God, as that he declares, he is never actually to be condemned; yet that right, purchased by Christ, is not applied to him till he is regenerated and united to Christ by faith. Till then he is in

the present evil world," Gal. i. 4.; "alienated and an enemy, and under the power of darkness," Col. i. 18, 21. But immediately, on his receiving Christ by faith, God declares in the court of heaven, that he is no longer under wrath, but under grace; though perhaps the justified person may yet be ignorant of it. And in this sense God is said to justify the ungodly, Rom. iv. 5.; him who is so in himself, and actually continues such till he is born again, when that faith is freely bestowed on him for which he is immediately justified.

LX. The second article is, when that sentence of God, which was pronounced in the court of heaven, is intimated and insinuated to the conscience by the Holy Spirit; so that the believer knows, feels, and experiences, that his sins are forgiven. To this David has an eye, Psal. xxxii. 5. “ and thou hast taken away, or thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin," that is, thou madest me to know and experience this, by speaking to my heart.

LXI. The third article is, when the sinner, being actively and passively justified, is admitted to familiar converse with God, and to the mutual participation of the most delightful friendship. For it may happen, that God may have remov ed the tokens of his anger from the elect sinner, and given hima assurance of it, and yet not directly admit him to an intercourse of familiarity. In the same manner almost, as David had forgiven Absalom's parricide, and declared it by Job, by ordering his return from Geshur to Jerusalem; yet he did not immediately admit him to court, much less to his presence chamber, and least of all to the kisses of his mouth, 2.Sam. xiv. David himself is an example of this. Nathan had told him, in the name of God," the Lord hath put away thy sin," 2 Sam. xiii. 18. and yet, for some time, he was racked with grievous sorrows, crying out from the bottom of a contrite heart, and a sense of broken bones; « have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions," Psal. li. 1. That is, as he explains it, ver. 12. "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation." This near and intimate access to God, as the author of his most joyful exultation, is the real declaration of his justification. And it is to be observed, that such a declaration is often repeated. For instance, when a believer happens to fall into some grier ous sin, or into a languid and drowsy frame of soul, then

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his familiarity with God is not a little interrupted; but after he is roused out of that sin, or from that drowsy frame by the preventing grace of God, and has been sufficiently exercised with the stings of conscience, then God applies that general sentence of the pardon of all his sins, which was pronounced immediately upon his regeneration, to this particular act, or state, and suffers himself to be prevailed on at length to renew this most delightful friendship.

LXII. The fourth article is immediately after death; when God assigns to the soul, on its departure from the body, an eternal mansion in his own blessed habitation, Heb. ix. 27. "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

LXIII. The fifth and last article is at the last day, which is therefore called the day of judgment, Mat. xii. 36. when the elect shall be publicly justified, and, in the view of the whole world, declared heirs of eternal life. Which justification indeed, may be called universal, as all those, who are to be justified, shall appear together before God's tribunal, nevertheless it will be most particular, as every one shall be recompensed according to his works; "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad," 2 Cor. v. 10.

LXIV. Let us briefly explain the whole manner of this justification in the next world. Christ, the judge, being delegated to that office by the Father, Acts x. 42. Acts xvii. 32. will pronounce two things concerning his elect. 1st. That they are truly pious, righteous and holy. And so far this justification will differ from the former; for by that the ungodly is justified, Rom. iv. 5. Whereas here, God, when he enjoins his angels to summon one of the parties to be judged, says, "gather my saints together," Psal. I. 5. if, as many suppose, these words refer to the last judgment. See Mat. xiii. 40, 41, 43. 49. 2dly. That they have a right to eternal life, Mat. xx. 35.

LXV. The ground of the former declaration is inherent righteousness, graciously communicated to man by the Spirit of sanctification, and good works proceeding therefrom. For on no other account can any person be declared pious and holy, but because he is endowed with habitual holiness, and gives himself to the practice of godliness, Mat. xii. 37. " by thy words thou shalt be justified," that is, be declared just or righteous, because words are indications of the mind, and signs either of the good or bad treasure of the heart; "when

the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart; and then shall every man have praise of God," 1 Cor. iv. 5.:

LXVI. The foundation of the latter can be no other than the righteousness of Christ the Lord, communicated to them according to the free decree of election, which is succeeded by adoption, which gives them a right to take possession of the inheritance. The very sentence of the Judge himself leads us to this: come, ye blessed of my Father, whom, on my account, he freely loved (for, in Christ all the nations of the earth are blessed, Gen. xxii. 18. Eph. i. 3.), inherit, possess by hereditary right, as the adopted sons of God, who, because ye are sons, are also heirs, Rom. viii. 17." the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;" ordained for you from eternity, whose palace was fitted up in the beginning for that purpose, by the hands of God the Creator.

