most excellent Arguments and Reasons why we should so do the greatest of which are taken from these words which are contained in the Text Because God so Loved us that he gave his Son for us unto Death and Christ so Loved us that he gave himself to Die for us therefore we ought to Love him and Serve him and Live to him who Died for us and Rose again and also to God the Father through him and with him Christ's Dying for us is such an Argument why we should be wholly his and wholly Love him and Live to him That it is our Duty so to do not only in point of Gratitude but in point of Justice and this both St. Paul and St. Peter did argue with them to whom they writ 1 Cor. 6.20 For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's And v. 19. Ye are not your own And 1 Pet. 1.18 For as much as ye know ye were not Redeemed with Corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vain Conversation received by Tradition from your Fathers but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot And 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bore our Sins in his own Body on the Tree that we being Dead to Sin should Live unto Righteousness by whose Strength ye are Healed The Love and Bounty of God in our Creation and Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life are arguments very convincing and perswading why we should Serve and Glorifie God and the consideration of his Glorious Greatness and Power in his Creating all things and Upholding them and of his most Wise and Just and Powerful Providence in the Government of the World obvious and apparent to the Eyes of all Mankind ought greatly to move all Men to Fear and Reverence him as well as to Love and Serve him to their utmost ability and knowledge But the Light of the Gospel wherewith God has been pleased to enlighten us Christians not only furnisheth to us all these Arguments taken from the Power Wisdom Goodness and Justice of God and other his Glorious Attributes that are clearly to be seen by his works of Creation and Providence obvious to Heathens both more clearly and abundantly out of the Holy Scriptures but with greater Arguments than these taken from the great work of our Redemption by Christ's Dying for us c. It moveth us to Love and Fear God and Live to him and to Christ who Died for us and is both his own and the Fathers Gift unto us most freely given for our Eternal Salvation But that the Argument taken from the Death of Christ may be the more effectual to perswade us to Live to him who Died for us let us Consider the excellent way of the Apostles Arguing here in the Text which he doth from the Extent of it Because said he we thus judge that if one Died for all then were all Dead There are some that say Christ Died not for all but for some to wit such only as shall be Converted from the beginning of the World to the end of it and by his Dying for all they say must be meant Genera Singulorum but not Singula Generum i. e. all kinds of Men Jews and Greeks Scythians and Barbarians Noble and Ignoble Bond and Free but not all individuals of Men. But this cannot be the meaning here otherwise the Apostles Argument would not be Convincing Because Christ Died for All therefore All were Dead The word All in the Proposition must have the same Signification with the word All in the Conclusion which is deduced from the Proposition otherwise St. Paul's Argument would not be Logical and sufficient Now the word All in the Conclusion signifies all Individuals of Mankind All are Dead in Adam Death both Spiritual and Temporal is come upon all Adam's Posterity by his Sin and Fall which the Apostle here proves from this That Christ Died for All for if All had not been Dead in Sin and Transgression as well as subject to Bodily Death Christ had not Died for All for it was not needful that he should Die for them who were not Dead It is a good Rule in Divinity That the words of Scripture ought to be understood in their proper and full Signification and Extent except some necessary Reason can be given to the contrary which cannot be given in this case But divers strong Reasons can be given why they should be understood as above mentioned By Christ's Dying for All an offer is made unto All to whom the Gospel is Preached to receive that high Dignity and Priviledge to which they are called and without this Universal Offer to All who have the Gospel Preach'd unto them a ground of Doubt would be laid whether this Love extends to us if it doth not extend to All as it is said in the 17th Article of the Church of England We must receive Gods Promises in such wise as they be generally set forth to us in Holy Scripture But to teach that Christ Died not for All is I think some hinderance for us to receive Gods Promises in such wise as they be generally set forth in Holy Scripture It is true all have not Salvation by Christs Death even to whom it