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A50243
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The righteousness of God through faith upon all without difference who believe in two sermons on Romans 3, 22 / by Nathaniel Mather ...
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Mather, Nathanael, 1631-1697.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing M1265; ESTC R6790
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55,229
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Counsels about them come to is this that they may be brought to the acknowledgment of the Son of God and he and his Father be Admired and Glorified by and in them Eph. 4.13 2 Thes 1.10 12. Rev. 5.11 12 13 14. For they were made for him Col. 1.16 Rev. 4.11 2. God hath ordained two more eminent ways for this end of bringing in a Revenue of Gl ry unto his Son in the salvation of his Elect viz. That he shall do all with God for them and that he shall be all from God unto them And hence as he had chosen them in Christ so he gave them unto Christ and that from Everlasting to be an Head and Saviour to them Joh. 17.2 6 9 10. and 6.37 39. And thence Christ stands engaged for them and charged with them before God Joh. 6.38 39 40. Joh. 10.16 And God beholding them in Christ is fully at rest and infinitely delighted and therefore speaks as glorying and triumphing in this counsel of his Psal 89.19 3. Though this was in the heart of God from Everlasting and thus consulted and agreed on between the Father and the Son y t God made mankind and among them the Elect in such an estate as that they needed not Christs so interposing between God and them nor indeed were they capable of it being constituted under another head and under another Covenant which had nothing in it of Christ and his Righteousness either to be brought in for them or to be apply'd to them And indeed it became God to put his rational Creature perfect out of his hand Eccles 7.29 Gen. 1.27 It was suitable to his Wisdom Holyness and Goodness that if he made a rational Creature he should be made sinless and holy and in a state of friendship with God For else sin would have been God's work which is impossible and the breach have begun on God's part which would not have been meet for then Mans destruction would not have been of himself nor could God have beheld the works of his hands and have pronounced concerning them all that they were very good nor could he have rested and rejoyced in them 4. All mankind even the Elect who are given to Christ as they were at first constituted under Adam so they as well as o hers fell in him and were plunged into ruine and death being involved in the guilt of his disobedience In him they sinned and in him they dyed though the Son of God had undertaken for them and stood charged with them from Eternity For his undertaking for them was not to keep them from falling into a state of Sin and Death but when fallen into it to bring them out of that Estate unto Eternal Life Neither was his being charged with them to operate upon them till the time appointed for it which was not till they should be plunged into Guilt and Death so as neither they themselves not any meer Creature could recover them out of that Estate and raise them up unto that happiness to which they were appointed This fall of the Elect into a state of Sin and Death and Wrath may possibly seem somewhat remote from the point in hand But it is not For hereby a Door is opened for the Son of God to step in and do all with God for them and be all unto them and that from God All I say that in this ruined perishing condition they need to bring them to that height of Happyness to which they were fore-ordained in the great Love of God to them and unto Christ his Son So that as Christ speaks of the blindness of him who was blind from the Womb Joh. 9.3 That it was that the works of God might be made manifest in him we may say of this fall of the Elect it was in the Counsel of God designed to this end that the depths of the Riches of the Knowledge and Wisdom and Grace and Power of God might be made manifest in them And as Christ speaks of Lazarus his sickness and dying Joh. 11.4 That it was not unto Death meaning it was not that he should abide in a state of Death so must we say of this falling of the Elect into a State of Spiritual Death in Sin and Trespasses it is not unto Death for ever but for the Glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified in recovering them 5. In order unto the recovery and Salvation of the Elect by Christ and his being glorified therein God hath in infinite wisdom ordained a double Vnion between Christ and them or two ways of their being in him The one that Christ may stand before God and transact for them with God in Redemption as a publick Person The other that he may be all to them from God wherein what he hath obtained and received for them comes to be unto them upon them and in them in the Application of that Redemption The one of these Unions between Christ and us I may call an Vnion in Law the other a Vital Vnion I confess the terms are not so apposite as I could wish But I know not any better and in that penury of words under which we labour we must sometimes take up with terms which are not altogether to our minds I call the one an V nion in Law because by it Christ and the Elect are after a sort made one Person in Law and he bears a relation to them so as that they are said to be in him in his reviving rising from the dead and sitting in Heavenly places Eph. 2.5 6. and that Grace which we in our own persons are in time made partakers of is said to have been given us in him before the World began 2 Tim. 1.9 The other I call a Vital Vnion because there is in it a mutual Living acting on each other between Christ and us Christ apprehends or lays hold on us Phil. 3.11 He draws us Joh. 12.32 and we being drawn do come to him and close in with him Both these Unions are Mystical that is Spiritual Sacred and Sublime both of them are of Grace free and meer Grace and therefore Supernatural and therefore of Supercreation Grace Both of them are for the Honour of Christ the Son of God and both of them make for insuring of Life unto all the Seed unto all that are given unto Christ unto all the Elect of God For these are but different adjuncts of the same subject Yet between these Unions there is a manifold and manifest difference The one was from everlasting 2 Tim. 1.9 the other in time Rom. 7.4 The one is of all the Elect at once and together the other is not so but brought about in the several seasons determined on between the Father and the Son namely when the day of their Power and the time of their Love dawns upon this and that particular Perfon for some are in Christ before others with that Vital Union Rom. 16.7 The one is compleated and perfected in
