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A90678 The Gospel nevv-creature; wherein the work of the spirit is opened, in awakening the soul; to the getting pardon of sin, and an interest in Jesus Christ; without which, it is undone to all eternity. Discovering the false refuges, and vain hopes for heaven, of ignorant and formal professors in this nation, tending to rouze them out of their carnal security, before it be too late. Whereunto is added, (by way of comfort, to all dejected soules) the tempestuous soul calmed by Jesus Christ. / By A. Palmer, preacher of the Gospel at Bourton on the Water in Gloucester-shire. Palmer, Anthony, 1618?-1679.; Palmer, Anthony, 1618?-1679. Tempestuous soul calmed. 1658 (1658) Wing P216; Thomason E1826_2; Thomason E1826_3; ESTC R209826 155,076 274

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transgression of the law and shew what the sense of guilt is which few there are that have in a saving way Observ 3. Every soul in the world is guilty before God of the transgression of the Law And all the world may become guilty before God This hath been proved where we have shew'd that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God This guilt is threefold which is set home upon every sinners heart when convinc'd of sin by the spirit 1. The guilt of Adams sin which stands charg'd upon every sinner in the world while under the law Rom. 5.18 2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures sinne in the fountain as I have shewed which is likewise upon every Son or Daughter of Adam they are all corrupt Psal 14.1 wherein lies the exceeding sinfulfulnesse of sin 3. The guilt of actuall rebellion against God sinne brought forth and acted in the outward man against God Now under this threefold guilt is every sinner in the world while under the law the effect of which if not reconciled is punishment sutable to the guilt which is Thou shall surely dye And The wages of sinne is death eternall death Rom. 6. last Use 1. This may therefore inform and convince that every sin brings guilt upon the soul and so deserves death and everlasting wrath from God you that make light of sin to lye to profane the name of the Lord be in worldly discourses on the Lords day in any way of sin whatsoever weigh this in thy conscience There 's not the least sin but makes thee guilty before the tribunall of God God the law Angels Conscience are all witnesses against thee where 's the soul that will think to avoid this charge shall I prove every soul of you guilty and that before God If this were proved by the power of the word in the conscience I know what and I shall shew it you will be the effect of it lay your consciences to the Word and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day go home with the sense of it upon thy soul and do as a guilty sinner should do 1. Consider first as to what concerns God immediately The Law requires Thou shouldst have no other Gods but him Exod. 20. Which Jesus Christ interprets is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul now Hath God had thy whole heart and soul darest thou say so Hath not the world had more of thy heart then God Dost not thou love the world and the things of it Do not thy affections thoughts desires of thy heart even day and night go after it yea you cannot but grant that 't is so Then God and Angels are witnesse that thou art guilty of the damnable sin of Idolatry And such a one shall not as such enter into the kingdome of God Eph. 5.5 Know by that Scripture A covetous heart may send thee to Hell as well as any sin in the world No Covetous man who is an Idolater shall enter into the kingdome of God read over the place every day and tremble at it Here 's guilt already enough to damn thee 2. Thou hast worshipped God superstitiously and idolatrously after the traditions and commandments of men you that are elderly people are all guilty here in a grievous manner in the time of your ignorance when superstitious Ceremonies were practised and the Common-prayer-Book worship was upheld when you polluted the Ordinances of Jesus Christ coming to Sacraments with sins upon your souls from which sins you are not converted and changed to this day which the Apostle calls eating and drinking damnation or judgment under which guilt you still lye and would heap up more of this guilt were not some more tender of your souls then your selves Here 's guilt to purpose who is free from it and how many unhumbled under it to this day Art thou not now ready to cry out Oh hold hold you need go no further my conscience is smitten oh guilt great guilt lyes upon me Oh that 't were the cry of many souls before the Lord how might it end in mercy that shall be for ever 3. But yet further to pursue thy conscience for that 's the nature of guilt doth not the Lord require in his law that thou shouldst not take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 