Our bleffed Saviour foretold to his Difciples; that Troubles would befal them; for in John xvi. 32. he said to them, In the World ye shall have Tribulation.

In Heb. xii. 6. it is faid, Whom the Lord loveth be chafteneth, and Scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth, and ver. 8. But if ye be without chaftifement, whereof all are Partakers, then are ye Baftards, and

not Sons.

Yet notwithstanding all the Troubles and Afflic tions, which true Believers meet with in this Life, it will appear from the Predictions of Bleffings relating to them, that they are truly happy, and the only Perfons that are fo in this World, as well as in the next: Particularly from the following.

I. Prediction. JUSTIFICATION is one of the Bleffings purchased by Christ, and revealed in his Gofpel, and is that Act of God by which he accepts of a Sinner as righteous in his Sight, and forgives all his Sins, and becomes reconciled to him And this Act of Divine Grace is predicted; It is foretold that they fhould be juftified, and pardoned.

In Ifa. xlv. 25. it is faid, In the Lord (that is, the Lord Jefus Chrift) fhall all the Seed of Ifrael be justified, and ball glory, that is, all the fpiritual Seed, all who truly believe, whether Jews or Gentiles, fhall be juftified in him by Faith; and in Ifa. liii. 11. it is faid, By his Knowledge fhall my righteous Servant juftify many; for he shall bear their Iniquities. (i. e. the Punishment, which their Iniquities de erved.)

In Acts xiii. 39. it is faid, By him, all that believe are justified from all Things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Mofes.

The Apostle Paul fays, Rom. v. 1. Being juftified by Faith, we have peace with God through

our

our Lord Jefus Chrift; and ver. 9. Being juftified by bis Blood, we shall be faved from Wrath through him.

In Tit. iii. 7. That being justified by his Grace, we should be made Heirs, according to the Hope of eternal Life.

It appears from the Texts now cited,

1. That Men are justified by Faith: And therefore as soon as Sinners truly believe in Chrift, they are justified.

2. That no Perfons are juftified by a Course of evangelical Obedience perfifted in till their Death; for if Juftification was to be obtained in that Way, Men could not be juftified and their Sins pardoned, till that Courfe of Obedience should be compleated; and till then, they would remain under Condemnation by God's Law, and deftitute of the Pardon of their Sins, and of a folid Ground for Peace and Comfort in their Confciences.

Miferable Comforters are they who preach fuch Doctrine; but the Gospel affures us that we are juftified by Faith, that is, as foon as we believe.

3. That they who believe have the Pardon of their Sins, a Discharge from Condemnation, Peace with God, and are made Heirs of God.

There is therefore now no Condemnation to them" which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the Flefb, but after the Spirit. Rom. viii. 1.

The Prediction of the Bleffing of Juftification to them who believe, and the Accomplishment of it, fhews that fincere Chriftians are brought into a very happy Condition.

Before their Faith in Chrift, they were under a dreadful Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishments and Miferies: Not one of their numberlefs Sins was pardoned; but the wretched Perfons were Objects of God's Wrath and Curfe, G

and

and they were obnoxious to the Pains of Hell for ever, till they believe.

They that remain in a State of Unbelief, and of wilful Difobedience to the Holy, and good God, do remain in a miferable Condition! A Condition, miferable beyond Expreffion, and beyond Thought; and no Honours, no Dignities, in this World, no ftately Houses, no great Estates, no large Poffeffions, nor Heaps of Riches, nor all the Pleasures of Senfe, can render their Condition better.

In the Midft of the greatest Affluence of earthly Felicities, they are but condemned Malefactors in the Sight of God; and the Lord the Judge of all, may unexpectedly fend Death the Executioner to take them away, and remove them to be among the Devils, who are referved in Chains under Darkness against the Judgment of the great Day.

