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and best of beings, to whose wonderful and unspeakable forbear ance alone he is indebted, that he has not been consigned to the just punishment of his transgressions, in the pit of eternal perdition. He sees the aggravation of all sin to consist so much in its being committed against God, that he is ready to leave out of view all other considerations, and to say with the penitent Psalmist, whose great sin had a fellow mortal for its immediate object "Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou might est be justified when thou speak est, and be clear when thou judgest." And hence it is, as this text fully warrants us to affirm, that a real penitent, one who has a true sense of his sin, will, from his heart, justify the sentence of the law which condemns him-will see and feel that he deserves to die the death; and that if he were cast into hell, he would have no right to complain that he was punished beyond his desert. This, as will presently appear, is perfectly consistent with hoping for, and trusting in the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ, and is in deed inseparable from it.

2. There is, in a true sense of sin, a very affecting view of it, as in its own nature unspeakably polluting and vile. Agreeably to this, we find that the words of the Psalmist already quoted, are immediately followed by these-"Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” And a little after, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.' With the Psalmist, every true penitent will trace up all particular acts of sin every polluted stream that has defiled him in body and in soul, to the fountain of abomination that there is in his very heart and nature. Think much of this, my beloved youth. That sinner has nc

ver yet had a true view of his case, who dwells only, or principally, on particular instances of transgression. He must be brought to see, what our Saviour so plainly and impressively taught, that "Those things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man." Yes, and the true penitent will have such a sense of his moral defilement by sin, that he will, so to speak, sicken at the view. He will see sin to be unspeakably filthy, odious, and detestable, and that it has polluted by its abominations all his nature, every power of his soul, and every action of his life; and he will, from a real sight and sense of his condition and character, say with holy Job— "Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth-I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." To be purged and cleansed from this state of deep and hateful defilement, will be, as we have seen that it was with David, the most earnest desire of his soul. No evil will appear so great as the evil of sin, and no deliverance so desirable as to be freed from its filthy stains. Mark how strikingly, in this particular, a true sense of sin differs from that which only produces fear that punishment will follow it.

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Our catechism next teaches us, that true repentance is also connected with, and proceeds from, " an apprehension of the mercy God in Christ.' Much has been said on the question-Which is first in the order of nature, faith or repentance? You will observe that the question is entirely about the order of nature; for it is agreed on all hands, that these graces are inseparable, and always mingled together. Now it appears to me,

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that whether faith be taken in its larger sense, as relating to the whole revealed will of God, or be taken in its more restricted sense, as an acceptance and reliance on Christ alone for salvation, it must, in the order of nature, go before every kind and degree of repentance. Legal repentance could have no existence, if the sinner did not believe in a God, who will punish the violators of his law-Suppose a sincere and complete Atheist, and you suppose the existence of a man who can never feel a single compunction for sin. He may fear punishment from men, but certainly can fear none from a being who, as he believes, does not exist. All sense of guilt before God must plainly proceed from some kind of belief of his existence, of his law, and of his determination to punish those who offend him. Those who are merely legalists in their repentance, have commonly a speculative belief, not only of the being of God, but of the general truth of the Bible; and hence proceed all their anxieties, fears, remorse, and self-righteousness-Such faith as they have, proceeds, and is the cause of such repentance as they exercise. And as to "an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ,' by which it was doubtless intended we should understand at least the incipient exercise of saving faith, it appears to me that in the order of nature it must necessarily precede repentance unto life. We have no reason to believe that there ever was, or can be, any such thing as a salutary repentance, without some kind of apprehension that God may show mercy to the penitent individual. We thus conclude from what is witnessed in cases of a complete despair of mercy. Such a case was that of Judas. He had a powerful and overwhelming sense of guilt, and an utter despair of obtaining forgiveness. The con

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sequence was, "he repented, and went and hanged himself: and such has been the effect of despair in numerous instances since the time of Judas; and it may be questioned whether this, or taking refuge in blank Atheism, would not always be the case, if there was not a lingering hope of mercy in the minds of those who have, to their own apprehension, been in a state of despair-At the bottom of their hearts there has still been a hope of mercy, too feeble to be distinctly recognised, yet not without a real operation and influence, But when there is a distinct apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, it furnishes the only pure, as well as the most powerful motive to genuine repentance. While the soul is filled with self-abhorrence, in the view of having sinned against a merciful God and Saviour, it is melted into genuine sorrow for all its sin, made to look on it with the greatest detestation, and at the same time is filled with humble love and adoring gratitude to God, and with a most intense desire to avoid offending him in time to come. Here indeed is evangelical repentancehatred to sin, because it is offensive and dishonourable to God our Saviour, and because it is in itself most loathsome and detestable. So that it may be truly said, that when faith and hope rise to assu

