fee the refult of his fearch. Go you and do likewise; and I doubt not but you will make the fame discovery. -I am,

III. and laftly, To fhew that it is the gofpel only that reveals fuch a righteousness as is fufficient for the juftification of a finner.

The Jewish religion, as I obferved before, gave feveral intimations of this method of juftification by the righteousness of another. There were many prophefies and types of this import; and this was undoubtedly the original defign of facrifices; for it is quite unaccountable, that ever man fhould imagine that they could appease the wrath of God, and procure the pardon of fin, by offering to him facrifices of brutes in their ftead, unless we suppose that God did at first inftitute this method to fignify that the way in which he would be reconciled to finners was by the fufferings and death of another, as a facrifice fubftituted in their room. This inftitution feems to have been immediately after the fall of man, when the first beam of gofpel-light bleffed our world in that promise, the feed of the woman, &c. for we are told that God made coats of skins, and with them covered our first parents. Gen. iii. 21. Now animal food was not allowed to man till after the flood; and confequently those beafts, whose fkins were used for this purpose, were not killed for that use and we cannot fuppofe they died naturally fo foon after their creation. It is therefore moft probable that Adam had killed them for facrifices; and that God had commanded him to do this, immediately upon the promulgation of that promife, to typify the manner of its accomplishment, namely, by the facrifice of Chrift in the fulness of time. This practice we find continued by Cain and Abel; and thus Noah confecrated the new world after the flood. Gen. viii. 20.

But though the patriarchs and Jews had these intimations of the method of pardon and acceptance, they were very dark and perplexing to them; and juft as much as they had of this light, just so much they had

of

of the gofpel; and therefore the gofpel, taking the word in its full extent, claims the honour of this dif

covery.

Now, if we except the patriarchal and Jewish religion, which had a mixture of the gospel in it, there is none that pretends to discover a complete and perfect righteousness and atonement for the juftification of a finner. The religion of Mahomet is filent upon this head; and the Socratefes and Platos of heathen antiquity, who had only the light of nature for their guide, knew nothing about it; much lefs did the ignorant populace, who are always the greater part of mankind. The cuftom of facrifice was indeed univerfal but, as it was received by a very remote tradition, mankind had quite loft its original defign; and they corrupted it into the most abfurd and cruel fuperftition. They offered their facrifices to imaginary deities, or (as the apostle tells us) to devils. 1 Cor. x. 20. They were fo unnatural and barbarous, that they offered human facrifices, and even their own children, to propitiate their angry gods. And, if we may believe fome of their best authors, this was often practised by the exprefs command of their oracles :-a fufficient evidence that it was not the true God that gave anfwers by them. Alas! how were the poor creatures bewildered and perplexed about the method of expiating their fins! They fpared no coft; they offered even the fruit of their body for the fin of their fouls; but alas! how vain, as well as impious a facrifice was this! and yet this was the utmoft that nature in diftrefs could do. They knew nothing of the great atonement which was to be made by the High Prieft of the Chriftian pro- . feffion, which the gospel reveals to us. Nay, the Jews themselves are often reproved by the prophets for their felf-righteous truft in their facrifices, to the neglect of their morals, and the grand atonement which they prefigured. The light of nature might teach the heathen world, that if they perfectly obeyed the law of God, they might be affured of his favour, or at least that

they

they should not be punished; but it informed them in the mean time, that they had not done so, but, on the other hand, had repeatedly broken the law of God; and they had no notion at all of the poffibility of their being juftified by the righteousness of another.

This alone determines the point I am now proving. I have fhewn already, that a finner cannot be juftified but by a perfect righteousness; and it is evident that none of the fons of men can pretend to fuch a righteoufnefs. Where then can it be found? Confult the light of nature; afk the multitude in the heathen world; nay, afk their most improved fages and philofophers, and you will find all filent, all bewildered and perplexed: nothing was ever farther from their thoughts than a complete atonement for fin by the death of an innocent and divine perfon. I appeal to fuch of the negroes as came from Africa as the best judges in this cafe. Did you ever hear in your own country, of a righteousness equal to all the requifitions of the law of God, by which you could be justified? Was there no thoughtful perfon among you whose confcience was uneafy about his fins against a holy God, and who was concerned how he fhould obtain a pardon? And what way did he take to ease his mind? Alas! he knew nothing of the righteoufnefs of God by faith. This happy discovery, poor creatures, you have met with in the land of your bondage; and O! if you make a proper use of it, it will make your flavery the greatest bleffing to you.

