and living in heaven should not be as powerful to save and bring us to God as Christ dying was to reconcile us to him The third Comparison is the privative mercy or being saved from hell with the positive mercy or obtaining a title to heaven Verse 11. and not only so but we joy in God as having now received the atonement 2. For the comparison between Christ and Adam the sum of it is that Christ is more able to save than Adam to destroy and therefore justified persons need to fear nothing As Adam was a publick person and root of man-kinde so is Christ a publick person for Adam was * The figure of him that was to come Rom. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adam was a publick person but a finite person having no intrinsick value in himself and only was all us by divine institution but Christ besides the institution of God was an infinite person and therefore there is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a much more upon Christ his sacred vertue exceedeth that cursed influence of Adam in many particulars amply set down in the latter end of the Chapter by the Apostle The words begin the first Comparison In them 1. The condition wherein we are by nature is set forth by two notions ungodly and without strength the one noteth we have no worth to move God to help us for we were ungodly the other that we have no power to help our selves for we were without strength we were without strength and so need help ungodly and so refused help 2. The means of our recovery Christ died for us 3. The s asonablenesse of our redemption in due time For the first notion whereby our natural estate is expressed ungodly I shall pass it by the next notion without strength will yield us this point That man faln is destitute of all power and means of rising again or helping himself out of that misery into which he hath plunged himself by sin This will appeare if you consider his condition with respect to the Law or with respect to the Gospel and those terms of grace which God offers in Christ the former more properly falls under the consideration of this place but because of the method of this exercise you expect the discussion of the latter also I shall take occasion from hence to speak of that 1. With respect to the Law that will be understood by a view of that Scripture that expresseth the tenour of the Law Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all the words of this Law to do them where is considerable 1. The duty is exacts 2. The penalty it inflicts 3. The operation that both these have upon the faln creature 1. The duty it exacts an innocent nature that is presupposed for the person must continue it doth not say Now being the sentence of the Law doth not suppose man as lapsed and faln or as having already broken with God but as in a good and sound estate and then universal perpetual perfect obedience is indispenceably required he must continue in all things with all the heart and that continually if he fails in one point he is gone this is personally exacted of all men as long as they abide under Adams Covenant he that doth them shall live in them and the sould that sinnes shall dye Now if God should call us to an account for the most inoffensive day that ever we passed over what would become of us Psal 130.3 If thu shouldest mark iniquities O Lord who could * That is rectas in curia be able to make a bold defence stand better never born than to be liable to that judgement when the Law shall take the sinner by the throat and say Pay me that thou owest what shall he poor wretch do so that here we are without strength altogether unable to come up to the obedience of the Law of works Rom. 8.3 The Law can make nothing perfect because 't is become weak through our flesh to faln man it establisheth a course of punishing sin not of taking away sin we may increase the debt but we cannot lessen it if our obedience were exact for the future let us suppose it yet the paying of new debts doth not quit old scores they that could not keep themselves when intire and innocent cannot recover themselves when lost and faln 2. The penalty it inflicts Cursed is every one how cursed cursed in all that he hath Deut. 28.15 16 17 18. All his enjoyments become a snare and temporal comforts do but harden him and prepare him for a greater misery Cursed in all that he doth his prayer is turned into sin his hearing the savour of death unto death all his toyle and labour in outward service is to no purpose Prov. 21.27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind At the best 't is but an abomination God will not accept an offering at his hands much more when 't is pulluted with sinful and evil aimes but this is not all he is cursed for evermore the Law bindeth him over body and soul to everlasting torments and in time he shall hear that dreadful sentence Matth. 25.41 Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels there is but the slender thread of a fraile life that hinders the execution of this sentence upon him a sinner stands upon the very brink of hell and ever and anon is ready to be cast in where he shall eternally lie under the wrath of God so that here we are without strength because we cannot satisfie the justice of God for one sin but are alwayes satisfying and can never be said to have satisfied like a poor man that pays a debt of a thousand pounds by a farthing a week 3. Consider how this works with him an exaction of duty under so severe a penalty doth either terrifie or stupifie the conscience he that escapeth the one suffereth the other or else thirdly doth irritate corruption or fourthly obtrude us upon a sottish despaire so as to give over all endeavours and hope of salvation First Sometimes it terrifieth that 's easily done the conscience of a sinner is a sore place they are all their life time subject to bondage Hebr. 2.14 There is a hidden fear in the heart of a wicked man not alwayes felt but soon awakened either by a sound conviction from the Word or some sore judgment or by the agonies of death or serious thoughts of the world to come Foelix trembled when Paul did but mention Gods judgment Acts 24.25 the Prisoner makes the Judge tremble a sinner is afraid to think of his condition if God do but a little break in upon his heart do what he can he lies under the bondage of a wounded spirit and where ever he goes like the Divels he carrieth his own hell about with him Secondly If it terrifieth not the conscience it
Gospel from being Preached if possible he would blow out the light and hinder men from hearing but chiefly from understanding if our Gospel be hid it is hid unto them that perish the eyes of whose minde the god of this world hath blinded lest the light of the gl rious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.4 And when God brings to repentance he breaks these barres of ignorance he pulls off these scales of blindnesse and begins with the understanding true grace begins alwayes at the renewing of the mind the transforming of the mind to know the good and acceptable Will of God is the formality of the Gospel-grace true repentance Rom. 12.2 And the knowledge of God being the princâ—ple of it is put for repentance They shall know God Hos 2.20 and God will be known by the Egyptians Isa 19.21 are the promises of repentance There can be no conviction of a contrariety to God where there is not a right conception of God and affection must follow apprehension ignoti nulla cupido how can we fear God or his goodness if we do not know him what reason of return to God when men know not his holinesse offended justice provoked power irresistible mercy in pardoning iniquity It is a seeming faire Apology for Pharaohs obduracy Who is the Lord that I should let Israel go The work of the Gospel is to open the blinde eyes in turning from Satan unto God the enquiry of Saul is first Lord who art thou Act. 9. then What wouldest thou have me to do Did men know who it is they sin against they never durst be so bold Study therefore the nature of God acquaint your selves with his Attributes his Holinesse Power Justice Mercy and the like Your soules will never be drawn from sin or driven into a course of true repentance untill God become your dread 3. Help to repentance Thirdly Sit close to the work of self-scrutiny be serious in self-examination no man sits so fast in impiety as the stranger at home none so soon run upon their ruine as the regardlesse of their accounts This is a remedy of Gods immediate prescription Commune with your hearts is on your beds Psal 4.4 Search and try your wayes and turn unto the Lord Lam. 3.40 Judge your selves Mat. 7.1 When we approach his Table where we are eminently to act repentance the whole work of preparation is resolved into self-examination 1 Cor. 11.28 Nay this is a receipt transmitted to us with a probatum est thus by David Psal 119.59 I examined my wayes and turned my feet into thy Testimonies And when the Prodigals wits returned to consider his wickednesse he would home to be a servant where he had been and might have been a son Gods rod is but a calling us to reckon with our own souls he never reasons with any by correction that read their own estate in his instructions You have heard before that conviction must go before conversion mans conscience is a Register which will bring to remembrance and Judge that will clearly determine of mans wayes the worst of men by a short conference with their own soul would soon see a necessity of repentance censure others lesse and your selves more enquire not into other mens condition so much as your own Conversation let no day return without accounts be serious in self-examination Fourthly Sit loose to the world 4. Help to repentance the world is the great pull-back to heaven and hinderance of repentance you may observe the reason the Rebellion and impenitency of Ezekiels hearers was their hearts went after their covetousnesse Ezek 33.31 otherwise they took delight to hear That sad sentence A Camel may sooner go through the eye of a Needle than a rich man enter into the Kingdome of heaven was occasioned by a rich mans refusal of Christ his call to repentance Matth. 19.20 Riches choak the work and lift up the heart too high great men in the world think they live above all reproof for Tyrus-like they set their hearts as the heart of God Ezek. 28.6 and think to live without controle he that loves the world finds when called to repentance he is loth to leave pleasures it is hard to renounce riches it cuts deep to despise Wife Children Father Mother Friends and deare Relations he cannot but be dismayed at reproach and sufferings sin is the common property of the world the things of this world is the recompence of impiety they that sin highest ordinarily succeed most yet this is the great stumbling stone of the godly the world makes David almost repent his repentance Psal 73. They that will follow God must be strangers to the world true Penitentiaries must be pilgrims in the earth Fifthly See the shortnesse of life 5. Help to repentance and limitaton of the day of grace Hopes of long life and thoughts of repentance at pleasure help many a soul to hell our life we must consider is but a bubble a blast a shadow gone before it well appeare in which there is no certainty our time is in Gods hand he hath numbred our dayes but to which of us hath he declared the number hath he given any man a legible Lease of his life have the youngest strongest most healthful among us an assurance of to morrow and doth not eternity depend on the well-husbanding of this uncertain time is there any remembrance of God in the grave or repentance among the dead doth not death determine the eternal estate of men Dives eyes cannot distiâ—l one tear in hell though he call to Abraham for mitigation of torments never so much as begs the pardon of sin no that is too late see we not men pensive and sad at the thoughts of death Chrysostome hath told us the cause of the fear of death is because we live not in the austerity befitting Christianity but lead dâ—licate and voluptuous lives Could we make every day our dying day it would quicken us to repentance Hilarion never had a to morrow and when he comes to die he hath the comfort of it Oh my soul get thee out of this house of clay what dost thou fear Septuaginta pr pe annis servivisti Christo mortem tim s Hast thou served Christ almost seventy yeares and dost thou now feare death If we will live for ever we must die dayly if we will not defer repentance we must not determine to our selves any other time than the present Again if we know our time in nature who knoweth the date of the day of grace It is a limited day but the bounds thereof are not pub ished that to day whilst it is called to day we may hearken to his voice Heb. 4.4 7. lest he sweare in his wrath we shall not enter into his rest A season of salvation is allotted to the sons of men the old world had its day Jerusalem had her day every of us have our day
looking forward backward If we look forward Ver. 13. there is the blessed hope the full consummation whereof we receive at the glorius appearing of the g eat God the coming of Christ to judgment ver 13. Ver. 13. and there we have three grand Articles of faith asserted 1. Heaven 2. The day of judgment 3. The Godhead of Christ If we look backward we are obliged to obedience not only out of hope but from gratitude or the great benefit of redemption by Christ ver 14. and in that we have asserted 1. Christs willingnesse to dye for he gave himself Ver. 14. 2. The purpose or end of his death to redeem us from all iniquity 3. The foundation of an holy life in our regeneration And hath purified us unto himself 4. The nature of a Church to be a peculiar people 5. The necessity of good works in the last clause zealous of good works ver 14. So that in this short Map you have a compleat summary of all that fundamental doctrine which doth animate and quicken to the life of holinesse The next body of Divinity according to the exact method of the Palatine Catechisme is in chap. 3. ver 3.4 5 6 7 8. Chap. 3. where you have 1. Mans misery by nature ver 3. 2. His Redemption by Christ ver 4. set forth 1. By the spring or first moving cause the kindnesse and love of God ver 4. 2. The false cause removed not by works of righteousnesse which we have done ver 5. 3. By the effects justification justified by his grace ver 7. Sanctification Ver. 5. he hath washed us in the laver of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Ghost ver 5. Ver. 7. The consummation of all in glory heires according to the hope of eternal life ver 8. Ver. 8. 3. The thankful life in a fruitful course of holinesse and good works ver 8. Affirme constantly that they which believe in God may be careful to maintain good works Another systeme of practical divinity you have in the second Epistle of Saint Peter chap. 1. ver 5.6 7. Ver. 5. Adde to your faith vertue c. By vertue is meant the study of holinesse which there is set forth by its furniture and subjective parts or branches Ver. 5. 1. The furniture of vertue it is rooted in FAITH guided by KNOWLEDGE Ver. 6. armed on the Ver. 6. Right-hand by TEMPERANCE or an holy moderation in the pleasures and comforts of the world On the Left-hand by PATIENCE against the crosses and inconveniencies thereof 2. The branches or subjective parts of this vertue are Ver. 7. GODLINESSE a grace that guideth us in our immediate commerce with God BROTHERLY KINDNESSE a grace that directeth us in our duties to our fellow-Saints CHARITY helping us in the duties we owe to all men In many other places do the Apostles lay the Doctrine of God in one intire view before our eyes lest the minde should be distracted by various and dispersed explications or by dwelling too much upon one part we should neglect the other Second end of such Platforms to obviate errour A SECOND SORT OF MODULES Or A second end and design of such Modules is to obviate errors and to Antidote Christians against the poyson and infection of rotten pernicious principles for no sooner had the good Husbandman sowed his field with good seed but the envious man went out after him and began to scatter tares 2 Pet. 2.1 In opposition whereunto the Apostles in their several Epistles were careful to furnish the Churches with such Modules and Platforms of truth as might discover and confute those damnable heresies 2 Pet. 1.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hence the Apostle Saint Peter calls them PRESENT TRUTHS that is Principles of the Christian Faith most seasonable for those times wherein they were writ as every Church and age had its present errors and false doctrines whereby the false Apostles did labour to undermine the truth and to seduce the Professors of it so the Apostles in that zeal to the truth and compassion to the souls of men did bestir themselves to Countermine those Seducers and to stablish the Churches in the faith of Jesus Christ by collecting some special heads and points of Gospel Doctrine opposite to those errors and sending them to the several Churches where they had planted the Gospel These the Apostle calls the Present truth Thus Saint Paul among other places in his first Epistle to Timothy chap. 4. from the first verse to the ninth verse The Apostle Peter in his second Epistle chap. 2. throughout St. Jude spends his whole Epistle upon the same design But above all the Apostle Saint John is very large and distinct upon this account His first Epistle consists specially of a two-fold Module or Platform i. e. 1. A form or table of Gospel Principles Admodum artificiosa est hujus epistolae methodus nâ—m ad modum catenae Christiana fidei mysteria axiomata connectuntur c. Dicson 2. A form or table of Gospel-Evidences both of them in opposition to the false teachers of those times those Antichrists of whose numerous increase he gives them that solemn notice 1 Epistle 2. chap. 18. verse Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now are there MANY ANTICHRISTS To Antidote Christians against the plague of the false doctrines which such Sectarian Antichrists had disseminated doth the Apostle lay down 1. An 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or PATTERN of Gospel-principles Ex. gra 1. That God is a God of an infinite universal perfection and holinesse Chap. 1. ver 5. God is light and in him is no darkness at all This against them that most blasphemously asserted (a) The Carpocratians taught that men must sin and do the Divels will or else they could not enter into heaven Epiphanius Simon Magus and after him Florinus Blastus Apelles Hermogenes Valentiani Marcionitae c. Priscillianistae Deum affirmant mendacem Aug. de haerres c. 70. GOD TO BE THE AUTHOUR OF SIN c. against whom also Saint James contends Jam. 1. ver 13 14 15 16 17 18 2. That conformity to God is an inseparable concomitant of communion with God This against them that were not afraid to (b) Eo tempore fuerunt quà â—â—m diâ—imi societatem cum Deo propter peccata censebant The Gnosticks Ebionitae c. ambulantes in tenebris jactitabant se Deo placere falsitas doctrinae turpitudo morum tunc vigebat non solum in philosophorum scholiâ— sed apud haereticeos Cypr. affirm that justified persons being elected let them live never so impurely do remain in the favour of God c. as some amongst us and such as would be accounted Stars of the first Magnitude that a man might have as much communion with God in sinne as in the duties of Religion If any man say c. It
beauty thus by the Sun-beams we may clearly see a Divine providence Besides when it retires from us and a Curtain of darknesse is drawn over the world that proves the wisdome and goodnesse of God the Psalmist attributes the disposition of day and night to God the day is thine Psal 64.16 and with an Emphasis the night also is thine notwithstanding its sad appearance yet it is very beneficial its darknesse enlightens us its obscurity makes v sible the Ornaments of heaven the stars their aspects their dispositions their motions which were hid in the day it unbends the world and gives a short and necessary truce to its labours it recreates the wasted spirits 't is the Nurse of nature which poures into its bosome those sweet and cooling dews which beget new life and vigour the divine providence is also eminent in the manner of this dispensation for the Sun finishing its course about the world in the space of twenty four houres I speak of that part of the world which is inhabited causes that succession of day and night which doth most fâ—tly temper our labour and repose whereas if the day and night should each of them continue six entire months this division would be very inconvenient for us We may farther observe a wise providence in the diversity it hath used to lengthen and shorten the dayes and nights for the advantages of several Countryes for that part of the earth which is under the line being scorcht with immoderate heat wants a continual supply of moysture therefore the longest and coolest nights are there but it is otherwise in the Northern parts for the beams of the Sun being very feeble there providence hath so disposed that the dayes are extream long that so by the continuance of the heat the fruits may come to maturity and perfection And as the difference of day and night so the diversity of seasons proceeds from the motion of the Sun which is a work of providence no lesse admirable than the former as the motion of the Sun from East to West Psal 74.17 Thou hast made the Summer and Winter makes the day and night so from North to South causes Summer and Winter by these the world is preserved Summer crownes the earth with flowers and fruits and produces an abundant variety for the support of living creatures the Winter which seems to be the death of nature robbing the earth of its heat and life contributes also to the Universal good it prepares the earth by its cold and moysture for the returning Sun in the succession of these seasons the Divine Providence is very conspicuous for since the world cannot passe from one extream to another without a dangerous alteration to prevent this inconvenience the Sun makes its approaches gradually to us the Spring is interposed between the Winter and Summer that by its gentle and temperate heat it may dispose our bodyes for the excesse of Summer and in the same manner the Sun retires by degrees from us that so in the Autumne we may be prepared for the asperities of the Winter And to close this part of the Argument the invariable succession of times and seasons is a token of the same providence the Sun which runs ten or twelve millions of Leagues every day never failes one minute of its appointed time nor turns an inch out of its constant course but inviolably observes the same order so that there is nothing more regular equal and constant than the succession of day and night to ascribe this to hazzard is the most absurd extravagance for in the effects of chance there is neither order nor constancy as we may see in the casting of a Dy which hardly falls twice together upon the same square it is necessary therefore to conclude that an intelligent principle guides the revolutions of the Sun thus uniformly for the advantage of the world Psalme 19.1 2 3. The heavens declare the glory of God the firmament shews his handy work Day unto day utters speech and night unto night addes knowledge There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard what is that language and voice but a Universal Sermon to the world of Gods being and excellency Let us now consider that vast extent of aire which fills the space between heaven and earth this is of so pure a nature that in a moment it transmits the influences of heaven to the lower world this serves as an arsenal for thunders and lightenings whereby God summons the world to dread and reverence this is a treasury for the clouds which dissolving in gentle showers refresh the earth and call forth its seeds into flourishing and fruitfulnesse this fannes the earth with the wings of the winde allaying those intemperate heats which would be injurious to its inhabitants this is the Region for the Birds wherein they passe as so many self-moving Engines praising the Creatour this serves for the breath and life of man from hence we may conclude the wisdome of a God who so governes the several Regions of the aire as by them to convey blessings for the necessities of man and to send judgements for the awakening the secure to seek after God Let us now descend to the Sea and see how that informes us there is a God 't is a Truth evident to reason that the proper place of the waters is next to the aire above the earth for as it is of a middle nature between these two Elements being purer and lighter than the earth but more grosse and heavy than the aire so it challenges a situation between them that as the aire on all parts encompasses the Sea in like manner the Sea should overspread the earth and cover the whole surface of it that its natural inclination is such appears by its continual flowings who then hath arrested its course and stopt its violence who hath confined it to such a place and compass that it may not be destructive to the world certainly no other but the great God who first gave it being and motion besides that which renders the power of God more conspicuous is that by so weak a bridle as the sand its rage is bounded when it threatens the shore with its insulting waves you would fear lest it should swallow up all but it no sooner touches the sand but its fury is turned into froth it retires and by a kind of submission respects those bounds which are fixt by the Creatour Now that the fiercest Element should be represt by the feeblest thing in the world and that which breaks the Rocks be limited by the sand is a wonder of providence therefore the Lord alledges this as an effect only proceeding from his power and challenges an incommunicable glory upon this account Job 38.8 9 10 11 verses Who shut up the Sea with doores when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb when I made the cloud the garment thereof and thick darknesse a