*It ought to be made known to those who cannot read the New Testament in the

original, that the Greek word which is here translated "he repented," is entirely different from that which is invariably used to signify true repentance-To repent truly, or savingly, is always expressed by derivatives from the word ustavs, (metanoeo). The word used to signify such a repentance as was that of Judas, is derived from μεταμελομαί, (metamelomai). We lack single terms in the English language

to denote the difference between the meaning of these two words in the original, and therefore both are translated by the same word. Campbell translates the latter repentance, and the former reformation.

rance, then the most genuine repentance will flow forth; that is, the believer will hate sin most, and most earnestly desire deliverance from it, at the very time that he has not a doubt that through Christ Jesus he is freely and fully pardoned, and will never come into condemnation-But I am anticipating what, if God permit, will be more distinctly and fully considered in our next lecture.

WITHERSPOON'S ESSAY ON JUSTIFICATION.

(Continued from p. 11.)

Let us continue to reflect a few moments upon this subject, which is of great importance, varying a little the light in which it is viewed. Let us consider what is meant by a supreme and superlative love to God. These words must have a meaning. It is not a supreme love of a certain nature, or person, called God, whom no man hath seen, and of whom we know no more but the name. In this case the old maxim would hold, "Ignoti nulla cupido;" there can be no affection, of either love or hatred, towards an object wholly unknown. A supreme love of God therefore, where it really hath place in any heart, must mean the love of a character in some measure understood, though not fully comprehended. In short, according to the Scriptures, it is a supreme love of the source and pattern of moral excellence, of a being of infinite holiness and purity, with whom "evil cannot dwell." Is not this, in truth and reality, the love of holiness itself, the supreme love of it? Can we love holiness then, and not aspire after it? can we love it and not endeavour to practise it? nay, can we love it, and not possess it? can we love holiness supremely, and live in sin habitually? it is the grossest contradiction, the most

absolute impossibility. There is then a diametrical opposition between the love of God and the service of sin. To suppose them consistent, would be supposing, that the tendency of the heart and affections might be opposite to the course of the life, or supremely fixed upon two things mutually destructive to each other; on the contrary, our Saviour justly affirms, that " no man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Once more, Is not the love of God, I mean, the supreme love of God, precisely what is meant by holiness? It is not only an evidence of it, not only a source of it, not only an important branch, but the sum and perfection of it. For what is sin in the heart, of which all evil actions are but the fruits and expressions, and from which they. derive their malignity and contrariety to the divine will? Is it not the love and pursuit of inferior objects on their own account, and giving them that place in our af fections which is due only to God? All sins, of whatever kind, may be easily reduced to this, and shown to be nothing else, but the alienation and estrangement of our heart and affections from God, to whom alone they are due: which so far as it prevails, necessarily occasions a misapplication of every faculty of our minds, and of every member of our bodies, and thus a rebellion of the whole man. But whoever loves God above all, and places his chief happiness and delight in him, is truly holy; not only will be so as the effect, but really is so, by the possession of this disposition. In proportion as this love is increased and strengthened, his sanctification is carried on; and when it is complete and triumphant, entirely free

* Matt. vi. 24.

from the mixture of any baser passion, he is perfect in holiness.

It may probably occur to some readers, that this reasoning will not accord with the accounts given by many moderns of the nature and foundation of virtue. Some found it upon the present prevailing tendency of our own dispositions, and make it point directly and immediately at our own happiness; others found it upon our connections with our fellow-creatures in this state, and make it consist in benevolence of heart, and beneficence of action; others again, who approach nearer the truth, but without precision, style it an acting towards every object, according to reason and the nature of things. Upon any of these schemes, the connection, or rather coincidence, above alleged between the love of God and virtue, or moral excellence, does not so clearly appear. This indeed seems to me the great defect of these accounts of the nature and foundation of virtue, that they keep our relation and obligations to God at a distance at least, and much out of view. But as this is the first commandment of the law which God hath revealed to man for his obedience, "Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." So upon a fair and just examination, the supreme love of God will be found the most consistent and rational account of the nature of virtue, and the true source from which all other virtues, that are not spurious, must take their rise, and from which they derive their force and obligation: it is founded not only upon the relation of creatures to their Creator, but on the inherent excellence of the Divine Nature. supposing (what will scarcely be denied) that God may be at all the object of our esteem and love, it is plain, that we ought to have the highest esteem for the highest excellence, a supreme love for what

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is infinitely amiable; and if our affections do in any measure prefer what is less to what is more worthy, they must be, in that proportion, wrong and misplaced.

