upon which they are founded. If that righteousness be a finite one, of course the benefits derived from any claim founded upon it, must be finite, such as Adam might have been sup posed to have had if he had held fast his integrity, or such as angels have who have never sinned. But if the righteousness on which our claims rest be an infinite righteousness, of course the benefits to which it entitles must be corresponding; and such is actually the legal position and claim of the justified sinner; for His righteousness is the righteousness of God. All that an infinite righteousness can lay claim to is ours. How glorious our position! how vast our portion! how illimitable our inheritance! All that Christ has is ours; all that He claims, we claim; all that He deserves, we de serve; for we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,we are Christ's, and Christ is God's. This is the glorious transference, the blessed exchange between the sinner and Christ; this is justification; this the judicial decision; and the grounds on which it is pronounced at once, pronounced irrevocably, (Isa. liv. 4-17.) Is it, then, merely a perfect righteousness that forms the ground of our acquittal, and of our subsequent claims! It is an infinitely perfect righteousness on which we found our title. What Christ did, we are counted to have done. What Christ suffered, we are counted to have suffered. What Christ deserved, we are counted to have deserved in Him. Christ and we are one in the eye of God. Hence our Lord himself declares all His glory to be ours, and speaks of all His own, and all the Father's love, as being wholly ours. Had the language been our own, we might well have been afraid to utter it, the truths it conveys are so stupendous, and the privileges it sets forth so inconceivably vast; but seeing they are the very words of Christ himself, plain and simple, though of infinite meaning, shall we not boldly utter them with songs of holy joy? (John xvii. 22-26.) The whole glory of Christ be comes ours so soon as we believe on His name. All Jehovah's vast inheritance is ours; all the infinite love of the eternal Father is poured into our sinful bosoms, so soon as we believe in the name of His righteous Son. It seems too much, too vast; and yet it is all true, (1 John iii. 1-3.) Had I an angel's holiness, I'd lay aside that beauteous dress, and wrap me up in Christ; I would condemn my own soul if I found it in any other righteousness but that of my surety. Pardon and ac ceptance are obtained solely on account of the perfect righ teousness of the surety, on the holiness of His human nature His righteous life and satisfactory death, freely, and in awful sovereignty, imputed and received by the faith of the opera

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of God; and though this true, and lively, and divine faith in Christ is alone sufficient and effectual, through the grace of God, to receive Him and all His fulness, so far as is necessary, in this life, for our justification, sanctification, and eternal salvation, yet means are appointed by God for begetting, maintaining, and increasing this faith, and maintaining and exercising it in order to the attainment of its end; and that these means are to be used diligently; such as the improvement of our baptism, reading, and meditating on the Word, the Lord's supper, prayer, fasting, and self-examination. Enough hath been said to shew in what order God brings us to the practice of the moral law; for it we must, by grace, keep as a rule of life, (John xiv. 15; xv. 14; Heb. ix. 14; Gal. v. 25.) This is the order prescribed in the Gospel, which is the power of God unte salvation, though the law prescribeth a quite contrary method, that we should first perform its commands, that so we may be justified, and live; and thereby it proveth a killing letter unto us. Now, mark well the great advantages you have for the attainment of holiness. By seeking it in a right Gospel order, you will have the advantage of the love of God manifested towards you, in forgiving your sins, receiving you into favour, and giving you the spirit of adoption and the hope of His glory freely through Christ, to persuade and constrain you, by sweet allurements, to love God again, who hath so dearly loved you, and to love others for His sake; and to give up yourselves to the obedience of all His commands out of hearty love to Him. You will also enjoy the help of the Spirit of God to incline you powerfully unto obedience, and to strengthen you for the performance of it, against all your corruptions and the temptations of Satan; so that you will have both wind and tide to forward your voyage in the practice of holiness. It is a necessary office of saving faith to purify the heart, and to enable us to live and walk in the practice of all holy duties by the grace of Christ, and by Christ himself living in us; which office faith is not able to perform, except some assurance of our own interest in Him and His salvation be comprehended in the nature of it. We cannot make use of the comfortable benefits of the saving grace of Christ, whereby the Gospel doth engage and encourage us to an holy practice, except we have some confidence of our own interest in these saving benefits. If we do not assuredly believe that we are dead to sin, and alive to God through Christ, and risen with Him, and not under the law, but under grace, and members of Christ's body, the temple of His Spirit, the dear children of God, it would be hypocrisy to serve God upon the account of such privileges, as

