sin are worthy of death Rom. 1.32 Namely it is that which his Justice requireth should be so that is the judgement of God Not only doth he render death unto sinners because he hath threatned so to do but because his Justice necessarily requireth that so he should do So the Apostle farther explains himself Chap. 2.5 6 7 8 9. Where he calls the last day the day of the Revelation of the righteous Judgement of God wherein by rendring tribulation unto sinners he will manifest what his Righteousness requires And what that requires cannot otherwise be God being naturally necessarily essentially Righteous And this Property of Gods nature requiring that Punishment be inflâ—cted on sin and sinners is often in Scripture called his Anger and Wrath. For although sometimes the Effects of Anger and Wrath in Punishment it self be denoted by those expressions yet often also they denote the Habitude of the Nature of God in his Justice towards sin For Anger in it self being a Passion and Perturbation of mind including change and Weakness cannot properly be ascribed unto God and therefore when it is spoken of as that which is in him and not of the Effects which he works on others it can intend nothing but his Vindictive Justice that property of his nature which necessarily enclines him unto the punishment of sin Thus it is said that his Wrath or Anger is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness Rom. 1.18 That is he discovers in his judgements what is his Justice against sin And thus when he comes to deal with Christ himself to make him a propitiation for us he is said to have set him forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3.25 26. To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that he might be just and the justifier of them that believe in Jesus as God would pardon sin and justifie them that believe so he would be just also and how could this be by punishing our sins in Christ that declared his Righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 documentum a declaration by an especial instance or Example or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he is said to have punished Sodom and Gomorrah and to have left them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Example unto them that should live ungodly that is an instance of what his dealings would be with sinners So God is said here to have declared his Righteousness by an Example in the sufferings of Christ which indeed was the greatest instance of the severity and inexorableness of Justice against sin that God ever gave in this world And this he did that he might be just as well as gracious and merciful in the forgiveness of sin Now if the Justice of God did not require that sin should be punished in the Mediator how did God give an instance of his Justice in his sufferings for nothing can be declared but in and by that which it requires For to say that God shewed his Righteousness in doing that which might have been omitted without the least impeachment of his Righteousness is in this matter not safe Thirdly God is the Supream Ruler Governour and Judge of all To him as such it belongeth to do right So saith Abraham Gen. 18.25 Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right undoubtedly he will do so it belongs unto him so to do For saith the Apostle Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance God forbid for then how shall God judge the world Rom. 3.5 6. Right Judgement in all things belongs unto the Vniversal Rectitude of the Nature of God as he is the Supream Governour and Judge of all the world Now the Goodness and Rightness of all things consists in the Observation of that Place and Order which God in their Creation allotted unto them whereon he pronounced that they were exceeding Good And that this Order be preserved for the good of the whole it belongs unto the Government of God to take care or if it be in any thing transgressed not to leave all things in Confusion but to reduce them into some new Order and subjection unto himself That this Order was broken by sin we all know What shall now the Governour of all the world do Shall he leave all things in disorder and confusion Cast off the works of his hands and suffer all things to run at random Would this become the Righteous Governour of all the world What then is to be done to prevent this confusion Nothing remains but that he who brake the first Order by sin should be subdued into a new one by punishment This brings him into subjection unto God upon a new account And to say that God might have let his sin go unpunished is to say that he might not be righteous in his Government nor do that which is necessary for the Good Beauty and Order of the whole But hereof somewhat was spoken in the opening of the words so that it needs not farther be insisted on Lastly There is no common presumption engrafted in the hearts of men concerning any free Act of God and which might have been otherwise No free Decree or Act of God is or can be known unto any of the children of men but by Revelation much less have they all of them universally an inbred Perswasion concerning any such Acts or actings But of the natural properties of God and his acting suitable unto them there is a secret Light and Perswasion engrafted in the hearts of all men by nature At least those things of God whereof there is a natural and indelible Character in the hearts of all men are natural necessary and essential unto him Now that God is just and that therefore he will punish sin all sin is an inbred Presumption of nature that can never be rooted out of the minds of men All sinners have an inbred Apprehension that God is displeased with sin and that punishment is due unto it They cannot but know that it is the judgement of God that they who commit sin are worthy of death And therefore