lasting Monuments of God's Grace and Power and of their Patience and Magnanimity to all succeeding Generations Let no sincere Christian then be discourag'd tho he be now and then obnoxious to Satans Temptations For if he hold out vigorously the Power and Malice of the Devil shall not only be much abated by the Opposition of good Angels who are much more able and active to preserve and protect us then Devils and wicked Men can be to mischieve and hurt us But the Spirit of God is also greater in us 1 Joh. 4.4 then he that is in the World and he who is God over all has prescrib'd such Bounds to our Enemies of all sorts that they are now confin'd like those turbulent and otherwise uncontrolable Waves of the Sea Job 1 1â— that they can only move so far and no further then he pleases But this is to be understood of Believers only For the sinful and disobedient Eph. 2.2 3. the unbelieving and impenient are led captive by him become his absolute Slaves and Vassals and are forward to commit all those Villanies which he doth perswade and tempt 'em to tho never so dishonourable to God or mischievous to themselves and others But here I must note to you Absolute Conquest over Sin not attâ—â—able in this Life that we cannot expect an absolute Conquest over Sin and Satan in this Life by the Sacrifice of Christ's Death And therefore we had need to stand continually upon our Guard and pray incessantly for the Assistances of God's Grace and Spirit to help our Infirmities and enable us to resist them yet this we are certain of which may encourage us in the Conflict that when we come within the Fortifications of the new Hierusalem we shall reap the blessed Fruits of this great Expiation and have a total Exemption from all Temptation Sin and Suffering whatsoever Then shall our Bodies shine as the Brightness of the Sun Beams and as the Stars for ever and ever and our Souls shall be cloath'd with an immaculate and spotless Dei-formity Then shall all those Laws which are now so difficult to be perform'd be either cancell'd and repeal'd or our merciful High-priest will furnish us with a Sufficiency of Will and Power to obey them Then will all our Desires Inclinations and Affections cheerfully concur without any by-respects to our private Interests or Passions in the promoting of God's Glory and the mutual Joy and Happiness of the whole Community of holy and beatified Spirits Then shall all Labour and Travel Sorrow and Sickness be at an end and Death it self which is now so terrible to Flesh and Blood shall be swallow'd up in absolute and perfect Victory Then shall the Devil our most malicious and inveterate Enemy and all his Agents be cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone and shall be confin'd eternally to those Flames and Tortures which are prepar'd for him and his Angels There are several other Benefits resulting from this great Propitiation More particular Benefits which I have toucht already and therefore shall only name them here as the Conquest which Christ has obtain'd over the World with all its vain Pomps 1 Joh. 5. â— Honours Beauties Pleasures c. which the Apostle did so much glory in and rejoice at Eph. 2.15 16. He has put away the Enmity between God and Man between one Man and another and between every good man and his own Conscience He has ratified and confirm'd the new Covenant between God and us Heb. 10.29 in his own Bloud repair'd God's Honour which had been so much obscur'd and violated by our Disobedience and Rebellion against him and has restor'd us to all those just Rights and Priviledges which we thereby forfeited and lost He has rais'd and advanc'd us to the Honour and Happiness of God's own Sons thus mystically uniting us to himself and elevating us above the World In a Word he has fully satisfied God's Justice which had been so often affronted by our Iniquities and perfectly made up the Breach between God and Man as we have prov'd before to the advancement of his own Glory and the unspeakable Comfort and Happiness of all true Believers Thus our most faithful and compassionate High-Priest has made our perfect and plenary Atonement with God by that infinite Sacrifice and unsinning Obedience which he perform'd in his Life and has perfected at his Death Which Propitiation of his is fully correspondent to God's determinate Counsel and all the Prophesies and Types in holy Scripture concerning him We have seen likewise what a happy State and Condition Mankind is in by his Assumption of our Nature and what Blessings and Priviledges he has purchas'd for us and will certainly bestow on us if we endeavour to make our Lives the Transcript of his Doctrine and Example We shall Apply this Point by considering what practical Inferences may be drawn from it And 1 The serious and impartial Consideration of this great Mystery The Influence which this Doctrine should have upon Practice should affect our Souls with the highest Transports and oblige us to make the most affectionate Returns of Love and Duty towards him No Imagination could devise any thing beyond this That the