Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	sin_n	wage_n	5,559	5	11.2143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50243	The righteousness of God through faith upon all without difference who believe in two sermons on Romans 3, 22 / by Nathaniel Mather ...	Mather, Nathanael, 1631-1697.	1694 (1694)	Wing M1265; ESTC R6790	55,229	83

his Mercy 2 Tim. 4.8 it is a Crown of Righteousness given by the Lord the righteous judge And as in our being glorified the righteousness of God is exerted and shineth forth so it is likewise in our being justified 1 Joh. 1.9 Rom. 3.25 26. and indeed throughout the whole of our Salvation he is a just God and a Saviour Isa 45.21 Hence appears the Necessity of this Suretiship-Righteousness of Christ It must be provided and brought in that God may be Just in showing Mercy and appear Righteous in extending Grace unto us and saving us with that great Salvation to which he hath appointed us For it is the unchangeable Constitution of the unchangeable God to glorifie the one Attribute as well as the other Justice as well as Grace in our Salvation Of this Suretiship-Righteousness of Christ there are two parts without either of which it would not be compleat and perfect and would not serve our turn And the reason thereof is because Christ being our Surety is thereby under an Obligation to pay our Debt and we owe a double Debt unto the Moral Law viz. a Debt of Satisfaction by suffering the penalty as transgressing guilty Creatures and a Debt of Service and Obedience to the Precept as rational Creatures constituted in the way to our Everlasting Condition Hence there are two parts of Christ's Suretiship-righteousness This is that which the Apostle saith and on which he puts so much Remark and Emphasis 1 John 5.6 This is he who came by water and by blood Jesus the Christ not in water only but in water and in blood The Language and Phrases are Levitical Conceive the meaning of them thus The first Adam came by Water in a Spotless Cleanness and Purity as to all that the Precept requir'd of him But Jesus Christ came not by Water only not only in such Purity and Cleanness as fully answered all the Demands of the Precept of the Law but he came by Blood also which neither Adam nor Angels did Jesus Christ the Son of God came in a way of satisfactory Sufferings to Expiate and make Atonement for the Sins against the Precept which we were guilty of this he did by his Blood The reason is he was made our Surety his Name was put not only into the Covenant of Works but into it as a broken Covenant 1. His subjection to and suffering of the penalty of the Law This is commonly called the Passive Obedience or Righteousness of Christ because it consists in his Suffering the penalty or curse of the Law The Scripture calls it the Blood of Christ Ephes 1.7 and the Death of Christ Rom. 5.10 under that eminent part including and intending the whole of his Sufferings And also Christ's being made Sin 2 Cor. 5.21 and being made a Curse Gal. 3.13 The ground and reason of this Suffering of Christ under the Curse of the Law is because our Guilt our Sins were upon him and thence he suffered in our stead for them Isa 53.5 6. God the Father with his own consent put upon him the Garments of us Sinners and then awaked his Sword against him even the Sword of his Revenging Justice and ran him through and poured out his Blood as if he had been a Sinner Zach. 13.7 The end of it with reference to God is the restoring to him the Honour of his Authority and Supremacy over us and of his other perfections which shine forth in the Law which we by disobeying him had robbed him of Psal 69.4 With reference to us the end and attainment of it is reconciling us to God Rom. 5.10 Thence Christ is said to reconcile us and make peace between God and us by the blood of his Cross Eph. 2.14 15 16. Colos 1.20 21. The necessity of this part of Christ's Suretiship-righteousness being brought in for us ariseth partly from the glorious Holiness and Justice of Gods Nature whence he cannot but maintain his own Supremacy and the Rational Creatures Moral dependance on and subjection to himself which being violated by Sin can no way be re by satisfaction nor satisfaction be made but by the suffering of Punishment and partly from the veracity of God in his threatning wherein he hath in Wisdom and Justice established a connexion between Sin and Death and made the latter to be the wages of the former Gen. 2.17 Deut. 27.26 Insomuch as in regard of the Sanction of the Law that of the Apostle Heb 9.22 takes place and holds true without blood there is no remission 2. His subjection to and fulfilling the precept of the Law is also a part of Christ's Suretiship-Righteousness This is commonly called Christ's active obedience and by the Apostle his Obedience Rom. 5.19 viz. Obedience not only in Suffering but Obedience to the precept of the Law as Adams Disobedience to which it is there opposed was a violation of the precept By Christ it is called his fulfilling all righteousness Matth. 3.15 and his doing the will of God Psal 40.8 Heb. 10.7 9. The reason and ground of Christs obligation to bring in this part of righteousness for us is because he is our Surety and we owe this Debt to the Law of God And there is a necessity of it because God will magnifie his Law and make it Honourable in his being well pleased in Christ with us for his righteousness sake Isa 42.21 And because it is the unchangeable constitution of God that all the saying Good and Blessing which shall be given us shall be given not only from Free Grace but by the hand of Justice and in the way of being purchased for us by a just price Thence as in the former part of Christ's Suretiship-righteousness God's vindictive justice appeared and was glorified so in this part of it his remunerative justice shines forth and is exerted For by this part of Christ's righteousness he hath obtained for us in a way of purchase or merit by paying down a just price Salvation and Eternal Life Heb. 9.14 Eph. 1.14 Under this Obedience or Conformity of Christ to the Precept of the Law I include both all the course of his Holy walking and also the habitual created inherent Holiness of his humane Nature for the precept of the Law requires Holiness both in heart and Life and therefore Christ paid both Heb. 7.26 28. Isa 53.9 1 Pet. 2.22 and 3.18 I mention this in the second place after the other part of his Suretiship-righteousness because though that was compleated and finished at his Death and his Active Obedience to the precept of the Moral Law was yielded in his Life yet the consideration of them and the Natural order of them as availing and accepted for us is that suffering under the penalty goes before Obedience to the precept because there is no room for merit or purchase till satisfaction be first made As among Men you cannot purchase of another till your Debt be paid and former Arrearages into which you have run with him be satisfied and

