2. In a law-fenfe, the perfons to be juftified are the righteous, whether confidered as fuch, or lying under false accufation: In both which cafes, the law lying not against, not juftly charging them with any thing contrary to it, they are juftified by it. But in a gospelfenfe, which is the fenfe of the text, and that we shall now confider it in, it is not to be pronounced righteous according to the law; but to be abfolved and freed from the guilt and punishment of fin. Similar to which, the Apoftle, after proving (from the tenth to the eigh teenth verfe of the third chapter) that all have finned, and in confequence thereof, that every mouth is ftopped, cut off from boafting, and all the world become guilty before GOD; whence inferring the impoffibility of being juftified by the law (vid. 20.); he adds, "But now the righteousness of GOD without the "law is manifefted, being witneffed by the law and "the prophets; even the righteousness of God, which

isby faith of JESUS CHRIST." (vid. 22.) "Whom "God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through "faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs for "the remiffion of fins that are paft: To declare, I "fay, at this time his righteoufnefs, that he might be "juft, and the juftifier of him who believeth in JESUS. "Therefore we conclude that a man is juftified by "faith without the deeds of the law." (vid. 28.)

3. To render this doctrine obvious to all, and give it weight with the Jews in particular; and, not to reft it wholly on the Apoftle's reafoning, however fufficient to fupport it, but that, if poffible, they might have a more convincing proof of its truth and importance, he produces, in the fourth chapter, two unexceptionable evidences to confirm his affertion; which

be

he introduces with, "What faith the fcripture?" Pertinently replying, (vid. 3.) " Abraham believed GOD, "and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Which righteoufnefs, received by believing, he oppofeth to that which is fought by the law; fhewing that the one is the effect of unmerited favour, and the other the refult of duty done. This is the purport of

the fourth and fifth verfes:." Now to him that work"eth, is the reward not reckoned of grace," or, as à free gift, "but of debt," as due to the worker for what he hath done. "But to him that worketh not, "but believeth on him who juftifieth the ungodly, his

faith is counted for righteousness." His faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, is accepted of GoD as a full discharge of paft duty, an equivalent to all that he required in the preceding part of man's life. And to corroborate the teftimony of Abraham, and give full fatisfaction in this affair, he cites from the thirty-fecond Pfalm, a more ftriking inftance of evidence, where David describes the bleffedness of the man unto whom GOD imputes righteoufnefs without works, faying, "Blessed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and whose fins are covered. Bleffed is the man "to whom the Lord will not impute fin*."

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4. Now thefe evidences being defigned to ferve the fame purpose; to prove, confirm, and illuftrate this one doctrine, the one is to be understood by the other. The controverted fenfe of imputeth righteousness, is, in this place, fully determined by the fimple and obvious meaning of the forgiveness of fins: The fenfe of both being evidently the fame. By the joint teftimony of whom, the doctrine of juftification is fixed on a bafis

* Rom. iv. 7, 8.

bafis fufficient to fuftain it, inasmuch as they afford an experimental aid, being perfon lly favoured with the bleffings they were produced to prove, themselves being thus juftified: By believing the truth as exhibited to their fenfe and understanding, and by depending on the fincerity and fufficiency of the promifer, they received falvation. And thefe, the Apoftle represents as the pattern of all believers. For the text being a recapitulation of the context, of the doctrine contained in and confirmed by the preceding chapters, they explain and fix the true meaning of it: They indicate with demonftrative evidence, that fin being the tranfgreffion of the law, by which man is rendered unjust, (and effects do not ceafe while their caufe remains) that to be justified is to be forgiven and made free from the confequences of fin. But this forgiveness has refpect only to the fins which are paft, because it is obtained by perfonal faith; which infers the existence of that for which faith is, before faith itself; but future fins do not exift: As fuch, they can be no object of prefent faith; confequently it only concerns thofe fins which, previous to the time of believing, have been committed. This is also evident from the manner of its being apprehended; pardon pre-fuppofing both fin and a sense of it, as it is a guilty fenfe of fin which prompts to, or is the principal inducement to believe and feek for the forgivenefs of it. But there is no fenfe of that which is not, of fins uncommitted, fo they are no object of faith, nor included in the forgiveness obtained by it. But pardon, apprehended and obtained by believing, extending to or including all the fins which are paft, 'tis with great propriety filed a being juftified freely and from all things.

† A&ts xiii. 39,

(2.)

(2.) I fhall now attempt to point out the neceffity of this doctrine, in reference to mankind.

1. And as man is a reasonable creature, and poffeffed of a moral quality of mind, he is defigned as well for religious as civil fervice. Hence the Almighty has enacted a law, and made it the rule of his duty in refpect to both civil and religious life; the nature and properties of which are fpecified in terms intelligible and eafy to be understood. "For we know (faith. St. Paul) that the law is fpiritual §." This is the nature of it: It has a fpiritual as well as corporal fense; and, as fuch, extends to and refpects both the heart and life, taking cognizance of all that paffes there, "being a difcerner of the thoughts and intents of the "heart," and a fcrutinizer of the whole conduct and converfation alfo. And, its moral qualities (for the law is holy, and the commandment holy, juft, and good) running parallel with its extent, it requires complete holiness; and cenfures and condemns what ever is contrary to, and fhort of its true meaning.

2. The law then being fpiritual, moral, and univerfal, and the rule by which every one who is under it should govern his life, and by which he muft be tried at the last day; it is neceffary, to prevent decep tion, to know it and judge by it, that fin may be manifefted, may appear in its proper colours. Agreea ble to which, it is faid, "I had not known fin but by "the law. For I was alive once without the law: "But when the commandment came fin revived, and "I died." When the commandment was applied by the fpirit of GOD to his conduct and confcience, fin

Rom. vii. 14. Heb. iv. 13.

revived,

revived, was ftirred up and exposed to view, and appearing exceeding finful, he was found guilty, and fentenced to eternal death; "for the wages of fin is "death*."

3. And forafmuch as every fin is a tranfgreffion of the law, it indicates that fin of any fort and degree subjects to punishment. The certainty of this arifes from the nature of laws in general, all which require exact conformity to, and militate against every deviation from them. As fuch, as it is not neceffary to break all, or moft, or more than one branch of the capital laws of a land, in order to be punished with death; neither is it needful to violate more than-one of the many commands of the Moft High, to incur his difpleasure, and become fubjects of eternal fire: For,

the foul that fins thall die;" and "curfed is every "one who continueth not in all things which are "written in the book of the law to do them." And if one fin renders a foul guilty, and subjects it to the difpleasure of the Deity, how much more a whole life of fin? Seeing the Judge of all the earth will do right, will reward every one according to his works, proportionable will the punishment be to the number as well as to the nature of the crimes committed. And that no work of man which has original fin for its root, which fprings from that impure principle, and after the commiffion of fin in a palpable violation of God's righte ous law, and before juftification from it, is pleasant and acceptable to GOD, is evident; forafmuch as they fpring not of that faith in JESUS CHRIST, which gives intereft in the favour, which reconciles finners to GOD, and renders both their perfons and perform

Rom. vi. 23. Gal. iii. 10.

ances