DISCOURSE

III.

Of the Salvation of Mankind from Sin and Death eternal, by Chrift cur Savior only.

ROм. iii. 23, 24.

For we have all finned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Chrift Fefus.

HEN we ferioufly confider the declaration

WHE here made by the Apostle, that all men are

finners; that there is none that doth good, in the pure fense of the expreffion, and if we attend to the dreadful confequence of this, that no one can be admitted into heaven without fome qualification capable of giving pleasure to Him who inhabiteth eternity; we must be convinced, that the fallen state of man leadeth naturally to punishment; or which is the very fame thing, to the being fhut out from the fight of an all-perfect God: and of this, we have a manifeft proof from the confcioufnefs and felfcondemnation of our firft parents immediately upon their tranfgreffion, for it is written, that inftead of receiving comfort as ufual, from the prefence of their Maker, they hid themselves when they heard the voice of the Lord God in the garden.

All men then, being more or lefs breakers of God's commandments, no one, by the worth of

his

.

his own deeds (although to men like himself, they may wear the faireft appearance) can be justified, or esteemed ftrictly deferving pardon, in the eye of God; and confequently in order to attain favor, he muft neceffarily look for fome other juftification at God's own hands; that is to fay, he must trust wholly to Him for the forgiveness of his fins and trefpaffes. Now the juftification which we receive through God's free mercy, and Chrift's merits, if embraced, and applied by faith, is fufficient to affure us eternal happiness when we die.

But for the plainer understanding a matter of fuch vaft importance, it will be proper to place the truth of this doctrine in every poffible light we can employ; and in order to fix its true meaning in the minds of the unlearned, and that persons of the floweft capacities may be equally benefited by it, we must not be content with a fhort, elegant, or more artificial method of treating it, but we muft give it the fulleft examination; repeat, illuftrate, and enforce it, in the clearest terms, and strongest language we can use.

And firft, it is our duty well to weigh and continually to remember, the great love of God, who when the whole world was involved in fin, through difobedience, moft graciously fent his only Son our Savior Jefus Chrift, to fulfil the law for us, i. e. to do, what through degeneracy and frailty we could not perform of ourselves alone; and by the fhedding his most precious blood, to offer a facrifice, and fatisfaction, or (as it may be called) an amends to his Father for our fins, by renewing in the fallen creature a capacity of recovery. By this act he reconciled God to man again, making a way for them to escape the danger to which their depravity expofed them, and which in the nature of things, could never have taken place, while mankind continued overwhelmed in wickedness, through their own fault, and without a power to reftore them

felves.

felves. For the deadly infection of fin did so defile every thing that was born of Adam, that even infants partook of the diforder; but by virtue of this redemption, being baptized, and if dying in their infancy, they are washed by this facrifice from the finful stain of their polluted birth, and having never rejected the affifting grace of Chrift, by actual tranfgreffion, are through his merits reftored to the favor of the Almighty, and accepted as his children, and inheritors of the deliverance, and bleffing purchased for them.

Further they who in word, and deed, do pofitively fin after baptifm, if they turn unto God by unfeigned repentance, and fhew their converfion by the fruits of God's grace on their hearts, even they fhall experience the benefit of this heavenly washing, that is, remiffion of their fins through this facrifice, fo that no remaining spot fhall render them liable to punishment, for there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the fpirit. Rom. viii. 1.

This is the juftification, or righteousness, (as it is also fometimes called) which St. Paul mentions in the second chapter of the Galatians and 16th verse; where he fays, that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift, which we may paraphrafe or explain thus: the formal and moft punctual obfervance of the law, cannot of itfelf juftify, or obtain pardon, exclufive of the grace of Chrift, by which alone, any works are qualified, by which only in fact, any good works can be performed, for He being the author of the regeneration of our nature, every degree of good, proceeds in confequence of that change, and this equally proves, that we must not expect to be justified, without fome material good effect appearing in our lives. The fenfe then, of being juftified freely is this; that the creature through breach of the firft covenant, having forfeited that affiftance, which every dependant being VOL. I. needs;

D

needs; having loft all power of continuing upright, and justly merited condemnation ;-whatever God was pleased to do for him in such a wretched state, muft fo far be free, as being in no right of justice, claim, or promife.

But though this juftification is thus freely beftowed, yet it is not fo far free, that no ranjom is paid; and fhould the fhallow reafon of man attempt to argue in this manner; that if a ranfom is paid for our redemption, then it is not given freely, becaufe a prisoner who is ranfomed, cannot be faid to be delivered freely; yet, as God was free to provide, and accept the ranfom, we muft refolve all fuch points by the unerring wifdom of the Most High; who hath plainly fo tempered his justice and mercy together, that he would not let rigid justice confign us over to the eternal captivity of the devil, nor yet exercife his mercy in our clear deliverance, without due honor being paid to his justice, which was fully fatisfied, by the high value of the ranfom. But ftill, the benefit procured by it, is wholly free, because Chrift freely offered himself for us, while we were yet in our fins; fo that infinite mercy and juftice are equally concerned in the completion of this act. God accepts the virtue to be obtained through faith in the fecond Adam, as a means, or condition of reconciliation, for the offence of the first man; for the effect of the ransom, is clearly this ;-He hath again put us in a way, or given us a power, to become the fons of God.

And herein, we must repeat, that God's tender love towards the children of men is magnified paft all expreffion; fince, as has been fhewn, even when they had refused his firft protection, and that it was impoffible to renew themselves, he delivered them from the inevitable flavery of fin and death, and provided a remedy for fo defperate a condition; no less than the coming of his well-beloved Son in the flesh, who, according to God's holy purpofe,