and in heaven, "The Lord our Righteousness." Yes, it is in and through Christ alone that we can find acceptance with God. We can make no satisfaction to the violated law and justice of God. Christ is our only hope—without him we perish, but united to him we are safeclothed upon with the robe of his righteousness "God will pronounce the sinner just,

And take the saint to heaven."

But how are we to get this justifying righteousness? How are we, so to speak, to make it our own?-for all legal purposes our own? There is no difficulty. The Bible is very clear upon this subject. Notice the language of our text: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." This falls in precisely with what is said in another place: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." And again: "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." The main idea is this: Faith appropriates the righteousness of Christ; it is the hand which lays hold of it, and puts it down to our account. In other words, the Spirit working faith in us, links us to Christ, in our effectual calling; so that, in the eyes of the law, we are one with him. If he be accounted righteous,

we shall be accounted righteous, too; and if he be accepted, we, for his sake, shall be accepted also; for, according to the Scriptures, the union between Christ and believers is represented by similitudes peculiarly striking and strong. Is he the vine? Believers are the branches. Is he the head? Believers are the members. Is he the bridegroom? Believers are the bride: and the apostle, in a certain place, uses language still stronger, when he says, We are members of his body, and of his flesh, and of his bones. How intimate is this union! how indissoluble! Hence the triumphant language of the apostle: "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?-shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord."

This naturally leads us to speak of the

blessings consequent upon a state of justification with God. But that we may be better prepared to solace ourselves with these things, it will be proper to notice, as the apostle did, some objections which have been made to the doctrine of salvation by faith, without works.

It has been objected-1. That it militates against the doctrine taught by James. And we confess, at first view, the objection appears to have much force; but when examined, we find it has no force at all. What is the language of Paul? "Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law." And what says James: "Ye see then, brethren, how that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." I admit that there is a discrepancy in the language, a downright contradiction, if you please, and yet the two apostles are harmonious in sentiment. They must be, for they were inspired by one and the same Spirit, and there is no difficulty in reconciling their language. It is no uncommon thing for different persons to use different and very opposite language, and yet mean the very same thing. For example: A. and B. are speaking about you. A. says you are a mortal man, and must soon die. B. says you are immortal, and can never die, but must live for ever. Do these individuals differ in sentiment in relation to you?

Not at all. But in speaking about you, they have not reference to the same thing. When A. said, you are a mortal man, and must soon die, he had reference to your body. When B. said, you are immortal, and must live for ever, he had reference to your soul. Now, although the language is contradictory, yet really there is no diversity of sentiment. They believe the very same thing. So in the case before us. The language of the two apostles is contradictory; but mark, they are not speaking about the same thing. Examine the case, and you will find it is even so. Paul is speaking about justification before God, James about justification before man. In Paul's epistle to the Romans, 3d chapter, 19th and 20th verses, we find these words: "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world be found guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." Paul, you perceive, speaks of justification in the sight of God. But by reference to James ii. 15, 16, and 17, you will find that this apostle is speaking of a different matter altogether. "If a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say, Depart in peace, be ye warmed, and be ye filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those

things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works." Paul speaks of justification in the sight of God; James of justification in the sight of man. Paul tells us how a person may become a Christian by faith; James tells us how a person may prove himself to be a Christian by works. There is no discrepancy. The objection is annihilated. But it is objected, 2. That this doctrine of justification by faith alone, without the deeds of the law, is a dangerous doctrine. It makes good works of no account. It nullifies the law, sets it aside as a dead letter, and makes it void. It is remarkable that the apostle adverts to this very objection, and shows that it is entirely groundless. "Do we, then, make void the law, through faith? God forbid! We establish the law." And what makes this more remarkable, is this:-This method of anticipating objections, and putting them down, is very common in the Scriptures. Thus in regard to the doctrine of regeneration, when our Saviour said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," the objection urged by many is represented as having been