mputed, believing on him that raised up Jefus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offences, and raifed again for our juftification. There is a righteousness revealed in the word of God which we believe. This righteoufnefs was before fet forth to Abraham in God's word of promife to him; and it is now fet before us in the gofpel, as already wrought by that feed of Abraham whom God had raised up from the dead, even Jefus Chrift, delivered for the offences of finners of all nations without difference, and raifed again for their juftification. That this fame righteoufnefs was promised to Abraham, is manifeft from the Apostle's explication of that promife, which he believed, And the Scripture forefeeing that God would juftify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, In thee fall all nations be bleffed. So then they which be of faith, are bleffed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curfe.-Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us,-that the bleffing of Abraham might come on the nations through Jefus Chrift.

But though the righteousness contained in the promife that Abraham believed, be the very fame that is now declared to have been wrought by Chrift his feed, who is raised from the dead; and though it be imputed to us believing, even as it was to him believing: yet there was fomething in the matter of his faith different from For he was called to believe, when he had no hope of being a father, that he in whom all nations fhould be bleffed would be of his feed; fo that he, who was going childless, should be the father of many nations. God faid to him, He that fball come forth out of thine own bowels,

ours.

Shall

fhall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and faid, Look now toward heaven and tell the fars, if thou be able to number them: and he faid unto him, So fhall thy feed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteoufnefs. Now the Apostle makes this in Abraham's faith, which is different from ours, the example or pattern to our believing on him who raised up Jefus our Lord from the dead. And fo he gives us a lively defcription of justifying faith, by pointing out the steps of Abraham's believing in him who quickeneth the dead, to become the father of many nations; and by fhewing us, that we walk in the steps of that faith, when we believe in him that raifed up Chrift from the dead, to become righteous, or to be justified.

And these are the steps of Abraham's faith that he points out to be walked in by us believing unto righteousness.

1. He believed to become a father, according to that which was spoken. He had no ground for his perfuafion, but the word of God; and as God fpake, fo he believed. Even we in believing to be justified, are no more going upon our own experience and reafonings than did Abraham; but we are hearkening to the gospel fetting forth the refurrection of Chrift, that great fact wherein God: fhews the truth of his teftimony concerning his beloved Son in whom he is well pleafed; and we are giving credit to him who thews himself as God in that teftimony; and as God fays, fo we believe.

It is the bufinefs of faith to hear God's voice in revelation; and justifying faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. God revealed himself in divers manners to the fathers, especially by a voice, which they that heard knew

to

to be the voice of God; as Adam hearing the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden," and Elijah hearing the ftill fmall voice. Revetion is now perfected in the Scriptures of the apoftles and prophets. We can no more now' hear any new revelation, nor fuch a voice as they heard of old. The word of the Lord cometh not to us in a vision, speaking to us as to Abraham; but we hear God fpeaking to us in the Scriptures; and as many as believe, hear the voice that raifes the dead, and know that it is the word of the Lord. We were made capable (in diftinction from the brutes) of corresponding with God in this way. And we fee this corref pondence betwixt God and man both before and after the fall. Yea notwithstanding our difobe dience to God's word we have ftill his voice in our confcience. And by this we are capable of revelation, and of divine teaching thereby. We may have received the Scriptures by tradition; we may have reafoned ourfelves into an opinion that God is the author of them: but have we heard God fpeaking in them? as the Apoftle fays to Chriftians, If fo be ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jefus; and as Jefus faid, Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh to me. When God propofes to make us live, not by our own labour, but by what he tells us, If. lv. 2, 3. he fays, Hear, and your foul fhall live. The dead in trefpaffes and fins hear the voice of God, and live, even as the dead in their graves fhall hear it, and come forth. We do not reafon ourselves into faith; but the gospel of the Apostles comes to us, not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghoft, and in much ofFrance; and we hear God speaking in the Scrip

tures,

tures, as Abraham heard him fpeaking to him by the voice, and as the dead fhall hear his voice: and we give the fame credit to God as Abraham did.

2. Abraham, in believing to become a father, according to that which was fspoken, refpected God, not as concurring with nature, but as working beyond the course of nature altogether. He believed God who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not, as though they were. If he had become a father in the natural way, his body not having been yet dead, even that could not have been without God, in whom he lived, and moved, and had his being; and he was to be respected therein as the author of nature, and as directing and influencing its whole courfe. But when God faid to him, who, according to nature, behoved to go childlefs, So fhall thy feed be, he could not believe this without refpecting God as reverfing the course of nature, like as in raifing the dead. He looked on the faying of God which he believed, as on calling the world out of nothing; or as his faying to the darkness, Let it be light, and it was light.

And he that works righteoufnefs, and is not guilty, may look to God for juftification in the natural way, as one that knows himself fit for being accounted righteous. But a finner, not working, but believing on God as juftifying the ungodly, must refpect him, in believing, as acting quite beyond the courfe of nature, even as raising the dead and calling those things that be not as though they were. Philofophy, that follows the courfe of nature, and traces the connection of things in that course, muft utterly fail a man here. He goes out of its fphere the moment he believes on him that raised up Jefus

our

our Lord from the dead, for our justification. As nature is reversed in that refurrection, to believe to be justified through that, is to look to God for juftification out of the way of nature altogether. And as the life we are intitled to in that juftification is a fupernatural life with Jefus Chrift from the dead, no wonder if our believing to be thus juftified be declared the effect of the operation of God who raised him. Nor need we wonder, if the works wherewith this faith works, and whereby it fhews itself, be beyond the fphere of what we call moral virtue.

3. Abraham believed in hope against hope, to become the father of many nations, according to that which was fpoken. He could find nothing about himself, whereon to found his hope of becoming a father: but on the contrary, he faw every thing oppofite to fuch a hope, and ferving to make him defperate about it: as his body now dead, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Yet, in believing that which was fpoken, he had the most fufficient ground for his hope. The word that God fpake gave him confidence, in hoping to become the father of many nations, against all that he faw otherwife opposite to that hope.

In like manner, the finner that works not, but believes on him that juftifies the ungodly, even him that raised Chrift from the dead, finds nothing about himself that can encourage him to expect juftification, but every thing ferving to lead him to defpair. If juftifying grace were difpenfed according to any fitnefs whereby one man may be differenced from another, as better qualified for it; he could find no fuch fitnefs, no fuch qualification in him to encourage him

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