upon every sinner in the world while under the law Rom. 5.18 2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures sin in the fountain as I have shewed which is likewise upon every Son or Daughter of Adam they are all corrupt Psal 14.1 wherein lies the exceeding sinfulness of sin 3. The guilt of actual rebellion against God sin brought forth and acted in the outward man against God Now under this threefold guilt is every sinner in the world while under the Law the effect of which if not reconciled is punishment suitable to the guilt which is Thou shalt surely dye And The wages of sin is death Eternal Death Rom. 6. last Vse 1. This may therefore inform and convince that every sin brings guilt upon the soul and so deserves death and everlasting wrath from God you that make light of sin to lye to prophane the Name of the Lord be in worldly discourses on the Lords day in any way of sin whatsoever weigh this in thy conscience there 's not the least sin but makes thee guilty before the Tribunal of God God the Law Angels Conscience are all witnesses against thee where 's the soul that will think to avoid this charge shall I prove every soul of you guilty and that before God If this were proved by the power of the word in the conscience I know what and I shall shew it you will be the effect of it lay your Consciences to the Word and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day go home with the sense of it upon thy soul and do as a guilty sinner should do 1. Consider first as to what concerns God immediately the Law requires thou shouldst have no other Gods but him Exod. 20. which Jesus Christ interprets is to love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart with all thy Soul Now hath God had thy whole Heart and Soul darest thou say so Hath not the world had more of thy Heart than God Dost not thou love the World and the things of it Do not thy Affections Thoughts Desires of thy Heart even day and night go after it Yea you cannot but grant that 't is so Then God and Angels are witness that thou art guilty of the damnable sin of Idolatry And such a one shall not as such enter into the Kingdom of God Eph. 5.5 Know by that Scripture A covetous heart may send thee to Hell as well as any sin in the World No Covetous man who is an Idolater shall enter into the kingdom of God Read over the place every day and tremble at it Here 's guilt already enough to damn thee 2. Thou hast worshipped God superstitiously and idolatrously after the Traditions and Commandments of Men You that are elderly people are all guilty here in a grevious manner in the time of your ignorance and superstition coming to Sacraments with sins upon your Souls from which sins your are not converted and changed to this day which the Apostle calls eating and drinking damnation or judgment under which guilt you still lye and would heap up more of this guilt were not some more tender of your Souls than your selves Art thou not now ready to cry out Oh hold hold you need go no further my Conscience is smitten Oh! guilt great guilt lyes upon me Oh that 't were the cry of many Souls before the Lord how might it end in mercy that shall be for ever 3. But yet further to pursue thy Conscience for that 's the nature of guilt doth not the Lord require in his law that thou shouldst not take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 Now sinner stave off this guilt if thou canst How oft hast thou abused and profaned this great and dreadful Name the Lord thy God by swearing or in thy by words crying Oh Lord Oh God for God's sake for Christ's sake upon every foolish vain occasion with no more reverence of His Name than the most common name in the World And some of you have as many days as you have lived since your Child-hood been frequently guilty of this great evil which thou hast made a small matter of which if ever God pardon it it will appear to be odious guilt from the height of thy Heart-Atheism How oft hast thou heard the Word and thy Heart been after the World and thine eyes gazing up and down that 't is easie to discern thou regardest not what is spoken from God to thee and the same in Prayer How oft hast thou babled over the Lords Prayer like a Charm with no reverence of Gods Majesty upon thy Soul In thy bed it may be in a drowsie manner or if otherwise not understanding the Words thou speakest much less thy Heart affected with them or it may be saying over the Creed and the Commandments or some Book of Prayers as abundance do grievously prophaning God's Name and offering Lip-labour which his soul abhorreth yea know what hath been often proved that thy prayers and all thy worship and good deeds as thou callest them are an abomination to the Lord while thou art in thy sin an unconverted and unholy person yea the way of thy worship in which thou placest thy greatest confidence hath been the highest aggravations of thy sin in offering up to God that which his soul hateth Isa 1.11 12 13 14 15. When you make many prayers saith the Lord I will not hear you c. And as to the sanctifying the Sabbath which thou shouldst make a holy rest unto God thou hast made it a meer fleshly rest consuming the day upon thy lusts in vanity idleness carnal and worldly discourses in families in the streets to the high dishonour of the Name of God and hardening of thy heart against the truths of God rendering thereby the preaching of the Gospel wholly unprofitable to thy soul A carriage far unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him and a most invincible argument to thy Conscience that thou makest not God his word ordinances sabbaths a holy delight and knowest not the excellency and sweetness of Communion with him say sinner and lay thy Conscience to this conviction is hearing and that with love praying praising meditating conferring of holy things the very Heaven of thy soul and so longest for such Exercises as the joy and strength of thy heart Nothing less Thy own Conscience being Judge but hear drowsily and negligently it may be despisingly revile the Preacher speak evil of the word out of thy gross ignorance and hatred to be reformed speak vainly carnally worldly with such as are like thy self Here 's guilt enough to send thee to a thousand Hells if God smite not thy heart for it and thou turn not unto him for pardon and a better heart to be given to thee Add to all this an unthankful and unholy use of Gods good Creatures it may be thou hast been betray'd by the devil and thy own ready heart to some secret sins which thou thinkest enough if thou canst
there 's nothing more abaseth a soul than this nothing makes it more difficult to believe pardon when humbled for it therefore 't is that many poor souls fear that they have sinn'd the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost because they have sinned against knowledge and light which though while they are humbled before the Lord it cannot be that they have so sinned unpardonably yet in as much as 't is the sin that borders next upon the sin against the Holy Ghost it much greatens sin to a poor soul under the sense of it Such a sinner is said to reproach the Lord Numb 15.30 31. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin James 4. last To him it is sin that is great sin of which God will take the severest account Therefore such as have the Profession of Christianity and the knowledge of the Word in some measure and yet go on impenitently in sin they are the greatest sinners in the world and will have the greatest damnation and this circumstance in sin makes or should do so such souls that never lived in notorious sins be under deep abasement because though their Sins were not so gross as many others yet they were against great light and knowledge which makes every little sin continued in great in the account of God and great in the account of the sinner when he comes before the Lord in the sense of it Oh I pleased my self in sins that I knew to be sins and was convinced by the Word of God of them yet I went on and loved them 5. Continuance in sin much greatens sin to a poor soul that is after pardon especially such as are not very early converted God will wound the hairy scalp of such a one that goeth on still in his trespasses Psal 68.21 Oh I added sin unto sin saith a poor soul spending the choice time of my youth in sin when I might have been getting the knowledge of Jesus Christ and honouring of God This lay close upon David's spirit as appears in this 25th Psal 7. Oh remember not the sins of youth c. Yet we do not find that David's youth was notoriously sinful but in as much as he spent not his youth to get knowledge and to serve the Lord fully 't was his burden and complaint before the Lord much more such whose youth was spent in nothing but vanity prophaneness lying swearing prophaning of the Sabbath sports past-times excess of riot and the like when God lays it in upon their Consciences must be greivous and abominable to their souls 6. Multitudes of sins do make sin appear great this made David cry out for multitude of mercies Psal 51. and Psal 40.12 Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me One sin but a sinful thought is worthy of a thousand Hells much more multiplyed numberless infinite sins in thought words walkings calling worship in all I have done I did nothing else but sin Therefore the least sinner in the world is a great sinner when God lays his account before him 7. Another thing that greatens sin is that it was against purposes and resolutions of forsaking such and such sins and yet all broken sometimes against solemn vows against prayers This consideration upon many a poor soul sticks hard and lays low and makes his sin grievous indeed that against purposes vows prayers he should return to his sin this makes him cry out Oh my sin is great great indeed Doth will the Lord pardon such a Wretch c. 8. Sin appears great when seen by a poor soul because it was reigning sin Rom. 5. 6. Sin reigned to death c. Oh saith a poor humbled sinner I did not only commit sin but I was the servant and slave of sin I obey'd sin as a Lord and that willingly I obey'd it in the lusts thereof where God Christ his Spirit Word Law should have dwelt and reigned there sin and lusts bore sway and had the command of my soul A little sin when a reigning sin is a great sin All that sin can do is but to rule the sinner and so it doth the least sinner that is under it though it break not forth into gross notorious actings against the Lord and this doth much greaten it 9. Sin in the fountain makes it great As it may be said there is more water in the fountain than in the pools and streams it makes because there is a continual issuing and flowing out of it which is able to make far greater streams So in the nature in the heart is there as in the fountain and therefore 't is more there than in the breakings forth of it in the outward man so that though a sinner in his youth hath been restrained from many great sins yet in as much as sin in the fountain was as full as in any sinner in the world though restrained and pent in which the sinner was not beholding to his own heart for it renders him a great sinner before the Lord when savingly enlightned The want of this consideration makes outwardly righteous persons not look upon themselves as great sinners they see and feel not sin infinite in the fountain of it which mostly greatens it above all the actings of it in this life 10. A sinner drawing nigh to God for pardon sees his sin as great because thereby he was led captive by the Devil at his will He that committeth sin is of the Devil 1 John 3.8 committeth sin so as in a state of sin under the power of sin and not born of God why such a one is of the Devil under the power of the Devil of the Devil and not of God and this because of sin which gives this dominion to the Devil Oh saith a poor Creature I that was the creature of God and should have lived to him lived to the Devil and the service of him and took part with him against Christ his Word his Saints and was an enemy to them This greatens my sin before the Lord. 11. Sin appears great because great is the wrath of God against sin sinners are said to heap up wrath Rom. 2. and they are called the Children of wrath God to manifest his displeasure against sin pours out everlasting wrath upon an unpardoned sinner to leave the sinner under endless torment of soul and body God hates nothing but sin and for sin and so hates it that infinite endless wrath must be the vengeance of it Oh when God gives a sinner a glimpse of this Oh the greatness of every little sin to deserve such wrath How shall I flee from and escape the wrath to come who can stand before such wrath who can bear it 12. The way of any sinner's deliverance from such wrath shews sin to be exceeding great in the price
forth as the mark of an Hypocrite Now you have heard the law requires inward as well as outward perfection perfect holiness within as well as righteousness in the outward man I verily believe want of this conviction upon the soul sends more souls to Hell than any other thing in the world besides how confident are poor Creatures if they are a little consciencious in dealing and sober and blameless to men this you may be and be no better than Devils as in your selves in Gods account and thy best Character from Jesus Christ Mat. 23.26 is a Blind Pharisee Every place I fear abounds with them therefore this inveterate cursed plea of being outwardly blameless in keeping the Law will not in the least render you more accepted with God but 't is at the best but painted Hypocrisie And yet wretched souls that you are none so well perswaded of themselves as these This is the fourth Reason 5. All the best keeping of the Law doth not cannot make satisfaction to God for one sin of thy soul therefore 't is worth nothing Gods Justice is wronged and if the sinner be remitted God must be satisfied by the sinner himself or by another Now all the obedience of a sinner cannot make satisfaction to God in the least if he had the whole world to offer up to God it could not satisfie him for the wrong of one Sin See that known place Micah 6.6 7. