them is legall forasmuch as the Lord hath decreed to deny the grace by which they may or can fulfill the condition of the promise which is proper to the Law as it is peculiar to the Gospel that the Lord both gives the mercy promised and also the grace to fulfill the condition of the promise The threatnings to beleevers especially such as are legall if you beleevers fall away ye shall eternally perish are to beleevers though materially legall peremptorie and admit no exception yet they are formally and in the Lords intention directed to them upon an Evangelick intention nor do they say that the Lord intends and decrees that they shall eternally perish for he hath predestinate them to the contrary to wit to grace and glory Ephes. 1.4 Nor that he wills that they should beleeve either their eternall damnation or their finall and totall falling away which inevitably leads thereunto For they knowing that they are in Christ 2 Cor. 13.5 Rom. 8.16 17. and freed from condemnation Rom. 8.1 are to beleeve the contraire of the former to wit life eternall John 4.24 1 Thes. 5.9 John 3.16 and the contraire of the latter to wit the promise of perseverance made to them Jer. 32.39 40. Isa. 59.21 John 10.27 28. John 17.20 21. 1 Pet. 1.3 4 5. Mat. 16.16 17 19. Therefore these threatnings are not to be beleeved by the regenerate as certainly to come to passe in their persons but only as Law-motives to presse them to work out their salvation in fear and trembling and to cleave so much the closser to Christ as the condition of such as are under the Law is apprehended to be dreadfull But reprobats and unbeleevers are not to beleeve that God decrees and intends to them the thing promised and grace to perform the condition but only to beleeve their obligation to fiduciall relying upon and Gospel-faith in God revealed in the Mediator and that if they continue in a way of opposing Christ they not only deserve by Law which Law-deserving also beleevers are to apprehend to be broken but actually and quoad eventum shall eternally perish Believers are to believe the Decree of God to save them though they hear the threatnings for it s revealed But the Reprobate are to beleeve only the sense and Law-deserving and event of the threatning if they repent not but are to beleeve no decree to save them CHAP. IV. The Elect non-converted are not under Law-wrath 2. Faith is no cause of satisfaction 3. Christ can not have satisfied for the sins of the Reprobate WHether the Elect unconverted be under wrath is a doubt to many It is true they are servants of sin Rom. 6.17 Blind and under the power of Satan as Reprobats are Acts 26.18 By nature children of wrath even as others Eph. 2.3 Ans. Their sins committed before their Conversion are according to the Covenant of Works such as deserve everlasting condemnation and they are jure and in relation to that Covenant heirs of wrath as well as others 2. But we must distinguish between a state of election and everlasting though unseen love that they are under as touching their persons and a state of a sinfull way that they are born in and walk in as others do untill they be converted As to the former state it is true which is said Ier. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love See also Rom. 9.12 13. Eph. 1.4 so that God never hates their persons 3. The punishment of their sins and the wrath they are under is two wayes considered 1. Materially in the bulke and so they are under Law-stroaks and Law-wrath that is Law-punishment as others are Eph. 2.3 and so the other places are to be taken 2. The wrath is to be considered formally and so it is denyed that the punishment of the non-converted elect because of their sinfull way is any part of the Law-vengeance or curse which Christ did bear for their other sins committed by them after conversion 1. Because when Christ saith Iohn 5.4 The beleever hath passed from death as it is a curse and shall never come to judgement and condemnation he cannot mean that they have half passed from the curse and half not 2. Beleevers are delivered in Christ from the victory sting power of sin curse of the Law and every curse that is in affliction and from condemnation not in part only but in whole Else their triumph were but in part contrair to 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56. Hos. 13.14 Isa. 25.8 Nor should they be washen from all their sins and the spots thereof in his blood if they might wash themselves from any spot by bearing a part of the Law-curse in themselves contrair to Can. 4.7 Jer. 50.20 Joh. 1.28 1 Joh. 1.8 Rom. 8.1 3. What ever Christ was made for the redeemed ones that he was made fully for them in part and in whole for he is their perfect Saviour But Gal. 3.13 He is made a curse for us and able to save to the outmost all that come to him Heb. 7.25 Therefore the half or a part of satisfactory vengeance cannot be upon us and the other half on Christ for this is to make men and Martyrs joint satisfiers of justice with Christ by their own blood and sufferings to prevent the scaddings of purgatory For though we teach against Antinomians that the Godly are punished for sins according to Justice yet that is Evangelick not law-justice for they bear not one dram weight of satisfactory wrath and curse jointly with Christ Antinomians say that sin root and branch is taken away in Justification so that there is no sin nor punishment for sin in the justified man 4. The beleevers are blessed through Jesus Christ Gal 3.10 13. Psal. 32.1 2. Rom. 4.6 Psal. 2.12 Psal. 119.1 Their afflictions and death blessed precious in the eyes of the Lord not qualified with any Law-curse Job 5.17 Psal. 94.12 Mat. 5.6 Luk. 6.22 1 Pet. 1.6 1 Pet. 4.13 Psal. 21.3 4 5 6. Psal. 34.17 18 19. Rev. 14.13 Psal. 116.15 Psal. 72.14 Psal. 37.37 and they are asleep in Christ die in the Lord 1 Thes. 4.14 16. Nor can Antinomians and Socinians say this is under the New-Testament for dying Jacob saith Gen. 49.18 Lord I have waited for thy salvation Isa. 57.1 2. When the righteous man is taken away he shall enter into peace the Lord is the God of Abraham Isaak and Jacob when their bodies are rotten Exod. 3.6 Mat. 22.32 5. This comes too near the opinion of these who make faith a cause of satisfaction for sin as they must teach who hold that Christ payed a ransome on the crosse for the sins of all and every one For that which added maketh satisfaction to be counted and formally reckoned as satisfaction in order to the expiation of the mans sins so that by no justice he can suffer for them and which being removed maketh the payed satisfaction and ransome though never taken back again
Creation and so God shall be a naturall agent in all his works without himself not a free agent in Creating and Redeeming 4. The Scripture sayes he works all things according to the counsell of his will for his Glory and therefore he intends not his own declarative Glory as he loves himself For by necessitie of nature he loves himself and cannot but love himself But he might if so it had pleased him never have intended to shew forth his own Glory and does not show it forth by necessitie of nature as he loves himself Yea he might never have created the world never have acted without himself For he was sufficient within himself and stood in need of no declarative Glory Gen. 17.1 Acts 17.25 5. Yea if by necessitie of Justice God cannot but punish sin especially this justice shall cary him to follow the Law of Works without any Gospel moderation which is that the same person that sins and the same soul Ezek. 18. and no other should die for sin for all these Thou shalt destroy all the workers of iniquitie Thou art of purer eyes then that thou can behold iniquitie and the like are expressions of a pure legall proceeding in the Lord against such as are out of Christ under the Law not under the Gospel to wit the workers of iniquity whom the Lord in justice shall punish in their person not in their surety And if there be such a connexion objective ex naturâ rei between sin and punishment it must be between punishment and the very person and none other but the same that sinned For among men this is justice Noxa sequitur caput so that by necessitie of nature God shall not be God nor essentially just if he punish not eternally Adam and all mankinde in their own persons and so by necessitie of justice he cannot punish Christ And it cannot be denyed but there is a dispensation of free Grace and that it is no act of Justice but of Grace that God make Christ sin i. e. a sacrifice for sin for us 2 Cor. 5.21 And that the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all Isa. 53.6 and made him our surety Nor let any man object how could God make Christ a propitiation for sin to declare his righteousnesse Or how could such justice by that action be debarred since justice did not exact such an action If without violation of justice it might have been omitted if God should have been infinitely just from Eternitie if he had done no such thing Shall a Prince get himself glory in the name of justice by doing that which by his absolute Soveraignety he may leave undone without hurt of justice It is Answered this is to measure God by mortall men Shall an earthly father freely for no reall good to himself beget hundreds of children when he needs not and yet he foresees the largest number of them shall perish eternally and the eldest must die and be made a curse to save the rest The Lord punished Christ for us to declare the glory of his Justice in punishing sin in his own Son who was the sinner by imputation for out of the depth of infinite wisedome the Lord freely imposes a law upon his creatures He might have imposed no such law under such a punishment By no necessity of nature did the Lord threaten death for the eating the fruit of that tree prove that God should not have been God except he had threatned death for the eating of that fruit and except he had punished that eating with death either to be inflicted upon the eater or his surety Quid haeres Prove that by the Word of God it is sin to eat when God forbids but the Lords soul hates sin True but does the Lords soul hate sin naturally as he loves himself and by necessity of his essentiall justice as contradistinguished from his immutabilitie and his truth and faithfulnesse according to which attributes he decreed and said that the soul that sins shall die and he that eats shall die and he cannot change nor alter what he hath decreed and cannot but be true in his threatnings But the Question is whether laying aside the respect of Gods unchangeablenesse and truth there be such a connexion internall between eating and dying or between eating forbidden of God and punishment as God cannot be equally and essentially just nor can he be God except he punish forbidden eating for sure eating of that fruit is not of its nature sin but it is sin from the only forbidding will of God for the Lord had been no lesse essentially just had he commanded Adam to eat of the Tree of Knowledge Ergo it is punished from the forbidding will of God for say that to be punishable or to be punished be essentiall to sin if eating of such fruit be sin from the forbidding will of God the essence thereof must be from the same forbidding will then must it follow that God hates not all sin by necessity of nature And that he hates such eating only conditionally if he forbid it but 〈◊〉 from his meer free will did forbid it So the Question shall not be whether God in justice punished Christ and made him a propitiation to declare his justice but what the relative justice ad extra is by which God punisheth sin and whether God should leave off to be God hallowed be his high Name if he should not make first penall Laws to threaten all sin with punishment 2. Whether he should not be God if he should not punish all sin even the eating of the forbidden tree 3. What can be said that is more weak and watrie to enervat the glory of free Grace then to confound the Glory of Gods Justice in giving Christ to die for sinners and this glory as manifested and declared For sure the manifestation of that glory is a work of free Grace and most free if God do any thing freely he must freely and by no necessity of Justice Mercy Omnipotency Patience Grace c. manifest the glory of all these to men and Angels and these attributes and the internall splendor beauty or to speak so the fundamentall glory of all the attributes of God is essentiall to God and his very Nature And they deny the Lord who teach that any attributes or such glory are in God freely or contingently if I durst so speak for then might we say these may go and come ebbe and flow in the Lord and he should be God though Mercy Omnipotency Gloriousnesse Graciousnesse were now and then wanting in him as he punishes not alway◠and yet he is eternally just he saves not alwayes and yet he is eternally mighty to save and abundant in compassions but as to the manifestation of Power Mercy Justice that is freely in God He sent his Son and gave his Son to death for us out of love Iohn 3.16 But it is against common sense to infer Ergo God sent
to the death of the Crosse Phil. 2. Hence to weary of submitting to God speaks much unnaturall pride yea will not be under God 2. There is little of Christ in such for it was life to Christ and meat and drink Psal. 40.8 Heb. 10.8 John 4.34 Act. 10.38 to obey and it is the Angels life Jsa 6.2 3. Psal. 103.20 Rev. 4.8 and they are neer him who both at once serve and Raigne Rev 22.3 5. much delight to obey speak much of God in the heart Tyre not of your Master examine more untowardnesse to pray to confer to give c. if it be not a cause of deadness and be not a way of backsliding 5. Use. If creatures keep their Covenant-naturall with God shal not the oxe the cran Isa. 1.3 Jer. 8.7 the asse 2 Pet. 2.16 who never had a design of rebellion depon against us in Judgement Ah! what an unnaturall policie the first evill wit of him that sinned from the beginning John 8.44 and whom we follow at the heels it is to please our own wit in Covenant breaking Such as are sick of love for their own wylie time-serving custome If all naturall men in their death bed damne not this folly aske them and they shall speak 6. Use. If God Covenant with us for hyre when his absolutenesse may bear him to command how sinfully soft are our spirits and weak is reason that is broken with a straw when an apple conquers Evahs eye and heart Talents of Silver and a wedge of Gold Achan and Gehazi A drink of water if not at hand in time of thirst make the people murmure against God the more sanctified defecat and spirituall reason be the farther it is above that which crusheth Balaam and Judas The first heavens motion the primum mobile which draws all the rest must be the most excellent and the moving power must be most spirituall it s neither heavinesse which is in stones or clay nor lightnesse in the aire and fire but a more heavenly force which throwes about that body so the motions of sanctified reason which is sweyed and driven by no Argument but from eternity communion with God a Kingdom above time must be most spirituall The dogge is moved with a bone the oxe with hay 7. If no law and poor obedience of ours can buy a communion with God let us examine the peace that flowes from obedience It s purer and more solid peace that flowes from Justification and more immediatly removes the warre between God and us Rom. 5. 1. and comes by a purer and nearer emanation from God and from the ransome of Redemption that is in Christ then that which flowes from created acts of inherent holinesse 2. Our first Adams Element is Justification by works in which we love to live and die The Law is an home-born Idol in us Our apprehensions of our own actings are lively and vigorous the 3000. Acts 2.37 Saul Acts 9.6 and the Jayler Acts 16.30 aske what we shall doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But it is not the law word of working Rom. 4.2 4 5 6. Rom. 3.20 28. It s much to be dead to the Law and to Law-righteousnesse Gal. 2.19 20. I live not but Christ lives in me Christ 2. is a stranger to us and comes from without gifted righteousnesse comes from heaven Grace only makes us willing debters to grace The pride of self will neither begge nor borrow from nor be debter to a Crucified Saviour when it despiseth him untill the roof of the house fall 3. Seldome do these two concurre deadnesse to works of grace and lively activity in the doing of them Paul attained to both but every man is not Paul 1 Cor. 15.9 10. I laboured more abundantly then they all But fearing and trembling at at that I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he strikes sail to Christ yet not I but the grace of God in me This pride Paul notes in the Jewes they stouped not nor bowed as inferiours to their Master King or Lord or Father and Husband so the word to the righteousness of God When I self or nature meets with working yea with grace often there followes some loftinesse except it be humbled and mortified I which can weep and say Lord what am I CHAP. VIII What place death hath in the Covenant 2. What such as Cain and Judas are to do in their desperate state 3. And why the LORD is no where called the GOD of Adam Q. WHat room hath death in the Covenant A. Death hath room in the broken Covenant of Works as the Pursevant and Sergeant of revenging justice Hence deaths reign I must die whether I will or not Unwillingnesse to die and bondage through fear of death is the law-Law-sting in death from which Christ hath delivered us Heb. 2.15 Original sin and death came and entred the world by the Covenant of Works The Covenant of Grace made not death but found it in the world Christ made of an old enemy death a new servant it s now the Kings ferry-boat to carry the children over the water It s a sutable condition to a spirituall state to die being sent for not legally summon'd and to die because I desire to be dissolved Ph. 1.23 not because I must And better it is to summon our selves then to be summoned Though we love heaven too much as a place of pleasure rather then a place of holinesse yet most men would wish a better causey to it then to sleep through th◠cold grave or a dark hole in the earth Q. What room hath life in the Covenant Ans. The Administration of the Law-Covenant is first habituall holinesse of works and then a crown The Administration of grace is first faith and a title to Christ our life and hope of glory and then habituall holinesse begun here and perfected hereafter The Gospel-life is both a reward and a duty of praising and loving eternally in place of all the ten Commands yea of Law and Gospel The Law-life for ought that is revealed is a reward to be purchased by our legall obedience Q. If Adam in the intervall betwixt his fall and the publishing of the blessed Seed was not to despaire but to rely upon God as mighty to save What should such as Judas or Cain do A. The conscience of Cain and of despairers being no authentick Bible nor Judge which can carry the controversie between them and God so long as they are in the way or are viators the Gospel treaty betwixt them and Christ yet standing and not broken off upon the part of Christ they are to cherrish and hold up the Treaty and as it were to force speech out of Christ and to pursue the news of an offered salvation 2. There is no Spirit of God that suggests to them despaire and bids them write themselves in the black roll of Reprobates for though they beleeve hell as the Devils haply beleeve there is a God yet they blow
