and this cannot be removed until Gods Justice be satisfied the other is perfect actual obedience unto Gods Law and without this there can be no attaining eternal Life and Glory the first Covenant of works so Man in his fallen State being still in force Do this and Live and the Soul that sinneth shall dye now man being finite cannot satisfie Gods justice for his sins and being a Sinner cannot yield perfect actual obedience to Gods Law but the Lord Jesus Christ hath done both for man 1. Christ by his sufferings and death upon the Cross did make satisfaction unto Gods justice he being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. And undergoing equivalent punishment punishment unto the damned storment and being God-man though the humane nature only did suffer yet the Divine nature in the same person did put an infinite value upon the sufferings of the humane and so became a sufficient satisfaction unto Gods infinite justice and hereby he hath purchased remission of sins and deliverance from wrath to come 2. Christ hath yeilded perefect actual obedience unto the Law he hath fulfilled all righteousness that not having a righteousness perfect of our own his might he made ours and we might attain life thereby this passive and active obedience of Christ which you should labour to understand and that Christ had not this righteousness for himself he had no sin of his own to suffer for but it was in our stead and as our surety and this righteousness was intended for us and being the righteousness of such a person is highly efficacious to attain that for which it was designed as will appear by the Covenant 3. Labour for a thorow understanding of the Covenant and that both the Covenant which God made with Christ in the behalf of man and the Covenant which God hath made with man through Christ 1. Acquaint your selves with the Covenant God made with Christ in the behalf of man whatever worth and value there was in the righteousness of Christ yet God might have required a personal righteousness and satisfaction and Christ's righteousness might have stood us in no stead but God did eternally Covenant and agree with Christ that if he would take Humane nature and work out a righteousness for fallen man it should be accepted that if he would take to him the body he should prepare for him and make his Soul an Offering for sin that is suffer what his justice did require for the sins of Man that he should see his Seed and justifie many Isa 53. 10 11. It is through this Covenant with Christ that Christ righteousness is accepted in the behalf of Sinners God having agreed before that so it should be 2. Acquaint your selves with the Covenant God hath made with Man through Christ wherein upon the account of Christ God hath promised remission of sins and eternal life Heb. 10. 16 17. This is my Covenant that I will make with them saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their hearts and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more 1 John 2. 25. This is the promise which he hath promised even eternal life If ever you be saved from eternal wrath and attain eternal life it must be by vertue of this New Covenant of Grace wherein God doth engage himself to give what his Son hath purchased 3. Labour to be acquainted with the nature and use of faith which is the Tenour of the Covenant of Grace the Tenour of the Covenant of work was Do and Live the Tenour or that required to give an interest in the Covenant of grace is Believe and Life Faith joyns the Soul unto Christ the Mediatour of this Covenant and giveth an actual interest in him and his purchase and whatever is promised through him in the Covenant Faith is a resting of the Soul alone upon Christ and an application of the promises of Pardon and life unto the Soul Faith is not only a discerning but applying or laying hold on Christ's righteousness without us whereby it is imputed to us or accounted once by God as if it had been our own personal righteousness If ever you would be justified that is have your sins pardoned and your persons accepted as perfectly righteous in the sight of God it must be by Faith renouncing your own righteousness as imperfect and insufficient apprehending and applying resting and trusting in Christ's perfect righteousness 4. Apply your selves unto God in Prayer that he having given his Son for you would also him give to you and that he would give you Faith to receive him and apply him beg this again and again with confession of your sins and sense of your want of Christ and never leave asking until you obtain attend also upon the Word where it is Preached most purely and powerfully for the working of Faith which cometh by hearing Rom. 10. 17. And then in the strength of the Lord put forth the hand to lay hold on Christ and labour to cast your selves upon him resigning withall your selves up unto him not only to be saved but also taught and ruled by him Obj. I know it will be objected that if we seek thus to be delivered from wrath to come by Jesus Christ and Faith in his righteousness without us and not by internal righteousness and that of works that this will open a door to Licentiousness Ans I Answer That this is an old Objection against the Doctrine of justification by Faith even in the days of the Apostles when the Doctrine was first Preached But as then so also now this Doctrine doth not give any liberty to sin for however we cannot be saved by inherent righteousness and any of our good works yet we cannot be saved without them none assert more highly that there must be Regeneration and Sanctification a new heart and new life otherwise there can be no admission into Heaven no escaping of the damnation of Hell Yea further we say that the same Faith which is an instrument of justification is also a part of Sanctification being a heart purifying grace Act 15. 