Now sinner stave off this guilt if thou canst How oft hast thou abused and profaned this great and dreadfull Name the Lord thy God by swearing or in thy by-words crying oh Lord oh God for Gods sake for Christs sake upon every foolish vain occasion with no more reverence of his Name then the most Common name in the world And some of you have as many dayes as you have lived since your childhood bin frequently guilty of this great evil which thou hast made a small matter of which if ever God pardon it it will appear to be odious guilt from the height of thy heart-Atheism How oft hast thou heard the word and thy heart bin after the world and thine eyes gazing up and down that t is easie to discern thou regardest not what is spoken from God to thee and the same in prayer how oft hast thou babled ore the Lords prayer like a charme with no reverence of Gods Majesty upon thy soul in thy bed it may be in a drowsie manner or if otherwise not understanding the words thou speakest much lesse thy heart affected with them or it may be saying over the Creed and the Commandements or some Service-book prayers as abundance do grievously profaning Gods Name and offering lip labour which his soul abhorreth yea know what hath bin often proved that thy prayers and all thy worship and good deeds as thou callest them are an abomination to the Lord while thou art in thy sin an unconverted and unholy person yea the way of thy worship in which thou placest thy greatest confidence hath bin the highest aggravation of thy sin in offering up to God that which his soul hateth Esay 1.11 12 13 14 15. When you make many prayers saith the Lord I will not hear you c. And as to the sanctifying the Sabbath which thou shouldest make a holy rest unto God thou hast made it a meer fleshly rest consuming the day upon thy lusts in vanity idlenesse carnall and worldly discourses in families in the streets to the high dishonour of the Name of God and hardening of thy heart against the truths of God rendring thereby the preaching of the Gospel wholly unprofitable to thy soul A carriage farr unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him and a most invincible argument to thy conscience that thou makest not God his word ordinances sabbaths a holy delight and knowest not the excellency and sweetnesse of Communion with him Say sinner and lay thy conscience to this conviction is hearing and that with love praying praising meditating conferring of holy things the very heaven of thy
may become the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 Oh! guilty world that so slight the knowledge of Jesus Christ and contemn the Ministration of it woe unto them 3. If God doth let forth no grace and mercy but by Jesus Christ It may serve to unbottom poor souls from a generall carnall hope of mercy not being acquainted with the way of grace by Jesus Christ nor coming as lost sinners in themselves to be found in Christ and justified by Jesus Christ this they utterly neglect having an empty notion of Christs dying but know not for what and upon what grounds and how a sinner gets to God by him Oh! let this reprove you for this grosse and damnable neglect and convince you that all your pretended hopes of mercy will vanish unless you learn the knowledge of Jesus Christ 4. And therefore If no way to the Father no interest in mercy no accesse to God but by Jesus Christ Let it serve to teach poor ignorant sinners yea all of us how to get to God to mercy into his Covenant Oh! No way but by Jesus Christ Oh! I can never come to the presence of Gods Majesty but by Jesus Christ who is appointed Mediator to bring a poor sinner to himself to make way for him into the presence of God to conveigh mercy and grace to a poor sinners Oh say that I could acquaint my self with Jesus Christ take hold of his skirts and he will bring me into the favour love covenant vision union of God This is the way for a sinner to come unto him Joh. 14.6 5. Let it call upon Saints that know Jesus Christ in the Spirit that they do not grow strangers to him that they neglect not Jesus Christ Oh! Neglect him not in his blessed Mediation grace love fellowship appearance ordinances 'T is a grievious thing and very apt are Saints to it to neglect Jesus Christ Oh still know and consider that as your accesse to God was by him at first so it is still His Mediation for you his love and grace and fellowship is as good as ever as precious as it ever was Therefore have high and precious thoughts of him of your blessed accesse to God by Jesus Christ The next thing that I come to open is how Jesus Christ wrought forth salvation and justification for a sinner so that the free grace of God might by him be freely let out upon a sinner Namely the work of his Redemption through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ verse ●4 I shall not insist upon the many difficulties