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like on him as a common person, that so it might be by a solemn formal act ratified, and be made sure to be done to us in our persons in due time, having first been done to him representing our persons; and that by this course taken, it might (when done to us) be effected by virtue of what was first done to him. Thus God meaning to sanctify us, he sanctifies Christ first, in him as a common person sanctifying us all; For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified through thy truth,' John xvii. 19. He sanctifies the human nature of Christ personal, (that is his body), and him first, as a common person representing us, that so we, being virtually and representatively sanctified in him, may be sure to be sanctified. afterwards in our own persons, by means of his sanctification. And so in like manner for our sakes he was 'justified in the Spirit;' because we were to be justified, and so to be justified first in him, and with him as a common person. Now this rule holds in all blessings else bestowed; for Paul pronounceth of them all, that God hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus,' Eph. i. 3, which God did so order, that, as he speaks of ordaining salvation to be by faith, Rom. iv. 16, that all those blessings might be sure to all the seed.' For this formal investiture of estating us into all blessings by such solemn acts done to Christ as our head and representer of us, makes what he intends to bestow sure beforehand, by an irrepealable act and sentence, which hath its warrant in all laws of men, as I have shewn, and shall anon again urge. And,

Secondly, by the equity of the same law that in Adam we were all condemned, Adam being a type of him in this, by the same law, I say, we were all justified in Christ when he was justified, else the type were not therein fulfilled. Now the sentence of condemnation was first passed upon Adam alone, yet considered as a common person for us; therefore also this acquittance and justification was then passed towards Christ alone, as a public person for us. Yea, in this his being justified, Christ must much rather be considered as a common person representing us, than Adam was in his condemnation. For Christ in his own person, as he had no sin, so he had no need of any justification from sin, nor should ever have been condemned. And therefore this must be only in a respect unto our sins imputed to him; and if so, then in our stead. And so herein, he was more purely to be considered as a common person for us, than ever Adam was, in his being condemned. For Adam, besides his standing as a common person for us, was furthermore condemned in his own person; but Christ in being justified from sin, could only be considered as standing for others. Thus, Rom. v. 18, Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so (or in like manner) by the righteousness of that one man Christ, the free gift came upon all men (namely, in Christ) unto justification of life.' He parallels both with a so, only with this difference between Adam's being a common person for us, and so between the ground of our being condemned in him, and Christ his being a common person for us, and our acquittance in him, that the condemnation came upon all' by a necessary, natural covenant, for by such a covenant was Adam appointed a common person for us; but Christ his being appointed thus a common person for us, it was by a 'free gift' of grace; and therefore in like manner by a free gift of grace it is that the imputation of that which he did, or was done to him, is reckoned ours. As then in Adam all died,' when he sinned, as the apostle speaks, so in Christ were all justified,' when he was justified. For as in his death Christ was a public person for us, and in all that befell him; so in his resurrection, and in all that was

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then done to him; and so, in this his being then justified. And as when he died, the just was put to death for the unjust' (as Peter speaks), so when he arose and was justified, the just that needed no justification was justified for the unjust, who else had been condemned; and so we were then justified with him.

CHAPTER VI.

How our faith may raise from hence just matter of triumph about our justification. An explication how we are justified by faith, although justified in Christ at his resurrection.

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And hereupon is grounded this triumph of faith here, from Christ's resurrection, Who shall condemn? It is Christ that is risen.' The meaning whereof is, that he was justified at his resurrection (justified in the Spirit and quickened in the Spirit being all one), and we in him.' Yea, and a rather is put upon this, rather than put upon his death; for this act was a solemn discharge from all sin and condemnation; it was a legal acquittance given to Christ for all our sins, and so to us also considered as in him. His death was but the satisfaction and payment; but this is the first act of absolution. Yea, and this is the original act, which is upon record between God and Christ; and our justification and atonement (when we are justified by faith in Christ) is but a copy fetched from this roll, and court-sentence then pronounced."

And such a way and course to ratify and make acts good and legal, even to have them done by another representing one's person, is common among men, as those instances I formerly gave do shew. An attorney-at-law receives a debt, or an acquittance for a debt, paid or given for another man, and it is as legal as if the man himself or creditor had done it, and the debtor had received the acquittance himself. Yea, acts of the greatest and highest concernment are ofttimes no otherwise transacted; as the marriages of princes are by proxy solemnized, their ambassadors representing their persons, and contracting and marrying their wives in their stead, which acts are thereby made as irrevocable, and irrepealable, as if themselves had in person done them. And so if we were justified when Christ did rise and was justified, our justification then cannot be reversed, but stands as legal and warrantable as any act that God or man ever ratified or confirmed. And who shall condemn ?'

