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sin and of death.' So that now you see plainly there is something else given when sin is not imputed, and so a man is free from condemnation ; all the rest comes in with it ; that the law of the Spirit of life frees us from the law of sin and of death, and so by degrees perfects holiness and sancti- fication with it ; and so in divers other places of Scripture I might allege for this purpose, but I intend not to dwell upon it. I will make it appear to you by some reasons, and so come to the uses. You see it is so, you shall see also it will be so, and it must be so when we have remission of sins, w^hen this gi-eat mercy is bestowed on a man, that his sins are for- given, all the rest are given with it.
Fu'dsons. 1. The first reason is taken fmm the nahire of sin. Consider that if sin be taken away once, that which hinders all our good is taken away, as Isa. lix. 1, 2, it is said, ' The hand of the Lord is not shortened, that it cannot help ; nor his ear is not deaf, that he cannot hear : but your sins separate between you and your God, and hide his face and keep good things from you.' Good things are kept from us when God's face is hid from us. That which keeps good things from us, it is sin ; saith the prophet, * your sins separate between you and your God ; ' take away that now, take away sin that makes the separation, break down that partition wall, break down this distance between God and us, that keeps us from God, that we have not that access unto his presence, and keeps God from us, that there is not this free influence, as it were, of grace upon us. I say, take away that, and then a man is settled in all the other benefits, whatso- ever comes by communion with God. Therefore this is the first thing, that remission of sins pulls down the wall, and brings a man into com- munion with God. Now by communion with God we have all good, we h?.ve all in him, all from him. There is no good denied to man when God hath received him to favour, and God never denies his favour to a man when he hath forgiven him his sins ; for indeed that is the great act of his love, the gi'eat act of his favour and goodness, that he forgives sins to a man ; that is the first thing.
2. Again, secondly, it will appear yet further, if you consider the entire- vess of Christ, his perfectness. How perfect a Saviour he is in every way! He is the head of the church, able to fill all his members, to fill the whole body, and therefore the church is called ' the fulness of Christ, that fills all in all, that fills all things,' Eph. i. 23. There would be some emptiness in a Christian if Christ should not fill the heart of man, fill the desires of the soul, if he should not also give something else with remission of sin. And therefore, 1 Cor. i. 30, saith the apostle, ' He is made to us of God the Father, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.' He is an entire perfect Saviour every way; he is made redemption to us; he is made, besides that, righteousness to us ; besides that, he is made sanctifi- cation to us; besides that, he is made wisdom to us. Mark, if a man would have redemption, it is Christ; * By him we have redemption, even forgiveness of sins,' saith the text. Now a man that hath redemption in Christ, that hath forgiveness of sins, he hath other things with it. He hath wisdom by Christ too, righteousness by Christ, and sanctification by Christ too. And so he hath everj-thing, because he is an entire and perfect Saviour. And that is the second reason.
8. There is a third reason, and that is this, it is taken from the chaining and tyiiifi of all the privilerfes of the new covenant together. They are in- separably knit; they may be distinguished, but they are not divided; they are in the same subject. Where God gives one, he gives all ; and there-
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fore, Eom. viii. 30, it is said, * Whom he predestinated, them also he called ; and whom he called, them also he justified ; and whom he justified, them also he glorified.' They go all together. If a man be a justified person, he is efiectually called too; if he be efiectually called, he was predestinated, and he shall be glorified. So that now there are many links in the chain, when all are joined together. If a man pull but one part of it, he takes all ; they all follow, they are all chained together. The privileges of the new covenant they are coupled together. In the new covenant God doth not say, I will do this or thus, and so speak of them disjunctively; he will do one or another. I will give you a new heart, or I will forgive you your sins, or you shall be my people. He doth not do so ; but the new cove- nant delivers them coupled so, that they are linked together ; * You shall be my people, and I will forgive you your sins, and I will give you a new heart,' &c., Ezek. xxxvi. 26. They are all joined together, and coupled together, and may not be divided asunder. If God give remission of sins, the rest goes with it, for they are coupled together in that grant, in the main grant ; that is, in the covenant of grace itself. Thus then the point is opened and proved : I come to make some use of it. This is a point of great weight ; the greatest work is to bring it home to the hearts of Christians.