and adultery in David or any justified man from being sins against the Law of God But because our works of grace have an intrinsâ—call power of meriting and justifying communicated to them by the merits of Christ they must be far more our formall righteousnesse before God then Adams righteousnesse was his justification and life before God And if our works of grace have no power of merite or worth communicated to them from Christs death then must it follow though Christ had never dyed our works may have the same gracious esteem of God the same power of meriting of justifying and saving they now have Yea and since Christ hath redeemed us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 by his blood Why but as he hath redeemed us from hell and purchased salvation to us by giving us grace by our own good works after conversion to redeem and justifie and save our selves so he hath redeemed us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 by giving us grace to do such works before we be redeemed from our vain conversation and before we be converted as we may merite our conversion and Redemption from our vain conversation If it be said he absolutely and without any condition that is required on our part by his blood redeems all whom he hath given his Son Christ to die for from their vain conversation 1. All mankinde without exception for by their way he hath died for them all must be redeemed from their vain conversation and converted Nothing can be more false 2. The Gospel to no purpose and the Gospel-Commands shall in vain crave obedience or so much as the duty of hearing the Gospel from such as are not yet redeemed from their vain conversation or not yet converted For that Redemption is promised to them â—bsolutely without any condition required of them saith this way Obj. If works have a causative influence on the possession of glory as working on wages and fighting on victory then must they have influence on just possession also For possession except it be just is no possession but usurpation Answ. Possession is essentially the enjoying of any thing pleasant gainfull yea or honest whether the title be just or unjust The Title is accidentall to the Possession Obj. 2. He that possesseth the Crown possesseth the Diamonds and pretious stones and the worth of the Crown Therefore he that possesseth life possesseth the right and title to it Answ. True but hence it followeth not but possession and right to what we possesse do differ in their nature Nor do we properly possess the right of possession for the right or title is modus rei non res the maner of and the due or the undue way of the possession thereof Obj. 3. Is not possession of eternall life from Christ as well as the title or right to the Crown from Him Ans. True both are from Christ but not the same way Possession of the Crowne is the enjoying thereof and is from free grace and we as willing and sanctified agents make use thereof But Christ alone bought with his blood the title and right to it And when he gave his life for the rightfull and due possession of glory to us we did contribute nothing either request or help to procure the title and the grace to enter in to the possession by faith is the fruits also of free grace Nor can it be denyed but our good works by which we enter into possession of the Crown are also the fruit of Christs death but yet not so as there is any meritorious or federall power of deserving the possession communicate to our works Only they are made by Christs death the oblidged way to the possession of life Obj. 4. How then is there a promise of the life to come made to Godlinesse 1 Tim. 4.8 Answ. That promise is neither a promise of the Covenant of Works for by the deeds of the Law no flesh can be saved Nor is it a federall promise of the Covenant of Grace strictly so called except any would say that it is called a promise especially for faith which is speciall Godlinesse and the acknowledging of the truth which is according to godlinesse Tit. 1.1 and so a promise made to the Godly in so far as he is in Christ by faith and in Christ is the promise of life 2 Tim. 1.1 Nor 3. is the promise of a title and right which is made to Christ our Ransone payer made to our Godlinesse as if it did buy our right to life eternall or were the price thereof 4. Life is promised to Believers who work not because they work And 5. the Lord in these only showeth the order of bringing men to glory not the causes of the right and title to glory except we say the mowing of the first quarter of the Meadow is the cause of the mowing of the second because it makes way to the mowing of the second and the mowing of the second quarter is a cause of the mowing of the third and so forth untill all be mown As because God gives grace to work to run to use means therefore he giveth of free grace the crown of life in the possession thereof Obj. Adams Law-obedience should only have so and by this way been the cause or way to the possession Ans. Not so if Adam had perfected his obedience he should have claimed life by right of sinlesse federall merit ex pacto without suiting of it by any title of grace merited by CHRIST not so we It s true beleevers are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy Rev. 3. but that is legally in Christ the Head not that the meritorious worth of Christ goeth out of himself and renders our works intrinsecally meritorious CHAP. XX. Whether or not suffered Christ for any sin against the Gospel only such as unbeleef finall which is conceived to be the only sin against the Gospel That Christ died not for all without exception The unwarrantablenesse of that Doctrine how the Law commands justifying faith and repentance how not IT may appear that Christ suffered not for any sin which is onely against the Gospel such as finall unbeleef If any sins be considered in any other respect as against the Gospel only then Christ was not to suffer for any such sin so considered for where no death is threatened none is explicitely due and where it is not so due to the sinner nor should have been execute upon him there it could not have been due to Christ nor executed upon him For the Gospel threateneth not death to any sin but finall unbeleef and rebellion and for that Christ never died therefore Christ died not for any sin as against the Gospel nor suffered that which is no where threatened But this is most doubtsome and cannot well stand It s true that Christ suffered not for finall unbeleef it being the proper sin of some reprobates to wit of such as hear the Gospel Joh. 8.21
For there be maâ—y Nations who never heard of Christ and understand not writing or any of the commonest Latine and Greek and there is not any such decree revealed in the word and we can not but know such gifts of Tongues are not bestowed on men and without this it is physically impossible to communicate the Gospel It shall not help to say that Christians should travell to all Countreys and learn their Tongues that so they may communicate the Gospel and it is their sin they do not so And therefore God hath decreed that the Gospel may be offered and Christ applicable Ans. 1. What shall become of the aged and of multitudes for whom Christ died who must die in Paganism before Christians can be so mixed and learn the Tongues of all Nations under Heaven 2. Did ever the Apostles to whom the Lord gave the gift of the tongues go to this Nation and not to this but by the call of the Spirit to Macedonia not to Bythinia Act. 16 Is there no call of God now required for spreading of the Gospel Some Nations would kill them some would persecute Christians to death and not receive them in the mean time many for whom Christ died perish 3. Show from Scripture that it is the duty of Christians to mix themselves with all Nations and to learn their Language and that they sin in not doing so Nor let it be said into what Nâ—tion soever I come I may say if thou beleeve in Christ thou shalt be saved Ans. 1. You can not say that except you Pâ—each the Gospel to them For they are not oblidged to believe upon one sentence and if you Preach the Gospel to the Nation God â—â—th some chosen ones there and it is no more a Pagan Nation 〈◊〉 Yoâ— are to say to any one by your way thou art oblidged â—o beleeve that Christ satisfied for all thy sins and for the sins of the whole world but that is a lie which you teach Pagans as a principle of the Gospel 3. It s false that I may say and Preach truely such a thing to every Nation and all in it 4. Nor is it physically possible that Christians can so speak to all and every old and young Also all is indeed referred to the free-will except the Authors say that God doth insuperably determine the will of the Elect to beleeve and the places speak of thâ—â—fficacious redemption of the Elect only But so God had two intentions in Christs dying one generall to render all mankind saveable another speciall actually to save the Elect. But 1. who can beleeve multiplied intentions in God of half redemption from wrath and of whole redemption from both vain conversation and â—â—ath upon their bare word when the Scripture saith Christ in suffeâ—ing without the Camp suffered for the world of Jew and Gentiles that he might sanctifie them he died for 2. What warrand to separate these two conjoined by God to wit that CHRIST should bear on the Crosse the sins of reprobate and not intend that they should die to sin and be redeemed but not from all iniquity be loved and washen and not made Kings and Priests to God That Christ should be wounded for the transgressions of many and yet the chastisement of his peace not be upon them 3. The dying for all and every one cannot be conditionall in so far as the condition is referred to dying to wit if they believe for so believing must go before dying either really which is manifestly false for multitudes for whom Christ dyed had neithâ—r being nor believing when he dyed for them Or in the prescience of God and that destroyes their principles for so Christ cannot have died for all and every one foreseeing that all and every one would believe for he never foresaw that the Reprobate should believe Then must the condition of dying or Redeeming or of paying the ransone of His blood these being all one be referred to Gods accepting of Christs death for so many or for all if they should believe And the same way the Argument is as formerly For God accepteth the payed ransome for all and every one if they all really believe or if they all and every one be foreseen of God to believe befâ—re the Lords accepting of them Both are false as is evidâ—â—t 〈…〉 they say in the issue what we say and contradict themselves to wit that believers and only believers are these for whom Christ died We before said the promises are conditionally to all within the Visible Church but so as the condition relates only to the benefite promised we shall have remission and life if we believe but not otherwise But now the Covenant-promise which is accepted of and assented unto by Professors in their very profession in themselves or their pâ—â—â—nts is absolutely made to all within the Visible Church and they are Covenant-wayes ingadged and say and professe they are the Lords people and they take him and no other for thâ—â—r God whether they obey and believe or no for a people not right in heart may bind themselves in Covenant with God Deâ—â— 29.10 11 12 13 14. compared with 21 22 23. Deut. 31.27 Jâ—sh 24.22 compared with Judg. 2.12 13. So God absolutely intends to save all for whom Christ dies and by his death intends to give a price to redeem them from hell and from unbelief or their vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 from all iniquitie Tit. 2.14 from this present evill world Gal. 1.14 Ergo from finall unbeleef the greatest iniquity of a present evill world But here the case widely varies upon no condition that we can read in holy Scripture gave Christ a price a ransome of blood to redeem men from unbeleef and from all iniquitie this price must be absolutely given and grace purchased to all whose sins Christ did â—ear in the Crosse that they may beleâ—ve that they may be sanctified Heb. 13.12 1 Pet. 2.24 2. Sinnes of Thomas refusing to beleeve the resurrection of Christ and of Peter denying the Lord before men and the Gospel-sinnes of beleevers after they are justified and are inlightened must be sins against the Covenant of Grace as well as against the Law And the denying of Christ before men hath a sad threatning of everlasting death Matth. 10.32 Mar. 8.38 annexed to it if they repent not And shall these within the Visible Church who receive not Christ be in a harder condition then Sodom and Gomorrah Matth. 10.14 15. if no sins against the Gospel be punished with eternall death but only unbelief Yea the Scripture saith such as live in the Visible Church and are in Covenant with God not only for finall unbelief are condemned but because they are unrighteous fornicators idolaters adulterers 1 Cor. 6.9 whoremongers unclean covetous persons Eph. 5.5 6. murtherers sorcerers dogs liers Rev. 21.8 Rev. 22.15 for all their ungodly deeds and hard spâ—eches Jude v. 15. 2 Pet. 2.17 for all disobedience 1 Cor.
4.5 Matth. 12.36 37. they are everlastingly punished And if Christ have suffered on the Crosse for all the sinnes of the Reprobate how are they judged and condemned for these sins as the Scripture saith And what Scripture saith they are condemned for the guilt of only unbelief or that Pagans are condemned for Gospel-unbelief where as Sodom Gomorrah Mat. 10.15 the men of Niniveh Mat. 12.41 Tyrus and Sidon Mat. 11.21 and such as have sinned without the Law Rom. 2.12 13 14 15. are freed of Gospel-guiltinesse and condemned for sinnes against the Law and yet this same way saith that there is a Gospel-Covenant made with all even thousands of Pagans who never heard of a Gospel never ingadged themselves by any profession to take the Lord for their God in Christ yet Christ bare their sins on the Tree and made his blood applicable to them by a Gospel-Covenant if they shall beleeve Whence they must all break the Covenant of Grace of which many of them never heard and be condemned for no sins but the last act of Sodomy gluttony parricide for the Gospel threatteneth not death to any sin but to finall unbelief say they There are not any sinnes committed against the Gospel but they are also sinnes against the Law because God incarnate and Immanuel is God and leaves not off to be God consubstantiall with the Father because he assumes the nature of man Then as the first Command oblidgeth Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac when God shall reveal that Command and Moses and the people are by that first Command to believe their deliverance out of Egypt and so if the firâ—â— Command oblidge us to believe and obey all Commands and Promises and Threatnings of God revealed and to be revealed because the Lord is God then must Christ God Redeemer and Immanuel be beleeved by this Command and so finall unbelief and finall despising of Christ God Redeemer is as directly against the first Command and so not a sin only threatned and forbidden in the Gospel as simple unbelief and simple despising of Christ God Redeemer For the believing final believing and unbelief and unbelief continuing to the end differ in the accident of duration not in nature and essence As a Rose that grows for a moneth only and a Rose of the same nature that groweth and flourisheth for three moneths Otherwise Christ could not have pronounced Peter blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 16.17 in the present for believing in the present for he should not have been blessed to the end as Solon said of his blessed man And this cannot but subvert our faith crush the peace hope consolation of weak Believers to whom undoubtedly the promise of perseverance iâ—â—bsolutely made Jer. 31.31 35. Jer. 32.39 40. Isai. 54.10 Isai. 59.20 21. Joh. 4.14 Joh. 10.27 28. 2. If there be as formall a transgression of the fiâ—st Command in finall unbelief as in unbelief simply considered and in the other sins of Judas and other Apostates Why but as Christ bare in his body the sins of unbelief and satisfied for them he must so also bear the sins of finall rebellion and unbelief And shall we believe that Christ payed a satisfactory ransone of blood upon the crosse for the yesterdayes unbelief of Judas and not for the dayes unbelief If it be said No man can break the Gospel-Covenant for it is an everlasting Covenant Ans. It s an everlasting Covenant but yet all who sin against the commanding love and authority of our Immanuel especially they so professing to be his do truly break the Covenant but they so break it as it leaves not off to be the Covenant of life both to the breakers if they repent and beleeve and to others for so is the nature of this Covenant and so it is everlasting but the Covenant of Works if once broken ceases to be a Covenant of life for ever because the nature of it is to admit of no repentance at all Obj. Does not the Law command the sinner offending God to mourn and be humbled and confesse Ans. It doth But it injoines not repentance as a way of life with a promise of life to the repenter as the Law or as a Covenant of Works commands to its native and proper Covenanters obedience and every single act of obedience as a way to obtain the reward of a Law-life nor does the Law as a Covenant of Works command justifying faith and reliance upon God Redeemer or Immanuel but rather as the Law of Nature or as the Law of thankfulnesse to a Ransoning and Redeeming God the Law does this Though in a speciall Covenant way the Gospel command faith in Christ. Obj. But finall unbeleef as against God Redeemer and so considered is the only breach of the Covenant of Grace He that beleeves not is condemned as the man that rejects the only remedie of sin Ans. The only breach of the Covenant of Grace is too narrow to be the adequat cause of damnation for many Pagans who never heard of Christ and are under no Covenant but that of Works are condemned not for not beleeving in him of whom they never heard Rom. 10.14 nor for breach of the Covenant of Grace but for breach of the Covenant of Works 2. Unbelief may be called the nearest cause of damnation to such as 〈◊〉 within the Visible Church as the wilfull refusing of medicine which only and infallibly would heal the sick man of such a disease is the cause of his death but is the Morall cause For the disease it self is the Physicall cause or the materiall cause of the mans death And without doubt uncleannesse covetousnesse sorcerie lying idolatrie c. and many the like sinnes beside unbeleef are 1 Cor. 6.9 Eph. 5.5 6. Rev. 21.8 Rev. 22.15 Jud. 6.7 8. 2 Pet. 2.17.10 11 12 13 2 Thes. 2.9 10. 1 Pet. 4.3 4. 2 Pet. 2.2 3 4 5. the causes of the damnation of many visible professours where as this way saith Christ did satisfie upon the Crosse for all thâ—se sins and the damned of visible professours suffer in hell only for finall unbeleef And it seems unjust that both Christ and they should suffer satisfactory punishment for these same sins done against the Law And as strange that Châ—â—st should die for any and not die for their sinnes since the Scripture useth the word of dying for sinnes Rom. 4.25 delivered from our sinnes Christ is a pâ—opitiation for our sinnes and the same way not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world he died for sinners Heb. 2.17 that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people that is for the sinfull people or sinners Heb. 9.28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sinnes of many That is to bear the sins of the sinfull many that he died for Heb. 10.12 But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sin sat down on the right hand of God that is after
