ways of worldly advancements and advantages But the rule which a renewed heart sets up to guide and prescribe him is none other but that which God himself sets up for his people to walk by and that is his written Word Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy Word This rule he sets up for all matters of faith and for all matters of fact this I must believe because God reveals it and commands me to believe it this I receive for truth because God delivers it for truth and that I reject as erroneous because the Word of God condemns it as contrary to the truth And this work I do and that way I walk in because God sets it out in his Word for me and that I do not do and so and so I dare not walk for I have no Word of God for it nay the Word of God is against it why mans heart is right indeed it is renewed by grace but if a man will walk contrary to this rule if he will not speak and live according to this Word it is because there is no light in him Isa 8. 20. SECT V. Vse 4. DOth God promise to give unto all his people in Covenant with him a new heart and a new spirit then there is comfort and joy to Comfort to those that have a new heart all those who finde the new heart given unto them it is true that when the Lord doth renew the heart of any by his grace and separate them from the world unto himself that 1. They shall meet with many troubles and scoffs and reproaches and persecutions from the world All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions 2 Tim. 3. 2. They shall meet with many temptations and oppositions from Satan if he cannot hinder grace and conquer grace yet he will molest and disquiet grace 3. They shall meet with many conflicts and warrings within their own hearts and with many weaknesses and failings and tryals nevertheless their condition is a very happy and comfortable condition and there are eight Eight comforts proper to them choice comforts which are proper to every renewed person and which may cheer up his heart all his days v. g. 1. Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of the greatest matters which can concern the soul 2. This newness of heart is an unquestionable effect of our union with Christ 3. It is the noblest and highest elevation of the soul here on earth and the clear evidence of the presence of the Spirit of Christ 4. It enables you for all heavenly communion and serviceableness to Divine glory 5. God will own and accept of it and the fruits of it though but little and weak 6. He will strengthen and uphold and perfect it unto the day of Christ 7. He will poure upon every person who enjoys it all necessary blessings for this life and will take special notice of him and care for him in the days of adversity 8. Renewing grace shall without all doubt bring us at the last to eternal happiness First Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of It is a clear testimony of the greatest matters which can concern the soul the greatest matters which can concern the soul There are six things which do concern the soul as nearly I think as any can and of every one of them is renewing grace a sure testimony 1. The love of God 2. The election of God 3. A relation to God 4. A change from death to life 5. The pardon of sin 6. The hope of glory 1. Of the love of God that the Lord doth indeed set his special love A testimony of the love of God his very heart upon a person 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God Psal 146. 8. The Lord loveth the righteous for any to be made the sons of God this is an effect or fruit of the love of God now all the sons of God are new born they are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us Ver. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses hath quicked us together with Christ As it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods hatred and wrath for any to be left to his old sinful heart and lusts and ways so it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods love when he pities them in their sinful condition and delivers them out of it and gives his Spirit to enliven and renew them by grace 2. Of the Election of God for this see two places 1 Thes 1. 4. Knowing Of election Brethren Beloved your Election of God Ver. 5. For our Gospel came unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost Eph. 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him that we should be holy Holiness or renewing grace it is as one speaketh the counterpane of Gods decree of Election God by his own eternal prescience knows whom he intends for salvation and we by that work of renewing grace in our hearts come to know that eternal purpose of his grace concerning us it being given unto us an effect flowing from his Election and in order unto that happiness unto which he hath chosen us 3. Of our Relation to God as our God and our Father as none but his Of our relation to God people and children are holy so all his people and his children are holy Isa 63. 18. The people of thy holiness they are 1 Pet. 2. 9. an holy Nation and a peculiar people 2 Cor. 6. 17. Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch no unclean thing Ver. 18. And I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty 4. Of our translation from life to death See Isa 4. 3. He that is left in Of our translation from death to life Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Luk. 15. 32. This my son was dead and is alive again Rom 6. 11. Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God Renewing grace is one of the strictest differences between men of death and men of life not any man hath it but he who is made alive by Christ and is in the state of life no profane person hath it nor doth any hypocrite partake of it 5. Of the pardon of our sins if any
is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of sinnes Heb. 9. 15. For this cause he 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 might receive the promise of an eternal inheritance Ver. 17. A Testament is of force after men are dead It is called a Covenant and a Testament 1. A Covenant in respect of God and a Testament in respect of Christ 2. A Covenant in respect of the manner of Agreement and a Testament in respect of the manner of confirming Jesus Christ died as a Testator and by his death confirmed the Testamentary gift before made of life and salvation 5. I might adde more demonstrations of this truth as the sealings of the Spirit The sealing of the Spirit and sealings of the Ordinances and the sealings of the Ordinances Baptisme and the Lords Supper which are the seals of this Will and the sealings of the people of God in their continual experience of the truth and certainty of the Covenant in the performance of the Covenant Psal 105. 8. He hath remembred his Covenant for ever Psal 119. 65. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant O Lord according to thy Word 2. Quest Why God makes a sute Covenant with his people Why God makes a sure Covenant Certainty is a ground of faith Sol. The reasons are these 1. Certainty is a ground of faith We are commanded to believe and to be perswaded and to stand and rest c. and to rejoyce in believing Rom. 15. 13. If the Covenant were uncertain and unsure your faith would never be certain and sure Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw nâ—â—r with a true heart in full assurance of faith But how could we draw near in that fâ—ll assurance of faith Surely by believing and being fully perswaded to enjoy what God hath promised unlesse there were a certainty in the Covenant viz. That God will certainly performe what he hath promised unto us there cannot possibly be a certainty of faith upon uncertain promises 2. Certainty is a ground of peace this Covenant is stiled a Covenant of peace Certainty is a ground of peace because it settles and quiets and establisheth our hearts yea and the Covenant breeds perfect peace it stills all the fears and doubts and thoughts of heart and therefore it must needs be a sure Covenant and being so we have strong consolation Heb. 6. 18. Two things are necessary to the settling of peace in the soul either 1. An actual fruition 2. A certain expectation Were the Covenant uncertain it may be God will be my God it may be he will not be my God it may be he will pardon my sins it may be he will not pardon my sins it may be he will save my soul and it may be he will not save my soul this uncertainty on Gods part would leave an uncertainty on our part and either of these uncertainties would certainly leave us to an uncertain distracted unsettled conscience O I can never be sure that God will be mine that mercy shall be mine c. 3. Certainty is the ground of hope and of patience God would have his people Certainty is the ground of hope and patience to hope in him and to wait for him to hope in his mercy and to wait for his promise Psal 130. 7. Lâ—t Israel hope in the Lord. Lam. 3. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. 1 Pet. 1. 13. Gird up the loynes of your mind be sober and hope to the end and therefore the Covenant is sure and must be so for hope is upheld by a sure and stedfast Anchor Heb. 6. 19. and patience by a sure word of promise wait for it for it will surely come Hab. 2. 3. God saith it twice in Joel 2. 26 27. My people shall never be ashamed and my people shall never be ashamed and Isa 49. 23. Thou shalt know that I am the Lord for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me and Rom. 5. 5. Hope makes not ashamed O but we should be ashamed of our hope and ashamed of our patience if we should look for a God and wait for a God who either could not help us or else would fail us 4. The certainty of the Covenant is the great glory of the Covenant it is more The certainty of the CovenaÌ„t is the glory of it glory to God to make a sure Covenant than an unsure Covenant to be certain in his word than uncertain to be a faithful God than an unfaithful God and we glorifie him more upon the account of the surenesse of his Covenant here is mercy promised and this mercy is sure all the mercies in this Covenant are the sure mercies of David here is Christ promised and this Christ is a sure foundation Isa 38. 16. Here is grace and glory promised and they are sure and here are necessary outward blessings promised and they are sure waters O how this exalts the goodnesse of God! all of it is sure and our poore souls if they come into Covenant shall surely enjoy all the good thereof mercy and grace and righteousnesse and joy and peace and spiritual life 5. God makes a Covenant that is sure because he would draw the hearts of his God would draw the hearts of his people to himself alone people to himself alone There are four things which will draw and fix the heart where it can discover them 1. One is goodnesse this is the good which I need 2. A second is fulnesse here is all the good which I need 3. A third is freenesse all this good is to be had freely 4. A fourth is certainty I shall not faile of any part of this good why these are apt to work on the heart and to draw it and to fix it and all these God puts into the Covenant which he makes with his people it is good it is full it is free and it is certain I will do you good saith God and I will do you all good and I will do it freely and I will do it assuredly why then to whom should we go thou hast all the words of eternal life on whom should we trust but on thy self alone O Lord who art so full a goodnesse and so sweet a graciousnesse and so unquestionable a faithfulnesse and truth 6. This Covenant which God makes with his people is sure because none of None of Gods people shall ever have cause to complain of him the people of God shall ever have cause just cause to complain of him or to blame him David in a distempered fit mutters out Psal 77. 8. Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise faile for evermore But he corrects himself for this in verse 10. I said This is my infirmity c. But
who paid no Debt nor Ransome for our selves it did cost us nothing the Remission of sins is meer mercy and free grace God did not expresse his full justice and mercy on Christ together nor did he express his full mercy and justice together on us But he expressed his justice on Christ who fully satisfied it and he expressed his mercy on us yet for the satisfaction made by the blood of Christ Amongst many places which might be brought to prove that the remission of our sins doth depend on the blood or sufferings of Christ I will mention only one more It is in Heb. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission verse 26. But now hath he speaking of Christ once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin by tht sacrifice of himself verse 28. So was Christ once offered to bear the sins of many what can be more clear There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood and therefore Christ appeared to put away our sins by the shedding of his blood per immolationem sui ipsius by the Sacrifice of himself As when the Sacrifices called expiatory were offered sins were taken away and pardoned so when Christ offered up himself by death a Sacrifice to God this was of real vertue to expiate our sins Vse 1 Now what an unspeakable comfort is this that Jesus Christ as our Mediatour did shed his blood for the remission of our sins Comfort that Christ shed his blood for our remission It looseth our Bonds and dischargeth our Debts 1. Our sins in Scripture are sometimes called Bonds and indeed they are the heaviest and dreadfullest Bonds of all others lying heavy upon the conscience and binding us over to Gods Tribunal to answer but these are loosened and released through the blood of Christ And sometimes they are called Debts for the payment of which we do owe unto the justice of God the endurance of everlasting pain in soul and in body but these debts are forgiven us for Christs sake In every sin there are two things considerable One is the Offence done to God by reason whereof he is displeased The other is the Obligation of that person so offending God unto everlasting wrath and condemnation And both these are removed in the remission or forgiveness of sins the offence or fault is removed God is not now offended or displeased with the offending sinner any more and the obligation unto eternal wrath and condemnation is so far cancelled that it shall never redound unto the person Although guilt and obligation be natural unto and inseparable from sin yet this obligation shall never be put in suit nor shall that wrath and condemnation deserved by sin be ever inflicted on the sinner because there is a forgiveness of sin wrought by Jesus Christ And therefore the Apostle saith That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5. 19. that is not laying of them to their charge not suing of them not reckoning with them but forgiving them 2. Secondly the comfort from this will appear yet to be more if you do consider This remission doth extend to all our sins that this remission of sin by Christ as it takes off the guilt of sin which is the Arrow in the Side the gnawing Worm in the Conscience the Thorn in the Foot and the breaking of our Bones so it doth extend to all our sins We do diversifie our sins by the times of them some are past some are present and some are future And by the quantity of them some are small and some are great And by the quality and circumstances of them some are of ignorance and some are of knowledge some are voluntary and some are involuntary c. Now whatsoever our sins are alwayes supposing us to be Elect believing and penitent persons they are all of them forgiven through the blood of Christ Colos 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities wherey they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Object What all every one Sol. Yes And there are five Arguments to satisfie us concerning this 1. Jesus Christ as our Surety took upon him the whole state of our sinfull debts He did not undertake this or that particular sin only but the whole debt the whole reckoning all the sins of which we might be conceived guilty and of all of them gave himself a Sacrifice to put away sin 2. He did so satisfie Gods justice for our sins as that there is now no condemnation to them that are in him and verily if all condemnation be removed then all sin is pardoned If any one sin remained unpardoned then condemnation would still be in force upon us for that one sin 3. His death was a price Aequivalent unto the merits of all our sins and preponderating them and God having accepted thereof it would be unjust in him not to remit all 4. All enmity is slain by the blood of Christ between God and us He hath reconciled us by his Crosse having slain enmity thereby But if any sin was not forgiven all hostility is not slain 5. The great end of Christs death was to save us to make us blessed to bring us to the enjoyment of eternal life which end could never be attained unlesse God did upon the account of Christ give unto us a plenary and total remission of sins Because of any one sin unpardoned the wages is death which the Apostle delivers in opposition to eternal life Rom 6. 23. 3. Nor doth our comfort from the remission of our sins by Christ end in This Remission is stable and irrevocable this it goes one step yet further and that is this as the Remission is total and perfect so it is stable and irrevocable Hence those expressions in Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea as if our sins lay drowned and buried for ever never to rise up against us any more Isa 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins When a Bond or Writing is blotted out there the writing against us can be read no more Or when a Cloud is blotted out it is so scattered and dispersed that it appears no more Jer. 33. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sins no more Jer. 50. 20. The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Why what comfort is this That there is Remission of sins procured for us and of all sins and that by Christ and that God hath forgiven them and as long as God is God and Christ is Christ they remain forgiven God alters not and Christ afters not and forgivenesse of sinnes alters not Vse 2 Is Remission of sin
for you are under grace by his Spirit which sanctifies 2. And from the damnation for sin There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. by his blood which justifies 2. With the chaines of bondage under the power of Gods Justice By reason From the power of Gods justice of sin we fall into the hands of a just God who hath threatned sin and revealed his wrath against it So that wheresoever the sinner lives he lives under this cloud of Gods wrath which at any times may break and fall down upon him and utterly and eternally overwhelme him This is a very dreadful bondage worse than his who sate eating with a great sharp sword hanging over his head with a little weak small thread And worse than his who hung by a rotten bough which if it brake he had immediately fallen down and had been dashed in pieces upon the Rocks But Jesus Christ hath redeemed us out of the hands of Gods justice by satisfying and appeasing the same and so hath delivered us from wrath 1 Thes 1. 10. Even Jesus who hath delivered us from the wrath to come we are saved from wrath through him Rom. 5. 9 3. With the chaines of bondage under the power of the Law of God The From the power of the Law Law of God speaks death and curse unto every sinner and under that is the sinner concluded The soule that sins shall die and cursed is every one who continues not in every thing that is written in the Law to do it What a heavy bondage is this for a sinner to carry about with him many Inditements and accusations in his own heart and to read as many curses pronounced against him in the Law of God For this sin thou art cursed and for that and for every one c. so that the sinner is condemned and cursed and dead in Law Which curses if the Law be not satisfied will as surely befall him as God is God But from this bondage also hath Christ redeemed us Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us From the 1. Execution of the Law by his active obedience 2. Condemnation of the Law by his passive obedience 4. With the chaines of bondage under a guilty accusing and condemning conscience For out of every sin there doth arise a particular guilt which guilt From an accusing and condemning conscience bindes over the sinner to the Judgement Seat of God to answer for it and to receive that condemnation threatned against it and this lies heavy on his Conscience Terret me conscientia mea ubicunque vadit mecum Testis Judex And truely this chain of bondage is such an iron yoke and such a fiery furnace and such a restless Sea and such an amazing wound that none can bear it who yet must bear it It is the very spirit of bondage the very terror of the Almighty the very hell on earth Yet also from this bondage doth Christ deliver us by making peace in his blood and by speaking peace through his Spirit unto our spirits and by preaching and sealing the forgivenesse of our sins Matth. 9. 2. Son be of good chear thy sins are for given thee And now Conscience is quiet ceaseth to accuse and condemn and excuseth and comforteth 5. With the chaines of bondage under the power of Satan who is the From the power of Satan Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. who takes us captives at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. and whose lusts and will we do naturally serve Joh. 8. 44. Power of his 1. Dominion 2. Operation and temptation But Jesus Christ hath redeemed us from this bondage also He hath bruised the head of this Serpent Gen. 3. 15. And by his Crosse hath spoiled Principalities and Powers and triumphed over them Col. 2. 15. and overcome that danger Rev. 12. 8 9. And hath destroyed him that hath the power of death that is the Divel Heb. 2. 14. And hath delivered us even from this power of darknesse Col. 1. 13. He hath bound the strong man so is Satan called Matth. 12. 29. who bound us and ruled over us and now we may by Faith quench all his fiery darts in the blood of Christ Ephes 6. 16. 6. With the chaines of bondage under the fear of death and hell A perpetual From the fear of death fear of which lies upon the conscience of the sinner who although in the presence of his mad and wild companions and in the midst of his cups and delights seems to be either unmindful or slighting yet when he is alone and more serious his heart doth tremble at the thoughts of death and judgement I would not die I am afraid to die But from this bondage also all that believe in Christ are redeemed or delivered Who Heb. 2. 15. did deliver them who through the fear of death were all their life-time subject unto bondage And so 1 Cor. 15. 56 57. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ And thus you have the Privative part of our Redemption by Christ viz. The evil from which by him we have deliverance 2. Now follows the Positive part of our Redemption by Christ For his Redemption The Positive part what we are free to is not a meer deliverance as if one should only be freed out of prison or only be kept from drowning or only be reserved from condemnation But besides the evil estate from which we are delivered by Christ there is also a good estate unto which we are brought by the Redemption of Christ As when the Israelites were Redeemed they were not only delivered out of Egyptian bondage but they were also brought into that goodly Land of Canaan And truely so it is with our Redemption by Christ As it is an outlet from all evil and misery so is it an inlet to all blessings and mercies The reason whereof is this because this Redemption was not only a sufficient price to satisfie but it was also a superabounding price to purchace There was not only enough in it to get off all evil but more yet remaining to merit and puâ—chace all the good which our soules did need Col. 1. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son For that now we are 1. Under another Lord. 2. Under other Laws and commands 3. Under the best Liberties and Priviledges Rev. 5. 9. Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood verse 10. and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the earth Here you see what an excellent estate the Redeemed by the blood of Christ are brought into They are redeemed unto God so as