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the 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 thousands of Rivers of Oyl shall I give my first born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul Implying that there is nothing that a poor sinner of himself can offer up to God to make atonement of satisfaction to God for the least sin of his soul should he offer up thousands of prayers rivers of tears whole ages spent in services to God take up to a severe new obedience if you should so take to a new course as never to sin more all your days it would not make God satisfaction or atonement for one evil thought of thy soul Now observe this for if thou art not rightly convinced of this thing thou art lost for ever 'T is naturally upon every man and womans heart that hath sinned to imagine that when they have sinned they can put off God as to his displeasure with something or other they will reckon what good they have done gone to Church as you style it given Alms been just to Men or some such thing and the poor blind Creature imagines and pleaseth himself in it that this good thus done will well enough pacifie God for his sins or at least he will go over some prayers and be strict for a little while and then they doubt not but God because also he presently smites not with judgment is well enough appayed and he need no more trouble himself Is not this the very way of your hearts hath not the word found you out Object But you will say why cannot these duties and this obedience satisfie and pacifie God well enough for sin Answ 1. Because there is sin mixt in them they come from a prophane heart as is shew'd in the last reason thou thou ignorantly because thou knowest not thy heart call'st it a good heart Now that which is in it self sinful cannot sure satisfie for sin 2. Because of the infiniteness of God's justice as well as purity of it a finite creature cannot offer up a proportionable attonement to an infinite God Suppose a poor man were under the guilt of treason and condemn'd to dye and he should go and offer up a little course broken bread to the Prince would any one think that this would satisfie the Prince for his treason So poor deceived creature thou art guilty of treason and rebellion against the great and most high God and thou comest and offerest up to him thy poor polluted broked obedience and duties and thinkest he will be satisfied with this whereas God may in the same moment justly send thee to Hell for the iniquity of them A poor sinful soul thinks that because such doings and services do satisfie himself his own conscience therefore he thinks they will satisfie God also because they quiet him upon any trouble for guilt he thinks they will also quiet God and take off his anger and justice from punishing him Poor Creature this thy way is thy folly and the ready way to come under the severe justice of the Almighty who will not thus be dealt with nor be thus bribed with thy cursed sacrifices this is a further convincement of the point all the creature can do cannot pacifie God for one sin and therefore all his best keeping of the law cannot justifie a poor sinner before God nor give him acceptance in the least with him till he sees pacification another way and takes up obedience from another principle and to another end as we are to shew 6. All a mans endeavour in setting himself to keep the law to the utmost cannot give him acceptance with God because it cannot give life to the soul Gal. 3.21 For if there had been a law which would have given life verily righteousness had come by the law Man hath procured death and weakness upon his soul and the law cannot give life nor strength to obey it All that righteousness which leaves the soul dead comes to nothing while a soul is under the law and upon the fulfilling of it as he hopes in a good measure still the soul is as dead as sin left it and void of the life of God True a poor soul thinks himself alive by his legal performances as Paul thought Rom. 7.9 but he is dead in sin and under the sentence of death by the Law and all the performances towards the keeping of it can never give a drop of life to such a poor soul They are dead works and there 's no life in them or from them therefore they stand no soul instead while under the law as under it he is whiles he goes upon this account 7. The main reason of all which is now but to be touched is this If a soul endeavouring to keep the law of God as well as he can may be accepted of God thereby what need Jesus Christ to have dyed 'T is Pauls great argument Rom. 8.3 4. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us c. Mark ye what the law could not do that it could not give us a righteousness whereby God might accept us therefore God sent his Son in the flesh and condemned sin upon him which otherwise had been condemned
very well of himself and was in much peace and persecuted all beyond his formal Profession now cryes out away with this figleaf-righteousness of mine own 't is as dung I tread it under my feet for Jesus Christ he that thought himself so blameless before now cryes out I am the Chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And I am carnal sold under sin Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death A marvellous Change indeed and such that is made upon every Soul that is really brought off from the righteousness of the Law to that which is of Jesus Christ Now to bring what hath been spoken to this point to a more particular Application Vse 1. If it be so that the best endeavour of any mortal creature to keep the Law of God as well as they can will not give them acceptance with God then you that have so imagined and thereby spoken peace to your selves namely that you hope if you keep the Church as you use to speak and harm no body and do any body any good you can live not in gross sins be well thought of by your neighbours you shall do well enough for Heaven and you must hope well Ah poor creature thou errest not knowing the way of the Lord nor of thy own heart how art thou befooling thy self and deceiving thy own soul No sinner in so ready a way to Hell as thou if thou continue thus and let not go thy hold and get a new bottom for thy naked Soul which I am to shew thee Consider man or woman young or old whoever thou art thou hast been proved guilty of the breach of the whole Law of God thou hast been shewed of the exactness of the Justice of God and the spirituality of the Law how it reacheth the inmost motions of the heart thou hast been shewed the Tenour of it as it was given forth as a Covenant that the Law will not admit of the least breach though but in thought but it condemns as if the whole Law were transgressed even every soul that is under it here is the rigor of it and thou hast been shewed that the Law admits not of endeavours nor of the Will for the Deed if thou wert once in Christ indeed it would be so but not as now thou art thou hast been shew'd that there 's sin enough in every one of thy best performances to damn thee for ever that thy Righteousness reacheth but the outward Man within didst thou see it thou art full of iniquity that whatever thou hast done cannot make God the least satisfaction as thou flatterest thy self for the least sin All thy obedience and duties cannot give life to thy soul but still leave thee as a dead tree dead in thy sin that by this vain confidence thou dost utterly make void the death of Jesus Christ as to any vertue or effect to thy own Soul here is thy very case plainly set forth a thousand thousand sins to damn thee and that righteousness obedience good thou hopest thou hast done towards God and Man not in the least able to rescue thee cover thee deliver thee from the guilt of one of the least of these sins nor save thee from wrath to come but leave thy soul as sinful guilty naked wretched condemned as if thou hadst been nothing else but sinning all thy days Oh wretched condition that the Devil and thy own heart have flattered thee in Oh let this serve to convince unbottom legal Professors who have spoken peace to themselves in being as good as they can and obeying the Law as well as they can and so hope God pardons where they fail Oh you are ignorant of the righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 Either what righteousness God requires in the Law as to be justified by it or what is the Righteousness of the Gospel which is of Jesus Christ by Faith Oh you who like that young man have been righteous from your youth up brought up religiously look to this whether you make not this your confidence but though under some kind of sorrowings for sin and walking exactly yet never emptied of your selves and renouncing your selves and all that was of you and come poor and nothing to Jesus Christ to be found in him who have not trembled as much at being found in your own righteousness which is of the Law as at living in the greatest sin whatsoever You who have taken up from grosser sins of your life your youth and now think you are safe and bottom your hope upon your new outward obedience but have not the experience of your closing with Jesus Christ for righteousness in which alone you could stand before God nor rooted into Jesus Christ in the carrying on of your new obedience which I am also further to open Alas poor soul thou art yet to seek for a bottom for thy peace and for Heaven as much as the greatest sinner in the world and if you go no further you will certainly perish for ever I beseech you Souls Admit of this Conviction into your Consciences saith the first Covenant of the law A whole law kept or nothing saith the Gospel-Covenant which you are now to look after A whole Christ closed with or nothing Mind it most seriously you that stand upon your terms and will not endure any thing that may shake you and disturb your peace there 's more danger of your righteousness than your sin your sin it may be you would leave because it may damn you if continued in but your righteousness your confidence in it you would not leave because you hope that shall save you and pacifie God for you and this will be your ruine if you stick here But first to strike of some Objections that the heart of such a legal professor doth put forth Object 1. But you will object Why do I speak thus would I beat people off a good coversation Is not a blameless conversation and honest walking a good sign and ground for ones hope for Heaven Answ I answer not such a Conversation as you mean the formal Jews which Christ preacht to were outwardly righteous and yet 't was not a safe ground of Hope unto them as you have been shew'd a good conversation that witnesseth a hope for Heaven must be first of a soul that doth utterly renounce it as to commend him to God that when he looks up to God for his acceptance his justification he looks upon himself as nothing else but a sinner in that respect which poor soul thou doest not 2. A good conversation that witnesseth a hope of Heaven is also a holy conversation 1 Pet. 1.15 To be inwardly holy as well as outwardly righteous Now thy care lyeth mostly about thy outward blamelesness and not thy inward holiness therefore thy conversation which thou callest good is not a ground of hope to thee 3. Or if thou dost pretend to a little outward holiness and thinkest thou hast a good heart
Jesus Christ Jesus Christ being the Undertaker in it for all the Father gave him it is certainly founded upon a sure Bottom This was the Fathers Promise Isa 42.6 I will give him for a Covenant to the People Jesus Christ as a common person did represent all the Elect in the Covenant as the first Adam in the first Covenant did represent all his and Jesus Christ did undertake to bring them to God to bring them into the Covenant and so to estate them in all the grace and Mercy and Blessing of it Therefore the Mercies of the Covenant are stiled The sure mercies of David Isa 55.3 As a Type of Jesus Christ coming of the Seed of David wherein is set forth the excellency of the New Covenant the whole Transaction of it entrusted in the hands of Jesus Christ and therefore not one drop of the Mercy of it can ever fail those that are taken into it 6. By the giving forth of Jesus Christ the whole of Gospel-Salvation is rendered more glorious The Wisdom Justice Holiness of God as well as Mercy and Love do shine forth in Jesus Christ And therefore the Gospel-Mystery is styled The manifold Wisdom of God Ephes 3.10 Every Attribute of God is glorified in the giving out of Jesus Christ 7. Yea had not God taken this way of making out himself by Jesus Christ the world had dwelt in gross darkness of him therefore Jesus Christ is styled The Image of the Invisible God Col. 1.15 The express Image of the Father The brightness of his glory Heb. 1. And in 2 Cor. 2.6 The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God is said to shine in the face of Jesus Christ The Creation is but a dark shadow of the glory of God as to what is revealed of God in the manifestation of Jesus Christ There are the Footsteps of God in the Creatures but his Character and Image in his Blessed Son Jesus Christ 8. There could not have been access to God but by Jesus Christ for through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father Eph. 1.18 How could polluted Dust draw nigh to the absolute Majesty and Glory of God had not he let forth himself in Jesus Christ as in our own Nature and so makes way for a poor sinner to come before him 9. Had God let forth Mercy to Sinners and not given out his Son Jesus Christ his justice must have been violated which is the main of all The word of the Lord was absolute In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye Gen. 2.17 which was meant of the Eternal Death of the Soul in its separation from the life of God as is clear in Rom. 5. last where grace unto eternal life by Jesus Christ is put in opposition to that death which was by sin which must therefore needs be meant of Eternal Death So Rom. 6. ver last Now this Death must be executed upon all the Posterity of Adam or else God must take some other way to satisfie his Justice he will save the Sinner which was upon his own Son Jesus Christ as will further be evidenced in the following Discourse 10. The blessed God took this way of letting out himself his Grace by Jesus Christ that thereby Saints might have Vnion with him which was a holy Design of the Father in saving them That they may be one in us John 17.21 The deepest and most unconceivable Mystery in our Salvation Now Jesus Christ as the Eternal Son of God taking upon him our natures we became capable of being united to him through the Spirit and made one with the humane nature of Christ whereby we are also united to the God-head and so become one with the Father and the Son which is the top of the Saints perfection Vse 1. Now what hath been said as to the grounds and reasons of God in giving out his eternal Son and letting forth all grace by him may serve to acquaint us with this rich and glorious Mystery as it is styled Col. 1.27 Namely God reconciling the world by Jesus Christ letting forth the knowledge of himself glorifying all his Attributes making such discoveries of his Glory providing such a way of Mediation such a glorious Mediator laying the blessed project of a sinners glorious Salvation so sure rendring his love so acceptable and glorious making way for free access unto himself and how we might become one with him Oh! the depths of the Wisdom and Love of God which of them may we admire most Well may Angels pry into this Holy Mystery well may it be the astonishment of Heaven and Earth of the whole Creation How much more of a sinner for whose sake it was thus ordered Oh that we might fall upon our faces and adore the Wisdom and Grace of God in such a contrivance as this Oh unmeasurable Goodness unfathomed Wisdom Eternity is but enough to admire it To behold God in Christ will be the vision which the souls of blessed Saints will be wrapt up into to all Eternity 2. Oh! therefore what infinite Mercy is it to be brought forth in the New-Testament-times when the Mystery hid in God hid from ages kept secret since the world began 1 Cor. 16.25 is brought to light and sparkling upon the darkness of the world when the glory of God is risen upon the World Now if this Gospel be hid 't is hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Wo unto them that close their eyes when the light shines round about them Oh you that yet sit in darkness and the shadow of death Arise Awake look up that Gospel-light may shine into you Oh cry and wait that your eyes may be opened to behold God coming forth in the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the glorious Gospel wait for the Spirit and that the Gospel in the preaching of it may become the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 Oh guilty world that so slight the Knowledge of Jesus Christ and contemn the Ministration of it wo unto them 3. If God doth let forth no Grace and Mercy but by Jesus Christ it may serve to unbottom poor souls from a general carnal hope of Mercy not being acquainted with the way of Grace by Jesus Christ nor coming as lost sinners in themselves to be found in Christ and justified by Jesus Christ this they utterly neglect having an empty notion of Christ's dying but know not for what and upon what grounds and how a sinner gets to God by him Oh! let this reprove you for this gross and damnable neglect and convince you that all your pretended hopes of Mercy will vanish unless you learn the Knowledge of Jesus Christ 4. And therefore If no way to the Father no Interest in Mercy no access to God but by Jesus Christ let it serve to teach poor ignorant sinners yea all of us how to get to God to Mercy into his Covenant Oh! No way but by Jesus Christ Oh! I can never come to
