in the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before this joyfull newes of the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all the Gentiles bee blessed So that they that bee of this faith of free justification are blessed with faithfull Abraham Gal. 3. 8 9. And can our hearts wish or desire any more This is the royalty of having on the wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse freely given us to cleanse us from our secret sinnes and breaches of the tenth commandement unknown unto our selves Psal 19. 12. And to make us and all our works both naturall civill and religious pure clean perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in the sight of God freely without workes or our perfect working of them as Saint Paul testifieth saying to the pure all things that is our naturall works and our civill works and our religious workes and all things are pure Tit. 1. 15. Thus onely by free justification hath Christ delivered us from this present evill world according to the will of God even our father Gal. 1. 4. Thus hath God made us meet to bee partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Because he hath thus delivered us from the power or kingdome of darknesse and hath translated us into the Kingdome of his deare sonne Col. 1. 12 13. Thus our righteousnesse exceeding the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees we are entred into the kingdom of heaven Matth. 5. 20. which kingdome of heaven is within us Luk. 17. 21. For the kingdome of heaven is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And thus if any man either Preacher or private Christian have some true touch first of the horrible filthinesse of the least sin in Gods sight and then of this glorious excellency of free justification thus perfectly healing us of it it will make us to say with Saint Paul Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledg sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may make my gain of Christ and be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3. 8 9. which one Scripture I have now divers times alledged because it so fully describeth the markes or rather the very nature and essence of the true saving faith That whosoever doth in any measure of truth feele the same with Paul in his heart let him certainely know that he hath escaped out of the most dangerous dead Faith and hath Pauls faith that is the true lively and justifying faith which onely most certainly saveth him and glorifieth him For whom God justifieth them also hee glorifieth Rom. 8. 30. And thus much be spoken of the two main points of religion which being thus thorowly looked into and deeply considered are the effectuall means to deliver us out of the dead faith and to translate us into the true lively justifying and saving faith Now out of these two points thus thorowly looked into and deeply considered will infallibly flow a third thing which as St. Iohn teacheth in all his three Epistles is Love which Paul also very resolutely testifieth saying For in Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which is effectuall operative or workfull by love For the true beleever having by this true faith a feeling of the true love of Christ toward him it onely and infallibly inflames his heart with the true love of Christ againe and of God in Christ and of his whole Church of every child of God in particular which true love constraineth the beleever 2 Cor. 5. 14. Not onely to doe his vocation diligently and so with David to serve his generation faithfully Act. 13. 36. as S. Paul likewise teacheth Gal. 5. 13. saying Brethren ye have been called unto liberty that is Now after that faith is come ye are no longer under the whipping Schoole-master Gal. 3. 25. Wherein though ye were heires yet being as little children ye differed nothing from servants Gal. 4. 1. Onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another but also it constraineth him to break off from and to mortifie all sinne and ungodly conversation and to walke freely cheerfully sincerely and zealously in all Gods will and commandements declaratively to manward which is true sanctification And thus it is most true which the established doctrine of our Church largely teacheth saying That this true faith of free justification is a thing of perfect vertue and wonderfull operation strength and power to bring forth all good motions and good works or else it is not the true lively justifying faith but the blind dead faith that leaves men in sin death and double damnation as these and such like Scriptures teach Titus 2. 11. to 15. For that grace of God namely of free justification bringeth salvation for nothing brings salvation upon men but onely the grace of free justification and therefore it is called the iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. hath appeared to all men and teacheth us dictamine charitatis by the instructing power and force of love to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world What is the moving or effecting cause hereof Because Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all our iniquities and purge or purifie or make us clean to be a peculiar people to himself zealous of good works vers 14. Thus Paul pithily expresseth also to the Ephesians chap. 2. 10. saying For wee are Gods workmanship namely by free justification created in Christ Iesus that is made by free Justification new creatures to Godward 2 Cor. 5. 17. 21. that is formed anew in Christ Jesus Gal. 4. 19. unto good workes that is to Sanctification Repentance Mortification Sincerity and Vniversall declarative obedience to all Gods will and commandements declaratively to man-ward Which God hath fore-ordained that we should walk in them Hence it is that Saint Iohn also so vehemently testifieth 1 Iohn 3. 6 9. saying whosoever is borne of God that is whosoever is iustified sinneth not that is sinneth not wittingly and willingly with free stream running to sinne as before his free iustification For Gods seed that is some true sight of Gods pure and righteous nature infinitely hating the creature defiled with the least sinne in his sight and some feeling of the infinite love of Christ bleeding out his bloud and life to iustifie him this seed remaineth in him and hee cannot sinne that is hee cannot lead so dissolute a conversation in sinne as he did before Because he is born of God that is Because of a wilde crab-tree he by free iustification is made a perfect good tree to