love to the Brethren Q. 3. What is the dominion of the Law over a sinner A. It is the legall power to condemn all such as are under the Law as a Covenant of Works as marriage is dissolved if either of the parties be dead So Rom. 7.4 Ye are dead to the Law through the body of Christ and it is not every commanding power that Paul Rom. 7. denies to the Law but a Lordly dominion such as Lords of life and death have and exercises 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we are dead to the Law through the body of Christ which mortification or dying is not understood subjective as if it were in us but legally and objectively in Christ because Christ in his body on the tree did bear our sins 1 Pet. 2.24 and was made a curse for us in our place Gal. 3.13 For Christ saith Ambrose clearing the place giving his body as a Saviour overcame death and condemned sin Hence these two words Rom. 7.4 Wherefore ye also my brethren are become dead to the Law Gal. 2.19 For I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live unto God As the death to the Law is legall I am no more under Law-condemnation then a dead man so the living to God is a Law living to God on a Law-absolution as the absolved malefactor cleared of a capitall crime which might have cost him his head liveth and so is set free so there is another most emphatick word which insinuats that Christ is dead to the Law as Paul was for after Paul saith Gal. 2.19 I through the Law am dead to the Law he adds v. 20. I am crucified with Christ legally that is as Christ was crucified for sin by the sentence of the Law so I am crucified with him Rom. 6.8 Now if we be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall also live with him which is not only to be expounded of mortification and inherent newnesse of life but also of legall dying with Christ For Christ died no death but legall death there is no inherent mortification or slaying of a body of sin in him as in us though from his death there also flow a◠merited and inherent personall mortification in us for it is added v. 9. knowing that Christ being raised from death dieth no more death hath no more dominion over him then Christ by Law cannot die twice so Christ being once crucified the Law and death which had once dominion over him hath now no more dominion over him Then first as Christ died a Law-death and was under death because under the Law so are we legally in him freed from the Laws dominion and death following thereupon 2. As Christ defies the Laws dominion and death so do we 3. As Christ cannot twise satisfie the Law by dying for then the first had not been sufficient so neither can we ever be under law-Law-death and Law-condemnation for we was once in Christ legally condemned and crucified in our Surety and so cannot suffer in our persons legall condemnation and legall death 4. As Christ is dead to the dominion of the Law and death having once died and come out from under both so are we dead and come legally out in him which answereth the severall tentations we can be under in Christ. Obj. But then may we not sin because wee are freed from the dominion of the Law and death as Rom. 6. he had said ye are not under the Law but under Grace v. 15. What then Shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid ver 16 17. He answers from an absurd then we that are ransomed by Christ should not be our ransome-payers servants but the servants of sin Now except the meaning had been we are not under the Law that is the Laws dominion and the Laws condemning power there had been no place for such an Objection nay nor any shadow but the true Objection is we are not under the Law to be thereby condemned and eternally punished therefore what is the hazard of sin We may sinne at will there is no fear of hell Paul answers not from that evill of servile fear that followeth sin but from the woefull ingratitude to our ransome-payer O then we should not be under Christ and the directing light and rule of our Lord Ransomer if we sin at will but still servants and slaves to sin and so not redeemed by which we gather that there is two things in the Law 1. The condemning power of it 2. The directive commanding power As to the former Christ by being condemned and suffering a cursed death for us took that wholly away We are not then under the Law as condemning yea neither as saving and justifying for then should we be married to the Law and under conjugall power as wife and husband living together which Paul refutes Rom. 2.1 2 3 8. 2. There is a directive commanding power that CHRIST taks in hand and commands us to obey our Lord Ransomer and we should sin against his love if we should live loosly because we are freed from condemnation Hence also there is a twofold dominion of sin one legal to condemn us eternally another as it were physicall to keep us under the superlative power of lusts if Christ had not died we had been under both Q. 4. What is meant by the oldnesse of the letter in which we are not to serve Rom. 7. A. He means the idle fruitlesse and bare knowledge of the Law in externall Discipline that reigns in an unrenewed man by which he remaining in nature under the Law foments an opinion pharisaicall for he points at the false and literall glosses of the Law given by Pharisees and refuted by Christ Mat. 5. Of merit externall worship ceremonies without any inward heart-renovation to which is opposed the newnesse of the spirit or true new Evangelick obedience and holinesse wrought by the Spirit Object Is not the letter of the Law a bondage since we are freed in heaven from the letter and from awing threatening Ans. To serve God is liberty not bondage Psal. 119.45 Rev. 22.3 compared with ver 5. serving of God and raigning suit well together See Luk. 1.74 75. Joh. 8.34 35 36. Rom 6.16 17. but there is a threefold bondage of the letter 1. Accidentall in regard of our corruption the service is wearisome to unrenued nature This we are saved from in CHRIST not fully in this life but it comes not from the Law which is spirituall 2. A bondage to the dominion of the condemning Law 3. There is a bulke of Ordinances hearing reading praying meditating repenting receiving of the seals we are freed from the one in this and shal be freed from the other in the life to come Q. What is the dignity of the Gospel above the Law A. By the hearing of faith that is of the Gospel we receive the Spirit Gal. 3. though the Law in the letter
It is sinfull doctrine to say that CHRIST takes away this sense of sin For 1. this is the very true tendernesse and gracious smitings of heart under any guiltinesse As 1 Sam. 24.5 2 Sam. 24.10 Davids heart smote him after he had cut off the lap of Sauls garment and numbred the people 1 Joh. 3.20 Job 27.6 And in some it is the naturall conscience accusing and challenging after sin is committed now CHRIST came not to extirpate conscience nor the power of feeling and discerning the obligation to wrath that the conscience apprehendeth after sin is committed nor the legall evill deserving of sin nor the contrariety between it and the Law 2. Christ by his death gives repentance and mourning for sin Acts 5.31 Eze. 12.10 11. 3. Christ commends this Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself 2 King 22.19 Because thine heart was tender and thou hast weept before me I have also heard thee saith the Lord. Luk. 7.44 She hath washed my feet with tears 4. If Christ by his death should remove this hee should bring on by his death a heart passed feeling and burnt with a hot iron which is condemned Eph. 4.19 1 Tim. 4.2 5. It speaks a gracelesse rockinesse of heart to sin and not care for it Act. 18.17 18. Pro. 30.20 Far lesse would the Lord have us to dream that a Christan is annihilated and melted into God where they leave off to know will desire feel act or do any thing but God is all and all in this life and that to the eye of faith though not to the eye of reason all sense of sin is destroyed this is a destroying and overturning of all of Law Gospel of all humble walking with God and removes all necessity of fearing hoping believing praying hearing and changes us over into blocks PART II. Of the Mediatour of the Covenant CHAP. I. Q. WHat room or place hath Christ the Mediator in the Covenants A. He hath place in the Covenant of Works as a satisfier for us 2. As a doer and an obedient fulfiller thereof in all points And he is Mediator and Surety of the Covenant of Grace 2. The first Adam marres all the second ADAM who makes all things new mends all The first Adam was a publick sort of stirresman to whom was committed the standing and falling of all mankind and in reference to man the standing of Heaven Earth and Creatures in their perfection and he spoiled all put all things a-reeling The second ADAM received in his arms the whole Creation that was a-falling for in him all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stand fast Col. 1.17 And he bears up all by his mighty word Heb. 1 3. He satisfied for our sins and for our breach of the Covenant of Works 2. He is a full doer and fulfiller of the Covenant of Works most perfectly by doing 1 Joh. 3.7 He who does righteousnesse is righteous As he who suffers for the broken Law fulfills the Law Rom. 6.7 He that is dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is freed justified from sin in the obligation of it to punishment So Paul vers 8. If wee be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall live with him This dying is to beleeve that he died for us at least it excludes not that And if we keep the Law we are not oblidged to suffer for the Law does not oblidge man in absolute sense both to perfect doing and to perfect suffering copulatively but to one of them But if we be legally dead with Christ as his death so excellent doth exhaust sins punishment and is a perfect satisfaction therefore we are freed or justified from sin not to suffer or satisfie by suffering for it as Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do so that it was weak by accident not of it self through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the righteousnesse of the Law the passive righteousnesse in suffering for the breach of the Law might be fulfilled in us 2 Cor. 5.2 And Isai. 53.5 But he was wounded for our transgressions c. 6. The Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all But though some suffer as the reprobate do and suffer in this life the beginning of satisfactory judgement yet are they not loosed from active obedience to the Law as the Law though they cannot having once sinned be under the Law as a Covenant of Justification and life nor is any flesh under that Covenant now Q. What place hath Christs righteousnesse here Ans. Pareus with some others distinguish between the Righteousnesse of Christs person which contains his essentiall Righteousnesse as God the habituall and actuall conformity of the Man Christ and the perfect holinesse of the Man Christ. Such a High Priest became us as is holy harmlesse c. Heb. 7.26 And The righteousnesse of his merit in the satisfaction of his suffering the satisfaction is the formall cause of our Justification which is counted ours this latter righteousnesse is acquired the former is essentiall Now the active obediēce of Christ falls under a twofold consideration 1. As the Man Christs perfect conformity to the Law of God so as man he was oblidged to do and suffer all that he did and suffered even to lay down his life for man But had he been only man his righteousnesse had neither been by condignity meritorious no◠yet satisfactory for us But 2. The whole course of Christs obedience from his birth to the grave by doing and suffering is to be considered as the doing and suffering of so excellent a person his being born his praying preaching dying coming from a Person God-Man Now the Law required not praying preaching of God-man the blood of God or the dying of him who was God-Man And so all these being both so excellent and then so undue have respect of satisfaction to God 2. The active obedience of Christ all that Christ did and suffered were performed by him in his state of humiliation In which he was poor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 8.9 for us so also by the same ground a weeping man hungry thirsty weary for us made lower then the Angels by the suffering of death Heb. 2.9 Humbled by partaking of flesh and blood because of the children Heb. 2.14 Emptied himself for us Ph. 2. This was as Pareus well saith perpetua quaedam passio paena peccatorum nostrorum fuit tota vita Christi All these have a respect of punishment and suffering For since Christ was both a viator and a comprehensor and such a holy sinlesse person he ought to have had the actuall possession of the Crown of Glory from the womb and so should have been free of weeping hunger thirst wearinesse groaning sighing sadnesse persecution reproaches c. all which adhered to all his active holinesse and therefore in that his actions were
die in the place and stead of sinners then to die for sinnes must be to die in the place and stead of sinnes Ans. These and the like argue much the vanity of Socinus if this be retorted as justly it may Then as Christs dying for sinners is for the good profite saving beleeving and confirming of the faith establishing the comfort of sinners then by the like Christs dying for sins must be to save sins from hell to bring sins to God that sins should not live to themselves and to establish the faith the consolation of sins whereas Christ died not for sins as for sinners that he might save sins but to dissolve the works of the devill to take away sin 1 Joh. 3.9 Joh. 1.29 Christ dies one way for sins and another way for sinners The Physitian one way cures the disease that it may be rooted out and be no more and another way the diseased person that he may live and be in health CHAP. IV. Now we are iâ— Christ dying and crucified in him 2. A twofold crucifying of us with Christ. 3. A discourse of mortification 4. The actings of the mortified 5. That we are to be mortified in our affections to every thing that is not God c. IT is objected that we was not born nor haâ— we any being when Christ died then we died not in Christ nor could we rise ascend to heaven nor sit in heavenly places with him Ans. But 1. in Physicall actions there is required the reall existence of the worker Not so in legall actions for as we had no being who now beleeve when Christ died so our sins had no being How then could our sins that were not deserve punishment Yet I desire to beleeve that Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2.24 his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree And that he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities who now live Isai. 53.5 and they cannot deny this who teach that CHRIST died for the sins of the world none excepted And the child in the womb when the father is absolved from treason is really and in Law restored to his fathers inheritance And the sucking child may be Crowned a King and take possession of a Kingdom and take the oath of loyalty of the subjects in the person of another though physically he neither do nor know what is done but sleep in the armes of the nurse So we legally in CHRIST satisfied our nature in Christ was crucified and we though not born did satisfie and suffer satisfactory punishment in Christ. Heb. 1.3 Having by himself purged our sins he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high Heb. 9.28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many And in him we were legally crucified and dead to the Law As Gal. 2.19 so as Christ once being dead and crucified the head and members whole Mysticall Christ is dead to the Law and Christ can die no more for he cannot satisfie and pay the debt twise And so are we in him dead to hell to wrath to Law-vengeance Sathan raises a discussed plea against the conscience thou art a sinner and under the curse of the Law There is no answer to that but by beleeving I was with Christ crucified and am dead to the Law and died to death first and second For Christ suffered mysticall Christ legally satisfied and so did I in him I speak not now of personall suffering with or for Christ and therefore that is a plea of Sathans forging and taken away And unjust summonds may be answered by non-compearance and by the appeal of faith to Christ who having payed the debt sits Judge upon his own debts which he himself payed and therefore cannot suffer these for whom he died to suffer for his proper debt which once he payed The husband cannot endure the wife to be imprisoned for the debts which he made his own and fully satisfied Obj. 2. All men must die and return to dust and so must sinners as the Law requires therefore Christ died not for thee Ans. Socinus and Crellius object the same which Sathan doth For that death in the hew and collour of Law-wrath is holden before a beleever now and then under doubting as a temptation For we suffer not death such as Christ suffered to wit for sin watered and affected with the curse of the Law nor must we measure death from body or bulk of departing but from the salt and worst of death which is the curse and that being removed we never die Joh. 11.26 Joh. 5.24 no more look upon death in the Law for there it raigns but in Christ and in him death is dead and removed the formall demeriting power is removed when the Law is satisfied And a beleever being dead to the Law is dead to the curse and to the worst of death as Christ is dead to it now Obj. 3. But the conscience of the beleever suppose there were no devill challenges him of sin and therefore that he is under a curse Ans. The conscience may be the factor and deputie of Sathan in that also for it is the deposing of Christ from his Office of Mediator in satisfying and answering by his death all the demands of the Law there is none but Christ when the Law demands blood and the torments of the second death can plead any thing on the contrair Rom. 3.19 We know that what things soever the Law speaks it speaks to these that are under the Law but the Law speaks not then to a beleever for he is under grace and so is not in tearms of treating or parleying with the Law Christ was crucified and the beleever is legally crucified with Christ buried and risen again with Christ. 1. Then the Law is not his judge it spake to Christ and condemned him and put him to death when he was under the Law and condemned you in him now you say Christ is not condemned and crucified when ye enter in a new treatie with the Law to receive a new sentence from it and thus ye undoe what Christ hath perfectly done 2. To hearken to conscience componing and making another paction with the Law then Christ hath made is to take the plea that Christ hath embarked in off his hand ye are to stand still and be silent and beleeve that Christs dying and your dying in him is a closing of a satisfactory bargain with the Law Christ condemned sin in the flesh by taking on his flesh the curse due to us for sin for sin that is for sins cause that it might be taken away he sent his Son to die Rom. 8.3 and judge and condemn sin 3. This is to mistate a question well debated and discussed by Christ for he being the end and perfection of the Law hath silenced and satisfied the Law and to what use can it serve to make a new plea and a bastard controversie with a satisfied party
