SERM. Righteous with God, and the two external Seals, of the Covenant will tell him fo.

II.

It founds very odd to those that either do not know what God has faid, or do not heed it, that Men should be both Guilty and Righteous, acquitted by the very Law that had condemned them: That God fhould be juft, and yet the Juftifier of him who had finned. These Things appear as Contradictions to human Nature. They would have no other Sound in thofe Places where the Gospel never came, and indeed they have no better Treatment among them who do not believe the Report, and to whom the Arm of the Lord is not revealed: And yet, if God is true, his Word is true, and if that is true, these Doctrines are fo too; that our Pardon from him, and our Acceptance with him, are upon the Grounds of an unalterable Equity, RighPf. lxxxv. teousness and Peace have kissed each other.

What Advantage then has the Jew? Or what Profit is there in Circumcifion? Much every way: Chiefly, becaufe to them were committed the Oracles of God. Thefe Oracles by which that Ordinance was appointed, and by which it was explained: The outward Sign, which went no farther than the Flesh, the Apostle will not allow to be Circumcifion, i. e. it has no Connection in that Perfon to the Bleffing fignified by it: But as he

goes

on with his Argument, what if fome did not believe? To them Circumcifion was no more than à Scar or a Blemish; yet, shall their Unbelief make the Faith of God of none Effect? Were there none who knew what had been done to them and for them? What if Ifhmael, who had the Mark upon him, could be guilty of mocking at the Covenant; he was a Son merely after the Flesh, but there are Children by Promife.

To thofe that believed this Righteoufnefs Chrift is precious; they felt the Need of it,

they

25.

II.

they saw a Glory in it, and thus in Baptifm is he SERM. held forth to be a Propitiation for our Sins, through Faith in his Blood, to declare the Righteousness of God in the Remiffion of Sins that are past, to de- Rom. iii. clare at this Time bis Righteoufnefs, in the very 'ET V Moment and Article of Remiffion: That when xx he freely forgives our Iniquities, he does it with Regard to the Juftice of his Nature. There would be a Difcord in his Attributes and a Flaw in his Glory, if they did not all come in for equal Shares.

6,7.

Secondly, There is another Thing that both Circumcifion and Baptism gave a Sort of visible Teftimony to, and that is the Righteousness of Faith. The Holy Spirit has fo delighted in this Language, that the Church has it with great Variety. Sometimes we read that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for Righ- Rom. iv. teousness: And it is faid to him, who works not, 3, 4, 5, but believes in him, that juftifies the Ungodly, that bis Faith is counted for Righteoufness. And again, David defcribes the Blessedness of the Man to whom Ver. gi the Lord imputes Righteousness without Works. After this he faith that Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness; and, he is the Father of all them that believe, that Righteousness may be imputed to them alfo. Thus again it is faid, that the Promife is made to Abraham and to his Seed, not through the Law, but through Ver. 13} the Righteoufnefs of Faith.

We might have hoped, that this happy Variety, in which the Holy Spirit has turned the Phrafe, would have made it very easy to fee what the Righteousness is, that is imputed to us, and accepted for us. I fhould quickly think, it cannot be a Principle of Faith within us, or any Acts or Operations that are performed by us;

F 2

this

SERM. this is no more our Righteoufnefs, than Charity or Juftice is.

4.

II.

ift, That which is in us can fcarce be faid to

be imputed or reckoned to us. I fhould apprehend that fuch a Manner of fpeaking fignifies that one thing is to pass for another: As it is faid of the Perfon who offered his Sacrifice in an Lev. xvii. unappointed Place, Blood fhall be imputed to that Man The Meaning is, that his fhedding. of Blood in a wrong way, should make him as guilty as if he had taken it from a wrong CreaIf. lxvi. 3. ture. He that kills an Ox, is as if he flew a Man: He that facrifices a Lamb, as if be cut off a Dog's Neck. And fo when a Righteousness is imputed to us, 'tis fuppofed by the Sound of the Words, that antecedent to the Imputation it was not in us. Our own Righteoufnefs which is of the Law, is diftinguifhed from the Righteoufnefs which is of God by Faith. Then

Phil. iii.

