delights in viz. uprightnesse of Spirit your sighs and groans and tears and desires shall passe and be accepted instead of more full and ample performances 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him Psal 51. 17. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Zach. 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things 6. They have immunity from the terrour or coercive power of the Law Namely From the coercive power of the Law from obeying the commands of it upon the meer principles of slavish fear of the threatnings annexed unto the breach of the Law You do now obey the Law not as slaves but as sonnes not out of fear of wrath but out of love to your Father That Spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. and that spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. is removed and a spirit of love comes in the room thereof Though there were no rewards to allure and though there were no severe threats to terrifie you yet you would serve your God with willing minds and with willing hearts 2 Chron. 28. 9. Psal 110. 3. There is such a heavenly sutablenesse and superconnaturalnesse 'twixt the Law of your God and your hearts that it is your delight to meditate in it and to walk up unto it in all things there is no constraint on you but the love of your good God 7. They have immunity from the curse of the Law Christ hath redeemed us From the curse of the Law from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. Indeed afflictions and fatherly chastisements or corrections may befall the people of God in this life whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth Heb. 12. 6. but no curses befall them Though the cup be bitter yet there is no poyson in it though it be a crosse yet it is not a curse their wounds are healing wounds and their afflictions are instructions and their losses are their gains for nothing comes as a curse which doth us good 8. They have immunity from the Kingdome and power of darkness You are no From the Kingdome of darknesse longer under the Prince of the power of the Aire the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. The Divel is dispossessed and cast down and cast out he is still your enemy but he shall never be your Lord more he may tempt you and disquiet you but command and rule over you he shall never do Though the Divel be very busie and active with you yet he shall never regain possession never conâuer your graces never part you and your God never hinder you of your inheritance 9. They have immunity from death there is the first death and the second From death death or there is a three-fold death there is the death of the soul and the death of the body and the death of soul and body 1. Spiritual death that is the death of the soul 2. Corporal death that is the death of the body 3. Eternal death that is the death of soul and body Now all the people of God are freed from spiritual death by the grace of Christ and from eternal deaâh by the blood of Christ and from corporal death though not absolutely or simply yet respectively so far forth as sinne hath made it dreadful and our enemy and prejudicial to us Though you must dye yet your death is but your sleep and is but your strait passage into life The death of death is removed from you by the death of Christ Vide Heb. 2. 15. 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jâsus Christ 10. What can I say more they have immunity from all evil in this life and in the life to come you are freed or delivered from an evil conscience which never From all evil leaves accusing and condemnâng from this present evil world and the corruptions thereof from every evil work and way from evil men from all the evil which remains for evil men in hell God in this Covenant secures you against all why what comforts are there in these things and what confidence and what encouragements and what support unto your souls Why do you fear so often and why are your hearts troubled Surely you do not know your selves to be the people of God or else you do not fully know the liberties and immunities of the people of God Sometimes you fear the heavy wrath of God but why do you so He is your God and your Father and full of compassions and loving kindnesses he will not deal with you as a revenging Judge but as a loving and merciful Father he is at peace with you and reconciled unto you Sometimes you fear the damnation and curse belonging unto sinne But why do you so Christ hath dyed and satisfied for your sinnes and he was made a curse for you and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Sometimes you fear because of the powerful motions and conflicts and rebellions of sinne in your hearts but why do you so seeing that sinne shall not have dominion over you and Christ in you is daily mortifying and destroying the body of sinne neither shall any Lord reigne in you but your Saviour who dyed for you Sometimes you fear because of the imperfection of your graces but why do you so It is not your weaknesse or want of holinesse but Christs perfect righteousnesse which is imputed unto you for life and for justification Sometimes you fear because of the weaknesse of your obediential services and performances but why do you so your God in Covenant works all his works in you and he owns your persons and will accept the weakest offerings of an upright heart in and for Christ Sometimes you fear because of the strong temptations of Satan but why do you so grace sufficient shall be given unto you and your God will shortly bruise Satan under your feet Sometimes you fear men because of their malice and power and why do you so your God will restrain the rage of man and frustrate the counsels of the Heathen and break the armes of the ungodly and knows how to deliver you Sometimes you fear to dye but why are you afraid of death which is but the last Stile to go over and then you are at your Fathers house death to you is but an end of your sinnes and miseries and only a quick passage into your eternal happinesse Secondly The priviledges which you enjoy by being under the Covenant of grace Priviledges by being in Covenant by
mercy If God saith Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee conscience now hath no longer Commission to disquiet the heart saying Peace belongs not to thee and comfort belongs not to thee but God is still displeased with thee and holds thee for his enemy and will be avenged on thee for thy sins If conscience through darkness and misinformation oâ temptation should speak thus it now exceeds its Commission and deals unrighteously and God will not ratifie such a testimony or such a charge from such a conscience But by the way Take notice what a mercy it is to have your sins pardoned in that your consciences have no more power or authority to wound and charge and threaten and condemn you for any of your sins if a wounded conscience be one of the dreadfullest punishments here on earth then to be totally secured from that and upon this ground that he hath forgiven us our sins is one of ãâã greatest blessings here on earth which privatively concerns us Fourthly If your sins be pardoned then also you are discharged of the spirit You are discharged of the spirit of bondage of bondage to fear you are fenced from all slavish fears which formerly did abound in your hearts and oppress and distract them Before a mans sins were pardoned and guilt lay on him there were ten distracting and crushing fears lying on his heart The sinner 1. Did fear the secret purpose or intention of God against him O said he What will God do with this guilty soul of mine I fear lest I be one of them to whom he will never shew mercy 2. Did fear the open threatnings of God O saith he Will not all these evils and cuâses which God hath threatnd will they not shortly be my portion 3. Did fear every judgement of Goâ walking upon the earth as if it were an evil drawing near to him and which his sins would bring to his house and to his person and he should not escape 4. Did fear that some time or other his sinnings would be discovered and that they should be laid open to his shame and reproach before the whole world 5. Did fear any outward enjoyment and comfort which he had that for his sins God would ere long deprive him of them in wrath 6. Did fear many times to come and hear the Wââd of God lest it should awaken and trouble his conscience with more apprehensions of his own guilt and Gods wrath 7. Did fear the very thoughts of death and especially lest God should suddenly cut him off from the Land of the living before he had so improved his opportunities as to make his peace with God 8. Did fear all appearings before the Judgement-seat lest he should receive his sad and eternal sentence there for his sins 9. Did fear all his approaches and requests unto God that God would not hear nor regard them because his sins were upon record in the Court against his soul 10. Did fear that no way could ever be found so powerful and effectual as to satisfie the justice of God and purchase mercy enough for the pardon of his sins but now repenting of his sins and believing on the Lord Jesus and having in his blood obtained the remission of sins this spirit of bondage to fear is taken away the forgiveness of his sins by God himself hath satisfied him and hath answered all the doubts and fears of his soul his sins are pardoned and God is reconciled and now all is well and safe of what or of whom should he be afraid Fifthly If your sins be forgiven you then nothing which befalls you in Nothing which befalls you in life or death is an evil to you life or death shall ever be an evil or hurt unto you for when sin is pardoned all curse is removed Whatsoever state the unpardoned sinner is in it is a cursed estate to him and whatsoever contingencies befall that sinner they are cursed unto him his prosperity is cursed unto him and his adversity is cursed to him his enjoyments are cursed and his losses are cursed his blessings are cursed and his crosses are cursed his life is cursed and his death is cursed nothing which he hath doth him good and nothing which God doth doth him any good but hurt he is the worse under all But when sins are forgiven the sting the poyson the curse is gone and nothing is for evil or for mischief unto him prosperity shall do him no hurt but good and adversity shall do him no hurt but good his enjoyments are a blessing and his losses are a blessing if he lives life shall be a blessing and if he dyes death shall be a blessing All is food and physick all is good or for good unto him he gains by his losses and that which is another mans misery is his mercy sweet shall come out of bitter and light shall come out of darkness and good shall come out of evil and comfort shall come out of sorrow and life shall come out of death Secondly In a positive way In a positive way It is a clear decision of all the questions of a troubled soul First The obtaining of the forgiveness of your sins is a clear sure decision of all the great Questions of a troubled soul There are six things concerning which we oft-times complain and question viz. 1. Hath God Elected us 2. Are we in Covenant with God 3. Is God reconciled to us and we are reconciled to him 4. Is Christ ours and are we his 5. Have we truly repented and have we truly believed 6. Shall these poor souls of ours certainly be saved have not all these been and are not some of these the constant debates and doubts and questions of our hearts Now mark what I say when God himself according to his promise forgives unto us all our sins all those debates are concluded and resolved for 1. None are forgiven but the Elect of God and all the Elect either are or shall be forgiven their sins Ephes 1. 4. Having chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Ver. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2. Whosoever have their sins forgiven are certainly in Covenant with God God is their God and they are his people Psal 85. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people Thou hast covered all their sins Selah Remission of sins is the portion only of the Church and people of God 3. God is certainly reconciled if sins be forgiven 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 4. Christ is unquestionably yours and you are Christs forasmuch as the partaking of this and other choice benefits by him doth necessarily presuppose a precedent union with him and relation unto him whom he called them he justified Rom. 8. 30. And what is it there to be called but to be brought in effectually to Christ and
This would most powerfully melt our hearts in filial grief and pure Melting mournings for our sins nothing melts the heart more than the apprehension of mercy Zach. 12. 10. 6. This would effectually constrain us to walk in all well pleasing before God Obedience Paul obtained mercy and returned duty 7. This would mightily strengthen and advance our confidence toward Confidence God 8. This would make all our communions with God more pleasant and delightful Present communion Chearful endurance of afflictions c. 9. This would make us patiently to bear all our afflictions and to rejoyce under them Mich. 7. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned and why so because I am pardoned 10. This would make us willing to dye Thy loving-kindness is better than life Comfortable dying and in death to be above death O death where is thy sting the sting of death is sin c. but thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. Ezek. 36. 25. From all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you THese words are a fuller and larger discovery of this sweet and gracious promise of Gods mercy in the forgiveness of sins They do contain in them the quantity of that forgiving mercy respecting both the number of sins and the greatnesse of sins From all your filthinesse and from all your idols will I cleanse you There are two Propositions which these words do afford unto you 1. That Gods promise of forgiveness of sins doth extend unto all the sins of all his people 2. That though the sins of persons have been exceeding great yet when they become the people of Gods Covenant even these sins also are forgiven them CHAP. III. 1. Doct. THat Gods promise of forgivenesse of sins doth extend unto all the sins of Gods promise of forgiveness extends to all the sins of all his people all his people from all c. They have been guilty of Original sin and of Actual sin of sins of Omission and of Commission of sins of Ignorance and of sins of Knowledge of sins against the first Table and against the second Table of sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel of sins in Youth and of sins in riper Age of sins considered only in Kind and of sins considered in their aggravating Circumstances Now all these and other sinnes all which though they are in number like unto the hairs on the head and aâ thâ sand on the Sea shore so the Scripture alludes of which the people of God have been guilty upon their repentance and upon their faith in Christ I say all of them every one of them is forgiven to them Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Ezek. 18. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him i. e. not one of them shall Col. 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses ver 14. blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Crosse 1 Joh. 1. 17. The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin Mich. 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea Alluding as is supposed to the drowning of Pharaoh and all his host Psal 106. 11. The waters covered their enemies there was not one of them left so there is not one sin of the people of God which God doth not pardon in the depths of his mercies and of the blood of Christ SECT I. NOw there are four Arguments which may demonstrate this comfortable Argumeâts to demonstrate it truth First The first shall be taken from Jesus Christ in relation to the people of God where observe From Jesus Christ All the sins of Gods people were imputed tâ him 1. That all their sins were imputed unto Christ Isa 53. 6. He laid upon him the iniquity of us all 2 Cor. 5. 21. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sinne 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree 2. That Jesus Christ stood in their room as to answer for all their sinnes as He stoâd as a Surety for all theâr sins a Surety Heb 7. 22. He was made a Surety of a better Testament That Surety is that other Person who stands legally charged with all our debts and is bound to discharge it for us and at his hands it is required 3. That Jesus Christ suffered as much as all the sins of the people of God did He suffered as much as all their sins did deserve deserve and which could be inflicted on them for their sins Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us More than the curse of the Law could not be deserved on our parts nor inflicted on Gods part for our sins and that curse which was the comprehension of all punishment Christ was made for us and for this end to Redeem us from that curse yea he hath done so 4. That Jesus Christ by his suffering for all their sins did purchase for them the He purchased the pardon of all their sins pardon of all their sin I pray you to remember This was the purpose and intention of Christ in his sufferings to procure the remission of sins Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins This was the fruit and effect of his sufferings Ephes 17. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins 5. Nay yet more Jesus Christ by his sufferings did make peace between us and He made peace between us and God God and reconciled us which could not possibly be if he had not discharged all our sins for any one sin unsatisfied for and unpardoned hinders that peace and Reconciliation Col. 1. 20. He made peace through the blood of his Crosse ver 21. And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies hath he reconciled v. 22. in the body of his flesh through death 6. So did he suffer and satisfie That there is no condemnation to any who are in So that there is no condemnation to them Christ Rom. 8. 1. And who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died ver 34. If there be no condemnation to any in Christ and none to condemn them then all their sins are pardoned for if any sin remained without pardon that sin would be matter and reason of condemnation and for that sin God himself would condemn Secondly The second Argument to demonstrate the total forgiveness of sins From God himself unto the people of God shall be taken from God himself and some Considerations of him in a respectiveness unto his people
your good he seeks your wel-fare and happinesse speaks kindly to you hears your groans answers your complaints and pleads for the poor and needy 7. He is a King for Protâction He will protect and secure you against all your Enemies Divels Sins Men the worst and greatest and will subdue them and trample them under his feet His enemies shall be his foot-stoole 8. He hath great rewards an infinite treasure to bestow on all his people he will accept He hath great rewards for you of their service and reward every one of them with a crown of life O how happy are the people who have the Lord to be their God! and who have therefore Christ to be their Christ a Christ who is such a Prophet such a Priest and such a King I will not stay you any longer in this one part of your Covenant-happiness viz. That Christ is yours only I think it fit to summe up in a few particulars the general comforts which I have mentioned or insinuated already in the Person and Offices of Christ Thus then if Christ be yours Then 1. Life is yours Christ is your life and he that hath the Son hath life Col. 3. 4. 1 Joh. 5. 12. 2. Love is yours Christ loves all his with a love of Kindnesse and tendernesse and benevolence and benificence 3. All that Christ did or suffered in order to mans salvation all is yours your good and for your good 4. His Redemption is yours he hath Redeemed you from wrath and curse and sin and Satan and death and hell 5. You are certainly partakers of the forgivenesse of all your sins 6. You are perfectly reconciled unto God who is now your God and your Father 7. You are accepted and approved with God in the Righteousness of Christ which is now yours as Christ himself is yours 8. You now receive the adoption of sons as you are the brethren of Christ so are you with him in the same relation of sons unto God 9. You are cloathed with the same Spirit wherewith Christ himself was anointed the self same Spirit which is in Christ as your Head is in you as his Members 10. He is your Apology against all Satans accusations and your own sins and fears There is no condemnation unto them that are in Christ Jesus for it is Christ that died 11. He is the living Root and foundation of all your graces and comforts 12. All his victories shall extend to you over Satan the world your sinnes and death 13. You are no more strangers nor Forreiners but are made nigh by the blood of Christ 14. You have all the sights of God in his glory as he is the Lord gracious and merciful long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth 15. You enjoy liberty of Accesse by his blood to the throne of grace 16. You shall assuredly speed well in all your suites be heard and answered upon his account 17. He will take special care of you and will own and help and succour and supply you as long as you have a day to live on earth 18. He is your Defence as he is exceedingly sensible of all your Injuries so he will certaânly judge all your enemies 19 By him you are heires of the same glory and Kingdom which the Father hath bestowed on him and which he hath prepared for you 20. He will never part with you nor forsake you but will love and keep you to the end 21. He will entertain you with sweet communions in the day of your pilgrimage and as you are walking and travelling through the vale of tears many a kind word many a good look many a feast all you have where he will sup with you and you shall sup with him many refreshings and joyes and revivings of your spirits 22. You shall infallibly possâsse and enjoy all the grace and comfort and blessing and blessednesse which he hath purchased for you in this life and in the life to come even to all eternity he is ever with you whilst you are on earth and you shall for ever be with him when you dye and come to Heaven SECT IX 4. A Fourth singular comfort unto you who have God to be your God is this The Spirit of God is yours then the Spirit of God is yours He also is given unto you for this is one part of the Covenant Ezek. 36. 27. I will put my Spirit within you 1 Thes 4. 8. He hath given unto us his holy Spirit 1 Joh. 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit Nehem. 9. 20. Thou gavest them also thy good Spirit Acts 5. 32. The holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him The Spirit of God may be considered seven wayes and as to every one of them The spirit is ours in respect of his Titles and Attributes The Spirit of God of Christ of Glory he is yours In respect 1 Of his âitles or Attributes 2. Of his gifts and fruits 3 Of his works or operations 4. Of his helps or vertues 5. Of his joyes and comforts 6. Of his Office or Function 7. Of his presence or abode 1. The Spirit is yours in respect of his Titles and Attributes he is called sometimes 1. The Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 11. and the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8. 9. and the Spirit of glory 1 Pet. 4. 14. This very Spirit is given unto you who have God to be your God we have received the Spirit which is of God 1 Cor. 2. 12 God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Gal. 4. 6. O what a glory is this what a dignity what a comfort that the same Spirit which is in Christ is also in you that you have Christ and you have the Spirit of Christ 2. The holy Spirit Grieve not the holy Spirit of God Ephess 4. 30. sealed with The holy Spirit that holy Spirit of promise Ephes 1. 13. above eighty times is the Spirit of God stiled the holy Ghost or Spirit in the Scripture And under this notion also is he given unto you as we are said in Heb. 3. 14. to be partakers of Christ so are we said in Heb. 6. 4. to be partakers of the holy Ghost and as Christ is said to be given unto us Isa 9. 6. so the Holy Ghost is said to be given unto us Acts 5. 32. 1 Thes 4. 8. This is the excellency of the Spirit of God that he is holy and this is our excellency that we are holy and the holy Spirit is given unto us for this end to make us holy like unto the Father and the Son and himself hence it is that we are said to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost Rom. 15. 16. 2 Thes 2. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 2. 3. The free Spirit so he is called Psal 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit The free Spirit He is a free Spirit on a two fold account
Rom. 6. 14. Here you see expresly that there is a freedome from the dominion of sinne even upon this account that we are under the Covenant of grace Though you be not totally freed from the inhabitation of sinne for sinne doth dwell in us whiles we dwell on earth and though you be not totally freed from the rebellion of sinne for peccatum hostis est quamdiu est The flesh lusteâh against the spirit Gal. 5. 17. and there is a law in our members warring against the law of our minds Rom. 7. 23. yet you are totally freed from the dominion of sinne which consists in the effectual Rule Command and Sovereign strength of sinne and a free and full and willing subjection or obedience unto the Law and authority of sinne and verily this freedome or deliverance is a wonderful mercy and happinesse unto the people of God whither you consider 1. The great and utmost distance twixt you and God 2. The basenâsse of servitude in which every one lives over whom sinne hath dominion for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage 2 Pet. 2. 19. You were but very slaves to your lusts and to the devil whiles sinne did rule over you 3. The height of enmity As you were the basest of slaves so you were the worst of enemies living not only as aliens without God but as desperate enemies opposing and fighting against God 4. The superfluity of naughtinesse a full contrariety your whole hearts and your whole lives were nothing else but a constant dishonour unto God and contradiction to his Will and Glory 5. The certainty of destruction which would infallibly have attended you had not the mercy and grace of God rescued and delivered you I say certain destruction to your souls as there is a certain destruction to the life of our bodies if we fall into the sea and lie under it 6. The sweet and immediate communion 'twixt the deliverance from the dominion of sinne and admission to the Kingdome of Christ It is a translation from death to life The Apostle joins these together in Colos 5. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his dear Sonne 3. They have immunity or freedome from the damnation meritoriously depending upon the guilt of sinne As salvation depends upon the merits of Christ so From damnation for sinne doth damnation depend on the merit of sinne There is so much merit in sinne as to render us obnoxious not only to temporal destruction but also to eternal destruction for the wages of sinne is death even that death which stands in opposition to eternal life Rom. 6. 23. But from the effectual redundancy of this damnation upon your persons you are every one freed who are in Covenant with God For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3. 15. And the ground of this your immunity from the damnation due unto you for your sinnes is the satisfaction which Christ hath made for your sinnes unto the justice of God and thereupon the obtaining of riches of mercy from your God who according to his Covenant with you blots out and forgives all your sinnes and never remembers them any more For this is a sure truth that remission of sinnes and actual damnation for sinnes are incompatible or inconsistent Now whether this be any cause of comfort that you and your sinnes are parted and that you and hell are for ever separated I leave it to any one of you to judge for mine own part I do look upon four things as very great mercies 1. That I am delivered from the power of sinne 2. That I enjoy the pardon of sinne 3. That I shall never be damned for sinne 4. That I shall be saved notwithstanding all my sinnes 4. They have immunity or freedome from justification by the Law from all legal From justification by the Law tryals for life Although you are not freed from the Law as it is a rule for life yet you are freed from the Law as it is a Covenant of life although you are not freed from the Law as it is the image of the good and holy will of God yet because you are under the Covenant of grace you are freed from the Law as it is a reason of salvation and justification The Covenant of grace takes you off from that Court and that Bar which pronounceth life upon your own good works and pronounceth death upon your own evil works Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law Gal. 3. 11. No man is justified by the Law in the sight of God for the just shall live by faith As the Law calls for perfect and personal righteousnesse of our own so the Law will not justifie you it will not give life unto you unlesse it finds that righteousnesse in you you live not if you be not perfectly righteous absolution is pronounced upon your own perfect innocency and condemnation is pronounced upon any defect or breach And verily upon this account no man living can or shall be justified therefore here is comfort that being in Christ and in this Covenant of grace ye are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses See the Apostle Acts 13. 39. Your life doth not lie now in your own righteousnesse but in the righteousnesse of Christ nor doth it depend upon your own works but upon the obedience of Christ That expression of Luther is an excellent expression Christus solus me justificat contra mea mala opera sine operibus meis bonis Though my works have been very good yet not those but Christ doth justifie me and though my works have been very ill yet the righteousnesse of Christ can and will justifie me my evil works shall not damne me and my good works cannot acquit me it is Christ it is Christ and not the Law which justifies me 5. They have immunity or liberty from the rigour of the Law The Law in the rigour of it exacts of us a most absolute obedience a most exquisite and full obedience From the rigor of the Law it will not abate us the least grain or scruple if it be not every way adequate for matter and manner and measure your obedience will not passe nor will it be accepted according to the rigour of the Law Cursed is every one who doth not continue in every thing that is written to do it But when once you are under the Covenant of grace when once God is your God and you are his people neither you nor your services are judged by the exactnesse of your services but by the sincerity of your hearts Though much be wanting which the Law prescribes yet if that be present which your merciful God and Father
who paid no Debt nor Ransome for our selves it did cost us nothing the Remission of sins is meer mercy and free grace God did not expresse his full justice and mercy on Christ together nor did he express his full mercy and justice together on us But he expressed his justice on Christ who fully satisfied it and he expressed his mercy on us yet for the satisfaction made by the blood of Christ Amongst many places which might be brought to prove that the remission of our sins doth depend on the blood or sufferings of Christ I will mention only one more It is in Heb. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission verse 26. But now hath he speaking of Christ once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin by tht sacrifice of himself verse 28. So was Christ once offered to bear the sins of many what can be more clear There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood and therefore Christ appeared to put away our sins by the shedding of his blood per immolationem sui ipsius by the Sacrifice of himself As when the Sacrifices called expiatory were offered sins were taken away and pardoned so when Christ offered up himself by death a Sacrifice to God this was of real vertue to expiate our sins Vse 1 Now what an unspeakable comfort is this that Jesus Christ as our Mediatour did shed his blood for the remission of our sins Comfort that Christ shed his blood for our remission It looseth our Bonds and dischargeth our Debts 1. Our sins in Scripture are sometimes called Bonds and indeed they are the heaviest and dreadfullest Bonds of all others lying heavy upon the conscience and binding us over to Gods Tribunal to answer but these are loosened and released through the blood of Christ And sometimes they are called Debts for the payment of which we do owe unto the justice of God the endurance of everlasting pain in soul and in body but these debts are forgiven us for Christs sake In every sin there are two things considerable One is the Offence done to God by reason whereof he is displeased The other is the Obligation of that person so offending God unto everlasting wrath and condemnation And both these are removed in the remission or forgiveness of sins the offence or fault is removed God is not now offended or displeased with the offending sinner any more and the obligation unto eternal wrath and condemnation is so far cancelled that it shall never redound unto the person Although guilt and obligation be natural unto and inseparable from sin yet this obligation shall never be put in suit nor shall that wrath and condemnation deserved by sin be ever inflicted on the sinner because there is a forgiveness of sin wrought by Jesus Christ And therefore the Apostle saith That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 2 Cor. 5. 19. that is not laying of them to their charge not suing of them not reckoning with them but forgiving them 2. Secondly the comfort from this will appear yet to be more if you do consider This remission doth extend to all our sins that this remission of sin by Christ as it takes off the guilt of sin which is the Arrow in the Side the gnawing Worm in the Conscience the Thorn in the Foot and the breaking of our Bones so it doth extend to all our sins We do diversifie our sins by the times of them some are past some are present and some are future And by the quantity of them some are small and some are great And by the quality and circumstances of them some are of ignorance and some are of knowledge some are voluntary and some are involuntary c. Now whatsoever our sins are alwayes supposing us to be Elect believing and penitent persons they are all of them forgiven through the blood of Christ Colos 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities wherey they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Object What all every one Sol. Yes And there are five Arguments to satisfie us concerning this 1. Jesus Christ as our Surety took upon him the whole state of our sinfull debts He did not undertake this or that particular sin only but the whole debt the whole reckoning all the sins of which we might be conceived guilty and of all of them gave himself a Sacrifice to put away sin 2. He did so satisfie Gods justice for our sins as that there is now no condemnation to them that are in him and verily if all condemnation be removed then all sin is pardoned If any one sin remained unpardoned then condemnation would still be in force upon us for that one sin 3. His death was a price Aequivalent unto the merits of all our sins and preponderating them and God having accepted thereof it would be unjust in him not to remit all 4. All enmity is slain by the blood of Christ between God and us He hath reconciled us by his Crosse having slain enmity thereby But if any sin was not forgiven all hostility is not slain 5. The great end of Christs death was to save us to make us blessed to bring us to the enjoyment of eternal life which end could never be attained unlesse God did upon the account of Christ give unto us a plenary and total remission of sins Because of any one sin unpardoned the wages is death which the Apostle delivers in opposition to eternal life Rom 6. 23. 3. Nor doth our comfort from the remission of our sins by Christ end in This Remission is stable and irrevocable this it goes one step yet further and that is this as the Remission is total and perfect so it is stable and irrevocable Hence those expressions in Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea as if our sins lay drowned and buried for ever never to rise up against us any more Isa 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins When a Bond or Writing is blotted out there the writing against us can be read no more Or when a Cloud is blotted out it is so scattered and dispersed that it appears no more Jer. 33. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sins no more Jer. 50. 20. The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Why what comfort is this That there is Remission of sins procured for us and of all sins and that by Christ and that God hath forgiven them and as long as God is God and Christ is Christ they remain forgiven God alters not and Christ afters not and forgivenesse of sinnes alters not Vse 2 Is Remission of sin
who have the Lord to be their God what will not a reconciled God do for you His love and friendship is as fruitful of mercies and blessings as his Justice and wrath is of punishments and miseries 10. Can any thing hinder you from being saved If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Vse 3 Is Reconciliation the fruit and effect of the death of Christ Then let trembling broken humbled even sinking hearts under the weight of their sins and Let trembling hearts make in to Christ and trust on him to make their peace bitternesse of Gods wrath and displeasure I say let them in this condition make in to Christ and look up to Christ and trust on Christ to make their peace Ah poor creature why dost thou take this work upon thy self I confesse we must use means to finde peace but we have not power to make peace we must pray and confesse and repent c. but these are not our peace Object Will not these do it Sol. No but Christ only 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. If any man sin we haue an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our sins And therefore if ever you would have the wrath of God removed if you would see all partition walls broken down if you would have God to be pacified to be friends with you again to be at peace with you then go to Christ and make him your friend Oject Do not lose time by impertinent disputes and reasonings But may we come to Christ and can he and will he make peace for us and take up our differences Sol. Let me tell you 1. Dispute what you will you shall never finde peace with God but by Christ No peace with God but by Christ his Name only is Prince of Peace he only is the Mediatour of Peace he only reconciles God and sinners 2. It is his Office to reconcile God and sinners and make peace that is his work It is his Office to make peace unto which he was called and for which he was set apart He is that Mercifull and faithfull High Priest in things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people Heb. 2. 17. Mark the place the Office of Christ is to be a Priest c. One chief work of that Office is to make Reconciliation for the sinnes of the people and he is one that is very good in his Office you need not be afraid to go to him for the work of his Office for saith the Text He is a mercifull High Priest very tender very affectionate very compassionate easily wrought on by any distressed sinner that comes to him and calls on him Lord Jesus my soule is affraid and oppressed with the fear of Gods wrath and sense of his displeasure I am grieved for offending and displeasing of him O that thou wouldest undertake for me I beseech thee step into the breach make my peace reconcile my soule get thy Father to be friends with me c. He is a faithful High Priest O he will not faile you he will not put you off he will not thrust you aside he will surely undertake your condition he will make Reconciliation for our sins 3. It was the work of Christ from first to last in life and in death Heb. 9. It was the work of Christ from first to last 26. He appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself yea and it is his work now in heaven He appears in the presence of God for us Heb. 9 24. and he ever lives to make intercession for us Heb. 7. 25. 4. You of all other have special grounds of hope and trust that Christ will be You of all others have grounds of hope your Attonement and Reconciliation Not only because the Reconciling Christ calls you thus burdened to come unto him and he will give you ease Matth. 11. 28. but also because that the day when the peoples soules were to be afflicted for their sins on that day was the Priest to make an Attonement for their soules Levit. 16. 29 30. 4. The fourth great benefit which we have by the sufferings of Christ our mediatour Redemption is Redemption or deliverance Alas sirs In what a miserable condition were we by reason of sin Methinks the more vertues and blessed fruits that I read accâââing by Christ unâo us ââe more do I still discern of our deep and involved misery by reason of sin Sin was such a debt as none but Christ could satisfie for Sin was such an offence as nothing but the blood of Christ could expiate or get the pardon of it Sin was such a breach and such an enmity as nothing but the death of Christ could take up and reconcile And sin was such a bondage and thrââdom as nothing but the blood of Christ could redeem us from In him saith the Apostle Ephes 1. 7. we have Redemption but then he adds through his blood So Pet. 1. 18 19. Ye were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ In this Redemption by Christ there are two things considerable 1. The parts of it 2. The degrees of it 1. The parts of it are two one is Privative and respects that from which we are The parts of it redeemed or freed the other is Positive and respects that state unto which we are translated or if I may so expresse it of which we are made free 1. The Privative part of Redemption is that from which we are freed by Christ and that is from all the chaines of Spiritual bondage Now there are six chaines The Privative part from what we are freed From the power of sin of bondage with which every sinner is bound and from them all there is Redemption by Christ 1. With the chaines of bondage under the power of sin 2 Pet. 2. 19. Of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage Every servant of sin is a Bond-slave to his Lusts and so many sinful lusts as he hath so many Tyrants doth he serve as a slave And there is no slavery or bondage like unto that of sin for sin never gives rest nor wages but is infinite in its commands and damns us at last for a requital of all our services But from this bondage doth Christ redeem or deliver us For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the Divel 1 Joh. 3. 8. Those works of the Divel were our sins as the same verse expounds them Rom. 6. 6. Our Old Man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Two things in sin from which Christ delivers us 1. Jesus Christ hath by his Redemption delivered us from the dominion of sin Rom. 6. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you
for you are under grace by his Spirit which sanctifies 2. And from the damnation for sin There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. by his blood which justifies 2. With the chaines of bondage under the power of Gods Justice By reason From the power of Gods justice of sin we fall into the hands of a just God who hath threatned sin and revealed his wrath against it So that wheresoever the sinner lives he lives under this cloud of Gods wrath which at any times may break and fall down upon him and utterly and eternally overwhelme him This is a very dreadful bondage worse than his who sate eating with a great sharp sword hanging over his head with a little weak small thread And worse than his who hung by a rotten bough which if it brake he had immediately fallen down and had been dashed in pieces upon the Rocks But Jesus Christ hath redeemed us out of the hands of Gods justice by satisfying and appeasing the same and so hath delivered us from wrath 1 Thes 1. 10. Even Jesus who hath delivered us from the wrath to come we are saved from wrath through him Rom. 5. 9 3. With the chaines of bondage under the power of the Law of God The From the power of the Law Law of God speaks death and curse unto every sinner and under that is the sinner concluded The soule that sins shall die and cursed is every one who continues not in every thing that is written in the Law to do it What a heavy bondage is this for a sinner to carry about with him many Inditements and accusations in his own heart and to read as many curses pronounced against him in the Law of God For this sin thou art cursed and for that and for every one c. so that the sinner is condemned and cursed and dead in Law Which curses if the Law be not satisfied will as surely befall him as God is God But from this bondage also hath Christ redeemed us Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us From the 1. Execution of the Law by his active obedience 2. Condemnation of the Law by his passive obedience 4. With the chaines of bondage under a guilty accusing and condemning conscience For out of every sin there doth arise a particular guilt which guilt From an accusing and condemning conscience bindes over the sinner to the Judgement Seat of God to answer for it and to receive that condemnation threatned against it and this lies heavy on his Conscience Terret me conscientia mea ubicunque vadit mecum Testis Judex And truely this chain of bondage is such an iron yoke and such a fiery furnace and such a restless Sea and such an amazing wound that none can bear it who yet must bear it It is the very spirit of bondage the very terror of the Almighty the very hell on earth Yet also from this bondage doth Christ deliver us by making peace in his blood and by speaking peace through his Spirit unto our spirits and by preaching and sealing the forgivenesse of our sins Matth. 9. 2. Son be of good chear thy sins are for given thee And now Conscience is quiet ceaseth to accuse and condemn and excuseth and comforteth 5. With the chaines of bondage under the power of Satan who is the From the power of Satan Prince of the power of the Aire the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. who takes us captives at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. and whose lusts and will we do naturally serve Joh. 8. 44. Power of his 1. Dominion 2. Operation and temptation But Jesus Christ hath redeemed us from this bondage also He hath bruised the head of this Serpent Gen. 3. 15. And by his Crosse hath spoiled Principalities and Powers and triumphed over them Col. 2. 15. and overcome that danger Rev. 12. 8 9. And hath destroyed him that hath the power of death that is the Divel Heb. 2. 14. And hath delivered us even from this power of darknesse Col. 1. 13. He hath bound the strong man so is Satan called Matth. 12. 29. who bound us and ruled over us and now we may by Faith quench all his fiery darts in the blood of Christ Ephes 6. 16. 6. With the chaines of bondage under the fear of death and hell A perpetual From the fear of death fear of which lies upon the conscience of the sinner who although in the presence of his mad and wild companions and in the midst of his cups and delights seems to be either unmindful or slighting yet when he is alone and more serious his heart doth tremble at the thoughts of death and judgement I would not die I am afraid to die But from this bondage also all that believe in Christ are redeemed or delivered Who Heb. 2. 15. did deliver them who through the fear of death were all their life-time subject unto bondage And so 1 Cor. 15. 56 57. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ And thus you have the Privative part of our Redemption by Christ viz. The evil from which by him we have deliverance 2. Now follows the Positive part of our Redemption by Christ For his Redemption The Positive part what we are free to is not a meer deliverance as if one should only be freed out of prison or only be kept from drowning or only be reserved from condemnation But besides the evil estate from which we are delivered by Christ there is also a good estate unto which we are brought by the Redemption of Christ As when the Israelites were Redeemed they were not only delivered out of Egyptian bondage but they were also brought into that goodly Land of Canaan And truely so it is with our Redemption by Christ As it is an outlet from all evil and misery so is it an inlet to all blessings and mercies The reason whereof is this because this Redemption was not only a sufficient price to satisfie but it was also a superabounding price to purchace There was not only enough in it to get off all evil but more yet remaining to merit and puâchace all the good which our soules did need Col. 1. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son For that now we are 1. Under another Lord. 2. Under other Laws and commands 3. Under the best Liberties and Priviledges Rev. 5. 9. Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood verse 10. and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the earth Here you see what an excellent estate the Redeemed by the blood of Christ are brought into They are redeemed unto God so as
to become his in a peculiar way of relation and possession and so as to be made Kings and Priests unto him Highest Dignities and Imployments which if I mistake not is expounded in 1 Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people By all which is meant that high and heavenly estate with all those excellent Enjoyments and Graces and Dignities and Priviledges and Communion derived unto us by the Redemption of Christ In one word that estate purchased for us by the blood of Christ our Redeemer is Grace and Glory eternal happinesse and all that brings us thereunto A new Relation a new Spirit Mercy Peace Joy Calling Justifying and Glorifying And whiles we live on earth all the good things thereof which are necessary for us But of these perhaps I shall speak more ere long 2. The degrees of Redemption by Christ I call them so not simply as to the work and purchase of Christ who at once The degrees of this Redemption fulfilled the same in the once offering of himself and laying down the price of his blood but respectively unto us in respect of our manner and order of participating of that his Redemption in respect whereof Redemption is partly imperfect and partly perfect and compleat In this life our participation of it is in some respects imperfect but at the last day it shall be consummate and perfect when we shall enjoy all and all fully which the Redemption of Christ comes unto It is true that in this life we have such a Redemption by Christ as that thereby we are ransomed and delivered from the servage or slavery of sin and Satan and death sin shall not reign in us and Satan shall not hold us captive and act and command us at his pleasure And we are freed from the wrath of God and damnation Nevertheless there still cleave unto us many sinfull corruptions and we are beset with many temptations and are straitned with many corporal miseries from which we are not and shall not actually be delivered untill our Redeemer comes with his last and perfect Remdepâion therefore Christ said Luke 21. 28. Lift up your heads for your Redemption draws nigh Vses I cannot slip off from this great effect of Christs death viz. Redemption without making some Use of it unto our selves 1. Value your soules set a higher rate on them the Redemption of which did Set a high rate upon your soules cost Christ so dear Many men do despise their soules and make light of them and cast them away for every base lust They swear away their soules and whore away their soules and drink away their soules and play away their soules and idle away their soules Every sin is a venturing of your soule it is the pawning of the precious soule which cannot be redeemed but by the blood of Jesus Christ Our soules deserve more regard from us they are of more worth than we are aware of We were redeemed saith the Apostle not with corruptible things as silver and gold But with the precious blood of Christ Therefore value your soules more and be not so prodigal of them to throw them away for every base lust 2. Look after your soules in what condition they are whether in bondage still Look after your soules in what condition they are or under Redemption Naturally every man and every soule is in bondage whatsoever ye do do not suffer your soules to lie and rot in prison O that we did all see in what a Spiritual bondage our soules do lie and under the sense of it could cry out as Paul once O wretched men that we are who shall deliver us If thou hadst a child taken by the Turk and made a Gally-slave and tormented with cruelty every day in the Goale thy heart would yerne for him and request would be seriously made and followed to ransome that poor imbondaged child why then be as merciful and pitiful to thy captivated soul as thou art to thy captivated child Thy soul naturally is in the worst and heaviest and saddest of all bondages it is under the wrath of God and under the power of sin and Satan and under the curse of the Law Do not do not let it rest thus but make in by faith unto Christ and beseech him to redeem thy soule O Lord saith David Deliver my soule So do thou O Lord Jesus redeem my soule deliver me out of the hands of all mine enemies Alas why are we satisfied with other things with this friend and with that honor with this profit and with that pleasure what of all these if our precious and immortal soules have yet no portion in Christ nor in the Redemption by Christ As long as we are in the hands of Gods justice and in the hands of Satans commands and in the hands of our reigning sins and in the hands of our raging Consciences and in the hands of a sentencing condemning cursing Law Is this a condition to rest in you rest in it because you are not sensible of it were you indeed sensible of it you would make out to Christ who is a Redeemer of our soules and you would not be satisfied untill Christ were made of God unto you Redemption 3. Value the Lord Jesus Christ more then ever you have done even for this reason because he did shed his most precious blood to redeem you When you had Value the Lord Jesus Christ more brought your selves into such a miserable bondage as nothing was price enough to pay your ransome and to purchase your liberty then did the Lord Jesus Christ come down on earth to break all the bonds of your distresses He took your sins upon himself to deliver you from your sins and he was made under the Law to redeem you from the Law and he was made a curse to redeem you from the curse and he bare wrath to deliver you from wrath and he suffered death to deliver you from death and he conflicted with Satan to deliver you from the power of Satan and he fell into the hands of Justice to ransome you out of the hands of Justice And he laid down his soul that he might ransome and redeem your soul Methinks such a Friend and such a Christ and such a Redeemer should be more esteemed and be more loved and be more entertained and more thanked If it should cost one many thousand pounds to ransome you out of prison or out of bondage and after this when he comes to your house you would shut the doors against him and not give him the least entertainment what a barbarous ingratitude were this It is much worse and more base that after it hath cost the Lord Jesus Christ so much as his precious blood to redeem us yet we will not give him any entertainment in our hearts and affections 4. By all meanes accept of the Redemption by Christ Be not like that foolish Hebrew servant who when
