Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his oron blood....Rev. i. 5. "PAUL denounces the most dreadful curse upon every one who loves not the Lord Jesus Christ.".... 1 Cor. xvi. 22. Why does any sinner love Christ? Because he believes the love of Christ to sinners. See the awful curses of unbelief: it rejects the love of Christ; it sets at nought his salvation; it seals the sinner under the curse of his sins, the wrath due to his sins; and binds him over to eternal damnation for his sins. But the unawakened sinner smiles at all this; for he does not believe one word of it. Lord, leave not my soul under this sin of sins, of all sins the most heinous and cursed: O help my unbelief! 1st. See the preciousness of faith: it works by love, even by the love of Christ manifested to us; it receives and takes home his love to the heart; there it works peace in the conscience, delight in God, access to God, boldness before God, joy in God, fellowship with God, conformity to God, and longing for eternal enjoyment of God. For, 2d. Our sins, which are the cause of separation and distance from God, and shyness of God, are washed away. How? By Christ's own blood. O, wonderful to think! O, joyful to believe! The holy Son of God has washed us.... us unholy, us ungodly, us hell-deserving sinners, from our síns in his own blood: he HATH done it: this precious, this mighty work is forever finished: Christ hath once appeared, for ever to put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself....Heb. ix. 26. What says .... his Father of him? "In my beloved Son, I am well pleased.". Matt. iii. 17. What saith he of us? "Your sins and iniquities will I remember no more."....Heb. x. 17. What say you? Is all this true? Is all this a fact, or a fable? Upon our belief of this depends our comfort and holiness: and from the faith of this springs glory to God in the highest. For, 3d. If we firmly believe this, we shall joyfully join the redeemed in earth and heaven, in giving praise and glory to Christ for washing us from our sins in his own blood. But you say, I have sin in me, I mourn over it, and groan under it : that is sense this sense is needful to keep you humble before Christ: yet faith is above sense; it glorifies Christ for washing away from before God's sight the very sins you feel. You have the sense of fear that you shall be damned for your sins: that is a holy fear that keeps you from sinning. But, faith says, "there is no condemnation to me, I am in Christ Jesus.". ..Rom. viii. 1. My sins are all washed away: I am perfectly cleansed from them all; and my Lord says, "thou art all fair my love, there is no spot in thee."....Song iv. 7. Before we sinn'd Christ loved us, Believe his love displayed thus, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father....Rev. i. 6. CHRIST has done a great work FOR US: but does he only call us to believe it, and then leave us just as we were, under the dominion of sin, satan and the world? No; he not only washes us from our sins which he hates in his blood, but he also dignifies our person which he loves by his power. Hail Jesus, lavish of strange gifts to man! Thine all the glory; man's the boundless bliss. Ó miracle of grace! Christ hath made us kings and priests. 1st. KINGS to rule over sin, the world, death and hell. Sin brought death into the world: death reigned over all that sinned; "but they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life, by ONE Jesus Christ."....Rom. v. 17. O believer, do not you too oft forget your regal dignity? Then you do not honor your KING OF KINGS. Consider, you are made a king to reign in LIFE a spiritual life over all that is earthly, sensual and devilish. Do you say, how can I reign over sin who am the subject of sin? But you are not a subject to sin; "sin shall not have dominion over you, because you are not under the law but under grace."....Rom. vi. 14. An earthly monarch may have many treacherous and rebellious subjects who envy him and would dethrone him; still in spite of all he may keep his throne: so do you over all rebel lusts and traiterous dispositions; for, Christ is king over you: you reign by his power: you are a king unto God: you reign to his glory. 2d. PRIEST. The priest under the law, offered gifts and sacrifices according to the law: under the gospel we are, "a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.".. 1 Pet. ii. 5. Even those of a broken heart and contrite spirit, our bodies and souls, time and talents, prayers and praises, yea to sacrifice our lusts, our sinful selves, our love of the world, our free-will pride, all our carnal reason and self-righteousness, all and every thing which is contrary to our Lord's will and glory: for as Christ our high priest has offered up himself to God for us, so we are to offer up ourselves to God by him. O believer, study more and more your regal dignity and royal priesthood. Will an earthly monarch so degrade and demean himself as to be the companion, and gratify the humors of traitors and rebels? Will any christian priest sacrifice to heathen idols? O, when lusts present and satan tempts, consider, Christ hath made me a king to reign over them. When worldly vanities allure, remember, Christ hath made me a priest to sacrifice them to his honor and glory. Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. The just shall live by faith....Rom. i. 17. IT is but lost labour that poor sinners rise up early, late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness in order to make themselves righteous. The Lord makes his beloved people righteous in a quite different way. Righteousness is already perfectly wrought out to the honoring and magnifying God's law: it is fully brought into the court of heaven, to the satisfying God's justice it is clearly revealed in the gospel, for the hope and encouragement of poor sinners. Observe, 1st. By way of eminence it is styled "the righteousness of God:" not as it is essential to his divine nature; för what comfort, what hope can a poor sinner take from that? The more plainly that is revealed, the more clearly that is known, so much the more miserable must it make the poor unrighteous sinner; but it is the righteousness with which God is well pleased, and for the sake of which he can be just while he justifies the ungodly sinner: it is the righteousness which the Son of God wrought out in our nature, to clothe and adorn and make us poor, naked sinners righteous and comely in God's sight. 