God's justice, power, and wisdom; but especially of his infinite mercy and love. Thus, we are taught, that by the propitiation in Christ's blood, God declares his righteousness in the remission of sins; so that he may be just, and the justifier of the sinner that believeth in Jesus, Rom. iii. 25, 26, 31. that thus the divine law, instead of being made void, is established, that to them who are called, Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God, 1 Cor. i. 14. that it is in this God commends his love to us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, Rom. v. 8. that it is in his kindness in Christ, that he shews forth the exceeding riches of his grace; that this is that rich mercy and that great love wherewith he loved us, Eph. ii. 4. that it is love, whose height, depth, length, and breadth, surpass our knowledge, Eph. iii. 18, 19.

As to the scriptures which treat of the ends of faith, it was proved before from these scriptures, that the end of our acknowledging redemption, is our glorifying God's perfections manifested in it, which necessarily implies sincere and cordial esteem of it. The scriptures which give the characters of such as have true faith in Christ; teach us, that though Christ crucified is to many others a stone of stumbling, to them he is precious or honourable, 1 Pet. ii. 7. and, as in the passage above cited, to them he is the power and the wisdom of God. The scriptures which shew the superlative esteem the apostles had of redemption, should be considered not only as descriptions of their faith and love, but also as containing the patterns of ours. The apostle Paul says, in scriptures formerly.. cited, that he gloried in nothing else, save in the cross of Christ that he was determined to know nothing else; that he counted all things else as loss for the excellency of that knowledge.

It is one of the most remarkable short descriptions, that we have in all the scriptures of the christian life, when the apostle Paul tells us, in a scripture cited under a former head,. We a'l with open face, bekolding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the

same image, from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 18. As it is evident from the context, that it is the glory of God in redemption that the apostle has in view; so his expressions plainly import, that, that glory should be the object of a christian's transcendent esteem, and habitual contemplation: and that this is a main thing belonging to a life of faith in the Son of God. It is indeed one of the best views we can take of a life of faith working by love; that is, faith first working love to God, and thereby producing conformity to him, in his moral and inimitable excellencies. It shews the affinity between the life of faith here, and the heavenly life hereafter; which the apostle John describes, by attaining to likeness to the Lord, in seeing him as he is. When the apostle says, that they who truly believe in Christ, behold the glory of the Lord, and are changed, as by the Spirit of the Lord; it implies, that it is a main design of the work of the Spirit of God, to produce just esteem of our redemption by the Son of God.

The same thing is implied in various scriptures, concerning divine enlightening grace, the principal cause of true faith; which Scriptures shew, that it is the great design of such operations of grace, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and to enlighten the eyes of our understanding in the knowledge of him. To all which we may add a farther proof of the point in view, from the account which the Old Testament prophets give of the chief causes of the joy, and gladness of the gospel church. When these prophets are describing the flourishing condition of the converted Gentiles; they say, that nations, which were once as a wilderness, shall bud and blossom as the rose, and shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even with joy and singing, Isa. xxxv. 2. and sing in the ways of the Lord, Psal. cxxxviii. 5. What they assign as the cause of all this joy is, that these people shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God and that they would sing in God s ways, because great is the glory of the Lord. Seeing these Scriptures speak of the joy,

that would be the effect of the gospel, they must be understood as meant of the glory of God in that divine work, which is the chief subject of the gospel : without excluding the discoveries of God's glory in his other works.

The Scriptures which shew the necessity of high esteem of redemption, explain the grounds of that esteem. They shew that we ought to esteem it as an amiable manifestation of God's perfections, and particularly of his justice and mercy.

