two relations, either according to the state in the body of his flesh, which was crucified, dead, and buried,—or according to his glorious state and the new life to which He was raised up again.

IV. The communion of his death is that by which, being planted together in the likeness of his death, we participate of his power, and of all the benefits which flow from his death.

V. This planting together is the crucifixion, [mortificatio] the death and the burial of " our old man," or of " the body of sin," in and with the body of the flesh of Christ: These are the degrees by which the body of the flesh of Christ is abolished; that may also in its own measure be called "the body of sin," so far as God has made Christ to be sin for us, and has given Him to bear our sins in his own body on the tree.

VI. The strength and efficacy of the death of Christ consist in the abolishing of sin and death, and of the law, which is “the hand-writing that is against us." And the strength or force of sin

is that by which sin kills us.

VII. The efficacious benefits of the death of Christ which believers enjoy through communion with it, are principally the following: The FIRST is the Removal of the curse, which we had [meriti] deserved through sin: This includes, or has connected with it, our reconciliation with God, perpetual redemption, remission of sins, and justification.

VIII. The SECOND is, Deliverance from the dominion and slavery of sin, that sin may no longer exercise its power in our crucified, dead and buried body of sin, to obtain its desires by the obedience which we have usually yielded to it in our body of sin, according to the old man.

IX. The THIRD is, Deliverance from the law, both as it is "the hand-writing which was against us," consisting in ceremonial institutions; and as it is the rigid exactor of what is due by us, and useless and inefficacious as it is on account of our flesh and the body of sin, according to which we were carnal, though it was spiritual; and as sin, by its wickedness and perversity, abused the law itself to seduce and kill us.

DISPUTATION XLVII.

ON THE COMMUNION OF BELIEVERS WITH CHRIST IN REGARD TO HIS LIFE.

I. COMMUNION with the life of Christ is that by which, being ingrafted into Him by a conformity to his life, we become partakers of the whole [vim] power of his life, and of all the benefits which flow from it.

II. Our conformity to the life of Christ, is either that of the present life, or of that which is future. (1.) That of the present life is, the raising of us up into a new life, and our [in cælestibus collocatio] being seated, with regard to the Spirit, "in heavenly places," in Christ our Head. (2.) That of the life to come is, our resurrection into a new life according to the body, and our being elevated to heavenly places with regard to the entire man.

III. Hence our conformity to Christ is according to the same two-fold relation: In this life, it is our resurrection to newness of spiritual life, and our conversation in heaven according to the Spirit: After the present life, it is the resurrection of our bodies, their conformity to the glorious body of Christ, and the fruition of celestial blessedness.

IV. The blessings which flow from the life of Christ, fall partly within [spatia] the limits of this life, and partly within [tempora] the continued duration of the life to come.

V. 1. Those which fall within the limits of the present life, are, adoption into sons of God, and the communication of the Holy Spirit. This communication comprises within itself three particular benefits:-FIRST. Our regeneration, through the illumination of the mind and [renovationem] the renewal of the heart.

-SECONDLY. The perpetual aid of the Holy Spirit, to excite and co-operate. THIRDLY. The testimony of the same Spirit with our hearts, that we are the children of God; on which account He is called "the Spirit of adoption."

VI. 2. Those which fall within the boundless duration of the life to come, are, our preservation from future wrath, and the bestowing of life eternal; though this preservation from wrath may seem to be a continued act, begun and carried on in this world, but consummated at the period of the last judgment.

VII. Under the preservation from wrath, also, is not unsuitably comprehended continued justification from sins through the intercession of Christ, who, in his own blood, is the propitiation for our sins, and our Advocate before God.

DISPUTATION XLVIII.

ON JUSTIFICATION.

I. THE spiritual benefits which believers enjoy in the present life, from their union with Christ through communion with his death and life, may be properly referred to that of Justification, and of Sanctification, as in those two is comprehended the whole

promise of the New Covenant, in which God promises that He will pardon sins, and will write his laws in the hearts of believers, who have entered into covenant with him.

II. Justification is a just and gracious act of God as a Judge, by which, from the throne of his grace and mercy, He absolves from his sins man, a sinner, but who is a believer, on account of Christ and the obedience and righteousness of Christ, and considers him [justum] righteous, to the salvation of the justified person, and to the glory of divine righteousness and grace.

III. We say, that "it is the act of God as a Judge;” who, though as the Supreme Legislator he could have [dispensare de] issued regulations concerning this law, and actually did issue them, yet has not administered this [dispensationem] direction through the absolute plenitude of infinite power, but contained himself within the bounds of Justice which He demonstrated by two methods: FIRST. Because God would not justify, except as justification was preceded by reconciliation and satisfaction made through Christ in his blood. SECONDLY. Because He would not justify any except those who acknowledged their sins and believed

in Christ.

IV. We say that "it is a gracious and merciful act;”—not with respect to Christ, as if the Father, through grace as distinguished from strict and rigid justice, had accepted the obedience of Christ for righteousness;-but with respect to us, both because God, through his gracious mercy towards us, has made Christ to be sin for us and righteousness to us, that we might be the righteousness of God in Him; and because He has placed communion with Christ in the faith of the Gospel, and has set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith.

V. The Meritorious Cause of justification is Christ through his obedience and righteousness; who may therefore be justly called the principal or outwardly-moving cause. In his obedience and righteousness, Christ is also the Material Cause of our justification, so far as God bestows Christ on us for righteousness, and imputes his righteousness and obedience to us. In regard to this two-fold cause, that is, the Meritorious and the Material, we are said to be constituted righteous through the obedience of Christ.

VI. The Object of justification is man, a sinner, acknowledging himself with sorrow to be such an one, and a believer, that is, believing in God who justifies the ungodly, and in Christ as having been delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification. As a sinner, man needs justification through grace, and, as a believer, he obtains justification through grace.

VII. Faith is the Instrumental Cause, or act, by which we apprehend Christ proposed to us by God for a propitiation and for righteousness, according to the command and promise of the Gospel, in which it is said, " He who believes shall be justified and saved, and he who believeth not shall be damned."

VIII. The Form is the gracious [æstimatio] reckoning of God, by which He imputes to us the righteousnesss of Christ, and imputes faith to us for righteousness; that is, he remits our sins to us who are believers, on account of Christ apprehended by faith, and [censet] accounts us righteous in Him: This estimation, or reckoning, has joined with it adoption into sons, and the conferring of a right to the inheritance of life eternal.

IX. The End for the sake of which, is the salvation of the justified person: For that act [peragitur] is performed for the good of the man himself who is justified. The End which [existit] flows from justification without any advantage to God who justifies, is the glorious demonstration of divine justice and grace.

X. The most excellent Effects of this justification, are, peace with God, and tranquillity of conscience, [gloriatio] rejoicing under afflictions in hope of the glory of God and in God himself; and an assured expectation of life eternal.

XI. The External Seal of justification is baptism; the Internal Seal is the Holy Spirit, testifying together with our [corde] spirits that we are the children of God, and crying in our hearts, Abba, Father!

XII. But we have yet to consider justification,-both about the beginning of conversion, when all preceding sins are forgiven; -and through the whole life, because God has promised remission of sins to believers, those who have entered into covenant with Him, as often as they repent and flee by true faith to Christ their Propitiator and Expiator. But the end and completion of justification will be [sub] near the close of life, when God will grant, to those who end their days in the faith of Christ, to find his mercy absolving them from all the sins which had been perpetrated through the whole of their lives. The declaration and manifestation of justification will be in the future general judgment.

XIII. The opposite to justification is condemnation; and this by an immediate contrariety, so that between these two no medium can be imagined.

COROLLARIES.

I. That faith and works concur together to justification, is a thing impossible.

II. Faith is not correctly denominated the Formal Cause of justi-.

fication; and when it receives that appellation from some divines of our profession, it is then [abusivè] improperly so called. III. Christ has not [ promeritum] obtained by his merits that we should be justified by the worthiness and merit of faith, and much less that we should be justified by the merit of works; But the merit of Christ is opposed to justification by works; and, in the Scriptures, Faith and Merit are placed in opposition to each other.

DISPUTATION XLIX.

ON THE SANCTIFICATION OF MAN.

I. THE word "sanctification" denotes an act, by which any thing is separated from common use, and is consecrated to divine

use.

II. Common Use, about the sanctification of which [to divine purposes] we are now treating, is either according to nature itself, by which man lives [animalem] a natural life; or it is according to the corruption of sin, by which he lives to sin and obeys it in its [concupiscentiis] lusts or desires. Divine Use is, when a man lives according to godliness, in a conformity to the holiness and righteousness in which he was created.

III. Therefore this sanctification, with respect to [termini a quo] the boundary from which it proceeds, is either from the natural use, or from the use of sin: The boundary [ad quem] to which it tends, is the supernatural and divine use.

IV. But when we treat about man, as a sinner, then sanctification is thus defined: It is a gracious act of God, by which [repurgat] He purifies man who is a sinner, and yet a believer, from the darkness of ignorance, from indwelling sin and from its lusts or desires, and imbues him with the Spirit of knowledge, righteousness and holiness; that, being separated from the life of the world and made conformable to God, man may live the life of God, to the praise of the righteousness and of the glorious grace of God, and to his own salvation.

V. Therefore this sanctification consists in these two things: In [mortificatione] the death of "the old man, who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts:" And in [vivificatione] the quickening or enlivening of " the new man, who after God is created in righteousness and the holiness of truth."

VI. The Author of sanctification is God the Holy Father himself, in his Son who is the Holy of holies, through the Spirit