sprinkled Altar was also sprinkled with blood for saith the Holy Ghost Heb. 9.22 Almost all things are by the Law purged with blood and without shedding of blood there is no forgivenesse of sins There was no guiltinesse in the Book but these written Lawes and Ceremonies were the hand-writing of Ordinances which was against us which was contrary to us which Christ by his bloody death behoved to blot out take out of the way and nail to His Crosse Colos. 2.14 But another Question riseth Exod. 24.6 What needed the sprinkling of the people with one half of the blood and the sprinkling of the Altar that is Christ the Mediator with the other For 1. Neither the work of dying to redeem man can be divided between Christ and the people nor needed Christ our true Altar forgivenesse of sins Ans. The typicall sprinkling of the people is expounded Heb. 9.14 the purging of the conscience from dead works to serve the living God to obey the Gospel 1 Pet. 1.3 But the sprinkling of the Altar Christ with the blood is a far other thing So the Holy Ghost Heb. 9. He who is constitute the Mediator of a Testament his death must interveen to ratify and make valide in Law the Testament v. 16 17. That the friends of the Testator may have right to the goods that are bequeathed to them in the Testament But Christ is the Mediator of the New Testament v. 15. Ergo c. Now we are to know that Christs dying is considered 1. As a paying of ransone for captives by which in Law and by way of meriâ—e the ranson of the blood of God exceedeth the worth of the bought captives or the crime committed by the captives and so Christs death meriteth to his friends ransoned righteousnesse life pardon 2. His dying is considered as a Testament of a dying friend Now the living friends by vertue of a Testament as a Testament have not â—us and right by buying and selling to the goods tested The essence and nature of a Testament is saved whether the goods that are bequeathed in legacy be the free gift of the Testator not bought with a price by him or goods of the father of the friend to which the friend being a German-brother hath as good right or the same right by birth that the Testator hath How ever the comparison holds in this Christ 1. hath bequeathed to believers these goods 2. The Testament is no Testament nor valide in Law except the Testator be dead No man can sue by Law tested goods if the Testator himself be living Nor can we have right to a new heart forgivenesse perseverance eternall life to grace and glory except Christ our Testator had died But because the Tested goods are more then goods left to us in Testament they are left to us by such a Testament as is both a Testament and a death perfectly meritorious this is superadded to the nature of a Testament and beyond all Testaments yea a death which is a price to ransone us from the wrath to come Therefore Christ so dying in our stead of justice meriteth that the friends should have these goods though they belong by meer grace and free promise to the friends Now this is a most clear ground Christ hath a well purchased right by giving a condign price for the goods and blesâ—sings promised in the Covenant of Grace to us This right he hath by paying a price laying down his life for us This buying is not by necessity of nature of justice but by a voluntary free and uncompelled agreement and Covenant Joh. 10.18 Isai. 53.6 No man can exact upon him Psal. 89.22 2. If the Old Testament was confirmed by the blood of beasts then must the New Testament be confirmed by the blood of Christ prefigured in these But the Old Testament was so confirmed Heb. 9. v. 18 19 20 21 22 23. Ergo now neither Testament nor Covenant was confirmed by blood simply but by the blood of a living creature slain 3. Hence the making of a Covenant was by cutting a calf or a beast in twain and passing between the parts thereof Jer. 34.18 and so they entered into a curse Nehem. 10.29 devoted themselves to destruction wishing they might be cut 〈◊〉 which is a strange kinde of death Math. 24.51 if they should break the Covenant Hence the Phrase of striking a Covenant So the Romans slew a sow So the Romans and Albani made a Covenant as Livius A Herauld or Officer at Arms slew the beast and prayed a curse on the people of Rome that they might be the same way stricken if they should break the Covenant It s like they had it from the Jewes So Christ died to ratifie and confirm the Covenant Exod. 24.6 This is the blood of the Covenant Now the Covenant hath no blood This blood of slain beasts for it is a figurative speech is a signe confirming the Covenant that believers shall have remission of sins in that blood of Christ which is shaddowed forth by the blood of these beasts So Christ the great Shepheard of the flock Heb. 13.20 is said to be brought from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the blood of the everlasting Covenant Juâ—ius the Article is understood Or as the Hebrew Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Calvin and Piscator The question may be How did God bâ—ing Christ again from the death by the blood of the everlasting Covenant had the blood of Christ any influence to bring himself back from the dead Or did he by dying merit his own resurrection Ans. Some read the word thus and shun the Question The God of peace who brought again from the dead the great sheepherd of the sheep Understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the great sheepherd or feeder by the blood of the everlasting Covenant So Beza who maks these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So as Christs right to be Pastor is in and by his blood and suffering And the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is not to be constructed with the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Beza confesseth that he changed the situation of the words But if Christ be made a Pastor and feeder of the sheep by the blood of the eternall Covenant then is he called to be a Pastor by Covenant And what influence hath his death in his Pastoral Office Is it by way of merit Or did Christ merit to himself Hardly if not curiously can we say that though I nothing doubt but Christ gave perfect obedience as man to the Covenant of Works and he did merit as man jure operum life eternall the way that Adam should have merited life eternal so he had never fallen But the words naturally bear this sense as Deodati expounds them that Christ is risen by vertue of his death As it is well said the just surety
be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead That was a judiciall declaration Acts 2.24 Having loosed the pains of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a King by authority and judicially looses a prisoner from his fetters having no more to say against him Psa. 105.20 The King sent and loosed him Isa. 50.8 He is near that justifies me who is he that contends with me in judgement Rom. 6.9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more death shall no more have Lordship or Lordly dominion over him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the word Luk. 22.25 The Kings of the Gentiles bear dominion over them Rom. 14.9 Death had some Kingly dominion in Justice and by Law over him But Christ by Law of satisfactory payment who was also the mighty Son of God wrought himself out of the grips and fetters of death So in Christ death hath lost Law-dominion over the beleever It is against Justice and the just Covenant between Jehovah and Christ that we should be for ever among the worms and not at length be loosed from the sting and victory of the grace O death thou shalt thou must let the captives go free 1 Cor. 15.55 Hos. 13. the prison must be a free Jayle when iron gates and fetters are broken We have in Christ a good cause the cause and action of Law is win and carried on our favours 2. There is a promise of heavenly influences made to Christ Isa. 50.4 He wakeneth morning by morning he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned 5. The Lord hath opened mine ear and I was not rebellious Some great Divines say Christ had no sleepy nor closed ear he must there speak of Isaiah But so there was no sinfull drynesse in Christ Was He not therefore anointed Isa. 42.1 I will put my Spirit upon him Then all influences are promised also Isa. 11.2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him 3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and he shal not judge after the sight of his eyes c. 2. Christ was assured he could not sin and so of influences to duties Joh. 5.30 Joh. 8.26 27 38 50 55. Joh. 10.38 though he wanted influences at a time as touching consolation and the felt fruition of God being forsaken for a time Psal. 22.1 Luk. 22.44 Math 27.45 But Adam as he was not to beleeve perseverance nor yet sinfully to fear falling so neither was he to beleeve influences to all acts of obedience they not being promised to him Yet was not Adam to beleeve his own reprobation for it was neither true nor a revealed truth Then the only nearest way against deadnesse and drynesse is to have recourse to the fountain and fulnesse of life that is in Christ. Literall quickning of our selves miskenning Christ out of whose fulnesse we receive produceth but literall fardinesse 3. The speciall and cardinall promise I will be his God Psal. 89.26 and he shall cry to me Thou art my Father my God and the rock of my salvation is bound up with Christ in the Covenant of Suretyship and is the key and corner stone of the frame and building of the Covenant of Grace Joh. 20.17 Go to my Brethren saith Christ to Magdalen and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God It s comfortable talking that Christ saith to us I and you Beleevers are the Children of the same Father and have one Covenant-relation to one God though as is said Christ bear the relation of a Surety-Covenant to God and we of a Covenant of Mediation and notwithstanding of the differences yet it may be said that Christ and Beleevers are in one writ and one letter of acquittance dischargeth both from condemnation Christ from condemnation of punishment us from condemnation of inherent guiltinesse and punishment Blessed we to be unite to him every way and to joine our Amen and consent to the Covenant yea and in regard of profession we should subâ—cribe and write our names to it Isa. 44.1 2 3. Our maimed and broken and half consent proclaims an overly and cold Covenanting It s true parties are but once married once Covenanting by oath is as good as twenty but frequent and multiplied acts of marriage-love adde a great deal of firmnesse and of strength to the Marriage band they are confirmations of our first subscription Renewed acts of faith to take Christ for Jesus and Redeemer and renewed acts of love do more and more ingadge the heart to Christ as Lord and King Little conversing with Christ deadens marriage-love Rare visits and thin bring on worn out acquaintance We are apt to complain he visits us seldome that is because we have not the childish hire of consolation and feeling we refuse to work and yet we should look at comfort for the duty and not on the duty for the comfort when it s a duty to our Father And who looks upon the comfort both as a comfort and a duty 1 Thes. 4.18 Comfort one another with these words and so must they comfort themselves Comfort is mainly for beleeving Colos. 2.2 Heb. 6.18 and there is a feast and a fill of joy in beleeving Rom. 15.13 We seek but a comfort and a joy of chearing and solacing our selves and that is all 4. There is promised to Christ a seed Isa. 53.10 When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed Heb. 2.13 Behold I and the children that God hath given me Jacob by Covenant served for Rachel Christ also served suffered and died of love for his Spouse Eph. 5.25 26. Isa. 53. he shall be satisfied A Redeemed seed was his end and we endure hard labour for a desired end and we are sick till we get the great end we aim at It s true the honour of God was the speciall end Joh. 12.28 c. 17.1 yet it was heart satisfaction to Christ to have all his off-spring and children with him Joh. 17.24 How should Christ not be our end See if ye do all and suffer all to fetch this shoar Phil. 3.8 9. Examine comparative ends by-ends self ends It s impossible a man can be ignorant of his last and main end so strong an impulsion it hath upon his heart 5. There 's not onely a seed but a rich conquest the heathen promised and the ends of the earth Psal. 2.8 9. Dominion from sea to sea Zech. 9.10 Psal. 72.8 Dan. 7.14 and both this and the former satisfies Christ. There is not a sight so desirable to the eye of Christ as to see all his Redeemed ones conquering and last in the fields and fairly landed on the shoar passed Gun-shot and reach of all temptations We satisfy our unbeleeving hearts too much Ah! who can stand temptations are so strong But as JEHOVAH fully satisfies Christs soul his hope his aim and intended
we are gifted with a life of more worth then many acres of Vineyards They declare therefore that there is much of the first Adam in them little of the second Who would conquesse again the many lands that our first father Adam sold and joyn house to house and lay field to field till there be no place and disinherit all others as if they were bastard heirs and themselves the only righteous heirs of Adam that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth Isa. 5.8 And the more spiritual any be the more are they above the nothing world Mortality may be called supernaturall to the earthie part of Adam since it is not naturally due to a body of earth to claim life for ever Though immortality be due to whole Adam consisting of soul and body and endued with the image of God For the soul cannot die But if we speak of such a life to wit of a heavenly communion with God as Adam was a comprehensor or one who is supposed now to have runne well and won the Gold and the Crown such a life was due to Adam not by nature but by promise Adam in his first state was not predestinate to a law glory and to influences of God to carry him on to persevere Nor could he blesse God that he was chosen before the foundation of the world to be Law holy as Eph. 1.3 What Was not then Adam predestinated to life eternall through Jesus Christ He was But not as a publick person representing all his sons but as another single person as Abraham or Jacob for Gospel predestination is not of the nature but of this or that person Therefore were we not predestinat to life eternall in him but in Christ Rom. 8.29 30. Therefore Adam fell from the state of Law-life both totally and finally but not from the state of Gospel election to glory For the Lord â—ad in the Law-dispensation a love designe to set up a Theatre and stage of free grace And that the way of works should be a time-dispensation like a summer-house to be demolished again As if the Lord had an aime that works and nature should be a transient but no standing Court for righteousnesse Hence it is now the reliques of an old standing Court and the Law is a day of assyse for condemning of malefactors who will acknowledge no Tribunall of grace but only of works And it is a just Court to terrifie robbers to awe borderers and loose men but to beleevers it is now a Court for a far other end CHAP. III. What is the intent and sense of the threatning Gen. 2.17 In the day thou eats thou shalt die And Gen. 3.20 Dust thou art c. WE must distinguish between the intent of the threatner and the intent and sense of the threatning Law-threatnings may be well exponed by the execution of them upon persons against whom they are denounced As 1 King 11.30 compared with 1 King 12.15 16. Ten Tribes are taken from Davids house according to the Word of the Lord. Because therefore the threatning of death was executed upon Christ 1 Pet. 3.18 Gal. 3.10 11 12 13 14. then must the threatning Gen. 2.17 Deut. 27.26 have been intended against the Man Christ and because beleevers die as all do Heb. 9.27 the threatning must have been intended against them also for that they sinned in Adam and because it is out of question that the reprobate die the first and second death the threatning must also have been intended against them And therefore in the intent of the threatner the threatning was mixed partly Legall partly Evangelick According to the respective persons that the Lord had in his eye He had therefore in his heart both Law and Gospel It is therefore to no purpose to aske what kind of death and whether purely legall which the Lord threatned to Adam For the Question supposeth that the Covenant of Works was to stand and that the Lord was to deny a Saviour to fallen man But we may say what death the Lord actually inflicts that death he intended to inflict nor did the Lord decree to inflict a meerly legall death personall first and second upon Adam and all his race Obj. Adam was to believe he should certainly die For so was the threatning Gen. 2.17 if he should sin or then we must say that Adam was to beleeve he should not actually die the latter cannot be said for then he was to believe the contradicent of the Lords true threatning which was the lie of the Serpent Gen. 3. Ans. He was to beleeve neither of the twain according to the event for there are two sort of threatnings some pure and only threatnings which reveal to us what God may in Law do but not what he hath decreed and intended actu secundo quoad eventum to do and bring to passe These threatnings contain some condition either expressed in other Scripture or then reserved in the mind of the Lord. 1. Because the Lord so threatned Adam as he remained free and absolute either to inflict the punishment or to provide an Evangelick remedy even as Solomon 1 King 2.37 saith to Shimei in the day thou passest over the brook Kidron thou shalt surely die that is thou shalt be guilty of death reus mortis Yet it cannot be denyed but Solomon reserved his own Kingly power either to pardon Shimei or to soften or change the sentence 2. The words of the Law do reveal what the Magistrate may do jure and what the guilty deserves by the Law but do not â—eveal the intention and absolute decree of the Law-giver and what punishment actually quoad eventum shall be inflicted upon the guilty and what shall come to pass as a thing decreed of the Lord So Gen. 9.6 the Murtherer shall die by the Sword of the Magistrate and Exod. 22.18 19 20. the Witch the man that lyes with a beast he that sacrifices to a strange god shall die the death jure merito and by Law-deserving but it followeth not but such as commit these abominations do live as is clear in the Kings of Assyria Chaldaea and many of Israel who were not put to death but lived quoad eventum though contrary to the Word of God 3. The expresse Precepts of the Decalogue Thou shalt have no other gods before me c. Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal c. do shew what in Law we ought not to do but not what actually shall come to passe For there be not a few who do actually quoad eventum worship strange gods kill and steal But there are other threatnings which are both threatnings and also Prophesies and these reveal both the Law and the fact and what the Law-giver may jure and in Law inflict and what shall actually come to passe upon the transgressours if they continue in impenitency Rom. 2.1.2 3 Rom. 1.18 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Obj. Then in
