are to Seed which they seem to lock up and bury in the ground but indeed improve it for multiplying If this be a cleansing from all filthiness of the flesh then let them that study an increase of their lust be styl'd the only Champions to overcome it But wouldst thou have the true glory of it then deny thy self constantly in a Temptation and hold out to the last in the discipline of Repentance So this Body of Sin will appear utterly defeated when thou bringest Time as a witness of thy Victory But there remains in the second place another sort of cleansing 2. From all filthiness of the Spirit This is not so much considered in the world but surely there is in some respects more of sin and consequently more of defilement than in Carnal corruption Such are those inward spots of Pride Malice Envy Hypocrisie Distrust of God to conclude all those sinful motions which it is proper for Spirits to be guilty of The Enormity of them will appear upon Three accounts 1. In that they are the spring of all outward filthiness For from the Heart it is or the spiritual part in man that Fornication Drunkenness and Blasphemy flow whence if these and the like sins have all the foulness of tincture on them the Sink whence they issue must be much more defil'd Were evil Thoughts effectually restrain'd in us all the stream of carnal wickedness would be cut off which made Solomon call for our greatest care over the Heart where sinful Imaginations are cherished Keep thy heart says he with all diligence for out of it are the Issues of Life ay and of Death too when it is not rightly govern'd in its motions An evil Heart makes an adulterous Eye a deceitful Tongue a violent Hand All outward crimes are the Offspring of the Thoughts therefore these being the parent-Parent-sins are the more aggravated in their guilt as the cause of others 2. In that they are purely the Souls work and that in its strength without the dregs of matter or the weakness of flesh to interpose What Jacob said to Reuben Thou art my First-born my might and the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power the same may be applied to those actions which primarily issue from the Soul And so when they prove sinful they derive from the Dignity of those noble faculties the greater shame It is the Devils way thus to offend and howsoever he may tempt us to deeds of Flesh yet he is as to himself only an Agent in such sins that pollute the mind and defile the conscience so that he is a Rebel in all the height and excellency of Being and knowing no Body to defile him as an Unclean Spirit he dishonours his nature and against the God of Spirits does immediately make war So then when our hearts are alike stain'd when our Filthiness becomes spiritual we then bear his Image in the true Character Now what can be greater disgrace to our Natures than this is For the highest Perfection we can ever arrive to is to be like God and that is to resemble him in Holiness which chiefly consists in the purity of our minds On the other side the greatest Fall we can be ever condemn'd to is to be like Satan and that is to resemble him in Uncleanness which chiefly consists in the foulness of our Souls whence these Souls of ours must needs contract a great guilt when bad thoughts do defile them wherein we carry the very picture of the Father and bear his stamp in the crime 3. As they are the work so they are the full delight of the Inward man Here the Soul centers within it self and uncontrollably embraces its own actings and the secretness of those stains renders them difficult to be cleansed whereas these fleshly motions cannot breed any fulness of pleasure and their pollutions being evident do often check the committer with those Three restraints to a Rational Being which are Law Conscience and Fame And therefore changes are many times wrought in the greatest Sinners but when Sin once retires to Invisible Garrisons it is seldom destroy'd because neither Law nor Fame have here place and Conscience is too weak to overcome Upon this account the labour of cleansing is here necessary and the Soul must be brought to encounter it self in all the subtilty of a reforming that we may present to our God in Pure Flesh a mortified Spirit Now should Uncleanness be inwardly cherished what-ever the outward acts of sanctity be they are to be reckoned no better than Pilate's purifying before the Multitude when he washt his hands but suffered the guilt of the most innocent Blood to pass uncleansed Yet how many are there that rest in a Shape and Outside of Piety a Privilege if they will call it one which the Old Serpent can challenge who in the midst of his Curse does yet gild his Spots with fair Light and in a form of Blessedness lays his Sting But a Bodily purging take it at the best is only the Preface to a new Life an introductory part to true Holiness It is a Dedication of the Court to prepare the Offering upon the Altar and 't is the Altar you know sanctifies the Gift so 't is the Heart that qualifies the performance If we go no higher than bare Flesh we are but like the Bullocks that were cleansed but if besides that Purifying we are spiritually Holy we become like the Priest that sacrificed Now to attain such a state as that is a watchful jealousie is