Rom. 6. 14. Here you see expresly that there is a freedome from the dominion of sinne even upon this account that we are under the Covenant of grace Though you be not totally freed from the inhabitation of sinne for sinne doth dwell in us whiles we dwell on earth and though you be not totally freed from the rebellion of sinne for peccatum hostis est quamdiu est The flesh lusteâ—h against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. and there is a law in our members warring against the law of our minds Rom. 7. 23. yet you are totally freed from the dominion of sinne which consists in the effectual Rule Command and Sovereign strength of sinne and a free and full and willing subjection or obedience unto the Law and authority of sinne and verily this freedome or deliverance is a wonderful mercy and happinesse unto the people of God whither you consider 1. The great and utmost distance twixt you and God 2. The basenâ—sse of servitude in which every one lives over whom sinne hath dominion for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage 2 Pet. 2. 19. You were but very slaves to your lusts and to the devil whiles sinne did rule over you 3. The height of enmity As you were the basest of slaves so you were the worst of enemies living not only as aliens without God but as desperate enemies opposing and fighting against God 4. The superfluity of naughtinesse a full contrariety your whole hearts and your whole lives were nothing else but a constant dishonour unto God and contradiction to his Will and Glory 5. The certainty of destruction which would infallibly have attended you had not the mercy and grace of God rescued and delivered you I say certain destruction to your souls as there is a certain destruction to the life of our bodies if we fall into the sea and lie under it 6. The sweet and immediate communion 'twixt the deliverance from the dominion of sinne and admission to the Kingdome of Christ It is a translation from death to life The Apostle joins these together in Colos 5. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Sonne 3. They have immunity or freedome from the damnation meritoriously depending upon the guilt of sinne As salvation depends upon the merits of Christ so From damnation for sinne doth damnation depend on the merit of sinne There is so much merit in sinne as to render us obnoxious not only to temporal destruction but also to eternal destruction for the wages of sinne is death even that death which stands in opposition to eternal life Rom. 6. 23. But from the effectual redundancy of this damnation upon your persons you are every one freed who are in Covenant with God For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3. 15. And the ground of this your immunity from the damnation due unto you for your sinnes is the satisfaction which Christ hath made for your sinnes unto the justice of God and thereupon the obtaining of riches of mercy from your God who according to his Covenant with you blots out and forgives all your sinnes and never remembers them any more For this is a sure truth that remission of sinnes and actual damnation for sinnes are incompatible or inconsistent Now whether this be any cause of comfort that you and your sinnes are parted and that you and hell are for ever separated I leave it to any one of you to judge for mine own part I do look upon four things as very great mercies 1. That I am delivered from the power of sinne 2. That I enjoy the pardon of sinne 3. That I shall never be damned for sinne 4. That I shall be saved notwithstanding all my sinnes 4. They have immunity or freedome from justification by the Law from all legal From justification by the Law tryals for life Although you are not freed from the Law as it is a rule for life yet you are freed from the Law as it is a Covenant of life although you are not freed from the Law as it is the image of the good and holy will of God yet because you are under the Covenant of grace you are freed from the Law as it is a reason of salvation and justification The Covenant of grace takes you off from that Court and that Bar which pronounceth life upon your own good works and pronounceth death upon your own evil works Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law Gal. 3. 11. No man is justified by the Law in the sight of God for the just shall live by faith As the Law calls for perfect and personal righteousnesse of our own so the Law will not justifie you it will not give life unto you unlesse it finds that righteousnesse in you you live not if you be not perfectly righteous absolution is pronounced upon your own perfect innocency and condemnation is pronounced upon any defect or breach And verily upon this account no man living can or shall be justified therefore here is comfort that being in Christ and in this Covenant of grace ye are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses See the Apostle Acts 13. 39. Your life doth not lie now in your own righteousnesse but in the righteousnesse of Christ nor doth it depend upon your own works but upon the obedience of Christ That expression of Luther is an excellent expression Christus solus me justificat contra mea mala opera sine operibus meis bonis Though my works have been very good yet not those but Christ doth justifie me and though my works have been very ill yet the righteousnesse of Christ can and will justifie me my evil works shall not damne me and my good works cannot acquit me it is Christ it is Christ and not the Law which justifies me 5. They have immunity or liberty from the rigour of the Law The Law in the rigour of it exacts of us a most absolute obedience a most exquisite and full obedience From the rigor of the Law it will not abate us the least grain or scruple if it be not every way adequate for matter and manner and measure your obedience will not passe nor will it be accepted according to the rigour of the Law Cursed is every one who doth not continue in every thing that is written to do it But when once you are under the Covenant of grace when once God is your God and you are his people neither you nor your services are judged by the exactnesse of your services but by the sincerity of your hearts Though much be wanting which the Law prescribes yet if that be present which your merciful God and Father
who paid no Debt nor Ransome for our selves it did cost us nothing the Remission of sins is meer mercy and free grace God did not expresse his full justice and mercy on Christ together nor did he express his full mercy and justice together on us But he expressed his justice on Christ who fully satisfied it and he expressed his mercy on us yet for the satisfaction made by the blood of Christ Amongst many places which might be brought to prove that the remission of our sins doth depend on the blood or sufferings of Christ I will mention only one more It is in Heb. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission verse 26. But now hath he speaking of Christ once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin by tht sacrifice of himself verse 28. So was Christ once offered to bear the sins of many what can be more clear There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood and therefore Christ appeared to put away our sins by the shedding of his blood per immolationem sui ipsius by the Sacrifice of himself As when the Sacrifices called expiatory were offered sins were taken away and pardoned so when Christ offered up himself by death a Sacrifice to God this was of real vertue to expiate our sins Vse 1 Now what an unspeakable comfort is this that Jesus Christ as our Mediatour did shed his blood for the remission of our sins Comfort that Christ shed his blood for our remission It looseth our Bonds and dischargeth our Debts 1. Our sins in Scripture are sometimes called Bonds and indeed they are the heaviest and dreadfullest Bonds of all others lying heavy upon the conscience and binding us over to Gods Tribunal to answer but these are loosened and released through the blood of Christ And sometimes they are called Debts for the payment of which we do owe unto the justice of God the endurance of everlasting pain in soul and in body but these debts are forgiven us for Christs sake In every sin there are two things considerable One is the Offence done to God by reason whereof he is displeased The other is the Obligation of that person so offending God unto everlasting wrath and condemnation And both these are removed in the remission or forgiveness of sins the offence or fault is removed God is not now offended or displeased with the offending sinner any more and the obligation unto eternal wrath and condemnation is so far cancelled that it shall never redound unto the person Although guilt and obligation be natural unto and inseparable from sin yet this obligation shall never be put in suit nor shall that wrath and condemnation deserved by sin be ever inflicted on the sinner because there is a forgiveness of sin wrought by Jesus Christ And therefore the Apostle saith That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5. 19. that is not laying of them to their charge not suing of them not reckoning with them but forgiving them 2. Secondly the comfort from this will appear yet to be more if you do consider This remission doth extend to all our sins that this remission of sin by Christ as it takes off the guilt of sin which is the Arrow in the Side the gnawing Worm in the Conscience the Thorn in the Foot and the breaking of our Bones so it doth extend to all our sins We do diversifie our sins by the times of them some are past some are present and some are future And by the quantity of them some are small and some are great And by the quality and circumstances of them some are of ignorance and some are of knowledge some are voluntary and some are involuntary c. Now whatsoever our sins are alwayes supposing us to be Elect believing and penitent persons they are all of them forgiven through the blood of Christ Colos 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities wherey they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Object What all every one Sol. Yes And there are five Arguments to satisfie us concerning this 1. Jesus Christ as our Surety took upon him the whole state of our sinfull debts He did not undertake this or that particular sin only but the whole debt the whole reckoning all the sins of which we might be conceived guilty and of all of them gave himself a Sacrifice to put away sin 2. He did so satisfie Gods justice for our sins as that there is now no condemnation to them that are in him and verily if all condemnation be removed then all sin is pardoned If any one sin remained unpardoned then condemnation would still be in force upon us for that one sin 3. His death was a price Aequivalent unto the merits of all our sins and preponderating them and God having accepted thereof it would be unjust in him not to remit all 4. All enmity is slain by the blood of Christ between God and us He hath reconciled us by his Crosse having slain enmity thereby But if any sin was not forgiven all hostility is not slain 5. The great end of Christs death was to save us to make us blessed to bring us to the enjoyment of eternal life which end could never be attained unlesse God did upon the account of Christ give unto us a plenary and total remission of sins Because of any one sin unpardoned the wages is death which the Apostle delivers in opposition to eternal life Rom 6. 23. 3. Nor doth our comfort from the remission of our sins by Christ end in This Remission is stable and irrevocable this it goes one step yet further and that is this as the Remission is total and perfect so it is stable and irrevocable Hence those expressions in Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea as if our sins lay drowned and buried for ever never to rise up against us any more Isa 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins When a Bond or Writing is blotted out there the writing against us can be read no more Or when a Cloud is blotted out it is so scattered and dispersed that it appears no more Jer. 33. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sins no more Jer. 50. 20. The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Why what comfort is this That there is Remission of sins procured for us and of all sins and that by Christ and that God hath forgiven them and as long as God is God and Christ is Christ they remain forgiven God alters not and Christ afters not and forgivenesse of sinnes alters not Vse 2 Is Remission of sin
