faith in him!

That proclaim the glad

tidings of thofe good things, which God has prepared to be enjoyed by finners, through the justifying righteousness of his Son! And how great is the privilege of those fouls, who fit under a gospel-ministry; fince this is the means appointed of God, to work faith in them, and to bring falvation to them! Once more,

5. Since the juftification of a finner is by the righteousness of Chrift, imputed to him, and received by faith alone; we ,may hence learn, how great the obligation of the juftified ones is, to live to the glory of that grace, which has fo freely and fully justified them, in and through Christ, unto eternal life by him! When the apoftle had afferted the juftification and falvation of God's people, both Jews and Gentiles, to be wholly of his free mercy, in and through Chrift, Rom. xi. 32. and admired the riches of his wifdom, which was fo brightly displayed in the difpenfations of his mercy towards them, verse 33. he thus concludes his difcourfe, verse 36. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things; to whom be glory for ever, It is as if he should say, fince all

Amen.

things, relating to the juftification and falvation of God's people, are of him, and through him, it is meet that the glory of all should, by them, be given to him: and therefore, when he applies this doctine of God's free mercy in Chrift, to them who had obtained it, he thus addreffeth them, chap. xii. 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye prefent your bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. I beseech you, says he; You that have obtained mercy; therefore, or, fince it is God's defign, to glorify his mercy, in the falvation of finners, that you give him the glory of it: by the mercies of God; those mercies of God, which you are partakers of, in the forgiveness of all your fins, and in the juftification of your perfons; that ye present your bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, that ye continually offer up yourselves, as a whole burnt-offering, in the flames of love, unto him that hath loved you, in all holy and acceptable obedience, to the glory of that God, who has thus had mercy upon you; which is your reasonable fervice, for it is a moft reasonable thing, or a thing

Z

for which there is the highest reafon, that you should ever ferve the Lord, to the glory of that grace, by which you are freely juftified, and fhall be eternally glorified. And thus the apoftle Peter, 1 Pet. ii. 9. But ye are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, [who are washed from all your fins in Chrift's blood, and clothed with his righteousness] an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknefs, into his marvelous light. And, you know, fays the apostle Paul, how we exhorted and comforted, and charged every one of you, [i. e. of you juftified, faved ones] that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory, 1 Theff. ii. 11, 12.

And in fhort, as it was God's defign to get himself glory, in the juftification of finners, by the righteoufness of Jefus Chrift; fo the display thereof, throughout the whole gofpel, lays them under the highest obligation to live to his praife. Does God the Father impute the obedience of his Son to poor finners? Did God the Son obey, in life and in death for them? And does God the Spirit, reveal and apply this righ

teousness to them, and enable them to receive the fame, as a free gift of grace, unto their eternal life in glory? What thanks, what praife, is due to God, in each of his glorious perfons, for this abundant grace! And let the language of the juftified ones, in heart, lip, and life, in all kinds of holy obedience, both now, and always be, Thanks be unto God, for the grace of JUSTIFICATION! for this, his unfpeakable GIFT! 2 Cor. ix. 15. Amen! Hallelujah!

THE EN D.

ERRAT A.

Preface, p. viii. 1. 9, 10. for imminent, read immanent. p. x. 1. 5. from the foot, for addition, read edition.

a guilty finner, through the imputed righteousness of Chrift; fo, there can be no inquiry more interefting than for a person to know, if they be divorced from the law, as a covenant; married to Christ, as their belt husband; and clothed with the robe of his justifying righteoufnefs, as their adorning garment. To attain fome fatisfaction on this important point, the confcience may be pofed with the following questions, as an additional improvement of the foregoing fubject.

1. Did you ever come to yourfelues? Luke xv. 17.; that is, did you ever feel yourfelves to be bound with the cords of guilt, laden with iniquity, and ready to fink into the bottomlefs pit? Men must be condemned, before they are juftified; be caft down, before they are lifted up; apply the curfe to themselves, before they take hold of the bleffing; hear the fentence of death denounced against them by the law, before they partake of the juftification of life by the gofpel. If you were never burdened, you cannot be eafed; if you were never broken, you cannot be bound up; if you were never mourners, you cannot be comforted; if you never tasted the bitterness of fin, you cannot taste of the fweetnefs of the grace of Chrift, and experience his pu

* This Appendix was not in the first impreffion of this Book.