is Jesus Christ the righteous we have therefore proposed to be considered First how cleer the Scripture is in this truth that it is his righteousnesse that carries the cause of a poor Believer when he hath sinned and gets the discharge for his sin after it is committed I say the plea lies in his righteousness I cannot insist upon the Scriptures mentioned they are very plentifull We came further to consider what this righteousnesse of his is that hath such a strength of plea in it the resolution of this I distributed into two heads First Negative Secondly Affirmative First the righteousnesse which carries away the cause and obtains the discharge of a Believers sin is no righteousnesse of our own no not so much as the righteousnesse of faith as it is our act of believing Here we left the last day I will give you a touch of the impossibility that faith should so plead for the discharge from sin in its own name or strength as to carry away the cause on the side of this person sinning It is true the Apostle speaks of the righteousnesse of faith in the 10. to the Romans about the 4. verse A righteousnesse of faith there is indeed but that righteousnesse which is here given and ascribed unto faith is afterwards appropriated to the Word that is unto the Gospel that is the righteousnesse of faith speaks on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend up into Heaven that is to bring Christ from thence or who shall descend into the deep But what saith it The Word is nigh thee in thy heart in thy mouth That is in the word in the heart and in the mouth that is the word of Faith and so not the righteousnesse of a mans own act of believing I cannot dwell upon what I have delivered before There are some things briefly to be considered even about our believing as it hath a stroke in the discharge from sin or in the pardon of sin The truth is beloved some hand faith hath in this businesse but it is not any righteousnesse in the act of believing that carries any stroke in it If you will consider it well you shall easily see there is no more righteousnesse in our believing as we do act believing then there is in any other gracious act whatsoever we do there is no more righteousnesse in the act of our beleving then is in our love of God nay more there is as much sinfulnesse in our act of believing as in our acting of other gifts There is no man under Heaven hath attained unto that height of believing or that strength of faith but there is still something wanting some imperfection and sinfulnesse in it And as there is weaknesse and imperfection in believing so it is not possible that this believing should give forth such a righteousnesse as to constitute a person who is unrighteous in himself to be righteous before God That which cannot set it self compleat and righteous before God can never set another righteous before God Faith must be first just it self or else it is not possible it should be imagined it can ever by the righteousnesse of its own act justifie another Beloved what ever the Scriptures speak concerning faith justifying it must of necessity be understood objectively or declaratively one of these two wayes Either faith is said to be our righteousnesse in respect of Christ onely who is believed on and so it is not the righteousnesse of his own act of believing but the righteousnesse of him that is apprehended by that act of believing Or else you must understand it declaratively that is whereas all our righteousnesse and all our discharge from sin flowing only from the righteousness of Christ alone is an hidden thing that which in it self is hid to men doth become evident by believing And as faith doth make the righteousnesse of Christ evident to the Believer so it is said to justifie by its own act declaratively and no otherwise And whereas in the 5. Chapter to the Romans and the 1. verse the Apostle there saith being justified by faith we have peace with God In Rom. 8. vers 33. the Apostle saith It is God that justifieth Now I beseech you compare these Texts together then tell mee whether the act of believing except it hath reference to the object which is Christ of it self doth justifie whether or no these two places caÌ„possibly be reconciled without contradiction It is God that justifieth and it is Faith that justifieth Faith is not God neither is God Faith If therefore it be faith in justification in respect of its own act that justifieth it is not God that justifieth us and if it be God that justifieth then it is not Faith in respect of its own act How will you reconcile it When therefore the holy Ghost speaks of faith justifying it speaks of faith as laying hold upon God for our justification and therefore though faith doth here appeare as that which doth lay hold upon the righteousnesse of God yet faith here cannot be said to be that righteousnesse that doth justifie us Ob. But I know some will be ready to say it is not to be understood as if saith had any innate power of its owne to procure the discharge or pardon from sin but saith is to bee understood as the Instrumentall cause that laies hold upon that justification and so it goes before the justification of a person and it is to be understood no otherwise Answ I shall desire to keep in the plain path for the cleering up of this truth and so far as possible may be I abhor to walk in the clouds in a truth that so highly concerns the comfort and establishing the