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Jer. xxxi. 34. "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their fins no more.” And tho' their after fins do, in themselves, deferve eternal wrath, and do actually make them liable to temporal ftrokes, and fatherly chaftifements, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, Pfal. lxxxix. 30-33. Yet they can never be actually liable to eternal wrath, or the curfe of the law; for they are dead to the law in Chrift, Rom. vii 4. And they can never fall from their union with Chrift; nor can they be in Chrifi, and yet under condemnation, Rom viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemna"tion to them which are in Chrift Jefus." This is an inference

drawn from that doctrine of the believer's being dead to the law, delivered by the Apostle, chap. vii. 1-6. As is clear from the 2d, 3d, and 4th verfes of this vil. chap. And in this refpect, the juftified man is “the blessed man, unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity," Pfal. xxxii. 2 As one who has no defign to charge a debt on another, fets it not down in his count-book.

2dly, The believer is accept as righteous in God's fight, 2 Cor. 21 For he is found in Chrift, not having his own righteoufnefs, "but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteoufnefs "which is of God by faith," Phil. iii. 9. He could never be accepted of God, as righteous, upon the account of his own righteousness: because, at beft, it is but imperfect; and all righteoufnefs, properly fo called, which will abide a trial before the throne of God, is perfect. The very name of it implies perfection: for unless a work be perfectly conform to the law, it is not right, but wrong and fo cannot make a man righteous before God, whole jud ment is according to truth. Yet if justice demand a righteoufneis of one that is in Chrift, upon which he may be accounted righteous before the Lord: Surely ball fuch an one fay, In the LORD have I righteoufnfs, Ifa. xiv 24. The law is fulfilled, its commands are obeyed, its fanction is fatisfied. The believer's Cautioner has paid the debt. It was exacted, and he answered for it.

Thus the perfon united to Chrift, is juftified. You may conceive of the whole proceeding herein, in this manner, The avenger of blood purfuing the criminal, Chrift, as the Saviour of loft finners, doth by the Spirit apprehend him, and draw him to himfelf; and he by Faith lays hold on Chrift: fo the Lord our righteousness, and the unrighteous creature unite. From this union with Chrift, refults a communion with him, in his unfearchable riches, and confequently, in his righteoufnefs, that white raiment which he has for clothing of the naked, Rev. iii. 18. Thus the righteoufnels of Chrift becomes bis: and because it is his by unquestionable title, it is imputed to him; it is reckoned his, in the judgment of God, which is always according to the truth of the thing. And fo the believing finner having a righte oufnefs which fully aniwers the demands of the law, he is pardoned, and accepted as righteous. See Ifa. xlv. 22, 24, 25. Rom. iii. 24. and chap. v. 1. Now he is a free man, Who fhall lay any thing to the

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charge of thefe whom God juftifieth? Can juftice lay any thing to their charge? No, for it is fatisfisd. Can the law? No, for it has got all its demands of them in Jefus Chrift, Gal. ii. 26. I am crucified with Christ. What can the law require more, after it has wounded their bead; poured in wrath, in full meafure, into their foul; and cut off their life, and brought it into the duft of death; in so far as it has done all this to Jefus Chrift, who is their Head, Eph. i. 22. their Soul, Acts ii. 25, 27, and their Life, Col. iii. 4. What is become of the finner's own hand-writing, which would prove the debt upon him? Chrift has blotted it out, Col. ii. 14. But, it may be, juftice may get its eye upon it again: no, he took it out of the way. But, O that it had been torn in pieces, may the finner fay: yea fo it is; the nails that pierced Christ's hands and feet, are driven through it, he nailed it. But what if the torn pieces be fet together again? That cannot be; for he nailed it to his cross, and his crofs was buried with him, but will never rife more, feeing Chrift dieth no more. Where is the face-covering that was upon the condemned man? Christ has destroyed. it, Ifa. xxv. 7. Where is death, that stood before the finner with a grim face, and an open mouth, ready to devour him? Chrift has fwallowed it up in victory, ver. 8. Glory, glory, glory to him that thus loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood!