on him on his death on his blood O blessed Jesus thy Person have I accepted thy blood have I relyed on on that precious and purchasing blood I have relied hitherto on it and it hath brought grace into my heart and peace into my conscience and joy into my soul and forgiveness of sins and the taste of much mercy and goodness I read and I do believe the future inheritance purchased by thy blood and reserved in heaven for me I die in the faith of it I believe also to enjoy the Crown of Righteousness the Kingdom of glory that eternal life which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ my Lord. 6. I will super-add one great benefit more which results from Christs Suffering The suffering of Christ is the confirmation of the Covenant as our Mediatour which shall be the close of all the rest and that is this The sufferings or death or blood of Christ is the confirmation of the Covenant you read of a two-fold confirmation of the Covenant 1. God confirmed the Covenant and he confirmed it by an Oath Heb. 6. 17. and Psal 89 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness c. 2 Jesus Christ confirmed the Covenant Gal. 3. 17. The Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ and Jesus Christ confirmed it by his Oath therefore his blood is called the blood of the Covenant Heb. 13. 20. And the blood of the New Testament Matth. 26. 28. In a two-fold respect His death gives force unto it Now Christ confirms the Covenant in a two-fold respect 1. In that his death gives force unto it To this agrees that of the Apostle in Heb. 9. 16 Where a Testament is there must also of necessary be the death of the Testator verse 17. For a Testament is of force after men are dead In this place the Covenant is called a Testament or a last Will wherein Estates and Legacies are bequeathed and which cannot be challenged untill the Testator dies but upon his death the Testament is of force that is all concerned in the Will and Testament may come and demand and take out the Legacies bequeathed unto them Object And whereas you may object that the Saints before the death of Christ obtained all blessings Sol. It is answered that Jesus Christ was a Lumb slain from the beginning of the world Rev. 13. 8. Jesus Christ was reckoned both with God and with his Church of old as dead and the promise of laying down his life for his people accepted in their time as if it had been performed and his very death appeared unto them in the Sacrifices of the Law and accordingly the Testament was of force unto them 2. In that his death seals the Covenant as firm and stable and unalterable His death seals the Covenant saith the Apostle Gal. 3. 15. Though it be but a mans Covenant yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereto There is now no question to be made of the intentions of God or of his promises in the Covenant for they are all of them Yea and Amen in Christ they are sure and stable the blood of Christ hath confirmed and ratified all there cannot possibly be an higher confirmation of the Covenant than this If a man offers you his Oath to assure you this is high but if a man will lay down his life upon it if he will take his death upon it he cannot give an Higher Testimony or Confirmation unto a Truth Now to take â—ff all doubtings on our part and fully to settle our perswasions concerning the Covenant as God gives us his Oath swearing by himself Heb. 6. 13. And God could go no higher than to swear by himself So the Son of God gives us his life he takes his death upon it that all shall be performed and further he cannot go Object But will some say What if Christ did die why must there be thereupon a confirmation of the Covenant must all the Covenant be sure for performance because Christ died what was there in his death for such a purchase Sol. I answer The death of Christ was the death of a Surety and of one who was therefore to die that the Covenant might be established There are three things considerable in the death of Christ One is Satisfaction to Gods Justice The other is Merit of all the good which we do need and God will bestow And there is also Efficacie Jesus Christ will see all made good and in these respects his death comes to be a confirmation of the Covenant but I will not stand any longer on this Point only I will make a little Use of it and so passe on Vse 1 Hath Jesus Christ as Mediator confirmed the Covenant not only established it to to be unalterable but made it firm and sure and unquestionable for the performance Why do you that are in Covenant doubt of all the good which God hath therein promised Then you who are brought in to Christ who are the people of God in Covenant you whose treasures are laid up in the Covenant and whose whole portion is setled there why do you doubt and why are ye afraid and why are your hearts troubled you cannot possibly have a better or fuller portion than God hath already setled upon you in this Covenant and you cannot possibly have a better or stronger assurance to confirm you in the expectation of all that good of the Covenant then the Oath of God and the death or blood of Christ You have the Promise of God and the Oath of God and the blood of Christ to assure you what would you have more and what can you have more It was a sharp aggravation of the infidelity of the Jews in John 12. 37. But though he had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not on him And verily it is a just exprobation of our unbelief that though we have the promise of God to perform his Covenant and though we have the Oath of God to perfoâ—m his Covenant and though we have the Blood of Christ to confirm the Covenant unto us yet in every occasion and in every strait we are calling all into question we doubt and fear and suspect and question whether the Covenant of God with us be a faithfull word as if God who cannot lie would deceive and faile us as if the God of Truth would forswear himself as if the Lord Jesus Christ having sealed the Covenant with his own blood might be found a deceiver and a false witness The Lord humble us for this unbelief and cause us to fear and to abhor this sin of unbelief as that which is most dishonourable to God and as most prejudicial and dangerous unto our own soules Vse 2 Hath Christ our Mediatour confirmed the Covenant by his own death Then you who do believe in Christ and therefore are interested in the Covenant make Make out to your God for all your souls do need
away all grounds of despair from the hearts of his people There are but three principal grounds of despair God takes away the grounds of despair 1. O my sins are so many that there is no hope of mercy 2. O but my sins are so high and so great that God will never forgive them 3. O but though God can and will forgive many sins and great sins yet he will not forgive my great sins My sin said Cain is greater than shall be forgiven Gen. 4. Now God answers all these Arguments and Grounds of despair which possibly may arise in the hearts of his people For 1. He promiseth that he will forgive all their sins and will cast them also into the depth of the sea 2. He promiseth to forgive their great sins though they have been as scarlet and red like crimson and though adulterers and though idolaters c. 3. This promise he himself doth make with respect unto every one of their persons as you may see here in the Text and in other Scriptures So that there remains no ground at all of despair for them Indeed there may be matter enough for their humiliation but none for desperation SECT III. 2. Vse DOth God promise the forgiveness of all sins yea of the great sins of his people Then let all the people who are sensible of any great Make out for the pardon of great sins transgression speedily and seriously make out unto the Mercy-seat for the pardon of their great sins For the managing of this Use I will 1. Premise a few Conclusions 2. Lay down some Directions what is to be done to get the pardon of great sinnes 3. Discover some Signs and Evidences by which one may know that even his great sins are forgiven First The Conclusions which I would premise as Motives to get the forgiveness Conclusions premised of our great sins are thesâ— First Even the people of God may be guilty of great transgressions both before The people of God may be guilty of great sins their conversion and also after their conversion 1. Before their conversion scarce any of them but have been guilty whâ—â— soule sins were those Corinthians guilty of before God had called them by his grace even of drunkennesse and idolatries and adulteries and Sodomies and Paul himself who seemed so unblameable in his conversation yet what great sins stood he guilty of He was mad in persecuting the Saints he had his hand in the blood of Stephen he was consenting to his death nay the Lord Jesus Christ arested him and accused him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9. 4. Ephes 2. 3. Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Titus 3. 3. We our selves were also foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another 2. After their conversion they have also been guilty of great sins Noah of drunkenness Gen. 9. 21. Lot of drunkenness and incest with his own daughters Gen. 19. 35 36. Solomon of abominable Idolatries 1 Kin. 11. 6 7. and David of adultery and murder 2 Sam. 11. 4. 12. 9. And a thousand to one but most of us have been guilty of some great sin or other either for the kind of it or for the circumstantial aggravations of it either of Omission or of Commission so that we all have cause to look after the forgiveness of great sins Secondly Their great sins do dishonor God as much nay more than the great sins of others 2 Sam. 12. 14. By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies Their great sins dishonor God as much if not more than others of the Lord to blaspheme c. Rom. 2. 24. The Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you Yea they do exceedingly provoke God to withdraw his comfortable presence of joy from their spirits and to speak bitter things unto them and to correct them with a strong and exemplary chastisement and to suffer them to be buffeted by Satan with very heavy and distracting temptations upon this accout also they have reason to look after the forgivenesse of their great sins Thirdly Apprehensions of their great sins as unpardoned must needs fill their hearts with marvellous fears and their Consciences with unutterable unquietnesses The apprehension of these sins will fill their hearts with fears and burdens as in Davids roarings and his complaint of broken bones There is I think not any one person whose great sins have not at some time or other returned upon him and deeply wounded him Great sins of all other are certain terrors unto the Conscience and of all great sins these are so 1. The sins against nature 2. Those of grosse uncleanness 3. Those of blood and murder 4. Those of compact with the Divel 5. Those of blasphemy 6. Those against the workings of Conscience 7. Those against the Gospel 8. Presumptions 9. Relapses Any of these and any other great sins of which one hath been guilty they sit heavy upon the Conscience and do make dreadful work there and do often arise with exceeding terror and distraction so that the soul sinks under the guilt of them c. Fourthly There is nothing whatsoever which can allay and quiet Conscience troubled and troubling for the guilt of great sins but the presence or at least Nothing can allay those fears but the sense or hope of pardon the hope of forgiveness of them No earthly thing can quiet conscience in that condition David wanted not for them and yet he roared all the Day long and his bones waxed old and his moisture was turned into the drought of summer Psal 32. 34. Nay let me speak a bold word there is nothing in God which can do it but this merciful and gracious nature to forgive If the distressed sinner looks on his Justice he falls down confounded if he looks on his holiness O he is of purer eyes than to behold sinne if on his power O it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Nothing but mercy answers this distress or gives ease to this pain and trouble Be mercifull unto me O God said David God be merciful to me a sinner said the Publican Take away iniquity said the Church Beloved In all sorts of distress there is but one thing which is a proper relief In sickness health is the only help in hunger bread is the only help in thirst water is the only help in pains ease is the only help and so under the guilt of sin mercy is the only help This is life this is deliverance this is all Fifthly Though your sins have been or are very great yet there is hope of mercy Though your sins be great yet there is hope of mercy and that for you which may appear briefly by four particulars 1. The promise of
your High Priest who offered himself for you and lives to make Intercession for you 1. All your sins were laid upon him for in that respect he was your Priest in by his oblation that respect also he was your Surety Heb. 7. 21 22. what 's that That That is All our sinâ—es were â—ayed upon him he became bound to God responsible unto him for all your sins for all that God in justice could charge upon you and demand for satisfaction Our salvation was laid on one that is mighty As Judah became a surety to Jacob for Benjamin he engaged himself to his Father I will be surety for him of my hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee then let me bear the blame for ever Gen. 43. 9. Thus Jesus Christ is our Priest and therefore our Surety with his Father Father I will take upon me all the sins of thy people I will be bound to answer for them I will sacrifice my self for them at my hands do thou require satisfaction for their sins and a full compensation unto thy justice I will die I will lay down my life I will make my soul an offering for sins I will become a curse I will endure thy wrath O what a Comfort is this that there is a Christ to answer for that which we could not answer Hâ— discharged all our debâ—s and bonds The debt of obedience and of punishment 2. He discharged all your debts and bonds There is a twofold debt which lay upon us one was the debt of obedience unto the Law And this Christ did pay by fulfilling all Righteousnesse Matth. 3. 15. The other was the debt of punishment for our transgressions and this debt also Christ discharged by his death on the Crosse and being made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse Gal. 3. 13. Hence it is that we are said to be bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. and that Christ is called our ransome Lutron Matth. 20 28. and Antilutron 1 Tim. 2. 6. the words do signifie a valuable price laid down for anothers ransome the blood of â—hrist the Son of God was a valuable price a sufficient price it was as much as would serve the turn to take off all enmities and to take away sin and to satisfie Divine justice and indeed so it did and therefore you read that in his blood we have redemption even the forgivenesse of our sins Ephes 1. 7. and his death was such a full compensation to Divine Justice that the Apostle makes a challenge to all Rom. 8. 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect and ver 3â— Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died as if he had said Crist hath satisfied and discharged all O what comfort is â—his unto us to have such an high Priest who himself bare all our sins even all our sins left not one unsatisfied for laid down a full ransome a full price such an expiatory â—acrifice such a satisfactory â—acrifice as â—hat now we are out of the hands of justice and wrath and death and curse and hell and are reconciled and made near and deale altogether under the throne of Grace and Mercy 3. As our Priest in offering himself for us his Scacrifice being as the â—cripture There is not only satisâ—action buâ— merit in his oblation speaks the blood oâ— God that is of one that is God there is more therefore in it than meere payment or satisfaction there was merit also in it to acquire and procure and purchase all Spiritual good and all Eternal good for the people of God not only immunities from evil in sin and death but priviledges and dignities of sons and heires yea all grace and all love and all peace and all glory even that glorious inheritance purchased by his blood You may now look on â—od as your Father and on Heaven as your inheritance seâ—led on you by the love of God and purchased for you by the blood of Jesus Christ 4. What shall I say more Jesus Christ is your Priest for Intercession also Do Comfort from his intercession you know your happiness by this and in this your Christ is now entered into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father and therefore he intercedes for you he presents himself as your Surety â—s your Redeemer in all his susceptions and endurances and discharges and purchases for you in the price which he laid down and in the merits of that price and so negotiates and obtaines for you and still is effectually letting dâ—wn unto you the vertues and purchases of his life and death untill you come at length to â—he highest and full enjoyment of himself in glory Father I purchased this for him I paid dearly for it c. And therefore some not without ground ascribe all the purchases of Christ for the application of them untâ— us unto the Intercession of Christ I will say no more but thâ—s That all your communions with the Father all your audiences all your acceptances all your answers in graces in comforts in hopes in helps in present in future enjoyments owe themselves unto â—hrist as your Priest in the Oblation of himself for you and in the intercession of him unto the Father for you 3. Jesus Christ is a King and he is your King He is called a King Psal 2. 6. and Jesus Christ is a Kinâ— â—nd your King He mâ—kes subjects by his Word and Spirit He mâ—kâ—s all his Subjects free-men He mâ—kes all his Subjects Kings he is called King of Saints Rev. 15. 3. He is such a King as there is not the like A King by contract in respect of God by conquest in respect of us 1. He makes Subjects by the power of his Word and Spirit effectually calling us out of the kingdom of darkness into his own gracious Kingdom 2. He makes all his Subjects free-men If the Sâ—n shall make you free you are free indeed Joh. 8 36. 3. He makes all his Subjects Kings He hath made us unto our God Kings and Priests Rev. 4. 10 4. He rules all his Subjects by Righteous Laws therefore he is called Melchisedeck He rules them by righâ—eous Laws which signifies a King of Righteousnesse and his Kingdom is called a Righteous Kingdom 5. He is the King of Salem of peace as well as of Righteousnesse Men never He is a King of peace enjoy peace at least such a peace anywhere as in the Kingdom of Christ there is no man that obeyes him and is ruled by him but findes peace Gal. 6. His kingdom is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost 6. He as a King seeks your good and all that he doth hath a respect to your good all He seeks your good and all he doth is with respect to your good He will protect and secuâ—e you his dispensations are good and for
