that was caught 〈◊〉 the thicket of Thorns whereby Elect Sinners are fred and Himself made the Sacrifice that was provided in their room and place Thus in the Name that our Lord Jesus gets we have holden out to us the posture that all of us are in by nature if Christ interveen not to take the stroak off us on Himself laying Himself open to the stroak of Justice for Sin To clear it consider these three things which will hold out what this state and posture of ours is 1. The natural sinfulness and guilt that Men are lying under which makes them naked and to be as that wretched Infant spoken of Ezek. 16. Lying in their Blood cast forth into the open field to the loathing of their persons This makes God and them to be at feed and layes them open to the stroak of Justice 2. Consider the interveening of the Law of God that threatens the Curse on sin wherever it is and pronunces this Sentence that the wages of sin is death and sayes to the Sinner as it is said to Cain If thou sin death lyes at the door and in this sense Sinners are not only lyke to Malefactors taken and apprehended but like to such when sentenced to death Therefore John 3.18 It 's said He that believes not is condemned already 3. Consider that Men in their natural state who have broken the Covenant of Works have Justice some way pursuing them to the executing of the Sentence which God in His Law hath pronunced against them and they are as these shedders of Blood before they betook themselves in to the City of Refuge having the avenger of Blood following hard at their heell's in which sense John 3.36 It 's said He that believes not the wrath of God abids on him There is an actual appointment or ordination of the Curse added to the Laws Sentence till by Christ it be removed and this is in some sort gripping Him and taking Him as it were by the throat By the First of these Man is found guilty and lyable to Judgement by the Second he is Sentenced but by the Third the Sentence stands over his head ready to be executed and bespeaks him thus therefore thou art cursed therefore thou art a dead Man Soberly think upon this and make these Uses of it 1. See here the condition of all Men by nature and your own in particular a very terrible and dreadfull condition wherein they are like Men lying bound to be a Sacrifice to the wrath of God the Lords hand being streatched out to lay on the stroak and the wrath of God abiding on them do ye indeed belleve this to be your state and posture till application be made of Christs Sacrifice and till there be a laying of your Sin over on Him by Faith that ever till then ye are lyable to the Laws Sentence and that the Curâ—e and Wrath of God abydeth on you and yet this is the state and posture of all the Children of Adam that have not got Jesus Christ put in their room It was Typicall if the People did not bring an offering as was prescribed their Sin remained in them but it 's reall here Sin and Wrath remain where Christ is not made use of by Faith The 2. Use is for Expostulation with many of you that are still in Nature and I wish there were fewer of you in this case to be spoken to How comes it to passe when this is your condition by Nature that ye are so secure and that ye have few or no apprehensions at all of the Wrath of God and of the hazard of your immortal Souls Ah! are there none such here that apprehend there hazard were ye ever under it and if so how have ye been delivered out of it or who is come in your room do ye think it nothing to be under Sin and the Curse of God to have Wrath abiding in you yea abiding on you There are many of you who are sleeping sound now and that disdain to notice Challenges but as Solomon speaks of the Man that was sleeping on the top of a Mast and compleaning of that and of them that deceived him So shall it be with you that can lye still securely sleeping in sin and that put by one day after another and do not make use of this Sacrifice All that the Gospel aims at is this that ye would seek to change rooms with Christ that the feed may be rem ved and that the quarrel that is betwixt God and you may not be continued and keeped up especially seing there is a way laid down how to get your Debt satisfied for which if ye neglect what wil ye do when your day is gone are there not many dying dayly and is there not a day of reckoning coming when the stroak that is hanging and hovering over your head will light and seeing it is so why do ye lye still and slight Jesus Christ If it were believed what dreadful wrath is abiding many whereof your secure senslesness and sensless security is a part and what a terror it will waken in your Consciences one day ye would certainly think it good news to have the Sufferings of Christ spoken of and the Benefit of them offered to you now The 3. Use is to stir up Sinners to thankfulnesse especially such of you as are blest with effectual counsel to make the right use of this Sacrifice O! Consider how much ye are oblidged to God and to Christ the Mediator the preaching of the Gospel is now thought little of and is tastlesse to many but did ye know what is your state and posture by Nature how near ye are to hell and how near the Curse and Wrath are unto you even ready to grasp at you to tear and devour you the Mediators interposing to Satisfie for you would make him more lovely to you and ye that have gotten interest in Him secured would think your selves much unspeakably much in His common to say so and in the Debt of His Grace this was the posture that Grace found you in even lyable to the stroak of Gods drawn Sword of Justice and our Lord Jesus on the one side stepped in and said hold Lord let that be on me and let them go free and upon the other side there was Gods good pleasure condescending to except of His offer and saying Awake O sword and smite the shepherd and spare the sheep what obligation should this lay upon you to love and be thankfull to God and to the Mediator who interposed to keep the stroak off you I say upon you who are sinners and apprehensive of Wrath This is Christs offer and if ye be flâ—d to Him for refuge he hath changed Rooms with you ye are much as I said in His Debt He hath fred you of your Debt and purchased an absolution to you and there is no condemnation to you as it is Rom. 8.1 Whereas before ye were in a manner condemned already
with you either think on the right way which is by putting Christ in in your Room and laying of Religion to the heart in sad earnest or dream not of coming to Heaven A 2d Sort are they who are not altogether so prophane as the others but will condemn them as indeed the practice of many is loathsome they will it may be Pray in their Families and will not be Drunk neither will they Swear nor Lye and they will walk blamelesly and upon these grounds they promise Heaven to themselves very confidently and yet they come not through the sense of their sinfull and cursed State by Nature to close with Christ by Faith and to make use of His Sacrifice such err on the other hand Oh! when shall we be at this not to neglect the study of Holiness and yet not to rest on it to the prejudice of this one Offering This were a a practice suitable to and worthy of Professors of the Gospel to be seriously aiming at all Duties of Holiness that are called for and yet to be building all their expectation of any good from God on the Sacrifice of Christ alone never coming to God without bring it along with them and looking through it to be accepted before Him there n eds no more and no other thing that we can bring will do our turn nor be taken off our hand if this be neglected The Lord Himself teach us this way SERMON XXXVII ISAIAH LIII X Vers 10. When thou shalt make his Soul an offering for sin He shall see his seed He shall prolong his dayes And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand WHat ever the Men of the World think of it it is not an easie matter to get the Justice of God Satisfied for Sin and to get the Wrath and Curse that Men by Sin have drawn on themselves removed Offerings of Bullocks and Goats thousands of Rams and ten thousand Rivers of Oyl will not do it the Redemption of the Soul is so precious that it ceaseth for ever that way and by all such Means Therefore the Lord in His wisdom hath found out the Means and in His Grace and Love hath Condescended that His own dear Son His Fellow shall as a Lamb without Spot be a Sin-offering to take away the Sins of His Elect World and this is the great Consideration under which we should take up the Death of Christ as making Himself therein an Offâ—ring for Sin and interposing Himself to satisfie Divine Justice that forgiveness might be made forthcoming to us The Doctrine which we proposed to be spoken to the last day was this That Jesus Christ is the only Sin-offering by which Sin can be taken away and God so Satisfied as to forbear the Punishment of the Sinner and to admit him to Peace and Friendship with Him If we would Enumerat all things imaginable and Invent Wayes and Means without number to remove Sin or to make a Sinners Peace with God there is no other Means but this that will do it As we have it Heb. 10. Christ Jesus by his once offering up of himself perfects for ever these who are sanctified and Act. 4. There is no other name given under heaven whereby sinners can be saved but the name of Jesus The Use is To Commend and to Demonstrat to us all the necessity of the Use making of this one Offering of Christ if He be the one Offering to take away Sin and if no other will be accepted then there is a necessity that He in His Offering of Himself be made use of If all be under Sin and if by the Law Sin and Death be knit inseperably together as it is said the wages of sin is death and if Freedom from Sin and Wrath and Peace with God be necessary then there is a necessity that Sinners be serious in this matter to get a Title to and Interest in this one Offering and Sacrifice of Christ In the prosecuting of the Use we shall speak a little to these four things 1. To some Grounds or Reasons to shew the Necessity of Sinners use making of Christ's Sacrifice or Offering 2. To this what it is to make use of this Offering 3. We shall give a Word of Advertisement as to some mistakes that are about it 4. We shall give some Differencing Characters or Evidences of a Person that is making right Use of this Offering for obtaining of Pardon and for making of this Peace with God For the First That is the Reasons to evince the necessity of it The 1. of them is that which we hinted at just now If Men were not lying under Sin and obnoxious to Wrath and if there were any other Sin-offering or any other Way or Mean to escape the Curse and Wrath of God due for Sin there were no such necessity But seing that all Men are under Sin and under the Curse of God and His Wrath because of it and seing there is no other thing that can take away Sin then there is an absolute necessity seriously to make use of and to have an Interest in this Sin-offering 2. Consider that the great part of Men in the World and even of them that hears this Gospel do not indeed make use of this Offering though they be some way under the Conviction that they are Sinners and that this is the only Sin offering to take away Sin and we suppose if ye were all put to it ye could not deny but ye are Sinners and that nothing can take away Sin but Christ's Offering up of Himself as a Sacrifice to satisfie Justice Though some be that grosly ignorant that they will speak of some other thing yet generally these that own and maintain the Truth of the Gospel are under a Conviction that no other thing can take away Sin and yet even amongst these there are many that never make use of Christ and of His Sacrifice to take away their Sins to remove Wrath and make their Peace with God There were many Jews who by the dayly Sacrifices which Typed forth this one Offering of Christ were taught that there was no other way to come by Pardon and Peace with God but there use making of it and yet the most part of them in going about these Sacrifices were slighters of this one Sacrifice Therefore the Apostle sayes of them Rom. â—0â— â—3 That being ignorant of Gods righteousness they went about to establish their own righteousness and did not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God It is as certain that many that hear this Gospel and professe Christ to be the only Sin-offering will be disowned of Him on this account Therefore many are brought in saylng Luk. 13. did we not hear thee preach in our streets have we not eaten and drunken in thy presence to whom He will say depart from me I never knew you ye workers of iniquity Because as if He had said what ever ye profesied ye never made Peace with God through
