and are the measures of his duty to God to himself and to his fellow creatures This was publisht by the voice of Reason and is holy just and good Holy as it enjoins those things wherein there is a conformity to those Attributes and Actions of God which are the pattern of our imitation So the general Rule is Be holy as God is holy in all manner of conversation and this is most honourable to the humane nature 'T is just that is exactly agreable to the frame of mans faculties and most suitable to his condition in the world and good that is beneficial to the observer of it In keeping of it there is great reward And the obligation to it is eternal it being the unchangeable will of God grounded on the natural and unvariable relations between God and Man and between Man and the Creatures Besides the particular directions of the Law of Nature this general Principle was planted in the reasonable Soul to obey God in any instance wherein he did prescribe his pleasure Moreover God was pleased to enter into a Covenant with Adam and with all his Posterity naturally descending from him And this was the effect 1. Of admirable Goodness For by his Supremacy over Man he might have signified his Will meerly by the way of Empire and requir'd Obedience But he was pleased to condescend so far as to deal with Man in a sweeter manner as with a Creature capable of his Love and to work upon him by rewards and punishments congruously to the reasonable Nature 2. Of Wisdom to secure Man's obedience For the Covenant being a mutual engagement between God and Man as it gave him infallible assurance of the reward to strengthen his Faith so it was the surest bond to preserve his Fidelity 'T is true the Precept alone binds by vertue of the authority that imposes it but the consent of the Creature increases the Obligation It twists the cords of the Law and binds more strongly to Obedience Thus Adam was God's servant as by the condition of his nature so by his choice accepting the Covenant from which he could not recede without the guilt and infamy of the worst perfidiousness The terms of the Covenant were becoming the Parties concern'd God and Man It established an inseparable Connexion between Duty and Felicity This appears by the Sanction In the day thou eatest of the forbidden fruit thou shalt die In that particular species of Sin the whole genus is included according to the Apostles Exposition Cursed is every one that doth not continue in all the works of the Law to do them The threatning of Death was exprest it being more difficult to be conceiv'd The promise of Life upon his Obedience was implied and easily suggested it self to the rational Mind These were the most proper and powerful motives to excite his Reason and affect his Will For Death primarily signifies the dissolution of the vital union between the Soul and Body and consequently all the preparatory dispositions thereunto Diseases Pains and all the Affections of Mortality which terminate in Death as their center This is the extremest of temporal Evils which innocent Nature shrunk from it being a deprivation of that excellent state which Man enjoyed But principally it signified the separation of the Soul from God's reviving presence who is the only Fountain of Felicity Thus the Law is interpreted by the Lawgiver The Soul that sins shall die Briefly Death in the threatning is comprehensive of all kinds and degrees of evils from the least Pain to the compleatness of Damnation Now 't is an inviolable Principle deeply set in the Human Nature to preserve its being and blessedness so that nothing could be a more powerful restraint from Sin than the fear of Death which is destructive to both This constitution of the Covenant was founded not only in the Will of God but in the nature of the things themselves And this appears by considering 1. That Holiness is more excellent in it self and separately considered than the reward that attends it 'T is the peculiar glory of the Divine Nature God is glorious in Holiness And as He prefers the infinite purity of his Nature before the immortal felicity of his state so he values in the reasonable Creature the vertues by which they represent his Holiness more than their perfect Contentment by which they are like Him in Blessedness Now God is the most just esteemer of things his judgment is the infallible measure of their real worth 't is therefore according to natural order that the Happiness of Man should depend upon his Integrity and the reward be the fruit of his Obedience And although it is impossible that a meer Creature in what state soever should obtain any thing from God by any other title but his voluntary Promise the effect of his Goodness yet 't was such Goodness as God was invited to exercise by the consideration of Mans obedience And as the neglect of his Duty had discharged the Obligation on God's part so the performance gave him a claim by right of the Promise to everlasting Life 2. As the first part of the alliance was most reasonable so was the Second that Death should be the wages of Sin It is not conceivable that God should continue his favour to Man if he turn'd Rebel against Him For this were to disarm the Law and expose the Authority of the Lawgiver to contempt and would reflect upon the Wisdom of God Besides If the reasonable Creature violates the Law it necessarily contracts an obligation to punishment So that if the Sinner who deserves death should enjoy life without satisfaction for the offence or Repentance to qualifie him for pardon both which were without the compass of the first Covenant this would infringe the unchangable rights of Justice and disparage the Divine Purity In the first Covenant there was a special clause which respected Man as the inhabitant of Paradise That he should not eat of the Tree of Knowledg of good and evil upon pain of Death And this Prohibition was upon most wise and just reasons 1. To declare God's Sovereign Right in all things In the quality of Creator he is Supreme Lord. Man enjoyed nothing but by a derived title from his Bounty and Allowance and with an obligation to render to him the Homage of all As Princes when they give estates to their Subjects still retain the Royalty and receive a small rent which though inconsiderable in its value is an acknowledgment of dependance upon them So when God placed Adam in Paradise he reserved this mark of his Soveraignty that in the free use of all other things Man should abstain from the forbidden Tree 2. To make trial of Mans Obedience in a matter very congruous to discover it If the Prohibition had been grounded on any moral internal evil in the nature of the thing it self there had not been so clear a testimony of God's Dominion
is said that His Blood cleanseth from all sin and that it purgeth the Conscience foom dead Works and that we are washt from our sins in His Blood The frequent Sprinklings and Purifications with Water under the Law prefigured our cleansing from the defilements of sin by the Grace of the Spirit but the shedding of the Blood of Sacrifices was to purge away sins so far as they made liable to a Curse Thirdly Our exemption from punishment and our restoration to Communion with God in Grace and Glory is the fruit of his expiating sin For this reason the Blood of the Mediator speaks better things then that of Abel For that cryed for revenge against the Murderer but his procures remission to Believers And as the just desert of sin is separation from the presence of God who is the fountain of felicity so when the guilt is taken away the person is received into God's favour and fellowship A representation of this is set down in the 24 of Exod. where we have described the manner of dedicating the Covenant between God and Israel by bloody Sacrifices after Moses had finisht the Offering and sprinkled the Blood on the Altar and the People the Elders of Israel who were forbid before to approach neer to the Lord were then invited to come into his presence and in token of reconciliation feasted before him Thus the Eternal Covenant is establisht by the Blood of the Mediator and all the benefits it contains as remission of sins freedom to draw near to the Throne of Grace and the enjoyment of God in Glory are the fruits of his reconciling Sacrifice The sum of all is this That as under the Law God was not appeased without shedding of Blood nor sin expiated without suffering the punishment nor the sinner pardoned without the substitution of a sacrifice so all these are eminently accomplisht in the Death of Christ. He reconciled God to us by his most precious Blood and expiated sin by enduring the Curse and hath procured our pardon by being made sin for us So that 't is most evident that the proper and direct end of the Death of Christ was that God might exercise his Mercy to the guilty sinner in a way that is honourable to his Justice 'T is objected that if God from infinite Mercy gave his Son to us then antecedently to the coming of Christ he had the highest love for mankind and consequently there was no need that Christ by his Death should satisfie Justice to reconcile him to us But a clear answer may be given to this by considering 1. That Anger and Love are consistent at the same time and may in several respects be terminated on the same subject A Father resents a double affection towards a rebellious Son he loves him as his Son is angry with with him as disobedient Thus in our laps'd state God had compassion on us as his creatures and was angry with us as sinners As the injured party he laid aside his anger but as the preserver of Justice he required satisfaction 2. We must dinstinguish between a love of good-will and compassion and a love of complacency The first is that which moved God to ordain the means that without prejudice to his other perfections he might confer pardon and all spiritual benefits upon us the other is that whereby he delights in us being reconciled to him and renewed according to his Image The first supposes him placable the latter that he is appeased There is a visible instance of this in the case of Job's Friends The Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite My anger is kindled against thee and thy two Friends because ye have not spoken of me the things that are right as my Servant Job Here is a declaration of God's anger yet with the mixture of Love for it follows therefore take unto you now seven Bullocks and seven Rams and go to my Servant Job and offer up for your selves a burnt-offering and my Servant Job shall pray for you for him will I accept He loved them when he directed the way that they might be restored to his Favour yet he was not reconciled for then there had been no need of Sacrifices to atone his anger 2. T is further objected that supposing the Satisfaction of Christ to Justice both the freeness and greatness of God's Love in pardoning sinners will be much lessen'd But it will appear that the Divine Mercy is not prejudiced in either of those respects First The freenss of Gods Love is not diminished for that is the original mover in our Salvation and hath no cause above it to excite or draw it forth but meerly arises from his own will This Love is so absolute that it hath no respect to the sufferings of Christ as Mediator for God so loved the World that he gave his Son to die for us and that which is the effect and testimony of his Love cannot be the impulsive cause of it This first Love of God to Man is commended to us in Christ who is the medium to bring it honorably about Secondly Grace in Scripture is never opposed to Christs Merits but to ours If we had made Satisfaction Justice it self had absolved us For the Law having two parts the command of our Duty which consists in a moral good and the sanction of the punishment that is a physical evil to do or to suffer is necessary not both or if we had provided a Surety such as the Judge could not reject we had been infinitely obliged to him but not to the favour of the Judg. But 't is otherwise here God sent the Reconciler when we were enemies and the Pardon that is dispenc'd to us upon the account of his Sufferings is the effect of meer Mercy We are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ. 'T is pure Love that appointed and accepted that imputes and applies his Righteousness to us And as the Freeness so the Riches of his Mercy is not lessened by the Satisfaction Christ made for us 'T is true we have a pattern of God's Justice never to be parallel'd in the Death of Christ but to the severity of Justice towards his only beloved Son his clemency towards us guilty Rebels is fully comensurate For He pardons us without the expence of one drop of our Blood though the Soul of Christ was poured forth as an Offering for Sin Thus in an admirable manner He satisfies Justice and glorifies Mercy and this could have been no other way effected for if He had given His Spirit alone to restore us to His Image His Love had eminently appeared but the honour of his Justice had not been secured But in our Redemption they are infinitely magnified His Love could give no more than the Life of His Son and Justice required no less for Death being the Wages of Sin there could be no satisfaction without the Death of our Redeemer CHAP. XIV The
Law it was not restrain'd to himself but is the Sin of the common nature Adam broke the first link in the chain whereby Mankind was united to God and all the other parts which depended upon it are necessarily separated from him From hence the Scripture saith that by Nature we are Children of wrath that is liable to punishment and that hath relation to guilt And of this we have convincing Experience in the common Evils which afflict Mankind before the commission of any actual Sin The Cries of Infants who are only eloquent to grief but dumb to all things els discover that Miseries attend them The Tears which are born with their Eyes signifie they are come into a state of Sorrow How many Troops of Deadly Diseases are ready to seize on them immediatly after their Entrance into the World So that 't is apparent God deals with Man as an enemy and therefore guilty of some great crime from his Birth The Ignorance of this made the Heathens accuse Nature and blaspheme God under that mask as less kind and indulgent to Man than to the Creatures below him They are not under so hard a Law of coming into the world They are presently instructed to Swim to Fly to Run for their preservation They are cloathed by Nature and their Habits grow in proportion with their Bodies some with Feathers some with Wool others with Scales which are both Habit and Armour But Man who is alone sensible of shame is born naked and though of a more delicate temper is more exposed to injuries by distemper'd Seasons and utterly unable to repel or avoid the evils that encompass him Now the account the Scripture gives of Original Sin silences all these complaints Man is a Ttransgressor from the Womb and how can he expect a favourable Reception into the Empire of an offended God Briefly Sometimes Death enters into the retirements of Nature and changes the Womb into a Grave which proves that assoon as we partake of the human Nature we are guilty of the Sin that is common to it For the wages of Sin is Death Adam in his innocent state had the Priviledges of Immortality but by him Sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men as a just Sentence upon the guilty for that all men have sinned 2. An Hereditary Corruption is transmitted to all that naturally descend from him If Adam had continued in his Obedience the spiritual as well as the natural Life had been conveighed to his Children but for his Rebellion he lost his primitive rectitude and contracted an universal Corruption which he derives to all his Posterity And as in a Disease there is the defect of Health and a distemper of the humours that affects the Body so in the depravation of Nature there is not the meer want of holiness but a strong proclivity to sin This privation of original Righteousness considerd as a Sin is naturally from Adam the principle of lapsed and corrupt Nature But as a punishment 't is meritoriously from him and falls under the ordination of Divine Justice Man â—ast it away and God righteously refuses to restore it 'T is a sollicitous impertinency to enquire nâ—cely about the manner of conveying this universal Corruption For the bare knowledg oâ— it is ineffectual to the cure And what greater folly than to make our own evils the object of simple Speculation I shall consider only that general account of it which is set down in the Scripture 'T is the universal and unchangable Law of Nature that every thing produce its like not only in regard of the same nature that is propagated from one individual to another without a change of the species but in respect of the qualities with which that nature is eminently affected This is visible in the several kinds of Creatures in the world they all preserve the nature of the principle from whence they are derived and retain the vein of their original the quality of their extraction Thus our Saviour tells us that the fruit partakes of the rottenness of the tree and whatever is born of the flesh is flesh The title of Flesh doth not signifie the material part of our humanity but the Corruption of Sin with which the whole nature is infected This is evident by the description the Apostle gives of it That the flesh is not subject to the Law of God and that which aggravates the evil is that it can't be Sinful Corruption is exprest by this title partly in regard it is transmitted by the way of carnal propagation Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in Sin did my mother conceive me And partly in regard 't is exercised by the carnal members This Corruption is a poison so subtile that it pierces into all the powers of the Soul so contagious that it infects all the Actions so obstinate that only Omnipotent Grace can heal it More particularly 1. 'T is an innate Habit not meerly acquir'd by Imitation The root of bitterness is planted in the Humane Nature and produces its fruits in the various seasons of Life No age is free from its working Every imagination of the thoughts of Mans heart are only evil and continually evil We see this verified in Children when the most early acts of their Reason and the first instances of their apprehension are in Sin If we ascend higher and consider Man in his Infant-state the vicious inclinations which appear in the Cradle the violent motions of anger which disturbs Sucklings their endeavour to exercise a weak revenge on those that displease them convince us that the Corruption is natural and proceeds from an infected Original 2. As 't is Natural so Universal Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean That is How can a Righteous person be born of a Sinner The Answer is peremptory Not one The Fountain was poison'd in Adam and all the Streams partake of the infection All that are derived from him in a natural way and have a relation to him as their common father are sharers in this depravation What difference soever there is in their Climates Colours and external conditions of life yet the blood from whence they spring taints them all 3. Corrupt Nature is pregnant with the seeds of all Sin although they do not shoot forth together And for this several accounts may be given 1. Although all Sins agree in their cause and end yet some are contrary in their exercise 2. The humane spirit is not capable of many Passions in their height at the same time and 't is the art of our spiritual Enemies to suit their Temptations to the capacity of Man 3. As the same Poison produces different effects in different Bodies according to those various Humours which are predominant in them so the same Corruption of Nature works variously according to the different tempers of Men. For although the conception of Sin depends immediatly upon
His Sufferings were equivalent to the Sentence of the Law The Effect of them is our Freedom An Answer to the Objection That 't is a violation of Justice to transfer the Punishment from the guilty to the innocent The Death of Christ is the Price that redeems from Hell This singular effect of his Death distinguishes it from the death of the Martyrs An Answer to the Objections How could God receive this Price since he gave his Son to that Death which redeems us And how our Redeemer supposing him God can make Satisfaction to Himself The Death of Christ represented as a Sacrifice The Expiatory Sacrifices under the Law were substituted in the place of guilty Men. The Effects of them answerable to their threefold respect to God Sin and Men The Atonement of Anger the Expiation of Sin and Freedom from Punishment All sorts of Placatory Sacrifices are referr'd to Christ and the effects of them in a sublime and perfect manner No prejudice to the Freeness and Greatness of God's Love that Christ by his Death reconciled Him to men HAving premised these things I shall now prove that the Divine Justice is really declar'd and glorified in the obedient Sufferings of Christ. For the opening this point 't is necessary to consider the account the Scripture gives of his Death which is threefold 1. 'T is represented under the relation of a Punishment inflicted on him for Sin and the effect of it is Satisfaction to the Law 2. As a Price to redeem us from Hell 3. Under the notion of a Sacrifice to reconcile God to Sinners First As a Punishment inflicted on him for Sin This will appear by considering 1. That Man by his Rebellion against God was capitally guilty He stood sentenced by the Law to Death 2. Christ with the allowance of the Supreme Judg interposed as our Surety and in that relation was made liable to Punishment Sins are by resemblance called Debts As a Debt obliges the Debtor to payment so Sin doth the Sinner to Punishment And as the Creditor hath a right to exact the Payment from the Debtor so God hath a right to inflict Punishment on the guilty But with this difference the Creditor by the meer signification of his will may discharge the Debtor for he hath an absolute power over his estate whereas publick Justice is concern'd in the Punishment of the guilty This is evident by many instances For 't is not sufficient that a Criminal satisfie his Adversary unless the Prince who is the Guardian of the Laws give him Pardon The interest of a private Person who hath received an injury is so distinct from that of the State that sometimes the injured party solicites the Pardon of the offender without success Which shews that principally 't is not to satisfie the particular person that the Crime is punish'd but to satisfie the Law and prevent future Disorders Now our Debt was not pecuniary but penal And as in civil Cases where one becomes Surety for another he is obliged to pay the Debt for in the estimate of the Law they are but one person So the Lord Jesus Christ entring into this relation He sustained the person of Sinners and became judicially one with them and according to the order of Justice was liable to their punishment The displeasure of God was primarily and directly against the Sinner but the effects of it fell upon Christ who undertook for him The Apostle tells us That when the Fulness of time came God sent his Son made under the Law that he might redeem them that were under the Law He took our Nature Condition He was made under the Law Moral and Ceremonial The directive part of the Moral Law He fulfilled by the Innocency of his Life the penalty he satisfied as our Surety being under an Obligation to save us And he appeared as a Sinner in his subjection to the Law of Moses That Hand-writing was against us He therefore enter'd into the Bond that we had forfeited In his Circumcision He signed it with those drops of Blood which were an earnest of his shedding the rest on the Cross. For whosoever was Circumcised became a Debtor to the whole Law And we may observe 't is said That as Moses lifted up the brazen Serpent so the Law of which Moses was a type and Minister lifted up the Messiah on the Cross. 3. The Scripture is very clear and express in setting down the part that God had in the Sufferings of Christ as Supreme Judg the impulsive cause that moved Him their proportion to the punishment of the Law and the effect of them for our Deliverance He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledg of God All the various and vicious actions of men were over-ruled by his Providence The falsness of Judas the fearfulness of Pilate and the malice of the Jews were subservient to Gods eternal design And as He wills not the Death of a Sinner much less of his Son but for most weighty Reasons these are declared by the Prophet All we like sheep have gone astray and turned every one to his own waies Our Errours were different but the issue was the same that is Eternal Death And the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all that is the Punishment of our Iniquities His Sufferings had such a respect to Sin as included the imputation of it 'T was an act of Sovereignty in God to appoint Christ as Man to be our Surety but an act of Justice to inflict the punishment when Christ had undertaken for us 'T is said He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows The expressions are comprehensive of all the Miseries of his Life especially his last Sufferings The Hebrew words Nasa and Sabal signifie such a taking away as is by laying upon one who bears it from us And thus it is interpreted by St. Peter He himself bare our sins in his own Body on the tree This necessarily implies the derivation of our guilt to him and the consequent of it the transferring of our punishment Those words are full and pregnant to the same purpose He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our Iniquities the chastisement of our peace was on him and with his stripes we are healed Where the meritorious cause of his Sufferings is set down as appears by the connexion of the words with the former The Jews thought him stricken smitten of God and afflicted that is justly punisht for Blasphemy and usurping Divine Honour In opposition to this conceit 't is added But he was wounded for our transgressions This the Apostle expresly telleth us when he declares that Christ died for our Sins This will appear more fully by considering what the desert of Sin is By our Rebellion we made the forfeiture of Soul Body to Divine Justice Death both the first and the second was the Sentence of the Law Now the Sufferings of Christ were answerable
Glorious Trinity were equally provok'd by our Sin and to obtain our Pardon the Son with the consent of the Father deposits his Interest into his Hands and as a Mediator intervenes between us and him who in this Transaction is the Depositary of the Rights of Heaven and having performed what Justice required he reconciled the World to God that is to the Father Himself and the Eternal Spirit In this Cause his Person is the same but his Quality is different he made Satisfaction as Mediator and receiv'd it as God 'T is in this sense that the Apostle saith We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Not to exclude the other Persons but in regard the Father as the First Person is the Protector of Justice our Mediator in appeasing Him appeases the others also 3. The Death of Christ is represented under the notion of a Sacrifice offer'd up to God For the more full understanding of this we must consider that Sacrifices were of two kinds 1. Some were Eucharistical They are called Peace-offerings by which the Sacrificer acknowledged the Bounty of God and his own unworthiness and rendered Praise for a favour received and desired the Divine Blessing 2. Expiatory The Sin-offerings for the averting of Gods wrath The Institution of them was upon a double Reason 1. That Man is a sinner and therefore obnoxious to the just indignation and extreme displeasure of the Holy and Righteous God 2. That God was to be propitiated that he might pardon them These Truths are engraven in the natural Consciences of Men as appeares by theâ—â— pretended Expiations of sin among the Heathens But are more clearly reveal'd in the Scripture Under the Law without the effusion of Blood there was no Remission To signifie that God would not forgive Sin without the atonement of Justice which required the Death of the Offender but it being tempered with Mercy accepted a Sacrifice in his stead And that there was a Substitution of the Beast in the place of the guilty Offender appeares by the Law concerning Sacrifices 1. None were instituted for Capital Offences as Murder Idolatry Adultery c. Because the Sinner himself was to be cut off But for other Sins which although in strictness they deserved Death yet God who was the King of Israel was pleased to remit the Forfeiture and to accept the life of the Sacrifice for the Life of the Sinner 2. The guilty Person was to offer a clean Beast of his own to signifie the Surrogation of it in his stead For in the relation of a Possessour he had a dominion over it to apply it to that use 3. The Priest or the person that offer'd was to lay his hands on the head of the Sacrifice thereby Consecrating it to God and Devoting it in his stead to bear the Punishment For this reason 't was called a Sin and a Curse 4. The Confession of Sin by the People or the Priest as in the day of Atonement signified that the guilt of all met on the Sacrifice for Expiation 5. The Blood was to be shed wherein the vital spirits are an express representation what the Sinner deserved and that it was accepted for his Life 6. Lastly The deprecating of God's Anger was joyned with the Sacrifice As when a Man was slain and the Murderer was not found the Elders of the City next to the dead Body were to kill an Heifer in a Valley and to pray that innocent Blood might not be laid to their charge otherwise the Land could not be clensed from the guilt of Blood but by the Blood of the Murderer 2. The Effects of these Sacrifices declare their nature And they are answerable to their threefold respect to God to Sin to Man To God that his Anger might be appeased to Sin that the fault might be expiated to Man that the guilty person might obtain Pardon and Freedom from Punishment Thus when a Sacrifice was duly offered 't is said to be of a sweet savour unto the Lord and to atone him Lev. 1.17 and the Remission of Sins with the Release of the Sinner followed The Priest shall expiate it that is declaratively and it shall be forgiven him Now there was a double Guilt contracted by those that were under the Mosaical Dispensation 1. Typical From the breach of a Ceremonial Constitution which had no relation to Morality Such were natural Pollutions accidental Diseases the touching of a dead Body c. which were esteemed vicious according to the Law and the Defiled were excluded from Sacred and Civil Society Now these Impurities considered in themselves deserved no punishment For involuntary and inevitable Infirmities and corporeal things which do not infect the inward man are the marks of our abject and weak state but are not in themselves sinfull Therefore Ceremonial Guilt was expiated by a Ceremonial Offering For 't is according to the nature of things that Obligations should be dissolved by the same means by which they are contracted As therefore those Pollutions were penal merely by the positive Will of God So the exercise of his Supreme Right being tempered with Wisdome and Equity he ordained that the guilt should be abolisht by a Sacrifice and that they should be fully restored to their former Priviledges Thus the Apostle tells us that the Blood of those Sacrifices Sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh that is communicated a legal Purity to the Offerers and consequently a right to approach the holy Place Now the reason of these Institutions was that the legal Impurity might represent the true defilements of Sin and the Expiatory Sacrifices prefigure that great and admirable Oblation which should purge away all Sin 2. A real Guilt which respects the Conscience and was contracted from the breach of the Moral Law and subjected the Offender to Death temporal and eternal This could not be purged away by those Sacrifices For how is it possible the Blood of a Beast should cleanse the Soul of a Man or content the Justice of an offended God Nay on the contrary they reviv'd the guilt of Sin and reinforced the rigour of the Law and were a publick profession of the Misery of Men For this reason the Law is called the Ministry of Death As the Moral contained a declaration of our guilt and Gods right to punish so all the parts of the Ceremonial were either arguments and convictions of Sin or images of the punishment due for them But as they had a relation to Christ who was their Complement so they signified the expiation of moral guilt by his Sacrifice and freed the Sinner from that temporal Death to which he was liable as a Representative of our freedom from Eternal Death by the Blood of the Cross. This will appear more clearly by considering 1. That all kinds of placatory Sacrifices are referred to Christ in the New Testament 2. That all their Effects are attributed to him in a sublimer and most perfect
