it again When the People some of them said that it Thundred others that an Angel spake to him John 12.28 29. But these things were known to few 2. In his speaking and working by him such things as never any spake or did for the words that he spake he spake not from himself as man alone but of or from the Father who dwelt in him and he it was that did the Works John 14.10 Whence he saith to Philip Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me or else believe me for the works sake ver 11. With Chap. 15.24 7.46 And that God did magnifie him in this and lift him up among men The Apostle Peter testifies Act. 2.22 Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God by Miracles Wonders and Signes which God did by him c. As also 3. By his raising him from the dead glorifying him and maintaining his cause and name against all oppositions and gathering in a Church to him and upholding it in the midst of Persecutions c. Of which things I shall not inlarge 2. Of God the Word or Son also even by himself or his Divine Being or Deity exerting and putting forth it self and so glorifying him as the Son of Man And so it behoved him and he did it Both 1. In Work As in his working glorious Miracles Thus it s said upon his turning Water into Wine at that Marriage in Cana of Galilee This beginning of Miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory But more fully in his rising from the dead and ascending into Heaven and giving gifts from thence unto men as some Apostles some Prophets c. Whence he saith No man takes my life from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again This Commandement have I received of my Father John 10.18 For as it is said that he was raised again from the dead by his Father and his glory So also it is said that he rose again in and by the power of his divine Spirit And that he died rose and revived that he might be Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Lord it over the quick and dead Rom. 14.9 And he rose again the Third day according to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15.3 4. Being put to death in the flesh but quickned in the Spirit 1. Pet. 3.18 And so that he Ascended and went up on high and gave gifts unto men Psal 68.18 Eph. 4.8.9 2. In his Word Preaching forth himself and his own excellencies As he saith I am one that bear witness of my self and my Father that sent me he beareth witness of me Though he said If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true As implying that of himself as man only he bare not witness of himself if as Man only he had so done his Witness might have been slighted But he as the Word though made flesh witnessed of himself as in his works so in his word too and his witness as witnessing so was true For he knew whence he came and whither he went John 5.31 8.14 18. And so he declared himself in the Man-hood as the Son of man or the Word made Flesh to be the Son of God to be in Heaven and come from Heaven and to know the things of Heaven John 3.11 12 13 16. And so when he said here he must be lifted up we may understand him to say in such intimations and declarations of his excellencies as those were So he testified of himself that he is the Light of the World John 8.12 12.46 The bread of Life the bread that came down from heaven The living bread His Flesh meat indeed and his Blood drink indeed Necessary to be fed upon to the obtaining everlasting life And such as 〈◊〉 gives everlasting life to all that feed thereupon John 6.35 48 50 51 55 56. c. That he knows the Father and is known of the Father John 7.29 10.15 That he gives the water of Life which whoso drinks it shall be in him a spring of living waters springing up unto eternal life And causing Rivers of living waters to flow out of his belly or inward man as being the Baptizer with and giver of the holy Ghost John 4.14 7.37 38 39. Act. 1.5 With John 15.26 That he is The good Shepherd The door of the sheep knowing his sheep and giving to them in their following him Eternal Life John 10.3 9 11 15 28 29. That he is the Resurrection and the Life So as that He that believeth on him though dead he shall live he that liveth and believeth on him shall not dye for ever John 11.25 26. That he is The way the truth and the life John 14.6 The true vine John 15.1 4. And many the like But chiefly he is and was lifted up And that I might have referred the two former to the testimonies of the Father and Word as being brought to us and our cognizance by him 3. By the holy Spirit whose business it is to witness of Christ taking his things and shewing them and so glorifying him John 15.27 16.14 And so it is prophetically said of him That when the Enemy shall come in like a stood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him which Standard or Ensigne is Christ of the Seed of David of the Root of Jesse Isa 11.1 10 11. And put him to flight Isa 59.19 And he was to lift him up and hath and doth diversly as 1. By fore-testifying glorious things of him As that he as the Seed of the Woman and so as the Son of Man should bruise the head of the Serpent Overthrow his plot against us and our well-fare and take away his acquired