SERM. oufness, and going about to establish their own VII. righteousness, have not fubmitted themselves un

to the righteoufnefs of God, Rom. x. 3. Their own righteoufnefs was their fulfillment of the ceremonial law, wherein they were fcrupulously exact, even to the minuteft circumftance of tithing mint, annife, and cummin, and the most inconfiderable ceremony of washing pots, and tables. But if we confider the whole strain of the apostle's doctrine in his epiftle to the Romans and Galatians, where juftification by the law is fet in direct oppofition to juftification by faith, in the blood of Chrift, and the former, or the pretence of righteousness by works, pronounceth vanity on Christ's death, that juftification by works, and by grace are utterly inconsistent, the one establisheth our claim to a reward as a debt, the other utterly disclaimeth it, and excludeth boafting; if, I fay, we confider this, it would feem that it is not only obedience to the ceremonial law, to which the gospel doth not attribute our juftification, but the moral law alfo; for as it is declared univerfally, that no flesh fhall be justified by the Law, comprehending the Gentiles who never were under the Mofaic inftitutions, as well as the Jews; and that because by the law is the knowledge of fin, which certainly is to

be

be ascribed to the moral precepts rather than SERM. the levitical rites; fo it cannot be conceived VII. that the defign of christianity was to put the blood of Chrift in the room of the ceremo→ nies, that faith in it fhould stand only instead of that claim to acceptance which the Jews had by their law, which is now abrogated; but rather that Chrlft died to afcertain more favourable terms for all men, of whatever nation, who fhall receive him, and fubmit to his law of faith. Since, then, as the apostle fpeaketh, the law was fo weak that it could not give life, fince by an exact conformity to it we could not hope to be accepted, it hath pleafed God, in the gospel, to publish righteousness by faith, through Jefus Chrift. But how are we to understand this? Not as if affent to the truth of the gofpel were fufficient instead of obedience to the divine precepts, nor confident reliance on the obedience of Chrift, and the merit of his death and paffion, which is fo to be accounted ours, as if we had fulfilled the law in our own perfons; which is not as far as I can fee, any part of the gospel notion of faith.

If we confider the general tenor of the fcripture declarations on this fubject, it will appear, that God hath in great mercy to mankind offered the forgiveness of fins moft gracious

upon

SERM. terms; that instead of infifting on an exact VII. conformity to his laws, as the condition of

acceptance, which in a more perfect ftate of human nature, might have been highly reafonable, he hath now in great compaffion, through Jefus Chrift, published a new law, whereby the rigor of the firft is abated, and more favourable conditions are proposed. What can this in the nature of the thing be, but that a lefs perfect, even a fincere obedience, is accepted, fuch as we are able in this state of infirmity to perform? We are conftantly taught by Chrift and his apostles, nay, and by Mofes and the prophets, though less clearly, that of his mercy God faveth finners, and we are to approach him with confidence, (indeed, in his grace) if our hearts condemn us not for infincerity, but with contrition, remembering our offences and failures. Confequently it is not any thing else instead of obedience, any perfect righteousness imputed to us by which we are juftified, for then we fhould not have a requeft to the mercy of God for our acceptance, but a demand upon his justice; and whatever obligation we might have to our furety, we fhould have none to our judge, who would in that cafe be fupposed to have exacted the laft farthing, and to be pleafed only with an equivalent or bet

ter

ter price to his justice, than what our utmost SER M. punishment would be. And as thus the VII. fcripture reprefentation of our acceptance, that it is wholly of grace, leadeth us to acknowledge that the terms of it are repentance, and a fincere though imperfect obedience, which I have already fhewn you are included in believing; fo, if we confider the moral perfections of God, they will direct us to the fame conclufion; for if the Deity be infinitely good and holy, a lover of virtue or moral rectitude, what can we imagine he will approve or accept in his reasonable creatures but the goodness of their affections, and their behaviour, their integrity and conformity to his own moft righteous nature and will? Can: it ever enter into our hearts, that he will distinguish them in his regards by confiderations entirely foreign to this, or reckon any thing to them as their obedience that isnot really fo?

;

It is therefore what the apostle calleth the bedience of faith, which is counted to us for righteousness; that believing, as I have: explained it, which comprehendeth all thofe good difpofitions and affections which are neceffary to it, with its genuine fruits. Thus we fhall find the doctrine of the New Testament, upon the head of righteousness, con

04

fiftent

SERM. fiftent and uniform; and the apostles St. Paul VII. and St. James teach us in effect the fame

thing, when the one faith, that we are justified by faith without the works of the law; the other, that a man is juftified not by faith only, but by works also. The former meaneth, that the obfervance of the ceremonial law will not render finners acceptable to God; to this purpofe circumcifion availeth no more than uncircumcifion; facrifices, abftinence from certain meats, and the observation of days, will never make any compenfation to the Deity for disobedience to his moral precepts, never make men worthy of his favour; not only fo, in this state of imperfection when all have finned and fallen fhort of the glory of God, we cannot be accepted upon the terms of a finless conformity to his law, but upon the condition of believing, that is, obeying the gospel fincerely. Thus it is that faith and works ftand in direct oppofition. But St. James joineth them together in another sense; that is, the works which are its genuine fruits, and which elsewhere in. fcripture are included in faith itself.

Having thus explained to you the duty of believing, or the commandment of God, that we believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, we may from thence learn the nature and the guilt of that fin, which is called un