A89732:850
A discussion of that great point in divinity, the sufferings of Christ; and the…
A discussion of that great point in divinity, the sufferings of Christ; and the question about his righteousness active, passive : and the imputation thereof. Being an answer to a dialogue entitled The meritorious price of redemption, justification, &c. / By John Norton teacher of the church at Ipswich in New-England. Who was appointed to draw up this answer by the general court.A discussion of that great point in divinity, the sufferings of Christ; and the question about his righteousnesse active, passive : and the imputation thereof. Being an answer to a dialogue intituled The meritorious price of redemption, justification, &c. / By John Norton teacher of the church at Ipswich in New-England. Who was appointed to draw up this answer by the generall court.
London: printed by A.M. for Geo. Calvert, 1653
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Such was the demerit of sin,1 why man according to justice could not be justified legally: but not such, why it should be unjust for God to justify him Evangelically, according to Gods righteous constitution. Such was mans desert why he should not be justified by his own righteousness, yet mans demerit not being absolute, but having dependence upon Gods free constitution; he could not deserve why God might not justify him by the righteousness of another if he pleased.
Such was the demerit of sin,1 why man according to justice could not be justified legally: but not such, why it should be unjust for God to justifie him Evangelically, according to Gods righteous constitution. Such was mans desert why he should not be justified by his own righteousnesse, yet mans demerit not being absolute, but having dependance upon Gods free constitution; he could not deserve why God might not justifie him by the righteousnesse of another if he pleased.
- 1Longè itaque ista differunt, &c. Rhetorf. de oration. exer. 2. c. 3.
If it were unjust for God to justify otherwise then legally, then it were unjust for God to justify in the way of the Dialogue, viz. by atonement or acceptilation without all legal obedience, it is more against legal justification to justify without legal obedience, personal, or otherwise; then to justify by the legal obedience ⟨p. 186⟩of another:1 the Dialogue by this reason fights as much or rather more against it self then against us; the fallacy lieth in asserting that in an unlimited sense which holds only in a limited sense: God cannot justify man fallen legally, ergò he cannot justify man fallen Evangelically, by the righteousness of another; is not only a meer non-consequence in reason, but also a Pestilence in religion.