As to some of the phrases (for they are no more) which come into repute together, or in succession one after another, to express the rise and foundation of virtue, such as a sense of beauty, of harmony, of order and proportion: this is no explication of the matter at all; it is only transferring the language used with respect to sensible objects, to ethics or morality, in which it must be understood figuratively. That there is some analogy between those subjects and morality, may be easily confessed; but there are few different subjects in nature, between which as strong or a stronger analogy may not be traced. For example, how easy would it be to reduce all notions of morality, nay, indeed, all notions of beauty in painting, or harmony in music, to truth and reality, in opposition to falsehood? Wollaston's Religion of Nature Delineated, is an example of this, in which he resolves the morality, or immorality, of every action, into the truth or falsehood of a proposition. And, whoever reads the book will, I dare say, be sensible, that it is just as natural and proper, as a certain noble author's rhapsodies upon beauty and harmony. In short, it were easy to show, that none of the accounts given of the nature of virtue, have any meaning, truth or force in them, but so far as they are founded upon, or coincident with, that which I have above given from the word of God.*

*There is one late writer, David Hume, Esq. who, it must be confessed, hath excelled all that went before him in an extraordinary account of the nature of virtue. I have taken no notice above of his principles, if they may be called so, because I think both him and them worthy of the highest contempt; and would have disdained to have made mention of his name,

Thus I have shown, that those who believe the doctrine of imputed righteousness must be most holy in their lives that the obligations to obedience are not weakened, but strengthened and confirmed by it. This any impartial person may be convinced of, who will reflect, that it is hardly possible to conceive an obligation to duty, of any kind, which may not be reduced to one or other of those above-named: and if I am not mistaken, none of them can operate so

but that it affords me an opportunity of expressing my sense of the wrong mea sures taken by many worthy and able men, who, in sermons and other discourses, give grave and serious answers to his writings. As to himself, that man must be beyond the reach of conviction by reasoning, who is capable of such an insult upon reason itself, and human nature, as to rank all natural advantages, mental and corporeal, among the virtues, and their contraries among the vices. Thus he hath expressly named wit, genius, health, cleanliness, taper legs, and broad shoulders, among his virtues; diseases he also makes vices; and consistently enough, indeed, takes notice of the infectious nature of some diseases, which, I suppose, he reck1 ons an aggravation of the crime. And, as to mankind in general, if they were at that pass as to need a refutation of such nonsense, as well as impiety, it would be were to contrive an answer to this writer, it would be a visible, instead of a legible answer: it would be to employ a painter to make a portrait of him from the life; to encompass him with a few hieroglyphics, which it would not be difficult to devise; to inscribe upon his breast these words, HEALTH, CLEANLINESS, and BROAD SHOULDERS; and put the following sentence in his mouth, which he hath adopted from a French author," FEMALE INFIDELITY When it is known is a small matter, and when it is not known, is nothing" This would be very proper when applied to his writings, who, as well as his friend and coadjutor without a name, makes "our most impor tant reasonings upon many subjects to rest ultimately upon sense and feeling." It is probable some over delicate persons will think this is not treating him with sufficient decency; but till there be a plan agreed upon, of the measures of decency due from infidels to Christians, and from Christians to infidels, whether he does not deserve far worse treatment froin any who believes the gospel, I leave to the judgment of those who will read his writings.

in vain to reason with them at all. If I

strongly upon any other scheme, as that which is here espoused, and which is so evidently founded on the Scriptures of truthban

There is, however, one general consideration, which it would be wrong to omit, in showing the friendly influence of this doctrine upon holiness of life, although it doth not so properly fall under the notion of a direct obligation; that is, the great encouragement given in it to the study of purity and holiness by the prospect of success. Despair of success cuts the sinews of diligence in every enterprise. And particularly upon the subject of religion, nothing more effectually enervates our resolutions, and leads to a sullen, despondent neglect of duty, than an opinion that we shall not succeed in attempting it, or shall not be accepted in our fect attainments in it. But the docendeavours after it, or our impertrine of justification by the free grace of God, "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” gives the greatest encouragement to all who will return to their duty. This encouragement naturally divides itself into two branches: 1st, The sure hope of acceptance through Christ. 2dly, The pow erful and effectual aid provided for them in the Holy Spirit, which he hath purchased, and bestows for their sanctification.

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1st, The sure hope of acceptance through Christ Jesus. Although sin hath greatly blinded the minds of men, there is still so much of "the work of the law written in their hearts," as must make them sensible that in many things they offend, and must give them ground of solicitude and fear, while they expect to be justified by their own merits. Accordingly we find, that except the grossest and boldest infidels, of which sort this age has furnished some examples,* all class

* Vide Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion. These essays conclude with an address to the Supreme

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