that Christ after the laying down of his Life was to enter into heaven there to appear in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 This is a point which may yeeld us many and great Uses as 1. For Information to clear us â—bout Christ's Intercession 2. For Consolation To shew us the advantages that flow to Believers from it 3. For Direction in dutie to learn us what use we should make of it And 4. For Reproof and Conviction for and of the Sin of our much slighting and neglecting this part of Christs Priestly Office As for the First It serves we say for Information and to let us see that we have an excellent high Priest who is not only answerable to the Type in dying but also in interceeding who died that he might make application of what he purchased by his death For further clearing and prosecuting of this Use we shall speak a little to some few questions As 1. What this Intercession is 2 Who Interceeds 3. For whom 4. For what 5. How this Intercession is performed 6. What are the grounds on which it is founded For the First What this Intercession is in general and for clearing it ye would consider what it is not and 1. There is here no humbling of the Mediator in way of Supplication as he prayed when on earth or as we pray or as one man intreats or interceeds with another That way of Interceeding is inconsistent with his exaltation his humiliation being perfected and by and he being now exalted at the right hand of God 2. It 's no verbal thing no bringing forth or uttering of Words There is no such language in our Lords Intercession and so we are not to conceive of his Intercession as if he made a formal prayer That manner of dealling or proceeding is not now betwixt God and the Mediator 3. Neither doth this his Intercession consist in any new particular act of his will as if he did act or will something that he did not before therefore he is said to Live for ever to make intercession and to abide a Priest continually His Intercession is continual as is clear Heb. 7.3 25. His being in Heaven and appearing there in our name is his Intercession And therefore 2. Let us see in the next place what iâ— is And more generallâ— we may take it up in such expressions as the Scriptures make use of to hold it bâ— and in the similitude and analogie whence it 's borrowed for it 's a borrowed thing as the Covenant of Redemption is from compacts among men because we cannot take up divine and misterious things except they be exprest after the manner of men for our capacity Such is this as if a Kings Son were interposing for a person not in good terms with the King or for whom he would have some benefit from the King his Father The similitude seems indeed to be drawn from this yet it must not be astricted thereto Therefore 1 John 2.1 He is called an advocat with the Father and yet he doth not advocat our cause verbally as we said before And 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one God and one Mediator between God and man Where the Apostle is speaking of praying And here he is said to make Intercession for us as the high Priest did in name of the People in a word it is our Lords Jesus Christ his mâ—king of what he hath purchased and hath ingaged to him in the Covenant of Redemption effectually forth-coming for the behove of his People as if he were Agenting their cause as an Advocat in Heaven which is so held forth for the help of our Faith that the Mediator having made his Testament and confirmed it by his death is looking well that his death and the benefits purchased to Elect Sinners thereby may be made effectual and is as it were lying as Agent and Advocat at Court to procure and bring about this businesse according to that John 17.19 20 24. For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified c. Neither pray I for these alone c. and Father I will that these whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am It 's even that all may be made good to them for whom he Sâ—nctified himself and the effectual making out of that which he hath purchased to them that is called his Intercession 2dly Who makes Intercession It is not enough that Christ as man makes Intercession but it is Christ Mediator God and Mâ—n in one Person It being an error of the Papists to make the Intercession of Christ to be a thing performed by the humane nature only which lesseneth the consolation of Believers and is inconsistent with the Union of the two natures and detracts from the weigâ—t that his God-head gives to his Intercession 3dly For whom does he interceed There are here extreams on both hands to be eshewed 1. Some make his Intercession over broad as if he interceeded for all the World this he expresly denyes John 17.9 I pray not for the world and his Intercession being grounded on his death and satisfaction it must be of equal extent therewith and must relate to the Covenant of Redemption wherein so many were given him to be redeemed by his death 2. Others make his Intercession too naâ—row in making it only for them that actuaâ—ly believe He also refuts this opinion John 17.20 By saying Neither pray I for these alone but for all that shall believe on me through their word And it is alwayes on this ground that he interceeds to wit because they are given So that it 's for the Elect converted or unconverted that he interceeds The reason why we mark this is to overturn thereby Two corrupt distinctions that are made use of to bring in an universal Intercession as well as an universal Redemption 1. Some make his Intercession common to all but we according to the Scripture acknowledge no such Intercession to belong to Christ especially as Mediator however he might as man under the Law have prayed for some that shall not be actually saved as he commands one man to pray for other men yet not for all men simply 2. Others make a conditional Intercession for all as they make a conditional Redemption of all and make both absolute for Believers only which is also corrupt For considering the object of his Intercession as Mediator to be only the Elect as indeed they are it overturns both this and the former opinion if he prayed not for all he died not for all the one whereof is grounded on the other 4ly For what doth he interceed In general for all that is conditioned to him in the Covenant for the behove of his people He prayes for the fulfilling of all the Articles of the Covenant as that all the Elect who are not regenerat may be regenerat and made Believers That many through his knowledge may be justified That these that are regenerat and Believers and by Faith
trust in Him SERMON XLIV ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shalâ— my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be made perfect throughly furnished unto all good works and that His People may be made wise unto salvation Yet these Scriptures wherein our Lord Jesus is holden forth more clearly are eminently usefull He being the Foundation and Ground of all To whom the Law and the Prophets bear witness and they are only profitable to us in the Estate wherein we are in so far as they relate to to Him and point Him out to us And we may further say that these Scriptures wherein His Sufferings and Death are holden forth in the Richness and Fruitfulness of them are singularly so that being the very Life of the Covenant and the very Door by and through which we step from Death to Life And whatever they be to others sure they have a speciall Sweetnesse in them to sensible Sinners And therefore the Sum of the Gospel and of Saving Knowledge is by the Apostle 2 Cor. 2.2 Compended in the knowledge of Christ and of him crucified which unfolds His very Heart and Bowells to us The Prophet hath been pointing out this in severall Verses and hath hinted at the effects of His Sufferings in the former verse And now in these Words he puts a new Title on them calling them the travel of Christ's soul Not only to set out the exceeding greatness of them but with respect to thâ— foregoing Words wherein it 's said He shall see his seed Which is repeated here when it 's said He shall be satisfied So that as a Mother is in Travell for bringing forth of a Child So sayes he shall Christ be put to Soul-travell for bringing Life and Immortality to the Seed given to Him to be saved by Him And seing He is put to Travell He must needs bring forth and see his seed Here we may allude that of Isaiah 66.9 Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb saith thy God We have spoken of the Nature and Greatness of these Sufferings Now ere we proceed to any moe Observations we would speak a Word further to the Use of this It being indeed an Eater out of which comes Meat and a Strong out of which comes Sweet These pangs having calmed and quieted the Pangs and Showres to speak so of many Travelling Souls and brought forth a Birth at last And therefore beside what I spake to in the Use the last day I would add this That we would endeavour to have the solid Faith not only of His Sufferings but of the Greatness of His Sufferings imprinted deeply on our hearts That I say the Sufferings of a Dying Blood-sweating Christ Wrestling and Strugling even to His being in an Agony with the Wrath of God and puting up strong Cryes with Tears may be born in on our hearts and that we may throughly be perswaded of the greatness of the Work of Redemption and that it was a most Dear and Coastly Bargain to Christ For it was not Gold nor Silver it was not Kingdoms nor visible Worlds nor Angells that were given as a Price for Elect Sinners but it was the precious Blood of the Son of God Nay it was the bitter and sharp Soul-travell Sâ—dness Sorrow and Agony of our Lord Jesus which to speak comparatively was beyond the shedding of His Blood And what a Price do ye think this to be That He that made all and preserved all in their Being and was before all things should come thus low as to be a Man and a mâ—an sorrowfull suffering and dying Man yea to be a cursed Man and to go out of â—his Life as being under a Curse yet being alwayes the beloved Son of the Father And being even then when at His lowest the Prince of the kings of the earth and shining forth gloriously in the Powâ—r and Riches and Freeness of His Love and Grace sure this wonderfull low stooping and humbling of Himself Preaches out the Love that straitned and constrained Him to run upon that which was His own Death there being no hands that could have taken away His Life had He not willingly laid it down which He did with delight Could we make use of this there is much here to be said for our use We shall draw what we would say on it to these four heads 1. To something for Instruction 2. To something for Consolation 3. To something for Exhortation 4. To something for Reproof and Expostulation I say 1. It serves for Instruction and ye would from it be Instructed in several things 1. How to think aright of the great Severity of the Justice of God and of the Horrour of Wrath and of the dreadfull Consequ nts of Sin which it will most certainly have following on it May it not make your Souls to tremble to think upon and consider that our Lord Jesus was brought to such a pass as to be in such an Agony to be so exceeding sorrowfull and even amazed To be so troubled in Soul that he was thereby made to sweat great drops of blood and to be wrestling with somewhat that His holy Humane Nature had a scarring at O! the desert and wages of Sin is dreadfull when the Law pursues its Controversie and when Justice exacts what a broken Covenant deserves Alace The most of men believe not this but it s here that may convince us whâ—â— an evil thing Sin is and what a dreadfull thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God O! that ye would think upon it that ye may beware of Sin by all means and may alwayes be minding that Word which our Saviour hath If these things be done in the green tree what shall be done in the dry If it was so done with Him who in the Action if I may so call it was performing His Fathers will and giving an admirable proof of His respect to the Honour of God What wiâ—l He do to the dry Sticks the Damned Reprobat who have slighted the offer of His Grace despised the Sufferings of a Mediator and disdained to be reclaimed Hear it and tremble and be perswaded that the Horror that Sin shall bring upon the Sinner when God comes to reckon with him is inexpressible 2. Be Instructed and see here how great the difficultie is of making peace with God when once His Law is broken A thing that is little believed by most who are disposed to think that they will get God sooner pleased and pacifiâ—d thâ—n they will get their Neigâ—bour or Master pacified and pleased which sayes That either they they think nothing or but very little of His
Doctrine that ever ye heard it had been in some respect better that ye had heard that it was but two or three that will come to Heaven because the hearing of many's coming thither will greatly aggravat your guilt who neglect so great a Salvation Therefore take two or three Caveats of this Doctrine And 1. Beware of being secure because there are many that shall be Justified There are many moe that will perish compare these that perish with these that will be saved and it will be found that they are but an handful that will be saved and that Swarms and Multitudes will go to Hell Therefore when ye hear that the door is opened to many let it encourage you to enter in but remember this that moe will be excluded and perish then will enter in and be saved The Scripture sayes Many are called but few are chosen even in respect of the called within the visible Church 2. Consider that Graces inlarging of this benefit to take in many will be your greatest challenge and aggravation that shall miss and come short of it Therefore let us as it is Hâ—b 4. fear least having a promise left unto us of entring into his rest any of as should seem to come short of it When this door is opened to us we would by all means fear coming short or not entring through unbelief for it will be worse with us then if the door had never been opened Folk ordinarily think not so much to miss or come short of a Priviledge which but one or two have accesse to but when it is such a priviledge as is made attainable by many the missing of it galleth and tormenteth the more and when many shall come from the East West South and North and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven what weeping and gnashing of teeth will it cause to them who shall be secluded And therefore 3ly Beware of thinking that there is the less diligence or fear required because we say that many will be Justified for though there be many that are Redeemed and many that shall be Justified yet all these come to be Justified through Christ's knowledge And therefore such as are ignorant and prophane can but take little or no comfort hence while they continue to be such Though there be many that are Justified yet none but Believers are Justified and none can warrantably look on themselves to be Believers but such as are sincere students of Holinesse I would not therefore have you laying weight either on many or few's being Justified except by way of Motive but on the way that ye take to come by the end Though a great many moe were saved then will be if ye take not the way of Faith and Holinesse to come to Salvation ye will not get your selves shrouded in the croud but though there were never so few damned ye shall make up the number In a word it 's ground of encouragement to a poor Sinner that would fain be Justified in God's own way it is also ground of shame and confusion of Face to the unbeliever that restrains the benefit of Christ's Purchase and shuts himself out when Grace doth make use of such expressions to bring him in and it will be ground of conviction to all that have so wide a door opened to them and do not strive to enter in It may be many of you think little of this now but in that day when many shal be taken into the Kingdom of Heaven and others shut out it will be known to be a matter of greatest concerment if once we could be induced to be in earnest in this one thing there were a great point gained on the hearers of the Gospel and till it be seriously minded there is nothing that we can do in Religion that will be to any purpose SERMON LV. ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many c. IT 's a great matter to have the solid impression of Christ's fulness on our Spirits and to be throughly perswaded that there is a Rigteousness to be had in Him yet the Consolation is not full unless there be clearness in the way how this Righteousnesse is applyed and come by and a kindly yeelding to follow that way For though we know that Christ died and that there is a Righteousnesse Purchased yet there are many that are never Justified and that shall never be saved by it And therefore it would not be so much to know that there is such a thing if he had not laid down a way how we may be partakers of it which way can no more fail and misgive then Christ's Righteousnesse can and these Words hold out the way By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many That is through Faith in Christ many shall be made Righteous His Satisfaction shall be accounted the Believers whereby it shall come to passe that they shall be as really Justified as if they had born their own iniquities because His bearing of them shall be accounted theirs We spake 1. of this general that there is such a thing as Justification or God's Absâ—lving of a Sinner who by His own iniquity is lyable to the Curse 2. That this Justification is the proper effect of Christ's Death 3. From the Object of it That they are many yet not all who are Justified many being put as a mids betwixt two extreams neither including all nor only taking in a very few having put by these more general Doctrines we would now speak a little to this great benefit of Justification in reference to the particular Causes that concur to the attaining of it which will lead us to a more distinct uptaking of it there is ground for them all in the Text and therefore we shall put them together that ye may have a short view of this great benefit complexly There are commonly six causes assigned to or made necessary to concur in Justification though we know not well how to expresse them so as ye may take them up because of the ignorance of many of you 1. There is the efficient cause and that is God the party that doth Justifie 2. The end or final Cause and that is His own Glory 3. The Meritorious Cause or that which procures it or the ground on which God Justifies And that is Christ's Merit 4. The inward instrumental Cause by which we get a tittle to and an interest in Christ's Merit and that is Faith 5. The Formal Cause or that wherein Justification consists and that is Imputation of Christ's Righteousnesse to the Sinner upon His acceptation of it and the Absolving of the Sinner by vertue of His Righteousnesse 6. The External Instrumental Cause and that is the Word of God by which this Justification is revealed and wherein God declares and passes the Sentence For the First ye would for clearing of it remember what we spake in our entring on this Doctrine
in His Justice and Mercy They do what they can that God should neither be Just nor Gracious but He shall be Just in condemning them whether they will or not though He be not glorified in His Grace as to them they setting themselves what they can to let it yet in His Justice He shall most certainly be glorified O! that Men and Women believed how deep their Guilt draws who are found standing in the way of the glorifying of Gods Grace It will be found in some respect to draw deeper then the Guilt of these abominable Sins of Adultery and Murder in the day of the Lord and yet many of you will be found to have done this and to have come short of Righteousness For the 3d. Thâ—t is the Meritorious Cause Take it in this Doctrine That the Meritorious Cause that procures our Justification and with respect to which God Jâ—stifiâ—s a Sinner is the alone Merit and Sâ—tisfaction of Christ Jesus And this arises from the Text on these two Considerations 1. Because this Justification is laid down as an effâ—ct of Christs Soul-travel and Suffering and if Justification be the proper and immediat effect of Christs Sufferings then His Soul-sufferings must be the Meritorious Cause of it we cannot imagine another He purposeth by His Sufferings for the elect that they shall by His Knowledge be Justified therefore they must be Absolved and Justified by His Interposing to tâ—â—â— on their Debt and to His Sufferings must be the procuring Cause of it The 2. Consideration is taken from the words following He shall justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities If Christs bearing of our iniquities be the ground of our Justification or that by which it is procured then His Sufferings must be the Meritorious Cause of our Justification or that on account whereof we are Justified because His bearing of our iniquities can no other wayes be the cause of our Justification but by His interposing to Merit the same to us by His Sufferings Would ye know as if the Prophet had said how Christs Sufferings shall be the cause of our Justification Here it is He shall bear our iniquities and therefore our Justification flows therefrom the Lord by the Prophet hath so knit these two tâ—gether that His Sufferings both go before and are subjoyned to His Justifying of many that it may be put out of question that the Mediators Suffering is the alone Meritorious Cause of His pronouncing the Sentence of Justification and of accepting and accounting uâ— as righteous before Him This is no in so many words professedly controverted or denyed by the Papists with whom we here deal For they grant that Christ by His Sufferings procures Grace and Gods acceptation of our good Works in so far as they are rewarded beyond their condignitie But to make the difference betwixt them and us the more clear we shall put in Four Words in the Doctrine and speak a little to them We say then that Christs Satisfaction is not only the Meritorious Cause of Justification but also 1. It is the nearest and most immediat Cause 2. The alone Meritorious Cause 3. The Meritorious Cause as Contradistinguished from and opposed to our own Works and inherent Righteousnesse 4. It is the Meritorious Cause as inherent in Him and as imputed to us These Four are clear in the Text and may very well be put in the Doctrine 1. Then we say it 's not only the Meritoritorious Cause but the next Immediat Cause causa repinqua as we use to speak in the School of our Justification So that if it be asked what is the Cause or Ground on which God Absolves a Sinner or the next Immediat thing that He hath a respect to in His Justifying of him It 's Christs Merit His Soul-travel and Sufferinâ— Papists deny this and make the next Immediat Cause to be the Grace infused in us that which is called gratia gratum faciens But if ye ask the Prophet what is the Ground I mean the next Immediat Cause on which Justification is deryved to many He tells us that it 's not the inherent Righteousnesse of these who are Justified but that it 's Christ's Soul-travel and His bearing of our iniquities Hence 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is called our Righteousnesse He is saiâ—h the Apostle made of God unto us wisdom righteousness c. Not only by Christ have we a Righteousnesse that makes us acceptable to God but His Righteousnesse is ours and God respecting of us in or through it makes us acceptable 2dly Not only is His Righteousnesse the Meritorious Cause but it 's the only Meritorious or the alone Meritorious Cause and herein Papists and we differ They grant that Christ's Satisfaction is the Meritorious Cause but remotly only as it procures inward or inherent Grace by which we Merit but they will not have it to be the only Meritorious Cause but will needs have our own Works to merit also and that properly whereas the Prophet speaks of Justification as the effect of Christ's Soul-travel only and if so then there can be no other thing admitted for there cannot be two social or joynt Meritorious Causes Therefore throughout the Scripture when the Merit of Justification is attributed to Christ it excludes all other things and is opposed to our own works which is the Third thing 3ly Then we say That Christ's Righteousness is the Meritorious Cause of our Justification as Contra-distinguished from and opposed to our own inherent Righteousnesse or Works and herein also Papists and we differ They grant indeed a Meritorious Influence to Christ's Righteousnesse but that is say they as it makes our own Righteousnesse Meritorious Not as Contra-distinguished from and opposed to our own Righteousnesse but as having influence on it Now these are directly opposed in Scripture I shall only name that one clear place Phil. 3 9. That I may be found in him not having my own righteousnesse which is of the law out that which is through the faith of Christ Where Paul consulting and resolving what he will betake himself to as his Defence at the bar of God We see 1. That it is His Scope and Design that in the day of Judgement he may be found in such a case and posture that he may be able to abide the tryal And 2. That he speaks of Two Righteousnesses the One is his own that is the inherent Grace which he hath gotten and the Works which he hath done The Other is the Righteousness of Christ without him which is by Faith Now when he layes his reckoning he is so far from joyning these two together as Con-causes or Social Causes of his Justification that he opposes them That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness in him without my own or not having my own c. in him as having given up with denyed and renunced my own Righteousnesse he will not admit of that on any terms in lesse or in more so clearly doth he as to his
