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and that is the Ranfom which Chrift gave, bis Life for many, Mat. xx. 28.

You fee then, how this Conclufion follows, that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, be having fulfiled it, and fatisfied it fo fully, both by Obedience to the Conimandment, and Submiffion to the Curfe; it is all one in God's Account, as if we had done it, becaufe Chrift was Surety in our Stead, and a common Perfon representing us, and therefore his paying of the Debt, acquits us at the Hand of Juftice, and whatsoever he did to fulfil all Righteousness, that is accounted ours, because we were reprefented in him, and judicially one with him: And therefore, we were condemned when he was condemned, we were dead when he died, and fo the Righteousness of the Law, in exacting a due Punishment for

had fallen upon the Sinner, there is not fo much Worth in the Creatures extreameft Sufferings, as to compenfate the infinite Wrongs done to the Holiness and Righteousness of God; therefore what was wanting in the intrinsick Value of the Creatures Suffering, behoved to be made up in the infinite Extent of it, and eternal Continuance of it upon the Creature. Thus there could never be a determined Time affigned, in which the Curfe were fulfilled, and in which, Juftice could fay, bold, I bave enough. It is, as if a Man were owing an infinite Debt, and he could get nothing to defray it, but poor petty Sums, which being all conjoined, cannot amount to any Proportion of it: Therefore, fince he cannot get one Sum in Value equal to it, he must be eternally paying it in Smalls, according to his Capacity; and fo, because the utmoft Farthing can-Sin, was fulfilled for us in him; and it is not be won at, he can never be releafed out of Prifon. But our Lord Jefus hath fatisfied it to the full; he was a more fubftantial Debtor, and because of the infinite Dignity of his Perfon, there was an intrinfick Value upon his Sufferings, pro portioned unto the Infinitenefs of Mans Sin; fo that he could pay all the Debt in a fhort Time, which a Sinner could but have done to all Eternity. Now, you know, any Man would rather choose fuch a Cautioner, that can folidly fatisfy him in Grofs, and pay all the Sum at once, than fuch a Principal, that because of his Inability, cannot amount to any confide rable Satisfaction in many Years. And even fo it is with the Law and Justice of God; they hold themselves better content-cause our Sin was upon him, so it is as ed in Christ, than in us, in his being made a Curfe, than the falling of the Curfe on us, Gal. iii. 13. And therefore God teftifies it to poor Sinners, Deliver them, I have found a Ransom, Job xxxiii. 24.

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all one as if it had been perfonally us. And this is laid down as the Foundation of that blessed Embassy or Meffage of Reconciliation to Sinners, as that upon which God is in Chrift reconciling and befeeching us to be reconciled, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, 21. Him who knew no Sin, bath be made Sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him. You fee the bleffed Exchange that he hath made with us, he hath laid our Sins on finless Chrift, and laid Chrift's Righteousness on finful us. Chrift took our Sins on him, that he might give us his Righteousness, and by Vertue of this Transaction and Communication, as it was righteous with God to condemn Sin in Chrift's Flesh, be

just with him to impute Righteousness to us, because we were in him: And as the Law made him a Curse, and exacted the Punishment of him, it is as righteous with the Lord, to give us Life and Salvation, Gg 2

and

and to forgive Sin, as John fpeaks, 1 E- which you give to fatisfy Juftice, it is piftle i. 19. If we confess our Sins, he that wherewith you pretend to fulfil the is faithful and just to forgive our Sins. Law. But if it could be fo, wherefore Now confider this, my Beloved, for it thould God have sent his Son to condemn is propounded unto you, as the greatest Sin, and purchafe Righteousness by him? Perlwafive to move you to come to Jefus I beseech you, once know and confider Chrift, there is fuch a clear and plain Way your Eftate, that you may open your in him to Salvation. If this do not move Hearts to this Redeemer, that you may your Hearts, I know not what will be willing to be stript naked of all your do not expect that your Troubles in this imaginary Righteousness, to put on this World, the frequent Lathes of Judgment, which will fatisfy the Law fully. Will the impoverishing and exhaufting of you, you die in your Sins, because you will the plucking away of thefe Things you not come to bim to have Life? Will you loved, the difquieting your Peace fo often, rather be condemned with Sin, than faved that any of thofe Things that have the with Chrift's Righteoufnefs? And truly, Image of Wrath upon them, can drive you there is no other Altar that will preferve to him, and make you forfake your Way, you but this. Now, if any apprehending when fuch a Motive as this doth not prevail their own Mifery, be hardly pursued in with you. O what Heart could stand a their Confciences, by the Law of God, I gainst the Power of this Perfwafion, if it befeech you come hither, and behold it fawere but rightly apprehended? Who tisfied and fulfilled. I beseech you in. would not willingly fly in to this City of Chrift's ftead, to be reconciled unto Refuge, if they did but know aright the God, to lay down all hoftile Affections, Avenger of Blood that purfues them, and and come to him, because God is in what Safety is within? You are always Chrift reconciling the World, and not imagining vain Satisfactions to the Law of imputing their Sins, because he hath imGod; how great Weight doth your Fan-puted them already to Chrift, bim who cy impose upon your Tears, your Confef knew no Sin, &c. and he is in Chrift, fions, your Reformations? If you can at- imputing his Righteousness to Sinners. tain any Thing of this Kind, that is it

SER

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SERMON XV.