that the wisdome of the flesh hath started about the word or worke of our Redemption but endeavour as I have promised to give it out in a plain Scripturall practicall manner for the use of poor sinners Redemption signifies a deliverance from captivity by a price or ransome laid down Man had sin'd himself into captivity and a just condemnation God from his own free mercy was willing he should be set at liberty but this should not be done but by a price or ransome being paid to God which was the intervening death of Jesus Christ who being the eternal Son of God came down from Heaven took upon him the nature of man was willing to stand in the room of sinners bearing their sins in the undergoing the punishment for them whereby God laid upon Jesus Christ the iniquities of all that shall be saved Esay 53.6 proceeded against him as if he had bin the sinner in a way of Justice executed his wrath upon him Thus he is said to dye for the sins of his own 2 Cor. 5.15 Heb. 9.15 and to give himself for us and to give his life a ransome for many which death of Jesus Christ is styled an expiatory sacrifice an atonement and propitiation All which do imply that by the death of Jesus Christ satisfaction was made to the infinite Justice of God as if the sinners that are saved by it had suffered the utmost of divine Justice in their own persons Thus much may serve briefly to open the nature of Christs redemption The Doctrine I shall lay down from the words will be this Doct. To the Salvation and Justification of a sinner in order to Gods letting out his free grace upon him there was required the death of Jesus Christ as a price laid down to the justice of God for his redemption I might urge many more texts besides what have bin named As 1 Pet. 1.18.19 redeemed not with silver and gold c. but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ Ephes 1.7 Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of our sins This was it which was typified by all the sacrifices in the Old Testament-dispensation as in the Epistle to the Hebr. at large specially in the 9th Chapter verse 12.13 14 22. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission From hence the reasons of divine wisdome thus proceeding so farre as revealed in the word will be clear Reasons 1. That the Justice of God might be glorified in the salvation of sinners as well as mercy Now there being atonement made to Justice by the death of Jesus Christ the Righteousnesse of God hath a share in the glory of mans salvation with the Grace and mercy of God 2. The purity and holinesse of Gods justice did require it which being violated by the sin of man it was most equall that satisfaction be made which no mere creature was able to do and therefore the eternall Son of God blessed for ever was appointed of the Father to it therefore 't is said verse 25. of this 3d of the Rom. That He might be just and the justifier of them that believe in Iesus given as a reason of Gods setting forth his Son to be a propitiation 3. The expresse word of the Lord did require it who pronounced to all mankind in Adam that the transgressour should surely dye Gen. 2.17 Therefore upon his transgression the sinner must either dye in his own person or another in his stead which God in his infinite wisdome might order as he pleas'd Now God being willing to glorifie his mercy chose to lay this punishment on his own Son Jesus Christ and not on the condemned sinner which Jesus Christ also voluntarily undertaking the word of the Lord was fully made good and Jesus Christ dying for the sinner being made a curse for him 't was all one as if the sinner himself had dyed 4. God gave out a holy and righteous Law written in the heart of Adam which Law was just and holy and good Rom. 7. Now this Law being broken God would not dispence with it in shewing mercy to the sinner unlesse his Law was satisfied which Jesus Christ undertook Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned
all do sin and transgresse this law of God therefore they are under the penalty and condemnation of it this argument the Apostle brings to prove the same thing verse 9. of this 3d. of the Rom. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin and verse 12. They are all gone out of the way they are together become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one Threfore seeing all do sin they are bound to answer the law as you use to phrase it and are subject to whatsoever the law pronounceth against the transgressours of it 3. All the partiall keping of the law will not deliver a soul from that penalty that belongs to the breach of the whole keep me all or none as to your deliverance from the curse saith the law But this I am further to prove when I speak to the next verse The impossibility of a sinners being accepted by his best keeping of the law Use 1. Are all men and women in the world young and old naturally