this inflames rather than allays the Distemper For as things are more clearly known so more sensibly felt by comparison He that is tormented with the Gout cannot relieve his misery by remembring the pleasant Wine he drank before his fit 4. The Stoicks Universal Cure of afflictions was to change their opinion of them and esteem them not real evils Thus Posidonius so much commended by Tully who for many years was under torturing Diseases and survived a contiunal Death being visited by Pompey at Rhodes he entertained him with a Philosophical Discourse and when his pains were most acute he said Nihil agis dolor quanquam sis molestus nunquam teâ— esse confitebor malum In vain dost thou assault me pain though thou art troublesome thou shalt never force me to confess thou art evil But the folly of this boasting is visible for though he might appear with a chearful countenance in the Paroxism of his Disease to commend his Philosophy like a Mountebank that swallows poison to put off his Druggs yet the reality of his grief was evident his Sense was overcome though his Tongue remained a Stoick If words could charm the Sense not to feel pains or compose the mind not to resent afflictions 't were material to give molifying Titles to them But since 't is not Fancy that makes them stinging but their contrariety to Nature 't is no relief to represent them otherwise than they are 5. Others compos'd themselves by considering the benefit of patience Discontent puts an edge on troubles to kick against the pricks exasperates the pain to be restless and turmoiling increases the Feaver But this is not properly a consolation for although a calm and quiet submission prevents those new degrees of trouble which by fretting and vexing we bring upon our selves yet it doth not remove the evil which may be very afflicting and grievous in its own nature so that without other considerations to support the mind it will sink under it And as these so many other Arguments they used to fortifie the Spirit against Sufferings are like a hedg which at a distance seems to be a safe retreat from Gunshot but those who retire to it find it a weak Defence This appears by the carriage of the best instructed Heathens in their calamities Professing themselves to be wise in their Speculations they became fools in practice and were confounded with all their Philosophy when they should have made use of it Some kill'd themselves for the apprehension of sufferings their death was not the effect of courage but cowardise the remedy of their fear Others impatient of disappointment in their great designs refused to live I will instance in two of the most eminent among them Cato and Brutus they were both Philosophers of the manly sect and Vertue never appeared with a brighter lustre among the Heathens than when joyned with a Stoical resolution And they were not imperfect Proficients but Masters in Philosophy Seneca employs all the ornaments of his Eloquence to make Catoes Elogy He represents him as the consummate exemplar of Wisdom as one that realized the sublime Idea of Virtue described in their Writings And Brutus was esteemed equal to Cato Yet these with all the power of their Philosophy were not able to bear the shock of Adversity Like raw Fencers one thrust put them into such disorder that they forgot all their instructions in the place of trial For being unsuccesful in their endeavours to restore Rome to its liberty overcome with discontent and dispair they laid violent hands upon themselves Cato being prevented in his first attempt afterwards tore open his Wounds with fierceness and rage And Brutus ready to plunge the Sword into his Breast complained that Vertue was but a vain name so insufficient are the best Precepts of meer natural Reason to relieve us in distress As Torrents that are dryed up in the heat of Summer when there is the most need of them so all comforts fail in extremity that are not derived from the Fountain of Life I will only add how ineffectual Philosophy is to support us in a dying hour The fear of Death is a Passion so strong that by it Men are kept in bondage all their days 'T is an Enemy that threatens none whom it doth not strike and there is none but it threatens Certainly that Spectre which Caesar had not courage to look in the face is very affrighting Alexander himself that so often despised it in the Field when passion that transported him cast a Vail over his Eyes yet when he was struck with a mortal Disease in Babylon and had Death in his view his Palace was filled with Priests and Diviners and no superstition was so sottish but he used to preserve himself And although the Philosophers seem'd to contemn Death yet the great preparations they made to encounter it argue a secret fear in their Breasts Many Discourses Reasonings and Arguments are employed to sweeten that cruel necessity of it but they are all ineffectual 1. That 't is the condition of our nature to be a Man and immortal are inconsistent But this consolation afflicts to extremity If there were any means to escape the soul might take courage He is doubly miserable whose misery is without remedy 2. That it puts a period to all temporal evils But as this is of no force with those who are prosperous and never felt those miseries which make Life intolerable so it cannot rationally relieve any that have not good hopes of felicity after death The Heathens discovered not the sting of Death as 't is the wages of sin and consigns the guilty to eternal Death so that they built upon a false foundation as if it were the cure of all evils 3. They encouraged themselves from their ignorance of the consequences of death whether it only changed their place or extinguish'd their persons Socrates who dyed with a seeming indifference gave this account of it That he did not know whether death was good or evil But this is not fortitude but folly as Aristotle observes That a readiness to encounter dangers arising from ignorance is not true valour but a brutish boldness What madness is it then for one that enters upon an eternal state not knowing whether it shall be Happy or Miserable to be uneffected with that dreadful uncertainty But now the Gospel furnishes us with real remedies against all the evils of our present state 'T is the true Paradise wherein the Tree of Life is planted whose Leaves are for the healing of the Nations We are assured that God disposes all things with the Wisdom and Love of a Father and that his Providence is most admirable and worthy of praise in those things wherein they who are only led by sence doubt whether it be at all For as 't is the first point of prudence to keep off evils so the second and more excellent is to make them beneficial Christians
as to violate the Fidelity of Marriage without the wounding of Chastity or to poison a Parent without failing in the duty that is owing to them And to express his indignation he tells them Sic ergo ipsi salva venia in Gehennam detruduntur dum salvo metu peccant Let them expect that God will cast them into Hell without prejudice to their Pardon as they pretend to Sin without prejudice to the respect they bear him To sum up all Jesus Christ as by his Doctrine and Life he clearly discover'd our Duty so he offers to us the Aid of his Spirit for our assistance by which the Commands of the Gospel are not only possible but easy And to enforce our obligations he hath threatned such Vengeance to the rebellious and promised such a Reward to those that obey the Gospel that it is impossible we should not be deeply affected with them if we seriously believe them and He hath given such evidence of their truth that 't is impossible we should not believe them unless the God of this world hath blinded our minds 'T is matter therefore of just astonishment that Christians should not express the efficacy of the Gospel in their actions How can a reasonable Creature believe that eternal Damnation shall be the Punishment of Sin and yet live in the wilful practice of it The Historian speaking of Mushroms that somtimes prov'd deadly to whole Families asks with wonder What pleasure could allure them to eat such doubtful Meat Yet they may be so corrected as to become innocent But when 't is certain that the Pleasures of Sin are mortal Can any one be tempted by those attractives to venture on that which will undoubtedly bring Death to the Soul Let Sense itself be Judg and make the comparison between whatsoever the present Life can afford for delight in Sin and what the future Death will bring to torment it Let the Flesh see into what torments all its delights shall be changed and with what other fire than of impure Lust it shall burn for ever Besides We are encouraged to our Duty with the assurance of a Happiness so excellent that not only the enjoyment of it in the next World but the just expectation of it here makes us truly blessed If the Reward were small or the Promise uncertain there might be some pretence for our not performing the Conditions to obtain it but when the one is infinitely great and the other as true as the God of truth what more powerful motive can be conceiv'd to make us holy 'T is the Apostles chosen Argument that We should walk worthy of him who hath call'd us to his Kingdom and Glory The Heathens were in a great measure strangers to the Secrets of another World they had but a shadow of probability we have the Light of Truth brought down from Heaven by the Son of God that reveals to us a Blessedness that deserves our most ardent active Affections But if Men are not wrought on by natural Reason nor divine Faith if neither the Terrours of the Lord nor the blessed Hope can perswade them from Sin to Holiness their condition is irrecoverable In this the Rules of Natural and Spiritual Healing agree Where neither Corrosives nor Lenitives are successful we must use the Knife if cutting off be unprofitable we must fear the part if the Fire is ineffectual the Ulcer is incurable If the threatning of Hell-fire through Unbelief and Carelesness is not fear'd and hath no efficacy to correct and change Sinners what remains but to make a presage of eternal Death that will unavoidably and speedily seize on them And if so clear a discovery of the Heavenly Glory doth not produce in men a living Faith that works by Love and a lively Hope that purifies the Heart and Conversation what can be concluded but that they are wholly sensual and senseless and shall be for ever deprived of that Blessedness they now despise and neglect CHAP. XX. The Divine Power is admirably glorified in the Creation of the World in respect of the greatness of the effect and the manner of its production T is as evident in our Redemption The Principal Effects of it are considered The Incarnation of the Son of God is a work fully responsible to Omnipotence Our Redeemers Supernatural Conception by the Holy Ghost The Divine Power was eminently declared in the Miracles Jesus Christ wrought in the course of his Ministry His Miracles were the evidence of His Celestial Calling they were necessary for the conviction of the World their Nature considered The Divine Power was Glorified in making the Death of Christ Victorious over all our Spiritual Enemies The Resurrection of Christ the effect of Glorious Power The Reasons of it from the quality of his Person and the nature of his Office that he might dispense the Blessings he had purchased for Believers His Resurrection is the foundation of Faith It hath a threefold reference to his Person as the Son of God to his Death as an Alsufficient Sacrifice to his Promise of raising Believers at the last day THE Divine Power is admirably glorified in the Creation of the World not only in regard of the greatness of the Effect that comprehends the Heavens and Earth and all things in them but in regard of the marvelous way of its Production for He made the great Universe without the concurrence of any material cause from nothing For this reason the raising this glorious Fabrick is producâ—d as the distinctive character of the Deity from the troop of false gods The Psalmist declares The Lord is to be fearâ—d above all gods for all the gods of the Nations are Idols but the Lord made the Heavens And as He began the Creation by proceeding from nothing to real existence so in forming the other parts He drew them from infirm and indisposed matter as from a second nothing that all his Creatures might bear the real testimonies of Infinite Power Thus He commanded Light to arise out of Darkness and sensible Creatures from an insensible Element He created Man the accomplishment of all his Works from the lowest and grossest Element the Earth Now although at the first view we might conceive that the visible World is the greatest Miracle that ever God performed yet upon serious reflection we shall discover that the works of Grace are as wonderful as the works of Nature and that the Power of God is as evidently exprest in our Redemption as in the Creation For the fuller understanding of this I will consider some of the principal Effects of the Divine Power in order to our blessed Recovery 1. The Incarnation of the Son of God in accomplishing whereof such Power was exercis'd as no limited Understanding is able to comprehend The Word was made Flesh. This signifies the real Union between the Humane Nature and the Divine in our Redeemer Before his Incarnation he appeared in an humane form to the Patriarchs and
Power admirably appeared in making the Death of Christ victorious over all our Spiritual Enemies Now to shew what an eminent degree of Power was exercised in the effecting this we must consider that after Satan was cast out of Heaven for his Rebellion he set up a throne on the Earth and usurpt an absolute Empire over Mankind His Power was great and his Malice was equal to his Power The Apostle represents him with his black Army under the titles of Principalities and Powers the rulers of the darkness of this world spiritual wickednesses in heavenly places as in respect of the Order among them so in respect of their Dominion they exercise in the World His Principality hath two parts To tempt Men powerfully to sin and to execute the wrath of God upon them He works effectually in the Children of Disobedience He fires their Lusts and by the thick ascending smoak darkens their Minds and hurries them to do the vilest Actions And he hath the power of death to torment Sinners God justly permitting him to exercise his Cruelty upon those who comply with his Temptations Now in the time of Christ seeing many ravish'd out of his hands and translated into the Kingdom of God he grew jealous of his state and by his instruments brought Him to a cruel and shameful Death He then in appearance obtain'd a compleat Conquest but in truth was absolutely overcome And from hence the glorious Power of Christ is most clearly manifested As he that will take the height of a Mountain must descend to the lowest part of the Valley where fixing his Instrument he may discover the distance from the foot to the top of it So we must descend to the lowest degree of our Saviours abasement to understand the height of his exaltation By Death he overcame him that had the power of Death that is the Devil For his cruel Empire was founded in Mans Sin his greatness was built on our Ruins All the penal Evils he brings on Mankind are upon the account of our Disobedience and his mighty power in Temptations is from our inward Corruption Otherwise he might surround but could not surprise us Now the Lord Christ by his Death hath taken away the Guilt and Power of Sin The Guilt in enduring the Curse of the Law and thereby satisfying Eternal Justice which all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth could not do and the Power of it By crucifying our old man with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin By the Cross of Christ the world is crucified to us and we are crucified to the world By it we are vindicated from the power of Satan into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God For this reason our Saviour a little before his Passion said Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out By the Cross he spoil'd Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it to their extreme confusion in the view of Heaven and Earth Although the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ are the proper acts of his Triumph yet his Death is the sole cause and original of it The Nails and Spear that pierced his Body were his omnipotent Arms and the Cross the instrument of his Sufferings was the Trophee of his Victory All our triumphant Palms are gathered from that tree 'T is there our Saviour bruised the head of the old Serpent and renewed his antient Victory over him And from hence it was that upon the first Preaching of Christ crucified Oracles were struck dumb and put to eternal silence invisible Powers were forc'd to do him visible honour As the Rising Sun causes the Night-birds to retire so his Name chas'd the rout of false Deities into darkness They continue to be our enemies but not our lords Now where did the Divine Power ever appear more glorious than in our crucified Saviour He hath done greater things suffering as Man than acting as God The Works of Creation and Providence are not equal to the effects of his Death In the Creation a corruptible World was produced from Nothing which as it had no disposition so no contrariety to receive the form the Creator gave it But the new World of Grace that is immortal was form'd out of rebellious matter The most eminent work of Providence was the drowning the Egyptians in the Red-Sea But the spiritual Pharaoh and all his Hosts were drowned in his Blood In short the Cross hath opened Heaven to us and wrought a miraculous change on the Earth But this I shall more particularly consider under another Head of Discourse Fifthly The Divine Power was eminently magnified in Christs Resurrection from the Grave This was foretold concerning the Messiah by the Prophet David speaking in the type My flesh shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption As it was ordain'd by Gods Counsel so 't was executed by his Power This is decisive that He is the Messiah His other Miracles were performed by the Prophets but this was singular and only done by the God of the Prophets The Reasons of it prove that 't was equally necessary for his Glory and our Salvation 1. The Quality of his Person required it For He was a Heavenly Man without Guilt therefore immortal by the original Constitution of his Nature Death that is the wages of Sin had no power over him He was subject to it not by the Law of his Conception but the Dispensation of his Love not to satisfie Nature but purchase our Salvation Therefore the Eternal Law that annexes Immortality to Innocence would not suffer that He should remain in the state of Death 2. The Nature of his Office made it necessary As the Oeconomy of our Redemption required that He should descend from Heaven the Seat of his Glory that by dying He might expiate our Sins so after his lying in the Grave so long as to attest the reality of his Death 't was necessary he should rise again in order to his dispensing the glorious Benefits He had purchas'd The Apostle tells the Corinthians If Christ be not risen then our preaching is in vain and your faith is also in vain For the Faith of Christians hath a threefold reference 1. To the Person of Christ that he is the Son of God 2. To his Death that 't is an all-sufficient Sacrifice for Sin 3. To his Promise that He will raise Believers at the last Day Now the Resurrection of Christ is the Foundation of Faith in respect of all these 1. He was declar'd to be the Son of God with Power according to the Spirit of Holiness by the Resurrection from the dead He was the Son of God from Eternity as the Word and from the first moment of his Incarnation as God-Man But the honour of this relation was much eclips'd in his poor
the Church from all these will be the last Glorious Act of Christs Regal Office And 't is observeable the Day of Judgment is call'd the Day of Redemption with respect to the final accomplishment of our Felicity that was purchas'd by the infinite Price of his Sufferings The day of Christs Death was the Day of Redemption as to our Right and Title for then our Ransom was fully paid and 't is by the Immortal efficacy of his Blood that we partake of the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God but the Actual enjoyment of it shall be at the last day Therefore the perfection of all our Spiritual Priviledges is refer'd to that time when Death our Lâ—st Enemy shall be overcome The Apostle saith and not only they but our selves also which have the first Fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our Bodies During the present Life we are taken into Gods Family in the quality of his Children but the most Solemn Act of our Adoption shall be at the last Day In this there is a similitude between Christ and his Members for although he was the Son of God by his marvelous Conception and own'd by him while he perform'd his Ministry upon the Earth yet all the Testimonies of Gods Favour to him were not comparable to the Declaration of it in raising him from the Grave Then in the face of Heaven and Earth He said Thou art my Son this Day have I begotten thee So in this Life God acknowledges and treats us as his Children he cloaths us with the Righteousness of his Son feeds us with his Word defends us from our Spiritual Enemies but the most Publick Declaration of his favour shall be in the next Life when all the Children of the Resurrection shall be born in a Day Add further although the Souls of Believers immediately upon their Separation are receiv'd into Heaven and during the sleep of Death enjoy admirable Visions of Glory yet their Blessedness is imperfect in comparison of that excellent degree which shall be enjoyed at the Resurrection As the Roman Generals after a compleat Conquest first enter'd the City privately and after having obtain'd License of the Senate made their Triumphant entry with all the magnificence splendour becoming the Greatness of their Victories So after a Faithful Christian hath fought the good fight and is come off more than a Conquerour he enters privately into the Coelestial City but when the body is rais'd to Immortality he shall then in the company and with the acclamations of the Holy Angels have a Glorious entry into it I will briefly consider why the Bodies of the Saints shall be rais'd and how the Divine Power will be manifested in that last Act. 1. The General reason is from Gods Justice As the Oeconomy of Divine Providence requires there must be a Future State when God shall sit upon a judicial Throne to weigh the Actions of all Men and render to every one according to their quality so 't is as necessary that the Person be Judged and not one Part alone The Law Commands the entire Man compos'd of his Essential Parts the Soul and Body And 't is obeyed or violated by both of them Although the Guilt or Moral Goodness of Actions is chiefly Attributed to the Soul because 't is the Principle of them yet the Actions are imputed to the whole Man The Soul is the Guide the Body the Instrument 't is reasonable therefore that both should receive their recompence We see the Example of this in Humane Justice which is a copy of the Divine The whole Man is punisht or rewarded The Soul is punisht with Disgrace and Infamy the Body with Pains the Soul is rewarded with Esteem and Honour the Body with External marks of Dignity Thus the Divine Justice will render to every one according to things done in the Body whether Good or Evill 2. The special reason of the Saints Resurrection is their Union with Christ for he is not only our Redeemer and Prince but our second Adam the same in Grace as the first was in Nature Now as from the first the Soul was destroyed by Sin and the Body by Death so the second restores them both to their Primitive state the one by Grace the other by a Glorious Resurrection Accordingly the Apostle saith that by Man came Death and by Man came the Resurrection from the Dead Christ removed the Moral and Natural impossibility of our Glorious Resurrection the Moral by the infinite merit of his Death whereby Divine Justice is satisfied that otherwise would not permit the Guilty to be restor'd to Eternal Life and the Natural by his rising from the Grave to a Glorious Imortality For his Infinite Power can do the same in all Believers 'T is observable the Apostle infers the Resurrection of Believers from that of Christ not only as the Cause but the Original Example For the Members must be conform'd to the Head the Children to their Father the younger to the elder Brother Therefore he is call'd the first-fruits of them that sleep and the first begotten of the Dead In Christ's Resurrection ours is so fully assur'd that the event is infallible Now no less than Infinite Power is requisite to raise the Bodies of the Saints from the dust and to transform them into the similitude of Christs 1. To raise them Nothing is more astonishing to Nature than that the Bodies which after so many Ages in the perpetual circulation of the Elements have past into a thousand different Forms one part of them being resolved into Water another evaporated into Air another turn'd into Dust should be restor'd to their first State What Wisdom is requisite to separate the Parts so mixt and confounded what Power to recompose them what Vertue to reinspire them with new Life It may seem more difficult than to revive a Dead Body whose Organs and matter is not chang'd of which we have Examples in the Scripture When the Spirit of the Lord plac't Ezekiel in the midst of a Valley cover'd with bones and caused him to consider attentively their Number which was very great and their extream dryness he askt him whether these bones could live upon which as one divided and ballanc't between the seeming Impossibility of the thing in it self and the consideration of the Divine Power to which nothing is impossible he answered Lord thou knowest Upon this God commanded him to Prophesie upon those bones and speak to them as if they had been endued with Sense and Understanding O ye dry Bones hear the Word of the Lord Thus saith the Lord God unto these Bones Behold I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live And I will lay sinews upon you and will bring in flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put Breath in you and ye shall live and ye shall know that I am
all understanding Agents first propound an end and then choose the means for the obtaining of it And the more perfect the Understanding is the more excellent is the end it designs and the more fit and convenient are the means it makes use of for the acquiring it Now when God whose Understanding is infinite and in comparison of whom the most prudent and advised are but as dark shadows when he determines to work especially in a most glorious manner the end and the means are equally admirable First The end is of the highest Consequence Were it some low inconsiderable thing it were unworthy one thought of God for the effecting it To be curious in the contriving how to accomplish that which is of no importance exposes to a just imputation of Folly But when the most excellent Good is the end and the difficulties which hinder the obtaining of it are insuperable to a finite understanding it then becomes the only wise God to discover the Divinity of his Wisdom in making a way where he finds none And such was the end of God in the work of our Redemption This was declar'd by the Angels who were sent Ambassadors extraordinary to bring tidings of peace to the world They praised God saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth Peace good Will towards men The supreme End is his own Glory and in order to it the Salvation of Man hath the nature and respect of a medium The subordinate is the Recovery of the world from its lapsed and wretched state 1. The supreme End is the Glory of God This signifies principally his internal and essential Glory and that consists in the Perfections of his Nature which can never be fully conceived by the Angels but overwhelm by their excellent greatness all created Understandings But the Glory that results from Gods works is properly intended in the present Argument and implies 2. The manifestation whereby he is pleased to represent Himself in the exercise of his Attributes As the Divine Nature is the primary and compleat Object of his Love so he takes delight in those Actions wherein the image and brightness of his own vertues appear Now in all the works of God there is an evidence of his Excellencies But as some Stars shine with a different glory so there are some noble effects wherein the Divine Attributes are so conspicuous that in compare with them the rest of Godâ—s works are but obscure expressions of his Greatness The principal are Creation and Redemption The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament his handy-work And when God surveyed the whole Creation and saw that all which he had made was good He ordain'd a Sabbath to signifie the content and satisfaction he had in the discovery of his eternal Perfections therein But especially his Glory is most resplendent in the Work of Redemption wherein more of the Divine Attributes are exercisâ—d than in the Creation and in a more glorious manner 'T is here that Wisdom Goodness Justice Holiness and Power are united in their highest degree and exaltation Upon this account the Apostle useth that expression The glorious Gospel of the Blessed God It being the clearest revelation of his excellent Attributes the unspotted mirrour wherein the great and wonderful effects of the Deity are set forth 3. The Praise and Thanksgiving that ariseth from the discovery of his Perfections by reasonable Creatures who consider and acknowledg them When there is a solemn veneration of his excellencies and the most ardent affections to Him for the communication of his goodness Thus in Gods account Whoso offers praise glorifies him An eminent example of this is set down in Job 38.7 when at the birth of the World The Morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy And at its new Birth they descend and make his praise glorious in a triumphant Song It will be the eternal exercise of the Saints in Heaven where they more fully understand the Mystery of our Redemption and consider every circumstance that may adde a lustre to it to ascribe Blessing Honour Glory and Power to him that sits on the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Secondly The subordinate End is the restoring of Man And this is inviolably joyn'd with the other 'T is exprest by Peace on earth and good will towards men Sin had broke that sacred Alliance which was between God and Man and exposed him to his just displeasure A misery inconceivable And what is more becoming God who is the Father of Mercies than to glorifie his dear Attribute and that which in a peculiar manner characterises his Nature by the Salvation of the miserable What is more honourable to Him than by his Almighty Mercy to raise so many Monuments from the dust wherein his Goodness may live and reign for ever Now for the accomplishing of these excellent Ends the Divine Wisdom pitcht upon those means which were most fit and congruous which I shall distinctly consider The Misery of faln Man consisted in the Corruption of his nature by Sin and the Punishment that ensues And his Happiness is in the restoring him to his primitive Holiness and in Reconciliation to God and the full fruition of him The way to effect this was beyond the compass of any created Understanding That God who is rich in Goodness should be favourable to the Angels who serve him in perfect Purity we may easily conceive for although they do not merit his favour yet they never provokt his Anger And 't is impossible but that he should love the Image of his Holiness wherever it shines Or suppose an innocent creature in Misery the Divine Mercy would speedily excite his power to rescue it For God is Love to all his Creatures as such till some extrinsecal cause intervenes which God hates more than he loves the Creature and that is Sin which alone stops the effusion of his Goodness and opens a wide passage for wrath to fall upon the guilty But how to save the Creature that is undone by its own choice and is as sinful as miserable will pose the wisdom of the world Heaven it self seem'd to be divided Mercy enclin'd to save but Justice interpos'd for satisfaction Mercy regarded Man with respect to his misery and the pleas of it are Shall the Almighty build to ruine Shall the most excellent creature in the lower world perish the fault not being solely his Shall the enemy triumph for ever and raise his Trophies from the Works of the most High Shall the reasonable Creature lose the fruition of God and God the subjection and service of the Creature and all Mankind be made in vain Justice consider'd Man as guilty of a transcendent Crime and 't is its nature to render to every one what is due now the wages of Sin is Death and shall not the Judg of all the world do right All the the other