LXVII. Mean while, in this respect too, there will be room for mentioning good works, for they shall be produced, 1st. As proofs of faith, of the union of believers with Christ, of their adoption, and of that holiness, without which none can see God, and of friendship with God, and brotherhood with Christ. 2dly. As signs of that sacred hunger and thirst, with which they desired happiness, and of that strenuous endeavour, by which, not regarding the advantages of this life, and despising carnal pleasures, they had sought the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness; and it is inconsistent with the perfection of the infinitely holy God, to disappoint this hunger and thirst, and seeking after his kingdom. 3dly, As effects of divine grace, to which, the communication of divine glory will answer, in the most wise proportion, when it shall come to crown his own gifts. For the more abundant measure of sanctification any one has obtained in this life, and the more he has gained by the talent entrusted to him, it is also credible, that the portion of glory will be the more exuberant, which the divine bounty hath appointed for him. And in this sense, we imagine, it is so often said in scripture, that every one shall be recompensed according to his works, not that these works are, on any account, the cause of any right they will have, to claim the reward; but as they are evidences of our adoption and of our seeking the chief good, and as they shew that proportion of grace, according to which the proportion of future glory will be dispensed.

LXVIII. In this judgment, therefore, there will also be grace mixed with justice. Justice will appear because none

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will be admitted to the possession of the kingdom of heaven, but he who can shew by undoubted evidences, that he is a partaker of Christ and his righteousness. Grace also will ap pear, because eternal happiness will be adjudged to him, who has done nothing to acquire a right to it; because works, stained with so many infirmities, as justly make believers themselves blush, will then be celebrated with so great an encomium by the Judge. And indeed the apostle does in express words make mention of the mercy that will be shewn on that day, 2 Tim. i. 18. "the Lord grant unto him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day." It is certainly true, that by mercy is there understood the reward of that mercy which Onesiphorus had shewn to Paul: but the reward of our mercy is not reckoned of debt, but of grace, Rom. iv. 4. And as it is not merited on the part of him who receives it, so neither is it due from him who bestows it. For what doth God owe to man, but what he hath made himself a debtor to man by his gra cious promises; or rather was willing to owe to his own goodness and truth, that man might expect from him a retribution for his holiness? Which debt is not opposed to, but supposes grace; it is to be derived from the "alone gracious will and truth of God the Father, who hath promised an unmerited reward to the labour of obedience which is the duty of all, and will have As becomes a this to be only due on account of his promise." reformed teacher to speak who returns to his sound mind.

LXIX. Whence it appears, that they do not speak right, who affirm, that in the last justification mere justice will take place without any mixture of grace. It is said indeed, Heb. vi. 10. God is not unrighteous to forget your work, &c. But that the reward of our works is of mere justice, without any mixture of grace, is language which sounds harsh in reformed ears, and is diametrically repugnant to our catechism, quest. 63. Ludovicus de Dieu, on Luke i. 2, 57. and on Luke xvi. 19. and on Rom. iii. 4. has proved at large, that in the Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic languages, justice and truth denote one and the same notion, and generally are put one for the other. Thus пpx, justice, or righteousness, when affirmed of God, in many places denotes his truth. But also non truth, is translated by the Septuagint, dixon, justice, or righteousness, Gen. xxiv. 49. Isa. xxxviii. 19. And Grævius has proved, that the same phraseology obtained among the ancient Greeks, in his Lec

Q. How is it, that our good works merit nothing, since God promises that he will give a reward for them both in this life and the life to come? A. That reward is not given out of merit, but of grace.

tiones Hesiod. And what is more suitable than by the mammon of unrighteousness, Luke xvi, 9. to understand not the true riches, such as the spiritual and heavenly are, for ver. 11. the unright eous mammon is opposed to the true riches. Is not that signification of the word clear from 1 John i. 9. "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins;" that is, faithful and true? For, who will say that God owes the pardon of sins in justice, without any mixture of grace, to him that confesseth them? So also in the place just quoted; God is not unrighteous, that is, deceives not in his gracious promises by which he has adjudged a reward of grace, to our labours of love. The celebrated Iac. Altingius gives us an excellent.commentary on this place as follows: "the obligation to the reward depends on the truth of the promiser, who is a debtor to himself, that what he was once pleased, in the promise, to determine the consequence of the work and reward, might always please him in the performance: thus the just and righteous God forgives the sins of the penitent, 1 John i. 9. is the justifier of him that believeth," Rom. iii. 26. And a little after; every consideration of merit therefore is at an end; but a debt remains, which justice will have discharged in respect of what God has promised; who, on account of his truth, which is without repentance, or unchangeable, is debtor to himself to perform his promises, Rom. iii. 3, 4. Deut. vii. 9. This is the justice meant in this place, and God is denied to be unrightcous to forget good works; though he has decreed and promised, out of mere grace and mercy, that recompence:" all this is judicious, solid, and orthodox.

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LXX. This manifestation of mere justice is not more strongly concluded from that day being called the day of the right eous judgment, Rom. ii. 5. For, 1st. It is there called the day of wrath. And yet wrath will not be exercised only, without a manifestation of mercy. 2dly. Even in the justification of a sinner, in this world, there is a declaration of the righteousness of God, Rom. iii. 25.; where notwithstanding, as Paul expressly affirms ver. 24. and all own, grace has the principal place: so also here grace reigneth through righteousness unto eternal life, Rom. v. 21. 3dly. As God will justly inflict punishments on the impenitent, so in like manner, agreeably to his justice, he will distribute rewards, and shew grace to the godly, as we explained § LXVIII. Justice and grace are here not to be op posed but joined together.

LXXI. What is asserted Rom. ii. 11. viz, that with God there is no respect of persons, is still less sufficient to confirm this opinion. For because God does all things without