Lord of eternal Life should stoop from the Top of Heaven and under the Vail of our Flesh endure the Pain and Infamy of an accursed Cross not only to rescue his Enemies from Death but to exalt them to eternal Life What infinite Obligations are these and how unworthy should we be of those Favours if the effects in our Hearts and Lives do not bear some considerable Proportion to those wonderful Emanations of his Love and Bounty And how should we Love him above all things who has thus loved us 2 This is a most solid Foundation for our Faith Rom. 8.32 our Hope and Confidence to rest upon amongst all the distracting Cares and Sorrows of a miserable World That we live under the Providence and Protection of an all-powerful and merciful God and have the Plea of Christ's infinite Merits to secure and confirm to us our present and eternal Peace upon such reasonable easie Conditions as are propounded in the Gospel If these things were duely weigh'd and consider'd they would prove the best and most absolute Catholicon to cure all the melancholly Suggestions of Distrust and Infidelity 3 Our serious Reflexions upon that black and tragical Scene of Christ's Sorrows and Sufferings for our Sins may give us a true Representation of the damnable Nature heinous Aggravations and dreadful Consequences of 'em and inspire us with the greatest Dread against Detestation of those Enemies which are so dishonourable to God and mischievous to our selves For our Sins alas have been the Betrayers and Slanderers of the most innocent Son of God our best Friend and most compassionate Redeemer and the immediate Authors too of that painful and infamous Death and all the precedent Cruelties which he suffer'd for
and every Name that is named both in this World and 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 This is he of whom St. John makes mention that he was clothed in a Garment dipt in Bloud Rev. 19.13 16. com Isa 63.2 3. the Ensign of his Victory and Triumph over all his and the Church's Enemies and his Name was called the Word of God and he has on his Vesture and on his Thigh a Name written KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS Many other Arguments and Authorities might be added from Scripture if 't were necessary to confirm and illustrate this Point Ioh. 1â— 37 But Pilate tho' a Heathen believ'd it upon his own single Testimony and may serve instead of many others as appeareth by the Inscription set over him on the Cross Ioh. 19.19 with the Sanction added what I have written I have written 2dly His Kingly Authority is asserted and confirm'd by the many strange and wonderful Miracles which he wrought For he manifested his Power on Earth in curing the Blind and the Lame and all manner of Diseases and in raising the dead Bodies of Lazarus and many others at his Resurrection He exerted it in the Sea when he asswaged its Storms and Tempests and walked on the Water without a Ship He gave a Testimony of it in the Air when he led Captivity captive drew Principalities after him and trampled upon them And lastly he exercis'd his Kingly Power in Hell in his Conquest over the Devil and all the infernal Furies Who in despight of all their Policy Power and Malice were forc't to confess that he was omnipotent Act. 19.15 and therefore they must submit to his Jurisdiction 3 We have the unanimous Consent of all pious and prudent Christians in all Ages who have cheerfully submitted themselves to the Sceptre of his Kingdom For they had their whole Dependance on his Power for their Safety on his Wisdom for their Guidance and Direction and on his infinite Merits and Mercy for their comfortable Living here and eternal Salvation hereafter But as Christ our King is invested with an absolute and unlimited Power and Authority so he has an unquestionable Right and Title to govern the whole World and all the Creatures in it And he holds this absolute Tenor of Empire and Soveraignty 1 By Inheritance Christ has an undoubted Right to this Office Mat. 2.2 1. By Inheritance This is clear from the Concessions of the Eastern Sages who came so far to see him and do him Homage And besides his Hereditary Power as the eternal Son of God he was of the Royal Race as Man St. Matthew derives his Pedigree from fourteen Kings successively and therefore his hereditary Title as Man to the Kingdom of Israel must needs be indisputable 2 He has an absolute and unquestionable Right to his Kingdom by Donation 2. By donation Mat. 28.18 Psal 8.7 Matth. 