victorious over all Temptations for they are join'd to the heavenly Adam in a strict and inviolable union And those Graces are acted by them for the exercise of which there was no objects and occasions in innocence As Compassion to the miserable Forgiveness of injuries Forâ—itude and Patience all which as they are a most lively resemblance of the Divine Perfections so an excellent ornament to the Soul and infinitely endear it to God And the Happiness of our renewed state exceeds our primitive Felicity Whether we consider the nature of it 't is wholly spiritual or the place of it Heaven the Sanctuary of Life and Immortality or the constitution of the Body which shall be cloathed with celestial qualities But this will be particularly discussed in its proper place These are the effects of infinite Wisdome to the production of which Sin affords no casuality but hath meerly an accidental respect As the Apostle interprets the words of David Against thee only have I sinned that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and overcome when thou judgest Which doth not respect the intention of David but the event only The greater his injustice was in the commission the more clear would God's Justice be in the condemnation of his Sin 2. The Wisdom of God appeared in ordaining such a Mediator who was qualified to reconcile God to Man and Man to God The first and most admirable Article in the mystery of Godliness and the foundation of all the rest is that God is manifest in the flesh The middle must equally touch the extremes A Mediator must be capable of the sentiments and affections of both the parties he will reconcile He must be a just esteemer of the Rights and Injuries of the one and the other and have a common interest in both The Son of God assuming the Humane Nature perfectly possesses these qualities he hath zeal for God and compassion for Man He hath taken pledges of Heaven and Earth the supreme Nature in Heaven and the most excellent on the Earth to make the hostility cease between them He is Immanuel by nature and office And if no less than an inspired Wisdom could devise how to frame the earthly Tabernacle wherein God dwelt in a shadowy and typical manner what Wisdom was requisite to frame the Humane Nature of Christ wherein the Deity was really to dwell Now to discover more clearly the Divine Wisdome in uniting the two Natures in Christ to qualifie him for his Office 't is requisite to consider that the office of Mediator hath three charges annext to it the Priestly which respects God the Prophetical and Kingly which regards Men. These have a respect to the â—â—ils which oppress faln Man And they are Guilt Ignorance Sin and Death Man was capitally guilty of the breach of Gods Law and under the tyranny of his Lusts and in the issue liable to Death The Redeemer is made to him Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption These Benefits are dispens'd by Him in his threefold Office As a Priest he exipates Sin as a Prophet he instructs the Church as a King he regulates the lives of his Subjects delivers them from their Enemies and makes them happy Now the Divine and Humane Nature are requisite for the performance of all these For nothing is effectual to an end but what is proportionable and commensurate thereunto and to proportion excesses as well as defects are opposite This will appear by taking a distinct view of the several Offices of our Mediator 1. The Priestly Office hath two parts 1. To make expiation for Sin 2. Intercession for Sinners Now for the making expiation of Sin there was a necessary concurrence of the two Natures in our Redeemer He must be Man for the Deity was not capable of those Submissions and Sufferings which were requisite to expiate Sin And he must be Man that the sinning nature might suffer and thereby acquire a title to the Satisfaction that is made The mâ—ritorious imputation of Christs Sufferings to Man is grounded on the union between them which is as well natural in his partaking of Flesh and Blood as moral in the consent of their Wills As the Apostle observes That he who sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all one So he that suffers and they for whom he suffers must have communion in the same nature For this reason God having resolved never to dispense Mercy to the fallen Angels the Redeemer did not assume the Angelical nature but the seed of Abraham And as the Humane Nature was necessary to qualifie him for Sufferings and to make them suitable so the Divine was to make them sufficient The lower nature consider'd in it self could make no satisfaction The Dignity of the Divine Person makes a temporal punishment to be of an infinite value in God's account The humane Nature was the Sacrifice the divine the Priest to render it acceptable He had sunk under the weight of wrath if the Deity had not been personally present to support him Briefly To perform the first part of his Office he must suffer yet be impassible Die yet be immortal and undergo the wrath of God to deliver Man from it 2. To make Intercessâ—on for us it was requisite that He should partake of both Natures that he might have credit with God and compassion to Man The Son hath a prevailing interest in the Father as he testifies I know thou heardst me alwaies A Priviledge which neither Abraham Moses nor any other who were the most favoured Saints enjoyed And as Man he was fit for Passion and Compassion The Humane nature is the proper subject of feâ—ling pity especially when it hath felt misery God is capable of Love not in strictness of Compassion For Sympathy proceeds from an experimental sence of what one hath suffer'd and the sight of the like affliction in others revives the affections which weâ—e felt in that state and enclines to pity The Apostle offers this to Believers as the ground of comfort that He who took our nature and felt our griefs intercedes for us For we have not an High-Priest that cannot be toucht with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all things tempted as we are yet without Sin that with an humble confidence we may come to the Throne of Grace He hath drunk deepest of the cup of Sorrows that he may be an Allâ—sufficient Comforter to those that mourn He hath such tender Bowels we may trust him to sollicite our Salvation In short 'T is the great support of our Faith that we have access to the Father by the Son and present all our requests by a Mediator so worthy and so dear to Him and by One who left the Joys of Heaven that by enduring Affliction on Earth his heart might be made tuneable to the hearts of the afflicted Secondly For the discharge of the Prophâ—tical Office 't was necessary the Mediator should be God and
was not convenient the Father should For 1. He must then have been sent into the World which is incongruous to the Relations that are between those glorious Persons For as they subsist in a certain Order so their Operations are according to the manner of their subsistence The Father is from Himself and the first motions in all things are ascribed to Him the Son is from the Father and all his actions take their rise from him The Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do The effecting our Redemption is refer'd to the Fathers Will as the supreme cause our Saviour upon his entrance into the world to undertake that work declares I come to do thy will O God Upon this account the Apostle addresses his thanks to the Father as the first Agent in our Salvation which is not to lessen the glory of the Son and Spirit but to signifie that in the accomplishment of it their working follows their being 2. It was not fit that the Father should be incarnate for He must then have sustained the part of a Criminal and appear'd in that quality before the Supreme Judg But this was not consonant to the order among the Persons For although they are of equal Majesty being one God yet the Father is the first Person and to him it belongs most congruously to be the Guardian of the Laws and Rights of Heaven to exact Satisfaction for offences and to receive Intercessions for the Pardon of the Penitent 3. Neither was it fit that the Third Person should undertake that work For besides the Sacrifice for Propitiation it was necessary the Divine Power should be exerted to enlighten the Minds and encline the Wills of men to receive the Redeemer that the Benefits of his Death might be applied to them Now the Redeemer is consider'd as the Object and the Holy Spirit as the Disposer of the faculty to receive it And in the natural order of things the object must exist before the operation of the faculty upon it There must be Light before the Eye can see it So in the disposition of the causes of our Salvation the Redeemer must be ordain'd and Salvation purchas'd before the Divine Power is put forth to enable the Soul to receive it and accordingly 't is the Office of the Spirit who is the Power of God and by whom the Father and the Son execute all things to render effectual the Redemtion procured by the Son Briefly The Mission of the Persons is according to their principle The Father sends the Son to acquire Salvation for us the Son sends the Spirit to apply it Thus there is no disturbing of their Sacred order more particularly in appointing the Son to assume the Humane Nature and to restore lapsed Man the Wisdom of God is evident For by that 1. The Properties of the Sacred Persons are preserved intire the same Title is appropriated to both Natures in our Redeemer His state on Earth corresponds with his state in Heaven He is the only Son from Eternity and the first-born in time and the Honour due to the eternal and divine and to the temporal but supernatural Sonship is attributed to Him 2. To unite the glorious Titles of Creator and Redeemer in the same Person The Father made the world by the Son By this title he had an original propriety in Man which could not be extinguisht Though we had forfeited our Right in Him He did not lose his Right in us Our contract with Satan could not nullifie it Now 't was consonant that the Son should be employed to recover his own that the Creator in the begining should be the Redeemer in the fulness of time 3. Who could more fitly restore us to Favour and the Right of Children than the only begotten and only beloved Son who is the singular and everlasting object of his Father's delight Our relation to God is an imitation and expression of Christs He is a Son by nature a Servant by condescention we are Servants by Nature and Sons by Grace and Favour Our Adoption into the line of Heaven is by the purchase of his Blood The Eternal Son took flesh and was made under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of sons Who was more fit to repair the Image of God in Man and to beautifie our Natures that were defiled with Sin than the Son who is the express Image of his Fathers person and brighness and beauty it self Who can better communicate the Divine Counsels to us than the Eternal Word 4. The Wisdom of God appears in making the Remedy to have a proportion to the cause of our Ruine that as we fell in Adam our Representative so we are raised by Christ who is made the Head of our Recovery The Apostle makes the comparison between the first and second Adam Therefore as by the offence of one Judgment came upon all to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to the justification of Life For as by one Mans Disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous They are consider'd as Causes having the same respect to the effects produced by them The effects are Sin and Righteousness Condemnation and Justification As the Disobedience of the first Adam is meritoriously imputed to all his natural Posterity and brings Death upon all so the Righteousness of the second is meritoriously imputed to all his spiritual Progeny to obtain life for them And as the carnal Adam by his Rebellion made forfeiture of our original Righteousness and derives a corrupt nature to all that descend from him So the spiritual hath by his Obedience purchased Divine Grace for us that being the price without which so rich a treasure as Holiness could not be obtain'd And from him there is a vital efficacy conveighed to renew his People The same Spirit of Holiness which annointed our Redeemer doth quicken all his race that as They have born the Image of the earthly they may bear the Image of the heavenly Adam 5. The Divine Wisdom is visible in the manner whereby our Redemption is accomplisht that is by the Humiliation of the Son of God By this He did counterwork the Sin of Angels and Man Pride is the poison of every Sin for in every one the Creature prefers his pleasure and sets up his Will above Gods but it was the special Sin of Adam The Devil would have levell'd Heaven by an unpardonable usurpation he said I will be like the Most High and Man was infected with his breath you shall be like God and became sick of the same Disease Now Christ that by the quality of the Remedy he might cure our Disease in its source and cause He applies to our pride an unspeakable humility Man was guilty of the highest Robbery in affecting to be equal with God and
Pilate from reason of State to accomplish the death of Christ and he then seemed to be Victorious now what was more honourable to the Prince of our Salvation than the turning the Enemies point upon his own breast and by dying to overcome him that had the power of Death This was signified in the first promise of the Gospel where the Salvation of Man is inclos'd in the curse of the Serpent that is the Devil cloathed with that figure It shall bruise thy Head and thou shalt bruise his Heel That is The Son of God should by Suffering in our Flesh overcome the Enemy of Mankind and rescue innumerable Captives from his Tyranny Here the Events are most contrary to the probability of their Cause And what is more worthy of God than to obtain his ends in such a manner as the Glory of all may be in solidum ascribed to Him 7. The Divine Wisdom appears in laying the design of the Gospel in such a manner as to provide for the comfort and promote the holiness of Man This is Gods signature upon all heavenly Doctrines which distinguishes them from carnal Inventions they have a direct tendency to promote his Glory and the real benefit of the rational Creature Thus the way of Salvation by Jesus Christ is most fit as to reconcile God to Man by securing his Honour so to reconcile Man to God by encouraging his Hope 'Till this be effected he can never be happy in communion with God For that is nothing else but the reciprocal exercise of Love between God and the Soul Now nothing can represent God as amiable to a guilty Creature but his inclination to Pardon Whilst there are apprehensions of inexorable Severity there will be hard thoughts burning in the Breast against God Till the Soul is released from terrors it can never truly love him To extinguish our Hatred He must conquer our Fears and this He hath done by giving us the most undoubted and convincing Evidence of his Affections 1. By contracting the most intimate alliance with Mankind In this God is not only lovely but Love and his Love is not only visible to our Understandings but to our Senses The Divine Nature in Christ is joyned to the Humane in an union that is not typical or temporary but real and permanent The Word was made Flesh. And in him dwells the Fulness of the Godhead bodily Now as Love is an Affection of Union so the strictest union is an Evidence of the greatest Love The Son of God took the Seed of Abraham the original element of our Nature that our interest in Him might be more clear and certain He stoopt from the height of his Glory to our low embraces that we might with more confidence lay hold on his Mercy 2. By providing compleat Satisfaction to offended Justice The guilty convinced Creature is restless and inquisitive after a way to escape the wrath to come For being under the apprehension that God is an incensed Judg 't is very sensible of the greatness and nearness of the danger there being nothing between it and eternal Torments but a thin vail of flesh Now God hath prepared such a Satisfaction as exceeds the guilt of Sin that is a temporary act but of infinite evil being committed against an infinite object the Death of Christ was a temporary Passion but of infinite value in respect of the subject the honour of the Law is fully repaired so that God is justly merciful and dispenses Pardon to the glory of his Righteousness He hath set forth his Son to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus And what stronger Security can be given that God is ready to pardon Man upon his accepting the termes of the Gospel than the giving his Son to be our Atonement If the Stream swell so high as to overflow the Banks will it stop in a descending Valley Hath He with so dear an expence satisfied his Justice and will he deny his Mercy to relenting and returning Sinners This Argument is powerful enough to overcome the most obstinate Infidelity 3. By the unspeakable Gift of his Son he assures our hopes of Heaven which is a Reward so great and glorious that our guilty Hearts are apt to suspect we shall never enjoy it We are secure of his Faithfulness having his infallible Promise and of his Goodness having such a Pledg in our hands As the Apostle argues If he hath given us his Son will he not with him give us all things Will He give us the Tree of Life and not permit us to eat of the Fruit of it Is it conceivable that having laid the Foundation of our Happiness in the Death of his Son an act to which his tender Affection seem'd so repugnant that He will not perform the rest which He can do by the meer signification of his Will 'T is an excellent encouragement St. Austin propounds from hence Sâ—â—urus esto accepturum te vitam ipsius qui pignus habes mortis ipsius c. Be assured thou shalt partake of his Life who hast the Pledg of it in his Death He hath performed more than He promised 'T is more incredible that the Eternal should die than that a mortal Creature should live for ever In short Since no mortal Eye can discover the Heavenly Glory to convince us of the reality of the invisible state and to support our departing Souls in their passage through the dark and terrible Valley our Saviour rose from the Grave ascended in our Nature to Heaven and is the model of our Happiness He is at the right Hand of God to dispense Life and Immortality to all that believe on Him And what can be more comfortable to us than the assurance of that Blessedness which as it eclipses all the glory of the World so it makes Death it self desirable in order to the enjoyment of it 2. As the Comfort so the Holiness of Man is most promoted in this way of our Redemption Suppose we had been recovered upon easier terms the evil of Sin would have been lessen'd in our esteem We are apt to judg of the danger of a Disease from the difficulty of its Cure Hunger is reputed a small trouble although if it be not satisfied 't will prove deadly because a small price will procure what may remove it And the Mercy that saves us had not appeared so great He that falls into a Pit and is drawn forth by an easie pull of the Hand doth not think himself greatly obliged to the person that helpt him though if he had remained there he must have perish'd But when the Son of God hath suffered for us more than ever one Friend suffered for another or a Father for a Son or than the strength and patience of an Angel could endure Who would not be struck with horrour at the thoughts of that
that are made he hath upon the compleating our Redemtion by the rising of Christ from the Dead made the First-Day Sacred for his Service and Praise there being the clearest illustration of his Perfections in that Blessed Work God is more pleased in the contemplation of the new World than of the old The latter by its extraordinary Magnificence hath lessen'd the dignity of the former as the greater Light obscures the less Therefore the Sabbath is changed into the Lords-Day And what a just reproach is it to Man that he should be inobservant and unaffected with this glorious Mercy wherein he may alwaies find new cause of Admiration O Lord how great are thy Works and thy Thoughts how deep a brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this The admiring of any other thing in comparison of this Mystery is the effect of Inconsideration or Infidelity 2. It produces the most sincere and lasting pleasure As the taste is to meat to allure us to feed for the support of our bodies that is delight to Knowledge to excite the mind to seek after it But it s vast capacity can never be satisfied with the knowledge of inferior things The pleasure is more in the acquisition than in the possession of it For the mind is diverted in the search but having attained to that knowledge which cannot fill the rational appetite 't is disgusted with the fruits of its travel and seeks some other object to relieve its langour From hence it is that variety is the spring of delight and pleasure is the product of novelty We find the pleasure of the first taste in learning something new is alwayes most sensible The most elegant compositions and excellent discourses which ravisht at the first reading yet repeated often are nauseous and irksome The exercise of the mind on an object fully known is unprofitable and therefore tedious whereas by turning the thoughts on something else it may acquire new knowledge But the Apostle tells us that the Mystery of our Redemption contains all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge to intimate their excellence and abundance the unsearchable riches of Grace are laid up in it There is infinite variety and perpetual matter for the inquiry of the most excellent understanding no created reason is able to reach its height or sound its depths by the continual study and increase in the knowledge of it the mind enjoys a persevering pleasure that far exceeds the short vehemence of sensual delights 2. It excels other Sciences in the certainty of its Principle which is divine Revelation Humane Sciences are built upon uncertain maximes which being admitted with precipitation and not confirm'd by sufficient Experiments the Mind can never fully acquiesce in them Those Doctrines which were esteemed in one Age the vanity of them is discovered in another Modern Philosophy discards the Antient. But the Doctrine of Salvation is the Word of Truth its original is from Heaven it bears the characters and marks of its Divine descent 'T is confirmed by the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power 'T is alwaies the same unchangeable as God the Author and Christ the Object of it who is the same yesterday to day and for ever And the knowledg which the sincere and enlightned Mind hath of it is not uncertain opinion but a clear solid and firm apprehension 'T is a Contemplation of the Glory of God with open face This appears by the effects it produces in those that have received the true tincture of it in their Souls they despise all things which carnal Men admire in comparison of this inestimable Treasure 2. The Doctrine of the Gospel exceeds all practic Sciences in the excellency of its end and the efficacy of the means to obtain it The end of it is The Supreme Happiness of Man the restoring of him to the Innocence and Excellency of his first state And the means are appointed by infinite Wisdom so that the most insuperable obstacles are removed and these are the Justice of God that condemns the guilty and that strong and obstinate aversion which is in corrupted man from true Felicity Here is a Mediator reveal'd who is able to save to the uttermost who hath quencht the Wrath of God by the Blood of his Divine Sacrifice who hath expiated Sin by the value of his Death and purifies the Soul by the vertue of his Life that it may consent to its own Salvation No less than a Divine Power could perform this work From hence the superlative excellency of Evangelical Knowledg doth arise all other Knowledg is unprofitable without it and that alone can make us perfectly blessed This is Life eternal to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent I will briefly consider how ineffectual all other Knowledge is whether Natural Political or Moral to recover us from our Misery The most exact insight into Natural things leaves the Mind blind and poor ignorant of Happiness and the way to it Solomon who had an extraordinary measure of Natural Knowledg and was able to set a just price upon it tels us that the increase of knowledg was attended with proportionable degrees of sorrow For the more a man knows the more he discerns the insufficiency of that knowledg to supply his defects and satisfie his desires He was therefore weary of his Wisdom as well as of his Folly The Devils know more than the profoundest Philosophers yet their Knowledge doth not alleviate their Torments 'T is so far from directing how to escape misery that it will more expose to it by enlarging the Faculties and making them more capable of Torment 'T is the observation of St. Ambrose that when God discovered the Creation of the World to Moses He did not inform him of the greatness of the Heavens the number of the Stars their Aspects and Influences whether they derive their light from the Sun or have it inherent in their own bodies from whence Eclipses are caused how the Rainbow is painted how the Winds fly in the Air or the causes of the ebbing and flowing of the Sea but so much as might be a foundation of Faith and Obedience and left the rest Quasi marcescentis sapientiae vanitates as the vanities of perishing wisdom The most knowing Philosopher though encompast with these sparks yet if ignorant of the Redeemer shall lie down in sorrow for ever And as natural so political Knowledge in order to the governing of Kingdoms and States hath no power to confer happiness upon man It concerns not his main interest 't is terminated within the compass of this short life and provides not for Death and Eternity The Wisdom of the World is folly in a disguise a specious Ignorance which although it may secure the temporal state yet it leaves us naked and exposed to Spiritual enemies which war against the Soul And all the moral knowledg which is treasur'd up in the Books of the Heathens
ye his Servants and there was aâ— it were the voice of mighty thundrings saying Hallelujah for the Lord God Omnipotent reigns They are now the most eminent examples of revenging wrath Their present misery is insupportable and they expect worse When our Saviour cast some of them out of the possest persons they cried out Art thou come to torment us before our time Miserimum est timere cum sâ—eres nihil 't is the height of misery to have nothing to Hope and something to Fear Their guilt is attended with despair they are in everlasting Chains He that carries the Keys of Hell and Death will never open their Prisoâ— If the sentence did admit a Revocation after a million of years their torment would be nothing in comparison of what it is for the longest measure of time bears no proportion to Eternity and hope would allay the sense of the present sufferings with the prospect of future ease But their Judgment is irreversible they are under the blackness of darkness for ever There is not the least glimps of hope to allay their sorrows no Star-light to sweeten the horrours of their Eternal night They are serâ—i poenae that can never be redeemed It were a kind of pardon to them to be capable of Death but God will never be so far reconciled as to annihilate them His Anger shall be accomplished and his Fury rest upon them Immortality the priviledge of their nature infinitly increases their torment for when the Understanding by a strong and active apprehension hath a terrible and unbounded prospect of the continuance of their Sufferings that what is intolerable must be Eternal this inexpressibly exasperates their Misery There wants a word beyond Death to set it forth This is the condition of the sinning Angels and God might have dealt in as strict Justice with rebellious Man 'T is true there are many Reasons may be assigned why the Wisdom of God made no provision for their Recovery 1. It was most decent that the first Breach of the Divine Law should be punisht to secure Obedience for the future Prudent Lawgivers are severe against the first Transgressors the Leaders in Disobedience He that first presumed to break the Sabbath was by Godâ—s command put to Death And Solomon the King of Peace punisht the first attempt upon his Royalty with Death though in the person of his Brother 2. The Malignity of their Sin was in the highest degree For such was the clearness of the Angelical Understanding that there was nothing of Ignorance and Deceit to lessen the voluntariness of their Sin 't was no mistake but Malice They fell in the light of Heaven and rendered themselves incapable of Mercy As under the Law those who sinned with a high hand that is not out of Ignorance or Imbecillity to please their Passions but knowingly and proudly despised the Command their Presupmtion was inexpiable no Sacrifice was appointed for it And the Gospel though the Declaration of Mercy yet excepts those who sin the great Transgression against the Holy Ghost Now of such a nature was the Sin of the Rebellious Angels it being a contemptuous violation of Gods Majesty and therefore unpardonable Besides they are wholly spiritual Beings without any allay of flesh and so fell to the utmost in evil there being nothing to suspend the intireness of their Will whereas the Humane Spirit is more slow by its union with the Body And that which extremely aggravates their sin is that it was committed in the state of perfect Happiness They despised the full fruition of God 't was therefore congruous to the Divine Wisdom that their final Sentence should depend upon their first Election whereas Mans Rebellion though inconceivably great was against a lower Light and less Grace dispensed to him 3. They finn'd without a Tempter and were not in the same capacity with Man to be restor'd by a Saviour The Devil is an original Proprietor in Sin 't is of his own Man was beguiled by the Serpents subtilty as he fell by anothers Malice so he is recovered by anothers Merit 4. The Angelical Nature was not entirely lost Myriads of blessed Spirits still continue in the place of their Innocency and Glory and for ever ascribe to the Great Creator that incommunicable Honour which is due to Him and perfectly do his Commandments But all Mankind was lost in Adam and no Religion was left in the lower world Now although in these and other respects it was most consistent with the Wisdom and Justice of God to conclude them under an irrevocable Doom yet the principal cause that enclin'd him to save Man was meer and perfect Grace The Law madâ— no distinction but awarded the same Punishment Mercy alone made the difference and the reason of that is in Himself Millions of them fell Sacrifices to Justice and guilty Man was spared 'T is not for the excellency of our Natures for Man in his Creation was lower than the Angels nor upon the account of Service for they having more eminent Endowments of Wisdom and Power might have brought greater honour to God nor for our Innocence for though not equally yet we had highly offended Him But it must be resolved into that Love which passeth Knowledg 'T was the unaccountable Pleasure of God that preferr'd babes before the wise and prudent and herein Grace is most glorious He in no wise took the nature of Angels though immortal Spirits He did not put forth his hand to help them and break the force of their Fall He did nothing for their relief they are under unallayed wrath but He took the Seâ—d of Abraham and plants a new Colony of those who sprung from the Earth in the Heavenly Country to fill up the vacant places of those Apostate Spirits This is just matter of our highest admiration why the milder Attribute is exercised towards Man and the severer on them Why the vessels of clay are chosen and the vessels of Gold neglected How can we reflect upon it without the warmest Affections to our Redeemer We shall never fully understand the Riches of distinguishing Grace till our Saviour shall be their Judg and receive us into the Kingdom of Joy and Glory and condemn them to an Eternal Separation from his Presence CHAP. IX The Greatness of Redeeming Love discovered by considering the Evils from which we are freed The Servitude of Sin the Tyranny of Satan the Bondage of the Law the Empire of Death The measure of Love is proportionable to the degrees of our Misery No possible Remedy for us in Nature Our Deliverance is compleat The Divine Love is magnified in the Means by which our Redeemer is accomplishâ—d They are the Incarnation and Sufferings of the Son of God Love is manifested in the Incarnation upon the account of the essential Condition of the Nature assumed and its Servile state Christ took our Nature after it had lost its Innocency The most evident Proof
