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
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
Faith comes by hearing as it is Rom. 10.17 and hearing by the word of God and in the same Chap. v. 14 15. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent Where the Apostle clearly and convincingly inâ—â—rt the necessity of a lawfully called Ministry for preaching of the Gospel and for carrying on the Work of Justifying and Sâ—ving Faith The reason is because if their be a necessity of Faith and if no Faith can â—e without Knowledge then there must necessarily be something to reveal it I speâ—k here of the ordinary way of Gods revealling Himself what He may do â—xtraordinarly towards Dumb and Deaff Persons to Idiots and Young Children I midle not with that but leave it to Himself as a Secret which He thinketh not fit to impart to u I call the Gospel the external mean of promoving our Justâ—fication in Four respects 1. Because it layes before us the Object of our Faith for in it as it is Rom. 1.17 is the righteousness of God revealled c. and Rom. 11.21 22. it 's said Now the righteousnesse of God without the law is manifested c. We would never know the way how a Sinner comes to be at peace with God and to be Justified without the Gospel 2. Because it not only reveals the Object of Faith but it makes offer of it and hereby a Sinner that hears the Gospel hath warrand to imbrace and make use of Jesus Christ's Righteousnesse and to rest upon it and therefore if tentation should say to the Sinner though Christ dyed what is that for thee Faith hath this to reply The Gospel calls me and that warrands me to come to Him and to make use of His Death the Promise as it is Act. 2. Is to as many as the Lord our God shall call And in this respect the Promise is our Right and Evident whereby we come to have a claim to Christ 3. Because God makes use of the Word preached for ingaging of Sinners to Christ and for making them to take hold of Him It 's true that it is not powerful of it self and without the Spirit yet it 's the ordinary mean that God maketh use of Therefore sayeth the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warefare are not carnal though they be weak in themselves yet they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds And in this respect the Gospel not only offers Life but through Gods blessing as a mean begets Life and by the Spirit accompanying it Sinners are ingaged to take hold of Christ and to rest on Him for Salvation 4ly Because this Word being taken hold of and closed with contains the pronuncing of the Sinners Absolvitor of His absolving Sentence when it sayes If thou believest thou shalt be justified and saved upon supposition of believing the Sentence stands good to the Believer Thou art past from death to Life There being no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus The 1. Use Serves to clear that which we hinted at before in naming this for a cause of Justification though it be the external instrumental cause yet it is a Cause The 2. Use Serves to teach you to put a Pryce on the Gospel It 's the bane both of prophane secure Sinners and of a sort of vain and giddy People among us that they prize not the Preaching of the Gospel as the external instrumental Cause that concurres in the Justification of Sinners but if ever ye be absolved ye will be beholden to this preached Gospel I will not say alwayes to the Preaching but sure to the Gospel that is Preached This on the one hand reproves these who will be ready to say that they have Faith who yet never knew the Gospel to do them good and such also who seldom come to hear and who never care for preaching And upon the other hand it reproves these who when they fall a Tottering Reeling and wavering and begine to incline to error cast at the preaching of the Gospel having it may be slighted it before in their hearts whether when Satan once gets them he tosses them in a great measure as he pleases and makes them so giddy by frequent turning about that they scarcely leave to themselves a foot-broad of Scripture-ground to stand upon But as ye respect the glory of Christ the good of your Souls and your absolution before God esteem much of the Gospel For it 's the power of God to salvation And if ever ye ye come to Heaven it will be by this Gospel as the external mean These Nations that never heard it will think you to be most desperatly wicked and miserable who have had it and yet so unworthily slighted it For pressing of this Use a little Take Two or Three Directions in reference to it 1. Walk under the Convictions of the necessity of the Gospel For there is no absolution without it It is true God might have taken another way but on the supposition that He hath appointed Faith to be a mids to Justification and that Faith supposes Knowledge then certainly Knowledge doth suppose a necessity of hearing the Gospel ye will never value Preaching nor any other Ordinances of Christ if ye see not a necessity of them and know them not to be for your good 2. Study to know what is the main End and Design of and what is the advantage that is to be had by the Ordinances many come to the Preaching of the Gospel to hear and learn some Lesson for informing their Judgement some come to get Directions in refâ—rence to some particular Dutie some to get a doubt loosed none of which are to be dissallowed in themselves but rather in so far to be commended but how few come to it as to a mean to carry on and bring about their Justification and to bring them out of Black Nâ—ture into a State of Grace It 's the sum of Pauls Preaching and the end of it as the Divine Historian shews Act. 26.18 To open blind eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in him 3. Aim in your practice to carry on this Design even to put a close to the Treaty anent Justification betwixt God and you when ye come to the Preaching and hears us declare in the name of the Lord that a believing Sinner hath accesse to have his Sin taken away and to be Justified through the imputation of Christs Righteousnesse ye would step to hearing this Proclamation made of the pardon of Sin by one of Christs Ambassadors in His Name and accept of embrace and cordially close with it if it were just now at this very occasion 4. This would be the great design both of Preachers and Hearers Of Preachers to follow
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
it 2. We would remember and think upon our condition by nature that upon the one side God is a consuming fire and we on the other like dry stubble and that there is no approaching to Him without a Mediator There were the less hazard of going wrong if folk were walking under the suitable impression of their sinfulness and misery by nature the want whereof makes too much forwardnesse in steping into God without Christ Therefore we commend to you all and especially when ye go to prayer to endeavour to be under deep impressions of your own sinfulness and baseness As we see it was with Abraham Gen. 18. Behold now I have taken on me to speak to the Lord who am but dust and ashes 3. Mind the promise of Gods hearing you through Christ and His promise of leading you in all necessary truth and so to perform duty in this manner Minde I say 1. The promise of hearing that it 's not a promise to hear us simply in what we pray for but in whâ—t we pray for with other requisit qualifications of prayer and with this in particular That it be in Christs Name Hence is Asking in his name so often mentioned John 14. v. 13 14 and 16. v. 23 24 26. To mind that there is a promise of hearing draws a Soul to pray to God and to minde that the promise is made to praying thus qualified to wit that it be in Chrisâ—s Name binds the Soul to this way because otherwise it forfaults the Promise if it observe not the due qualification I fear there are too many who look on the Promise as absolute It 's true Though there are absolute Promises in the Covenant yet there are other Promises that have qualifications and conditions whereof this anent hearing of prayer is one and we are to expect the performance of the Promise when we seek after the qualification and condition 2. Mâ—ne Christs Promise whereby he hath ingaged as to lead us in all necessary truth so in this part of it to put up our prayers in His Nâ—me John 16.24 In that day ye shall aâ—k in my name To consider aright of this promise gives some ground of confideâ—ce to win at the performance of it anâ— holds the Soul in dependence on him and makes it to be quiet in the duty of improving Christs Intercession and indeed this is a main part of Religion Learn therefore to put these things together First think it a mercy that ye have a warrand and access to pray 2. That ye have a promise to be heard 3. That ye have a Mediator to interceed for you 4. That a promise is given you to learn how to make use of Him and that though the use-making of His Intercession aright be difficult and many do misken and mistake it yet that by the eying of the Promise ye may win to the right use-making of it ye would by any means eye the Promise that ye be not mistaken It may be there is a look now and then to liberty and it is good in it self but there may be a defect here That ye look not to Christ to be helped to pray with liberty and to be guided to pray in His Name so as to lay the weight of your being heard on Christs intercession 4ly When there hath been an eying of the Promise not only for the thing we seek but also to be guided in the seeking of it ye would be often taking a review of your selves in and after prayer whether ye be indeed praying and have prayed in Christs Name that when the Soul looks back and sees it hath much miskenned and neglected Christ it may take it self in this evil and disclaim it and settle it self on a right ground In a word there would be looking well on the one side that Jesus Christ be the ground we build on and on the other side that when we eye Christ and build on him we be not afraid to hazard on Him For into one of these extreams we readily run either to lippen and lean to some other thing then Christ or if we see no other thing to lean and lippen to and be necessitate to eye Him we distrust Him and are loath to hazard on Him 5ly And lastly if we consider well we will see good ground 1. To press 2. To incourage us to this way not to be doing duty only as men under the Law but as Christian men under the Gospel with respect to Christs Satisfaction and Intercession And First For pressing it consider that there is a necessity of it in reference to as many prayers as are accepted of God If it be necessary to get a hearing fit 's necessary to pray in Christs Name It a may be many think it to be but an indifferent thing that we have been pressing ll the while that we have been speaking of Christs Intercession but indeed it 's of more moment then our pressing you to any external duty for the external duty of prayer though it must needs be gon about is yet but the carcase