the matter of it setting aside the Ceremonial and Judicial Law it remains still obliging us in the dayes of the Gospel and the Apostle professeth to establish the Law even by the preaching of Faith 'T is true it was first of all given to the Jews that was their priviledge but now that it is given it is ours as well as theirs that therefore which seems to be peculiar to them in it was the manner of its delivery both being without promises and in that terrible manner given upon the Mount but yet still it was thus given because of transgressions to hinder transgressions they needed this terror at that time Children though they know their duty must have some terror to make them do it The Heir whilest he is a Child differeth nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all he is used like a servant harshly severely he is under Tutors and Governors till the time appointed by the Father Gal. 4.2 there is the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Apostle hath in his answer to the objection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But because this particular hath some affinity with the second general end mentioned why the Law was given with respect to transgressions I shall now enter upon that and it was this 2. The Law was added because of transgressions for the heightning and aggravating of transgressions Rom. 5.20 The Law entered that the offence might abound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subingressa est irrepsit the Holy Ghost is pleased frequently to use such words as should shew that the Law came in by the by for some considerable ends indeed that the Lord had in delivering it but not as the great establisht way for Justification for certainly that could not come in by the by but the Law came in thus it stole in subingressa est it crept in by stealth irrepsit so the Original signifies But what was the end of the Law when it thus entred why it entred because of transgressions that the offences of men might abound In the 12. ver of Râ—â— 5. 〈◊〉 read that sin entered into the World and 〈◊〉 that the Law entered the Law hunted it followed it stole in afterwards to discover sin for as ver 13. hath it Before or until the Law sin was in the world that is not before the Law did oblige but before the Law was delivered in such a solemn manner as it was upon Mount Sinai before the Law sin was in the world but sin was not imputed when there was no Law yet death reigned all this while till Moses his time which was the curse of the Law Now that men might know wherefore they suffered death and the curse it was sit the Law should come into the world in a solemn manner delivered that so sin might be imputed by men to themselves as it was by God to men witness death the curse of the Law which reigned from Adam to Moses from Adam that sinned to Moses that gave the Law sin did not appear to be sin till the Law entred therefore it is said Sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good viz. the Law that sin by the Commandment might become out of measure sinfull So Rom. 3.20 the Apostle proves that the Law cannot justifie for by the Law is the knowledge of sin The Law is so far from justifying saith the Apostle that it only brings sin to light brings the knowledg of sin with it makes the offence to abound and if that be the way to justifie sinners to aggravate their sins bind on their guilts more then ever upon their consciences let any man judg therefore indeed the Law in the immediate great intent of it was a killing Letter an Administration of Death a Ministration of Condemnation a Ministration of Desperation and not of righteousness unto justification and accordingly it was delivered with thundering lightning upon Mount Sinai to shew the horrible fire darkness tempest that there was in the Law it self to all that should come near it to think to make use of it for a way of Justification as Moses put a Vail upon his face to shew the vailedness of his Dispensation so the Law was delivered with fire to shew the fieriness of the Law unto the conscience for the Law was not only terrible to the beholders of it when it was given upon Mount Sinai but this terribleness is in the Law it self to all that ever had to do with it feelingly ever since to all that ever came near it for justification Indeed for those that stand aloof off from it only play about it at a distance hope to be saved in a loose way by their works by their good doings and by their good meanings they may perhaps never feel the stinging fiery lashes of the Law but let any of these self-Justiciaries drive their Principle to an Head let them come up near to the Law let them advance toward Mount Sinai and approach it and challenge their Justification from God by the Law and they shall quickly find themselvs scorched and scalded sent away with sad hearts and affrightned consciences they'â— find the Law to be a ministration of Death and not of Righteousness I might here shew in several particulars how the Lâ—w doth discover sin it discovers habitual sin St Paul or the man personated in Rom. 7. had never found there had been such a bottomless depth such a lively body of death within him but for the Law when that came sin revived and he dyed Rom. 7.9 2. It discovers actual sin I had not known sin that is lustings to be sin except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet ver 7. But I shall not insist longer upon this particular The third end of the Law 's being â—â—ded I hasten to the third great end of the Law 's being added with respect to transgressions and that was for the finishing of transgressions and making an end of sin as the expressions are though somewhat otherwise used Dan. 9.24 What shall we think that when God had given promises to Abraham and confirmed a Covenant in Christ to him and his Seed that he now gave a law to drive all his people into despair this amounts all to one as if he had broken his promise and his covenant as I have before argued out of the Apostle Paul did the Lord only send his law that they might know their duty and be affrightned into their duty as the first particular carries it if they did not do their duty should the law aggravate their sin bind on their guilts upon their Conscience and so leave them under desparation and be a ministration of death to them Was this all the Law came for If this were all they might better have been without the law at a venture then have had it they might have done better with the promises alone This therefore was not all the end
Now this being the great means of transferring Justification from the Law to Faith I shall a little insist upon the Explication of it That which I have to say upon it will be contained in these two assertions 1. That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook the Law and answered it in all that it had to say against us And whereas it was a killing letter he took out this condemning power of it for all believers 2. That this was done by Christ for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been in all ages before the Law under the Law and in the dayes of the Gospel to the end of the world so that the way of Justification by faith comes in kindly and in a comely manner without any neglect or violation of the Law I begin with the first assertion That Christ in his own person here upon earth undertook and answered the Law The first assertion That Christ undertook answered the law for us c. Now to prove and illustrate this assertion it will be usefull to us 1. To consider in what condition the Lord Christ found us when he came into the world as a Saviour We were therefore all of us Jewes and Gentiles We were all under the law when Christ came to save us prisoners to the Law I shall give the account of this in the Apostle's expressions which are somewhat mystical to which I hope I shall adde some light by laying them together and comparing them one with another Before Christ came and before faith came and so at the time when Christ came when faith came in the doctrinal discovery or at any time doth come to us in the hearty closing with it We were kept under the Law Gal. 3.23 the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law had set a guard upon us and as it follows we were shut up unto the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we were all shut up as so many prisoners unto the Law and under its guard and custody and in Rom. 7.6 speaking of the Law the Apostle saith We were held by it that being dead that is the Law wherein we were HELD or by which we were detained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For though these places in the Galatians and Romanes may referr to the different dispensations of the Old Testament and New that before the dayes of the Gospel when faith came to be preached men were under a legal dispensation they were kept under the Law and shut up to the faith that was to be revealed yet I dare affirm that there is a deeper meaning then that at least a deeper truth then that if not in those places which is this That till Christ and the way of Justification by faith be made known to the soul the soul must needs be under a legal frame â—f heart towards God under fear and bondage â—ay and a further sense then this yet and that â—s this That till the virtue of the blood of Christ â—e applyed to the soul till actual Justification â—y or upon faith every man lies under the curse â—nd threatning and wrath of the Law the Law â—ath taken hold of us all an evident signe of â—hich is this That death hath passed upon all and â—hat is the reason why for that all have sinned â—om 5.12 And if any could plead exemption from this abnoxiousness to the Law it must be either the â—â—ntiles that had not the Law as the expression is â—â—m 2.14 that is had not the Law given to â—â—em or those that lived before the Law was â—ven by Moses now neither of these can plead â—is exemption therefore all mankinde were â—ptives to the Law when Christ undertook the â—ork of Redemption or rather until the desigâ—ation of Christ by the Father to this work For the first viz. the Gentiles the Apostle tells us that he had proved them under sin which is the transgression of the Law therefore under the Law and their thoughts within them did accuse for their breach of the Law which was written in their hearts Rom. 2.14 Neither were they free from this arrest of the Law who lived before the delivery of the Law by Moses for the Apostle tells us plainly Rom. 5.13 That untill the Law sin was in the world that is from Adam till the time that the Law was solemnly given by Moses sin was in the world now sin is the transgression of the Law and accordingly as sin was in the world all that space of time from Adam to Moses so Death reigned from Adam to Moses Now we know that death 〈◊〉 the wages of sin and the strength of sin is the Law 1 Cor. 15.56 Sin could never have brought in death but by the Law which bindes sin upon the sinner and with sin the punishment due to it therefore all that space of time from Adaâ— to Moses sin and death being in the world 〈◊〉 they were to be sure there was the Law in its power energy it was there in effect as sure 〈◊〉 it was in the hearts consciences of Heathens and the Grave was the Law 's Prison Death it's Arrest Sin it 's great Charge and Accusation by and upon which Death entred Sin entred in the world and death by sin upon the threatningâ— the Law Rom. 5.12 This was the state and condition therefore that Christ found us in wâ— were all under the Law as Prisoners and Captives therefore when the Father sent fort Christ upon the work of Redemption it is saâ— Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his Son made of a woman mâ—â— under the Law to redeem them that were under 〈◊〉 Law This was written to the Galatians who were Gentiles That we putting himself and the Galatians together might receive the adoption of Sons therefore the Gentiles were under the Law when Christ was sent forth for their redemption And our Saviour tells us what he was commissionated to by his Father Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted to preach DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES and recovering of sight to the blinde to set at liberty them that are bruised or bound as it is in Isai 61.1 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord that is the Year of Jubilee when all servants were set free thus Christ's coming was to proclaim a Year of Jubilee to the whole world that the Law 's Captives should be delivered and those that served God under the tyranny of the Law might receive a spirit of Adoption So now thus farr we are gone in our proof of the first assertion that when Christ came as a Saviour and Redeemer of his people he found them all under the Law as the lawfull Captives and Prisoners unto it by reason of their sins which were
