and near to his Heart yet this his Son was offered to be our Ransom Isa 42.1 compared with Rom. 5.15 c. Much more the Grace of God and the gift by Grace which is by one Man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many So that you see it is all ascribed to the Grace of God and the Gift of his Grace 7. Suppose Christ should have effered himself to God the Father to become our Surety this would not have done unless the Father had accepted of it It would not have been valued had not the Father accepted of a Surety Therefore the Father is Efficient Cause 8 Consider Christ was sent by the Father to do this Work and his being sent is ascribed to God's infinite Love God so loved the World that he gave his only Begotten Son John 3.16 So John 17.8 And they have believed that thou didst send me 9. Consider Christ is said to be Ordained before the Foundation of the World 1 Pet. 1.19 20. He i. e. Christ was delivered by the determinate Council and fore-knowledge of God Acts 4.27 28. 10. The Father called our dear Jesus to do this Work namely to Sacrifice himself or that he might be a Sacrifice for Sins Isa 42.6 I the LORD have called thee in Righteousness c. So Heb. 5.4 And no Man taketh this Honour to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron So our Lord he was called by the Father to be First both a Priest and Sacrifice for us Secondly he was called by the Father to be a King to conquer our Enemies Thirdly he was called by the Father to be a Prophet to declare his Grace Infinite Love and Goodness to us But 11. The Father did anoint him to his Office to Work out our Salvation Isa 61.1 Psal 45.7 12. The Father prepared him a Body made of our Nature to be laid down in our room and stead to suffer the penalty of the Law Hâ—b 10.5 13. The Father commanded him to lay down his Life to purchase those that he hath chosen John 10.18 14. The Father raised him from the Dead on purpose that he might justifie us 1 Cor. 6.14 15. The holy Spirit is called the promise of the Father Acts 1.4 16. Hence God the Father is called the Father of all Mercies 1 Cor. 1.3 because he is the Efficient Cause of our Justification and all things are said to be of him and from him It is he that gives us the true Bread 17. Christ is made of God unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Thus the Efficient or first Cause of our Justification is wholly of God's Grace But it is necessary to consider how God the Father is concerned in our Justification yet more particularly And 1. He i. e. the Father hath been the injured Person in order of nature and must therefore be satisfied and his Wrath appeased c. 2. Because the Father knew what would do to satisfie his Justice and bring Relief to the Sinner For the Law is broke and he must find out a way to preserve the Sanction of the Law 3. Because the Honour and Glory of the name of the Father might not be Eclipsed for we must not render the Son more kind to his People than the Father 4. Because the Father is said to be our Justifier Rom. 3.26 He declares us Righteous and pronounces us Just But to apply what I have said Use 1. O Believer Let this be of use to stir you up to look into the Channel in which the free Grace of God runs to us it is in a way of Attonement and whatever you have it is all paid for Justification Pardon of Sin and eternal Life it is all paid for therefore see I say where Free Grace runs 2. Hence you may come to know the sweet and Gracious nature of God the Father do not think that he is only an angry Judge and a severe God but also a Gracious Father 3. Admire God's Free Grace which is the Spring of all your Comfort 4. Learn to Love and Adore this God for in this to admiration he holds forth to us his Love and good Will 5. Take heed you do not give any of the Glory of God the Father from him for all must honour the Father as they honour the Son 6. We may from hence infer God is Just and yet he is merciful and gracious and therefore the found out this way to justifie us as well as pardon us 7. O Sinner take heed you do not slight the infinite Grace Kindness and Goodness of God the Father Oh! dread Unbelief and Contempt of this Soveraign Grace 8. Accept the Offers of the Father yea the Offers and Tenders of this Free Grace which is made to you by the Father 9. O you Prodigals Return unto your Father the Father is ready to receive you Nay he 'll meet you half way And lastly O Bless and Pâ—aise God the Father for all the Grace in your Justification Praise the Father through Christ by the Holy Spirit To whom be Glory for Ever and Ever Amen A Plain and Familiar DISCOURSE ON Justification c. SERMON III. ROM 3. xxiv Being justified freely by his Grace thro' the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ Doctrin That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through