requisite over our Souls and here as we must doubtfully suspect so we ought immediately to suppress any springing Temptation It is easie to cast out the Adversary while he is weak such are all Filthy Thoughts in their Infancy but let them once spread and grow in the mind then it is difficult for any one to check and subdue them Who knows not what easiness there is in quenching a spark or turning as one pleases a little current But if the Spark gets fewel to feed on and enlarges it self into a great Flame how often does it mock mens labour and pains to hinder the mischief of its progress So likewise a little current if it be supplyed from Floods and allowed to swell with fresh streams how ungovernable is its course After the same manner do Spiritual Lustings prove furious and wild when they get their fewel and supply from the will and affections flowing in It is very needful then for thee to guard thy Heart which is so apt to breed sin and so ready to strengthen an evil purpose But for the better securing of it oh labour stedfastly to apprehend thy God not only as the accurate Beholder but as the severe Judge and Punisher of the Inner man Indeed God does not exercise such a Visible Judgment upon any spiritual filthiness in this World because He is mainly concern'd here as a Governour to prevent the mischiefs of outward actions
it was necessary to our recovery one should undertake for us that could answer the rigour of the Decree by his Sufferings and supply the defects both of Men and Angels by the Innocence and Worth of a Sacrifice Innocence to prepare and Worth to crown the Oblation Now that Christ was thus qualified to appear in our stead may be easily evinc'd if we will but consider either the purity of his Humane nature which was without spot 1 Pet. 1.19 Rom. 9.5 or the Majesty of his Person who is God blessed for ever The first of these would serve to make his Offering holy the latter would give it infinite value by both which he was fitted to pay our debt and bear all the wrath of his Father due to our sins And that He actually did what He was so qualified to perform we have the like evidence from Scripture The whole Oeconomy of the Jews and the strain of the Gospel confirms it The Sacrifices of the Old Law were Types and dark Images of this Great one that was once to be offered for the sins of the people The Gospel-phrase points altogether to this Truth and therefore when it speaks of Christ Mat. 20.28 it calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price of ransome nay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a price by way of exchange 1 Tim. 2.6 in supplying our place again we are said to be justified by his Blood reconciled through his Death and to have redemption by his Sufferings all which expressions signifie the proper effect of his Death was the remission of our sins This He himself testifies how that his Blood was shed for the remission of sins Matt. 26.28 whence we may take comfort in his Death and rejoyce in the vertue of his Attonement whereby our pardon is obtain'd Should we now with the Socinian make plain words that express all this to be meer Metaphors and Figures we may as well joyn with the old Hereticks the Valentinians that made a Figure of his Living Dying and Rising in that they denied the reality of his Flesh nor can their Opinion be more contrary to the Faith than this For as to hold He was but the Image of a Man destroys a Christ so to hold He was but the Image of a Priest destroys a Saviour Thus to wrest the Scripture is to wrest it to our destruction for what follows upon it If he be not in a true sense offer'd for us we are still in our sins the Curse of the Law yet abides and his Death becomes altogether unprofitable when it brings us deliverance but in shadow I might add how his suffering upon any other account than in our stead to redeem us has nothing of justice in it and therefore cannot demonstrate the justice of another whereas his Blood and the declaring of Gods righteousness are joyned together Rom. 3.25 but if He who was all innocence in himself did not bear our guilt when He suffer'd the Death He underwent being properly a punishment because sins wages would be so far from declaring Gods righteousness that it could onely manifest the Tyranny of the Inflicter Yet these kind of men are the great pretenders to Reason who reject the Doctrine of Satisfaction but cannot maintain what they deliver without laying their ground-work in impiety which is to assert He was no God that suffer'd where how grosly they renounce their reason will appear in this that denying him to be God they deny themselves to be True Worshippers and proclaim to the world their Idolatry in adoring Man But their absurdity farther appears when denying the Meritoriousness of his Satisfaction they can yet make his Sufferings to be meritorious of Divine Power as if there were any proportion betwixt meer humane actions and so high a reward Now what Merit is this that could raise him to be the Head of Angels and Governour of all created Beings nay to be adored and worshipped equally with the Father which Honours the collected services of the whole Creation cannot reach to May not the Heathens scoff at their Idolatry who pretending to