vast difference between the state of the one and of the other, the believer being "justified from all things," Acts xiii. 39, and the unbeliever being "condemned already," John iii. 18. Now though God deal as a Judge with those that continue in their unbelief, yet he deals as a tender-hearted Father with all true believers. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him: yea, he remembereth that we are dust," Psalm ciii. 13, 14. Now when the saints sin against a loving Father, then does God come forth with his fatherly corrections: "Then will I visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes," Psalm lxxxix. 32. And sometimes in a very sore manner; "Behold thou art wroth, for we have sinned," Isa. lxiv. 5. Indeed the sins of the saints shall not make void God's covenant, therefore the prophet comes in the next words, saying, In those, that is, in thy mercies, is continuance, and we shall be saved; yet they highly provoke a tender-hearted Father by sinning against him; and as often as the saints sin against their heavenly Father, in this their new covenant relation, so oft they stand in need of fatherly forgiveness. Thus with holy David, who had sinned in the matter of Uriah, yet when brought to confess the same, "Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die," 2 Sam. xii. 13; for by God's law adulterers ought to be put to death, Lev. xx. 10. Now God remitting this temporal chastisement to David, is said to pardon, or put away his sin: and the church cried out, Lam. iii. 42, "We have transgressed and rebelled, thou hast not pardoned;" that is, their afflictions were not removed. And in this sense God oft lets sin lie on his otherwise justified children for some time unpardoned, and as often as he is pleased to remit these chastisements, so often he may be said to pardon his children; and as long as the saints sin against their God and Father in their new covenant relation, so long shall we need renewed pardon, which will be whilst we are in this world. And this should keep the saints at the throne of grace, daily begging of pardon, confessing of sin, bewailing of corrupt nature, and entreating a farther discovery of their covenant state.

Now in this respect the saints daily need pardon of sin, and a more full discovery of their new covenant relation with God; so that it is not true in every respect, you see, to say all pardon is at once: but with respect to the justifying of our persons, in a proper sense, justification is but one constant, complete act of grace, admitting of no degrees, nor revocation, but remains firm for ever.

But if God correct his justified children for their sins, doth it not dishonour the cross of Christ?

That God doth correct his saints here for their sins, and not only from them, as some would have it, is most plain from the New, as well as from the Old Testament: "For this cause," namely, the abuse of the Lord's supper, many are weak and sickly among you, and some sleep," 1 Cor. xi. 30. Some, indeed, would have this to be spoken only of hypocrites, that were mingled among the godly, but this seems to me to have no weight in it; for the apostle speaks here of no more than what might befal him, should he do as they had done, as may be seen by the next words. And some think that the word sleep argues they were godly, penitent christians, that so died, to let us know, that even good people, who yet may be saved, may bring judgments in this life on themselves, by the profanation of God's name in his ordinances: see the late Annotations on this place. To the same purpose the Holy Ghost speaks : "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent," Rev. iii. 19. Now what were they to repent of but their sins? And if so, then this chastisement was for sin, being procured thereby. Thus James v. 15, 16: "And if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Now this forgiveness was the healing of his body, that is, the removing of a temporal affliction, which God as a loving Father had inflicted. See Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs's Sermon on 1 Sam. iii. 18, pages 89, 90, who calls it a vain conceit to think that God doth not afflict his people for their sins. See his work on Hosea, vol. ii. page 449.

So that though God doth not, as a judge, take vengeance on his justified children for their sins, yet as a loving Father he assuredly corrects them when they go astray. And certainly there can be no good argument drawn from the perfection of Christ's satisfaction, to exempt believers from fatherly corrections here for their going astray. Nay, holy David looks on God's corrective dispensations, as his keeping of covenant with him: "I know, O Lord, thy judgments are right, (that is, thy corrections,) and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me," Psalm exix. 75.

The old testament saints lived under a more legal dispensation, and so might be corrected for their sins, but not so

now.

I hope they were in the same covenant of grace as we, though not under the same administration, and that Christ did as fully satisfy for their sins as for ours, yet he did afflict Moses, Eli, David, and the rest of his children, then, for their sins, and why not now, if they go astray? And certainly God hath not, by Christ's satisfaction, divested himself of his fatherly authority, but will shew the same if his children go astray, Psalm lxxxix. 30, 31, 32. Thus as to the first branch of the doctrine.

