justification than any having more laws and more clearly revealed A man that would look to be justified by exact obedience to every precept and will look for no pardon will find these laws will be so far from justifying him and conferring right to any reward that they work only wrath and oblige him the more to condemnation For where there is no law there is no transgression Many of these things which you Jews sinned in omitting would have been no sins had not God thus revealed his will to you in such multitudes of commands and others not so great sins Ver. 16. Therefore happiness is not by the law that is by unsinning obedience or making all up by meritorious works but by faith that is in a Gospel-way by some promise made of pardon to sinners called the law of faith by some promise made to sinners to whom justification cannot be of debt upon their repentance belief and sincere endeavour of obedience And it is thus of faith that it might be of grace and mercy And it is thus of faith that the promise might be sure to all the seed that is to all that walk in the steps of Abraham's faith that believe repent obey God in difficulties whether they have those great priviledges you boast of as the Jews or none such as the Gentiles And so he is the father of us all both Jews and Gentiles i. e. a pattern of our justification both being justified the same way as he was Ver. 17. As it is written I have made thee a father of many nations Either this is a remote meaning of these words cited or it is an allusive accommodative making use of this citation which seemeth frequent with this Apostle The meaning however of the Apostle is this As I have received thee into favour upon thy believing me in every thing and obeying and following my call so many of several Nations both Jews and Gentils shall receive grace and favour and blessedness from me in thus turning from sin and believing and obeying me as thou hast and so be justified in such a way as thou art and so thou shalt be their Father a prime example or pattern of their justification Ver. 18 19 20 21. He sheweth the faith of Abraham was a great and strong faith he believed the most unlikely things upon God's credit believed against hope believed God was able to do what he promised though never so unlikely he never considered the difficulty it was a faith that carried him out to trust and obey God in every thing So would the Gentiles believe the resurrection of Christ which he compares there to Abraham's believing God could quicken the dead the dead womb and also dead Isaac Heb. 11. 19. and the almost-incredible things of the Gospel and be carried on by such belief to obey and follow God and Christ notwithstanding all their sufferings and discouragements they may be justified and saved without being circumcised and keeping the Ceremonial Law or perfectly the Moral Law as he applies this belief of God's raising the dead to his raising Christ from the dead v. 24. Ver. 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness That is as I have again and again explained it he was graciously accepted and acquitted and rewarded upon it and treated as if he had been an innocent just person though he was not so in the strict sense of the law or natural equity Ver. 23 24. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but we may make use of it it was written for some great end and therefore sheweth that though the Gentiles be unworthy persons and have no merits by such priviledges or observances as the Pharisaical opposers of their reception suppose themselves to have yet if they do as Abraham did they shall fare as he fared if they believe this great difficulty of raising Christ from the dead and carry sutable to such a faith righteousness shall be imputed to them also that is they shall be pardoned their sins shall not be imputed to them which was the thing to be proved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chap. 10. v. 11. The Apostle reassumes the same and here are some passages some may think make against what I have preached Ver. 2. The Jews have a zeal for God but not according to knowledg Ver. 3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness i. e. his way of justifying sinners by pardon and going about to establish their own righteousness of perfect obedience or meritorious works have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God that is God's way of pardoning sinners by the Gospel as he explains it v. 6. Ver. 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth It is to be acknowledged that the Law as every Law doth require as its end perfect obedience primarily and upon default of that secondarily the punishment of the transgressors But Christ hath satisfied this as much to God's honour and its content as if it had been perfectly obeyed or the penalty suffered by us And this Propitiation is for those that believe that perform the Gospel condition So that there is no necessity now of our unsinning obedience or our making satisfaction by meritorious works in order to our justification but only of our performing the Gospel-condition and they are ignorant of this way of God Ver. 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness of the law the Covenant of Works the way that they stick to for justification thus That the man that doth these things shall live by them i. e. without pardon Lev. 18. 5. Gal. 3. 12. Moses describeth that is these words of Moses taken in the strict law-sense as a law and in the sense you understand them represent that way you stick to for justification I say represent that way For it is apparent that those very words and the whole body of the Mosaical law were a Gospel-covenant of grace as they were given by Moses and understood and ought to be understood by the people The meaning was If you endeavour to do all these sincerely and lament your falling short you shall be justified blessed live otherwise you shall perish I could make this fully apparent that it was a gracious Covenant for it was spoken to sinners and with such words I am the Lord thy God and If you will obey my voice and Moses sprinkleth blood and saith Behold the blood of the Covenant which Covenant they restipulated to when they promised to obey his voice and God saith I have heard the words of this people and they have well said in all that they have said which he would not have said if the meaning had been We promise to do things impossible to make that it should be said We never have been sinners and we will perfectly obey in every thing without the least remisness in thought word or deed But to be short see Mr. Ant. Burgess
is worse Will he slay the righteous for the wicked by punishing the just for the unjust Now that he underwent it willingly answers all this God hath made a Law that the Son shall not be put to death for the Father much less one Stranger for another Therefore this maketh it ordinarily sinful among men to give such or for the Magistrate to accept such commutations because God hath deprived them of this power But shall we say His ways are unequal because not like or above our ways or that that is necessarily unlawful to God which he hath made so to us Say they this would declare Gods unrighteousness to set forth an Innocent Propitiation for the Nocent It would do so indeed to punish the Innocent for the Nocent except he chuse it All see it is not injustice to demand debts of a bonds-man a surety for God hath given men power over their estates and he willingly undertook it I grant it is ordinarily unlawful to offer to be or to except sureties and undertakers for others with lives or members but the reason is because God hath not given men this power otherwise it would be all one Therefore there is no injustice in his life going for ours He had right and authority so to dispose of his life as we have not and he willingly undertook it If God was wroth with his beloved Son it was from his own Choice and undertaking through his love to us Father lay not the punishment on these my enemies and thine I will bear it If thou wilt be paid it have Satisfaction pour out thy wrath on me that can satisfie not on them that cannot but by their eternal and utter sinking under it 6. A Death of infinite Value If Gods justice do require a Satisfaction it will not be put off with a meer shew or colour of one or with a partial lame defective one but it must be commensurate and proportionable to the infinitely hainous and numberless sins and provocations of Men and to the justice of God and so it must be of infinite dignity and value Now the death of Christ was of infinite value Infinite in satisfaction but not in duration for if in duration then the expiation would never have been made and perfected and so we should never have been redeemed He should then and so we have ever remained under the power of death and condemnation for the utmost farthing would never have been paid It would have been unworthy of Christ it would have been unprofitable for us and it was not necessary for satisfaction for Christ to have undergone pains infinite in duration But his sufferings being actually infinite in merit do more than equal a suffering only infinite in duration for that would never have been actually infinite Sins against God naturally deserve and therefore God threatens infinite punishment for Sins are increased according to the greatness of the person against whom the offence is committed They have not only rejected thee bâ—t rejected me saith God as a greater matter and it is brought in as a great aggravation to speak evil of Dignities and in our Law a Scandalum magnatum is a greater matter than the scandalizing of our Equals Therefore Sin is of infinite demerit being against an infinite God And hence it follows that the punishment of Sin must either be infinite in the extremity and greatness or in the duration Now to speak naturally Reason and Justice considering the ends of punishment in Moral Government would immediately urge Let it if it can be infinite in the greatness weight and gravity that the offender having satisfied in suffering might work again But human nature being finite is not capable of such infinite punishment and upon this account it was necessary that it should be infinite in the extensiveness and duration because a finite Creature is not capable of punishment infinite in intensiveness and greatness But now when Christ suffered for us he underwent punishment infinite in magnitude and greatness But still this infinity is to be estimated not from the intensiveness and greatness of the punishments themselves which human Nature and so Christ's human Nature was not capable of but from the dignity of the person that suffered them Just as sin that is finite in its own nature coming from a finite creature becomes infinite by being committed against an infinite Majesty So the punishments of Christ being in their own nature finite became infinite in their value and satisfaction by the infinite dignity of the person suffering And the stress as I have told you before is still laid on this in Scripture the dignity of the person that he was God that suffered And this very consideration of his death being infinite in value and recompence and not in duration doth prevent such a difficulty as could not be answered For had our Redeemer been to continue for ever under this condemnation of those he suffered for this might have made the Christian Religion less rational and credible it would have been such an unaccountable excess of charity to destroy himself eternally to save others But God knew and Christ knew he could so wrestle with death and condemnation as to overcome and that it would not be an utter losing one worth ten thousand of the guilty in saving them which would have been a thing unaccountable to be either done or permitted to be done by the King and Governour of the World but his Sufferings were to be to him an entrance into Glory and the obtaining a Name above every Nature Thus of this Third Head to die and manner of this Death 4. A Propitiation Died a Propitiation for Sin and Sinners that is implied yea signified in the very word Propitiation that it was for Sin and Sinners Propitiation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this is the word the Septuagint use to express the Mercy-seat by The word we translate Mercy-seat is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which coming from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to hide and in Piel to expiate and propitiate this word coming from it doth so too It signifieth Opercuium tegumentum and placamentum piamentum a cover or hiding and an Expiation or Propitiation to make God propitious reconciled and favourable Now this Mercy-seat this Operculum Propitiatorium was a cover of pure Gold laid over the Ark of the Covenant just the dimensions of the Ark the length and breadth of it Two cubits and a half the length and one cubit and a half the Exod 35. 10 17. breadth of either of them as you maâ— see We read nothing of the thickness of this Propitiatory Cover but some Râ—bbins say it was of one Palm And this Ark which this covered ver 16. had in it the Law and so this Mercy-seat or Propitiatory that covered the Ark wherein was the Law typified and signified Jesus Christ fully covering our sins being transgressions of the Law out of Gods sight the Righteousness and Satisfaction of Christ
being as broad and as long as the Law and our transgressions of it Above the Mercy-seat on either side were the Cherubims and the Majesty of God appeared between the Ceerubims Christ interposeth between God and his Law to make him propitious to his People From above the Mercy-seat Ver. 22. between the two Cherubims will I meet thee and commune with thee So you see this Mercy-seat this Cover of Gold typified Christ the true Propitiatory or Mercy-seat covering out of God's sight all our Transgressions of the Law and God through him meeting with us and made propitious and reconciled to us And here now Christ is called by the name of his own type as often elsewhere when he is called the Lamb and Lamb slain and so called the Propitiatory or Propitiation God having made him really that to us which that did but typifie Christ was made an Expiation and Ransom and Propitiation for Sins for these things the Hebrew word signifies Here now under this Head I will make it my business irrefragably to prove to you what I have taken hitherto almost for granted 1. He died not for Himself He was the Lamb without spot as indeed he that was to wash away others spots was to be without spot Himself Messiah cut off but not for himself 2. He could not die but for some Sin Death befalleth not Men as Men but as Sinners The Apostle proveth all to be Sinners because all die else it was impossible in justice God Act. 2. 24 raised him up having loosed the pains of death for it was not possible he should be holden of it Death being but the Servant of God's Justice and Christ having satisfied Justice it could not but let go its hold He could not but be taken from prison and from judgment We may use the same argument it was impossible Death could not have taken hold of Him at all had it not been for Sin 3. It remains therefore that he died for our sins according to the Scripture for none else come in competition None will pretend He died for the Sins of Angels good or bad or of Brutes which are not capable of sin Was delivered to death for our sins Bore the sins of many Gave himself for us that he might redeem us The professed Adversaries of this Doctrine the Socinians will grant He died in some sense for our Sins Therefore How died he for our Sins 1. He died for our Sins so as to turn us from them this is truth but this is as they suppose all and they will grant no more But we must go further 2. He died for our Sins as a meritorious deserving cause of his Death For the transgression of my people was he smitten Wounded for our transgressions Isa 53. Rom. 4. 25. Delivered to death for our sins So that if it be asked What meaneth the heat of this great anger wherefore was he thus wounded We must answer He was wounded for our transgressions We have pierced him this hath been by our means we have ate sowre grapes and his teeth were set on edg the Children ate sowre grapes and the everlasting Father's teeth were set on edg 3. He died for our sins in our place and stead that we might not perish for them In our place and stead for expiation for satisfaction for compensation though not in such an unâ—ound irrational sense as some pretend and I shall have occasion to speak of hereafter in a more convenient place I shall prove this first from express Scriptures second from the peculiarity of his Death third from the Sacrifices that typified Him 1. From express Scriptures in three Instances 1. We often read of his Sufferings for our fins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This man after he had â—ffered one sacrifice for sins Heb. 1. 12 Gal. 1. 4. Who gave â—imself for our sins Now this word translated for may signifie only the final cause as to turn us from them But words must be understood secundum subjectam materiam according to the subject matter and in such speeches the subject matter will not bear that sense We never read in Scripture or any where else of one dying and suffering for sins but it is for them as the meritorious cause of the sufferings as some compensation for the fault as when he saith I will punish you for your iniquities And Israel suffered for the sins of Jeroboam 2. We often read of his Suffering for persons I lay down my life for my sheep Redeemeth us from the curse Joh. 10. 17. Gal. 3. 17. of the Law being made a curse for us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the usual sense of this is instead of another As Paul could wish himself accursed for his brethren Yet I know this phrase for another may in some instances signifie only the final cause only for their good and not in their stead A man may be said to die for his Country only as the final cause for their good and to lay down his life for his brother only for his good to save his life But it is not capable of such a narrow sense when one dieth for another as a sinner as an offender Now we read of Christ's dying the just for the unjust there it must be meant in his stead And when sinners he died for us And Hs who knew no sin was made sin that is a Sin-offering for us * The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the words the Septuagint express a Sin-offering by called in Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that place Rom. 8. 3. which as it is translated is scarce sence should have been translated God sending his own Son in the likeness of â—inful flesh and a Sin-offering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned â—â—a in the flesh as the same words are well translated Heb. 10. 6. In Burnt-offering and Sacrifice for sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast no pleasure And so again vers 8. It is good sense to say such a one died for his Country as in the Warrs only to denote the final cause for the good of his Country But because Men go not into the Warrs because of their faults neither are they killed in the Warrs ordinarily for any fault Men die not in the Warrs as Malefactors but as Soldiers It would not be sense to use such speeches He died for his Country though an innocent man it would be a frigid sapless dilute manner of speaking for here would be no Opposition in it But you see He who knew no sin was made sin for us We esteemed him smitten of Isa 53. God But he was wounded for our sins 2 Cor. 5. 15. c. Because we thus judg if one dyed for all then were all dead and he dyed for all c. This place would not be true if one interpret dying for all only for the good of all not in their stead For it