Christianity set up a made God to pray to and expect Salvation from One who is exalted for the vertue of his sufferings in maintaining his Religion as they consecrated theirs for the Gallantry of publick actions Behold this is onely to refine but not to change the nature of Gentilism as likewise it utterly overthrows the Mystery of Godliness and destroys the Greatness of Divine Love which consisted chiefly in abasing the Deity for Mans sake whereas this makes it ridiculous and dishonourable in thus exalting the Humanity But I leave them to their Judg above and their Books to Judges below I shall now onely briefly inquire into Two things for the better opening this Point and so proceed to my Second Observable 1. How Christs Death is the Cause of the remission of our sins 2. From what Time we should date the Benefit of that remission as it is made ours 1. How Christs Death is the Cause c. I answer thus God the Father was mov'd for that price his Son layd down which was his precious Blood to free us from that punishment we deserved in our own persons and to enter into a New Covenant with us offering us Pardon of sin and Eternal Life upon new easie terms of faith and sincere obedience whereas before rigorous Justice bore the sway and shut us all up under a a sentence of condemnation without hope of mercy Therefore He is called the Mediator of a better Covenant and whereas in the old League we were used as Gibeonites and made slaves in this New one procured by Christ we are treated as a free People and made capable of the Privileges of his Kingdome This He ratified in his own Blood whence his Blood is called the Blood of the New Testament wherein all his promises of Grace are confirm'd and the Legal Curse done away See here the Love of a Saviour that would thus die to restore us buy our peace at the price of himself and bring us terms of salvation so dearly purchased which before we could not hope for This shows the wretchedness of our state and the need we stood in of such an Expiation when He who could create us at first with the ease of a word is not allowed to create us anew but with the pain of suffering The Cross upon which He did this work is a sad spectacle to Sense but a glad object of Faith the one presents him naked in our Flesh but the other covered with our Sins the one shows him in his Blood but the other in our Guilt the burden of which He carried up thither encountred his Fathers wrath and at the very point of death proclaimed his Victory It is finished which is all one with this The Attonement is wrought because the Victim is slain 2. From what time we should date the Benefit of that Remission when it is made ours
Christ therefore by his rising had a Testimony from Heaven of his uprightness and the Evidence seal'd by Omnipoteoce it self That He was the True Prophet which came into the world 2. It declared the Divinity of his Power For He raised up himself Now to raise the Dead is beyond the strength of a Finite Agent and to restore things as well as create them does equally require an Almighty hand both which works not being to be found in Nature the Heatheris thence taking their measures judg'd them Impossible to be done which is an unreasonable limiting of the God of Nature when Men will not consider what reserves of Power He ought to have that is the Fountain of all the actions of his Creatures That Christ would thus raise up himself He in his life-time foretold and He particularly appeals to the Divinity of that act He would one day show as a sign of his Authority to purge that Temple which they profan'd 2 Joh. 19. And the Apostle S. Paul expresly tells us how by his resurrection from the dead He was declared to be the Son of God with power Rom. 1.4 that is with power He had in himself to give life not with power his Father alone put forth in quickning him for then his Rising would be common to him with others But did not the Miracles He wrought when living declare him likewise to be the Son of God Not so convincingly as this for the Wonders He then did meer men such were the Prophets had the Priviledg of doing before him but none except the Son of God could thus rise much less did his dying reveal him in that Majesty which could only declare him to be the Son of Man with weakness For what more argues it then to dye what greater scandal of that weakness than to die on the Cross wherein the Godhead stooped to the lowest infirmities of Flesh and the worst malice of his Persecutors Then his Enemies could grow bold and scoffingly demand some proof of his Power and the contemptibleness of that state He was in which hid all his Greatness made them ask such a sign of it as that was of saving himself which if granted had kept the world from being saved But his Rising from death had all marks of glory in it the breaking up of the Sepulcher the Ministry of Angels the shaking of Earth and the trembling of Keepers which were but several wayes of Homage due to the Power of his Resurrection Here He discovered himself to be truly God and confirm'd the Faith of his Disciples with the Reason they had to worship him 3. It invested him in his Rights and put him into actual possession of his Kingdom This was the Covenant betwixt Him and his Father that He should first