this is the Soul and Life of Prayer And therefore let me exhort and obtest you never to saâ—iâ—fie your selves with a legal performance of the most spiritual duties in themselves except ye win to a Christian way of perfoâ—ming them that is That they be done in Christs strength and that ye rest on Him for the acceptance of them It 's as necessary to worship God in and by a Mediator as it is to worship the only true God and not to worship a false or strange God I make no question but most part of the hearers of the Gospel do destroy themselves here by resting on their legal performances and not making use of Christ 2. For your incouragement consider that it is most advantagious and profitable These words in the Promise are broad and full Whatsoever ye ask in my name I will do it And the Promise is frequently repeated in these forecited Chapters of John O! what calmness tranquility peace victory over anxiety what patience in waiting whether when in bonds or in liberty do flow from the exercising of Faith on this ground to wit That we have an Advocat in Heaven with the Father further consider the great ground of confidence that he hath given us that we shall come speed in this way which should stir us up hearten and incourage us to it which wil manifestly appear if we joyn these Two together 1. That this blessed Advocat is our Brother that He was made like unto us in all things except sin that He is a fellow-feeling high Priest that is touched with our infirmities that He refuseth to grant no suits of His People that are for His glory and their good that He saves all to the uttermost that come unto God by Him none could ever say that He refused to take their Cause in hand when they indeed committed it to Him 2. That when a Cause is committed to Him it cannot
know how interruptions of and threatnings to remove the preached Gospel from you never troubled you That business of the Tender gave a proof that if ye might brook your ease and the things of the World ye cared not what became of the Gospel and of the Liberties of Christ's Kingdom among you nay we may say the Gospel was never less set by never more reproached despised and trode upon then in the time wherein we live and who lays it to Heart If it were well tried there is more pains taken on seckless particulars in a Week then ye take upon your Souls in a Year and which may be spoken to the shame of some more time taken up in Tipling Drinking and Debauching then in Prayer or any other Religious Duty And is not that an undenyable evidence that ye make light of the Gospel They made light of it and went their ways c. saying on the matter care for yonder Invitation who wili as for us we have somewhat else to do A sixth Ground or Cause though possibly it be not so rife is a shifting of Convictions and Challenges a quenching of any begun Exercise in the Conscience Some of you have been made sometimes to tremble as Felix did but ye shifted it and put it off to another time and went away to some Company or Recreation that so ye might stifle it and drive it out of your thoughts Is there any of you but in Sickness or under some other sad Cross or at a Communion ye have had your own Convictions Challenges and Frights about your Souls estate and yet ye have smothered extinguished and put them out again A seventh Ground or Cause which is as large and comprehensive as any is Folks resting and sitting down before they have any solid Ground to rest upon taking a counterfite Work for a real one like these spoken of Hosea 7.16 of whom it 's said They return but not to the most High Some attain to a sort of out-side Reformation and they trow that on that account they are well enough and in good terms with God and when such are called to return they say as these do Mal. 3.7 Wherein shall we return they think they are returned and that their Peace is made already They cannot endure to be bidden Believe or to lay a new Foundation for they think it 's laid already In a word as Laodicea did they think themselves rich and encreased in goods when yet they are poor blind miserable wretched and naked but they know not and so are well satisfied with themselves as gracious Persons resting on these and the like Grounds As 1. It may be they Pray and think something of that 2. They think they have Faith enough if they have a Historical Faith 3. It may be they have had some resolutions and fits of a sort of Tenderness and these they rest upon We shall not insist to shew the rottenness of these Props but shall only say it were in some respect good for many of you that ye had never had the little pieces of Profession ye have There is a sort of civil legal formal fairfashioned Men and Women among us whose Conversation and Communication relishes to none but themselves and speak the Word who will they think that they are without the reach of it I must say this sad word thâ—t I think mâ—ny of you have as much believing as keeps you from Faith in Christ that is ye have as much Presumption and Security as makes you that ye are never serious with the Lord to amend it and to bring you indeed to Believe so that it 's a greater difficulty to beat you off from your rotten Grounds then it is to get you right though both require the Omnipotent Power of God ye think ye Believe always and ye have no Doubts about it and therefore ye think ye have Faith enough to do your turn Ah! when will ye know that Security is no Faith and that there is great difference betwixt Presumption and solid resting by Faith on Christ Eighthly We think that this wrongs many of you because ye are not among the worst sort and others esteem well of you ye think ye are well enough and this makes us that as to many of you we know not whether to be more familiar with or to stand at a distance from you because ye are ready to rest on so very slender Grounds It is not the commendation of Men but the commendation of God that ye should seek mainly after and yet if ye think good Men esteem well of you ye apprehend ye are good enough This was it that madâ— the foolish Virgins so secure because the wise took them and retained them in their Company and this is the neck-break of many especially when they look about them and observe some Sin in others which they have win to abstain from As if it had been enough in Herod and a sufficient proof of the reality of his Religion That he heard John gladly and did many things on the hearing of him A ninth Ground is and it 's a very poor one Folks sitting down on the Means when they have them as if when they have gotten the Gospel they were in no hazard and could Believe when they list I make no question but where the Gospel is powerfully in any measure preached there are many more secure and fearless then if they had it not and it 's very probable somewhat of this is hinted at Luke 13.26 where some are brought in saying to Christ We have eaten and drunken in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets who when He boasts them away from Him at the great Day they will in a manner hardly believe that He is in earnest and they give this for the reason of it that they have heard Him Preach and they have run out to the Fields after Him It were good to fear while ye have the Word lest ye miss the Fruit of it compare to this purpose Heb. 3. at the close with Heb. 4.1 and we will find this commended to us So we see saith the Apostle that they could not enter in because of unbelief let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of us should seem to come short of it It 's much yea the first step to Faith to get Folks made suitably affraid to miss the Fruit and Blessing of the Ordinances while they have them It 's good to be affraid to come to the Church and not to get good of the Preaching or to go and read a Chapter of the Bible and not profite by it always to put a difference betwixt the Ordinance and the Blessing of it and to be affraid in the use of the Ordinances to miss the Blessing of them There may be many other Causes and we would not stint and limit you to these but sure these are Causes why this Gospel profites not We may add these
the Apostles and yet when he is Preaching Acts 28.25 and some believed and others believed not before he dismisses the multitude he adds this one word Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the Prophet unto our fathers saying Go unto this People and say Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and not perceive c. where he expressly differenceth his external Preaching from God's inward working and tells that so long as there was a judicial stroke on the Hearts of the People untaken away no external Preaching could do the turn as to their Conversion and bringing of them to Believe which he also does to guard against any offence that might be taken at the unsuccesfulness of his Ministry by any who would be ready to say what aileth these Folk that they will not receive the Gospel to whom he answers Isaiah long before told the reason of it to wit that there is a Plague on their Hearts and Minds which God must remove ere they can receive it 2. To these plain and clear instances we may add two or three Grounds or Reasons As 1. The exceeding greatness of the work of Conversion O how great and difficult is it Therefore it 's set out by the similitudes and expressions of raising the dead creating a new heart of removing the stony heart and the like all tending to set out the necessity of an omnipotent Power or a powerful work of Grace in the begetting of Souls to Christ and if it be so great a work what can the outward Ministry do if the Power of God be not added or what can the Man himself do here can a Mâ—n quicken raise creat or beget himself it's true these comparisons are not to be extended and and applied in every respect yet they hold out that Man being naturally dead can no more contribute to his own quickening and raising and to the bâ—getting of spiritual life in himself then a dead Mâ—n can contribute to his own quickening and raising to his natural life for which cause the Holy Ghost hath made choice of these expressions even to hold out the exceeding greatness of the work 2. Consider the condition that Mâ—n are in when this work is wrought and we will see they can contribute nothing to it thâ—t they have no aptitude for it except that they are subjects capable to be wrought upon being as it is Eph 2.1 dead in sins and trespasses being as to their Souls estate and as to their Spiritual condition like Adam's Body before the Lord breathed in it the Breath of Life and made him a living Soul as his Body could not move stir nor act till then no more can the Natural Man stir or act in the ways of God till a new principle of Spiritual Life be put in him To clear it further we would consider that the Scripture speaks of these three in the Natural Man 1. Of an utter inability and deadness as to that which is Good Dead in Sins Eph. 2.1 We are not sufficient saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 3.5 of