though they have not the Law written to instruct them yet their thoughts accuse them upon sin Rom. 1.14 15. that is their Consciences which is the judgement which a man makes of himself in reference unto the judgement of God And therefore all Nations who retained any knowledge of a Deity constantly invented some Wayes and Means whereby they thought they might expiate sin and appease the God that they feared All which manifests that the Punishment of sin inseparably follows the nature of God and such properties thereof as men have a natural inbred notion and presumption of For if it depended meerly on the Will of God and his Faithfulness in the accomplishing of that Threatning and constitution whereof they had no knowledge they could not have had such an immoveable and unconquerable Apprehension of it But these things I have handled at large elsewhere And this fully discovers the vile and
that Office do flow was to make Reconciliation or Attonement for sin This John declares 1 Ep. 2.2 We have an Advocate with the Father and he is a propitiation for our sins What he doth for us in Heaven as our Advocate depends on what he did on earth when he was a Propitiation for our sins This work was that which was principally regarded in the first Promise Gen. 3.15 namely That which he was to do by his sufferings To shadow out and represent this unto the Church of old were all the Sacrifices of the Law and the Typical Priesthood it self instituted They all directed Believers to look for and to believe the Attonement that was to be made by him And that this should be the foundation of all his other actings as an High Priest was necessary First On the part of his Elect for whom he undertook that Office They were by nature Enemies of God and children of Wrath unless Peace and Reconciliation be made for them in the first place they could neither have encouragement to go to him with their Obedience nor to expect any mercy from him or Acceptation with him For as Enemies they could neither have any mind to serve him nor hope to please him Here lye the first thoughts of all who have any design seriously to appear before God or to have to do with him wherewith shall we come before him how shall we obtain Reconciliation with him Until this Enquiry be answered and satisfied they find it in vain to address themselves unto any thing else nor can obtain any ground of hope to receive any good thing from the hand of God This order of things the Apostle layes down Rom. 5.8 9 10. The first thing to be done for us was to reconcile us to God whilest we were sinners and enemies this was done by the death by the blood of Christ when as our High Priest he offered himself a Sacrifice for us This being performed as we have abundant Cause of and Encouragement unto Obedience so also just ground to expect what ever else belongs unto our salvation as he also argues Chap. 8. Secondly It was so on his own part also Had not this been first accomplished he could not have undertaken any other Act of his Priestly Office for us What the Lord Christ doth in Heaven on our behalf was prefigured by the entrance of the High Priest into the Holy Place Now this he could not do unless he had before offered his Sacrifice of Attonement the blood whereof he carried along with him into the presence of God All his Intercession for us his watching for our Good as the merciful High Priest over the House of God is grounded upon the Reconciliation and Attonement which he made his Intercession indeed being nothing but the blessed Representation of the Blood of the Attonement Besides this was required of him in the first place namely that he should make his soul an Offering for sin and do that in the Body prepared for him which all the Sacrifices and Burnt-Offerings of old could not effect nor accomplish And therefore hereon depended all the Promises that were made unto him about the success of his Mediation so that without the performance of it he could not claim the accomplishment of them Thirdly It was so on the part of God also For herein principally had he designed to manifest his Righteousness Grace Love and Wisdom wherein he will be glorified Rom. 3.25 He set him forth to be a propitiation to declare hâ—s Righteousness the Righteousness of God was most eminently glorified in the Reconciliation wrought by Christ when he was a Propitiation for us or made attonement for us in his blood And herein also God commendeth his Love unto us Rom. 5.8 John 3.16 1 John 4.9 And what greater demonstration of it could possibly be made than to send his Son to dye for us when we were enemies that we might be reconciled unto him All after actings of God towards us indeed are full of Love but they are all streams from this fountain or Rivers from this Ocean And the Apostle summs up all the Grace of the Gospel in this that God was in Christ reconciling us to himself and that by this way of Attonement making him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might become the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.19 21. And so also he declares that this was the mysterie of his Will wherein he abounded towards us in all Wisdom and Prudence Ephes. 