the Cross and Christ nailed the Law to the Cross and all this without violence or affront offered to the Law it being but naturally consequent upon what the Law did first to Christ for if the Law set upon Christ as our Surety and do the utmost to him that it can it must needs follow that it hath no strength left against those for whom he undertook and so must die and expire by the same death that our Saviour dyed it being nailed to the Cross which is but a sigurative expression And yet I shall carry the Allegory a little further herein still following the Apostle Paul Is it any wonder now is it any unreasonable thing now that the Law is dead and taken out of the way that we should be married to another husband that we should reckon our selves to be no longer under the Law The woman which hath an husband saith the Apostle Rom. 7.23 is bound by the Law to her husband so long as he liveth but if the husband be dead she is loosed from the Law of her husband So then if while her husband liveth she be married to another man she shall be called an adulteress but if her husband be dead she is free from that Law so that she is no adulteress though she be married to another man ver 4. Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the Law or the Law is become dead to you BY THE BODY OF CHRIST that ye should be warried to another even to him that is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God The Law is every soul's first Husband since the fall so every one's actual sin the Law is an intolerable husband there is no living with it it so sets on guilt presseth the soul w th terrors nay instead of producing good works the natural fruit of this Marriage-relation of the Soul to the Law whilest in innocency it now produceth all manner of lusts according to the 5. ver of that 7. chap. When we were in the flesh the MOTIONS OF SINS WHICH WERE BY THE LAW did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death Now God in much mercy to mankinde finding that if the Law and the conscience or soul of man keep together his creature will be lost and himself lose those fruits of good works which the soul was first created for he provides another husband for the soul which is Jesus Christ only Christ must redeem his Spouse from that tyrannical Husband which now it lives with else the Soul shall be but an Adulteress to pretend marriage to Christ that is the way of grace whilest the Law can make a just claim to her as a wife which it might have done as long as it lived The manner of the rescue I have before declared it was by suffering and yielding to the Law yet so as in it the Law destroyed it self and then is it lawfull for the Soul that was before wife to the Law to be married to another husband and who so fit as he that redeemed her Now the Soul shall have it's forbearance under failings which the Law would not endure and God shall have a kindly and ingenuous Service there will be fruits unto God and this is the passage from Works to Faith from the Law to Grace I though the Law saith the Apostle am dead to the Law that I might live to God Gal. 2.19 that is through what the Law hath done to Christ it hath nothing to do with me But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter Rom. 7.6 One Scripture more to this purpose it is Rom. 8.1 23.4 There is therefore now no condemnation to ohem which are in Christ Jesus who are married to Christ and have accepted the terms of the Gospel who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit for the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death this chiefly relates to sanctification that the inward law or power of corruption which was occasionally and accidentally strenghtned by the Law of God was now broken by that inward power spirit and life which is conveyed by the Gospel of Christ and is called the spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus ver 3. for what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh that is it could neither justifie nor sanctifie both these did God bring to pass by sending his Son in the likeness of sinfull flesh when for sin that is Christ's making himself a Sin-offering so answering the Law God condemned Christ in the flesh that is destroyed it both in the guilt and power of it out of us that were sinners so it follows that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit that is that the Law might no longer accuse us being answered by our Saviour and that we might attain to that which is the chief designe of the Law to wit righteousness and holiness which if we had continued under the Law we could never have attained unto What so common now with the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romanes as to tell them that now they are not under the Law but under grace by this means namely the BODY OF CHRIST offered and that therefore there shall be no condemnation and that therefore sin shall not have dominion over them which are the two great effects of the death of Christ though the first chiefly belongs to that subject which I am upon viz. Justification Having given now all these things in an allegorical and mystical dress yet herein only following the Apostle I shall deliver the same thing somewhat plainly and so conclude this first particular The summe of all this is Man was made holy had a Law to live by to which there was a threatning annexed In the day thou eatest thou shalt die the death or shalt surely die * This threatning I take it is due by the Law to intended against all sins according to that of the Apostle The wages of sin is death Ro. 6.23 speaking of sin indefinitly besides wise Adam might have committed any other sin and not have dyed Man did eat and so was to die death accordingly entred by this sin into the world that is a natural death and for eternal death hereafter and the spiritual death of the soul here which consist's in alienations from God both which all men at age are obnoxious unto being sinners as for children I neither affirm nor deny any thing the Lord in mercy designing to deliver men from provided a Saviour who should first live a perfect life that so he might be the more acceptable Sacrifice and his terms of saving men must be these that he must freely offer himself up to
the sins of the ages past I think there is this allusion in the words once in the end of the world for that the High-Priest offered but once in the year ver 7 of this chap. ours once in all and their once was in the end of the year nay about the same distance of time from the years end as our Saviour from the worlds end as is to be seen Lev. 16.29 it was in the seventh moneth seven bearing the same proportion to 12 or very near it that 4 doth to 7. taking it for granted that the world should last but about 7000 years therefore I would infer this allusion to be in the words that as theirs want c. Besides there is that in this Scripture which will enforce this Analogy of the end of the year to the fore-past year and the end of the world to the fore-past ages and it is this That if our Saviour through the excellency of his person and offering had not had this high honor from God that his once offering should serve instead of offering a hundred times over which the Priests under the law were fain to do and yet could never hereby purge away sin as to the Conscience I say if this once offering of our Saviour had not bin so highly acceptable to God as it was he must as the High-Priests did offer often have suffered often since the foundation of the world if he would have obtained pardon of sins for those for whom he obtained it he must have come into the World and suffered once a year or once in an age or else at the end of some certain term of years prefixed to him by his Father This is the argumentation of the holy Pen-man of the Epistle to the Heb. ch 9 25. * Dr Hammond in his Par. upon these words For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world hath it thus For then he should from time to time ever since the BEGINNING the world have dyed many times Now upon what ground doth this argumentation proceed other then this That when he suffered and offered himself it was as a propitiation to God for the sins of all the ages since the Foundation of the World For else whence would it follow at all though our Saviour should have been ranked by his Father amongst the common High-Priests his offering of himself no more accepted for pardon than their offering the blood of Buls Goats was I say whence would it follow that he must have offered himself often since the foundation of the World which certainly respects the ages past if he was not at all to make attonement for the sins of those past ages The Author of that Epistle would rather have said if he had not gone upon this supposition that Christ offered for the sins of the ages past before his suffering but had onely thought that he offered for the ages to come after his suffering I say he would rather have expressed himself thus If out High-Priest Jesus Christ had not been accepted for us under the Gospel more highly than the legal High-Priests were for their people under the law he must often offer as they did SINCE his first offering he must come and suffer death once in the year and then be raised to offer himself to God or at least once in an age or some set-period of time and this he must do to the end of the World he would never have expressed himself thus then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world But whereas now the Apostle looâ—ing upon the world as it were at an end or drawing towards its end for suppose the World last 70 oâ— years yet after 4000. years the Skale of Time is turned and Time in its declining he speaks of the world and the continuance of it as you would do of a year and the continuance of it faith he as the High Priest amongst the Jews did enter into the Holy of Holies once in the end of the year for to make an atonement for the sins of the year past so hath our Saviour once in the end of the world appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Again for I have somewhat yet further which this phrase now once in the end of the world will afford us and that is this That indeed though it be true and I think I have sufficiently proved it above that this death offering of Christ frees US from sin that live after it as well as THOSE that went afore it yet I verily believe that his death hath a more obvious respect to them that lived in the ages before he suffered than to us who came into the world after he suffered though it hath indeed an influence upon us too and the reason is this for that the use of a Sacrifice is to make atonement for sin after it is committed When did you ever read of a Sacrifice for sins slain and offered before the sin was committed The Sacrifices that should be made thus would rather look like a bribing the Deity to get liberty to sin then to make atonement for sin Therefore all the particular Sacrifices that were appointed they were appointed to be used after the legal uncleanness was contracted and accordingly the High Priest that went but once into the Holy of Holyes it was at the end of the year not at the beginning of the year And thus our Saviour being to take away the sins of the world John 1.29 he came once in the end of the world to take away sin so that his appearing thus in the end of the world seems more plainly to respect the ages past than the ages which were to come and I verily believe if Christ had dyed only for the sins of those ages that have been since his death or shall be yet to the end of the world he would have forborn his death till the end of the world or the times that were near it from this very reason of decency That it is not proper to offer Sacrifice for sin till the sin be committed it rather looks like the dispensation to sin than making atonement for sin But now that Christ was to dye for the sins of all the Saints in all ages before him and that he stayed till the fulness of time even till the declining of time towards its end there being so many transgressions already committed that were to be removed out of the way it was no uncomely thing at all that our Saviour should come and die and offer himself to God when he did though the value of the same Sacrifice was to reach all ages after to the world's end and that especially for that there were many other ends of his coming besides the offering himself thus to God he was to take upon him the Mediatorial Kingdome Several other ends of Christs coming besides offering himself a Sacrifice for sin to set up a
