SERM. attend to the Bleffings than the Duties of III. the Gofpel,---to God's Part of the new Covenant, than to their own. JUSTIFICATION then is, in fhort, the free Act of God, not making wicked Men righteous by his Almighty Power, but reputing Sinners as juft by his infinite Mercy, and treating them in that View, like the Objects of his Love: It is his pardoning our Offences and accepting our Perfons out of pure Grace and Goodness, through the alone Satisfaction of his dearly beloved Son, in whom he is fo well pleased, that he takes Pleasure in none elfe, but for his Sake. Forgivenefs and Acceptance are the two Parts of Juftification; as there is now no Condemnation to them, which are in Chrift Jefus (d), fo they who fometimes were far off, are made nigh, and have an Accefs unto the Father (e). Both thefe, indeed, with fome ftand for the fame Thing; though, by the more difcerning they are judged to be diftinct, and the one to contain the other, as the greater the lefs. For accepting the Perfon of the Sinner, certainly implies more than pardoning his Sin: Every Enemy, who is forgiven, being not of Courfe, nor prefently (d) Rom. viii. 1, (e) Ephef. ii. 13, 18. fently accepted and admitted to Favour, as SERM.. a Friend. -III. THIS high Privilege of being pardoned and reconciled to God by the Death of his Son, is in the Text attributed to the Faith of Jefus Chrift. But how our Apostle is here to be understood, the Mifconception of others admonishes us more particularly to enquire. THE Chriftian Faith then juftifies us, not by Means of its Efficiency. For this is appropriated to God alone; Juftification is his peculiar Work: And as he has been pleafed to reveal fo much of his infinite Nature, as to call for our firm Belief, that it fubfifts in Three Perfons, fo has he also taught us in his Word, that each Divine Perfon is concerned in this bleffed Effect, as the proper Cause and Author of it. THAT God the Father is the efficient Cause of Man's Juftification, is a Point hardly queftioned; or if it were, might be unanswerably proved by the clear Testimony of holy Scripture: But not to be tedious, I fhall inftance out of many Places, only in one (f), It is God that justifieth; and H 3 that (f) Rom. viii. 33. SERM. that the Father is meant here, is evident from III. his being distinguished, in what follows, from the Son, Who is be that condemneth? It is Chrift that died (g). GOD the Son however is alfo reprefented both in the Old and the New Teftament to be the efficient Caufe or Author of our Juftifica tion, and most properly, feeing he laid down his Life to purchase it, be made an End of Sin, and brought in everlasting Righteoufnefs (b), in Refpect whereof it was foretold of him, that he fhould juftifie many (i). To which Prophecy the Gofpel-Records do directly allude, when they fet forth that the Son of Man came to give his Life a RanSom for many (k). And yet more fully to the Point does St. Paul deliver himself to the Jews at Antioch, that throub this Man (i. e. Chrift Jefus) is preached unto you the Forgiveness of Sins, and by bim, all that believe are justified (1). To the Holy Ghost likewise is this Work ascribed, and we ought to exclude the Third Perfon of the adoreable Trinity from the Glory of it, no more than the Second, The fame that fanctifies, juftifies too according (g) Rom. viii. 34; (b) Dan. ix. 24. cording to St. Paul (m), and how can it SERM. be otherwife? When thefe Divine Acts, III. though they stand divided in our Minds for the better apprehending them, are still in Fact fo intimately united, that the one never takes Place without the other. By him we are tranflated from our natural State of Enmity and Condemnation to a regenerate State of Pardon and Grace: This is the loweft Senfe of our Saviour's Words to Nicodemus (n), Except a Man be born---of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, by whom ye are fealed unto the Day of Redemption (0) and may depend on an honourable Acquittal at the laft Judgment, unless ye imprudently deface the fair Impreffion, THUS the whole Godhead appears to be the principal efficient Cause of our Justification, confequently it may not in this Respect be attributed to Faith. NEITHER is a Man juftified thereby on the Score of its Meritorioufnefs. Faith has no more Merit in it, than Works, and it is the utmost Vanity to think it the Price of his (m) 1 Cor. vi. 11, (0) Eph. iv. 30. H 4 (z) St. John iii, 5, SERM. his Juftification. For this is conftantly inIII. culcated on us in holy Writ to be the All fufficient Sacrifice of Chrift's Death. Fallen Man had not, nor could have the leaft Defert in himself, whereon to ground a Claim of Reconciliation with his offended Maker, and he must have lain under the Guilt and the Punishment of his Sin for ever, had not the eternal Son of God appeared in our Flesh, that he might be once offered to bear the Sins of many (p). So that we have Peace with God only through our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom we have received the Atonement (q). NOR, moreover is Juftification transferred to us through Faith, as the Inftrument of its Communication. For fuch are the two Christian Sacraments inftituted by our bleffed Lord; wherein God condefcends to ftrike at first and to ratify afterward a League of Amity with his finful Creatures. And thefe folemn Ordinances of Baptifm and the Eucharift, confidered as foederal Rites and on God's Part, fall under the Notior of Deeds, the former of Conveyance, th latter of Renewal; though, as they are In stances of Gospel Obedience on our Side, they may be fairly ranked among the Terms of the new Covenant. BUT 1 h. ix. 28. (q). Rom. v. 1, II, |