Believer is to beware least he be stollen off his feet and misken Christs Intercession for then he is ready to think that he cannot but be well and his prayers cannot but be heard because he gets liberty to put them up and it 's then often that there is hazard to lay least weight on Christs Intercession To improve Christs Intercession aright in such cases these Two are to be adverted to 1. That his Intercession be acknowledged as the fountain and procuring cause of that liberty and liveliness and so we are to carry a stoped mouth before God and not to boast of it For as we shew the pouring out of the Spirit is a special fruit of Christs Intercession It being by vertue thereof that gifts are given and grace to worship God in a spiritual manner 2. That we beware of thinking that our prayers are in a fitness or that they put us in a fitness of access to God because of that liberty except by vertue of Christs Intercession more then if we had not a word to say There is in our unbelief and presumption a secret inclination to lay the weight of our acceptance on our own liberty Whereas Revel 8. the prayers of all Saints must come up before God having the smoak of his incense to make them acceptable In which respect in a case of liberty Christs Intercession is made use of and improven when we are denyed to our own liberty and it is not made the ground of our confident application to God but Christs Intercession onâ—y Again 2. when the Believer is in bonds in some eminent manner so that he cannot pray he scarce hath a word to speak to God he goes it 's true about the duty but he comes not speed his prayer relishes not to himself he is like one speaking but not praying his heart is not warmed neither is there at least to his own apprehension any connexion betwixt his words whereupon he is ready to think that his prayer is as good as no prayer because of that inclination that is in all of us to rest on our own praying without making use of thâ— Intercession of Christ The reasons why in this case we would presse the use-making of his Intercession are these 1. Lâ—aâ—t we faint and grow wear in prayer which cannot but befal us if his Intercession be not made use of 2. Least we loss the estimation of the excellent worth of Christs Intercession which is exceeding derogatory to him that is mighty to save and on whom help is laid and it is especially for such a time and case that he is holden forth for an Intercessour Now there is a twofold improvement of Christs Intercession called for in this case when the Believer is in bonds and cannot so much as sigh but it 's called in question whether it be accepted though yet the man is serious 1. There is an improving of it for obtaining of that which we have been aiming at though we cannot tell our own teal to speak so nor open our cause nor make known our requests to God yet to expect what we have been aiming at and seeking after by vertue of Christs Intercession for as ill set together as our prayer hath been because it is founded upon the Intercession of the Mediator and we expect a hearing on that account alaâ—erly it being his Intercession that makes our prayers acceptable it can make such a poor prayer acceptable also whereupon the Soul rests quiet and expects a hearing on this ground because as was said the prayers of all Saints go up from his Censer and with his Incense and none are cast back that are put up through him and by vertue of his Intercession Hence sometimes looks sometimes thoughts sometimes broken words and groans come up before God are acceptable and get a return The reason is because through the Intercession of the Mediator the prayers of all Saints are acceptable This is even as if a man should credit his able Advocat with the managing of his Cause although he cannot to speak so â—outh-band his own teal nor expresse himself satisfyingly to himself in it Hâ—nce we have these words often John 14. and 16. Whatever ye ask in my name believing ye shall receive and whatever ye ask in my name I will do it that is when ye ground the expectation of your hearing and speed-coming in prayer on me and my mediation when folks because of their short-comings in prayer give over the expectation of a hearing and a return they give over in so far the laying of due weight on his Intercession only ye would remember the terms on which a person is warranted to make use of his Intercession for when we follow not his way in the improving of it we cannot expect to come speed or get good by it 2. A Believer in his bonds would expect a lousing through the vertue of his Intercession And this is another way how we would improve it in this case when we are bound up and to speak so langled that we cannot stir in prayer then we would have an eye to the efficacy of Christs Intercession that is of continual vigour and efficacy even when we are very dead indisposed and lifelesse for the attaining of liberty and liveliness This is indeed to cast a look to him and singly to improve the efficacy of his mediation when we cannot speak on word to work up our selves to a disposition for that work And these two go well together to be improving his Intercession for obtaining what we need for the time present and for the time to come and when we are in bonds to be improving it for liberty and freedom 2dly There is an use-making of Christs Intercession called for both when we aim to obtain any thing and when we have obtained that which we would be at 1. In our aiming to have or obtain we would improve it that our addresses to God may be in his name and our Faith of obtaining may be founded on Christs Intercession and not on our own and that our Faith may be stayed and fixed in expectation of the thing The improving of Christs Intercession in his respect leads us 1. To the right way of prosecuting our suits to God and 2. It quiets and fixâ—s us in expecting of an answer and when this is wanting Christians are either discouraged and know not how to pursue their cause or else they are carnally secure and presumptuous which is very ordinary for either as I have said we are under an anxious fear so that we know not how to go about dutie with any hope of success or else we grow secure and slack and careless in dutie 2ly There is an use-making of Christs Intercession when we have obtained any benefit which keeps the Soul in his common and debt and in acknowledging it self to be his Debtor This makes Christians when they have gotten any thing to be humble and helps them to a sanctified use of
think we must report can we report any other way then it is with you Shall we or dare we say that such a Man was a fine civil Man and that therefore he will not be reckoned with though he believed not in Christ No no but this must be the report that such a Man and such a kind of Men though Christ was long wooing them would not embrace Him though He invited them to the Wedding yet they would not come nay they mocked and spurned at it they trode the Blood of the Covenant under Foot and counted God a Liar in all His Offers and said by their Practice that they should be happy though they took not this way many of you who would not take it well if we should speak this to you in particular will find it to be a Truth one day And if ye shall say What would we be at The answer is at hand Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved This is the End of the Gospel and the mean of your Happiness it 's the great and the main thing that we call for which if it be not obtained the ground of the Complaint will continue And do you think this any strange hard or uncouth thing that when we bring to you the Offer of Christ in the Gospel we bid you receive it and flee in to Him to hide you from the Wrath to come and yet this is all we seek of you it 's neither your Shame nor your Skaith that we seek but that ye may take with your Sin that ye may judge and condemn your selves that your Mouth may be stopped before God and that ye may flee to Jesus Christ in earnest and close with Him on His own Terms As therefore ye would prevent the greatly aggravated Sin to wit sinning against the Gospel and the Complaint of the Ministers thereof against you and the terrible Vengeance of the Mediator Kiss the Son cast open the everlasting Doors of your Hearts and let the Gospel and Christ the King of Glory have access We pray you stand not in the way of your own Happiness refuse not to do Him that much pleasure and satisfaction for all the travel of His Soul as to give Him your Souls to be saved Now God Himself keep you from this Folly and Soul-destroying madness SERMON X. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed WE have spoken somewhat these days past to sundry Doctrines from this part of the Verse and particularly of the sad Complaint which Isaiah hath in his own name and in the name of all the Ministers of the Gospel that the savoury Report concerning Jesus Christ is not received and that though Life and Salvation through Him be offered to many yet there are but few scarce here one and there one that do embrace it this is the sad result Lord who hath believed our report Words that being spoken by such a Prophet and so often mentioned in the New-Testament may and should as often as we speak hear or reâ—d them put both Ministers and People to a holy demur and to look what becomes of all our Preaching and Hearing when this was all the Fruit even of Isaiah's Preaching as to the greatest part of his Hearers Ere we leave this part of the Verse it will not be unmeet that we speak a little to these three First To what may be the Causes why when the Gospel is powerfully Preached there are so few Believers Secondly How it comes to pass seeing so few Believe that generally so many think they Believe and so few suspect their own Faith And Thirdly To the necessity that lyes on the Hearers of the Gospel to enquire at and try themselves concerning their Faith and to have some solid Satisfaction in it Although we mention no particular Doctrines now yet considering the Doctrines we spoke to before these things will not be unsuitable to them nor impertinent to you For the first The Causes why so few believe the Gospel we cleared to you already That generally the powerful Preaching of the Gospel hath been with little Fruit so that Isaiah hath this sad Complaint Lord who hath believed our report and our Lord Jesus hath it also on the matter Mat. 11.7 We have piped to you and ye have not danced we have mourned to you and ye have not lamented and in the same express words John 12.38 And when it is so with sweet Isaiah in the Old Testament and with our blessed Lord in the New that spoke with such Power and Authority ye may see there is reason for us to enquire into the Causes why it is that so few Believe In speaking to which 1. We intend not to touch on all the Reasons that may be gathered together of Peoples not profiting under the Gospel but of these that ye have most reason to look to and that are most obstructive of Faith in you 2. Though we might speak of Reasons on the side of them that speak to you for who is sufficient for these things and we shall not deny but we have culpable accession to your Unfruitfulness yet it were not much to your edifying to insist on these 3. Neither will we speak to these soveraign Causes on God's part who in His Holy Justice gives up People to Unfruitfulness when they receive not the Truth in Love Neither 4ly Shall we insist on these Causes that may arise from the Devil who waits on wherever the Word is preached to mar the Fruit of it as we may see Mat. 13.19 the evil Spirits like as many Crows when the Seed of the Word is sowen waiting on to pick it up and ye would know that ye never come to hear the Word but there are as it were Flocks of Devils attending you Hence it is that some are rocked and lulled asleep some have their Minds filled with worldly Thoughts some forget all that they Hear ere they go out of Doors thus it is with many Hearers of this Gospel their Hearts are trode upon as the Way-side by Devils and Foul-Spirits that never a word takes impression on them and though ye may think such expressions uncouth-like and strange yet they are sadly true Satan waited on when Christ preached and sure he will scar no more to do so at our Preaching than he did at His if he stood at Joshua's right Hand to resist him he will no doubt be at ours But we say we will not insist on these But 5ly We shall speak a little to these Causes that are common in you which ye your selves mâ—ght know if ye would observe them and we would exhort you to take notice of them when we tell you of them First Then we offer or rather assert this for a Cause The want of serious minding the great concernment of the work of your Salvation and that this preached Gospel is the Word of the Lord by which ye must be saved Alace
though ye have immortal Souls and though this Word be the mean of your Salvation yet there are Hundreds of you that never lay it to Heart that your Souls are in hazard and that this Word must be it that ye must live by and live upon I appeal to your Consciences if ye think upon this seriously want of this Consideration fosters Security breeds Laziness and makes and keeps you Careless and Carnal I shall instance the want of it in three respects 1. Look how ye are affected towards this Word and your own edification by it before ye come to hear it How few are hungering and thirsting or preparing for benefite by it or preparing to meet with God in it In effect ye come not with a design to profite so that if it were known it would be wondred at wherefore ye come to hear the Word as Christ says of some They came not because they saw the miracles but because they did eat of the loaves and were filled so may we say of you that ye come not to profite by the Word but on some crooked carnal design 2. Look how ye carry when ye are come How many sleep a great part of the Sermon so that it 's a shame to look on the face of our Meetings when in every corner some are Sleeping whose Consciences God will waken ere long and the Timber and Stones of the House will bear witness against them Were you in any other Meeting about ordinary Business there would not be such Sleeping But when ye are Waking what is your Carriage for ye may be Waking and your Heart far away or fast asleep how seldom can ye give account of what is said though your Bodies be present your Hearts are wandering ye are like these spoken of Ezek. 33.31 who sat before the Prophet as God's people but their hearts went after their covetousness how often while ye are sitting here is your Heart away some in their Thoughts running after their Trade some after their Merchandice some after one thing some after another This is one sad instance of it that there are many of you who have had Preaching fourty or fifty Years that can scarce tell one Note of it all and no wonder for ye were not attentive in the Hearing of it 3. Look how ye carry after the Word is heard What unedifying Discourse will ye be engaged in ere ye be well at the Door how carnally and carelesly do many rush unto and go away from hearing of the Word and when ye get a word that meets with your Souls Case do ye go to your Knees with it before God desiring Him to breath on it and to keep it warm or do ye meditate upon it Now put these three together your Carriage before in the time and after your Hearing the Word ye will find that there is just cause to say that the most part that hear this Gospel are not serious what wonder then that it do them no good In the end of that Parable of the Sower Matth. 13. Mark 4. and Luke 8. its said by the Lord Take heed how ye hear for whosoever hath to him shall be given c. If ye improve well your Hearing ye will get yet more but so long as ye take no heed how ye hear ye cannot profite A second Ground or Cause is this That the most part of Hearers never come to look on this Word as the Word of God they come never almost to have a Historical Faith of it it 's said Heb. 11.6 He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him diligently But when Folk do not really believe that God is what wonder they seek Him not that they fear neither Judgment nor Hell and that they study not Holiness they say in their Hearts they shall have Peace though they walk in the imagination of their own Hearts and that the way to Heaven is not so narrow as Ministers say it is that God will not condemn poor christned Bodies this is the language of many Hearts and of some Mouths Need there any evidences of it be given if ye believed that the way to Heaven is so strait and that Holiness is so extensive could ye possibly with any seriousness reflect on your Heart and Way and not be affrighted But the truth is this Word gets not leave to sink in you as the Word of God therefore sayeth our Lord to His Disciples Luke 9.44 Let these sayings sink into your ears There are these things I fear ye do not Believe and let me not be thought to take on me to judge your Consciences when there are so many that profess they know God but in works they deny Him as it is Tit. 1.16 when we see such things in your Carriage we know that there is a principle of Unbelief whence they spring 1. There are many of you that really believe not there is a God or that He is such as His Word reveals Him to be to wit Holy Just Powerful c. else ye durst not live at feed with Him The fool hath said in his heart there is not a God they are corrupt c. your practical Atheism and Prophanity say ye believe not there is a God 2. Ye never believed the ill of your Nature Do ye think as James bespeaks these he writes to chap. 4.5 that the Scripture saith in vain the spirit that is in you lusts to envy Ye do not think that your Heart is deceitful and desperatly wicked though we should Preach never so much on this Subject yet ye lay it not to Heart ye take it not to you in particular 3. We are afraid that many of you believe not a Judgment and your particular and personal coming to it nay there are among you who are like to these Mockers spoken of by Peter in his second Epistle chap. 3. ver 3 4. who say where is the promise of his coming And as there were in Paul's days some thâ—t denied the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15. so there are still who do it on the matter at least Ye have the same corrupt Nature We would think that we had prevailed to some purpose if ye were brought really to believe that there is a God Life to come and a Day of Judgment and if ye did so ye would be more serious in Duty and would come more Hungry and Thirsty to the Word 4. The Mean and Mids of Salvation is not believed to wit That the way to Peace with God is Faith in Jesus Christ and that there is no way to Heaven but the way of Holiness If all your thoughts were spoke out it would be found that ye have another mids than Faith and another way than that of Holiness And to make out this we need go no further then to your Practice we are sure many of you live in Prophanity and yet ye have all a hope of Heaven and what says this but
that ye think not Faith and Holiness necessary but that ye may come to Heaven another way and this is an old Fault and Deceit it was in Moses his days for some are brought in Deut. 29.19 saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart and add drunkenness to thirst though I tipple daily at my Four Hours though I follow my Lusts and Pleasures and take my fouth and fill of the World we cannot be all Saints c. The Lord will not spare that man but His anger and jealousie shall smoke against him and all the curses that are written in this book shall ly upon him and the Lord will blot out his name from under Heaven and though this be not now believed it shall be found verified There are many when they come to Judgment that will know to their cost the truth of many things they never believed before as we find in that rich Man who says to Abraham Send some to tell my brethren that they come not to this place of torment it says as much as that He in his life-time did not believe how terribly-tormenting a place Hell is and it is even so still Though Men and Women have immortal Souls yet they go on following their sinful way and believe not that any evil shall befall them till God's Curse and Vengeance overtake them A third Ground or Cause is That Folk never think themselves in hazard nor suffer their hazard to affect them and therefore they seek not after the Remedy hence the Jâ—ws Scribes and Pharisees rejected Christ why they were righteous Persons whole and needed not the Physiciâ—n And thus it is with many of you ye will take with it that ye are Sinners but not with the gracelesness of your Nature and this makes it that when Life and Reconciliation with God are offered we have almost none to accept of it why so ye are generally in your own opinion good Friends with God already none of you almost think that ye have hatred at God and so ye carelesly and unconcernedly let the opportunity of making your Peace with Him slip over even like these Jews spoke of Joh. 8.44 45. who when Christ said to them Ye have the devil to your father answered he had a devil and that God was their Father that they were come of Abraham and were not born of fornication So it is with many of you ye could never endure to even your selves to Hell nor to take with it that ye were heirs of Wrath as if ye had been born with other Natures then the ordinary Race of Mankind is and this keeps so many of you that ye get no good of this Gospel for it seeks Sinners to pardon them and Enemies to reconcile them and till the Feud be once taken with the Friendship will never be sought after nor will it find Merchants though when once the Enmity is taken with the Gospel hath many sweet peaceful and comfortable words to speak to the Man afterwards A fourth Ground is The love of Money and of the World which is the root of all ill This is given as a main Cause Matth. 13. why the Word profites not The seed is sowen among thorns and the thorns spring up and chock it the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches chocked the Word This is not oppression nor stealing but entanglement with and addictedness to the things of this present World Folks allowing themselves too much satisfaction in their Riches and Pelf counting themselves as if all were well if they have it and grieved if they want it as if there were nothing but that to make Happy being wholly taken up about it and leaving no room for the concerns of their Souls for Prayer and Seeking of God nor for Challenges to work on them they are so wholly taken up with their Callings and Business for they lay it for a Ground that they must be rich and then they give themselves wholly to all things that may contribute to that end and that chockes and suffocates the Word that it never comes up that nothing comes to perfection therefore Christ says Luke 21.24 Take heed ye be not overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this life I am afraid that many moe among you who are civil and esteemed vertuous and frugal shall perish in this Pit of Worldly-mindedness then shall perish by Drunkenness Gluttony Fornication or the like and yet there is nothing more frequent in Scripture then words spoken to scar Folk from Earthly-mindedness How hard is it says Christ for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven and such a Man is he that is taken up with Riches and places his Happiness and Contentment in them whether he have more or less of them We speak not this to foster Idleness in any but to press Moderation in the use of lawful things Ye think it enough if we cannot charge you with Oppression Stealing Whoring and the like but this Gospel will charge you with the love of Money and if it find the love of the World in you the love of the Father will not be found in you Doth not your experience tell you that it 's not an easie matter to be much taken up with the World and to win at a suitable disposition for Duties of Religion and to be painful in them A fifth Ground is Folks little prizing of the Gospel and the Benefites that come by it They look not upon it as their Happiness to have Communion with God they who are invited to the Marriage of the King's Son Mat. 22. will not come and the reason is given they made light of it the Offer of the Gospel hath no weight it relishes not If a Market of fine things at a cheap Rate were proclaâ—med ye would all run to it but ye delight not in the Word of God ye prize not the Gospel and the precious Wares that it exposeth to sale amongst you And to evidence and make out this I would ask you these few Questions And 1. I would ask you how often or rather how seldom have you sitten down purposly and thanked God for sending the Gospel to you ye have given thanks for your Dinner but how often have ye given Him thanks that ye have the Gospel Sabbath-days and Week-days 2. How little do many of you wait on the Preaching of it were there a Message sent to you but from some ordinary Man let be from a great Man ye would straiten your selves and your Business too somewhat that ye might hear it and yet it 's a wonder to think how some in this Place except on the Sabbath will hardly be seen in the Church from one end of the Year to the other 3. Had ye any evident to draw of House or Land ye would seek to have it drawn very well and sure but many of you never sought to have the evidents of Heaven made sure ye
them to wit Sin therefore to such as he cured he says very often Thy sins be forgiven thee he studied to remove that in most of them he did deal with and so looking on our Lord as taking on our Sins complexly with the cause and as having a right to remove all the effects of Sin evidencing it self in the removing of these Diseases whereof Sin was the cause these words may be thus fulfilled and so they are clear and the Doctrine also We have here no meer exempâ—ary Saviour that hath done no more but confirmed his Doctrine and given us a copy how to do and behave but he hath really and actually born our Sorrows and Griefs and removed our Debt by undergoing the punishment due to us for Sin Observe here 1. That Sin in no Flesh no not in the Elect themselves is without Sorrow and Grief Tribulation and Anguish are knit to it or it hath these following on it or take the Doctrine thus Wherever there is Sin there is the cause of much Sorrow and Grief no more can the native cause be without the effect then Sin can be without Sorrow and Grief it 's the plain assertion of Scripture Rom. 2.8 9. Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil which one place putting the four words together says 1. That there is Sorrow most certainly and inseparably on every Soul that hath sinned And 2. That this Sorrow is exceeding great which may also be the reason why this Sorrow is set out in two words in the Text therefore four words are used by the Apostle to express it It 's not our purpose here to dispute whether God in his Justice doth by necessity of Nature punish the Sinner These three things considered will make out the Doctrine which is That there is a necessary connexion betwixt Sâ—n and Sorrow and that this Sorrow must needs be very great 1. If we consider the exceeding unsuitableness of Sin to the holy Law of God and how it is a direct contrariety to that most pure and perfect Law 2. If we consider the perfectly holy Nature of God himself The righteous Lord saith the Pâ—almist Psal 11.7 loveth righteousness and the Prophet Hab. 1.13 says He is of purer eyes then that be can behold evil and he cannot look upon iniquity and though we need noâ— to dispute Gods Soveraignty yet it is clear that he is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7.11 and he will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34.7 and thaâ— there is a greater suitableness in his inflicting Sorrow and Grief on a Sinner that walks contrary to him then there is in shewing him Mercy and there is a greater suitableness in his shewing Mercy to a humbled Sinner that is aiming to walk holily before him 3. If we consider the revealed will of God in the Threatning who hath said the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die we may say there is as they speak in the Schools a hypothetick necessity of grief and sorrow to follow on Sin and that there is a necessary connexion betwixt them and this may very well stand with the Mediator his coming in and interposing to take that Grief and Sorrow from off us and to lay it on himself but it was once ours because of our Sin If it be askâ—d wâ—at Grief and Sorrow this is We said it's very great and there is reason for it for though our act of Sin 1. As to the Subject that Sins Man And 2. As to the act of â—in it self a sinful thought word or deed that is soon gone be finit yet if we consider Sin 1. In respect of the object â—gainst whom the infinite God 2. In respect of the absolute purity of Gods Law a rule that bears ouâ— Gâ—ds Image set down by infinite Wisdom and that may be some way called infinitely pure and Sin as being against this pure rule that infinite Wisdom hath set down And 3. If we consider it in no respect of its nature every sin being of this nature that though it cannot properly wrong the Majesty of God yet as to the intention of the thing and even of the Sinner it wrongs him Sin in these respects may be called infinite and the wrong done to the Majesty of God thereby may be called infinite as these who built Babel their intention in that work breathed forth infinite wrong to God as having a direct tendency to bring them off from dependance on him and so every Sin if it had its will and intent would put God in subordination to it and set it self in his room and therefore Sin in some respect as to the wrong against God is infinite 2. Observe That the real and very great Sorrow that the Sins of the Elect deserved our Lord Jesus did realty and actually bear and suffer as we have exponed the words and confirmed the exposition given of them ye have a clear confirmation of the Doctrine from them 1. Griefs and Sorrows in the plural Number shew intensness of Sorrow and Grief 2. That they are called ours it shews our propriety in them And 3. That it 's said Christ bare them These concur to prove the Doctrine that the same Sorrow which the Sins of the Elect deserved Christ bare It not only says that our Lord bare Sorrows but the same Sorrows that by the Sins of the Elect were due to them and so there was a proportionableness betwixt the Sorrows that he bare and the Sorrows they should have endured he took up the cup of Wrath that was filled for us and that we would have been put to drink and drank it out himself suppose that our Lord had never died as blessed be his Name there is no ground to make the supposiâ—ion the cup of Sâ—rrow that the Elect would have drunken eternally was the same cup that he drank our for them It is true we would distinguish betwixt these things that are essentially due to Sin as the punishment of it and these things that are only accidentally due to it the former Christ bare but not the latter To clear both in a word or two 1. These things essentially due to Sin as necessarly included in the Threatning The day thou eatest thou shalt surely die and in the curse of the Law according to that Cursed is every one that abides not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them are Death and the Curse these are essentially the desert of Sin in which respect it was not only necessary that Christ should become Man and â—â—ffer but that he should suffer to death or shâ—uld die and not only so but that he should die the cursed death of the Cross as the Threatning and Curse put together hold out and as to all these things that he underwent and met with before and at his death they were the accomplishment of the Threatning due to us and fulfilled in and by him in our room
