the rational powers of the human mind, or for the Holy Spirit influencing the whole man. Thus Matt. xxvi. 41, ' The spirit is ready but the flesh is weak.' That is, the dictates of your reason are overpowered by the weakness of your corporeal nature. In Rom. viii. rags and aveva stand evidently for natural powers and spiritual influence. And thus, to walk after the flesh, v. 1. to be carnally or fleshy minded, v. 6. to be in the flesh, v. 8. all signify to act by the unassisted powers of our fallen nature. While the converse terms, to walk after the spirit, to be in the spirit, and to be spiritually minded,' mean to be under the influence of God's Holy Spirit, and to live and act according to that influence. And that the contrast here is not between reason and animal passion, is evident; for the Spirit spoken of is called the Spirit of God,' the Spirit whereby he raised Christ from the dead, and by which he will also raise our mortal bodies at the last day, Rom. viii. v. 11. Schleusner under oag 12, 13, gives as a meaning, Ex the Mosaic law and obedience to that law. amples of this use are supposed to occur in the Epistle to the Galatians where the Apostle is speaking of the ceremonial law only; and there he calls this law flesh, because it related only to the flesh. It remonial law is rather alluded to than expressed by the term flesh. Thus Gal. iii. 3. Having begun in the spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?' that is to say, having begun to serve God by the influence of the Holy Spirit sanctifying and purifying your hearts, do you imagine that this purification can be improved and perfected by any thing that affects merely your external bodies? 22. Aoyisopas. Commonly translated to count or impute. As dinalow is a forensic, so this is a commercial term, and signifies to put any thing to account, whether on the debtor or creditor side. It is so used by classical authors. Και μην φίλος γ' αν μοι δοκης, νη τους θεους, Αισθόμενος ότι ευωνων επιτετυχηκεν, αυτῳ δε μελλει επι τετιμημενα λογίζεσθαι. Aristot. Econ. 2. Εις τοινυν τας αλλας έορτας και θυσιας ελογίσατο αυτοις πλέον η τεσ σαρα χίλια δραχμων αναλωμένα. Lysias ap. Dio. Hal. So also the Latin word imputo. Servi longè plus imputant seminis jacti, quam quod severint. Colum. 1. Aoyoua, has the same commercial sense in the New Testament. In Rom. iii. 28. viii. 16. 2 Cor. x. 7. 11. Heb. xi. 19. Mark xi. 31. it has the sense of summing up and balancing arguments. In Mark xv. 28. Luke xxii. 37. μsra avopia hoyoon, signifies, he was placed or counted among the lawless. Λογίζεσθαι τι εις τι, means to place any thing down to account, with a certain value, consequence, reward or punishment annexed to it. Thus Acts xix. 27. eis ouder Loyisoval, to be put down in an account with no value attached. Rom. ii. 26. ούχι ή ακροβυστία αυτου εις περιτομην λογισθησεται, shall not his uncircumcised state (accompanied by holiness) be put to his account with all the rewards supposed to be attached to circumcision? Rom. iv. 3. λoyin auty εis dixαioσuvny, it (faith) was put to Abraham's account by God, accompanied by the reward of approbation or acquittal. 22. In some cases it is not the quality rewarded, but the reward itself which is said λoyola, thus, Rom. iv. 4. ὁ μισθος ου λογίζεται κατα χαριν, αλλα κατ' οφείλημα. So also in verse 6. ᾧ ὁ Θεὸς λογίζεται δικαι bou, to whom God in that account, according to which he will finally deal with mankind, puts down and records his approbation and acquittal. 23. In every such case hoyopas is used, either of some quality or act, good or bad, with which the man is justly charged, or of the real consequence, whether good or bad, of such a charge. Thus, in Rom. iv. (1st) πίστις λογίζεται, ν. 5. άμαρτια λογιζε ται, ν. 8. (21) μισθος λογίζεται, ν. 4. δικαιοσυνη λογι Zεral, v. 6. But never is it used in the Calvinistic sense, of an imputation of a good or bad quality, or act of one individual to another. 23. The doctrine of imputed righteousness, in its Calvinistic sense, is thus propounded in the Assembly's Confession of Faith. Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth: not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for any thing wrought in them or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone : not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them as their righteousness; but by 'imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ to them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God.' 24. The passages of scripture by which it is attempted to prove this doctrine of imputation, are principally taken from the third, fourth and fifth chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. But in none of these passages is it said that the righteousness or obedience of Christ is imputed to believers. Whereas in Rom. iv. 3. 5. it is expressly said that faith is imputed. Again in ch. iii. 25, 26, dixaioovin aútOV is δικαιοσύνη Θεού, not Χριστου. • Το declare his (God's) righteousness (or method of acquitting), that he (God) might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.' In one sense, however, it must be allowed that Christ's merits are imputed to the justified person. The pardon of sins, and the eternal life and happiness promised to believers, are the purchase of Christ's obedience and death; and through him and for his sake are they conferred, being merited only by what he has done, not by any thing that men have done, or can do. But this is properly, not the imputation of merit, but an actual grant of the reward purchased by the merit. |