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and all men every where, and is to all men the standing law of works. But Christian believers have the privilege to be under the "law of faith" too; which is that law whereby God justifies a man. for believing, though by his works he be not juft or righteous, i. e. though he came fhort of perfect obedience to the law of works. God alone does, or can juftify or make just those who by their works are not fo; which he doth by counting their faith for righte ousness, i, e. for a compleat performance of the law, Rom. iv. 3. "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for "righteoufnefs." Ver. 5. " To him that believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Ver. 6. Even as David also describeth the bleffedness of the man "unto whom God imputeth righteoufnefs without works ;" i. e. without a full measure of works, which is exact obedience, Ver. 7. Saying, "Bleffed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and "whofe fins are covered." Ver. 8. "Bleffed is the man to whom "the Lord will not impute fin."

This faith for which God juftified Abraham, what was it? It was the believing God when he engaged his promife in the covenant he made with him. This will be plain to any one who confiders these places together, Gen. xv. 6. « He believed in the Lord, or "believed the Lord" for that the Hebrew phrafe " believing in," fignifies no more but " believing," is plain from St. Paul's citation of this place, Rom. iv. 3. where he repeats it thus: " Abraham be"lieved God," which he thus explains, ver. 18, 22. "Who against "hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many "nations; according to that which was fpoken, fo fhall thy feed "be. And being not weak in faith, he confidered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, nor " yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He ftaggered not at the pro"mife of God through unbelief; but was ftrong in faith, giving "glory to God; and being fully perfuaded, that what he had pro"mifed he was also able to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteoufnefs," By which it is clear, that the faith which God counted to Abraham for righteoufnefs, was nothing but a firm belief of what God declared to him, and a ftedtuft relying on him for the accomplishment of what he had promised.

"Now this," fays St. Paul, ver. 23, 24. was not writ for his "[Abraham's] fake alone, but for us allo;" teaching us, that as Abraham was justified for his faith, fo alfo ours fhall be accounted to us for righteoufnefs, if we believe God as Abraham believed him. Whereby it is plain is meant the firmness of our faith without ftaggering, and not the believing the fame propofitions that Abraham believed, viz. that though he and Sarah were old, and paft the time and hopes of children, yet he fhould have a fon by her, and by him become the father of a great people, which should poffefs the land of Canaan. This was what Abraham believed, and was counted to him for righteoufnefs; but nobody I think will fay, that any one's believing this now, thall be imputed to him

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for righteoufnefs. The law of faith then, in fhort, is for every one to believe what God requires him to believe, as a condition of the covenant he makes with him, and not to doubt of the performance of his promifes. This the Apostle intimates in the clofe here, ver. 24. But for us alfo, to whom it fhall be imputed, if "we believe on him that raised up Jefus our Lord from the dead." We must therefore examine and fee what God requires us to be lieve now under the revelation of the Gofpel: for the belief of one invifible, eternal, omnipotent God, maker of heaven and earth, &c. was required before, as well as now.

What we are now required to believe to obtain eternal life, is plainly fet down in the Gofpel. St. John tells us, John iii. 36.

He that believeth on the fon, hath eternal life; and he that be"lieveth not the son, fhall not fee life.” What this believing " on him" is, we are also told in the next chapter. "The woman "faith unto him, I know that the Meffiah cometh: when he is

come, he will tell us all things, Jefus faid unto her, I that speak "unto thee am he. The woman then went into the city, and faith "to the men, come see a man that hath told me all things that "ever I did, Is not this the Messiah? And many of the Samaritans "believed on him; for the faying of the woman, who teftified, he "told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come "unto him, many more believed because of his words, and faid to "the woman, We believe not any longer because of thy faying, "for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this man is truly "the Saviour of the world, the Meffiah." John iv, 25, 26, 29, 39, 40, 41, 42.

By which place it is plain, "that believing on the fon," is the "believing that Jefus was the Meffiah ;" giving credit to the miracles he did, and the profeffion he made of himself. For thofe who were faid to BELIEVE ON HIM for the faying of the woman, ver, 39. tell the woman, that they now believed not any longer because of her faying; but that having heard him themselves,, they knew, i. e. BELIEVED paft doubt, THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH.

