primarily refer to the Christian Church not to every individual Christian. Thus Christ is called a Head but he is the head of his Church which is his body as a Husband is the head of the Wife Eph. 5. 23 24. No particular Christian is the body of Christ but only a member in this body Christ is called a Husband but then the whole Church or Society of Christians not every particular Christian is his Spouse as St. Paul tells the Church of Corinth 2 Cor. 11. 2. For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousie for I have espoused you to one Husband that I may present you as a chast Virgin to Christ. Christ is a Shepherd and the Christian Church is his Flock Iohn 10. For the relation between Shepherd and Sheep doth primarily concern the whole Flock Christ is the Rock upon which his Church is built the chief Corner Stone and the Christian Church a Holy Temple so that all these Metaphors in their first and most proper use refer to the whole Society of Christians and are designed to represent the Union between Christ and his Church Secondly I observe further that the Union of particular Christians to Christ is by means of their Union to the Christian Church the Church is the body of Christ and every Christian by being united to this body becomes a member of Christ as the Apostle tells the Corinthians 1 Cor. 12. 27. Now you are the body of Christ and members in particular The Church is the Temple of God built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chief Corner stone and every Christian is a lively stone in this spiritual building The Church is Christ's Flock and every Christian who is of this fold is one of Christ's Sheep The Church is Christ's Spouse and every Christian is a member of that Society which Christ ownes for his Spouse but every Christian is not Christ's Spouse He is a great Enemy to Polygamy and hath but one Spouse as he hath but one body and one Church which quite spoils the prettiness and fantastical Wit of a late Exhortation to young Women to chuse Christ for their Husband because he is rich and beautiful and kind and hath all the properties of an excellent Husband which would have sounded much better in a Popish Nunnery than among such pretenders to reformation for this is the great Art whereby those cunning Priests wheadle silly Girls into a profession of perpetual Virginity by perswading them that in so doing they are marryed to Christ And to give every one their due the Papists are the most generous sort of Suiters for Christ for they perswade them to forsake all other Husbands for Christ which is more honourable and meritorious Thus to proceed Christ is called the Vine and Christians the branches in that Vine Iohn 15. which must be expounded to the same sense with what goes before where Christ speaking of himself saith I am the true Vine The meaning is that Church which is founded on the belief of my Gospel is the true Vine I signifies Christ together with his Church which is his body upon which account the Church is elsewhere called Christ as I observed above And my reasons for this exposition are these First Because the Jewish Church is frequently in the Old Testament compared to a Vine Isaiah 5. Ier. 2. 21. Hosea 10. 1. Now a Vine being the metaphor whereby the Church useth to be described we cannot reasonably understand it otherwise here I am the true Vine that is the Church which is founded on the belief of my Gospel is the only true Church which God now owns He having rejected the Iewish Synagogue as proving a degenerate Vine Especially when we consider that Christ himself applies the Parable of the Vineyard to the State of the Gospel Math. 21. 33. c. and the Christian Church is called an Olive Tree and the members of it expresly called branches Rom. 11. 17 18. which metaphor hath the very same nature and signification with the Vine and branches Secondly Because God is called the Husband-man who takes care to dress this Vine which cannot be understood of Christ but of the Church which is therefore called God's Husbandry Thirdly Christ speaks of such branches in him as bear no fruit now there can be no such branches in the Person of Christ for our very Union to his Person as those men acknowledge who talk of such an Union of Persons between Christ and believers will make us fruitful and therefore being in him can signifie no more than being members of his visible Church which is made up of Hypocrites as well as sincere Christians But fourthly To confirm all this and to prevent objections it is evident from this very Chapter that when Christ speaks in the first Person I and In me he cannot mean this of his own Person but of his Church Doctrine and Religion according as the circumstances of the place require thus in the 5. Ver. I am the true Vine ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing I would willingly learn what sense can be made of this if we understand it of the Person of Christ for it is not very intelligible how we can be or abide in the Person of Christ and it is more unintelligible still how we can be in the Person of Christ and the Person of Christ at the same time be in Us which is a new piece of Philosophy called Penetration of dimensions and that our fruitfulness should depend upon such an Union to the Person of Christ is as hard to my understanding as all the rest But if by He that abideth in me we understand the Christian Church he who makes a publick and visible