the Lord had followed Adams obedience with no reward at all For man as a creature owes himself to God and as sweetly and pithily Anselme saith as a redeemed one I owe my self and more then my self to thee because thou gave thy self who art so farre more then my self for me and thou promises thy self to me Now God who is more and greater then Adam promised himself to be enjoyed by Adam if he should continue in obedience For what can the highest goodnesse sayeth he give to one that loves it but it self 3. If God of justice give Adam life Adam might compell God to pay what he oweth him else he should be unjust But the creature can lay no necessitie on the Creator either to work without himself nor can he cause him to will 4. The proper work of merite saith great Bradwardine and of him that works must go before the wages in time or in order of nature And if the worker receive its operation and working for wadge from God first and by his vertue and help continue in operation and working he cannot condignely merit at the hand of God but is rather more in Gods debt after his working then before his working because he bountifullie receives more good from God then before especially because he gives nothing proper of his own to God but gives to God his own good But no man first acts for God for God is the first actor and mover in every action and motion As that saith Who gave first to the Lord and it shall be recompensed him 5. If this was yesterday just that life eternall is due to Adam for his work before God made it just and due then from Eternitie and before any decree of God it was just and due Certainlie God upon the same reason was debtour to make such a Covenant that was just before he made it just And this is no Covenant of God for God not making the justice of the Covenant and the juâ—t connexion between work and wadge he cannot be the Author of the Covenant But neither is Adam the Author of the justice nor of the just Covenant Upon the same ground it was then an everlasting justice without and before God from Eternitie Non datur justum prius primo justo 6. If God did more for Adam then he can recompence God for it as the Father hath done to the Son then he could not merit at the hand of God But God did more to Adam in giving to him being faculties mind will affections power habites his blessed Image then Adam can never be in a condition in which he can recompence God or give him more annuall and usurie in his acting of obedience then the stock was he received in proportion As the Son can never give the Father in recompence so much or the captive ransomed from death can never give to his ransome payer who bought him so much as the one and the other shall no more be under an obligation and debt of love and service to father and ransomer then to a stranger that they never knew Nor could Adam thus be freed of God so as he should be owing nothing to him If any say God may freely forgive all this obligation and debt To which Bradwardine Answers well 1. The forgiving of the debt when the debtor hath nothing to pay is a greater debt taken on 2. God saith he may forgive so in regard of actuall obligation that he is not oblidged ad aliquid faciendum sub poena peccati to do any thing under the pain or punishment of sin as the hireling is obleiged to work when he hath made a Covenant to work and so we are not oblidged to do as much as we can for God But in regard of habituall obligation God cannot forgive the debt that the reasonable creature owes to God for so he might dispence with this that the reasonable creature owe no obedience to God suppose he should command it which is impossible They seeme therefore with eyes of flesh to look upon God who say that God by necessitie of justice must punish sin yea that the most High cannot be God except he punish sin and that he should not be God if all his Lawes imposed upon men were only promissorie and void of all threatnings What could not God have said eat not of the tree of knowledge for if ye eat not your obedience shall be rewarded with life eternall and no more might he not have laid aside all threatning What Scripture or reason teacheth to say that God if he create a reasonable creature and under a morall dependencie which it hath and must have of God then must God by necessitie of nature punish the sinner yea so as if he punish not he should not be God nor just but must fall from his naturall dominion except he make penall laws and so he should not be God except he say to Adam if thou eat thou shalt die or shalt be punished for eating but this is not proven by one word except this the reasonable creature is not nor cannot be subject to God Creator except God punish the sinner But that is denyed Adam should have had a Morall dependance upon God and God should have been God and essentially just if sin had never come into the World and if God had kept Adam under a Morall Law as he did the Elect Angels who never felt or knew the fruit of a Morall Law broken and transgressed And God if he imposed any penall Law upon the Elect Angels as penall which shall be an hard work to prove yet had a naturall dominion over the Elect Angels and suppose no Law but only a rewarding and remunerative Law had been over their heads should God be no God in that case and if any deny that God hath a perfect dominion over the Elect Angels he is not worthy to be refuted 2. Shew me in all the Old or New Testament any penall Law of active obediencâ— as penall imposed upon the man Christ or where is it written If the Man Christ sin he shall eternally die I tremble at such expressions Is the Lord therefore not the Lord and hath the Lord fallen from his naturall dominion over his Son the Man Christ Or 3 will any man deny but the Lord might justly have laid upon all men and upon the Elect Angels a Law only remunerative not penall at all a Law only with the promise of a reward and void of all threatning of death first or second or any other punishment and yet he should have been the Lord and had a naturall dominion over Angels the Man Christ and all mankind 3 Suppose the Lord had never imposed the Law penall forbidding the sin against the Holy Ghost upon the Elect beleevers nor any other penall Law but by vertue of the most sufficient ransome of the Blood of God payed for man he had made them now after the fall as the
3.13 Rev. 21.1 Isa. 65.17 and they shall be above the heavens that are when the mysticall body shall be perfected yea and the dust into which the bodies of the Saints are resolved keeps a spirituall Covenant relation to God in Christ As Exod. 3.6 Mat. 22.32 Joh. 6.39 Rom. 8.21 22 23. for no joint or part of the body but it must share of Covenant glory We look little to any thing but to have and injoy the dead lump and body of Gold dead lands without Christ. See Hos. 2.18.22 Ezek. 34.25.27 Ezek. 36.29 Lev. 26.6 Psal. 37.9 11 29. 1 Tim. 4.8 Heb. 13.5 6. Math. 6.25 26. Psal. 34.10 O fair inheritance 4. As to the second which is the main controversie to injoy life and being is the substance of the act no sin Men contraveen a Law to be so and so born to wit in sin for it s forbidden by a Law But to be born and live is no sin but by order of nature before Originall sin Nor is it forbidden more to man to be born and live then its forbidden to beasts nor to eat sleep wake then to them So neither is it commanded by a Law to die but it is commanded and commended to die well to fall asleep in Christ 1 Thes. 4.14.16 to be faithfull to the death Acts 7.60 Rev. 2.10 Rev. 14.13 2. The Elect who are born heirs of wrath as others Eph. 2.3 And all the Reprobate should kill themselves or be killed from the birth if to live and eat were sin in it self But only the Lord of life and death and his Minister the Magistrate hath power to take away life and being no man can be his own burrio But if it were sin in it self to live they ought to expire and restore an usurped life which they possesse malâ fide to the owner the Lord as a theef is oblidged to restore stollen goods 3. The dominion of Reprobats over the creatures is a part of the good Image of God Gen. 1.26 27. and they breath live ride sail and are no more then the Elect to lay these aside then they are to lay aside the naturall knowledge of God by which they are to glorifie God as God Rom. 1.19 20 21. Rom. 2.14 15. Act. 14.16 17. Now the Reprobates have not utterly lost the Image of God as to know there is a God to honour their parents to hurt no man 4. This opinion looks the rather like a fancie that it is a temptation in weak ones under a sad desertion Sathan riding upon their Melancholie a complexion not sanctified usefull to Sathan and if sanctified a seat of mortification and humble walking for they judge it sin to eat and drink and sleep they having no right thereunto but so they have no right to live and are oblidged to kill themselves and upon the same ground it was sin to Adam to speak to answer God to breath to hear the news of the blessed seed which all are acts of life and so acts of sin and upon the same ground that they cannot perform these without sin they should not pray for in praying they cannot but take the Name of God in vain For we are not to abstaine from a duty because of the sinfulnesse which adheres to the duty by reason of our corruption for in Christ the sinfulnesse is pardoned and the duty accepted 5. It necessarily must follow if it be sin to eat because the non-converted have no right spirituall in Christ to bread the converted may spoil by their grounds all the non-converted of their goods houses gold gardens vineyards lands and upon the same ground for the crime of non-regeneration they must also deprive them of their lives and kill them For they have alike right that is no right these men being Judges to either life or goods And so Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self must be meant of the converted neighbour but with fire and sword all other neighbours may be killed and spoiled and so there should be no stealing no oppressing no crushing of the widow the stranger the fatherlesse the weaker not grind the faces of the poor though their Redeemer be strong contrair to the Scripture Prov. 23.11 Jer. 50.33 34. Psal. 94.5 6 7 8. Psal. 14.4 Exo. 22.26 27. Isa. 3.12 13 14 15. Mic. 2.3 and so it were lawfull to take Crowns Kingdomes inheritances lands dignitie and honour from all the unregenerate Princes powers and rulers on earth to cut off with the sword all the heathen Nations who as yet know not Christ and it were lawfull for the regenerate sons and brethren to kill and spoil Father Mother Brethren Sisters Kings Potentates Countrey-men strangers Orphans exiled captives prisoners sick weak imprisoned all infants that are by nature the heirs of wrath upon this ground the converted ones judge all non-converts to be void of all due right to life or goods and so in these men the societies Churches of Christ must cease Obj. These who injoy that of which they deserve to be deprived have no due right to that of which they deserve to be deprived but are usurpers and so sin But all the non-regenerated are such or they who use that to which they have no right do sin in the act of using it Ans. 1. They who injoy that of which they deserve to be deprived they sin and have no due right to use it Is not universally true They who injoy that which they may and ought by their own private power restore such as ill conquished goods They sin in using that true Prov. 3.27 Exod. 22.26 27. Luke 19.8 It s a sin to withhold the rayment though laid in pawnd which should cover the poor mans skin in the night and they have no right to injoy that But they who injoy that what ever it be of which by sin they deserve to be deprived they have no due right to that it is denyed For if it be life being eating sleeping and such things as only can be taken away by a judiciall power and by God the Lord of life and death and cannot be taken away by themselves for it is lawfull for no man to punish himself and take away his own life nor by any other except for capitall crimes they have due providentiall right to keep and injoy all such things untill the same power that gave them remove them nor do they sin in using them And it is most dangerous to say that Devils and the damned in Hell who dishonour the Majesty of God by their living and being and so by sin deserve to be annihilated and deprived of their being do sin in that they live and are not annihilated and that all the Elect before their conversion sin in that they injo◠being and life A judge sentenceth a man to die for killing his father within 24. houres but by invincible providence he is rescued out of the hand of the Magistrate and lives diverse years after the sentenced
man sins not before God nor against the law of the land in that he lives nor can he be called an usurper and unjust malae fidei possessour of his life For the sentence was not that he should take away his life with his own hand but that it should be taken away by the judiciall hand and executioner of the Magistrate Nor is this Providentiall right a right of meer permission but of positive donation and free-gift for then we might by the same reason say that Reprobate men have a right of meer permission to keep and injoy the knowledge of these that God is Superiours Parents are to be honoured the whole is more then the part Yea they have the same naturall and providentiall right by nature that other sinners have to the one as to the other 2. These who injoy that of which they deserve to be deprived they sin in the act of using as touching the substance of the act of living being eating drinking That is most false These who injoy that of which they deserve to be deprived they in modo in the way maner and end of living eating c. do sin It is true and such have not spirituall and supernaturall right in Christ which they ought to have if they be in the Visible Church and hearers of the Gospel to life being and the creatures and they sin in not believing Rom. 14. not eating for the Glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 Naturall men care not if they have and injoy things so they have them They have being so have earth stones c. they live so doe trees and hearbs they have health so have beasts and birds they swallow up many years so do Ravens and Harts and other beasts a long lump many thousand yairds and miles of life are sought diu sunt non diu vivunt But who lives for God who sleeps who wakes who eats for God and his Glory and they who make themselves their last end Idolatrously put self in the roome of God who only is the last end of all Rom. 11.36 Rev. 4.11 Prov. 16.4 and as good make self the first Author of Heaven and Earth and Creator as the last end Ye who eat and drink who pays your reckoning Christ Or are you usurpers Have you any Charter Or do ye robbe the Lord Q. What way is God ours A. By Covenant Ezek. 34.24 Genes 17.7 Jere. 32.38 Zech. 13.9 But he is not ours as if we had some gifted right and dominion over him as we have over the creatures 2. Nor is he ours as we are his the clay hath no soveraignty over the Potter Nor 3. is God simply as God ours but God as it were coming down in Christ to us Covenant-wayes as God incarnate to make out his goodnesse grace mercy to and for us 4. It s true God incarnate Christ is principally Gods 1 Cor. 3.21 not ours He is all for God he is Immanuel our Immanuel in order to save us and so is more ours then the God of Angels 2. God is the fluier of the Saints desire more to them then all heaven in the length and breadth thereof and all the inhabitants thereof Psal. 73.25 Isa. 63.16 more then all the Angels and Saints 1 Thes. 4.16 2. There is no hell to Christ but afar off God Psal. 22.1 Math. 27.45 no heaven but the glory he had with the father John 17.5 3. There is nothing more like a spiritual disposition then when the Spouse Cant. 3. hath soul-love to Christ I sought him whom my soul loved 2. She hath an ardent desire after him I sought him but I found him not 3. There could not be such diligent search after she found him if there had not been strong faith 4. And her conference with the watchmen Saw ye him whom my soul loveth saith She enjoyed Ordinances and means yet there may be which is to be observed a furniture of grace and a want of Christ I went a little further I found him whom my soul loveth Cant. 5. There is 1. a waking heart 2. A discerning of the Beloved and a telling over again of his words Open to me my sister c. 3. A stirring of Christs hand upon the key-hole of the heart 4. A moving of the bowels for him 5. A seeking of him and a praying but no finding nor answer 6. A love-sicknesse for him and yet a missing of himself I sought him but I found him not So compare Cant. 1.1 4. with Cant. 2 3 4. with v. 6 8. and other places it will be clear a God-head can only quiet the spirit and that its a question whether we know the field where the Pearle is and the Rubies Saphirs precious stones that are hid here which do in worth exceed the capapacity of Angels and Saints Therefore should his glory be the last end and stirrer of us in all our actings and grace the only efficient in all and so much of God if he be ours by Covenant as our wayes intentions may smell of him But there is much of the creature of self of gain of empty glory in our spirituall actings God weighs not down the creature nor heaven and union with Christ as Exod. 32.32 Rom. 9.3 2. It s a spirituall soul that misseth God rather then the train of all the graces of faith love hope dâ—siâ—e of and joying in him And know he is away though heaven were in the heart and can discern when the Ordinances are empty 3. It engages all we are hands knees body Exo. 20.5 Psal. 44.20 1 Cor. 6.19 self to be for God and to live wholly in him not in our selves 4. We are not to believe in believing nor to be sick of love with the love of Christ nor to make a god of faith or love It s a spirituall condition to have grace and to misse Christ. CHAP. X. Q. WHat are the false grounds of the Lords making the Covenant of Grace A. There are two bastard grounds devised by Arminians 1. Because the Covenant of Works cannot oblidge both to active and passive obedience but to one of them only say they and the Covenant of Works was so rigid that God could not follow it out and cast infants in hell for a sin which is theirs only by imputation and was pardoned to the first man that committed it Therefore he was necessitated to make a Covenant of Grace with all mankind none excepted But the Covenant of Works is broken and can now be a way of Justification and salvation to none but yet it oblidges all And sin cannot make us lawlesse for the spirituall Law is of an eternall obligation 2. They that never heard of Christ perish by the Law and not by the Covenant of Grace of which they never heard and the Gospel is written in the heart of none 3. The first Covenant was holy and spirituall and God should unjustly threaten death upon infants if they be not guilty of
eternall condemnation as Arminius disp pub 7. th 16.3 and the Scripture saith infants are guilty of this sin Eph. 2.3 Rom. 5. Psal. 51.5 Job 14.4 As also Christ must not have died for the sins of Infants if there be no sin in them they need not the ransome of Christs Blood The other bastard ground is the naturall antecedent desire and love of God to have all saved moved him say they to make this Covenant of Grace with all But this makes away free-grace and changes God as the blind Talmud which saith God hath a secret place in which he afflicts himself because he burnt the Temple and delivered the Jews to captivitie As also the Lord remembring the captivity of the Jews and their desolation he powres out two tears every day in the Sea or Ocean and for grief smites his breasts with both his hands And the Alcoran saith that God and the Angels wish well to Mahomet but cannot free him from death So made the Heathen their Jupiter to deplore the destinies which he could not amend And what is this but to say God hath passionate desires to have all Elect and Reprobat Men and Angels to obey and be eternally saved but he cannot help the matter and therefore must upon the same account be sorrowfull and mourn that he cannot get all saved which destroyes the power of grace and restrains the out-goings of free-love CHAP. XI The three-fold Covenant considered 2. The Law pressed upon Israel was not a Covenant of Works but a darker dispensation of Grace 3. The three-fold Covenant of Arminians refuted 4. Diverse considerations of the Law and the Gospel THere be who hold that there be three Covenants 1. A Covenant of Nature whereby God as Creator required perfect obedience from Adam in Paradice with promise of life and threatning of death 2. The Covenant of Grace whereby he promises life and forgivenesse in Christs Blood to believers 3. A subservient Covenant made 1. With Israel not witâ— Adam and all mankinde 2. For a time with Israel not for ever as the naturall Covenant 3. In Mount Sinai not in Paradice 4. To terrifie and keep in bondage the other from an inward principle required obedience 5. To restrain Israel from outward sins to prove the people that the fear of God might be before their eyes that they should not sin So they expound Exo. 20.20 the other Covenant was to restrain from all sin Yea and so was that on Mount Sinai to do all that are written in the Book of the Law Deut. 27.26 Deut. 28.1 2 3 4. c. to that same end to love God with all the heart and with all the soul Deut. 10.12 Deut. 5.1 2 3. Deut. 6.1 2 3. Deut. 5.29 Deut. 6.5 With all the heart with all the soul with all the might which is expounded by Christ Mat. 22.37 Luke 10.27 in as full a hight of perfection as ever was required of Adam 6. It was written to Israel in Tables of stone The naturall Covenant was written in the heart so was there a circumcised heart promised to Israel Deut. 30.6 though sparingly 7. It was say they given by the Mediator Moses as that of nature was without a Mediator Yea Moses was the Typical Mediator of the young Covenant of Grace The differences between the subservient Covenant and that of Grace 1. In the subservient God only approves righteousnesse and condemnes sin in that of Grace he pardons and renues Ans. Acts 15.11 We beleeve through the Grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved even as they under that Covenant Acts 10.43 To him gave all the Prophets witnesse that through his Name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins Abraham and David were justified in that sin was not imputed to them not by works Rom. 4.1 2 3 6 7 8 9 c. Gen. 15.6 Psal. 32.1.2.5 I said I will confesse my transgression and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Isa. 4325. I euen I am he that blots out thy transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember thy sins So David was a man according to the heart of God So Asa Josiah Jehoshaphat Samuel Baruch Gedeon Daniel the Prophets under that subservient Covenant except they be under a fourth Covenant were renued justified saved by faith Heb. 11. as under a Covenant of Grace 2. The former was do and live this was believe and live Ans. Doing and living was but a shuting them up under the Law that they might flee to Christ in whom they beleeved else the fathers must be saved and justified by works contrair to Rom. 2. Rom. 4. Heb. 11. 3. In antiquity the former came in as added 430. years after the promise of grace Gal. 3.17 Ans. True but he speaks of the Covenant in Sinai according to the strict Law part which could not save and so its different But that proves not two Covenants 4. In the former is compulsion and the Spirit of bondage in this heart inclining freedom and the Spirit of Adoption Ans. Yet the differences are accidentall there was a legall awing of the hearts as if they had been Servants yet Heirs and Sons they were Gal. 4.1 2. The whole Book of the Proverbs spake to the Godly as to Adopted Sons They were beleevers Heb. 11. Rom. 4. Acts 10.43 and so Sons as touching a spirituall state John 1.11 12. In regard of Oeconomie it was somewhat more rigid and legall they were restrained as servants Yet it was the Covenant of Grace by which beleeving Jews were justified and saved Acts 15. v. 11. Acts 10.43 5. In the former man is dead in this man is humbled for sinne Answ. Legally dead except they would flee to Christ and legally condemned but there was true humiliation for sins under that Covenant As David Josiah Hezekiah and all beleevers then as now were pardoned and justified 6. In the former there are commands not strength but here there be promises and grace given Ans. The full abundance of grace and of a new heart was reserved untill now And the Law could not make perfect nor give pardon in the blood of beasts as touching that legall dispensation But both grace the Spirit pardon righteousnesse and life were received and beleeved by looking on Christ to come 7. In the former Canaan was promised in this Heaven Ans. Canaan is promised only but sacramentally and that was a poedagogicall promise for the infancie of that Church but a type which was then in that Covenant and is not now make not two Covenants one then and another now Except ye say there was then a Lamb in the Passeover which was a Type of Christ to come and there is now no such Type because the body is come and Christ the true High Priest offered himself Therefore there are two Christs one then to come another now who hath come already The Lords dispensation with Israel is often called a Covenant now