Rom. 16. 25 26. even the Mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest unto his Saints Col. 1. 26. Though others sit in darknesse and see no light yet unto you through Christ there ariseth light in darknesse and your eyes shall and do see the salvation of the Lord and the glory of the Lord the light shines in your hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. he makes known unto you the true life and the true way of life the mystery of salvation 2. He hath it in his commission to instruct and teach you the whole minde and will of To instruct and teach us the while mind and will of God God in every thing which concerns your salvation all things that I have heard of the Father I have made known unto you Joh. 15. 15. As he discovers unto us infallibly the reality and the quality of our salvation so there is not any one truth nor any one path necessary unto that salvation but he opens it and reveales it whether it respect our faith or our obedience he is the annoâ—nting which teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye 1 Joh. 2. 27. 3. He is that Prophet who doth teach not only by his word but also by his Spirit others can speak only to the eares of men but he can speak to the hearts of He teacheth not only by his Word but by his Spirit men he can imprimere in mentem as well as mentem exprimere write his Law in the heart as well and as easily as he can deliver and make it known to our mindes when he teacheth you that you must believe he doth by his Spirit cause you to believe when be saith that you must be born again he doth by his Spirit make you new creatures there is not any one grace or duty or path of liâ—e which he sets before you who are in covenant with God but he works in you those very graces and puts forth a strength to perform all those duties and to walke in those paths 4. As a Prophet he is annointed to preeah good tydings Isa 61. 1. the Apostle calls it preaching of peace Ephes 2 17. and not only the Prophet Isaiah in that He is anointed oâ— preach good tidings place but also Christ himself in Luke 4. 18. tells you what those good tydings are what that Gospel is namely to hinde up and heale the broken-heared liberty and deliverance to the captives sight to the blinde to give beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse O what comfort is here for you who are the people of God and have Christ to be your Christ and your Prophet Here are glad tydings for you and your Christ is annointed to preach them unto you when your hearts are broken and bruised you have a Christ to binde them up and to heale them with his own precious blood I dyed for you saith Christ this is my blood which was shed for you for the remission of your sins to reconcile you to make peace for you saith Christ and when you finde your selves captives and as it were shut up on prison Christ your Prophet comes to you by his Spirit and breaks open the prison doores and sets you at liberty from your sins from Satan from your fears and tears and all the powers and chaines of darknesse and when your soule sits in darkness and sees no light when they feed on tears and are overwhelmed with sorrows and heaviness your Christ who is your Prophet can and will speak words of life unto you and words of joy unto you why are your hearts troubâ—ed said he to his Disciples woman why weepest thou said he to Mary daughter go in peace so to another son be of good comfort There is no Prophet like your Prophet who knows so much of the minde of God who reveals it so fully so faithfully so infallibly so powerfully so sweetly so savingly Christ is a Priest and your Priest Jesus Christ is a Priest and he is annointed to be your Priest Psal 110. 4. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck vide Heb. 6. 20. Heb 7. 17. Cap. 4. 14. we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God I shall not insist on this Argument to tell you how Christ was called and qualified for his priestly Office nor of the differences 'twixt him and all other Priests nor how that his Sacrifice was his humane nature and the Altar was his Divine Nature and himself according to both these natures was the Priest My intention is only in few words to touch at this Office of Christ as our Mediatour and then to expresse unto you the chief comforts from your interest in him as to this his Office of Priesthood There are two Acts wherein his Priestly Office consisteth Two acts of his Priestly Office Oblation 1. One was the oblation of himself once for all as a perfect Sacrifice for the expiation of sin and reconcilâ—ng us to God Heb. 9. 14. Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God verse 26. he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself verse 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Rom. 5. 10. when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Col. 1. 20. He made peace though the blood of his Crosse Heb. 2. 17. a merciful and faithful High Priest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people 2. The other is His Intercession for us This man saith the Apostle because Intercession he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Heb. 7. 24. wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them and therefore as to this interceding part of his Priestly Office Christ is said to appear for us in the presence of God Heb. 9. 24. as the Atturney appears for his Client in Court to answer for him and likewise he is called our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. to plead for us and to obtaine for us c. But some may now reply We know all this that Christ is a Priest and a Mediatour of Redemption and of Intercession that he offered up himself that he died shed his blood was sacrificed and that he ever lives to make Intercession Quest But where lies the comfort of this to them that are in Covenant with God and have Christ to be their High Priest Sol. What câ—mfort we have by this I will shew you what comfort you have by this and I pray you mark it There are four unspeakable comforts unto you who are Christs from this that he is
your High Priest who offered himself for you and lives to make Intercession for you 1. All your sins were laid upon him for in that respect he was your Priest in by his oblation that respect also he was your Surety Heb. 7. 21 22. what 's that That That is All our sinâ—es were â—ayed upon him he became bound to God responsible unto him for all your sins for all that God in justice could charge upon you and demand for satisfaction Our salvation was laid on one that is mighty As Judah became a surety to Jacob for Benjamin he engaged himself to his Father I will be surety for him of my hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee then let me bear the blame for ever Gen. 43. 9. Thus Jesus Christ is our Priest and therefore our Surety with his Father Father I will take upon me all the sins of thy people I will be bound to answer for them I will sacrifice my self for them at my hands do thou require satisfaction for their sins and a full compensation unto thy justice I will die I will lay down my life I will make my soul an offering for sins I will become a curse I will endure thy wrath O what a Comfort is this that there is a Christ to answer for that which we could not answer Hâ— discharged all our debâ—s and bonds The debt of obedience and of punishment 2. He discharged all your debts and bonds There is a twofold debt which lay upon us one was the debt of obedience unto the Law And this Christ did pay by fulfilling all Righteousnesse Matth. 3. 15. The other was the debt of punishment for our transgressions and this debt also Christ discharged by his death on the Crosse and being made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse Gal. 3. 13. Hence it is that we are said to be bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. and that Christ is called our ransome Lutron Matth. 20 28. and Antilutron 1 Tim. 2. 6. the words do signifie a valuable price laid down for anothers ransome the blood of â—hrist the Son of God was a valuable price a sufficient price it was as much as would serve the turn to take off all enmities and to take away sin and to satisfie Divine justice and indeed so it did and therefore you read that in his blood we have redemption even the forgivenesse of our sins Ephes 1. 7. and his death was such a full compensation to Divine Justice that the Apostle makes a challenge to all Rom. 8. 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect and ver 3â— Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died as if he had said Crist hath satisfied and discharged all O what comfort is â—his unto us to have such an high Priest who himself bare all our sins even all our sins left not one unsatisfied for laid down a full ransome a full price such an expiatory â—acrifice such a satisfactory â—acrifice as â—hat now we are out of the hands of justice and wrath and death and curse and hell and are reconciled and made near and deale altogether under the throne of Grace and Mercy 3. As our Priest in offering himself for us his Scacrifice being as the â—cripture There is not only satisâ—action buâ— merit in his oblation speaks the blood oâ— God that is of one that is God there is more therefore in it than meere payment or satisfaction there was merit also in it to acquire and procure and purchase all Spiritual good and all Eternal good for the people of God not only immunities from evil in sin and death but priviledges and dignities of sons and heires yea all grace and all love and all peace and all glory even that glorious inheritance purchased by his blood You may now look on â—od as your Father and on Heaven as your inheritance seâ—led on you by the love of God and purchased for you by the blood of Jesus Christ 4. What shall I say more Jesus Christ is your Priest for Intercession also Do Comfort from his intercession you know your happiness by this and in this your Christ is now entered into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father and therefore he intercedes for you he presents himself as your Surety â—s your Redeemer in all his susceptions and endurances and discharges and purchases for you in the price which he laid down and in the merits of that price and so negotiates and obtaines for you and still is effectually letting dâ—wn unto you the vertues and purchases of his life and death untill you come at length to â—he highest and full enjoyment of himself in glory Father I purchased this for him I paid dearly for it c. And therefore some not without ground ascribe all the purchases of Christ for the application of them untâ— us unto the Intercession of Christ I will say no more but thâ—s That all your communions with the Father all your audiences all your acceptances all your answers in graces in comforts in hopes in helps in present in future enjoyments owe themselves unto â—hrist as your Priest in the Oblation of himself for you and in the intercession of him unto the Father for you 3. Jesus Christ is a King and he is your King He is called a King Psal 2. 6. and Jesus Christ is a Kinâ— â—nd your King He mâ—kes subjects by his Word and Spirit He mâ—kâ—s all his Subjects free-men He mâ—kes all his Subjects Kings he is called King of Saints Rev. 15. 3. He is such a King as there is not the like A King by contract in respect of God by conquest in respect of us 1. He makes Subjects by the power of his Word and Spirit effectually calling us out of the kingdom of darkness into his own gracious Kingdom 2. He makes all his Subjects free-men If the Sâ—n shall make you free you are free indeed Joh. 8 36. 3. He makes all his Subjects Kings He hath made us unto our God Kings and Priests Rev. 4. 10 4. He rules all his Subjects by Righteous Laws therefore he is called Melchisedeck He rules them by righâ—eous Laws which signifies a King of Righteousnesse and his Kingdom is called a Righteous Kingdom 5. He is the King of Salem of peace as well as of Righteousnesse Men never He is a King of peace enjoy peace at least such a peace anywhere as in the Kingdom of Christ there is no man that obeyes him and is ruled by him but findes peace Gal. 6. His kingdom is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost 6. He as a King seeks your good and all that he doth hath a respect to your good all He seeks your good and all he doth is with respect to your good He will protect and secuâ—e you his dispensations are good and for
