. Things that are not our own originally, personally, inherently, may yet be imputed unto us ex justitia, by the Rule of Righteousness. And this may be done upon a double Relation unto those whose they are; (1) Foederal, (2) Natural. (1) Things done by one may be imputed unto others, propter relationem foederalem, because of a Covenant Relation between them. So the sin of Adam was, and is imputed unto all his Posterity, as we shall afterwards more fully declare▪ And the Ground hereof is, that we stood all in the same Covenant with him, who was our Head and Representative ⟨p. 237⟩therein. The corruption and Depravation of nature which we derive from Adam is imputed unto us, with the first kind of Imputation, namely, of that which is ours antecedently unto that Imputation. But his actual sin is imputed unto us, as that which becomes ours by that Imputation, which before it was not. Hence saith Bellarmine himself; Peccatum Adami ita posteris omnibus imputatur, ac si omnes idem peccatum patravissent. De Amiss. Grat. lib. 4. cap. 10. The sin of Adam is so imputed unto all his Posterity, as if they had all committed the same sin. And he gives us herein the true nature of Imputation, which he fiercely disputes against in his Books of Justification. For the Imputation of that sin unto us, as if we had committed it, which he acknowledgeth, includes both a Transcription of that sin unto us, and a dealing with us, as if we had committed it; which is the Doctrine of the Apostle