you are debters to keep the whole Law perfectly as the only way to life and by no other Covenant can you be justified and saved now Abraham was not circumcised that way circumcision did bind Abraham to keep the Law as a Ceremonie and Seal of the Covenant of Grace commanded of God But the Law as a Covenant of Works doth command no Ceremonie no Sacrifice no Type of Christ Mediator at all It s true that first Covenant had Moses for its mediator but as he was a Type of Christ so Christ yesterday and the day was the reall Mediator but vailed The New Covenant hath better promises Heb. 8.6 Heb. 7.22 it s a better Covenant Heb. 7.22 hath a better reall not a Typicall suretie a better Priest who offered himself through the eternall Spirit Heb. 9.14 a better Sacrifice because of the plainenesse Iohn 16.29 2 Cor. 3.18 because the reall promises are made out to us because of a larger measure of Grace 2 Cor. 3.1 2 3 4. And the first Covenant is faultie Heb. 8.7 not because there was no Salvation by it the contrare is Heb. 11. but that is comparatively spoken because the blood of beasts therein could not take away sins Heb. 10.1 2 3 4. because forgivenesse of sins is promised darkly in the first Covenant but plainly in the other because Grace is promised sparingly in the former but here abundantly the Law being written in the heart John 7.39 Esa. 54.13 And it is true Gal. 4.22 23 24 c. they seeme to be made contrare Covenants But Paul speaks Gal. 3. of the Law as relative to that people and so it pressed them to Christ and keeps them as young Heires under nonage 2. He speaks of the Law absolutely as contradistinguished from the Gospel Gal. 4.21 so it is a Covenant of Works begetting children to bondage 2. Who come short of righteousnesse and the inheritance and shall not be saved 3. Who are casten out of the Kingdome of Grace 4. Who persecute the Godly the Sons of promise so is the Law as it was in Adams dayes and is now to all the Reprobate so the Godly are not under the Law and the Covenant of Works The Covenant urged upon Believers is to prove them when they stand afar off and tremble Exod. 20.20 Fear not saith Moses God is come to prove you not to damne you and therefore Calvine solidely observeth that Paul 2 Cor. 3. speaks with lesse respect of the Law then the Prophets do for their cause who out of a vain affectation of the Law-Ceremonies gave too much to the Law and darkned the Gospel and sayeth the one was 1. Literall 2. Written in stone 3. A Sermon of death and wrath 4. To be done away and lesse glorious whereas the Gospel is Spirituall 2. Written on the heart 3. The Ministrie of life 4. And glorious and praises put upon the Law agree not to it of its own nature but as it was used by the Lord to prove them Exod. 29.20 and chase them to Christ. The Arminians also especially Episopius make three Covenants 1. One with Abraham in which he requires sincere worship and putting away strange gods Beside 2. Faith and Universall obedience and promised Canaan to his seed and Spirituall blessings darkly 2. One in Mount Sinai in these three Laws Morall Ceremoniall and Judiciall with a promise of Temporall good things but to no sinners promise of life Eternall 3. A Covenant of Grace with a promise of pardon and life to all that believe and repent to all mankind but he denyes 1. All infused habits contrare to Isa. 44.1 2 3. Isa. 59.20 21. Zach 12.10 Joh. 4.14 Joh. 7.37 John 16.7 8. 1 John 3.9 he sayeth that 2. all commands are easie by Grace 3. That the promise of earthly things in their abundance is abolished in that we are called to patient suffering 4. That there is no threatning in this Covenant but that of Hell fire But the Covenant made with Abraham is that of Grace made with all the Seed Deut. 30.6 Deut. 7.5 6 7 12. Lev. 26.40 41. and made with all Believers who are Abrahams children Gal. 3.13 14 18 19. Rom. 4.1 2 3 4. Luke 19.9 yea with the whole race of man without exception 2. The second Covenant which promiseth only blessings is made rather with beasts that well fed then with men contrare to Psal. 73.25 Isa. 57.1.2 3. Psal. 37.37 and it must build some Chalmer in hell where the fathers were before Christ a dreame unknown to Scripture The third Covenant makes the Covenant of Grace a Covenant of Works and holds out life and pardon upon condition that free-will repent and believe and stand on its own feet for there is neither faith nor a new heart nor repentance promised contrare to Deut. 30.6 Ezek. 11.19 20. Ezek. 36.26 27. Isa. 59.19 20 21. Isa. 44.1 2 3 4 5. Zech. 12.10 CHAP. XII 1. All are to try under what Covenant they are 2. Threatnings under the New Testament are more spirituall 3. Desertions under both are compared 4. Considerable differences of such as are under the Covenant of Works and such as are under the Covenant of Grace 5. Of legall terrors 6. Of convictions compelled free legall c. Quest. 1. WHether should not all try under what Covenant they are Answ. Self-searching is a reflect act upon the state and such acts are more spirituall then direct acts and therefore it should be the work of all to try under what reign they are whether of the first or second Adam And whereâ—s Angels cover their faces and their feet with wings Isa. 6. before God and are full of eyes as without so also within Râ—v 4.8 We may hence learn such come nearest to the nature of these pure and heavenly Spirits who have eyes within to see what they are and their blacknesse of face and feet when they compare themselves either with the Holy God or his Holy Law 2. The Carnall man is a beast Psal 49.20 and beasts have no reflect acts upon their own beastly state 3. The more of a spirituall life is in any the more stirring in communing with their own heart the Law makes the more of life that is in the worme when tramped on the more stirring it makes deadnesse and stupiditie in not being versed and well read and skilled in our selves and our own heart argues little of the Spirit and estrangement to a spirituall Covenant nor can any lay hold on the Covenant of Grace in a night dream Quest. Whether are there rarer threatnings of Temporall evils under the New Covenant then under the Old Answ. It cannot be denyed except the threatnings of the Sword Famine Pestilence on Jerusalem and the desolation upon the Jews Math. 23. Math. 24. but in place of all the diseases of Egypt Levit. 26. and the long Roll of dreadfull judgements and curses temporall Deut. 28. denounced against the transgressours of the former
satisfactory passions For satisfaction is defined a voluntary restoring of the equivalent and as good in the place of what is taken away and the good restored must be 1. Undue 2. The proper good of the restorer which agrees to the active and passive obedience of Christ. Obj. Then Christs very weeping and praying being the weeping and praying of God-Man might have been a perfect satisfaction for our sins for Christ was God-Man in all his holy actions in the state of humiliation as in his being crucified and in his suffering Ans. This doth not follow Because the punishment of the breach of the Law and not that only but such a speciall punishment by dying the first and second death according to the threatening of the Law Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thou shalt surely die was required in the Law and except the threatening of the Law be fulfilled the Law is not fulfilled And Paul Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed be every oâ—e that hangeth on a tree Now Christs suffering the death of the crosse the cursed death is that which makes him under the Law Ergo there is a Law-righteousnesse in suffering death So Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law For what end 5. To redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of sons How are we redeemed from under the Law By blood purchasing to us Justification Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins past And redemption from the curse of the Law and remission is ever ascribed to the blood of Christ dying Rom. 3.24 25. Ye are bought with a price 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called a ransome of Christs blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 Eph. 1.1.7 In whom we have redemption in his blood the forgivenesse of sins Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sins Rom. 5.9 Being justified by his blood 1 Pet. 1.18 Being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb unspotted and undefided 1 â—oh 1.8 The blood of Jesus Christ purgeth us from all sin Rev. 5.9 And they sang a new song to wit the four Beasts and the four and twenty Elders for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood 1 Pet. 1.18 By his stripes which he suffered in his death Isa. 5.3 we are healed Rev. 1.5 To him that hath loved us and washen us from our sins in his blood For though all Christs actions of God-man from the worth of the infinite person be meritorious yet are they refuseable yea a satisfaction by Covenant which was the death of God-Man must be also 2. The word also never speaks of Christs dying for all but it mentions Justification in his blood Ro. 3.24 25. Rom. 5.9 Yea the Scripture adds another end of Christs death to wit forgivenesse Col. 1.14 Eph. 1.7 intercession at the right hand of GOD 1 Joh. 2.1 that we may receive the Adoption of sons Gal. 4.5 To make us Kings and Priests to God Rev. 1.16 dying to sin living to him 1 Pet. 2.24 That he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 The glorifying of God in our bodies 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Redeeming us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 From this present evill world Gal. 1.4 Sanctifying the people Heb. 13.12 Heb. 10.8 9 10. All which the Lord must intend in Christs death to Pagans old and young to all and every one of mankind to whom the Gospel could not come And what authority have men to devise a redemption generall universall from hell and not from sin 2. For life eternall and not for the giving of the Spirit and for redemption from a vain conversation and for sanctifying of the people also 3. A redemption in Christs blood but no forgivenesse of sins in his blood not any non-imputation of sin nor reconciliation of the world 2 Cor. 5.15 18 4. A dying of the just for the unjust but not to bring them to God a redeeming of them but not a redeeming of them out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation for these People Nations and Tongues were redeemed by this way as well as they and a washing of them in his blood but no making of them Kings and Priests to God a dying for all but no living to him contrair to 1 Pet. 1.18 Rev. 5.9 Rev. 1.5.5 6. 2 Cor. 5.15 5. Christs blood did something and it is not any thing to make all saveable to pacifie Justice satisfie the Law to merite Heaven but did nothing to soften the heart mortifie and sanctifie the will mind affections to remove unbeleef to renew the mind But it is sure the Lord had not intended to commit heaven and hell any more to a sanctified will but mutable and lubrick in Adam but to commit all to Christ to a better Covenant better promises to a way of free-grace not of nature Yet these men commit the salvation and damnation of all and every one to an unsanctified corrupt rebellious will Gen. 6.5 Gen. 8.21 1 Cor. 2.14 Joh. 6.44 Job 14 4. Psal. 51.5 Jer. 17.9 10 c. except they say Pagans and all mankind are regenerated sanctified justified yea to a worse Covenant then that Covenant of Works to an universall Covenant of Grace That 1. never came to their ears 2. By which they are in a worse condition then Adam was who had the Image of God in his soul and a full power to stand and a clearly revealed Covenant But all mankind for whom Christ is supposed to die are born heirs of wrath but they are born in more miserie in the bondage of sin of a blind heart of a corrupt will their chains heavier their furnace hoter in hell helps fewer And yet the absolutenesse of Soveraignty under the freedom of the Grace of Christ by this way of Vniversalists shines no more now nay not so much now as in Adams state for more is laid upon free-will and lesse help to heal the will then was in the Covenant of Works And if all die in Adam and the Second Adam die for all he must die to loose the works of Satan in all Now if a weaker course be taken to destroy Sathans kingdom now then in Adams state and all be laid upon a weaker will Sathan is stronger now then before And if Christ do not purchase by his death grace to bow indeclinably the will of all these for whom he dyed to cause them live to him die to sin to make them Kings and Priests to God c. but leave their will in a more weak and wicked condition then it was under in the first Covenant Sathan is in this stronger
then the second ADAM No more of this here It is a question the Threatning standing Gen. 2.17 how the active righteousnesse of Christ can be a cause meriting to us life and satisfying the Law when there is no suffering for the breach of the Law which expresly required death in the sinner Not to say that it seems too near to make Christs dying needlesse if his active holinesse do the businesse Nay we cannot so teach CHAP. II. Wherein stands our right to Christ and the satisfaction made for us by Christ 2. Faith is not the cause of our right 3. Christs incarnation and dying are not favours merited by Christ. 4. How Adams sin and Christs righteousnesse are ours OUr right to CHRIST must be considered more accurately then ordinarily it is Whether it floweth from 1. the merite of Christ Or 2. from the grace of predestination Or 3. faith in Christ. 1. Conclusion Grace is either objectivè out of us as the free love of God having mercy on whom he will Or subjectivè merited by Christ to us and bestowed upon us As touching our right to God as incarnate 2. As dying for us 3. As his satisfaction is made ours are of diverse considerations For if God out of free love sent his Son in the world Joh. 3.16 and if he out of free-grace that separateth the race of man from Angels took upon him the nature of man to wit of Abraham and not the nature of Angels Heb. 2.16 Then sure by the merits of Christs death it cannot come that God came in the flesh to save sinners For the effect cannot but come from the cause but the cause flowes not from the effect nor is the effect to wit Christs Incarnation and his dying the cause of that love and free-grace of God which moved God to send his Son in the flesh but posterior unto and latter then that love for because he loved us he sent his Son in the flesh to die for us 2. This cannot then be true Christ by his dying for the Elect merited and deserved that God should be made Man for us for this should be true also by the blood of Christ and by the redemption that is in Christ God sent his Son in the flesh and the Son took on him our nature by the blood of the Covenant nor can this be true Christ merited by his death that he should die for us for so it should be true that Christ by his blood shed his blood for us Where as because he loved his Church freely he gave himself for her Eph. 5.15 Who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2.20 Hence 1. though grace be the cause of grace as because he of grace ordained us to glory therefore of grace he calls and because of free-grace he calls of free-grace he carries on his work and gives of grace perseverance and glory Yet there is a fountain-grace of election to glory which hath no cause nor merit not the merit of Christ for its cause but is the cause of causes and of Christs merits As one fire may produce another but the element of fire was not produced by another element of fire but by God in creation And one Vine Tree brings forth another but the first Vine Tree was created by the Lord only 2. Conclus Nor have we to speak acurately right to Christs satisfaction nor to his righteousnesse by faith 1. Because the Lords free-grace in laying our sins on Christ Isa. 53.6 and his making him sin for us 2 Cor. 5.21 does rather give the right to his satisfaction God would have Christ to stand for so many chosen of God upon the Crosse and for no other 1 Cor. 1.30 Ye are of him through Jesus Christ who is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God to us wisedom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Nor is there any act of faith interveening by which Christ became our surety and ransone-payer upon the Crosse and not the surety of others 2. It is ordinary to our Divines to say by faith we do apply Christ and his righteousnesse but if we speak properly application is possession and a putting on of Christ and his righteousnesse Now title or Law-right to an inheritance and possession of it are different natures and have different causes but faith gives not law-right to Christ and his righteousnesse not so much as instrumentally My receiving with my hand gold my eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ by faith Joh. 6.53 54 c. doth presuppone some right to that gold but no man can say that receiving of gold and eating of bread and putting on of garments gives a man right to gold bread or garments He that possâ—sseth an inheritance hath some right to the inheritance by birth buying purchase or gift the possession in its nature and causes may be unjust yet it is possession Nor can it be shown what causative influence even instrumentall faith hath in our Law-right to Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse except it were a meritorious cause of our right by way of instrument which can hardly be said 3. We may ask how Christ so died for the Reprobate as his death is a remedie applicable to them by the ordination of God so as they shall have life eternall if they believe For 1. there is either a jus and a Law-right to pardon and life eternall merited bâ— Christs death to the Reprobate or no such thing is merited If neither be procured by Christs merite the Patrons of this way shall say there is no serious offer made to them yea there is a jus a title to life eternall and remission which all the reprobate may challenge even a right to remission and life eternall so they beleeve Well then it is the same right conditional to life and pardon which is purchased to the Elect yea this must be purchased whether they believe or not Then there is no more in the kind of the Law-right to Redemption and life eternall and remission of sins purchased to Peter then to Judas or Cain And therefore hath Christ bestowed as much tender love in dying for the Reprobate as in dying for his friends And Christ saith there is no greater love then this Joh. 15.13 As for the efficacious intention of applying of Christs death to Peter when as God had no such intention of applying it to Judas that is an act of eternall predestination not a fruit of Christs death and as for the grace of beleeving it was purchased to all Reprobate and Elect only the Lord applyes not his death and bestowes not the grace of beleeving upon the Reprobate but for right to faith to remission to perseverance to life eternall this right must be purchased but faith it self is never bestowed upon them But there is a ransome of blood given for faith and purchased by CHRISTS merit But CHRIST is never called the Head of all men Elect and Reprobate but the Head of the Body