Verse 4. That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, &c.

THINK

HINK not (faith our Lord and prevent this, think not, faith he, that I Saviour Jefus Chrift) that I am am come to deftroy the Law; do not fancy come to destroy the Law, I am come to to your felves a Liberty to live in Sin, fulfil it, Mat. v. 17. It was a needful Ca- and an Immunity from the Obligation of veat, and a very timeous Advertisement, a Commandment, because I have puchaf because of the natural Mifapprehenfions ed an Immunity and Freedom from the in Mens Minds of the Gospel. When free Curfe; no, I am come to fulfill it rather, Forgiveness of Sins, and Life everlaft- not only in mine own Perfon, but in yours ing, is preached in Jefus Chrift, without alfo. And to this Purpofe, Paul, Rom. our Works; when the Mercy of God is iii. 31. Do we then make viod the Law proclaimed in its Freedom and Fulnefs, by Faith? It is fo natural to our rebelthe Heart of Man is fubject to a woful lious Hearts, to desire to be free from the Mifconceit of Chrift, as if by these a Lati-Yoke of Obedience, and therefore we fantude were given, and a Liberty proclaim-cy fuch a Notion of Faith, as may not give ed to Men to live in Sin. That which it felf to working in Love, as is active in is propounded as the Encouragement of nothing but Imagination. The Apoftle poor Sinners, to come to God, and for- abominates this, God forbid, he detefts it, fake their own wicked Way, it is mifer- as impious and facrilegious; yea, we eably wrefted upon a -Miftake, to be an stablish it. So then, all returns to this, Encouragement to revolt more and more. one of the great Ends of Chrift's coming Righteousness and Life, by Faith in a Sa- in his Flesh, and one main Intendment of viour, without the Works of the Law, is the Gofpel, published in this Name, is not holden out as the grand Perfwation of the meerly to deliver us from Wrath, and Gospel, to study Obedience to the Law; reedem us from the Curfe, Gal. iii. 13. I Theff. i. 10. but alfo, and that eand yet fuch is the Perverseness of many Hearts, that either in Opinion, or Practice, fpecially, to redeem us from all iniquity, they fo carry themselves, as if there were that we might be a People zealous of an Inconfiftency between Chrift and the good Works, Tit. ii. 14. Law, between free Juftification and Sanc- away Sin, and deftroy the Works of the We spoke fometification, as if Chrift had come to redeem Devit, 1 Joh. iii. 5,8. us not from Sin, but to Sin. Now, to thing before Noon, how Chrift hath ful

and to take

filled

fhould never have been any Fear, an Love, any Delight in God, any Reve rence and Subjection to him, if he had no Forgiveness, a Treafure of Mercies with him to bestow first upon Sinners; and this makes Access to ftand and ferve in his Sight. The Cloud of our Tranfgref fions is fo thick and dark, that there could never have been any Communion with God, if he had not found out the Way to

filled, the Law, and established it, in his own Perfon, by Obedience and Suffering, neither of which Ways it could be fo well contented by any other: But there is yet a third Way that he fulfills and establish eth it, and that is, in our Perfons, That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. He hath obliged himself to fulfill it, not only for Believers, but in Believers; there-Scatter and blot it out, for his own fore the Promises run thus, I will write my Law in their Hearts, and cause them to walk in my Statutes, Ezęk. xxxvi. 27. Jer. xxxi. 33. Not only I delight do thy ill, but I will make them delight to do it alfo: And truly in this refpect, the Law is more fulfilled and eftablished by Chrift, than ever it could have been, if Man had been left to fatisfy it alone. If we had reckoned alone with the Law, we had been taken up eternally with fatisfying for the Breaches of it, fo that there could be no Access to Obedience of the Command, and no Acceptance either: A Sinner muft firft fatisfy the Curfe, for the Fault done, before ever he can be in a Capacity to perform new Obedience on the Terms of Acceptation of it with God. Now the first would have taken up Eternity, fo that there can be no Place of Entry to the fecond; therefore, if Chrift had not found out a Way of free Pardon of the Sins that are paft, and Affurance of Forgiveness for the Time to come, the Commandments of God should be wholly fruftrated; but there is Forgiveness with thee, that thou mayeft be feared, Pfal. cxxx. 4. The Word is allo, worfbipped. Truly my Beloved, this is the Fountain of all Religion, free Forgiveness: There hadbeen so Religion, no Worship of God, no Obedience to his Commands throughout all Eternity; there

