Office of a merciful and faithful high Priest but according to the most exact measureâ— and rules sollicite our case before Almighty God and by this means obtain relief for ouâ— necessities So verse 18. For that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour theâ— that are tempted For that it is undoubtedly true that the doleful afflictions that ouâ— dearest Redeemer underwent do with an high hand make it appear it was Gods desigâ— then that his Son should be compassionate by the unparallel'd experience of temptations he should be inclined to relieve and succour all that fall into temptations and afflictions that attend the best of men on this side the grave Estius saith plainly Whereas the holy Apostle saith that he might be a merciful high Priest it was Vt condoleret miseriae nostrae ex eo commiserationis affectu causam nostram fideliter ex animo apud Deum ageret hae enim partes erant Pontificis quas Christus praestare non potuiâ— nisi naturae conditionis nostrae particeps esset cum multis aliis c. So that we have not onely the testimony of the Apostle and the Learned of subsequenâ— Ages but also reason plainly points at the same viz. that one great reason why Jesuâ— Christ did take upon him the seed of Abraham and was therefore stiled the Son of Maâ— was that he might succour them that are tempted 2. That he might deliver them from the power and fear of death both of which were the dismal consequences of the transgression of our first Parents But of these in their Orders 1. The powers of death which is apparent from that of the Apostle Heb. 2 14. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he himself likewise took part of thâ— same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the deviâ—â— You may easily call to mind what Adam entailed upon his posterity by his neglect oâ— eating of the Tree of life and by eating the forbidden fruit even eternal death under which the generality of Mankind were held till the coming of the Son of Man in the fulness oâ— time As in the first Adam all men die so in the second all shall be made alive 1. Cor. 15.21 By the miscarriage of our first parents way was made for a design of our Enemy the Devil to hold us under death Now therefore it is apparent that the end of Christs coming in the flesh and becoming the Son of Man was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to abolish or to take away all force and power and to frustrate the design of the Devil as the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth import and cancel that testament by which upon the account of sin men coming into the world were bound over to death But Christ he being the son of man deliverd mankind from eternal death For although by Christs death temporal death is not taken away yet it is deprived of that reigning power over man as St. Paul elsewhere saith Ro. 5.17 Firsâ— if by one mans offence death reigned by one man c. of which reigning power I say death is devested so of its sting victorious progress Hence that of St. Paul 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. 〈◊〉 death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin and the strengthoâ— sin is the Law But thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ who got the victory over death for us For it is apparent that Christ overcoming the sharpness of death did rescue man from the power of death so that it is impossible for man to be for ever held under it From all which we may easily gather this that Christians or Believers who are to be brought to Heaven by Christ are here in humane flesh and sufferings And seeing that Brethren or Fellow-children are of like natures Christ therefore who is called our Elder-brother is declared to have part with us in flesh and sufferings to this very end and purpose that he might frustrate and make void the design of him that was our enemy from the beginning which was to keep men under death and its raging power and to rescue man from the grave so that as in Adam all di'd so in him the second Adam all might be made alive 2. From the fear of death When Christ came into the world and did design to establish another Law amongst the sons of men upon which account he could not but expect because of the different nature of this Institution from that which they lived under and the corrupt dispositions that they had contracted by reason of sin that this his Law would be opposed and the professors of this new Law would be persecuted therefore like a great exemplar of true courage he suffers these experiences of temptation and affliction withâ—n his own Soul to this end that he might simpathize with and deliver them who through fear of death were in their life-time subject to bondage And therefore our Apostle St. Paul here layeth it as a foundation of comfort to them that dreaded persecutions because they fear death Now that they might be able to go on in the obedience of faith and act like Champions in their several stations and fight manfully against the opposers of his Gospel viz. the Divel the World and the Flesh the Apostle assures them that Christ hath redeemed them from death O death I will be thy plagues Hos 13.14 O grave I will be thy destruction Therefore if any be under any pressures of spirit upon the account of the profession of Christian Religion though they do not out-live and enjoy the promise of deliverance here in this life they shall rise again to eternal joy felicity through him that loved them gave himself for them is risen again from the dead is become the first fruits of them that slept Therefore the Apostle Heb. 2.15 saith that Christ did take our nature in order to deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage From which I necessarily conclude that the reason why the Messias was the Son of man was that he might take away the fears of persecution and death it self which makes men so cowardly and keeps them in such awe that is in a most unchristian and servile condition whilst they see no hopes of deliverance Therefore Christians are by the same Apostle Heb. 12.1 2 3. admonished that in those afflictions that so easily beset men they â—ay aside all worldly love and fear that may incumber them in their Christian race and in order to this to look unto Christ Jesus who hath in himself endured the highest afflictions and will be sure to crown their sufferings with the greatest rewards if they follow him with all perseverance patience therefore let them consider his patience in enduring such notorious contradictions