9.6 Ioh. 5.22 Ioh. 5.27 Mat. 16.27 and hence he derives his Power and Authority to rule and govern all things to forgive us all our Sins and to indemnifie us from the Punishment of them to pass Judgement upon Angels and Men not only in what concerns his Kingdom of Grace here but in determining their final Doom and Condition hereafter and in the Distribution of Rewards and Punishments to the faithful and disobedient 3 He has obtain'd an absolute Right to govern all the Creatures by Conquest For he has spoil'd all Principalities and Powers 3. By Conquest taken the Prey out of their Teeth and in despight of the Power and Policy of Devils and wicked Men the greatest Part of the known World have been reduc'd from their Heathenish and Idolatrous Superstitions in worshipping false Gods and have cheerfully and voluntarily submitted themselves to be govern'd by the just Laws and Constitutions of his Kingdom 4 He has a just claim to his Kingly Government by Purchase 4. By Purchase Rom. 2.23 c. For when by our Sin and Rebellion against God we had justly forfeited our Lives lost our Freedom contracted an universal Guilt and Stain and had not only depriv'd our selves of all the Hope and Possibility of any future Comfort and Happiness but were sentenc'd to Death and as condemn'd Slaves and Villains bound over to everlasting Torments When I say we were by our Sins plung'd into this desperate and damnable Condition 1 Tim. 2.6 Act. 20.28 2 Pet. 1.18 without the least prospect of Reprieve or Rescue Then it was that the eternal Son of God and our blessed Saviour purchased our Peace and Pardon by the Sacrifice of his dearest Life and has hereby restor'd all his faithful Votaries to the comfortable Enjoyment of God's Grace and Favour Hence 't is evident in all these several Respects that our Lord Jesus Christ is the most absolute King of Kings and Lord of Lords A King at whose feet all Prices and Emperors must cast down their Crowns and a Lord whose Authority supersedes the Power and Jurisdiction of all Earthly Princes and Monarchs They must all stoop to him all Nations shall do him service And thus much of the Original and Extent of our Saviour's Kingly Office We pass forward 2dly The Administration of Christ's Kingly Government To the Administration of his Government But for the better understanding of this Point we must consider the Government of Christ's Kingdom under a double Acceptation And 't is 1 Vniversal over all the Creatures which the School-men call the Kingdom of his Power Whereby he orders and disposes all things and rules all the Creatures visible and invisible within this vast frame of the Vniverse For he governeth the highest Heavens and appoints the holy Angels his ministring Spirits their several Offices and Imployments He rules the lower Orbs causing Day and Night Heat and Cold Summer and Winter He governs the Air the Winds and Seas Storms and Tempests raising and calming them again how and when and where he pleases He rules the Earth and all the Inhabitants thereof so that those things which seem casual and contingent to us are order'd and brought to pass by his determinate Councel and Providence He exerciseth his Power and Authority in Hell over-ruling those unruly Powers of Darkness keeping that disorderly Rout under a certain kind of Government well known to himself but inconceivable to us or to them who are rul'd by it So that from the glorious Angels to the crawling Worms from the highest Heavens to the lowest Hell all the Creatures are within the Sphere and Compass of his absolute and indeed unlimited Jurisdiction But 2 And more Particularly He exerciseth his Dominion over the Church his Body and every particular Member thereof His Kingdom is founded in the Souls and Consciences of all true Believers where he reigns by his Word and Spirit directing them in the Ways of Godliness by his Grace that
Guidance and Protection of so great a Lord who bears to us the Bowels of a Man and the tenderest Compassions of a Brother We 've inforc't all these Obligations to Holiness of Life and newness of Obedience by our Vows and Covenant in Baptism we repeat them frequently in the Lord's Supper and do oblige our selves still more and more by our renewed Choices and Promises in every Duty of Religion And we have in all these and many other Instances devoted our Selves our Souls and Bodies entirely to his Service How should we then in Conformity with the Design of this Treatise make it the Scope and Aim of all our Desires and Endeavours to be where Christ our great Prophet Priest and King is And since he is gone to Heaven to prepare a Place for us Ioh. 14 3â— let us make it the Endeavour and Business of our whole Lives Phil. 3 2â— according to the Rules laid down in this Book to dispose and qualifie our selves for that Place By which means we may not only live comfortably here and solace our selves with the Peace of a good Conscience in doing the Duties of our Christian Calling But after this painful Life ended we shall have the most perfect Consummation of Grace in the possession of the Rewards of eternal Glory and Bliss Which God of his infinite Mercy grant unto us for our blessed Saviour's sake To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be ascrib'd by us and all the World Blessing and Glory and Honour and Power and Thanksgiving for ever and ever Amen A Morning Prayer for Families O Most Glorious and Eternal Lord God the Father of Mercies and the God of all Consolations thou art greatly to be fear'd in the Assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all that draw nigh unto thee We thy unworthy Servants desire with all Humility to acknowledge our