them to wit Sin therefore to such as he cured he says very often Thy sins be forgiven thee he studied to remove that in most of them he did deal with and so looking on our Lord as taking on our Sins complexly with the cause and as having a right to remove all the effects of Sin evidencing it self in the removing of these Diseases whereof Sin was the cause these words may be thus fulfilled and so they are clear and the Doctrine also We have here no meer exempâ—ary Saviour that hath done no more but confirmed his Doctrine and given us a copy how to do and behave but he hath really and actually born our Sorrows and Griefs and removed our Debt by undergoing the punishment due to us for Sin Observe here 1. That Sin in no Flesh no not in the Elect themselves is without Sorrow and Grief Tribulation and Anguish are knit to it or it hath these following on it or take the Doctrine thus Wherever there is Sin there is the cause of much Sorrow and Grief no more can the native cause be without the effect then Sin can be without Sorrow and Grief it 's the plain assertion of Scripture Rom. 2.8 9. Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil which one place putting the four words together says 1. That there is Sorrow most certainly and inseparably on every Soul that hath sinned And 2. That this Sorrow is exceeding great which may also be the reason why this Sorrow is set out in two words in the Text therefore four words are used by the Apostle to express it It 's not our purpose here to dispute whether God in his Justice doth by necessity of Nature punish the Sinner These three things considered will make out the Doctrine which is That there is a necessary connexion betwixt Sâ—n and Sorrow and that this Sorrow must needs be very great 1. If we consider the exceeding unsuitableness of Sin to the holy Law of God and how it is a direct contrariety to that most pure and perfect Law 2. If we consider the perfectly holy Nature of God himself The righteous Lord saith the Pâ—almist Psal 11.7 loveth righteousness and the Prophet Hab. 1.13 says He is of purer eyes then that be can behold evil and he cannot look upon iniquity and though we need noâ— to dispute Gods Soveraignty yet it is clear that he is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7.11 and he will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34.7 and thaâ— there is a greater suitableness in his inflicting Sorrow and Grief on a Sinner that walks contrary to him then there is in shewing him Mercy and there is a greater suitableness in his shewing Mercy to a humbled Sinner that is aiming to walk holily before him 3. If we consider the revealed will of God in the Threatning who hath said the day thou eatest thou shalt surely die we may say there is as they speak in the Schools a hypothetick necessity of grief and sorrow to follow on Sin and that there is a necessary connexion betwixt them and this may very well stand with the Mediator his coming in and interposing to take that Grief and Sorrow from off us and to lay it on himself but it was once ours because of our Sin If it be askâ—d wâ—at Grief and Sorrow this is We said it's very great and there is reason for it for though our act of Sin 1. As to the Subject that Sins Man And 2. As to the act of â—in it self a sinful thought word or deed that is soon gone be finit yet if we consider Sin 1. In respect of the object â—gainst whom the infinite God 2. In respect of the absolute purity of Gods Law a rule that bears ouâ— Gâ—ds Image set down by infinite Wisdom and that may be some way called infinitely pure and Sin as being against this pure rule that infinite Wisdom hath set down And 3. If we consider it in no respect of its nature every sin being of this nature that though it cannot properly wrong the Majesty of God yet as to the intention of the thing and even of the Sinner it wrongs him Sin in these respects may be called infinite and the wrong done to the Majesty of God thereby may be called infinite as these who built Babel their intention in that work breathed forth infinite wrong to God as having a direct tendency to bring them off from dependance on him and so every Sin if it had its will and intent would put God in subordination to it and set it self in his room and therefore Sin in some respect as to the wrong against God is infinite 2. Observe That the real and very great Sorrow that the Sins of the Elect deserved our Lord Jesus did realty and actually bear and suffer as we have exponed the words and confirmed the exposition given of them ye have a clear confirmation of the Doctrine from them 1. Griefs and Sorrows in the plural Number shew intensness of Sorrow and Grief 2. That they are called ours it shews our propriety in them And 3. That it 's said Christ bare them These concur to prove the Doctrine that the same Sorrow which the Sins of the Elect deserved Christ bare It not only says that our Lord bare Sorrows but the same Sorrows that by the Sins of the Elect were due to them and so there was a proportionableness betwixt the Sorrows that he bare and the Sorrows they should have endured he took up the cup of Wrath that was filled for us and that we would have been put to drink and drank it out himself suppose that our Lord had never died as blessed be his Name there is no ground to make the supposiâ—ion the cup of Sâ—rrow that the Elect would have drunken eternally was the same cup that he drank our for them It is true we would distinguish betwixt these things that are essentially due to Sin as the punishment of it and these things that are only accidentally due to it the former Christ bare but not the latter To clear both in a word or two 1. These things essentially due to Sin as necessarly included in the Threatning The day thou eatest thou shalt surely die and in the curse of the Law according to that Cursed is every one that abides not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them are Death and the Curse these are essentially the desert of Sin in which respect it was not only necessary that Christ should become Man and â—â—ffer but that he should suffer to death or shâ—uld die and not only so but that he should die the cursed death of the Cross as the Threatning and Curse put together hold out and as to all these things that he underwent and met with before and at his death they were the accomplishment of the Threatning due to us and fulfilled in and by him in our room
forbid wo unto them that make such an use of this truth nor do I speak of it to allow any to dispense with or to give way to themselves to sin for we shew before that Christ is here proposed as our Patern and we are bidden purifie our selves as he is pure But this we say that none living here on the earth are without sin the most perfect men that are on this side Eternity carry about with them a body of death called five or six times sin Rom. 7. that hath actual lustings and a power as a law of sin to lead captive and that makes the man guilty before God Use 2. For reproof to two sorts of enemies to this Truth 1. These inveterate enemies of the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ to wit the Papists that black train that follows Antichrist who plead for a perfection according to the law as attainable in this life saying down two grounds to prove this perfection 1. That the inward lustings or first risings and moâ—ions at least of the body of Death are no sins And 2. Their exponing of the law so as it may suit to their own apprehension and opinion yet so as they say that every Believer or godly Person wins not to this perfection to keep the law wholly but only some of their Grandees This the Lord hath mercifully banished out of the Reformed Churches as Inconsistent with the experience of the Saints who find a law in their members warring against the law of their mind and leading them captive to the law of sin that is in their members inconsistent with the Scriptures which clear that none have attained nor do attâ—in perfection in this life but the contrary that in many things we offend all and inconsistent with Grace that leaves sinners still in Châ—ists common and debt as standing in need of his imputed Righteousness This perfection they place in inherent Holiness and habitual Grace but we insist not on it 2ly Another sort of enemies reproved here are the old Familists who are owned by these who are called Antinomians several of which miserable persons are now going up and down amongst us who say that the People of God have no sin in them wherein they are worse then Papists for Papists make it peculiar to some only but they make it common to all Believers And Papists make their perfection to consist in inherent holiness but they make the nature of sin to be changed and say that sin is no more so in a Believer even though it be contrary to the Law of God We grant indeed that the people of God are free of sin in these respects 1. In this respect that no sin can condemn them they are not under the Law but under Grace in that respâ—ct Rom. 8.1 It 's said that There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ 2. In his respect that they cannot fall into that sin which as unto death as is clear 1 John 5.17 18 And 3. in this respect that they cannoâ—â—o sin â—s to ly or be under thâ—â—â—â—gn and â—omiâ—ion of sin as is evident Rom. 6 14. The Believer delights in thâ— Lâ—w â—f God according to the inner man Râ—m 7.22 And is not in sin neither doth câ—mmit sin as the unbeliever doth for the seed of God abideth in him and is kept from being involved in that which hiâ— corrupt nature inclines the Believer to So then what the Scriptuâ—e speaks of the Believers being free of sin is to be understood in one of these respects But to â—ay 1. That a Believer cannot sin at all sad expâ—rience and the practice of the Saints is a proof of the contrary Or 2. To say that sin in a Believer is no sin because of his faith in Christ is as contrâ—â—y to Scripture For the Law of God is the same to the Believer and the unbeliever and sin is the same in both Adultery is Adultery and Murâ—her is Murther in David as well as in â—ny other man Sure when Christ bade his Disciples pray for forgivenness of sin daily he taught them no such Doctrine as to account their sins to be no sins For if so they should neither repent of sin nor seek the pardon of it as some are not a shamed to say they should not That which we aim at is to â—lear it to be Christs prerogative only to be free of sin none oâ—her in this life can claim it And to teach Bâ—lievers to carry about with them daily all along their mortal life that which is for their good even the sense â—f sin I know it is now an up cast â—rom some pretended perfectionists to the people of God that they think and say that they have sin and aâ—e not perfect And we are by these men called Antichristian Priests and Jesuits because we Preach that Doctrine Buâ— let it be soberly considered whether it doth better agree with Papists and Jesuits to say that Believers are without sin or to say that they have sin They who say that Believers or the Saints have no sin do agree in this with the Papists who maintain a perfection of holiness or a conformity to the Law in some in this life and who deny the lustings of the body of death to be sin without which opinâ—on though most gross they would not nor could with the least shadow of reason mainâ—ain their Doctrine of Juâ—tification by Works And yet some now among us will needs call us Popish because we say that we have sin and that none of God's people are â—ithout sin in this life Tâ—is seems to be very strâ—â—ge But that wâ—ich hath been the thought of some sharp-sighted and sagacious men since the bâ—ginning of our confusions to wit that Popery is a working as an under-hand design is by this and other things mâ—de to be more and more apparent Is there any thing more like Popery working in a mystery yea more Popish then to say that the motions of corruption in Believers are no sins thaâ— a man or woman may attain to perfection in holiness here and yet to carry on this with that subtilty as confidently to averr that it's Popery to say the contrary Nay if the Scâ—iptures they make use of in their Papers or Pamphlets be well considered we will find that not only a perfection in Holinâ—â—s and Good works is pleaded for but a possibility of fulfilling the Law and Covenant oâ— Works as namely 1 Pet. 1.15 1 John 3.3 and 5.5 and Matth. 5. ult Will ye say they call your selves Saints that are not purified even as he is pure And will ye câ—ll your selves Believers that havâ— not overcome the world c As if all that is commanded duty might be or were perfectly reached in this life and as if no diâ—tinction betwixt begun yea considerably advanced holiness and intire perfection were to be adâ—itted That for which I mark this is to shew that the design of Popery seems to be on foot the Devil
