Guilt, which renders the sinner obnoxious to every kind of punishment in soul and body, to be undergone through eternity. The truth is, that unless satisfaction to Divine justice arise from some other quarter, all hope of recovery being utterly cut off, there remaineth nothing to the man that has offended even in a single instance, but " a certain fearful looking-for of judge"ment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the "adversary." Thus all other evils and miseries may be referred to sin, because the obligation to suffer them arises from sin. 66 XXIV. But when sin is put away, no evil can remain. Why should God punish an admirable work of his hands, in which he finds nothing contrary to his nature, or offensive to the eyes of his holiness? Hence the blessedness mentioned by David; "Blessed is the man "whose transgression is forgiven."u xxv. It is not intended, nevertheless, that the absence of this evil, or that freedom from misery, includes the whole of happiness; for a state of perfect happiness also comprises the possession of all that is good. But as darkness is dispelled by nothing but light, as nakedness is remedied by nothing but garments, as poverty is removed by nothing but riches; so sin can be removed,-with respect to its guilt,-only by such a righteousness as is, at the same time, the ground of a title to life;-with respect to its dominion and pollution, only by the sanctification of the Spirit;-with respect to the curse which it brings, only by the communication of the Divine favour. It is because these blessings cannot be separated, that our salvation is represented as consisting in the removal of sin. Heb. x. 27. See Rom. i. 32. ii. 9. u Ps. xxxii. 1. X W XXVI. The following benefits are essential to salvation. 1st, The participation of a righteousness by which we may obtain "justification of life." 2dly, "True "holiness," in which the glories of the Divine image shine forth; which is the ornament of the house may of God, and the beauty of every daughter of the king. 3dly, Communion with God in grace, so that we may say, The LORD is the Portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup; thou maintainest my lot. This communion with God includes, not only the privilege of approaching familiarly to him, to behold him, with open eyes, in the sanctuary of devout prayer and meditation;" but also that boldness* by which we can pour forth all the sorrows of a distressed heart into his bosom, and confidently express our stammering requests, soliciting a richer supply of grace ;-that descent of divine grace, by which he kindly visits the soul whom he loves, and that loves him in return, and by which he speaks to the heart in the most affectionate terms; and, in fine, that enjoyment of God which consists in this, that the soul sweetly acquiesces in him as its treasure,e is enriched by his riches, nourished by his abundance, protected by his power, guided by his wisdom, refreshed by his goodness, replenished by his sufficiency; so that it knows nothing desirable except the full enjoyment of him, a felicity of which in this world it has only the first fruits. 4thly, Then follow, peace of consci them, that they rejoice, each in his own order and time, in that title to salvation which Christ has obtained for them, and in the possession of salvation by virtue of that title. This is what the Apostle teaches in these words: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto "himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." * "It xxx. Further, Jesus powerfully APPLIES the salvation which he has obtained. He applies it to all those, and to those only, for whom he obtained it; that is, those whose sins he took upon himself, and whose persons, he, as their Surety, represented. They for whom Christ died, may boldly say, Who shall lay our sins to our charge?" It is God that justifieth. Who is he "that condemneth ?" They whom Christ hath redeemed from the curse of the law, remain no longer under the curse; but the blessing of Abraham comes upon them. Those for whom Christ gave himself, he has redeemed from all iniquity, and purified unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. In short, the impetration and the application of redemption are of equal extent the object of both is evidently one and the same. XXXI. Salvation is applied to the elect, initially, in this life;-perfectly, in the future life. Even in this life, the first-fruits of the Spirit, who is the Spirit of glory, are imparted to the sons of God. "He that "believeth on the Son," not only shall have hereafter, but already" hath everlasting life ;" and is "saved by * The Author more fully illustrates the effect of Christ's satisfac tion, and replies to the objections of Arminius in his Economy of the Covenants, book ii. chap. 7. n 2 Cor. v. 19. Rom. viii. 23. * John iii. 36. T. • Rom. viii. 33, 34. 9 Tit. ii. 14. $ 1 Pet. iv. 14. DISSERTATION X. ON THE NAME CHRIST. I. CHRIST is the second name of Jesus our Saviour. This designation is in Hebrew, MESSIAH,* pronounced by the Hellenistical Jews, MESSIAS; and in Latin, UNCTUS. Although it has been attributed to other illustrious persons, both amongst the people of God, b and amongst the Gentiles, yet as ascribed to our Saviour, it is "a more excellent name;" for he is "Mes"siah the Prince," being so called, by way of eminence, as one who is "higher than the kings of the "earth," and who "in all things has the pre-eminence."g e II. Owing either to ignorance or to malice, the heathen populace and several profane writers, by changing one letter, transformed this venerable name of our Lord into CHREST. Thus Lucian says, "If indeed "* "CHREST were among the nations." Tertullian and Lactantius have imputed this manner of expressing our Lord's name to ignorance. Since," says the former," it is erroneously pronounced Chrestian by you, (for you know not even the name,) it is composed of gentleness and benignity. Thus an innocent appel"lation is hated in the innocent persons that bear it, " and the sect is now hated under the name of its 66 66 "Founder."+ "It is necessary," says the latter, "to "explain the reason of this name, on account of the ig"norance of those who, by changing one of the letters, "commonly call him Chrest." This mistake arose, possibly, from a confusion in the pronunciation of the Greek vowels (7) Eta and (1) Iota; for the Æolians, as grammarians affirm, often interchanged these two letters. In consequence of the same erroneous mode of pronouncing the letter Iota, the ancients sometimes wrote the name with a diphthong, saying Chreist § instead of Christ. But malice appears also to have had its influence in producing this false pronunciation. The true name of our Lord was so often to be heard from the lips of his followers, that, at any rate, it could not have remained unknown to most of the heathen. Though the word Chrestus, too, signifies gentleness and benignity, as Tertullian finely retorted, and though Christ was in reality gentle, yet a reproach and an indignity were couched under this appellation. Thus Capitolinus relates of Pertinax that he was styled Ει τόχοιγε ΧΡΗΣΤΟΣ καὶ ἐν ἔθνεσιν. In Philopatri. + Apologet. cap. iii. De Vera Sapient. lib. iv. cap. 7. § Χρειστος. || Vid. Huet. Dem. Evang. Propos. iii. Parag. 20. |