Any man may perceive, from what he is pleased here himself
to report of my words, that I was not treating about the imputation of the
righteousness of Christ, which he is now inveighing against; and it will be
much more evident unto every one that shall cast an eye on that discourse.
But the design of this confused rambling I have been forced now frequently
to give an account of, and shall, if it be possible, trouble the reader
with it no more. The present difference between us, which he was ambitious
to represent, is only this, that whereas it seems he will allow that those
expressions of our being “crucified with Christ, dead with him, buried with
him, quickened with him,” do intend nothing but only our doing of something
like unto that which Christ did; I do add, moreover, that we do those
things by the virtue and efficacy of the grace which is communicated unto
us from what the Lord Christ so did and acted for us, as the mediator of
the new covenant, whereby alone we partake of their power, communicate in
their virtue, and are conformed unto him as our head; wherein I know I
have, as the testimony of the Scripture, so the judgment of the catholic
church of Christ on my side, and am very little concerned in the censure of
this person, that I am “quite out in the reason of these expressions.”