1.8 9 10. So that in all things the great glory which God designed in the Mediation of Christ is founded alone in that Act of his Priesthood whereby he made Reconciliation for the sins of his people And therefore 1. They who weaken oppose or take away this Reconciliation are Enemies to the salvation of men the Honour of Christ and the Glory of God From men they take their Hopes and Happiness from Christ his Office and Honour from God his Grace and Glory I know they will allow of a Reconciliation in Words but it is of Men to God not of God unto men They would have us reconcile our selves unto God by Faith and Obedience but for the Reconciliation of God unto us by Sacrifice Satisfaction and Attonement that they deny What would they have poor sinners do in this case they are Enemies unto God go say they and be reconciled unto him lay aside your Enmity and be no more his adversaries but alas he is our Enemy also we are children of wrath obnoxious to the curse as transgressors of his Law and how shall we be delivered from the wrath to come Take no care of that there is no such Justice in God no such Indignation against sin and sinners as you imagine but our Consciences tell us otherwise the Law of God tells us otherwise the whole Scripture testifies to the contrary all the Creation is filled with tokens and evidences of this Justice and Indignation of God against sin which you deny And would you have us to give credit unto you contrary to the constant dictates of our own Consciences the Sentence of the Law the Testimony of the Word the Voyce of the whole Creation and that in a matter of such importance and everlasting concernment unto us What if all these should prove true and you should prove lyars should we not perish for ever by relying on your testimony Is it reasonable we should attend unto you in this matter Go with your Sophisms unto men who were never burdened with a sense of the Guilt of sin whose Spirits never took in a sense of Gods displeasure against it who never were brought under bondage by the sentence of the Law who never were forced to cry out in the bitterness and anguish of their souls what shall we do to be saved Wherewith shall we come before the Lord or appear before the High God and it may be they will be entangled and seduced by you but
Ghest but lastly as the Master of the House see James 1.14 15. And according to their wonted manner on Gen. 4. v. 7. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Masculine Gender is joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Foeminine they observe in Bereshith Rabba sec. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at first it is like a woman but afterwards it waxeth strong like a man § 12 More Testimonies of this nature from the Writings that are of Authority amongst them might be produced but that these are sufficient unto our Purpose That we aim at is to evidence their Conviction of that manifold misery which came upon mankind on the Entrance of Sin into the world And two things we have produced their Suffrage and Consent unto First The Change of the Primitive Condition of Man by his Defection from the Law of his Creation This made him obnoxious in his whole Person and all his Concernments to the displeasure and Curse of God to all the Evil which in this world he feels or fears in another to Death Temporal and Eternal And hence did all the disorder which is in the Vniverse arise All this we have found them freely testifying unto And this must be acknowledged by all men who will not brutishly deny what their own Consciences dictate unto them and which the condition of the whole lower world proclaims or irrationally ascribe such things unto God as are utterly inconsistent with his Wisdom Goodness Righteousness and Holiness And Secondly We have manifested their acknowledgement that a Principle of Sin or Moral Evil hath invaded the nature of man or that from the sin of our first Parents there is an Evil Concupiscence in the heart of every man continually and incessantly inclining the Soul unto Operations suitable unto it that is unto all Moral Evil whatever From both these it unavoidably follows on the first Notions of the Righteousness Holiness Veracity and Faithfulness of God that mankind in this estate and condition can justly expect nothing but a confluence of Evil in this world and at the close of their Pilgrimage to perish with a Ruine Commensurate unto their Existence For God having in Wisdom and Righteousness as the Soveraign Lord of his Creature given them a Law good just and equal and having appointed the Penalty of Death and his everlasting displeasure therein unto the Transgression thereof and withall having sufficiently promulgated both Law and Penalty all which things we have before demonstrated the Transgression prohibited actually ensuing God himself being Judge it remains that all this Constitution of a Law and threatning of a penalty was vain and ludricous as Satan in the Serpent pretended or that mankind is rendered absolutely miserable and cursed and that for ever Now which of these is to be concluded Divine Revelation in the Scripture Reason and the Event of things will readily determine § 13 That God without the least impeachment of his Righteousness or Goodness might have left all mankind remediless in this Condition is manifest both from what hath been discoursed concerning the means whereby they were brought into it and his dealing with Angels on the like occasion The condition wherein man was created was morally good and upright the state wherein he was placed outwardly happy and blessed the Law given unto him just and equall the Reward proposed unto him glorious and sure and his Defection from this condition voluntary What shall we say then is God unjust who inflicteth Vengeance God forbid The Execution of a Righteous Sentence upon the voluntary Transgression of a Law just and equal hath no unrighteousness in it And this was the summ of what God did in this matter as to the misery that came on mankind And who should judge Him if he left him for ever to eat of the fruit of his own wayes and to be filled with his own devices He had before as expressed his Power and Wisdom so satisfied his Goodness and Bounty in his Creation with his endowments and enjoyments according unto the Law thereof and what could man look for farther at his hands Hence Adam when his eyes were opened to see the nature of Evil in that actual sense which he had in his Conscience of the