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own mere favour, and is absolutely free and eternal; it can receive no addition, it admits of no diminution, it is subject to no change, neither change of time, nor vicissitude of circumstance can in the least affect it; neither clouds, darkness, afflictions, temptations, the dreadful opposition of in-dwelling sin, nor those hateful backslidings which wound your souls, and fill you with unutterable shame and grief, nor doubts, nor fears, nor death itself, can diminish, in any degree, its ineffable perfection; neither can sanctification, nor even glorification, increase the glory of its excellency; what it was it is, and what IT IS it WILL BE, world without end, amen.

The objects of justification, are the countless myriads of God's elect. Election and justification are coeval. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? it is God that justifieth them; for although the relative pronoun them is not inserted, it is necessarily understood. This glorious truth triumphantly smiles at the combined malice and rage of its most inveterate enemies, and bids defiance to all their power, subtilty, and address, while it pours into the souls, who spiritually receive it, a flood of consolation which will finally overwhelm their sorrow and drown all their griefs.

The justification of God's elect consists, not in the accounting them righteous without a righteousness, but in the IMPUTATION of a most perfect, immaculate, and glorious righteousness unto them. Some in their folly, and in the heat of an intemperate and misguided zeal, oppose, with no small degree of virulence, the doctrine of imputed righteousness, pronouncing it unscriptural, and calling it "imputed nonsense;" but let such suppress their unhallowed ardour, be still, and listen to the words of wisdom. Did David, the anointed of the Lord, by whom the Spirit spake, and who had the word of the Lord on his tongue, did he speak unscripturally when he said, "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered?" Or did the apostle Paul write nonsense, when he quoted theabove ever memorable words of the royal psalmist, and under divine anointings affixed an infallible comment upon them, "Even as David describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God IMPUTETH righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." Here, brethren, we have from the decisive pens of two witnesses, divinely inspired, the doctrine of righteousness imputedso imputed as to cover sin, and constitute those unto whom it is imputed, justified truly, and for ever blessed. This is justification by righteousness imputed, if not by imputed righteousness. In this truth may our souls abundantly rejoice, leaving the scornful to exercise their talents, and display their fancied superior wisdom, in defining the difference between righteousness imputed and imputed righteousness.

And now, brethren, as you have accompanied us in our contemplations upon the excellency and importance of justification, allow us to invite you to attend to us in our remarks upon the ETERNITY of this inestimable blessing. This we regard, not only as the basis and glory of its excellency, but as essential-absolutely essential to its being. We

do not in the least hesitate to say that it is either eternal, or not at all. This we hope to prove by arguments founded upon election, union with Christ, the counsel and covenant of peace, the suretyship of Jesus, his headship, and the immutability of God.

First, election." Who, saith the apostle, 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." Here the apostle plainly and positively declares, that the elect are justified-justified so completely, that no charge of unrighteousness can be preferred against them in the court of divine justice, or in the presence of God. The question now is, does the apostle make this solemn declaration with reference to the whole number of the elect, or only a part thereof? The true answer to this question will, in part at least, determine whether the maintainers, or the opposers of eternal justification are right. If he speaks with a view to a part only of the chosen, then the eternity of justification is a nullity; but if of the whole, then it is a divine reality, and the doctrine of eternal justification becomes a part, and a most important part too, of the counsel of God. In order to decide this point, upon which a matter of so much moment depends, let us ask, does the apostle speak of the same persons throughout this passage of scripture, when he says, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" Does he allude to the same persons to whom he alludes when he says, "Who is he that condemneth, (them) it is Christ that died?" If he does, (and surely no one will attempt to dispute it) it follows, that if Christ died for all the elect, then all the elect are justified; and if all the elect, as such, are justified, their justification and election must be coeval; and as they were elected in eternity, or before the foundation of the world, they must have been justified as early; and as there cannot be a justified person who was not eternally elected, so there cannot be an elected person who was not eternally justified.

