DISC, v.J THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST MANIFESTED. 1ß7 their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. These are the blessings of the gospel of Christ; here is the sanctifying Spirit included, as well as the blood of atonement; here is a purificationofour natures, as well as ajustification of our persons, introduced in the view of this " Lamb that was slain :" And therefore John the baptist might say, in more senses than one; John. i. 29. " Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." He takes away the guilt of sin by his atoning sacrifice and the .posher of sin in the soul, by the sanctification ofhis spirit. All the . blessed promises of the gospel, in the Old Testament and in the New, are but the language of this new cove- nant, which arose from the view and foresight of the blood of this dying Lamb : which was therefore called . the blood of the everlasting covenant ;" Heb. xiii. 20. Let me ask, ye now, O sinners, whose consciences are exposed to agonies, through the guilt of sin, and whose souls are in danger of being captivated into new offences, by the power of sin within you : Doyou not see how ne- cessary these blessings are to your salvation ? How can you have your sins pardoned, or your souls accepted with God unto eternal life, or renewed unto holiness, if you have not an interest in the salvation wrought by the blood of the Lamb ? 7. 'It was with this design, and in the view of this blood of Jesus, the great sacrifice, that all the ordi- nances of the New Testament itself were, instituted : Baptism itself had something of this signification ; for so said Ananias the christian to Paul, when he was first struck down to the ground by the vision from heaven, " Why tarriest thou ? Arise, and be baptised, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus ;" Acts xxii. 16. The water of baptism came to have acleansing and sanctifying virtue from the foresight and eternal mercy of God, who appointed Jesus Christ to be slain for a sacrifice; which is also intimated Heb. x. 22. " Let us draw near with a true heart, in full as- surance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our'bádies washed," i. e. in baptism,' with pure water. There is no need of the 'particular description of the 0 3
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