that Spâ—â—â— which beareth witness in their hearts that they are or may be Sons of God the same Spâ—â—â— also beareth witness that they are or may be heirs that an inheritance is designed 〈◊〉 them that man may be possessor of this earnest of his inheritance thus designed by 〈◊〉 coming of Christ into the World God hath given in his word such a power and energy this spirit to attend it that unless he be wilfully obstinate and shutteth his eyes against 〈◊〉 truth revealed in this Gospel he cannot otherwise choose but receive the same receiveâ—â— the same he receiveth the spirit in some degree or other by which he is secured of this 〈◊〉 heritance thus revealed in the Gospel of our Lord Christ 6. Some have this inheritance already in possession by vertue of Christs coming into 〈◊〉 world to save that which was lost Now all these considerations are now made use of prove that man is designed an heir of everlasting salvation and the way for the attainâ— hereof is made by the Birth Life Death and Resurrection of Christ Secondly we are to inquire what is here understood by the word Lost the Son of 〈◊〉 is come to save that which was lost Here two things are to be considered 1. the persons 〈◊〉 who they are 2. the Loss it self 1. Let us consider the persons lost who they were and we find them to be the whâ—â— posterity of Adam 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all dyed so in Christ shall all he made all Death it passed upon all for that Adam first sinned then all his posterity after him and wâ—â— lost for sin was propagated upon that root and vicious example for they sinning in Adâ—â— dyed and suffered the punishment of their sins now these were those whom Christ caâ—â— to save The son of man came to save that which was lost 2. The loss it self they had lost their acquaintance with God and were gone all 〈◊〉 from the wayes of his Laws and acted contrary to the commandments given them whâ—â— were written in their hearts they were enemies to God and acted open hostility against him and this was their sad and dismal State in which they must have perished to all eternity had not God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to recover man thus fallen out of this lost state into which they had rushed headlong and by this means had exposed themselves to everlasting punishment 3. We now come to inquire how those persons here in the Text expressed by the word Lost were lost Some have asserted and believed imprudently that it was by the Decree and will of God that man was thus lost now that we may not be deceived in this particular let us inquire what God threatned and what he inflicted In the day that thou catest thereof thou shalt dye He threatned death and did accordingly inflict it for by reason of the Fall of our first Parents their whole posterity became mortal and both he and all that were before Christ came into the World were lest to a meer natural state that is in a state attended with the greatest imperfections without those means that we through the abundant grace of God do or may enjoy for it is plain that it was a State so defective by this that none could ever enjoy the Hopes of Heaven by any means it could afford in order thereunto but to take away the evil state of affairs into which man was introduced by the transgression of Adam in the fulness of time God sent his Son into the World to save man from this Ruine Again it cannot be conceived by any man that will but consult the dictates of Reason that it should be the pleasure of the most high and holy God to lay a necessity of finning upon Adam or upon any of his posterity because from that time to the very appearing of the ever blessed Jesus in the world he by those Lawes he proposed to the sons of men hath required innocency of life repentance and holiness and when Jesus did appear all the means of attaining a happy end were provided even such means as were consistent with the grace of God to give or the necessity of mankind to enjoy The premises considered I now shall sum up what hath been spoken in reference to the explicatory part of the Text into this one intire proposition That Jesus Christ the Son of man came to save the whole posterity of Adam or thus that the design of Christ's coming into the world was to save all men for take notice of my Text where Christ's himself saith the Son of man is come to save that which was Lost and for the better understanding of which I will show you First how far the Scripture doth with an high hand prove it Secondly what rationall arguments will appear to defend the same 1. How far the Scriptures do with an high hand prove it though I now speak with great grief that it is a doctrine that hath been looked on by some to be a meer novelty even by those whom I respect for their Learning and Piety though true it is that many good men have opposed this great truth yet their believing to the contrary never made them so for certainly their holiness in their practices doth oppose their Errors in their judgments in reference to this particular I will therefore begin with those Scriptures which in plain terms do prove this Doctrine laid down by me in this Discourse Consider the saying of our ever blessed Lord to Nicodemus John 3 16. So God loved he World that be gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believed on him should not perish â—ut might have everlasting life By the word World here we must understand the Posterity of Adam to whom God the Father was pleased to shew this favour of sending his Son â—oth good and bad for true it is that the wicked of the World are sometimes put for he whole World as 1. Joh. 5.19 We know we are of God and the whole World lyeth in â—ickedness in which words the World represents to us only the Wicked in the World who in respect or their vast numbers and multitudes and the inconsiderable number of the Godly are termed the whole world but more frequently the word World comprehends Good and Bad be they many or few but never used for the Elect or Godly party considered by themselves and then consider this Particle Whosoever which setteth forth the universaâ—itie of the grace of God to mankind in giveing his Son Christ Jesus to the World For certain it is that this Particle would appear very unnecessary were it not that we understand by the word World the whole Posterity of Adam and it would devest the whole Verse now recited of its sence Again consider the Context as first the two precedent Verses As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever
