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Divine Spirit unto it for salvation. And after that, when all good men shall be safe in glory, every tongue shall be employed in adoring that sovereign grace, which directed them to this all-cleansing fountain. Since we contract guilt every day, this medicine can daily be applied. The pleas of this blood are renewed according to the necessity of our persons. Every time an Israelite was bitten by a fiery serpent, he must look up to the brazen serpent for cure; so we, upon every sting of conscience, must look up to Him who was raised on the cross, as for a remedy. Since the fountain is open every day, and we contract guilt every day, let not a day pass without fresh applications of this blood upon any defects in our walking with him, since the blood of Jesus Christ continues to cleanse us from all sin. But not only does our text denote the continual efficacy of the blood of Christ, but we would contemplate it,

III. As asserting its universal influence.

It cleanseth, not all persons, but from all sin. Since it was the blood of so great a person as the Son of God, it is as powerful to cleanse us from the greatest sin as from the least. It is a universal remedy. It absolves from the guilt of sin, and shelters from the wrath of God. The nature of our sins, and the defilement of them, are not regarded when this invaluable blood is set in opposition to them. Jesus was delivered for our offences, not for some few of our offences, but for all; therefore his blood cleanseth from them all-from all original transgression, and actual sin-from the guilt incurred, by omitting the good which God has commanded-and the commission of that evil which he has prohibited. God has laid on his

Son Jesus the iniquity of us all—the sins of all believers, in all parts, in all ages of the world; from the first moment that Adam sinned, to the time when the last sin shall be committed. As all the sins of the people were laid upon the head of the scape-goat, to be carried by him into the wilderness, so are all our sins pardoned and forgiven by the blood of Jesus. The greatest wickedness that was ever committed by men, was the murder of the Son of God; whom they took, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Yet, to the very persons who did this, pardon was offered. The Gospel was preached, "beginning at Jerusalem." Herein we behold an evidence of the inestimable value of this blood, and of its inexhaustible virtue. Oh! well might the apostle say, "It cleanseth from all sin." Do we come into the world obnoxious to the Divine vengeance, and hateful in the sight of God? Is the guilt of Adam's sin imputed to us? It is. It is. Yet the atonement of Jesus extends to original pollution. Although born in sin, and conceived in iniquity, if he purge us with hyssop we shall be clean; if he wash us, we shall be whiter than Have we omitted the performance of his holy law, and withheld that reverence which he so justly demands from us? We have. But the blood of Jesus makes full atonement for this-he has done more for us than we could have done for ourselves—had we a whole eternity to work out our own salvation. His blood cleanses us from sin; it removes all that guilt which is upon our consciences, for our not keeping the law of God. Although we have left undone the things which we ought to have done, yet Jesus hath done all things well. Again; by the atonement of Jesus, every actual sin is done away; for his blood cleanseth from all sin. We have sinned in thought, word, and

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deed. Our sins are heinous and numerous; yet they shall never be laid to our charge, if we are believers in Jesus. Should their number exceed the number of the luminaries that gild the arch of heaven, or of the particles of sand on the sea-shore, yet this precious blood removes the guilt of them from our consciences-their pollution from our hearts -the love of them from our minds-and, shall we add, the practice of them from our lives. Have we sinned in public? If we are believers on the Son of God, it shall be publicly declared at the last day, that God has pardoned all our sin. Have we offended him in secret? Alas! we have, in ten thousand instances. His Spirit shall secretly bear us witness, then, that our sins are all forgiven. Oh! let every believer unite in ascribing praise to Him-because he would love. Let each of us say

"O! to grace, how great a debtor,

Daily, I'm constrain'd to be:
Let that grace, now, life a fetter,

Bind my wandering soul to thee."

From what has been said, we learn the infinite evil of sin, which required such a sacrifice as Jesus Christ; and should we not then detest it, and flee from it, as from the face of a serpent? Oh! let us beware of sacrificing the son of God afresh, and putting him to an open shame by our guilt and crimes. If there were nothing else to teach us the evil and damnable nature of sin, the blood of Christ loudly proclaims it. Let us not, then, attempt to excuse our sins; but whilst we are blessing God for the remedy, let us, as long as we live, lament over the disease. Sin must be hateful in the view of every good man; and, depend upon it, that that system of religion which allows sin,

in any shape whatever, is a diabolical system-it is from Satan, and not from God-for he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity with the least degree of approbation.

Need I say, that we learn from this subject the folly of self-righteous men, who attempt to find salvation apart from Christ. Oh! remember, that nothing but the blood of Jesus is sufficient to atone for the sins of men. All your legal performances amount to just nothing at all, as it respects obtaining your salvation. Oh! why will you not submit to the righteousness of God? Flee, sinners, to the Saviour's blood-wash there, and be clean-so shall you be made eternally happy, and shall be brought to join all the blood-bought race of ransomed sinners, in ascriptions of eternal praise to God and the Lamb forever. Then shall this triumphant language be the burden of your song

"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God, and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever." Amen.

SERMON II.

ALL MEN ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD.

"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." -ROMANS XIV. 12.

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THESE words were first addressed to the Romans by the apostle Paul: they spoke loudly to them, and bid them prepare for their final judgment. And are they of no importance to us, on whom the ends of the world are come ?" Do they demand no serious attention from us? Ought they not to lessen our attachment to present things, and inspire us with holy boldness and resolution in the cause of God our Saviour? They represent the great Eternal as our Judge, and we all, every one of us, giving an account of ourselves to him. And if the Judge is at the door, how careful should we be to live, not to ourselves; but whether we live, we should live unto the Lord, or whether we die we should die unto the Lord; so that, whether living or dying, we may be the Lord's. "For to this end," says the apostle, "Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." Why then, should we judge one another? "for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." For it is written, "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."

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