Then may I join the raptur'd lays,
And, with the blifsful throng,
Refound, "Salvation, pow'r, and praise,"
In an eternal fong."

What that Life is which proceeds from the Favour of God.

BEFORE we difmifs the doctrinal part of our subject, we shall briefly confider, What that life is, which the favour of God confers. In the explication of the terms of our text, we hinted, that natural life, spiritual life, and the life of comfort and happiness are all dependent on the divine favour. To amplify the fubject a little more, we would proceed to say, That a life of juftification originates in the fame glorious caufe. A state of juftification may be emphatically called a state of life. A man actually condemned, is legally dead. A full pardon gives him, in a law fenfe, a new

life. So in a fpiritual refpect, a juft, or juftified perfon is faid to live, and to live by faith.

The juftification of a finner before God is not by any works of his own; but only through the righteousness of Jefus Chrift imputed to him, and received by faith. It is one of the most glorious truths revealed in the scriptures, and that which diftinguishes the gofpel fyftem from every other fyftem of religion, that our divine Redeemer fhould become the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth; that he who knew no fin, fhould be made fin for us, fhould bear our fins in his own body on the tree, put them away by the facrifice of himself, to the end that we, by his obedience unto death, might be made righteous.

On this divine plan, the merit of human works is cut off, and all boafting in ourselves entirely and for ever excluded. The juftification of a finner in the fight of his Maker and his Judge, is not of debt but of grace, or free favour. "We are juftified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift." The God of all grace, according to his abundant mercy, provided, appointed, and accepted the wonderful expedient, fo needful for poor, ruined, helpless finners, and so honourable to all his own attributes. "To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

The whole is the contrivance of infinite wifdom, and unbounded love. The poor finner, who cannot pay one mite, in order to fatisfy divine juftice. for his multiplied offences, is fet clear of every charge, and of all condemnation, upon his accepting of Chrift by faith, as the Lord our righteousness. The faith itself, by which he receives him, is the free gift of God. Here is grace upon grace, or favour upon favour, all entirely and absolutely free.

A

poor arrested debtor accounts it a great favour, if a friend will become furety for him, and still greater, if he will discharge all his debts, and fet him perfectly free. Jefus Chrift, our great Surety, has done this for us, miferable offenders; so that whofoever believeth in him is justified from all things, and everlastingly accepted in the fight of God. "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is rifen again. For as he died for our fins, he rofe again for our juftification. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus,. and, as a proof of their being fo, walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." What aftonishing fa

YOUR

*.4.4.

vour is this! Favour, in which is our life! What an admirable contrivance of rich and free grace! * A contrivance by which at once fin is expofed in all its hatefulness, condemned and punished, the juftice of God is fully fatisfied, the violations of his law more than repaired, its precepts infinitely honoured, and

There is nothing in the law's facred injunctions which Chrift, as our Surety, did not perform, nothing in its awful threatenings which he did not suftain. He fulfilled all its precepts, by an unfpotted purity of heart, and the most perfect integrity of life. He exhausted its whole curfe when he hung upon the crofs, abandoned by the Father, and a bleeding victim for the fins of men. This obedience brings higher honour to the divine law, than it could have received from the uninterrupted duty of Adam, and all his pofterity, in all their generations.

May the bleffed Spirit enable you to believe, that your fins are expiated through the death of Jefus Chrift, that a righteousness is given you, by which you may have free and welcome accefs to God, the merit of which you may plead, for obtaining all the bleffings of time and eternity! Will this alienate. your affections from your almighty Benefactor? Will this irritate evil concupifcence, or fend you to carnal gratifications in queft of happinefs? Quite the reverse. When this faith is wrought in your heart, nothing will be fo powerful to produce holy love, and willing obedience; to exalt your defires, and enable you to overcome the world.

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and the poor finner, guilty, condemned, and utterly helpless in himself, accepted as righteous before the divine throne, and as completely justified as if he had never tranfgreffed. This is that wonderful

ex

Multitudes of poor finners are held fast in the fatal fnares of vice, by their ignorance of this sweet, confolatory truth. They find themselves deeply obnoxious to divine juftice, and feel themselves ftrongly bound by the chains of fenfuality. They think it is impoffible to clear the enormous fcore of their guilt, impoffible to deliver themfelves from the confirmed dominion of fin. Therefore, like defperate debtors, they ftifle every serious thought, left a consciousness of their long arrears, and a profpect of the dreadful reckoning, fhould torment them before the time.

But if they were informed, that the infinitely merciful Son of God has undertaken to redeem fuch undone and helpless finners; that he has thoroughly expiated the moft horrid tranfgreffions, and procured, even for ungodly wretches, all the needful fupplies of ftrengthening grace; that, instead of being prohibited, they are invited to partake, freely to partake of thefe unfpeakable bleffings ;-were they acquainted with thefe glad tidings of the gospel, furely they would burft their chains, and fpring to liberty. These truths, if once revealed in their hearts, would, of all confiderations, be moft effectual to make them free. The gracious Redeemer himself has faid, Ye fhall know the truth, and the truth fhall make you free. Hervey's Theron and Afpafio, Dial. xiv.