Now this being the great means of transferring Justification from the Law to Faith I shall a little insist upon the Explication of it That which I have to say upon it will be contained in these two assertions 1. That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook the Law and answered it in all that it had to say against us And whereas it was a killing letter he took out this condemning power of it for all believers 2. That this was done by Christ for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been in all ages before the Law under the Law and in the dayes of the Gospel to the end of the world so that the way of Justification by faith comes in kindly and in a comely manner without any neglect or violation of the Law I begin with the first assertion That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook and answered the Law The first assertion That Christ undertook answered the law for us c. Now to prove and illustrate this assertion it will be usefull to us 1. To consider in what condition the Lord Christ found us when he came into the world as a Saviour We were therefore all of us Jewes and Gentiles We were all under the law when Christ came to save us prisoners to the Law I shall give the account of this in the Apostle's expressions which are somewhat mystical to which I hope I shall adde some light by laying them together and comparing them one with another Before Christ came and before faith came and so at the time when Christ came when faith came in the doctrinal discovery or at any time doth come to us in the hearty closing with it We were kept under the Law Gal. 3.23 the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law had set a guard upon us and as it follows we were shut up unto the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we were all shut up as so many prisoners unto the Law and under its guard and custody and in Rom. 7.6 speaking of the Law the Apostle saith We were held by it that being dead that is the Law wherein we were HELD or by which we were detained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For though these places in the Galatians and Romanes may referr to the different dispensations of the Old Testament and New that before the dayes of the Gospel when faith came to be preached men were under a legal dispensation they were kept under the Law and shut up to the faith that was to be revealed yet I dare affirm that there is a deeper meaning then that at least a deeper truth then that if not in those places which is this That till Christ and the way of Justification by faith be made known to the soul the soul must needs be under a legal frame â—f heart towards God under fear and bondage â—ay and a further sense then this yet and that â—s this That till the virtue of the blood of Christ â—e applyed to the soul till actual Justification â—y or upon faith every man lies under the curse â—nd threatning and wrath of the Law the Law â—ath taken hold of us all an evident signe of â—hich is this That death hath passed upon all and â—hat is the reason why for that all have sinned â—om 5.12 And if any could plead exemption from this abnoxiousness to the Law it must be either the â—â—ntiles that had not the Law as the expression is â—â—m 2.14 that is had not the Law given to â—â—em or those that lived before the Law was â—ven by Moses now neither of these can plead â—is exemption therefore all mankinde were â—ptives to the Law when Christ undertook the â—ork of Redemption or rather until the desigâ—ation of Christ by the Father to this work For the first viz. the Gentiles the Apostle tells us that he had proved them under sin which is the transgression of the Law therefore under the Law and their thoughts within them did accuse for their breach of the Law which was written in their hearts Rom. 2.14 Neither were they free from this arrest of the Law who lived before the delivery of the Law by Moses for the Apostle tells us plainly Rom. 5.13 That untill the Law sin was in the world that is from Adam till the time that the Law was solemnly given by Moses sin was in the world now sin is the transgression of the Law and accordingly as sin was in the world all that space of time from Adam to Moses so Death reigned from Adam to Moses Now we know that death 〈◊〉 the wages of sin and the strength of sin is the Law 1 Cor. 15.56 Sin could never have brought in death but by the Law which bindes sin upon the sinner and with sin the punishment due to it therefore all that space of time from Adaâ— to Moses sin and death being in the world 〈◊〉 they were to be sure there was the Law in its power energy it was there in effect as sure 〈◊〉 it was in the hearts consciences of Heathens and the Grave was the Law 's Prison Death it's Arrest Sin it 's great Charge and Accusation by and upon which Death entred Sin entred in the world and death by sin upon the threatningâ— the Law Rom. 5.12 This was the state and condition therefore that Christ found us in wâ— were all under the Law as Prisoners and Captives therefore when the Father sent fort Christ upon the work of Redemption it is saâ— Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his Son made of a woman mâ—â— under the Law to redeem them that were under 〈◊〉 Law This was written to the Galatians who were Gentiles That we putting himself and the Galatians together might receive the adoption of Sons therefore the Gentiles were under the Law when Christ was sent forth for their redemption And our Saviour tells us what he was commissionated to by his Father Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blinde to set at liberty them that are bruised or bound as it is in Isai 61.1 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord that is the Year of Jubilee when all servants were set free thus Christ's coming was to proclaim a Year of Jubilee to the whole world that the Law 's Captives should be delivered and those that served God under the tyranny of the Law might receive a spirit of Adoption So now thus farr we are gone in our proof of the first assertion that when Christ came as a Saviour and Redeemer of his people he found them all under the Law as the lawfull Captives and Prisoners unto it by reason of their sins which were
the matter of it setting aside the Ceremonial and Judicial Law it remains still obliging us in the dayes of the Gospel and the Apostle professeth to establish the Law even by the preaching of Faith 'T is true it was first of all given to the Jews that was their priviledge but now that it is given it is ours as well as theirs that therefore which seems to be peculiar to them in it was the manner of its delivery both being without promises and in that terrible manner given upon the Mount but yet still it was thus given because of transgressions to hinder transgressions they needed this terror at that time Children though they know their duty must have some terror to make them do it The Heir whilest he is a Child differeth nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all he is used like a servant harshly severely he is under Tutors and Governors till the time appointed by the Father Gal. 4.2 there is the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Apostle hath in his answer to the objection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But because this particular hath some affinity with the second general end mentioned why the Law was given with respect to transgressions I shall now enter upon that and it was this 2. The Law was added because of transgressions for the heightning and aggravating of transgressions Rom. 5.20 The Law entered that the offence might abound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subingressa est irrepsit the Holy Ghost is pleased frequently to use such words as should shew that the Law came in by the by for some considerable ends indeed that the Lord had in delivering it but not as the great establisht way for Justification for certainly that could not come in by the by but the Law came in thus it stole in subingressa est it crept in by stealth irrepsit so the Original signifies But what was the end of the Law when it thus entred why it entred because of transgressions that the offences of men might abound In the 12. ver of Râ—â— 5. 〈◊〉 read that sin entered into the World and 〈◊〉 that the Law entered the Law hunted it followed it stole in afterwards to discover sin for as ver 13. hath it Before or until the Law sin was in the world that is not before the Law did oblige but before the Law was delivered in such a solemn manner as it was upon Mount Sinai before the Law sin was in the world but sin was not imputed when there was no Law yet death reigned all this while till Moses his time which was the curse of the Law Now that men might know wherefore they suffered death and the curse it was sit the Law should come into the world in a solemn manner delivered that so sin might be imputed by men to themselves as it was by God to men witness death the curse of the Law which reigned from Adam to Moses from Adam that sinned to Moses that gave the Law sin did not appear to be sin till the Law entred therefore it is said Sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good viz. the Law that sin by the Commandment might become out of measure sinfull So Rom. 3.20 the Apostle proves that the Law cannot justifie for by the Law is the knowledge of sin The Law is so far from justifying saith the Apostle that it only brings sin to light brings the knowledg of sin with it makes the offence to abound and if that be the way to justifie sinners to aggravate their sins bind on their guilts more then ever upon their consciences let any man judg therefore indeed the Law in the immediate great intent of it was a killing Letter an Administration of Death a Ministration of Condemnation a Ministration of Desperation and not of righteousness unto justification and accordingly it was delivered with thundering lightning upon Mount Sinai to shew the horrible fire darkness tempest that there was in the Law it self to all that should come near it to think to make use of it for a way of Justification as Moses put a Vail upon his face to shew the vailedness of his Dispensation so the Law was delivered with fire to shew the fieriness of the Law unto the conscience for the Law was not only terrible to the beholders of it when it was given upon Mount Sinai but this terribleness is in the Law it self to all that ever had to do with it feelingly ever since to all that ever came near it for justification Indeed for those that stand aloof off from it only play about it at a distance hope to be saved in a loose way by their works by their good doings and by their good meanings they may perhaps never feel the stinging fiery lashes of the Law but let any of these self-Justiciaries drive their Principle to an Head let them come up near to the Law let them advance toward Mount Sinai and approach it and challenge their Justification from God by the Law and they shall quickly find themselvs scorched and scalded sent away with sad hearts and affrightned consciences they'â— find the Law to be a ministration of Death and not of Righteousness I might here shew in several particulars how the Lâ—w doth discover sin it discovers habitual sin St Paul or the man personated in Rom. 7. had never found there had been such a bottomless depth such a lively body of death within him but for the Law when that came sin revived and he dyed Rom. 7.9 2. It discovers actual sin I had not known sin that is lustings to be sin except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet ver 7. But I shall not insist longer upon this particular The third end of the Law 's being â—â—ded I hasten to the third great end of the Law 's being added with respect to transgressions and that was for the finishing of transgressions and making an end of sin as the expressions are though somewhat otherwise used Dan. 9.24 What shall we think that when God had given promises to Abraham and confirmed a Covenant in Christ to him and his Seed that he now gave a law to drive all his people into despair this amounts all to one as if he had broken his promise and his covenant as I have before argued out of the Apostle Paul did the Lord only send his law that they might know their duty and be affrightned into their duty as the first particular carries it if they did not do their duty should the law aggravate their sin bind on their guilts upon their Conscience and so leave them under desparation and be a ministration of death to them Was this all the Law came for If this were all they might better have been without the law at a venture then have had it they might have done better with the promises alone This therefore was not all the end