Only, for farther explication's sake, lest there be a mistake, let me add this, that it is necessary that we be justified in our own persons by faith, (notwithstanding this former act thus legally passed), whereby we lay hold upon what God did thus before for us in Christ, to the end that God upon our believing may, according to his own rules, justify his justifying of us unto all the world; which, until we do believe, he could not do. For according to the revealed rules of his word, which he professeth to proceed by at the latter day, there is a curse and a sentence of condemnation pronounced against us, under which we stand till he shall take it off by giving us faith; unto which he hath, in the same word, made the promise of justifying us in our own persons, as before he had done in Christ. Yet still notwithstanding, so as although, when we first believe, then only justification is actually and personally applied to us, yet at Christ's resurrection, and in his being then justified, this act and sentence was virtually pronounced upon us; and so

doth necessarily require, and exact at God's hands, the bestowing faith upon us; that so by virtue of this former act passed, we come to be actually justified in our own consciences, and before all the world. And so our justification, which was but secretly wrought and passed upon us in Christ, is never made void, but stands irrepealable; and so ratified, that our personal justification by faith doth always infallibly second and succeed it. And (to illustrate it a little) our condemnation in Adam, and this our justification in Christ, do in this hold parallel together, that as in Adam we were all virtually condemned, in Adam all die,'—and that legal enough too, for thereupon came out that statute-law, statutum est, It is appointed' that all should die, and yet we are not actually in our own persons condemned till we are born of him; nor do we personally die, until we lay down our flesh,— even so it is in the matter of our justification: it was done virtually in Christ, and afterwards, when we believe, is actually passed in and upon ourselves. Now I call this former but a virtual justification, even as by the sentence of condemnation passed upon a malefactor, he is called a dead man, that is, he is so virtually and in law (as we say), though naturally he die not many days after, but in that respect may be still alive; so by Christ's being justified, we are all virtually and in law justified, through a secret yet irrepealable covenant between God and Christ, who only did then know who were his.'

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And for a confirmation even of this also, that God accounts all the elect justified in his justifying of Christ, we shall not need to go any further than the words of this text, if we do but diligently compare their standing here with that of theirs in that place out of which they are taken, and where we find them first recorded and spoken, namely, in that 50th of Isaiah, 7, 8, He is near that justifies me; who is he that shall condemn?' Now there (as interpreters agree, and as the context shews), those words are spoken by Christ himself; for, ver. 5, he speaks of God's boring his ear' to do his will (the same expression that is used of Christ, Ps. xl. 6), and farther says, 'I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that pulled off the hair, and I hid not my face from shame and spitting' (all which you may read in Christ's sufferings, Mat. xxvi. 67 and xvii. 26). And he spake before (in ver. 4), of God's having given him the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in season to him that is weary,' which you may read done by Christ, Mat. xi. 28. Now those words were spoken by Christ, to comfort himself against the Jews condemning him, as considering that God would justify him; as at his resurrection, you have heard, he did. Now mark it, those very words which Isaiah brings in Christ speaking as of himself alone, those very words Paul here boldly applies, in the like triumph, to all the elect of Christ, Who shall condemn? It is God that justifies; and this because Christ is dead, and risen, and acquitted by God. Christ spake those words as a public person in the name of all his elect, whom he in his death and in his justification represented; and for that very respect Paul speaks the like words over again, of of all elect believers, as being as truly and really intended of them, when spoken by Christ, as of himself, and of his own person. He is near that justifies me (says Christ); who shall condemn?' namely, me, or mine elect, whose persons I sustain. And Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?' says Paul. It is God that justifies; who shall condemn ?' for Christ hath died, and been condemned for them, and Christ was justified from that condemnation, and they in him. And because the justification of himself, which Christ spake of, as looked for from God, was to

be made at his resurrection, as hath been said, therefore Paul here puts a rather upon his resurrection.

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And farther to establish this, as you heard before out of Rom. vi. 11, that in respect of sanctification we were dead with Christ, even then when he died; so in Col. ii. 13, we are said to be 'risen with him,' in respect of our justification, which is the thing in hand. The words are, And you being dead in your sins,' namely, the guilt of your sins, and the circumcision of your flesh,' that is, in respect of the power of corrupt nature, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all your trespasses.' See here, the forgiveness of our sins, or our justification, is called a 'quickening' or a raising up of us' (as the 12th verse hath it), together with him,' in a conformity and relation to that justification from our sins, which at his resurrection he received in our names. His meaning is, he was justified then, and in our names; and so we are now justified through the virtue of that our communion with him therein. For if you mark the connection of the words with what follows, ver. 14, you will find this forgiving of their trespasses (ver. 13) through their being quickened together with him,' not only to have been done when they believed, and so when they had that justification personally first applied to them, of which, it is true, the words in the 12th verse are to be understood, but also then to have been done, when he having (as it follows in the 14th verse) blotted out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us, nailing it to his cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers,' and got the victory, namely, in his rising again, had made a show of them openly' (in his ascending to heaven), triumphing over them iv άur in himself' (as the margin hath it); of which words I shall farther speak in the next head. So as then when Christ did this in himself, then were our sins forgiven, then were we acquitted with him, and triumphed with him, he doing all this in our stead, representing us.