spiritual Worship of God by pulling down all the Jewish Ceremonies making Jew and Gentile one and revealing all the mysteries that were concealed in Moses his dispensation nay his very Sacrifice is one of the greatest Mysteries of all by which we are informed of God's performing his threatnings that the threatnings of heaven are not as claps of thunder without a thunder-bolt in them we see God's hatred of sin punishing it so severely in his own Son we see God's love to the world that he would give his Son for the life of it though he gave him up to the death we have in his life a pattern of perfect holiness which is more than all precepts alone and we see in our Saviour an instance of the Resurrection heavenly glory all these things have been of mighty instruction to the Saints of all ages since the death of Christ If this phrase the end of the world should be understood of the end of the Iewish state this will not at all prejudice my ieference from it that Christs death had respect unto the ages before his coming but rather strengthen it will be to all Saints unto the end of the world and therefore I say these other great ends of his coming being considered there is no undecency at all in his coming so early in the end of the world and offering a Sacrifice that should serve for many ages that were then to come It was at the end of the world that he came and therefore might very well serve for those fewer succeeding ages though it had the first respect unto the ages going before In the sixth and last place I shall bring plain Scripture to prove that Christ dyed for the Saints of the ages that were past before his death There are two Scriptures that speak to this purpose the first that I shall name is in that 9th of the Hebrews the chapter out of which I have been arguing ver 15. And for this cause he speaking of Christ is the Mediatour of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament they which are called c. Here it is said that Christ by the means of his death redeemed or expiated the transgressions that were under the First Testament therefore he dyed for the fins of those that lived under the Old Testament But I shall deal so faithfully with my Reader as to acquaint him with another interpretation which is not contemptible that others give of these words and that is this That our Saviour Christ the Mediator of the New Testament or Covenant by his most excellent Offering redeemed and expiated those sins which could not be expiated by any Sacrifices that were appointed under the First Covenant according to that in Acts 13.39 By him speaking of Christ all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses There being in Moses no Sacrifices for adulteries thefts murthers c. whereas in the Christian Religion there is pardon for all sorts of sinners by means of the death of Christ if they have but the Gospel-conditions of pardon So that this interpretation makes the place to speak of the kindes of sins and not of the individual or particular sins which were committed under the first Covenant that Christ by the means of his death hath made redemption of those kinde of fins which there was no redemption for under the first Covenant But I have something to ask of those that make this interpretation yet taking it for passable and it is this I would fain know if any of those sins were pardoned under the Old Testament which here are said to be redeemed by Christ for his followers if they say they were not then all that committed any such kinde of sins were damned for ever which was untrue witness David and Manasseh if they were pardoned as they were then either they were expiated by some Sacrifice or they were not if those that own this interpretation say they were not expiated by some Sacrifice and yet pardoned I oppose not to mention that great argument again That they could not be pardoned without expiation in any consistency with the veracity of God in his threatning this seems a strange rarity in the dealings of God with us that under the New Testament no sin is pardoned but what is expiated by the death of Christ and yet under the Old Testament which was certainly a dispensation more severe than ours there the greatest sins should be pardoned without the intervention of any Sacrifice nay what a strange thing was it in their very dispensation that legal uncleannesses such as Leprosie and Issues c. must be purged by sacrifice See Lev. 14 15. chapters yet the greatest sins of all should be pardoned without a sacrifice if therefore those great sins of Murther Adultery Witchcraft Idolatry c. were pardoned by expiation it must be by this death of Christ to ensue in the end of the world for there was no sacrifice so much as appointed for these sins those that were appointed could never reach to the purging and cleansing of the conscience they only purged the flesh from a fleshly uncleanness Heb 9.13 the blood of Christ alone hitherto hath had a virtue in it to cleanse the conscience therefore I conclude that the blood of Christ made expiation even for those individual sins for which there was no expiatory sacrifice appointed under the Old Testament But to let pass that Scripture what will be said to that in Rom. 3.25 26. where we have these words Whom speaking of Christ God hath set forth or fore-ordained as it is in the margin to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST through the forbearance of God to declare I say AT THIS TIME his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Now I suppose there may be this sense contained in these words That God in the dayes of the Gospel hath set forth clearly what that is by which he was alwayes propitiated and atoned for sins even those sins that were fore-past and fore-committed in the dayes of his forbearance and long-suffering that is the darker times of the world which times we have otherwise expressed in Acts 17.30 to be the dayes of ignorance which God winked at they were the dayes of God's forbearance it was and is the blood of Christ by which God alone alwaies was and still is propitiated for sins only then it was not so well known but now God hath declared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Acts it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the forepast sins the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as these that are committed under the Gospel were all redeemed and expiated by the blood of Christ As for any other sense that is given of
Joh. 37.10 Rom. 8.1 Besides the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans where he is more large in the vindication of his Doctrine concerning Justification by Faith then elsewhere in any place speaketh expresly of the constituting i. e. of the actual making of men just or righteous c. 5.19 that is the investing men with the state of Justification but no where mentioneth any thing concerning the manifestation of such a state And the truth is that the contest about Justification wherein be ingaged against the Jews with so much zeal so much ardencie of desire to convince them with such variety of exquisite and ponderous arguing to bring the truth to light against which they contended with him the contest I say had hardly been worth all this oleum opera all this solemnitie and height of ingagement by such a man had it been onely about the manifestation and not about the way and means of procuring a justified estate An account of this assertion might be given if need were Another thing worthy consideration about the great Subject of the Treatise is whether if so why justification or Forgiveness of sins is ascribed as well to such acts of Faith which do not at least directly or immediately relate unto Christ or unto the death of Christ as unto these which do Thou wilt sinde here more produced from the Scriptures to prove the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of such an ascription then as farr as my reading and memory can inform me is to be met with elsewhere and as much said upon a rational and probable account for clearing the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or reason of it as may be sufficient to quiet the thoughts of men in the case For it doth not bear hard at all either upon the Wisedom of God or upon any of his words in the Scripture to conceive that any act from a believing frame or disposition of soul in man towards God should reduce him under the Divine Decree of Justification and so interesse him in the benefit or blessing hereof considering that every such act doth arguitive as the School-men speak that is virtually and consequentially comprehend in it such an act of believing also which is directly and immediately acted upon Christ or his death It is a rule in the Civil Law â—avores sunt ampliandi the meaning is that such passages or clauses in the Law which were intended in way of favour or benefit unto men ought to be interpreted in the largest and most comprehensive sense that the words will any way bear as on the other hand there is this rule In odiosis stricte facienda est interpretatio Such sayings in the Law which concern the punishment of persons in one kind or other are to be understood in as narrow and restrained a sense as the words will permit Doubtless these notions for the expounding of Laws both in the one case and the other are equitable agreeable to reason and the light of nature and consequently are to be found in the nature of God himself who as the Scripture informeth us made man in his own image or likeness and vested the same or the like principles or impressions of Reason Equity and Understanding in him with those that were in himself So that it need be no great matter of wonder that God should be very indulgent and large in interpreting such clauses in the Gospel which relate unto the justification and salvation of men and consequently should finde justifying Faith in such acts of believing which may any waies even by the most abstruse subtile or profound way of arguing be conceived to evince or comprehend it Whether upon every reiterated or repeated act of believing the believer is justified afresh if so what doth a supervenient act of Justification profit him that is perfectly justified already or how is there place for the effect of such an act as that of Justification in him all whose sins by means of his being in Christ are already pardoned by God or if not what should be the reason why one act of the same Faith should not justifie as well as another Are problemes worthy the consideration and inquiry of an ingenuous Student in the mysterious science of Justification These also or some of them are ingeniously discussed and endeavoured to be resolved in this Treatise Doubtless every new act of believing doth not procure or bring unto him that so acteth a new justification properly so called and which consisteth in remission of sins Nor is this any disparagement to an after-act of believing in comparison of any former or the first act in this kinde by which Justification in this sense was obtained nor doth it argue any whit less acceptance of it with God For as the saying in natural Philosophy is Quiequid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis the qualification or condition of the Subject doth often if not alwaies modifie the effect of the act that is exercised or acted upon it So he who by virtue of a former act of believing remains and is in a complete state of Justification all his sins being forgiven him by God is not capable of receiving the forgiveness of them at least in the same sense or kind the second time because he needeth iâ— not For it being unpossible for God in respect of the infinity of his Wisedom to do any thing superstuous no creature can be in a regular capacity of receiving any matter of grace or favour from him unless in one respect or other it standeth in need of it Every repeated act of Faith doth indeed obtain from God another kind of Justification I mean Approbation which is oft in Scripture expressed and this without any great acyrology or impropriety of speech by the word Justification For though men were approved of him before as well as justified yet Approbation being susceptive of magis and minus or of degrees which Justification strictly taken is not they may be oft approved yet not often in that sense justified their former justification remaining That forgiveness of sins which Christ teacheth us to ask of God dayly either imports the continuation of the first act whereby he justified us which it is meet we should ask of him in respect of our new and dayly transgressions or which I rather conceive yet with submission Gods forbearing to punish us with temporal punishments for our dayly sins being at liberty we know thus to punish us notwithstanding our justified estate if he be not intreated by us in this respect to forgive us Other great and high concernments the care of repeated acts of belicoing which are not proper to be mentioned here 〈…〉 in Christ or in God by means of Christ for the Scripture useth both expressions indifferently qualifieth and inricheth the soul with all principles of righteousness and goodness and so constitutes a person inherently just and righteous some of late have conceived that in this notion or consideration it justifieth and that God