the Cross and Christ nailed the Law to the Cross and all this without violence or affront offered to the Law it being but naturally consequent upon what the Law did first to Christ for if the Law set upon Christ as our Surety and do the utmost to him that it can it must needs follow that it hath no strength left against those for whom he undertook and so must die and expire by the same death that our Saviour dyed it being nailed to the Cross which is but a sigurative expression And yet I shall carry the Allegory a little further herein still following the Apostle Paul Is it any wonder now is it any unreasonable thing now that the Law is dead and taken out of the way that we should be married to another husband that we should reckon our selves to be no longer under the Law The woman which hath an husband saith the Apostle Rom. 7.23 is bound by the Law to her husband so long as he liveth but if the husband be dead she is loosed from the Law of her husband So then if while her husband liveth she be married to another man she shall be called an adulteress but if her husband be dead she is free from that Law so that she is no adulteress though she be married to another man ver 4. Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the Law or the Law is become dead to you BY THE BODY OF CHRIST that ye should be warried to another even to him that is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God The Law is every soul's first Husband since the fall so every one's actual sin the Law is an intolerable husband there is no living with it it so sets on guilt presseth the soul w th terrors nay instead of producing good works the natural fruit of this Marriage-relation of the Soul to the Law whilest in innocency it now produceth all manner of lusts according to the 5. ver of that 7. chap. When we were in the flesh the MOTIONS OF SINS WHICH WERE BY THE LAW did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Now God in much mercy to mankinde finding that if the Law and the conscience or soul of man keep together his creature will be lost and himself lose those fruits of good works which the soul was first created for he provides another husband for the soul which is Jesus Christ only Christ must redeem his Spouse from that tyrannical Husband which now it lives with else the Soul shall be but an Adulteress to pretend marriage to Christ that is the way of grace whilest the Law can make a just claim to her as a wife which it might have done as long as it lived The manner of the rescue I have before declared it was by suffering and yielding to the Law yet so as in it the Law destroyed it self and then is it lawfull for the Soul that was before wife to the Law to be married to another husband and who so fit as he that redeemed her Now the Soul shall have it's forbearance under failings which the Law would not endure and God shall have a kindly and ingenuous Service there will be fruits unto God and this is the passage from Works to Faith from the Law to Grace I though the Law saith the Apostle am dead to the Law that I might live to God Gal. 2.19 that is through what the Law hath done to Christ it hath nothing to do with me But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter Rom. 7.6 One Scripture more to this purpose it is Rom. 8.1 23.4 There is therefore now no condemnation to ohem which are in Christ Jesus who are married to Christ and have accepted the terms of the Gospel who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit for the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death this chiefly relates to sanctification that the inward law or power of corruption which was occasionally and accidentally strenghtned by the Law of God was now broken by that inward power spirit and life which is conveyed by the Gospel of Christ and is called the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus ver 3. for what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh that is it could neither justifie nor sanctifie both these did God bring to pass by sending his Son in the likeness of sinfull flesh when for sin that is Christ's making himself a Sin-offering so answering the Law God condemned Christ in the flesh that is destroyed it both in the guilt and power of it out of us that were sinners so it follows that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit that is that the Law might no longer accuse us being answered by our Saviour and that we might attain to that which is the chief designe of the Law to wit righteousness and holiness which if we had continued under the Law we could never have attained unto What so common now with the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romanes as to tell them that now they are not under the Law but under grace by this means namely the BODY OF CHRIST offered and that therefore there shall be no condemnation and that therefore sin shall not have dominion over them which are the two great effects of the death of Christ though the first chiefly belongs to that subject which I am upon viz. Justification Having given now all these things in an allegorical and mystical dress yet herein only following the Apostle I shall deliver the same thing somewhat plainly and so conclude this first particular The summe of all this is Man was made holy had a Law to live by to which there was a threatning annexed In the day thou eatest thou shalt die the death or shalt surely die * This threatning I take it is due by the Law to intended against all sins according to that of the Apostle The wages of sin is death Ro. 6.23 speaking of sin indefinitly besides wise Adam might have committed any other sin and not have dyed Man did eat and so was to die death accordingly entred by this sin into the world that is a natural death and for eternal death hereafter and the spiritual death of the soul here which consist's in alienations from God both which all men at age are obnoxious unto being sinners as for children I neither affirm nor deny any thing the Lord in mercy designing to deliver men from provided a Saviour who should first live a perfect life that so he might be the more acceptable Sacrifice and his terms of saving men must be these that he must freely offer himself up to
to have it and do it but when I have it I make no use of it in my treating with God for justification and to give one instance which must needs prove that he doth not mean it of Justification at first believing In pag. 10. he takes men off when they come to dye from taking their comfort or discomfort from their past life which if ever they were justifyed is the longest time after their first Justification without any distinction about it whereas we finde that when Hezekiah came to die and had the sentence of death passed upon him by God he presently reflects upon his past-life and hath a great confidence upon it nay and useth the holiness of his life past as an argument with God to spare him longer Isa 38.2 3. Then Hezekiah after he had received the sentence from Isaiah turned his face to the wall and said Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and HAVE DONE THAT WHICH WAS GOOD IN THY SIGHT And so St Paul when he thinks of leaving the world he reflects upon his past life 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my cours I have kept the faith HENCEFORTH there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness c. But that I may not do Luther wrong I shall quote the whole passage which I think hath great usef lness in it were it not almost spoiled by that Antinomiaâ— dead flie that may be found in it Ejusmodi est humana imbecillitas c. such is the weakness and misery of Mankinde that in terrors of conscience and danger of death we look at nothing else but our Works our own worthiness and the Law nostram dignitatem Legem Which when it shews us our sin presently comes into our minde our past life and then with great grief of soul doth the sinner groan thus thinking with himself Ah quam perdite vixi utinam liceret diutius vivere tum velim emendare vitam meam c. Ah how wickedly have I lived would God I were to live longer then would I certainly amend my life and live better c. Upon which he adds Nec potest ratio humana neither can HUMANE REASON a very vile thing with the Antinomians ita hoc malum est nobis insitum illamque infelicem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comparavimus so is this evil imbred in us and such an unhappy custome have we gotten that humane reason cannot ex hâ—c spectro justitiae activae seu propriae evolvere attollere sese get it self out of the sight of this Bug-bear or apparition called Active Righteousness or our own proper Righteousness and lift it self up to the sight of Passive Righteousness or Christian Righteousness but it simply sticks upon and rests in the Active Now I do really believe that when we come to dye we shall sinde great use indeed of our faith in the mercies of God and blood of Christ and a little comfort immediately vouchsafed from God by the lifting up the light of his countenance upon us will be better worth to us and of more speedy help in those bitter agonies we may be cast into than all the comfort we may be able to conclude to our selves from the imperfect obedience of our past lives But yet believe it he that then shall have the testimony of a clear conscience and the fair appearance or apparition of a good past life or active righteousness so as to be able to use the words of good Hezekiah unto the Lord Remember how I have done that which was goad in thy sight will have no occasion to turn from it as a foul spectre or ghastly apparition but he will rather welcome it as his good Angel and desire it's company with him into the other world for upon this account it is that they are blessed that dye in the Lord for that they rest from their labours and THEIR WORKS FOLLOW THEM Rev. 14.13 I might adde many other passages out of Luther and others but these may suffice to shew the first extream opinion in the business of Justification that Works of no kinde have any thing to do there at all The other extream Opinion of some good men is That the righteousness of faith is an holy temper of heart or a Christ-like nature in a man's soul which because it is produced very much by faith it is called the righteousness of faith Now certainly these bend the stick too much the other way for though Holiness be requisite unto Justification yet it is not the only requisite nor the chief condition of it upon which the honour is put by God Yet this Opinion I look upon to be much safer than the Antinomian Doctrine As for the two middle Opinions that hold the mean betwixt these two extreams they are that of Mr John Goodwin and Mr Baxter Mr Goodwin allowes Evangelical works a share in Justification but then it is only in that part or kinde of Justification which consists in the divine approbation but excludes them out of that part or that kinde of Justification which consists in remission of sins which yet he affirmes is the strict Gospel-justification and for this he makes faith alone to be the condition of it In the last place Mr Baxter makes Faith and Evangelical Works together the compleat condition of that Justification which consists in pardon of sins as well as of the divine approbation only that Faith is the principal Works the last principal condition and to this Opinion I must needs adhere Though for Mr Goodwins I look upon it to be sufficiently removed from the Antinomian in that it makes Faith as an act not only as a hand receiving Christ's righteousness as some Antinomians love to speak the condition of Justification and Works too to be necessary unto the obtaining divine approbation besides that he holds that the final Justification at the day of Judgment shall proceed according to Works And indeed I am so farr of his opinion that I think faith hath a farr greater share in our Justification than all our good Works put together yea that our good Works do chiefly justifye as they have faith in them and for the sake of that faith that spirits them of which I have given some proof in the ensuing Treatise pag. 270 271. out of Heb. 11. where the Apostle sindes out a faith in the actions of several of the Patriarchs and sayes it was by faith that they did this or that and were justified though their story mention nothing of their faith at all And it may be said as well that Works without Faith are dead being alone as that Faith without Works is dead being alone Now these four Opinions lying fair in view in all which there are good men engaged in some of them to a great
