through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus," gives the greateft encouragement to all who will return to their duty. This encouragement naturally divides itfelf into two branches; 1ft, The fure hope of acceptance through Christ. 2dly, The powerful and effectual aid provided for them in the Holy Spirit, which he hath purchased, and bestows for their fanctification.

Ift, The fure hope of acceptance through Chrift Jefus. Although fin hath greatly blinded the minds of men, there is ftill fo much of the work of the law written in their hearts," as muft make them fenfible that in many things they offend, and must give them ground of folicitude and fear, while they expect to be juftified by their own merits. Accordingly we find, that except the grofleft and boldeft infidels, of which fort this age has furnished fome examples,* all claffes of men confefs themselves guilty of many fins, faults, or failings; fome exprefling themselves in a stronger, and fome in a fofter ftile, according to the greater or leffer degree of the depravation of natural confcience. If there is any meaning then in these words, they muft be liable to the difpleafure of God in fome refpects, for which they cannot themselves atone; and muft therefore labor under, at least, much uncertainty as to their acceptance. This must weaken their hands, and flacken their diligence, in an attempt so precarious in its iflue.

Perhaps fome may fay, that this is only levelled against thofe who deny all fatisfaction, or all ufe of the merit of Chrifl, but not against thofe who expect to be juftified by their own merit fo far as it goes, and truft in their Saviour for making up what is wanting in themselves. But of fuch I would afk, how they fhall be fatisfied, that they have gone as far with their own merit as is requifite, if there is any ftrefs to be laid upon it at all? Will they fay, as fome foolishly do, that they do all in their power, and trust in Christ for fupplying what may be fill deficient?

* Vide Effays on the principles of morality and natural religion. Thefe effays conclude with an addrefs to the Supreme Being which contains the following words; " What mortals term fin, thou pro "nounceft to be only error; for mortal evil vanishes, in fome measure, "from before thy more perfect fight."

If they dare refolutely stand to this plea at the last day, when God fhall judge the fecrets of all hearts, that they have done all in their power, there is really nothing wanting to them; they need no Saviour; they need no pardon. But this is what no mere man that ever lived can fay with truth. So that upon any scheme, but an entire reliance on the merits of Chrift for juftification before God, there must still be a dreadful uncertainty, inconfiftent with that liberal and ingenuous freedom with which the children of God love and ferve him. Thefe, ftrongly penetrated with a fenfe of duty and obligation, deeply humbled under a fenfe of fin, and refting on the perfect atonement made by their Saviour and fubftitute, ferve him with alacrity and pleasure, wearing the bonds of love. And, knowing the weaknefs of their beft fervices while here, they long for that bleffed time when they fhall be made perfectly holy, and yet fhall forever acknowledge themselves indebted, for their place in heaven, and their continuance there, to the grace of God, and the love of their Redeemer.

The other branch of the encouragement which believers in Chrift have to diligence in duty, is the promise of the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth, and guide them to all duty. This promife is exprefsly made to believers, and their feed after them, in every age of the church, to the end of the world. Thus fays the apoftle Peter, "And ye fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoft; for the promife is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God fhall "call."*. And it is to this plentiful effufion of the Spirit, that the prophets afcribe the purity and profperity of the church in the latter days. "For I will pour water upon "him that is thirfty, and floods upon the dry ground: I "will pour my Spirit upon thy feed, and my bleffing upon "thine offspring, and they fhall fpring up as among the "grafs, as willows by the water-courses."†

I am fenfible, that the nature and form of the argument doth not permit me at once to fuppofe the truth of this, and to make use of the direct agency and effectual opera

tion of the Spirit of God to prove the holiness of faints. But it may be easily made appear, that the belief and perfuafion of this must have the strongest influence in animating their own endeavors. What more proper for fuch a purpose than the belief of an almighty aid, certainly to be exerted in their behalf? Muft not this invigorate their powers, and preferve them from finking through fear of the number and ftrength of their adverfaries? Nothing but ignorance of themfelves can make them boast of their own ftrength. The refult of experience in the study of holiness, must be a humbling conviction of the force of temptation, and ftrength of paffion on the one hand, and the weakness and feeblenefs of human reason and refolution on the other. Muft it not then be of the greatest advantage to believers, to be under an habitual perfuafion of the prefence and operation of the Spirit of God to fanctify them wholly? Without this the attempt would be altogether vain; but this makes the exhortation come with peculiar force and energy, " Work out your own falvation "with fear and trembling: for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."*

