The Doctrine of Justification by Faith

CHAP. VIII. Imputation of the sins of the Church unto Christ. Grounds of it. The Nature of his Suretyship. Causes of the New Covenant. Christ and the Church one mystical Person; Consequents thereof.

Those who believe the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ unto Believers, for the Justification of Life, do also unanimously profess, that the sins of all Believers were imputed unto Christ. And this they do on many Testimonies of the Scripture directly witnessing thereunto, some whereof shall be pleaded and vindicated afterwards. At present we are only on the consideration of the general notion of these things, and the Declaration of the nature of what shall be proved afterwards. And in the first place we shall enquire into the foundation of this Dispensation of God, and the Equity of it, or the Grounds whereinto it is resolved, without an understanding whereof, the thing it self cannot be well apprehended.

THose who believe the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ unto Believers, for the Justification of Life, do also unanimously profess, that the sins of all Believers were imputed unto Christ. And this they do on many Testimonies of the Scripture directly witnessing thereunto, some whereof shall be pleaded and vindicated afterwards. At present we are only on the consideration of the general notion of these things, and the Declaration of the nature of what shall be proved afterwards. And in the first place we shall enquire into the foundation of this Dispensation of God, and the Equity of it, or the Grounds whereinto it is resolved, without an understanding whereof, the thing it self cannot be well apprehended.

The principal Foundation hereof is, that Christ and the Church, in this Design, were one mystical Person, which state they do actually coalesce in, through the uniting Efficacy of the Holy Spirit. He is the Head, and Believers are the members of that one Person, as the Apostle declares,