delights in viz. uprightnesse of Spirit your sighs and groans and tears and desires shall passe and be accepted instead of more full and ample performances 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him Psal 51. 17. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Zach. 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things 6. They have immunity from the terrour or coercive power of the Law Namely From the coercive power of the Law from obeying the commands of it upon the meer principles of slavish fear of the threatnings annexed unto the breach of the Law You do now obey the Law not as slaves but as sonnes not out of fear of wrath but out of love to your Father That Spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. and that spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. is removed and a spirit of love comes in the room thereof Though there were no rewards to allure and though there were no severe threats to terrifie you yet you would serve your God with willing minds and with willing hearts 2 Chron. 28. 9. Psal 110. 3. There is such a heavenly sutablenesse and superconnaturalnesse 'twixt the Law of your God and your hearts that it is your delight to meditate in it and to walk up unto it in all things there is no constraint on you but the love of your good God 7. They have immunity from the curse of the Law Christ hath redeemed us From the curse of the Law from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. Indeed afflictions and fatherly chastisements or corrections may befall the people of God in this life whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth Heb. 12. 6. but no curses befall them Though the cup be bitter yet there is no poyson in it though it be a crosse yet it is not a curse their wounds are healing wounds and their afflictions are instructions and their losses are their gains for nothing comes as a curse which doth us good 8. They have immunity from the Kingdome and power of darkness You are no From the Kingdome of darknesse longer under the Prince of the power of the Aire the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. The Divel is dispossessed and cast down and cast out he is still your enemy but he shall never be your Lord more he may tempt you and disquiet you but command and rule over you he shall never do Though the Divel be very busie and active with you yet he shall never regain possession never conâ—uer your graces never part you and your God never hinder you of your inheritance 9. They have immunity from death there is the first death and the second From death death or there is a three-fold death there is the death of the soul and the death of the body and the death of soul and body 1. Spiritual death that is the death of the soul 2. Corporal death that is the death of the body 3. Eternal death that is the death of soul and body Now all the people of God are freed from spiritual death by the grace of Christ and from eternal deaâ—h by the blood of Christ and from corporal death though not absolutely or simply yet respectively so far forth as sinne hath made it dreadful and our enemy and prejudicial to us Though you must dye yet your death is but your sleep and is but your strait passage into life The death of death is removed from you by the death of Christ Vide Heb. 2. 15. 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jâ—sus Christ 10. What can I say more they have immunity from all evil in this life and in the life to come you are freed or delivered from an evil conscience which never From all evil leaves accusing and condemnâ—ng from this present evil world and the corruptions thereof from every evil work and way from evil men from all the evil which remains for evil men in hell God in this Covenant secures you against all why what comforts are there in these things and what confidence and what encouragements and what support unto your souls Why do you fear so often and why are your hearts troubled Surely you do not know your selves to be the people of God or else you do not fully know the liberties and immunities of the people of God Sometimes you fear the heavy wrath of God but why do you so He is your God and your Father and full of compassions and loving kindnesses he will not deal with you as a revenging Judge but as a loving and merciful Father he is at peace with you and reconciled unto you Sometimes you fear the damnation and curse belonging unto sinne But why do you so Christ hath dyed and satisfied for your sinnes and he was made a curse for you and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Sometimes you fear because of the powerful motions and conflicts and rebellions of sinne in your hearts but why do you so seeing that sinne shall not have dominion over you and Christ in you is daily mortifying and destroying the body of sinne neither shall any Lord reigne in you but your Saviour who dyed for you Sometimes you fear because of the imperfection of your graces but why do you so It is not your weaknesse or want of holinesse but Christs perfect righteousnesse which is imputed unto you for life and for justification Sometimes you fear because of the weaknesse of your obediential services and performances but why do you so your God in Covenant works all his works in you and he owns your persons and will accept the weakest offerings of an upright heart in and for Christ Sometimes you fear because of the strong temptations of Satan but why do you so grace sufficient shall be given unto you and your God will shortly bruise Satan under your feet Sometimes you fear men because of their malice and power and why do you so your God will restrain the rage of man and frustrate the counsels of the Heathen and break the armes of the ungodly and knows how to deliver you Sometimes you fear to dye but why are you afraid of death which is but the last Stile to go over and then you are at your Fathers house death to you is but an end of your sinnes and miseries and only a quick passage into your eternal happinesse Secondly The priviledges which you enjoy by being under the Covenant of grace Priviledges by being in Covenant by
so shall you and Christ was afraid and so shall you and Christ was in an agony and so shall you and Christ did drink the cup of his Fathers wrath so shall you and Christ was made a curse and so shall you Indeed a repenting and believing person may look upon the sufferings of Christ with joy and hope but an impenitent and unbelieving person must look upon them with confusion and horror The more he sees of Christ sorrows and the sharper he findes Christs sorrows the more perplexed may his soule be For what punishments Christ did suffer for sin as to the substance that same must the impenitent and unbelieving person suffer as to the substance yea and as to the circumstance of punishment Christ suffered death and thou shalt suffer eternal death Christ suffered shame and thou shalt suffer eternal shame Christ suffered wrath for a time but thou shalt suffer wrath for ever and fear for ever and separation from God for ever and the torments of hell for ever 3. Behold your Christ Pilate said Behold the man when Christ was brought in with his Crown of Thornes But I say behold your Christ look on him who Behold your Christ was crucified for you and look on him who was crucified by you There is a four-fold sight of Christ 1. One in Carne when he came into the world 2. A second in Cruce when he was leaving the world 3. A third in Caelo when he shall receive us unto himself out of the world 4. A fourth in Judicio when he shall tome to judge the world But the sight which I would desire you to behold is Christ on the Cross Christ suffering and dying for you O look on this Christ awhile as despised of men as forsaken of God as sorrowful to the death as wounded for our trasgressions as drinking the cup of his Fathers wrath as crying out as dying the cursed death of the Cross as made a curse for us I say behold your Christ in these sufferings so long untill 1. You see his infinite love to your soules thus suffering in your stead thus suffering what you should have suffered and thus suffering that you might not suffer 2. Your hearts be melted into tears for your sins which were the cause of all those sufferings by Christ Look on him whom you have pierced and mourn Let your eyes weep for your making Christ to weep let your hearts be wounded for wounding Christ let your soules be humbled for making Christ to poure out his soule 3. Your hearts can love this Christ who loved you and gave himself for you and washed you from your sins in his own blood 4. Your hearts can hate your sins which made Christ a curse or execration and untill you forsake your sins which made Christ to be forsaken for a time of God untill you crucifie those sins which did crucifie your Christ Beloved The more that Christ hath suffered for us the dearer should Christ be unto us his love should be unto us therefore the more sweet by how much the more bitter his sufferings were for us And our sins should therefore be the more odious unto our hearts because they were so grievous unto Christ The Apostle tells us in 1 Pet. 4. That because Christ hath suffered in the flesh we should therefore cease from sin and Chap. 2. 24. That he bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse And therefore we should purge the old leaven that is our sinful lusts because Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5. 7. Vse 2 Hath Jesus Christ as our Surety and Mediatour done and suffered so much for us what comfort what support may this be for all distressed penitent and believing Comfort for distressed penitent and believing persons persons Luther professeth that this is that Ineffabilis infinita misericordia Dei that Abyssus profundissima zelus ardentissimus divinae misericordiae towards us That the Omnipotent God Creatour of all things should be so good and solicitous for me a lost sinner a child of wrath and eternal death as not to spare his own Son but give him up to a most ignominious death that he should be made for me a cursed sinner sin and curse c. and therefore he urgeth us not to rest satisfied with believing only that Christ is purissima Persona though he be so and then know that he is God and Man yet stay not there for yet thou hast not Christ but then verè habes cùm credis hanc purissimam personam tibi donatam à patre ut esset pontifex salvator imo Servus Tuus who took on him thy sinful person and bare thy sinne and death and Crosse and was made a Sacrifice and curse for thee Object But you will say Where lies the stay and comfort of Christs sufferings for us Sol. In this it lies Then you are freed then you shall never suffer in a way of Then you are freed from suffering in satisfaction to Divine justice satisfaction to Divine Justice you shall never bear wrath nor curse for your sins And the reason is because Christ hath suffered already those things due unto you for your sins Object O but did Christ suffer that which was due for all my sins Sol. Yes He suffered all even to the worst and utmost for all that the Law threatned was a curse and Christ was made a curse for us Object But did he not owe something for himself and suffered for that Sol. Surely no for he knew no sinne of his own but was made sinne for us Object O but what if he suffered all may I not yet be made to suffer Sol. No for what Christ suffered he suffered as our Surety in our stead and therefore what he suffered for us is as if we had suffered all that our selves Object But did he verily intend our good in all these sufferings Sol. Ask the Apostle in 2 Cor. 5. 22. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him And Gal. 3. 13. He was made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the Law Object But did God appoint him thus to suffer Sol. He did so Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood and 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is of God made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption Object But did his sufferings appease God and satisfie him and reconcile him Sol. It did so For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself 2 Cor. 5. 19. not imputing their trespasses unto them And Ephes 2. 16. He hath reconciled both Jews and Gentiles unto God in one body on the Cross having slaine enmity thereby Why what a summe of comforâ—s are here Jesus Christ took upon him all our sins they were all of them laid upon him And he bare or suffered