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Secondly. Union with Christ-exhibits evidence of this truth. Union has the same date as election, is included in it, and inseparable from it. The elect were not only chosen before the foundation of the world, but, chosen in Christ. Now, how could they be chosen eternally in him, and yet not be eternally in union with him? be chosen in him, if there is any certain meaning in words, is, to be joined unto him, put into him, and made one with him. From union with Christ, arises interest in him, and an indubitable title to his unsearchable riches and righteousness, and, with these-justification. These things are so united, that they cannot be divided-so interwoven and involved, that one of them cannot be without the other. If one was before the foundation of the world, so were they all. If was the first, so was the last. If Christ was made unto us righteousness, it is, as we are of God IN him. If we are blessed with justification, and all other spiritual blessings, we are so blessed in union with him and if we are in him, or have union with him, it is as we werc chosen in him before the foundation of the world. See 1 Cor. i. 30. -Eph. i. 3, 4. Who can help admiring the divine economy?

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What beauty of order! What strength of union! What wisdom and benevolence of design! Here blessings of the first magnitude, and the brighest lustre, arise from the mere favour of God; not in succession, but at once; not apart, but in perfect and indissoluble union; like tower upon tower, to exalt the sons of earth from the dunghill of this world, to the celestial paradise, from all the awful deeps and dismal horrors of their lapsed state, to the transcendent heights of the most glorious and blissful state which created existences can fill. Election, or ordination to eternal life in Christ, stands upon God's eternal and gracious will; union with Christ, upon election in him; and justification depends upon union, as on a rock, which neither artifice nor power can move, and from which it can never be by any means detached.-This doctrine derives evidence,

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Thirdly. From the counsel and covenant of peace." God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.' The non-imputation of sin, and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, constitute the justification of God's people, who are here called the world. And when God was in Christ, not imputing sin to them; he was, in him, imputing his righteousness to them and so, completely justifying them: for where sin is not imputed, and righteousness is imputed, there justification is complete. Now, brethren, the question is, when was God in Christ doing these things? Was it in eternity or not? Our most eminent divines have generally considered the apostle, as having direct reference in the above words to those divine federal transactions, which, with a view to man's salvation, took place before time began: and we cordially coincide with them in their view thereof. It is evident that it was in eternity that God was in Christ, reconciling the world of his chosen unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, but imputing them unto Christ, and imputing Christ's righteousness unto them; and as this was an eternal act, so is justification eternal. Should it be said, "that God eternally purposed and resolved to justify his people, but, did not eternally justify them;" we reply, that where a mere act of his will is concerned, purposing and doing are precisely the same thing. But the non-imputation of sin, and the imputation of righteousness, are mere acts of his will. Therefore his purpose not to impute sin, is really the non-imputation of it; and his resolution to impute righteousness, is nothing less than the actual imputation thereof. If then, God was in Christ, in eternity, purposing or willing never to impute the sins of his people unto them, but to charge them upon Jesus; and always to impute his righteousness unto them, then, it must follow that their sins were never imputed unto them, but always stood placed to the account of the Mediator; and that his righteousness was eternally transferred unto them, and consequently, that they were eternally justified. This truth is evinced,

Fourthly. By the suretyship of Christ.—In that covenant which was ordered in all things and sure, in the everlasting covenant, in which is all our salvation, Christ became the surety of the chosen. Before

