ance from sin which God has provided for us, by thus sending his own Son in our nature, that he might become our substitute and sacrifice. He has "condemned sin in the flesh," inasmuch as he has adjudged it to be overthrown and destroyed. The inward dominion of sin, which the law of itself could not break down and remove, may now be utterly abolished. Under the economy of redemption, the way to the mercy-seat is thrown open to man; the offer of salvation through faith in the blood of Christ is authoritatively made to him; and the grace of the Spirit is imparted, first, to awaken reflection, and call forth emotions of penitence, then to lead him onward to a living faith in the Redeemer, filling his heart with peace, and purity, and love. Thus is the reign of sin subverted, and man is morally restored. The assurance of personal acceptance raises his mind to God with the ardour of grateful love; he possesses power to resist and overcome every evil suggestion; and the Holy Ghost, as the Comforter and the Sanctifier, dwells within him, to inspire devout and benevolent affections, to succour him in the season of temptation and conflict, to sustain and deepen his piety, to purify him from all remaining corruption, and to bring every Christian grace to a state of heavenly maturity. Those aspirations after holiness and spiritual freedom which were breathed forth in vain before he was led to the cross, are now realized and satisfied. No longer does he exclaim, “Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" but with humble triumph he declares, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

III. We have to consider, in the third place, the great design of the mediatorial economy,-to restore us to personal holiness, and to enable us to yield a spiritual and constant obedience to the divine precepts. "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

The phrase," the righteousness of the law," is here to be understood as signifying the requirements, the righteous precepts, of the law. It occurs in Rom. ii. 26: "Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?" The original word, which is here translated "righteousness," is found in several other passages with the meaning now assigned to it; so that we may safely adopt this method of interpretation, consistent as it is with the general train of thought which pervades this passage. Thus the clause before us inculcates the great principle, that the present economy of grace is designed to re-establish the dominion of the divine law in our hearts, and to lead us to a praetical observance of its holy precepts. This principle should ever be distinctly recognised, and it should exert a powerful influence on our disposition and conduct. The plan of our redemption is not intended to set us free from the obligation of the law, or even to allow us to treat its

precepts with indifference, and afterward rise to the peace and joy of heaven: it is intended, rather, to open to us the way of reconciliation and life, that we, becoming the subjects of new spiritual affections, may devote ourselves to God, and serve him with all the constancy of filial reverence, submission, and love. While the ground of our acceptance is still the exercise of faith in the atonement of the Lord Jesus; and all the blessings which we receive are to be referred to the grace of God, as manifested through the incarnate and suffering Son; we are yet called to holiness, as that which the Saviour appeared on earth to establish in the hearts of his people, and which only can prepare us to take our place in the society above, where all is pure, benevolent, and perfect. The profession of faith in Christ, then, while the heart continues under the power of some cherished sin, or while the life is distinguished by open acts of transgression, is an insult to the Redeemer. "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." The great promise of that covenant, under which his dying love has placed us, assigns a marked prominence to our personal sanctification. The people of Christ are even to reflect his own excellencies in their deportment and conduct; and are thus to show forth the power of that grace which flows to man through the atonement: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."

The language of St. Paul, in that portion of the text which we are now considering, distinctly marks the agency of the Holy Spirit in the production. of gracious affections; and it marks, also, the practical character of that holiness to which we are called: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." These two particulars must ever be borne in mind, if we would form a right estimate of the provisions, and the design, of the economy of grace. The purity which Christ bestows on his people is a living and active purity. The heart is itself renewed, and made the temple of the Holy Ghost. A new creation is effected within it; and new principles, desires, and tendencies are implanted by Him whose power is diffused throughout the universe, and who is to be adored as the Source of every excellence. But, then, this new creation shines forth to the view of others in that rectitude and benevolence, blended with humble and intelligent devotion, which mark the character and conduct of the regenerate man. We are to "walk after the Spirit," regulating all our conduct by the pure and spiritual maxims of divine truth, and developing all those holy affections which the Spirit has implanted in our hearts. Christianity knows nothing of a holiness that does not extend to our deportment and conduct. While it frowns upon a cold and lifeless morality,-a morality which seems to imply that God has no claim on the warmth of our affections, and the devotion of our hearts,-it equally frowns upon that form of

character which substitutes temporary and indefinite emotion, for deep and settled principles of piety and rectitude. That knowledge of God which elevates and purifies the understanding, and that filial love to him which gives repose to the heart, and prepares man for the associations of a better world, will be invariably manifested in practical obedience to the divine will. "Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

The restoration of man to holiness, is the great design of the plan of redemption. While the law is upheld and honoured by the incarnation and sacrificial death of the Son of God, provision is made for the re-establishment of its dominion over the human heart. And here is the glory of redemption. The Antinomian scheme essentially alters the character of the evangelical economy, and robs it of all its dignity and excellence. If it were the design of the Christian redemption to exempt individuals from the punishment of sin, and to confer on them the high privilege of the divine friendship, while under the tyranny of unholy principles, and their lives were stained with transgression, it would fail to show forth the divine purity, and would even draw a cloud over the essential righteousness of the divine administration. But when we keep in view the great principle which the text affirms, we perceive the moral dignity and beauty of the dispensation of grace. It is, indeed, a peculiar economy, involving the deepest mysteries of condescension and mercy; but harmonizing with the principles of God's universal government, and being directed to the same great results. The plan of redemption, originated in the ineffable love and purity of the Triune Jehovah, and accomplished by the incarnation and the sufferings of the Son, throws a sacred lustre around the precepts of the law, and teaches lessons of richest wisdom to the angelic hosts, while it provides for the rescue of man from his captivity to sin, and his re-union with the whole family of pure and happy beings.

