First, To Jesus Christ the Mediator. The believer, conscious to his own spiritual poverty, doth as the poor man in the Psalm, commit himself, or as the Original is, leave himself on the Lord, Psal. 10.14. In stead of a perfect righteousness, he hath rags of weakness and imperfection, but he leaves himself upon the perfect righteousness of Christ, as a thing fully answering every jot and tittle of the Law. Indeed some great Rabbis cry out upon imputative righteousness as a thing impossible, calling it putative, a mere imagination, Luther's spectrum, the pleasing dream of simple Christians; but in sober sadness the dream is on their own side. If imputative righteousness be impossible, how can we stand before the righteous Law, dooming and cursing the least defect or non-continuance in all things? Imputative righteousness is impossible, and inherent is imperfect, and how can we stand? if we stand, the righteousness of God must be upon us, Rom. 3.22. Christ must be the end of the Law for righteousness unto us, Rom. 10.4. and how can this be without an imputation? Again, if imputed righteousness be impossible, what is imputed sin? If that be so too, how was Christ made sin, or an offering for it? to what purpose was his blood and sufferings? what becomes of redemption, & all the train of blessings waiting thereon? what to those Masters of Reason is but a fancy, a spectrum or dream, that to the believer is the very thing he would be found in before God, Phil. 3.9. Apollodorus offered Socrates a precious garment to dye in. Imputed ⟨p. 100⟩righteousness is the blessed robe which the believer would live, and dye, and rise in, unto the judgment-seat at the last day. Upon this he will venture his soul, against all the demands of perfect obedience in the Law. Moreover, instead of satisfying Justice for his debts, he hath just nothing of his own to pay, but he leaves himself upon the blood and rich merits of Christ; his sins are massive burdens, too weighty for all the Angels in heaven to stand under, but he unloads all upon the Lamb of God, who bore away the sin of the world: his debts to God amount to a vast sum, but he ventures upon the great surety, who paid the utmost farthing, and had a total discharge in his resurrection, and now is in heaven to see the scores crossed in Gods book, and the bonds of guilt cancelled and thrown down into conscience.
First, To Jesus Christ the Mediator. The believer, conscious to his own spiritual poverty, doth as the poor man in the Psalm, commit himself, or as the Original is, leave himself on the Lord, Psal. 10.14. In stead of a perfect righteousness, he hath raggs of weakness and imperfection, but he leaves himself upon the perfect righteousness of Christ, as a thing fully answering every jot and tittle of the Law. Indeed some great Rabbies cry out upon imputative righteousness as a thing impossible, calling it putative, a meer imagination, Luthers spectrum, the pleasing dream of simple Christians; but in sober sadness the dream is on their own side. If imputative righteousness be impossible, how can we stand before the righteous Law, dooming and cursing the least defect or non-continuance in all things? Imputative righteousness is impossiblé, and inherent is imperfect, and how can we stand? if we stand, the righteousness of God must be upon us, Rom. 3.22. Christ must be the end of the Law for righteousness unto us, Rom. 10.4. and how can this be without an imputation? Again, if imputed righteousness be impossible, what is imputed sin? If that be so too, how was Christ made sin, or an offering for it? to what purpose was his blood and sufferings? what becomes of redemption, & all the train of blessings waiting thereon? what to those Masters of Reason is but a fancy, a spectrum or dream, that to the believer is the very thing he would be found in before God, Phil. 3.9. Apollodorus offer'd Socrates a pretious garment to dye in. Imputed ⟨p. 100⟩righteousness is the blessed robe which the believer would live, and dye, and rise in, unto the judgment-seat at the last day. Upon this he will venture his soul, against all the demands of perfect obedience in the Law. Moreover, instead of satisfying Justice for his debts, he hath just nothing of his own to pay, but he leaves himself upon the blood and rich merits of Christ; his sins are massie burdens, too weighty for all the Angels in heaven to stand under, but he unloads all upon the Lamb of God, who bore away the sin of the world: his debts to God amount to a vast sum, but he ventures upon the great surety, who paid the utmost farthing, and had a total discharge in his resurrection, and now is in heaven to see the scores crossed in Gods book, and the bonds of guilt cancelled and thrown down into conscience.
