not understand my speech? because ye cannot hear my word: that is, because ye are averse from it. But no man will be able to excuse this, his aversion, which is itself sin. The Judge of all the earth makes no allowance for it, nor for its not having been removed by divine grace. Grace is never represented in the scriptures as necessary to our accountableness; but as a free gift which God might justly withhold. It is deemed sufficient to jus tify the condemnation of sinners, that they were averse from the gospel and government of Christ: Take these mine enemies, that WOULD NOT that I should reign over them, and slay them before me.

Should it be objected, that these principles must tend to drive a sinner to despair; I answer, by asking, What sinner? Not him whose desires are toward the Saviour; not him whose prayer is Turn thou me, and I shall be turned: if any, it must be him who has no desire after God; and, even in his case, the despair is not absolute, but merely on supposition of his continuing in that state of mind. But this, to him, is most necessary; for, till a sinner despair of obtaining mercy in the way he is in, he will never fall at the feet of sovereign grace, and so will never be saved. As he that would be wise must first become a fool, that he may be wise, so be that layeth hold of the hope set before him in the gospel must first relinquish his hope from every other quarter.

VOL. VII..

ON JUSTIFICATION.

SERMON XVII.

ROMANS iii. 24.

Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

THE doctrine expressed in this passage runs through the Epistle and constitutes the scope of it. It is taught in many other parts of scripture, but here it is established by a connected body of evidence. Both heathens and Jews are proved to be under sin, and, consequently, incapable of being justified by a righteous God, on the ground of their own obedience. As to the former, they were wicked in the extreme. If any thing could have been alleged in excuse of them, it had been their ignorance; but even this failed. They had means of knowledge sufficient to render them without excuse; but, having neglected them, and cast off God, God gave them up to their own corrupt affections and propersities; so that even the philosophic Greeks and Romans were full of all ungodliness and unrighteousness, holding, or rather withholding, the truth, which they understood above the common people, in unrighteousness. But if heathens could not be justified yet did not they who had the oracles of God stand on higher ground? Not so; for those very oracles describe men as all

gone out of the way, as having become unprofitable, as none of them doing good, no, not one; and what revelation says, it says of

Israel, therefore, was a part Every mouth is stopped, and

them who are under the light of it. of the corrupt mass. The sum is, all the world become guilty before God.-By the deeds of the law no flesh living can be justified in his sight.

These sentiments, contained in the first three chapters of the Epistle, make way for the following interesting statement: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God: being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesús: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness that he might be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.

I call this an interesting statement; for of all the questions that can occupy the human mind, there is none of greater importance than that which relates to the way of acceptance with God. We learn from our own consciences, as well as from the scriptures, that we are accountable creatures; but how we shall stand before the holy Lord God, is a question that overwhelms us. If there were no hope from the gospel, we must despair. We must appear before the judgment-seat, but it would be only to be convicted and condemned. The doctrine, therefore, that shows a way in which God can be just, and yet a justifier, must be interesting beyond expression. This is, in substance, the good news to be proclaimed to every creature.

Justification by grace has been thought, by some, to be inconsistent with justification through the atonement and righteousness of Christ. Yet it is here expressly said to be of grace; and, as though that were not enough, freely by grace: nor is the sacred writer less express concerning its meritorious cause, than concern

ing its source, or origin: it was not only of free grace, but through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

In every kind of justification in which justice is regarded, there is some ground, or reason, for the proceeding. In ordinary cases among men, this ground, or reason, is found in the character of the prisoner. He is considered as innocent, and therefore is acquitted. In the justification of a sinner by the Judge of all, it is the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. That which innocence is to the one, the redemption of Christ is to the other: it is his righteousness, or that in consideration of which being imputed to him, he is justified.

In discoursing upon this great subject, I shall endeavour to ascertain the meaning of the term; to give proof of the doctrine. and to show the consistency of its being of free grace, and yet through the redemption of Jesus Christ.

I. LET US ENDEAVOUR TO ASCERTAIN THE MEANING OF THE

TERM JUSTIFICATION. Many errors on this important subject may be expected to have arisen from the want of a clear view of the thing itself. Till we understand what justification is, we cannot affirm or deny any thing concerning it, but with great uncertainty.

It is not the making a person righteous by an inherent change from sin to righteousness: this is sanctification; which, though no less necessary than the other, yet is distinguished from it: Christ is made unto us righteousness and sanctification. The term is forensic, referring to the proceedings in a court of judicature, and stands opposed to condemnation. This is evident from many passages of scripture, particularly the following: He that JUSTIFIETH the wicked, and he that CONDEMNETH the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord.-The judgment was by one to conDEMNATION; but the free gift is of many offences unto JUSTIFICATION.-There is therefore now no CONDEMNATION to them that are in Christ Jesus.-It is God that JUSTIFIETH: who is he that CONDEMNETH ?—He that—believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into cONDEMNATION; but is passed from death unto life. If a prisoner who stands charged with a crime be convicted of it, he is condemned: if otherwise, he is acquitted or justified.