it * Par in parem non habet potestatem For equals haue no authority ouer equals much lesse Inferiours ouer Superiours We sinne not though wee stirre not at their command who haue no power ouer vs None is such a Superiour as hath power ouer our Consciences but God onely For Superiors hauing power to command any they can take knowledge when they offend and they can punish those who transgresse with condigne punishment but none beside God can take knowledge of Iam. 4.12 or punish the Conscience Nothing then can be sinne but the breach of Gods law Obiect But doe not the Lawes of men in authoritie binde the Conscience Ans Not by themselues and primarily but secondarily by participation with the Law of God which doth immediately and of it selfe binde the Conscience As water doth make hot and scald sometimes not of it selfe but as it participateth in the heate of fire which immediately from the nature of it maketh hot If they commaund any thing repugnant to Gods word we may diosobey it and not sinne prouided that our deniall of obedience come from conscience of Gods Will and not from want of due subiection in vs. To returne then thither whence wee haue a little digressed Sinne is the breach of Gods Law for looke as to misse our rule and measure is to offend and erre in that which by the rule and measure should haue beene directed so Gods Law being the rule by which our Nature and actions should be ordered wee cannot but erre when we leaue this and we cannot sinne and offend further then we transgresse it For nothing can bee amisse while it doth agree to that measure by which it is to be measured And this sufficeth to shew that sinne is the breach of Gods Law Wherefore in the first Vse 1 place let vs learne to see the fearefulnesse of sin which breaketh his Law who only hath power to saue and destroy If we haue broke the Kings law where it threatens losse of life lim or liberty it is fearefull if we haue broken something that great Persons such on whom wee depend gaue vs in charge how will it disquiet and feare vs but in euery sinne wee breake the Law of the eternall God Vse 2 Secondly let vs labour to know our sinnes by setting before vs this Law of God by which onely commeth the knowledge of sinne Were our faces dirty wee could not know or see them to bee so till some should shew so much vnto vs or our selues should take a glasse and looke our selues in it No more can we know our sinnes as they ought to be knowne till some made wise by the knowledge of the Law doe aduertise vs of them or till our selues get this glasse of the Law and looke into it But the most now loue not to haue the Law sincerely opened but resemble those foolish women who loue not to dresse themselues but by false glasses which make them looke quite otherwise then they are Thirdly seeing sinne is Vse 3 the breach of Gods Law let vs as we would auoide sinne get the knowledge of Gods Law How shall wee in the night auoide mirie sloweâ— and dangerous pits if wee haue not a torch or â—anthorne to discouer the same So in the night of our ignorance we cannot auoide faling into sinne further then this Law as a candle doth giue vs light Men will know penall Statutes and bonds vpon Forfeitures that they may the better keepe themselues from running into them let vs not thinke Ignorance will be a Plea sufficient for excuse If the King once haue proclaimed any thing and the Subiect after sufficient time of notifying his will be ignorant of it at his owne perill be it Further to come to the second point Obser 2 Obser 2. Euery breach of Gods Law is sinne yea and such a sinne as deserueth death and maketh the Offender miserable The least missing of the rule is an error as well as the greatest and both alike for kinde though not for degree So the least swaruing from or breach of Gods law which is our rule is an offence of God and a sinne no lesse for kinde then the greatest though for degree some are greater sinnes then other yea euery breach thereof is sinne deseruing death The wages of sinne is death Rom. 6.23 a Gal. 3.10 Cursed is be that continueth not in all to doe them For indeede the least sinne is contrarie to Charitie as the least droppe of water hath in it contrariety to fire That in the euent it doth not bring death it is from Mercy pardoning not from the nature of sinne not sufficiently demeriting eternall damnation Vse Let vs then take heede of the least breaches of Gods Law Little things neglected doe often doe great hurt little sparkes vnquenched turne to fiers exceeding great So the smallest sinnes deminish the feruour of loue they dispose the soule to great offences As men by little wedges make way for greater so doth the Deuill by lesse sinnes fit vs vnto greater fallings The deuill plaieth no small game but hee meaneth vs much hurt we haue the more need to looke to it For looke as sicke bodies loue to be gratified with some little thing that is beside the rule of diet and doth feede our sicknes So we sicke of sinne loue at least some kinde of liberty which may feed our spirituall sicknesse QVEST. IV. 4. Q. HOw many waies is Gods Law broken A. By doing things forbidden leauing things commaunded and failing in the manner First it is to be noted that the Answer is to be vnderstood of all