thereof thou shalt surely dye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebr. Dying thou shalt dye THe next head in the body of our Religion which falls this Morning to be spoken to in Course is Gods Covenant made with Adam before the fall which we call a Covenant of Works and we ground our Discourse upon the Text read to you When God would communicate his goodnesse to the creatures he made the world out of nothing for his own glory but especially man after his Image this inferiour world he provided for mans house and habitation but he dresseth and trimmeth one part for him especially and calls it Paradise In the Paradise or pleasant Garden he was not to live idly but must dresse and keep it In the midst of all mans enjoyments which the Lord allows him with a liberal hand yet he lets him know withall he was under subjection though Lord of all and therefore gives him a command obsequii examen obedientiae quoddam rudimentum Calvin a test and tryal of his obedience to which God trains him up As Lords when they let out their Lands to Husbandmen reserve somewhat to themselves which the Tenants are not to meddle with that they may have some check upon them Muscul so God here That which the Lord commands Adam was no hard matter he grants him a vast latitude to eat of all freely Oecol only one sort excepted in which exception as God was not envious to him as the Envious One suggested so was not this Commandment grievous to him Object It may be objected from 1 Tim. 1.9 The Law is not made for a righteous man why then for Adam in his righteousnesse Resol Paul means good men do not so need the Law as bad men do for good Laws rose from evil manners yet in a sense the Law is given for righteous men not to justifie them for it finds them justified already and past the condemnation of the Law it finding them also sanctified Beza it treats them not as enemies but leads them and delights them consenting to it This serves to explode the errour of Antinomians and Libertines so then God to declare his Soveraignty and mans subjection gave Adam though innocent a Law Mark how God bound mans obedience with a double fence first he fenced him with a free indulgence to eat of all but one this was an Argument to his ingenuity secondly by a severe prohibition upon pain of death by the first the Lord wooes him by love by the second he frights him by the terrour of his justice and bids him touch it if he durst Observe among all the Trees of the Garden there are two here mentioned in a more peculiar manner the Tree of life and the Tree of knowledge which are called by Divines two Sacraments in a large sense in which sense also the Ark of Noah the fire which descended and burn't the Sacrifice Polanius the Baptisme of the Red Sea and Cloud the Manna the water out of the Rock the pouring out of the blood of the Sacrifices the Land of Canaan the Tabernacle Temple Ark of the Testimony the propitiatory the golden Candlestick the twelve stones taken out of Jordan with the pool of Bethesda all these I say in a large sense are Sacramental Symbols of the Covenant of Grace or extraordinary Sacraments but the Tree of knowledge and Tree of life are called Sacraments of the Covenant of works By these the Lord did signifie and seal to our first Parents that they should alwayes enjoy that happy state of life in which they were made upon condition of obedience to his Commandments i. e. in eating of the Tree of life and not eating of the Tree of knowledge For it was called the Tree of life not because of any native property and peculiar vertue it had in it self to convey life but Symbolically Morally and Sacramentally it was a sign and obsignation to them of life natural and spiritual to be continued to them as long as they continued in obedience unto God Aug. In like manner the Tree of knowledge of good and evil was spoken from the sad event and experience they had of it as Sampson had of God departed from him when he left his Nazaritish haire by Dalilah Now that a Covenant of Works lay in this Commandment is clear 1. Because that was the condition of mans standing and life as it is expresly declared 2. Because in the breach of that Commandment given him he lost all This obedience as it was Characteristical to Adams Covenant and Contradistinguished to the Covenant of Grace was perfect personal and perpetual In a sense though different from the other those three things are required in our obedience under the Covenant of Grace not in reference to the Covenant nor to justification neither is our personal righteousnesse perfect I mean legally yet is it perfect though not in us but in our surety neither was the Covenant made primarily with us but with him and with us in him and on his account even as God made the Covenant of Works primarily with Adam and with us in him as our head inclusively Now for our better opening this doctrine to you I shall propound and answer some questions 1. What is meant by Covenant 2. What ground we have to call it Adams Covenant or a Covenant of Works 3. Wherein doth the Nature and Tenour of it consist 4. Whether the Covenant of Works was revived and repeated to Israel 5. How long it lasted whither till now unto any Quest 1. What is meant by Covenant name and thing Answ The word in the Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Berith which hath a threefold derivation very fit to be taken notice of for clearing of the nature of the Covenant 1. From Barah to choose because the persons are chosen between whom the Covenant or Agreement is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indeed Gods Covenant with man is not only with his elect and chosen ones but a fruit and effect of our election yea the Lord doth encline our wills to make choice of him and of his terms I have made a Covenant with my chosen so again Choose you whom ye will serve ye are witnesses against your selves this day Psal 89.3 Josh 24.15 22 that you have chosen the Lord. 2. Or else this word Berith Covenant may be taken from Barah to eat Illyricus because they were wont to eat together of the Sacrifice slain and provided at the making of the Covenant at which time they had a Feast hence the Apostle speaking of the Eucharist the signe and seal of the Covenant and which is a spiritual Food and Feast upon a Covenant account saith This Cup is the New Testament or New Covenant in my blood 1 Cor. 11.25 3. Or from Bathar to cut and divide asunder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by transposing a letter for so the sacrifice was divided and the Covenanting parties were to passe
take off the veile from the Text in a short explication By one man and him we may consider 1. His name Adam and this comprehends his person sex and kind 2. His order he was the first man 1 Cor. 15.45 3. His person in the individual And so Original sin properly is not derived from the proximate Parents but the prime-parent 4. His nature Adam was one non tantum in individuo sed in specie one comprehending the whole root representing the whole stock the seed and generation of man-kind so Adam is taken for the species of man Sinne The Apostle here speaks of sin not sins as if he would precisely determine it of that one root of sin distinct from those many following fruits this sin hath been the Original the incentive the cause of all sinne this sinne stained the world Entered into the world viz. by propagation sin entered like death Now death is actually propagated as he said scio me genuisse mortalem I know I beget a dying child a child subject to death sinne entered not by example but generation The World By the world we must not understand terrenam corpâ—ralem vitam the pleasure and delights of the world for the Saints are crucified to the world in this sense Gal 6.14 and so Original sin should not seize on believers Nor 2. In locum mundi for as Pareus observes the Angels first sinned and sin first entred by them into the place of the world Nor 3. In Paradisum into Paradise for sin was first committed by Eve in Paradise But 4. We must understand the inhabitants of the world Vniversum genus humanum all man-kind Martyr Gorranus as Mart. Gor. And death by sinne The query among Divines is what this death is Some suppose the death of the body as Ambrose some the death of the soul as the Pelagians but as Haymo observes mors animae corporis in omnes pertranstit the death both of soul and body passed on all for as Origen saith Orig. Mors corporalis umbra est spiritualis the death of the body is only the shadow of the death of the soul so that by death in the Text we must necessarily understand the death of soul and body with all the antecedents and consequents of both Willet sicknesse weaknesse corruption guilt horrour despair Death passed upon all men Corporal death on all the most holy most flourishing most probable to live spiritual and eternal death on all men in the sentence not in the execution Rom. 3.19 the sentence is reversed the execution for ever forborn to believers For all have sinned For the opening of this I shall only give you the glance of Musculus In Adam omnes fuimus in lumbis ejus c. we were all in the loynes of offending Adam from that masse we sprung and therefore as Levi paid tythes in the loyns of Abraham Hebrews 7.9 10. so it is no wonder if we being in the loyns of Adam are found sinners in him Doct. Now the mournful truth that the Text presents us with is this viz. That our first Parent by his transgression hath left an unhappy portion of sinne and death to all his posterity thus much the Text expresseth thus much it confirms we have this unwelcome entail from our first Parent Concerning death I shall not dilate because the shade of death doth alwayes accompany the body of sin but I shall only insist on that part of our portion sin We are entituled to Adams sinne 'T is a derivation from the root to the branches as poyson is carried from the fountain to the Cistern as the children of Traytours have their blood tainted with their fathers Treason and the children of Bond-slaves are born in their Fathers condition Omnes in Adamo peccaverunt Aug. quia omnes unus ille fuerunt Aug. All were entangled in Adams sin because all were folded up in Adams person And the same Father in another place Traxit reatum homo quia unus erat cum illo à quo traxit Man drew down guilt upon himself because he was one with him from whom he drew it Greg. And it is an excellent observation of Gregory Genus humanum in parente primo velut in radice putruit Man-kind putrified in the first parent as in a root Adam is as the poysoned root and the clusters are envenomed because the root was poysoned had Adam stood and preserved his perfection his glory as a royalty had descended to his seed to man-kind but by his offence forfeiting his beauty and contracting on himself both guilt and an universal loathsomenesse both losse and loathsomnesse he transmits to his posterity and it is upon his breath that every child that comes into the world sucks in poyson with his first breach and is no sooner a living creature than a deformed sinner This truth we find early confirmed in the world so Adam begat Seth according to his own likeness Gen. 5.3 non ad similitudinem Dei sed ad similitudinem sui Brockman and it is very considerable the Original phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his image in his likeness the word is as it were redoubled to set the greater brand upon corrupt nature in his image nay in his likeness And to shew the necessity of our drawing corruptness from Adam holy Job expresses it by a quick and smart interrogation Job 14.4 Nay th s truth David seems to bedue with tears and deplore with sighs Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sinne did my mother conceive me In the times of the Gospel this spot is more clearly discernable and from whence we received the contagion Rom. 5.19 By God we are creatures by Adam we are sinners so that Text By one mans disobedience many were made sinners And so most remarkably 1 Cor. 15.49 And as we have borne the image of the earthly c. Nor is that gloss of Cyprian upon the place to be over-passed Imaginem terreni portavimus Cypr. peccandi propensâ—â—nem mortem imaginem caelestis portemus constantiam in sanctitate instaurationem ex morte corruptione ad vitam immortalitatem i. e. We have borne the image of the earthly Adam a propensity to sin and death let us bear the image of the heavenly a constancy in holiness and instauration from death and corruption to life and immortality I shall only adde one Scripture more Ephes 2.3 We were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Now there are three things which are considerable for the dispatch of the doctrinal part of the Text. 1. To demonstrate more particularly the transmission of Adams sin to us Now Adams sin is transmitted to posterity two wayes 1. By imputation 2. By inhaesion the guilt and the stain of his sin is propagated to all his posterity Particle 1 1. The sin of Adam is derived to us by way of imputation and that upon a double demonstration may be evidenced
and off-spring we expected that the beauty of his mind the harmony of his will the holinesse of his desires the absolutenesse of his Soveragnty should have fallen to us as a Princely inheritance and therefore Adam falling it is but just that the entaile of sin and death should be fixed upon us 3. Now the third thing to be opened in the finishing of which the doctrinal part will be dispatcht is to shew that Adams sin is not propagated to us by imitation but by generation against the heretical Pelagian And this shall be briefly coucht under the evidence of a five-fold Argument Arg. 1 Arg. 1. As our Divines seasonably observe Christs righteousnesse is not only proposed to us to be imitated we should then all fall sho t in writing after the copy but those that lay hold on his righteousnesse by faith they are changed and renewed in their minds there is a physical communication of this righteousness they feele the power of his death in the crucifying of their lusts and the vertue of his resurrection in their newnesse of minde and life Rom. 6.5 Phil. 3.10 as the Apostle most pathetically So Adams sin is not only our Copy but our corruption it doth not only seduce but defile our natures not only entice but condemne our persons Adam was not only a sinful pattern but a sinful Parent the plague of his sin hath infected the humane nature not only me but man-kind Arg. 2 Arg. 2. Baptisme that is administred to little ones to our infants it cannot be thought to blot out sins of imitation for they are guilty of none then Baptisme would in vaine be administred to our infants and this raises the feud of Anabaptists against this great truth of Original sin They deny the sin of Infants that they may deny the Baptisme Now we cannot conceive that tha blessed Ordinance of Infant Baptisme should be administred for no designs and purposes and why doth the Apostle call Baptisme the Laver of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 were there no stain in Infants what need of a Laver or of washing Arg. 3. And as Ambrose observes David ait ante usuram lucis Ambrose se accipere originis injuriam David complains that he lay under the stain of original sin before he was blest with the first light of the Sun he was dog'd with native corruption when the womb bore him it bore a living but a leprous childe he was wrap't in sin before he was wrapt in swadling cloaths Arg. 3 Arg. 4. And how many offend in the world who think nothing of Adam they transgresse and look not on his Copy And what is murder so often acted in the world to the earing of an Apple What proportion is there between those two Sins Adams eating of an Apple and Cains shedding of his brothers blood How many transgressours are there in the world that ne-ever heard of his offence or that ever there was such a man in the world whom did Philosophers imitate in their sin that opinionated the world to be eternal as Aristotle and his followers Arg. 4 Arg. 5. And that Argument of a learned man is most considerable Si peccatum originis sit tantùm ab imitatione Paulus non dixisset ex Adamo fluxisse peccatum sed à Diabolo quia ipse peccandi exemplum dedit i. e. If original sin were only propagated in a way of imitation Paul would never have said that sin entred the world by Adam but by Satan for he set the first pattern of sinning And now the doctrinal part is dispatch't I shall only annex some few things for the clearer evidence of this truth Arg. 5 1. If the guilt of Adams sin be not imputed to us why do our Infants of en labour under the wracking torments of some distempers and why often is the Cradle turn'd into a Coffin why come they crying and moaning into the world why doth palenesse of face plenteousnesse of tears and a multiplicâ—ty of diseases seize upon them as the prisoners of sin Surely God cannot forget the bowels of a Father this could not befall our Infants were not the hand of justice armed with sin and guilt let us not conceive God trying practice upon poor moaning innocents 2. If Adams sin be not inherent in us why have we not free will to good why do we not naturally burn in love to Jesus Christ and flourish with all vivacity in duty why flye we not to the Sanctuary as to our Paradise but on the contrary why do we draw the Chain of a body of death after us Duty is our burden sin our Element Rom. 7.24 the world our beloved the creature our Idol How are we dragg'd to service we flye to sin but are drawn to duty And in a word how come our understandings to be prisons of darknesse our wills stages of rebellion our affections heaps of dung or drosse for naturally we love sin or the creature what was then the inoffensivenesse of infancy thus to envenome our natures how came in the evil heart of unbelief Hebrews 3.12 3. This Truth of original sin was generally held in the Church till Pelagius who liv'd in the fifth Century confirmed by divers Councels in the Primitive times Quis ante Discipulum Pelagii prodigiosum Cael estium reatu praevaricationis Adaegenus humanum negavit esse astrictum Concilio Melevitano Concilio Toletano c. and the sixth Council of Carthage This truth hath been acknowledged by Heathens Plato complained Homines naturâ suâ esse pravos induci non posse ut justitiam colant i. e. That men were naturally very evil and could not be induced to the embracement of what was righteous And Cicero lamentatus est homines à naturâ novercâ in lucem edi Cicero complains that men were brought into the world by nature their step-mother the Heathens themselves universally enjoyned a strict Discipline to curb the ranknesse and untowardnesse of nature Actus ille Adami quo ipse peccavit omnibus imputandus est censendus omnium esse proprius c. A lap Nay this truth hath been confirmed by the most learned of the Papists A lapide in his Comment on the Romans acknowledgeth that that one act of Adams in eating the forbidden fruit wherein he offended is to be imputed to all men and is to be reputed the sin of all men and from hence it comes to passe that every childe of Adam hath contracted a necessity of sinning even with his first breath Nay the very Rabbies have attested this truth and we finde it clearly though sadly witnessed by our constant and much to be bemoaned experiences and here we might suppena and summon two witnesses for the further verification of it our own aversenesse to good and our natural propensity to evil 4. Nor was this truth ever opposed but upon some designe The Pelagians opposed it to maintain the perfection and power of nature which is mans proper Idol The Papists have opposed
voice to be in vain for their bodies though they know not what it means would not have it to be in vaine for their soules and he that hears the young Ravens when they call Psal 147.9 would not have you deafe in this respect when your Children cry Lastly Let the consideration that Original sin is thus in us weane us from the world 4. Exhortation Be wean'd from the world by reason of it and that immoderate desire of living in it Alas wheresoever we go we carry these chains of darknesse with us if it be grievous to be in pain or want how grievous is it to a gracious heart to sin I know gravia non gravitant in eorum loco sin seemes not heavy to a carnal man to whose heart 't is naturaliz'd but if thou beest spiritual and tender sin is a burden to thee to purpose Now by death peccatum non homo moritur it is sin that dies a Childe of God does not dye but only changes his life this life for a better these pleasures relations c. for better and if it be good to live surely to live eternally is best of all Some have thought that the soule was put into the body for a punishment as into a Prison and who would not willingly be at liberty If we consider what paines care torments and diseases which are but the effects of sin we endure we cannot but be of Theophrastus his mind that the soule payes a deare rent for the body which it dwells in and 't is but a house of clay how finely soever dawb'd over being then we cannot be without these enemies these mischiefs let us be content when God pulls down the house of sinne in which they all are that he may bury them all in the rubbish of our mortality and with the Spirit and the Bride Rev. 22.17 20. let us say Come even so Come Lord Jesus Christ come quickly Amen THE MISERY OF MANS ESTATE BY NATURE EPHES. 2.3 And were by nature the children of wrath even as others YE have heard the Doctrine of Mans fall and of Original sin opened and applied This Text genuinely leads to speak of Mans misery through sin As to the Coherence briefly The Apostles scope is to display the glory of the Lords grace by comparing the sinful and cursed estate of the Ephesians and others by nature with the dignity and priviledges conferred on them in Christ He insists mainly on three heads 1. He describes the natural estate and course of the Ephesians and all other Gentiles in them their estate ver 1. You were dead in trespasses and sins their course ver 2. Ye walked wholly in sin pricked forward by corrupt customes which in several Ages had taken place and were effectual to hold and hearten you in the same Tracts and the Devil that eminently bore sway in others ruled and acted you likewise at his very will this was yours and the Gentiles estate and course 2. He applies the whole equally and indifferently to himself and to the whole body of the Jewish Nation ver 3. among whom also we all had our Conversation c. q. d. such children of disobedience were we all to as deep in sin and open to wrath as you Gentiles were He would by no means have any think that speaking so of the Gentiles he exempted the Jews from the same ground of shame and despair in themselves though he knew full well that this point went exceeding crosse to the grain of that people who greatly a Ezra 9.2 John 8.33 Gal. 2.15 Rom. 10.3 chap. 11.24 boasted themselves to be the holy seed and children of Abraham and despised the Gentiles as an idolatrous unclean bastard brood and especially of the Pharisees of which b Acts 26.5 Phil. 3.5 leaven himself once was who not only disdained the Gentiles but thought and spake contemptibly of Gods heritage viz. the common people of their own Nation as a base and cursed crew John 7.49 chap. 9.34 He pricks this bladder affirming roundly of himself and all the Jews without exception that as to their course whilest unregenerate they did whatsoever their sensual and carnal man willed liked and inclined to And as to estat◠were children of wrath as much as others even as the very despised Gentiles themselves were The great temporary difference flowing from grace Psal 147.19 20. hindered not their being the very same with the Gentiles by nature this and no other was the estate and course of the Jews likewise 3. He sets over against all this in them both the quickning and recovering grace of Christ in the Gentile ver 1. and in the Jew ver 4. The words read contain a brief comprehensive description of the misery that Jews and consequently Gentiles with them are under by nature And in the words observe these two particulars 1. The Case of all men Jews and Gentiles alike described children of wrath Do not understand this actively as children of disobedience ver 2. are disobedient children so that children of wrath should be angry and wrathful people but passively that are obnoxious unto wrath indefinitely which though it principally relates to that chiefest pressing insupportable burden viz. the Lords wrath yet includes consequently the wrath and power of Satan the terrours and rage of conscience the vengeance and assaults of every creature c. The Hebraisme children of wrath implies 1. Desert Deut. 25.2 It shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if the wicked man be a child of beating that the Judge shall cause him to lye down and to be beaten before his face c. which the Sept. solidly renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy of stripes And so the Targums in like manner concurrently with our Bibles a sonne guilty and worthy to be beaten so Mat. 23.15 Ye make him twofold more the childe of hell that is more worthy of hell-fire than your selves 2. Tendency bent and addictnesse to involve themselves under wrath John 17.12 But the sonne of perdition which poured out himself in ways of self-destruction He had many and excellent means to the contrary but nothing would hold him back self-damnation is not proper to Judas but a very common sin and men ordinarily Rom. 2.5 treasure up to themselves wrath Prov. 8.36 love death 3. The event and issue which shall befall them if they do abide such viz. that they shall be destroyed and the eternal wrath of God abide upon them so Judas gave up himself to those sins that not only deserved and tended to destruction but would certainly destroy him so 1 Sam. 20.31 he is the son of death viz. deserves to dye and shall surely dye Now gather all these things together our estate and course is such by nature as deserves destruction tends and leads to destruction and will end and the Lord hath peremptorily fixed and ordained without a change shall end in Eternal destruction 2. The rise of this case expressed by nature which implies
any receive not him this wrath tarries still and will cleave to and abide upon him for ever John 3.36 He speaks with authority Luke 19.27 Those mine enemies bring them and slay them before me and it shall be done 3. That the Psalmist makes it as it is a point of wisdome in the greatest to kisse the Son with a kisse of homage and subjection Psal 2 11 12. least he be angry what is the danger of that and ye perish in the war of your hopes and purposes and never compasse grace nor glory If his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are all those which put their trust in him 4. That then ye may plead with the Lord with humble boldnesse Psal 74.1 Why doth thine anger smoak against the Sheep of thy Pasture remember thy Congregation which thou hast purchased of old the rod of thine inheritance which thou hast redeemed c. 5. And assure your hearts of welcome Prov. 21.14 A gift in secret pacifieth wrath and a reward in the bosome strong wrath Mark their policy Acts 12.10 and be assured the relations of Christ are beloved of the Father Job 33.24 Then he is gracious to him and saith Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome 2. To those which the Lord hath translated out of their natural condition 1. Bring the work often to the touchstone that you may not boast in a false gift gold will endure the test and be more fully manifested to be gold indeed and finding the work to be right live with an enlarged heart to the praise of that grace which hath made this change 2. Deal seriously in the mortification of sin which God only strikes at and in order thereto count sin the worst of evils if this were done and throughly and fixedly done in our spirits there is nothing of any other directions would be left undone To set up this judgement there needs 1. Ploughing carefully with the Lords heifer viz. search into the Oracles of God there and there only are lively portraitures of sin and the genuine products and traine of sin 2. The eye-salve of the Spirit We are blinder than Batts in this matter and are indisposed very much or rather wholly to let this truth sink down into our hearts 3. Applications to the Throne of grace None but those which deal in good earnest in heaven will see the hell and mystery of sin in themselves He gives the Holy Ghost to them which ask him 4. Excussions and communings with your selves Prov. 20.27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly and duly made use of will tell many stories correspondent to the Word of truth use conscience and use therewith another and bigger candle to rummage the dark room of thy heart with Superadde to conscience the succours of the Word and Spirit and thou shalt do something in the search and finde out convictively the swarms of evil in thine own heart 5. The work of grace There will be else a beam in the eye and plaine things will not be plaine to us Gods work holds intelligence and is of amicable affinity with his Word grace hath the only excellent faculty in looking through sin 6. Attendance to the Lords administrations against sin God writes in great letters in the world what he had first written in the Scriptures every breach by sin should lead down into more hatred brokennesse of spirit and shame before the Lord for sinne This is the engaging evil this engages God and the holy Angels and Devils and the very man against himself Nothing can be his friend to whom sin hath made God an enemy Wo to the man that is in this sense alone and hath heaven and earth and hell and all within the Continent of them against him it is impossible for that mans heart and hands to stand strong This is the mighty prevailing evil Never was man so stout as to stand before the face of sin but he shivered and was like a garment eaten up of moths This hath fretted the joynts of Kingdomes in pieces Psal 39.11 and made the goodliest houses in the world a heap of rubbish Zech. 5.4 will make Bab lon that sits as a Queen an habitation of Divels Rev. 18.2 and the hold of every foule spirit and a Cage of every unclean and hateful birds made the Angels Divels and heaven it self too hot for them Never were the like changes made as by sinne grace makes not changes of richer comfort than sin doth of dismal consequence it is made by the Holy Ghost an argument of the infinity of the power of God to pardon and subdue sinne Micah 7.18 3. Bear all afflictions incident to an holy course chearfully The Martyrs went joyfully into the fire because the flames of hell were quenched to them bore their Crosse easily because no curse and damnation to them in Christ Jesus Gal. 3.13 4. Reduce your anger to the similitude of Gods which is very slowly kindled and is an intense holy displicence only against sin Psal 103.8 and is cleans'd from all dregs of rashnesse injustice and discomposure such zeal should eat us up John 2.17 MANS IMPOTENCY TO Help himself out of that misery ROM 5.6 For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ dyed for the ungodly IN this Chapter there are two parts in the first the Apostle layes down the comfortable fruits and priviledges of a justified estate in the second he argues the firmnesse of these comforts because they are so rich that they are scarce credible and hardly received The firmnesse and soundnesse of these comforts the Apostle representeth by a double comparison 1. By comparing Chr st with Christ and 2. Christ with Adam Christ with Christ or one benefit that we have by him with another from the Text to ver 12. then Christ with Adam the second Adam with the first to the end of the Chapter In comparing Christ with Christ three considerations do occur 1. The efficacy of his love towards us before justification with the efficacy of his love towards us after justification the argument standeth thus if Christ had a love to us when sinners and his love prevailed with him to die for us much more may we expect his love when made friends if when we were in sin and misery shiftless and helpless Christ had the heart to die for us and to take us with all our faults will he cast us off after we are justified and accepted with God in him this love of Christ is asserted in the 6. verse amplified in the 7. and 8. verses and the conclusion is inferred verse 9. much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him The second Comparison is of the efficacy of the death of Christ and the efficacy of the life of Christ 't is absurd to think that Christ rising from the dead
