tive and penal demands-thus working out a righteousness, which by imputation becomes the believing sinner's righteousness, so soon as he is rendered cordially willing to accept it as offered, and by faith does actually accept and rely on it solely, for justification before God: that the evidence of this justification is a holy life; a life of communion with God, and an impartial and persevering regard and obedience to all his commandments, whether they relate to God or man the believer being always disposed, as well as required, to adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things, so that others seeing his good works, may glorify his heavenly Father: that he who is thus regenerated by the Holy Ghost, repents of his sins sincerely, relies by faith on Christ and his righteousness alone for salvation, verifies the genuineness of his faith by his works, and perseveres in the same to the end, shall assuredly be saved -the truth of God being pledged for the salvation of every sinner, even though he were the very chief of sinners, who in this manner passes from death unto life: that salvation in this form and manner, is "offered in the gospel" to all men without exception; that to proclaim it in all its freeness, is the principal design of the gospel ministry; and that he who believes it as thus freely offered must not except himself, but take it as a divine verity, that to him, as much as to any other individual of the human race, is "the word of this salvation sent."-Such are the main facts, truths, and doctrines, which are the special objects of saving faith; and which will shortly be further illustrated, when the acts of such a faith will call for your attention.

I must further remark, however, before leaving this part of our subject, that it plainly appears, if faith must have an object, and its object comprises what you have just heard, that knowledge is essential to its

existence. Yes, my young friends, we are so far from believing that "ignorance is the mother of devotion," that we hold there can be no true devotion without knowledge; and no genuine faith without an understanding of what we are required to believe. This is taught, or clearly implied, in many plain declarations, both of the Old Testament and the New. I know that my Redeemer liveth," said holy Job. "By his knowledge," that is, the knowledge of him, "shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities;" said the evangelical prophet Isaiah. "This is life eternal," said our blessed Saviour himself," to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." The apostle Peter said to his divine Master," We believe and are sure (eyvanaμe, have known) that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God." And the apostle John says, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us." The absolute impossibility of exercising true faith without knowledge is also unquestionably implied, in the following interrogatories of the apostle Paul How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?"-Remember, therefore, my dear youth, that you never can exercise a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, without having some competent knowledge of the way of salvation by him.

2. We are to consider the author of faith-who is no other than God in Christ, working by his Spirit a saving grace in the human soul. Each person in the ever blessed Trinity, is occasionally represented in holy scripture, as producing faith in the believer. Thus we are told in one place, that "faith is the gift of God;" in another that "Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith;" and in a third, that "the fruit of the

ner, who flies to the propitiation of Christ for deliverance and rescue. I am very sensible, that many readers will be ready to challenge this argument as pressed into the service, and wholly improper upon my scheme: they will suppose, that every believer, in consequence of his faith in Christ, is screened from the penalty of the law and sheltered from the stroke of divine justice; he is therefore no more under this fear; and its being no more a motive of action, in the future part of his conduct, is the very ground of the objection I am attempting to remove. This is no doubt plausible; but let it be remembered, in what way it is that believers are freed from their apprehensions of the wrath of God; it is by their acceptance of his mercy through faith in Christ. Before the application of this remedy, they saw themselves the children of wrath and heirs of hell; and they still believe that every sin deserves the wrath of God, both in this life and that which is to come. Will they therefore reincur the danger from which they have so lately escaped, and of which they had so terrible a view? will they do so voluntarily, even although they know the remedy to be still at hand, still ready to be applied, and certainly effectual? Suppose any person had been upon the very point of perishing in a violent and rapid stream, and saved when his strength was well nigh exhausted, by the happy intervention of a tender-hearted passenger: would he voluntarily plunge himself again into the flood, even although he knew his deliverer was standing by, ready for his relief? The supposition is quite unnatural; and it is equally so to imagine, that one saved from divine wrath, will immediately repeat the provocation, even whilst he trembles at the thoughts of the misery of that state from which he had been so lately delivered.

Let us only consider the strong

sense which a believer usually shows of the danger of others in an unconverted state, from a persuasion of their being under the wrath of God. He warns them, intreats them, pities them, and prays for them. He would not exchange with any one of them, a prison for a palace, or a scaffold for a throne. How then should he be supposed to follow them in their practice, and thereby to return to their state?

But perhaps, here again it will be urged, that this is improper: because, according to the principles of the assertors of imputed righteousness, a believer being once in a justified state, cannot fall from grace; and therefore his sins do not deserve wrath; and he himself must have, from this persuasion, a strong confidence that, be they what they will, they cannot have such an effect: and accordingly, some have expressly affirmed, that the future sins of the elect are forgiven, as well as their past, at their conversion; nay, some, that they are justified from all eternity, that God doth not see sin in a believer, that his afflictions are not punishments, and other things of the like nature. Now, though I must confess I look upon these expressions, and many more to be found in certain writers, whatever glosses they may put upon them, as unguarded and antiscriptural; yet not to enter into the controversy at all, I suppose it will be acknowledged by all without exception, that a believer's security, and the impossibility of his falling from grace, is a security of not sinning, that is, of not being under the dominion of sin, as much as, or rather in order to, his security of deliverance from the wrath of God. His pardon is sure; but this security is only hypothetical, because his faith and holiness are secured by the promise of God; so that, to suppose person to sin without restraint, by means of this persuasion, that his salvation is secured by his first acceptance of