It will be a fupport to the prefent argument to obferve, that fome fenfe of the weaknefs of human nature, and its inequality to any thing arduous and difficult, feems to have been pretty univerfal in every country and in every age of the world. Thus among the ancient Heathens, of whom we have the fulleft account, all great enterprizes were fuppofed to be undertaken at the inftigation, and executed by the affiftance of fome fuperior power. Their poets always gave out, that themselves were infpired, and their hero directed by fome deity; and moderns generally fuppofe, that the very imagination of this had no fmall influence on the fuccefs of the attempt. The interpofition of deities was, indeed, fo remarkable in the most eminent ancient poets, that it has been reckoned a branch of their art, diftinguished by a particular name, called the machinery, and is now infeparably joined, at least, to one species of poetry. Nay, it was a pretty general belief among

Phil. ii. 12, 13.

fome nations, that every particular person had an angel, fpirit, or genius, to whofe care he was committed, who affifted him in difficulty, and protected him in danger. Does not all this then evidently prove, that a perfuafion of fuperior aid must have the most happy influence on our activity and diligence in duty, and our progrefs in holiness? Doth it not make it reasonable to expect, that those who truft to nothing better than their own strength, will be proportionably low in their attempts, and deficient in their fuccefs; but that thofe whofe eyes are fixed for direction upon God, and who live in a continual dependence on his grace, will become truly partakers of a divine nature?

66

Now, is not this the diftinguishing characteristic of the fcheme of redemption by free grace, that it gives lefs to man, and more to God, than any other plan? It seems indeed particularly to point at this very defign in every part of it, to abase the pride of man, and to exalt the grace of God. Self-denial is the first condition of the gospel, and a renunciation of all self-dependence is the leffon continued through the whole. Surely in the Lord have I "righteoufnefs and ftrength," may be called the motto of every Christian, is a fhort and comprehenfive fummary of his faith, and the great foundation of his hope and truft. As then it has been fhewn, that he is habitually inclined to obedience, with what alacrity and vigor will he apply himself to his duty, fince he believes that Almighty power is conftantly engaged in his behalf; and that however unable he may be of himself, for any thing that is good, yet a thorough and effectual change will be wrought in him by divine power? What a firmnefs and fortitude muft be infpired by the following paffage of the and other promifes in the fame ftrain? "known, haft thou not heard, that the "the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, nei"ther is weary? there is no fearching of his understanding. "He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth ftrength. Even the youths fhall "faint and be weary, and the young men fhall utterly fall.

prophet Ifaiah, "Haft thou not everlafting God,

"But they that wait on the Lord fhall renew their ftrength: they fhall mount up with wings as eagles; they fhall "run and not be weary, they fhall walk and not faint."*

But now, perhaps, after all the advantages of this doctrine pointed out in the preceding difcourfe, fome will be ready to afk me, if it cannot poffibly be applied to the encouragement of impiety, or ferve to fofter a fupine floth and negligence? To this I am ready to anfwer, By fome who profefs it, it may; but by thofe who really believe it, it never can. There is no part of the word, or providence of God, that may not be, or that hath not frequently in fact been, abused to bad purposes, by wicked men under the dominion of their lufts. But, in order to remove ambiguity, it is proper to obferve, that wherever there is a national profeffion of any religious principles, there must be many who are not believers, in any other fenfe than that they have been accuftomed to hear fuch and fuch things afferted, have never enquired into nor doubted, feldom even thought of them, and fo do not difbelieve them. But there is a great difference between fuch a traditionary belief as may produce a cuftomary profeffion, and fuch a real and inward perfuafion as will change the heart, and influence the practice. That there may be fome of the first fort of believers in the doctrine of imputed righteousness, who are not holy, or perhaps abuse it, ill underftood, to unholiness, I am willing to allow; but that all those who believe it upon real and perfonal conviction, must be moft cofcientious in the practice of every moral duty, I hope hath been clearly made appear in the preceding pages.

The above is all that was firft intended, in the profecution of this argument: but, perhaps, it will not be improper before difmiffing the fubject, to make a few reflections upon the reception which it hath met with, and muft ftill expect to meet with in the world; upon its importance and proper application.

It is very certain, being neither denied by friends nor enemies, that this doctrine hath, in all ages, not only been attacked with the weapons of human wifdom, but gene

If. xl. 28-37.