better Covenant established upon better promises But I must explain it before I admire it The Gospel Covenant is that whereby God upon the condition propounded of faith in Christ promiseth remission of sins in his blood and a heavenly life and that for this end that he might shew forth the riches of his mercy * Camero Here I shall propose the same considerations as in the former Covenant only still something more and more comfortably considerable in the consideration of the persons contracting namely God and man according to the proposed method 1. Consider Gods gracious condescention And now Beloved that I have named Gods gracious condescention were my heart but duly affected with it it would constrain me to stop and put in a large Parenthesis of admiration before I should speak a word more Will God after the loss of the natural communion wherein he created man will God when man dâ—eads his Majesty and trembles at his revenging justice will God then as a merciful Father enter into a Covenant of peace with poor undone sinners affrighted with the sense of sin and wrath O the incomprehensible â—ondescention of such unsearchable riches of grace that grace should abound according to sins abounding when sin over-flow d all its banks that God should make a way thorough the deep into the heavenly Canaan never can we enough admire such Extasying grace This is the first thing considerable 2. The second thing considerable is the duty which God requires in this Gospel Covenant and that is Faith faith whereby we embrace the remedy offered us We want a pardon and nothing but faith can receive it we want perfect Righteousnesse and nothing but faith can furnish us with it we want that which may make this Covenant effectual to us and make it a blessing to us and nothing can do any of these things but faith faith is the Antecedent Condition for which the Reward is given 3. The third thing considerable in the Gospel Covenant is the promise Now the promise of the Gospel Covenant is comprehended in the word Salvation therefore the Gospel is called the salvation of God Acts 28.28 And this is the great businesse of Christ to be a Saviour Isa 49.6 That thou mayst be my salvation to the end of the earth when the Angels preached the Gospel they thought they could not expresse their news in better language than to tell people of salvation that must needs be great joy to all people In short when Gospel Ministers come clad with garments of salvation as Heraulds do with the garments of their Office then Saints may well shout aloud for joy Psal 132.16 Now this promise of salvation contains all Gospel promises in it but they are reduced to these foure 1. Justification this is a priviledge which other Covenants were unacquainted with and without this what would become of poor sinful man And this may well be the first great Gospel promise I might name not some Verses but whole Chapters to prove it Rom. 4. and 5. Gal. 3. and 4. but in a word if you would know the preciousness of this promise Ask those that have but felt what sin is and they will tell you 2. The second promise contained in Gospel salvation is Sanctification Rom. 8.2 3 4. The Law of the Spâ—rit of life in Christ hath made me free from the Law of sin and death for what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likenesse of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit q.d. The efficacy and power of the sanctifying Spirit which gives life to believers frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and whereas the Law by reason of the corruption of our nature could not make us pure and perfect but rather kindled than extinguished corruption God hath cloathed his Son with our flesh to take away the guilt and power of sin that his perfect righteousnesse might be imputed to us and fulfillâ—d by us that we might not live according to the motion of our sinful nature but according to the motion of his holy Spirit 3. The third promise is the resurrection of the body You know the penalâ—y of sin is the death of soul and body though the soul be immortal yet its being miserable for ever may sadly be called an Eternal death Now let the guilt of sin be abolished and you do therewith abolish the punishment of it for guâ—lt is only an obligation to punishmenâ— let sin be pardoned and the sinner is freed from death and though believers dye yet it is as a corne of wheat falls into the ground they thereby obâ—ain a multiplied life John 6.54 Whoso eateth my flesh and drinkeâ—h my blood hath Eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day 4. The last promise is Eternal life a spiritual blessed and immortal life in heaven John 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 The Covenant of Grace is excellent fitted to bring us to the chiefest good Now the chiefest good consists in communion with God that was broken by sin and can never be perfectly recovered till sin be abolished therefore when the guilt of sin is taken away by Justification and the filthinesse of sin is taken away by Sanctification and the penalty of sin taken away by Resurrection then what can hinder our communion with God when we have once obtained perfect holinesse nothing can hinder us of perfect happinesse Thus you have the promise of the Gospel-Covenant which was the third considerable in it 4. The fourth thing to be considered in the Gospel-Covenant is the Mediator of this better Covenant and that is Jesus Christ God-man blessed for ever through his dignity he hath purchased salvation Hebr. 9.12 14. By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place having obtained Eternal Redemption for us how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God c. And he is not only the Author of Eternal salvation by his merit and efficacy but the most absolute example and pattern to us how we should walk that we may obtain his purchased salvation Rom. 8.29 God did predestinate us to be conformable to the Image of his Sonne that he might be the first born among many brethren 1 Cor. 15.49 And as we have born the Image of the Earthly we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly And this is the only Covenant whereof Christ is Mediator the first Covenant needed no Mediator the Old Covenant as Legal take it without its sprinkling of Gospel and so chiefly Moses but in all respects meer men were Mediators but of the New Covenant Christ was Mediator but this I shall leave
you they have no such thought nor any cause for any such thought through grace they abhorre these sins and wonder that any are so besotted as to quarrel with a Minister for speaking against them You see then 't is your consciences that reproach you and not the Ministers of the Gospel 2. Here 's matter of Admiration Admiration of Gods rich Grace and unparallel'd Providence to us that God should cast our Lots in to such places and times wherein we enjoy the best of the best gracious Dispensations Acts 17.26 God hath made of one blood all Nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation God hath been pleased so to dispose of Christs little flock that there shall be some in all times of the world and in all places of the world where he makes known his Name to be the salt of the Earth But now for us to be so disposed of that among the several thousand years of the worlds continuance and among the innumerable millions of places of the worlds Inhabitants that we should be brought forth in such a nick of time and in such a spiritual Paradise of place that there 's none in the world to equal it Sirs what doth this call for what shall we render to the Lord for this I know not what to call it 't is such unspeakable love Beloved I must both give and take time to answer this question And O that you and I may give a sutable answer to it I know not at present what to say to it unlesse we could as overcome by it faint away in a love-sickness into the bosome of our dearest Jesus that Cant. 2.4 5 6. seeing he hath brought us where we may not only taste a draught out of a Bottle but are brought to the great Vessels of spiritual comforts where we may not only enjoy Christ a little but even to spiritual extasie O that we now as sinking down in a Swoun and as unable to stand under the thoughts of such love might be even strowed and boulstered up with the comfortable doctrines of the Gospel-Covenant and all through impatience of love The love of God to such inconsiderable persons should carry the soul out of it self to do more than languish with desire after more extasying communications so that none but Christ with his right hand of Divinity and left hand of Humanity may be acceptable to us to embrace us O Christians I should be glad to send you all home heart-sick of love to Christ But 3. By way of Inference Everyone of you that is not in the Gospel-Covenant is in a dreadful state 't is your own wilfulnesse you will not believe the Gospel Though 't is through Divine Grace that persons do close with the Gospel yet it is your own sin you do not close with it for you are willing to be strangers to it you are willing to enjoy your lusts which you must part with if you embrace it You may observe the dreadful estate of persons out of Covenant in these three particulars 1. The sin against the Gospel-Covenant is most dreadful This sin hath the guilt of all other sins in it John 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloke for their sin Sodom and Gomorrah Publicans and Harlots go into the Kingdome of heaven before those that refuse the Gospel God the Father invites men to the Marriage Supper nay you are wooed and entreated to be Christs Bride You make light of it you have the profits and the pleasures of the world to take up your thoughts you will not be perswaded to believe that Christ is better than your lusts you will not be beat out of it but that a bag of gold is better than a Crown of glory but that a filthy lust is better than communion with God but that the Divels slave and fool is better than to be Gods Childe and Darling Is this your choice Then consider 2. The penalty for the contempt of this Gospel-Covenant is most dreadful John 3.19 This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather than light this brings persons under the very utmost of the wrath of God 1 Thess 2.16 when the Jews sinned against the Legal Dispensation then Dan. 9.12 Daniel complains Under the whole heavens hath not been done as hath bâ—en done upon Jeâ—usalem but what now will become of those that refuse the Gospel Heb. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God Can any thing be worse than to dye without mercy yes saith the Apostle what 's that nay he leaves it to your consideration as being unpossible to be expressed To poure contempt and scorne upon the pretious blood of Christ wherewith the Covenant betwixt God and his people was made and ratified to offer a spiteful affront unto the Spirit of God by contemning and opposing his gracious motions O what remains for such persons but a dreadful expectation of Gods terrible Judgment But there 's a third thing that I would have you consider which is sensibly more dreadful than either of these 3. The sentence against Gospel-Covenant breaking is most irreversible and peremptory mercy and grace and patience and compassion when these are abused all these become the sinners enemy for that which is ordained a life to prove death unto them oh this is dreadful for the blood of Christ to cry to heaven against sinners this is dreadful this made Christ to weep over Jerusalem Luke 19.40.41 These persons passe judgment upon themselves though not with their lips yet with their lives they pronounce themselves unworthy to be saved Acts 13.46 O Sirs I beseech you consider though persons brake the Covenant of Works there was salvation to be had by another Covenant but if this be violated there is no other Covenant to relieve this The Gospel-Covenant is our Refuge when the other Covenant pursues us Hebr. 6.18 Contemptuous carriage against Grace is beyond all help I beseech you therefore take heed of sinning against Gospel-light and Gospel-love O you will have that sting of conscience that no other sinners in the world have that have not refused a Redeemer Beloved I would I could say with due meltings of heart it grieves me for you to think how many hundreds in this Congregation are yet without Christ being Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world Ephes 2.12 O Sirs do you know what you do when you cocker your lusts in despight of Christ Can you hear Sermons and go on in sin You do well to hear but you make a desperate adventure to do what you know discovenants you from God and hazards your eternal separation from God Beloved I
8.33 Christ hath died who still makes Intercession and both these are so full so sufficient a relief against the guilt of sin that as we have no other so we need no other as the High Priests bore the names of the people before the Lord so does Jesus Christ the names of his Elect Heb. 9.25 Heb. 9.12.24 Heb. 10.12 Heb. 11.25 1 John 2.1 but the High Priests of Old were at certain times only to appeare before the Lord once a yeare to enter into the holy place but Christ our spiritual High Priest is not only entered but sat down at the right hand of God to negotiate constantly on his Churches behalf He ever lives to make Intercession Heb. 11 25. And besides the constancy consider the prevalency of his Intercession that God that regards the cry of Ravens that will not altogether neglect the humiliation of Ahab that God that is so ready to answer and honour the prayers of his own people cannot but much more regard the prayers of his only Son praying by his blood and praying for nothing more than what himself hath deserved and purchased He that is such a great High Priest is excellently fitted in respect of this Office for the work of Mediation 2. The Prophetical Office of Christ is the great Deut. 18.15 Joh. 1.24 25 45. John 6.14 the only relief we have against the blindnesse and ignorance of our mindes He is that great Prophet of his Church whom Moses fore-told the Jews expected and all men needed that Sun of Righteousnesse who by his glorious beams dispels those mists of ignorance and errour which darken the mindes of men and is therefore stiled by way of eminency that light John 1.8 and the true light Joh. 1.9 The execution of this Prophetical Office is partly by revealing so much of the Will of God as was necessary to our salvation partly by making those revelations powerful and effectual 1. In revealing the Will of God for no man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him Joh. 1.18 The manner of revealing the mind of God hath been different in several ages 1. Sometimes making use of instruments who were either ordinary as under the Law the Priests whose lips should preserve knowledge and under the Gospel Pastors and Teachers Mal. 2.7 2 Chron. 15.3 Eph. 4.11 12 13. Or else extraordinary as Prophets under the Law and Apostles and Evangelists in the first plantation of the Gospel 2. For sometime instructing his Church immediately in his own person Heb. 1.1 2. 2. In enlightening effectually the souls of his people in causing the blinde to see and making them who were once darknesse to be light in the Lord Eph. 5.2 Thus he instructs by his Word and by his Spirit 1 Pet. 1.12 and by that Soveraignty he hath over the hearts of men opens their hearts to receive his counsels He that can thus speak not only to the eare but to the heart is also in this Office excellently fitted for the work of Mediation 3. The Kingly Office of Christ is the great the only relief we have against our bondage to sin and Satan He to whom all power is given in heaven Mat. 28.18 Eph. 1.20 21 22. Heb. 2.8 Phil. 2 9 10 11. 1 Cor. 15.27 28. Isa 61.1 and in earth Mat. 28.18 He whom God hath raised from the dead and set at his own right hand in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church It is he that restores liberty to the captives and opens the Prison doors to them that are bound This great Office of a King he executes chiefly in these Royal acts 1. In gathering to himself a people out of all kindreds Gen. 49.10 Isa 55.4 5. 1 Cor. 5.4 5. 1 Pet. 1.3 5. Eph. 4.12 13. 1 Thes 4.16 17. Nations and tongues and in making them a willing people in the day of his power Psal 110.3 2. In governing that people by Laws Officers and Censures of his own ordaining Isaiah 33.22 Ephes 4.11 12. Mat. 18.17 18. 3. In bringing all his elect into a state of saving grace and preserving that grace alive in their soules which himself hath wrought though it be as a spark of fire in an Ocean of water in carrying it on to perfection and crowning it with glory 4. In restraining over-ruling and at last destroying all his and his Churches enemies Psalme 110.1 those who will not submit to the Scepter of his grace he rules with his Iron rod and will at last dash them in pieces like a Potters Vessel Psal 2.9 And thus is Christ not only in respect of the dignity of his person but the suitablenesse of his Offices the only fit Mediator between God and man The doctrinal part of this Scripture being thus cleared take one word by way of application Use This may informe us of the unspeakable folly and misery of all such as despise this Mediator there is but one Mediator but one way of Reconciliation unto God but one way of having sin pardoned our natures cleansed the favour of God restored our lost condition recovered and that is through the Mediation of Christ and shall it be said of any of us as Christ himself speaks of those foolishly obstinate Jews they would not come unto him Col. 3.4 that they might have life Joh. 5.40 There is in Christ the life of Justification to free us from that eternal death the Law sentences us unto the life of sanctification to free us from that spiritual death we are under by nature there is in him a sufficient relief against whatever is discouraging and shall we be so little our own friends so false to our own concernments as to reject his profered help notwithstanding we do so highly need it 1. In rejecting this Mediator you sin against the highest and greatest mercy that ever was vouchsafed to creatures 't is mentioned as an astonishing act of love in God that he should so love the world as to give his only begotten Son c. Joh. 3.16 so beyond all comparison Phil. 2.6 7 8. John 15.13 compared with Rom. 5.8 so beyond all expression and oh what an amazing condescention was it in Christ who though he thâ—ught it no robbery to be equal with God was yet pleased to make himself of no reputation and took upon him the forme of a servant became obediâ—nt unto death even the death of the cross and all this as our Mediator there is not any mercy we enjoy but 't is the fruit of this mercy Eph. 2.12 2. You hereby reade your condition the same with Pagans the emphasis of whose misery consists in this that they are without Christ and
against it 2. Christ humbled himself to death obediently It was his will to dye and yet he dyed not of his own will but in obedience to his Fathers We have them both conjoyned Heb. 10.7 Lo I come to do thy Will O God And Joh. 10.18 I lay down my life of my self this Commandment have I received of my Father he became obedient unto death saith the Text In respect of God Christs death was justice and mercy in respect of man it was murther and cruelty in respect of himself it was obedience and humility To obey is beâ—â—er than sacrifice Christs obedience was the best of his sacrifice when he prayed to his Father that the cup might passe it was with this Clause of exception Not as I wâ—ll but as thou wilt 3. Christ submitted himself to death humbly and meekly he was oppressed and afflicted yâ—t opened he not his mouth not that he spake nothing at all but he was silent as to murmurings and revilings that was the work of his persecutors not a word passed from him that might argue passion or impatience as from one of the Thieves that were crucified with him he was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter he was not enraged or exasperated with all the injustice cruelty and oppression of his enemies not one word in heat of blood to them whose errand was to shed his blood Friend saith he to Judas betrayest thou the Son of man with a kisse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys What meeknesse was here though I confesse there was a tart rebuke in that kinde compellation and Christ calling him friend smartly checkt him for his unfriendly carriage When one of his Disciples cut off Malchus his eare Put up thy sword saith he Wee 'le have none of that club law he touches his eare and heales it When he was reviled he reviled not again 1 Pet. 2.23 Psal 64.3 when he suffered he threatened not his enemies shot their arrows even bitter words but they recoyled not upon them Nay he returned not only no ill words but gave prayers in exchange for their taunts and revilings Father forgive them Luke 23.34 for they know not what they do It had been meeknesse to have gone through his sufferings without murmuring but it was an high and heroical act of meeknesse indeed to poure out prayers for them that were such busie instruments in pouring out his blood he was so far from biting the stone that he kissed it and the hand that threw it 3. Upon what grounds Christ thus humbled himself to death What cogent necessity was upon him for we may not conceive that Christ thus humbled himself to death upon trivial and impertinent considerations as David said once of Abner Died Christ as a fool dieth 2 Sam. 3.33 No sure it was upon these six weighty grounds 1. That Scripture prophesies and Predictions might be accomplished all which represent him as coming in died garments from Bozrah Gen. 3.15 The first Scripture that ever mentions Christ shews him a bleeding and crucified Saviour Now Christ was to make good to a tittle every thing that had been before written of him In Saint Matthews Gospel this is very remarkable who above all the rest hath most punctually observed the fulfilling of Prophesies with whom the burden and under-song of almost every event is ut impleretur that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the mouth of the Prophets Christ himself renders this account of his sufferings in that Discourse of his with his Disciples upon the Road Oh fools Luk. 24.25 26. and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken Ought not Christ to have suffered these things The Prophets have all spoken this with one mounth and is it possible I should make them all liars 2. That Scripture types might be fulfilled many whereof were to decipher and prefigure the death of Christ as Isaac's being offered the slaying of the Sacrifices the lifting up of the Serpent Now had not Christs blood been shed and he lift up upon the Cross there had been no correspondency in the Antitype as Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wildernesse so must the Son of man be lifted up Joh. 3.14 Had not Christ been made a Sacrifice most of the Legal Ceremonies and precedent prefigurations had either spoken lies or at least nothing to the purpose 3. That his Will and Testament might be firme and effectuaâ— in his life he had given many precious Legacies and they had been all voide and to no more purpose than a Deed without a Seal at it unlesse ratified and confirmed had not Christ given himself to death all his other gifts that he had bequeathed in his Will had been gifâ—lesse this is the Apostles Argument Where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator for a Testament is of force after men are dead Heb. 9.16 17. otherwise it is of no force at all while the Testator liveth A man that makes a Will doth not intend that any body should be the better by it but upon his death Suppose a man have a Legacy of a thousand pounds given him he is not one whit the richer so long as his friend liveth the Will holds not good in Law nor can he sue for one penny of it This Cup saith Christ is the New Testament in my blood Luke 22.20 that New Testament which is ratified by my blood Christs death gives life not only to his people but to his promises It is expedient for you that I go away John 16.17 saith he for If I go not away the Comforter will not come The sending of the Comforter was one principal clause of his last Testament but till the death of the Testator the Will could not be put in suit it signified nothing and was not pleadable The Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified what had they received nothing of the Spirit yes John 7.39 but not according to that plentiful proportion which he intended and promised in his Will The Legacy was paid but in part because the Testator was yet alive he was no sooner dead and got to heaven but he makes all good to a tittle as you may read Acts 2.2 3 4. 4. That justice may be satisfied the sentence upon sin was passed from the mouth of a righteous Judge now though justice might admit of a change of persons there was no room for a change of penalties death was threatned and death must be inflicted If Christ will save sinners from death justice will not let him save himself from death Heb. 9.22 without shedding of blood there is no remission Christ undertaking to crosse out and cover the black lines of sin must draw over them the red lines of blood What the chief Priests said concerning Christ is true in some sense though false in theirs He saved others Matth. 27.42 himself he cannot
