governor of the world, deciding and punishing as causes may arise; in which case, there could be no possibility of salvation, because all have sinned, and do sin continually, and consequently deserve punishment. Those persons, therefore, who think to work for and earn life, or (treading in the steps of Pelagius) procure what they call grace, which upon their scheme could be nothing but wages, do indeed attempt to render a price, and not to receive a bounty from God; a principle of action, with the dead works it produces, which is wholly repugnant to the purpose and spirit of the Gospel, and neither more nor less. than the wild and insolent presumption of a poor, beggarly, fallen, rebel, still disputing and revolting against his Maker; or of a pitiable madman, hugging his chains and strutting with a cap of straw, yet fancying himself in

vested with gorgeous apparel, and a diadem of royalty.*

But I would observe, for the prevention of mistakes, that there is one sense, in which God may truly be considered as a moral Governor, and that is, in the government of the hearts and lives of his redeemed people; by whom I mean those who have entered into his new covenant or testament, through faith in the sacrifice of their Redeemer. They, indeed, are truly under a THEOCRACY,† but wholly dis

*See some forcible remarks upon this subject in RICCALTOUN's Works, sparsim.

The Jews, for a season, were under a temporal Theocracy; but, like other circumstances granted to that "prophetic people," this was figurative only of the spiritual economy abovementioned, and was therefore discontinued. No other nation had ever that advantage, and certainly not the world at large, according to the present scheme of moral government.

tinct in its operation from the common course of things in the world. This is God's spiritual and gracious government, in which all things, necessary for life and godliness, are provided in that new constitution, or kingdom, and are carried into effect by the special operation of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the purposes of holiness are most fully secured, and secured too upon infinitely stronger grounds than they possibly could be by the poor energies of the natural man; even supposing that he had a heart so to employ them, which he certainly has

not.

But some have objected, "How then is God to judge the world at the last day, when every secret thing shall be brought to light, and every man rewarded according to his deeds?"It may be answered, in the first place, that, at this final judgement, no man will receive heaven as a reward for

his moral obedience; for, that is impossible; all men being sinners, not only in their nature, but in every act of their lives, not excepting their holiest duties. In no point is the Scripture more express than in this, that man can never be justified by his own defective works, or escape punishment for his sins, by a partial conformity to the divine law. If, therefore, any man is rectus in curia, or righteous. before God, it must be by God's own deed of free grace, conveyed upon the plan of his own revelation, in which it is maintained, that he hath so declared his righteousness, that he can at once be just, and yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. Rom. iii. 24-26. In this view, there is no title of right in ruined sinners, such as all men are; but the whole of salvation rests upon that sure covenant, wherein God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy.

Farther;

Farther; it may be said, that there will indeed be a reward hereafter, though not of debt, but of grace. The redeemed will be approved, (Matth. xxv. 21,) not for their works, as being their own, for without talents given they could have done nothing; but according to their works, as being the fruits of faith, which the Holy Spirit effected in and by them; and therefore these are said to be wrought in God. The same kind of blessing or reward* was given

to

*The Hebrew word implies, not merely remuneration, but that refreshment and vigour of soul, that comfort and satiety, which are symbolized by what the body feels from drinking, when athirst, the most exhilarating liquor. The text itself shows, that merit was out of the case; for, Jehovah himself could not be deserved by Abraham as a reward or portion for any thing whatever, since neither he nor any one else could act for God but by his own gift; and it would be

strange