pointed in Deut. xxi. for expiation of an uncertain-marder, when a man was killed, and none knew who killed him, so none was liable, to punishment, but there was guilt upon the land; then the elders of the city that was neareft the place where the murder was committed, to take away the guilt, were to cut off the neck of an heiter by God's appointment, and that took away the guilt.. Thus did God inftruct the church under the Old Teftament in this great fovereign act of his wisdom and righteoufhefs, in transferring the guilt of fin from the church unto Chrift. Therefore the prophet fays, Ifa. liii. 5, 6. "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all." What then?"By his stripes we are healed." The stripes were all due to us; but they were due to us for our iniquities and for no other caufe. Now our iniquities being transferred to Chrift, all the ftripes came to be his, and the healing came to be ours. To the fame purpose the apostle fays, "He was made fin for us, who knew no fin; that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him." As we are made the righteoufnefs of God in him, fo he is made fin for us. We are made the righteoufnefs of God in him, by the imputation of his righteousness unto us; for our apofile is to be believed, that righteoufnefs is by imputation; God imputes righteoufnels, fays he. We have no righteoufnefs before God but by imputation; and when we are made righteous, the righteoufnels of God, which God ordains, approves and accepts, it is the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to us. And how is he made fin for us? because our fin is imputed to him. Some will fay, he was made fin for us, that is, a facrifice for fin.; be it fo; but nothing could be made an expiatory facrifice, but it had first the fin imputed to it. Aaron fhalf put his hands on the goat, confefling all their fins over his head; be their fins on the head of the goat, or the expiatory fncrifice was nothing.

The fame exchange you have again in Gal. iii. 13, 14. "He was made a curfe for us." The curfe was due to us, and this Chrift was made for us and to confirm our faith, God did inftitute a vifible pledge long beforehand, to let us know he was made a curfe for us; he had made it a fign of the curfe for one to be hanged on a tree, as it is written, "Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree." What then comes to us? Why, the bleffing of

faithful Abraham. What is that?" Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteoufness." Juftification and acceptance with God is the bleffing of faithful Abraham. Here is the great exchange reprefented to us in the Scripture in these things, that all our fins are transferred upon Chrift by imputation, and the righteoufnefs of Chrift transfered to us by imputation. Both these are acts of God, and not our acts. It is God who imputes our fin to Chrift; He hath made him to be fin for us; and it is God who imputes the righteousness of Christ to us; it is God that justifies: he who made Chrift to be fin, he alfo makes us to be righteousness. These acts of God we ought to go over within our minds by faith, which is that I now call you to.

The way to apply the benefits and advantage of this great commutation to our fouls, is in our minds by faith to feal to thefe acts of God. Chrift in the gospel, and efpecially in this ordinance, "is evidently crucified before our eyes," Gal. iii. 1. "God hath fet him forth to be a propitiation:" fo he is declared in this ordinance, and Chrift at the fame time calls us to him, "Come unto me: Look unto me all the ends of the earth. Come with your burdens; come you that are heavy laden with the guilt of fin. What God has done in a way of righteous imputation, that we are to do in this ordinance in a way of believing. We are, by the divine help, to lay our fins by faith on Jefus Chrift, by closing with that act of God which is represented to us in the word, that God has imputed all our fins to Jefus Christ. Let you and I, and all of us, fay Amen by faith, So be it, O Lord. Let the guilt of all our fins be on the head of Jefus Chrift; and therein admire the goodness, the grace, the love, the holiness, the infinite wisdom of God in this matter. If we were able to say Amen to this great truth, we should have the comfort of it in our own fouls, to acquiefce in it, to find power and reality in it.

Then the other act of God is the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Christ to us It is not enough to us, that our fins are all carried away into a land not inhabited: we stand in need of a righteoufnefs whereby we may be accepted before God. He makes us to be the righteousness of God; we do not make ourfelves fo,

But are made fo by imputation of the righteousness of Christ.

Our fecond act of faith that God may ftir us up unto in this ordinance, is to receive the atonement. So the apostle expreffes it. Rom. v. 11. We receive tagether with it all the fruits of the atonement.

Now if the Lord will be pleased to stir up our hearts from under their deadness, to gather them in from their wanderings, to make us fenfible of our concern, to give us the acting of faith in this matter, that truly and realby the holy God has laid all our iniquities upon Christ, and tenders to us life, righteoufnefs, juftification, and mercy, by him, we shall then have the fruit of this ad ministration.

