the portion of them all, they are alfo, according to their capacities, completely transformed into the image of their glorious God: they are become pure even as He is pure; no spot, no blemifh is found upon them; but they are holy and without blame before Him.

In the second place, the WORD of GOD reveals his Juftice. We have not, nor can we conceive, a clearer or more important difcovery of this branch of the Divine character, than that which he has afforded us in unfolding his purpose of final retribution towards the righteous and the wicked. In the latter his juftice will indeed be awfully glorified, for he will inflict on them the punishment due to their fins. That fame love of righteoufnefs which once denounced a curfe upon every tranfgreffion, will again be revealed to execute the fentence. That voice which then fbook the earth, and proclaimed The foul that finneth, it fhall die, will ere long in more tremendous accents be heard to fay, Depart, ye curfed, into everlafting fire. As furely as now the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; fo furely will HE, at the appointed time, proceed to render to every man according to his deeds; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every foul of man that doeth evil. In this the punishment of fuch as fhall be found guilty at the last, the Divine Juftice will be publicly vindicated; and however men may now, in the rebellion of their hearts, object to the testimony of wrath to come, and call the execution of it injuftice, yet in the day when it shall be poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, every mouth fhall be Stopped, and it fhall be to the praife of Divine Juftice, that the curfe of eternal death (a fanc

tion no more than fuitable to the perfect law of the infinite God) now receives the final and irrevocable fulfilment upon the children of difobedience.

But let us observe on the other hand, that God in no wife remits his justice, as fome vainly imagine, whilft he affords his faints a refuge from this deftruction, and enhances the deliverance by the gift of eternal life. It is true, they are by nature in no wife different from others, but are alike finners before God, and obnoxious to his wrath. It is true, they are in Scripture denominated the righteous, not because of any moral or religious qualification which diftinguishes them from others; but in reference to their belief of the Gofpel report, upon which belief (or faith) they obtain witness that they are righteous, are pronounced and treated as righteous perfons in the fight of God. But even these, in their full falvation, evince the juftice of God unimpeachable; for thefe He hath purchased to himself by the blood of his own Son. In HIM, in Jefus Chrift the righteous, God hath found a ranfom for them, and HE is the propitiation for their fins. He hath made in their behalf a fatisfactory atonement to the Divine Juftice, for God hath laid on HIM the iniquity of them all, and by His ftripes they are healed. He is the LORD their righteousness, being the end of the law for righteoufnefs to every one that believeth; and through HIM, God having declared his righteousness for the remiffion of fins, is juft, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jefus.

[To be continued.]

D.

THE

THE

NATURE OF DIVINE GRACE,

ILLUSTRATED BY THE

Tranfaction in the SYNAGOGUE of NAZARETH, between the Bleffed SAVIOUR and his FellowCitizens.

IN the Synagogue of Nazareth, on the Sabbath

day, Jefus read from the prophet Ifaiah thefe words: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, becaufe he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, &c.; adding, This day is this fcripture fulfilled in your ears. The effect of his address to the people, is described in these words: And the eyes of all them that were in the fynagogue were faftened on him—and all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they faid, Is not this Jofeph's fon? From this animated description, we fee what lively impreffions of divine grace filled the minds of all the people. Their eyes were fastened on him; they all bare him witnefs, heartily approving the application of the prophet's words, and fo acknowledging him for the Saviour of Ifrael: Yea, moreover, wondering at the grace which flowed from his lips, fo as they could fcarce believe their own eyes, that he was Jofeph's fon, who had been brought up from his childhood in their city.-Had one of our popular preachers beheld this audience, he had certainly pronounced them all converted. But Jefus perceived a mistake about divine grace hinted in their question, Is not this fofeph's fon? This mistake he unfolds, and opens, with the following words: Ye will Surely

Jurely fay unto me this proverb, Phyfician, heal thyfelf: Whatfoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do alfo here in thy country. And be faid, Verily I fay unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Ifrael in the days of Elias; when the heaven was fut up three years, and fix months, when great famine was throughout all the land: but unto none of them was Elias fent, fave unto Sarepta a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Ifrael in the time of Elias the prophet; and none of them was cleaned, faving Naaman the Syrian.

No mistake about the gospel can appear to us more natural, than the fentiment of the people of Nazareth. They fondly imagined, that feeing their fellow-citizen, who had proved a very acceptable neighbour, growing up among them from his childhood in favour with God and man, had now turned out to be the Saviour foretold by all the prophets, they had fome natural claim upon him; and that it would not be equal and reasonable, or suitable to the love of one's country, that others fhould be benefited by him, and they neglected, they who had grown up with him, and mutually exchanged many kind offices during their long acquaintance. Yet fo great was their awful refpect, that they durft only infinuate their fentiment in the moft diftant manner in the question, Is not this Jofeph's fon?

Jefus perceives their meaning, and speaks it out for them: You will furely fay unto me this proverb, Phyfician, heal thyself. And the firft check he gives them is in these words; Verily I fay unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country. He who, being endowed with extraordinary powers from above, fpeaks and acts for

E

the

the Deity, must look above all the particular ties by which any one part of mankind is committed together, and diftinguished from the reft; and therefore must be more especially unacceptable to those of his own neighbourhood or country, who will naturally claim the chief benefit of the abilities he is endowed with. Then he proceeds to remind them, in what manner, and how, contrary to all human expectations, the divine favours were determined in the days of ELIJAH and ELISHA. In the days of the former, though many widows were in Ifrael, a Canaanitish woman receives the diftinguished favour. In the days of the latter, though many lepers were in Ifrael, only the captain of an hoftile prince's army is cleaned.-All the while, he takes no notice of what devout people now would call their eager looks or acts of faith, fastening upon, or taking hold of Chrift, the lively fenfe they had of their need of him, the rapturous impreffions of grace, or yet their ardent longings to enjoy him with all his benefits, except it be in the way of repulfing them.

It is time now to observe how the audience was effected when Jefus had thus explained himfelf, And all they in the Synagogue, when they heard thefe things, were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill (whereon their city was built) that they might caft him down headlong. How foon is the fervent piety of these people changed into mortal fpite? Yet nothing but our inattention can make us think their cafe any way fingular or extraordinary. For it is a very common fight at this day, to fee people of the first reputation for piety, who can weep very devoutly at hearing their favorite fermons, and talk for hours together