January 19

And you that were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable, and unreprovable in his sight, if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister.—Col. L 21-23.

FROM hence we may discover the perfection and completeness of the redemption that our Saviour purchased for us. He fully repairs what was ruined by the fall. He was called Jesus, because he should save his people from their sins. He reconciles them to God, and redeems them from their vain conversation. He came by water and blood, to signify the accomplishment of what was represented by the ceremonial purification, and the blood of the sacrifices: satisfaction and sanctification are found in him. And this was not a needless compassion, but absolutely requisite in order to our felicity. Man, in his guilty corrupt state, may be compared to a condemned malefactor, infected with noisome and painful wounds and diseases, and wants the grace of the Prince to pardon him, and sovereign remedies to heal him; supposing the sentence were reversed, yet he can not enjoy his life till he is restored to health. Thus the sinner is under the condemnation of the law, and under many spiritual, powerful distempers, that make him truly miserable; his irregular passions are so many sorts of diseases, not only contrary to health, but to one another, that continually torment him: he feels all the effects of his sickness: he is inflamed by his lusts, and made restless, being without power to accomplish or to restrain them. All his faculties are disabled for the spiritual life, that is only worthy of his nature, and whose operations are mixed with sincere and lasting pleasure. Sin, as it is the disease, so it is the wound of the soul, and attended with all the evils of those that are most terrible: The whole head is sick, the whole heart is faint; and from the sole of the foot to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. Now our Redeemer, as he hath obtained a full remission of our sins, so he restores holiness to us, true health and vigor of soul. He hath made a plaster of his living flesh, mixed with his tears and blood, those divine and powerful ingredients, to heal our wounds. By the Holy Spirit it is applied to us, that we may partake of its virtue and influence. His most precious sacrifice purifies the conscience from dead works, that we may serve the living God. Without this, the bare exemption from punishment were not sufficient to make us happy; for although the guilty conscience were secure from the wrath to come, yet those fierce unruly passions, the generation of vipers, that lodge in the breast of the sinner, would cause a real domestic hell. Till these are mortified, there can be no ease nor rest. Besides, sin is the true dishonor of man's nature, that degrades him from his excellency, and changes him into a beast or a devil; so that to have a license to wallow in the mire, to live in the practice of sin that stains and vilifies him, were a miserable privilege. The Scripture therefore represents the curing of our corrupt inclinations, and the cleansing us from our pollutions, to be the eminent effect and blessed work of saving mercy. Accordingly St. Peter tells the Jews, that God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities: that is, Christ in his glorified state gives the Spirit of holiness to work a sincere thorough change in men, from all presumptuous reigning sins, to universal holiness. Invaluable benefit! That equals, if not excels, our justification. For, as the evil of sin, in its own nature, is worse than the evil of punishment, so the freeing us from its dominion is a greater blessing than mere impunity. The Son of God, for a time, was made subject to our miseries, not to our sins. He divested himself of his glory, not of his holiness. And the apostle in the ecstasy of his affection desired to be made unhappy for the salvation of the Jews, not to be unholy. Besides, the end is more noble than the means. Now Jesus Christ purchased our pardon, that we might be restored to our forfeited holiness. He ransomed us by his death, that he might bless us by his resurrection. He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Sanctification is the last end of all he did and suffered for us.

Holiness is the chief excellency of man, his highest advantage above inferior beings. It is the supreme beauty of the soul, the resemblance of angels, the image of God himself. In this the perfection of the reasonable nature consists, and glory naturally results from it. As a diamond, when its earthly and colorless parts are taken away, shines forth in its lustre; so when the soul is freed from its impurities, and all terrene affections, it will appear with a divine brightness. The church shall then be glorious when cleansed from every spot, and made complete in holiness. To this I will only add, that without holiness we can not see God, that is, delightfully enjoy him. Suppose the law were dispensed with, that forbids any unclean person to enter into the holy Jerusalem, the place can not make him happy; for happiness consists in the fruition of an object that is suitable and satisfying to our desires. The holy God can not be our felicity, without our partaking of his nature. Imputed righteousness frees us from hell, inherent makes us fit for heaven. The sum is, Jesus Christ, that he might be a perfect Saviour, sanctifies all whom he justifies; for otherwise we could not be totally exempted from suffering evil, nor capable of enjoying the supreme Good; we could not be happy here nor hereafter.

“Finish then thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see thy great salvation, Perfectly restored to thee: Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place,— Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.”