This was the great propofition that was then controverted concerning Jefus of Nazareth, whether he was the Meffiah or no; and the affent to that, was that which diftinguished believers from unbelievers. When many of his difciples had forfaken him, upon his declaring that he was the bread of life which came down from heaven," he faid to the apoftles, Will ye alfo go away? Then Simon "Peter anfwered him; Lord, to whom fhall we go? Thou haft the "words of eternal life: and we believe, and are fure thou art the "Meffiah, the son of the living God." John vi. 69. This was the faith which diftinguished them from apoftates and unbelievers, and was fufficient to continue them in the rank of apoftles: and it was upon the fame propofition, " That Jefus was the Meffiah, the fon "of the living God," owned by St. Peter, that our Saviour faid he would build his church, Matt, xvi. 16, 18,

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To convince men of this, he did his miracles; and their affent to, or not affenting to this, made them to be, or not to be of his church; believers, or not believers, "The Jews came round ❝ about him, and faid unto him, How long doft thou make us " doubt? If thou be the Meffiah, tell us plainly, Jefus anfwered "them; I told you, and ye believed not; the works that I do in "my father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, "because ye are not of my fheep," John x. 24. 26. Conformable hereunto St. John tells us, "That many deceivers are entered into "the world, who confeft not that Jefus, the Meffiah, is come in "the flesh. This is a deceiver, and an antichrift, whofoever abideth ❝ not in the doctrine of the Meffiah, has not God, He that abideth "in the doctrine of the Meffiah," i. e. that Jefus is he, "hath "both the father and the fon." 2 John vii, 9, 10. That this is the meaning of the place, is plain from what he fays in his foregoing epiftle, "Whosoever believeth that Jefus is the Meffiah, is born " of God," I John v. 1. And therefore, drawing to a close of his gofpel, and fhewing the end for which he writ it, he has these words; Many other figns truly did Jefus in the presence of his disciples, " which are not written in this book; but thefe are written, that ye may believe that Jefus is the Meffiah, the fon of God, and "that believing ye might have life through his name," John xx, 30, 31. Whereby it is plain, that the gofpel was writ to induce men into a belief of this propofition, "that Jefus of Nazareth was "the Meffiah; which if they believed, they fhould “have life.”

Accordingly the great question amongst the Jews was, whether he were the Meffiah or no: and the great point infifted on and promul gated in the gofpel was, that he was the Meffiah. The first glad tidings of his birth, brought to the fhepherds by an angel, was in thefe words: "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people; for to you is born this "day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Meffiah, the Lord." Luke ii. 11. Our Saviour difcourfing with Martha about the means of attaining eternal life, faith to her, John xi. 27, "Whosoever be"lieveth in me, fhall never die. Believeft thou this? She faith " unto him, yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Meffiah, the for "of God, which fhould come into the world," This anfwer of hers fheweth what it is to believe in Jefus Chrift, fo as to have eternal life, viz. to believe that he is the Meffiah the fon of God, whose coming was foretold by the prophets, And thus Andrew and Philip expreffes it: "Andrew fays to his brother Simon, We have found the Meffiah, which is, being interpreted, the Chrift. Philip faith "to Nathaniel, we have found him of whom Mofes in the law, " and the Prophets did write, Jefus of Nazareth, the son of Jofeph,' John i. 41, 45. According to what the Evangelift fays in this place, I have, for the clearer understanding of the fcripture, all along put Meffiah for Chrift: Chrift being but the Greek name for the Hebrew Meffiah, and both fignifying "The Anointed,"

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And that he was the Meffiah, was the great truth he took pains to convince his difciples and apoftles of appearing to them after his refurrection as may be feen, Luke xxiv. which we shall more. particularly confider in another place, There we read what gospelour Saviour preached to his difciples and apoftles; and that, as foon as he was rifen from the dead, twice the very day of his refurrection. And if we may gather what was to be believed by all nations, from what was preached unto them; we may certainly know what they were commanded, Matt, c. ult. To teach all nations, by what they actually did teach all nations; we may obferve, that the preaching of the apoftles every where in the Acts tended to this one point, to prove that Jefus was the Meffiah. Indeed, now after his death, his refurrection was alfo commonly required to be believed as a neceflary article, and fometimes folely infifted on: it being a mark and undoubted evidence of his being the Meffiah, and neceffary now to be believed by thofe who would receive him as the Meffiah. For fince the Meffiah was to be a Saviour and a King, and to give life and a kingdom to those who received him, as we shall fee by-and.by, there could have been no pretence to have given him out for the Meffiah, and to require men to believe him to be fo, who thought him under the power of death, and corruption of the grave. And therefore thofe who believed him to be the Meffiah, mutt believe that he was rifen from the dead: and those who believed him to be rifen from the dead, could not doubt of his being the Meffiah, But of this more in another place.

