SERMON IV.

JUSTIFICATION not attainable by Acts of

MORALITY.

ROMANS, iii. 28.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law.

IN

N the minds of a very large proportion of the world a much higher degree of respect for morality prevails than for piety. Numbers who hold the difpofitions in which piety confifts, and the proceedings by which those difpofitions are manifefted, in low eftimation, and perfonally are negligent of both, will be loud in the praises of moral virtue; and to a certain extent, and in ordinary circumstances, are practically observant of various moral rules. Others, by whom the duties of piety are more justly appreciated, and are outwardly discharged with decent punctuality, difcover by their common dif

course

courfe that morality poffeffes, in their eyes, fuperior dignity and more winning attractions. The caufes of this general partiality are not difficult to be traced. It is not merely nor principally that piety may be counterfeited by the hypocrite, while morality fhews itself by its fruits. Morality may be counterfeit and hypocritical no less than piety. And picty, no less than morality, has her fruits to fhew: and, if juftice be rendered to her claims, will vindicate as exclufively her own productions, the very fruits with which morality is adorned. The main source of the preference is this: Men imagine their own interefts to be more immediately involved in the general obfervance of morality than of piety. The duties of piety are confidered as articles in a private account between the individual and his God: an account in which the world does not fuppofe itself specifically interested, and in the state of which it confequently takes little concern. But on the influence of the moral rules of juftice, fincerity, veracity, on the discharge of relative duties, on the exercife of liberality and kindnefs, on the obfervance, at least on the partial obfervance, of fome of the precepts of temperance and purity, the world perceives

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perceives that in domeftic life, in public transactions, in every matter of private bufinefs, its fecurity and its comfort are dependent. Hence it is that morality is elevated to pre-eminence. Hence alfo it is that an unfound morality, a morality resting on felfish motives, a morality not referring to God, is allowed to ufurp the honours due to Christian morals, and to them only. Deriving from the selfish motives on which it rests, inducements fufficient to keep itself tolerably correct in customary cafes open to inspection; it paffes current with a world which looks to prefent effects, troubles not itself to investigate motives, nor reflects that in morality not founded on the genuine corner-ftone there will ultimately prove to be neither confistency nor strength,

Actions which, independently of confiderations of religious duty, recommend themfelves to men by tried and conftant utility, speedily affume a character of merit. We begin to value ourselves upon the performance of them. We proceed to infer that they must appear to God, who has commanded the performance of them, in the colours in which they appear to others and to ourselves; and that, being pronounced meritorious by men, they entitle us to pre

tenfions

tenfions of pofitive merit before Him; conftitute, if not entirely, yet in part, the ground-work of our juftification; and are authorised to claim from the Most High not merely acceptance through grace, but reward as of debt (a).

From this prevailing view of the nature of works of morality, and from the inherent reluctance of the unhumbled heart to admit that, if we are to be received as righteous before God, it must be altogether by means of other righteoufnefs than our own, has arifen an opinion, the exiftence of which among perfons whofe thoughts have been turned to fcriptural inquiries, may well be deemed furprifing; namely, that when St. Paul affirms that men are juftified by faith without the deeds of the law, the law which the Apostle intends is fimply the Ceremonial law promulgated to the Jews by Mofes.

Faith," it is vaguely faid, " is the gospel : "the law is the Mofaic ritual, with which (c we have no concern. The Gospel, in the "belief of which we are to be faved, requires morality and by the moral law, which "includes moral actions towards men, though certainly without the deeds of the

abrogated ceremonial law, we are to be juftified."

An opinion replete with confufion and error, and at the fame time relating to a subject fo important as the place and office of Christian morality in the plan of falvation, deferves ferious difcuffion.

The conclufion which, whatever be its import, St. Paul affirms in the text, is not an infulated propofition averred in that fingle paffage. In other parts of his Epiftle to the Romans, and in the Epistle to the Galatians, it is again and again re-affirmed by him in various equivalent expreffions; and is connected with laboured and diverfified trains of argument and illuftration defigned to establish its truth, and to evince the importance which the Apostle attached to the conclufion in queftion, and his folicitude that its validity fhould be acknowledged and deeply felt. Therefore by the deeds of the law there fhall no flesh be justified in His fight. Therefore being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Knowing that a man is not juftified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift, even we have believed in Jefus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the