or the like the aime of him that takes him is not to take away his life but to make him deny his colours and commander and if hee can make him doe this then he conquers him but if hee dye under the hand of the tyrant if he be more able to stand for his commander and countrie than he is to drive him from it if he can beare misery better than hee can inflict it then hee is not conquered but conquers so it is here a Saint of God is never mastered before his patience bee mastered and his holinesse crushed but when a man is more able to beare misery than the enemy to lay misery upon him if his patience hold and his courage hold and his uprightnesse hold he is not conquered in this case but he is a conquerer therefore the place is excellent Esay 58.8 see how the Lord preserves his people hee is said to be the whole army of his servants however there bee many storms yet the rivers of water make glad the people of God the text saith Thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shall bee thy rearward when a man doth walke uprightly and sincerly wee must presume that a man is in a combat for why doth hee speake of the rearward else there are two parts in a battell first the vant-gard which is the former part of the battell Secondly the rear ward which is the hinder part of the battell now Christ is both these you shall have enemies before you in the vant-gard and you shall have enemies behinde you to smite you in the rear-ward now righteousnesse shall goe before thee that is the vant-gard and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rear-ward that is God is all about his servants the vant-gard before them to succour them and the rear-ward behinde them to releeve them so that he doth not onely give grace but he maintaines and preserves that grace he gives to the soules of his servants The fourth part of the tenure and conveyance of grace to the faithfull soule is this and I speake but only in the generall the Lord doth not onely preserve what grace hee gives but hee quickens that grace he maintains he drawes forth that ability hee bestowes hee puts life unto that strength and succour which hee vouchsafeth to worke in the hearts of his children hence all those places are marvellous pregnant God giveth the will and the deed so that it is not onely the having but the doing that wee have need of from God and Paul professeth that hee hath not onely grace from Christ but he lives not but Christ liveth in him if Christ did all in him and this is that wee shall observe Luke 1.74 That hee would grant us saith the text that being redeemed from the hand of our enemies we might serve him without feare take notice of two things here First that the Saints of God are redeemed and justified by Christ and now one would thinke a man that is justified and hath Christ â—ght trade for himselfe no but that he would grant us that being redeemed from the hand of our enemies wee might serve him without feare it is one grant to be redeemed and it is a new grant to serve him without feare as it is a mercie for God to bestow ability before wee have it so it is a mercy to quicken that abilitie which hee vouchsafes that wee may honour him by it and he may honour himselfe by us therefore it is a most pregnant place Colos 1. last verse when Paul was there labouring what hee could yet as though hee had nothing as though hee did nothing he gives all to God for marke the manner of the sense of the words Whereunto saith he I also labour and strive the word in the originall signifies I sweat at it and take great paines according to his working which worketh in me mightily Paul laboured and strived but how comes this about his striving is by the working of Christ and by his working he works as who should say It is grace I have any grace it is hee assisting it is he co-operating it is he accompanying I know not what to say it is his worke works and hee works mightily in them that worke and strive to advance the glory of God so then we have those foure particulars that in reason almost might satisfie any man what you want Christ hath what is fit Christ will bestow if you cannot keepe it hee will preserve it for you if you bee sluggish hee will quicken it in you what would you have more one would thinke this were enough but that nothing might be wanting take a passage or two more Fiftly therefore as he quickens what hee maintains so hee perfects what hee quickens hee doth not only inable us to doe what we should but he makes us make worke of it and he brings to perfection what he bestowes Heb. 12.23 there the text speaks of the spirits of just and perfect men hee begins the worke and never leaves till hee makes the worke perfect it is Christ that puts a mans weapons into his hands it is Christ that teacheth him to fight with those weapons and it is Christ that gives him the victory in that fight 1 Corin. 15.55 O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but blessed be God that hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ the weapons are Christs and the fight is Christs and the victory is Christs he will not onely bring you into the field and put weapons into your hands but give you the victory and all you Saints of God that sinke under the fiercenesse of temptations without and corruptions within hee will give you grace hee will give you weapons and you shall triumph over all your enemies therefore Ephes 4.13 it is said Hee will bring his body to a perfect stature all the Saints of God are compared to members now looke as it is in the body every member doth increase according to its measure till it come to its full bignesse so it is in the body of Christ all the members thereof shall increase till they come to be perfect hath God given thee a heart to looke towards Zion and hast thou any intimation of his love then though the word and meanes may faile he will provide help and meanes he will never leave thee till thou art a perfect man and woman till thou hast attained to bee a perfect member in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ there is no withered bow in this stock of the Lord Jesus Christ but as he gives grace so he will bring it to perfection in its measure God will never leave thee till hee hath brought thee to that perfection he hath appointed now a man would think here were enough but yet a little further and then I am as farre as I can goe