9. That as Faith is a hand to lay hold on Christ's righteousness without us so it is a hand to receive supplyes of grace and spirit from Christ for the quickning of us unto newness of Life yea I may say there can be no real inherent righteousness withou an interest by Faith in Christ's imputed righteousness there may be some thing like it a righteousness of some kind there may be but not of the right kind not a righteousness which springs from the true principle which is saith and therefore not a righteousness that is pleasing unto God for without Faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. So that if you would have inherent righteousness and walk so as to please God you must belive in the Lord Jesus and fetch grace from him in whom all fulness doth dwell Col. 1. 19. If you would have lust mortified the world crucified and overcome the Devil who endeavoureth by his temptations to draw you unto sin you must by Faith draw vertue and strength to do it In a word if you would deny Ungodliness and Worldly lusts and live soberly righteously and Godly in this present evil world you must do it by Faith But how to attain the principle and practice of Godliness I may else where give direction Had I room I might speak much by way of exhortation to such as have attained an interest in Christ and the deliverance purchased by him in a word learn to admire free grace to be very thankful and watchful to endeavour the bringing others to Christ to adorn your profession to be blameless and harmless the Disciples of Christ without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation among whom you should shine as Lights in the World here that so you may shine like Stars yea like Suns in the Kingdom of your Father for ever FINIS Books of this Author Printed God's Terrible Voice in the City being a Re-Plague and Fire in London Christ's certain and sudden appearance to Judgement Fire and Brimstone from Heaven in the Burning of Sodom formerly From Earth in the Burning of Aetna lately In Hell to Burn the wicked eternally These Printed for George Calvert and to be Sold at his Shop at the Golden Ball in Duck-lane Words whereby we may be Saved and Words of advice to young Men. Printed for T. Parkhurst and to be Sold at his Shop at the Golden Bible on Londen-Bridge The Foundation of God Standeth Sure or an Answer to W. Pens Sandy Foundation Shaken
think sinners moreover how injurious you are hereby unto your selves what folly and madness you are guilty of Do you know what you are if you do you know that without Christ you are cursed wretches and children of wrath behold a wonder in Christ everlasting burnings are become everlasting mercies and he that will come at the last day as a Judge in flaming fire to take vengeance upon you if you be found without an interest in him doth now profer to be your Saviour and Advocat to deliver you from wrath to come and is it not depth of folly and sottishness to slight and refuse such a person and by refusing him to plunge your selves into unavoidable ruine and destruction when you may have Christ and with him all things needful in this world and that with greater security than by all your inordinate desires and endeavours and moreover such riches as do exceed all Earthly Treasures and besides this a Crown of glory in the other world and notwithstanding this to neglect Christ and chuse rather the pleasures of sin for a season the gratifying of some base lusts unto the everlasting damnation of your Souls and Bodies in Hell to refuse with Christ everlasting happiness and head-long to run your selves into everlasting burnings if this be not folly and madness I don't know what is You can't contrive or consult greater mischief and injury to your selves for I am perswaded that such as go to Hell out of England especially out of London where they have or might have such plentiful means of Grace of all others will have the lowest and hottest place O how will it sting and gnaw and rack and torture you for ever to remember what seasons and opportunities what calls and invitations you have had but by your right of getting an interest in the Lord Jesus the Deliverer from wrath to come you have brought ruine upon your selves Think Sinners how unavoidable the wrath to come is without an interest in Christ and think O think how intollerable this wrath will be when it is come Who can dwell with devouring Fire Think of the extremity of pain and anguish which is prepared for you and think of the eternity of Hells torments that when you have been there as many thousand Millions of years as there are Stars or Sands your torment will be but beginning and Never Never Never will it have any ending me thinks this should certifie all Christless sinners who are already condemned to his place of torment John 3. 