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duty, of fin and its defert, not from the prevalent maxims and judgment of mankind around us, but from the unerring standard of Scripture. Thence new and painful apprehenfions arise-the lofty looks of man are humbled, his haughtinefs is brought low, his mouth stopped, or only opened to confefs his guilt and vilenefs and to cry for mercy. He now feels himself under the law, it condemns him and he cannot reply, it commands him and he cannot obey. He has neither righteousness nor ftrength, and muft fink into defpair, were it not that he is now qualified to hearken to the Gospel with other ears, and to read the Scriptures with other eyes (if I may fo fpeak) than he once

did. He now knows he is fick, and therefore knows his need of a phyfician. This ftate of anxiety, conflict and fear, which keeps comfort from his heart, and perhaps flumber from his eyes, is often of long continuance. There is no common standard whereby to determine either the degree or the duration. Both differ in different perfons; and as the body and the mind have a strong and reciprocal influence upon each other, it is probable the difference obfervable in such cases

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may in part depend upon constitutional causes. However the time, is a prescribed time, and though not fubject to any rules or reafonings of ours, is limited and regulated by the wisdom of God. He wounds, and he heals in his own appointed moment. None that continue waiting upon him, and feeking falvation in the means which he has directed, shall be finally difappointed. Sooner or later he gives them, according to his promife, beauty for afhes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the fpirit of heaviness*. This warfare is accomplished, when they rightly understand, and cordially believe the following claufe.

Her iniquity is pardoned. Though the facrifices under the law had an immediate and direct effect, to reftore the offender for whom they were offered, to the privileges pertaining to the people of Ifrael confidered asanation or commonwealth, they could not of themselves cleanse the confcience from guilt. It is a dictate of right reafon, no less than of revelation, that is it not poffible that the blood of bulls and of goats'fhould take away fin†. For this purpose the blood of Christ had a * Ifai. Ixi. 3. + Heb. x. 4.

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retrofpective efficacy, and was the only ground of confolation for a convinced finner from the beginning of the world. He was proposed to our first parents as the feed of the woman who should break the serpent's head *. In this feed Abraham believed and was justified, and all of every age who were justified were partakers of Abraham's faith. fore the Apostle teaches us, that when God fet him forth as a propitiation through faith in his blood, he declared his righteousness in the remiffion of, fins that were past †. For though we may fuppofe God would have declared his mercy in forgiving fin upon any terms, no confideration but the death of his Son could have exhibited his righteousnessthat is his holiness, justice and truth, in the pardon of fin. True penitents and believers were pardoned and faved under the law, but not by the law. Their faith looked through all the legal institutions to him who was reprefented and typified by them. But the types which revealed him, in a fenfe concealed him likewife. So that though Abraham faw his day, and rejoiced, and a fucceffion of the fervants of God forefaw his + Rom. iii. 25.

* Gen. iii, 15.

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glory and his fufferings and fpake of him; yet in general the Church of the Old Teftament rather defired and longed for, than actually poffeffed, that fulness of light and knowledge concerning the perfon, offices, love and victory of MESSIAH, which is the privilege of those who enjoy and believe the Gofpel *. Yet Yet great discoveries of these things were vouchfafed to fome of the prophets, particularly to Ifaiah, who on account of the clearness of his views of the Redeemer and his kingdom, has been fometimes ftyled a fifth Evangelift. The moft evangelical part of his prophecy, or at least that part in which he profecutes the fubject with the least interruption, begins with this chapter and with this verfe. And he propofes it for the comfort of the mourners in Zion in his day. We know that the Son of God, of whom Mofes and the prophets fpake, is actually come. That the atonement for fin is. made, the ransom for finners paid and accepted. Now the fhadows are past, the vail removed, the night is ended, the dawn, the day is arrived, yea the Sun of Righteousness is arifen, with healing in his beams ‡.

*Heb. xi. 39, 40. † 1 John v. 20. † Mal. iv. 2.

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God is reconciled in his Son, and the minifters of the Gospel are now authorized to preach comfort to all who mourn under a fense of fin, to tell them all manner of fin is forgiven for the Redeemer's fake, and that the iniquity of those who believe in him, is freely and abundantly pardoned.

II. Tho' the last clause of the verfe does not belong to the paffage, as felected for the Oratorio, it is fo clofely connected with the fubject, that I am not willing to omit it. She has received at the Lord's hand double for all her fins. The meaning here cannot be, that her afflictions had already been more, and greater, than her fins had deferved. The just desert of fin cannot be received in the present life, for the wages of fin is death and the curfe of the law, or in the Apoftle's words, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power*. Therefore a living man can have no reason to complain under the heavieft fufferings. If we acknowledge ourselves to be finners, we have likewife caufe to acknowledge, that he hath not dealt with us according to our iniquities. * 2 Theff. i. 9.

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