Secondly, I come to shew wherein the free grace of God so much shines forth in a way of a sinner's justification by faith in Christ. And,

The Holy Scriptures run altogether this way: "They which receive abundance of grace," Rom. v. 17. Here is faith, the hand to receive; here is abundance of grace received. So that a believer not only receives grace in his justification, but much grace. Thus Rom. iv. 16: "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace." Here, observe, that to be justified by faith and by grace, is all one in the account of the Holy Ghost. And this way of grace makes the promise sure to all the seed, that is, to the whole election of God: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace," Eph. i. 7. In the former verse the apostle was speaking of the saints' acceptance in the Beloved, that is, in Christ, the God-man; and in this verse he shews the riches of grace flow down in free forgiveness : "That in ages to come, he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness to us through Christ Jesus," chap. ii. 7; that is, in all succeeding ages, to the end of the world. Grace, through Christ, might flow down for the free justification of all those that should believe, as, verse 8, "By grace are ye saved, through faith." Now this way of justification drowns all men's excellencies: as when the sun arises there is no need of candle, even so when the Sun of Righteousness arises, as Mal. iv. 2, then doth man's own righteousness disappear, and is like the morning cloud, and early dew, that soon passeth away, that so free grace may the more illustriously appear in this work of free justification: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us," Rom. iii. 5. Here all works are denied, that grace may take place altogether in this work, "that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life," verse 7: as if the apostle had said, that believers, through the free grace of God, having the guilt of their sin removed, and Christ's righteousness imputed, should be made " children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ," Rom. viii. 17. See late Annotations. And if we look into Isa. xliii. 25, there we find the great God thus speaking, " I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake." Here God writes an I on this work; he looks on it as his prerogative royal to pardon sin, and that not for any worthiness in man, but for his own sake. He will not give the glory of his free grace to any other; nay, poor man has nothing of his own, but must be beholden altogether to free grace : "And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both," Luke vii. 42. Here free forgiveness is on the throne, and " reigns, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. v. 21. Oh, then, let all saints say as the prophet, " Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage; he retaineth not his anger for ever, becanse he delighteth in mercy," Micah vii. 18. And thus we find the Holy Scriptures hold forth much grace in a sinner's justification by faith in Christ.

The more low and miserable our state is, when grace finds us, the more it shines in the sinner's advancement. As, suppose a great and mighty prince should take a mean person from a dungeon, as Pharaoh did Joseph, and advance him so high as to make him the second man in his kingdom; this was, and would be great grace in a prince, but what is this to the high advancement God bestows on poor sinners in a way of mere grace? The church says, "God remembered them in their low estate," Psa. cxxxvi. 23. Now, surely grace finds sinners as low as hell, and advanceth them as high as heaven. Mordecai was in a low state when he sat at the king's gate in sackcloth, and a gallows being made to hang him on, and his people also designed for utter ruin, Esther vi. And then for the king to advance him so high, as to have "the royal apparel brought, which the king useth to wear, with the crown royal," and to have it set on his head, by one of the most noble princes, "who should proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour." This was great favour shewn to Mordecai: but what was this to the grace of God in a sinner's free justification by faith in Christ? In Luke xv., we read of the prodigal, who had spent all and was feeding of swine, but on his return, is embraced in the arms of tender love, and the best robe is brought forth, the righteousness of Christ, to cover the poor sinner's naked

ness.

Now doth not grace herein shine, in bringing of prodigals from their swinish lusts, and in embracing in the arms of divine love? Saul once said to David, "If a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away?" But grace finds sinners in their enmity against God, Rom. viii. 7. Enmity in the abstract, separated from all amenity, and this heightens man's misery: yet free grace calls, justifies, and glorifies, ver. 30. And thus we find, "When thou wast cast out, to the loathing of thy person, (here is man's low estate set, then comes free grace, and its language is,) I said to thee, live," Ezek. xvi. Here is free absolution: and what shall we say to Joshua the high priest, Zech. iii. He was in a low estate, "clothed with filthy garments, and Satan (taking the wall of him) standing at his right hand, to resist him." His condition was very low, but then comes free grace in, speaking, "Take away the filthy garments from him, and unto him he said, Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, (here is free pardon of sin) and I will clothe thee with change of raiment," ver. 4. May not this well be understood of imputed righteousness, "And I said, let them set a fair mitre on his head," ver. 5. Here is high advancement from this low estate. And thus, free grace shines, in a sinner's justification, by faith in Christ, for it finds sinners very low, and advanceth them very high.

The more distinguishing any mercy is, the more free grace shines in that mercy. As, suppose two great sinners alike, and one taken to free justification, and the other left to his justly deserved condemnation, doth not free grace shine forth