I

DISCOURSE XVIII.

April 16. 1676..

SHALL offer a few words with a view to prepare our minds to the exercife of faith and communion with God in this ordinance and because we ought to be in the highest exercise of faith in this ordinance, I fhall take occafion from those words, which exprefs as high an acting of faith, I think, as any in the fcripture, I mean thofe words of the apoftle, in

GAL. II. 201

Iam crucified with Chrift; nevertheless I live; yet not Ij but Chrift liveth in me; and the life which I now live: in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

OUR inquiry now is, How we may act faith? It acts two ways.

1. By way of adherence, cleaving to, trufting and acquiefcing in God in Chrift, as declaring his love, grace, and good will in his promiles. This is the faith where

by we live, whereby we are juftified; the faith without which this ordinance will not profit, but difadvantage us; for without this faith we cannot difcern the Lord's body, we cannot difcern him as crucified for us this is that we are in an especial manner to examine ourselves about, in reference to a participation of this ordinance, for felf-examination is a gofpel inftitution proper for this ordinance. And this is the faith whereby we are in Christ, without which a participation of the outward figns and pledges of Chrift will not avail us. So then with faith thus acting we are to be qualified and prepared 'unto a participation of this ordinance.

2. Another way by which faith ought to act in this ordinance, is that of special application. Who loved me, and gave himself for me; this is faith acting by particular application. I hope the Lord has given us that faith whereby we may be prepared for this ordinance : and now I am to enquire and direct you a little in that faith which you may act in this ordinance; I fay, it is this faith of fpecial application to our own fouls, that God now requires we should act; and I prove it thus, it is because in this ordinance there is a propofition, tender, and communication of Christ to every one in particular. In the promife of the gefpel, Chrift is propofed) indefinitely to all that believe; and fo the faith I men. tioned before, of acquiefcence in him, anfwers what is required of us by virtue of the promise in the gofpel: but in this ordinance, by God's institution, Chrift is tendered and given to me and to thee, to every one in particular ;L for it is by his inftitution that the elements in this ordinance are distributed to every particular perfon, to fhew, that there is a tender and communication of Chrift to particular perfons. Now, fuch a particular communication is to be received by this particular faith, the faith of application, to receive him to our own fouls.

And then, moreover, one great end of the ordinance is manifeftly, that it requires the acting of faith in a particular way of application to every one of us; it is for a farther incorporation of Christ in our fouls; it is for receiving Chrift as nourishment, as the bread that came down from heaven, as giving his body and blood for fpiritual food. Now every one knows, that whatever feats be prepared in the world, unless every one in particular

ap

takes his own portion, and eats and digests it, it will not turn to nourishment unto him. This particular act of plication answers that eating, drinking, and digefting, which the nature of the ordinances does require. So, brethren, this is that I aim at, that it is our duty in this ordinance to act a particular faith as to the application. of Christ and all his benefits, each one to his own foul.

You will fay then, what is the fpecial object of this fpecial faith? Truly that which the apoftle tells us here. It is fpecial love, in the first place; and it is the fpecial defign of the death of Chrift, in the next place. "Who loved me and gave himself for me. The object you ought to fix upon in the exercife of this faith of application to your own fouls, is the special love of Christ; that Christ had a special love, not only to the church in general; but the truth is, Chrift had a special love for me in particular. It will be a very hard thing for you or me to rife up to an act of faith, that Chrift hath a love for us in particular, unless they can anfwer this quef tion, Why should Chrift love you or me in particular? What answer can I give hereto, when I know he does not love all the world? I can give but this answer to it, Even because he would. I know nothing in me, or in that can of any deferve his love. Was there ever fuch a thing heard of, that Christ should have a particular love for fuch as we are? Would ever any perfon go and fix his love on a creature who was all over leprous? Is this the manner of man? Truly Chrift would never have fixed his love upon any of our poor, defiled, leprous fouls, but upon this one confideation, I know I can cleanse them, and I will." He loved us.

you,

But what will he do with fuch deformed, polluted creatures as we are? Why, "He loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might wash and purify it, and prefent it to him a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing." Though Though we are altogether deformed and defiled, though no example, no inftance can be given in things below, or among the creatures, of any fixing love on fuch as we are; yet Chrift has done it. out of fovereign grace, with this refolution, that he would cleanfe us with his own blood, to make us fit for himself.

that God would help you and me to fome firm