Our Plea then must be Guilty, and in this Case we must either Plead mercy for the sake of mercy, or mercy for the sake of a satisfaction. There is no third. There is no being justified upon the Plea of mercy, for the sake of mercy. For as one well observes, it were not to plead, but to beg. Nor were it at all to be justified, but meerly to be pardoned, it were to be dealt with alone upon the score of grace, not at all upon the score of righteousness; and we have already proved, that justification is an act of justice, and not of mercy. It is true, in the salvation of sinners, both grace and justice meet; we are both pardoned and justified. God is as merciful as we can desire, and yet as righteous as himself can desire: There is the freest Grace, and the fullest Justice.

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