Chap. 3· SeCt. 4· JLootmg unto jjcfu.s. Book IV. any tJ 1are in Chrift's life? canfl thou make out Chrifl's active obedience u~to thyown foul? if herein thou an at a fland, perufe thofe Chat;a<'ters .latd down In t,he hfeof Chritl; the mlny glorious efk.'b flowing out of Chnfr s hfe mto a Believers foul we have difcovered before. 2 • If Chriil's death be mine, then is that great end of his <ieath accomplitlted in me, \viz.. Bythc facrifice of himfeif hcharh put away fin, even my fin,-:- and, in him I have Hab. 9 , , 6 , redemption thro~tgh hu blond, even the forgivcmjj of fins. As on thtsaccount he fuffered, Eph. '· 7. tu fiuijh the tranfgref{ion, to make an en~ of fins, and to maks reconczhatzon for ~n~qu~tJ.; Ollll. 9· :.4. fo if his death be mine, I may affuredly fay, my fins arc pardoned, and mtnc mtqumcs arc done away. Come tl~cn, and try by this fign, canfl rlJOu_affure thy felf that thy fins are forgiven thee? hafl t!Jou heard the whtfpers of Gods Spmt, Son, or Dqughtcr, be of g•od comfort, rhy fins arc remitted ? there IS no queflron then, bur thou art redeemed by his bloud, thou haft part in his fufferings_. Indeed this very Character may feem obfcure, affurance of pardon is the hidden Manna, the white Stone which no man k!folvtth, faving he which receives it and feels it; _a~d yet if thou diligently obfervefl the Spirit's at'!ings, even tillSmay be known; retmlhon of fin and repentance for fi.1·are twrns of a birth; thofe two God in Scripture bath joined together : Jf we confcjj ourfins, he r John 1; 9 , is faithful and jujf to forgive ourfim.-And, repent andpray, if thethought of thy heart Miss.,,, may be forgiven thec.-And, Chrijf is a Prince anda Saviour to give repentance to Atlr >•JI· . J(rael, andforgivcnefs of fins.-And, thus it invritten, and thru it behooved Chrijf to luk.>;·• 1•47 fujfcr.- Th~t repent;tnce and rcmijfion of fins.pJoitld be preached in hi< Name. In this way David afi'ured htmfelf; 1 fatd I wt!l confefs my c-;anfgrcjfions unto the Lord, and Pful. 3 ,. ;. thou forgavcft the iniquity of my fin, Selah. It is no more, than to ask thy Soul, what are thy repemings kindled together? hafl thou ferioully and fincerely repented thee of fin as fin? haft thou turned from ail fin unto God with cotrll:aQcy and delight ? Surely this is peculiar .and proper to the Child of God by virtue of Chrift's Death. ' 3. If Chri!t's dmh be mine, then am I engraffed into the likenefs of Chrill:'s death; then am I made conformable to ChriH in his death, that I may k!fow him and the fci!JwJhip ofhu fujftrings, being made conftrtmable unto his death. 1 he fame that was dohe to Phi!. 3,10, Chrift in a .nat1_1ral way, is done a~d performed in .the Believer in a fpirirual way ; ( i.) as Chrdt d1ed, fo the Beltever d1es; as Chnll: d1ed for fin, fo the Believer dies to fin; lnth.tt he died, hedicdJmto fi1!, -lik._cwifercckf!n ye alfoyour fclvesto be dead indeed unto fi"· Obferve here the Analogy, ,and proportiqn, and refemblance betwixt Rom·610,11; ~hrift and us: both die unto fin, Chrifl by \~ay. ?f expiation, futfering, and fatisl}rrng forthe fins of others; we by way of morttficauon, kdhng, and flaying, and crucifying our own fins. I look upon this fign as the very touchil:one of a Cbrill:ian and therefore I lhall infifi upon it. . ' Two queflions I fuppofe needful, to refolve the grounds of our Hope concerning our inter.efi in the death of Chrifi. r. Whether indeed and in truth our fins are mortified P 2. Whether we encreafe or grow in our mortification? For the firft ; whether indeed and in truth our fins are mortified? It is a skill wortho.ur learning, becaufe ~f tbe .ma'lY deceits that arewithio us; fin mayfeemto be mornfied when the occafion IS removea, or fin may feem to be mortified, when it is not ':!Olenr , but quiet; or fin may feem to be mortified, when it is but removed from ~>ne lmunto another ; or lin may feem to be mortified, when the fap and 1trength of fin JS dead; ~s the.Lamp ~oes out, when either the Oil is not fupplied, or taken away. Now that m thJs fcruttnte we may fearch to the bottom and know the truth and certain-· ty of our morrifi:ation, it will appear by thefe Rules. ' I· True momficauon fprings from a root of Faith. Every thing in the world pro– ceeds from fome caufe or other; and if the caufe be good, the effect milft needs be ~ood ; bu11f the caufe be evil, the effect mull: needs be evil: .Agood Tree cannot bri1!g forrh evtl FrJ<tt! and an evil Tree c~nnot brin[ forth good Fr,it. In this cafe there- . fore let us examtne the caufe; if we can make our this truth, that we believe in Chrifl, M•t• V· ' 8• that we roll cur.felves on the Lord Jefus Chrill: for life and for falvation, and that now w~ begm to feel mus. the decay of fin, we way conclude from the caufe or rife, tl!at tlus d~ca~ ~f fin 1s true mortification; furely it bath re.ceiv.~d the deadly wound · tt 1s a bleffed effect anfino from a good , ~nd rrght and genuine caufe. m , Q..q z. True I
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