guilt that he had contracted had not the least Expectation of Relief or Mercy And the folly of the course which he took in hiding himself argues sufficiently both his present Amazement and that he knew of nothing better to betake himself unto Therefore doth he give that account of the Result of his thoughts as unto the Relation that was between God and him and what only he now looked for from him I heard thy voice and was afraid Neither would any Revelation that God had then made of himself either by the Works of his Power and Wisdom or by any inbred impressions on the souls of men concreated with them give encouragement unto them that had sinned against him to expect Relief Besides He had dealt thus with Angels Upon their first Sin he spared them not but at once without hope of Recovery cast them under the Chains of Darkness to be kept unto the final Judgement of the last day This our Apostle discourseth unto the Hebrews chap. 2. Now God dealt not unsuitably unto any of the Excellencies of his Nature when he left the Apostatizing Angels to perish without Remedy unto Eternity Had he dealt so also with Apostatizing Mankind who were drawn into a conspiracy against him by the Head of the Defection his wayes had been Holy and Righteous Yet doth not this great Instance of Gods dealing with Angels absolutely conclude his § 14 leaving of mankind remediless in his misery also He might justly do so but thence it doth not follow that necessarily he must so do And although the chief and indeed only Reason of his extending Grace and Mercy unto Men and not unto Angels was his own Soveraign Will and Pleasure concerning which who can say unto him What doest thou yet there was such a difference between these two sorts of Original Transgressoâ—s as may manifest a Condecency or suitableness unto his Righteousness and Goodness in his various proceeding with them For there are sundry things that put an Aggravation on the Rebellion of Angels above that of man and some that render their ruine less destructive unto the Glory of the Universe than that of mankind would have been For First The Angels were created in an estate and condition much superiour unto and more excellent than that of Man and so likewise were their present or actual enjoyments far above his though they also were admirable and blessed The place of their first Habitation which they left Jude 6. was the Highest Heavens the most glorious receptacle of created Beings in opposition whereunto they are said to be cast into the lowest Hell 2 Pet. 2.4 Whereas Man was placed in the Earth which although then beautifull and excellently suited to his condition yet was every way inferiour
â—â—â—e and immortality were brought to light by the Gospel so death and hell the punâ—â—â—ment of sin under the wrath of God are more fully declared therein The Nature of the judgment to come the duration of the penalties to be inflicted on unbelievers with such intimations of the nature and kind of them as our understandings are able to receive are fully and frequently insisted on in the New Testament whereas they are very obscurely only gathered out of the Writings of the Old 2. The punishment threatned in the Gospel is as unto degrees greater and more sore than that which was annexed to the meer transgression of the first Covenant Hence the Apostle calls it death unto death 2 Cor. 2.16 by reason of the sore aggravations which the first sentence of death will receive from the wrath due unto the contempt of the Gospel Separation from God under eternal punishment was unquestionably due to the sin of Adam and so consequently unto every transgression against the first Covenant Gen. 2.17 Rom. 5.12 13 14. But yet this hinders not but that the same penalty for the nature and kind of it may receive many and great aggravations upon mens sinning against that great Remedy provided against the first guilt and prevarication which it also doth as shall farther afterwards be declared And this ought they to be well acquainted withall who are called unto the Dispensation of the Gospel A fond conceit hath befallen some that all denunciations of future wrath even unto unbelievers is Legal which therefore it doth not become the Preachers of the Gospel to insist upon so would men make themselves wiser than Jesus Christ and all his Apostles yea they would disarm the Lord Christ and expose him to the contempt of his vilest enemies There is also we see a great use in these Evangelical threatnings unto believers themselves And they have been observed to have had an effectual ministery both unto Conversion and Edification who have been made wise and dextrous in managing Gospel Comminations towards the consciences of their hearers And those also that hear the Word may hence learn their duty when such threatnings are handled and opened unto them II. All punishments annexed unto the transgression either of the Law or Gospel are effects of God's vindictive Justice and consequently just and equal A meet recompence of reward What it is the Apostle doth not declare but he doth that it is just and equal which depends on the Justice of God appointing and designing of it Foolish men have always had tumultuating thoughts about the judgments of God Some have disputed with him about the equity and equality of his ways in judgments temporal Ezek. 18. and some about those that shall be eternal Hence was the vain imagination of them of old who dreamed that an end should be put after some season unto the punishment of Devils and wicked men so turning hell into a kind of Purgatory Others have disputed in our days that there shall be no hell at all but a meer annihilation of ungodly men at the last day These things being so expresly contrary to the Scripture can have no other rise but the corrupt minds and affections of men not conceiving the