Sinners. He was a Lamb without Spot and without Blemish. He was God's beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased.—In this Sense then, Sin belongs even to the Believer himself, notwithstanding his Union to Chrift. The Pollution of his Sin was never transferred to Chrift; but every Sin he commits pollutes and defiles his Soul, gives him new Caufe of Humiliation and Repentance, new Cause to fly by Faith to the Blood of Chrift for Cleanfing, and to the Grace of Chrift for the fanctifying, re newing and quickening Influences of his Holy Spi rit.-Hence we find David complaining, that his Wounds ftink and are corrupt, because of his Foolish. nefs; that his Loins are filled with a loathfome Dif cafe; and there is no Soundness in his Flesh, Pfal. xxxviii. 5. 7. And hence we likeways find him so humbly and earnestly praying, that he may be purged with Hyffop and made clean, washed and made whiter than the Snow, Pfal. li. 7.-It is not the Privilege of Believers that their Sins have lefs Pollution in them than the Sins 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 Cleanfing to the Fountain Jet open for Sin and for 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 careless and fecure in their Sins, were never yet united to Chrift, never cleansed from their Filthiness; but are, notwithstanding all their vain Dreams of an Union to Chrift, liable to meet with that final Sentence, He which is filthy, let him be filthy ftill.

If we confider Sin, with Respect to its innate Guilt, or Contrariety to the Law of God, the Sins

of

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 Difhonour to his Name, and an Injury to his Kingdom and Interest in the World; in all which Refpects they bring Guilt upon the Souls of the Offenders, in Proportion to the Nature and Aggravations of the Tranfgreffions.-Now I hope, none will be fo daringly blafphemous as to fuppofe that our Sins are in this Refpect transferred to Chrift; that the bleffed Saviour of the World has tranfgreffed the Law of God, or difhonoured his holy Naine. For he did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth. He always did thofe Things which pleased his heavenby Father.-There is no Poffibility fron the Nature of Things, that the innate Guilt of Sin, or the Reatus culpa (as the Schools express it) can be tranfferred from one Perfon to another. Whoever reprefents the Perfon of the Offender, and, as his Surety, bears the Punishment he deserved, yet the original Guist, the Obliquity, the Enormity, Fault or Crime of the Offence, lies at the Offender's Door, and can ly no where else.--Whence it follows,that the Believer's Union to Chrift can noway change the Nature of his finful Actions, and make that guiltles and innocent, whilft repugnant to the Nature and Law of God. Though it deliver from the Penalty, it cannot remove the native Enormity of Sin; it still remains, and cannot but remain abominable to God, and worthy of eternal Death. Whence God is difpleated 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:

1i3

and

and therefore he vifits their Tranfgreffion with the Rod, and their Iniquity with Stripes; though he do not utterly take away his Loving-kindness from them, nor fuffer his Faithfulness to fail, Pfal. Ixxxix. 30, 31, 32. Have not Believers therefore Caufe to be deeply affected with their Sins, to lament them before God, and penitently to fly to the Blood of Christ for Pardon, when they render them guilty in the Sight of God, are provoking and displeasing to him, and justly deserve his eternal Wrath?

But if we proceed, in the last Place, to confider Sin with Respect to its Law-defert, or Demerit with Regard to the Penalty annexed to it, by the Justice and Law of God, in this Sense Christ bare our Sins for us, and took upon him all the Iniquities of those who are interested in, and united to him.He bare our Sins in his own Body upon the Tree; that is, he bare the Punishment due to us for Sin, when he offered himself a Sacrifice upon the Crofs. He was made a Curse for us, and underwent the Curfe that was due to us. He was made a Surety of the better Testament, and so the dreadful Debt was transferred from the principal Debtors to him; and he being a Surety for Strangers, was made to fmart for it. Thus Believers partake of the Blessednefs afcribed to him whofe Tranfgreffion is for

given, whose Sin is covered, and unto whom the • Lord imputeth not Iniquity.' And 'there is now 4 no Condemnation to them who are in Christ Jefus.' They are acquitted from the Guilt of all their former Sins, upon their exercifing Faith in Chrift. Through Faith in his Blood, Chrift's Righteousness is declared for the Remission of their

Sins THAT ARE PAST.' Rom. iii. 25.-But how will their State of Juftification be continued, and their Sins pardoned, but in the Way of renewed Exercile of Faith towards our Lord Jefus Christ,

and

and Repentance towards God? How will they make any Progress in the divine Life, but by a re newed Flight to the Fountain of Grace, for new Supplies of fpiritual Life and Strength?--From whence then can any Man fetch Arguments for a careless Indifference about his Sins, unless he be alfo careless 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 Christ 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 Difobedience,' Eph. v. 5,6. You go on to argue, "If Believers are united to "Christ, in the Manner described, fo that his Obe "dience to the Law was performed on their Be“half, and is become their Obedience, it then fol. "lows, that they have in Christ fulfilled the Law "in all Refpects; and it can therefore have no 66 more Demands upon them; and confequently "they can be no more chargeable with Sin; nor "have Occafion to be concerned about it.-For "where there is no Law, there is no Tranfgreffi❝ on."

In answer to this Objection, I shall first endeayour to fhew you, in what Respects our bleffed Saviour has in our Place and Stead anfwered the Demands of the Law, and thereby delivered the Be liever from its Power and Dominion; and then proceed to fhew, in what Respects the Law has still a Claim to the Believer's Obfervance, notwithstanding his Interest in, and Union to the Lord Jefus Christ.

Our bleffed Redeemer has these several 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

'for us,' Gal. iii. 13. We being guilty Criminals,' the Law condemns us to deserved Punishment; and the Justice of God demands Satisfaction. The bleffed Saviour has therefore stept in between us and the avenging Juftice of God, and has received the flaming Sword into his own Bowels. Juftice is fatisfied, and the guilty Offender released, upon his acting Faith in this blessed Surety. 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 'does these Things shall live by them. But curfed is every one that continueth not in all Things written in the Law to do them.' Now Chrift has in this Respect alfo answered the Demands of the Law.— He has fulfilled all Righteou nefs, and taken away the Power of the Law, as it is the Strength of Sin, 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 personal Obedience as the Condition of their Acceptance with God. In this Respect Believers are not under theLaw, but under 'Grace' Rom. vi. 14. Thus Chrift has performed a paffive Obedience, to anfwer the Penalty of the Law, and an active Obedience, to fulfil the Precept of it, whereby Juftice 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 Person, 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, purchated all Grace here and Glory hereafter, for all who fhall believe in him, and be thereby united to him. Believer's first husband is dead;

Thus then, the they are loofed from