That though a satisfaction for sin were necessary yet there was some kind of Relaxation in exacting of that satisfaction 4. That Jesus Christ did really make a satisfaction 5. That his satisfaction was not only for our good but also in our stead and therefore it was in our stead that it might be for our good 1. That God could not Salvo jure passe over the sin of man so as absolutely God could not let sin go unpunished to let it go unpunished It being against his Justice and against his Truth Every sinner is worthy of death They which commit such things are worthy of death Rom 1. 32. Now God is just and Righteous It is a righteous thing wiâ—h God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 2 Thes 1. 6. yea and God did therefore set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. To declare his Righteousness that he might be just verse 26. If God be a Just and Righteous God then sin cannot absolutely escape unpunished for it is just with God to punish the sinner who is worthy of punishment And truly God must deny himself if he will not be just But God cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2. 13. And besides this as God cannot but be just and therefore sinne cannot escape unpunished so God cannot but be true and if he cannot but be true then what he hath threatned against sin that must be performed But he hath threatned punishment for sin In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death and the soule which sins shall die Object And whereas some do object That it is lawful for any man de jure suo remittere quantum velit To abate of his right as much as he pleaseth and therefore God may do so Sol. I answer 1. That is not a true Rule absolutely amongst men A Magistrate cannot dispence with any so that the Lawes may be violated and Justice be overthrown Nor a father with the wickednesse of his Children so that they shall go wholly unpunished David did so indeed about Absolom and Eli about his sons but they paid dear for it Only it holds in some cases which are not in fraudem tertij or salvo jure tertij 2. And as for God it holds not for although God may be pleased so far cedere de jure as to admit of a Surety yet he cannot so far yield as to abrogate his own Law and quietly to sit down with injury and losse to his own justice himself having established a Law c. 2. That God will not let sin go unpunished Exod. 34. 7. He will by no meanes God will not let sin go unpunished clear the guilty He is unchangable Ezek. 18. 20. The soule that sinneth it shall die And the wickednesse of the wicked shall be upon him Rom. 2. 6. He will render to every man according to his deeds Look on sin in any Creature whatsoever God would not let it pass unpunished 1. In the Angels that fell Jude verse 6. The Angels that kept not their fiâ—st estate but lost their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains of dâ—rknesse unto the judgement of the great day 2. In Men whether Reprobate or Elect. If Reprobate and unbelievers then they must bear their own punishment of sin for ever If Elect and Believers yet Christ must bear their punishment for God will not suffer sin to passe unpunished he doth perfectly hate and abhor it his wrath is sealed against it he will give no encouragement for any to sin but would utterly deter men from it and his Righteous Law must and shall be maintained 3. That though a satisfaction for sin be necessary yet there is some kind of Relaxation Though a satisfaction was necessary yet there was a relaxation in exacting that satisfaction and mitigation in the exacting of that satisfaction for although God as just must and will punish sin yet it is not against Justice for to exact the punishment or that the satisfaction of it may be joyned with some mitigation therefore we distinguish of Justitia Rigida Temperata Indeed in Justitia vindicante per modum rigoris which we call summum jus there is no mitigation at all neither of the substance of punishment nor of the circumstances of it but in Justitia temperara where there is a mitigation of levying the punishment this is not contrary to justice And with this kind of justice did God prosecuâ—e the sinnes of his Elect for which though he would be satisfied yet it was with a moderation which I call a mitigation of justice For whereas in Rigour of Justice God might 1. Have insisted strictly with sinners as to their own person to have suffered for their sins yet he did not so but allowed of a Surety on their behalf to bear their sins and to suffer for them 2. Might have refused what another offered for them although in it self sufficient to satisfie his Justice yet he did accept thereof 3. Might have challenged an eternal duration of punishment which he had threatned and the nature of sin did deserve yet he did repute the dignity of the person who did suffer and die for their sins as Aequivalent unto an eternal duration of suffering and dying and the suffering of such a Person it did vertually amount thereunto and in all these respects there was a temperature or moderation of Justice in the exacting of satisfaction for the sinnes of the Elect. 4. That Jesus Christ by his death and sufferings did really and truly make satisfaction For whether you take satisfaction for punishment endured Christ by his death and sufferings did really make satisfaction equal to the fault committed or for so much done and suffered and ipso facto as de jure did solvere debitum discharge the debt to be paid so that God in justice cannot Renew the suite against us but ought to acquit us having Received a full Payment In both these respects did Christ make satisfaction 1. Jesus Christ did endure punishment equal to the fault What our sinnes He endured punishment equal to the fault did deserve and what justice might lay upon us for those sins all that did Christ suffer or bear and therefore certainly Christ did make satisfaction If you will admit of any satisfaction at all in criminal cases for sinnes and offences it must of necessity lie in the commensuration of the punishment with the fault when so much punishent is sustained for sin as justice requires for the guilt of that sin Now Jesus Christ did so suffer for our sinnes as that his sufferings were fully answerable unto the demerit of our sinnes And I think I may safely deliver it That God in justice for the satisfying of it could not in genere poenarum require any more or lay on any one more punishment than Jesus Christ did suffer for our sinnes And my Reason is this because Christ
said to be delivered or saved from the wrath of God by him Rom. 5. 9. We shall be saved from wrath by him and to have all enmity slain Ephes 2. 16. 2. Jesus Christ did not only take off wrath and discord and variance by He did also restore us to favour appeasing God but he did moreover restore us again into his favour and friendship and drew up a state of concord or perfect agreement between God and us Rom. 5. 11. We also joy or glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the attonement And if I be not much mistaken the propitiatory which resembled Christ doth plainly inform us in what a state of grace or favour we now do stand with God by Jesus Christ So that now we are no longer enemies and strangers and Forreiners but friends and favourites and children of God and he is well pleased with us and delights in us and is pleased to hold communion with us 3. That Jesus Christ did reconcile God and us by his blood or death The He did reconcile God and uâ— by his blood Scripture is so full and clear in this that it is an amazement unto me to see with what face any man can deny and oppose it Rom. 5. 10. When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Ephes 2. 13. We are made nigh by the blood of Christ verse 14. For he is our Peace verse 16. That he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Crosse Col. 1. 21. You that were sometime alienated and enemies c. yet now hath he reconciled verse 22. In the body of his flesh through death Before I make some usefull Application unto our selves there are a few Doubts and Objections to be removed Christ is God and then how can he be a Mediatour of Reconciliation to himself How can Christ as Mediatour Reconcile us to God because he himself is God 1. Doubt and none can be a Mediatour of Reconciliation unto himself but between different persons Answered Sol. 1. Though that of the Apostle may satisfie us in this 2 Cor. 5 19. That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2. Yet we thus distinguish of Christ the Son of God that there is a two-fold consideration of him 1. One is as to his Divine Nature or Essence absolutely in which respect he is God equal with the Father the self same one God and so is he the offended party 2. Another is as to that condition or estate which he did voluntarily undertake Namely to be God Incarnated or to be made Man according unto which he became Mediatour And as thus considered he is a middle Person 'twixt God and us Now though Christ absolutely as God was the offended party and received a Sacrifice by which he was appeased yet as God incarnated as God-Man he offered up that Sacrifice of Reconciliation By the merit and vertue whereof he made our peace with God For thus considered he was a middle party 'twixt God and us and as so did not Reconcile us to himself but to God God doth love his people with an everlasting love he loved us before he 2. Doubt sent Christ into the world for us For God so loved the world that he gave his only I but God doth love his people with an everlasting love begotten Son Now if God loved us with an everlasting love what need is there of Reconciliation by Christ Reconciliation needs not amongst friends but between enemies Answered Sol. To those that make this Objection against the need of our Reconciliation by Christ because of Gods eternal love I would intreat them to consider that place in 1 Joh. 4. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sinnes Mark the place though God did love us yet he sends his Son to be the Propitiation for our sins whence it is most evident that a Propitiation or Reconciliation by Christ is necessary notwithstanding the love of God towards us Neverthelesse I will not thus quit the Objection and difficulty unto which divers answers are given by learned men 1. One faith that God did in a wonderfull way love us when yet he did hate us and was dispeased with us he did love us in respect of what himself had made and yet he did hate us and was displeased with what we our selves did make that is he loved our nature which himself made but hated the sin which our nature contracted And therefore though he loved our natures which himself made yet there was a need of Reconciliation to be made to remove that hatred and wrath which we contracted by our sins and as Aquinas adds to take away the cause and ground of all hatred and displeasure in God namely by taking away of sin by the death of Christ which was the cause of it 2. But with your favour I shall I suppose satisfie the doubt by a distinction of a two-fold love of God 1. There is Amor benevolentiae which is that love in God by which he wisheth and intendeth good unto us For although God was angry and displeased with us by reason of sin yet that anger was not such as did shut up thoughts of love and mercy towards us For notwithstanding that exceeding displeasure with us for sin yet his love did intend and did issue forth a way of Reconciliation and Pacification by the blood of Christ And with this love the wrath of God is confistent and with this wrath of God his love is consistent he was wroth with us for our sins yet he did so far love us as to give Jesus Christ for the pacification of that wrath according to that forementioned place in 1 Joh. 4. 10. 2. There is Amor amicitiae which consists in laying aside all wrath and accepting of us into a league of favour and kindness With this love I grant that wrath cannot consist And this love was procured unto us by the death of Christ So then although God did love his people with an eternal love of benevolence out of his meere mercy and grace yet there is a love of friendship with which he did not love us until his wrath against us for our sins were removed by the death of his Son Jesus Christ Object And whereas it was objected that there needs no Reconciliation to be made 'twixt friends Sol. I grant it But God and we were not made friends but by the blood of Christ which did pacifie his wrath against us notwithstanding his love of benevolence we were in a condition of wrath and that love of benevolence did not take away wrath although it did make a way thereto by sending Jesus Christ to be a Propitiation for our sins The Scripture doth not say God
