blesses his redeeming God, and calls upon all that is within him to bless his holy name. But where do we find this transport ? Where do we see persons oppressed under the weight of the obligations con- ferred upon them ? Were we to behold a person so elevated with joy, or so depressed with a sense of his great unworthiness, the generality amongst us would call it extravagance, and perhaps ridicule it as the height of absurdity. To the generality, some faint acknowledgments are quite sufficient to express their sense of redeeming love. But how different is this from the feelings of those around the throne of God ! They, angels as well as saints, are penetrated with the devoutest admiration of this stupendous mystery : the one, as viewing its transcendent excellency ; the other, as themselves experiencing its richest benefits. They are all prostrating themselves before the throne of God. And wherefore is it that men are so cold and insensible ? Is it not because they see not the depths from which they have been redeemed ? Did they see in the glass of God's law the depth of the misery from which they have been delivered, they would have far other thoughts of their Deliverer. But, having reduced to almost nothing their obligations to him, no wonder if their gratitude to him be propor- tionably weak and vapid.
Of holy zeal, also, I must say the same. Who feels it in any measure corresponding with what the Scrip- tures require at our hands ? We are represented as being " bought with a price ;" and therefore are called to " glorify God with our body and our spirit, which are God's." To a man sensible of his obligations, no service under heaven would appear too great. All that he can do for the Lord is nothing in his eyes : and all that he can suffer for the Lord is accounted light. His time, his talents, his property, his influence, his whole life, appear of no value, but as they may be made subservient to the advancement of the Divine glory. But how little of this is seen ! and how little is it approved, when seen ! What names are too harsh, whereby to stigmatize such a life as this ? and
2003. 1 THE lJSES OF THE LAW. 85
how infinitely below this is the standard of those who value themselves upon their morality ! To the same cause must this also be traced. In fact, humility, and gratitude, and zeal, must of necessity rise and fall together : and according as our views of the law are deep or superficial, will all of these evince themselves to accord or disagree with the standard proposed to us in the Gospel of Christ.
I come now, in the third place, to shew, that with- out the knowledge of the law we can have no scrip- tural hopes. The faith which alone justifies the soul, is that which brings us simply to the Lord Jesus Christ as our only hope and refuge. If we attempt, in any measure or degree, to blend with his merits any thing of our own, we make void all that he has done and suffered for us : " Christ himself is from that moment become of no effect unto us." As far as respects us, " his death is in vain." But who will exercise this faith ? Who will condescend to accept salvation on such terms ? Who will bear to renounce his good works in point of dependence on them, and to enter into heaven at the same gate with publicans and harlots ? All this is too humiliating for our proud hearts : we will not endure it : we will have some- thing of our own, whereof to boast. If we make not our own works the sole ground of our justification, we will rely on them in part : or, if we be brought to rely solely on the merits of Christ, and to seek salvation by faith alone, we will make our own good- ness a warrant for believing in him. We cannot, we will not, suffer ourselves to be stript of all self- preference : we will not glory solely in the cross of Christ. And wherefore is all this reluctance to com- ply with the terms of the Gospel ? It proceeds from our ignorance of the law. We see not, that our very best deeds stand in need of mercy, as much as our vilest sins. We see not, that the smallest defect en- tails a curse upon us, as truly as our most enormous transgression. When these things are clearly seen, all the difficulty vanishes ; and we are contented to be saved altogether by grace. But, till we have