xc. 8. so that they could not be hid, God now takes and casts them all behind his back, Isa. xxxvii. 17. Yea, he casts them into the depths of the sea, Micah vii. 19. What falls into a brook may be got up again; but what is cast into the sea cannot be recovered. Ay, but there are some shallow places in the sea; true, but their sins are not cast in there, but into the depths of the sea; and the depths of the sea are devouring depths, from whence they shall never come forth again. But what if they do not sink? He will cast them in with force; so that they shall go to the ground, and sink as lead in the mighty waters of the Redeemer's blood. They are not only forgiven, but forgotten, Jer. xxxi. 34. "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more." And though their after-sins do in themselves deserve eternal wrath, and do actually make them liable to temporal strokes, and fatherly chastisements, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, Psalm lxxxix. 30-83. Yet they can never be actually liable to eternal wrath, or the curse of the law; for they are dead to the law in Christ, Rom. vii. 4. And they can never fall from their union with Christ, nor can they be in Christ, and yet under condemnation, Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which arg in Christ Jesus." 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 chap. viii. 2, 3, 4. And in this respect, the justified man is the blessed man, unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, Psal. xxxii. 2. As one who has no design to charge a debt on another, sets it not down in his count-book.

2dly, The believer is accepted as righteous in God's sight, 2 Cor. v. 21. For he is found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness 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 best, it is but imperfect; and all righteousness, properly so 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 so cannot make a man righteous before God, whose judgment is according to truth. Yet

if justice demand a righteousness of one that is in Christ, upon which he may be accounted righteous before the Lord; Surely shall suchan one say, In the Lord have I righteousness, Isa xiv. 24. The law is fulfilled, its commands are obeyed, its sanction is satisfied. The believer's Cautioner has paid the debt. It was exacted, and he answered for it.

Thus the person united to Christ is justified. You may conceive of the whole proceeding herein in this manner. The avenger of blood pursuing the criminal, Christ, as the Saviour of lost sinners, doth by the Spirit apprehend him, and draw him to himself; and he by faith lays hold on Christ; so the Lord our righteousness and the unrighteous creature unite. From this union with Christ results a communion with him, in his unsearchable riches, and, consequently, in his righteousness, that white raiment which he has for clothing of the naked, Rev. iii. 18. Thus the righteousness of Christ becomes his; 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 truth of the thing. And so the believing sinner having a righteousness which fully answers the demands of the law, he is pardoned and accepted as righteous. See Isa. xlv. 22, 24, 25. Rom. iii. 24. and chap. v. 1. Now he is a free man: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of those whom God justifieth? Can justice lay any thing to their charge? No; for it is satisfied. Can the law? No; for it has got all its demands of them in Jesus Christ, Gal. ii. 26. I am crucified with Christ. What can the law require more, after it has wounded their Head; poured in wrath, in full measure, into their soul; and cut off their life, and brought it into the dust of death? In so far as it has done all this to Jesus Christ, who is their Head, Eph. i. 22. their Soul, Acts ii. 25, 27. and their Life? Col. iii. 4. What is become of the sinner's own hand-writing, which would prove the debt upon him? Christ has blotted it out, Col. ii. 14. But, it may be justice 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 sinner say: Yea, so 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 set together

again? That cannot be, for he nailed it to his cross, and. his cross was buried with him; but will never rise more, seeing Christ dieth no more. Where is the face-covering that was upon the condemned man? Christ has destroyed it, Isa. xxv. 7. Where is death, that stood before the sinner with a grim face, and an open mouth, ready to de vour him? Christ has swallowed it up in victory, ver. 8. Glory, glory, glory to him, that thus loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood!

The second benefit flowing from the same spring of union with Christ, and coming by the way of justification, is Peace; peace with God, and peace of conscience, ac cording to the measure of the sense the justified have of their peace with God, Rom. v. 1. "Therefore, being justified 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 Ghost." Whereas God was their enemy before, now he is reconcil ed to them in Christ; they are in a covenant of peace with him; and as Abraham was, so they are the friends of God. He is well-pleased with them in his beloved Son. His word, which spoke terror to them formerly, now speaks peace, if they rightly take up its language. And there is love in all his dispensations towards them, which makes all work together for their good. Their consciences are purged of that guilt and filthiness that sometimes lay upon them: His conscience-purifying blood streams through their souls, by virtue of their union with him, Heb. ix. 14. "How much more shall the blood of Christ-purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?" The bonds laid on their consciences, by the Spirit of God, acting as the spirit of bondage, are taken off, never more to be laid on by that hand, Rom. vii. 15. "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear." Hereby the conscience is quieted, as soon as the soul becomes conscious of the application of that blood; which falls out sooner or later, according to the measure of faith, and as the only wise God sees meet to time it. Unbelievers may have troubled consciences, which they may get quieted again; but, alas! their consciences become peaceable, ere they become pure; so their peace is but the seed of greater horror and confusion. Carg

