this, imagining that this takes away all obligation and encouragement to embrace the gofpel and work out your own falvation. Both of these delufions equally lead to deftruction.' May you realize the infinitely evil and dangerous ftate in which you are, and be excited to fly from the wrath to come, by laying hold of the hope fet before you, knowing that falvation is freely offered to you, and heaven ftands open for you, and you are invited to run for this prize, having at the fame time the offer and promife of the Holy Spirit, and of all the affistance you want, if you will fo far truft in God as to ask him for all this. O finners, why will ye die! Sermon XV. WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1800. Romans iii. 27. By what law? faith. TH Where is boasting then? It is excluded. HE Apoftle Paul does in this epiftle particularly ftate and explain the way in which finners may obtain the favour of God, and eternal falvation, which is opened by the gofpel. There are but two poffible ways of obtaining the favour of God and eternal life, which he mentions, viz. by the works of the law, or obedience to the law of God, and by faith in Jefus Christ. The former way he fays is impoffible to finners, and if it were poffible, it would be highly improper, and attended with evil confequences. Having proved" that all men are finners and guilty before God, he fays, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there fhall no flesh be justified in his fight for by the law is the knowledge of of fin. Because the law worketh wrath; and the falvation of finners is not of works, left any man fhould boaft." The latter therefore he establishes as the only proper, wife and poffible way in which finners may be juftified and faved, and fays, " Therefore we conclude that a man is juftified by faith, without the deeds of the law and it is of faith, that it might be by grace, by which boafting is wholly excluded." In attending to these words of the text, it will be attempted to explain them by fhowing what is meant by the law of works, and what by the law of faith, and why boafting is excluded, not by the former, but by the latter; and then improve the subject in some useful remarks and inferences from it. By the law of works is meant the original law or con ftitution, which requires perfect, perfevering obedience, in order to have and continue to enjoy the favour and bleffing of God, and which pronounces him accurfed who is guilty of difobedience in one and the leaft poffible inftance. This law every rational creature is under obligation to obey. The holy angels were made under this law, and, by a finlefs, perfect obedience to it, during the whole time of their probation, they have obtained and enjoy the divine approbation, and the reward of eternal life. This is the conftitution under which Adam and all his pofterity were made; this is the law of works. Had the father of the human race continued perfectly to obey this law to the end of his time, of trial, he would by these his works have obtained eternal life for himself and his children too; but, by tranfgreffing this law of works, he fell under the curfe of it, and laid the foundation of the ruin of all his children, by their falling into the fame ftate, as their finning was, by divine conftitution, connected with his tranfgreffion. And many of the finful children of Adam have and do, through their pride and ignorance of themfelves, and of the nature, extent and defign of the divine law, feek and attempt to become righteous, and obtain pardon and falvation, by the works of the law-their own obedience. obedience. Moft of the Jews did fo in the days of the Apoftles. They fought righteoufnefs as it were by the works of the law, and went about to establish their own righteoufnefs; and in this way they failed of obtaining righteoufnefs, and remained as much under the curfe of this law of works as if they had attempted no obedience to it for all who in this way are of the works of the law, are under the curfe of it; for it is written, Curfed is every one who continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them. This way to life is forever fhut againft all the fons of Adam; for they have all tranfgreffed it, and by this have rendered it forever impoffible to obtain the righteousness of it by their own works and obedience. It is natural, however, for fallen man, Gentiles as well as Jews, to feek a righteoufnefs by their obedience to this law, and to gratify their pride and difpofition to truft and boast in themfelves and their own righteoufnefs; and numbers beyond our calculation in the Chriftian world have taken and are still taking this fure road to deftruction, rather than to give up and renounce that boasting, which must be effectually deftroyed in order to embrace the gospel. By the law of faith, is meant the gofpel inftitution and difpenfation, in which provifion is made for the pardon, juftification and falvation of finners who are under the condemnation and curfe of the law; not by any works of righteoufnefs which they have done or can do, to take off the curfe of the law, or to recommend themselves to this favour and bleffing, but purely on the account of the atonement, righteoufnefs and worthinefs of Chrift, in which they become interested fo as to avail, on their behalf, to deliver from all the evil they deferve, and procure all the good they want, by faith in him, or believing on his name. It being of great importance that all fhould have right and clear conceptions of this fubject, it is proper and ufeful to give a more particular defcription of thefe two laws, the law of works and the law of faith. This may be be done to the best advantage, perhaps, by confidering wherein they agree with each other, and in what refpects there is a difference and oppofition of one to the other; and how not the former, but the latter, excludes boasting. First. It is to be confidered and fhewn wherein there is an agreement between these two laws, and what is as true of one as of the other, and is common to them both. 1. Holiness or obedience is neceffarily implied and exercised in compliance with each and either of these laws, and in order to be interested in the promises and bleffings which they contain. The law of works requires perfect and perfevering holiness and obedience, in order to enjoy the bleffings of it. The leaft fin cuts a perfon off from all the promifed good of this law, and subjects him to the curfe of it, without any poffible remedy by that law, as has been before obferved. And a compliance with the law of faith, or the covenant of grace, which is the fame, implies holy exercise or true obedience; and this is abfolutely neceffary in order to be interested in the promises and bleffings of this law and covenant. That faith from which this law or covenant has its denomination, and in the exercife of which this law is complied with and fulfilled, and to which all the promifes it contains are made, implies holinefs of heart, and is itself a holy exercife. This being an important point, and denied by many, so much evidence of it from fcripture and reason will here be produced, as it is hoped will be fufficient to establish the truth of it to the conviction of every unprejudiced mind, That faith which difcerns and believes the truth of the gofpel from a view of the moral excellence and wif dom of it, and fees the character of Christ to be divinely excellent and beautiful, is not a mere fpeculative faith, confined to the understanding, exclufive of tafte and exercife of heart, and cordial approbation. Moral Kk excellence excellence and beauty is not, and cannot be, the object of mere intellect, as diftinguished from tafte and difcerning of heart; therefore a real fight of moral excellence and beauty, or lovelinefs, neceffarily implies love of that excellence and beauty, and these cannot be distinguished or feparated one from the other; for they are really one and the fame thing. Hence it is demonftrably certain, that the faith which difcerns the gofpel to be true and excellent, or that internal evidence which renders it moft worthy of belief, implies a difcerning, tafte and relish of divine excellence and beauty, which is a virtuous difpofition and exercife of heart; and is real holinefs of heart, if there be in nature any fuch thing.. But that faving faith implies and effentially confifts in a holy exercife of heart, in embracing the gospel as excellent and holy, and worthy of all acceptation, a cordial approbation of Chrift and his character, and trusting in him, is abundantly evident from the fcripture, as well as from the reafon and nature of the cafe. The following paffages, among many others which might be mentioned, afford an undeniable proof of this. Believing on Christ and receiving him is mentioned as one and the fame. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Coming to Chrift and believing on him is mentioned as the fame thing. ' Jefus ftood and cried, faying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the fcripture hath faid, out of his belly fhall flow living waters." Receiving Chrift and coming to him are holy exercises of heart; for the character of Chrift is fo perfectly holy, that it is impoffible that an unholy heart fhould be pleased with it; and none can cordially come to him and receive him but in the exercife of holy love to him. Chrift faid to the Jews, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent ;" and proceeds to fpeak of coming to him, and eating his flesh and drinking his blood, as being the fame with believing on him [John vi. 29-58.] He |