the 11. verse 4. Fourthly Jesus Christ doth professedly disown some as being such that he never had any affection or respect unto did he ever intend to dye for these and to do as much for their salvation as for the salvation of others Matth. 7. 22. Many shall say in that day Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Divels and in thy Name done many wonderful works verse 23. And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity Many shall say and yet Christ will say to those many I never knew He doth not say I do not now know or own you or I did once know you but I never knew you Christ is said to know his sheep Joh. 10. 14. for whom he laid down his life verse 15. But there are many to whom Christ will say I never knew you never acknowledged you never loved you never liked you no not when they Prophecied and wrought miracles in his Name Christ will not then know them because they rejected him and were wicked workers yet I never knew you There you see that this universal redemption cannot finde foundation either in the intention of God the Father or in the intention of God the Son and as Christ who wrought Redemption for sinners 3. I shall now advance to a third Conclusion that there was not an universal impetration of reconciliation and remission of sins and of eternal life by the death of Christ This is that thing upon which the Controversie about the universality of the death of Christ doth principally depend concerning which the Arminians unanimously deliver themselves thus Christus ex patris sua intentione omnibus singulis hominibus indiscriminatiââ ââm pereââtibus quam servandis impetravit Reconciliationem cum doo â Remissionem peccatorum vitam ateriam Christ according to the intention of his Father and his own did obtain for all men and for every man indifferently as well for them that shall perish as for them that shall be saved Reconciliation with God Remission of sinnes and life eternal Before I present you some Arguments against this Opinion I shall crave your favour that I may spread the whole summe and frame of it as it is by the Arminians themselves set forth in their writings they teach I. That upon the fall of mankind in Adam there was a gracious affection in God by which he was yet mercifully affected to love all and every man alike so as seriously to desire the salvation of all men and of every particular man Vt nullus omnino homo sit cujus salutem non velit so that there was not any one man whose salvation God did not will II. That for the extending of this favour unto all and every man Jesus Christ was sent into the word to dye that by his dâath God justice might be satisfied for all the sins of all men and that thereupon Godâ might without any prejudice to his justice Plenario voluntatis proposito velle salvare with a full purpose will salvation III. That Jesus Christ did come into the world and by his death did satisfie the justice of God and so opened a door of grace for a possible salvation for all and every sinner Mercy now being set at liberty which before was bowed up IV. That all and every sinner hath a liberty of freedom to enter into that door of grace and besides that there is so much sufficiency of help afforded unto them that if their free-will be pleased to make use of it they may accept of it if they will and if they will not it is their own fault V. That neverthelesse you must distinguish of the death of Christ according to a two-fold decree of God as they say there is One Decree which is according to his affection or will desiring to save all and in respect of this the death of Christ was an universal impetration i. e. it did work so far in relation to God that he might without any injury to himself will an universal salvation to all men and accordingly he did will and decree it Christ having impetrated it Another Decree of God by which he intended the actual bestowing giving and communicating of this salvation universally purchased by the death of Christ which they and we do call the Application of the death of Christ and this they say is Solis fidelibus only to Believers who by faith do receive Christ So that if you demand of the Patrons of universal Redemption Did God indeed desire and will the salvation of all lost sinners they answer he did But did God seriously will this yes he did And was Christ sent for this end he was And did Christ by his death procure and obtain this for all yes he did But did God ever decree or will that all and every man should have benefit by this No verily but only Believers only such as suffer themselves to believe and repent these actually are reconciled pardoned and saved Nevertheless Jesus Christ did by his death obtain this for all Universal Reconciliation universal Remission universal Salvation are purchased by the blood of Christ although some only shall partake of it All have a right in the salvation purchased though only Believers have the benefit nay though no man should ever believe yet there was an universal salvation purchased by Christ for all men Though that Assertion that all Believers and they only partake of actual Reconciliation and Remission and Salvation by Christ be a truth which we all agree in yet that there is such an universal Reconciliation Remission and Salvation purchased by the death of Christ for all men whatsoever is an opinion unto which we cannot subscribe but must reject as opposite unto Scripture and religious Reasons I shall let passe some Arguments which some make use of against this Opinion Arguments against this Opinion verse 9. 1. Some were in Hell when Jesus Christ died Did Christ obtain Reconciliation and Remission of sins and Eternal life for them If not for them how then for all and every man But did God ever intend it for them or accepted of the death of Christ for them those for whom Christ laid down his life he saith of them that they shall never perish Joh. 10. 15 28. Do not they perish who are in hell 2. How comes it to passe that many misse of heaven who yet never refused or rejected Christ If Christ obtained salvation for all and theirs it is if they refuse it not how come they to misse of that obtained salvation Misse they shall not lay the Arminians unlesse and untill they refuse but refuse say we they cannot unless it be offered and offered it is not but by the Gospel and the Gospel offers it not where it comes not but in all timâs and ages of men it comes not to all and every man yea that there were any inhabitants in America was
charity look on them as bought and redeemed persons although afterwards the contrary doth appear as all those who have but a temporary faith and make a temporary profession these seem to us to be bought and perhaps unto themselves yet really they are not And truely such kind of persons were these who are said in this place to deny the Lord that bought them they were so far wrought on that they got the knowledge of the true way of righteousness verse 12. And escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ ver 20. and probably were numbred in respect of profession with the people of God so that they seemed to be bought in respect of their temporary faith profession and conversation yet really they were not so for they turned Apostates ver 22. and damnable Hereticks ver 1. denying the Lord either in his Person or in his Office who bought them as others and as themselves did think Thirdly Others do yet suggest one more answer unto this place who say that these Hereticks and so other wicked men were bought by Christ though not as to the effect and state of salvation for so only the Elect and true Believers are bought by Christ as their Redeemer and Saviour yet in respect of some common fruits and benefits for those upon that account their service and fidelity are duely and properly belonging unto Christ and their sin is the greater for denying him who is their Lord also by a right of Redemption as to Common mercies And some do conjecture had it not been for the Promise of Christ as Redeemer and Gods looking on him as so all the world had been presently destroyed upon the fall of Adam but Christ interposing himself he stayed that destruction and at least procured the cause of all those outward blessings which ungodly men do enjoy in this life for which reason he may be said to buy even the ungodly in that he delivers them from present ruine and their sin is therefore the greater to deny him but I adhere to the second answer as most proper to the place But having now many other Scriptures alledged by them to the same purpose aforementioned let us consider what Reasons and Arguments the Arminians produce to prove that Christ died for all and every man and by his death Arguments of the Arminians purchased Reconciliation with God Remission of sins and eternal life for them I shall briefly mention four or five of the chiefest which they bring Argument 1 1. That which every man is bound to believe is true but every man is bound to believe that Christ died for him Ergo it is true that Christ died for every man Sol. To this Sophistical Argument two answers are given by the Learned Answered 1. One unto the Major or first Proposition viz. That which every man is bound to believe is true a thing may be said to be true in a three-fold respect Either quia promittitur because it is promised Or secondly quia narratur because it is related or declared Or thirdly quia praedicitur because it is foretold so that whatsoever a man is bound to believe that same is true either as promised or as declared or done or as foretold Not alwayes true in one and the same respect or in every respect but either as promised or declared or reported or as foretold To apply this to the Argument in hand that Christ died effectually for every man If it be a truth then it must be so because God hath promised it or declared it or foretold it if it be a truth because promised then it is with condition of faith for though the very promise be true in it self yet it is not performed unto us without believing the same promise still requiring faith for the performance of it and then this will not prove that it is true that Christ died for all and every man absolutely but only for Believers or for all men only under the condition of faith If it be a truth because only declared or foretold then whether a man believes or believes not this is true that Christ died for him the reason is all things which are true by way of Narration or Prediction they are true upon their own account they are true before we believe them our faith makes them not to be so and if we believe them not yet are they true our unbelief cannot make the truth of God a lye But I suppose that no Arminian will say that Christ dyed effectually for every man whether he doth believe or doth not believe A second answer shall be unto the Minor Proposition But every man is bound to believe that Christ dyed for him to this I would say three things First It is a material disputable Point Whether those to whom the Gospel is not revealed are bound to believe that Christ died for them because the Precept of believing is a Gospel Precept only and the punishment for unbelief is threatned and inflicted in relation to the Gospel for slighting and refusing that Christ who is revealed and offered by the Gospel unto sinners who also are therein commanded to believe on Christ and if this be so then certainly every man is not bound to believe that Christ died for him Secondly When the Gospel doth come it doth not absolutely command that every one should believe that Christ dyed for him indeed it doth command every one to believe on Christ i. e. to receive him and trust on him alone for life But it doth not command him to believe without any more ado without any condition whatsoever that Christ died for him i. e. hath by his death made his peace procured his pardon and eternal life For the Gospel doth not reveale or command any such thing It doth reveale a Christ who died for sinners and it doth offer this Christ to sinners but with all it saith Whosoever believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Doth the Gospel command every man absolutely to believe that Christ dyed for him which takes in the Application of all the fruits and benefits of the death of Christ which a soule can enjoy whether a man obey the voice of the Gospel or not receive Christ or not q. d. you are bound to believe that Christ died for you though you never by faith close with the offer of Christ though your heart never prize him or never are brought in unto him and though you still love your sins and persevere in them Tell me in good sadness did Jesus Christ ever sign such a Commission as this Go preach the Gospel and tell people that whether they receive me or will not receive me whether they become believers or continue unbelievers whether they repent or continue impenitent they are bound every man of them to believe that I dyed for them and reconciled them and have procured salvation for them Certainly if every man were bound to believe this he were bound
possible then he earnestly presseth them to a fruitlesse duty and successless labour If it be possible that they might upon the trial come to know that Christ is in them then the thing is granted 2. I thus argue They who may come upon trial to know that Christ is in them may certainly know that Chrâst died for them to save them My reason is this That Jesus Christ is in none but in them for whom he died and whom he will save Col. 1. 27. Christ is in you the hope of glory 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life If therefore one may know that Christ is in him of a truth then he may know that Christ died for him in particular for his salvation Thirdly If Believers may attain to joy and rejoycing in the death of Christ yea unto a triumphing in it then they may certainly know that Christ died for them and hath purchased Reconciliation Remission and salvation for them The consequence I prove thus There are three things necessarily concurring to cause Spiritual joy and rejoycing viz. 1 A delightful rejoycing Object 2. An application of that Object to the desire of the soul 1. A knowledge of that application Gerson Park 2. Comp. de Dilectatione p. 161. and indeed without that knowledge that such an Object is ours or is for us there never will be actual rejoycing but if it be impossible then dispair and if it be doubtful then fear c. But believers may attain to joy and rejoycing in Christ Phil. 3. 3. and that upon the account of his beneficial dying for them Rom. 5. 11. And not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the Atonement Fourthly I will add but one other Argument and that is is this We are bound to love Jesus Christ who died for us and abundantly to thank and blesse God for our Redemption and Reconciliation and Remission and Salvation by Christ this I suppose no man will deny but we can neither do the one nor the other if we cannot attain unto a certainty that Christ died for us 1. Love of Christ depends upon the knowledge of his love to us It is not with this spiritual love as it is with natural love where you may love a person although you know not his love unto you but our spiritual love necessarily ariseth from the application and knowledge of a precedent love unto us we love him q. because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19 you must be able to see and know the love of Christ to you before you can be able to raise or return love to him and therefore do we love Christ because his love is manifested unto us Now if this love of Christ to us which he shewed in dying for us Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friend Joh. 15. 13. be perpetually hid from us that we can never attain the certain knowledge thereof but must only guess at it perhaps Christ loved us to dye for us perhaps he did not how can our hearts possibly be raised to a solid fixed intensive reciprocal love of him 2. In like manner how can our thankfulness be indeed rightly returned unto God for giving of Christ for us to reconcile and save us for according to your knowledge in this case will be your thankfulness can you ever thank and bless and praise God for Christ and his death and the benefits thereof to you whiles you know not that they belong to you O Lord I bless thee for that exceeding love of thine in giving Christ to redeem my soul to make my peace to discharge my sins to save my soul c. But truly I know not whether this be so or no I am utterly uncertain whether Christ dyed for me or whether himself or any benefit by him and his death doth indeed concern me or belong unto me c. SECT X. 3. Quest NOw follows the third and last Question to be spoken unto how a How a person may certainly know that Christ did dye effectually for him person may certainly know that Jesus Christ did die effectually for him Satisfied Gods Justice for him purchased remission of sins for him and eternal life for him Answered Sol. This is a pertinent Question indeed said a dying person whom some of us knew in this place But did Christ dye for my sins but did Christ dye for my soul but did he dye for me How shall I know that Christ died for me for my sins to save my soul This is a question which many of us first or last will make question of when trouble of conscience ariseth or when death appoacheth O then how may I know that Christ is my Christ and that he died for me This is the highest of all questions Did Christ dye for me and a most necessary question what though Christ did dye for others and they partake of the benefits of his death if he did not die for me and if I be not saved by his death and if the conscience can once upon sure grounds be satisfied in this question so that a person knows that Christ died for him now there is peace and joy and thanksgiving and a lively hope of salvation all is sure if once we can get to be sure that Christ is ours and did die for us For answer therefore unto the question propounded be pleased to remember in the general that there are three sorts of persons in the world namely First Some who in the present estate under which they lye cannot know that Christ dyed for them and will save them I say in the present estate wherein they are For though there may be a possibility of the change of that estate and so a capacity may come in for that particular knowledge and certainty yet as to their present estate absolulely considered there is an incapacity of immediate knowledge that Christ died for them These persons are all unbelieving and impenitent persons who as so and remaining so cannot know that Christ died to save them because 1. The way to know that Christ died for us must arise either from some In the general Some cannot know word of promise that a person in such a condition having interest in Christ shall be saved by him but there is no such promise to any unbelieving and impenitent person as such a person or from some words of Narration which declare and affirm that Christ and the benefits of his death do belong unto unbelieving and impenitent persons as so But there is no such Narrative word which affirms it that Christ belongs unto the unbeliever and that he hath indeed obtained pardon of sins and life for him or from faith wrought in the heart But this is not in the unbelieving and impenitent person if it were then he were not unbelieving or from
some internal testimony of the Spirit of Christ witnessing and sealing the application of the death of Christ in the benefits of it unto the unbelieving and impenitent person But such a testimony the Spirit of Christ never gives to any person remaining unbelieving and impenitent his witnessing and sealing being only to the children of God Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit itself beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God and follows on believing Ephes 1. 13. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise Ver. 14. who is the earnest of our inheritance So that there is no way for any unbeliever and impenitent person to know that Christ dyed for his sins and to make his peace and to save his soul and unlesse his unbelief and impenitency be changed he can never know it 2. As the Gospel fixeth the death of Christ in the benefits of it only upon Believers he that believeth shall be saved Mark 16. 16 And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. So it threatneth unbelievers with the losse of all benefit by Christ Mark 16. 16. He that believeth shall not be damned And John 3. 36. He that believeth not on the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Note And therefore by the way let me hint unto you two things One is that all such persons who do continue to slight and refuse Christ and will go on in their sinful ways they have certainly deceived themselves and do still deceive themselves in their presumptuous confidence that Christ hath dyed for them and shed his blood for the remission of their sins and that they shall be saved as well as the best These rude confidences are but lying vanities and ungrounded presumptions refuges and delusions of their own making and who so trusts unto them will in the end perish for the Scripture is so far from offering Christ in the benefits of his death to unbelieving and impenitent persons continuing in that estate that it assures them of the quite contrary that they shall not see life that they shall not be saved that they shall dye in their sins and perish A second is that we would every one of us look seriously into our conditions and if we do finde them to be unbelieving and impenitent then as we love our lives and tender our salvation by Christ humbly and earnestly to importune the Lord to deliver our souls from unbelief and impenitency they being the sins which else will hinder us not only of the benefits by the death of Christ but also of Christ himself without an interest in whom we cannot have any interest in the benefits purchased by his death Secondly Some there are who perhaps are in Christ and yet they do not Some may be in Christ but do not know it know that they are in Christ and Christ in the benefits of his death belongs unto them at least they do not certainly know this and the reason of that inevidency may be 1. Their own negligence and carelessnesse the Apostle saith We must give all diligence to make our calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. The assurance of our interest in Christ and in the benefits of Christ is a most sweet and refreshing knowledge but it cannot be so easily attained A diligence on our part is required to attain the same much searching and praying and conference and comparing of our hearts with the Word of precept and with the Word of promise are necessary for such an evidence and our failing in these may be a reason why we fail in that 2. The imbecillity of faith which is but newly âormed and hardly perceptible by reason of many clouds and doubts and fears weak faith cannot so easily manifest it self unto us nor yet our title to Christ and interest in his purchase 3. The power of temptations and of melancholy which do distract the soul and disturb the apprehension and the acts of it and daâken and misperswade and delude us so that we cannot see our selves aright nor Christ aright nor our grounds of Application nor yet the testimonies or evidences of our union with Christ Thirdly Some there are who lie in a trembling condition and are not determinately Some would know but do not resolved either way they cannot peremptorily conclude Christ did not dye for them nor yet can they confidently affirme Christ did dye for them only this is to be found in them that their hearts do mourn after Christ and they do love him and do exceedingly strive after the knowledge of his love and the intentions of his death for their souls the inevidence of it is their great perplexity and the certainty of it is their great desire and pains And now for a clear and distinct answer unto the question One may certainly know that Christ died effectually to satisfie Gods justice for him to take away his sins to make reconciliation for him and to save him 1. By the description of those for whom without all question Christ did intentionally and effectually dye 2. By the qualities of those persons who in Scripture have been able to say upon sure grounds that Christ dyed for them and unto whom in particular the benefits of his death have been applied and appropriated 3. By the interest in that condition of faith upon which Christ becomes ours in his person and in his benefits 4. By the combination of the benefits of the death of Christ and the real participation of every one of them 5. By the ends of the death of Christ and the appearance of them upon his heart and life 6. By the ground and order of that certainty of knowledge or perswasion which a person hath that Christ dyed for him 7. By the concomitant presence of some choice affections in all who do attain unto that certain evidence that Christ dyed for them 8. By the consequent effects and fruits which do flow from that sound knowledge of Christ in his death and benefits for us in particular One may certainly know that Christ dyed for him By the description of those for whom Christ intentionally dyed 1. One may certainly know that Christ effectually dyed for him By the description of those for whom without all question Jesus Christ did intentionally and effectually dye If one can finde himself within the number of them for whom Christ himself hath said he came to dye and came to save and laid down his life and saith he is the Saviour of them this man may be confidently perswaded and assured that Christ dyed for him Now you finde some expressely described in Scripture for whom he unquestionably dyed Matth. 1. 21. He shall save his people from their sins Joh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for the sheep Joh. 15. 13. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends If therefore any
Ratio par Affirmatio Put seveâal men into the same and like condition and into the same and like relation and into the same and like capacity then what interest priviledges one hath the same interest and priviledges the other hath and upon what ground the one can plead and conclude upon the same may the other plead and conclude I shall make use of this to the present purpose You read in Scriptuâe of some who have been able to say Christ loved me and gave himself for me Paul said so Gal. 2. 20. By the quality of the persons who have been able to say upon sure grounds that Christ dyed for them And I know my Redeemer liveth Job said so chap. 19. 15 And this is my beloved and this is my friend and I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine the Church said so Cant. 5. 16. and Cant. 6. 3. And of some to whom the benâfits of the death of Christ have been particularly applied and attributed Luke 7. 48. He said unto her Thy sins are forgiven Matth. 9. 2. Jesus saith unto the sick of the Palsie Son be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee 1 Joh. 2. 12. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his Names sake 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made unto us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Revel 5. 8. Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Now consider what was the quality and disposition of these persons who were able confidently and upon sure grounds thus to speak and of whom these things were thus affirmed and if you finde the same spiritual disposition in your selves you may then certainly conclude Christ gave himself for you and he is your Redeemer and your sins are forgiven you c. Quest Why what kinde of persons were they Sol. They were effectually called persons as Paul who saith in Gal. 1. 15. That it pleased God to call him by his grace And so were the Corinthians called to be Saints 1 Cor. 1. 2. And called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord Ver. 9. And they were upright persons fearing God and eschewing evil such an one was Job chap. 1. 8. And they were mourning and repenting persons such an one was the woman Luke 7. 37 38. And longing after Christ such an one was that person in Matth. 9. 2. And united unto Christ by Faith and Love filled with high thoughts desires and delights so was the Church mentioned in the âanticles and the rest spoken of in the other places Why then if any man can say upon good grounds God hath called me by his grace unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ he may certainly conclude Christ dyed for me and gave himself for me I was thus and thus sinful but God hath converted me I was a blasphemer and a persecutoâ c. And if any man can say My heart thirsts and longs for Christ and my soul is matched with Christ he is the beloved of my soul Why I say unto that man Christ loved thee and gave himself for thee And if any man finds himself a mourning and repenting sinner I can say to him Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee And if any man finds his heart upright with God and with Christ that man may surely conclude with By his interest in the condâtion of faith Job I know that my Redeemer liveth 3. Thirdly One may know that Christ dyed for him in particular by his interest in that condition of faith upon which Christ certainly becomes ours in his person and benefits If any one of âs do indeed believe on Christ assuredly God the Father intended his salvation in the giving of Christ and Jesus Christ intended and wrought the remission of his sins and the salvation of his soul by his death Hearken what the Word of God speaketh in several places to this purpose John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life Acts 10. 43. Whosoever believes on him shall receive remission of sins Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Mark 16. 16. He that believeth shall be saved 1 Cor 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdome righteousnesse sanctificaâion and redemption In those places it is most evident that whosoever believes on Christ he is certainly interested in Christ and in all the benefits depending on Christs death he is delivered from perishing he shall have everlasting life he shall receive the remission of sins his peace is made with God Christ is wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption and salvation unto him Object You will say this is true and unquestionable that whosoever believes on Christ he is certainly interested in the death of Christ and in all the benefits of his death but here lies the scruple I doubt whether my faith be that very faith which doth indeed interest a person in Christ whether it be faith unfained 1 Tim. 1. 5. And faith that is precious 2 Pet. 1. 1. And faith that is justifying Rom. 5. 1. And faith that is saving Ephes 2. 8. Sol. I will not expatiate in the answer of this because I have upon several occasions How I may know my faith doth interest me in Christ spoken already much of the nature and properties of true faith what I would say to the present scruple whether my faith be the very faith which doth interest me in Christ and in the benefits of his death is this That faith is true and truly interesting in Christ and in his benefits which First is seated in an heart broken with the sense of sin and deeply apprehensive of the need of a dying Christ such was theirs in Acts 2. 37. c. and his in Acts 16. 29 30 31. Secondly Is raised and created by the exceeding greatnesse of the power of God and according to the working of his mighty power Ephes 1. 10. Thirdly Is let in by the Ministry of the Gospel and upon Gospel-offers and calls and promises and assurances Ephes 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of your salvation Matth. 11. 28. Joh. 6. 36 37. Rev. 3. 20. Fourthly Raiseth the heart to high and precious thoughts of Christ unto you that believe he is precious 1 Pet. 2. 7. all is nothing without Christ And if I have but Christ I have enough he is life and best of all Fifthly Draws out earnest and unsatiable desires never resting without the enjoyment of Christ and parting with all which stands in opposition to that enjoyment Sixthly Makes the heart to receive Christ Joh. 1. 12. yea gladly to receive Christ Acts 2. 41. yea whole Christ the Lord Jesus Christ
people Ver. 34. And they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more Jerem. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their children after them Ver. 40. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Ezek. 11. 19. I will give them one heart and I will put a New Spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh Ver. 20. That they may walk in my Statutes and keep my Ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever and I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving-kindnesse and in mercies Ver. 20. I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. Hebr. 8. 10. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people c. Quest But why is God pleased to promise to give unto his people in Covenant Why God gives spiritual blessings as well as âemporal His people have souls as well as bodies spiritual blessings as well as temporal Sol. The Reasons are these First Because his people have souls as well as bodies and their souls do stand in as much need of spiritual blessings as their bodies do of temporal blessings Every mans soul since the fall of Adùm is in a fourfold miserable necessity which cannot be relieved but by spiritual blessings 1. In an estate of spiritual death out of which it cannot be relieved but by the donation of spiritual life a quickning by the Spirit of Christ is necessary for a soul dead in trespasses and sins 2. In an estate of spiritual enmity and that enmity cannot be slain but by the death of Christ nor any atonement peace or reconciliation enjoyed but by his blood 3. In an estate of offence and guilt which expose the soul unto wrath and punishment by reason of which the soul needs exceeding riches of grace and mercy to forgive and acquit the sinner 4. In an estate of pollution and bondage being held under the power of sinful lusts in which regard the soul needs the Lord Jesus to be redemption and liberty unto it and the soul can never be freed nor free but by Christ and his Spirit John 8. 36. If the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death If a man had all the blessings of the world riches honour friends health pleasures c. they could be of no help or relief unto his soul at all notwithstanding all these the soul still remains sinful and miserable Give the soul Christ and grace and mercy or else you give it nothing it must perish for ever without them And therefore doth God give unto his people spiritual blessings because the soul needs them and they are sutable to the spiritual necessities of the soul Secondly His people are people of another life they have the promise of eternal His people are for another life life 1 John 2. 25. This is the promise that he hath promised us even eternal life Titus 1. 2. Inhope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens But what of this will you say why hence it follows that therefore God will give unto them spiritual blessings and why spiritual blessings because spiritual blessings are necessary for them in relation unto that eternal life Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other Name given under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Loe here is a necessity of Jesus Christ for our salvation John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Loe here is a necessity of faith for salvation Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God Hebr. 12. 13. Follow holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Joh. 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Loe here is a necessity of holinesse and regeneration for salvation and they are congruous and fitting us for salvation or eternal life Colos 1 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light It is meet to enjoy grace before we come to enjoy glory it is meet to have a conformity to Christ on his Crosse before we come to have a conformity to Christ in his Crown c. Thirdly His people are designed and set apart for special duties and services His people aâe set apart for special duties the which they can never performe without spiritual gifts and blessings They are to glorifie their God Isa 43. 6. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth Ver. 7. Even every one that is called by my Name for I have created him for my glory Ver. 21. This people have I formed for my self they shall shew forth my praise They are to deny themselves and to take up the Crosse of Christ and to follow him they are to crucifie the lusts with the affections thereof they are to suffer losses and reproaches and persecutions and perhaps death it self they are to fight the good fight of faith to resist temptation to quench the fiery darts of Satan to overcome the world they are to live by faith against hope to believe in hope to walk in all well-pleasing before the Lord. They are to have daily communion with God and their hearts are to be set on him and on things above Can any of these duties and services be performed by them without spiritual strength or can they partake of spiritual strength unlesse and untill God doth give unto them spiritual gifts or graces Fourthly All the people in Covenant with God they have his image restored They have Gods image restored to them unto them they behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. They are made partakers of the Divine nature
of sin maketh formally no change in the person forgiven for it is a work without him indeed there is a relative change upon forgiveness the person forgiven is in a state of life and not of death but there is no inherent change of qualities in the person by it no more than there is in a Malefactor pardoned or a Debtor forgiven both of them may be diseased notwithstanding their pardon but this could not be if remission of sin consisted in the extinction or deletion of the stain of sin It is true that when God forgives the sin he doth likewise change the heart of the sinner nevertheless the forgiving of sin is one thing and the giving of a new heart is another thing c. Fourthly If remission of sin consist in the outward deletion of sin Then the troubled conscience could never come to rest and peace in the assurance of pardon of sin why because in this life the person shall never find in himself such an utter deletion of sin and consequently no remission of sins and if no remission of sin then no rest nor peace because from the knowledge and assurance of that doth the rest and peace of conscience come and flow 2. Forgiveness of sins hath a peculiar respect to the guilt of sin and removal It hath a peculiar respect to the guilt of sin of that when the Lord forgives a man he doth discharge him of that obligation by which he was bound over to wrath and condemnation Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Ver. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth Ver. 34. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed Beloved the Lord is a holy and just God and he reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousnesse and there is a curse threatned to every transgression of the Law and when any man sinneth he is obnoxious unto the curse and God may inflict the same upon him but when God forgives sins he therein doth interpose as it were between the sin and the curse and between the obligation and the condemnation q. d. by reason of your sinning you are now fallen into my hands of justice and for your sinning I may according to my righteous Law condemn and curse you for ever for by your sinning you are worthy of death Rom. 1. 32. but such is my mercy to you in Christ that for his sake I will spare you and that curse and condemnation which you have deserved it shall never light upon you I will deliver and free your souls from going down into the pit Object But may some say Is not guilt inseparable from sin can sin be without guilt and can guilt be without the desert of wrath and condemnation Sol. I answer there is a two-fold guilt there is reatus simplex and reatus efficax absolute guilt hath in it a worthiness or desert of condemnation and this can never be separated from sin for though sin be pardoned and condemnation removed from the sinner yet his sin is worthy of condemnation but when God pardons sin he doth it not by making the sin not to be worthy of condemnation but this is it which God doth he doth remove that condemnation that it shall never effectually or actually fall upon the sinner although he for his sinning be worthy thereof e. g. When a thief or murderer is pardoned amongst us this pardon doth not make the theft or murder no sin or in themselves not worthy of death by the Law but it relieves the pardoned persons thus far that the death deserved by these sins is taken off and shall never be inflicted on the offenders 3. Forgiveness of sin takes off all punishments properly so called for sin there It takes off all punishment properly so called belongs unto us temporal punishment and eternal punishment you do not consider what a depth of merit there is in sin what plagues and curses it can pull down in this life and what an hell hereafter but when God forgives sins you are then released and for ever acquitted from any after-reckonings with the justice of God Divine justice hath no more to say or do against you for remissa culpa remittitur poena if the fault be forgiven then also is the punishment forgiven nay let me speak with an humble reverence God cannot in his justice punish when he hath pardoned Why will you say First He forgives upon a satisfaction made to his justice already by Christ so that he cannot in justice punish us again for satisfaction Secondly When he forgives he releases the guilt and the fault and the sin in now by this act of his merciful grace as if it had never been committed so that the proper cause and reason of punishing being utterly removed there can no punishment issue out from Divine justice against you Object But will some say are not justified and pardoned persons many times punished in this life Was not David punished for his sin were not the Corinthians punished for their unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper Sol. I answer that word Punishment may be taken either 1. Largely for any affliction or chastisement which doth befall us from God as a Father in this sense I grant punishment incident to justified or pardoned persons for Hebr. 12. 6. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth And Ver. 7. If you endure chastisement God dealeth with you as with sons for what son is he whom the Father chastneth not 2. Strictly for those miserable evils issuing out from the Court of justice and falling upon us from God as a wrathful Judge and as yet unsatisfied and unreconciled these kinds of punishing are wholly and utterly removed from justified or pardoned persons by the blood of Christ and Gods gracious forgiveness 5. A fifth thing considered in the description of forgiveness of sins is this It is Gods act of oblivion that forgiveness of sins is if I may so express it Gods act of oblivion and as it were an eternal cancelling of all our sinful bonds and debts so that there is now a full end of all controversies between God and us Object We many times are possessed with fears like Josephs Brethren that notwithstanding the peace and assurance which he gave them of passing by their injurious dealing with him yet at length they feared that he would remember them and be avenged of them such thoughts have we of God also sometimes we do perceive his great love and rich mercy towards us in the forgiveness of our sins yet at other times we have fears lest God will call us unto account for all our sinful offences and question us and judge us as if the granting of pardoning mercy might be revoked and called back by the Writ of Error and the old suit be prosecuted again by Divine justice which seemeth to be taken off and silenced
and him Such as through unbelief persevere in refusing Christ 4. Such as through unbelief persevere in the refusing of Christ you think it no great matter to have Jesus Christ preach'd unto you and offered unto you and yet for you to slight Jesus Christ thus offered but remember what I say that person who refuseth Christ doth refuse God to be his God in Covenant He that refuseth you refuseth me and he that refuseth me saith Christ despiseth him that sent me Luk. 10. 16. God becomes our God and our Father only in Christ and therefore Christ saith I go to my God and to your God and my Father and your Father Joh 2. 17. We are brought near to God by Christ and he becomes near to us through the blood of Christ there you find hâs love towards you c. and therefore if you will not embrace Jesus Christ there is no covenanting 'twixt you and God he only being the foundation and head and Mediator of the Covenant All uncovenanted people are an unforgiven people Secondly The second conclusion is this that all uncovenanted people are an unforgiven people i. e. all who do continue to refuse God to be their God in Covenant and to be his people in Covenant their sins neither are forgiven nor ever shall be forgiven why so will you say because 1. Forgiveness of sins is only promised in the Covenant of Grace in no Covenant but Reasons of it this not in the Covenant of Works for that is a letter of death and condemnation unto the sinner 2. And as it is only in the Covenant of Grace so it is promised only to the people in that Covenant 1 Kin. 8. 34. Forgive the sin of thy people Ver. 36. Forgive the sin of thy servants Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity 3. Only those who are in Christ shall have their sins forgiven Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Acts 10. 43. Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Joh. 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already 4. All impenitent persons are unforgiven persons all uncovenanted persons are impenitent persons Ergo. The first Proposition is clear in Scripture see at leisure Ezek. 18. 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed for why will ye dye O house of âsrael Luk. 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Prov. 28. 14. He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief Rom. 2. 5. But thou after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Thirdly Now follows the third conclusion Because these sins are unforgiven therefore The dreadful âândition of ââ unforgiven people Sâmile they are in a most miserable and dreadful condition It is reported of Caesar that he wondered at one who could sleep so quietly and yet had so many debts upon him In like manner we may wonder at many persons who can live so merrily and jovially and yet have all their sins unforgiven surely they are persons of very gross ignorance and stupidity or else are very high and desperate Atheists But to the point in hand there are eight things which may set forth the dreadful In eight particulars misery of an unforgiven sinner 1. His unutterable privation and loss 2. The full power of the Law against him in all its threatnings and curses 3. The wrath of God under which he walks all his days and which may fall on him whensoever the Lord pleaseth 4. The authority which conscience hath to deal with him in a way of accusation and condemnation 5. The unavoidableness of death and the sting thereof when sins are unpardoned 6. That just and irreversible sentence of condemnation from God in the day of judgement 7. The immediate portion and condition in hell amongst the damned after the sentence of condemnation 8. The eternity of that miserable estate unto which impenitent and unbelieving and unforgiven sinners are adjudged First The unforgiven sinner is under the greatest loss and privation which man possibly He is under the greatest losse and privation can be and what is that greatest loss and privation if you know what the greatest good and happiness is you may then quickly tell what the greatest loss and privation is to enjoy God perfectly and fully and eternally in glory is there any good and happiness like unto this O but the unforgiven sinner shall never see God in glory he shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord heaven is no place for the enemies of God sins unpardoned are like the Angel with a flaming Sword who kept the passage into Paradise there is no entring into life with sins unpardoned they do certainly and eternally bar up that door of heaven and heavenly happiness and now how miserable must that soul be which is eternally excluded from all true happiness Secondly The Law of God is in full power against every unpardoned sinner 1. All the The Law of God is in full power against him inditements and charges of the Law for being transgressed 2. All the threatnings of the Law in the several sorts of judicial punishment 3. All the curses of the Law even to the utmost extent of them Cursed is every one c. the soul that sins shall dye and there is no one moment of this life that he can secure himself c. they may light on him in the house or in the field when he is waking or when he is sleeping when alone or when in company when rejoycing or when making merry when boasting when in highest abundance and confidence when sinning and putting far from himself the evil day Thirdly The unforgiven sinner walks all his dayes under the wrath of God He is all his dâyes under the wrath of God God is angry with the wicked every day Psal 7. 11. not with a Paternal but with a Judicial anger even to hatred and abhorment The wicked is an abomination unto him and he hates all workers of iniquity Prov. 3. 32. 15. 9. And this wrath God can reveal it to his soul and poure it forth upon him when he pleaseth and when God poures on him the fierceness of his wrath and indignation he can neither decline it nor sustain it it is like the tempest and whirlewinds it is like burning fire and devouring flames it drives the sinner to his feet breakes down all his arrogancies and vain hopes and sensual joyes and fills him with amazing distractions and terrors and despairs How heavy was this wrath on Christ suffering for our sins it made him to sweat clods of blood how terrible is the apprehension and fear of it to David to Heman how infinitely dreadful will the sense of it be to the unforgiven
sinner who hath no part in Christ no hope nor plea by him Fourthly The unforgiven sinner is obnoxious to the severe Authority of an He is obnoxious to an awaking guilty conscience awakning guilty conscience and unto all the powerful workings of it Indeed whiles the conscience remains stupid and seared although sins be unforgiven there is a quietnesse in the soule like a sick man asleep Simile But when God irresistably awakes conscience by effectual light and gives it a charge to act its office of accusing and condemning O Lord in what a case will the unpardoned sinner now be now the man must see all his sins and now he must see them in all their offence and provocations and deserts and now he must see them all as unforgiven and himself therefore obnoxious to death and wrath and curse and hell and conscience sets on all these with a strong conviction and with such piercing woundings and with such continual terror and horror that the unpardoned sinner is at his wits end A wounded Conscience or Spirit who can bear Prov. 18. 14. He is like Pashor-Magor-Missabib a terror round abount unto himself the guilt of his unpardoned sins works on his soul and on his body his soul hath them now before it and the thoughts of his soul are perplexed and astonished what shall I do and what will become of me And his afflictions are breaking with fears and with despaires his eyes are rolling his feet and joynts shaking and his body trembling he knows not what to do with himself nor how to fly from himself Conscience still cries and still pursues and still wounds and still gnaws and still flames and burnt and still condemns him thou hast destroyed thy self thou art lost for ever God is thy Judge thy sins are unforgiven and thy portion is damnation the poor wretch of times cries out O Conscience be quiet spare me a little give me a little space a minute an hours rest I can allow thee no Interim saith Conscience how can I thy sins are not forgiven and God hath given me a charge against thee and therefore how can I be quiet or how can I speak to him unto whom God saith there is no peace but wrath Isa 57. 21. Fifthly The unforgiven sinner must meet with death and death must meet with He must meet with death as a king of terrors him as a king of fears and as armed against him with the guilt of his sins the sting of death is sin saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 56. death is no great matter but the sting of death that is terrible that is like the sting of a Serpent or of the Scorpion piercing poysoning enraging and killing Luther professeth that there were three things which he durst not think of without Christ viz. 1. Of his sinnes 2. Of death 3. Of the day of judgement why what is death to an unpardoned sinner I will tell you what it is 1. It is a full period to all comforts and delights the unpardoned sinner shall never taste of delight more to all Eternity when a justified person dyes he shall never see any sorrow more and when an unpardoned sinner dyes he shall never see delight in any kind more 2. A full period to all Reprieves and Bayles the sinner during life may be Reprieved from many an Execution of wrath and judgement but when he dies there is no longer reprieving he must now appear in person before the righteous God answer for himself and give up his account and to receive according to what he hath done Now how dreadful will this be to the unpardoned sinner on whose soul and conscience the guilt of all his sins is engraven O saith he I cannot live and I must die I have not a day longer nor an hour longer and then must I appear before Gods Judgement seat and what will become of one who never repented who never believed who never had part in Christ who never had his sins forgiven to him Sixthly the unpardoned sinner must receive that just and irreversible sentence of He must receive the irreversible sentence of condemnation condemnation from God Beloved there is a twofold sentence which God will pronounce at the last day 1. One is of comfort and absolution Come ye blessed inherit the kingdom prepared for you Matth 25. 34. 2. The other is of terror and condemnation Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels and both these sentences are already notified unto us in this life He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Mar. 16. 16. How dreadful this sentence of condemnation will be I pray God that none of us may find but certainly all unpardoned sinners shall find it God will pronounce it against them how can it be otherwise if sinners be not pardoned if sinners be not pardoned then the sinner is not absolved and if he be not absolved he must be condemned Object But God may forgive him in that day Sol. No no that day is not a day of forgiving though it be a day of publication who hath been forgiven c. Seventhly Upon this sentence immediately follows execution God condemns And execution immediately follows To all eternity these sins and they shall be condemned he adjudgeth them to hell to be tormented with the Divel and his Angels and thither they go to suffer that wrath which their sins have deserved Eighthly And this poenal endurance of wrath it must continue to all eternity As long as God is God so long must the wrath of God abide on them the worm never dies and the fire of hell never goes out And if these things be so then by the way learn four things 1. Come off speedily from your sins by true repentance 2. Slight the Gospel as you have done no more stand no longer against the offers of Jesus Christ 3. By all means yield your selves to be the people of God 4. Whatsoever you make sure of make sure of Christ and of the forgiveness of your sins and the salvation of your souls SECT VI. Vse 2. DOth God promise forgiveness of sins unto his people Is it one of the first mercies by him promised unto them Then let us every one be exhorted to get a capacity of the forgiveness of our sins Get a capacity of forgiveness Beloved it is true that God can and doth forgive sins and will do so but yet he will do this in that way and in that order which he hath prescribed in his own Word we may not say Why I am a sinner and therefore God will forgive me as if one should say I am a debtor therefore the Creditor will release me and I am an offender and therefore the Judge will absolve me Nor may we say absolutely God is a merciful God and therefore he will forgive me for as God is a merciful God and may therefore forgive so he is a
