be Prophets but neither to be Kings nor Priests Againe we read of some who were to be Kings and Priests as Melchisedek others to be Prophets and Kings as David some to be Priests and Prophets but not any one was anointed a King and a Priest and a Prophet conjunctively Now here is the excellency and the eminence of Christs anointing He was anointed to all those three offices not only to be a Priest but also a Prophet not onely to be a Prophet but also to be a King Had he been a Priest only he might have offered sacrifice for our sinful gilt But who should have then been the Prophet to have opened the eyes of the blind and to give the ignorant knowledge Had he been a Priest to suffer and a Prophet to instruct only who should then have been a King to have abolished the confusions of the Heart and Life and to have subdued our sinnes and so to lead captivity captive Nay that he might be a compleat Saviour and Mediator He was anointed to be Priest Prophet and King I will open something in every one of these He was anointed to be a Priest Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek Psal 110. 4. so Heb. 3. 1. Jesus Christ is called the Apostle and High Priest of our profession ver 2. He was faithful to him that appointed him see Heb 4. 10. 7. 26. There are these things implyed in his anointing to be our Priest .. 1. That he was designed perfectly to fulfil the Law of God for us He was a satisfactory Priest there was the ceremonial Law which he fulfilled by abrogation and there was the Morall Law which he fulfilled by obedience Whatsoever the Law of God could require either for the holinesse of nature or of life that was to be found in Christ And such a high Priest became us who is holy harmelesse undefiled seperate from sinners c. Heb. 7. 26. Hence is he often called the holy and just one Act. 3. 14. and Chap. 4. 27 30. and is said to be without sin He had no sinne at all of which he was personally gilty but he was every way a righteous person and fulfilled all righteousness I say fulfilled it not for himself only but for us so that if you would now look for a righteousnesse which can every way satisfie and which is every way punctually exact and unblameable you must look out of your selves unto the righteousnesse of Christ as Paul did Phil. 3. and therefore he saith that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness unto every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. To make expiation for sinnes He was an expiatory Priest There was in the Law sacrifices offered by the Priest of which some were Gratulatory wherin God was praised and others were Expiatory wherein God was appeased as in the oblations of the Lamb c. thus it stands with us As we are creatures we are bound to obey God as rational and righteous creatures we were bound to obey the Morall Law of God and now as sinful creatures we are bound to answer the transgressions of that Law by exposing our persons to the endurance of the great curse of that Law and the wrath of God The Law is broken by us Gods justice is wronged his indignation moved and our own gilt like so many cords hold us fast and deliver us bound hand and foot to the vengeance and punishment of Gods pure and righteous justice Now suppose you saw a number of Malefactors going to execution the Kings Son meets them they are heavy weeping and sobbing because death is approaching Why saith the Kings Son weep not you have provoked my father and have deserved death but fear you not I will take a course to preserve your lives How so Thus I will lay down my own life for you I will dye for you to deliver you It is even thus betwixt Christ and us we all have sinned and by reason of sinne are bound over to death and hell how now shall we escape Thus God did give his own Son and he did take our sins on him and did dye and shed his blood to expiate our gilt and procure our pardon Hence is he called a sacrifice for sin and he is 2 Cor. 3. 1 Pet. 2. Esay 53. Rom. 4. said to be made sin for us And to beare our sins in his own body on the tree and that our iniquities was laid on him and that the chastisement of our peace was upon him and to be delivered to death for our sinnes and that Christ our Passeover was sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. And observe the phrase Christ our Passeover c. You know that the Passeover had a Lamb and the Lamb lost his life and blood and that blood was sprinkled upon the doors of the Children of Israel and the destroying Angel did pass by the doors where it was sprinkled and their lives were preserved so it is here we should have been destroyed but Jesus Christ our Passeover was sacrificed for us i. e. he did poure out his own blood which did answer for our gilt and so preserved our souls Now concerning his Priestly expiation of our sinnes observe First the Priest who did offer this expiatory sacrifice Secondly the sacrifice it self Thirdly the Altar upon which it was offered Fourthly The dignity and efficacy thereof The Priest was Jesus Christ as God and man as our Mediator for that did belong to the Priest who was to offer sacrifice to be a middle person Aaron was to bear upon him the sinnes of the people and to offer for them so Jesus Christ as God and man was he who did offer up that sacrifice which did expiate our sinnes Heb. 5. 5. He that said unto him thou art my Sonne to day have I begotten thee vers 6. He saith also in another place Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck The sacrifice it self was Christ as consisting of soul and body by reason of our sins we had forfeited both our souls and bodyes to the curse of the Law and to the wrath of God The arrest and attachment was out against both but now Jesus Christ became our Priest and offered his soul and body to quit and release ours Therefore it is said that he made his soul an offering for sint Isai 53. 10. And that his soul was exceeding sorrowful even to death Mat. 26. 38. In it he felt the bitter anguish and wrath which made him to sweat even drops of blood And as for his body that was prepared for him to suffer for us hence it is said that he bore our sins on his own body on the tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. It is very true that the Godhead formally was not the sacrifice that could neither suffer nor be afflicted only it did aid and assist the humane nature which was offered up as a sacrifice The Altar on which this sacrifice was offered which did