2d. This righteousness is revealed in the gospel: blessed gospel! It brings glad tidings of an infinitely perfect, and everlastingly glorious righteousness. Soul, where art thou looking for righteousness? In thyself? Poring over thyself, thy frames, and thy works to find righteousness? As well expect to find a saint in hell or a devil in heaven as to find righteousness in thyself. Search the gospel; there thou wilt find it revealed: the gospel is God's testimony of Jesus: he is the only righteous. man that has ever been upon earth since sin entered into the world: "His name is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."....Jer. xxiii. 6. 3d. It is revealed from faith to faith; from the doctrine of faith in the word, to the grace of faith in the heart: it runs through every page of the sacred word down from the patriarchs, prophets, and Old Testament saints to New Testament believers, to Gentile sinners in every age. This divine and glorious righteousness is unto all, and upon all that believe....Rom. iii. 22. Equally alike, whether faith be weak or strong. For, 4th. The just shall live by faith: this is quite different from living by working; for the law is never satisfied with our doings because we can never fulfil it; therefore we can never enjoy peace of mind, but condemnation of conscience: but by faith we live from day to day upon Jesus our law-fulfilling head. Hence we have peace of conscience, love of heart, joy of spirit, and holiness of life. O what a sweet life is this! None know the glory of it but the faithful: it is living above nature, out of self, and beyond sin. One step more and we shall be with Christ in glory. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.... Zech. iii. 8. SAY, christian soldier, did the captain of thy salvation ever deceive thee? Did he not tell thee, before thou listed under his banner, who were his enemies and what treatment thou wast to expect from them? His word speaks full and express on this point: almost every page furnishes accounts how the men of this world look upon the children of God. Here is Joshua the high-priest, with the prophets and people of God, wondered at. Jehovah himself takes notice of it and acquaints them with it. Sweet to observe, there cannot be a disdainful frown, a contemptuous sneer, nor a reproachful word cast upon God's people, but he notices all. But why are we so much to be wondered at? Why truly we are a set of visionaries; we see invisible objects, walk by faith, and have our conversation in heaven; but carnal men cannot see any of these things. How then can they wonder at us for this? Here lies the mystery; they see plain enough that you cannot live as they do, and enjoy yourself in their ways, (woe be to that christian who does) and therefore they wonder what is and what you would be at. Soul, was come to you you never wondered at? If not, you have a right to question whether you have been faithful to your Lord, who is styled woNDERFUL....Isa. ix. 6. And he says, "Behold I, and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and wonders in Israel."....Isa. viii. 18. Better be a wonder of satan's children than a slave to their master; for while the wicked wonder at and despise us, see the reward God gives us: here is a blessed promise for us which infinitely over-balances all; BEHOLD, I will bring forth my servant, the BRANCH; "Jesus your Saviour: that branch of the Lord, who shall be beautiful and glorious."....Isa. iv. 2. That "RIGHTEOUS BRANCH." ....Jer. xxiii. 5. I will bring forth to your view; so display his beauty, glory and righteousness to the faith of your hearts, that you shall rejoice in him with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Now, christian, Yoy have two things to wonder at: 1st. The astonishing rich grace of thy God. 2d. At thyself. Art not thou a mere lump of sin, yet a miracle of mercy, and a monument of grace? Dear Lord, my soul would thee confess Lord, while I live and own thy grace, Give me to prove its pow'r; M. Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day?....Gen. xl. 7. A SYMPATHISING spirit at all times becomes christians: they are called "to rejoice with them that do rejoice, and to weep with them that weep."....Rom. 12. 15. Joseph could not observe the sad looks of his fellow-prisoners without enquiring the cause: they said, "We have dreamed a dream and there is no interpreter for it." Mind the use Joseph makes of the distress: he refers them to the Lord: "Do not interpretations belong unto God?" O, may the Lord help us to make some improvement of this. Consider, 1st. Christians are all fellow-prisoners in a body of sin and death. 2d. We are all subject at one time or another to have cause for sad looks. 3d. We should imitate Joseph; be of a sympathising spirit; feel for one another's distress; enquire the cause of our brethren's sad looks. 4th. As he did, so we should refer to the Lord: aim as enabled by the Lord, to speak a word in season, that if the Lord please we may be interpreters to them of God's mind concerning them; may be a means of unridling the dark and perplexing schemes of providence, of unfolding the mysteries of iniquity which works in them, and of displaying the mysteries of godliness to them. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Consider, you are under the law of Christ: this is a law of love. O, what a blessing doth the Lord make one christian to another! How often are we enabled to solve each other's difficulties, and made a means of setting each other's souls at liberty! But, 5th. Consider Joseph as a type of our dear Saviour: we cannot look sadly, but his eye of compassion is upon us, his heart of love is towards us; "For we have not an high-priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was in ALL POINTS tempted like as we are."....Heb. iv. 15. To one disciple in distress he saith, "Wherefore didst thou doubt?"....Matt. xiv. 31. To others, "Why are ye troubled? Why do thoughts arise in your hearts ?"....Luke xxiv. 38. To another, a sorrowful woman, "Why weepest thou?"....John xx. 15. Think of his loving heart and tender speeches to sinners: carry your cases of conscience to him and spread the causes of your sadness before him. He is a blessed messenger of peace, a precious interpreter of the ways of God, to our souls....Job. xxxiii. 23. He will shew us the path of life: "In his presence is fulness of joy, at his right-hand there are pleasures for evermore."....Psalm xvi. 11. My heart is pain'd, my face is sad, Thy absence, Lord, I mourn: My sins and follies I confess, I plead thy blood and righteousness, |