and by me and what is the Reason I pray that so many perish unâ—er the Gospel who in Word acknowledge this one Offering and that it is it only which takes away Sin but because that notwithstanding of that Conviction and Acknowledgement they are never brought actuaâ—ly to make use of Christ and of this His Sacrifice and Offering and if ye think and acknowledge that there are many that go to Hell tha have the Knowledge and Conviction of this Truth ye must also grant that it is because they make not Conscience to make use of it 3. Consider that though there be many of the hearers of the Gospel who do not rest on Christ yet it is very hard to convince any of them that they are ready to slight Christ's Sacrifice I am sure that both the former will be granted 1. That nothing but Christs Sacrifice can Satisfie Justice 2. That many do not rest on it and so perish but if we come to the 3. Sarcely shall we find one that will grant except it be a tender Bodie that they make not use of Him they will easily be convinced that Adultery is a Sin and that they are guilty of it if they be so indeed that Drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking are Sins yea possibly which is more that vaging of the Mind in Duties of Worship is a Sin and that they are guilty of it but it is not so easie to convince them that they are guilty of the Sin of not making use of Christ and of His Sacrifice nay they are so puft up with a good opinion of themselves that they will laugh at such a Challenge And hence it is that so few make use of Christ's Sacrifice and of His Righteousnesse because so few are convinced thâ—t they believe not on Him Therefore when the Spirit comes John 16. It 's said that he shall convince the world of sin not because they did Whorâ— Drink Sâ—â—â—ar c. 〈◊〉 Convictioâ—s for these Sins will not be wanting but because they believe not in Christ And hence it is Luke 13.25 That these will not take Christ's first answer I know you not what as if they said knows thou not us we have eaten and drunken in thy presence we have professed Faith in thee and our hope to get Heaven by thy Righteousness and yet He shall answer them again peremptorly depart from me I know you not Not that there will be much to do or any great difficulty to convince folk in that day or any room left to debate the businesse but He would tell us by this that many die in this Delusion And if it be a thing that Folks are so hardly convinced of had they not need to be seriously sollicitous that they be not deceived and disappointed 4. Consider how sad the disappointment wil be to Sinners on day when they shall be brought to acknowledge that they knew that there was no other Name given whereby Sinners could be saved but the Name of Jesus and yet that they slighted and rejected Him ye that never seriously minded compting and reckoning with God do ye think on this and that the passing of the Sentence will be upon this ground to wit whether ye have fled to Jesus Christ and made use of His Sacrifice or not will it not be a sad disappointment to meet with a dolefull depart from me on this ground because though there was some Conviction that this was the only Sacrifice and Sin-offering that takes away Sin that yet it was not made use of nor made the ground of your Peace with God But to the 2. What is it then to make use of this Offering I know no better way then to explain it from the Typical Sacrifices that were under the Law and we may take it up in these three 1. It implyes a through Conviction of Folks lyablelenesse to the Justice of God for Sin and in an utter inability in our selves and an utter emptiness and impotencie in all other Means to satisfie for Sin thus they that brought the Sacrifice to the Priest laid their hands on the head of the Beast by which they acknowledged that Death was due unto them So then to have the lively sense of the due desert of Sin that is to have the Sentence of Death carried about in our Bosom to have the through Conviction of the emptinesse of all other Means of relief is requisit to the right use making of Christ's Offering 2. It implyeth this that there be a look had to the Institution and Ordinance of God appointing this Sacrifice to be the Mean of the Redemption of Sinners Therefore in these Sacrifices that were Offered for Sin there was a respect had to Gods Covenant wherein were not only Promises relating to External Cleansing and to Admission to Church-priviledges but Promises also relating to inward Cleansing and to the Pardon of Sin which was the great End of these Sacrifices and the looking to the Institution of this Sacrifice is the Ground that leads us in to take up the end of Christs Sufferings and is a warrand for our Faith in the use making thereof being the only Sacrifice that expiats Sin and holds off Wrath and if these two things be not carried along in the use making of this Sacrifice to wit the Conviction of Sin and of the lyableness to Wrath and Gods Institution and Appointment of this Sacrifice to take away Sin and to avert Wrath our Use making of it is but Will-worship 3. It implyes this that when the Sinner is walking under the sense of his Sin and of the Emptinesse and Ineffectualnesse of all other things to remove Sin and Wrath as David hath it Psal 51.16 Thou desirest not sacrifice thou delightest not in burnt offerings There must be a looking to the Worth of Christ and of His Sacrifice that is appointed to take away Sin and hold off Worth and the Soul 's actuall applying of it self to His Offering and the applying of His Offering to it Self as we may see in the 4 5 6. and 16. Chapters of Leviticus where there are several Sacrifices appointed to be Offered for several Sins and particularly that of the Scape goat on the head whereof the Priest for the People was to lay his hands in which was implyed not only their acknowledgement of Sin and of their deserving of Death and of Gods appointment of that to be a Typical Offering for the Typical taking away of Sin but these two things â—urder were implyed 1. That they did take the Burden of their Sins which neither they themselves nor any other could bear anâ— laid it on Christ when Justice did put at them for their Debt to speak so they drew a Bill on Christ as their Cautioner to answer it and as they did put the Debt in His hand to be payed by Him so they Lippened and Trusted the weight of their Souls to Him and to no other So that when God was pursuing them for their Debt saying as it were
and these Sufferings are more then if all the Elect had Suffered Eternally in Hell 2 His Death is considered as a Satisfaction And this looks to the Wrong that Men by Sin have done to God That the finit and feckless Creature durst be so malapert as to break God's Command It required a Satisfaction equivalent to the Wrong done though the Word Satisfaction be not in Scripture yet the thing is Christ Jesus for the Restoring of God to His Honour That was as to the Manifestation of it wronged by Mans Sin comes in to perform the will of God and to Satisfie for the wrong done Him by Man that it may be made known that God is Holy and Just who will needs avenge Sin on His own Son the Holy and Innocent Cautioner when He Interposes in the Room of the Sinner which vindicats the Spotless Justice and Soveraignity of God as much as if not more then if He had exacted the satisfaction off the Sinners themselves As it is Rom. 3.16 To declare his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus 3 Christ's Death is considered as a Redemption of Man from Sin the Law and the Curse because lyable to a Debt which he cannot of himself pay and His Death was in this respect a paying of the Debt that Man was owing and a loosing of the Captive and Imprisoned Sinner even as when a Piece of Land is morgaged and a Person comes in and payes that for which it was Morgaged So Jesus Christ comes in and as it were asks what are these Men owing and what is due to them It 's answered they are Sinners Death and the Curse are due to them well saith He I will take their Debt on my Self I will pay their Ransom by undergoing all that was due to them He hath redeemed us from the curse of the law saith the Apostle Gal. 3.13 being made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come on us Gentiles And so Christ's Death in this respect is to be looked on as a laying down of the same Price that Justice would have exacted of Men His Death is the paying of our Ransom and Satisfying of the account that was over our head 4. His Death is considered as it furthered the Work of the Redemption of Elect Sinners by a powerful annulling of the Obligation that was against us and by a powerfull overcoming of all enemies that kept us Captive He grapled and yocked with the Devil in that wherein he seemed to be strongest and overcame him He tore the Obligation that stood over Sinners heads as it is Coll. 2.14 15. Blotting out the hand writting of ordinances that was against us and that was contrary to us he took it out of the way nailing it to his cross and having spoiled principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it In this respect though His Death be one of the lowest steps of His Humiliation yet considering Him as in it prevailling over the Devil and other Enemies He is to be looked on as powerfully Working and efficaciously perfecting our Salvation In the former respect He payes God the Debt that was due by Sinners in the Latter Respect considering the Devil and Spiritual Enemies as so many Jaylours keeping Sinners Prisoners He by His Death wrings as it were the Keyes out of their hands and sets the Prisoners Free 5. Christ's Death is considered as it is in the Text As an Offering and Sacrifice for Sin In this respect it looks to God as displeased with Man and our Lord Jesus Interposes to pacifie Him and to make Him well pleased and that by the means of His Death God's Peace Favour and Friendship may be recovered to poor sinfull Men All these Considerations of the Death of Christ are but one and the same upon the matter Yet thus diversified they serve to shew how unexpressibly much Sinners are oblidged to Christ what great advantages they have by Him And what a desperat condition they are in who are without Him having nothing to satisfie Justice nor to pay their Debt with 2dly We said that this Sacrifice was especially Offered by Him in His Death Therefore He is said to Offer this Sacrifice on the Cross He himself as Peter hath it 1 2.24 bare our sins in his body on the tree Heb. 9. at the close And Heb. 10.14 It is said that he once offered up himself to bear the sins of many and by his once offering he hath perfected for ever these who are sanctified So that this Offering is to be applyed to that which He suffered on Earth before He ascended and it is in this respect that He is a Propitiatory Sacrifice though as I said the Vertue thereof is still communicated by Him now when He is in Heaven Use This serves to remove two Errors about Christ's Sacrifice The 1. is that which bounds and limits Christ's Offering and Priest-hood to His going to Heaven thereby to enervat the Efficacy of His Sufferings and Death quit contrary to this Scripture wherein the Prophet explicating His Sufferings on Earth calleth them an offering for sin The 2. is that Blasphemous Conceit and Fancie of the Papists who account their abominable Mass a Propitiatory Sacrifice for taking away the Sins of the Quick and oâ— the Dead which as it is most horrid Blasphemy So it is most expresly against this Text for if Christ's Sacrifice for the taking away of Sin be peculiarly applyed to His Humiliation and Death which brought with it such a change as made Hâ—m not to be for a time what He was before Then certainly there can be nothing of that now which can bear that Name there being no other thing to which the properties of a real Sacrifice can agree but this only 3. I said that Christ's Offering up of Himself in a Sacrifice was in His Soul as well as in Hiâ— Body and that He was therein obnoxioâ—s to the Wrath of God That is as He stood Cautioner for the Elect and had the Cup of Wrath â—u in His hand He Suffered not only in His Body but also and Mainly in His Soul which the Jews could not reach and He is here holden out as a Sin-offering in His Soul yea considering that it was the Wrath of God and His Curse due to the Elect that He had to deal with His Soul was more capable to be affected with it then His Body Hence He sayes when no hand of Man touched Him John 12.27 Now is my Soul troubled and what shall I say and Matth. 26.38 and Luk. 22.44 Now is my soul exceeding sorrowful even unto death and being in an agony he prayed c. That which looked like strong Armies mustered and drawn up against Him was not the Souldiers that came to take Him nor the Bodily Death which was quickly to follow but it was the Fathers coming with His awakned Sword to exact of Him the Debt due