thy Spirit is a good Spirit thy Spirit is a blessed Spirit by the vertue of that Spirit Lord teach me the way to thee and let it lead me into the land of uprightnesse We know a child that hath his hand to write if he will not be ruled by him that teacheth him but will take the pen into his owne hand and write after his owne scauching fashion he will never write well nor make a letter handsomly as he should do but let his hand write by the mans hand and that will guide him and that will teach him quickly to write well in a short time so wouldst thou have thy heart framed aright why then keep thy soule under the hand of the Spirit and thou shalt bee guided by the vertue of that Spirit of God and moved and inabled to accomplish the good pleasure of the Lord and receive what ever grace thou standest in need of I have observed it sometimes upon the Sea looke as it is with the mariner that is going downe the streame if the winde bee faire will any man pull downe his saile and set it up againe why no for he doth but trouble himselfe and turmoyle and wearieth himselfe and troubleth the boat too with keeping such a pudder and misseth the gale of winde and all therefore a wise mariner he will set up his saile and hold out his sail that it may take the gale of winde fully and so goe on speedily all that he hath to doe is to keep his sail spred and to catch the winde your only course is to set up the saile and attend the gale of the Spirit to comfort you attend the gale of the Spirit to assist you hold thy heart and spread to the Spirit that it may catch the gale of grace that it may blow upon thy soule and by the vertue and power thereof thou shalt bee transported comfortably and carried on cheerfully to walke in that way which God chalks out before thee as for examples sake Imagine thy heart begins to be pestered with vaine thoughts or with a proud haughtie spirit or some base lusts and privy haunts of heart how would you bee rid of these why you must not set up and pull downe and set up and pull downe quarrell and contend and bee discouraged no but eye the promise and hold fast thereupon and say Lord thou hast promised all grace unto thy servants why therefore take this heart and take this minde and take these affections and let thy Spirit frame them aright according to thine owne good will by that Spirit of wisedome Lord informe mee by that Spirit of sanctification Lord cleanse mee from all my corruptions by that Spirit of grace Lord quicken and enable me to the discharge of every holy service thus carry thy selfe and convey thy soule by the power of the Spirit of the Lord and thou shalt finde thy heart strengthned and succoured by the vertue thereof upon all occasions Rom. 8.26 the Text saith The Law of the Spirit of life hath freed mee from the law of sinne and death the meaning is this you must know that sinne is a tyrant now a tyrant when he wins a citie hee swears all to his lawes so sinne will swear thy soule to his lawes pride saith I will have thee proud I will have thy heart unchaste saith uncleannesse I will have thee intemperate saith drunkennesse now by the Law of the Spirit of life God will free us from the law of sinne the Spirit of Christ in the promise it takes away the power of the law of sinne the Law of the Spirit of meeknesse takes away the law of the spirit of pride the Law of the Spirit of puritie takes away the law of the spirit of uncleannesse the Law of the Spirit of holinesse takes away the law of the spirit of prophanenesse and so in all other distempers of this nature this onely shewes us how to run over all Gather up now and so conclude this passage Eye the promise daily yeeld thy soule to the Spirit of the Lord in the promise let that have his full sway resist not those good motions the holy Spirit puts into thee and that is the way to have all grace and help and assistance communicated unto thee and thus much may suffice to have beene spoken in the generall touching this conveiance of grace into the heart we come now to the scanning of the particulars This conveyance it is of two kindes both in the Text Christ conveyes his grace two wayes partly by imputing partly by imparting they are the termes of Divines and I know not how to expresse my selfe better but thus if you will partly by imputation partly by communication This is that I would have you to take notice of in the generall they are both reall but one is habituall both these both imputation and communication expresse a reall worke of God upon the soule but the last onely leaves a frame and a spirituall abilitie and qualitie in the soule the conveyance by imputation doth not it leaves a thing morall as we use to terme it These two imputation communication are both in the Text Christ is made righteousnesse or justice that is hee doth justifie a sinner by imputation and hee doth sanctifie and redeeme a sinner by communication hee conveyes and workes some Spirituall