immediate Dependance upon thee for by thy Power we were made by thy Wisdom we are govern'd by thy Goodness we are provided for under thy Dominion we live and we owe unto thee all that we have in this World or hope for in the next And yet alas we have made very unsutable returns unto thy Bounty For we have violated all thy just reasonable Commands not only by our mistakes and indiscretions by our sudden secret and unobserved Sins but we have set at naught and trampled upon thy sovereign Power and Authority by our open voluntary deliberate and actual Transgressions to the dishonour of thy glorious Name the scandal of our holy Profession and the great encrease of our shame and sorrow Besides such is the ignorance of our Minds the stubborness of our Wills and the unruliness of our Affections that we have been either wholly negligent about or careless and trifling in the performance of those incomparably pleasant Duties of our holy and excellent Religion Whereby much of our precious Time has been wickedly mis-spent either in sinful Recreations or Idleness and Vanity And to increase and aggravate our Guilt and Punishment we have sinned against many Judgements and Mercies Vows and Resolutions the Light of thy holy Spirit and the many checks and convictions of our own Consciences by all which we have made and judged our selves unworthy of eternal Life Wherefore holy Father we might justly expect the severest Resentments of thy Wrath and Vengeance in the most due and deserved Punishment of all our Sins But thou art a God of Mercy and with thee is plenteous Redemption thy Promises are full in Christ Jesus to truly humble and penitent Sinners We come with boldness therefore to the Throne of thy heavenly Grace most humbly begging the Aids of thy holy Spirit that with a deep Sorrow and hearty Contrition we may stedfastly bewail all the Sins and Offences of our past-lives Increase our sorrow and detestation of 'em still more and more Remove far from us all Security and Presumption Impenitence and unbelief and all the sad Remains of Apostacy and Disobedience and if it be thy gracious Pleasure deliver us from temporal Punishments however from eternal Death But since there 's no hope of Mercy and Forgiveness whilst we continue in the Ways of Sin and Irreligion which lead to Hell and Damnation let the sense of our Vileness prevail with us to forsake and abandon all our Sins so that we may never return to them again with any consent delight or approbation Forgive we pray thee whatever we have done spoke or thought amiss bury all our Iniquities in the bottomless Ocean of thy own Mercy and Forgetfulness and our Saviour's Bloud and for the sake of his infinite Merits deliver us from the Guilt and Pollution the Dominion and Punishment of all our Offences Lift up our Hearts we pray thee above all the little and empty yet alluring Trifles of this vain and transitory World Affect our Souls with a true and lively sense of our Duty and Dependance upon thee Restore and renew in us that Health and Comfort Joy and Peace Freedom and Strength Knowledge and Integrity by the Righteousness of the second Adam which we forfeited and lost by the Fall and Disobedience of our first Parents Improve and cherish still more and more those holy Resolutions of Growth and Perseverance in all Wisdom and Goodness that neither Life nor Death good Report nor bad Report may obstruct our Obedience nor separate us from thy Love Conduct us safely thro' all the Changes and Varieties of this troublesome Life in Peace and safety and dispose and qualifie us with such a holy and innocent Frame and Temper of Mind and Spirit that we may live with and enjoy thee for ever Send forth thy Light and thy Truth and enlighten we beseech thee all the dark Corners of the Earth with the bright Beams of thy glorious Gospel Bless more especially all Estates and Conditions of Men in the Communion of thy holy Catholic Church But we intreat thee more particularly for the increase of true Wisdom and Godliness in the Churches of these Kingdoms We confess O Lord thou mightest justly remove thy Candlestick from us and give it to a People more deserving than we but as thou hast been pleas'd to magnifie thy Mercy hitherto in the wonderful Defence of our Persons Religion and Government notwithstanding the malicious Designs and wicked Contrivances of those fierce fiery and politic Spirits who have ill will at our Sion So continue we beseech thee the present Establishment in Church and State with a Blessing upon both to us and our Posterity for ever Remember not against us our manifold Provocations neither suffer the Plagues of Atheism and Apostacy Heresie and Schism Sedition and Rebellion to shake the Foundation or interrupt the Public Peace and Tranquility of this excellent Government But unite us all to thy Self in the Bonds of true Faith and Hope and in brotherly Love and Charity one to another To this End we intreat thee for the Health and