but unto our merits and deserts of forgiveness God forgives sins freely and graciously i. e. without any merit or desert of ours Isa 43. 25. I even I am be that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine name sake but God doth not forgive sins freely i. e. without our repenting and believing for these he doth require of us that we may receive the forgiveness of our sins Secondly When God is said to forgive sins freely the meaning is not that he forgives every sinner in the world freeness notes the means not the extent of forgiveness with such a free unlimited largeness he doth not forgive but the meaning is that all those sinners who are forgiven they are freely forgiven God doth not put them upon any personal satisfactions nor doth he agree with them for any work of theirs as a cause or desert of the forgiveness of their sins Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon thee for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God c. Therefore take heed that you deceive not your selves with a confidence that your sins are forgiven because God is gracious and forgives freely for God is gracious to whom he will be gracious and they whom he graciously forgives are only the people of his Covenant even believers and penitents The death of Christ for all Thirdly A third false ground upon which some do absolutely conclude the forgiveness of their sins is the death of Christ that he shed his blood for the remission of sins and that he dyed as to that purpose for all and every one therefore their sins amongst the rest are unquestionably forgiven Answered Sol. That Jesus Christ did shed his blood for the remission of sins is most true he himself hath delivered it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood which is shed for the remission of sins but that his blood did procure an actual remission of sins for every sinner in the world this is most false for Christ himself hath said Mark 16. 16. He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Joh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for the sheep Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins and the Angel to Mary Mat. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins But for your help and direction in this point take my mind in these three conclusions 1. That there was a necessity for Christ to shed his blood that so our sins might be forgiven Hebr. 9. 22. Without shedding of blood there is no remission 2. His death did purchase the forgiveness of sins Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 3. This remission purchased though illimited as to the sins forgiven yet it is limited as to the persons forgiven 1. By the Decree of God to the Elect. 2. By the Covenant 3. And by the intention of Christ 4. And by the Gospel to whosoever believes that the shedding of his blood for the remission of sins did so illimitedly procure the same That every sinner in the world enjoys the fruit thereof whether he believes or not or whether he repents or not as I know no man living of so wicked an opinion so the Scripture delivers no such matter but the quite contrary Luke 24. 47. That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations Acts 10. 43. To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 13. 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins Ver. 39. Then Peter said Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins Rom. 3. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past It is true that remission of sins hath foundation in the blood of Christ as in a meritorious cause but our enjoyment of that merited and purchased remission takes in faith and repentance for neither God nor Christ ever intended nor promised the application thereof unto any but such as believe and repent therefore do not venture absolutely upon this that Christ dyed for the remission of sins therefore your sins are forgiven for as God did ordain the death of Christ as the meritorious cause of forgiveness of sins so did he ordain that all who have the benefit thereof should repent and believe Fourthly A fourth false ground from which some do absolutely conclude that their sins are forgiven is this their sins are but small and little sins which The smalness of sin God marks and regards not and will never take notice of but will pass them by indeed if they were guilty of great transgressions then they had reason to doubt whether they were within the compass of forgiveness promised but alas their sins are small c. Answered Sol. For answer unto this deceit remember these four particulars 1. No sin is simply little or small 2. Those sins are not little or small which people do ordinarily count so 3. God hath severely expressed himself against persons for those sins which we look on as small sins 4. This very conceit that sins are little and are past by in course may lose a man the forgiveness of his sins First No sin is simply or absolutely little or small though comparatively when we set on sin by another we find them to be of different magnitude some to be great abominations and others to be lesser transgressions yet absolutely no sin is little but as there is a greatness in the least mercy so there is a greatness in the least sin for every sin whatsoever is a transgression of the royal Law and it is committed against a great God sin is to be considered as to the object as well as to the act how were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses Every sin doth expose to a great curse even the curse of the Law Cursed is every one who continues not in every thing that is written to do it Is that a small offence which may cost a man his life nay it cannot be taken off but by the death and blood of Christ there is an infinite offence and merit in any sin you read in the Mosaical Law that the blood of the beast was to be shed for the expiation of sins of ignorance and inadvertency which did signifie the shedding of the blood of Christ for the expiation of the least sins and surely that offence may not be reputed little or small which cannot be put away but by the death of the Son of God Secondly Those sins are not little or small which people
what is it to be justified but to be pardoned 5. And so for Repentance and Faith certainly they have been true if forgiveness of sins have been granted unto you because to none but unto such who do truly repent and who do truly believe is forgiveness of sins promised 6. And lastly If your sins be forgiven you shall be undoubtedly saved Rom. 8. 30. Whom he justified them also he glorified So Acts 26. 18. That they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified Secondly If your sins be forgiven you then your way is opened and cleared You have access to God with all boldness with all boldness of access and confidence to your God and Father There are three choice Cordials and Encouragements to all who have obtained pardoning mercy 1. They may look upon their God as sitting altogether and always on his Throne of grace and mercy as their loving God as their kind God as their good God as their Father as their Helper as their Saviour O what a sight of God is that sight of him in heaven where there is love and nothing but love peace and nothing but peace joy and nothing but joy favour and nothing but favour blessed communion and nothing but blessed communion Such a kind of sight of God have justified and pardoned persons here on earth they may now look on God as their God as their Father as loving of them delighting in them and rejoycing over them to do them good and what should hinder them to come with a filial confidence to such a God and Father 2. They may look up unto him for any mercy which they do need and which he doth promise unto them Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Hos 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement and in loving-kindness and in mercy Ver. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and the heavens shall hear the earth Ver. 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel Beloved there is no partition wall but sin nothing that separates between God and us but sin nothing that hinders good thingâ from us but sin now if that partition wall be broken down as certainly it is when sin is forgiven there is nothing on your part to hinder you from asking and nothing on Gods part to with-hold him from giving any thing that is good unto you 3. They may look on all their enjoyments as mercies as the fruits of love with marvailous contentment and delight mercies are sure and sweet unto them As every one of the Vessels had that inscription upon it Holiness to the Lord so every receit which the forgiven sinner partakes of hath this superscription on it A token of love from the reconciled God you have the bond and the seal the wine and the sugar the day and the Sun-shine mercies from mercy mercies in mercy this and that and my sins pardoned Thirdly If your sins be forgiven you this will be a great support strength It will be â great support in all times and occurrences whatsoever In times of outward wants relief upholdment unto you in all occurrences whaâsoever and in all times whatsoever 1. In times of outward wants and straits as Lactantius said of Lazarus he was sine domo but not sine Domino sine veste but not sine Fide sine cibo but not sine Christo The like may we say of the pardoned person he may be without money but not without mercy he may be without friends but he is not without a Father he may be without outward mercies but he is not without the God of mercies his body may want riches but his soul is not without forgiveness God is his forgiving God and his reconciling God and his blessed God and portion for ever and ever 2. In time of outward troubles when all the world is in combustion and distraction and there is no rest nor peace to be found amongst men why then can the pardoned sinner find rest and peace peace in his God and peace in his In time of outward troubles Christ and peace in his conscience my sins are pardoned it is God that justifies me he is at peace with me and I am so with him and therefore I can rejoyce in tribulation it self 3. In times of losses and trials God hath taken away this friend and that parent this childe and that comfort but he hath not taken away his loving-kindness In times of losses and âryals from me 'T is but a cross 't is not a curse 't is but a refining fire 't is not a consuming fire 't is but the rod of Father 't is not the word of a Judge 't is to heal and pacifie 't is not to harden and destroy 't is but the physick of love 't is not the sting of wrath for if sins be pardoned then enjoyments are from love and then losses are from love If God gives that is in mercy if God takes away that also is in mercy O Sirs a loss a cross sits heavily on the heart when the guilt of sin sits strongly on the conscience but if the guilt be taken off there as certainly it is upon the forgiveness of sins then may a man take up the cross and kiss it then may he stoop down and bear it then may he take in a mercy and rejoyce and then can he give back a mercy and bless that God who hath given and now hath taken c. 4. In times of sickness and death when all the world is leaving of us and when we are leaving all the world and the short minute of time is expiring In times of sickness and death and the larger date of eternity is appearing when Physitians say there is no hope and friends are taking their farewel for ever and no earthy thing can be of comfort or relief O then the fiduciary apprehension of a reconciling Christ and of a reconciled God and of all our sins as pardoned why this revives this stays this chears up our spirits this is better than life this is life in death Now let thy servant depart in peace said Simeon for mine eyes have seen thy salvation now let me dye and go to my God and Father it is certain that that man may look on death with joy who can look on Christ and the forgiveness of his sins with faith 5. In times of temptations How many temptations are answered if once our sins are pardoned In times of temptationâ 1. God will damn thee for thy sins O no he hath pardoned my sins and therefore he will not damn me for them 2. But do not thy sins deserve hell and damnation they do so but God hath forgiven according to the riches of his grace in the blood of Christ 3. But thinkest thou
against people for their sins 2. A second is the unspeakable terrors in conscience raised only from our sins which makes us like the troubled Sea that cannot rest and to cry out with Cain and to despair with Judas and to long for death with Spira 3. A third is the wonderful outward judgements inflicted by God on people for sin plague and famine and the sword and tormenting diseases burning down of Cities renting up of Kingdomes and all the miserable evils in the world 4. A fourth is the eternal duration of the flame of hell fire the suffering of the vengeance of eternal fire as the Apostle speaks Jude ver 7. 5. The fifth is the death and suffering of Jesus Christ one saith that if it were possible for us to see and feel the torments which the damned do suffer in hell it could not be so clear and effâctual conviction of the true desert of sin of the hainousness of it of the odiousneâs of it of the dreadfulness of it as the consideration of it in the death and blood of Christ without which there could be no forgiveness of our sins no noâ of the least of them I beseech you to attend a little âin is of such a provoking deserving nature First That no creature no not all the creatures in heaven and earth could pacifie God and cleanse us from our sins and procure the pardon of them but Jesus Christ the Son of God alone Neither Angels nor Saints nor righteousness nor prayers nor gold nor silver can give unto God a âansome for our soul the redemption of it is more precious it cannot be without the precious blood of Christ Secondly As none can procure the pardon of sin but Christ so Christ could not do it but by dying indeed there was very much excellency and worth in the active obedience of Christ in the holiness of his life and exactness of his works nevertheless to get off our sins his passive obedience is likewise required without that there was no remidion Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Rev. 5. 9. Thirdly As Christ must dye to get the pardon of sin so every death of Christ is not sufficient but he must dye that accursed death of the Cross and become a curse for us or else he could not have got the pardon of our sins hear the Apostle Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree Colos 1. 20. He made peace through the blood of his Cross Fourthly Neither would this have sufficed to dye on the Cross there enduring the grievous torments in his soul and body due to our sins if he had not been God as well as man 1 Joh. 3. 16. speaking of the person of Christ he saith God laid down his life for us and indeed that must be of infinite price and merit which must answer the everlasting torments due for all the sins of all the Elect there had not been enough in the death of Christ had it not been the death of a person who was God as well as Man Thus you see even in the blood of Christ the hainousness of sin and the high guilt thereof which may make us to fear and tremble at the consideration of our own exceeding guiltiness c. Secondly To look after Christ in another manner than formerly we have done To look after Christ in another manner than formerly Why will you say because in his blood only we have the remission of sins that it is the only cause for which God doth forgive us Now because this is the principal Use which I think can be made of this point I will therefore briefly speak unto these three questions 1. How we should look after Christ seeing that there is no forgiveness but in and by him 2. Whether we do indeed look after Christ so as that we may get him to be ours and have the benefit of forgiveness in his blood 3. How one may know that he hath got Jesus Christ to be his and consequently an interest in his blood for the pardon of his sins Quest 1. Seeing that there is no forgiveness of sins but for the blood of How we should look after Christ Christ how therefore should we look after Christ Sol. To this I answer First We should look after Christ so as to enjoy him to be ours with With all speediness all speediness as David spake in another case I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commands Psal 119. 60. So should not we delay from time to time but hasten in to Christ that so our sins may be pardoned Whiles it is called to day to hearken unto his voice Hebr. 3. 7. Isa 60. 8. Who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their Windows In three cases swiftness and presentness of action are required viz. 1. When the danger is great 2. When the mercy is great 3. When the opportunity is uncertain all these circumstances meet together to stirre us up speedily to look after Christ to get him to be ours for 1. All the guilt of our sins lies upon our own souls untill Christ be ours no sin is forgiven but we are under wrath and condemnation 2. All our sins shall be taken off by the blood of Christ if Christ be ours so that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. 3. We have but our day our houre our opportunity our present moment to look after Christ the day of life is uncertain and the day of grace is uncertain the Spirit blows when and where and how long and how short as himself listeth O that thou hadst known even in this thy day c. Luke 19. 42. Secondly We should look after Christ very seriously and carefully our Very seâiously souls should make it their solemn work and business yea all that is in our souls should be united and engagâd for to get Christ Simile As he said to his son Percute tanquam ad Aratrum Strike as thou wast wont to strike at the Plough so would I say look after Christ as ye are wont to look after the world the riches and honour and pleasure of it earnestly and with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your might the Kingdome of heaven should suffer viâlence c. Maâth 11. 12. Prov. 8. 17. Those that seek me early shall finde me Thirdly We should look after Christ diligently and laboriously not shrinking Diligently at any pains and any ways and any means to get Christ Prov. 8. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates waiting at the posts of my doârs Cant. 3. 1. By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth
Then shall the Priests command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean and Cedar wood and Scarlet and Hysop Ver. 5. And the Priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water Ver. 6. As for the living bird he shall take it and the Cedar wood and the scarlet and the hysop and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the living bird that was killed over the running water Ver. 7. And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosie seven times and shall pronounce him clean c. Now that the Lord doth on this wise sprinkle the blood of Christ on his people for the forgiveness of their sins namely in a way of assurance that their sins are forgiven may thus appear by Scripture Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it The white stone was given in token of absolution and the black stone in token of condemnation by the Athenians Psal 103. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soul Ver. 3. who forgiveth all thine iniquities Matth. 9. 2. Son be of good chear thy sins be forgiven thee Luke 7. 48. He said unto her thy sins are forgiven Ephes 4. 32. Even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Col. 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses 1 Joh. 2. 12. Your sins are forgiven for his Names sake Isa 60. 16. Thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer Ch. 40. 2. Speak ye comfortably unto Jerusalem and cry unto her that her iniquity is pardoned 1 Joh. 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life c. But unless they did know that their sins in particular were pardoned they could not have said we know that we are passed from death to life Thirdly This ascertaining Application is made by the Spirit of God and by How this appâication is made Faith and by the testimony of Conscience First By the Spirit of God which is given to the people of God that they might know the things that are given to them of God 1 Cor. 2 12. The Spirit By the Spirit of God is given not only for implantation of grace but aâso for demonstration to manifest by his light those graces which he hath wrought in us Not only for union with Christ but also for manifestation of that union unto us not only to bring us into Covenant with God but also to open and reveal unto us the love and mercy of God unto us in his Covenant Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God ver 17. and if children then heirs heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ If the Spârit testifie unto us that we are the children of God and heirs of God then certainly he witnesses with this that we are justified and pardoned persons âphes 1. 13. In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise ver 14. which is the earnest of our inheritance What is that sealing by that holy Spirit of promise but the evidencing confirming assuring of us concerning the things which God hath promised unto us and amongst the rest of the pardon of our sins in order to salvation Secondly By Faith There is an ability in Faith not only to give a general evidence and assent that whatsoever God hath promised is true but also By faith to raise a particular evidence concerning our very interest in the things promised by God unto us 1 Joh. 4. 16. We have known and believed the love that God hath to us Cant. 15. 6. He is altogether lovely There is a direct act of Faith This is my beloved and this my friend here is the reflexive act of faith 1 Joh. 5. 20. He hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ Beloved whatsoever good the Lord doth promise unto his people he will give them Faith to believe it for that is one great end of his promising that we might inherit the good promised by believing but God hath promised the pardon of sins in particular to every particular believer Act. 10. 48. Whosoever believes on him shall receive the remission of sins Ergo. Thirdly Besides this there is given unto every one of the people of God an By a renewed Conscience illightned and renewed conscience which knows the present frame of heart and can give in a clear testimony concerning it whether it doth indeed Repent and indeed believe finding it such as the word requires from whence it can make a concluding evidence that our sinnes are certainly pardoned for thus conscience reasoneth Whosoever doth truely repent and believe God himself in his Word saith that his sins are forgiven But saith the enlightned and renewed conscience which knows what is in man thou dost truly repent and believe for I find such lively acts and effects of them both which the Word of God gives concerning them in truth Ergo Be of good comfort and rejoyce thy sinnes are forgiven thee Thus you see what the sprinkling is in the Text namely the imputation of the blood of Christ for forgiveness to every particular believer with an assurance of the forgiveness of his sins for Christs sake SECT II. Quest 2. NOw I proceed unto the second Question Why the Lord is Reasons of it pleased to make such an application and such an assurance unto his people No benefit by the blood of Christ without application Sol. 1. One reason is because though there be forgiveness for the blood of Christ yet this is of no benefit unto any but unto whom it is applyed and appropriated and imputed Simile Suppose that a great debt be discharged this avails not me unless my great debt be discharged Suppose that a release from the prison or from death be granted what is this to me if the release be not imputed unto me in particular So though God forgives sins only for the blood of Christ unless he applies this to me I am not the better for it O but God did peremptorily intend the particular good of every believer in the death of Christ Christ dyed for them and gave himself for them and therefore he applies the blood of Christ to them his intention was for them in particular they shall fare the better for Christ Ergo. Secondly Their great comfort lies in this apprehension and assurance of the forgiveness The comfort oâ it lies in assurance of their sins in the blood of Christ There are two Requisites for the Christians comfort concerning Christ and forgiveness 1. One is Propriety that Christ is his Christ and dyed for his sins Who
Joh. 14. 23. If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come and make our abode with him Ver. 16. The Father shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever The Father dwells in us 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell in them The Son dwells in us Ephes 3. 17. Christ dwells in your hearts by Faith The Spirit dwells in us Rom. 8. 11. Fourthly That all the people of God have the Spirit of God may plainly appear by the works âf the Spirit which are to be found in every one of them 1. They are sanctified by the Spirit Ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 11. 2. They are led by the Spirit As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God Rom. 8. 14. 3. They are upheld and strengthened by the Spirit Psal 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit Ephes 3. 16. To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man 4. They are partakers of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. Our selves have the first fruits of the Spirit 5. They are helped by the Spirit Rom. 8. 26 The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities and the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered 6. They are taught by the Spirit Joh. 14. 26. The Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things 7. They are comforted by the Spirit Acts 9. 31. They walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost 8. They are sealed by the Spirit Ephes 1. 13. In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Quest 3. Why doth the Lord put his Spirit within every one of his Reasons of it people Sol. There may be assigned six Reasons for it viz. 1. Necessity 2ly Congruity 3ly Conformity 4ly Excellency 5ly The love of God 6ly The purchase of Christ First Necessity The presence and enjoyment of the Spirit is necessary for The necessity of it them in many respects 1. For applying of Christ unto them and for the applying of them unto Christ For applying Christ that there is a conjunction or union between Christ the Head and his Mystical body the Church is an unquestionable truth And how Christ who locally in heaven should be joyned or united to his Church here on earth this cannot be done but by the Spirit who doth knit or joyn Christ to us and us to Christ as really as the head is joyned to the body and as the body is joyned to the head But take the instance in any particular believer that Christ is his and he is Christs it is certain but how comes Christ to be his what is that on Christs part which makes this union it is the Spirit and none but the Spirit and what is it on our part which makes this union it is faith and it is caused by the Spirit So that the Spirit is necessary to this union on either part on Christs part to apply or unite him to us and on our part in causing faith which applyes and unites us to Christ And unto this reciprocal union the Spirit is such a necessary agent that without him there cannot possibly be any union at all No man can be united to Christ but by the Spirit neither can Christ I speak it with reverence unite himself to us but by his Spirit 2. For conveying of spiritual life into them or a new being into their souls For conveying of spiritual life Naturally all men are dead in trespasses and sins and every faculty in them is totally defiled and polluted and corrupted and is deprived of the glory of God nor can any man help himself in this case nor can any creature do it None can raise him from his death but that Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead Therefore is the Spirit called the Spirit of life and the Spirit of grace forasmuch as he is the authour of both unto our souls it is the Spirit who quickens them by infusing the life of Christ into them and who renews them by changing of them into the image of Christ 3. For all the actings of grace Take me any Christian though endowed with For all the actings of grace all the principles of grace and great measures thereof now put him upon any particular acting put him upon believing put him upon repenting upon mourning upon any acts of obedience why looââs no member of the body can move or strive but from an influence from the head no more can we act any grace we have but by an influence from the Spirit of Christ our Head Joh. 15. 5. And we find it in experience that it is with our souls Simile as with a ship which stirs not if the wind stirs not and it stirs more or less as the wind is greater or lesser so if the Spirit of God stirs not in us our graces stir not c. For all our receptions 4. For all our Receptions Would you know any truth of God you cannot know it unless the Spirit of God give you his light to know it 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. would you be acquainted with the love of God you can never perceive it unless the Spirit shed abroad that love in your hearts Rom. 5. 5. would you be clear and satisfied in your relation of sonship unto God as your Father all the men in the world cannot perswade and satisfie as to that unlesse and untill the Sperit beareth witness with your Spirits that you are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. Secondly Congruity It is meet and fit that the people of God should have the Spirit of God For Congruity 1. They are his children and is it not meet that the children of God should have the Spirit of God should they not bear his image if they were led by the same spirit by which the children of this world are led had they not another Spirit they could not be his children 2. They are his servants and therefore they have much to do for him and they have much to suffer for him Is it not meet that the Lord should help his servants The services of the people of God which they are to do for him and to suffer for him are above all their own strength and therefore God will give them his Spirit to enable them for all their services whether active or passive the Spirit can supply them for every work 3. They are his Heirs and intended for eternal glory and is it not fit that they should have the Spirit of grace who must have the Spirit of glory Heirs of God Rom. 8. 17. Before a person comes to heaven it is fit that he should be fitted for heaven be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1. 12. And who
c. Who can pray thus but he who is a child of God but he who hath the Spirit of God to shew unto him his spiritual wants to stirre up in him spiritual and earnest desires to quicken his Faith on God and to depend on his good and faithful Promises in Christ c. Fourthly I will adde one instance more concerning the power in all who have received the Spirit and that is this All who have received the Spirit have received a power to do such works as none else in all the world can do for they are able in the strength and power of the Spirit 1. To abhor the dearest lusts which have formerly been more unto them than their lives and heavenly happiness 2. To forsake Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Friends Houses and Lands for Christ and an afflicted estate with Christ 3. To prize communion with God and to take more satisfying delight therein than in all earthly enjoyments whatsoever But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psal 4. 6. Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee c. 4. To live by faith in the times of desertion Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. and in times of desolation when as creature helps and comforts fail Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vine and the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat and the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hâb 3. 17 18. The Lord God is my strength ver 19. 5. To be contented in every estate and to comply with it Phil. 4. 12 13. and to glorifie God under it O where is this power of the Spirit of God where are any great things or works of the Spirit within us I cannot pray saith one and I cannot leave my sins saith another and I can find and take no delight in God or communion with him saith another and I cannot trust on his Word nor wait upon his Promise c. Few men have any Spiritual power and therefore few men have the Spirit of God Fourthly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Liberty is a freedom from bondage or slavery and Gospel-liberty which principally respects the soul is a freedom accruing unto us Partly by price and purchace namely by the blood of Christ The Lord Jesus by his death hath purchased many glorious liberties for us he hath freed us from the Law as it is a Covenant of Works Gal. 3. 11 12. and from the curse and wrath ver 13. and from all condemning power of sin c. Rom. 8. 1. Partly by strength and efficacy this liberty comes unto us by the Spirit who puts forth a strong and mighty hand upon all the hearts of all the people of God and rescues and frees them from spiritual slavery under which they were held whiles they were in their natural condition The Spirit of God doth free them First From slavery to sin See Rom. 8. 2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death i. e. The power of the Spirit hath freed me out of the hands and power of sin so that it shall not command and rule over me as heretofore it is no longer my Lord nor am I any longer his servant I am delivered and freed from the dominion and tyranny of it and service unto it by the Law i. e. by the powerful and authoritative command and work of the Spirit upon this account the Apostle affirms that all the servants of God are made free from sin Rom. 6. 18 22. they are not in bondage they are not at the command of it sin hath lost its law and authority in them the yoke is broken by the spirit which is given unto them sin indeed will stirre and trouble and usurp but slavery unto it is taken away Isa 10. 27. The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing Secondly From slavery to Satan Before we receive the Spirit of God we are in bondage unto the Divel who rules or works effectually in us Ephes 2. 2. and takes us captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. as one that hath a bird tyed c. O what power hath Satan over a natural man how he fetters and shackles and binds him and imprisons him and makes him to drudge in the fulfilling of his motions and obeying of his suggestions and temptations But now when the Spirit of God comes into us he spoiles the strong man armed and takes from him all the armour wherein he trusted Luke 11. 21 22. For he is stronger than he 1 Joh. 4. 4. He leads captivity captive he turns us from Satan unto God Acts. 26. 18. Object But Satan still tempts and assaults never was man so tempted as I am Sol. Temptation is one thing and salvation is another he bestirred himself in tempting and we obeyed he now tempts and we resist He frees us from him 1. By making us to abhor his Kingdom 2ly By translating us out of his power into the Kingdom of Christ 3ly By arming us with the armour of God against his assaults 4ly By stirring us up to resist him Jam. 4 7. Resist the Divel and he will flee from you And 5ly By strengthening us to overcome him 1 Joh. 2. 13. Ye have overcome the wicked one Thirdly From slavish fear and a slavish spirit in working in this respect he makes us to serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. that is without servile fear for there is a twofold fear There is Timor filialis which is grounded in the love of God as a Father and there is Timor servilis which looks upon God only as a Judge and hath a respect to fo wrath Now when the Spirit of God is given unto us we do not serve God tor fear of wrath and punishment and damnation but out of love and reverence and ingenuity Though there were no Law to curse us though there were no Conscience to terrifie us though there were no Hell to burn us yet the Lord our God and Father we will love and him will we serve Fourthly From slavish indispositions as averseness to what is good and indelightfulness in it They that are anointed by the Spirit and power of God it makes them ready and willing out of love and working out of love Fifthly The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Ver. 17. even the Spirit of truth John 16. 13. When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide yâu into all truth SECT I. THere are divers
been and are the cause of all our troubles The troubles which the Spirit causeth in us for sinne is a meanes to deliver us from sinne and the eternal troubles for sinne 2. The troubles which the Spirit causeth in us for sinne do end in much joy They end in joy and peace and peace The joy and peace of the Spirit are very precious and they cannot be delivered out unto us unless we be first troubled for our sin The Spirit comforts mourners and them that are cast down Now the Spirit troubles us for sin 1. To make sinne bitter to us 2ly To make Christ sweet to us As he troubles us for our sins so he leads and draws the troubleâ soul to Christ that in him he may find deliverance from those sinnes and his peace made with God c. Trouble is not all the work of the Spirit it is an inceptive work and a preparative work he troubles you for sin that you may not be damned for sinne and that you may make out for Christ to save you from your sinnes Object We should be willing to have the Spirit but that then we must bid farewell to all our sins the Spirit is a mortifying Spirit he will not suffer us to love our sins nor to take pleasure in them as heretofore we are affraid of the sword of the Spirit Sol. I answer First It is granted that the spirit will do this as you do speak it will cast sin The second prejudice removed He dethrones sin The death of sin is our life out of the throne it will take off love and service from sin and it will be more and more ââ mortifying of it Secondly But then where is the hurt the danger the prejudice which you have against this Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Here is death and life If you keep your sins alive ye shall dye if you through the spirit mortifie your sins you shall live The life of sin is your death and the death of sin is your life Saul spared Agag but it was his ruine and Ahab spared Benhadad but it was his ruine c. Object O but the Spirit will make us holy and we must then live holily and not so lâosly and freely as heretofore Sol. First Will the spirit of God make you holy and should you not be The third prejudice removed so 1 Pet. 1. 16. Be holy for I am holy and should you not walk so As he who hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1. 15. Secondly Consider only three places of Scripture for this 1. Isa 4. 3. He that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every We should be holy one that is written amongst the living in Jerusalem 2. Heb. 12. 14. Follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 3. Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Object But I shall be a derision and a mock if I should pretend to the Spirit c. Sol. 1. Who will mock you those that are led by the Divel wicked graceless The fourth prejudice removed ungodly men 2. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution 3. If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of Christ resteth upon you 1 Pet. 4. 14. Secondly if you would come to partake of the Spirit you must not then resist We must not resist the spirit the Spirit Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do alwayes resâst the Holy Ghost Acts 7. 51. Men resist the Spirit two wayes 1. When they will not hearken unto nor regard the counsel and commands of the Spirit delivered in the Word but set themselves against them and oppose and How the spiriâ is resisted despise them 2. When they will not receive the offers and motions of the Spirit but harden their hearts against them and quench them and will not give way or enterance unto them Now take heed of this when the Spirit of God is knocking at your hearts and stirs your hearts to accept of him and of his graces which he is willing and ready to work in you by no means neglect them or slight them but lay hold of them presently as one of the greatest mercies that God is intending toward you bless him and cherish them and beseech him to go on with his work on your souls do not reject any work of the Spirit neither grieve him by neglecting his good motions Prov. 1. 23. Turn you at my reproof behold I will poure out my Spirit unto you I will make known my works unto you my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Thirdly If you would come to partake of the spirit then you must pray the We must pray for the spirit Lord to give you his spirit you must thirst after him and seek for him Isa 44. 3. I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will poure my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thy off-spring Luke 11. 13. Your heavenly Father will give the spirit to them that ask him What a promise is this to encourage any man sensible of the want of the spirit to pray unto God! Jesus Christ assures him that if he will ask for the Holy Spirit he shall have him Object But who can pray unless he hath the Spirit first Sol. I grant that the spirit must make you sensible of the want of the spirit and he must stir up your hearts to pray for him there is some degree of the spirits presence in stirring us up to pray for these but then if you would fully enjoy the spirit you must poure out you hearts c. Fourthly You must attend the Preaching of the Gospel the Gospel is called Attend upon the Ministry oâ the Word the Ministry of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 6. And you read that whiles Peter was Preaching the Word unâo Cornelius and the rest the Holy Ghost came upon them Act. 10 44. Whiles Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word So Gal. 3. 2. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith They received the spirit upon the hearing of the Gospel which is the word of faith You read that aâl the works of the spirit and all the graces of the spirit and all the joyes and comforts of the spirit are let into us by the Word by that the spirit is pleased to convey himself First His works He enlightens our minds by the Word he convinceth us of He enlightens our minds by the Word sin by the Word I
more special to shew unto you what that Covenant is which God makes between himself and his people There are who do distinguish of a twofold Covenant 1. There is Foedus absolutum which is such a promise of God as takes in no stipulation or condition at all that There is an absolute CovenaÌt runnes altogether upon absolute termes such a Covenant was that which God made with Noah that he would never drown the world any more Gen. 9. 11. and such a kind of Covenant is that when God promiseth to give faith and perseverance unto his elect Heb. 8. 10 c. Both these Covenants are absolute and without any condition there is nothing in them but what is folded up in the promises themselves 2. Foedus Hypotheticum which is a gracious promise on Gods part with an obligation to duty on our part for although it be natural to God to recompence And an Hypothetical Covenant any good as it is to punish any evil And although man doth owe unto God whatsoever God covenanteth with him for yet it so pleaseth his Divine Will thus to deale with us that in binding of us to duty unto himself he binds himself in reward unto us and promiseth such and such a recompence upon the condition of such and such a performance Now this kind of Covenant is twofold The Covenant is either The Covenant of nature 1. Foedus Naturae as some stile it or Foedus operum the Covenant of works as we usually call it the Apostle calls it the Law of works Rom. 3. 27. This is the Covenant which God made with man in the state of innocency before the fall wherein God promised unto man life and happinesse upon condition of perfect and personal obedience and it is summed up by the Apostle Gal. 3. 12. Do this and live God having created man upright after his own Image and so having furnished him with all abilities sufficient for obedience thereupon he made a Covenant with him for life upon the condition of obedience I say he made such a Covenant with Adam as a publick person and as he promised life to him and his posterity in case of obedience so he threatened death and a curse unto him and his posterity in case of disobedience In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Gen. 2. 17. Cursedis every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. 2. Faedus Gratiae the Covenant of Grace the Apostle calls it the law of faith Or the Covenant of grace Rom. 3. 27. and it is especially expressed thus He that believes shall be saved Mark 16. 16. The just shall live by faith Gal. 3. 11. This is that Covenant of which the Text speaks and of which by Gods assistance This is stiled I intend to discourse This Covenant which is sometimes stiled the Covenant of life life is restored The Covenant of life and life is promised and life is setled by the Covenant no life for a sinner out of it And sometimes it is stiled a Covenant of peace Numb 25. 12. Behold I give Covenant of peace unto him my Covenant of Peace Peace is the comprehension of all blessings and prosperity our good is in this good Covenant of grace and all peace flowes out of it peace with God and peace of cosncience And sometimes it is called a Covenant of salt Num. 18. 19. 2 Chron. 13. 5. A A Covenant of salt firm sure uncorruptible Covenant which lasts for ever Sometimes it is stiled the promise Psal 105. 42. He remembred his holy promise The promise and Abraham his servant It is called the promise by way of eminency it is made up altogether of promises all on Gods part which he will do is under promise and all on our part which we are to do is likewise under promise Sometimes it is called the mercy and the truth Mic. 7. 20. Thou wilt perform The mercy and the truth the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham The Covenant is called mercy because mercy only drew this Covenant It was meer mercy which moved God to make new bonds with us yea all mercy is wrapped up in it And it is called Truth because the Lord God who makes this Covenant will certainly and truly performe all that good and mercy which in it he makes over unto his people Hence also it is called the oath Luke 2. 73. The oath which he sware unto The Oath our father Abraham You do not read of Gods Oath in the Covenant of works that Covenant wanted a Mediatour and was not sealed with an oath but in this Covenant of grace there is the oath of God to declare unto us and to confirm us as touching the immutability of his will and purpose for the accomplishment of all that good mentioned in this Covenant And it is called a Testament and a new Testament Matth. 26. 28. My A Testament and New Testament blood of the New Testament Heb. 9. 15. He is the Mediatour of the New Testament A Testament is Testatio mentis that which we commonly call a mans Will about the bestowing of his estate amongst his children c. The new Covenant is called a Testament because it is ratified and confirmed by the death of the Testator and because it is as it were his last Will written down There are precious Legacies bestowed and setled by God the Father in this Covenant upon all his children and all of them are confirmed and ratified to them by the death of Christ This Covenant of grace thus gloriously set out in the Scripture wherein God proclaimes all his goodnesse to us which is the foundation of all our lives and comforts hopes and happinesse which is the foundation of all godlinesse and holy walking which is a sure and our only anchor I am now in a more distinct way to discourse of In the handling whereof I shall confine my self to these six particulars 1. The differences of this Covenant of grace from the Covenant of works 2. The proper nature of this Covenant in the absolute consideration of it 3. The adjuncts and properties of this Covenant 4. The condition of the Covenant of grace 5. The Mediatour of this Covenant 6. The special gifts and legacies that are bequeathed in this Testament CHAP. III. Differences of the Covenant of grace from the Covenant of works THe differences of this Covenant of grace from that Covenant of works Although there are some things wherein both these Covenants agree As 1. In the general end which is the Seven things in which they agree glory of God 2. In the persons contracting and covenanting which are God and man 3. In the intrinsecal forme there is a condition and restipulation in both 4. In some things promised in them both and required as to the matter of them in both 5. In the Authour God is the Authour of
