Wesley Corpus

24.) In like manner, the covetousness of Gehazi was imputed to his posterity, (2 Kings v. 27) when God by his Prophet pronounced that the leprosy should cleave unto him and to his seed for ever.” (Page 438.) “2. The Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, use the words sin and iniquity, (both in Hebrew and Greek,) to signify, not only the criminal actions themselves, but also the result and consequences of those actions; that is, the guilt or liableness to punishment; and sometimes the punish ment itself, whether it fall upon the original criminal, or upon others on his account.” (Page 439.) “In the same manner, the Scriptures use the word righteous ness, not only for acts of obedience, but also the result of them; that is, justification, or right to a reward. A moderate study of some of those texts where these words are used may convince us of this. “So Job xxxiii. 26: “God will render to a man his righteousness, that is, the reward of it. “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, till the Lord come and rain righteousness upon you:’ (Hosea x. 12:) That is, till he pour down the rewards, or fruits, of it upon you. “I might add here, that, in several places of St. Paul’s Epistles, righteousness means justification, in the passive sense of the word.” (Page 440.) “So Rom. x. 4: ‘Christ is the end of the law for righteous ness to every one that believeth;’ that is, in order to the justification of believers. . ‘With the heart man believeth unto righteousness;' (verse 10;) that is, so as to obtain jus tification. “‘If righteousness, that is,justification, ‘come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal. ii. 21.) This particularly holds where the word Aoyugouai, or impute, is joined with righteousness. As Rom. iv. 3: Abraham ‘believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.’ ‘His faith is counted to him for righteousness.” (Rom. iv.5.) It is not avrt or varep, for or instead of righteousness; but evs Bucatoavvmw, ‘in order to justification, or acceptance with God. “And in other places of Scripture, a work, whether good or evil, is put for the reward of it: ‘The work of a man will he render unto him;’ (Job xxxiv. 11;) that is, the recompence of it. So St.