fore, though it was not committed by him personally, yet it was his own, inasmuch as he had taken it upon him. When he took it on him, so as to free his people from its guilt, it became his own debt as truly as if it had been contracted by him. When, therefore, he died on account of sin, he died to it, as he was now for ever justified from it. He was not justified from it till his resurrection, but from that moment he was dead to it. When he shall appear the second time, it will be "without sin."-Heb. ix. 28.

Once. He died to sin once, and but once, because he fully atoned for it by his death. On this circumstance, the Apostle, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, lays much stress, and in proving the excellence of his sacrifice beyond the legal sacrifices, often repeats it, Heb. ix. 12, 26, 28; x. 10, 12, 14. He liveth unto God.-It need not excite any surprise that Christ is said henceforth to live unto God. The glory of God must be the Christ's eternal life in human

great end of all life.

nature will no doubt, more than all things else, be for the glory of God.

V. 11.-Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Believers are here commanded to reckon themselves to be really and effectually dead to sin-dead to its guilt, and alive unto God in Jesus Christ, as it ought to be rendered. The obligation thus enjoined follows from all that the Apostle had been inculcating respecting their blessed state as partakers with Christ, both in his death and in his life. As this is their real condition, he here commands them to maintain a full sense and conviction of it. The duties of the Christian life, flowing from their union with Jesus Christ, and accept

ance with God, he immediately proceeds to enforce. But here it is the obligation to maintain the conviction of their state that he exclusively presses upon them. To note this is of the greatest importance. Unless we keep in mind that we are dead to sin, and alive unto God in Jesus Christ our Lord, we cannot serve him as we ought we shall otherwise be serving in the oldness of the letter, and not in newness of spirit. But when the believer's state of reconciliation with God, and his death to sin, from which he is delivered, is steadily kept in view, then he cultivates the spirit of adoption— then he strives to walk worthy of his calling, and in the consideration of the mercies of God, presents his body a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God, Rom. xii. 1; he rejoices in the Lord, and abounds in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost; he has peace in his conscience, his heart is enlarged, and he runs the way of God's commandments.

Of their high privileges and state of acceptance with God, believers are ever reminded in Scripture; and it is not till a man has the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. iii. 21, and a sense of being justified from sin, having his conscience purged from dead works by the blood of Christ, that he can serve the living God, Heb. ix. 14. How important, then, is this admonition of the Apostle, Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, though often much obscured by false glosses turning it away from its true and appropriate meaning. By many it would be accounted presumptuous in Christians to take it home to themselves. Hence they are not aware of the obligations they are under to labour to maintain the assurance of their union with Christ, and

of their participation with him in his death and resurrection. But we see that the Apostle, after he had fully developed the blessed state of believers, and declared the foundation on which it rests, with which their continuing to live in sin is incompatible, expressly enjoins this as a positive duty on those whom he addresses, and consequently on all Christians, thus reminding them that what he had said was not to be viewed in the light of abstract truth, but ought to be practically and individually brought home to their own bosoms. How seldom is this use made of the text before us! How seldom, if ever, is the duty it enforces urged upon Christians !* How little is it considered as binding on their consciences! Yet, without attending to this duty, which, in connexion with a right understanding of the gospel, is consistent with the deepest humility, how can they possibly bring forth those precious fruits of the Spirit, which lie at the foundation of all the rest, love, and joy, and peace? How, in a word, can they walk with God?

There was no part of the Exposition in which I felt so much difficulty as in the commencement of this chapter. In consulting a multitude of commentators, I found no satisfactory solution. Most of them explain the expression "dead to sin," in the 2d verse, as importing death not only to the guilt, but also, as has been remarked, to the power of sin, a proof that the assertion of the Apostle is misunderstood. But when it is perceived that the guilt of sin only is included, a clear light is thrown on this highly important part of the Epistle. This is the way

*I do not recollect that I ever heard any one preach on this text, Rom. vi. 12, although it contains so important an injunc tion, and is of such practical importance,

VOL. II.

C

in which it appears to have been viewed by Mr Romaine, of which, till lately, I was not aware, and I do not recollect ever meeting with it in the works of any other writer. I subjoin the following interesting passage from his treatise on the walk of faith.

"True spiritual mortification does not consist in sin not being in thee, nor in its being put upon the cross daily, nor yet in its being kept upon it. There must be something more to establish perfect peace in thy conscience; and that is the testimony of God concerning the body of sin. He has provided for thy perfect deliverance from it in Christ. Every thing needful for this purpose was finished by him upon the cross. He was thy surety. He suffered for thee. Thy sins were crucified with him and nailed to his cross.

They were put to death when he died: for he was thy covenant head, and thou wast legally represented by him, and art indeed dead to sin by his dying to sin once. The law has now no more right to condemn thee, a believer, than it has to condemn him. Justice is bound to deal with thee, as it has with thy risen and ascended Saviour. If thou dost not thus see thy complete mortification in him, sin will reign in thee. No sin can be crucified either in heart or life, unless it be first pardoned in conscience; because there will be want of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified. If it be not mortified in its guilt it cannot be subdued in its power. If the believer does not see his perfect deadness to sin in Jesus, he will open a wide door to unbelief and if he be not persuaded of his completeness in Christ, he gives room for the attacks of self-righteous and legal tempers. If Christ be not all in all, self must still be looked upon as something great, and

there will be food left for the pride of self-importance and self-sufficiency; so that he cannot grow into the death of Christ in sensible experience, farther than he believes himself to be dead to sin in Christ. The more clearly and stedfastly he believes this, as the Apostle did I am crucified with Christ, in proportion will he cleave to Christ, and receive from him greater power to crucify sin. This believing view of his absolute mortification in Christ, is the true gospel method of mortifying sin in our own persons. Read the sixth

of the Romans, and pray for the Spirit of revelation to open it to thee. There thou wilt discover the true way to mortify sin. It is by believing that thou art planted together with Christ in his death; from thence only thy pardon flows, from thence thy daily victory is received, and from thence thy eternal victory will be perfected.'

V. 12.-Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Having proved how unfounded is the objection that the doctrine of justification leads to the indulgence of sin, the Apostle now exhorts those whom he addresses to live agreeably to the holy nature and design of the gospel. With this object he presents, throughout the rest of the chapter, various considerations adapted to induce them to walk in that newness of life to which they are risen with Christ. It should here be remarked, that although the Apostle had expressly taught that they who are justified are likewise sanctified, yet as God is pleased to cause his people to act with him in their sanctification-so that they shall both will and do, because he worketh in them to will and to do of his good pleasure the earnest exhortations to obedience, and the motives held forth in the conclusion of the