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him, fo as to be polluted and defiled with them. He was holy, harmless, undefiled; and (in this respect) separate from finners. He was a lamb without spot and ble. mih. He was God's beloved Son, in whom he was well pleafed. In this fenfe then, fin belongs even to the believer himself, notwithstanding his union to Chrift. The pollution of his fin was never transferred to Chrift. But every fin he commits, pollutes and defiles his foul, gives him new caufe of humiliation and repentance, new caufe to fly by faith to the blood of Chrift for cleanfing; and to the grace of Chrift for the fanctifying, renewing, and quickening influences of his Holy Spirit. Hence we find David complaining, that his wounds ftink and are corrupt, because of his foolishness; that his loyns are all filled with a loathfome difeafe; and there is no foundness in his flefb, Pfal. xxxviii. 5, 7. And hence we likewife find him fo humbly and earneftly praying, that he may be purged with hyssop and made clean, washed and made whiter than the fnow, Pfal. li. 7. It is not the privilege of believers, that their fins have lefs pollution in them, than the fins of others; or that they are lefs difpleafing to God: but their privilege is, that they being united to Chrift, they have grace given them to apply for cleaning to the fountain set open for fin and uncleannefs; and that they have an advocate with the Father, to make interceffion for them. It is therefore certain, that all fuch who do not improve this privilege, who do not repair to the blood of Chrift for cleanfing, but remain carelefs and fecure in their fins, were never yet united to Chrift, never cleanfed from their filthiness: but are notwithstanding all their vain dreams of an union to Christ, liable to meet with that final fentence, He which is filthy let him be filthy fill.

If we confider fin with respect to its innate guilt, or contrariety to the law of God, the fins of believers, as well as others, are a tranfgreffion of God's law, a contempt of his dominion and authority, a repugnancy to his nature and will, a dishonour to his name, and an injury to his kingdom and interest in the world; in all which refpects, they bring guilt upon the fouls of the offenders, in proportion to the nature and aggravations of the tranfgreffions. Now I hope, none will be fo dar

ingly blafphemous, as to fuppofe, that our fins are in this refpect transferred to Chrift; that the blessed Saviour of the world has tranfgreffed the law of God, or dishonoured his holy name. For he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth. He always did those things which pleafed his heavenly Father. There is no poffibility from the nature of things, that the innate guilt of fin, or the Reatus culpa (as the fchools exprefs it) can be transferred from one perfon to another. Whoever reprefents the perfon of the offender, and as his furety bears the punishment he deserved; yet the original guilt, the ob liquity, the enormity, fault or crime of the offence, lies at the offender's door; and can lie no where else. Whence it follows, that the believer's union to Christ can no way change the nature of his finful actions, and make that guiltlefs and innocent, whilft repugnant to the nature and law of God. Though it deliver from the penalty, it cannot remove the native enormity of fin; it still remains, and cannot but remain abominable to God, and worthy of eternal death. Whence God is displeased with believers, when they fin against him. The thing that David had done, difpleafed the Lord, 1 Sam. xi. 27. The Lord was angry with Mofes, Deut. iv, 21. He was very angry with Aaron, Deut. ix. 20. Though he be a father, he is a provoked Father, when his children forfake his law, and walk not in his judgments, and therefore he vifits their tranfgreffion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes; though he do not utterly take away his loving kindness from them; nor fuffer his faithfulness to fail, Pfalm lxxxix. 30, 31, 32. Have not believers therefore caufe to be deeply affected with their fins, to lament them before God; and penitently to fly to the blood of Chrift for pardon, when they render · them guilty in the fight of God, are provoking and dif. pleafing to him; and juftly deserve his eternal wrath ?

But if we proceed in the last place, to confider fin with refpect to its law defert or demerit, with regard to the penalty annexed to it, by the juftice and law of God, in this fenfe Chrift bare our fins for us; and took upon him all the iniquities of thofe, who are interefted in and united to him. He bare our fins in his own body upon the free: that is, he bare the punishment due to us for fin,

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when he offered himself a facrifice upon the cross. He was made a curfe for us; and underwent the curfe that was due to us. He was made a furety of the better tef. tament; and fo the dreadful debt was transferred from the principal debtors, to him; and he being a furety for ftrangers, was made to fmart for it. Thus believers partake of the bleffedness afcribed to him, whofe tranf

greffion is forgiven, whofe fin is covered; and unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.' And there is '6 now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jefus.' They are acquitted from the guilt of all their former fins, upon their exercifing faith in Chrift. Through faith

in his blood, Chrift's righteoufnefs is declared, for the • remiffion of their fins that are pafl,' Rom. iii. 25. But how will their state of juftification be continued, and their fins pardoned, but in the way of renewed exercise of faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift, and repentance towards God? How will they make any progrefs in the divine life, but by a renewed flight to the fountain of grace, for new fupplies of fpiritual life and ftrength? from whence then can any man fetch arguments, for a careless indifference about his fins, unless he be also carelefs and indifferent about the favour of God, and his own eternal welfare? Let no man deceive himself with vain words, nor dream of any inheritance in the kingdom of Chrift and of God, while he can fin without care or fear. For, because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.' Eph. V. 5 6.