short of his blessed Pattern Even with reference to this Suretiship-righteousness of Christ and its being on Believers they cannot with any truth or sobriety be said to be in all respects righteous as Christ is righteous as he is their Surety For this very Suretiship-righteousness of Christ is upon him as the Original Native subject and efficient of it he wrought it out But it is on Believers by derivation from Christ as they are in him Hence the Glory of bringing it in is his even Christ's peculiar and wholly Due to him alone they share not at all with him therein though they do through his Grace participate in the righteousness thus brought in by Christ and in the precious Effects and Fruits of it Moreover as it is Christs and upon him it is a Publick or Common Righteousness for he is a publick or common Person being a Surety for all the Elect as performed by him it was performed for them all as accepted from him it was accepted for them all But now every Believer is made Righteous by it for himself only it is upon him not as a Publick but only as a Private Particular Single Person And therefore though Christ by this Righteousness be the Saviour and the Redeemer of the Church yet it cannot be inferr'd as both Papists and Socinians impotently argue and calumniate that if it be imputed to Believers and they stand righteous in it they are Saviours and Redeemers as well as Christ 2. Believers are nevertheless still under obligation to obey the Law and to walk in all Holy Conversation and Godliness unto all well-pleasing before God 2 Pet. 3.15 16. Colos 1.10 1 Thess 4.1 They are bound not only to do all that the Law requires but to do it in a way of subjection to the Authority of God in the Law and to put a respect of Obedience to his Command upon all that they doe as well as a respect of Love and Thankfulness upon all their Obedience Colos 3.17 Though withal it is true that Believers ought not to yield Obedience to the Law in a Legal manner and Spirit nor from Legal or Old-Covenant Principles nor unto Old-Covenant Ends. They ought not to obey in a servile manner with slavish fear ruling in their hearts nay they may not fear being cast out of Covenant and favour with God for every failure of theirs Nor are they to obey only in the strength of Grace received but to depend on Christ for continual Influences as well as constant acceptance Psal 71.16 Isa 45.24 Nor lastly may Believers obey the Law for the same end as under the Covenant of Works namely that their own Obedience should be their righteousness wherein to stand accepted before God 3. All the swervings of Believers from the rule of the Law and all their comings short of what the precept doth require are sins in them notwithstanding this righteousness is thus upon them Yea these sins of theirs do deserve Eternal Death as justly as much as the like sins in others do Nay they are worse in Believers being greatly aggravated and of deeper demerit by this very thing that the Grace of God hath thus appeared unto them and hath thus exceedingly abounded to them-ward 4. Hence it follows further That it is the Duty of Believers notwithstanding this righteousness is upon them and they are thus righteous by it to lament their sins and to loath themselves for them yea to arraign and condemn themselves as worthy of Eternal Death for even the least of them That promise Ezek. 16.61 63. holds out this to be a Duty and a Practise pleasing unto God Such also was the practice of that Converted pardoned Sinner Luke 7.37 38 47. Her Sins were pardoned and she was justified before and not for or by her so lamenting and condemning her self This righteousness therefore being thus upon Believers should not either incourage them unto Sin or harden their hearts under sin neither indeed doth it nor can it so work in a Believer The abounding of Grace to them much more than Sin hath abounded doth oblige and teach them to abhor continuing in Sin Rom. 5.21 with Rom. 6.1 Yea Believers should argue with and reprove themselves for their Sins as Nathan from God argues with David about his Sin and aggravates it upon him 2 Sam. 12.7 8 9. Even so should Believers aggravate their own sins upon themselves and load their own hearts with them from this Grace of God towards them that this righteousness of Christ is upon them Therefore when I said they should arraign and condemn themselves for their sins you must not understand it as if a Believer upon whom this righteousness of Christ is should judge himself to be in a state of wrath No that would be a false Judgment for there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Rom. 8.1 But a Believer reflecting on his sins should lay his Mouth in the dust and his Neck down upon the block his Conscience should make this Judgment and pass this Sentence on him I am for such and such things which I have done against the Lord worthy of Eternal Death yea I am more worthy of Hell than others I do deserve a deeper place in it than those to whom Grace never so abounded over whom Grace never so reigned through this righteousness of Christ as it hath and will over me unto Eternal Life Quest 3. What is the import of that word without difference Answ I shall lay before you the intendment of it in three words 1. This righteousness of God is upon all Believers one as well as another Gentile as well as Jew greater as well as lesser Sinners even all who have sinned and are fallen short of the Glory of God as ver 23. all who are become guilty before God and whose mouths must be stopped even all the World as ver 19. All flesh who can never be justified in the sight of God by the deeds of the Law all who are in this common Condition of Mankind shall have this Righteousness upon them only provided they do believe Nothing shall hinder nothing in their outward Condition nothing in their Spiritual Condition shall hinder the being upon them of this righteousness in case they do believe That of the Apostle Gal. 3.28 and Colos 3.11 holds true and takes place in this matter that here there is neither Jew nor Greek Circumcision nor Uncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond or Free Male or Female but this righteousness is unto them all and upon them all one as well as another if they believe This Grace is extended to the greatest the foulest Sinners upon their believing as well as unto the least according to 1 Cor. 6.10 11. 2. This righteousness is equally and alike upon them all There is in this also no difference it is in the same measure and degree unto them all and upon them all One hath not more of it than another it is no less truely no less certainly