the inward purity and so their legal rites and external performances in which they placed the greatest part of their Religion and from which there was no great matter of consolation that could be obtained were taken away when he came to inform the World of a Religion that was attended with greater purity The Apostle St. Peter doth from hence persuade the Christians to whom he directed his Epistle that seeing they had a Father on whom they did call then they were oblig'd to walk strictly and reverently considering that Christ by his death delivered them from their vain conversation deriv'd from their Fathers by tradition 1 Peter 1.17 18 19 4. From sin both in respect of its guilt and punishment for to this end did Almighty God design the death resurrection of the man Jesus for he did so reconcile man to God and rose again from the dead to open the gates of everlasting life to assure men upon the Terms of obedience for the future of those joys which God hath designed for those that receive the truth in the love thereof 5. From Wrath to come which is a Judgment that God will inflict upon those that know not him and have not been ready to yield obedience to the Gospel of his Son Jesus Now that man upon the account of an Evangelical obedience might be sure of his reward in another world Christ came to deliver man from Wrath to come which if he had not under taken there would have been no room left for a reward for those that might at any time act with the highest zeal in the observation of the Law of this great Lawgiver Jesus Christ the righteous one St. Paul tells the Thessalonians what manner of entring in he had unto them how they turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from Heaven whom God raised from the dead even Jesus who had delivered them from the wrath to come see 1 Thess 1.8 9 10. For unto you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia Achaia but also in en every place faith to God-ward is spread abroad so that we need not speak any thing For they themselves shew of us what manner of entring in we had unto you and how ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God And to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus who delivered us from wrath to come My design in those words is to shew That as Christ delivered man from those inconveniences that might and would appear highly prejudicial to his Soul in reference to its comforts here so he came to save man from that Wrath that might impede the Reward of its obedience to God for he had no sooner overcome the sharpness of death but he did open the Kingdom of Heaven to all that would accept of it upon those terms on which God was pleased to offâ—r it and this deliverance from Wrath is built upon the justification that man hath obtained by his blood for if it be so that Christ hath justified the posterity of Adam by his blood and that he designed this justification for them by coming into the World then it will follow that he did design their deliverance from Wrath all which appears from the words of St. Paul Rom. 5.9 Much more then being Justified by bis blood we shall be saved from wrath through him Secondly As the word saved implies a Deliverance from those inconveniences that may attend man so it intimates an investiture with some priviledges and therefore I am now in order to illustrate this I will lay down this undeniable conclusion that as Christ did come into the world to save men from those things which might hinder their comforts joys either in this world or the next so he came to do such things for them as would tend highly to advance both their comforts and joys here and hereafter which shall be cleared by which means you will have a good understanding of the salvation designed by our Lord in my text who came to save that which was lost in these particulars 1 He came to reconcile man to God for him did God raise up to be a means of mans coming again to his God whom he had forsaken by sin whether he were Jew or Gentile by bringing them under such a Covenant as will admit of Repentance using all such methods of grace mercy to the world as might render God amicable willing to receive all that would come unto him It is true the Jew for a time might challenge to himself some greater remarks of Gods favor than the Gentile which did not know God but neither of them both were ever under such a Covenant as did admit of Repentance for if a Jew had transgressed any of the Commandments of God he was to die without mercy or at least to undergo the penalty of the Law which the breach or trangression did require And the state of the Gentiles was I may say far worse the covenant that they were under being but the covenant of nature which admits of no Repentance for our first parents breaking terms with God did bring misery upon their posterity under this misery all mankind did Groan by this means they had excluded themselves from the knowledge of God and acquaintance with him and had little or no means of reforming their lives nor to make themselves capable of the return of Gods favor to them till Christ did appear to execute the Office of reconciling men to the Eternal God by bringing a clearer knowledg of God into the world by proposing such terms means as might conduce to their happiness both in this world and in the next For consider that the condition of men was such as did Render them to Almighty God to be his enemies for they went on in sin and in open hostility against him now if it were the design of Jesus Christ to be a means of their being saved or to speak the words of the Lord Christ himself in my text To save that which was Lost then it evidently appears that he must put them in a posture to receive and accept this salvation that must be by reconciling them to God Therefore when we hear Christ to give notice to man that he came to save them we must understand that he first reconciled them by procuring pardon for their sins by his death to restore them to favor to propose easie free conditions of mercy in his Gospel to use man so friendly as not to preclude the way of salvation but invite him to Repentance and to promise a pardon for all past sins so that man may thereby be induced to come to God and accept of the salvation which was designed by God through Christ to be offered to the World The sum of this amounts to thus much That the design of Christ coming
