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often the language of the tongue, and still oftener the language of the heart; "Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord."

This, it seems, was the course which the Jewish character followed, as it is the course which is taken in every age and country by those whose nature is not changed. To set God before us; to understand what we owe him as his creatures; to govern the tongue, so that only that shall proceed out of the mouth which is "good for the use of edifying:" to avoid all "strife and envying:" to "follow peace with all men :"-this is not the course in which human nature runs it must be laboriously brought into this channel, and carefully hindered from breaking out of it. The Jewish people had not so lived: as their own David, as their own prophets had said, and they could not deny the truth. They could not pretend that the Psalmist was speaking of the Gentile, and not the Jewish character. His words had become part of their own Scriptures, and they could not dare to contradict them. They must own themselves condemned. We know that what is said in Scripture must apply to them to whom the Scripture is revealed. The prophets were not condemning the heathen who could not know the will of God, but the Jew who did.

19. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before

God.

20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Such is the conclusion. When the character and

7 Ex. v. 2.

conduct of man is set on the one side, and the law of God on the other, no flesh shall be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin: the knowledge, not of the faithfulness with which we have obeyed, but of the extent to which we have transgressed. The rule shows the unevenness of the line. This is the basis of the Gospel; and to confess it, is the first principle of Christian faith. Man ruined by sin his nature such, that he "cannot prepare himself, and by his own strength, to faith and calling upon God:" and therefore lying under God's wrath: the object, not of his favour, but of his indignation. And yet, of his compassion too: for when all the world had thus become guilty before him, he opened a way for their deliverance, and the Gospel proclaims that way. "The Scripture concludes all under sin," not to show that they must perish, but that they may obtain salvation. It proves to man the weakness of the title to which he may be trusting for his future inheritance: but not to leave him poor, but to make him rich indeed: to bestow on him a title which cannot be set aside, to raise him to an estate too valuable to be calculated. It stops every mouth from boasting, because salvation by grace must be sought that it may be obtained, and will never be sought unless the need of it is perceived. Those will not seek Christ's righteousness, who are satisfied with their own.

It is only, however, by the law, that the knowledge of sin is acquired, or the consciousness of it felt. Till God is perceived to be a Governor and a Judge: till the extent and holiness of his commandments are

8 Art. x.

understood through the Scripture: there is no knowledge, no proper consciousness of sin. A sense of sinfulness does not necessarily arise from actual transgression: nay, strange to say, those who have the most actual transgression, are often the slowest to be convinced of sin. The law must be applied to our consciences, and our hearts and lives examined and directed by it: and so the mouth is stopped by a man's own convictions: and he willingly joins in the confession which the wicked cannot utter; "O Lord, we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and thy judgments." "O deal not with us according to our sins, neither reward us after our iniquities."9

LECTURE IX.

MAN JUSTLY CONDEMNED, IS FREELY PARDONED THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS.

ROMANS iii. 21-31.

21. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

9 Dan. ix. v.

24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

When the Lord Jesus had fulfilled his ministry, and was about to return to the Father, these were some of his words: "Father, I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do: And now, O Father, glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."1

This describes the righteousness which is of the law. The son of Adam, concerning whom this could be truly affirmed, would be justified by the deeds of the law. So it was declared of the Hebrews of old; "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us."

But the apostle has reason to affirm, that in this way no flesh shall be justified before God: for there is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In one respect there is difference: the degree of sin is far greater in some than in others. In this there is no difference: no man living has " continued in the things that are written in the book of the law to do them."3

But there is a righteousness of God without the law, not depending upon complete obedience to the lawwhich though only now manifested, was long ago witnessed by the law and the prophets: by the law of Moses preparing for it, and by the prophets foretelling it. It is the righteousness which God imputes to the believer in Christ Jesus.

1 John xvii. 4, 5.

2 Deut. vi. 25.

3 See Gal. iii. 10.

25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness : that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

66

'God, who in time past spake unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son:" spoken as a sovereign might address his guilty subjects. Ye have rebelled, and by a just law your lives are forfeited. But this my Son has prevailed with me for you. He has rendered me such services, that I can deny him nothing: and I proclaim free pardon to all who shall surrender themselves to him, to serve hereafter under his banner. My justice must be satisfied; but this my Son has satisfied it; he has purchased the benefits which I propose to you: and therefore I can at the same time be just, in avenging sin, and just in forgiving it; the debt is remitted to you, because it has been paid by your Redeemer.

This is the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.

27. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

By the law of works, there might be boasting. "To him that worketh, the reward is reckoned not of grace, but of debt." If a man were accepted, because it could be justly affirmed that he had "walked in

4 Heb. i. 1.

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