profession of Faith in me and continues in Society with those who do so and by I in him the Christian Doctrine both the sense and Reason of it is very evident the sense is this That Church which owns my Doctrine and Religion is the true Vine and all you who make a publick profession of Faith in me of a belief of my Gospel and live in Communion with one another are the branches in this Vine and whoever of you continue stedfast in this profession and Communion and do not only make a visible profession of Faith in me but suffer my Doctrine and Precepts to dwell and abide in you to govern your will and affections and to direct your Conversation in the World all such of you will be very fruitful in good works for without such a sincere and hearty belief of my Gospel it is impossible you should do any thing that is good So that to abide in Christ is to make a publick and visible profession of Faith in Christ to be the members of his visible Church but because many are so who do not much credit their profession being branches in
that he gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word Eph. 5. 25 26. Upon which account we may well be called the Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones vers 30. the Church being as it were taken out of his crucified Body as the Woman was taken out of the Man as Christ is said to have reconciled the Gentiles that is taken them into his Church in the body of his flesh through death Col. 1. 21 22. because the Covenant of Grace which is the Foundation of the Christian Church and receives Gentiles as well as Jews was sealed with the blood of Christ so that the Church is taken out of the crucified body of Christ which in the mystical sense answers to the Womans being taken out of the Man which seems to be the Apostles meaning in that place For the same reason Christ ownes himself our Friend Ioh. 15. 14. Ye are my friends if you do what soever I command you which does not signifie such an equality betwixt Christ and us as there is betwixt friends nor encourage any rudeness and unbecoming familiarity in our addresses to him but acquaints us with the nature of his government that he will rule his Church with the same care and tenderness which one friend expresseth to another So that all this is a description of the state of the Gospel in which our Lord and Master is our Shepherd our Head and Husband our Friend and Saviour who hath redeemed and purchased us with his own blood who laid the Foundation of his spiritual Kingdom in the most surprising and astonishing goodness and exerciseth his authority in all the methods of love and compassion Upon which account God also hath now laid aside in a great measure that severe name of a King and calls himself our Father to assure us of his fatherly care and government and to signifie that liberty of Sons we now enjoy under the Gospel in opposition to the bondage and servitude of the Law of Moses But then we must observe farther that though Christ be our Lord and Governour he doth not govern us immediately by himself for He is ascended up into Heaven where he powerfully intercedes for his Church and by a vigilant Providence superintends all the affairs of it but hath left the visible and external conduct and government of his Church to Bishops and Pastors who preside in his name and by his authority in the first Ages of Christianity Christ conferred such extraordinary gifts on men as qualified them for so great an office Eph. 4. 8. c. But though these miraculous gifts ceased when the Gospel was fully published and sufficiently confirmed yet the offices still continue for the instruction and government of the Church though managed in more ordinary and humane ways Christ now governs his Church by men who are invested with his authority which is a plain demonstration of what I discoursed above that the Union of particular Christians to Christ is by their Union with the Christian Church which consists in their regular subjection to their spiritual Guides and Rulers and in concord and unity among themselves For if our Union to Christ consists in our subjection to him as our Lord and Master our Head and Husband and this authority is not immediately exercised by Christ himself but by the Bishops and Pastors of the Church it necessarily follows that we cannot be united to Christ that is cannot owne his authority and government till we unite our selves to the publick Societies of Christians and submit to the publick Instructions Authority and Discipline of the Church as no man can be said to submit himself to his Prince who denies subjection to those subordinate Magistrates who act by his Princes Commission for the Union of Bodies Politick such as the Christian Church is consists in Order and Government when all the Members keep their proper places and are knit to each other by a faithful discharge of their several offices and trusts Schismaticks are in the Church just as Rebels are in the Kingdom not as part of it but as open and profest Enemies but the Apostle tells us wherein the Unity of the Church consists in Eph. 4. 