that, notwithstanding our guilt and impotence, we may be "juftified freely by his grace through the redemption that there is Jefus ;" yea God can "be juft and yet the juftifier of him that believeth in Jefus," he can pardon and accept the finner, without any impeachment of his divine perfections, or any derogation from the authority of his holy law. 6. On this ground it is, that the gofpel offers us a free, full, and univerfal pardon for all our paft offences. It affures us that God was in Chrift, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trefpaffes to them, and that he hath committed to his apoftles the word of reconciliation *.” They therefore, according to the commiffion Chrift had given them, befeeching finners to be reconciled to GOD, not only preached repentance, but also remiffion of fins in his name among all nations: In his name they offered, and that to all without exception, "Pardon for infinite offence! and pardon "By means that speak its value infinite! "A pardon bought with blood! with blood divine! With blood divine of him we made our foe! Perfifted to provoke! tho' woo'd and aw'd, "Bleft and chaftis'd, yet flagrant rebels ftill!" And in order to the enjoyment of this parden, they required nothing of mankind but repentance towards God, and faith,living faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, both which they reprefented as the gifts of GOD. For, with the prophets they bore witness that if we draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to ust," and that "whofoever believeth in Chrift doth receive the forgiveness of fins; yea that by him all who believe are juftified from all things +.' Thus we fee it is clearly revealed and exprefsly declared in the gospel, that because of what Chrift * 2 Cor. v. 19. Jam. iv. 8. Acts xiii. 39. hath hath done and fuffered, the moment we truly believe on him, (viz. with a penitent and loving heart)," God is merciful to our unrighteoufnefs, and our fins and iniquities he remembers no more.' He treats us as though we had never offended, accepts us through the Beloved into the number of his children, and we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith*, even the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry, Abba Father. 7. This leads me to speak of another principal bleffing of the gospel, concerning which alfowe are informed in the former chapter, where ver. 7, the apostle calls the law the miniftration of death, and (ver. 8,) the gospel the miniftration of the Spirit. He calls the law the miniftration of death, not only because it condemned wilful tranfgreffors to temporal death, and condemns us all to the fecond death; but also because in confequence of our violation of it we are deprived of union with GOD, in which our fpiritual life as much confifts, as our natural life in the union of foul and body. Our fins have separated between us and our GOD; we are alienated from the life of GOD, and of consequence are fpiritually dead, dead in trefpaffes and fins. 8. To illuftrate this a little. No fooner has the foul left the body than natural life is at an end. The body has no longer any fenfibility of pleasure or pain. It has no longer any fenfation: it has eyes, but fees not, ears, but hears not. It has no longer any power; it cannot move, or act, or make resistance, but may be dragged hither and thither at will. It is helplefs, tends to putrefaction, and is only fit to be removed out of the fight of the living, to whom it is now become loathsome and abominable. In like manner, no fooner has GOD left the * Gal. iii. 14. foul foul than fpiritual life is at an end. The foul has no longer any fenfibility of fin, its evil nature and dreadful tendency; any confcious grief when overtaken by it, or joy when preferved from it. It has no longer (if I may fo fpeak) any fpiritual fenfation: it fees not by faith him that is invifible, hears not the voice of Chrift, nor feels the powers of the world to come. In other words, it has no faving knowledge in divine things; GOD and the things of GOD are concealed from it. It has no longer any power; it cannot move one step heaven-ward, perform any thing properly good, nor refift and conquer temptation; but the devil, the world and the fleth drag it hither and thither, at pleasure and uncontrouled. It is helplefs, corrupted by fin, filthy and polluted, and only fit to be removed out of the fight (as it were) of an holy GOD, to whom it is now become abominable, and buried in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. 9. In this condition the moral law leaves mankind. Confidered in itself, as a covenant of works, it points us to no remedy, but rather pronounces us incurable and our cafe defperate. Not fo the gofpel: it is a miniftration of the Spirit. It informs us of and offers to us the Holy Spirit of GOD, whose office it is to restore our fouls to fpiritual life, and heal all the diseases which by fin we have contracted. Therein we are told that when Chrift" af cended up on high and led captivity captive, he received gifts for men, even for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among them." that in him "all fulness dwells, and that out of his fulness we may receive grace for grace t." Therein we are informed of the "faving grace of God appearing to all men," and of " the true light enlightening every man that cometh into the world." And Eph. iv. 8. Tit. ii. 11. John i. 9. * Pfal. lxviii. 18. we we are affured if we do not quench this light and reject this grace, it fhall be imparted more and more to guide, renew and comfort us. For in the gofpel Chrift offers to baptize us with the Holy Ghoft and with fire," to "live in us, that we may live alfo, to "quicken us and raise us up and make us fit together with himself in heavenly places." He promises, if we will come to him and drink, out of our belly," (figuratively speaking)" shall flow rivers of living water *," fuch abundance of fpiritual life fhall we poffefs that it fhall overflow (as it were) for the quickening and refreshment of others; yea he affures us (if we afk) he will give us living water, and that water fhall be in us a well of water fpringing up to life eternal ." Now "all this he speaks of the Spirit which they who believe on him do receive," that Spirit which is offered in the gofpel, and which accompanying its truths when delivered, renders them the power of God unto falvation to every one that believeth. 10. By this Spirit we are again united to God and put in poffeffion of fpiritual life: Our eyes are opened and we see the dreadful fituation we are in by nature and practice: We discover the ruin that hangs over our guilty heads and threatens to bury us in eternal deftruction. Our deaf ears are unftopped, and we hear the voice of him "that raiseth the dead, and calleth things that are not as though they were," calleth us to come forth out of the grave of fin that we may live a new life, a life hid with Chrift in God. I mean, our understanding is enlightened with the light of life, and we are made acquainted with things fpiritual and divine, which, while deftitute of the Spirit, we could not difcern. Our confcience alfo is roufed from its lethargy, and we are convinced of fin and of righteousness. We John vii. 37, 38. # John iv. 10, 14. arc are now no longer infenfible of grief and pain on account of the fins we have committed, and the punishment we have deserved; or of joy and delight, on account of what Chrift hath done and fuffered for us, and the profpect of eternal glory he hath opened to our view. But we feel the most tender and lively affections, excited by the things of GOD, which before we could contemplate with total unconcern, 11. The Holy Spirit has stripped fin of its difguife, and beholding the monster in all its deformity and mifchief, we fear and tremble at the thoughts of our former danger from it, and are diftreffed for our foolish and wicked intimacy with fo deftructive an enemy. Holiness is now unmasked, and blooming in all its beauty, kindles in our hearts the most fervent love to, and inflames our fouls with the warmest defires after, an object fo incomparably excellent and worthy of our higheft regard. We lament and are amazed at our former indifference, and refolve to make amends (fo to fpeak) for what is paft, by the most careful attention to, and diligent endeavours after it, for the time to come. In the mean time, confidering the great and precious promises, which are all given to us, that we may be made partakers of the divine nature, we rejoice in hope of poffeffing, to our entire and endlefs fatisfaction, this holinefs fo amiable in our cyes. 12. In hope of poffeffing it, did I fay? Nay we rejoice in the actual poffeffion of it in a great degree. For, being "in Christ, we are new creatures, old things are done away and all things in us are become new." Sin hath not dominion over us, which in time past it had, because we are not under the law (the covenant of works which killeth, nor the Mofaic difpenfation which was imperfect,) but under grace, a difpenfation of pardoning mercy which giveth |