it is most unequivocally declared that God bestows upon the elect, not only pardon, but eternal life, and this not in consequence of the active obedience of Christ, but "solely on account of that one sacrifice accomplished on the cross.' The same is likewise declared in Question 76, "What is it to eat the crucified body, and drink the shed blood of Christ? Ans. It is not only to embrace with a believing heart all the sufferings and death of Christ, and thereby to obtain pardon of sin, and eternal life; but besides this to become more and more united to his sacred body by the Holy Spirit," etc.* The same doctrine is declared in several other questions and answers.

Here then, is the doctrine most unambiguously declared, and in the Palative Catechism too, the text book of all the early Calvinistic Churches after it was framed-that we are justified, and obtain eternal life by Christ's passive obedience alone.Not one syllable is uttered about the "imputation of his active obedience."

The estimation in which this Catechism has ever been held by Calvinists, will show at once the extent and overwhelming force of its authority in a question like the one before us. Even the Synod of Dort, notwithstanding all the light that had been thrown upon the theology of the reformation by the refinements and innovations of the School of Gomar, yet declared that "the use of the Heidelberg Catechism should be earnestly continued in the churches of the Reformation; inasmuch as it contained a truly accurate compendium of orthodox Christian doctrine, prepared with extraordinary wisdom."+

fidem nostram ad sacrificium Christi in cruce peractam, tanquam ad unicum nostrae salutis fundamentum, deducant? Resp. Ita est. Nam Spiritus Sanctus docet evangelio et confirmat sacramentis, omnem nostram salutem positam esse in unico sacrificio Christi pro nobis in cruce oblati.”—Quaest. LXVII.

"Quid est crucifixum corpus Christi edere, et fusum ejus sanguinem bibere? Resp. Est non tantum totam passionem et mortem Christi, certa animi fiducia amplecti, ac per id remissionem peccatorum et vitam aeternam adipisci: sed etiam per Spiritum Sanctum, qui simul in Christo et in nobis habitat, ita sacrosancto ejus corpori magis ac magis uniri," etc.

"Usus Catechismi Heidelbergensis in Ecclesiis reformatis mordicus retinerentur:" because that, "admodum accuratum orthodoxae doctrinae Christianae compendium singulari prudentia adornatum contineret."-Less. XV. (p. 36) and Less. CXLVIII. p. 318.

III. We shall next hear the venerable Ursinus. His views of this subject have been brought out in the first section of this article, under the head of Justification, to which the reader is referred, Vol. XI. p. 459. We here add the following from the same author.

On p. 214, of his explanation of the Catechism he says, "Our entire salvation is found in the suffering and death of Christ.”* On p. 215, "What did Christ suffer? By the word suffering is understood his whole humiliation, or the obedience of his whole humiliation, all his miseries, infirmities, griefs, torments, to which Christ was obnoxious in body and soul for our sake, from his birth until his death."+

On p. 340, (in a passage too long to be here quoted,) he proves at length that the holiness of Christ's human nature, (or his active compliance with law,) was a necessary requisite for him to become our Mediator. "In order that he might in our stead perform obedience unto the death of the cross, and make satisfaction." Such passages as the following are of perpetual occurrence in his Explanation. "The washing of blood is the forgiveness of sins, or justification for the sake of the shed blood of Christ." p. 375. "Justification which is by the blood of Christ." "The dominical supper testifies that the sacrifice of Christ alone justifies." Christ gives righteousness and eternal life to his people, on account of his blood poured out upon the cross." For the shedding of blood completes the satisfaction, so that it alone is called our righteousness.

Ursinus, was the writer of the Heidelberg Catechism. If then, there could be any doubt whether this doctrine be taught in that symbol, that doubt can exist no longer. If any man

"In ejus passione et morte tota nostra salus constitit.”—Ad Quaest. 37.

+"Quid sit passus Christus? Nomine passionis intelligitur tota humiliatio, seu obedientia totius humiliationis, omnes miseriae, infirmitates, dolores, cruciatus, ignominiae, quibus Christus ab articulo nativitatis ad horam usque mortis tam anima, quam corpore, nostra causa fuit obnoxius."—Ad Quaest. XXXVII.

"Ablutio sanguinis est condonatio peccatorum, seu justificatio propter effusum sanguinem Christi.-Justificatio quae sit sanguine Christi.-Coena testatur, solum sacrificium Christi justificare.-Christus fidelibus suis donat justitiam et vitam aeternam propter sanguinem suum in cruce effusum.—Nam effusio sanguinis, est satisfactionis complementum: ideo sola dicitur justitia nostra."

could understand what were the views advanced in that Catechism, Ursinus was the man.

IV. Piscator is our next witness. He and Georgius Cargius, with Abraham Scultetus, were some of the "virorum magnorum" whose writings Dr. Gomar very obligingly undertook to correct, on the subject of justification. When the controversy on this subject arose, he came out decidedly and declared that "we are not justified by the active obedience of Christ."* And on Rom. 5: 19, he at once declares, that “the active obedience, or holy life of Christ is never said to be imputed to us for righteousness, and that if we were justified by it there would have been no necessity that Christ should die."+ The following passages are found scattered about in his works: "To impute righteousness and to forgive sins are the same. thing." "In respect to the formal cause of justification, I teach that justification is nothing but the forgiveness of sins." "They for whom Christ died are unrighteous, 1 Pet. 3: 8, but they to whom the active obedience of Christ is imputed are not unrighteous; therefore Christ did not die for those to whom his active obedience is imputed. And by consequence he died in vain." "The Scriptures never say that the active obedience of Christ is imputed to us for righteousness.' "These phrases, to impute righteousness and to forgive sin, mean the same thing." "I admit that we should have that perfect obedience to the law which is obtained by imputation. But I affirm that this imputation is accomplished on account of Christ's passive obedience." "The law requires of us, either perfect obedience, or punishment." These passages are sufficient to declare the sentiments of this great divine.