is Preached but who have it not it is their own fault Nor are the Benefits of Christs Death equally extended to All. And tho' I believe according to the Holy Scripture That there is a Predestination to Life yet I no where find in Scripture that God by any absolute Decree hath made Salvation impossible to any part of Mankind for such an absolute Decree were utterly inconsistent with Christs Dying for all Men. The Decrees of God some are Absolute and some are Conditional I mean Conditional not Subjectively but Objectively i. e. Not that there are two Wills or Decrees in God the latter depending upon the former Conditionally but by one and the same Eternal Act of Gods Will and Purpose he hath Decreed such an order of Causes and Effects and of some things to follow after others Conditionally that will or will not come to pass as the Conditions do or do not goe before as Plowing and Sowing before Reaping Repentance and Faith before Remission of Sins and Eternal Salvation Thus having shown That the Death of Christ as having Died for All will be the more effectual to work upon us by the Grace of God to move us to Live to him who Died for us That we believe he Died for all and Consequently for us and that in Love to all Let me a little yet further set forth his Love to us that it may have its Influence upon us Greater Love hath no man than this said Christ that a man lay down his Life for his Friends John 15.13 But God commended his Love to us in giving his Son to Die for us who were Enemies Rom. 5.8 9 10. If you ask How
Christ in two distinct Natures but undivided and most Gloriously and Inseparably United for ever It was an Ancient Heresie most justly Condemned above Twelve hundred Years agoe by the Orthodox Fathers That Christ had but one Will from which they were call'd Monothelites i. e. such as did hold that Heresie That Christ had but one Will. They were also call'd Eutychians from Eutyches the Author of it They conceited that Christ's Manhood-Nature was transmuted or melted into his Godhead-Nature and consequently that the Will of his Manhood was transmuted or melted into the Will of his Godhead which is an abominable Error for the Transmutation of any one Created Substance into another Created Substance is impossible then surely as impossible is it that the Substance of Christs Manhood can be transmuted or changed into his Godhead It is to be fear'd that too many do not well Consider nor well and duly Meditate upon this two-fold Love of Christ so as to have their Thoughts fix'd upon it that it may have the greater influence upon them If ye rightly understand and consider and deeply ponder this two-fold Love of Christ the one where with he loves you as God and that love of his is one and the same in nature with the Father's Love and the other wherewith he Loves you as Man as he is now Glorified in Heaven in the true intire Glorified Nature of Man consisting of a Glorified Soul and Body the same for Substance he had on Earth tho' wonderfully changed in Manner and Qualities yet no ways changed in his Love towards Man but rather heightened and increased that will have a double force and influence upon you much greater than if ye should consider his Love singly either as he is God or as he is Man As they have not a right knowledge and belief of Christ who only believe that he is God and do not believe that he is Man also and will not allow that his Manhood having a created Soul and Body is any part of him whereof he consisteth as the intire Christ and Saviour Nor have others a right knowledge and belief of Christ who only believe that he is Man and not God also both such sorts of men have not the true Faith but Err greatly concerning the Faith and too many of both sorts are now in this Nation so they have not a right knowledge and belief of the Love of Christ who do not believe it in both respects above mentioned Thus then we are with true Faith Love and Devotion to consider our Lord Jesus Christ in his two-fold Nature as he is both God and Man and as each Nature acted its part in the work of our Redemption and that it behoved so to be that the Author of our Eternal Salvation should be both God and Man Had he not been Man he could not have died for us which the justice of Gods Law required that he who should be our Saviour should dye for us and undergo the Curse that was due to us for our Sins as accordingly he did and had he not been God his Death and Sufferings had not been of that Merit and Value before his Father for our Reconciliation and Eternal Salvation But yet more particularly I think to lay before you how and after what manner the Death and Sufferings of Christ and also how and after what manner the Love of Christ are the effectual means whereby he bringeth true Believers to this high Dignity and Priviledge and High and Holy and Heavenly Calling not to live unto themselves but unto