16. Christ is the Head from whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body to the edifying of it self in love That is the supreme power is invested in Christ as Head to whom the Church is obedient and subject but to make this Union firm and lasting there must be a regular subordination of the several Members and a mutual discharge of all Christian offices which is the most effectual way to advance their spiritual growth in all Christian graces and especially to increase that love and friendship which is the very life and soul of the Church This indeed supposes a visible Society of Christians professing the Faith of Christ and living in communion with each other for if there be no such visible Society as it may happen in times of persecution or some great degeneracy of the Church it must of necessity alter the case our Union to Christ then consists in an acknowledgment of his Authority and Subjection to his Laws which makes us Members of the Universal Church though there be no particular Church to communicate with but when there is a visible Church we are under the necessary obligations of a visible Communion because herein our subjection to the Authority of Christ and consequently our Union to him consists And this by the way gives a plain account of the only cause that can justifie our separation from any Society of Christians for our Union with the Christian Church being the Medium of our Union to Christ while the Church we live in acknowledges the Authority and submits to the Laws of Christ we are bound to live in Communion with it because this unites us to Christ. When nothing is made the condition of our Communion which is expresly forbid by the Laws of our supreme Lord we acknowledge his Authority in our subjection to our spiritual Guides and we disowne his Authority in disowning and affronting theirs as our Saviour tells his Apostles He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Luk. 10. 16. But when any Church prevaricates in the Laws of Christ corrupts his Religion and undermines the fundamental design of it which is to make men good and vertuous when we cannot obey our spiritual Rulers without disobeying the express Laws of Christ the reason of our Communion with such a Church ceases because it doth not answer nay contradicts the end of Christian Society which is to have fellâ—wship with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ. For in this case we cannot owne their authority but we must
renounce the authority of our Head and Husband now as it is in an Army should any Captain revolt from his Prince the Souldiers under his Command are not bound to turn Rebels because their Leader is so or should a whole Troop or Regiment conspire in the Treason no particular Souldier is obliged to continue in the Company or submit to the Government of Rebels no more than he is obliged to be a Rebel the same reason holds good as to Christian Societies if any particular Church apostatize from the Faith of Christ we are then under the same necessity of deserting their Communion as we are of obeying the Laws and submitting to the Authority of our Lord and Master but nothing less than this can justifie a separation while the Church is subject to Christ we must be subject to the Church while the fundamental Laws of his spiritual Kingdom are observed and his Institutions reverenced and the great ends of his Religion advanced to separate from such a Church is to separate from the Body of Christ for our Union to Christ consists in a subjection to his Authority and it is plain that we disowne his Authority when we reject those who act by his Authority Now this Political Union betwixt Christ and his Church may be either only external and visible and so hypocrital Professors may be said to be united to Christ or true and real which imports the truth and sincerity of our obedience and subjection to our Lord and Master For since Christianity is become the Religion of Nations and is entailed on us by our Ancestors as part of our inheritance is received into the Laws and Constitutions of Kingdoms and made a great Instrument of Civil Government it is too often seen that many men undertake this Profession only as the Mode and Fashion of their Country to avoid singularity and to serve a worldly interest And thus the Christian Church is filled with Hypocrites and visible Professors who are great Strangers to the life and spirit of the Holy Iesus while some under the name of Christians practise all the villanies of the Heathen World and live in a publick defiance to the Laws of that Religion they pretend to owne others make a fair show of external conformity to the Laws and Constitutions of this spiritual Kingdom and conceal their impurities under some glorious and pompous form of Religion and pass for very good Christians when they are no better than disguised Hypocrites and this makes it necessary to distinguish between a meer external and real Union between those who do no more than make a visible profession of Christianity and those who are true and sincere Christians Earthly Princes can exact only an external conformity to their Laws because they can take no cognizance of the secret workings of mens minds and the end of their Government is attained in the preservation of publick peace and order But the spiritual Kingdom of our Lord is of another nature which requires not only an external and visible subjection to Christ our Head and Husband and a visible Union to the Christian Church but the homage and obedience of the Soul the government of our thoughts and passions the renovation of our minds and spirits We must be born again of Water and of the Spirit if we would enter into the Kingdom of God Ioh. 3. 