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laid hold of it; for, as the scriptures say, he that believeth is justified freely from all things. O how safe is the poor sinner under this robe! "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Yea the Saviour himself declares, that he that believeth is passed from death unto life, and shall never come into condemnation; and Paul speaks the same thing; "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1.

Thus I see that a soul stands just in the presence of God, and in the light of the law, by faith in an imputed righteousness; which Paul calls the obedience of the Saviour; "So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous;" yea, all the elect, for " in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory," Isaiah xlv. 25. And we are for ever justified in the eye of Justice by faith in the Redeemer's blood; and consequently Justice can never demand of the believer the penal sum, which is eternal death. Surely "God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him," Rom. v. 8, 9. Thus I see I stand just before the law, by faith in the Saviour's obedience; and just in the sevenfold eye of justice, by faith in the Saviour's blood; and if so, I am justified freely from all things, from which I could not be justified by the law of Moses, Acts xiii. 39. But I have heard people, and even

divines, say, that our sins will appear at the day of judgment, though we are pardoned; I wish you would rectify this matter. I am to you as the queen of Sheba was to Solomon; I come to prove your wisdom with hard questions, 1 Kings x. 1.

Cushi. For my part, I hope ever to go by what God says in his word, not by what men say. God says of every believer, that he is complete in Christ the head, Col. ii. 10; and that he will not impute their trespasses unto them, 2 Cor. v. 19; that he will cast all their sins into the sea, Micah vii. 19; that he will remember them no more, Jer. xxxi. 34; that he sees no sin in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel, Numb. xxiii. 21. And again, " In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I reserve,” Jer. 1. 20. If I was to owe a man fifty pounds, and a surety stepped forth and paid the sum, is not that debt cancelled? Is not the book discharged? And have I not got the bill and receipt in full of all demands in my pocket? And would it not be an unkind, and an unjust act in such a creditor to be perpetually producing that old debt to my view, in the presence of all company? would it not be contemptuous? And what credit could such an one get by such an action? Would not the book itself, being discharged, condemn his folly? And who but a novice would charge the Judge of all the earth with this? God blesses every poor sinner that

believes in his dear Son. Justice says, I am faithful and just to forgive your sin, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Moses is content. And "thou art all fair, there is no spot in

Christ says,

thee," Song iv. 7.

Ahimaaz. But some say, it will be done to magnify the grace of God, and to shew how grace hath pardoned the greatest of sins.

Cushi. Justice does not demand this, nor require it in all the Bible. Besides, it would admit of that which God excludes; it would have the appearance of upbraiding, which the word of God admits not; God giveth liberally and upbraideth not, James i. 5.

As justice does not require it, and as upbraiding is excluded, it can only be done to gratify devils and sinners, which God will never do. I read, that the mystery of iniquity is to be revealed to the righteous; but I never read that the mysteries of grace are to be revealed to the damned. The manifold wisdom of God is to be made known by the church to principalities and powers in heavenly places, Eph. iii. 10; but to no other. A purged conscience, the law of God written in the heart, and the testimony of God's Spirit, is a receipt in full of all the above-mentioned demands. And the poor sinner, who has long laboured under a sight and sense of his sins, frequently finds, that after God has removed his transgressions from his sight, and purged his conscience, that himself, even in a fit of unbelief, is not able so much as to bring his

sins fresh to his remembrance again; they are blotted out as a cloud, they are buried, nor can the devil or unbelief raise them up and bring them to life again. Not a single sin shall appear against the poor believer in the judgment day; he shall rise in his Saviour's image; He shall be like him, for he shall see him as he is, 1John iii. 2. He shall have boldness in the day of judgment, 1 John iv. 17. He shall be presented holy and unblameable and unreproveable in God's sight, Col. i. 22. He shall rise first, and appear in the Saviour's likeness, before the wicked be raised at all, 1Thess. iv. 16.

Ahimaaz. I am coming again with another knot; for I am determined to bring every puzzling experience, and every puzzling providence forth; not a perplexing scripture, not an entanglement in my judgment, will I leave unriddled, if God will enable me to bring them forth, and you to explain them. But I dare say I shall think of twenty things after you are gone, that I shall now forget. But to the matter in hand. You know that Paul says we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; "For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God," Rom. xiv. 10-12. And again, "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his

body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad," 2 Cor. v. 10. Here, first, Paul declares that we must all appear before the judg ment-seat; secondly, every knee must bow, and every tongue confess to God; thirdly, every one must give an account of himself to God; and lastly, that every one may receive the things done in his body, whether good or bad. Be as plain as possible on the subject; for if you leave but a vacancy as big as a button hole, unbelief will creep in, and drag a thousand doubts at her heels.

Cushi. Observe, first, the direction given by the lawgiver to the judge. "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked," Deut. xxv. 1. And again, "If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness," 1Kings viii. 31, 32. Here you have the unalterable and eternal rule of judgment. In this rule you find two sentences, and no more; justification and condemnation; thou shalt condemn the wicked, thou shalt justify the righteous. Now the effects or consequences of these two sentences are two also, a blessing and a curse; the law reveals no more, Deut. 28; read

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