strength of sin so sin was the strength and sting of death 1 Cor. 15.6 but now O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory the Lord hath delivered us from him that hath the power of death Col. 2.15 Heb. 2.14 and from this evil world Gal. 1.4 and from the wrath come 1 Thes 1.10 so then this was bondage we sometimes lay under when the Law of God pressed heavily upon us the conscience of sin even unto death both first and second death and both Law and sin and death delivered us unto the power of Satan and held us under the wrath of God the world turned to be our enemy in all the blessings and crosses of it from all these bondages Christ hath redeemed us and it is a marvelous work in the eyes of all that enjoy the ben fit of it If you shall ask what Ransom the Lord did pay that we might be redeemed The answer is given in 1 Tim. 2.5 6. There is one mediator between God and man the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all c. so that he himself is the Ransom I will not stand disputing whether he gave his active or passive obedience or both The Text is large He gave himself from the height of glory to become a mortal man not sinful but by imputation so that from first to last he gave himself Consider him therefore from his first taking our nature upon him and all is but one ransom for his very active obedience was passive and his passive obedience was active if he had not been active in his sufferings his sufferings had not been satisfactory therefore he willingly laid down his life No man taketh it from him but he layeth it down of himself Joh. 10.17 18. else had not his death been of any sweet smelling savour to the Lord forced death is no acceptable sacrifice Again on the other side his active obedience was passive he suffered himself to be closed in his Mothers womb and when he was born he suffered himself to be laid in a manger and although being God over all blessed for ever he was subject to no Law yet now he suffered himself to be obedient unto his Father now for great Princes to live in other Dominions to observe their Rules and be guided by their Laws it is a suffering This did the Lord Jesus for he had a special commandment to observe both Law and Gospel and in this the Divine Nature doth suffer as much as for the Creator to become a creature and to take upon him the terms of hardship which become a creature It is no debasement unto Angels nor unto Saints to be obedient but for the Creator to be obedient unto the Law of God given unto the creature in this he greatly humbleth himself when he saith Thus it behooveth us to fulfil all righteousness Mat. 3.15 And this is such kind of passion as hath all things tending to satisfaction in it And by all this you may see that from the first to the last the Lord Jesus is a Ransom take him in his Cradle and he is a Ransom take him throughout all the course of his life and he is passive and in all his sufferings he is active He went up and down doing good and suffering evil all his life long and thus he is a Ransom but above all when as he came to wrestle with the wrath of his Father he did therein exceed all the rest of his sufferings It was much indeed for the Son of God to make himself a servant but when he that is the Son of the eternal God and in regard of his God-head equal with the Father shall now stand to wrestle with the unsupportable wrath of God and to cry out My soul is in an agony unto the very death and through anguish thereof to sweat drops of bloud and though his heart as it were seems to recoil so that if it were possible he desires the cup might pass from him yet he is carried before Pontius Pilate and is there condemned and afterward suffereth the death of the Cross this was the chiefest part of the ransom which the Lord did intend to pay to the justice of his Father wherein he did also undergo the very pangs of Hell for our sins and so gave himself a Ransom for us And had not all this been we should never have been redeemed from the terrours of the Law Thus therefore did the Lord give himself in taking our nature upon him and giving himself unto a state of bondage from a state of liberty to redeem us unto liberty from a state of bondage under the curse of the Law of God even unto liberty from sin and death and Satan and this World and from the indignation of the most High A wonderful deliverance But as it is in all other liberties so this Christian Liberty doth stand in two things First As in removing some bondage and burdens Secondly So it carrieth with it some such priviledge and enfranchisement as whereby me claim some liberties which others cannot reach unto and those the Lord Jesus hath dearly paid for by suffering his Fathers wrath which did so drink up his Spirits that I believe he died not by the pains of his body for he died before his time but the wrath of God did swallow him up principally though his bodily pains did help it forward Now by this means we have access unto the Lord and into this grace wherein we stand Rom. 5.2 and that with boldness and confidence Ephes 2.12 even to enter with boldness into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus Hob. 10.19 Hereby we have liberty to call God Father and to come unto him as to a Father and to expect all blessings from him for this life and for a better both wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption from all miseries and dangers even from death to life even life eternal besides all blessings of the Kingdom of grace here below All Church-priviledges and Commonwealth-priviledges hath the Lord purchased for us by his bloud great and large are the liberties which the Lord hath purchased for us that are recorded every where in Scripture So that if the Son shall make you free then are you free indeed 2. Now for the second work of the Son in this everlasting Covenant Presupposing the Lord God the Father to have drawn the soul unto the Son from all confidence in the world and in his own righteousness and in his own returnings unto God by believing through his own power from confidence in his own resolutions and his own waiting upon Christ and from all confidence in priviledges and power of nature and grace received now it may be all this while the poor soul knoweth not who it is that hath wrought all this work in him and for him and it may be he is so far to seek in this as that he knows not whether it be the Lord God the Father or the