8. He that believeth not is condemned already and you know not how soon execution may follow upon the Sentence if you dye this night out of Christ the wrath of God will seise upon you immediately and you will be miserable inrecoverably and to eternity Vse 4. For Comfort and that of all those who upon tryal find well-grounded evidence of their interest in this Jesus the only Deliverer from wrath to come You are the only persons in the world who are in a safe condition Rom. 8. 33 34. Who shall lay thing unto your charge If God do not charge you with guilt who can charge you besides through Christ God doth justifie you he pardoneth all your sins as if they had never been and accepteth of you as perfectly righteous through the perfect righteousness of Christ made yours by Faith Who is it that shall condemn you the Law may condemn you and Conscience may condemn you but since Christ died for you and in his death was condemned and suffered in your stead you are freed from the condemnation of God and the eternal damnation of Hell and being out of all danger of future wrath you may the better bear any evil of affliction which in this world may be your portion and you may comfortably wait for the coming of Christ from Heaven whom God hath raised from the dead even this Jesus who hath delivered you from wrath to come and who will bring for you and give to you everlasting glory and happiness at the day of his second appearance Vse 5. For Exhortation 1. Of such as are without an interest in Christ the Deliverer from wrath to come O be perswaded without any further delay to flee from this wrath of God which hath you in the pursuit and will overtake you ere long and that by fleing unto and getting an interest in this Jesus who only can deliver you O that I might be instrumental to bring some of you unto a closure with Jesus Christ Sinners will you be perswaded at length to accept of Christ you may have him and you must have him otherwise you are curst you are lost and you cannot escape eternal death and wrath If you would be delivered from wrath to come by Jesus Christ take these few directions 1. Labour for a thorow sense of your absolute need of Christ and that not only by reason of your guilt of sin and danger of Hell but also that there is no Salvation nor deliverance attainable by any other way but by Jesus Christ Think not that your repentance and reformation though this be necessary and without which there can be no Salvation for you yet that this can save you without Christ if you should attain this and rest in this you will as certainly go to Hell as the most wicked transgressour you cannot be saved by any of your own righteousness because your righteousness is imperfect and therefore cannot satisfie Gods Justice for your sins and therefore cannot deliver you from wrath to come should you weep for your sins till your eyes were out and sigh and grief for sin till your hearts did break should your wear you knees to the bones with kneeling and wear your Tongues to the roots with praying and consume your flesh to nothing with fasting should you be as just and temperate and charitable and as strictly Religious as any breathing yea as holy for the future as any Angel in Heaven all this would not wipe away the guilt of your sin nor deliver you out of the hands of Gods Justice which must be satisfied one saith very well if any would be saved by their own righteousness they must first go to Hell and there continue in torments to eternity and if that could be supposed which cannot be supposed to be done because there is no ending of those torments which are eternal and therefore no possibility of getting loose from them yet supposing that any could do this they must come back and fulfil the Law in every tittle both which being impossible for you who are guilty of sin you have absolute need of Christ's perfect righteousness in order to your deliverance from wrath to come It is this which damneth and sinketh many thousands in Hell the looking and seeking to be saved by a rigteousness of their own I know that most are damn'd for their unrighteousness and go to Hell in the broader way of gross impiety and wickedness yet if that be the broader way and
the fulness of time was come took to himself a true humane Body and Soul was conceived by the Holy Ghost was Born of a mean Virgin lived in a mean condition was owned by a voice from Heaven to be the only begotten and beloved Son of God who Preached the glad tidings of Salvation to Sinners confirmed his Doctrine by many Miracles who died for the Salvation of sinners and that the cursed death of the Cross was raised up the third day appeared to his Disciples after his Resurrection and after forty day in the sight of many Ascended up into Heaven where now he is at the Right Hand of God making Intercession for us Sixthly How doth Jesus deliver from the Wrath of God which is to come Jesus doth deliver from the wrath of God which is to come 1. By his Death hereby he hath purchased deliverance having hereby satisfied Gods Justice Jesus in his death did in our stead undergo that punishment which our sins deserved his Body was nailed to the Cross which was a cursed death and his Soul was afflicted with the immediate impressions of Gods wrath which was so weighty and grievous that any meer creature would have sunk under it but he being God-Man did bear up and break thorow and got loose from under the burden of wrath and the bands of death and the dignity of his person put a merit upon his sufferings especially the erernal compact or aggreement between him and his Father being such and so became a sufficient satisfaction to Justice and that accepted as fully as if sinners had done it in their own persons We read that Jesus himself bare our sins in his own body on the Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. That he gave his life a ransom for many Mat. 20. 