that this is a way of God's own ordaining Jesus Christ was set forth for this very end even by God himself and therefore the soul is brought to this conclusion to venture the Issue of its life and eternal salvation upon it and so throws it self as in a sinking condition upon the grace blood righteousness of Jesus Christ sink or swim live or perish saved or damned there the soul casts Anchor there it pitcheth to this it will stand or fall before the righteous God if there be not enough in the blood of Jesus to give it acceptance with God the Soul resolves to Hell it must There saith a poor self-emptied Soul I cast even away my self if it might be upon it Phil. 3.9 3. The soul is brought on to believe the report that God in his word makes concerning his Son Jesus Christ and of the price value merit and all-sufficiency of his blood to save a poor sinner even to the utmost that comes to God by him Heb. 7.25 to answer all the wants and distresses of a poor soul namely in pacifying the Justice of God fulfilling the Law making attonement removing guilt procuring remission of sins reconciling to God Rom. 5.9 10. Much more being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him 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 In all which things the soul is enabled to believe the report of the Gospel that the blood and death of Jesus Christ can do all this for poor sinners that shall pitch upon it 4. In this working of faith the soul comes to see and fasten upon an absolue unlimited Free promise where any sinner that will may come to Jesus Christ and so have the vertue of his death and blood applied to it and therefore that he as well as any other sinner in the world may come to him and make claim to his blood and plead it before God whosoever will let him come Rev. 22. Now saith a poor self-emptied sinner I do not find that I am any where excluded but invited and called upon to come to the Lord Jesus and claim an interest in his blood and that I may plead it even at the throne of his Justice and that I may warrantably safely upon good grounds given out from the mouth of God himself take hold of the Lord Jesus in such a Promise and there is no sin or unworthiness can exclude me unless I will frowardly and wretchedly exclude my self I do not find saith the poor soul that any sin is too great for the Sacrifice of that blood of Jesus so the sinner will come to it yea that 't is the greatest sin and the top of condemnation not to come to it that I more injure God by standing off from Jesus Christ than by all the filthiness blasphemies ungodlinesses my Soul ever wallowed in Heb. 10.29 The Blood of Christ is a price sufficient for the sins of the whole World therefore saith a poor soul for mine He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world and therefore he can take away mine and I am freely called and invited to it and 't is my Rebellion not to come what can I have more And so sense of Peace and Reconciliation falls in upon the Soul 5. The Soul by its often renewing of such Acts of Believing comes at last to see the blood of Jesus Christ appropriated to him now it can stay it self upon the word of promise and can sometimes rejoyce in believing If I roll my self upon the blood of Jesus I have the Word of God for it that I shall be saved we shall be saved from Wrath through him not it may be but we shall be saved and all upon the account of being justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 which justification ariseth upon this believing we have mentioned Thus have I opened the nature of Faith as it is precisely justifying as it applies and appropriates the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus for Remission of sins and Justification unto eternal Life I might insist upon the discovery of the effectual operations of Faith in the Soul as may distinguish it from a meer belief of the History of the death of Jesus Christ take two or three 1. When the Soul by Faith doth act upon the blood of Jesus Christ for justification it doth also bring the power and efficacy of it for purging of the Soul Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offer'd himself without spot to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the living God So Acts 15.9 Purifying your hearts by faith There is a purifying vertue in the blood of Jesus Christ upon the souls of Believers they are for the purging away the filth as well as the guilt of sin there 's no believing soul but crys out Purge me Oh Lord purge me and throughly from my filth 2. The soul hath a secret yet real fellowship with the death of Jesus Christ to crucifie and destroy the body of sin in a justified believer which ariseth from its union with Christ Rom. 6.5 6. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection knowing that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Every true believer can really say I am or I would be Crucified with Christ Gal. 2.20 Which the Apostle there brings in as an effect of Justification by Faith 3. Every justified believer looks upon this as one great end of his Justification that he might live to God Gal. 2.19 That I might live unto God Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto him but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.11 Every justified Believer doth thus reckon of himself I am to be dead to sin but alive to God I am to yield my self to God verse 13. To have my fruit unto Holiness verse 22. 4. Faith that justifies doth through the Spirit work the Soul to Gospel-obedience to all the Laws and Ordinances of Jesus Christ which shall be revealed to be the Will of Christ from the Command of Jesus Christ and from a principle of love to Jesus Christ John 15.10 5. A justifi'd believer will deny himself for Christ take up his cross and follow him let any sufferings be proposed to a called believer and let him know it is for Jesus Christ and that soul unless under a temporary desertion or temptation will choose and embrace those sufferings and undergo them with some chearfulness Luke 14.26 27. 7. Every justified believer hath a Marriage Vnion with Jesus Christ Ephes 5.25 26 32. The soul hath chosen Jesus Christ having broken off from all other lovers hath betrothed it self unto Christ in an
everlasting Bond and Covenant hath given it self to Christ as Jesus Christ bestows himself and all he hath upon the soul so doth the soul bestow it self and all it hath upon Jesus Christ and having so done resolves to be contented with him in every condition whom have I in Heaven but thee and none on earth in comparison of thee saith every gracious Believer 7. Every justified Believer lives by his Faith Gal. 2.20 lives upon Jesus Christ for all and fetcheth all from him sees him as a Treasury of all Grace hath recourse unto him this being the most proper act of Faith to make the soul live out of it self upon another Namely Jesus Christ for all 8. Faith that entitles the Soul to Jesus Christ works by love to all Saints Gal. 5.6 When the Soul closeth with Jesus Christ it will also close with his Disciples as distinguished from carnal unsavoury dead Professors What makes the living among the dead a living Soul alive in Christ highly priseth fellowship with such as are alive I might name many more particulars but these may suffice as the most distinguishing 1. Let what hath been spoken serve to discover to you Whether you have Faith that doth entitle you to the blood of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of your sins Can you say Your Souls are carried out after more purging and 't is your daily cry to Heaven Can you say that you are often crucifiing with Jesus Christ And Oh that I were that I were but crucifi'd with Jesus Christ that I might reckon of my self as dead to sin and oh that I might live to God and might walk in Gospel-obedience That I might throughly deny my self for Jesus Christ and choose to suffer with him and for him Oh I would more clearly see the Marriage-union between Christ and my poor Soul I would I do bestow my self upon him and all that 's mine I do give my self to him I will be content with him here and for ever Whom have I whom have I but him Oh have you found in some good degree such Workings of heart towards Jesus Christ And do you live by your Faith upon Christ upon Promises and do you maintain your Souls this way And do you love and delight in the Fellowship of living Souls savoury Souls or do you at least long that you may have some opportunity to do so If you cannot in some measure experience these things your Faith is a dead empty Speculation such a Faith that is so far from uniting you to Christ that indeed it keeps you on this side Jesus Christ And therefore say of it 't is a Faith that is in vain that keeps me dead in my sins Oh therefore say in thy heart I will now wait on the Word the Ministration of it that is ordained of God to beget Faith I will go and pray the Father to draw me to Jesus Christ and that my Soul may be united to him that I may have Fellowship in his Death and Resurrection that I may be made alive unto God that I may feel the pacifying purging vertue of the blood of the Lord Jesus upon my poor Soul By what hath been said Believers may try their Faith and if they find their Souls to have experienced these things they may take comfort that they are justified by Faith in the blood of Jesus and therefore shall be saved by his Life To wind up all in a word of Exhortation 1. God hath set forth Jesus Christ to be a Propitiation that through Faith in his blood a sinner may become justified from his sin then what encouragement is there for sinners to come to him and believe on his Name to venture the Issue of Eternal Salvation upon him since God himself hath set him forth for that end and purpose that sinners might come unto him and be washed justified saved from their sins 'T is not then to be doubted but that God as he hath therein taken care for the Salvation of the sinner so for the glory of his own righteousness So that the sinner hath no reason to doubt that comes to Jesus in the way proposed but that God can take pleasure to accept of him through the blood of Jesus 'T was the most deliberate Act that ever the Wisdom of God was taken up about the setting forth of Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of Sinners through his Blood 'T was the first Foundation that God laid from all Eternity and after he had promised Jesus Christ it was some thousands of years before he set him forth to the world And therefore God cannot repent nor change his mind and purpose as to accepting pardoning justifying sanctifying poor sinners that cast their Souls upon it by the Blood of his Son Jesus Christ Upon which it is that blessed Souls are brought in in the Scriptures magnifying the grace of God for their cleansing by the blood of Jesus 1 John 1.7 The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin So are the Saints brought forth triumphing Revel 5.9 Thou wast slain and hath redeemed us to God by thy blood And Chap. 7.14 These are they who have washed their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore I say with what boldness may poor sinners come unto it and how certainly are they in God's way to Salvation in which way blessed Souls have been ever found and none did ever miss of this end the Salvation of their Souls I have now dispatcht what I shall speak at this time as to the Doctrine of Justification by the Free-grace of God through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and of saving Faith therein and shall commit it to the Lord to work it upon the Conscience I shall a little insist upon the last verse in the removal of that Objection which the heart puts up against this blessed Truth ROM 3. last Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law THE former Verses intermitted might have afforded us much choice matter in the opening the Doctrine of Grace and the Righteousness of Jesus Christ Namely that God is just in the remission of a Believer upon Faith in the Blood of Jesus from verse 26. And that the Doctrine of Grace excludes all boasting from the Creature from ver 27. That Jew and Gentile all that are saved must come to God and be justified in this way and no other from ver 29 30. But I must contract my self I come now to the Objection that the Heart so far as it is carnal doth naturally make against this Doctrine Namely If a Soul be only justified by Grace through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ doth not this then make void the Law and all Obedience to it What need then of our Obedience God forbid saith Paul we establish it that is the Doctrine of Justification by Faith doth rather establish it The Law doth stand establisht in a threefold sense First Jesus Christ hath establisht
