In the Lovd have Irighteousness and strength," Isa. xlv. 24. We may lose sight of it, listen to temptation, pollute our consciences, and be condemned by our own hearts; but the fountain is still open, the mercy-seat is still accessible, the backslider is most pressingly invited to return, and is promised restoration to pardon and peace.

But though works have no influence in justifying our persons before God, yet every justified person is concerned to maintain good works," for necessary uses. Faith, if it be genuine, will work; and if it does not work, it is dead, being alone. James ii. 7. A living faith is a working faith; it purifies the heart, makes the conscience tender, and regulates the life by gospel precepts. God never justifies but he also sanctifies; and our sanctification is the evidence to others that we are justified. Faith is always accompanied with repentance, humility, and love; and the concern of the true believer is to preserve a conscience void of offence both toward God and men. Acts xxiv. 16. Though we are not under the law as the rule of justification, but are under grace (Rom. vi. 14): we are nevertheless bound to obey every moral precept in God's word, and every positive institution revealed in the New Testament. If the Holy Spirit has led us to Jesus as a priest, to rest on his finished work, he has also led us to him as a prophet, to be taught the will of God; and as a king, to bow

liness;

The

to his sceptre, and observe his laws. justified person is the holy person, and none are holy beside; there may be morality without justification, but there can be no true hofor the faith that justifies us is the root of all gospel obedience. Until the sinner believes, he is a rebel against God; and the works of a rebel can never be good, nor can they ever be accepted of God. The grace that brings us righteousness to justify us, always teaches us that " denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present world; looking for that blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Tit. ii. 12-14. And just in proportion as we enjoy our complete justification without a work of our own, shall we be concerned to walk in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord blameless. Thus faith, embracing the righteousness of Jesus, justifies our persons before God, and good works justfy our faith and profession before men; before God it is faith alone without works, before men we are justified "by works, and not by faith only," James ii.

24.

Reader, are you a justified person P Are all your sins pardoned? Have you peace with God, and access by faith into the enjoy

ment of his favour? Rom. v. 1, 2. You are either completely justified, or you are at this moment a condemned criminal before God, under sentence of eternal death. There are but these two states, perfect justification or fearful damnation. He that believeth is justified, he that believeth not is condemned already. John iii. 18. Every believer is washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. vi. 11. He is "in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; that according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Cor. i. 30, 31. But every unbeliever is without Christ, he is filthy, foolish, condemned, and sold under sin. He is a

66

child of wrath, Eph. ii. 3: a slave to sin, and led captive by the devil at his will. Reader, can this be your case, are you still careless, indifferent, and trifling with the glorious gospel? If so, you are treasuring up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every one according to his works." Rom. ii. 5, 6. God commands you to repent, Acts xvii. 30; the Saviour bids you labour for food which will endure to everlasting life, John vi. 27; the Spirit invites you to come and take the water of life freely, Rev. xxii. 17; and this book sets before you God's method of justifying sinners, and bids

you flee

for refuge to lay hold on the hope set beforeyou, Heb. vi. 18.

But the reader may be seeking justification? If so, beware of expecting it in whole or in part by works; here the Jews stumbled and fell; they were zealous for God, they sought a righteousness, but would not submit to receive, rely on, and expect justification only by the righteousness of God. Rom. x. 2, 3. There have been but three ways of justification spoken of; the first is by works alone. In order to this you must be all the law requires, and do all the law commands; your whole life, past, present, and to come, must be an exact copy of the law: for you are as an unclean thing, and all your righteousnesses are as filthy rags: you are fading like a leaf, and your iniquities like the wind are carrying you away. Isa. lxiv. 6. Do you talk of justification by works ? It is an impossibility! The second way is by works and grace conjointly; but this cannot be, for works and grace are opposite in their very nature; and works are carefully excluded by the apostle in the matter of our justification. Besides,

if justification could be partly by works and partly by grace, it must be by a law; but the apostle assures us no such law could be found: "For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law," Gal. iii. 21. Therefore himself and fellow apostles "believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they

might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified," Gal. ii. 16. And "that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith," Gal. iii. 11. It is clear, therefore, that if we are to be justified at all, it must be in the third way, which is by grace alone through faith; this is the method the gospel reveals, and which has been our aim to set before you in this book. How plainly does the apostle place the subject before you in one striking passage; he says, 66 We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly," Titus iii. 3—8.

If you are seeking justification, and are willing to be justified by grace, be not afraid to see the worst of yourself; for, however sinful you may have been, however wicked your heart may appear, there is infinitely more merit in