could not be justified by or in the Law of Moses by or in him namely in Christ every one that believeth is justified First then what Justification is To be justified is to be accounted and lookt upon as righteous and perfectly just in the sight of Good our Law-giver and our Judge and thereupon to be absolutely discharged and acquitted according to the tenour of the Law by the Sentence of the Judge from all the penalties that were to be inflicted upon the transgressors of the Law and for that our Righteousness to be accepted of God in our persons and performances and in the end to be eternally rewarded And this all grounded upon the nature and sanction of a Law which as it proposes Commands and Rules to be observed so is ratified with Promises on one hand of reward to the obedient and on the other hand with Threats of punishment to those that shall be found guilty of the breach of it Now this Justification had the Covenant of Nature stood the Law of Moses continued in force must have been made out by our own personal exact obedience to every tittle of our obligations for this was the tenour of that Law Do this and live and Cursed be every one that continueth not in all the words of the Law to do them and this is that is called legal Righteousness But in Christ under the Covenant of Grace which was substituted in the room and stead of that other the Law of Faith has altered the terms thus He that believes shall be saved and He that believeth not shall be condemned So that now faith in Christ and sincerity of obedience for there are Commands too as well as Promises and Threats even in this Law of Faith is that we call Evangelical Righteousness whereby we are through that satisfaction Christ as our surety hath by his active and passive obedience wrought for us which through Faith in him is imputed unto us for Righteousness justified by him to the forgiveness of our sins to the acceptation of our persons and to the reward of our services Again this Justification is indeed attained in this life being laid hold on by Faith evidenced by our obedience and sealed to every particular Believers conscience by the Spirit of Promise but in the next life will be declared in open Court at the general Assizes of all Mankind at the last day so that the true Believer lives dies in peace of conscience as having an assurance through Faith that Christ by his death has satisfied for his sins and purchased for him everlasting life For so we find Justification explained in this very Chapter by comparing the 38. and 26. verses with our Text. What he had said there to you is the word of this salvation sent repeating it here in other words Through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins So that to be justified is to have our sins forgiven and our souls saved Having thus stated and distinguished Iustification we are now to remove the legal Righteousness that we may establish the Righteousness by Faith and to shew that the Law of Moses was unable and insufficient for the justifying of any one Where first we are to premise an usual Distinction of that Law into Moral Ceremonial and Judicial The Judicial Law was peculiar to the Jewish Common-wealth designed only for external polity and for the quiet and regular administration of the Civil State of that people nor has it any obligation upon any other people any further then as it was a body of Statutes appointed by God himself for the government of his own people it deserves our veneration and as far as the circumstances and customs of other Countries will admit an imitation The Ceremonial Law was most properly the Law of Moses wherein were delivered the rules of Gods Worship which consisted of Purifications and Expiations and other Levitical Rites That again obliged none but Jews and their Proselytes and was to have an end at the coming of Christ. The Moral Law was not so much the Law of Moses as the Law of Adam that which is written in every mans heart and was obligatory to all mankind before Moses and will be so to the end of the world such as are all the Precepts of the Decalogue For though there be somewhat in them ceremonial to which none but Jews were obliged as in the fourth the strictness of the Sabbath-rest and the very day it self for had it not been so it could not have been altered whatsoever is in its nature purely moral being of a perpetual as well as universal and of an indispensable obligation I say notwithstanding somewhat of Ceremony intermixt the things themselves commanded or forbidden in those precepts are acknowledged and owned by the very light of Nature as that God should have a proportion of our time bestowed on his service which in equity could not be less then a seventh part Beyond all this our Saviour himself tells us he came not to destroy this Law but to fulfil it in his own person and heighten its obligations upon us his followers And it appears by circumstances here that the Apostle addressing his speech to the Jews might very likely mean only the Law of Ceremonies as possibly he does in his Epistle to the Galatians and other places by works of the Law intend mainly the Circumcision and other Rites and observances which some Converts of that Religion at the first propagation of the Gospel mainly insisted on and mixed with their Christianity a perswasion and practice which the Doctor of the Gentiles does every where upon all occasions as he meets with it endeavour to confute Yet this Law also having been given by Moses in some sense as to the promulgation of it and the accommodating it to the use and interest of his Country-men I shall take