or by the Imputation of what Christ hath done for us or his perfect Righteousness I shall now proceed to the next thing namely to prove to you that Christ is the Meritorious and Mediatoral Cause of our Justification And this will appear if you consider him as he is our Surety who paid our Debts and as our Redeemer who laid down his Life as the Price of our Ransom As he is an Intercessor for us and our Advocate with the Father to plead our Cause and to plead the Merits of his own Blood for us Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that Condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right Hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us He is pleading with the Father the Value and Merits of his Blood Hence Christ is said to justifie us Isa 53.11 By his knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justifie many i.e. He shall defend the Cause and plead in the behalf of many and you must consider 1. That the Father justifies us as the soveraign Act of his own Free Grace in appointing of Christ and in accepting of him in our stead and that to satisfie his Justice who is the great and holy Judge he being also our offended Creator and our offended Creditor You must consider 2. The Son as our Surety justifies us through his own Free Grace in paying off all our Debts and satisfying the Creditor But 3. Take this Caveat by the way we must not divide the matter of our Justification these must not be separated the
viz. That Christ was not a proper Head Representative and Surety but did all as a Mediator only i. e. as one endeavouring to compose the Difference betwixt God and us but the contrary I shall now prove namely that Christ suffered as our Head Representative and Surety First We must prove that he became our Surety Secondly That he died in our stead place and room and these two will magnifie the Grace of God in our Justification And 1. Consider God he is Just so well as Gracious and his Justice required Satisfaction Now some Men amongst us would be Pardoned but not Justified They would have Life in a way of Mercy but not in a way of Righteousness They would have their Debts pardoned and forgiven but they would not have their Debts paid In a word They would come to Heaven but not by the Merits of Christ's Blood tho' they may pretend they believe no coming there but by his Merits yet they understand it in a remote Sâ—â—ce they would I say attain eternal Glory and a deliverance from every thing that is hurtful to them but this they would not have to run in the Channel of Christ's Obedience and Righteousness but in the Channel of their own Obedience But 2. Consider that as God is Just so well as Gracious therefore our Debts must must be paid so well as pardoned or we cannot be Justified and consider Christ is called a Surety in the word of God Vide Heb. 7.22 There our Saviour is called the Surety of a better Covenant By so much was Jesus made a Surety of a better Testament i. e. Covenant Beloved a Surety is one that undertakes or engages to satisfie for another It signifies to strike Hand in the behalf of another And 1. For one whose Credit is gone or whose Credit is suspected as being not good therefore a Surety stands in his place and strikes Hands with the Creditor Thus did the Lord Jesus Christ strike Hands with the Father and become our Surety that he might stand Pay-master for us and in our room and stead God the Father foresaw that the Creature that he would make would fall and fore-designed to leave him to the liberty of his own Will at first and fore-seeing the misery that he would plung himself into and yet remembering Mercy and Pity which was a gloâ—ious Attribute in God so well as Justice That he might magnifie his Mercy and not wrong his Justice and that his Justice might be satisfied and his Mercy not impeach'd did enter into a Covenant with his own Son his Eternal Son And his Son strook Hands with him on the Behalf of the Sinner whose credit God fore-saw as lost c. 2. A Surety is to give Stability and Security in Case of Bond and Covenant Not only because Man had plunged himself under God's Wrath therefore Christ shook Hands in the Behalf of the Sinner whose Credit was gone to deliver him from Wrath But Christ strook Hands with the Father and set his Hand to the Sinner's Bond and became oblâ—ged to keep the Covenant in the behalf of the Sinner Christ set his Hand to the Covenant to keep it for the Sinner God fore-saw the Breach of this Covenant on our side and did therefore enter into a Covenant with his Son and the Son strook Hands with the Father that he would keep the Covenant for Man 3. A Surety dâ—th not only undertake for Debts but sometimes for Criminals sometimes Persons are bound as Surety Body for Body and Life for Life and this is a common thing in some Countâ—eys Now Jesus