been offered as the sufferings and death of the only-begotten Son of God? Man's utter destitution of merit is written in the blood of the cross. Look to that blood, O man-that blood of infinite value, which flowed as the price of thy redemption, and humbled in the dust, withdraw every plea of merit.

Man's redemption by the blood of Christ, in another point of view, establishes the impossibility of his meriting reward. "God so loved the world, as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but should have everlasting life." Contemplate the value of the gift, and the dignity and glory of the person who thus submitted to sufferings and death. Consider also the guilt and unworthiness of man, for whom these sufferings and death were sustained. What a debt of gratitude is due from him! Shall we then boast of meriting reward, when the devoted services of our whole life, the pure and exalted services of eternity, cannot repay the love of that God, who so loved us as to give for us his only-begotten Son; or the love of him who died for us, and who washed us from our sins in his own blood?" Unto him, and unto him alone, through the ages of eternity, will the host of the redeemed, casting their crowns at his feet, ascribe all worth, all honour and glory.

4. The absurdity of man's claiming reward for even his best performances, on the ground of absolute merit, appears, from the consideration that they are all wrought through the power of divine grace.

Man's relation as a creature exercising all his powers in dependance upon God, leaves him without any claim to merit from that Being who made him, and who upholds him in existence. But his character as a fallen and corrupt creature stamps still greater weakness on his natural powers, and still greater absurdity and impiety on his claims to merit. This, strictly speaking, can only exist in an independent being performing services not due, by his own underived powers, without any external assistance. But man not only derives his natural powers from God, but weakened and depraved in those natural powers, he must look to God for that supernatural strength which alone can raise his fallen nature to a capacity for resisting temptation, for subduing his sins, and for rendering acceptable obedience to the divine law. It is a truth which lies at the very basis of the scheme of redemption, and which reason, acknowledging his weakness and depravity, confirms, that man "cannot do good works, pleasant and acceptable" "but by the grace of

to a pure and holy Being, "but by the God giving him a good will, and working with

him when he has that good will"." All his claims to merit then vanish. What one person performs through the aid of another, can never constitute merit in him. Man's best works, wrought through divine grace, exciting the first emotion of good desire, prompting the resolution of performance, furnishing him with strength to bring the resolution to good effect, overcoming the difficulties and the temptations that would have frustrated the performance-man's best works thus begun, continued, and finished, constitute no ground for glory-except to that God of all grace and goodness, by whose inspiration and by whose aid, they have all been performed. "Let no flesh glory in his presence."

5. But even if they were the fruits of man's underived and independent powers, they could not claim merit or reward, because they are at best imperfect, and cannot stand the scrutiny of divine holiness.

Acts of obedience, in order to have any pretensions to merit, must not fall short of the demands of law—they must fully answer its requisitions. And the deed must not only be entirely conformable to the standard of law; it must be performed from principles and motives strictly pure and correct. Where is the individual who, on this ground, would offer pretension to merit?

h

Articles of the Church, X.

i1 Cor. i. 29.

Where is the man who does not, in some things, offend; and whose best performances are not, in some degree defective, in the act, as well as in the principle and motive? Let us examine our own conduct, my brethren; let us search our own hearts. Is our conduct, in all respects, conformed to the requisitions of the divine law? Are even our best performances wholly free from the stains of error and imperfection? Are the motives and principles, that have prompted and regulated them, perfectly pure and correct? Is there one virtue which, without apprehension, we would have scanned by a pure and holy God? Ah! with our daily errors, with our daily deficiencies, perhaps, with our daily transgressions, with our services, principles and motives, stamped with imperfection, shall we appear at the throne of God, most just and most holy-lay our claim to merit, and stand the scrutiny of his holiness and his justice? There is dread in the thoughtthere is blasphemy in the suggestion. "God be merciful to me a sinner," is the language which we should pour forth. "We are unprofitable servants-deal not with us, O Lord, according to our deserts."

This sentiment of deep humility, is one of the most important practical results of the doctrinethat man can have no absolute merit in the sight of God. And it is with a view to

III. Its practical results,

That I have endeavoured to impress this doctrine upon you. Perhaps there are few, if any, who would seriously and soberly maintain that they can have such absolute merit as to lay God under the obligation of rewarding them for their services. But there is a wide difference between a vague and general acknowledgment of our destitution of merit, and such an enlightened, thorough and lively conviction of it, as will lead to those important practical results which it is designed to produce.

This doctrine should excite in us a deep and lively sentiment of humility.

We have not any thing which we have not received from God-and for the possession of which we are not dependant upon him. We cannot do any thing but by the exercise of those powers which he preserves in existence and in vigour. Is it possible, that thus dependant, we can pride ourselves on any of our performances ?

But still further. We are sinners, subject to the sentence of eternal death. From this sentence we are redeemed only through the blood of Christ. His merits are our protection from the penalties of the law which we have transgressed. What deep humility becomes guilty creatures, ransomed from destruction!

We are so frail and corrupt that all our ability to do that which is good comes from divine grace.

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