the foundation of the world was framed, he loved the church and gave himself for it, to be the surety thereof; and he was accepted as such, by the Father, the great law-giver and creditor. In his character of surety Jesus pledged himself to pay that debt of perfect obedience, on his people's account, required by the holy law; and to endure to the utmost, the punishment due to their sins; to give the most complete satisfaction to divine justice. The Father, on the ground of the Son's engagement, pledged himself, in return, never to charge on one of his people the guilt of a single transgression; but to impute them for ever the Son's righteousness for their justification. This is according to the true nature of suretyship; and is set forth in all those scriptures in which the Father is represented as covenanting with Jesus, and promising him, as the reward of obedience, sufferings, and death; that he shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied; thathis seed shall be established; that-his seed shall endure for ever; that-by the blood of his covenant, he would send forth his prisoners out of the pit in which is no water; that- he shall be for salvation to the ends of the earth, &c. &c. It is a well known fact, that, when a creditor accepts of a surety, who, on behalf of an insolvent debtor, gives his bond for payment of the whole debt, he, the creditor, in that very moment, by his act of acceptance, discharges virtually the debtor. From that instant the surety stands debtor to the creditor, as really so as he could have done, if he himself had contracted the debt; and the original debtor is free from all obligation and liability to suffer for non-payment, as really and truly so as he could have been, had he contracted no debt at all. He is completely exonerated. All his obligations to his creditor, rests on his surety. To the surety alone the creditor looks; he looks entirely off the debtor; he owes him nothing. This is the real nature and certain effect of suretyship. And so saith Jesus" If ye seek me, let these go their way." Now if these things are so, then the doctrine of eternal justification must be admitted as true, or else the suretyship of Christ must be rejected as a fable. Strike but this single link from the golden chain of the doctrine of our salvation, and the whole chain is broken; all its links are rent asunder, and scattered; the very master-piece of divine arrangement is all deranged; and the perfection of order turned into confusion. But

Fifthly. The headship of Christ, furnishes an argument in favour of eternal justification. He is the head of the body, the church. He was chosen to be the head thereof, and the church was chosen in him to be his body. And the choice was in eternity. Not the one chosen before the other, but both at once by a single act of the divine will. Not apart, but in union. It was doubtless as the head of the church, in his complex character God-man, that Christ was set up from everlasting; and the church was chosen in him before the foundation of the world. And as Adam, who was created to be the natural head of the whole human race, represented all mankind before God, who viewed them all in him in the moment of his creation: so Christ, eternally chosen to be the spiritual head of the church, who was

chosen in him, represented all its members in the view and presence of the Father, who viewed them in Him from all eternity with infinite delight. Now, brethren, this is the question, and this the pith of the argument,-did he view them in their representative as righteous, or as unrighteous? Doubtless as righteous. How could he, the Father, regard the church as unrighteous, viewing them in Christ, unless Christ were unrighteous? As considered in their chosen head, who is the "Lord their righteousness," God hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. In him, as their common head, the elect were all eternally accepted of the Father, (accepted in the beloved) and therefore eternally justified: for without justifying them, he could not accept them; his acceptance of them certainly infolds their justification. Let those who contemptuously despise eternal justification, seriously consider these things; and before they again call it "eternal nonsense," let them shew when Christ was not the head and representative of the elect; or, granting that he was eternally such, and that the Father ever viewed them in him, let them tell us when he considered them as unrighteous, and when righteous; when unjust, and when just. And until they are prepared to shew these things, let them lay their hands upon their mouth, be still, and no longer attempt to eclipse the lustre, or depreciate the worth of this invaluable truth, eternal justification. Which receives further, and still stronger proof, if stronger can be,

Sixthly. From the divine immutability.—It is our firm belief that eternal justification, and God's immutability, must stand or fall together. If his will is eternal and immutable, then he eternally justified his people. The will of God must have all its acts at once, and be ever complete in itself; and justification being not like sanctification, a work of his power, performed in his chosen, but a mere act of his will concerning his chosen, is therefore like his will, eternal and unchangeable. We have before asserted, that if justification were not eternal, it could not be at all-we here repeat the assertion, and call upon all the world to prove it untrue. How could we be justified otherwise than by an act of the will of God? how could there be an act of his will which was not eternal? On this basis the doctrine of eternal justification stands firm and unshaken, it smiles at opposition, and reigns in triumph, peaceful and undisturbed, amidst all the hostile efforts of its surrounding enemies.

Before we conclude our epistle, we beg leave to say, that the eternal justification of the elect in the mind of God, does not supercede their justification in their OWN minds in time-no, no, it makes it absolutely necessary, and infallibly sure; it is the reason, cause, or foundation of that justification which they feel in their consciences, when they are called of God, to believe with the heart unto righteousness. Had they not been justified in eternity, they could not have been justified in time; but being eternally justified, they are brought in due time, by the all-sufficient grace of God, and according to his eternal purpose, to know, believe in, approve, receive, and trust to the eternal righteous

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