to look for that grace, but rather the contrary as Paul fays of himself, Chrift came to fave finners, of whom I am chief. If his acceptance with God fhould go upon any terms which he muft fulfil, he finds himself as much without ftrength to fulfil them, as Abraham found himfelf for becoming a father when his body was now dead. In a word, he views himself in that fame point of light wherein the Divine mercy held men in sending the Son of God to die for them, and wherein his death refpected them, i. e. as finners and enemies to God; as ungodly, and without ftrength, and fo he works not to make himself righteous, but, feeing all his works against the hope of his juftification, prays, as the Publican, Be propitious to me, a finner. For, in believing or giving credit to the teftimony of the gofpel concerning the refurrection of the Son of God, who, when we were yet without trength, in due time died for the ungodly, and rose again for their juftification, he finds good ground for the hope of being juftified by that revealed righteousness which is unto all and upon all them that believe, without difference. He fees good ground to hope for the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works. So his hope of being juftified is against his feeling and experience; but it is according to his faith. For there is glorious ground of hope in that which he believes. And fo he walks in this ftep of Abraham's faith, believing in hope against hope.

4. There was fuch a certainty in Abraham's faith, fuch a firm perfuafion of that which was fpoken, that no objection could stand in his mind against the truth of it, and no room was left there for a thought of the poffibility of its being F 3. falfe.

falfe. He had need to be very certain, that what was spoken was the word of God, and fo affent to it as his teftimony, for whom it is impoffible to lie: for he believed God; he gave credit to him, who calleth those things that be not as though they were. And fuch was his confidence in this word of God, that the confideration of his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, and of the deadness of Sarah's womb, was not able to fhake it. His faith did not admit this to confideration as an objection against the word of God. So he ftaggered not at the promife of God through unbelief,

-being fully perfuaded, that what he had promifed,

he was able to perform.

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And fuch a certainty there is in the faith of Abraham's children believing on him that justifieth the ungodly; as we may fee from such texts as thefe.Which are moft furely believed among us.- We believe and are fure. I have given to them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known furely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didft fend me.Faith is the confidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not feen.are made partakers of Chrift, if we hold the begin ning of our confidence ftedfaft unto the end. gofpel-came unto you-in much affurance. Ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh alfo in you that believe. -If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himfelf.- Let us draw near-in full affurance of faith. But let him af in faith nothing wavering.

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The faith of miracles was a type or fign of the faith that is to the faving of the foul, even as the miracles were figns of that eternal falvation which is by faith. And we fee that faith always oppofed to doubting.

He that believes on him that juftifies the ungodly, cannot be doubting of that which he hears God faying. And the confideration of his own unfitness to be justified, even the impoffibility of his being juftified in the natural way, cannot make him stagger at the word of God cannot shake his perfuafion, that God who raised Chrift from the dead, for the justification of finners, is able to make him, a finner, bleffed by the imputation of righteoufnefs without works. For he looks on the word of God which he believes, as of the fame power with that by which the worlds were framed, calling the things that be not as though they were, even as did Abraham..' And fo the faith of God's word has a certainty in it, that philofophy cannot boast of.

5. Abraham gave glory to God, when he believ ed in hope against hope, according to what was spoken, and was strong in faith.

If he could have contributed any thing toward the making good of that which was spoken; he had then something to glory in before another not fo fit as he.. But when it was quite otherwife, he gave God the whole glory of that which he believed God alone was able to per form. His faith glorified him as God who raifes the dead, and calls thofe things that be not as though they were..

Even fo, when we work not to make ourselves juft, but believe on him that raifed Jefus for the juftification of the ungodly, we give him the whole glory of our juftification, as not pretend

ing to contribute any thing toward it ourselves, but acknowledging him who diftinguishes himfelf as God, and manifefts his glory in this juftification.

A finner that ftudies to be made fitter than another for being juftified, cannot be believing the fufficiency of Chrift's righteoufnefs to juftify him, nor glorifying God who juftifies the ungodly by that righteoufnefs. He that would work to make himfelf righteous, muft fuppofe to himself a God that will not punish every tranfgreffion, nor curfe every one that continues not in all things commanded. He must suppose to himself a God that will justify by an imperfect righteousness; and fo loves not righteousness nor hates iniquity as God, but as he would pretend to do himself. But he that believes on him who raised Jefus from the dead for the juftification of finners, refpects him as God, fhewing the infinite oppofition of his goodness unto all iniquity in the death of Chrift delivered for the offences of finners, and fhewing his love to righteousness, as juftifying by a perfect righteoufnefs, in raifing him from the dead; even that righteoufness which the Son of God finifhed on the crofs and fo not being ignorant of the righteousness of God, he goes not about to establish his own righteoufnefs, but glorifies the name of the righteous Father, whom the world knew not, as that name is manifested by Jefus Chrift.

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Again, the finner that works to make himfelf juft, muft fuppofe to himself a God that has no mercy to the worthlefs and miferable (the only proper objects of mercy) nor any grace to manifeft but unto those who differ from others by fome excelling qualifications. He must fuppofe to himself a God who cannot fhew mercy to whom

whom he will, but according to thofe differences whereby finners may glory over one another, faying as the Pharifee, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, or as this publican. But he

that believes on him who raised Chrift for the justification of finners, acknowledges the glory of the divine mercy and grace fending the Son of God, fubftituting him in the room of the ungodly to whom God. would fhew mercy, delivering him for their offences, and raifing him for their juftification, without refpect to any difference wherein one man can find himself excelled by another. This is to fhew mercy like God. Juftification is by faith that it might be by this grace. And he that works not, but believes to be juftified by grace freely through the redemption that is in Chrift's blood, gives God the glory of his mercy, faying as the publican, God be propitious to me a finner. And the stronger he is in this faith, the more he glorifies God, as did Abraham.

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Thus we have feen the fteps of Abraham's faith, wherein they walk who believe in Chrift för righteoufnefs. And we may be encouraged to walk in them by thefe words of the prophet, Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that feek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called him alone, and bleffed him, and increafed him. For the Lord will

comfort Zion: he will comfort all her wafte places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her defert.like the garden of the Lord.

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