being in themselves blind may come to Him for light being poor may come to Him for Gold to inrich them being â—â—ked may come to Him for garments to cloath them being ungodly may come to Him that He may Justifie them But alace People are for the most part sensless and regardless of their Sin and misery and therefore He gets no imployment from them Many sit very brave and fine here and have no Legal Bar on them to keep them from the Communion who yet have sleepy and sensless Souls and are ruining and destroying themselves This we assure you is the condition of many of you who never knew to make use of Christ and of His Righteousness and yet will boast of your Faith and of your good heart to God Away with your old presumptuous Faith take with your unbelief and presumption Say not ignorantly that ye shall do as ye can though ye cannot do as ye would ye are unsound at the heart mistaken about your spiritual state and know that the Devil by a deceitful heart is speaking out of you such language For it's enemies we are Commissioned to reconcile and it 's lost Sinners that Christ came to seek and save and ye see not your selves to be such and therefore ye care not for such offers of Grace But ah many of you if Grace prevent not will get a cold welcome from Christ at that Day and will be made sadly to smart for the slighting of many Precious Opportunities which God did put in your hand and whereof to make use ye had no heart SERMON LI. ISAIAH LIII XI Verse 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many c. THere hath been much spoken from this sweet Scripture of Our Lord Jesus His Sufferings and somewhat also of the Promises made to Him that His Sufferings should not be for nought in these Words we have a compendiouâ— explication of the Effects that â—â—ow from them by which He shall be Satisfied for them all which ye may take up in these Four 1. The great benefit it selâ— that is holden out here and that is Justification 2. These to whom it shall come it is many so that His having a Seed spoken of v. 10. Is exponed here by this that many shall be justified 3. The way how this is derived to them by his knowledge which we shew is to be understood of Faith in Him 4. The ground from which this flows and on which it is built and that confirms it For he shall bear their iniquities And as it 's in the following v. He bare the sin of many And therefore they must be Justified it being but reason that these many whose iniquities He bears and whose Debt of Sin He payes should be Justified We may speak more particularly to the Explication of each of these as we come to them we shall then first expone and give the meaning of this Word Justification or to Justifie ere we come to the Doctrine because it will serve to clear it and will make way for it and so much the rather as it is the very hing of the Gospel and that on which our Salvation depends though yet but very little and very ill understood there being many that cannot tell what it is though there be not many Words more frequently mentioned in the Scripture and though it be that whereby a Person is translated from the State of Enmitie into the State of Friendship with God As for this Word To Justifie or Justification then there are three senses given of it Two whereof are Erronious and the last only is according to the mind of the Spirit of God speaking in the Scripture which we shall Clear and Confirm 1. Some take this Word Physically as if it were to make Just by the infusing of habitual Grace or by a Physical and Reall Change and so taken it is the same with that which we call Sanctification but in all the Scripture we know not one Place where necessarily the Word is so to be understood Although this acceptation of the Word is the great rise of the Popish Error in that Controversie concerning Justification 2dly Others take it for Gods Revealing Manifesting or Declaring the way how a Guilty Person comes to be Just and so to Justifie is for Ministers to teach the way to People how they may live holily As it is said Dan. 12.3 They that turn many to Righteousness c. By whâ—ch sense some Wickedly and Blasphemously detract from Christs Satisfaction as if His Justifying were no more but a teaching of Sinners the way how to be Juâ—â—â—fied to wit by living holily and justly But the Word that follows in the Text For he shall bear their iâ—iquities Cuâ—s the Throat of that Exposition for it is by Christs bearing of the punishment of the Elects Iniquities and for paying of their Debt that they come to be Justified Therefore the one is given for a Reason of the other 3dly Considering the Word according to the meaning of it in Scripture we take it for a Legal forensick or Court Word borrowed from mens Courts wherein a Person arraigned for such a Cryme is either Condemned or Absolved And when he is Absolved and Declared to be acquitted or made free from that which is laid to his Charge he is said to be Justified so is it before God and in His Court Justification is the freeing of a Sinner from the Charge that the Law giveth in against Him and the absolving and declaring of him to be free from the Guilt of Sin and from the punishment thereof which by the Sentence of the Law is due to Him The former two senses run to the making of a man to be inherently holy or without a Fault Which is as if a Guilty Man or a Criminal being sifted before a civil Court of Judicature were declared to be Innocent But this true meaning of the Word sets out a Man arraigned before Gods Tribunal and charged with Guilt and found Faulty but Absolved and Acquitted not because he wants Sin but because his Debt is payed and his Sins Satisfied for by a Cautioner Even as a Man that is called before a Civil Court for such a Sum of Money and is found lyable to the Debt but his Cautioner coming in and paying the Debt for him there is both in Reason and in Law just ground why that Man should be absolved and declared free of the Debt So is it here Christ Jesus taking on and satisfying for the Debt of the Elect and procuring Absoluâ—ion for them for whom He payed the Price there is Reason and ground in Law that they should be Justified and Absolved All these Opinions agree in these two 1. That Men naturally have Sin and that they must compt for it 2. That this Jusâ—ification whatever it be where it is doth fully Absolve and Acquit the Sinner and makes him free of Sin as to the Guilt the Punishment and Consequents of it Death and the
and by his knowledge shall many be justified and again it is subjoyned as the reason why many shall by Faith in Him be justified Because he shall bear their iniquities By the Knowledge of Him that Offered Himself in a Sacrifice many are Justified and many are Justified because He bears their iniquities which will infer this that Faith considers Him as satisfying for the iniquities of His People in it's acting on Him for Justification and Pardon of Sin it is true Christs Offices are not divided and it is not true Faith if it take not hold of Him and make not use of Him in all His Offices but as there are several evils in us which His Offices do meet with and are suited unto so should Faith take hold of them and make use of them for curing and removing of these evils He is King Priest and Prophet and Faith takes hold of Him as a King to command and subdue us to Himself as a Prophet to illuminat us and cure our blindnesse and as a Priest to satisfie Divine Justice and to procure the pardon of Sin as we are not to seperat so we are not to confound these we use not to say that Christ as a Prophet doth Justifie us nor that as a Priest He doth illuminat us no more should we nor can we well say that as a King He satisfied Justice for us The same blessed God is Wise Righteous Holy Faithful Just Merciful c. Yet He is diversly considered in respect of our conceiving and use-making according to our need so is it here For clearing whereof take these grounds 1. The Scripture speaks of and points Christ out in His Sufferings as the Object of Justifying Faith Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth for a propitiation through faith in his blood where the Blood of Christ and He as Suffering is proposed as Faiths Object so 1 Cor. 1. We preach Christ crucified 1 John 2. We have an advocat with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins where He is holden forth in His Sufferings as the propitiation that Faith layeth hold on John 3.14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth on him c. Where Christ lifted up and as dying on the Cross is made the Object of Justifying Faith even as the brazen Serpent lifted up was the Object that they looked to when they were stung and cured 2. It 's also clear from the Laws lybelling and charging us for the Debt of our Sin that makes us lyable to condemnation and Faith being the mean of our Justification and absolution from the Debt it must needs look to the Cautioners paying of our Debt and so answering the Charge which was done in His Death for He payed our Debt Satisfyed the Penalty of the Law and came under the Curse in suffering Death as is clear Gal. 3. the 10. v. being compared with v. 13. So Rom. 8.34 Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of Gods elect it is God that justifies who shall condemn it is Christ that died which is brought in as Faith's answer to the charge The charge cannot be denyed for we are guilty of so many Sins and therefore lyable to condemnation but saith Faith Christ hath died It proposes Him dying as a Satisfaction for answering the charge and for obtaining of absolution 3. Christ as Suffering and Satisfying Justice is our Righteousnesse and therefore must be the object of Faith as it 's Justifying whereupon it pleads an absolution before the Throne of God So that when we come to plead and found our Defence before Gods Throne it is not on this that Christ is a King and hath subdued us but it is on this groâ—â—d That He is our Priest and hath satisfied Justice for us and payed our Debt and procured a discharge to us So the Apostle speaking of Christs Sufferings Col. 2. Sayes That he blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross It 's Christ as Suffering that is the ground of our Peace and therefore Faith as Justifying must so consider Him Though we desire to move nothing needlesly yet laying it once for a ground That Justifying Faith layes hold on Christ as a King This will follow as a consequence and as we suppose as a reason That our obedience to Christ as a King hath the same influence and the same Causality in our Justification that Faith 's resting on Christ's Satisfying for as a Priest hath because as Christs Priestly Office gives us a warrand to rest upon Him for Justification so would His Kingly Office if it were the Object of Justifying Faith as such when taken hold of for our obedience We have touched on this 1. That ye may see the warrantableness of this Doctrine which is received in the Churches of Christ and that ye may consider Christ as the high priest of your profession and plead Justification from His Sacrifice acting Faith upon Him accordingly 2. That we may put a Bar against the introducing of Justification by Works under one pretext or another how specious soever seing the Scripture so directly opposes Faith and Works in our Justification For if we once admit that Christ as King is the Object of Justifying Faith as such it would overturn the distinct way of Faith's acting upon Christs Righteousnesse for answering the Charge put in the Sinners hand by the Law and when the soul getteth a challenge for Sin would put it to look what obedience it hath given to Christ as a King to answer that challenge or charge by and would in the same manner also put the Soul to gather the ground of it's peace from the one as well as from the other that is both from Christs Righteousness and from it's own obedience not only as an evidence but a social cause or not only to it 's own sense but as to the effect But we leave this as a â—hing to be regrated that when theâ—e is ground enough of stumbling because of our ignorance and blindness there should and that very unnecessarily be such new occasion of stumbling to Souls cast in the way of Faith We come now to speak of the Act of Faith as Justifying called here Knowledge and the knowledge of him to shew that it points at Justifying Faith for if it were not so it were the same with common Knowledge whereby we believe any History of the Bible but this being Justifying Knowledge it must be Knowledge of another kind We shall here clear 1. Wherein the Act of Justifying Faith consists 2. Remove some mistakes about it and make some Use of it For the First we suppose there are these Four requisit in or to Justifying Faith though not alwayes in the same degree 1. That there be distinct Knowledge in some measure of the Object an antecedent that Faith presupposes and