Let us fee therefore how the apostles preached Chrift, and what they proposed to their hearers to believe. St. Peter at Jerufalem, Acts ii. by his firft fermon, converted three thoufand fouls, What "was his word," which as we are told, ver. 41. " they gladly re"ceived, and thereupon were baptized?" That may be feen from ver. 22, to ver, 36. In fhort, this, which is the conclufion drawn from all that he had faid, and which he prefles on them as the thing they were to believe, viz. "Therefore let all the houfe of "Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made that fame Jefus, whom "ye have crucified, Lord and Meffiah," ver. 36.

To the fame purpose was his difcourfe to the Jews in the temple, Acts iii, the defign whereof you have, ver. 18. "But thofe things "that God before had fhewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that the Meffiah fhould fuffer, he hath fo fulfilled,"

In the next chapter, Acts iv. Peter and John being examined about the miracle on the lame man, profefs it to have been done in the name of Jefus of Nazareth, who was the Meffiah, in whom alone there was falvation, ver. 10, 12. The fame thing they confirm to them again, Acts v. 29. 32. "And daily in the temple, and "in every houfe, they ceafed not to teach and preach Jesus the «Meffiah." ver. 42.

What was Stephen's fpeech to the council, Acts vii. but a reprehenfion to them, that they were the betrayers and murderers of the "Juft One?" Which is the title by which he plainly defigns the

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Meffiah, whofe coming was fore-fhewn by the Prophets, ver. 51, 52 And that the Meffiah was to be without fin (which is the import of the word "Juft") was the opinion of the Jews appears from John ix. ver. 22. compared with 24.

Acts viii. Philip carries the gospel to Samaria. "Then Philip "went down to Samaria, and preached to them." What was it he preached? You have an account of it in this one word, "The "Meffiah," ver. 5. This being that alone which was required of them, to believe that Jefus was the Meffiah; which when they believed, they were baptized "And when they believed Philip's preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and the name of "Jefus the Meffiah, they were baptized both men and women.'

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Philip being fent from thence, by a special call of the fpirit, to make an eminent convert, out of Ifaiah preaches to him Jefus, ver 35. And what it was he preached concerning Jefus, we may know by the profeffion of faith the eunuch made, upon. which he was admitted to baptifm, ver 37. I believe that Jefus Chrift is the for "of God:" which is as much as to fay, I believe that he, whom you call Jefus Chrift, is really and truly the Meffiah that was promifed. For that believing him to be, the "Son of God," and to be the Meffiah, was the fame thing, may appear by comparing John. 45. with ver. 49.. where Nathaniel owns. Jefus to be the Meffiah in thefe terms "Thou art the fon of God, thou art the King of "Ifrael." So the Jews, Luke xxii.170. atking Chrift, whether he were the "fon of God;" plainly demanded of him, whether he were the Meffiah? Which is evident by comparing that with the three preceding verfes. They afk him, ver. 67. whether he were the Meffiah? He answers, "If I tell you, you will not believe;" but withal tells them, that from henceforth he fhould be in poffeffion of the kingdom of the Meffiah, expreffed in these words, ver. 69. "Hereafter fhall the fon of man fit on the right hand of the power “of God: which made them all cry out, "Art thou then the fou " of God???ige. Doft thou then own thyself to be the Meffiah? To which he replies, "Ye fay that I am." That the Son of "God" was the known title of the Messiah at that time amongst the Jews, we may fee alfo from what the Jews fay to Pilate, John xix. 7." We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the SON OF GOD;" i, e. by making himself the Meffiah, the Prophet which was to come, but falfly; and therefore he deferves to die by the law. Deut. xviii. 20. That this was the common fignification of "the fon of God," is farther evident from what the chief priests, mocking him, faid, when he was on the crofs, Matt. xxvii. 42. "He faved others, himself he cannot fave: "if he be the king of Ifrael, let him now come down from the crofs, and we will believe him. He trufted in God, let him de "liver him now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the sON "OF GOD;" i. e. he faid, he was the Meffiah: but it is plainly falfe; for if he were, God would deliver him: for the Meffiah is to

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