that it might be by Grace the way of Grace is the way of Faith So that is the third assertion with its explication and proof The fourth Assertion is this That every man in the World hath broken the Law Rom. 3.23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God The Jews call the Gentiles by this Name The sinners of the Gentiles or of the Nations But what saith the Apostle speaking of the Jews of whom himself was one What then Are we better then they No in no wise For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin as it is written There is none righteous no not one v. 9 10. When the Jews brought a Woman taken in Adultery unto our Saviour to see what Judgement he would pass upon her he delivered the Woman by this sentence of stoning her Let him that hath no sin cast the first stone at her Now if there had then been but one there that durst pretend to have been without sin the Woman might perhaps have lost her life John 8.34 And we find it amongst our selves none but some brain-sick people dare pretend to be free from sin even actual sin committed in their own person either in deed word or thought at least Now if we have all thus offended the law and transgressed the law shall we dare appeal unto it or can it justifie us The fifth assertion therefore which determines the Question negatively is That the law is disabled from justifying us by reason of sin In Rom. 8.3 Justification is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that impossibility of the lavv translated thus What the Law could not do the lavv novv cannot do it according to that famous assertion of the Apostle Paul to this very purpose Gal. 3.21 For if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily righteousness should have been by the Law The Iavv cannot novv justifie and vvhat is the reason Why the Apostle tells us in Rom. 8.3 What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh The law became thus disabled in the matter of Justification through the flesh through sinful flesh as appears by the following words so that now it could not justifie us if it would never so fain We can conceive no way now that the Lord hath to justifie by us the law but this one first to pardon then to give us a stock of grace ability to keep his law as he gave to Adam but then mark here you see first the way of Grace Faith must be made use of before the law can do us any good or stand us in any stead therefore still the fifth assertion holds true that the law in the present state of things cannot justifie us except the way of grace should first pass upon us and then what need vve come to the lavv again No it is so true that the lavv cannot novv justifie us nor give life unto us that if it could have done it it should have done it and God would not have made use of any other way I might now give several Scripture-proofs of this assertion under several Heads As 1. By the Law now comes onely the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Where-ever the Law comes now amongst sinners it discovers that they are guilty in such and such a particular I had not known sin saith the Apostle but by the Law for I had not known lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet Rom. 7.7 2. The Law worketh therefore Wrath therefore it cannot justifie this is the Apostles Argument Rom. 4. ver 15. Now the Law worketh Wrath these two ways either it setteth home the Wrath of God already deserved upon the Conscience or it gives occasion to further sinning and so to a further desert of Wrath for the Law hath this strange effect now upon a sinners heart that seeks to be justified by it that it will contrary to the first design of it which was to sanctifie justifie and save it will now stir up all manner of lusts in the heart as the Sun shining on a Dunghil sends forth a stink and so not onely discovers our former illdemerits and deserving of Wrath but provokes to further sinning so lays us under more wrath stil if this be not a truth let any make sence of these Scriptures if they can Rom. 7.8 9 10 11. Sintaking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of Concupisence for without the Law sin was dead for I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed and the Commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death for sin taking occasion by the Commandment deceived me and by it slew me 13. Was then that which is good made death unto me God forbid but sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the Commandment might become out of measure sinful I know several of these expressions are and may be in part interpreted of sin in the guilt that it appears by the law but it must also be understood of the power of sin that the law discovers that likewise whilest it irritates and provokes it and I would fain know if there can be any other sence of that whole context from the 1. to the 7. ver of that chap. especially the 5. ver When we were in the flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death 3. The law by both these effects discovering of sin and exciting sin as also shewing the Wrath due to sin is so far from justifying that it becomes the Ministration of Death and Condemnation to the sinner and not of justification unto life and for this we may consult the whole third Chap. of the second to the Corinthians My 6th Assertion therefore is this Faith is the way and the onely way that we have to take for Justification being sinners We must have Mercy Grace Pardon We must not think to stand upon our terms to require Justification as a due debt We must be glad to receive it as a gift and this is the way that Faith leads us in That Faith and Grace are one way I have proved before in reckoning up the several Synonymaes of those onely two wayes which the Apostle mentions Now that Faith is the onely way for us appears from what hath been already said and proved For if the law be no way and there be only these two wayes imaginable then there is no other way but this of Faith left us But I shall yet give one full Scripture-proof of this Rom. 3.21 Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no fiesh be justified in his sight but now the righteousness of God without
Scriptural in the words and phrases of Scripture which is that the first Covenant the old Covenant or Testament is God's Covenant with the Jews by Moses the new Covenant is that made with the faithful by Christ and what others aim at in that other way of stating the Covenants may be attained without that confusion which they make Having made two as fair Concessions as the objectors can desire A. 2. I come now to the determination of the question or repelling the Objection after I have minded you of a distinction of the Law which I lately gave and it was this That sometimes the Law is taken strictly for the bare command with the threatning annexed to the breach of it and the promise of life upon the strict obeence of it So it is in Gal. 3.10 sometimes it is taken for the whole Old-Testament as Rom. 3.19 where the Psalms of David are made a part of the law sometimes taken for the five Books of Moses as in Luke 24.44 where the Old-Testament is divided into these three parts The Law of Moses the Prophets and the Psalms Now I answer Take the Law in the first sence for a Covenant of Works strictly and so it was not given for a Covenant to the Jews for then it must have come in against the promises or the Covenant of God in Christ that was made before But take it in the second or third sense either for the whole Old-Testament as we call the Writings of the holy men of God till our Saviours time or for the five Books of Moses the dispensation by Moses from the Mount and this I confess was a Covenant to them but then it was a Covenant of Grace and indeed contained in it all the promises that were given before it that traditional Gospel which Abraham and the holy Patriarchs before him were saved by is inserted in the Law of Moses else it had been a vain thing for the Apostle Paul to have undertaken to prove Justification by Faith out of the Old-Testament yea out of the Law of Moses for as a man cannot bring a clean thing out of an unclean so neither can he bring Gospel out of pure Law if therefore the Law of Moses had not been a Covenant of Grace the Apostle could never have proved Justification by faith out of it which yet he doth not onely by strained consequences but as there professedly Abraham believed God saith he and it was imputed to him for righteousness they therefore which are of Faith are blessed and justified with faithful Abraham Galathians 3. ver 6 7 9. which is as fair an Enthymema as can be and every Sophister can supply the Proposition that is wanting St. Paul proves Justification by Faith by two great Arguments out of Genesis the first Book of Moses viz by Abraham's Justification and the Allegory of Hagar and Sarah which I explained and urged before Nay the Apostle makes a great affirmation indeed which is this that even Moses himself the great Law-Covenant Mediator doth in his Writings give a clear distinction of the two Covenants of Works and Grace shews us the tenour of one Covenant and another When he had produced the Allegory of Hagar and Sarah out of Genesis saith he Alas Moses in this Story gives you Allegorically the two Covenants Gal. 4 21. to the 24. But the chief place for proof of what I have said is Rom. 10.5 6. for Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law That the man which doth these things shall live by them Lev. 18.5 But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend up into Heaven c. and so goes on in the words of Moses Deut. 30.12 13 14. Here we see Moses in his Writings delineates and describes the two ways of Works and Grace of the Law and Faith and it is proved out of the same â—oses that the Law is no way to justifie sinners Now I shall but draw out the Apostles Argument which I suppose to be this Moses describes two ways of Justification that by the Law and that by Faith that by the Law Moses tells you is no way for sinners because you must continue in all things or you are accursed therefore certainly he described the way of Faith too that ye might betake your selves unto it for justification and life therefore the Law take it either for the whole Old-Testament or for the Dispensation by Moses and it was a Covenant indeed with the Jews but it was a Covenant of Grace for in it Moses describeth the way of Grace that his Disciples might adhere unto it But here you will object still Well 3 Object if Moses his Dispensation or Covenant which he was the Mediator of was a Covenant of Grace and not of Works for Justification why is it called a killing Letter a Ministration of Death a Ministration of Condemnation as it is 2 Cor 3.6 7 9. Why is the Lord said to find fault with it and so to abrogate it and make a new Covenant Heb. 8 7 8. By this it should seem to be a Covenant of Works for else God would not have found fault with a Covenant of Grace nor abrogated it To this I answer 1. Here observe That this 〈◊〉 no Jewish Argument for they would not acknowledge that their Law is a ministration of death whilest they seek life by it nor yet a ministration of condemnation whilst they seek justification by the righteousness of it but it is a cavil or objection against the Apostle Paul who calls the Law a ministration of death and condemnation and yet acknowledgeth that it was the Jews covenant and that Moses in it describeth the righteousness of Faith 2dly I answer That these two are very consistent it might prove a ministration of death to them and yet be a way of grace and life in it self so is the plainest Gospel in the World a savour of death unto the disobedient and unbelievers that yet is certainly in the great intendment of it a way of grace and life 3dly The Law proved a ministration of death to many of them because they mistook it for a covenant of works though it were not given with that intention they did not see the Grace that was contained in it There was a vail upon their heart and is to this day upon the hearts of many of the Jews their minds were blinded so that the Children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is alolished they could not see Christ the end of the Law 2 Cor. 3.13 14 15. 4thly There is thus much indeed to be said concerning the dispensation it self that it was dark and obscure the children of Israel had not onely blinded eyes and a vailed heart but Moses had also a Vail upon his face ver 13. which was one reason they could not see that Grace which was in his Dispensation Moses had a vail over