The fecond benefit flowing from the fame fpring of union with Chrift, and coming by the way of juftification, is Peace; peace with God, and peace of confcience, according to the measure of the sense the juftified have of their peace with God, Rom. v. 1. “Therefore

being juftified by faith, we have peace with God." Chap. xiv. 27. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness "and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft." Whereas God was their enemy before, now he is reconciled to them in Chrift; they are in a covenant of peace with him; and as Abraham was, fo they are the friends of God. He is well-pleafed with them, in his beloved Son. His word, which fpoke terror to them formerly, now fpeaks peace, if they rightly take up its language. And there is love in all his difpenfations towards them, which makes all work together for their good: Their confciences are purged of that guilt and filthiness that fometime lay upon them: his confcience-purifying blood ftreams through their fculs, by virtue of their union with him, Heb. ix. 14. "How much

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more fall the blood of Christ-purge your confcience from dead "works, to ferve the living God?" The bonds laid on their confciences, by the Spirit of God, acting as the fpirit of bondage, are taken off, never more to be laid on by that hand, Rom. vii. 15. "For ye have not received the fpirit of bondage again to fear." Hereby the confcience is quieted, as foon as the foul becomes confcious of the application of that blood; which falls out fooner or later, according to the measure of faith, and as the only wife God fees meet to time it. Unbelievers may have troubled confciences, which they may get quieted again: but alas! their confciences become peaceable, ere they

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become pure; fo their peace is but the feed of a greater horror and confufion. Carelefnefs may give eafe for a while, to a fick confcience; men neglecting its wounds, they clofe again of their own accord, before the filthy matter is purged out. Many bury their guilt in the grave of an ill memory: confcience smarts a little; at length the man forgets his fin, and there is an end of it: but that is only an ease before death. Business, or the affairs of life, often give eafe in this cafe. When Cain is banished from the presence of the Lord, he falls a building of cities. When the evil fpirit came upon Saul, he calls not for his Bible, nor for the priests to converfe with him about his cafe; but for musick, to play it away. So many, when their confciences begin to be uneafy, they fill their heads and hands with business, to divert themselves, and to regain eafe at any rate. Yea, fome will fin over the belly of their convictions, and fo fome get ease to their confciences, as Hazael gave to his mafter, by fiffling him.' Again the performing of duties may give fome eafe to a difquieted confcience; and this is all that legal profeffors have recourfe to, for quieting of their confciences. When confcience is wounded; they will pray, confefs, mourn, and refolve to do fo no more: and fo they become whole again, without any application of the blood, of Chrift, by faith. But they, whofe confciences are rightly quieted: come for peace and purging to the blood of Sprinkling. Sin is a fweet morfel, that makes God's elect fick fouls, ere they get it vomited up. It leaves a fting behind it, which fome one time or other, will create them no little pain. Elihu fhews us both the cafe and cure, Job xxxiii. Behold the cafe one may be in, whom God has thoughts of love to. He darteth convictions into his confcience; and makes them stick fo faft, that he cannot rid himself of them, ver. 16. "He openeth the ears of men, "and fealeth their inftruction," his very body fickens, ver. 19. "He "is chaftened alfo with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his "bones with strong pain." He lofeth his ftomach, ver. 20. "His "life abhorreth bread, and his foul dainty meat." His body pines away, so that there is nothing on him but skin and bone, ver. 21. "His flesh is confumed away, that it cannot be feen, and his bones "that were not feen, ftick out." Tho' he is not prepared for death, he has no hopes of life, ver. 22. "His foul draweth near unto the "grave, and (which is the height of his mifery) his life to the de"ftroyers:" he is looking every moment when devils, thefe destroyers, Rom. ix. 11. these murderers, or man-flayers, John viii. 44. will come and carry away his foul to hell Ŏ dreadful cafe! yet there is hope. God defigns to keep back his foul from the pit, 'ver. 18 altho' he bring him forward to the brink of it. Now, fee how the fick man is cured. The phyfician's art cannot prevail here: The difeafe lies more inward, than that his medicines can reach it. It is foul-trouble that has brought the body into this diforder, and therefore the remedies must be applied to the fick man's foul and confcience. The physician for this cafe must be a spiritual physician; the remedies must