actuall sinne For omission being a priuation of action the sin thereof must be reduced to the head of actuall sinne How here are set downe three waies of breaking the Law By committing somthing forbidden By omitting And by defectiue performing of something commaunded The Soule in moouing or resting may misse the rule by which it is to be directed First by hauing some obiect diuers from that which the Law of God warranteth Secondly by carrying it selfe otherwise then it ought to that Obiect which in Gods Law is commaunded In sinnes of Commission the soule erreth in the first kinde for it doth mooue it selfe to something which is forbidden vnto it therein and this is the highest kinde of euill For as in a Wife not to loue her Husband is a great leudnesse but not onely to neglect his loue but to turne to the imbracement of Strangers is much more hainous So for the Soule not to cleaue to God in doing righteousnesse is sinnefull but to leaue him and turne to loue and like any kinde of vnrighteousnes this is most sinfull Now the soule carrieth it selfe otherwise then it should to the good commanded when either it doth suspend ceasing to mooue after it as in sinnes of Omission or when it worketh for matter that which is required but in other manner then God hath prescribed either by not working the thing
that wee had in commaund to doe or by so doing it that wee faile in circumstance This last branch is or diuers considerations for the manner of performance sometimes is such as doth change the kinde and make that a sinne to him who so doth it which might haue beene a gratefull obedience Hos 1.4 Thus Iehu in killing Ahab and his Posterity propounding priuate regnancie committed the sin of murther which else had beene an acte of Obedience and Iustice Sometimes it is such as doth not change the kind of it turning it to sinne but hindereth the perfection of it and maketh it sinnefull thus doth the circumstantiall swaruings whereby our best actions are defiled The word in Hebrew which noteth * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sinne is deriued of a word that signifieth the missing of a marke Now a man may misse the marke three waies By shoting ouer it By being short of it By shoting about it but wide either on the right hand or on the left So may we by as many waies swerue from the Law which should be as a marke in our eye either by going beyond that which is commanded in it as in sinnes of Commission or by comming short as in sinne of Omission or by being wide when we are about the thing commanded but so that wee are wide in regard of the circumstance of that straightnesse or integritie that should bee in our actions Vse Let vs therefore take notice how many waies wee breake Gods Law The Law of Sinne sometime carying vs to that which is euill the defect that is in vs making vs to omit good duties and grace and sinne being so intermedled and the one so lusting against the other that wee cannot perfect things as we would Many account it a sin to lye and steale c. but not to repent or not to beleeue or not to giue all diligence to make their Calling and Election sure or not to get Knowledge they cannot see to be sinnes being but the omitting of things commanded To be improfitable in doing nothing this way is not deemed blame-worthy I hope say many I doe no hurt I pray God I neuer doe worse He were an euill Seruant who taking a stoole should sit still and let his worke lie vndone though he had no other fault So many if they should neuer go to Church and serue GOD or say Prayers c. they would thinke it a sinne but to haue their hearts farre from God to doe those things without reuerence they see not this to be sinnefull Nay if the thing they doe be lawfull let them vse it neuer so intemperately they thinke they sinne not nor should not bee rebuked Let them make a trade and vocation of Pastime why they hope God allowes recreation So many if they speake this or that which is true though without wisedome and loue they thinke they may doe it Neuer remembring that good stuffe may bee marred in the making Good things may be so performed that they shall become Sinnes and sinnefull actions QVEST. V. 5. Q. WHat are the punishmentes of Sinne A. All miseries of this life death in the end hell euer after Looke as it is with men if they turne themselues from this aspectable light they are foorthwith inuironed with darkenesse So man turning away by his sinne from God the Father of lights from whence euery good gift commeth he cannot but be forthwith in outward and inward darknesse in all kinde of misery Three kindes or degrees are here set downe The 1. in this life The 2. in death The 3. after death To branch the first would make a Treatise Our soules are dead in ignorance and lust so that they haue in them a seede apt to bring forth euery sinne Our bodies haue mortality as a worme corrupting them Our conditions are exposed to a thousand vanities and wearisome courses and these are but the beginnings of euill In death soule and body being diuorced the soule is kept in chaines of darknes feare and despaire expecting iudgement to come In the day of iudgement our bodies reunited with their soules shall ioyntly be sentenced and feele executed vpon them the full wrath of