36 FIRST SERMON but he cometh with refiner's fire and with fuller's soap, and can wash out all. It was his business of coming into the world, to destroy the works of the devil. Now the things which we pray for in this petition are these three : First. For remission, that God would take away the condemnation of sin from us, by not imputing the guilt thereof unto us, but would cause it to pass over on Christ, on whom he hath laid the iniquity of his people. Such an expression the Holy Ghost useth, The Lord bath caused thy sin to pass over from thee, 2 Sam. xii. 13. that is, to Christ, which being ob- tained, all other judgments are in fact removed too, so far as they import proper and vindictive punish- ment. Second. For sanctification, that the virtue of Christ's death, and the grace of his Spirit may subdue the power of sin, and cleanse and strengthen our con- sciences against the commands of it, and temptations unto it. Third. For continued renovation, that as in sancti- fication begun we have power against all kinds of sin, so, by the continual supplies of the Holy Spirit, we may have further power against all degrees and remainders of sin. That Christ would pursue our sin unto death, as our sin did him, and not give over mortifying it, till his blood be revenged of it to the uttermost, and our souls delivered from it to the uttermost. I shall conclude the first part of the petition with a short word of exhortation. Those things which God worketh in us, and bestoweth upon us by his grace, he also requireth of us by his command. Sometimes he promiseth to turn us, sometimes he commandeth us to turn to him ; sometimes he biddeth us put away sin, and
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