Christ did not only become Surety to pay our Debts as we were Debters but he became our Surety as we were Criminals and Traytors also and so was bound Body for Body Soul for Soul Life for Life in the Behalf of the Sinner 4. If the Party which the Surety engages for fail the Surety is then to make a full Compensation and pay the Debt and die for the Criminal Thus it was here we did fail and were not able to pay our own Debts and because we had heinously broken the holy Law of God and despised the Law-Giver and Contemned and trampled under our Feet his Royal Authority we became Traytors to the Divine Majesty and Jesus Christ he did not only become Paymaster of our Debts but did die in our room and his Life was taken for ours 5. A Surety imports the Obligation to be voluntary for the Law compels none to be bound for another unless they are willing the Law will only force the Man that is concerned if any Man engages for him it is not because the Law compels him but he doth it of his own Will so the Lord Jesus Christ did For what he did was of his own Will he did freely lay down his Life John 10.15 18. I lay down my Life for the Sheep No Man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self Which is to signifie to us his willingness his readiness and freeness to yield up himself to the Justice of God to be made a Sacrifice for us But 6. For a Man to become a Surety manifests great Love and great Pity To become a Surety for one that is greatly in Debt there is great Love and Pity but to become a Surety for a Criminal to die in his room this is Love indeed so it is with Christ see Rev. 1.5 Unto him that loved us and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood He loved us and let out all that he had for us and parted with his Life for us Who loved me saith St. Paul and gave himself for me But my Beloved here is a difference our great Surety is separate from all other Sureties for amongst Men the Debter commonly finds the Surety but here there is a great Disparity for our Surety is of God's procuring the Creditor himself procures the Surety but the next thing I am to prove is this viz. That Christ died as our Surety in our very stead and room And. 1. He underwent Death which was the punishment of Sin And because there was no reason nor cause why the Lord Jesus Christ should suffer the Penalty for himself it therefore unavoidably follows he suffered as he stood in our stead charged with our Sins Vide Dan. 9.26 And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off but not for himself c. Not for his own Sin for he was sinless in himself he was pure and unspotted in himself He was cut off but not for himself but for his People This appears to be so because our Sins was laid upon him our Sins did all meet in his Person Isa 53.6 7 8. The Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all and again in another place He hath born our Grief that which we should have bore our selves He hath carried our Sorrows that which we should have carried our selves He was bruised for our Iniquity for which we should
he not worthy of your Heart and Lives and your all That parted with his Life and his all for you 3. Shall he die for your Sins and will you hugg and love your Sins Shall he bear your Sins And shall he be press'd down to death for your Sins and will you hugg that Knife that did let out the Heart Blood of your Saviour Will you make much of those things that are the Enemies of your Lord Jesus Christ Pray consider this A Plain and Familiar DISCOURSE ON Justification c. SERMON IV. ROM 3. xxiv Being justified freely by his Grace thro' the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ DOctrin That Justification is wholly of the free Grace of God through or by the Imputation of what Christ hath done for us or his perfect Righteousness I shall now speak of the Material and Formal Causes of our Justification Matter and Form I told you most not be divided And my Beloved the matter or that which Justifies us according to the word of God is the Righteousness of Christ Ques But some may Query What Righteousness is this that you say is the Righteousness of Christ Is it the Righteousness of Christ as he is God Ans To which I answer no it is not the Righteousness of Christ as he is God 1. Because that is the Essential Righteousness of the God-head and if we were Justified by that we should also be deified 2. It is not the Righteousness of Christ as he is God because the essential Righteousness of God being his Essence cannot be communicated to any Creature 3. If it were by the Righteousness of the God-head then it would follow that it is the Righteousness of the whole Trinity and then it may be as well said that we are Justified by the Righteousness of the Father and by the Righteousness of the Holy Ghost as by the Righteousness