under the law bound over to the most exact and rigorous fulfilling of it under a curse and are indeed under all the curses and threanings it pronounceth and bound to make God satisfaction in your own persons while you are under it oh let every poor sinner be convinced of it what a state is this for any poor soul to rest it self satisfied in who is the man or woman that is not a transgressour of it and therefore see to it and that before the execution of judgment come upon thee without remedy Sinner If thou wast condemned by the law and under a sentence of death how wouldst thou beg for a reprieve and beg all thy friends to interpose for thee what an amazing word would it be to thee Thou art condemned to dye Ah sinner t is the case of thy precious soul Thou art condemn'd to eternall death by the law of God the sentence is pronounced from the righteous Judge of Heaven Away sinner with all speed to a Mercy seat Acknowledge thy condemnation just by the law Go to the great and potent Advocate of heaven Jesus Christ the righteous put thy case into his hand tell him thou hast none else to make to and that thou hast heard he hath helped many a condemned sinner in the same case as thou art and that thou hast heard he hath layd down a price for such as thou art to redeem them from the curse of the Law follow him and if he speak but a word to the just and great God for thee the sentence of the Law is remitted a pardon of grace comes forth and at last the Holy Ghost shall be sent from the father and the Son to witnesse it and seal it in thy own conscience and that blessed word shall be thine Therefore there is now No condemnation c. who shall condemn me since Jesus Christ hath cleared me and hath made the Court of Heaven for me Go and ponder in thy soul every day and say Is' t nothing to be under a Curse condemned by a Law to be damned for ever shall I let my poor soul lye in such a case one hour longer specially when a way I hear is opened to me to get from under it Say what satifaction can I wretched creature make to the righteous God None but by suffering what infinite justice will lay upon me which is no lesse then infinite punishment Oh get in upon thy conscience what it is to be condemned by the great God to lye under guilt to have no plea or excuse by the law left thee which I will labour to prove to thy conscience and then further urge thee which is the import of the next point Observ 2. A transgressour of the law as he hath nothing to boast in so he hath nothing to excuse himself for his sin or from the righteous judgment of God due unto him which is drawn from these words That every mouth may be stopped c. This the Apostle intimates Rom. 2.1 Therefore thou art inexcusable ô man c. speaking to the Jew who went about to free himself And the judgment of God is according to truth against them which do such things verse 2. Reason 1. A poor sinner hath nothing to excuse himself for sinning against the law of God because the law is good and righteous Rom. 7.12 Therefore the law is holy and the Commandement holy just and good saith Paul when he was under such a conviction of sinning against it as we are pressing So 1 Tim. 1.8 But we know that the Law is good c. T is a law that containes glory to the Creatour and all good and blessednesse as in its self to the creature A law that 's full of all wisdome and blessednesse takes care for the good blessing peace order of the whole Creation that man might not sin against his maker nor in the least harme nor think to do so his fellow creature so that its proper end is goodnesse preservation to all Now what excuse for a creature most concern'd in the good of it for sinning against such a law what hath a creature to say for himself how inexcusable is he before God Angels and men 2. God writ this holy and blessed law in the heart of Adam as he was a publique person whereby he and in him all mankind had power to keep it therefore the sinner hath no excuse before God He gave man a power though he did not lay a necessity upon his will but left him to the liberty of it but man corrupted himself Gen. 6.12 whereby he disabled himself from keeping the law Now if a man disable himself it can be no rationall excuse for neglecting the duty so that his mouth is stopped as to any plea or excuse before the Lord. 3. Though man had blurred and defaced the fair and originall Copy of this holy and good law written in his heart yet God gave it forth again by Moses in Legible Characters one end wherefore was to leave all mankind without excuse thereof this strikes off all plea for the sinner specially to such to whom it is revealed 4. There is a remnant of this law yet in the heart of Adam which though not sufficient to enable him to an exact performance of it yet enough to leave him without excuse so Paul Rom. 2.15 to prove this point we are now upon speaking of the Gentiles Which shew the workes of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnesse and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another There is enough of the law remaining in every mans heart to accuse him when he doth evil and excuse him so far as he doth right though man by habituall sinning doth much stifle it so that this also helps to aggravate his sin and to leave him without all plea or excuse 5. There is that to be known of God in the creatures that