Christ Jesus It 's Gods great mercy that he hath given a Mediator and that the Mediator is come and that he hath taken on our debt What had been our eternal perishing and wallowing in Hells torments with Devils to his sufferings Alwayes this Doctrine saith that there is a necessity of making use of him and receiving of him And therefore either resolve to meet with this sorrow in your own persons or betake you to him that by his interposing it may be kept off you Weigh these two that sorrow death and the curse necessarily follow sin And that Jesus Christ hâ—th died and undergone that curse for elect sinners and then ye will see a necessity of being found in him that ye may be free of the curse Which made Paul make that choise Philip. 3 8 9 I count all things dung that I may win Christ and be found in him Oft-times the allurements of the Gospel prevail not to bring sinners to Chriâ—t but if it's allurements do not prevail will not the consideration of the vengeance of God perswade you However in these two Doctrines ye have in sum this the curse of God following sin and a free and full Saviour holden out to you by whom ye may eviâ—e the curse ye are invited â—o make him welcome Choose you death and life are set before you whereby you are put to it whether ye will adventure to meet with the curse or to make him welcome Now God himself make you wise to make the right choise SERMON XX. ISAIAH LIII IV V. Vers 4. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted Vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed IF we had the Faith of that which the Prophet speaks here and the through conviction who it is of whom he speaks we would be in a holy transport of admiration and astonishment at the hearing of it That it 's he who is the Prince of life that was bruised and wounded and that these bruises wounds and stripes are ours were for us and the price and satisfaction for our iniquities to Divine Justice And yet that even he in the performing of all this is vilipended and despised by these whose good he is thus pursuing and seeking after O! how should it be wondered at These words as we shew hold forth these three 1. The cause or end of Christs suffering Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows which is to remove and take away the scandal that might arise from Christs Humiliation described in the foregoing words He was low indeed but there was no guilt found in his mouth It was for no quarrel that God had at himself but he undertook our debt and therefore carried our sorrows 2. The aggravation of mens enmity and desperat wickedness that yet notwithstanding of all this We esteemed him smitten of God and a flicted 3. We have the Exposition of the first part more clearly set down But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities c. Where more fully he expounds what in the beginning of the 4. vers he asserted We expounded the first part of the words and shew that these griefs and sorrows held forth the due desert of sin called ours because they are the due and particular desert of our sins and that which they procured and that Christ's bearing of them was not only meant of his taking away or removing from us of sorrows and griefs as he did diseases but of his real undergoing of that which we should have undergone even such a bearing as made others think him smitten and plagued of God and such as wounded and bruised him even such as made him become a curse for us and such as procured healing to us All which proves that it was a reâ—l undergoing of sorrow and grief We spoke to two Doctrines from this part 1. That sin hath sorrow necessarily knit to it and never wanteth sorrow following on it 2. That Christ Jesus undertook these same sorrows and really bare these same griefs that sin procured to the Elect or that by sin were due to them That we may proceed to observe somewhat more and for clearer access to the Doctrine we shall speak a word to a Question that may be moved here What is meant by these words our we and us He hath born our griefs the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all by his stripes we are healed And the rather I would speak to this because throughout the Chapter we will find these Pronouns very frequent We know in Scripture our and us are sometimes extended to all mankind so we are all lost in Adam and sin hath a dominion over us all And that part of the worâ—s vers 6. All we like sheep have gone astray may well be extended to all mankind Sometimes it is to be restrictâ—d to God's Elect and so all comprehends only such and all such And in this respect our us and we and all are contradistinguished from many others in the World and take not in all men as Gal. 4.26 Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all Which is spoken in opposition to thâ— bond woman and her children spoken of before So that this our us and we are not to be extended to all individual men in the Wâ—rld as if Christ had satisfied the Justice of God for all but it is to be applied to Gods Elect separat in his purpose from others and in Gods design appointed to be redeemed and satisfied for by Christ And the words being thus expounded they lead us to this Doctrine that Jesus Christ in bearing the punishment of sin had a particular and distinct respect to some definite sinners for confirmation of it we shall not go out of the Chapâ—er the scope whereof we would clear a little And if we look thorow the Chapter we will find five grounds to clear these words are to be thus restricted For 1. We are to expound this universal with respect to Gods purpose and Covenant the contrivance of the Elects Redemption and to the death of Christ the execution of it and so these words our us we all are and must be restricted to these and in them we are to find out who they are Now who these are we find clear John 6.37 39. In the 37. v. where he saith All that the Father hath given me shall come unto me And v. 39. This is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing It 's in a word these whom the Father hath given to Christ and as many as are given will believe And certainly these that are given to Christ to be redeemed by him are the same whose iniquities the Father makes to meet on
intention towards him Upon the other side the more consolation be in this to Believers it speaks the greater ground of terrour to unbelievers because of the prejudice they sustain by the want of this And as many of you as make not Faith and Holiness your study ye ly out of the reach of this consolation that flows from Christs bearing the griefs and sorrows of his own And therefore let the prophane senâ—â—ess multitude that know not what it is to die to the Law or to live to Holiness as ye would not commit Sacriledge stand a-back and not dar to meddle with this redemption till ye stoop and come in at this door of Faith and Holiness And let as many as are in this way admit of the consolation for it 's the Lords allowance upon you But for others if ye presume to take hold of it the Lord will wring it from you and let you know to your cost that ye had nothing to do with it SERMON XXI ISAIAH LIII IV V. Vers 4. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted Vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed THese words and all this Chapter look liker a piece of the History of the Gospel then a Prophecy of the Old Testament The sufferings of the Messiah being so directly pointed at in them We shew that this first part of the 4. Verse holds forth the cause of his sufferings and it is applyed to our Lord Matth. 8.17 and 1 Pet. 2.24 As for the second part of the Verse in these words yet we esteemed him smitten of God stricken and afflicted any who are acquainted with the Gospel cannot but know that it was fulfilled in him and it is an aggravation of their sin who did so undervalue and despise him that though he condescended to come so low for us yet we slighted him even then when there was greatest love let out we abused it and made it the rise of greatest malice and for the 5. Verse it is applied by Peter 1 Pet. 21.24 This whole Chapter then being so Gospel like and having a direct fulfilling in Christ we may draw this general Doctrine from it That our Lord Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified died and was buried and rose again the third day is the very same Messiah that was prophesied of in the Old Testâ—ment and was promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob whom the Fathers before his coming in the Flesh were waiting for And though this may be looked on as but a very common and useless Doctrine yet it is the main ground and foundâ—tion of our Faith we take many things for granted wherein if we were well tried and put to it we would be found unsicker and in this among the rest Now for confirmation of it this same one argument will make it out we shall not follow it at length but in the prosecuâ—ing of it shall astrict our selv s to this Chapter the argument runneth thus if in Christ Jesus that which was prophesied of the Messiah and promised to the Fathers have its fulfilling and accomplishment then he must be the same Messiah that was prophesied of and promised to them for these things spoken of the one and alone Messiah can agree to no other But whatever was prophesied and spoken or promised of the Messiah to the Fathers to the least circumstance of it was all fully accomplished and fulfiled in Christ therefore the conclusion laid down in the Doctrine follows to wit that our blessed Lord Jesus is the same Messiah that was prophesied of promised to the Fathers and whom they before his coming were looking for So that that question needs not now to be proposed art thou he that should come or do we look â—or another Go says Christ Mat. 11.4 5.6 and tell John the blind receive their sight the lame walk and the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear and the dead are raised and the poor have the Gospel preached to them and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me blessed is he who because of my Humiliation is not stumbled Now not to make a rehearsal of the general Prophesies in Scripture all of which have their exact fulfilling in Christ we shall only speak to two things here for makâ—ng out of the Argument proposed 1. That this Chapter speaks of the Messiah 2. That what is spoken in it is literally fulfilled in Christ 1. That this Chapter speaks of the Messiah Though of old the blinded Jâ—ws granted it yet now they say that it speaks of some other but that it speaks of him these things will make it evident 1. If we look to the 13. Verse of the former Chapter where it is said My servant shall deal prudentâ—y he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high there our Lord Jesus is spoken of as the Fathers Servant or great Lord-Deputy and the Jews themselves grant that this is mean'd of the Messiah and there is nothing more clear then that what is spoken in this Chapter relates to him who is called the Lords Servant in the former Chapter as we shew at our entering to speak of it 2 If we look to the description of his Person it can aggree to no other for it 's said There was no guile found in his mouth he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the shearer is dumb so he openâ—d not his mouth c. he had no sin of his oâ—n which can be said of no other therefore this Chapt r speaks of him 3. If we consider the end and effects of his Sufferings they do also clear it the end of his Sufferings for it 's for the transgressions of his People and as it is Dan. 9.26 He was to be cut off but not for himself the effects He shall see his feed and by his knowledge justifie many And the New Testament is full to this purpose there being no Scripture in all the Old Testament more made use of nor oftener applyed to Christ then this is 2. What is spoken in this Chapter is really and literally fulfilled in Christ and we may shortly draw what is in it to these five Heads all which we will find clearly fulfiâ—led in him 1. To his Suffâ—rings 2. To the ground of his Sufferings 3. To Mens account and estimation of him 4. To the Promises made to him 5. To the effects that followed on his Sufferings 1. For his Sufferings it 's said that he should be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief that he should be despised and rejâ—cted of men and not be esteemed that he should be looked on as stricken smitten of God and afflicted that he should bear ouâ— sorrows and griefs and be wounded for our transgressions
little or no ground for application of his satisfaction but it 's kindly like when wrongs done to Christ affect most 2. When not only challenges for sin against the Law but for sins against Christ and Grace offered in the Gospel do become a burden and the greatest burden 3. When the man is made to mind secret enmity at Christ and is disposed to muster up aggravations of his sinfulness on that account and cannot get himself made vile enough When he hath an holy indignation at himself and with Paul counts himself the chief of sinners Even thou h the evil was done in ignorance much more if it hath been against knowledge It 's no evil token when souls are made to heap up aggravations of their guilt for wrongs done to Christ and when they cannot get suitable expressions sufficiently to hold it out as it is an evil token to be soon satisfied in this There are many that will take with no challenge for their wronging Christ but behold here how the Prophet insists both in the words before in these and in the following words and he can no more win off the thoughts of it then he can win off the thoughts of Christs sufferings 6. While the Prophet saith when Christ was suffering for his own and for the rest of his peoples sins We esteemed him not but judged him smitten of God Observe briefly because we hasten to a close that Jesus Christ is often exceedingly mistaken by men in his most glorious and gracious works can there be a greater mistake then this Christ suffering for our sins and yet judged smitten and plagued of God by us Or more home even Christ Jesus is often shamefully mistaken in the work of his Grace and in the venting of his love towards them whose good he is procuring and whose iniquities he is bearing The Use of it serves 1. To teach us when we are ready to pass censure on Christs work to stand still to animadvert on and to correct our selves lest we unsuitably construct of him He gets much wrong as to his publick work as if he were cruel when indeed he is merciful as if he had forgotten us when when indeed he remembers us still And as to his privat work in particular persons as if he did fail in his promise when he is most faithful and bringing it about in his own way And 2. which is of affinity to the former it 's a warning to us not to take up hard constructions of Christ nor to misconstruct his work whâ—ch when misconstructed himself is mistaken and misconstructed How many think that he is breaking when he is binding up that he is wounding when he is healing that he is destroying when he is humbling Therefore we would suâ—pend passing censure till he come to the end and close of his work and not judge of it by halves and then we shall see there was no such ground for misconsâ—ructing of him who is every day holding on in his own way and steddily pursuing the same end that he did from the beginning And let him be doing so To him be praise for ever SERMON XXII ISAIAH LIII V Vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed IT 's hard to tell whether the Subject of this Verse and almost of this whole Chapter be more sad or more sweet It 's indeed a sad Subject to read and hear of the great Sufferings of our blessed Lord Jesus of the despiteful usage that he met with and to see such a speat of Malice spued and spitted out on that glorious face so that when he is bearing our Griefs carrying our Sorrows we do even then account him plagued smitten of God and afflicted and in a manner look upon it as well bestowed Yet it 's a most sweet Subject if we either consider the love it comes from or the comfortable effects that follow it that hath been the rise the cause and the occasion of much singing to many here below and is the cause and occasion of so much singing among the redeemed that are this day before the Throne of God and as the Grace of God hath overcome the malice of Men so we are perswaded this cause of rejoycing hath a sweetness in it beyond the sadness though often we mar our own Spiritual Mirth and know not how to dance when he pipes unto us These words are an explication of the 4th Verse where it is asserted that Christs Sufferings were not for himself but for us from and by which the Prophet having aggreged Mens malice who notwithstanding thereof esteemed him not yea judged smitten of God he comes again for furthering and carrying on of this Scope to shew more particularly the ground end and effects of Christs Sufferings where ye would remember what we hinted before in general that Folks will never think nor conceive of Christs Sufferings rightly till they conceive and take him up as suffering for them and when we consider this we think it no wonder that the most part esteem but little of the Sufferings of Christ because there are so few that can take him up under this notion as standing in their room and paying their debt and as being put in Prison for them when they are let go free In this 5th Verse We have these three 1. A further expression of Christs Sufferings 2. The cause of them or the end that he had before him in them 3. The benefites and fruits or effects of them There are in the words four expressions which I shall clear 1. He was wounded to shew the reality that was in his Sufferings he was actually pierced or as the word is rendered in the Margin tormented and the cause is our transgressions and while it is said He was wounded for our transgressions he means 1. That our Transgressions procured his wounding And 2. That his wounding was to remove them and to procure pardon to us 2. He was bruised that is pressed as Grapes in a Wine-press he under-went such a wounding as bruised him to shew the great desert of Sin and the heaviness of wrath that would have come on us for it had not he interposed and the cause is our iniquities And these two words transgressions and iniquities shew the exceeding abominableness of Sin Transgressions or Errings pointing at our common Sins Iniquities or Rebellions pointing at greater guilt 3. The chastisement or as the words bear the discipline of our peace was upon him It supposes first That we by nature were at feud with and enemies to God Secondly That before our peace could be procured there behoved to be a satisfaction given to Justice the Mediator behoved to come under discipline and chastisement 4. And by his stripes we are healed he was so whipped that to say so the marks of the rod remained behind the first benefite looks to pardon of Sin and
Peace with God in the first three expressions the second in this last expression looks to our Sanctification and purging from the dominion and pollution of Sin By Christs becoming Sin for us there is a way made to wash us from all the guilt of Sin and from all the foul spots and stains that were on us by Sin and he hath thus procured Holiness to us we come easily by it but it cost Christ dear yea very dear These very sad but most sweet and Soul-solacing words hold out a short sum of the substance and marrow of the Gospel and because they do so we shall speak of them summarily together and ye would the more seriously attend especially such as are more ignorant that by the reading and opening up of this Verse ye may be brought and kept in mind of the sum of the heads of the Gospel and to make the matter the more clear I shall endeavour to make the Doctrines drawen from it as so many answers to six or seven questions As 1. What is Mans condition naturally and what is the condition of all them that get not benefite by Christs death 2. How is Man redeemed and fred from that condition 3. By whom is he fred or who makes the Satisfaction 4. How doth he perform that Satisfaction 5. What are the benefites that flow from and come to us by the Satisfaction performed 6. Who are the Persons for whom Christ hath performed the Satisfaction and to whom he hath procured these Benefites 7. What is the way how these Benefites are transferred or derived to these Persons And putting these seven together we may have a short Catechism in one Verse 1. Then What is Mans condition by Nature 1. He is under Transgressions 2. Under Iniquities 3. At feud with God And 4ly Under wounds and most loathsome Diseases of a sinful Nature In a word Man by Nature is a Sinner guilty greatly guilty under Gods Wrath and Curse and at Feud with God of a most sinful and abominable nature even sick of and loathsome because of Sin The first is implyed in this word He was wounded for our transgressions that is our common Sins The second is holden out in the next word He was bruised for our iniquities or Rebellions which holds out great guilt The third in that word The chastisement of our peace was on him which suppons that we were once without Peace with God The last word By his stripes we are healed supposeth that we continue in that condition filthy and polluted and polluting our selves more and more greedy to drink in Sin and wounding and sickning our selves by Sin Now lay these four words together they clear this truth to our Judgment and serve to point out to us the necessity of a Mediator Again Consider them in a second notion and they tell us that even the Elect themselves are by Nature in the same sinful and rebellious condition wiâ—h others at feud with and under the Curse of God and abominably polluted before they be washed and healed as the Apostle asserts Ephes 2. We are by nature children of wrath even as others and here it is plainly declared He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities c. Some are ready to think as was hinted before that the Elect by nature were better than others or that God foresaw they would be better and therefore he elected them This piece of Arminianism is in all nâ—turally but this Text in down-right contradiction to such a groundless conceit answers and asserts that by nature they are even like others as the Apostle saith Rom. 11.32 God hath concluded them all under unbelief that he might have mercy on all All the Elect as well as others are concluded under Sin and Wrath that the way of obtaining any Spiritual Good might be by Mercy and Free-Grace alone 2. How are Folks fred from this sinful and miserable condition Answer 1. In general Before the quarrel can be taken away and their peace can be made there must be a Satisfaction which is implyed in these words the chastisement of our peace was on him which suppons the necessity of a Satisfaction made or to be made in respect of Gods decree and commination who said the day thou sins thou shalt die and cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the law to do them 2. And more particularly There must be a Satisfaction because there is 1. The Justice of God that hath a claim by a standing law 2. The Holiness of God that must be vindicate And 3 The Faithfulness of God that must cause be performed and come to pass what it hath impledged it self for as well in reference to the Threatning as to the Promise for these words Hath he said and will he not do it relate to the one as well as to the other there is a great mistake in many while they leap immediatly to Mercy without minding the necessity of a Satisfaction to provoked Justice and on this ground that God is merciful which if it were an argument good enough it would say that all even the Reprobate may get Mercy but we would consider the way that God hath laid down for Sinners coming to Mercy and how that before peace can be made he will needs have satisfaction to his Justice 3. Who maketh the Satisfaction The Text says it 's He and Him He was wounded for our trangressions the chastisement of our peace was on Him and who is this He and Him it's in general the Messiah who was then to come he who was conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary who suffered and was crucified who died and was buried and rose the third day even he who having the nature of God and our nature united in one Person He his own self bare our sins in his body on the tree as is said 1 Pet. 2.24 and He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him as it is 2 Cor. 5 ult even he of whom the Apostle hath been speaking here while he says We as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconcealed unto God And when we say it 's Christ that is mean'd of we are to understand it as well negatively and exclusively excluding all others as positively including him when we make him to be the only Saviour we exclude all that Men can do with their Penance Prayers Good-Works and all that Angels can do neither Man nor Angel could satisfie divine Justice and make our Peace with God and therefore it 's said Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved but the name of Jesus where it 's clear that all others are excluded as it is Psal 40.6 Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not c.