delights in viz. uprightnesse of Spirit your sighs and groans and tears and desires shall passe and be accepted instead of more full and ample performances 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him Psal 51. 17. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Zach. 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things 6. They have immunity from the terrour or coercive power of the Law Namely From the coercive power of the Law from obeying the commands of it upon the meer principles of slavish fear of the threatnings annexed unto the breach of the Law You do now obey the Law not as slaves but as sonnes not out of fear of wrath but out of love to your Father That Spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. and that spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. is removed and a spirit of love comes in the room thereof Though there were no rewards to allure and though there were no severe threats to terrifie you yet you would serve your God with willing minds and with willing hearts 2 Chron. 28. 9. Psal 110. 3. There is such a heavenly sutablenesse and superconnaturalnesse 'twixt the Law of your God and your hearts that it is your delight to meditate in it and to walk up unto it in all things there is no constraint on you but the love of your good God 7. They have immunity from the curse of the Law Christ hath redeemed us From the curse of the Law from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. Indeed afflictions and fatherly chastisements or corrections may befall the people of God in this life whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth Heb. 12. 6. but no curses befall them Though the cup be bitter yet there is no poyson in it though it be a crosse yet it is not a curse their wounds are healing wounds and their afflictions are instructions and their losses are their gains for nothing comes as a curse which doth us good 8. They have immunity from the Kingdome and power of darkness You are no From the Kingdome of darknesse longer under the Prince of the power of the Aire the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. The Divel is dispossessed and cast down and cast out he is still your enemy but he shall never be your Lord more he may tempt you and disquiet you but command and rule over you he shall never do Though the Divel be very busie and active with you yet he shall never regain possession never conâ—uer your graces never part you and your God never hinder you of your inheritance 9. They have immunity from death there is the first death and the second From death death or there is a three-fold death there is the death of the soul and the death of the body and the death of soul and body 1. Spiritual death that is the death of the soul 2. Corporal death that is the death of the body 3. Eternal death that is the death of soul and body Now all the people of God are freed from spiritual death by the grace of Christ and from eternal deaâ—h by the blood of Christ and from corporal death though not absolutely or simply yet respectively so far forth as sinne hath made it dreadful and our enemy and prejudicial to us Though you must dye yet your death is but your sleep and is but your strait passage into life The death of death is removed from you by the death of Christ Vide Heb. 2. 15. 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jâ—sus Christ 10. What can I say more they have immunity from all evil in this life and in the life to come you are freed or delivered from an evil conscience which never From all evil leaves accusing and condemnâ—ng from this present evil world and the corruptions thereof from every evil work and way from evil men from all the evil which remains for evil men in hell God in this Covenant secures you against all why what comforts are there in these things and what confidence and what encouragements and what support unto your souls Why do you fear so often and why are your hearts troubled Surely you do not know your selves to be the people of God or else you do not fully know the liberties and immunities of the people of God Sometimes you fear the heavy wrath of God but why do you so He is your God and your Father and full of compassions and loving kindnesses he will not deal with you as a revenging Judge but as a loving and merciful Father he is at peace with you and reconciled unto you Sometimes you fear the damnation and curse belonging unto sinne But why do you so Christ hath dyed and satisfied for your sinnes and he was made a curse for you and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Sometimes you fear because of the powerful motions and conflicts and rebellions of sinne in your hearts but why do you so seeing that sinne shall not have dominion over you and Christ in you is daily mortifying and destroying the body of sinne neither shall any Lord reigne in you but your Saviour who dyed for you Sometimes you fear because of the imperfection of your graces but why do you so It is not your weaknesse or want of holinesse but Christs perfect righteousnesse which is imputed unto you for life and for justification Sometimes you fear because of the weaknesse of your obediential services and performances but why do you so your God in Covenant works all his works in you and he owns your persons and will accept the weakest offerings of an upright heart in and for Christ Sometimes you fear because of the strong temptations of Satan but why do you so grace sufficient shall be given unto you and your God will shortly bruise Satan under your feet Sometimes you fear men because of their malice and power and why do you so your God will restrain the rage of man and frustrate the counsels of the Heathen and break the armes of the ungodly and knows how to deliver you Sometimes you fear to dye but why are you afraid of death which is but the last Stile to go over and then you are at your Fathers house death to you is but an end of your sinnes and miseries and only a quick passage into your eternal happinesse Secondly The priviledges which you enjoy by being under the Covenant of grace Priviledges by being in Covenant by
God power is necessary to give a being unto all undertakings The power of God If a poor man promiseth much yet there is no certainty of it because though he be very willing yet he is very unable the engagement exceeds his stock of ability But God is able to performe all the good promised to his people in the Covenant Rom. 4. 21. Abraham was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform For the clear understanding of this remember four particulars 1. There is not any one promise of God but hath the power of God accompanying No promise of God but hath the power of God engaged for it it and engaged for it whether for temporal things see an excellent place for this Numb 11. 18. The Lord will give you flesh and you shall eat Ver. 19. Ye shall not eat one day nor two dayes nor ten nor twenty but a whole month Verse 20. And Moses said verse 21. The people are six hundred thousand footmen and thou hast said I will give them flesh for a whole month Shall ver 22. the flocks and herds be slain for them to suffice them or shall the fish of the sea be gathered together for them as if he had said But art thou able to make this promise good the Lord said unto Moses verse 23. Is the Lords hand waxed short Thou shalt see whether my word shall come to passe unto thee or not he did make it good Or whether the promise be for spiritual things there is the power of God accompanying it Micah 7. 18. Who is a strong God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity He is able to pardon all our sinnes and able to change our hearts and to subdue our iniquities and to write his Law in our hearts and to make all grace to abound and to keep us from falling and to preserve us to his heavenly glory We are kept by the power of God 2. This power is a supreme and over-topping power it is an exceeding power This power is a supreme power a power that cannot be hindred If he will blesse who can curse If he be with us who can be against us No creature can raise up and stay it it is such a power as beares down all before it All that Pharaoh could do could not make or hinder the power of God from delivering his people according to his promise nor all the Kings could hinder their possessing of promised Canaan 3. This power is independent it takes not in any assistance to help it but is alone This power is independent sufficient to it self and unto all its works and unto all the purposes of God there is enough of his power as to creation so to conversion and pardoning and blessing 4. This power is an enduring power it still abides in strength Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save Isa 59. 1. His power remains the same This power is an enduring power for ever 2. The Will of God in reference to the Covenant to perform what God hath promised Micah 7. 20. Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob. Jer. 33. 14. The Will of God I will performe that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel 1 Thes 5. 24. Faithful is he that calleth you who will also do it Phil. 1. 6. He that hath begunne a good work in you will performe it untill the day of Jesus Christ God was never forced to make it or to enter into this Bond but out of his own accord willingly became ours and this willingnesse was not extrinsecal depending upon the perswasion of another but it was intrinsecal arising only from his own entire love unto us Quest But the question may be concerning the kinds of Gods Will as to the performance The kinds of Gods will of this Covenant Sol. For answer unto that take these particulars 1. The will of God for the performance of his Covenant it is a peremptory and perfect Will it is a Will resolved a Will of purpose or according to purpose It is a peremptory and perfect will not an incompleat Will it may be I will and it may be I will not not a wishing but this is my purpose my decree I am resolved on it to blesse my people to bring upon them all the good of my Covenant 2. This Will is grounded on it selâ— it is a well-guided Will it doth not depend It is grounded on it self on any thing in us for then it might not be sure but only the good pleasure of his Will which is most sure Ezek. 36. 22. Not for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy Name-sake Isa 48. 11. For mine own sake even for mine own sake will I do it Deut. 7. 8. Because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the Oath which he had sworne unto your Fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand 3. This Will is fixed and unalterable must not the Covenant then be sure It is fixed and unalterable Psal 89. 34. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Verse 35. Once have I sworn by my holinesse that I will not lye unto David And this willingnesse he hath expressed 1. In his promiseâ— yea promise upon promise that he will bring upon them all the good that he hath promised them Jer. 32. 42. and Jer. 33. 14. and Micah 7. 20 c. 2. In his Oath to all this I have sworn by my holinesse that I will not lye unto David Psal 89. 35. He confirmed it by his Oath saith the Apostle in Heb. 6. 17. and an Oath for confirmation is an end of all strife ver 16. Luk. 1. 72. To perform the mercy promised to our fâ—thers and to remember his holy Covenant Ver. 73. The Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham surely God will not break his word of promise and lye surely God will not break his Oath and be perjured 3. This Covenant is gracious and therefore it is sure as the Apostle speaks It is gracious Rom. 4. 16. Therefore it is of faith that it might bâ— by grace to the end the promise might bâ— sure to all the seed The former Covenant was not sure because it was of works and rested upon our own strength and performance but this Covenant iâ— sure because it is of grace and rests not on any sufficiency in us but only on the goodnesse and the sufficiency of Gods grace God in this Covenant doth promise to give us all things freely to work all our works in us and for us not to deal with us according to our deserts but according to the riches of his mercy 4. This Covenant is confirmed by the blood of Jesus Christ which is called It is confirmed by the blood of Christ the blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13. 20. Matth. 26. 28. This
good God but also as a wise God and his delays are not his denials but only his trials and therefore hear himself speaking in this case Hab. 2. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry waite for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Micah 7. 7. I will waite for the God of my salvation my God will hear me 3. They are discoveries of many mens hypocrisie but no evidences of Gods mutability You shall have a company of men boast of their strong faith in God and of their great love to God and how they trust in him with all their hearts this they speak in the dayes of their prosperity but let the Lord put forth his hand upon them let him but blast their Jonah's Guord let him cut off those armes of flesh upon which indeed they do depend let him but break down their creature-supports and comforts and hopes and hold out never so many sutable and faithful promises why they have no hopes a word of promise is of no life or support at all unto them This evil is of the Lord why should I wait for the Lord any longer said that wicked Prince in 2 Kings 6. 33. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him Hab. 2. 4. 4. They are many times the displayings of the best mens infirmities but no tokens of any uncertainty in Gods Covenant The best men though they may attain to the knowledge of the truth of that grace in their hearts yet they may be much deceived as to the measure and strength of that grace and as many other things can declare this unto them so do these delayes and respites and contrary dealings of God much very much shew it Alas what expressions in such cases have fallen from the lips of precious men what complaints what impatience what charges of God himself what disputes what exceeding weaknesses Psal 116. 11. I said in mine haste All men are lyars thus David in that condition Jer. 15. 18. Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a lyar and as waters that fail what a sad expression is this Jonah 4. 3. Take away I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye than to live Verse 9. I do well to be angry even unto death Job 3. 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night wherein it was said there is a man-childe concâ—ived c. You see what strange weaknesses God doth discover in the hearts of his own people by delays by his dealings with them in ways sensibly contrary to his promises by which they come more fully to know themselves and to be humbled before him and to seek unto him for more assistance and notwithstanding all this yet the Covenant of God is sure to his people he will yet performe all the good which he promiseth unto them though under all this they may discern their own weaknesses and unworthinesse 5. They do serve for the greater demonstration of his truth and are no diminutions of it at all that notwithstanding all visibly contrary workings and notwithstanding all the fears and doubtings and contrary opinions of his own servants yet God will be true though every man be a lyar his word shall stand and his Covenant be found true and sure Psal 31. 22. I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes neverthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee 4. Then be upright do not use any indirect wayes or sinful shufflings what Be upright need of these the Covenant contains as much good as you need and it is sure for the performance of all Psal 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed Ver. 4. Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart Ver. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe SECT VIII 8. THe eighth property of this Covenant is this It is the last Covenant it It is the last Covenant It succeeds a former Covenant may be called the last Covenant in a twofold respect 1. Because it succeds a former Covenant and removes it See Heb. 8. 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away 2. Because no Covenant shall ever succeed this If any Covenant should succeed No Covenant shall ever succeed it this it must be a Covenant either of works or of grace not a Covenant of works for that would bring us all under a curse and make our condition utterly desperate nor a Covenant of grace because more grace cannot be shewn in any other Covenant than in this here is all grace and all mercy and Jesus Christ with all his righteousnesse Mediatorship merit purchase this Covenant is so perfect and is so every way accommodated to the condition of sinners that nothing can be altered nor can be added nor mended therefore it is the last Covenant O therefore take heed what you do stand not off refuse not to come into this Covenant sin not against this Covenant for that he offers it no more it is the last Covenant no hope no mercy no love no Christ no acceptance no life but in this SECT IX 9. THe ninth property of this Covenant is It is an everlasting Covenant so It is an everlasting Covenant the Text I will make an everlasting Covenant with you Isa 55. 3. Incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Gen. 17. 7. I will stablish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee for an everlasting Covenant to be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath mâ—de with me an â—verlasting Covenant c. Psal 105. 9. Which Covâ—nant he made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac Ver. 10. And confirmâ—d the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting Covâ—nant Isa 61. 8. I wâ—ll dirâ—ct their work in truth and I wâ—ll make an everlasting Covenant with â—hem Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I wâ—ll not tâ—rn away from them to do them good Heb. 13. 20. Through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever Psal 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide evâ—n unto death All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting viz. All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting 1. God is an everlasting God Rom. 16. 26. 2. Jesus Christ is the everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. And a Priest for ever Heb. 6. 20. 3. The
Vnto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders his Name shall be called wonderfull Counsellâ—r the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace He is by God set forth to be a propitiation Rom. 3. â—5 And he is made of God unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1. â—0 And God hath made him to be sin for us that we may be made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. And he is given to be a Redeemer a Saviour a Light a Salvation As to all these respects you may confidently depend upon your God that Jesus Christ shall be unto you a Redeemer 2. So far as Christ hath purchased for his Members as far as his purchase extends so far your dependance on your God may extend whatsoever good or As far as his purchase extends blessing he hath laid down a price for and bought by his blood and death for all that believe on hâ—m for all that may you by faith depend upon your God in time to settle upon you whether it be remission of sin or reconciliation with God or grace or peace in conscience or acceptance or assistance or joyes of the Holy Ghost or perseverance or eternal glory for all of it are you to depend upon your God to settle upon you in their order and measure 3. So far as the promises of God do extend so far may and should your dependance So far as the promises extend on your God extend whatsoever he undertakes to give you in his Covenant for all that may and should you depend upon him for according to his Covenant His Covenant is full of promises and those promises are full of good for soule for body for both for this life for the next life for grace for glory why All these promises are the childrens bread and the believers portion and as where God hath a mouth to speak to us in the way of Precepts there we should have an eare to hear him in the way of obedience so where God is pleased to abound in promises unto us we are bound to enlarge our Faith in a dependance upon him for all that promised good unbelief displeaseth and dishonoureth God in his promisâ—s as disobedience doth dishonour and displease him in respect of his commands 4. So far as the real exigences of our soules and bodies do extend so far may and should our faith of dependance extend upon our God Though the childe hath no So far as the real exigences of our souls and bodies do extend reason to depend upon his father to supply him of his vanities yet he hath warrant enough to rely upon him to relieve all his necessities If the childe wants bread and rayment or Physick the childe may come and the Father will help and this holds 'twixt God our Father and his children How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him Matth. 7. 11. If it be a want indeed an exigence indeed a strait indeed you may go to your God and trust on him and he will not faile you Psal 84. 11. No good thing will he with-hold Psal 34. 10. They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing Isai 41. 17. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear I the God of Israel will will not forsake them Let your want or exigence be temporal or spiritual if it be indeed an exigence by reason of temptation from Satan or from the insolent opâ—rations of sinfull corruptions or from the greatnesse of afflictions or heavâ—nesse of misery or distresse of poverty or any other pressure I say if it be a reall exigence that you know not what to do in every such case your eyes should be upon your God you should trust on him and stay upon his Name 5. So far as your prayers may extend for your selves so far may and should So far as our Prayers may extend your dependance on your God extend I do not say every mans asking and faith of dependance are co-extensive Nor do I say that every good mans asking and faith of dependance are to be paralleld But this I say that so far as you may pray so far you may and ought to believe to depend on your God 1 Joh. 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Joh. 14. 13. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son you may pray for whatsoever God hath commanded you to pray and you may pray for whatsoever God hath encouraged his people to pray you may pray for whatsoever God hath promised to hear and and answer Prayer and for whatsoever Christ may be looked upon as an Intercessor And for all these may you depend upon your God Nay you should do so for as your God would have you thus to pray unto him so he would have you to pray in faith to ask in Faith believing that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him 6. Lastly Match but conditions and circumstances whatsoever good and in So far as any childe of God hath extended his faith in like condition whatsoever like case any Child of God or servant of Christ hath extended his faith of dependance upon his God for all that good may you being now in the same relation and condition exercise your faith of dependance upon your God If you be in the same strait that Jehoshaphat was or in the same distresse that Hezekiah was or in the same calamity that Job was or in the same dejection desertion that David was or in the same spiritual conflicts and temptation that Paul was or in the same trouble and terror of conscience that Heman was c. whatsoever mercy or grace help or comfort or goodness they might look up unto God for as their God in Covenant for the very same may you look up to God and depend upon God for as your God Whatsoever any one hath pleaded for with God and trusted upon God for because he was their God upon the same account in the same condition may every Child of God plead with him and depend upon him for because God is also his God Parallel but conditions and circumstances and then the same Covenant will unquestionably afford unto you the same ground for confidence and dependance 3. These things being so let us advance now into the third place viz. What Encouragements to depend upon God encouragements there are for all who are by faith united unto Christ chearfully and confidently to depend upon their God for whatsoever good he hath stated out for them in his Coenvant Sol. If any people in the world have grounds of encouragement to depend on God for the