with high estimations The young man when Christ bade him sell all that he had and give it to the poore It was praeceptum experimentale he goes away sorrowfull Thirdly to the Scepter and Government of Christ we will not have this man Reigne over us say they and you reade in Psalme 2. How they did consult to break his bands asunder The Scepter of Christ is Heavenly and his Lawes are spiritual and his Wayes are righteous and straight they lay injunctions on the inward man as well as on the outward conversation and binde the thoughts and the intentions and affections Now what do you meane to pinne up a spirit which would have elbow roome what would you have a licentious heart and a turning and winding conscience to be precised and narrowed and restrained and so every way straitened You must give it leave to break the Sabbath to improve its gaines dishonestly to sweare now and then and to comply c. Fourthly to the Righteousnesse of Christ O what a do had that blessed Apostle with the Romanes with the Galatians with others to break them off from Iustification by Works And to fasten upon their hearts the Justification by Faith We are apt to stand upon our selves and to look for the matter of our acceptance and acquittance in our selves on man he thinks that his good meaning shall make him speed Another thinks that his doing no body any harme will let him into Heaven or else God help us Another stands on his devout Sacrifices Another on his charitable bounties Yea and those who should know better in the Doctrine of Justification how extreamly do they cling to their inherent Graces much a do before they can be made to cast their Crowns to the earth and to give the glory only to Christ who is worthy What paines is God forced to take to break us off from our selves we are so proud and so unwilling to be beholding to Gods free grace and Christ that God is faine to break our heart to pieces and to split our ship into shivers that we might only to Christ He must imprint the holy and mighty vigour of the Law on our consciences to shew us our utter impotency and sensibly acquaint us with our marvellous imperfections in graces and interruptions in duties and excursions of daily sinnings and all to fetch us entirely to cast our safeties only on the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ CHAP. XI The facility of error and mistake about believing SEcondly as it is hard to believe so it is easie to mistake and delude our selves in the matter of believing Four things make it to be so 1. One is the various kindes of faith 2. Another is the consimilitude of one of the extreams of faith 3. The easinesse of both And 4 the aptnesse in our hearts to be satisfied with these First there are divers kindes of faith As the Apostle spake of bodies all bodies are not the same bodies but there are bodies Coelestial and bodies Terrestial so I say of Faith all faith I speak of habitual faith is not the same kinde of faith we read of a Faith which the Devils have and we read of a Faith which the Hypocrites have and we read of a Faith which even Christs enemies whom he did not dare to trust had and we read of a Precious Faith a Faith of Gods Elect a justifying and saving faith Divines ordinarily distinguish of faith There is an Historical faith which is a crediting the word relating but not an embracing of it promising it is like the passing through a Garden and observing and smelling but not a flower is gathered so in Historical Faith the eye of the understanding goes over the Word of God and hath some apprehensions and general grants and intellectual submissions that God doth not lye but what he saith is true Neverthelesse there is not that quality of justifying faith in this which makes the heart to close with the goodnesse of truth and to embrace Christ 2. There is a wonderful faith a faith of miracles to remove mountaines to raise the dead which had some special and immediate promise and yet it was a gift bestowed on those who had no faith to save themselves Many who have cast out devils may at the last day be cast among the devils Lord Lord have not we Prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils And yet Christ bid them depart Non novi vos 3. There is a temporary faith which hath in it some great apprehensions of the truths of God yea and reverent assents yea and some delightfull contentations in the same yea and some fruitfull expressions and with all these a singular degree of profession even to a zealous forwardnesse and notoriousness so that a man may be in the eye of others like a tall Ship and yet there is a Leake in the bottome which on the sudden sinks all This temporary faith though in many respects it handles the same object with saving faith it is tampering much about Christ and the promises yet it is intrinsically and extreamly different from it It doth not differ from it in respect of eminency or degrees nor in respect of existence or duration onely for the one is a living Spring and the other is a decaying Flood but in respect of formal nature also The temporary faith doth not indeed bring all the heart and settle it on Christ 4. There is this justifying and saving faith which bestowes the whole heart on Christ and takes Christ unfeignedly to be Lord and Saviour Now where there are so many sorts it is not a great difficulty nor an impossibility to mistake error is manyfold said the Phylosopher but the truâ—h iâ— single and there is but one line to hit the mark out many to misse it Nay secondly there is a great consimilitude of one of the extreames of faith with faith it self viz. credulity It is strange yet ordinary that a man should make a heaven of his own and a God of his own and a Christ of his own and a faith of his own and a way to heaven of his own Presumption is a work much of an idle fancy and a gracelesse heart like a thiefe very apt to finger the Kings coine but without a warrant But to the thing Is there knowledge in faith why presumption pretends to that is there confidence in faith what more bold then presumption is there any sweet assurance in faith why presumption never doubted but could believe ever since a man was borne is there any joy in faith why presumpâ—ion is as jocond and carelesse as if there were no heaven to be got no sinne to be bewailed nor course to be reformed Lastly these are easie and we are apt to content our selves with these instead of a true beleeving in Jesus Christ. To get a little seeming knowledge to carry Religion upon the lip and Christ on the tongue to be bold upon Gods mercy and Christs death