or to hearken to conscience which craves in the name of mistaken Law well payed debts and this is but Sathan abusing the Law and feigning Letters of Caption in the name of the Law to trouble the quieted conscience of a beleever But its safest to say I stand to what Christ hath done and suffered to fulfill the Law and I believe I was crucified in him judged and condemned legally in Christ and what can you seek more of an ill-doer He is condemned crucified hanged on a tree and so is justice quieted Some raise the devill and a storm in the soul and cannot calm it again It is not good to provoke irritate and waken a sleeping dogge There is quietnesse and peace of beleeving what Christ hath done as well done and comfortably to rest on his deed by faith Hence a case of some who because they are under deadnesse and security desire a wakening of conscience and Sathan hath taught some to commit some hainous guiltinesse that they may fall in the hand of justice and so be wakened and Sathan gives them their fill of it Hence we had rather take a Law-way which is not Gods way as ly under deadnesse there may be a legall looking upon deadnesse whereas it is a Gospel-sin that we should be humbled for and in which we should not please our selves but no man freed from the Law and brought out of prison should be willing or desirous to return to the dungeon again We should let God guide us under a feaver and not be our own Physitians but be quiet at Christs part if he be pleased to cure by contrairs and to quicken me by deadening me or to make a soul humble by smiting with a spirit of pride its good we are to submit Obj. How could we be in Christ as in our surety for saith Arminius we did not give nor appoint Christ to be our Cautioner or Surety Ans. It s evill arguing of Arminius or Sathan who would make the union either naturall or legall betwixt us and Christ weak far off generall and such as is betwixt Christ and Pagans and all the world But this reason is nought for we sinners were not born and very nothing when God made the first Adam our father and head in Law as in nature nor had we any hand or action in substituting the first Adam in his place and yet we sinned in Adam and his sin is ours by divine imputation But can any deny but Christ on the Crosse did act the cause of many beleevers not born This is peculiar to this dispensation that the creditor not the debter appoint both the Law-head and the Evangelick Surety The Surety had from us a Cautionary sponsorie and deputed nature but no subscribed commission from us it was in the heart of the Creditor by grace efficacious to obtain our consent and to make a sort of legall marriage assuming our nature before we either knew our husband or gave consent to the marriage-Covenant As the Advocat speaks in the person of the Client absent and sleeping and when the Client hears and sees how his cause is promoved he both assents unto and renders thanks and praises to the Advocat and so the absent and far off Client not knowing any thing does act in the Advocat And how many answers doth our Advocat in Heaven make for sinners on earth in his pleadings of which we know not in particular any thing Nor doth Christ speak or plead for beleevers as a privat man nor appear in his Name as it were but in our person Neither is there a faining of a person here or a borrowed and fained redemption there be these five here 1. A Redeemer Christ. 2. Persons redeemed sinners 3. A Lord from whom we are redeemed the Lord Jehovah not simply as God he is the partie from whom we are redeemed but God as the offended Law-giver who had us lyable to eternall punishment 4. There was a price the life and blood of God which though not profitable to God for that is extrinsecall to satisfaction reall yet an aboundant compensation to justice for declarative glory taken from God which is the nature of reall satisfaction 5. There is here a God just true holy unchangeable to whom the price is payed Nor does Christ sustain the person of the enemy Satan from whom we are redeemed for he is but the lictor who then had no right to detain us we are redeemed from evils of sin and punishment Nor doth Christ in suffering sustain the person of God Hence from our being crucified with Christ crucified something is to be said in a practicall way of our mortification for mortification flows originally from Christs death we being crucified in him and with him Gal. 2.20 Q. What is mortification A. It is a deadning of the whole powers and inclinations of the soul in their bentnesse and operations in order to things forbidden by the Law of God or in things indifferent and commanded Hence not the affections only but the understanding and mind must be deadned And therefore this is no mortification untill sin originall be subdued in its damnation by Christs death and in its dominion by the Spirit of Sanctification A tree is not withered while standing on its root bulk and branches are green and flourishing It s much to know the withdrawing of sap and life from the root and the vitall parts of old Adam The ebbing of a River is not the drying up of it the new birth only is mortification Q. 2. Since mortification comes only from Christs death what is the influence of Christs death herein Ans. The influence is reall ad modum causae physicae the merit of blood hath bought us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 Christ dying doth merit by blood the Spirit and infused grace which deadens the whole life of sin Evangelick Arguments from ten heavens from ten Gospels working morally and in a swasory way cannot more work mortification then touching can make a reall change on a dead corps we was legally dead and crucified in Christ and with Christ when he died many not being born then But in the infusing of the life of God Christ applyes the reall principle of mortification Now the redemption from a vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 from the present evil world Gal. 1.4 is as reall and proper a bargain except we follow Socinus as redemption from the wrath to come 2. Christs death hath an influence morall and swasorie to work mortification As 1 Pet. 1.16 Be holy 17. Passe the time of your sojourning in fear For ye are bought with his blood from your vain conversation And 1 Pet. 5.1 2. Christ hath suffered in the flesh therefore be mortified to your lusts and serve them not as the Gentiles do So Col. 3.1.5 But the action morall of the Gospel doth not work upon the naturall man for like works upon the like carnall reason upon a carnall spirit and
hath right and Law to come out of prison by paying the summe and neither Justice nor Creditor can keep him in prison solutus aere est solutus carcere Christ having satisfied our debt and payed the ransome of his blood to the death and being dead and under the dominion of death by justice is freed from either remaining in death or dying any more he is now justified not in his person for Christ in person was habitually righteous and from the womb Luk. 1.35 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That holy thing Jesus was sinlesse and so never condemned but justified in his cause and in his condition by Law for us and so appeareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the second time without sin unto salvation the second time without sin hath relation to the first time without sin that is he shall appear the second time no lesse without sin and so justified in regard of his condition in Law then he was when he was conceived by the Holy Ghost and so that eminently holy thing born of the Virgin Mary Luk. 1.35 that is as justified as if he had never been made sin and never had been under the Law-burden of our sins as Isai. 53.6 And 1 Tim. 3.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was justified in the Spirit declared to be just and the innocent Son of God by his resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.4 so that in the Spirit is in the eternall Spirit Heb. 9.14 the Godhead For he came from under that act and band of Cautionrie and Suretyship without sin that is acquit from sin which he was made and was laid upon him 2 Cor. 5.21 Isai. 53.6 4. We know Heb. 7.22 Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He was made the Surety of a better Covenant as the LXX ever translate it of a better Testament Now here is a judiciall and a Law-act of suretyship put upon Christ. 1. He was made Surety then he was not Surety by nature but so made by a free transaction and Covenant For in Christs coming under that act when he was made Surety there be two things 1. His eternall condiscending to take on him our nature and to empty himself and be a servant 2. His agreeing and plighting of his faith and truth to take on our condition in Law that God should lay upon him the iniquity of us all Isa. 53.6 and that God should make him who knew no sin to be sin for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in our Law place and room 2 Cor. 5.21 not against his Fathers will nor yet without his own free consent That is against all reason For that which God made Christ that he was not by nature but that God willingly made him and that he was willingly and by free Covenant made But God gave him a body Heb. 7.5 and God made him sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 5.11 So a Surety is one that promises to satisfie for another and comes from a Verbe which signifies to promise by striking of hands Prov. 22.26 Be not thou among them that strike hands or of them that are surety for debts The Seventy give not thy self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Surety Aries Montan. Inter percutientes fide jubendo The Verbe in the Hebrew is from a root that signifies to mix together as the owle light when light and darknesse after the Sun-set are mixed together And by a Metaphor it notes suretyship and mixture of persons as M. Legh when one is tyed for another and mixed with him in his place As Christ put himself in the bond and writ of blood that we were in We were in the Law-writ Deut. 27. â—6 under a curse and Christ shifted the beleevers out and was made a curse by his own consent for us Gal. 3.10 and was written and acted in the Law-book the sinner and answered all the demands of Law and Justice and put in our names in the Gospel writ And that from everlasting God was in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reconciling the world of the elect not imputing their sins unto them 2 Cor. 5.19 And in time we beleeving are written blessed and righteous in him Gal. 3.13 14. 2 Cor. 5.21 And what could more be done by Christ who substitute himself by Covenant in our place and put us in his place Nor is this Suretyship just in debts only but also what ever Socinus Crellius and others say on the contrair in Capitall punishments For M. Thomas Goodwine pag. 50. Eâ—oritus did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly become a surety for Suephenus Yea and in hostages and pledges in war Plutarch saith that the Thessaliâ—ns slew two hundreth and fifty hostages The Romans saith Livie did the like to three hundreth of the Volsti and cast the Taratines over rocks de 〈◊〉 Tarpâ—iâ— and these were humane people The children of Tyrants were killed with the Tyrants by some Cities of Greece as Ciceâ—o and Halicarnaseus say Curtius saith that the Macedâ—nians put to death such as were near of blood to traitors Marcellinus saith so much also of the Persians The just Lord punishing the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation â—eacheth that conjunction of blood such as was between Christ our Kinsman 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 19.25 and us may well make it most just that Christ be punished for us the Surety for the sinner though the sinner be under the hand of the Judge for he is unable to satisfie Justice and mercy saith that there is no essentiall reason in Law-justice why the same head which sinned and no other should suffer But grace may interveen so that though God need no surety yet tender mercy or God decreeing to show mercy in some good sense needs such a Surety as Christ. Neither is it much that justice saith that the Surety ought to have satisfaction made to him and restitution by the broken debter because justice gives his due to every man For 1. if the surety be more then a man and have absolute soveraignty over what he expâ—nds as Christ hath over his own life to lay it down and take it up again Joh. 10.18 As of free grace he payed for us so of free grace he pleads not in Law that the broken man pay him back and make restitution of his losses and this saith demonstratively that God doth neither punish nor show mercy by necessity of justice 2. When the surety hath a band of relief and as it were a back-band that his soul shall not be left in grave Psal. 16.10 but that he shall be victorious and more he may give out and look for nothing in again And the necessity of a surety to say remove the scaffold the guilty man shall not die pleads that if the Lord shall be merciful to sinners as he decreed then must Christ transact so with God as the everlasting out-goings of mercy may be with the free consent as it
were of truth and righteousnesse But it may be said if Christs dying for sinners remove as a satisfactory punishment the guilt and obligation to eternall wrath what way is the reall and as it were the physicall inherency and essence of sin removed Ans. The obligation to wrath is removed only in a legal way by suffering of punishment due to sin which Christ hath done But the essence reall of sin is only removed as every other contrair is removed by the expelling of sin out of its subject and by introducing the contrair form to wit inherent righteousnesse and the perfect habit of Sanctification and holiness Now for this Christs dying and suffering wrath due to us suppose Christ should die a thousand thousand times for us his dying cannot as a satisfying cause or as a punishment remove this For 1. a punishment suffered by our Surety can but exhaust and remove the punishment due to the sinner for whom the suretyship is undertaken But 2. Christs dying cannot as a punishment remove sin as sin and as contrair to the holy Law and make us defiled wretches and servants of sin holy as the paying of ten thousand Crowns for a forlorn waster cannot make him to be no waster and a man that hath obeyed the Law only it makes that in Law the payment cannot be charged upon him 3. Christs transacting with God as our Surety is not only then meerly to remove eternall punishment but to purchase by the merit of his death the healing and sanctifying of our nature Heb. 10.10 By the which will we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Then our Sanctification is procured to us by the will of God not simply as his commanding will for then should all and every one whom the Lord commands to be holy 1 Pet. 1.16 be sanctified which we see is not done but by the will of the Father commanding Christ to die Joh. 10.18 Joh. 14.31 and the will of Christ offering himself once for a sacrifice for sin is the will which sanctifies us So Pareus well saith it is the will with its correlate for in the willing passive obedience of Christ are we sanctified really by the merit of his death though this be wrought by degrees 2. Since the Father consents and wills that Christ die and the Son willingly offers himself a sacrifie the number as judicious and Godly M. Dickson hath well observed on the place and these all for whom Christ offered himself were condescended upon betwixt the Father and the Mediatour God knew those whom he gave to the Son to be ransoned and Christ knew those whom he bought And the necessity of this Covenant appears in this that the comfort cannot be solide if a child of God never have any assurance of his being gifted of the Father to the Son in particular For two things are clear here 1. That the Lord knows who are his 2 Tim. 2.19 and that if God gave some to the Son as Joh. 17. then the Son received them in a certain number And if Christ bought them by Covenant he must know how many As one who buyes a flock but he knows the quality and number of the flock 2. The knowledge sometime shall be this distinct that I was by name among them who loved me and gave himself for me And as the offering of every Priest is by way of Covenant and promise so if a sacrifice in the faith of the great sacrifice be offered to God then will God accept it here is a Covenant so is the Body of Christ offered by the Covenanting-will Heb. 10.10 And any doubt that may or doth arise concerning your self by name 1. It may as well be moved in some respect against the whole number and no wise man will say that the bargain betwixt the Father and the Son was so blind as the number was not agreed upon For since all the bought are sinners and so inclined to sinfull doubting of the bargain that which as a doubt is moved by one may be moved by all severally and all severally denying themselves to be the men for whom Christ bargained By this sinfull questioning of the transaction none at all were agreed upon 2. Every doubting of Gods love to me once justified and who have once fled to Christ for refuge is grounded upon sin and unworthinesse now none were given by the Father to the Son from eternity upon respect of either faith or unbeleef or holinesse or bad deserving It s true it is not known to me but by beleeving that I was given Covenant wayes to the Son But the Question is if sin be any ground why one justified should cashier himself out of the number of the gifted ones to Christ and committed to the Mediatour It s true it should be mourned for as a thing that doth not a litle hinder Sanctification in its progresse but should not brangle Justification nor the faith of our interest in Christ. 4. The necessity of this Covenant appears in that salvation is taken off free-will and the slippery yea and no of free-will in the Covenant of Works and laid upon one that is mighty upon David to govern Israel as their King but Psal. 89.19 upon Christ as excellently M. Dickson in all respects more eminently then David a stronger help mighty to save appointed of the Father in all cases he is one of our kind taken out of the people acquainted with our condition c. The lesse of the creatures will and the more of Gods will if gracious as here be in a Covenant the better Because the more grace and stability even the sure mercies of David that is of Christ Is. 55.3 Eze. 34.23 Eze. 37.24 must be here 5. The well-head of salvation for meer free-will and good pleasure in God instituted this dispensation must be here And most eminent freedome of grace made the bargain so that the Magna Charta the great Charter of the Gospel I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy is here eminently for mercy and free-love began at the head man For the Covenant of Grace as notably M. Dickson is consolidated in Christ our head and he hath the first right as man to say unto the Father that which is here said as Intercessour and Mediatour for the Elect he shall cry unto me thou art my Father my God and the Rock of my salvation As a father binds for his heirs and children A King subscribes articles of peace and seals them for the land and subjects The Ambassadour for the Prince and State that sent him makes answer So Christ acts in the Covenant of Redemption for his heirs seed subjects people and if the comparison might be made Gospel-free-grace as Covenant-mercy is more in the Covenant of Redemption then in the Covenant of Reconciliation for principally they are here as waters in the fountain Hence in this Covenant is fountain-love
