* 4.4 his wishes, and far exceed his most enlarged expectations. Let him bear with patience and fortitude the trials and troubles of his wasting and tranfitory life, and reckon that the afflictions of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.' Let him look on death as a vanquished foe, and even bid him welcome when he approaches; for the favour of God is life to the dying believer. Let him fay, as fortified by a well-grounded hope of interest in this, “ I can now bid adieu to this vain world, and to all it contains; I can venture down into the peace- ful grave, where my body shall sleep, as in a bed of spices, till the great rising day, while my foul afcends to Abraham's bofom. My heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope; for I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me."

“ When death appears before my fight

In all his dire array,
Unequal to the dreadful fight,

My courage dies away.

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How shall I meet this potent foe,

Whose frown my soul alarms? Dark horror sits upon his brow,

And vi&t’ry waits his arms.

But see my glorious Leader nigh!

My Lord, my Saviour lives ;
Before him all death's terrors fly;

My fainting heart revives.
Lord, let thy love be my defence,

My shield for ever near ;
Then faith shall triumph over sense,

And never yield to fear.

Then shall I meet the dreadful hour,

With fortitude divine;
Sustain’d by thy almighty pow'r,

The conquest must be mine.

What though fubdu'd this body lies,

Slain in the mortal ftrife; My spirit shall unconquer'd rise

To a diviner life.

Lord, I commit my foul to thee ;

Accept the facred trust,
Receive this nobler part of me,

And watch my sleeping duft:
Till that illustrious morning come,

When all thy saints shall rise,
And, cloth'd in full, immortal bloon,

Attend thee in the skies.

When

When thy triumphant armies fing

The honours of thy name,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring

With “ Glory to the Lamb !""

Then may I join the raptur'd lays,

And, with the blissful throng,
Resound, “ Salvation, pow'r, and praise,"

In an eternal song."

CHAP. VI.

What that Life is which proceeds from the Favour

of God. PEFORE we dismiss the do&trinal part of our fub.

ject, we shall briefly consider, What that life is, which the favour of God confers. In the explication of the terms of our text, we hinted, that natural life, spiritual life, and the life of comfort and happiness are all dependent on the divine favour. To amplify the subject a little more, we would proceed to say, That a life of justification originates in the same glorious cause. A state of justification may be emphatically called a state of life. A man actually condemned, is legally dead. A full pardon gives him, in a law fense, a new,

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life. So in a spiritual respect, a just, or justified person is said to live, and to live by faith.

The justification of a funner before God is not by any works of his own ; but only through the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to him, and received by faith. It is one of the most glorious truths revealed in the scriptures, and that which disinguishes the gospel system from every other system of religion, that our divine Redeemer should become the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth ; that he who knew no fin, should be made sin for us, should bear our fins in his own body on the tree, put them away by the sacrifice of himself, to the end that we, by his obedience unto death, might be made righteous.

On this divine plan, the merit of human works is cut off, and all boasting in ourselves entirely and for ever excluded. The justification of a sinner in the sight of his Maker and his Judge, is not of debt but of grace, or free favour. “We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.” The God of all grace, according to his abundant mercy, provided, appointed, and accepted the wonderful expedient, fo needful for poor, ruined, helpless finners, and so honourable to all his own attributes. “To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

But

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

The whole is the contrivance of infinite wisdom, and unbounded love. The poor finner, who can. not pay one mite, in order to satisfy divine justice for his multiplied offences, is set clear of every charge, and of all condemnation, upon his accepting of Christ by faith, as the Lord our righteousness. The faith itself, by which he receives him, is the free gift of God. Here is grace upon grace, or favour upon favour, all entirely and absolutely free. A poor arrested debtor accounts it a great favour, if a friend will become surety for him, and still greater, if he will discharge all his debts, and set him perfectly free. Jesus Chrift, our great Surety, has done this for us, miserable offenders; so that who. foever believeth in him is justified from all things, and everlastingly accepted in the sight of God. " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again. For as he died for our sins, he rose again for our justification. There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, and, as a proof of their being so, walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” What astonishing fa