save Justice was to have its penni-worths out of our Surety and nothing could be abated of blood God hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that he might be just Rom. 3.25 26. 5. That he that hath the power of death might be destroyed Hebr. 2.14 through death he destroyed him that hath the power of death that is the Divel Satan hath the power of death not as a Judge but as an Executioner and Christs death hath destroyed him not taken away his being or undivel'd him but shatter'd his Forces broken and subdued him The crucifying of Christ was the Divels plot he put Judas upon betraying him the Jews upon accusing him Pilate upon condemning him the Souldiers upon executing him but our Lord out-shot him in his own Bowe and cut off Goliah's head with Goliah's Sword It fared with Satan as it is storied of a certain Souldier who being cu iously inquisitive after the time of his death went to an Astrologer who of a long time would make him no answer till at the length overcome by his importunity he told him that he should dye within three dayes whereat the Souldier being angry draws his Sword and kills the Astrologer for which murder within three dayes compasse he was executed And thus Satan plotting the death of Christ to put by his own ruine promoted and procured it Our Saviours death gave him such a deaths wound as he will never claw off The Lyon is terrible saith Chrysostom not only awake but sleeping And so Christ not only living but dying came off a Conqueror Judg. 16.30 as Sampson at his death pulled down the pillars of the house and made a greater rout among the Philistines than in all his life and therefore it is very observable when the death of Christ approached and being in view Satan perceived how great disadvantage was like thereby to accrue to him and his Kingdome how he laid about and bestirred himself by all means possible to hinder it he put Petâ—r upon disswading him Master favour thy self and let not this be unto thee and Christ presently smelt him out in that advice as appears by his rebuke Get thee behinde me Satan Matth. 16.23 Matth. 27 19. he buzz'd dreams into the head of Pila es wife and thereby endeavoured to take him off and divert him from pronouncing the sentence upon him 6. To take away the meritorious cause of death viz. sinne And verily had all the Divels in hell been routed and sin that Divel in the bosome remain'd undisturbed it had been an inconsiderable victory God sending his own Son in the similitude of sinful flesh for sin Rom. 8.3 thaâ— is by a sacrifice for sin we have such another Ellipsis Hebr. 10.6 condemned sin in the flesh Christ by his blood wrote aâ— ill of Inditement and Condemnation against sin he sued it to an out-lary and undermiâ—ed it as to its dominion and damnation Rom. 6.10 in that he dyed he dyed unto sin once The Saints dye unto sin namely by Mortification Verse 11. Reckon ye your selves also to be dead indeed unto sin but thus there was never any alive in Christ but he dyed unto sin namely the utter ruine and undoing of sin The Messiah shall be cut off to finish transgression and make an â—nd of sins Dan. 9.24 There is a double finishing of sin by consummation and by consumption the meaning is not as though Christ compleated that which sinners had left imperfect or varnisht over those sins which came out of their hands rude and unpolished no he could neither put an hand nor set a tool to such work as this but to make an end of sin to eat into the heart and tear out the bowels of it such is Christs hatred of sin that rather than it shall live himself will dye APPLICATION Three Uses may be made of this Doctrine for 1. Information 2. Exhortation 3. Comfort Use 1 1. For Information in foure particulars 1. This lets us see the transcendent and inexpressible love of Christ to poor sinners Let such as can entertain hard thoughts of Christ look upon him as nailed to the Crosse and shedding his blood and then tell me if they do not think him in good earnest in the businesse of saving souls Oh how was his heart set upon sinners that would thus shed his heart-blood for sinners The Rabbins have a saying that upon every apex or tittle of the Law there hangs a Mountain of sense and doctrine In every drop of Christs blood there is an Ocean of love Who loved me Gal. 2.20 and gave himseâ—f for m The death of Christ was such a demonstration of love as the world never saw When God made the wordl he intended the evidence of his power he ordained hell digg'd Tophet and fill'd it with fire and brimstone and thereby manifested the severity of his jâ—stice he humbled himself to death and therein his purpose was to demonstrate the transcendency of his love this made the love of Christ of such efficacy and constraining influence upon the Apostle Paul Be ause we thus judge that if one dyed for all than were all dead 2. Cor. 5.14 When Christ once wept at Lazarus his grave by-standers made this inference upon it Behold how he loved him John 11.36 but if weeping at the grave for his death argued such love what love was it then to dye and go down into the grave for Lazarus It were an easie thing to lose our selves in this delightful Maze and Labyrinth of love the righteous Judge of all the world unrighteously accused and condemned the Lord of life was dying the eternal and ver blessed Son of God strugling with his Fathers wrath he that had said I and my Father are one crying out in his bitter agony My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He that hath the keys of hell and death lay sealed up in anothers grave Blessed and dear Saviour whither hath thy love to sinners carried thee Well might the Apostle in an holy rapture and extasie expresse himself in an elegant contradiction when he desired the Ephesians might know the love of Christ which passes knowledge Ephes 3.19 2. Hence learn the horrible and cursed evil of sin there is sure an abominable filthinesse in that which nothing but the blood of God could purge and expiate We may guesse at the depth and breadth of the sore by the plaister that is prepared and applied It s a desperate disease that requires such a desperate cure sin is an infinitely mischievous evil which nothing could remove but infinitely precious blood You that view sin in its right features and proportions take a prospect from Mount Calvary look through the perspective of Christs blood and seriously ponder the bitter and dreadful agonies of the Son of God when he sweat and bled and groaned and dyed under
Paul say unto you he affixeth his name and sets to his hand q. d. I say it and I will stand to it and so if your heart be uncircumcised by not putting off the body of the sins of the flesh if you live in any one known approved sin Christ and the death of Christ shall profit you nothing Ah! revenge the blood of your dearest Lord upon your dearest lusts and when Satan presents to you a sugred spiced cup tempting you to the commission of any sin say as David of the waters of Bethlehem Farre be it from me oh Lord 2 Sam. 23 1â— that I should do this is not this the blood of my Saviour that not only hazarded but laid down his life for sin 2. Did Christ let out his blood for us let our lives then run out for Christ in a vigorous activity and unwearied exercise of grace It is the Apostles argument and it 's very forcible We judge that he dyed for all that they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that dyed for them 2 Cor. 5.15 Christ did not shed two or three drops of his blood only or breath a veine and shall two or three duties a few shreds and odde parcels of holinesse serve to return back to Christ What can we think too much for him Tit. 2.14 that thought not much of his blood for us the blood of Christ is as well for the purity as the purchase of his people 3. Did Christ thus humble himself to death for us let us then prize him exceedingly and raise him in our esteem above riches honour pleasure father mother husband wife friend yea life it self Quanto pro me vilior tanto mihi charior Ber. or any other thing that we are apt to account precious how ought he to be prized and preferred above all things that prized such in considerable nothings as we are at so high rates as his own blood if you put Christ into one end of the scale be sure he out-ballances every thing that can be laid in the other To you that believe he is precious Other things may be rated according to that particular excellency that he hath put into them 1 Pet. 2.7 but you will be careful to keep the highest Room for the best friend and say Come down this and t' other vanity this friend must take place whatever other things may make twelve Christ shall be thirteen to a carnal heart nothing so low prized and undervalued as Christ but with believers that have an interest in him and know the worth of him he is in highest esteem Cant. 5.9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved say the daughters of Jerusalem they have sleight low thoughts of him and another be it who it will is to them as good as he but what answer makes the Spouse My Beloved is white and ruddy Ver. 10. the chifest among ten thousand If there were a general Muster and all the sons of men stood together Christ would be above and beyond them all and Paul is of the same mind who desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 as if he had said Let me but be acquainted with Christ and his Crosse such a superlative esteem he had of him that I care not this if I burn all my Books Whatever he had heretofore accounted excellent when his judgement was byassed with wrong apprehensions he now accounts drosse dung dogs meat Phil. 3.8 for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord all not worthy to be named the same day with Christ Nay Christ himself hath told us they are not worthy of him that do not think him most worthy Mat. 10.37 4. Christ humbling himself thus low should teach us highly to prize our souls by the price that was paid for them we may conceive at what a raâ—e God values them If God should have said concerning any soul I so esteem it that rather than it shall perish I 'le dissolve and unpin the whole Fabrick of heaven and earth that you 'le say had evidently demonstrated an high valuation of souls but the course God hath taken shews a much higher esteem of them Now let this deare bought ware be precious ah let none of us adventure a soul for the satisfying of a base lust let not any sin steale that away upon easie termes which put the Lord of glory to such expences Christ that best knows the worth of souls for he paid for them so values them that he tells us the gaine of the world were no sufficient or satisfactory compensaâ—ion for he losse but of one of them Mark 8 36. and a man that should make that bargaine as too many do might put all his gaines in his eye Ingenâ—i hominis nulla si aestimatio and see never the worse after it What the Civilian saith of a Free-man is much more true of an immortal soul Noâ—hing can be valued with it Tradesmen know that buying deare and selling cheap will undo them but it will much more undo you to sell châ—ap that which Christ hath bought so deare Do not pawn your soules to Satan that is do not adventure upon the commission of any sin with this reserve I will repent before I dye and then all is well that is as if thou shouldst say Here Satan I give thee my soule to pawn in lieu of the pleasure or profit of this or that sin and make it in my bargaine that if I repent I will have it again till then I deliver it into thy custody and if I never repent take it it is thine own for ever Nay but ask Satan when he comes thus higgling for thy soul and bids thee pleasure profit preferment or any such toyes and trifles but canst thou subtile Tempter give any thing aequivalent to the blood of God the price that hath been already paid for it our souls were not Redeemed with silveâ— and gold 1 Pet. 1.18 and let us never sell them for that with which Christ could not purchase them 5. Did Christ humble himself to the shedding of his blood let us then be willing if need be to shed our blood for Christ. We needed Christs death and possibly Christ may need ours though not for merit and satisfaction No that was our need for which his death was abundantly sufficient and needs not ours to make any additions or heapt overplus measure but Christ may need our death to seale his truth and credit his Gospel Act. 20.24 the Apostle Paul counted not his life deare that he might finish his course with joy to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God And the Holy Ghost gives an honourable character of some Heroical noble-spirited Christians that they loved not their lives unto the death Rev. 12.11 and the blood of the Lamb animated them to such valour that they overcame and conquered by the
stream of Christs blood if thou beest imbarqued by faith runs directly into the Ocean of endlesse boundlesse bottomlesse happinesse If thou hast open'd the door of thine heart to let Christ in the blood of Christ hath open'd and unlock'd the door of heaven and thou canst not be shut out A crucified Christ entertained will one day make glorified believers his Humiliation is the ready Roade both to his and his peoples exaltation CHRISTS EXALTATION Phil. 2. 9 10 11. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father THE former Verses-speak of the deep humiliation of Jesus Christ these words contain the Doctrine of Christs most glorious Exaltation If you view Christ in the words before going you will behold the Sun of righteousness ecclipsed but in this Text you will see him shining forth in his strength and splendour The Doctrine of Christs Humiliation leads you to Mount Calvary but this Doctrine will lead you to Mount Tabor to Mount Olivet There you may see Christ standing at the Bar but here you see him sitting on a Throne of Majesty and glory The former Doctrine shews you the Son of man in the forme of a servant but this represents Christ to you the Son of God like himself in the glorious estate of Triumphant Majesty You have heard how Christ died for our sins Rom. 4.25 Rom. 5.10 and how we are Reconciled by his death and now you shall heare how he rose for our justification and how we are saved by his life In his Humiliation there was neither form nor beauty Isa 53.2 Heb. 1.2 nor comliness did appear but now you will see him in the excellency and brightness of his Fathers glory In Christs Humiliation you heare how he was reproached in his Person Name Doctrine Ministry and Miracles but he is now exalted and hath a name given him above every name And whereas in his Humiliation his enemies bowed the knee in scorne to him yet in his Exaltation they must bow the knee with fear and trembling Then they cried after Christ Crucifie him crucifie him but God hath exalted him so as every tongue must confess that Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God And thus Contraries are illustrated by their contraries the sufferings of Christ like a dark shadow to a curious picture Contraria â—juxta se posita magis elucescunt or a black vaile to a beautiful face do make the glory of his Exaltation the more glorious The height of Christs Exaltation is best known by considering the depth of his humiliation the Cross of Christ as one saith being the best Jacobs staff to take the height of this morning Star or rather Sunne of Righteousness breaking forth most gloriously from under a dark Cloud In these three verses we have these Particulars considerable 1. The Connexion between the Humiliation and Exaltation of Christ in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore also God hath exalted him 2. The Doctrine of Christs Exaltation laid down God hath highly exalted him 3. The end of Christs Exaltation it was for the glory of God the Father Before we come to the Doctrine of Christs Exaltation we will a little consider the connexion of these three Verses with the three preceding Verses viz. 6 7 8. where it is said that Jesus Christ being in the forme of God and thought it not Robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no Reputation and took upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross wherefoâ—e God also hath highly exalted him c. It is a Question amongst Divines whether the Humiliation of Christ be the Meritorious cause or only the Antecedent of his Exaltation and yet they that dispute this do all agree in this That Jesus did not by his Humiliation and sufferings merit such things as he was invested withal before he suffered for that which is meritorious must alwayes precede the reward and therefore it cannot be said that Christ did merit the personal union of his Divine and Humane Nature nor the happiness of his soul nor his Habitual Graces which He had from the first Moment of his Incarnation Christi humiliatio est exaltationis meritum ejus exaltatio est humiliationis praemium Aug. Hac enim particula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu propter quod meritum Christi denotat quibus sibi suam exaltationem nobis totam salutem promeruit Zanch. in loc First There are some Divines who interpret the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a causal and so hold that Christ by his Humiliation did merit his Exaltaâ—ion and of this opinion was Augustine who calls Christs Humiliation the meritoriâ—us cause of his Exaltation and his Exaltation the râ—ward of his Humiliation The Popish wrâ—ters go generally this way I find also amongst Protestant Writers the Learned Zanchy of this Opinion who upon this Text hath this Note By this Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherefore The Apostle notes the merits of Christ whereby he hath merited his own Exaltation and our Salvation And that which favours this Explication is that saying of the Apostle concerning Christ Heb. 12.2 That for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross and despised the shame as if having an eye to the Recompence of the Reward enabled Christ to persevere with more patience when he became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Neither doth it derogate from the freeness of Christs sufferings that he was rewarded for them for even that glory that Christ hath in heaven is for our good and comfort Nor was it out of indigence and necessity that Christ accepts of glory in a way of Reward of his obedience but herein he commended his love the more to us that would so far condiscend and so far even in his Exaltation humble himself to receive glory in the way of obedience which he might have challenged by vertue of his personal union Even as a Prince who though he hath right to a Kingdom by Inheritance and Succession yet he will accept of it as a Reward of his Obedience and Conquest over its enemies 2. But others understand the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text not as signifying the Humiliation â—f Christ to be the meritorious cause but only the Antecedent of his Exaltatâ—on and so they make this particle to be not causal but connective only and so I find some of the Ancient Translations as the Aethiopick Version doth only ioyn the Humiliation and Exaltation of Christ together Humilavit seipsum magnificavit
the form of a Servant He was despised in his Person Ministry and Miracles in the dayes of his flesh that is whilst he lived here upon earth He was poor in estate followed by the poor he had not where to lay his head Mat. 11.5 Mat. 8.20 he was reproached and counted a Sabbath-breaker a wine-bibb r an enemy to Caesar a Blasphemer he was counted every thing but what he was Answerable to this great Exinanition of Christ is his ascension into Heaven and sitting at the right hand of God Man did not so despise and disparage but God hath honoured him to sit on the right hand of God note the great honour that Jesus Christ is invested withal as he was man Psal 8.5 so he was lower than the Angels But in that he hath said unto him Sit thou on my right hand he hath e xalted him above the Angels for to none of the Angels hath he said at any time Psal 110.1 Thou art my Sonne Sit thou on my right hand To sit at Gods right hand is to be next in dignity and honour unto Almighty God and this is that which the Apostle speaks of showing how God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places Heb. 1.13 Eph. 1.20 21 22. far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church Thus all the dishonour and reproach that was cast upon Christ in his life and the ignominy of his shameful painful and cursed death of the Cross is now taken away by Christ his ascending up into heaven sitting at Gods right hand Heb. 1.6 and all the Angels of God worshipping him And thus our Lord Jesus was exalted from a death of shame to a life of glory and that not to a temporary but an eternal life Christ was raised up not as Lazarus to die againe but Christ died but once but lives for ever at the right hand of God to make Intercession So speaketh Christ of himself Rom. 6.10 Heb. 7.25 Rev. 1.18 I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Thus he that descended in his burial into the lowest parts of the earth is the same also that ascended up far above the Heavens Eph. 4.9 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. His coming to judge the world answers his being judged in the world and by the world Mat. 25.31 32 Veniet judicaturus qui venit judicandus As Christs Exaltation began at his Resurrection so it shall be compleated when he shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the Throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all Nations He that came at first to be judged shall come the second time to judge the world We have in the Scriptures several descriptions of Christs glorious coming to judge the world but when he shall come indeed he will make known his power and glory to all the world Joh. 5.22 27. 1 Cor. 1.8 2 Cor. 5.10 2 Tim. 4.1 1 Cor. 11.26 2 Thes 1.8 Acts 10.42 God hath given the judgement of all things and persons into the hands of his Son Jesus Christ the day of judgement is therefore called the Day of Christ and the Judgement-seat is the Tribunal of Christ the appearing the coming the revealing of Jesus Christ the judge of quick and dead The Apostle gives you the first and last part of Christs Exaltation in one Text and make the first part of it as an assurance of the last God saith he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousnesse Acts 17.31 by that man whom he hath ordained wherâ—of he hath given assurancâ— unto all mâ—n in that he hath raised him from the dead John 5.22 23. Whence we may believe that as certainly as Christ did rise so certainly shall he come to judge the world God hath given us assurance of the one by the other And this committing all judgement to the Lord Jesus Christ is that he might be glorified the Father hath committed all judgement to the Son that all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father Sedebit Judex qui stâ—tit sub judice damnabit vere reos qui falso factus est reus Aug. Then shall our Saviour appear in his glory and judge those wicked ones that judged him We read how the Jews by the help of Judas and the Souldiers took him and bound him and led him to the High Priest and afterwards to Pilate and how basely he was betrayed falsely accused unjustly condemn'd and cruelly murthered But there will be a day when Judas and the wicked Jews when Herod Demonstrabit in judicio potentiam qui ostendit in cruce patientiam Acts 17.31 Isa 53.10 and Pontius Pilate and the Souldiers and all his enemies shall be drag'd into his presence and then the Lord Jesus who before shewed his patience will shew his power and he who was so unjustly condemned shall judge the world in righteoâ—sness and he that was numbred amongst Transgressours shall at that great day judge and punish all transgressours And thus as Christ humbled himself in his Incarnation in his Life Death and Burial so God the Father hath exalted him in his Resurrection Ascension Session at the right hand of God and in constituting him Judge of quick and dead Jesus Christ by his Resurrection overcame all his enemies Heb. 2.14 Col. 2.15 death and him that had the power of death the Devil By his Ascension and sitting on the right hand of God he hath Triumphed openly over them and by his being appointed Judge of all he will avenge himself of all his enemies when all must appeare before that High Court of Justice from which there is no appeal So that the Lord Jesus Christ by his Resurrection Quanto humilius sese dejecit tanto sublimius exaltatus est Brent in loc is exalted above the grave by his Ascension above the earth by his sitting at Gods right hand he is advanced above the heavens and by being the Judge of all he is Exalted above Angels Principalities and Powers and as he was abased more than others he is Exalted above all others Thus in part the glorious Exaltation of Christ hath been set forth in the several degrees thereof For the further Demonstration of the Doctrine of Christs Exaltation let us consider the particulars thereof as they are contained in this Scripture and they are these three 1. God hath given him a name above every name 2. That every knee of things in Heaven and things on the earth and things under the earth shall bow to the Name of Jesus 3. That every tongue must confess
must one day bow the knee 3. Consider That the sinnes of Christians are far greater than of the Jews against Christ They sinned against Christ in the state of his Humiliation but we sin against Christ who is now exalted on the right hand of God The Jews put Christ to death for saying Mat. 26.64 Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the Clouds of Heaven and shall we we Christians put the Lord of glory to open shame who do believe that he is sate down at the right hand of the Majesty on High Acts 3.17 The Jews many of them both Rulers and people knew not that Jesus was the Christ they had a hand in his death but it was through ignorance for had they known it g Cor. 2.8 they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory but it must be horrible wickedness for us to rebell against Christ who do believe his Exaltation Sub pedibus ejus eris aut adoptatus aut victus Aug. 4. And Lastly Consider That Christ at last will be too hard for the most hard-hearted sinner If you will not bow you will be broken O obstinate sinner if thou wilt not kiss the Son thou wilt lick the dust under his feet if thou wilt not bow as a Child thou wilt be made to bow as a Slave if thou wilt not bow to his golden Scepter Mat. 11.29 Psa 110.1 thou wilt be broken with his Iron Rod In a word if thou wilt not bear his Yoke thou shalt become his Foot-stool III. Vse of Comfort to Belâ—evers great is the Consolation which doth arise from the doctrine of Christs Exaltation 1. Is Christ exalted to the right hand of God then we may comfortably believe that he hath perfectly satisfied Gods justice for us John 16.9 we may now rest upon Christs righteousness that he hath accomplished fully all his undertaking because he is gone to the Father Christ by his Death overcame his enemies by his Resurrection he scattered them by his Ascension he triumph't over them by his Death he paid the debt by his Resurrection he came out of Prison and by his Ascension he shews himself openly to God the Creditor and pleads satisfaction The Humiliation of Christ confirmed and ratified the New Testament his Exaltation gives him opportunity to execute his last Will and Testament for he is now exalted as a Conquerour Rev. 1.18 and hath the keys of death and hell delivered to him This comfort the Apostle urgeth upon the Doctrine of Christs Exaltation for if when we were enemies Rom. 5.10 we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Our salvation began in the humiliation but it is compleated in the Exaltation of Christ Heb. 7.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did not undertake what he was not able to finish for he saves his people to the uttermost 2. This is our comfort though Christ be highly exalted yet he is mindful of us He is not only a faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people but he is a merciful high Priest Heb. 2.17 18. to remember the sufferings of his people and to succour those that are temptâ—d The Lord Jesus though he be safely landed upon the shore of eternal glory yet he hath an eye to and a care of his poor Church Heb. 4.15 Heb. 5.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is tossed with tempest and afflicted He is not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth pro magnitudine miseriae condolere he bears a share with us in our afflictions and temptations The manner of men is that great preferments makes them forget their former poor acquaintance Honores mutanâ— mores but it is otherwise with Chrâ—st He is exalted above the Heavens and yet he is not unmindful of his Church on earth The dayes of his Passion are ended but not of his compassion as Joseph though he was the Favourite of Egypt yet was not ashamed to own his Brethren who were poor Shepherds Heb. 2 11. Heb. 6.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 John 2.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 20.17 Exod. 28.9 10. no more is Jesus Christ ashamed to call us Brethren Christ is gone into heaven as our Fâ—re-runner and there he is an Advâ—cate for us with the Fa her Just when Christ was going into heaven he sends this comfortable message to his Disciples I ascend to your God and my God to your Fa her and my Fa her Our great High Priest hath all the names and necessities of his people written upon his Breast-plate Believers are engraven upon the palmes of his hands Isa 49.16 Cant. 8.6 yea they are set as a Seal upon his heart Videmus caput nostrum super aquas Greg. 3. And last Consolation is this Christ is exalted to heaven and so shall all believers in due time the Head hath taken possession of heaven for all his Members In all the several parts of the Humiliation and Exaltation of Christ he acted not as a single person but as the Second Adam representatively as a publick person so that all those who are in Christ Jesus have an interest in that Redemption he hath purchased for Believers Gal. 2.20 Rom. 6.8 Christ was crucified and a believer is crucified with Christ Christ dyed and a believer is dead with Christ Col. 3.1 Christ rose from the dead and believers are risen with Christ Christ is ascended up to heaven and believers sit together with Christ in heauenly places Eph. 2.6 1 Cor. 6.2 Christ wil come to judge the world and the Saints as Assessors to Christ shall judge the world Rev. 3.31 Christ is sate down in his Fathers Throne and believers shall sit with Christ in his Throne In a word our Lord Jesus Christ who is now possest of the glory of heaven John 14.3 Joh 16.24 will come again to fetch us to heaven that we may be where he is that we may not only see his glory but partake of it for when he shall appear we shall appear with him in glory Col. 3.4 THE SATISFACTION OF CHRIST DISCUSSED COL 1.20 And having made peace through the blood of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven THE Apostle having congratulated the Colossians their faith and love and other graces and poured forth a prayer for them in the 14. verse he enters upon a Declaration of the Gospel-mystery the Person and Offices and work of Christ His person ver 15 16 17. he is God c. his Office ver 18. he is the Head of the body the Church c. His work in the 20.