was upon him and including the punishments common to the nature of man not the personal arising out of imperfection and defect and distemper The punishments due to us for sin were Corporal and Spiâ—itual and again they were the punishments of losse and of sense and all these did Christ suffer for us Shall I touch at these 1. That he suffered Corporal punishments the Scriptures clearly report unto us Christ suffered corporal punishments you read of the injuries to his Person of the crown of thorns on his Head of the smitâ—ing of his Cheeks of spitting on his Face of the scourgings of his Body of the Cross on his Back of the vinegar in his Mouth of the Nailes in his Hands and Feet of the Speare in his side and of his crucifying and dying on the Crosse 1 Pet. 2. 24 Who himself in his own body on the Tree bare our sins 1 Cor. 15. 2. Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scriptures Rev. 1. 5. and washed us from our sins in his own blood 2. That he suffered likewise in his soule The Scriptures likewise are express He suffered in his soule for it Matth. 26. 38. My soule is exceeding sorâ—owful even unto death Isa 53. 10. When thou shalt make his soule an offering for sin he shall see his seed c. Joh. 12. 27. Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say Father save me from this hour But for this cause came I unto this hour The Papists say that Christ did not truely and properly and immediately suffer in his soul but only by way of sympathy and compassion with his Body to the Mystical Body and that his bare bodily sufferings were sufficient for mans redemption But these are unsound Assertions For 1. Christ bare our sorrows Isa 53. 4. what sorrows we should bear but the sorrows due unto us for our sins were not corporal only but Spiritual also and those did Christ bear in his soule 2. What Christ took of ours that he in suffering offered up for us for his assuming of our nature was for this end to suffer for us in our Nature but he took our nature in Body and in Soul Suscepit animam meam suscepit corpus meum saith Ambrose And he delivered our soules as well as our bodies and the sins of our soules did need his sacrifice as well as the sins of our bodies and our soules were crucificed with Christ as well as our bodies Mens mea in Christo Crucifixa est saith Ambrose incipio in Christo vincere unde in Adam vinctus sum l. 4. in loco Si totus homo periit totus beneficio salvatoris indiguit if our whole man was lost then our whole man did need the benefit and help of a whole Saviour and if Christ had assumed only our flesh our body then our souls adjudged to punishment had remained under transgression without hope of pardon 3. Again that punishment which was pronounced against the first Adam our first Surety and in him against us that same did Christ the Second Adam our next and best Surety bear for us or else it must still lie upon us to suffer it But the punishment threatned and denounced against Adam for transgression was not only corporal respecting our bodies but Spiritual also respecting our soules There was a Spiritual malediction due unto our soules as well as a corporal c. 4. That fear which fell on Christ and his agony was a real fear and agony and it was in his soule and did not arise from the meer contemplation of bodily torments only The very Martyrs in the encountring of them have feared little Certainly there was some great matter that lay upon the very soule of Christ which made him so heavy and sorrowfull and so afraid and in such an agony 5. He shall see of the travell of his soule Isa 53. Here the soule is taken properly and the travel of Christs soule is his sufferings for it follows and he shall bear their iniquities 6. Christ gave himself c. But the body only is not himself Christs sufferings in soul were exceedingly high and great 3. That the suffering of Christ in his soule was exceedingly high and great and wonderful both as to the punishment of losse and as to the punishment of sense all which I shall expresse in four particulars 1. Jesus Christ did suffer dereliction for a time 2. Jesus Christ did feel and suffer the wrath of God 3. Jesus Christ did feel and suffer the torments of hell 4. Jesus Christ was verily made a curse for us and did in his soule and body bear that curse of the Law which by reason of transgression was due unto us 1. That Jesus Christ did suffer dereliction of God really He was indeed deserted Christ did suffer dereliction for a time and forsaken of God Matth. 27. 46. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yet well understand me in this I do not mean that there was any such desertion of Christ by God as did dissolve the union of the Natures in the Person of Christ for Christ in all his sufferings still remained God and Man nor do I mean an absolute desertion in respect of the presence of God for God was still present with Christ in all his sufferings and the God head did support his Humanity in and under his sufferings but that which I mean is this That as to the sensible and comforting manifestations of Gods presence thus he was for a time left and forsaken of God as David who in this particular was a Type of Christ suffering cryed out Psal 22. 1. My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from my help He was indeed really forsaken of God God did indeed leave him in respect of his sense and feeling so was Christ Though God did still continue a God to David yet in Davids apprehension and feeling he was forsaken of God Though God was still a God to Christ yet as to his feeling he was left of God to wrastle with God and to bear the wrath of God due unto us Relinquit Deus dum non parcit saith Tertullian That was truly a dereliction Vbi nulla fuit in tanta necessitate virtutis exhibitio nulla ostensio Majestatis So Bernard Quoniam delicta aliena suscepi etiam delictorum alienorum verbera suscepi c. So Ambrose And as he saith flagellata his ipse est ne nos flagellaremur Christ was scourged that we might not be scourged so Christ was forsaken that we might not be forsaken 2. That Jesus Christ did feele and suffer the wrath of God which was due Christ did feel and suffer the wrath of God due to us unto us for our sins The Prophet Isa 53. 4. saith that he was plagued and smitten of God and verse 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him To be plagued and smitten of God is to feel and suffer the
said to be delivered or saved from the wrath of God by him Rom. 5. 9. We shall be saved from wrath by him and to have all enmity slain Ephes 2. 16. 2. Jesus Christ did not only take off wrath and discord and variance by He did also restore us to favour appeasing God but he did moreover restore us again into his favour and friendship and drew up a state of concord or perfect agreement between God and us Rom. 5. 11. We also joy or glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the attonement And if I be not much mistaken the propitiatory which resembled Christ doth plainly inform us in what a state of grace or favour we now do stand with God by Jesus Christ So that now we are no longer enemies and strangers and Forreiners but friends and favourites and children of God and he is well pleased with us and delights in us and is pleased to hold communion with us 3. That Jesus Christ did reconcile God and us by his blood or death The He did reconcile God and uâ— by his blood Scripture is so full and clear in this that it is an amazement unto me to see with what face any man can deny and oppose it Rom. 5. 10. When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Ephes 2. 13. We are made nigh by the blood of Christ verse 14. For he is our Peace verse 16. That he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Crosse Col. 1. 21. You that were sometime alienated and enemies c. yet now hath he reconciled verse 22. In the body of his flesh through death Before I make some usefull Application unto our selves there are a few Doubts and Objections to be removed Christ is God and then how can he be a Mediatour of Reconciliation to himself How can Christ as Mediatour Reconcile us to God because he himself is God 1. Doubt and none can be a Mediatour of Reconciliation unto himself but between different persons Answered Sol. 1. Though that of the Apostle may satisfie us in this 2 Cor. 5 19. That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2. Yet we thus distinguish of Christ the Son of God that there is a two-fold consideration of him 1. One is as to his Divine Nature or Essence absolutely in which respect he is God equal with the Father the self same one God and so is he the offended party 2. Another is as to that condition or estate which he did voluntarily undertake Namely to be God Incarnated or to be made Man according unto which he became Mediatour And as thus considered he is a middle Person 'twixt God and us Now though Christ absolutely as God was the offended party and received a Sacrifice by which he was appeased yet as God incarnated as God-Man he offered up that Sacrifice of Reconciliation By the merit and vertue whereof he made our peace with God For thus considered he was a middle party 'twixt God and us and as so did not Reconcile us to himself but to God God doth love his people with an everlasting love he loved us before he 2. Doubt sent Christ into the world for us For God so loved the world that he gave his only I but God doth love his people with an everlasting love begotten Son Now if God loved us with an everlasting love what need is there of Reconciliation by Christ Reconciliation needs not amongst friends but between enemies Answered Sol. To those that make this Objection against the need of our Reconciliation by Christ because of Gods eternal love I would intreat them to consider that place in 1 Joh. 4. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sinnes Mark the place though God did love us yet he sends his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins whence it is most evident that a Propitiation or Reconciliation by Christ is necessary notwithstanding the love of God towards us Neverthelesse I will not thus quit the Objection and difficulty unto which divers answers are given by learned men 1. One faith that God did in a wonderfull way love us when yet he did hate us and was dispeased with us he did love us in respect of what himself had made and yet he did hate us and was displeased with what we our selves did make that is he loved our nature which himself made but hated the sin which our nature contracted And therefore though he loved our natures which himself made yet there was a need of Reconciliation to be made to remove that hatred and wrath which we contracted by our sins and as Aquinas adds to take away the cause and ground of all hatred and displeasure in God namely by taking away of sin by the death of Christ which was the cause of it 2. But with your favour I shall I suppose satisfie the doubt by a distinction of a two-fold love of God 1. There is Amor benevolentiae which is that love in God by which he wisheth and intendeth good unto us For although God was angry and displeased with us by reason of sin yet that anger was not such as did shut up thoughts of love and mercy towards us For notwithstanding that exceeding displeasure with us for sin yet his love did intend and did issue forth a way of Reconciliation and Pacification by the blood of Christ And with this love the wrath of God is confistent and with this wrath of God his love is consistent he was wroth with us for our sins yet he did so far love us as to give Jesus Christ for the pacification of that wrath according to that forementioned place in 1 Joh. 4. 10. 2. There is Amor amicitiae which consists in laying aside all wrath and accepting of us into a league of favour and kindness With this love I grant that wrath cannot consist And this love was procured unto us by the death of Christ So then although God did love his people with an eternal love of benevolence out of his meere mercy and grace yet there is a love of friendship with which he did not love us until his wrath against us for our sins were removed by the death of his Son Jesus Christ Object And whereas it was objected that there needs no Reconciliation to be made 'twixt friends Sol. I grant it But God and we were not made friends but by the blood of Christ which did pacifie his wrath against us notwithstanding his love of benevolence we were in a condition of wrath and that love of benevolence did not take away wrath although it did make a way thereto by sending Jesus Christ to be a Propitiation for our sins The Scripture doth not say God
is reconciled to us There is no mention in all the Scripture That God is reconciled to us though 3. Doubt indeed frequently we are said by Christ to be Reconciled unto God Answered Sol. 1. If we do find that we are reconciled to God this is enough to evidence that God is reconciled unto us As if we know such a woman is married unto such a man we need not be solicitous to prove that such a man is married unto such a woman Or supposing Paul and Barnabas have been at difference if Barnabas be reconciled to Paul we may well conclude that Paul is reconciled to Barnabas Reconciliation 'twixt different parties is in the very nature of it a conciliation or accord of both parties if either of the parties stand off and will not yield it cannot be called a Reconciliation of them or between them 2. But secondly the Scripture will give in testimony enough for Gods being reconciled unto us Ezek. 16. 36. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord Here God himself is said to be pacified towards them and what is it for God to be pacified but to be reconciled Exod. 30. 10. Aaron shall make an attonement upon the horns of the Altar once in a year with the blood of the sin-offering what doth this Typifie but the Reconciliation made by the blood of Christ for our sinnes and with whom is this attonement made with God who is displeased with us because of our sins c. Isa 54. 9. I have sworn that I will not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Isa 57. 16. I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wrath Vse 3 Is Reconciliation with God the fruit and effect of the blood and death of Christ then consider seriously of three things Information How efficacious is the blood of Christ 1. How powerful and efficacious the blood of Christ is It hath done that which all the righteous men on earth and which all the Angels in heaven could never do If all the righteous men on earth should have come forth and offered their lives their souls and bodies unto God and have said Lord take all these at our hands so that thou wilt be reconciled and at peace with such a sinner they could not have made his peace Yea if all the angels in heaven had offered themselves to God and said Lord we are content to be put out of Heaven so that this may satisfie thy justice and so that this may make peace for sinners neither would this have took up the difference and made peace There cannot be found in any creature sufficiency enough to be a Peace-maker to be a Dayes man betwen God and sinners to take off the wrath of God due to a sinner No no it is not our tears nor our confessions nor our repentance which can make reconciliation it is Jesus Christ only He was only able to open the book and he only is able to shut the book None but Christ and nothing but the blood of Christ is able to satisfie and to pacifie God His blood was the blood of attonement or reconciliation and the chastisement of our peace was upon him The debt was so great and the provocation by sin was so high and the wrath of God against sin was so infinite that nothing could discharge that debt and pacifie that wrath but the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. How much are we beholding to Jesus Christ who by his blood reconciled God to us How much are we beholden to Jesus Christ and us to God and hath made peace O said Luther concerning the 118. Psalm I am more beholding to this Psalm than to all the Potentates of the world This Psalm hath done more for me in my distness than all the world could do for me we may much more say that of Jesus Christ we are more bound to Christ than to all the world besides for Christ hath done more for us why because he hath reconciled us to God we had laine under the wrath of God for ever had it not been for Christ and we should never have seen the face of God had it not been for Christ He hath pacified his wrath and brought us into favour and friendship again O sirs ponder it well what I am about to speak unto you that you may know how much you are beholding to Christ What a miserable unhappy creature is the sinner who is separated from God and at variance with him and whiles he is separated from God! God only is happiness and nothing can be our happiness but the enjoyment of him and therefore the falling away from God and the separation from him is an infinite losse and misery and infelicity Cain thought it a peculiar curse I shall be hid from thy face And the Church cries out he bides his face from us why I cannot express the darkness the losse the curse the death the hell of this that the sinner is fallen out with God he hath forsaken God and God hath forsaken him he is none of Gods and God is none of his he is an enemy to God and opposeth him and God is an enemy to the sinner and doth abhor and will curse him but besides this consider also how terrible the wrath of God is and how dreadful it is for a poor sinner to be a child of wrath and to live under the wrath of God On the wrath of God it is a consuming fire and who can stand before his wrath If his wrath be kindled but a little saith David How doth the conscience tormented with the apprehension and sense of Gods wrath make men cry out and roar and tremble and quake and be restless and easeless and hopeless But now Jesus Christ by his blood hath reconciled us and God he hath quenched this devouring flame of fire he hath slain enmity he hath saved us from wrath from that wrath which is so infinitely dreadful and which otherwise would have burned and consumed us for ever and ever and ever And besides that he hath made us nigh and hath made us one again we may now with the Prodigal come back again unto our Fathers house and be kindly accepted and received Well! If you know the Scriptures and if you know what a just and wrathful God is and if you know what a sinning creature is or what sin is Then bless God for Christ and bless Christ for himself and for his love and for his blood and for his death who hath taken up the greatest controversie that ever was as he took up the nature of the different parties into his own Person so he took off the differences twixt them by his own blood Father said Christ I will die I will shed my blood so that thou wilt be friends again with these poor sinners and enemies
who have the Lord to be their God what will not a reconciled God do for you His love and friendship is as fruitful of mercies and blessings as his Justice and wrath is of punishments and miseries 10. Can any thing hinder you from being saved If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Vse 3 Is Reconciliation the fruit and effect of the death of Christ Then let trembling broken humbled even sinking hearts under the weight of their sins and Let trembling hearts make in to Christ and trust on him to make their peace bitternesse of Gods wrath and displeasure I say let them in this condition make in to Christ and look up to Christ and trust on Christ to make their peace Ah poor creature why dost thou take this work upon thy self I confesse we must use means to finde peace but we have not power to make peace we must pray and confesse and repent c. but these are not our peace Object Will not these do it Sol. No but Christ only 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. If any man sin we haue an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our sins And therefore if ever you would have the wrath of God removed if you would see all partition walls broken down if you would have God to be pacified to be friends with you again to be at peace with you then go to Christ and make him your friend Oject Do not lose time by impertinent disputes and reasonings But may we come to Christ and can he and will he make peace for us and take up our differences Sol. Let me tell you 1. Dispute what you will you shall never finde peace with God but by Christ No peace with God but by Christ his Name only is Prince of Peace he only is the Mediatour of Peace he only reconciles God and sinners 2. It is his Office to reconcile God and sinners and make peace that is his work It is his Office to make peace unto which he was called and for which he was set apart He is that Mercifull and faithfull High Priest in things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people Heb. 2. 17. Mark the place the Office of Christ is to be a Priest c. One chief work of that Office is to make Reconciliation for the sinnes of the people and he is one that is very good in his Office you need not be afraid to go to him for the work of his Office for saith the Text He is a mercifull High Priest very tender very affectionate very compassionate easily wrought on by any distressed sinner that comes to him and calls on him Lord Jesus my soule is affraid and oppressed with the fear of Gods wrath and sense of his displeasure I am grieved for offending and displeasing of him O that thou wouldest undertake for me I beseech thee step into the breach make my peace reconcile my soule get thy Father to be friends with me c. He is a faithful High Priest O he will not faile you he will not put you off he will not thrust you aside he will surely undertake your condition he will make Reconciliation for our sins 3. It was the work of Christ from first to last in life and in death Heb. 9. It was the work of Christ from first to last 26. He appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself yea and it is his work now in heaven He appears in the presence of God for us Heb. 9 24. and he ever lives to make intercession for us Heb. 7. 25. 4. You of all other have special grounds of hope and trust that Christ will be You of all others have grounds of hope your Attonement and Reconciliation Not only because the Reconciling Christ calls you thus burdened to come unto him and he will give you ease Matth. 11. 28. but also because that the day when the peoples soules were to be afflicted for their sins on that day was the Priest to make an Attonement for their soules Levit. 16. 29 30. 4. The fourth great benefit which we have by the sufferings of Christ our mediatour Redemption is Redemption or deliverance Alas sirs In what a miserable condition were we by reason of sin Methinks the more vertues and blessed fruits that I read accâ—â—â—ing by Christ unâ—o us â—â—e more do I still discern of our deep and involved misery by reason of sin Sin was such a debt as none but Christ could satisfie for Sin was such an offence as nothing but the blood of Christ could expiate or get the pardon of it Sin was such a breach and such an enmity as nothing but the death of Christ could take up and reconcile And sin was such a bondage and thrâ—â—dom as nothing but the blood of Christ could redeem us from In him saith the Apostle Ephes 1. 7. we have Redemption but then he adds through his blood So Pet. 1. 18 19. Ye were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ In this Redemption by Christ there are two things considerable 1. The parts of it 2. The degrees of it 1. The parts of it are two one is Privative and respects that from which we are The parts of it redeemed or freed the other is Positive and respects that state unto which we are translated or if I may so expresse it of which we are made free 1. The Privative part of Redemption is that from which we are freed by Christ and that is from all the chaines of Spiritual bondage Now there are six chaines The Privative part from what we are freed From the power of sin of bondage with which every sinner is bound and from them all there is Redemption by Christ 1. With the chaines of bondage under the power of sin 2 Pet. 2. 19. Of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage Every servant of sin is a Bond-slave to his Lusts and so many sinful lusts as he hath so many Tyrants doth he serve as a slave And there is no slavery or bondage like unto that of sin for sin never gives rest nor wages but is infinite in its commands and damns us at last for a requital of all our services But from this bondage doth Christ redeem or deliver us For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the Divel 1 Joh. 3. 8. Those works of the Divel were our sins as the same verse expounds them Rom. 6. 6. Our Old Man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Two things in sin from which Christ delivers us 1. Jesus Christ hath by his Redemption delivered us from the dominion of sin Rom. 6. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you