business presently in one word and tell you that it is Doing So far as you seek to get life by doing you are legal they will tell you ye muâ—â— not act for life but from life a mighty distinction with them though quite false And for prooâ—â— they 'l bring you such a Scripture as this Mark 10.17 where the young man came to our Saviour and said What shall I Do that I may inherit Eternaâ— life Which is a question that I suppose might be asked by a good man though he was not good that asked it unless it be asked with such a design as if one thought that the doing good actions might merit heaven by this Divinity of theirs which they have of late spread far and near they have made their followers which I fear are very many think strangely of good works as if they had no influence aâ— all not so much as secondary to the obtaining oâ— our salvaâ—ion and so onely as matters of love and thankfulness from us but not as absolutely necessary unto the pleasing of God and continuing in his favour according to that of our Saviour Joh. 15.9 10. As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue in my love How may we do that ver 10. tells us If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandments and abide in his love Yet I would do the Antanomians this right to say that I think they have very many of them aimed honestly that they have lighted upon many Gospel-strains and have done very well in observing that there is a vast difference betwixt serving God with a Legal and with an Evangelical Spirit though they have not been so happy in telling us wherein the difference lies and for the difference which they make the Legal way to lie in Doing the Evangelical way in Believing I confess it hath a great countenance from Scripture as to the sound of words but as they explain their sense I reckon there is a great disagreement from the Scripture As to their sence of the word Believing I shal have some occasion to examin it anon but as to the word Doing in their sense I say at present That though the Scripture seems to express the whole business of Legality in that word Rom. 4 4. Working or Doing yet certainly in a far other sense from their explication of it For the Scripture in that place understands Working or Doing in a strict Law-sense so as to expect a Reward for it of Debt whereas they will tel you if you look upon Works as having any influence upon Justification let the works be what they wil you are so far Legal Now having proved as I suppose their exposition of Working or Doing to be but a false gloss I shall do my endeavour and no more can be expected to deliver the truth in this matter I suppose therefore according to that Text Rom. 4 4. where Legal Works or working are accurately described that Legality lies in Doing any work with this supposition or conceit in my mind that now I have justly obliged God not only by a Justice of performing promise but a Justice of strict distribution according to the natural desert of an action My meaning is best expressed in that commonly known word of Merit he that doth an action to God supposing that he hath now merited a reward from God by distributive Justice The reason why I make prefumtion of Merit the form of Legality is for that reward of Debt is the Characteristical note of a Legal Reward therefore the expectation or presumtion of such a reward ought to be in a Legal Spirit he is Legal in his action and none other It will bepresently said Then there will not be found so many Legal professors as you assert there are for that few amongst us if any at all acknowledge Merits I answer though they do not acknowledge it with their mouths yet this I suppose is the secret Language of their hearts and where it is not let them be free from the imputation of Legality for me I see no rule to condemn them of it though I wil add this I think many men may disown it in words nay and think they are not guilty of it that yet are extreamly guilty such a a secret unsearchable Disease of heart is this of Legality I have perfectly done with the explication or discovery of the Disease in its own nature I shall come anon to give some symptomes of it that are signs and effects of it in the mean time let us see what improvement what observations we can make upon that Anatomical Discovery which was made of the Galatians e'ne now And here 1 Obser first of all I shall observe the strange and unhappy disappointments that the Legal self-Justitiaries meet with the miserable cheat that they put upon themselves They think to mix Law and Gospel they dare not stand to the Law alone they would fain have a little help from the Gospel to eke out their defects in a Legal Righteousness and alas the Gospel turns them off with scorn to the Law onely to be tried and judged by it which wil certainly condemn and devour them 2dly 2 Obser I observe the strange absurdities and self-contradictions which these self-Justitiaries both Jews and Gentils run into in their prosecution of a Legal Righteousness There are no less then four contradictions which the Galatians ran into in this business 1. They would be justified by the Law and yet acknowledged themselves sinners which is a contradiction for it is obvious that the Law must condemn sinners 2. They would be justified by the Law and yet not be bound to do the whole Law whereâ—s the Law hath no other way imaginable to justifie any persons but when they have the works of the Law when they have done the whole Law He that doth them shall live in them 3. They would be justified by the Law and yet have benefit by Christ and his death whereas Christ â—ras not the Minister of Circumcision Christ came into the world and dyed because the Law was broken and could not justifie 4. See the greatest of contradictions imaginable They would be justifisied by the Law and yet profess the Gospel and the way of Grace therefore the Apostle convinceth them with this Argument If ye seek Justification by the Law ye are fallen from Grace Rom. 11.6 If by Grace then it is no more of works yet all these absurdities and contradictions the Galatians swallowed that they might go on with their way of Works which they were so greedy after and addicted to besides all those evident arguments both general and of more particular concernment to them which they went against though they had received the Spirit by the Gospel though miracles were done amongst them in confirmation of the Gospel neither of which attended the Law though they had done and suffered so many things
to explain the great term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he tells us That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies any virtue or goodness in a man whatsoever and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing else but to be approved as a good man or A doer of what is righteous and good and that BECAUSE he doth that which is good and righteous Having made this great observation of which I shall make more use anon I shall proceed with my Character That an affected ignorance of Christ is an infallible Character of a Legal Spirit I have given a Scripture for it viz. Phil. 3.7.8 to the 15. upon which I have so long insisted I shall give now the reason of it which is this For that all pardon of sins which is the greatest thing in Gospel-justification was ever by virtue of the death of Christ All the symbolical and vailed-Gospel of the old Testament pointed though darkly unto Christ The rock in the Wilderness was Christ the Serpent was Christ the Manna was Christ the Scape-Goat was Christ the Paschal Lamb was Christ and in the fulness of time Grace and the Truth of these types came by Jesus Christ Therefore those that are affectedly ignorant of Christ are affectedly ignorant of all that looked like Gospel and so of Gospel-Grace it self nothing can be a plainer argument of Legality then this And indeed we may almost adventure to say That most men so far as they are ignorant of Christ in these days of the Gospel they are affectedly ignorant I deferred this Character till the last because I would first put all those Characters together in which the faith of all the Old-Testament-believers and ours did agree All the Old-Testament Saints were more for spiritual heart-worship than for the externals of Religion they were all in their degree humble and patient they were all in their degree quick lively and vigorous they had all a spirit of adoption in their measure they were all of a sweet meek and kind heart and spirit not of a persecuting principle but I cannot say they all knew Christ in his death resurrection ascension and intercession nay I should lye if I should say it these things are peculiar to faith under the dayes of the Gospel St. Peter and the other Apostles were all ignorant of these things Luke 18. from verse 31. to 35. Now I shall shew briefly the peculiar additionals of a Gospel-faith or rather a New-Testament Faith without which ours cannot be Evangelical enough and so not justifying and saving And without performing this part of my Work I should be guilty of a great absurdity for taking up so many pages in describing the Faith of the Old-Testament Saints or of justifying-faith which was common to us and them and in the mean time to pass by that which is proper to our selves and as necessary as any thing which hath been spoken to I affirm therefore that we are to know and believe in Christ as the PROCURING CAUSE of all our mercies and the DISPENSER of all good things to us These are the two great things which we are to know and believe concerning Christ to which we must add the meditation imitation of our Saviour as a pattern in his Life Death Resurrection and Ascension in all which our Faith hath a great usefulness and necessity and unless our Faith hath a great and very considerable respect unto Christ in all these three particulars we cannot justly put on the name of Christians That old Faith of Abraham and all the Saints of the Old-Testament which St. Paul disputes for and proves they were justified by it hath now a further Name and is called the Christian Faith having taken up that great Object Christ more explicitely and plainly then ever they received it I shall say somewhat but as briefly as I may unto all the three generals wherein our Faith is now necessarily to eye Jesus Christ that it may be of a right Gospel strain 1. We must believe in Christ as the great procuring cause of all our mercies 1. By his blood and offering Therefore a right New-Testament Faith eyes Christ as the procuring-cause of all our mercies and this in two respects viz. by his offering up himself a sacrifice and by his intercessions 1. By his dying for us and offering up himself he hath bought us Ye are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6 20. Thou hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood Rev. 5.9 His blood was the price of our redemption by shedding of this and offering it up to God he became a propitiation for our sins and we our selves are the purchase of this Price Acts 20.28 The Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood We are purchased and redeemed from the world Gal. 1.4 From our vain Conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 Yea Heaven it self is purchased by his blood for us for I doubt not but that is it which is called the purchased possession Eph. 1.14 Now see if we have not reason nay if there be not absolute necessity if we would be right Christians to know Christ and believe in him as the procuring-cause of all our Mercies and that by his Death and Blood and offering himself He hath by one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Now our Faith as it eyes thus the death of Christ is called faith in his blood and Justification follows upon this Faith onely Rom. 3.24 25. Being justified freely by his Grace THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST 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 through the forbearance of God Rom. 5.8 9. But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us much more then BEING NOW JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD we shall be saved from wrath to come I shall mention no more Scriptures to prove that Christ is the procuring-cause of all our mercies by his death and blood only I shall describe what this faith in his blood is and I shall express it thus It is a judging the death and offering of Christ either upon the Cross or in the holy of holies into which he entered by his own blood Heb. 9.12 to be the great propitiation of God who without this offering had decreed no◠to pardon sins by which he became propitious and appeased and for it receives all true penitents into his favour that is for the judgement or assent of faith to the dogmatical truth in this matter then for its affiance faith in the blood of Christ it is a not doubting but whilst I have the Gospel-condition of Justification what ever it be this blood will procure my pardon or thus in the way of holiness to rest upon God for pardon for the sake of Christ's blood-shedding and offering it to God Now this faith in the blood of Christ I look upon as an
