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

The Apostle argues from the Imputation of Adam's Sin, to the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness; As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life: As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous, Rom. 5.18, 19. What can be more express, if our Reason would submit to it? Bishop Davenant tells us, that,¹ Christus Sponsor pro nobis factus nostro nomine non modò subivit perpessionem Crucis, sed impletionem Legis: Christ, not as our Proxy, but as our Surety, did in our name not only undergo the sufferings of the Cross, but took on him the impletion of the Law. But saith the Author, Righteousness is a personal thing, to be performed by our selves: I answer, What Christ performed for us, was not performable by our selves in our lapsed ⟨p. 419⟩estate; he fulfilled all Righteousness for us to the very highest pitch of the Law, in order to our Justification, and that we could not reach in our own persons; and that sincere Obedience which we pay in our own persons doth not fully answer the Law, and so appertains not to our Justification, but Sanctification: And this I take to be the Method of Salvation which God hath chalked out to us. It's true, the Author urges, That the Righteousness of another can never be our personal Righteousness: But though it cannot be ours by Inhesion, yet it may by Imputation; it was only in Christ's Person, yet may be reckoned or accounted to us in Justification, or else I cannot tell, how the Blood of Christ, which cleanses away all sin, should ever be ours; that was not inherent in us, and, if it become ours, it must be by Imputation: If we own not the Imputation of Christs Passive Obedience, we cannot own, that Christ gave himself for us as a Ransom or a Sacrifice; and if we own the Imputation of his Passive Obedience, we must also own the Imputation of his Active; for there was, not to say a tincture, but a great, and high measure of Active Obedience in his ⟨p. 420⟩Passion, and if his Passion in its entirety and complete perfection be imputed to us, his Active Obedience must be imputed to us also.