that gave His Son and of the Mediator that came to buy and redeem Elect Sinners at so dear a rate and to take on such a weighty burden to ease them of it Were there any here as we hope there are that know the weight of Sin O! but they would think much of this even of Christs taking on the burden of Sin and casting it by having Satisfied Justice for it and loosed the knot of the Law and of the Curse that tyed it to them To become Man was much but to bear the burden of our Sins was more Angels wonder at this that He who is their head should become so low as to fist Himself before Gods Tribunal and to undergo the Suffering of Death and to take on the weighty burden of the Elects Debt and to Satisfie for it If we were in a right frame of Spirit we could not hear this word but it would ravish our hearts and put us to a pause and holy nonplus but the most part alace walk lightly under the burden of Sin without ever considering what Christ hath done to remove it from off His People nay I am afraid that Believers who have ground to be lightned through Christs condescending to bear their burden do not as they ought acknowledge Him who hath taken the burden off them 4ly From comparing these words with the former Many shall be justified for he shall bear their iniquities Observe That Christ's bearing of our iniquities and His Satisfaction for our Sins is imputed to us as the immediat ground of our Absolution and Justification before God So that if it were asked what is the ground on which a Sinner is Justified before God The Text answers Because Christ hath born their iniquities He hath payed their Debt even as to make comparison fore clearing of it when a Debtor is pursued and hath nothing to pay yet he pleads that the Debt cannot be exacted of him because his Cautioner hath payed it and the ground on which that Debtor is absolved is his instructing that the Cautioner hath payed that Debt which being done he is set free So is it here The Believer he is Gods Debtor Christ Jesus is his Cautioner who hath payed his Debt who when he is brought to the Bar of God and somewhat is laid to his charge he pleads upon the ground of Christs Satisfying for his Debt and that therefore he ought not to be put to answer for it himself according to that Word Rom. 8.34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies who shall condemn and the ground fol ows It is Christ that died He hath payed the Debt Use Among other things there are two consequences that follow upon this Doctrine that serves to clear the Doctrine of Justification 1. That the Righteousnesse whereby we are Justified is imputed to us and accepted of God as if it were our own ye are sometimes hearing of imputed Righteousnesse and it 's of great concernment to you to know it well yet I am afraid that many of you are very ignorant of it I shall therefore in a word or two explicat it by comparing the two Covenants The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Works is an inherent Righteousnesse as it is Tit. 3.5 Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done It 's a Righteousnesse of our own doing made up of our Praying Hearing and other Duties as they are Acts of ours The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Grace is an imputed Righteousnesse that is when Christs doing and Suffering is accounted ours Take both in this comparison The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Works is like a Debtor or Tennent his paying of his own Debt or Rent by his managing his businesse providently and dexterously and none other is troubled with it The Righteousnesse of the Covenant of Grace is like one that hath spent up and debauched all and hath not one penny to pay his Debt or Rent with but hath a worthy able and responsal Cautioner who hath payed for him Both being pursued and brought before the Judge The first man is absolved because what he was owing he payed it at the term precisely The other man grants that he was owing the Debt but pleads that his Cautioner hath payed it aâ—d the Law excepts of the Cautioners payment and pursues the Debtor no further but absolves him So is it here when the Believer comes to stand at Gods Bar it is nothing in himself that he pleads upon but it 's Christs Sufferings who said on the Cross it is finished The Debt of my People is fully payed and Faith pleading for Absolution on that ground according to the Law of Faith he is absolved as if he had payed the Debt himself or had been owing none If then it should be asked Believers what ground have ye to expect to be Justified The Prophet answers here Christ hath born our iniquities and this is the Believers Defence and therefore see here a possibility to reconcile these Two that some men scorn and flout at as irreconcileable to wit how one can be a Sinner and yet Righteous he may be sinful in himself and yet Righteous through the imputation of Christs Righteousnesse So 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might made the righteousnesse of God in him Rom. 4.5 To him that worketh not but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousnesse The man ungodly in himself is justified through the Satisfâ—ction of Christ imputed to him for Righteousnesse and laid hold on by Faith as if he had not Sinned or had actually satisfied himself 2dly This consequence followeth That it serves to clear how Faith Justifies as when we say Faith is our righteousnesse and is imputed to us for righteousness we are not to look on Faith properly as a Grace in us and divided or abstracted from the Object no by no means but as it is a laying hold on the Object It 's Faith in him that justifies and Through his knowledge shall many be justified because he shall bear their iniquities Faith Justifies by vertue of Christs Satisfaction and as taking hold of it Faith does not Justifie as it is an Act of Grace in the Sinner but as closing with Christ the Object of it even as in the similitude we made use of before It 's not enough that the Cautioner hath pâ—yed such a mans Debs but the man must instruct it by producing the Discharge the production whereof is the cause of his Absolution in Law yet the vertue that makes the Discharge so to concur is not the Discharge it self but the Cautioners payment or Satisfaction mentioned and contained in the Sinners Discharge even so is it here It 's Christs Righteousnesse that concurreth as the meritorious cause of the Sinners Absolution and Faith concurres as the Instrumental Cause in the pleading of that Defence whereon Justification follows as an effect of
the Mediators performing according to His undertaking as well as there is faithfulnesse in Gods performing whatever He hath spoken of Him or promised to Him Ye shall only take two or three testimonies for this The 1. is Matth. 3.14 and 17.5 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased He undertook to satisfie for the Elects Debt and hath accordingly performed it so that the Father is well pleased A 2d is John 17.4 Where He appeareth before the Father and useth it for an argument for His Glorifying him with the same glory he had with the father before the world was I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do I have gotten a task and piece of Work committed to me and now it 's performed And that other Word which He hath on the Cross is remarkable to this purpose It 's finished Now the task and work is ended and I have no more to do but presently to passe to the Victory and to the dividing of the Spoil And a 3d. Testimony is our Lord Jesus His ascension to Heaven and the glory that He will appear in at the day of Judgement when His Kingdom shall be consummat That shall be a proof and testimony that He left nothing undone that was given Him to do that He bare the Sins of many that He gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that pulled of the hair and that He satisfied justice freely and ascended to Heaven as it is 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of Godliness saith the Apostle God was manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit fully absolved as having performed all whatsoever He undertook Seen of Angels and raised up unto glory Use This is also though a general yet a very comfortable Doctrine to the People of God in as far as from it they may know that there is no more to be payed to the Justice of God for the Sins of the Elect It hath gotten full Satisfaction The Cautioner hath payed all their Debt and is now exercing His Offices for applying to them His purchase making intercession for them overseeing them proving a Tutor to them guiding them and all that concerns them and His Church even doing all things well managing the affairs of His Fathers house as a Son and He cannot but guide all well Other sheep saith He I have which are not of this fold them I must bring in and they shall hear my voice and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish A most pregnant ground of comfort to the Believer that his eternal well-being cannot but be sure and sicker because it hath the Father and the Mediator their faithfulnesse ingaged for it If Jehovah perform the Promises made to the Mediator and if the Mediator perform His ingagement to Jehovah and raise up Believers at the last day then it must follow that their Salvation is sure This is the main ground on which Believers peace is founded and here we may allude to that Heb. 6. He hath sworn by two immutable things wherein it is impossible for God to lie that the heirs of promise who are fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them may have strong consolation even so here There are two immutable things to wit Gods promise to the Mediator and God will and must keep His Word to Him and the Mediators ingagement to God and He will and must keep His Word to Him And indeed we have good proof of both already For it was this ingagement that made the Father send the Son of His Love out of His bosome to be incarnat and to undergo the work of Elect Sinners Redemption and it was this ingagement that made the Mediator die of whom the Father exacted the Price till He declared Himself Satisfied and well pleased Now when these things that seemed most difficult are accomplished what can fail 1. Then there is here ground to fix our Faith upon and indeed there is need to fix it rightly The ground that our Salvation and Perseverance in the Faith is founded on is not our continuing to Pray to Believe and to Love God but this ingagement betwixt the Father and the Son and it is the cause procuring the other as an necessary and infallibly certain effect It 's mainly on this that believers shuld rest quiet and confident 2. It should make Believers humble and cheerful seeing though they be weak in themselves yet here they have a grip and hold for every hand as it were Jehovah's Word and the Mediators Word for their through bearing 3. It should much commend believing and the state of a Believer who have such ground of assurance The greatest Monarch on earth hath not such ground of assurance for his Dinner or Supper as the poor Believer hath for eternal Life For the Word spoken by Jehovah to the Mediator and the undertaking of the Mediator to Jehovah cannot fail and the Believer hath that to rest upon as the ground of his assurance More particularly The Articles on the Mediators side are as I said in these Four exprâ—ssions He hath poured out his soul unto death He was numbred with the transgressours he bare the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressours 1. He must die expressed in these Words He poured out his soul unto death Which implyes Three things 1. That it is an Article of the Covenant of Redemption and of the Mediators undertaking that he should die for Sinners And so it is a needlesse curious and unwarrantable dispute whether fallen man might have been redeemed any other way or whether a drop of His blood was not enough to redeem man because we see here it is Determined and Articled in the Covenant of Redemption that He should die Jehovah will have the Mediator dying And be possible what may to Gods Soveraignity which we would not make to clash with His Justice nor His Just ce with His Soveraignity this may bound and limit us that it 's concluded in this Covenant of Redemption that the Mediator shall lay down His Life and it being concluded It 's certain 1. That God hath given man a Law threatning him that if he should break that Law he should die 2. That all Mankind and so the Elect have broken that Law and so are lyable to the Threatning and Curse 3. That the Mediator became Cautioner and undertook to satisfie for the Elects Debt it was necessary that He should die because He undertook to pay their Debt and to satisfie for their Sin which was death by the Law to them and so the Justice of God is vindicat He cannot be called unjust nor partial nor unholy though He do not actually punish every Sinner that hath Sinned in his own Person because Gods holinesse and Justice appears conspicuously that He would rather execute what was due to the Elect on His own Son then that their Sins should go unpunished
