Chapter XII: Letter III: To a Clergyman of Bucks

I AM much surprised, my friend, that you should still want more to be said about the doctrine of _imputation_, whether of _Adam_’s sin, or the _righteousness_ of Christ to his followers. _Cain_ could not possibly have any other natural life, than that which was in _Adam_; and therefore so sure as _Adam_ in soul, spirit, and body, was all sin and corruption, so sure is it, that all his offspring must come from him in the same depravity of soul, spirit and body. And to talk of their having this disordered fallen nature not from their natural birth, but by an outward imputation, is only as absurd as to say, that they have their _hands_ and feet, or the whole form of their body, not from their natural birth, but by an outward imputation of such a form, and members to them.

As in _Adam all die_, says the text: Is not this the same, as saying, that all men have their fallen nature, because born of _Adam_?

Take now the other part of the text, so _in Christ shall all be made alive_. Is it not a flat denial of all this, to say, they are not made alive by a real new birth, but are accounted as if they were alive, by the imputation of Christ’s _life_ to them? Could dead _Lazarus_ have been said to have been made alive again, if still lying in the grave, he had only been _accounted_ as alive, by having the nature of a living man, imputed to him?

*Our Lord said to a leper, whom he had cleansed, _Go, shew thyself to the priest_, &c. But if instead of _cleansing_ him, he had bid him go to the priest, to be _accounted_ as a clean man, had he not still been under all the evil of his own leprosy? Now this is strictly the case of the righteousness of Christ, only outwardly imputed to us. A fiction, that runs counter to all that Christ and his apostles, have said of the nature of our salvation. We want Christ’s righteousness, because by our natural birth, we are inwardly full of evil; therefore saith Christ, _except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. I am the vine_, saith Christ, _ye are the branches_. Now if this be a true representation of the matter, then these two plain doctrines of Christ, affirming, 1. The absolute necessity of a new birth, and 2. That this birth is as really brought forth in us, as the life of the vine is really in the branches, entirely reject the notion of a righteousness imputed from without.

If Christ’s holy nature, be not formed in us, but only outwardly imputed to us, then no virtue, or power of an holy life, can have any more real existence in us, than in the devils, but are only called ours, and not theirs, though we have no more of them within us, than they have. Thus, be ye _holy, for I am holy; be ye perfect, as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect; thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart_, &c. all these are but vain exhortations. For these virtues are, in their whole nature, nothing else but the very righteousness of Christ, therefore if that can be only outwardly imputed to us, the same must be said of all these virtues. And indeed, unless Christ be truly born in us, we can have no more of any Christian virtue, but the empty name. For neither man, nor angel ever did, or can thus love God with all his heart, be holy because God is holy, be perfect as he is perfect, but because there is a spirit living in them, which is of God, from God, and partakes of the divine nature.

Further say, that the holy Spirit is not living in us, that his operation is not inwardly in us, but only outwardly imputed to us, as if he was in us, though he be not: what a blasphemy would this be! And yet full as well, as to say the same of Christ, and his righteousness. For if Christ was only outwardly imputed to us, the same must, of all necessity be said of the holy Spirit; for where Christ is, there is the holy Spirit.

Take notice, Sir, that if Christ’s righteousness, is only imputed to Christians, then all of them, whether they are called good, or bad, are without any difference as to their inward man, and all under the same unaltered fallen nature, as much after, as they were before Christ’s righteousness was imputed.

_To him that overcometh_, saith Christ, _will I grant to sit with me on my throne_, ♦[N. B.] _even as I overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne_. What becomes now of the vain fiction of an outward imputation? Is Christ’s victory here imputed to us? Is not the contrary as strongly taught us, as words can do it? _To him that overcometh, even as I also overcame._

♦ N. B. This, with several of the particulars that follow are
probable, but not supported by scripture. This is the theory
of _Jacob Behme_, ingenious, but quite incapable of proof.
(From Volume 6, page 159.)

You tell me, my friend, that the seraphic _Aspasio_ is quite transported with the thought of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner, and that it should in the account of God be esteemed as his.――It may be so, transport seems to be as natural to _Aspasio_, as flying is to a bird. But surely, a more transporting, a more glorious thing it is, both to the glory of God, and the good of man, that the sinner is, through the righteous nature of Christ, formed in him, set up again in his first likeness and image of God. For if man’s righteousness is not essentially restored in him, as it was essentially in him at the first, has he not less of God in him, by his redemption, than he had at his creation? Is it to the happiness of man, and the glory of God, that God has not obtained that _dwelling_ in man, for which he alone created him?

Is it matter of transport to think, that fallen man will to all eternity live destitute of his first heavenly nature, his first divine life, which he had in, and from God? But this must be the case, if Christ’s righteousness is only outwardly imputed to him, and not essentially wrought in him.

Transports, my friend, are but poor proofs of truth, or of the goodness of the heart, from whence they proceed. _Martyrdom_ has had its _fools_, as well as its _saints_, and zealots may live and die in a joy, that has all its strength from delusion.

*You may see a man drowned in tears, at beholding a wooden crucifix, and the same man condemning another, as a wicked heretic, who only honours the cross, by being daily baptized into the death of Christ. ――――Nay, so blind is opinion-zeal, that some good Christian pastors will not scruple to tell you, that they could find no joy in their own state, no strength, or comfort in their labours of love towards their flocks, but because they know, and are assured from St. _Paul_, that God never had, nor ever will have, _mercy on all men_, but that an unknown multitude of them, are through all ages of the world, inevitably decreed by God to eternal damnation, and an unknown number of others, to an irresistible salvation.

*Wonder not then, if the _inquisition_ has its pious defenders, for _inquisition cruelty_, nay, every barbarity that must have an end, is mere mercy, if compared with this doctrines.――And to be in love with it, to draw sweet comfort from it, and wish it God-speed, is a love that absolutely forbids the loving our neighbour as ourselves, and makes the wish, that all men might be saved, no less than rebellion against God.――It is a _love_, with which, the _cursed hater_ of all men, would willingly unite and take comfort; for could he know from St. _Paul_, that millions, and millions of mankind, are created and doomed to be his eternal slaves, he might be as content with this doctrine, as some good preachers are, and cease _going about, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour_; as knowing, that his kingdom, was so sufficiently provided for, without any labours of his own.

*Oh, the sweetness of _God’s election_, crys out the ravished preacher! Oh, the sweetness of _God’s reprobation_! might the hellish Satan well say, could he believe that God had made him a _free gift_ of such myriads, and myriads of men, of all nations, tongues and languages, from the beginning to the end of the world, and reserved so small a number for himself.

*What a complaint, and condemnation is there made in scripture, of those who sacrificed their sons and daughters unto devils? And yet this reprobation doctrine, represents God as sacrificing myriads of his own creatures, made in his own image, to an everlasting hell.

*There is not an absurdity of heathenish faith and religion, but what is less shocking than this doctrine. And yet so blindly are some zealous doctors of the gospel bigotted to it, as to set it forth, as the glorious manifestation of the supreme sovereignty of God!

_Little children_, saith St. _John_, _let no man deceive you_; [N. B.] _He that doth righteousness, is righteous_, [N. B.] _even as he is righteous_. Therefore to expect, or trust to be made righteous, merely by the righteousness of another, outwardly imputed to us, is, according to the apostle, _deceiving ourselves_.

So sure therefore, as the _mediation_ of Christ, is by himself declared to be for this end, _that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect ♦in one_; so sure is it, that an _outwardly_ imputed Christ, is as absurd in itself, and as contrary to scripture, as an _outwardly imputed_ God.

♦ duplicate word “in” removed

_Farewell._

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