God which is a consuming fire should wee not by sound faith and repentance preuent those eternall woes Looke as Malefactors are first followed with Hue and cry then taken and committed and kept till the appointed time of Assise and lastly are sentenced and executed So God first in and during this life followes and pursues Sinners with these lighter euils as it were with Hue and Cries ringing in their eares at length by death he apprehends them and keepes them in that darke custodie of damned Spirits the Deuill being as a Iaylor vnto God and in the end when Christ shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead hee shall then take the impenitent and cast them soule and body into inquenchable torment Obiect What are all miseries of this life punishments of Sinne Answ They are being absolutely considered no better but this respect is changed to those that are in Christ They are no more punishments of reuenging Iustice requiring satisfaction but chastisements of fatherly iustice which seeketh this way the exaltation of his children If a Iudge whip a Stripling vnder the age of thirteen and saue him from the gallowes to satisfie the Law for his offence past it is one thing If a Father whip his sonne if hee take him pilfering to keepe him from falling into the like and from comming into danger of the Law this is another thing Two things may be one in nature and differ in respects Two stones may be both alike for the substance of them yet the one may haue a respect to distinguish one mans land from anothers as bound stones doe which the other hath not Thus sicknesse pouerty and disgrace common to the wicked and godly consider them in their being they are alike but the one haue a respect of a iust condemnation inflicted by Gods reuenging iustice for the satisfying of it which the others haue not For Christ hath put himselfe betwixt Gods Iustice and all them that are in him Rom. 8.1 Gal. 3.13 So that there is no condemnation or curse but he hath borne it in their behalfe Obiect Obiect If all miseries in this life belong as punishments to sinne how is it that many Sinners liue so happily exempt from miseries Answ Answ All is not gold that glisters nor is euery estate state happy that seemes happy To be held in dangerous snares is no point of happinesse Psal 69.22 but the Table and by proportion the wealth strength and honour of the wicked are snares Euen as poysons some kill with griping torments some cast into a sleepe and make men laugh till they fall downe dead So the curse of God killeth some with dolorous torment going before in this life some it so affecteth that they go in sweete sleepes laughing till they fall into destruction Whether is
vse that m 1 Pet. 3.21 interrogatory of a good conscience and say n Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to our charge it is Christ that is dead c. To consider this more particularly Christs death doth free vs first from the guilt of sinne Secondly from the spot or power of it in vs. Thirdly from all other punishment The guilt of sinne is a propertie in it binding vs to pay condigne punishment to the iustice of God This punishment therefore borne of Christ and presented by him for vs it cannot be but that our bond to beare it should be dissolued or that iustice might require againe a thing already discharged Secondly our blot of sin that life of the old Serpent that liuing death of soules is remoued For Christs death must not be considered onely as an exemplarie cause working mortification of sin or as a morall cause by way of meditation but as hauing force obtained by it and issuing out of it which doth by litle and litle abolish sinne euen the spirit which doth mortifie the deeds of the flesh both fruits and roots of corruption Looke as Adam dying a naturall death did kill this naturall life in vs all first making it mortall so as it necessarily must die then at length causing death it selfe so doth the death of this second Adam worke the death of sinne first wounding it in vs with mortalitie such as will bring it certainely to death then vtterly dissoluing it in the end Thirdly and lastly Christs death doth free vs from all other miseries for the cause which did breed and continue these taken away they must needs likewise bee remoued Take away the cause of a sicknes you make the painfull distempers which follow vpon it cease also Discharge once the debt for him who lieth in the Counter and all with one worke you free him from prison and many other greeuances to which by reason of his debt he was held subiect But it may be here obiected Obiect If wee be thus freed from sinne and punishment why are we still in and vnder them Ans Rome was not built in one day Answ because great things are not begun and finished all at once Things are said to bee done when they are so begun that they will certainly bee accomplished in their time Wee are therefore said to be dead in the first Adam because though we liue and see nothing for a time but that we are aliue and aliue like yet that mortalitie is in vs vvhich vvill like a vvorme neuer cease to fret and corrupt vs till vvee come to death it selfe If one hath so vvounded a man that he dye vvithin a yeare and a day vvee say he hath slaine him because hee hath so