Him who Died for them and Rose again His Death and Resurrection are only exprest in the Text but by a Synecdoche of the part put for the whole his whole Active and Passive Obedience is understood from his Descent and Conception in the Virgins Womb to his Ascension and Glorification in the Heavens But his Death being a principal part that is it which here and elsewhere is most frequently mentioned in Scripture First The Death of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was an effectual means to advance us to this high Dignity above mentioned that it was a perfect Attonement for us wherein he made a full and plenary satisfaction to Divine Justice for our Sins and did purchase and procure by way of Merit our Reconciliation with God Having made Peace through the Blood of his Cross and having Reconciled us in his Body of Flesh through Death to present us Holy and Vnblamable and Vnreproveable in his sight Col. 1.20 21. And by the Merit of his Death having obtained the Remission and Pardon of our Sins for he dyed in our stead the Just suffering for the Unjust and being our Surety he paid our Debt and became a Curse for us But this is not so to be understood that any are actually Pardoned Justified or Reconciled unto God before that Faith and Repentance and a real work of Conversion is wrought in them but the Pardon was then purchased for all tho' it is not given unto any until they be actually Converted and sincere Faith and Repentance is wrought in them Secondly That the Merit of our Saviours Death and shedding of his precious Blood did procure and purchase to us the Holy Spirit with the saving and sanctifying Graces thereof by which he applieth to us the vertue and efficacy of the same for our Conversion Regeneration Justification and Eternal Salvation Now it was necessary that what Christ Did and Suffered for us should be done in Love as accordingly it was done in the highest Love both to God and also to us As it was this his exceeding great and high Love that made it so acceptable unto the Father so it is the same that doth most effectually work upon our Hearts and Souls to Love him and to Live unto him who Died for us and Rose again That the Apostle adds to Christ's Dying his Rising again doth Instruct us That his Resurection was as necessary as his Death If Christ had Died and had not Rose again from the Dead he could not have been our Saviour He was delivered for our Offences and Rose again for our Justification He behoved to overcome Death by rising from the Dead and not only by his Rising but by his Ascending to the Father he gave full evidence that what he Did and Suffered for the Sons of Men was fully accepted by his Father and that he was a Sacrifice of a sweet smell unto God But what ever Vertue Merit or Efficacy Christ's Death and the Love which moved him to dye for us hath before God in order to procure or purchase our Reconciliation with God Pardon and Justification and the Grace of Sanctification yet it hath not that influence upon us or any to cause us to live to him and to God through him but as his Death and Sufferings and Love which moved him to dye for us are made known to us In the time of our Ignorance of this great Mystery how God so
loved us that he gave his only Begotten for us the Word to be made Flesh and God manifest in the flesh and how Christ so loved us that he gave himself for us who as he was the Father's Gift was also his own Gift to us he gave himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity Before this Love and the great effects of it upon our blessed Lord were made known to us we felt not that influence of it upon our Hearts to move us to live to him but while we were ignorant of those things we lived to our selves and to the World Life and Immortality was to be brought to the Light of our Knowledge the Kindness and Love of God our Saviour was first to appear to us and come to our knowledge before we could be gained upon to Love him and to Live to him who Died for us and Rose again But the next thing that is to be Enquired and Resolved is How this great Mystery of Christ's Death and his great Love that moved him to lay down his Life for us is made known to us This Question I shall Answer in the following Particulars First Christ's Death and Love wherewith he so Loved us that he died for us is made known to us by the Doctrine of the Gospel more especially as it is Preach'd to us and also as we Read or hear it Read to us out of the Holy Scriptures Life and Immortality is brought to light by the Gospel 2. Tim. 1.10 The Mystery which was hid in God before the World began came to be gradually reveal'd after Adam's fall first more obscurely and implicitly but afterwards more clearly and explicitly by the Scriptures of the Old Testament Rom. 16.26 And Lastly most clearly and explicitly by the whole Scriptures both of the Old and New Testaments