it in too and make good that neither the observance of the Ceremonial Law which obliged the Jews could nor the performance of the Moral Law to which all men are obliged can or ever could justifie any man And this according to that place The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ where as Truth is opposed to Ceremony so Grace is to the Law of Nature First the Ceremonial Law besides that it laboured under other disadvantages as that it was burdensom in its charge and in its attendance and it was obscure compared to Gospel light as being but the shadow of good things to come it was in its very constitution imperfect and impotent and that in two respects 1. It was not commensurate to the necessities of all mankind that Levitical service having been prescribed only and appropriated to the Jews as a characteristical mark of distinction betwixt them and other Nations 2. It was not adequate to its end which was the expiation of guilt the atonement of wrath and propitiation for sins For it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats
should take away sins as the Apostle argues Heb. 10.4 Wherefore the Law as he says there could not by those Sacrifices which were fain to be continually repeated make the comers thereunto perfect For indeed what proportion was there betwixt those mean oblations and the ransom and price of souls For the Verdict of the Law was that the soul that sins shall die What amends then could the death of a poor beast make for the transgression of its owner or how could those sorry acknowledgments reconcile Divine Justice Which made the Prophet Micah cry out VI. 7. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord Shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves of a year old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul No this would have been no compensation It cost more to redeem souls then so But you 'l say if it be so what use was there then of those Ceremonies and Sacrifices Was no one justified under that Law no Righteousness to be had by that Dispensation Yes but 't was the righteousness of Faith then too and those that were were justified by Christ who was represented and typified in those legal Rites for it was the immaculate Lamb that virtuated all those Oblations and the whole Pedagogie of that Law had its effect and consummation in him Wherefore it was to be but of a temporary date and as it pointed to him so it was to end in him Nor was the Ceremonial Law only imperfect but the Moral is so too that which has a natural obligation upon all men The inability of this Law as to Justification is partly from our weakness partly from its own 1. We are naturally unable to perform it in an exact obedience and though some Hereticks are bold to say that a man may by the strength of Nature satisfie all the demands of that Law we are by nature obliged to a Doctrine which modest Philosophers amongst Heathens disclaim as appears by the body of death the blessed Apostle complains of and other passages in him taken out of the Writings of Plato Yet supposing that there were no original corruption and that a man could lead a perfect life which are two things that are not to be supposed for what man ever was there beside the Son of God that was either born or lived without sin If he could make satisfaction where would be his merit Or how could he extend that satisfaction to the benefit of others But alas Scripture tells us no man hath redeemed his own soul much less is he in a capacity to do it for another but must let that alone for ever 2. As we are unable to go through what the Law requires so the Law also is unable to help us It lays Rules indeed before us and Obligations upon us and convinces us sufficiently of the Duty we owe but furnishes us with no strength for the performance of it I had not known sin says the Apostle but for the Law no nor practised it neither For which shews the pravity as well as weakness of our nature lust takes advantage from the Law and breaks out with the more violence from under its restraints Not but that the Law is in it self holy and just and perfect but sin finds occasion from the Law to be exceeding sinful Wherefore he affirms elsewhere that as the sting of death is sin so the strength of sin is the Law from whence sin hath all its damning power since without the Law sin could not damn us for where there 's no law there 's no transgression But what follows But thanks be to God says he which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ and that 's our third Consideration That we are justified by Christ alone What Moses could not do in his Law Christ has done in his Grace has supplied the defects of Nature and what was wanting to Legal Righteousness is made up by the Evangelical The Ceremonies as they were to have their period so were to have their completion too at the coming of Truth and the Law of Works is not so much superseded as 't is accomplished in its end by the Law of Faith which exserts it self though not in an exact as was then required yet in that which is now accepted a sincere obedience Now this Justification I told you is had by Christ two ways 1. By imputation of his satisfaction and merit 2. By the influence and efficacy of his Spirit I am sorry to find that some men among us take offence at these terms of imputed Righteousness and infused Grace as notions that do not so well square with Right i. e. they mean their reason But as sure as our sins were imputed to Christ so really is his Righteousness imputed unto us and as sure as we have no natural ability of our selves to any thing that good