This righteoufnefs gives rife to the exercise and reign of grace. It is the leading sentiment of the kingdom, on this head, that grace reigneth through righteousness unto • eternal life, by Jefus Christ our Lord. Rom. v. 21. In this way, falvation is wholly of grace. Therefore it is of faith, that it might •be by grace. Rom. iv. 16. Grace regards no good in us, as the moving cause, and is exactly what is needful and neceflary for the children of Adam, who, by his one of•fence, were conflituted finners; and, hence, are by nature the children of wrath, or of depravity, and are exposed to vengeance. • We are to conceive of the work of Chrift, as that it opened the way for grace to reign, and to hold an illuftrious diftinction, and appear to be grace. The believer, under every difpenfation of the grace of God, is made to fee that his falvation, from the beginning to the end, is of grace through righteoufnefs.'

There are fome who would have us date the gofpel from the era of the incarnation; but the apoftle Paul, we think, better underflood is origin. The feripture foreseeing, fays he, that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, faying, In thee fhall all nations be bleffed. Gal. iii. 8. The gospel has 'been of the richest advantage to men in all ages-the gofpel has ever directed men to to Chrift, that they might be juftified by *faith, or the fidelity of Chrift.' Hence, in ancient generations, believers have had a

grlorious anticipation of the kingdom of rightcoufness, the kingdom of heaven, the REIGN OF GRACE, in the pardon of their fins, and free acceptance with God.

grace,

Those who lived under the less clear difpenfations, did really enjoy this advantage, fo as to be able to obtain juftification and life by the righteoufnefs of Chrift. But those who live under the prefent difpenfation of the gospel, enjoy the fame advantage, with far clearer light and evidence of its truth and glory, and of the great objects which it reveals. God hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpofe and which was given us in Chrift Jefus, before the world began; But is now made manifeft by the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who kath abolifked death, and bath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Tim. i. 9, 10. It was the early belief of the church, that, Then fhall we know, if we fol• low on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come "unto us as the rain; as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Hof. vi. 3. In taking 'the clew, and in following on to know the Lord Jefus, through the types, and figures, ⚫ and prophecies, which, like ftar light, gave the object really, though dimly, they found him, finally, in all the glory of the morning light. The Lord then faid to his difciples, Bleed are the eyes, which fee the things that ye fee: I tell you, that many prophets and kings have defired to fee thofe things which

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ye fee, and have not feen them; and to hear. thofe things which ye hear, and have not heard • them. Luke x. 23, 24. Christ upon the 'crofs explained, in a fhort time, the mystery • which hath been hid, from ages and genera• tions, hid in the types and figures of the law, but now is made manifeft to the faints; • To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this myflery among the Gentiles; which is Chrift in you the hope of glory. Col. i. 26, 27. The riches of the glory of this mystery have been hidden, not totally, but in comparison of the clear light of the gofpel difpenfation, when the patterns. • of things in the heavens loft their glory, in the fuffering Meffiah, like the ftars of heav en when the fun rifes. Heb. ix. 23-26,

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Salvation through Chrift crucified, is the fhining fentiment of the law difpenfation. The fame way of life, redemption' through the blood of Chrift, was opened and taught from the beginning-there never was falvation in any other.

Life and immortality are barred upon every scheine befide the gofpel. Selfrighteousnefs, in which most men truft, may afford a temporary comfort; but the rain, and wind, and hail, of fevere trial, will undermine the hope that is founded upon it, and will sweep away, utterly, the refuge of lies in which they trust. We cannot, therefore, too much admire the glory of grace, feen and enjoyed in the gofpel. The true fcheme of the gospel, makes grace appear and fhine-and no doctrine, befides this, will, in the end, fupport the hope of men,

But there are fchemes which frustrate the gofpel fcheme of grace; the old scheme of justification by works does it; but the law of faith, or the constitution of faving finners by the faith of Christ, establishes the law, the ancient law of grace through righteousness. It establishes that scheme of faving finners, by grace through faith, which is vifible throughout the whole divine revelation, and is dif played in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament.-The reader of the Old Testament, under the guidance of the Spirit, beholds wonderous things out of God's law; the wonderous things of redemption, difplaying, in every typical thing, that grace, which bringeth falvation, through the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world. Through the medium of the law, or gofpel, the Jew and the Greek behold the fame grace, and worship together with the fame fenfe of dependence for falvation, on grace through Christ.-And if by grace, then it is no more f works: otherwife grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwife work is no more work.

And no lefs is the doctrine of grace perverted and made of none effect, by the modern scheme of fubftituting our faith, or believing in Chrift, for the faith of Chrift; for, our faith in Chrift is our own exercise, and belongs to the righteoufnefs of the law, and comes into the true definition of our own righteousness, as much as does the exercife of repentance, or humility, or love to God and our neighbor. Our believing in the Lord

our God is effentially neceffary to conftitute the deeds that are required in the law; faithlefs deeds are not deeds of the law.-The apostle, we may be affured, when he often mentioned the deeds of the law as being infufficient to juftify men, did not mean deeds which are deftitute of faith and love; the law knows no fuch deeds, for it is holy, and the deeds required therein can be nothing short of holy, believing exercises.-Believing in Chrift is a moral exercife, and belongs to the fyftem of moral duty. If then, we be justified by our act of believing in Chrift, we have whereof to glory; for, without difpute, that which can avail to our juflification, may be "confidered in no finall degree meritorious; and, to follow the reafoning of the apostle, in this cafe, righteoufnefs comes by the law, and Chrift is dead in vain.

To this it is ufually anfwered, that although we be juftified by our own faith, yet we may not boast, because we are dependent on divine influences for fuch a good exercife.— But this reply by no means obviates the difficulty. Creatures, doubtlefs, are dependent. on God for their right and holy exercises; fome have thought they are dependent for all their exercifes. Certainly the apostle Paul did not confider thofe deeds, which he called. deeds of the law, as exifting independent of divine influences; he believed that God was ever the firit and efficient caufe of thofe holy exercifes which comport with this holy and perfect rule; fill, he concluded, that if we be juftified by them, boafting is not excluded.