dead who was delivered to death for our sinnes to no other end than to abolish them from before his father Heb. 9. 26. whereby the blood of Iesus Christ the sonne of God doth make us clean from all sinne 1 Iohn 1. 7. And is risen againe for our full and perfect justification This is the true lively and justifying faith This faith makes us not bastardly children but the true kind proper and naturall children not of Abram but of Abraham This is the faith by which we are truly blessed and as truly saved as Abraham himself as Paul testifieth Gal. 3. 8. 9. saying The Scriptures that is the spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached the joyfull newes unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed So that they which be of this faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham And what can we desire more than to be blessed Now because this free justification or the having on this wedding garment cannot be beleeved and enjoyed by this justifying faith but by looking into the gaping wounds of Christ bleeding out his blood and life to effect this free justification upon the beleever Therefore onely this justifying faith smites the heart of the beleever with the true love of Christ and of God in Christ which reflecteth back from God generally upon all men as they bear the image of God yet resteth principally upon the Church and houshold of faith and maketh the true beleevers to abound in every good work doing good unto all men but especially unto the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. and that not of constraint corruptly and hypocritically but cheerfully sincerely and ioyfully because both Christ and the Kingdome of God and the Kingdome of heaven by this true lively iustifying faith is within us Luke 17. 21. Into which Kingdome of heaven no unclean thing can enter Rev. 21. 27. Because this Kingdome of heaven is righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And the more this faith of free Justification and of having on this wedding garment encreaseth the more this peace and joy in the holy Ghost encreaseth For the which it is called the garment of ioy and gladnesse Esa 61. 3. And the more this peace and joy encreaseth the more the foresaid love encreaseth and enflameth the heart to walk freely cheerfully and zealously in all Gods will and commandements declaratively to manward and to doe our vocatious and all good workes freely of meere love without hope of reward or fear of punishment which is true sanctification which causeth us to live here among men as Christ himselfe lived that is not onely doing all things but also cheerfully suffering all things to edifie one another in our most holy faith that onely saves us Iude 20. And to the glory of God our reconciled and well pleased father in Christ as St. Iohn 1. Epist chap. 2. vers 6. testifieth saying He that saith he abideth in Christ ought even so to walke as hee hath walked Thus much of the true saving faith Thirdly of this justifying faith that worketh by love there followes inseparably a true right Evangelicall zeale of Gods glory whereby we feeling how by our originall corruption and by breaking the tenth commandement and thereby the first commandement and all the rest in our best good works whereby that saying of Saint Iames is true in our best good works That whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all we finde both our selves and all our works and best actions to be so shut up under sin Gal. 3. 22. that being truly humbled with a vile esteem of our selves and all our best good works we do grant not with lip and tongue only as many bastard Protestants do but do feele in our hearts in deed and truth that all our righteousnesse even of sanctification is as foule stained filthy rags Esay 64. 6. Whereupon our hearts are so inflamed with such an high prizing and onely esteeming of the wedding garment of Christs obedience and righteousnesse perfectly iustifying us and all our works That not onely every true Minister of the Gospel but also every true Christian ceaseth all contention about works and is carried with a zealous affection to know nothing among Gods people save Iesus Christ and him crucified to iustifie them 1. Cor. 2. 2. by which they are made such true burning coals of Gods Altar so enflamed with this holy fire of Christs love from heaven that they cannot chuse but enflame and kindle all others that come neare them caring for nothing but to be found our selves and to cause others to be found in Christ that is not having our owne righteousnesse in esteeme which at the best is but mans glory before men only Rom. 4. 2. but in the most precious robes of Christs righteousnesse making both us and all our workes perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in Gods sight freely by faith onely without workes and so do truely know Christ and grace and faith and works rightly as these and such like Scriptures teach Yea doubtlesse I count all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and do count them but dung that I may win or gain Christ and bee found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ even the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3. 8 9. neither doe I passe of crosses and afflictions at all nor doe I count my life deare unto my selfe so that I may fulfill my course with ioy and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospel that is the ioyfull newes of the grace of God Act. 20. 24. That I might be the Minister of Iesus Christ toward the Gentiles ministring as the worship of God the Gospell that is the ioyfull newes of God That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the holy Ghost So that from Ierusalem and round about unto Illiricum I have by Christ working in me caused to abound the Gospel that is the ioyfull newes of Christ Rom. 15. 16 19. Yea so I forced my self to preach this ioyfull newes not where Christ was named lest I should build upon another mans foundation But as it is written to whom hee was not spoken of they shall see and they that have not heard they shall understand vers 20 21. All which againe is as briefly as notably expressed by the established Doctrine of our Church out of Saint Basil saying thus This is a perfect and whole reioycing in God when a man advanceth not himselfe for his owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth himselfe to lack true iustice and righteousnesse and to be iustified by onely faith in Christ And the Apostle Saint Paul saith he