our selves as of our selves to think any thing not so much as a good thought 2. The Scripture holds him out not only as unable for good but perverse and bent to every thing that is Evil Col. 1.21 Alienated and enemies in our minds by wicked works the carnal mind being enmity against God Rom. 8.7 it 's plainly opposite to any thing that is Good and so to the way of Faith 3. Man's Mind is not only naturally perverse and stuffed with Enmity but in an incapacity to be healed while it remaineth such Rom. 8.7 It is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be and therefore in the work of Conversion there is not only an amending but also a renewing of our Nature called for there is more requisite then the rectifying of something in the Man even the creating of new Habits and the infusing of the Principles of Spiritual Life and Motion into the Soul It is true in some Sense the whole Image of God is not absolutely removed the faculties of the rational Soul still remain for Man hath an Understanding and a Will and some sort of Reason but without any tendency to Spiritual Life or to any action for God he hath an Understanding but it 's wholly darkened he hath a Will but wholly perverse and not in the least enclined to Good he hath Affections but wholly disordered and corrupted and set wholly upon wrong Objects so that it 's with Man's Soul as to Good as it is with spoiled Wine Wine when wholesome serves to cheer and refresh but when it 's spoiled it 's quite another thing not only not conducing to Health but it 's noisome and hurtful It 's just so we say with Man's Soul it 's by the Fall quite spoiled and corrupted it is not indeed annihilated or made to be nothing for it retains the same faculties still it hath to speak so the same quantity still but as to it's qualities it 's utterly corrupted and carried closs contrary to God it 's not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be and renovation by Grace is the taking away of the corrupt qualities in part in this Life and wholly in the other Life and the bringing in of new qualities for recovering the beauty of that Image of God which Man hath lost 4. Consider the end that God hath in the administration of His Grace and the Glory that He will needs have it getting in every gracious work and more especially in the work of Conversion and the silence as to any boasting that He will have all put unto that shall partake of it His end in the administration of His Grace is to bring down Pride to stop all Mouths and to remove all grounds of boasting from the Creature that He only may have the glory of Conversion that when ever that question is proposed What hast thou O man but what thou hast received and if thou hast received it why doest thou boast who made thee to differ from another the Soul may answer it was not external Preaching nor my own Free-will nor any thing in me but the power of God's Grace I have nothing but what I have received It is on this ground that the Apostle Phil. 2.12 13. presseth and encourageth Christians to their great work Work out saith he your own salvation in fear and trembling for it's God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure the Lord leaveth not to Man the working of the Will in himself and of him saith the same Apostle 1 Cor. 30.31 are ye in Christ Jesus who is made of God unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption that he that glorieth should glory in the Lord as he said before vers 29. that no flesh should glory in his presence there is one ground of boasting that the Lord wiâ—l have removed in a Sinner's Justification and
Promises without the including of the effect the giving of the new Heart is not only a perswading to Believe but the actual giving of the new Heart whereof Faith is a special part which Promise is peculiar to the Elect though the offer of it be more large and be further extended and what can that Promise of Gods writing the Law in the Heart be but an effectual inclining of the Heart to the Will of God or inward renovation contradistinguished to the external Ministry that can only hold out His Will in a Book and speak it to the Ear. 3. This may be cleared and confirmed from the nature of the work of Grace which is such a mighty work and so powerful as it is impossible it can be frustrated or disappointed unless we could say that Grace in God or the Grace of God is not so powerful as Corruption in us which were Blasphemy to this purpose the Apostle prayeth in behalf of the Christian Ephesians chap. 1.19 20. that they may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead he speaketh so in this high strain to set out both the exceeding stubbornness of our Nature that needs such a work and the exceeding great power of the Grace of God that worketh irresistably not only in the Conversion of the Elect at first but in all the after-acts of Believing so Eph. 3.7 the same Apostle hath it according to the gift of the Grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power and Col. 1.29 according to his working which worketh in me mightily The Power that worketh in Believers is Gods omnipotent Power which worketh effectually and mightily and if this Power be exercised in the continuing and promoving of Faith as is said before it must be much more exercised in the begetting of Faith yea and what need is there that He should exercise it if not for this end that where He exerciseth it it may also prevail A 4th ground of Confirmation may be drawen from the Lords great end which He hath before Him in this work and that is the gaining of glory to His Grace and to have the whole work of Conversion attributed to it and if this be His end He must and will prevail by His Grace in throughing the work in order to this end if it were left indifferent to Man to yield oâ— not to yield to God as he pleaseth the whole weight of the work of Conversion should not ly upon Grace Mans Mouth should not be stopped but when that question should be asked who hath made thee to differ and what hast thou O man but what thou hast received he should still have something to boast of and the work of his Conversion should at best be halfed betwixt Grace and his own Free-will this would necessarily follow if Grace did not through the work and so God should miss of His end A 5th ground of Confirmation is taken from the consideration of Gods Decree of the Covenant of Redemption betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator and of the Power and Wisdom of God in carrying on this work which we put together for brevities cause From all which it will be clear that there is and must be a necessary connexion betwixt the work of Grace on Believers and the Effect and that it is not in the power of Mans Free-will to resist it which indeed is not freedom but bondage 1. Then We say That if we consider the Decree of Election we will find that where Grace is applied Faith and Conversion must follow otherwise if the work of Grace were not effectual to convert Gods Decree should be suspended on the Creatures Free-will and be effectual or not effectual according as it pleased and is that any little matter to make His Decree depend upon and be effectual or not according to Man's pleasure that which sickereth His Decree and makes it infrustrably to take effect is that He hath effectual Means to bring about His Decree 2 If we consider the Covenant of Redemption betwixt Jehovah and the Mediator we will find that upon the one side the Mediator particularly undertaketh for them that are given to Him that He shall loss none of them and upon the other side we have to speak with reverence of the Majesty of God after the manner of Men the Father's Obligation to make such Persons in due time Believers that Christ the Mediator may see of the travel of His Soul and be satisfied according to that Promise made to Him Psal 110.3 In the day of thy power thy people shal be willing and that other Isa 53.11 He shall see of the travel of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many c. and accordingly Himself saith John 6.37 All that the Father hath given to me shall come unto me where it is clear that these who are given must necessarily come and He also saith John 10.16 Other sheep have I which are not of this sold them also I must bring and it cannot be supposed without horrour and blasphemy that this determinate solid and sure transaction having all its midses included in it and being as to its end so peremptory shall as to these midses and that end and as to their throughing not be in Gods hand but in the hand of Mans Free-will if it were there O! how unsicker and loose would the bargain and God's design in begetting Faith and in bringing Souls through Grace to Glory be 3. If we consider the Lords Power in beginning and promoving and His Wisdom in carrying on of this work His Power whereby he raiseth the Dead and His Wisdom whereby He leads from Death to Life is it possible to conceive or imagine these to be applied by the Lord in the Conversion of a Sinner but this Doctrine must needs hold that the work of His Grace powerfully applied hath always Faith and Conversion following on it and that the Lord leaveth it not to the option of Elect Souls to believe or not to believe as they please He must not He cannot be frustrate of His end and design but He must bring them to a cordial closure with Christ by Faith in order to their Salvation Use 1. The first Use serves to fix you in the Faith of this great Truth and though we use not neither is it needful to trouble you with long Questions and Debates yet when the like of this Doctrine comes in our way especially in such a time wherein the pure Truths of God and this among the rest are troubled and called in question it is requisite that a word be spoken for your confirmation and establishment and we would hence have you fixed in the Faith of these two 1. Of the impotency of Nature in the beginning or promoving ought of the work of Grace which belongs to
