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Christ is not their righteousness; nor is he, nor need he be made righteousness to them. If it be, that pardons are thus absolutely bestowed on any of our guilty race, there might have been all the same grounds, for aught we can see, for the salvation of sinners, as those on which it is actually bestowed, had Christ never came into the world and died:-The law, as a rule by which, and according to the spirit of which, morał creatures are to be, either acquitted, or condemned, is, as to them, perfectly set aside.

BUT it may be said, that sinners are pardoned and saved on their repentance and return to obedience; and, therefore, though the doctrine of the Divinity and atonement of Christ be given up, it cannot, with propriety be said, that no regard is had to the honor and righteousness of the law, in their pardon and salvation-That, sufficient honor is done, and respect paid to it, when the offender acknowledges its righteousness, condemns himself for transgressing, and returns to obedience. In reply to this, it is to be observed, that, if any regard be had, in this case, to any righteousness whatever, it must be to the sinner's own--the righteousness of his repentance and return to obedience. That this should be considered, either as the righteousness of the law, or doing honor to it, must imply, that the law condemns sinners only on condition of their persisting and dying in impenitence. On no other construction of the law of God than this, can the sinner's repentance and return to obedience be considered, either as doing any sufficient honor to the law, or fulfilling its righteousness. That sinners of mankind are saved, and restored to the favor of God on account of any personal righteousness ever found in them, naturally leads to this construction of that holy law of God, which curseth every one, who does not continue in all things written in the book of it, to do them. If, on the other hand, the holy law of God makes perfect,

sinless holiness the only condition of our inheriting his favor; it must be undeniable, that no righteousness of a sinner can be the ground of his being saved from the execution of that curse, which he has incurred:-For the righteousness of a sinner, be it ever so perfect in its kind, can be the righteousness of no law, but such an one, as is satisfied and sufficiently honored by his repentance, and consequently, of none, but what makes persevering, final impenitence, the only ground of condemnation to punishment.

BUT if the import of that moral law, under which God has placed us, be no other, than that they, who persist in disobedience, and die in impenitence, shall suffer its curse; it is a clear case, that the repenting, returning sinner has, neither incurred, nor deserves it. He does not come within that description, which alone subjects to the curse. There can be no occasion, therefore, for any atonement to be made for him, or for any other righteousness than his own, to open a way for him to the favor of God. We observe,

II. THAT, if sinners are pardoned and saved any otherwise than through the atonement and righteousness of Christ, there will be no evidence, that their salvation is by grace.

THAT the salvation of sinners is wholly by grace is a doctrine most clearly and fully taught in the gospel. It is so expressly asserted, on a great variety of occa sions, in the New Testament, as to render it unnecessary to recite any particular passage. Though all, who profess to believe the gospel, will acknowledge, that the salvation of sinners must be by grace; many, however, entertain very different ideas of the nature and import of that grace, by which sinners are saved. It will be necessary, therefore, to ascertain, if we can, the Scriptural, idea of the term, when it is used to ex

press the greatness of divine goodness and mercy, which are exercised in the salvation of sinners.

HERE, then, it is to be observed, that the term grace, when it is used in the holy Scriptures, to express that divine love and goodness, which are exercised in pardoning and saving sinners, does not mean the bestowment of favor and blessings exceeding any proper merit in the object, or the worth of any service performed; but, it means favor to the ill-deserving blessings and good conferred on such as merit nothing but evil at the hand of God. It is essential to the Scriptural ideas of grace, that the object of favor and blessings, deserves curses and evil.-Only such as deserve the wrath and curse of God, can be the objects of God's saving mercy and grace,

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IN proof of this, it is to be observed, that the apostle, treating on the doctrine of our justification by faith, tells us, Rom. iv. 4, 5, "Now to him that "worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of "debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth “ on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is count"ed for righteousness." And again further, verse 16, still treating on the same subject, he observes, "Therefore it is by faith, that it might be by grace." When there is no defect of obedience, the reward is there said to be of debt. Thus it is to the holy angels, who never sinned. And, thus it would have been to our first parents, had they never transgressed. A reward bestowed agreeably to a covenant or promise, for services and obedience, however far it may exceed the worth and value of the service, is yet, in the language and estimation of scripture, of debt. But a reward by grace invariably means favor shewed to the ungodly-blessings and good bestowed on those, who deserve nothing but evil at the hand of God. So, also, if the virtue and obedience of a sinner, be the

consideration on which he is received into the favor of God, and treated as righteous; his justification is evi dently not by grace, but the reverse. For the apostle, speaking of the way in which Abraham was justified, says that, if it were by works, he hath whereof to glo ry. In the like distinguishing manner he speaks of the salvation of sinners, Ephes. ii. 8, 9. "For by grace are ye saved, through faith-not of works, "lest any man should boast." Abraham would have had whereof to boast, had he been received to favor and justified on account of any obedience of his own.

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THESE observations are sufficient to determine the sense of the word grace when it is used to express the goodness of God in the salvation of sinners, on one hand; and, the nature of the consideration on which this salvation is conferred, on the other.

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THAT the wisdom of grace in the salvation of sin ners will be, at least, greatly obscured, if the atonement and righteousness of Christ are not the great and only consideration on account of which such mercy is bestowed, appears thus, viz.

1. THE evidence of grace in the salvation of any one; must be in proportion fo the evidence there is of his guilt and ill-desert. Grace can be seen no farther Should any

than the ill-desert of its object is seen. of the human race be saved, without public evidence, at the same time, exhibited of their desert of the dis pleasure and anger of God; it could not be evident, that their salvation is by grace: Nor, of course, could they be to the praise of the glory of divine grace. Admitting, it may be known to God, that they are saved by grace; still, there being no public evidence or manifestation of it, a great and important end, which God evidently has in view, in the salvation of sinners, would be unattained; and, the heavenly host

could not ascribe that glory and praise to God, which are justly due to him for his wonderful mercy and grace. If grace be the bestowment of good, where only evil is deserved-and this be necessarily implied in scriptural ideas of grace; it must be obvious, that grace can no further appear, than the guilt of the object appears. It must, also follow, that the degree of grace in the salvation of the sinner, must be estimated by the degree of ill-desert, which appears in him. If there be but little visibility of his desert of evil, the grace, by which he is saved, must appear proportionably small. Where there is no visibility or evidence of guilt in the object of divine favor there can be no evidence, that any good he receives is of grace.

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2. THE estimate, which God forms of the character of any one, it must be admitted, affords the best and only sure rule, by which we are to estimate it. God is the Judge. He judges righteous judgment-Estimates characters and actions truly and righteously→→ There can be no error in him. That this is the best and only sure rule by which we can estimate moral characters and actions, will, probably, be admitted.

3. Ir must, also, be admitted, that God's ultimate treatment of his creatures affords us the best rule we can have for judging of the estimate he forms of their morral characters. When God in no way manifests any displeasure with any one, we can have no right to conclude, that his morral character merits displeasure. When God bestows favors and blessings on any one, giving no visible testimony, at the same time, that he holds his moral character in abhorrence; we have all the same reason to acquit him, in our own minds of guilt, as we have to conclude, that the judge of all the earth does right, and is a holy and just God. Where we can discover no marks of divine displeasure against any one, we can have no right to conclude,

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