utter abhorrence of sin ; and his truth was pledged for the execution of the sentence which he had annexed to the violation of his commands; and therefore there seemed no alternative for God, no hope for man. But Christ, in becoming our surety, and bearing our ini- quities in his own body, removed all these difficulties at once : he magnified the law by enduring its penalties, and made it honourable by fulfilling its commands : he also satisfied the demands of his Father's justice, truth, and holiness, and afforded to the whole creation a most awful proof, that sin could never be committed with impunity. There was, indeed, yet one more im- pediment to man's recovery. Man, having once fallen, had lost that righteousness which qualified him for the enjoyment of his God. But this also was removed in the very same way ; for Christ's obedience unto death not only rendered our salvation consistent with the rights of law and justice, but constituted also a right- eousness which was capable of being imputed to us ; and procured for us the Holy Spirit, by whose al- mighty agency we are renewed after the divine image in righteousness and true holiness. Thus every ob- stacle to our salvation being removed by the death of Christ, that death may properly be called the ground of our justification.
But, in the next place, the sacrifice of Christ lias obtained for him a right to justify whom he will. We are often said to be " bought with a price ;" and it is particularly specified, that the price paid was, the blood of Christ0; yea, that" God purchased the Church with his own blood d." Now it is obvious, that he who purchases any thing, has a right to the thing pur- chased, as soon as ever he has paid the price. Thus then has Christ a right to us as " his purchased pos- session." Moreover, Christ is represented as a surety who has discharged our debt; who may therefore demand our liberty, and deliver us out of the hands of our adversary, who threatens to cast us into prison. Nor is this all : for, as has been observed on a fore- going part of this prophecy, God had bound himself
c 1 Pet. i. 19. d Acts xx. 28.