foot or door of every Soul that heareth it to be believed and rested on this is the great errand of the Gospel to propose to People Jesus Christ as the Object and Ground of Faith to lay Him down to be rested on for that very end when the Apostle is speaking Rom. 10.8 of the Doctrine of Faith he saith It is not now who shall ascend into heaven nor who shall descend into the deep but the word is near thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart what word is that the word of faith which we preach now sayeth he Christ by the preaching of the Gospel is brought so near folks that He is brought even to their Hearts and to their Mouths so near that to speak so People have no more to do but to stoup and take Him up or to roll themselves over upon Him yea it bringeth Him in to their very Heart that they have no more to do but to bring up their Heart to consent to close the Bargain and with the Mouth to make confession of it and these words are the more considerable that they are borrowed from Deut. 30. where Moses is setting Death and Life before the People and bidding them choose though he would seem to speak of the Law yet if we consider the scope we will find him to be on the matter speaking of Jesus Christ holden forth to that People under Ceremonial-Ordinances and shewing them that there was Life to be had in Him that way and according to Gods intent they had Life and Death put in their choice I know there are two things necessary to the acting and exercising of Faith The 1. is objective when the Object or Ground is proposed in the preaching of the Gospel The 2. is subjective when there is an inward spiritual and powerful quickning and framing of the Heart to lay hold on and make use of the Object and offer it is true that all to whom the offer cometh are not quickened but the Doctrine saith that to all to whom the Gospel cometh Christ is proposed to be believed on by them and brought near unto them so that we may say as Christ said to His Hearers The kingdom of God is come near unto you both Christ and John brought and laid the Kingdom of Heaven near to the Jews and it is laid as near to you in the preached Gospel This is it then that Doctrine sayes 1. That the Gospel holdeth out Christ as a sufficient ground of Faith to rest upon And 2. with a sufficient warrand to these who hear it to make use of Him according to the terms on which he is offered And 3. it brings Him so pressingly home as He is laid to the Doors and Hearts of Sinners who hear the Gospel that whoever hath the offer he must necessarily either believe in and receive Christ or reject Him and cast at the report made of Him in the Gospel I shall first a little confirm this Doctrine and then secondly make use of it First I shall confirm it from these Grounds 1. From the plain offers which the Lord maketh in His Word and from the warrand he giveth His Ministers to make the same offers It 's their Commission to pray them to whom they are sent to be reconciled to tell them that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself as it is 2 Cor. 5.19 20. and in Christ's steed to request them to embrace the offer of Reconciliation to tell them that Christ died for the Sinners that will embrace Him and that He will impute His Righteousness unto them and Chap. 6.1 We beseech you saith he that ye receive not this grace in vain which is not meant of saving Grace but of the gracious offer of Grace and Reconciliation through Him This is Ministers work to pray People not to be idle Hearers of this Gospel for saith he I have heard thee in a time accepted and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation The force of the Argument is this if ye will make this Gospel welcome ye may get a Hearing for now is the day of Salvation therefore do not neglect it So Psal 81.10 11. where God maketh the offer of Himself and that very largely Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it The Offer is of Himself as the words following clear My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me for they that refuse His Word refuse Himself and hence Isa 65.1 he saith I am found of them that sought me not I said Behold me behold me unto a nation that was not called by my name and to the Jews I have stretched out my hands all day long to a rebellious people 2. We may clear and confirm it from these similitudes by which the Offer of this Gospel is as it were brought to the doors of People and there are several similitudes made use of to this purpose I shall name but four 1. It 's set down under the expression of wooing as 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you as a chast virgin to Christ this is ordinary and supposeth a Marriage and a Bridegroom that is by his friends wooing and suting in Marriage so that as we shew wherever the call of the Gospel comes it 's a bespeaking of Souls to Him as Cant. 8. What shall we do for our sister in the day that she shall be spoken for 2. It 's set out under the expression of inviting to a Feast and Hearers of the Gospel are called to come to Christ as Strangers or Guests are called to come to a Wedding-feast Mat. 22.2 3 4. All things are ready come to the wedding c. Thus the Gospel calleth not to an empty House that wants meat but to a Banqueting-house where Christ is made ready as the Cheer and there wants no more but feasting on Him So it 's set out under the similitude of Eating and Drinking John 6.57 He that eats me even he shall live by me 3. It 's set out often under the expression or similitude of a Market where all the Wares are laid forth on the Stands Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsts come to the waters c. and least it should be said or thought that the Proclamation is only to the thirsty and to such as are so and so qualified ye may look to what followeth let him that hath no mony come yea come buy without mony and without price and to the offer that is made to those of Laodicea Rev. 3. who in appearance were a hypocritical and formal People yet to them the Counsel and Call comes forth Come buy of me eye-salve and gold tryed in the fire c. It sayes the Wares are even in their offer or even offered to them 4. It 's set out under the similitude of standing and knocking at a Door because the Gospel brings Christ a knocking and calling hard at
which may be gathered from Heb. 4.1 that stout confidence that thinks it's impossible to miss the Promises is a suspect and dangerous Faith not to be loved it 's a much better Faith that fears then that Faith that 's more stout except there be a sweet mixture of holy stoutness and fear together It 's said Heb. 11.7 that by Faith Noah being moved with fear prepared an Ark c. Noah had the Faith of God's Promise that he should be keeped free from being drowned by the Deluge with the rest of the World and yet he was mourning and trembling in preparing the Ark If there were much Faith among you it would make many of you more holily feared then ye are Love not that Faith the worse that ye never hear a threatning but ye tremble at it and are touched by it in the quick 2. It 's a good token of Saving Faith when it hath a discovery and holy suspition of Unbelief wairing on it so that the Person dare not so lippen and trust his own Faith as not to dread Unbelief and to tell Christ of it There is a poor Man that comes to Christ Mat. 9.23 24. to whom the Lord faith If thou canst believe or canst thou believe yes Lord says he I believe help thou mine unbelief there was some Faith in him but there was also Unbelief mixed with it his Unbelief was so great that it was almost like to drown his Faith but he puts it in Christ's hand and will neither deny his Faith nor his Unbelief but puts the matter sincerely over upon Christ to strengthen his Faith and to amend and help his Unbelief It 's a suspect Faith that 's at the top of Perfection at the very first and ere ever ye wot There are some serious Souls that think because they have some Unbelief that therefore they have no Faith at all but true Faith is such a Faith that is by and beside suspected and feared or seen Unbelief That Faith is surest where Folk fear and suspect Unbelief and see it and when they are weighted with their Unbelief and cry out under it and make their Unbelief an errand to Christ it 's a token there is Faith there 3. The third Character is That it will have with it a sticking to Christ and a fear to presume in sticking to Him There will be two things striving together an eagerness to be at Him and a fear that they be found presumptuous in medling with Him and an holy trembling to think on it yet notwithstanding it must and will be adventured upon the Woman spoken of Mark 5.28 lays this reckoning with her self If I can but touch his cloathes I shall be whole and she not only believeth this to be truth but crouds and thrimbles in to be at him yet vers 33. when she comes before Christ she trembles as if she had been taken in a fault not having dared to come openly to Him but behind him she behoved to have a touch of him but she durst not in a manner own and avouch her doing of it till she be unavoidably put to it It 's a suspect and unsound Faith that never trembled at minting to Believe there is reason to be jealous that Faith not to be of the right stamp that never walked under the impression of the great distance between Christ and the Person the sense whereof is the thing that makes the trembling I say not desperation nor any utter distrust of Christ's kindness but trembling arising from the consideration of the great distance and disproportion that 's between Him and the Person Faith holds the Sinner a going to Christ and the sense of its own sinfulness and worthlesness keeps him under holy fear and in the exercise of Humility Paul once thought himself a jolly man as we may see Rom. 7.9 but when he was brought to believe in Christ he sees that he was a dead and undone man before I give you these three marks of a true Faith from that Chapter 1. It discovers to a Man his former Sinfulness and particularly his former Self-conceit Pride and Presumption I was saith Paul alive without the Law once c. a man living upon the thoughts of his own Holiness but when the Law came I died he fell quite from these high thoughts A second Mark is A greater restlesness of the Body of Death it becoming in some respect worse Company more fretful and strugling more then ever it did before Sin revived saith Paul though he had no more Corruption in him then he had before but it wakened and bestirred it self more I dare say that though there be not so much Corruption in a Believer as there is in a natural Man yet it strugleth much more and is more painful and disquieting to the Believer and breeds him a greate dale more trouble for says the Apostle on the matter when God graciously poured Light and Life into me Sin took that occasion to grow angry and to be enraged that such a neighbour was brought in beside it it could not endure that as an unruly and currish Dog barks most bitterly when an honest Guest comes to the House so doth Corruption bark and make more noise then it did before when Grace takes place in the Soul There are some that trow they have the more Faith because they feel no Corruption stir in them and there are others that think they have no Faith at all because they feel Corruption strâ—gling more and growing more troublesome to them but the stirring and strugling of Corruption if Folk be indeed burdened and affected and afflicted with it will rather prove their having of Faith then their wanting of it Love that Faith well that puts and keeps Folk bickerring to say so in the Fight with the Body of Death for though this be not good in it self that Corruption stirreth yet Sin is of that sinful nature that it flies always more in their face that look God and Heaven-wards then of others that are sleeping securely under its Dominion A third Mark is When the Soul hath never Peace in any of its Conflicts or Combats with Corruption but when it resolves in Faith exercised on Jesus Christ as it was with Paul in that Chapter after his Conversion That is a sound Faith that only makes Peace at first by Christ but that cannot to say so fight one fair stroke in the Spiritual Warfare nor look Corruption in the face nor promise to it self an outgate from any assault of the Enemy but by Faith in Jesus Christ as it was with the Apostle who toward the end of that Chapter lamentably crys O! wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death yet immediatly subjoyns Faiths triumphing in Christ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord he belike before his Conversion thought he could do well enough all alone but it is not so now when he can do nothing without Christ especially in this sore