assertion and I do not know any modest and understanding Writer who doth gainsay it Matth. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins His people are all the Elect given unto him and all Believers who receive him Ephes 5. 23. Christ is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of the body To whom he is a Head of them he is a Saviour but he is the Head of the Church and they are Believers Ergo. verse 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins It was shed for many which is the same with Which was given for you for you that believe on me for as Luther saith well Fides facit haeredes it is faith which makes us heirs of all the good in Christs Testament Joh. 17. 19 For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified through the truth Joh. 10 15. I lay down my life for the sheep The sheep are believers verse 26. Ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me verse 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish Joh. 15. 13 14. Greater love hath no man than this that be lay down his life for his friend Ye are my friends c. Besides these general testimonies for the death of Christ in relation to the Elect and Believers you shall finde a particular application of the vertues of the death of Christ unto all believers 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteâ—usnesse Sanctification and Redemption Rom. 13. 22. The Righteousnesse of God is manifestea which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe This Justitia quâ Justi censemur ad universos per fidem pervenit fide Allata Justi omnes redduntur Juâ—aei simul Craeci Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his Theophilact in loc blood the forgiveness of our sins Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification Acts 1â— 39. By him all that believe are justified Col. 1. 13. who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Rom. 5. 1. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the attonement Ephes 2. 14. He is our peace 1 Joh. 2. 1. We have an Advocate with the Father Heb. 5. 9. And being made perfect he became the Author of salvation unto all that obey him Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life 1 Tim 4. 10 Who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that believe Other men enjoy a common salvation but Believers an eternal salvation by him Here are most of the chief benefits resulting from the death of Christ and all of them setled upon and enjoyed by all Believers And verily this must needs be so whether you consider 1. The intention of Gods love in giving of Christ which was this That whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. 2. The intention of Christ in his suretiship and deaâ—â— for whom he became bound and for what end viz. that he might see a 〈◊〉 and the travel of his soul and that they who were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9 15. 3. The joynt application of all the good by Christ unto persons upon union with Christ for when persons are united unto Christ which certainly they are when they do believe then doth God apply all the benefits of Christ unto them justifies them imputes the righteousnesse of Christ unto them forgives their sins gives his Spirit to sanctifie them c. and then believers apply and lay hold on all the promises of God unto them in Christ 4. Iesus Christ is the mediatour of the New Covenant and therefore unquestionably all who are interested in that Covenant do and shall partake of the benefits inserted theâ—ein by promise and sealed therein by the blood of Christ and There is such a sufficiency in the death of Christ that if any will come â—n to Christ be shall partake of redemption by him such are all believers 2. That there is such a sufficiency and dignity and fulnesse in the death of Christ that if any sinner will come in unto him he shall partake of Redemption and salvation by him effectually I do purposely lay down these Conclusions for two Reasons One is to stop the clamours of evil-minded men who give out that if Redemption by Christ be not universal then we shut the door against sinners and discourage them from coming unto Christ Another is to encourage the hearts of all broken-hearted sinners to draw near to Christ though all men are not effectually redeemed by him I would concerning this Point clear unto you these two positions 1. That though effectual Redemption by Christ be not universal but particular yet this is not in the nature of it a Doctrine to discourage any sinner from coming unto Christ We have familiar Similies to illustrate this as that of a Race wherein though but one shall certainly enjoy the prize or Lawrel yet this doth not discourage any one from running the Race And as if any place be void in a Society though only a few can be chosen and possessed of those places yet this doth not discourage many from standing for those places So although effectual Redemption by the death of Christ be particular yet this discourageth none from looking after Christ or coming by faith unto him For 1. No sinner knows any particular exclusion of himself No sinner at least unto whom the Gospel comes can say I am sure that Christ never died for me and I am sure that though I should cometo Christ I shall never receive any good by him Though the effectuall Redemption be particular yet no sinner knowes that he is in particular excluded from the benefit of it 2. The Gospel gives encouragement unto every particular sinner to come to Christ Come for all things are ready Luke 14. It calls upon him Come and hearken and your soul shall live Isa 55. 2. And saith that whosoever believes shall be saved Mar. 16. 16. And him that comes to me I will in no wise reject Joh 6 37. 1. The Gospel puts no conditions of Ante-grace 2. Or worthinesse but offers freely 3. All former things passed by 4. Complaines of unbelief The way which the Gospel useth to bring men in to Christ is proper to work on any sinner though the benefit be peculiar to some though the Gospel doth not say that all shall be saved by Christ yet the Gospel saith that all who believe shall
ascribes justification only to Faith And verily thus it holds as to the present dispute Christ died for his sheep if for none but his sheep than for them only when Christ said I pray not for the world but for them whom thou hast given me Joh. 17. 9. This is as much as if he had said I pray only for them whom thou hast given me So when Christ saith I lay down my life for my sheep and afterwards so describes his sheep that all unbelievers are none of the sheep for whom he died now it will follow that he died only for his sheep And indeed I would fain know for whom Christ should die for besides his sheep should he die for them who were never given unto him of whom he never took care to whom he never was a Shepherd for them that were never a part of his flock and charge Is this the commendations of of a good Shepherd to lay down his life for such as have no Relation at all unto him nor he unto them Object But it is said that Christ died for the ungodly Rom. 5. 6. Sol. 'T is true yet not for all the ungodly for those who are made his sheep by grace were indeed in themselves ungodly sinners thâ—se ungodly spoken of there by the Apostle for whom Christ died verse 6. and 8. in verse 9. are said to be Justified by his blood and that they shall be saved from wrath through him and verse 10. are reconciled by his death and therefore much more being reconciled shall be saved by his life And truely such ungodly as these who in themselves were so and sinners and enemies but by the death of Christ were justified and reconciled and should undoudtedly be saved by him were no other then those whom he here calls his sheep not that his do continue ungodly but that the estate from which he justifies and saves them was so Object And for that conclusion from Paul saying Christ gave himself for me Hence it cannot be inferred therefore for none else but Paul I answer that speech is not alike with this I lay down my lifâ— for my sheep Here is the full number For as in a Testament where common Legacies or Estates are bequeathed unto all the Children and Kindred and Friends though this Child or Kinsman or Friend cannot say this is given to me Ergo there is nothing given to any other besides me yet all and every one of them can say This Estate is given unto us mentioned in the Will therefore it is not given to any other but our selves who only are mentioned therein So though no particular Believer can appropriate the death and vertues of the death of Christ unto himself in exclusion of any other Believer who are all mentioned in the Will and Testament of Christ yet all Believers who are the sheep of Christ can say that Christ hath died for us and hath purchased and left the inheritance to us only none other being mentioned in his Testament nay all unblâ—evers being expresly left out But I proceed unto another proof Acts 20. 28. Feed the Church of God which From Acts 20. 28. Eph. 5. 23 26 27. he hath purchased with his own blood Christ is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of the body Ephes 5. 23 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ also loved his Church and gave himself for it verse 26. That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word verse 27. That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle but that it should be holy and without blemish In these places you see plainly five particulars 1. That the Church of God was purchased by the blood of Christ his blood was shed to Redeem and purchase it 2. That the love of Christ was to his Church and that from his love to his Church did flow the giving of himself for it 3. That the end why he gave himself for his Church was to make it holy and glorious 4. That of that Church for which he gave himself He is the Head 5. That the same Church is the body of Christ and that of that body he is the Saviour Whence I thus Argue Those whom Christ purchased by his blood were the Church of God those whom he loved were his Church those for whom Christ gave himself were his Church those to whom Christ is Head are the Church and those of whom he is a Saviour are his body the Church But all men whatsoever and every man whosoever are not the Church of God nor are Members of the Church of Christ nor is he the Head of them therefore he did not die or give himself for all and every man nor is he a Saviour to them The Major Proposition is the express Letter of these Scriptures the Minor Proposition is also most certaine viz. that all and every man is not the Church of God nor are they Members of the Church of Christ Consider the Church in any Scripture-acceptation this cannot be denied The Church is either 1. Invisibilis which is Coetus fidelium Or 2. Visibilis which is Coetus profitentium All and every man comes not within either of these they are neither believers on Christ nor professors of Christ Againe There is a Catholick Church of Christ viz. Believers in any time or part of the world and there is a particular Church of Christ which is a number of professing Believers joyned in the worship of Christ in this or that particular place Under neither of these Considerations are all and every Man Members of the Church of Christ Againe there is the Militant Church here on earth suffering for Christ and there is the Triumphing Church reigning in Heaven and glorified with Christ all and every man cannot fall in with either of these If all and every man cannot be found within the compass of the Church of Christ if this never was and is not and never will be then Christ did not die nor give himself for all and every man Object 'T is true that Christ gave himself for his Church but it is not said only for his Church and that he is the Saviour of the body but not only of the body Sol. 1. If one should thus argue from the precedent part of the Verse Verse 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church that they may love others besides their Wives because it is not said Love your own Wives only we should look on such a Gloss as somewhat Atheistical and Scoffing and Scurrilous so when we read that Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it c. Or Hosea 2. 19. I will Marry thee to my self it is not said Only yet Marriage is a particular and exclusive contract but let us review the place againe and try whether it will not yield us as much as Only for the Church Those for whom Christ here gave himself of them he is
latitude for all and every man The intention and minde of Christ in this I Proved humbly conceive cannot be better discerned than by 1. The entring into his Office of Mediatorship as a Surety 2. The opening of his last Will and Testament when he was near death to seal it 3. The prosecuting of all their interests who were concerned in him and his death 4. The disowning of some as such as he never had respect unto 1. When Christ entred into or took on himself the office of a Mediator he then declared himself also a Surety or Sponsor Therefore as he is stiled Heb. 12. 24. The Mediatour of the New Covenant so is he said to be made the Surety of a better Testament Heb. 7. 22. The Argument runs thus Jesus Christ is a Surety for all those to whom he is a Mediatour Redeemer and Saviour But he never was a Surety for all and every man Ergo. The first of these Propositions cannot be denied for the Scripture calls Christ our Mediatour and Redeemer our Surety and saith expresly that Christ once suffered for sinners the Just for the unjust 1 Pet. 3. 18. i. in their stead and for their good and that he bare our diseases and carried our soroows and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and our iniquities were laid upon him Isa 53. 4 5. But then for the second Proposition that he never was a Surety for all and every man Will the Arminians speak plainly to this was he or was he not If he were not then every sinfull mans debts are not paid by Christ and then every man is not redeemed and then God is not reconciled to every man for if that debt be not paid and God satisfied then Redemption is not wrought c. If he was a Surety for all and every man then Jesus Christ put himself in the room and stead of every sinner of the world as a surety doth for every one to whom he is a Surety and bound himseâ—f as responsible to Divine Justice to satisfie all that could be charged against any sinner as the surety doth for every one he stands bound for I will be surety for him said Judah to Jacob about Benjamin Gen. 43. 9. Of my hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee let me bear the blame for ever So Jesus Christ as Surety to God did actually satisfie the Justice of God the Father for us and pay and discharge all the debt so that wrath and curse and damnation are utterly removed and can never befall the sinner because Christ as a Surety hath perfectly satisfied for all and cleared all Sed ira Dei manet infidelibus Joh. 3. 36. Nay as a Surety he did not only satisfie to the discharging of all sin and punishment but merited also and purchased mercy life grace and glory and God is bound to give in all this So that if Christ be a Surety for all and every man and as a Surety died for them all then is Gods Justice fully satisfied God hath no more to say against any sinner he cannot damn any because all sin is satisfied for and discharged and every man shall certainly be saved because Christ as a Surety hath purchased this and must and will see it performed and enjoyed But this no Arminian that ever I read or heard of will maintain c. 2. Secondly we may find out the very mind of Christ concerning the latitude of Redemption and salvation by his death if we peruse his last will and Testament where his mind is plainly opened unto us and which he sealed and confirmed by his death there you read for whom he died Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Mar. 14. 24. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many Luke 22. 20. This cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you Heb. 9. 15. For this cause he is the Mediatour of the New Tetament that by means of death for the Redemption of the transgressors that were under the first Testament they which aâ—â— called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance verse 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sinnes of many Matth. 20. 28. The Son of man came to give his life a ransome for many Here you see all along in the Testament of Christ no mention made for all men but only for many for many and for many and so God speaking of his Christ My righteous servant shall justifie many for he shall bear their sins Isa 55. 11. And he bare the sins of many verse 12. 3. Thirdly Jesus Christ did not prosecute an universal interest of all the world but a particular interest of some Ergo. He did not intend an universal Redemption and Salvation Joh. 17. 9. I pray for them I pay not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine Doubtlesse if Christ did intend to redeem and save all he would have done so much as to have paid for all It is strange that he should lay down his life for all and yet would not lay out a prayer for all that he would die to save them and yet not pray to save them if Christ would not do so much as to prosecute their salvation by a Prayer I verily believe he never intended their salvation by his death Ob. The Arminians to decline the edge of this Argument tell us of a double interceding or praying of Christ One is particular and this indeed is onely for Believers Another is universal and this is for the whole world Sol. A handsome evasion I confess methinks they should also distinguish of a two-fold death and Redemption and salvation by Christ one particular for all believers and another universal for all the world that effectual and doing good this ineffectual and profiting none Object But may we know any Scriptures for Christs universal Praying and intercession yes they quote Luke 23. 34. Father forgive them for they know not what they do Sol. True here is Christs Prayer indeed but yet here is not the universal prayer for the whole world here is his prayer for them that Crucified him out of ignorance and we hear of the fruit of this prayer in Acts 3. 17. compared with Acts 4. 4. these men who through ignorance crucified Christ and for whom Christ prayed Pater Remitte they were not the whole world this place therefore will not make out an universal interceding or praying for the whole world Object Therefore they bring another Scripture Isa 53. 12. He made intercession for trannsgressors Sol. 'T is true he made intercession for transgressors but where is that intercession which he made for all transgressors where is the universal intercession the transgressors for whom he made intercession in this 12. verse are those sinners which he calls many and justified them in
for many Ages utterly unknown to the Christian world c. 3. There are some whom God never elected but passed them by he would not shew mercy unto them he intended to manifest his justice and wrath on those vessels of wrath did Christ obtain for these also Reconciliation Remission and eternal life He knew that his Father would never have mercy on them and his death was according to the Counsel of his Father and did his Father Counsel and Decree and appoint him to purchase and procure mercy for those of whom he said he would never shew mercy to them why this were strange indeed that God should put the soule of Christ to grief and make him to bear wrath and sorrow for them unto whom he never intended mercy 4. Should not all men in the world be born in a state of grace and favour For Christ hath obtained Reconciliation for them all and that Reconciliation is not forfeited untill they reject it by unbelief and that cannot be as soon as they be born How then can we all be said by nature to be the children of wrath Ephes 2. 3. seeing wrath is off and ceased when God is reconciled This Inference cannot possibly be avoided unless we will fancy that the Reconciliation purchased by Christ is kept by God as it were in Banco as a Treasure which dischargeth nothing for a while untill hereafter it be brought forth to help a person upon occasion so that the Reconciliation and Remission purchased by Christ must he as a dead stock in heaven so long untill men come to years and then God makes experiments whether sinners will make use of it or no c. But to these I shall add other Arguments 1. The Impetration of universal Reconciliation either it was an actual Reconciliation and Remission or only Potential a Reconcileableness or Remissableness If it were an actual Reconciliation and Remission then are God and all sinners enemies no longer but friends and then every sinner shall certainly be saved And is a blessed man for if we be reconciled by the death of Christ much more shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10 And Rom. 4. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered verse 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin But this I suppose none will presume to maintain Ergo. no Actual Reconciliation and Remission for all If the Reconciliation and Remission be only Potential and not Actual then 1. Why doth the Scripture take no notice of this at all But where it speaks of the death of Christ and Reconciliation and Remission thereby it perpetually delivers the one and the other as Actual Ephes 2. 13. Ye are made nigh by the blood of Christ verse 14. He is our peace ver 15. Making peace ver 16. Having slain the enmity thereby Col. 1. 20. Having made peace through the blood of his Crosse ver 21. you hath he reconciled Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them was all this here ascribed unto the death of Christ only a power accruing unto God that he might if he would make an offer of an universal reconciliation and Remission 2. But again Jesus Christ did make an actual offering of himself and he did actually satisfie the Justice of God for all according to the Opinion of the Arminians Now if the Justice of God be actually satisfied surely there is more than a meer power and liberty acquired that God may be reconciled to us if he will and pardon us if he will and save us if he will Because the satisfaction of Christ can and doth Oblige God to this God having Covenanted with him if that he would lay down his life for sinners that then his Righteousness should justifie and reconcile them 3. What we are to believe that is true but we are to believe that God is actually reconciled by the blood of Christ and hath actually forgiven us 2. This Grand universal Impetration either God intends the real actual application of it or he doth never intend to apply it to all It were most strange that the Son of God should come down from heaven be made man be made obedient to the death even to the death of the Cross yea and be made a curse for us and by his blood purchase as they say Reconciliation and Remission and life Eternal for all and every one if God intended not actually to bestow these But I demand Did he intend and will the actual collation of these purchased benefits on all and every one or did he not The Arminians to this expresly answer two things Grevencovius Cortivus 1. Deum nec voluisse nec noluisse God did neither will and intend it neither did he nill or not intend it Why then there is a Christ given to death given for a Sacrifice to be a Propitiation for sinners to be a Redemption for all and every sinner to save all and yet after all this God is not peremptorily resolved either way of the benefit of this to any one sinner whatsoever And so the death of Christ may be in vain in respect of benefit to all the sinners in the world For although his death did satisfie Gods Justice and thereby God gained so much as that he might universally tender Redemption to all yet if there were no actual purpose or real intention in God to bestow this on any who can say that he shall be the better for that which God really intends not to bestow on him 2. Again they say that though God did not peremptorily intend to confer and bestow this upon all yet conditionally he did if so be that all will believe on Christ unto which I would reply two things First God did know that all men would not believe on Christ and therefore as to the prescience of God this condition was not universal but particular if Gods intention to impart the benefits of the death of Christ had a respect unto and foundation in a condition which he certainly foresaw to be particular only Hence it will necessarily follow That God never intended a Redemption and salvation for all From the Argument either to God or unto men it shall bind the Adversary If to God in respect of his intention then thus I frame it God intended salvation by Christ only for all who will believe in Christ but God did certainly know that all men would not believe in Christ Ergo. he did not intend it for all If to men in respect of the event then thus Salvation is obtained for all who will believe on Christ but all men will not believe in Christ Ergo. Salvation is not obtained for all Secondly I reply to that Assertion viz. That God did intend to confer or apply all saving benefits purchased by Christ upon the condition that