power and jurisdiction over us and open the way for us into Paradise and so to God again Gen. 3.15 That he as the Seed of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and so as the Son of Man should be the blessing of or bringer forth of blessing to all the Nations or families of the Earth Gen. 22.18 26.4 28.14 With Gal. 3.8 That he as proceeding out of the Tribe of Judah should be the Shiloh the peaceable one or peace-maker Vnto whom should be the gathering of the People Gen. 49.10 That he should be the Prophet raised up from among the People and so as the Son of Man whom all the People should hear in all things that he should say unto them Deut. 18.15 18. That he should be as the Seed of David and so as the Son of Man the Great King and Governour upon whose shoulders the Government should be The Wonderful the Counsellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace Of the increase of whose Government and Peace there should be no end upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order and to establish it with justice and with judgment
it self and his excellencies as therein discovered for the believing in or on the Lord is an effect of the believing God and therefore that phrase or saying Abraham believed in the Lord. Gen. 15.6 Is by the Apostle rendred Abraham believed God Rom. 4.3 As implying that then God is heartily believed in his Testimony when he whom he testifies of is believed in as also that the believing in the Lord is an evidence and product of believing God 2. Here is mentioned also the several causes of this perswasion and so by consequent of that perception and believing on Christ that follows upon it As 1. The principal and first cause the Author and begetter of this faith belief or perswasion and of all that follows upon it is God himself testifying of Christ As it is said Ye are saved by grace through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 And this is the work of God both that which he requires of us and that which he works in us That ye believe on him whom he hath sent Joh. 6.29 Yea and our Saviour further testifies it to be the work wrought of God in saying No man can come to me except the Father that hath sent me draw him v. 44. And No man can come to me except it be given to him of my Father Ver. 65. Of him descendeth and cometh down every good and perfect giving And therefore both this perswasion and all therethrough effected But he works mediately and so here is 2. The subordinate and mediate cause of this perswasion and believing on Gods part which is the same that is also the object believed even the Word and Testimony of God the very clearness excellency and evidence of which as manifested of God to the heart perswades the heart to embrace and credit it As by the light of the sun a man sees the sun so the goodness and truth of Gods Testimony is seen by its own brightness and that draws in the heart to receive it By his word God wrought at first in making the world and by his word he works in making new creatures And that this is that by which he works in the heart and perswades it to believe on Christ our Saviour himself testifieth in saying John 6.45 They shall all be taught of God every one therefore that hears and learns of the Father comes to me Thence also his word the Testimony he beareth of Christ the Gospel is called the word of faith Rom. 10.8 But yet this produceth not this believing without some act of man which is and may be called 3. The subordinate cause or means on mans part that without which this believing is not effected and that is expressed to be a serious listening to that word Whence that in Isa 55.3 Hear and your souls shall live And in Rom. 10.17 Faith is of hearing and hearing is of the word of God They that stop their ear lest they should hear deprive themselves of the efficacy of God and his word even of the Spirit of God breathing and working in the word and are justly left of God to their perverseness and unbelief Matth. 13 14 15. I add the word serious to signifie that it is not a careless formal hearing but a diligent attentive hearing Such as our Saviour signifies in that double expression Every one that heareth and learneth so heareth as also to learn of the Father comes to me Such a hearing as includes that which Moses called on the people to do when he said Set your hearts to all these words Deut. 32.46 Or as that in Heb. 2.1 A giving earnest heed to the things spoken in the Gospel And this leads to the next viz. 3. The proper subject of this perswasion belief and so also of the perception and all that follows upon it and that is the heart as it is said With the heart man believes to righteousness Rom. 10.10 And indeed when men set their hearts to attend to Gods words and to consider them God will perswade their hearts and the heart perswaded and believing is there-through both framed to do righteousness in believing on Christ and also is accepted and justified of God therein and the man accounted of God righteous And in both these senses the words may be understood that with the heart man believes unto righteousness Many there are that profess and say they believe and are