whereas all other things draw it down below itself. So then it is never well with the soul, but when it is near unto God, yea, in its union with him, married to him: mismatching itself elsewhere, it hath never any thing but shame and sorrow. All that forsake thee shall be ashamed, says the prophet; and the psalmist says, They that are far off from thee, shall perish. And this is indeed our natural, miserable condition, and it is often expressed this way, by estrangedness and distance from God.

Secondly; and this is the second thing here implied, that we are far off by reason of sin; otherwise there were no need of Christ, especially in this way of suffering for sin, to bring us unto God. At the first, sin, as the breach of God's command, broke off man and separated him from God, and ever since, the soul remains naturally remote from God. It lies under a sentence of exile, pronounced by the justice of God; condemned to banishment from God, who is the life and light of the soul, as the soul itself is of the body. It is under a flat impossi bility of returning by itself; and that in two respects; first, because of the guiltiness of sin standing betwixt, as an unpassable mountain or wall of separation; secondly, because of the dominion of sin keeping the soul captive, yea, still drawing it further off from God, increasing the distance and the enmity every day. Nor is there, either in heaven or under heaven, any way to remove this enmity and make up this distance, and restore man to the pos session of God, but this one, by Christ, and by him suffering for sins.

Thirdly; our restoration to nearness to God is by Christ's sufferings. He endured the sentence pronounced against man, yea, even in this particular notion of it, as a sentence of exile from God. One main ingredient in his suffering, was that sensible desertion by his heavenly Father, of which he cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And, by suffering the sentence pronounced, he took away the guiltiness of sin, he himself being spotless and undefiled; for such an High Priest became us the more defiled we were, the more did we stand in need of an undefiled priest and sacrifice; and be was both. Therefore the apostle here very fitly mentions

this qualification of our Saviour, as necessary for restoring us unto God, the just for the unjust. So taking on himself and taking away the guilt of sin, setting his strong shoulder to remove that mountain, be made way or access for man unto God.

This the apostle hath excellently expressed, Eph. ii, 16, He hath reconciled us by his cross, having slain the enmity. He killed the quarrel betwixt God and us, killed it by his death; brought the parties together, and laid a sure foundation of agreement in his own sufferings; appeases his Father's wrath by them, and by the same appeases the sinner's conscience. All that God hath to say in point of justice is answered there; all that the poor humbled sinner hath to say is answered too. He hath offered up such an atonement as satisfies the Father, so that he is content that sinners should come in and be reconciled. And then Christ gives notice of this to the soul, to remove all jealousies. It is full of fear; though it would, it dares not approach unto God, apprehending him to be a consuming fire. They who have done the offence are usually the hardest to reconcile, because they are still in doubt of their pardon. But Christ assures the soul of a full and hearty forgiveness, quenching the flaming wrath of God by his blood. No, says Christ, upon my warrant come in; you will now find my Father otherwise than you imagine; he hath declared himself satisfied at my hands, and is willing to receive you, to be heartily and thoroughly friends; never to hear a word more of the quarrel that was betwixt you; to grant a full oblivion. And if the soul shrink back still through distrust, he takes it by the hand, and draws it forward, leads it unto his Father, presents it to him, and leaves not the matter till it be made a full and sure agreement.

But for this purpose, that the soul may be both able and willing to come unto God, the sufferings of Christ take away that other impediment. As they satisfy the sentence and thereby remove the guiltiness of sin, so, he hath by them purchased a deliverance, from the tyrannous power of sin, which detains the soul from God after the way has been made for its return. And he hath a power of applying his sufferings to the soul's deliverance in Div. No. VII.

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this kind too. He opens the prison doors to them who are led captive; and because the great chain is upon the heart willingly enthralled in sin, he, by his sovereign power, takes off that, frees the heart from the love of sin, and shows what a base slavish condition it is in, by representing, in his effectual way, the goodness of God, his readiness to entertain a returning sinner, and the sweetness and happiness of communion with him. Thus he powerfully persuades the heart to shake off all, and without further delay to return unto God, so as to be received into favor and friendship, and to walk in the way of friendship with God; to give up itself to his obedience, to disdain the vile service of sin, and live suitably to the dignity of fellowship and union with God.