of God's Love is in the Sufferings of Christ. The description of them with respect to his Soul and Body The Sufferings of his Soul set forth from the Causes of his Grief The Disposition of Christ and the Design of God in afflicting Him The sorrows of his forsaken state All comforting Influences were suspended but without prejudice to the Personal Union or the perfection of his Grace or the Love of his Father towards Him The Death of the Cross considered with respect to the Ignominy and Torment that concurr'd in it The Love of the Father and of Christ amplified upon the account of his enduring it THe next Circumstance to be considered in the Divine Mercy is the degree of it And this is described by the Apostle in all the dimensions which can signifie its greatness He prays for the Ephesians that they may be able to comprehend with all Saints the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God in Christ which passes knowledge No language is sufficient to express it if our hearts were as large as the Sand on the Sea-shore yet they were too straight to comprehend it But although we cannot arrive to the perfect knowledg of this excellent Love yet 't is our duty to study it with the greatest application of mind for our happiness depends upon it and so far we may understand as to inflame our hearts with a superlative Affection to God And the full discovery which here we desire and search after in the future state shall be obtained by the presence and light of our Redeemer Now the greatness of the Divine Love in our Redemption appears 1. By reflecting on the mighty Evils from which we are freed 2. The means by which our Redemption is accomplisht 3. That excellent State to which we are advanced by our Redeemer 1. If we reflect upon the horrour of our natural state it will exceedingly heighten the mercy that delivered us This I have in part opened before therefore I will be the shorter in describing it Man by his rebellion had forfeited Gods favour and the honour and happiness he injoyed in Paradise And as there is no middle state between Sovereignty and misery he that falls from the Throne stops not till he comes to the bottom so when Man fell from God and the dignity of his innocent state he became extreamly miserable He is under the servitude of sin the tyranny of Satan the bondage of the Law and the empire of Death 1. Man is a captive to sin He is fallen from the hand of his counsel under the power of his passions Love Hatred Ambition Envy Fear Sorrow and all the other stinging Affections of which is true what the Historian speaks of the several kinds of Serpents in Africa Quantus nomiuum tantus mortium numerus exercise a tyranny over him And if no man can serve two Masters as the Oracle of Truth tells us how wretched is the slavery of Man whose passions are so opposit that in obeying one he cannot escape the lash of many imperious Masters He is possest with a Legion of impure lusts And as the Demoniac in the Gospel was sometimes cast into the fire and sometimes into the water so is he hurried by the fury of contrary passions This servitude to sin is in all respects compleat For those who serve are either born servants or bought with a price or made captives by force and sin hath all these kinds of title to man He is conceived and born in sin he is sold under sin and sells himself to do evil As that which is sold passes into the possession of the buyer so the sinner exchanging himself for the pleasures of sin is under its power Original sin took possession of our nature and actual of our lives He is the servant of corruption by yeilding to it for of whom a man is overcome of the same he is brought in bondage The condition of the most wretched bond-â—lave is more sweet and less servile than that of a sinner For the severest tyranny is exercised only upon the body the soul remains free in the midst of chains but the power of sin oppresses the Soul the most noble part and defaces the bright character of the Deity that was stampt upon its visage The worst slavery is terminated with this present life In the grave the Prisoners rest together they hear not the voice of the Oppressor The small and the great are there and the Servant is free from his Master But there is no exemption from this servitude by death it extends its self to Eternity 2. Man since his fall is under the tyranny of Satan who is call'd the God of this World and is more absolute then all temporal Princes his dominion being over the will He overcame man in Paradise and by the right of War he rules over him The soul is kept in his bondage by subtile Chains of which the spiritual nature is capable The understanding is captivated by ignorance and errors the will by inordinate dangerous lusts the memory by the images of sinful pleasures those mortal visions which inchant the soul and make it not desirous of liberty Never did cruel Pirat so incompassionately urge his Slaves to ply their Oares in charging or flying from an enemy as Satan incites those who are his captives to do his will And can there be a more afflicting calamity then to be the slave of ones enemy especially if base and cruel This is the condition of man he is a captive to the Devil who was a Liar and a Murderer from the beginning He is under the rage of that bloody Tyrant whose ambition was to render Man as miserable as himself who in triumph upbraids him for his folly and adds derision to his Cruelty 3. Fallen Man is under the Curse and Terrors of the Law For being guilty he is justly exposed to the punishment threatned against transgressours without the allowance of repentance to obtain pardon And Conscience which is the Ecchâ— of the Law in his bosom repeats the dreadful sentence This is an Acouser which none can silence a Judge that none can decline and from hence it is that Men all their life are subject to bondage being obnoxious to the wrath of God which the awakened Conscience fearfully sets before them This complicated Servitude of a Sinner the Scripture represents under great variety of Similitudes that the defects of one may be supplied by another Every Sinner is a Servant now a Servant by flight may recover his Liberty But he is not only a Servant but a Captive in chains A Captive may be freed by laying down a Ransom but the Sinner is not only a Captive but deeply in debt Every Debtor is not miserable by his own fault it may be his Infelicity not his Crime that he is poor but the Sinner is guilty of the highest offence A guilty Person may enjoy
will be fit to consider them with respect to his Soul and his Body The Gospel delivers to us the relation of both 1. Upon his entrance into the Garden He complains My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto Death There were present only Peter James and John his happy Favourites who assured him of their fidelity there was no visible enemy to afflict Him yet his Soul was environ'd with Sorrows 'T is easie to conceive the injuries He suffered from the rage of Men for they were terminated upon his Body But how to understand his inward Sufferings the wounds of his Spirit the cross to which his Soul was nailed is very difficult Yet these were in expressibly greater as the visible effects dedeclare The anguish of his soul so affected his body that his Sweat was as it were great drops of Blood the miraculous evidence of his Agony The terror was so dreadful that the assistance of an Angel could not calm it And if we consider the causes of his grief the dispositions of Christ and the design of God in afflicting him it will further appear that no sorrow was ever like his The Causes were 1. The evil of Sin which infinitely exceeds all other for the just measure of an evil is taken from the good to which it is opposit and of which it deprives us Now Sin is formally opposit to the Holy nature and will of God and meritoriously deprives of his blessed presence for ever Therefore God being the supreme Good Sin is the supreme evil And grief being the resentment of an evil that which is proportioned to the evil of Sin must be infinite Now the Lord Christ alone had perfect light to discover Sin in its true horrour and perfect zeal to hate it according to its nature for who can understand the excellency of good and the malignity of evil but the Author of the one and the Judge of the other who can fully conceive the guilt of rebellion against God but the Son of God who is alone able to comprehend his own Majesty On this account the grief of our Redeemer exceeded all the sorrow of repenting Sinners from the beginning of the World For our knowledge is so imperfect and our zeal so remiss that our grief for sin is much beneath what 't is worthy of but sin was as hateful to Christ as it is in it self and his sorrow was equal to its evil 2. The Death he was to suffer attended with all the Curses of the Law and the terrible marks of Gods Indignation From hence 't is said he began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy 'T is wonderful that the Son of God who had perfect patience and the strength of the Deity to support him who knew that his Passion should soon pass away and that the issue should be his own glorious Resurrection and the recovery of lapsed Man that he should be shaken with fear and oppressed with sorrow at the first approches of it how many of the Martyrs have with an undisturbed courage embraced a more cruel death but to them 't was disarm'd whereas our Saviour encountered it with all its formidable Pomp with its Darts and Poison 3. The Wrath of God was inflamed against him For although he was perfectly Innocent and more distant from sin than Heaven is from the Earth yet by the ordination of God and his own consent being made our Sponsor the Iniquity of us all was laid upon him He suffered as deeply as if he had been guilty Vindictive justice was inexorable to his Prayers and Tears Although he renewed his request with the greatest ardency as 't is said by the Evangelist that being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly yet God would not spare him The Father of Mercies saw his Son humbled in his presence prostrate on the Earth yet deals with him in extream severity He was stricken smiten of God and afflicted And who is able to conceive the weight of God's Hand when he punishes sin according to its desert who can understand the degrees of those Sufferings when God exacts satisfaction from one that was obliged and able to make it how piercing were those sorrows whereby Divine Justice infinitely incens'd was to be appeas'd Who knows the consequence of those words My God My God why hast thou forsaken me 'T is impossible to comprehend or represent that great and terrible Mystery But thus much we may understand That Holiness and Glory being essential to the Deity they are communicated to the Reasonable Nature when united to it But with this difference that Holiness necessarily results from Union with God For Sin being infinitely repugnant to His Nature makes a Separation between Him and the creature But Glory and Joy are dispensed in a free and arbitrary manner This dereliction of our Saviour must be understood with respect to the second not the first Communication In the extremity of his Torments all his Affections were innocent and regular being only raised to that degree which the vehemency of the object required He exprest no murmur against God nor anger against his enemies His Faith Love Humility Patience were then in their Exaltation But that glorious and unspeakable Joy which in the course of his Life the Deity conveyed to Him was then withdrawn An impetuous torrent of pure unmixed Sorrows broke into his holy Soul He felt no refreshing emanations so that having lost the sense of present Joy there remained in his Soul only the hope of future Joy And in that sad moment his Mind was so intent upon his Sufferings that he seems to have been diverted from the actual consideration of the Glory that attended the issue of them Briefly All comforting Influences were suspended but without prejudice to the Personal Union or the Perfection of his Grace or to the Love of his Father toward Him His Soul was liable to sorrows as his Body to death For the Deity is the Principle of Life as well as of Joy and as the Body of Christ was three days in the state of Death and the Hypostatical Union remained entire so his Soul was left for a time under the fearful impressions of wrath yet was not separated from the God-head And although He endured what ever was necessary for the Expiation of Sin yet all vitious Evils as Blasphemy Hatred of God and any other which are not inflicted by the Judg but in strictness are accidental to the Punishment and proceed from the weakness or wickedness of the Patient he was not in the least guilty of Besides when his Father appear'd an enemy against him at that time He was infinitely pleased in his Obedience But with these exceptions our Blessed Lord suffered whatever was due to us The Sorrows of his forsaken state were inexpressibly great for according to the degree and sense we have of Happiness such in proportion is our grief for the loss of it Now Christ had the fullest enjoyment and the highest valuation of Gods favour
will I remember no more 2. The excellency of the Evangelical Covenant above the Legal is in that supernatural Assistance which is conveyed by it to Believers whereby they shall be certainly victorious over all opposition in their way to Heaven 'T is true Adam was endued with perfect holiness and freedom but he might intangle himself in the snares of Sin and Death The Grace of the Creator given to him was alwaies present but it depended on the natural use of his Faculties without the interposing any extraordinary operation of God's Spirit The Principle of Holiness was in himself and 't was subjected to his Will He had a power to obey if he would but not that actually determined his will for then he had persevered But the Grace of the Redeemer that flows from Christ as our quickening Head and is conveyed to all his Members enclines the Will so powerfully that 't is made subject to it God works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure The use of our Faculties and the exercise of Grace depends on the good pleasure of God who is unchangeable and the operations of the Spirit which are prevailing and effectual And upon these two the stability of the New Covenant is founded 1. On the Love of God who is as unchangable in his Will as in his Nature This Love is the cause of Election from whence there can be no separation This gives Christ to Believers and Believers to Him Thine they were saith our Saviour and thou gavest them me Which words signifie not the common title God hath to all by Creation for Men thus universally consider'd compose the world and our Saviour distinguishes those that are given him from the world but that special right God hath in them by election And all those are given by the Father to Christ in their effectual Calling which is exprest by his drawing them to the Son and are committed to his care to lead them through a course of Obedience to Glory For them Christ absolutely praies as Mediator Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am and see my Glory And he is alwaies heard in his requests 'T is from hence that the Apostle challenges all Creatures in Heaven and Earâ—h with that full and strong persuasion that nothing could separate between Believers and their Happiness For I am persuaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heigth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. His assurance is not built on the special Prerogatives he had as an Apostle not on his rapture to Paradise nor Revelations nor the Apparition of Angels for of these he makes no mention but on that which is common to all Believers the Love of God declar'd in the Word and shed abroad in their hearts And 't is observable that the Apostle having spoken in his own person changes the number I am persuaded that nothing shall separate us to associate with himself in the partaking of that blessed Priviledg all true Believers who have an interest in the same Love of God the same Promises of Salvation and had felt the sanctifying work of the Spirit the certain proof of their Election For how is it possible that God should retract his merciful purpose to save his People He that chose them from Eternity before they could know Him and from pure Love there being nothing in the Creature to induce Him gave his Son to suffer Death for them will He stop there without bestowing that Grace which may render it effectual What can change his Affections He that prevented them in his Mercy when they were in their pollutions will He leave them after his Image is engraven upon them He that loved them so as to unite them to Christ when they were strangers will He hate them when they are his Members No His loving kindness is everlasting and the Covenant that is built on it is more firm than the Pillars of Heaven and the Foundations of the Earth This supported David in his dying hours that God had made with him an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for that was all his Salvation 2. The New Covenant is secur'd by the efficacy of Divine and Supernatural Grace This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People The Elect are enabled to perform the conditions of the Gospel to which Eternal Life is promised Our Redeemer blesses us in turning us from our Iniquities And although the instability of the humane Spirit by reason of remanent Corruptions and those various Temptations to which we are liable may excite our fear lest we should fall short of the high prize of our Calling yet the Grace of the Gospel secures true Believers against both 1. Whilst we are in the present state our Corruptions are not perfectly healed but there are some remains which like a Gangrene threaten to seize on the vital parts wherein the spiritual Life is seated But the divine Nature which is conveyed to all that are spiritually descended from Christ is active and powerful to resist all carnal desires and will prevail in the end For if sin in its full vigor could not controul the efficacy of converting Grace how can the reliques of it after Grace hath taken possession be strong enough to spoil it of its conquest There is a greater distance from Death to Life than from Life to Action That Omnipotent Grace that visited us in the Grave and restored life to the dead can much more perpetuate it in the living That which was so powerful as to pluck the heart of stone out of the Breast can preserve the Heart of Flesh. 'T is true the Grace that is given to Believers in its own nature is a perishing quality as that which was bestowed on Adam Non only the slight superficial tincture in hypocrites will wear off but that deep impression of sanctifying Grace in true Believers if it be not renewed would soon be defaced But God hath promised to put his Spirit into their hearts and to cause them to walk in his Statutes and they shall keep his Commandments He is a living reigning Principle in them to which all their faculties are subordinate The Spirit infused Grace at first and enlivens it daily he confirms their Faith inflames their Love encourages their Obedience and refreshes in their minds the Idea's of that glory which is invisible and future In short his influence cherishes the blessed beginnings of the spiritual Life So that sincere Grace though weak in its degree yet 't is in a state of progress til it come
makes us guilty of his Death And when he shall come in his Glory and be visible to all that Pierced Him what Vengence will be the portion of those who despised the Majesty of his Person the mystery of his Compassions and Sufferings Those that lived and dyed in the darkness of Heathenism shall have a cooler Climate in Hell then those who neglect the great Salvation CHAP. XII Divine Justice concurs with Mercy in the work of our Redemption The Reasons why we are Redeemed by the Satisfaction of Justice are specified to declare Gods hatred of Sin to vindicate the honour of the Law to prevent the secure commission of Sin These Ends are obtained in the Death of Christ. The reality of the Satisfaction made to Divine Justice considered The requisites in order to it The appointment of God who in this transaction is to be considered not as a Judg that is Minister of the Law but as Governour His right of Jurisdiction to relax the Law as to the execution of it His Will declared to accept of the compensation made The consent of our Redeemer was necessary He must be perfectly Holy He must be God and Man THe Deity in it self is Simple and Pure without mixture or variety The Scripture ascribes Attributes to God for our clearer understanding And those as essential in Him are simply one They are distinguish'd only with respect to the diverse objects on which they are terminated and the different effects that proceed from them The two great Attributes which are exercised towards reasonable Creatures in their lapsed state are Mercy and Justice these admirably concur in the work of our Redemption Although God spared guilty Man for the honour of his Mercy yet He spared not his own Son who became a Surety for the offender but delivered Him up to a cruel Death for the glory of his Justice For the clearer understanding of this three things are to be considered 1. The Reasons why we are redeemed by the Satisfaction of Justice 2. The Reality of the Satisfaction made by our Redeemer 3. The compleatness and perfection of it Concerning the first there are three different Opinions among those who acknowledge the reality of Satisfaction 1. That 't is not possible that Sin should be pardoned without Satisfaction For Justice being a natural and necessary excellency in God hath an unchangable respect to the qualities which are in the Creatures That as the Divine Goodness is necessarily exercised towards a Creature perfectly holy so Justice is in punishing the guilty unless a Satisfaction intervene And if it be not possible considering the perfection of the Deity that Holiness should be unrewarded far less can it be that Sin should be unpunisht since the exercise of Justice upon which Punishment depends is more necessary than that of Goodness which is the cause of Remuneration For the Rewards which Bounty dispenses are pure Favours whereas the Punishments which Justice inflicts are due In short Since Justice is a Perfection 't is in God in a supreme degree and being infinite 't is inflexible This Opinion is asserted by several Divines of eminent Learning The Second Opinion is That God by his Absolute Dominion and Prerogative might have releas'd the Sinner from Punishment without any Satisfaction For as by his Sovereignty He transfer'd the Punishment from the guilty to the innocent so He might have forgiven Sin if no Redeemer had interposed From hence it follows that the Death of Christ for the Expiation of Sin was necessary only with respect to the Divine Decree 3. The Third Opinion is That considering God in this transaction as qualified with the Office of Supreme Judg and Governor of the World who hath given just Laws to direct his Creatures in their Obedience and to be the rule of his proceedings with them as to Rewards and Punishments He hath so far restrain'd the exercise of his Power that upon the breach of the Law either it must be executed upon the Sinner or if extraordinarily dispenst with it must be upon such terms as may secure the Ends of Government and those are His own Honour and publick Order and the Benefit of those that are governed And upon these accounts 't was requisite supposing the merciful design of God to pardon Sin that his Righteousness should be declared in the Sufferings of Christ. I will distinctly open this In the Law the Sovereignty and Holiness of God eminently appear And there are two things in all Sins which expose the Offender justly to Punishment 1. A Contempt of God's Sovereignty and in that respect there is a kind of equality between them He that offends in one is guilty of all they being ratified by the same Authority And from hence 't is that Guilt is the natural Passion of Sin that alwaies adheres to it For as God hath a Judicial Power to inflict Punishment upon the Disobedient by vertue of his Soveraignty so the desert of Punishment arises from the despising it in the violation of his Commands 2. In every Sin there is a contrariety to Gods Holiness And in this the natural turpitude of Sin consists which is receptive of degrees From hence arises Gods hatred of Sin which is as essential as his Love to Himself the infinite Purity and Rectitude of his Nature infers the most perfect abhorrence of whatever is opposite to it The righteous Lord loves righteousness but the wicked his soul hates Now the Justice of God is founded in his Sovereignty and his Holiness and the reason why 't is exercised against Sin is not an arbitrary Constitution but his Holy Nature to which Sin is repugnant These things being premised it follows That God in the relation of a Governor is Protector of those Sacred Laws which are to direct the Reasonable Creature And as 't was most reasonable that in the first giving the Law He should lay the strongest restraint upon Man for preventing Sin by the threatning of Death the greatest evil in it self and in the estimation of Mankind so 't is most congruous to Reason when the command was broke by Mans Rebellion that the Penalty should be inflicted either on his Person according to the immediate intent of the Law or something equivalent should be done that the Majesty and Purity of God might appear in his Justice and there might be a visible discovery of the value He puts on Obedience The life of the Law depends upon the execution of it for impunity extenuates Sin in the account of Men and incourages to the free commission of it If Pardon be easily obtained Sin wil be easily committed The first temptation was prevalent by this perswasion that no punishment would follow Besides if upon the bold violation of the Law no punishment were inflicted not only the glory of God's Holiness would be obscured as if He did not love Righteousness and hate Sin but suffered the contempt of the one and the commission of the other without controul but it
would either reflect upon His Wisdom as if He had not upon just reason establisht an alliance between the Offence and the Penalty or upon His Power as if He were not able to vindicate the Rights of Heaven And after His giving a Law and declaring the according to the tenor of it He would dispense Rewards and Punishments if Sin were unrevenged it would lessen the sacredness of his Truth in the esteem of Men. So that the Law and Lawgiver would be exposed to contempt By all which it appears that the Honour of God was infinitely concerned in His requiring satisfaction for the breach of his Laws Temporal Magistrates are bound to execute wise and equal Laws for the preservation of publick order and civil societies 'T is true there be some cases wherein the Lawgiver may be forced to dispense with the Law as when the sparing of an offender is more advantage to the State than his punishment Besides there is a superior Tribunal to which great Offenders are obnoxious and good Magistrates when through weakness they are fain to spare the guilty refer them to God's Judgment But 't is otherwise in the Divine Government For God is infinitely free from any necessity of Compliance There is no exigency of Government that requires that any Offenders should escape his Severity Neither is there any Justice above his which might exact Satisfaction of them Besides the Majesty of his Laws is more Sacred than of those which preserve Earthly States and ought to be more inviolable The sum is to declare Godâ—s hatred of Sin which is essential to his nature to preserve the honour of the Law which otherwise would be securely despised to prevent sin by keeping up in Men an holy fear to offend God which should be an eternal respect of the rational Creature to Him 't was most fit that the presumptuous breach of Gods Command should not be unpunished Now when the Son of God was made a Sacrifice for Sin and by a bloody Death made expiation of it the World is convinced how infinitely hateful Sin is to him the dignity of the Law is maintained and Sin is most effectually discouraged There is the same terror though not the same rigor as if all mankind had been finally condemned Thus it appears how becoming God it was to accomplish our Salvation in such a manner that Justice and Mercy are revealed in their most noble and eminent effects and operations 2. The reality of the satisfaction made to Divine Justice is next to be proved This is the center and heart of the Christian Religion from whence all vital and comforting influences are derived and for the opening of it I will first consider the requisites in order to it which are 1. The Appointment of God whose Power and Will are to be considered in this transaction 1. His Power for 't is an act of supremacy to admit that the sufferings of another should be effectual to redeem the offender God doth not in this affair sustain the Person of a Judge that is the Minister of the Law and cannot free the guilty by transferring the punishment on another but is to be considered as Governour who may by pure Jurisdiction dispense in the execution of the Law upon those considerations which fully answer the ends of Government The Law is not executed according to the Letter of it for then no sinner can be saved but repenting Believers are free from condemnation Nor is it abrogated for then no obligation remains as to the duty or penalty of it but Men are still bound to obey it and impenitent Infidels are still under the Curse The Wrath of God abides upon them But 't is relaxt as to the punishment by the merciful condescension of the Lawgiver Some Laws are not capable of relaxation in their own nature because there is included moral iniquity in the relaxation As the commands to love God and obey Conscience can never lose their binding force 'T is an universal rule that suffers no exception God cannot deny himself therefore he can never allow sin that directly opposes the perfections of His Nature Besides some Laws cannot be relaxt ex hypothesi upon the account of the Divine Decree which makes them irrevocable as that all who die in their impenitency shall be damned Now there was no express sign annext to the Sanction of the original Law to intimate that it should be unalterable as to the letter of it The threatning declared the desert of Sin in the Offender and the right of punishing in the Superior but 't is so to be understood as not to frustrate the power of the Law-giver to relax the punishment upon wise and just reasons The Law did neither propound nor exclude this expedient for judging without passion against the Sinner it is satisfied with the punishment of the Crime For 't is not the evil of the sufferer that is primarily designed by the Law but the preservation of publick order for the honour of the Lawgiver and the benefit of those that are subjects So that the relaxing the punishment as to the person of the Sinner by compensation fully answers the intent of the Law 2. As by the right of Jurisdiction God might relax the Law and appoint a Mediatour to interpose by way of Ransom so he hath declared his will to accept of Him The Law in strictness obliged the Sinning person to suffer so that he might have refused any other Satisfaction Therefore the whole Work of our Redemption is referred to His Will as the primary cause Our Saviour was sent into the World by the order of God He was sealed that is authorised for that great Work by commission from Him He was called to His Office by the voice of his Father from heaven Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased God anointed him with the Holyâ—Ghost and with Power which signifies as the enduing of Him with the Graces of the Spirit so the investing Him in the dignity of Mediator as Kings Priests and Prophets were And both were necessary for his Graces without his Office are unprofitable to us and His Office without His capacity of no advantage In short the Apostle observes this as the peculiar excellency of the New Covenant and the foundation of our hopes that the Mediatour was constituted by a solemn Oath The Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec 2. The Consent of our Redeemer was necessary that he might by Sufferings satisfie for us For being the Lord from Heaven there was no Superiour Authority to command or Power to compel him 'T is true having become our Surety 't was necessary He should be accountable to the Law But the first undertaking was most free When one hath entred into Bonds to pay the Debt of an insolvent person he must give satisfaction but 't is an act of liberty and choice to make himself liable Our