perswaded of the truth of Gods word and yet they are far from believing on Christ as their lives make manifest in many of them because they believe not with the heart their hearts are not set to or ingaged in the matter They may learn so much of the form of Knowledge in subserviency to some other designs as of getting a livelihood honour and respect with men ease from troubles of mind c. as that they may draw nigh with their mouths and honour him with their lips and yet their hearts be removed far from him going after their covetousness or what they mainly design Isa 29.13 Ezek. 33.31 And these attain not to righteousness They neither render to God and Christ that which is right just and meet viz. that honour fear faith trust and affection that he is worthy of Nor are they therefore justified and accepted of God as righteous persons But when men so receive Gods Testimony as to believe on Christ their minds wills and affections are all ingaged therein and through the presence and operation of the Spirit of God which is always ready to help and save and to that purpose to effect what he requires and is needful to their Salvation in them that attend to him and as he is preventing them by his grace yield up themselves to him they are strengthened and framed to all the acts and exercises both conducing to and contained in this believing on Christ the Son of Man Which are also in this description expressed both 4. The acts productive of and the acts contained in the believing on Christ 1. The acts productive of it are 1. An heart-perswasion or belief of the truth of God or of the word that he speaks and testifies concerning Christ as of him we have largely shewed that he testifieth This is properly the believing God and the believing Christ and the believing his Prophets and Servants in their testimony as speaking forth the word of God and of Christ and they that so do are in the way to prosper 2 Chron. 20.20 This is that by which the faith or belief of the Patriarchs is expressed Heb. 11.13 They see the promises afar off and were perswaded of them And they whose hearts are perswaded of God to believe his testimony as God will perswade Japheth or the perswasible as some render Gen. 9.27 those that meekly hear and attend Psal 25.8 James 1.18 19 21. in them also is certainly effected 2. A heart-perception of the Excellencies of Christ Eor as God in his Doctrine beareth witness to his Son the Son
also the glory of God even of the Father the God and Father of glory is gloriously and brightly displayed both as to his glorious power in supporting Christ under all his sufferings and in raising him from the dead and setting him at his right hand and in treading down in and by him the power and strength of the adversary and triumphing gloriously over him His glorious and most excellent wisdome in devising and bringing about this glorious work to the bafling of the wit and policy of Sathan yea the Gospel is the revelation oâ— the mystery of God wherein are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledg and whereinto the wisest and most intelligent Angels desire to pry manifesting God to be the only wise God Rom. 16.25 27.1 Pâ—t 1.12 Col. 2.2 3. Yea and his glorious Holiness too is discovered in his condemning our sin in the flesh of hâ—s Son so as not sparing him as being made a Sacrifice and Ransome for us though his only begotten and through him revealing his wrath from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men that withhold the truth in unrighteousness a most dreadful punishment and endless destruction being herein declared as appointed for the refusers of his blessed Son the glory also of his truth and righteousness in not failing to perform the promises made to the Fathers of his raising up such a Saviour for us and bringing in by him grace and blessing to us which rather than he would fail to make good He made his only Son to be flesh and blood yea sin and a curse for us The glory of his greatness that could not accept any sacrifice as satisfactory to his Justice though of all the Bullocks upon a thousand Mountains or whatever else might be proposed or offered less then the Sacrifice of his only begotten Son as able to make Peace and Atonement with Him for us as also in that such great and glorious things are there-through prepared of Him for us and preached to us even his glorious and everlasting Kingdom with all its glorious contents and enjoyments in all which his work appears wonderfully great honourable and glorious and in all this the wonderful glory of his grace mercy and love is manifested to us both the grace of the Father in his exceeding love and charity towards us in the gift of his Son for us when we were become so sinful and such enemies to him and so unworthy of love and mercy from him as cannot be expressed and of our Lord Jesus Christ in condescending to such a low abasement and such unspeakable sufferings for our sakes to keep us from perishing in our sins and miseries and that he might prepare us for and bring us to everlasting life and happiness whereof also a very great discovery is made to us in the Gospel though no words can express all that is