satisfaction or else concluding no interest in his favour and gracious intentions besides forgetting usually the mediation and intercession of Christ in whom alone the soule and petitions are worthy 4. The weak believer hath not that succesfulnesse in communion with God as the strong believer hath For all doubtings do prejudice our suits There is not a more sure and compendious way to non-suit our suits then by delivering them out of an unbelieving heart No faith may be sure of denial and he who delivers up his requests to God with an hand and an hand with an hand of faith and a hand of doubting either he hath a longer or else a shorteranswer According to thy faith be it unto thee said Christ strong faith brings God much glory and doth fetch in much good to the soul but the lesser faith the lesser good as according to the largenesse of the vessel or strength of the hand c. The higher the Sun is the more light is in the Horizon so the greater the faith is in our requests the sooner and the larger shall be our promised answers You remember what Elisha said unto Joash King of Israel take the arrowes and he took them and he said smite upon the ground and he smote thrice and stayed And the man of God was wrath with him and said thou shouldst have smitten five or six times then hadst 1 King 13. 18 19. thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice Prayer is the arrow of the soul it is the swift messenger sent up to heaven and faith is the hand which dispatcheth it now according to the strength of faith is the greatnesse of prayer in successe Thou didst pray though with much weaknesse of faith and hast got a little comfort why didst thou not smite the ground six times why didst thou not double thy strength in believing thou shouldst then have had comfort like a river whereas now thou hast only the smaller drops Thou hast prayed though with much weaknesse of faith and hast got a little power over thy sinful and rebellious heart why didst not thou smite the ground six times why didst thou not abound in more believing for then thou shouldst have had a fuller victory over thy corrupt lusts and inclinations Herein hath strong faith the preeminence of weak that the one hath not that full speed at heaven as the other not that God will not answer the faith that is weak but that its answers are not so full because it is accompanied with doubtings This we finde experimentally that our helpes much of them yet stick behinde in heaven and our corruptions much of them yet insult below in our hearts not that we do not hate them not that we do not pray against them but because our faith is new or weak we rather think that God will not help then that he will indeed answer or do us good 5. The weak believer is more under the power of the creature then the strong My meaning is this that his heart is more apt to sink and faile and perplex and disquiet him in the changes of outward things a crosse cannot come but he startles and if the affliction be close he can hardly hold up if he hath not some friends to smooth and cherish him some calme estate to maintaine and uphold him If the tyde comes not in if the winde doth not blow if the fig-tree doth not blossome if God puts him upon an unusual way if he toucheth him in his Name ease advantage any neer outward support if the crosse be long now I am cast off I shall perish what shall I eate what shall I drink what shall I put on we and ours are undone there 's none cares for my body as David spake for his soule The heart gathers into many agonies many prognostications many challenges of God many impatient vexations perhaps murmurings repinings and discontents and distempers yea and hath sometimes vile and inglorious thoughts of the fruitlesseness of serving God c. I think there is scarce any one of these which the weak believer doth not sensibly feel in the times of his straits and exigences which may exceedingly humble and abase his soul therefore But the strong beleever is a better Sea-man his soul is more quiet in the absence because more loosened by faith in the presence of the creature In a faire day God was much better though others break with joy in the fruition of wine and oyle yet Lord saith David lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me As if he should say I prize and joy in that more then in any thing else In a Fast day God is enough Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want Verse 4. Though I walk through the valley of the shaddow of death I will feare none evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me Verse 6. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life So Psalm 93. 3. The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voice the floods lift up their waves Psalm 93. 4. The Lord on high is mightier then the noise of many waters yea then the mighty waves of the Sea So Psalme 118. 6. The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me Ver. 10. Aâ—l Nations compassed me about but in the Name of the Lord will I destroy them Ver. 11. They compassed me about yea they compassed me about but c. Ver. 12. They compassed me about like Bees they are quenched as the fire of thornes for in the Name of the Lord c. So Psal 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and e-ever he will be our guide even unto death Sin is a greater trouble and the world is a greater burden to the weak then to the strong believer 6. The weak beleever cannot bring God so much glory as the strong beleever God hath Glory from us many wayes Glory to God three wayes By acquitting his fidelity and truth and power and other attributes Rom. 4. 20. By a bearing and fruitful heart and life John 15. 8. By thankful praises and acknowledgements Psal 50. 23. Now the weak believer he doth not acquit God so in his Attributes It is often with him Will the Lord cast off for ever will he be gracious or will he be favourable no more or if thou wilt thou canst do this for me It doth not so clearly justifie God in the greatnesse of his power in the readinesse of his mercy in the immutability of his truth He is not so fruitful for where the root is weak there the branches are not so strong or full the fruitfulnesse of the heart consists in the rich increase of all graces and in the enlarged heavenlinesse of the affections and the fruitfulnesse of the life depends upon the inward inriching of the heart as the