eyes now I have heard the Lord himself speak to my soul now I have seen the Lord and my heart is taken with him Now I savour the Word of Grace and the Ministration of the Gospel is a sweet savour in Christ to me the Name of Jesus Christ is as good Ointment to me Now I feel a body of sin and groan under it and press after the destroying and crucifying of it Souls If this be not your Experience you are dead your are without the Life of God and Christ in you Oh! Go to God Sinner as you have been exhorted and cry to him to open your ear to hear and your eye to see Be convinced that as yet your Ear hath been stopt as to hearing the Lord himself speak to you Oh say Wo is me that I am where the Lord useth to speak under the Ministration of his Gospel and yet he never spake to my Soul Doth the Lord love me and never speak to me Pity Lord Pity a poor deaf blind stupid unsavoury Wretch and breath life into me and then wait for the Lords Voice in his Word Now let the Spirit himself speak unto me and unveil my heart that I may see into the Mysteries of Jesus Christ and may savour them upon my poor Soul 2. Let living Souls in Christ exercise their Spiritual Senses keep the Ear open to and waiting for the Spirits Voice be prying into the Mystery of God in Christ and all Gospel-Truth get a clearer sight of Jesus Christ till you shall be infinitely taken with him and love him for himself And keep the heart savoury and the precious scent of Gospel-grace upon your Spirits and labour so to feel the weight of the body of sin how it poiseth polluteth cloudeth the Soul that you may come to that frame to cry out to be delivered from it And let it be abundant matter of Praise to the Riches of Grace that God hath given life and senses to your Souls which he might have left under the death of sin to all Eternity 5. The next Discovery of our Gospel-New-Creature is this namely He hath a new heart So Ezek Chap. 18.31 Make you a new heart and a new spirit which the Lord hath in Free-grace promised in the New-Covenant Chap. 36.26 A new heart will I give you Which I shall precisely consider and shew particularly wherein the heart is made new 1. The heart naturally in its old corrupt frame is a Rebellious heart Jer. 5.23 This people have a rebellious heart The usual complaint of the Prophets Now when the Lord makes the heart new he begins to take away the Rebellion of heart as it naturally opposeth the Word Power and Spirit of God and the heart is made obedient and pliable to the Power of the Word the Spirit 's Teachings Isa 1.19 If ye be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the Land but if you refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured c. My people shall be willing in the day of my power Psal 110. The heart of it self is stubborn obstinate unwilling to stoop to the power of Truth to yield to Jesus Christ but when it is made new it becomes of a yieldable frame to the practical Obedience of Gospel-Truths 2. The heart as an effect of the former is naturally hard and impenitent Rom. 2.5 cannot mourn for sin But when 't is made new God makes it soft Ezek. 36.27 I will take away the stoney heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh which is a soft and tender heart whereby a Soul can pour out its complaints to God Yea the heart will pour out it self like water to the Lord Lam. 2.19 The heart receives impressions of truth as by its softness 't is more and more wrought to a new frame as in the hand of the Lord. 3. The Heart is naturally proud and makes the sinner self-conceited and well opinioned of his own condition and will not suffer the sinner to abase himself to God and to take shame to himself But when a new work of God is upon it the sinner humbles himself under the mighty hand of God bears his reproach before him and crys out Oh! What shall I do for an humble heart Lord take away subdue pride in a wretched Creature James 4.10 Now he becomes a poor self-emptied Creature undone helpless and to a full Christ he at last goes 4. The Heart is naturally Hypocritical The Hypocrite in heart heaps up wrath Job 36.13 Now when God makes the Heart new then it begins to be sincere in some good measure for God before the poor deceived sinner thought he did all with a good heart that he did bear much upon that he did all with a good heart but when God shews him his heart by the Candle of his Word and Spirit then the poor Creature sees what a Hell of Hypocrisie was and is within him that he acted in all his Duties as from himself so to himself and not uprightly unto God But when the Lord new frames the heart then the Soul is after new sincere holy aims for God in all it does is most abased for selfish and hypocritical mixtures and would account nothing well done but as God is designed in it and labours to walk in simplicity of heart and godly sincerity as of God and in the sight of God c. 2 Cor. 1.12 5. The old heart is full of all uncleanness and impurity and cares not to be cleansed So saith Christ to the Jews Matth. 23.27 Within you are full of dead mens bones rottenness and of all uncleanness But now when the New-Creature is forming up then the heart is after purifying Purifie your hearts ye double minded James 4.8 Then what a blessedness would a pure heart be saith a poor creature Oh! that my heart were cleansed Wash thine heart saith God Jer. 4.14 Oh! that it were washed saith the New-Creature And this is one of the most special works a New-Creature will be after as he is more formed up in Holiness to keep the heart pure as a Temple for God 6. The Heart naturally is dead as already hinted and feels not its own deadness but when renewed then the heart doth live that seeks God Psalm 22.26 It feels and mourns over its own deadness and crys out Quicken Oh quicken me Oh God! No Duty is well performed then but as the Heart lives in some measure in that Duty Now it feels its own burdens pollutions lusts corruptions carnality earthiness and bewails it before the Lord. 7. The Heart is naturally divided between Christ and the World Christ and Lusts Hosea 10.2 Their heart is divided But under its renewings the heart as to the main bent of it makes a whole close with Christ the great business of a Soul then is to give the whole heart up to Christ and fears he can never do it fully and singly enough and when the heart lusteth after other things so far as
Christ they have been shaken in their bottoms being legal and thought if they took up from their sins and had a kind of sorrow for them and then set themselves to obey the law strictly be close in the Sabbath and some such duties that God would accept them being still ignorant at least practically that when they were convinced of sin they were to see where to have a righteousness and how to get into Christ and have life and strength in and from him for their new Obedicence which is that I drive at in this and my afterwards discourse in opening the New Creature as in Christ Having premised this I come to speak to the first particular laid down namely Observ 1. Every son and daughter of Adam in their natural estate are under the Law By the Law I do not mean the Mosaical or old Testament way of worship But by the law I understand that which we stile the moral law the law of the ten Commandments that was written in Adams heart and afterwards given out by God unto Moses at Mount Sinai and promised in the New Covenant to be written again in the hearts of all that are really called into the grace of ihe Covenant Ezek. 36.27 To be under the Law is an Expression familiar to you you know what it is to live under a law To be under this law of God then bespeaks these things 1. To be under it is to be bound over to the exact fulfilling it See Rom. 10.15 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law that the man which doth these things shall live by them that is it to be bound over to the fulfilling and doing of the law which if done exactly without the least deviation there is life promised to it But upon the least transgression of it to be liable to the penalty which God hath pronounced against the transgressors of it 2. It follows thence that to be under the Law is to be bound over to the whole Law in its full and perfect latitude as it reacheth the whole Man Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Mark well the tenour of these words Here is required of every one an exact doing not only purposing and thinking to do and that not only of some or the most of the Law but in all things and that not only for a time but a Continuance of doing so or else under the curse One sinful thought hath a curse belonging to it as well as the breach of the whole Law if under the Law Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law 1 John 3.4 3. To be under the Law is to be subject to and to be under all the curses threatnings judgments wrath that it threateneth to the transgressors of it here and for ever Whatsoever the Law saith in point also of judgment and wrath it saith to all that are under it 4. To be under it is to be bound to make God satisfaction in our own persons for the breach of it I mean while under it every soul is so obliged to make satisfaction to the justice of God If a poor soul be in his natural estate and so under the Law he must stand or fall to the Law God expects personal satisfaction from every soul that sinneth against it that will stand to his keeping the Law in whole or in part and God in his justice can bate nothing of what he hath spoken Now That all Men and Women are by nature as of and in the first Adam thus under the Law to wit to be bound up to it and to have life only upon the exact and perfect fulfilling of it to be bound up to the whole Law subject to the curse of it upon the transgression of one part bound to make God satisfaction in his own person for any breach thereof I briefly prove Saith Paul Rom. 6.14 Ye are not under the Law but under grace Implying till a soul is brought under grace the Covenant of grace justifying and sanctifying grace in and by Jesus Christ he is under the Law whosoever he be so Gal. 4.5 To redeem them that were under the law c. implying also that all mankind are naturally under it till under the power and efficacy and priviledge of Christ's Redemption The main reasons of it are All are under this law because all Mankind were bound up under the same Covenant with Adam who was a publick person representing all mankind as a man may bind up himself and his posterity to such and such Conditions and such a Covenant decree or obligation binds his posterity in Law so was Adam bound up to God See Rom. 5.12 the special Scripture that proves this truth Wherefore as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned So verse 16 17 18 19. by one that sinned c. by one mans offence death reigned by one by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation By one mans disobedience many were made sinners Implying clearly that the guilt of Adam as representing all his posterity was and is imputed to all and therefore all were and are bound over to the same Law bottomed upon that word of the Lord to Adam by which God put the Covenant upon him Gen. 2.17 For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Adam had the law of Holiness and Righteousness the Moral Law written in his heart before and his nature perfect which bound him over to obey every command of his God now God gave out that external law unto him by way of trial in which the form of the Covenant was implied but sinning against that he transgressed the Moral law written in his heart also which bound him over to obey God in all things so that the sin of Adam was at least virtually a transgression of the moral law now abiding and obliging mankind which law we all brake in him as it was given to all in him and being written in Adam's heart it was as much as if it had been actually written in the hearts of all mankind which doth also appear by the remnants of the Law as that there is a God and man should be just and remaining in the hearts of all Therefore by nature we are all bound up to and are under this law 2. It doth appear that all do sin and transgress this law of God therefore they are under the penalty and condemnation of it This Argument the Apostle brings to prove the same thing verse 9. of this 3d. of the Rom. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin And verse 12. They are all gone out of the way they are together become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one Thefore seeing all do sin they are bound to answer the law as you use
up themselves to him Only a word to any poor humbled doubting soul that thinks infinitely well of all this but saith in his heart all this grace is too good for me I have sinned against it and slighted it I fear whether ever I may be accepted Oh remember and consider that Grace were not Grace if 't were not free God can save a sinner freely that 's enough to stay thee yea though thou hast slighted grace as where is the Saint but did so before effectually called yea God will save a sinner freely that will come by Jesus Christ unto him He will What would'st have more Do not stand reasoning thus but if thou art a sinner undone without him cast off from thy own Confidences go to him in the Name of God and believe him upon his own Word Say I take thee Blessed Lord upon thy own Word thou sayest Whosoever will let him come And Lord therefore I come I durst not come were I not invited freely and if I must be saved freely if ever then thou art to bestow all work all begin and perfect all Oh blessed Lord I come unto thee for it go and do thus and thou shalt be comforted and rejoice in his Salvation I might also here press blessed Souls who have been drawn to Jesus Christ and overcome by Free-grace to do it to live in the Admiration of that grace and to be low and poor and emptied in your selves in the abundant sense of it all your days Let your enjoyments and attainments be what they will be it known unto you that by grace ye are saved and you had and have as much need of it as any sinner in the World God's Design in saving you was to glorifie Grace and it must be your Design also here and for ever Having thus opened in some measure the grace of God to be the Fountain of a sinner's Salvation I shall now proceed to discover the way of the conveyance of this grace which is by Jesus Christ Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ Though God resolved to bestow grace upon such as shall be saved freely yet in a way of his own most wise and blessed Designing by his Eternal Son Jesus Christ to whom this Dispensation of Grace was committed which I shall further open in this Doctrine Namely Doct. All that Grace and Mercy which GOD gives out freely to sinners is conveyed to them by his Eternal Son Jesus Christ I might be abundant in the proof of this See in that 5th of the Rom. v. 17 21. Much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ And vers 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death even so might Grace through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord All the Grace that should reign unto Life is given out by one Jesus Christ The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 All the Treasures of Grace were laid up in him and therefore he saith of himself Matth. 11.