witness against you, that you have not done these things; and there you are in the land of asking questions, full of that fear which hath torment. Who shall ascend to

heaven, and bring salvation down from there for my guilty soul? Light from heaven is shining upon my conscience, in which I see that God is angry with me, and his wrath is continually dropping upon my conscience for my ungodliness. Who shall descend into the deep, to the land of darkness, and the region of the shadow of death, and return with the news that there is one ready, and able, to be the guilty sinner's friend? You know that you have sinned against heaven, and in the sight of God. You see, as it were, a hand, writing against the plaster of the wall of the chamber of your consciences, the solemn and awful word, Tekel,-thou hast been weighed in the balance, and art found wanting. The sight of the dark mountains and the gloomy vale of Jordan, are terrific in their aspect. The horrors of the grave, and the very idea of the bottomless pit, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, fill your mind with fear and trembling. Sometimes you imagine that you hear the cries of the damned in hell, weeping and gnashing their teeth, and in the greatest torment and agony of mind, crying, we shall be tormented in this flame; and the smoke of their torments ascending forever and ever. These horrific feelings, like so many death warrants, must arrest you some time or other, if your consciences are not seared as with hot iron. this gloomy and terrific vale of despair, the law leaves you to die the death eternal; asking questions that it is not in the power of nomus to answer. But the righteousness which is of faith, removes your fears, and opens a door of hope for you in the valley of Achor. It is completely finished by Jesus on Calvary, and is exhibited in the gospel as a perfect righteousness. It is

In

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has so abounded like a river overflowing its banks, and carrying away thousands of poor sinners, not to the dead sea, but to the sea of eternal life. Grace and works in the justification of sinners, can no more be mixed together than oil and water; for each of them belong to a different co. venant. Jesus the captain of our salvation never engaged to repair the old vessel of the first covenant; but he is the Mediator of a better, and entirely new covenant, made upon better promises, to which the drowned crew of the first vessel are taken up and made alive, which the first covenant could not do. but we are unclean; the law is spiritual, but we are carnal; the law is just, but we are unjust; the law is good, but the very imaginations of our hearts are evil, and that continually. The law will not compromise matters with any one whatever, it is not relaxed, nor any of its rigid demands abated; as it has the same commanding power, so it has the same condemning power over all those who are destitute of a righteousness answerable to its demands.

The law is holy,

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'Therefore we evidently see the utter impossibility of fallen man to be justified in the sight of God on the ground of his obedience to the demands of the law.Were it possible, Christ must have died in vain, and the infinite wisdom of God must have been eternally envelo. ped in thick darkness. God will never have his es. sential glory, nor the glory of his works divided with idols; neither will he have the glory of his grace divided with men. The law and works answer one another exceedingly well. The law demands, the works of obedience, pay; works, give; the law, receives. Grace and faith also agree very well. Grace on the foundation of the atonement bestows blessings freely, without money and without price; and faith that has nothing to pay, re

ceives them cordially and thankfully. Grace by conferring such inestimable blessings upon the unworthy, obtains great praise and glory; and faith gets its living by receiving those blessings. God confers blessings upon sinners according to the riches of his grace; and sinners receive according to the strength of their faith. Faith and the law cannot agree at all, for both of them are seeking and receiving; neither can works and grace agree, for both of them get their living by giving. It was the God of grace in his infinite wisdom, appointed the surety by whom alone we can be justified. The iniquities of us all were laid on him. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. He is the end of the law for righteousness, for every one that believeth. He who knew no sin was made a sin-offering for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The righteousness of Christ is implied in his perfect obedience to the demands of the law, his sufferings and death, and resurrection from the grave on the third day, according to the scriptures. By the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. By the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous. The righteousness of one, and the obedience of one here, signifies the same thing. By the sufferings and death of Christ we are redeemed from the curse of the law, and the threatenings of vindictive justice; but that of itself could never constitute him as the foundation of our hope for justification before God, had it not been for his perfect obedience; for it is to the obedient, and only to the obedient, the law promises life. It is the man that doeth what the law demands shall live; but not the man who suffereth the penalties of the law;-so the

every individual of the human race must stand before him; he is dividing the righteous from the wicked, as the shepherd is dividing the sheep from the goats; he is setting the wicked on the left hand, and pronounceth the most awfully just sentence upon them, Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. But the righteous are placed on his right hand, to hear the joyful sound, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world. The books were opened and mercy presented the bundles that were left the other side of Jordon. They were all opened, and the register book was read, wherein all their acts of benevolence, and virtue were recorded. And justice examining the bundles, said, all right-here they are-thus it is written -I was an hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me. The righteous answered, and said, those bundles must belong to some others; we know nothing of that. We re. collect the narrow road, the straight gate, and the slough of Despond. We remember the heavy burden, that pressed so hard upon us, and how it fell off our backs at the sight of the cross. We shall never forget the time, when the eyes of our minds were illuminated, to behold the evil of sin, the depravity of our nature, and the glory and excellency of our Redeemer. We felt and experienced his love shed abroad in our hearts. O! how sweetly and how powerfully it constrained us to love him his cause, and ordinances: how we panted after commu nion, and fellowship with him, as the hart panteth after the water brooks. We recollect the time, when our stubborn wills were subdued in the day of his power: so that we are made willing, both to will and to do of

his own good pleasure. We remember the time when we obtained hope, in the merit of the infinite atonement of Christ, and felt the efficacy of his blood applied to our hearts, by the influences of the Holy Spirit of God: and a thousand other things, are as fresh in our memo. ries now, as ever. But we do not recollect any thing about those bundles of good works. Where was it?When saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee; or thirs. ty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked and clothed thee? We do not remember any more than the dead of ever visiting thee in sickness, or in prison, and ministering unto thee.Surely these bundles cannot belong to us? Mercy replied, yes, verily they belong to you, your names are upon them; and besides they have not been out of my hands, since you left them on Jordan's stormy banks. And the king answered and said unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. If the righteous do not recognise their own good works: If they do not know the sheaves they have reaped, and the harvest they have sown in tears; it is not likely that they build their hopes upon them. Christ and him crucified, is the foundation of their hope, the object of their faith, and the centre of their affections. And from a principle of love to him, it is their strongest desire, and most earnest endeavor to live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present evil world. Aud with all their hearts, they say Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name, O Lord, be all the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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