Saviour tells us It behoved Christ to suffer he doth not say that the Son of God should suffer but that Christ. This Title signifies the same Person in substance but not in the same respect and consideration Christ is the Second Person cloathed with our Nature There was no necessity that obliged God to appoint his Son or the Son to accept the Office of Mediator But when the Eternal Son had undertook that charge and was made Christ that is assumed our Nature in order to redeem us 't was necessary that He should suffer Besides His Consent was necessary upon another account For the Satisfaction doth not arise meerly from the Dignity of his Person but from the Law of substitution whereby He put himself in our stead and voluntarily obliged Himself to suffer the Punishment due to us The efficacy of his Death is by vertue of the Contract between the Father and Him of which there could be no cause but pure Mercy and His voluntary Condescension Now the Scripture declares the willingness of Christ particularly at his entrance into the World and at his Death Upon His comming into the World He begins his Life by the internal Oblation of Himself to his Father Sacrifice and Offering thou didst not desire mine ears hast thou opened that is He entirely resigned himself to be Gods Servant Burnt-Offering and Sin-Offering hast thou not required Then said I Lo I come in the volume of thy book 't is written of me I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart He saw the Divine Decree and embrac'd it the Law was in his Heart and fully possest all his Thoughts and Affections and had a commanding influence upon his Life And his Willingness was fully exprest by Him when He approacht to His last Sufferings For although He declin'd Death as Man having natural and innocent desires of Self-Preservation yet as Mediator he readily submitted to it Not my Will but thine be done was his voice in the Garden And this argued the compleatness and fixedness of his Will that notwithstanding his aversation from Death absolutely considered yet with an unabated election He still chose it as the means of our Salvation No involuntary Constraint was laid upon him to force him to that submission But the sole causes of it were his free Compliance with his Fathers Will and his tender Compassion towards Men. He saith I have power to lay down my life and power to take it up this command I received of my Father In his Death Obedience and Sacrifice were united The Typical Sacrifices were led to the Altar but the Lamb of God presented Himself 't is said He gave himself for us to signifie his willingness in dying Now the Freeness of our Redeemer in dying for us qualified his Sufferings to be meritorious The Apostle tells us that By the obedience of one many are made righteous that is By his voluntary Sufferings we are justified for without his Consent his Death could not have the respect of a punishment for our Sins No Man can be compelled to pay anothers Debt unless he make himself Surety for it Briefly The Appointment of God and the Undertaking of Christ to redeem us from the Curse of the Law by his suffering it are the Foundation of the New-Testament 3. He that interpos'd as Mediator must be perfectly Holy otherwise he had been liable to Justice for his own Sin And guilty Blood is impure and corrupt apter to stain by its effusion and sprinkling than to purge away Sin The Apostle joins these two as inseparable He appeared to take away Sin and in Him is no sin The Priesthood under the Law was imperfect as for other reasons so for the sins of the Priests Aaron the first and chief of the Levitical Order was guilty of gross Idolatry so that Reconciliation could not be obtained by their Ministry For how can one Captive ransom another or Sin expiate Sin But our Mediator was absolutely innocent without the least tincture of Sin original or actual He was conceived in a miraculous manner infinitely distant from all the impurities of the earth That which is produced in an ordinary way receives its propriety from second Causes and contracts the defilement that cleaves to the whole species Whatever is born of blood and the will of the flesh that is form'd of the substance of the Flesh and by the sensual Appetite is defiled but though He was form'd of the substance of the Virgin yet by vertue of an Heavenly Principle according to the words of the Angel to her The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that Holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God He came in the appearance only of sinful flesh As the Brazen Serpent had the figure and not the poison of the fiery Serpent He was without actual Sin He foil'd the Tempter in all his arts and methods wherewith he tried Him He resisted the Lust of the Flesh by refusing to make the stones Bread to asswage his Hunger and the Lust of the Eyes in despising the Kingdoms of the World with all their Treasures and the Pride of Life when he would not throw himself down that by the interposing of Angels for His rescue there might be a visible proof that He was the Son of God The Accuser himself confest Him to be the Holy One of God he found no corruption within Him and could draw nothing out of him Judas that betrayed him and Pilate that condemned him acknowledged his Innocence He perfectly fulfill'd the Law and did alwaies what pleased his Father In the midst of his Sufferings no irregular motion disturbed his Soul but He alwaies exprest the highest Reverence to God and incredible Charity to Men. He was compared to a Lamb for his Passion and his Patience that quietly dies at the foot of the Altar Besides We may consider in our Mediator not only a perfect freedom from Sin but an impossibility that he should be toucht by it The Angelical Nature was liable to folly but the Humane Nature by its intimate and unchangeable Union with the Divine is establisht above all possibility of Falling The Deity is Holiness 〈◊〉 self and by its personal presence is a greater preservative from sin than either the vision of God in Heaven or the most permanent habit of Grace Our Saviour tells us the Son can do nothing of himself but according to the pattern the Father sets him Now the perfect Holiness of our Redeemer hath a special efficacy in making his Death to be the expiation of Sin as the Scripture frequently declares For such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners And he that knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him We are Redeemed not
with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot And by his knowledg shall my righteous Servant justifie many 4. 'T was requisite the Mediator should be God and Man He must assume the nature of Man that he might be put in his stead in order to make satisfaction for him He was to be our representative therefore such a conjunction between us must be that God might esteem all his People to suffer in him By the Law of Israel the right of Redemption belonged to him that was next in blood Now Christ took the Seed of Abraham the original element of our nature that having a right of Propriety in us as God He might have a right of Propinquity as Man He was allied to all Men as Men that His sufferings might be universally beneficial And He must be God 't is not his Innocency onely or Deputation but the Dignity of His Person that qualifies Him to be an all-sufficient Sacrifice for Sin so that God may dispense pardon in a way that is honourable to Justice For Justice requires a proportion between the Punishment and the Crime and that receives its quality from the dignity of the person offended Now since the Majesty of God is infinite against whom sin is committed the guilt of it can never be expiated but by an infinite Satisfaction There is no name under Heaven nor in Heaven that could save us but the Son of God who being equal to Him in greatness became Man If there had been such compassion in the Angels as to have inclined them to interpose between Justice and us they had not been qualified for that Work not only upon the account of their different nature so that by substitution they could not satisfie for us nor that being immaterial substances they are exempted from the dominion of death which was the punishment denounc'd against the sinner and to which his Surety must be subjected but principally that being finite Creatures they are incapable to atone an incensed God Who among all their glorious Orders durst appear before so consuming a fire who could have been an Altar whereon to sanctifie a Sacrifice to Divine Justice no meer Creature how worthy so ever could propitiate the supreme Majesty when justly provoked Our Redeemer was to be the Lord of Angels The Apostle tells us that it pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell This respects not his original Nature but his Office and the reason of it is to reconcile by the blood of the Cross things in Heaven and in the Earth From the greatness of the Work we may infer the quality of the means and from the quality of the means the Nature of the Person that is to perform it Peace with God who was provoked by our Rebellion could only be made by an infinite Sacrifice Now in Christ the Deity it self not its influences and the fulness of it not any particular perfection only dwelt really and substantially God was present in the Ark in a shadow and representation He is present in nature by his sustaining Power and in his Saints by special favour and the eminent effects the Graces and Comforts that proceed from it but he is present in Christ in a singular and transcendent manner The Humanity is related to the Word not only as a Creature to the Author of its being for in this regard it hath an equal respect to all the persons but by a peculiar conjunction for 't is actuated by the same subsistence as the Divine Essence is in the Son but with this difference the one is voluntary the other necessary the one is espoused by Love the other received by Nature Now from this intimate Union there is a communication of the special qualities of both natures to the Person of Christ Man is exalted to be the Son of God and the Word abased to be the Son of Man As by reason of the vital Union between the Soul and Body the essential parts of Man 't is truly said that he is rational in respect of his soul and mortal in respect of his body This Union derives an infinite merit to the obedience of Christ. For the humane nature having its complement from the Divine Person 't is not the nature simply considered but the person that is the fountain of actions To illustrate this by an instance the civil Law determines that a tree transplanted from one soile to another and taking root there it belongs to the owner of that ground in regard that receiving nourishment from a new earth it becomes as it were another tree though there be the same individual root the same body and the same soul of vegetation as before Thus the humane nature taken from the common mass of Mankind and transplanted by personal Union into the Divine is to be reckoned as intirely belonging to the Divine and the actions proceeding from it are not meerly humane but are raised above their natural worth and become meritorious One hour of Christs Life glorified God more than an everlasting duration spent by Angels and Men in the praises of him For the most perfect creatures are limited and finite and their services cannot fully correspond with the Majesty of God but when the Word was made Flesh and entered into a new state of subjection he glorified God in a Divine manner and most worthy of him He that comes from above is above all The all sufficiency of his Satisfaction arises from hence He that was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equal with God that is in the truth of the Divine Nature He was equal with the Father and without sacriledge or usurpation possest Divine Honour he became obedient to the Death of the Cross. The Lord of Glory was Crucified We are purchased by the Blood of God And the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin The Divine Nature gives it an infinite and everlasting efficacy And 't is observable that the Socinians the declared enemies of his Eternity consentaneously to their first impious error deny his Satisfaction For if Jesus Christ were but a titular God his Sufferings how deep soever had been insufficient to expiate our offence in His Death He had been only a Martyr not a Mediator For no Satisfaction can be made to Divine Justice but by suffering that which is equivalent to the guilt of sin which as 't is infinite such must the Satisfaction be CHAP. XIII Divine Justice is declared and glorified in the Death of Christ. The threefold account the Scripture gives of it As a Punishment inflicted for Sin as a Price to redeem us from Hell as a Sacrifice to reconcile us to God Man was Capitally guilty Christ with the allowance of God interposes as his Surety His Death was inflicted on him by the Supreme Judg. The impulsive Cause of it was Sin
to this Punishment The Death which the Law threatned for Sin was to be accompanied with Dishonour and Pain And he suffered the Death of the Cross to which a special Curse was annext And this was not onely in respect of the Judgment of Men before whom a Crucified person was made a Spectacle of publick Vengeance for his Crimes but in respect of Gods declaration concerning it The Jews were commanded that none should hang on a Tree longer then the Evening lest the Holy Land should be profaned by that which was an express mark of Gods Curse Now the legal Curse was a Typical signification of the real that should be suffered by our Redeemer Besides his Death was attended with exquisite pains he suffer'd variety of torments by the scourges the thorns the nails that pierc'd his Hands and Feet the least vital but most sensible parts He refused the Wine mix'd with Myrrh that was given to stupifie the senses for the design of his Passion requir'd that he should have the quickest sense of his Sufferings which were the Punishment of Sin And his inward Sorrows were equivalent to the pains of loss and sense that are due to Sinners 'T is true there are circumstances in the Sufferings of the damn'd as Blaspemy Rage Impotent fierceness of mind which are not appointed by the Law but are accidental arising from the perversness of their Spirits For the punishment of the Law is a Physical evil but these are Moral and that punishment is inflicted by the Judge but these are onely from the guilty Sufferers Now to these he was not possibly liable Besides the Death that the Sinner ought to Suffer is Eternal attended with despair and the intolerable anguish of Conscience Now our Redeemer having no real Guilt was not liable to the worm of Conscience and his Temporary Sufferings were equivalent to the Eternal upon the account of his Divine Person so that he was not capable of Despair But he endur'd the unknown terrours of the second Death so far as was consistent with the Perfection of his Nature The anguish of his Soul was not meerly from sympathy with his Body but immediately from Divine Displeasure It pleased the Lord to bruise him this principally respects the Impressions of Wrath made upon his inward Man Had the Cup he fear'd been onely Death with the bitter ingredients of dishonour and pain many have drank it with more appearing resolution The Martyrs endured more cruel torments without complaint nay in their sharpest conflicts have exprest a triumphant joy Whereas our Redeemer was under all the innocent degrees of fear and sorrow at the approach of his Sufferings From whence was the difference Had Christ less Courage He was the Fountain of their Fortitude the difference was not in the disposition of the Patients but in the Nature of the Sufferings He endured that which is infinitely more terrible than all outward torments The Light of Joy that always shined in his Soul a sweet Image of Heaven was then totally eclips'd God the Fountain of Compassion restrain'd himself his Father appear'd a severe inexorable Judge and dealt with him not as his Son but our Surety Under all the Cruelties exercis'd by men the Lamb of God open'd not his mouth but when the Father of Mercies and the God of all Consolations forsook him then he broke forth into a mournful complaint Now by this account of Christs Sufferings from Scripture 't is evident they were truly penal for they were inflicted for Sin by the Supreme Judg and were equivalent to the Sentence of the Law And the benefit we receive upon their account proves that they are satisfaction to Divine Justice for we are exempted from Punishment by his Submission to it He freed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us The Chastisements of our Peace was upon him by whose stripes we are healed So that his Death being the Meritorious Cause of freeing the Guilty is properly Satisfaction Before I proceed to the second Consideration of Christs Death I will briefly answer the Objection of the Socinians viz. That 't is a Violation of Justice to transfer the Punishment from one to another so that the Righteous God could not Punish his innocent Son for our Sins Now to show the invalidity of this Pretence we must consider 1. That Justice is not an irregular appetite of Vengeance arising from Hatred that cannot be satisfied but with the Destruction of the Guilty It preserves Right with pure Affections and is content when the Injury is repair'd from whomsoever satisfaction comes 2. Though an innocent person can't suffer as innocent without Injustice yet he may voluntarily contract an Obligation which will expose him to deserved sufferings The Wisdom and Justice of all Nations agree in punishing one for anothers fault where consent is preceding as in the case of Hostages And although it is Essential to the Nature of Punishment to be inflicted for Sin yet not on the Person of the Sinner for in Conspectu fori the Sinner and Surety are one 3. That exchange is not allowed in Criminal Causes where the Guilty ought to suffer in Person 't is not from any Injustice in the Nature of the thing for then it would not be allowed in Civil but there are special Reasons why an Innocent Person is not ordinarily admitted to suffer for an offender 1. No man hath absolute Power over his own life 'T is a depositum consigned to him for a time and must be preserv'd till God or the Publick good calls for it 2. The Publick would suffer prejudice by the loss of a good Subject Therefore the Rule of the Law is just Non auditur perire volens The desire of one that devotes himself to ruine is not to be heard And the guilty person who is spared might grow worse by impunity and cause great disorders by his evil example But these considerations are of no force in the case of our Saviour For 1. He had full Power to dispose of his life I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this Commandment have I received of my Father He declares his Power as God that his life intirely depended on his will to preserve it or part with it and his subjection as Mediator to the order of his Father 2. Our Saviour could not finally Perish 'T was not possible he should be held under the power of Death Otherwise it had been against the Laws of reason that the precious should for ever suffer for the vile Better ten thousand Worlds had been lost than that the Holy One of God should perish He saved us through his Sufferings though as by fire and had a glorious reward in the issue 3. There is an infinite good redounds from his Sufferings for Sinners are exempted from Death and the preservation of the guilty is for the glory of Gods government for those who are redeemed by his Death
are renewed by his Spirit He covers their sins that he may cure them He is made Righteousness and Sanctification to his People The serious belief that Christ by dying hath rescued us from Hell produces a superlative Love to him an ingenuous and grateful fear lest we should offend Him an ambition to please Him in all things briefly Universal Obedience to his Will as its most natural and necessary effect So that in laying the punishment on Christ under which Mankind must have sunk for ever there is nothing against Justice 2. The Death of Christ is the price which redeems us from our woful Captivity Mankind was fallen under the dominion of Satan and Death and could not obtain freedom by escape or meer power For by the order of Divine Justice we were detained Prisoners So that till God the Supreme Judg is satisfied there can be no discharge Now the Lord Christ hath procured our deliverance by his Death according to the testimony of the Apostle We have Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of sins His Blood is congruously called a price because in consideration of it our Freedom is purchased He is our Redeemer by Ransom He gave himself a Ransom for all and that signifies the price paid for the freeing of a Captive The word used by the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath a special Emphasis it signifies an exchange of conditions with us the redeeming us from Death by dying for us As the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who devoted themselves to Death for the rescuing of others Our Saviour told his Disciples that the Son of Man came to give his Life a ransom for many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a commutation or exchange with respect of things or persons Thus we are commanded to render to none Evil for evil And if a Son ask of his Father a Fish will he give him a Serpent for a Fish When 't is used in respect of persons it imports a substitution in anothers place Archelaus reigned instead of his Father Herod and Peter paid tribute for Christ that is representing Him the effect therefore of our Saviours words that He gave his Life a Ransome for many is evidently this that he dy'd in their stead and his Life as a Price intervened to obtain their Redemption 'T is for this Reason the Glorified Saints sung a Hymn of Praise to the Divine Lamb saying Thou art worthy for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood This singular and blessed effect of Christs Death distinguishes it from the Death of the most Excellent Martyrs If he had dyed only for the Confirmation of the Gospel or to exhibit to us a Pattern of Suffering Graces what were there peculiar and extraordinary in his Death How can it be said that he was Crucified for us alone For the Martyrs Sealed the Truth with their Blood and left admirable Examples of Love to God of Zeal for his Glory of patience under Torments and of Compassion to their Persecutors yet it were intolerable Blasphemy to say that they redeem'd us by their Death And 't is observable when the Death of Christ is propounded in Scripture as a Pattern of Patience 't is with a special Circumstance that distinguishes it from all others Christ suffered for us leaving us an Example that we should follow his steps who his own self bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree by whose stripes ye were healed The truth is if the sole end of Christs Death were to induce Men to believe His Promises and to imitate His Graces there had been no such necessity of it for the Miracles he did had been sufficient to confirm the Gospel yet Remission of Sins is never attributed to them and the Miseries he Suffered during the course of his Life had been sufficient to instruct us how to behave our selves under Indignities and Persecutions and at the last he might have given as full a Testimony to the Truth of his Doctrine by his descent from the Cross as by dying for us But no lower Price than his Blood could make Compensation to the Law and satisfaction to God and to deny this is to Rob him of the Glory of his Death and to destroy all our Comfort 'T is objected by those who nullifie the Mystery of the Cross of the Lord Jesus How could God receive this Price since he gave up his Son to that Death which Redeems us And how can our Redeemer supposing him God make satisfaction to himself To this I answer 1. The infinite Goodness of God in giving our Redeemer doth not devest him of the Office of Supreme Judge nor prejudice his examining of the Cause according to his Sovereign Jurisdiction and his receiving a Ransom to preserve the Rights of Justice inviolable There is an eminent instance of this in Zaleucus the Prince of the Locrians who past a Law that Adulterers should lose both their eyes and when his Son was convicted of that Crime the people who respected him for his Excellent Vertues out of pity to him interceded for the Offender Zaleucus in a Conflict between Zeal for Justice and Affection to his Son took but one Eye from him and parted with one of his own to satisfie the Law And thus he paid and received the Punishment he paid it as a Father and received it as the Conservator of Publick Justice Thus when guilty Mankind in its Poverty could not pay the Forfeiture to the Law God the Father of Mercies was pleased to give it from the Treasures of his Love that is the Blood of his Son for our Ransom And this he receives from the Hand of Christ offer'd upon the Cross as the Supreme Judge and declares it fully valuable and the Rights of Justice to be truly performed 2. It is not inconsistent with Reason that the Son of God cloathed with our Nature should by his Death make Satisfaction to the Deity and therefore to himself In the according of two Parties a Person that belongs to one of them may interpose for Reconciliation provided that he devests his own Interest and leaves it with the Party from whom he comes Thus when the Senate of Rome and the People were in dissension one of the Senators trusted his own Concernment with the Council of which he was a Member and mediated between the Parties to reconcile them Thus when the Father and the Son both possest of the Imperial Power have been offended by Rebellious Subjects 't is not inconvenient that the Son interpose as a Mediator to restore them to the Favour of the Prince And by this he reconciles them to himself and procures them Pardon of an Offence by which his own Majesty was violated This he doth as Mediator not as a a Party concern'd Now this is a fit Illustration of the Great Work of our Redemption so far as Humane things can represent Divine For all the Persons of the
manner He is called a Lamb in the notion of a Sacrifice The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world A Lamb was used in the Expiation of moral and legal Impurities He is called our Passover that was sacrificed for us The Paschal Lamb in its first Institution had an expiatory efficacy for God by looking on that Blood averted the destruction from the Israelites which seized on the Egyptians This was the reason of the Prohibition that none should go out of the house till the Morning lest they should be struck by the destroying Angel Not but that the Angel could distinguish the Israelites from the Egyptians abroa◠but 't was typical to shew their security was in being under the guard of the Lambs Blood which was shed to spare theirs Thus the Apostle Peter tells us We are redeemed by the Blood of the pure and perfect Lamb. And he was represented by the red Heifer whose ashes were the chief ingredient in the water of Purification For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the Flesh How much more shall the Blood of Christ purge the Conscience Especially the Anniversary Sacrifice which was the Abridgment and Recapitulation of all the rest had an eminent respect to Christ The whole Epistle to the Hebrews is tinctured with this divine Doctrine Secondly The Effects of Christs Death are infinitely more excellent than those that proceeded from Levitical Sacrifices The Law had a shadow of good things to come But the real Virtue and Efficacy is only found in Christ. 1. The Aversion of Gods Wrath is ascribed to his Death according to the Words of the Apostle 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 to declare I say at this time his Righteousness that he might be Just and the justifier of him that believed in Jesus A Propitiation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Title of the Mercy-Seat partly in regard it cover'd the Tables of the Law which were broke by us to signifie that by Him Pardon is procur'd for us and principally because God was rendred Propitious by the sprinkling the Blood of the Sacrifice on it and exhibited himself there as on a Throne of Grace favourable t◠his people For this Reason he gives the name of the Figure to Christ for he alone answers the Charge of the Law and interposes between Justice and our Guilt and by his own Blood hath reconciled God to us Now the design of God in this appointment was to declare his Righteousness that is that Glorious Attribute that inclines him to punish Sinners For in the Legal Propitiations although the guilt of Men was publickly declared in the Death of the Sacrifices yet the Justice of God did not fully appear since he accepted the Life of a Beast in Compensation for the Life of a Man but in the Death of Christ he hath given the most clear Demonstration of his Justice a sufficient Example of his Hatred to Sin Condemning it and Revenging himself upon it in the Person of his beloved Son that the whole World may acknowledge 't was not from any Inadvertency but meerly by the Dispensation of his Wisdom and Goodness that he forbore so long And by the Death of Christ he hath declared that Glorious Mystery which no created Understanding could ever have conceived that he is inflexibly just and will not suffer sin to pass unpunish'd and that he justifies those who are guilty in themselves if by a purifying Faith they receive Christ for Pardon The same Apostle tells us that Christ hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5.2 He is qualified as a Priest whose Office it was to present to God an offering for Appeasing his Anger He gave himself the Oblation that is added to his Death gives the compleat Formality of a Sacrifice to it for 't is the Priest gives being to the Sacrifice and the effect of it is to be a sweet smelling savour to God that is to conciliate his Favour to us The same phrase is applyed to the Sin-Offering under the Law We may observe that upon this account our Reconciliation to God is attributed to the Death of Christ in distinction from his Glorified Life For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life And the same Apostle tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their trespasses unto them we pray you therefore in Christs stead be reconciled to God A double Reconciliation is mentioned that of God to Men and of Men to God the first is the ground of the Apostle's exhortation the latter the effect of it The first was obtained by the Death of Christ who by imputation had our guilt transferred upon Him and consequently our punishment and in consideration of it God who is Just and Holy is willing to pardon penitent Believers The latter is by the powerful working of the Spirit who assures Men that are guilty and therefore suspicious and fearful of God's anger that he is most willing to pardon them upon their repentance since he hath in such an admirable manner found out the means to satisfie his Justice 2. The true expiation of sin is the effect of Christs Death He is called the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World Now sin may be taken away in two manners First by removing its guilt and exempting the Person that committed it from Death and when this is effected by enduring the punishment that was due to sin 't is properly expiation Secondly By healing the corrupt inclinations of the Heart from whence actual sins proceed 'T is true our Redeemer takes away sin in both these respects he delivers from the Damnation and Dominion of it for he is made of God our Righteousness and Sanctfication But the first sense is only convenient here for 't is evident that the Lamb took away sin that is the guilt of it by dying instead of the sinner and had no effect for the destroying the malignant habits of sin in those who offered them It appears further that this Divine Lamb hath taken away the guilt of our sins in that He bore them in his own Body on the Tree For the native force of the word signifies not only to take away but to carry and bear which applyed to sin is nothing else but to suffer the penalty of it And 't is to be observed when Cleansing Purifying and Washing are attributed to the Blood of Christ they have an immediat respect to the guilt of sin and declare its efficacy to take off the obligation to punishment Thus 't
Compleatness of Christ's Satisfaction proved from the Causes and Effects of it The Causes are the Quality of his Person and Degrees of his Sufferings The Effects are His Resurrection Ascension Intercession at Gods right hand and his exercising the Supreme Power in Heaven and Earth The excellent Benefits which God reconciled bestows on Men are the Effects and Evidences of his compleat Satisfaction They are Pardon of Sin Grace and Glory That Repentance and Faith are required in order to the partaking of the Benefits purchased by Christ's Death doth not lessen the Merit of his Sufferings That Afflictions and Dâ—ath are inflicted on Believers doth not derogate from their All-sufficiency THe Third thing to be considered is the Compleatness of the Satisfaction that Christ hath made by which it will appear that Gods Justice as well as Mercy is fully glorified in his Sufferings For the proof of this I will first consider the Causes from whence the compleatness of his Satisfaction arises Secondly The Effects that proceed from it which are convincing Evidences that God is fully appeas'd The Causes of his compleat Satisfaction are two 1. The Quality of his Person derives an infinite value to his obedient Sufferings Our Surety was equally God and as truely Infinite in His Perfections as the Father who was provoked by our Sins therefore he was able to make Satisfaction for them He is the Son of God not meerly in respect of the honour of his Office or the special Favour of God for on these accounts that Title is communicated to others but his only Son by Nature The sole preheminence in Gifts and Dignity would give Him the title of the first-born but not deprive them of the quality of Brethren Now the wisdom and justice of all Nations agree that Punishments receive their estimate from the quality of the Persons that suffer The Poet observes that the Death of a vertuous Person is more precious than of Legions Of what inestimable value then is the death of Christ and how worthy a Ransom for lost mankind For although the Deity is impassible yet he that was a Divine Person he suffered A King suffers more than a private person although the strokes he endures in his body cannot immediatly reach his honour And 't is specially to be observed that the Efficacy of Christs Blood is ascribed to his Divine Nature This the Apostle declares In whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the forgiveness of Sins who is the image of the invisible God Not an artificial Image which imperfectly represents the Original As a Picture that sets forth the Colour and Figure of a Man but not his Life and Nature But the essential and exact Image of his Father that expresses all his glorious Perfections in their immensity and eternity This is testified expresly in Hebr. 1.3 The Son of God the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his Person having purged by himself our sins is set down on the right hand of Majesty on High From hence arises the infinite difference between the Sacrifices of the Law and Christs in their value and vertue This with admirable Emphasis is set down in Hebr. 9.13 14. For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purification of the flesh How much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offer'd himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the living God Wherein the Apostle makes a double Hypothesis 1. That the Legal Sacrifices were ineffectual to purifie from real guilt 2. That by their Typical Cleansing they signified the washing away of moral guilt by the Blood of Christ. 1. Their insufficiency to expiate Sin appears if we consider the subject Sin is to be expiated in the same nature wherein 't was committed now the Beasts are of an inferiour rank and have no communion with Man in his nature Or if we consider the object God was provoked by Sin and He is a Spirit and not to be appeased by gross material things His Wisdom requires that a rational Sacrifice should expiate the guilt of a rational Creature And Justice is not satisfied without a proportion between the Guilt and the Punishment This weakness and insufficiency of the Legal Sacrifices to expiate Sin is evident from their variety and repetition For if full Remission had been obtained The worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sin 'T is the sense of Guilt and the fear of Condemnation that required the renewing of the Sacrifice Now under the Law the Ministry of the Priests never came to a period or perfection The Millions of Sacrifices in all Ages from the erecting the Tabernacle to the coming of Christ had not vertue to expiate one Sin They were only shadows which could give no refreshment to the inflamed Conscience but as they depended on Christ the body and substance of them But the Son of God who offered himself up by the Eternal Spirit to the Father is a Sacrifice not only Intelligent and Reasonable but incomparably more precious than the most noble Creatures in Earth or in Heaven it self He was Priest and Sacrifice in respect of both His Natures His entire Person was the Offerer and Offering Therefore the Apostle from the excellency of his Sacrifice infers the unity of its Oblation and from thence concludes its Efficacy Christ did not by the Blood of Bulls and Goats but by his own Blood He entred in once to the Holy Place having obtained eternal Redemption for us and by one Offering He hath for ever perfected them who are sanctified Upon this account God promised in the New-Covenant That their Sins and Iniquities He would remember no more having received compleat satisfaction by the Sufferings of his Son 'T is now said that once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself And as it is appointed for all men once to die and after Death comes Judgment So Christ was once offered to bear the Sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin As there is no other natural death to suffer between Death and Judgment so there is no other propitiatory Sacrifice between his all-sufficient Death on the Cross and the last coming of our Redeemer There is one Consideration I shall adde to shew the great difference between Legal Sacrifices and the Death of Christ as to its saving vertue The Law absolutely forbids the eating of Blood and the peoples tasting of the Sin-offerings to signifie the imperfection of those Sacrifices For since they were consumed in their Consecration to Gods Justice and nothing was left for the nourishment of the Offerers 't was a sign they could not appease God The Offerers had communion with them when they brought them to the Altar and in a manner