28. new Covenant shed for the remission of sins And this justification of sinners or forgiveness of sins is reckon'd as one Article of the Creed as essentially necessary to salvation to be believed And indeed the Justification in law of faln man is all one with the pardon of sin And as for the respective difference of pardon being a discharge from the obligation of the Law to punishment and justification from the condemnation and accusation of the Law it is so little that it is not worth while to clear it to you for the obligation of the Law to punishment and the condemnation and accusation of the Law are one and the same act Justification of one guilty is all one with pardon of sin Yet there is this difference between Justification taken at large and pardon viz. None can be pardoned but an offender but a man that was never an offender is capable of being justified as Adam would have been had he stood against any charge pleaded or pleadable against him But if once a man be guilty of the breach of a Law his Pardon and Justification are all one for there can be no justification of offenders but by a legal discharge of the sinner from the obligation to punishment which is pardon So that Justification actively taken is an act of God whereby he pardoneth our sins or dischargeth us from condemnation or giveth right to salvation notwithstanding our sins All these are the same and only differ in words If you should define Justification An act of God whereby he pardoneth our sins and constituteth us righteous all the fault here is only this You do tautologize for there needeth no more to righteousness than pardon of sin for that which putteth an offender into such a state as if he had performed the Law in all things that doth perfectly justifie or constitute him righteous but pardon of all sins both of omission and commission doth put a man into that state as if he had performed the Law in all things for it putteth him into that estate as if he had transgressed the Law in nothing therefore as if he had performed the Law in all things It is impossible to find a middle I say there needeth no more to righteousness than pardon of sin If all his sins be pardoned he is ipso facto non reus not guilty and if not guilty he is justus just It is impossible to find any medium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in capaci in a capable Subject In a subject uncapable where there is not debitum inessendi there may be not-guilty not-unjust and yet not-just as in a Brute or Stone If a man by his sin be guilty be obliged to lose Heaven and go to Hell if his sin be once pardoned this obligation once dissolved he is in statu quo prius hath right to Heaven and to be free from Hell If right to any good thing that a man should have if innocent should yet be wanting to a man pardoned as you may see I did yield such a thing before as to this liâ—e the want of that good thing is part of punishment and therefore he is not wholly pardoned no more than wholly justified as yet except the right to that good thing be restored If the poena damni the loss of the enjoyment of God be punishmentâ— then pardon of sin restoreth right to the enjoyment of God else not fully pardoned no more than justified If a Traytor be pardoned but must lose his Goods he is then pardoned and justified as to his Life and Lands but not as to his Goods So that they are the same thing his pardon and justification and there is no more in the justification of an offender than pardon of sin Those learned men that oppose this constantly grant That if pardon of sin put an offender into such an estate as if he had performed the Law in every thing then it would apparently be the whole of Justification and also that pardon of sin putteth him into such an estate as if he had offended the Law in nothing and also that the satisfaction of Christ is enough for pardon of sin But they maintain that it is possible for a man not to have offended the Law in any thing and yet not to have fulfilled the Law in every thing which I should by no means tell them that know it not was it not in duty to instruct you that it is opposed without shew of reason And by the way you may see how contrary to Reason as well as Scriture that way of theirs is who hold That Christ's fulfilling of and Christ's obedience to the Law is accounted imputed as if believers had fulfilled and obeyed the Law in his so doing You may hold the active and passive righteousness of Christ a satisfaction to Justice for our breach of the Law both of them a valuable consideration on which God will acquit the offenders so they do but perform the Gospel-conditions and I can easily answer all the Arguments I have read to exclude his active obedience from being part of the satisfaction to Justice for the breach of the Law But to hold over and beside such a satisfaction for our disobedience that there is made over to us a right to his obedience so as God to account us as if we had obeyed the Law in him beside the danger of making God account men as perfect as Christ and accounting that which is not true First It is altogether needless for the Law requireth not of us both suffering and obedience in respect of the same time and actions but only one of them either our obedience or our undergoing the penalty And it is vainly alledged that it requireth suffering for the time past and obedience for the future It is in effect to deny Christ hath satisfied for future sins Ere long those future sins will be past and if we do not obey for the future we sin and if we sin the Law requireth only our suffering for expiation and that Christ's Satisfaction Expiation Propitiation hath satisfied for Secondly It maketh the death and sufferings of Christ needless for if we obeyed the Law in him he being in our stead so as God accounted us to have obeyed in him then there was no need of his death for though we obeyed not in our selves yet we obeyed in Christ If a Soldier be by the Martial Law to watch his hour or dye if another be accepted to watch for him so as it may be said another hath watched for him though he did not watch what Must this other Soldier dye for him as well as watch for him No Law requires both It was not Do this and dye If his obedience was so formally for us as to be accepted by God for us as if we had fulfilled the Law in every thing What need was there of a Satisfaction to make as if we had bâ—oken the Law in nothing vice versâ Thirdly If Christ fulfilled
did in their own nature stir up teach and oblige you to holiness Ver. 9. But what were not we Jews better than the Gentiles so as they to be sinners and we holy worthy men No we confess on all hands the Gentiles were great sinners and so I will prove from the Scripture were the Jews also None righteous no not one none that doth good their throat is an open sepulcher Ver. 19. Now whatever the Law saith it saith to them under the Law that is whatever the Scripture speaketh it speaketh of them that lived in Scripture-places and this was written by David a Jew and so he meant it of the wickedness of the Jews So that all are sinners and under condemnation you Jews as well as others whatever your thoughts are to the contrary And no flesh can be justified in his sight by the deeds of the law no man shall be justified as being a man that deserves it or as having no need to have his sin pardoned so as his justification to be of debt and not to be of grace favour and pardon Ver. 25. But thus man's justification comes about God hath set forth Christ a Propitiation since all are sinners and God justifieth men by this for his sake pardoning their sins Ver. 27. Where is boasting then it is excluded but is not excluded by the Law of Works for if a man was justified that way he might boast God pardoned him nothing but by this Law of Faith by this Gospel-way of pardoning sinners without merits or strict Law-righteousness And therefore the Gentiles may be saved if they become Christians and have this heart-circumcision though they have not these outward priviledges which you account things of such great worth God pardoning their sins upon their believing the Gospel and having their hearts purified by it which you account such low ignoble things Chap. 4. This Chapter is accounted by the opposers of the doctrine I taught to have the greatest appearance against it but I shall manifest it doth not in the least oppose it The design of this Chapter as you will see is to prove the whole business That the Gentiles may be justified and saved by grace and pardon of sin upon their turning from idolatries and believing and obeying the Gospel without Circumcision and he proveth it by this argument viz. Abraham was a sinner and was not justified for any original righteousness as having never sinned nor for any meritorious works or priviledges of his that in Justice deserved the reward by making satisfaction for his sins for that would still be of debt from natural Law and Equity if a man could do something after great Crimes that satisfies for them all it would be so of Justice to acquit him as not to be of Grace it would however be as the Apostle expresseth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were by the works of the law Rom. 9. 31. as it were by the works of the Law though not wholly or altogether yet in a sort or as it were They that grant they are sinners and yet suppose they make amends by some strict observance so that it would be hard and severe if God should condemn them do esteem their salvation due as it were by the works of the Law they esteem it not of grace But when it is said Abraham was justified the meaning is he was pardoned and if so God may justifie the Gentiles on that manner viz. by pardoning them Ver. 1. Shall we say that Abraham found i. e. all that kindness favour and justification from the flesh i. e. from works as we see in the following verse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the flesh is in the following verse repeated and expounded by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by works So Gal. 3. 3. made perfect by the flesh he expounds v. 2 5. by the works of the law and so by the flesh may signifie unsinning obedience to the law or by the flesh might be meant some such meritorious priviledges as those the Jews boasted of for Phil. 3. 3. 4. in expounding what is meant by the flesh he reckons up Hebrew of Hebrews circumcised the eighth day a Pharisee We may here understand either but rather both for his arguing excludes both equally Ver. 〈◊〉 No sure For if he was justified in such a way by the law of works as having never been a sinner or by some high merits deserving such things from God then he had whereof to boast and say he was not pardoned and that his justification was of merit and not of grace But not before God i. e. but he could not boast and say God never pardoned his sins and that he was one of such worth and merits that whatever God did for him was due debt whatever glorying he might make of his innocency toward men Ver. 3. He proves it from Scripture that Abraham could not thus boast What saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness Now this very word counted proveth this fully that i◠was not due debt from God and also that his believing did not merit it For the word counting is like the Law-word acceptilatio which word acceptilatio is used in such cases as when a man accepts from his debtor a penny for a hundred pound and acquits him upon it So this very word implieth that his believing was so low a thing as not to be any way meritorious of those great things God rewarded him with upon it He lays all the stress as you will see by the following verses upon this word counted that it signifieth graciously acquitted him and not as a just man that deserved it Ver. 4. If Abraham had been a man of high merits and deserts or his faith any thing meritorious it would not have been said God accounted it which signifies God graciously accounted it For to him that worketh i. e. that meriteth by his works the reward is reckoned of debt and not reckoned of grace as this word signifieth This very word implies that God might justly have refused to have justified him upon his believing This is the same argument with that Rom. 11. 6. If it be of grace then it is not of works i. e. of meritorious works otherwise grace is not grace and mercy but if it be of works i. e. meritorious works then it is no more of grace and mercy else works is not works that is merit is not merit merit doth not deserve which is a contradiction Ver. 5. Counted it to him for righteousness It cannot be said that a man's believing or repenting or any other duty is counted that is graciously counted for righteousness except the man be and these things be void of merit Therefore it implies That Abraham believed one that justified an ungodly man an undeserving man a sinner a man unjust justified a man in the strict sense of the law unjust by pardoning his sins his unrighteousness Yea it is probable that by the
token to seal and oblige himself to and assure others of this promise That whatsoever offender or offenders shall do as he did before his receiving of it he or they shall be acquitted from all penalties Here 1. The first receiving this Livery to be worn by him and his is given as a reward to him and not by way of sealing and as a peculiar token of the Royal favour and the same may be said of his exploits being mentioned in the promise to describe the condition by For it is to reward and cast an honour on him to make them a pattern to others These two agree to none else and therefore herein must the fatherhood lye 2. As a seal of the promise his Livery sealeth his particular acquittal only secondarily even by sealing the general promise primarily and immediately viz. That whoever do as he did shall be acquitted whether they have the Livery or no. That it is more assuring and comforting c. to his Family having the Livery and performing the condition I grant but pass it by as alien 3. The King by thus honouring him by giving him this Livery as a reward and also in giving him it first and also asâ— seal with this â—ignification thaâ— whosoever shall do such exploits c. also by making his exploits the pattern the regula and mensura hath put this honour on him to make him as it were a father of all after thus acquitted as receiving this honour to be the first and chief pattern of the acquitting of all that do as he did they being acquitted after him in like manner only as he was 4. He may also be called a causative father in the sense I have explained it of men after him doing as he did and consequently being acquitted as he was his exploits being morally influential to incline men to attempt to express and copy them out because so taken notice of by the King as to be propounded by him to notifie what kind and what manner of exploits they must be that this acquittal is promised to First A father or pattern of the manner of the justification of the Gentile-Christians representing that as he was graciously pardoned not justified for any worthiness of his own being a sinner and an idolater but pardoned upon his believing and obeying God and following his call yea while uncircumcised so may the idolatrous uncircumcised Gentiles that have none of the outward priviledges you Jews boast of be received into favour upon their turning from their idolataies and believing and obeying the Gospel and so he is their father Ver. 12. And secondly A father or pattern of the manner of the justification of us Jews that have these outward priviledges in that we must be justified as he was He was indeed circumcised as we are but his justification was not by that or any merit of that but the condition of his justification was his heart-circumcision his believing obeying fearing God and so must be and always was the justification of any Jew not by or by the merit of any outward priviledges but by God's pardoning their great sins in a Gospel-way upon their heart-circumcision or walking in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham Ver. 13. For the promise that he should be heir of the world that is have great things have great temporal and spiritual mercies Canaan and Heaven the world to come typified by it was not made to him and his seed that is such as he obedient believers as you may see by the places after cited through the law Obey perfectly and live without pardon and so not of Gospel-grace but through the righteousness of faith by a promise of forgiveness in a gracious Evangelical way upon their repenting believing obeying God See Rom. 10. 6. what is meant by the righteousness of faith to wit a law of grace Gal. 3. v. 14 15 16 17 18. is a place parallel to this where the Covenant confirmed of God in Christ to Abraham and his seed that is of an inheritance and blessedness to men walking in the steps of his faith is called the promise whereby he gave the inheritance to Abraham and by his seed there are meant believers as you may see plainly by v. 29. and by Christ v. 16. is meant Christ mystical viz. Believers as Expositors agree So also Heb. 9. 15. A Mediator of the new testament or covenant that they which are called i. e. effectually called obedient believers might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance Ver. 14. For if only they that are of the law that is they that are righteous without pardon that perfectly obey see Gal. 3. 10. be heirs are to have great things then faith is made void and the promise made of none effect that is then there is no place no reward for faith repentance and turning from sin to God for those that have been sinners or obey not the Law perfectly and that implied promise which is implied in God's justifying Abraham upon believing God not being partial but whosoever feareth God and worketh righteousness shall be accepted and that promise which was sealed in circumcision That whosoever should believe and obey God as he did shall find great reward as he did is made of none effect if men be to attain the reward by the Law of works without pardon And the Law given Four hundred thirty years after if it require perfect obedience so as to accept nothing less hath disannulled this promise Then none can be justified unless they be men of such merits as you suppose such outward observances and priviledges make you that it is due of strict Justice and not from a gracious promise made to sinners And also I will shew that you that are of the Law and stick to that cannot be justified or saved whatever you think to the contrary Ver. 15. For the law worketh wrath for where there is no law there is no transgression This proveth what he affirmeth before That happiness comes not by the Moral Law and so neither by any subordinate revelation which is reductively comprehended in it not by the whole system or body of precepts given by Moses as for instance by the command of circumcision which reductively belongs to the Moral Law for that is Obey whatever I shall any way command you or dye and none perfectly obey That place Gal. 3. 10. is like this As many as are of the works of the law i. e. stick to that for justification are under a curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law to do them Which consequence of the Apostle's would be inconsequent but that it leans upon this implied foundation that none do so viz. all things written So here the meaning is this these laws take them as laws and commands they only work wrath and make sins more by multiplying commands more and so make the Jews more guilty than any and further from