all which are given by Divine Inspiration and are able to make us Wise unto Salvation through Faith in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Both consisting in excellent Harmony and the New Testament being both a Fulfilling and Exposition of the Old Testament The great design of the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament is to set forth the great Love of God to Men in giving his Son for their Salvation and also the great Love of Christ who gave himself for the same The way and manner how it is accomplished how this Love is the Love of the whole Trinity and how each Person is concerned in the work of our Salvation jointly and severally and of the Duty that Men owe to God for that great Love and to Christ considered not as God only but as God Incarnate i. e. as both God and Man having two Natures as above mentioned but one Person one intire Jesus Christ our Saviour This commends to us the Holy Scriptures Incomparably above all Writings of Men above all Writings and Books of the greatest Natural and Moral Philosophers whether Greeks or Romans or of whatever other Nations whatever true things they Taught or Writ either from true Reason or common Illumination assisting and strengthening their Reason that might be and were useful to Mankind yet they fell short of the discovery of this great Mystery That Christ so loved us that he Died for us and that he Died for us that we might not Live to our selves but to him who died for us Nothing but special Revelation such as he gave to his holy Prophets from time to time from the of the World in the gradual discoveries of it and which are Recorded in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament could have given us this knowledge and for this cause it is that we ought highly to value the Holy Scriptures as a special Treasure of greater worth incomparably than all the Gold and Silver and Wealth and Riches of the whole World Secondly The same is made known to us by the Holy Spirit 's internal Illumination and Inspiration perswading us of the truth of the Holy Scriptures and of thhis great Mystery That Christ so Loved us that he Died for us that is so fully Recorded in the Scriptures and also opening our Understandings to understand it and give us to see the great Riches Glory and Beauty of the wonderful Love Wisdom Power and Holiness and other the Glorious Attributes of God in the way of our Salvation in all the various steps of it God hath so appointed it that by his Words as Outwardly delivered by the Holy Prophets by Christ when he came in the Flesh and by his Holy Evangelists and Apostles which are now on Record in the writings of the holy Scriptures and by his Holy Spirit Inwardly Enlightening and Inspiring us we should be both Taught and Helped to Believe and Understand Savingly the great Mystery of our Salvation according to Isaiah 59.21 The words which God gave unto Christ Christ hath given them to the Apostles and Evangelists and they have faithfully Recorded them and by these Records of the Holy Scripture they are given to us while we daily hear them in Preaching and Reading John 17.8 20. And for this cause it is that St. Paul calls the Gospel The Power of God to Salvation to every one that Believes For that the Power of the Spirit of God accompanies the Doctrine of the Gospel to whomsoever it is Preached to enable such who hear it both to Believe and Understand it Faith is thereby offered unto them and the Holy Spirit accompanying the Doctrine offers his help to All who hear it tho All do not receive it yet many do and shall Christ stands at the door of your Hearts and knocks as he said to them of Laodicea If any Man will hear my Voice and open unto me I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me This calling and knocking of Christ at the door of your Hearts is both Outwardly by the Gospel as outwardly Preach'd or Read and Inwardly by his Spirit The Word Outwardly delivered is as the Hammer but the Spirit Inwardly accompanying is the Hand that moves it If any should bring the strongest Arguments to prove the Scriptures to be True and of Divine Authority suppose they should be as Demonstrative as any Theorem in a natural Science yet all this could produce no more than an Humane Assent or Faith without the Spirit work together with the Word and Doctrine Inwardly to seal to the Truth of the Scripture and work a Divine Faith in us of the Truth of them For true Saving Faith is the gift and work of Gods Spirit and Power It is by the Spirit 's working together with the written Word Preach'd or Read that we know the things that are freely given us of God If any Object What need of both If we are Taught by the Word and Doctrine Outwardly as delivered in the Holy Scriptures what need we to be Taught by the Spirit Inwardly Or if we be Taught by the Spirit Inwardly what need we be Taught by the Word and