derived their guilt to them but they had no vertue by them in coming from it The Sinner conveyed death to the Sacrifice but did not receive life from it But Christ the Lamb of God was not swallowed up in his Offering to Divine Justice 'T is his peculiar Glory that He hath compleatly made Satisfaction We may feed upon the flesh of this precious Victim and drink his Blood As He enter'd into communion of Death with us so we are partakers of Life by Him 2. The Compleatness of his Satisfaction is grounded on the degrees of his Sufferings There was no defect in the payment He made We owed a debt of Blood to the Law and his Life was offer'd up as a Sacrifice otherwise the Law had remained in its full vigour and Justice had been unsatisfied That a Divine Person hath suffered our Punishment is properly the reason of our Redemption As 't is not the quality of the Surety that releases the Debtor from Prison but the payment which he makes in his name The Blood of Christ shed poured forth from his Veins and offered up to God in that precise consideration ratifies the New Testament The sum is Our Saviour by his Death suffer'd the malediction of the Law and his Divine Nature gave a full value to his Sufferings so that the satisfaction proceeding from them was not meerly ex pacto as Brass Money is currant by composition but ex merito as pure Gold hath an intrinsick worth and God who was infinitly provokt is infinitely pleased 2. The effects and evidences of his compleat Satisfaction are First His Resurrection from the Grave For if we consider the Lord Christ in the quality of our Surety He satisfied the Law in his Death and having made compleat payment of our debt He received the acquittance in his Resurrection His Death appeased God His Resurrection assures Men. As he rose himself so in one concurrent action God is said to raise him He was releast from the Grave as from Prison by publick sentence which is an indubitable argument of the validity and acceptance of the payment made by him in our name For being under such bonds as the Justice and Power of God he could never have loosed the pains of Death if his Sufferings had not fully been fully Satisfactory and received by him for our discharge And 't is observable that the raising of Chiist is ascribed to God as reconciled Now the God of peace who brought again from the dead the great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant The Divine Power was not put forth till God was pacified Justice incensed exposed him to Death and Justice appeased freed Him from the dead And his Resurrection is attributed to his Blood that being the full price of his and our liberty In short when inflexible Justice ceases to punish there is the strongest proof 't is satisfied Secondly His Ascent into Heaven and Intercession for us prove the compleatness and alsufficiency of his Sacrifice If He had been excluded from the Divine Presence there had been just cause to suspect that anger had been still remaining in God's Breast but His admission into Heaven is an infallible testimony that God is reconciled This our Saviour produces as the Argument by which the Holy Ghost will overcome the guilty fears of Men. He shall convince the World of Righteousnss because I go to my Father Christ in his Sufferings was numbred among transgressors He dyed as a guilty person not only in respect of the calumnies of Men but the curse of the Law and the Wrath of God which then appeared inexorable against sin But having overcome Death and broke through the weight of the Law and retired to his Father he made apparent the innocency of his righteous Person and that a compleat Righteousness is acquired by his Sufferings sufficient to justifie all that shall truly accept of it This will be more evident by considering his entry into Heaven as the true High Priest who carried the Blood of the New-Covenant into the Celestial Sanctuary For the opening this we are to consider there are two parts of the Priestly Office 1. To offer Sacrifice 2. To make intercession for the People by vertue of the Sacrifice This was performed by the High-Priest in the Feast of Atonement which was celebrated in the month Tisri The oblation of the Sacrifices was without at the Altar the Intercession was made in the Holy of Holies into which none might enter but the High-Priest once a year And first he must expiate his own sins and the sins of the people by Sacrifices before he could remove the Vail and enter into that sacred and venerable place where no sinner had right to appear Then he was to present the precious Incense and the Blood of the Sacrifices to render God favourable to them Now these were shadows of what Christ was to perform The Holy of Holies was the type of the third-Heaven in its Situation Quality and Furniture For it was the most secret part of the Tabernacle separated by a double Vail by that which was between it and the first Sanctuary and by another that distinguisht the first from the outward Court Thus the Heaven of Heavens is the most distant part of the Universe and separated from the lower World by the Starry Heaven and by the Airy Region which reaches down to the Earth Besides the most Holy part of the Tabernacle was inaccessible to sinners as Heaven is stiled by the Apostle the place of inaccessible light And it was the Throne of God where he reigned according to the Language of the Psalmist He dwelt between the Cherubims The figures of the Cherubims represented the Myriads of holy Angels that adore the incomprehensible Deity and are always ready to execute his commands The Tables of the Law were a Symbol of that infinite Wisdom and Holiness which ordained them and the High-Priests entering with the Blood of the Sacrifice and carrying with him all the Tribes of Israel upon his Breast signified that Jesus Christ the true High-Priest after he had really expiated sin by his Divine Sacrifice in the lower World should enter into the Eternal Sanctuary with his own Blood and introduce with him all his People Of this there was a marvellous sign given for in the same moment that Christ expired the Vail of the Temple that separated the Oracle from the first part was rent from the top to the bottom to signifie that the true High-Priest had Authority and Right to enter into Heaven itself And the special end of his ascending is exprest by the Apostle For Christ is not entered into the Holy places made with hands which are the Figures of the true but into Heaven its self now to appear in the presence of God for us As the High-Priest might not enter into that sacred and terrible place neither could he propitiate God without sprinkling the
in this oeconomy of our Mediator his Humiliation was the cause of his Exaltation upon a double account 1. As the Death of Christ was an expression of such humility such admirable Obedience to God such Divine Love to Men that it was perfectly pleasing to his Father and his Power being equal to his Love he infinitely rewarded it 2. The Death of Christ was for Satisfaction to Justice and when he had done that Work he was to enter into rest It behoved Christ to Suffer and enter into Glory 'T is true Divine Honour was due to him upon another title as the Son of God but the receiving of it was deferr'd by dispensation for a time First He must redeem us and then Reign The Scripture is very clear in referring his actual possession of Glory as the just consequent to his compleat expiation of sin When by himself He had purged our sins He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high And after he had made one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God And not only the Will of the Father but the nature of the thing it self required this way of proceeding For Jesus Christ by voluntary susception undertaking to satisfie the Law for us as he was obliged to suffer what was necessary in order to our Redemption so 't was reasonable after Justice was satisfied that the humane nature should be freed from its infirmities and the Glory of his Divine be so conspicuous that every tongue should confess that Jesus who was despised on Earth is supreme Lord The Apostle sums up all together in that triumphant challeng Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect 'T is God that justifies who is he that condemneth 'T is Christ that died yea rather is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us 3. The excellent benefits which God reconciled bestows upon us are the effects and evidences of the compleatness of Christs Satisfaction And these are pardon of Sin Grace and Glory The Apostle tells us that the Law made nothing perfect all its Sacrifices and Ceremonies could not expiate the guilt nor cleanse the stain of sin nor open Heaven for us which three are requisit to our perfection But Christ by one Offering hath perfected for ever them that are Sanctified By him we obtain full Justification Renovation and Communion with God therefore his Sacrifice the Meritorious cause of procuring them must be perfect 1. Our Justification is the effect of his Death for the obligation of the Law is made void by it God forgives us our Trespasses blotting out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross. The terms are used that are proper to the cancelling a civil Bond. The killing letter of the Law is abolisht by the Blood of the Cross the Nails and the Spear have rent it in pieces to signifie that its condemning power is taken away Now the infinite vertue of his Death in taking away the guilt of sin will more fully appear if we consider 1. That it hath procured Pardon for sins committed in all ages of the World Without the intervention of a Sacrifice God would not Pardon and the most costly that were offered up by sinners were of no value to make compensation to Justice but the Blood of Christ was the only propitiation for sins committed before his comming The Apostle tells us He was not obliged to offer himself often as the High-Priest entered into the Holy place every year with the Blood of others but now once in the end of the World hath he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself The direct sense of the Words is that the virtue of his Sacrifice extended it self to all times for otherwise in regard Men have always needed propitiation He must have Suffered often since the Creation of the World And if it be askt how His Death had a saving influence before He actually Suffered the answer is clear We must consider the Death of Christ not as a Natural but Moral cause 't is not as a Medicine that heals but as a Ransom that frees a Captive Natural Causes operate nothing before their real existence but 't is not necessary that moral Causes should have an actual being 't is sufficient that they shall be and that the person with whom they are effectual accept the Promise As a Captive is releast upon assurance given that he will send his ransom though 't is not actually deposited Thus the death of Christ was available to purchase pardon for Believers before his coming for he interposed as their Surety and God to whom all things are present knew the accomplishment of it in the appointed time He is therefore call'd the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world not only in respect of God's Decree but his Efficacy The salvation we derive from him was ever in him He appeared under the Empire of Augustus and dyed under Tyberius but he was a Redeemer in all ages otherwise the comparison were not just that as by Adam all die so by Christ all are made alive 'T is true under the old Testament they had not a clear knowledg of him yet they enjoyed the benefit of his unvaluable Sufferings For the medium by which the benefits our Redeemer purchased are conveyed to Men is not the exact knowledg of what he did and suffered but sincere Faith in the Promise of God Now the Divine Revelation being the rule and measure of Faith such a degree was sufficient to Salvation as answered the general discovery of Grace Believers depended upon God's goodness to pardon them in such a way as was honourable to his Justice They had some general Knowledge that the Messiah should come and bring Salvation Abraham rejoiced to see the day of Christ Moses valued the Afflictions of Christ more than the Treasures of Aegypt And Believers in general are described to be waiters for the Consolation of Israel In short the Jewish and Christian Church are essentially one they differ no more than the morning and Evening Star which is the same but is diversly called from its appearance before the Sun-rising or after its setting So our Faith respects a Saviour that is past theirs respected Him as to come Besides The saving vertue of his Death as it reaches to all former so to all succeeding Ages He is the same yesterday to day and for ever not only in respect of his Person but his Office The vertue of the Legal Sacrifices expired with the Offering upon a new sin they were repeated Their imperfection is argued from their repetition But the precious Oblation of Christ hath an everlasting efficacy to obtain full Pardon for Believers His Blood is as powerful to propitiate God as if it were this day shed upon the Cross. He is able to save
to perpetuity all that shall address to God by Him Since He ever lives to make Intercession The Pardon that He once purchased shall ever be applied to contrite Believers The Covenant that was sealed with his Blood is eternal and the Mercies contained in it 2. The perfection of his Sacrifice is evident by its expiating universally the guilt of all transgressions 'T is true Sins in their own nature are different some have a crimson guilt attending them and accordingly Conscience should be affected But the Grace of the Gospel makes no difference The Apostle tells us that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sins Whatever the kinds degrees and circumstances are As the Deluge overflowed the highest Mountains as well as the least Hill so pardoning Mercy covers Sins of the first magnitude as well as the smallest Under the Law one Sacrifice could expiate but one Offence though but against a carnal Commandment but this one washes away the guilt of all Sins against the Moral Law And in that Dispensation no Sacrifices were instituted for Idolatry Adultery Murder and other Crimes which were certainly punisht with Death But under the Gospel Sins of what quality soever if repented of are pardoned The Apostle having reckoned up Idolaters Adulterers and many other notorious Sinners that shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven tells the Corinthians that such were some of them but they were sanctified and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 'T is true Those who sin against the Holy Ghost are excepted from Pardon But the Reason is Because the Death of Christ was not appointed for the Expiation of it And there being no Sacrifice there is no Satisfaction and consequently no Pardon The Wisdome and Justice of God requires this Severity against them For if he that despised Moses Law died without Mercy of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the Spirit of Grace that is They renounce their Redeemer as if he were not the Son of God and virtually consent to the cruel Sentence past against Him as if he had blasphemed when He declared Himself to be so and thereby out sin his Sufferings How reasonable is it they should be for ever deprived of the Benefits who obstinately reject the Means that purchased them 2. The Death of Christ hath procured Grace for Men. We made a Forfeiture of our Original Holiness and were righteously deprived of it And till Divine Justice was appeased all influences of Grace were suspended Now the Death of Christ opened Heaven and brought down the Spirit who is the Principle of Renovation in us The world lay in wickedness as a Carcass in the grave insensible of its horror and corruption The Holy Spirit hath inspired it with a new life and by a marvellous change hath caused Purity to succeed Pollution 3. The receiving Believers into Heaven is a convincing proof of the all-sufficiency of his Sacrifice For Justice will not permit that Glory and Immortality which are the Priviledges of the Righteous should be given to guilty defiled Creatures Therefore our Saviour's first and greatest work was to remove the bar that excluded us from the place of Felicity 'T is more difficult to justifie a Sinner than to glorifie a Saint The Goodness of God inclines Him to bestow Happiness on those who are not obnoxious to the Law but his Justice was to be aton'd by Sufferings Now what stronger Argument can there be that God is infinitely pleased with what His Son hath done and suffered for his People than the taking of them into his Presence to see his Glory The Apostle sets down this order in the work of our Redemption That Christ being made perfect by Sufferings that is having consummated that part of his Office which respected the expiation of Sin He became the Author of eternal Salvation to all that obey him To sum up all 't is observable that the Scripture attributes to the Death of Christ not only Satisfaction whereby we are redeemed from Punishment but such a redundant Merit as purchases for us Adoption and all the glorious Prerogatives of the Children of God Upon these accounts his Blood hath a double Efficacy As the Blood of the Covenant it procured our peace as the Blood of the Testament it conveyes to us a Title to Heaven it self according to that of St. Paul we have boldness to enter into the Holiest by his Blood I will remove two slender prejudices against this Doctrine 1. That Repentance and Faith are required in order to the partaking of the precious benefits which Christ hath purchased doth not lessen the Merit of his Death and the compleatness of the Satisfaction made to God by it For we must consider There is a great difference between the payment of that the Law requires by the Debtor and the payment of that which was not in the original Obligation by another in his stead Upon the payment of the first actual freedom immediately follows If a Debtor pays the sum he ows or a Criminal endure the punishment of the Law they are actually discharged and never liable to be sued or suffer again But when the same that the Law requires is not paid but something else by another the release of the guilty is suspended upon those condâ—tions which he that freely makes satisfaction 〈◊〉 the Governour who by favour accepts it are â—â—eased to appoint Now 't is thus in the transaction of our Redemption Christ laid down his Life for us and this was not the very thing in strict sense that the Law required For according to the threatning the Soul that sins shall die the Delinquent in his own person was to suffer the penalty and there was no necessity natural or moral that obliged God to admit of his Satisfaction for our discharge If the Law had exprest that the sinner or his surety should suffer there had been no need of a better Covenant But in this the Grace of God so illustrously appears that by his appointment the punishment of the guilty was transfer'd to the Innocent who voluntarily undertook for them In this respect God truly pardons sin though he received intire Satisfaction for he might in right have refused it Now these things being supposed although the Blood of Christ was a price so precious that it can only be valued by God that received it and might worthily have redeemed a thousand Worlds yet the effects of it are to be dispensed according to the Eternal Covenant between the Father and the Son and the tenor of it is revealed in the Gospel viz. that Repentance and Faith are the conditions upon which the obtaining pardon of sin and all the blessings which are the consequents of it depends thus Christ who makes Satisfaction and God that accepts
it declare The Commission of the Apostles from his own mouth was to preach Repentance and Remission of sins in his name to all Nations and he was exalted by God to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin The establishing of this order is not a meer positive command wherein the will of the Law-giver is the sole ground of our duty but there is a special congruity and reason in the nature of the thing it self For Christ hath satisfied Justice that God may exercise pardoning Mercy in such a manner as is suitable to his other perfections Now 't is contrary to his Wisdom to dispense the precious benefits of his Sons Blood to impenitent Unbelievers to give such rich Pearls and so dearly bought to Swine that will trample them under their feet to bestow Salvation on those who despise the Saviour 'T is contrary to his Holiness to forgive those who will securely abuse his favour as if his pardon were a priviledge and license to sin against him Nay final Impenitency is unpardonable to Mercy it self For the objects of Justice and Mercy cannot be the same now an impenitent sinner is necessarily under the revenging Justice of God 'T is no disparagement to his omnipotency that he cannot save such For although God can do whatsoever he will yet he can will nothing but what is agreeable to his Nature Not that there is any Law above God that obliges him to act but he is a Law to himself And the more excellent his perfections are the less he can contradict them As 't is no reflection upon his power that he cannot die neither is it that he can do nothing unbecoming his perfections On the contrary it implies weakness to be liable to any such act Thus supposing the Creature Holy it is impossible but he should love it not that he ows any thing to the Creature but in regard he is infinitely good and if impenitent and obstinate in sin he cannot but hate and punish it not that he is accountable for his Actions but because he is infinitely Just. And from hence it appears that the requiring of Repentance and Faith in order to the actual partaking of the blessings our Redeemer purchased doth not diminish the value of his Satisfaction they being not the causes of pardon but necessary qualifications in the subject that receives it 2. It doth not lessen the Compleatness of his Satisfaction that Believers are liable to Afflictions and Death For these are continued according to the agreement between God and our Redeemer for other ends than satisfaction to Justice which was fully accomplisht by him This will appear by several Considerations 1. Some Afflictions have not the nature of a Punishment but are intended only for the exercise of their Graces That the trial of their Faith Patience and Hope being much more precious than of Gold that perisheth though it be tried by the fire might be found unto praise Now these Afflictions are the occasion of their Joy and in order to their Glory Of this kind are all the Sufferings that Christians endure for the promotion of the Gospel Thus the Apostles esteemed themselves dignified in suffering what was contumelious and reproachful for the Name of Christ. And St. Paul interprets it as a special favour that God call'd forth the Philippians to the Combat To you it is given in the behalf of Christ to suffer Not only the Graces of Faith and Fortitude but the Affliction was given So Believers are declared Happy when they are partakers of Christs Sufferings for the Spirit of Glory rests on them Now it is evident that Afflictions of this nature are no Punishments For since 't is essential to Punishment to be inflicted for a Fault and every Fault hath a turpitude in it It necessarily follows that Punishment which is the brand of a crime must be alwaies attended with infamy and the Sufferer under shame But Christians are honourable by their Sufferings for God as they conform them to the Image of his Son who was consecrated by Sufferings 2. Afflictions are sent sometimes not with respect to a Sin committed but to prevent the commission of it and this distinguishes them from Punishments For the Law deters from Evil not by inflicting but threatning the Penalty But in the Divine Discipline there is another Reason God afflicts to restrain from Sin As St. Paul had a thorn in the flesh to prevent Pride 3. Those Evils that are inflicted on Believers for Sin do not diminish the power and value of Christ's Passion For we must distinguish between Punishments which are meerly castigatory for the good of the Offender and that are purely vindictive for the just Satisfaction of the Law Now Believers are liable to the first but are freed from the other For Christ hath redeemed them from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for them The Popish Doctrine of Satisfaction to offended Justice by our suffering temporal Evils is attended with many pernicious Consequences 1. It robs the Cross of Christ of one part of its Glory as if something were left to us to make up in the degrees and vertue of his Sufferings 2. It reflects on Gods Justice as if He exacted two different Satisfactions for Sin the one from Christ our Surety the other from the Sinner 3. It disparages his Mercy in making Him to punish whom He pardons and to inflict a Penalty after the Sin is remitted 4. 'T is dangerous to Man by feeding a false Presumption in him as if by the merit of his sufferings he could expiate Sin and obtain part of that Salvation which we entirely owe to the Death of our Redeemer The difference between Chastisements and purely vindictive Punishments appears in three things 1. In the Causes from whence they proceed The severest Sufferings of the Godly are not the effects of the Divine Vengeance 'T is true they are Evidences of Gods displeasure against them for Sin but not of Hatred For being reconciled to them in Christ He beares an unchangeable Affection to them and Love cannot hate though it may be angry The motive that excites God to correct them is Love according to that testimony of the Apostle Whom the Lord loves He chastens As somtimes out of his severest displeasure He forbeares to strike and condemns obstinate Sinners to Prosperity here so from the tenderest Mercy he afflicts his own But purely vindictive Judgments proceed from meer wrath 2. They differ in their measures The Evils that Believers suffer are alwaies proportioned to their strength They are not the sudden eruptions of Anger but deliberate Dispensations David deprecates Gods Judgment as 't is opposed to Favour Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord and Jeremiah desires Gods Judgment as 't is opposed to Fury Correct me Oh Lord in thy Judgment not in thy Fury 'T is the gracious Promise of God to
David with respect to Solomon If he commit Iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the childaen of men that is Chastise him moderately For in the stile of the Scripture as things are magnified by the Epithet Divine or of God as the Cedars of God that is very tall And Nineve is called The City of God that is very great So to signifie things that are in a mediocrity the Scripture uses the Epithet humane or of Men And according to the Rule of Opposition the Rod of God is an extraordinary Affliction which destroys the Sinner 't is such a Punishment as a man can neither inflict nor endure But the Rod of Men is a moderate Correction that doth not exceed the strength of the Patient But every purely vindictive Punishment which the Law pronounces is in proportion to the nature of the Crime not the strength of the Criminal 3. They are distinguisht by the intention and end of God in inflicting them 1. In Chastisements God primarily designs the Profit of his People That they may be partakers of his Holiness When they are secure and carnal He awakens Conscience by the sharp voice of the Rod to reflect upon Sin to make them observant for the future to render their Affections more indifferent to the World and stronger towards Heaven The Apostle expresses the nature of Chastisements When we are judged we are instructed by the Lord They are more lively Lessons than those which are by the Word alone and make a deeper impression upon the heart David acknowledges Before he was afflicted he went astray but now have I kept thy words Corrupt Nature makes Gods Favours pernicious but his Grace makes our Punishments profitable Briefly They are not satisfactions for what is past but admonitions for the time to come But purely vindictive Judgments are not inflicted for the reformation of an Offender but to preserve the honour of the Sovereign and Publick Order and to make compensation for the breach of the Law If any advantage accrue to the Offender 't is accidental and besides the intention of the Judg. 2. The end of chastisements upon Believers is to prevent their final destruction When we are Judged we are Chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the World And this sweetens and allays all their Sufferings As the Psalmist declares Let the Righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oile which shall not break my head But the Vindictive Punishment of a Malefactor is not to prevent his condemnation for Death is sometimes the Sentence In this respect the temporal evils that befal the Wicked and the Godly though materially the same yet legally differ For to the Wicked they are as so many earnests of the compleat payment they shall make to Justice in another World the beginnings of Eternal Sorrows but to the Godly they are in order to their Salvation They are as the Red-Sea through which the Israelites past to the Land of Promise but the Egyptians were drowned in it Briefly their Sufferings differ as much in their issue as the Kingdoms of Heaven and of Hell 2. That Death remains to Believers doth not lessen the perfection of Christs Satisfaction 'T is true considered absolutely 't is the revenge of the Law for sin and the greatest temporal evil so that it may seem strange that those who are Redeemed by an Alsufficient ransom should pay this Tribute to the King of Terrors But the nature of it is changed 't is a Curse to the wicked inflicted for Satisfaction to Justice but a Priviledge to Believers As God appointing the Rainbow to be the Sign of his Covenant that he would drown the World no more ordain'd the same Waters to be the token of his Mercy which were the instrument of his Justice Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. And the Psalmist tells us that precious in the sight of the Lord is the Death of his Saints Christ hath taken away what is truly destructive in it 'T is continued for their advantage 1. Corruption hath so depraved the sensitive appetite that during our natural state we are not intirely freed from it but Death that destroyes the natural frame of the Body puts an end to sin And in this respect there is a great difference between the Death of Christ and of Believers the end of his was to remove the guilt of sin of theirs to extinguish the reliques of it 2. 'T is a delivery from Temporal evils and an entrance into Glory Death and Despair seize on the Wicked at once but the Righteous hath hope in his Death 3. The Grave shall give up its spoils at the last It retains the Body for a time not to destroy but purifie it Our Saviour tells us that whoever believes on him shall not see death for he will raise them up at the last day He that dies a Man shall revive an Angel cloathed with Light and Immortality I will conclude this argument with the words of St. Austin Ablato criminis nexu relicta est mors Nunc vero majore mirabiliore gratia Salvatoris in usus justitiae peccati poena est conversa tum enim dictum est Homini morieris si peccaveris nunc dictum est Martyri morere ne pecces Et sic per ineffabilem Dei misericordiam ipsa poena vitiorum transit in arma virtutis fit justi meritum etiam supplicium peccatoris Although the Guilt of Sin is removed yet death remains But by the admirable Grace of the Redeemer the punishment of sin is made an advantage to Holiness The Law threatned Man with Death if he sinned the Gospel commands a Martyr to die that he may not sin And thus by the unspeakable Mercy of God the punishment of Vice becomes the security of Virtue and that which was revenged upon the sinner gives to the Righteous a title to a glorious reward CHAP. XV. Inferences In the Death of Christ there is the clearest discovery of the evil of sin The strictness of divine Justice is most visible in it The consideration of the ends of Christs Death takes off the scandal of the Cross and changes the offence into admiration The Satisfaction of Justice by Christs Sufferings affords the strongest assurance that God is ready to pardon sinners The absolute necessity of complying with the terms of the Gospel for Justification There are but two wayes of appearing before the supreme Judge either in Innocence or by the Righteousness of Christ The Causes why men reject Christ are a legal temper that is natural to them and the predominant love of sin The unavoidable misery of all that will not submit to our Saviour 1. FRom hence we may discover most clearly the evil of Sin which no Sacrifice could expiate but the Blood of the Son of God 'T is true the