Preservation of the King 's most excellent Majesty James the Second c. and all the Royal Family bless the whole Clergy but him especially whom thou hast appointed to watch over us in this Parish together with all the Nobility Gentry and Commonalty of this Realm that they may all become active Instruments for the Advancement of thy Glory the Safety and Preservation of the King's Person Honour and Interest and for the Comfort and Benefit of all his truly loyal peaceable obedient Subjects Visit we pray thee with thy Grace and Blessing all our Relations Friends and Benefactors forgive the Injuries committed against thee and us by all our Enemies Comfort and Support all distressed Persons with the stedfast Belief of sure Confidence in and a patient Submission to thy divine Will and Wisdom in all Straits and Sufferings whatsoever And now O Lord we return thee most humble and hearty Thanks for all those temporal and spiritual Blessings which make the time of our short abode in this Life more easie and comfortable to us But let our Souls for ever love adore admire and praise thee for thine infinite Goodness Bounty in sending thine own Son from the highest Region of Bliss to take our Nature upon him Who submitting to all the Indignities of a sorrowful Life and the Injuries and Tortures of a painful and accursed Death has not only deliver'd us from the dreadful and damning Effects of our Sin and Disobedience but puts us thereby into an undoubted Capacity of being sayed appointing the Use of such Means and affording us those most powerful Assistances whereby we may live comfortably here and be happy for ever We praise thee more particularly for the Safety and Refreshment of the Night past and since thy Providence has bless'd us with the Light of another Day keep our Souls and Bodies we beseech thee pure and undefiled and enable us to imploy it and the whole residue of our Lives to thy Glory and the real and mutual Benefit of of our selves and others So that after the few Dayes and Nights we have to pass in this World we may be happily translated from the short and troublesome Enjoyments thereof to the ravishing and immutable Pleasures of a future and better Life Grant these our most humble Suplications and what thou seest further needful and convenient for us we sincerely beg at thy hands for the Merits of Jesus Christ the righteous in whose holy Name and Words we pray unto thee Our Father c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. An Evening Prayer for Families O Lord the Almighty Creator of the World and the merciful Redeemer of Mankind who seest our down lyings and uprisings and to whom the Darkness and Light are both alike Thou art a God of Infinite Purity and Holiness nor can any thing be added to thy admirable Perfections and essential Glory by us or any of thy Creatures for thou reprovest thy Angels of Folly and the Heavens are impure before thee much more might the sense of our wretched Estate and Condition make us justly asham'd and afraid to offer unto thee any Sacrifice yet in great Mercy to our Souls thou hearest Prayer and thy Power and Goodness are every where manifest in the visible Administrations of thy Providence We beseech thee therefore to accept of this Evening Oblation of our Souls and Bodies which we desire with all Humility to present a holy living and acceptable Sacrifice unto thee thro' Jesus Christ We do confess O Lord and in great bitterness of Spirit lament and bewail our detestable Impiety Unworthiness and hardness of Heart in that we have wilfully trampled upon thy Sovereign Power and Authority by violating and transgressing thy just and reasonable Commands rejecting all the bountiful Tenders of thy Grace and Mercy and obstinately despising the Riches of thy Forbearance and long suffering Patience which should lead us to Repentance But thou hast graciously spar'd us hitherto when we deserved Punishment and in the midst of Judgement thinkest upon Mercy Wherefore O Lord thy Mercy is our Sanctuary and unto thee do we flie for Succour Let the sense of our Vileness possess us with an holy Indignation against our Selves and give us Grace to look back upon the Offences of our former Lives with that horrour and regret hatred and detestation that neither our vile Lusts the illusions of Satan nor the alluring Enticements of this vain and transitory World may prevail with us to neglect the great Concernments of Eternity And for the perfecting of our present and future Happiness we beseech thee O heavenly Father to be gracious and merciful unto us in the forgivenness of all our Sins Pardon the vanity and impurity of our Thoughts the sinfulness of our prophane idle and impertinent Words and the Impurity injustice and Impiety of all our Actions Purge our whole Nature from the Stain and Pollution of the Old-man not only from grosser presumptuous Sins but even from our private Slips and more secret Corruptions Sanctifie us throughly by thy holy Spirit and we shall be clean wash us in thy Sons Bloud and we shall be whiter than Snow Bless all our Endeavours of Reformation and let the redundant Satisfaction of our meritorious Advocate and Intercessor prevail for our Release