that it might be by Grace the way of Grace is the way of Faith So that is the third assertion with its explication and proof The fourth Assertion is this That every man in the World hath broken the Law Rom. 3.23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God The Jews call the Gentiles by this Name The sinners of the Gentiles or of the Nations But what saith the Apostle speaking of the Jews of whom himself was one What then Are we better then they No in no wise For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin as it is written There is none righteous no not one v. 9 10. When the Jews brought a Woman taken in Adultery unto our Saviour to see what Judgement he would pass upon her he delivered the Woman by this sentence of stoning her Let him that hath no sin cast the first stone at her Now if there had then been but one there that durst pretend to have been without sin the Woman might perhaps have lost her life John 8.34 And we find it amongst our selves none but some brain-sick people dare pretend to be free from sin even actual sin committed in their own person either in deed word or thought at least Now if we have all thus offended the law and transgressed the law shall we dare appeal unto it or can it justifie us The fifth assertion therefore which determines the Question negatively is That the law is disabled from justifying us by reason of sin In Rom. 8.3 Justification is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that impossibility of the lavv translated thus What the Law could not do the lavv novv cannot do it according to that famous assertion of the Apostle Paul to this very purpose Gal. 3.21 For if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily righteousness should have been by the Law The Iavv cannot novv justifie and vvhat is the reason Why the Apostle tells us in Rom. 8.3 What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh The law became thus disabled in the matter of Justification through the flesh through sinful flesh as appears by the following words so that now it could not justifie us if it would never so fain We can conceive no way now that the Lord hath to justifie by us the law but this one first to pardon then to give us a stock of grace ability to keep his law as he gave to Adam but then mark here you see first the way of Grace Faith must be made use of before the law can do us any good or stand us in any stead therefore still the fifth assertion holds true that the law in the present state of things cannot justifie us except the way of grace should first pass upon us and then what need vve come to the lavv again No it is so true that the lavv cannot novv justifie us nor give life unto us that if it could have done it it should have done it and God would not have made use of any other way I might now give several Scripture-proofs of this assertion under several Heads As 1. By the Law now comes onely the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Where-ever the Law comes now amongst sinners it discovers that they are guilty in such and such a particular I had not known sin saith the Apostle but by the Law for I had not known lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet Rom. 7.7 2. The Law worketh therefore Wrath therefore it cannot justifie this is the Apostles Argument Rom. 4. ver 15. Now the Law worketh Wrath these two ways either it setteth home the Wrath of God already deserved upon the Conscience or it gives occasion to further sinning and so to a further desert of Wrath for the Law hath this strange effect now upon a sinners heart that seeks to be justified by it that it will contrary to the first design of it which was to sanctifie justifie and save it will now stir up all manner of lusts in the heart as the Sun shining on a Dunghil sends forth a stink and so not onely discovers our former illdemerits and deserving of Wrath but provokes to further sinning so lays us under more wrath stil if this be not a truth let any make sence of these Scriptures if they can Rom. 7.8 9 10 11. Sintaking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of Concupisence for without the Law sin was dead for I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed and the Commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death for sin taking occasion by the Commandment deceived me and by it slew me 13. Was then that which is good made death unto me God forbid but sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the Commandment might become out of measure sinful I know several of these expressions are and may be in part interpreted of sin in the guilt that it appears by the law but it must also be understood of the power of sin that the law discovers that likewise whilest it irritates and provokes it and I would fain know if there can be any other sence of that whole context from the 1. to the 7. ver of that chap. especially the 5. ver When we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death 3. The law by both these effects discovering of sin and exciting sin as also shewing the Wrath due to sin is so far from justifying that it becomes the Ministration of Death and Condemnation to the sinner and not of justification unto life and for this we may consult the whole third Chap. of the second to the Corinthians My 6th Assertion therefore is this Faith is the way and the onely way that we have to take for Justification being sinners We must have Mercy Grace Pardon We must not think to stand upon our terms to require Justification as a due debt We must be glad to receive it as a gift and this is the way that Faith leads us in That Faith and Grace are one way I have proved before in reckoning up the several Synonymaes of those onely two wayes which the Apostle mentions Now that Faith is the onely way for us appears from what hath been already said and proved For if the law be no way and there be only these two wayes imaginable then there is no other way but this of Faith left us But I shall yet give one full Scripture-proof of this Rom. 3.21 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no fiesh be justified in his sight but now the righteousness of God without
come it will not tarry This was the very case with the wicked King last instanced out of 2 King 6.33 if the Visiontarry wait for it But now it follows ver 4. If you will not wait if your soul be lifted up in you with pride and impatience why this soul that is lifted up is not upright in him this Spirit is quite contrary to the Spirit of a just and justified man But the just shall live by Faith that is will be patient in such straits this is the great famous place which the Apostle Pau. makes use of to prove Justification by Faith in three several Epistles Rom. 1.17 Gal. 3.11 Heb. 10 38. Ergo Impatience weariness of the service of God is a great argument and symptom of a Legal Spirit in the service of God the thing that we have now under demonstration Now to apply this Character So far as thou findest thy self sloathful sluggish in the service of God ready to draw back and to be weary of well-doing contentious against God with Job angry as Jeremy and Jonah were in their sits of distemper So far Legality is discovered to be the principle of serving God For the Spirit of the Gospel is humble chearful I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him saith the Church in Micah ch 7 9. If God defers to hear and answer prayers yea gives denials yet the true Saints of God think it their duty to wait patiently on the Lord and to find out the cause of these denials in themselves Christ calls the woman of Canaan Dog Truth Lord saith she yet the Dogs eat of the crumbs And this is commended for an high piece of faith Mar. 7.28 I join these Scriptures of Old and New-Testament together and use them promiscuously for proof of the same thing because it is plain there were spiritual Worshippers under the Old-Testament as wel as there are Legal-Worshippers in the new Now in a consonancy to and connexion with this latter part of this last Character viz. the irksomness heaviness and weary somness that there is often found in a Legal Spirit as to the service of God I might make this a third Character That a Legal Spirit is weak and feeble and devoid of all strength in the service of God But I shall make this rather an Observation then a Character of a Legal Spirit yet I shall insist some what upon it I say then The Legal spirit is without strength in the service of God That the Legal-Worshipper is faint-hearted weak in the service of God like Ephraim in Hos 7.11 as a silly Dove without heart and it may very well be for the joy of the Lord alone is our strength Neh. 8.10 Which joy the Legallist never partakes of having never any true sence of divine acceptance And indeed what strength can the Law give us that is now through our fall become a poor weak feeble thing it self What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh c. Rom. 8.3 The Law became weak through our sinful flesh so that it can neither justifie nor sanctifie and it gives no quickness at all in the service of God it gives quickness to the body of death indeed and to the motions of sin in our members as it is Rom. 7. â— but none at all to serve God with The A postle therefore appeals to the Galatians experience that they never received the Spirit by all the preaching of the Law which they had amongst them Gal 3 2. And this was the very reason of God's nâ—aâ—ing a new Covenant of his removing his old Dispensat on by Moses which was so full of Law and so like a Covenant of Works Heb 7.8 19. For there is verily a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof for the Law made nothing perfect Thus the Law being weak the Legallist must needs be a weak imperfect thing in the service of God But now it is said They that wait on the Lord by Faith shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wirgs like Eagle they Well run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Isa 40.31 He that believeth on me saith our Saviour out of his belly shall flow kavers of living water this spake he of the Spirit which they that believed on him should receive John 7.38 39. The Gospel of Christ is and in its preportion ever was so far as at any time it was understood and embraced in the times of the Old Testament the Ministration of the Spirit In Col. 1.11 the Apostle prays for his Colossians that they may be strengthened with All might according to his glorious power in the Gospel there is ALL Mâ—GHT and a gâ—orious Power to strengthen and quicken the Saints with no wonder therefore if this quicken and encourage them mightily in the service of God beyond what ever the Law can do for its dependants and admirers I might here take fair occasion to discover what infinite quickning considerations and motiveâ— the Gospel carries in it unto the spiritual service of God beyond what the Law could afford But seeing I do not so much as make this a Character I shall not take the liberty to enlarge further upon it I shall onely now acquaint the Reader why I do not make this a Character and then pass on And truly one great reason is for the sakes of some good people I may say very many that we have amongst us who if we should make this a Character of a legal spirit that it is weak sluggish heartless in the service of God that it is not lively active and vigorous they would presently apply it to themselves and cry out that they are legal for that they find themselves that they are just thus whereas yet it is true that every true Saint the meanest Saint in the World hath more life and vigor of heart in his serving God then the devoutest and strictest legallist in the World And what if I should say in comparing the two Dispensations of the Old and New-Testament that there is never a Gospel-Saint since the day that the Spirit came down upon the Apostles but hath more life and spirit or it is hâ—s fault if he have not then the highest true Saint under the Old-Testament Would not that Scripture bear me out in it which says that John the Baptist was the greatest that ever was born of a woman before him and yet that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven which is often interpreted of the Gospel-state of the Church is greater then he Matth. 11.11 And would not that other Scripture countenance it which saith The feeble shall be as David Zech. 10.8 And accordingly I might affirm that if these complaining Saints had but the true courage of Saints and the true Character of themselves and at the same time the Character of the highest legallists yea of the most
