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of sins: this do in remembrance of me.'-To which an apostle adds, from the same authority, For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Now, what the Lord Jesus Christ did and suffered, was not on his own account, but on account of his body the church, of which he was constituted the representative. For if the Saviour of mankind be viewed as an individual simply; if we detach from his character, as mediator, the ideas of substitution and imputation--the imputation of our sin to him, and of his righteousness to us; the unparalleled sufferings he underwent, had they been ten thousand times greater than they actually were, can avail us nothing-they can have no reference to us: nor is it possible, without including these important facts, to account for the astonishing language of the divine Father when he said concerning him-Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the Man that is my Fellow: smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. Admit but the engagements of Christ as a surety, and there is no obscurity. He became answerable for our debt, the debt was exacted, without the least abatement. In this respect God spared not his own Son.' It is the federal relation which Christ sustains, that made the first Adam a striking figure of him that was to come; and is indeed the true reason why he is expressly deno'minated the second Adam. It is by the offence of one, that judgment came upon all men to condemnation; and it is by the obedience of one, that many are made righteous. Take away the circumstance of substitution, and there is no more ground for reliance on the obedience of Christ, than for reliance on the obedience of Gabriel. We are made the righteousness of God, because we are in him, as our proxy and our head. Because

he wrought the justifying righteousness, not only in our nature, but in our name, not only as our benefactor, but as our representative.'

That the Redeemer of mankind acted, and was treated throughout the whole of his humiliation, as the surety of sinners, will appear abundantly manifest, if it be remembered that in him, personally considered, there was no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.-He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners-yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him-he was smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes are we healed-for the transgression of my people was he stricken.' His immaculate life and expiatory death magnified the law and made it honourable.' The divine statute received at his hands, as the surety of the church in our nature, ample reparation: and this obedience and this death, are the only ground of an awakened sinner's hope of mercy and of pardon.

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Now, when a sinner believes the record, 'That God hath given to us eternal life, and that this life is in his Son :' when he looks to Calvary, and views the suffering Saviour as wounded for his transgressions-as bruised for his iniquities-the law, which, as a covenant of works, held the soul in bondage, ceases to harass and distress. He sees all its claims on him as a debtor, completely cancelled by the payment of his adorable substitute: nothing left for him either to suffer or to do, in order to acquire either exemption from punishment, or a right to life.' An acquittal from guilt and condemnation is announced to the conscience; and he perceives with astonishment and gratitude, that the great Lawgiver of the universe,

in whose sight the heavens are not pure, is nevertheless a just God and a Saviour!

Permit me therefore to repeat, That salvation is not to be obtained by the works of the lawby any performances of ours, but by a righteousness which, in opposition to the righteousness of men, is expressly called The righteousness of God-even the righteousness which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe whether Jew or Gentile, hond or freefor there is no difference.' Him hath the divine Father set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.'

By this work of our heavenly substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, that holy law which we have broken is highly honoured; and that awful justice which we have offended is completely satis» fied. By this righteousness the believer is acquitted from every charge, is perfectly justified, and shall be eternally saved. In this consummate work, Jehovah declares himself well pleased, and in it all the glories of the Godhead shine.-Yes, the obedience of our adorable Sponsor is perfect as divine rectitude could require; and excellent as eternal wisdom itself could devise. Admirable righteousness! who, that is taught of God, would not, with Paul, desire to be found in it! and who, that is conscious of an interest in it, can cease to admire and adore the grace that provided, and the Saviour that wrought it ?'--' Surely, shall one

say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.'

To this almighty Saviour our original and offending parents were mercifully directed for rehef. To set before them the gracious design and end of his coming in the flesh, proper means were instituted. All the sacrifices that were offered to God under the various dispensations of grace, had reference to him as their antitype. But by reason of the imperfection which was natural to them as types, they could answer no higher end than to point the sinner to this bleeding Lamb figuratively slain from the foundation of the world. The Jewish rites and ceremonies, though of divine origin, were only shadows of good things to come; and therefore could never remove guilt from the conscience. The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did

which hope is Christ. To him, the bleeding sacrifice, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, the eye of faith ever looks for pardon and for peace. Through him is communicated every spiritual blessing. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge. He is the fountain of life and the source of felicity. He is peace to the troubled, and rest to the weary. He is to all who seek him sorrowing, their exceeding joy and great reward. These are the lambs that he carries in the arms of his mercy-with whom he delights to dwell, and to whom he graciously saith in his word, Son, daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven.

This is the voice that sooths the pangs of grief,
That-yields the burden'd conscience sweet relief:

O could my friend the matchless bliss explore,

Her trembling heart would disbelieve no more:
Her doubting breast would then with rapture move,
And mourn the tenders of neglected love.

Look, therefore, to this almighty Saviourthis Friend of sinners-thou prisoner of hope. He is not only our Advocate with the Father, against whom we have sinned, but the propitiation for our sins. 'God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them--for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him-Be it known unto you therefore, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses.' Neither the number nor the magnitude of your sins forbids your approach. Were none but the comparatively worthy encou raged to come, vain man might think he had whereof to boast. But in the affair of salvation, the Lord hath purposed to stain the pride of human glory, and to bring into contempt those things that are generally considered as establishing a kind of title to his favour and forgiveness. For were any other plea than sovereign grace through the blood of Christ admitted in the court of heaven, the self-righteous moralist might glory in his doings, the wise man in his wisdom, and the mighty in his strength. But as nothing done by man can in the least conduce to his justification before God, we must conclude with the apostle, and rejoice in the conclusion, That salvation is of grace-not by works lest any man should boast.' The inspired writer felt for the honour of his divine Master, as well as for the souls of men and while he laboured to preserve

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