subjection to the law, he gets power over the law, because his subjection
takes away all its claim and right over us. Therefore it is said, that he
blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances, which was against us, by
nailing it to his cross; and so took it out of the way, Col. ii. 14.
Having fulfilled the bond, he cancelled it, and so it stands in no force
either against him or us. Thus, the strength of sin, which is the law, is
removed; and by this means, sin is condemned in the flesh. By the
suffering of his flesh, it is fallen from all its plea against sinners;
for, that upon which it did hang, viz. the sentence of the law, is taken
out of the way, so that it hath no apparent ground to fasten any
accusation upon a poor sinner that flies into Jesus Christ, and no ground
at all to condemn him,--it is wholly disabled in that point. For, as the
Philistines found where Samson's strength lay, and cut his hair, so Christ
hath in his wisdom found where the strength of sin's plea against man lay,
and hath cut off the hair of it, that is, the handwriting of ordinances
which was against us.

This is that which hath been shadowed out from the beginning of the world
by the types of sacrifices and ceremonies. All those offerings of beasts,
of fowls, and such like, under the law, held forth this one sacrifice,
that was offered in the fulness of time to be a propitiation for the sins
of the world. And something of this was used among the Gentiles before
Christ's coming, certainly by tradition from the fathers, who have looked
afar off to this day, when this sweet-smelling sacrifice should be offered
up to appease Heaven. And it is not without a special providence, and
worthy the remarking, that since the plenary and substantial One was
offered, the custom of sacrificing hath ceased throughout the world. God,
as it were, proclaiming to all men, by this cessation of sacrifices, as
well as silence of oracles, that the true atonement and propitiation is
come already, and the true Prophet is come from heaven, to reveal God's
mind unto the world. There were many ceremonies in sacrificing observed,
to hold out unto us the perfection of our atonement and propitiation. They
laid their hands on the beast, who brought it, to signify the imputation
of our sins to Christ, that he who knew no sin was made sin for us, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And truly, it is worth
the observation, that even those sacrifices for sin w