so greatly loved c. IV. This universal Impetration only by the death of Christ cannot be admitted for those absurd consequences which depend upon it verse 9. 1. It lames Jesus Christ in his Prâ—â—â—â—ly Office which did as necessarily take in the Intercession of Christ as it did the Sacrifice and Oblation of Christ for when he was Annointed and Consecrated to be a Priest he was at the same time consecrated both to die and offer and purchase And likewise to apply the offering of himself and the purchase unto those for whom he died Oblation was not put on him and application upon another but both on himself he was to die and purchase as a Redeemer and he himself was to apply what he had purchased as an Intercessor but by the Arminian Doctrine these are severed and application denied to his Intercession 2. It frustrates the end of Christs Impetration for when Christ died and purchased his end therein was application of the purchase He did purchase a deliverance that sinners might be delivered not that they might or might not be delivered 3. Nor can I yet see how this general empty Impetration can stand with the honour of Gods Attributes Not with his Omnipotency that he would have a benefit procured which he is hindred from the applying of it by the perversenesse of mans will Nor with his Wisdom to intend that which he shall never accomplish or obtain Nor with his Justice to receive from the hands of Christ so full and absolute a satisfaction and yet after that never to admit many men into grace or favour nor to pardon them nor save them though satisfaction were made by Christ for those very ends Nor yet with the Lovâ— of Christ who laid down his precious blood and yet this should never take effect in many for whose sake it was so largely and seriously shed And that he should suffer the merit of his deaâ—h and the efficacy thereof to be so continually perverted by the free and proud will of sinners 4. It doth absolutely overthrow the Doctrine of Election delivered in Scripture and the limited subordination of redemption by Christ according to Election and the certain communication of all grace and glory to such who are Elected and Redeemed 5. So likewise doth it the Doctrine of the New Covenant of Grace which is particular 6. And leaves God after the great love and cost in giving of Christ yet to an uncertainty what the issue and fruit of all this will be perhaps men will accept of it perhaps not perhaps they that accept of it will persevere perhaps not perhaps I have lost all my love and charges c. 4. I should now discourse of a fourth Conclusion viz. that as there never was or shall be an universal application of the death of Christ so neither God nor Christ ever intended the same But here the Arminians will save us of this labour for they confess the same the application fruit or benefit of the death of Christ is only for believers And for any other death of Christ which is without any fruit or benefit to us let themselves if they like it take it only give us that which is fruitful and saving 3. There remains nothing more about this question but the answering of some Scriptures and some Arguments which the Arminians make use of to prove Objections answered their universal effectual redemption or that Christ died for all men and every particular man not only Sufficienter but also Efficaciter 1. Object Their first Batalio of Scripture for their Opinion rests upon From the word world the word the world Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 6. 51. The bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 1 Joh. 2. 2. He is the Propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world to which they may add also Joh. 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world Joh. 12. 47. I came not to judge the world but to save the world Before we give a particular answer to these Scriptures it is necessary to premise a word or two 1. The word world is diversly used in the Scripture sometimes it The word world diversly used signifies 1. The whole frame of Creation Heaven and Earth and all the Creatures in them 2. The promiscuous and universal multitude of mankind 3. Only the wicked and unbelieving part of the world I pray not for the world Joh. 17. 9. 4. Only the Elect and believers Rom. 11. 12. If the fall of them be the riches of the world verse 15. If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world c. 2. That expression all the world and the whole world doth not alwayes import It doth not alwayes import every man in the world in Scripture every man in the world Luke 2. 1. There went out a Decree from Cesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed This cannot be meant of every particular man in the world nor yet of many Nations of the world for they were not all singly under the Roman power Joh. 1. 10. The world knew him not this cannot be understood of every one in the world for some in the world did know him Joh. 12. 19. Behold the world is gone after him is it meant that every man in the world did so 1 Joh. 5. 19. The whole world lieth in wickednesse can this be understood of every particular man in the world Rev. 18. 8. All the world wondred after the beast Neither can this be expounded of every particular man in the world I purposely bring these places because the Arminians impose on weak and ignorant men as if by the name world is alwayes meant all the men in the world and every particular man in the world you see that the Scriptures do not alwayes so intend it no not when they speak of all the world and of the whole world But now let us look on the Scripture alledged distinctly The Scriptures answered Object John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Joh. 3. 16. Sonne c. Sol. 1. Are the Arminians in good earnest in bringing this place for Gods intention of salvation for all by Christ 1. Do they not affirm that God neither would nor could velle salutem hominum before Christ had satisfied his Justice and yet this place shews a special love and will in God of mans salvation before he gave Christ 2. They deny the love of God in the Text to be any act of his will at all unless incomplicitly but here it is made the immediate and prime cause of the giving of his Son So
Christ taste death not one of them could have been saved but by his death and what is this to every man whatsoever in the world are all and every man sanctified children brethren c 1 Tim. 1. 10. Object 1 Tim. 1. 10. Who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that believe Answered Sol. 1. Speaks the Apostle here of Christs dying for the salvation of all and every man of Gods Spiritually saving of unbelievers and of believers that he will eternally save unbelievers as well as believers If the Arminians will needs have this place so understood how come they to admit and swallow down that word especially especially of them that believe whereas they hold that Gods will to save by the death of Christ is equal and alike to all either they must understand this place of Gods Antecedent will of salvation but then especially stands in their way or they must understand it of his Consequent will and then all stands in their way for God as they teach will not save any according to his Consequent will but only Believers 2. But the Apostle here speaks not of salvation by the death of Christ but of a saving or safety depending on the Providence of God which respects all men in the world but believers in a more special manner who have the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come v. 8. And therefore the Apostle in his sufferings and labours excites himself to trust on God to take care and provide for him which he doth upon this ground q. God is the Saviour of all men but especially of them that believe q. d. If Gods Providence will help all men even the world much more them that believe on him Object But that word Saviour and saving must needs mean some higher matter than this of Providence Sol. In this place it doth not nor in many other places Psal 36. 6. Hominem Bestiam servas Jehovah Matth. 8. 25. Lord save us we perish Rom. 14. 15. 1 Cor. 8. 11. Object Rom. 14. 15. Destroy not him by thy meat for whom Christ died 1 Cor. 8. 11. Through thy knowledge shall thy weake brother perish for whom Christ died Answered Sol. The Question in dispute is whether Christ did by his death obtain for all and every man Reconciliation with God Remission of sins and Eternal life do these places come up to the proof thereof 1. The Apostle speaks unto Christians in both these places he writes unto believers are believers all and every man nay he writes to the believers of particular Churches in Rome and in Corinth are particular believers all and every man in the world 2. To these he writes of a particular case respecting their Christian liberty about the use of Herbs and Meats so to moderate themselves as not to scandalize or offend their weak brethren and to perplex and ensnare their consciences that those Christians who were strong in faith i. e. were fully perswade and satisfied that all meats were lawful should not so act their liberty thereupon as to give offence to their weak brethren unto weak believers who yet were not so clearly convinced of that liberty He speaks of believers on both sides strong and weak and of none other but believers concerned in the present fear and scandal and what is this to Christ dying for every man 3. And why would he not have the strong believers by the abuse of their liberty about meats and drinks and herbs to offend the Consciences of their weak brethren he gives the Reason destroy not him by thy meat for whom Christ died and shall thy weak brother perish for whom Christ died The reason lies in the danger of that offence q. d. thus to offend them was as much as in them lay to destroy them and cause them to perish For offence or scandal of themselves and in their own natural aptitude do tend to the ruine and destruction of those to whom they are objected and weak Christians are likewise apt to be shaken and wounded and waver by them Assuredly this is and should be reason sufficient with any believers therefore not to give scandal in any thing much less in the use of meats and drinks to other Believers who are weak neither doth the Apostle say He is destroyed by thy meat for whom Christ died but Destroy not him c. He speaks not of a work eventually done and effected but of a work which he cautions them to beware or take heed of as tending thereunto And so in the later place he doth not absolutely affirm that the weak brother doth perish but interrogatively propounds shall thy weak brother perish for whom Christ died q. d. should you or any of you be an occasion as much as in you lies of the ruining of any for whom Christ died therefore have a care be wary that ye give not any offence unto them Fifthly If the Apostle had said that any weak brother had indeed been destroyed and had indeed perished yet this would not prove that Christ died for all and every man All that it could inferre would be only this that some Believers might be destroyed and perish for whom Christ died which yet appertains to another controversie of falling from grace and there neither will it serve the turn Object 2 Pet. 2. 1. There were false Prophets also amongst the people even as 2 Pet. 2. 1. there shall be false Teachers among you who shall privily bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction Loe say the Arminians here are some which bring upon themselves swift destruction and deny the Lord that bought them and therefore as well they that perish as they that shall be saved are redeemed by Christ c. Sol. For answer to this place divers things may be said Answered 1. Some do question whether it speaks of Jesus Christ at all because the word here rendred Lord is not that word Lord by which Christ is usually set forth there is a difference observed by learned men 1. Inter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Herum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominum which we find in Jude ver 4. denying the Lord God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I know not whether we may with safety rest on this curiosity 2. I shall rather make use of that distinction of being bought by Christ persons may be said to be bought by the Lord Christ 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to truth so only the Church is bought or purchased by the blood and death of Christ Acts 2. 28. Feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In respect of Opinion and so those are said to be bought who seem to be bought who bear such expressions of Christians for a while that both themselves and others in a judgement of
Reconciliation in respect of all men yet it is the pleasure of God not effectually to bestow salvation on them all Nor is God as to the event and issue of this at all unjust seeing that he leaves them only to wrath and condemnation who do continue unbelieving and impenitent 2. But secondly Neither will that follow that the condition of some men i. e. unbelievers must be the same with that of the Divels without any hope of salvation if Christ not dye for all For First The Divels had no Mediatour at all given unto them in respect of their kind for one or other but so mankind had forasmuch as Christ took part of the nature of mankind Heb. 2. 14. Secondly The Divels all of them are in an estate of actual damnation they are every one of them actually damned but so is not every man no nor yet every one that believes not in Christ 3. The Divels have their damnation so sealed upon them that every one of them doth know there is no hope of salvation at all for them but thus it is not with any particular unbeliever living for though the unbelieving person doth deserve eternal damnation yet he hath the means offered to escape that damnation yea he doth know that if he continues unbelieving he shall not escape the wrath of God yet he doth not know whether God may not give him grace to change his unbelieving heart after a long time of unbelief Neither can we say of any unbeliever nor can any unbeliever say of himself God will never give him grace that he may be converted and believe and therefore it is not true that the unbeliever is in the same hopeless condition with the Divels Thirdly This Assertion that Christ did not effectually dye for all men is no more apt in the nature of it to cause any to despair than these expressions of Christ Matth. 20. 16. There are but few which are chosen And Matth. 7. 14. Narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it Would or may you argue from these expressions of Christ that these who do not belong to the number of those few must now despair and they are in the same condition with the Divels why then will you reason thus from Christ not dying for all and every man And yet fourthly we may add this to all the rest That those sinners who continue who live and dye impenitent and unbelieving these do in the event cut off themselves from all hope of salvation As Paul spake of the Gentiles lying in their natural condition That at the same time they were without Christ and aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of Promise having no hope and without God in the world Ephes 2. 12. that we may safely say of all obstinate impenitent and unbelieving persons living and dying so they are without Christ and without hope and shall go into that hell which is prepared for the Divel and his angels in the event their condition will not be different Argument 5 Once more they argue thus If Christ did not die for all and every man Then no man can certainly conclude that Christ died for him and that he shall be saved by Christ For such a conclusion must be raised either upon some particular word Christ died for thee or upon some general word Christ died for all but you have no particular word that Christ died for you personally And if you deny a general word that he died for all then you have no word certainly to conclude that Christ died for you and so you are left without any certainty and comfort of salvation by Christ Answered Sol. It is well that the Arminians are so tender for the certain knowledge of any mans salvation by Christ they leave God to an uncertainty of any mans particular salvation notwithstanding the death of Christ for all men yet they will say This death of Christ for all men as a ground of certainty unto us wherein yet they deal 1. Very fraudulently with us for though they say that Christ dyed for all yet they expresly teach that the application of Christs death for actual salvation is only for them that believe 2. Very falsly for according to this Doctrine no man can ever be certain of his salvation untill the very last gasp of his persevrance in grace and that many perish eternally for whom Christ died Secondly but let us see whether according to their Doctrine of Christs dying for all men one may certainly conclude to the satisfaction and peace and comfort of his conscience that Christ died for him Let the ground for certainty be drawn up thus Christ died for all men but I am a man therefore certainly Christ died to save me Or Christ died to save all sinners but I am a sinner Ergo Christ died to save me I think any understanding Christian would find miserable ground of satisfaction and certainty from this in the time of a perplexed conscience But we have another way and far surer from the Scripture to conclude our certainty of Christs dying for us and to save us Jesus Christ dyed for all Believers effectually to save them this the Scripture expresly affirms but I do truely believe in Christ and therefore I certainly conclude that Christ did die for me to save me And thus I have gone through this great Controversie about the latitude of Christs death where I find thus much that it is necessary for every man to get faith who will indeed be the better for the death of Christ it shall therefore be our wisdom to leave disputing and humbly to beg of God to give us Faith that so we may believe on Christ to the salvation of our soules SECT IX 2. Quest I Shall now proceed to a second Question viz. Whether any man can Whether any man can know that his particular salvation was intended in the death of Christ attain to the knowledge or certainty of the particular intentions of Christs death in the benefits of it unto himself i. e. whether any man can certainly know that God intended his particular salvation in the giving of Christ and that Christ died for him and made peace for him and purchased remission of his sins and eternal salvation for his soul Answered Sol. For the resolving of this Scruple be pleased to consider a few places 1. There is a difference 'twixt a general assent and 'twixt a particular knowledge and Application It is one thing to know and acknowledge this general Truth that Christ came into the world to save sinners and that whosoever believes shall besaved and that whosoever repents shall have his sins pardoned and it is another thing by faith to know that Christ died for me that his blood was shed for the remission of my sins that I am reconciled by his death and that I shall be saved by his life to say of Christ as Paul once did