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be fpiritual, a righteoufnefs, a random or atonement. Upon the application of thefe, the foul is cured, the confcience is quieted, and the body recovers, ver. 23, 24, 25, 26 "If there be a messenger with "him, an interpreter, one among a thoufand, to fhew unto man his "uprightnefs: then he is gracious unto him, and faith, Deliver him "from going down to the pit, I have found a ranfom. His flesh "fhall be freiher than a child's he fhall return to the days of his youth. "He fhall pray unto God, and he thall be favourable unto him, and "he thall fee his face with joy." The proper phyfician for this patient, is a meffenger, an interpreter, ver. 23. that is as fome expofitors, not without ground, understand it, the great Physician Jefus Chrift, whom Job had called his Redeemer, chap xix. 25 He is a meffenger, the Meffenger of the Covenant of Peace, Mal iii. 1. who comes feafonably to the fick man. He is an Interpreter, the great Interpreter of God's counfels of love to finners, John i. 28 among a thoufand, even the chief among ten thousand, Cant v 10. One chofen out of the people, Pfal lxxxix. 29. One to whom the Lord "hath given the tongue of the learned,-to fpeak a word in feafon to "him that is weary," Ifa 1. 4, 5, 6. It is he that is with him, by his Spirit, now, to convince him of righteoufnefs, John xvi. 8 as he was with him before, to convince him of fin end judgment. His work now is to fhew unto him his uprightnefs, or his righteoufnefs, i.e. the Interpreter Chrift his righteoufhefs; which is the only righteoufnefs arifing from the paying of a ranfon, and upon which a finner is delivered from going down to the pit, vers 24. And thus Chrift is faid to declare God's name, Pfal. xxii. 22. and to preach righteouf nefs, Pfal. xl. 9. The phrafe is remarkable: it is not to fhew unto the man, but unto man, his righteoufnefs; which not obfcurely intimates, that he is more than a man, who berus; or declareth this righteoufnefs. Compare Amos iv. 13. "He that formeth the "mountains, and created the wind, and declareth unto man what is "his thought." There feems to be in it a sweet allusion to the first declaration of this righteousness unto man, or as the word is, unto Adam after the fall, while he lay under terror from apprehenfions of the wrath of God: which declaration was made by the Messenger, the Interpreter, namely, the eternal word of the Son of God, called The voice of the Lord God, Gen. iii. 8. and by him appearing probably in human fhape. Now. while, by his Spirit he is the Preacher of righteoufnefs to the man, it is fuppofed the man lays hold on the offered righteousness; whereupon the ranfom is applied to him, and he is delivered from going down to the pit: for God hath a ransom for him. This is intimate, to him: God faith, Delive him, vér. 24. Hereupon his confcience, being purged by the blood of atonement, is pacified, and fweetly quieted: he thall pray upon God-and fee his face with joy," which before he beheld with horror, ver. 26. That is a New Teftament language, Having an High-priest over "the house of God," the fhall draw near with a true heart, in full

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"affurance of faith, having his heart fprinkled from an evil conftience, Heb. x. 21, 22. But then, what becomes of the body, the weak and weary flesh? Why, "His flefh fhall be fresher than a child's, he thall "return to the days of his youth, ver. 25 Yea, all his bones, (which "were chaftened with strong pain, ver. 19.) fhall fay, Lord, who is "like unto thee?" Pfal xXXV 10

A Third benefit flowing from union with Chrift, is Adoption. Believers, being united to Christ, become children of God, and members of the family of heaven. By their union with him, who is the Son of God by nature, they become the fons of God by grace, John i. 12. As when a branch is cut off from one tree, and grafted in the branch of another; the ingrafted branch, by means of its union with the adopting branch (as fome not unfitly have called it) is made a branch of the fame stock, with that into which it is ingrafted: fo finners being ingrafted into Jefus Chrift, whofe name is the Branch, his Father is their Father, his God their God, John xx. 17. And thus they, who are by nature children of the devil, become the children of God. They have the Spirit of adoption, Rom. viii. 5. namely, the Spirit of his Son, which bring them to God, as children to a father; to pour out their complaints in his bofom, and to feek neceffary fupply, Gal. iv. 6. "Because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his "Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father " Under all their

weaknesses, they have fatherly pity, and compaffion fhewn them, Pfal. ciii. 13. Like as a father pitieth his children: fo the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Altho' they were but foundlings, found in a defart land; yet now that to them belongs the adoption, he keeps them as the apple of his eye, Deut. xxxii. 10. Whofoever purfue them, they have a refuge. Prov. xiv. 26. His children fhall have a place of refuge. In a time of common calamity, they have chambers for protection, where they may be hid, until the indignation be overpaft, Ifa. xxvi. 20 And he is not only their refuge for protection, but their portion for provifion, in that refuge; Pfal. cxlii. 5. Thou art "my refuge and my portion in the land of the living" They are provided for, for eternity, Heb. xi. 16. He hath prepared for them a city And what he fees they have need of for time, they fhall not want, Matth. vi. 31, 32. "Take no thought faving, What' fhall

we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or, wherewithal fhall we be "clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of "all these things." Seafonable correction is likewife their privilege as fons: fo they are not fuffered to pafs with their faults, as happens. to others who are not children, but fervants of the family, and will be turned out of doors for their mifcarriages at length Heb xii. 7. "If ye endure chaftening God dealeth with you as with fons: for "what fon is he whom the Father chafteneth not?" They are heirs. of, and fhall inherit the p omifs Heb. vi. 12. Nay. they are beirs of God, who himself is the portion of their inheritance, Pfal. xvi 5. and joint heirs with Chrift, Rom. viii. 17. And because they are the

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