5. That is before we can be the Disciples of Christ the Subjects of his spiritual Kingdom which is in Scripture called the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven we must be born of water must make a publick profession of our Faith in Christ and obedience to Him in our Baptism but this is not sufficient unless we be born of the Spirit too that is unless our minds and spirits become subject to Christ unless our Faith in Christ and subjection to Him be sincere and hearty do govern all the motions and desires of our Souls and make us really such as we pretend to be which is called Being born of the Spirit because all Christian Graces and Vertues are in Scripture attributed to the Spirit of God as the Author of them Hence the Apostle tells us that In Christ Iesus nothing availeth but a new Creature that is that none are true Subjects of Christ such as shall be rewarded by Him but those whose minds and spirits are transformed into the love of vertue and goodness Now as a visible Profession of Christianity is the Foundation of this external-political Union betwixt Christ and his Church so this new Nature is the Foundation of a real and spiritual Union and this the Scripture represents to us under several notions First by the subjection of our minds and spirits to Christ as our spiritual King when we put our Souls as well as Bodies under his Government and Conduct hence Christ is said to dwell in our hearts by faith Eph. 3. 17. that is to have the sole Command and Empire of our wills and affections to govern our hearts as a man does the house in which he dwells And thus all those Metaphors which signifie our subjection to Christ must be expounded of the subjection of our Souls and Spirits to Him as well as the outward conformity of our actions because Christ is a spiritual King who rules and governs hearts as earthly Princes govern the bodies of their Subjects our subjection to him ought to begin in the Soul in a sincere acknowledgment of his Power and Authority in a stedfast belief of his Doctrines and Revelations and in a chearful and willing obedience to his Laws such a subjection as a Wife ought to yield to her Husband and Members to their Head the effect of a free choice not a feigned or forced compliance Secondly By a participation of the same nature which is the necessary effect of the subjection of our minds to him for the Gospel of our Saviour is the truest image of his mind he transcribed his own nature into his Laws and therefore a sincere obedience to his Laws is a conformity to his Nature Hence is that exhortation That the same mind be in us which was in Christ Iesus Phil. 2. 5. and to be his Disciples is to learn of him who was meek and lowly in mind Matth. 11. 29. Hence also our Union to Christ is described by having the Spirit of Christ. Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his that is unless he have the same temper and disposition of mind which Christ had which is called having the Spirit of Christ by an ordinary figure of the cause for the effect for all those vertues and graces wherein our conformity to Christ consists are called the fruits of the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth Eph. 5. 9. and therefore what the Apostle in that place calls having the Spirit of Christ in the next verse he expresses by if Christ be in you i. e. if you
appears from Rom. 9. 30. Israel which followed after righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the works of the law that is the Israelites who pursued so earnestly after Righteousness are excluded from righteousness or forgiveness of sins and are under a Curse because they did not look for Righteousness and Justification in the way which God prescribed which is by Faith in Christ or by Christianity but by the observance of the law of Moses Now the most obvious Reason why this righteousness of the law is called their own righteousness and the Righteousness of Faith Gods Righteousness is because this legal righteousness was a way of justification not of Gods appointment but their own chusing God never designed that any man should be justified to eternal life by observing the law of Moses but yet they confidently expected justification by that Law and for that reason rejected the Gospel of Christ But the righteousness of Faith is a righteousness of Gods chusing this he approves and accepts of for the justification of a Sinner by this the Elders obtained a good report by this Enoch and Noah and Abraham were justified before God and therefore this may well be called the Righteousness of God because this he appointed and this he will owne and reward Thus you see that there is no foundation in Scripture for all this talk of a Personal Righteousness of Christ inherent in him and imputed to us but the righteousness of which the Scripture speaks is not the righteousness of Christs Person but of his Gospel that is that way of Righteousness and Justification which Christ hath revealed in his Gospel I have now considered all the Personal Graces of Christ as these men call them and upon inquiry it appears that what they appropriate to his Person belongs to his Gospel and is intended to describe the perfection and excellency of his Religion as being the most perfect Revelation of the will of God the most powerful method of his wisdom for the reforming the World the only way to life and immortality and which prescribes the only Righteousness which is acceptable to God There is indeed one metaphorical expression still behind which exercises mens wits and fancies viz the riches of Christ Eph. 3. 