makes the offer on the terms of a satisfaction to Justice the Son as Mediator accepts the offer and undertakes for the Elect here am I to do thy will on the same terms that the offer is made and the Father accepts of the Sons engagement according to that word Matth. 3. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased he offers himself Surety for Sinners and the Father is content to accept of him as their Surety In the one respect it 's called the Fathers pleasure Vers 10. of this Chapter yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him c. because the terms were so proposed and in the other respect it 's called the Mediators pleasure or satisfaction Vers 11. because the condition proposed is satisfying to him The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand He undertakes to pay and God accepts of his undertaking and obliges himself to absolve the Believer and the words following He shall see his seed and of the travel of his soul and be satisfied and by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many are Promises made to him on supposition of his making satisfaction And in 2 Cor. 5. ult the first part of the Transaction is He hath made him to be sin for us that knew no sin and the other part of it is That we might be made the righteousness of God through him he accepting of the Bargain obtains a right to a justifying and absolving Sentence by vertue of his suffering for which cause these words are added in him or through him This shews the clearness of Gods Justice in proceeding with the Mediator the ground of Sinners Justification through him and gives Sinners a warrand to make use of Christs satisfaction as theirs because it was so agreed upon in the counsel of the God-head 5. We come now to speak a little to some properties of this Covenant and shall content our selves with three or four of them that make for the scope As 1. The justice and equity of it 2. The faithfulness of it 3. The freeness of it And 4. The wisdom that shines in this Bargain passing by the rest 1. The justice and equity of this Transaction may appear in these respects 1. That the Father should be satisfied that he that was wronged should have his honour restored that the threatning given out in his Law should light and take effect that the Soul that sins should in his own or in the Sureties person die and that a suitable recompence should be made to Justice before the Sinner be absolved 2. Justice appears in this respect That when the Son of God the Mediator offers to become Man and to endure and suffer all that the Elect should have suffered his sufferings should be accepted as a satisfaction because the justice of God yea the holiness power and greatness of God are as gloriously manifested in Christs satisfaction as if Man had suffered nay there would not have been such an amends and satisfaction made to Justice if all Creatures had suffered Justice by this means hath more satisfaction than it could have had otherways and hereby the holiness of God and the severity of his justice as well as the condescending love of God is the more manifested that he himself should condescend to satisfie therefore Rom. 3.26 it 's said That he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth on Jesus God is just in that he will not only have satisfaction but an equivalent satisfaction for the restoring of his Justice to its declarative glory wherein it suffered by Mans fall 3. Justice appears in this respect That the Mediator satisfying Justice these for whom he suffered should be acquitted and have the sentence of absolution past in their favours which the rather we would take notiâ—e of that we may know the redemption purchased â—nd bestowed by the Mediator is by an exact satisfying of Justice and not by removing of our sins as he did remove diseases nor by pardoning of them by an authority committed to him but as I said by a real and actual satisfying of the Justice of God for them therefore Luke 24. it 's said He behoved to suffer these things and then to enter into his glory there was a necessity of it because of the justice of this Covenant for the Son not only to become Man and be in a low condition but to become a Curse and to die the cursed death of the Cross A second property is faithfulness on all sides Faithfulness on the Fathers side in his Word and Promise to the Son All that are given of the father are made to come to him and there is nothing lost John 6.37 44 45. Faithfulness on the Sons side performing all according to his undertaking fulfilling all righteousness Therefore when in the 〈◊〉 word he sayes Deliver me from this hour in the next word he sayes But for this cause came I unto this hour It was my errand into the World and now I am to go about it by and by And I lay down my life for my sheep of my self no man taketh my life from me but I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again His faithfulness also appears in keeping all that are committed to his trust None of them shall perish but he shall raise them up at the last day Therefore he is called the good or faithful shepherd 3. It 's a free Covenant it 's just as betwixt God and the Mediator but as to the Elect it 's most free By his wounds we have pardon and by his stripes we have healing The chastisement of our peace was on him There is not one grain weight or worth to be satisfied by us He was made sin for us he was made the curse even the wrath-pacifying-sacrifice and offering That we might be made the righteousness of God not through ought in our selves but through him 2 Cor. 5. ult 4. It 's a most wise contrivance for if the Son had not become Man and Mediator how could Justice have been satisfied or the Elect pardoned and healed They could not satisfie for themselves and no creature could satisfie for them therefore the only wise God finds out a wise mids for such an end as is the saving of the Elect in a way wherein Justice and Mercy or free Grace sweetly kiss each other and wherein they both shine forth conspicuously and radiantly That which we would say in short concerning this Covenant is this that Jesus Christ hath undertaken to pay the Elect's debt and hath stepped in into their room And God hath imputed unto him their sin and accepted of a satisfaction from him for them And all this in a legal and just way so as there is access before the Throne of God for them to plead for the application of his Righteousness by vertue of this Covenant That as really and faithfully as Christ performed his uâ—dertaking to God and his satisfaction wâ—â— accepâ—â—d for
on this Satisfaction even such a way as procures Justificatâ—on and Healing to them And for your confirmation consider in general if it be possible that this Covenant of Redemption the Sufferings of the Mediator and the Promises made to Believing can be for nought did the Father pursue the Cautioner so hotly for nothing or did the Cautioner pay such a Ransom for nothing no certainly if it had not been to communicate Pardon and Peace with Healing by his Wounds anâ— Stripes to them who were lyâ—â—le to Condemnation and under the dominion of Sin neither of these would have been And therâ—fore for grounds of your Faith more particularly see here 1. A full Satisfaction God hath made way to Sinners Peace with himself by satisfying himself fully in Christ the Mediator for the sins of elect Believers so that a sinner that in the sense of sin betakes himself to him needs not to fear any back-accompts because what ever might make for our Peace was fully said on him so that we may with holy and humble boldness say that we are not come to the mount that might not be touched nor to blackness and darkness tempest and the sound of a trumpet but we are come unto mount Sion the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling Our invitation therefore to you is not to bid you come and compt for your own Debt your selves but to come and accept of Christs payment of it and of his Satisfaction whereby Justice is compleatly satisfied 2. See here as another ground of Faith the Justice of God not with respect to us but to the Bargain betwixt the Father and the Son who are the principal Parties and we to speak so but Parties accidentally in this Covenant the Covenant being primarly and mainly betwixt God and the Mediator the Justice of it appears in this that it hath respect to a Covenant which is fulfilled on all sides and therefore the Elects believing and taking hold of the Mediators Satisfaction cannot but be accepted as if he had payed the the Debt himself the Father to speak so had the carving of the Bargain and what satisfaction his Justice was to receive to his own mind and as it was Justice on the Sons side to satisfie according to his undertaking so it 's Justice on the Fathers side to pardon and be at peace with the Sinner that by Faith flies unto Jesus Christ 3. See in this Bargain not only Justice but Mercy as its just so it s a graciously free Bargain which is wonderful and may seem somewhat strange if not paradoxal yet it s nothing inconsistent with the way of Grace it 's just that the Cautioner should pay the Debt and yet that Debt is most freely and frankly pardoned as to us it 's Justice in the height as to the Mediator but free Grace as to us in the height we come to it freely and without price though it cost him dear And that is one of the Mediators Undertakings that it should be free to his Seed Joh. 6.40 This is the will of him that sent me that he who seeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life 4. Consider the reality and sureness of the Bargain it is such as it cannot fail having such Pillars to lean on the Faithfulness of God engaged on just and equal terms and the glory of God as the end and having a most necessary and câ—rtain effect to wit Healing to all to whom this soveraign Medicine is applyed This stability and sureness of the Covenant flows from Gods engaging to the Mediator and the Mediators engaging to God from the Mediators satisfying and the Fathers accepting of his Satisfaction which being confirmed by the Blood of the Testator it becomes a Testament which cannot be annulled nor altered or changed And if all this be so let me put the question is there not good ground here to exhort the Hearers of the Gospel to believe in Christ and on Believing to look for Life through him and a most solid ground laid down whereupon to build the hopes of Eternal Life and therefore seing this is the up-shot of all that Life is to be gotten freely by Faith in Jesus Christ improve this way of Salvation for making your Peace under no less certification than this even as ye would eshew reckoning with Divine Justice in your own Persons for the least Farthing of your Debt If it be objected here by any 1. We are at enmity with God and cannot satisfie I answer This Text tells you that satisfaction is not sought from you but from the Mediator who hath already given it and the Father hath accepted it for all such as shall by Faith plead the benefit of it 2. If ye shall say we know not how to win at God we are such as cannot step on foot forward and so very sinful and miserable that we know no such Transgressors and Wretches I answer Was it not for such that the Mediator transacted even for such as we Transgressors Rebels Despisers of him and such as judged him to be smitten and plagued of God If he had been Caution only for righteous Folks there had been some reason for such an objection but it is for Sinners for most hainous Sinners Nay this way of reasoning and pleading says on the matter that Christ needed not have laid down his life 3. If it be said We are so sinful and backsliding so filthy and polluâ—ed that we think we are not within the reach of healing I answer This reasoning would if it held turn in effect to this that ye are not within the reach of Gods Grace and for Christs Satisfaction which is not only injurious but even blasphemous to the Grace of God and to the Satisfaction of the Mediator if your sin be ugly and horrible he suffered horrible Wraâ—h he was wounded bruised chastised c. 4. If it be said further We can do nothing for our selves we cannot come to Christ we know not what it is to Bâ—lieve or if we win to do any thing alace all our Goodness is as the morning Cloud and early Dew that soon passeth away I answer The Covenant is not transacted betwixt God and you but betwixt God and the Mediator and the ground of your Peace as to the procuring cause depends on the Mediators performing his part of the Covenant in your name And further as for your Believing it is a piece of the Fathers engagement to the Mediator and must certainly be made as effectual as the Father must keep his word to the Son according to these Promises of the Covenant I will put my law in their hearts and write it in their minds they shall all know me and they shall be all taught of God And thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power and the like All these Promises were in the Covenant betwixt the Father
suffering and of his suffering for sinners that he was wounded and bruised c. In this Verse the Prophet proceeds to clear how this came to pass that Christ Jesus was made to suffer for the Elect the Seed that God had given him which he doth by laying down the Occasion and fountain-Fountain-cause whence it proceeded 1. The Occasion of it in these words All we like sheep have gone astray All the Elect as well as others had wandered and every one of us had turned to our own way We had denuded our selves of all right and title to eternal life and had made our selves liable to Gods curse and wrath through our sinning 2. The Fountain-cause is The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all When we had all strayed Jehovah took our Lord Jesus as the Sacrifices under the Law were taken and put him in our room and laid on him the punishment due to us for our sins and actually pursued him for our debt So the words are an answer to that question How comes it to pass that our Lord Jesus suffered thus for sinners It 's answered The Elect had made themselves lyable to the wrath and curse of God through their straying and to keep them from that wrath God designed and provided his Son Jesus Christ to be the Redeemer and according to the Covenant of Redemption laid on him the punishment due to them for their iniquities In a word their sin and God's appointing him to be Cautioner made him liable to satisfie for all their debt The first part of the words holds out our natural disease The 2. part holds out Gods gracious cure and remedy In the first part we have these three 1. The natural state and condition of all Men and Women even of the Elect themselves who are mainly to be look'd on here All we have gone astray 2. This is illustrat by a similitude We have gone astray like sheep 3. It is amplified Every one of us hath turned to his own way Several words being put together to set out the desperat sinful condition whereinto the Elect as well as others had brought themselves 1. Our natural state and condition is set down in this word straying To stray is to wander out of the way to go wrong to be be wildered For God hath set a rule to men to walk by in the way to life the rule and way of holiness and whoever walk not in that way do go astray and wander out of the right way 2. This is as I said illustrat by a similitude of sheep The comparing of the Elect to sheep here is not at all to extenuat the sinfulness of their straying though sometimes the innocency of that Creature in some other comparisons is insinuated But it is to hold out the witlessness spiritual silliness ad bruitishness of their straying the Scripture usually pointing out that Beast to be disposed and given to wandering And both Nature and Experience tells us that in a Wilderness where there is greatest hazard they are readiest to run on the hazard such is their silly and to speak so foolish inclination Just so are the Elect by Nature 3. It 's amplified by this That every one hath turned to his own way Before it was collectively set down Aâ—l we have gone astray But now lest any should exeem himself it is distributively set down Every one even Isaiah Jeremiah and others such not one excepted This turning to our own way holds out two things 1. It 's called our own way to distinguish it from Gods way as it is Psal 81.11 He gave them up to their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels That is in their own inventions or according to their own will humour and inclination 2. While it is said that every one turns to his own way it 's to shew this that beside the common way that all sinners have to turn away from God distinguished from God's way every sinner hath his own particular and peculiar way whereby in his way he is distinguished from another sinner There is but one way to Heaven but many ways to Hell and every one hath his different way some have one predominant lust some another But they all meet here that every one turns from God's way and every one takes a wrong way of his own Considering the scope we shall shortly and passingly point at two general Observations whereof the 1. is this that it contributes much for folks conceiving and considering of Christs sufferings aright to be well acquainted with their own sinful nature and disposition Men will never look rightly on Christs sufferings nor suitably esteem of him nor make him and the Doctrine that holds him and his sufferings forth cordially welcome except they have some sense of their sinful nature and diâ—position Hence it was that many of the Pharisees and Hypocrites of that time wherein the Lord exercised his Ministry amongst the Jews never welcomed him nor prized his sufferings whereas among the Publicans and Sinners many were brought to get good of him Not to insist in the Use of this only in a word see here a main reason why Jesus Christ is so meanly thought of and the respect of his sufferings is so little welcomed and esteemed even because so few walk under the due sense of this that like lost sheep they have gone astray The 2d general Observation from the scope putting both parts of the Verse together is this that we should never look on Christ's sufferings but with respect to the Covenant of Redemption and God's transacting with him as our Cautioner Therefore the last part comes in The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all For albeit we know that Christ hath suffered much yet if there be not an eye to and some acquaintance with the Covenant the rise of his sufferings and God's hand and end in his sufferings it will be to no purpose Therefore when Peter is to speak of his sufferings Acts 2.23 He premits these words Him being delivered by the determinat counsel and fore-knowledge of God and then subjoyns his being crucified Looking on Christ's sufferings with respect to the Covenant 1. It lets us know that Christ's sufferings come not by guess but by the eternal counsel oâ— God and by vertue of that transaction betwixt the Father and the Son and this takes away the scandal off them which the Prophet sets himself here to remove 2. It gives Faith access to make use of his sufferings when we look on him as purposely designed for this end 3. It holds out the love of God Father Son and Spirit towards Elect Sinners That howsoever God looked angry like on the Mediator as personating them and sustaining their room yet that Jehovah had the devising and designing of these sufferings and that he sent his Son to suffer thus it holds out wonderful love 3. And more particularly from the first part of the words which is the main
undergoing the Curse and Suffering that which the Elect should h ve suffered for It is not the work of a Court to pass a sentence but also to see to the execution of the sentence not only are orders given to the sword to awake and smite but the sword falls on and smites him actually and though from the apprehension of the anger of God as Man and without the sensible and comforting manifestation of his Fathers love and his seemingly forsaking him for a time He prayed Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me yet it will not be and he submits most sweetly to it and not only is the cup put in his hand but the dregs of wrath are as it were wrung out into it and he must needs drink it up all which manifestly kythes in his agony in the garden when he is made to sweat blood and in his complaint if we may so call it My soul is exceeding sorrowful and what shall I say and in these strange words uttered by him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me all which tell us plainly that not only was he enacted Sureâ—y and had the sentence past on him but that really he satisfied and had the sentence executed on him that in his Soul he was really pierced and wounded and that with far deeper wounds then these were which the Souldiers by the spear and nails made in his Body before the Elects discharge of their Debt could be procured and obtained What it was more particularly that he suffered the following words hold out But here it 's clear that he suffered really and suffered much that not only he undertook to pay but that he was actually pursued and made to lay down to the least Farthing whatever was due to Justice by the Elect And this is the cause why these words are brought in as the reason why he suffered so much even because so many and so great sins with all their aggravations were laid upon him and if his sufferings were not great and undergone for this end to satisfy for the Elects Debt that they might be set free the Prophets scope would not be reached neither would there be a suitable connexion betwixt the latter and the foregoing words As for the 2d To wit some Reasons of the Doctrine we shall shortly give you these three why the Elects sins were laid on Christ and put on his account and why he was made to underly the compleat punishment of them by vertue of the Covenant of Redemption 1. Because it did much contribute to the glory of God for he had designed in his eternal Council that his Grace should be glorified in the salvation of the Elect and that his Justice should also be glorified in punishing of sin either in themselves or in their Cautioner and as free Grace and Mercy must be glorious in saving the Elect and Justice in being satisfied for their sins so it 's to that end that since the Elect cannot pay their own Debt that their Cautioner pay it and pay it fully that the Lord in exacting satisfaction from him in their name may be known to be just 2. This way makes much for the confirmation of the Faith of the believing Elect and for their consolation for the confirmation of their Faith for what can Justice demand that it hath not gotten it is fully satisfied and then for their consolation seing the Father put his own Son to suffer and to so great suffering for them what is it that they may not confidently expect from such a Fountain 3. This serves to hold out the wonderful great obligation of the Elect to God and to the Mediator for the greater their sin was the more he suffered the greater their Debt was the more he payed and they are the more in his common and the greater Debters to him and ought the more to love him and their duty for his sake as it is said of the woman Luk. 7. She loved much for much was forgiven her so this way of paying the Elects Debt calls and strongly pleads and also makes way for much warm and tender love in them to Jesus Christ In the 3d. place We come to the Uses of the Doctrine To which I shall premit this word of desire to you That ye would not look on these things as tasteless or unsavoury for had we not had these precious truths to open up to you we should have had no meetings to this purpose no ground to speak of life to you nor any the least hope or expectation of life And indeed it may be sadly regrated that amongst a multitude of professing People these substantial truths of the Gospel are so wersh and little relishing to the most part which too evidently appears in the unconcerned wearying and gazing posture of some in the slumbering sleeping of others in our publick Assemblies If our hearts were in a right frame half a word to say so to this purpose would be a wakening and allaruming to us However this is a great priviledge in it self Heathens may and do know something of moral duties but it 's a priviledge which we have and they want that the fundamental truths of the Gospel are amongst us and not amongst them The 1. Use serves to let us see the brightness of the Glory of Grace and Truth of Mercy and Justice shining clearly here Can there be any greater mercy and more pure mercy than this that the Lord should be gracious to sinners and to great sinners rhat had turned every one of them to their own way in providing a Mediator and such a Mediator in providing such a help for them and laying that help upon one that is mighty and that he should have done this of his own head so to speak with reverence when the Elect were in their sins and when thâ—re was nothing to be the impulsive or meritorious cause of it And that the Father should have laid this weight of punishment on Christ the Son of his love and pursued him at this rate of holy severity for sinners debt O! what grace and mercy shines here And 2. The spotless Justice of God doth also here wonderfully manifest it self O! How exact is Justice when it will not quite a farthing even to the second Person of the Godhead when he became Man and man's Surety But since he hath put himself in the room of sinners The Lâ—ed maketh all their iniquities to meet on him This is matter of admiration to Men and Angels to consider how Justice and Mercy run in one Channel and shine in one Covenant the one of them not incroaching upon the other Use 2. We may gather from this same insight and clearness in the very great sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ For these things are here put together 1. That he suffered for all the Elect Us all 2. For all the sins of all the Elect and for all the sins of all
