against whom they are committed, whose authority is trampled upon and despised, and whose law is violated thereby. By this view of the case, will it not appear, that our sins have brought upon us infinite guilt; as the Being offended by them is none other than the infinitely blessed and glorious God? "Against him, and him only have we sinned;" and therefore nothing short of an infinite satisfaction can atone for our sins and restore us to the favor of an offended Deity. But where shall such a satisfaction be found? How shall we obtain such a righteousness? Certainly not by all our attempts to obey the law; for our strictest obedience is very deficient and falls infinitely short of the extent and spirituality of God's law. "His law is exceeding broad." "The redemption of our soul is so precious, that it must cease for ever," notwithstanding all we can do to accomplish it. All hopes of justification and life by personal obedience to the law must be wholly renounced. We must "have no confidence in the flesh."

Dependence on our own righteousness is an entire departure from the method of salvation, which the gospel proposes, and subversive of it; "for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain ;" as the apostle forcibly argues. But "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." "By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses." Christ's righteousness therefore, and not our own, must be the foundation of all our hopes of justification and life. The desire of our souls, like the apostle's, must be "to be found in Christ, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law; but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." This leads me to say,

III. That all sincere Christians heartily join with the apostle in the renunciation of their own righteousness.

This is essential to the Christian character.-Not to do it, is a fundamental error. For they that seek to be justified by the law are fallen from grace. Christ shall profit them nothing. But those that are Christ's do not thus frustrate the grace of God. They are not only speculatively but practically convinced, that they can do nothing which will recommend them to the divine favor, and that "by the deeds of the law no flesh living can be justified." They are deeply sensible, that while they go about to establish a righteousness of their own they cannot submit to the righteousness of Christ, nor receive any benefit by it; and that such a temper, continued in, is a fatal bar to their receiving Christ, as he is offered in the gospel. This is strongly intimated by Christ's saying, that publicans and harlots should go into the king

dom of God before the Scribes and Pharisees, whose character it was that they valued themselves very much upon their own righteousness. The same sentiment appears in the apostle's words, "The Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law."

All true Christians are experimentally convinced of the insufficiency of their own righteousness to answer the demands of the law, and therefore are sure they cannot appear before God with safety in it. Though when they were at first brought to serious concern for their souls, they might betake themselves to works of righteousness, hoping thereby to gain peace of mind and favor with God; yet they found their mistake, being made sensible that the law requires perfect obedience, that it curses every one that continues not in all things written therein to do them, that it makes no abatement. All who are Christians indeed, are conscious that their best services are very imperfect; yea, after they have refined upon them, and endeavored to correct this and the other failing; after they have renewed their resolutions, and their attempts to obey the law, again and again; they find they fall infinitely short of what the pure and holy law of God requires. Their consciences charge them with sin in every duty and deficiency in every article of obedience. "Who can understand the errors" of their hearts and their lives? "Thus they weary themselves in the greatness of their way," and "through the law become dead to the law, that they may live unto God." They see that after they have done all, they are unprofitable servants, are liable to the sentence of the broken law and to everlasting ruin.

When, by the influences of God's Spirit, they come to such a view of their case, are brought to such a strait as this, and "shut up unto the faith afterwards to be revealed," they attend to the offers of salvation through the righteousness of Christ, and believe it to be "a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." They see their need of an interest in him, as they discover no other possible way in which they can be saved. Thus "the law is a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ," as the apostle speaks. Renouncing all other confidences, they place all their hopes entirely upon him; they receive him as "the Lord their righteousness; " sensible "that other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Something like this is the temper of every true Christian.

It remains now that I endeavor some practical improvement of the subject.

1. How important does it appear, from what has been said, that we all examine strictly into the temper of our own minds, to see whether we have unfeignedly renounced our own righteousness which is of the law, or whether we place some undue dependence upon it? This, you have heard, essentially affects your Christian character. There are several ways, in which persons do, as it were, insensibly confide in themselves and reject Christ. This is the natural bias of the mind, and the danger of indulging it is no doubt very great; otherwise, we should not find Christ and his apostles so frequently and earnestly warning against it.