essential branch of a New-Testament-faith 2ly His Intercession Secondly we are to look upon Christ as the procuring cause of all our mercies by his intercessions whereby he reaps the benefit of the purchase of his blood His Blood was the foundation of all his Intercession and his Intercession is as the harvest to that seed-time when he sowed in tears of blood He entred into the holy of holies by his own blood if he had not had that blood with him I conceive there had been no entrance for him there as a Priest but now that he is there entred and entertained as an High-priest for ever and ever liveth to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 We are to look upon him as the great procuring-cause of all our mercies by his intercessions If when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the DEATH of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his LIFE Rom 5.10 1 John 2.1 My little children these things write I unto you that ye sin not and if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins HE IS to this very day upon occasion of any failing of the Saints he interposeth to make God propitious to them and not onely to them saith the Apostle not onely for our sins who are the Saints of God but for the sins of the whole world He doth now as he did at his death and first entring into Heaven though not in the same form of offering which was but ONCE make use of his blood with his Father to prevail with him that he may be ready to pardon and receive into favour all that come unto God by him all that are come in upon any of their failings and all that shall come in with unfeigned repentance for their wicked lives past And as I shewed in the former particular of his death and blood that he did not onely procure pardon of sin by it but redeemed us from our vain conversation and purchased heaven it self for us so in this particular I might shew that he doth not onely procure pardon of sins for us by his intercession as our Advocate but every thing else that we stand in need of I am going to my Father saith our Saviour when he was leaving the World and there I will povide Mansions for you and whatsoever ye ask the Fther in my Name I will do it Joh. 14.2 3 13. Thus therefore our Faith if we would have it a right New-Testament Faith must eye Christ in his intercession and whatever we desire of God we must ask it in his Name and then believe that Christ as an Advocate with the Father wil take the care of it So much for the first Head or general Rule of a New-Testament-Faith We are to eye Christ as the great procuring cause of all our mercies 2dly 2 Gospel-faith eies Christ as the great dâ—spenser of all good things to us We are to look upon Christ as the great Dispenser of all our good things to us Our Saviour Christ hath the distribution disposal of all things committed to him as Joseph had in Aegypt The Father judgeth no man but all judgement is committed by the Father to the Son John 5.22 Jesus Christ is not onely represented unto us in the Scripture as standing at the right hand of God Act. 5.55 56. which may signifie his Advocatship and Priestly Office but much oftner as sitting at the right hand of God whch is a sign of his Kingly Office and Authority for this see Heb. 10 11 12 13. where sitting is opposed to standing as Maâ—esty is to Ministring And every Priest STANDETH daily MINISTRING and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins But this man after he had offered one Sacrisice for sins for ever SATE DOWN at the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his footstool Our Saviour obtained of his Father by his death and offering not onely that sinners might be pardoned but that he might have the gift of pardon yea and of repentance too which is as great a gift as pardon it self Acts 5.30 31 32. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a Tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and sorgiveness of sins and we are his witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him In a word Christ hath all power both in heaven and in earth So our Saviour came and told his Disciples after he was risen Matth. 28.18 19. Jesus came and spake unto them the eleven saying All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth Go ye THEREFORE and teach all Nations This is the form of the Commission which makes an Apostle I have received power therefore go teach they are not the Apostles of God immediately but of Jesus Christ by the will of God 1 Cor. 1.1 2 Cor. 1.1 Eph. 1.1 To instance in the several branches of this power in heaven and earth would be too much for me in this place there is the power of pardoning sins raising the dead judging the world destroying the wicked These with many other I could prove by plain Scripture to be all deposited and be-trusted in the hand of Jesus Christ Now what is the Faith that belongs to Christ as the Dispenser of all good things to us for that is my proper business to enquire after Why even the Faith that we place in God the Father This Christ taught his Disciples when he was about to leave them Joh. 14.1 Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me As much as to say Ye have been used hitherto by your Old-Testament-Faith to believe in God and you have found comfort and support in it and yet you do not see that God you believe in Why so now for my self I am going in deed out of your sight and at this you are troubled but believe in me when I am out of your sight as ye have hitherto beheved in an invisible God and ye shall find the same comfort and support in this Faith as ever ye found from Faith in God None so common a New-Testament phrase as believing in Christ He that believeth in me though he weee dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never dye Joh. 11.25.26 and our Saviour there giveth a very satisfactory reason The difference betwixt faith in Christ and in God the Father which is this I am the resurrection and the life therefore he that believeth on the Son hath life and shall have a resurrection unto lise Our Faith ought to be the same in the person of Christ as it is in God the Father onely with this difference that it must not be terminated in
Christ as the ultimate object of our Faith but only as he is the Mediator and great Dispenser of all things to us by a Power derived from the Father For this take that eminent place 1 Pet. 1.21 Who BY HIM that is Christ DO BELIEVE IN GOD that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God This I do but touch upon here it would require a large Treatise to speak unto it as the subject deserves viz how we are to direct our Faith and applications to Jesus Christ in a different manner then to God the Father but this is that which I am upon That in the general we are to six our Faith upon Christ as the great Dispenser of all good things unto us if we would have it of a right Gospel-strain nay if we expect to be justified by our faith for if God set up a Mediator a Dispenser of all his bentsits as Pharoah pardon the allusion set up Joseph and required that all men should go to him for what they wanted will he think you take it well that you should take no notice of his Joseph his dearly beloved and onely begotten Son But come to himself immediately dare you do it Can you ever hope for acceptation in this way of addressing your selves to God Might you not justly fear that God will prove a consuming fire to you in in such approaches So much for the second general head in which our Faith is to respect Jesus Christ But 3dly there is something more requisite yet to be done by our Faith with respect to Christ than meerly to look upon him as the procuring-cause and the dispensing-cause of all our mercies if we would have it a right New-Testament-faith or a Justifying-Faith in the dayes of the Gospel our Faith must conform us unto Christ as a pattern and example Now there is a two-fold conformity unto Christ which our Faith effects one Proper the other Analogical that which is proper is to put us upon doing as he did to be as he was humble meek lowly c. Learn of me saith Christ these things and ye shall receive rest unto your souls Matth. 11.29 Phil. 25.6 Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who made himself of no reputation c. Looking unto Jesus who Heb. 12.2 But then there is an Analogical conformity which Faith effects and that is an answerableness to some things in Christ which it is not our duty to imitate in a proper sense as now to be conformable unto Christ in his death burial and resurrection these we cannot in a proper sense be conformable unto him in except we be hanged upon a cross till we are dead then laid in our graves then raised by the power of God c. Now these things are not our duty to go about to imitate properly but only in some resemblance and likeness Our Faith must bring us to the cross of Christ and teach us the crucisixion and mortification of our old man with the affections and lusts of it it must bring us to the grave of Christ and we must be there buryed with him Rom. 6.1.4 We are buried with him by baptism into death and by this death and burial we must reckon our selves to be dead unto sin ver 11. He that is dead is sreed from sin ver 7. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ver 2. Yea our Faith must earry us yet further beyond death and the grave into heaven it self we must rise with him into newness of life For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection Ver. 5. And as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life Ver. 4. And we must sit together with him in heavenly places in our affections at least If ye be riser with Christ seek these things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Set your assections on things above not on things on the earth for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.1 2 3. Faith in the dayes of the Gospel carries us to the example and pattern of Christ conforms us to it both in a proper and Analogical conformity so that we have something in us that bears some Analogy and likeness to every thing that is to be found in Christ But because this third respect wherein our saith eies Jesus Christ looks more like obedience then faith more like sanctification than that by which most expect justification and seeing this is not the proper place to shew how far obedience and holiness and good works have an influence upon Justification I shall not insist more upon this contenting my self with the two other respects in which faith eies Jesus Christ viz. As the procurer and dispencer of all good things unto us which none can with any fair pretence deny to be necessary to our faith as justifying in the days of the New-Covenant Now to quicken and so to end this Character viz. That so far as we leave out Christ we are Legal in the business of Justication I shall represent the Reader with the example of St. Paul which I have glanced at already who was once highly legal end afterwards as eminently evangelical and that in the daies of the Gospel And I should think Solomon himself was not a fitter person to give an account of the vanity of worldly comforts than St. Paul was to acquaint us with that vanity vexation of spirit that there is in pretended legal righteousness as also with that perfect satisfaction which the Evangelical righteousness brings into the soul and 't is from him indeed and from his Epistles no doubt indited by the Spirit of God that this whole discouse hath been raised He was as to his descent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Hebrew born of Hebrew parents both father and mother and of a special and beloved tribe and circumcised the eighth day exactly according to the Law for his profession of the strictest sect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in observation of the Law a Phaisee for his zeal in his profession it was exceeding great I prosited saies he Gal. 1.14 in the Jew's Religion above many my equals in mine own nation being more exceeding zealous of the traditions of my fathers And there was no greater argument of his being an high Legal list than this That he was a bitter persecutor of the way of the Gospel as he tells us in three several Epistles Gal. 2.13 Beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God and wasted it Phil. 3.6 concerning Zeal persecuting the Church 1 Tim. 1.13 You have his catalogue of privileges altogether Phil. 3.4 5 6 and there he makes a challenge to any Jew any Pharisee of them all to shew the same