it down for either the Elect behoved to die or he himself and since it is so as if he said then behold here is my life take it and I will lay it down that they poor things may go free and therefore does my Father love me says he because I lay down my life for my sheep not because it 's taken from me against my will but because I wiâ—lingly and of my self lay it down and when he is brought before Pilate and Herod and they lay many things to his charge Mat. 26.63 and Mark 15. He held his peace so that it 's said that Pilate marvelled Mark 15. he knew that he could not but have much to say for himself as all men in such a case use to have but he answered nothing or as it 's in the Text yet he opened not his mouth the reason was because he would not divert the course of Justice nor mar the Lords design in the work of the Elects Redemption through his death and sufferings He came not into the world to accuse Pilate or the Jews and to justifie himself though now and then for the conviction of enemies and for his own necessary clearing he did let a word fall but being engaged for the Elect he wil needs perform all that Justice called for And in this willingness he hath a respect to two things 1. To the Fathers satisfaction for his willing suffering is that which makes it a Sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to him 2. To the Elects consolation that they may know thâ—y had a willing Saviour that had no necessity laid on him to satisfie but satisfiâ—d willingly And from these two arises a third even the glory of the Mediators satisfaction for herein his love to the Elect shines brightly I lay down my life for my sheep this is the heart-waâ—ming commendation of his sufferings that with delight and pleasure he underwent them as if he had been purchasing a kingdom to himself Now to come to the Use of all these Doctrines when they with the things contained in them are laid together we profess we cannot tell you what excellent Uses they yield Would to God we were all in such a frame as the Eunuch was in when he read this Scripture as tâ—e divine History gives us an account Acts 8. ver 32. and forward who when Philip had begun to preacâ— to him on this excellent suâ—ject was so taken that before the Sermon or Discourse was at an end be ng holily impatient at any longer delay he says to Philip Here is water what hinders me to be baptized I say again would to God we were all in such a frame and that this were the fruit of such a Doctrine as this to many of you nay to all of you Use 1. Wonder Believers at the extensiveness and infinitness of the Grace of God and at the heart-affecting and soul-ravishing love of the Mediator at Grace in God that spared the Debtor and exacted payment from the Cautioner the Son of his love at love in the Mediator that payed so much and so willingly and cheerfully If any subject of thoughts be pertinent for us while we are about to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lords Supper certainly this were pertinent concerning a crucified Christ in stating himself in our room to pay our Debt and doing this of his own accord without the solicitation or interposing of any Creature and doing it withall so frankly and cheerfully Was ever the like of this love heard tell of for one and more especially for such a one to suffer so much and so cheerfully unrequired we would have you confirmed in the Faith of this great and sweet Truth that he had never better will nay never so good will to eat his Dinner then and as he had to suffer and satisfie Justice for you though at a dear rate He says John 4. It was his meat to do the fathers will that sent him and to finish his work Have ye suitable thoughts of his love when ye read the Gospel have ye in the Word seen him standing before Pilate in your room not answering when he is accused and Pilate marvelling at his silence and did Pilate marvel knowing and being convinced of his innocency and have ye never marvelled or marvelled but very little sure your little marvelling at his silence is the more sadly marvellous that the cause of his silence when he was charged with your iniquities with such and such a piece of your miscarriage with such a vain and roaving heart with such a wanton look with such a profane or idle word of yours with the horrid sin of your having so abused slighted and neglected him c. that the cause I say of his silence at such a terrible accusation and charge and not vindicating of himself or saying these faults miscarriages and transgressions are not mine as he might have done was pure love to you O! is not this strange and yet most true wonder then more at it Use 2. Here is strong consolation to Believers and wonderful wisdom in the rise and convey of it in uniting Justice and Love out of which the consolation springs Justice exacting upon and distressing the Son of God and he satisfying Justice so fully that though all the Elect had satisfied eternally in Hell it had not been made to shine so splendidly and gloriously Justice also on the Mediators side in yielding and giving satisfaction though it should oppress and break Soul and Body And yet love both on the Father and Mediators side on the Fathers side love in finding out this way of satisfaction to his own Justice when there was no cure but by wounding of his own Son and yet he was content rather to wound him than that the Elect should suffer and be wounded eternally and love on the Mediators side who willingly yields and undergoes their Debt and will not hide his face from shame and spitting what may not the Believer expect from God when he spared not his own Son for him and what may he expect from Christ who spared not himself for his sake and who is that good Shepherd that laid down his life for the Sheep and held his tongue and quarrelled not with those that smote him will he quarrel with a poor Sinner coming to him and pleading for the benefite of satisfaction no certainly but as the word is Zeph. 3.17 He will rest in his love or as the word signifies He will be silent or dumb in his love he will not upbraid thee nor cast up thy former miscarriages he will not say reproachfully to thee where wast thou so long playing the Prodigal he is better content with thy recovery than ever he was discontent or ill-pleased with all the wrong thou didst unto him Use 3. This word of Doctrine lays down the ground whereupon a sinner sensible of sin may build his expectation of peace with God The transaction concluded and agreed upon is the ground of his coming
be libelled for sin though not for his own sin and what it was to be sentenced and to meet with wrath which gives to sinners a safe and refreshful shelter under him as under the shadow of a great rock in a weary land This is the great design of the Gospel to make proffer of the benefite of these sufferings to you and to pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God Now God himself perswade you to it SERMON XXIX ISAIAH LIII VIII Vers 8. He was taken from prison and from judgement and who shall declare his generation For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken EVery step of Christs way to sinners and every word whereby it is exprest is wonderful And therefore it is no marvel that the Prophet doth by way of admiration cast in this word And who shall declare his generation We shew you that we conceive these words to be these that express the Prophets turning of himself from Christs Humiliation to his Exaltation He hath insisted long in setting out his wonderful abasement exinanition and humiliation which these words import He was brought from prison and from judgement Which look not only to his external imprisonment to his coming to judgement bâ—fore men but also and mainly and principally to the pinches and straits that he was brought into and his arraignment before Gods Tribunal and so to the cause of his suffering to wit for the transgression of his people as the words following hold out which was not the cause of his censure before men but the procuring cause of what he met with from and before God But though he was brought to prison and to judgement to death and to the grave yet they did not they could not detain him He was taken or as the word signifies he was lift up from prison and from judgement being the same word that followeth He was cut off out of the land of the living which supposes a turn and change from his Humiliation to his Exaltation and these words Who shall declare his generation Set out the unconceivable and unexpressible glory that Christ is exalted unto so Acts 8.33 35. Where these words are cited it 's said In his humiliation his judgement was taken away That is in his lowest step of his Humiliation his judgement or that to which he was adjudged was taken from him and he was declared free However since in these words our Lords Humiliation is implyed and his Exaltation expressed as following on it we think it safest to understand them so The words put together hold out the high degree of Christs glorious exaltation so as his generation cannot be declared He was taken from prison and from judgment and gloriously exalted in another manner and to another degree of glory then either Angels or Believers are or are capable to be For he that is exalted is God whose generation cannot be declared Death having no more dominion over him and he having the keyes of hell and of death In a word we take this Who shall declare his generation most immediatly to relate to Christ's Exaltation as Mediator and to the glory wherewith he was invested and to the dominion that he hath over all creatures yet considering that the Prophets scope is to set out this as wonderful and considering that the first step of his Exaltation is his Resurrection whereby as the Apostle speaks Rom. 1.4 he was declared to be the Son of God with power His Resurrection being singular in this respect that he rose by his own power and considering that Acts 8.35 Philip began to preach to the Eunuch Jesus Christ as the object of Faith We think it reasonable to conceive that he preached Christ to be God from this Text so as the Eunuch might have a solid foundation for his faith And this subserving the scope which is to set out the wonderfulness of Christs love to Elect sinners who being God yet condescended to come thus low for saving of them We may take in his God-head mediatly from which as the former steps of his Humiliation received worth and efficacy so he was thereby sustained and born up under all these sufferings whereby his people are saved From the first and second expressions put together we shall draw three Doctrines relating to three main Articles of our Faith The 1. whereof is this That our Lord Jesus had an out-gate from and victory over the lowest and most pinching pieces of His Humiliation and suffering so that though he was at prison and judgement yet he was lift up from both and had a glorious out-gate This takes in three things which the same grounds will confirm 1. That in his lowest state and step of Humiliation he was sustained and carried thorow so that all the assaults which he was put to endure and encounter with from all his enemies wicked Men and Devils did not overcome him 2. That as he in himself was born thorow and sustained So in respect of God's bar at which he was arraigned he was absolved and set free He so came thorow by paying of the debt that he had an Absolviture as it is 1 Tim. 3. ult Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit Our blessed Lord Jesus being sustained by the power of his God-head was carried thorow in his sufferings payed the Elects debt and received the sentence of absolution even as a person to speak with reverence in such a subject having payed the debt for which he was imprisoned is absolved and set free 3. It takes in our Lords actual delivery he not only received the sentence of absolution but was actually set free so that as he was pleased to put himself in prison and in straits for us so he was brought from every step of his humiliation from prison and from judgement from death and from the grave He nailed the hand-writing which was against us to his cross as the Apostle saith Col. 2.14 15. And having spoiled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it And as it is 1 Cor. 15. at the close He took the sting from death disarmed it and trode upon it And there was necessity for this even such necessiâ—y that it was impossible it could be otherwayes as we have it Acts 2.24 It was not possible that he could be holden of death This will be clear if we consider these things 1. The person that suffered he was not an ordinary nay nor a meer man but God-man As is clear Acts 2.27 cited out of Psal 16. where it is said Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption 2. The end of Christs sufferings which was to satisfie for the debt of his people there having been no reckoning on his own score or account he being still in Gods favour and his Holy One
other people that are not his as Joh. 10 26 27. Ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep my sheep hear my voice and I know them which supposeth that some are his and others not so his and so my people cannot be all the world Neither 2. Can it be meant of the whole visible Church who in respect of the external administration of the Covenant are sometimes called his people as all Israel are There is a narrower march or boundary drawn John 10.26 Where the Lord speaking of them that were only externally in Covenant with him sayes Ye art not my sheep to shew that his reckoning there must not go upon external profession And vers 16. Some that were not for the time professing themselves to be his people are reckoned Other sheep I have which are not of this fold them also I must bring in Nor 3. Can it be limited to them that were actually converted and Believers for he says as I iust now hinted that he hath other sheep that are not yet brought in and he is said to gather together into one the children of God that were scattered abroad John 11.52 So then by my people must be understood these who in Gâ—d's eternal purpose are separat by the Decree of Election to be his own even these whom he hath chosen to glorifie himself in and by them through his Grace and to glorifie them with himself Even these spoken of John 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me They are the people who were transacted for in the Covenant of Redemption and that were given by the Father to the Son to be redeemed by him It was for their sins even for the sins of the Elect that our Lord Jesus was stricken As for the 2d What is it to be stricken for their transgression The meaning is the meritorious cause of their stroak was on Christ which intimats to us that his sufferings and death were procured by the sins of the Elect of God His stroak or the stroak that was upon him as the word is was the amends that Justice got for their sins In a word the stroak that the Elects sins procured and merited Took him out of or away from the land of the living brought him to prison and to judgement and made his soul an offering for sin Neither can this be otherwayes understood For it is not said that for their good or for their behove only or to be an example and pattern of patience only to them he was stricken as some grossly erroneous and prophane men expound the words but for their transgressions was he stricken That is it was their guilt which he having undertaken and engaged to satisfie for which made him lyable to this stroak In this part of the words thus opened up we have two notable Points concerning the Covenant of Redemption 1. The Party for whom it is contrived and intended and that is the Elect or God's People It is not all the World nor all Visible-Church-members that God transacted for in the bargain with the Mediator but my people the Elect of God they were so considered in the transaction and in the execution 2. The great price that was sought or required that was offered and that was agreed upon for the Redemption of the Elect to wit the death of the Mediator even his dying the cursed death of the Cross This is the sum for the transgressions of God's people the stroak was upon him God's design being to glorifie his grace in the salvation of so many sin having interveened to bring them under the curse There is upon the one side the Lord 's giving of them to the Mediator to be redeemed by him and upon the other side the Mediators accepting of them on the terms proposed he is content to satisfie for them to take the stroak on himself deserved by them that they may go free each of these may be considered several wayes for furnishing of sweet Doctrines 1. From the first of these Observe that there are some differenced from others in respect of God's purpose some chosen of God for his people beside all the rest of the World For some are here God's people ere they be born and ere Christ die for them John 17.16 Thine they were and thou gavest them me They are supposed to be God's people in some peculiar respect ere they be given to Christ to be redeemed by him In a word the Lord hath an elect people or a people chosen to salvation in his eternal purpose and decree an elect people or a people chosen out of the world which in this respect are not his people or are not elected There are four qualifications or properties in this Doctrine which will serve to clear it 1. When we say there is such a decree of Election we say that it is a discriminating or differencing decree wherein or whereby there is a taking of some and not all a taking of one and leaving another a taking of Isaac and a leaving of Ishmael a taking of Jacob and a leaving of Esau as it is Rom. 9. And this discrimination or differencing hath these four steps 1. There is a differencing in Gods purpose in respect of the end while all men are alike before him some are designed to erernal life others not therefore Mat. 25.34 it 's said Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world and in this respect the Book of Life is said to be opened Revel 20.12 2. This differencing is in respect of God's offering and giving of them to the Mediator in the Covenant of Redemption wherein some not all are given to Christ John 17 2. That he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him out of the world Where it is clear that so many are given to him in reference to whom he is to exercise his offices 3. There is a differencing in respect of Christ's undertaking and executing his Offices for them he accepts of them John 17.9 For their sakes I sanctifie my self I have separated my self to the Office of Mediator and do offer my self for them that they also may be sanctified And I pray for them I pray not for the world it 's of them that he maketh that sweet account John 6.39 This is the Fathers will that sent me that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day And of whom he saith John 10.28 29. I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand He answers and is accountable for them and for them only he will count for no other as being redeemed by him and to be made partakers of his glory 4. This differencing is in respect of the promises made upon Gods part to the Mediator in favours of the Elect and of the benefits that flow to them from the
one in Hell Who made thee to differ or what hast thou O man that thou hast not received it's election that makes the difference and it 's sure for their salvation is founded on Gods purpose and decree which is the solid rest of a Believer kindness began not on our side but on Gods as Christ says Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you John 15.16 4ly It says this That all of you had need to make your calling and election sure that is the very hinge of Believers consolation even to have the proof of it in your Conscience that ye are inrolled here to get out the extract of this decree that ye may see and read your names in it Hence many streams of consolation flow out if it be so with you then ye were given to Christ Christ undertook to satisfie Justice for you ye shall get Faith and more Faith ye shall get Repentance and Sanctification and ye shall get Heaven and Glory at the end of your course If it be said this is much how shall it be brought about we answer it 's not impossible and to make it out take but two words that are both directions and marks the practice whereof will give a solid proof of your inrolment in Gods book whence all these great and glorious things have their rise 1. Where there is a yielding to Christs call in the Gospel a closing with him that evidenceth election for it is certain that none shall nor can come to Christ and believe in him but the Elect and whoever are elected must and shall come sooner or later John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me and John 10.4 His sheep follow him and know his voice they accept of and make welcome Christs call in the Gospel and they that accept of it are elect So that there is no need of any new revelation about the matter neither needs there any torturing anxiety to know how to come by thy name in the roll of the Elect try it by this if thou hast given obedience to the call of the Gospel if thou hast in the sense of thy need of a Saviour fled unto â—esus Christ and on his own terms closed with him by this thy tenure or holding is sure and by this thou hast an evidence that thou art an elect for his Sheep come unto him and hear his voice and as many of you as soundly believe on him and have betaken your selves to him for life and salvation have the seal and witness in your selves that your names were in Gods roll and book before the World was But if this be not debate dispute question as ye will about it whatever may be afterwards ye have no evidence for the time of your election 2. Where there is real Holiness or a real study and endeavour to be holy and more holy it is an evidence of election and of a persons being inrolled in the volumn of the book of Gods decree because Holiness is a fruit of election as is clear Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy never a person is really holy but such as God designed should be holy to this purpose the Apostle having 2 Tim. 2.21 spoken of election The foundation of the Lord stands sure having this seal the Lord knows who are his and let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity but in a great house are not only vessels of gold c. he subjoyns If a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified c. not that election dependeth on mans Holiness but by his holiness he shall be manifested to be and accompted an elect Vessel and may warrantably conclude himself to be such so that true holiness brings folk to be acquainted with the great secret of Election and gives them boldness to make the application of it There is nothing that men readily desire more to know than this whether they be elected or not here is a sure way to come by the knowledge of it even to study to believe and to be holy and then we may be confident that our names were written in the Lambs book of Life but if we slight faith in Christ and Holiness whatever may be in God's purpose about us we have for present no ground to conclude our election upon God himself fixus in these things that have such mighty consequents depending on them SERMON XXXI ISAIAH LIII VIII Vers 8. He was taken from prison and from judgement and who shall declare his generation For he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken THE Prophet hath been long in describing Christs Sufferings and hath showen what height they came to even to prison and to judgment and to death it self He was cut off out of the land of the living now he casts in a word to shew wherefore all this was or what was the procuring cause that brought all this suffering and sorrow on Christ which also was the end that he had before him in it in these words for the transgression of my people was he stricken we shew that by my people here was not meant all men and women in the world nay not all men who are externally called in the visible Church but his Elect only these whom he hath chosen to be his People and separated from others by an eternal decree of Election we shew also that these words for the transgression of my people was he stricken do not contain only a reason of Christ's extream suffering even of his being brought to prison and to judgment before men but also and mainly of his being brought so before God and of his being cut-off for the sins of Gods People are not laid to his charge before men but before God they are and so it does imply an influence that the sins of the Elect had upon Christs Sufferings and a respect that his Sufferings had to their sins the Elects sins procured these Sufferings to him and his Sufferings were undergone by him for the satisfying of Justice for their sins and for the removing of them I shall not insist further in the exposition of the words having opened them up the last day but shall hint at a few Doctrines from them and because they are general and more doctrinal I shall be the shorter in speaking to them though it may be ye think not so much of them yet they are not a little for your edification and if ye were suitably sensible of sin and of your hazard there is no Doctrine concerning the Covenant of Redemption but it would be useful and refreshing to you There are several things implyed here concerning the efficacy of the price of Christ's death and concerning the extent of it as it 's laid down as a price for the sins of the Elect which
be necessarily performed and fulfilled 5. See here how the Salvation of Elect Sinners depends on the ingadgement betwixt God and the Mâ—diator Their Redemption depends on Hâ—s paying of the Price and their attaining the benefit of it depends on God's ingadgement to the Mediator Therefore we are said 1 Pet. 1. To be keeped by the power of God through faith unto salvation It serves withall to clear the Soveraignity of God and the Freenesse of His Grace when Sinners cannot pretend to have any hand in the Work to mar the Beauty and Efficacy of Grace that shine therein Use 2. There is here 1. something for the incouragement of such as would fain believe in Christ And 2. Somewhat for Comfort to and for Confirmation of them who have betaken themselves by Faith to Christ 3. It serves withall to incourage them who would be at believing and find difficulty in the way while they are breathing after Him It 's certainly promised that He shall have a seed and shall see of the fruit of the travel of his soul such therefore may expect that they shall come speed who would fain be at that which is the fulfilling of Gods ingadgement to the Mediator for it was Transacted in the Covenant of Redemption that His Suffering should be for the good of Elect Sinners and that the Father should make Application of His Purchase made thereby to them I say 2dly It serves to Comfort Incourage and Confirm such as are fled to Christ and find their own difficulty how to win through for they haye a good Cautioner to make out their Faith and what concerns their Salvation Gods Promise to the Mediator shall not be for nought nor in vain but shall have it's accomplishment if poor sinners were leâ—t to their own guiding the bargain should never take effect nor be made out but it may incourage and comfort the poor Believer though it should also humble him that the business is put in another and better hand then his own This hath strengthened the wavering hearts of many Believers before that both sides of the Covenant as to their forth-coming and performance depend on the Father and on the Mediator the Mediator undertaking the payment of their Debt and the Lord Jehovah undertaking to draw them in to the Mediator and by His Power to bear them through till they get all that the Mediator hath Purchased for them conferred on them 2dly Observe That all the benefits and advantages that any have ever gotten or shall get that lead to Life Eternal and which concurr to promove the Work of their Salvation are the Fruits of Christ's Purchâ—se by His Soul travel is a Sinner brought to Bâ—lieve I 's a Fruit of His Suffering iâ— a Siâ—neâ— Glorified It 's the Fruit of the same And therefore when in the one woâ—d it is said He shall see his seed It 's â—aid in the next word He shall see of the fruit of the travel of his soul To shew that a Souls ingadging to Christ by Faith wherebâ— the Person becomes one of His Seed flows from His Suffering and is a Fâ—uâ—t of the Travel of His Soul As it is 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God thâ—ough him or in Him Where our righâ—eousness and what conduces to our Juâ—â—ification is derived from His being made Sin or a Sin-offâ—ring for us And Gal. 3.13 It ' said that Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come on us gentiles Whatever is comprehended under that Bâ—essing as taking in both the l nd aâ—d Meâ—ns by which we come by it flows from His being a curse for us and from His being brought under sad Suffering and sore Soul-travel for us In this Doctrine ye would consider something for clearing of it or rather take the Doctrine it self several wayes and it will help to clear it elf 1. Then when we speak of the Fruit of Ch ists Sufferings we mean not only tâ—at our Justification the Pardon of ouâ— Sins and our entry into Heâ—ven are Fruâ—ts of it But that our Believing Repenâ—ance Holâ—ness and every thing that leads thereunto are Fruits of it also Therefore it 's promised to Christ Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power And that these that are given to Christ shall come is a Promise â—s well as it 's a Promise that these that come shall be Justified and the one foâ—lows upon Christs Ingaging and performing of the Ingagement as well as the other 2. If we take the Doctrine thus That there is nothing thaâ— a Sinner gets that leads to Life and Salvâ—tion but it 's a Fâ—uit of Christ's Purchase We get neither Repentance nor Faith nor Holiness nor any other such thing but on the account of Christs Satisfaction Or 3dly Take it thus Whatever is needfull for compleating of them that are Châ—ists Seed whom He hath Purchased whatever they want or stand in need of whether Righteousness Holiness Repentance Faith Hâ—pe c. All are purchased by Him and are the Fruits of His Death and Souâ—-travel This riseth clearly from the Words He shall see of the fruit of the travel of his soul That is He shall see Sinners believing on Him and repenting for sin as well as Hâ— shaâ—l see them Glorified which will be clear if we consider these two Reasons 1. The nature of the Covenant wherein all the Promises concerning Sinners Salvation are comprehended there being but one Covenant of Redemption and that being a Promise of this Covenant to circumcise the heart to love God and to writ his law in it as well as to pardon Sin and all the Promises of the Covenant depending on Christs Sâ—ipulation and these things in the Promises flowing from the Covenant betwixt God and the Mediator Sinners can have no Right to any thing that is Promised but by a. Covenant neither can they have any access to them but through Christs Suffering 2. It 's clear from the End of the Covenant that whatever Sinners have need of they must be in Christs common for it now if we had Faith or Repentance or any other Grace from our selves or on our own account we should not be in His Debt and Common for all that we need as indeed we are according to that 1 Cor. 30 31. He is made of God unto us wisdom to be our Guide and Teacher righteousness to be our Justifier and the meritorious Cause of it sanctification To be the Worker and the Procurer of it and in a Word compleat Redemption and this is subjoyned as the Reason of all That he that glories or rejoyces may glorie or rejoyce in the Lord that is Whether there be a looking to Faith or Repentance or any other Grace there may be no cause to be Vain or Proud of it but that knowing these to be from Christ and