reasons of God's judgments nor acquiescing in his Sovereignty That which they seem principally to have stumbled at is the assignation of a punishment infinite as to its duration as well as in its nature extended unto the utmost capacity of the subject unto a fault temporary finite and transient Now that we may justifie God herein and the more clearly discern that the punishment inflicted finally on sin is but a meet recompence of reward we must consider First That God's Justice constituting and in the end inflicting the reward of sin is essential unto him Is God unjust saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anger or wrath is not that from whence punishment proceedeth but punishment it self God inflicteth wrath anger or vengeance And therefore when we read of the anger or wrath of God against sin or sinners as Rom. 1.18 the expression is metonymical the cause being designed by the effect The true fountain and cause of the punishment of sin is the Justice of God which is an Essential property of his Nature natural unto him and inseparable from any of his works And this absolutely is the same with his Holiness or the infinite Purity of his Nature So that God doth not assign the punishment of sin arbitrarily that he might do so or otherwise without any impeachment of his Glory but his Justice and his Holiness indispensibly require that it should be punished even as it is indispensibly necessary that God in all things should be just and holy The holy God will do no iniquity the Judge of all the earth will do right and will by no means acquit the guilty This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the judgement of God that which his Justice requireth that they which commit sin are worthy of death Rom. 1.32 And God cannot but do that which it is just that he should do See 2 Thess. 1.6 We have no more Reason then to quarrel with the Punishment of sin than we have to repine that God is Holy and Just that is that he is God for the one naturally and necessarily followeth upon the other Now there is no Principle of a more uncontrolable and Soveraign Truth written in the hearts of all men than this that what the Nature of God or any of his Essential Properties require to be is holy meet equal just and good Secondly That this Righteousness or Justice of God is in the Exercise of it inseparably accompanied with infinite Wisdom These things are not diverse in God but are distinguished with respect unto the various manners of his actings and the variety of the Objects which he acteth towards and so denote a different Habitude of the Divine Nature not diverse things in God They are therefore inseparable in all the works of God Now from this Infinite Wisdom of God which his Righteousness in the constitution of the punishment of sin is eternally accompanied withal two things ensue 1. That He alone knoweth what is the true desert and demerit of sin and but from his Declaration of creatures not any And how shall we judge of what we know nothing but from him but only by what he doth We see amongst men that the guilt of crimes is aggravated according to the Dignity of the Persons against whom they are committed Now no creature knowing him perfectly against whom all sin is committed none can truly and perfectly know what is the desert and demerit of sin but by his Revelation who is perfectly known unto himself And what a madness is it to judge otherwise of that we do no otherwise understand Shall we make our selves Judges of what sin against God doth deserve Let us first by searching find out the Almighty unto Perfection and then
Gospel asketh them wither they received the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the Word of Faith Chap. 3.2 that is the Gospel That was the Way and means whereby God communicated unto them his Spirit by whom among many other Priviledges we are sealed unto the day of Redemption This is the Covenant of God that his Spirit and the Word of the Gospel shall go and shall abide together with his Elect Isa. 59.1 And he is given unto us by the Gospel on many accounts 1. Because he is the gift and grant of the Author of the Gospel as to all the especial Ends and concernments of salvation John tells us that the Spirit was not given when Jesus was not as yet glorified Chap. 7.39 that is not in that manner as God hath annexed unto this salvation and therefore Peter tells us that when the Lord Christ ascended up on high he received of the Father the Promise of the Spirit and poured him forth on them which did believe Acts 2.33 And this he did according to his own great Promise and Prediction whilest he conversed with his Disciples in the dayes of his flesh There was not any thing that he more supported and encouraged them withal nor more raised their hearts to an Expectation of than this that he would send unto them and bestow upon them the Holy Ghost for many blessed ends and purposes and that to abide with them for ever as we may see Joh. 14.15 16. And this is the great priviledge of the Gospel that the Author of it is alone the donor and bestower of the Holy Spirit which of what concernment it is in the business of our Salvation all men know who have any acquaintance with these things 2. He is promised in the Gospel and therein alone All the Promises of the Scripture whither in the Old Testament or New whose subject is the Spirit are Evangelical they all belong unto and are parts of the Gospel For the Law had no Promise of the Spirit or any Priviledge by him annexed unto it And hence he is called the holy Spirit of promise Ephes. 