lessness may give ease for a while to a sick conscience; men neglecting its wounds, they close again of their own accord, before the filthy matter is purged out. Many bury their guilt in the grave of an ill memory; conscience smarts a little; at length the man forgets his sin, and there is an end of it: But that is only an ease before death. Business, or the affairs of life, often give ease in this case. When Cain is banished from the presence of the Lord, he falls a-building of cities. When the evil spirit came upon Saul, he calls not for his Bible, nor for the priests to converse with him about his case; but for music, to play it away. So many when their consciences begin to be uneasy, they fill their heads and hands with business, to divert themselves, and to regain ease at any rate. Yea, some will sin, over the belly of their convictions; and so some get ease to their consciences, as Hazael gave to his master, by stifling him. Again, the performing of duties may give some ease to a disquieted conscience; and this is all that legal professors have recourse to, for quieting of their consciences. When conscience is wounded, they will pray, confess, mourn, and resolve to do so no more; and so they become whole again, without any application of the blood of Christ by faith. But they, whose consciences are rightly quieted, come for peace and purging to the blood of sprinkling. Sin is a sweet morsel, that makes God's elect sick souls, ere they get it vomited up. It leaves a sting behind it, which, some one time or other, will create them no little pain. Elihu shews us both the case and cure, Job xxxiii. Behold the case one may be in, whom God has thoughts of love to! He darteth convictions into his conscience, and makes them stick so fast, that he cannot rid himself of them, ver. 16. "He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instructions." His very body sickens, ver. 19." He is chastened also, with pain upon his bed; and the multitude of his bones with strong pain." He loseth his stomach, ver. 20. "His life abhoreth bread, and his soul dainty meat." His body pines away, so that there is nothing on him but skin and bone, ver. 21. "His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones, that were not seen, stick out." Though he is not prepared for death, he has no hopes of life, ver. 22.

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soul draweth near unto the grave, and" (which is the height of his misery) "his life to the destroyers." He is looking every moment, when devils, these destroyers, (Rom. ix. 11.) these murderers, or man-slayers, (John viii. 44.) will come and carry away his soul to hell! O dreadful case! yet there is hope. God designs to keep back his soul from the pit, although he bring him forward to the brink of it, ver. 18. Now, see how the sick man is cured: The physician's art cannot prevail here; the disease lies more inward, than that his medicines can reach it. It is soul-trouble that has brought the body into this disorder; and, therefore, the remedies must be applied to the sick man's soul and conscience. The physician for this case must be a spiritual physician; the remedies must be spiritual; a righteousness, a ransom, or atonement. Upon the application of these, the soul is cured, the conscience is quieted, and the body recovers, ver. 23, 24, 25, 26. "If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness; then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's; he shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray unto God, and he shall be favourable unto him, and he shall see his face with joy." The proper physician for this patient is a messenger, an interpreter, ver. 23. that is, as some expositors, not without ground, understand it, the great Physician Jesus Christ, whom Job. had called his Redeemer, chap. xix. 25. He is a messenger, the messenger of the covenant of peace, Mal. iiij. 1. who comes seasonably to the sick man. He is an interpreter, the great interpreter of God's counsels of love to sinners, John i. 28. One among a thousand, even the chief among ten thousand, Cant. v. 10. One chosen out of the people, Psal. lxxxix. 29. One to whom the Lord hath given the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in season to him that is weary, Isa. 1. 4, 5, 6. It is he that is with him, by his Spirit, now, to convince him of righteousness; as he was with him before, to convince. him of sin and judgment, John xvi. 8. His work now is to shew unto him his uprightness, or his righteousness; . e. the interpreter Christ his righteousness; which is