And now, my brethren, in conclusion, suffer me to urge on you the important truth, that you can never be happy, except by having your hearts brought into a conformity to the divine will. The various precepts of that law were dictated by the essential benevolence of God, as well as by his love of moral rectitude; and which, under every dispensation of religion, preserves the same high and glorious character,it is "holy, and just, and good." In vain do you attempt to compose your minds to abiding tranquillity, or to fill them with lively satisfaction and joy, if you are still at a distance from God, destitute of his friendship, and hostile to his government. Those earthly pleasures which are generally sought with the greatest avidity,-could you even command them in all their variety and fulness, and could you ward off those sufferings which render all earthly pleasure distasteful,—would not meet the wants of your immortal spirits, or give you peace and satisfaction. You may expend your energies in the pursuit of worldly gratifications, and retire at length, regretting the fruitlessness of that

pursuit, and painfully conscious that you have mistaken the path of happiness; while the terrible conviction forces itself on your minds, that you have been wasting, on trifles and on sin, those powers and opportunities which might have been employed in promoting your eternal interests. You may make the acquisition of property the great object of your life, and to some extent you may succeed; but, with a heart thus estranged from God, and devoted to the service of Mammon, you will prove how vain and unsatisfying is the mere possession of wealth; and, perhaps, hardened into intense selfishness, and destitute of every generous and noble emotion, you will be poor in the midst of abundance, and be tortured by the varied anxieties which cannot but arise in a mind that is devoted to the world, and destitute, consequently, of a firm and consolatory trust in the special providence of God. To constitute man happy, it is necessary that the great principles of devotion and benevolence should be implanted in his heart, and should flourish there, in intimate connexion with an enlightened state of the understanding as to spiritual and religious truth. It is when the soul calmly realizes the divine friendship, and loves God with child-like confidence; when benignity to man pervades all its sentiments, and gives a character to all its efforts; when a high and firm adherence to rectitude, combined with humility, regulates every action of life; it is then that man finds that true enjoyment for which he has been formed. Thus, brethren, you must learn to esteem and love the law of God; you must deplore your own opposition to it in your unregenerate state; and you must never rest until your hearts are moulded into a perfect conformity to its pure and heavenly precepts.

But there is another important lesson suggested by a review of the subjects that have passed before us; and this is, that holiness can be attained only by coming, in humble and penitent faith, to the cross of Christ. My brethren, while you cherish the conviction that the law of God is pure, benevolent, and perfect, and that you cannot be happy unless your principles and feelings are brought into accordance with it, seek that holiness, which you thus behold in its beauty and excellence, through the sacrificial death of the incarnate Son of God. The law of itself cannot raise you to purity, or conduct you to eternal life; but the astonishing provisions of redeeming love open the way to your forgiveness, and to the entire sanctification of your nature. Come, then, to the cross; wait not until you have gained some supposed moral victories, and qualified yourselves, in your own estimation, to be admitted to the divine family; but come now, in the confession of your guilt, your pollution, your inability to conquer sin, and your utter unworthiness of mercy, and cast yourselves on the merits of Him who died in your stead; and plead the promises of that covenant which has been established through his blood. Thus shall you receive forgiveness and peace; and, while the calm of conscious reconciliation to God soothes and delights your minds, you shall receive also that spiritual energy which shall enable you to "walk in newness of life."

Such is the plan of salvation which God has established, and which the Christian revelation is intended to make known. "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."

Finally let us who profess to have received the Saviour show forth, in our life and conversation, the power of his truth and grace. It devolves on us to manifest to the world the efficacy of his atonement, as that which can raise man from the depth of his moral ruin, restore him to the family of pure and happy intelligences, and transform his spirit into the image of God, who is the fountain of holiness and of love. The design of the Redeemer is, that we who fly to his cross, and receive from him the life-giving Spirit, should reflect his own character, and glorify him in all our principles and conduct. Our entire nature is "the purchased possession" of the Lord Jesus; and it is thus to bear the stamp of holiness on earth and in heaven. He "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

THE SHIELD OF FAITH QUENCHING THE FIERY DARTS OF THE WICKED ONE.

AMONG the treatises published by Thomas Becon, in the reign of Edward VI., there is one with this title: "The Christen Knighte teaching the Warriers of God, not onely how they may prevaile against Satan and his wicked Army in this Worlde, but also how they may live before God with a quiet and mery Conscience: newly set forth unto the great Comfort of godly Readers." As a specimen of the way in which he teaches resistance to temptation, the following extract from the work is given. He represents Satan as saying, “Are not these the words of thy God? Do this, and thou shalt live.' 'If thou wilt enter into life, thou must needs keep the law.' God gave not his precepts that they should be despised, but that they should be kept. And the Gospel doth sufficiently bear witness, in many places, that no sinner can enter the kingdom of heaven. Why, then, dost thou nourish a vain hope? Wherefore dost thou not despair? For doubtless thou art but cast away for ever and ever." The chief portions of the reply are now given.-EDIT.

All these things are the law, or else belong to the law: thou shalt, therefore, have none advantage here. For God hath set forth to sinful man two things: one is the law, the other is the Gospel. And I confess, with all my heart, that the law is the word of my God; and according to this word I do knowledge and confess, both frankly and with an open voice, that I am a sinner, guilty of everlasting damnation. For this is very true, that I, poor wretch, through mine own works and perfection, have not fulfilled the law. Therefore, if there were none other way to fulfil the law than by mine own works, then