our Lord Jesus Christ; and ver. 9. Being justified by his Blood, we shall be saved from Wrath through him. In Tit. iii. 7. That being justified by his Grace, we should be made Heirs, according to the Hope of eternal Life. It appears from the Texts now cited, I. That Men are justified by Faith: And therefore as foon as Sinners truly believe in Chrift, they are justified. 2. That no Persons are justified by a Course of evangelical Obedience persisted in till their Death; for if Juftification was to be obtained in that Way, Men could not be juftified and their Sins pardoned, till that Course of Obedience should be compleated; and till then, they would remain under Condemnation by God's Law, and destitute of the Pardon of their Sins, and of a folid Ground for Peace and Comfort in their Confciences. Miserable Comforters are they who preach such Doctrine; but the Gospel affures us that we are juftified by Faith, that is, as foon as we believe. 3. That they who believe have the Pardon of their Sins, a Discharge from Condemnation, Peace with God, and are made Heirs of God. There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom. viii. 1. The Prediction of the Blessing of Juftification to them who believe, and the Accomplishment of it, shews that fincere Chriftians are brought into a very happy Condition. Before their Faith in Chrift, they were under a dreadful Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishments and Miseries: Not one of their numberless Sins was pardoned; but the wretched Perfons were Objects of God's Wrath and Curse, and G : and they were obnoxious to the Pains of Hell for ever, till they believe. They that remain in a State of Unbelief, and of wilful Difobedience to the Holy, and good God, do remain in a miferable Condition! A Condition, miferable beyond Expression, and beyond Thought; and no Honours, no Dignities, in this World, no stately Houses, no great Estates, no large Poffeffions, nor Heaps of Riches, nor all the Pleasures of Sense, can render their Condition better. In the Midft of the greatest Affluence of earthly Felicities, they are but condemned Malefactors in the Sight of God; and the Lord the Judge of all, may unexpectedly send Death the Executioner to take them away, and remove them to be among the Devils, who are referved in Chains under Darkness against the Judgment of the great Day. But as soon as any Sinner by a Faith unfeigned closes with Christ, be he high or low, or rich, or poor, he is immediately freed from the Guilt of all his Sins; the Sentence of his Condemnation is cancelled; all his Iniquities are forgiven; the Holy, and offended God is at Peace with him, and reconciled to him, and he is justified -- in his Sight. But how is it, that a Sinner is justified? This indeed is a Question, and a Question of the utmost Moment; and the Gospel answers it. That it is by Faith; by Faith as the Instrument, or Means, and by Faith alone. St. Paul fays, not by Works of Righteousness, which we have done. Titus iii. 5. Therefore by the Deeds of the Law, there shall no Flesh be justified in his Sight, (that is in the Sight of God,) for by the Law is the Knowledge of Sin, Rom. iii. 20. as if he had faid, No Man Man by performing the Deeds, which the Law requires, shall be justified; because by examining his Course of Life, and all his Actions by the Law, he will know himself guilty of many Sins, notwithstanding the Number of Duties he may have performed. And ver. 9. the Apostle takes Notice, that they had before proved both Jews, and Gentiles, that they are all under Sin; (that is under the Guilt and Curse of Sin.) But what is Righteousness? It may be replied to this Question, that Righteousness in a rational Creature, Righteousness in a Man is that, Course of Life, and Actions, which consists in the Performance of the Duties he owes to God, to himself, and to his Fellow Creatures, and in a total Abstinence from every Thing, which God has forbidden. If there is a Neglect of any of the Duties commanded, or a Doing any Thing that is forbidden by the Divine Law, that Man's Righteousness is imperfect, and the more numerous his Omiffions of Duty, and his Transgressions are in doing the Things forbidden, the more imperfect it is. If his Righteousness was perfect for a Course of Years, yet that Righteousness could make no Amends for the Sins committed before that Course was begun: But there is no such Thing as a perfect Course of Righteousness performed by any Man through the Space of one Year, or Month, or Day; and an imperfect Righteousness can never make any Man to appear perfectly righteous in the Sight of the Holy God. Therefore no Man can be justified by the Duties he performs. We may well say with the Pfalmist, If thou, Lord, shouldest mark Iniquities, O Lord who hall G2 Stand? frand? Pfal. cxxx. 3. And we may say to God with David. Pfal. cxliii. 1, 2. Hear my Prayer, O Lord! and enter not into Judgment with thy Servant, for in thy Sight shall no Man living be justified, that is by his own Deeds. We have Reason to confefs to God, and fay Ifa. lxiv. 6. we are all as an unclean Thing, and all our Righteousnesses are as filthy Rags. And therefore no Man has any Ground to expect Justification in the Sight of the All feeing God, by his own Righteousness. If we consider the manifold Defects in our Obedience; and how our best Services are polluted with Mixtures of Sin, we shall see abundant Reason to admire the Grace and Goodness of God, in providing another Righteousness for our Juftification; even the Righteousness of his own beloved Son: We shall fee Reason to adore and bless God for appointing Chrift, who had fulfilled all Righteousness to be the End of the Law, for Righteousness to every one that believeth. Rom. Χ. 4. They who go about to establish their own Righteousness, are ignorant of God's Righteousness, the Righteousness which he hath appointed for our Justification, and have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God: As we may conclude from what is faid in ver. 3. and we may also conclude that they have no Interest in it. In Rom. iii. 20, 21. the Apostle after he had concluded, (ver. 20) that by the Deeds of the Law, (that is the Duties performed in Obedience to it,) no Flesh (or no Man) shall be justified in bis Sight, (that is in the Sight of God,) he says in ver. 21. But now the Righteousness of God, (not his Attribute of Righteousness, or Holiness, but the Righteousness, which he appointed for the Justification of the Ungodly, without their Obedi 2 Obedience to the Law, that is, the Righteousness of the Meffiah,) is manifest, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets: and ver. 22. Even the Righteousness of God, which is (received) by Faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them, that believe. Not that the Attribute of God is unto all, and upon all them that believe, but the Righteousness of Christ, which is received by Faith, and imputed to all, and is always upon all them that believe in his Name. We should cherish the same Dispositions in our Souls, which the Apostle expresses in Phil. iii. 8, 9. where he says, Yea, doubtless, and I count all Things but loss, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have fuffered the Loss of all Things, and do count them but Dung, that I may win Christ, 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. I dare not think of appearing before the Holy and All-feeing God, with no better Righteousness than my own; I dare not enter into his Presence clothed only with my own filthy Rags. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before him, with Burnt-Offerings, with Calves of a Year old? Vain Sacrifices. Will the Lord be pleased with Thousands of Rams, or with ten Thousands of Rivers of Oil? No, they are worthless Oblations. Shall I give my First-Born for my Tranfgreffion, the Fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul? Impious Thoughts! As if the Merciful God, who forbid Murder, could be appeafed by murdering human Bodies in Sacrifice to him. Yet there is a fure Way, and a most comfor table Way, for the most guilty Sinner to obtain |