As we sin daily, so Zech. xiii. 1, ' There is a fountain daily running, to wash away sin and uncleanness.' Therefore for our daily sinning, we must continually run and bathe our souls in this blood, apply the comforts of his sufierings, intercession, and obedience unto us. St John teaches us thus much ; saith he, ' If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the rightiious, and he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,' 1 John ii. 1. If we sin daily, he justifies the sinner daily : he came to save sin- ners : therefore, when sin stirs us up to run from God, we should run to him. Faith says, ' There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus,' Rom. viii. 1. Why ? My sin was condemned in Christ, and a condemned person hath no voice. Christ came to destroy sin, and condemned sin in the flesh. Our sins were crucified with him, and are now all condemned sins, if we will go unto Christ, who hath borne all our iniquities, as the prophet Isaiah excellently shews.* Therefore St Paul triumphantly demands the question, * Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth ? ' Why ? ' 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. Who shall then separate us from the love of Christ ?' Rom. viii. 33, 34. So in our daily sins you see we have use of these things, to have, upon our confession, a daily pardon of course taken out every day. Thus God would not have us sink. So long as there is matter of guilt in us, God will have a way to cleanse our souls, and renew our comforts. Every day we run into new debts, and
* Isa. liii. 5. — G.
3G1 THK LIFK OF FAITH.
every (lay in tho T^ord's Prayer wo are tauglit to ask pardon, and to run unto God, to have the book crossed out with his blood. Every day a Christian must eye the brazen serpent, I mean the Lord Jesus, signified thereby ; ho must sprinkle his heart with the blood of Christ, that the destroying angel may pass by him in tho day of wrath, as the Israelites then did. This is it to live by faith ; every day to sue out our pardon ; to look unto our advocate and surety, who hath paid our debts, and cancelled that obligation against us, contrary to us, as the apostle speaks, daily to wash in that ever-running fountain. ' Christ is a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiscdec,' Ps. ex. 4. Though the act be past, he remains the same still. What puts down our courage, strikes us with terror and fear, but our sins ? Oh, but why is this brazen serpent lifted, but thus to wash away our daily frailties and failings, so as whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life ? John iii. 14, 15.
So justification is not only a sentence of pardon, but it is also, as Piom. V. 15, a title to life everlasting: 'For if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive the abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by Jesus Christ.' Where God pardons, he advances. So if Satan shall come to shake my title, to shake this faith, assure him that Christ came to save sinners. If he object, thy title is naught and stained, being thou hast so many sins and corruptions about thy mortal body, answer him. What serves my faith for but for my comfort, to shew me that my title is in Christ ? my strength and ground of comfort is in him, not in myself. See one parallel example, how David lived this life of faith in justification : ' If thou, 0 Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, who shall stand?' Ps. cxxx. 3. There he pronounces death on himself ere he be acquitted, and so must we in the like case. But then comes the appeal : ' But mercj^ is with thee, that thou mayest be feared.' Enlarge it yourself. If a man be not sound in this point, all he does is nothing. This is all in all. Our sanctification without this is nothing. This is the ground of all. Be careful of this, to look to Christ's obedience, life, death, and sufferings, and those comforts flowing from our interest therein.
But to direct you a little further ere we leave this sweet point.
First, Look hack cvcnj day imtn the j^n^sagcs thereof. See how we have passed along, see what sins have escaped thee ; then come at night to God, confess and be sorry for all, resolve against all, crave strength against all. Oh it is a fearful state to sleep in sin ; better sleep in a house full of adders and venomous beasts. See also and watch every morning ; coiTuption doth cleave to all our best actions ; we pass no day so, but we have cause to say, Lord forgive us our sins. By this course we shall keep our souls free, being ready for death. We shall by our particular reckoning, every day clearing the score, be ready for our great general pardon, and when trouble comes, have only that to encounter with.^ I beseech you, therefore, put this in practice. Be sure with the day to clear the sins of that day ; so shall ye live a comfortable life, and be fit for all estates, for life, for death, for sickness, trouble, or whatsoever, all our business lying in heaven then.