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2G4 THE HISTORY OF HERESIES,
when God justifies us, he infuses upon us, not away from us, the
Holy Ghost,
Saints.
who renews us, changing us from sinners unto
35. They object, thirdly, another text of St. Paul:
"
BuJ of
him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and justice, and sanctification, and redemption" (I. Cor. i, 30).
Behold, they exclaim, how Jesus Christ is made our justice.
We do not deny that the justice of Jesus Christ is the cause of
our justice; but wo deny that the justice of Christ is our justice
itself, no more than we can say that our wisdom is the wisdom of
Christ ; and as we do not become wise because of the wisdom
of Christ imputed to us, neither do we become just because
his justice is imputed to us, as the sectarians teach :
" He
is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification." All
this is to be understood not imputatively, but effectively, that
is, that Jesus Christ, by his wisdom, and justice, and sanctity,
has made us become effectively wise, and just, and holy. It is
in the same sense we say to God :
strength" (Psalm xvii, 1) ;
(Psalm Ixx, 5) ;
" The
" For
"
I will love thee, Lord, my
thou art my patience, O Lord"
Lord is my light and my salvation"
(Psalm xxvi, 1). How is God our strength, our patience, our
light ? is it imputatively alone ? By no means ; he is effectively
so, for it is he who strengthens, enlightens, and renders us
and who saves us.
patient ;
36. They object, fourthly, that the Apostle says :
"
Put on
the new man, who according to God is created in justice and
holiness of truth" (Ephes. iv, 24). Here, say they, it is plain
that we, in the justification by faith, clothe ourselves with the
justice of Christ as with a garment, which is extrinsic to us.
Behold how all heretics boast of not following anything but the
pure Scriptures, and will not listen to Tradition, nor the defini
tions of Councils, nor the authority of the Church. The Scrip
ture, they cry, is our only rule of faith ; and why so ? Because
they distort it, and explain it each after his own fashion, and thus
render the Book of Truth a fountain of error and falsehood. In
answer to the objection, however, we reply, St. Paul in that
passage, does not speak of extrinsic, but intrinsic justice, and he,
" Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and
therefore, says :
put on the new man," &c, .
(Ephes.
iv, 23). He means that