sufficiently commend it or set it forth For saith he the righteous one he made a sinner that hee might make the sinners righteous nay he speaketh not so sleightly neither but that which is farre more For he said not hee made him a sinner but sinne that we might be made he saith not righteous but righteousnesse yea and the righteousnesse of God For this is of God because it is not of workes For the former righteousnesse of good esteem in the Church was the righteousnesse of the Law and of works but this is the righteousnesse of God Because it is necessary that no spot bee found in it and from hence all sinne vanisheth away Thus hee teacheth the magnificence both of the gift and giver 3. Thirdly to look the better into the nature of this benefit we must consider deeply the excelent parts of this wonderfull benefit which are these two chiefly 1. First that this wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse doth though mystically that is above our reason sight sense and feeling that we may live by faith in the truth and power of God speaking and not by sight sense and feeling Rom. 4. 18 to 25. yet freely take away and truly abolish not out of our flesh 1 Iohn 1. 8. but utterly abolish from before God and out of Gods sight all our sinnes as these and such like Scriptures teach Iohn 1. 29. Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world For I not you but even I being Sol iustitiae the shining sunne of righteousnesse Mal. 4. 2. will do away your iniquities like darknesse and abolish your sinnes like a mist Reioyce ye heavens for the Lord hath done it Shout ye lower parts of the earth break forth into praises O mountaines For thus hath the Lord redeemed Iacob and thus will he be glorified in Israel Esa 43. 25. and 44. 22 23. For by himself hath Christ purified and made us cleane from our sins and is set at the right hand of the highest Maiesty Heb. 1. 3 Because if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himsellfe without spot to God purge purifie or make clean our consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9. 13 14. Therefore did hee now once in the end of the world appear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to abolish to doe away or to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9. 26. For Iesus Christ is that faithfull witnesse and that first begotten of the dead and that Prince of the Kings of the earth who hath loved us and hath washed us from our sins in his owne blood Rev. 1. 5. whereby the blood of Iesus Christ the sonne of God doth make us cleane from all sinne 1 Ioh. 1. 7. Now the sonne having thus abolished our sinnes from before God or out of Gods sight Col. 1. 22. Hereupon doth the father pardon remit and forgive all the punishment and evill that is due to those sinnes which his sonne hath freely done away and truely abolished out of his fathers sight according to that testimony of David Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered Psal 32. 1. Hereupon is all the anger of the father and all his displeasure discontentment death and all other evils ceased upon the justified person before God the father And thus much briefly of the excellency of the first part of free justification 2. The excellency of the second part of free justification is That this wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse doth not only make us present us righteous in the sight of God but it also maketh us perfectly and completely and sufficiently holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely by faith onely without workes or without our perfect working Yea so sufficiently and completely and perfectly holy and righteous that though mystically yet wheresoever we sit or walk we shine gloriously holy and righteous in the sight of God freely as these and such like Scriptures teach Rom. 5. 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man shall many be made righteous whereby if by the offense of one death reigned by one much more they which receive the abundance of grace and that abundance of the gift of righteousnesse shall reigne in life through one even Iesus Christ Rom. 5. 17. Therefore did the Angel Gabriel prophesie to Daniel that after seventy weeks of yeares not onely sinne should be finished and transgression made an end of and reconciliation made for iniquity but also everlasting righteousnesse be brought in upon the faithfull Dan. 9. 24. Thus is this righteousnesse called not only an abundance of righteousnesse and an everlasting righteousnesse but also hence it is said to make us complete before God even complete in him which is the head of all principalities and powers Col. 2. 10. Hence it is said to make us perfect as with one sacrifice he hath made perfect for ever all them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. Hence it is said to make us and present us to God a glorious Church as he hath made us pure or clean by the washing of water through the word to make us to himselfe a glorious Church not having now at this present time as the Greek and Latine Participles signifie one spot or wrinckle of sinne or any such thing but to bee so holy that wee are unblameable or without blemish before God Eph. 27. Because in the body of his flesh through death he makes us or presents us so holy that we are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is without all blame and without all fault in Gods sight if we continue rooted and grounded in this faith upon which place Chrysostome saith He hath not only freed us from sin but also he hath made us honourable and glorious in Gods sight Hence it is that this wedding garment of Christs perfect righteousnesse was signified by the vesture of the gold of Ophir that maketh the bride of Christ a Queen and all glorious within that is spiritually and mystically saying At thy right hand doth stand the Queene in a vesture of the gold of Ophir and shee is all glorious within Psalm 45. 9. Hence is the Church and every true beleever made that great wonder in heaven that is under the time and state of the Gospel called every where in the New Testament the Kingdome of heaven Matth. 11. 11 12. and chapter 13. But what is this wonder A woman that is in generall the whole Church but in particular every true beleeving soule which is as truely by faith married to Christ as any woman can be married to her husband Ephes 5. 30. But what of this woman Amicta sole cloathed with the sunne that shineth in