abilitie and leaves a Physicall change when the Apostle saith Christ is made Iustice that is hee doth justifie a sinner by imputation when hee saith Christ is made Sanctification and Redemption that is by way of communication hee delivers the soule from the pollution of sinne that is sanctification hee delivers the soule from the power and dominion of sinne that is redemption This communication it is a Spirituall habit or a spirituall power or a spirituall qualitie or abilitie take which you will left upon the soule We will begin with the former touching the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to a soule whereby the sinner comes to bee justified this is a point then which I take it none more necessary and yet none lesse understood none lesse studied none more mistaken than these two great workes of justification and sanctification I speake it by experience Christians aged and experienced yet here they faile in the very catecheticall points and it drives many of our best Divines to a stand we will open it a little this justification wee terme a conveyance of the merits of Christ by way of imputation but what is the meaning of this word by way of imputation Thus you must conceive it this is the main thing I would have you looke unto Imputation is this when that which another hath that which another doth is accounted mine is set upon my score as though I had it as though I had done it this is Imputation I have it not I doe it not another hath it another doth it and it is accounted mine and reckoned mine in course of justice Now in the point of communication
of the Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father by faith and this must bee done at the doore of the Tabernacle the meaning is he is a common Saviour to all beleevers that as it is in a common ground every one hath a share in it and every borderer though never so poore may come and put on and feed his cattle as well as the best so here every poore beleever may come and feed upon the Lord Jesus Christ therefore the Apostle in the 3. verse of Iude cals it the common salvation not common to all the wicked and unbeleevers but to all the faithfull that border upon the promises and doe beleeve in them it is common to them all and the man that offered the sacrifice was to lay his hand upon the head of the sacrifice and there to confesse all the sinnes of the children of Israel this was the unburthening himselfe of his sinne and laying it upon the head of the sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ that so what wee are not able to beare hee may beare for us and answer divine justice for us and so there was another ceremony Leviticus 16.21 Of the scape goat there were two sacrifices to bee offered the one was to bee a burnt offering and the other was to escape Aaron was to put his hand upon the head of the live goat and to confesse over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and their trespasses putting them upon the head of the live goat and shall send him away by the hand of a man appointed into the wildernesse so the goat shall beare upon him all the iniquities to a land not inhabited and the other was to be offered up for a burnt offering this was the type now the intendment of the ceremony was this the goat was the Lord Jesus Christ and when Aaron did put his hands upon the head of the goat and confesse over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel and did put them upon the head of the goat it was thus much God the Father did charge all the sinnes of all the world upon the Lord Jesus Christ even of all from the beginning of the world to the end of it and did put them all upon the Lord Christ and howsoever he was a sacrifice for sinne yet hee was a scape goat and hath escaped out of the hands of hell and death and is now in Heaven and with him all beleevers shall escape from hell and death by the power of his merits Further ye see how the Prophet expounds the Law Esay 53.4 5. We thought him afflicted and buffetted for himselfe but he was wounded for our sins and broken for our iniquities hee was neglected amongst the wicked and they judged him as smitten for his owne sins but he was wounded for our sins imputed to him that wee through him might bee eased thereof and therefore the Text saith Hee bore our iniquities and me thinkes it hath reference to the scape goat and it is that which the Apostle doth peremptorily say Heb. 7.22 He was made a suretie of a better covenant Now the suretie hath not onely the payment to make but hee is accounted as the debtor the debt is laid to his charge as well as the payment is required thus the point is proved Now for the better discovery of this Doctrine let me doe two things First I will shew after what manner God did this and what is the behaviour of the Lord when hee chargeth the sinnes of the faithfull upon Christ Secondly I will shew the reasons of it why God the Father did so whereby it shall appeare that it is reasonable and it doth wonderfully magnifie the Justice and mercy of God Quest. 