that is made righteousness, is perfectly righteous by a gracious acceptation, by a free imputation of absolute obedience.

Woe were us, if we were put over to our own accomplishments! for, Cursed is every one, that continues not in all things, which are written in the book of the Law, to do them; Gal. iii. 10. Deut. xxvii. 26: and, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: 1 John i. 8. Lo, if there be truth in us, we must confess we have sin in us; and, if we have sin, we violate the Law; and, if we violate the Law, we lie open

to a curse.

But, here is our comfort, that our Surety hath paid our debt. It is true, we lay forfeited to death. Justice had said, The soul that sinneth, it shall die; Ezek. xviii. 4. Mercy interpose th and satisfies. The Son of God, whose every drop of blood was worth a world, pays this death for us: and now, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he that condemneth? It is Christ, that died: yea, rather that is risen again; who is even at the right hand of God; who also maketh intercession for us; Rom. viii. 33, 34. Ŏur sin, our death, is laid upon him, and undertaken by him: He was wounded for our transgressions: he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisements of our peace were upon him; and, with his stripes, we are healed; Is. liii. 5. His death, his obedience, is made over to us. So then, the sin that we have committed, and the death that we have deserved, is not ours; but the death which he hath endured, and the obedience that he hath performed, is so ours as he is ours; who is, thereupon, made of God our righteousness.

Where now, are those enemies of grace, that scoff at imputation; making it a ridiculous paradox, that a man should become just by another man's righteousness? How dare they stand out against the word of truth, which tells us expressly, that Christ is made our righteousness? What strangers are they, to that grace they oppugn! How little do they consider, that Christ is ours! his righteousness therefore, by which we are justified, is in him our own. He, that hath borne the iniquity of us all (Is. liii. 6.), hath taught us to call our sins our debts; Matt. vi. 12: those debts can be but once paid: if the bounty of our Redeemer hath staked down the sums required; and cancelled the bonds; and this payment is through mercy, fully accepted as from our own hands; what danger, what scruple can remain ?

What do we then, weak souls, tremble to think of appearing before the dreadful tribunal of the Almighty? We know him, indeed, to be infinitely and inflexibly just: we know his most pure eyes cannot abide to behold sin: we know we have nothing else, but sin, for him to behold in us. Certainly, were we to appear before him in the mere shape of our own sinful

selves, we had reason to shake and shiver at the apprehension of that terrible appearance: but, now that our faith assures us we shall no otherwise be presented to that awful Judge, than as clothed with the robes of Christ's righteousness; how confident should we be, thus decked with the garments of our elder brother, to carry away a blessing! While, therefore, we are dejected with the conscience of our own vileness, we have reason to lift up our heads in the confidence of that perfect righteousness, which Christ is made unto us, and we are made in him.

[3.] At the bar of men, many a one is pronounced just, who remains inwardly foul and guilty: for the best of men can but judge of things, as they appear; not as they are. But the Righteous Arbiter of the World declares none just, whom he makes not holy.

The same mercy, therefore, that makes Christ our righteousness, makes him also our Sanctification. Of ourselves, wretched men, what are we other, at our best, than unholy creatures; full of pollution and spiritual uncleanness? It is his most Holy Spirit that must cleanse us from all the filthiness of our flesh and spirit; 2 Cor. vii. 1: and work us daily, to further degrees of sanctification; He, that is holy, let him be holy still; Rev. xxii. 11. Neither can there be any thing more abhorring from his infinite justice and holiness, than to justify those souls, which lie still in the loathsome ordure of their corruptions.

Certainly, they never truly learnt Christ, who would draw over Christ's righteousness, as a case of their close wickednesses; that sever holiness from justice, and give no place to sanctification in the evidence of their justifying. Never man was justified without faith: and, wheresoever faith is, there it purifieth and cleanseth; Acts xv. 9.

But, besides that the Spirit of Christ works thus powerfully, though gradually, within us, that he may sanctify and cleanse us with the washing of water, by the word; his holiness is mercifully imputed to us, that he may present us to himself a glorious Church; not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but, that we should be holy and without blemish; Eph. v. 26, 27: so as that inchoate holiness, which, by his gracious inoperation, grows up daily in us towards a full perfection, is abundantly supplied by his absolute holiness, made no less by imputation ours, than it is personally his.

When, therefore, we look into our bosoms, we find just cause to be ashamed of our impurity; and to loath those dregs of corruption, that yet remain in our sinful nature: but, when we cast up our eyes to heaven, and behold the infinite holiness of that Christ to whom we are united, which by faith is made ours; we have reason to bear up against all the discouragements that may arise from the conscience of our own vileness,

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and to look God in the face with an awful boldness, as those whom he is pleased to present holy, and unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight; Col. i. 22. as knowing, that he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are all of one; Heb. ii. 11.

[4.] Redemption was the great errand, for which the Son of God came down into the world; and the work which he did, while he was in the world; and that, which, in way of application of it, he shall be ever accomplishing, till he shall deliver up his Mediatory kingdom into the hands of his Father. In this he begins, in this he finishes, the great business of our salvation for those, who, in this life, are enlightened by his wisdom, justified by his merits, sanctified by his grace, are yet conflicting with manifold temptations, and struggling with varieties of miseries and dangers; till, upon their happy death and glorious resurrection, they shall be fully freed, by their ever-blessed and victorious Redeemer.