abhorres that man and threatens all his curses against him and will wound and destroy him that still goes on in his trespasses And therefore if any amongst you sets his heart on sinne if he saith I love this sinne and I will not forsake it I will not forsake my pride I will not forsake my lying and I will not forsake my slandering I will not forsake my drunkennesse or my uncleannesse c. by this he may know that God is none of his God in Covenant nor is he any of the people in Covenant with God Thou art in a contrary Covenant in a Covenant wherein God will never agree with thee Psal 50. 16. Vnto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant into thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behinde thee There are two Covenants unto which if a man cleaves God is not in Covenant with him one is the Covenant of good works for justification and life This is inconsistent with an interest in the Covenant of grace The other is the Covenant with bad works In this thou put'st off God and rejectest him and God puts off thee and rejects thee And thou mayest know that thou art in Covenant with sinne if thou hast a strong affection to it and doest habitually yield a willing subjection to it 4. Positive unbelief When the sinner refuseth Christ will not come to him Positive unbelief not consent to take and receive him for King Priest and Prophet Ye will not comâ to me that âe might have life John 5. 4. We will not have this man to reigne over us Luke 19. 14. Christ offers himself and calls and entreats and promiseth but they will not hearken now he that will not have Christ to be his Christ cannot have God to be his God For as much as God becomes our God and our Father only in Christ By Christ only we are brought near unto him and enjoy him as our God in Covenant SECT III. 2. THE extreme misery and infelicity of such persons who have not God The misery of such who have not God for their God to be their God in Covenant The misery is so great and so sad that I know not well how to expresse it to you 1. You are wholly and utterly excluded from all good and happinesse You They are utterly excluded from all good have nothing to do with happinesse nor with any thing conducing to it There is a merciful loving gracious blessed God but thou hast no portion in this God There is a precious Christ a mighty Redeemer and only Saviour but thou hast no propriety in this Christ There are great and precious promises there are tender compassions in God there are admirable undertakings for all good for soul and body But what are all these to him who is not in Covenant who hath not God for his God A man reads a Lease of lands and goods and houses these are something to the heirs but what are they to an enemy or to a stranger A person is very great and mighty c. but what is this to the woman who will not marry him Ah how sad is this God hath love and not for me hath mercy but not for me is happinesse but is not so to me Well did one cry out Quid est Deus nisi meus what is God if he be not my God! If he be not merciful to me and good to me and blessednesse to me They have none to go unto in any distresse 2. You have none to go unto in any distresse and want In the times of your distresse whither will you flie or to whom can you go Wants are upon your bodies and there is no creature to help you anguish is upon your conscience and there is no creature to quiet you Danger is near your souls and there is no creature to save you whither will you go in life for blessing or in death for life All good is treasured up in the Covenant and conveyed to them that have God for their God you must first have a propriety in God himself before you can have a right unto or a propriety in the good things that are to be had by God O but he is no God to thee he is none of thine nor hath he engaged himself to thee for any good whatsoever 3. You are altogether exposed unto all evil If God be not your God assuredly They are altogether exposed to all evil then he is your Judge If he be not your friend then he is your enemy If you be not under his love you are then under his wrath If his promises are not for you his threatnings are against you If he be not your loving God in Covenant he is your wrathful God out of Covenant If he be not your pardoning God in Covenant he is your condemning God out of Covenant If you have reason to expect mercy from him because he is your God you have as much reason to expect judgement from him because he is your God I will tell you what God is and will be to you if he be not your God in Covenant He is a just God who will render unto you according to your works He is a holy God who will loath you and abhorre and reject you He is a faithful God who will certaiâly execute the fierenesse of his wrath and all the evil which he hath threatned in his Word against you and you shall never escape that judgement it shall certainly befal you and abide on you to all eternity 4. Against all this you have no remedy no hope All the hope of a sinner Against this they have no remedy is in a Mediatour but Christ is the Mediatour of the Covenant There is no Mediatour to be found in any Covenant but this of Grace and this you have no part in God is not your God SECT IV. 3. THE Infallible evidences by which we may know that God is our God The evidences that God is our God in in Covenant in Covenant I will present unto you seven Evidences for this and I beseech you to ponder them seriously You may know that God is your God and that you are his people in Covenant 1. By answerable and reciprocal acts 2. By inclusive and exclusive interests and properties 3. By your choyce and peculiar enjoyments or at least your desires of them 4. By the subordination and conformity of your hearts unto his authority and will 5. By your sweet contentment and satisfaction in the manifestations of God in any part of his Covenant unto your souls 6. By your dependance on God as your God in Covenant 7. By your Covenant-care and carriage First You may know that God is your God and that you are his people by your The answerable and reciprocal acts betwixt God and us On Gods part His choosing act answerable and reciprocal acts between
it to perfection to give life to the dead and to give strength to the weak to convert a sinner and to subdue sinnes for he is an Omnipotent God And so likewise for your joy and peace which are but weak your God is able to fill you with joy in believing to make your joy unspeakable and full of glory he is able to give you peace that passeth understanding and to make it as a River And so for temptations which do so much distress you your God is not only able to restrain Satan but also to bruise him under your feet Rom. 16. 20. It is a certain truth that Omnipotency hath no bounds or limits you cannot say that God who works thus farre can work no farther as he can work all things unto their being so he can work them up to that perfection of being of which they are capable 6. If your God be an Omnipotent God then you who are his people are altogether Then his people are altogether safe and secure For their bodies safe and suââ both in respect of your bodies and in respect of your souls For your bodies Is not he safe who hath Omnipotency to be his guard and shield is not Omnipotency it self safety enough unto you Deut. 33. 26. There is none like unto the God of Jeruson who rideth upon the heaven in thy help and in his excellency on the skye ver 27. The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes And likewise for your souls they shall never be lost nay they shall assuredly be kept and preserved to glory John 10. 27. My sheep And for their souls hear my voice and I know them and they follow me ver 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my Fathers hands ver 29. My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hands Mark here the comfort and assurance which Christ gives and the reason thereof My sheep shall never perish but they shall have eternal life This is the comfort and this comfort he grounds upon the power of God he is greater than all and no man is able c. As if he should say many assay to hinder them and deceive of that life but they are not able they are in my Fathers hand in the keeping of his power and he is greater he is stronger than all put them all together he is too strong for them 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation There is not power enough in our selves to keep out selves but there is power enough in God and we are kept by the power of God even unto salvation untill we come to the heavenly glory 7. If your God be an Omnipotent God he can easily help you and enable you He can easily help you and enable you to all good in and to all good What shall I say more for your comfort from the Omnipotency of your God it is an universal comfort unto you in all conditions of life and death Tu non potes sed Dominus tuus potest said Chrysostome he is able to enable you for all your duties I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4. 13. He is able to comfort you in all your sorrows 2 Cor. 1. 4. He is able to deliver you from all your sins and troubles He is able to keep you from falling Jude ver 24. He is able to raise you up being fallen He is able to feed you all your days Gen. 48. 15. He is able to deliver you from the power of death Heb. 2. 14. He is able to present you faultlesse before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude ver 24. 7. A seventh Attribute wherein God is engaged unto you is faithfulnesse your Gods faithfulnesse is engaged for you God is often stiled a faithful God that is one that stands to his word and keeps his Covenant Deut. 7. 9. The Lord thy God he is God the faithful God who keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that love him c. 1 Kings 8. 23. Lord God of Israel c. who keepest Covenant and mercy with thy servants Nehem. 9. 32. Our God who keepest Covenant and mercy There are foure things in the faithfulnesse of God Four things in the faithfulness of God Sincerity of intention 1. Sincerity of intention God is faithful that is he really intends all the good of which he speaks and which he promiseth unto you his heart goes with his word he doth not speak one thing and minde another ptomise much and never intend to do any thing but his word of promise is bottomed upon the real purpose of his will 2. Fixednesse of resolution God is faithful that is he is stedfast he is still Fixednesse of resolution in the same minde he is not variable and changeable he will never alter his word he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2. 13. 3. Certainty of execution or performance God is faithful that is will Certainty of execution certainly performe unto you whatsoever good he hath promised Gen. 28. 15. I will surely do thee good and I will not leave thee untill I have done that which I have spoken unto thee of said God to Jacob Jer. 31. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord God chap. 32. 41. I will rejoyce over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly with my whole heart with my whole soul Hab. 2. 3. The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come Micah 7. 20. Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworne unto our fathers from the days of old 4. Fulnesse and exactnesse of performance not failing his people in any one Fulnesse and exactnesse of performance promise Jer. 32. 42. I will bring upon them all the good that I have promised them Josh 23. 14. Ye know that in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to passe unto you and not one thing hath This faithfulnesse is your exceeding comfort failed thereof 1 Kings 8. 5 6. There hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant This is the faithfulness of God and this is your exceeding comfort that your God is a faithful God he remembers his Covenant for ever and his word to a thousand generations Psal 105. 8. Were he as he is an all-sufficiency and full of mercy and Omnifcient and Wise and Omnipotent and never so abundant in goodness yet if he were
the enjoyment of Christ All is enjoyed 1. Equivalently there is as much in Christ as answers all other enjoyments All is enjoyed by the enâoyment of Christ Equivalently Ipse unus erit tibi omnia quia in ipso uno bono bona sunt omnia the wisdome of Christ doth more than answer all other wisdome and the knowledge of Christ doth more than answer all other knowledge and the love of Christ doth more than answer all other love and the unsearchable riches of Christ doth more than answer all other riches and the delights in Christ do more than answer all other pleasures 2. Really if you enjoy Christ himself you do actually enjoy all the glorious benefits by Christ with the enjoyments of himself If the field be yours the Really treasure in the field is yours indeed in some civil enjoyments there is an exceptio juris sometimes such a Mannour you shall enjoy but such or such particulars are excepted and reserved But it is not thus in your spiritual enjoyments in the enjoyment of Christ there is no exception no clause no distinction but if Christ be yours all of Christ is yours his love is yours his righteousness is yours his wisdome his holiness his Redemption all is yours 4. Jâsus Christ hâmself his person is the greatest blessing and choicest gift that Jesus Christ himself is the greatest and choicest gift that God can give unto you God hath or can give unto you for all the other blessings fall into our possession and enjoyment by Christ alone all your enjoyments are bestowed by the enjoyment of Christ himself the loving God the merciful God righteousnesse holinesse as long as Christ is Christ you shall have possession of them Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Christ if I may so expresse it is the out-let of all blessings and he is the in-let to all our blessings Look on our blessings as descending from God to us Jesus Christ is as it were the out-let of them all they are let out unto us by Christ God himself becomes our God in Christ and he loves us in Christ and chooseth us in Christ and is merciful and gracious unto us in Christ and sheweth the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus And look on our blessings as desired from God by us we are let or brought into the enjoyment of them by Christ We lost all by the first Adam and we come to enjoy all again by Christ Jesus Christ is as it were the root upon which all our mercies and comforts and hopes do live again and grow You obtain your accesse by Christ unto the Father and your persons come to be accepted in Christ and all your services He holds up all your Communions and makes them effectual and sure God would not look on you nor regard you nor let fall one glimpse or beame of his favour upon you were it not for Christ it is Christ which makes you nigh and dear and lovely and delightful and precious and for whose sake you come to be sonnes and heirs of love and mercy and peace and all the blessings which you do possesse or ever shall enjoy in this world or in the world to come 5. Your condition cannot be otherwise than safe and comfortable and blessed Your condition cannot be otherwise than safe if Christ be yours if Christ be yours As it cannot be well with any without Christ so it cannot be ill with any who have Christ There is no condemnation unto you you are now passed from death to life he is your life and he that hath the Sonne hath life and he is your hope Christ in you the hope of glory and he is your Rock on which you are built he is your peace he is your glory he is your head he is your Saviour in one word the enjoyment of Christ makes life and death comfortable 2. Christ is yours as to all his Offices You know that Christ is the anointed Christ âs yours as to all his offices of God He was set apart and ordained and called and sent and undertook all the work of salvation for sinners and for the accomplishing of that salvation he was installed a Prophet a Priest and a King By reason of our sinful fall there were if I may so call them three diseases falling upon us One was Ignorance and this Christ doth heale as he is our Prophet A second was Alienation from God and this Christ doth heal as he is our Priest A third is Impotency to come back to God and this Christ doth heal as he is our King As he is a Prophet he doth open and unfold salvation and as he is a Priest he doth acquire and procure salvation and as he is a King he doth apply that salvation unto us The Prophetical Office of Christ is that by which he doth perfectly and effectually reveal the whole saving Will of God The Priestly Office of Christ is that by which he doth expiate all our sinnes and doth reconcile us unto God The Kingly Office of Christ is that by which he doth with authority and power dispense and administer all things which do belong unto the everlasting salvation of his people Beloved All the works of our redemption and reconciliation and salvation do depend on Jesus Christ as invested with the threefold Office of Prophet Priest and King his whole Mediatourship is contained in them and so is all our comfort and hope and therefore I will speak briefly unto every one of them 1. Jesus Christ is a Prophet and he is your Prophet He is that Prophet whom Christ is yours as a Prophet God had promised to raise up Acts 3. 22. And whom all are commanded to hear verse 23. And this was he who was anointed by the Spirit of the Lord to preach the Cospel to the poor Luke 4 18. And this is he in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge Col. 2. 3. who knows the Father and by whom alone the knowledge of the Father is revealed Matth 11. 27. who is in the bosome of the Father and declares him unto us John 1. 18. who is the Angel of the Covenant Malachi 3. 1. unto whom the great Commission of opening the mystery of salvation is granted and sealed Now there are foure singular comforts unto you which have God to be your God in Covenant and consequently have Jesus Christ to be your Prophet Four comforts from hence He hath iâ in his commission to teach us 1. He hath it in his Commission to teach you They shall be all taught of God Joh. 6. 45. yea it is his expresse Commission to preach the Gospel unto you Luke 4. 18. to open and reveale that Mystery which was kept secret since the world began and to make it manifest
your High Priest who offered himself for you and lives to make Intercession for you 1. All your sins were laid upon him for in that respect he was your Priest in by his oblation that respect also he was your Surety Heb. 7. 21 22. what 's that That That is All our sinâes were âayed upon him he became bound to God responsible unto him for all your sins for all that God in justice could charge upon you and demand for satisfaction Our salvation was laid on one that is mighty As Judah became a surety to Jacob for Benjamin he engaged himself to his Father I will be surety for him of my hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee then let me bear the blame for ever Gen. 43. 9. Thus Jesus Christ is our Priest and therefore our Surety with his Father Father I will take upon me all the sins of thy people I will be bound to answer for them I will sacrifice my self for them at my hands do thou require satisfaction for their sins and a full compensation unto thy justice I will die I will lay down my life I will make my soul an offering for sins I will become a curse I will endure thy wrath O what a Comfort is this that there is a Christ to answer for that which we could not answer Hâ discharged all our debâs and bonds The debt of obedience and of punishment 2. He discharged all your debts and bonds There is a twofold debt which lay upon us one was the debt of obedience unto the Law And this Christ did pay by fulfilling all Righteousnesse Matth. 3. 15. The other was the debt of punishment for our transgressions and this debt also Christ discharged by his death on the Crosse and being made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse Gal. 3. 13. Hence it is that we are said to be bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. and that Christ is called our ransome Lutron Matth. 20 28. and Antilutron 1 Tim. 2. 6. the words do signifie a valuable price laid down for anothers ransome the blood of âhrist the Son of God was a valuable price a sufficient price it was as much as would serve the turn to take off all enmities and to take away sin and to satisfie Divine justice and indeed so it did and therefore you read that in his blood we have redemption even the forgivenesse of our sins Ephes 1. 7. and his death was such a full compensation to Divine Justice that the Apostle makes a challenge to all Rom. 8. 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect and ver 3â Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died as if he had said Crist hath satisfied and discharged all O what comfort is âhis unto us to have such an high Priest who himself bare all our sins even all our sins left not one unsatisfied for laid down a full ransome a full price such an expiatory âacrifice such a satisfactory âacrifice as âhat now we are out of the hands of justice and wrath and death and curse and hell and are reconciled and made near and deale altogether under the throne of Grace and Mercy 3. As our Priest in offering himself for us his Scacrifice being as the âcripture There is not only satisâaction buâ merit in his oblation speaks the blood oâ God that is of one that is God there is more therefore in it than meere payment or satisfaction there was merit also in it to acquire and procure and purchase all Spiritual good and all Eternal good for the people of God not only immunities from evil in sin and death but priviledges and dignities of sons and heires yea all grace and all love and all peace and all glory even that glorious inheritance purchased by his blood You may now look on âod as your Father and on Heaven as your inheritance seâled on you by the love of God and purchased for you by the blood of Jesus Christ 4. What shall I say more Jesus Christ is your Priest for Intercession also Do Comfort from his intercession you know your happiness by this and in this your Christ is now entered into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father and therefore he intercedes for you he presents himself as your Surety âs your Redeemer in all his susceptions and endurances and discharges and purchases for you in the price which he laid down and in the merits of that price and so negotiates and obtaines for you and still is effectually letting dâwn unto you the vertues and purchases of his life and death untill you come at length to âhe highest and full enjoyment of himself in glory Father I purchased this for him I paid dearly for it c. And therefore some not without ground ascribe all the purchases of Christ for the application of them untâ us unto the Intercession of Christ I will say no more but thâs That all your communions with the Father all your audiences all your acceptances all your answers in graces in comforts in hopes in helps in present in future enjoyments owe themselves unto âhrist as your Priest in the Oblation of himself for you and in the intercession of him unto the Father for you 3. Jesus Christ is a King and he is your King He is called a King Psal 2. 6. and Jesus Christ is a Kinâ ând your King He mâkes subjects by his Word and Spirit He mâkâs all his Subjects free-men He mâkes all his Subjects Kings he is called King of Saints Rev. 15. 3. He is such a King as there is not the like A King by contract in respect of God by conquest in respect of us 1. He makes Subjects by the power of his Word and Spirit effectually calling us out of the kingdom of darkness into his own gracious Kingdom 2. He makes all his Subjects free-men If the Sân shall make you free you are free indeed Joh. 8 36. 3. He makes all his Subjects Kings He hath made us unto our God Kings and Priests Rev. 4. 10 4. He rules all his Subjects by Righteous Laws therefore he is called Melchisedeck He rules them by righâeous Laws which signifies a King of Righteousnesse and his Kingdom is called a Righteous Kingdom 5. He is the King of Salem of peace as well as of Righteousnesse Men never He is a King of peace enjoy peace at least such a peace anywhere as in the Kingdom of Christ there is no man that obeyes him and is ruled by him but findes peace Gal. 6. His kingdom is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost 6. He as a King seeks your good and all that he doth hath a respect to your good all He seeks your good and all he doth is with respect to your good He will protect and secuâe you his dispensations are good and for
request and shall be owned and heard 5. You have this priviledge that you may not only come into the presence You may with confidence wrestle with God of your God but you may with confidence urge him and importune him and wrestle with him and still renew and reinforce your requests you may take hold of him and challenge and expostulate with him and stay him and not let him alone nor let him go untill he blesseth you And so large allowance of blessednesse is granted unto you that you may in some sort command God it is the Highest Expression that you read of Isaiah 45. 11. 6. You have this priviledge by having God to be your God and by being his You may enter into and survey all the treasures of heaven and lay claime to them people that you may enter in and survey all the rich treasures and jewels of heaven and when you have so done you may lay claime unto them all and say O Lord all these are mine by thy promise and by my right in Christ Thou art mine and thy mercy is mine and thy Christ is mine and thy grace is mine and that glory is mine all this is the purchase of Christ and all this is mine 7. You have this priviledge also that all the seals of the Covenant of grace All the seals of the Covenant are restrained to you alone are restrained unto your selves alone As the Covenant is none but yours and with you so the seals of the Covenant are none but yours and unto you only The seals of the Covenant are to confirme you and to assure you and to revive and comfort you and to establish you there is not any ungodly person on the earth who hath right unto the seals of the Covenant and the reason is because he hath no interest in the Covenant it self you onely are the people of the Covenant and therefore you onely have right to the seals of the Covenant 8. You have this priviledge that you may expect help from your God for all the works which you owe to God You may go to him for grace for strength You may expect help from God in all your works for sufficiency to work in you both to will and to do both to believe and to suffer Phil. 2. 13. and chap. 1. 29. Give thy strength unto thy servant Psal 86. 16. He will give sârength unto his people Psal 29. 11. Gods promises are joyned with his commands this thou wouldest have me to do O Lord give thy Spirit unto me and cause me to do it 9. You have this priviledge that your all is in another Your life stands in the life of another and your righteousnesse in the righteousnesse of another Your all is in another and your satisfying in the satisfaction of another and your defence in the death of another and your title and claime in the obedience and purchase and right of another and your acceptance in another your life lies in the life of Christ and your righteousnesse is the righteousnesse of Christ and your satisfying is the satisfaction of Christ and your defence and answer to all inditements and accusations is the death of Christ and your claime and title is the obedience and purchase of Christ your power is in the power of Christ and your acceptance is in Christ This is a priviledge indeed that you are wholly made up in another and by another that you shall never be found in your own righteousnesse but onely in the righteousnesse of Christ and shall never be tryed by your own righteousnesse but by the righteousnesse of Christ c. 10. You have this priviledge that you live upon free cost all your days The You live upon free cost Covenant of God will finde and provide enough for you you never need to load your selves with anxious thought or care For your God and Father careth for you all your burdens and all your cares are taken off Be careful for nothing cast all your care on him for he careth for you He layeth up for his children and he layes out upon his children his Covenant will finde food for your bellies and rayment for your backs and mercy and salvation for your souls c. 11. You have this priviledge that all the gracious and sweet manifestations of All the gracious manifestations of heaven are to you only heaven are unto you only None know the Father but you none taste of the loving kindnesse of God but you none sup with Christ but you none partake of the joys and comforts of the Holy Ghost but you none have that hope and assurance of glory but you none eat of the Manna but you who have a new name given unto you heavenly banquets for the soul are provided onely for you The Angels of God ministring Spirits for you 12. You have this priviledge that the very Angels of God are ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for you who shall be heirs of salvation Heb. 1. 14. They pitch their tenth and encampe round about them that fear God Psal 34. 7. This seems an high priviledge and yet you have an higher than this For as the Mountains are round about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for âver Psal 125. 2. 13. What can I say more Is this any priviledge that whilest you live you God will be your God in life and death may live upon your God and Father and when you dye you shall go to ãâã God and Father This also is yours who have God to be your God in Covenâââ God will be your God in life and God will be your God in death and God will be your God after death whiles you live he is yours and with you and when you dye he is yours and you shall be with him reigning in glory for ever and ever and ever Thus have you heard a few things of your happinesse in respect of your Immunities and Priviledges by having God to be your God in Covenant I will ãâã comfort more unto you and then put an end to this ãâã SECT XIII THere is yet one comfort more from this that God is your God which is this If God be your God then all is yours As he said Christââ ãâã omnia Christ is mine and all is mine so Deus mens omnia ãâã If If God be ours all is ours God be your God then heaven and earth are yours whatsoever there is in all the world that may do you good it shall be yours The Apostle expressely delivers as much in 1 Cor. â â1 All things are yours Ver. 22. Whether Paul or ãâã or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things ââ come ãâ¦ã yours He doth not in these expressions intend that Christians have a civil and common interest in all mens earthly possessions but this is it which he intend viz. That God ordains all things
for the good of his people and makes thâm serviceable thereunto All those choice gifts which he bestows on Ministers ãâã Apostles or others they are bestowed on them for the good of his Church And all the things of the world whatsoever good they may afford they are to let out the same for the good and comfort of the people of God and all the conditions and states of things are for their good life shall do them good and dââth shall be for their good and all the vicissitude of things are for their good the present postute of things and the future state of things whether of prosperity or adversity all occurrences whatsoever are for their good Rom. 8. ââ We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to thââ that are called according to his purpose As if you consider ungodly and wicked men who are none of the people of God there is nothing in all the world that doth them good The Ordinances of Christ by reason of the unbelief of their hearts do them no good they are the favour of death unto dââth ânto them and not the savour of life ãâã life the blessings of God do thâm no good they prove curses unto them ãâã table is a sâââe unto them and their richââ ãâã thorns ãâã them and their prosperity is a ruine unto them the judgments of God do them no good they learn not righteousnesse by them they harden their hearts under them and grow more obstinately wicked Wherefore should ye be smitten any more ye revolt more and more So on the contrâry all the dispensations of God either of the world or in the world they are for good to the people of God Outward mercies are blessings to them they eat and drink and rejoyce and praise and blesse the Lord their God Outward afflictions are mercies to them they do them good It is good for me that I have been afflicted said David Psal 119. 71. By these things men live saith Hezekiah he chastiseth us for our profit or good saith the Apostle Heb. 12. 10. Wants and enjoyments honours and dishonours sicknesse and health smiles and frowns life and death all doth them good There are four things which I beseech you who are the people of God to remember 1. All the good in the World is in the Fathers hands it is the Fathers for possession All the good in the world is in the Fathers hands he is the possessor of Heaven and Earth Gen. 14. 22. and for Dominion The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof Psal 24. 1. Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to wake great and to give strength unto all 1 Chron. 29. 12. 2. When God makes a Covenant with you he doth also take in all the creatures God makes a Covenant with the creature to be serviceable for your good and layes a bond of special command upon them to be serviceable to your good he doth not leave them out but covenants with them to do you good This is I confesse a strange expression that God should make a Covenant with other creatures for the good of service unto his own people and yet this you may expresly read in Hos 2. 18. In that day will I make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bowe and the sword and the battle out of the earth and will make them to lie down safely ver 19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever ver 21. And I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth ver 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel There are two choice things observable in these words 1. One is that God makes a Covenant with his people to bring them into a near and sweet relation unto himself this you finde in verse 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever 2. A second is That God makes a Covenant for his people and that is two-fold 1. For their security to secure them against all danger and evil and this you finde in verse 18. I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field c. No creature shall do them hurt neither the beasts of the field nor fowles of the aire nor the creeping things of the earth nor no wicked enemies who bend the bow and draw the sword and prepare to the bottle As when a Covenant is between Nation and Nation all the people are thereby bound up from all acts of hostility and mischief so the Lord by making a Covenant with the beasts and fowls c. he doth therein binde them up from being prejudicial to his people A second is for their prosperity and this you may finde in verse 21. 22. I will hear the heavent and the heavens shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the âârn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel As if all the creatures when we are in covenant with God were so many supplicants and Petitioners unto God entreating of him that they might be used for a blessing unto us The heavens do as it were beg of God that they may send down seasonable showers and seasonable influences and the earth doth as it were beg of God that it may be made fruitful by those influences of heaven c. And God doth promise to hear every one of them for Jezreel 3. All the creatures are in the hand of the Father and as all creatures are All creatures are in a subordination to the will of your God brought into the bond of the Covenant for you so all the creatures of the world are in a subordination and a necessary submission unto the will and pleasure of your God If he saith to any of them Go it goeth or to any of them Come and it cometh your God hath an over-ruling Providence over them all their power and operations and motions are at the sole will and command of him they act as God will have them act and when God will have them act and for them for whom God will have them to act and shall not all this be for you for your good who are the people of his Covenant and the children of his love If all this cannot satisfie you then know that as God hath the command of all As God hath the command of all good in the creature so he hath engaged to settle it upon you creature good and comforts so he hath engaged himself unto you to settle that kind of good upon you Though the earth and the things of the earth be not your only portion and be not your best portion yet it is a part of your portion Psal
to tremble you think he is too strong for you and you shall never be able to withstand him any longer and your hearts are almost crushed and sunk with fear of Satans power but what ãâã Satan do Nil potest diabolus âisi missus vel permissus He is but a creature and he is a wicked creature and he is a conquered creature and he is a chained creature and he is a cursed creature Christ hath conquered him and therefore you shall conquer him all the victories of Christ do reach unto you God doth chain him and restrain his power and working Thus far he shall go and no farther God will give you grace sufficient to resist and withstand him and will not suffer you to be tempted above your strength and at last yea shortly will bruise Satan under your feet Greaâer is he that is in you than hââ that is in the world He Rules the world which troubles and tempts you but your God will not suffer you to be led into temptation 3. Your Covenant-Interest and Relation should secure your hearts against the Against the fears of what God will do feares of what God will do You see sometimes great changes and alterations and judgements in the earth how terrible God is to the inhabitants thereof what desolations he makes how he shakes the mountains and makes the hills to fall down at his presence his fire burnes and consumes and goes on and no man knows the power of his wrath nor can say when or where his indignation will end and cease But in all the dark and dreadful dispensations of Gods providence the people of God have no cause to fear for he hath an hiding placâ from the storm for them and his chambers of protection for them untill the indignation be over His eyes are over ââe righteous it shall surely be well with them that fear before him every thing shall work for good unto them and should publique calamities involve you with other people yet your God will either support you under them or deliver you out of them or translate you into a better place and condition free from all sin and misery and trouble into the place of eternal rest and happinesse 4. Your Covenant-Interest and Relation should secure your hearts from the Against the fears of what our selves shall do fear of what we our selves shall do what will become of us in the latter end we oft times fear that we shall never hold out and persevere in the paths of righteousnesse and we feare that providence will not hold out that we shall not have enough to sustain us all our dayes But why do we fear these fears is not Christ the Finisher of our Fath who is the Authour of our Faith and will not God perfect the work which he hath begunne and are we not kept by his power through Faith unto salvation and hath he not promised that he will never depart from us and to put his feare into our hearts that we shall never depart from him And as for an outward enough and sufficiency for all our dayes alas why do we fear future supplies who live every day upon present mercies Our God hath said that he will never leave us nor forsake us and that bread shall be given us and our waters shall be sure Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and the saâeâ for ever so your God is an al-sufficiency for all times in all times and unto all times there is no end of his goodnesse nor of his care nor of his love 5. Your Covenant-Interest and Relation should secure your hearts against Against the fears of what ours shall do the feares of what yours shall do and what will become of them when you are dead you have but little your selves and shall leave lesse unto your children But O that we had more faith for then we should have less fears but remember a few things 1. Be more careful what good you may do your childrens fouls than fearful what good God will do for your childrens bodies if your children be only your children they are then heires of vanity and sinne and misery but did you take care to make them Gods children they should be heirs of mercy and blessing 2. Though you die yet your God ever lives whose care and bounty is not restrained to one person or to one generation but extends unto believers and unto their seed after them Gen. 17. 7. And thou art the helper of the fatherlesse Psal 68. 5. In thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy Hosea 14. 3. 3. Though you cannot finde provision for your children after you and therefore fear yet you may finde promises for your children and therefore you should not fear if you cannot leave them with a portion yet if you can leave them with a promise of God it may very well quiet and satisfie you and this you may Psal 112. 2. The generation of the upright shall be blessed Psal 102. 28. The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established bâfore thee 6. Your Covenant-Interest and Relation should secure your hearts against the Against the fears of what shall become of the Churches of Christ feares of what shall become of the Churches of Christ especially in times of heresies and seducements and of threatenings and endeavours to subvert the Ordinances and all Gospel Ministrations And truly many do fear in respect of these at this time but we should not inordinately fear in respect of them for there are no people in the world that have Christ so near them and God so engaged unto them as the Church The foundation of the Church is too strong for the gates of hell and the Church of God will alwaies be found a very burdensome-stone for all people All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it Zach. 12. 3. And as for the Ordinances and Ministrations of Christ in his Churches they shall continue as long as Christ hath a Church on earth as long as the Covenant abides a people of the Covenant shall abide and as long as the people of the Covenant abides the Ordinances for those people shall abide no not all the corrupt opinions of men nor powers of men shall ever be able to pluck the Sunne out of heaven nor drive out the everlasting Gospel from the earth If any thing should make us to fear the continuance of those amongst us it is only our unthankfulnesse and our unfruitfulnesse and our contempt and scorn of them 7. Lastly your Covenant-interest and relation should secure your hearts against Against the fears of death the fear of deaâh you should not fear to live not yet to dye who have God to be in Covenant for the sting of death is gone it is taken out by the death of Christ 1 Cor. 15. Death separates soul and body but it can never separate
you from the love of God Rom. 8. The Covenant holds beyond death it doth not bring you only into a present enjoyment of God but it is to bring you into a fall perfect and everlasting enjoyment of God in glory the Covenant yields you the least part of your good of your portion of your happinesse in this life the greatest and fullest portion of good promised unto you by God in this Covenant lies in the arrears in the reserves in the full possession of the inheritance after death and then why should you fear to dye and go to take a full possession why should you fear to dye and to enter into the joy of your Master why should you fear to dye and go home to receive all the desires of your hearts and all the eternal preparations of glorious blessednesse for your souls 7. You who are the people of God and have him to be your God in Covenant Walk without offending God you should walk without offending of him and without displeasing or grieving of your good God Mal. 1. 6. A sonne honoureth his Father and a servant his Master If then I be a Father where is mine honour And if I be a Master where is my fear friends in Covenant carefully avoid mutual offences and provocations you should fear the Lord and his goodnesse Hosea 3. 5. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God Deut. 10. 20. Seeing that Thou our God hast given us such deliverance as this should we again break thy Commandments c. Ezra 9. 13 14. so seeing that the Lord is become our God and hath delivered us from wrath and made us to be his people should we grieve him by sinning against him Grieve not the Spirit of God by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. 30. Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing Colos 1. 10. It were an excellent height if we could say unto God as he spake unto his people in Micah 6. 3. O my people what have I done unto thee and wherein have I wearied thee So if we could say O our God what have we done against thee and wherein have we displeased and grieved thee There are nine sinnes which if they be found in the people of God they do extreamely Sins much displeasing God Grosse transgressions offend and displease their God 1. Grosse transgressions when their spots are not the spots of his children Deut. 32. 5. Davids adultery displeased the Lord 2 Sam. 11. 27. 2. Murmuring complaints against the dispensations of their God Numb 11. 1. Murmuring complaints against his dispensations When that people complained it displeased the Lord ãâã the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled ver 4. They fâll a lusting and wept again and said Who shall give us flesh to eat ver 10. And the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly 3. Their manual divisions and contentions and envyings and evil-speakings Muâual divisions and reproachings of one another these dishonour themselves and grieve the Spirit and offend their Father 4. Spiritual pride and loftinesse of heart being vainly puffed up with knowledge Spiritual pride or any spiritual attainments and enjoyments foolish boastings 5. Carnal security and carelesnesse of their hearts and wayes and turning Carnal security the grace of God into wantonnesse 6. Vnfruitfulnesse and barrennesse under the Gospels Ordinances and Unfruitfulnesse helps 7. Conformity unto the world fashioning themselves thereunto and complying Conformity unto the world with the ungodly 8. Lukewarmnesse of spirit in the cause of God and of the truths of Christ and of the power of godlinesse suffering all these to be opposed and blasphemed Lukewarmnesse 9. Particular unbeliefs and distrusts as in Moses case c. when their faith Particular unbeliefs hath a special call to honour God amongst people in difficulties c. These and some other sinnes if found among the people of God do exceedingly displease and grieve him and therefore be you very watchful against them yea and against all Reasons why we should be watchful against all sinnings sinnings whatsoever because 1. Your God hath shewed you exceeding riches of grace and mercy There is mercy with thee therefore shalt thou be feared 2. Your relation to so holy a God should make you to fear all unholy actions you should be holy as your heavenly Father is holy 3. Your receipts have been high and your returns should be answerable you have received favour and Christ and the Spirit and hopes of heaven and should you offend your God after all this O what ingratitude worst of ingratitude were this 4. You will extreamely darken your communions with God by it and your heavenly relation by it your Sun will set at Noon day 5. You will break up the peace in conscience and conscience will lay hold on you from all your interest comforts received 6. God doh usually correct and chastise his people in this life very severely and sharply for their disobedience 8. You who are the people of God should walk with all contentednesse and Walk with all contentednesse and well-pleasednesse well-pleasednesse of spirit for you have God to be your God saith David Psal 16. 5. The Lord is the portion of mine in eritance and ver 6. I have a goodly heritage That man will be contented with nothing who cannot finde contentment in the enjoyment of all things There are three things which I desire you to take notice of For 1. That God is the portion of his people Thou art my portion O Lord Psal God is the portion of his people 119. 57. All the world is too low and too little to make up a portion for any one holy or godly man he sets not out any estate as your portion but himself If the Lord should say to a godly man I will give you all the world and that shall be all your portion O Lord would he say let others have that portion but I beseech thee give me thy self 2. That God alone is portion enough all-sufficiency is questionlesse a sufficient God alone is portion enough portion as Joseph said unto his brethren Gen. 45. 20. by the command of Pharaoh Regard not your stuffe for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours so may we say to all the people of God Regard not be not troubled so much for the poor stuffe of earthly revenues for the all-sufficient God is yours The Lord is my Shepherd therefore I shall not want Psal 23. 1. He that wants nothing hath enough I am thy shield and thy exceeding great râward Gen. 15. 1. Hââho is secured from all evil and is blessed with all blessings certainly this man hath enough 3. That your fruition of God for your God sweetens any outward portion be Out fruition of God sweatens any outward poâtion it never so little the little of earth with the enjoyment of God as loving as reconciled
of regeneration and the Lords Supper seals a further communion with Christ in his graces in his life and in his death in his death and in his resurrection what shall I say every Covenant Ordinance is instituted either for the begetting or for the increasing and perfecting of holinesse Nay let me adde one thing more every dealing of God with his people in Covenant it is to further holinesse his dealing in the way of promises is that by them that we might be made partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. His dealing with them in his calling of them to Christ is that they might be new creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. His dealing with them by his Spirit is that they might be born again John 3. 3. His dealing with them by afflictions is that their sinnes might be purged away Isa 27. 9. and that they may be partakers of his holinesse Heb. 12. 10. 7. The Covenant is very strict against all unholinesse against external unholinesse It is very strict against all unholinesse in Conversation and against internal unholinesse in affection or heart 2 Cor. 6. 17. Be ye separate and touch no unclean thing Jude ver 23. Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh 1 Thes 5. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil Rom. 8. 9. Abhorre that which is evil Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil Titus 3. 11. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men ver 12. Teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Quest Now if you should demand why God makes a Covenant which is thus Why it must be a holy Covenant Because it must be sutable to his nature holy Sol. I answer first because his Covenant must be sutable to his own nature the which it were not if it were not holy His nature is holinesse it self and he will never set up a Covenant to make us unlike himself 2. He sets up a Covenant to shew and communicate his love unto us and Else he could not communicate his love to us therefore it must be a holy Covenant to purge away our sinfulnesse which he is of purer eyes than to behold and which his soul hates 3. He makes a Covenant with us that he and we might have a communion Else we cannot have communion with him together that we might have fellowship with the Father and the Sonne but what communion can there be 'twixt light and darknesse 4. He makes this Covenant to restore us again and to repaire his own The Covenant is to repaire Gods image in us image in us and to conforme us unto himself but our conforming unto him is by the transforming of our mindes by changing us into his own image from glory to glory by making us holy as he is holy 5. It would be infinite dishonour to God if his Covenant were not a holy Covenant Else it would be unworthy of him it would not be worthy of him God intended in making this Covenant to magnifie himself in praise and glory but he should lose all praise and glory if he had made a Covenant which were not holy ot which would dispense with holinesse unholinesse being the only dishonour to God and the pulling down of his glory God in this Covenant promiseth riches of mercy and grace and glory to his people but how absurd and dishonourable were it thus to do if his people should continue a vile and profane and sinful and sensual people if there were no difference 'twixt the precious and the vile 6. He makes a Covenant and brings people into it that so they may be Else not meet to be partakers of glory made meet to be partakers of the glory that is prepared and shall be revealed unlesse the Covenant were holy and did work holinesse we could never be fitted and prepared nor made meet for a glorious enjoyment of God and communion with him seeing that every one who hath that hope purifieth himself as he is pure 1 John 3. 3. And without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. And except a man he born again he cannot see the Kingdome of God John 3. 3. Vse 1 If the Covenant be a holy Covenant then no unholy person hath as yet an interest in the Covenant You are pleased in the having of all that mercy and of Then no unholy person hath as yet an interest in âhe Covenant all that goodnesse and of all that graciousnesse of all that happinesse in this Covenant O but you have no portion in God nor in any of these if you be unholy persons for all unholy persons are out of this holy Covenant I do not say that an unholy person is simply excluded from hopes of being brought into the Covenant but this I say if a person still remain unholy he is still out of the Covenant because all actually in Covenant with God are made holy they have a new heart given unto them There are two things shew persons are not in Covenant 1. Privative unholinesse 2. Counterfeit holinesse 1. Visible unholinesse shuts men out of this Covenant Now there are seven things which do shew that a man is as yet absolutely He is absolutely unholy unholy 1. When his heart doth secretly loath the Majesty and presence of holiness he Whose heart doth secretly loath the presence of holinesse Who loaths the generation of the Saints Who can reproach the beauties of holinesse Who will venture the losse of Gods favour rather than forsake his lusts Who opposeth the Ordinances because they presse holinesse Who counts it a disgrace to be holy Who lives in open profaness looks on holinesse as his enemy that would rent off his heart from sinful lusts which he doth infinitely prize and favour 2. When he loaths the generation of the Saints utterly declines their fellowship and can by no means agree with persons of holinesse even upon this account only because they are so but opposeth disgraceth reproacheth them and is glad if he can make them odious 3. Who can reproach the beauties of holinesse and offer despite to the Spirit of grace making holinesse the peculiar object of his scoffs and mocks and derision these are the Saints the holy ones c. 4. Who will rather venture the loss of Gods favour and mercy and the promises of salvation than that he will forsake his sinful lusâs and unholy wayes hates to be instructed and reproved and reformed 5. Who therefore opposeth and would subvert and supplant all the Ordinances of Christ because they press and urge holinesse and because they discover and reprove unholinesse and will not suffer him to go on quietly and desperately