Dr. upon the next question The words are these But if the Spirit of him that raised up jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit which dwelleth in you and if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness ver 10. His interpretation of the verse is excellent in my mind and it is to this sense as I apprehend it That when we are Christians and have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us and the presence of Christ by his Spirit we shall be sensible how far yet we remain unsanctified and that unsanctified part in us which the Apostle calls the body of death and desires to be delivered from will appear as ghastly and deadly a thing to us as the dead body tyed by Mezentius to the living did to him because Christ is living in us But yet now our Christian faith teacheth us to believe that though the body be dead because of sin that is there be a great part of us yet unsanctified and dead because of sinful remainders in it and by reason of this unsanctified part or body of death in us we are exceeding heavy and indisposed to all holiness and goodness yet that the Spirit of Christ in us is life and righteousness and will by degrees qvicken those very dead unsanctified parts that are yet within us for if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in us he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal hodies that is that unsanctified part that is at present dead in sin by his Spirit which dwelleth in us Dr. More 's words are We finding a comfortable warmth in the grateful arrivals of the holy Spirit do believe That he that raised up Christ from the dead wil in due time even quicken these our mortal bodies or these dead bodies of ours and make them conspire and come along with ease and chearfulness and be ready and active complying instruments in alll things with the Spirit of Righteousness Which belief viz. that God will thus by his Spirit quicken our mortal bodies is saith he a chief point in the Christian faith and most of all parallel to that of Abrahams who believing in the goodness and power and faithfulness of God had when both himself and his Wife Saraah were dry and dead as to natural generation and so hopeless of ever seeing any fruiâ— of her Womb who had I say Isaac born to him who bears joy and laughter in the very Name oâ— him and was undoubtedly a type of Christ according to the spirit For Isaac is the wisedom power and righteousness of God flowing our and effectually branching it self so through all the faculties both of man's soul and body that the whole man is carryed away with joy and triumph to the acting all whatsoever is really and substantially good even with as much satisfaction and pleasure as he eats when he is hungry and drinks when he is dry And these now according to the designe of the Dis Discourse are acts of a Gospel-faith which justifie us as Abraham's believing in the power of God for a Son did justifie him I come now to another Question which is this How doth Faith justifie The fifth question of Iustification or under what notion and consideration doth faith justifie Now to this I answer that Faith justifies as our Righteousness It doth not justifie as some affirm only by relying upon the blood of Christ or apprehending the righteousness of Christ for I have given instances of several acts of faith which were justifying acts that had not this respect at all unto the blood of Christ at least not visibly and the reward of Justification was reckoned to them upon other accounts Abraham was fully perswaded that God was ABLE TO PERFORM and THEREFORE it was imputed to him for righteousness Rom. 4.21 22. Yea I have given instances of a faith in Christ that was justifying and yet was not directed to the blood of Christ by any thing that appears in the Scriptures quoted No faith it self is our righteousness faith in the power of God was Abraham's righteousness and faith in the power of God according as our necessities at any time require will be our righteousness But more especially faith in the power of Christ or in the blood of Christ is our Gospel-righteousness though as I affirmed before there cannot be true faith in God now in the dayes of the Gospel but it will turn into a faith in Christ as well as in God And for this Assertion that Faith is our Righteousness I shal give several Scriptures Rom. 4.3 What saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness that is his believing in God and relying upon his power and faithfulness for the fulfilling of his promise this faith of his was accepted so farr was so highly pleasing to God that God made him his friend Jam. 2.22 23. and reputed and reckoned him through grace as righteous as if he had kept the whole Law So Rom. 4. ver 5. To him that believeth in God that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted to him for righteousness What plainer expression can there be than this for our Assertion his faith is counted for righteousness to him or for his righteousness And for a little proof from the testimony of others for this Assertion I reckon is somwhat harsh see what Mr Baxter and Mr John Goodwin say upon it In his Aphorisms of Justification Thesis 20. pag. 108. saith Mr Baxter Our Evangelical righteousness is not without us in Christ as our Legal righteousness is but consisteth in our own actions of Faich and Gospel-obedience Thesis 23. pag. 125. In this sense also it is so farr from being an errour to affirm that faith it self is our righteousness that it is a truth necessary for every Christian to know that is Faith is out Evangelical righteousness in the sense before explained as Christ is our Legal righteousness And in the explication of this Thesis pag. 128. he hath these words Our Evangelical righteousness or Faith is imputed to us for as real righteousness as perfect obedience not that it is as much in true value yet it is so accepted because of the value of Christ's satisfaction Thesis 57. pag. 225. It is the act of faith which justifies men at age and not the habit yet not as it is a good work or as it hath in it self any excellency above other graces But 1. in the nearest sense directly and properly as it is the fulfilling the condition of the new Covenant in the remote and more improper sense as it is the receiving of Christ and his satisfactory righteousness Mr John Goodwin likewise declares himself not to be of their minde who conceive or teach That faith justifies as it is an instrument receiving
Christ's righteousness pag. 38. ult Banner of Justification therefore it must justifie as an act which by God's ordination investeth us in the priviledges of Justification therefore in his judgment faith it self is our righteousness But I shall adde no more in answer to those men that hold That Faith justifies only as it applyes the righteousness or blood of Christ unto the soul for I have shewn at large above That faith justifies in other acts of it besides resting upon the blood of Christ I shall have only here to do with Dr More his Notion and it is Mr Smith's too of the righteousness of Faith or Faith its being reckoned or imputed for righteousness and indeed I am very sorry that I should have a word to say against the opinion of so worthy a man and one that labour so vigorously and successfully against all that effeminacy of notion in Religion which is found amongst the Antinomians or others Neither yet do I much differ from him in designe only I cannot be faithfull to my present subject if I should not take notice of his unhappy mis-interpreting those phrases of the Righteousness of faith Justification and Faith's being impuâ—â—td for Righteousness I shall first give an account of the Doctor 's opinion and expressions in this business and then shew the reasons of my dissent from him herein In the 380 pag. of that book which I have so often quoted to borrow some authority and assistance from in this Discourse I mean his Mystery of Godliness at the end of that page the Doctor commenting upon Rom. 4.24 25. To believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification hath these words In this verse are contained the two grand Priviledges of the Gospel that is Forgiveness of sins upon the satisfaction of Christ's death and the Justifying of us that is THE MAKING OF US JUST AND HOLY THROUGH A SOUND FAITH IN HIM THAT RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD I need quote no more to shew the Doctor 's notion and apprehension of the whole business but yet I shall ex abundanti quote some other passages The Doctor you see is of opinion That Justification signifies making us just holy and righteous and when we are made so then God looks upon us as so because he judgeth of things aright and because Faith makes us truly holy inwardly just and righteous therefore this righteousness by which we are thus inherently righteous is called The Righceousness of Faith For this see page 379. about the middle of it Abraham being not weak in faith considered not his own body now dead being fully perswaded that what God had promised him he was able also to perform and therefore saith the Apostle it was imputed to him for righteousness that is to say God approved of him FOR A GOOD AND PIOUS MAN who not confulting with the natural improbability of the thing but giving firm credence to the promise of God did that which was due to the goodness and power of God and BECOMEING A GOOD AND RIGHTEOUS MAN So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is NOTHING ELSE but to be approved as a good man or a doer of that which is righteous and good and that because he does that which is good and righteous And afterwards in the same page 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies any virtue or goodness in a man whatsoever with much more to the same purpose And at last adds in page 372. Sect. 9. This is the only warrantable notion that I can finde of being justisied by faith So Mr Smith of Cambridge as I shew above page 220. saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Righteousness of Faith and the Righteousness of God is only a Christ-like nature in man's soul c. Having given an account of the Doctor 's judgment I shall now shew in how many things I agree with the Doctor as to this business and then where I conceive there needs some rectification of the Doctor 's notion And first of all I confess these are two GRAND PRIVILEDGES of the Gospel as the Doctor sayes viz. The forgiveness of sins and The sanctification of our natures which latter the Doctor as I doubt not mistakes to be meant by the word Justification in Rom. 4.25 2. I acknowledge that true Sanctification is produced only by faith purifying their hearts by faith Acts 15 9. no other principle will work holiness in the soul The Law made nothing perfect as to inward holiness 3. I grant that if true Sanctification should be wanting from Faith that Faith would not be a righteousness would not justifie Faith without works is dead 4. I allow that Works have some share perhaps a second place in the matter of Justification continued so saith Mr Baxter often and I think so saith St James Jam. 2.24 Yee see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only 5. I allow that Justification is attributed several times in Scripture to a Work the Faith not mentioned though the Faith is understood nay the chief honor belongs to faith and the crown is to be set upon Faith's head if we wili make a strict and right interpretation of that Scripture whatever it be Thus the act of Phineas in killing Zimri and Cosbi is reckoned for righteousness and yet no mention of his faith Psal 6.30 31. Then stood up Phineas and EXECUTED JUDGMENT and so the plague was stayed and IHAT was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore So very many of the actions in Hebr. 11. which are there by the author of that Epistle reckoned to be the actions of Faith and in several places of that Chapter said to be imputed for righteousness verses 4 5 7. yet in the original places where their stories are recorded not a word mentioned of their faith Compare Abel's history Gen. 4.4 with Heb. 11.4 compare Enoch's Gen. 5.24 with Heb. 11.5 Noah's Gen. 6.13 22. with Heb. 11.7 c. There is not a word mentioned of their faith in Genesis but only of their works and yet their faith in those works is plainly said by the Author of this Epistle to the Hebrews to be a justifying faith Justification is indeed attributed to works the faith not mentioned And so sometimes pardon of sins and eternal life are promised to other graces besides faith Acts 3.19 Math. 5. from ver 3. to ver 11. for these two reasons 1. For that they have a share or a second place in the matter of Justification but 2. and especially For that they necessarily suppose faith as being the fruits and issues of a true and lively faith Yea. 6. I will allow that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Righteousness in the New Testament yea and in St Pauls Epistles signifies Holiness Rom. 6.13 18 20. and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to be just Rev. 22.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
