The fountain opened, or, The great gospel privilege of having Christ exhibited to sinful…The fountain opened, or, The great gospel priviledge of having Christ exhibited to sinfull…

3. What is the Usefulness of this Fountain for such an end?

A. There are two things to be considered in the Lord Jesus Christ as a Fountain, or a Treasury in whom they are laid up, which do suitably and sufficiently Answer these two occasions of Sinful men, viz. his Merit, and his Grace: I shall give some general glances at each of these.

1. There is an Infinite Merit fountained in Christ, for the taking away the Guilt of Sin, & the Justification of the Sinner. We observed that this Guilt is an obligation lying upon the Sinner by reason of the threatening, to suffer the penalty menaced by the Law. The Removal of this Guilt, with respect to the Sinner himself, can be only▪ by a free pardon; for he ha•h nothing of his own to make compensation to the Law withal: But the removal of it with reference to the Covenant of works, and the Established Rule of Relative Justice in it, m•st be by Justification. God, as a Judge, must either Justify or Condemn him, upon his ⟨p. 82⟩Trial: and yet, in Justifying him, he must also pardon him. These two are inconsistent in the procedure of humane Judges, but they are inseparable in Gods process upon believer•. It is called Justifying the Ungodly, Rom. 4 5. But the ungodliness must be forgiven to the person freely, and so Justification is an act o• Grace, Rom 3. 24. Being Justified freely by Grace. And yet it must be upon a Satisfaction and Merit, else the Law cannot be answered in it, nor the Justice of God consist with Grace, and it must so do; Verse 26. That God may be just, and the Justifier of him that believeth. In this Justification there are two thing viz. the pardon of sin, and the declaring the person righteous; or which there must be found the Law answered in both parties; the threa ing must be satisfied for, which is to be do by a bearing of the whole penalty denounced against the Sinner for sin; and the condition of the promise of life must be complied with, which is by perfect Obedience to the whole Law. That this may be done fo the Siner by a Surety, the Gospel assureth us; and that Christ was a Surety on this account, we are there informed,