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CHAPTER IV.

BARCLAY'S DENIAL OF Original GUILT.

"We do not ascribe any whit of Adam's guilt to men, unless "they make it theirs by the like acts of disobedience."

REMARKS.

There is a difference between being a sinner and being capable of sinning. The scripture saith, that "By one man's disobedience many were made SINNERS."

Again, death, the punishment of sin, reigneth even over them "that have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression,”—i. e. over those who have never personally broken one commandment. (Rom. v, 14.) We have a daily example of this in the death of infants, shewing that "By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin." But it is also true, that by one man, even the Second Adam, righteousness and life have entered, and therefore infants are saved in Him. Barclay, indeed, believes that infants are saved. But why? because none are children of wrath until they transgress, (Apol. p. 103) not because being by nature children of wrath, (Ephesians ii.) they are saved in Christ Jesus. Surely this plucks one of the brightest jewels from the crown of Him who said, "Suffer little children to come unto me."

It may seem surprising to some that Barclay should be

so anxious to disprove that guilt is imputed to infants; but the reason is, that the blessed doctrine of Christ being our righteousness could not otherwise be consistently impugned.

CHAPTER V.

JUSTIFICATION BY IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS, DENIED BY

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PENN AND BARCLAY.

Therefore I shall draw this argument, that the justification of persons is not from the imputation of another's righteousbut the actual performance and keeping of God's right"eous statutes; otherwise, God should forget to be equal; "therefore how wickedly unequal are those who would frame "a doctrine so manifestly inconsistent with God's most pure **and equal nature; making him to condemn the righteous to death "and justify the wicked to life from the imputation of another's righteousness-a most unequal way indeed." (Penn vol. I, p. 44.)

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"Christ's imputed righteousness is not found in all the Bible." (Barclay, margin, p. 115.)

"Christ was AMONG MEN accounted a sinner and numbered "among transgressors, yet that GOD reputed Him a sinner is no "where proved." (Barclay, id.)

"That ever God reputed Him a sinner is (by me) denied.-And "in leed it may be thought strange how some men have made this (i. e. imputed righteousness,) so fundamental an article of their faith, which is so contrary to the whole strain of the gospel; a

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"thing which Christ in none of all His sermons and gracious "speeches ever willed any to rely on, always recommending to us "works as instrumental in our justification." (Barclay, id.)

REMARKS.

First it is denied in these extracts that "God would condemn the righteous to death;" (Penn) or, to use the words of Barclay, "that Christ was REPUTED a sinner by Gon, though He might have been so accounted by MEN. Now the scripture expressly testified, that it pleased Jehovah "to bruise" Christ-"to put Him to grief""to make His soul an offering for sin." (Isaiah liii.) "Awake! O sword! against my Shepherd, against the Man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd."-These are the very words which our Lord applies to Himself at the time of His suffering. Again, God made Him to be sin who knew no sin-i. e. God not only reputed but treated Him as being what actually He was not, viz. a sinner.

These writers would desire to make it appear that all Christ's sufferings were from MAN, in order that they may deny that vicariousness which is necessarily established, if it once be admitted that the LORD bruised the innocent.

It is not surprising that they who deny that God bruised His righteous and beloved Son in the place of others, should also deny the doctrine of imputed righteousness. Yet can any thing be more plain than the following testimony of the scriptures?-"To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, even as David describeth the

blessedness of the man unto whom the Lord IMPUTETH righteousness without works." (Rom. iv.) It is obvious, that the essence of the doctrine impugned, is contained in this scripture; for, first, it is the ungodly and not the righteous who are justified; and, secondly, the blessing cometh to those who believe in the way of imputation as contrasted with actual possession. Here then, again, the doctrine of the early Friends* is directly at variance with the scriptures, and that on a point of no secondary importance, but one on which the Church's salvation and glory, as well as the comfort and therefore holiness of every individual believer, altogether depends.

CHAPTER VI.

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BARCLAY'S DOCTRINE ON JUSTIFICATION.

"It is by the inward birth of Christ in man that man is made "just, and therefore so accounted by God." (Barclay, p. 208.) Justification is both more properly and frequently, in scrip"ture, taken in its proper signification for making one just and "not reputing one merely such, and is all one with sanctifica"tion." (p. 208.)

"We understand by this justification by Christ, the formation "of Christ in us-Christ born and brought forth in us. It is this "inward birth, bringing forth righteousness and holiness in us, "that will justify us." (p. 205.)

The imputation of Christ's righteousness is called by Thomas Fisher, "an outward imaginary imputation, and a dream or vain thought." (See article Justification, Fisher's Works, Table of Contents.)

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REMARKS.

If we were to suppose Barclay to be right in the sense he would affix to the word "justify," yet the scriptures teach us that they who believe are "justified by the BLOOD of Christ (Rom. v. 9.)—i. e. by His DEATH and not by His birth in any sense. Again, it is written, "My righteous servant shall justify many, FOR He shall bear their iniquities." (Is. liii.) "By whose STRIPES ye (who have believed) were healed." (1 Pet. ii, 24.) In all these places we are directed to His DEATH, as also in the types of the paschal lamb, the brazen serpent, and the bread and wine, emblematical of His broken body and blood.-All these things direct our souls to the DEATH of the Lord Jesus, and not to His birth in us, as that whereby he who believeth is HEAled.

With respect to the meaning of the word "justify," I will quote, without any omission, every passage where the word occurs in the Gospels and Acts. It will be instantly seen that there is not one in which it signifies "to make just." It is a judicial word, signyfying, "to declare or pronounce to be guiltless," and is often applied to those who are perfectly righteous in themselves as to Christ (Is. 1, 8.) and to the Father. (Rom. iii, 4.)

Matt. xi, 19-Wisdom is justified of her children.
Matt. xii, 37-By thy words thou shalt be justified.

Luke vii, 29-They justified God.

Luke vii, 35-Wisdom is justified.

Luke x, 29-He willing to justify himself.

Luke xvi, 16-Ye are they which justify themselves.

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