make Attonment for sin by his Death and receive afterwards the reward of that work in Dominion Hence we read how for becoming obedient to Death Phil. 2.9 even the Death of the Cross He was therefore highly exalted Psa 110.7 for drinking of the brook of the way he should therefore lift up his head King He was indeed from his very birth but He receiv'd not then the oyl of gladness above his fellows the Honour of his Anointing was as imperfect as the Form He assum'd which was the Form of a Servant where He was put under subjection to the Law and the Curse but after He rose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was made perfect that is actually crown'd This is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matt. 19.28 the Regeneration or New state mention'd namely the Kingdom of the Messiah which takes its date from the time of his Resurrection for then He showed his Conquest of the chief Rebel Satan by overturning the Foundation of his Empire which was laid in the Grave so that whereas all other Princes Glory ends in that place this Princes Triumph there began then He commissioned his Disciples to Preach every where and Baptize to gather him a Church made up of Jews and Gentiles where He would alwayes rule and preside when as before they continued Members of the Synagogue And his Authority to do this He grounds upon that Universal power that was given him both Mat. 28. in Heaven and in Earth whereto He had right in his Flesh as the Heir but the exercise of it as a Possessor was suspended till his rising Should we compare his condition under death with this his condition after it we shall find a vast difference for at his death He was so far from having the Ensigns of Soveraignty that He bore onely the looks and wore the chains of a Captive The great mark of his Kingship appear'd in the Title of his Charge King of the Jews which being set over his head and He crucified under it it showed He was the object more of mens Mockery than Fear But when He rose He put on Greatness took the Scepter in his hand and made his way as a Prince by victory Here He manifested the Vertue of his Kingly Office and convinc'd the World of his right to command and what obedience is due to his Laws Hitherto I have insisted upon the Dignity of the Resurrection as it relates to Christ I shall next consider the Advantages of it as it relates to us Yea rather is risen again And they are these 1. It manifested a full discharge of our Debt and Gods ready accepting of that price which was paid When a Surety that undertakes anothers Debt is cast into prison by the Creditor if he comes out of it it argues the Creditor is fully satisfied so Christs coming out of the Grave whether He was delivered by the Judg for our offences declares the obligation is taken off and no more left for Him to suffer To this purpose the Apostle speaks Rom. 4.25 That He rose again for our Justification or in other terms to give us assurance by the Satisfaction of his Death that our Acquittance is obtain'd The work of Redemption was perform'd in the dark when He dyed all the time He was held in the Grave we could have no sense of a deliverance but when He who was slain for a Sin-offering presented himself afterwards alive before the Lord this brought us light to behold the Perfection of that Attonement Look then on his Death as the cause of thy freedom but on his Rising as the ground of thy comfort in the one He was the Priest to offer in the other the Messenger to assure us a preceding requisite to give us the joy of a Saviour and compleat our notion of his performance when we should see his love in the strength of it find out the Price He laid down for us by Death in the Power of that Evidence He gave us by Life The Scape-goat under the Law was but a poor uncomfortable Type that had all the iniquities sins and transgressions of Israel put upon his head and was after this sent away into the
expecting a reward so that to deny him our hearts is to joyn Sacrilege and folly together when we rob God and impoverish our selves We are all covetous of Life and of Life too in its best estate For though sin has corrupted mens choice of the way yet it has not blasted their desires of the end But our Lord has farther provided those desires should not be frustrated if we follow his rule and strictly adhere to his Commands in mortifying our affections and lusts and as it were spirituallizing the whole man to be thereby fitted for his Kingdom It is from us he expects this work should be performed and not from age Age may indeed prove the mortifier of a Lust but withall it kills the service Little is the glory of overcoming the Tempter when he does not assault us but to break fleshly motions in all their strength this is a true Conquest Neither should it be thought strange for any Disciple to deny thus self in Christianity for Heaven being the object of that work will easily destroy the Miracle of doing it How can any of us contemplate the happiness above and yet not be willing to forsake his proper sins sins how colour'd soever yet in the midst of their Varnish deform'd Where is true beauty but that of Life which only in the Counterfeit we admire where is true wealth but that of Immortality which only in the Glitter