in the practice of Piety because of the necessity of this Grace but on the contrary be the more diligent and serious that ye have so much need of Grace and that of your selves ye can do so little or rather nothing that is truly good without it I know that prophane Hearts are very fertile and broody of Arguments to plead this point of neglect of Means and will readily say what is the fruit of diligence and the prejudice of laziness the one will do us no good and the other can do us no ill seing it's Grace that doth all the work But 1. By your laziness ye mar your own fruitfulness and that through your own fault and make this addition to your guilt that ye not only continue graceless but do so through your sin wilfully 2. Ye may draw on to your natural impotency habitual and judicial hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind it 's on this very ground that many Ears are made heavy many Eyes made blind and many Hearts made fat and is that a little or light matter 3. Though ye may think this little yet that which will bear the weight of your sentence at the Day of Judgment will not be your natural impotency or that Gâ—ace was not made efficacious to yâ—ur Conversion but this will be it that when God sent out His Word to win you and offered His Grace for inabling you to yield ye did maliciously and deliberatly reject it So that it will never be suffered to come to this I was unable because the Word was wilfully rejected before it came to this But secondly Because there are some others possibly that have more seriousness in the use of Means who though they dare not quarrel with Grace yet it weights and discourâ—ges them because they can do so little and they are made heartless to essay and hopeless to come speed and it may be that this is in some whom the Lord allows not to draw any such conclusion but would rather have encouraged we would say to such that they would beware of fainting or being discouraged as if that were impossible to God and His Grace which is impossible to them they would by all means beware of sitting up and â—ackning their hand in Duty because they can do so little We know there are some that need not much to be spoken to for satisfying of them in this point but there are others who are weighted with this Doctrine to whom the Lord allows more tender usage and would not have them to faint nor be discouraged you that are such if any be may know that there is ground for us to press this and that we may remove the construction of hardness from this soveraign way of Gods Grace wherein He hath thought fit to draw Men unto an absolute dependance on Himself In the dispensing of it we shall propose these few Considerations 1. That which was hinted at before never a Man that hath heard this Gospel when he comes to count with God shall have it to say that the reason why he did not receive and embrace it was his impotency and inability but the real reason shall be found to be his wilful rejecting of it and upon the contrary it shall be found that there was never one that would in earnest have had strength to run the way of Gods Commandments and Faith to grip to and embrace Jesus Christ offered in this Gospel that for want of ability came short and if so what reason is there to complain if none want Faith but such as would not have Him and if none that would have Him can complain of their want of Him upon these two we have great ground of encouragement to them that have a sincere affection to be at Him and there is no ground for Folk to sit up or fall lazy in pursuing after union and communion with Him in the use of Means None shall have cause to complain of their want of Him but such as with their own consent gave Him over and any that would fain have had Him shall not miss Him for this real willingness to close with Christ being a work of the Grace of God and it being no less power that works this Will than the power which doth effectuate the work of Conversion and bring it to perfection He that begins the work will perfect it according to His Promise seing there is nothing that He does begin but He does perfect it and therefore in this case Folk had more need to reflect upon their willingness to have Christ and to close with Him on His own terms than to dispute their impotency and inability 2. Consider what they have been whom the Lord hath brought thorow were they not such as had as much need of Grace as ye have had they not the same corrupt Nature that ye have were they not as impotent and unable to do for themselves could any of themselves do more than ye can consider them all that are before the Throne was it not this same Grace of God and not their good Nature nor their Free-will that did the work and they were not expressly or by name included in the Promises more than ye are and ye are not expressly excluded more than they were the Lord brought forward the work of Grace in them that same way that He dealeth with you by the preaching of His Word He brought them first to know their sinfulness impotency and weakness to know that there was need of a Saviour that their Salvation was not of themselves neither was it in them to make right use of the Saviour and Salvation offered but in the power of His Grace and what if He be doing so to thee and if that condition be hard and hopeless now it had been a hopeless and hard condition to these many that are now before the Throne 3. Consider That there is no question but Grace is effectual to carry on the work and to make it go thorow all the difficulty and dissatisfaction is because God keeps the application in His own Hand which the Man's Heart would have in its Hand and which of them do ye think is most sure and encouraging all your fainting and discouragement resolveth in this because ye can do so little If ye be in good earnest desirous to have Grace throughing the work of Faith and Conversion would ye possibly make choise of another or better Hand than God's to put it in is it not as suitable and sure that His Wisdom should contrive and lay down the way as it is to His Power to set it forward and to the freedom of His Grace to make application of it and all more suitable and sure than if it were in your own Hand may ye not think shame to be discouraged on this ground because any thing ye do ye must needs get it from God and that that should be an obstruction in the way of Godliness which is a main encouragement to it
is enough in God and in His Grâ—ce to do their turn How is it then or what can be the reason that we in our Hearts do draw the just contrary conclusion to that which the Spirit of God draws here from this ground when we have the offer of Grace and hear of the power and efficacy of it it should as to our part provoke us to be more busie reasoning thus with our selves that though our Corruption will soon overcome us yet it wi l not it cannot overcome Grace and though the exercise of Faith be above our reach yet it is not above the reach of Grace though we be weak yet Grace is strong and therefore we will work it out And upon the other side we ought to conâ—inue humble and in fear and trembling work it out bâ—bâ—cause it 's not we but Grace that doth the work If Grace were well considered there is nothing that would more strâ—ngthen Folks hands to work and upon the other hand there is nothing that would make Folks more watchful and to walk in holy fear considering that we are poor Beggers and thorow our unwatchfulness or conceit and presumption may mar the outlettings of His Grace especially if we grow secure and ungrately forget what we receive from Him 2. I come now to some steps or particular directions implied in this Use because it will be asked What then should Folk do And before I touch on particulars take these two Caveâ—ts in the entry to them 1. That we can propose nothing to be done by you nâ—ither can ye do any thing of your selves that is a gracious act or deed 2. That we understand not that any thing can be done by Men in their Natural state that doth infer or procure and far less deserve the giving of Grace to any but seing God hath given direction to us how to walk in order to the working out of our Salvation we say 1. That it 's safe to us to walk in the way He hath directed us to walk in and in the use of the Means He hath prescribed and much more safe then to lay them aside 2. That there is greater suitableness betwixt the use of the Means and the finding of Grace then there is betwixt the neglect of Means and the finding of it 3. That it aggrees well with Gods way in bringing about the Conversion of Sinners to bring them piece and piece forward sometimes bringing them to the use of external Means and to the performance of outward Duties sometimes convincing them of Sin and letting them see their need of Christ sometimes discovering the worth that is in Christ and bringing them to fall in love with Him ere they actually close with Him and making them in their practice to follow any peep or glimmering of light that is let out to them and to go the length that light discovereth the way and makes it plain as to their duty Now for particular Directions we would 1. Bid you study to be fixed and established in the Faith of these general Truths that relate to Mans Sinfulness and Misery and Insufficiency in Himself that in us that is in ouâ— flâ—sh dwelleth no good thing that naturally we are dead in Sins and Trespasses and cannot quicken our selves and in the Faith of the necessity and powerfulness of Grace and that it 's Christ that must give and work Faith and that Grace can do the turn and prevail where it is put on work ye would also consider and believe the great hazard of missing Grace and the advantage that cometh by it ye would meditate on these things and on the Scriptures that hold them out and on the experiences of the Saints that confirm them that ye may not only have a glance and transient view of them but may be confirmed in the Faith of the truth of them 2. Content not your selves with a general Faith of the truâ—h of this Doctrine but labour to be suitably affected with these things that ye believe and though every affectedness be not special Grace yet I speak to them that are ready to lay the blame and fault on the Grace of God and yet were never affected with their own gracelesness Ye would study to be affected with the gracelesness of your Nature and let it put you to some sanctified disquiet and trouble till with Ephraim ye be made to smite upon your thigh and till ye be put to a holy deliberation and consultation about your own condition a Man that is under the hazard of a civil penalty will think on it again and again it will affect him and he will not be at rest till he be without the reach of it much more should ye be with the hazard that your Souls are in through Sin ye are not excusable so long as ye come not this length 3. Add to this Diligence in the use of all outward Means and Duties whereby and wherein the Lord useth to communicate His Grace abounding always in the work of the Lord as the Apostle exhorteth 1 Cor. 15.58 Be diligent in secret Prayer Reading Meditation Conference Self-examination Hearing keeping good Company and the like which indeed Hypocrites may do yet they cease not for that to be Duties 4. Be sincere and serious in the use and performance of these Means and Duties that which I mean is a moral sincerity and seriousness such as a Man will readily have in a civil Cause that he hath depending before a civil Judge or in hearing of News or the like which is a thing that may be and is often found in Men that are void of a principle of Grace and yet Folk are very often defective in this and make themselves exceeding guilty before God because they come not this length 5. Take heed and beware of entertaining any thing that holds and bars out Grace or of doing any thing that may mar or quench the working or moving of Grace If ye cannot get Christ entertained in your Heart as ye should be sure to give it to no other if ye cannot get Corruption thrust out nor mortified watch against the rising or harbouring of that which ye know to be Corruption and against the incoming or rising of such evils as ye know will keep or put away the Beloved guard also against the neglecting of such Means as by the neglect whereof ye may grieve His Spirit 6. Study and seek after a composed frame of Spirit in your ordinary walk and especially in Duties of Worship Carnal Mirth and Jollity loose Company and suffering the Heart to go a whoring after the things of the World do not only provoke Christ as they are sins but indispose us for Duty and mar the exercise of Grace where it is and keep it back where it is not therefore the wise man saith Eccles 7.3 that sorrow is better then laughter for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better carnal Sorrow is not to be commended but sober sadness or a
