him;" and that he himself is reconciled to God by that blood of the covenant!

Here end both the guilt and power of sin. He can now say, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh (even in this mortal body) I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Here end remorse and sorrow of heart, and the anguish of a wounded spirit. "God turneth his heaviness into joy." He made sore, and now his hands bind up. Here ends also that bondage unto fear; for "his heart standeth fast, believing in the Lord." He cannot fear any longer the wrath of God, for he knows it is now turned away from him, and looks upon him no more as an angry judge, but as a loving father. He cannot fear the devil, knowing he has "no power except it be given him from above." He fears not hell; being an heir of the kingdom of heaven: consequently, he has no fear of death; by reason whereof he was, in times past, for so many years, "subject to bondage." Rather, knowing that "if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, he hath a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; he groaneth earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with that house which is from heaven." He groans to shake off this house of earth, that mortality may be swallowed up of life; knowing that God "hath wrought him for the self-same thing; who hath also given him the earnest of his Spirit."

And "where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty:" liberty, not only from guilt and fear, but from sin, from that heaviest of all yokes, that basest of all bondage. His labour is not now in vain. The snare is broken, and he is delivered. He not only strives, but likewise prevails; he not only fights, but conquers also. "Henceforth he doth not serve sin," Rom. vi, 6, &c. "He is dead unto sin,

and alive unto God;" "sin doth not now reign," even “in his mortal body," nor doth he " obey it in the desires thereof." He does not "yield his members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but as instruments of righteousness unto God." For "being now made free from sin, he is become the servant of righteousness."

Thus, "having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," "rejoicing in hope of the glory of God," and having power over all sin, over every evil desire, and temper, and word, and work, he is a living witness of the "glorious liberty of the sons of God:" all of whom, being partakers of like precious faith, bear record with one voice, “We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father!"-Sermons, vol. i, pp. 81, 82.

An immediate and constant fruit of this faith whereby we are born of God, a fruit which can in no wise be separated from it, no, not for an hour, is power over sin;— power over outward sin of every kind; over every evil word and work; for wheresoever the blood of Christ is thus applied, it "purgeth the conscience from dead works;" and over inward sin; for it purifieth the heart from every unholy desire and temper. This fruit of faith St. Paul has largely described in the sixth chapter of his epistle to the Romans. "How shall we," saith he, "who [by faith] are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" "Our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” “Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign [even] in your mortal body," "but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead." "For sin shall not have dominion over you. God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin,-but being made free," the plain meaning is, God be thanked that though ye were, in time past, the servants of sin, yet now "being

free from sin, ye are become the servants of righteousness."

The same invaluable privilege of the sons of God is as strongly asserted by St. John; particularly with regard to the former branch of it, namely, power over outward sin. After he had been crying out, as one astonished at the depth of the riches of the goodness of God, "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! Beloved, now are we the sons of .God: and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is," 1 John iii, 1, &c.; he soon adds, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God," ver. 9. But some men will say, "True; whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin habitually." Habitually! whence is that? I read it not. It is not written in the book. God plainly saith, "He doth not commit sin ;" and thou addest, habitually! Who art thou that mendest the oracles of God? -that "addest to the words of this book ?" Beware, I beseech thee, lest God "add to thee all the plagues that are written therein." Especially when the comment thou addest is such as quite swallows up the text: so that by this μebodɛia havns, this artful method of deceiving, the precious promise is utterly lost; by this κυβεια ανθρώπων, this tricking and shuffling of men, the word of God is made of none effect. O beware, thou that thus takest from the words of this book, that, taking away the whole meaning and spirit from them, leavest only what may indeed be termed a dead letter, lest God take away thy part out of the book of life!

Suffer we the apostle to interpret his own words by the whole tenour of his discourse. In the fifth verse of this chapter he had said, "Ye know that he [Christ] was

manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin." What is the inference he draws from this? "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him," chap. iii, 5. To his enforcement of this important doctrine he premises a highly necessary caution, "Little children, let no man deceive you," (verse 7;) for many will endeavour so to do; to persuade you that you may be unrighteous, that you may commit sin, and yet be children of God: "he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." Then follows, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this," adds the apostle, "the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil." By this plain mark (the committing or not committing sin) are they distinguished from each other. To the same effect are those words in his fifth chapter, "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not," verse 18. Sermons, vol. i. pp. 155, 156.

CHAPTER X.

OF JUSTIFICATION.

SECTION I.

Its Nature.

THE plain Scriptural notion of justification is, pardon, the forgiveness of sins. It is the act of God the Father, whereby, for the sake of the propitiation made by the

blood of his Son, he "showeth forth his righteousness (or mercy) by the remission of the sins that are past.” This is the easy, natural account of it, given by St. Paul throughout this whole epistle [to the Romans.] So he explains it himself, more particularly in this and the following chapters, iii, iv. Thus, in the next verse but one to the text, "Blessed åre they," saith he, "whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered: blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." To him that is justified or forgiven, God "will not impute sin" to his condemnation. He will not condemn him on that account, either in this world, or in that which is to come. sins, all his past sins, in thought, word, and deed, are covered, are blotted out, shall not be remembered or mentioned against him any more than if they had not been. God will not inflict on that sinner what he deserved to suffer, because the Son of his love hath suffered for him. And from the time we are "accepted through the Beloved," "reconciled to God through his blood," he loves, and blesses, and watches over us for good, even as if we had never sinned.-Sermons, vol. i, pp. 47, 48.

His

Justification is another word for pardon. It is the forgiveness of all our sins; and, what is necessarily implied therein, our acceptance with God. The price whereby this hath been procured for us (commonly termed the meritorious cause of our justification) is the blood and righteousness of Christ; or, to express it a little more clearly, all that Christ hath done and suffered for us, till he "poured out his soul for the transgressors." The immediate, effects of justification are, the peace of God, "peace that passeth all understanding," and a "rejoicing in hope of the glory of God," "with joy unspeakable and full of glory."-Sermons, vol. i, p. 385.