the 11. verse 4. Fourthly Jesus Christ doth professedly disown some as being such that he never had any affection or respect unto did he ever intend to dye for these and to do as much for their salvation as for the salvation of others Matth. 7. 22. Many shall say in that day Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Divels and in thy Name done many wonderful works verse 23. And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity Many shall say and yet Christ will say to those many I never knew He doth not say I do not now know or own you or I did once know you but I never knew you Christ is said to know his sheep Joh. 10. 14. for whom he laid down his life verse 15. But there are many to whom Christ will say I never knew you never acknowledged you never loved you never liked you no not when they Prophecied and wrought miracles in his Name Christ will not then know them because they rejected him and were wicked workers yet I never knew you There you see that this universal redemption cannot finde foundation either in the intention of God the Father or in the intention of God the Son and as Christ who wrought Redemption for sinners 3. I shall now advance to a third Conclusion that there was not an universal impetration of reconciliation and remission of sins and of eternal life by the death of Christ This is that thing upon which the Controversie about the universality of the death of Christ doth principally depend concerning which the Arminians unanimously deliver themselves thus Christus ex patris sua intentione omnibus singulis hominibus indiscriminatiâ—â— â—â—m pereâ—â—tibus quam servandis impetravit Reconciliationem cum doo â— Remissionem peccatorum vitam ateriam Christ according to the intention of his Father and his own did obtain for all men and for every man indifferently as well for them that shall perish as for them that shall be saved Reconciliation with God Remission of sinnes and life eternal Before I present you some Arguments against this Opinion I shall crave your favour that I may spread the whole summe and frame of it as it is by the Arminians themselves set forth in their writings they teach I. That upon the fall of mankind in Adam there was a gracious affection in God by which he was yet mercifully affected to love all and every man alike so as seriously to desire the salvation of all men and of every particular man Vt nullus omnino homo sit cujus salutem non velit so that there was not any one man whose salvation God did not will II. That for the extending of this favour unto all and every man Jesus Christ was sent into the word to dye that by his dâ—ath God justice might be satisfied for all the sins of all men and that thereupon Godâ— might without any prejudice to his justice Plenario voluntatis proposito velle salvare with a full purpose will salvation III. That Jesus Christ did come into the world and by his death did satisfie the justice of God and so opened a door of grace for a possible salvation for all and every sinner Mercy now being set at liberty which before was bowed up IV. That all and every sinner hath a liberty of freedom to enter into that door of grace and besides that there is so much sufficiency of help afforded unto them that if their free-will be pleased to make use of it they may accept of it if they will and if they will not it is their own fault V. That neverthelesse you must distinguish of the death of Christ according to a two-fold decree of God as they say there is One Decree which is according to his affection or will desiring to save all and in respect of this the death of Christ was an universal impetration i. e. it did work so far in relation to God that he might without any injury to himself will an universal salvation to all men and accordingly he did will and decree it Christ having impetrated it Another Decree of God by which he intended the actual bestowing giving and communicating of this salvation universally purchased by the death of Christ which they and we do call the Application of the death of Christ and this they say is Solis fidelibus only to Believers who by faith do receive Christ So that if you demand of the Patrons of universal Redemption Did God indeed desire and will the salvation of all lost sinners they answer he did But did God seriously will this yes he did And was Christ sent for this end he was And did Christ by his death procure and obtain this for all yes he did But did God ever decree or will that all and every man should have benefit by this No verily but only Believers only such as suffer themselves to believe and repent these actually are reconciled pardoned and saved Nevertheless Jesus Christ did by his death obtain this for all Universal Reconciliation universal Remission universal Salvation are purchased by the blood of Christ although some only shall partake of it All have a right in the salvation purchased though only Believers have the benefit nay though no man should ever believe yet there was an universal salvation purchased by Christ for all men Though that Assertion that all Believers and they only partake of actual Reconciliation and Remission and Salvation by Christ be a truth which we all agree in yet that there is such an universal Reconciliation Remission and Salvation purchased by the death of Christ for all men whatsoever is an opinion unto which we cannot subscribe but must reject as opposite unto Scripture and religious Reasons I shall let passe some Arguments which some make use of against this Opinion Arguments against this Opinion verse 9. 1. Some were in Hell when Jesus Christ died Did Christ obtain Reconciliation and Remission of sins and Eternal life for them If not for them how then for all and every man But did God ever intend it for them or accepted of the death of Christ for them those for whom Christ laid down his life he saith of them that they shall never perish Joh. 10. 15 28. Do not they perish who are in hell 2. How comes it to passe that many misse of heaven who yet never refused or rejected Christ If Christ obtained salvation for all and theirs it is if they refuse it not how come they to misse of that obtained salvation Misse they shall not lay the Arminians unlesse and untill they refuse but refuse say we they cannot unless it be offered and offered it is not but by the Gospel and the Gospel offers it not where it comes not but in all timâ—s and ages of men it comes not to all and every man yea that there were any inhabitants in America was
against people for their sins 2. A second is the unspeakable terrors in conscience raised only from our sins which makes us like the troubled Sea that cannot rest and to cry out with Cain and to despair with Judas and to long for death with Spira 3. A third is the wonderful outward judgements inflicted by God on people for sin plague and famine and the sword and tormenting diseases burning down of Cities renting up of Kingdomes and all the miserable evils in the world 4. A fourth is the eternal duration of the flame of hell fire the suffering of the vengeance of eternal fire as the Apostle speaks Jude ver 7. 5. The fifth is the death and suffering of Jesus Christ one saith that if it were possible for us to see and feel the torments which the damned do suffer in hell it could not be so clear and effâ—ctual conviction of the true desert of sin of the hainousness of it of the odiousneâ—s of it of the dreadfulness of it as the consideration of it in the death and blood of Christ without which there could be no forgiveness of our sins no noâ— of the least of them I beseech you to attend a little â—in is of such a provoking deserving nature First That no creature no not all the creatures in heaven and earth could pacifie God and cleanse us from our sins and procure the pardon of them but Jesus Christ the Son of God alone Neither Angels nor Saints nor righteousness nor prayers nor gold nor silver can give unto God a â—ansome for our soul the redemption of it is more precious it cannot be without the precious blood of Christ Secondly As none can procure the pardon of sin but Christ so Christ could not do it but by dying indeed there was very much excellency and worth in the active obedience of Christ in the holiness of his life and exactness of his works nevertheless to get off our sins his passive obedience is likewise required without that there was no remidion Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Rev. 5. 9. Thirdly As Christ must dye to get the pardon of sin so every death of Christ is not sufficient but he must dye that accursed death of the Cross and become a curse for us or else he could not have got the pardon of our sins hear the Apostle Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree Colos 1. 20. He made peace through the blood of his Cross Fourthly Neither would this have sufficed to dye on the Cross there enduring the grievous torments in his soul and body due to our sins if he had not been God as well as man 1 Joh. 3. 16. speaking of the person of Christ he saith God laid down his life for us and indeed that must be of infinite price and merit which must answer the everlasting torments due for all the sins of all the Elect there had not been enough in the death of Christ had it not been the death of a person who was God as well as Man Thus you see even in the blood of Christ the hainousness of sin and the high guilt thereof which may make us to fear and tremble at the consideration of our own exceeding guiltiness c. Secondly To look after Christ in another manner than formerly we have done To look after Christ in another manner than formerly Why will you say because in his blood only we have the remission of sins that it is the only cause for which God doth forgive us Now because this is the principal Use which I think can be made of this point I will therefore briefly speak unto these three questions 1. How we should look after Christ seeing that there is no forgiveness but in and by him 2. Whether we do indeed look after Christ so as that we may get him to be ours and have the benefit of forgiveness in his blood 3. How one may know that he hath got Jesus Christ to be his and consequently an interest in his blood for the pardon of his sins Quest 1. Seeing that there is no forgiveness of sins but for the blood of How we should look after Christ Christ how therefore should we look after Christ Sol. To this I answer First We should look after Christ so as to enjoy him to be ours with With all speediness all speediness as David spake in another case I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commands Psal 119. 60. So should not we delay from time to time but hasten in to Christ that so our sins may be pardoned Whiles it is called to day to hearken unto his voice Hebr. 3. 7. Isa 60. 8. Who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their Windows In three cases swiftness and presentness of action are required viz. 1. When the danger is great 2. When the mercy is great 3. When the opportunity is uncertain all these circumstances meet together to stirre us up speedily to look after Christ to get him to be ours for 1. All the guilt of our sins lies upon our own souls untill Christ be ours no sin is forgiven but we are under wrath and condemnation 2. All our sins shall be taken off by the blood of Christ if Christ be ours so that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. 3. We have but our day our houre our opportunity our present moment to look after Christ the day of life is uncertain and the day of grace is uncertain the Spirit blows when and where and how long and how short as himself listeth O that thou hadst known even in this thy day c. Luke 19. 42. Secondly We should look after Christ very seriously and carefully our Very seâ—iously souls should make it their solemn work and business yea all that is in our souls should be united and engagâ—d for to get Christ Simile As he said to his son Percute tanquam ad Aratrum Strike as thou wast wont to strike at the Plough so would I say look after Christ as ye are wont to look after the world the riches and honour and pleasure of it earnestly and with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your might the Kingdome of heaven should suffer viâ—lence c. Maâ—th 11. 12. Prov. 8. 17. Those that seek me early shall finde me Thirdly We should look after Christ diligently and laboriously not shrinking Diligently at any pains and any ways and any means to get Christ Prov. 8. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doâ—rs Cant. 3. 1. By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth
