that nothing less than this will bring us thither So our Saviour tells us in the latter part of the Text that many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able I proceed now to the Second part of the Text the Reason or Argument whereby this Exhortation is enforced Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Every seeking to enter in will not gain our admission into Heaven therefore there must be striving For Men may do many things in Religion and make several faint Attempts to get to Heaven and yet at last fall short of it for want of that earnest Contention and Endeavour which is necessary to the attaining of it We must make Religion our business and set about it with all our might and persevere and hold out in it if ever we hope to be admitted to Heaven for many shall seek to enter that shall be shut out Now what this seeking is which is here opposed to striving to enter in at the strait gate our Saviour declares after the Text v. 25. When once the Master of the House is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Then shall ye begin to say we have eaten and drunk in thy Presence and thou hast taught in our streets but he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity St. Matth. mentions some other Pretences which they should make upon which they should lay claim to Heaven Mat. 7. 21 22 23. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Many will say unto me in that Day Lord Lord have we not Prophesyed in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work Iniquity After all their seeking to enter in and notwithstanding all these Pretences they shall be shut out and be for ever banisht from the Presence of God This shall be their doom which will be much the heavier because of the disappointment of their confident expectation and hope So St. Luke tells us v. 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and ye your selves thrust out And they shall come from the East and from the West and from the North and from the South and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God To which St. Matthew adds Chap. 8. v. 12. But the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And then our Saviour concludes Luke 13. 30. Behold there are last that shall be first and first which shall be last From all which it appears with what Confidence many Men upon these false Pretences which our Saviour calls seeking to enter in shall lay claim to Heaven and how strangely they shall be disappointed of their expectation and hope when they shall find themselves cast out of Heaven who they thought had out-done all others in Religion and were the only Members of the true Church and the Children and Heirs of the Kingdom and shall see others whom they thought to be out of the Pale of the true Church and excluded from all terms of Salvation come from all Quarters and find free Admission into Heaven and shall find themselves so grosly and widely mistaken that those very Persons whom they thought to be last and of all others farthest from Salvation shall be first and they themselves whom they took for the Children of the Kingdom and such as should be admitted into Heaven in the first place shall be rejected and cast out So that by seeking to enter we may understand all those things which Men may do in Religion upon which they shall pretend to lay claim to Heaven nay and confidently hope to obtain it and yet shall be shamefully disappointed and fall short of it Whatever Men think and believe and do in Religion what Priviledges soever Men pretend what Ways and Means soever Men endeavour to appease the Deity and to recommend themselves to the Divine Favour and Acceptance all this is but seeking to enter in and is not that striving which our Saviour requires If Men do not do the will of God but are workers of Iniquity it will all signifie nothing to the obtaining of Eternal Happiness Our Saviour here instanceth in Mens Profession of his Religion calling him Lord Lord in their personal Familiarity and Conversation with him by eating and drinking in his Presence and Company in their having heard him preach the Doctrine of Life and Salvation thou hast taught in our streets in their having prophesied and wrought great Miracles in his Name and by his Power Have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works These were great and glorious Things which they boasted of and yet nothing of all this will do if Men do not the Will of God notwithstanding all this he will say unto them I know ye not whence ye are depart from me ye workers of Iniquity And by a plain Parity of Reason whatever else Men do in Religion what Attempts soever Men may make to get to Heaven upon what Priviledges or Pretences soever they may lay claim to eternal Life they will certainly fall short of it if they do not do the will of God but are workers of Iniquity My business therefore at this time shall be to discover the several false Claims and Pretences which Men may make to Heaven and yet shall never enter into it And to this purpose I shall instance in several Particulars by one or more of which Men commonly delude themselves and are apt to entertain vain and ill-grounded hopes of eternal Salvation 1st Some trust to the external Profession of the true Religion 2dly Others have attained to a good degree of Knowledge in Religion and they rely much upon that 3dly There are others that find themselves much affected with the Word of God and the Doctrines contained in it 4thly Others are very strict and devout in the external Worship of God 5thly Others confide much in their being Members of the only true Church in which alone Salvation is to be had and in the manifold Priviledges and Advantages which therein they have above others of getting to Heaven 6thly Others think their great Zeal for God and his true Religion will certainly save them 7thly Others go a great way in the real Practice of Religion 8thly Others rely much upon
