3. Heavenly, healing light now breaks in upon his soul. He _looks on him whom he had pierced_, and _God who out of darkness commanded light to shine, shineth in_ his _heart_. He _sees the light of the_ glorious love _of God, in the face of Jesus Christ_. He hath a divine _evidence of things not seen_ by sense, even of _the deep things of God_; more particularly of the love of God, of his pardoning love to him that believes in Jesus. Overpowered with the sight, his whole soul cries out, _My Lord, and my God_! For he sees all his iniquities laid on him, who _bare them in his own body on the tree_; he beholds the Lamb of God taking away his sins. How clearly now does he discern, that _God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself! Making him sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God through him!_ And that he himself is reconciled to God, by that blood of the covenant!
4. Here end both the guilt and power of sin. He can now say, _I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh_, even in this mortal body, _I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me_. Here end remorse and sorrow of heart, and the anguish of a wounded spirit. _God turneth his heaviness into joy_. He _made sore_, and now _his hands bind up_. Here ends also that bondage unto fear; for _his heart standeth fast, believing in the Lord_. He cannot fear any longer the wrath of God; for he knows it is now turned away from him, and looks upon him no more as an angry judge, but as a loving father. He cannot fear the devil, knowing he has _no power, except it be given him from above_. He fears not hell, being an heir of the kingdom of heaven; consequently, he has no fear of death; by reason whereof he was in time past, for so many years _subject to bondage_. Rather, knowing that _if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved_, he _hath a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens: He groaneth earnestly, desiring to be cloathed upon with that house which is from heaven_. He groans to shake off this house of earth, that _mortality_ may be _swallowed up of life_: knowing that _God hath wrought him for the self same thing; who hath also given him the earnest of his Spirit_.
5. And _where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty_; liberty not only from guilt and fear, but from sin, from that heaviest of all yokes, that basest of all bondage. His labour is not now in vain. The snare is broken and he is delivered. He not only strives, but likewise prevails; he not only fights, but conquers also. _Henceforth he doth not serve sin_ (chap. vi. ver. 6, _&c._) _He is dead unto sin and alive unto God. Sin doth not_ now _reign_, even _in his mortal body_, nor doth he _obey it in the desires thereof_. He does not _yield his members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but as instruments of righteousness unto God_. For _being now made free from sin, he is become the servant of righteousness_.
6. Thus _having peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God_, and having power over all sin, over every evil desire, and temper, and word, and work, he is a living witness of the _glorious liberty of the sons of God_: all of whom, being partakers of _like precious faith_, bear record with one voice, _We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father_!
7. It is this spirit which continually _worketh in them, both to will and to do of his good pleasure_. It is he that sheds the love of God abroad in their hearts, and the love of all mankind; thereby purifying their hearts from the love of the world, from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. It is by him they are delivered from anger and pride, from all vile and inordinate affections. In consequence, they are delivered from evil words and works, from all unholiness of conversation: doing no evil to any child of man, and being zealous of all good works.