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CHAPTER VII.

How all this, both the support of our faith and our justification by Christ's resurrection, is sealed up to us in baptism.-The conclusion.-How faith may make use of Christ's resurrection in its pleas to God.

And all this our communion with Christ in his resurrection, both in respect of sanctification, which the 6th of the Romans holds forth, and of justification, which this place in the Colossians holds forth, is lively (as both places declare) set out, and sealed up to us, in the sacrament of baptism. Romans vi. 3, 4, we are said to be buried with him in baptism,' &c.; and Colossians ii. 12, 'buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him.' The eminent thing signified and represented in baptism is not simply the blood of Christ as it washeth us from sin; but there is a farther representation therein of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, in the baptized's being first buried under water, and then rising out of it; and this not in a bare conformity unto Christ, but in a representation of a communion with Christ in that, his death and resurrection. Therefore it is said, we are buried with him in baptism;' and 'wherein you are risen with him.' It is not simply said, like as he was buried, and rose, but with him. So as our communion and oneness with him in his resurrection, is represented to us therein, and not only our conformity or likeness unto him

And so baptism representeth this to us, that Christ having once in himself sustained the persons of all the elect, in his burial and resurrection, that now, upon the party himself who is baptized, is personally, particularly, and apparently re-acted the same part again, in his baptism; thereby shewing what his communion with Christ before was, in what was then done to Christ; that he then was buried with Christ, and rose with him; and upon that ground is now in this outward sign of baptism, as in a show or representation, both buried and also riseth again.

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And moreover, hence it is, that the answer of a good conscience,' which is made the inward effect of this ordinance of baptism, 1 Pet. iii. 21, is there also attributed unto Christ's resurrection, as the thing signified and represented in baptism, and as the cause of that answer of a good conscience. 'Even baptism,' saith he, doth now also save us,' as being the ordinance that seals up salvation, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh,' or the washing of the outward man; but the answer of a good conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.' To open these words: Our consciences are that principle in us which are the seat of the guilt of all the sins of the whole man; unto whose court they all come to accuse us, as unto God's deputy; which conscience is called good or evil, as the state of the man is. If his sin remain unpardoned, then as his estate is damnable, so his conscience is evil. If his sins be forgiven, and his person justified, his conscience is said to be good; conscience having its denomination from the man's state, even as the urine is called good or bad, as the state of the man's body is healthful or unsound whose urine it is. Now in baptism, forgiveness of sins and justification being sealed up to a believer's faith and conscience, under that lively representation of his communion with Christ in his resurrection; hence this is made the fruit of baptism, that the good conscience of a believer, sealed up in baptism, hath wherewithal from thence to answer all accusations of sin that can or do at any time come in upon him; and all this, as it is here added, by virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ;' namely, in this respect, that his communion with Christ in his resurrection hath been represented in his baptism as a ground of his faith, and of that answer' unto all accusations. So that indeed the same thing that Paul says by way of triumph and defiance to all accusations, Who shall condemn ? Christ is risen ;' the very same thing Peter here mentions, though not by way of defiance, yet of a believer's answer and apology, that if sins do come to condemn or accuse, a good conscience is ready to say, Christ is risen,' and I was then 'justified in him.' There is my answer, which nothing in heaven or hell is able to reply unto. This is the answer of a good conscience, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.'

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Now to crown this second pillar of faith with this coronis or conclusion, by way of application or direction to a believer's faith, how to make use of Christ's resurrection in point of non-condemnation. You heard before, out of Romans vi., that in respect of mortification (as the apostle there reasoneth) we may be truly said to have been perfectly dead to all sin' in Christ's dying unto sin once;' and through his representing us therein as dying unto sin, in and with him. So as although we be for the present but imperfectly mortified in ourselves, yet when corruptions arise, the apostle bids us help ourselves against them by faith, reasoning' ourselves to stand wholly dead to sin, when Christ died; and so to conclude from thence, that we shall one day be fully dead to sin, because we then did perfectly die in Christ unto it; which kind of reasoning also God would

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