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father and none can come unto the Father but by me which he makes as the great Argument why sinners should come unto him vers 28. Now so far as the Lord hath revealed the wise and holy Counsels of his heart in his Word unto us let us enquire into the Reasons why he took such a way to give all his grace to the children of men Reason 1. The first is this That as Mankind lost all in the Fall of the first Adam as he was a publick person representing all that came of him So it was the Wisdom of God in the recovery of lost-man to bring forth another person that should be fully stockt with Grace and Righteousness as a publique person to represent all the Elect unto the Father upon which account Jesus Christ is called the Second Adam 1 Cor. 15. And the Apostle sets the first Adam in his offence unto Death and the Grace and Righteousness of Jesus Christ as the Second Adam one against the other Rom. 5.15 16 c. For as by one mans Disobedience many were made sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous And so the Apostle sets the Life Grace Righteousness of Jesus Christ as the Second Adam against the Death Condemnation Disobedience of the first man that sinned in the seven last Verses of that Chapter And herein the Wisdom of the Father is most excellently set forth and the ground of Consolation to Believers laid upon a most sure Foundation That whatsoever they lost in the First Adam they recover with much more abundance in Jesus Christ for so the Apostle hath that much more in the Scripture mentioned three or four times that Saints may see how abundantly compleat they are in Christ Reason 2. All Grace is conveyed by Jesus Christ because there needed a person to stand between GOD and Sinners as a Mediator to work forth Reconciliation between them Now who was meet but the Lord Jesus Christ to undertake this He being the Eternal Son of God equal with God was near unto God A meer creature was infinitely unfit for such an undertaking and he being also the Son of man cloathed in the nature of man he thus partaking of the nature of God who was to be appeased and of the nature of Man who was to be reconciled he became a most meet Undertaker of so glorious a Work Whence he hath that blessed Title given him of Mediator Jesus the Mediator of a New Covenant Heb. 12.24 There is one God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 3. God resolved that his blessed Son Jesus Christ should have the Honour in this blessed Transaction to convey his Grace to lost Sinners James 5.22 23. That all men should honour the Son So the Apostle fully Col. 1.16 17 18 19 20. All things were for him And that in all things he might have the preheminence c. For by him and to him and for him are all things This Honour the Father committed to the Son to bring about this great Contrivance of bringing Man back again unto God 4. God letting out his Grace by Jesus Christ renders his love more abundant and acceptable to poor Sinners John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son c. So loved it that he could not give forth a greater manifestation of his love Now the Father purposed to render his love to sinners by the gift of his Son most full and glorious and therefore gave him out of his Bosom and all the Riches of his Love and Grace by him 5. This way of the Father's Dispensation of Grace by his Son Jesus Christ hath rendered the Grace of God most sure and unchangeable to his own The Covenant of Grace being now established between the Father and
the presence of God's Majesty but by Jesus Christ who is appointed Mediator to bring a poor sinner to himself to make way for him into the presence of God to conveigh Mercy and Grace to a poor sinner Oh say that I could acquaint my self with Jesus Christ take hold of his skirts and he will bring me into the favour love covenant vision union of God this is the way for a sinner to come unto him John 14.6 5. Let it call upon Saints that know Jesus Christ in the Spirit that they do not grow strangers to him that they neglect not Jesus Christ Oh! Neglect him not in his blessed Mediation Grace Love Fellowship Appearance Ordinances 'T is a grievous thing and very apt are Saints to it to neglect Jesus Christ Oh! still know and consider that as your access to God was by him at first so it is still His Mediation for you his love and grace and fellowship is as good as ever as precious as it ever was therefore have high and precious thoughts of him of your blessed access to God by Jesus Christ The next thing that I come to open is how Jesus Christ wrought forth Salvation and Justification for a Sinner so that the free grace of God might by him be freely let out upon a sinner namely the work of his Redemption through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ verse 24. I shall not insist upon the many difficulties that the wisdom of the flesh hath started about the word or work of our Redemption but endeavour as I have promised to give it out in a plain Scriptural practical manner for the use of poor sinners Redemption signifies a deliverance from Captivity by a price or ransom laid down Man had sinn'd himself into captivity and a just condemnation God from his own free Mercy was willing he should be set at Liberty but this should not be done but by a price or ransom being paid to God which was the intervening death of Jesus Christ who being the eternal Son of God came down from Heaven took upon him the nature of man was willing to stand in the room of sinners bearing their sins in the undergoing the punishment for them whereby God laid upon Jesus Christ the Iniquities of all that shall be saved Isa 53.6 proceeded against him as if he had been the sinner in a way of Justice executed his wrath upon him Thus he is said to dye for the sins of his own 2 Cor. 5.15 Heb. 9.15 and to give himself for us and to give his life a ransom for many which death of Jesus Christ is styled an expiatory Sacrifice an attonement and Propitiation all which do imply that by the death of Jesus Christ satisfaction was made to the infinite Justice of God as if the sinners that are saved by it had suffered the utmost of Divine Justice in their own persons Thus much may serve briefly to open the nature of Christ's Redemption The Doctrine I shall lay down from the words will be this Doct. To the Salvation and Justification of a sinner in order to God's letting out his free grace upon him there was required the death of Jesus Christ as a price laid down to the justice of God for his Redemption I might urge many more Texts besides what have been named As 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Redeemed not with silver and gold c. but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our sins This was it which was typified by all the Sacrifices in the Old-Testament-Dispensation as in the Epistle to the Hebrews at large especially in the 9th Chapter vers 12 13 14 22. And almost all things are by the Law purged with blood and without shedding of blood is no remission From hence the Reasons of Divine Wisdom thus proceeding so far as revealed in the Word will be clear Reason 1. That the Justice of God might be glorified in the Salvation of sinners as well as Mercy Now there being attonement made to Justice by the death of Jesus Christ the Righteousness of God hath a share in the glory of mans Salvation with the Grace and Mercy of God 2. The Purity and Holiness of God's justice did require it which being violated by the sin of Man it was most equal that satisfaction be made which no meer creature was able to do and therefore the eternal Son of God blessed for ever was appointed of the Father to it Therefore 't is said verse 25. of this third of the Romans That he might be just and the justifier of them that believe in Jesus given as a reason of God's setting forth his Son to be a propitiation 3. The express word of the Lord did require it who pronounced to all mankind in Adam that the transgressor should surely die Gen. 2.17 Therefore upon his transgression the sinner must either die in his own person or another in his stead which God in his infinite wisdom might order as he pleas'd Now God being willing to glorifie his mercy chose to lay this punishment on his own Son Jesus Christ and not on the condemned Sinner which Jesus Christ also voluntarily undertaking the word of the Lord was fully made good and Jesus Christ dying for the sinner being made a curse for him 't was all one as if the sinner himself had died 4. God gave out a holy and righteous Law written in the heart of Adam which Law was just and holy and good Rom. 7. Now this Law being broken God would not dispence with it in shewing mercy to the sinner unless his Law was satisfied which Jesus Christ undertook Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfill'd in us c. Gal. 4.4 But when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the Law c. So that the Law was fulfilled by Jesus Christ as if the sinner had kept it fully in his own person by Christ's becoming obedient to the death of the Cross and so suffering the punishment of the Law still in the stead and name of the sinner and by his keeping the Law in the pure original righteousness of his nature 2 Cor. 5.21 and Heb. 7.26 27. and by his actual obedience to it in the perfect observing of it Rom. 5.19 For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many were made righteous Namely by the obedience of Jesus Christ which he gave unto the Law Now all sinners being condemned by the Law the Law could not remit them till it was satisfied it call'd for punishment and full obedience which Jesus Christ gave unto it 5. God could not so
freely to speak after the manner of men let out grace and mercy unless such satisfaction had been given by Jesus Christ Now it can come easily delightfully chearfully from the righteous and gracious God seeing his justice will not plead against it but for it being blessedly satisfied and Jesus Christ by his death did fully merit it and deserve it at the hands of God and laid down as much as God in infinite justice would require therefore 't is now as well justice as mercy for God to remit a Sinner that comes to God by Jesus Christ 1 John 1.7 God is just to forgive us our sins Now hereupon God having ordained and accepted of such a way of attonement his justice glorified and satisfied his word that the sinner should die made good his Law to the utmost satisfied what remains but that the blessed God can remit the bondage guilt condemnation of the sinner having thus accepted of satisfaction what remains but that he should pronounce as he doth Job 33.24 Deliver him for I have found a Ransom God can now pardon the sinner that comes believingly by Jesus Christ to him for it without any regret his justice shall be glorified by it as well as his mercy God hath charg'd all upon another and accepted of full payment call'd himself to witness of it and will never repent of it Object If any should Object Wherein is free-grace glorified if God hath received full satisfaction to his justice Answ I answer 1. 'T was infinite free grace for God to give out his blessed Son Jesus Christ when there was no obligation upon him he gave him and sent him freely John 3.16 from his own free love therefore there 's infinite of free grace in Man's salvation 2. 'T was infinite grace towards the sinner to accept of satisfaction by a surety Heb. 5. and not on the sinner the party offending himself what abundant grace and love to lay the sins and guilt upon another especially the only Son of his bosom who was without all sin 2 Cor. 2.21 and not to condemn the poor helpless sinner for ever 3. 'T was infinite free grace for God himself to contrive the way of such a Redemption Had it been left to sinful man to have found out a way how justice might be satisfied he could never have done it It could never have entred into the heart of Man or Angels to have offered to God a satisfactory way for the making up of his wronged justice but he must have perished for ever 4. The Father was at Liberty to impute this Redemption of Christ to whom he would to this sinner and not to another Rom. 9. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy c. So that 't is indeed a debt to Christ but all of free mercy and grace to any sinner that is saved Vse 1. If then Salvation and remission of sins came in this way by the death and blood of Jesus Christ then it may discover to us the infinite hatred that God bears to sin that to make expiation and attonement to his justice there could no sacrifice be found but the death of his eternal Son Jesus Christ Oh! that ever a sinner should delight in that which the holy God so much hates and abhors 2. Let it be for convincement to poor sinners of the infinite necessity of this way of Redemption by Jesus Christ in laying down his life to satisfie the justice of God and of getting their part in it you have heard the case of a Sinner condemn'd by the Law liable to eternal death subject to the rigour of divine Justice no way able or in a capacity to make satisfaction to God mercy as it were bound up by justice Oh! therefore what necessity of a Mediator of a Redeemer to work forth deliverance to lay down a Ransom for sinners dye and undergo the curse and wrath of the great and dreadful God fulfill the Law make satisfaction to the wronged justice of God to the utmost this Jesus Christ hath done for miserable sinners that will come unto him Now the most of poor souls have but a Notion of Christ's dying but know not what is meant by Christ dying for me though sometimes in their Mouths Oh! sinner for Christ to die for thee if thou gettest a part in his Death is to undergo the punishment and curse and death that thy soul was liable to which otherwise must have come upon thee to the utmost it was to be made sin and a curse for thee to bear thy Sins and stand in them Oh! that thou couldst really be convinc'd of the necessity of this Redemption that thou couldst never come to God without it and therefore to get thy poor soul stated in it 3. If satisfaction to Gods justice can only be by the blood of Jesus Christ then let me again press you that you take heed of performing your duties and repentings as if thereby you did satisfie and pacifie God for the sin of your souls This is the most dangerous snare upon poor souls that though they have sinned yet they hope God will be pacified with some praying and sorrowing and amendment Now though this shall be in a spiritual manner upon every pardoned sinner and 't is a capacity God puts the sinner into when he applies the death of his Son and so gives out mercy and pardon yet you must most carefully take heed that you offer not up such duties as if they did make God amends and pacifie him for your sins but look above and beyond them as if they were not and so to cast your eye to the great sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ which Alone makes attonement to God and makes way for a poor sinner to come to him 4. That as sinners would learn the blessed Mystery of this Redemption and the necessity of it and how it makes attonement merits mercy and pardon procures peace and reconciliation with God so they would come and accept of it and fall down before the righteous God and plead it to him Thou hast heard the way of God's letting out mercy to sinners and no mercy but in that way but by justice being satisfied by the death and blood of Jesus Christ whereby he becomes the Saviour of sinners now this blood is offered up to God the price is paid and accepted with God and in the Gospel of God 't is revealed and preach't to the guilty world and 't is freely offered to any poor sinner that will come and accept of it and make claim to it and plead for mercy and forgiveness upon the account of it and will come to the terms of it which is to be accepted and pardoned alone by vertue of it to be washed and sanctified and actually deliver'd not only from the guilt and condemnation of sin but the power and reign and pollution of it Oh Sinner be awakened and stirred up by the word of the Lord to get actual deliverance from the