and Rescue for thy Grace and Acceptance Fix our thoughts our hopes and desires on Heaven and heavenly Things Make us watchful over our Ways and enrich our Understandings and our Wills with the love of Goodness and Knowledge of thy Truth Mortifie and subdue all our lustful Appetites and Passions by the Operation and Prevalence of thy Grace that we may submit our Selves entirely to the gracious and safe Conduct of rectified Reason and Religion And to this end we beseech thee strengthen our Faith confirm our Hope and give us a daily increase of Charity that we may serve thee sincerely fervently and constantly in Righteousness and true Holiness all the days of our Life Enable us to increase still more more and persevere in all the Instances of Piety Virtue that by adding Strength to Strength and one degree of Grace unto another we may have acomfortable Well-being in this Life and in the World to come Life everlasting We implore thy Mercies also for the Peace and Happiness of all Mankind Bless thy Church universal but more especially that part of it to which we stand so nearly related in these divided Kingdoms of great Brittain and Ireland Remember not O Lord our crying Sins nor the Iniquities of our Forefathers whereby these Nations have been involv'd in Bloud and Ruine and do still cry aloud against us for Vengeance But out of the Bowels of thy tenderest Mercy and for the sake of our Compassionate Redeemer let thy heavy Wrath and Judgements be turned away from us Bless our gracious Soveraign and all the Royal Family endue him with the Spirit of Wisdom and sound Judgement in thy Fear and make him successful in
in the handling of this Point that I may inform and affect my Reader with the saving Truths and important Duties contain'd in it In order whereunto I shall observe this Method And 1st Titles Synonimous to his Priestly Office Heb. 5.10 Heb. 2.17 Heb. 9.11 1 John 2.2 1 Tim. 2.6 Rev. 13.8 1 Cor. 5.7 Rom. 3.29 Eph .2.14 We shall consider the several Titles ascribd to our blessed Saviour in holy Scripture which are synonimous and correspondent to his Priest-hood wherein he is said to be the great High-Priest the merciful and faithful High-Priest the High-Priest of good things to come the High-Priest over the House of God our Advocate with the Father the Price of our Redemption the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World Christ our Passover and the Propitiation for our Sins All which Passages and Compellations do necessarily imply that Christ our High-Priest assum'd our Nature that he might perform absolute unsinning Obedience to the whole Will of God and thereby fulfill the Conditions of the first Covenant which we had wilfully violated in Adam and yet being faultless to undergo and that voluntarily a shameful and painful Death for us upon the Cross to make our Atonement Who having seal'd this new Covenant of our Redemption in his Blood is now ascended into the Heavens where he sits at the right hand of God Heb. 7.25 as we noted before pleading his own Merits and Interceding powerfully for our Reconciliation We pass on 2dly From his Titles to his Office And this great Mystery of our Saviour's Priesthood will I hope be fully stated and consider'd by treating plainly and distinctly of these two Particulars 1 Of the Satisfaction which he made for us on Earth 2 Of his powerful Intercession for us in Heaven The former of these is purchaâ—â— by his Merits the latter is applied by his Mediation He satisfied for our Sins upon the Altar of the Cross and so became a Priest and Sacrifice for us according to the Order of Aaron he applies that Satisfaction and intercedes for us at the right hand of God where he becomes a Priest for ever by the Laws of an unchangeable Priesthood according to the Order of Melchisedec Heb. â— 6 Both these do plainly refer to and directly point at our blessed Jesus the true Priest of the New Covenant Heb. 7.3 〈◊〉 10.1 tho the Order of Melchisedec is far more excellent and honourable than that of Aaron both in respect of the Person and Office But to return I begin First With the Satisfaction which he made for us on Earth Of Christ's Satisfaction on Earth In the handling whereof and for the better understanding of this necessary Point of Faith we shall do these two Things 1 We shall prove that God's Justice is fully Satisfied for Mans Sin and Disobedience and we thereby restor'd to God's Grace and Favour 2 We shall consider by what Methods this great Business was brought to pass For the 1 Christ breathed forth his Soul God's Justice fully satisfied and offer'd up his dearest Life in Satisfaction to God's Justice for the Sins and Transgressions of lost Mankind For all the Projects and Contrivances of Men and Angels were insufficient for this Purpose and all those imaginary Sacrifices of Bulls and Goats c. under the Law tho of God's immediate Institution and Appointment were of little Significancy Heb. 10. For being only Types and Adumbrations of that real Sacrifice of Christ they could not purge the Conscience from Sin much less were they able to