sure also you have sure possessions and you have sure promises Beloved though nothing out of the Covenant is sure yet all things in the Covenant is sure not only sure certitudine veritatis in a way of ttuth but also sure certitudine haereditatis in a way of performance not only sure quoad causam ratione pacti as to the cause and the nature of Gods Covenant but sure also quoad effectum ratione facti as to the effect and fruition of them you shall have all the mercy and all the grace and all the glory which God promiseth You may have a mans promise and a mans Bond and yet you may not be sure for the man may die or his estate may faile and break but it is not so here in Gods Covenant with you he never dies and he never breaks he is an eternal infinitenesse and al-sufficiency and his Word abides the same for ever yea one may be an heire to a great estate yet he may not be sure to enjoy that great estate either death or miscarriages or violence may deprive him of the right but the people of God are sure heires of all the promised good in the Covenant and they shall not fail to enjoy all they have the promises of all good and they have promises that God will assuredly performe all his promises and they have his Oath annexed unto those promises Heb. 6. 13. when God made a promise to Abraham because he could sweare by no greater he sware by himself Ver. 14. Saying Surely blessing I wâ—ll blesse thee as if he should say Surely surely as I am God I will blesse thee now what shall we say to these things how good is our God! how rich is his Covenant how blessed are the people who have the Lord to be their God in Covenant The Covenant is good and the Covenant is full and the Covenaâ—t is sure Then if the Covenant be a Covenant of blessings and blessednesse you who are in Covenant are blessed and shall be surely blessed Vse 4 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people a sure Covenant then you who are the people interested in this Covenant hearken unto a few instructions Instructions 1. In the apprehension of your wants and of the sutable good which God In the apprehension of your wants be much in prayer hath promised unto his people pray and never cease seek and ask and knock if you finde your names written in the Covenant and your supplies written in the promises now pray without ceasing pray without fainting you are sure to speed and therefore be sure to pray your labour is not in vain in the Lord said the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. â—8 So say I your prayers unto the Lord shall not be in vain consider that place in Isa 45. 19. I said not to the seed of Jacob Seek ye me in vain I the Lord speak in righteousnesse as if he should say I never did put you upon fruitlesse service you never lost your labour when you sought me whensoever you sought me you did finde me I have been still as good as my word I the Lord speak righteousnesse I do not deceive any but what I promise to be unto them that seek unto me to do for them that I will be and that I will certainly do for them There are three reasons why we should make our requests known unto God why we should pray unto him and hold and keep up prayers 1. One is because he is only the fountain of all good 2. A second is because he hath promised all good 3. A third is because he will surely performe all the good which he hath promised Psal 57. 2. I will cry unto God most high unto God that performeth all things for me Verse 3. He shall send from heaven and save me God shall send forth his mercy and his truth Mark the place David is resolved to pray unto God to draw nigh and to call upon him for help and why will he do so because God is the most high God he is able to help me and because God hath promised me help and he will performe all that he hath promised me yea he will certainly do so for he will send forth his mercy and his truth that is I shall certainly enjoy the mercy which he hath graciously promised and will truly performe A beggar will many times ask where he is not sure to receive an almes he will hazard many a request but it is not so with you who are the people of God you never hazard one prayer which you make if it be grounded upon the promise made to you and the reason is because the Covenant is sure and God is faithful who hath promised what the Apostle spake about well-doing in Gal. 6. 9. Let us not be weary of well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not that I say of praying be not weary of praying say not it is in vain but continue praying for the mercy for the grace for the help for the comfort which your souls do need for in due season you shall reap if you faint not when you sowe the seed in the earth you shall finde it to come up and bring forth in the season of it not as soon as you sowe it yet in the due season you shall hear of it again so sowe your prayers in heaven prayers are the seed which the soul doth sowe and you shall reap in due season though you be not presently answered yet when the season of answering comes you shall certainly be answered 2. Look out for more than as yet you have received and do enjoy Beloved Look out for more than as yet you have received this you shall experimentally finde that the more you do study your own hearts the more wants and weaknesse you shall finde in them and the more that you study the Covenant of grace the more riches of grace and mercy and glory you shall finde in it As the Queen of Sheba though she heard much of the wisdome of Solomon yet she found more than as much more when she came and conferred with him so besides all the good which you have heard in the Covenant or have received from the Covenant if you would search further into it you should yet finde those unsearchable riches of Christ and such depths and heighths of love and mercy that you never espied before there is much more grace and much more love and much more mercy and much more peace than ever your souls as yet tasted of you shall finde greater things promised than ever you as yet have partaken of Object You will confesse so there are Sol. And sit you still and stand you complaining and will not you make out for them do not you know 1. That the whole Covenant is your portion that God hath promised to give all unto you to give grace and glory and to with-hold no good thing from you
us to help us to save us for as a Mediatour he is married to us he is nearly linkt unto us assuming our very nature into the unity of his Person Heb. 2. 17. In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a mercifull and faithfull High Pâ—iest to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people 3. Then in your daily failings for which you are humbled you have a Mediatour to go unto 1 Joh. 2. 1. 4. Then for the Assecution of any good you need go with confidence to God for you have a Mediatour Heb. 4. 15 16. SECT IV. 4. I Now proceed to the fourth particular viz. according to which Nature in Accoâ—dâ—ng to which Nature in Christ he is a Mediator Christ he is a Mediatour whether according to his Divine Nature only or according to his Humane Nature only or according to both For the resolving of this question I desire to lay down a few conclusions 1. That there are in Christ our Mediatour two distinct Natures viz. The There aâ—e in Christ two distinct Natures Humane Nature in respect of which he is Man and the Divine Nature in respect of which he is God And I the rather deliver this because some have endeavoured to bereave Christ of his Humane and others of his Divine Nature and both of them expresly contrary to the Scriptures Joh. 3. 13. No man hath ascended up into heaven but he that came down from heaven even the Son of man who is in heaven Certainly he who spake this who said that he was the Son of Man and was seen to be so was indeed so and at that time was not in heaven but on earth and yet at that time he saith that he is in heaven Why then of necessity he must have another Nature besides his humane Nature even a Divine Nature by which he is in heaven as well as an humane Nature by which he was then on earth Joh. 10. 30. I and my Father are one and Joh. 5. 18. He made himself equal with God but Joh. 14. 28. My Father is greater than I Now it cannot possibly be that Christ should be one and equal with the Father and yet be lesser than the Father according to one and the same Nature Joh. 20. 27 28. Thomas when he had seen Christ and probably touched Christ he said my Lord and my God He whom he saw and touched was Man and the same whom he confessed was also God and therefore that Christ whom he saw and confessed was both God and Man Rom. 1. 3. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh verse 4. And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holinesse by the resurrection from the dead 2. That those two Natures united in the Person of Christ do still retain their distinct essence and proprieties and opperations so that there is no transmutation of The two Natures united in the Person of Christ do stâ—ll retain their distâ—nct Essence Properties and Operations the one into the other nor mixture or confusion of them but as the Divine Nature notwithstanding the personal union still remains God and is Eternal Omnipotent Invisible Infinite Immortal Impassible so the Humane Nature assumed into the unity of the Person of Christ doth still remaine a Creature finite visible mortal and capable of suffering and obnoxious unto death And although the Person of Christ in whom the Divine and Humane Nature are united is capable of the affirmation of either Nature as you may truely say that Christ is God and Christ is Man and Christ is eternal and Christ is in time that Christ is immortal and infinite and Christ is mortal and finite for what may be affirmed of either Nature all that may be affirmed of Christ in concreto yet this cannot be affirmed of the Natures in Christ reciprocally you cannot say that the Divine Nature of Christ did dye or suffer but this is affirmable only of the Humane Nature of Christ And you cannot say of the Humane Nature of Christ that it is Eternal and infinite and everywhere yet this you may safely affirm of his Divine Nature by reason of that union which they call Hypostatical The Person of Christ hath two distinct Natures and the properties of both And yet the Natures themselves retain their properties incommunicable one unto the other 3. By vertue of the Personal union that is of the Divine and Humane Nature By verue of the Personal union the Humane Nature is advanced by the Divine in Christ the second Person in Trinity although it be impossible for the Humane Nature thereby to become the Divine Nature Nevertheless hereby the Humane nature is exceedingly exalted and enriched by the Divine nature so that no other Creature did or could attain unto that perfection of holiness and righteousness and dignity which the humane Nature of Christ did enjoy by vertue of union with the Divine nature in the person of Christ 4. Those two Natares thus united in the Person of Christ were if I may so express The two Natures united in the Person of Christ were the Principles of all the actions and works of Mediatorship my self the Principles of all the Actions and Passions or Works of Mediatorship and Redemption For unto them did both the Natures of Christ concur by way of communion yet still reserving their own properties and proper way of working the Divine Nature doing what was proper unto it and the Humane Nature what was proper unto it Some of the works of Christ our Mediatour were the works of his Humane Nature in respect of the thing done but they had their efficacy dignity and value from his Divine Nature in that they were the works of him who had the God-head dwelling bodily in him And some of the works were the work of the Divine Nature but yet they were done by the instrumental concurring of his Humane Nature Wherefore as the Divine and Humane Nature did concurre to make one Christ so the acts of those Natures distinct in their operation and vertue did concur and contribute to make up the same work of Mediator 5. As the Divine and humane Nature are united into the Person of Christ and Christ according to both these Natures is Mediator had their concurrences in his works of Mediation so Jesus Christ according to both these Natures is our Mediatour The Papists do hold the contary Though they do say that Christ who is Mediatour is both God and Man yet they do deny that he is a Mediatour as God and Man and that he is a Mediatour only according to his humane Nature as man Object 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is one Mediatatour between God and Man the Man 1 Tim. 2. 5. Christ Jesus Answered Sol. But this place will not prove what they do desire indeed it doth prove that