1 For the first if a man aske me what God the Father doth when hee chargeth the sinnes of the faithfull upon Christ Answer I answer this act carries three things in it or God brings about the worke by a threefold act First God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ made a mutuall decree and purpose that so many should beleeve they should bee saved And they did not only purpose this but they did make a mutuall agreement betweene themselves that the Lord Jesus Christ should take the care of those soules to make them beleeve and to save them by beleeving and the Lord Jesus Christ undertooke the worke according to their compact God the Father said I will have these children saved and Christ saith I will take the care of them Iohn 10.14 15 16. It s strange to see how our Saviour there speakes of his Office in the 14. verse he saith I am the good Shepheard and know mine and am knowne of mine that is I know those that are committed to my charge and knowledge even as the shepherd knowes his sheepe but how doth the Lord Christ know who God the Father will have to be saved looke verse 15. As the Father knoweth me so know I the Father and wee have agreed amongst our selves that so many shall bee saved The Father hath said I will have so many soules saved and Christ saith those soules shall bee my care and charge and in the 16. verse hee saith Other sheeâ— I have also which are not of this sold them also must I bring and they shall heare my voyce when the Father hath revealed that so many in such a place and so many in such a place shall bee saved then the Lord Christ undertakes the care of them and he calls at such a doore and saith I must have that poore drunken creature and he must be humbled and broken hearted and he must beleeve and he calls at such a doore and findes the adulterer in the armes of the harlot and hee saith I must have that unclean wretch I must humble him for his sinnes and I must make a separation betweene him and his sinnes A good shepheard will have a care of his sheep and will fetch them wheresoever they be as it was with David He did fetch his prey from the mouth of the Lion so though there were never so many baits to allure a man yet if the Lord Christ intend to save him hee will fetch him out of the mouth of the Lion and he saith that poore soule is mine I have taken the charge of him and therefore I must have him and he must heare my voice nay he shall heare my voyce Many times you have turned the deafe eare upon Christ and hee calls and knocks and yet that will not serve the turne untill hee breakes in upon the soule by horrour of heart therefore God the Father commits the care of all those wandring soules to the charge of Christ and hee will have them by one means or other As it is with a Husbandman that hath a great flocke of sheepe and he saith to his sonne loe I commit the care of them to thee loe here they are I would have thee to be carefull of them the number thou knowest and the
marke thou feest then the sonne concludes with the father and they enter into agreement and the son saith I will feed and keep those sheep so it is with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ God the Father gives all the names of all the faithfull from the beginning of the world to the end of it and saith all these are my children there is a poor creature in such a blinde corner of the countrie which I must have saved and in another place there is another base drunkard which I must have saved that I may make the world to wonder at it the foundation of the Lord standeth sure and hath this seale the Lord knoweth who are his the Lord hath elected and called them that 's his marke and therefore our Saviour Christ undertakes the care of them and God the Father looks that all those that are committed to the care of Christ should bee saved as in Iohn 17.12 Of all that thou hast given me have I lost none but the childe of perdition that is he was a wolfe and no sheep and a lion and a cunning fox and none of my charge but of all that thou hast given mee hove I lost none all you poore ignorant and weake Christians little lambes that cannot helpe your selves Christ will not lose one of you but though you are never so mean and poore the Lord will carry you in his armes and bring you to everlasting life 1 Cor. 15.24 Then shall the end be when the Lord Iesus hath delivered up the Kingdome to the Father and shal say Father thou hast given me the charge of so many in England so many in Spain so many in Asia so many in the Palatinate the Lord Jesus Christ shall deliver up the whole number to God the Father Secondly our Saviour having undertaken to keepe these he addresseth himselfe to the worke to use those means by which hee may keepe and save them and that he doth thus he puts himselfe into the roome and place of all those poore lost sheepe of his and this is the difficultie to open this to you that are weake Now what is it to be put in the roome and place of another Christ doth willingly submit himselfe to the power of the revenging justice of the Father that whatsoever the Law and Justice of God required at the hands of the faithfull that doth Christ stand unto and will answer it all as thus the debter is taken and imprisoned and they that are his friends desire some releasment for him how upon consultation and conference with the creditor it is agreed that such a man shall undertake to help him and to free him from all the extremitie that he lies in for the debt and hee must doe it by one of these two wayes either hee must breake the prison and so rescue him by strong hand or else he must yeeld and submit to what the Law requires and is due to the creditor and the creditor saith if you will bee content to become debtor and acquit him of the debt if you will enter bond with me to become a pay-master of the whole debt due to me then I am content to free him Now the man that thus yeelds himselfe to what the power of Law and Justice can do against the debtor that man becomes a suretie for him he will bee as one that owes the money and that must pay and the Law proceeds as fully against him as against the debtor the debtor did personally owe the money and lay in prison for it but the suretie is as one that hath forfeited and must