1.13 Who next unto the Person of Christ was the great subject of Promises from the foundation of the world 3. By these Promises are Believers actually and really made partakers of the Spirit They are vehicula Spiritus the Chariots that bring this holy Spirit into our Souls 2 Pet. 1.4 By these great and precious Promises is the Divine Nature communicated unto us so far forth as unto the indwelling of this blessed Spirit Every Evangelical Promise is unto a Believer but as it were the cloathing of the Spirit in receiving whereof he receives the Spirit himself for some of the blessed Ends of this great salvation God makes use of the Word of the Gospel and of no other means to this purpose So that herein also it is the grace of God that bringeth salvation Thirdly In our Justification And this hath so great a share in this salvation that it is often called salvation it self And they that are justified are said to be saved as Ephes. 2.8 And this is by the Gospel alone which is a point of such importance that it is the main subject of some of Pauls Epistles and is fully taught in them all And in sundry respects it is by the Gospel 1. Because therein and thereby is appointed and constituted the New Law of Justification whereby even a sinner may come to be justified before God The Law of Justification was that he that did the Works of the Law should live in them Rom. 10.5 But this became weak and unprofitable by reason of sin Rom. 8.3 Heb. 8.7 8 9. That any sinner and we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God should be justified by this Law or Rule implyes a contradiction and is utterly impossible Wherefore God by the Gospel hath constituted a new Law of Justification even the Law of faith Rom. 3.27 which is the holy Declaration of his Will and Grace that sinners shall be justified and accepted with him by faith in the blood of Christ without the Works of the Law that he that believeth shall be saved This is equally constituted and appointed in the Law of faith to be proposed unto all that shall believe And on the account hereof the Gospel is salvation 2. Because in every Justification there must be a Righteousness before God on the account whereof the Person to be justified is to be pronounced and declared righteous this is tendered proposed and exhibited unto us in and by the Gospel This is no other but the Lord Christ himself and his Righteousness Isa. 45.21 22. Rom. 8.3 4. Rom. 10.4 2 Cor. 5.21 Gal. 3.13 14. Now Christ with his whole Righteousness and all the benefits thereof are tendered unto us and given unto or bestowed on them that do believe by the Promise of the Gospel Therein is he preached and proposed as crucified before our eyes and we are invited to accept of him which the souls of Believers through the Gospel do accordingly And 3. Faith it self whereby we receive the Lord Christ for all the Ends for which he is tendered unto us and become actually interested in all the fruits and benefits of his Mediation is wrought in us by the Word of the Gospel For as we have declared it is the seed of all Grace whatever and in especial faith cometh by hearing and hearing by this word of God Rom. 10.17 Conviction of sin is by the Law but faith is by the Gospel And this is the Way and means which God hath appointed on our part for the giving us an actual interest in Justification as established in the Law of the Gospel Rom. 5.1 Again 4. The Promise of the Gospel conveyed unto the soul by the Holy Spirit and entertained by faith compleats the justification of a believer in his own conscience and gives him assured Peace with God And then the whole work of this main branch of our salvation is wrought by the Gospel Fourthly There is in this salvation an instruction and growth in spiritual Wisdom and an Acquaintance with the Mysterie of God even of the Father and the Son which also is an Effect of the Gospel Of our selves we are not only dark and ignorant of heavenly things but darkness it self that is utterly blind and incomprehensive of spiritual Divine Mysteries Ephes. 5.8 and so under the Power of darkness Col. 1.13 as that we should no less than the Devils themselves be holden under the chains of it unto the Judgement of the great Day Darkness and ignorance as to the things of God themselves in respect of the Revelation of them and Darkness in the Mind and Understanding of them in a right manner being revealed is upon the whole world And no heart is able to conceive no tongue to express the greatness and misery of this Darkness The removal hereof is a mercy unexpressible the beginning of our entrance into Heaven
tell us that they delivered unto us what they received from the Lord and command us not to be wise above what is written But I know not how it is come to pass that these men think that the Lord Christ is not a compleat Head in this matter that he hath not instituted all Rules and Laws that are needful and convenient for the right discharge of the Worship of God and Obedience of the Church therein at least that somewhat may be added unto what he hath appointed that may be much to the advantage of the Church And this they take to be their work by vertue of I know not what unsealed warrant unwritten commission But to adde any thing in the Worship of God unto the Laws of the Church is to exercise Authority over it dominion over its faith and to pretend that this world to come this blessed Gospel Church-state is put in subjection unto them although it be not so to Angels A vain and proud pretence as at the last day it will appear But you will say Christ gives his Laws only unto his whole Church and not to individual believers who receive them from the Church and so he is not an immediate Head unto every one in particular I answer That the Lord Christ commits his Laws unto the Churches ministery to teach them unto believers but his own Authority immediately affects the soul and conscience of every believer He that subjects himself aright unto them doth it not upon the authority of the Church by whom they are taught and declared but upon the authority of Christ by