thou not heard of that accursed and despitfull death which I was put to numbred with transgressors cast out of the City nailed to the crosse pierced through the heart and yet my love to thy soul made me to poure out my soul an offering for thy sins Why and shall I veile my glory under the condition of a servant in vaine shall I combate and conquer Satan in vaine shall I beare the scorne of men the wrath of God the terrors of death the curse of the Law in vaine was not all this for thee shouldst not thou have susteined all this if I had not and must thou not if thou refusest him who hath done it and yet wilt thou prefer thy sins before me yet wilt thou not accept of me yet wilt thou not get faith to receive me have I sought thee freely bought thee so dearly and thou neglect and refuse me so easily Thirdly consider thou hast extreame need of a Lord Jesus 3. Motives Christ Excellency prevailes much with an ingenious nature and necessity with the worst when the Lepers saw that they must either venture their lives or die they would out into the Camp when the Prodigal saw he must famish abroad or repaire home he would then back to his fathers house Why Brethren the Captive doth not more need a Redeemer and the sick doth not more need a Physician then the sinner doth need a Christ and a Saviour Were we in Adams created innocency then we need not to look after a Saviour but we are fallen but we are broken but we are sold under sin but we are transgressors from the womb but we are by nature the children of disobedience and wrath Had we any stock left in our hands to set up our broken souls againe had we any strength to repaire our losse to recover our good to purchase our own peace and salvation but we are dead in trespasses Eph. 2. 1. we all fall short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. we are all without strength Rom. 5. 6. Could any thing be a Plank to the Shipwrack but Christ or an hand to lay hold on the rock but faith then we needed not to give such diligence for faith to believe but there is no salvation in any other name and there is no quality but faith to get us into Christ It is not the confidence which thou mayest put upon the faith of another which will do it as every mans soul is for his own body so every mans faith is for his own soul the wise virgins had no more oile then would serve their own Lamps and no mans faith is more then enough for himself Though Christ can save many yet faith saves him only who hath it It is not the confidence of a naked decree which will do it if God hath decreed to save me I shall be saved O no his decrees are his own secret wayes and the way which he hath opened to us is to get faith and to believe in his Son It is not an empty profession nor the worthlesse accesse of all the creatures that can ensure or save thy soul Only Christ none but Christ thou art wounded and Christ is thy plaister thou art dead and Christ is thy life thou art sold and Christ is thy ransome thou art an enemy and Christ is thy peace The debts are infinite the curse great the justice of God pure thy strength nothing and nothing satisfies and delivers but Christ and none hath Christ but the believer why then wilt thou not labor for faith Fourthly consider Christ is every way fitted to thy need 4. Motive Why Brethren gold will ransome a debtor to man it will not ransome a sinner from the Law an offender against God Why look upon your need aright and then judge who but Christ for a sinner There is guilt much guilt lying upon thy soul and who is the Priest to suffer to offer to satisfie to take away transgressions but Christ None can blot out the guilt of sin for us but he who had not a spot of sin in himself There is filth much filth defiling our natures poysoning our actions and who is the Prophet to enlighten to teach to change to cleanse from sinfulnesse but Christ None can teach us holinesse and obedience but he who was Holy undefiled separated from sinners and was obedient to the death There is dominion much dominion of sin prescribing a Law to our members sending out all insolent inclinations holding us in a willing subjection to every base lust and who is the King to conquer the heart to subdue iniquities to lead captivity captive to spoile principalities and powers to bid the captive go free to erect a thorne of righteousnesse and peace in the soul but Christ So that the wise love of God hath prepared and fitted Christ in all respects sutable to the exigencies and straits of a sinful soul and hath appointed faith to be that which shall put on this Christ upon the needy soul why then will we not labour for faith Fifthly God hath not only fitted a Saviour for thee but he 5. 〈◊〉 comes neer unto thee with him he deales mightily with thy soul â—o beleeve on him Thou hast the word of revelation to this very day wherein the mystery of thy salvation is made known and cleare unto thâ—e Thou needest not to say in thine heart Who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deeps to bring up Christ againe from the dead But the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach That if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 6. 7 8 9. Thou hast the word of gracious proposition God hath offered Christ with all his plentiful redemption with his strong salvation unto thee yea he hath assured thee by his Word of John 3. truth which cannot lie nor deceive that if thou believest on him thou shalt be saved by him Thou hast the word of injunction which layes a bond of duty upon thee This is his Commandment that we beleeve on the Name John 3. 23. of his Son Jesus Christ Nay thou hast the word of penalty and correction God hath said that he will judge thee for not believing and that in the sharpest method of expression He that believes not shall be damned Nay thou hast the word of obsecration and gentle intreaty God stoops infinitely below himself he doth streine curtesie with thee God doth beseech you by us and we pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God Nay thou hast the word of expostulation why will you not beleeve why will ye die in your sins why will ye not come to me that you may be saved How often would I have gathered thee All the day long