lay down their Arms and come in and if one of them were challenged and called to a Reckoning after his coming in for his Rebellion The ground of his Plea would not be that he never was out in Rebellion but that such an offer was made and that he did hazard his life on it So is it here A Sinner is a Rebel against God by Nature and being in Rebellion hath the Offer of Pardon and Life made to him on condition that he close by Faith with Christs Righteousness and the Sinner doth by Faith give God credit and hazards his Soul on that Whereas unbelief to follow the similitude is as if a Rebell hearing of such a Pardon offered would not think that a sure way to come off but would either plead innocent or take him to some other shift This then is the Faith that I mean of which actually closes with and makes use of Gods Offer of Christs Righteousness for Absolution 3dly Consider the Causes of Justification And there are Three in the Words 1. The Meritorious Cause that hath procured and bought this Benefit is Christs Satisfaction His bearing of our iniquites He shall justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities 2. The Instrumental Cause Condition or Mean or Way how that Benefit is derived to us is Faith called here His knowledge It 's the Faith we spoke of just now Faith taking hold of such a Promise and resting on Gods Faithfulness for the making out of it It 's this which gives the Soul a Title to Christs Righteousness which formerly it had not and makes Christ's Purchase of due to belong to it by vertue of Gods Offer and consequently the benefit of Justification is derived to it by it's taking hold of the Offer which otherwayes it could not partake of 3. The formal Cause wherein Justification properly consists is this even God's Absolving or Judicial pronouncing of the Sinner to be Free and His accounting of Him as righteous on account of Christs Righteousness imputed to Him and taken hold of by His Faith where the Sentence is past we need not curiously inquire It 's like as the Sentence of Condemnation stands in the Word while the Sinner is in unbelief So by believing in Christ He hath Absolution in the Word as John 3.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned And this Sentence of the Word is as effectuall for Absolving of the Sinner as if the Sentence were pronunced in an immediat way or with an audible voice from Heaven by God with the Sinners name and sirname in it And therefore let me commend this with the other places I named before to you that from them ye may learn to take up the way how a Sinner is Absolved and Justified It 's Christ's Satisfaction that makes the amends and is the Meritorious Cause It is Gods Word that makes Offer of that Satisfaction and it 's our Faith begotten and quickned by Gods Spirit that taketh hold of it and Justification it self it Gods Absolving and Accepting of the Person as Righteous in His sight who is fled to Christ's Righteousness And thus though Gods Grace and Mercy be the Efficient Cause that admits of the Ransome yet neither is Grace in us the Formal Cause nor is Grace in God the Meritorious Cause but it 's that which layes down the way how a Satisfaction shall be provided and accepts of it when provided and of the Sinner on account of it when by Faith he betakes himself to it Use 2. Seing there is such a way of Justification provided and by the Gospel brought to light revealled and made manifest as the Word is Rom. 1.17 and 3.21 Since I say that Mystery which before was hid is disclosed and Life and Immortality brought to Light by the Gospel let me earnestly intreat you that ye would make use of this Mean and way of Justification for the obtaining of Absolution before God The end of Preaching as we said is to reveal this Righteousness and the end of the revealling of it is to ingage Sinners to make use of it Of which though we should Preach to you from the one end of the year to the other if ye do not betake your selves to it so as to close with it and heartily to submit unto it it will all be to no purpose For pressing of this Use a little further consider the great concern and moment of this Application and what may induce you seriously to mind it And to this purpose 1. I would pose and put you to it if ye believe that by Nature ye are lyable to Gods Curse and that ye must compear before His Judgement-seat and if ye be found in Nature when ye compear that it will be a Woful and Dreadful Sentence that ye will meet with from God and if withal ye believe this that by Justification ye may have Sin Pardoned be Reconciled to God and have the Curse removed from you and be put in such a State as if ye had never Sinned If I say ye believe these things to be the Truths of God is not this of your Concernment whether ye be made Friends with God and have your Sins Pardoned or not whether ye shall be Eternally Happy or Eternally Miserable whether ye shall get Gods blessing or lye for ever under His Curse If this I say be of your concernment then surely Obedience to this Exhortation is of your Concernment because there is no other way to win to Absolution but this 2. Consider That it 's the very design of the Gospel and of this benefit that is made Offer of to you therein which all the Nations that have not the Gospel want The priviledge being denyed to them God makes Offer of a way to you how ye may be Justified and ye professe your desire to learn it and to get it practically made use of and Improved and as Paul hath it Philip. 3.8 9 10. That ye may know Christ that ye may win Him and be found in Him And it is the Sum of the Gospel as we have it Act. 13.38 Be it known unto you men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you remession of sins and by him all that believe are justified This is even the time that the Lord is making this Proclamation that was before Prophesied of and Published by Isaiah By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many This is it that is even now Revealed Declared and made Manifest to you that by Christ Jesus alone Righteousnesse is to be attained And if it be of such concernment that for this very end God hath sent His Sone to die and hath sent this Gospel to declare and make offer of this benefit of His Death unto you It 's no doubt greatly of your concernment to make use of it when it comes to you 3. Consider That if the Lords Proclamation of it have not that effect to ingage you to Christ Jesus for the obtaining of Righteousnesse through Him
That this Word Justification is a Legal Forensick or Judicial Word and we are to conceive of God who is the party offended as the Judge and of the Sinner Arraigned and brought before His Tribunal to be Judged as a delinquent the Law gives in the Lybel or Inditement founds the Challenge or Accusation the Sinners Conscience and Actions are as so many Witnesses proving the breaking of the Law and him to be obnoxious to the Curse on that account In this we say that God is the efficient Cause and so we may take the Words By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Actively and efficiently to look to Christ as having this Power as He is God which is proper to God alone as is clear Rom. 8.34 It is God that justifies 1 Cor. 4.4 Though I know nothing by my self yet I am not hereby justified but he that judgeth me is the Lord And this is a reason of the former to wit that no other can Absolve but God the party offended who is Judge We mark it for this practical Use which the Apostle makes of it which is to bid us lay less weight upon others thinking well of us or absolving us and on our own absolving of our selves the Lord chargeth some thus Luke 16.15 Ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knows your hearts Paul will not justifie himself for that is Gods place and prerogative How many are there who take another persons testimony for Gods and think that since others love respect and commend them they are in a good condition and well enough but alace is that Person God Except mens testimony be founded on the grounds that are held forth in the Word and if so then it 's Gods Testimony it will not do the businesse nor avail you any thing except there be â— Sentence of Absolution pronounced and â—ast by Him their Sentence or your own will be recalled Though many of you do not down right professe this yet many of you practically fall into it alwayes remember that it is God that Justifies and that His Absolution is different from mens and from your own many may have good thoughts of you and so may ye of your selves when God may have none For the 2d To wit The final Cause it is clear here also by comparing the former verse with the Words going before in this same verse and ye may take it in this Observation That the Glory of God and of the Media or is the end that God hath before Him in the Justifying of Sinners Therefore it is called the Lords pleasure or delight and the Mediators satisfaction because He hath proposed to Himself therein the Glory of His Grace especially and also of others of His Attributs as His end and so hath a kind of longing desire and thirst after it for the Lord being Absolutely Glorious cannot but love His own Glory and being the infinitly Pure Alsufficient Good He cannot but love Himself and His own Glory and therefore for attaining of this end He Justifies and Absolves poor Sinners Now God is glorified here two wayes 1. He gets the Glory of His Grace that is exceedingly magnified thereby as is clear Ephes 1.5 Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace It 's the Lords pleasure to glorifie His Grace and this proves to be to the Glory of His Grace when a Sinner lyable to Wrath is fully Justifyed and Intitled to Heaven 2. He gets thereby the Glory of His Justice and Righteousness which takes in the Glorifying of God's Holiness and Wisdom He is seen here to be a Holy God who will needs testifie His dislike at Sin where ever it is a just God that will needs punish it a gracious God that will pardon and such a wise God as finds out the way how both to punish and pardon without any the least Imputation either to His Justice or to His Mercy and Grace and so He shews Himself to be Infinitly Just Gracious Wise and Holy in the Justification of Sinners These we may see Rom. 3.24 25 26. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ There Justice and Grace shine clearly Justification is free yet there is a Price laid down and a Satisfaction made to Justice and the 26. verse shews the end to wit To declare his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of them who believe in Jesus He hath indeed taken a way how to pardon Sin but so as it is through a Redemption or by the exacting of a Price that He may be seen to be Just who will not pardon Sin without a Satisfaction Justice kythes in this that Christ is put to pay a great Price and that He may be seen to be Gracious He hath laid down a way how the Price that was to be payed by Christ might be imputed to or reckoned on the account of the guilty Sinner and that He might thereby be Absolved And thus Justice and Grace kiss each other in this admirable contrivance And although none almost except Socinians deny the Justice of God in the Justification of Sinners yet as they do Doctrinally in Substance deny it So many of us who professe to abhore their Doctrine do practically deny it also And therefore as the 1. Use of it let me speak a little to unbelievers and ask you what think you will become of you ye must either betake your selves to Christs Satisfaction or ye must resolve to Satisfie for your selves Secure Hypocrits think of nothing but of Grace and that God will alwayes be Gracious and never suffer themselves think of the necessity of a Satisfaction to be made to His Justice and thus they slight and on the matter deny His Justice as if He were not to be Glorified in that Attribute as well as in His Grace and Mercy whereas there is no other way to declare God to be Just in the Justification of them that believe but this which brings them to Christs Satisfaction Use 2. It 's ground of notable Consolation and Encouragement to a poor exercised Soul sensible of Sin whereupon to expect Justification It 's Gods end in Justifying Sinners to set out the Glory of His Grace and is it not much that God should contrive such a way for glorifying of Himself as should carrie along in it good to us yea such a way as should resolve in our good which comes in as a subordinat end to the glorifying of His Grace as the ultimat end may not this be an encouragement to them to seek after Justification on these terms and for this end Use 3. It shews that as many as submit not to the way of this Righteousness and of Justification by Grace are thwarting with God's End they set themselves to hinder and obstruct it even that He should not be glorified
Justification before God seclude his own Righteousnesse and betake himself to Christ's Righteousnesse alone as Contra-distinguished to his own 4ly We say That Christ's Righteousness is in Him and imputed to us or made ours by imputation is the alone Meritoritorious Cause of our Justification and Salvation so as that which He hath purchased is reckoned and accounted the Sinners as if it were His own inherently and personally This I also gather from the Words By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Would ye know as if the Prophet had said how Christ is the Meritorious Cause of Justification Thus it is because He shall bear their iniquities if He hath taken on the burden of their Sins and had their Sins imputed to Him then it will follow by proportion that they are Justified by the imputation of His Righteousnesse to them and there is nothing that the Scripture doth more inculcat then this That we are Justified by the Righteousnesse of Christ without us and imputed to us or reckoned ours we by Faith laying hold upon it and Gods accepting of it for us mak s it become ours and yet there is nothing that we do more particularâ—y erre in and which Papists do more scoâ—n and flout at wholly enervating the way and contrivance of Grace by excluding and shouldering out the Righteousnesse of Christ calling it in derision a Putative or meerly fancied and â—maginary Righteousnesse as if there were â—o reality in it and by bringing in and establishing their own Righteousnesse though it be very clear from this and many other Scriptures that Christs Righteousnesse must be ours by imputation because He â—are our iniquities He became our Righteousnesse by paying of our Dâ—bt as our Cautioner and no otherwayes the Scripture never speaks of His being our Righteousnesse by procuring ability to us to pay our own Debt I shall clear this 4th Branch a little further because it will serve to clear the rest That is thâ—t Christ's Righteousnesse as it is in Him and imputed to us is he only Meritorious Cause of our Justification And if we consider 1 The way of Justification that is used among men this will be the more plain There being two Covenants by the one of which Life was once attainable and by the other of which it is only now attainable 1. The Covenant of Works which absolves a man that never brake it which is as when one among men or before mens Court is declared to be free because he was never oâ—ing the Debt 2. The Covenant of Grace that provides a Cautioner to pay the Sinners Debt upon whose payment thereof had recourse to by Faith there is access in Law to the Sinner to call for absolution even as it is in mens Courts though the principal Debter hath nothing to pay yet if the Cautioner pay the Debt it is the principal Debtors clâ—aring and if he should be again charged to pay the Debt his immediat deâ—ence would be that the Cautioner had payed it already So is it here the Lord hath borrowed and made use of this way that is used among men to make the Mystery of Justification which passeth in the Court of God the more clear to us it is as if one should alleadge that such a Person is owing so much and he should say I cannot be charged with it and upon what ground Not because I was not owing the Debt but because such anone has payed it for me So sayeth the Apostle Rom. 8.34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifies who shall condemne it is Christ that died c. The defence proposed before the Tribunal of God is Chritis dying and that is as much as he hath payed the Price or Debt who then can charge it on the principal Debtor And the frame and contexture of the words shews that it is a judicial precedour for they suppose a charge or lybel and a sentence and the Meritorious Cause of the Sentence of Absolution is that Christ hath died 2ly If we consider the nature of the two Covenants and compare them together it will be clear the Papists confound the two Covenants For works to them is the condition of both Covenants making use of that place Matth 19.17 2â— Keep the commands if thou will be perfect sell all thou hast and give to the poor quite contrary to the scope of it for therein Christ is putting the man to a thing impossible to himself to bring him to see the necessity of a Mediator and discover his unsoundnesse when he will not forgoe his great Possâ—ssions for him But the Scâ—ipture doth so clearly difâ—ereâ—ce the Covenant of Grace and â—he Covenant of works that they are opposed For the Covenant of works sayeth do this and live and the Covenant of Grace sayeth If thou shall believe with thy heart in the Lord Jesus and conâ—â—sse with thy mouth thou shalt or saved And therefore the account of ones being Juâ—â—ified in tâ—e Covenant of Grace must be different from the account whereon one is Justified in the Covenant of Wâ—rks otherwayes they would not be opposit The Covenant of Works respects inhâ—rent Righteousnesse as the condition The Covenant of Grace respects Faith taking hold of the Righteousnesse of Christ and therefore H s Righteousnesse must Justifie as being in Him without us and as imputed to us it cannot be our Righteousnesse within that Justifies for so it should be the same with the Covenant of Works for though Christ did procure inherent Righteousnesse to us it makes no difference in the condition it self which is works 3ly It will be clear if we consider how the Scripture speaks of Christ's Righteousnesse becoming ours even as our Sins became Christ's and was the cause if we may so speak of His condemnation that is as He became lyable to the Curse that as He stood a Legal Person in our Room He became guilty and lyable to the payment of our Debt For otherwayes it is abominable once to speak of His condemnation and if His Righteousnesse become ours as our Sin became His then certainly His Righteousnesse is the cause of our Justification as it is in Him inherently and in us by imputation only The blasphemy of Antinomians is most detestable and not at all pleaded for even by Papists and therefore we stand not on it here Now our Sin became Christ's by imputation therefore His Righteousnesse must be ours the same way If it then were asked How we are Justified The Text answers He shall justifie many because he shall bear their iniquities The Prophet makes his Sufferings to be the antecedent whereof our Justification is the consequent for His bearing of our iniquities is given as the reason of our Justification this is also clear 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him In which words the Spirit of
their own as to the removal of temporal plagues and the taking them out of Purgatory and if they grant that there may be an imputation of the Merits of Saints why deny they the imputation of the Merits of Christ as to the removal of eternal Wrath is there any probability that there can be any imputation of the one and not an imputation of the other 3. They allow an imputation of Christs Merits as to the procuring of the first Grace without all Faith apprehending Him and if by their own Doctrine it be not absurd to speak of Christ's Merit as to the infusing of Grace at first why shall it be thought absurd to speak of Christ's Merit as to the procuring of Glory 4. They grant that there is an imputation of Christs Righteousnesse as to the procuring of Glory in a higher degree though they say that it is a far better Life which comes by our own works and why not as to the procu ing of Glory in a lower degree yea both of Grace and Glory and of every good Thing We have insisted on this the more 1. Because it 's the main foundation of our Faith and the end of it and the great scope of the Gospel 2. Because there are so many mistakes about this and a grosse mistake in this is remedilesse when we come before God Even before the Tribunal of men if we make a wrong defence it hazards our cause So is it here for to have a hiding place in Christ and under the covert of His Righteousnesse is our only defence before the dreadful Tribunal of God 3. Because it serves much to clear this Truth for we would have you knowing that it 's not enough to speak of Christ's Merit as the cause of our friendship with God a Papist will do that who yet leaneth not to Christs Merits alone but to his own at least in part and in conjunction with Christ's and therefore we would now and then speak of this because there is such horrible ignorance of it though a fundamental Truth How many gay honest folks as they are called and accounted are there among us that cannot tell how they came to be Justified or what is the ground which they have to rest on if they were going to die Is it not absurd that men should be called Protestants and live so long under the clear light of the Gospel and yâ—t be iâ—norant of this main point of the Protestant Religion Therefore 1. make this Use of it to inform your selves in the causes of your Justification and to turn them over into Questions and Answers to your selves â—o that if ye ask what is the efficient cause of Justification It 's God the party offended What is the final cause of it It is Hâ—s Glory what is the Mâ—ritorious Cause It is Christ's Merits or His Righteousnesse impuâ—â—d to us what is the inward instrumental Cause It 's Faith c. According to the solid answer given in our Chatechisme to that Question what is Justification It is an Act of Gods free grace wherein he pardoneth all our sins and accepteth us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone Where the efficient cause is Gods free Grace Christ's Righteousness the only Meritorious Cause and the only inward instrumental Cause Faith alone The formal Cause Gods pardoning our Sin and accepting of us as Righteous Remember well that it is not Christ's Righteousnesse as having a Merit in it to procure inherent Righteousnesse but as it is imputed unto us and accounted ours that Justifies us Thus ye will remember the difference betwixt Christ's Rightâ—ousnesse and our own and as for the external instrumental Cause it is holden out in these Words of our Catechisme in the discription of Faith as he is offered to us in the Gospel All these Causes must in ordinary dispensation concur to our Justification and the pardoning of our Sins The 2d Use Serves to teach us to be on our guard against the Popish Error of Justification by Works though we here are mercifully keeped free yet the Land is tempted in several corners of it to shuffle by Christs Righteousnesse and to bring in mens own Righteousnesse or holinesse as the ground of their acceptation before God There are some spottings of it with in a few myles to this place and since this Error draws Souls away from that which is their right and only defence before God that is Christ's Righteousnesse it cannot but ruine them which should make you all to look well about you and upon this account to abhor it It as one of the great Delusions of the man of Sin which being once admitted will with your own consent bring you again in bondage to a Covenant of Works Use 3. Follow this way in your practice in your seeking after Justification renunce your own Righteousnesse and lean to Christ's Righteousnesse alone What better are many of us in our Practice then Papists If ye ask many what is it that satisfies the Justice of God Some will answer 1. Their good Prayers or their good Works and if they have done a fault they shall make amends 2. Others will say that they have a good heart to God and they mind well though it 's but little they dow do 3. Others will thank God that they have â—eâ—n keeped from grosse evils and that he hath helped them to pray and to wait on ordinances and though they have no Righteousnesse of their own yet God hath helped them to do many good things and thus all that they lean to is still within theâ— 4. Others will say we warrand you we can merit nothing but we hope through Christ's R ghteousnesse our Holiâ—esse and Prayers will be accepted not as Duties or Fruits of Faith but they think to make these two concur as the ground of their Justification to wit Christ's Righteousnesse and their own performances together And what is all this but black and abominable Popery And yet if we go through the generality of Professors great Folk and mean Folk we will find few but by one or other of these wayes they delude themselves and that but very few have Christs Righteousnesse as the immediat ground of their Justification and Defence before God Be ashamed therefore that ye are so ignorant of this Point and be exhorted to study it as the main thing if ever ye think to stand before God's Tribunal and to carrie your cause be exhorted I say to be clear in this Defence which only will be found relevant before God and nothing but this to wit the Satisfaction of Christ taken hold of and rested on by Faith The 4th Use Serves for notable Consolation to a poor Sinner that hath no Righteousnesse of His own and who without this would never have peace what would any of you think or say if ye had your Prayers and good Works to hold up to God for the ground of your