8. Which must needs be a personal Grace too or Personal Estate or what you will call it unto me who am the least of all Saints is this Grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Where by the unsearchable riches of Christ is meant the Gospel which St. Paul preached to the Gentiles as being ordained by Christ to be the Apostle of the Gentiles and he calls it unsearchable riches because the Grace of the Gospel is not a narrow and stinted thing is not confined to a particular Nation as the law was but is offer'd to all Mankind whether Jews or Gentiles bond or free the Gospel of Christ contains those glorious discoveries of Gods goodness to all Mankind as may well be called the riches of his Grace Eph. 1. 7. for riches signifie only an abundance And is it not a great violation of the Majesty of Scripture to sport and toy with words and metaphors as some men do with this riches of Christ that he is rich because he hath a rich dowry having all the World given to him as his proper Inheritance that he keeps open House and maintains all the Creation at his own charge and that he hath done this above 6000 years which would have broke him long since had he not been very rich and that he doth not only inrich all the Saints but all of the Saints their understandings with glorious light their Consciences with quickness pureness c. and that after all this vast expence he is never the poorer that he is not a penny the poorer for all that he hath laid out for the relief of those that have their dependance on him And that Iesus Christ is generally rich rich in Houses and Lands though he had not a place whereon to lay his head in gold in silver in Cattel in all temporals as well as spirituals and that he hath a great Tribute and Rent due to him that he is the great Landlord and Owner of all that Angels and men possess above and below These are fine things to perswade young Women to accept of Christ for their Husband since they can never expect so rich and advantageous a match any where else but I have something else to do than to pursue such follies and extravagancies as are so palpable that there is no need to expose them SECT III. Concerning the nature of our Union to Christ whereby we are intitled to all his fulness Righteousness c. HAving showed you what kind of Person these men make of Christ how they have fitted him to all the wants and necessities of a Sinner let us now consider wherein this Union they talk of between the Person of Christ and the Persons of Believers does consist Now the Union betwixt Christ and Christians is represented in Scripture by various metaphors which I have explained at large but these men instead of explaining these metaphors turn all Religion into an Allegory As for example Christ is called an Husband and the Church his Spouse and now all the invitations of the Gospel are Christs wooing and making love to his Spouse and what other men call believing the Gospel of Christ whereby we devote our selves to his service these men call that consent and contract which makes up the marriage betwixt Christ and Believers Christ takes us for his Spouse and we take Christ for our Husband and that with all the solemnities of marriage except the Ring which is left out as an Antichristian Ceremony Christ saying thus This is that we will consent unto that I will be for thee and thou shalt be for me and not for another Christ gives himself to the Soul with all his excellencies righteousness preciousness graces and eminencies to be its Saviour Head and Husband to dwell with it in this holy Relation and the Soul likes Christ for his excellencies Graces suitableness far above all other Beloveds whatever and accepts of Christ by the will for its Husband Lord and Saviour and thus the Marriage is compleated and this is the day of Christs Espousals of the gladness of his heart and now follow all mutual conjugal affections which on Christs part consist in delight valuation pity or compassion and bounty on the Saints part in delight valuation Chastity duty which is much like Mr. Hobs his Description of his Artificial Man the Common-wealth But I have already corrected this fooling with Scripture-Metaphors and Phrases and my business at present is to consider wherein they place the nature of this Union betwixt Christ and Believers namely in this that it is such an Union as makes all Christ ours
were not reckon'd as done by us but because we do some things like them our dying to sin is a Conformity to the Death of Christ and our walking in newness of life is our Conformity to his Resurrection and the consideration of the Death and Resurrection of Christ is very powerful to engage us to die to sin and to rise into a new life and this is the true reason of these phrases not that Christ did all in our stead and therefore we are said to do it too but for a quite different reason because we must do something like it express the power and image of his Death and Resurrection in our lives To this purpose also he cites that Text in Gal. 4. 