bodies only they could not save souls not one of them not all of them to ransome to rescue to redeem a soul requires more then an arme of flesh Flesh may save or protect flesh but he must be more then flesh who can save a soul Now Jesus Christ is a Saviour of souls 1 Pet. 1. 9. Rev. 20 4. the price of our souls is in his blood with it he bought them and redeemed them They could save from some outward misery the tyranny and oppression of the enemy they have oft-times put back but from inward servitude and thraldome they could never save they could not deliver the persons from the tyranny of their sinnes whom they have been able to deliver from the tyranny of sinful men But the Son of God can save from inward and spiritual miseries he can save from sinne Mat. 11. 21. He shall save his people from their sinnes Sin hath gilt in it he saves us from that by shedding his blood and procuring remission Eph. 1. 7. And sin hath pollution in it He saves us from that by cleansing the heart 1 Iohn 1. 9. And sin hath dominion with it but Christ hath assured that he will make us free Joh. 8. And that no sinne shall have dominion over us Rom. 6. He can save from Satan Heb. 2. 14. He did through death destroy him who had the power of death 〈…〉 the Devil and ver 15. did deliver them who through the fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage He can save from the wrath of God so he did by becoming a On me my son said Rebeckah be the cuâ—se see Gal 3. 13. curse for us by suffering the sensible and marvelous impressions of his displeasure for our sinnes Jesus saith the Apostle 1 Thes 1. 10. delivered us from the wrath to come They were such Saviours as did need a Saviour Christ was the Saviour of them who were the Saviours of others Many they did save but themselves they could not save Whiles they lived they could save but dying they could not save any longer but Christ Jesus saved us by his death the losing of his own life caused ours we are saved by his death the son of Matth. 20. 28. man came to give his life a ransome for many He is a general Saviour Joh. 4. 42. The Saviour of the world The Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4. 10 Therefore Jude ver 4 calls the Salvation by Christ the Common Salvation Mistake me not when I say that Christ is a general Saviour as if every man in the world should be saved by Christ He is not a general Soviour in respect of individual persons but First in respect of successions of persons That is there never was any age succeeding a former age but in every age Christ was a Saviour Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13. 8. He is the Saviour in the daies of old and in our dayes and in the times after us In respect of Nations He is not the Soviour of the Jewes only but of the Gentiles also He justifies Circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith Rom. 3. 30. The Jew cannot boast nor the Gentile complaine but there is Salvation for them both in Iesus Christ In respect of conditions He is not the Saviour of the great and mighty only nor of the poor and desperate only but the one and the other shall be saved by Christ The Salvation of the â—â—ch is not in his wealth but in his Christ Neither shall the poor person be excluded because of his poverty but all sorts of persons high and low rich and poor may find Christ to be a Saviour In respect of relations He is not the Saviour of the Master only but even of his lowest servant not of the husband only but of the wife not of the father only but of the child not of the Prince only but of the subject also The Apostle hath said enough Gal. 3. 28. There is neither Iew nor Gentile there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Iesus He is a mighty Saviour he is able to save to the utmost Heb. 7. 25. and this appears if you consider The greatnesse of his satisfaction That he was able alone to stand before the justice of his father and to answer and fulfil it even to appeasment and contentation yea so entirely did he answer it that God is now pacified and become propitious The greatnesse of his passions That he endured the unspeakable wrath of God O what a thing was this that the Lord Iesus could at once be able to bear all our sinnes upon him and the mighty wrath of God for them and expiate all of them He did stand at the Bar not to suffer and satisfie for one sin only nor for all the sinnes of one man only nor for some sinnes of most men only nor for all the sinnes of all men in former ages but for all the sins of all that shall be saved from the first man that lived to the last man that shall dye Yet though he had all their sinnes to answer for though he had a severe justice to deal with all though he had a perfect law to fulfil though four mighty enemies to conquer Sin World Death and Hell yet he went through all satisfied suffered conquered He is a perfect Saviour the perfection of his saving consists in three things First in the alonenesse of it whatsoever was required meritoriously to save men is in him alone there is no other name beside his nor with his but he alone is a Saviour there is one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus said the Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is no concurrence of any Angel nor of the Prayers of any Saints departed and glorified nor yet in the inherent sanctity in any man living nor yet of any workes before or after grace which comes in with Christ as a meritorious cause of our Salvation But Jesus Christ alone is sufficient and effectual to save the sinner as the government is upon his shoulder so is our Salvation Thou canst not come to an Angel nor to a Saint and say such and such sinnes are the burden now upon my soul do you by your righteousnesse ease me such and such debts are upon my soul do you satisfie for me Thou canst not come to God and say truly Lord I have sinned against thee but here are so many floods of teares which I have shed now for their sakes wash and pardon me Here are so many prayers offered up unto thee for their sakes heare and harken and forgive here are so many charitable works by which I have clothed the naked fed the hungry relieved the poor for their sakes look upon me and accept of me It is very true that these things are required of Christians and I shall hereafter shew unto you the necessity