heart we should come to an issue in the point Mark that word Gal. 3.12 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law to do them I think I opened this place lately but mark it well The law requires of every one and therefore of thee who ever thou art a continuance without intermission of doing not only purposing and endeavouring All things not keeping nine and breaking one Commandement not keeping it outwardly and breaking it in thy thoughts of sin but in All things or Cursed without remedy by the law The law can give you no remedy see Rom. 10.5 For Moses describeth the righteousnesse of the law The man that doth these things shall live by them If he doth all the things of the law not purposeth them onely but doth them he shall live by them but not otherwise but shall dye and that for ever by the law now mark you The same law can't at once justifie and condemn blesse and curse quit and judge save and condemn if it therefore condemn in the least it cannot quit by all that ever a soul hath done or may do towards fulfilling it I instanced before If a man that lives under the law of England all the laws of it and he be found a transgressour of one law that is to be punished with death it will not be a good plea for him that he never brake any other law that deserves death no saith the Judge you must dye for this so as I have shew'd the law pronounceth death to the breach of any one Commandement any part of one as well as to the breach of the whole Therefore he that pleads as the Pharisee did and was never the more accepted that he is no murderer no blasphemer no thief no adulterer t is all one if thou hast ever had an unholy thought in thy heart as thou hast had thousands as thou art under the law thou art condemned If this indeed had bin the tenour of the law as it was a Covenant between God and the first Adam that if thou and thy posterity shall endeavour to keep the law as well as you can though you fail in some part yet you shall be accepted then this had bin a good plea before God that you have so endeavour'd to keep it but t is not so the Covenant doth not run so but as hath bin shewd it runs thus Here 's a holy and righteous law saith God the matter of the Covenant between us If you break it in any one least part of it and but once you are condemn'd and all your other righteousnesse shall not be imputed to you This saith bin proved from severall Scriptures and I think t is the hardest thing in the world to be spiritually and practically convinced of it such is the exactnesse of the Law that it admits of no bartering of no termes whatsoever it still cryes fullfill me to the utmost or dye 3. The third Reason which strikes off all hope of acceptance with God by keeping the Law as well as you can is taken from the sinfulnesse of those very duties and workes which you place such acceptance in There is an infinite sinfulnesse in every such duty though the matter of the duty be good yet the manner of performing it by any naturall man is wholly sinfull yea there 's a mixture of sin in the most holy performances of any regenerate soul in the world which he is sensible of but I am dealing with the naturall man as to his opinion of his good keeping the law I say there 's nothing but sin in their performances the principle they proceed from is wholly sinfull viz. a corrupted polluted heart and nature Can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Mat. 7.18 Can a corrupt fountain send forth sweet waters Jam. 3.11 No more can a corrupt defiled heart bring forth any duty or work but what is loathsome to God full of all impurity This a naturall man is not able to see nor consider of till convinc'd by the holy Ghost and therefore 't is that he rests onely in performing the matter and bulk of duties to God and his neighbour but with what heart and the unholinesse of it he weights not Upon this account it is that the Scriptures speak at such a rate of naturall men that they are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15.8 that his soul hates them he cannot away with them they are iniquity they are a trouble to him Isay 1. And that he casts them back as dung upon their faces Mal. 2.3 Therefore if there be more then sin enough in that best keeping of the Law towards God or man to damn a soul for ever Certainly a soul shall be never the better nor at all accepted for such a keeping of it That which in it self hath sin nothing but sin in the