consciences and spirits of men and therefore I say that faith as it layes hold upon the righteousness of Christ it doth not bring this righteousnesse of Christ to the soul but only doth declare the presence of this righteousnesse in the 〈◊〉 that was there even before faith was I beseech you mark me wel I know beloved I have many very catching ears about me I speak it the rather that there may be the more warines because there are frequent mis-understandings misâ—â—â—ings of the things I deliver especially by those that come to catch I say again there is no pâ—â—son under Heaven reconciled unto God justified by God through â—he righteousnesse of Christ but this person is justified and reconciled unto God before hee doth believe And therefore faith is not the instrument radically to unite Christ and the soul together but rather is the fruit that follows flows from Christ the root being united before hand to the persons that doe believe so that the efficacy and power of believing is to be instrumentall for the declaration of an act that was done before only it was hid For the cleering up of this to you beloved consider that expression in the 12. Chapter to the Hebrews vers 1. Faith saith the Apostle
one I shall be undone as others are that are plundered here the heart is disturbed and distracted But beloved suppose you lose all that you have even the wife out of your bosomes and your children out of your arms so you be deprived of all yet there is no evill in them and therefore you ought not to be affraid There is nothing but good a them the Apostle in the 12. Hebr. tells us that it is true for the present no affliction seems joyous but grievous yet he takes away all occasions of feare though for the present they seem evill yet afterwards saith he they bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse to those that are exercised therewith What hurt is in them when they bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse In afflictions they are refined as Silver and as Gold What hurt is there to Silver in the fire when nothing is intended but the seperation of the drosse from the Silver When the Lord afflicts his people he sits as a Refiner to take away the drosse The afflictions of Gods people are nothing but the refinings of God to take away the rust What hurt is there in Physick especially in good physick when the body is distempered They that know the benefit of it will they be affraid of it though it make them sicke for a time It is true ignorance and suspition of the operation will make men affraid but the Lord hath made it known to us that all his chastisements are the fruits of his love and this is the end of all to take away their sins It is true men need not feare that the sins they commit shall do them hurt but the Lord makes use of afflictions to purge out sin from the conversation where it is a trouble and burthen both to the faithfull and Brethren though hee doth not revenge himselfe of any before committed Thirdly as wee ought not to be affraid of sin and afflictions in generall so for the present we should take notice that they that have Goâ— for their God must not be affraid of men The enemies of God they that fight against God there needs no feare either of their wrath oâ— of their policy nor of their meances nor oâ— their cruelty There is no cause of feare of anâ— of these It is true there is doubtlesse an implacablenesse of rage and an unchangeable resolution of revenge if possibly they could eveâ— to bring fire from Heaven to devour the servants of the living God But if their rage were more desperate then it is there is no cause at all to feare in as much as God is the God of such a people In the 120. Psalme you shall see that there is no cause to feare though there bee never so much evill approaching This Psalme was made of purpose to set forth this thing that the godly need not feare the fury of the oppressor If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us they had swalloweâ— us up when their fierce wrath was kindled against us but blessed be the Lord saith the Psalmist that hath not given us as a prey to their teeth ouâ— soule escaped as a Bird out of the snare of the Fowler the snare is broken and wee are delivered Here is fierce wrath but yet here is escaping as a Bird out of the snare of a Fowler and how comes this to passe the Lord is their help and hee is on their side If the Lord had not been on their side they had been swallowed up quick and if so be the Lord be on our side what need of fear is there at all of their wrath The Psalmist tells us that surely the wrath of man shall praise thee and the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain Psal 76.10 See what little cause there is of fear from the wrath and rage of men there shall nothing but matter of praise come forth to the Lord out of it Wilt thou be afraid of that by which the Lord shall bee praised The Lord is praised by the wrath of men and all the superfluity of wrath all that is over and above more then is for the glory of God the Lord will restraine that The wrath of man shall praise thee and the remainder of wrath thou shalt restraine The wrath that is more then for his praise the Lord will be sure to keep it in and the wrath that is for the glory of God wilt thou be afraid of it Moreover as you ought not to feare the wrath of men so you ought not to fear the policy of the enemies of God Though hell it self