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the object of faith. This, in its full extent, includes every thing that is revealed in the holy fcriptures, with respect to his perfon, character, and work. It may indeed be faid to include the whole revealed will of God; becaufe every part of this will has a more remote or immediate reference to him. Chrift Jefus is "the Alpha and Omega, the firft "and the laft, the beginning and the ending," of the will of God as revealed for our falvation. But as every thing elfe was only introductory and preparatory to his atonement, or confequent upon it, I fhall chiefly direct your attention to him as a Saviour from guilt and pollution. This the name of Jefus immediately imports: Matth. i. 21. "And "thou fhalt call his name Jefus: for he fall fave his "people from their fins." In this view, i think the object of faith may be fummed up in the following particulars. 1. That we are, by nature, in a ftate of fin, alienated in heart from God, tranfgreffors of his law, and liable to his wrath. If this were not the cafe, a Saviour would not be neceffary; salvation would be a word without force, and even without meaning. It is accordingly found in experience, that till there be a conviction of this truth upon the confcience, the tidings of a Saviour are always treated with neglect or difdain. Nothing can be stronger than the language of fcripture on this fubject in many paffages; particularly, Matth. xviii. 11. "For the Son of man is come "to fave that which was loft." Luke v. 31, 32. "And Jefus anfwering, faid unto them, they that are whole, "need not a phyfician; but they that are fick. I came "not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance." I fhall alfo read to you the account of our natural ftate, and the end of Christ's coming, given by the apoitle Paul, Eph. ii. 1.5. “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trefpaffes and fins, wherein in time paft 66 ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that "now worketh in the children of difobedience. Among "whom alfo we all had our conversation in times past, in "the lufts of our flefh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, "and of the mind; and were by nature the children of “wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy,

" for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we "were dead in fins hath quickened us together with Chrift,

(by grace ye are faved)." I forbear to mention the proof of this from the history of the world, from the marks of God's displeasure against fin in the course of providence, and from the teftimony of confcience, as I have illuftrated them at confiderable length in other difcourfes. Let it fuffice at prefent to say, that the first truth which is the object of faith, is the guilt and misery of our nature.

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The next part of the object of faith is, that there is no way of recovery from this ftate but by Chrift: Acts iv. "Neither is there falvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men where"by we must be faved." If there were any other, it would not be the command of God that we fhould believe in the name of his Son Jefus Chrift. After men are in fome measure fenfible that they are guilty, it is often diffi cult to convince them that they are helplefs. There is fomething fo mortifying in this confideration, and fo humbling to our pride, that it is with great unwillingness we yield to it. Nay, after we have feemed to confefs it, we are often ready to retract it. The finner has always a proneness to seek fome refource in himself. Hence the difpofition to extenuate his guilt; and if he cannot plead abfolute, to place fome dependence upon comparative innocence. Hence the difpofition to magnify human merit, as if, by the value of fome good deeds, we could balance or cancel the guilt of our difobedience. Hence the endlefs variety of human inventions, of coftly facrifices and voluntary penance. Micah vi. 6,7. "Wherewith fhall I "come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high "God? fhall I come before him with burnt-offerings. "with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased "with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers "of oil? fhall I give my first-born for my tranfgreffion, the "fruit of my body for my foul?" The truth is, till the finner is ftript of every plea, and found to be without excufe, he will still refufe to be indebted to the grace of his Redeemer. But hear ye the Spirit of God, Rev. iii. 17, 18. "Because thou fayeft, I am rich, and increafed with

"goods, and have need of nothing; and knoweft not that "thou art wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, "and naked. I counfel thee to buy of me gold tried in "the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, "that thou mayest be clothed, and that the fhame of thy "nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with "eye-falve, that thou mayeft fee."