to explain the great term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he tells us That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies any virtue or goodness in a man whatsoever and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing else but to be approved as a good man or A doer of what is righteous and good and that BECAUSE he doth that which is good and righteous Having made this great observation of which I shall make more use anon I shall proceed with my Character That an affected ignorance of Christ is an infallible Character of a Legal Spirit I have given a Scripture for it viz. Phil. 3.7.8 to the 15. upon which I have so long insisted I shall give now the reason of it which is this For that all pardon of sins which is the greatest thing in Gospel-justification was ever by virtue of the death of Christ All the symbolical and vailed-Gospel of the old Testament pointed though darkly unto Christ The rock in the Wilderness was Christ the Serpent was Christ the Manna was Christ the Scape-Goat was Christ the Paschal Lamb was Christ and in the fulness of time Grace and the Truth of these types came by Jesus Christ Therefore those that are affectedly ignorant of Christ are affectedly ignorant of all that looked like Gospel and so of Gospel-Grace it self nothing can be a plainer argument of Legality then this And indeed we may almost adventure to say That most men so far as they are ignorant of Christ in these days of the Gospel they are affectedly ignorant I deferred this Character till the last because I would first put all those Characters together in which the faith of all the Old-Testament-believers and ours did agree All the Old-Testament Saints were more for spiritual heart-worship than for the externals of Religion they were all in their degree humble and patient they were all in their degree quick lively and vigorous they had all a spirit of adoption in their measure they were all of a sweet meek and kind heart and spirit not of a persecuting principle but I cannot say they all knew Christ in his death resurrection ascension and intercession nay I should lye if I should say it these things are peculiar to faith under the dayes of the Gospel St. Peter and the other Apostles were all ignorant of these things Luke 18. from verse 31. to 35. Now I shall shew briefly the peculiar additionals of a Gospel-faith or rather a New-Testament Faith without which ours cannot be Evangelical enough and so not justifying and saving And without performing this part of my Work I should be guilty of a great absurdity for taking up so many pages in describing the Faith of the Old-Testament Saints or of justifying-faith which was common to us and them and in the mean time to pass by that which is proper to our selves and as necessary as any thing which hath been spoken to I affirm therefore that we are to know and believe in Christ as the PROCURING CAUSE of all our mercies and the DISPENSER of all good things to us These are the two great things which we are to know and believe concerning Christ to which we must add the meditation imitation of our Saviour as a pattern in his Life Death Resurrection and Ascension in all which our Faith hath a great usefulness and necessity and unless our Faith hath a great and very considerable respect unto Christ in all these three particulars we cannot justly put on the name of Christians That old Faith of Abraham and all the Saints of the Old-Testament which St. Paul disputes for and proves they were justified by it hath now a further Name and is called the Christian Faith having taken up that great Object Christ more explicitely and plainly then ever they received it I shall say somewhat but as briefly as I may unto all the three generals wherein our Faith is now necessarily to eye Jesus Christ that it may be of a right Gospel strain 1. We must believe in Christ as the great procuring cause of all our mercies 1. By his blood and offering Therefore a right New-Testament Faith eyes Christ as the procuring-cause of all our mercies and this in two respects viz. by his offering up himself a sacrifice and by his intercessions 1. By his dying for us and offering up himself he hath bought us Ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6 20. Thou hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood Rev. 5.9 His blood was the price of our redemption by shedding of this and offering it up to God he became a propitiation for our sins and we our selves are the purchase of this Price Acts 20.28 The Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood We are purchased and redeemed from the world Gal. 1.4 From our vain Conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 Yea Heaven it self is purchased by his blood for us for I doubt not but that is it which is called the purchased possession Eph. 1.14 Now see if we have not reason nay if there be not absolute necessity if we would be right Christians to know Christ and believe in him as the procuring-cause of all our Mercies and that by his Death and Blood and offering himself He hath by one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Now our Faith as it eyes thus the death of Christ is called faith in his blood and Justification follows upon this Faith onely Rom. 3.24 25. Being justified freely by his Grace THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God Rom. 5.8 9. But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us much more then BEING NOW JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD we shall be saved from wrath to come I shall mention no more Scriptures to prove that Christ is the procuring-cause of all our mercies by his death and blood only I shall describe what this faith in his blood is and I shall express it thus It is a judging the death and offering of Christ either upon the Cross or in the holy of holies into which he entered by his own blood Heb. 9.12 to be the great propitiation of God who without this offering had decreed no◠to pardon sins by which he became propitious and appeased and for it receives all true penitents into his favour that is for the judgement or assent of faith to the dogmatical truth in this matter then for its affiance faith in the blood of Christ it is a not doubting but whilst I have the Gospel-condition of Justification what ever it be this blood will procure my pardon or thus in the way of holiness to rest upon God for pardon for the sake of Christ's blood-shedding and offering it to God Now this faith in the blood of Christ I look upon as an
essential branch of a New-Testament-faith 2ly His Intercession Secondly we are to look upon Christ as the procuring cause of all our mercies by his intercessions whereby he reaps the benefit of the purchase of his blood His Blood was the foundation of all his Intercession and his Intercession is as the harvest to that seed-time when he sowed in tears of blood He entred into the holy of holies by his own blood if he had not had that blood with him I conceive there had been no entrance for him there as a Priest but now that he is there entred and entertained as an High-priest for ever and ever liveth to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 We are to look upon him as the great procuring-cause of all our mercies by his intercessions If when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the DEATH of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his LIFE Rom 5.10 1 John 2.1 My little children these things write I unto you that ye sin not and if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins HE IS to this very day upon occasion of any failing of the Saints he interposeth to make God propitious to them and not onely to them saith the Apostle not onely for our sins who are the Saints of God but for the sins of the whole world He doth now as he did at his death and first entring into Heaven though not in the same form of offering which was but ONCE make use of his blood with his Father to prevail with him that he may be ready to pardon and receive into favour all that come unto God by him all that are come in upon any of their failings and all that shall come in with unfeigned repentance for their wicked lives past And as I shewed in the former particular of his death and blood that he did not onely procure pardon of sin by it but redeemed us from our vain conversation and purchased heaven it self for us so in this particular I might shew that he doth not onely procure pardon of sins for us by his intercession as our Advocate but every thing else that we stand in need of I am going to my Father saith our Saviour when he was leaving the World and there I will povide Mansions for you and whatsoever ye ask the Fther in my Name I will do it Joh. 14.2 3 13. Thus therefore our Faith if we would have it a right New-Testament Faith must eye Christ in his intercession and whatever we desire of God we must ask it in his Name and then believe that Christ as an Advocate with the Father wil take the care of it So much for the first Head or general Rule of a New-Testament-Faith We are to eye Christ as the great procuring cause of all our mercies 2dly 2 Gospel-faith eies Christ as the great dâ—spenser of all good things to us We are to look upon Christ as the great Dispenser of all our good things to us Our Saviour Christ hath the distribution disposal of all things committed to him as Joseph had in Aegypt The Father judgeth no man but all judgement is committed by the Father to the Son John 5.22 Jesus Christ is not onely represented unto us in the Scripture as standing at the right hand of God Act. 5.55 56. which may signifie his Advocatship and Priestly Office but much oftner as sitting at the right hand of God whch is a sign of his Kingly Office and Authority for this see Heb. 10 11 12 13. where sitting is opposed to standing as Maâ—esty is to Ministring And every Priest STANDETH daily MINISTRING and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins But this man after he had offered one Sacrisice for sins for ever SATE DOWN at the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his footstool Our Saviour obtained of his Father by his death and offering not onely that sinners might be pardoned but that he might have the gift of pardon yea and of repentance too which is as great a gift as pardon it self Acts 5.30 31 32. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a Tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and sorgiveness of sins and we are his witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him In a word Christ hath all power both in heaven and in earth So our Saviour came and told his Disciples after he was risen Matth. 28.18 19. Jesus came and spake unto them the eleven saying All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth Go ye THEREFORE and teach all Nations This is the form of the Commission which makes an Apostle I have received power therefore go teach they are not the Apostles of God immediately but of Jesus Christ by the will of God 1 Cor. 1.1 2 Cor. 1.1 Eph. 1.1 To instance in the several branches of this power in heaven and earth would be too much for me in this place there is the power of pardoning sins raising the dead judging the world destroying the wicked These with many other I could prove by plain Scripture to be all deposited and be-trusted in the hand of Jesus Christ Now what is the Faith that belongs to Christ as the Dispenser of all good things to us for that is my proper business to enquire after Why even the Faith that we place in God the Father This Christ taught his Disciples when he was about to leave them Joh. 14.1 Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me As much as to say Ye have been used hitherto by your Old-Testament-Faith to believe in God and you have found comfort and support in it and yet you do not see that God you believe in Why so now for my self I am going in deed out of your sight and at this you are troubled but believe in me when I am out of your sight as ye have hitherto beheved in an invisible God and ye shall find the same comfort and support in this Faith as ever ye found from Faith in God None so common a New-Testament phrase as believing in Christ He that believeth in me though he weee dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye Joh. 11.25.26 and our Saviour there giveth a very satisfactory reason The difference betwixt faith in Christ and in God the Father which is this I am the resurrection and the life therefore he that believeth on the Son hath life and shall have a resurrection unto lise Our Faith ought to be the same in the person of Christ as it is in God the Father onely with this difference that it must not be terminated in