whom they are given and enacted 3. It appears from hence that as he is our only Head so he is our immediate Head We have our immediate dependance upon him and our immediate access unto him He hath indeed appointed means for the communicating of his grace unto us and for the exercising of his Rule and Authority over us Such are all his Ordinances with the Offices and Officers that he hath appointed in his Church the first whereof he requires us to be constant in the use of the latter he requires our obedience and submission unto But these belong only unto the way of our dependance and hinder not but that our dependance is immediate on himself he being the immediate Object of our Faith and Love The soul of a believer rests not in any of these things but only makes use of them to confirm his faith in subjection unto Christ. For all these things are ours it is appointed for our use and we are Christs as he is Gods 1 Cor. 3.21 22 23. And so have we our immediate access unto him and not as some foolishly imagine by Saints and Angels and by him to God even to the Throne of Grace 4. This priviledge is greatly augmented in that the Church being made subject unto Christ alone and cast into a dependance upon him he will assuredly take care of all its concernments seeing unto him only doth it betake it self The Church made it of old part of her plea that she was as one fatherless Hos. 14.3 that is every way helpless that had none to relieve or succour her And the Lord Christ giveth this as a reason why he stirreth up himself unto the assistance of his people because there was no man that appeared for their help no Intercessor to interpose for them Isa. 59.16 Now God having placed the Church in this condition as to be oft-times altogether Orphans in this world to have none to give them the least countenance or assistance and the Church it self chusing this condition to renounce all hopes and expectations from any else beside betaking it self unto the Power Grace and Faithfulness of the Lord Christ alone it cannot as it were but be a great Obligation upon him to take care of it and to provide for it at all times They are members of his Body and he alone is their Head they are Subjects of his Kingdom and he alone is their King they are Children and Servants in his Family and he alone is their Father Lord and Master and can he forget them can he disregard them Had they been committed to the care of men it may be some of them would have fought and contended for them though their faithfulness is always to be suspected and their strength is a thing of nought Had they been put into subjection unto Angels they would have watched for their good though their Wisdom and Ability be both finite and limited so that they could never have secured their safety and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ now they are made his special care as his Power and Faithfulness is infinitely above those of any meeâ— creature excel them also in care and watchfulness for our good And all these things do sufficiently set out the Greatness of that priviledge of the Church which we insist upon And there are two things that make this Libâ—rty and Exaltation of the Church necessary and reasonable 1. That God having exalted our nature in the Person of his Son into a condition of Honour and Glory so as to be worshipped and adored by all the Angels of Heaven it was not meet nor convenient that it should in our persons when united unto Christ as our Head be made subject unto them God would not allow that whereas there is the strictest union between the Head and the Members there should be such an interposition between them as that the Angels should depend on their Head and the Members should depend on Angels which indeed would utterly destroy the Union and immediate entercourse that is and ought to be between them 2. God is pleased by Jesus Christ to take us into an holy communion with himself without any other medium or means of communication but only that of our nature personally and inseparably united unto his own Nature in his Son And this also our subjection unto Angels is inconsistent withall This order of dependance the Apostle declares 1 Cor. 3.22 23. All things are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods As there is no interposition between God and Christ no more is there between Christ and us and in and by him alone do we relate unto God himself And this should teach us 1. The equity and necessity of our universal obedience unto God in Christ. He hath freed us from subjection unto men and Angels that we might serve him and live unto him He hath taken us to be his peculiar ones his lot and portion from whom he expects all his Reverence of Glory out of this world And he hath left us no pretence no excuse for the neglect of any duties of obedience that he requireth of us We cannot plead that we had other work to do other Lords and Masters to serve he hath set us free from them all that we might be his If a King take a servant into his family and thereby free and discharge him from being liable unto any