But as foon as any Sinner by a Faith unfeigned clofes with Chrift, be he high or low, or rich, or poor, he is immediately freed from the Guilt of all his Sins; the Sentence of his Condemnation is cancelled; all his Iniquities are forgiven; the Holy, and offended God is at Peace with him, and reconciled to him, and he is justified in his Sight.

But how is it, that a Sinner is juftified?

This indeed is a Question, and a Question of the utmost Moment; and the Gospel anfwers it. That it is by Faith; by Faith as the Inftrument, or Means, and by Faith alone.

St. Paul fays, not by Works of Righteousness, which we have done. Titus iii.

Therefore by the Deeds of the Law, there fhall no Flesh be juftified in his Sight, (that is in the Sight of God,) for by the Law is the Knowledge of Sin, Rom. iii. 20. as if he had said, No

Man

Man by performing the Deeds, which the Law requires, fhall be juftified; becaufe by examining his Course of Life, and all his Actions by the Law, he will know himself guilty of many Sins, notwithstanding the Number of Duties he may have performed.

And ver. 9. the Apostle takes Notice, that they had before proved both Jews, and Gentiles, that they are all under Sin; (that is under the Guilt and Curse of Sin.)

But what is Righteoufnefs? It may be replied to this Question, that Righteousness in a rational Creature, Righteoufnefs in a Man is that, Course of Life, and Actions, which confifts in the Performance of the Duties he owes to God, to himfelf, and to his Fellow Creatures, and in a total Abftinence from every Thing, which God has forbidden.

If there is a Neglect of any of the Duties commanded, or a Doing any Thing that is forbidden by the Divine Law, that Man's Righteousness is imperfect, and the more numerous his Omiffions of Duty, and his Tranfgreffions are in doing the Things forbidden, the more imperfect it is.

If his Righteoufnefs was perfect for a Course of Years, yet that Righteoufnefs could make no Amends for the Sins committed before that Course was begun But there is no fuch Thing as a perfect Course of Righteoufnefs performed by any Man through the Space of one Year, or Month, or Day; and an imperfect Righteousness can never make any Man to appear perfectly righteous in the Sight of the Holy God.

Therefore no Man can be justified by the Duties he performs.

We may well fay with the Pfalmift, If thou, Lord, fhouldeft mark Iniquities, O Lord who fhall

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Stand?

fland? Pfal. cxxx. 3. And we may fay to God with David. Pfal. cxliii. 1, 2. Hear my Prayer, O Lord!- and enter not into Judgment with thy Servant, for in thy Sight shall no Man living be juftified, that is by his own Deeds.

We have Reafon to confefs to God, and fay Ifa. Ixiv. 6. we are all as an unclean Thing, and all our Righteoufneffes are as filthy Rags.

And therefore no Man has any Ground to expect Juftification in the Sight of the All-feeing God, by his own Righteoufnefs.

If we confider the manifold Defects in our Obedience; and how our beft Services are polluted with Mixtures of Sin, we shall fee abundant Reason to admire the Grace and Goodness of God, in providing another Righteousness for our Juftification; even the Righteoufnefs of his own beloved Son: We fhall fee Reason to adore and blefs God for appointing Chrift, who had fulfilled all Righteoufnefs to be the End of the Law, for Righteoufnefs to every one that believeth. Rom.

X. 4.

They who go about to establish their own Righteoufnefs, are ignorant of God's Righteoufnefs, the Righteoufnefs which he hath appointed for our Juftification, and have not fubmitted themfelves unto the Righteoufnefs of God: As we may conclude from what is faid in ver. 3. and we may also conclude that they have no Intereft in it.

In Rom. iii. 20, 21. the Apoftle after he had concluded, (ver. 20) that by the Deeds of the Law, (that is the Duties performed in Obedience to it,) no Flesh (or no Man) shall be justified in bis Sight, (that is in the Sight of God,) he says in ver. 21. But now the Righteoufness of God, (not his Attribute of Righteoufnefs, or Holinefs, but the Righteoufnefs, which he appointed for the Juftification of the Ungodly, without their

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