Obedience and good Works Chap. 3. 8. This is is a faithful saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they who have believed in God be careful to maintain good Works All that now remains is to make some useful Inferences from what hath been said upon this Argument and so to conclude this Discourse First of all To convince us that an empty Profession of the Christian Religion how specious and glorious soever it be if it be destitute of the fruits of Obedience and a holy Life will by no means avail to bring us to Heaven No profession of Faith in Christ no Subjection to him tho' we be baptized in his Name and list our selves in the number of his Disciples and Followers tho' we have made a constant Profession of all the Articles of the Christian Faith and have performed all the external parts and duties of Religion have gone constantly to Church and frequented the Service of God and have joined in publick Prayers to God with great appearance of Devotion and have heard his Word with great Reverence and Attention and received the blessed Sacrament with all imaginable expressions of Love and Gratitude to our blessed Redeemer nay tho' we had heard our blessed Saviour himself teach in our streets and had eaten and drunken in his presence yet if all this while we have not done the will of God and obeyed his Laws none of all these will things signifie any thing to bring us to Heaven and make us Partakers of that Salvation which he hath purchased for Mankind But we cannot plead so much for our selves as those did of whom our Saviour speaks None of us shall be able to alledge for our selves at the great day that we had prophesyed in his Name and in his name had cast out Devils and in his name had done many wonderful Works and yet if we could alledge all this it would do us no good All that such can say for themselves is that they have call'd him Lord Lord that is they have made profession of his Religion and been call'd by his Name that they have paid an outward Honour and Respect to him and declared a mighty Love and Affection for him but they have not done his will but have hated to be reformed and have cast his Commandments behind their backs they have only born the Leaves of an outward Profession but have brought forth no fruit unto Holiness and therefore can have no reasonable expectation that their End should be everlasting Life So that when these Men shall appear before the great and terrible Judge of the World they shall have nothing to say but those vain Words Lord Lord to which our Saviour will answer in that Day why call ye me Lord Lord when ye would not do the things which I said Notwithstanding all your profession of Faith in me and subjection to me ye have been workers of Iniquity therefore depart from me I know ye not whence ye are Secondly The Consideration of what hath been said should stir us up to a thankful acknowledgment of what the Author of our Salvation hath done for us and there is great reason for thankfulness whether we consider the greatness of the Benefit conferred upon us or the way and manner in which it was purchased or the easie and reasonable terms upon which it may be obtained 1st If we consider the greatness of the Benefit conferred upon us and that is Salvation eternal Salvation which comprehends in it all the Blessings and Benefits of the Gospel both the Means and the End our Happiness and the Way to it by saving us from our Sins from the guilt of them by our Justification in the Blood of Christ and from the Power and Dominion of them by the sanctifying grace and virtue of the Holy Ghost And it comprehends the End our Deliverance from Hell and the Wrath to come and the bestowing of Happiness upon us a great and lasting Happiness great as our Wishes and immortal as our Souls all this is comprehended in eternal Salvation 2dly If we consider the way and manner in which this great Benefit was purchased and procured for us in a way of infinite Kindness and Condescension in the lowest Humiliation and the unparallel'd Sufferings of the Son of God for never was there any sorrow like unto his sorrow wherewith the Lord afflicted him in the day of his fierce Anger in his taking upon him the form of a Servant and the person of a Sinner and his becoming obedient to death even the death of the Cross which was the Punishment of the vilest Slaves and the most hainous Malefactors The Son of God came down from Heaven from the highest pitch of Glory and Happiness into this lower World this Vale of Tears and sink of Sin and Sorrow and was contented himself to suffer to save us from eternal Ruin to be the most despicable and the most miserable Man that ever was that he might raise us to Glory and Honour and advance us to a state of the greatest Happiness that Humane Nature is capable of 3dly If we consider the easie and reasonable Terms upon which we may be made Partakers of this unspeakable Benefit and that is by a constant and sincere and universal Obedience to the Laws of God which supposeth Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as the Root and Principle of all the Virtues of a good Life that is by doing that which best becomes us and which is most agreeable to the original Frame