of. Hence it is the apoftle in our text, by a sweet multo magis infers the certainty of falvation by his life, in confequence of reconciliation by his death.

The doctrine holden forth in this precious text is; they who are reconciled to God, by the death of his fon, fhall obtain certain falvation by the life of their Saviour. The truth of which will appear by the following confiderations.

ift. God's love to finners is free, and unmerited; this appears fufficiently manifeft in the verses preceding the text; receives confirmation from every page of the facred book, and is a truth I have briefly treated in the beginning of this difcourfe. The greatnefs of God's love, is most fully manifested in the gift of his only begotten fon, which by the apostle is called a gift unspeakable, 2 Cor. ix. 15. Heaven and earth with all their myriads and millions of created excellencies, bear no comparison to this infinitely glorious, and tranfcendant perfon, concerning whom, we have that ftriking defcription by the prophet If. chap. xl. 12-18. In which lofty and elegant paffage (not to be parallelled) we have a declaration of his grandeur and greatness, in ver. 15, behold, the nations, not a country or kingdom, but the habitable world, the whole compafs and extent of the terraqueous globe," are as a drop of a bucket; and are "counted as the duft of the balance;" the duft which is dispersed by the smallest breeze, and fcattered by the leaft motion of the air; yea, " He "taketh up the ifles as a very little thing. Le"banon is not fufficient to burn," with all her spicy stores, nor all the beafts that graze on its wide extended furface, fufficient for a burnt offering, to this almighty Lord, this inconceivably great and

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glorious God. For in his eyes, all the nations are as nothing, yea, less than nothing and vanity. this glorious perfon is given as a free gift to the children of men, to be a furety for them, in order to their falvation, "For God fo loved the "world, that he gave his only begotten son, that "whofoever believeth on him fhould not perish, "but have everlasting life." John ii. 16. This glorious perfon gives himself," for our fin, to re"deem us from this prefent evil world, &c. Gal. i. 4. But who can explain, or find out the fource and fountain of this love? Men who have the first fruits of the spirit, are lou in contemplating it, and cry out in extafy, what manner of love is this? Angels who stand in his prefence, and are employed as meffengers to publish the glad tidings to the world; are utterly unable to discover this mystery of love, although they study it with pleafing delight, or to found with the utmoft ftretch of their bright intellectuals the immeasurable depth. Now fince. the love of God which has been manifested to finners, was free and fovereign; and fince the Gcd who has fhewn this love is unchangeable; what an immoveable bafis have believers to build their hopes upon! For, "HE is in one mind, "and who can turn him? His gifts and callings "are without repentance. Job xxiii. 13. Rom.

ii. 29.

2dly. It is impoffible that the fouls for whom Jefus died, fhould die eternally for fin; for justice itself, ftands engaged to deliver them from going down to the pit, fince Chrift has ranfomed them at the exhorbitant price of his own blood. And if in juftice thefe cannot be fent to hell, because Chrift has fuffered all their fins demerited; what

must become of them at last, if we should deny them a place in heaven? Our Saviour has told us that the separation will be to the right hand, and left, and the different characters of the separated, will be sheep and goats; but the fcriptures tell of no middle place, or nature. Believers therefore,

cannot, must not be ranked among the goats, because they bear the mark of Jefu's fheep; they have been bought with his blood, and HE the good fhepherd has brought them back to the fold, his church, upon his fhoulder. Furthermore, for whom Jefus dies, he also lived on earth, and lives in heaven; as he became a furety for his people, he did and fuffered all that was needful for their falvation; nor is his active and paffive obedience (however treated of feparately and diftinctly,) ever to be conceived of, but as one glorious aggregate, uniting their influence, and conjoining their efficacy, to work out a full falvation for the believer.

3dly. The faint's falvation is certain, inasmuch as he is a member of Jefu's myftical body; we are, fays the apoftle, members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Eph. v. 30, and the argument made use of for our confolation runs thus, no man ever yet hated his own flesh. But ye are members of the flesh of the Lord Jefus; therefore he cannot hate you, lut nourisheth and cherisheth it, his own flesh, but ye are his own flesh. Therefore he will nourish and cherish you. He will nourish the dear purchase of his blood, beneath his bleeding fide; this is the cleft of the rock in which the Lord will fhelter them from the ftormy wind and tempeft, his feathers fhall be their covering, and his faithfulness their fhield and buckler.

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The kindness and care of the Lord to his people is fet forth in declarations like thefe; "Thou "fhalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor "for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the "peftilence that walketh in dark nefs, nor for "the deftruction that wafteth at noon day. A "thousand shall fall at thy fide, and ten thoufand "at thy right hand; but it fhall not come nigh "thee." Pf. xci. 5, 6, 7. Again, "Fear not, "for thou shalt not be afhamed, neither be thou "confounded, for thou shalt not be put to fhame; no weapon, that is formed against thee fhall

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prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against "thee in judgment, thou fhalt condemn." If. liv. 4, 17, For thefe, a man shall be an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempeft; even the man, the king of faints who fhall reign in righteousness. If. xxxii. 1. 2. Nor will the Lord be wanting in affection to the members of his body, but will cherish them. Thefe enjoy in him, a peace that paffeth all understanding; inherit the joys of faith, and the confolations of hope. feaft of fat things is prepared for thefe, of marrow and falnefs. The Lord comforts the hearts of his people with his love, which chears their spirits more than wine; he breaks unto them the bread of life, and the language of his heart and lips is, eat and drink my well beloved. These are the Lord's Jefhuruns, his upright ones of whom it is faid, he will give them grace and glory, and every good thing, Pf. lxxxiv. 11. In a word, if omnipotence can defend these they shall fuffer no harm; if divine veracity may be relied on, they fhall obtain and inherit every kind of good; even that felicity, which eye hath not feen, ear heard,

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nor has entered into the heart of man to conceive for God's infallible word, backed with his tremendous oath, are engaged for the prefent confolation, and final falvation of the redeemed world. Heb. vi. 17, 18.

4thly. The faints perfeverance is afcertained to them in confequence of their effectual calling; for whom be called, them be a's justified; and whɩm be justified, them he alfo glorified. Rom. viii. 30. The faints calling is the third link in the golden chain of falvation, and on every link in this indiffoluble chain is a motto, or afcription of glory to God. Saints are faid to be called with an boly calling, nor is it in confequence of a holy converfation, but they are called hereunto; for previous to this, like others, they fulfill the lufts of the flesh, and of the mind; and their calling is a confequence of their election in Chrift Jefus; they are called out of darkness into God's marvellous light, and the end of their calling is, to walk in good works which God has before ordained. 2 Tim. i. 9. So infeparably connected is God's purpose as fecret to himself, and the discoveries of that purpose in the calling of his people; that we may fafely and without prefumption, infer the former, in proportion to the certainty of the latter; hence the apostle Peter exhorts, "Wherefore brethren,

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give diligence to make your calling and election. "fure." 2 Pet. i. 10. An effect always fuppofes `a caufe; but the cause of the chriftian's calling cannot be refolved but into the good pleafure of God; agreeable to the fcripture language," Hav"ing predeftinated us to the adoption of children "by Jefus Chrift, to himself, according to the "good pleasure of his own will." Eph. i. 5. Befides,

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