pay hee submits himselfe to the power of Law and Justice that looke what the Law requires of a man forfeiting and owing hee is content that the Law require it of him Just so it is here the sinner is this debtor and Christ undertakes for him by a mutuall consent betweene the Father and him and hee yeelds and submits himselfe to all the power of Justice that looke how the Law accounts of a sinner it should account of him Now the Law of God accounts of this man as one that hath broken the Law and deserved eternall death and Christ submits himselfe to these the Law requires doing and suffering and Christ is contented to undergoe all these for all that shall beleeve as Gal. 4.4 5. When the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his onely Sonne made of a woman and made under the Law that he might redeeme them which were under the Law the meaning is this looke how we were under the Law so was Christ under the Law for us that so he might redeeme those that were under the Law the Law laid guilt to our charge and the Law did condemne us and the Lord Christ was content to be under all that commanding revenging authority which the Law had over us so that now Christ is come into the roome of all the faithfull hence is that speech of Luther which the Papists so much cavill at hee saith our Saviour was the greatest sinner of all the faithfull that ever was upon the face of the earth not that he had any sin of his owne inherent in him or committed by him but because all the sins of all the world were charged upon him and Christ put himselfe into the roome of all the world that looke whatsoever the Law required of any the same it required of him and what the Law accounted of any it accounted the same of him Thirdly our Saviour having put himselfe into the roome of a sinner the Law now proceeds with full scope against him and God the Father may justly proceed according to rule and may justly expresse the power of his revenging Justice upon him and hence it is that God the Father accounts of Jesus Christ as a sinner and proceeds against him and condemnes him as a sinner and doth require of him whatsoever hee requires of a sinner a sinner must doe or die and so must the Lord Christ because hee hath put himselfe into the roome of a sinner As it is with a creditor haply the debtor growes a bankrupt and flies his countrie the creditor cares not for saith hee I will lay the debt upon the sureries backe such a man was bound for him I have him still in my chest and it is as good to mee as if the debtor himselfe were able to pay me so it is here when poore sinners wrong God and wound his Spirit and dishonour his Name and transgresse his Lawes and they are not able to answer him one of a thousand though they should goe to bell for it now God the Father saith I must be righteous I will lay all their sinnes upon the Lord Jesus Christ he became a debtor and undertook for them and therefore I will require it of him as well as of them Thus much of the first part of the discovery of this point that God the Father charged our sinnes upon our Saviour and
his body then doe can it bee possible that men should harbour sinne in them if they did but know what it hath done to them can you see it and not haâ—e it Oh behold that sinne which hath caused God the Father to be angry with thy Saviour and doe thou hate it and let thy soule for ever loath thy sinne which hath caused Christ thus to doe to come downe from heaven and to bee tortured by wicked miscreants and to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and as sin hath caused God the Father to punish thy Saviour so goe thou and be revenged upon thy sin and say Oh my pride and my stubbornnesse and my loosenesse and uncleannesse and base drunkennesse these were the nailes that pierced his hands aâ—â— his feet they pierced his sacred body and 〈◊〉 the wrath of God the Father upon his soule therefore let mee bee for ever revenged of this proud stubborne and rebellious heart of mine and let mee for ever loath my sinne because it brought all this sorrow upon my Saviour To presse this use a little more I charge you brethren as ever you had any tender love unto Jesus Christ or any regard of your owne comfort goe your wayes and bee for ever cast downe and humbled for those evill waies of yours which have brought our Saviour to such a gulfe of misery and to be angry with those sinnes that have made God the Father angry with the Lord Jesus Christ and take thou revenge upon that proud stubborne heart that brought all this misery upon thy Saviour This is the course of humanitie amongst men if a man knew of any one which had murthered his father or his friend whom he highly regarded and honoured nature shewes us thus much that our hearts would rise against the man and you would not bee able to brooke the sight of him and you cannot endure to see him in your companies and if law and conscience did not forbid it you could be contented to give him his deaths wound and to bee his bane and you would cry out against him Oh he hath murthered my father or my deere friend and though you would not run upon him and kil him yet this every one would doe he would follow the Law to the uttermost and if all the law in the land will do it he will have him hanged and if he might have it put to his choyce what death hee should die hee would chuse him a death as bad as hee could devise and if he might be his Executioner how would he mangle him and say thou wast the death of my father and then hee would give him one blow for this and another blow for that and say thou wretch thou hast taken away the life of my father and I will have thy life Now