as a reason of the former and the one part of them is a reason of the other he had said before Who can declare his generation Who can sufficiently declare and unfold how gloriously the Mediator is exalted And he gives this for the reason of it For he was cut off out of the land of the living The force of which reason is that he humbled himself therefore God hath highly exalted him as the Apostle reasons Philip. 2.9 So tha this is not added as being posterior to his Exaltation but as a reason shewing the connexion of his Exâ—ltation with his Humiliation And left it should be a stumbling to any that this glorious person suffered death he gives the reason of that also which strengthens the reason of his Exaltation For the transgression of my people was he stricken or as the word is The stroak was on him he suffered not for any wrong in himself but for the sins of his own elect people The first part clearly looks to Christs death which was a Prophesie in Isaiah his time but is now a Historical narr tion to us we having the Gospel as a Commentary on it To be cut off out of the land of the living is to have an end put to the natural life which is ordinarily done by death But cutting off here signifies to be taken away not in an ordinary but in an extraordinary way to be removed by a violent death by the stroak of Justice We may shortly take these two Observes here for the confirmation of two Articles of our Faith Looking on it 1. As a Prophesie we may Observe That our Lord Jesus behoved to suffer and die it was Prophesied of him That he should be cut off out of the land of the living And Dan. 9.26 it is plainly and clearly asserted that the Messiah shall be cut off which being compared with the History of the Gospel we have it as a truth â—ulfilled for our Lord Jesus was cut off and as he himself sayes Luke 24. It behoved him to suffer these things and to enter into his gloâ—y Aâ—d supposing the Elect to be sinners and the curse to be added to the Covenant of Works The day thou eats thou shalâ— surely die supposing also the Mediator to have ingaged and undertaken to satisfie Juâ—â—ice and undergo that curse for the Elâ—ct There was a necessity that he should die as it is Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us which curse was evidenâ— in his death for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree 2. Observe That our Lord Jesus behoved to die a violent death and not an ordinary natural one which this expression and that other Dan 9 clearly holds forth And consideriâ—g his sinless nature that was not lyable to death and that he had not these principles of dying in him disposing him to die that we sinful miserable mortals have is us And considering withal that the Lord Jâ—hovah was to speak so pursuing him as siâ—ners Câ—uâ—ioner at the Bar of Justice it was meet yea necâ—ssary that our blessed Lord should not die an ordinary death as men die ordinarily through weakness or sickness on their beds but a violent death Use It serves to be a confirmation of this truth that the Messiah behoved thus to die therefore we say in the Belief He suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried Which shews 1. The reality oâ— his satisfaction and the compleat payment that he made to Justice when he layes down that price which the sinner ought to have laid down 2. It shews the reality of our Lord's sufferings and that they were not imaginary but that as he was a real and true man so his sufferings were most real His soul was separat from his body though the union betwixt both his body and soul and the God-head continued still 3. It holds forth a proof and confirmation of our faith in this that our Lord Jesus is the Messiah that was Prophesied of and promiâ—ed in whom all the suffâ—rings in his soul and body that were spokâ—n of to go before his death were accomplished and in whom this was also accomplished that he was cut off out of the land of the living So that if we look rightly on the Scriptures our Lords sufferings will be so far from being matter of stumbling that they will rather be a clear convincing and evident proof that Jeâ—us of Nazareth is the true Messiah and that in him all th t was spoken concerning the Messiah is fulfi led and came to pass 4. It 's mâ—tter of great consolation to believers that our Lord Jesus who is now exalted died and so death is spoiled and there needs not be any great fear for them to yoke with it This land of the living is not their rest within a little they must be gone hence Our Lord was cut off from it and that by a shameful death for the behove and sake of others and not for himself and therefore his death cannot but be made forth-coming for them for whom he under-went it and their petty suffâ—rings need not much to vex them Those plainest truths that are most ordinary have in them most of spiritual sap juâ—ce and life to strengthen Faith and to furnish consolation to Believers And were they rightly understood and fed upon by Faith O how lively might they be And were there no more but these two words in thâ— Text. O how much consolation do they yield in lâ—fe and in death Our Lord is gone before Believers and they may be greatly heartned to follow him The last part of or the last thing in the words seem to have some more obscurity in it and therefore we shall insist the more in opening up of the same For the transgression of my people was he stricken These words do not look to the reason why Pilate and the Priests condemned him for they had no thoughts of the sins of Gods people Though Caiaphas stumbled as to himself by guess on a Prophesie of his dying for them but they give a reason why he was cut off out of the land of the living And look to the Court and Tribunal of God's Justice before which he was standing by which he was to be sentenced to death for the transgressions of God's people and also absolved He was thus stricken in respect of God's purpose and design For clearing of the words it may be inquired 1. What is meant here by my people 2. What is it to be stricken or smitten for them For the 1. My people it is a discriminating or differencing thing of some from others And therefore by my people here is not meant 1. All the world or all that ever lived and had a beeing We find not any where in Scripture that these are called my people or God's people but when ever my people is spoken of it is used to rid Marches betwixt his people and
trust in Him SERMON XLIV ISAIAH LIII XI Vers 11. He shall see of the travell of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shalâ— my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be made perfect throughly furnished unto all good works and that His People may be made wise unto salvation Yet these Scriptures wherein our Lord Jesus is holden forth more clearly are eminently usefull He being the Foundation and Ground of all To whom the Law and the Prophets bear witness and they are only profitable to us in the Estate wherein we are in so far as they relate to to Him and point Him out to us And we may further say that these Scriptures wherein His Sufferings and Death are holden forth in the Richness and Fruitfulness of them are singularly so that being the very Life of the Covenant and the very Door by and through which we step from Death to Life And whatever they be to others sure they have a speciall Sweetnesse in them to sensible Sinners And therefore the Sum of the Gospel and of Saving Knowledge is by the Apostle 2 Cor. 2.2 Compended in the knowledge of Christ and of him crucified which unfolds His very Heart and Bowells to us The Prophet hath been pointing out this in severall Verses and hath hinted at the effects of His Sufferings in the former verse And now in these Words he puts a new Title on them calling them the travel of Christ's soul Not only to set out the exceeding greatness of them but with respect to thâ— foregoing Words wherein it 's said He shall see his seed Which is repeated here when it 's said He shall be satisfied So that as a Mother is in Travell for bringing forth of a Child So sayes he shall Christ be put to Soul-travell for bringing Life and Immortality to the Seed given to Him to be saved by Him And seing He is put to Travell He must needs bring forth and see his seed Here we may allude that of Isaiah 66.9 Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb saith thy God We have spoken of the Nature and Greatness of these Sufferings Now ere we proceed to any moe Observations we would speak a Word further to the Use of this It being indeed an Eater out of which comes Meat and a Strong out of which comes Sweet These pangs having calmed and quieted the Pangs and Showres to speak so of many Travelling Souls and brought forth a Birth at last And therefore beside what I spake to in the Use the last day I would add this That we would endeavour to have the solid Faith not only of His Sufferings but of the Greatness of His Sufferings imprinted deeply on our hearts That I say the Sufferings of a Dying Blood-sweating Christ Wrestling and Strugling even to His being in an Agony with the Wrath of God and puting up strong Cryes with Tears may be born in on our hearts and that we may throughly be perswaded of the greatness of the Work of Redemption and that it was a most Dear and Coastly Bargain to Christ For it was not Gold nor Silver it was not Kingdoms nor visible Worlds nor Angells that were given as a Price for Elect Sinners but it was the precious Blood of the Son of God Nay it was the bitter and sharp Soul-travell Sâ—dness Sorrow and Agony of our Lord Jesus which to speak comparatively was beyond the shedding of His Blood And what a Price do ye think this to be That He that made all and preserved all in their Being and was before all things should come thus low as to be a Man and a mâ—an sorrowfull suffering and dying Man yea to be a cursed Man and to go out of â—his Life as being under a Curse yet being alwayes the beloved Son of the Father And being even then when at His lowest the Prince of the kings of the earth and shining forth gloriously in the Powâ—r and Riches and Freeness of His Love and Grace sure this wonderfull low stooping and humbling of Himself Preaches out the Love that straitned and constrained Him to run upon that which was His own Death there being no hands that could have taken away His Life had He not willingly laid it down which He did with delight Could we make use of this there is much here to be said for our use We shall draw what we would say on it to these four heads 1. To something for Instruction 2. To something for Consolation 3. To something for Exhortation 4. To something for Reproof and Expostulation I say 1. It serves for Instruction and ye would from it be Instructed in several things 1. How to think aright of the great Severity of the Justice of God and of the Horrour of Wrath and of the dreadfull Consequ nts of Sin which it will most certainly have following on it May it not make your Souls to tremble to think upon and consider that our Lord Jesus was brought to such a pass as to be in such an Agony to be so exceeding sorrowfull and even amazed To be so troubled in Soul that he was thereby made to sweat great drops of blood and to be wrestling with somewhat that His holy Humane Nature had a scarring at O! the desert and wages of Sin is dreadfull when the Law pursues its Controversie and when Justice exacts what a broken Covenant deserves Alace The most of men believe not this but it s here that may convince us whâ—â— an evil thing Sin is and what a dreadfull thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God O! that ye would think upon it that ye may beware of Sin by all means and may alwayes be minding that Word which our Saviour hath If these things be done in the green tree what shall be done in the dry If it was so done with Him who in the Action if I may so call it was performing His Fathers will and giving an admirable proof of His respect to the Honour of God What wiâ—l He do to the dry Sticks the Damned Reprobat who have slighted the offer of His Grace despised the Sufferings of a Mediator and disdained to be reclaimed Hear it and tremble and be perswaded that the Horror that Sin shall bring upon the Sinner when God comes to reckon with him is inexpressible 2. Be Instructed and see here how great the difficultie is of making peace with God when once His Law is broken A thing that is little believed by most who are disposed to think that they will get God sooner pleased and pacifiâ—d thâ—n they will get their Neigâ—bour or Master pacified and pleased which sayes That either they they think nothing or but very little of His