of the Son But 2. It is therefore positively the Righteousness of Christ as Mediator namely as he is God-Man the Righteousness he performed for us in the days of his Flesh while he lived for us upon the Earth this is by St. Paul call'd the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 For they being ignorant of the Righteousness of God went about to establish their own Righteousness c. I will give you the Reasons why it is called the Righteousness of God And 1. Because this Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ which is his Active and Passive Obedience which he acted and suffered for us in our room and stead I say this Righteousness is called the Righteousness of God because it was a Righteousness found out by the infinite Wisdom of God and that to this very end and purpose that we might be Justified and defended from divine Wrath and the Curse of the Law to which we had made our selves liable by our Sins It was I say a Righteousness found out by the Infinite and all-wise God for us after we had lost our original Righteousness 2. Because it is the Righteousness of him that was truly God so well as Man He being in the form of God thought it no Robbery to be equal with God and therefore saith he I and the Father are one 3. Because it is not the Righteousness of a meer Creature the Lord Jesus was God as well as Man and therefore his Righteousness is not the Righteousness of a meer Creature but the Righteousness of God-man therefore it is called the Righteousness of God that it may be distinguished from the Righteousness of a Creature and because it is not our own Inherent Righteousness I say therefore it is call'd the Righteousness of God because it is to be found only in God man but to us it is Imputed and not Inherent it is not our Righteousness which are meer Creatures therefore it is called the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 For they being Ignorant of the Righteousness of God and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God Why what doth he mean by the Righteousness of God You 'll see in the next words ver 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth therefore God's Righteousness here is that that was fulfill'd by Christ while he was upon the Earth How so Why because Christ did perfectly and compleatly keep the Law maintain its Sanction and Holiness how do you prove that may some say Why it appears by the very next verse v. 5. For Moses describeth the Righteousness which is of the Law that the Man which doth these things shall live by them Now this is equivolent to the forgoing verse Christ Jesus he is the end of the Law for Righteousness because he did do those things perfectly and compleatly did he keep the Law and so brought in a Righteousness by his Obedience for our Use and Advantage 4. It is called the Righteousness of God because it is a Righteousness approved and accepted as well as appointed by the holy God God the Father hath accepted this Righteousness he is fully satisfied with it he is well pleased with his Son Jesus Christ i.e. in his Obedience and Conformity to his Will therefore it is called the Righteousness of God because it is a Righteousness that pleaseth God and that God accepteth of for the Good of us and in the Behalf of us But further to prove the third thing viz. That the material Cause of our Justification is that Righteousness by which Christ did fully and compleatly answer the demands of Justice to every Jot that it is this Righteousness and not Inherent Righteousness How do you prove that say some That it is not Inherent Righteousness Why if we are Justified by Inherent Righteousness then it would follow 1. That the Formal Cause of our Justification is by infusing a Righteousness and not by Imputation it would follow then that a Righteousness implanted in us and not imputed to us is the Cause of our Justification 2. It would then follow that if we were Justified by Grace Inherent it would be by a Complication of Graces and not by Faith only which would antiquate that Text Rom. 4.5 But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that Justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness But this would be I say not only Faith but the Grace of Love and the Grace of Humility and the Grace of Long Suffering the Grace of Meekness and Temperance together with the Grace of Faith 3. If it were by a Righteousness Inherent in us then it would follow that Faith would not be Imputed or accounted to us for Righteousness in respect of the object Jesus Christ but Faith would be accounted to us for Righteousness as a holy Act or divine Grace in us together with other Graces 4. If it were by a Righteousness Inherent then also it would follow that Works may as well be said to be our actual Righteousness to Justification as Inherent Grace How