manner of it cannot be a means to quit a soul from other sin by which he hath brought guilt upon himself Let this be well considered and Nothing but a Christ would be your cry to purpose indeed 4. The fourth reason or convincement of this truth that the best endeavour to keep the law will not give you more acceptance with God nor take away any guilt from off the soul is because such duties and keeping the Law are but of the outward man which is farre from reaching the Compasse of the law the law is spirituall Rom. 7.14 that is it reacheth to the inward parts to the motions of the heart as hath bin before hinted and not onely to the outward man therefore our blessed Lord seeing the Jews insisting so much that they were outwardly blamelesse spends a large discourse Mat. 5.6 7. to beat them off their confidence in being outwardly righteous and proves a man a murderer by the Law for one wrathfull thought in his heart Mat. 5.21 22. Upon this conviction you have him as oft as he spake to the Jews that we may see the weight of this doctrine see Luke 16.19 15. And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him And he said unto them ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God Jesus Christ was convincing the wickednesse of a covetous heart the Jews who were carnall and formall made a sleight matter of this seeing they were outwardly blamelesse and wronged no body Aye but saith Christ God knoweth your hearts and his eye is most upon them and though you are outwardly righteous before men and this is a matter highly esteemed of among men that you are righteous and blamelesse yet t is an abomination to God see how severe the Lord is in pressing of this it being the great let of his Ministery and of the Jews stumbling at the Gospel as it is with us Mat. 23. his last Sermon I conceive he preacht to them verse
convey his grace to lost Sinners Iam. 5.22 23. That all men should honour the Son So the Apostle fully Col. 1.16 17 18 19 20. All things were for him And that in all things he might have the preheminence c. For by him and to him and for him are all things This honour the Father committed to the Son to bring about this great Contrivance of bringing Man back again unto God 4. God letting out his Grace by Iesus Christ renders his love more abundant and acceptable to poor sinners Ioh. 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son c. So loved it that he could not give forth a greater manifestation of his love Now the Father purposed to render his love to sinners by the gift of his Son most full and glorious and therefore gave him out of his Bosome and all the Riches of his Love and Grace by him 5. This way of the Father's dispensation of grace by his Son Iesus Christ hath rendered the grace of God most sure and unchangeable to his own The Covenant of Grace being now establisht between the Father and Iesus Christ Iesus Christ being the Undertaker in it for all the Father gave him it is certainly founded upon a sure Bottome This was the Father's Promise Isa 42.6 I will give him for a Covenant to the People Iesus Christ as a common person did represent all the Elect in the Covenant as the first Adam in the first Covenant did represent all his and Iesus Christ did undertake to bring them to God to bring them into the Covenant and so to estate them in all the grace and mercy and blessing of it Therefore the mercies of the Covenant are stiled The sure mercies of David Isa 55.3 As a Type of Iesus Christ coming of the Seed of David wherein is set forth the excellency of the New Covenant the whole Transaction of it intrusted in the hands of Jesus Christ and therefore not one drop of the mercy of it can ever fail those that are taken into it 6. By the giving forth of Jesus Christ the whole of Gospel-Salvation is rendered more glorious The Wisdome Justice Holiness of God as well as mercy and love do shine forth in Jesus Christ And therefore the Gospel-mystery is styled The manifold Wisdome of God Ephes 3.10 Every Attribute of God is glorified in the giving out of Jesus Christ 7. Yea had not God taken this way of making out himself by Jesus Christ the World had dwelt in gross darkness of him Therefore Jesus Christ is styled The Image of the Invisible God Col. 1.15 The express Image of the Father The brightness of his glory Heb. 1. And in 2 Cor. 2.6 The light of the knowledge of the glory of God is said to shine in the face of Jesus Christ. The Creation is but a dark shadow of the glory of God as to what is revealed of God in the manifestation of Jesus Christ There are the Footsteps of God in the Creatures but his Character and Image in his Blessed Son Jesus Christ 8. There could not have been access to God but by Jesus Christ for through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father Eph. 1 18. How could polluted Dust draw nigh to the absolute majesty and glory of God had not he let forth