to God I shall only say further here that though we cannot tell how he interceeds to satisfie our selves fully yet this is clearly held forth to us that whatsoever is needful by his being in heaven we may confidently expect it will be performed from the man Christ from him who is God-man in one Person and so his Intercession with the Father is his actual procuring and doing such a thing and that not as God simply but as Mediator Therefore these two words are put in the forecited expressions Whatsoever ye ask in my name I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son and whâ—m the Father will send in my name That is by vertue of my procurement by vertue of my Sacrifice and Intercession and the sending of the Comforter shews that it is performed by him that is God-man out of the respect he hath to his members and on the account of his Office which he pursues for their edification And so there is enough to answer the question and abounding consolation to his people which is the next Ufe Use 2. To shew the notable consolatioon that flows from this part of Christs Office O! What savourinesse and unsearchable riches are in this part of his name That our Lord Jesus as Intercessour appeares in the presence of God for us We shall speak here to these Five things 1. Wherein this is comfortable or to the extent of it 2. To the advantages that follow on it 3. To the grounds of this consolation which are confirmations of it 4. To this at what times and particular occasions the People of God may and ought in a special manner to make use of and comfort themselves in it And 5. on what terms this consolation is allowed that they grow not vain and proud of it For the First Our Lords Intercession gives a Fourfold extent of consolation that makes it wonderful 1. In it's universality as to the persons to whom it 's extended Not indeed to all men in the World but to all that will make use of it And though it were simply of universal extent to all men in the world yet it would comfort none but such as made use of it And that vanity of the Arminians that extends Christs Death and Intercession to all can truly say no more for so in comfort for they are forced to say that Christ died and intended his death for many that will never get good of him but we say all that he intended should get good of his death do get the intended good of it yea we say that whoever will make use of him shall get good both of his Death and of his Intercession So Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him Though the cause seemed to be desperat and the sentence pronounced Cursed is he that continues not in all things written in the law yet he is able to save them Therefore 1 John 2.2 It 's said If any man sin O! strange word We have an Advocat what an Advocat for any man yea for any man that will make use of him For as we shew before though it 's true that his Intercession is bounded to his Elect yet it 's as true that he refuses no cause that is honestly given him to plead If any man sin we have an advocat He will not say to such poor Souls I will not be for you I have done all that I may but it is gone against me neither will he prig to say so with you he will not say I will have this or that ere I undertake your cause for you but if any man sin If any man see his need and will imploy him whether he be a great man or mean man whether he be poor or rich bound or free whether he be an old sinner that his lived long in security hypocrisie or prophanity or be a sitten up professour whether he be young or old If any of you all that are here will come to him he will not refuse to be imployed by you By him therefore as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 1â— 15 let us offer praise to God continually And as praise so the sacrifices of other duties and they shall be accepted as the offer oâ— the Gospel runs on an universality and excludes none but these that by their unbelief exclude themselves So his Intercession runs on an universality If any man sin and will imploy him he is an Advocat at hand And seing it is Christ and Christ as Intercessour for transgressours that we are speaking of as the ground of Sinners consolation let me in passing desire you to remember that he is pointing at you men and women and if there be any of you that have a broken cause to plead any debt that ye would fain be fred of any Sin to be pardoned or your peace to be made with God here is an Advocat and the very best offering himself to be imployed Such an Advocat as said John 11. I thank thee Father for that I know thou hearest me alwayes This was true while he was on earth and will be true to the end of the world 2. The extent of this consolation appears in respect of all cases as his Intercession secluds no person that wil make use of him so it secluds no case though it looked like a lost cause and though the conscience had pronunced the Sentence God is greater then the Conscience and can louse from it though the Act were past in the Law he can cancel it And here comes in the triumph Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifies Will the Devil the Law the Conscience or any thing lay ought to the charge of the man whom God justifies No why so It is Christ that died But that is not all alas may the Soul say How will I get good of Christs death I cannot apply it and make use of it He answers that He is also risen again and sitten down at the right hand of God and there maketh intercession for us to wit that his purchase may be applyed and there needs no more ye will get no more ye can seek no more and that closes the triumph There is no sin before nor after Conversion no sin of ignorance no sin against light no enemy no tentation whatever it be but that word answers all Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Where Christ takes the sinners case in hand who will stand up against him he is too strong a partie If Satan stand at the High Priests hand it 's the Lord that rebukes him Zach. 3. That as it were boasts him from the bar 3. The extent of this consolation appears in respect of the degree and hight of the perfection of the Salvation that comes by Christs Intercession to all that make use of him in all cases Heb. 7.25 He is able to save to the uttermost
Curse as if he had never had Sin But the difference lyeth here that this last acception of the Word absolves a Man though he have Sin in himself by the interposing of a Surety and Cautioner who payes his Dâ—bt and procures the Sentence of Absolution to him And in this Sense Justification is as if a Man were standing at the Bar of Gods Tribunal Guilty and having a witness of his Guilt in himself and God out of Respect to the Mediator His Satisfaction and Payment of His Debt which He hath laid hold upon by Faith does pronunce that sinfull Person to be Free Absolved and Acquitted from the Guilt and Punishment of Sin and doth accordingly Absolve him upon that accompt So then Justification is not to be considered as Gods Creating and Infusing of gracious habits in us but the declaring of us to be Free and Acquitted from the Guilt of Sin upon the account of Christs Satisfying for our Debt This we will find to be very clear if we consider how the Word is taken both in the Old and new Testament as namely Isaiah 5.23 Woe unto them that justifie the wicked for a reward and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him And Prov. 17.15 He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord. Where the plain meaning of the Word can be no other then this that when a Judge pronounces a man to be Just although he be unjust it is a wicked thing which the Lord abhores And so Psal 51.4 That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest That is that thou might be declared to be so And Matth. 11.19 Wisdom is justified of her children 2. We will find this meaning of the Word to be clear if we consider Justification as distinguished from Sanctification For in that Popish sense they are both made one and the same but they are distinguished in Scripture As 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified Where he looks on these two Benefits of Justification and Sanctification as distiâ—ct and distinguisheth the one of them from the other now Sanctification being the Grace that renews our nature and makes an inward spiritual change Justification must needs be that Act of Gods Grace that takes away the Guilt of Sin and makes Sinners to be friends with God through Christs Righteousness and so is a relative change of their State 3. It will be clear if we consider to what it is opposed in Scripture it is not opposed to sinning as Sanctification is but to these two 1. To the charging of a Sinner with somewhat unto Condemnation And 2. To the Act of Condemning now the opposit to Condemnation is Absolution as is clear Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies who shall condemn c. Gods Justifying is put in as opposit to the Charging and Lybelling of the Elect and to the Condemning of them therefore none of these can be and so Justification there looks both to the part of an Advocat pleading and declaring a man to be Free and to the part of a Judge pronouncing him to be Absolved and Justified which well agrees to Our Lord Jesus who Justifies His People both wayes 4. It may also be cleared from parallel Scriptures where Justifying is called Reconciling As 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed to us c. And how that comes to pass is told in the last v. For he made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him So that to be made the Righteousness of God is to be Justified and to be Justified is to be made friends with or to be reconciled to God and that not by working a moral Change but upon the account of Christ's Satisfact on bringing us into friendship with God So Eph. 1.6 Where to be Justified is exponed to be made accepted in the Beloved And what else is that but to be in good terms with God to have him passing by all quarrels as having nothing to say against us but accepting us through Christ as Righteous So Acts 13.38 39. Be it known unto you that through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could be justified by the law of Moses A place that clearly holds forth that as all the Elect are naturally chargable by the Law as being Guilty of the breach thereof and that they cannot be absolved from it by ought in themselves so they are through Faith in Jesus Christ freed from it As if the Lord had said ye are fred from the Sentence of the Law because through Christ is preached unto you Remission of Sins and there is away laid down for your Absolution who believe from the Guilt of Sin and from all the consequents of it 5ly It 's clear from the Text because it 's such a Justifying as hath in it Christs being Sentenced in our Room as the cause of it now He was Sentenced in our Room not by having Sin infused in Him which were Blasphemous to think but by having our Sin imputed to Him and therefore our Justification must be our Absolution by having His Righteousnesse imputed to us As is clear throughout this Chapter Therefore it s said He hath carried our sorrows and born our griefs He was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities by his strips we are healed He laid on him the inquitie of us all And in these words By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities It 's a Justification that comes to us by Christ's taking on our Debt And this we cannot imagine to be otherwayes but by a Legal Change or by a Change of Law-rooms He coming as Surety in our Room and we having Absolution by vertue of His Satisfaction So that the meaning of the Words in short is As if the Prophet had said would ye know what we have by Christ's Sufferings Even this to wit That many as many as whose iniquities He bore and satisfied for shall be Acquitted and Absolved from the Guilt and Punishment of their Sin through His Satisfaction They shall be fred from the Sentence and Curse of the Law which they deserved And shall be declared Righteous through the Righteousnesse of their Cautioner which they have laid hold upon by Faith Hence Observe 1. That all Men and Women even all the Elect themselves are by nature lyable to an arraignment before the Justice-seat of God That they are Justified supposes a bringing of them as it were before His Tribunal ere they can be Justified and have the Sentence of Absolution past in their favours The Apostle takes this for granted