others peace upon his innocent Son which is a glory of Justice beyond that as I shall make appear which would have been in executing it upon all men to all eternity 2. He would have lost the glory of his Mercy the glory of that Grace and Mercy which fills the hearts of his people with love and the mouths of Men and Angels with high praises of God and lays the greatest obligation on the World 3. All Religion had utterly perished out of the earth truth had fallen in the streets and righteousness perished from the earth there being no forgiveness with him that he might be feared there would have been no fear no filial fear of God no love to God he not beginning in love to us while enemies no coming to God for he that cometh to God must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of such coming and returning to him no hope and so no motion hope being the spring of obedience There would have been no foundation for Religion in the World 4. All mankind had utterly perished and so we might have cryed as they over Benjamin of a Tribe being fallen in Israel So a Tribe a whole Tribe a goodly Tribe of the Creation had been utterly lost such a Tribe such a beautiful Piece of God's Creation that sometimes it is called all creatures and every creature Mark 16. 15. Col. 1. 23 As if a Man was the whole Creation being so considerable a part of it It was not so with the Angels it was only some of them that left their first estate and so some of them reserved in chains of darkness but here it would have been all Some of the Trees of that Heavenly Paradise were left standing but all the Trees of this our Earthly would have been for Fuel and not one for Fruit. I mention not these things as if God needed to value them or as if he must be moved with them so as that he could not do otherwise than he hath done No we must still suppose as it were a great contest between his Mercy or Pity and his strict Justice his Justice enclining him to execute it upon the offenders and his Mercy prevailing and carrying away the day to provide and accept of an Offering a Propitiation But I bring in these to shew there were great reasons to dispense with the Law if it might be done with safety to his other Attributes And these great ends will so far support and maintain such a dispensation with the Law if there can be found out a compensation a due reparation to the injured Law to do it with honour and justice that he cannot be accused of Levity of being fickle of dispensing with it lightly upon slight grounds and motives but upon sufficient ones though not necessary ones For though Legislators may dispense with their Laws yet it is a weakness to do it upon sleight or no grounds 5. Had God said to faln man as Moses once to Pharoah Glory over me in this take thou this honour over me to appoint the time when the Plague of Frogs shall be removed So had God said Glory over me take this honour over me to appoint what I should now do for you Had God said Sit down and consider yea and take Angels to assist you in counsel and tell me how I may in these circumstances of things do you good and my self no hurt in my government shew mercy to you and do no wrong no dishonour to my self cast no blemish on my Law Rule and Government and I will do it We must yet have perished the redemption of the Soul is precious and would have ceased for ever We might have wept as John did to think none worthy to open the Book We might have said Lo this we have by considering found out that God cannot suffer and that the Creature cannot satisfie to eternity and therefore our condition is hopeless our bones are dried our hope is lost and we are cut off for our parts The Wisdom of Men and Angels could not have known such a thing possible that God and Man could be so nearly joined as to become one Person that God might suffer being Man and satisfie being God And further Who durst have made such a motion Who durst have let such a thing enter into their thoughts The just to suffer for the unjust God for Man which yet God freely offered and gave 6. Though this way I am speaking of could not be of Humane or Angelical Reason's ready finding out yet it would be of right Reason's ready acceptance when found out Right Reason would say Could God now find out a way to dispense with and not execute the Law and yet keep up the repute of the Law and of his Honour and Justice as high as if it had been in the very word executed could he find out a way not to execute this dirâ—ful Threat and yet ward off those unbecoming reflections of not being Holy Just and a Hater of Sin and of not being of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity unrevenged and to keep and secure the Creature still in obedience so as no encouragement to come to transgressors of his Laws for the future this would be the way that the Reason of Men and Angels would acquiesce and â—â—ke delight and complacency in But alas we despair of finding out such a way but whether such a way can be found out as he said of dry bones living Lord thou knowest 7. Now this is that way revealed and brought to light by the Gospel that I am to speak of The Sum of the Text is comprehended in this Proposition Doct. Jesus Christ was set forth by God to be a Propitiation and Expiation a Price of Redemption for Sin and Sinners that God might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus I shall speak of this by parts lying in the Text following the natural order of the things 1. God set him forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word that is here translated set forth signifies either to fore-ordain or set forth either ante decernere or in medium proferre I shall speak something of it in both Significations 1. God fore-determined fore-ordained him a Propitiation And so it is in the Margent of your Bibles This Propitiation was of Gods own invention When Darius perceived Dan. 6. 14 how Daniel was ensnared by his Decree by his Law he was greatly troubled He was foolishly righteous over-much and was averse through care of his Honour to cast disrepute on his Law though unjust and the greatest injustice would be in executing it We read he set his heart on Daniel to deliver him and laboured that is in contriving till the going down of the Sun but could not find a way to do it and keep up the repute of his Justice and of his freedom from unadvisedness fickleness and inconstancy with himself But our God set his heart on us to deliver us from the
a 〈…〉 g ordering Providence about 〈…〉 could not be said to punish or 〈…〉 n his people for their corrections are for the most part by their hatred and malice the sins of wicked men Suppose Gods ways above our ways above our reach as in some things they are shall we say They are unrighteous unjust when he sets Him forth a Propitiation that he might be just 2. Jesus Christ Set forth Jesus Christ God-Man God and Man in one Person Emanuel a Mediator a Middle-person not only in Office but in Nature partook of both Parties not like the medium negationis but participationis utriusque extremi So that we need not take up Job's dark complaint There is not a days-man between us to lay his hand upon us both i. e. Is not an Umpire to day our differences There is indeed a great distance yea a contrariety between God and us but though far asunder he can reach both parties he is both can lay his hand upon us both He is truly God Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is Rom. 9. 5. 1 John 5. 20. Tit. 2. 13. God over all blessed for ever Called the true God and everlasting life God manifest in the flesh He is truly man the Word was made flesh not only appeared in flesh as formerly but now made flesh 1. He must needs be Man that he might be near a kin to us our Goel that as man sinned man might suffer dye and satisfie that there might be as little alteration as might be in the execution of the threatning that as by the offence of one man one a-kin one near to us death came on all so by the righteousness of one man one near a-kin righteousness and life might come on all that as man was to be redeemed man might pay the price He came as near us as could be in a close union so that the Members in some sense may be said to have suffered in their Head For both he which sanctifieth that is by way of Heb. 2. 11 expiation for so the Author to the Hebrews often useth the word and they which are sanctified are all of one of one mass lump of one and the same nature for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren Forasmuch then as the children that Verse 14. is they to be redeemed are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself took part of the same that through death c. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his Verse 17. brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted 2. He must needs be God that suffered not only to support the humane nature in bearing wrath due to sinners that it might overcome death that it sink not under the weight as the Altar of Wood was to be covered Exo. 27. 2 with brass that it might not be consumed with the fire but to give worth to the sufferings to make them satisfactory that the dignity of the person might add virtue and value to the sufferings And Socinus his Objection here is contrary to all Reason viz. That because the Divine Nature did not suffer it cannot be considered in the sufferings One may with as much reason say It is all one whether you strike a private man or your Prince because the stroak lighteth on the body immediately and not on the dignity it is all one whether you strike a stranger or your Father because the stroak hits the body immediately and not the relation of the person The Scripture placeth the emphasis the value of the sufferings in the worthiness of the person in being God God redeemed the Church with his own blood If the blood of Bulls and Acts 20. 28. Heb. 9. 14 Goats sanctifie to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit that is his Divinity offered himself purge your Conscience c. Being in the form of God and thought it no Phil. 2. 6. robbery to be equal with God made himself of no reputation and took on him the form of a servant humbled himself and became obedient to the death of the Cross Hence called the 1 Pet. 1. 19. 1 John 1. 17 precious blood of Jesus Christ The blood of Jesus Christ his Son that cleanseth us from all sins So that if any should ask What Justice what Equality is there in this commutation one suffering for many It may be answered He was but one but he was One worth Ten thousand of us the Prince of Life was killed the Lord of Glory crucified The blood of a man is of more value than the blood of a beast the blood of a King of more value than the blood of a common man but the blood of God of more value than Ten thousand millions of Kings Here then is a high price indeed the King of Kings and Lord of Lords the King of Heaven and Earth's Son for Traitors and Traitors Sons The Man that was Gods fellow was smitten Thousands of Rams and Ten Zac. 13. 7. thousands of Rivers of Oyl could not have bore proportion to such a suffering for satisfaction This is more than if all the men in the world had eternally perished and doth more keep up the repute of the Law before Angels and considerate men Set forth Jesus Christ to declare his righteousness It declared it indeed 3. To dye To dye this we have in those words in the Text Faith in his blood Object Could not God have declar'd his righteousness and his hatred of sin and have kept up the repute of his Law and have made that honourable in dispensing with it upon a less consideration Would it not have been penalty enough satisfaction enough for Christ only to have taken upon him our nature though he had lived as King of kings attended with Princes Kings and Emperors Or however to have taken on him the form of a Servant though he had not dyed Or yet would it not have been enough if he had undergone some little part of his suffering Would not some one or few drops of his blood have sufficed as those shed in his Circumcision Some of the Ancients have spoken strangely concerning these things but Pope Clement the sixth most strangely for by his Decretal-Epistle he hath determined this difficulty so rationally in the account of Canonists that it is inserted into the body of the Canon-Law Extrav tit Vnigenitus viz. thus One drop of Christs blood was enough to save the world and therefore the over-plus of it is laid up in the Treasury of the Church to be given out by the Popes in Pardons and Indulgences But we are sure God thought it not sufficient By his blood is meant death But yet there remains a seeming difficulty
which I never saw or heard endeavoured to be answered except by the Pope as I said and therefore I shall be the more large in answering of it and thus it lies We are sure that God's becoming man was more than if all the men in the world had ceased to be and then on the other hand God was not so prodigal of his Sons blood as to have poured it all out if one drop would have served the turn and answered the ends of Satisfaction for which it was shed Ans I shall answer it plainly in these few Propositions 1. Christ's Sufferings were not proper solution a payment of the same but a satisfaction a refusable though valuable consideration His Sufferings were not an execution of the Law or Threat but a Satisfaction that it might not be executed See this more fully explained afterward 2. Satisfaction consists not in indivisibili in a Mathematical point that we can say Just so much is just and no more 3. Satisfactions being refusable payments one may require more than a valuable consideration without any injustice yea as much more as wisdom seems meet If some useful member in a Commonwealth as a man fit for a General should commit some crime which he is to be banished for by the Laws of the Land and some Noble-man should intercede to the Rector the King and offer himself to be whipped through the City to save this mans banishment here though the whipping of a Nobleman be a greater matter intrinsically and of greater value yet if he to keep up Law and Justice should refuse to accept of this offer here is nothing of injustice yea suppose five Nobles should then offer themselves to be used in like manner there is no injustice if he should say I will not pardon him except ten Nobles will be thus treated to save his banishment Here is nothing of injustice because it is only a Satisfaction it is refusable and he may refuse in infinitum though a thousand should thus offer themselves 4. Those are more honourable Satisfactions and do more answer the ends of Satisfactions that are of greater value than the penalty it self the greater the Satisfaction is it doth by so much the more speak inexorable Justice and shew how little ground offenders have for the future to expect pardon and impunity 5. Those are more honourable Satisfactions caeteris paribus that keep as near as may be to the penalty threatned by the Law because they represent the penalty more lively and call it to mind more effectually As if the Noble-man himself should be banished to save the others banishment rather than be scourged or pay money The known story of Zaleucus is worth relating here This Zaleucus was King of the Locrians and he designing the welfare and reformation of his people makes many good Laws amongst which this was one That whosoever should commit Adultery should lose both his eyes The Prince and Heir apparent was found guilty the King resolves to execute the Law on his Son the people intercede in his behalf and no doubt would shew him a great necessity of dispensing with the Law it would damage the Commonwealth to have his Successor blind At last overcome with their importunities he finds out this expedient to keep up Law and Government he put out one of his own and one of his Son's eyes Suppose Zaleucus had cut off both his own arms or had put out out one of his Son's eyes and cut off his own right hand it would wonderfully have declared inexorable Justice and they would have had little ground to have upbraided him with partiality for there was some necessity to dispense with the Law and it was done upon a dreadfully awing consideration and his Subjects would have had very little encouragement to transgress in hope of relaxation of his Law for the future But yet it more kept up the repute of the Law when he did keep so near the very penalty of it self Here were exacted two eyes his own and Son 's This is Answer enough to this Question God though he could for the reasons formerly mentioned admit of change of persons yet he thought it not good in wisdom to admit change of penalties or however as little a change as was necessary for the main ends that we might be saved and Christ overcome death and be compleatly a Redeemer Death was threatned and Death shall be inflicted and without blood there shall be no remission Yea Soul-death was threatned and shall for some time be inflicted and if man could not see Soul-suffering yet Angels might yea and men might in some measure by his crying out by his sweating of clods of blood and by his telling us of it and God atâ—esting whatever he testified by Miracles So that whatever intrinsecal value a little penalty inflicted on Christ might be of which I have you see freely granted yet God made account that a little penalty inflicted on Christ would not be enough to declare his righteousness but would have some great and wonderful sufferings to awe the World Men and Angels to declare his hatred of sin and how difficulty he obtained of himself to dispense with his Law and how little hope transgressors may have of impunity that shall make their condition hopeless the second time by refusing Christ and Mercy God would have satisfaction to the purpose plenteous redemption a plenteous price of redemption good measure pressed down shaken together and running over You see there is no inconveniency in saying He hath received at the Lord Christ's hand double for all our sins God will magnifie his Law and make it honourable for his righteousness sake saith the Prophet He means I suppose Isa 42 2â— in the punishing of transgressors and indeed God hath magnified his Law and made it honourable in this way of pardoning transgressors All the Earth should be filled and resound with the glory of this Justice Thus you see this part He set him forth to dye And under this head I will set before you these six Qualifications or Modifications of his death 1. He dyed a grievous painful death that God might be just c. His whole life was indeed a continued suffering of God a continued abasement It is observed we read of his weeping but never of his laughing This I know doth not prove he never did laugh and suppose it did it would not prove it unlawful for us for what was the power and faculty given for If for use we are sure it was not to laugh at spiritual things It may be he never did laugh it is possible that never 〈◊〉 was seen on that face that was tâ— be the cause of our joy laughter and cheerfulness He was ever and anon thinking of the bitter Cup he was to drink for our health One of the bravest days that ever he saw in the days of his servitude was the Transfiguration day when Moses and Elias appeared with him in Glory yet then