afford matter for a whole Sermon Fifthly From the Vicegerency of Christs death Christ dyed 1. For our good 2. For ouâ— sins of both those you have heard 3. In our place of this I now come to Treat Briefly for I have been wonderfully prevented 1 Pet. 3.18 Christ suffered for sins the just for the unjust 2 Cor. 5.14 If one died for all then were we 〈◊〉 â—â—d i. e. juridically we were all as dead condemned perâ—â—â—â— because he died in our stead He is said to die 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alwayes signifies a commutation saith the then famous but afterwards Apostate Grotius eye for eye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 5.38 that is one instead of the other Matth. 2.22 Archelaus reigned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the room of his Father Herod So 2 Sam. 18.33 Would God I had died for thee O Absalom i. e. in thy stead so that thou hadst lived Thus Christ died for us so John 11.50 Caiaphas said It is expedient foâ— us that one man should die for the people i. e. in their stead to save their lives as a publick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Gentiles being used in case of some great and common calamities threatning destruction to all to offer up some one man in the name and stead of all which was a shadow of that great truth of Christs dying for all And Socinus himself being put to it cannot deny this Even in Heathen Authours it is a common phrase To do a thing for another i. e. in his place Ego pro te molam I will grinde for you and you shall be free Christ is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Ransome or Price a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is one Argument that his Blood was the price of our Redemption and a Ransome in our stead 1 Tim. 2.6 Who gave himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Ransome for all Gal. 3.13 Christ hath Redeemed us from the cuâ—se of the Law himself being made a curse for us i. e. he underwent that Curse due to us that Curse from which we are freed that Curse which others who receive not Jesus Christ shall undergo What a cluster of Arguments might be gathered here It is prodigious boldness in Socinians to turn this Article of Faith into a streame of Rhetorick Paulus amavit in voce execrationis argutus esse But Manum de tabula Sâ—xthly And lastly From the peculiarity of Christs death It is undeniable that Christ died for us so as no man in the world ever did nor can do Therefore not in the Socinian sense not barely for the confirmation of our faith or excitation of our obedience or strengthning of our hope or encouragement of us in our sufferings for in this sense thousands have died for you Paul tells the Co 〈◊〉 he suffered for them i. i. for their good Col. 1.24 and yet â—â—lls the Corinthians he did not suffer for them 1 Cor. 1.13 Was Paul crucified for you i. e. in your stead or for your sinnes And this for the first Head of Arguments where I see I must take up though I thought to have urged divers other Arguments from the Nature of mans justification and salvation But I will not be too tedious What hath been said may be enough to convince any indifferent man and others will not be convinced though they are convinced Thus much for the second particular the assertion of this truth The third should have been the vindication of it from the cavils of Socinians but I am cut off and it is not wholly necessary for if once a truth be evident from plain Scriptures we ought not to be moved with the cavils of wanton wits or the difficulty of comprehending those great mysteries by our reason when the Socinians can solve all the Phaenomena of nature which are the proper Object of mans Reason then and not till then we will hearken to their rational Objections And Aristotle somewhere lays down this Conclusion That when once man is well setled in any truth he ought not to be moved from it by some subtle Objection which he cannot well answer All this I speak not as that there were any insolubilia any insuperable Objections against this truth that I ever met with for though there are many things here which are hard to be understood yet nothing which cannot be answered As when they tell you he did not suffer eternal death which was due to us It is true he did not but a moment of his sufferings was equal in worth to our eternal sufferings the dignity of the person being always considerable in the estimation of the action or the suffering So when they say one man cannot dye for another it is false you heard David wish he had dyed for Absalom and Jehu threatens those who should let any of them escape That his life shall go for his life 2 Kings 10.24 and Histories tell us of one man dying for another So when they say it is unrighteous that God should punish the just for the unjust Answ It is not unjust if any will voluntarily undertake it volenti non sit injuria Besides that God gives Laws to us Deut. 24.16 but not to himself The fourth and last Head was by way of Application Is it so That the death of Jesus Christ is the procuring cause of our Justification and Salvation Vse 1. Hence see the excellency of Christian Religion which shews the true way to life and settles doubting consciences Heathens were miserably plunged they saw their sins their guilt and had terrors of conscience an expectation of wrath this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was written in their hearts that they which do such things are worthy of death They saw the need of atoning God reconciling God they saw the insufficiency of all their Rites and Sacrifices Ah nimium faciles qui tristia Funera caedis Tolli flumineâ posse putatis aquâ Some of them saw the necessity of a mans death and that sine humano cruore without mans blood the work could not be done but then that seemed an act of cruelty and the addition of a sin instead of the expiation of it and here they stuck they could go no further Now blessed be God who hath discovered those things to us which were hid from others who hath removed difficulties and made our way plain before us who hath given us a Sacrifice and accepted it and imputed it to us and thereby reconciled us and given us peace a solid peace as the fruit of that Reconciliation Vse 2. See the dreadfulnesse of Gods justice how fearful it is to fall into the hands of the Living God Christ himself must suffer if he be a sinner though but by imputation Use 3. It shews us the malignity of sin that could be expiated only by such blood Use 4. It shews us the stability and certainty of our Justification and Salvation It is
natural men minde something else than God would have them Phil. 3.19 they minde earthly things Herod mindeth the dancing of a lewd Strumpet more than the preaching of the holy Baptist the young man mindeth his great possessions the Epicure his belly the Farmer his barn Judas his bag the Silversmith his Shrines the Gadarenes their Swine Pila e the favour and applause of the people Let the best men speak ingenuously and they must needs confesse that there were many things if I may call them things rather nothings which they minded more than God or Christ or Heaven more than the highest concernments of their immortal souls the weightiest businesse of Eternal salvation they were all Gallios in respect of these things they cared for none of them till they were rouzed out of their waking dreams by the Effectual Call of the most gracious God This is the condition of every natural man 2. It presupposeth That it is an easie thing with God to bring us home to himself though we be never so far distant from him to awaken us to his service though in a dead sleep of sin to raise our minds to higher objects though they be never so deeply immersed in the things of this present world Is any thing hard to the Almighty with a word he made us with a word he can renew us When darknesse covered the face of the deep he did but ay Let there be light and there was light with the like facility can he shine in our hearts giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus He uttereth his voice saith David and the earth melteth Let but God utter his voice and the Rocks and Mountains of our corruptions will melt away like wax Come we now closer to the Point Toward the opening of which I shall entreat your Attention to the resolution of sundry Questions Question 1. What is this Calling It is the real separation of the soul unto God and a cloathing it with such gracious abilities whereby it may be enabled to repent of its sinnes and to believe in his Son It is our Translation from the state of Nature which is a state of sinne wrath death and damnation to a state of Grace which is a state of Holiness Life Peace and Eternal Salvation This Translation is wrought 1. By strong convictions of the minde First Of the guilt and filth of sin of the danger and defilement of sin of the malignity of sin and the misery that attends it Once saith the soul that is under this dispensation of Gods Grace Once I lookt upon sin as my wisdome now it is madness and folly Once I accounted it my meat and drink to fulfill the wills of the flesh sinne was a sweet morsel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I drank iniquity like water now 't is a cup of trembling to me and I fear it may prove a cup of Condemnation Once I hugged embrac't and delighted in sin as the Wife of my bosome now I clearly see that the fruit and issue of the impure copulation of my soul with her is nothing else but the shame of my face the stain of my reputation the Rack and horrour of my conscience and which is more than all these the provocation of the Almighty and therefore I begin to think within my self of an eternal divorce from her I slept securely in the lap of this Dalilah she robb'd me of my strength she delivered me up to Philistines that dealt unworthily with me that put me upon base and low employments what now should I think of but if it please the Lord to give new strength the death and destruction of them all Secondly Of the vanity and emptiness of the creature which we have Idolized confiding in it as the staff of our hopes breathing and pursuing after it as the perfection of our happiness Thirdly Of the absolute need of Christ that if he do not save vs we must perish Fourthly Of the absolute fulnesse of Christ and that in him we may be compleat if we be guilty he can justifie us if we be filthy he can purge us if we be weak he can strengthen us if we be poor he can enrich us if we be base he can ennoble us if we be deformed and ugly he can make us beautiful and lovely if we be miserable he can bless us and that with all Blessings in Heavenly places Fifthly Of the clemency goodness meekness sweetness graciousness of his disposition that if any man come to him he will in no wise reject him John 6.37 These things the minde is strongly convinc't of yet if there be not a farther work a man may carry these Convictions to Hell with him Therefore 2. In the second place this Translation is wrought by a powerful inclination and conversion of the will to close with Christ upon his own termes to embrace him as Soveraign as well as Saviour to take him as men use to do their Wives for better for worse for richer for poorer to stick to him on Mount Calvary as well as Mount Tabor to welcome him into thy bosome by bidding an everlasting farewell to thy sinnes In a word to make a voluntary tender and resignation of thy self unto him solemnly avouching that from this time forward thou wilt count thy self more his than thou art thine own and the more thy own because thou art his This work is carried on with a most efficacious sweetness so that the liberry of the will is not infringed whilst the obstinacy of the will is mastered and over-ruled If you ask me How can these things be I never studied to satisfie curiosity but if you can tell me how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child I also will tell you how the parts of the new man are formed in the heart but I suppose silence and humble admiration will be best on both sides if there be so great a mystery in our natural generation surely there is a far greater in our spiritual Regeneration if David could say of the former I am fearfully and wonderfully made much more might he say of the latter I am fearfully and wonderfully renewed Question 2. Who are the Called First Among creatures none but men are of the number of the called The Angels that kept not thei◠first estate but left their own habitation are never recalled Jude ver 6. but reserved in everlasting chaines under darknesse to the judgement of the great day Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him Psal 8.4 or the son of man that thou so regardest him Secondly Among men none but the Elect are capable of this grace the call is limited by the purpose Whom he hath predestinated them he also called Rom. 8. Touching these Elect Persons divers things fall under our Observation As 1. In regard of their internal condition before this call they are dead in sins and trespasses
busie himself about a lump of sin and misery What but meer mercy what but rich and abundant mercy 1. It is meer mercy When by our own merits we were bgotten to death by his mercy he begat us again unto life Cum nostris meritis generati essemus ad mortem sua misericordia nos regeneravit ad vitam Beda Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he hath saved us Tit. 3.5 Indeed we cannot do any works of righteousness before our Calling that righteousness which natural men are subject to glory in is rather seeming than real and that which shineth so bright in our own eyes and perhaps in the eyes of other men is an abomination in the sight of God Luke 16.15 God and men do not measure our righteousness by the same standerd men account them righteous that conform to Customes Laws and Constitutions of men if at least they be likewise conformable to the Letter of the Law of God But God reckons none righteous besides those that have a singular regard to the Spirit of the Law if I may so call it which layeth an Obligation upon the inward man as well as the outward which binds the heart as well as the hand and commands not only that which is good but that good be done upon a good principle in a good manner to a good end A pitch of obedience that no natural man can possibly arise to so that in the sight of God there is none righteous Rom. 3.10 Ephes 2.3 no not one We are all by nature children of wrath as well as others Children of wrath we are by our own desert if ever we become Children of Grace it must be by his mercy 2. As by meer mercy so by rich and abundant mercy in God it is that we are called There is a greatnesse of love in the quickning of those that are dead in sins together with Christ There is mercy in that we have our lives for a prey Eph. 2.4 5. mercy in all the comforts and accommodations of life mercy in the influences of the Sun mercy in the dropping of the Clouds mercy in the fruitfulness of seasons mercy in the fulness of barnes the yeare is crowned with the goodness of the Lord but this is a mercy above all mercies That we are called from darkness unto marvelous light and from the power of Satan to the service of and fellowship with the only living and true God other benefits are extended to the worst of men nay the very Devils have some tastes of mercy but this of an Effectual Calling is as I said before communicated to none but those that God hath chosen Other blessings and benefits though they be good in themselves yet they cannot make us good they are but as trappings to a Horse which if he be a Jade make him not go the better but the worse but here God works a marvelous change for the better once the man ran away from God and himself but now he instantly returns once he was a hater a fighter against God but now the weapons of his hostility are laid down and he thinks he can never do enough to express his love once he was darkness but now he is light in the Lord once dead but behold he lives Finally Other blessings and benefits can never make us happy but as they finde us miserable so they leave us we may and are too apt to bless our selves in them yet God never intended to bless us in the sole enjoyment of them But oh how happy is that man that God hath effectually called to himself his bosome shall be his refuge in all storms his grace his sufficiency in all temptations his power his shield in all oppositions But let the Text speak All things shall work together for his Spiritual and Eternal good Before I part with this Point I shall acquaint you with an Exposition of my Text utterly inconsistent with the Doctrine I have delivered and the truth it self and very unworthy of the Authours of it This it is That here we are said to be call'd not according to Gods purpose Chrys Theod. Theoph. but according to our own purpose to hear and obey his call And perhaps upon this the Papists have grounded their merit of congruity but this must needs fall if we consider but this one thing among many that those that have been farthest off the Kingdome have been fetcht into it and those that have not been farre from the Kingdome of God have never come nearer it God doth not alwayes take the smoothest but the most knotty pieces of Timber to make pillars in his house He goes not alwayes to places of severest and strictest Discipline to pick out some few there to plant in his House but he goes to the Custome-House and calls one thence to the Brothel-House and calls another thence And if yet you insist upon the purpose of man as an inducement to the call of God pray tell me what was Sauls purpose when God met with him in the way to Damascus Had he any other purpose than to persecute the Disciples of the Lord Enough of that Question 5. By what means are we Called Sometimes without means as in persons not capable of the use of them there is highest Caution amongst the people of God to avoid that sin nay the very appearance of limiting the holy One of Israel Sometimes by contrary means the greatness of a sin being ordered by God to set on the conversion of a sinner as when a man is wounded with the sting and healed with the flesh of a Scorpion Gaffarel or as when we make triacle of a Viper a most poysonous creature to expel poyson Sometimes by very unlikely means as when by some great affliction we are brought home to God which in its own nature one would think should drive us farther from God as there is no question but it doth the Reprobates who are ready to tell all the world what King William Rufus told the Bishop if the partial Monk do not belye him God shall never make me good by the evil I suffer from him Nunquam me Deus bonum habebit pro malo quod mihi inâ—ulerit Edmerus in Hist Ser. 2. de Spirt Sanct. tom 4. or which is yet more unlikely when we are brought home by prosperity God overcoming our evil with his good heaping as it were Coals of fire upon our heads and so melting us into kindly contrition Gerson in a Sermon of his tells us of a most wicked Priest that when he was preferr'd to a Bishoprick became exemplarily holy but such a Convert is rara avis seldom to be found Alwayes this work is carried on by weak means Thus I have heard it credibly reported that a sentence written in a window and accidentally read by an inveterate sinner pierc't his heart and let out the corruption thence the sentence was that of Austin
we are as really united unto Christ as the members of the body are to the head Hence are we said to be h Ephes 5.30 members of his body of his flesh and his bones As the head communicates real influences to the body so doth Christ to Believers communicates to us his Spâ—rit graces fulnesse spiritual light life strength comfort Joh. 1.16 4. A close near dear intimate union Like that of the food with the body which it nourisheth Hence Believers are said to eat Christs flesh and to drink his blood John 6.54 Such an intimate union as that one possessive particle is not sufficient to expresse it not said my Vineyard is before me but my Vineyard which is mine is before me Cant. 8.12 5. An inseparable perpetual indissoluble union A marriage knot which neither men sins sorrows death nor Divels are able to dissolve Who or what can separate us from the love of God The Apostle clearly resolves his own question i Rom 8 38 39 I am perswaded that neither life nor death c. Believers are held in Christs hand he that would break this union must first be too hard of fist for Christ yea and for his Father too No man shall pluck them out of my hand my Father is greater than all and no man can pluck them out of my Fathers hand Joh. 10.28 29. And thus we have dispatch't the second Question 3. What are the efficient causes of this union Sol. 1. The efficient causes of this union are either principal or less principal 1. Principal and so this great work of union being opus ad extra 't is indivisum and so ascribed 1. In common to the whole k 1 Pet. 5.10 John 6.44 45. Ephes 2 6 7. Godhead Hence we are said to be call'd by God the Father into the fellâ—wship of his dear Son 1 Cor. 1.9 So likewise this union is ascribed to the Sonne The dead shall hear the voice of the Sonne of God and live Joh. 5.25 Joh. 10.16 2. But more especially the Spirit of God in a more peculiar sense is said to be the principal Author of this union He it is that knits this marriage knot betwixt Christ Jesus and true Believers Look as l Acts 4.24 Creation in some respect is appropriated to the Father m 1 Pet. 1.18 Redemption to the Son so the Application of that Redemption to the Holy Ghost 'T is by one Spirit that we are all baptized into one body 1 Cor. 12.13 'T is by the Holy Spirit the Comforter That we are convinced of sin righteousnesse and judgment Joh. 16.7 8 9. 'T is by the Holy Ghost that we are renewed Tit. 3.5 2. Lesse principal or the means or instruments of union These are twofold outward inward 1. Outward Generally all the Ordinances of God by the Ordinances it is that we come to have n Job 22.21 acquaintance that is union and communion with Jesus Christ 'T is by these golden pipes that golden oyle is conveyed to us from that golden Olive Zech. 4.12 More especially 1. The Word read preach't meditated on believed improved 'T is by hearing and learning of the Father that we come to Christ Joh. 6.44 45. The Holy Scriptures were written for this end that through them we might have fellowship with the Father and his Sonne 1 Joh. 1.3 The way to have Christs company is to keep Christs words Joh. 14.23 2. The Sacraments those spiritual Seals and Labels which God hath fix't to his Covenant of Grace 1. Bapti me By one Spirit we are baptiz'd into one body 1 Cor. 12.13 Hence we are said to be buried with Christ by Baptisme into death Rom. 6.3 4. Baptisme styled the Laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 By Baptisme we put on Christ Gal. 3.7 2. The Lords Supper this is a great means of strengthning and evidencing our union and advancing our communion with Christ Jesus We are all made to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 Hence that 1 Cor. 10.16 The bread which we break is it not the communion of means argâ—ments evidences of our communion with the body of Christ The wine which we drink is it not the communion of the blood of Christ Thus much for the external means of union 2. Inward internal intrinsecal means of union on mans part i. e. faith Not a bare historical miraculous temporal dead faith No but a living working justifying saving faith Christ comes to dwell in our hearts by faith Ephes 3.17 'T is by faith alone that we receive Christ Joh. 1.12 That we come unto him and feed upon him Joh. 6.56 'T is by faith that a Believer lives in and to Christ and Christ lives in and for a Believer Gal. 2.20 Thus much for the Explication of the termes of our Proposition for the fixing of it on a right Basis I now proceed to the second part of my discourse viz. Now That there is such a spiritual mystical real close inseparable union betwixt the Lord Jesus and true Believers 2. Confirm appears three ways 1. From those many synonymical terms and equivalent expressions whereby the Scriptures hold forth this union Christ is said to be in Believers Col. 1.27 Rom. 8.10 To dwell in them Ephes 3.17 To walk in them 2 Cor. 6.16 So are Believers said to abide in Christ as he abides in them 1 Joh. 4.16 Joh. 15.17 To dwell in Christ as Christ in them Joh. 6.56 To put on Christ to be cloathed with him Gal. 3.27 Each of these expressions clearly import that near and intimate union that is betwixt the Lord Jesus and true Believers The King of Saints hath two Mansion houses one in heaven the Throne of his glory another on earth a Tabernacle of flesh the heart of a Believer which is the seat of his delight Prov. 8.31 his lesser Heaven Isa 57.15 66.1 2. 2. From those several similitudes by which the Scriptures shadow out this union Believers are said to be lively stones 1 Pet. 2.4 5 6. Christ the living foundation the chief corner-stone on which they are built Ephes 2.20 21. Believers are styled living branches Christ the true Vine into whom they are engraffed and in whom they bring forth fruit Joh. 15.1.5 Christ the faithful loving discreet Bridegroom Believers his Loyal Affectionate obedient Spouse Ephes 5.31 32. Cant. 2.16 5.1 Believers are intitled Christs body Ephes 1.23 Bone of his bone flesh of his flesh Ephes 5.30 Christ the Believers head Ephes 1.22 In a word the head and mystical body are call'd Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 In all these Resemblances he that runs may read the union betwixt Christ and Believers pourtrayed out to the life unto us 3. From that communion which there is betwixt Christ and true Believers Omnis communio fundatur in unione Communion where ever it is of necessity argues union as the effect necessarily implies the cause Believers they communicate with Christ in his fulness Joh. 1.16 In his o 2 Cor 5.21 Solus
both meer supererogations of an infinitely glorious person And first for his active Riâ—hteousnesse iâ— stood in his obedience to the Ceremonial and Moral Laws 1. His obedience to the Ceremonial Law was a meer supererogation for the substance to comply with the shadows the Antitype to do homage to its owâ— types besides he submitted to those very Ordinances whose end and institution supposeth guilt and whâ—se Nature argues them designed only for the use of sinners what foreskin of impurity had he to be cut off in circumcâ—sion what filth to be washt awâ—y in baptism did the holy childe Jesus defile his mothers womb as common mortals do that are conceiv'd in sin and brought forth in iniquity And yet he was circumcised and baptized and his mother offered for her purification Luke 1.21 22. ch 3.21 No imaginable obligation lay on him to these submissions being to him meer ciphers wholly insignificant 2. His obedience to the Moral Law Although it must be granted that as man it was his duty Gal. 4.4 yet was it not his duty to become man True a creatures homage was due from him when a creature a servants work when in the form of a servant but the whole was free and arbitrary because his entring into that state was so for what but his own infinite love could ever move the eternal Word to pitch his Tent in our Nature what obligation lay on the Heir of all things to take the form of a servant who bound the eternal Son of God to become in the fulnesse of time the Son of man And as his active righteousnesse so secondly his passive too was a meer supererogation for his Almighty Fathers Holy All-seeing Eye could never espy the least iniquity in him to punish what had the Divine Justice to do with him for he was a sinlesse person he suffered not for himself Dan. 9.26 No for us 2 Cor. 5.21 And therefore since no obligation lay on him to do what he did or to suffer what he suffered he may impute the merit both of the one and the other to whomsoever and upon what termes soever he and his Father please But before I come to consider the termes upon which Christs satisfaction is applied I must answer some questions and clear the scruples in the way Object 1 1. What is become of the Law of that first Covenant made with Adam in Paradise Gen. 2.17 repeated again to the Jews Deut 27.26 The sum of which you have fully expressed Ezek. 18.4 The soul that sinneth it shall dye I answer It is not executed nor abrogated but released or dispensed with First it is not fully executed for there is no condemnation to them that re in Christ Jesus c. Rom. 8.1 Secondly It â—s not abrogated for it is in part executed upon Believers they are liable to the first or natural death which is the wages of sin although the second death hath no power over them besides all manner of chastisements and afflictions Psal 89.30 31 32. And also that Law is totally executed upon finally impenitent unbelievers over whom not the first only but the second death also hath power 2 Thess 1.8 For he that believeth not is condemned already John 3.18 That is the Gospel finds him and every one in a state of condemnation but those who believe it proclaims deliverance to those who through unbelief reject it judging themselves unworthy of everlasting life see Acts 13.46 it leaves such as it found them viz. under the condemnation of the Old Covenant since they refuse the pardoning mercy of the New Thirdly I answer therefore positively that the first Covenant is released and dispensed with by super-inducing a New Covenant of Grace over it that whosoever closeth with and comes into the terms of the New should be exempted from the rigour and extremity i. e. from the eternal condemnation of the Old Joh. 3.16 It is not said He that believes shall not be sick shall not be afflicted shall not dye No but he shall not perish Thus you see the Covenant of Works as to its execution upon such as are in the Covenant of Grace is in the chief part restrained but yet in some part inflicted They never shall complain under the eternal and destructive yet they do complain under the temporal and corrective punishment of their sinnes Lam. 3.39 Yet more particularly for the clearer understanding of this we must consider that the first Covenant lays a double obligation on sinful man First In reference to what is past and here it requires satisfaction and reparation from us for our sin in breaking it And secondly In reference to the future after such satisfaction and amends made it requires perfect conformity still as at first absolute obedience to all Gods commands being the eternal debt of the reasonable creature to that God that made it in his own Image if therefore we could which hath already been proved to be impossible ever have satisfied Gods injur'd Law for our past breach the Law would still have come upon us for future exact conformity to pay the residue of that eternal debt and its language would be Sin no more lest a worse thing befall thee as a Felon though butn't in the hand is yet bound to live honestly for the future at his peril Now the New Covenant of Grace relieves us as to both these cases and dispences with the rigor of the Law As to the first It comforts us with the good news that the Son of God hath satisfied his Fathers Justice and if we believe but in him God will accept of us as if we had satisfied in our own persons The case the Law leaves us in is well expressed Isa 33.14 Hebr. 10.31 But the relief the Gospel brings us in St. Pauls language Rom. 8.33 34. You have both together excellently Ezek. 33.10 11. As to the second Obligation the New Covenant dispenseth with the rigor of that too for woe to a justified and pardoned person if he must lose all again upon the least defailance therefore the Gospel proclaims pardon of sin upon repentance and acceptance of sincere endeavours to obey him Gods language now is Sinners be but in good earnest do but love me heartily and my ways let me but see a childe-like ingenuity in you and I will put down your upright though imperfect performances in the book of my remembrance Mal. 3.16 and blot out your transgressions when repented of out of the book of my remembrance Mandata Dei tanquam facta reputantur Aug. Retr l. 1. quando quicquid non fit ignoscitur Thus doth the candor of the Gospel dispence with the rigor of the Law God deals not with us as an Aegyptian task-master but as a Father with his children whom he loves Christs yoke is easie his burden light Object 2 If any doubt how it stands with Gods veracity and immutability having once declared that the soul that sinneth shall dye to contradict it by declaring
