light works done after faith received, are to be viewed: we have seen what the Apostle means by justifying the ungodly; and we have seen that a man is justified, that is, pardoned and accepted, solely and entirely by believing, trusting, or relying upon what Christ has done and suffered for him in his room and stead. If these positions be analogous to the whole tenour of Scripture, which they most assuredly are; if they afford the greatest encouragement to the vilest transgressors to come to Christ, and give the greatest joy and peace to those who have with the heart embraced them; why are they not universally received? The mystery lies within ourselves; a proud, hard, self-exalting heart of unbelief is the only hinderance. Lord, put a new spirit within us; take away the stony heart, and give us an heart of flesh; we shall not then be startled at apparent contradictions, nor rage like a "wild bull in a net," against the doctrine of a full and free salvation by the alone

merits of God's dear Son. We shall, on the contrary, with humility, love, and gratitude, accept of justification by faith alone, without any mixture of our own imperfect and defiled services, as that scheme which most manifests the glory of all the attributes of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and exalts us in Christ as our head and representative, to be kings and priests for ever.

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SERMON XXX.

JOB, XXII. 21.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at

peace.

CAN any, by searching, find out God? Can any find out the Almighty unto perfection? To give an answer to these questions we can be at no loss. Finite capacities can never understand infinity; and we are finite, God is infinite. To endeavour to understand God and to know him in all things, would not be less absurd, than for a child to try to measure the wide circuit of heaven with

his infant grasp. In every point of view in which we can contemplate God, he is infinite; he cannot be explored; he cannot be found out unto perfection. He is infinitely holy, infinitely wise, in

finitely just, infinitely good: in a word, all his attributes or perfections are interminable, no possible limit can be assigned them.

But though we cannot perfectly understand God, or find him out unto perfection, can we know nothing of him? Is he entirely hid from our view? Is he involved in impenetrable darkness? Can we gain no satisfactory ideas, no consolatory knowledge, of the Cause of all causes, the Being of all being, the independent self-existent God? Much, very much of God, and his works and his ways, may be known by the humble and diligent inquirer after him; otherwise the passage contained in the words of my text, together with a great number more in the sacred pages, would be a dead letter. Being enjoined to acquaint ourselves with God (for God is the Being spoken of in the text), we may rest satisfied, that not only something, yea every thing that is necessary for our happiness here and hereafter, may be

!

known of him; but that it is, moreover, our bounden duty to know as much of him, and to acquaint ourselves as intimately with him as possible. And the conse quence of a right knowledge of him is of the most satisfactory and comfortable nature; namely, peace-peace here, in sure and certain hope of peace hereafter, that shall suffer no interruption for ever and ever. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace; now at this present moment set about knowing all you can of God: for the future may not be allowed you: and be at peace; take all the comfort the knowledge you have of God affords you as to peace now and for ever.

The creation of all things manifests his eternal power and Godhead, as the Apostle Paul observes, speaking of the heathen nations; "for the invisible things of God," says he, "from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God