SERMON II. The Chriftian Method of Juftification explained and vindicated. ROMANS, iii. 20-22. By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be juftified in his fight: for by the law is the knowledge of fin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifefted, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteoufness of God which is by faith of Jefus Chrift. To understand the value of a benefit, we must estimate not only its intrinfic amount, but the amount it mitigates or removes. alfo of evil which If a diftreffed man would appreciate the real worth of a donation bestowed upon him; let him confider the mifery from which it refcues his family and himself no lefs carefully than the pofitive comforts which it enables him to procure. If a criminal, I a criminal, restored by the clemency of his fovereign to freedom, would become fenfible of the extent of the gift; in computing the enjoyments of liberty, let him not forget the fuperfeded horrors of a dungeon. On the fame principle ought every man to form his judgement, who is defirous to contemplate in their full importance the mercies of God in the plan of redemption. Together with the state into which he is raised, let him labour to comprehend that from which he is delivered. With the glories of life everlasting, let him contraft the blacknefs of eternal death. It was by this principle that the conduct of the apostle Paul was actuated, when he addreffed his epistle to the Romans. His primary object was to convince them that all mankind, Jews and Gentiles, were alike guilty before God; and could look for pardon and for eternal happiness only through Jesus Christ. St. Paul well knew with what unwillingness men acknowledge a doctrine, which ftands in direct oppofition to the pride of heart fo deeply rooted in our fallen nature. He knew the eagerness, the obftinacy, which we are all disposed to manifeft, in confiding more or less upon our own righteousness; the earnestness with which we ftrain to fhut our eyes against unwelcome conviction; the pains which we employ to twist and explain away the meaning of the Scriptures, in order to escape the humiliating neceffity of confeffing our own utter unworthiness and depravity in the fight of our Lord and Judge. In several of the early chapters therefore of this epiftle, and afterwards in the seventh and the eighth, he dwells with marked anxiety on this most important truth;-that any man who should be tried by his own works, by his own defervings, muft inevitably perish. Until an humble recognition of this truth be extorted from us by a consciousness of our guilt; we never fhall be perfuaded to fly with godly fear and truly penitent hearts to the cross of Christ for falvation. They that are whole, faid our Lord to the self-righteous Pharifees, need not a phyfician; but they that are fick (a). They who are not aware of their spiritual maladies, defpife and reject the Saviour who offers, and who alone is able to heal them. But they whose eyes are opened; they who are penetrated with a true fenfe of their deplorable condition by nature and by tranfgreffion, and feel that they are completely unable to deliver themselves from the juft anger of God; will throw themselves with joy at the feet of their Redeemer, and, with humble and grateful (a) Luke, v. 3!. hearts, hearts, will accept the bleffings which he offers to bestow. They will receive him as their Lord; they will adore him as their Saviour they, under the guidance of the Spirit of grace, will believe in Him, will love Him, and will keep his commandments. They will walk in Chrift Fefus, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit: and to them there will be no condemnation (b). It shall be my endeavour, in the present difcourfe, to explain to you, from several diftinct confiderations, the nature, and the tranf cendent mercy, of justification through Christ. I. Confider, in the first place, the inherent and perfect and neceffary holiness of the divine law. What is the view which the Scriptures difplay of the perfections of Him who gave the law? God is eternal: He is allpowerful: He knoweth all things: He is every where prefent: He is the Author and Giver of all good. But is there not yet another attribute of the Godhead; an attribute of primary concern to man? Of the perfections which the Scriptures afcribe to God, the most glorious is perfect holinefs. Hear on this fubject the dictates of (b) Rom. viii. 1. Infpiration. Infpiration. The Lord our God'is holy. Holy and reverend is his Name. There is none bolj as the Lord. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, glorious in bolinefs! Thou only, O Lord, art boly. God is pure, and every word of God is pure. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. God cannot be. tempted with evil (c). When Chrift, on the evening which preceded his crucifixion, opened the fulness of his heart before God; he addreffed Him by the name of Righteous Father, Holy Father (d). When Isaiah in his vifion faw the Seraphim ftanding before the throne of Jehovah, and covering their faces with their wings from the glory of his prefence; he heard them crying one to another, with voices which fhook the pillars of the temple, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hofts (e). When St. John beheld the four living creatures, the representatives of an innumerable company of Saints, furrounding the throne of the Omnipotent; he heard them pour forth in the fame language their never-ceafing praises. They reft not day and night, faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty (ƒ). 1 Since God then is a God of perfect holiness; the laws which he gives to his creatures must (t) Lev. xix. 2. Pf. cxi. 9. 1 Sam. ii. 2. Rev. xv. 4. James, i. 13. vi. 3. : Prov. xxx. 5 · 1 John, iii. 3. (f) Rev. iv, 8. Exod. xv. 11. Pf. cxlv. 17. (e) Ifaiah, neceffarily |