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if we reckoned ourselves to be partakers of them. He that thinks he should doubt of his salvation, is not a fit disciple for this manner of doctrine. What a miserable, worthless kind of saving faith is this, that cannot fit a believer to practise, in a Gospel manner, upon the most pure and powerful principles of grace; but rather leaveth him to work upon legal principles, which can never bring him to serve God acceptably out of love. Such a faith faileth wholly in the right manner of obeying upon Gospel principles, and faileth also in the very matter of some great duties, which are of such a nature, that they include assurance of God's love in the right performance of them. Such are those great duties of peace with God-rejoicing in the Lord always-hope that maketh not ashamed-owning the Lord as our God and our Saviour-praying to Him as our Father in heaven-offering up body and soul as an acceptable sacrifice to Him-casting all our cares of body and soul upon Him-contentment and hearty thanksgiving in every condi tion-making our boast in the Lord-triumphing in His praise-rejoicing in tribulation-putting on Christ in our baptism-receiving Christ's body as broken for us, and His blood as shed for us in the Lord's Supper-committing our souls willingly to God, as our Redeemer, whenever He shall be pleased to call for us-loving Christ's second appearance, and looking for it as that blessed hope. When we fall into any sudden doubting whether we are in a state of grace already, when we are called to any present undertaking, as to par take of the Lord's Supper, or any duty that requires assurance to the right performance of it, we must relieve ourselves by trusting confidently in Christ for the present gift of His sal vation, or else we shall be driven to omit the duty, or not to perform it rightly or sincerely. There are some practical principles that do only bind, press, and urge us to holy duties, by shewing the reasonableness, equity, and necessity of our obedience, without shewing at all how that we, that are by nature dead in sin, under the wrath of God, may have any strength and ability for the performance of them; as, for instance, the authority of God, the Lawgiver, our absolute dependence on Him as our Creator, Preserver, Governor, in whose hand is our life, breath, and all our happiness here and for ever-His all-seeing eye, that searcheth our heart, dis cerneth our very thoughts and secret purposes-His exact justice in rendering to all according to their works-His Almighty and eternal power to reward those that obey Him, and to punish transgressors for ever-the unspeakable joy of heaven, and terrible damnation of hell. Such principles as these do

bind our consciences very strictly, and do work very strongly upon the prevalent affections of hope and fear, to press and urge our hearts to the performance of holy duties, if we believe them assuredly, and work them earnestly upon our hearts, by frequent, serious, lively meditation. David loved the Lord for the important purposes he served, (Psal. xviii. 1, 2;) we love Him because He first loved us, (1 John iv. 19.) Love that causeth obedience unto the law, must proceed from a good conscience, purged from sin; and this good conscience must proceed from faith unfeigned, whereby we apprehend the remission of sins, and our reconciliation with God by the merits of the blood of Christ, (1 Tim. i. 5; Heb. ix. 14.) For the same end, that your hearts may be rightly fitted and framed for the performance of these principal duties, the Holy Scriptures directeth you to walk in the persuasion of other principal endowments of your new state, (i John i. 3; 2 Cor vi. Î6; Gal. v. 25; 1 Thess. v. 13; Ephes. ii. 10; Rom. vi. 6, 22; Col. iii. 3-7.) Such persuasions as these, when they are deeply-rooted, and constantly maintained in our hearts, do strongly arm and encourage us to practise universal obedience in opposition to every sinful lust, because we look upon it not only as our duty, but our great privilege to do all things through Christ strengthening us; and God doth certainly work in us both to will and to do by these principles, because they properly belong to the Gospel, or New Testament, which is the ministration of the Spirit, and the power of God unto salvation, (Rom. i. 16; 2 Cor. iii. 6-8.) For the performance of other duties of the law, you are to consider not only these endowments, privileges, and properties of your new state, which are meet and forcible to enable you to the love of God and universal obedience, but also those which have a peculiar force and aptitude, suitable to the special nature of such duties; and you must endeavour to assure yourselves of them by faith, that you may be encouraged and strengthened to perform the duties. As to the duties of the first table, if you would draw near to God in a duty of His worship, with a true heart, you must do it in full assurance of faith, concerning your enjoyment of Christ and His salvation. And would you perform the great duty of trusting on the Lord with all your heart, casting your care upon Him, and committing the disposal of yourself to Him in all your concerns,-persuade yourself, through Christ, that God, according to His promise, will never fail you nor forsake you; that He taketh a fatherly care of you; that He will withhold no good thing from you, and will make all things to work for your good. Would you be strength

ened to submit to the hand of God with a cheerful patience in bearing any affliction, and death itself? The way to fortify yourselves, is to believe assuredly, that your afflictions, which are but for a moment, do work for you a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of glory; that Christ is your gain in death and life; that His grace is sufficient for you, and His strength made perfect in your weakness; and that He will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; and will, at last, make you more than conquerors over all evil. Would you confess your sins to God? Pray to Him, and praise Him heartily for His benefits. Would you praise Him for afflic tion as well as prosperity? Believe assuredly, that God is faithful and just to forgive your sin through Christ; that you are made an holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praises, that are acceptable to God through Him; and that God heareth your prayers, and will fulfil them so far as they are good for you; and that all God's ways are mercy and truth toward you, whether He prosper or afflict you in this life. That you may love your neighbour as yourself, and do to him, in all things, as you would he should do to you, without partiality and self-seeking; that you may give him his due honour, and abstain from injuring him in his life, chastity, worldly estate, good name, or from coveting anything that is his, according to the several commands in the second table of the decalogue, you must walk in a persuasion, not only that these things are just and equitable towards your fellow-crea tures, and that you are strictly bound to the performance of them; but that they are the will of your Heavenly Father, who hath begotten you, according to His own image, in righteousness and true holiness, and hath given you His Spirit, that you may be like-minded to Him in all things; and they are the mind of Christ who dwelleth in you, and you in Him; that God and Christ are kind, tender-hearted, long-suffering, and full of goodness to men, whether good or bad, friends or enemies, poor or rich; and that He came into the world, not to destroy, but to save; and that you are of the same spirit; that the injuries done to you by your neighbour can do you no barm, and you need not seek any good to yourself by injuring them, be cause you have all desirable happiness in Christ; and all things, though intended by your enemies for your hurt, certainly work for your good through Him. Believing on Christ, is a work that will require diligent endeavour and labour for the per formance of it, (Heb. iv. 11; vi. 11, 12; Ephes. iii. 16, 17.) It seems easy, pleasant, and delicious, in its own nature, because it is a motion of the heart, without any cumbersome bodily