assertion and I do not know any modest and understanding Writer who doth gainsay it Matth. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins His people are all the Elect given unto him and all Believers who receive him Ephes 5. 23. Christ is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of the body To whom he is a Head of them he is a Saviour but he is the Head of the Church and they are Believers Ergo. verse 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins It was shed for many which is the same with Which was given for you for you that believe on me for as Luther saith well Fides facit haeredes it is faith which makes us heirs of all the good in Christs Testament Joh. 17. 19 For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified through the truth Joh. 10 15. I lay down my life for the sheep The sheep are believers verse 26. Ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me verse 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish Joh. 15. 13 14. Greater love hath no man than this that be lay down his life for his friend Ye are my friends c. Besides these general testimonies for the death of Christ in relation to the Elect and Believers you shall finde a particular application of the vertues of the death of Christ unto all believers 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteâ—usnesse Sanctification and Redemption Rom. 13. 22. The Righteousnesse of God is manifestea which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe This Justitia quâ Justi censemur ad universos per fidem pervenit fide Allata Justi omnes redduntur Juâ—aei simul Craeci Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his Theophilact in loc blood the forgiveness of our sins Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification Acts 1â— 39. By him all that believe are justified Col. 1. 13. who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Rom. 5. 1. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the attonement Ephes 2. 14. He is our peace 1 Joh. 2. 1. We have an Advocate with the Father Heb. 5. 9. And being made perfect he became the Author of salvation unto all that obey him Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life 1 Tim 4. 10 Who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that believe Other men enjoy a common salvation but Believers an eternal salvation by him Here are most of the chief benefits resulting from the death of Christ and all of them setled upon and enjoyed by all Believers And verily this must needs be so whether you consider 1. The intention of Gods love in giving of Christ which was this That whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. 2. The intention of Christ in his suretiship and deaâ—â— for whom he became bound and for what end viz. that he might see a 〈◊〉 and the travel of his soul and that they who were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9 15. 3. The joynt application of all the good by Christ unto persons upon union with Christ for when persons are united unto Christ which certainly they are when they do believe then doth God apply all the benefits of Christ unto them justifies them imputes the righteousnesse of Christ unto them forgives their sins gives his Spirit to sanctifie them c. and then believers apply and lay hold on all the promises of God unto them in Christ 4. Iesus Christ is the mediatour of the New Covenant and therefore unquestionably all who are interested in that Covenant do and shall partake of the benefits inserted theâ—ein by promise and sealed therein by the blood of Christ and There is such a sufficiency in the death of Christ that if any will come â—n to Christ be shall partake of redemption by him such are all believers 2. That there is such a sufficiency and dignity and fulnesse in the death of Christ that if any sinner will come in unto him he shall partake of Redemption and salvation by him effectually I do purposely lay down these Conclusions for two Reasons One is to stop the clamours of evil-minded men who give out that if Redemption by Christ be not universal then we shut the door against sinners and discourage them from coming unto Christ Another is to encourage the hearts of all broken-hearted sinners to draw near to Christ though all men are not effectually redeemed by him I would concerning this Point clear unto you these two positions 1. That though effectual Redemption by Christ be not universal but particular yet this is not in the nature of it a Doctrine to discourage any sinner from coming unto Christ We have familiar Similies to illustrate this as that of a Race wherein though but one shall certainly enjoy the prize or Lawrel yet this doth not discourage any one from running the Race And as if any place be void in a Society though only a few can be chosen and possessed of those places yet this doth not discourage many from standing for those places So although effectual Redemption by the death of Christ be particular yet this discourageth none from looking after Christ or coming by faith unto him For 1. No sinner knows any particular exclusion of himself No sinner at least unto whom the Gospel comes can say I am sure that Christ never died for me and I am sure that though I should cometo Christ I shall never receive any good by him Though the effectuall Redemption be particular yet no sinner knowes that he is in particular excluded from the benefit of it 2. The Gospel gives encouragement unto every particular sinner to come to Christ Come for all things are ready Luke 14. It calls upon him Come and hearken and your soul shall live Isa 55. 2. And saith that whosoever believes shall be saved Mar. 16. 16. And him that comes to me I will in no wise reject Joh 6 37. 1. The Gospel puts no conditions of Ante-grace 2. Or worthinesse but offers freely 3. All former things passed by 4. Complaines of unbelief The way which the Gospel useth to bring men in to Christ is proper to work on any sinner though the benefit be peculiar to some though the Gospel doth not say that all shall be saved by Christ yet the Gospel saith that all who believe shall
Apostle saith that Faith is the gift of God Ephes 2. 8 If God will give a man faith he shall have it for there is no gift which God will give but he hath power to make it his to whom he will give it Object But men will not receive it though God will give it Sol. God doth not give faith upon that condition if man will have it this is an offer not a gift But God saith the Apostle Phil. 2. 13. worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure To give us a will to believe and come to Christ this is Gods work and therefore if God will work towards faith as much as concerns him he must remove our unwillingness and make us willing 2. The giving of faith is commensurable with the election of God so saith the Apostle Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed and indeed it is the fruit and effect thereof and therefore it is called the faith of Gods Elect Tit. 1. 1. and stands as a necessary means in the way of participation of all our saving good unto which we are elected and which was purchased for us by Christ 3. A third Argument that God did not intend such an universal Redemption and Salvation by Christ is this If God had intended such an universal work and benefit for all men by Christ Then he would have given all men to Christ for such an end and purpose as their Redemption and salvation by him for if God wold never give them to Christ we may well suspect that he never intended to save them by Christ if they must not belong to the Saviour and Redeemer then Redemption and salvation shall never belong to them But God did not give all and every nan to Christ neither ex parte tituli so that he should acknowledge them as given unto him by the Father nor ex parte debiti nor ex parte Rei that he should stand charged and bound fot their Redemption and Salvation Ergo. That all were not discriminatim given by God the Father unto Christ ratione tituli is manifest in Joh. 17. 6. I have manifested thy Name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world thine they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy word And verse 10. All mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them Nor ex parte Rei Joh. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me Here you see 1. That those who were given unto Christ they were given out of the world not all the world but some out of it 2. That they who were given unto Christ God the Father had first a particular interest in them thine they were and thou gavest them me but all men whatsoever never had such a particular Relation to God nor God to them as that it can be said Thine they were 3. Those that were given to Christ he saith of them they have kept thy word verse 6. and have received thy words verse 8. and they have believed that thou didst send me Can this be said of all and every man Nor doth Christ acknowledge or own all men whatsoever as given to him verse 9. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them whom thou hast given me for they are thine and verse 10. All mine are thine and mine are thine Neither were all given to Christ ratione debiti that he should stand charged and bound for their Redemption and salvation Joh. 17. 2. Thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Here is the extent of his Commission and Charge which he is bound to make good and that is to give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him i. effectually to save all them c. 4. I will add but one Argument more to prove that God intended not an universal Redemption and Salvation by the death of Christ and that shall be taken out of Rom. 9. 13. Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated ver 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion verse 22. What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction verse 23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory The Apostle in this place doth purposely handle the doctrine of Election and Preterition that election he proves to be particular and not universal this he doth by instance and by Reason The instance is given in Jacob and Esau God loved Jacob but he hated Esau ver 13. The reason of this speciality of love in Election he presents in verse 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and verse 18. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth That God should love one and hate another chuse one and passe by another shew mercy to some and leave others to be hardned the reason of this is his own will he will love whom he we will love and elect whom he will elect and shew mercy to whom he will shew mercy Object Now whereas some murmuringly reply against God for such a particular love and election and purpose of mercy as if God dealt not fairly in it thus differently to deal with his Creatures verse 19. c. Sol. The Apostle defends this proceeding of God in the authority which he hath for it ver 21. Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel of wrath fitted for destruction verse 22. and to magnifie the riches of his glory of his grace on the vessels of mercy afore prepared unto glory verse 23. By all which it manifestly appears that there are some whom God never loved but hated whom he never elected but passed by whom he intended not to shew mercy unto but to leave them to be hardned that he would not make them vessels to honour but to dishonour that were vessels not of mercy aforehand prepared to glory but vessels of wrath fitted to destruction which if it be so and so the Apostle saith it is then undoubtedly God did never intend an universal Redemption and universal purchase of peace and mercy and salvation by Christ for all and every man For by Pauls Doctrine he doth not intend to shew mercy to the vessels of wrath and yet by the Arminian Doctrine he doth intend to shew mercy to all 2. I now proceed to the second Conclusion As God the Father never intended Christ did not intend such a latitude for all by his death an universal Redemption and Jubile by the death of Christ So neither did Jesus Christ the Son of God who did die to save sinners intend such a