Acts 16. â—0 there to dwell Ephes 3. 17. and there to rule and reign Seventhly And to depend on Christ placing all our confidence on him and in none and on nothing but him Phil. 3. 3. We rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Ver. 9. And be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Eighthly And to love Christ faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 6. who sheweth so much love as to give himself to death to save me I will go no farther Finde me but such a faith as this and I assure you I assure you nay the Gospel of Christ assures you that this is true faith thâ—s is the Faith which makes Christ yours in his Person and in all the Benefits of his Death And one thing more observe by the way that though this faith be but weak though it be but as the smoaking flax though it be but as a grain of Mustard-seed though it be much assaulted with Satans temptations though it be oft-times shaken with fears and doubtings Yet if it be but of so much life and power to match thy heart to Christ to bring it in to Christ to set him up as thy Lord and as thy Saviour and to rol and rest and cast thy soul and confidence on him it is true Faith and Christ is thine and thou mayest safely conclude that Christ dyed for thee and made peace for thee c. Fourthly One may know that Christ did effectually dye for him by the Combination By the combination of benefits purchased by the death of Christ of the Benefits purchased by the death of Christ and by the conjoyned participation of them in respect of himself Beloved the benefits purchased by the death of Christ are many as Remission of sins and Reconciliation with God and Eternal life and Redemption and Sanctification c. And these purchased Benefits they were all of them purchased at once and together and all of them with respect to every Believer and in time every one of them is applyed to every Believer Christ did not purchase Remission of sins for one believer only and Reconciliation only for another believer and Grace only for another and Glory only for another neither doth Christ apply these partly to one and partly to another but he purchased them for every one that shall believe and he applies them to every one that doth believe 1 Cor. 6. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 1. 30. Made unto us Wisdom Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption 1 Joh. 5. 6. This is he that came by Water and Blood even Jesus Christ Fifthly Unto which let me add the fifth character by which one may know By the ends of the death of Christ that Christ died for him viz. by the ends of the death of Christ in respect of us and the appearance of them upon our hearts and lives 2 Cor. 5. 15. He died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him who died for them and rose again Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 1 Pet. 2. 24. who his own self bare our sins in his own body upon the Crosse that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed In these places you see five ends of the death of Christ for us 1. That he might redeem us from all iniquity i. e. set us at liberty from bondage unto our sinful lusts that henceforth we should not serve sinne Rom. 6. 6. 2. That we should be dead to sin i. e. our hearts and affections should be mortified and crucified unto them not love them not desire them not delight in them not hearken to them not be led by them any more 3. That henceforth we should not live unto our selves i. e. intend and set up our own ends and interests our own praise and glory our own profit and benefit our own pleasure and contentments 4. That we should be a peculiar people be his be for him unto himself purified by his spirit and joyned by the same Spirit unto himself and led and drawn forth in his strength unto all good works affectionately and fervently 5. That we should live unto him who died for us and live unto righteousness i. e. exalt the will and wayes and honour of Christ count nothing too dear for him spend and be spent for him take his directions obey his commands serve his ends act intirely and throughly and willingly and chearfully and fully and constantly in all conditions and in all tryals for Christs interest and the magnifying of Christ O Beloved let us seriously try our interest in the death of Christ by these Ends of the death of Christ which are certainly accomplished in due time in all for whom Christ died There are two sorts of the vertues of the death of Christ 1. Some are for us he died for to satifie for us and to make peace for us and to purchase Remission of sins for us and to obtain salvation for us 2. Some are in us as to redeem us from all iniquity to crucifie our sins to purifie us unto himself a peculiar people c. Christ died for our sins and he died that we might dye unto our sins Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Rom. 6. 6. The blood of Christ was a pacifying blood having made peace through the blood of his Crosse Col. 1. 20. And the blood of Christ is a purifying blood it purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. He died as our Surety and Priest and to this end also did Christ die and rise again that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living Rom. 14. 9 Therefore if you be yet in your sins if you be not dead unto them if you love them if you serve them you cannot assure your selves as yet that Christ dyed for you But on the contrary if you can truly say as the Apostle Rom. 6. 17 18. We were the servants of sin but we are made free from sin and are become the servants of righteousness we are healed by the stripes of Christ and we are made conformable unto his death we find the similitude of his Death and Resurrection in us we are not our own but Christs his we are and none but his our hearts are his and our lives are his why then be confident that Christ is yours and his death is yours and all the benefits of his death are yours Sixthly One may know that Christ died for him
but unto our merits and deserts of forgiveness God forgives sins freely and graciously i. e. without any merit or desert of ours Isa 43. 25. I even I am be that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine name sake but God doth not forgive sins freely i. e. without our repenting and believing for these he doth require of us that we may receive the forgiveness of our sins Secondly When God is said to forgive sins freely the meaning is not that he forgives every sinner in the world freeness notes the means not the extent of forgiveness with such a free unlimited largeness he doth not forgive but the meaning is that all those sinners who are forgiven they are freely forgiven God doth not put them upon any personal satisfactions nor doth he agree with them for any work of theirs as a cause or desert of the forgiveness of their sins Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon thee for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God c. Therefore take heed that you deceive not your selves with a confidence that your sins are forgiven because God is gracious and forgives freely for God is gracious to whom he will be gracious and they whom he graciously forgives are only the people of his Covenant even believers and penitents The death of Christ for all Thirdly A third false ground upon which some do absolutely conclude the forgiveness of their sins is the death of Christ that he shed his blood for the remission of sins and that he dyed as to that purpose for all and every one therefore their sins amongst the rest are unquestionably forgiven Answered Sol. That Jesus Christ did shed his blood for the remission of sins is most true he himself hath delivered it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins but that his blood did procure an actual remission of sins for every sinner in the world this is most false for Christ himself hath said Mark 16. 16. He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Joh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for the sheep Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins and the Angel to Mary Mat. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins But for your help and direction in this point take my mind in these three conclusions 1. That there was a necessity for Christ to shed his blood that so our sins might be forgiven Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission 2. His death did purchase the forgiveness of sins Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 3. This remission purchased though illimited as to the sins forgiven yet it is limited as to the persons forgiven 1. By the Decree of God to the Elect. 2. By the Covenant 3. And by the intention of Christ 4. And by the Gospel to whosoever believes that the shedding of his blood for the remission of sins did so illimitedly procure the same That every sinner in the world enjoys the fruit thereof whether he believes or not or whether he repents or not as I know no man living of so wicked an opinion so the Scripture delivers no such matter but the quite contrary Luke 24. 47. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations Acts 10. 43. To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. Then Peter said Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Rom. 3. 25. 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 It is true that remission of sins hath foundation in the blood of Christ as in a meritorious cause but our enjoyment of that merited and purchased remission takes in faith and repentance for neither God nor Christ ever intended nor promised the application thereof unto any but such as believe and repent therefore do not venture absolutely upon this that Christ dyed for the remission of sins therefore your sins are forgiven for as God did ordain the death of Christ as the meritorious cause of forgiveness of sins so did he ordain that all who have the benefit thereof should repent and believe Fourthly A fourth false ground from which some do absolutely conclude that their sins are forgiven is this their sins are but small and little sins which The smalness of sin God marks and regards not and will never take notice of but will pass them by indeed if they were guilty of great transgressions then they had reason to doubt whether they were within the compass of forgiveness promised but alas their sins are small c. Answered Sol. For answer unto this deceit remember these four particulars 1. No sin is simply little or small 2. Those sins are not little or small which people do ordinarily count so 3. God hath severely expressed himself against persons for those sins which we look on as small sins 4. This very conceit that sins are little and are past by in course may lose a man the forgiveness of his sins First No sin is simply or absolutely little or small though comparatively when we set on sin by another we find them to be of different magnitude some to be great abominations and others to be lesser transgressions yet absolutely no sin is little but as there is a greatness in the least mercy so there is a greatness in the least sin for every sin whatsoever is a transgression of the royal Law and it is committed against a great God sin is to be considered as to the object as well as to the act how were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses Every sin doth expose to a great curse even the curse of the Law Cursed is every one who continues not in every thing that is written to do it Is that a small offence which may cost a man his life nay it cannot be taken off but by the death and blood of Christ there is an infinite offence and merit in any sin you read in the Mosaical Law that the blood of the beast was to be shed for the expiation of sins of ignorance and inadvertency which did signifie the shedding of the blood of Christ for the expiation of the least sins and surely that offence may not be reputed little or small which cannot be put away but by the death of the Son of God Secondly Those sins are not little or small which people
This would most powerfully melt our hearts in filial grief and pure Melting mournings for our sins nothing melts the heart more than the apprehension of mercy Zach. 12. 10. 6. This would effectually constrain us to walk in all well pleasing before God Obedience Paul obtained mercy and returned duty 7. This would mightily strengthen and advance our confidence toward Confidence God 8. This would make all our communions with God more pleasant and delightful Present communion Chearful endurance of afflictions c. 9. This would make us patiently to bear all our afflictions and to rejoyce under them Mich. 7. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned and why so because I am pardoned 10. This would make us willing to dye Thy loving-kindness is better than life Comfortable dying and in death to be above death O death where is thy sting the sting of death is sin c. but thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. Ezek. 36. 25. From all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you THese words are a fuller and larger discovery of this sweet and gracious promise of Gods mercy in the forgiveness of sins They do contain in them the quantity of that forgiving mercy respecting both the number of sins and the greatnesse of sins From all your filthinesse and from all your idols will I cleanse you There are two Propositions which these words do afford unto you 1. That Gods promise of forgiveness of sins doth extend unto all the sins of all his people 2. That though the sins of persons have been exceeding great yet when they become the people of Gods Covenant even these sins also are forgiven them CHAP. III. 1. Doct. THat Gods promise of forgivenesse of sins doth extend unto all the sins of Gods promise of forgiveness extends to all the sins of all his people all his people from all c. They have been guilty of Original sin and of Actual sin of sins of Omission and of Commission of sins of Ignorance and of sins of Knowledge of sins against the first Table and against the second Table of sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel of sins in Youth and of sins in riper Age of sins considered only in Kind and of sins considered in their aggravating Circumstances Now all these and other sinnes all which though they are in number like unto the hairs on the head and aâ— thâ— sand on the Sea shore so the Scripture alludes of which the people of God have been guilty upon their repentance and upon their faith in Christ I say all of them every one of them is forgiven to them Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Ezek. 18. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him i. e. not one of them shall Col. 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses ver 14. blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Crosse 1 Joh. 1. 17. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Mich. 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea Alluding as is supposed to the drowning of Pharaoh and all his host Psal 106. 11. The waters covered their enemies there was not one of them left so there is not one sin of the people of God which God doth not pardon in the depths of his mercies and of the blood of Christ SECT I. NOw there are four Arguments which may demonstrate this comfortable Argumeâ—ts to demonstrate it truth First The first shall be taken from Jesus Christ in relation to the people of God where observe From Jesus Christ All the sins of Gods people were imputed tâ— him 1. That all their sins were imputed unto Christ Isa 53. 6. He laid upon him the iniquity of us all 2 Cor. 5. 21. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sinne 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree 2. That Jesus Christ stood in their room as to answer for all their sinnes as He stoâ—d as a Surety for all theâ—r sins a Surety Heb 7. 22. He was made a Surety of a better Testament That Surety is that other Person who stands legally charged with all our debts and is bound to discharge it for us and at his hands it is required 3. That Jesus Christ suffered as much as all the sins of the people of God did He suffered as much as all their sins did deserve deserve and which could be inflicted on them for their sins Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us More than the curse of the Law could not be deserved on our parts nor inflicted on Gods part for our sins and that curse which was the comprehension of all punishment Christ was made for us and for this end to Redeem us from that curse yea he hath done so 4. That Jesus Christ by his suffering for all their sins did purchase for them the He purchased the pardon of all their sins pardon of all their sin I pray you to remember This was the purpose and intention of Christ in his sufferings to procure the remission of sins Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins This was the fruit and effect of his sufferings Ephes 17. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins 5. Nay yet more Jesus Christ by his sufferings did make peace between us and He made peace between us and God God and reconciled us which could not possibly be if he had not discharged all our sins for any one sin unsatisfied for and unpardoned hinders that peace and Reconciliation Col. 1. 20. He made peace through the blood of his Crosse ver 21. And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies hath he reconciled v. 22. in the body of his flesh through death 6. So did he suffer and satisfie That there is no condemnation to any who are in So that there is no condemnation to them Christ Rom. 8. 1. And who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died ver 34. If there be no condemnation to any in Christ and none to condemn them then all their sins are pardoned for if any sin remained without pardon that sin would be matter and reason of condemnation and for that sin God himself would condemn Secondly The second Argument to demonstrate the total forgiveness of sins From God himself unto the people of God shall be taken from God himself and some Considerations of him in a respectiveness unto his people
the Mosaical Law of divers Ceremonial sprinklings 1. Of the blood of the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12. 7. 2. Of the blood of the Bullock Levit. 16. 14. 3. Of the blood of the red Heifer Numb 19. 4. And of the clean water with hysop ver 5. 4. Of the blood of the burnt-offering and peace-offering with which the people were sprinkled Exod. 24. 8. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you All this the Apostle summes up in Heb. 9. 19. Moses took the blood of Calves and of Goats with water and scarlet wooll and hysop and sprinkled both the book and people By all these is meant the taking away of sin by the shedding of the blood of Christ and the applying of the blood of Christ to the people of God that is meant by sprinkling Hence you read Isa 52. 15. He shall sprinkle many Nations Heb. 12 24. The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling 1 Pet. 1. 2. We are elected and saved through the Sanctification of the Spirit and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ Now from all this there are two Propositions observable 1. That the blood of Christ is the Cause and it is the only Cause for which the people of God have their many and great sins pardoned that is the clean water which makes us clean 2. That the Lord will and doth make a particular Application even to the Consciences of his people touching the forgiveness of their sins by the blood of Christ He will sprinkle that clean water upon them CHAP. V. Christs blood the merit of pardon THat the blood of Christ is the Cause and it is the only meritorious cause for This blood of Christ is the cause and the only meritorious cause of forgiveness which the people of God have their many and great sins pardoned That is the clean water or according to the Original the clean waters which makes them clean SECT I. OF this Assertion there are two Branches It is the cause of forgiveness First That the blood of Christ is the Cause for which the people of God have all their sins pardoned This truth the Scripture clearly holds forth Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Rom. 3. 25. 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 Mark Christ is our Propitiation and he is our Propitiation by blood It is the blood that maketh an Atonement for your souls Levit. 〈◊〉 11. And without shedding of blood is no remission Heb. 9. 22. And therefore the High Priest who was a Type of Christ when he was to make an Atonement he alwayes came with the blood of the Sacrifice Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins Rev. 1. 5. Who washed us from our sins in his own blood 1 Joh. 1. 7. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Besides these Scriptures you shall find other places putting the forgiveness of sins expresly upon Christs account as the Cause Ephes 4. 32. Forgiving one another even as God fir Christs sake hath forgiven you 1 Joh. 2. 12. I write unto you little Children because yovr sins are forgiven you for his Name sake Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the Atonement Beloved The people of God have a three-fold anchor to trust upon for the pardon of their sins 1. One is the free grace of God Rom. 3. 24. Being justified freely by his grace 2. A second is the blood of Christ Rom. 5. 9. Being now justified by his blood 3. The third is the Covenant of God Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Before I quit this first Branch of the Assertion I would directly answer three Questions 1. How the blood of Christ can be such a Cause as amounts so high as the forgiveness of sins though very many and very great 2. What necessity there was for the effusion of his blood in a Causal order to the forgiveness of our sins 3. How it may be demonstrated that it doth reach so far c. Quest 1. How the blood of Christ can be such a cause as to amount How there can be such an efficacy in the blood of Christ Ansâ—eâ—ed and reach so high for the forgiveness of all our sins though very many and very great Sol. To this it may be answered that it doth arise from 1. The dignity of the person of Christ who was God-man 2. The Concurrence of both the natures of Christ in all his Mediatory actions and passions so that they were Theandrical sufferings both Humane and Divine and therefore his blood is called the blood of God Acts 20. 28. God purchased the Church with his own blood and the Lord of glory is said to be crucified they crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. And from these two Considerations there is light enough to convince us of the wonderful power and vertue in the blood of Christ to reach the forgiveness of all our sins because he was an infinite person and for him to suffer and dye was more than if all the sons of men had done so And because the vertue of his Deity did so extend unto and attend his Death or Sacrifice that thereupon it came to be of more than sufficient worth to satisfie Gods justice and to expiate our sins for although there was in our sins an abounding measure of guilt yet there was in the blood of Christ it being the obedience of one who was God a superabounding worth to weigh down and remove all the malignity and demerit in the sin of man there being no more proportion 'twixt the demerit of our sinnings and the demerit of his sufferings than there is 'twixt our persons and his person What necessity was there of it Quest 2. But secondly It is demanded What necessity there was for the effusion of his blood in order to the forgiveness of our sins Answered Sol. It was necessary that the blood of Christ should be shed to wash us from our sins because First Divine justice must be satisfied before sins can be forgiven till that Divine justice must be satisfied be done mercy it self if I may so speak is not at liberty therefore the Apostle tells us that God did set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. To declare his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus Ver. 26. The meaning is that the blood of Christ reconciled both these Attributes of God justice calls for satisfaction there it is saith Christ my