XII. It requires particular consideration, that the discovery which redemption gives of God's holiness and justice; and which is, with many a ground of prejudice against it, is in reality a principal ground of holy esteem of it, and should be improved for that end. Due regard to the authority of a just law, is an amiable quality in a governor or judge. The mercy of a judge, when exercised at the expense of his justice, must indeed be the object of a transgressor's joy, because it gives deliverance from punishment: yet, this cannot make it the object of his just esteem. In order to such esteem, it is needful that mercy be exercised consistently with justice. Such a consistency, gives to a heart that loves justice, a noble delight, different from what arises merely from escaping just punishment. This is evidently the case in remission through redemption. That divine work gives a discovery of God's justice, in the cause of remission of sins, beyond what could have resulted from the punishment of sinners themselves. Had God given a revelation of mercy, without revealing an atonement, we would have been obliged in that case, to believe God's righte ousness, in that and in all his other administrations.. But then they who love God and his law, would have wanted the noble enjoyment, that results from so bright a display of these divine attributes, which support the authority of the divine law. That discovery of the glory of God and of his law, heightens the enjoyments of the conscience in the remission of sins.-It has the like effect on all the other parts of salvation and happiness. Gifts, that are ever so desirable in

themselves, receive an additional worth, by being be. stowed in such a way, as manifests the moral excellencies of the benefactor.

High esteem of redemption, as it honours God's law and justice, has an evident connexion with the good dispositions which were formerly explained, as belonging to the nature of divine love, and of true repentance for sin. It was observed, as to the nature of divine love, that it includes sincere complacency in all manifestations of God's perfections, and particularly of his moral perfections, in his moral law and government and as to the nature of repentance, that' though God's law and justice, are the grounds of a sinner's fear, they must be the objects of a penitent's esteem. It is indeed obvious, that without a revelation of mercy, this would be attended with difficulty. It would be difficult for a sinner, heartily to love and esteem the things that seem to oppose his safety, and to make his punishment necessary. Yet it cannot be denied, but that a transgressor of God's righteous law would be obliged to this. A sinner is not obliged to true repentance, if he is not obliged to love God and his law; which cannot be done, without honouring that righteousness of God's administration, which supports the authority of his law. Redemption dispels the perplexities, which such obligations might produce in the mind of a penitent. As it reconciles divine mercy and justice in our salvation, it reconciles the penitent's regard to the authority of God's law, and his regard to his own safety and impunity. All the things which convince the penitent, that the authority of God's inoral law is of the greatest importance, convince him likewise that Christ's mediation is unspeakably glorious; and there is a strong connexion between due regard to the one, and profound esteem of the other.

In explaining repentance, it was observed, that a sinner is not a true penitent, unless he both hate sin, and love repentance. True repentance, inclines a sinner powerfully, to due humiliation of soul for sin, before God. It makes him love the proper means of so just self-abasement. Redemption contains the most

powerful motives to so happy a disposition. Acknowledgment of redemption, implies the actual exercise of it. It contains the most effectual inducements, for reconciling the heart to it. For what can more effectually reconcile the heart of a sinner to due humiliation for sin, than to remember habitually, how the Lord of glory humbled himself to the death, to bear the desert of sin leaving us nothing that relates to that punishment, but such acknowledgment of our deserving it, as is needful to make us prize the undeserved mercy that delivers us from it. Thus, when we compare together the excellent properties of redemption, and the characters of repentance; it is evident, that repen. tance makes a sinner esteem redemption, for the same reasons for which the impenitent are so unjustly prejudiced against it: namely, because it honours the law, and justice of God, and humbles the sinner; excluding boasting, and allowing no flesh to glory in God's sight, Repentance produces that situation of mind, in which a sinner discerns a complicated excel. lency, not only in redemption itself, but also in the appointed means of partaking of it: and particularly, in the way of access to God, by habitual acknowledgment of it. By that way of access to God, a sinner draws near to the throne of the Most High, with deep self-abasement, without discouragement; and with what the holy scripture calls boldness, and confidence without presumption: the same things that are grounds of the sinner's hope, and confidence being the chief motives of his self-abasement; as being the chief discoveries of the evil of sin, and of God's just hatred of sin, as well as of his mercy to sinners. These things shew in part, how redemption, while it humbles the sinner in respect of self-abasement, which is so desir. able, and even so honourable a disposition in a sinner; in other respects exalts him to inestimable dignity and promotion.

What has been said shews the necessity of honouring redemption, as it manifests God's justice. But this cannot be done aright without considering the effects of justice are suheorvien to the desigus of mercy.→