is so certain is it that we are to be influenced by Gods good Spirit infusing a principle of grace into us and accompanying that grace along with his assistances in its particular acts Otherwise I am to seek which way we are to expect either to be justified or to be sanctified for I hope they will not say our Justification or Sanctification is from our selves and so make men to become their own Saviours 1. We are justified by Christ per modum meriti as a meritorious cause by vertue of that satisfaction he has made for us For the Father and the Son having in our behalf agreed upon a mutual Covenant and ingagement that whosoever believes should through Christ have forgiveness of his sins and be accepted in the well-beloved and Christ on his part having in his own person fulfilled the Law and fully answered all its demands and satisfied Divine Justice for us it now remains that God as he is faithful will forgive our sins if we be faithful and that he will in justice justifie us sinners by Faith in his Sons sufferings For so he that knew no sin was made sin for us that we through his obedience might be made righteous To this satisfaction of his which was of it self plenary the dignity and excellency of the person that undertook and performed for us has added that illustrious advantage that there has accrued a large stock of merit a purchase of life and glory for all Believers as well as of pardon and grace for true Penitents Nor is it his merit alone for which we are justified But 2. We are justified by him per modum efficientiae too as an efficient cause by the working of his Spirit And this was to ascertain his purchase and to apply his acquists and therefore when he had finished the work of our Redemption he came into this lower world about he not only ascended himself into Heaven there to sit at the right hand of the Father and
accompanied with serious repentance for sin and a frank expression and exercise of charity according to the sense a man has of the love of God towards himself Dost thou find then that by thy Faith thou ownest and acceptest thy Saviour all over in all his three Offices that thou art as content to submit to him as a Prophet to teach and instruct thee as a King to rule and govern thee as thou art glad to have him thy Priest to satisfie for thee and to bless thee Art thou willing to be saved his way and to conform to his Methods so as to ingage in working out thy own salvation and art thou convinced thou oughtest to do something for thy own sake something for his who has done so much for thine Has thy Faith an equal impartial respect to Christs Commands as to his Promises and dost thou take as much delight in the obedience of Faith as thou dost in its assurance Dost thou consider that though it be a Covenant of Grace thou standest under yet 't is a Covenant and tyes thee up to conditions and that though the Gospel be a Law of Liberty 't is a Law still and that Christian liberty does not give thee a freedom from duty but from sin and is not to be used as a cloak of malice and licentiousness Hast thou an even regard to all the means of grace and a desire to profit by them all and not by a wanton preference of one Ordinance to another forfeit the benefit of all the rest Canst thou tell where to find thy Faith in what part of thee 't is seated does it swim as an empty Notion in thy head only or has it by serious resolutions sunk down into thy heart and thence flows into all thy outward parts to the government of thy thoughts and desires thy words and thy actions Dost thou use to call thy sins to account and thinking on them and thy Saviours sufferings togetber set open the sluces of grief and mourn over thy wounded conscience and thy crucified Jesus And lastly hast thou such a sense of Gods love to thee in the pardon of thy sins that thou canst freely forgive all offences done against thee and for his sake who for thine has not spared his Son cheerfully part with all thou hast and resign up all thy concerns into his hands for his uses when he calls for them and is thy Faith a Faith working by charity that puts forth vital acts and evidences and justifies it self by good works to be a living and a true Faith For though it be Faith alone that justifies yet 't is no true Faith that is alone and as a man is not justified for his good works so no man must hope to be justified without them If thy Faith be such a Faith as will abide this tryal and answer this description then 't is a Faith thou mayst trust to and thou hast reason to believe thy self to be a Believer and God will improve and build up thy Faith to blessed assurances of pardon and peace of Grace and Glory And then in the last place what Comfort will it be to be thus assured when thou canst apply the general Proposition to thy self which is that All that believe are justified But believe Therefore I am justified If all Believers then thou Believer whoever thou art of whatsoever condition be thy worldly estate never so low thy outward circumstances never so contemptible thou hast an equal share and interest in Gods favour and in the merit of Christ with the best Whatever thy former life hath been read with comfort that black list of the foulest sins 1 Cor. 6. Idolaters Adulterers and the like and such the Apostle tells them were some of you but now are ye washed now are ye sanctified now are ye justified Reflect with sorrow upon what thou hast been and with joy give God thanks for what thou art And then how weak soever thy Faith at present be canst thou say Lord I believe that he may help thy unbelief and increase thy faith more and