of compensation and expiation in their stead What possible reason can be given why no Sacrifices were to be offered for them that were to be taken away out of the land of the living 3. Now Christ is called our Sacrifice Walk in love as Christ also hath Eph. 5. 2. loved us and hath given himself for us an Offering and Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour He alludeth to the expression of the Old Testament where God is said to smell a sweet savour or a savour of rest in their Sacrifices He is called as was said before Gen. 8. 21 Lev. 1. 9. by the name of his own Types Lamb without spot Behold the Lamb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lamb of God the eminent Lamb the true propitiatory Lamb indeed that did that in reality which others but represented that did really take away and expiate the sins of the World So he is called our Passeover I will here answer two Objections more before I pass to another general head Object But can one satisfie himself Christ was God and so the party offended as well as Man Answ Passing by what may colourably be said upon consideration of the distinctions of Persons I answer 1. Do we not read of God reconciling the World to himself God was 2 Cor. 5. 19. the Agent in it and this he could not do but by finding out some way to satisfie and propitiate himself that he might not impute their sins 2. Did not Zaleucus in part help to satisfie his own Law by his own suffering losing one of his own eyes as we heard in the story fore-mentioned And this is not accounted an imprudent act but commended highly by the Authors that relate it as a worthy noble act and expedient and I told you we have only one thing to object against it which cannot be objected here 3. Tell me O vain dark man that wouldst teach God that repliest against God What way was there else possible Think a little on that What way so ever you will propound as suppose of less satisfaction by some meer creature or no satisfaction you may see the reason why you like it better is because you have not the hatred of Sin and love of Holiness and care of Law and Justice that God hath nor indeed such as you ought to have or else you must say You would have had God suffer Mankind remedilesly to perish and then it is because you have not that love to Mankind that God and Christ had And this last is the most seeming rational ground of our offence and surely we will easily be prejudiced against and offended with what God doth when God displeaseth us because he did not leave us irrecoverably to perish without remedy O curvae in terris animae caelestium manes O the crooked mind ef dark man Object But some have objected It is impossible one cannot suffer for another I have already answered what can be objected about the injustice but here the impossibility is objected Answ 1. God's ways are above our ways and understandings Shall we say that is impossible which he hath said he hath done because we cannot understand it 2. It is not oriously possible God's forbidding Men to punish one for another argueth the thing possible he would not forbid impossible things The Heathens knew it very possible we may see by their offering up the fruit of their body for the sin of their soul 3. It is so highly possible that it hath been and is common amongst Men. How common is the translation of punishment from one to another as in Hostages and men undertaking to bring out the offender liable to the mulct of the offender Solomon writeth much about avoiding suretiship because the debter failing he must pay Which takes it for granted as a thing common 4. If the Papists who yet would not be accounted Socinians and many of them are not should scoff at this doctrine of Justification by Christ's Righteousness and Satisfaction as absurd impossible as some of them do you may tell them how shamefully they contradict themselves and grant it eminently possible by their proclaiming a Justification by the merits and sufferings of Saints Saint Francis his Wounds and Becket's Blood yea the Virgin 's Milk will justifie Men yea the scourgings and severities and good deeds of Men of their religious Orders will so stand Men in stead as if they had done those things themselvs And yet some of them can make little or nothing of Christ's Death 5. To declare his Righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to declare plainly his Righteousness There is such a rectitude in God's Nature as causeth him to hate sin and inclineth him to punish it and this natural justice inclineth him to punish fin in the person that commits it but yet not as fire burneth that cannot do otherwise but this inclination or this which we must conceive as analogical to an inclination is subject to his wisdom and orderable by it And this Oeconomy or dispensation concerning a Satisfaction was as Governour and Rector of the world that he might not dishonour Himself in pardoning to secure the glory of his Justice which would otherwise have been aspersed by sins impunity and to please himself in displaying the glory of his Attributes God is just and this was an act of justice governing justice to declare at this time c. We are prone to think that this time of the Gospel was only a time of love grace and compassion to sinners but we see it was also a time of Demonstration of Justice of the strictest justice and most inflexible holiness and hatred of sin He hereby sheweth how little he respecteth persons that if the dearest Son of his love will intercede undertake for the pardon of sinners He shall pay dear for it Here is inexorable Justice indeed There were indeed former demonstrations of God's justice in the Destruction of the Old World Overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Babylonian Captivity but never any like this at this time to vindicate his injured Law and Honour before Men and Angels It is natural to God to have a regard to himself to his own honour and concernment that he make not himseif contemptible slighted as a patron of sin or no great en 〈…〉 to it And as Rector it beho 〈…〉 assert his Majesty and keep up the repute of his Law and Government How unworthy is it of a Rector by impunity and indulgence to seem to have a confederacy with the breakers of his Law Though he pardon offenders yet it must be in such a way as there may be no ground of suspition as if he was pleased with sin become such a one as themselves or not highly displeased with the violators of his Law it must be upon dreadfully-awing honourable terms What can you imagin Christ's Death was a compensation for or a satisfaction unto but to those high and glorious Attributes of his
not by the same natural person and if any Laws do lay any stress on the person of the Debtor so that it shall be judged as no payment except paid in person such are hard Laws and against natural equity so that though payment should justly according to such Munucipal Laws be refusable from another yet it is not fairly tefusable But it is quite otherwise in all Law and natural Equity in the case of obedience and punishment for here the Laws do justly and equitably determine the very person that shall obey or suffer and allow not any delegation as doing or suffering by another so that if another suffer it is not the same in Law if the penalty be suffered by another natural person it is suffered by another person in Law And here Dum alius solvit aliud solvitur therefore such suffering of another contrary to Law may be a satisfaction that the Rector may with honoâ—r not execute the Law but cannot possibly be an execution of the Law the idem the same threatned I will make all plain to you thus Suppose the Law-threat had run thus If any man sin he shall dye be damned or another for him he or another thus disjunctively either of these would have been the very thing threatned the same in Law as the Principal and Surety are and then all these after-mentioned inconveniences would have followed First In this case had God provided one to dye for us here would have been nothing of pardon Here indeed would have been grace and favour in thus procuring one but nothing of pardon remission of sin for it would not have been a refusable payment either of their deaths would have been the same in Law and so no act of Pardon or Grace to acquit upon it whereas God for Christ's sake forgiveth We have by Eph. 4. 32 his blood the remission of sins This would have been like proper solution and then the strictest Justice cannot deny an acquittance and justification to the party for whom it is paid and there need not be there cannot be in this case any such thing as pardon pardon and full satisfaction may stand together but not pardon and solution or payment e. g. If a Law be made that threatens That for such an offence the Delinquent shall sit in the Stocks or another for him thus disjunctively here would be grace and favour in the Prince to procure one to sit for the offender but nothing of pardon or remission for the utmost rigour of Justice could not refuse to acquit upon it here is no remitting any thing the Law requires no pardon at all for the Law never required the offender himself should suffer but he or another indifferently Secondly It would also in this case be injustice to inflict the least part of the penalty threatned upon the offender when the other hath suffered because it would be to inflict what was never threatned by the Law and so what is not due for the utmost Justice requires no more than the suffering of one of them Thirdly It would also in this case be non-sense or injustice to prescribe the Delinquent terms or conditions on which he should have justification the benefit of the other's death or of the other's sitting in the Stocks or else to have no benefit by them for the offender would have right without performing such conditions And therefore as a plain denying the offender the thing he hath right to would be injustice so to reduce back his absolute right to a conditional would be injustice in part To threaten damnation if men believe not repent not would be something of injustice being a partial denial Fourthly Also in this case the offender would be justified immediately by the other's death by the Law that threatned by the very Law of Works there would need no Covenant of Grace or Gospel-promise it would be injustice to prescribe terms of benefit by it as Faith Repentance as in the other case the Delinquent would have right to impunity for his offence by the other's sitting in the Stocks by the very Law that threatned it There needs no Law of Grace for requital for it is the idem in Law the very thing threatned and so not refusable by the strictest Justice to promise here would be to promise that which we have right to without promise and such promises would not be of Grace but meer Nullities But this death of Christ was a satisfaction much like a refusable payment for the threat was The soul that sinned should dye be damned not he or another The death of Christ was a satisfaction a refusable payment for God might have refused if Christ had interceded as Moses Blot me I pray thee out of the Book of Life for the people and save their souls their lives God might have answered Those that sin against me I have only threatned and those only I will punish but of thee will I require nothing and from thee will I accept nothing For the threat was not If a man sinned he should dye or some other for him for then either of them would have been the idem the same in Law and so not refusable but it was that the offender himself should dye so that whatsoever else than the offender's sufferings could be offered was refusable and so could be but a Satisfaction And then these things will suit and agree 1. Here is pardon and remission in accepting and acquitting for he might have refused to accept of Christ's death and to acquit us upon it It is plainly a not standing to his threat a dispensing with his Law notwithstanding Christ's death for him not to execute the Law upon us though an honourable dispensing with it 2. Being a Satisfaction a refusable payment God may take off what part of the penalty He and his Son agreed from the offender and leave on him what part they please and as long as they please and judg meet And indeed though they did agree and God hath promised for Christ's death-sake that they who perform the Gospel-condition shall not perish but shall have eternal life they shall not undergo eternal sorrows Hell-sorrows yet they never agreed and God never promised that Believers should not be afflicted for their sins in this life or that they should not dye temporally or that the ground as to them should be freed from that first curse or that believing Women should not undergo pain in Child-bearing for these things God doth inflict therefore the Son in paying the ransome and the Father in accepting never agreed they should be freed from them in this life though yet they did so to moderate and help in them and sanctifie by them that a Christian life in this World is worth living Phil. 1. 22. To live in the flesh is worth while 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 operae pretium And it is contrary to all Scripture to say Believers afflictions are not for sin and if they were not for sin they
would not be chastisements or corrections for it is of the essence of chastisement that it be a punishment for punishment is the genus and the whole nature of it is in every species in every chastisement Punishment is truly defined the infliction of a natural evil for a moral evil and this is in every chastisement If a Father should whip his Child not for any fault but only to do him good we might possibly call it blood-letting but not chasâ—isement because it is not pe 〈…〉 If â—e tye up his Child not for any 〈◊〉 but left he run into dangers in his absence you cannot call this correction or chastisement though grievous to the Child because it is not for a fault And if God do punish his people with temporal chastisements then they are so far and as to those temporal chastisements unpardoned so far as they are punished so far they are unpardoned If a Traytor be pardoned but must lose some part of his Goods he is then pardoned as to his Life and Lands but not as to that part of his Goods It is not less absurd to speak of chastening for a fault never committed than for a fault perfectly and every way pardoned You may see how this answers these difficulties If it be a Satisfaction he may pardon the offenders as to their ruin and destruction by their sins and yet leave some part of the penalty on them that may make their hearts ake and eyes weep though they be as brands plucked out of the fire yet he may chuse not to make them immediately in this life be like those whose garments smelled not of it without any shew of injustice 3. If the Sufferings of Christ were a Satisfaction a refusable payment then As God is bound no further to acquit the parties for whom it is paid than he accepting it and Christ paying it agreed so which is the main thing I have spoken all this to answer He is bound only in such a way and on such terms and conditions to acquit the Offender as the party paying the price and the party accepting of it agreed on Now God did not set forth Christ a Propitiation and Christ did not give himself a Pr 〈…〉 ion that sinners should immediately be acquitted without any more ado only be sinners for the Father and Son had a care not only of the offender's good but also of their own honourâ— for if we shall suppose that through this Satisfaction it might now well have consisted with God's Justice yet it is certain it was not consistent with his wisdom and prudence in Government to pardon and deliver those that should slight deliverance so to reâ—eem Creatures as to have them lawless to lose his Rule and Government over them that they may say We are delivered to commit all these abominations to be like School-boys that have their orders that they may do well if they will but if they will not the Master cannot justly according to those Temporary Laws punish them Christ was not properly a Surety though Metaphorically once so called who hath only a care of one party to get deliverance for the Debtor and careth not for the Creditor but he was a Mediator a middle person and had care of both would have their redemption and deliverance only in such a way as should no way dishonour God He had a care of the Worship Service and Honour of God as well as of man's impunity and deliverance and he would also have a care that he should not be reproached as an unholy Saviour to have redeemed one to live as if the Blood of the Covenant was an unholy thing and would allow them impunity in all sin He would not for his part have his unspotted Righteousness to serve as a covering to wrap and cover wilfully continuing running sores Nay Christ was so far from meerly designing and bargaining for the salvation of them that should continue wilful contemners of God and his Laws from intending his death for a Sanctuary where wilful continuing enemies might find refuge and safety that his design was to bring Religion into the World and to fetch it back from that swoon wherein it must needs have lain had not Christ dyed had there been no hope for repenting returning sinners He was so far from meerly purchasing the pardon of any live they as they list that one of the great ends of his death was That purchasing such hope for them that returned they might purifie themselves purchasing such Promises they might cleanse themselves from all pollutions of flesh and spirit Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself Tit. 2. 14. a peculiar people zealous of good works He bare our sins that is the 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. 24 punishment of our sins in his own body on a tree that we being dead unto sin might live unto righteousness That whereas God would have had no service no obedience there being no forgiveness with him that he might be feared but Earth would have been like Hell now God might have such poor shattered service as our degenerate estate is capable of Therefore be sure He would not use such an unlikely means as this to bargain for and purchase of his Father pardon of sinners so absolutely that should they wilfully slight their Redeemer they should yet have the benefit of his death and he should be unjust in denying them pardon and therefore wish them only to repent believe reform out of good nature and ingenuity and by way of thankfulness but if they should refuse he should be unjust according to such an Oeconomy if he deny to them the pardon and justification procured by Christ Nay let any man that is not forsaken of Reason as well as Religion that is not giddy and drunk with error and is not ignorant of the wickedness of man's nature judg Whether this would be as likely a means for Christ to bring Religion into the World to obtain that they should have the fruit and benefit of his death to justification and salvation whether they repent return or noâ— you shall have these things live as you list only I beseech you by way â—f gratitude repent reform Or for God to give his Son and Christ give himself that whosoever should believe repent return should have 〈◊〉 benefit of it and otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 short Whether of these are 〈…〉 lier way to lay such a sound 〈…〉 the world judg 〈◊〉 Would 〈…〉 pardoning sins against the first 〈…〉 nant shew so dreadfully by the death of his Son how hardly and difficultly he dispensed with his Law that men might after go on in sin without danger Surely one of the ends of Christ's dying was to shew that if he would not pardon sinners against the first Covenant without such a stupendious Satisfaction how hopeless will their condition be that perform not the terms of this second Covenant founded in the blood of Christ