of our Nature and to the dictates of our Reason and which setting aside the consideration of the Reward is really best for our present Benefit and Advantage our Comfort and Happiness even in this World for God in giving Laws to us hath imposed nothing upon us but what in all reason ought to have been our choice if he had not imposed it nothing but what is for our good and is in its own nature necessary to make us capable of that Happiness which he hath promised to us And what can be more gracious than to make one Benefit the Condition of a greater Than to promise to make us happy for ever if we will but do that which upon all accounts is really best and most for our Advantage in this present Life Thirdly Here is abundant Encouragement given to our Obedience we have the divine Assistance promised to us to enable us to the performance of the most difficult parts of our Duty we have the holy Spirit of God to help our Infirmities to excite us to that which is good and to help and strengthen us in the doing of it For our further Encouragement we are assured of the divine Acceptance in case of our sincere Obedience notwithstanding the manifold Failings and Imperfections of it for the sake of the perfect Righteousness and Obedience and the meritorious Sufferings of our blessed Saviour And tho' when we have done all that we can do
the Sincerity of their Repentance and Conversion whereby they are put into a state of Grace and become the Children of God and Heirs of everlasting Life and being once truly so they can never fall from that State so as finally to miscarry Lastly Others venture all upon a Death-bed Repentance and their Import unity with God to receive them to Mercy at the last I shall briefly go over these particulars which are the several ways whereby Men seek to enter into Heaven and hope to get thither at last and shall shew the Insufficiency of them and that there is something beyond all this necessary to be done for the attainment of Everlasting Salvation 1st Some trust to the mere external Profession of the true Religion and think it enough to call Christ Lord Lord to be baptized in his Name and thereby to be admitted Members of the Christian Church What the Apostle says of the Profession of the Jewish Religion and the outward Badge of it Circumcision may be applyed to the Profession of Christianity made in Baptism Rom. 2. 17 25 28 29. Behold thou art called a Jew and restest in the Law and makest thy boast of God Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keep the Law but if thou be a breaker of the Law thy Circumcision is made Vncircumcision For he is not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter The Case is the same of those who make only an outward Profession of Christianity Baptism verily profitteth if we perform the Condition of that Covenant which we entred into by Baptism but if we do not our Baptism is no Baptism For he is not a Christian which is one outwardly nor is that Baptism which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Christian which is one inwardly and Baptism is of the Heart in the Spirit and not in Water only So St. Peter tells us 1 Pet. 3. 21. that Baptism is not only the washing of the Body with Water and the putting away of the Filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God The Promise of eternal Life and Happiness is not made to the external Profession of Religion without the sincere and real Practice of it Why call ye me Lord Lord says our Saviour and do not the things which I say The Scripture hath no where said he that is baptised shall be saved but he that believeth and is baptised he that repenteth and is baptised shall be saved This deserves to be seriously considered by a great many Christians who have nothing to shew for their Christianity but their Names whose best Title to Heaven is their Baptism an Engagement entred into by others in their Name but never confirmed and made good by any Act of their own a thing which was done before they remember and which hath no other effect upon their Hearts and Lives than if it were quite forgotten 2dly There are others who have attained to a good degree of Knowledge in Religion and they hope that will save them But if our Knowledge in Religion though never so clear and great do not descend into our Hearts and Lives and govern our Actions all our hopes of Heaven are built upon a false and sandy Foundation So our Saviour tells us Matth. 7. 26. Every one that heareth these Sayings of mine and doth them not shall be likened unto a foolish Man which built his House upon the Sand. And John 13. 17. If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them There is not a greater Cheat in Religion nothing wherein Men do more grosly impose upon themselves than in this matter as if the Knowledge of Religion without the Practice of it would bring Men to Heaven How diligent are many in reading and hearing the Word of God who yet take no care to practise it in their Lives Like those in the Prophet Ezek. 33. 31. of whom God complains They come unto thee as the People cometh and they sit before thee as my People and they hear my Words but they will not do them None do so foolishly and yet so deservedly miss of Happiness as those who are very careful to learn the way to Heaven and when they have done will take no pains at all to get thither 3dly There are others who find themselves much affected with the Word of God and the Preaching of it and this they take for a very good Sign that it hath its due effect upon them And this happens very frequently that the Word of God makes considerable Impressions upon Men for the present and they are greatly affected with it and troubled for their Sins and afraid of the Judgments of God and the terrible Vengeance of another World and upon this they take up some Resolutions of a better Course which after a little while vanish and come to nothing This was the Temper of the People of Israel they delighted to hear the Prophet speak to them in the Name of God Ezek. 33. 