therein comprehended and to be enjoyed by us A glorious Doctrine indeed that hath such glorious contents or discovers such glorious things and that too to such a glorious end as the bringing us back to God and so to his Eternal glory to which he herein calls us by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 5.10 2 Thes 2.14 and for the preparing us for and bringing us to which it is filled with such excellent vertue and gracious efficacy as renders it worthy to be called also the Gospel of the grace of God forasmuch as therewith the grace and spirit of God is ministred also as is shewed in the foregoing Conclusions and as is said in 2 Cor. 3.6 7 8. where the Apostle also asserts it to be far more glorious as well as far more gracious than the Law of Moses being such as by representing the great grace of God gives great liberty and boldness to all that entertain it yea and represents therein the glory of God after such a wonderful attractive manner as is able to change the beholders thereof into its likeness from glory to glory as by the spirit of his Majesty ver 16 17 18. Yea in a word as is foreshewed its gloriously powerful to draw the Soul to and keep it with Jesus Christ to believe on and love and cleave to him to the delivering it from sin and death and giving to it Eternal Life yea all things pertaining to life and godliness are administred to us through this knowledge 2 Pet. 1.3 4. as hath been already more largely evidenced and therefore we may further infer from hence divers things with reference to the excellency of this glorious Gospel as Infer 1. That its a great and wonderful mercy of God to any Person or People to bring this blessed Doctrine in the openness and plainness thereof to them and to lift up the Son of Man therein to and before them and to continue it with them a mercy to be received with all acceptation and thankfulness and with all diligence and care to be improved so as to render to God for it fruits suitable and answerable to it in all sobriety and humbleness of mind in our selves as being in and for all things infinitely indebted to his grace without which we are nothing nor could have done any thing to preserve us from perishing and in all righteousness toward men and holiness and godliness towards the Lord who hath shewed such light and mercy to us this is that mercy of which the Apostle speaks when He saith That the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy as it is written for this cause will I give thanks to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy Name Rom. 15.9 For when this Gospel comes and is given to a Person Family or People God is therein granting them repentance even of all former sins and disobediences against all former means and mercies unto life as St. Peter said to the Brethren of the Circumcision Act. 11.18 discovering good ground and reason for it and affording power and motive to it in the name of Christ yea and a door of Faith too is therein opened for their coming in to and actually and distinctly believing on Christ Acts 14.27 That thereby they may come and be made of the same Fold with other distinct Believers fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God A People no more at a remote distance from him but near to him even of the same Body with other Forebelievers and partakers of the promises in Christ even of the choicest Favours and Priviledges of the Saints promised to and covenanted with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the holy Ones Yea to be Built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and to be joyned to the Saints by the same precious Corner Stone Jesus Christ and so to become in the Unity of the Spirit with them an holy Temple and an habitation for God by his Spirit Ephes 2.13 14 19 20 21 22. and 3.5 6. And so to be of the Royal Priesthood the Chosen or elect Generation the holy Nation the peculiar People
designs to do it hateth the light neither cometh to the light least his deeds should be reproved Joh. 3.19 20. and so we find the Scriptures every where assert that the cause of Mens destruction is their voluntary rejections of the remedy as in Psal 81.10 11 12 c. When God offered himself to Israel to be their God bidding them open their mouth wide and he would fill it their refusing him his advise and counsel not hearing his voice nor accepting him to be their helper but preferring others before him procured his leaving them to themselves and their Idols and then what but misery and destruction could befall them the like we see in Prov. 1.20 24 25. Wisdom addresses her self to all within and without the City or Church of God reproving their love of their simplicity scornfulness and folly and tendring her grace and spirit to them but they generally will not answer her calls and hear her counsels nor regard the stretching forth of her hands to relieve help or draw them in to her self but put away all her counsels and will none of her reproofs and therefore destruction comes upon them the like may be seen in Isa 66.3 4. Jer. 7.24 25 26. And the like we find our Saviour and his Apostles say of the cause and reason of mens perishing not to be any want of goodness or graciousness in God or want of provision in Christ or readiness in him to help them but mens own wilfulness in refusing and putting from them the grace and truth discovered of God in and by Christ to them for their salvation that they receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. That they stop the ear close or wink with the eye least they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and he should heal them Matth. 