-Secondly, what is implied in this affertion, eternal life is the gift of God.

Firft, it plainly implies that eternal life is not conferred on mankind as the reward or recompence of any acts or performances of their own. The notion of its being a reward or recompence, is fo utterly excluded by this declaration, that little need be faid to illuftrate it. In this cafe there would be no oppofition between the parts of the apostle's discourse; eternal life would be as much the wages of men's righteousness, as eternal death of their unrighteoufnels. Whereas it is manifeft, that it is the apoftles intention to fhow, that things are directly otherwife. If eternal life be a reward or compen fation for any duties, works or fervices, furely it cannot be ftiled the gift of God. The fcriptures never fpeak in this manner; they do not call that a gift which is a recompence of fome virtuous performances or works of our own. If we acquire any thing by our obedience to the gofpel, it is in consequence of the establishment of the covenant of grace, and not for the value of the obedience in itself confidered.

Secondly, it implies that eternal life is not conferred upon any finners, as a confideration for their works of righteoufnefs. That God beftows eternal life on finners without any respect to their merits or worthiness, is not a doctrine easily admitted by a blind world. Many are ready to fay of this, as the Jews faid of another doctrine of christianity, "This is a hard fay"ing, who can bear it?" Many are averfe to the method of falvation by free grace, or receiving it as a free gift of God; they cannot bear it, neither do they derive any enjoyment or pleasure from fuch a doctrine. This is the evil temper of many secure finners. Some feem to think that the falvation of the gospel will afford them happinefs in heaven, when they feel it neither gives them pleasure nor enjoyment upon carth. They dream of falvation with all imaginable coldness and in

difference here, while delufively they hope, that hereafter it will raise them to heavenly transports. If falvation by grace through Jesus Christ has no effect to warm and animate our fouls in love and gratitude to God, to afford us pleasure and delight now, it will produce no fuch effect hereafter. It is a true obfervation, that grace is glory begun, that the first fruits of heaven grow in the prefent ftate.

Thirdly, it implies, that God beftows eternal life of his own mere motion and grace. When it is affirmed to be the gift of God, less than this cannot be intended. The very idea of a gift is, that it is of pure grace and pleasure. If the perfon on whom the benefit is conferred, has acquired any right to the matter given-if he can demand it on any personal footing whatever-if the withholding it would be unjuft, hard, or improper treatment of him, then it ceafeth to be a gift, it is a debt. That can never be justly confidered a gift to any, which he can claim as his proper due; which on account of any thing performed by him, he has a right to demand or expect. Wherever there is a perfonal pretenfion to a benefit, the bestowment of it cannot be of grace, and what is not of grace cannot be a gift.

But what above all things manifefts that eternal life is the gift of God, beltowed upon all the fubjects of it, is of perfectly free grace-is, that Jefus Chrift is the gift of God. "He gave "his only begotten Son," he fent him into the world to be the Saviour of finners, of his own mere grace and good pleasure. There can be no hefitation on this point. For men certainly could do nothing to procure a grant that was made before their exiftence. Now if God of his own mere motion and grace gave his Son to finners, the bestowment of eternal life must be of his mere grace and pleafure alfo. The reafon of this confequence lies here; that eternal life was wholly purchafed by Chrift for dinners. If not wholly purchafed by him

then the remainder must be purchased by finners themselves and thus it is not the gift of God, but a matter at least in part of their own procurement. But this is not only a flat contradiction of our text, but it runs in an opposite direction to the whole current of facred writ. Nothing can be more certain than that God gave Jefus Christ to finners of his own mere motion and grace, for this very purpose to purchase eternal life for them, and he actually purchased it; then eternal life to them must be the fovereign gift of God.