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
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
two Natures in one Person remains still He was God and Man still though as was hinted before there was a Suspension of such a Measure at least of the sensibly Comforting Influence of the Divine Nature from the Humane as had wont to be let out thereto And yet there was even then a sustaining Power flowing from the God-head that Supported Him so that He was not swallowed up of that which would have quite and for ever swallowed up all Creatures as is evident in this crying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Which shewes that though the Union and Relation stood firm yet a comfortable Influence was much restrained 2. There was no sinfull Fretting no Impatiencie nor carnal Anxiety in our Lord all along His Sufferings for He did most willingly undergo them and hâ—d a kindly submission in them all As is evident by these Words But for this cause came I into this hour And not my will but thy will be done 3. There was not in H m any distrust of Gods Love nor any unbelief of His Approbation before God neither any the least Dâ—ffidence as to the Out-gate For in the Sadest and Sharpest of all His Conflicts He was clear about His Fathers Love to Him that the Relation stood firm and that there would be a Comfortable Out-gate as His Prayer before shews wherein He styles God Father And these hardest like Words uttered by Him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me do also shew wherein twice over He confidently asâ—â—rts His Interest My God my God Though He was most terribly Assaulted yet the Tentation did not prevaill over Him 4. Neither are we to conceive that there was any inward Confusion Challenge or Gnawing of Conscience in Him such as is in Desperat Sinners cast under the Wrath of God Because there was no inward cause of it nor any thing that could breed it yea even in that wherein He was Cautioner He was clear that He was doing the Fathers will and finishing the Work that was committed to Him and that even under the greatest Apprehensions of Wrath Therefore all such things are to be guarded against in our Thoughts least otherwayes we reflect upon our Innocent and Spotless Mediator But 2. To speak a Word to that wherein it doth consist 1. It did consist as we hinted before in the God-head's Suspending it's Comfortable Influence for a time from the Humane Nature Though our Lord had no Culpable Anxiety yet He had a Sinlesse Fear considering Him as Man and that the infinit God was Angry and Executing Angryly the Sentence of the Law against Him Though He was not angry at Him considered as in Himself but as He stood in the room of the Elect as their Cautioner of whom He was to exact the Payment of their Debt and could not but be in a wonderfull amazment as the Word is Mark 14.33 He was sore amazed And Heb. 5.7 It 's said when he had offeâ—ed up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death he was heard in that which he feared Which looks to His wrestling in the Garden 2. He had an inexpressible sense of grief not only from the petty outward Afflictions that He was under which may be called petty comparatively though they were very great in themselves but also from the Torrent of Wrath flowing in on His Soul That Cup behoved to have a most bitter Relish and an inconceivable Anguish with it when He was a drinking of it as appeared in His Agony O! â—s He was Pained and Pinched in His Soul The Soul being especially sensible of the Wrath of Goâ— 3 It consisted in a sort of wonderfull Horrour which no question the marching up to say so of so many mighty Squadrons of the highly provoked Wrath of God and making so Furious and Formidable an Assault on the Innocent Humane Nature of Christ that considered simply in it's self was a finit Creature behoved necessarily to be attended with Hence He prayes Father if it be possible let this cup depart from me Intimating that there was a Sinless Loathness and a holy Abhorrence to middle with it and to adventure upon it Though we have not Hearts rightly to conceive nor Tongues suitable to express those most exquisite Sufferings yet these things shew that our Lord Jesus was exceedingly put to it in His Holy Humane Soul The 2 Use Serves to stir us up to wonder at the Love of God the Father that gave His own Son and exacted the Elect's Debt of Him and made the Sword of His Justice to awake against Him And to wonder at the Love of the Son that ingadged to be surety for them And humbled Himself so Low to lift them up It was wonderfull that He should stoup to become Mâ—n and to be a poor Man and to die but more that He should come this length as to be in an Agony of Soul and to be so tossed with a Tempest of Terrible Wrath though He was not capable of Tossing as meer Creatures are This being well considered would highten exceedingly the praise of Grace in the Church and very much warm the Hearts of Sinners to Him And for pressing this Use a little and for provocking to Holy Wondering at this Love consider these Four 1. Who it was that suffered tâ—us Even He that was without guile He that was Gods delight His Fatheâ—s Fellow the express image of his person He thâ—t made all things and who will one Day be Judge of all Iâ—'s even He that thus Suffered 2. Whâ—t He Suffered even the Wrath of God and the Wrath of God in such a Degree and Measure as was equivalent to all that the Elect should have Suffered Eternally in Hâ—ll which presseth forth from Him these expressions which we hinted at before 3. For whom all this was which makes it appear to be yet more wonderfull It was for a number of lost straying sheep That were turned every one to his own way as it is verse 6. For Dyvours and debauched Bankerupts that were Enemies to and in Tops with Him Some of them Spitting in His Face some of them upon the Consultation of taking away His Life as may be gatherâ—d from Acts 2. Yea take the best of them for whom He suffered even those whom He took to the Garden with Him to be Witnesses of His Agony and we will find them sleeping when He is in the hight of it and is thereby cast into a Top Sweat of Blood and out of Case to Watch and bear Burden with Hâ—m but for an hour It had been much for Him to have Suffered for Righteous Persons but as it is Rom. 5. God commends his love to us in this that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us 5. The manner how He Suffered to wit most Willingly and Patiently though He easily could hâ—ve commanded more then twelve legions of Angels to rescue Him yet He would not but
purpose He sayes to His supposed Father and to His Mother Luke 2.49 wist ye not that I must be about my fathers business It 's His Bussiness because it is so on the matter it 's so accounted of and comes to be so in the end and therefore in the 10. v. of this Chap. it is said The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand 2. As for His being the Lord 's righteous servant He is not only a Servant but an excellent Servant not Righteous simply as He is God only nor Righteous simply as He is Man But Righteous in the Administration of His Offices and in the Discharge of the Great Trust committed to Him Whence Observe That Our Lord Jesus in performing of the Office and Work of Mediation and Redemption is most Trusty and Faithful There is not any the least Fault or Failling in His performing of it He is the Lord's Servant that never wronged His Master who never miscarried in His Commission nor Mis-managed it in the least Saith He I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do If we look a litle to the qualifications that shine eminently in the Administration of His Offices they will make out this For He Administrats them 1. Wonderfully Wisely 2. Very Tenderly 3. Most Diligently and Effectually 4. With all Faithfulnesse Thus doth He Intirely and Holily without the least touch of unrighteousnesse perform all the Trust committed to Him and that both towards God and towards the Sheep So as He is eminently by the Lord 's own Testimony His righteous servant with whom He is well pleased and cannot but be well pleased It will not be needfull to seperat these qualifications of His Service in the Administration of His Offices In speaking to them we shall only desire you to take notice of some few Places of Scripture that hold them out The first whereof is that Isai 40.11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arme and carrie them in his bosome and gently lead those that are with young Never shepherd was so careful of his Flock for He seeds them and in Feeding them waits diligently on them and takes them to these places where it is best for them to Feed He thinks fit now and then it 's true that Dogs be hunded at them yet He is so warm to and tender of them that He gathers them with His Arme and He is so dexterous and skilfull in Conducting them that He gently leads them that are with young that is such of them as are in Pangs of the New Birth He will by no means over-drive To speak it with reverence He is as a skilfull Midwife to make these who are with Child safely to bring forth Well then may He get this Name of the Lord 's righteous servant The next place is Isai 42.1 2 3 4. Behold my servant whom I uphold my elect in whom my soul delighteth I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgement to the gentles He shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street A bruised reed shall he not break and the smoaking flax shall he not quench he shall bring forth judgement unto truth c. Is there not here a wonderfull commendation that the Father gives to the Son and that the Gracious Master gives to the Righteous Servant in His Office He is His Elect choise Servant in whom His Soul delights He does not cry nor lift up His voice He is bussier about His Work then in making any din about it there is no frowardnesse in His way but He is tender of Souls that are like to a bruised Reed and smoaking Flax He will not break the one nor put out the other Where a Soul is weak or wounded He will not break nor bruise it by a rough touch or word and where there are the least