true as truth it self and as good as goodnesse it self we cannot make men to understand it nor to believe it nor to yield unto it but Christ is that Prophet whose Chair is in heaven and whose speaking can yet pierce into the hearts of men He can make us to know wisdome he can teach our reines and truth in the inward parts there can he write his Law in our hearts though the minde be as dark as darknesse it self yet he can make the light of knowledge to arise in the thickest darknesse of the minde though the judgment be corrupt and full of errors yet Christ can erect a throne of truth and direct us into the pathes of righteousnesse though the heart be dull yet his words are as fire to quicken that heart though it be as hard as the rock yet his word can be as the hammer to break that stony heart His teaching can soften the most unflexible adamant he is able to convince and bend and alter and bow it the very dead shall heare his voice and live So that if any person doth need any directions any enablement for heaven or the way thither he must know that Christ is the Prophet anointed whatsoever belongs to an heavenly instructing and to an heavenly drawing and obeying that is to be found in Christ and had from him who is anointed a Prophet that is designed to teach the Church and furnisheth with all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and ability c. SECT V. LAstly Christ was anointed to be a King therefore Psal 2. 2. he is called Gods anointed and ver 6. the King whom he Psal 2. 2. did set upon his holy hill of Sion The King of Kings Rev. 19. 16. He shall reigne over the house of Jacob Luk. 1. 33. so Mat. 28. 18. All power is given to me in heaven and in earth He hath the Scepter of Royalty and the Rod of authority and the sword of power and the throne of judgement and the Laws of his lips and the keys of life and death Now this regal office of his to which he was anointed imports many things First that he is to beare rule over all the Nations and indeed his natural kingdome reacheth over all the world from the highest Angel to the lowest Devil Secondly that he is to Governe and rule the Church which he hath purchased with his blood The Government is upon his shoulders Isai 9. 6. And therefore he is called the Law-giver Jam. 4. 12. and all judgment is committed to his hand Joh. 5. 22 27. to this end you have the rod of his Scepter his holy and righteous Laws and his mighty and blessed Spirit to give force unto them even into our hearts and there to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ Thirdly that he is to maintaine and uphold his Church therefore he is said to Gird his sword upon his thâ—gh Psal 45. 3. and to ride upon a horse with his garment dipped in blood and armed as if he were ready to fight He is the mighty redeemer of his servants against all who intrench upon their peace and safety and he strikes downe Paul to the earth for persecuting him It belongs to the King to be the defence of his subjects so here God hath appointed all the Protections and safeties and deliverances of the Church to be in Christ Fourthly he is to conquer all his and our enemies God hath given Christ a Kingdome but it is such as he must fight for Not a Subject which he hath which comes in unto him but by conquest If we be in our own hands peccatum Hostisest quamdiu est said Saint Augustine and if we be in Satans hands we are in that enemies hands More plainely there are these enemies of Christ and his Church which he is to conquer for himselfe and them First hell and we read that he hath spoiled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly and triumphed over them Col. 2. 15. Secondly death 1 Cor. 15. 54. Death is swallowed up in victory 55. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory c. 56 57. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Thirdly sin and this is Christ also to conquer he is to cast down all the strong holds of lusts and all imaginations and to captivate the whole man He is to subdue our iniquities for us and not to suffer sin to have dominion over us Fourthly Wicked men he will stick his arrowes in the brests of Princes and in the hearts of the mighty and terrible he is to bruise the Nations with a rod of Iron and to dash them in pieces like a potters vessell He will execute judgment upon all of them and cast them all to the dust who rose up against his person or Government or people He will set his people at rest from them that rise against them and will make his enemies his foot-stool CHAP. IV. What Believing in the Lord Iesus Christ doth import Q. 2 WHat doth the believing in the Lord Jesus Christ import Jesus Christ is like a ring and faith is like the finger which wears it He is like a treasury and faith like the hand which draws out thence As David spake in another kinde come and I will tell you what the Lord hath done for my soul or as Philip to Nathanael can there any good thing come out of Nazareth Philip saith come and see The same is to be said of faith God hath done great matters for sinful man saith faith Why but can any good be brought by any to us who are so bad yes sayes faith come and see Christ is very good he is a Saviour for a poor sinner but it is faith which finds him so Marke the answer of the Apostles here in the text what shall I do to be saved saith the Jayler They do not answer there is a Jesus Christ take thou no more care he did dye for sinners and thou shalt do well enough Nay this they answer thou maiest be saved by Christ but thou must believe in Christ Not a medicine is the remedy but a medicine applyed Not the man but the man taken becomes the husband So the taking of Christ the believing in him is the way to heaven Because this is an excellent point for our life lies in it give me leave to speak somewhat of faith First in the general and there I will be brief Secondly in special as justifying of faith or faith believing in Jesus Christ our Lord. First Generally For the generall nature of believing observe these propositions First that believing is an assent to such matters as are known only by revelation from another there are in the soul of man three qualities by which we came to finde out or perceive things First one quality is Scientia or knowledge which is a firme assent unto a thing which may be evidenced to