Christ as the ultimate object of our Faith but only as he is the Mediator and great Dispenser of all things to us by a Power derived from the Father For this take that eminent place 1 Pet. 1.21 Who BY HIM that is Christ DO BELIEVE IN GOD that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God This I do but touch upon here it would require a large Treatise to speak unto it as the subject deserves viz how we are to direct our Faith and applications to Jesus Christ in a different manner then to God the Father but this is that which I am upon That in the general we are to six our Faith upon Christ as the great Dispenser of all good things unto us if we would have it of a right Gospel-strain nay if we expect to be justified by our faith for if God set up a Mediator a Dispenser of all his bentsits as Pharoah pardon the allusion set up Joseph and required that all men should go to him for what they wanted will he think you take it well that you should take no notice of his Joseph his dearly beloved and onely begotten Son But come to himself immediately dare you do it Can you ever hope for acceptation in this way of addressing your selves to God Might you not justly fear that God will prove a consuming fire to you in in such approaches So much for the second general head in which our Faith is to respect Jesus Christ But 3dly there is something more requisite yet to be done by our Faith with respect to Christ than meerly to look upon him as the procuring-cause and the dispensing-cause of all our mercies if we would have it a right New-Testament-faith or a Justifying-Faith in the dayes of the Gospel our Faith must conform us unto Christ as a pattern and example Now there is a two-fold conformity unto Christ which our Faith effects one Proper the other Analogical that which is proper is to put us upon doing as he did to be as he was humble meek lowly c. Learn of me saith Christ these things and ye shall receive rest unto your souls Matth. 11.29 Phil. 25.6 Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who made himself of no reputation c. Looking unto Jesus who Heb. 12.2 But then there is an Analogical conformity which Faith effects and that is an answerableness to some things in Christ which it is not our duty to imitate in a proper sense as now to be conformable unto Christ in his death burial and resurrection these we cannot in a proper sense be conformable unto him in except we be hanged upon a cross till we are dead then laid in our graves then raised by the power of God c. Now these things are not our duty to go about to imitate properly but only in some resemblance and likeness Our Faith must bring us to the cross of Christ and teach us the crucisixion and mortification of our old man with the affections and lusts of it it must bring us to the grave of Christ and we must be there buryed with him Rom. 6.1.4 We are buried with him by baptism into death and by this death and burial we must reckon our selves to be dead unto sin ver 11. He that is dead is sreed from sin ver 7. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ver 2. Yea our Faith must earry us yet further beyond death and the grave into heaven it self we must rise with him into newness of life For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection Ver. 5. And as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life Ver. 4. And we must sit together with him in heavenly places in our affections at least If ye be riser with Christ seek these things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Set your assections on things above not on things on the earth for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.1 2 3. Faith in the dayes of the Gospel carries us to the example and pattern of Christ conforms us to it both in a proper and Analogical conformity so that we have something in us that bears some Analogy and likeness to every thing that is to be found in Christ But because this third respect wherein our saith eies Jesus Christ looks more like obedience then faith more like sanctification than that by which most expect justification and seeing this is not the proper place to shew how far obedience and holiness and good works have an influence upon Justification I shall not insist more upon this contenting my self with the two other respects in which faith eies Jesus Christ viz. As the procurer and dispencer of all good things unto us which none can with any fair pretence deny to be necessary to our faith as justifying in the days of the New-Covenant Now to quicken and so to end this Character viz. That so far as we leave out Christ we are Legal in the business of Justication I shall represent the Reader with the example of St. Paul which I have glanced at already who was once highly legal end afterwards as eminently evangelical and that in the daies of the Gospel And I should think Solomon himself was not a fitter person to give an account of the vanity of worldly comforts than St. Paul was to acquaint us with that vanity vexation of spirit that there is in pretended legal righteousness as also with that perfect satisfaction which the Evangelical righteousness brings into the soul and 't is from him indeed and from his Epistles no doubt indited by the Spirit of God that this whole discouse hath been raised He was as to his descent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Hebrew born of Hebrew parents both father and mother and of a special and beloved tribe and circumcised the eighth day exactly according to the Law for his profession of the strictest sect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in observation of the Law a Phaisee for his zeal in his profession it was exceeding great I prosited saies he Gal. 1.14 in the Jew's Religion above many my equals in mine own nation being more exceeding zealous of the traditions of my fathers And there was no greater argument of his being an high Legal list than this That he was a bitter persecutor of the way of the Gospel as he tells us in three several Epistles Gal. 2.13 Beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God and wasted it Phil. 3.6 concerning Zeal persecuting the Church 1 Tim. 1.13 You have his catalogue of privileges altogether Phil. 3.4 5 6 and there he makes a challenge to any Jew any Pharisee of them all to shew the same
unerring obedience faith was but a part of our duty which we owed to God under the first Covenant that is relying upon the power goodness and veracity of God and therefore where-ever faith comes to be our righteousness or our chief righteousness it argues that there is a great deficiency in the creature that is so to be justified and accordingly the Apostle often glances upon this that glorying is in this way excluded not by the law of works but by the law of faith Faith therefore cannot justifie by any natural excellency that it hath in it for though all the men in the world being now sinners and obnoxious to punishment by the law of their creation should resolve of their own accord to believe that there is so much goodness in God that he will not destroy the work of his own hands so depending upon his mercy and therefore they will endeavour to do all those things which they think may be pleasing and acceptable to him why all this faith and confidence attended with the most sincere obedience will not extort a Justification from Almighty God except it be in his good pleasure to justifie such believers and such obedient persons because they were all obnoxious to punishment for the breach of his law Faith therefore cannot justifie but by reason of divine ordination and constitution that hath passed upon it such as this The just shall live by faith and That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.9 and for this reason I suppose it is so often called Gods righteousness Rom. 10.3 because it was a righteousness not in its own nature as works were but a righteousness purely of divine appointment This is Mr John Goodwin's notion of it Pag. 34. of the Banner of Justification displayed God was pleased to decree or make this for a law which the Apostle calleth the law of faith Rom. 3.27 that faith or believing in him through Christ should interesse men in the benefit or blessing of the death and blood shed of Christ that is in that remission of sins which was purchased by his death And in this consideration faith justifieth viz. by virtue of the Soveraign authority of that most gracious Decree or Law of God wherein he hath said or decreed that it shall intitle men unto or inright them in part and fellowship of that benefit of the death of Christ which consisteth in the forgiveness of sins or which comes much to the same as it is a qualification or condition ordained covenanted or appointed by God to bring upon those in whom it shall be found the great blessing of that pardon of sin which Christ hath obtained for men by his blood This is Mr Baxter's opinion too that is That saith justifies as it is made the chief condition of the N. Covenant Page 225 of his Aphorisms Thesis 57. It is the act of faith which justifieth men at age and not the habit yet NOT AS IT IS A GOOD WORK this is directly against Dr Moor's affirmation who faith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing else but to be approved as a good man or a doer of that which is righteous and good and that BECAUSE he doth that which is good and righteous methinks here is a Justification for good works purely and if faith comes in here to justifie it doth it only as it is a good work Mr Baxter is of another minde viz. That faith doth not justifie only under that quaâ—enus or reduplication AS a good work Faith saith Mr Baxter in the Thesis quoted doth not justlfie AS it is a good work or as it hath in it self any excellency above other graces But in the NEAREST SENSE DIRECTLY AND PROPERLY as it is the fulfilling the condition of the New Covenant c. But now though I have affirmed that it doth not justifie purely from its own nature Though faith doth not justisie purely from it's own nature yet it hath a great excellency in it self which might somewhat recommend it to this service but chiefly from the ordination of God and that it could not have justified without this ordination yet I shall adde that it had in its own nature a great fitness to be chosen of God for this eminent service to justifie men by It was the fittest medium that we can imagine when the first natural way of works failed to promote the honour of God and the good of the creature in Justification which consideration commends highly the wisdom of God in setting it apart for this use as the chief condition of our Justification To evince the truth of this let us consider a little the natural excellencyes that there are in faith And first of all faith takes in all spiritual objects 1 Excellency of Faith and represents them to the soul so that all other graces are beholden to faith for their objects Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen hope could not be if faith did not give a real and evident being and subsistence to the things that we hope for as also to all other the invisible and unseen things which a Christian a Saint as such converseth with and lives upon Again ver 6. of that chap. 11. Without faith 't is impossible to please God For he that comes unto God must believe that he is Now it is by faith that we believe and know that God is ver 27. by faith Moses forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible by faith Moses saw him that is invisible I will acknowledge that reason may finde out that there is a God but if a mans wayes please God his reason delivers over this observation to his faith which is an higher thing an higher principle in the soul then reason though it never contradicts true reason yet it is somewhat above meer reason * If any one here will say that faith in such a case as the belief that there is a God is much the same with reason or a rational conviction of the truth of such a Proposition I will not much contend only because here the divine Penman sayes it is by saith we believe there is a God and his assertion must have a truth in it we may distinguish Reason Faith thus That Faith is a more particular faculty or habit of divine principles such as respect God and Religion but Reason is a more general faculty conversant about all objects whatsoever and this consideration must come in That meer Reason only makes one a man but Faith makes a man a Saint and therefore this Faith must have a divine afflatus and spirit in it beyond meer reason It is by faith that we believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him And these two