breathings of sincere desires after Him He will not quench nor stiffle them and though the Task be great that He hath in hand He fails not is going through with it He sits not up nor is He discouraged under it notwithstanding all the Wrath He hath to meet with in His way Therefore when the Cup is put in His hand at which His holy humane Nature some way shrunk and skarred yet He takes it pleasantly saying But for this cause came I unto this hour and prosecuteth His Work Courageously and Constantly till He bring forth Judgement to Victory and till He gain His Point This shews Him to be a most Choise and Faithfull Servant A 3. Place is Isai 52.13 Behold my servant shall deal prudently c. It cannot be imagined what a Spiritual Cannie and Dexterous way He hath in the saving of Souls and how Wisely and Prudently He pursues that Work There is a 4th Place Psal 89.19 20. I have laid help upon one that is mighty I have exalted one chosen out of the people I have found David my servant The enemy shall not exact upon him c. He is so Dexterous and Powerful that the Devil shall gain no ground of Him but He shall gain ground of him and defeat him so that we come after only to gather the Spoil He is able to save to the uttermost as it is Heb. 7.26 all that come unto God through him And near the close of that Chap. It is said Such an high priest became us who is holy harmless seperat from sinners made higher then the heavens These are His qualifications He is an holy and harmless high Priest a sweet and to say so illesse Mediator by whom there was never any hurt His ill was never heard of in the place where He was He is Undefiled Pure and Spotlesse in the management of all the Trust committed to Him there was never any thing done by Him of which it could be said that it might have been done better He is seperat from Sinners and so another kind of high Priest then these who were before Him And all this both as to God so as He could say and go to Death with it It is finished And as to them that were intrusted to Him so as He couâ—d say Of all that thou hast given me I have lost none he makes a Full and Faithfull accompt of all committed to Him This is a plain and yet a most usefull Truth For Use of it Behold here and wonder at the way of Grace that not only gives a Mediator but such a Mediator who as it is Heb. 3 is faithfull over the house of God This is the very Life of our Consolation that we have an able Mediator a good Shepherd a Wise Prudent Tender One and Faithfull and indeed it would well become us to wonder more that the Lord in the way of His Grace hath thus condescended and it should exceedingly provocke us to be thankfull on this accompt that not only there is a way of Grace but such a way of Grace found
Ye are all lyable to appearing before God's Justice-seat Ye are all guilty and by the Sentence of the Law under Gods Curse and Condemned already Because God hath said He that sins shall die We are I say all thus by Nature Use 2. It gives a great commendation to the Grace of God in Christ Jesus it makes Grace wonderfully Glorious That takes the Sinner at this niâ—k and in this pinch We shall not dispute here nor is it needfull nor edifying whether God might have forgiven Sin freely without any intervenient Satisfaction to His Justice seing He hath declared His mind concerning that in His Word Exod. 23.7 I will not justifie the wicked And Chap. 34.7 That will by no means clear the guilty And Gen. 3. The day thou eats or Sins thou shalt surely die This is it that puts Man as considered in his Natural Condition to be as it were in Hell while he is on Earth and puts Him in such a near capacity to the Wrath of God if we may so speak and to the actual undergoing of it That there needs no more but the blowing out of the Breath to put him in the pit yea while He is living he is a Prisoner in Chains till the day of Execution come If Grace reprive him not ye would think much of Grace O! how very much if ye were seriously comparing these two together to be so near Hell and yet as it were to have a Ladder set up for you to ascend to Heaven by And that in such a way as by Christ's becoming a Curse They will certainly never think much of the Grace of God and of the Love of Christ they will never think much of their own hazard nor wil they ever in earnest make use of Christs Righteousness who have not some quick and lively impression and sense of this their Condition by Nature And therefore when ever ye go to Read to Hear to Pray to Meditat c. Take up your selves as naturally arrested before the Court of God and obnoxious to His Wrath This would lay your Pride and make Christs offers in the Gospel lovely to you Use 3. This shews That these who get any good of Christ are much in Christs Debt and Common and have in themselves no cause to boast of it If this be true even of the Elect that they are all once under the Sentence of Condemnation else they could not be Justified and Absolved by Christ Ye that think your selves to be something what have ye to boast of Who hath made you to differ and what have ye but what ye have received It sets you well therefore to be humble and to put a Price upon Christ as the Apostle doth on the same consideration Gal. 2.20 When he sayes Who loved me and gave himself for me That makes Him relish sweetly to the Believer And this is the ground of His Triumph Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again c. This way of Justification makes Christs death Wonderous Lovely and it is on this that the Song of the Redeemed is founded Rev. 1.5 Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever amen And of that new Song Revel 5.9 10. Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the Seals thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood c. It is an evil token when folk can talk at a high rate of their hope of being Justified when in the mean time they have so little estimation of Christ and their hearts are so little warmed with love to Him who is so Lovely to Believers And when they can so confidently make application of His Purchase to themselves and yet cannot tell when their heart was ever in the least measure ravished with the consideration of Christs love neither did it ever relish to them nor were their hearts ever in the least ingaged to Him on that consideration Use 4. All of you who are lying in this Natural Condition and know not what is your hazard who are living in your Prophanity or at best in your Hypocrisee Civility Formality not Regenerat or Born again but have still the same Faith and Love that ye were born with and no other what is your posture ye are not in Christ but lying naked obnoxious to the Wrath and Curse of God condemned already And what if your breath go out in this doleful condition What if a Palsie or Appoplexie overtake you suddenly What if a Stone fall upon you ere ye go home out of this place There is even but that much betwixt you and Hell Ye are lyable to be arrested before the Court of Gods Justice and how will it be with you when ye come there And when it shall be said that such a Person hath broken the Law and therefore Gods Curse is due to him and therefore away with him For he judgeth according to mens works Are there none of you afraid of this Do ye believe it to be a Truth O! that ye did who are lying contentedly and secure in your Natural Condition and yet it does not trouble you Will you yet lye still contentedly in this dreadful state Is it possible that ye can be well in this condition though ye would heap up Riches as the Sand ye cannot look into the Bible nor into your own heart but it curses you Ye cannot look to the Bar of Gods Justice but the Sentence meets you Depart from me ye cursed This is the Truth of God And if ye think there be any here lying still in black nature and we are not sure all renewed think then upon your case O! that ye saw your posture The Hand-writting coming forth on the Wall did not so afright Belshazzar as this Curse would afright you if it were believed And 2ly If this be your Natural Condition and if ye believe it to be truly so we would expostulat with you and even wonder 1. How comes it to passe that so many of you lye still in your Natural Condition and endeavour not a change of your State It will be wondered at by Angels and by all the Elect yea and even by the Reprobat that never heard of Christ That so many heard the Gospel and had the offer of Christ and yet did not stir up themselves to make use of Him Is it not a wonder that Folk can sleep secure under the Curse of God And bless themselves till their iniquities be found to be hatefull To be in this condition and to sleep quietly under it will have a dolefull wakning 2dly How is it that so few take pains to try how it is with them If many of you were lying under a Decreet of
Gospel And because this is it that great part of the Christian World hath been deluded with though it be in those dayes little thought of by many and because it is not one single Error but as it were a Chain of very Momentuous and Fundamentall Errors We shall insist â— little in laying it out before you and ye would not so much look on it as a controversal or meerly speculative as a grosly practicall Error and such as is naturally rooted in all Men ye would also look upon it with holy fear and jealousie over your selves left inadvertantly ye slide into it and withall ye would look on it and make use of it as a Motive to provoke you to love the Truth the more and to be as I said the more thankful to God who hath fred you from that dark heavy and comfortlesse way of Justification by Works which is now impossible It may be that this Error of Papists will not be thought much of by some when they hear that they speak of Justification by Christ and by His merits and by Faith as well as we Protestants do But it 's the more dangerous that they do so And therefore ere I shew you their way of Justification and the inconsistancy of it with the Gospel I would have you to advert to these Three things 1. That in this matter of Justification though Papists acknowledge the name yet they do not acknowledge the thing it self and so upon the matter the Controversie is not so much what Justification is as whether there be such a thing as Justification at all taking it to be a thing distinct from Sanctification and Regeneration which they in effect deny For if the Form Constitute Justification and if to them the Form of Justification be the infusing of habitual Grace in the Soul then it 's nothing different from Regeneration and Sanctification and therefore when they speak of Justification they speak of it in this sense For a Justified Person to them is a Man renewed and made Holy even as to califie or heat water is to make that hot which before was cold so Justification to them is to make a sinful Person Just because of inherent Righteousnesse in himself 2. When they speak of Justification they make of a two-fold Justification The 1. whereof is that which they call the