13.14 15. Acts 28.20 27. Yea the very Heathens who had the least discoveries of God and his goodness and grace that through Christ he exerciseth towards and among men yet perish upon this account that they with-hold the truth in unrighteousness that when they know God they glorified him not as God nor were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts were darkned that they liked not to have God in their knowledge and the like Rom. 1.18 21 28. 2. As to the equitableness and justness hereof what more just and equitable then that men who will not be saved should perish that they who refuse the most excellent remedy and compleat Medicine and way of healing which the most wise and gracious God in his most perfect understanding and heighth of love and affection hath devised and prepared for them dye of their wounds which through their own default and wickedness they have brought upon themselves Yea when God hath been at a great cost and charge to provide man a Saviour and prepare them help and shewed forth his great goodness therein for their happiness when He hath not spared his own Son but delivered him as made man the Son of man for our offences and raised him again for our Justification and therein and thereby hath saved men from perishing in the first Death into which they were fallen in and through Adam and therein cured that deadly wound given them at first by the Serpent and hath glorified him and filled him with his own infinite fulness of power spirit and all spiritual grace and blessing therein both impowering him and appointing him to raise all men out of the first death which he also will not fail to do and also providing in him all things by which he is furnished for calling and drawing them in to believe and in believing on him to preserve them from the second Death and to make them to live for ever being furnished with authority and fitness to cure all such stings of the old Serpent as might and would otherwise sting them to that second Death and all this without their knowledge motion or desire Yea and through him also and by him making known to us what he hath done and calling and counselling us to come to him and accept of his grace and salvation in and through him through whom also we live and move and have our beings and are made capable of hearing and coming at his call to him in whom we are so compleatly provided for that there is no defect or want of any thing needful for our salvation and everlasting well-being yea and that we might have both the greatest ground of assurance of finding help in him and the greatest ingagements upon all accounts to hearken to and comply with his counsels and yield our selves subject to his will and commandements he hath set before men both his alsufficiency as being the Son of God and God and his having in him all the fulness of God and also the greatness of the love both of the Father in not sparing him but giving him forth and preparing him through so great sufferings to be our Saviour and of the Son in sustaining them for our sakes that there-through he might be so perfected for us how should he not be provoked to great displeasure and so to leave us to dye and perish of our wounds if they or any of us after and notwithstanding all this refuse his calls and will not submit to him to be saved and be made happy for ever by him What man of us and especially what Prince or Nobleman if he be at great cost and labour to prepare either a feast to entertain or a Medicine to heal his poor neighbours likely otherwise to perish through want or diseases could take it well if after that they scorn his love and make light of his provision and yet such is the case of Mankind towards God as the parables in Matth. 22.1 14. and Luc. 14.17 24. shew And surely the offence is so much the greater and the more inexcusable and unpardonable in us men and lays open to the greater and deserves the more severe punishment then any can be deserved from or inflicted by the greatest or mightiest man by how much God is greater than man and more uningaged to us than man and by how much his provision and love therein and the tenders and proffers thereof to men exceed all that can be found in or from men So that God will certainly be just in his proceedings against men in his condemning them and will be justified in the eyes and sight of all his Creatures both Angels and men yea the condemned ones themselves when he is judged as is said Rom. 3.4 And there will be nothing found by men to plead for themselves or condemn him when he enters into Judgment with them not so much for that his power and greatness will bear them down as because of the exceeding great equity and righteousness that will