guilt bondage reign service of thy sin go and cry to God offer him up the blood of his own eternal Son tell him thou seest he may let out justice upon thee to destroy thee and damn thee for ever of thy self thou hast no plea against it But ask the blessed God if it may not be more glory to him and his grace and mercy glorified by it if he will accept of satisfaction by his own Son Jesus Christ plead to him that thou hearest he died in the room of guilty condemned sinnners such as thou art ungodly Rom. 5.6 yea tell him with an humble adoration of his mercy and love in it that thou hearest in his blessed Gospel that 't is offered to any sinner that will come and accept it and that 't is proclamed from Heaven and there 's satisfaction made by the blood of a Jesus for the greatest Sinner such as thou art Oh! cry unto him that therefore thou comest and begg'st to be heard in thy plea and that it may be entred in Heaven that thou comest for all the ends of his death thou art weary of the service of thy lusts and the pollution of thy nature and therefore thou wouldst have thy nature cleansed thy conscience purged all which thou findest the blood of Jesus Christ is able to do yea tell him and plead it with some humble boldness that thou art acquainted that Jesus Christ prays in Heaven for such sinners that come and plead his blood to thee and that he is heard in what he prays and that therefore forgiveness must be had yea say thou wilt hold on thy plea thou hast no other and art resolved against any other If thou shalt to Hell pleading the blood of a Saviour be it so but I am resolved to plead it to the utmost yea tell him and cry to him that it cannot repent him that he hath ordained the sacrifice of the blood of his own Son and therefore why should'st thou be rejected Yea Come to this Issue through the Spirit of Faith upon thee that if it can be that a Sinner crying out for pardon upon the account of the death and blood of Jesus Christ and for sanctification may go to Hell then thou wilt willingly lay thy hand upon thy mouth and open it no more but sink under Divine Vengeance to Eternity Oh! That every poor sinner might go home with this plea in his heart written there by the Holy Ghost and peirce Heaven with his or her crys and groans and put the blood of Jesus Christ before him and plead for mercy and holiness to be pardoned and sanctified till God say Go in peace thou art pardoned redeemed and blessed for ever Yet a little to excite a poor drowsie sinner to this eternal Concernment 1. Consider thou art under the guilt of thousands of Sins one whereof is enough to sink thee to Hell Guilt if continued is Hell begun and wants nothing but the execution of Vengeance upon thee Oh what should a guilty sinner do but close with a Saviour and get an interest in Redemption from it 2. Especially considering that all the Duties and Obedience thou hast performed towards God or ever shall have not made nor ever will the least payment to God for thy sins thou art as much in debt to God as ever thou wast as much behind with him All the Items for the sin of thy Nature thy thoughts words and actual Wickedness and thy sinful neglects stand uncancelled all ready to be charged upon thee and nought will be accepted for payment but the Death of Jesus Christ the only price that God will hearken to Nothing will cancel the Book where all thy sins are recorded Nothing will blot out the Hand-writing that is against thee but the Blood of Jesus Christ Col. 2.13 14. 3. God is resolved never to forgive you the Debt till you have put in this Plea and it be recorded in Heaven and you have it in a Gospel-way No forgiveness of Sins but by Redemption pleaded claimed possessed and sealed by the Holy Spirit Ephes 1.7 14. 4. Thou art yet under the Bondage and Reign of thy sin and therefore under condemnation the Law is gone out against thee thy Sentence pronounced Cursed is every one that transgresseth c. saith the Law and thou art in bondage yet and hast not procured actual deliverance from it If a Prisoner be condemned and lye in Fetters in a Dungeon and hears of a Ransom paid for him what 's this to him till he have Liberty So for a Sinner to be in the Fetters of his Lusts held fast by them a Bond-man to the Devil and hear of a Christ laying down a Ransom what is this to him unless he sue it out and get actual deliverance and liberty the liberty of the Sons and Daughters of God and have a Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.4 5. That being made free from sin the Reign and Power of it by the Power of the Lord Jesus revealed in him you may become servants to God and have your fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting Life Rom. 6. 5. Consider as thou standest in thy filth and uncleanness of thy Sins thou art unfit for God either to please him in any thing thou doest or to be with him in Heaven hereafter thy person and services are loathsom to the Soul of God therefore get washed and purified in the blood of Jesus Christ Go on to cry and wait and beg a heart to do it and that in Faith till thou shalt feel Peace coming in by thy constant Plea of the blood of Christ till thou shalt feel cleansing vertue of it upon thy Soul till thou shalt experience the power of his death destroying Sin in thee and so shalt find thou hast fellowship with him and so a part in this blessed Redemption we have been treating of 6. Now to encourage a poor Sinner to this coming to God with the Plea of Christ's blood in his heart and mouth and to draw forth the Faith of a poor humbled doubting Soul Consider the All-sufficiency and worth of the price of the Death of Jesus Christ to satisfie the justice of God and procure Pardon and Sanctification for a poor Sinner which may appear from such like Scriptures The Apostle in the 7th of the Hebrews having been opening the excellency of Christ's Priesthood which is chiefly conversant in this Work of Redemption in the offering up of himself a Sacrifice concludes ver 25. of that Chapter Wherefore he is able to save them to the utmost that come to God by him To the utmost that is with a perfect Salvation that nothing more can be desired to it So in the 9th Chap. ver 11 c. The Apostle reasoning from the Levitical Sacrifices to this of the blood of Christ argueth the full perfection of it By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place namely into Heaven having obtained eternal Redemption for us
and thence concludeth ver 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge the Conscience c. A much more upon that above all the Sacrifices that were offered up to God which will appear 1. Because of the eternal Godhead of Christ's Person by which he offer'd up his blood unto his Father Heb. 9.14 Who through the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Which put an infinite value and efficacy upon the offering of his blood inasmuch as Jesus Christ was God as well as Man though he could only dye in his humane nature yet the efficacy of his Godhead had an influence upon the price of his dying which put an infinite worth upon it and so renders it full and perfect Redemption 2. The price of the blood of Jesus Christ did not only give a bare Satisfaction to the justice of God but it had an infinite Merit in it a redundancy of Merit whereby it deserved at the hands of God that Sinners that are interessed in it should have remission of Sins grace the love of God and glory to come spiritual blessings which the death of Christ purchased for the elect which being also by the free purpose and compact of God there must necessarily arise an infinite Merit in it 3. The All-sufficiency of the price of Christ's blood is evidenced by his Resurrection and Ascension into Glory implying that he wrought forth full and perfect Redemption by his Death therefore he is said to rise again for our Justification Rom. 4. last and to be justified in the spirit 1 Tim. 3. last that is God by raising him from the dead justified him in the attonement he had made by his Death and that he did chearfully accept of satisfaction by it 4. The Blood of Christ procures boldness of access to God therefore there is an infinite worth in the price of it Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Brethren Boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus which boldness doth arise from the full satisfaction that is made to Divine Justice in as much as God upon the Acceptance of it hath nothing to charge upon the Sinner himself no quarrel against him having charged his sins upon Christ and therefore the poor sinner may come with an humble boldness into the Presence of God and this is that which puts boldness into the Conscience of a Believer when he appears before God 5. From the Experience of it the soulest Sinners that have come unto it have been washed from their sins by it as 1 Cor. 6.11 Idolaters Adulterers Sodomites Drunkards Revilers have been washed and justified and sanctified by it The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin 1 John 1.7 6. It cleanseth and perfects them for ever therefore called eternal Redemption once for all and for ever Heb. 10.10 19. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified once justified and for ever Now from this Satisfaction Merit All-sufficiency of the Sacrifice of the blood of Jesus to cleanse a sinner to commend him to God how safely may a sinner venture his Soul upon it which is the first act of Faith A poor sinner when under conviction and the terror of the Lord hath taken hold of him lies trembling before the Lord whether God will let out Justice or Mercy upon him he is ready to give glory to the justice of the Lord if he reject him for ever But now if a poor soul get a sight of the blood of Christ how it deals with the justice of God what full and all-sufficient Satisfaction it hath made to God for the sins of such as plead it to him how God more delights in it than in the condemning of the sinner what a stay is this to the wavering doubtful spirit of a poor sinner when he can come to see justice to have its due and so God can freely let out Remission to a poor Soul upon the very first Act of a poor sinners closing with it though not presently evidenced in his Conscience Oh sinner venture the Issue of all upon this price of the Blood of Jesus thou may'st see thou hast the greatest reason in the world to do so thou wilt never come to have a safe bottom for thy Soul till thou comest thus to deal with the justice of God as fully satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ thou wilt still be off and on about Free-Mercy till thou come to fix here and be in some good measure established in it Be daily in exercising thy Soul in such ventures and castings upon it and the Spirit will at last witness Peace and Reconciliation to thy Conscience In a word Sinners you that have had no stay to your spirits for the forgiveness of your sins but a blind hope of Mercy look up look up to the justice of God and see this way of access to God for you by the blood of Jesus Oh! let not any prophane sinner trample it under foot cast it back upon the blessed face of God say not in thy heart Let God take the blood of his Son to himself I 'le not be washed from my Sins I 'le not be sanctified I 'le rest as I am Desperate Sinner of how much sorer punishment shalt thou be thought worthy than any Sinner under Heaven who rejectest the only worthy price of a Sinners Salvation Know the great God will let out all his justice upon thee to the utmost and Oceans of his Wrath shall fall upon thee if thou thus abuse the blood of his Son a greater guilt than all thy Ungodliness thou hast hitherto been wallowing in from thy youth up Oh! come thou despiser and cast thy soul under the droppings of this blood and it shall cleanse thee though thy soul were as black as Hell Zach. 13.1 And thou poor formal out-side Professor who never didst feel the vertue healing life and warmth of the blood of Christ upon thy heart Oh rest not in good thoughts of it only but come believingly to it as thou hast been exhorted Say and that with thy heart Now Lord I would know the power and efficacy of this Redemption upon my poor soul Wash me Lord wash me I renounce all but the blood of this Christ as to making way to God for me Oh! let it pacifie my Conscience and purge my Conscience and I shall be clean If the Spirit of the Lord shall work thy heart to come as a guilty helpless unholy sinner in thy self to this blood of Jesus and make thy approaches to God daily and argue for Grace and Remission upon it and purging thy Soul these inestimable blessings will be the issue of it which I will but name to thee 1. Thou shalt certainly find forgiveness of thy sins In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our sins Ephes 1.7 God will remember them no more against thee and thou shalt have peace with thy God for ever 2. God will let forth