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You go on to argue, If believers are united to Christ, in the manner described, so that his obedience to the law was performed on their behalf, and is become their obedience, it then follows, that they have in Chrift ⚫ fulfilled the law in all refpects; and it can therefore have no more demands upon them; and confequently they can be no more chargeable with fin; nor have occafion to be concerned about it. For where there is no law, there is no tranfgreffion.'

In anfwer to this objection, I fhall firft endeavour to fhew you, in what refpects our blessed Saviour has in our place and ftead anfwered the demands of the law, and thereby delivered the believer from its power and dominion and then proceed to fhew, in what refpects Cc

the law has still a claim to the believer's obfervance, notwithstanding his intereft in and union to the Lord Je fis Chrift.

Our bleffed Redeemer has these feveral ways fulfilled the law for believers. He has fulfilled all the penal demands of it; and hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curfe for us, Gal. iii. 13. We being guilty criminals, the law condemns us to deferved pu nishment; and the juftice of God demands fatisfaction. The bleffed Saviour has therefore flept in between us and the avenging juftice of God; and has received the flaming fword into his own bowels. Juftice is fatisfied, and the guilty offender releafed; upon his acting faith in this blefied furety. The law does moreover require of us a perfect active obedience, as we are rational and moral agents; and accordingly the original terms of our acceptance with God were, Do this and live. The man which doth thefe things, fhall live by them. But curfed is every one, that continueth not in all things of the law to do them. Now Chrift has in this refpect alfo answered the demands of the law. He has fulfilled all righteouf ness; and taken away the power of the law, as it is the ftrength of fin, as it is a killing letter, and miniftration of death, on the behalf of all that believe in him; that it no longer demands perfect perfonal obedience, as the condition of their acceptance with God. In this refpect believers are 'not under the law, but under grace.' Rom. vi. 14. Thus Chrift has performed a paffive obedience, to answer the penalty of the law, and an active obedience, to fulfil the precept of it, whereby justice is fatisfied, God reconciled, and the believer made accepted in the beloved. I may add to this, that there is an infinite merit in this twofold obedience of our bleffed Mediator. He being an infinite perfon, the value of his obedience was proportioned to the glory and dignity of his divine nature; and he has therefore by his fulfilling the law, purchased all grace here and glory hereafter, for all who fhall believe in him, and be thereby united to him. Thus then, the believer's first husband is dead; that they are loofed from the law of their huf band and they are become dead to the law by the body of Chrift, that they may be married to another, even to him who is raifed from the dead, Rom. vii. 2. 4.

And now in order to answer the fecond part of my promife, and fhew you in what refpect the law has fill a claim to the believer's obfervance; Imuft remind you' of what I have formerly observed to you, that the moral law is also to be confidered as a rule of living, as the standard or directory of our conduct. As fuch, it is a copy or tranfcript of the divine perfections, in particular of his rectitude, justice, and holiness; and therefore is immutable, like the infinitely glorious nature from whence it was derived. It is utterly inconfiftent with the infinite perfections of the glorious God, for him to give us a rule of life, contrary to what is contained in the moral law. Should the law in this fenfe be abrogated and buried, the holiness and justice of God must be buried in the ruins of it. Now though our bleffed Saviour has in this sense also fulfilled the law, he has fulfilled it to establish it, and not to vacate or destroy it. He has fulfilled it as our exemplar, to give us a pattern of obedience, that we may walk in his fteps. He hath fulfilled it to glorify his heavenly Father, that in imitation of him we alfo may glorify him, by bringing forth much fruit. In this refpect then, the law retains its full demand upon us. Do we then make void the law by faith? God forbid! yea, we establish the law, Rom. iii. 31. With refpect to the law, as a rule of life, our bleffec Saviour affures us, that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than one title of the law to fail, Luke xvi. 17. How vile and abominable therefore are those pretences, that there remains no law to regulate our conduct; that we are under no bonds to obedience, that we have no law to tranfgrefs; and therefore no fins to lament! Has the bleffed Saviour shed his precious blood, to open a door to licentiousness? Has he come to legitimate a lawless, careless, worldly and fenfual life? No furely, he came with a quite contrary view; to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Tit. ii. 14. The law muft certainly be either the rule of our conduct while we live,. or the rule of our final trial and condemnation, in the day of Chrift. Though our conformity to the law, as a rule of life, be neither an atonement for our fins, nor a purchase of the divine favour, nor the covenant condition of our pardon and acceptance with God: Yet i

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