Justification But here is a way for the most prophane and gracelesse to be Justified which we do not mention to foster prophanity or an indifferency as to the having or wanting of inherent Gâ—ace and Holinesse God forbid we should but to hold out the excellency of this way of Justification by Grâ—ce whereto if ye kindly submit ye may come to be Justified It 's not your own Righteousnesse whether ye have lesse or more of it that Justifies you for to that ye must be denyed and endeavour to make this sure and sicker Therefore let not this Grace be offered to you in vain if ye slight it it will be a fearful challenge and will make you one day stand with a silent mouth and an empty hand when ye shall be charged because ye have not laid hold on this Righteousness which only can answer all challenges and ye shall stand naked before God because ye had this Robe of Christ's imputed Righteousnesse for covering of your nakednesse in your offer and would not put It on This is it that bare through David Abraham and Paul and all other Believers yea that which to say so bare through Our Lord Jesus who was justified in the Spirit as He stood in the Room of Elect Sinners and Believers in Him may be fully assured of their Justification through His imputed Righteousnesse not that which is His Essential but Cautionary Righteousnesse therefore througâ— in to make use of it and let God Himself blesse through Christ what hath been said to you to this purpose SERMON LVI ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iâ—iquities THese Words shew the great Scope and Design of the Covenant of Râ—demption and of Christ's Sufferings agreed upon therein which have been so much insisted on in the former verses And that 's in a Word that there may be a ground laid down how a Sinner may be Justified therefore there is the greater need that this point be well studied in all the causes of it It follows now that we consider this part of the Words which holds out the mean by which this benefit is made ours and that is by his knowledge which holds out the Instrumental Cause of our Justification It 's ordinarly so called and we see no cogent reason inducing us to a change of the Designation Faith â—here is called Knowedge not as if it were a bare speculative notion such as Devils may have but because Knowledge is a notable antecedent to Faith and Faith is consâ—quent to and supposes preceeding Knowledge as we may see Rom. 10. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard Thus Faith is exprest by Knowledge John 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ c. Now it cannot be eternal life to know by a meer notional or speculative Knowledge For several reprobat men exceed many Believers in this but it 's to know so as to believe in God and to rest on the Mâ—diator for Life through Him as it is 2 Pet. 1.3 He hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godlinâ—ss through the knowledge of him c. Meer speculative knowledge cannot be the condition of the Promises For they are made to the Man that believes which believing takes in not only the Act of the mind knowing and assenting but of the will consenting and closing with the object known and this will be the more clear from these two 1. That by knowledge here is meaned that by which Justification is made ours or applyed to us and that which intitles us to it now meer sâ—eculative knowledge doth not that but it 's Faith embracing Him who is made known 2. If we compare that which is attributed to knowledge here with that which is attributed to Faith else where Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God and Rom. 3.25 He is the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus We wil find that what is called knowledge here is called Faith there So that we may without hesitation take the meaning of thâ— Words thus My righteous servant shall by faith in him justifie many who by His bearing of their iniquities shall be absolved and set free Therefore what is spoken of knowledge in the Doctrine we may look on it as agreeing to and meant of Faith We shall here insist a little on this Doctrine which is implyed in the Words that Justification through Faith or the obtaining of the Pardon of Sin through Christs Righteousnesse taken hold of by Faith doth necessarily presuppose knowledge in the person that may expect it Or thus Faith where it is Saving and such as Justifies hath alwayes Knowledge going along with it other wayes Faith could not be called Knowledge There may be Knowledge without Faith but there can be no Faith without Knowledge and so consequently a Sinner cannot expect Justification without Knowledge For making out of this ye may consider these things 1. Faith is of it self nothing but as it layes hold on some Object How can Faith lay hold on an Object except it know it as the Word is Rom. 10. How can they believe except they hear Can any person rest on an unknown Mediator that sure were not Faith but a blind guissing It 's just as if ye should say that ye believe such a thing when yet ye cannot at all tell what it is which is not Faith but as I said blind guissing and presumption 2. Faith as Justifying is alwayes holden forth as making use of and giving credit to that which is revealed in the Word hence we that hear the Gospel have that revealed to us therein binding us to the belief of it that Heathens have not as it is Rom. 1.17 I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith Where it is necessarly presupposed that the revealing of the Righteousnesse of the Gospel which here comprehends the knowing of it must go before Faith and as a Person grows in Faith he grows in the knowledge of it hence also they are said to be strong in Faith who were strong in knowledge and they were said to be weak in Knowledge who are weak in Faith Rom 14.1 and 15.1 Because they knew not that the cerimonial Law was taken away and particularly the difference of Meats and so durst not hazard on some things which their Christian Liberty gave them accesse to 3. Consider that in Justification God would have a Sinner to proceed as a man doth who tables his defense before an earthly Tribunal of Justice who if he pleads well and on relevant grounds he comes the better to And as it is dangerous in a weighty cause depending to have an ignorant Advocat who puts in a wrong defence so is it here and in this case to be ignorant hence Rom 10. It 's given as the reason of
that way of Preaching most that layes open the mistery of Faith in Christ and of Hearers to love that way of Preaching best not so much that which fills the head with Notions as that which serves to help to close a Bargain betwixt God and you This was Pauls great design in Preaching as we see 1 Cor. 2.2 and 1 Cor. 1.23.24 He no doubt taâ—ght other things but he compended all in this or levelled all at this as the scope and this was his main Design in his Preaching and Pressing of other things The 3d. Use Serves To make a sad discovery of many of you is this Gospel the external mean of Justification Then see if ye ever knew any benefit ye got by it ye will belike say that ye are in friendship with God but how I pray you came ye by it There is little châ—nge to the better in your Knowledge and as little odds in your Practice ye are as much given to Covetousnesse Tipling Lying Swearing Pride Vanity c. as evâ—r and are these think ye the Fruits of Justification do ye think that to be Justification which is neither from the Word nor conform to it If God would commend this to your hearts I think it might alarm you to more serious thoughts of your Condition I put it to your Conscience if ye can conceive any difference betwixt you and these that never heard the Gospel ye are baptized and hear preachings c. But alace it 's none of these that Justifies they are only useful as they lead you forward to the use making of Jesus Christ Again let me ask you what effect hath Preaching upon you Hâ—th it convinced you of Sin â—o how then can it convince yâ—u of Righteousnesse Therefore if ye would make sure Justification indeed try it by the Word 1. What was it that put you to seek after Righteousnesse and Justification was ye ever convinced of the need of it and if ye have been convinced was it by Preaching of the Word 2. If ye have been convinced of your Sin and misery where sought ye for a remedy was ye led in through the Word to seek a Plaister to heal that wound of Conviction 3. What was it that warranted you to take hold of that Word or that gave you right to it I know that ye will say that it was Christ holden out in the Word that ye did betake your selves to but what weight laid ye on Gods call in the Gospel warranding you to lay hold on the Promise of Righteousnesse and Pardon of Sin through Christ I know there are many who though there had not been a call from God would have confidently stepped forward to the Promise but were ye ever like to Peters hearers pricked in your hearts and made to say men and brethren what shall we do Or being some way pricked was it Gods call holding out the Promise to be to you and your children and to as many as our God shall call that brought you to rest on the Promise God hath designed preaching for this end and ye would try if ever ye was put to it to look to Gods call that gâ—ve you warrand to believe for there is nothing more certain then this that wherever Faith is sicker and well built it 's grounded on Gods call and doth take His Faiâ—hfulnesse for it's Back-bond to say so and warrand More particularly we come to speake of this Word as it respects the inward mean or the inward instrumental cause of Justification which is Faith for there is this order and method 1. The Sinner is convinced and made sensible of Sin and brought to reckon for it in his own Conscience before God 2. There is Christs being holden forth interposing himself to take on Sinners Debt and satisfyâ—ng the Ju â—ice of God for it which is the meritorious Cause 3dly There is Gods Offer in the Gospel holding our Christs Righteousnesse to lost Sinners and calling them to make use of it 4ly Upon this there is Faith's receiving of the Offer and resting upon Christ and His Righteousnesse for Life which to speak so is the inward instrumental Cause taking hold of the external and as I said of Christ in it 5. And lasty follows Gods imputing the Righteousnesse of Christ to the Sinner and absolving him by vertue of that Righteousnesse from the guilt of his Sin as if he had never Sinned In speaking of this inward instrumental Cause Five things would be cleared which we suppose are implyed in the Words 1. The necessity of Faith holden out as the Mean by which Justification is come by 2. The immediat Object of Justifying Faith and that is Christs Sufferings or Jesus Christ as Suffering Travelling in Soul and paying our Debt 3. The Act of this Faith on this Object which is not a bare speculative Knowledge or a meer Historical Faith but something that really Acts on Christ with respect to His Sufferings 4. The effect of this Faith taking hold on Christ and His Sufferings and that is Justification which is not the making a Sinner to be Just by inherent Righteousnesse but the Actual absolving of him from the Guilt of Sin and from God's Curse the changing of his State and the bringing him from under the Curse into good terms with God 5. The manner how Faith concurres in proceeding or bringing about this effect wherein we have this general That Faith hath a peculiar influence in the Justification of a Sinner that no good work nor any other Grace hath There is none of all these things but it is in this miserably declined generation wherein the Devil sets himself mightily to obscure Truâ—h as the Lord by the Gospel doth clear it contraverted I shall only endeavour to clear the positive part and let you see what is Truth in these things whereby ye may be brought to discover and abhore the errors that are contrare thereto The 1. Doctrine than is this That before a man can be Justified and Absolved from the Curse of God due to him for Sin there is a necessity of Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ This is clear from the Words and from what hath been said in the opening of them up If it be by his knowledge or the knowledge of him that many are justified then it cannot be that they are Justified before they come to the Knowledge of Him or from Eternity only in passing take two or three words of Advertisement and then we shall confirm the Doctrine 1. When we speak of Justification it 's in respect of our being absolved and fred not from the pollution of Sin but from the guilt of it as it makes us obnoxious to the Curse the clearing of the effect will clear this more 2. When we speak of Faith it 's not to be understood as it were a Declaration or Manifestation of our Justification Or it is not to be understood of Faith in the hight of full assurance and as it is a plezophory but of
their Debt This will be clear if we consider all these Scriptures that make offer of the pardon of Sin for it 's offered not in the condition of Faith in a more general Notion of it but on condition of Faith in him So Rom. 5.22 24 25. The righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. John 1.12 To as many as received him he gave power to become the Sons of God even to as many as believe in his name Where the Faith that hath the Promise of Justification and the priviledge of Adoption annexed to it is called the receiving of Christ and believing on his name It may also be cleared and confirmed by good reason 1. Faith does not Justifie as it 's cosidered in it self as an Act but as it relates to and units with Christ as the meritorious cause of Justification 2. Neither does Faith Justifie as it looks to every Object which the Word holds forth But as it respects Christ offered in the Gospel whom it receiveth because there is no other thing that can bear the Souls weight and burden Therefore he as offered in the Gospel must be the Object of Faith as it 's saving and justifying 3. The terms of the Covenant and Gods offer clears it also For Gods offer of Justification is not on these terms that a Sinner shall believe his Word in the general but that he believe on His Son whom He hath sent and receive Him as these Scriptures cited before to wit John 3.16.18 and Mark 16.16 Shew where the terms are set down whereon God offers Life to Sinners 4. If we could imagine a man to have all Knowledge and all Faith if Faith Act not on Christ as Redeemer Cautioner and Surety for such as come to Him it will not avail us nor be counted to us for Righteousnesse which may also confirm this truth The Uses of this Doctrine are such as serve both to clear the nature of Faith and to direct us in our practice The 1. Use Then serves to clear the Truth as the Papists corrupt many Truths so they corrupt this Truth concerning the nature of Justifying and Saving Faith in these Three 1. In the Object 2. In the Subject 3. In the Act of it As for the Object of this Faith they make it to be every thing that God reveals and sometimes they take in their own Traditions the reason is because they give not Faith a Causality in Justification nor the capacity and place of a thing acting on Christ particularly but take it in as a common Grace or at the best as a Grace that is Radical and gives Life to other Graces but never as taking hold of Christs Righteousnesse which quite overturns the way of Justification through Faith in Him for Faith that layeth not hold on His Righteousnesse cannot Justifie and their making the Object of Faith to be so broad doth enervat both the immediat merit of Christs Righteousnesse and the exercise of Faith on it 1. Then we grant that there is a Historical Faith requisit as to the whole Word of God yet we say that the Faith that Justifies is properly that Faith that singles out the Righteousnesse of Christ and takes hold of it So that it 's not our believing that the World was made that there will be a day of Judgement nor our believing that a Saviour of Sinners is come into the World and hath suffered c. that Justifies but it 's a closing with a receiving of and a resting on that Saviour a singling out of the Promise that makes offer of him as for instance where it 's said If thou believe on the Lord Jesus thou shall be saved and pitching on that and resting on him holden out in the Promise Faith gives the Soul footing here whereas before it's case was very desperat 2. We may clear what we are to look to as the object of Justifying and Saving Faith by our putting in these Three Words or Expressions in the Doctrine to wit Christ Jesus his Righteousnesse holden forth in the promise of Gods free grace in the Gospel and which are needful to be taken in though it be not alwayes necessary that we be explicit ln the uptaking of them 1. There is need of taking in Christs righteousnesse because it 's our defence at the Bar of Gods Justiâ—e even as a Debitor whose Debt the Cautioner hath payed hath that to answer when he is charged for it that his Cautioner hath payed it 2. There is need to take in this Holden forth in Gods promise in the gospel because though Christ be the Object of Justifying Faith and His Righteousnesse be the ground of the Souls defence before God yet Gods Promise must be looked on by Faith for the use making of Christ and His Righteousnesse and as a warrand to rest on Him and to expect Justification through Him and thus Faith hath Christs fulnesse or His full and compleat Satisfaction for Righteousnesse and Gods Faithfulnesse impledged that the Believer shall be accepted through it And it s on this ground that Faith sometimes looks on God as Able sometimes as Faithful Therefore it 's said Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost and Heb. 11. Sarah judged him faithful who had promised whereupon there is a closing with the offer in the Promise and a looking to obtain that which is Promised as if they had a Righteousnesse of their own and this the Apostle calls the law of faith Rom. 3.27 Because to Justification there is beside the payment of the Debt a Law declaring the man to be absolved requisit and the Sinner having Gods offer and Promise that upon his accepting of Christs Righteousnesse he shall be Justified instructs that his Debt is payed by his Cautioner and that therefore he ought to be and is accordingly absolved And though Gods Promise be not so properly a Law yet the Apostle calleth it so and it is a solid defence to the Soul that is fled to Christ Who may thus reason I have no Righteousnesse of my own but Christs Righteousnesse by Proclamation is offered to me in the Gospel and I have heartily received it and closed with it and God is faithfull to make good His Promise to me and this looks to Christ as He is revealed in the Gospel 3. There is need to put in this word The promise of Gods free grace because hereby the Sinner is made to see whence the Promise came and of what nature it is and gives ground to take hold of the Promise and of that which is made offer of in it the Promise is of free Grace therefore it 's alwayes called the Covenant of Grace So Rom.
Sinners Justification is to table Christ's Satisfaction for his defence before God and to plead his absolution that ground The believing Sinner's Faith sayes it is true I was own so much Debt of Sin but Jesus Christ my Cautioner to whom I am fled hath satisfied for it therefore I ought to be absolved and the Law allowes of this sort of pleading and upon this ground in which respect Faith concurreth in attaining and may well be called the Instrumental Cause of our Justification I shall say no more on this Use but these two words we may partly regrat our great ignorance that we know so little of the use of Faith in our Justification And partly we mâ—y lament the great confusion that is in these times wherein men are set to overturn such a clear truth as if Faith had no instrumentality in our Justification but as if it and other Duties and Works were equal sharers and alike in it Which 1. overturns the nature of Gods Covenant of Grace in making Works the condition of it as if there were no difference betwixt the two Covenants of Works and of Grace 2. It hath this miserable ill attending it that it shoulders out Christs Righteousnesse and shuffles in an inherent Rrighteousnesse of our own as our defence when we come immediatly before the Throne of God whereas the Gospel puts us to a Righteousnesse without us and imputed to us This way leads us to seek Righteousnesse in our selves whether Works or Faith as a Work be made the ground of our Justification it is all one For if Faith considered as a Work in us disposing us to Holiness and as a part of sincere Holiness be the thing presented to God as the ground of our Justification it is still something within us and such a thing as is still imperfite which would miserably mar poor Souls comfort whereas the Righteousnesse of Christ laid hold on by Faith being made the ground of our Justification it affoords solid consolation For though Faith in us be weak and imperfite yet His Righteousnesse is perfite and as it was not the Israelites looking as we said that was the ground of their health and cure but Gods appointing of such a mean for their cure looked to Otherwayes they that were weak-sighted and had bleared eyes might think themselves not in such capacity of healling as these who were strong and more clear-sighted whereas they were all alike cured if once they looked even so is it here A 2d Use of this and the other Doctrine formerly spoken of is for Direction and practical Information would any know how to get Justification by Christ here is the way It 's by Faith in Him when Christ Jesus and His Satisfaction is made offer of in the Gospel for Justifying all self-condemning Sinners that lay hold on Him Sinners by Faith fleeing to Him and resting on Him get a title to His Righteousnesse that cannot but save them So that if it were 1. asked what is that which a man appearing before the Throne dare hazard to present to God as the ground of his defence It 's answered Christs Righteousness His Satisfaction 2. If it were asked How comes one to have Title and Right to that Righteousnesse so as he may own and present it for his defence It is answered that it is attained by believing in Him If it be asked how comes Faith to get a Title to that Righteousnesse is it by any vertue or efficacy in Faith as a Work in us It 's answered no but it comes to get Title to it by going out of it self by receiving and taking hold and making use of the worthinesse that is in Christs Righteousness which is as a Garment able to cover the Sinners nakednesse and to hide all his spots and as a compleat Ransom to pay all his Debt And this we see here upon the one side a necessity of Faith in order to Justification and upon the other side a warning not to count Grace and the Righteousnesse of Christ the less free that Faith hath an instrumentality in the application of it Faith having Two things that it pleads upon 1. Emptiness and need in it self whence it arrogats nothing to it's own pleading but 2. founds it's defence on the good ground it hath to propose And therefore as upon the one hand we would know that there is away to come by Justification by taking hold of Christs Righteousnesse by Faith So upon the other hand we would be afraid to let any thing stick to us from our Faith as if we had a meritorious or efficient hand in or were to be thanked for our winning to Justification For as a Beggar in receiving an Alms can alleadge no merit to be in his receiving or calling for it so no more does Faiths receiving mar the freedom of our Justification by any merit in it Use 3. Seing Faith concurres instrumentally in the attaining of Justification there is here clear ground to exhort you by Faith to receive Christ and to commend to you the exercise of believing because without it ye cannot be Justified and by it ye shall certainly be Justified Use 4. Here O! here is ground of consolation to poor Sinners sensible of Sin trembling at Gods Bar as being obnoxious to the Curse that by receiving of Jesus Christ they may be absolved from the Debt of Sin and fred from the Curse Therefore if there be any such here put forth your hands and receive what is in your offer open your Souâ—s mouth wide and let in Christ and He will fill it Faith having as to our Spiritual Life the same place that the mouth hath to the body as to the entertaining of the natural and bodily Life it opens and receives what is needful to keep in the Life of the Body And were not this good news to poor Souls burdened with Sin loathing themselves and their own Righteousnesse seing it all to be but as filthy Rags and crying out with the Jaylour what shall we do to be saved Paul would say to such and we say it in the Lords name Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be justified and saved for Justification is derived by Faith in Him to the Sinner Use 5. This serves exceedingly to humble a Sinner whether it be a Sinner aiming and seeking to be Justified or a Sinner that hath attained Justification in so far as there is no ground of boasting here If ye be aiming to be Justified it may humble you for what can ye contribute to it being enabled ye can indeed receive what is offered and that is all neither can ye receive except ye be enabled as is said It serves also to humble such as are Justified Have ye Righteousnesse it's not your own but Christ's It 's He only that did the turn if it should be said ye beliâ—ved and may boast of that I ask what did ye when ye believed did ye any more but this ye pleaded guilty and did consent
have be taken themselves to him may be justified pardoned and received in favour friendship and fellowship with God that Believers may be keeped from tentation that tentations may be prevented and they made to persever That Satan may not make their Faith to fail them as he designs and the Lord gives account of his design Luke 22.32 Satan hath sought to winnow you but I have prayed that thâ— faith fail not That they and their prayers and service may be accepted that the suits and supplications that they present and put up in his name may get a hearing That they may be armed against the fear of death That they may be carried on in the gradual advances of Sanctification to the end of their Faith the salvation of their Souls that they may be glorified and be where he is to behold his glory In a Word he interceeds for every thing needful and for every thing promised to them his Intercession being as broad as his Purchase 5ly How doth he perform this part of his Priestly Office for his People it's performed by his entrie into the most holy place in our nature and name as having satisfied Justice and vanquished death where he appears before God for us So that we are to look to Christ's being in heaven not simply as glorifying himself or as glorified in himself for himself but as our head and forerunner to answer all that can be said against his Elect for whom he suffered and satisfied as it is Heb. 9.23 24. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us So that our Lord Jesus by his entry into heaven doth declare I mean materially declare his victory in our name and appears there as a publick and not as a privat person His entry into heaven is not to be looked on as the entry of Moses or of Elias but as the entry of him who is head of the Elect whose entry there is a Declaration of what he would be at As by the power of his God-head he conveyed himself in thither So he hath taken possession in our name and according to the Covenant declares that these whose room he sustains may and must be admitted to glory And we must conceive an special efficacy in his being there for procuring to them what he hath purchased 2. His Intercession is performed through the efficacy of his blood and satisfaction flowing from the nature of the Covenant which hath a moral real cry for making effectual what he by his death hath procured As the Apostle speaking of Abels Blood and of making application of Christs Blood Heb. 12.24 Saith It speaketh better things then the blood of Abels For Abels Blood had a dmereit in it to cry guilt and could not but have a Curse following it because God had cursed the shedder of Blood But Christs Blood considered as the price of Redemption for the Elect hath an invaluable and unconceivable merit and worth in it and must have a cry for the blessings purchased to them by it 3. He performs this his Intercession by his constant care and by his continual willingnesse and actual willing that what he hath purchased for his Elect people may be applyed to them that such and such persons may be brought to believe that upon their believing they may be pardoned delivered from snares and tentations keeped in favour with God may be accepted in their performances c. For he had that prayer John 17.20.24 And he continues to have that same Sympathy His way on earth was alwayes sinless but now is glorious and majestick suited to his glorified state He continues to interceed according as he intended and his actual willingness is a main part of his Intercession which is not in renewing of acts to speak so but in his continuing desire willingness that what good he hath purchased may be conferred according to the Covenant For Christ in heaven is still a true man and hath a will as he had on earth continuing to seek that they may be glorified with him for whom he satisfied and this actual willing desiring and affecting that such a thing should be is called his Intercession because it cannot but be so esteemed as to have the effect to follow according to the Covenant as he sayes John 11.41 42. I thank thee Father that thou hast heard me and I know that thou hearest me alwayes This as to his actual willing cannot but be in heaven However we are sure that he is there and in our name and that his death and blood shed hath an efficacy to bring about what he hath purchased and that his will and affection are the same and have an efficacy with them and the effect certainly following so as nothing can go wrong there more then the man that hath a just cause in a Court of Judicature and an able Advocat with much moyen to agent and plead it before a Just Judge can be wronged or loss his Cause 6ly The grounds of his Intercession are 1. The excellency of his person who though he be man yet is he God also equal with the Father the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his poweâ— As it is Heb. 1.2 Which cannot but add weight to his Intercession as well as to his Satisfaction the Person that interceeds being God The 2. is his Satisfaction which is the ground of his Intercession for upon his Satisfaction he maketh Intercession even as if a Cautioner would say I have payed such a mans Debt and therefore he ought to be absolved Therefore 1 John 2.1 2. These two are joyned We have an advocat with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins So Rom. 8.34 They are joyned It 's Christ that died who is at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for us 3. The Covenant of Redemption is the great ground on which his Intercession is founded Such and such persons are given to Christ and such priviledges and benefits offered to be conferred upon them on condition the Mediator would undertake and satisfie for them and he having undertaken and payed the price there is good ground for his interceeding for the making application of the purchase Therefore he sayes John 17. Thine they were and thou gavest them me c. This gives him right to plead and interceed for them seing he hath endured Soul-travel for them he ought to see his Seed and to have many Justified and fred from the curse and condemnation that they were obnoxious to as the fruit of that sore Soul-travel In and from the consideration of these we may gather what is the
