An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

These Conditions were in infinite Wisdom accommodated and attempered to the death of Christ which founded them, they were made to be subordinate and subservient to Christ's satisfaction and the glory of it: The Faith required in them was not intended to be the matter of our Justification, and in that notion to discharge and justify us; the main scope and end of those conditions was to show upon what terms Christ's righteousness and satisfaction should discharge and justify us. Now as long as these conditions are made but conditions, as long as Faith keeps its proper station, all is well and as it ought to be; but if those conditions be advanced ⟨image 9⟩above their own station, if our inherent righteousness be made the very matter of our Justification, as indeed it must if imputed Righteousness be denied, then the conditions of the Gospel are corrupted and perverted from their true end, they are no longer subordinated to Christ's satisfaction, but made to set up our inherent Righteousness in the room of it, they show no longer upon what terms Christs satisfaction shall discharge us, but how our own Righteousness may do it, which is plainly to pervert the conditions of the Gospel. Moreover he must overturn the satisfaction of Christ: Touching this three things are considerable, viz. Christ's surrogation in our room, Gods acceptation of the [Greek or Hebrew] on our behalf, and the operation of that [Greek or Hebrew] in our discharge; none of which can stand without an imputation. The first thing is Christ's ⟨image 9⟩surrogation, he suffered [Greek or Hebrew], Matth. 20.28. in stead of many; he was our [Greek or Hebrew], putting his Soul in the room of ours, or else he could not have satisfied for us. Now that Christ should suffer in our room and stead, and his sufferings should not be accounted or imputed to us, is a contradiction; take away Imputation, and you take away Surrogation; take away Surrogation, and you take away Satisfaction. The second thing is Gods acceptation of the [Greek or Hebrew] on our behalf: Christs Sacrifice was a sweet-smelling savour unto God, Eph. 5.2. God accepted it on our behalf, or else Christ could not have satisfied for us. Now that Christs sufferings should be accepted by God as on our behalf, and yet that they should not be accounted or imputed is utterly impossible;