unto him to be agitated and terrified as it were at his pleasure To this end were Persons excommunicate given up unto Satan to vex 1 Tim. 1.20 He threatens them as an Executioner with the work that he hath to do upon them 4. God hath ordained him to be the Executioner of the sentence of Death upon stubborn sinners unto all Eternity partly for the Aggravation of their Punishment when they shall alwayes see and without relief bewail their folly in hearkening unto his Allurements and partly to punish himself in his wofull Employment And for these several Reasons is Satan said to have the power of death And hence it is evident That VIII All the Power of Satan in the world over any of the sons of men is founded in Sin and the Guilt of Death attending it Death entered by sin the Guilt of sin brought it in Herewith comes in Satans interest without which he could have no more to do in the Earth than he hath in Heaven And according as sin abounds or is subdued so his Power is enlarged or streightned As he is a Spirit he is mighty strong wise as sinful he is malitious subtle ambitious revengeful proud Yet none of all these give him his Power He that made him can cause his sword to pierce unto him and preserve man though weak and mortal from all his force as a mighty Spirit and his Attempts as a wicked one And yet these are the things in him that men are generally afraid of when yet by them he cannot reach one hair of their heads But here lyes the foundation of his power even in sin which so few regard Then IX All sinners out of Christ are under the power of Satan They belong unto that Kingdom of Death whereof he is the Prince and Ruler The whole world lyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the power of this wicked one If the Guilt of death be not removed from any the Power of the Devil extends unto them A power indeed it is that is regulated Were it Soveraign or absolute he would continually devour But it is limited unto times seasons and degrees by the Will of God the Judge of all But yet great it is and answerable unto his Titles the Prince the God of the world And however men may flatter themselves as the Jews did of old that they are free if they are not freed by an interest in the death of Christ they are in bondage unto this beastly Tyrant and as he works effectually in them here he will ragingly inflict vengeance on them hereafter 3. He is destroyed To destroy him The sense and importance of the word here used was before declared It is not applyed unto the Nature Essence or Being of the Devil but unto his Power in and over death As it is elsewhere declared John 12.32 Now is the Judgement of this world now is the Prince of this world cast out that which is here called the destroying of the Devil is there called the casting out of the Prince of this world It is the casting him out of his Power from his Princedom and Rule and Col. 2.15 Having spoiled principalities and powers he made an open shew of them triumphing over them in his cross as Conquerors used to do when they had not slain the Persons of their Enemies but deprived them of their Rule and lead them Captives The Destruction then here intended of him that had the power of death is the Dissolution Evacuation and Removing of that Power which he had in and over death with all the effects and consequences of it 4. The means whereby Satan was thus destroyed is also expressed It was by death by his own death This of all others seemed the most unlikely way and means but indeed was not only the best but the only way whereby it might be accomplished And the manner how it was done thereby must be declared and vindicated The fourfold power of Satan in reference unto death before mentioned was all founded in sin The Obligation of the sinner unto death was that which gave him all his Power The taking away then of that Obligation must needs be the Dissolution of his Power The foundation being removed all that is built upon it must needs fall to the ground Now this in reference unto the Children for whom he dyed was done in the death of Christ Virtually in his death it self Actually in the Application of it unto them When the sinner ceaseth to be obnoxious unto death the Power of Satan ceaseth also And this every one doth that hath an interest in the death of Christ for there is no condemnation unto them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 And this because he dyed he dyed for their sins took that death upon himself which was due unto them which being conquered thereby and their Obligation thereunto ceasing the Power of Satan is therewith dissolved The first Branch of his Power consisted in the bringing of sin into the world This is dissolved by Christs taking away the sin of the world John 1.29 which he did as the Lamb of God by the Sacrifice of himself in his death typified by the Paschal Lamb and all other Sacrifices of old Again His power consisted in his Rule in the world as cast under sin and death From this he was cast out John 12.32 in the death of Christ when contending with him for the continuance of his Soveraignty he was conquered the ground whereon he stood even the guilt of sin being taken away from under him and his Title defeated And actually Believers are translated from under his Rule from the Power of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light and of the Son of God Nor can he longer make use of death as poenal as threatned in the curse of the Law to terrifie and affright the consciences of men for being justified by faith in the death of Christ they have peace with God Rom. 5.1 Christ making Peace between God and us by the blood of his Cross Ephes. 2.14 15. 2 Cor. 5.19 20 21. the Weapons of this part of his Power are wrested out of his hand seeing Death hath no power to terrifie the conscience but as it expresseth the curse of God And lastly his final Execution of the sentence of death upon sinners is utterly taken out of his hand by the death of Christ inasmuch as they for whom he dyed shall never undergo death poenally And thus was Satan as to his power over death fully destroyed by the death of Christ. And all this depended on Gods Institution appointing the satisfactory sufferings of Christ and accepting them instead of the sufferings of the children themselves The Socinians give us another Exposition of these words as knowing that insisted on to be no less destructive of their Error than the death of Christ is of the power of the Devil The Reason hereof saith Schlictingius is quia per mortem Christus adeptus est supremam potestatem in omnia qua