satisfie God's Justicie or make our Atonement But the Merits of Christ's Death were every way commensurate to those Ends as will most evidently appear if we consider 1. The Dignity of the Person by whom the Atonement was wrought being no other then God's most dearly beloved Son Who as we have fully prov'd is God co-essential co-equal and co-eternal with the Father 2. This Truth will be fully made out from the Consideration of those grievous Punishments and Indignities which he suffer'd for us from his Cradle to his Cross his whole Life being an entire Series of Miseries and Persecutions Of which more particularly hereafter 3. That God's Justice is fully satisfied by the Propitiation of Christs Merits is most obvious from his own Acknowledgement and Approbation of 'em who has declar'd himself well pleas'd both with the Excellency of his Person and the Sufficiency of his Obedience and Sufferings Consult at your leisure these several Scripture Arguments which are very apposite to our Purpose Viz. Rom. 6.9 Heb. 9.12 25. Heb. 10.10 14. 1 Pet. 3.10 And to inforce the Belief of this necessary Point of Faith See John 1.29 Isa cap. 53. 1 Cor. 15.22 1 Tim. 2.6 and 1 Tim. 4.10 1 John 1.7 and 1 John 2.22 To which may be added the Energy of the Vnion of his Active and Passive Obedience All which being put together are a clear Demonstration of that full and undeniable Satisfaction which Jesus Christ the righteous has made to God's Justice for the Pardon of our Sins and for the Purchase of our Peace and Reconciliation This important Truth being so firmly grounded must obtain and challenge our Belief and practical Assent to it notwithstanding the Cavils of some and the unreasonable Objections of others which have been fram'd against it for if Christ has not made a plenary Satisfaction for the sins of all Mankind then 't would follow that the Priviledges of the Gospel are not extensive to all and if this Hypothesis should be granted then the Guilt of Adam's Sin is of a larger Extent then Christ's Merits which is such a blasphemous Conceit as can never enter into the Thoughts of a sober Christian Again it would be Injustice to damn the Wicked for their Unbelief if Christ have done and suffer'd nothing for them which would also be dangerous to affirm But to put the matter out of Dispute 't is evident from holy Scripture that Christ died even for those that perish Rom. 14. â—â— Heb. 6.4 5 6. 2 Petâ— 2. â—â— And St. Peter complains that there were Hereticks in his time who denied the Lord that bought them Therefore whosoever shall appropriate these Texts of Scripture to believing Christians only must be guilty of great Mistakes in perverting the genuine Sense and Meaning of em for the defence and mentainance of their own erroneous and heterodox Opinions Thus much may suffice for the Confirmation of this Point namely that our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has fully satisfied God's Justice for the Sins of all Men indefinitely without exception and has put all Mankind in an undoubted Capacity of being sav'd 2 We shall enquire by what Methods and after what Manner this Atonement and Propitiation was wrought By what Means this great Propitiation is wrought that we may the more seasonably apply it for the Comfort and Benefit of our Souls And this could not be accomplish'd as we have hinted before by
any other Means whatsoever then the Merits of Christ's Death By which 't is fully made out that God's Justice is wholly satisfied and our Offences punish'd in the Humane Nature of Christ Which is the Point now under Consideration If we make a particular Enquiry into our blessed Saviour's Sufferings and Sorrows in his Life and at his Death we shall be more fully satisfied touching the reality of his Merits and of the Certainty as well as the Manner of our Atonement by that dear and unvaluable Price which he paid for it For he endured all the imaginable Tortures which humane Nature could be subject to not for his own Sins for there was no guile sound in him but ours and did bear in his own Person the Iniquities of us all He was smitten for our Offences and wounded for our Transgressions the Chastisement of our Peace was upon him Isa 53. and by his Stripes we are healed For having assum'd the same Nature that had sinn'd he must suffer for the Guilt which we had contracted and bear the heavy Wrath of God which pursued our Sins after the same manner that our selves should have done Nor can we be ignorant of that which he endur'd for us by the Twinges and Agonies we sometimes feel in our own Consciences when God is pleas'd to awake ' em But to come nearer the Point Our Saviour's whole Life was a black Scene of Sorrows and Miseries and Persecutions did await him in every Place where he came The Nature of my Subject does oblige me here A Narrative of our Saviour's Sufferings in his Life and at his Death to present my Reader with a particular Narrative of the pungent Miseries which our compassionate High-priest underwent for our sakes in his Life and at his Death Insomuch that 't is a received