32. And loe thou art unto them as a very lovely Song of one that hath a pleasant Voice and can play well upon an Instrument for they hear thy words but they do them not Mark 6. 20. it is said that Herod had a great reverence for John the Baptist that he observed him and heard him gladly but yet for all that he continued the same cruel and bad Man that he was before And in the Parable of the Sower Matth. 13. 20. there are one sort of Hearers mention'd who when they heard the word received it with joy but having no root in themselves they endured but for a while and when Tribulation or Persecution ariseth because of the Word presently they are offended There are many Men who have sudden Motions in Religion and are mightily affected for the present but it must be a rooted and fixt Principle that will endure and hold out against great Difficulties and Opposition Acts 24. 25. it is said that when St. Paul reasoned of Righteousness and Temperance and Judgment to come Felix trembled and nothing is more frequent than for Men to be mightily strartled at the Preaching of the Word when their Judgments are convinced and born down and their Consciences touched to the quick a lively representation of the Evil of Sin and the infinite Danger of a sinful Course may stir up the Passions of Grief and Fear and dart such stings into the Consciences of Men as may make them extremely restless and unquiet and work some good Thoughts and Inclinations in them towards a better Course and yet like Metals when the heat is over they may be the harder for having been melted down 4thly Others shew great Strictness and Devotion in the Worship of God and this they hope will be accepted and can not fail to bring them to Heaven
Testimony of a great number of Eye-witnesses who have wrote the History of these things And though they were truly extraordinary Persons and gave Testimony to themselves by Miracles yet at present I desire no more but that they be looked upon as knowing and honest Relators of what they heard and saw and that the same Credit be given to them which we give to Livy and Arian and Q. Curtius for plain Events and matters of Fact But yet I must add withal that besides the Miracles which they wrought they gave greater Testimony of their Integrity than any Historian in the World ever did For they willingly suffer'd the greatest Persecution and Torment yea and Death it self in Confirmation of the Truth of what they deliver'd And for the propagating of the Christian Religion through so great a part of the World it is evident by the Effect beyond all Denyal So that for the matters of Fact upon which the Truth of Christianity does depend here is greater and more advantagious Evidence of History than for any other Matter of equal Antiquity whatsoever 3. As to the substance of these matters of Fact we have the concurring Testimony of the greatest Enemies of the Christian Religion That there were such Persons as our Saviour and his Apostles that they preached such a Doctrine that they wrought such Miracles for this we have the Acknowledgment of the Jews and the Testimony of the Heathen Historians and particularly of Celsus and Porphyry and Julian who were the particular and most learned Adversaries of the Christian Religion So that as to the Matters of Fact there is no Objection against them whatever use we may make of them or whatever Consequences we may draw from them And I presume it agreed by all Objectors that if these matters of Fact be true they are a sufficient Foundation of the Truth of our Religion and we are very unequal to our Religion if we make a doubt of these things which the greatest Enemies of Christianity never had the Face to deny 4. And besides all this to recompence the Disadvantage which we have of those who saw the Miracles of our Saviour and his Apostles we have the Testimonium rei the Evidence of the Effects of these things to confirm our Belief of them and this is an Advantage which the first Ages of Christianity could not have We see our Saviour's Predictions of the Success of his Religion in the World in the propagating and establishing of it fully accomplisht notwithstanding the fierce Opposition and Resistance that was made against it by the greatest Powers of the World We see the Dispersion of the Jews in all Nations and the Misery and Contempt which they every where suffer and that now for above Sixteen Hundred Years they have continued a distinct People and a Spectacle of the Divine Justice and Severity for rejecting and crucifying the Son of God and for a lasting and standing Testimony of the Truth of our Saviour's Prediction and of the Christian Religion So that though we live at this distance from the first rise and beginning of Christianity yet we have the Relation of those Things which give Confirmation to it conveyed down to us in as credible a manner as any ancient matter of Fact ever was and the Effects of things remaining to this day do give Testimony to the Truth of it Fourthly It is objected that the terms of Christianity seem very hard and to lay too great Restraints upon Human Nature It commands us to mortifie