for many Ages utterly unknown to the Christian world c. 3. There are some whom God never elected but passed them by he would not shew mercy unto them he intended to manifest his justice and wrath on those vessels of wrath did Christ obtain for these also Reconciliation Remission and eternal life He knew that his Father would never have mercy on them and his death was according to the Counsel of his Father and did his Father Counsel and Decree and appoint him to purchase and procure mercy for those of whom he said he would never shew mercy to them why this were strange indeed that God should put the soule of Christ to grief and make him to bear wrath and sorrow for them unto whom he never intended mercy 4. Should not all men in the world be born in a state of grace and favour For Christ hath obtained Reconciliation for them all and that Reconciliation is not forfeited untill they reject it by unbelief and that cannot be as soon as they be born How then can we all be said by nature to be the children of wrath Ephes 2. 3. seeing wrath is off and ceased when God is reconciled This Inference cannot possibly be avoided unless we will fancy that the Reconciliation purchased by Christ is kept by God as it were in Banco as a Treasure which dischargeth nothing for a while untill hereafter it be brought forth to help a person upon occasion so that the Reconciliation and Remission purchased by Christ must he as a dead stock in heaven so long untill men come to years and then God makes experiments whether sinners will make use of it or no c. But to these I shall add other Arguments 1. The Impetration of universal Reconciliation either it was an actual Reconciliation and Remission or only Potential a Reconcileableness or Remissableness If it were an actual Reconciliation and Remission then are God and all sinners enemies no longer but friends and then every sinner shall certainly be saved And is a blessed man for if we be reconciled by the death of Christ much more shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10 And Rom. 4. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered verse 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin But this I suppose none will presume to maintain Ergo. no Actual Reconciliation and Remission for all If the Reconciliation and Remission be only Potential and not Actual then 1. Why doth the Scripture take no notice of this at all But where it speaks of the death of Christ and Reconciliation and Remission thereby it perpetually delivers the one and the other as Actual Ephes 2. 13. Ye are made nigh by the blood of Christ verse 14. He is our peace ver 15. Making peace ver 16. Having slain the enmity thereby Col. 1. 20. Having made peace through the blood of his Crosse ver 21. you hath he reconciled Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them was all this here ascribed unto the death of Christ only a power accruing unto God that he might if he would make an offer of an universal reconciliation and Remission 2. But again Jesus Christ did make an actual offering of himself and he did actually satisfie the Justice of God for all according to the Opinion of the Arminians Now if the Justice of God be actually satisfied surely there is more than a meer power and liberty acquired that God may be reconciled to us if he will and pardon us if he will and save us if he will Because the satisfaction of Christ can and doth Oblige God to this God having Covenanted with him if that he would lay down his life for sinners that then his Righteousness should justifie and reconcile them 3. What we are to believe that is true but we are to believe that God is actually reconciled by the blood of Christ and hath actually forgiven us 2. This Grand universal Impetration either God intends the real actual application of it or he doth never intend to apply it to all It were most strange that the Son of God should come down from heaven be made man be made obedient to the death even to the death of the Cross yea and be made a curse for us and by his blood purchase as they say Reconciliation and Remission and life Eternal for all and every one if God intended not actually to bestow these But I demand Did he intend and will the actual collation of these purchased benefits on all and every one or did he not The Arminians to this expresly answer two things Grevencovius Cortivus 1. Deum nec voluisse nec noluisse God did neither will and intend it neither did he nill or not intend it Why then there is a Christ given to death given for a Sacrifice to be a Propitiation for sinners to be a Redemption for all and every sinner to save all and yet after all this God is not peremptorily resolved either way of the benefit of this to any one sinner whatsoever And so the death of Christ may be in vain in respect of benefit to all the sinners in the world For although his death did satisfie Gods Justice and thereby God gained so much as that he might universally tender Redemption to all yet if there were no actual purpose or real intention in God to bestow this on any who can say that he shall be the better for that which God really intends not to bestow on him 2. Again they say that though God did not peremptorily intend to confer and bestow this upon all yet conditionally he did if so be that all will believe on Christ unto which I would reply two things First God did know that all men would not believe on Christ and therefore as to the prescience of God this condition was not universal but particular if Gods intention to impart the benefits of the death of Christ had a respect unto and foundation in a condition which he certainly foresaw to be particular only Hence it will necessarily follow That God never intended a Redemption and salvation for all From the Argument either to God or unto men it shall bind the Adversary If to God in respect of his intention then thus I frame it God intended salvation by Christ only for all who will believe in Christ but God did certainly know that all men would not believe in Christ Ergo. he did not intend it for all If to men in respect of the event then thus Salvation is obtained for all who will believe on Christ but all men will not believe in Christ Ergo. Salvation is not obtained for all Secondly I reply to that Assertion viz. That God did intend to confer or apply all saving benefits purchased by Christ upon the condition that
blood hath satisfied you and mercy longs to help and pardon the poor sinner it shall come saith Christ for my blood hath purchased it Secondly Jesus Christ must make good his bargain and agreement he did agree with Christ must make good his bargain his Father to be a Surety for all his people and was content to stand in their stead and to have all their iniquities laid upon himself and to answer for them and to suffer for them and to clear and discharge them and to reconcile and save them by his death and therefore even upon that account it was necessary that Christ should dye and shed his blood that the agreement 'twixt him and the Father might be performed Thirdly It was necessary also in this respect To convince us of the hainousness To convince us of the hainousness of sin of sin we ordinarily look on sin as a small matter as if God were not offended and provoked by it and if he be â—et a small matter will serve the turn to satisfie God to pacifie him towards us and get forgiveness but we do extraordinarily delude our selves for without shedding of blood there is no remission it cost Jesus Christ the Son of God his precious blood and if that had not been shed never could any have got the forgiveness of any one sin Fourthly It was necessary likewise as to the acquiescing quieting or satisfying To satisfie conscience of conscience which would never come to any rest or peace unless Jesus Christ had shed his blood for still the conscience cries out Gods justice must be satisfied and who will undertake that great work Lo I come saith Christ I have laid down a price I became sin I was made a curse I wrought redemption I have satisfied the just God and purchased the forgiveness of your sins and now conscience is quieted Who shall condemn it is Christ that dyed How it may be demonstâ—ated Quest 3. How it can be demonstrated that the blood of Christ is the cause of forgiveness of our sins though many and great Answered Sol. Besides the clear Scriptures already mentioned these Arguments may help us to demonstrate it First We are set free by the blood of Christ Zach. 9. 11. By the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit Secondly We are justified by his blood and saved from wrath Rom. 5. 9. Much more being justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath by him Pray tell me what is it to be justified but to be pardoned and what is it to be saved from wrath but to be delivered from all punishment and both these depend upon the blood of Christ Thirdly So we are said to be made nigh by the blood of Christ Ephes 2. 13. and to be reconciled through the blood of his Cross Colos 1. 20. Secondly Now I come to the second Branch of the Assertion that as Jesus Christs blood the only cause of pardon Christs blood is the cause so it is the only cause for which God forgives the sins of his people Yet let me distinguish causes of forgiveness are of two sorts First Internally moving God and that is his own free grace only Secondly Externally meriting and that is the death or blood of Christ only Isa 63. 3. I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other Name for there is none other Name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses 1 Cor. 3. 11. Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ The truth of this will easily appear if you consider Demonstrated First The works of God the Father who laid on Christ and none but Christ the iniquities of us all Isa 5. 3. 6. and sealed him John 6. 27. and set him apart authoritatively commissioned him and set him forth to be a propitiation Rom. 3. 25. Secondly The office of Christ amongst the rest to be our High Priest and in this respect two things are proper unto him 1. The oblation of himself for sin 2. His intercession for transgressions Thirdly The nature of merit which 1. Must be opus indebitum for he who doth do no more than he ought to do or suffers but what he deserves to suffer merits nothing by his doing or by his suffering 2. Must be opus perfectum against which no exception can be taken nothing is meritorious which is short and faulty 3. Must be opus infinitum a work of infinite value and worth which cannot only stand before justice but plead also with it and challenge it for the dignity of what is done or suffered Now these qualifications not to mention any more set the Crown on the head of Christ alone and strike it off from us and all our works yea the best for they are 1. But debts our best obedience is but so and our best repentance is but so 2. But imperfect when we have done all we are but unprofitable servants and so much iniquity accompanies our holy offerings that we need Jesus Christ to be our Aaron to bear them and have need to pray as he that mourned for his sins Domine Lava lachrymas me as 3. Were they perfect yet they are but of a finite worth and rise not to the far more exceeding mâ—rit in sin nor yet to the surpassing worth of Divine mercy If Jacob were not worthy of the least of mercies much less are we of the greatest of mercies Fourthly The purpose of grace which is universally to be exalted in the forgivenâ—sâ— of sins with which though Christs merits can well consist Rom. 3. 23. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ yet our merits are contradictorily repugnant Rom. 11. 6. If by grace then it is no more of works and if it be of works then it is no more grace SECT II. Vse 1 BUT let us now make some useful Application of all this unto our selves Is the blood of Christ the cause and the only cause for which the people of God come to have their sins forgiven from thence let us learn two things Hence learn To judge of the hainousness of sin First To judge in another manner of our sins than in former times we have done how hainous they are and how high the â—uilt of them is There are five glasses in which we may behold the hideous guilt of our sins of which yet many persons do but yet make a work of pastime 1. One is the dreadful threatnings of the Law of God which reveals and discharges the wrath of God and all sorts of curses corporal and spiritual and eternal