transgressions of the Law Now therefore what remains but this that if Jesus will save his people from their sins if he will deliver the Law 's Captives he must make satisfaction to the Law The Law was such a thing as must not be dealt with in a way of violence 't is true when our Saviour came to redeem us from the power of Satan he did that by an holy violence he fought with all the powers of hell upon his Cross and conquered them by force of arms as I may speak and triumphed over them in himself or in his Cross but now the Law must be taken off in a more honourable way for the Law had an authority in it the Law was nothing but the will of God revealed for mans life with a reward and threatnings annexed so that the great God himself stood up in vindication of his own Law that if the Prisoners of it were rescued it must be upon such terms as these which appear what they were by the event That he that is the Saviour of the Law 's Captives must first be made under the Law himself The terms upon which the Law 's captives be delivered God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law And secondly That he must pass thorough a legal Justification himself before he can take others off from the Laws condemnation for being made under it the Law must either justifie him or condemne him which latter it did not for any personal breach that he made of it therefore it must and did acquit him But then for us who were under the curse of the Law if he will deliver us from it he must be made a curse Gal. 3.13 if he will save us from our sins which were invigorated by the Law with a sentence of condemnation all the strength of sin for condemnation being in the Law he himself must be made sin that is as much as an immaculate Lamb could be viz. a sin-offering 2 Cor. 5.21 he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him that is that we might be made righteous by Gods accepting Gospel conditions instead of legal for our Justification If Christ will redeem us from the wrath of the Law which is the wrath of God the Law worketh wrath Rom. 4 15. truely he must come under that wrath so farr as it was possible for such an innocent person to be under it and we know that he was under as horrible a desertion as ever any that trusted in God was under and that at such a time when he needed the greatest supports even when he hung upon the Cross crying My God My God words of an high saith why hast thou forsaken mee words expressing a most dreadfull desertion Math. 27 46. Not to mention his agony in the Garden which was but a fore-taste of that Cup which he was afterwards to drink off And methinks there is an eminent place for this in Zech. chap. 13. ver 7. saith the Lord there as it were stirring up his wrath against Christ Awake O Sword against my Shepherd and against the man that is my Fellow saith the Lord of Hosts As much as to say there is a man upon earth that is my Fellow and he hath undertaken to rescue the Law 's Captives to redeem them from under the Law Curse and Wrath now awake my Sword against him Here the great God the Lord of Hosts doth as it were set himself in battel array against Christ but what doth Christ now Doth he make resistance doth he redeem his Captives from the Law by forceâ— No though he were equal with God though he were God's Fellow as here the Lord calls him yet he made it not a prey or a robbery to be equal with God so as to hold it fast and stand it out but gave way he knew what he had undertaken to redeem Captives indeed but it was from under the Law the righteous and holy and pure law of God and this must not be violated this must not be resisted He had to do with his Father and there must be no resisting him The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it John 18.11 Though he were God's Fellow though he were equal to God as it is Phil. 2.6 7 8. Yet he made himself of no reputation he laid aside his equality took upon him the form of a Servant and humâ—â—ed himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross And this was the utmost that the Law could do to him here the Law ended it's rage the Law brought Christ to the Cross and when he ascended the Cross he bare our sins in his own body 1 Pet. 2.24 and being as yet under the Law for the Law pressed him with our sins he carried up the Law as Sampson did the gates of the City upon his shoulders Judges 16.3 he carried up the Law upon the Cross he nailed the Law to the Cross both Moral and Ceremonial as to all it's condemning power as to all that wherein it was a gainst us wherein it was contrary unto us he answerit fully cancelled it and left it behinde him upon the Cross to this very day Christ came down again but the Law could never come down since Col 2.14 Blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was AGAINST US THAT WAS CONTRARY UNTO US and took it out of the way â—ailing it to his Cross Now this was the manner of Christ's enervating the Law and leaving it without strength or obligation upon us to punishment as the expression is Rom 76. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law is made of no strength against us so it might be rendred though the Translation is this we are delivered fram the Law the Law can hold us captives no longer it is made a weak and a vain thing to us having spent all it's rage fury upon Christ for the Law could do no more then it did upon Christ what can the Law do more to a debtor nay to any malefactor then arrest him bring him to trial and execution and all this the Law did upon Christ as our surety and so left no strength or vigour in it self against those whose Surety he was The Law when it fell upon us it left us without strength Rom. 5.6 When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly but when Christ comes to deal with the Law he leaves the Law without strength nay though he offered no affront or violence to the Law yet he left it for dead as it is Rom. 7 6. Now we are delivered from the Law THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD The Law that fell upon us when we were weak was taken by the Captain of our salvation and left for dead nay he made it suffer the same death that it put him to The Law nailed Christ to
God a Sacrifice for our sins give his life a ransome c. and though the Father loved him all the while as I cannot admit that the Father was really angry with Christ or that he tasted the Fathers wrath for God could never be angry with one that never displeased him yet undertaking such a load as our sins the Father would deal with him much like as with a sinner leave him to men and devils upon the Cross and with-draw the light of his countenance which forced those sad out-cryes upon the Cross Now upon condition of Christ's performing this great service which was as I verily believe the chiefest designe of his coming into the world for this cause came I to this hour John 12.27 though there were divers other great designes of his coming I say upon condition of performing this great service the great God of heaven would reckon that his word of threatning was fulfilled and the holiness of his Law satisfied in this eminent signification of his displeasure against sin shewn upon his own Son whom he would not spare when he had taken our sins upon him and for ever after would grant this new and living way of Justification unto the world THAT WHOSOEVER SHOULD BELIEVE AND OBEY SINCEREEY should be justified and saved and that for all such they should be no longer under the Law for their Justification but under Grace And I can understand no other sense of the Law 's being dead and Grace it's reigning through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ I shall only need to minde one thing before I go off from this particular The subjects of the great Priviledge of freedom from the Law and that is the subjects of this priviledge of freedom from the Law And they are only so many as put themselves upon the way of believing for Justification all others are really under the Law still When we were in the flesh the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members c. Rom. 7.5 All that are in the flesh are under the Law still But now saith the Apostle we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held The Law was alive before to their conscience whilest they were in the flesh and out of Christ but now the Law was become dead to them which plainly argues that the Law is dead or alive to men in the condemning power of it according to the state that a man is in either of sin or holiness So Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace plainly implying that if they were under the Law sin would have dominion over them an also that if sin had dominion over them it were a plain signe that they were under the law This being a great truth in this matter That all that are not serving God in the way of faith are under the law for that the law is the natural way which a man is born under and the way of faith and grace a superadded dispensation upon consideration of the death of Christ for all those that should believe and obey sincerely therefore till they get into the way of believing they must be in that state which men are naturally born under that is under the law I shall conclude this particular with a passage about Dr Preston I have heard it affirmed by one that was contemporary with Dr Preston in Cambridge a person of credit and worth that he heard him preach to this purpose That Christ dyed to make this Proposition true that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH SHALL BE SAVED Now this I suppose is full to the purpose for proof of what I am upon That Christ dyed to buy a people off from the law that they might be justified by faith he dyed to buy those off from the law that should prove believers as for all others he leaves them to the law still For Christ did not dye to get the law annihilated or made utterly void Do we make void the law God forbid saith the Apostle Rom. 3.31 but he laid down his life for HIS SHEEP and to save HIS PEOPLE from their sins he bought them off from the law such as St Paul I through the law am dead to the law but not for wicked men that is such as continue so they shall finde the law alive to them and full charged with wrath against them it being nothing else but the holy will of the great God unto which all his creatures owe an exact conformity Now by what hath been said I suppose is plainly and fully proved that which I made my first assertion viz. That Christ Jesus in his own person here upon earth underlook and answered the law for all believers so that they may be justified for any accusation that the law hath to charge them with and thus they come under grace and into this easier and sweeter way of Justification in a comly manner the law being honourably taken off So that now God may be just that is mercifull saith Dr Hammond upon the place and the justifier of every one that believes in Jesus Rom. 3 24 25 26. He may now justifie the ungodly Rom. 4.5 which by the law if that had not been taken off by Christ he could not I think have done Methinks what I have said should be a clear proof of this assertion seeing I have not only proved that it is so but shewn out of the Scripture the very manner how the law was taken off All that I can apprehend to remain any whit doubtful or questionable is this How doth it appear that what Christ did in suffering under the law being under the curse c. did reach to the times that were before Christ's coming into the world it may be easily conceived how it makes clear way for our Justification by faith who have lived since his death for if he bare our sins the law will not charge them upon us if he dyed for us or in our stead we are not by the law to die if Christ were sacrificed for us as our Passover we need not fear if we have the Gospel-conditions of Covenant-relation to God in Christ but the destroying law will pass over us see how the word Passover comes from passing over Exod. 12.21 23 27. But how doth it appear that this death of Christ had this influence upon the times of the Old Testament to bring in the way of Justification by faith to them for that you have asserted that the way of Justification by faith hath been in all ages both before the law and under the law as well as now in the dayes of the Gospel and that none was ever justified in any other way Now how were they taken off from the law and brought under Justification by faith or how doth it appear that the death of Christ was the foundation of this way of Justification by faith even to them And unto the
