The obligation of sin is perfectly abolished by the virtue of this sacrifice. When Christ became our sacrifice, he both bare, and bare away our sins. First, They were laid upon him, then ex- piated by him: so much is imported in that word, Heb. ix. 2& " Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many *." To bear, the word is a full and emphatical word, signifying not only to bear, but to bear away. So John i. 29. " Behold the Lamb of " God, o apiuv, that taketh away the sins of the world ;" not only declaratively, or by way of manifestation to the conscience ; but really, making a purgation of sin, as it is in Hebrews i. 3. xofoaygiAov Koiqdufizvos, word for word, a purgation being made, and not declared only. Now, how great a mercy is this, " that by " him, all that believe should be justified from all things from which " they could not be justified by the law of Moses," Acts xiii. 39- What shall we call this grace? surely, we should do somewhat more than admire it, and faint under the sense of such a mercy. " Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered," Psal. xxxii. or, O the blessedness or felicities of him that is pardoned ! who can express the mercies, comforts, happiness, of such a state as this? Reader, let me beg thee, if thou be one of this pardoned number, to look over the cancelled bonds, and see what vast sums are remitted to thee. Remember what thou wast in thy natural estate : possibly thou wast in that black bill, 1 Cor. vi. 3. What, and yet pardoned ! full and finally pardoned, and that freely, as to any hand that thou hadst in the procurement of it ! what canst thou do less, than fall down at the feet of free grace, and kiss those feet that moved so freely towards so vile a sinner ? It is not long since thy iniquities were upon thee, and thou pinedst away in them. Their guilt could by no creature-power be separated from thy souk Now they are removed from thee, as far as the East from the West, Psal. ciii. 11. So that, when the East and West, which are the two opposite points of heaven, meet, then thy soul and its guilt may meet again together.
• The Greek word avvjviyxsiv, signifies to lift up, or carry upwards -. so the Syriac, tZusafcv xcci ccvr,nyMivy he carried and took upwards. JSeza's Greek Annot. on 1 Pe* ii. 24. The verb HWJ is of the same signification.
162 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XII.
O the unspeakable efficacy of Christ's sacrifice, which extends to all sins ! 1 John i. 7. " The blood of Christ cleanseth" from all sins, sins past and present, without exception. And some di- vines of good note affirm, all sins to come also ; for, (saith Mr. Paul Blains), original sin, in which all future sins are, as fruits in the root, is pardoned ; and if these were not pardoned, they would void and invalidats former pardons. And lastly, it would derogate from the most plenary satisfactidn of Christ. But the most say, and I think, truly, that all the past sins of believers are pardoned, without revocation, all their present sins without excep- tion ; but not their sins to come by way of anticipation : and yet for them there is a pardon of course, which is applied on their repentance, and application of Christ's blood ; so that none of them shall make void former pardons. O let these things slide sweetly to thy melting heart.
Inf. 2. From this oblation Christ made of himself to God for our sins, we infer the inflexible severity of divine Justice, which could be no other way diverted from us, and appeased, but by the blood of Christ. If Christ had not presented himself to God for lis, Justice would not have spared us : And if he do appear before God as our surety* it will not spare him ; Rom. viii. 32. " He " spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to death for us all." If forbearance might have been expected from any, surely it might from God, " who is very pitiful, and full of tender mercy ," James v. 11. yet God in this case spared not. If one might have expected sparing mercy and abatement from any, surely Christ might most of all expect* it from his own Father ; yet you hear, God spared not his own Son. Sparing mercy is the lowest degree of mercy, yet it was denied to Christ : he abated him not a minute of the time appointed for his suffering, nor one degree of wrath he was to bear ; nay, though in the garden Christ fell upon the ground, and sweat dodders of blood, and in that unparalleled agony scrued up his spirit to the highest intention, in that pitiful cry, " Father " if it be possible, let this cup pass ;" and though he brake out upon the cross, in that heart-rending complaint, " My God, my God, " why hast thou forsaken me ?" yet no abatement ; Justice will not bend in the least ; but having to do with him on this account, resolves upon satisfaction from his blood. If this be so, what is the case of thy soul, reader, if thou be a man or woman that hast no interest in this sacrifice ? For if these things be done in (Christ) the green tree, what will be done to (thee) the dry tree ? Luke xxiii. 31. " * That is, if God so deal with me, that I am not only in-
n yzvrfai sv v/miv axoLOKoig xcu traffris bixcuodvvri; ^Q'Toinvrog vSifTlfiSVOiS* Thus Theophilact beautifully paraphrases on that passage.
SERM. XII. THU FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. \$$