unerring obedience faith was but a part of our duty which we owed to God under the first Covenant that is relying upon the power goodness and veracity of God and therefore where-ever faith comes to be our righteousness or our chief righteousness it argues that there is a great deficiency in the creature that is so to be justified and accordingly the Apostle often glances upon this that glorying is in this way excluded not by the law of works but by the law of faith Faith therefore cannot justifie by any natural excellency that it hath in it for though all the men in the world being now sinners and obnoxious to punishment by the law of their creation should resolve of their own accord to believe that there is so much goodness in God that he will not destroy the work of his own hands so depending upon his mercy and therefore they will endeavour to do all those things which they think may be pleasing and acceptable to him why all this faith and confidence attended with the most sincere obedience will not extort a Justification from Almighty God except it be in his good pleasure to justifie such believers and such obedient persons because they were all obnoxious to punishment for the breach of his law Faith therefore cannot justifie but by reason of divine ordination and constitution that hath passed upon it such as this The just shall live by faith and That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 10.9 and for this reason I suppose it is so often called Gods righteousness Rom. 10.3 because it was a righteousness not in its own nature as works were but a righteousness purely of divine appointment This is Mr John Goodwin's notion of it Pag. 34. of the Banner of Justification displayed God was pleased to decree or make this for a law which the Apostle calleth the law of faith Rom. 3.27 that faith or believing in him through Christ should interesse men in the benefit or blessing of the death and blood shed of Christ that is in that remission of sins which was purchased by his death And in this consideration faith justifieth viz. by virtue of the Soveraign authority of that most gracious Decree or Law of God wherein he hath said or decreed that it shall intitle men unto or inright them in part and fellowship of that benefit of the death of Christ which consisteth in the forgiveness of sins or which comes much to the same as it is a qualification or condition ordained covenanted or appointed by God to bring upon those in whom it shall be found the great blessing of that pardon of sin which Christ hath obtained for men by his blood This is Mr Baxter's opinion too that is That saith justifies as it is made the chief condition of the N. Covenant Page 225 of his Aphorisms Thesis 57. It is the act of faith which justifieth men at age and not the habit yet NOT AS IT IS A GOOD WORK this is directly against Dr Moor's affirmation who faith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing else but to be approved as a good man or a doer of that which is righteous and good and that BECAUSE he doth that which is good and righteous methinks here is a Justification for good works purely and if faith comes in here to justifie it doth it only as it is a good work Mr Baxter is of another minde viz. That faith doth not justifie only under that quaâ—enus or reduplication AS a good work Faith saith Mr Baxter in the Thesis quoted doth not justlfie AS it is a good work or as it hath in it self any excellency above other graces But in the NEAREST SENSE DIRECTLY AND PROPERLY as it is the fulfilling the condition of the New Covenant c. But now though I have affirmed that it doth not justifie purely from its own nature Though faith doth not justisie purely from it's own nature yet it hath a great excellency in it self which might somewhat recommend it to this service but chiefly from the ordination of God and that it could not have justified without this ordination yet I shall adde that it had in its own nature a great fitness to be chosen of God for this eminent service to justifie men by It was the fittest medium that we can imagine when the first natural way of works failed to promote the honour of God and the good of the creature in Justification which consideration commends highly the wisdom of God in setting it apart for this use as the chief condition of our Justification To evince the truth of this let us consider a little the natural excellencyes that there are in faith And first of all faith takes in all spiritual objects 1 Excellency of Faith and represents them to the soul so that all other graces are beholden to faith for their objects Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen hope could not be if faith did not give a real and evident being and subsistence to the things that we hope for as also to all other the invisible and unseen things which a Christian a Saint as such converseth with and lives upon Again ver 6. of that chap. 11. Without faith 't is impossible to please God For he that comes unto God must believe that he is Now it is by faith that we believe and know that God is ver 27. by faith Moses forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is invisible by faith Moses saw him that is invisible I will acknowledge that reason may finde out that there is a God but if a mans wayes please God his reason delivers over this observation to his faith which is an higher thing an higher principle in the soul then reason though it never contradicts true reason yet it is somewhat above meer reason * If any one here will say that faith in such a case as the belief that there is a God is much the same with reason or a rational conviction of the truth of such a Proposition I will not much contend only because here the divine Penman sayes it is by saith we believe there is a God and his assertion must have a truth in it we may distinguish Reason Faith thus That Faith is a more particular faculty or habit of divine principles such as respect God and Religion but Reason is a more general faculty conversant about all objects whatsoever and this consideration must come in That meer Reason only makes one a man but Faith makes a man a Saint and therefore this Faith must have a divine afflatus and spirit in it beyond meer reason It is by faith that we believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him And these two
assoiling of this difficulty I shall now address my self that is to the proof of my second assertion which was this What was done by Christ viz. 2 Assertion his undertaking and answering the law was done for all ages of the Church and so it was and is the great foundation of that Justification by faith which the Apostle Paul contends to have been the only way of Justification in all ages And for proof of this I offer these things to consideration 1. The Saines in all ages before the death of Christ had this way of Grace then as well as we have it now that I have proved at large in the beginning of this Treatise therefore whence had it they but from this death of Christ which was certainly to follow at a prefixt time If it be said they had their way of Grace purely from the goodness of God I oppose 1. That if so many thousands vvere saved before by meer grace vvithout the consideration of a Saviour vvhy had not the Lord continued the same grace unto the end of the vvorld vvhich we see he hath not continued Why are the vouchsafements of Gods Grace in pardon of two such quite different kinds so as to save his people for 4000. years without a Saviour and the rest by a Saviour Nay to save them without a Saviour whom yet he had by multitudes of Promises Prophesies and Prefigurations made to hope for a Saviour 2dly If the Lord could in a consistency with his veracity in threatning death to sin pardon sin without either the sinners death or his sureties and that the law would be so well enough contented and satisfied why would the Lord put our Saviour to so much trouble in suffering a death which he might as well have escaped and which he so earnestly desired if it were possible that he might escape and all this to take off the Law from being our Head and Husband 3dly It is said expresly That the Covenant was confirmed to Abraham of God in Christ Gal. 3.17 which methinks must necessarily imply thus much that the consideration of Christ went into the confirmation of this Covenant whether Abraham or any of the Saints under the Old-Testament knew it or no as it is plain Abraham did He rejoiced to see my day and saw it and was glad John 8.56 Now this Covenant with Abraham is that which the Apostle doth mightily insist upon to prove Justification by Faith to be antecedent to the giving of the Law and therefore not to be nulled by the coming of the Law and yet this Covenant was confirmed of God in Christ that is as I think was sounded upon this consideration that Christ should aftervvards come into the World and pay that price vvhich God vvould accept for the redemption of all believers * 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4. All the Fathers did drink of the some spiritual drink for the drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that rock was Christ Again 4thly Christ is said to be the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the World Rev. 13.8 vvhich to me signifies thus much that though he vvere not actually slain yet he vvas reckoned by God as slain then and so God vvas attoned for all the Saints of all ages ensuing or to follovv the other reading of the Words in Rev. 13.8 so that from the foundation of the world should refer to the vvriting the Saints Names in the Lamb's Book of Life and not to the Lamb 's being slain this vvill make more for my purpose for if they that vvere elected from the foundation of the World vvere all enrolled in the Lambs Book of life hovv should this come to pass but because they were all to be redeemed to God by the Lambs blood And if this opinion of personal Election be true that Scripture vvould serve to countenance this interpretation vvhich vve have Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him that is Christ before the foundation of the world ver 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ c. And methinks Mr. Biddle who in a late Book of his which he calls An Essay to the explaining of the Revelations pag. 64. lays so much weight upon this passage in Rev. 13.8 for proof of personal Election as to say That this alone in his judgement seemeth sufficient to decide the so much agitated Controversie about Predestination might very well have gone one step further in his alteration of his mind by acknowledging the reason why all the Elect should be said to be written in the Lamb's Book of life to be this namely Because he was to pay the price of their Redemption as the most proper and pleasing Sacrifice for sins that ever was offered up to God But to proceed as Christ was slain in Divine designation and acceptation from the beginning of the world for I shall take liberty to follow that reading so when he came into the world to be slain actually it is said to be in the fulness of time Gal. 4 4 5. WHEN THE FULNESS OF TIME was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law c. Time went with this great birth of the Saviour of the World near 4000. years and then it was time Christ should be sent into the world to pay that debt which through the forbearance of God had been contracting for so long a space of time But 5thly for a pertinent and concluding Scripture-proof I shall insist a little upon Heb. 9.24 25. 26. For Christ is not entred into the holy place made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self there to appear in the presence of God for us Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the High-Priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others for then must he often have suffered SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD but now ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD hath he appeared to put away fins by the sacrifice of himself Here are several differences which the Author of this Epistle observes betwixt Christ out High-Priest the High-Priest under the law who was the most eminent type of Christ The High-Priest under the law entred into the holy places made with hands ours into heaven it self The High-Priest under the law entred into the holy place often that is though but once in the year yet every year once which is often in many years ours but once in all Again the High-Priest entred with the blood of others ours by his own blood or the sacrifice of himself But yet herein there is a correspondence between our High-Priest and the legal High-Priest that as theirs went into the holy of Holies once in the end of the year for to make reconciliation for the sins of the year past so our High-Priest entred into Heaven with his own blood ONCE IN THE END OF THE WORLD to make attonement for