vvounded him that he vvill certainely dye thus our sin is taken avvay in Christ it being so vvounded that in the end it shall certainly be quite abolished Obiect But hovv is it that vvee die are vve deliuered from that Answ Yea vve are inasmuch as that spirit is in vs vvhich shall at length quicken our mortall bodies Further there is a double deliuering one vvhich keepeth vs from prouing and tasting a thing that is euill another from being hurt and ouercome of it We are not deliuered from death in the first kind but in the second And thus Christ himselfe a Heb. 5.7 is said to haue beene heard and deliuered from that hee feared not that hee did not taste death but in that he vvas not ouercome or hurt by it Wherefore let vs hold to Vse 1 this death euen as the anchor of our soules Let vs looke to Christ lifted vp on his Crosse that vve may find deliuerance from all the stings of sinne and death and other miseries b 1 Kin. 1.50 2.28 as malefactors vnder the Lavv vsed to flie to the hornes of the Altar so let vs all flie to this blessed death c Heb. 12.14 vvhich speaketh better things then the blood of Abel vvhich cryed for reuenge Againe this should encourage vs against death that our Sauiour hath so endured it that he hath taken the sting out of it and freed vs from the feare of it If a sicke body should be afraid to drinke of any thing yet if his Physitian should begin hee would not be afraid to drinke after him Christ hath tasted death and drunke the dregs of it that nothing might remaine for vs but that which is holesome QVEST. VII 7. Q. WHat benefit comes by his righteousnesse and obedience A. The fauour of GOD and eternall happinesse are obtained for vs. A perfect Sauiour must not onely deliuer vs from euill but put vs into a secure possession of all good For blessednesse cannot stand in that good which being here to day may be lost to morrow Christ therefore hath not onely by his suffering deliuered vs from euill but by that voluntary and most gratefull obedience which in suffering he shewed hee hath obtained from the grace of God to account vs and iudge vs in him righteous to life eternall Wee must not thinke Christs sufferings like the sufferings of the damned ones to bee meerely satisfactorie to iustice and to haue no other respect in them no it is a most pleasing obedience which may challenge by couenant all good for vs such an obedience in which was shewed the greatest loue to God and to man that can be comprehended yea the knowledge of it passeth all knowledge Eph. 3.19 Now that which wee get by this obedience is first Gods grace or fauour forgiuing sinne reckoning vs righteous to life Secondly Actuall donation of life it selfe For fauour here is not to bee conceiued of Gods first loue as if hee before haâ—ed vs he was indeed angry with vs but he so loued vs as that he gaue Christ for vs Ioh. 3.16 It is meant therefore of the manifestation or influence of his fauour in conferring â—eally on vs the benefits of iustification and life The sunne of Gods loue was eclipsed till Christs loue towards vs in whom the ioyfull Epiphanie of it began was declared Though God doe iustifie vs out of grace yet his sentence is according to truth and if he pronounce vs iust to the receiuing of life wee must haue some righteousnesse iustifying vs. This cannot be any imperfect righteousnesse in part sinnefull much lesse can he iustifie vs hauing no righteousnesse as a foundation to his sentence therefore it must be a perfect one such we haue none but Christs herein he is an Antitype to that first Adam euen as Iacob now clothed with his eldest brothers apparell did get the blessing so is it with vs hauing put on Christ and his obedience which in effectuall calling wee doe through faith then the Lord doth giue vs the blessing If one doe for mee any such peice of worke which by agreement hath due to it any wages or reward vpon the worke done in my name I haue title to demaund the reward
disparagement to his iustice doth cause his Christ whom out of grace he called and inioyned to performe to him such an obedience in which his iustice might receiue full contentment that so hee might out of grace bestow on vs all good things in Christ iustice no whit gaine-saying and in this is the mutuall kisse of mercy and of iustice Ob. But could not God forgiue without satisfaction Answ Sinne is such a thing as God cannot but disallow his nature doth determine him to dislike all that as euill which hath not conformitie with himselfe 2. I say it doth seeme that God is not absolutely bound to punish sinne with that death his Law threatened as hee was not absolutely bound to continue his Creature though doing good in that life the Law promised but he was bound to this by his voluntary couenant 3. I say that since Gods sanction a Ezek. 18.20 when thou sinnest thou shalt die he cannot forgiue without satisfaction to iustice b 2 Tim. 2.3 For he cannot deny himselfe his will is made knowne that his iustice violated shall be satisfied in condigne punishment wherfore let vs take heede of such Spirits as make God free to forgiue though his iustice be not satisfied who say no proper price of Redemption was paid for it but that we are said to be redeemed because set free as the Israelites were