internal Malignity of Sin abstracted from its dreadful effects is most worthy of our hatred For 't is in its own nature direct enmity against God and obscures the Glory of all his Attributes 'T is the violation of his Majesty who is the universal Sovereign of Heaven and Earth A contrariety to his Holiness which shines forth in his Law A despising his Goodness the atractive to Obedience The contempt of his Omniscience which sees every sin when 't is commited The slighting of his terrible Justice and Power as if the Sinner could secure himself from his Indignation A denial of his Truth as if the threatning were a vain terror to scare Men from sin And all this done voluntarily to please an irregular corrupt Appetite by a despicable Creature who absolutely depends upon God for his being and happiness These Considerations seriously pondered are most proper to discover the extremity of its evil But sensible demonstrations are most powerful to convince and affect us and those are taken from the fearful Punishments that are inflicted for Sin Now the Torments of Hell which are the just and full recompence of Sin are not sensible till they are inevitable And temporal Judgments cannot fully declare the infinite Displeasure of God against the wilful contempt of his Authority But in the Sufferings of Christ 't is exprest to the utmost If Justice it self had rent the Heavens and come down in the most visible Terrour to revenge the Rebellions of Men it could never have made stronger impressions upon us than the Death of Christ duely considered The Destruction of the World by Water the miraculous burning of Sodom and Gomorrah by showers of Fire and all other the most terrible Judgments do not afford such a sensible instruction of the evil of Sin If we regard the Dignity of his Person and the depth of his Sufferings He is an unparallel'd example of Gods Indignation for the breach of his Holy Law For He that was the Son of God and the Lord of Glory was made a Man of Sorrowes He endured Derision Scourgings Stripes and at last a cruel and cursed Death The Holy of Holies was crucified between two Thieves By how much the Life of Christ was more precious than the lives of all men so much in his Death doth the wrath of God appear more fully against Sin than it would in the destruction of the whole world of Sinners And His Spiritual Sufferings infinitely exceeded all His Corporeal The Impressions of Wrath that were inflicted by Gods immediate Hand upon his Soul forced from him those strong Cries that moved all the powers of Heaven and Earth with Compassion If the curtain were drawn aside and we should look into the Chambers of Death where Sinners lie down in Sorrow for ever and hear the woful expressions and deep Complaints of the Damned with what horrour and distraction they speak of their torments we could not have a fuller testimony of God's Infinite displeasure against sin than in the Anguish and Agonies of our Redeemer For whatever His Sufferings were in kind yet in their degree and measure they were equally terrible with those that condemned Sinners endure Now how is it possible that Rational Agents should freely in the open light for perishing vanities dare to commit sin Can they avoid or endure the Wrath of an Incensed God If God spared not his Son when he came in the similitude of sinful flesh how shall Sinners who are deeply and universally defiled escape Can they fortifie themselves against the Supreme Judge Can they encounter with the fury of the Almighty the apprehensions of which made the Soul of Christ heavy unto Death Have they patience to bear that for ever which was to Christ who had the strength of the Deity to support him intolerable for a few hours If it were so with the green Tree what will become of the dry when exposed to the fiery Tryal If he that was Holy and Innocent suffered so dreadfully what must they expect who add impenitency to their guilt and live in the bold commission of Sin without reflection and remorse What prodigious Madness is it to drink iniquity like water as a harmless thing when 't is a poison so deadly that the least drop of it brings certain ruine What desperate Folly to have slight apprehensions of that which is attended with the first and second Death Nothing but unreasonable Infidelity and Inconsideration can make men venturous to provoke the living God who is infinitely sensible of their Sins and who both can and will punish them by Torments extreme and eternal 2. The strictness of Divine Justice appears that required Satisfaction equivalent to the desert of sin The natural Notion of the Deity as the Governour of the World instructed the Heathens That the transgression of his Laws was worthy of Death This proves that the obligation to punishment doth not arise from the mere will of God which is only discovered by Revelation but is founded in the nature of things and by its own light is manifested to reasonable creatures From hence they inferred That it was not becoming the Divine nature as qualified with the relation of Supreme Ruler to pardon Sin without Satisfaction This appears by the Sacrifices and Ceremonies the Religions and Expiations which were performed by the most ignorant Nations And although they infinitely abused themselves in the conceit they had of their pretended efficacy and vertue yet the universal consent of Mankind in the belief that Satisfaction was necessary declares it to be true This as other natural Doctrines is more fully revealed by Scripture Under the Law without shedding of blood there was no remission not that common Blood could make Satisfaction for Sin but God commanded there should be a visible mark of its necessity in the Worship offer'd to him and a prefiguration that it should be accomplisht by a Sacrifice eternally efficacious And the Oeconomy of our Salvation clearly proves that to preserve the honour of Gods Government Sin must be punisht that Sinners might be pardoned For nothing was more repugnant to the Will of God absolutely considered than the Death of his Beloved Son and the natural Will of Christ was averse from it What then moved that Infinite Wisdome which wills nothing but what is perfectly reasonable to ordain that event Why should it take so great a circuit if the way was so short that by pure Favour without Satisfaction Sin might have been pardoned Our Saviour declares the necessity of his suffering Death supposing the merciful Will of his Father to save us when He saith That as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believes in him should not perish 'T is true Since God had foretold and prefigured his Death by the oracles and actions under the Law it necessarily came to pass But to consider things exactly the unchangeable truth of Types and Prophesies is not
the primitive and main reason of the necessity of things but only a sign of the certainty of the event In strictness things do not arrive because of their prediction but are foretold because they shall arrive It is apparent there was a Divine Decree before the Prophesies and that in the Light of God's Infinite Knowledg things are before they were foretold So 't is not said a Man must be of a ruddy complexion because his Picture is so but on the contrary because he is ruddy his Picture must be so That Christ by dying on the Cross should Redeem Man was the reason that the Serpent of brass was erected on a pole to heal the Israelites and not on the contrary Briefly the Apostle supposes this necessity of Satisfaction as an evident principle when he proves wilful Apostates to be incapable of Salvation Because there remains no more Sacrifice for sin For the consequence were of no force if sin might be pardoned without Sacrifice that is without Satisfaction 3. This account of Christs Death takes off the scandal of the Cross and changes the offence into admiration 'T was foretold of Christ that he should be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence not a just cause but an occasion of offence to the corrupt hearts of Men and principally for his Sufferings The Jews were pleased with the titles of honour given to the Messiah that he should be a King Powerful and Glorious But that poverty disgrace and the suffering Death should be his character they could not endure therefore they endeavoured to prevert the sense of the Prophets His Disciples who attended him in his mean state expected those sad apappearances would terminate in visible Glory and Greatness but when they saw him arrested by his Enemies Condemned and Crucified this was so opposite to their expectation that they fainted under the disappointment And when Christ Crucified was Preacht to the Gentile World they rejected him with scorn His Death seemed so contrary to the Dignity of his Person and the design of his Office that they could not relish the Doctrine of the Gospel They judged it absurd to expect Life from one that was subjected to Death and Blessedness from him who was made a Curse To those who look on the Death of Christ with the eyes of carnal wisdom and according to the Laws of corrupt reason it appears folly and weakness and most unworthy of God but if we consider it in its principles and ends all the prejudices vanish and we clearly discover it to be the most noble and eminent effect of the Wisdom Power Goodness and Justice of God To the eye of sense 't was a spectacle of horrour that a perfect Innocent should be cruelly tormented but to the eye of Faith under that sad and ignominious appearance there was a Divine Mystery able to raise our wonder and ravish our affections For he that was naked and nailed to the Cross was really the Son of God and the Saviour of Men And his Death with all the penal circumstances of dishonour and pain is the only Expiation of sin and Satisfaction to Justice He by offering up his Blood appea'sd the wrath of God quencht the flaming Sword that made Paradise inaccessible to us he took away sin the true dishonour of our natures and purchased for us the Graces of the Spirit the richest ornaments of the reasonable Creature The Doctrine of the Cross is the only foundation of the Gospel that unites all its parts and supports the whole building 'T is the cause of our Righteousness and Peace of our Redemption and Reconciliation How blessed an exchange have the Merits of his Sufferings made with those of our Sins Life instead of Death Glory for Shame and Happiness for Misery For this reason the Apostle with vehemence declares that to be the sole ground of his boasting and triumph which others esteemed a cause of blushing God forbid that I should Glory save in the Cross of Christ. He rejects with extreme detestation the mention of any other thing as the cause of his Happiness and matter of his Glory The Cross was a tree of Death to Christ and of Life to us The supreme Wisdom is justified of its Children 4. The Satisfaction of Divine Justice by the Sufferings of Christ affords the strongest assurance to Man who is a guilty and suspicious creature that God is most ready to pardon sin There is in the natural Conscience when opened by a piercing conviction of sin such a quick sense of Guilt and Gods Justice that it can never have an intire confidence in his Mercy till Justice be atoned From hence the convinced Sinner is restlesly inquisitive how to find out the way of reconciliation with a Righteous God Thus he is represented inquiring by the Prophet Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the most High God shall I come before him with Burnt-Offerings with Calves of a year old will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my Body for the sin of my Soul The Scripture tells us that some consum'd their Children to render their Idols favourable to them But all these means were ineffectual their most costly Sacrifices were only food for the fire Nay instead of expiating their old they committed new sins and were so far from appeasing that they inflamed the Wrath of God by their cruel oblations But in the Gospel there is the most rational and easy way propounded for the Satisfaction of God and the Justification of Man The Righteousness of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thy heart Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring down Christ from above Or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But if thou wilt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved The Apostle sets forth the anxiety of an awakened Sinner he is at a loss to find out a way to escape Judgment for things that are on the surface of the Earth or floating on the Waters are within our view and may be obtain'd but those that are above our Understanding to discover or Power to obtain are proverbially said to to be in the Heavens above or in the Deeps And 't is applied here to the different wayes of Justification by the Law and the Gospel The Law propounds Life upon an impossible condition but the Gospel clearly reveals to us that Christ hath performed what is necessary for our Justification and that by a lively and practical Faith we shall have an Interest in it The Lord Jesus being ascended hath given us a convincing proof that the Propitiation for our Sins is perfect For otherwise He had not been received into Gods Sanctuary Therefore to be under
perplexities how we may be justified is to deny the value of his Righteousness and the truth of his Ascension And say not who shall descend into the deep to bear the Torments of Hell and expiate Sin this is to deny the vertue of his Death whereby he appeased God and redeemed us from the wrath to come In the Law the condemning Righteousness of God is made visible in the Gospel his justifying Righteousness is revealed from Faith to Faith And this is an infallible proof of its divine descent For whereas all other Religions either stupifie Conscience and harden it in carnal Security or terrifie it by continual Alarms of Vengeance the Gospel alone hath discovered how God may shew Mercy to repenting Sinners without injury to his Justice The Heathens robb'd one Attribute to enrich another either they conceived God to be indulgent to their Sins and easie to pardon to the prejudice of his Justice or cruel and revengful to the dishonour of his Goodness But Christians are instructed how these are wonderfully reconciled and magnified in our Redemption From hence there is a divine calm in the Conscience and that Peace which passeth Understanding The Soul is not only freed from the Fear of Gods anger but hath a lively Hope of his Favour and Love This is exprest by the Apostle when he reckons among the Priviledges of Believers That they are come to God the Judg of all and to Jesus the Mediator of the New-Covenant and to the Blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than the blood of Abel The apprehension of God as the Judg of the world strikes the guilty with fear and terrour but as He is sweetned by the Mediator we may approach to Him with confidence For what Sins are there which so entire a Satisfaction doth not expiate What Torments can they deserve which his wounds and stripes have not removed God is Just as well as Merciful in justifying those who believe in Jesus 'T is not the quality of Sins but of Sinners that excepts them from Pardon Christ is the golden Altar in Heaven for penitent Believers to flie to from whence God will never pluck any one to destroy him 5. From hence we may learn how absolute a necessity there is for our coming to Christ for Justification There are but two waies of appearing before the Righteous and Supreme Judg. 1. In Innocence and sinless Obedience or by the Righteousness of Christ The one is by the Law the other by Grace And these two can never be compounded for he that pleads Innocence in that disclaims Favour and he that sues for Favour acknowledges Guilt Now the first cannot be performed by us For entire Obedience to the Law supposes the integrity of our natures there being a Moral impossibility that the Faculties once corrupted should act regularly But Man is stain'd with Original Sin from his Conception And the form of the Law runs universally Cursed is every one that obeys not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them In these Scales one evil work preponderates a thousand good If a Man were guilty but of one single Error his entire Obedience afterwards could not save him for that being alwaies due to the Law the payment of it cannot discount for the former Debt So that we cannot in any degree be justified by the Law for there is no middle between transgressing and not transgressing it He that breaks one Article in a Covenant cuts off his claim to any benefit by it Briefly the Law Justifies only the Perfect and condemns without distinction all that are Guilty So that to pretend Justification by the works of it is as unreasonable as for a man to produce in Court the Bond which obliges him to his Creditor in testimony that he ows him nothing Whoever presumes to appear before God's Judgment-Seat in his own righteousness shall be covered with confusion 2. By the Righteousness of Christ. This alone absolves from the Guilt of sin saves from Hell and can endure the trial of God's Tribunal This the Apostle prized as his unvaluable treasure in comparison of which all other things are but dross and dung that I may be found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by Faith That which he ordained and rewarded in the Person of our Redeemer he cannot but accept Now this Righteousness is meritoriously imputed only to Believers For depending solely upon the Will of God as to its being and effects it cannot possibly be reckoned to any for their benefit and advantage but in that way which he hath appointed The Lord Christ who made Satisfaction tells us that the benefit of it is communicated only through our Believing God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him should not perish As all sins are mortal in respect of their guilt but death is not actually inflicted for them upon the account of the Grace of the New Covenant so all sins are venial in respect of the Satisfaction made by Christ but they are not actually pardoned till the performing of the condition to which pardon is annext Faith transfers the guilt from the Sinner to the Sacrifice And this is not an act restrained to the understanding but principally respects the will by which we accept or refuse Salvation The nature of it is best exprest by the Scripture-phrase the receiving Christ which respects the terms upon which God offers him in the Gospel to be our Prince and Saviour The state of favour begins upon our consent to the New Covenant And how reasonable is the condition it requires how impossible is it to be otherwise God is reconcileable by the Death of Christ so that he may exercise Mercy without injury to his Justice and Holiness He is willing and desirous to be upon terms of amity with Men but cannot be actually reconciled till they accept of them for reconcilement is between two Though God upon the account of Christ is made placable to the humane nature which he is not to the Angelical in its lapsed state and hath condescended so far as to offer conditions of peace to Men yet they are reconciled at once That Christ becomes an effectual Mediator there must be the consent of both parties As God hath declared his by laying the punishment of our sins on Christ so Man gives his by submitting to the Law of Faith And the great end of Preaching the Gospel is to overcome the obstinacy of Men and reconcile them to God and their happiness We are Ambassadours for Christ and pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God With this difference Christ furnisht the means they only bring the message of reconciliation Now Men are with difficulty wrought on to comply with the conditions of Pardon by Christ. 1. Upon
were imputed to him upon the account of his Union with us in nature and his consent to be our Surety so his Righteousness is meritoriously imputed to us upon our Union with him by a lively Faith The man that lookt on the Rainbow when he was ready to be drown'd what relief was it to him that God had promised not to drown the world when he must perish in the waters So though Christ hath purchased Pardon for repenting Believers and a Rainbow encompasses the Throne of God the sign of Reconciliation what advantage is this to the Unbeliever who dies in his Sins and drops into the Lake of Fire 'T is not from any defect of Mercy in God or Righteousness in Christ but for the obstinate refusal of it that men certainly perish This inhances their Guilt and Misery All the rich expence of Grace for their Redemption shall be charged upon them The Blood of Christ shall not be imputed for their Ransom but for their deeper Damnation and instead of speaking better things than the Blood of Abel shall call louder for Vengeance against them than that innocent blood which reacht Heaven with its voice against the Murderer Briefly whom so precious a Sacrifice doth not redeem they are reserved entire victims whole burnt Offerings to Divine Justice Every impenitent Unbeliever shall be salted with fire CHAP. XVI Of all the Divine Perfections Holiness is peculiarly admirable The honour of it is secured in our Redemption In the bitter Sufferings of Christ God declared Himself unappeasable to Sin though appeaseable to Sinners The Priviledges purchased by Christ are conveighed upon terms honourable to Holiness Pardon of Sin Adoption the Inheritance of Glory are annexed to special Qualifications in those who receive them The Redeemer is made a quickening Principle to inspire us with new Life In order to our Sanctification He hath given us the most perfect Rule of Holiness He exhibited a compleat Pattern of it He purchas'd and conveyes the Spirit of Holiness to us He presents the strongest Motives to perswade us to be holy The perfect Laws of Christ are considered as they enjoin an absolute separation from all Evil and command the practice of all substantial Goodness Some particular Precepts which the Gospel especially enforces with the Reasons of them are considered OF all the Perfections of the Deity none is more worthy of his Nature and so peculiarly admirable as his Infinite Purity 'T is the most shining Attribute that derives a lustre to all the rest He is glorious in Holiness Wisdom degenerates into Craft Power into Tyranny Mercy loses its nature without Holiness He swears by it as his Supreme Excellency Once have I sworn by my Holiness I will not lie unto David 'T is the most venerable Attribute in the Praise whereof the Harmony of Heaven agrees The Angels and Saints above are represented expressing their extasy and ravishment at the beauty of Holiness Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole Earth is full of his Glory This He only loves and values in the Creature being the Impression of his most Divine and amiable Perfection Inferiour Creatures have a resemblance of other Divine Attributes The Winds and Thunder set forth God's Power the firmness of the Rocks and the incorruptibility of the Heavens are an obscure representation of his Unchangeableness but Holiness that is the most Orient-Pearl in the Crown of Heaven only shines in the reasonable Creature Upon this account Man only is said to be formed after his Image And in Men there are some appearances of the Deity that do not entitle to his special Love In Princes there is a shadow of his Sovereignty yet they may be the objects of his displeasure but a likeness to God in Holiness atracts his Eye and Heart and infinitely endears the Creature to him Now this Attribute is in a special manner provokt by Mans sin and we are restored to the favour and friendship of God in such a manner as may preserve the Honour of it intire and inviolable This will fully appear by considering what our Redeemer suffered for the purchasing our Pardon and the terms upon which the precious Benefits of his Death are conveied to us and what he hath done to restore our lost Holiness that we may be qualified for the enjoyment of God 1. God's Infinite Purity is declared in his Justice in that He would not pardon Sin but upon such terms as might fully demonstrate how odious 't was to him What inflam'd the Wrath of God against his Beloved Son whom by a voice from Heaven he declared to be the object of his delight What made Him inexorable to his Prayers and Tears when He sollicited the Divine Power and Love the Attributes that relieve the miserable crying Abba Father all things are possible to thee let this Cup pass from me What made him suspend all comforting Influences and by a dreadful Desertion afflict him when he was environ'd with Sorrows 'T is Sin only that caused this fierce displeasure not inherent for the Messiah was cut off but not for himself but imputed by his voluntary undertaking for us God so loved the World and so hated Sin that He gave his Son to purchase our Pardon by Sufferings When his Compassions to Man were at the highest yet then his antipathy against Sin was so strong that no less Sacrifice could reconcile Him to us Thus God declared himself to be unappeasable to Sin though not to Sinners 2. The Priviledges that are purchased by our Redeemers Sufferings are dispenst upon those terms which are honourable to Gods Holiness I will instance in the three great Benefits of the Evangelical Covenant The Pardon of Sin Adoption into God's Family and the Inheritance of Glory All which are conditional and annext to special Qualifications in the persons who have a title to them 1. The Death of Christ is beneficial to Pardon and Life only to those who repent and believe The Holy God will by no means spare the guilty that is declare the guilty innocent or forgive an incapable subject All the Promises of Grace and Mercy are with respect to Repentance from dead works and to a lively Faith The Son of God is made a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins And the Apostle tells us That being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The first includes a cordial grief for Sins past and sincere effectual Resolutions to forsake them and hath a necessary conjunction with Pardon as by vertue of the Divine Command so from a condecency and fitness with respect to God the giver of Pardon and to the quality of the Blessing it self The other Qualification is Faith to which Justification is in a special manner attributed not in respect of Efficiency or Merit for the Mercy of God upon the account of Christs Satisfaction is the sole Cause of our Pardon but as a moral instrument
that is the Condition upon which God absolves Man from his guilt And this Grace of Faith as it respects entire Christ in all his Offices so it contains the Seed and first Life of Evangelical Obedience It crucifies our Lusts overcomes the World works by Love as well as justifies the person by relying on the Merits of Christ for Salvation 2 Adoption into Gods Family the purchase of Christ's Meritorious Sufferings who Redeemed us from the Servitude of Sin and Death is conferr'd upon us in Regeneration For this Prerogative consists not meerly in an Extrinsick Relation to God and a title to the Eternal Inheritance but in our participation of the Divine Nature whereby we are the living Images of Gods Holiness Civil Adoption gives the title but not the reality of a Son But the Divine is efficacious and changes us into the real likeness of our Heavenly Father We cannot enter into this state of Favour but upon our cleansing from all Impurity Be separate from the pollutions of the profane world and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty These are the indispensable terms upon which we are received into that honourable Alliance None can enjoy the Priviledge but those that yield the Obedience of Children 3. Holiness is the Condition on which our future Blessedness depends Electing Mercy doth not produce our Glorification immediately but begins in our Vocation and Justification which are the intermediate Links in the Chain of Salvation As Natural Causes work on a distant object by passing through the medium God first gives Grace then Glory The everlasting Covenant that is sealed by the Blood of Christ establishes the connexion between them Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God The exclusion of all others is peremptory and universal Without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord. The Righteousness of the Kingdom is the only way of entring into it A few good actions scattered in our lives are not availeable but a course of Obedience brings to Happiness Those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality shall inherit eternal life This is not a mere positive Appointment but grounded on the unchangeable respect of things There is a rational convenience between Holiness and Happiness according to the Wisdom and Goodness of God and 't is exprest in Scripture by the natural relation of the Seed to the Harvest both as to the quality and measure What a man sows that shall he reap We must be like God in purity before we can be in felicity Indeed 't would be a disparagement to Gods Holiness and pollute Heaven it self to receive unsanctified Persons as impure as those in Hell 'T is equally impossible for the Creature to be happy without the favour of the Holy God and for God to communicate His favour to the sinful Creature Briefly according to the Law of Faith no wicked Person hath any right to the Satisfaction Christ made nor to the Inheritance he purchased for Believers 3. Man in his corrupt state is deprived of Spiritual Life so that till he is revived by special Grace he can neither obey nor enjoy God Now the Redeemer is made a quickning Principle to inspire us with new life In order to our Sanctification he hath done four things First He hath given to us the most perfect Laws as the Rule of Holiness Secondly He exhibited the most compleat Patern of Holiness in his Life upon the Earth Thirdly He purchas'd and conveyes the Spirit of Holiness to renew and to enable us for the performance of our Duties Fourthly He hath presented the strongest inducements and motives to perswade us to be Holy First He hath given to Men the most perfect Laws as the rule of Holiness The principal parts of the Holy Life are ceasing from evil and the doing well Now the Commands of Christ refer to the purifying of us from sin and the adorning us with all Graces for the discharge of our universal Duty 1. They enjoyn a real and absolute separation from all filthiness of the Flesh and Spirit The outward and inward Man must be cleansed not only from Pollutions of a deeper dy but from all Carnality and Hypocrisie The Grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared to all Men teaching them to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts. All those irregular and impetuous desires which are raised by worldly Objects Honours Riches and Pleasures and reign in worldly Men Pride Covetousness and Voluptuousness The Gospel is most clear full and vehement for the true and inward Mortification of the whole body of corruption of every particular darling sin It commands us to pluck out the right eye and to cut off the right hand That is to part with every grateful and gainful lust It obliges us to crucifie the Flesh with the affections and lusts Humane Laws regard External actions as prejudicial to Societies but thoughts and resolutions that break not forth into act are not within the Jurisdiction of the Magistrate But the Law of Christ reforms the powers of the Soul and all the most secret and inward motions that depend upon them It forbids the first irregular desires of the carnal appetite We must hate sin in all its degrees strangle it in the birth destroy it in the conception We are enjoyned to fly the appearances and accesses of evil what ever is of a suspitious nature and not fully consistent with the purity of the Gospel and what ever invites to sin and exposes us to the power of it becomes vicious and must be avoided That glorious purity that shall adorn the Church when our Redeemer presents it without spot or wrinkle or any such thing every Christian must aspire to in this Life In short the Gospel commands us to be Holy as God is Holy who is infinitely distant from the least conceivable pollution 2. The Precepts of Christ contain all solid substantial goodness that is essentially necessary in order to our supreme Happiness and prepares us for the Life of Heaven In his Sermon on the Mount He commends to us Humility Meekness and Mercy Peaceableness and Patience and doing good for evil which are so many beams of Gods Image the reflections of his Goodness upon intelligent Creatures And that comprehensive precept of the Apostle describes the Duties of all Christians whatsoever things are true Truth is the principal character of our profession and is to be exprest in our Words and Actions whatsoever things are honest or venerable that is answer the dignity of our High-calling and agree with the gravity and comeliness of the Christian profession whatsoever things are just according to Divine and Humane Laws whatsoever things are pure we must preserve the Heart the Hand the Tongue the Eye from impurity whatsoever things are lovely and of good report some