good God but also as a wise God and his delays are not his denials but only his trials and therefore hear himself speaking in this case Hab. 2. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry waite for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Micah 7. 7. I will waite for the God of my salvation my God will hear me 3. They are discoveries of many mens hypocrisie but no evidences of Gods mutability You shall have a company of men boast of their strong faith in God and of their great love to God and how they trust in him with all their hearts this they speak in the dayes of their prosperity but let the Lord put forth his hand upon them let him but blast their Jonah's Guord let him cut off those armes of flesh upon which indeed they do depend let him but break down their creature-supports and comforts and hopes and hold out never so many sutable and faithful promises why they have no hopes a word of promise is of no life or support at all unto them This evil is of the Lord why should I wait for the Lord any longer said that wicked Prince in 2 Kings 6. 33. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him Hab. 2. 4. 4. They are many times the displayings of the best mens infirmities but no tokens of any uncertainty in Gods Covenant The best men though they may attain to the knowledge of the truth of that grace in their hearts yet they may be much deceived as to the measure and strength of that grace and as many other things can declare this unto them so do these delayes and respites and contrary dealings of God much very much shew it Alas what expressions in such cases have fallen from the lips of precious men what complaints what impatience what charges of God himself what disputes what exceeding weaknesses Psal 116. 11. I said in mine haste All men are lyars thus David in that condition Jer. 15. 18. Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a lyar and as waters that fail what a sad expression is this Jonah 4. 3. Take away I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye than to live Verse 9. I do well to be angry even unto death Job 3. 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night wherein it was said there is a man-childe concâived c. You see what strange weaknesses God doth discover in the hearts of his own people by delays by his dealings with them in ways sensibly contrary to his promises by which they come more fully to know themselves and to be humbled before him and to seek unto him for more assistance and notwithstanding all this yet the Covenant of God is sure to his people he will yet performe all the good which he promiseth unto them though under all this they may discern their own weaknesses and unworthinesse 5. They do serve for the greater demonstration of his truth and are no diminutions of it at all that notwithstanding all visibly contrary workings and notwithstanding all the fears and doubtings and contrary opinions of his own servants yet God will be true though every man be a lyar his word shall stand and his Covenant be found true and sure Psal 31. 22. I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes neverthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee 4. Then be upright do not use any indirect wayes or sinful shufflings what Be upright need of these the Covenant contains as much good as you need and it is sure for the performance of all Psal 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed Ver. 4. Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart Ver. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe SECT VIII 8. THe eighth property of this Covenant is this It is the last Covenant it It is the last Covenant It succeeds a former Covenant may be called the last Covenant in a twofold respect 1. Because it succeds a former Covenant and removes it See Heb. 8. 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away 2. Because no Covenant shall ever succeed this If any Covenant should succeed No Covenant shall ever succeed it this it must be a Covenant either of works or of grace not a Covenant of works for that would bring us all under a curse and make our condition utterly desperate nor a Covenant of grace because more grace cannot be shewn in any other Covenant than in this here is all grace and all mercy and Jesus Christ with all his righteousnesse Mediatorship merit purchase this Covenant is so perfect and is so every way accommodated to the condition of sinners that nothing can be altered nor can be added nor mended therefore it is the last Covenant O therefore take heed what you do stand not off refuse not to come into this Covenant sin not against this Covenant for that he offers it no more it is the last Covenant no hope no mercy no love no Christ no acceptance no life but in this SECT IX 9. THe ninth property of this Covenant is It is an everlasting Covenant so It is an everlasting Covenant the Text I will make an everlasting Covenant with you Isa 55. 3. Incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Gen. 17. 7. I will stablish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee for an everlasting Covenant to be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath mâde with me an âverlasting Covenant c. Psal 105. 9. Which Covânant he made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac Ver. 10. And confirmâd the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting Covânant Isa 61. 8. I wâll dirâct their work in truth and I wâll make an everlasting Covenant with âhem Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I wâll not târn away from them to do them good Heb. 13. 20. Through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever Psal 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide evân unto death All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting viz. All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting 1. God is an everlasting God Rom. 16. 26. 2. Jesus Christ is the everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. And a Priest for ever Heb. 6. 20. 3. The
performance of these promises on Gods part the Covenant comes to be performed on his peoples part Object I know not well what can be replyed to take off the edge of this Argument unlesse we think to ward the blow by the distinction of absolute and conditional promises But Sol. 1. If I mistake not these men will not acknowledge any promises of God unto us for absolute promises but all of them must be conditional and respective to the will of man 2. Secondly what availe any conditional promises as to this case what room or place have they here as if the Covenant should be everlasting if it were everlasting or the people of God should still continue in Covenant if they did continue in Covenant or as if God would give them an heart to fear him for ever if they did fear him for ever or that they should never depart from him if they never did depart from him This Tautology is worse then his Sub montibus illis Inquit erant erant sub montibus illis And thus by what I have delivered it doth manifestly appear that the Covenant of Grace is not an alterable fading ceasing Covenant but everlasting both in respect of God and also in respect of the people of God Object But yet some are afraid that such a certain everlastingness of the Covenant would make the people of God too secure and presumptuous in ventering to sin against God! seeing that the Covenant shall still hold twixt them and God Sol. I answer Surely these men are more afraid then hurt and plainly discover their ignorance concerning that heavenly frame of spirit in the people of God and also of the nature and vertue of heavenly certainty and assurance The people of God have the laws of God written in their hearts and their hearts are circumcised to love the Lord their God and they know their own self weakness and insufficiency and are taught to fear the Lord and his goodness and to live by faith and to be watchful in Prayer that so they may be preserved from every evil way Yea and the more they are assured of the immutability of Gods love and of their relation unto him the more are their hearts knit in love unto him the love of Christ constrains them 2 Cor. 5. 14. and the more conscienciously tender are they to walk in godly fear and reverence and in all well-pleasing before him and to answer everlasting love with everlasting love Use 2 I now proceed to a second Use from this adjunct or property of the Covenant Is the Covenant which God makes with his people an everlasting Covenant Then Then happy are the people who are in this Covenant happy are the people who are in this Covenant Beloved It is everlastingness which makes hell to be hell and heaven to be heaven As the misery of misery lies in the lastingness and everlastingness of it and it will be thus dreadful and it will be thus for ever and ever so the happiness of happiness lies in the everlastingness of it This God is our God for ever and ever This makes the enjoyment of God to be a most happy enjoyment His mercy endures for ever he loves us with an everlasting love O what happiness is this to be the children of love and to be the people of mercy for ever Jesus Christ yesterday and to day and the same for ever this is happiness indeed that Jesus Christ is ours and that we are his for everlasting everlastingness doth include in it three Everlastingness includes in it A privation of a contrary estate and relation for ever things 1. One is a privation of a contrary estate and of a contrary Relation for ever For if the estate or relation be changed it cannot be everlasting and this shews the singular comfort and happiness of the people of God that their estate and relation shall never fall into a contrary estate and relation They are in the estate of life and they shall never fall into the estate of death They are in the estate of salvation and they shall never fall into the estate of condemnation They are the children of God and the members of Christ and they shall never pass into a relation contrary to this Because every everlasting estate and relation is a perpetual absence or privation of a contrary estate 2. A second is a continuation of the same being and relation for whatsoever is A continuation of the same being and relation everlasting that must continue it must not be broken off if it be broken off it is not everlasting O what a happiness is this that your Sun never sets that your day still continues your God still continues and still continues to be your God! your God still loves you and his love still continues towards you Jesus Christ still continues and he continues still to be your Redemption your Righteousness your Peace and your salvation 3. A third is an endlesse perpetuity you can never come to the end of everlastingness An endless perpetuity you may see an end of your worldly riches they flie away and you may see an end of your friends they die away and you may see an end of your lives man dies and wasteth away and man gives up the Ghost and where is he Job 14. 10. But you shall never see an end of the everlasting Covenant Time is the measure of all the world but everlastingness is the measure of the Covenant of Grace as long as everlastingness lasts as far as everlastingness goes so long doth the Covenant last and so far doth the Covenant extend Everlastingness hath no end and the everlasting Covenant hath no end why This heightens and this sweetens the Covenant of grace God is our God and we are his people to everlasting without end Though afflictions fall in though losses though persecutions though death it self yet the Covenant goes on and lasts God is your portion for ever he hath married you to himself for ever in loving-kindness and mercy and judgment and faithfulness O Christian what canst thou have more then to have God to be thy God O Christian what wouldest thou have more then to have God to be thy God for ever A sure enjoyment a perfect enjoyment and an everlasting enjoyment These are the utmost of thy desires Use 3 Is the Covenant an everlasting Covenant This may then serve as a Cordial unto the people of God especially in two cases 1. One of fear of falling away from God 2. Another of desertions when they question whether God be not fallen This may serve as a cordial to Gods people Against their fears of falling away from God Object away from them 1. The everlastingnesse of the Covenant is or should be a cordial unto the people of God against their fears of falling away from God How often do we hear these complaints and doubts and misgivings Indeed the Lord hath shewed me great
not sinners need mercy 3. Can mercy be found anywhere but in this Covenant of mercy or peace anywhere but in the Covenant of peace or life anywhere but in the Covenant of life 4. And doth not this Covenant hold out mercy unto you yea the best mercy and upon the best terms The other Covenant affords you no mercy it easts you off it condemns you to death and wrath And this Covenant yet offers you mercy and life and salvation and no Covenant but this doth so What and yet to refuse to come into it surely either you know not that you are sinners and what will befall you for your sins or else you are desperately wicked to slight and refuse the mercy and grace of God in this Covenant Ezek. 24. 13. Because I would have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee So may the Lord say unto some of us Because I would have shewed you mercy but you would not accept of mercy therefore you shall never have mercy And because I would have taken you into Covenant and you would not come into my Covenant of grace and life and peace I will never be a merciful God to you nor a gracious God to you but you shall dye in your sins and perish for ever Heb. 2. 3. Vse 2 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth Then how injurious are many broken-hearted sinners to God and themselves much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant better then any other Covenant which God made with man Then how injurious are many broken-hearted sinners both unto themselves and unto God! who lay the Covenant of grace so low and impose such opinions upon it as if there were no difference twixt a Covenant of grace and a Covenant of works Surely it is either temptation which lies upon them or ignorance or unbelief that they thus stand off and fear and dispute and except and question and many times conclude against all encouragements to be taken into this Covenant and there to finde mercy and rest for their soules truely they do many times turn the Covenant of Grace into a very Covenant of Works O but there is no mercy to be had O but not for such great sins O but for me O but I can deserve nothing and bring nothing O but the sentence is past against me O but I have nothing to make my peace And thus they make the Covenant of Grace a very Covenant of Works no better then so a Covenant without mercy without grace without a Mediatour without a tender compassionate God and Father no City of refuge at all nor help to the poor sinner at all And when they are convinced of mercy in it and possible reception into it yet they think that God will not come off to this but upon very hard and difficult terms usually annexing the Legal condition to the promises of the Covenant of Grace Why sirs what do you mean thus to wrong God and his Covenant and your distressed souls Either there is a Covenant of Grace or there is not either that Covenant of Grace is a better Covenant than the Covenant of works or it is not If it be a better Covenant then the fallen and undone sinner may finde relief there and help there which he could not finde in the Covenant of Works for if the sinner can be no more relieved by this than by that Covenant it is then no better Covenant And now see what a slurre you cast upon the wisdome of God and upon the goodness of God and upon Jesus Christ and upon all the promises of God O distressed sinner If the merciful God if the gracious God if the giving God if the forgiving God if the freely loving God if the Lord Jesus as Mediatour and Surety if all the promises of God in Christ if all the offers of grace if all the calls of the Gospel may suffice to convince thee that this Covenant is the best Covenant that ever was or can be made for sinners with all suitableness and tenderness to the sinners condition Then dispute no more but pray for faith to give God the glory of his exceeding grace in this Covenant c. Use 3 Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant What a comfort is this to all believers who are effectually brought into this Covenant Is it no comfort to be Comfort to all Believers brought into such a good estate as better cannot be found or enjoyed If the Covenant of Grace be the best Covenant better then any other Covenant Then all in that Covenant are in the best condition of all other men It was a special kindness in Joseph to give his Father and his Brethren a pâssession in the land of Ramesis what kindness then is that in God to make you to be his people and to become your God and to settle such a portion such a possession upon your soules as in heaven and earth a better Covenant cannot be how should you hearts rejoyce and blesse God for the Covenant of Grace and for bringing of you into that Covenant of grace where A Redeemer is only to be found and you have an interest in that Redeemer A reconciled God is only to be found and you have a propriety in that reconciled God pardoning mercy is only to be found and you have your shares in that pardoning mercy Renewing grace is only to be found and you have your portion in that renewing grace Salvation is only to be found and you have your possession of that salvation Others perhaps cry out O that we might have mercy and O that we might have Christ and O that God would be pacified towards us and reconciled to us and O that our sins might be forgiven and our soules accepted into life why you have all this and more than this Have you not cause to rejoyce who are brought into such a Covenant where you have a propriety in God and Christ and the Spirit and mercy and grace and glory yea into such a Covenant where you may finde relief and support for every want and against every fear and against every sin and against every temptation where all the sorts of mercies and helps and comforts are yours Yea unto such a Covenant where there is not only mercy but fulnesse and not only fulness but freenesse and with all these a certainty and unchangeablenesse Here is as much mercy and goodnesse and happinesse as you need and you shall surely have it and it shall continue unto you for ever Adam and God parted but you and your God shall never part you and Christ shall never part you and mercy and
grace and salvation shall never part 2. The second thing which I would shew unto you about the comparison of the This Covenant is a better Covenant than that old Covenant under which the Fathers lived Covenant is this That the new Covenant of grace under which we do live is a better Covenant then that old Covenant of grace under which the Fathers lived and the people of God of old time For the managing of this mighty and intricate Point I shall deliver unto you three particulars 1. That none of the people of God in any age of the world since the fall of Adam had a Covenant of works given unto them by God for life but the Covenant which God made with them for life was a Covenant of Grace 2. Wherein that Covenant of Grace under which the people of God of old lived consents or agrees with the Covenant of Grace under which we do now live 3. The pre-eminency or betternesse of this New Covenant in a comparison with that old Covenant 1. That none of the people of God in any age of the world since the fall had a Covenant None of the people of God since the fall had a Covenant of works given them for life but a Covenant of Grace as of works given unto them by God for life but they had all of them a Covenant of Grace given unto them for life Let us if you please calculate the several Ages or times of the Church of God and then you shall clearly see the truth of what I speak 1. As soon as Adam fell God was pleased to set up the Covenant of Grace in the form of a promise for he made a promise of Christ as a Saviour and deliverer Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele Here is an express Immediately upon Adams fall promise of Christ who is called the seed of the woman because he was to take our nature upon him And the work or Office of Christ is to bruse the head of the Serpent that is Jesus Christ was to conquer and destroy him and surely the conquest and destruction of of Satan imports our full deliverance from him and restoration of us into the estate of freedom and grace and happinesse The which Christ doth by having his heel bruised that is by dying and suffering for us and hereby procuring life and salvation The Apostle calls it His putting to death concerning the flesh 1 Pet 3. 18. And in this respect Christ is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Rev. 13. 8. because the death of Christ by which our deliverance and salvation is wrought was published and promised from the beginning of the world Now there is no Covenant wherein Christ comes in on the behalf of sinners but that Covenant is a Covenant of Grace 2. Again pursue this from Adam to Abel and from Abel to Enoch and from From Adam to Noah Enoch to Noah it is evident they were not under a Covenant of works but of grace And I will give you one reason for it or rather the Apostle will do it for me who speaking of Abel and Enoch he doth commend the one for his more excellent sacrifice Heb. 11. 4. and the other for his pleasing of God verse 5. and both of them and Noah also for faith for he adds in verse 6. But without faith it is impossible to please God whence I argue thus That those persons who enjoyed such a faith by which their persons and services were pleasing unto God and graciously accepted of him those were not in a Covenant of works but in a Covenant of Grace Nay look on the words once more verse 4. By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous And verse 7. Noah became heir of the righteousness which is by faith verily a righteousnesse by faith is no righteousnesse in a Covenant of works but of grace It is that righteousnesse through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Phil. 3. 9. 3. Let us advance one step further from Noah to Abraham where we shall hear From Noah to Abraham of the Covenant again Gen. 17. 2. I will make my Covenant between me and thee and verse 7. I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generation for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee Here is a Covenant expresly made twixt God and Abraham but what Covenant was it Surely not a Covenant of works but a Covenant of grace And that I shall clear unto you by four particulars which I pray you well to consider and observe 1. In this Covenant you have Jesus Christ promised unto Abraham so the Apostle in Gal. 3. 16. To Abraham and his seed was the promise made he saith not to thy seeds as speaking of many but of one who is Christ 2. Abraham In relation to this Covenant is stiled a believer yea the Father of all them that believe Rom. 4. 11. And the Gospel was the means of his faith which was a justifying faith Gal. 3. 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying In thee shall all Nations be blessed 3. He received the signe of Circumcision a seale of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4. 11. 4. Moreover it is said of Abraham Isaac and Jacob that they are in the kingdom of Heaven Matth. 8. 11. And of all the Elders with Abraham that they did desire a better Country that is an heavenly Heb. 11. 16. And this also proves that neither he or they were under a Covenant of works which never brought any to Heaven but under a Covenant of Grace for by grace ye are saved Ephes 2. 5. 5. Let us go forward from Abraham to Moses and there let us consider whether the Church were under a Covenant of works or of grace That From Abraham to Moses God set up a Covenant in Moses time the Scripture doth clearly teach us Exod. 19. 5. If ye will obey my voice and keep my Covenant Then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people verse 6. And ye shall be un to me a kingdom of Priests and an holy nation Exod. 34. 27. After the tenour of these words I have made a Covenant with thee and with Israel Deut. 4. 13. He declared unto you his Covenant which he commanded you to perform even ten Commandements and he wrote them upon two tables of stone Quest Whether the Law given upon Mount Sinai were a Covenant of works Some things premised But here it is earnestly objected What was not the Law which was given upon Mont Sinai a Covenant of works what was it else but a plain
relation to us Tit. 1. 2. In hope of eternal life which God promised before the world began To whom did he promise that eternal life for us but unto Christ with whom he did Covenant for us and in whom with us Isa 42. 6. I will give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles The same you read in Isa 49. 8. Jesus Christ is not only the Messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3. 1. nor only the surety of the Covenant Heb. 7. 22. nor only the Mediatour of the Covenant as standing twixt God and us Heb. 12. 24. but he is the principal confederate in the Covenant Christ stands as a publick person in the Covenant and when God made a Covenant with him he made it with him for himself and all his with all that should be brought in unto him As Adam stood in the Covenant of works not as a private person but as a publick person and that Covenant was made with him and with all his posterity so the Covenant which God made with Christ it was made with Christ as a publick person as the Head of all the Church with him and all his And therefore as soon as you are brought in by faith to Christ you are immediately brought into the Covenant 2. In Christ and by Christ God is our God and our Father and therefore if by faith you are brought into Christ you are brought into the Covenant Let God In and by Christ God is our God look on us as out of Christ he must look on us as enemies and not as children and if we look on God out of Christ we must behold him as our Judge but not as our Father But consider us as brought into Christ now we are reconciled to God and now in what relation God stands to Christ in the same he stands to us and in what relation Christ stands to God in the same do we stand to God And what priviledge Christ enjoyes the same do we enjoy by Christ he is a God to Christ and a Father to Christ Psal 89. 26. He shall cry unto me Thou art my Father my God c. And thus we being in Christ he is to us Joh. 20. 17. I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God and Christ is the Son of God and so are we the sons of God 1 Joh. 3. 1. Christ is the Heir of God and so are we heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 17. 3. When you are by faith brought into union with Christ so that you are his Being by faith united to Christ we enjoy all blessings you now enjoy life and promises and all blessings 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life 1 Cor. 3. 22. All are yours verse 23. and you are Christs and Christ is Gods 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises and you may plead them all for they are yea and in Christ Amen Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ 4. This union with Christ directly stands in opposition to a sinners being cut off Our union with Christ brings us into a state of favour from God and brings him again into a state of favour The soule can no more receive ought from God till it be one with him by Christ than Christ could merit any thing for us till the Deity and the flesh were fully united and no more than the soul can impart any thing to the body till they be one Thus have you heard what faith that is which is the condition of the Covenant viz. A faith of union a faith which brings us into Christ and unites us with Christ I now proceed unto the second question SECT II. 2. Quest WHether Faith only be the Condition of the Covenant Is Whether faith only be the condition of the Covenant not Holinesse required Is not Repentance Is not new obedience Sol. For answer unto this we must distinguish 1. Between the Covenant and persons in the Covenant If you speak of persons Distinguish betwixt the Covenant and the persons in the Covenant in the Covenant certainly holiness is required of them ye shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy and be ye holy for I am holy and holiness is promised to all the people in Covenant And holinesse is wrought in all the people of the Covenant All the people of God are a holy people but though holiness be in the Covenanted yet it is not in the condition of the Covenant God doth not say If you be holy then I will be your God and accept of you but if you believe when you are brought into the Covenant then you are made holy but that which brings you into the Covenant that which God insists with you for so as to be your God is faith Receive my Christ believe on him and I will be your God 2. Though Faith be the only condition as to entrance in the Cvenant yet this faith will Though faith be the only condition yet it brings us to holiness bring you to holiness as a fruit of the Covenant For this faith brings you to Christ to union with him and communion with him in holiness As soon as faith brings you into union with Christ Christ makes you partakers of that unction of holiness wherewith he himself is anointed 3. There is a difference 'twixt the persons to whom promises are made and the There is a difference betwixt the persons to whom the promises are made and the condition upon which they are performed New obedience is a consequent effect and not an antecedent condition condition upon which those promises are performed Indeed you read of many promises made to broken-hearted and penitent persons but the application of them all is only by Faith The forgiveness of sin cannot be applyed by any hand but that of faith which seed the promise of it and seeks the performance of it by and for Christ 4. For newness of obedience this is a consequent effect and not an Autecedent condition for it is impossible to see fruits till you finde life And besides this that faith which lets you into Covenant is a very fruitful Faith it graffs you into such a root which can enable you and will do so for fruits of life as the first Adam doth his Branches for fruits of death So then it is faith and faith only which is the condition of the Covenant yet it is such a faith which though it takes no graces or works with it as competitors in the nature of a condition with it yet it doth inferre and draw after it all these Graces and all good works as Austin said Bona opera sequuntur justificatum licèt non praecedunt justificandum c. SECT III. 3. Quest VVHy is
Faith singled out to be the condition of the Covenant Why faith is the only condition of Grace Sol. 1. There is nothing whatsoever which doth so fit and answer a Covenant of Grace as Faith doth for in this Covenant God deals in promises and by a Mediatour Faith best answers the Covenant of grace And the promises are objects proper to faith As precepts are to obedience and threatnings to fear so are promises to faith And for Jesus Christ the Mediatour deale with him you cannot but by faith Object Indeed love deals with Christ as well as faith Christ is the object of our love and of our faith But then here 1. That love deals with Christ in the strength of faith first faith deales and then love deales with Christ 2. Though love deals with Christ yet it is another way than faith Love is bringing into Christ but Faiths work is receiving all from Christ and resting on Christ c. 2. There is nothing but Faith which will or can acknowledge a free Covenant And all as freely given unto us Set up any thing but faith and that will set up us Nothing but faith will acknowledge a free Covenant and pull down grace Any thing but faith must be something in our selves and something in our selves will deprive grace of the glory yea it will deny grace but faith will do none of this because faith is a meere gift of grace and faith receives all as free gift findes nothing in us at all but receâves all and lives wholly on the grace of God in Christ 3. It is of faith that the promises might be sure so the Apostle Rom. 4. 16. It is of faith that the promise might be sure Adam had a Covenant as well as we and therefore some observe that he had one sacrament of death another of life to assure him of death in case he sinned as wel as to assure him of life in case he obeyed because it was made upon condition of works And truely if Adam who was so every wây furnished could not hold up a Covenant upon a Condition of works much less should we do it being now utterly broken by him But now the promise of âife being made to us upon condition of faith it is therefore made sure for âaith builds upon a sure foundation and faith hath a sure word of promise 4. The Covenant of grace excludes all boastings in our selves Rom. 3. 27. and Faith excludes all boasting in our selves therefore faith is necessary for us for boasting is excluded not by the Law of works but by the Law of Faith Ibid. If you should put in works for the condition then the sinner would be ready to boast All this I have kept from my youth This have I done and that have I done and I never offended thy will the wages is due debt to me O but this must never be c. 5. There are such things undertaken in the Covenant as nothing but faith can tell Nothing but faith can tell what to make of the things undertaken in the Covenant what to make of them I will forgive your iniquities and will give you a new heart and I will heale your back-slidings and I will love them freely and I will forgive your sins for mine owne sake These are absolute Mysteries without faith Before I proceed any further in this Point I would make some useful Application of what I have delivered already Is Faith the condition of the Conant SECT IV. 1. Use THen how are men mistaken How have they deluded themselves how To discover the presumption of many who plead their interest in the promises without the performance of the condition must they return ashamed who have nursed up their fancies and presumptions about the mercy of God and the many promises of God about salvation and other blessings yea and about God himself what a good and gracious and merciful God he is and so will be to them O but sirs There is a condition in the Bond. God makes many sweet and comfortable promises O but there is a condition And God saith he will be such a gracious and merciful God c. O but there is a condition and he saith that he will save and give eternal life O but there is a condition a condition that you think not of a condition that you never attained unto Faith is the condition of the Covenant You must be believers in Christ and then and so you must claim the promises you must have an interest in Christ or else you can never have an interest in the priviledges of the Covenant you have owned the promised mercy and the promised salvation in the Covenant O but you have not all this while owned Christ by saith and therefore you have all this while deluded your soules The Apostle faith all men have not faith and the Prophet saith Who hath believed our report and Christ himself saith He that believeth shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Why brethren If Faith be the condition of the Covenant If faith be necessary to bring us into the Covenant Then no unbeliever is yet in the Covenat for no unbeliever hath faith No no God is not the God of the dead but of the living and mercy is not the portion of unbelievers but of believers and salvation by Christ is interessed only on them who believe on Christ And thou art to this day an unbeliever thou art utterly destituâe of faith And there are six things which shew that thouÌ art so 1. One is the unsensiblenesse of thy sinful and wretched condition and of thy need which thy soule hath of Christ 2. A second is the exceeding ignorance in thy heart of Christ as the Mediatour of the Covenant 3. A third is the exceeding pride and confidence on thiââ own righteousness and on thine own works 4. A fourth is the continual neglects and disesteeme of the Gospel of Christ 5. A fifth is the fruitless reception of the many offers of Christ 6. A sixth is the incomplyance of thy heart with the Lord Jesus and averseness and refusing of subjection unto Christ Thou wilt not have him to reign over thee Ah poor creature How hast thou befooled thy self and deluded thy soul with a vain presumption of interest in the Covenant whilst as yet thou hast not faith to interest thy soul in Christ 2. Use Is saith of union the condition of the Covenant Then as you have Look to your faith that it be a faith of union reason to look to your selves because all men have not âaith so you have reason to look to your faith for you may have a faith which yet is not a faith of union That is a considerable passage of Christ in Joh. 15. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away verse 6. If a man abideth not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is
mercy grace joy peace salvation in him 7. This union 'twixt us and Christ by faith it is a firme and inseparable union A firm and inseparable union An union that can never be bâoken asunder and herein it goes beyond all other unions which are used to illustrate this union every one of them is soluble it may be broken off the Head and the body may be severed the Foundation and the House may be separated The Branches may be cut off ârom the Vine The Husband may be taken away from the Wife and the Wife from the Husband Yea the soule and body may be disunited by death But the union 'twixt us and Christ remaines for ever There is not only a continuation of it all our life but also in death itself your very bodies sleeping in the the dust are even then in union with Christ I grant that the sense and apprehension of this union may in this life be much interrupted and many times be wholly darkned but the substance of the union still remaines and I grant that the substance or nature of this union may be exceedingly assaulted by Satan yet neverthelesse it continues and abides for ever For Christ will never part with the believer and the believer will never part with Christ And moreover as no power in the world is sufficient to over-power the Spirit of Christ which on Christs part makes union so no power whatsoever shall be able to conquer faith which on our part also makes the union This faith of union as it is produced by no lesse power than that of God so it is preserved and upheld by the same power to the end Neither God nor Christ nor the Holy Ghost nor the heart of a believer will break this union and neither Satan nor the world nor sin can do it 5. If your faith be indeed the faith of union this will appear by these influences The influences and effects which do attend this union and effects which do alwayes attend that union which faith works between us and Christ When we are by faith united to Christ then upon this union there follows a communion betwixt Christ and us in which Christ communicates or imparts somethings of his unto us And we likewise do communicate and impart some thing in us unto him Upon this union there follows such a communion twixt Christ and us as that we do partake of and have fellowship in the most excellent things of We have fellowship with Christ Christ We have fellowship with him 1. In the same Spirit Rom. 8. 9 11. and 1 Cor. 6. 17. And by the same Spirit are we reconciled and sanctified though not in the fulnesse and measure as In the same Spirit Christ himself was and changed by him into the same image of Christ 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2. In the same life As he that hath the Son hath life 1 Joh. 5. 10. so he that In the same Liâe hath the Son hath the same life which the Son hath I live yet not â but Christ liveth in me Gal. 2. 20. The Head and the body the Tree and the branches partake of the same life 3. In the same Righteousness His Righteousnesse is our righteousnesse He is the Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. and we are made the righteousnesse of God In the same Righteousness in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. 4. In the same Relation So that as he was the Son of God by eternal Generation In the same Relation in like manner are we the sons of God by adoption so that he is not ashamed to call us brethren Heb. 2. 11 12. 5 In his victories In all these things we are more than conquerors through In his victories Christ that loved us Rom. 8. 37. 6. In his glory The glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they In his glory may be one even as we are one All these things are most certainly imparted unto every believer upon his union with Christ Jesus Christ communicates unto him his own Spirit his own Holinesse his own Righteousnesse c. And hence it is apparent that they never were united by faith unto Christ in whom nothing of communion with Christ can be found Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature c. 2. Upon this union with Christ there is yet another part of communion in respect of us and there are two things especially which we do impart to Christ one We impart to Christ is love the other is subjection for by âaith we are united to Christ as the Wife to the Husband which is an union of love and also to Christ as members of the body to the head which takes in an union of subjection 1. If saith hath united us to Christ then do we love Christ every Believer Love loves Christ Saw ye him whom my soule lâveth so the Church Cant. 3. 1. 2 3. Lord Thou knowest all things Thou knowest that I love thee So Peter Joh. 21. 17. Whom having not seen ye love so the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 8. And how doth the true believer who is united to Christ love Christ How the believer loves Christ 1. He loves his Christ with the Love of friendship he loves Christ for Christ himself 2. He loves his Christ with a love of complacency O how sweet and lovely is this Christ 3. He loves his Christ with a love of satisfaction Christ is enough he is my center in whom I rest 4. He loves his Christ with a love of sincerity Christ and nothing that is contrary to Christ 5. He loves his Christ with a love of excellency nothing so much nothing so well as Christ 6. He loves Christ with a love of extremity he is sick of love for Christ he so loves Christ that he thinks he never loves Christ as Christ deserves to be loved 7. He loves Christ with a love of fidelity so as nothing can quench that love nor break off that love 8. He loves his Christ with a love of benevolence O how much prosperity doth he wish to Christ 9. He loves his Christ with a love of beneficency what would not he do for Christ what would he not suffer for Christ 10. He loves his Christ with a love of sympathy what Christ doth love he doth love and what doth please Christ that doth please him and what doth grieve and trouble Christ that doth grieve and trouble him O Sirs uniting faith sees so much in Christ and findes so much from Christ it makes us partakers of such a Christ and of such a love from Christ that it is impossible but that soule must love Christ which by Faith is united to Christ 2. If your faith be the faith of union with Christ then it will certainly cause in Sujection unto Christ you a subjection unto Christ
By pleading the Covenant he hath promised unto all his people in Covenant with him the strength to keep the Covenant lies in the Covenant and by faith you get it Thou said'st that thou wouldst do me good said Jacob Gen. 32. 12. So Lord thou said'st that thou wouldest give me thy Spirit to cause me to walk in thy statutes and to do them Ezek. 36. 27. Thou said'st thou would'st write thy Law in my heart Now Lord according to thy word and Covenant help strengthen keep direct establish my heart subdue mine iniquities suffer me not to be tempted above what I am able let thy grace be sufficient for me make thy power manifest in weakness c. 2. By keeping up communion with Christ and drawing vertue and influence from By keeping up communion with Christ him without me ye can do nothing said Christ I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me said Paul Why It is in and by Christ that we are what we are that we do what we do that we are strengthened with all might that we stand that we walk that we work that we run our race that we finish our course that we continue in wel-doing to the end Now faith keeps up our hearts and keeps up communion with Christ our Head our Root our Life our Fountain our Strength and our Sufficiency and receives out of his fulnesse and makes us partakers of his life and of his death and of his victories over sin and Satan and the world and of his strength for active and passive obedience 3. By taking us off from all our own self-sufficiencies and self-confidences which By taking us off from our own self sufficiency breed nothing but pride and presumption and hypocrisie and apostasie and carelesness and exciting our hears to pray and to fear and to watch and diligently to attend the Ordinances of Christ all which are meanes to strengthen and preserve us in well-doing c 4. By observing the continual mercies of God to us in the things of this life and By observing the continual mercies of God to us the gracious performance of his promises unto us both which are as so many cords to bind us faster unto God and are of great force with a believing heart to engage it more unto God and to walk the more closely and faithfully and exactly and fruitfully before him to be the more ashamed to sin against him to be barren and uneven with so blessing and encouraging a God! 5. By letting in the love of God in Christ the goodness and sweetness of his favour By letting in the love of God in Christ into our hearts into our Consciences It is faith which hath the sight of all the kindness of God and conveyes unto us the tasts of all the mercy of God how God stands affected to us how accepted we are with him what grace our poor souls have found in his eyes what his thoughts are of us and how dear we are to his soule And verily if Faith be the glasse as it were for us to see the face of our loving God O how will this inflame and knit our hearts in love to God again and how will that love continue us to the choisest to the fullest to the chearfullest to the faithfullest service of obedience 5. By holding out before us both the honour of God and the reward of God By holding out before us the honour of God Our faithfull walking with him is an honour to him and a delight to him These are my people these live like a people of God they glorifie him and that is the great Argument which faith useth to make the people of God and the rewards of God to be faithfull and stedfast Herein is my Father glorified Joh. 15. 8. And besides that it holds out the crown of life the great recompence of reward that Well done good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Hold fast that which thou haââ that no man take thy ãâã He that continues to the end shall be saved And faith he ãâã wâaâ God hath done for us and what God âs still to us and what an immortal inheritance and exceedingly exceeding weight of Glory he hath prepared and reserved for us doth thereupon quicken encourage support draw out our hearts to be industrious obedient diligent and faithful 3. The third and last duty from this that you are by Faith united to Christ Remember Jesus Christ and brought into the Covenant is this Remember your Jesus Christ remember that it is Christ only upon whose account you and God are in Covenant he is the door of your hope he is the Way the Truth and the Life in him are ye found and in him have you found life and love and mercy and grace and peace and salvation You could never have seen the reconciled loving gracious God as your God but in and by him He hath made you near and accepted and beloved and blessed He alone Therefore 1. Never magnifie your selves but Christ never ascribe any thing to your To magnifie him worthiness but ascribe all to Christ O Christ I had never seen nor tasted nor enjoyed this nor that nor any thing but for thy sake 2. Love Jesus Christ exceedingly for himself and for all the treasures of To love him the Covenant opened for you and laid out upon you c. 3. Go still in his Name unto the Father By him you come into Covenant Go unto the Father in his Name and by him you obtain successively every good ãâ¦ã Coâenant c. Jesus the Mediatour of the Covenant Hebrews 12. 24. And to Iesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel THE Apostle in the 14. verse of this Chapter exhorts the believing Hebrews unto whom he wrote this Epistle to the serious study and practice of peace and holinesse And in the 15. verse he dehorts them from all bitternesse of spirit and profanenesse of life This latter he doth enforce by an argument ab exemplo in verse 16. from Esau that loose and profane person who for one morsel of bread sold his birth-right preferring the satisfaction of his sensual appeâite before the fruition of so a great blessing and dignity the which he therefore forfeited and could never obtain although he sought it carefully with tears verse 17. The former duty of holinesse he urgeth upon them from the consideration of their evangelical estate that is of the excellencies blessings and priviledges which they had obtained by the Gospel of Grace To illustrate this the more he makes a comparison between the Law and the Gospel and the condition under the one with the condition under the other from verse 18. to verse 25. wherein he doth represent unto them their admirable advantages by the Gospel and therefore their stronger obligation to embrace it and to live answerable
all the wrath and punishment due for them And he suffered all as our Surety in our stead and for our good and his Father designed him for all this and accepted of it as sufficient and effectual on our behalf Vse 3 Did Jesus Christ as Mediatour thus do and suffer for us Then let believers in all their fears and conflicts Remember the sufferings of Christ and cleave to the sufferings Remember the sufferings of Christ in all fears and conflicts of Christ and plead the sufferings of Christ and by faith offer up unto God all the sufferings of Christ for their soules This is Luthers direction Discamus in omni tentatione peccatum mortem maledictionem omnia mala quae premunt nos à nobis transferre in Christum Let us learn in every tentation which presseth us whether it be sin or death or curse or any other evil to translate it from our selves to Christ And all the good in Christ let us learn to translate it from Christ unto our selves Do your sins terrifie you then remember Christ bare your sins in his body for you Doth death appear deadly unto you then remember that Christ dyed for you and his death did swallow up death in victory Doth the curse threatned in the Law kill you then remember that Christ Redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Doth the wrath of God amaze you then remember that Christ suffered that wrath that he might save and deliver us from wrath Do desertions lie upon you then remember that Christ was forsaken that we might not be forsaken in judgement âom 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth 34. Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed Do the fears of hell and damnation lie upon you remember the sufferings of Christ who in them did deliver us from the power of darkness so that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ This is your sure and only way under all temptations and fears and conflicts and doubts and disputes by faith to remember Christ and the sufferings of Christ as your Mediatour and Surety Tu Christe peccatum maledictum meum or rather Ego sum peccatum tuum maledictum tuum mors tua ira Dei Tua infernus tuus And thou O Christ Tu es justitia benedictio vita gratia Dei caelum meum O Christ Thou art my sin in being made sin for me and thou art my curse in being made a curse for me Or rather I am thy sinne and thou art my Righteousnesse I am thy curse and thou art my Blessing I am thy death and thou art my Life I am the wrath of God to thee and thou art the love of God to me I am thy hell and thou art my Heaven Why sirs Let me tell you that your hearts will sink into despaire if you think of God and of your sins without thinking on Christ If you think of your sins and of Gods wrath if you think of your guiltinesse and of Gods justice your hearts will faile you for you can never bear that wrath of God and you can never satisfie that justice of God you do not only take Christs Office of Mediatourship out of his hand nor only deny and renounce him for your Surety but now you draw your selves from all helps and hope in exposing your poor soules to stand at the Bar and Tribunal of Gods Justice alone and you take all your sins upon your selves and all the punishment of your sins upon your selves and so you your selves must be either a sacrifice for them which is impossible or you must be damned for them which is certain but yet intolerable Therefore come off from your selves and look up by faith unto that Mediatour whom God hath appointed for you and who hath done and suffered all for you and in his Name and upon his Account plead with God to pardon your sins to excuse you from wrath and curse because Jesus Christ hath suffered these for you This you may plead because Christ is yours and you are his and what he did he did for you and what he suffered he suffered for you If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the Righteous who is the propitiation for our sins and he was made sin for us and he did shed his blood for the Remission of our sins c. SECT VI. 6. HAving discoursed of the Obedience of Christ both Active and Passive as our Mediatour It now remaines to speak a few things of the Vertues and Benefits and Efficacies depending upon and flowing from the Actions and Passions of Christ our Mediatour He did perform an Active obedience which we The vertues and benefits depending on and flowing from Christ as Mediatour did owe unto the Law and he did suffer the punishments due unto us for the transgression of the Law which otherwise we our selves should have suffered and from these there did ensue five most excellent and precious benefits 1. Satisfaction 2. Remission 3. Reconciliation 4. Redemption 5. Acquisition or purchase 6. The confirmation of the Covenant 1. They were a satisfaction unto the justice of God for us The Socinians who utterly deny the satisfaction of Christ do say that Christ did indeed suffer Satisfaction and dye for our good but not in our stead only for our good that we might the sooner be induced and perswaded to embrace that Doctrine and way of Salvation which he brought down from Heaven and Revealed unto us by his Word and by the good example of his life and confirmed the same by his death and so merited for himself an exaltation and dominion over all men and to give eternal life to all that will imitate him But that Christ did dye for our sins to expiate them or in our stead or to satisfie God for us or to pay our debts or that God ever imposed this on him or expected it from him or that ever Christ did undertake such a work on himself they do absolutely deny as also they do deny any placation of the wrath of God by Christ or reconciliation made by Christ or remission of sinnes upon the account of Châists death and blood This is the summe of their Doctrine against which I shall oppose several Conclusions drawn from the Scriptures And truely sirs as I never did so I trust I never shall decline the opposing of any corrupt Doctrine falling in my way much lesse these corrupt Opinions of the Socinians which if I mistake not exceedingly do plainly subvert the faith of Christians But now to the Point in hand concerning the satisfaction made for us by Christ Conclusions about the satisfaction of Christ I would lay down these Conclusions 1. That God Salvo jure could not passe over sin so as absolutely to let it go unpunished 2. That God was resolved never to let it so escape 3.