28. That we are Redeemed with his Blood 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. That we are Reconciled through his Death Rom. 5. 10. Jesus doth deliver from wrath by his death having therein undergone it himself in the room of his People 2. By his Intercession Christ doth deliver from wrath to come having offered up himself a Sacrifice to satisfie Divine Justice for sin he pleads the merit of it at the right hand of God in the behalf of sinners for their Redemption he is called not only our Surety to satisfie for us Heb. 7. 22. But also our Advocate to Plead for us 1 John 2. 1. Our deliverance from Wrath to come the damnation and punishment of Hell doth proceed not onely from Christ's death whereby he hath purchased it but also from his Intercession whereby he doth effectually impetrate and obtain it and therefore the Apostle doth join both together in the procurement of freedom from condemnation Rom. 8. 34. Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh incercession for us And upon this account he is said to be able to Save unto the uttermost Heb. 7. 25. Wherefore he is able to Save them to the uttermost that to come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them 3. By his Mission or sending of his Spirit effectually to call People to himself Jesus doth bring them into a state of Salvation and giveth them an actual Interest in this deliverance which he hath purchased for them and this leads to the next particular Seventhly How any do or may have a share in this deliverance by Jesus from wrath to come this is by faith in Jesus Christ which is wrought by his Spirit in effectual calling When the Lord by his Spirit doth open the eyes of Sinners and convinceth them of the guilt and evil of their sins awakeneth their conscience and worketh contrition and a sense of their misery and danger and when the Lord showeth and perswadeth them how utterly unable they are to Save themselves that no reformation or righteousness of their own which either they have or can attain unto can procure deliverance from wrath for them and withal that no meer Creature in the World is able to help them in this case and when the Lord by his Spirit doth discover himself as the only Saviour and All-sufficient and most willing to save and deliver them and withal doth most powerfully and irresistably and yet most sweetly how their wills and encline them to chuse him for their Saviour and grieving for sin and renouncing their own righteousness to call themselves and rest upon him alone for Salvation and this accompained with a free and resolved delivering themselves up to his Teaching and Government this is effectual calling wherein the Lord by his Spirit doth draw and lay hold on Sinners and enableth them by faith to lay hold on him and hence ariseth their union to and Interest in Christ and they come to have a share in the deliverance by Christ from wrath to come When the Jaylor cryed out with trembling to Paul and Silas Sirs what must I do to be saved the direction is Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be Saved Act. 16. 30 31. It is Faith that giveth an Interest in Christ and hereby an Interest in the deliverance which he hath purchased It is Faith doth unite us unto Christ whereby we are said to be in him and there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. We are justified by Faith Rom. 5. 1 And so are absolved from the guilt of Sin and all obligation unto punishment The Lord Jesus Christ having fully satisfied Gods justice for our sins by his death in our stead and this being imputed unto us through Faith and accounted as if we had done it our selves as a surety's paying our Debt is accounted by the Creditor as if we had paid it we are acquitted and no more exposed unto the wrath of God and punishment of Hell than if we had never committed any one sin to deserve it Use 1. For Information 1. See here the worth of Jesus he is the Deliverer and the only Deliverer from wrath to come Jesus Christ is a person of the greatest worth in himself the Divine and Humane Nature being united in him rendereth him infinitely glorious altogether lovely and hence it is that he is replinished with such transcendent excellencies and perfections as are not to be found again in any Creature either in Earth or Heaven and Jesus Christ is esteemed to be the most worthy person by those that know him and understand what real worth is especially sinners when awakened and made sensible of the curse which lyeth upon them for sin and the wrath of God which hangeth over them and when they come to apprehend how fearful a thing it is to fall under the strokes of Gods vengeance and see no way of escape but only by Jesus the only Deliverer from future wrath of all persons and things in the World Jesus Christ is most precious unto them never did there appear in the world a person