Christ never agreed for the salvation of final impenitent Unbelievers never satisfied for that though he did for impenitency and unbelief and rejection of Christ for a time provided they came in at last He obtained of God not to take every denial every rejection for an utter loss of all for then we had all perished but obtained that God would wait and be long-suffering to sinners and accept them to righteousness and life provided they come in before death They that have a mind to it notwithstanding Christ's bearing their sins may bear them themselves and many will do so even they that knowing the terms of Justification and Salvation by Christ do chuse rather his eternal wrath and displeasure than to accept him on the condition of his love and favour They agreed that they and they only shall have benefit by this Propitiatory death of Christ that shall in this life perform the conditions whereon it is offered and if they finally refuse it on these terms they shall have no benefit by it but the wrath of God shall abide on them yea and they shall perish with heavier perdition with soâ—â—r punishment because of their treading under foot the blood of the Covenant slighting of it as not worthy their acceptance upon the terms of it Which is this new Covenant this second Covenant made in the blood of Christ So that I may say Though immediately and antecedently to the consideration of fixing the terms and making this second Covenant Christ dyed as I told you before that God might be just though he should pardon sinners yet he dyed eventually and the new Covenant being considered that God might be just and the justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believed c. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Covenant that by means of death for the redemption of Transgressions they which are called that is Heb. 9. 15 effectually called converted might receive the promise of the eternal Inheritance Now it is necessary for your instruction herein that I make out to you these three things 1. What Justification is 2. What the Covenant 3. What the Condition First What Justification and to justifie â—s If you know what Condemnation is you may by it know what Justification is for contraries are mutually known by one another Now Condemnation is contrary to Justification Who shall lay any thing to Rom. 8. 33 the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth If there be a controversie between men Deu. 25. 1 and they come unto judgment that the Judges may judg them then they shall justifie the righteous and condemn the wicked Now there is a two fold Condemnation viz. by the Law and according to the Law that is by the Law and by the sentence of the Judg. A man that transgresseth a Law is immediately condemned by the Law Adam in the very moment he transgressed the Law was condemned in Law that is made guilty the death threatned was made due to him And again when an offender is proceeded against according to the Law and by the sentence of the Judg sentenced according to the Law then he is Sententially condemned First the Law condemns him and then the Judg according to the Law So there is a Justification in Law and a Justification by the Sentence of the Judg. And these two senses of the word can only challenge any kind of propriety one is called Sentential Justification by the sentence of the Judg pronouncing him righteous and one that ought to be acquitted according to the Law The other is called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constitutive Rom. 5. 19 Justification or Justification in Law which is of one that hath right to be acquitted when accused When the Scripture speaketh of Justification by Christ by faith or to life it constantly useth it in one of these senses He that is a believer that hath performed the Gospel-condition is justified immediately ipso jure in Law-title by the Law of Grace he is constitutively justified by that Covenant or Gospel-grant He that believeth shall be saved hath right to not-perishing and a right to eternal life by this promise though he is not sententially justified till the day of Judgment The Lord grant he may find mercy at that day saith the Apostle By the Law of Grace or Promise immediately the sinner upon his believing hath right to impunity as to Hell and right to the Inheritance by Promise and at the last day shall be adjudged to it to the immediate possession of all those Immunities which were given by the Law of Grace or Promise Not the hearers but the doer of the Law shall be justified In the Gal. 5. 5. day when God shall judg the secrets of all men according to my Gospel We through the spirit do wait for the hope of righteousness by faith that is for justification by faith at the last day But this Sentential justification is to come Therefore whensoever the Scripture speaketh of justification in this life as for the most part it doth being justified by faith we have peace with God But you are sanctified you are justified it is to be understood of justification in Law-title and in this sense it is to be understood here We may say of a man whose case is good according to the Law that ought to be acquitted when it cometh to trial The Law justifieth him the Law acquits him he is justified already in Law and so are believers in this life There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit The justification here spoken of is expressed by another word in the Text viz. Remission of sins And the Scripture constantly useth Justification in the Gospel-way and pardon or remission of sins as equipollent terms and the Apostle proveth there is no justification now by works but by pardon of sins Rom. 4. 7 8. citing it out of the Psalms Blessed are they whose iniquities are pardoned and whose siâ—â— are covered Blessed is the man to whâ—â— the Lord doth not impute iniquity Observe the place and you will see he useth imputing righteousness without works and not imputing iniquity as the very same Again in the Text justified freely by his grace through the 〈…〉 pt 〈…〉 â—hat is in Christ is thâ—s 〈…〉 Scriptures Redemption through his Eph. 1. 7. blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace And redemption through his blood even Col. 1. 14. the remission of sins Be it known unto Acts 13. 38 39. you therefore brethren that through this Man is preached unto you the remission of sins and by him all that believe are justified from those things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses The blood of the Matt. 26.
the Law for us in this sense so as it is to be imputed to us as if we had fulfilled the Law our selves then we should be freed altogether from any obligation from the Law to obedience just as we are freed from the condemnation of the Law because Christ underwent it as a Satisfaction for us we should not then sin in not-obeying the Law and we could not be pardoned by Christ for our sins in not obeying the Law for they are no sins according to this Hypothesis If there be a Law That if a servant hired for a year shall refuse to serve his year's service if his Master require he shall lye in the prison a year Suppose one hired did not serve a year but another served a year good and faithful service for him Must this hired man also serve a year for himself or he is to blame and Must this man accepted to serve a year for him also lye in prison for him What if I did not serve a year yet another served for me and better service than I can perform What need is there may he say that I should serve it my self Do I think I can mend his work do it better my self than I have done it in him I am almost ashamed to lay open the weakness of them that hold these things after such multitudes of learned Protestants have shown their absurdity How much clearer is the Scripture way of God for Christ's sake justifying and pardoning us for Christ's Satisfaction Propitiation than to talk of our fulfilling the Law yea or which is not so ill our satisfying in Him suffering in Him or redeeming our selves in Him or God accounting us to have satisfied in Him These are Phrases the Scripture is a stranger unto though if they will say as some They mean no more by such speeches but that God for Christ's Satisfaction gives us all these Gospel-mercies I shall only say They might speak plainer And our satisfying in Him is true in a figurative sense though not in a proper sense and so God's accounting us to have satisfied in Him yet in no possible sense is our fulfilling the preceptive part of the Law in Him true for this would make Christ's satisfaction needless Now since I have defined Justification by pardon of sin it is necessary that I tell you what Pardon is Pardon is a dissolution or discharge from the obligation to punishment It is none of these four things that only pretend to come in competition 1. Pardon of sin is not A making sin cease to be for that is to be ascribed to Sanctification which is a real change in opposition to relative 2. It is not making that it should be said that the sin was never committed this is impossible 3. It is not making sin that it do not in its own nature deserve damnation 4. It is not the executive taking off the penalty for this is a consequent of pardon by virtue of justice and faithfulness Yet sometimes it is used in this improper sense in Scripture But it is A dissolution of the obligation to punishment the dueness of the penalty is taken away immediately by pardon and so remotely and ultimately the penalty God being just and faithful will not inflict what is not due what he hath made not due by his Law of Grace So that Justification actively taken for God's act is an act of God whereby he pardoneth our sins or dissolveth the obligation to punishment And then Justification when taken passively for the effect of Justification is A dissolution of or discharge from the obligation to Hell and Punishment or a right to Salvation or a right to be free from Condemnation which is nothing else but a right to salvation It doth not in this Discourse concern me to speak of the further degrees of Happiness superadded for Justification of it self comprehendeth no more than right to what would have been due to us if we had been righteous without pardon had never transgressed the Law for Justification is from some thing as well as to some thing Yet this on the by Greater things than we fell from do come to man by the same Law of Grace by the same blood of Christ and upon the performance of the same condition that Justification or pardon of sin doth As for the meritorious cause of this Justification I have spoken very largely of it already for whose sake merit Cujus intuitu I told you that he justifies us through the redemption that is in Christ and I dare not ever and anon return to speak of it here lest I should confound your understandings I shall after this speak of God's working Faith in us that we might be justified and Christ's meriting of it Therefore do not in your too forward thoughts over-run me as if I denied any thing I come not yet to speak of Now I will tell you what this act of God is how God dischargeth the sinner and dissolveth this obligation to Punishment and so giveth right to salvation which we lost by our sins It is by some new Law or Constitution by some Covenant or Promise founded in Christ's Satisfaction It is some judicial juridical act and therefore by some Law-act I thus prove it 1. It is impossible that a man that is a sinner should have right to be freed from condemnation but it must be by some Law of Grace some legal discharge Such a jus or right cannot possibly pass but by some Law-act If a Rector should refuse to inflict the penalty on a man guilty or condemned this is not Pardon or Justification You may call it Suspension Impunity but the offender hath no right to the Impunity the obligation to punishment is not dissolved by it Yea suppose God should have resolved within himself never to inflict the penalty yet he might inflict it when he would without injustice though I confess not without mutability the offender hath no right to impunity by such an intention no jus the obligation is not dissolved till some lex remedians some remedying Law some Rectoral Law of Oblivion some Act of Pardon and Oblivion else it is only forbearance but no acquittance no discharge no pardon no justification 2. God will be true to his own Laws and will not leave a man unpunished to whom punishment is due by his own Constitutions all things considered but his judgment and execution will be according to Truth and Law He that condemneth Prov. 17. 15. the righteous and justifieth the wicked they both are an abomination to the Lord. He will sentence men according to his own Laws and he will not justifie or condemn pro libitu but according to his own declared Laws He will not sententially hereafter justifie nor will he account justified here any sinner but whom the new Law of Grace the Gospel founded in the blood of Christ justifieth which only justifieth Believers 3. Condemnation is by some Law therefore Justification must be by some Law for
Contraries are of the same general nature As condemnation is by a Law-threat so Justification of a sinner must be by a Law-promise It is a Law-rule that Obligations are dissolved by the same way whereby they are made The Apostle speaking of boasting being excluded in Justification asketh By what Law and answers By the Law of Faith implying plainly Men are justified by the Law of Faith 4. We may clearly see it by the tenour of the Covenants Rom. 10. 5 6 9 Moses describeth the righteousness of the Law the tenour of the Covenant of Works which would have justified men had they performed the condition of it The man which doth these things shall live in them But the righteousness of faith the tenour of the Covenant of Grace the word which we preach is this If thou confess with thy mouth and believe with thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Had man performed the Legal Condition perfect and perpetual obedience the Law of Works would have justified him Therefore now if a man perform the Gospel-condition the Gospel this Law of Faith will justifie him See also Gal. 3. 16 17 21 22 of the two Covenants To Abraham and his seed were the Promises made that is to Abraham and all true Believers that are of the Faith of Abraham as he fully explains himself in other places of the Chapter especially the last verse And is the Law against the Promises of God against this Covenant confirmed of God in Christ That he that believeth shall live Had there been a Law which could have given life verily righteousness should have been by that Law but the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe We may argue plainly thus This Law this Covenant-Promise Believe and live can give life that is right to life for some do perform the Condition of this Law Therefore verily Righteousness is and must be by this Law Can any man possibly give a reason why that Law would have justified would have given right to life and so righteousness have been by it to a man that had performed perfect obedience and not this Believe and live perform the Gospel-conditions and live and not this justifie give right to life and so righteousness be by it 5. To deny this is to say the Gospel-Promises are meer Cyphers and Nullities they have no effect if they do not give right to Impunity and eternal life which is Justification to those that perform the conditions Nay it is to deny that they are Promises for if Promises they must have the common nature of Promises which is to give right To deny the efficacy of them is to deny they are gracious Promises it is to say they are useless as to giving the right we should have had right without them It is no Act of Oblivion much less a very gracious Act of Oblivion that doth not pardon and justifie properly them that perform the Conditions of it no Act of Oblivion to him that would be justified by doing that which is the condition of it without it And this by the way They that say Faith attaineth right as an Instrument and not as a condition make all the Promises Nullities they in effect say We should have had right had we performed that thing which is the condition without such a promise Thus you see Justification must be by some Law of Grace and indeed Protestants seem agreed it is a Juridical Act. Now what Law of Grace is it What names is it to be called by You may call it The Promise the Covenant the Law of Grace the Law of Faith the Gospel by these names it is called in Scripture The tenour of it is this He that turneth shall live He that believeth shall be saved He that accepteth Christ in the Gospel-way on the Gospel terms shall have the benefit of this Propitiation to his justification and salvation though never so great a sinner This is the Gospel the Law of Faith the Law or Covenant of Grace founded in the blood of Christ These Promises are Yea and Amen in Christ are the Covenant confirmed of God in Christ as the Apostle calls them And by this all were justified and saved that ever were saved by the blood of Christ You shall all be judged that is justified or condemned sententially according to this Gospel And as you shall be sententially judged according to this Law of Liberty at the last day so you are here in this life constitutively justified or condemned here in law The word which Christ spake shall John 1â— 48. condemn 〈◊〉 at 〈◊〉 last day shall justifie or 〈◊〉 So it doth in Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them that obey the Gospel here For not the hearers of the 〈◊〉 are just before God he speaketh Rom. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Law of Grace it is like that Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord but he that doth the will of my Father shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven but the doers of the Law shall be justified in the day when God shall judg the secrets of all hearts according to my Gospel I hope you now begin to see into the nature of Justification and by seeing what it is you see what it is not Only these things following to my best remembrance are and can with any shew be pretended to be called Justification except what the Pupists pretend That it is nothing else but Sanctification which I pretermit as ridiculous He would not be an abomination to God that could justifie the wicked that is sanctifie them according to thâ—ir interpretation First It is not Our knowing we are justified which some call Justification in Conscience For 1. The Scripture never calleth Assurance our knowing we are justified Justification 2. We may be justified in Scripture-sense by this Gospel having the condition of Justification and yet not know it yea think we are not justified and have no right to salvation else wo to troubled souls And we may not be justified and think we are 3. In this sense we should be properly said to justifie our selves and not God to justifie us for it is we that know we are justified by the act whereby we know it and not God though God enable us to know we are justified Secondly Justification is not God's knowing we are justified and have right to Impunity right to Heaven it is not God's knowing accounting us judging us justified for we are first justified pardoned in order of Nature though not of Time before he knows accounts us so be We first have this right to Impunity Salvation before He knows or accounts us to have it The Object is in order of Nature before the Act a thing is before it be known If there be an Act of Oblivion made upon condition of Rebels laying down their Weapons Offenders are pardoned justified in Law-title upon laying down their Weapons in
