upon all, Gentiles no less than Jews, who will walk in faith before God, after the pattern of "faithful Abraham."

These verses, then, of the royal Psalmist are (it is evident) universally interesting, and adapted to the good instruction of all, so many as may have attained, in any hopeful degree, unto spiritual life and understanding. Wherefore, I design to employ the present opportunity in setting forth by them, first, an account, corresponding with the gospel, of the important blessing which is usually denominated justification, and secondly, the character of the man, unto whom that blessing may properly be represented to appertain.

First; respecting the doctrine of justification, if any have not hitherto understood what is signified by that important term, they cannot do better than attend to the plain description of it, which is given in my text. By that, the most ignorant may be informed, in a manner adapted to their uncultivated powers of apprehension: thence, even "the wayfaring men,

though fools," may be able to derive a correct notion of the subject. When his "unright"eousness is forgiven, and his sin is covered, " and the Lord imputeth to him no sin," then may it be said of a man, that he is justified, or hath attained unto a state of justification. We

have seen these remarkable expressions thus interpreted by the Apostle to the Romans; the above words of the Psalmist being cited by him, as descriptive of a justified condition.

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To declare this matter yet more succinctly, the term justification may be represented, in agreement with the foregoing, to signify pardon and grace; pardon, or a forgetfulness (if I may so speak) of the past, according to which, the "unrighteousness" of every justified person is forgiven, and his sin covered;" and grace or favour for the future, whereby the Lord imputeth to such an one no sin, is not extreme to mark the frailties and imperfections from which, in his mortal state, he cannot entirely cleanse and keep himself. Such was the covenant foretold of God by Jeremiah, with a view to the gospel dispensation; "I "will put my laws into their mind, and write "them in their hearts, and I will be to them a "God, and they shall be to me a people.-For "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, " and their sins and iniquities will I remember "no more." (Heb. viii. 8, &c.)

The perfect wisdom of this proceeding, or scheme, may perhaps not be immediately apparent. It might have seemed, at first sight, most proper, that a man, if justified, or made just, at all before God, should be made such by

his innocency and uprightness. But, had no easier way than this been provided, by which to escape condemnation, the whole race of mankind must certainly have perished altogether. We stand not, each man on his own foundation, sinless and undefiled, like Adam previous to his transgression, for so much as a single moment of our lives. On the contrary, all of us have received by inheritance from him, a corrupt and sinful nature, evil of itself in the sight of God, and moving us to evil deeds with the very earliest use of our members, before we can justly consider what things we ought to avoid, or to do. It is a truth constantly asserted in Holy Scripture, and therefore one, which, be it ever so unpalatable to the carnal mind, we are, nevertheless, bound to receive, that every child of Adam is by nature "a child of wrath," and liable to the judgment of God, even from his mother's womb: add to which the actual transgressions of the Divine law, which all persons in any degree capable of thought and recollection, must be conscious to themselves of having frequently committed, and human righteousness becomes evidently a thing of naught, or a broken reed, fit only to pierce the hand of him who is vain enough to lean on it. Verily, by no other way than by that of having their "unrighteousness forgiven," and their "sins

"covered;" and, through the forbearance of God, not having their sins imputed to them, can the most righteous of the human race be qualified to stand, and to obtain a good acquittal in the judgment.

This way, accordingly, hath God wisely adopted, as alone suitable to the condition of His creatures. Since" in Adam all die," He hath sent His only-begotten Son into the world, that in Him all may be made alive. (1 Cor. xv. 22.) Knowing whereof we are made, and graciously considering that, whereas Adam stood not in his native uprightness, much less can the offspring of his fallen nature recover themselves from their native degeneracy, and stand, He with whom we have to do, hath provided somewhat better for us to depend on than our own, at the best insufficient, righteousness-even the "sure mercies" of redemption. When there was no help in man for either himself or his brother, "the Father sent the Son to be the Sa"viour of the world." (1 John iv. 14.) "God "was in Christ reconciling the world unto Him"self, not imputing their trespasses." (2 Cor. v. 19.) "He delivered Him up for us all," to take our nature upon Him, and to suffer death for our offences, that so He might at once" be “just”—i. e. exemplify His righteous indignation against sin-" and the justifier of him

"which believeth in Jesus." (Rom. iii. 26.) For the sake, and at the intercession of that His beloved Son, in whom alone He is naturally well pleased, the fault and corruption of the nature, which we have inherited from our first parents, are not laid by God to our charge; nor (what is more) the actual transgressions, which at it's impulse we may have ignorantly committed. The righteousness and mediation of Christ are constituted more powerful in the court of heaven to absolve, than the guilt of Adam, and that even of the sinner himself, provided he will heartily repent of it, to condemn. Our help hath been laid upon One that is mighty, and in every respect equal to the work-upon One" able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him.” (Heb. vii. 25.) Having" died unto sin once,' behold! thenceforward, "He is alive for ever"more, and hath the keys of hell and of death." (Rev. i. 18.) "There remaineth therefore no "condemnation to them that are in Christ Je"sus," as concerning either the future or the past; for if, (the Apostle argues,) “if, when we 66 were enemies, we were reconciled unto God by the death of His Son, much more, being "reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Rom. v. 10.) In "Jesus Christ the righteous," the believer hath an abiding "Advocate with

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