The light of nature might furmise a great many things upon this head, but alas! all was uncertain, and more frequently the dictates of ignorance and selfflattery than of an enlightened mind. It might intimate," that God is the compaffionate Father of mankind, and therefore would dispense with the threatenings of his law, and not execute them rigorously upon his own creatures." This we often hear urged by finners among ourselves, who, notwithstanding their profeffion of Christianity, will form a system of religi

on,

on, and a scheme of reconciliation with God, according to their own selfish and flattering prejudices; and it feems to them incredible that God fhould inflict eternal punishment on his own creatures for the fins of a few years. But to this it might be replied, That fince God is the Father of mankind, it is a more unnatural and aggravated wickedness to fin against him : that he is not only the Parent, but alfo the Lawgiver and Judge of the world, and that he muft fuftain both thefe characters with honour. He muft exercise not only the fondness and indulgent discipline of a father, but also the juftice and righteous feverity of a ruler and judge: he must maintain the honour of his law, and preferve his government from contempt; and therefore the communications of his goodnefs muft be confiftent with justice. He must also execute his laws upon finners, in order to warn and deter others; and therefore every finner must tremble for fear of the execution of the divine threatenings upon him. To all this I may add, That the miseries that are inflicted by divine Providence in this world, and that very often upon the beft of men, muft increase the perplexity, and leave the finner in a dreadful fufpenfe.

If God does not fuffer the fins even of the beft of men always to efcape unpunished in this world, but afflicts them with pains, ficknefs, and an endless variety of calamities, how can our reason, that knows fo little of the counfels of Heaven, affure us that he will not punish them alfo, and that with greater severity, in the world to come? Nothing but a revelation from himself could ease an anxious mind from this dread fufpicion.

The light of nature may also perhaps furmife, "That repentance and reformation are fufficient to procure the pardon of fin :" and mankind feem naturally inclined to look for pardon in this way. Hence finners among ourselves, notwithstanding the clearer difcoveries of the gofpel, fly to repentance and reformation, not only as a pre-requifite to their falvation, but

as

as fufficient ground of acceptance; and they gaze and wonder at a man if he intimates the contrary. It must be granted on all hands, that repentance and reformation are neceffary; but the question is, Are repentance and reformation alone fufficient? And this is eafily anfwered, if what has been proved before be true, viz. That no righteousness but that which is perfect, and fully conformed to the divine law, can be fufficient for our juftification. Now repentance, at beft, is but a reformation from a wrong courfe, and a return to obedience; which fhould never have been interrupted. If the reformation were perfect, it would be but doing what we are obliged to do for the prefent time; and confequently it can be no atonement or fatisfaction to the law for paft offences; but alas! it is imperfect, and therefore cannot pay the debt of obedience for the present time. The finner, in the midst of all his repentance and reformation, is finning ftill; there are guilty imperfections in his beft duties; and can thefe atone for his paft fins? So that repentance and reformation cannot be a fufficient juftifying righteoufnefs. Again, What kind of government would that be among men, in which all crimes were pardoned upon repentance? What encouragement would this give to offenders? How foon would fuch a government fall into contempt? and what a low idea would it give of the wisdom and juftice of the ruler, and of the evil of fin! And fhall the Supreme Ruler imitate fo weak a conduct, and thus obfcure his perfections, depreciate his laws, and encourage vice!

It is a virtue in a private man to forgive an injury; and it may be a piece of generofity in fuch a one to give up fome of his rights: but, as I have told you, God is not to be confidered, in this case, as a private perfon, but as a Ruler, a fupreme Ruler, at the head of the universe; and fin is an offence against him in that capacity; and therefore, for reafons of ftate, it is not fit he should put up with it, or remit it merely upon the finner's repentance. He muft maintain the dignity