to God I shall only say further here that though we cannot tell how he interceeds to satisfie our selves fully yet this is clearly held forth to us that whatsoever is needful by his being in heaven we may confidently expect it will be performed from the man Christ from him who is God-man in one Person and so his Intercession with the Father is his actual procuring and doing such a thing and that not as God simply but as Mediator Therefore these two words are put in the forecited expressions Whatsoever ye ask in my name I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son and whâ—m the Father will send in my name That is by vertue of my procurement by vertue of my Sacrifice and Intercession and the sending of the Comforter shews that it is performed by him that is God-man out of the respect he hath to his members and on the account of his Office which he pursues for their edification And so there is enough to answer the question and abounding consolation to his people which is the next Ufe Use 2. To shew the notable consolatioon that flows from this part of Christs Office O! What savourinesse and unsearchable riches are in this part of his name That our Lord Jesus as Intercessour appeares in the presence of God for us We shall speak here to these Five things 1. Wherein this is comfortable or to the extent of it 2. To the advantages that follow on it 3. To the grounds of this consolation which are confirmations of it 4. To this at what times and particular occasions the People of God may and ought in a special manner to make use of and comfort themselves in it And 5. on what terms this consolation is allowed that they grow not vain and proud of it For the First Our Lords Intercession gives a Fourfold extent of consolation that makes it wonderful 1. In it's universality as to the persons to whom it 's extended Not indeed to all men in the World but to all that will make use of it And though it were simply of universal extent to all men in the world yet it would comfort none but such as made use of it And that vanity of the Arminians that extends Christs Death and Intercession to all can truly say no more for so in comfort for they are forced to say that Christ died and intended his death for many that will never get good of him but we say all that he intended should get good of his death do get the intended good of it yea we say that whoever will make use of him shall get good both of his Death and of his Intercession So Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him Though the cause seemed to be desperat and the sentence pronounced Cursed is he that continues not in all things written in the law yet he is able to save them Therefore 1 John 2.2 It 's said If any man sin O! strange word We have an Advocat what an Advocat for any man yea for any man that will make use of him For as we shew before though it 's true that his Intercession is bounded to his Elect yet it 's as true that he refuses no cause that is honestly given him to plead If any man sin we have an advocat He will not say to such poor Souls I will not be for you I have done all that I may but it is gone against me neither will he prig to say so with you he will not say I will have this or that ere I undertake your cause for you but if any man sin If any man see his need and will imploy him whether he be a great man or mean man whether he be poor or rich bound or free whether he be an old sinner that his lived long in security hypocrisie or prophanity or be a sitten up professour whether he be young or old If any of you all that are here will come to him he will not refuse to be imployed by you By him therefore as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 1â— 15 let us offer praise to God continually And as praise so the sacrifices of other duties and they shall be accepted as the offer oâ— the Gospel runs on an universality and excludes none but these that by their unbelief exclude themselves So his Intercession runs on an universality If any man sin and will imploy him he is an Advocat at hand And seing it is Christ and Christ as Intercessour for transgressours that we are speaking of as the ground of Sinners consolation let me in passing desire you to remember that he is pointing at you men and women and if there be any of you that have a broken cause to plead any debt that ye would fain be fred of any Sin to be pardoned or your peace to be made with God here is an Advocat and the very best offering himself to be imployed Such an Advocat as said John 11. I thank thee Father for that I know thou hearest me alwayes This was true while he was on earth and will be true to the end of the world 2. The extent of this consolation appears in respect of all cases as his Intercession secluds no person that wil make use of him so it secluds no case though it looked like a lost cause and though the conscience had pronunced the Sentence God is greater then the Conscience and can louse from it though the Act were past in the Law he can cancel it And here comes in the triumph Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifies Will the Devil the Law the Conscience or any thing lay ought to the charge of the man whom God justifies No why so It is Christ that died But that is not all alas may the Soul say How will I get good of Christs death I cannot apply it and make use of it He answers that He is also risen again and sitten down at the right hand of God and there maketh intercession for us to wit that his purchase may be applyed and there needs no more ye will get no more ye can seek no more and that closes the triumph There is no sin before nor after Conversion no sin of ignorance no sin against light no enemy no tentation whatever it be but that word answers all Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Where Christ takes the sinners case in hand who will stand up against him he is too strong a partie If Satan stand at the High Priests hand it 's the Lord that rebukes him Zach. 3. That as it were boasts him from the bar 3. The extent of this consolation appears in respect of the degree and hight of the perfection of the Salvation that comes by Christs Intercession to all that make use of him in all cases Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost
without a Mediator and withall an approbation of Gods way who hath appointed a Mediator for that end and a loving to keep up communion with him by a Mediator So that suppose we were clear that our sins are pardoned yet we would know that this coviction and impression is necessary to put us to make dayly use of this part of the Mediators Office for we may have conviction of the First part that is that we cannot make our peace without Christs Satisfaction and yet we may be defective as to our walking under the due conviction of the Second that is of a necessity of keeping up of our communion with God by vertue of his Intercession which is as if a Rebel being reconciled and made a friend by the procurement of some great Person yet having to do with the King should not dare to go unto him without the man that was instrumental in making his peace or we may allude to Absaloms coming home by Joabs procurement who was three years thereafter at Jerusalem ere he saw his Fathers face and had a new dealling with Joab for that end So it 's very suitable to the way of grace and shews that our being and standing in grace is free not to dare to go in to God even when our peace is made without the Mediator 4. Upon the back of all this there is a necessity of the Faith of the Mediator or Intercessor his being at the right hand of God ready to agent our cause through whom we may have access when there is reason enough in our selves why we should be keeped at the door and though we dar not go our selves alone yet to adventure to go through him to God And though this be but the doctrinal Faith of the thing in general yet it 's necessarily presupposed as well as the rest That whâ—n a challenge rises and the Conscience sayes how â—aâ— thou go to God Faith may answer Because there is a friend there in our nature when the sinner is convinced of sin the Conscience challengeth and the Law condemns and there is some sad expectation of the drawing forth of the Sentence Theâ—e is an act of Faith that convinces of a Saviour whose satisfaction if it be made use of and improven all will be well This we say is necessarily presupposed to the use making of Christs Intercession 2dly These 4. being presupposed it follows that we shew what properly it is to make use of Christs Intercession or wherein it consists And 1. when Faith hath laid hold on Christs Satisfaction for peace with God in the improving of his Intercession there is an act of Faith whereby we actually bestir our selves to approach unto God upon the weight we lay on his Intercession that when the Soul sees it self secluded considered in it self yet it will go forward lippening to that so that if a challenge come in its way and say what ground hast thou to look that thou wilt be welcome to God the Soul sayes none in my sâ—lâ— but there is a friend before me with whose satisfaction I have closed for my peace and I lay this weight on his Office and on Gods call to make use of him that on the ground of his moyen with God I dar h zard to go forward even as if a Rebel after his peace were made had some business to do with the Prince and hearing that there is a friend at Court yea the same friend that made his peace he thinks that a good time and fit season to go in and present his suit expecting to come speed through his moyen And this keeps alwayes the weight and honour of our obtaining any thing we seek as a prerogative to Christ and stops the persons own mouth from looking to any thing in it self to boast of even as the Rebel hath no cause to boast of his getting a hearing from the Prince but gives the thanks to him who as he made his peace so also procured him a hearing and it is according to that word Heb. 10.21 Having an high-Priest over the house of God let us draw near with full assurance of faith expecting a hearing and that Heb. 4.15 16. Seeing we have an high Priest who was tempted in all things like as we are yet without sin Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtâ—in mercy and find grace to help in time of need This is the First step of improving Christs Intercession when the juâ—â—ified sinner is at a stand on some new challenge for guilt and dar not go forward nor adventure to approach unto God on this account and ground that there is a Mediator and Advocat at his right hand to hazard if we may speak so or rather with confidence to go forward and present his suit to God 2. There is an act of Faith as in undertaking so in expecting and on-waiting upon God for obtaining a hearing of our suit on this account that Jesus Christ is an intercessour in heaven for such as imploy him And this guards against both the faillings before mentioned to wit against anxiety on the one hand 〈◊〉 presumption on the other against anxâ—â—ty and fainting when as there is not only a proposing of our desire but an on-waiting for and expectation of a hearing from God against presumption and turning carnal when the expectation of a hearing is not founded on our own righteousnesse but on the Intercession of Christ This is it which we have Dan. 9.17 compared with Jonah 2.4 In the 2. of Jonah 4. v. He sayes Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look again toward thy holy temple The which look was in effect a looking toward the intercession of Christ the Messiah The Temple with it's Sacrifice having been typical of him and the Mercy-seat that was there being typical of his intercession It is as if unbelief had suggested to Jonah now Jonah what will become of thee thou art a gone man and needs not pray any more yet sayes he I will look again towards thy holy temple and though he knew not wel now being in the belly of the Whale where the Temple stood yet his Faith having an suitable exercise on the Messiah signified by the Temple and his looking being an act of Faith carried in his suit to God which was accepted and Indeed this is a main thing by which a poor Believer cast down wins to his feet again The other place is Dan. 9.16 17. Where when he is serious and doubling his petition he hath these words Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary which is desolat for the Lords sake and to let it be known what he meaned by saying for the Lords sake which looks to him who was to be intercessour in our nature he expones it in the following words O! my God incline thine ear and hear open thine eyes and behold our desâ—lations For we do not present our supplications bâ—fore thee
neither Penance Performances nor any other thing will do it but it 's Lo I come in the volum of thy book it s written of me I delight to do thy will O my God Take this then as another ground of Saving Knowledge that it is our blessed Lord Jesus that satisfies Justice even he who being God was content to become Man and is God and Man in one Person He and he only undertaking the Debt satisfies Justice 4. How does he satisfie Justice Ans He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was on him and by his stripes we are healed In which words observe these three things 1. In Christs satisfaction for us there is an actual undertaking he becomes Cautioner and enters himself in our room when all other things are casten Angels Men with their Sacrifices thousands of Rams ten thousand rivers of Oil and the fruit of the Body then our Lord Jesus comes in and undertakes Psal 40.7 Lo I come he satisfies for our Transgressions which supposes that Justice could not have sought our Debt of him if he had not undertaken it therefore Heb. 7.24 He is called the surety of a better testament for he comes in our room and place and undertakes to pay our Debt even as if a man under Debt were a carrying to Prison and another able rich man should undertake to pay the Debt although the Debt should ly over for a while unpayed yet the Creditor will get a Decreet on the Cautioner for payment of the Debt when he pleases to put at him so Jesus Christ enters Cautioner for our Debt and becomes lyable to the payment of it 2. Christs performance and payment of the Debt according to his undertaking implys a Covenant and Transaction on which the application is founded which we shew was also implyed in the foregoing words ver 4. He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows God the Father Son and Holy Spirit are the Party wronged by Sin Jesus Christ considered personally and as Mediator is the Party undertaking The terms are that he shall suffer and satisfie Justice for us and that we shall go free that his paying shall be our freedom that the Debt which he pays for us shall not be exacted off us our selves 2 Cor. 5. ult He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him and here the chastisement of our peace was on him it was transferred from us to him that by his stripes we might be healed by his stripes and blanes health was procured and brought to us 3. Our Lord Jesus in fulfilling the Bargain and satisfying Justice payed a dear price it was at a very dear rate that he bought our freedom He was wounded bruised suffered stripes and punishment So that ye may take the answer to the question in sum to be this our Lord Jesus performed and satisfied for all that was due by us by undertaking our Debt and paying a dear price for Sinners according to the Covenant of Redemption He came under the Law and the Law struck at him as Cautioner and he answered the Laws demands and fully and condiguly satisfied the Justice of God for us As for that Question Whether Christ might not by one drop of his blood have satisfied and such like we think them very needless too curious and little or not at all edifying But if it be asked why Christ payed so much we answer 1. It behoved Christ to pay a condign price to give a condign satisfaction to Justice 2. It was meet that he should pay all that he payed First We say it behoved to be a condign satisfaction For 1. It behoved to be a price equivalent to all that the Elect should have suffered had not he interposed 2. It behoved to be proportionable to the Justice of God for God having laid down such a way of shewing Mercy that his Justice should be salved there behoved to be condign satisfaction for the vindication of Justice which was done by Christs suffering to the full undoubtedly if we consider 1. The excellency of the Person that suffered God and Man in one Person 2. If we consider the nature of his Sufferings that they were exceeding great heavy and pressing And 3. If withall we consider the manner of his Sufferings that it was with much readiness and chearfulness of obedience to the Fathers will That such and so excellent a Person should suffer and suffer so much and suffer in such a way this sure makes a condign Satisfaction and so Justice is fully thereby satisfied and made as glorious as if all the Elect had suffered eternally therefore we say that his sufferings were a condign and proportionable satisfaction to Justice for them whose Debt he payed by this Justice is compleatly and gloriously satisfied Secondly We said that it was meet that he should pay all that he payed and so it is if we consider 1. The excellency of immortal Souls a little price as all that Men or Angels could have payed would have been the finest Gold Silver and precious Stones could not have done it the redemption of the soul is precious and ceaseth for ever to wit amongst all the Creatures Psal 49.8 2. The severity of Justice on the just account of Sin called for such a price 3. Gods end which was to make both his Grace and Justice glorious required and made it meet that our Lord should suffer condignly and in his Sufferings suffer much even all that he did suffer And in this ye have an answer to this question why Christ suffered so much as the loss to speak so of his declarative glory for a time outward sufferings and inward sufferings even the bâ—â—isiâ—g and squeezing that hiâ— Soul was under which made him to say that it was heavy unto death and exceeding sorrowful Let not sinners then think it a little or a light thing to get a Soul saved the redemption whereof ceaseth for ever as to us or any Creature Behold herein the glory of Grace eminently shineth forth when there is such a price payed for that which in some respect is of so little worth and also the glory of Justice when so great a price is demanded and payed down for its satisfaction by so worthy and excellent a Person and let none think little of Sin the guilt whereof could not be otherwise expiaâ—â—d the chastisement of our peace behoved to be on him 5. What are the benefits that come by these Sufferings Answer 1. The benefits are such that if he had not suffered for us we should have suffered all that he suffered our selves 2. More particularly we have 1. Peace and Pardon of Sin 2. Healing by his Sufferings so that if it be asked what procured pardon of Sin and peace with God We answer it 's Christs Sufferings Or if it be asked what is the cause of Gods justifying Sinners We answer it 's
Christs satisfaction or suffering and it is by the way much to be regrated that such is the ignorance of some that if a question be proponed in divers words or expressions as if it should be asked wherefore are we pardoned wherefore are we justified which is one and the same they know not how to answer but here ye are called to remember that Christs being wounded and his bearing the chastisement due to you is the cause of your Pardon and Justification 2. Healing looks to Sanctification as we hinted in the exposition so that if it be asked How comes it to pass that a Sinner is made holy we have it here answered that though efficiently it comes by the Spirit and be his work yet meritoriously it comes by Christs suffâ—rings he bought it by his stripes we are healed And under these two Words peace and healing we take in all things needful or pertaiâ—ing to Life and Godlinâ—â—s for by peaâ—e the feud and enmiâ—y is taken â—way 〈…〉 â—e reconciled to God a Eph. 2.14 〈◊〉 â—â—d to be our peace and he who ca◠〈◊〉 speak peace to all that are afar off and neâ—â—and and also by peace we under stand all 〈◊〉 effects of peace 1. Pardon of Sin Justification Adoption Communion with God here and hereafter Peace with our own Conscience and with the Creatures eterâ—â—â— Peace and Glory and all these good things purchased by Christs death For the Hebrews under peace comprehended all good things And under healing we take in Sanctification as distinguished though not divided from those other things mentioned dying to sin and living to righteousness with the several degrees of their advance and progress and the making of us to be without spot and wrinkle or any such thing So that folk have much advantage by Christs purchase and much prejudice thorow the want of it By his death we are kept out of Hell and admitted to peace with God and every thing that is good We have liberty to pray for all that is good and are brought in his own way and time to the possession of it It 's by the blood of sprinkling that we have a new and living way made patent to us unto the most holy and holiness in the way whereof we enter in thither 6. To whom hath Christ procured all these good things The Text saith it 's our and we the chastisement of our peace was on him and by his stripes we are healed to wit we Elect. Whence Observe 1. That the benefits of Christs purchase redounds only to the Elect there is a certain select number to whom they are applyed and not to all indifferently It 's only of as many as are healed whose chastisements he hath born It 's only they whom the Father hath given him to them he gives eternal life and they shall never perish John 6.45 They are Effectually Called Justifiâ—d and Sanctified 2. Observe That what Christ Jesus hath purchased and the benefits of his purchase redound and are extended to them that are guilty of hainous sins to them that are under transgressions and iniquities that are at feud with God and under many poâ—â—â—tionâ— and most loathsome spiritual Diseases to them who contemned and despised Christ and judged him smitten and plagued of God as is clear from the foregoing words and to them which have gone straying like lost sheep as is clear from the words following This points at these two or three things very useful 1. That the Elect are by nature and before Christ do them good no better than others 2. It shews the freedom of the Grace of God that comes over that and freely gives pardon peace and healing to them And 3ly It serves to strengthen a Sinners Faith who is sensible of his enmity and sinfulness and to be a ground of encouragement to him to step to and lay hold on Christs purchase because it was for such that he died he may humbly yet confidently say Christ died even for such as me for them that wounded and pierced him by their transgressions and iniquities for them that were at enmity with God c. and alace I am such and will therefore on the call of the Gospel come to him and on his own terms endeavour to cast my self on him 7. How are these benefites this Justification Pardon of Sin Peace and Healing and all that is comprehended under them derived from Christ to the Sinner that by Faith fleeth unto him for refuge Answer These two generals will clear it 1. They are derived to us justly and in a legal way Christ steps in in our room that we may come in his room 2. They are derived to us freely he was wounded and bruised that we might go free he endured stripes that we might be healed he got the buffets and bare the burden and we get the benefites there is not a grain weight of it laid on us as it is satisfactory to divine Justice To clear this a little more anent the deriving the benefits of Christs purchase to us there must be a respect had 1. To the Covenant of Redemption the ground of his suffering for us 2. To the Covenant of Grace and Reconciliation wherein the offer of these Sufferings and the benefits purchased by them to us and the terms of both is made 1. I say That respect most be had to the Covenant of Redemption wherein it 〈◊〉 acted in the Council of the God-head that the Son of God should become Man and suffer and condignly satisfie divine Justice by paying the price due by the Elect and that that price being laid down it should be made forthcoming for them for whom he payed it and be reckoned theirs and they set actually at liberty when having recourse thereto by Faith and here there is a legal ground for transferring Christs purchase to and upon us the Cautioner satisfying we the Debtors are on that account absolved in his own order and method and have a right to seek the application of the price and the benefits purchased by that price Christs stands in our room at the bar and sentence passed on him to pay our Debt he satisfied according to his undertaking for us And upon the other hand we are brought in and the sentence of Justification passed on us on that account He saith the Apostle who knew no sin is made sin for us that in him we may be accounted righteous and may be declared free as we are by vertue of his satisfaction But it may be objected here What are we then absolved from the very time of Christs death and forward For answer We would distinguish betwixt a right to the thing and a right in the thing as we use to speak betwixt jus ad rem and jus in re the Elect from Christs death forward and before too have a right to the thing but not in the thing as to the application of it to themselves an elect Person by vertue of Christs Satisfaction hath a legal right to