Justification of a wicked Person or of an unrenewed man when Grace is at first infused into him which they grant a man cannot of himself condignâ—y merit The 2d is of a man growing or increasing in Grace when he attains to more Grace and to more Gâ—ory Grace and Glory being of the same Nature wherein they and we do not differ And to this Second Justification they make necessary a Mans proper merit of Works for they say that the first Justification will not do a mans turn who is come to age though to a child it be sufficient because their attaining of Glory who are at Age is the proper hire of their Works which supposes Holinesse And therefore when they say that Christs merit procures Justification their meaning is that it procures the First Justification but not the Second That is in effect to say that it buyes habitual Grace as a Stock to a Man wherewith he may Trade but when they come to speak of Hâ—aven and Glory which is obtained as they say by the Second Justification that is come at by the Man 's own trading with that Stock of habitual Grace And so the Mans Trading or Trâ—ffiquing with his Stock comes in as that â—bich procures wines and merits the Prize 3. Though they use the same names that we use as of Faith and Pardone or Remission of sin yet there is very great difâ—erence betwixt them and us as to the thing for they count nothing to be Faith but Historical Faith which the Devils have and for Remission of Sin They divide and distinguish betwixt the removing or remission of the blot of Sin and the removing or remission of the punishment of Sin And they say that in the First Justification the Blot of Sin is expelled by the â—â—â—fusing of habitual Grace even as Darkness is expelled by the coming in of Light but as to the Punishment of Sin they leave a Man to satisfie in part for himself after his Justification Now as we said Because there is not one Error or two here but a Concatenation or Chain of many Errors Therefore for further clearing of the Truth and discovering of these Errors Ye would consider That when the question is proposed this is the great state of it what that is on which a Sinner may ground his Peace before the Tribunal of God Justice as a solid Defencâ— to answer all the Challenges of the Law and whereupon he may expect to be Absolved and admitted to Heaven They say that it 's inherent Holiness wherewith a Mans Soul is Sanctified Renewed and made conform to the Image of God which say they is oâ— that nature that it cannot but make the Person acceptable to God so that in coming before Gods Tribunal of Justice he hath in himself wherewith to answer all his Challenges or all the Challenges that the Law can bring against his inward and habitual Grace and Sanctification It is true they grant that God works this Grace in them and that Men are not naturally born with it And that Christs merit procures the bestowing of this Grace but yet they say though a Man do not merit this fiâ—st Grace yet he must dispose himself for it by the exercise of his Free Will Faith Alms-deeds and the like and that so he makes himself congruously meet for and capable of Sanctification and habitual Grâ—ce without which God does not bestow it And if we look to the Instrumental Cause they take in the Sacraments of Baptisme Pennance and extream Unction as means whereby God works that Grace and that as they say by the very work wrought if he be a Man come to Age and if there be not opportunity of getting the â—acrament he hath it in his Vow which comes in place of the Sâ—crament by which mâ—ans they have these Two effects The Fiâ—st is a positive bringing in of Grâ—ce into the Soul The Second is privative whereby the Blot or Spot of Sin as H aâ— expells Cold or Light expells Dâ—rkness And this they call Remission of Sin when Grace shuts and drives it ouâ— so that the Soul is not polluted with it And because all this takes in but the guilt of Sin which they say is removed in the First Justification They have a Second Justification whereby they say that the punishment of Sin is removed and whereby they merit Glory And here came in their Dotations Fastings Pilgrimages Perigrinations c. Whereby they make amends to God and because they cannot win to make a full amends here They have their Purgatory and Soul-masses And so they have not only God to Satisfie for the wrongs which they have
Christ in these and that they have the Grace from Him to preform them He furnishes the Stock and they Trade with it and so for the attaining of Life they are obliged to their own Trading which is in Words to pretended Grace but really to put our own Works and Righteousnesse in the Room of Christ's Righteousnesse as the ground or meritorious cause of Justification for the Grace given to us enabling us to Work is not Christ's Righteousness but our own because given to us and working in us and so it is alwayes our selves and our own Righteousnesse not Christ and His Righteousnesse that we rest upon A 2d Instance of some Folk that speak of Christ and of attaining Life through Him yet it is not in respect of His Merit but in respect of His Strength for such will say we hope through Christs Strength to come to Heaven their meaning wherein is that He will help them so to repent and believe so to be holy and resist tentations as they shall come to Heaven thereby as the deserving cause of their coming thither It 's true there is something right here when in it's own place if whole Christ were rested upon Justification being put in the first place and His Merit rested upon for that it were good that His strength were leaned to and made use of for performing the duties of Sanctification but when His Strength is rested upon as the alone thing and when we look not to Christs Purchase and Merit as the ground of our acceptation but to Christ as enabling us to do Duties to the end that we may give God a recompence thereby at the best it is but He and we together this certainly is wrong for nothing is proposed as a Satisfaction to Gods Justice here but what is immediately our own A 3d. Sort are somewhat wiser who it may be think that any thing that is in themselves is not worth the naming but partly through Christs Merit and partly through what they have and can do themselves or by these joyned together they hope to be saved This was the Doctrinal Error of the Galatians who attributed Justification to Christ and to the Works of the Law joyntly This way ascribs to Christs Righteousnesse this much that it makes our own Righteousnesse to be accepted as the ground of our Justification before God which in some respect is worse then the Covenant of Works for the Covenant of Works sought a perfect Righteousnesse but this way offers an imperfect Righteousnesse and to mend and to eke out our imperfect Righteousness it takes in the Righteousnesse of Christ but there is no such Covenant or way of Justification in Scripture for God made but two Covenants for men to attain Life by one of Works which is now impossible The other of Grace by which only it is possible to attain Justification and Life This makes a third Covenant or Contrivance by a mixture party of some Works in us and partly of some Grace in Christ to make up what is inlaking in our Works and yet this way is very pleasing to our nature and that to which we are much inclined for Justification for men are naturally disposed to think that they give Christ enough when they allow His Righteousness to make up what is defective in their own It 's true indeed that Christs Merits do wash our Duties but our Duties come never up to be the ground of our Justification in whole oâ— in part which is evident from this that ere Christ make our Duties or Performances acceptable He makes our Persons first to be accepted and that once being then any thing performed by us in Christ's strength according to the will of God is acceptable also But now we proceed further in the Words of the Text and before we come to the causes of our Justification we shall briefly Observe two or three things that lye obviously in our way The 1. whereof is this That the Absolving of a Sinner through the imputation of Christs Righteousnesse is the proper and native result of Christs Purchase and the great intendment of it His Sufferings and Soul-travel were undergone to procure Justification to many So that if we would know what is the Fruit of Christs Soul-travel here it is By his knowledge shall many be justified Therefore Rom. 5.9 It 's attributed to his Blood Being justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath and 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God through him That which I mean is this That Christs intendment in His dying was to redeem and really and actually to procure Absolution and Justification before the Throne of God to so many as should believe on Him Or we may take the Doctrine these two wayes which yet come both to the same account 1. Thus that the things which Christ intended in Hâ—s Death was not a meer possibility that Sinners might be Justified nor to lay down a conditional way of their Justification whereby â—hâ—y might come or not come to it and so to make it possible buâ— that which He intended was that their Juâ—â—ification might follow absolutly I do not mean instantly and without the interveening of a condition For here His knowledge comes in as the condition but that which I mean is that He diâ—d that their Justification might actually and certainly follow as a fruit of His Purchase In a word His Death and Sufferings were not to make Juâ—â—ification possible to all but that so many as He bargained for might be absolutely Justified or that many that is all the Elect might be actually Justified because He shaâ—l bear their iniquities therefore by His knowledge they shall be Justified We Observe it for these Ends or Uses 1. To give an answer to that question What is the native result of Christs Death to His People we say it is their absolute and actual Justification These that would extend the Grace of God and the Death of Christ so broad and wide as to leave out none say in effect that the design thereof was to lay down such a way as makes it possible to all to be Justified and yet such a way as makes it possible that none at all shall be justified for it hirgs justification on the free will of the creature so in striving to make Grace broader then God allows they come to make it none at all by leaving it on mans freewill whether it shall be effectual or not But blessed be God the Covenant of God was not on these terms for it is said here That by his knowledge he shall justifie many 2. It gives us these two practical Uses 1. It shews what should be our intendment in our Use-making of Christs Death and that is that we may be Justified and Absolved by it even to make use of it for attaining to Pardon of Sin and Peace with God If this be over-looked and neglected all
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
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.