Suffer me then, my brethren, to recommend to you all a very strict and serious inquiry into this thing, that you may know how the case stands with you. And let me remind you, that you ought not to imagine such an inquiry needless for you, because you may perhaps enjoy peace and quietness of mind in a stated performance of religious duties. You will do well to look to the springs of religious action in your minds, and see whether your duties flow from proper principles; such as love to God and his law,-desire to do those things which are pleasing in his sight,gratitude for his wondrous grace, especially as it is manifested in the gospel of his Son or whether you have not been quieting your consciences with some legal observances, vainly imagining that you were by them making God your debtor. And it no less deserves your serious consideration, whether your main view has not been to conciliate the esteem and respect of your fellow-men and support a good reputation in the world.

Perhaps it may be the case with some of you, that you are, as it were, standing off from Christ, because you see yourselves to be greatly guilty and polluted by sin, and are determining, in the first place, by religious duties to endeavor to wipe off something of that pollution, which cleaves to you, before you dare apply to Christ and trust in him for salvation. But let me assure such persons, that herein they discover a self-righteous temper; they act in direct opposition to the gospel of Christ; and are, as it were, putting themselves at the greatest possible distance from the only Saviour and the blessings of his purchase. Christ came to save the chief of sinners; and those that are sensibly poor, and wretched, and miserable and blind and naked, are counselled to make immediate application to him. Be encouraged therefore, like the prodigal, under the deepest sense of your poverty, guilt and distress, to go to Christ as one infinitely able and willing to save; and you will find the most gracious acceptance. "Those who thus come to him, he will in no wise cast out."

2. Let none abuse this doctrine to encourage licentiousness or

to discourage a proper use of the means of grace. What has been said, was not designed, and if properly understood, I think, has no tendency to depreciate moral virtue or weaken our obligations to it, but to set it upon its proper basis. Nor does the utter renun

ciation of our own righteousness, in point of justification, at all supersede our obligations to attend upon the means of grace. We are bound to regard them, but must be sure to regard them only as means. It is in this way, that God is wont graciously to afford the powerful influences of his Spirit to renew and sanctify the hearts of sinners, and bring them savingly acquainted with Jesus Christ.

Justification wholly by the righteousness of Christ, does not in the least vacate our obligations to the moral law, as a rule of life. "The law is holy, just and good." "Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid! yea, we establish the law." "This is a faithful saying, and this," in conformity to the great teacher of the Gentiles, "I would affirm constantly, that they, that have believed in Christ, should be careful to maintain good works; for these things are good and profitable unto men." The faith of God's elect always purifies the heart, works by love, and produces good works. He that says, he believes in Christ, and yet is careless as to a holy life, deceives himself and the truth of grace is not in him.

3. We learn that all the glory of our salvation must be ascribed to the free grace of God by Jesus Christ. We must "rejoice only in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh." "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law." None of the saints may claim any share in the honor of their salvation, but should humbly renounce it all, in such language as this, " Not unto us, not unto us ;" and strive to magnify the Lord and exalt the name of their Saviour. Upon a view of every step of their salvation, they should humbly adore the love of God, and cry, Grace, grace!

To conclude,-Let us all be very solicitous to have this great truth fixed deep in our minds, that our own righteousness cannot bear any, the least part, in our justification before God. Certainly we can have no color of reason to expect justification in such a way; unless we can be sure, that our tempers and lives are perfectly conformable to God's law; that we have not, in any part of our lives, offended in any one point. Until we can justly assure ourselves that our obedience is thus perfect, without a blemish, without a flaw, we shall bring upon ourselves a curse, instead of a blessing, by depending upon it. And sure there are none among us that dare pretend to this perfection. Let us then disclaim,

entirely disclaim, any dependence upon what we have done or can do in point of acceptance with God. This is necessary in order to our being Christians indeed.-Without this, we cannot pay a due regard to the riches of God's grace and mercy.-Without this, we cannot suitably prize the glorious Saviour of men.Without this, we cannot share in the rich consolations which are in Christ Jesus. Yea, without this, we cannot justly hope for the approbation of our Judge in the great day, or admission into the mansions of glory.

How important is it then, that we possess our souls with a lively and practical belief, that "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we can be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ;" and that we cast ourselves entirely upon him for salvation, firmly persuaded that "he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him!" Upon him let all our hopes be fixed. Through him let all our acknowledgments be made. Let us contract a delightful familiarity with the doctrines of free grace, and endeavor frequently to warm our hearts with the highest sentiments of gratitude and praise to God our Saviour.-" Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. AMEN."