we esteem since then such a fair and substantial Treasure is there offer'd us we ought like wise-men to determine our choice and forsaking the vanities of other objects become fixt and settled in our endeavours that we may obtain and compass that Good which yields so bright so weighty so glorious a recompence to the Pursuer The Fourth Discourse Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again THe Justification of a Sinner and the way God has prescribed to save men by is so mistaken in the world that no Point has begot more disputes nor is there any Theme wherein Scripture has more suffer'd Yet this quarrel amongst men cannot be charg'd upon any want of evidence in this particular but either an humour of pride to contradict or the interest of a Party to pursue or the prejudice of Opinion to defend have been the main cause of that contention Would we come with a sincere mind to the reading of the Word especially the Writings of this Apostle we should find the difficulty of that Truth clear'd and the glorious effects of Christs Mediatorship laid open upon which our Justifying does depend Now for the better handling this Text which I have here chosen to discuss I shall a little explain the verse before it by reason of their necessary connexion together In which verse we may observe 1. The Triumphant Challenge he makes summoning any Adversary to appear in Court 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who will charge or accuse 2. The Ground of his confidence how little that Accusation would avail because of the mercy of the Judge that acquits the offendor It is God that justifies 3. The limitation of the Charge in respect of the party against whom it is drawn and the limitation of the act of Justifying Grace in respect of the party to whom it belongs Who will lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies that is those Elect where by Gods Elect he means the same that are spoken of in the first verse of the Chapter namely such as are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit that is who perform all the conditions required in the New Covenant For these alone are the chosen of God whom He has decreed to reward with Eternal Life But because the grace of Justification does necessarily suppose a work of Satisfaction since the goodness of God could have no place for justifying a sinner were not the way first made by attoning his Justice he therefore proceeds in my Text to clear that point and show whence Pardoning Mercy springs namely from Christs undertaking our Cause and reconciling us to his Father by the vertue of his Mediatorship Acts 4.11 12. He indeed is the Stone upon which all our salvation is built so that without him there neither is nor can be given either Pardon of sin here or Glory hereafter Hence the Apostle with regard to his satisfaction does further urge and more strongly confirm what he laid down in the former verse Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again The words contain in them a True Believers full discharge and the Reason or Ground of it The fulness of the discharge is held forth in that Question Who is he that condemneth The reason of it is exprest in that double work of our Redeemer but one of them more dignified than the other It is Christ that died yea rather is risen again The sense of the whole may be resolv'd into these Three Propositions 1. That there is a Proper and Peculiar Vertue to be ascribed to Christs Death in the act of redeeming us 2. That there are Proper and Peculiar Advantages in Christs Rising above that Death 3. That Christs Death in particular but more eminently his Rising has procur'd the Saints freedom from Condemnation 1. That there is a Proper and Peculiar Vertue to be ascribed to Christs Death in the act of Redeeming us In the handling of it I shall premise some Truths First I take for granted what Scripture so clearly reveals that the breach of a Positive Law which was given to Adam in Paradise did not onely involve him but his Posterity too in the Curse there threatned so that the propagation of Mankind from him was but the propagation of persons condemn'd all of us being lyable thereby to Death Temporal and Eternal Secondly though God considered in his Absolute Power could forgive Man the sin he had committed yet considered in the Decree he had made of punishing his Sin and as a Governour bound to maintain it so he was hindred from the exercise of that power Thirdly No creature could possibly reverse that Decree nor expiate the violation of this Governours Authority for want of a Satisfaction which He demanded For where was the Creature that could give it Angels withdraw from the brightness of Gods Glory how then would they flee from the Fire of his wrath Man cannot bear the punishment due to one of his own how then would he sustain the sins of a World Had either of them been deputed to this Task they had sunk under it poor Mankind had been lost and God still unreconcil'd For to the work of Satisfying him Srength as well as Innocence is required but the Creature at best is too weak to intercede the price of its suffering too mean the merit of which cannot extend to another and so Divine Justice instead of accepting would quite devour the Sacrifice Therefore