4 5. God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law and here he stops but I shall take confidence to add that we might receive the adoption of Sons now by being made under the Law he tells us is meant being disposed of in such a condition that he must yield subjection and obedience to the Law well suppose this and this was all to redeem us and therefore our Redemption is by the obedience of Christ imputed to us fairly argued but can his obedience to the Law contribute no otherways to our redemption but by being reckon'd as done by us but the truth is this us is not in the Text it is not to redeem us but to redeem them that were under the Law that is the Iews who were in bondage under the Mosaical Law from which Christ redeemed them by abrogating that Law and introducing a better Covenant the adoption of Sons for in this Epistle nay in this Chapter the Law is called a state of Servants and of an Heir under Age but the Gospel is the adoption of Sons puts us into such a free and manly state as that of an Heir at Age and therefore is called the Spirit of adoption Rom. 8. 15. So that the meaning of this Text is this that God hath now put an end to the dispensation of the Law which is called redeeming them that were under the Law in a state of servitude and bondage and hath established a better Covenant in the room of it which as much excells the Law as the adoption of Sons does the state of Servants and this God brought to pass by sending his Son into the World made of a Woman made under the Law for the understanding of which words we must consider what influence Christs appearing in the world had on the abrogation of the Law and that was that he accomplished all the Types and Figures of the Law in his own Person and when all these Types were fulfilled they grew out of date so that his being made under the Law most probably signifies his being made such a Person as should exactly answer all the Types and Figures of the Law and so put an end to it as of no further use Thus the Temple was Gods House wherein he dwelt but now the Shecinah or Divine Glory rested on Christ and the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily so that now there was no longer any need of a material Temple as a pledge of Gods peculiar presence among them the Priests and Sacrifices of the Law were Types of Christ and when that great high Priest came and offered that perfect Sacrifice of himself all legal Priests and Sacrifices were of no use Thus by his being made under the Law and accomplishing all the Types and Figures of it he put an end to all those beggarly Rudiments and delivered the Jews from the bondage of the Law for though the Gentiles too are redeemed by Christ yet they were not redeemed from the Law of Moses under which they never were Several other places he alledges to the same purpose but I have either already considered them or shall do in what follows but what I have now discoursed is enough to satisfie any impartial Inquirer how vain and precarious this Principle is which too many make the very Foundation of their Faith that Christ as Mediator fulfilled all Righteousness in their stead whose Mediator he was And now had I no other design than to expose the mistakes of other men I should need add no more till I saw this answered but I have a greater and better design viz. to explain and confirm the true notions of Religion in opposition to such mistakes and therefore having shewed you that there is no foundation in Reason or Scripture to fancy such an Union between Christ and Believers whether we consider it as a Conjugal Relation or Legal Union as he is our Surety or Mediator as should entitle Believers to the Personal Righteousness of Christ lest any man should suspect that the design of all this is to lessen the Grace of God or to disparage the Merits and Righteousness of Christ which God forbid any Christian should be guilty of I shall secondly examine what influence the Sacrifice of Christs death and the Righteousness of his life have upon our acceptance with God and all that I can find in Scripture about this is that to this we owe the Covenant of Grace that God being well pleased with the obedience of Christs life and the Sacrifice of his death for his sake entred into a new Covenant with Mankind wherein he promises pardon of sin and eternal life to those who belief and obey the Gospel This is very plain with reference to the death of Christ hence the Blood of Christ is called the Blood of the Covenant Heb. 10 29. and Christ is called the great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13. 20. and the blood of Christ is called the blood of Sprinkling which speaks better things than the blood of Abel Heb. 12. 24. which is an allusion to Moses his sprinkling the blood of the Sacrifice whereby he confirmed and ratified the Covenant between God and the Children of Israel Heb. 9. 19 20 21. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the Law when he had declared the terms of this Covenant to them he took the blood of Calves and Goats with water and Scarlet wooll and hysop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying This is the blood of the Testament which God hath ordained to you Thus the blood of Christ is called the Blood of Sprinkling because by his blood God did seal and confirm the Covenant of Grace as the sprinkling the blood of beasts did confirm the Mosaical Covenant Hence we are said to be justified by the blood of Christ Rom. 5. 9. that is by the Gospel Covenant which was confirmed and ratified with his blood and Christ is called a Propitiation through faith in his blood that is by a belief of his Gospel Rom. 3. 25. Hence it is also that the Scripture uses these phrases promiscuously to be justified by