as did the elder fon and yet their love and friendship was exercised and expreffed in very different and oppofite ways, according to their different and oppofite ftate and circumftances. But the difference and oppofition between these two laws of works and faith in other refpects, which are implied in or do arife from that already mentioned, though not fo great and important, yet must be noticed, as neceffary in order fully to understand the subject to which we are attending. 2. None can be justified and obtain eternal life by the law of works, unless he is perfectly obedient and holy, without the leaft fin or defect. But by the law of faith the leaft degree of holiness exercised by a finner, in believing in Chrift, and coming to him, and trufting in him for pardon and falvation, obtains juftification and the promise of eternal life, while he is yet attended with a great degree of unholiness and fin. The reason of this difference is, because by the law of works a creature is juftified by his own works or holiness, which therefore must be perfect; for by the leaft fin he falls under the curfe of the law, and can never after obtain any bleffing by it: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curfe; for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them." But by the law of faith the finner is not juftified by his own works or holiness, but wholly by the merit and righteousness of Chrift. The leaft exerçife of holiness by which a finner accepts of Chrift offering himself to him, and comes to him for pardon, righteoufnefs and complete redemption, interefts him in all the bleffings Chrift has obtained for finners, and in all the promises of the covenant of grace. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Verily, verily I fay unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him who fent me, hath everlafting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is paffed from death to life This leads to obferve another difference between these two laws. 3. By the law of works a creature cannot be juftified until he has perfevered in perfect obedience to the end of the time of his probation: but by the law of faith the finner is juftified, and interested in all the promises of the gospel, and made an heir of eternal life, upon the first act of faith in Christ. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; he fhall not come into condemnation, but is paffed from death to life." Saving faith is indeed a persevering faith, fo that he who once believes will continue to believe to the end of life. His faith fhall never fail; not because it is in its own nature à perfevering faith, or from the power and fufficiency of the believer, but because God has promifed, in the covenant of grace, that he who once believes, to whom he has given faith to lay hold of and embrace this covenant by believing on Chrift, fhall be kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation. The firft act of faith being in this fenfe and manner a perfevering faith, the promise is made to believing, even the very firft act of it, and it is proper that this fhould bring into a state of juftification, and give a title to eternal life, as the first act of faith is the beginning of an ever-` lafting union to Chrift, in whom the believer has everlafting righteousness and ftrength. 4. Though the holiness of the law of works and the law of faith be the fame in nature and kind, confifting in obedience to the fame, and conformable to the revealed will of God; yet, owing to the ftate and circumstances of the finner, and the different way and manner of obtaining juftification by the exercife of holinefs, which has been defcribed, there is a real and great, though circumftantial, difference in the exercife of the fame holinefs. The finner, infinitely guilty, ill-deferving and wretched, exercises his love to God and his law, and to Chrift the mediator, in coming to and trufting in Christ, and receiving from him deliverance from the infinite evil he deferves, and from all fin, and accepting of all the good he wants and is capable of enjoying to all eternity, as a free, undeferved gift. He has a greater fenfe of the infinite goodnefs and free grace of God, and feels more dependent on this, and more indebted to God, and under greater obligations to him, than the holy angels who have never finned can; and confequent. ly the redeemed exercife a greater degree of humility, and a more ardent and fweet love of gratitude, and ren der a higher tribute of praife to God, their Redeemer and Saviour, than they are capable of who have never finned. Therefore the redeemed from among men are reprefented as finging a new fong before the throne of God, which none but they could learn.. Thirdly. It is to be confidered how and why all boasting is excluded by the law of faith, as it has been explained. It is not implied in this, that the law of works, when rightly understood and perfectly obeyed, affords any ground of boafting in a bad fenfe, or of finful boafting, which is meant here. The holy angels, who are juftified, and have obtained the reward of eternal life by the law of works, have no ground for boafting. They have no pride, and do not glory in themselves, in their own obedience and works, but in the Lord, in his munificence and glorious character. But this law of works is not fuited to the finner, to obtain juftification and life by it; for he has fallen under the curfe of it, and is forever excluded from the righteoufnefs of it in his own perfon; and to fuppofe a finner can be juftified by any obedience or works he can perform, is to fet him infinitely higher than the place and ftate he is in, and to dif honour and degrade the law; and for a finner to attempt this, is a most daring inftance of pride and selfconfident boafting. And were it poffible that a finner could obtain the favour of God, and juftification, by any obedience or holiness of his own, and out of refpect to the worth and amiableness of that, this would please and flatter his pride, and nothing could prevent his haughty boafting of himself and his own good works. And And this fuits the heart of proud man; he naturally feeks to be juftified by his own works, if he feeks it at all, that he may have fomething to boaft of, by recommending himself to the favour of God by his own good deeds, being ignorant of himself, of his own character, and of God and his law. Thus the Jews rejected the law of faith, and followed after righteoufnefs, and obtained it not, because they fought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. They, being ignorant of God's righteousness, went about, or attempted, to eftablish their own righteoufnefs. And many thoufands and millions of Gentiles in the Chriftian world have ftumbled at that ftumbling ftone, the law of faith, which excludes boafting, and have fought and are now feeking to be faved by the law of works; how many millions none can tell! And perhaps there is not, nor ever has been, one of the fons or daughters of Adam who has enjoyed the light of divine revelation, and has in any meafure or way fought to be faved, who has not in a greater or less degree made this wicked and dangerous attempt. Happy are they who have been cured of boafting by embracing the law of faith. What has been faid in defcribing the law of faith is fufficient to fhow that it excludes all boafting. The finner in this way is received to favour, is juftified and faved, not on account of any works he has done, or ever will do, and is not recommended to favour by any worthiness or holiness he has, but is confidered as in himself, as poor and naked, wretched and miferable, infinitely guilty, and deferving to be caft into hell forever, and all the favour he receives is a free, undeserved gift and bounty, yea, bounty to the most ill-deferving. Where is boasting then? What has he to boaft of but guilt, ill-defert, poverty and wretchednefs? And all this is not only true, and he is viewed in this light by God, agreeable to his holy law; but the finner is made to feel and acknowledge this, and cannot believe on Chrift and come to him by faith, unless he has a clear conviction conviction of his own vile, odious character, and feels that he has no worthinefs to recommend him to the leaft favour, but is infinitely far from it; that he is fo unworthy and infinitely guilty and ill-deferving, that he may be juftly hated by God, and caft into endless deftruction. Thus the finner, in complying with the law of faith, even in the first and every act of faith in Chrift, humbles himfelf in the fight of God, while he is made in a sense to annihilate himself before God, yea, to feel that he is infinitely worse than nothing. And all his holiness, and every right exercife of mind, confifts in a hearty acknowledgement of this, and thus humbling himself, and approving of the character of Chrift, and the way of juftification and falvation by him, which is the law of faith, and in views and exercises which are implied in this. Thus all pride and difpofition to boaft is counteracted and deftroyed, the finner abafes himself, and rejoices to exalt free, fovereign grace, when and fo far as he believes in Chrift, and is pleafed with the law of faith and the more holy and obedient he is, in conforming to this law, the more humble he is, and farther from all difpofition to boaft. Thus all boafting is entirely and forever excluded by the law of faith, Romans iii. 27. By what law? faith. Sermon XVI. Where is boafting then? It is excluded. TE learn from what has been obferved on this fubject, that they make a great mistake, and have efpoufed a dangerous and hurtful error, who believe and affert that if faith or believing in Chrift, in order to juftification, is a virtuous or holy act, or im |