finner, whatever previous endeavours he may have ufed, as ungodly, and deftitute of all perfonal righteousness, to such an humble believer, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs. (ver. 5.) Even as David defcribeth the bleffedness of that man, to whom the Lord imputeth rightequfnefs without works, &c. (ver. 6.) Gal. ii. 15. We, fays St. Paul, who are Jews by nature (and therefore ftand most fair for juftification by the law, if it were poffible) and not finners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not juftified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Chrift, even we have believed in Jefus Christ, that we might be juftified by the faith of Chrift; for by the works of the Law fhall no flesh be justified. (ver. 16.) Thefe, my brethren, are but fpecimens of the many plain and exprefs fcriptures that fupport this doctrine; and I think it plain, upon the whole, that if we can understand any: thing contained in that facred book, we may fafely conclude that this truth is contained in it.

Here I would hint, what I intended to enlarge upon, had the time allowed, that this is the only way in which any of the fons of Adam have been faved fince the fall; and that this gracious scheme has run thro' all the difpenfations of religion, from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, and from Mofes to Chrift; and that now, by the gospel, it is more fully and illuftriously revealed, the object of a more diftinct, particular, and explicit faith. Rom. i. 17. It was firft published immediately after the first breach of the covenant of works, in that gracious promife, The feed of the woman fhall break the ferpent's head. Gen. iii. 15. It was communicated to Abraham in that promife, In thy feed; that is, as St. Paul teaches us to understand it, in Chrift, who fhall spring from thee according to the flesh, fhall all the nations of the earth be bleffed. Gen. xxii. 18. Gal. iii. 16. Hence St. Paul tells us, that the fcripture, forefeeing that God would justify the Heathen through faith, preached the gofpel before-hand to Abraham. Gal. iii. 8. This was, as it were, the fubftratum of all the ceremonies and inftiVOL. III. Hh tutions

tutions of the law of Mofes; and, as was observed, the whole of this law, and the folemn and dreadful manner of its publication, were intended to fubferve this scheme, by making men fenfible of their need of it, and conftraining them to fly to it for refuge. The prophets alfo received this evangelical light, and continued to diffuse it around them, till the Sun of Righteoufnefs arofe. But all thefe discoveries were but dark, when compared to the clearer revelation we have of it in the New Teftament, particularly in the epiftles to the Romans and Galatians, which defignedly treat upon it. However, they that lived under former difpenfations, had light enough to direct them to place their truft in the mercy of God, and to look out with eager eyes for the Meffiah, through whom alone they were justified, though they might not have diftinct ideas of the way. Hence Abraham and David are mentioned by St. Paul as inftances of the gofpel-method of juftification by faith in Chrift. Rom. iv. 1-7. I now proceed to another propofition.

VII. That all mankind are under the law, as a covenant of works, till they willingly forfake it, and fly to the gospel for refuge by faith in Chrift.

There are but two conftitutions that God has fet up in our world, by which mankind can obtain life, namely, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, or the law and gospel: and all mankind are under the one, or the other. They are all either under the conftitution which demands perfect obedience as the only title to life, and threatens death, eternal death, to the leaft failure; or under that which does indeed both require and enable them to yield fincere obedience, but does not infift upon our obedience at all as the ground of our acceptance and juftification, but confers that honour entirely upon the complete righteousness of Jefus Chrift, received by the humble faith of a guilty, felf-condemned, helpless, brokenhearted finner. We are all of us, my brethren, under one or other of these conftitutions; for to be from under

finner, whatever previous endeavours he may have, ufed, as ungodly, and deftitute of all perfonal righteousness, to such an humble believer, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs. (ver. 5.) Even as David defcribeth the bleffedness of that man, to whom the Lord imputeth righteoufness without works, &c. (ver. 6.) Gal. ii. 15. We, fays St. Paul, who are Jews by nature (and therefore stand moft fair for juftification by the law, if it were poffible) and not finners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Chrift, even we have believed in Jefus Chrift, that we might be juftified by the faith of Chrift; for by the works of the Law fhall no flesh be justified. (ver. 16.) Thefe, my brethren, are but specimens of the many plain and exprefs fcriptures that fupport this doctrine; and I think it plain, upon the whole, that if we can understand any thing contained in that facred book, we may fafely conclude that this truth is contained in it.