day find it so for as our persons are the first things which Christ hath purchased and blessings and blessednesse for them the next so it is Christ himself unto whom we must be first united before we can have any portion or communion in the good things purchased by him If you did indeed believe that all your right and title to mercy and glory lay in the purchase of Christ you would never be at rest untill Christ himself were yours c. Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of glory 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made unto us of God c. 3. If you do indeed believe that all your saving good depends upon the Why do you not go to Christ and get from him all that good purchase of Christ Why do you not go to Christ and get from him some of that goâd yea all that good which he hath purchased for us in this life Beloved the purchase of Christ 1. Contains much good for this life All that Christ hath purchased is not a reversion of heaven hereafter there is exceeding much good to be had in present possession There is for this present life an holy nature a discharge of all sins a power of new obedience the presence of the Spirit communion with our God 2. There is nothing which Christ hath purchased for us but it is very precious and very necessary Christ did not dye for small things all that Christ hath purchased he did purchase the same with his precious blood and if all that he purchased is worth his blood then surely it is worth our care and our reception But why is it not thus you look on Christs purchase only in the reversion as if heavenly glory were the whole summe It is not so there are many precious things of a present possession which he hath purchased And why are you so carelesse about them If you do indeed believe them that they are precious and necessary why take you no more pains to enjoy God as your reconciled God why do you not seek his favour and love which Christ hath purchased and why are you so negligent to make peace with God and to sue out that peace which Christ hath made and why do you not seriously beg for holiness and for all the graces of the Spirit of Christ for these hath Christ purchased as well as glory verily many men do not belive that Christ hath purchased any thing and many believe only that he hath purchased heaven but for all other things they fall neither within their faith nor within their care 4. If you believe the meritorious purchase of Christ why do you keep off and Why do you stagger in your expectations and hopes Improve the sufferings of Christ as a purchase stagger in your expectations and hopes and confidences for glory and mercy for any good and doubt your enjoyments is it not because you doubt either of Christs title or of your own right 2. Mind and improve the sufferings of Christ as a meritorious purchase do not rest in the sufferings of Christ as a satisfaction only nor as a deliverance only but go on further and consider them as a purchase and accordingly improve them Beloved ponder well what I say 1. Your estate is not full without the purchase of Christ and the good things purchased Your estate is not full without the purchase of Christ by his blood Suppose you have Gods justice satisfied for the sins which you have committed and suppose that Christ hath delivered you from wrath and condemnation yet this is not enough that all a mans debts be paid is this enough unless you set him up with a good stock again As deliverance from sin and death and wrath is necessary so a right unto and a possession of grace and glory is necessary As you must shew your aquittance from misery so you must shew your title to blessedness and this lies in the blood of Christ as a purchase the estate is not full it is not repaired unlesse you come to possession again 2. As the estate is not full so it is not safe without the enjoyment of what Nor safe without it Christ hath purchased nor without his title for the same Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandements that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the City Heb. 12. 14 Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified Heb. 10. 39. We are of them that believe to the saving of the soule Acts 11. 18. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life Lo here are things purchased by Christ In ordine ad finem holinesse repentance justification faith and obedience and without these there is no entring into life c. And therefore by all means look after the purchase of Christ this is your salvation and Rock to build upon 3. Your conscience will never be satisfied else it will break down your Consciences Your Conscience will never be satisfied without it from heaven if you have not Christ as your purchase your rejoycing must be in Christ Jesus and your hopes in Christ Jesus And you must be found in him not having your own righteousnesse but the righteousness which is of God by faith c. Quest. But here some may demand When should we improve the meritorious When should we improve this purchase purchase of Christ Sol. I answer you should improve the meritorious purchase of Christ 1. All the dayes of your life when at any time you find a need of any good that All the dayes of our life concerns your souls and desire to enjoy the same now remember what Christ hath purchased and bought for you and now go in his Name to God the Father for it Joh. 14. 14. If you ask any thing in my Name he will do it Chap. 16. 23. Verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you Object O the matters are so high and so great I shall never attaine them Sol. Do you finde them within Christs purchase If so then they are within your faith and you may take them into your Prayer and you shall certainly speed 2. At the time of death when all your hopes to all eternity depend on At the time of death Christ and when the great business and estate of immortality and life comes to the issue and when all for ever is reduced to the merit and power of Christs death and purchase when if Christ failes all failes and if his merit holds heaven is sure and you souls are sure This is the great time the last time to improve the meritorious purchase of Christ Now lay hold on him and fast hold
on him on his death on his blood O blessed Jesus thy Person have I accepted thy blood have I relyed on on that precious and purchasing blood I have relied hitherto on it and it hath brought grace into my heart and peace into my conscience and joy into my soul and forgiveness of sins and the taste of much mercy and goodness I read and I do believe the future inheritance purchased by thy blood and reserved in heaven for me I die in the faith of it I believe also to enjoy the Crown of Righteousness the Kingdom of glory that eternal life which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ my Lord. 6. I will super-add one great benefit more which results from Christs Suffering The suffering of Christ is the confirmation of the Covenant as our Mediatour which shall be the close of all the rest and that is this The sufferings or death or blood of Christ is the confirmation of the Covenant you read of a two-fold confirmation of the Covenant 1. God confirmed the Covenant and he confirmed it by an Oath Heb. 6. 17. and Psal 89 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness c. 2 Jesus Christ confirmed the Covenant Gal. 3. 17. The Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ and Jesus Christ confirmed it by his Oath therefore his blood is called the blood of the Covenant Heb. 13. 20. And the blood of the New Testament Matth. 26. 28. In a two-fold respect His death gives force unto it Now Christ confirms the Covenant in a two-fold respect 1. In that his death gives force unto it To this agrees that of the Apostle in Heb. 9. 16 Where a Testament is there must also of necessary be the death of the Testator verse 17. For a Testament is of force after men are dead In this place the Covenant is called a Testament or a last Will wherein Estates and Legacies are bequeathed and which cannot be challenged untill the Testator dies but upon his death the Testament is of force that is all concerned in the Will and Testament may come and demand and take out the Legacies bequeathed unto them Object And whereas you may object that the Saints before the death of Christ obtained all blessings Sol. It is answered that Jesus Christ was a Lumb slain from the beginning of the world Rev. 13. 8. Jesus Christ was reckoned both with God and with his Church of old as dead and the promise of laying down his life for his people accepted in their time as if it had been performed and his very death appeared unto them in the Sacrifices of the Law and accordingly the Testament was of force unto them 2. In that his death seals the Covenant as firm and stable and unalterable His death seals the Covenant saith the Apostle Gal. 3. 15. Though it be but a mans Covenant yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereto There is now no question to be made of the intentions of God or of his promises in the Covenant for they are all of them Yea and Amen in Christ they are sure and stable the blood of Christ hath confirmed and ratified all there cannot possibly be an higher confirmation of the Covenant than this If a man offers you his Oath to assure you this is high but if a man will lay down his life upon it if he will take his death upon it he cannot give an Higher Testimony or Confirmation unto a Truth Now to take âff all doubtings on our part and fully to settle our perswasions concerning the Covenant as God gives us his Oath swearing by himself Heb. 6. 13. And God could go no higher than to swear by himself So the Son of God gives us his life he takes his death upon it that all shall be performed and further he cannot go Object But will some say What if Christ did die why must there be thereupon a confirmation of the Covenant must all the Covenant be sure for performance because Christ died what was there in his death for such a purchase Sol. I answer The death of Christ was the death of a Surety and of one who was therefore to die that the Covenant might be established There are three things considerable in the death of Christ One is Satisfaction to Gods Justice The other is Merit of all the good which we do need and God will bestow And there is also Efficacie Jesus Christ will see all made good and in these respects his death comes to be a confirmation of the Covenant but I will not stand any longer on this Point only I will make a little Use of it and so passe on Vse 1 Hath Jesus Christ as Mediator confirmed the Covenant not only established it to to be unalterable but made it firm and sure and unquestionable for the performance Why do you that are in Covenant doubt of all the good which God hath therein promised Then you who are brought in to Christ who are the people of God in Covenant you whose treasures are laid up in the Covenant and whose whole portion is setled there why do you doubt and why are ye afraid and why are your hearts troubled you cannot possibly have a better or fuller portion than God hath already setled upon you in this Covenant and you cannot possibly have a better or stronger assurance to confirm you in the expectation of all that good of the Covenant then the Oath of God and the death or blood of Christ You have the Promise of God and the Oath of God and the blood of Christ to assure you what would you have more and what can you have more It was a sharp aggravation of the infidelity of the Jews in John 12. 37. But though he had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not on him And verily it is a just exprobation of our unbelief that though we have the promise of God to perform his Covenant and though we have the Oath of God to perfoâm his Covenant and though we have the Blood of Christ to confirm the Covenant unto us yet in every occasion and in every strait we are calling all into question we doubt and fear and suspect and question whether the Covenant of God with us be a faithfull word as if God who cannot lie would deceive and faile us as if the God of Truth would forswear himself as if the Lord Jesus Christ having sealed the Covenant with his own blood might be found a deceiver and a false witness The Lord humble us for this unbelief and cause us to fear and to abhor this sin of unbelief as that which is most dishonourable to God and as most prejudicial and dangerous unto our own soules Vse 2 Hath Christ our Mediatour confirmed the Covenant by his own death Then you who do believe in Christ and therefore are interested in the Covenant make Make out to your God for all your souls do need
out to your God for all the mercy and for all the good and for all the blessings which your soules do need Heb. 4. 16. Come boldly unto the throne of grace that ye may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need God hath put his seal to the Covenant that it is sure and Christ hath put his seal to the Covenant that it is sure Now do you put your seal to the Covenant that it is faithful and sure your believing is your sealing He that hath received his Testimony hath set to his seal that God is true Joh. 3. 33. There are four Arguments which do testifie that we have set our seal to the Covenant that we do indeed believe that it is surely established and surely confirmed by Christ so that it will not faile to be of force and efficacy unto us 1. If we be much in drawing near to God entreating him to remember his word of Covenant It is good for me to draw near to God He hath not said seek ye me in vain 2. If we be much in rejoycing in the word of the Covenant and in the death of Christ confirming it to us If the blood of Christ will hold I shall not fail and yet I have bond and seal sure enough 3. If we still patiently wait on God expecting the performance of his sealed sworn and confirmed Covenant I will wait for the God of my salvation I will look for him my God will hear me 4. If we oppose and strive to silence all unbelieving suggestions against the fidelity of the Covenant Psal 42. 11. Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the help of my countenance and my God Psal 73. â6 My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Tit. 1. 2. God who cannot lie hath promised Vse 3 Hath Jesus Christ our Mediatour confirmed the Covenant by his death Then O Christian keep up thy Faith and draw out thy faith and exceedingly rejoyce Keep up thy faith and draw it out in Christ for thy estate is sure and thy soul is sure and thy salvation is sure all is sure because all is surely confirmed by the death of Christ The death of Christ was a ratification to the whole Testament to the whole Covenant and to every part and title of it and as sure as Christ hath died so sure art thou to enjoy all that God hath Covenanted with thee for there shall not fail one word of all the good he which hath promised Object Not one word not one good thing Sol. N. o not any one why then Mercy shall be thine and Grace shall be thine and Peace shall be thine and Joy shall be thine and Glory and Salvation shall be thine for all these and more than these are promised by God in his Covenant and are sealed by his death Quest It is a poor dispute of Popish and low spirits against the certainty of a Christian How can you possibly attain unto assurance and how can any man be sure of Gods love and of Gods mercy and of his salvation Sol. Indeed upon the grounds that they go upon no man can be sure for 1. They lay a foundation of their own works and of their own righteousness and of their own free will upon which assurance can never be built 2. But as the Apostle spake in another case we have a most sure word of Prophesie so the Christian hath very sure ground for grace mercy and glory He hath the sure Covenant of God he hath the sure Oath of God and he hath the sure blood of Jesus Christ God hath brought him into Covenant and he will surely perform all his Covenant you have the Oath of God for it and you have the blood of Christ for it that all shall be surely and certainly accomplished And therefore O Christian rejoyce in believing for God will surely bless thee will surely keep thee will strengthen thee and will surely save thee SECT VII Quest 7. THere is one Question more which I mentioned in the beginning What Christ still doth for his people as Mediatour viz. What Jesus Christ still doth fâr his people in Covenant unto whom he is a Mediatour Sol. For answer unto this be pleased to consider that the works of Christ our Mediatour are distingushed into five sorts 1s Those of his Life on Earth 2. Those of his Death 3. Those of his Resurrection 4. Those of his Ascention 5. Those of his Session at the right hand of God the Father in heaven Of these last I shall only speak at this time The works of Christ as Mediator are considerable under a three-fold notion 1. As to the susception of and engagement for them Heb. 10. 7. 9. Then said he Lo I come to do thy will O God in the volume of the book it is written of me In this respect Christ applied himself to the work of a Mediatour before he came into the world and assumed our Nature by way of condescention and compact 2. As to the performance and execution of them Thus he acted them being on earth in becoming man or God Incarnated and fulfilling all righteousness in respect of his Active and Passive obedience which were both satisfactory and meritorious 3. As to the application of all in time unto us and this is the great work of Christ now in heaven for us as our Mediatour this is a very choice Point and I would speak unto it First in general That Jesus Christ doth act or work for his people as now exalted and sitting at the right hand of God in heaven Secondly in opening the special work that eminent work of Christ in heaven for his people on earth 1. That Jesus Christ doth think on his servants and doth act or work for them Jesus Christ doth act for his people at the right hand of his Father he being now in heaven the Scriptures plainly affirm Heb. 9. 24. Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figure of the true but into heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us as an Atturney appears for his Client 1 Joh. 2. 1. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous the Advocate pleads c. verse 2. And Arguments to demonstrate ât he is the Propitiation for our sins Besides these Scriptures there are several Arguments to demonstrate it 1. His Office drth still continue although he be now in heaven Heb. 4. 14. His Office doth still continue We have a great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God Heb. 7. 16. He is a Priest made not after the Law of a carnal Commandement but after the power of an endlesse life verse 17. For he testifieth Thou art a Priest for ever
assertion and I do not know any modest and understanding Writer who doth gainsay it Matth. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins His people are all the Elect given unto him and all Believers who receive him Ephes 5. 23. Christ is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of the body To whom he is a Head of them he is a Saviour but he is the Head of the Church and they are Believers Ergo. verse 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins It was shed for many which is the same with Which was given for you for you that believe on me for as Luther saith well Fides facit haeredes it is faith which makes us heirs of all the good in Christs Testament Joh. 17. 19 For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified through the truth Joh. 10 15. I lay down my life for the sheep The sheep are believers verse 26. Ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me verse 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish Joh. 15. 13 14. Greater love hath no man than this that be lay down his life for his friend Ye are my friends c. Besides these general testimonies for the death of Christ in relation to the Elect and Believers you shall finde a particular application of the vertues of the death of Christ unto all believers 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteâusnesse Sanctification and Redemption Rom. 13. 22. The Righteousnesse of God is manifestea which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe This Justitia quâ Justi censemur ad universos per fidem pervenit fide Allata Justi omnes redduntur Juâaei simul Craeci Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his Theophilact in loc blood the forgiveness of our sins Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification Acts 1â 39. By him all that believe are justified Col. 1. 13. who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Rom. 5. 1. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the attonement Ephes 2. 14. He is our peace 1 Joh. 2. 1. We have an Advocate with the Father Heb. 5. 9. And being made perfect he became the Author of salvation unto all that obey him Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life 1 Tim 4. 10 Who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that believe Other men enjoy a common salvation but Believers an eternal salvation by him Here are most of the chief benefits resulting from the death of Christ and all of them setled upon and enjoyed by all Believers And verily this must needs be so whether you consider 1. The intention of Gods love in giving of Christ which was this That whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. 2. The intention of Christ in his suretiship and deaââ for whom he became bound and for what end viz. that he might see a ãâã and the travel of his soul and that they who were called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9 15. 3. The joynt application of all the good by Christ unto persons upon union with Christ for when persons are united unto Christ which certainly they are when they do believe then doth God apply all the benefits of Christ unto them justifies them imputes the righteousnesse of Christ unto them forgives their sins gives his Spirit to sanctifie them c. and then believers apply and lay hold on all the promises of God unto them in Christ 4. Iesus Christ is the mediatour of the New Covenant and therefore unquestionably all who are interested in that Covenant do and shall partake of the benefits inserted theâein by promise and sealed therein by the blood of Christ and There is such a sufficiency in the death of Christ that if any will come ân to Christ be shall partake of redemption by him such are all believers 2. That there is such a sufficiency and dignity and fulnesse in the death of Christ that if any sinner will come in unto him he shall partake of Redemption and salvation by him effectually I do purposely lay down these Conclusions for two Reasons One is to stop the clamours of evil-minded men who give out that if Redemption by Christ be not universal then we shut the door against sinners and discourage them from coming unto Christ Another is to encourage the hearts of all broken-hearted sinners to draw near to Christ though all men are not effectually redeemed by him I would concerning this Point clear unto you these two positions 1. That though effectual Redemption by Christ be not universal but particular yet this is not in the nature of it a Doctrine to discourage any sinner from coming unto Christ We have familiar Similies to illustrate this as that of a Race wherein though but one shall certainly enjoy the prize or Lawrel yet this doth not discourage any one from running the Race And as if any place be void in a Society though only a few can be chosen and possessed of those places yet this doth not discourage many from standing for those places So although effectual Redemption by the death of Christ be particular yet this discourageth none from looking after Christ or coming by faith unto him For 1. No sinner knows any particular exclusion of himself No sinner at least unto whom the Gospel comes can say I am sure that Christ never died for me and I am sure that though I should cometo Christ I shall never receive any good by him Though the effectuall Redemption be particular yet no sinner knowes that he is in particular excluded from the benefit of it 2. The Gospel gives encouragement unto every particular sinner to come to Christ Come for all things are ready Luke 14. It calls upon him Come and hearken and your soul shall live Isa 55. 2. And saith that whosoever believes shall be saved Mar. 16. 16. And him that comes to me I will in no wise reject Joh 6 37. 1. The Gospel puts no conditions of Ante-grace 2. Or worthinesse but offers freely 3. All former things passed by 4. Complaines of unbelief The way which the Gospel useth to bring men in to Christ is proper to work on any sinner though the benefit be peculiar to some though the Gospel doth not say that all shall be saved by Christ yet the Gospel saith that all who believe shall
be saved and all who believe not shall be damned Ergo. It discourageth none from coming to Christ 3. The Gospel holds out enough for any particular sinner to lay hold on It holds out a sufficiency in Christ for any and offers Christ indefinitely A willingness in Christ to receive any that come unto him 4. It offers Jesus Christ to any sinner yea to the vilest and most wretched To the persecuting Paul to the adulterous Magdalen to the Sodomitical Corinthians c. 1 Tim. 1. 13. 1 Cor. 6. 19. 5. Any sinner may accept the offer without any sin for it is worthy of all acceptation 1 Tim. 1. 15. 2. Let any sinner whatsoever come in by faith unto Christ and he shall effectually partake of Redemption and salvation by Christ Rev. 3. 20. Behold I stand at the doore and knock if any man hear my voice and open the doore I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev. 22. 17. Let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely John 7. 23. If any man thirst let him come to mâ and drink Joh. 3. 16. Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish You see here many promises to assure any sinner of an effectual interest in the benefits of Christ if that he doth hearken and believe and come in by faith unto Christ 1. Doe but consider as faith is the condition required on our part so it is the only condition there is no more no other thing required to bring you in to Christ nor to bring you into communion or fellowship or participation of himself nor of the benefits of his death but faith If you do believe Christ is youâs and if you do believe you are justified and if you do believe you shall be saved and if you do believe you have an immediate certain and full interest in Christ and his merits 2. Again where the Gospel is revealed unto a people the reason why any of them miss of salvation and are damned is because they believe not Joh. 3. 8. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God ver 36. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Now if this be so that unbelief cuts the sinner off that it hinders him of life by Christ that it is his condemnation that it seals the wrath of God on him then certainly faith in Christ in any man whatsoever will bring him to life to all good in and by Jesus Christ 3. That the death of Christ as Mediatour was not effectual for all it was not an The death of Christ was not effectual for all universal effectual Redemption Expiation Reconciliation and Salvation for all sinners and for every particular sinner There are three things which I would offer unto you about this Conclusion 1. Proofs from Scripture as to the Assertion in general 2. Proofs in particular that the Death and Redemption and Reconciliation c. by Christ was not universally effectual either 1. In God the Fathers intention nor in Christs intention 2. In the real Impetration of Christ 3. In the Application of it in time unto all the sons of Adam 3. Answers to some of the chief and speclous Arguments which are insisted on to the contrary 1. I shall endeavour in the general to prove this Negative truth that the death In the general Proofs from Scripture of Christ as Mediatour was not effectual for all and every man for Reprobates as well as Elect for unbelievers as well as believers for the damned as well as the saved Joh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for the sheep Those for whom Christ did dye were his sheep But all and every man are not his sheep Ergo he did not die for every As from John 10 15. man The first Proposition Jesus Christ delivers in this Scripture I lay down my life for the sheep The second Proposition Christ himself also delivers in verse 26. But ye believed not because ye are not of my sheep Quest. If the question be put But who are Christs sheep Sol. Why Christ also resolves that Question and so resolves it that he plainly demonstrates all are not his sheep See verse 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me verse 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish The sheep are described by their own property and by Christs bounty and care They are Christs sheep who do hear Christs voice and so hear his voice that they follow him But all and every man doth not the one nor the other again Christ sayes I give unto my sheep eternal life and they shall never perish Doth Christ give unto every one in the world eternal life and shall not any one in all the worldperish why then doth the Scripture say He that believeth not shall be damned Mar. 16. 16. And we are not of them that draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul Heb. 10. 39. Now what can be replied unto this Christ died for his sheep Eâgo all and every man are not his sheep There are two shifts which are made instead of answers unto this Scripture 1. One is that of Haberus That all men are sheep he must mean the sheep of Christ or else he answers nothing But this Christ himself as âe have heard of from verse 26. expresly opposeth saying to the unbelieving Pharisees and Jews ye are not my sheep There are but two respects upon which men may be called the sheep of God or of Christ One is in respect of vâcation whether external only or internal also The other is in respect of Predestination because God hath Chosen them and designed them for Christ and in neither of these respects can all and every man be called the sheep of Christ Neither in respect of Predestination for few are chosen Nor in respect of Vocation for though many be called yet not all called no not with an External Vocation which yet is the more general 2. Another is that of the Remonstrants who said that Christ did lay down his life for the sheep but it is not said for the sheep only for them alone Paul saith Chriââ gave himself for me It will not hence follow that Christ gave himself for Paul only and for none else nay we read that Christ died fur the ungodly Rom. 5. 6. and therefore not for his sheep only Sol. This is a shift much like that of the Papists who when we presse the Scripture for justification only by faith they say the word only by faith is not expressed unto whom we reply that vertually it is for the Scripture opposeth Justification by faith unto justification by works and denying it unto works therefore it
ascribes justification only to Faith And verily thus it holds as to the present dispute Christ died for his sheep if for none but his sheep than for them only when Christ said I pray not for the world but for them whom thou hast given me Joh. 17. 9. This is as much as if he had said I pray only for them whom thou hast given me So when Christ saith I lay down my life for my sheep and afterwards so describes his sheep that all unbelievers are none of the sheep for whom he died now it will follow that he died only for his sheep And indeed I would fain know for whom Christ should die for besides his sheep should he die for them who were never given unto him of whom he never took care to whom he never was a Shepherd for them that were never a part of his flock and charge Is this the commendations of of a good Shepherd to lay down his life for such as have no Relation at all unto him nor he unto them Object But it is said that Christ died for the ungodly Rom. 5. 6. Sol. 'T is true yet not for all the ungodly for those who are made his sheep by grace were indeed in themselves ungodly sinners thâse ungodly spoken of there by the Apostle for whom Christ died verse 6. and 8. in verse 9. are said to be Justified by his blood and that they shall be saved from wrath through him and verse 10. are reconciled by his death and therefore much more being reconciled shall be saved by his life And truely such ungodly as these who in themselves were so and sinners and enemies but by the death of Christ were justified and reconciled and should undoudtedly be saved by him were no other then those whom he here calls his sheep not that his do continue ungodly but that the estate from which he justifies and saves them was so Object And for that conclusion from Paul saying Christ gave himself for me Hence it cannot be inferred therefore for none else but Paul I answer that speech is not alike with this I lay down my lifâ for my sheep Here is the full number For as in a Testament where common Legacies or Estates are bequeathed unto all the Children and Kindred and Friends though this Child or Kinsman or Friend cannot say this is given to me Ergo there is nothing given to any other besides me yet all and every one of them can say This Estate is given unto us mentioned in the Will therefore it is not given to any other but our selves who only are mentioned therein So though no particular Believer can appropriate the death and vertues of the death of Christ unto himself in exclusion of any other Believer who are all mentioned in the Will and Testament of Christ yet all Believers who are the sheep of Christ can say that Christ hath died for us and hath purchased and left the inheritance to us only none other being mentioned in his Testament nay all unblâevers being expresly left out But I proceed unto another proof Acts 20. 28. Feed the Church of God which From Acts 20. 28. Eph. 5. 23 26 27. he hath purchased with his own blood Christ is the Head of the Church and the Saviour of the body Ephes 5. 23 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ also loved his Church and gave himself for it verse 26. That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word verse 27. That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle but that it should be holy and without blemish In these places you see plainly five particulars 1. That the Church of God was purchased by the blood of Christ his blood was shed to Redeem and purchase it 2. That the love of Christ was to his Church and that from his love to his Church did flow the giving of himself for it 3. That the end why he gave himself for his Church was to make it holy and glorious 4. That of that Church for which he gave himself He is the Head 5. That the same Church is the body of Christ and that of that body he is the Saviour Whence I thus Argue Those whom Christ purchased by his blood were the Church of God those whom he loved were his Church those for whom Christ gave himself were his Church those to whom Christ is Head are the Church and those of whom he is a Saviour are his body the Church But all men whatsoever and every man whosoever are not the Church of God nor are Members of the Church of Christ nor is he the Head of them therefore he did not die or give himself for all and every man nor is he a Saviour to them The Major Proposition is the express Letter of these Scriptures the Minor Proposition is also most certaine viz. that all and every man is not the Church of God nor are they Members of the Church of Christ Consider the Church in any Scripture-acceptation this cannot be denied The Church is either 1. Invisibilis which is Coetus fidelium Or 2. Visibilis which is Coetus profitentium All and every man comes not within either of these they are neither believers on Christ nor professors of Christ Againe There is a Catholick Church of Christ viz. Believers in any time or part of the world and there is a particular Church of Christ which is a number of professing Believers joyned in the worship of Christ in this or that particular place Under neither of these Considerations are all and every Man Members of the Church of Christ Againe there is the Militant Church here on earth suffering for Christ and there is the Triumphing Church reigning in Heaven and glorified with Christ all and every man cannot fall in with either of these If all and every man cannot be found within the compass of the Church of Christ if this never was and is not and never will be then Christ did not die nor give himself for all and every man Object 'T is true that Christ gave himself for his Church but it is not said only for his Church and that he is the Saviour of the body but not only of the body Sol. 1. If one should thus argue from the precedent part of the Verse Verse 25. Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved the Church that they may love others besides their Wives because it is not said Love your own Wives only we should look on such a Gloss as somewhat Atheistical and Scoffing and Scurrilous so when we read that Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it c. Or Hosea 2. 19. I will Marry thee to my self it is not said Only yet Marriage is a particular and exclusive contract but let us review the place againe and try whether it will not yield us as much as Only for the Church Those for whom Christ here gave himself of them he is
Apostle saith that Faith is the gift of God Ephes 2. 8 If God will give a man faith he shall have it for there is no gift which God will give but he hath power to make it his to whom he will give it Object But men will not receive it though God will give it Sol. God doth not give faith upon that condition if man will have it this is an offer not a gift But God saith the Apostle Phil. 2. 13. worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure To give us a will to believe and come to Christ this is Gods work and therefore if God will work towards faith as much as concerns him he must remove our unwillingness and make us willing 2. The giving of faith is commensurable with the election of God so saith the Apostle Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed and indeed it is the fruit and effect thereof and therefore it is called the faith of Gods Elect Tit. 1. 1. and stands as a necessary means in the way of participation of all our saving good unto which we are elected and which was purchased for us by Christ 3. A third Argument that God did not intend such an universal Redemption and Salvation by Christ is this If God had intended such an universal work and benefit for all men by Christ Then he would have given all men to Christ for such an end and purpose as their Redemption and salvation by him for if God wold never give them to Christ we may well suspect that he never intended to save them by Christ if they must not belong to the Saviour and Redeemer then Redemption and salvation shall never belong to them But God did not give all and every nan to Christ neither ex parte tituli so that he should acknowledge them as given unto him by the Father nor ex parte debiti nor ex parte Rei that he should stand charged and bound fot their Redemption and Salvation Ergo. That all were not discriminatim given by God the Father unto Christ ratione tituli is manifest in Joh. 17. 6. I have manifested thy Name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world thine they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy word And verse 10. All mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them Nor ex parte Rei Joh. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me Here you see 1. That those who were given unto Christ they were given out of the world not all the world but some out of it 2. That they who were given unto Christ God the Father had first a particular interest in them thine they were and thou gavest them me but all men whatsoever never had such a particular Relation to God nor God to them as that it can be said Thine they were 3. Those that were given to Christ he saith of them they have kept thy word verse 6. and have received thy words verse 8. and they have believed that thou didst send me Can this be said of all and every man Nor doth Christ acknowledge or own all men whatsoever as given to him verse 9. I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them whom thou hast given me for they are thine and verse 10. All mine are thine and mine are thine Neither were all given to Christ ratione debiti that he should stand charged and bound for their Redemption and salvation Joh. 17. 2. Thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Here is the extent of his Commission and Charge which he is bound to make good and that is to give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him i. effectually to save all them c. 4. I will add but one Argument more to prove that God intended not an universal Redemption and Salvation by the death of Christ and that shall be taken out of Rom. 9. 13. Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated ver 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion verse 22. What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction verse 23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory The Apostle in this place doth purposely handle the doctrine of Election and Preterition that election he proves to be particular and not universal this he doth by instance and by Reason The instance is given in Jacob and Esau God loved Jacob but he hated Esau ver 13. The reason of this speciality of love in Election he presents in verse 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and verse 18. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth That God should love one and hate another chuse one and passe by another shew mercy to some and leave others to be hardned the reason of this is his own will he will love whom he we will love and elect whom he will elect and shew mercy to whom he will shew mercy Object Now whereas some murmuringly reply against God for such a particular love and election and purpose of mercy as if God dealt not fairly in it thus differently to deal with his Creatures verse 19. c. Sol. The Apostle defends this proceeding of God in the authority which he hath for it ver 21. Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel of wrath fitted for destruction verse 22. and to magnifie the riches of his glory of his grace on the vessels of mercy afore prepared unto glory verse 23. By all which it manifestly appears that there are some whom God never loved but hated whom he never elected but passed by whom he intended not to shew mercy unto but to leave them to be hardned that he would not make them vessels to honour but to dishonour that were vessels not of mercy aforehand prepared to glory but vessels of wrath fitted to destruction which if it be so and so the Apostle saith it is then undoubtedly God did never intend an universal Redemption and universal purchase of peace and mercy and salvation by Christ for all and every man For by Pauls Doctrine he doth not intend to shew mercy to the vessels of wrath and yet by the Arminian Doctrine he doth intend to shew mercy to all 2. I now proceed to the second Conclusion As God the Father never intended Christ did not intend such a latitude for all by his death an universal Redemption and Jubile by the death of Christ So neither did Jesus Christ the Son of God who did die to save sinners intend such a
latitude for all and every man The intention and minde of Christ in this I Proved humbly conceive cannot be better discerned than by 1. The entring into his Office of Mediatorship as a Surety 2. The opening of his last Will and Testament when he was near death to seal it 3. The prosecuting of all their interests who were concerned in him and his death 4. The disowning of some as such as he never had respect unto 1. When Christ entred into or took on himself the office of a Mediator he then declared himself also a Surety or Sponsor Therefore as he is stiled Heb. 12. 24. The Mediatour of the New Covenant so is he said to be made the Surety of a better Testament Heb. 7. 22. The Argument runs thus Jesus Christ is a Surety for all those to whom he is a Mediatour Redeemer and Saviour But he never was a Surety for all and every man Ergo. The first of these Propositions cannot be denied for the Scripture calls Christ our Mediatour and Redeemer our Surety and saith expresly that Christ once suffered for sinners the Just for the unjust 1 Pet. 3. 18. i. in their stead and for their good and that he bare our diseases and carried our soroows and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and our iniquities were laid upon him Isa 53. 4 5. But then for the second Proposition that he never was a Surety for all and every man Will the Arminians speak plainly to this was he or was he not If he were not then every sinfull mans debts are not paid by Christ and then every man is not redeemed and then God is not reconciled to every man for if that debt be not paid and God satisfied then Redemption is not wrought c. If he was a Surety for all and every man then Jesus Christ put himself in the room and stead of every sinner of the world as a surety doth for every one to whom he is a Surety and bound himseâf as responsible to Divine Justice to satisfie all that could be charged against any sinner as the surety doth for every one he stands bound for I will be surety for him said Judah to Jacob about Benjamin Gen. 43. 9. Of my hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee let me bear the blame for ever So Jesus Christ as Surety to God did actually satisfie the Justice of God the Father for us and pay and discharge all the debt so that wrath and curse and damnation are utterly removed and can never befall the sinner because Christ as a Surety hath perfectly satisfied for all and cleared all Sed ira Dei manet infidelibus Joh. 3. 36. Nay as a Surety he did not only satisfie to the discharging of all sin and punishment but merited also and purchased mercy life grace and glory and God is bound to give in all this So that if Christ be a Surety for all and every man and as a Surety died for them all then is Gods Justice fully satisfied God hath no more to say against any sinner he cannot damn any because all sin is satisfied for and discharged and every man shall certainly be saved because Christ as a Surety hath purchased this and must and will see it performed and enjoyed But this no Arminian that ever I read or heard of will maintain c. 2. Secondly we may find out the very mind of Christ concerning the latitude of Redemption and salvation by his death if we peruse his last will and Testament where his mind is plainly opened unto us and which he sealed and confirmed by his death there you read for whom he died Matth. 26. 28. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins Mar. 14. 24. This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many Luke 22. 20. This cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you Heb. 9. 15. For this cause he is the Mediatour of the New Tetament that by means of death for the Redemption of the transgressors that were under the first Testament they which aââ called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance verse 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sinnes of many Matth. 20. 28. The Son of man came to give his life a ransome for many Here you see all along in the Testament of Christ no mention made for all men but only for many for many and for many and so God speaking of his Christ My righteous servant shall justifie many for he shall bear their sins Isa 55. 11. And he bare the sins of many verse 12. 3. Thirdly Jesus Christ did not prosecute an universal interest of all the world but a particular interest of some Ergo. He did not intend an universal Redemption and Salvation Joh. 17. 9. I pray for them I pay not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine Doubtlesse if Christ did intend to redeem and save all he would have done so much as to have paid for all It is strange that he should lay down his life for all and yet would not lay out a prayer for all that he would die to save them and yet not pray to save them if Christ would not do so much as to prosecute their salvation by a Prayer I verily believe he never intended their salvation by his death Ob. The Arminians to decline the edge of this Argument tell us of a double interceding or praying of Christ One is particular and this indeed is onely for Believers Another is universal and this is for the whole world Sol. A handsome evasion I confess methinks they should also distinguish of a two-fold death and Redemption and salvation by Christ one particular for all believers and another universal for all the world that effectual and doing good this ineffectual and profiting none Object But may we know any Scriptures for Christs universal Praying and intercession yes they quote Luke 23. 34. Father forgive them for they know not what they do Sol. True here is Christs Prayer indeed but yet here is not the universal prayer for the whole world here is his prayer for them that Crucified him out of ignorance and we hear of the fruit of this prayer in Acts 3. 17. compared with Acts 4. 4. these men who through ignorance crucified Christ and for whom Christ prayed Pater Remitte they were not the whole world this place therefore will not make out an universal interceding or praying for the whole world Object Therefore they bring another Scripture Isa 53. 12. He made intercession for trannsgressors Sol. 'T is true he made intercession for transgressors but where is that intercession which he made for all transgressors where is the universal intercession the transgressors for whom he made intercession in this 12. verse are those sinners which he calls many and justified them in
for many Ages utterly unknown to the Christian world c. 3. There are some whom God never elected but passed them by he would not shew mercy unto them he intended to manifest his justice and wrath on those vessels of wrath did Christ obtain for these also Reconciliation Remission and eternal life He knew that his Father would never have mercy on them and his death was according to the Counsel of his Father and did his Father Counsel and Decree and appoint him to purchase and procure mercy for those of whom he said he would never shew mercy to them why this were strange indeed that God should put the soule of Christ to grief and make him to bear wrath and sorrow for them unto whom he never intended mercy 4. Should not all men in the world be born in a state of grace and favour For Christ hath obtained Reconciliation for them all and that Reconciliation is not forfeited untill they reject it by unbelief and that cannot be as soon as they be born How then can we all be said by nature to be the children of wrath Ephes 2. 3. seeing wrath is off and ceased when God is reconciled This Inference cannot possibly be avoided unless we will fancy that the Reconciliation purchased by Christ is kept by God as it were in Banco as a Treasure which dischargeth nothing for a while untill hereafter it be brought forth to help a person upon occasion so that the Reconciliation and Remission purchased by Christ must he as a dead stock in heaven so long untill men come to years and then God makes experiments whether sinners will make use of it or no c. But to these I shall add other Arguments 1. The Impetration of universal Reconciliation either it was an actual Reconciliation and Remission or only Potential a Reconcileableness or Remissableness If it were an actual Reconciliation and Remission then are God and all sinners enemies no longer but friends and then every sinner shall certainly be saved And is a blessed man for if we be reconciled by the death of Christ much more shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10 And Rom. 4. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered verse 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin But this I suppose none will presume to maintain Ergo. no Actual Reconciliation and Remission for all If the Reconciliation and Remission be only Potential and not Actual then 1. Why doth the Scripture take no notice of this at all But where it speaks of the death of Christ and Reconciliation and Remission thereby it perpetually delivers the one and the other as Actual Ephes 2. 13. Ye are made nigh by the blood of Christ verse 14. He is our peace ver 15. Making peace ver 16. Having slain the enmity thereby Col. 1. 20. Having made peace through the blood of his Crosse ver 21. you hath he reconciled Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them was all this here ascribed unto the death of Christ only a power accruing unto God that he might if he would make an offer of an universal reconciliation and Remission 2. But again Jesus Christ did make an actual offering of himself and he did actually satisfie the Justice of God for all according to the Opinion of the Arminians Now if the Justice of God be actually satisfied surely there is more than a meer power and liberty acquired that God may be reconciled to us if he will and pardon us if he will and save us if he will Because the satisfaction of Christ can and doth Oblige God to this God having Covenanted with him if that he would lay down his life for sinners that then his Righteousness should justifie and reconcile them 3. What we are to believe that is true but we are to believe that God is actually reconciled by the blood of Christ and hath actually forgiven us 2. This Grand universal Impetration either God intends the real actual application of it or he doth never intend to apply it to all It were most strange that the Son of God should come down from heaven be made man be made obedient to the death even to the death of the Cross yea and be made a curse for us and by his blood purchase as they say Reconciliation and Remission and life Eternal for all and every one if God intended not actually to bestow these But I demand Did he intend and will the actual collation of these purchased benefits on all and every one or did he not The Arminians to this expresly answer two things Grevencovius Cortivus 1. Deum nec voluisse nec noluisse God did neither will and intend it neither did he nill or not intend it Why then there is a Christ given to death given for a Sacrifice to be a Propitiation for sinners to be a Redemption for all and every sinner to save all and yet after all this God is not peremptorily resolved either way of the benefit of this to any one sinner whatsoever And so the death of Christ may be in vain in respect of benefit to all the sinners in the world For although his death did satisfie Gods Justice and thereby God gained so much as that he might universally tender Redemption to all yet if there were no actual purpose or real intention in God to bestow this on any who can say that he shall be the better for that which God really intends not to bestow on him 2. Again they say that though God did not peremptorily intend to confer and bestow this upon all yet conditionally he did if so be that all will believe on Christ unto which I would reply two things First God did know that all men would not believe on Christ and therefore as to the prescience of God this condition was not universal but particular if Gods intention to impart the benefits of the death of Christ had a respect unto and foundation in a condition which he certainly foresaw to be particular only Hence it will necessarily follow That God never intended a Redemption and salvation for all From the Argument either to God or unto men it shall bind the Adversary If to God in respect of his intention then thus I frame it God intended salvation by Christ only for all who will believe in Christ but God did certainly know that all men would not believe in Christ Ergo. he did not intend it for all If to men in respect of the event then thus Salvation is obtained for all who will believe on Christ but all men will not believe in Christ Ergo. Salvation is not obtained for all Secondly I reply to that Assertion viz. That God did intend to confer or apply all saving benefits purchased by Christ upon the condition that
to believe a falshood for verily Christ did not die for those who remain unbelievers and impenitent and the Gospel is so far from promising life by the death of Christ to impenitent and unbelieving persons that it threatens and seals death and wrath and condemnation on them Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Joh. 3. 36. He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him ver 18. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God 3. The immediate Object of that faith which God at first requires is not this Proposition Christ dyed for me But Christ who dyed And the first command of Faith in the Gospel is to accept Christ and rest on Christ and then follows a fiduciary perswasion that Christ died for me And indeed no man can come to that degree of Faith to be perswaded or confident that Christ died for him untill he first by faith receive Christ offered unto him Argument 2 Vnbelievers are damned for rejecting the grace of Christ offered unto them by the Gospel shall they be so punished if that grace were never purchased for them and never did belong unto them Answered Sol. To this I answer First That Christ with his grace of Redemption is Indefinitely offered unto sinners by the Gospel and that all who do by their infidelity refuse that grace are deservedly damned not because they reject the grace offered belonging to them as unbelievers and impenitent but because they neglect and despise that condition upon which grace was offered unto them Christ and his grace were offered unto them upon this condition If they would believe and receive him and it But they will not believe You will not come unto me that you might have life Joh. 5. 40. And though light be come into the world yet they will not receive it Secondly Unbelievers who do reject Christ with his grace offered unto them do not reject him and that grace because they know that neither Christ nor his grace do belong to them this neither is nor can be the reason à priore of their rejection because no particular sinner unto whom the Gospel comes can know that Christ hath simply excluded him and tends no good to him and he sees that to others in the same condition and depth of sin and unworthiness with himself Christ and his grace offered by the Gospel are effectual But therefore they do reject Christ because they love him not they love darkness rather than light Joh. 3. 19. and are led by their perverse will so as utterly to refuse communion with Christ and subjection to him for which they are deservedly punished Argument 3 Thirdly they argue thus That if Christ did not dye for all and eveây man Then every man must remain in a doubtful suspence whether he be concerned to believe in Christ or not Answered Sol. 1. And why so I pray you Is this to be set up as the only ground why we must believe in Christ because Christ hath died for all and every man when yet themselves do say though Christ hath so died for all and every man yet no man is the better for this untill and unless he believe Or doth the Gospel when it calls upon sinners to believe on Christ propound this as the inducement unto the soul Christ died for all men and for every man therefore you should believe on Christ and untill you be sure that Christ did thus dye and obtain Reconciliation for all and every man and Remission of sins and eternal life for all you may not and must not believe When Peter called upon those Jews to believe Acts 2. and Paul upon the Jaylor believe and you shall be saved Chap. 16. did they usher this duty in with imposing this Precedent certainty to them that they must subscribe firist unto that Point That Christ dyed for all and every man therefore you should believe Secondly But there is no cause of this suspence or doubting at all whether a person should believe on Christ though Christ did not die for all men because the Gospel without that error affords Grounds or Reasons enough for any man to whom it is preached to believe on Christ 1. It reveals Christ as the Saviour of sinners 2. It offers this Saviour freely unto sinners 3. It commands him particularly to believe on Christ 4. It promiseth him life upon believing Is here now any reason to doubt whether I ought to believe 5. It assures him that Christ will in no wise reject him 6. But will accept and that it is so far from being a sin in him to believe in Christ that it is his great sin if he doth not believe on Christ who then graciously offers himself and Commands him to believe and assures him of Reconciliation and pardoning mercy and eternal life upon beleeving Argument 4 If Christ did not dye for all and every man then one of these Absurdities must necessarily follow either that those for whom Christ dyed not are free of Adams sins as the Angels in Heaven are and so have not need of Christ to be their Reconciliation or else they are in the same condition with the Divels and so must despair of all hope of Salvation Answered Sol. I answer neither so nor so neither the one nor the other absurdity will arise necessarily out of that Doctrine that Christ dyed not for all that some of Adams Posterity are no sinners and so need no Reconciliation by Christ or that else they must despair being in the same condition with the Divels themselves 1. For first most certain it is that in Adam all sinned Rom. 5. 12. And by reason of sin all do stand in need of Reconciliation by Christ but hence it will not follow because that all men are sinners and do stand in need of such a Reconciliation by Christ therefore God must and doth give Christ as a Reconciliation for them all No more then this will follow because that so many Malefactors are in peril of their life therefore the Prince against whom they have offended must either pardon or offer pardon to every one of them for though there be a common necessity of pardon as unto all of them because of their guilt yet the giving of pardon is an act of meer grace and therefore the Prince offended may bestow it on some of them only and not on all of them Thus stands the case 'twixt God and us we have all sinned against him and therefore come short of the glory of God and stand in need of mercy and Reconciliation by Christ and God saith I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy some of these sinners I will save by Christ namely all them that believe Joh. 3. 36. others of these I will not save namely those that believe not though there be a need of