assoiling of this difficulty I shall now address my self that is to the proof of my second assertion which was this What was done by Christ viz. 2 Assertion his undertaking and answering the law was done for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been the only way of Justification in all ages And for proof of this I offer these things to consideration 1. The Saines in all ages before the death of Christ had this way of Grace then as well as we have it now that I have proved at large in the beginning of this Treatise therefore whence had it they but from this death of Christ which was certainly to follow at a prefixt time If it be said they had their way of Grace purely from the goodness of God I oppose 1. That if so many thousands vvere saved before by meer grace vvithout the consideration of a Saviour vvhy had not the Lord continued the same grace unto the end of the vvorld vvhich we see he hath not continued Why are the vouchsafements of Gods Grace in pardon of two such quite different kinds so as to save his people for 4000. years without a Saviour and the rest by a Saviour Nay to save them without a Saviour whom yet he had by multitudes of Promises Prophesies and Prefigurations made to hope for a Saviour 2dly If the Lord could in a consistency with his veracity in threatning death to sin pardon sin without either the sinners death or his sureties and that the law would be so well enough contented and satisfied why would the Lord put our Saviour to so much trouble in suffering a death which he might as well have escaped and which he so earnestly desired if it were possible that he might escape and all this to take off the Law from being our Head and Husband 3dly It is said expresly That the Covenant was confirmed to Abraham of God in Christ Gal. 3.17 which methinks must necessarily imply thus much that the consideration of Christ went into the confirmation of this Covenant whether Abraham or any of the Saints under the Old-Testament knew it or no as it is plain Abraham did He rejoiced to see my day and saw it and was glad John 8.56 Now this Covenant with Abraham is that which the Apostle doth mightily insist upon to prove Justification by Faith to be antecedent to the giving of the Law and therefore not to be nulled by the coming of the Law and yet this Covenant was confirmed of God in Christ that is as I think was sounded upon this consideration that Christ should aftervvards come into the World and pay that price vvhich God vvould accept for the redemption of all believers * 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4. All the Fathers did drink of the some spiritual drink for the drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that rock was Christ Again 4thly Christ is said to be the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the World Rev. 13.8 vvhich to me signifies thus much that though he vvere not actually slain yet he vvas reckoned by God as slain then and so God vvas attoned for all the Saints of all ages ensuing or to follovv the other reading of the Words in Rev. 13.8 so that from the foundation of the world should refer to the vvriting the Saints Names in the Lamb's Book of Life and not to the Lamb 's being slain this vvill make more for my purpose for if they that vvere elected from the foundation of the World vvere all enrolled in the Lambs Book of life hovv should this come to pass but because they were all to be redeemed to God by the Lambs blood And if this opinion of personal Election be true that Scripture vvould serve to countenance this interpretation vvhich vve have Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him that is Christ before the foundation of the world ver 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ c. And methinks Mr. Biddle who in a late Book of his which he calls An Essay to the explaining of the Revelations pag. 64. lays so much weight upon this passage in Rev. 13.8 for proof of personal Election as to say That this alone in his judgement seemeth sufficient to decide the so much agitated Controversie about Predestination might very well have gone one step further in his alteration of his mind by acknowledging the reason why all the Elect should be said to be written in the Lamb's Book of life to be this namely Because he was to pay the price of their Redemption as the most proper and pleasing Sacrifice for sins that ever was offered up to God But to proceed as Christ was slain in Divine designation and acceptation from the beginning of the world for I shall take liberty to follow that reading so when he came into the world to be slain actually it is said to be in the fulness of time Gal. 4 4 5. WHEN THE FULNESS OF TIME was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law c. Time went with this great birth of the Saviour of the World near 4000. years and then it was time Christ should be sent into the world to pay that debt which through the forbearance of God had been contracting for so long a space of time But 5thly for a pertinent and concluding Scripture-proof I shall insist a little upon Heb. 9.24 25. 26. For Christ is not entred into the holy place made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self there to appear in the presence of God for us Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the High-Priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others for then must he often have suffered SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD but now ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD hath he appeared to put away fins by the sacrifice of himself Here are several differences which the Author of this Epistle observes betwixt Christ out High-Priest the High-Priest under the law who was the most eminent type of Christ The High-Priest under the law entred into the holy places made with hands ours into heaven it self The High-Priest under the law entred into the holy place often that is though but once in the year yet every year once which is often in many years ours but once in all Again the High-Priest entred with the blood of others ours by his own blood or the sacrifice of himself But yet herein there is a correspondence between our High-Priest and the legal High-Priest that as theirs went into the holy of Holies once in the end of the year for to make reconciliation for the sins of the year past so our High-Priest entred into Heaven with his own blood ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD to make attonement for
the sins of the ages past I think there is this allusion in the words once in the end of the world for that the High-Priest offered but once in the year ver 7 of this chap. ours once in all and their once was in the end of the year nay about the same distance of time from the years end as our Saviour from the worlds end as is to be seen Lev. 16.29 it was in the seventh moneth seven bearing the same proportion to 12 or very near it that 4 doth to 7. taking it for granted that the world should last but about 7000 years therefore I would infer this allusion to be in the words that as theirs want c. Besides there is that in this Scripture which will enforce this Analogy of the end of the year to the fore-past year and the end of the world to the fore-past ages and it is this That if our Saviour through the excellency of his person and offering had not had this high honor from God that his once offering should serve instead of offering a hundred times over which the Priests under the law were fain to do and yet could never hereby purge away sin as to the Conscience I say if this once offering of our Saviour had not bin so highly acceptable to God as it was he must as the High-Priests did offer often have suffered often since the foundation of the world if he would have obtained pardon of sins for those for whom he obtained it he must have come into the World and suffered once a year or once in an age or else at the end of some certain term of years prefixed to him by his Father This is the argumentation of the holy Pen-man of the Epistle to the Heb. ch 9 25. * Dr Hammond in his Par. upon these words For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world hath it thus For then he should from time to time ever since the BEGINNING the world have dyed many times Now upon what ground doth this argumentation proceed other then this That when he suffered and offered himself it was as a propitiation to God for the sins of all the ages since the Foundation of the World For else whence would it follow at all though our Saviour should have been ranked by his Father amongst the common High-Priests his offering of himself no more accepted for pardon than their offering the blood of Buls Goats was I say whence would it follow that he must have offered himself often since the foundation of the World which certainly respects the ages past if he was not at all to make attonement for the sins of those past ages The Author of that Epistle would rather have said if he had not gone upon this supposition that Christ offered for the sins of the ages past before his suffering but had onely thought that he offered for the ages to come after his suffering I say he would rather have expressed himself thus If out High-Priest Jesus Christ had not been accepted for us under the Gospel more highly than the legal High-Priests were for their people under the law he must often offer as they did SINCE his first offering he must come and suffer death once in the year and then be raised to offer himself to God or at least once in an age or some set-period of time and this he must do to the end of the World he would never have expressed himself thus then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world But whereas now the Apostle looâ—ing upon the world as it were at an end or drawing towards its end for suppose the World last 70 oâ— years yet after 4000. years the Skale of Time is turned and Time in its declining he speaks of the world and the continuance of it as you would do of a year and the continuance of it faith he as the High Priest amongst the Jews did enter into the Holy of Holies once in the end of the year for to make an atonement for the sins of the year past so hath our Saviour once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Again for I have somewhat yet further which this phrase now once in the end of the world will afford us and that is this That indeed though it be true and I think I have sufficiently proved it above that this death offering of Christ frees US from sin that live after it as well as THOSE that went afore it yet I verily believe that his death hath a more obvious respect to them that lived in the ages before he suffered than to us who came into the world after he suffered though it hath indeed an influence upon us too and the reason is this for that the use of a Sacrifice is to make atonement for sin after it is committed When did you ever read of a Sacrifice for sins slain and offered before the sin was committed The Sacrifices that should be made thus would rather look like a bribing the Deity to get liberty to sin then to make atonement for sin Therefore all the particular Sacrifices that were appointed they were appointed to be used after the legal uncleanness was contracted and accordingly the High Priest that went but once into the Holy of Holyes it was at the end of the year not at the beginning of the year And thus our Saviour being to take away the sins of the world John 1.29 he came once in the end of the world to take away sin so that his appearing thus in the end of the world seems more plainly to respect the ages past than the ages which were to come and I verily believe if Christ had dyed only for the sins of those ages that have been since his death or shall be yet to the end of the world he would have forborn his death till the end of the world or the times that were near it from this very reason of decency That it is not proper to offer Sacrifice for sin till the sin be committed it rather looks like the dispensation to sin than making atonement for sin But now that Christ was to dye for the sins of all the Saints in all ages before him and that he stayed till the fulness of time even till the declining of time towards its end there being so many transgressions already committed that were to be removed out of the way it was no uncomely thing at all that our Saviour should come and die and offer himself to God when he did though the value of the same Sacrifice was to reach all ages after to the world's end and that especially for that there were many other ends of his coming besides the offering himself thus to God he was to take upon him the Mediatorial Kingdome Several other ends of Christs coming besides offering himself a Sacrifice for sin to set up a
