turn to us empty, but soon bring down such a blessing upon us, and ours, as should turn our declining autumn, in a spiritual sense, into a promising spring. Would any gladly know the principal cause of those many grey hairs, in a spiritual sense, which, in town and country, are upon persons professing godliness, upon families and churches? I should return this short answer: The promise of the Spirit is not pleaded, as it ought to be, by us of the New Testament; neither do we desire and expect him, under his New Testament character, which is that of Christ's glorifier; He shall glorify me, says Christ. Christ's glorifier, being our Teacher, Sanctifier, and Comforter, should encourage all the followers of the Lamb to wait and to watch for him, more than they who watch for the morning; and to look up as duly as the morning light appears, for a fresh anointing, to enable them, becomingly, like God's pardoned and justified ones, to perform the duties, to bear the burdens, and to resist the temptations of every day. This is the way to be filled with his comforts, and with his fruits; such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, with which the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, should abound, that he may be glorified.

SERMON III

GAL. ii. 16.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ; even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

THE Gospel is deservedly called the glorious Gospel of the blessed God; "According to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, which is committed to my trust,"

1 Tim. i. 11. For, according to it, such as believe are made partakers of a Divine nature in their regeneration, are made the righteousness of God in their justification, and bear the image of the heavenly Adam as to their sanctification; they are one spirit with the Lord whilst on earth, and are to be for ever with him above in heaven. These are some of the principal parts of that great salvation, which is brought to light in the Gospel: whence it is plain, that Adam, at the head of a covenant of works, with this world under his feet, was no more than the morning star; the shine of which is very inconsiderable, if compared with Christ, the Sun of righteousness. The first Adam, bright as he might be, in his first rising, soon set in dismal darkness, which has covered the earth ever since; whereas Christ, the second Adam, is so risen in the first promise, as never to set, but has filled both Testaments with his glory; and thus he rises, never to set in the hearts of all the saints, whom he will bring off more than conquerors above in glory. Now, as of all the organs of the body, the eye is best suited to take in the beauty of this lower world; so is faith, of all the graces of the Spirit, best suited to take in the glory of Christ.-This leads me to the fourth thing I proposed.

4. I shall say something concerning the use of faith in the business of a sinner's justification before God. That we are justified by faith, is incontestibly a Scripture phrase; it is twice used in the words of my text, and very often elsewhere; especially in the New Tes tament, where we are told, that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness," Rom. iv. 5, that is, to the obtaining of righteousness, as the preposition directs us to interpret it; and that "it shall be thus imputed to all who believe," ver. 24. The conclusion drawn by the Apostle, in that short, but excellent discourse, concerning a sinner's justification before God, in the third chapter of his epistle to the Romans, is very remarkable; "Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law," chap. iii. 28, which Scripture phrase is

not only repeated, but doubled, in the next verse, save one;"Seeing it is one God who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith," ver. 30, and is lifted up like a standard in the beginning of the next chapter; "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ," chap. v. 1, who is said to be "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," chap. x. 4, whose righteousness, though it was wrought out, and is laid up with Christ for us, before we believe, is no where spoken of in Scripture, as being to and upon us, till such time as we believe; " But now the righteousness of God, without the law, is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, to all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference," Rom. iii. 21, 22. It is not here said, that the comfort flowing from this righteousness is within such as believe, which sometimes is, and at other times is not, but that the righteousness itself is upon them. Thus often is this phrase used by the Apostle, in his epistle to the Romans.

It is also as often used by him, in his epistle to the erring Galatians; twice, as has been observed in the words of my text, and oftener in the following chapter; "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness," Gal. iii. 6. "And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Heathen through faith," ver. 8, which is as good as repeated: so then they who be of faith, that is, who are justified by faith, are blessed with faithful Abraham," Gal. iii. 9. As is that other phrase," But that no man is justified by the law, in the sight of God, is evident; for the just shall live by faith," ver. 11. He goes on to tell us, in the same chapter, that "the Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe," ver. 22, and that "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith," ver. 24. He unbosoms himself, and lays open the desires

of his own heart in this weighty affair, in his Epistle to the Philippians; "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith," Phil. iii. 9. In which place he not only desires to have the peace and comfort which flow from this righteousness, but the righteousness itself, which is by faith; so that to be justified by faith is a Scripture phrase.

But we no where read of being justified for our faith, nor of our being justified before faith; neither of these are Scripture phrases; they who should use 'them, would teach in words never used by Christ, and his Apostles, in teaching doctrines which must be expressed in new words, and not in those wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which fill both Testaments. How empty, even of sense, would my text be, were its language thus changed? "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but before the faith of Jesus Christ; we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified before we be lieve." And how empty of the Gospel should we read them, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but for the faith of Jesus Christ; even we have believed in Christ, that we might be justified for our faith in Christ ?"-It is, doubtless, safest, as in walk and worship, so in words, and phrases, to keep close to the rule of Scripture, and in the things of God, to speak as do the oracles of God; which no Arian or Arminian ever did, or can do. All new schemes call for a new Bible, and errors of all sorts coin new words and phrases. What the heart is in the body, which is first formed, and first moves, that is faith in the new creation; it is first formed, as it were, or at least is first actuated, and drawn forth towards Christ, as he is God's salvation. Regeneration therefore is, for the comfort of babes in Christ, described by the lowest act of faith unfeigned; "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God," John v. 2. which new birth,

small as it may appear at the first to be, though but like the dawn of the morn, is the kingdom of God within us.

The use and office of faith, in the business of a sinner's justification before God, is not to piece out the glorious robe of Christ's suretiship imputed righteousness; but the faith of the operation of God, points out the persons for whom this righteousness is designed by the Father, and was wrought out by the Son; which may be said of a work of grace in general, and belongs to faith in common with other graces. Faith therefore has a farther office, or is of farther use in our justification; for it is as the eye of the new creature, by the realizing acts of which the soul takes in the suitableness and worth of the wedding garment, which appears to be rather a rag, or a cobweb, than a robe to the most knowing of the children of men, till faith is wrought. It is also the new creature's hand, by which it receives and puts on this garment of salvation, so perfumed with love, the folds of which are so full of grace and truth; the gift of righteousness, as it is called, Rom. v. 17. must have a hand to receive it; and the robe of righteousness, which is the name given it, Isa. Ixi. 10. must be put on, and wore before God: They who, under a sense of sin, are summoned by the court of conscience to appear before God, as a Judge, must have something to plead with, and before his Majesty. Now, as Christ's righteousness is our alone effectual plea for pardon and acceptance, so faith is as the lip of the new creature, by which this righteousness is with all humility urged and pleaded. To do which we are encouraged by Scripture declarations, calls and commands, as well as by examples, and are heard, though it is done by us, as with stammering, as well as with trembling lips.-Faith is also as the ear of the new creature, by which the awakened, quickened soul listens to the Lord Jesus Christ, calling upon the very chief of sinners to forsake their sins, and all refuges of lies, and hiding places of falsehood, and to look to him as the only finisher of sin, and fulfiller of