3. This leads me to the third part of the object of faith, viz. That the pardon of fin, and peace with an offended God, is freely offered to the chief of finners through Chrift. The two preceding truths are preparatory to this, and serve to point out its neceffity and moment. This is the gracious meffage which was brought into the world by the gofpel; and from which it derives its name, importing glad tidings. What we are particularly to attend to here is, (1.) that Chrift Jefus was fubftituted in the room of finners, and fuffered, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God; that the holinefs and juftice of God required an expiation of fin, which was made by this immaculate victim: If. liii. 5, 6. "But he was wounded"for our tranfgreffions, he was bruised for our iniquities: "the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with "his ftripes we are healed. All we like fheep have gone "aftray; we have turned every one to his own way, and "the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Rom. iii. 25. "Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his "righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fins that are paft, through the forbearance of God." (2.) Another thing alfo to be observed, is the conftitution of the fufferer's perfon. It was no less than the eternal and only begotten Son of God. This is a circumftance of the utmoft moment, and on which the greatest stress is manifeftly laid in fcripture. It is included in the words of the text: "This is his commandment, That we fhould believe on "the name of his Son Jefus Chrift." It is also con"ftantly found in the early Confeffions of Faith; John i. 49. "Nathaniel anfwered and faid unto him, Rabbi, "thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Ifrael.” 3 M

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Matth. xvi. 16.

"And Simon Peter answered and faid, "Thou art Chrift, the fon of the living God." Acts viii. 37. "And Philip faid, If thou believest with all "thine heart, thou mayeft. And he anfwered and faid, "I believe that Jefus Chrift is the Son of God." Unless this is attended to, we fhall neither be fufficiently fenfible of the evil of fin, which required fuch an atonement, nor of the love of God which provided it, nor of the power of the Saviour to execute it; nor can we have such encouragement to put our truft in it.

From thefe two circumftances you may be directed to contemplate the leading and principal object of faith, viz. the only begotten Son of God dying in our room, and purchafing our pardon. Jefus, the mediator of the new covenant, having finifhed his work, invites weary and heavy-laden finners to come unto him; and affures them, that the highest demands of the law are anfwered, that their debt is fully paid, and nothing is now to be laid to their charge: Rom. viii. 33, 34. "Who fhall lay any

thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juf "tifieth: Who is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that "died, yea rather, that is rifen again, who is even at "the right hand of God, who alfo maketh interceffion "for us." Rev. xxii. 17. "And the Spirit and the "bride fay, Come. And let him that heareth, fay, Come. "And let him that is athirft, come: and whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

4. In the last place, The object of faith is the power of Chrift to renew our natures, to deliver us from the bondage of corruption, and bring us into the glorious liberty of God's children. We must never separate the Redeemer's merit and his power. Conviction is imperfect unless we see our flavery, as well as mifery, and unfeignedly defire deliverance from both. Neither do we properly apprehend the extent, of Chrift's undertaking, unless we view him exalted as a prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Ifrael, and remiffion of fins. There are too things equally effential to the gofpel upon this particular. (1.) The neceffity of being fanctified. Salvation in fin is not promised; falvation or happiness in fin is not poffible;

and therefore all who hope for falvation through Christ, must be renewed in the fpirit of their minds. Thenceforth they must not ferve fin: 2 Cor. v. 17. If any

man be in Chrift, he is a new creature: old things are paffed away, behold, all things are become new." If the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness of men, it muft ftill abide on the children of difobedience.

(2.) The other thing to be observed is, that the sanctification of the believer is the purchafe of Chrift's blood, and the work of his Spirit. This is plain through the whole of the fcriptures both of the Old Teftament and the New. Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26, 27. "Then will I fprinkle "clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean; from all your filthinefs, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new "Spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the

ftony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an "heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, "and caufe you to walk in my ftatutes, and ye fhall keep

my judgments, and do them." John xv. 4, 5. “A"bide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear "fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more

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can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are "the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, "the fame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye "can do nothing." Nothing can be ftronger than the language used on this fubject: "His grace is fufficient for us; his ftrength is made perfect in weakness." "the grace of God," fays the Apostle, "I am what I am.". And again, "Not I, but the grace of God which was "with me." Nay, he is faid "to work in. us both to "will and to do of his good pleafure." All this fhows, that there is no room left for the finner to glory; but that the whole of his lofs by the fall, both his integrity and his happiness, may be recovered, and can only be recovered through Chrift. This is the fum of evangelical truth, this is the fource of evangelical holiness: Gal. ii. 16.— "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift, even we " have believed in Jefus Chrift; that we might be justi

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