is a man thus inraged and is the heart of a man carried with such violence unto him that hath murthered his father or his friend and that for the losse of the naturall life Oh then how should your hearts bee transported with infinite indignation not against the man but even against the sinne which is the cause of all this and which is wholly opposite against God and not onely because it hath taken away the life of the body of our Saviour but also made him undergoe the wrath of an everlasting father your sinnes are they that have thus slaine the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of life Therefore follow thou the law against these sins and raise hue and crie after them and bring them to the Sessions and set them before the tribunall of God and crie justice Lord justice against these sins of mine these slew my Saviour Lord slay them they have crucified my Saviour Lord crucifie them let me have life for life body for body and soule for soule these are the sins that have taken away the life from the body of our Saviour and tooke away all comfort from his soule Lord take away their life thus pursue thy sins and never leave them untill thou seest them bleed their last never thinke that thou hast power enough against corruption nor never thinke that thou dost enough against them but give thy corruptions one hacke more and confesse thy sinnes once more and say Lord his pride and this stubbornnesse Lord and this loosenesse of heart Lord these are they that kild my Saviour and I will be revenged of them and herein consider this when your hearts are inclining to any corruption or to any temptation of Satan and when thou findest thy soule drawne aside to any sin and when thou findest some temptings unto corruptions and stirrings of cursed lusts it is good then to have an actuall consideration of what sin hath done to the Lord Jesus Christ and reason thus with thy selfe and say these sins were the death of my Saviour and shall they be my delight these sins did pierce his hands and wounded his soule and shall they give contentment to my soule the Lord forbid did these sinnes plucke teares from his eyes and blood from his heart and shall I make them the delight of my heart the good Lord in mercy forbid it were it so that our hearts were fully and throughly perswaded that all the vanities of our mindes and all the lusts of our hearts and all the distempers of our affections were those that stabd the Lord Jesus Christ and wounded him to the heart it could not be that we should so delight in them and lavish out our soules and affections thereupon nay not onely Christianitie will doe it but nature and reason will even compell a man to doe the contrary could hee but reason thus with himselfe when corruptions tempt him and occasions call him and say thus with himselfe was it not enough and more than enough that the Son of God came downe from Heaven and suffered such grievous pains but shall I againe crucifie the Lord of life and shall I againe pierce those blessed hands of his and pierce that blessed side of his and all goare his sacred body with my uncleane sins and force him to crie out againe by reason of my sinnes which I have committed this is more than brutish and more than savage I beseech you in the bowels of the Lord to consider well of it you know what Christ said when Saul persecuted the poore Saints at Damascus Saul Saul why persecurest thou mee It pierced the Lord Christ when any of his members were pierced Acts 9.4 but now for such as beleeve in Christ and looke for mercy from Christ consider how neerly it will touch him and trouble him not onely to have his members pierced and persecuted but also to have his good Spirit grieved and himselfe to be wounded Imagine you heard the Lord speaking as the Church did in Lamentations 1.12 Is it nothing to you all oh yee that passe by is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow have you no compassion at all upon a Saviour
Saviour might abate of the punishment by the same right the dignitie of his person might as well take it quite away if one drop of the blood of Christ would save all the world then what needed Christ to have suffered the pains of death for if the dignitie of the person might free him from the one it might free him from the other also but the Law and Justice of God required whatsoever Christ did in his wisedome suffer and the death of Christ was not superfluous and besides the dignitie of the person is to farre from freeing him from the punishment that it fits him to beare the punishment it exempts him not from the punishment but it furnisheth him with abilities to beare it as he must be man that hee may suffer finitely so he must be God that must satisfie infinitely the justice of God requires two things First such a kinde of punishment as may bee sutable to the wrong of the Law by the sinne of Adam that is an infinite punishment Secondly the person must bee such a one as may bee regarded therefore he must bee such a person as must be able to beare the punishment and to satisfie infinitely and to come forth from under it therefore the excellency of Christ as he was God doth not dispence with the punishment but enables him to suffer it as the infinite wrath of God was express and shewed upon man by reason of sinne in laying on this punishment both in body and soule so the infinite sufferings of Christ underwent them both therefore that which divine justice required and without which it is not satisfied that he must suffer but the justice of God did require it and without it the justice of God was not satisfied and therefore Christ did suffer both Object To this argument