rica, has very little commendation from Mr. Stuart. As it would be tedious to follow him through his windings in the notes and the "Excursus" which he has devoted to his theory, it may be best to put his conclusions down in a narrow compass. "That Adam's sin is not imputed to any; that our connexion with him has involved us only in the consequences of his guilt; that we are created without the image of God, but have no connate disposition to evil; that guilt and punishment attach only to personal transgressions; and that we all need to be pardoned and renewed, before we can be taken to heaven." Mr. Stuart deprecating all the names by which unmannerly disputants in former days were wont to mark each other, courtesy forbids me to call his system by its proper appellation in the theological nomenclature; and it is no part of my present design to enter into the merits of the question itself. 2d. Mr. Stuart applies the well-known description of spiritual warfare, in Romans vii. 7 to the end, to an unregenerate man. He admits an internal struggle in the Christian, and denies the possibility of perfect freedom from sin in this life, while he laboriously and patiently explains away the only passage in the New Testament in which the inward struggle of a Christian is laid open. 3d. I am constrained, by the topic, to enter a little into his translation and notes, as affecting the method of a sinner's acceptance with God. Among Protestants, who own the fallen state of man, the spirituality and immutability of God's law, the evil of sin, and the justice of God, the question of justification may be brought within a narrow compass. The blessing itself, the ground on which it is bestowed, and the way in which we enjoy it, are the three parts into which it divides itself. The blessing consists in absolution from guilt and restoration to God's favour. The ground of the sentence is righteousness, either inherent or imputed. Inherent is out of the question, for all have sinned and none is righteous. Imputed righteousness, in other words, the obedience and satisfaction of Jesus Christ, as the sinner's substitute, to the demands of the law, is the ground of justification. Believing, or faith in Christ, is the way of our being interested in it. In Scripture, especially in the Galatians and the Romans, this glorious method of a sinner's acceptance is stated and elucidated, defended, vindicated, and commended. and commended. A man's own doings or works are excluded, again and again, from being, in part or in whole, the righteousness for which he is justified. The work, the obedience, the atonement of Jesus, is explicitly adduced as the sole ground of pardon and acceptance. Faith is described and proved to be the only way in which this righteousness becomes ours. It was predicted that Messiah should make reconciliation for iniquity, and bring in an everlasting righteousness, that his name should be called " Jehovah our Righteousness," that in gospel times sinners should say, "in Jehovah have I righteousness and strength." At last God sent his Son in the form of a servant, made under the law. He became obedient even unto death; he loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Hence his priesthood is not after the order of Aaron, but of Melchisedec, “king of righteousness." By the obedi ence of one are many made right- | it, as with a distinguishing seal. eous; because He who knew no is Let two specimens suffice: the first is from the confession of the Church of Scotland :- "Them God freely justifieth, by imputing to them the obedience and satisfaction of Christ; they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness, by faith." The doctrine of the English Church is as precise: "We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works." Mr. Stuart does not impugn, in his notes, this doctrine, but dwells much on "gratuitous" justification, and justification by faith. This is truth, but not the whole truth. Faith is the means on our part, and grace is the fountain on God's part; but the very essence of the truth lies in the meritorious basis of Christ's obedience, on which the sentence rests. Sir, I complain of obscurity on a point where the light should shine brightest in the notes of a Protestant divine. Now, At Under the law, the fact of a sinner's justification was made known, and God's mercy in the remission of sin was most distinctly announced. But it is the glory of the Gospel to reveal the way, the method, by which God is just in justifying the transgressor, and righteous in the pardon of sin. All hangs on the ground or basis on which the act of absolution rests; let this be veiled, and the method of justification is obscured, and obscured dangerously. By this plan, the provision of a Redeemer's obedience and death, the law is honoured in all its demands, God's perfections of holiness and mercy, of justice and grace, of majesty and love, are harmonized in the justification of the undeserving, and all the wants of the contrite penitent heart are fully met and fully satisfied. This tenet is the glory of Christianity, and the corner-stone of Protestantism. If it be set aside, the glory is departed; if" righteousness," the act or senobscured or veiled, the brightness tence of acquittal for the ground of the glory is tarnished, and an of it. avenue opened for the admission of another gospel. Luther laid every stress on its purity; our first Reformers trod in his steps; and the standard creeds of the Protestants are all stamped with 1st. I do not find the imputation of a Saviour's righteousness brought forward in his notes to throw any light on the text. least I have not found it, after a very careful search. The atonement of Christ is owned, I grant; but the obedience, the vicarious cbedience of Christ, as a surety to the law, is not advocated, as far I can ascertain. 2d. The translation of Mr. Stuart hides this doctrine by substituting justification 66 for I have the following objections to his version. 1st. The proper meaning of the word dialogun is not justification, but righteousness itself. 2d. There is another and pro per word for justification, dixawo15, used by the apostle. 3d. There are many texts where diaroovn cannot be rendered at all by "justification," and some of these are rendered as in our version by Mr. Stuart. 4th. Mr. Stuart is not correct in rendering the same Greek word by "justification" in some texts, and by "righteousness" in others, as if these English words, justification and righteousness, were convertible terms. 5th. My great objection to his version of these texts is, the veil the great Protestant doctrine, why does he not say so? Let the reader peruse carefully the passage in his "Excursus" on the harmony of Paul and James on this tenet (page 506); a passage which sums up Mr. Stuart's views on the momentous subject. Now let the reader peruse the following texts in the common version, which is unexceptionable, and compare them with Mr. Stuart's, and then judge if the learned Professor does not introduce his own views. Romans i. 16, 17. Rom. iii. ing of the proper ground of a sin-21-27. Rom. ix. 30, to the ner's acceptance. end. Rom. x. 1—11. In a word, if Mr. Stuart holds [New Version.] Rom. i. 16, 17. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, since it is the power of God unto the salvation of every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and then to the Greek. For the justification which is of God, is revealed by it (justification) by faith, in order that we may believe, as it is written: "The just shall live by faith." [New Version.] Rom. iii. 21-27. But now the justification which is of God without law is revealed; to which testimony is given by the law and the prophets; a justification, moreover, which is of God by faith in Jesus Christ, (offered) to all and (bestowed) on all who believe; for there is no distinction. For all have come short of the glory which God bestows, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth as a propitiary (sacrifice) by faith in his blood, in order to declare his justification with respect to the remission of sins formerly committed during the forbearance of God; in order to declare his justification at the present time; so that he might be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." ; [New Version.] Rom. ix. 30, to the end. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not seek after justification, have obtained justification, even that justification which is by faith; but Israel, who sought after a law of Justification, have not attained to a law of justification. Why? because (they [Old Version.] Rom. i, 16, 17. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." [Old Version.] Rom. ii. 21-27. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. sought) not by faith, but by works of law; for they stumbled at the stone of stumbling; as it is written: "Behold! I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence; but every one who believeth on him shall not be ashamed." [New Version.] Rom. x. 1-12. Brethren, the kind desire of my heart and my prayer to God for them is, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness, that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the justification which is of God, and seeking to establish their own justification, they have not submitted themselves to the justification which is of God. For Christ is the end of the law to justification, to every one that believeth. Now Moses thus describeth the justification which is of the law: "The man who doeth these things shall live by them." But justification by faith speaketh in this manner: "Say not in thine heart, Who shall descend into the abyss?" that is, to bring up Christ from the dead. But what saith it? The word is near to thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach. For if thou shalt openly confess the Lord Jesus with thy mouth, and believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved; because with the heart man believeth unto justification, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, "No one who believeth on him shall be ashamed." Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; as it is written, "Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." For [Old Version.] Rom. x. 1-12. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." matter of grace, but as a debt; but to him who worketh not, but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. In like manner, also, David describeth the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity." (Cometh) this blessedness, then, upon those who are circumcised (only,) or also upon the uncircumcised? For we say, that faith But in this same epistle, and where the same subject is discussed, are passages which Mr. Stuart is compelled to translate in the same way as in the authorized version. Here lies his error. He had no right to vary his expressions, by introducing words not equivalent in meaning, where the apostle does not, and on a subject demanding the most perfect clearness. The following are specimens of places in which Mr. Stuart renders the very same word he was in a state of circumcision or of δικαιοσύνη by righteousness. Rom. iv. 4-12. "And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." Now to him that worketh, reward is not counted as a was counted to Abraham for righteousuess. How then was it counted? While uncircumcision? Not in a state of circumcision, but of uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness by faith which (he possessed) in a state of uncircumcision, in order that he might be the fa ther of all the uncircumcised who believe. So that righteousness might be counted to them. the harmony between the Apostles Paul and James on justification, Rom. vi, 13, 19. Neither proffer is very unsatisfactory, and teaches your members to sin as instruments of that faith and good works have iniquity, but proffer yourselves to God the same relation to our justificaas alive from the dead, and your members tion. This position he takes when to God as instruments of righteousness. Moreover being freed from sin, ye have in page 506 he avows good works become the servants of righteousness; or holiness to be the condition of (I speak in the language usual to men, because of the weakness occasioned by according to Mr. Stuart's theology, our acceptance. Faith and works, your flesh;) As then ye have proffered your members for servants to iniquity are the co-ordinate terms of our and iniquity in order to commit iniquity; acceptance with God. Mr. Editor, so now proffer your members to right- is not this a rejection of the diseousness, in order to be holy. Rom. viii. 10. But if Christ be inism? It is of no avail to say that tinguishing tenet of Protestantyou, the body indeed is mortified on account of sin, but the spirit liveth on account of righteousness. Rom. xiv. 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. any If other texts were added from other Books of the New Testament the liberty taken by Mr. Stuart in rendering this word, "dina OGUVE," by justification in place, would appear still more faulty. Let us take Phil. iii. 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 2 Peter i. 1. "Simon Peter, a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Mr. Stuart holds the atonement, and makes the death of Christ the procuring cause of our justification. There was no dispute between the Catholics and Luther about the atonement. None of Luther's opponents denied the mediatorial work of Christ. The dispute hinged on the way in which that atonement became ours to reconcile us to God, or the way in which we became interested in Christ's blood. Luther held (along with the inspired writers, as I believe,) that sinners were interested in Christ's merits by faith, only; or that in other words, it was the exclusive office of faith to receive the righteousness by which the penitent was justified. From this office he carefully excluded all good works, and maintained their necessity on other Mr. Stuart, by his rendering Rom. vi. 17, "Know ye not, that to whomsoever ye proffer your-grounds, and for other purposes: selves as servants ready to obey, ye are servants to him whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto justification ?" has made Paul openly teach that believers yield obedience unto or in order to justification! And this is the fruit of departing from an acknowledged sense of a word. It gives me sorrow to add that Mr. Stuart, in his "excursus" on Let me beseech Mr. Stuart carefully to re-examine his views on this momentous subject, and give me credit for the sorrow which I have expressed for such opinions as these being held by one whose character stands so high for literature, zeal, and candour. Let the reader search and judge for himself. Liverpool. JAMES LISTER. |