10 INWARD WITNESS TO CHRISTIANITY, per satisfaction of. Christ Jesus, how weak must their hope be; how feeble is the foundation of it! but when a poor, convinced, awakened soul, that now believesthe doctrine of Christ, has been long before tormented in his conscience about atonement for 'sin; and found no hope; the christian religion, the gospel, 'with its pardoning grace, and the satisfaction that Christhas made, gives the soul peace, and leads the troubled conscience to rest and quiet ; he trusts this gospel, he receives this salvation, and Math the witness in himselfthat.it is divine. II. The happiness of eternal life consists also in the special favour of God, which is distinct from the pardon of sin; for it is verypossible for acriminal to be pardoned, and not to be made a favourite of the king. The favour of God, and a sense of thin favour, is a great part of heaven. This is called seeing of God, often in scripture. When souls are fullypossessed of the love of God, when they have it shed abroadin their hearts in perfection ; when they know that theinfinite and eternal Maker and Gover- nor of allthings loves them, and will for ever love them, this is eternal life; and this is enjoyed in some measure here on earth by true believers, this is apart of eternal life begun in the heart of everychristian; for when'Godpardons, he receives into hispecu- liar fàvour. This thechristian religion teaches us, but the light of naturg could nevertell us so : for ifthe light of nature and reason could have proceeded so far as to acquaint us with pardoning grace in all the extent of it, yet it could never have presumed tó assure us 'Rat he should make the rebels he had pardoned hisfavouritesfor ever. We might have beenforgiven, and then annihilated. But the scripture teaches us, whomGod forgives he makes favourites too. And Christ Jesus has laid the foundation of this double blessing; for he has not only made an endof sin, but'brought in an everlasting righteousness; Dan ix. 24. He has fulfilled the law in all the commands of it, as well as borne the penalty ; he has purchased all the blessings of divine love, as well as bought a freedom from divine vengeance. If when ice, teen enemies we were reconc;iled,to God by the death of his Son; much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life, Rom. v. 10. And in ver. 1, and2, he saith, Beingjustf'ed.hyfaith, we havepeace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Thus you see there is not only reconciliation butfull salva- tion; not only peace cc/th God, but thehope ofglory to be obtained by believing on the Son of God. Many are the instances of saints here dwelling in flesh in a day of grace, that have been raised to a good degree of eternal life in this'respect, that have had a joyful sense of the loveof God shed abroad in their souls, and upon solid grounds have hoped for glory, such as no other reli-
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