toward us as he saith Joh. 16.26 27. I say not that I will pray the Father for you for the Father himself loveth you Then doth he keep us in this estate And which is a farther work of the Son for this purpose he will send us his holy Spirit as He told his Disciples Joh. 16.7 It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you Thus as the Father sent the Son so will the Son send the Spirit and in the mean while he doth preserve us until the Spirit come and then he preserveth us by his Spirit Now sometimes he makes his people tarry longer before he send the Spirit in this kind of dispensation but we leave the times and seasons thereof unto the free purpose of the grace of God but I say mean while the Son preserveth us Joh. 6.39 This is the Fathers will that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing So Joh. 17.12 Those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost He keeps us in a waiting frame of spirit so that we cannot but thirst after him and long for him and mourn for the want of him and then a bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench until he bring forth judgement unto victory Mat. 12.20 Thus hath the Lord Jesus promised to keep us and this he doth perform 1. Partly by praying for us Luk. 22.31 32. Simon Simon Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy saith fail not so Joh. 17.11 20 21 22 23 c. Holy Father keep through thy own Name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are c. and this is the eternal efficacy of the Son whereby every beleeving soul is kept until he do finde fulness of accomplishment of his spiritual desires and though we may be many waies wanting in prayer for our selves yet he will give us his Spirit to pray within us with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed 2. And as he ' will keep us by his prayer so secondly by his ruling Providence for all power is given unto him both in heaven and in earth Mat. 28.18 and this power he doth employ to preserve his servants from all the delusions of the sons of men The Prophet Ezekiel complains of some that thrust away and shoulder out the people of God Ezek. 34.21 22 c. but saith the Lord I will set up one shepherd over them and he shall feed them even my servant David vers 23 25. They shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods None of all the delusions of Antichrist none of all the power of Tyrants not all the flattering world nor all the persecuting world shall be able to shoulder off the Saints of God from him 2 Tim. 1.12 I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day and the Lord Jesus engageth both his own power and his Fathers power for this end Joh. 10.28 29. I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall they pluck them out of my hand my Father which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand Thus have you seen how Jesus Christ gives himself unto Abraham and to his seed to become one with us to lead a miserable life and dye an accursed death thereby to redeem us from all our enemies unto a state of liberty by an invaluable price even by himself And having thus had the Father drawing us unto Christ though the Father said little unto the soul who had been about him all this while and so leaves the soul in no small distress as the Fathers work is Power so the Sons work is Liberty and he revealeth to us our redemption and reveals it so that the soul is set in an earnest longing after Christ in whom there is a way to the Father and a great mourning after him hungring for him so that nothing in heaven nor earth can satisfie him in which case the Lord doth give such strength and constancy unto the soul in looking towards Christ as encourageth him to expect refreshing in the end though at present he looks at all that he hath attained as a parable in comparison of what he would further enjoy in communion with Jesus Christ but it often befals the servants of God as it did the Disciples of Christ they were put unto new demurrs and doubtings We thought say they it had been he that should have restored the kingdome to Israel Luk. 24.21 these were Simon and Cleophas if it had not been He where was the comfort and blessed hope of rest which they looked for in Jesus Christ we thought it had been he a sign it was a demurr and dispute in them whether it was Gods grace in them or Christ that had been with them yea or no whilest they are at this debate in themselves Jesus himself comes unto them and reproves them for their unbelief and chargeth them to tarry at Jerusalem and there to wait for the promise of the Father And thus doth the Lord Jesus teach us to know the Father and reveals him to us by strengthning us unto all such holy duties as he calleth us unto and though we be many times affraid to pray to hear to come to Christian conference yet the Lord will not suffer us to refrain but we must pray and confer and hear and when we have used all he teacheth us to know that it is not in all these as of themselves to work any thing in us nor doth he suffer us to content our selves in any thing wrought in us but causeth us to thirst after more of himself in every Ordinance until the Spirit comes in a plentiful measure according to all the latitude of our desires after Christ Jesus Now for the Use of this Vse 1 in the first place If so be the work of the Son be such a work of redemption then certainly our state is a state of bondage before we be thus redeemed yea it is such a state of bondage as wherein we lie bound under Gods Law and under sin under Gods wrath and curse under the Devil and death and under the power of this world and all these enemies have power over us to carry us captive unto sin and misery so that great is the misery we lie under if we knew our misery few know it but are ready to say with those Joh. 8.33 We were never in bondage to any oh poor hearts then were you never redeemed to this very day if thou never yet knewest thy bondage thou never yet knewest thy Redeemer the Lord will never so dishonour his own work as to pay so great a price to
