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being made a curse, all who believe in him are exempted from it; and he yielding full or perfect obedience to the law, God rewards him, by justifying and saving us,

at his intercession, and for his sake. In him, God is so well pleased, for his obedience and sacrifice, that he grants him all he asks:-and he asks our salvation.

This is a principle often seen, and acted upon, among men. When the child of a dear deceased friend is unworthy, we do him kindness for his father's sake.

God doth every thing for us with an eye to his beloved Son; and whatsoever we shall ask the Father in his name, he will give us : no blessing is too rich to bestow on us for his sake.

But as

This is the Gospel of Salvation. there is no doctrine of Grace but may be abused, no form of expression but is liable to be mis-understood, we cannot be too much on our guard, even where the plainest truths are set before us in Scripture language. The substitution of Christ, the grand theme of the Gospel, where he is said to be made sin, and the sinner said to be made righteous by imputation, is often strangely mis-apprehended. Christ, became by his incarnation closely united to us,

but

but he became not a sinner.

The union

between Christ and us, though sufficiently close to afford a foundation for what we did to be reckoned as if it were his, and what he did and suffered, as if it were ours, yet, it is not so close an union as can render the actions of either to be those of the other. It will be eternally true that Christ was worthy, and we unworthy. He was no more deserving of death when he hung upon the cross than when exalted in glory; and we shall be no more deserving of life when in glory-than when we were dead in trespasses and sins.

Sin and righteousness are imputable, but, strictly speaking, they are not transferable: they are transferable only in their effects. The imputation of sin to Christ, was not that God thought him to be the sinner, but treated him as if he had been so: and the imputation of his righteousness to us, is not by God thinking us to be different from what we are, but in his treating us as though we were righteous for his Son's sake.

This distinction is necessary, that when we speak of Grace, our notions of sin and holiness may not be confounded.

By the knowledge of God in Christ, we know that with him is plenteous redemption;

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with him all grace is treasured up and ready to be dispensed to all, in perfect harmony with his justice and holiness. Moreover the most gracious invitations are sounded in our ears: "Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and ye that have no money, come ye buy and eat; yea come buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Whosoever cometh, I will in no wise cast out."

"Shall we then continue in sin? God for bid." We are urged by the most powerful motives to forsake sin; and without delay to repent us truly, and to turn to God with all our heart: "For let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

To-day, O that you would hear his voice, and harden not your hearts. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; for how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Behold now is the accepted time: behold now is the day of salvation. Amen.

SERMON II.

Preached at the Mission Church, Calcutta,
22 August 1802.

TITUS iii. 8.

These things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.

TH

HAT Believers are under the obligation to maintain good works, is so evident, not only from the text, but from the whole tenor of the scripture, that we know of no sect of christianity, who pretend to deny it. But with regard to their place and importance, as connected with our salvation, great mistakes have been made by two opposite parties: one party having too much exalted good works, and held them out as necessary conditions of our justification, and as such to be depended upon; whilst the other have depreciated them, as if they were no part of the christian dispensation, and were scarcely connected with it. The extremes on both sides are equally dangerous. He that joins good works with faith, as equally the terms of justification before God, virtually rejects the Saviour's atonement, substitutes his own righteousness in the room of

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the righteousness of God, and consequently his expectations will perish. He that separates good works from faith, in his life and conversation, will at last be found to have no part in the kingdom of God and of Christ. It will certainly be worth our pains to enquire from the oracles of God, how far, and in what respect are our good works necessary to be maintained. And in order to make this as plain as possible, it will be needful to answer this question both negatively and positively; or to shew, first, wherein our good works ought to have no place, nor to be at all looked to, or depended upon; and then secondly to shew, wherein good works ought to have a place, and in what respect they are necessary to every christian indeed, that would entertain a well grounded hope of eternal life.

The subject is of the utmost importance; and in order to consider it fully, I shall confine my present observations to the negative part of the answer; and at the next opportunity shew you the reasons and grounds for maintaining good works, and where they are indispensable.

1st. Then, we are not to do good works in order to change God's purposes and designs towards us; or to excite his benevolence and compassion to us.

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