himself in Jesus Christ as in our own Nature and so makes way for a poor sinner to come before him 9. Had God let forth mercy to sinners and not given out his Son Jesus Christ His justice must have been violated which is the main of all The word of the Lord was absolute In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye Gen. 2.17 which was meant of the Eternal Death of the Soul in its separation from the life of God as is clear in Rom. 5. last where grace unto eternal life by Jesus Christ is put in opposition to that death which was by sin which must therefore needs be meant of Eternal Death So Rom. 6. ver last Now this Death must be executed upon all the Posterity of Adam or else God must take some other way to satisfie his justice he will save the sinner which was upon his own son Jesus Christ as will further be evidenced in the following Discourse 10. The Blessed God took this way of letting out himself his grace by Jesus Christ that thereby Saints might have union with him which was a holy design of rhe Father in saving them That they may be one in us Ioh. 17.21 The deepest and most unconceiveable mystery in our Salvation Now Iesus Christ as the Eternal Son of God taking upon him our natures we became capable of being united to him through the Spirit and made one with the humane nature of Christ whereby we are also united to the God-head and so become one with the Father and the Son which is the top of the Saints perfection Use 1. Now what hath bin said as to the grounds and reasons of God in given out his eternall Son and letting forth all grace by him may serve to acquaint us with this rich and glorious Mystery as it is styled Col. 1.27 Namely God reconciling the word by Jesus Christ letting forth the knowledge of himself glorifying all his Attributes making such discoveries of his glory providing such a way of Mediation such a glorious Mediator laying the blessed project of a sinner's glorious salvation so sure rendring his love so acceptable and glorious making way for free accesse unto himself and how we might become one with him Oh! the depths of the wisdome and love of God which of them may we admire most well may Angels pry into this holy Mystery well may it be the astonishment of Heaven and Earth of the whole Creation How much more of a sinner for whose sake it was thus ordered Oh that we might fall upon our faces and adore the wisdom and grace of God in such a contrivance as this Oh! unmeasurable goodnesse unfathomed wisdom Eternity is but enough to admire it To behold God in Christ will be the vision which the souls of blessed Saints will be wrapt up into to all eternity 2. Oh! therefore what infinite mercy is it to be brought forth in new Testament-times when the Mystery hid in God hid from ages kept secret since the word began 1 Cor. 16.25 is brought to light and sparkling upon the darknesse of the world when the glory of God is risen upon the world Now If this Gospel be hid t is hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Woe unto them that close their eyes when the light shines round about them Oh! you that yet sit in darknesse and the shaddow of death Arise Awake look up that Gospel-light may shine into you Oh cry wait that your eyes may be opened to behold God coming forth in the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the glorious Gospel waite for the spirit and thar the Gospel in the preaching of it
sin in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the Law might fulfill'd in us c. Gal. 4.4 But when the fulnesse of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law c. So that the Law was fullfilled by Iesus Christ as if the sinner had kept it fully in his own person by Christ's becoming obedient to the death of the Crosse and so suffering the punishment of the Law still in the stead and name in the sinner and by his keeping the Law in the pure originall righteousnesse of his nature 2 Cor. 5.21 and Heb. 7.26 27. and by his actuall obedience to it in the perfect observing of it Rom. 5.19 For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many were made righteous Namely by the obedience of Iesus Christ which he gave unto the Law Now all sinners being condemned by the Law the Law could not remit them till it was satisfied it call'd for punishment and full obedience which Iesus Christ gave unto it 5. God could not so freely to speak after the manner of men let out grace and mercy unlesse such satisfaction had bin given by Iesus Christ now it can come easily delightfully chearfully from the righteous and gracious God seeing his justice will not plead against it but for it being blessedly satisfied and Iesus Christ by his death did fully merit it and deserve it at the hands of God and laid down as much as God in infinite justice would require therefore t is now as well justice as mercy for God to remit a sinner that comes to God by Iesus