teacheth and none like him 1 Joh. 2.20 27. You have an unction from the holy One and ye know all things c. and in this respect every Christian is a sealed one of God more or less when as the Angel was sent to set the seal of God upon his servants Revel 7.2 3. he did not leave out weak Christians doubtless but did seal all the servants of God Christ is careful to keep his weak servants from inundations of evil as well as others so in Ezek. 9.4 The mark of God is set upon all that mourn for the sins of the times therefore in some work of this seal the Holy Ghost is not wanting to seal all believers otherwise thou couldest not believe that the Father hath drawn thee to Christ unless the Lord had revealed it nor couldest thou believe that the Father is thy Father unless the Holy Ghost hath sealed thee thou canst not know that thy faith is accepted of God that thy sanctification is in truth unless the Spirit of God do clear up these things unto thy soul though thou hadst many promises before thee yet unless the Lord by his Spirit apply them thou canst not see thy right in them But is not that my sin Object It is your sin Answ but it is such a sin as the power of the creature cannot help you out of for unless the Lord be pleased to discover Jesus Christ unto you and your faith in him and your deriving of your works from him you will neither know your justification nor your sanctification to be true therefore there is ever a sealing work of Gods Spirit upon the souls of his Saints though this may be done before the Holy Ghost come to seal you in his own proper work for you have many gracious workings of God about you before he come to seal his own work in your soul 2. The second work of the Spirit in respect whereof he is called a seal is his ingraving the likeness of Jesus Christ upon the soul for the Lord hath predestinated us to be conformed unto the image of his Son Rom. 8.29 and how come we to be so conformed even by the Spirit of God who writeth as it were Jesus Christ in our hearts as with the finger of the living God and hence Christ is formed in us Gal. 4.19 and this image of Christ the Holy Ghost writeth in us by making us conformable unto the death and resurrection of Christ and unto that end he doth breathe in both the Sacraments Rom. 6.4 5 6. for he is both a Spirit of mortification and vivification so as that through him we do not onely finde sin mortified but do live by the faith of the Son of God and the Spirit it is that doth preserve these gifts and acteth and stirreth up our faith to look unto Christ this is another use of the seal not only to confirm but to conform so that of his fulness we all receive grace for grace Joh. 1.16 and we live yet not we but Christ liveth in us and this seal the Holy Ghost doth set on more or less in every Christian but in his own proper work he doth it with more power 3. The third work whereby the Holy Ghost doth express the nature of a seal is in distinguishing the Saints from other men Rev. 7.2 3. the servants of God were sealed and in sealing them he doth conceal them as a seal doth so that the world knows them not Joh. 14.17 and 1 Joh. 3.1 we are called the sons of God therefore the world knows us not c. and the more the Spirit doth distinguish a man from the wicked of the world the less they do discern him to be a gracious man the more lively grace is the more it is hidden from the world as men grow more in godliness so they grow more and more to be suspected by the world this is sealing work to distinguish and yet to conceal these things doth the Spirit of God as a seal upon the hearts and consciences of his people he begetteth and confirmeth all their faith more or less he doth conform them to the image of Christ more or less he doth also conceal and distinguish them from the world The second Question needful for the clearing of this point Quest 2 is How is the Holy Ghost an earnest For Answer Answ He is called an earnest in two respects 1. First As he bindeth the bargain between God and the soul he doth confirm all the promises of God to us and fasteneth them upon our hearts and settleth our hearts with an unmovable faith God having given us his Spirit doth give us all in him for he bindeth our union with Christ and our relation to the Father the Covenant of Gods grace unto us and us unto it the Gospel to us and us unto the Gospel 2. Secondly He is an earnest as he is the first fruits of the payment if a man give a pledge he meaneth to take his pledge again but if he gives money in earnest he meaneth not to take that again for it is part of the payment and the whole is but a greater payment of the same kinde so in like manner what is all our inheritance surely a fulness of the fruition of God the Father and of Jesus Christ and of the blessed Spirit of God this is all our inheritance that we look for in another world Eph. 1.14 He is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory here we have but a little portion of the Spirit a little earnest-peny but this little portion is an assurance unto us that he will make it up until we be able to receive no more Now for Application of this Point Use 1 let it first teach us how to speak of the seal of the Spirit all those that desire to speak the language of Canaan no man hath part in Christ but he hath the seal of the Spirit also for if the Holy Ghost had not given thee Christ in this or that promise thou couldest never have believed it True it is indeed there are many Christians yea and sealed Christians which are not sealed with the proper work of the Spirit I mean with that full consolation and universal conformity to Gods image every Christian hath not received that measure of power but every Christian waiteth for it and is sealed by the blessed Spirit having set home some word of Gods grace wherein Jesus Christ is brought unto the soul In the second place Use 2 let it teach us thus much that it will come short of bringing us unto Christ if we lay claim to a promise of God by any work of grace such as we can have before we have the seal of the Spirit I mean such a work of the Spirit as wherein he doth come in with power upon the soul above the power of the word and works of God for they are both creatures and