and with all those to have a heart glued to the world folded up in the love of sinne resolved against all hazards to shift off all profession rather then to endure any storme what so great a task is this But to have a minde taught of God and to have an understanding bowed with the strength of Divine light and inward change to the obedience of truth and to have a will sweetly renewed and with an holy trembling humbly receiving Christ in his person and offices and bestowing the whole soul and body on him againe here the work sticks CHAP. XII The sure and dangerous misery of unbeliefe THe last thing which may stirre us to try our selves is the consideration of that amazing danger and unspeakable misery to which the soul is assuredly obnoxious in case of unbelief Why will you say What danger if we believe Obj. not I answer there are three special dangers First all thy sinnes stand upon record against thee like so many sad debts which thou hast run thy self into from thy conception to this very day They are all written with the pen of a Diamond there is no blotting out of a mans sinnes but by the blood of Christ and the unbeliever hath not his portion in that blood and therefore there are all thy sinnes uncancelled thy sinnes of nature and all thy sinnes of life such a sin and such a sin then and there and againe committed c. O how great is the volume of them the number of them cannot be numbred and the guilt of them cannot be conceived if one sin binds thee over to hell Good God! To what flames of vengeance and horrible degreâ—s and intensions of misery and wrath do all thy sins oblige thee Yea and as Solomon said in another case Prov. 9 12. If thou scornest thou alone shalt beare it so I say here if thou remain an unbeliever thou alone must answer for all thy sinnes Whatsoever the wrathful displeasure of God is whatsoever the horrors of conscience are whatsoever the gnawings of that worm are whatsoever the heat of hell flames are Whatsoever the doleful separation from God is Whatsoever curse the Law implies for sin that maist thou expect who wilt not believe in Christ O! if that wrath was so hot when it obliquely as it were fell on Christ where it had no unholy and self-guilty quality to admix with it selfe that he sweat drops of blood and cryed out my God c. How wilt thou with any patience ease possible quietnesse susteine the extream wrath of the Almighty Judge who art vile and filthy and hast a conscience with all thy torments to gall and vex thee with the stings of misery guilts and self-accusations tell me how art thou able what canst thou say how canst thou beare up before the Lord if he should arise if he should terribly arise to judge the nations He is the Holy God and Just and is True and Great in power What satisfaction canst thou bring where are thine oblations or with what wilt thou reconcile thy self to the Lord Whereby canst thou either make thy former sins to be no sins or perswade the Lord to be propitious to thee without Christ Nay verily he will judge thee as an unrighteous person for if thou hast not Christ what righteousnesse hast thou there is no hope for thee to be acquitted nay nor hope to be saved nay thou art sure to be damned Mark 16. 15. Go you into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature 16. He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned John 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten Sonne of God 36. He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that beleeveth not the Son shaâ—â— not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Rev. 2. 8. The fearful and unbelieving are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone But you will say Why This is strange Why such Obj. extreame misery for not beleeving what sinne is it It is one of the greatest sins in the world not to believe that is Sol. not to receive the Lord Jesus Christ Because It is a sinne against the greatest love to the world Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave c. Rom 5. 8. But God commendeth his love towards us that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us God shewed the greatnesse of his love to bestow his Sonne and Christ shewed the greatnesse of his love to dye for us Greater love said Christ can no man shew then to lay down his life c. Now for the Lord to finde out a way of Salvation and in love to our soules to offer this Son of his unto us and to beseech us to be reconciled and then for us like them who were envited to the supper we cannot come we will not come O this c. It is a sin for which there can be no remedy for asmuch as it is a sin against the only remedy of a sinful soul The sentence of the Law may be repealed by the Gospel but not ècontra There is no plaister for the soul but the blood of Christ which yet unbelief will not take and receive It is a sinne which as much as in it lies makes void and vaine all the Covenant of Grace turning all the goodnesse of it into nothing and all the truthes of it into lyes and makes the blood of Christ to be shed in vaine He that beleeveth not makes God a lyar because he beleeveth not the record that God gave of his Sonne 1 John 5. 10. It is a sin which directly murders the soul because it doth wilfully hold it off from Christ who would upon believing pardon and justifie and save All these things being premised let us now descend towards the triall or evidences of true faith in Christ where I beseech you observe CHAP. XIII Rules for the discovery of faith FIrst some Rules of Direction for the manner of â—vidence and testifying of faith that you may neither be deceived by presumption nor perplexed by error and doubting Two things Secondly some lively instance of true faith as the Word of God doth clearly represent them The Rules of discovery and finding out faith which are these SECT I. THere are some things without which faith cannot be in the heart and yet they do not necessarily and infallibly conclude that a man hath faith They do well distinguish in the Schools 'twixt an Antecedent and a Cause a Cause is such a thing as is before the effect and which beiâ—g put the effect also is put one will not go without the other But an Antecedent is that which must go before another thing yet it is not necessary that if it be that the other thing should follow The rising of the Sunne is a cause of day and therefore this will