our Lusts and subdue our Passions and deny Vngodliness and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present World to be holy in all manner of Conversation to have respect to whatever things are honest and true and just and virtuous and of good report and to deny our selves and to part with the dearest Enjoyments of this Life yea and with Life it self for the sake of Christ and his Gospel Now these seem to be very hard Terms to forego all the present Pleasures and Enjoyments of this Life in hopes of a future Happiness which we are less assur'd of To this I answer 1. That this is a greater Objection against Religion in general than the Christian Religion For Natural Religion requires of us all the main Duties that Christianity does and gives us far less Assurance of the Reward of our Obedience Natural Religion requires Piety and Justice and Charity the due Government of our Appetites and Passions as well as Christianity does but does not discover to us the Rewards of another World by many Degrees so clearly as our Lord and Saviour who hath brought Life and Immortality to Light by the Gospel and by his Resurrection from the Dead and Ascension into Heaven hath given us full Assurance of another Life after this and of a glorious Immortality So that tho' we have not nor can have the Evidence of Sense for a Future State yet we have all the Rational Evidence for it that can be wisht or expected and much more than Men have for those Adventures of their Lives and Fortunes which they frequently make in this World and think themselves reasonable in so doing 2. The Restraints which Christianity lays upon Men are in the judgment of Mankind so far from being an Objection against it that they are highly to the Commendation of it Nay it were the greatest Objection that could be against our Religion if it did set us at Liberty from those Restraints What can be more to the credit of any Religion than to command Men to be just and charitable and peaceable And what more to the Advantage of the Professors of it And on the contrary what can reflect more upon any Religion than to indulge and allow Men in any Vice contrary to these It shews Men are glad to make any thing an Objection against Christianity when they lay hold of that which if it had been otherwise they would have made ten times more Clamour against it for the contrary 3. As for most of those Restraints which Christianity lays upon us they are of that Nature so much both for our Private and Publick Advantage that setting aside all Considerations of Religion and of the Rewards and Punishments of another Life they are really good for us and if God had not laid them upon us we ought in Reason in order to our Temporal Benefit and Advantage to have laid them upon our selves If there were no Religion I know Men would not have such strong and forcible Obligations to these Duties but yet I say though there were no Religion it were good for Men in order to Temporal Ends to their Health and Quiet and Reputation and Safety and in a word to the private and publick Prosperity of Mankind that Men should be temperate and chast and just and peaceable and charitable and kind and obliging to one another rather than the contrary So that Religion does not create those Restraints arbitrarily but requires those things
how God would have Men to live than by seeing how God himself lived when he was pleased to assume our Nature and to become Man And then we are to consider that the Son of God did not assume our Nature in its highest Glory and Perfection but compast with Infirmities and liable in all points to be tempted like as we are but still it was without Sin and therefore God doth not exact from us perfect Obedience and that we should fulfil all Righteousness as he did he makes allowance for the corruption of our Nature and is pleased to accept of our sincere though very imperfect Obedience But after all this his human Nature was united to the Divinity and he had the Spirit without measure and this would indeed make a wide difference between us and our Pattern as to the purpose of Holiness and Obedience if we were destitute of that assistance which is necessary to enable us to the discharge of our Duty But this God offers and is ready to afford to us for he hath promised to give his holy Spirit to them that ask him and the Spirit of him that raised up Christ Jesus from the Dead dwells in all good men who sincerely desire to do the Will of God in the working out our Salvation God worketh in us both to will and to do So that as to that Obedience which the Gospel requires of us if we be not wanting to our selves if we do not receive the Grace of God in vain and quench and resist his blessed Spirit we may be as really assisted as the Son of God himself was for in this respect all true and sincere Christians are the Sons of God so that St. Paul tells us Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God So that if all things be duly consider'd the Life of our blessed Saviour as it is the most perfect so in the main it is a very proper Pattern for our imitation and could not have come nearer to us without wanting that perfection which is necessary to a compleat and absolute Pattern The Son of God condescended to every thing that might render him the most familiar and equal Example to us excepting that which as it was impossible so had been infinitely dishonourable to him and would have spoil'd the perfection of his Example he came as near to us as was fit or possible being in all things like unto us Sin only excepted that is abating that