the Jesuites reply it needed not say they that that curse which Adam did deserve should bee suffered by the second Adam which is Christ for say they God might have pardoned all the sinne of Adam without any satisfaction or else by his infinite wisedome and power he could have provided another way and therfore if Christ suffer but in part it may suffices Answer To which I answer it is a foolish nice and silly curiositie to inquire of Gods absolute power what he might have done and what he had power to doe when we see what he hath done For as hee will save the humble mercifully so hee will preserve his justice in the salvation of man Esay 53.10 The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand and Psalme 40.8 I desire to doe thy will oh my God It is the will of God that Christ should come and should suffer for our sinnes he hath revealed what his will is and it is folly to inquire what God might doe when we see what he hath done and besides this I take to bee an everlasting truth that none of all the attributes of God can ever enterfeere or crosse one another it cannot be for then God should not procure nor maintaine his owne glory for when hee should procure the glory of his justice hee should wrong the glory of his mercy and when he should procure the glory of his mercy hee should wrong the glory of his justice and the glory of his justice must bee preserved as well as the glory of his mercy magnified the mercy of God cannot wrong justice nor the justice of God cannot overpower mercy therefore hence I infer thus much if there were no means in the world whereby the justice of God which had received wrong could be satisfied but only by the sufferings of him who was God and man then it was against the will of God and against the will of Christ which was both God and man and against their glory and dignitie to devise another way or means to pardon sinne without the satisfaction of divine justice it is against his glory power and wisedome to wrong either justice or mercy for he should either have wronged mercy in not pardoning or else wronged justice in not punishing of Christ therefore if there should be no way to doe it but only by the death of him who was both God and man then there was no other way of redemption but this way for an infinite justice being wronged there is no way else to satisfie an infinite justice but by the suffering of him who was infinite and that was onely the Lord Jesus Christ for there was no more infinites in the world I will winde it up thus that punishment which was included in the curse and which was deserved by the first Adam that was suffered by Christ the second Adam but the punishment both of soule and body were the punishments included in the curse and deserved by the sinne of Adam therefore it is borne by the second Adam as certainly as it was deserved by the first Adam Reason 3 The third reason is taken from the office of Christ and the place which he underwent because our Saviour Christ was our suretie and our sinnes were charged upon him and hee became paymaster so that the covenant which hee had made with God the Father bound him to it and his faithfulnesse and truth tied him to it nay he tooke all our sinnes upon him and therefore he must satisfie for thee If the Lord Christ were our suretie and tooke all our sinnes upon him by imputation and the debt was made his then the payment also must be discharged by the Lord Jesus Christ but certainly all your pride and stubbornnesse c. they were all charged upon our Saviour and set upon his soore and laid upon his backe therefore hee must suffer for all because hee was made sinne for all so the issue of the point is this unlesse the Lord Jesus Christ had suffered both in soule and body justice had not beene so fully satisfied but the justice of God required both and the curse included both and therefore Christ suffered both and hath fulfilled whatsoever was or could bee required by divine justice Now to come to the use something must bee said to justifie the riches of Gods free grace the first use shall be this Vse 1 It shall bee a word of confutation and it directly meets with Popish Purgatory a wicked errour that fals like Dagon before the Arke and like clouds dispersed by the Sunne so that sottish imagination is hence condemned by this doctrine it is a dreame devised to picke mens purses and to delude mens consciences and to fill the Popes coffers they thinke that Christ frees every faithfull man from the punishments of hell and from all that any sinne hath devised but onely there are some veniall sinnes and the punishments of those a man must suffer for himselfe and therefore when a man dies hee must goe downe to Purgatorie and there bee purged and cleansed from the evill of them this is that which they say if they can but perswade men that they shall be in Purgatorie