combine with them to lay snares to entrap the people of God there is no cause of fear of them â—et there be Achitephels among them whose counsell is as an Oracle of God yet the Lord will turn their counsell into foolishnesse The Lord of such a people he confounds the wisdome of the wise and brings to nought the counsell of the prudent where is the Wiseman where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this world He hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise as well as the weak things of the world to confound the strong Now if the Lord choose foolish things to confound the wise or the wise things of the world to confound themselves why oughtess thou to be affraid Thirdly there is no occasion of fear to them that have God for their God of the instruments of cruelty Let them have all the instruments that cruelty it selfe can invent fear theâ— not fear not their swords fear not their guns fear not their engines of war No weapons formed against the Church of Christ shall prosper What need we to be affraid of that which shall not prosper Now the Lord saith plainly that no weapon formed against the Church shall prosper You know indeed that unto a naked breast a sword is terrible but where then is a coat of male to sence off a sword he thaâ— hath on this coat is or need be no more affraid of the thrust of a sword then when theâ— is no sword at all thrust against him especially when he knowes his coat of male is sword proof that a sword cannot pierce it Armoâ—â— of proofe you know will keep out a bullet when a man knowes his armour is of proof indeed he cares not whether he hath a dagger thrust at it or a pistoll shot against it or no he fears not he cares not The armour of believers is pistoll-proof it cannot be shot through Object But you will say many are slaine will you condemne all that are killed by their enemy as not Believers Answ Mistake me not I doe not say they are sword-proof so that the same thing may not befall unto them as unto others but only so that nothing that befalls them can be truly evill unto them and in respect of the soule all that the enemy can do cannot destroy the souls of Believers
enemies seeing the delivering up of his Christ was for the good of his people will he now detaine small things in comparison of him in consideration of weaknesses in us Marke the Apostles words he that spared not his owne Son but delivered him up to death for us how will he not with him give us all things that are good for us as if he had said Thou poore wretch wantest such and such spirituality thou seekest them and thou canst not find them and by and by thou cryest out that such and such sins hinder God that he will not give thee such grace as thou needest and at last thou questionest whether God did give thee Christ or no Nay when thou wert viler then now thou art thy vilenesse then did not hinder but that hee freely gave his Son for thee thy vilenesse much lesse shall hinder thee now to bar from thee those spirituall gifts that God intends to give to thee Here objections start up this is the way to make persons slack duties and to bee carelesse but if we would preach that God will not give till we mend our selves and leave our sins were not this a far better way to put men upon it then thus to preach let me tel you we must not be more wise then God that all that the creature hath might appear to be from the grace of God and so he have the praise of the glory of his owne grace I say again it is no sinfulnesse in the creature shall hinder Gods communicating so much of his Spirit as hee seeth usefull to creatures and he will take order that they shall not take a licentious liberty to go on in sin or neglect seeking God because they know it is not their seeking makes God answer for what they want for it is not your amending nor reforming that gets God to communicate more to you but that he doth it is meerly for his own sake from his meer motion out of his meer compassion the riches of which was purchased by the blood of Christ this is the only spring and fountain that brings forth to you the fulnesse of God in such measure as you have as he is yours so whatsoever in him is fit for you in season he shall cease to be his owne when he ceases to be yours and therefore beloved I shall beseech you that you will not stumble at God himselfe as if he were so humourous and peevish that every little thing not that any sin is in its owne nature little but comparatively every infirmity and failing should make him pull his hands into his bosome and refuse to give his grace the Lord from all eternity determined what to give to every Saint and had every act of every Believer before his eyes so that if they would have been provocations to him to keep his gifts he should never have bestowed any upon him But I must tell you it is the foundation of all our comfort in all our failings in this life that there is nothing that we enjoy from God but what was appointed us before and no sin 〈◊〉 committed but what was from eternity before God and if any sin should have hindered God he would never have set down so fully and graciously what he would do so that if the Lord hath already manifested the greatnesse of his purpose and love by communicating himselfe to you assure your selfe this being established nothing in the world shall hinder the communication of any thing whatsoever that may make for your good Well let us go a little