of a reason God sends his Gospel proclaiming Acts 3.19 Repent ye and be converted that your sinnes may be blotted out His Ministers proclaiming We then are Embassadors of Christ 2 Cor. 5. as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled unto God Why dost thou hate thy soul and say I will not why wilt thou not Is it because it doth not concern thee or because eternal life and death are trifles small little things not worth thy considering or doth any body hinder thee No no our Saviour gives the true account Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Let me entreat this small request of thee for Gods sake for thine own take the next opportunity and spend half an houre alone let thy spirit accomplish a diligent search pursue this inquiry to some issue am I justified or no if not what will become of me if it should happen sometimes such things fall out that I should dye now presently I cannot promise my self that I shall see to morrow morning Thus go on and bring it to something before thou leavest give not over till thou art not only clearly convinced of but heartily affected with thy guilt not only to see but feel thy self to be the man who art undone without an interest in this justification Be in good earnest thou canst not mock thy God and is there any wisdome in mocking and cheating thy own soul What thou dost do it heartily as unto the Lord as for thy life as one that would not rue thy self-deceiving folly when it cannot be recalled and if thou art hearty and serious in these reflexions 1. Thou wilt deeply humble thy self before the Majesty of the Judge of all the earth with that self-abhorrence and confusion that becomes one who feels himself even himself being Judge most righteously condemned 2. Thou wilt sollicite and assail the Throne of Grace with all redoubled favours and holy passionate importunities of prayer and supplication giving God no rest till he hath given thee his Spirit according to his own promise Luke 11.13 Ezek. 36.26 27. To help thee to performe the conditions of the Gospel-Covenant plead his own promise with him Wrestle with him for a broken and clean heart for faith for repentance unto life for these are not of thy self they are the gift of God let him not go till he hath blessed thee with these blessings in Christ Jesus This will confound every sinner at the day of Judgment that when he might have had grace yea the Spirit of grace for asking he either asked not or if he did it was so coldly as if he were contented enough to go without Now if thou art in good earnest God is I assure thee in full as good earnest as thou he is ready to meet thee Try but once whether it be in vain to seek him all that ever tryed found it good to draw near to God and found him easie to be entreated he useth not to send the hungry empty away He that commands us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling he it is that worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. Secondly To them that are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Let me beseech them 1. To walk worthy of God who hath called them to his Kingdome and Glory to adorn their holy profession take the Exhortation in Pauls words Col. 2.6 As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Receive not this grace of God in vain the interest of your comfort obligeth you hereunto hereby you will know that you know him that you are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 that there is no cond mnation to you if you walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit and herein will your Father be glorified John 15.6 if ye bring forth much fruit 2. To live up to the comfort of their state 1 John 3.1 Ye are already the sons of God it doth not yet appear what you shall be Who shall lay any thing to your charge it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed c. Rom. 8.33 Go eat thy bread with joy and put on thy white rayment God now hath accepted thy works Eccles 9.7 8. I conclude this particular and the whole discourse with the happy effects and fruits of Justification which every Believer hath as good a right and title to as the Gospel it self the Word of the God of truth can give him as I finde those sweet effects and consequences set down in my Text and the words next following it 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 2. By whom also we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God 3. And not only so but we glory in tribulation knowing that tribulation worketh patience 4. And patience experience and experience hope 5. And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us Wherefore the righteous shall be glad in the Lord and all the upright in heart shall glory Psal 64.10 THE BELIEVERS DIGNITY and DVTY LAID OPEN In the High-Birth wherewith he is PRIVILEDGED And the honourable Employment to which He is called John 1.12 13. But as many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God IN this Chapter Christ the principal Subject of the Gospel is admirably and Seraphically described 1. By his Divintiy as co-eternal and co-essential with the Father verse 1. 2. 2. By his discovery or manifestation 1. In the work of Creation ver 3. 10. 2. In the work of common providence ver 4.5 9. 3. In the work of gracious providence he being in the world and coming to his Church as our Immanuel God incarnate ver 11. 14. 3. By his entertainment which was 1. Passive his entertainment was poor the world knew him not ver 10. He was as a Prince disguised in a strange Country the Church sleighted and rejected him as Rebels do their natural Prince ver 11. And such entertainment Christ meets with at this day in his Truths Ordinances Graces Ministers and his poor members c. Object Was not Christ entertained by them what else means their harbouring him at Capèrnaum their flocking after him admiring of him seeking to make him a King c. Answ True they entertain'd him for a while civilly and formally upon self-interest but not spiritually by saving Faith Love and Obedience John 6.26 Matthew 11.21 23. Quest 1. Did Christ find no entertainment at all Answ This rejecting of Christ was not universal some did
42.3 weak as a bruised reed through dimness and scantiness of knowledge as a building laid upon a weak or narrow foundation cannot be strong weakness of assent strength of temptations natural timorousness Rom 4.19 20. Act 6. suspiciousness and lowness of spirit In others it is strong and they are full of Faith as Steven having clear and large knowledge c. Both weaker and stronger may be considered either as Habitual in the root and principle or Actual as exercised toward Christ and the promises For the Definition or Description of Faith I shall not heap up words in mentioning many but take up with that full and excellent one of the late Judicious Assembâ—y in their larger Catechism that Christians may with more readiness and safety entertain it Description Faith is a Saving Grace wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God whereby he being convinced of his sin and misery and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of that lost condition not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the Gospel but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness therein held forth for pardon of sin and for the a cepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation It hath here for its Genus or general and common nature a Grace it being compared with Love Hope c. they herein agree The word Grace distinguisheth it from other Habits even good and vertuous that are acquired this is a Grace or gracious disposition or habit infused A Saving Grace to distinguish it from and set it above common Grace and make it one of those better things that accompany salvation Heb 6.9 The Subject is twofold Subjectum Recipiens Occupans 2. Subject Subjectum recipi ns The first the Subject receiving it or in which it is most ordinarily called the Subject and this is The heart of man a sinner elected and called 1. It is Man that believeth not Angels for of their Faith we have no ground to speak It is Man not God and the Spirit in us but man through them Yea Man singularly not of another but of him that hopeth for life the Just shall live by HIS Faith not by anothers 2. It is the Heart of man with the heart man believeth Rom 10.10 the Heart includeth Will and Affections it is not the Vnderstanding onely nor so much though that necessarily makes way Coming to Christ is a spontaneous motion of Will and Affections renewed and this is beleiving there is assent to things revealed as true and acceptance of things offered as good receiving Joh 1.12 embracing with suitable affections to the Revealer and things revealed 3. The heart of a man a sinner for man upright is not capable of this Faith which is in God through a Mediator Believing the word of another concerning restoral and reparation speaketh loss and decay acceptance of alms poverty Indeed Adam might and must thus far exercise Faith in beleiving and trusting God it belongeth to the first commandment that he continuing upright there would be a continuation of Gods love and his happiness but Faith apprehending the promise of God of acceptation through the righteousness of another necessarily speaketh man a sinner Rom. 4.5 as Justification which is by Faith is of the ungodly Rom. 11.7 4. The heart of man a sinner elected the election obtained it the rest were hardned Tit. 1.1 and therefore is it called the Faith of Gods elect Remarkable is that expression As many as were ordained unto life beleived Act. 13.48 and our Lord saith all that the Father giveth him come unto him Joh 6.37 and the Jews not believing was because they were not his sheep and therefore heard not his voyce 5. The heart of man a sinner elected and called is the Subject of Faith Rom. 10.17 Faith is by hearing it is the souls answer to and compliance with Gods call God vailing his omnipotency under and putting it forth with words of command Uncalled and unbelievers are the same and therefore calling is one of the links of the golden chain of Salvation Rom. 8.28 30. and goeth before Justification by Faith in which Call the Terminus â quo is Satan sin misery death we are called from and the Terminus à d quem we are called to Christ God Holiness and Life Subjectum Occupans Materiale The Subject about which Faith is employed or Object that which and in which we believe is not God immediately though primarily Heb. 6.1 but Christ immediately and the Promises which are in him yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 and God through Christ 1 Pet. 1.21 he that believeth not in the Son believeth not in the Father and he that hath not the Son hath not the Father Act. 20.21 Repentance is peculiarly referred to God and Faith to the Lord Jesus Christ Faith also and the Promises Heb. 10.23 or God through Christ promising are Correlates and of all Promises those that concern righteousness and life through the blood of a Mediator are the peculiar object Act. 10.43 1 Joh. 5.10 11. Believing the witness of remission and the recrod of giving eternal li e is mentioned it is called beleeving the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glad tidings in the Gospel promises of remission and salvation Mark 1.16 It is true that Faith doth believe and apply every word of God Some things reductively and secondarily are the object of Faith in a sequacious Spirit credulous to whatever is contained in Scripture as that Abimelech had a wife c. Gen 20. Some things are more directly the Word of God expressed and asserted in the History of the Bible yet being believed have not an immediate connexion with Justification and Salvation thereby But the grand testimony of and through Christ Faith as saving principally respecteth and as assenting in the mind looks upon the Promise as accepting in the Will and Affections respecteth Christ The ground on which we believe Formale called the Formal Object of Faith shall be referred to the Externally moving Cause to believe of which afterwards Of all Four Causes I shall speak in order 3. Causes Efficient Principal and first of the Efficient which is either Principal or less Principal The Principal Cause may be considered as that from which the beginning acting continuance growth and perfection of Faith do proceed and this is the Blessed Trinity or God the Father through the Son by the Spirit 1. The beginning root and habit of Faith is from God if of every a Phil 1.6 good work and b Jam 1.17 gift then this and therefore it is called the c Ephes 2.8 gift of God and to you it is d Phil 1.29 given to believe e Heb 12.2 Jesus also is called the Author this is wrought by the Spirit it is
back to perdition in such God hath no pleasure Heb 10.38 2 Pet 2.21 It had been better for them never to have known c. This commonly ends in bitterest enmity to the Faith and true professors of it 3. All sins laying waste the Conscience are inconsistent with faith because Faith and a good conscience are inseparable companions 2 Tim 3.9 Contrarily By way of Contrariety there may be considered these things possibly some also under the former head in part as Opposite to true Faith First Flesh and blood these cannot enter into the kingdom of G d and oppose faith that would bring thither I name this first because it is the greatest enemy and gives advantage to all others and then indeed are we tempted to unbelief or any thing else when we â—re drawn aside of our own hearts By Flesh and blood is meant Sense 2 Cor 5.7 living by sence is the great hinderer and supplanter of Faith Also Carnal reason judging every thing by its own unsuitable apprehensions and so misrepresenting the things of God to it the Gospel is foolishness though it is the wisdom and power of God to them that believe This taketh notice of the meanness of the faithful in the world and stumbleth at it c. Abraham left both these Servants below when he went up into the Mount to the Lord to exercise that eminent Faith of his Rom 4.18.19 c. Yea indeed Sense and Reaâ—on appeared eminently contrary to him in his entertaining the â—romise at first else had not the great strength of his Faith been manifested nor God glorifi d so much Secondly Satans assaults He not only at first keeps out Faith by blinding mens minds 2 Cor 4.4 but afterwards doth with Faith as the King of S ria charged his Captains to do with the King of Israel He knows what an enemy to hâ—s kingdom Faith is 1 King 22.31 by it we resist him and consequentâ—y put him to flight and quench his darts He knows if our Faith fail all fails Luke 22.31 Luke 8.12 and therefore he desires to winnow the soul and get the goâ—d seed out of our hearts lest we should believe and be saved Thirdly The World is a great adversary 1 John 5.4 Why else is Faith called the Victory over the world but that there is hostility between the world and it Fourthly I might add m ns own delays 1. Causing hardness in their hearts from themselves To day to day believe Heb 2.15 Joh 12.38 39 40. unless you would harden your hearts 2. Provoking God to seal men up under their injudicious unperswadable minds for their long opposition to the light and word of Faith Gen 6.3 Act 7.51 The Spirit of Faith will not alway strive when men still resist him I shall improve all that hath been spoken by some few Uses and conclude Vses The first sort of Uses shall be Corollaries for Information 1. Of the certain and u â—peakable misery of â—he unbeliever Information from the sure happiness of the believer Contrariorum contraria est consequentia Remember what hath been spoken before of the excellent Effects and Consequents oâ— Faith Union with Christ Justification Adoption c. and that great and everlasting fruit Salvation upon all which we may coâ—clude with the Apostle Gal 3.9 blessed are they wâ—ich be of Fâ—ith or believe with faithful Abraham Luk 45. yea therefore blessed is he tha bâ—lievâ—th because there shall be a performanâ—e of â—ll tho e things which have been spoken of the Lord Now turn the Table invert the sense read all backward understand all contrary of the unbâ—liever No union with but separation and distance frâ—m Christ No pardon of sin reconciliation and justification but guilt in fu l force the curse of the Law John 3â— 36 and so he is left to stand or fall by himself and the wrath of God are upon him No Adoption of Sons but rejection as spurious and a Sonship to the Devil the god of this world c. No Salvation Mark 16.16 Joh. 3.18 but inevitable condemnation He that believeth not shall be condemned yea is condemned already because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God i. e. his present state is a state of certain damnableness as sure as if he were condemned already Not that there can be no believing afterward and recovery thereby 1 Cor. 6.11 for who then should be saved for such were some yea all of them that are justified by faith in the name of the Lord Jesus as the Apostle speaks of other sinners He that believeth not maketh God a liar 1 Joh. 5.10 Joh. 3.36 but he shall find him exactly true to his cost in such words as these He that believeth not the Son shall not see life The unbelieving as well as more carnal sinners shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 which is the second death Heb. 3.12 Joh. 5.40 Act. 13.46 Matth. 13.58 Men by unbelief depart from the living God will not come for life and judge themselves unworthy of eternal life and bring a kind of impotency upon the Omnipotent as to the doing them any good No wonder then if Jesus wondered at their unbelief that held his hands from helping them Mark 6.5 6. Oh! how much better were it for them among us that believe not that they had never had offers of Salvation never heard the Gospel of the Grace of God! 2. It is no small matter to be saved since Faith is such a thing as before described and without it there is no Salvation Should Christ now come should he finde Faith on the earth Alas the small number of those that shall be saved there being so few Believers though so many Professors of Faith among Christians This is sadly manifest in the gross Ignorance of the most and suitable apprehensions in the Doctrine of Faith of very few In the Errors Heresies Apostasies of many even denying the Lord that bought them In the altogether contradictory life of most to that Faith they pretend to have which as well as Repentance should have fruits meet for it brought forth and accordingly it is known No wonder if they that take true Saving Faith to be no more than Assent aâ—d a professed owning the Doctrine of the Gospel a Confidence at all adventures of Gods love c. or some such thing think the way to heaven broad and wonder at any speaking of the paucity of those that shall be saved 3. Hence take notice of the Reasonableness of the Christian Religion 1. That God requireth no more but Believe Other things indeed are required but they naturally flow from faith are inseparably linked with faith and faith cannot be without them faith is the great work of God and command of the Gospel 2. That this is so suitable Without faith no salvation can be
with worms and his skin spent and reins consumed should rise but that the same body not onely the same specifical but the same numerical body should rise therefore he puts in those emphatical expressions I shall see God I shall see for my self I and not another and mine eyes shall behold him Though his eyes shall be glorified eyes yet they shall be the same eyes for substance As the Patience of Job was very great and very exemplary so surely his Faith was as great and as imitable O Job great was thy Faith This one Text is sufficient to prove that the Doctrine of the Resurrection is not a thing incredible And give me leave to speak to you in the words of S. Paul to King Agrippa Why should it be thought incredible that God should raise the dead especially if you consider who this God is That he is Omnipotent and Almighty infinite in power and able to do all things He that believes the first Article of the Creed will quickly believe the eleventh Article He that believeth that God is Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth will easily believe that he is able to raise the dead For if God saith Tertullian can make a body being nothing out of the dust of the earth he can certainly repair it out of the dust when it is something It is as easie to God to restore a body to a soul at the Resurrection as to breathe a soul into a body at the first Creation Objection But how is it possible that when a man hath lain rotting in the grave a thousand years he should rise again Answer This is above reason but not against reason For there are many resemblances of this even in nature which though they be not sufficient proofs yet they are great inducements to cause us to believe this truth Both Philosophers and Divines write of the Phoenix that first she is consumed to ashes by the heat of the Sun and that afterwards of her ashes ariseth a young one which is the same Phoenix risen from the dead The Apostle tells us That the corn must first be cast into the ground and there dye and rot before it will spring up which sheweth that a Resurrection from the dead is possible even in nature Adde to this That Swallows Flies and Worms which lie dead in the Winter-season in the Spring by vertue of the Suns heat revive again And what is every night but the grave as it were of the days light and the morning but the Resurrection of the day What is Winter but the death of the fruits of the earth and the Spring but the Resurrection of them What is death but the blowing out of the candle of our lives and what is the Resurrection any more but the lighting of this candle again What is death but a pulling down of the house of the body and what is the Resurrection but the rebuilding of the same house And why then should any man think it a thing incredible for God to raise the dead We see by experience that our curious glasses are made by the art of man even out of ashes And cannot the Omnipotent God raise mens dead bodies when turned to ashes There is no contradiction in this and therefore an infinite power is able to effect it And to shew that God can effect it he raised up many from the dead both in the Old and New Testament as helps to our faith to enable us to believe That that God who raised those few will in due time raise all the dead both just and unjust Objection But you will reply How is it possible that the same body should rise when as the dust of men are so mingled together as that it seems impossible to separate the dust of one man from another Answer With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible It is easie to God to give to every man his own dust if it be possible for a Gardner that hath thirty several seeds in his hand to be able to distinguish between seed and seed and for a Chymist to extract the four Elements out of an hearb and sepaâ—ate them one from the other and for a Watch-maker to take his Watch in pieces and mingle the pieces together and yet afterwards put them together as before Much more is it possible for the Omnipotent God to distinguish one dust from another as well as one man from another and one stone from another Objection One man is eaten by another and turned into the substance of another how can both these arise with their distinct bodies Answer Every man shall arise with his own flesh but yet not so as that he shall arise with every thing that was once a part of him But he shall arise with so much of his flesh as shall make a perfect man and the same man A man hath a piece of his flesh cut off by a sword and new flesh growing in its room now he shall not rise with both these but with so much as shall make him a perfect man and one and the same man for substance One man eates another mans flesh and it becomes one with his yet he shall not rise with that flesh but with so much as shall make him a compleat man and the same not onely for kinde but for number For with God nothing is impossible So much for the fourth particular The fifth particular The fifth thing propounded is to shew the certainty and infallibility of this Doctrine For this is not onely a Truth that God can make good but a Truth which God cannot but make good As there must be a day of Judgement 2 Cor. 5.10 So there must be a Resurrection of the body not onely there may be but there must be and of the same body not onely the same specifical but the same numerical body Otherwise it were not a Resurrection but a Surrection not a Resuscitation but a Suscitation And as Estius saith not a Regeneration as it is called Mat. 19.28 but a Generation A Resurrection is of the same body that dyes or else it is a new Animation and a new Creation and not a Resurrection Now that there must be a Resurrection appears 1. From the promise of God God hath promised that all that are in the graves shall hear his voyce Joh. 5.28 29. and come forth c. and all that are in the dust shâ—ll awake And that this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal shall put on immortality Isa 26.19 and We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done 2 Cor. 15.53 whether it be good or bad And therefore the ancient Christians when they rehearsed that Article of the Creed I believe the Resurr ction of the body would point to some part of their body and say Even of this body God can do it because he