Persecutors he had certainly obtained it He tells his Disciples that upon his request his Father would send twelve Legions of Angels for his rescue But he resigned the whole Power of his Will to his Fathers not my will but thy will be done was his Voice at his privat Passion in the Garden He submitted the act and exercise of his will not what I will but what thou wilt he saith in another Evangelist he yielded not only the faculty and exercise of his will to do what God enjoyned but in that manner which was pleasing to Him Not as I will but as thou wilt he expresses in the words of a third Now what is there in Heaven or Earth that can move our Wills to entire Obedience if this marvellous Pattern doth not affect us Let the same Mind be in you that was in Christ saith the Apostle How glorious is it to do what he did and what a reproach to decline what he suffer'd who had the Holiness of God to give excellency to the Action and the infirmity of Man to endure the sharpness of the Passion 3. Love to Mankind is exprest by our Saviour in a peculiar manner For although God is Infinitely Good to us yet he doth not prefer the happiness of Man before his own Blessedness The Salvation of the whole World were not to be purchas'd with the least diminution of the Divine Felicity But the Son of God suffer'd the extremest Evil to procure the most sovereign Good for us who were in Rebellion against his Laws and Empire Briefly The Life of Christ contains all our Duties towards God and Man exprest in the most perfect manner or Motives to perform them We may clearly see in his deportment innocent Wisdom prudent Simplicity compassionate Zeal perfect Patience the courage of Faith the joy of Hope the tenderness and care of Love incomparable Meekness Modesty Humility and Purity He spent the night in Communion with God and the day in Charity to Men. He perfectly hated Sin and equally loved Souls The nearest and readiest way to Perfection is a serious regard to his Precedent For the causes of all Sin are either the desire of what he despised or the fear of what He suffer'd He voluntarily deprived himself to Riches Honours Pleasures to render them contemptible and endured outrages of all sorts the contradiction of Sinners and the sharpest Sufferings to make them tolerable He ascended Mount Calvary to his Cross before he ascended from Mount Olivet to his Throne He was naked before He was cloathed with Light and crowned with thorns before with Glory And thus he powerfully teaches us to follow his steps who suffered for us If a Physician of great esteem in a Disease takes a bitter Potion it would perswade those who are in the same danger to use the same Remedy Since the Son of God to purchase our Happiness denied himself the enjoyment of worldly delights and endured the worst of temporal Evils nothing can be more effectual to convince us that the Pleasures of the world are not considerable as to our last end and that present Afflictions are so far from being inconsistent with our supreme Blessedness that they prepare us for it In short His excellent Example not only enlightens our Minds to discover our Duty but inables and excites to perform it As the Eye in beholding visible objects receives their Image so by contemplating the Graces that are conspicuous in our Redeemer we derive a similitude from them We all saith the Apostle with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord that is by viewing in the Gospel the Life of Christ which was glorious in Holiness We are changed into the same Image from â—lory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord that is gradually fashioned in Grace according to his likeness And what can more powerfully move and perswade us to Holiness than to consider the President that Christ hath set before us For how honourable is it to be like the Son of God By conformity to Christ we partake of the Divine Perfections The King of Heaven will acknowledge us for his Children when we bear the resemblance of our elder Brother Besides the motive of Honour Love doth strongly incline to follow Holiness in imitation of our Redeemer This is one difference between Knowledge and Love the understanding draws the object to it self and transforms it into its own likeness Thus material objects have an immaterial existence in the mind when it contemplates them But Love goes forth to the object loved the Soul is more where it loves than where it lives that is there is more of its intellectual presence its thoughts and desires and it always affects a resemblance to it Thus Love humbled God and made him like to us in Nature and Love exalts Man by making him like to God in Holiness for it excites us to imitate and express in our actions the Vertues of him who hath called us to his Kingdom and Glory 3. In order to the restoring of Holiness to lapsed Man the Lord Christ purchas'd and conveys the Spirit to them A state of Sin includes a total privation of Holiness and an active contrariety against it The Sinner is dead as to the Spiritual Life and aâ—â—â—nable to revive himself as a carcase is to break the gates of Death and return to the light of the world but he lives to the Sensual Life and expresses a constant opposition to the Law of God He is without strength as to his Duty not able to conceive an holy thought or to excite a sincere and ardent desire towards Divine things but hath strong inclinations of Will and great Power for that which is evil Now to restore Spiritual Life to the dead Soul and to conquer the living enmity that is in it against Holiness no less than the Divine Power was requisite And the effecting this is peculiarly attributed to the Spirit Our Saviour tells Nicodemus Except a man be born of water and of the Holy Ghost he cannot see the Kingdom of God And the Apostle saith That according to his Mercy He saves us by the washing of Regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost As in the Creation where all the Persons concurr'd 't was the motion of the Spirit that conveyed the Life of Nature So in the Renovation of the World where they all cooperate 't is the powerful working of the Spirit that produces the Life of Grace He visits us in the grave and inspires the breath and flame of Heaven to animate and warm our dead hearts 'T was requisite not only that the Word should take Flesh but that Flesh should receive the Spirit to quicken and enable it to perform the acts of the Divine Life 'T is for this reason the third Person is frequently stiled in Scripture the Holy Spirit That Title hath not an immediate respect to his Nature but to the Operations which are assign'd to
a Dream is slight and vanishing so the uncertain expectation of felicity did but lightly touch their Spirits Briefly they had no true Knowledge nor firm Belief of Eternal Blessedness in the Vision of God nor of the endless Torments in Hell and wanting those great Principles from whence the Rules and Power to live in a holy manner are derived they fell short of that Purity which is a necessary qualification to prepare Men for Heaven They were in a confused labyrinth without true Light or Guide intangled with miserable Errours and stumbled every step whilst they sought after Happiness But the Lord Christ hath instructed the World concerning those invisible future Recompences He hath expresly threaten'd what-ever is to be feared by Man as a rational or sensible Creature the Worm that never dies and the Fire that shall never be quencht in case of Disobedience and he hath promised what-ever is to be hoped for in case of Obedience The Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven in the Gospel against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. And our Saviour hath brought Light and Immortality to light He hath declared the nature and quality of Eternal Life that it consists in the most perfect acts of our raised and most receptive Faculties upon the most excellent objects That it contains perfect Holiness and pure Felicity being for ever distant from the infirmities and defilements of our mortal state He hath revealed as the quality so the extent of it relating to the Body as well as the Soul Whereas the Philosophers of all sorts the Academicks Stoicks Peripateticks Epicureans labouring with all the force of their understanding formed a Felicity according to their Fancies which was either wholly Sensual or else but for half of man For of the Resurrection and consequently the Immortality of the Body not the least notice for many Ages ever arrived to them Our Saviour who alone had the words of eternal life hath promised a Happiness that respects entire man The Soul and the Body which are his essential parts shall be united and endued with all the glorious qualities becoming the Sons of God And of all this he hath given to the world the highest assurance For he verified his Doctrine by his own Example rising from the Grave and appearing to his Apostles crown'd with Immortality and visibly ascending before them to Heaven Since there is no greater Paradox to Reason than the Resurrection which seem'd utterly incredible to men and not to be the object of a rational desire God by raising him from the Grave hath given the most convincing Argument that our Redeemer was sent from him to acquaint the World with the future state Thus the Apostle speaks to the Athenians The times of ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men eve ry where to repent because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judg the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all Men in that he hath raised him from the dead Jesus Christ who was attested from Heaven to be the Son of God by that great and powerful Act declared the Recompences that shall attend Men after Death Therefore a full and perfect assent is due to his Testimony Hell with all its Dread and Terror is not a Picture drawn by fancy to affright the World but is reveal'd by him whose Words shall remain when Heaven and Earth shall pass away The Heavenly Glories are not the Visions of a contemplative person that have no existence but are great Realities promised by him who as he died to purchase so he rose to witness the Truth of them And to bring these Great Things that are separate and distant from this present state nearer to us He sometimes causes Hell to rise up from beneath and flash in the face of secure sinners that they may break off their Sins by Repentance and sometimes he opens Heaven from above the Paradise of true delights and sends down of the precious fruits of the Sun of the precious things of the lasting Hills that by the sight of their Beauty and the taste of their sweetness we may for ever abhor the pleasures of Sin By the frequent and sensible experience of the truth of the Gospel in its Threatnings and Promises innumerable persons have been converted from Sin to Holiness from Earth to Heaven from Vanity to Eternity 3. Love is a prevalent affection stronger than Death and Kindness is the greatest endearment of Love Now the Lord Jesus exprest such admirable Love to us that being duly considered it cannot but inspire us with Love to him again and with a grateful desire to please him in all things He descended from Heaven to Earth and delivered himself to a shameful Death that He might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works And what Argument is more powerful to cause in us a serious hatred of Sin than the Consideration of what Christ hath suffer'd to free us from the punishment and power of it If a Man for his Crimes were condemned to the Gallyes and a Friend of his who had been extremely injur'd by him should ransom him by a great sum when the guilty person is restor'd to liberty will he not blush for shame at the memory of what he hath done But how much more if his Friend would suffer for him the pains and infamy of his slavery if any spark of Humanity remain in him can he ever delight himself in those Actions which made such a benefit necessary to him And is it possible for a Christian to live in those Sins for which Christ died Will not Love cause an humble Fear lest he should frustrate the great Design and make void the most blessed effect of his terrible Sufferings why did he Redeem us with so excellent a price from our cruel Bondage but to restore us to his free service why did he vindicate us from the power of the Usurper to whom we were captives but to make us Subjects to our Natural Prince Why did he purifie us with his most precious Blood from our deadly Defilements but that we might be intirely consecrated to his Glory and be fervent in good works What can work upon an ingenious Person more than sense of Kindness What can oblige more strongly to duty than Gratieude What more powerful attractive to Obedinnce than Love This pure Love confirms the Glorified Saints for ever in Holiness For they are not Holy to obtain Heaven because they are possest of it nor to preserve their Blessedness because they are past all hazard of losing it but from the most lively and permanent sense of their Obligations because they have obtained that incomparable Felicity by a Gift never to be reverst and by a Mercy transcendently great And the same Love to God that is in the Saints above in the highest degree of perfection and makes them for
the aged and infirm of tender Youths of delicate Women of the Honourable and obscure Yet in that difference of Ages and Sexes and States there appear'd such an equality of Vertue that it was Visible the same Heavenly Spirit inspir'd them all with Courage and by assuring them of Eternal Life made them despise present Death Such Heroical and frequent Constancy must be ascribed to the Breast-plate of Faith and Love of a Coelestial temper wherewith the Almighty had Arm'd them If it be said that some have died for a false Religion so that the extraordinary assistance of Heaven was not necessary to encourage the Christian Martyrs The Answer is clear There is a vast difference between the number of the Sufferers and manner of their Sufferings 1. Some few moved by Vanity and Melancholy or compell'd have suffered for a false Religion that was authorised by the Custom of their Country for many Ages But innumerable Christians animated by the example of their Crucified King freely sacrificed themselves for the testimony of the Gospel upon the first Revelation of it before any humane respects gave colour to it 2. In those who suffer'd for a false Religion were visible either Fear or Vain-glory Stubbornness or Rage But the Christians in their greatest Sufferings exprest Magnanimity without Pride Constancy without Fierceness Patience without Stupidity and such an admirable Compassion to their Enemies as persuaded some of their Tormentors to be companions with them in Martyrdom 2. The suddainness and universality of the change effected by the Gospel is a signal Evidence of the Divine Power that attended it The Apostle declares the admirable progress of it in all the world during his time In a few years with incredible swiftness it past through Judea Samaria Syria Greece and all the parts of the known habitable World Tacitus acknowledges that in the eleventh year of Nero great numbers of Christians were at Rome at a great distance from the place where the Gospel was first preach'd It appears from the Writings of the Primitive Christians that in the Second Century after the Death of Christ the Roman Empire was fill'd with Christian Churches The World was peopled with a new Generation Now what Secret Power produced that suddain and universal Change How came it to pass that the Gospel contrary to the order of new Things should be so readily receiv'd and in those places where the most insuperable obstacles oppos'd it In Corinth the Seat of Luxury and Voluptuousness in Ephesus where Idolatry had its Throne in Rome it self where Honours Riches Pleasures were ador'd Moses with all his great Miracles never conquer'd one Nation to the true God The Pharisees compast Sea and Land to make a Proselyte But the Gospel in a little time converted many Nations from their Opinions and Manners wherein they had been instructed and educated to those that were not only different but contrary The wonder in Esay was exceeded That a Nation was born in a day For the World was renewed as it were in a moment Such a quickening universal Efficacy was join'd with the Preaching of the Gospel that the Power of God was â—ver more visibly manifested in any work Therefore the Apostle mentions it as one part of the great Mystery of Godliness that Christ was believed oâ— in the World There is nothing but Supernatural as in the birth so in the progress of Christianity 3. The lasting Change made by the Gospel is the Effect of Infinite Power Philosophy though maintain'd by the successive force of the greatest Wits yet declin'd and came to nothing But Christianity attended only by its own Authority establisht its Dominion and rais'd an Eternal Empire of Truth and Holiness in the World The Reason of Man cannot inspire into its Productions a Principle of Life only that Power which conveys to Man an immortal Soul can derive to its Institutions a Spirit to Animate and preserve them And this Victorious Permanent Efficacy of the Gospel is more admirable in regard it prevail'd without the assistance and against the opposition of all The more it was opprest the more it prosper'd It gain'd credit and Disciples by Contradiction and Persecution it was multiplied by the Deaths of its followers The Cloud of Witnesses dissolving in a shower of Blood made the Church Fruitful Although some Persecutors have boasted of their utter abolishing the Christian Name in all parts of the Empire yet those inscriptions are the Proud Monuments of their Vanity not Victory Tyrants are perisht but Truth remains for ever By which 't is evident that as the Gospel had a higher Principle than what is from below so it was assisted with more than Humane Power To sum up in short what hath been amplified how Gloriously was the Arm of the Lord revealed in raising the World that for four thousand years lay in Wickednesse What less than a Divine Power could soften such an obstinate hardnesse as long custome in Sin brings What could pluck up errours that had taken such deep root in the Spirits of Men and were Naturaliz'd to them and plant a Discipline so austere and thorny to sense Who but the Almighty could cast out the Devil from his Empire and withdraw his Subjects that were captivated by the terrour of Laws and by the delights of the flesh What invisible Power made innumerable of the tender sex who were not by temper couragious nor by obstinacy inflexible nay who were so fearful that they could not see a drawn sword without affrightment yet so resolute as to despise all the instruments of Cruelty What is more astonishing than to see a flock of sheep encounter and overcome an Army of Lyons This was the Lords doing and ought to be marvelous in our Eyes Briefly the making a Crucified Person to Reign in the midst of his Enemies and to give Laws to the whole Earth is a Victory worthy the Lord of Hosts The Conversion of the World to Christianity was the effect of infinite Mercy and equal Power Lastly The Divine Power shall be Gloriously manifested in the compleat Salvation of the Church at the end of the World Jesus Christ as Mediatour is invested with Sovereign Power in Heaven and Earth and in that quality he shall exercise it till our Salvation is finisht For he must reign till he hath put all Enemies under his feet But we see not yet all things put under him Although those Persons and things that never degenerated from their Original are intirely subject to him the Angels obey his Will Universal Nature is Govern'd by his Providence The Heavens the Earth the Waters and all things produc'â— from them never resist the Direction of his hand yet there are others that fell from their Integrity and some things consequent to Mans Rebellion which either oppose the Power of Christ or are not yet actually subdued and they are the Enemies of our Salvation Satan Sin and Death Now the perfect Freedom of
Types of Christ under the Law was justified in his Coming and the accomplishment of our Redemption by him Some special Predictions consider'd that respect the time of his Coming The particular Circumstances that respect the Messiah are verified in Jesus Christ. The Consequents of the Messia's Coming foretold by the Prophets are all come to pass The Types of the Law are compleated in Christ. A particular Consideration of Manna the Rock and the brazen Serpent as they referr'd to him The Paschal Lamb considered A short Parallel between Melchisedec and Christ. The Divinity of the Gospel proved by comparing the antient Figures with the present Truth and Predictions with the Events The Happiness of Christians above the Jews in the clear revelation of our Saviour to them From the accomplishment of Prophecies concerning the first Coming of Christ our Faith should be confirmed in the Promises of his second THe Original Law given to Man in Paradise had a severe Penalty annext that upon the first breach of it he should die The end of the threatning was to preserve in him a constant reverence of the Command After his Disobedience the honour of the Divine Truth was concern'd as to the inflicting the punishment For although the Supreme Lawgiver hath power over the Law to relax the Punishment as to particular persons yet having declar'd that according to that Rule He would proceed in judgment with Man the Perfection of his Truth required that Sin should be punish'd in such a manner that his Righteousness and Holiness might eminently appear and the reasonable Creature for ever fear to offend Him Now the God of Truth hath by the Death of his only Son so compleatly answered the Ends of the legal Threatning that the glory of that Attribute is broke forth like the Sun through all the Clouds that seem'd to obscure it Mercy and Truth meet together Righteousness and Peace kiss each other Of this I have so largely treated before that I shall add nothing more concerning it There is a Secondary respect wherein the truth of God is concern'd as to the accomplishing our Redemption by Jesus Christ which I will briefly explicate God having decreed the sending of his Son in the quality of Mediator to purchase our Salvation was pleased by several Promises to declare his merciful purpose and by various Types to shew the design of that glorious Work before the exhibition of it This was the effect of his Supreme Wisdom and Goodness First To comply with the weakness of the Church when 't was newly separated from the World For as a sudden strong Light overpowers the Eye that hath been long in the dark so that full bright Revelation of the Gospel had been above the capacity of the Church when 't was first freed from a state of Ignorance Light mixt with Shadows was proportionable to their Sight Therefore he was pleased by several Representations and Predictions to exercise the Faith entertain the Hope and excite the Desires of his People before the accomplishment of our Salvation by his Son Secondly To render the belief of it easie and certain afterwards Now for the honour of his Truth he was engaged to make good his word For although pure Love and Mercy is the Original of all God's Promises to Man yet his Truth and Fidelity are the reasons of his fulfilling them Not that God is under the obligation of a Law but his own righteous Nature is the inviolable Rule of his actions Accordingly the Apostle laies it as the foundation of our Hopes That God who cannot lie hath promised eternal Life The Divine Decree alone concerning our Salvation by Christ is a sure Foundation For God is as unchangeable in his Will as his Nature In Him there is no variableness nor shadow of turning But the Promise determines the Will of God to perform it upon another account For 't is not single Inconstancy but Falshood not to perform what is promised from both which He is infinitely distant St. Paul alledges this for the reason why the Covenant of Grace is unchangeable and of everlasting Efficacy in that the counsel of God was by his Promise and Oath confirmed That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lye we might have strong consolation For the Promise gives a rightful claim to the Creature and the fulfilling of it is the justification of God's Fidelity In this Sense 't is said The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ i. e. the Grace of the Gospel is the substantial and compleat accomplishment of the Types and Promises under the Law I will not enter into the discussion of all the Prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament to shew how they are verified in Jesus Christ But briefly consider some special Predictions that concern the time of the Messiah's Coming his Person and Offices 1. The Prophecy of dying Jacob. The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Lawgiver from between his feet till Shiloh come By the Scepter and Lawgiver are meant divers Forms of Government the first being the mark of Regal Power the other title respects those whose Power succeeded that of their Kings in the person of Zerobabel and his Successors Jacob prophetically declares two things their establishment in Judah and their continuance till the coming of Shiloh This Oracle doth not precisely respect the person of Judah for he never ascended the Throne nor possest the Empire over his Brethren nor solely his Posterity as a Tribe distinguisht from the rest although it had special advantages from that time For the Banner of Judah led the Camp in their march through the wilderness That Tribe had the first possession of the land of Canaan these were the beginnings of its future Glory And from David to the Captivity that Tribe possest the Kingdom But the glory of his Scepter was lost in the person of Zedekiah Therefore the full meaning of the Prophecy regards the People of Israel in the relation they had to the Tribe of Judah For that Tribe alone returned entire from the Captivity with some reliques of Levi and Benjamin so that the Nation from that time was distinguisht by the title of the Jews in relation to it and the Right to dispose of the Scepter was alwaies in the Tribe of Judah For the Levites that ruled after the Captivity received their Power from them 'Till Shiloh come that is the Messiah as the Chaldee Paraphrase and the antient Jewish Interpreters expound So that the intent of the Oracle is that after the establishment of the Supreme Power in the Family of Judah it should not pass into the hands of Strangers but as a certain Presage and immediate Fore-runner of of the coming of Shiloh And this was fully accomplish't For in the Captivity there was an interruption rather than extinction of their Government Their Return was promised at the time they were carried Captives to
how can we expect any cooling streams from Him If we consider him as Man he is resembled to a root out of a dry ground the Justice of the Divine and the infirmity of the Humane Nature did not promise any comfort to us But what cannot infinite Love united to infinite Power perform Divine Goodness hath chang'd the Laws of Nature in our favour and by an admirable act open'd the Rock to refresh us 3. The Rock was struck with the Rod of Moses a Type of the Law before it sent forth its streams thus our Spiritual Rock was wounded for our Transgressions bruised for our Iniquities then opened all his treasures to us Being consecrated by Sufferings he is the Author of Eternal Salvation In this respect the Gospel propounds him for the object of saving Faith I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him Crucified The Sacraments the Seals of the New Covenant have a special reference to his Death the Foundation of it 4. The Miraculous Waters followed the Israelites in their Journey without which they had perisht in the Wilderness This represents that Indeficiency of the Grace of Christ. A Soveraign stream flows from him to satisfy all Believers He tells us Whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a Well of Water springing up unto Everlasting Life 3. The Brasen Serpent sensibly exprest the manner of his Death and the benefits derived from it Therefore Jesus being the Minister of the Circumcision chose this Figure for the Instruction of the Jews As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish but have Eternal Life The Sacred Story relates that the Israelites by their rebellious murmuring provoked God to send Serpents among them whose Poison was so fiery and mortal that it brought the most Painful Death In this affliction they addrest themselves to the Father of Mercies who World by their Repentance Commanded Moses to make a Serpent of Brass and erect it on a Pole in the view of the whole Camp that whosoever lookt on it should be healed By this account from Scripture we may clearly understand something of greatest consequence was represented by it For the only Wise God ordains nothing without just reason Why must a Serpent of Brass be elevated on a Pole could not the Divine Power recover them without it Why must they look towards it could not a healing vertue be conveyed to their wounds but through their eyes All this had a direct reference to the Mystery of Christ. For the biting of the Israelites by the fiery Serpents doth naturaly represent the effects of Sin that torments the Conscience and inflames the Soul with the apprehensions of Future Judgment And the erecting a Brasen Serpent upon a Pole that had the Figure not the Poison of those Serpents doth in a lively manner set forth the lifting up of Jesus Christ on the Cross who only had the similitude of sinful flesh The looking towards the Brasen Serpent is a fit resemblance of Believing in Christ Crucified for Salvation The Sight of the eye was the only means to derive vertue from it and the Faith of the heart is the means by which the Sovereign efficacy of our Redeemer is conveyed This is the will of him that sent me saith our Saviour that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have Eternal Life As in the camp of Israel whoever lookt towards the Brasen Serpent whatever his wounds were or the weakness of his sight had a present remedy so how numerous and grievous soever our Sins be how infirm our Faith yet if we sincerely regard the Son of God suffering he will preserve us from Death For this end he is presented in the Gospel as crucified before the eyes of all Persons 2. Things endued with Life and Sense prefigur'd the Messiah I Shall particularly consider the Paschal Lamb an illustrious Type of him Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us The whole scene as it is laid down in the 12th of Exodus shows an admirable agreement tween them 1. A Lamb in respect of its natural innocency and meekness that suffers without resistance waas fit emblem of our Saviour whose voice was not heard in the street who did not break the Bruised Reed nor quench the smoking Flax. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he open'd not his Mouth He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb so he openeth not his Mouth 2. The Lamb was to be without Spot to signify his absolute perfection We are Redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without Spot 3. The Lamb was to be separated from the Flock four days the Lord Jesus was separated from Men and consecrated to be the Sacrifice for the World after three or four years spent in his Ministerial office preparing himself for that great Work 4. The Paschal Lamb was sacrificed and substituted in the place of the first-Born The Levitical Priesthood not being instituted at their going forth from Egypt every Master of a Family had a right to exercise it in his own House Our Redeemer suffer'd in our stead to propitiate Gods Justice towards us 5. The Blood was to be sprinkled upon the Posts of the door that Death might not enter into their Houses That sacred Ceremony was typical for the sign it self had no resemblance of sparing and certainly the Angel could distinguish between the Israelites and the Egyptians without the bloody mark of Gods Favour but it had a final respect to Christ. We are secur'd from destruction by the blood of sprinkling They were to eat the whole Flesh of the Lamb to signify our intire taking of Christ upon the terms of the Gospel to be our Prince and Saviour 6. The effects attributed to the Paschal Lamb viz. Redemption from Death and Bondage clearly represent the Glorious Benefits we enjoy by Jesus Christ. The destroying Angel past over their houses and caus'd the Egiptians to restore them to full liberty That which all the dreadful signs wrought by Moses could not do was effected by the Passover that overcame the stubbornness of Pharaoh and inspir'd the Israelites with courage to undertake their journey to the promised Land Thus we pass from Death to Life and from bondage to the Glorious liberty of the Sons of God by vertue of Christs Blood 3. Reasonable Persons represented our Saviour either in their Offices actions or the memorable accidents that befel them Joseph the beloved of his Father sent by him to visit his Brethren by them unworthily sold to strangers and thereby rais'd to be their Lord and Saviour was a lively type of him Jonach three dayes and nights in the Whales belly and miraculously restor'd