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It must be a God revealing himself in the doctrine of Chrift, which thews the divine perfections, and the harmony of them, in the falvation of finners ;revealing himself in the obedience of Christ, as in which the divine law, however holy, however extenfive, was magnified and made honourable ;and in the death of Chrift, as what Juftice requir ed, and with which Justice was fatisfied. The object of their truft, is a God well pleafed with fianers through Jefus Chrift; pleafed with their perfons, as reprefented by him; and pleafed with their performances, as flowing from vital union with him, and influence derived from him; and a God, glorified in the falvation of finners, through the mediation of Chrift; a God, providing, allowing, difpenfing, commanding their falvation in that channel, and doing fo, without the least dishonour to any of his perfections, Juftice and Truth themfelves not excepted. David calls pardoned finners, to give thanks at the remembrance of God's ho"linefs;" Pfal. xxx. 4.-and the apoftle fpeaks of God's being juft, and the juftifier of him which "believeth in Jefus," Rom. iii. 26. None doubts, that mercy and goodnefs fhine in the difpenfation of grace and glory to finners; but, as the object of their truft, the, feemingly jarring, attributes of the Divine Nature, are all reconciled and celebrated in the fame difpenfation.-The righteoufnefs of Jefus Christ, called in fcripture the righteousness of God, is particularly comprehended in this object of truft; our Lord's righteoufnefs, being the price of redemption, the condition of falvation, is to be leaned unto, by all who need fuch bleffings, and have no perional righteoufnefs, by which to procure them: "This is the name wherewith he shall be called, "The Lord our righteoufnefs," Jer. xxiii. 6. And (fays the apoflle, fpeaking of Jefus Chrift)

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"Who, of God, is made unto us, righteousness," 1 Cor. i. 30.

In fine, the word of promife, emitted by the Father, yea and amen in Chrift, recorded in the gofpel, and exhibited there, for the obedience of faith, is, in a peculiar manner, the object of this truft. Whatever God has promised, to his anointed, refpecting finners,-whether as to bleffings, common or peculiar, temporal, fpiritual. or eternal; every fuch word of grace and promife is a bottom of truft, to be improved, looked to, leaned on, acquiefced in, by them. The pfalmift spoke with a diftinguishing relifh, of "the word upon which "God had caufed him to hope," Pfal. cxix. 49. and, by fuch improvement of the word, men trust in the Lord, whofe veracity and other perfections are engaged for the accomplishment of it.

The matter of this truft is manifold,-equal in breadth and length to the new covenant, and the promises of it; it comprehends every thing, wrapped up, conveyed, and fecured there; every thing, refpecting the being, well-being, and perfection of the life of grace in the foul; every thing needed here, every thing to be enjoyed hereafter. Branching out into particulars, would oblige us to condefcend on converting, renewing, pardoning, comforting, eftablishing, and fealing grace; on furniture for work and warfare; on fpiritual wisdom, gracious ability, divine protection, perfeverance in the ways of holinefs, together with the end of men's faith, the falvation of their fouls. In short, all the bleffings, benefits, riches, righteoufnefs and redemption, provided for in the covenant, purchased by the Saviour, fecured by the promife, exhibited by the gospel, and enjoyed by the faved ones, in foul and body, in time and eternity, belong to

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The exercise of this truft is peculiar to the foul, as having its feat there: and carries in it their believing the truth of these discoveries, respecting Christ, and respecting the promise, which is called by our Lord, a fetting to the feal, that God is true." John iii. 3. It carries in it their approbation of the things discovered, as excellent in themselves, fuitable to finners, and glorious in their effects; as thefe were all David's falvation, fo they are “ all their defire." It carries in it, their acceptance of these bleffings; their receiving, applying, and, in way of humble endeavour, through grace, making the whole their own, by believing, as Jehovah Redeemer does, by revelation and exhibition : Be it, or it fhall be, unto me, according to

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thy word," Luke i. 38. is the language of that divine exercife. It carries in it, their dependence on the Lord, as the object of their truft, for his bestowing the exceeding great and precious bleffings, which are the matter of it: their being fo perfuaded of his truth, justice, power, and other attributes, that they cannot imagine, how the fmalleft iotta can fail; and fo perfuaded of the Lord's fecurity being legal, good and valid, that they look on the bleffings promised as theirs; and actually enter on duties and trials, in the faith the promife fhall be accomplished, and the bleffing beftowed at least, in proportion to the measure and degrees of fuch truft, this will be the cafe. But, as this exercife is feated in the foul, fo it influences the conduct; it leads to the performance of new and holy obedience, in all its parts; as to heart and life, principle and practice, word and

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The fecurity that finners shall thus fee and fear and trust, lies in the Meffiah having faid fo. They fball fee, &c. (fays he) in the passage under view. Though thefe excrcifes are incumbent upon finners, in way of duty; yet, as long as they are unconverted, they are incapable of them; and therefore fcriptural calls to the performance of these duties, are, in fuch unhappy circumstances, killing letters, full of demands, the finner cannot anfwer, and big with confequences he cannot bear. But, to the ceafelefs praife of matchlefs grace, the exercises reprefented in the foregoing fections, are, in numberlefs other fcriptures, confidered rather as privileges than duties; and, therefore, our Lord's words may be confidered as a promise of putting finners in poffeffion of them.-JehovahRedeemer, forefeeing the wretched circumstances of forlorn men, and being well pleafed for his own righteoufnefs fake, interpofed, and interpofes, in way of promife, that finners, at least the elect part of them, fhould comply with his will of grace, in the particulars condefcended upon. He interpofed, and interpofes, in fuch a manner, that regard to his own perfections, and zeal for his own glory, abfolutely fecures the accomplishment of the promife, in the experience of finners. There are other promifes, wherein peace and pardon, life and falvation, are fecured; but, in this, and tuch like words of grace, the very influence needed toward their difcovery and improvement of thefe bleffings, is treafured up, and pointed out; warranting them to expet, that the Lord will actually caufe them fee and fear and truft.

Promifes, in general, are made immediately by the Father, to his anointed; and, thence, according

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to the apofle, "yea and amen in Chrift;" 2 Cor. i. 20.--whereas this promife is uttered by the Meffiah himself; in which, he either acts as God, and afcertains his onenefs with, and equality to the Father and Spirit, in making and performing the promifes of the covenant; or elfe he expreffes his intire, unfhaken, confidence in the Father's veracity, plighted to him, by the covenant, for the ends of his people's falvation; and does fo as a pattern and encouragement for finners to aim at the fame reliance on the Promifer, as if they were equally able to believe; and, as fenfible of their own weak. nefs and wickedness, to look to the promise for the grace of faith itself.

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The promise under confideration is, as to the fubjects of it, vaftly extenfive; for it is not one, or a few, but many, who fhall be put under the influence of it, and enjoy the bleffings wrapped up in it. In this indefinite way, the great number of the faved ones is emphatically pointed out; and though they are few compared with the rest of mankind, they are, in fcripture, reprefented as numerous in themselves. Not to speak of Enoch's prophecy, faying, "Behold, the Lord cometh, "with ten thousands of his faints," Jude 14. nor of John's vifion, who faw "one hundred and forty "four thousand fealed," Rev. vii. 4. we are informed, by the fame divine authority, that the finners, who have been, now are, or fhall afterwards be put under the influence of this promife, are abfolutely countless and innumerable; "I be"held (fays the apoftle) and lo a great multitude, "which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood be

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