into the world was to intitle man to all the Acts and Titles of friendship and kindness which are the consequences of this his design of saving lost man which can be received from God by man or given by God to man In this reconciling men to God which was effected by Jesus Christ we shall find these particulars worth our serious consideration First That there was an intention on Gods part that as there was a valuable consideration of the purchase of Christ by him made in procuring mans salvation so it should be appliable to man without any fraud or limitation of the same to them so that by meanes of mans being reconciled to God he hath plainly set forth not only his willingness but his intent and purpose to save them Secondly That he hath put man into a fair possibility of being saved so that if he voluntarily sinneth his destruction is of himself for now he hath taken off from them the guile and condemnation which was brought into the world by Adam's transgression so that the guilt of our first Parents shall not be laid to our charge Thirdly Christ in reconciling man to God procured for them this favour and grace from the Eternal God that they should receive from him such competent measures of strength to do his will and pleasure and act in his Commandments as became the servants of so holy and good a God as he hath been pleased to represent himself in Scripture to be and be by him enabled to repent and believe and persevere in both unto the End so that they might actually enjoy the salvation which Christ designed for them by his death Fourthly in this great work of Reconciliation Christ hath designed that upon the account of repenting for sin and believing in God through the preaching of his Name they may be accounted righteous and blameless in the day when he shall come to judge the World in power and great glory and have the end of their faith even the salvation of their souls for by virtue of the reconciliation purchased by the Blood of Christ of which we now speak all the means of Grace are so sanctified to the very end they may appear prevalent and effectual for mans inheriting that life and glory which we have promised and Christ is gone before to possess for them Fifthly In this work of Reconciliation great joy and confidence is now designed by the Son of God it is apparent that man having obtained this great benefit of being reconciled to Almighty God he hath the ground of the greatest joy and confidence and dependence upon God in all conditions that may or can befall him in this life for now he hath not only occasion of rejoycing in the future hopes of eternal life and glory but also in his very sufferings in that he may if he use the means be assured of this that his afflictions will be made sweet unto him Rom. 5.3 11. Sixthly In this work of Reconciliation to Almighty God Christ did design for man boldness to enter into the Holiest that is with all freeness to approach the presence of Almighty God by prayer Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesut and in verse 20. the Apostle as he sheweth that this boldness â—s designed in the Blood of Christ so he sheweth us also by what way this enâ—rance is to be made even by a new and living way which he hath Consecrated for us that is to say his Flesh The dispensation of the Law could not procure this priviledge therefore in this great work of the reconciliation of man to God Christ our dearest Redeemer hâ—th procured this confidence and freeness of approaching the presence of the Almighty by a way never known before and that a clear and living way in opposition to the dead shadowâ— and beggarly rudiments under the Law which might minister matter of discouragement but no consolation and freeness with God in any address whatever made or to be made to his Divine Majesty now all this was design'd and accomplish'd by his breaking down of the partition wall which hindred mans access to God and to this very end and porpose that man might serve and worship this God who thus hath manifested his love to them in his Son whom he sent to save that which was lost with all unfeignedness and fulness of Faith reforming their lives conforming their wills according to the Rules of the word of this Reconciliation which I now Preach that those afflictions dangers that may appear might not cause them to waver in their conformity to the Laws of this Jesus who came to save fallen man from sin and Satan to translate to the happy state of being the Son of God through Faith in him which brings me to the Second Particular 2. A second priviledge that Christ came to invest men withal was the Adoption of Sons for as he came to bring men to the friendship of God and to reconcile them to that God from whom they were gone astray agianst whom they had acted open hostility so he came to renew a Relation in man to God to this end did he deliver man from the Yoke of the Law that he might become a Son of God see Gal 4 4.5 In the fulness of time God sent his Son made of a Woman under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of Sâ—ns It is true Man was â—he Son of God by Creation but here is a new way that Christ retrieves this Relation forfeited by sin and Disobedience of man to God by contriving his Redemption by his Blood and designing his Eternal Salvation in the world to come upon the performance oâ— those duties to which he is obliged by vertue of the Redemption Christ purchased for him And to this end that he may be secured that Almighty God owns this his Relation he hath given him the spirit of Adoption whereby they cry Abba Father so that by this state of Sonship to God they are designed to be delivered by Christ from the spirit of Bondage again to sear for it is evidently true that those who were ever in a Jewish state and therefore might have a great right to the promises of God Rom 9.4 were so far from being the Sons of God that at the best they were but in a servilâ— condition for they were obliged to those performances which were slavish and being but external had nothing at all of any internal goodness in them and these werâ— done meerly for fear of disobeydience and being punished with stoning the like which is the condition of Slaves who must do what the Master commands or be beaten if they perform it not and if this were the state and condition of the Jews iâ— what a Predicament the Gentiles were I leave it to the judgment of rational men certainly theâ—r condition must be more base and servile haveing little