further and counder how God doth become the God of people I must tell you that for lack of cleer distinguishing between these two things how he doth become theirs and how he is to be theirs the confounding of these that are so distinct occasions a great deal of confusion in the minds of men for these two go al for one but you shall see the difference of them and the different principle from whence they flow First how doth God come to bee the God of people You will say this is of great use it is worth the hearing let it cost what it will to have God for my owne but I say there is no more treasure in God to be for our use then it is free to I say the gift of God for our own God is as cheap as it is rich God rever looks the creature should bring any thing that he might procure of God to be his God but we do partake of this mearly and properly from the pleasure of his own will I say there is originally and efficiently no other motive nor nothing concurring to make him our God but only the good pleasure of his owne will he would do and he would do it simply for his own sake and therefore it is so Beloved look but upon the creatures God communicates and gives his Image only to the sons of men Let us make man after our own Image How doth man thus become partaker of the Image of God more then the rest of the creatures You may plainly see there is nothing in man himself nor in any other creature that procures this priviledge to him Man was made but of one common lump with other creatures he was made of the same materials even that Toads and Spiders were Now that which was the cause why man had the Image of God and no other creature the same is the cause why Believers have God given up and God given up to bee their God and the reason of both is from the good pleasure of God It is true there is a propriety of land many times made over unto persons in respect of amiablenes or desert conceived to be in these persons so it is conferred unto them but in Gods conferring himselfe to the sons of men there could not be such motives in these creatures The ground is this if any thing could be a motive to the Lord it must be the most excellent thing the creature hath since the fall their fasting and prayer and mourning and weeping and self-deniall and mortification and cleansing of themselves and amending and the like but it was impossible beloved there should be any motive out of any of all these things for God to communicate himself and to give himselfe over to people for all these performances and what ever else are in man they are but branches that issue from this main root Gods being their God If they be spirituall gifts they issue out of this principle God is our God there is no man that believeth that fasteth that prayeth that mourneth in a truly gracious manner but God is first his God and being his God doth communicate these things to him How can that then be a motive to God to communicate himself to men that is not in man till he hath communicated himselfe And indeed is but the issue of that communion that he hath afforded unto men So then I say it is impossible that
act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should justifie and acquit these persons for whom he hath received of Christ this satisfaction and accordingly hath acknowledged satisfaction under his own hand and acquitted them You know though it bee in a mans power and liberty whether hee will take a surety or the principall for his money yet when he hath taken a surety and he hath made payment it is an act of unrighteousnesse in the creditor after the acknowledgement of full satisfaction to come upon the principall again and to make him pay the money And it is a plea grounded in Law that if that cause come in triall again the Judge ought to acquit the principall if it bee proved that the debt is paid by the surety Now Christ hath paid all that the Father could ask and God hath acknowledged full satisfaction for all He beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied Now being satisfied it is an act of justice and righteousnesse that the Father should acquit a person in this kind Suppose a person should bee brought before a Judge in a cause wherein hee oweth the Judge himself such a summe of moneyes and borrowed it of the Judge himself an Advocate comes and pleads the cause before the Judge that it is true there was so much money lent and borrowed but saith the Advocate I my selfe became the surety for that man I paid every farthing there is the acquittance you gave under your own hand Now I ask this question the Judge being convinced and a righteous Judge too of the truth of the plea whether in judgement he ought not to acquit that person whose cause is pleaded before him He tooke saits faction he acknowledged satisfaction he could have but satisfaction of him therefore in justice he must discharge him The same case is betweene God and us it is true indeed Beleevers doe commit those things that are in their own nature debts Forgive us our debts as the word is but when this cause came to be agitated and pleaded before God the Judge himselfe to whom the debt was owing Christ the Advocate came and stood up and pleaded that he himselfe being become the surety of a better testament upon it he came and paid the whole debt and hee having satisfied his Father hee received under his Fathers hand that he had paid every farthing and that he was satisfied and that