Christ 1 Iohn 1.7 God is just to forgive us our sins Now hereupon God having ordained and accepted of such a way of atonement his justice glorified and satisfied his word that the sinner should dye made good his Law to the utmost satisfied what remaines but that the blessed God can remit the bondage guilt condemnation of the sinner having thus accepted of satisfaction what remaines but that he should pronounce as he doth Iob 33.24 Deliver him for I have found a ransome God can now pardon the sinner that comes believingly by Iesus Christ to him for it without any regreat his justice shall be glorified by it as well as his mercy God hath charg'd all upon another and accepted of full payment call'd himself to witnesse of it and will never repent of it Object If any should Object Wherein is free grace glorified if God have received full satisfaction to his justice Answ I answer 1. 'T was infinite free grace for God to give out his blessed Son Iesus Christ when there was no obligation upon him he gave him and sent him freely Iohn 3.16 from his own free love therefore there 's a world of free grace in mans salvation 2. 'T was infinite grace towards the sinner to accept of satisfaction by a Surety Heb. 5. and not on the sinner the party offending himself what abundant grace and love to lay the sins and guilt upon another specially the onely Son of his bosome who was without all sinne 2 Cor. 5.21 and not to condemn the poor helpless sinner for ever 3. 'T was infinite free grace for God himself to contrive the way of such a Redemption had it bin left to sinfull man to have found out a way how justice might be satisfied he could never have done it It could never have entred into the heart of Man or Angels to have offered to God a satisfactory way for the making up of his wronged justice but he must have perished for ever therefore this is a world of grace 4. The Father was at Liberty to impute this Redemption of Christ to whom he would to this sinner and not to another Rom. 9. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy c. So that 't is indeed a debt to Christ but all of free mercy and grace to any Sinner that is saved Use 1. If then Salvation remission of sins came in this way by the death blood of Iesus Christ then it may discover to us the infinite hatred that God bears to sin that to make expiation atonement to his justice there could no sacrifice be found but the death of his eternall Son Iesus Christ Oh! that ever a sinner should delight in that which the holy God so much hates and abhorres 2. Let it be for convincement to poor sinners of the infinite necessity of this way of Redemption by Iesus Christ in laying down his life to satisfie the justice of God and of getting their part in it you have heard the case of a sinner condemn'd by the Law liable to eternall death subject to the rigour of divine justice no way able or in a Capacity to make satisfaction to God mercy as it were bound up by justice Oh! therefore what necessity of a Mediator of a Redeemer to work forth deliverance to lay down a ransome for sinners dye and undergo the curse and wrath of the great and dreadfull God fullfill the Law make satisfaction to the wronged justice of God to the utmost this Iesus Christ hath done for miserable sinners that will come to him Now the most of poor souls have but a notion of Christs dying but know not what is meant by Christ dying for me though sometimes in their mouths Oh! sinner for Christ to dye for thee if thou gettest a part in his death is to undergo the punishment and curse and death that thy soul was liable to which otherwise must have come upon thee to the utmost it was to be made sin and curse for thee to bear thy sins and stand in them Oh! that thou couldst really be convinced of the necessity of this Redemption that thou couldst never come to God without it and therefore to get thy poor soul stated in it 3. If satisfaction to Gods justice can onely be by the blood of Iesus Christ then let me again presse you that you take heed of performing your duties and repentings as if thereby you did satisfie and pacifie God for the sin of your souls This is the most dangerous snare upon poor souls that though they have sinned yet they hope God will be pacified with some praying and sorrowing and amendement now though this shall be in a spirituall manner upon every pardoned sinner and t is a capacity God puts the sinner into when he applyes the death of his Son and so gives out mercy and pardon yet you must most carefully take heed that you offer not up such duties as if they did make God amends and pacifie him for your sins but look above and beyond them as if they were not and so to cast your eye to the great sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ which Alone makes atonement to God and makes way for a poor sinner to come to him 4. That as sinners would learn the blessed Mystery of