an infinite unchangeable love upon thee Rom. 5.5 which love he bore thee from Eternity but will now manifest it to thee and estate thee in it for ever 3. Thou shalt have boldness of access to God Rom. 5.2 even into his intimate presence to speak with God face to face and ask of God what thou wilt according to his will Heb. 10. 4. All the Promises of Mercy Grace and all blessings here and for ever shall be thine made over sealed in the blood of Christ 5. Thou shalt rejoyce in the hope of the Glory of God Rom. 5.2 with all Saints and see thy self an heir of Heaven 6. Thou shalt be still a washing and purifying and fating for Heaven till thou shalt be taken up unto God and live in the Ocean of his Love to all Eternity Now if ease in thy sin and the world can do better for thee than this that I have named then keep in but if not as most certain it cannot Arise and come to this blessed Redemption and get thy part and portion in it and thou shalt say Blessed be thy counsel and advice for evermore But now upon this Redemption of Jesus Christ how is a sinner said to be justified that is to be put into an actual Possession of the Redemption of Jesus Christ through the Free-Grace of God 1. When the compact was made between God the Father and Jesus Christ as to the Salvation of those that the Father gave to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ undertook the fulfilling of the Condition of the Covenant God did purpose in himself to justifie them from Eternity and look'd upon them as in Christ 2 Tim. 1.9 Ephes 1.4 So they were justified as to the purpose of God from all Eternity 2. When Jesus Christ performed the Condition of Obedience in his dying and paid unto God what he required at his hands for the sinners redemption then did God as in the Court of Heaven discharge the sinner though not in the Court of Conscience and when Christ arose and came to Heaven the Father gave him in an absolution of them all from the guilt of sin and obligation to death and so at the death of Christ all the Elect were meritoriously justified inasmuch as the price was paid and accepted of the Father Rom. 5.10 3. When according to the purpose of God through the purchase of Jesus Christ a Sinner is called by grace hath Faith given him as purchased also for him to embrace Jesus Christ in the Promise to receive him as offer'd in the Gospel and with him all spiritual blessings then is the Soul put into the actual possession of what God in his purpose and love determined to give him and Jesus Christ by the purchase of his blood gave him a right to before and so there is an Act of God's pardoning Mercy passeth upon the sinnner he hath an actual discharge given in unto his Conscience hath the Obedience of Jesus Christ imputed to him and so is look'd upon by God not as a Sinner under guilt but as righteous in the Righteousness of Christ which bespeaks him justified that is made just and righteous before God by the imputation and making over Christs Righteousness to him as if righteous in his own person Upon which Act of God there is a full Remission of sin as in the Text and the believer is put into another State a State of justification unto life through Jesus Christ Rom. 8.1 who before was in a State of Death and Condemnation Before I speak of that Faith which through Grace puts a Soul in his pardoned and justified State I will briefly apply this to the capacity of the weak 1. It may inform and instruct you in this great Mystery that any sinner that is saved must be thus justified made righteous by the Obedience of Jesus Christ he must come to see the justice of God made up a price paid unto God and this to be actually made over to him As we shall presently shew most of sinners 't is to be feared do not consider this that speak of mercy and pretend they hope in mercy but are never convinc'd of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and what it is to pass from a state of guilt to a state of righteousness by Jesus Christ from a state of condemnation to a state of justification without which there can be no Salvation Oh be convinced sinners of this great matter of the necessity of the righteousness of Christ his obedience in fulfilling the Law to be made over to you to be brought into a justified state or you can never have pardon of sin and be accepted with God you can never stand before God but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Say If I do not get the righteousness of Christ made mine If I do not get thus justified I must never expect pardon of my sin and acceptance of my poor soul at the great day of the Lord. This is the Work of the Spirit to be savingly convinced of this John 16.8 Oh look up to the Father for the Spirit thus to convince you not only of sin and the damnableness and sinfulness thereof but of your infinite need to get not only some general hope of Mercy and Pardon but the righteousness of the Son of God to bring you into a state of Pardon Reconciliation Peace with God 2. It may further clear unto you that your justification before God is not within you but without you wrought forth by Jesus Christ for such as are or shall be called by grace and imputed to them not inherent or wrought in them 'T is not grace in you that doth or can justifie you though renewing grace shall be wrought in all that are so pardoned and justified Therefore though thou must be changed in thy self pray and be holy and obey God in all things yet thou canst not be hereby justified but still thy justifying righteousness is in Christ and not in thy self as the only procuring meritorious cause of Pardon and Peace with God Jeremiah 33.16 Isaiah 54. last 3. The great question therefore that should come upon thy heart is Whether thou art in a state of condemnation or justification If not justified thou art still as I have shewed under the condemnation of the whole Law Nothing thou hast yet done or shalt ever be able to do will stand between Wrath and Hell and thy poor soul till thou comest to be justified in the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ Oh sinners ponder of this great thing that is now laid before you Can you say from a Testimony within you Oh! I was thus and thus once under the reign power guilt condemnation of sin but now now blessed be rich and free grace I am washed justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ See that Word 1 Cor. 6.10 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God Or at least that I may speak to poor weak willing trembling souls Is this it that your souls are restless after Oh that I were that I were in such a blessed state Oh that I could but believingly say the righteousness of Jesus Christ were mine and that now I am I am justified Oh what peace and sweetness and joy would fill my heart Why Soul If this be indeed the breathing of thy Soul Jesus Christ is thine and thou art justified and pardoned and God will at last give in unto thee if thou continue to follow him the sense and comfort of it in thy poor Soul Only by the way take a Discovery or two of the reality of thy Heart in this matter 1. If thou Soul from a Spiritual Conviction be under a real making out after justification by Jesus Christ then thou wouldst also be as really sanctified be made holy 'T was as much in the purpose of God to call thee out of a state of sin and to sanctifie thee as to pardon and justifie thee 1 Ep. John 5.6 2. If thou art brought into a justified state thy soul making out after it thou art made alive in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 Thou art in Jesus Christ and wouldst walk no more after the flesh and the lusts thereof but after the Spirit Gal. 5.18 If ye are led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law namely to condemn you but are free from the curse of it And verse 23. Against such there is no Law that is such as would walk after the Spirit be led by the Spirit and shew forth the fruit of the Spirit And this is that which the Apostle intimateth 1 Ep. John 5.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the Witness in himself namely of the Spirit So that every justified person hath the Spirit of Christ according to the measure of the grace of God dwelling in him is quickened in the Spirit being once dead prays in the Spirit mortifies sin through the Spirit is taught by the Spirit and so in all other saving and sanctifying vertues of it If it be not thus with thee thou as yet hast no part in this blessedness but art under condemnation unto death And therefore sinner come before God in the sence of thy condemned estate and give up thy self to Jesus Christ to be washed justified sanctified and then blessed for ever 3. Let called and sanctified Believers labour to live in the sense of a pardoned justified state that God is not off and on with them in the matter of justification though it may be sometimes darkned and clouded as to the evidence of it Oh! do you labour to preserve the sense and sweet and blessed peace of it in your souls and give glory to the riches of grace for now there is No No condemnation to you you are passed from Death to Life and the Blessed God imputes no sin unto you Let this be the highest and strongest Argument to Holiness and love to the glory that possibly may be and if indeed you walk in the comfort of it it will be so unto you Only let me give caution here to young Converts whose hearts at the first discovery of the free and glorious grace of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ are wonderfully taken and affected with it but after a time are apt to wanton with it unless the first humiliation be the deeper and to wax sleight in Duties and so their Lusts recover strength again and return upon them and either they fall or are near unto it to the fresh wounding of their Souls This hath been the condition of many therefore be well caution'd in it and walk with fear in the midst of your joyous apprehensions of the sweetness of grace and the endearing love of the Lord Jesus to you Having briefly shewed what the nature of justification is what it is to be in a justified state before God I now come to open more particularly how a Soul comes to be partaker of this justification through the Redemption of Jesus Christ namely Through Eaith in his blood ver 25. of this 3d. of Rom. Observ As God through Free-grace hath set forth Jesus Christ to work forth Redemption for sinners so there must be a special believing on and applying the blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins by every one that is saved Therefore justification is attributed to Faith Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justified by Faith we have peace with God by our Lord Jesus Christ So Gal. 2.16 and 3.11 In all which places Faith is put in opposition to the works of the Law And so the righteousness of Christ is called the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 9.30 and 10.6 in opposition to the righteousness by Works Not as if Faith were the matter of our justification that it did as an Act or Work in the Soul justifie before God but that God doth thus make over the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ to a Soul by enabling the Soul to come unto to take hold of to apply to it self to appropriate the merit of the blood of Jesus Christ for its own Redemption and Salvation which may afford us a plain Description of justifying Faith precisely considered Namely Faith is a Work of the Holy Ghost in the Soul enabling it to appropriate or apply to it self the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ for the Remission of sin and its justification unto eternal Life So it is called the work of Faith with power 2 Thes 1.11 and 't is expressed by receiving of Jesus Christ Joh. 1. and believing on his Name coming unto him resting upon him So that plainly Faith is a going out to believing in trusting on another namely the Lord Jesus Christ For what it can never be able to find or bring about in or by it self which may lead us to the more particular way of the Holy Ghost's working this power in the Soul in the saved ones of God 1. In the working of Faith in the Soul it is first brought to see an impossibility of coming to God as in its self or by its self concluded under an utter unability to pacifie God or make up a righteousness in it self to get access to God The soul is emptied from vessel to vessel till all the things that it counted gain before become loss for Jesus Christ this is the first work of the Spirit it empties a poor sinful Creature of all its refuges all its dependencies all its sufficiencies and so becomes naked in its guilt before God and therefore is brought to this that its acceptance to God if ever it be accepted must be out of its self what ever become of him he must perish as in himself 2. In the work of Faith the Soul is brought to see that this was the end of the Revelation of Jesus Christ of God's setting him forth to be a propitiation that he might work forth Redemption and Righteousness
it by fulfilling it whereby the righteousness of the Law is fufilled upon us Rom. 8.4 Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the Law and kept it and so makes over the righteousness of it to Believers as hath been shewed and so the Law stands establisht Secondly The Law stands establisht as a means through the Spirit to convince of sin and of our shortness of the righteousness of it as ver 20. And so Christ often made use of it for such ends Thirdly The Law stands establisht as an Everlasting Rule of righteousness and holiness promised in the New Covenant to be written in the Heart Heb. 8. So that through Jesus Christ in justifying by his blood hath quit the sinner from all guilt and condemnation by the Law yet he hath not given the Believer a discharge from all obedience of it And therefore to evince this I shall lay down this Position that Observ Though all a Believer hath done or can do cannot justifie him before God yet there are other blessed ends why he should obey God and delight in his Law 1. Obedience to God is placed as the great End of our redemption Luke 1.74 75. That we might serve him without fear a sear of bondage in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life God hath not only in his purpose the remission and salvation of the Sinner but that thereby he would have all that are called into this grace to serve him in Holiness And this end is to be upon the heart of the Believer when justified by Faith The purpose of God in this is that I should serve him in holiness 1 Tim. 1.9 That I should live to God Rom. 6.11 as hath been shewed 2. From the Sovereign Command of God who saith Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1.15 16. This is enough to a Believer that God hath commanded it though there should be no other end in it 3. Holiness and Righteousness is the Soul's conformity unto God it is a Beam of God an Image of God which he designs to be renewed upon all that shall be saved as shall be further shewed 4. Justified Believers do see an equity goodness and blessedness in the Law of God in all his holy and righteous Precepts though they were not commanded The Law is holy just and good Rom. 7. saith Paul speaking after the regenerate part So David Psal 119. often Thy Commandmeats which I have loved They give God his due and the Creature his due and therefore to be walkt in though not thereby justified 5. There is a principle of love to God shed abroad in the heart of every justified Believer from the sense of his rich pardoning grace the freeness of his love which acts and constrains a Soul to take delight so far as it is regenerated in every Command of God Rom. 5.5 2 Cor. 5.14 15. For the Love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead and that he died for all that they which live should not live to themselves but to him that died for them 6. Called and justified Believers have blessed sights of Jesus Christ that wonderfully take their hearts They have glimpses of the Beauty of his Holiness and would therefore be made like unto him 1 John 3.2 3. They would obey the Will of the Father as Jesus Christ did They would be holy and righteous and wise and patient and Heavenly as Jesus Christ was 7. Believers in the way of their Duty and Obedience have blessed Fellowship and Communion with God Saith God of his Ordinances Exod. 25.22 There will I meet thee and commune with thee And Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my Name there will I come unto thee and bless thee They are everlasting Promises to all the ways of obedience wherein the people of God do walk before him in They pray they read hear they partake of the Supper in Christs way and there they have life and blessing