upon that satisfaction his people should be discharged Now this plea is grounded upon iustice it selfe Observe but how fully and clearly the Apostle speakes the same things in the 1. of John 1.7 the Apostle tels us expresly that the blood of Christ his Son cleanseth from all sins and here If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sins and againe in the former Chapter If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins Mark well that the Apostle grounds himself upon Christs satisfaction namely his blood that doth cleanse us from all sin Upon this ground hee doth conclude that it is an act of faithfulnesse and justice in God to forgive sinne I dare say none are so ignorant in these daies of light as to thinke there is such a proportion between confession of sin and forgivenesse of sinne that confession can ballance forgivenesse and so consequently make it an act of justice No the Apostle doth ground the force of justice upon the blood of Christ that is shed Therfore if you do observe it well you shall find that the Apostle speakes of confession by way of anticipation or prevention of fear you know the common Proverb in the world concerning a Malefactor apprehended is Let him confesse say wee and he shall be hanged Why so because if it be disclosed the Law lays hold upon him and hee shall be sure to die for it and therefore in naturall policy his safety lies in concealing of it But now if satisfaction hath beene made by a friend of his to the Law and accordingly a pardon sued out for him there is no danger in his confession at all Now the Apostle in this place having before said that the blood of Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all our sinnes from hence he gathers incouragement unto the people of Christ that they should not fear so as to conceal their sins lest being known they should do them a mischief But saith he lay all open before the Lord there is nodanger to be supected now For God is faithfull and just to forgive them therefore the hiding of them should prevent no evill because no evill should come upon them for them though they were laid open never so naked Therefore was this spoken by the Apostle to take away fear and this is the â—rue meaning of the Holy Ghost therein I say to take away fear from the damage that would ensue if we should confesse our sins what they are Paul writing to Timothy mark what he ascribes to participating of the excellencies of Christ even of righteousnesse and justice I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse Marke a crown of righteousnesse is laid up in which is included the discharge from sin and participating of glory and a crown of righteousnesse prepared and laid up But mark the foundation of his confidence that he shall partake of it It is a righteous Judge that shall give it he shall give it out of righteousnesse it self justice shall prevail with him to do this thing for him Whence it is that Christ is called so frequently Righteousnesse The Lord our righteousnesse as you have it in the 33. of Jeremiah a Prophesie concerning the righteous Branch and his name shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse that is the Lord that is righteous makes us one with God and doth communicate his own righteousnesse unto us that we may be the delight of the Father Give me leave to tell you beloved that God is so unchangeable in all his Attributes that even Christ himself is not able to obtain any thing of the Father that may be any wayes prejudiciall to the nullifying of any attribute whatsoever I say Christ himself can get nothing of the Father whereby his justice may suffer or be violated Christ must make it clear that justice shall have its full due and God shall not need to bate one grain of what justice doth expect or else Christ himselfe can have nothing of the Father For Christ came not to destroy the Law and so he saith himself much lesse did Christ come to destroy that which is essentiall unto God Gods justice is essentiall unto him If Christ violate justice he should destroy the very being of God himselfe Therefore without giving justice satisfaction this would be a derogation to the Father therfore when Christ doth plead with the Father for the
Christ doth maintain and plead First I say of all Believers he calls them little children as well as strong men even the cause of little children even when they have sinned without limitation of this sin they shall commit For he doth expresse himself in generall terms it is the cause of those that do sin If any man sin Secondly the cause not only of present Believers but also the cause of all the Elect Believers or unbelievers if they be elected It is true they shall believe in time but yet I say Christ is an Advocate of them while unbelievers if they be elected There is not a sin in the world but as it is damnable in its own nature in the rigour of justice so it doth not allow of any forbearance it is only Christ that makes the forbearance evun untill they are called Then we came to consider how Christ our Advocate is qualified to manage this office with that efficaciousness and successe to the comfort of those whose cause he doth maintain The qualifications of Christ are expressed in three things in the Text. First for the title he is anointed to be an Advocate he hath a lawfull call to the Bar nay he is priviledged there is none to plead but himself Secondly it is Christ anointed