order of Nature before the King or any else know or account them pardoned God doth not account men's sins pardoned till first they be so by his own Law of Grace They that justifie the wicked or condemn the righteous are both an abomination to the Lord. As God did not account Adam guilty condemned till first he was so by his own Law through sin so he doth not will not account any justified pardoned till first they are so by his own Law of Grace made in the Blood of Christ which is upon their performing of the Condition of it Thirdly Justification is not God's knowing we shall be justified God indeed doth know men shall be justified when they believe but this is not Justification It doth not follow that a man is justified and his sin pardoned who is going on in all villany because he belongeth to the Election of Grace because God knoweth he will believe and so will be justified when brought home For 1. God knoweth till he believe he is unjustified his sin not pardoned he is under the curse of the Law and under the Rectoral displeasure of God for Without Faith it is impossible to please God God hateth all workers of iniquity with this Rectoral hatred He that believeth not is condemned already he is so far from being justified You cannot say of such a man he is justified his sins pardoned but he knoweth it not No till a man believe the wrath of God abideth on him Hell is yet his due by God's own Laws of Government though Heaven will be so when he believes 2. Else Justification and pardon of â—in would be from Eternity which we are sure is contrary to all Scripture that maketh them consequent of Faith Repentance and Conversion whatsoever some have said to the contrary turn them from darkness to light that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance c. We have believed Gal. 2. 16. that we may be justified by the faith of Christ To whom righteousness shall Rom. 4. 24. be imputed if we believe That they may return every man from his evil Jer. 36. 3. way that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin lest they should see with their eyes and be converted Mar. 4. 12 and their sin be forgiven them Fourthly Justification is not God's intending decreeing willing that men should be justified when they believe 1. Then it would be from Eternity which is repugnant to all Scripture God speaketh of it as a thing future God intended from Eternity That our King should be King of England but he was not King of England till his Father was dead and then h◠〈◊〉 the legal Title 3. God's intending from Eternity to condemn men for their sins is not Condemnation else men would be condemned from Eternity but then men are condemned when they sin and the Law condemns them So God's intending to justifie sinners upon believing is not Justification But when men believe then God justifieth them by his Law of Faith 3. To say This is meant by Justification is to make non-sense of all those places of Scripture that make it future When he saith God will justifie we must then say the meaning is He will willjustifie We must double the word will Fifthly Some tell us That Justification is properly and formally Christ's suffering or obedience or properly God's laying our sins on Christ But then we must say Christ never merited our pardon or justification we are not forgiven for Christ's sake for Christ never merited thâ—se things which they call Justification viz. his own sufferings or our sins laying on him Could you think of any other thing to call Justification beside what I have here taught you I could with much ease shew you the absurdity of it These are the likeliest of any I can think of to pretend to be it that are not it and are pretended by some to be it You now see or may see Justification is God's Juridical Act by his Gospel by his Law of Grace If an Act of Oblivion be made on these terms That whosoever of such Rebels shall go and promise before some Justice of Peace they will be loyal Subjects for the future as soon as ever they have thus promised this Law justifieth pardoneth them They did not pardon themselves that is a foolish pretence of some weak men contrary to the knowledg of all Lawyers and Divines yea of any rational men but the Law-giver did pardon them by this Rectoral Act of Pardon upon their promise If there be a Law in force that every Felon should dye but there is also another remedying Law That if the Felon read he shall not dye When he readeth the Law pardoneth him the Law-giver by this Law justifieth him from the charge and condemnation of the other Law It is by this Gospel this perfect Law of Liberty that we are justified this is that new Law that Ministers are sent to preach Go preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth shall be saved He that believeth not shall be damned This is our great business To tell men the condition on which they shall be pardoned justified and so saved And should any Ministers be ignorant of their great Message yea so ignorant as to say These are no conditions no terms nothing required of us in order to attaining the benefit of Christ's death How sad should this be to us Men are justified or condemned here in this life by this Gospel in a Law-sense and in this sense Scripture for the most part useth the word Justifie and men shall hereafter be justified or condemn'd sententially according to this Gospel Thus I have told you what Justification is which was the first Question propounded to be answered and I have tacitly slidden into the second Question What the Covenant is and answered that The third propounded was To tell you what the Condition is Thirdly What is meant by this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Him that believeth in Jesus or Him that is of the faith of Jesus This is the Question now to be answered What is the Condition of the Covenant of Grace of the Law of Grace on the performance of which this Propitiation this price of Redemption shall be ours for our justification and salvation Ours I say with this limitation For our justification and salvation or to speak more strictly The condition of our justification and salvation by it For God never giveth us interest in his Son's Merits and Satisfaction in its essential nature but only in the fruits and effects of it He giveth us his Merit only in such a sense as a man be said figuratively to give a Captive a sum of money which it may be the Captive never handled never had it given to him at all properly but only it was paid to the King of that Countrey for his ransome I answer What would you wish or desire it should be Think of that a little for that is it I dare
Heaven and whosoever shall do any other duty or act for these ends seeks to be justified by works in the Apostle Paul's sense They make it a certain damning sin to do any other act that we may be pardoned justified obtain right to Salvation For that certainly was it which the Apostle wrote against Now quae nimium probant nihil probant that which will prove more than they upon deliberate thoughts dare grant that use the argument that answers it self as to them Surely they dare not own what inevitably follows from this Then it follows that no man must pray for pardon of sin upon pain of damnation for this is to do one act more for Justification than that one act No man must repent for this end That his iniquities may be blotted out that is for Justification No man must by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and immortality for then he must be damned for surely well-doing comprehends more than believing when they take it for one act but God hath said To such only he will give eternal life No man must do the Commands of God for this end That he may have right to salvation If he do he shall be accursed whereas God saith Blessed Rev. ult 14. are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life What hath God made promise to repentance returning sincere Obedience of Pardon Justification Heaven and shall we provoke God if we perform the condition for attaining the benefit and expect the benefit upon performing the condition Would not this be as rational to threaten death for sin and yer be angry at us for fearing his threat for avoiding the sin upon the account of his threat as to be angry at us yea according to this principle damn us for performing the condition of the Promise that we may have right to the thing promised There is no possible avoiding this consequence for if you may act for reward then for right to the reward for you are not as I shewed before to act for Possession any further than for right to it And if any should object But you must not expect Justification and Salvation to come by these this would be to say You must think God unfaithful and his Promises nullities and we are apt to be too distrustful herein without bidding or but you must not think to merit by these things Very true but is it impossible to perform them for these ends but we think to merit by them Do they that say they may do the one act of Believing for Justification think they merit Justification by it Sure I am that many that held these things notionally did not hold them practically for many of the worthiest men both Prelates and others that ever England had held these things notionally yet so as to deny the consequence but never any good man held them practically I mean except just in a sudden fit of temptation I shall now yet more fully make out to you what this Gospel-condition the Covenant-terms of Justification and Salvation and all other benefits by Christ are for they have all the same condition every Covenant-benefit or any Covenant-benefit by reciting some of the most eminent Names the Gospel-condition is called by which is an easie matter to do and some may think it as well let alone as needless But the thing I am speaking of seems to me to be as weighty a matter as any point in Divinity and is opposed by many and therefore it shall not be grievous or burdensome to me and for you I think it safe and needful and let the more intelligent pardon my using so many words yea and Tautologies since I do it that the lowest-parted may understand me and doubt no more That Condition which we are to be justified and saved by is called by many Names which yet always mean the same thing for substance 1. It is called Knowledg By his Isa 53 11. knowledg shall my righteous servant justifie many Knowledg here is taken objectively not subjectively viz. for our knowledg of Christ not his knowledg whereby he knows So This is life eternal i. e. the condition of life to know thee and thy Son but it meaneth also Love Believe Obey and carry suitably to such Knowledg 2. The Gospel-condition is called Confession If we confess he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins So if any man say I have sinned and perverted that which is right it profiteth me not he will deliver his soul But the meaning is Si caetera sint paria Confess so as to forsake obey c. Else if God meant no more by these Promises we should have right and he would be unfaithful in denying us possession though we forsake not our sins 3. Sometime it is called Faith The righteousness of Faith speaketh on this wise that is the Gospel the Law of Faith in opposition to the Covenant of Works If thou confess with Rom. 10. 9. thy mouth and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved What doth he mean no more than you must believe Christ is risen Nay you must believe he is ascended into Heaven also yea and believe the whole Gospel and obey and carry suitably to the Gospel also The Gospel-condition which is a sincere endeavour according to the best of our knowledg to perform the whole duty of man is frequently called by the name of Believing in the New Testament because it was the great business at that time to perswade the Jews and Gentiles that Christ was the Messiah and that he rose again There were new Articles now added to the old ones new Conditions to the old They take it for granted as a thing known that they were to repent and obey that they knew the duty of repentance toward God But this was the great difficult Doctrine to perswade them there was a necessity of Faith in the Lord Jesus and to believe his death and resurrection Try the spirits for many false prophets are gone out into the world and 1 Joh. 4. 1 2 3. gives this as a trial of the Prophets every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God but he that confesseth it not is not of God We may take this as a probable interpretation of the place He takes it for granted that they knew they that taught wickedness and idolatry were not of God whatever confession they made of Christ But his meaning may be If any coming as a Prophet seeming to be a man teaching Holiness he is not of God if he deny Christ come in the flesh but if he add to other such virtues Faith in the Lord Jesus he is of God You may easily apply it to the case in hand And whatever interpretation else you will give of this as confessing Christ in time of trial yet it must be meant and teach suitably to such confession
What do you think the wicked Jews meant when they said If we let this man alone all men will believe on him What did they mean some one act and that one act that many now hold to be only necessary to salvation though not agreed ordinarily what it is Surely they meant They will believe he is the Messiah and so love him obey him stick to him If one bid you believe in such a Physician trust in him and he will cure you cannot you easily understand he means also Take his Counsel follow his directions by believing in him So when he saith Believe and thou shalt be saved he meaneth Believe and carry as one that believeth love obey turn 4. Sometime called Repentance Repent that your iniquities may be blotted John preached repentance for the remission of sin Surely you will grant that is for Justification And Christ did not take away this Condition nay he preached it himself Except you repent you shall perish He meant believe obey also 5. Called Conversion Turn them from darkness to light that they Mar. 4. 12 may receive remission Lest they should see with their eyes and be converted and their sins should be forgiven them Implying the terms that God hath bound himself to by promise through Christ's death to the world so as he cannot in faithfulness break If converted he must forgive having made this new Law of Grace 6. Called Obedience Being made perfect through suffering having fully satisfied he became the Author of eternal salvation to those that obey him Surely this holdeth out the terms on which men shall have the justifying saving benefit of Christ's death But there is implied in this also the belief of the truth of the Gospel So Hear and your souls shall live That is obey for life for justification for right to salvation 7. Keeping the Commandments Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of life Not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord but he that doth the will of my Father shall inherit the Kingdom If the Erek 18. 21. wicked turn from all his sins which he hath committed and keep all my statutes he shall live all the transgressions that he hath done shall not be mentioned This is not the Law of Works but the Gospel for the Law promiseth no mercy to the returning wicked Consider these three places In Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but Gal. 5. 6. faith which worketh by love In Jesus Gal. 6. 15. Christ neither circumcision c. but a new creature Again In Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 7. 19. neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but the keeping the Commandments of God Do not these three expressions mean the same thing the same Gospel-condition 8. Regeneration New Creature Except a man be born again c. Not by works of righteousness which we have Tit. 3. 15. done but according to his mercy hath he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost One would think you might gather hence what the Apostle Paul means by Works and what by Faith the Gospel-condition 9. Sanctification Except I wash thee thou canst have no part in me And without holiness none shall see the Lord. Godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come Is not Justification right to Heaven among the number of those things Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings learn to do well Come now though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow though red like crimson they shall be as wool I could name many other Names as Fearing God Hoping in him Trusting in him c. But I will name but one more 10. Sometime it is expressed by words that import a Continuance and this is indeed the condition of the continued Justification and right to Heaven To them he will give eternal Col. 1. 21 22 23. life who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for immortality Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you blameless and unreproved in his sight if you continue in the faith grounded and setled and be not removed away from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard and was preached to every creature under Heaven That is upon condition that as you have received the Christian Faith so you continue in it to the end notwithstanding all sufferings by the encouragement of that hope which this Gospel supplies unto you If we 1 Joh. 1. 7 walk in the light as he is in the light the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin There is no condemnation to Rom. 1. 8. them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Whose house are we if we hold Heb. 3. 6. fast our confidence unto the end But yet believers are justified at present But you are sanctified but you are justified saith the Apostle you are so upon your first cordialconsent to the Gospel-terms It is here as in all other things of the like nature What makes a Servant but Consent When the Master is willing to have him and propounds the terms he consents to the terms I have set Life and Death before you and told you the condition of Life by Christ Would we go and consider this condition and the reasonableness of it and the glorious things that would come by it and would we go and in the strength of God and Christ call Heaven and Earth to record yea and Hell to witness That we consent give up our selves to be ruled and saved by Christ would we enter into Covenant to be the Lord's people and his Christ's to walk in all well-pleasing and not to allow our selves in any known sin or in the neglect of any known duty and to use the means God hath appointed to know his will and for the destruction of sin and this as honest men really intending performance even till death being so far from designing treacherously to turn aside in difficulties that it is our greatest fear and dread lest we should deal falsly in this Covenant From this time you are justified by this Law of Grace and have right to Heaven though you should have black and sad thoughts and think you are not and you may pray with encouragement Keep this in the thoughts of our heart for ever and confirm our hearts unto thee and God will keep those that thus commit themselves unto him But yet this is true if you should fall utterly away this Law of Grace would cease to justifie you because you withdraw this consent and so cease to have the condition of it and the reason why we do not lose Justification and right to Salvation is Because God keepeth his fear in our