Here I would hint, what I intended to enlarge upon, had the time allowed, that this is the only way in which any of the fons of Adam have been faved fince the fall; and that this gracious scheme has run thro❜ all the dispensations of religion, from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to Mofes, and from Mofes to Chrift; and that now, by the gofpel, it is more fully and illuftriously revealed, the object of a more diftinct, particular, and explicit faith. Rom. i. 17. It was first published immediately after the first breach of the covenant of works, in that gracious promife, The feed of the woman shall break the ferpcnt's head. Gen. iii. 15. It was communicated to Abraham in that promife, In thy feed; that is, as St. Paul teaches us to understand it, in Christ, who shall spring from thee according to the flesh, shall all the nations of the earth be bleffed. Gen. xxii. 18. Gal. iii. 16. Hence St. Paul tells us, that the fcripture, forefeeing that God would justify the Heathen through faith, preached the gofpel before-hand to Abraham. Gal. iii. 8. This was, as it were, the fubftratum of all the ceremonies and inftiVOL. III. Hh tutions

tutions of the law of Mofes; and, as was observed, the whole of this law, and the folemn and dreadful manner of its publication, were intended to fubferve this scheme, by making men fenfible of their need of it, and conftraining them to fly to it for refuge. The prophets alfo received this evangelical light, and continued to diffuse it around them, till the Sun of Righteoufnefs arofe. But all these discoveries were but dark, when compared to the clearer revelation we have of it in the New Teftament, particularly in the epiftles to the Romans and Galatians, which defignedly treat upon it. However, they that lived under former difpenfations, had light enough to direct them to place their truft in the mercy of God, and to look out with eager eyes for the Meffiah, through whom alone they were justified, though they might not have diftinct ideas of the way. Hence Abraham and David are mentioned by St. Paul as inftances of the gofpel-method of juftification by faith in Chrift. Rom. iv. 1-7. I now proceed to another propofition.

VII. That all mankind are under the law, as a covenant of works, till they willingly forfake it, and fly to the gospel for refuge by faith in Christ.

There are but two conftitutions that God has fet up in our world, by which mankind can obtain life, namely, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, or the law and gofpel: and all mankind are under the one, or the other. They are all either under the conftitution which demands perfect obedience as the only title to life, and threatens death, eternal death, to the leaft failure; or under that which does indeed both require and enable them to yield fincere obedience, but does not infift upon our obedience at all as the ground of our acceptance and juftification, but confers that honour entirely upon the complete righteousness of Jefus Chrift, received by the humble faith of a guilty, felf-condemned, helpless, brokenhearted finner. We are all of us, my brethren, under one or other of these conftitutions; for to be from

under

under both of them is the fame thing as to be lawless, and to be under no plan of life at all. Now, we are under the law while we are under the government of a legal spirit; and we cannot be freed from it till we are brought off from all dependance upon the law, and conftrained to choose the gofpel-method of falvation as helpless, law-condemned finners by our own perfonal act. We live under the gofpel-difpenfation

indeed, and were never under the law of Mofes and yet we may be under the law notwithstanding, as the Romans and Galatians were till they were fet free by faith, though they had been heathens, and were never under the Mofaic difpenfation. An outward difpenfation is not the thing that makes the difference in this cafe. Many who lived under the difpenfation of the law had an evangelical spirit, or faith in Chrift, and therefore they were upon the gofpel-plan, and obtained falvation in the way of grace. And multitudes that live in the New Teftament age, under the gofpel administration of the covenant of grace, and who profefs the chriftian religion, and were never fubject to the law of Mofes, are under the influence of a legal, felf-righteous fpirit, and therefore are not under grace, but under the law as a covenant of works: upon this footing they stand before God, and they can enter no claim to life upon any other plan. As for the righteoufnefs of Chrift, and the grace of the gofpel, they have nothing to do with it, because they have not chofen it, and made it theirs by their own personal act.

And would you know whether you are fet free from the law, and placed under the covenant of grace? St. Paul, who knew it, both by his own experience and by infpiration from heaven, will inform you, (1) You have been made deeply fenfible of fin and condemnation by the law. By the law is the knowledge of fin. Rom. iii. 20. I had not known fin but by the law, fays St. Paul, perfonating a convinced finner under the law, without the law, Rom. viii. 7. that is, while I was ignorant of the extent and spirituality of the law, fin