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النشر الإلكتروني

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a little flock, a small remnant: but in the last day when they shall all be collected together, they will be numberless like the stars of heaven, or the sands upon the sea shore. Nor is any one, however vile, excluded from the hope of justification, provided he be willing to embrace this Saviour. On the contrary, if all the people in the universe would but look to him for the ends and purposes for which he is revealed in the gospel, they should instantly enperience in their souls what the wounded Israelities experienced in their bodies when they looked to the brazen serpent in the wilderness: they should be delievered from all the fatal consequences of their sins, and be endued with spiritual and eternal life.

To mark more clearly the connexion between the means and the end attained by them, it will be proper to

advert to

II. The ground of our justification.

The way appointed for our restoration to the divine favour is not a mere arbitrary institution of the Deity: there is a fitness in it, and a suitableness which deserves peculiar notice. It may be asked, Whence comes it that a knowledge of Christ should be the means of a sinner's acceptance with God? What has Christ done, that he should be authorized to justify sinners by means so inadequate to their end? In other words, supposing these means effectual to their end, what is the gound on which they become so? To these questions the text affords us a precise and satisfactory answer.

The vicarious sacrifice of our blessed Lord has been repeatedly insisted on in the foregoing parts of this prophecy: and here it is again spoken of as the ground on which he justifies those who believe in him. For the elucidating of this point let two things be considered;

First, The sacrifice of Christ removes all the obstacles to our salvation. When man had fallen, there were many things which seemed to render his restoration impossible. The law, which he had broken, denounced a curse against him; nor could the lawgiver, however desirous he might be to rescind his decree, revoke his word consistently with his own perfections: his justice

demanded satisfaction for the breach of the law; his holiness rendered it necessary that he should shew his utter abhorrence of sin, and his truth was pledged for the execution of the sentence which he had annexed to the violation of his commands; and therefore there seemed no alternative for God, no hope for man. But Christ, in becoming our surety, and bearing our iniquities in his own body, removed all these difficulties at once: he magnified the law by enduring its penalties, and made it honourable by fulfilling its commands: he also satisfied the demands of his Father's justice, truth, and holiness, and afforded to the whole creation a most awful proof, that sin could never be committed with impunity. There was indeed yet one more impediment to man's recovery. Man, having once fallen, had lost that righteousness which qualified him for the enjoyment of his God. But this also was removed in the very same way; for Christ's obedience unto death not only rendered our salvation consistent with the rights of law and justice, but constituted also a righteousness which was capable of being imputed to us; and procured for us the Holy Spirit, by whose almighty agency we are renewed after the divine image in righteousness and true holiness. Thus every obstacle to our salvation being removed by the death of Christ, that death may properly be called the ground of our justification.

But, in the next place, the sacrifice of Christ obtained for him a right to justify whom he would. We are often said to be "bought with a price;" and it is particularly specified, that the price paid was, the blood of Christ; yea, that "God purchased the church with his own blood." Now it is obvious, that he who purchases any thing, has a right to the thing purchased, as soon as ever he has paid the price. Thus then has Christ a right to us as his purchased possession." Moreover, Christ is represented as a surety who has discharged our debt; who may therefore demand our liberty, and deliver us out of the hands of our adversary, who threatens to cast us into prison. Nor is this all: for, as has been observed on a

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foregoing part of this prophecy, God had bound himself by covenant to give him a seed; and had promised that, "if he would lay down his soul an offering for sin, the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand." Christ therefore, having fulfilled his part of the covenant, may claim the fulfilment of the Father's engagements, and, by virtue of the authority committed to him, may reveal himself to sinners in order to their eternal salvation. Thus, whether we consider the justification of sinners as obtained for them, or imparted to them, the death of Christ must be acknowledged as the true and only ground of it.

These points being so fully opened in other parts of this chapter, we may wave any further discussion of them, and propose for adoption such a line of conduct as shall insure to every one the blessing here spoken of.

1. Let us read the scriptures with care and diligence. The holy scriptures are the only fountian of divine knowledge. They are a kind of map, whereby we may find our way through this trackless desert, and arrive in safety at our Father's house. Our Lord says, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." Let us then not merely read them, but attend particularly to the testimony which they bear to Christ. Nor let us peruse them in a cursory manner, as though they needed no study or investigation; but rather let us examine them with deep attention, as we would a will or testament by which our title to a large inheritance was to be determined. What a succession of hopes and fears would arise in our breasts, when we read in such a will the passages that appeared prosperous or adverse; and what diligence should we use to make our title clear! How glad should we be to consult those who could give us information on the subject, and what a deep impression would their opinion make upon our minds, particularly if it were grounded on authentic records, and established cases! Such is the way in which we should search the holy oracles for ourselves, and hear them expounded to us by others: nor should we ever rest till we can prove out of them, by indisputable evidence, our right and title to the heavenly inheritance. Happy would it be for us,

if we thus sought the knowledge of Christ! we should soon be guided into all truth: and be made wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus.

But while we thus read the scriptures,

2. Let us pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit.

To unenlightened man the scriptures are "a sealed book;" nor, however learned he may be in other sciences, can he attain the knowledge of Christ, unless the Holy Spirit shine into his heart to give him that knowledge. If we look at a sun-dial, we may understand the use and import of the figures; yet can we not attain a knowledge of the time unless the sun shine upon it. So it is with respect to the word of God: we may understand the general meaning of the words; yet can we not receive its spiritual instructions, unless we have that "unction of the Holy One, whereby we may know all things." The words of Christ "are spirit and life;" and a spiritual discernment is necessary in order to a just apprehension of their import. St. Paul had studied the scriptures diligently, but could never find Christ in them, till the light shone upon him from heaven, and the scales fell from his eyes. The apostles had been instructed by our Lord himself between three and four years; and yet could not enter into the truths which the prophets and Christ himself had declared, till "he opened their understandings to understand the scriptures." Nor, with all our advantages, have we any more power to comprehend his truth; for he expressly tells us, that "no man knoweth either the Father or the Son, except the Holy Spirit reveal him unto us, Hence for the attainment of divine knowledge we are directed to combine a dependence on God's Spirit with our own researches: "if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God; for the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."h Let us then not presume to separate what God has thus

VOL. II.

e 2 Cor. iv. 6.
Matt. xi. 27.

f 1 Cor. ii. 14. h Prov. ii. 3-6. 3 F

united, but pray with David, "Open thou mine eyes that behold wondrous things out of thy law."

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There is yet another direction, which it is of infinite importance to attend to, namely,

3. Let us guard against self-righteousness.

There is no evil, that cleaves more closely to our nature than self-righteousness. We are always wanting to be justified by some other way than that proposed in the text. Like Naaman, if some great thing were required of us, we should gladly do it; but when it is said to us, "Wash and be clean," "Believe and be saved," we turn away in disgust. The very simplicity of this fundamental truth offends us. Were we told that we must work diligently and become godly in order to obtain justification, we should think the direction safe and proper: but the scripture account of the way of being justified is directly opposite to this: St. Paul says, that "to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness:" and this appears so strange that men cannot, and will not admit it. But the apostles themselves could not obtain justification in any other way, than by renouncing all their own righteousness, and by going as ungodly, and perishing sinners unto Christ, that they might be accepted through him alone. This is affirmed by St. Paul himself, who says, "We, who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Let us then guard against every species and degree of self-righteousness, and look for justification solely through the knowledge of Christ, and by faith in his all-atoning sacrifice.

4. Let us, however, be careful to shew forth our faith by our works.

Because we say, That we are not to work at all with a view to obtain justification by our works, but that we must accept justification freely as ungodly and perishing

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