that is gifted and made an able Minister in the 42. of Isaiah and the beginning of the Chapter in the 1. v. the Lord tells us how he shall not be dismayed he will hold him up and saith the Text There the Isles shall wait for his Law we must understand it two wayes The Isles shall wait for his Law that is the Isles shall now be directed and guided by him as their Law-giver or we may understand it thus he shall be so good a Lawyer that the Isles shall waite for his Law as much as to say If a man have a cause to be tried he heares of a good Counsell and a Lawyer very expert in the Law such a man waits for such a mans Law he waits for the Law out of his mouth he hopes he will plead his cause so well that it shal go well with him God makes Christ so good a Lawyer that when he comes to plead his Law he shall carry the sentence on his clients 〈◊〉 Secondly he is Jesus 〈◊〉 the Text and in that is imported 〈…〉 equalification of Christ to exercise his â—ffice of Advocateship Jesus as much as a Saviour and it shews the efficacie of his pleâ— he pleads the cause of his clients so strongly that he sayes Thirdly the qualifications of Christ unto his Advocateship sâ—mported in the third title he is Jesus Christ the righteous saith the Text He is Jesus Christ the righteous in a double sense and in both of them is declared the excellent qualifications of Christ to Advocate for us First he is Jesus Christ the righteous that is the raithfull a Conâ—sellor that will deal truly with his client A Counsell that will deal uprightly a Couâ—eâ— that will not fall Secondly this Advocate is Jesus Christ the righteous 〈◊〉 Christ who hath such a righteousnessâ— as â—â—at the whole strength of his plea the force â—f his Argumenâ— that he doth â—â—â—e in his 〈…〉 together in his righteousnesse The 〈◊〉 expression imports what Christ himseâ—â— is this imports what his Argument is I say the only argument that hath the carrying power to leade the cause to state the conclusion for the client the only force of the argument lies in the righteousnesse of Christ this is that 〈…〉 is that 〈…〉 this is that which makes 〈…〉 thing with God to so give and to 〈…〉 I say his righteousnes this is 〈…〉 which the whole 〈…〉 which all our 〈…〉 that keeps us from 〈…〉 nothing else could be 〈…〉 of all things in the world 〈…〉 be more searched into and 〈…〉 then this one truth namâ—ly that it is the righteousnesse of Christ that prevailes in plea with God for a person that dâ—th sin and this righteousnesse of Christ only I shall therefore endeavour for the cleering up of this thing that the strength of Christs 〈…〉 God doth lie in his righteousnesse Here 〈◊〉 I shall endeavour to shew you First evidently onâ— of Scripture that it is this righteousnesse of his and only this righteousnesse of his that prevails with God for the discharge of a member of Christ when he doth sin Secondly we shall consider what this righteousness is that doth so prâ—vail with him First I say the Scripture or rather the Holy Ghost in the word of Grace holds forth this truth frequently unto us that all the strength of the plea with God and consequently all the ground of solid comfort unto us doth wholy depend upon the righteousnes of Christ and nothing else Look into Psal 50.5 6. verses for David even in his time was marvellous cleer in this truth Gather my Saints saith the Lord in that Psalm such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and the heavens shall declare his righteousnesse Gather them together that is bring them to judgement such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and then when they stand in Judgement The heavens shall declare his righteousnesse The Text doth not say the heavens shall declare my righteousnesse though that also is a truth that the heavens do declare both Gods and Christs righteousnesse Gods in passing sentence of absolution Christs pleading so for this sentence that God in justice cannot but passe the sentence The heavens shall declare his righteousnes saith the Text. Either understand it thus the righteousnesse that shall be pleaded is the righteousness that comes down from heaven of which wee shall speak more hereafter or thus the righteousnesse which Christ shall plead shall be so cleer and evident in the prevalency of it that the Sun in the Firmament the Sun in Heaven hath not a cleerer brightnesse in it then this righteousnesse shall have to cleer up the business Gather my Saints together that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice saith the Text. What sacrifice will you say or what is there in sacrifice that the Lord should be in covenant with his people Look into the 51. Psalme and verse 19. you shall there see what there is in sacrifice that makes a covenant between God and his people Then shalt thou be pleased saith David with the sacrifice of righteousnesse righteousnesse in the sacrifice is that which doth procure a pleasedness in God unto those persons unto whom sacrifice doth belong or for whose use sacrifice doth serve I say righteousnesse in the sacrifice not an inherent righteousnesse in the typicall sacrifice it self For saith the Apostle it is impossible that the blood of Buls and Goats should take away sin But there is a righteousnesse that is declared from Heaven and annexed to the sacrifice the righteousness of Christ this is that which puts an end to the quarrel this is that which makes an agreement between those that are at