Acts 16. â0 there to dwell Ephes 3. 17. and there to rule and reign Seventhly And to depend on Christ placing all our confidence on him and in none and on nothing but him Phil. 3. 3. We rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Ver. 9. And be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Eighthly And to love Christ faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 6. who sheweth so much love as to give himself to death to save me I will go no farther Finde me but such a faith as this and I assure you I assure you nay the Gospel of Christ assures you that this is true faith thâs is the Faith which makes Christ yours in his Person and in all the Benefits of his Death And one thing more observe by the way that though this faith be but weak though it be but as the smoaking flax though it be but as a grain of Mustard-seed though it be much assaulted with Satans temptations though it be oft-times shaken with fears and doubtings Yet if it be but of so much life and power to match thy heart to Christ to bring it in to Christ to set him up as thy Lord and as thy Saviour and to rol and rest and cast thy soul and confidence on him it is true Faith and Christ is thine and thou mayest safely conclude that Christ dyed for thee and made peace for thee c. Fourthly One may know that Christ did effectually dye for him by the Combination By the combination of benefits purchased by the death of Christ of the Benefits purchased by the death of Christ and by the conjoyned participation of them in respect of himself Beloved the benefits purchased by the death of Christ are many as Remission of sins and Reconciliation with God and Eternal life and Redemption and Sanctification c. And these purchased Benefits they were all of them purchased at once and together and all of them with respect to every Believer and in time every one of them is applyed to every Believer Christ did not purchase Remission of sins for one believer only and Reconciliation only for another believer and Grace only for another and Glory only for another neither doth Christ apply these partly to one and partly to another but he purchased them for every one that shall believe and he applies them to every one that doth believe 1 Cor. 6. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 1. 30. Made unto us Wisdom Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption 1 Joh. 5. 6. This is he that came by Water and Blood even Jesus Christ Fifthly Unto which let me add the fifth character by which one may know By the ends of the death of Christ that Christ died for him viz. by the ends of the death of Christ in respect of us and the appearance of them upon our hearts and lives 2 Cor. 5. 15. He died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him who died for them and rose again Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 1 Pet. 2. 24. who his own self bare our sins in his own body upon the Crosse that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed In these places you see five ends of the death of Christ for us 1. That he might redeem us from all iniquity i. e. set us at liberty from bondage unto our sinful lusts that henceforth we should not serve sinne Rom. 6. 6. 2. That we should be dead to sin i. e. our hearts and affections should be mortified and crucified unto them not love them not desire them not delight in them not hearken to them not be led by them any more 3. That henceforth we should not live unto our selves i. e. intend and set up our own ends and interests our own praise and glory our own profit and benefit our own pleasure and contentments 4. That we should be a peculiar people be his be for him unto himself purified by his spirit and joyned by the same Spirit unto himself and led and drawn forth in his strength unto all good works affectionately and fervently 5. That we should live unto him who died for us and live unto righteousness i. e. exalt the will and wayes and honour of Christ count nothing too dear for him spend and be spent for him take his directions obey his commands serve his ends act intirely and throughly and willingly and chearfully and fully and constantly in all conditions and in all tryals for Christs interest and the magnifying of Christ O Beloved let us seriously try our interest in the death of Christ by these Ends of the death of Christ which are certainly accomplished in due time in all for whom Christ died There are two sorts of the vertues of the death of Christ 1. Some are for us he died for to satifie for us and to make peace for us and to purchase Remission of sins for us and to obtain salvation for us 2. Some are in us as to redeem us from all iniquity to crucifie our sins to purifie us unto himself a peculiar people c. Christ died for our sins and he died that we might dye unto our sins Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Rom. 6. 6. The blood of Christ was a pacifying blood having made peace through the blood of his Crosse Col. 1. 20. And the blood of Christ is a purifying blood it purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. He died as our Surety and Priest and to this end also did Christ die and rise again that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living Rom. 14. 9 Therefore if you be yet in your sins if you be not dead unto them if you love them if you serve them you cannot assure your selves as yet that Christ dyed for you But on the contrary if you can truly say as the Apostle Rom. 6. 17 18. We were the servants of sin but we are made free from sin and are become the servants of righteousness we are healed by the stripes of Christ and we are made conformable unto his death we find the similitude of his Death and Resurrection in us we are not our own but Christs his we are and none but his our hearts are his and our lives are his why then be confident that Christ is yours and his death is yours and all the benefits of his death are yours Sixthly One may know that Christ died for him
possesseth and he is poor and dreams that Christ is his and died for his sins and made his peace but he is deceived there is no such matter at all Now there are foure things which do manifestly declare that the confidence That confidence is but a delusion Which is contrary to the Word which some men have that Christ dyed for them is but a delusion 1. When that confidence is contrary to the Word Every true and sound perswasion of our interest in Christ and in the benefits of his death is conformable to the testimony of the Word and every false perswasion or confidence is contrary to the Word as it hath no word of God to bottom upon so it hath the Word of God to unbottom and contradict it You are confident that Christ dyed to save you and to purchase the pardon of sins c. And yet you remain an ignorant and impenitent a disobedient and unbelieving sinner you still love your sins and will not forsake them your heart is hardened in sin and you mourn not for sin you despise the Gospel of Christ and truth of Christ and calls of Christ and paths of Christ and subjection to Christ and communion with Christ And yet you are confident that Christ died effectually ãâã for your salvation And what warrant have you thus to lay claim to him and to his benefits The Word saith Whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16 36. And he that believeth not shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And you believe not on him where is now your confidence the Word saith be converted and repent that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. And Christ saith that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name Luke 24. 47. But you repent not you do not you will not forsake your sins The Word saith that Christ is the Author of salvation to all that obey him Hebr. 5. 9. But you will not obey him he calls you off from your sins and he calls you off from the world and he calls you to fellowship with himself and he calls you unto holinesse but you will not obey him in any of these calls therefore your confidence in the benefits of his death is a meer presumption and delusion it is not warranted by the Word nay the Word is expressely contrary unto it 2. When that confidence is but natural and easily believed The right confidence Which is but natural and easily believed that Christ dyed for us it is supernatural and difficult we cannot give it to our selves it is a perswasion given unto us and it costs us many prayings and many tears and many bearings and many waitings upon God before we can attain unto it But a deluding confidence that is natural and easie the person never gets it by prayer never wrestled with God for it never attended the Word for it never conflicted with doubts and fears was never at any cost for it but was confident all his days no antecedent conflict no present conflict presumption is a work of our own a meer fancy of our own and a meer delusion of our own Thirdly When that confidence is fruitlesse and loose it produceth no love Which is fruitlesse at all to Christ nor fear to offend Christ nor care to please Christ nay instead of these there is a boldnesse to sin the more and to continue impenitent because Christ dyed for sinners and his death is sufficient to expiate the greatest transgressions whereas a right confidence of the benefits of the death of Christ makes men more holy and obedient 1 John 2. 3. We know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Ver. 3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Fourthly When that confidence or assurance is easily swept away in time of Which is easily swept away in time of tryal tryal either by conscience or by afflictions or by sicknesse or by the approachings of death His confidence shall be rooted out of his Tabernacle and shall bring him to the King of terrors said Bildad in Job 18. 14. A deluding confidence usually ends in a despairing diffidence but so doth not a right and well-grounded confidence it will hold out in all afflictions and tryals whatsoever Rom. 8. 38 39. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yea it will hold out in death it self when all the hopes of the hypocrite shall perish 2 Tim. 4. 6. I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand Ver. 7. I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Ver. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day From all this let us learn carefully to try our very confidences of our interest in Christ and in the benefits of his death remember but three things 1. Your interest is never the more for all your confidence confidence gives no propriety though sometimes it follows it 2. Your interest is the lesse if your confidence be false A troubled and doubting Christian may be brought in to Christ and partake of him and of his benefits when the bold confident presumptuous sinner keeps off and hides himself even because he is boistrously confident 3. You will certainly be lost if you rest in this confident delusion it is a broken bottome and a dream which will destroy you Case 2. What a person should do who as yet cannot certainly affirme What a person should do who as yet cannot certainly affirme that Christ dyed for him that Christ dyed for him and that he hath any interest in the benefits of his death Sol. This is the case of many troubled souls and their exceeding burden and fear unto whom I would commend 1. A few Cautions 2. A few Directions 1. Cautions Cautions to such Do not cashiere your title 1. Do not cashiere your title Though all this while you cannot clear your interest although you cannot conclude for it yet do not conclude against it nor yet despair for 1. This dark condition is incident to most if not all weak believers who are baptized in a cloud though they drink of the rock i. e. Christ indeed is theirs although they do not see him to be theirs and the blood of Christ was shed for them although the assurance thereof be not shed abroad in their hearts yea and pardon of their sins is sealed although as yet it be not revealed to them they do not finde this in a sensible experience but yet they
forgivenesse upon a twofold account One in respect of God whose justice must be satisfieds that so his mercy if I may so phrase it may be set at liberty to flow out unto sinners Another in respect of us that we may come with the more boldness and confidence to obtain forgiving mercy in the name of Christ it being the very mercy which he by his blood purchased for us at the hands of God Thirdly Forgiveness of sins is limited to repenting and believing persons It is limited to repenting and believing persons these and these only are the subjects of that precious mercy unto whom it doth belong There are three sorts of creatures and persons in the world 1. Some of whom you read that they shall never be forgiven the Divels shall never have their sins forgiven but are held and reserved in everlasting chains under darknesse unto the judgement of the great day Jude ver 6. And they who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven Matth. 12. 31. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men Ver. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come 2. Some to whom forgiveness is conditionally offered but they do refuse it upon that condition such are all impenitent and unbelieving persons who living under the Gospel are called upon to leave their sins and are assured if they do so that they shall find mercy to pardon their sins but for lying vanities they forsake their mercies and because they love their sins therefore they do lose the forgiveness of their sins 3. Some who penitentially come off from their sins and believingly come unto Christ they put off their sins by repentance and put on Christ by faith these are they who find mercy to whom it may be said Be of good comfort your sins are forgiven Prov. 28. 13. Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy Acts 13. 39. By him all that believe are justified but as for the impenitent they treasure up wrath unto themselves Rom. 2. 5. The unbelievers they are condemned already John 3. 18. and the wrath of God abideth on them Ver. 36. Fourthly Forgiveness of sins consisteth in the discharging or absolving of a It consisteth in discharging of a sinner from guilt and punishment person from his sins in respect of guilt and punishment It is the discharging absolving remitting freeing dismitting sparing of a sinner the phrases in Scripture for the forgiving of sins are very significant both in the Old Testament and in the New In the Old Testament there are words used for the forgiveness of sins which import what I affirm 1. Salach as Exod. 34. 9. Pardon our iniquities and our sins the word Vide Downh de Justifi lib. 2. cap. 7. p. 84. there is Salach which signifies parcere remittere ignoscere condonare propitium esse 2. Kasah which signifies to hide to spare to forgive as Psal 32. 1. Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven whose sin is covered 3. Habar to pass by an offence as Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquities and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage 4. Hekebir which signifies to cause to pass 2 Sam. 12. 13. The Lord hath put away thy sin hath caused it to pass The same word is used in Zach. 3. 4. I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee 5. Machah which signifies to wipe or blot out of remembrance the sins of men Psal 51. 9. Blot out all mine iniquities 6. Hesir which signifies to remove Isa 27. 9. By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away sin to remove sin 7. Lochashab not to impute as Psal 32. 2. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity In the New Testament there are also several words used for the forgiving of sins which import discharge or absolution First ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which signifies as much as to dismiss or send away to let alone because when God forgives a sinner he lets his sin alone and meddles no more with it but commonly this word is used for the absolving of those who are accused as guilty and in Scripture it is used for loosing out of bonds for debts 2. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Colos 2. 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses which word denotes both the fountain of forgiveness namely the grace of God and the acceptableness of it to the party forgiven it being graciously welcome as glad tydings unto him 3. ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Rom. 4. 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin 2 Cor. 5. 19. Not imputing their trespasses unto them which imports that the Lord when he forgives sins will not put them upon the score or account by all which it appears that forgiveness of sins is an absolving or discharging of the sinner from his sins Now there are three things considerable in our sins there is 1. Macula the stain or pollution of it for sin doth pollute and defile the soul therefore it is frequently stiled a pollution a defilement uncleanness filthiness a plague a leprosie c. 2. Reatus the guilt by it for as soon as any man doth sin there is a guilt upon him by which he is bound over to the wrath and curse of God and this guilt or obligation is inseparable from sin the sin doth deserve no less than everlasting condemnation 3. Pana the punishment of it which consists in the inflicting of all the curses that sin doth deserve and which God hath threatned for transgressing his holy and righteous will What it is in sin the forgivenesse of sin doth respect Quest The question is unto which of these forgivenesse of sins doth extend of from which of these the sinner is discharged upon forgiveness Sol. I answer 1. Forgiveness of sins doth not respect the stain or pollution of sin it doth Not the stain or pollution of it not remove that it is an idle opinion of the Papists and others that remission of sins consists in the extinction of sins or utter abolition of them Reasons of it for First This is to confound Justification with Sanctification it being proper to Sanctification to remove and take a way the stain and pollution of sin in the soul that is the Fullers sope and refining fire Secondly The utter deletion of sin is not granted in this life for during this life sin remaineh in the best of men Rom. 7. 17 20. and 1 John 1. 8. If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us but in this life we have the remission of our sins Ergo. Thirdly Remission
because of the ordinary self-deceit of men contenting themselves with a false faith and because of the dreadful hazard and loss upon such a mistake Therefore rightly to state out unto you this great Point upon which our life or death depends lend me your patience and attention while I briefly discourse upon four Conclusions 1. All men have not faith 2. All faith brings us not to a certain remission of sin although there is a faith which doth so 3. Some men may think they have that faith which doth entitle them unto remission of their sins but yet they are deceived 4. That faith which is necessary unto the remission of sins and infallibly attains it may be clearly made evident unto us for the truth of its presence in us First All men have not Faith So the Apostle expresly 2 Thes 3. 2. Who hath believed our report So the Prophet Isa 53. 1. He came amongst his own All men have not faith and his own received him not Joh. 1. 11. Though he had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not on him Joh. 12. 37. And there are four things do demonstrate this Four things demonstrate this The ignorance in many men 1. The ignorance in many men the know not Christ the Lord of glory How shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard Rom. 14. So say I how shall they believe on him whom they have not known though knowledge may be without Faith yet it is impossible there should be Faith without knowledge 2. The carelesnesse in many men about the offer of Christ and the invitations of Christ they make light of them Matth. 22. 5. an know not the day of Their carelessness about the offer of Christ their visitation Luke 19. 44. And follow their worldly pleasures and profits neglecting Christ and the great things of Christ Luke 14. 18 19 20. 3. The opposition of Jesus Christ We will not have this man to reign over us Luke 19. 14. Let us break his bonds asunder and cast away his cords from The opposition of Jesus Christ us Psal 2. 3. All day long I have stretched my hand unto a disobedient and gainsaying people Rom. 10. 21. 4. The obstinate perversenesse of will in the refusing of Christ ye would not Matth. 23. 27. Ye will not come to me Joh. 5. 40. They have both seen and hated both me and my Father Joh. 15. 24. Secondly Though some men have faith yet all Faith doth not bring us to All Faith doth not bring us to remission of sins A Diabolical Faith the certain remission of sins There are five sorts of Faith which may be had and yet no remission of sins is annexed to any one of them 1. A diabolical Faith The Divels believe and tremble Jam. 2. 19. They believe that there is a God and that that wrath which he hath threatned them shall inevitably befall them and thereupon they tremble such a kind of Faith many have who do utterly despair of mercy and are without hope 2. A meerly Historical Faith which is an assent unto the Word of God as true and there it rests many do firmly believe revealed truths who yet never A meer Historical Faith embrace the goodness of those truths they doe believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God that he was sent into the world to save sinners that he died for sinners that he made peace by his blood that there is remission of sins to be had by him that whosoever believes and repents shall be saved All these Points they do believe to be certain truths because the Word of God saith so and yet for all this their hearts are not drawn to receive Christ nor to love him nor to serve him without which there is no benefit to be had from Christ 3. A temporary Faith Luke 8. 13. They on the Rock are they which when they hear receive the Word with joy and they have no root which for a while believe A temporary Faith and in time of temptation fall away Luke 8. 13. A man may go far as to hear the Gospel and to receive it to own it in some sort and that with joy he may be somewhat taken with the newness of it or with the sweetness of it and he may thereupon believe that it sets out the true way of life and thereupon may make a profession of Christ and the Gospel and come into an outward communion in the Gospel and yet this mans faith may not be sound which Christ shews in two particulars 1. It wants a root and it is but superficial it doth not root in the heart in Christ nor doth it flow from Chrisi as a Root or living Principle 2. It wants constancy or duration it is not fixed on Christ for Christ alone but for some self advantages and therefore in time of temptation it withers and falls off Now that Faith which neither roots us nor ingraffs us into Christ nor keeps us faithful and steadfast to Christ is false faith and therefore shall miss of the forgiveness of sins 4. There is a verbal Faith a Faith which conââsts only in profession and words A veâbal Faith without any vital fruits and manifestations of truth and power Jam. 2. 14. What doth it profit my brethren though a man saith he hath Faith and have not works can Faith save him The Apostle in that place taxeth the vanity of empty and boasting Professors who talked much of their Faith and trusted for great matters by it alas saith he you deceive your selves much in your Faith there is a Faith which will indeed profit and save but the faith of which you boast will not do so for your faith is but a dead faith If it were true it would appear in love and good works as the living Tree doth in fruits but there is no such working faith in you 5. And lastly there is a presumptuous Faith which is nothing else but a phantastical A presumptuous Faith faith The simple believeth every word Prov. 14. 15. Ver. 16. The Foole rageth and is confident So is it with the man who hath presumptuous faith he believeth every word Christ is his and died for him and his sins shall be forgiven and his soul shall be saved and yet the foole rageth and is confident He is a wicked man and lives wickedly swears and lies and whores and breakes the Sabbath and derides holiness and will not obey the Gospel of Christ and yet he is confident he hath no Scripture grounds at all for his confidence nay there is clear ground for him to believe the wrath of God if he repent nor c. Thirdly Some men do think that they have that true Faith which doth entitle to Some men think they have true Faith but âe deceâved remission of sins but they are deceived Beloved self-deceit is very natural and common that a man may think himself to be
that God will not one time or another remember thy sins and judge thee for them O no he saith that he will forgive iniquity and remember my sin no more 4. But dost thou not see that he remembers thy sins when his hand lies now so heavy upon thee O no this is no judicial remembrance but a paternal chastisement 5. But certainly God loves thee not nay if he had not loved me freely he would never have justified me freely 6. But thou hast nothing to do with Christ nor ever shalt thou have benefit by Christ Why this is strange that my sins are forgiven me for his Names sake yet that I should have no part in Christ and no benefit by Christ 7. But God is still displeased and angry with thee No for he hath taken away iniquity and therefore his anger is turned away from me 8. But God will not hear any prayer which thou makest nor mayst thou be admitted into any communion with him O but this is false for God himself hath said 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and will heal their Land Ver. 15. And mine eyes shall be open and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place 9. But what good will the pardon of thy sins do thee as long as thy sins rule and prevail over thee O but that God who pardoneth iniquity saith also that he will subdue our iniquities Micah 7. 18 19. 10. But I can and will charge thy sins upon thee and condemn thee for them O but what hast thou to do to charge sins when God hath discharged sins and what hast thou to do to condemn me if God hath forgiven me Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth Ver. 14. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed SECT VIII Vse 4 DOth the promise of forgiveness belong unto all that are in Covenant with God The last Use then shall be for Instruction unto all the people of God Instruction Duties of such whose sins are forgiven Bless much whose sins God himself hath forgiven There are five duties which do in a special manner take hold of you First Bless much How should the heart be filled with the praises of so good a God and be enlarged in the blessings of him Psal 103. 1. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Ver. 2. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Ver. 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities Beloved 1. Set this mercy in comparison with other mercies and if you finde just cause to bless God for them surely you will finde more cause to bless God for this forgiving mercy You many times bless God for delivering your life from death and have you not more reason to bless God for delivering your souls from hell You many times bless God for delivering your bodies from pains and aches and have you not more reason to bless God for delivering your conscience from wrath and terror You many times bless God for a blessing which is but for a time and but for this life and have you not more reason to bless God for this blessing of forgiveness which reaches to eternity and unto everlasting life You bless God many times for peace with man and have you not more reason to bless God for peace with God Being justified by faith we have peace with God c. Rom. 5. 1. You bless God many times that all is well on earth and no cross befalls you have you not more reason to bless God that all is well at heaven and that no curse shall ever befall you You many times bless God that differences and suits are taken up between you and men so that you shall never be troubled and punished by men and have you not more cause to bless God that all differences are taken off betwixt you and God so that you shall never be questioned nor be damned by him 2. Set the unpardoned sinners condition and your pardoned condition together How cursed a condition that is and how blessed a condition this is and tell me then whether you have not great reason to bless your God When a sinner lives and dies an unpardoned sinner he lives under wrath and dies under wrath he lives an enemy to God he is a Christless person and an hopeless person all his transgressions stand upon Record and in their full power of guilt against his soul and all that curse and punishment which God hath threatned and which all his sins have deserved they shall certainly and perfectly and eternally be inflicted upon him God will question him and convince him and judge him and damn him and none shall ever be able to deliver him or help him he shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord c. Now all this would have been the portion of your cup had not the Lord in much mercy pardoned your iniquities and your sins for your sins were of the same kind and of the same guilt and of the same desert as the sins of others yet they are condemned and you are pardoned They dye and you live wrath is inflicted on them but mercy is bestowed on you they shall never see Heaven and you shall never see Hell they shall be damned for ever and you shall be saved for ever they have no reason to complain because the righteous God doth punish them only for their sins and you have reason to blesse because the gracious God hath mercifully prdoned your sins for his own sake Secondly Love much Love your God much who hath forgiven you much Love much He frankly forgave them both tell me therefore which of them will love him most Luke 7. 42. 47. There are six Reasons why we should love God 1. Because he is good 2. Because he doth us good 3. Because he loves us 1 Joh. 4. 19. We love him because he loved us 4. Because he sent his Son to be the Propitiation for our sinnes 1 Joh. 4. 10. 5. Because he hath provided and promised a Kingdom to them that love him Jam. 1. 12. 6. Because he hath forgiven us our sinnes and that freely when we deserved it not nay when we deserved the contrary O how should this God be loved by you who alone share in his love in his Christ in his forgiving mercy how should your hearts be endeared unto him be knitted unto him be taken and affected with him The Schoolmen do distinguish of a twofold love Amor gratuitus such a love was Gods love to us in the forgiving of our sins Having forgiven you Col. 2. 13. the word signifies freely or graciously forgiven you all trespasses and Amor debitus such a love we do owe to God who doth
of our sins and judge and condemn and everlastingly punish us for the rest of our sins here would be small cause of rejoycing unto us 4. Again where were the hope of glory hath the unpardoned sinner any hope of heaven doth not every sin deserve the loss of heavenly glory and will it not effectually and eventually prove so unlesse God pardons it 5. Where is the liberty of accesse and boldness of approaching to God if any of your sins are unpardoned the very spirit of fear and bondage lies still on you that God is not reconciled to you but is your enemy and he will not own and bless you but will reject and curse you and will bring on you all the evil that he hath threatned Fourthly A fourth Argument to prove that God will forgive all the sins of We are to forgive all the trespasses against us his people is this We are to forgive all the trespasses of an offending brother in case he repent Luke 17. 4. If he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him Now we are to forgive our brother as God forgives us Ephes 4. 32. Forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us his forgiving is a pattern to our forgiving and he would have ours to be universal therefore his is so to us Matth. 18. 32. I forgave thee all that debt because thou desiredst me Verse 33. Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee Thus have you heard the Assertion cleared by Scripture and Arguments that God will foâgive all the sins of his people Now before I passe to the useful Application of ãâã unto our selves I would speak something unto a Question much agitated amongst the Learned and others viz. SECT II. Quest VVHether God which promiseth to pardon all the sins of his people doth Whether all sins be pardoned together at once pardon all their sins Simul Semel together and at once all sins past which his people have committed and all sins present which they do commit and all sins future which they may hereafter commit Sol. This is I confess a very nice question and hath if it be well weighed something of difficulty in it peremptorily to resolve it And there are very godly and learned men who have spoken and written differently concerning it and yet all of them consent in this That God doth forgive all the sins of his people If it might not be burthensome unto you I would 1. Present unto you the several opinions of men with their chief Arguments for their different opinions concerning this Question 2. Offer my own private thoughts concerning this Controversie First Some are for the Affirmative and their opinion is this that as soon as Some are for the affirmative any are made Believers in Christ and so are within the Covenant Actually all the sins which they have committed in time past and all the sins which they are guilty of as to the time present and all the sins of which they do come to be guilty of in time future they are actually pardoned unto them in general and in particular Neither are Believers ever henceforth to pray unto God for the pardon of any sin which they do or shall commit but only for the assurance of the pardon of them in their own Consciences neither is any future Repentance required to attain the forgiveness of any new and future sin but only for the more comfortable assurance of former forgivenesse unto our selves Nay Repentance is not required of God as an Antecedent work to pardon of sins but only as a consequent work and fruit thereof c. This is their Opinion Quest Now what might be the ground inducing unto this Opinion That all the sins of a believer not only past but also present and to come are pardoned ot once and The grounds for the affirmative actually unto them Sol. The chief which I do find in writing are these First The Covenant expressions Isa 43. 25. I even I am he which blotteth out thy transgressions Heb. 8. 12. I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more Ergo all is pardoned at once Secondly Again Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus And Ver. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth And ver 38 39. Nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Joh. 5. 24. He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life Ergo all sinnes are pardoned at once or else they were in a state of condemnation c. Thirdly A believer even when he sinneth is still united to Christ and is cloathed with the righteousness of Christ which covers all our sins and dischargeth us from them so that no guilt shall redound to us Fourthly A believer is not to fear curse or hell at all which he might do if all his sins were not pardoned at once but some of his new sins were for a while unpardoned Fifthly Repentance is not at all required for our justification where our pardon is only to be found but only faith therefore pardon of sins is not suspended untill we repent of our sins Sixthly Again if new sins were not pardoned untill you do repent then we should be left to an uncertainty whiles our sins be pardoned or when they will be pardoned for it may be long ere we repent and more long ere we can know that we do truely repent of our sins Seventhly If all sins were not forgiven at once then justification is not perfect at once but is more and more increased and perfected as more and more sins are pardoned which as they conceive cannot consist with the true Doctrine of Justification These are the chiefest and strongest Arguments which I have read for the Affirmative Some for the Negative Opinion and I have delivered them rather with advantage than with any prejudice Secondly Neverthelesse there are others of the Negative and contrary Opinion unto this who although they do hold that God hath pardoned all sins past unto believers brought into Covenant with Christ and that he will pardon also all the sins of which hereafter they shall be guilty yet they do conjecture that all these are not forgiven at once unto them but upon though not for their renewed repentance for them and upon a renewed act of Faith on Christ for the particular forgiveness of new and particular transgressions unto them Neither do they lay any Popish reason of worthiness or merit in Repentance as some unjustly do charge upon them for the
thereof After conversion there are two sorts of sins incident unto us 1. Daily sins of ignorance and infirmity and they are so many that we know not the number of them yet all of them do need forgiving mercy 2. Voluntary sins and of a very gross and hainous nature which make a deep wound and raise an hideous cry in the conscience and shake all our foundations and lie as an heavy burden upon us and they do the more wound and afflict us because committed after mercy and against mercy Now in such a self-wounding and self-judging and self-humbling condition what should the ashamed and confounded sinner do why he should return speedily to his God and with tears and shame spread his sins before the Lord and acknowledge that he is unworthy of any more mercy and yet beseech the Lord to shew him mercy again who hath promised to forgive all the sins of his people and he should hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people but let them return no more to folly Psal 85. 8. SECT V. Vse 3 THE third Use of this Point shall be partly of Comfort and partly of Encouragement First Of Comfort to all who are brought into Covenant with God especially Comfort to such as have stood out a long time and have abounded in transgressions who have made the very creature groan with the burden of their many sins why all these are forgiven as soon as God hath brought you into the Covenant Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy O what a day of salvation is the very day when God brings a man into Christ and into the Covenant all his enemies that pursued him are drowned not one of them is left so all his sins are forgiven and not one of them is alive to his condemnation Secondly Of Encouragement to come out of a sinful and unbelieving condition Encouragement and to yield up our selves to Christ and to be willing to become the people of God and to walk in his ways why all the sins that ever you have committeâ shall be forgiven you they shall not be mentioned unto you your Drunkenness Swearing Whordome Theft Lying Sabbath-breakings all your sins of Omission and of Commission sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel sins that your own hearts can charge you with and that God himself can charge upon you all forgiven any one of them would damn you and now all shall be pardoned if you will hear and believe and repent c. Cast away all your transgressions repent return and live why will ye dye O house of Israel I offer to you life and death choose life Do not for lying vanities forsake your mercies A greater offer there cannot be than Christ nor motive than the pardon of all your sins EZEK 36. 25. From all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you HAving spoken somewhat unto the extensive part of promised forgiveness that it reacheth all the sins of all the people of God I now proceed unto the Intensive part of that promised The intensive part forgiveness which respects the greatness and hainousness of sin as well as the number and multitude of sins from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you whence you may observe CHAP. IV. Doctr. 2 THat although the sins of persons have been exceeding great yet when these persons become the people of God in Covenant even those sins also are forgiven them from all your filthiness and from all your Idols Great sins are forgiven to the people of God in Covenant will I cleanse you forgiveness reacheââ to the greatest sins which the people of God have been guilty of this assertion 1. I shall clear from the Text it self 2. From other Scriptures Proved 3. Demonstrate by some Arguments and Reasons 4. And then apply it unto our selves SECT I. 1. THE Text clearly holds out the Assertion for God doth give here By the text instances of two great kinds of sins One against the second Table all your filthiness and the other against the first Table all your Idols in the one is implied the great injury done unto our Neighbour and in the other the great injure done unto God yet God promiseth to forgive both I will speak something of both these sins and something of the greatness of them both which yet God promiseth c. First From all your filthiness that word filthiness is sometimes taken What is meant by filthiness for any sin every sin is a pollution and uncleanness a filthiness therefore the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit there are bodily sins which the Apostle here calls the filthiness of our flesh and there are spiritual sins arising from and acted in the soul which the Apostle here calls the filthiness of the spirit Sometimes that word filthiness is taken restrictively for bodily pollution or uncleanness when the bodies of men and women are defiled and polluted and do defile and pollute themselves Several kinds of it Bestiality of which in Scripture you finde several sorts and kinds 1. Bestiality that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã abomination not to be named it is confusion you read of this sin in Lev. 18. 23. and of the punishment of it with death Lev. 20. 15 16. 2. Sodomy of this horrid sin and the punishment thereof you read in Sodomy Lev. 20 13. This is not only a sin but also a recompence of other sins and for which God gives men over to a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 27 28. and for which he destroyed those five Cities with fire from heaven Gen. 19. 24 25. 3. Incest ubi servatur sexus sed non gradus it is the sin cum agnata Incest or cognata with a kinswoman of the fathers or the mothers side yea and with ones fathers wife see Lev. 20. 17. and with ones brothers wife 4. Fornication which is between single persons Fornication Adultery 5. Adultery which is uncleanness between persons married to others or when one of them is married to another and yet defileth himself with a stranger some of these sins of uncleanness are so horrid that they are said to be against nature yea against corrupt nature the very natural light in natural conscience condemns and opposes them and the rest of them as fornication and adultery the Scripture sets them out as very odious in the eyes of God and very foul transgressions and extreamly pernicious in them you may read ten things concerning Ten things concerning these âhese sins First That they are the express fruits of a vile and naughty heart out of the heart proceedeth fornications adulteries saith Christ Matth. 15. 19. The works of the flesh are manifâââ which are
Ver. 2. I will rise up and go about the City in the Streets and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth Ver. 3. The watchmen that go about the City found me to whom I said Saw ye him whom my soul loveth We should give all diligence to make our câlling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. so should we to make Christ sure to our souls for Prov. 8. 35. Who so findeth me findeth life and ver 36. All they that hate me love death Fourthly We should look after Christ resolutely against all the discouragements Resolutely of our own hearts and against all the reproaches and contempts of the world and against all the suggestions of Satan as Jacob spake I will not let thee go except thou bless me Gen. 32. 26. Or as David one thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after c. Psal 27. 4. So Lord My heart is fixed my heart is fixed and engaged O give Christ to my poor soul O bring in my soul to Christ I perish without him as those out of the Ark I live only in and by him I shall be damned if I have not Christ Quest 2. Whether we do so indeed look after Christ as that we may get him Whether we do indeed look after Christ He looks after Christ so as to get him Who seeks him with a burdened spirit to be ours and finde the forgiveness of our sins in his blood Sol. This is a great and necessary question which may be thus resolved First That man looks after Christ as most probable to get him whose minding of Christ doth arise from a burdened spirit and a broken heart O when the Spirit of God doth so set our sins upon our consciences that they appear indeed as sins and do become the grievous burden of our souls and we are âow concluded and shut up by them as poor Prisoners utterly lost and undone and no hope nor help but in a Christ And hereupon our oppressed and dejected souls even from a clear experimental sense of our absolute need and want of Christ are carried out to the Prince of life and peace Master save us or else we perish thou art life and thou art peace and thou art help and thou only art our hope this is a right looking after Christ and this will bring us at length to the enjoying of him Secondly That man looks after Christ so as to get him whose soul doth Who hungers and thirsts for Christ come to an hungring and thirsting for Christ if any man thirsts saith Christ c. my meaning is 1. If it be Christ himself that the soul would have as it is bread which the hungry man would have and it is water that the thirsty man would have 2. If his heart be so affectionately set on Christ and drawn out after him that all shall go which hinders the fruition of Christ and that all shall be embraced that makes way for the enjoyment of Christ 3. If his soul be incessantly importunate for Christ even importunate for him O Lord how long will not be denied c. For whom I have suffered the lâss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ Phil. 3. 8. so Matth. 23. 46. Thirdly That man looks so after Christ as to get him who strives with Who strives with God for faith God for faith and attends the Word of faith and meditates much on Christ and on the promises of the Gospel and invitations of the Gospel and the encouragements of the Gospel to perswade and breed faith in him to joyne him to Christ O I want faith O that God would give me faith O that he would perswade and draw me by his own Spirit O that I could lay hold on Christ and receive him and give glory to his love and willingness and offers and promises and still the soul is upon this request Lord give me Christ and Lord give me faith and Lord strengthen faith c. Quest 3. How may one know that he hath got Christ to be his Christ and How one may know he hath got Christ to be his consequently the forgiveness of all his sins by Christ and for Christ Sol. I do but occasionally move this question for their sakes who would fain be ascertained that their sins are forgiven of which they cannot be unless and untill they be ascertained of Christ but to the Quaeries one may know that he hath got Christ that Christ is his and he is Christs by three Characters expressed in Three Characters of it three places of Scripture First If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. A new creature is changed his mind new and judgement new and affections new and words and conversation new and company new and employment new c. Secondly They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5. 24. No sin hath dominion every sin is crucified it hath lost its dominion we are no friends to sin no servants to sin as Christ dyed for our sins so they that are Christs dye unto their sins in respect of love and of action Thirdly Christ becomes the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him Hebr. 5. 9. Christ rules where Christ saves if he be thy Lord assuredly he is thy Saviour His we are whose servants we are whom we do obey Thou hast delivered us and therefore thou shalt reign over us said they to Gideon so the man who is in Christ Thou hast redeemed me by thy blood and therefore thou shalt rule me by thy Spirit but if we will not obey Christ we have no interest in him Vse 2 A second Use of this Point shall be to shew the miserable condition of many persons for if forgiveness of sins come unto us only for the blood of Christ The miserable condition of such Who regard not the offers of Christ Who look for pardon on another account then two sorts are in a miserable condition they shall certainly miss thereof First Who regard not the offers of the Lord Jesus Christ but stand out and refuse him and will be enemies or strangers to him they reserve their hearts for the world and for their sins these men will live and dye in their sins Secondly Who look for the pardon of their sins upon another account than the blood of Christ if they give some almes there 's a foundation which they lay for the pardon of their sins if they say their prayers if they leave a sin they conceive here is cause enough why God should forgive them and if they serve him a little that also they build their hopes upon But all this unless God opens the eyes and changes the heart will prove a damnable mistake unto you for lying vanities you do forsake your mercies It is 1. Folly 2. Sin 3. Loss and Ruine thus to place
several experimental attainments of the people of God in this one particular David gained this assurance of the pardon of his sins in Psal 103 3. So did Paul when speaking of Christ who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. and 1 Tim. 1. 15. But I obtained mercy So have many thousands more in former times and in our times who believing rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory for their interest in Christ and in the forgiveness of their sins in and for him Fifthly But lastly propend the advantages which would certainly result The advantages of it unto you upon the assurance that God hath for Christs take forgiven your sins what comâortable advantages First This would quiet all your fears and possess your consciences with peace Being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5. 1. I will lye down in peace saith David Psal 4. 8. Having got assurance Ver. 6. Secondly This would be a spring of joy and rejoycing âsal 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Ver. 7. Thou shalt put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and wine increased Thirdly This would raise chearful confidence in your approaches to your God Hebr. 10. 22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience c. Fourthly This would fully answer all temptations Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed Fifthly This is it which would bear up your hearts in all the sad days which do or may befall you If you be sick this would be better than health what a cordial did Christ deliver to the diseased man in Matth. 9. 2. Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee If you be persecuted and troubled this would be a triumphant security unto you Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness op peril or sword Ver. 37 Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us Rom. 5 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God Ver. 3. And we glory in tribulation I confess that faith can make a man to submit in a cross but assurance will make a Christian to triumph on it and over it Sixthly What shall I say more this assurance would make your whole life a delightful Paradise and your death at the last a desirable and quiet harbour and passage 2 Cor. 5. 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens If your sins for Christs sake be pardoned and you are assured thereof by the testimony of Gods Spirit then unquestionably there is no condemnation unto you and then as unquestionably your souls shall be saved and everlastingly blessed for Justification doth infallibly end in Glorification c. SECT III. Vse 2 AS I would have you to strive after the assurance that your sins are forgiven in the blood of Christ so in the second place I would have Be careful you be not deceived about it you very careful and circumspect that you deceive not your selves with a false assurance in this great and mighty business There are four sorts of people in the world 1. Some have no kind of assurance at all nor do they look after any 2. Some apprehend the want of assurance and are weeping and praying for it 3. Some have attained unto a true assurance and are rejoycing and blessing God for it 4. Some do deceive themselves with a false assurance that their sins are pardoned when indeed there is no such matter For the better managing of this Caution not to deceive our selves with a false assurance I will deliver my self in four Conclusions 1. It is possible thus to be deceived 2. Many have in this deceived themselves 3. Many do deceive themselves with a false assurance 4. It is a most dangerous deceit First That it is possible for men to be deceived with a false assurance and perswasion that their sins are pardoned and that God is reconciled unto them I It is possible to be deceived do not know any one thing in reference to salvation but it is possible for some or other to be deceived in or about it It is possible to mistake a false Religion for a true Religion It is possible for a man to please himself with false graces instead of true graces and with false repentance instead of true and with false faith instead of true and with false love instead of true and with a false perswasion or assurance instead of a true perswasion and assurance Are you assured that Christ is yours and God is yâurs and pardoning mercy is yours and salvation is yours another even upon deceivable grounds may be falsly perswaded of a propriety in all these Error is a natural to the corrupt judgement of man as any other sin and heart-deceitfulness is as proper unto us as heart-sinfulness Besides Doth not the Prince of darkness often change himself into an Angel of light And as he deludes men about the state of grace so he can as easily delude them about the comforts of that estate Why is it not as probable that Satan may render a bad estate as good and so cheat us with joy as he doth sometimes render a good estate as bad and so oppress us with fear and grief Nay once more Men will set up such opinions as do easily lead them into a false assurance v. g. 1. That God is made up only of mercy 2. That Christ dyed for all none excepted 3. That it is but to cry God mercy and all is well 4. That a good heart and a good meaning is enough and that they always have had Secondly As it is possible so it is real Many have deceived themselves with a false assurance instead of a true The Jews did so who called God Many have deceived themselves their God and their Father and insisted upon it with Christ that so it was and that they were his children and free-men So did Laodicea cheat and delude her self with a false perswasion that she was rich and increased and stood in need of nothing Revel 3. Nay the Apostle Paul he himself was thus deluded I saith he Rom. 7. â9 was alive once without the Law 2 Cor. 10. 7. If any man trust to himself that he is Christs c. Did not they deceive themselves with a false perswasion who call upon Christ to open the door of heaven unto them Lord Lord open unto us Matth. 25 11. And they also who plead with Christ and contest with him Have we not
as well as Justification II. That God himself doth undertake to sanctifie or to renew the hearts of his people III. That a new heart and a new spirit God will give unto all his people in Covenant SECT I. Doct. 1. THat Sanctification is promised unto the people of God as well as Justification Sanctification is promised as well as Justification or with Justification God doth promise not only to pardon the sins of his people but also to sanctifie and renew the hearts of his people a new heart also will I give you For the opening of this precious Truth I will shew unto you 1. The distinction or difference between Justification and Sanctification for the word also imports as much 2. The Connexion between them both 3. The Reasons why God promiseth the one with the other First The distinction or difference 'twixt Justification and Sanctification for they The difference between Justification and Sanctification are promised as two distinct or several gifts I will also c. which could not be spoken if they were both of them one and the same thing They differ thus First There is in Justification a change of the state he who was in the state They differ in six things of death and wrath being justified is in the state of life and love he is passed from death to life but in Sanctification of the heart he who was unholy is now made holy his heart is changed Secondly Justification looks at the guilt of sin and frees us from condemnation There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8. 1. But Sanctification looks at the filth of sin and frees us from the dominion of sin Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace Rom. 6. 14. Thirdly In Justification there is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us for which God accounts us righteous but in Sanctification there is grace infused into us by which we are made conformable unto the image of Christ that depends upon the merit of Christ and this depends upon the Spirit of Christ Fourthly The matter of âââââification is perfect and without any defect and exception the justice of God cannot finde any want in the obedience of Christ which was full and compleat and perfectly satisfied the Law of God but the matter of our sanctification is imperfect and weak and we cannot stand before Gods Judgment-seat with it Fifthly All who are justified are justified alike there is no difference amongst believers as to their Justification one is not more justified than another for every justified person hath a plenary Remission of his sins and the same righteousness of Christ imputed but in Sanctification there is difference amongst believers every one is not sanctified alike but some are stronger and higher and some are weaker and lower in grace Sixthly In Justification there is nothing of sin remaining which hath any cotrariety to the justified estate but in Sanctification there is something of sin remaining in the sanctified person which is contrary to that grace which is wrought in us by the Holy Spirit Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other c. 2ly The Connexion of Sanctification with Justification You may read in The connexion of Sanctification with Justification Scripture of a four-fold conjunction of these two great gifts of God unto his people First In the promises of the Covenant they joyn hand in hand come forth like A four-fold cennexion In the promises twins out of the womb of grace Jer. 33. 8. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Here you see them both expressed together in the same deed I will cleanse them from all their iniquity there is our sanctification promised And I will pardon all their iniquities there is justification promised Mich. 7. 19. He will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea Here you finde them again in promise He will subdue our iniquities this is sanctifying and he will cast all c. there is justifying Heb. 8. 10. I will put my Laws into their mindes and write them in their hearts there is the promise of sanctification Ver. 12. And I will be mercifull to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more there is the promise of justification Rev. 2. 17. I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written c. Secondly In people of the Covenant All who are effectually called and In the people of the Covenant brought into Covenant they are justified and they are sanctified they partake of mercy and they partake of grace If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. He is made holy so 1 Cor. 6. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And in 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye all in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Righteousness and Sanctification So Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins Chap. 2. 1. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins Thirdly In the desires of the people of the Covenant Their hearts are drawn In the desires of the people of the Covenant forth with the desires of both Psal 51. 1. Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving-kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Here is earnest prayer for mercy to pardon sin Ver. 10. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me here is earnest prayer for grace to sanctifie Fourthly In the Mediatour of the Covenant who is the Head of his Church as well In the Mediatour as the Saviour of his body Ephes 5. 23. And gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Ver. 26. as well as to wash it from its sins in his own blood Rev. 1. 5. And gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2. 19. And bare our iniquities in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto Righteousness by whose stripes we are healed 1 Pet. 2. 24. He was anointed not only to be our Priest to take away our sins by his body but also to be a Prophet to reveal unto us the whole will of God And this is the will of God even our sanctification 1 Thes 4. 3. 3ly The Reasons why God doth promise