Name's fake. Religion then must begin
at this great and ineftimable free Gift of
imputed Righteousness, of accounting us,
what we are not in our felves, because
found fo in another, it begins at Remif-
fion of Sins; but that is not all, this hath
a further End, and truly it is but intro
ductive to a further End; that so a Soul
may be made Partaker of the Gift of Ho
linefs within, and have that Image of
God renewed in Holiness and Rigb
teousness. I would have you once per-
fuaded to begin at this, to receive the free
Gift of another's Righteousness, Rom.
v. 17. and another's Obedience, to
find your own Nakedness and Loath
someness without this Covering, and how
fhort all other Coverings of your own
Works are. O that we could once perfuade
you to renounce your felves, to embrace
this Righteoufnefs, then it were eafy to
prevail with you to renounce Sin, to put
on Holiness. I fay, firft, You must re-
nounce your felves, as undone in all you
do, as loathfome in all that ever you loved,
and come under the wide and broad Skirt
of Chrift's Righteoufnefs, which he did
weave upon the Earth, for to hide our
Nakednefs. You must once have the
Righteoufnefs of the Law fulfilled per-
fectly by another, before you can have
Accefs to fulfil one Jot of it your felves,
or any Thing you do be accepted; and

'all this Foundation be laid, you do but beat the Air in Religion, you build on the Sand.

Now if once you were brought this Length, to renounce all Confidence in your felves, and to flee into Chrift's Righteoufnefs, then it were eafy to lead you a Step further, to renounce the Love of your most beloved Sins: And the more lovely that Chrift's Righteousness is in your Eyes, the more Beauty would Holiness and Obedience have in them alfo unto you; then you would labour to walk after the Guidance of the Spirit.

ment hath; nay, Punishment is only evil, as it hath Relation to Sin: There is a Beauty of Juftice and Righteousness in Punifhment, but there is nothing in Sin, but Deformity and Oppofition to his Holiness, 'tis purely evil, and moft purely hated of God: And if there were no more to perfuade you that Sin is infinitely more evil than Pain, confider how our Pain and Punishment was really transfer red upon the bleffed Son of God, and that all this did not make him a whit the worse ; but he was not capable of the real Infusion of our Sin, that would have made Chrift I would have the Impreffion of this as miferable, wretched, and impotent as Deep in your Hearts, that the Gofpel is any of us; that would have difabled him not a Doctrine of Licentioufnefs, but a fo far from helping us, that he would Doctrine of the pureft Liberty, of the have had as much need of a Mediator, as compleatest Redemption. Many think it we: All which were highly blafphemous Liberty to ferve their Lufts, and it is in to imagine. Look then how much Dif deed as Bonds and Cords to reftrain them.tance and Difference there was between There is no Man but would be content to fuffering, dying Chrift, and wretched be faved from the Wrath to come, and Men living in Sin: None can say but he is therefore many fnatch at fuch Sentences infinitely better, even while in Pain, nor of the Gofpel, and take them lightly, the higheft Prince in Pleasure, fo much without Confideration of what further is Difproportion there is between Sin and in it. But truly if this were all, it were Pain, fo much is the one worse than the not compleat Redemption, if there were other. Do not think then, that Chrift not Redemption from Sin too, which is died to purchase an Indulgence for you to the moft abfolute Tyrant in the World. live in Sin: Truly that were to take away I think a true Chriftian would account the the leffer Evil, that the greater may reService of Sin Bondage, though it were main; that were to deliver from one left at his own Option; He that commits Mifery, that we may be more involved in Sin, is the Servant of Sin, therefore the that which is the greatest of all MiFreedom that Chrift purchafeth, is Free- feries. Nay, certainly if Chrift be a Redom from Sin, Job. viii. 38. I will fay deemer, he must redeem us from our most 'more, we are delivered from Wrath, that potent and accurfed Enemy, Sin; he fo we may be redeemed from Sin, we muft take away the Root, the Fountain have the Righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed of all Mifery, Sin; that which conceived to us, that fo the Image of Chrift in its Womb all Pains, Sorrows, Sickmay be renewed within us, this is neffes, Death and Hell. You have the the very End of that. I am fure any great End of Redemption expressed, Luke that difcerns aright, knows Sin to have i. 75. That we being delivered from infinitely more Evil in it, than Punish all our Enemies, might ferve bim with

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