Here it will be faid that eternal life is conferred upon perfons of peculiar qualifications, they are penitents, believers, lovers of God and holy perfons. But are not thefe qualifications tempers and difpofitions, parts of that life and bleffednefs which are to be perfected at death? They are not something of a different kind, but of the fame effence and the very beginnings of it. They are what is ftiled spiritual life. And spiritual and eternal life are of the fame nature, only differing in degrees; the latter is the perfection and confummation of the former. These qualifications, love, faith, holinefs &c. which are neceffary to all who fhall inherit eternal life, are as much the gift of God, bestowed of his own mere motion and grace, as heaven, everlafting blessedness, or any branch of gospel falvation whate

ver.

The third enquiry is, how eternal life is the gift of God thro Jefus Christ our Lord.

Jefus Chrift did and fuffered every thing neceflary in order that finners might be partakers of it. His mediation is the foundation and procuring cause of this bleffednefs. Had it not been for this, eternal life would have never been given to any of the fallen race of man. He purchased it for them.--But it is given through Chrift in the following refpects.

First, Jefus Chrift by his humiliation and atonement redeemed finners from eternal death. All were liable to this from the nature of the penalty affixed to the law violated by man. He redeemed them from the curfe being made a curfe for them. He fuffered the punishment they had incurred. He drunk the cup of trembling, which divine juftice would have put into their hands, and obliged them to have wrung out the bitter dregs thereof. He knew what an awful thing it was to bear the wrath of God for fin. His foul was fo exceed. ingly affected herewith, that he earnestly prayed to his Father that if it were poffible this cup might pafs from him. O! what ineffable love and grace are here, that the fon of God should fuffer for the fins of men?

Secondly, Jefus Chrift fulfilled the conditions of eternal life; thofe conditions which create a little to it according to the divine conftitution. He fulfilled them in the most complete and perfect manner. There is not one left unfulfilled. Were there but one left for us to fulfil, we might defpair forever. Thus he is made of God unto finners, wifdom, and righteoufnefs, and fanctification, and redemption. He is all in all to them.

Thirdly, "It is through Jefus Christ our Lord," becaufe God gives eternal life only for his fake. He has respect in this vouchfafement to nothing only what Jesus Christ hath done. Thus fpeak the fcriptures, "He hath bleffed us with "all fpiritual bleflings in Chrift. He hath made us accepted "in the beloved." Yea, they are every where fo full and explicit on this head, that there would be no end of retailing the authorities in fupport of it.

A brief improvement will conclude this difcourfe.

The first inference from this doctrine is, that there is ground of hope for the moft guilty and forlorn finner, that he may be the fubject of eternal life. This hope is not founded upon any thing in himself, or any works or virtues of his own to recommend him to the divine favour. It does not arise from his being of a better temper and difpofition than others, for all thefe qualifications are excluded by the declaration of its being the gift of God. It is a free and unmerited gift; a gift of mere grace; a gift through Chrift and for his fake. This is fufficient to preferve the chief of finners from defpair; the finner who is moft deeply penetrated with a fenfe of his aggravated finfulness and guilt, and this is the only doctrine which can fupport or bring comfort to his foul. As to thofe who are at ease in Zion, any thing can afford them fatisfaction. They can reft the iffue of eternity upon a fanciful mercy in God of which they have no understanding; they can fupport their hope upon the foundation of their honeft dealings their good purposes, their unblameable lives and their fair profeffions. But where the law comes home to their confciences and they feel themfelves flain thereby, fee with what a God they have to do, what an awful thing fin is, and what rotten rags their beft righteoufnefs are to appeafe the wrath of Jehovah, and feel that they can do nothing towards their salvation, they will find all their prefent hopes delufion, and will be like the giving up of the ghoft; and no doctrine will be able to keep them from abfolute defpair but this, that falvation is the mere gift of God through Jefus Chrift. Sinners do, and will try a thoufand fchemes to fave themselves, but all will prove as an Egyptian reed, fave this. O finners, look to the free gift of God through Chrift Jefus for eternal life. This is also the only fupport of a believers hope; this is his encourage. ment, confolation, and ground of his rejoicing. It is the faith and feeling of this doctrine, that influences him to gird up the loins of his mind, to run and not be weary, to walk and