9.

2dly, The whole Defign of this Doctrine, and thofe Seals that gave it a Solemnity, was to advance the free Goodness of God. It is of Faith that it might be by Grace, and therefore if it's put upon any thing in ourselves, the whole Defign of the Covenant is defeated. Boasting is excluded, not by the Law of Works, but only by Rom. iii. the Law of Faith. For to him that works, the Reward is reckoned not of Grace, but of Debt: And therefore David fpeaks of the Man to whom the Lord imputes Righteousness without Works. For if our own Actions are that upon which we are juftified, Faith is made void; nay, according to this Notion, Faith makes void itself. Rom. iv. Abraham was justified by Works, he has whereof to glory, but he has no fuch thing before God.

27.

2.

t

If

3dly, The whole Employment of Faith upon.

this Occafion is going out to another, and rely

22, 23

24, 25.

ing upon him. It fuppofes a total Diffidence in SERM. the Creature, and it can have no Confidence in II. itself. Abraham's Faith led him off from every thing in himself that might either help it or hinder it. He confidered not his own Body now dead, Ver. 19, when he was about an hundred Years old; that ne- 20, 21, ver made him ftagger at the Promife of God through Unbelief; but being strong in Faith, be gave Glory to God; being fully perfuaded that what he had promifed he was able to perform, and therefore it was counted to him for Righteoufnefs. What was fo counted to him? His own Action? Did that make him Righteous? Did that fulfil the Law? No; but the Seed which he had his Eye upon with whom the Promise was made, and the Obedience of Chrift which Abrabam faw with Gladness, this is what he reached to as a Righteousness, and it was counted to bim for it. Now this is written not for his Sake only, that it fhould be imputed to him: that he should have a Son when he was an hundred Years old is all Perfonal; that was for his Sake only, therefore it must be something else that's imputed to us, if we believe on him who raised up Jefus our Lord from the Dead, who was delivered for our Offences, and rofe again for our Juftification.

4thly, Upon the whole, it appears that Faith is the Inftrument of receiving this Privilege. 'Tis a Grace that God has implanted, by which a Believer looks after it, takes hold of it, and feels a Comfort in it. Therefore, we read of being juftified by Faith as an Inftrument of receiving; and, in another Place, that we are faved by Grace, through Faith, as a Medium of Con- Eph. ii. 8. veyance. Thus it is faid of Noah, that he was Gen. vi. a Righteous Man in his Generation, you may understand it of his upright Walking with God

F 3

but

9.

II.

SERM. but there is fomething else attending upon that Character, and indeed fuperior to it; and that is believing God concerning Things not feen as yet, Heb. xi,7. by which he became an Heir of the Righteousness that is by Faith.

20, 21.

You mean the fame Thing by Baptifm, that this holy Man did by preparing the Ark.

The Apoftle has brought them together from a long Pet. iii. Distance of Ages. It is faid that the Long-fuffering of God waited in the Days of Noah, whilft the Ark was preparing, wherein few, that is eight Souls, were faved by Water, the like Figure whereunto does Baptifm now fave us, by the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift, who is gone into Heaven. What do we learn by his going into Heaven, but the Doctrine that he himself taught us? The Spirit fhall convince you of John xvi. Righteoufnefs, becaufe I go to my Father, and ye fee me no more. Therefore

10.

A Person who is either baptized himself, or knows what he is doing for his Infant, does by that Action declare that Salvation is come to the Gentiles. That Sinners are made Righteous with God; the Law has no more to fay, and Juftice has no more to do against them; but then this Righteoufnefs is not in themselves, they behold it in another, they fetch it from him. We through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Gal. v. 5. Righteoufnefs by Faith.

6. Being baptized into the Name of our God fignifies that we depend on him for the particular Bleffings of this Ordinance. 'Tis not meerly taking upon us a Badge that's to be worn for Life, but 'tis an act of Worship to our God, and of Communion with him, As the Scripture has directed us to this Action, he guides us in it; tells us what we should mean, and what we are to aim at. I have shown you, that 'tis a Seal of

the