imagine when the Apostle saith Gal. 2. 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Christ we have believed that we might be justified c. That he means we did not repent that we might be justified did not obey turn from sin that we might be justified or not be condemned All that I will do here further shall be to speak so as to keep you from dangers on both sides if you will observe this distinction and it will be plain I hope to the meanest capacity There is in this Justification by Christ spoken of there being two Laws or Covenants one of Works and the other of Grace a lex remedians and both in force else if the old Law as a Law with its penalty was repealed it would be no sin not to obey perfectly and we might say Christ his death had not satisfied for our sins and the legal desert of them but prevented them from being sins and from legally deserving damnation there is in this Justification as it were a two-fold Righteousness or Justification and the distinction of these two is so necessary to any competent measure of understanding this Doctrine of Justification and would be so helpful to make us understand it and speak intelligibly of it that I desire you would never forget it Passive Justification the effect of active is our right constituted as I have shewed you But to speak of active Justification It is essentially from some Charge pleaded or possibly pleadable against us 1. Suppose the Accusation be We are sinners have offended God deserved wrath broken the first Covenant the Law of Works and under this are comprehended sins against the Gospel for they are sins against the Moral Law which Christ hath satisfied for all the breaches of that ever were or shall be For the Original Law of Nature is this Keep all my Commandments which I have or shall reveal to thee any way whatsoever whether by Nature or any other way of making my will known the eating of the forbidden fruit was against this Moral Law though immediately against a particular Revelation or thou shalt dye Now if this be the Accusation thou art a sinner hast deserved death transgressed the Law refused Christ and the Gospel a long time yea and hast notoriously sinned since conversion Here nothing will justifie nothing will answer this Accusation but this Christ hath dyed satisfied God hath set him forth to be a Propitiation It would be improper and vain here to plead We have repented believed for thou art a cursed Creature and there is no blood or satisfaction in these thou wilt rather be damned for thy failings in these they are imperfect at best and however cannot buy off thy former sins Here we must plead nothing in our selves to this Accusation nay we must confess we have nothing in our selves to justifie us against this Accusation of being sinners deserving wrath That that must answer this Accusation is altogether without us To plead to justifie from this Accusation something within us is to spit in Christ's face is damnable for whatever we plead must be a Righteousness or it is no way pleadable If we have a Righteousness to answer this Christ dyed in vain 2. But now suppose another Accusation which is possibly pleadable against us suppose the accusation be But thou hast no lot or portion in this Satisfaction for all have not interest in it but there was a second Covenant made wherein God made it over only upon Gospel-terms and conditions of repenting believing obeying sincerely upon sincerity and uprightness and truth in the inward parts for it was enacted that none should have the benefit of it to justifie them against the old Law but they that performed the condition Here now is no danger of pleading to answer this Accusation something in our selves nay it is duty and we wrong our selves if we have the condition and do not Ye must say Yea through grace I have repented believed endeavoured to obey God sincerely and have lamented when I have faln short I have received Christ for my Lord and Saviour endeavoured to serve him and do at this day And this will be your righteousness against this Accusation will justifie you against this Accusation It would be foolishly impertinent to plead here Christ hath dyed hath made satisfaction to the Law when the Charge the Accusation is Thou hast no interest in him and his death and the purchased benefits And it would be false and ridiculous to plead what they that falsly are called the only Preachers of Free-grace would have you plead viz. That Christ hath repented for thee performed the Gospel-conditions for thee Here you may and must plead something in your selves even the performance of the Gospel-condition You must not confess you have nothing to plead except you have not and then I would say Are you mad wilfully to refuse Christ I know men may think they have not and yet have this condition and then God knows there is this good thing in them toward God and Christ though they think not so and so they are justified and know not But if you say I have nothing in me to answer this Accusation and say true and continue in this estate you will be condemned upon this Accusation at the last day when judged according to the Gospel and are at present under condemnation in law But if you be sincere Christians and in some comfortable measure know it you may in this sense rejoyce in your selves you may say I have proved my own work and so have joy in my self and not in another This is our rejoycing the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in this world You may say of a godly man he hath that within him that will bear him out and mean by it the sincerity of his heart but then you must not mean it to satisfie for his ill deeds or against the first accusation but against this only of having no part in Christ Here a man may glory Let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me Jer. 9. 24. We may say in the Apostle John's sense and words Our hearts our consciences acquit us and condemn us not 1 John 3. 20 21. If our hearts truly condemn us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things Beloved if our hearts condemn us not then have we confidence toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight So that you may now see that 1. God justifieth as the principal Efficient 2. The Promise or Covenant of God If thou believe thou shalt be saved as the instrument or less principal efficient for an Instrument is essentially an efficient and the act of the principal and instrument are
essentially one and the same act and both proper Efficients of the effect If one strike with a rod he strikes and the rod strikes though less principally yet both truly If a man promise he gives right and the promise gives right properly 3. Christ's Death and Merits justifie as a Satisfaction to God's Justice that he might pardon with safety to his honour and government 4. The faith of Christ or true Christianity as the condition Now a condition is a causa sine quâ non and it is agreed that a causa sine quâ non is no cause but only so necessarily called for want of a better word just as we are forced to speak always of non-entities as if they were entities whenever we speak of them as Tenebrae sunt Nihil fuit So I was wittingly forced sometimes before to use the word of Faith's influence into right And it is almost impossible to speak otherwise but any intelligent man may see though the performance of the Gospel-condition seemeth at the first view to have something like influence into right like causality yet it hath not but that influence which it seemeth to have is to be ascribed in propriety only to God and the Promise When a Felon reads it was not his reading that pardoned him but the Legislators by the Law upon his reading So that they err that use to tell us that Faith is a cause of Justification and not other graces for it is no cause it doth not in propriety justifie and pardon our sins at all If Faith did merit then it would be a moral efficient of our right Methinks none should say Faith is an Instrument of Justification for then it would be a true proper saying in the strictest sense Faith pardoneth our sins Faith acquitteth us You have seen upon what honourable terms God hath dispensed with his Law in not executing it however not fully executing it upon offenders 1. He doth execute some of it in this life upon his pardoned ones pardoned as to the great matters for Christ did not bargain that the curse should in every part be taken off immediately upon their believing No God makes sin evil and bitter to them in this life many ways and they must dye and their bodies rot in the grave for a time God told Moses he had pardoned the Israelites that is so as not to cut them off from being a people but as truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord their carkasses shall fall in the wilderness And I doubt not but this tends to the honour of God's Justice to leave some drops of this curse upon us in this life and we ought to take notice of his righteousness as well as mercy in afflicting us Some will object But the Sufferings of Believers are not satisfactory Ans I know they are not in the strict sense of the word for that signifieth compensation enough for the fault or in the sense the Papists use the word For little Sufferings buying off other Sufferings yea the great or eternal suffering And some object They are not vindictive and when they explain the word they mean they are not eternal or totally destructive which is true indeed But if any by the words Satisfactory or Vindictive mean that they are not inflicted by the Rector by virtue of the Law for a fault in token of his displeasure and for the honour of his Justice and warning of others I must deny it and say So far as they are for sin they are satisfactory and vindictive in this sense and can plainly prove it 2. That which God hath and will take off as indeed all will be clear taken off at the great full executive Redemption the Resurrection of the body Christ hath paid deer for it 3. Though Christ hath paid this great Price yet we shall have this benefit by it only upon such terms of honour to God as acknowledging in deep sense of our unworthiness God's righteousness if he had condemned us and turning from sin accepting the Redeemer Methinks we should be so far from quarrelling at that we should see high reason for and admire the wisdom of God in this whole Transaction and while we see some of his ways are rational conclude all are so and our ignorance is the cause they appear no more amiable to us Here is no shadow of injustice in the Universal Magistrate of the World neither to Christ nor to Christians nor to the Commonwealth of the World nor to his old Law that was not executed 1. No wrong done to Christ for he underwent it willingly Et violenti non fit injuria No wrong can be done to a mind willing of the damage 2. Not to Christians The highest praises are due to God from them and given by them for this very transaction 3. Not to the World It was to reform it and lay a new foundation of Religion in it 4. Not to his Law For the repute of that hath been as well secured and kept as inviolable by the revelation of this to be adored Justice of God as if it had been executed upon all offenders to all Eternity I will answer but one Objection more before I come to apply all Some will expect to hear how this whole Doctrine is consistent with Election and Special Grace If you ask men of different perswasions concerning general and special Grace How it comes to pass that any of the degenerate sons of Adam are saved They will answer Only by Grace and Mercy through Christ If you ask them further How comes it about that some are saved and some perish notwithstanding this Grace They will further answer Because some believe perform the Gospel-condition others not If you demand How comes this that some perform the Gospel-condition and not others They will still concent in answering Some will and some will not some chuse mercy on the terms of it and others chuse rather to perish than to accept Christ and Mercy on the Gospel-terms Thus far they agree commonly so that it doth not properly concern me to speak in this Discourse of the things wherein they differ both granting all that I affirm But if you enquire further of them How comes it to pass that some are thus willing and others not Here they disagree Some will say this of man's willingness it is to be ascribed to man himself or give such answer that it inevitably follows from it and that God doth no more in this case for one than for another helps one as much as another and then consequently it follows that a man converted is not a jo◠more beholden to God than one not converted God doing no more for him than the other And some doctrinally hold That God giveth men only free-will and the Gospel or objective Evidence and will go no further with any I cannot understand how such can pray for Grace or for God's giving them to improve the Gospel and his
righteously to punish offences and not to let things run at random And God is not to be considered as a private person that pardoneth as a party offended or as a Creditor that parteth with his own right but as the publick Judg and Governour of the World who is by taking this place upon him engaged to judg and rule righteously and to render to men according to their works There is a wide difference between Pecuniary debts which one forgives as a private man or injuries done to a man in particular which he forgives as a private man and Criminal offences against Law and Government A Magistrate being also in another respect a private man having a private interest of his own may as other men forgive things which belong to his profit as Debts and may forgive injuries and affronts done to him so far as they prejudice his private Interest But he may not justly however ordinarily forgive things which belong to his Office and Duty incumbent on him as Governour to punish in vindictive Justice for hereby he would be wanting in his duty and also guilty of violating the authority of his own Law and Rule and of undoing of the Commonwealth by lenity and indulgence I know a Rector or Governour may in some cases dispense with and not execute his Law For sometimes Laws are unjustly made sometime about low petty matters that do not much concern the Common-weal to have them executed sometime it would tend to the destruction of the Community to execute them though not unwisely made at first and sometime he wants power to execute them the offenders being too numerous or too potent and so it may be his duty to pardon and dispense with the penalty without any more ado e. g. Saul intentionally made a good Law threatned death to any that should eat before the evening that he might obtain the greater conquest over his flying Enemies Jonathan his Son transgresseth it Saul resolves to execute the Law the people hinder him and rescue Jonathan now Saul could not execute the Law for want of strength for the people are the strength of the King And there seemeth to be much reason in what Jonathan said It was an ill Law and proved a hinderance to the slaughter of his enemies and in what the people plead to wit That he might well dispence with this Law as to Jonathan because he had wrought with God that day a great salvation There was indeed such a deed done by him that day such a high meritorious act as would amount to a partial if not a total satisfaction So that it would not much weaken Government encourage Offendors take off from the repute of Saul's Rectoral Justice to pardon one in such a circumstance But a Rector cannot without injustice ordinarily and in weighty causes dispense with his Laws since it would be To be wanting to his duty and it would certainly tend to the debauching and ruin of the Community by breaking the reins of Government and encouraging Offenders It is ordinarily as much the duty of the supream Magistrate to execute good Laws or some way to keep them sacred and honourable as it is to make good Laws for both duties are built upon the same foundation Who will say That Parents may justly lawfully and honestly cast off all care of correcting their Children for their faults and leave all things to their wills This would be not so much a parting with their right as the Objection speaks as a ceasing from and being wanting in their duty and office and God's Rectorship and Government is to be conceived of by us analogically to an Office 2. Hence learn the Excellency and Satisfactoriness of the Christian Religion and our great felicity in living in these last days and shiningdays of the Son of Man wherein the Earth is and hath been filled with the glory of the Grace and Mercy and of the Justice and Holiness of God in comparison of former days The Christian Religion discovers plainly to us that which the Heathens were fearfully bewildred about They had Convictions of sin and terrors and consternations of mind for sin and fearful lookings for of judgment and fiery indignation They knew that they that did such things as they did were worthy of death they saw need of Rom. 1. 31 attoning God need of an Expiation and some of them saw the blood of Bulls and Goats could not take away sin Some offered not knowing what they did the fruit of their body for the sin of their soul when they might be flying and hovering about in their meditations and enquiries after these things like Noah's Dove and find no rest We have this safe Ark of the Righteousness and Satisfaction of Christ discovered and opened to us where there is Rest for the sole of the foot of our souls When their soul drew near to the grave and their life to the Destroyer they had none to tell them of such a Righteousness such a Ransome The Heathens had indeed some obscure wavering knowledg of this fundamental Article of Religion the Remission of sins partly by Tradition which in ancient times was more convincing in after and corrupter days more obscure and doubtful partly by the Law of Nature in the Book of Providence seeing the goodness and benignity of God to them notwithstanding their great provocations they might and did thence waveringly gather That God was merciful and would be found in mercy of them that did turn and seek him diligently He left not himself without witness in that he did them good and gave them rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons filling their hearts with food and gladness and this was that Acts 14. 17. 17. 27. they should seek the Lord if haply they might feel after him and find him But this knowledg was so weakned by the contrary arguments that militate against it That that very deep apprehension of God's Holiness and Justice and those very consternations of mind for sins which were likely to conduce in working this repentance and reformation would be very apt much to weaken if not almost to blot out this notion That there was hope for them and forgiveness with him that he might be served and feared That it is no wonder if it was ineffectual to work this change and these diligent enquiries after God and that Salvation which they were not fully sure was attainable though yet it was their hainous sin and high irrationality and madness not thus to seek him though to the undoing of themselves in this life upon these probabilities and half-promises if haply and it may be if we turn we shall live and this will be their greatest condemnation It is no wonder if never any did sincerely and thoroughly turn from sin to God amongst them since Tradition was quite worn out or rendred suspicious and unconvincing without some supernatural Revelation as by the Prophets and their Writings I say since Tradition lost or corrupted for in