a Physician who could cure all bodily deformities what flocking would there be to him for help such a Physician is Death As Job had all things restored double when raised from the dunghil so shall a childe of God have all bodily deformities removed and his body shall be raised in glory and shine as the Sun in the firmament And why then should we be so afraid of death it is initium vivae spei the beginning of a living hope The Heathen mans Motto is Dum spiro spero while there is life there is hope but a Christians Motto is Dum expiro spero when I dye then my hope begins to live 4. Comfort to those who forgoe any members of their bodies for Christ If thou losest thy leg or arm or ear God will restore it again at the Resurrection The same leg c. as Christ healed the ear of Matchus he did not give him a new ear but the same again Famous is the story that Josephus tells of one of the seven children in the Maccabees who when he was to have his tongue cut out and his hand cut off said to his Mother These I have received from the Heavens and for the love of my God I despise them and trust that I shall receive them again 5. Comfort to the people of God when in the lowest condition When upon the dunghil and past help of man then let them remember That the God whom we serve can raise the dead and therefore can deliver them out of all their troubles though never so great and incurable This was Jobs comfort when in the saddest condition Job 19.25 26 27. It is proper to God to deliver from the lowest grave Psal 86.13 And for this very end and purpose God oftentimes brings his children into a very deplorable and desperate condition that they might learn to trust in that God who raiseth the dead 2 Cor. 1.12 6. Lastly Here is singular consolation in reference to the sad times in which we live It is with us now as it was with the Disciples when Christ was crucified their hopes dyed when Christ dyed their faith in Christ was dead and buried with Christ therefore they say Luke 24.21 We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel and besides all this to day is the third day since these things were done As if they should have said Christ hath now been so long in the grave that we have no hope of salvation by him it is now the third day and we hear no tidings of him Even so the people of God are ready to say of these times We had thought that this had been the time wherein Christ would have made the Churches of England very glorious and have taken away all our tynne and drosse out of his Church and perfectly have purged his floor and made a most happy Reformation But we see that Christ is still in the grave and there are mountains upon mountains rowled over him to keep him still in it We are in as bad a condition as ever and our hopes as desperate and it is now not onely the third day but the thirteenth nay the sixteenth year and yet we are not delivered But now hearken to a Word of Consolation As Christ rose in spight of the Jews they rowled a stone upon the mouth of the grave and sealed it and set a watch to keep it and yet he rose in spight of them all So shall Religion and the Gospel and Church of Christ rise notwithstanding all the opposition made against it Though never so many Mountains â—e in the way God will in time rowl away all these Mountains Mat. 16. Isa 54. Zach. 12.3 for Christ haih said That the gates of Hâ—ll shall not prevail against his Church and that no weapon formed against Jacob shall prosper and that he will make Jerusalem a burthensome stone for all people all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it As the children of Israel the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied so the more the Church of Christ is trodden under foot the more it will prosper As Moses his bush burned and was not consumed because God was in it so the Church of Christ may be burning and full of troubles and afflictions which shall purge it Rev. 11.7 8 9 10 11. and refine it but it shall not be consumâ—d for Christ is risen and his Church shall rise The God whom we serve is a God who can raise the dead It is related of the two Witnesses that when they shall have flnished their estimony they should be slain and lie three days and an half unburied and that the people that dwell upon the earth should reâ—oâ—ce over them and make merry But yet notwithstanding the Spirit of God should after three days and an half enter into them and they should stand upon their feet and ascend up to Heaven in the sight of their Enemies By these two Witnesses are meant all the eminent Opposers of Antichrist whether Magistrates or Ministers who though they prophesie in sackcloath 1260 years and towards the end of them which is yet to come be in a more then ordinary manner massacred and killed yet they shall after a little while rise again in their successors stand â—pon their feet and ascend up to a more heavenly and glorious condition There will be a happy and blessed Resurrection of the Church Famous is the Parable of the Dry Bones Ezek. 37. God saith to the Prophet Son of man can these bones live The Prophet answered O Lord God thou knowest Then God tells him That he would cause breath to enter into the dry bones and make them to live c. Though the Church of Christ be in as sad a condition as the Israelites in Babylon and be as dry bones in a grave and though the Prophets know not how they can be raised 2 Pet. 2.9 yet God knoweth how to deliver his people He can and will in due time raise them up to a more pure and happy estate even in this life Let us comfort one another with these things Use 3. OF Terrour to all the wicked and ungodly that cannot say with Job I know my Redeemer liveth but I know my Revenger liveth There will a time come when they that now stop their ears and will not hear the voyce of Christ speaking by his Word and Ministers shall hear a voyce whether they will or no and shall come out of their graves to the Resurrection of condemnation just as Pharaohs Baker out of Prison or as Malefactors out of Newgate to be executed at Tiburn Happy were it for such that there were no Resurrection that their souls did dye as the souls of Brute Beasts But let such know That there shall be a Resurrection of the unjust as well as of the just and that there will a day come in which
to be tryed for his life he would bethink himself of all the Arguments he could to plead in his own defence we are all shortly to be tryed for our souls while others are thinking how they may grow rich let us bethink our selves how we may abide the day of Christs coming The serious thoughts of judgement would be 1. A Curben-bit to sinne am I stealing the forbidden fruit and the Assizes so neare 2. A spur to holinesse * Nihil est quod magis proficiat ad vitam honestam c. Amb. 1 Pet. 3.10 But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night seeing then all these things shall be dissolved what manner of Persons ought ye to be in all Holy Conversation 2. Branch 2. Branch Let us solemnly prepare our selves for this last and great Trial that is by setting up a judgement-seat in our own souls let us begin a private Sessions before the Assizes it is wisdome to bring our souls first to tryal Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes let us judge our selves according to the Rule of the Word and let conscience bring in the Verdict The Word of God gives several Characters of a man that shall be absolved at the day of judgement and is sure to go to Heaven Character 1 1. Character is humility Job 22.29 The Lord will save the humble person Now let conscience bring in the Verdict Christian art thou humble not only humbled but humble dost thou esteem others better than thy self Phil. 2.3 dost thou cover thy duties with the vail of Humility as Moses put a vail on his face when it shined if conscience brings in this Verdict thou art sure to be acquitted at the last day Character 2 2. Character love to the Saints 1 John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the Brethren Love makes us like God 1 John 4.19 it is * Aug. radix omnium virtutum the root of all the graces Doth conscience witness this for you are you perfum'd with this sweet spice of love do you delight in those who have the Image of God do you reverence their graces do you bear with their infirmities do you love to see Christs picture in a Saint though hung in never so poor a frame this is a good sign that thou shalt pass for currant at the day of judgement Character 3 3. Character a penitential frame of heart Acts 11.18 Repentance unto life Repentance unravels sin and makes it not to be Jerem. 50.20 In those dayes the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none A great ball of Snow is melted and washed away with the rain great sinnes are washed away by holy tears Now can conscience bring in the evidence for thee dost thou tune the penitential string thou that hast sinn'd with Peter dost thou weep with Peter * Qui secutus es Petrum errantem sequere poenitentem Ambros and do thy tears drop from the eye of faith this is a blessed sign thou art judgement-proof and that when thy iniquities shall be sought for at the last day they shall not be found Character 4 4. Character Equity in our dealings Psa 24.3 4. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord mundus volis he that hath clean hands Injustice doth sully and defile the hand what saith conscience is thy hand clean it is a vain thâ—ng to hold the Bible in one hand and false weights in the other Beloved if conscience upon a Scripture-trial give in the verdict for us it is a blessed sign that we shall lift up our heads with boldnesse at the last day Conscience is Gods eccho in the soul the voice of conscience is the voice of God and if conscience upon an impartial trial doth acquit us God will acquit us 1 John 3.21 If our heart condemn us not 1 John 3.21 then have we confidence towards God If we are absolved in the lower Court of conscience we are sure to be absolved at the last day in the High Court of Justice It were a sweet thing for a Christian thus to bring himself to a Trial. Seneca tells us of a Romane who every day ca led himself to account quod malum sanasti what infirmity is healed wherein art thou grown better then he would lie down at night with these words O quam gratus sonnus O how sweet and refreshing is my sleep to me Use 4 Use 4. Here is a fountaine of Consolation opened to a believer and that in three Cases Consolation In case of 1. Discouraging fear 2. Weaknesse of grace 3. Censures of the world Case 1 First Here is comfort in case of discouraging fear Oh saith a believer I fear my grace is not armour of proof I fear the cause will go against me at the last day Indeed so it would if thou wert out of Christ but as in our Law-Courts the Client hath his Atturney or Advocate to plead for him so every believer by virtue of the interest hath Christ to plead his Cause for him 1 John 2.1 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous 1 John 2.1 What though Satan be the accuser if Christ be the Advocate Christ never lost any Cause he pleaded nay his very pleading alters the nature of the cause Christ will show the debt-book crossed with his own blood and it is no matter what is charged if all be discharged here 's a Believers Comfort his Judge will be his Advocate Case 2 Secondly Here is comfort in regard of weaknesse of grace a Christian seeing his grace so desective is ready to be discouraged but at the day of judgement if Christ finde but a dram of sincerity it shall be accepted if thine be true gold though it may be light Christ will put his merits into the Scales and make it passe currant he that hath no sinne of allowance shall have graines of allowance I may allude to that Amos 9.9 Ne lapillus in terram yet shall not the least grain fall to the earth He that hath but a grain of grace not the least grain shall fall to Hell Case 3 Thirdly it is comfort in case of Censures and slanders the Saints go here through strange reports 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 6.8 John Baptists Head in a Charger is a common dish now adayes 't is ordinary to bring in a Saint Beheaded of his good name but at the day of judgement Christ will unload his people of all their injuries he will vindicate them from all their calumnies Christ will be the Saints Compurgator he at that day will present his Church sine macula ruga * Eph. 5.27 not having spot or wrinkle OF HELL MATTH 25.41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels IF any in the broad
way upon the hearing of this terrible Text shall say to me as the Devils in the Gergesens said to our Saviour Art thou come hither to torment us before the time Mat. 8.29 I say no but to warn you to flee from the wrath to come and reduce you from the broad into the narrow way 3.17 7.13 14. for all the while you are in a state of nature going on in sin against God you do but wrong your own souls and by hating wisdome love death Prov. 8. ult Rom. 6. ult yea eternal death though you like not to hear of it Let not prejudice take away your judgement and then a Boanerges * Mark 3.17 with Joh. 12.29 a son of thunder to day may fit you to give better entertainment to a Barnabas * Acts 4.36 with Rev. 4.5 a sonne of Consolation to morrow For my part I hope I am not studious neither do I expect to please men Gal. 1.10 1 Cor. 4.3 in treating on this severe point their censure is a small thing to me if I may approve my self the servant of Christ our Judge which I shall endeavour in not erring from the scope of this his last sentence in my Text wherein we have Text divided 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. The persons sentenced or judged viz. the wicked described by their station on the left hand condition cursed 2. The person sentencing viz. Christ who is Lord Chief Justice of all the world me 3. The punishment or sentence it self pronounced by this Judge who cannot but do right namely Depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels from God who hath no beginning into Hell which hath no end noting the pain of 1 Tim. 1.7 Ter. à quo ad quem Loss Depart from me Sense into everlasting fire c. Where we have Hell Torments set forth by their quality extremity eternity quantity extremity eternity 1. Extremity aggravated by their inflammation fire the preparation of them prepared the association in them the Divel and â—his Angels 2. Eternity which makes all Hell â—ndeed evalasting fire Take the summe in this Proposition Doctrine The wicked shall depart from Christ into the greatest Torments Or if you will have it shorter take it in Davids words a Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into Hell I shall endeavour to prepare this for Application by Explication and Confirmation I. Explication of the Subject Predicate I. Explicat 1. The Subject the wicked i. e. All ungodly men and women who dye in their sins unclean unsanctified Rev. 21.27 1 Cor. 6.9 10. 2 Thes 1.9 Colos 3.6 who know not God nor obey the Gospel the Goats on Christs left hand at the great day in my Text denominated the cursed * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 execratio horrenda abominanda Camerarius Ger. Harm Evang. with a dreadful execration detested of God with abomination and destinated to all misery without remedy 2. The Predicate the greatest punishment or Hell of which I shall say somewhat to First The name Hell answering to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sheol and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quid nominis quid rei which though the former primarily signifies the grave and the latter the valley of the son â—f Himmon yet they do also signifie extreame and eternal torment especially the latter in the new Testament where Christ speaks b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 5.29 30. with v. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the whole body being cast into Hell the fiery Hell which Mark explains to be inextinguishable c Mark 9.43 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Mat. 18.9 Hence our Saviour elsewhere bids fear him who is able to destroy soul and body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hell d Mat. 10.28.23.15.33 Luke 12.5 Men could not cast the soul into the proper Gehinnom but God can cast that into Hell after the body is killed which several of the Ancient Jewish Doctors * Targ. Jonath B. Uz. Hierus Paraph. in Gen. 3. ult Praeparavit Gehennam improbis infuturo seculo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. apprehending they did by Gehinnom Metaphorically describe the infernal fire as the Learned * Targ. Jonath B. Uz. Hierus Paraph. in Gen. 3. ult Praeparavit Gehennam improbis infuturo seculo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. have proved notwithstanding what is said to the contrary in that abominable Treatise of Hell justly sentenc'd to be burnt about two years ago wherein the Jesuited Pen-man * P. Cheitomaeus Beza Scapula Minshaw Usher Fulk Buxtorf Lex Talm. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iderâ— sonant apud Ignatium Epist ad Ephes 4. S. R. Lond. printed 1657. whither out of ignorance or malice or both hath most shamefully wronged our best Authors But could he and any others which they cannot evade the Tropical signification of Gehenna yet all the strength of their Arguments to shake and remove Hell Pillars will be but just enough as it fared with Sampson in a far more lawful undertaking Judg. 1.16 28. when he shook the Pillars of the house in which the Philistines were to pull down the rotten Fabrick of their hellish Tenet upon their own Pates sit'h there are abundantly more of Scripture expressions noting an extreame and eternal misery after this life is ended viz. Destruction by way of eminency e Mat. 7.13 utter darknesse where weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth f 22.13 and the worme dyeth not g Mark 9.43.48 damnation h Mat. 23.33 everlasting punishment i 25.46 eternal fire chains blacknesse and mists of darkness k Jude ep 6 7 13. the Prison where the spirits of the disobedient be l 2 Pet. 2.4 17. with 1 Pet. 3.19 wrath to come m 1 Thes 1.10 5.9 the furnace of fire n Mat. 13 42. the second death bottomless pit place of torment lake of fire and brimstone o Rev. 2.11 9.2 14.10 20.10 19.20 21.8 Secondly The nature of Hell may be thus described 't is no lesse than the eternal and second death in its latitude as opposite to eternal life i.e. The most miserable state of the wicked wherein they are everlastingly separated from the sight of God and all comfortable good The description of Hell lock't up in chains of darknesse under the fresh lively and afflicting sense of the wrath of God justly kindled and â—ontinually flaming against them for their sins and according to the measure of them so that they are filled with never ceasing horrors of conscience and scorched in soul and body with such grievous flames as will for evâ—r torment but never consume them to an annihilation The description explained More particularly this Description suggests two things agreeable to them already noted in the Text further to be explained viz.
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infligens ultionem Bez. which relates to the fault by reason 't is fit that the punishment be apportion'd to the fault in the execution of justice as maybe more plain in this case Suppose Titius for Treason should justly deserve death yet so that none living know his crime then imagine Caesar in a rage take away Titius his life â—his crime of Treason all this while neither considered nor discovered why the death of Titius though in it self it be a natural evil yet in order to Caesar is no proper punishment sit'h it is not the execution of justice in reference to the crime however it may be so in respect of God Latet culpa ubi non latet poena Aug. who kâ—ew not only that Titius so dyed but that he deserved so to dye this may illustrate that in the punishment of the damned there is an impression of Divine justice and therefore because of Gods just judgement this punishment is called the damnation of Hell q Mat. 23.12 Quia Deus ex â—uâ—icio hanc poenam â—impiis infligit Gerh. thereby noting the keen impression of Gods wrath wherein not only the Almighty Punisher doth respect sinne but the finite creature who is punished knows that he is cast into the furnace of fire for his sinne against the infinite God whereupon there is further requisite to this punishment 3. That the party punished have an acute feeling himself spoiled of all his perfections a lively sense of all that he is deprived of by reason of his sin otherwise it would not properly be punishment as I hinted before the damned hath always quick and terrâ—ble apprehension of an angry God impressing his wrath and persisting to deprive him of all that glorious good was offered to him instead of which that being refused he is more and more assured of lying in a consuming fire that is and will be continually burning up all those perfections he had not purging but plaguing him worse and worse yet not so that the flames devoure his essence or that the torments utterly i. e. absolutely destroy his substance but that they are continually feeding upon all that it should otherwise have been his simple being neverthelesse remaining thus of the punishment it self both of losse and pain The two properties of Hell punishiment 1. Extremity 2. The Properties of Hell punishment inseparable from it are its Extremity Eternity 1. Extremity it infinitely exceeds all other punishment no pain so extream as that of the damned who sustain the absence of all good and the presence of all evil all the cruelties in the world cannot possibly make up any horror comparable to the horrors of Hell I noted in the Analysis of my Text that the Extremity of Hell-torments is aggravated by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza Annot. their inflammation the fire the preparation of them the prepared the association in them the Divel and his Angels There is a great force and Emphasis in these praepositive Articles in the Original thus repeated demonstrating and defining this punishment to exceed all others in its Extremity 1. The grievous inflammation setting forth the extremity of these torments fire is the most furious of all Elements but this is the fire hotter than Elementary or culinary fire importing the torments to be of a more violent nature than any other Geogr. l. 16. Col. 764. Cit. Full. Strabo relates that there is a Lake near Gadara in Galilie infected with suâ—h malignant and pestiferous qualities that it scaldeth off the skin of whatsoever is cast into it yet this is not comparable to the fiery Lake of brimstone where the extreame anguish of the damned is 1. Most exquisite Damnati exquisitissimos dolores sentient quibus majores non dari nec câ—gitari possunt Gerh. loc com Long. four last things all the exquisite torments that ever were heard of cannot expresse it to the full Nebuchadnezzars fiery furnace could but cause horrours like flea-bitings in comparison of those the damned in hell do suffer in every sense the little Monasyllable Hell though 't is easily over-look't by many at present yet 't is the most unexpressibly grievous Rack in the world They say Gehenne which we translate Hell in the New Testament does in French signifie a Rack which as the Strappado is thought to be the most exquisitely tormenting those terrible allusions to Tophet 2 King 23.18 with Isa 30.32 33. to the shreeks and yellings of Children sacrificed there are but shadowy representations of their paine who dye the second death 2. Intolerable soul and body shall be ever supported by God in being but neither be able to avoid nor yet endure hell-pain if Cain the foreman coming within the sight of hell here cry out My punishment is greater than I can bear Gen. 4.13 Prov. 18.14 Psal 88.15 90.11 Hos 13.8 Rev. 19.20 Heb. 11.36 for a wounded spirit who can bear if the apprehensions of hell even distract the Psalmist if an angry God but meeting the soul of a sinner rent the caul of his heart how will he be able to bear burning in the Lake with fire and brimstone hanging sting racking roasting suffering under harrowes and sawes of Iron fleaing of the skin scratching off the flesh with Thorns c. unheard of mercilesse miseries are nothing to the unsufferable tortures of Hell I grant there are degrâ—es of torment in hell yet the least is in t lerable whether 1. We look up on the Omnipotent hand of God executing the vengeance of eternal fire ah it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10.30 31. the Judge to whom vengeance belongs who takes the wicked immediatâ—ly into his own hands as if none else were strong enough to inflict the fiercenesse of his wrath Or Rom. 9.19 2. Look down on the impotent punished creature no way able to make any resistance or lift up his head under the burden of divine indignation but must crouch under it for alas what can a leaf driven too and fro do against the blast of Gods displeasure how should the weak back of a poor feeble man bear the pile of fire and much wood Isa 30.33 33.14 Job 20.26 which the breath of the Lord doth kindle who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning they that suffer least in hell will find the torments intolerable So that when our Saviour saith r Mat. 10.15 ' I will be more tolerable for Sodome and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that City which despiseth the offers of Gospel-grace he means not that any damned Sodomites should find hell-paines tolerable at all for Jude writing by the same spirit that Matthew did sayes They suffer the vengeance of eternal fire s Jude ver 10. and eternal fire with a vengeance can be no tolerable paine Christ will come in flaming fire taking vengeance on those that know not God 2 Thes 1.8
but his choice and option if he be plagued with Eternal death 't is no other than that which he prefer'd before Eternal life The Lord sets life and death before us as by Moses the typical so by Christ the true Messiah if we will choose Christ and accept of him we may have Eternal life if not we must be sure of Eternal death he that refuseth the Eternal weight of glory in one end of the scale chooseth Eternal punishment in the other end as our first Parents did choose the curse by their voluntary refusing of the blessing which bad choice of theirs laid obnoxious unto Eternal pain both themselves and their posterity who cannot complain of God for inflicting the death they are by corrupt nature liable to sith besides their choice in their first parents and in their own persons they who live under the Gospel have as great a mercy tendred by the second Adam as Eternal death is a grievous punishment yea the Atheist who as 't was said of Antiochus Epiphanes takes more pains to go to Hell Buntings Itinerarie than some others to go to Heaven must confesse that he deserves his wages of Eternal death as his Pay sith he hath toyled and drudged all his life long in the Devils Service only to fit himself for misery 3. The Schoolmen have observed from the Philosopher Aquia Supl. Q. 99. Art 1. that the punishment ought to be levied according to the dignity of him against whom the offence is committed He is more severely punish't who gives his Soveraign a box on the ear than he that does so to his equal Now wicked men and that without Repentance sin against the Eternal God by the violation of his Honourable Law which he resolves to magnisie Isa 42.21 And as they ought not in their own case so they are unqualified to be competent Judges of their Own offences sit'h they cannot see the thousandth part of that evil there is in the least sin and therefore unfit to apportion the punishment which ought to be levied by the Judge of all the World who knows what is meet Gen. 18.25 and will do nothing but what is right proportionable to the offence committed against the supreme Majesty Peccatum in Deum crimen laesae Majestatis Adsit Regula peccatis quae paenas irroget aequas Horatius for where there is satisfaction required there must be proportion which would not at all be here in this case without some kind of infiniteness and because that cannot be found in any meer creature in value it must necessarily be in duration for if after millions of years it could ever be said the damned had fully satisfied Gods justice it might be said they shall be set free as the prisoner from the Goal having paid the debt Luk. 12 58 59 a thing impossible but because the sufferings of the damned which are all the satisfaction they can give infinite justice in regard of the subject being finite Ex parte subjecti and consequently not of nifinite value they must be so in duration at least à parte post as to the future for the defect of satisfaction in the temporal finite punishment of any meer creature Excep If it be excepted Excep neither by the Eternal punishment of men is Gods justice satisfied for then this punishment would not be Eternal Contradictio in Adjecto which is a contradiction in the very thing it self if ever it could be said of Gods justice now 't is satisfied Repl. I Reply 1. Let it be very well considered Repl. whether Gods iustice being infinite and consequently an essential Attribute in God doth not require from man upon his delinquency that satisfaction which is of infinite value Infiniti valoris he the party offended being essentially of infinite dignity Now such a satisfaction i. e. of infinite value could only be made by Christ who being the Surety of the Covenant and suffered in our stead is God-man in one person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 20.28 and gave plenary satisfaction unto God John 1.14 1 Tim. 3.16 Rom. 3.25 2. Though Eternal punishment may not be called a satisfaction made or given to the party offended yet 't is that which the party offending must ever be in making or giving Parti laesae by the order of the Supreme Judge who is to hear the cause and apportion the punishment to the fault because he the delinquent wanting that infinitenesse in dignity of person which doth bear a proportion to the dignity of the party offended must make this up by an infinite duration of punishment which may perhaps in some sort be termed satisfaction performed to the Law it being the payment of the whole in the obligation Satisfactio legi praestita Peysolutio totius quod est in obligatione for upon defailance of paying the debt of duty and obedience what more is required of the debt of penalty and suffering to be paid Debitum officii Debitumsupp li cii than death in its full latitude temporal spiritual and Eternal so that in this respect 't is no error to call it satisfaction but if we speak of a compleat satisfaction made to the party offended Parti offensae it must be granted that none but the only Son of God did or could give it thus for the first great impediment pretended in regard of the Subject Or 2. It is because there is a possibility of freedom from the Prison of Hell and then this must be either by Covenant and Compact which whoever affirms proferat tabulas for 't is fan y not faith which believeth any such thing without the written Word Or by commutation and what place for such a fancy Is any so absurd as to think there are any in Hell who belong to God and in Heaven who belong to the Divel that there should be matter for such a Chimaera such a strange fiction Or by force and what were this but to over-power Omnipotency Or by fraud and what were this but to out-wit Divine Wisdome and to put a trick upon him whose understanding is infinite Or by a price paid and what is it that offending man can lay down as a sufficient compensation or satisfaction to an offended God who is infinite for the injury done unto him which God should accept of 1 Sam. 2.25 Godw. Rom. Antiq. l. 1. Sect. 2. â—â— Ephes 5.6 is hard to fancy and woful experience if nothing else will may convince vain man that 't is impossible to procure Or by manumission now this doth belong only to obedient servants not to châ—ldren of disobedience Or 3. The impediment is because there is an impossibility in regard of the subject as is pretended of undergoing torments of an eternal duration by a finite creature Ex parte subjecti and therefore all the Hell Socinians c. grant Socinus Racov. Cat. Crellius Bidle Richardson c.
