=-y THE NATURE OF But, (1.) He requires" nothing of us, (which we had all the reason in the world to expect that he would) to make atonement or satisfaction for our sins, that might compensate the injuries we had done him by our apos- tasy and rebellion. For whereas we had multiplied sins against him, lived in an enmity and opposition to him, and had contracted insupportable and immeasurable debts upon our own souls, terms of peacebeingnowpro- posed, who could think but that the first thing required of us would be, that we should make some kind of satis- faction todivine justice for all our enormous and heinous provocations? Yea, who is there that indeed doth natur- ally think otherwise? so he apprehended who was con- triving a way in his own mind how he might come to an agreement with.God. Micah vi. 6, 7. " Wherewith " shall I comebefore the Lord,, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt- " offerings, with calves of a year old? Wilt the Lord " be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thou. " sands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for " my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of " my soul?" This, or something of this nature, seems to be but a very reasonable inquiry for a guilty self-con- demned sinner, when first he entertains thoughts of an agreement with the holy. sinavenging God? And this was the foundation of all that cruel and expensive su. perstition that the world was in bondage unto for so many ages: Mankind generally thought that the prin- cipal thing that was required of them in religion, was to atone and pacify the wrath of the divine power, and to make a compensation for what had been done against him. Hence were their sacrifices of hecatombs ofbeasts, of mankind, of their children, and of themselves, as -I have elsewhere declared. And the same principle is still deep. rooted in the minds of convincedsinners; and many an abbey, monastery, college, and alms-house, hath it founded. For, in the fruits of thissuperstition, the priests which set it on work, always shared deeply. But quite otherwise in the gospel, there is declared and tendered unto sinners, an absolute free pardon of all their sins, without any satisfaction or compensation made, or to be made, on their part, that is, by them- selves, namely, on the account of the atonement made for them by Jesus Christ. And all attempts or endea- vours after works or duties of obedience, in any respect satisfactory to God for sin, or meritorious of pardon do SANCTIFICATION" subvert and overthrow the whole gospel. See 2 Còr." v. 18, 19, 20, 21. Wherefore in answer to the inquiry before- mentioned, -the reply in the prophet is, that God looks for none of these things, and that all such con- trivances were wholly vain:." He hath shewed' thee, " O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord re. " quire of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and " to walk humbly with thy God?" ver. 8. which last ex- pression compriseth the whole of our covenantobedi. ence, Gen..xvii. I. as the two former-are eminent in- stances of it in particular. (2.), He requireth nothing of us in a way of righte- ousness fer our justification for the future; that this also he would have done,- we might have justly expected. For a righteousness we must have, or we cannot be ac. cepted with him. And here also many are at a loss, and resolve, .. that it is a thing fond and inconvenient to think of peace with God. some righteousness of their own on the account whereof they may be justified before" him; and rather than they will forego that ape prehension, they will let go all other thoughts of peace and acceptance. " Being ignorant of the righteousness ., of God, they go about to establish their own righte- ousness, and do not submit themselves unto the righ- teousness of God," nor will they acquiesce in it, " that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to "every one that believeth," as Romxe 3, 4. But so it is, that God requireth not this of us in the gospel; for we arejustifiedfreelyby his grace through the redemp. tion that is in Christ Jesus, Rom. iii. 24. And we do therefore conclude, that a man is justifiedbyfaith, with- out the works- of the law, ver. 28. so Rom. viii. 3, 4. Neither is there any mention in the whole gospel, of God's requiring a righteousness in us uponthe account whereof we should be justified before him, or in his sight. For the justification by works, mentioned in James, consists in. the evidencing and declaration ofour faith by them. - (3.) God requireth not any thing of us whereby we should purchase or merit for ourselves lifeand salvation, For we are saved by grace, throughfaith, not of works, lest any man should boast, Eph. ii. 8, 9. God doth save us neither by nor for the works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his ownmercy, Titus iii. 5. so that, although on the one side, thewages ofsin is death, there being a proportion in justice between sin
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