becoming ours The Uses are several 1. For information and conviction and we would 1. be informed in and understand well the meanining of this Doctrine when we say that Faith is necessary to Justification and concurreth in attaining of it as no other thing doth that ye may give it it 's right place and may make no confusion of these things that are distinct 1. We deny not Works notwithstanding of all that we have said to be necessary more then we do Faith but the great difference is anent the giving of Faith and Works or Faith as it is a work on equal share in respect of causality in our Justification And therefore we would beware with Papists to attribute a sort of condignity to Faith as if it merited eternal Life which flowes from their ignorance of Gods Covenant For they think that since He commands us to believe and promiseth Life to believing that there is a merit in believing as they fancie there is in Prayer Almes-deeds and others Duties or good Works but in this respect as it is a Work in us the Apostle excludes Faith and makes our Justification free whereas if Faith in Justification were considered as a Work meriting our Justification it should not be free and although there be no Papists in profession here amongst us yet it may be there are some and that not a few that think God is obliged to them because they believe and that expect Heaven and life Eternal on that ground even as when they pray they think they should be heard for their Praying and when they give Almes that they should be rewarded for the same as a meritorious Work 2. Neither do we understand when we say that Faith is necessary to Justification and concurreth in the attaining of it That by believing we are disposed to be holy and so more enabled to Justifie our selves which is also a Popish Error wherein I fear many professors of the Gospel amongst us ly who think they are obliged to their Faith because it disposes them to hear read pray and the like and so enableth them to work out a Righteousnesse to themselves whereby they expect to be Justified This is another fault and Error to be guarded against For though we give Faith a radical vertue to keep Life in other Graces yet so considered it is still a piece of inherent Holiness and pertains to Sanctification and not to Justification 3. When we say that Faith concurres in the attaining of Justification we do not say that it concurres in the same manner that Repentance Prayer and good Works do concur But it may be said here seing we grant that good Works and Duties are necessary what then is the difference I answer in these two 1. Faith is the proper and peculiar condition of the Covenant of Grace and not our Works or Holiness whereof Faith considered as a Work is a part Works is the condition of the Covenant of works for it sayes in this manner The man that doth these things shall live by them but the Covenant of Grace in opposition to it sayes If thou believe with thy heart in the Lord Jesus and confess with thy mouth that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved as it is Rom. 10. What Works is in the one Covenant Faith is in the other Covenant and that as it is opposed to Works and to Faith it self as it is a Work in us 2. There is a peculiarness in Faith's concurring for the attaining of Justification in respect of it's instrumentalness in taking hold of Christ for our Justification or in receiving and resting upon Him as we said before for that end For when Christ is offered in the Gospel Faith flees to Him receives Him takes hold of Him and rests on Him neither Repentance nor Prayer nor any good Work hath an aptitud and fitness to receive Christ and present His Satisfaction to God as the ground of the Sinners defence as Faith hath And therefore it 's so often said by Divines according to the Scripture that Faith is the instrumental cause of our Justification which we shall clear in two or three similitudes which the Scripture makes use of 1 Christ compares Himself to the brazen Serpent lifted up in the wildernesse John 3.14 Man by Sin is stung deadly as the Israelites were by the fiery Serpents Christ Jesus as suffering and hung or lifted up upon the Cross is proposed to our Faith to look upon as the brazen Serpent was proposed to them that were stung and put up on a poll for that end and as there was no healling to the stung Israelites except they looked to it and the cure followed to none but to these who did behold it So Christ Jesus proposed as the Object and meritorious Cause of Justification Justifies none but such as look to Him by Faith and although they were to look to the Brazen Serpent yet their look gave no efficacy to the cure but it flowed from Gods ordaining that as a mean of their Cure even so it is not from any efficacy in Faith considered in it self that Sinners are Justified but it is from Jesus Christ the Object that Faith eyeing Him lifted up as the Saviour of the elect and His Satisfaction as appointed of God for that end doth Justifie and therefore it may well be called an instrumental cause because it is not Christ abstractly considered that Justifies more then it was the Serpent considered abstractly without their looking to it that did cure but Christ considered and laid hold on by Faith and in this respect Faith is said to Justifie even as the e e looking to the Brazen Serpent put them in capacity of the Cure though the Cure flowed from Gods appointment and not from their looking So is it in Faith's concurring for the attaining of Justification A 2d Similitude is that of miraculous Faith We find it often said by the Lord in His working such Cures Thy faith hath made the whole There was no efficacy in Faith it self for producing the Cure but it was the mean by which the Cure was transmitted to the Person under such a disease So it is in believing in order to our Justification It is by believing on Christ that our Spiritual Cure in Justification is transmitted to us and we are said to be Justified by Faith as they were said to be cured by Faith because by Faith it is convoyed to us A 3d. Similitude for clearing that Faith may well be called the instrumental Cause of Justification may be this even as the Advocats pleading may be called the instrumental Cause of the Clients absolving As suppose a man whose Cautioner had payed his Debt were cited to answer for the Debt his Advocat pleads his absolution and freedom from the Debt because his Cautioner hath payed it although the Debt was payed yet the man had not been absolved if it had not been so pleaded on this behalf So the concurrence of Faith in the
in against us else what needed we to have an Advocat and Intercessâ—ur if our Plea were just and good as from our selves we needed not one to undertake for us the Judge would absolve us but the defects that are in us give access to this part of his Office which supposes us to have infirmities else we needed not an high Priest if we were like Adam in his innocency for he needed not an Intercessour and therefore in the Text it is for the transgressâ—urs that he makes Intercession and 1 John 2.2 If any man sin we have an advocat c. 2. All the weight of Christs Intercession and the grounds whereon he pleads are in himself and therefore none need to stand a back because there is nothing in themselves We have an advocat with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation Christ hath in him a fulnesse to pay the Debt himself and he pleads on that and on nothing in the creature He sayes not let them be pardoned because they have not sin nor because they have such and such qualifications but because I have been a propitiation for them I have payed their Debt Therefore he is called the righteous because he hath reason for that which he seeks He hath payed for what he seeks and therefore it cannot but be granted 3. There is a freedom in the application of all the application is free Grace every way and that is clear from the parable of the barren fig-tree what could the tree say when Justice pleaded it should be cut down There is nothing in it to procure a delay but the Gardner stands up and bids spare it and he will take pains on it and apply what is needful causes are not here cast back because the partie is poor nor because he hath much Debt on his score No If any man sin he hath an advocat the thing is obtained without money and without price would ye then have a Priest that suits you well ye shall have him and have him freely if ye imploy him to undertake for you he will do it freely and it 's his honour so to do 4. It 's free and effectuall It cannot misgive for who pleads is it not the Son before whom pleads he It 's before his own Father who heareth him alwayes for whom doth he plead It 's for them who are the Fathers own Elect and his also Thine they were and thou gavest them me and all mine are thine and thine are mine It 's for them whom the Father loves as well as he whaâ— does he seek and plead for for that which is covenanted and he pleads for it according to the terms of the Covenant Therefore it 's sure that though heaven and earth may be mixed and overturned yet none can louse a link here It 's impossible but what he interceeds for he must obtain and for whom he interceeds he prevails and that 's for all that imploy him 4ly For Advertisement or caveat It may be asked here may all comfort themselves in Christs Intercession Some will think that were good but in truth it would make the consolation of all unsure Therefore there are Four qualifications of a person that may and only may warrantably take the consolation whereof we have spoken 1. It 's a Person that hath betaken himself to Christs satisfaction for there are two parts of the Priestly Office His Satisfaction and his Intercession and there is no dividing of them nor making use of them but in the right order First he satisfies and then he iâ—terceeds and he must be taken and mâ—â—e use of in this order 1. In his Satisfaction to divine Justice and it 's on this ground that we must found our righteousnesse and plead for absolution and whoâ—ver haâ—e 〈◊〉 thi◠〈◊〉 of his â—â—â—faction may 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—selves in his 〈…〉 â—â—â—ed on his Satisfaction 1 John 〈…〉 he interceeds for these he is a 〈◊〉 and he is a propitiation for all who by 〈◊〉 have betaken themselves to him This is the very hinge of our Consolation 〈◊〉 to take with our Debt and to betake 〈◊〉 selves to him according to the 〈◊〉 lippening for salvation on that ground 〈◊〉 It 's these who are essaying and practising themselves in the duties of holinesse wrestling with a body of death and exercising themselves to Godlinesse that they may warrantably comfort themselves in Christs Intercession as Paul who Rom. 7. being put to it in the conflict with his corruption comforts himself thus I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Though they be sorly harassed with a corrupt nature yet they may expect an outgate through vertue of his Intercession Therefore Revel 8. Christs incense as I have often said and the Saints Prayers go and go up together Lazinesse and security hath not this consolation but if a person be praying and be serious though weak in it he hath an Advocat who when it comes to he asked what shall be thought of such an ones Sacrifice pleads that it may be accepted 3. It 's the person that not only is aiming and minting to do dutie but is denyed to it laying no weight on it disparing ever to get victory over corruption in his own strength or to come by the hearing of his prayers through any worth that is in them and not daring to step forward his alone but leaving all he does at Christs feet to make it acceptable which leads to the 4th thing requisit viz. when persons whether their doing and duties be of worth or not Jesus Christ is made by them the upshot of all they lay weight on him to get them done and to get them accepted when they are done and without him all would be desperat in their esteem this was typified in the peoples giving the Sacrifices to the Priest to be offered and though it were but two Turtle doves or two young Pigions they were brought to the Priest as well as other Sacrifices But such as consider not the enimity and sinfulnesse that is in themselves and adventure to step into God without him cannot lay claim to this consolation which runs alwayes on this ground Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him Seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them Is there not then ground of Consolation here and such as there is reason to bestow a preaching upon it to teach us how to clear our selves in it and make use of it and how to chear our selves in it Ye that seclude your selves from this Consolation O! but ye spil and mar a good life to your selves and hazard your own cause that will most certainly go against you because ye put it not in the right hand which the Lord give you wisdom to amend and give us all the right use of this through Jesus Christ SERMON LXVIII ISAIAH LIII XII Verse 12. And made intercession for the transgressours IT were a very great Consolation and a