blood hath satisfied you and mercy longs to help and pardon the poor sinner it shall come saith Christ for my blood hath purchased it Secondly Jesus Christ must make good his bargain and agreement he did agree with Christ must make good his bargain his Father to be a Surety for all his people and was content to stand in their stead and to have all their iniquities laid upon himself and to answer for them and to suffer for them and to clear and discharge them and to reconcile and save them by his death and therefore even upon that account it was necessary that Christ should dye and shed his blood that the agreement 'twixt him and the Father might be performed Thirdly It was necessary also in this respect To convince us of the hainousness To convince us of the hainousness of sin of sin we ordinarily look on sin as a small matter as if God were not offended and provoked by it and if he be â—et a small matter will serve the turn to satisfie God to pacifie him towards us and get forgiveness but we do extraordinarily delude our selves for without shedding of blood there is no remission it cost Jesus Christ the Son of God his precious blood and if that had not been shed never could any have got the forgiveness of any one sin Fourthly It was necessary likewise as to the acquiescing quieting or satisfying To satisfie conscience of conscience which would never come to any rest or peace unless Jesus Christ had shed his blood for still the conscience cries out Gods justice must be satisfied and who will undertake that great work Lo I come saith Christ I have laid down a price I became sin I was made a curse I wrought redemption I have satisfied the just God and purchased the forgiveness of your sins and now conscience is quieted Who shall condemn it is Christ that dyed How it may be demonstâ—ated Quest 3. How it can be demonstrated that the blood of Christ is the cause of forgiveness of our sins though many and great Answered Sol. Besides the clear Scriptures already mentioned these Arguments may help us to demonstrate it First We are set free by the blood of Christ Zach. 9. 11. By the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit Secondly We are justified by his blood and saved from wrath Rom. 5. 9. Much more being justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him Pray tell me what is it to be justified but to be pardoned and what is it to be saved from wrath but to be delivered from all punishment and both these depend upon the blood of Christ Thirdly So we are said to be made nigh by the blood of Christ Ephes 2. 13. and to be reconciled through the blood of his Cross Colos 1. 20. Secondly Now I come to the second Branch of the Assertion that as Jesus Christs blood the only cause of pardon Christs blood is the cause so it is the only cause for which God forgives the sins of his people Yet let me distinguish causes of forgiveness are of two sorts First Internally moving God and that is his own free grace only Secondly Externally meriting and that is the death or blood of Christ only Isa 63. 3. I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other Name for there is none other Name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses 1 Cor. 3. 11. Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ The truth of this will easily appear if you consider Demonstrated First The works of God the Father who laid on Christ and none but Christ the iniquities of us all Isa 5. 3. 6. and sealed him John 6. 27. and set him apart authoritatively commissioned him and set him forth to be a propitiation Rom. 3. 25. Secondly The office of Christ amongst the rest to be our High Priest and in this respect two things are proper unto him 1. The oblation of himself for sin 2. His intercession for transgressions Thirdly The nature of merit which 1. Must be opus indebitum for he who doth do no more than he ought to do or suffers but what he deserves to suffer merits nothing by his doing or by his suffering 2. Must be opus perfectum against which no exception can be taken nothing is meritorious which is short and faulty 3. Must be opus infinitum a work of infinite value and worth which cannot only stand before justice but plead also with it and challenge it for the dignity of what is done or suffered Now these qualifications not to mention any more set the Crown on the head of Christ alone and strike it off from us and all our works yea the best for they are 1. But debts our best obedience is but so and our best repentance is but so 2. But imperfect when we have done all we are but unprofitable servants and so much iniquity accompanies our holy offerings that we need Jesus Christ to be our Aaron to bear them and have need to pray as he that mourned for his sins Domine Lava lachrymas me as 3. Were they perfect yet they are but of a finite worth and rise not to the far more exceeding mâ—rit in sin nor yet to the surpassing worth of Divine mercy If Jacob were not worthy of the least of mercies much less are we of the greatest of mercies Fourthly The purpose of grace which is universally to be exalted in the forgivenâ—sâ— of sins with which though Christs merits can well consist Rom. 3. 23. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ yet our merits are contradictorily repugnant Rom. 11. 6. If by grace then it is no more of works and if it be of works then it is no more grace SECT II. Vse 1 BUT let us now make some useful Application of all this unto our selves Is the blood of Christ the cause and the only cause for which the people of God come to have their sins forgiven from thence let us learn two things Hence learn To judge of the hainousness of sin First To judge in another manner of our sins than in former times we have done how hainous they are and how high the â—uilt of them is There are five glasses in which we may behold the hideous guilt of our sins of which yet many persons do but yet make a work of pastime 1. One is the dreadful threatnings of the Law of God which reveals and discharges the wrath of God and all sorts of curses corporal and spiritual and eternal
against people for their sins 2. A second is the unspeakable terrors in conscience raised only from our sins which makes us like the troubled Sea that cannot rest and to cry out with Cain and to despair with Judas and to long for death with Spira 3. A third is the wonderful outward judgements inflicted by God on people for sin plague and famine and the sword and tormenting diseases burning down of Cities renting up of Kingdomes and all the miserable evils in the world 4. A fourth is the eternal duration of the flame of hell fire the suffering of the vengeance of eternal fire as the Apostle speaks Jude ver 7. 5. The fifth is the death and suffering of Jesus Christ one saith that if it were possible for us to see and feel the torments which the damned do suffer in hell it could not be so clear and effâ—ctual conviction of the true desert of sin of the hainousness of it of the odiousneâ—s of it of the dreadfulness of it as the consideration of it in the death and blood of Christ without which there could be no forgiveness of our sins no noâ— of the least of them I beseech you to attend a little â—in is of such a provoking deserving nature First That no creature no not all the creatures in heaven and earth could pacifie God and cleanse us from our sins and procure the pardon of them but Jesus Christ the Son of God alone Neither Angels nor Saints nor righteousness nor prayers nor gold nor silver can give unto God a â—ansome for our soul the redemption of it is more precious it cannot be without the precious blood of Christ Secondly As none can procure the pardon of sin but Christ so Christ could not do it but by dying indeed there was very much excellency and worth in the active obedience of Christ in the holiness of his life and exactness of his works nevertheless to get off our sins his passive obedience is likewise required without that there was no remidion Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Rev. 5. 9. Thirdly As Christ must dye to get the pardon of sin so every death of Christ is not sufficient but he must dye that accursed death of the Cross and become a curse for us or else he could not have got the pardon of our sins hear the Apostle Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree Colos 1. 20. He made peace through the blood of his Cross Fourthly Neither would this have sufficed to dye on the Cross there enduring the grievous torments in his soul and body due to our sins if he had not been God as well as man 1 Joh. 3. 16. speaking of the person of Christ he saith God laid down his life for us and indeed that must be of infinite price and merit which must answer the everlasting torments due for all the sins of all the Elect there had not been enough in the death of Christ had it not been the death of a person who was God as well as Man Thus you see even in the blood of Christ the hainousness of sin and the high guilt thereof which may make us to fear and tremble at the consideration of our own exceeding guiltiness c. Secondly To look after Christ in another manner than formerly we have done To look after Christ in another manner than formerly Why will you say because in his blood only we have the remission of sins that it is the only cause for which God doth forgive us Now because this is the principal Use which I think can be made of this point I will therefore briefly speak unto these three questions 1. How we should look after Christ seeing that there is no forgiveness but in and by him 2. Whether we do indeed look after Christ so as that we may get him to be ours and have the benefit of forgiveness in his blood 3. How one may know that he hath got Jesus Christ to be his and consequently an interest in his blood for the pardon of his sins Quest 1. Seeing that there is no forgiveness of sins but for the blood of How we should look after Christ Christ how therefore should we look after Christ Sol. To this I answer First We should look after Christ so as to enjoy him to be ours with With all speediness all speediness as David spake in another case I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commands Psal 119. 60. So should not we delay from time to time but hasten in to Christ that so our sins may be pardoned Whiles it is called to day to hearken unto his voice Hebr. 3. 7. Isa 60. 8. Who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their Windows In three cases swiftness and presentness of action are required viz. 1. When the danger is great 2. When the mercy is great 3. When the opportunity is uncertain all these circumstances meet together to stirre us up speedily to look after Christ to get him to be ours for 1. All the guilt of our sins lies upon our own souls untill Christ be ours no sin is forgiven but we are under wrath and condemnation 2. All our sins shall be taken off by the blood of Christ if Christ be ours so that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. 3. We have but our day our houre our opportunity our present moment to look after Christ the day of life is uncertain and the day of grace is uncertain the Spirit blows when and where and how long and how short as himself listeth O that thou hadst known even in this thy day c. Luke 19. 42. Secondly We should look after Christ very seriously and carefully our Very seâ—iously souls should make it their solemn work and business yea all that is in our souls should be united and engagâ—d for to get Christ Simile As he said to his son Percute tanquam ad Aratrum Strike as thou wast wont to strike at the Plough so would I say look after Christ as ye are wont to look after the world the riches and honour and pleasure of it earnestly and with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your might the Kingdome of heaven should suffer viâ—lence c. Maâ—th 11. 12. Prov. 8. 17. Those that seek me early shall finde me Thirdly We should look after Christ diligently and laboriously not shrinking Diligently at any pains and any ways and any means to get Christ Prov. 8. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doâ—rs Cant. 3. 1. By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth
Then shall the Priests command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean and Cedar wood and Scarlet and Hysop Ver. 5. And the Priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water Ver. 6. As for the living bird he shall take it and the Cedar wood and the scarlet and the hysop and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the living bird that was killed over the running water Ver. 7. And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosie seven times and shall pronounce him clean c. Now that the Lord doth on this wise sprinkle the blood of Christ on his people for the forgiveness of their sins namely in a way of assurance that their sins are forgiven may thus appear by Scripture Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it The white stone was given in token of absolution and the black stone in token of condemnation by the Athenians Psal 103. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soul Ver. 3. who forgiveth all thine iniquities Matth. 9. 2. Son be of good chear thy sins be forgiven thee Luke 7. 48. He said unto her thy sins are forgiven Ephes 4. 32. Even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses 1 Joh. 2. 12. Your sins are forgiven for his Names sake Isa 60. 16. Thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer Ch. 40. 2. Speak ye comfortably unto Jerusalem and cry unto her that her iniquity is pardoned 1 Joh. 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life c. But unless they did know that their sins in particular were pardoned they could not have said we know that we are passed from death to life Thirdly This ascertaining Application is made by the Spirit of God and by How this appâ—ication is made Faith and by the testimony of Conscience First By the Spirit of God which is given to the people of God that they might know the things that are given to them of God 1 Cor. 2 12. The Spirit By the Spirit of God is given not only for implantation of grace but aâ—so for demonstration to manifest by his light those graces which he hath wrought in us Not only for union with Christ but also for manifestation of that union unto us not only to bring us into Covenant with God but also to open and reveal unto us the love and mercy of God unto us in his Covenant Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God ver 17. and if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ If the Spâ—rit testifie unto us that we are the children of God and heirs of God then certainly he witnesses with this that we are justified and pardoned persons â—phes 1. 13. In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise ver 14. which is the earnest of our inheritance What is that sealing by that holy Spirit of promise but the evidencing confirming assuring of us concerning the things which God hath promised unto us and amongst the rest of the pardon of our sins in order to salvation Secondly By Faith There is an ability in Faith not only to give a general evidence and assent that whatsoever God hath promised is true but also By faith to raise a particular evidence concerning our very interest in the things promised by God unto us 1 Joh. 4. 16. We have known and believed the love that God hath to us Cant. 15. 6. He is altogether lovely There is a direct act of Faith This is my beloved and this my friend here is the reflexive act of faith 1 Joh. 5. 20. He hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ Beloved whatsoever good the Lord doth promise unto his people he will give them Faith to believe it for that is one great end of his promising that we might inherit the good promised by believing but God hath promised the pardon of sins in particular to every particular believer Act. 10. 48. Whosoever believes on him shall receive the remission of sins Ergo. Thirdly Besides this there is given unto every one of the people of God an By a renewed Conscience illightned and renewed conscience which knows the present frame of heart and can give in a clear testimony concerning it whether it doth indeed Repent and indeed believe finding it such as the word requires from whence it can make a concluding evidence that our sinnes are certainly pardoned for thus conscience reasoneth Whosoever doth truely repent and believe God himself in his Word saith that his sins are forgiven But saith the enlightned and renewed conscience which knows what is in man thou dost truly repent and believe for I find such lively acts and effects of them both which the Word of God gives concerning them in truth Ergo Be of good comfort and rejoyce thy sinnes are forgiven thee Thus you see what the sprinkling is in the Text namely the imputation of the blood of Christ for forgiveness to every particular believer with an assurance of the forgiveness of his sins for Christs sake SECT II. Quest 2. NOw I proceed unto the second Question Why the Lord is Reasons of it pleased to make such an application and such an assurance unto his people No benefit by the blood of Christ without application Sol. 1. One reason is because though there be forgiveness for the blood of Christ yet this is of no benefit unto any but unto whom it is applyed and appropriated and imputed Simile Suppose that a great debt be discharged this avails not me unless my great debt be discharged Suppose that a release from the prison or from death be granted what is this to me if the release be not imputed unto me in particular So though God forgives sins only for the blood of Christ unless he applies this to me I am not the better for it O but God did peremptorily intend the particular good of every believer in the death of Christ Christ dyed for them and gave himself for them and therefore he applies the blood of Christ to them his intention was for them in particular they shall fare the better for Christ Ergo. Secondly Their great comfort lies in this apprehension and assurance of the forgiveness The comfort oâ— it lies in assurance of their sins in the blood of Christ There are two Requisites for the Christians comfort concerning Christ and forgiveness 1. One is Propriety that Christ is his Christ and dyed for his sins Who
c. Who can pray thus but he who is a child of God but he who hath the Spirit of God to shew unto him his spiritual wants to stirre up in him spiritual and earnest desires to quicken his Faith on God and to depend on his good and faithful Promises in Christ c. Fourthly I will adde one instance more concerning the power in all who have received the Spirit and that is this All who have received the Spirit have received a power to do such works as none else in all the world can do for they are able in the strength and power of the Spirit 1. To abhor the dearest lusts which have formerly been more unto them than their lives and heavenly happiness 2. To forsake Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Friends Houses and Lands for Christ and an afflicted estate with Christ 3. To prize communion with God and to take more satisfying delight therein than in all earthly enjoyments whatsoever But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psal 4. 6. Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee c. 4. To live by faith in the times of desertion Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. and in times of desolation when as creature helps and comforts fail Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vine and the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat and the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hâ—b 3. 17 18. The Lord God is my strength ver 19. 5. To be contented in every estate and to comply with it Phil. 4. 12 13. and to glorifie God under it O where is this power of the Spirit of God where are any great things or works of the Spirit within us I cannot pray saith one and I cannot leave my sins saith another and I can find and take no delight in God or communion with him saith another and I cannot trust on his Word nor wait upon his Promise c. Few men have any Spiritual power and therefore few men have the Spirit of God Fourthly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Liberty is a freedom from bondage or slavery and Gospel-liberty which principally respects the soul is a freedom accruing unto us Partly by price and purchace namely by the blood of Christ The Lord Jesus by his death hath purchased many glorious liberties for us he hath freed us from the Law as it is a Covenant of Works Gal. 3. 11 12. and from the curse and wrath ver 13. and from all condemning power of sin c. Rom. 8. 1. Partly by strength and efficacy this liberty comes unto us by the Spirit who puts forth a strong and mighty hand upon all the hearts of all the people of God and rescues and frees them from spiritual slavery under which they were held whiles they were in their natural condition The Spirit of God doth free them First From slavery to sin See Rom. 8. 2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death i. e. The power of the Spirit hath freed me out of the hands and power of sin so that it shall not command and rule over me as heretofore it is no longer my Lord nor am I any longer his servant I am delivered and freed from the dominion and tyranny of it and service unto it by the Law i. e. by the powerful and authoritative command and work of the Spirit upon this account the Apostle affirms that all the servants of God are made free from sin Rom. 6. 18 22. they are not in bondage they are not at the command of it sin hath lost its law and authority in them the yoke is broken by the spirit which is given unto them sin indeed will stirre and trouble and usurp but slavery unto it is taken away Isa 10. 27. The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing Secondly From slavery to Satan Before we receive the Spirit of God we are in bondage unto the Divel who rules or works effectually in us Ephes 2. 2. and takes us captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. as one that hath a bird tyed c. O what power hath Satan over a natural man how he fetters and shackles and binds him and imprisons him and makes him to drudge in the fulfilling of his motions and obeying of his suggestions and temptations But now when the Spirit of God comes into us he spoiles the strong man armed and takes from him all the armour wherein he trusted Luke 11. 21 22. For he is stronger than he 1 Joh. 4. 4. He leads captivity captive he turns us from Satan unto God Acts. 26. 18. Object But Satan still tempts and assaults never was man so tempted as I am Sol. Temptation is one thing and salvation is another he bestirred himself in tempting and we obeyed he now tempts and we resist He frees us from him 1. By making us to abhor his Kingdom 2ly By translating us out of his power into the Kingdom of Christ 3ly By arming us with the armour of God against his assaults 4ly By stirring us up to resist him Jam. 4 7. Resist the Divel and he will flee from you And 5ly By strengthening us to overcome him 1 Joh. 2. 13. Ye have overcome the wicked one Thirdly From slavish fear and a slavish spirit in working in this respect he makes us to serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. that is without servile fear for there is a twofold fear There is Timor filialis which is grounded in the love of God as a Father and there is Timor servilis which looks upon God only as a Judge and hath a respect to fo wrath Now when the Spirit of God is given unto us we do not serve God tor fear of wrath and punishment and damnation but out of love and reverence and ingenuity Though there were no Law to curse us though there were no Conscience to terrifie us though there were no Hell to burn us yet the Lord our God and Father we will love and him will we serve Fourthly From slavish indispositions as averseness to what is good and indelightfulness in it They that are anointed by the Spirit and power of God it makes them ready and willing out of love and working out of love Fifthly The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Ver. 17. even the Spirit of truth John 16. 13. When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide yâ—u into all truth SECT I. THere are divers