ways of worldly advancements and advantages But the rule which a renewed heart sets up to guide and prescribe him is none other but that which God himself sets up for his people to walk by and that is his written Word Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy Word This rule he sets up for all matters of faith and for all matters of fact this I must believe because God reveals it and commands me to believe it this I receive for truth because God delivers it for truth and that I reject as erroneous because the Word of God condemns it as contrary to the truth And this work I do and that way I walk in because God sets it out in his Word for me and that I do not do and so and so I dare not walk for I have no Word of God for it nay the Word of God is against it why mans heart is right indeed it is renewed by grace but if a man will walk contrary to this rule if he will not speak and live according to this Word it is because there is no light in him Isa 8. 20. SECT V. Vse 4. DOth God promise to give unto all his people in Covenant with him a new heart and a new spirit then there is comfort and joy to Comfort to those that have a new heart all those who finde the new heart given unto them it is true that when the Lord doth renew the heart of any by his grace and separate them from the world unto himself that 1. They shall meet with many troubles and scoffs and reproaches and persecutions from the world All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions 2 Tim. 3. 2. They shall meet with many temptations and oppositions from Satan if he cannot hinder grace and conquer grace yet he will molest and disquiet grace 3. They shall meet with many conflicts and warrings within their own hearts and with many weaknesses and failings and tryals nevertheless their condition is a very happy and comfortable condition and there are eight Eight comforts proper to them choice comforts which are proper to every renewed person and which may cheer up his heart all his days v. g. 1. Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of the greatest matters which can concern the soul 2. This newness of heart is an unquestionable effect of our union with Christ 3. It is the noblest and highest elevation of the soul here on earth and the clear evidence of the presence of the Spirit of Christ 4. It enables you for all heavenly communion and serviceableness to Divine glory 5. God will own and accept of it and the fruits of it though but little and weak 6. He will strengthen and uphold and perfect it unto the day of Christ 7. He will poure upon every person who enjoys it all necessary blessings for this life and will take special notice of him and care for him in the days of adversity 8. Renewing grace shall without all doubt bring us at the last to eternal happiness First Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of It is a clear testimony of the greatest matters which can concern the soul the greatest matters which can concern the soul There are six things which do concern the soul as nearly I think as any can and of every one of them is renewing grace a sure testimony 1. The love of God 2. The election of God 3. A relation to God 4. A change from death to life 5. The pardon of sin 6. The hope of glory 1. Of the love of God that the Lord doth indeed set his special love A testimony of the love of God his very heart upon a person 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God Psal 146. 8. The Lord loveth the righteous for any to be made the sons of God this is an effect or fruit of the love of God now all the sons of God are new born they are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us Ver. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses hath quicked us together with Christ As it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods hatred and wrath for any to be left to his old sinful heart and lusts and ways so it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods love when he pities them in their sinful condition and delivers them out of it and gives his Spirit to enliven and renew them by grace 2. Of the Election of God for this see two places 1 Thes 1. 4. Knowing Of election Brethren Beloved your Election of God Ver. 5. For our Gospel came unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost Eph. 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him that we should be holy Holiness or renewing grace it is as one speaketh the counterpane of Gods decree of Election God by his own eternal prescience knows whom he intends for salvation and we by that work of renewing grace in our hearts come to know that eternal purpose of his grace concerning us it being given unto us an effect flowing from his Election and in order unto that happiness unto which he hath chosen us 3. Of our Relation to God as our God and our Father as none but his Of our relation to God people and children are holy so all his people and his children are holy Isa 63. 18. The people of thy holiness they are 1 Pet. 2. 9. an holy Nation and a peculiar people 2 Cor. 6. 17. Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch no unclean thing Ver. 18. And I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty 4. Of our translation from life to death See Isa 4. 3. He that is left in Of our translation from death to life Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Luk. 15. 32. This my son was dead and is alive again Rom 6. 11. Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God Renewing grace is one of the strictest differences between men of death and men of life not any man hath it but he who is made alive by Christ and is in the state of life no profane person hath it nor doth any hypocrite partake of it 5. Of the pardon of our sins if any
that seek thee I believe all this Lord help my unbelief c. 3. Perseverance hold on this request and against all the rebellious workings of your old heart and against all the fears and disputes and discouragements of your old hearts yet lift up one Prayer more and one Prayer more you shall certainly prevail if you can persevere in Prayer There are three Requests which a poor broken-heart is sure to speed in if he will pray alwayes and not faint One is for a Christ and another is for pardoning mercy and a third is for a new heart Thirdly Diligently and patienly attend the Word by which God converts Attend the Word and changeth and renews the heart Psal 19. 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting souls Jam. 1. 18. Of his own Will begat he us with the Word of Truth Ephes 5. 26. That he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word How many old sinful hearts hath God convinced and converted by his Word that have come unto it with ignorance and been sent from it with knowledge that have come to it with hardness and have been sent from it with tenderness that have come to it with pride and have been sent from it with humility that have come to it with all manner of profaneness and have been sent from it with all manner of holiness with the Love of God and fear of God and hatred of sin and real purpose to walk with God in newness of obedience O therefore attend the Word of the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation and therefore the power of God to Renovation c. Fourthly Lastly beseech the Lord to give you the uniting faith that faith which will unite your hearts to Jesus Christ which will effectually bring you into Begge uniting Faith relation with him as Members of the Body of which he is the head as Branches of himself the true Vine Object Why what will this do may some of you say Sol. I will tell you what it will do it will infallibly bring in renewing grace to your hearts You can never be changed and renewed Creatures unless you be in Christ 2 Cor 5. 17. For our spiritual life is in and from him he is the Authour of life unto us as Adam was the authour of death unto us And he was anointed with the Spirit that we from him might be Anointed with the Spirit And if once you be united by Faith unto him you partake of his Spirit to sanctifie and renew and conform you unto himself He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. EZEK 36. 26. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh THese words are yet a further Declaration of the gracious will and intention of God towards the people of his Covenant Two things already hath God promised unto them one was to justifie them to pardon all their sins another was to sanctifie them to renew all their hearts And there are two more choice mercies and blessings which he doth graciously undertake to bestow upon them First One is to take away the stony heart out of their flesh Secondly The other is to give them an heart of flesh O what a mercy is it to be rid of the stone in the body which puts us to such exquisite pain and torment your mercy is infinitely greater to be delivered from the stone in the heart which is the depth of sin and the height of judgement There are three Propositions which these words do hold forth unto us viz. First There is a stony heart or an heart of stone in every man Secondly That God will take away the stony heart from his people Thirdly He will not only take away from them the heart of stone but he will also give them an heart of flesh CHAP. IX A heart of stone in every man Doctr. 1. THat there is a stony heart in every man I will take away the There is a stony heart in every man stony heart out of your flesh there it was else it could not be taken away the natural heart is a stony heart not Physically so as if it were so indeed but Metaphoriaclly so it is like the stone it is a hard heart spiritually hard that is meant by the stony heart Zach. 7. 12. They have made their hearts as an Adamant stone Isa 48. 4. Thy neck is an iron sinew and thy brow brass q. d. Thy heart is exceeding hard like Iron which will not bow and like brass which will not change both which are explained in the first words of the verse Thou art obstinate For the opening of this Point I will shew unto you 1. Why the hard heart which is in every man is called a stony heart 2. What stonyness or hardness of heart is to be found in man 3. Several Demonstrations or Convictions that the heart of every man naturally is a hard or stony heart SECT I. Quest 1. VVHY is the hard heart called a stony heart Why called a stony heart It is so called for the resemblance which it hath with a stone and in five particulars 1. Unsensibleness 2. Unflexibleness 3. Resistingness 4. Heaviness 5. Unfruitfulness First Because it is an unsensible heart What sense is there in a Rock in a An unsensible heart Stone in the Adamant in Ephes 4. 18 19. hardened sinners are said to be past feeling and that expression past feeling seems to be taken from the hands of labouring men which are so thickned and hardned by pains that they can grasp nettles and thorns and yet not feel the sharpness nor sting the natural heart is in this respect a stony heart i. e. unsensible Though he hath as many sins upon the soul which makes the very Creation to groan and to travail in pain Rom. 8. 22. yet he neither complains nor feels he goes on fâom day to day and adds drunkenness to thirst and drinks up iniquity as water yet he saith What evil have I done and there is no iniquity in my doings though the judgements of God be very near him and the tokens do abundantly appear yet like Ephraim when gray hairs were here and there upon him he perceived them not Hosea 7. 9. Yea though the anger of the Lord be poured upon him and sets him on fire round about yet he knows it not nay though it burn him yet he lays it not to heart Isa 42. 25. Such a gross stupidity is there in the natural and stony heart What one spake of himself in an humble way Erubescenda video nec erubesco dolenda intueor nec doleo peccata inspicio Bern. in Med. cap. 12. p. 1200. nec geno This and much more may be said of him that hath the hard and stony heart he blushes not he grieves not he sighs not for his sins nay he rejoyceth and boasteth and makes
the testimonies of Gods reconciled favour O how doth the tender heart take on and judge and condemn it self if at any time it fall into sin O what a fool what a beast and why have I dealt thus with my God! why did I deal so unkindly with my kind God is this my love unto him is this my fear of him is this my tenderness of his glory O my soul what hast thou done why hast thou broken the bonds of friendship what hath the Lord been to thee that thou hast thus sinned against him And now the man falls a weeping and lamenting as if his heart would break and after some respite he thinks of his father again but he is ashamed to come to him and yet he will go to him and return with weeping and supplications O I cannot live thus I will home again to my fathers house and say I have sinned and am no more worthy to be called thy son Luke 15. Though shame and confusions belong to me yet mercies and forgiveness to him Dan. 9. O Lord heal my backslidings and forgive my backsldings and reoeive me graciously Hose 14. 2. And return again in mercy and make thy face to shine upon thy servant for the Lords sake Thus have I opened unto you the first Character or evidence of a heart spiritually soft and tender it is a heart filled with shame for sin and with grief for sin and with fear to sin and with zeal against sin and with care to be kept from sin and with restlestness till it can find God mercifully pardoning sin O that such tenderness and that such fruits of tenderness might be found in all our hearts Secondly A second Character by which we may know that we have the true The activity and life and power in conscience spiritual softness and tenderness of heart is the activity and life and power in conscience when God gives any one a soft and tender heart he gives him a conscience arrayed and enabled with other qualities and powers than in times past The Conscience heretofore was asleep but now it is awakned heretofore it was blind but now it sees heretofore it was silent but now it speaks heretofore it was loose and large but now it is strict and narrow heretofore it was dull and weak but now it is quick and powerful heretofore it was stupid and senceless but now it is apprehensive and active But I must not speak of all things about this that which I will pitch on is this the speciall Activities of Conscience where the heart is indeed tender 1. Concerning the good estate and welbeing of our souls 2. Concerning particular facts as to our doing or walking First Where the heart is tender there Conscience becomes active to clear out The conscience is active to clear our state the good and safe estate and well-being of our souls It will not suffer the poor soul to delude and deceive itself in matters of life and death to lay no grounds nor to venture all upon false bottoms and grounds of salvation and damnation of favour and wrath O saith Conscience thy soul is immortal and is for eternity and there are wayes to that eternity of Gods making and of mens making there is a reall relation to Christ and there is a seeming relation to Christ there is the power of godliness and there is the form of godliness there were virgins with oyle and there were virgins with lamps only there are some which believe and are saved and there are some that believe but for a time and perish If a man mistake himself he is undone for ever hereupon it is that Conscience in tender hearts dares not take up the estate of the soul upon trust and proud confidence and vain pretences or common grounds or every appearance but puts them on and makes them to study the Word of God and to prove what is the good and acceptable will of God and what indeed are the marks which do accompany salvation what are the infallible tokens of life of union with Christ of the new creature of a child of God born of the Spirit it causeth us to search our hearts and try our wayes to prove and examine our selves whether Christ be in us of a truth to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling it will not suffer us to be careless sluggish dallying delaying c. Conscience takes those saving promises of the âord as unquestionable that a man must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that will be saved and that he must repent that will have his sins pardoned and that he must be regenerated and born again who will enter into the kingdom of heaven And hereupon Conscience puts us on if our hearts be tender exceedingly to make clear and evident the assumption I do truely believe I do truely repent I am born again and my sins are pardoned and my soul shall be saved A tender heart would be sure that it is in a state of life and favour Secondly Where the heart is tender there conscience is alive in respect of the particular facts of our lives whether good or evil For good actions which concern us in our places and callings Conscience puts us upon the careful and sincere practice of them will not suffer us to omit and neglect them but enclines and hearkens unto them although danger and trouble be incident unto us for the performance of them Act. 4. 19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye ver 20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard Act. 21. 13. Then Paul answered What mean you to weep and break mine heart for I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Josh 24. 25. If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. For evil actions Conscience puts forth itself against them partly by warning It is evil if thou do it not partly by threatning It will be bitter unto thee it wlll deceive thee and break thy peace and confidences partly in striving with us and presenting argument upon argument consideration upon consideration Gods favour on the one hand and Gods displeasure on the other hand the happiness of walking uprightly the shortness of sins deceitful pleasures c. and all to keep us from sinning which if they prevail not then Conscience begins to be unquiet and it smites for sinning and accuses and condems and The respectiveness of our hearts to the Word of God troubles and vexes and
gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the house withall such a person will exceedingly rejoyce in any way by which God is honoured 2 Joh. ver 4. I rejoyced that I found of thy children walking in truth 3. Joh. ver 3 4. So Paul in Phil. 1. 18. That Christ is preached I do rejoyce yea and I will rejoyce So David Psal 122. 1. I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the Lord Such a person will be content to lose his own honour so that God may have honour David will be yet more vile and counted so that he may the more promote Gods honour 2 Sam. 6. 20 21 22. John must decrease that Christ may increase and this was the fulfilling of his joy Joh. 3. 29 30. Such a person will make all his parts his gifts his graces his power and authority yea his very life serviceable to the honour and glory of God yea his very eating and drinking Whether ye eat or drink er whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God c. 2 Cor. 10. 31. Thirdly Now on the contrary there are several wayes of dishonouring of God The wayes of dishonouring God both publick and private as swearing blaspheming looseness of walking pulling down his true worship setting up a false worship forsaking the truth and holding error reproaching the true God the Persons of the Trinity the Gospel the whole Scripture the Ordinances of Christ and the practical wayes of Christ in holinesse and godliness c. Well A soft and tender heart is passionately sensible and working in the apprehension The workings of a tender heart in case of Gods dissionâr of any dishonor cast on God a person of such a heart will be troubled and mourn in this case When Hezekiah heard the blasphemies vomited out by Rabshakeh against the Lord he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord this day is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy Isa 63. 1 2 3. Will be stirred in his spirit as Paul when he saw the people of Athens given to idolatry his spirit was stirred in him Act. 17. 16. he could not bear it he could not hold he must testifie against it He will put himself to the utmost of his place and power as Phineas did against Zimri and Cosby and as Josiah did against all the idolatry and wickedness in his dayes Will hazard and expose all his honour and estate and his very life as Elijah did and Daniel did and the three children and those in Rev. 12. who loved not their lives to the death Will bear any reproach and injury done unto themselves more patiently and quietly than those done to God he can sit down under them and weep and makes his moan to God when they tear his own name but when comes to Gods Name now his zeal is kindled c. Fifthly If we have hearts spiritually soft and tender this will appear by By the acquitting of our selves in duties both for matter He makes conscience of duties to God and men the acquitement of our selves in duties both for matter and manner 1. For the matter concerning which observe these conclusions 1. A person of a tender heart makes conscience of duties both to God and to men not only of duties unto God nor only of duties unto men but of the duties which he doth repectively owe unto them both Acts 24. 16. Herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Mat. 22. 21. Render therefore to Cesar the things which are Cesars and unto God the things which are Gods Tit. 2. 11 12. The grace of God teacheth us to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Mar. 12. 29 30. The first of all the Commandments is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy minde and with all thy strength verse 31. And the second is like namely this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Many plead a conscienciousness of duty unto men they dare not but deal justly and squarely and honestly and yet they make no conscience of duties unto God no conscience of praying of keeping the Sabbath of fearing an oath of walking holily and many pretend a conscienciousness of duty unto God but yet they make no conscience of duty unto men they dare to revile and to controle and to oppress and rob a man of his right and to slander and reproach Neither of these are persons of soft and tender hearts but of deceitful and hypocritical hearts who fear not God and follow not him but their own lusts A person of a tender heart indeed dares not with-hold from God what is due to God nor from man what God requires to be done in way of duty unto man but as the Apostle speaks of subjection unto powers ordained of God That it must be for conscience sake Rom. 15. 5. so say I of a tender heart it performs duties to God and duties to man even for conscience sake it dares not defraud the one or the other Object But will some say What if God and man be contrary in their commands how can I obey and perform duty to them both Sol. I answer 1. There is no duty which God commands to himself and unto men which admits of contrariety but of subordination 2. If man commands any thing of us contrary to Gods command we must do as the Apostle did obey God rather than man Secondly A person of a tender heart makes conscience of all duties to God and of all duties unto all sorts of men unto whom he ows duty Of all duties unto God He makes conscience of all duties to God and man of fearing of him as of praying and of praises as well as of rejoycing in him of repenting of sinnes as well as of believing the pardon of sinnes of walking uprightly as well as of trusting in the promises of keeping the Sabbath c. Of all duties unto all sorts of men If they be his Superiors to honour and yield obedience to them if they be his Inferiours to regard and condeseend unto them if they be his enemies to love them and to pray for them if they be poor to pity and help them on whatsoever and to whatsoever God is pleased to lay a command there the person of a tender heart hath a readiness and willingness to obey Thirdly The person of a tender heart makes conscience of relative duties There is a Relation twixt He makes conscience of relative duties 1. The Magistrate and the people 2. 'Twixt the Minister and his flock 3. 'Twixt the husband and his wife 4. 'Twixt the Parent and the child 5. 'Twixt the Master and the Servant And many are the duties which reciprocally do concern all these persons in all their
destitute of the Spirit of God I will mention a few of them unto you First If you have not the Spirit you belong not unto Christ you are none of his most men amongst us presume that they belong to Christ and that be dyed Such belong not to Christ for them that Christ is theirs and that they are Christs but read the Apostle Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 4. 6 O what is that man who is none of Christs whose is he and to whom doth he belong who is none of Christs and belongs not unto Christ All the men in the world are divided 'twixt Christ and the Divel if you be not Christs members then you are the Divels slaves But yet consider that expression a little more none of his 1. None of his in way of Relation he owns you not Is no Head to you Who are none of Christs None of Christs in relation None in respect of Mediation None in respect of beneficial application no Husband to you no Saviour to you 2. None of his in respect of Mediation he is no Mediatour for you he never took your sins upon him he is none of your Surety he became not a curse for you made not your peace 3. None of his in respect of beneficial application he is not your Righteousness for Justification he is not your holiness for Sanctification he is not your life for Salvation if you be none of his you shall have none of him None of his why then God is none of yours then the Promises are none of yours then future glory can be none of yours then the hope of glory can be none of yours for it is Christ in us the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. None of his then you have no true faith then you are separated from Christ then you alone must answer for all your sins and then unquestionably you are under the condemnation and curse of the Law Secondly If you have not the Spirit of God then are you dead in your sins you are still in the natural unregenerate loathsome and cursed estates like so Are dead in their sins many carrions stinking in your graves for it is the Spirit and he only that quickens and changeth the estate of the sinner All spiritual life which quickens the soul comes only from the Spirit of life Simile You may as well say the body is alive which wants a soul as that the soul is alive which wants the Spirit of life Assuredly death hath dominion over you Spiritual death which is a separation from God and Legal death which is the sentence of death pronounced against you if you want the Spirit O what misery is this to be a sinner and nothing but a sinner to be totally wicked to be utterly destitute of the glory of God not any thing of his image in holiness in knowledge in righteousness not any love of him not any fear of him but filled with all unrighteousness and all ungodliness with all the powers of sinful lusts ignorance pride envy malice enmity unlesse hardness of heart c. and all of them raging and reigning oppressing and resisting c. Why this is our condition really if we have not the Spirit of God for there is no change and there can be no charge from it but by the Spirit of God Thirdly If you have not the Spirit of God than are you in bondage unto Satan and are led and ruled by the wicked spirt There are but two spirits which lead all In bondage to Satan sorts of men either the good Spirit or the wicked spirit all the sons of God are led by the good Spirit and all the children of darkness and disobedience are led by the wicked spirit he moves and stirs and teaches and inclines your hearts and leads and rules and commands them and his will you do obey and act all your dayes though you perceive it not if you have not the Spirit of God under that bondage do not continue for only the Spirit of God is the Spirit of victory of liberty of delivery Fourthly You can never be bettered by any Ordinance whatsoever You may come Cannot be bettered by Ordinances and hear and go home and say or read a prayer thrust your selves upon the Sacrament but all in yain for what are any of these without the Spirit he can do do good cannot repent believe mourn why no not any good desire Can any man hear so as to know the mind of God without the Spirit of God Can any man pray and make supplication who hath not the spirit of Prayer and the spirit of supplication Can any man receive benefit and comfort in the Sacrament from Christ âhat hath not faith and can any man have faith and act faith who hath not the spirit Fifthly You are open and obnoxious to all temptations and unto all erroneous Are exposed to all tentations disobedience for to overcome temptations there is need of much strength much spiritual strength and that comes only from the Spirit of God who is the spirit of might and power Ephes 6. 10 11. And to prevent erroneous disobedience a man needs to know the truth and to be well grounded in the truth O but it is the spirit of truth who leads us into all truth Sixthly Nay you are if your conscience should be awakened exposed to Exposed to dreadful fears dreadful fears and troubles and despairs for the sense of your great transgressions and of the wrath of God for them and in this case you will not be able to find any comfort or at least you will not be able to apply it unto your selves for only the Spirit is the Comforter though you may read much in Christ and much in the Promises and much in God apt to give comfort yet nothing in any of these can be your actual comfort unlesse the spirit of God make it to be so unto you Seventhly Take you at the best can be but formal Christians Christians in Are but formal Christians shew if you have not the spirit of God for it is the spirit put within us which makes us Christians indeed When the spirit makes our hearts his Temple reforms renews enlivens us with his graces then are we Christians indeed Union with Unction constitutes us in the reality and truth of being Chrstians c. Eighthly I will say but one thing more You cannot be possibly saved if you Cannot be saved have not the spirit of Christ Reasons whereof are these 1. Without Christ no salvation Act. 4. 12. And if we be without the spirit we are certainly without Christ 2. Without holiness no salvation Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Why such cannot be saved Because without Christ Without holiness Without faith Heb. 12. 14. But without the spirit no holiness for he is the holy spirit Essentially in himself
they should not have done well to have observed it Thirdly If the Moral Precepts were ceased as to the people of God then God would have expressed in the delivery of them a purpose after some time to have revoked them and to have exempted his people from further obedience unto them or else Jesus Christ would himself have abrogated them as now unuseful but neither of these do we find Object Yes Christ saith in Luke 16. 16. The Law and the Prophets were untill John Sol. The Law here spoken of is not to be understood de Lege Morali of the direct and commanding Law of the Moral Law prescribing obedience sed de lege Prophetante per figur as as Rivet well observes Fourthly What shall we say to that of Paul Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inner man And Ver. 25. So then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God And Chap. 8. 4. That the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit What shall we say to that of David Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled who walk in the Law of the Lord Object But the Apostle saith we are not under the Law in Rom. 6 14. c. Sol. First One may be said to be under the Law in several respects How we are said to be under the law 1. For justification by the Law 2. For condemnation by the Law 3. For perfect and personal obedience to the Law 4. For a slavish and servile constraint In these respects the people of God are not under the Law nevertheless for direction and instruction to frame their lives unto the precepts of the Law thus they are under the Law But secondly the place to me expounds it self best of all The Apostle there saith We are not under the Law but under grace and this he gives as a reason why sin should not have dominion over them We are not under the Law i. e. in such a state where there is only a command given against but no power but we are under grace which is such a condition or estate where besides a command against sin we have also a power given with that command which pulls down the dominion of sin And verily all that can be concluded here is the comfortabâe estate of believers and regenerate persons not in this that they are utterly freed from the commanding Law of God but in that they are now under such a gracious Covenant vvhere there is not only a Law to command but grace also given to obey 2. Quest The next Question is what manner of obediential observation of God commands that is which concerns the people of God in Covenant Sol. It is an Evangelical manner of obedience or observation which hath four What obedience is required of Gods people It comes from Gospel-Principles ingredients in it First It must come from Gospel Principles even from the life and strength of Christ no man can walk without a Principle of life within him It is a living work which poceeds from a living Principle All the obediential workâ of the people of God are performed in the vertue of their union and communion with Christ without me you can do nothing Christ doth not only give the Law unto the people of God but also he gives the Spirit unto them Heb. 8. 10. I will write my Law in their minds He doth by his Spirit write them in their hearts and makes them complying and willing to obey Secondly It must come from Gospel motives even from the mercy and love of God the people of God do obey him rather as a Father then as a Judge looking From Gospel-motives more at his goodness than at his severity They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Hosea 3. 5. And Psal 130. 5. There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constrains them And Ver. 15. He died for all that they who live should not hence forth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them The great love which God hath shewed unto his people in Christ inflames and swells their heart and moves cares and endeavours to walk before him in all well pleasing Thirdly It must come from Gospel-affections especially from love and delight From Gospel-affections O how love I thy Law Psal 119. If a man love me he will keep my cemmandâments Joh. 14. 23. The love of God which the people of God enjoy carries out their soules in all holy obedience unto the will of God and so likewise they serve him with delight I delight to do thy will O God Psal 40. 8. And thy Law is within my heart Psal 101. 1. Serve the Lord with gladness The Commandements of God are not grievous unto his people they say not What a weariness it is to serve the Lord no but as David I rejoyce in thy testimonies and I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart It was Christs meat and drink to do the will of his Father O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes c. There is a servile serving of God which ariseth from a slavish Spirit unwilling backward constrained by threats and blows and there is an ingenuous free chearful delightful serving of God As the people of God are volunteers Psal 110. 3. of a princely spirit as the word signifies their duties though as to the rule are under a command yet as to their hearts and manner of performance they are a free-will-offering they find so much sweetness and happiness in communion with God and with a holy fervency of spirit they are not indifferent cold slothful but fervent in Spirit boyling hot serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. their hearts are conjoyned and united in the duties of obedience intent and intensive Fourthly It looks at a Gospel-end at the glory of God and Christ Phil. It looks at a Gospel-end 1. 20. Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or death Ver. 21. For to me to live is Christ Rom. 14. 7. None of us liveth unto himself for ver 8. Whether we live we live unto the Lord. Natural men do act from themselves and for themselves but the people of God do act from Christ and for Christ 3. Quest Why the people of Gods Covenant are in a more special manner charged to walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Sol. I will not insist on this but briefly thus the people of God should walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Why Gods people should walk in his statutes First In respect of God and here are three Reasons 1. His Will Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy preceps diligently 1 Thes 4. 3. It is the will of God even your sanctification 2. His Glory They are called to shew forth
David I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever then mayst thou confidenly say with him Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes oâ my life Psal 23. 6. 2ly Their great sin in Revolting and giving over walking in Gods The great sin of Revolters Statutes There is a Question which I have read somewhere of Infidels and Hereticks and Apostates which of them do sin more heinously And it is Resolved that the Apostate is the greatest sinner of them defection is a greater sin then the negation of subjection because in defection or Apostasie 1. More of God is rejected and the Apostate sins more against God Why Apostaâes are such great sinners 2. Having received the knowledge of God and his wayes 3. And likewise breaks asunder more bonds which lay upon him to continue his obedience And indeed the Apostle speaking of Apostates delivers three things concerning them which do set out their sins unto amazment Heb. 6. 6. First One is that its impossible to renew them againe unto repentance How great It s impossible to renew them is that sin which doth so harden the hearts of men that he doth never repent of it nay can never repent of it nay that it is impossible to renew him again to repentance A Second is that they crucify to themselves the Son of God they deal with They crucify to themselves Christ a fâesh Christ as the Jews did who rejected and crucified him O what a sin is this to crucify the Son God and to crucify him a fresh to pierce his heart and to shed his blood the second time The third is that they put him to open shame they themselves do put a reproach They put him to open shame and contempt upon Christ and cause others so to do as if Christ were not a master fit to be followed and his wayes were not worth our regarding and that the poor woâld and our base sins are rather to be regarded and embâaced and followed then the Lord Jesus and his precepts and his wayes And take one thing more that never did any fall off or turn away from walking in Gods statutes but he grew far more wicked then ever he was before and likewise a desperate enemies to the wayes of God 3ly Their great danger and judgement This I shall shew unto you in three Particulars First Revolters or Apostates are judicially given up to the great power of Satan The great danger and judgement of Apostates They are given up to Satan The Lord doth in his just judgement give them over unto Satan that he should rule them and that they should be his sworn servants who will break off with God and refuse to serve him any longer Mat. 12. 44. That unclean spirit returned unto his house from whence he came out ver 45. and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and enter they in and dwell there and the last estate of that man is worse than the first Secondly They are judicially given up to the power of their sinful lusts they And to the power of their lusts grow worse and worse they having cast away the cords and all fear of God there is no wickedness but they are ready to obey it and they do now go on in their daring wayes of bold profaness with seared consciences Thirdly They are judiciously given up to the powers of damnation therefore And to the power of damnation it is said that they draw back unto perdition Heb. 10. 39. And the soul of God hath no pleasure in them Ver. 38. O what a dreadful condition is this to forsake the path of life and heaven and to turn back to walk in the path of death and Hell Fourthly They are many times in their life given up to exceeding terrors They are oft given up to terrors of conscience and despair of conscience and despair You may read this in Judas who turned back and what horror did that poor creature fall into he forsook his Master and left the path of life for a few pieces of silver but what got he by this he lept out of the ship into the Sea he could never meet with rest or peace afterwards but conscience brake in pieces and did so pursue him with guilt and terror that thereupon he fell into absolute despair and made an end of himself Simile The like you read of Spira who revolted from the truth and the path of Evangelical obedience after clear convictions and secret warnings of Conscience but what befell him O he presently fell into terror of conscience and despair and never could recover the least hopes of mercy to his dying day Fifthly They are many times punished by some extraordinary judgement here They are oft punished with extraordinary judgements on earth Take an instance in Israel and Judah they gave up to walk any longer in Gods statutes and wayes they forsook God and his Laws and what came of this why God forsook them and gave them up to their own hearts lusts and at last overthrew them with an utter destruction and scattered them over the face of the earth So you read of Joash who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehoiada the Priest 2 Chron. 24. 2. But afterwards Ver. 18. He left the house of the Lord and served Groves and Idols but what befell him for this you read of two great judgements that did befall him one in verse 24. That the Syrians came in with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a great Host into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord so they executed judgement against Joash The other is in ver 25. His servants conspired against him and slew him SECT II. 2. Use SHould the people of God continue proceed on and persevere in walking in Gods statutes then you who are the people of God give me leave to offer unto you 1. A few Cautions about your walking 2. A few exhortations concerning our walking 3. A few encouragements for your walking continued walking in Gods statutes 1. The Cautions about your walking You see that it is your duty to walk on to proceed to persevere in walking in Gods statutes therefore take heed unto your selves and beware of four Cautions about our walking in Gods statutes Beware of slothfulness things First Beware of slothfulness and carelesness at any time in doing the will of God or in walking in his wayes Rom. 12. 11. Be not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. When a man doth a business slothfully he doth it with a slight spirit he doth not put out himself not his strength he hath no care in doing of it he doth it not with a serious and diligent spirit but remisly and indifferently as one not affected about what he doth nor addicted unto it saith the Apostle Heb. 6. 11. We desire that every
sufferings whatsoever Hereupon you resolved in the strength of Christ to go through thick and thin come favour or dishonour come good report or ill report come liberty or bondage come life or death to close with God and his wayes to walk in them to live and die in them O keep up this resolution still faint not at all God is the same God his wayes are the same for excellency necessity and peace his promise of reward the same often think of these and they will quicken and strengthen your heart to walk on ând to hold out to the end 2. The second part of the Exhortation is not only to hold on with constancy in walking in Gods statutes but to move on with more exactness and with more fruitfulness and more diligence and industry Psal 92. 12. The Righteous Move on in Gods wayes with more exactness shall flourish like the Palm tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon Ver. 13. Thâse that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God Ver. 14. They shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing This was the special commendation of the Church of Thyatira Rev. 2. 19. I know thy worâs and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy works and the last to be more than the first These Christians are choice and precious Christians who walk more holily more humbly and more accurately and more vigorously in their course and journey to heaven who the nearer they come to the center do move with more speed and zeal renewing and doubling ââeir care and pains and services shining more and more unto the perfect day How we may attain to growth Compare your wayes with Gods Word Quest But now the Question is What should we do that we may attain to this Sol. I would propound some helps for this viz. Simile First Be often comparing your wayes or walkings and Gods word together your work and your rule together The Scholler who eyes the copy much and compares his writing with that he will much mend his writing thereby So the Christian who eyes the word of God much and compares his daily walking with that rule he will see daily reasons to reform his heart and mend his walkings As for the doing of any work it is the safest course first to consider what warrant we finde in the word of God for the doing of it so when we have done any work it is best to bring the work back to the word of God again and observe wherein we have answered the word commanding and directing of us for the matter and manner of our obedience O how much weakness How many faylings How many wandrings shall we then finde out How little of prayer in praying How little of hearing in hearing How little of Godly sorrow in mourning How little of faith in believing Enough shall we finde still to humble our souls enough shall we finde still to provoke us to more integrity to more affectionateness to more exactness and diligence Secondly Often compare your present walking with your former progresses So many years a go I took it that God called me by his grace and then I became sensible and mournful and diligent and watchful so and so much I got Compare your present walking with your former progress of Christ and so much faith and so much love so and so did I put forth my self in the several wayes and services for Gods glory such and such delight did I take in himself in his word in his ordinances in his people so much power against such a sin and so much victory over the world and so much strength for such a duty But O my soul what is thy present standing and what is thy present growth the time is gone much forward art thou gone more forward It is a griefe to be no more then thou wast but it is a shame to be less then thou wast God hath vouchsafed thee more helps to farther thee more opportunities to advance thee more mercies to encourage thee more experience to quicken thee more afflictions to minde thee and yet alass thou art so far from exceeding thy self so far from out going thy self so far below and behind thy self that I finde thee more hampered with corrruptions and more intangled with the world and more flat in thy affections and more dull and careless in thy services and less circumspect and fruitful in thy walking Thy last works and walkings are so far from being more then thy first that indeed they are far less then they Why Here is less sense of sin and less sorrow and less fear and less desires after Christ and less delight in the ordinances of Christ and less watchfulness over thy self and less done for God and for thy self and for thy family thou art now more dull and more dead and weak in grace longer in time and less in growth O Lord pardon me and heal me awaken and quicken me I am ashamed make me as good nay make me better then ever I was O that I could go that I could run that I could out run that I could move faster and better for the time to come in the wayes of thy Commandements c. Thirdly Be much in the remembrance of four things Remember God in his goodness 1. Of your God in his goodness to you every way He hath been good unto your souls how much mercy and grace hath he shewn to them of his great mercy they are quickned and they are pardoned and they are upheld and they are comforted think of these fruits of mercy and then provoke your souls to more love to more obedience to more chearfulness to more forwardness to more fulness of holy and heavenly walking He hath been good unto your bodies and outward estates your life is still preserved your portion is still maintained your table is still spread and your cup runs over O who would not and who should not be endeared and be enlarged in the service of such a God he is willing and ready and delights to do men good he is constant in love and mercy faithful in his promises abounding in compassion faints not nor is weary but rejoyceth over me to do me good with all his heart and with all his soul will never leave me will be my God and guide to death And shall not I answer much love with much love infinite mercy with abundant duty freest kindness with exactest service more blessings with more obedience should I be straitned when he is enlarged 2. Of your selves as to your wants and imperfections do not minde so much Your selves aâ to your want and imperfections what you have attained but what as yet you fall short in and have not attained forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before saith Paul in Phil. 3. 13. I press toward the
the Covenant-advantages 105 A sinner that hath no worthiness at all may be taken into Covenant 107 A personal worthiness is not expected for admission into this Covenant ibid. It is a giving Covenant 120 God will refuse none from this Covenant who are willing to have him for their God 109 Directions what course a sinner should take to be brought into this Covenant 110 Exhortation to them that are not in Covenant with God ibid. Get into Covenant-relation 104 It is a new Covenant 116 It is a free and gracious Covenant 123 This Covenant is a well-ordered Covenant 128 Its a perfect and plentiful Covenant 118 It is a holy Covenant 131 It is a sure and stedfast Covenant 138 It is the last Covenant 148 It is an everlasting Covenant ibid. All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting 149 The certainty of the Covenant is the glory of it 141 It is the best Covenant 166 Whether faith only be the condition of the Covenant p. 187 Why faith is the only condition ib. The condition of the Covenant 181 How any condition can be allowed in the Covenant of grace 182 There is a Covenant betwixt God and believers 2 Of a Covenant in general ibid. Some Covenants are sinful ibid. That there is a Covenant betwixt God and Believers 3 There is a Covenant betwixt God the Father and Jesus Christ ibid. Differences betwixt the conflicts in a regenerate and unregenerate man 514 How to know whether we act upon Gods command alone 672 Parallels betwixt Gods commands and his precepts 701 Twelve things in respect of God to remove our cares 98 D. Duties GOd Commands not duties that we should be justified thereby 660 We must not perform duties to still our consciences 663 We must not perform duties to self-ends ibid. How we may so perform duties as to please God 664 E. Eternity Every work is a step to Eternity 667 What is Evangelical obedience 652 F. Faith WHat is to be done to obtain the Faith which brings us into Covenant 201 Consider the Author of this faith ibid. God and God only is the Author of Faith 202 Consider the means of working this faith ib. The Gospel is the means of Faith ibid. Four things to be done to get Faith 203 Faith is possible and probable to be had 207 No sinner to whom the Gospel is preached can conclude that God never intended to give him Faith ib. God will never deny Faith to them that cordially ask it 208 Improve your Faith to a dependence upon God 216 Improve your Faith to a keeping Covenant with God 220 A necessity of the use and exercise of Faith 405 All men have not Faith 406 All Faith doth not bring us in remission of sins ibid. What the Faith is that will certainly bring in remission of sins 408 Who strives with God for Faith 464 The necessity of Faith is we will walk in Gods wayes 657 Three degrees of Faith necessary 114 How we may know whether our faith be a faith of union 190 Walk without inordinate care before your faithful God 97 Walk without inordinate fears 98 What is meant by Filthiness 437 Upon forgiveness all displeasure ceaseth 364 Get a capacity of forgiveness 380 Some put themselves out of a capacity of of forgiveness 385 Gods Promise of forgiveness extends to all the sins of all his people 422 Whose sins God forgives he becomes their friend 424 The blood of Christ is the cause and the only Meritorious cause of Forgiveness 458 G. Glorying A twofold Glorying 12 The misery of such who have not God for their God 22 The answerable and reciprocal acts betwixt God and us 23 Of the Loving-kindness of God 27 Comfort in this that God is our God 26 The more or less you enjoy of God the more or less perfect 27 In all other enjoyments our condition is low without God ibid. God and he only is our rest 28 God is the most desirable good ibid. God unites himself to us by way of donation ibid. Every one who hath God for his God doth enjoy all things 29 If God be our God we are the Objects of Gods Eternal Love 30 All the glorious Attributes of God are engaged for their good 31 God is a merciful God 33 Six Comforts to those who have God for their merciful God he will forgive you though not others ibid. Comforts from this that God will be a holy God to you he will make you holy 34 God is an omniscient God 35 The Omniscience of God is comfort against all our enemies 36 God is a wise God 37 Your wise God will give you wisdom 38 God is an infinite essence and therefore of infinite power ibid. What comfort is this that our God is omnipotent 39 When God will do you good none can hinder him 40 Gods faithfulness is engaged for you 41 Four things in the faithfulness of God 42 God is a gracious God 43 What comfort from hence that our God is gracious 44 The immutability or unchangeableness of God 45 Six comforts from hence the unchangeable God will never cast you off 46 Gods Omnipresence 47 God is at once and wholly present every-where with his Essence and Attributes 48 If God be ours then all the promises are ours 76 Comfort from this that Gods promises are ours ibid. The promises are sufficient encouragements to pray to God to depend on him p. 78 If God be ours then all the immunities and priviledges annexed to the Covenant are ours 79 Ten immunities by the Covenant with God ib. Priviledges by being in Covenant with God 83 The priviledges of the children of God are yours ibid. Your Communions with God are by the Mediator 84 You may go to your God when you will ib. You may with confidence wrestle with God ibid. You may expect help from God in all your works 85 The Angels of God are ministring Spirits for you ibid. God will be your God in life and death 86 If God be ours all is ours ibid. God makes a Covenant with the creature to be serviceable for your good 87 All creatures are in a subordination to the will of your God ib. As God hath command of all good in the creatures so he hath engaged to settle it upon you 88 Instructions for the people of God in Covenant Thankfully bless your God for bringing you into Covenant ibid. Make use of your God in all your occasions wants troubles 89 Encourage your selves in the Lord your God ibid. There is a near relation betwixt God and you 218 Make out to your God for all your souls do need 271 God the Father did never intend this latitude of Redemption for all when he sent Christ into the world 289 Why God gives spiritual blessings as well as temporal 337 God will do more for his people in Covenant then for any 338 Gods soveraignty engag'd for our good p. 49 You can never be brought into any straits but God is able to help you 50
Applied in 37 Sermons preached at Saint Dyonis Back-Church by Nath. Hardy D. D. The Second Part. A Paraphrase on the Canticles By George Sand. The Kings Cabinet opened Armilla Catechetica A Chain of Principles or an orderly Concatenation of Theological Aphorisms and Exercitations wherein the Chief Heads of Christian Religion are asserted and improved By John Arrowsmith D. D. late Master of both St. John's and Trinity Colledge successively and Regius Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge Samariah's Down-fall or a Commentary by way of supplement on the five last verses of the thirteenth Chapter of Hoseah where is set forth Ephraims Dignity Duty Impenitency and Down-fall very sutable to and seasonable for these present times wherein you have the Text explained several Cases of Consciences cleared many Practical Observations raised with references to such Authors as clear any Point more fully and a Synopsis or brief Character of the twenty Kings of Israel with some useful Inferences from them By Tho. Hall B. D. and Pastor of Kings-Norton An Apology for the Ministry and its maintenance wherein is set forth the Necessity Dignity and Efficacy of the Gospel-Ministry against the Socinians Swenk-feldians Weigelians Anabaptists Enthusiasts Familists Seekers Quakers Levellers Libertines and the rest of that rout By Tho. Hall B. D. Pastor of Kings-Norton Diatribae de Eterno Divini bene-placiti circa Creaturas Intellectuales Decreto ubi Patrum Consulta Scholasticorum scita modernorum placita ad sacrae Scripturae amussim Orthodoxae Ecclesiae Tribunal deferuntur Authore Thoma Aylesbury Presbytero Anglo S. S. Theologiae Bacca laureo Several Sermons preached upon solemn occasions wherein Gods retaliating Justice especially to Oppressioâ his preserving proving delivering and rewarding Mercies The Ministers both Dignity and Frailty the Saints particular and General Duty are delineated By Nath. Hardy D. D. and Chaplain to his Majesty King Charles the second and Preacher to the Parish of St Dionis Back-Church London Large Octavo Enchiridion Medicum containing the causes signs and cures of all those Diseases which do daily afflict the body of man together with a Treatise De facultatibus medicamentorum dosibus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or the sum of Practical Divinity preached in the Wilderness and delivered by our Saviour in his Sermon on the Mount being observations on the fourth fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of St. Matthew to which is prefixed Prolegomena or a Preface by way of Dialogue wherein the perfection and perspicuity of the Scriptures is vindicated from the calumnies of Anabaptists and Papists By Tho. White Preacher of Gods Word Piscator in omes Pauli Epistolas Gods Fearers are Gods Favourites several Sermons by Antho. Tucker A practical Discourse of Prayer By Tho. Cobbet Records Arithmetick The Drinking of the Bitter Cup or the hardest Lesson in Christs School learned and taught by himself viz Passive Obedience wherein beâides divers Doctrinal Truths of great Importance many practical Truths are held forth for the teaching of Christians how to submit to their heavenly Father in suffering his Will both in life and death patiently obediently and willingly By John-Brinsly Minister of greot Yarmouth Small Octavo A Treatise of the power of godliness consisting of three parts 1. Wherein it consists 2. Cautions against and discovery of several mistakes and hinderance most common to the people of God 3. Several means and helps for the attaining of it By Tho. White Directions and perswasions to a sound Conversion for preventing of that deceit and damnation of Souls and of those Scandals Heresies and desperate Apostacies which are the consequents of a counterfeit and superficiall change being the first of those Books mentioned in the Call to the unconverted By Richard Baxter Confirmation and Restauration the necessary means of Reformation and Reconciliation for healing of the corruptions and divisions of the Churches submissively but earnestly tendred to the consideration of the Soveraign Powers Magistrates Ministers and People that they may awake and be up and doing in the execution of so much as appears to be necessary as they are true to Christ his Church and Gospel and to their own and others Souls and to the peace and welfare of these and as they will answer the neglect to c. at their peril By Richard Baxter A prospect of Eternity or mans everlasting condition opened and applyed By John Wells Minister of Olaves Jewry London Ovids Festivals The Arcadian Princess By Rich. Brathwait Esq Truths manifest The Golden mean or some serious considerations for a more full and frequent administration of though not free admission unto the Sacrament of the Lords Supper By Stephen Geree Minister of Abinger in Surrey Confessio fidei in Conventu Theologorum authoritate Parliamenti Anglicani indicto Elaborata eidem Parliamento post modum Exhibita quin ab eodem deinde qui ab Ecclesia Scoticana cognita approbata una cum Catechismo duplici majori minorique è Sermone Anglicano summa cum fide in Latinum versa In large twelves Boccace's Tales or the Quintessence of Wit Mirth Eloquence and conversation framed in ten days out of an hundred curious Pieces by seven Honourable Ladies and three Noble Gentlemen preserved to posterity by the renowned John Boccacio the first refiner of the Italian prose A Pattern of patience in the example of holy Job being a Paraphrase on the whole Book as an expedient to sweeten the miseries of these never enough to be lamened times The Abridgement of Christian Divinity By Wolleb Englished and enlarged by Alexander Ross FINIS