2 Thess 1.8 9. is Annihilation by reason 't is said The wicked shall be destroyed But to remove this remember 1. The same infinite power of God which preserves Angels and men vessels of mercy to the glorifying of his grace Rom. 9.22 23. can preserve Devils and wicked men vessels of wrath to the glorifying of his justice and God will do so by reason his mercy annot contradict his justice and truth Christ who at the last day will judge others for unmercifulness best knows what it is to be merciful and it concernes us to credit the verity of his sentence in my Text though upon harkening to the shallow reasonings of flesh and blood we may be apt to apprehend severity in it but as Gregory sayes truly He that cannot find out a reason of Gods doings may easily finde in himself a reason why he cannot finde it out 2. The destruction mention'd is rather in a continual fieri than in facto esse in a perpetual doing never finally done the living of the wâ—cked in hell is a dying life and their dying is a living death one arme of Gods power is alwayes bearing up what the other is alwayes beating down 3. They shall be destroyed in a moral not in a natural sense a man that is dead in Law may live a natural life but is deprived of that whâ—ch before was due to him the wicked have their b ings in hell but are deprived of all that which makes to their well-beings sequestred from the fruition of God and all comfort with him who is the Fountain of life instead of which they cannot be freed from all that tends to their ill-beings Christ sayes expresly they must depart into everlasting fire and everlasting punishment therefore certainly not to be annihilated but to abide and remain in torment For 1. He that shall be everlastingly punished must needs remain in being everlastingly his punishment cannot continue when he is not Non entis nulla sunt praedicata Ejus quod falsum est nulla potest esse scientia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ut Philopon in Arist he that hath an end cannot be punished without end after he ceaseth t be so that if the wicked should be annihilated or absolutely destroyed and deprived of being then nothing should be tormented with the never-dying worm if the worm dye not it must live in some subject and nothing should dwell in unquenchable fire as the Scripture affirms there shall Again 2. Men as well as Devils may have their essence and being eternally preserved and yet not inherit eternal life but remain in a moral condition of eternal death for eternal life promis'd and purchas'd in Scripture does not only note our physical or natural being in life but chiefly our moral well-being in bliss and happiness and therefore eternal death does not deny wicked men being naturally alive but their being morally alive they live indeed but miserably in a condition absent from all comfortable good present with all evil there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever Mat. 8.12 therefore there shaâ—l some be who shall so weep c. and they are the wicked that shall still remain in these remaining torments beyond expression which are called the Second death not that this death is a consumption of their persons an absolute wasting of their substances as to the continuance of their beings for though they seek to have their beings destroyed yet they shall not finde their desire accomplished yet as 't is said of Roger Bishop of Salisbury Revel 9.6 Vivere noluerit mori nescierit Nulla major aut pejor mors quam ubi non moritur mors Aug. in King Stephens time he would not have lived that life in Prison yet could not dye they would be annihilated and cannot but this which is the worst death is a deprivation of all the comfortable good of life natural spiritual and eternal with an infliction of the greatest evil the wicked are then suâ—ported and capacitated to lie groaning under for ever Thus for the Confirmation of the Point wherein we have had likewise imply'd a confutation of the most considerable Adversaries to this infallible Doctrine of Hell there remains III. A short Application to be enlarged in your meditations learn hence III. Application 1. To feare sin and its sad consequent Hell the clear evidence of an eternity and extremity of hell-tortures should stir up in us an holy affection of fearing God and being affraid by reason we are guilty of eternal vengeance the truth is we should be so afraid of sin and hell as to be afraid of nothing else if we would copy out in our practice the Lesson Christ commands Mat 10.28 viz. Fear not them which can kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather feare him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell yea I say unto you Fear him Christ repeats his precept Luke 12.5 that it may not be forgotten an urgent necessity lies upon us to pass the time of our sojourning here in feare 1 Pet. 1.17 Phil. 2.12 we must work out our own salvation in feare and trembling we may we ought to feare the pain of losing the sight of Jehovahs blessed face and favour for this is a filial affection consistent with the greatest love he that truly loves God Res est soliciti plena timoris Amor. Jeanes Schol. Practic Divin will solicitously fear nothing so much as to displease and lose him Yea and though we may not with an irrationl or selvish uneffectual slavish fear which dishonour-God feare the pain of sense yet because hell-torments are such extream and eternal violations of the Primitive integrity of our nature we may and ought also wâ—th a rational fear to be afraid of the pain of sense but not immoderately and immeasureably more than we are afraid of sin which is a worse evil in its own nature than hell it self for all the evil that is in hell doth arise from sin as the mother of it Oh! if we should but hear the bitter complaints of those suffering in Hell for their sinâ— I need not then I might hope perswade the stoutest to be afraid of sin and hell for our eares would even tingle our hearts tremble our blood curdle and our spirits as it were congeal to yee at the noise of their most horrible lamentations Learn 2. To flee speedily from sin by real Repentance having this warning to fl e from the wrath to come which will inevitably seize upon impenitent sinners Oh! let 's all learn of our Saviour and Judge from this consideration to bring forth fruits meet for Repentance Mat. 3.7 8 12. his reason is in effect the same with this Doctrine viz. Every fruitless Tree is cast into the fire unquenchable fire yet of our selves we can bring forth no acceptable fruit till we be ingraffed into Christ the true Vine
John 15.4 5. Oh! let 's then labour to see and be truly sorrowful for all our sins and pray Lord Turn thou us Jer. 31.18 and we shall be turned from all our sins and accept of a whole Christ for our only Lord and Saviour oh sith we cannot wash our hands in innocency le ts be washing them daily in the tears of true penitency let 's go to the Fountain open'd to wash in for sin Zâ—ch 13.1 Isa 30. ult Rev. 20.10.14 15.21.8 and for uncleanness that we may not be cast into the River and Lake of fire and brimstone Oh! let 's now bathe our souls in the blood of Christ that everlasting burnings may not hereafter seize upon us Hence Learn 3. Not to blame Gospel-Ministers for preaching of terrors hereby they would stave us off from running head-long into Hell and bring us to repentance that we may not be cast into that prison where there is no place for repentance 2 Cor. 5.11 Knowing the terrors of the Lord we perswade men in love to their precious souls we are bound being assured we must give an account to awake our hearers Hebr. 13.17 lest they forget God and be turned into hell we dare not betray your pretious souls to gratifie you at present Psal 9.17 and indulge you in your sins as the Apostle says We must not for meat destroy the work of God Rom. 14.15.20 for preferment favour or respect from you at present we dare not suffer your immortal souls to perish without warning oh friends be not angry with us the Embassadours of Jesus Christ when we see any of you hastning down the broad way which leads to Hell as sure as we are here now if we then cry fire fire to bring you back You have no more reason to think us your enemies for this warning of you and telling you the truth in love Gal. 4.16 than any of your children have to think the most dear and tender Parents amongst you were their enemies when seeing them through carelessnesse ready to fall into fire or water they should cry out oh take heed Children or you are irrecoverably lost Learn 4. Not to grudge sinners their portion in this World Davids advice should be our practice enforced from this very Doctrine viz. Not to fret our selves at evil doers nor to be envious against the workers of iniquity Psal 37.1 2. 9.17 Prov. 24.20 for they shall soon be cut down as the grasse they shall be turned into Hell their foolish prosperity will destroy them their candle shall be put out and that in a snuff which will never cease stinking why then should we be offended at their prosperity here who are reserved to an extremity and eternity of torment hereafter Mal. 3.15 it is a grosse mistake to call the proud happy or to think the godly most miserable 1 Cor. 15.13.19 because they are here sometimes a little under a cloud The Psalmist was tempted to it but the knowledge of this Doctrine in the Sanctuary Ps 73.3.18 19 did soon rectifie his judgement and made him conclude that God had set them in slippery places to be cast down into destruction Job 20.6 7. and utterly consumed with terrors and perish for ever we had more need to pity than repine at our wicked Neighbours Mat. 19.24 with Luke 16.25 having their good things here when we consider how hard a matter 't is to have good things here with Dives and with Lazarus too hereafter in Abrahams bosome Learn 5. Lastly To admire and be greatly affected with the superlative love of Christ in undergoing that punishment in our stead if we will receive him for our Lord and Saviour which will be extream and eternal torment to all that do refuse him And if he be Judge Mat. 10.14.15 39 40. they who receive not his Embassadors in his Name are of that number Oh! who would not then kiss the Son that believe the wrath of God will inflict these eternal torments Oh! Christians such I wish we may a l be in deed and truth let 's bless and kisse this blessed Son of God that bare for us this insupportable wrath Psal 2.12 1 Thes 1.10 Colos 2.15 Hosea 13.14 1 Cor. 15.54 55. Mat. 23.14 Hebr. 2.3 Gal. 3.13 Hebr. 2.9 even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come and triumphed over principalities and over tho Grave and Hell the greatnesse of the damnation we are exposed to by nature doth greaten the salvation purchased by grace Oh! blessed Jesus thou wast cursed here and tasted'st the death that was accursed even this in thy sentence Isa 53.5 7 8. Rom. 8.1 Mark 3.29 with Heb. 6.2 5.9 Acts 2.24 Psal 116 3. John 8.51 thou wast bruised afflicted and broken of God for us but thou was taken from Prison and from judgement and everlasting condemnation for it was not possiâ—le that Thou shouldst be holden of any pains so that though every Believer shall see a Temporal yet shall he never see Eternal Death but inherit Eternal Life OF HEAVEN MATTH 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world THE Description of Heaven is a work fitter for an Aaron the High Priest of the Most High when upon Mount Hor he is stripping himself of the vile body of sin or for a Moses when on the top of Nebo after a Pisgah prospect * Deut. 34.5 as the Jews comment he died at the * Cant. 1.2 kiss of God refunding that * Gen. 2.7 breath of life and expiring his soul into the bosome of God Nay more fit to be described by a pen taken from the Wing of a Cherubim than the stammering tongue of any mortal man For whoever attempts to speak of an heavenly state while himself is on earth his discourses of that must needs be like the dark dreams and imaginations of a child concerning the affaires of this world while it self is yet swadled and cradled in the womb Yet discourses of Heaven were never more seasonable upon earth When * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dio. Laer. Anaxagoras was accused as not studying Politicks for his Countryes good he replied I have a very great care of my Country pointing up to heaven if ever Christians had cause to make all honest haste to heaven 't is in a sinful and a perverse generation when the waters cover the earth whether should a Dove-like soul fly but to the Ark of God when Gods judgements and his Avengers of blood threaten us on every hand what City of refuge can we run to but the Sanctuary of God when we know not how soon the members of Christs body in conformity to their Head may be called to sweat drops of blood 't is wisdom for us with our bitter hearbs to keep the Passover and to think on that * Luke 22.12 large upper Roome wherein we may be Feasted
a place for them to which * Luk. 13.28.29 they shall come from the East and from the West from the North and fâ—om the South and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdâ—me of God and this to raise the appetites of their faith and hopes when a Supper of so many thousand years preparation is the entertainment they are invited to And so I come to the second Part of the Text and that is the admission into this prepared Possession Come ye blessed of my Father c. When a Kingdome is proposed every man is ready to be catching at a Crown but therefore our Saviour tells us it must be had by inheritance that is the title by which we must be admitted * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inherit as the Jews had Canaan divided and apportioned to the several Tribes by * Numb 26.55 lot so some too curiously and boldly adventure to assign to every Saint a Mansion bigger than the whole earth which is true indeed in this sense in regard immensity and God himself is the * Psal 16.5 lot of their inheritance but it is an inheritance in regard 1. There is a claim made to it only by the new-born and first-born of God and so by right of birth except * John 3.3 a man be bâ—rn again cannot see the Kingdome of God the spirit of a slave cannot manage the Scepter of a Prince nay they that look to sit on Thrones of glory with Christ * Mat. 19.28 must follow him in the regeneration of the body * 1 Cor. 15.36 that must dye ere it be quickned * 1 Cor. 15.50 for flesh and blood in corruption moral or * Exod. 33.20 natural cannot inherit the Kingdome of God which made the * Moriar ne moriar ut te videam Aug. confessii Father cry out Oh then Lord let me dye lest I dye that so I may see thee Now if an unregenerate body cannot enter much lesse an unregenerate soul An infamous person * Turpis persona Myns in instit in the Civil Law may be excepted against as not fit to be an heir and shall the Laws of men be purer than the Laws of God If the pure in heart * Mat. 5.8 only can see God here in reflections and * 1 Cor. 13.12 through a glasse darkly then surely they must be without * 2 Pet. 3.14 spot or wrinkle who must see him face to face Heaven is entailed upon holy souls 't is their birth-right for no other but * Rev. 22.14 they that keep the Commandments of God have right to eat of the Tree of life or enter in through the Gates into that Jerusalem and vision of peace 2. They inherit by right of Adoption for Christ is heir and we heirs of his righteousnesse and so co-heirs of his glory and * Rom. 8.17 hâ—irs of God if sons then heirs now we are the sons of God by Adoption Regeneration makes us not perfectly holy and so not perfectly sons and so not heirs and therefore we * Gal. 4.5 1 Joh. 3.1 2. receive the Adoption of sons and being called to be we are sons and if sons then heirs for if a son be passed by in his Fathers Will and not named and a reason of the passing of him by the Testament is invalid in Civil Law when anoâ—her is made heâ—r and God his nature and love transcends all the compassions of men and is a greater obligation than any Laws among them so that if thou canst make it out that thou hast the spirit of Adoption thou art as sure to inherit this Kingdome as thou mayst be sure thou art not by name excepted from the inheritance in the Gospel of Christ which is his Will and Testament 3. 'T is inherited by right of Donation and Gift * Luke 12.32 Fear not lâ—ttle flâ—ck it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdome and though the wages of sin be death and men are but justly rewarded therein for their demerit yet * Rom. 6.23 eternal life is the gift of God and it is not such a gift as is a salary or stipend for our work * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pay for our service for * Luke 17.10 when we have done all that we can we are but unprofitable servants and deserve nothing unlesse it be to be * Luke 12.47 beaten with many stripes It is not an honorary gift as he that had lost an Arme in Battel his Commander General gave him an Arme of gold as an honourable reward of his service but alas * Matth. 5.47 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What singular thing can we do to emerit any thing at Gods hands when the more we do we are the further from merit in regard we are the more indebted to our Master who gave us the opportunity and grace to performe it Nor is it an Eleemosynary gift of charity such as we extend to poor fellow creatures for that is but a piece of justice and self-love if we have that in abundance which others want to relieve them Every act of charity is but a piece of equity a paying of our debts for we are to * Rom. 13.8 owe every man love but God ows us nothing nor is he bound to pity our poverty which we have by our own default contracted on our selves but this gift of God is a meer * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gratuitous act of bounty and grace but when it is promised and given then it is but an act of justice to grant possession and so the title is inheritance but by way of free Donation 4. By right of Redemption they may be said to inherit for under the Law the next of Kin was to redeem a sold or morgaged possession accordingly Christ took our nature upon him Ruth 4.5 that he might be of our consanguinâ—ty he became * Gal. 3 13. a curse for us * 2 Cor. 5.22 was made sin that he might ransome penitent believers from the curse and * Hebr. 7.25 having satisfied to the utmost and * 1 Cor. 6.20 bought us with a responsible price he hath right to give his sheep * John 10.28 eternal life and therefore it is calâ—ed * Ephes 1.14 the purchased possession In Law he that buys a slave may dispose of him as he please by his will accordingly Christ hath made hâ—s will to dispose of all those he hath bought * John 17.24 Father I will that where I am these may be also And so they are heirs by Will and Testament of him that took upon him the right of Redemption Now I come to the second thing in the second general and that is the heirs of this inheritance described in these words Ye blessed * Patris est benedicere of my Father 't is the Fathers work to blesse his Son and when Isaac blessed
Jacob he made him his heir so Gods blessing makes us a title to this inheritance 1. Then ye that are blessed of my Father from the foundation of the World in his Electing love and they whom he hath so blessed they shall be blessed the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word signifies well-spoken to now Gods Eternal thoughts are * Verba mentis his words and they that were in his thoughts from Eternity their names were written in the book of l fe God had Eternal purposes of grace to them * John 17.6 thine they were and thou gavest thâ—m me they were blessed in the thoughts of his heart before all generations this is an Elective Kingdome yet we are saved not according to the merit of * 2 Tim. 1.9 our works done oâ— fore-seen but accord ng to his own purpose and grace which was given in Christ Jesus beforâ— the World began And in vain â—id Christ Covenant with his Father or make a Testament for us unlesse the heâ—rs purchased were fore-known * Haeres caput Testamenti heirs being the ground-work of a Testament 2. Well spoken to in the Word of God by the powerful vocation of his Spirit * Rom. 1.7 they are called to be holy and he * Ephes 1.3 blesseth them with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places by Christ Jesus There are none come but they that are * Rev. 19.9 invited to the Supper of the Lamb they that God hath * Gen. 9.27 Cant. 1.4 perswaded to dwell in the Tents of Shem whom * Hosea 11.4 he hath drawn with the cords of his love and made them a * Psal 110.3 people of a free-will offering in the day of his power whom the * Luke 1.78 day-spring from on high hath visited and the womb of the morning of the day of grace hath brought them forth those that God * Hos 2.14 hath allured and brought into the Wildernesse that he might speak to their hearts None shall be followers of the Lamb but those that are * Rev. 17.14 called faithful and chosen 3. Well-spoken of in the Word and Promises of the Gospel those that are * Mat. 5.3 c. meek poor in spâ—rit pure in heart merciful persecuted for righteousness sake and merciful for all these shall obtain mercy as it follows in the Verses after the Text Come ye blessed c. For * Mat. 25.35 I was an hungry and ye gave me to eat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink a stranger and you took me in naked and you cloathed me sick and you visited me in prison and you came to me And he said Verily inasmuch as you have done it to one oâ— these my brethren these littte ones you have done it unto me for * Rom. 2.13 not the hearers but the doers of the Word are blessed the * Hebr. 6.17 17. heirs of these promises are the only heirs of glory 4. Blessed in the final pardon absolution and justification which shall be pronounced at the last day Ye shall inherit whom the righteous Judge of all the world shall acquit and discharge from your sins to whom God shall say * Matth. 9.2 son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee nay Euge well done * Mat. 25.1 good and faithful servant enter into thy Masters joy thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee Ruler over many Oh how good a word will this be to a soul as soon as it is got up out of the Wildernesse of this World yet * Psal 128.4 thus shalt thou be blessed that fearest God He will give thee then to be sure * Rev. 3.12 a new name and a white stone and write upon thee as a Pillar or a Trophy erected after victory his own Name and when God shall thus blesse thee and speak to thee thou wilt need never a word more to make thee happy but the generations that come up after thee shall when they rise up to heaven call thee blessed And so I come to the third particular the formal introduction of these blessed heirs into their inheritance Come ye blessed c. 1. This is the speech of one that gives us an everlasting avocation from the troubles and vanities of this present world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vox avoâ—antis Christ will speak to them in this manner only in more emphatical significancies Come poor souls where have you been all this while poor sheep where have you been wandring upon the barren Mountains of the earth climbing the cliffs of preferment and worldly honours as if you had been of the number of the Goats and had no title to the blessings on my right hand In what a pickle have you been in in a nasty World which * John 5.19 lies altogether in filthinesse in a muddy body of sin pepsed with a number of tentations you have lain a long time * Psal 68.13 among the pots griming your selves and defiling your garments amongst the Aegyptians on my left hand I but now you shall have the wings of a Dove which are all covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold I will never more * Psal 74.19 give the soul of my Turtle Dove into the hands of her enemies you shall never more be cooped up in a Cage with such a company of unclean Birds no * Cant. 5.2 Come my Love and Dove and flie away Vox admittentis 2. 'T is the speech of one that admits us into this inheritance Christ is pleased to condescend so low as to stile himself * John 10.7 the door nay the Keeper of the door he opened a door of hope by his death a door of faith by his preaching the Gospel a door of life by his resurrection and heaven-gates also by this admission and when he hath admitted his heirs of glory and taken them out of this deluge of sin and sorrow into that Ark of salvation he will * Gen. 7.16 shut them in as God did Noah and though they have an * 2 Pet. 1.11 abundant entrance ministred to them into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ yet when entred the door is shut and no egress or back-door of Apostacy can be found in that state Adam was created out of Paradise to shew that his admission even in his innocency was of grace much more is it of grace upon a recovery from his fall Christ while in the Kingdome of his patience doth call his to many a penitent groan to mournful prayers and many tribulations which make a very bed of dust to be a soft couch of repose and he calls them thither * Isa 26.20 Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers shut thy doors about thee hide thy self for a little moment till the indignation be over-past Come child go to bed in the grave oh but
losse of their lives Ye have not yet resisted unto blood saith the Apostle but how soon it may come to that ye know not Heb. 12.4 It 's your duty and will be your wisdome to prepare for such a black bloody day as that there are two things in the death of Christ that may animate and embolden us into a willingnesse to dye for him 1. A motive one good turne requires another 2. A pattern Christ suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 Verbi verba sunt nobis Documenta verbi facta sunt nobis exempla August A place very much abused by the Socinians as though there were no more in the death of Christ then an example but one end of Christs death must not exclude another in the blood of Christ there 's both a price and a pattern he hath set us a Copy and upon his call we should be ready to write after him with our blood 6. By Faith and an hearty acceptance of Christ let us put in for a share and get an interest in the blood of Christ He hath it 's true dyed for sinners but without faith what is all this to you though ye be sinners Without blood Christ could not save you and without faith the blood of Christ cannot save you Rom. 3.25 Heb. 9.14 Acts 15.9 God hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood the conscience is purged by his blood and the heart purâ—fied by faith This precious blood of Christ doth no other way purifie than as applyed and sprinkled by faith Every man was under the Law to lay his hand on his burnt-offering of atonement Lev. 1.4 he must own it for his Sacrifice thou must stretch out an hand of faith and put it on the head of thy sin-offering owning Christ as thy Lord and Saviour for it is not Christs blood as barely shed upon the Crosse but as received into the heart that justifies and saves The Son of man is lifted up John 3.15 that whosoever believes on him should not perish Universal causes act not but by a particular application as Adams sin pollutes no child till applyed by the generation of the Parent The Sun though it enlightens the whole world helps no man to see till its light be received into the eye Suppose the blood of Christ were as extensive and universal a cause of salvation as any men pretend to and contend for it could produce no such effect till faith hath wrought a particular application a great gift enriches not the beggar in the rich mans hand but in his own having received it Use 3. Here 's abundant comfort to all them that have by faith applyed and interested themselves in Christ crucified here 's blood that will interpose between you and harmes Christs treading the Wine presse leads you into the Wine Celler though to him it was very painful to you it is very comfortable that which he felt as blood believers may taste as wine Never was there such a Cordial for drooping and disconsolate soules as that which came from Christs heart when his side was broacht and set running upon the Crosse Comfort in five particulars 1. Your enemies are foyled A Believer hath many enemies this blood of Christ hath either reconciled or disarmed them either made them friends or left them impotent enemies To give a short list of a few of them 1. The justice of God that 's satisfied out of Christ it hath a dreadful quarrel and implacable controversie and poor believers are many times afraid under their misapprehensions that exact and inexorable justice will either non-suit or give a verdict against them but they are more afraid than hurt this blood hath made justice their friend Being justified by faith Rom. 5.1 Rev. 4.3 we have peace with God and in Christ he now sits with a rain-bow about his Throne God once drowned the world in wrath but smelling a sweet savour of rest from Noahs sacrifice he purposed and promised never to do so any more and as a badge and token of his favour and the firmnesse of that Covenant of Peace he put his Rain-bow in the clouds If you can upon good grounds say that Christ is yours there 's a Rain-bow about Gods Throne his Bench of Judicature and condemnation is turned into a mercy-seat justice will set hand and Seale to your acquittance and be so farre from pleading against you that it turnes your Advocate Rom. 3.25 26. and Christ having shed his blood because God is just the believer must be justified 2. The Law is fulfilled To be under the Law is a state full of danger and terrour and Saints are many times afraid that it will be put in as a black bill of inditement against them but the blood of Christ hath scracht the curses out of the Rolle He hath Redeemed them from the Curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 Rom. 6.14 being made a Cursâ— for them they are not under the Law but under grace Not undeâ— the Law as to its invenomed curses inexorable severity and intolerable penalties The Law it self to every believer 1 Tim. 1.9 is as it were non-suited by the death of the Law-maker It is not made for a righteous man it was given to Adam when he was righteous and yet strongly obliges such as are righteous but it lies not against a righteous man so the word signifies as to his condemnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not laid as an Axe to the root of the tree Col. 2.15 3. Satan is subdued Christs bruised heele hath broken his head He spoyled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in his Crosse The whole Host of Hell with all their traine of Artillery was led Captive by him on the Crosse and tyed to the Chariot-wheels of this triumphant Conquerour When the door-post was sprinkled with blood the destroying Angel passed away the blood of Christ sprinkled on the conscience is a choice Antidote and preservative against this devouring Abaddon not but that he still may be a Tempter and a troubler but he shall never be a conquerour never a tormentor Christopher Haasse a Swedish Senator being at the point of death the Devil appeared by his bed side with pen ink and paper Come quoth he reckon up thy sins in order as thou hast committed them that I may carry them in a Catalogue to Gods Tribunal whether thou art going Well Satan saith he if it must be so let the Catalogue be under this head and Title The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head and away flew the Devil in a great rage ah sirs had we but the right art of pleading the blood of Christ it would make this roaring Lion more to tremble than the Lion doth at the cock-crowing 4. Sin is abolished and that is a far worse enemy than the Devil Many a