This Christ mends the broken gold ring which was broken by the first unattentive and rash Heir Adam So that now Heavens Earth Mountains Isai. 49.13 sea trees fields Psal. 96.11 12 13. are commanded to sing a Gospel-Psalm of joy because Christ the new King and Restorer of all is come to the Throne yea let the stoods clap their hands Psal. 98.9 and he purposes to purge with fire the great Pest-house infected with sin and under bondage of corruption Rom. 8.21 2 Pet. 3.10 11. that he may set up the new world in Gospel-beauty the new heavens and the new earth 2 Pet. 3.13 Isai. 65.17 Isai. 66.22 Rev. 21.1 Oh what a life to have a cottage and a little yard of herbs in that new World and how base to be but Citizens of this World CHAP. XII The condition and Properties of the Covenant of Redemption Q. WHat need is there of any condition to be performed by Christ or of any Covenant Ans. The same Question may be of the need of an oath to Christ Psal. 110. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest c. 2. The same necessity in regard of infinite wisedome that our Redeemer should be obedient to the death of the Crosse Phil. 2.8 and be under the Law Gal. 4.4 and keep his Fathers Commandements and abide in his love Joh. 15.10 requires also a Covenant of obedience upon the part of Christ-Man for all men being born under the Law and Covenant of Works Christ-Man also must be under the same And then Christ the Mediator was to give obedience to a particular Commandement of laying down his life for sinners and this required an ingadgement by way of Covenant and so a condition of obedience to perform what this peculiar Law of Suretyship required of him to wit to lay down his life 3. It s not a condition of indifferency which is required of Christ such as is required of Adam in which there is a hazard of failing and coming short of the reward Adams Covenant had both threatnings and promises and so hath our Covenant of Reconciliation though in another way see Psal. 89.30 31 32. But the Covenant of Suretyship hath promises most large that are made to Christ but no threatnings are laid before the Man-Christ that are to be read in the Scripture There was no hazard nor possibility in regard of the Personall Union that Christ could sin yea in regard that Christ from the womb was both a Traveller a Viator and an enjoyer and Comprehensor and had the Spirit above measure from his birth as Man he had gifted to him the confirming grace which is now given to the Elect Angels in their Head Christ And therefore there was somewhat like a condition necessary and as the members enter to glory through obedience so also the Covenanted Head Luk. 24.26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter in to his glory Q. 2. What was the speciall condition of the Covenant of Suretyship Ans. The Covenant being a bargain of buying a people to God then the payed price and ransone must be the duely formall condition As for obedience to the Morall Law it was the condition of the Covenant of Works to which the Man Christ as Man was oblidged that he might have right to Law-justification and life eternall jure merito foederali operum by the Law and federall merite I mean merite by paction and faithfull Law-promise not of condignitie of the Covenant of Works that he might be saved But this Law-holinesse had influence in that most solemn act of obedience in offering himself a sacrifice to death for our sins And the Law-holinesse of the Man Christ did not exclude supernaturall grace as the Law-holinesse of Adam for it was the perfect conformity of Christs nature his soul understanding will affections and all his actions internall and externall with the holy Law of God Hence the heart and inclinations of Christ stood ever right and stright to the Law He exercised no affection in puris naturalibus his anger came not out in pure naturall anger and no more but it came out in acts of zeal Nor his joy in pure naturall joy though sinlesse but in joy of the Holy Ghost And in the whole Man Christ was a perfect masse and as it were a compleat body of all gracious qualifications Isai. 11. He received the Spirit of knowledge and was ignorant of nothing he ought to know Disputed with the Doctors being of twelve years old The world knew not his School or Teacher Hence his wisedome and practicall understanding of the Law of God and practicall conclusions He had the Spirit of counsel as the greatest of Statesmen for Government Isa. 52.13 Behold my Servant shall deal prudently And so when we are in perplexities and know not what to do he can lead the blind in a way they know not Isai. 11.1 2. He hath the Spirit of might and courage an undantoned Spirit yet conjoined with counsell no fool hardinesse but the resolute ventoriousnesse of faith Isai. 42.4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged Heb. broken till he have set judgement in the earth Our softnesse of unbeleef at the blowing of a feather or stirring of a leaf brings on falling of Spirit and swooning He hath the boldnesse of faith to beleeve victory before the battell Isa. 50.9 Lo they all shall wax old as a garment the moth shall eat them up He hath hope from the womb Psal. 22.9 Thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make me hope when I was in my mothers breasts And for the joy set before him he endured the crosse and despised the shame Heb. 12.2 And the Spirit of the fear of the Lord made him quick in understanding that is the high and reverent apprehensions of God made him quick to smell or sent so the word imports the snares and temptations in the work of Redemption plotted by men and devils So excelled he in righteousnesse which as a girdle went about his loines both in judging and in discharging the trust put upon him by the Lord who laid the key of David and the Government upon his shoulder his obedience to his Father and continuing in his love Joh. 15.10 and thirsting to do the will of the Father Joh. 4.34 His zeal to his Fathers house should be a fair coppie for us to follow He was meeknesse it self Isa. 53.7 1 Pet. 2.23 24. much in praying beleeving rejoicing in spirit Luk. 6.12 Psal. 16.9 10 11. tender to the weak of the flock Isa. 40.11 He shall feed his flock like a sheepherd he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and he shal gently lead these that are with young Isa. 42.2 He shall not cry nor lift up a shout nor cause his voice to be heard in the street 3. A bruised reed shall he not
perfect satisfaction once given and as a pledge and hostage of peace and Christs appearing for us for ever is an allusion to the Ambassadours sent by forrain Princes who standing in Court before the Prince they are sent unto are speaking tokens that the confederacie of peace stands and that no acts of hostilitie can be done by either of the States and because God is eternally and not by fits just as if he were now angry at sin and then satisfied and pacified when the satisfaction is gone therefore the Lord Christ stands in that Body and Nature in which he once suffered before God for the acquiescing of Justice for ever in the once payed ransone As also Christ remains the substantiall and naturall Head though nature be now glorified of the Mysticall glorified body for ever and of these members under the Covenant of Redemption eternally though all be done and performed in regard of the purchased redemption yet we then glorified once brake the Law and therefore cannot even then stand in our Law-righteousnesse but must stand in our Lord Jesus Christs Righteousnesse which garment shall never cast the collour nor lustre 2. That love to redeemed ones and the soul-satisfaction of Christ in his seed iâ— eternall looking back to the bargain he hath once made as Mediatour he cannot leave off to be satisfied in soul with what he hath done for that were a retracting of his love and a repenting of his royall and Princely tendernesse that as King he once did beat to his conquered subjects whom he hath made his own for ever 3. The soul of God must be eternally well pleased with his Son eternally God-Man and he stands resting in his love Zeph. 3.17 and delighting for ever in all his Sons actings and transactions in the work of Redemption if therefore God have once given to him Godâ—Man the Throne of David to raign over the house of Jacob he must make empty that Throne if he shall leave off to raign And the Angel Luk. 1. speaks of his birth and conception 31. Thou shalt bring forth a son and he shall be great and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall raign over the house of Jacob for ever And he speaks of the eternity of Davids Throne over Jacobs house so that as he shall be a man and he shall never lay down our nature so shall he be a King upon Davids Throne for ever and ever 4. To triumph eternally over enemies the devils Malignant opposers of his raign sin and hell is an act of a Mediatory King when head and members do both triumph no lesse then it is a part of his royall Mediatory power to crush them all and make them his foot-stool Psal. 110. But Christ and the Armies of heaven when the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb shall come shall ride upon white horses and triumph over enemies for ever Rev. 19.7 13 14 15. and the eternall living of Christ in our nature with all his is a triumphing over the grave and death 1 Cor. 15. and who can prescribe a period and an end of that triumph 5. The River of Water of Life shewed to John Rev. 22. proceeds out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb then hath the slain Lamb a Throne for 〈◊〉 v. 3. And there shall be no more curse there the Law of Works as threatning a curse shall no more be there Gal. 3.10 11 13 14. Deut. 27.26 but the Gospel-blessing shall be there and the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it v. 5. And they shall raign for ever and ever 6 If the glorified sit with the Lamb on a Throne as he is set down with his Father upon his 〈…〉 is promised Luk. 22.29 30. Rev. 3.21 If Christs Throne 〈◊〉 removed the Throne of the glorified cannot stand And all alongs where the state of the triumphing Church is dâ—scribed the Lord Jesus keeps the name of the Lamb in reference to the Mediatory sacrifice of the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world Joh. 1.29 as Rev. 5. The Beasts and the Elders stand round about the Throne saying Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisedome c. Rev. 7.15 Therefore are they before the Throne and serve him night and day in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more nor thirst any more 17. For the Lamb that is in the midst of them shall lead them unto the living fountains of waters Though this be expounded of the Church Militant Isa. 49.10 yet it hath not its perfect accomplishment but of the Church before the Throne for all tears are wipt from that Church only And whereas it is said that Christ acts not as Mediatour in heaven its true he acts not as now he acteth for sinners but even then the Lamb v. 17. is the midst of them and leads them when they need neither Temple nor Sun-light beside that the Lord God Almighty is their Temple Rev. 21. The Lamb is their Temple v. 22. And the Lamb is their light v. 23. Now what sort of leading and what influences of worship and light comes from the Lamb is another question And it weighs much with me that its impossible that the precious Ark Godâ—Man and the union personall can be dissolved 7. Christ saith I will be a God to the â—vercomer and he shall inherit all things Rev. 21. And if he be the God of Abraham being dead in regard of the soul that lives far more shall he be a God in an eternall Covenant with Abraham in soul and body glorified though the acts of Christs raigning and the actings of his Covenanted people must be suteable to a glorified state Come Lord Jesus FINIS Isa. 65.8 The first and second Adam Nobility self empty things The first Adam earthly we have more in the second Mortality immortality how due to Adam How life was due to Adam Adam was predestinated to life and how The Law a transient Court for a time The death threatned Genes 2.17 was according to the intent of the Threatner partly legall partly Evangelick What threatnings are and what sorts there be of them Threatnings that are pure threatnings in law show what the Law-giver may jure inflict but not what he shal actually doe and what shall come to passe Threatnings that are both threatnings and also Prophesies reveal both the deserving of the transgressor and the event What is carnall security in beleeving legal threatenings what not What Adam was to beleeve in the threatning what the lying Serpent would have him to beleeve The damned in hell not loosed from the first Command are not obliged to despair and yet are not to believe actuall deliverance What heathens are to believe The Covenant of Works is not contrair to the Gospel How the Gospel may be deduced from the Law if an
scripture The dying for all and every one cannot be coÌ„ditional The promises are so made to all within the Visible Church as all are in Covenant conditionall The unbeleef of justified persons is against the Covenant of Grace and diverse other sins beside finall unbelief are the causes of condemnation All sins against the Gospell even finall unbeleefe are also against the Law and against God Redeemer Immanuel Dicique beatus ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet How the Covenant of Grace is everlasting yet brokeÌ„ by men The Law commands repentance but not with a promise of life or as a way to life How finall unbeleef is the onelie cause of coÌ„demnation and to whom and how not For whom Christ died he died for their sins and for all their sins There is a world reconciled to whom God imputes no sinne and therefor all the world of Pagans Infidels cannâ—t be such as Christ died for and whose final unbelief he satiâ—fied for The Law the Covenant of Grâ—ce doe not one the same way command faith and forbid unbeleef How the reprobate are under the Covenant of Works Christ one way layes EvaÌ„gelick commands upon the Elect another way on the Reprobate Conditionall perseverance was not promised to Adam The considerable differences betwixt the influences of God given to Adam for his standing in obedience and these influences given to us in the second Adam The obedience of Adam only a duty not a promised benefite our new obedience is both a duty and a promised benefite Four kinds of obediences The excellency of the obedience of Jesus Christ how it was his own properly meritorious The obedience of CHRIST debtfull not dâ—btful in diverse respects Properlie so cal'd satisfactâ—oÌ„ is performed by Christ. Angels obedience properly obedience that â—s of grace and not their own Grace diminisheth of the nature of meriteâ— from the obedience Of Adams obedience how proper it was Gospel-obedience hath less of the nature of obedience then Adams obedience The Law is made as it were Gospel to elect beleevers the Gospel Law to reprobates Obedience from Law and from love how differenced Gospel obedience from grace how excellent and how far above civiliâ—ty in its fairest lustre Tremellius Trostius in Syria Ver. Gal. 3. Qui non fecerit omnia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hyeronâ— Maledictus qui non permanet LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chald. Para. Qui non permanserit Syria Versio Maledictus qui non perâ—â—iceriâ— Arab. Versio Qui non confirmabit Bâ—za Gal. 3.10 Qui non firmarit Magna vis Verbi Jakim Pagnâ— Ari. Montanus Qui non statuerit Faith as lively not as induring to the end the condition of the new Covenant Faith in the first lively act saves justifies How boasting is excluded by grace Boidius Comment Eph. 2. How faith saves not according to the dignitie of its act 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shindlerus notat in cum propter Calv. com Ezek. 20.11 Nulla igitur est in eo absurditâ—s si homines viâ—ant hoc est mereantur ex pacto vitam â—ternam Sed â—i quisâ—legem servat sequetur eum non opus habere Christi gratia Toletus Rom. 3. Adverte fidem non habere ex se officaciam ullam ut actus quidam noster est remitten di reconciliandi sed virtutem totam procedere ex objecto ipso nempe Christo cujus virtutem meritum disposuit Deus per fidem in ipsum applicare peccatori ad justificandum The Adversaries exclude not Law-boasting A twofold imputatioÌ„ of Christ one legall another Evangelick The mistake of Antinomians Obedience to the surety Christ is by a speciall Law Faith presupposeth three unions maketh the fourth We believe that Christs righteousnes may be made ours because it is ours we believe it to be ours also Four or five sort of adversaries who caused various coÌ„siderations of the question of justification in the Old and in the New Test. Of the dominion of the Law Ambro· Mori legi est vivere Deo quia lex dominatur peccatoribus cui ergo dimittuntur peccata is moritur legi boc est liberatur a Lege per corpus Christi hoc consequimur beneficium 〈◊〉 tradens enim corpus suum Servator mortem vicit peccatum damnaviâ— Christ Mystical Christ believers are freed from the law-dominion The Antinomian objectioÌ„ charged upon is answered by him There is a twofold dominion of sin The oldnesse of the letter and the newnes of the Spirit No gifts nor grace can be given by the Law How the Covenant of works is eternall How the Covenant of works is not eternal There is more of the Covenant of grace in the life to come then of the Covenant of works Other differences between the Covenant of Works and that of Grace The perpetuitie of the Covenant of Grace in the life to come Every thing in this Covenant is free Grace How fear of law-fear acts upon a beleever * So the faith of Joseph Mary that Christ their Son shal be great shal sit in the Thron of DAVID his father shal raign over the house of Jacob for ever Luk. 1.32 33. did wel consist with that holy and obedientiall fear of fleeing into Egypt for fear that Herod shuld murther that hopefull young King in his cradle Math. 2. What is to be done under tentations What way a fixed peace is in the children of GOD. A beleever ought not to coÌ„plain of a state of non justificatioÌ„ but ought to complain of a state of non sanctification Why feeling of sin seldome wants unbeleef OfteÌ„ when the believer complains of his own sanctificatioÌ„ because of guiltines lately acted he also unbeleevingly coÌ„plaines of Christ his performed satisfactioÌ„ as if it were weak Christ by his death removes not sense of sin CHRIST died not to remove Gospel sense or any sense of sin flowing from a naturall conscience The room of Christ in both Covenants The first Adam marres all the second ADAM mends all How the Law doth oblidge to both doing and suffering The righteousnesse of Christs person and of his merit Christs active obedience how it is meritorious for us Epist. David Parel de justi ch activa passivâ— 186 Satisfactio est redditiâ— voluntaria equivalentis alioquin indebiti 〈◊〉 alii ex propriis bonis non debitis No satisfaction could be at all except Christ had died because all the satisfaction of a surety might in Law have been refused and the Lord might have eternally punished Adam all his in a Law-way in their persons therefore there was need of a punishment agreed upon between God and the Mediator by a special Covenant this punishment must be satisfactory to the Law which required death Gen. 2.17 and so must Christ-God-man dâ—e The Scripture never speaks of Christs dying but it speaks of this intrinsecall end that they should die to sin and live to God for whom