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He, therefore, who, by virtue of that heavenly union, is made unto us of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification; is also, upon the same ground, made unto us our full Redemption.

Redemption implies a captivity. We are naturally_under the woeful bondage of the Law, of Sin, of Miseries, of Death.

The Law is a cruel exactor: for it requires of us what we cannot now do, and whips us for not doing it: For the Law worketh wrath; Rom. iv. 15: and, as many as are of the works of the Law, are under the curse; Gal. iii. 10. Sin is a worse tyrant than he; and takes advantage to exercise his cruelty, by the law: For, when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the Law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death; Rom. vii. 5. Upon sin necessarily follows Misery, the forerunner of death; and Death, the upshot of all miseries: By one man, sin entered into the world; and death, by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; Rom. v. 12.

From all these, is Christ our Redemption. From the Law: for, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us; Gal. iii. 13. From Sin: for, we are dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord; Rom. vi. 11: Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the Law, but under Grace; v. 14. From Death; and, therein, from all Miseries: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law: but, thanks be to God, which giveth us victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ; 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56, 57.

Now, then, let the Law do his worst: we are not under the Law, but under Grace; Rom. vi. 14. The case therefore is altered, betwixt the Law and us. It is not now a cruel task

master; to beat us to, and for our work: it is our schoolmaster; to direct, and to whip us unto Christ. It is not a severe judge; to condemn us: it is a friendly guide; to set us the way towards heaven.

Let Sin join his forces together with the law: they cannot prevail to our hurt: For, what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit; Rom. viii. 3, 4.

Let Death join his forces with them both: we are yet safe: For the law of the Spirit of Life hath freed us from the law of sin and of death; Rom. viii. 2.

What can we therefore fear, what can we suffer, while Christ is made our Redemption?

Finally, as thus Christ is made unto us Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption; so, whatsoever else he either is, or hath, or doth, by virtue of this blessed union, becomes ours. He is our Riches; Eph. i. 7: our Strength; Ps. xxvii. 1. xxviii. 7: our Glory; Eph. i. 18: our Salvation; 1 Thess. v. 9. Is. xii. 2: our All; Col. iii. 11. He is all to us; and all is ours in him.

SECT. 2.

The external Privileges of this Union, a Right to the Blessings of Earth and Heaven.

FROM these primary and intrinsical privileges therefore, flow all those secondary and external, wherewith we are blessed : and, therein, A RIGHT TO All the blessings of god, both of THE RIGHT-HAND AND OF THE LEFT; AND INTEREST IN ALL THE GOOD THINGS, BOTH OF EARTH AND HEAVEN.

Hereupon it is, that the glorious angels of heaven become our guardians; keeping us in all our ways; and working secretly for our good, upon all occasions: that all God's creatures are at our service: that we have a true spiritual title to them; All things are yours, saith the Apostle; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's; 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23.

But, take heed, my son, of mislaying thy claim to what, and in what manner, thou oughtest not. There is a civil right, that must regulate our propriety to these earthly things: our spiritual right neither gives us possession of them, nor takes away the right and propriety of others. Every man hath and must have what, by the just laws of purchase, gift, or inheritance, is derived to him: otherwise, there would follow an infinite confusion in the world: we could neither enjoy nor give our own; and only will and might must be the arbiters of all

men's estates; which how unequal it would be, both reason and experience can sufficiently evince.

This right is not for the direption or usurpation of that, which civil titles have legally put over to others: there were no theft, no robbery, no oppression in the world, if any man's goods might be every man's: But for the warrantable and comfortable enjoying of those earthly commodities in regard of God their original owner, which are, by human conveyances, justly become ours. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness of it in his right whatever parcels do lawfully descend unto us, we may justly possess, as we have them legally made over to us, from the secondary and immediate owners.

There is a generation of men, who have vainly fancied the founding of temporal dominion in grace; and have, upon this mistaking, outed the true heirs as intruders, and scoffed the just and godly in the possession of wicked inheritors: which, whether they be worse Commonwealth's men or Christians, is to me utterly uncertain. Sure I am, they are enemies to both: while, on the one side, they destroy all civil propriety and commerce; and, on the other, reach the extent of the power of Christianity so far, as to render it injurious and destructive, both to reason and to the laws of all well-ordered humanity.

Nothing is ours, by injury and injustice: all things are so ours, that we may, with a good conscience, enjoy them as from the hand of a munificent God, when they are rightfully estated upon us by the lawful convention or bequest of men.

In this regard it is, that a Christian man is the Lord of the whole Universe; and hath a right to the whole creation of God. How can he challenge less? he is a son; and, in that, an heir; and, according to the high expression of the Holy Ghost, a co-heir with Christ.

As, therefore, we may not be high-minded, but fear; so we may not be too low-hearted, in the under valuing of our condition in God, we are great; how mean soever, in ourselves. In his right, the world is ours; whatever pittance we enjoy, in our own. How can we go less, when we are one with him, who is the possessor of heaven and earth?

It were but a poor comfort to us, if, by virtue of this union, we could only lay claim to all earthly things: alas, how vain and transitory are the best of these; perishing under our hand, in the very use of them! and, in the mean while, how unsatisfying in the fruition! All this were nothing, if we had not hereby an interest in the best of all God's favours; in the heaven of heavens; and the eternity of that glory, which is there laid up for his Saints; far above the reach of all human expressions or conceits. It was the word of him, who is the Eternal Word of his Father; Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they