Maxim that Christ and his Cross were never parted For His first Entertainment in the World was in a Stable amongst the Cattel and on a Cratch which were very mean and slender Accommodations for the Son of God and Saviour of the World On the eighth day after his Birth he endured the Pain and Peril of Circumcision and immediatly after his Parents were forc'd to take a long and tedious Journey in the midst of Winter to preserve their Son's Life from the Assassinations of a cruel and butcherly Herod After his return from Egypt to Galilee he liv'd in a mean Obscurity to secure himself from the Rage of Archelaus Herod's Son and an inheritor of his Father's Pride and Passions as well as Patrimony But at his appearing more publickly in the World the Devil his inveterate Enemy carried him into the Wilderness where he endur'd a forty Days Fast Mat. ◠doubtless a most severe Pennance and was tempted all the Time to blaspheme God and become Satan's Proselite He had no sooner atchiev'd a Victory over this infernal Fiend but he set his Agents the Scribes and Pharisees on work to blast his Reputation and if that Project fail'd to take away his Life In a Word Distress and Poverty Hunger and Thirst Weakness and Weariness Reproache and Slanders Miseries and Persecutions did await him in every Place where he came But more particularly Judas one of his own Disciples and Family betray'd him and deliver'd him into the hands of those wicked Conspirators who as if he had been some notorious Malefactor bound him and carried him away Ps 38.11 Then were these Prophesies fulfilled concerning him I will smite the Shepherd and the Sheep shall be scatter'd abroad Zech 13.7 for at that dismal and dreadful Sight his very Disciples notwithstanding their manifold Obligations to the contrary were so amazed that they forsook him and fled from him and in that juncture too when he had most Occasion to make use of them But alas these were but the Beginnings of Sorrows For being thus apprehended bound and forsaken his Enemies deliver'd him up to Caiaphas the Ecclesiastical Judge before and by whom he was strictly examin'd concerning his Doctrine and Disciples and tho he answer'd discreetly and modestly yet the High-priest's Servant with Disdain and Insolence struck him violently on the Cheek nor did he return the least Reproof to that hard Usage and Incivility By this Time his Enemies were assembled and make up a full Court and the suborn'd and perjur'd Witnesses were ready to act their Parts on this bloody Theater Die he must that was resolv'd on ere he came to his Trial. the Depositions being taken the High-priest charg'd him with Blasphemy and told the Court that the Matter of Fact was so evidently prov'd against him that they needed no more Witnesses for by the Law he deserved Death the whole Assembly nemine contradicente concurring with this merciless and unjust Judge did pronounce him guilty of the Crimes laid to his Charge Whereupon they committed him to the Serjeants and base Soldiers there to be kept in arctâ custodiâ as a condemn'd Malefactor These Villains to pass away the Night did contemptuously and inhumanely spit in his Face ridicul'd and mock'd him and said scornfully and as themselves thought in Disgrace to him Prophesie who it is that smote thee Then they struck him with the Palms of their Hands buffetted and bruis'd his Face which was so besmear'd with Bloud and Spittle Isai 53. that there was neither Form nor Beauty nor Comeliness in him But all these harsh Words and harder Blows came far short of those Tortures which are yet behind For the Jews having no Power to condemn and execute him judicially the Roman Governor alone being at that time invested with the Power of Life and Death when they had troubled and tortur'd him as long as they pleas'd then they sent him bound to Pontius Pilate the Roman Deputy and Governor of Judea before whom he was indited upon new Articles Wherein they charg'd him 1 With Impiety as teaching false Doctrine against the Law Traditions and Liberties of the Jewish Nation and that he was a Prophaner of the Sabbath Which being all notorious Untruths and such Allegations too as were not under his Cognizance therefore Pilate took little Notice of them But to enforce their Malice and exasperate the Judge against this innocent Person 2 They charg'd him with Treason against Cesar's Person and Sedition against the civil Government Because said they he refus'd to pay Tribute and declar'd himself to be the King of the Jews This indeed Pilate was very much startled at being tender of the Honour and Interest of Cesar and chiefly because 't was the Stay and Security of his own But to incense and inrage him still more against the Prisoner they further complain'd that this Sedition was begun in Galilee a Place most notoriously infamous for Faction and Rebellion where Judas Galilaeus Theudas and several others had frequently disturb'd the Peace of the civil Government Upon which Suggestion Pilate being conscious of our Saviour's Innocence and unwilling to have any hand in his Bloud sent