streames on the Spring or the beames on the Sun and the fruitfulnesse of both depends upon the richnesse of faith Though the habits of grace depends immediately on Gods Spirit and not on faith yet the measures of grace depend instrumentally very much on faith it being the Conduit pipe that which draws grace for grace from Christ A weak believer cannot have such a strength of affection nor vigor of actions as the strong He is not so thankful you shall for ever finde this to be true that what is a weakening to faith that is a lessening to thanks No mans tongue is more in praise then he whose heart is filled with perswasion God hath but cold thanks from him who is yet disputing and questioning his receipts where the mercy is fully cleared there the heart is exceedingly enlarged But till the soul sees it self indeed a debter it will prove but an ill and slow pay-master How can I fully thank God that he hath expressed that Mirandum of love to give Christ to me when yet I do in my soul suspect and question whether this be so or no How can I fully blesse and praise God for his rich mercy in the pardon of my sinnes whiles my soul doth yet suspect that the book is uncrossed and the controversie of guilt is not yet taken up 'twixt God and me But where faith is strong there praise is great when the Moon is fullest of light then the tydes are higher in their returnes so the more clear apprehensions of Gods love to us in Christ even raiseth affections to a greater flow of thankful retributions Psal 103. 1. Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Ver. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits See how he chargeth and rechargeth his soul to praise but why Ver. 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities Ver. 4. Who crowneth thee with loving kindnesse and mercies 7. The weak Beleever will be more puzled to die then the strong believer It is with the strong believer as with Simeon who held Christ in his armes Now said he lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation He may easily desire death to let him out of a miserable world who hath assuredly got and hath Christ the Authour of a better life Or as with Paul having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know if our earthly house c. we have a building of God For the strong believer knows that Christ is to him in life and death advantage By him we shall go to the God of all mercies and to the Father of all consolations He shall go to that mansion which his Saviour hath provided and there have a glorious union with God and society with Saints for ever But the weak beleever will perhaps stagger and his heart will divide it self I would not yet die if I must what shall I do Christ is he whom I have loved and served but I am not sure that he is mine Heavenly glory is the wages for our service but I am not sure that I shall go into it matters are yet doubtful and my heart is yet fearful I know not whether such sinnes are yet taken off and how will God look upon me if I die of whose loving favour I have not been assured whiles I have lived I hope the best and yet I see cause to fear death may do me good yet I had rather live to clear accounts 'twixt God and my soul that so then I might give up c. 8. The weak beleever hath not such cheerful expectations nor quiet submissions as the strong believer The strong believer is at it as the Church in Micah My God will hear me and if he denies a particular good yet he can sit down and sing when he is going to prayer he chears up his heart with a confidence on God and when he findes God determining and revealing his will there he blesseth God and follows his calling But the weak believer is apt to forestal a mercy he cannot see a plain way for his grant nor an easily quiet heart after his denial 9. The efficacy of temptations doth more intangle the weak beleever then the strong like the weaker vessel at sea amidst the greater waves Satan doth cousen his soul with ease and ever and anon disrobes him of his comforts like a lewd subtile enemy he forceth the weak believer often to try and clear his title and increaseth mistakes in all passages 'twixt God and the soul 1. If he doth cast himself on mercy then it is presumption If he holds off then it is infidelity and rejecting of Christ 2. If he doubts then it is despaire and a forsaking of God 3. If he sinnes then it is unpardonable because since knowledge and mercy 4. If he findes distractions in dutie then this is hypocrisie in the heart 5. If he meets with hellish suggestions of which Satan is only the Author O then who could be in Christ and have such abominable thoughts 6. If the Ordinances do not presently comfort O then they are sealed up and there is no faith else the Word would profit 7. If every corruption be not subdued in every degree and motion and act O then vertue is not gone from Christ the heart is still nought and the faith unsound 8. If not the same constant tenor of smart affections why then there was never any true love of God no reverence of him now nor fear nor duties but the soul is dead utterly hardened and God hath no pleasure in it 9. If God doth answer the soul yea but that is but an imagination If he doth not answer why then it is cleare that God neither doth nor will ever regard you 10. If I do not go to the Sacrament why then thou slightest Christ and his blood If I go and come away with tears O then thou wast unbeleeving or else thou hadst been sent away with joy and increase 11. If I do not put on for grace then thou art wicked If I do put on for grace then thou art so wicked that God will not bestow it on thee Thus doth Satan involve and distresse and set the soul of a weak Believer like a man at chesse forward and backward he makes him to suspect every mercy and every grace and every affection and every duty and every promise and every Ordinance so violently doth he tosse though he cannot totally sink the heart of a weak believer SECT VIII Motives to strive to greaten thy faith 1. THis is a signe of truth True grace is rising dead things do moulder and artificial things remaine the same but the living childe is growing to a full stature Phil. 3. Not as though we had already attained the graine of mustard-seed grows and the smoaking flax will flame Presumption hath all its perfections at first 2. This is