"Obedientia Christi activa non justificamur.”

"Sed haec [scil. obedientia activa, sive sancta Christi vita] nusquam nobis ad justitiam imputari dicitur: et si illa justificati fuissemus, non esset opus ipsum mori."

"Imputare justitiam, et remittere peccata esse idem. De causa formali justificationis doceo; justificationem, nihil aliud esse, quam remissionem peccatorum.-Pro quibus Christus mortuus est, illi sunt injusti, 1 Pet, 3: 8, illi quibus imputatur obedientia Christi activa, Christus mortuus non est. Et per consequens, frustra est mortuns.— Scripturam nusquam tradere, nobis ad justitiam, imputari obedientiam Christi activam.-Locutiones istae imputare justitiam, et remittere peccata, aequipollent.-Lex enim a nobis postulat aut perfectam obedientiam, aut poenam." The two following are from Cargius

V. The Belgic Confession. We had not the original of this Confession by us when we referred to it under a former topic; but we shall now present the reader with an extract from Art. 23, referring him to the margin for the Latin. "We rest entirely upon the alone obedience of Jesus Christ crucified upon the cross. That obedience becomes truly ours when we believe in him. Moreover, that obedience alone abundantly suffices for covering all our iniquities; and also for rendering us safe and secure against all temptations." "We believe that our entire happiness consists in the forgiveness of sins which is in Christ Jesus." “And that in this alone is contained our entire righteousness before God."*

It is really humiliating to see a man possessing the splendid genius and acquisitions of the venerable Gomar, descend to the wretched evasion which he adopts in relation to this Confession. In one of his treatises he takes occasion to refer to the fact that this symbol of the Belgic Church contradicted the views which he had adopted, of the doctrine of justification.

This was, as may be supposed, a most tender spot for him to touch upon; and accordingly, he endeavours to evade the objection by the ridiculous supposition that the Confession must have been corrupted! Though it was originally published in the Harmony, and in the Body and Syntagma of Confessions just as I have given it. And even in the wretchedly translated and miserably mutilated edition of the Harmony, recently published in America, and out of which every thing was left that the editors dared to leave out pertaining to the passive obedience of Christ, the passage remains just as we have given it, retaining still all the "corruptions" alleged to exist by Dr. Gomar. To such lengths will even the best of men go in support of a theory when once they have set their heart upon above referred to. "Legem, aut ad obedientiam, aut ad poenam, non ad utrumque, obligare.-Quod Christus, pro nobis praestitit, ad id praestandum, nos non obligari."-De curriculo vitae Abrahami Sculteti: and Pisc. Apol. pro Disp.

* "Sola Jesu Christi crucifixi obedientia suffulti, in ea prorsus acquiescimus: quae quidem nostrae est, cum in eum credimus. Hoc porro una abunde sufficit ad omnes iniquitates nostras obtegendas, tum etiam ad nos tutos securosque reddendos, adversus omnes tentationes. -Credimus omnem felicitatem nostram sitam esse, in peccatoruin remissione, quae est in Christo Jesu :-Unica, totam nostram justitiain coram Deo, contineri."

it. And thus would Gomar after having corrected the "errors" of the "great men" of the reformation, even venture to correct the confessions themselves; and thus prescribe for the orthodoxy of Christendom.

VI. Our next witness is Dr. Pareus, (born A. D. 1549). His views on this subject were partially expressed in the quotations from him which we made under a former topic.*

We now add the following. To the query "whether the passive righteousness of Christ is alone imputed to us for righteousness, or whether the active likewise," he unhesitatingly answers "the passive alone is imputed." "Scripture declares that the entire material of our righteousness, is in the suffering, cross, blood, and death of Christ: therefore this alone is that on account of which we are justified." "The Scripture defines our whole justification by the forgiveness of sin, on account of the blood of Christ: Therefore the pouring out of his blood is that by the imputation of which we are justified; and the forgiveness of sins is our whole justification." "Never have I read in the sacred Scriptures that our righteousness consists of two or three parts. Never have I read that the human sanctity of Christ imputed to us, is our righteousness, or even a part of it. If any one reads such a passage, I entreat that he will show it to me, that I also may read and believe. Never have I read this, of even his actual obedience."+

In the following passage, (which is the last we shall quote from Pareus), he enters into an interesting explanation of this view. His words are," The righteousness of the person, and the righteousness of the merit of Christ, as they ought not to be divided, so neither ought they to be confounded in justification. The reason is, because the Scripture itself distinguishes between the quality of the person of the Mediator meriting righteousness * See Vol. XI. p. 463, etc.

+"Scriptura nostrae justitiae totam materiam ostendit in passione, cruce, sanguine, morte Christi: Ergo haec sola est res propter quam justificamur.-Scriptura totam justificationem nostram definit remissione peccatorum propter sanguinem Christi: ergo sola sanguinis effusio est id cujus imputatione justificamur: et remissio peccatorum est tota nostra justificatio.-Nusquam S. Scripturas sic tripartiri aut bipartiri justitiam nostram. Nusquam legi, sanctitatem humanam Christi nobis imputari, esse justitiam nostram, vel ejus partem. Si quis legit, quaeso mihi ostendat, ut et ego legain et credain. Nusquam etiam id lego de actuali obedientia."