one thing which he came to destroy and abolish and which would have destroyed the very end of his coming for if he had not been without Sin he could neither have made an expiation for Sin nor have been a perfect Pattern of Holiness and Obedience And as the Life of our blessed Saviour had all the perfection that is requisite to an absolute Pattern so that by considering his Temper and Spirit and the actions of his Life we may reform all the vicious inclinations of our Minds and the exorbitances of our Passions and the errors and irregularities of our Lives so it is a very powerful Example and of great force to oblige and provoke us to the imitation of it for it is the Example of one whom we ought to reverence and have reason to love above any Person in the World The Example of our Prince and Soveraign Lord of our best Friend and greatest Benefactor of the High Priest of our Profession and the Captain of our Salvation of the Author and Finisher of our Faith of one who came down from Heaven for our sakes and was contented to assume our Nature together with the infirmities of it and to live in a low and mean condition for no other reason but that he might have the opportunity to instruct and lead Mankind in the way to Life to deliver us from Sin and Wrath and to bring us to God and Happiness 'T is the Example of one who laid down his Life for us and sealed his Love to us in his Blood and whilst we were Enemies did and suffer'd more for us than ever any Man did for his Friend And surely these Considerations cannot but mightily recommend and endear to us this Example of our Lord and Saviour We are ambitious to imitate those whom we highly esteem and reverence and are apt to have their Examples in great veneration from whom we have received great Kindnesses and Benefits and are always endeavouring to be like those whom we love and are apt to conform our selves to the Will and Pleasure of those from whom we have received great Favours and who are continually heaping great Obligations upon us So that whether we consider the Excellency of our Pattern or the mighty Endearments of it to us by that infinite Love and Kindness which he hath exprest towards us we have all the temptation and all the provocation in the World to endeavour to be like him for who would not gladly tread in the steps of the Son of God and of the best Friend that the Sons of Men ever had Who would not follow that Example to which we stand indebted for the greatest Blessings and Benefits that ever were procured for Mankind Thus you see of what force and advantage the Example of our blessed Saviour is toward the Recovery and Salvation of Mankind 3dly He is the Author of Eternal Salvation as he hath purchased it for us by the Merit of his Obedience and Sufferings by which he hath obtained Eternal Redemption for us not only deliverance from the wrath to come but Eternal Life and Happiness when by our Sins we had justly incurred the wrath and displeasure of Almighty God and were liable to Eternal Death and Misery He was contented to be substituted a Sacrifice for us to bear our Sins in his own Body on the Tree and to expiate the guilt of all our Offences by his own Sufferings He died for us that is not only for our Benefit and Advantage but in our place and stead so that if he had not died we had eternally perrish'd and because he died we are saved from that eternal Ruine and Punishment which was due to us for our Sins And this tho' it be no where in Scripture call'd by the Name or Term of Satisfaction yet which is the same thing in effect it is call'd the price of our Redemption for as we are Sinners we are liable and indebted to the Justice of God and our Blessed Saviour by his Death and Sufferings hath discharged this Obligation which Discharge since it was obtained for us by the shedding of his precious Blood without which the Scripture expresly says there had been no Remission of Sin why it may not properly enough be called Payment and Satisfaction I confess I cannot understand Not that God was angry with his Son for he was always well pleased with him or that our Saviour suffer'd the very same which the Sinner should have done in his own Person the
are joined together and the very same Expression used concerning both There is one God and one Mediator between God and Men that is there is but one God and one Mediator But then they of the Church of Rome endeavour to avoid this plain Text by distinguishing between a Mediator of Redemption and a Mediator of Intercession But now if Christ's Mediation by way of Intercession be founded in the Virtue of his Redemption then if there be but one Mediator of Redemption then there is but one Mediator of Intercession in Heaven for us There is one God and one Mediator between God and Men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransom for all So that the Power and Prevalency of his Intercession is founded in his Ransome that is the Price of our Redemption in virtue whereof alone he intercedes with God for us as the Apostle to the Hebrews does most plainly assert So that all other Intercessors in Heaven for us are excluded from offering and presenting our Prayers to God besides our High Priest who is at the right hand of God and lives for ever to make intercession for us and by virtue of his Intercession is able to save to the uttermost all those that come to God by him that is who put up their Prayers to God in the alone Virtue of his Mediation So that as there is no need of any other if his Intercession be available to save to the uttermost So there is great danger