spiritual Worship of God by pulling down all the Jewish Ceremonies making Jew and Gentile one and revealing all the mysteries that were concealed in Moses his dispensation nay his very Sacrifice is one of the greatest Mysteries of all by which we are informed of God's performing his threatnings that the threatnings of heaven are not as claps of thunder without a thunder-bolt in them we see God's hatred of sin punishing it so severely in his own Son we see God's love to the world that he would give his Son for the life of it though he gave him up to the death we have in his life a pattern of perfect holiness which is more than all precepts alone and we see in our Saviour an instance of the Resurrection heavenly glory all these things have been of mighty instruction to the Saints of all ages since the death of Christ If this phrase the end of the world should be understood of the end of the Iewish state this will not at all prejudice my ieference from it that Christs death had respect unto the ages before his coming but rather strengthen it will be to all Saints unto the end of the world and therefore I say these other great ends of his coming being considered there is no undecency at all in his coming so early in the end of the world and offering a Sacrifice that should serve for many ages that were then to come It was at the end of the world that he came and therefore might very well serve for those fewer succeeding ages though it had the first respect unto the ages going before In the sixth and last place I shall bring plain Scripture to prove that Christ dyed for the Saints of the ages that were past before his death There are two Scriptures that speak to this purpose the first that I shall name is in that 9th of the Hebrews the chapter out of which I have been arguing ver 15. And for this cause he speaking of Christ is the Mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament they which are called c. Here it is said that Christ by the means of his death redeemed or expiated the transgressions that were under the First Testament therefore he dyed for the fins of those that lived under the Old Testament But I shall deal so faithfully with my Reader as to acquaint him with another interpretation which is not contemptible that others give of these words and that is this That our Saviour Christ the Mediator of the New Testament or Covenant by his most excellent Offering redeemed and expiated those sins which could not be expiated by any Sacrifices that were appointed under the First Covenant according to that in Acts 13.39 By him speaking of Christ all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses There being in Moses no Sacrifices for adulteries thefts murthers c. whereas in the Christian Religion there is pardon for all sorts of sinners by means of the death of Christ if they have but the Gospel-conditions of pardon So that this interpretation makes the place to speak of the kindes of sins and not of the individual or particular sins which were committed under the first Covenant that Christ by the means of his death hath made redemption of those kinde of fins which there was no redemption for under the first Covenant But I have something to ask of those that make this interpretation yet taking it for passable and it is this I would fain know if any of those sins were pardoned under the Old Testament which here are said to be redeemed by Christ for his followers if they say they were not then all that committed any such kinde of sins were damned for ever which was untrue witness David and Manasseh if they were pardoned as they were then either they were expiated by some Sacrifice or they were not if those that own this interpretation say they were not expiated by some Sacrifice and yet pardoned I oppose not to mention that great argument again That they could not be pardoned without expiation in any consistency with the veracity of God in his threatning this seems a strange rarity in the dealings of God with us that under the New Testament no sin is pardoned but what is expiated by the death of Christ and yet under the Old Testament which was certainly a dispensation more severe than ours there the greatest sins should be pardoned without the intervention of any Sacrifice nay what a strange thing was it in their very dispensation that legal uncleannesses such as Leprosie and Issues c. must be purged by sacrifice See Lev. 14 15. chapters yet the greatest sins of all should be pardoned without a sacrifice if therefore those great sins of Murther Adultery Witchcraft Idolatry c. were pardoned by expiation it must be by this death of Christ to ensue in the end of the world for there was no sacrifice so much as appointed for these sins those that were appointed could never reach to the purging and cleansing of the conscience they only purged the flesh from a fleshly uncleanness Heb 9.13 the blood of Christ alone hitherto hath had a virtue in it to cleanse the conscience therefore I conclude that the blood of Christ made expiation even for those individual sins for which there was no expiatory sacrifice appointed under the Old Testament But to let pass that Scripture what will be said to that in Rom. 3.25 26. where we have these words Whom speaking of Christ God hath set forth or fore-ordained as it is in the margin to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST through the forbearance of God to declare I say AT THIS TIME his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Now I suppose there may be this sense contained in these words That God in the dayes of the Gospel hath set forth clearly what that is by which he was alwayes propitiated and atoned for sins even those sins that were fore-past and fore-committed in the dayes of his forbearance and long-suffering that is the darker times of the world which times we have otherwise expressed in Acts 17.30 to be the dayes of ignorance which God winked at they were the dayes of God's forbearance it was and is the blood of Christ by which God alone alwaies was and still is propitiated for sins only then it was not so well known but now God hath declared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Acts it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the forepast sins the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as these that are committed under the Gospel were all redeemed and expiated by the blood of Christ As for any other sense that is given of
of the Gospel and to mention but one place more Rom. 14.23 Whatsoever is not of faith is sin This notion of faith viz. dogmatical faith where the word faith signifies an act is the most common notion of faith in the New Testament that is as the former part of the verse he that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith carrieth it whatsoever a man doth without a sound perswasion in his minde that it is lawfull to do it he sinneth in that action This is the first notion therefore of faith namely the assent to any Proposition though more accurately the assent to a testimony but yet you see the Scripture-notion of faith is somewhat larger than that of the Schools namely the perswasion of or assent unto the truth of a Proposition First therefore if thou wilt be rich in faith be thou rich in truth in thy assent unto truths that is truths in Religion for though it be faith to believe there is such a place as Rome or Constantinople yet my designe confines me here to truths in Religion Be thou rich therefore in assent to divine truths and that whether they be clear by the light of nature or revelation for assent to truths that are clear even by the light of Nature is called Faith by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews Heb. 11.6 where to believe that God is which certainly is clear by the light of Nature is called Faith as I have shewn above pag. 291. I say be rich in thy assent unto all truths as near as thou canst whether they be clear by the light of Nature or only by Revelation Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisedom Col. 3.16 So Christ shall dwell in your hearts by faith for according to thy light and knowledge and assent unto truths so will be thy heart affections and conversation he that hath a large light may have a large heart whereas those that have but a narrow light and a scanty knowledge can have but a lower and a more limited sphear and compass to act in for God And if it happen as often it doth that they that know little yet do more than many that know a great deal this comes not from any advantage of the honest man's ignorance but from the folly and carelesness of those persons that are knowing and their want of firm assent to the notions of truth which float in their brains I am but a little carefull here of distinguishing betwixt Knowledge Assent being confined with in the narrow limits of an Use Enlarge thy minde with knowledge and thou gettest a larger field of action and service than otherwise thou canst possibly have for thou must first know thy duty before thou canst do it rightly for he that doth the best actions in the world not knowing that they are good pleaseth neither God nor man they are only the actions of the man they are not humane or manly actions as the Schools distinguish Yea though thou dost a good action yet if thou doubtest whether it be good or no thou sinnest in doing this good action because whatsoever is not of faith is sin For this largeness of faith by assent see that last character where I shew how we should endeavour to know much of Christ 2. But then withall take this advice too in thy faith of assent do not only endeavour to get a true light and perswasion of the truth and goodness of things or actions but get it as firmly rooted and as clear as ever thou canst this will be a mighty advantage to thee for if thou hast only a glimmering light a little cloud will soon darken it if thou gettest but a faint perswasion a small objection will quickly turn it into doubting therefore get thy faith firmly built that thou maist be firm and stable in thy faith and perswasion Be not like children tossed to and fro with every winde of doctrine Eph. 4.14 Be not children in understanding in malice be ye children but in understanding be ye men 1 Cor. 14.20 I think we have sufficient experience in these times of of the sore evil of a weak perswasion about matters of Religion by the running up and down of so many from one party to another till at last they have made shipwrack of their faith that is saith doctrinal as well as of their consciences 1 Tim. 1.19 3ly As to this part of faith which lyes in assent as we ought to endeavour that it be large and strong so we must especially be wary that we fail not in our assent and that a firm assent to those truths that are most important Though it were to be wished yet it cannot be expected that all Saints should be so well acquainted with all truths even those of less weight as it may be justly expected their guid◠should be yet all must look to it that they be well establisht in foundation-truths such as the Death of Christ and his Expiation of sins the Resurrection of the body and the last Judgment we must be sure to continue in this faith grounded and settled and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel Col. 1.23 Rooted and built up in him that is Christ and stablished in the faith as we have been taught that is Faith doctrinal especially in that great Foundation of Jesus Christ Col. 2.7 And truly I think there hath been no greater weakening of our faith in foundation-truths than the multiplying of Fundamentals for taking off that weight and stress which we should lay upon those few fundamentals of the Faith of Christ that are really so and laying it upon things non-funnamental must needs make us unsettled from the foundation So much for the first part of Faith which lyes in assent and the directions about it 2ly For that part of Faith which lyes in Affiance I need not quote many Scriptures to evince this notion of Faith I shall give but one or two John 14.1 Let not your heart be troubled yee believe in God believe also in mee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is a credere Deo which is to believe what the Lord sayes to be truth and a credere in Deum which is a resting and relying upon God committing all my cares and concernments to him He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life John 3.36 So that phrase of Scripture to cite no more places of faith in the blood of Christ Rom. 3.25 can be understood of no other than some kinde of affiance such as this that for that blood sake the Lord is ready to be propitious to me if I have the Gospel-conditions of Justification and in this sense namely of affiance I have generally taken faith throughout this Treatise and the reason is this For that this is the end of a dogmatical faith or a faith of assent and cannot be conceived without it as that may without this not that I think there can be