Christ is a supposition self-contradictory. However strongly any man may assert that a believer's salvation is secure, he will not scruple at the same time to acknowledge, that if such believer should sin wilfully and habitually, and continue to do so, he would be damned: but he will deny, that any such case ever did, or ever can possibly happen.*

The objection must surely appear strongest upon the principles of those who make the nature of faith to consist in a belief that Christ died for themselves in particular, or of their own personal interest in him, and the pardon and life which he hath purchased, making assurance essential to its daily exercise. Yet even these will not deny, that their faith is not always equally strong, and that their assurance is sometimes interrupted with doubts and fears. Now, what is the cause of these doubts, and this uncertainty? Is it not always sin, more directly, or by consequence? So that sin renders their faith doubtful, which is the very same thing with putting them in fear concerning their future state. Indeed, it is not more sure that our Redeemer invites all weary, heavy-laden sinners to come unto him that they may find rest, than it is that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. So that every instance of voluntary sin, must throw back the believer, (at least as to his own sentiments,) into his former state, till he be again restored, by faith and repentance.

From this I think it evidently appears that the motive of the danger of sin is not weakened, but hath its full force upon those who expect justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ. And, if it is not weakened, it must be strengthened by this persuasion, since, as I have shown above, none have so deep a sense of the obligation of the law, and the evil of sin, and by consequence, none can have so great a fear of its awful sanction. That this is agreeable to Scripture, might be shown at great length, where the putting their right to the favour of God and eternal life more and more beyond all doubt and question is recommended to believers, as an object of their care and diligence. Thus says the apostle to the Hebrews, "And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope, unto the end." And the apostle Peter, after a long enumeration of the graces of the Christian life, says, "Wherefore, the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure." Nay, the fear of wrath, and of finally perishing, is represented by the apostle Paul himself, as one view at least, which habitually influenced his own conduct: "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I had preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

In the fourth place, Those who expect justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ, have the highest sense of the purity and holiness of the divine nature; and therefore must be under an habitual conviction of the necessity of

founded. If I should say, I am confident

ver, because I am resolved never to cross it at all; would it not be absurd to reason thus: here is a man who hath a persuasion he will never be drowned in this river, therefore he will be surely very headstrong and fool hardy in fording it when it overflows its banks, which is contrary to the very foundation of my security?

presence and enjoyment. If this doctrine in its main design, or by any of its essential parts, had a tendency to represent God (I will not say as delighting in sin,) but as † 2 Pet. i. 10.

Heb. vi. 11. # 1 Cor. ix. 27.

easy to be pacified towards it, passing it by with little notice, and punishing it but very slightly, there might be some pretence for drawing the conclusion complained of from it. For I think it may be allowed as a maxim, that as is the God so are his worshippers, if they serve him in earnest. Whatever views they have of the object of their esteem and worship, they will endeavour to form themselves to the same character. But if, on the contrary, this doctrine preserves the purity of God entire; nay, if it gives us still more strong, awful, and striking views of it; it can never encourage such as believe it in the practice of sin.

But that this is the case with all such as believe and understand the doctrine of justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ, may be demonstrated in the clearest manner. It might indeed be shown from a great variety of arguments founded upon the mediation of Christ; at present I shall mention but two, the propriety of which, and their relation to the subject in hand every one must immediately perceive. In the first place, That Christ behooved to suffer by divine appointment for the expiation of sin is not only equal with, but stronger than all other evidences of the purity of God and his abhorrence of sin. It is an event of the most striking and astonishing nature, every reflection of which overwhelms the mind, that the eternal and only begotten son of God should assume the likeness of sinful flesh, and stand in the room of sinners; even though the merited punishment had been inflicted upon the offenders themselves, it would not have been such a proof of the purity of God. Here, even when he is inclined to mercy, its exercise is obstructed till justice is satisfied. Can any one consider this without being deeply convinced that he is a God of " purer eyes than to behold iniquity," and with whom un

righteousness can have no communion? Will any, after such views, hope for his favour, while they retain the love of sin, or expect to dwell in his presence, while they continue stained with its pollution?

The same thing must also carry convincing evidence with it, that to suppose Christ to have bought an impunity for sinners, and procured them a license to offend, is selfcontradictory, and altogether inconsistent with the wisdom and uniformity of the divine government: that he never could hate sin so much before, and love it after the sufferings of Christ; that he could not find it necessary to punish it so severely in the surety, and yet afterwards love and bear with it in those for whom that surety satisfied. Not only may this be clearly established by reason and argument, but it must be immediately felt by every one who sees the necessity of the atonement of their Redeemer. They will be so far from taking a liberty to sin, that on the contrary they will be ready to cry out, "Who can stand before this holy Lord God?" Accordingly we shall find in experience, that none are more ready to call in question the integrity of their own character, none more ready to fear the effects of the sins that

It is a certain fact, that the number of persons under distress of mind by perplexing doubts, or anxious fears, concerning their future state, is incomparably greater amongst the friends than the enemies of this doctrine. By this I do not dutiful or their fears desirable. Such a at all mean, either that their doubts are state is to be looked upon as the fruit of their own weakness and imperfection, and as a chastisement from a wise and gracious God, either more immediately for correcting their sins, or for the trial, illustration, and perfecting of their grace and virtue; but its being more comnion among those who believe in Christ's imputed righteousness, than others, is a plain proof that this doctrine doth not naturally tend to inspire any with an unholy boldness, or a secure and slothful presumption.