in applying to any other whether Saint or Angel or even the Blessed Virgin if the benefit of his Intercession be limited to those who come to God by him And thus I have shewn by what means Christ is the Author of our Salvation which was the first thing I propos'd to be consider'd I proceed to the Second thing I proposed to enquire into namely what Obedience the Gospel requires as a Condition and is pleased to accept as a Qualification in those who hope for Eternal Salvation And this I shall explain first Negatively and then Positively 1st Negatively It is not a mere outward profession of the Christian Religion and owning of Christ for our Lord and Law-giver that will be accepted in this case Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord saith our Saviour shall enter into the Kingdom of God By which we may very reasonably understand all that profession of Religion which falls short of Obedience and a Holy Life as the profession of Faith in Christ being baptized into his Name and Religion the mere Belief of his Doctrine and the owning of him for our Lord and Saviour no nor the external Worship of him and profession of Subjection to him by Prayer and hearing his Word and communicating in the Holy Sacrament No though this be set off in the most glorious manner by prophesying and working Miracles in his Name for so it follows in the next words Many shall say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name have done many wondrous works We have eat and drank in thy presence and have heard thee preach in our Streets But he tells us that nothing of all this without Obedience to his Laws will be sufficient to gain us admission into Heaven 2dly Positively That which God requires as a Condition and will accept as a Qualification in those who hope for Eternal Life is Faith in Christ and a sincere and universal Obedience to the Precepts of his Holy Gospel Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of God but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven And here in the Text it is expresly said That Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to them that obey him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that hearken to him that is to them that do so hear and believe his Gospel as to obey it to them and no other he is the Author of Eternal Salvation And that we may the more clearly and distinctly understand what Obedience it is which the Gospel exacts as an indispensable Condition of Eternal Salvation and a necessary qualification in all those who hope to be made partakers of it we may be pleased to consider that there is a virtual and an actual Obedience to the Laws of God a perfect and a sincere Obedience to them the explication of these Terms will give us a distinct conception of the thing we are speaking of 1st There is a virtual and there is an actual Obedience to the Laws of God By an actual Obedience I mean the Practice and Exercise of the several Graces and Virtues of Christianity in the course and tenour of a holy Life when out of a good Conversation Men do shew forth their Works and by the outward actions of their Lives do give real Testimony of their Piety Justice Sobriety Humility Meekness and Charity and all other Christian Graces and Virtues as occasion is ministred for the Practice and Exercise of them By a virtual Obedience I mean a sincere belief of the Gospel of the Holiness and Equity of its Precepts of the Truth of its Promises and of the Terror of its Threatnings and a true Repentance for all our Sins This is Obedience in the Root and Principle for he who sincerely believes the Gospel and does truly repent of the Errors and Miscarriages of his Life is firmly resolved to obey the Commandments of God and to walk before him in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of his Life so that there is nothing that prevents or hinders this Man's actual Obedience to the Laws of God in the course of a holy and good Life but only the want of time and opportunity for it And this was the case of those who upon the hearing of the Gospel when it was first preached to them did heartily embrace it and turn from their Sins and the Worship of Idols to the true and and living God but perhaps were cut off soon after as there were many who being but newly gained to Christianity were presently put to Death and suffer'd Martyrdom for that Profession There is no doubt to be made but that in this case a virtual Obedience was in such Persons a sufficient qualification for Eternal Life But where there is time and opportunity for the Exercise of our Obedience and the practice of the virtues of a holy Life there actual Obedience to the Laws and Precepts of the Gospel is necessary to qualifie us for Eternal Happiness so that tho' a man do sincerely believe the Gospel and truly repent of his Sins and resolve upon a better Life yet if he do not afterwards in the course of his Life put this resolution in practice and bring forth fruits meet for Repentance and amendment of Life and persevere in a Holy Course his first Resolution of Obedience though it were sincere will not avail him to Salvation Nay if