no less validly and effectually given and imputed to one than it is unto another 'T is true indeed there is a difference in the degree and measure wherein different Believers are made partakers of some of the Effects and Fruits of this righteousness yea there is a difference as to this in the same Believer at different times Sanctification and Comfort are the Effects of this righteousness and they are in different measures in different Believers and in the same Believer at different times But yet this righteousness it self is as much upon one Believer all Believers are equally justified or constituted righteous by it They that have been the greatest Sinners and are most guilty have it upon them through Faith and are as well and as much made righteous by it as lesser Sinners one who hath done evil innumerable times and whose days have been prolonged so that he is a sinner of an hundred years old hath it upon him through Faith and stands as righteous in it as an Infant of days doth All that believe are alike and equally justified Gospel-Justification admits not of any degrees that one should be more or less justified than another and therefore in this regard also there is no difference 3. This righteousness is upon all that believe in the same way viz. through Faith No more no other is required of one than of another that this righteousness may be upon him namely Faith true Faith though this true Faith may possibly be weaker in one stronger in another It is true indeed that on other accounts and for other ends and from other grounds some things may be required of some which are not required of others In some cases Restitution and in some cases Confession unto men even of secret Sins are required and insisted upon by God Levit. 6.5 Jam. 5.16 And in some Cases deeper Humiliation and greater breakings of Heart than in others are called for and requisite But this is rather for the evidencing to a Man 's own Conscience or unto others the sincerity and soundness of his own Faith and Repentance and so the assuring of that and clearing it up to them or to a mans self then that this righteousness of Christ may be upon him unto the Justification of Life If a Man have true Faith if he do truely believe this righteousness of Christ is upon him though he be possibly both weak in Faith and very defective in other graces of the Spirit and in new Obedience Nay all our New Obedience and all the graces of the Spirit comprized under that one word love are the effects and fruits of our being justified having this Righteousness upon us and not at all the means thereof It is a great and dangerous mistake to think that either our New Obedience or any other Grace but Faith hath any hand in this righteousnesses being upon us No it is through Faith and Faith only Vse This Doctrine shows you the reason and spring of that precious acceptance and sweet communion with God which Believers are admitted into and do injoy and also of their humble rejoycings and gloryings and triumphings before God notwithstanding their guiltiness and vileness in themselves by their many and great sinnings against him and notwithstanding their abasing Convictions and heart-wounding heart-breaking sense thereof They have sinned against God they are guilty before him as well as others for this is the Condition and State of all the World Rom 3.19 Every Mouth is stopped and can have nothing to speak against God when he judgeth and condemneth them for all the World is become guilty They are involved in the common Guilt and Misery and Ruine wherein all the Seed of Adam are plunged and they have that exceeding sinful sin dwelling in them which hath invaded all Adams posterity And moreover they have in their own Persons sinned against God some of them more than many others Yea they are all of them laid under Everlasting Convictions of it in their own Consciences which can never be blotted out that they are worthy of Eternal Death And some of them do with Paul 1 Tim. 1.15 walk up and down under such Convictions that they are amongst the very chief of Sinners and with David Psal 86.13 That they have deserved the very lowest Hell But yet nevertheless they have all of them precious acceptance with God all their sins are blotted out God remembers them no more for ever Heb. 8.12 Their trespasses are done away as if they had never been Isa 44.22 Jer. 50.20 and they do stand without fault before the Throne of God Rev. 14.5 The reason of this wonderful abounding of Grace towards them is this Righteousness of Christ is upon them Nay they are not only pardoned and pronounced righteous notwithstanding they have done so much and such vile things against God but they are also taken into special favour with him they are made the Friends and Favourites of the God of Heaven as their Father Abraham is styled by Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 20.7 and by God himself Ifa 41.8 and all Believers by Christ Cant. 5. 1. Joh. 15.14 15. yea which is somewhat higher they are made Sons and Daughters unto the Lord God Almighty 2 Cor. 6.18 Gal. 3.26 Joh 1.12 Psal 45.10 Heirs of God and of Glory Co-heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 Well may themselves be ravished with admiration and sweetest delight and call upon others to gaze and wonder at this love as the Apostle doth 1 Joh. 3.1 that ever they who were by Nature Heirs of Hell and Children of Wrath and of the Devil and who had by their sinful hateful doings made themselves manifold times more so should ever have such love bestowed upon them as to be the Sons of God But this gives the account of it they are made thus highly accepted in that Beloved whose righteousness is upon them Nor doth the Love and Favour of God rest here in having conferred such Priviledges and Dignities upon them but it goes on still so mighty is the Torrent of Love which is let out upon them it doth bring them into a living and near Communion with God Father Son and Holy Ghost 1 Joh. 1.3 2 Cor. 13 14. Though they were afar off yet they are made nigh Ephes 2.13 and they have boldness and access with confidence unto the Father Eph. 3.12 And God even the Father doth let out his heart-love and manifest it and himself unto them Joh. 14.21 22 23. Smiling upon their Souls making them to go into his House of Wine and there in a victorious and triumphant manner displaying over them his Love sometimes even to an overwhelming Cant. 2.4 5. Now if you ask whence is this and how comes it to pass that God deals with them in a way of such marvellous Grace this Doctrine tells you the righteousness of Christ is upon them Moreover The hearts of Believers are sometimes raised up unto and filled with enlarged rejoycings humble gloryings and triumphings and that before God