to their Souls and many a sweet intimation of love and mercy they have whispered into them they set themselves to walk with God in his fear and counsel and God walks with them and their lives if they keep close to God are sweet and comfortable to them And this is even as much to them as if they were thereby justified They would not miss the sweetness they meet with in such ways of Duty for all the World 8. By their Sanctification and Obedience their justification is comfortably evidenced to them Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto Death or of obedience unto Righteousness And Ye know that every one that doth righteousness is born of him 1 John 2.29 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren So that no doubt Believers may come to a sweet and blessed Evidence of their good estate and of their justification by the work of Sanctification in them and their willing obedience to God though a Believer doth not always and at all times fetch in his evidence of Believing and of comfort this way but sometimes from the Promise and from the more immediate Testimony of the Spirit But though a Believer doth not and it may be cannot always fetch in his consolation and peace from Sanctification and Obedience Yet that soul that wholly neglects it and slights Evidences from Humiliation Sanctification and Obedience had best timely look to it that the Witness in himself he pretends to be not from imagination of his own heart from the wicked ones delusion and from some overly notions of grace that may affect his heart but leave him on this side Regeneration 9. Believers do perform their Duties as returns to God Every called Believer saith in his heart as David Psal 116.12 Oh! What shall I render to thee How gracious hath God been and now how holy should I be Who shall love the Lord and fear before him and praise him If I shall not To whom shall his Name Laws Ordinances be precious if not unto me Who is more bound to love the blessed God than I and how shall I love him but by obeying him Thus doth a Believer perform his obedience as a Testimony of a thankful return to God though I do not say that this is all his motive 10. By the Obedience and Holiness of Believers God is much glorified in the World 't is the greatest glory that God designs to himself in the World even by the holiness and willing gracious obedience of his people to him When the World lies in wickedness and makes war against the great and Holy God this is that which honours God that he hath a people called by his grace that set forth the glory of holiness in the world that are witnesses to the holiness of God the holiness of his Worship and all his ways and profess and endeavour to walk
habits are infused in the soul whereby the New Creature is formed up in believers Hence it is that all grace and holiness is infused into the Soul as distinguish'd from Common grace that at last withereth John 15.6 If a man abide not in me he he is cast forth as a branch and is withered c. therefore a necessity of being in Christ 4. Without being in Christ the power and reign of sin the body of sin will not be destroyed no destroying the body of sin by any possible endeavours but by the influence of the death of Jesus Christ and a real fellowship therewith which cannot be attained but by being planted into Christ Rom. 6.5 6. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we might not serve sin All the proper mortifying power that Believers have of the body of sin is drawn from fellowship with the death of Jesus Christ which fellowship ariseth only from being one with him 5. The Image of God cannot be renewed upon us but in Christ As we have born the images of the Earthly we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly 1 Cor. 15.19 So Rom. 8.29 we are made conformable to the Image of his Son by union a Soul is made partaker of the fulness of Jesus Christ as all grace is laid up in him and of that fulness partakes by measure of every grace from him John 1.16 And of his fulness have all we recieved and grace for grace that is Grace according to the pattern of Jesus Christ partaking of every grace in him according to the measure allowed to every Member and Branch in him 6. Without being in Christ no duty is accepted with God by being in Christ we are accepted in the Righteousness of Christ whereby all the duties of a child of God are accepted with the Father 1 Pet. 2.5 as performed by a Principle of life from Jesus Christ and offered up to God in the name and Righteousness of Christ otherwise let praying and all other duties be never so strictly frequently devoutly performed they find no accptance with God and the Soul is not bettered by them Without me ye can do nothing John 15. saith Jesus Christ 7. Without being in Jesus Christ there can be no holy fruit in conversation brought forth to God John 15.5 He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit All the fruit that is of our own stock comes to nought but the fruit that is brought forth in Christ from implantation into him is precious fruit unto Repentance Reformation Holiness and Righteousness and doing of any good unless it proceed from the life we have in Christ is Pharisaical and comes to nothing and will be burnt up in the day of the Lord wherefore sanctified believers are call'd the trees of Righteousness Isa 61. as planted engrafted into Jesus Christ whereby they bring forth all their savoury fruit unto God Vse See now the great and weighty and indispensable necessity of getting into Christ of having union with him the main pillar upon which hangs all your comfort do what ye will and be out of Jesus Christ and 't is an accursed loathed sacrifice do what thou wilt from thy own stock and 't is bitter fruit A dram of what is performed in Christ is of more worth than a mighty daily bulk of duties without it not hereby to lessen a believer as to muchness of duty but to shew the unacceptableness of all duties though never so many long devout till a poor soul performs all from a new principle and power of life in the soul from Jesus Christ and so a New-Creature Oh! that poor souls were throughly convinc'd of this who so they perform duties never consider this Oh! lay to heart thy dead condition and the infinite necessity of getting into Christ No life in thy soul no preserving of life till in Jesus Christ nothing of the divine nature upon thee no destroying of sin nothing of the Image of God upon thee that is saving no duty accepted no fruit unto God in thy conversation till thou hast the real experience of this blessed Mystery in thy soul of being one in Christ through the spirit till thy soul knoweth what union and fellowship with the Son of God meaneth Therefore souls that fall short here their knowledge profession conversation is lost labor as to the great matter of eternal life and salvation 2. If all that are truly and savingly New-Creatures are in Christ then a New Creature any other way is but a semblance and appearance of it and not so indeed and reallity if from our selves from the power of the Law upon the Conscience or upon any other account whatsoever And therefore I still say the more we consider of this matter of the more narrow enquiry do we find it to be There is a semblance and likeness of being New-Creatures which is not really so a semblance of Holiness a holy fruit which is not truly so but will at last wither and hence all the withered Professors in this day as we shall presently shew I shall not here speak of such as pretend to no manner of change inward or outward such as are in all things the same they ever were as such as live in known gross sins they have no appearance or pretence of claim to the Title and Character of the New Creature by their own concession and acknowledgment they are still the same as ever they were therefore not so much as pretend to be made new to such I shall if God will apply a further word before we have done Only now of the Semblance of the New Creature falsly so called but not really so 1. A soul being convinc'd of the damnableness of such and such a sin from the Law and the power of the Word upon the Conscience that a soul living continuing in it shall never enter into the Kingdom of God As from such a place as 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not enter into the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God And such were some of you c. I say from this or the like Scripture a soul may be convinced that if he continued in any of these gross wickednesses he shall never see the face of God and so may take up from the gross outward Acts of them or at least from a frequent commiting them now this person may go no further and because he hath left some special gross sin he thinks himself a true Convert and a New-man and may flatter himself with the conceit of being the New-Creature we are to
that sleepest Ephes 5. The voice of the Spirit doth awake that Conscience that before was asleep in sinful security 4. A good Conscience is convinced that all the keepings of the Law and keeping a Conscience to men cannot justifie the soul before God cannot commend it to God which a Second Table-Conscience imagines it will and so in peace Paul kept a Conscience as to many things Acts 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God unto this day meaning I conceive from his youth up when he was a Pharisee but when his Conscience was convinced and awakened and came to see Jesus Christ he saw that all his keeping a Conscience as to many sins and Duties could not in the least commend him to God A good Conscience is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So that this is the efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ upon the Conscience of a Believer it pacifies it in the sense of the forgiveness of sins towards God so as it can draw near to God and it purgeth it from dead works sin and pollution to serve God acceptably This is a good Conscience indeed 6. A good Conscience respects all the Precepts of God as well of Holiness to God as Goodness to Men which the Conscience we have been speaking of doth not Such a one makes not conscience of this great and absolute Precept Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1. It makes not conscience of purging the heart of secret mourning to God of the purity of God's Worship It makes no Conscience of lesser sins as we have shewed not of all sin as Herod heard the Word gladly but made no conscience of persecuting John to death when he stood in the way of his Lusts Now I say a good Conscience respects Precepts of Holiness secret as well as publick Duties inward as well as outward Sins lesser sins as well as greater 7. A Scripture good Conscience is much taken up about godly sincerity So Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the Testimony of our Conscience that with simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but with the grace of God we have had our Conversation in the world c. Thus a soul that walks with a good Conscience towards God labours to approve it self in all things with a godly sincerity to do all as unto God Lastly a good Conscience labours to keep it self pure and undefiled it is accompanied with a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the Commandment is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned A Soul that would keep the Conscience good would keep it pure and the whole inward man pure as a Temple unto God Vse Now see how many ingredients go to make up a good Conscience in a Scripttre-sense and what a great mistake is in this weighty matter and how far abundance of people that make conscience of their dealings with men conclude thence they have a Scripture-good-Conscience to God when they are not savingly enlightned their Conscience never search'd by the power of the Word and throughly awakened out of a natural condition never humbled for resting in themselves and their Duties not having their Conscience sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ and purged thereby not having a tender respect to all the Precepts of God not to walk before him in godly sincerity nor with a pure heart You then that are short of these things you are wholly to seek in that which you so much pretend to and speak peace to your selves in the having or keeping a good Conscience you have as yet no part in this matter 2. What hath been spoken of a good Cnnscience may be for instruction and direction to the Called Ones of Christ how to preserve the Conscience good and peaceable and so to live and dye in the peace and comfort of it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Get it sprinkled with the Blood of Jesus Christ every day and under the searching of the Word and awake unto God and pure and undefiled respecting all the Holy Precepts of God as binding to your conscience so will the conscience be tender and peaceable and God will witness in your conences your acceptance with him in his Son Jesus Christ I would give out further some Notes of Tryal Whether you rest in false common grace or not as to what we have already spoken in so weighty a matter 1. By your never suspecting the truth of your grace but taking all upon trust never doubting but you have Faith and do repent and so of all the rest that soul that never suspected his grace may well fear that his pretended grace is no more than what a Hypocrite may reach unto The poor called children of God are exceedingly jealous their Faith is not sound that they are short in every grace because of the woful mixtures that they find more Unbelief than Faith more hardness of heart than softness more Pride than Humiliation and so of all Now that soul that goes away with an unsuspected confidence of every Grace sure flatters himself and his way will be found to be deceitful 2. That Soul that draws back his conscience from the searching power of the Word when it gives out ways of trial of Sincerity and truth of grace and puts it off as if not concerned in it this may well be speak a false heart A gracious heart would bring the Work over and over to the Touch-stone of the Word delivers up it self unto it yea is much with God to search him in point of a firm Work upon his Spirit as to any prevailing Iniquity in his heart as David Psal 139. When he was before the Lord appealing to him and opening his heart to him speaks thus ver 1. Oh Lord thou hast searched me c. thou hast And yet ver 23.24 begs of God yet further to search him Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me into the way everlasting 3. False Grace is discovered by its easie acting When you can easily believe easily repent easily be humble and so of all others Certainly 't is all naught There is great contradiction within and from the Tempter as to act Grace begun in a soul yea a daily supply from Jesus Christ must be to act any Grace livelily which the common pretending easie Believers are not sensible of It cannot be but every act of Grace must find more or less resistance from flesh and blood which is so vigorously opposite to the nature and acting of real grace in the Soul 4. Such as are