said to be sold because God yeelded them into the hands of their enemies Secondly we see what wee must put betweene Gods reuenging iustice and our selues euen Christ satisfying of it Looke as we set a screene twixt the fire and vs to keepe vs from the heate of it so must wee by faith set our Sauiour Christ twixt the reuenging wrath of God which is a consuming fire and our soules QVEST. III. 3. Q. HOw did hee answere the Law A. By bearing the punishment which the Law threatned and fulfilling the obedience the Law required Now is further opened the particulars of that which was meant by those words of the former answere in that Christ answered the Law The manner standing partly in bearing the penaltie which it inflicted partly by performing the condition of doing all things requisite to the obtaining of life eternall This answere doth stand in regard of the latter part vpon a iudgement of Diuines who thinke that the Law though in innocencie it did absolutely tie vs onely to obedience and in case of sinning only to punishment yet since mans fall into sin they thinke the Law doth absolutely knit on vs a double bond 1. to indure that penaltie it inflicteth 2. That it doth tie on vs that former bond of obeying her that we may liue by her Now the illustration is easie for this being granted that Gods iustice in his Law doth tie vs in this double bond both of suffering punishment and doing to life all that is commanded in it then it is sure that Christ did in both these regards answer for vs Looke as a Surety if he vndertake for one who standeth bound in twentie seuerall bonds he must discharge them all before the Debtor can be released So Christ vndertaking for vs if wee stand tied in the said double bond hee must answere both or our debt must in part bee vndischarged This we know that hee was made vnder the Law Gal. 4.4 in regard of the curse of it that he might deliuer vs from the curse of it Againe this we are sure of that as the Law was a rule of holines iustice sobriety Christ did perfectly keepe it Let vs know then Vse that whateuer can be asked of vs to forgiuenesse of sinne and making vs righteous to life Christ hath performed it all so that in him we are compleate lacking nothing to our full deliuerance from all euill and consummation of blessednesse QVEST. IIII. 4. Q. HOw did he answere the punishment of the Law for vs. A. By bearing manifold miseries all his life long and in the end the wrath of God and the cursed death of the Crosse The sufferings of our Sauiour are fitly diuided into those which befell in the course of his life or about the time of his death for he wanted not from birth to buriall wherewith to conflict The first of these two branches containe those common effects of mortalitie and miserie such as are incident to mans nature as now it is become sinnefull For as the Serpent lifted vp was like to other stinging Serpents though it had no sting So our Sauiour listed vpon his crosse to whom we looke by the eie of faith it was fit he should be made like a Rom. 8.3 to the similitude of sinnefull flesh and that therefore he should be subiected to such infirmities as follow our sinnefull nature but are not sinnefull Thus hee had c Heb. 5.7 naturall feare which was not at the first in created nature though there might be a spirituall feare of Gods threatning yet there was no naturall feare because there was not any obiect thereof any naturall euill as yet entred so hee had d Mar 3 5. griefe indignation though these passions in him were most pure and holy it being with Christ as with a christall glasse full of cleare water which is still pure howsoeuer it be shaken hee was in his body subiect to wearinesse to hunger yea e Esa 53.3 Esay saith hee was familiarly acquainted with infirmities in his estate hee became poore f Luk. 9.58 The Foxes had holes but the sonne of man had not where to put his head in his name he was called g Math. 10.25 Belzebub himselfe in a word hee did indure such common blames infirmities and miseries as wee doe who are sinnefull though hee knew no sinne for personall sicknesses grounded often in the seede of which we are propagated or conceiued by intemperancie and other indiscretions as falling sicknesse stone gout c. wee must not thinke our Sauiour could in his person be subiect to such particular miseries but as for the common infirmities of our nature his life was full of them For looke as we traine Souldiers by lighter skirmishes before we bring them forth to beare the brunt and heate of the battell so the Lord trained this great Champion exercising his strength in lesse euills before he would bring him to the heate and height of all his warfare His sufferings about the time of his death began in his agony and lasted to his resurrection For though a Ioh. 19.30 from what time he said it is finished hee had no sense of paine or grife yet he was in state of suffering Now these his greater sufferings may be reduced to the pains and sorrowes of his soule and the naturall death of his body which hee endured for vs. Though we must not conceiue any thing of Christ in suffering which dissolueth the personal vnion of it with God or the inherent holinesse of it yet without preiudice of either of these might hee suffer grieuous