hell and condemnation every beleeving soule of you Do not think that God will passe by poore little ones no he will not lose one of you but he will in his appointed time helpe and deliver you therfore be not troubled not dismaied but resolve of this and say I shall bee delivered therefore let my soule be for ever cheared what would you have and what doe you feare Is it your sinnes doe you think that they beare you an old grudge and they will bee clamouring up to heaven against you and complaining of you at the throne of grace doe you feare them so you may justly because of that secret sliding off from the truth Oh saist thou my errand is done in heaven before this time and my sins knocke at heaven gates and say Justice Lord I have taken them in their sinnes and therefore as thou art a God of justice execute justice upon a rebellious soule Now therefore remember that Jesus Christ hath suffered he hath taken thy sinnes upon him and hath suffered the punishments of them 1 Iohn 2.1 Little children sinne not at all It were to be wished that a man might be alwayes humble and poore in spirit and doe all good against the evill done to him and it were to be wished that a man could walke exactly before God but it is not possible so long as we have this body of death it will shew it selfe but if we doe sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the just he is gone to heaven to tell the Father that all is fully answered and he saith Father save all those poore soules whom thou hast given mee I have paid all and answered all for them and therefore Father I will that all that thou hast given mee may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory thus he plead for he doth not plead as we doe but he saith Father I will now if there be any crie against the soule by reason of sinne Christ stops it sinne pleads and Christ pleads and who will prevaile thinke you therefore be not discouraged we have an Advocate with the Father the sinnes of your dreames this last night they have done your errands in heaven before you did awake but let them plead what they can wee have an Advocate with the Father in Heaven and he pleads our cause in heaven and he will prevail in whatsoever he pleads for he will be heard all the pleas of sin shal be fully answered Heb. 12.22 23 24. ye are not come to the mount that might not be touched nor unto burning fire c. But ye are come unto the mount Zion to the citie of the living God and to the Spirits of just and perfect men and to Iesus Christ the Mediatour of the new Testament and to the blood of sprinkling which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel what did the blood of Abel speake see that in Gen. 3.9 10. where is Abel thy brother said the Lord and he answered I cannot tell am I my brothers keeper Oh thou wretch saith the Lord the voyce of thy brothers blood crieth to me from the earth for vengeance against thee thus all our sinnes doe speake but there are some sinnes that crie and say Lord this soule is taken to bee a Christian and a Professer and one that hath some grace but Lord against knowledge and conscience and the directions of the Ministers hee hath sinned thus and this therefore good Lord execute judgement upon him but now here is your comfort you poore Saints I confesse these wretched corruptions of your hearts play the backe friends with you many times but we have the blood of Christ that cries for mercy and pardon and refreshing and forgivenesse sinne pleads and saith Lord doe me justice against such a soule but the blood of Christ saith I am abased and humbled and I have answered all Christ shall be heard and if he plead the cause the day is certainly yours and hee pleads without any fees and his blood speaketh on your behalfe and your sinnes shall never be heard against you but what sticks upon your stomackes Object Oh you have heard that the Lord is a just God hee is so hee is holy and blessed and of pure eyes that cannot endure to behold any polluted or uncleane thing and if God be strict to marke what is done amisse who can abide it Oh then say you you have these sinnes and corruptions and God is pure and you are polluted and you have many secret windings and turnings and devices and you say God knowes all the crevices of my heart and sees all the frame of my soule and if the Lord marke what is done amisse nay hee will marke what is done amisse Who then shall be able to stand How shall I be able to answer it especially considering that Satan saith I have sinned and why should I not be cast out as well as others have beene cast out that have sinned Lord execute justice upon them as they have deserved how shall wee helpe ourselves herein yes admirably for then the blood of Christ comes in and that satisfies all Gal. 5.22.23 The fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse meeknesse temperance faith against such there is no law so it is here there is no law nor no condemnation to beleevers truly penitent for their sins there is no punishment to them nor no wrath to execute judgement upon them because the debt is paid and the Lord is just and cannot and righteous and will not doe it but saith the Devill thou hast sinned and why shalt thou not bee condemned for it but saith justice hold thy tongue Satan for there is no law against them that repent what troubles you now Answer Why the very truth is the thoughts of Hell astonish my heart me thinkes I see a little peep-hole downe into hell and the devils roaring there being reserved in chaines under darknesse untill the judgement of the great day and me thinkes I see the damned flaming and Iudas and all the wicked of the world and they of Sodome and Gomorah there they lie roaring and damnation takes hold upon them and the wrath of God finks them downe to hell Now I have sinned and therefore why should not I be damned and why should not the wrath of God bee executed against mee I answer the death of Christ acquits thee of all and although the wrath of God be of admirable power and force yet you shall bee acquitted by the death of the Lord Jesus Revelations 20. â—â— Blessed and holy is he that hath a part in the first resurrection for on such the second death shall have no power that is wicked men and the ruffians of the world that scorne all commands and despise all the ordinances of God and the lawes of men and neither of them can take place in their hearts they breake all bonds and cast away all commands and the