more till Faith it self shall be swallowed up into vision This as to the extent of the subject nor has that of the object less of Consolation in it when a Believer considers that by his Faith he is justified and fully discharged from all things from all suits and evictions from all troubles and molestations from all dues and demands his surety having paid all for him From the guilt of sin in that he that knew no sin was reckoned amongst transgressors and was made sin for him From the punishment of sin Christ having offered up himself in Sacrifice once for all As for the chastisements and light afflictions of this life as they are but momentany to they are attended with an eternal weight of glory From the demands and sentence and curse of the Law his Redeemer having fulfilled all Righteousness for him and nailed the hand-writing of Ordinances which was against him to the Cross and undergone the Curse upon the tree From the wrath of God which the Son of God his Mediator has atoned From the horrors of a guilty conscience which the Lamb of God has sprinkled with his blood and his Prince of Peace has spoke peace to From the terrors of death which the Captain of his Salvation has conquered by dying From the accusations of the Devils whom the King of glory has triumphed over at his descent into Hell in their own Territories and from everlasting damnation which his blessed Saviour the holy Jesus by his infinite satisfaction has bought off for him And now what has this happy person to do in this world any longer having his debts paid his sins pardoned his God reconciled his Conscience quieted and assured his accusers silenced his enemies vanquished the Law satisfied and himself justified and his Saviour glorified and a Crown of immortality and a Robe of Righteousness prepared for him what has he to do here more then to get him up to the top of Pisgah and take a view of his heavenly Canaan to stand upon the confines of eternity and in the contemplation of those joys and glories despise and slight the vanities and troubles of this sinful and miserable world and to breathe after his better life and be preparing himself for his change when he shall be called off to weigh anchor and hoise sail for another world where he is to make discoveries of unutterable felicities and unconceivable pleasures O what a happy and blest condition is it to live or to die in the midst of such gracious deliverances and glorious assurances with this fastning consideration to boot that neither life nor death nor things present nor things to come nor any creature is able to separate him from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ his Lord Thus to live is to live in peace thus to die is to die with joy peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost What would not a dying man give to have his eternal state thus secured to him and to insure his soul for his long long voyage whence there 's no returning O let us earnestly beg of God to give us Faith to be our Guide in this life and our Pilot for the next Amidst these raptures 't is but time to speak a word or two of our dear deceased Sister here before us who has brought us together to do her the last office of Christian Charity And sure that Charity as well as Custom makes it necessary that where much may be said something must Nor need I be lavish in her praises since to be but just to her memory and to speak out but her due commendations would seem to distrust the Neighbours her Acquaintance my Auditors whose good word and high esteem as she had when she was living so she needs no Pulpit-flattery to set her forth being dead Shall I tell you of her Conjugal affection and her chast Conversation coupled with fear who besides the advantages of a great Fortune brought that to her Husband which was a more valuable Portion a lowly mind paying that constant respect to his person and that due submission to his pleasure and that sure friendship to all his Concerns and demeaning her self to humbly as if she had brought him nothing but her Vertues Shall I mention her indulgent care and motherly love of her Children whose Duties she earned by her laborious attendance on their infant-years thinking it would look too like an unkindness to be owned as a Mother where she had not been a Nurse too and judging it little better than unnatural not to entertain them at her breasts whom she had carried in her womb Shall I take notice to you what good Order and Decorum she kept in her Family how she centered all her thoughts and business like the standing foot of the Compass at home and how unconcerned she was in the Publick unless it were to do any office of neighbourly kindness or when the duties of the Sabbath called her forth Above 〈…〉 humility was remarkable for she had that which S. Peter advises grave Matrons to put on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God and of good men too of great price and this she preferred before all the gawdy Attire which others of her Sex especially of her Fortune use to adorn themselves withal In a word as she exprest the vertues of the other Sister in her domestick cares so I doubt not but she minded the one thing necessary too and with Mary in the Gospel chose that better part which shall not be taken from her God grant us all to be like-minded and as he has given us his Son so may he give us of his Spirit to work Faith and all Grace in us that so we may be justified and sanctified and finally as we hope she now is glorified Now to God the Father Son and blessed Spirit be all Praise Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS