1) Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely
justifieth,a not by infusing righteousness into
them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and
accepting their persons as righteous;b not for
anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake
alone;c not by imputing faith itself, the act
of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as
their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience
unto the whole law, and passive obedience in his death for their
whole and sole righteousness,d they receiving
and resting on him and his righteousness by faith, which faith
they have not of themselves; it is the gift of
God.e
(a Romans
3:24, Romans
8:30; b Romans
4:5-8, Ephesians
1:7; c 1
Corinthians 1:30,31, Romans
5:17-19; d Philippians 3:8,9, Ephesians 2:8-10;
e John
1:12, Romans
5:17)
2) Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his
righteousness, is the alone instrument of
justification;f yet it is not alone in the
person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving
graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by
love.g
(f Romans
3:28; g Galatians 5:6, James
2:17,22,26)
3) Christ, by his obedience and death, did fully
discharge the debt of all those that are justified; and did, by
the sacrifice of himself in the blood of his cross, undergoing in
their stead the penalty due unto them, make a proper, real, and
full satisfaction to God's justice in their
behalf;h yet, inasmuch as he was given by the
Father for them, and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in
their stead, and both freely, not for anything in
them,i their justification is only of free
grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be
glorified in the justification of sinners.j
(h Hebrews
10:14, 1 Peter
1:18,19, Isaiah
53:5,6; i Romans
8:32, 2
Corinthians 5:21; j Romans
3:26, Ephesians 1:6,7, Ephesians 2:7)
4) God did from all eternity decree to justify all the
elect,k and Christ did in the fullness of time
die for their sins, and rise again for their
justification;l nevertheless, they are not
justified personally, until the Holy Spirit doth in time due
actually apply Christ unto them.m
(k Galatians 3:8, 1 Peter
1:2, 1
Timothy 2:6; l Romans 4:25;
m Colossians 1:21,22, Titus
3:4-7)
5) God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that
are justified,n and although they can never
fall from the state of justification,o yet they
may, by their sins, fall under God's fatherly
displeasure;p and in that condition they have
not usually the light of his countenance restored unto them,
until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and
renew their faith and repentance.q
(n Matthew
6:12, 1 John
1:7,9; o John
10:28; p Psalms
89:31-33; q Psalms
32:5, Psalms
51, Matthew
26:75)
6) The justification of believers under the Old
Testament was, in all these respects, one and the same with the
justification of believers under the New
Testament.r
(r Galatians 3:9, Romans
4:22-24)