for the blessed sight and enjoyment of God who is the Cause and Fountain of Happiness I come in the Fifth and last place To shew that this Method and Means of our Salvation is no prejudice to the Law of Faith and to the free Grace and Mercy of God declared in the Gospel The Gospel is called the Law of Faith and the Law of Grace in opposition to the Jewish Dispensation which is called the Law or Covenant of Works because it consisted so much in external Rites and Observances which were but types and shadows of good things to come as the Apostle calls them in this Epistle and which when they were come that Law did expire of it self and was out of date the obligation and observance of it was no longer necessary but a better Covenant which was establish'd upon better Promises came in the place of it and Men were justified by Faith that is by sincerely embracing the Christian Religion and were no longer under an obligation to that external and servile and imperfect Dispensation which consisted in Circumcision and in almost an endless number of external Ceremonies These are the works of the Law so often spoken of by St. Paul concerning which the Jews had not only an opinion of the necessity of them to a Man's Justification and Salvation but likewise of the Merit of them in opposition to both which opinions St. Paul calls the Covenant of the Gospel the Law of Faith and the Law of Grace But there is no where the least intimation given either by our Saviour or his Apostles that Obedience to the Precepts of the Gospel which are in substance the Moral Law cleared and perfected is not necessary to our acceptance with God and the obtaining of Eternal Life but on the contrary 't is our Saviour's express Direction to the young Man who ask'd what good thing he should do that he might obtain Eternal Life If thou wilt says he enter into Life keep the Commandments and that he might understand what Commandments he meant he instanceth in the Precepts of the Moral Law And indeed the whole tenour of our Saviour's Sermons and the Precepts and Writings of the Apostles are full and express to this purpose Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine that is these Precepts which I have delivered and doth them not I will liken him to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them In every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him In Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but Faith that is acted and inspired by Charity And that the Apostle here means that Charity or Love which is the fulfilling of the Law is evident from what he says elsewhere that neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision but the keeping of the Commandments of God In which Text it is plain that the Apostle speaks of the terms of our Justification and what is available with God to that purpose And St. James to the same purpose tells us that by the works of Obedience our Faith is made perfect and that Faith without Works is dead and surely a dead Faith will neither justifie nor save any Man St. John likewise very earnestly cautions us to take heed of any such Doctrine as would take away the necessity of Righteousness and Obedience Little Children says he let no man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is righteous as he is righteous To all which I shall only add the plain words of my Text that Christ became the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey him So that no Man hath reason to fear that this Doctrine of the necessity of Obedience to our Acceptance with God and the obtaining of eternal life should be any ways prejudicial to the Law of Faith and the Law of Grace For so long as these three things are but asserted and secured 1st That Faith is the Root and Principle of Obedience and a holy Life and that without it it is impossible to please God 2dly That we stand continually in need of the Divine Grace and Assistance to enable us to perform that Obedience which the Gospel requires of us and is pleased to accept in order to eternal life And 3dly That the forgiveness of our Sins and the Reward of eternal Life are founded in the free Grace and Mercy of God conferring these Blessings upon us not for the merit of our Obedience but only for the merit and satisfaction of the Obedience and Sufferings of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer I say so long as we assert these three things we give all that the Gospel any where ascribes to Faith and to the Grace of God revealed in the Gospel I have been careful to express these things more fully and distinctly that no Man may imagine that whilst we assert the Necessity of Obedience and a Holy Life we have any design to derogate in the least from the Faith and the Grace of God but only to engage and encourage Men to Holiness and a good Life by convincing them of the absolute and indispensable necessity of it in order to eternal Salvation For all that I have said is in plain English no more but this that it is necessary for a Man to be a good Man that he may get to Heaven and whoever finds fault with this Doctrine finds fault with the Gospel it self and the main end and design of the Grace of God therein revealed to Mankind which offers Salvation to Men upon no other terms than these which I have mentioned and to preach and press this Doctrine is certainly if any thing in the World can be so to pursue the great End and Design of the Christian Religion so plainly and expresly declared by St. Paul Tit. 2. 11 12. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World And if the Grace of God declared in the Gospel have this effect upon us then we may with Confidence wait for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good works and then he adds these things teach and exhort and rebuke with all Authority that is declare and inculcate this Doctrine and rebuke severely those who teach or practise contrary to it And he repeats it again with a more vehement Charge to Titus to press upon Men the necessity of