to whom the Lord will not impute sin, how much more does the Message of God by his Son declare, to those who believe, a yet more blessed state, as clothed with the approving "imputed" perfections of himself; which alone are in any way pleasing to God?

CHAPTER XII.

No more essay,—give o'er the futile strife.—
To justify yourselves!-most sadly vain,—

To boast of deeds to heaven, here, mixed with

sin :

Throw off such rags, and proper clothing gain;
A robe of his own choosing, pure and clean,

Fit to appear with them of endless life.
No more refuse his justifying gift;
For all your chance in legal form is gone;
For at his death, he legal right annulled;
Or else his murderers' rage no more belong
To mercy's pardon: as by law you've fooled—
Yourselves; of other hopes, have long bereft.

So then God will receive us, if we believe him; by laying aside our own ragged perfection, or better described, our own monstrous imperfection, set out to view by the terrible light of the law, "as sin becoming by the commandment exceeding sinful; " or, as I translate it: "but it was sin; so that

sin, having secretly caused death in me by that which is good, might be exposed, that sin by the commandment might set forth the sinner according to his over growth." And by our taking the garments of the Christ, that is, his spiritual perfections, for our clothing and the hiding of the shame of our legal nakedness.

For the tattered garments of the Law will not find admission into Heaven; and must be laid aside. Nor, if patched up here and there with a new piece of "purple and scarlet," would the wearers find access through any of the gates of the new Jerusalem; which is above.

So then you, being sinners, cannot enter in your own perfection.

How then can you enter? (I speak to the election.)

I say; by having on the garments of

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salvation, given you by the Saviour King our Lord; and by your having wholly thrown away your own rags and clouted," which cannot Gibeonlike deceive Him; who cannot be deceived. From which you see, that you must not have on your own perfection, which being imperfect, would prove to you a "sinking ship," foundering in the sea of truth, far, far away, from the heavenly shore;-and that you must be clothed altogether in the Robes of the Righteousness of the Christ.

And if you are of the " election," you must feel his Spirit within you, the Spirit of Christ; without which Spirit of Truth, you cannot feel love to God. For if you love one, you must love the other; since they are one divine spiritually and so also are all the election, by his "favour."

Now it is an incongruous presump

tion for any man, who denies his Son, to pretend he loves God; for if any hate the son, they love not God; and are not of the truth.

Consequently, you are proved to have been, for many generations, haters of God; disbelievers in Christ; and not of the Spiritual Election by "favour."

Therefore, God has not been favourable to you; who love not his son, to this day; nor Him himself.

And, "he is a jealous God."

And he will not be appeased, but, by your repentance. For if you will return unto Him, he will return unto you: but you must return unto him with all your heart, that is, spiritually. For he dwells not in temples made with men's hands, for when he was in your temple, he called it a den of thieves, because of your Fathers' iniquity. And would the Lord God of Truth consent to preside there?