And there is nothing but the power of Christ alone, that is able to effect this, to persuade a sinner to return, to bring home a heart unto God. Common mercies of God, though they have a leading faculty to repentance, yet the rebellious heart will not be led by them. The judgments of God, though they ought to drive us to God, yet the heart unchanged runs the further from God. Do we not see it by ourselves and other sinners about us? They look not at all towards him who smites, much less do they return; or if any more serious thoughts of returning arise upon the surprise of an affliction, how soon vanish they, either the stroke abating, or the heart by time growing hard and senseless under it! When it is renewed and brought in by Christ, then indeed all other things have a sanctified influence, to stir up a Christian to seek after fuller communion, closer walk, and nearer access to God. But leave Christ out, and all other means work not this way; neither the works nor the word of God sounding daily in his ear, Return, return. Let the noise of the rod speak it too, and both join together to make the cry the louder, yet the wicked will do wickedly, will not hearken to the voice of God, will not see the hand of God lifted up, will not be persuaded to go in and seek peace and reconcilement with God, though declaring himself provoked to punish, and to behave himself as an enemy against his own people. How many are there, who have been very sharply lashed with divers

scourges on their bodies or their families, and yet are never a whit the nearer God for it all, their hearts as proud, and earthly, and vain, as ever! And let him lay on ever so much, they will still be the same. Only a divine virtue, going forth from Christ lifted up, draws men unto him: and, being come unto him, he brings them unto the Father.

You who are still strangers to God, who declare yourselves to be so by living as strangers far off from him, do not still continue to deceive yourselves so grossly. Can you think any consolation yours that arises from the sufferings of Christ, while it is so evident they have not gained their end upon you, have not brought you to God? Truly, most of you seem to think, that our Lord Jesus suffered rather to the end we might neglect God and disobey him securely, than to restore us to him. Hath he purchased for you a liberty to sin? Or is not deliverance from sin, which alone is true liberty, the thing he aimed at, and agreed for, and laid down his life for?

Why let we still his blood run in vain as to us? He hath by it opened a way to God, and yet we refuse to make use of it! O how few come in! Those who are brought unto God and received into friendship with him, entertain that friendship, they delight in his company, love to be much with him: is it so with us? By being so near, they become like unto him, know his will better every day, and grow more conformable to it. But, alas! in most of us there is nothing of this.

But even they who are brought unto God, may be faulty in this, in part, not applying so sweet a privilege. They can comply and be too friendly with the vain world, can pass many days without a lively communion with God, not aspiring to the increase of that, as the thing our Lord hath purchased for us, and that wherein all our happiness and welfare lie here and hereafter. Your hearts are cleaving to folly; you are not delighting yourselves in the Lord, not refreshed with this nearness to him and union with him; your thoughts are not often on it, nor is it your study to walk conformably to it. Certainly it ought to be thus, and you should be persuaded to endeavour that it may be thus with you.

Remember this for your comfort, that as you are

brought unto God by Jesus Christ, so you are kept in that union by him. It is a firmer knot than the first was; there is no power of hell can dissolve it. He suffered once to bring us once unto God, never to depart again. As he suffered once for all, so we are brought once for all. We may be sensibly nearer at one time than at another, but yet, we can never be separated or cut off, being once knit by Christ, as the bond of our union. Neither principalities, nor powers, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, because it holds in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. We have the kind of our Lord's sufferings; Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. The apostle having mentioned Christ's suffering in general, the condition and end of it, he here specifies the particular kind of it, that which was the utmost point, put to death in the flesh, and then adds this issue out of it, quickened by the Spirit.

Put to death. This is the utmost point, and that which men are most startled at-to die; especially a violent death, put to death; and yet he hath suffered this who is the Captain of our salvation.

In the flesh. Under this second phrase, his buman nature and his divine nature and power are distinguished. Put to death in the flesh is a very fit expression, not only taking the flesh for the whole manhood, but because death is most properly spoken of his person or his flesh. The whole man suffers death, a dissolution or taking to pieces, and the soul suffers a separation or dislodging; but death, or the privation of life and sense, belongs particularly to the flesh or body. But the Spirit, here opposed to the flesh or body, is certainly of a higher nature and power than the human soul, which cannot of itself return to re-inhabit and quicken the body.

Put to death. His death was both voluntary and violent. That same power which restored his life, could have kept it exempted from death; but the design was for death. He therefore took our flesh, to put it off thus and to offer it up as a sacrifice, which, to be acceptable, must of necessity be free and voluntary; and, in this sense, he is said to have died even by that same Spirit, which here, in opposition to death, is said to quicken