sicut Christi meritum ita merita justorum aliorum vim accipiunt à dignitate personae that is There is the same account of Merit in the Head and in the Members therefore as the Merits of Christ received their force or virtue from the Dignity of his Person so do the Merits of other just and holy men from the Dignity of their Persons Yet he allows the Merit of good works to be ascribed not only to the Dignity of the Persons of good men and worthiness of the works themselves but also to God's promise and acceptation though it be a contradiction for if of meritorious works then not of grace and if of grace then not of meritorious works else grace is not grace and merit is not merit Rom. 11. 6. But Vasquez the renowned Jesuit affirmeth and endeavoureth to prove these three things 1. Opera ex se-ipsis Gabr. Vas Com. in 1am 2ae qu. 114. disp 214. Cap. 5. 7 8 absque c. That the good works of just men are of themselves without any Covenant and Acceptation worthy of eternal life 2. Nullum dignitatis accrementum c. That no accession of dignity doth come to the works of the just by the Merits or Person of Christ 3. Operibus justorum accessisse quidem promissionem c. That God's promise is annexed indeed to the works of just men yet it belongeth no way to the reason of the merit If you be Christians you abhor such talk and I will offend your ears no longer with it How far is the performance of the Gospel-condition from meriting the things promised when Christ dyed for this end That God might justifie and save them that perform it There is no other Name given under Heaven whereby we can be saved Neither Saints nor Angels could by any means redeem us or give to God a ransome for us for then Christ dyed still in vain for it is in vain for that to be done with greater cost which may be done with less Could we once see all our righteousness to be as filthy rags could we cry out in sense of our unworthiness Wherewith should we come before him Then we might with great delight hear Christ sayiug Come unto me take up my yoke and you shall find rest for your souls 4. They much wrong God and Christ that think Christ dyed to procure liberty to sin or to free men from duty from obedience to the Law He dyed to free men from the curse of the Law but not from obedience to it but from the curse on condition of their sincere obedience Christ hath indeed procured pardon for our sins and imperfect obedience but enjoins us under the greatest forfeiture a sincere endeavour of universal obedience Some have said Do but believe you shall be saved and you shall be saved do but keep up a good conceit of your safety a strong faith as they call it you are safe Others Do but rely and you are justified and shall be saved This reliance on Christ for justification and salvation is a great duty but a secondary one None should trust in God or stay himself on him for salvation but such as first have the main of the Gospel-condition such as fear the Lord and obey the voice of his Prophets Isa 50. 10. It would be a Minister's sin to bid people rely on Christ for salvation that are going on resolvedly in their sins for such should be so far from relying on him to save them that they ought to believe He will not save such as they and it is to dishonour Christ to think he will But they are to bid them consent to the Gospel-terms perform the Gospel-condition and so rely Reliance is a very inconvenient word to express the condition of justification by because it is separable from justification for a man may rely and yet perish Mich. 3. 11. And one may be in a justified estate having the true Gospel-condition of heart-consent and yet think God will not save him through some misapprehensions And surely they do not rely and trust on him to save them while they judg he will not though they know none else can save them But hearty-consent to the Gospel-terms is inseparable from justification for a man cannot be or continue in a justified estate without hearty willingness to obey the Gospel Ministers are to bid the greatest resolved sinners believe while they take belief in the Scripture-Gospel-sense for consent to the Gospel-terms for accepting Christ for their Lord and Saviour for believing the Gospel and carrying suitably to such a belief but not in that sense that many use the words Faith and Believing Christ you see dyed not that those might be justified that refuse finally to give sincere obedience to the Law and so obedience to the Gospel but that he might be a justifier of him that is of the Faith of Christ of the Christian Faith a Christian indeed 5. We may learn hence the infinitely mischievous nature of sin What wickedness and malignity is there in it when nothing but the blood of Christ could expiate it And oh the deep stain that sin maketh that nothing but such precious blood could wash out A desperate Disease sure that required such a desperate remedy The evil of sin should be more seen by us in Christ's dying for it than in millions being damned for it If we could look into Hell and see the torments there they could not so fully shew us God's hatred of sin as Christ crucified doth Sin striketh at the Being of God striveth with all its might that God might not be it is enmity against God In every act of deliberate sin we make a scoff at God's Holiness contemn his Justice we slight his Counsel as foolishness think we know better than he what is good for our selves or we think God a deceiver one that envies our good and counselleth us for our hurt we strike at his Rule and Dominion No wonder if God be an enemy to sin and set himself against it to purpose No wonder if God with great difficulty and much ado hath returned into favour with sinners What fools are they that make a mock of sin a sport at sin at a high affront of the High and Holy Majesty of Heaven and Earth Will you laugh at that which was such a weight on the shoulders of the Mighty God and Prince of Peace and must be a bitter weight to thee in Repentance ere thou get easement Oh the blindness and prophaneness of the secure World What a leight matter do they make of sin Make but little matter of outward gross sins and look upon inward sins as Pride Malice Covetousness as no sins How easily they think God might pardon and wonder God should make so much ado think his thoughts should be like theirs and he should hate it no more than they How far are their thoughts from his thoughts Oh you that have slight thoughts of sin as of a tame mild
thing that hath no sting no great hurt in it Let not my soul come into your secrets You do in your hearts blaspheme this great and stupendious transaction of Heaven and that worthy name of Christ wherewith you are called You despise God in your hearts and say as David to Saul After whom doth the King of Israel pursue after a dead dog after a flea As if he should say Methinks the great King of Israel should never be so vain as to trouble himself about such an inconsiderable fellow as I am A dead dog cannot bite a flea can bite but a flea-biting is a small matter you that think sin but like a flea and its hurt like a flea-biting you do charge the God of Israel in your hearts foolishly as if he made all this ado in Christ's death about nothing you in effect maintain as if God did magno conatu magnas nugas agere as if these things were but Childrens play as if Christ dyed as a fool dyeth to no purpose for if sin be such a slight matter then Christ died in vain How far are your thoughts from God's thoughts You shall see it an evil and bitter thing and of dreadful desert and admire at instead of contemning this Justice of God manifested in this wise plot of the Trinity for man's salvation before ever you come to have this great benefit of it 6. This speaks dreadfully to all unbelieving impenitent Christ-refusing sinners What will become of them that slight their Redeemer that shall have no part in his blood because they tread it under foot If Christ died for this end because else God could not with safety to his Justice pardon believing repenting returning sinners what will become of them that believe not repent not return not The death of Christ is to incorrigible sinners the dreadfullest story they can read it setteth convincingly forth before their eyes and thundereth out to their ears the inexorable Justice of God and what a fearful thing it is to fall into the offended hands of the living God It may make a man sweat may put a man into an agony to tell of those things that are by the sufferings of Christ proclaimed aloud to the World to befall wilful contemners of this offer of Christ and Grace If these things were done to the green tree what shall be done to the dry If he whose judgment was not to have drunk this Cup hath drunk so deeply of it Art thou he that shalt go unpunished Jer. 49. 12. How shall they escape that neglect so great salvation You that say you cannot believe God will be so severe to impenitent sinners as the Scripture and your Ministers tell you See here dreadful Justice and believe see here how severely God dealt with his only beloved Son when he had undertaken to satisfie for our sins to be as it were our Substitute If any should now escape surely he should he was but as a Surety How little encouragement hast thou to think he will dispence again with his threat that hast seen how hardly he hath dispensed with it before God hath once indeed accepted of a great Sacrifice for sin but if men now once finally refuse him that thus speaketh from Heaven There remains no more sacrifice for sin If any man when he hears the words of this curse that fell on Christ being made a Curse for us shall bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the way of my own heart and not after the appointment of my Lord-Redeemer surely the wrath of God shall smoak against that man and God shall blot out his name from under heaven and he shall bear his iniquity himself for ever and ever What remaineth for such but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation that shall devour such adversaries such enemies that would not have this man the Lord Jesus to rule over them 7. This speaks comfort to true Believers to repenting returning sinners notwithstanding their great sins they have been guilty of before conversion and since conversion God hath you see set forth Christ a Propitiation You need not fear that you should feel what he felt such expiatory Hell-sorrows or eternal and destructive punishments Yours shall be common to men common to Christians leight afflictions and for a moment and sanctified and well rewarded When your hearts ake and consciences accuse and the Law and Justice and Holiness of God seem to urge for Satisfaction look here at Christ made a Propitiation Do not say It is we that have sinned and we must suffer the sins were committed by us and must lye on us for ever What did God lay the punishment of our sins on Christ for It would have been thus if Christ had not dyed if it must yet be thus Christ dyed in vain Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather is risen again who is at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us who will make it his business to see you have the fruit of his death God is well-pleased with you through him that loved us and gave himself an offering and satisfaction to God for a sweet-smelling savour Thou art often it may be saying within thy self I want Righteousness The righteous Lord loveth righteousness Heaven is a place only of righteous ones How can such an unworthy Creature stand before him without righteousness If I had not sinned or not so hainously sinned how well it would have been with me O happy Angels and Saints in glory they have righteousness Why notwithstanding our unrighteousness yet in the Lord Christ we have righteousness whereby we are made acceptable in the Beloved So that now Justice it self is become your friend Now because God is just the penitent true Believer is and must be justified Now God is faithful and just to forgive you your sins it would not be justice and faithfulness to do otherwise when he hath made this Righteousness over to the World by this Law of Grace this second Covenant and you have the condition of the Covenant You that are sensible of the great wrong you have done the Lord here you may comfortably see it made up and satisfied for Lord thou art well paid thou hast greater Satisfaction in saving than in damning me in damning me thou hast only my blood for Satisfaction but in saving me the blood of Christ God hath been dishonoured by you but look here and see Christ giving him as much honour as you deprived him of The price is paid yea and accepted by God and he hath declared his Satisfaction therewith and made a Law of Grace upon it and cannot go back and now saith Fury is not in me This should be health to our bones and wine to our hearts And that which hath satisfied God for the sins of Thousands now in Heaven may well
sinner and so justification of him from any thing befalling him for the breach of the Law would have been of debt and not of grace no thanks Secondly But his justification in this case would have reached but a little way would have resulted no further than I have expressed For God might yet when he pleased have annihilated him for it seems not rational to affirm That if God make a rational Creature he may not lawfully and in equity unmake and annihilate it except it offend him this would be to impose hard terms on God But yet it would be of due debt that this annihilation should not be as a token of his displeasure and for the breach of the Law if he had not broken it as is supposed Secondly Suppose the Covenant ran thus If he obey he shall live eternally happy but if he sin he shall dye be damned as it is supposed it did First Here while man keeps his innocency That he be justified as innocent and not condemned as guilty is of natural equity and not of grace Which would have been enough had we no more to say to justifie the Apostle's speech if we take it not strictly but as we use to do other moral sayings the foundational and most immediately obvious part of justification being of debt Secondly But that this very justification should reach so far as right to continued life and happiness would be of grace because that promise that causes this right to result during him innocent was of grace and not of debt Thirdly Yet this justification thus resulting to continued life and happiness would not man continuing obedient have been of Gospel-grace of that kind of grace which the Apostle hath occasion mainly to speak of which is Mercy and Pardon it would not have been of Gospel-grace of forgiveness which is the thing the Apostle hath much in his eye No thanks would be due upon the account of forgiving him any thing Fourthly But to clear all beyond possibility of exception The Apostle only speaks ex hypothesi and on supposition for the Creature cannot possibly merit any thing of God but as above-said that if innocent he be not condemned as guilty and the Apostle knew their works were not meritorious that his opposers pretended were so Now suppose I say that obedience was meritorious of eternal life of the reward suppose man did any thing meritorious of Heaven then ex hypothesi salvation would not be of grace in any sense but properly of debt which is all the Apostle here affirmeth And it seems the Pharaisaical Jews went as high as some Papists do now as to hold their good works meritorious of eternal life and our Jewish Antiquaries manifest that this Tenent was common amongst them and you see if of meritorious works then not of grace in any sense And in this sense Adam's justification to life upon his unsinning obedience would not have been of meritorious works but of grace though not of pardon and Gospel-grace and Mercy It is easie to answer take it which way you will For if you will by works understand no more than perfect obedience to the Law then justification will not be of Gospel-grace which is pardon But if by works you will understand works properly meritorious of salvation then if of works not of grace at all And in some places the Apostle seems to take the words in one sense sometimes in the other For as here he seemeth to mean proper merit so Gal. 3. 10. As many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not c. implieth Man should have been blessed and not cursed as being justified by works had he fulfilled c. Here justification would have been of works not properly meritorious but being of Law-works it would not be by Gospel-grace and pardon though there would have been in such a case the Law-grace spoken of For to speak by way of anticipation if God was not bound in strict Justice to make such a promise If man obey perfectly he shall be happy if the making of it was of grace the making of it doth not hinder the performance of it from being of grace law-grace no more than God's making this law That sinner that repents and believes shall be saved maketh man's justification for being of Pardon and Gospel-grace Object The Jews Works and Priviledges were not meritorious nor perfect Therefore the Apostle doth not mean by works meritorious works or perfect Ans First It is true they were not meritorious else they would have been justified and saved of debt without Christ's satisfaction Secondly But they maintained and pretended their works such and this was to make Christ's death vain This very opinion made them slight Christ and kept them from submitting to the righteousness of God the Gospel-way of justification And by the way if any should now have this conceit concerning faith repentance sincere obedience works of charity viz. that they are meritorious of their justification and salvation a satisfaction for their sins recompence enough to Justice they would be in the same condemnation with these and Christ should profit them nothing For this was the reason why Circumcision and other observations of the Law would undo them Gal. 5. 2. not because they had that merit in them which they supposed for then they would have been justified and saved by them but because they conceited them meritorious making them worthy deserving men and so could not possibly during this conceit expect or desire justification in God's way of grace or Mercy through a Propitiation they could not but despise it as esteeming they had no need of it as indeed they had not if their conceit was true Fourthly Faith and Repentance are works it would move a man with pity to see the weakness of mens attempts to prove that faith is not a work when Christ himself calls it a work therefore his design is not to exclude every good work from any interest in justification else he would exclude Faith it self but only perfect or meritorious works or works conceited so to be which comes all to one for as works really compleat or meritorious would essentially hinder pardon by Christ's death being essentially inconsistent so a man conceiting his works meritorious is by God's Law of Grace excluded from any interest in this Propitiation For he hath made it a part of the condition That men be sensible of their unworthiness unrighteousness and undone estate without Christ and Pardon You see what the Apostle's meaning is not Now that you may see what his meaning is let these two things be well considered viz. What the Jews Opinions were and What the Apostle's Design was First What the Jews Opinions were which Paul opposed which are something plain from Scripture and are made more plain by the Writings of ancient Jewish Authors First They held their good works meritorious of eternal life yea some of
Vindiciae Legis 24 Lect. proving by six Arguments That though the Law given by Moses taken strictly and abstractly as a rule holdeth forth life on no terms but perfect obedience yet take it as it was given and administred by Moses to the people as a Covenant and so it was a Covenant of Grace made in the blood of Christ promising justification and happiness upon sincere endeavours of obedience And Mr. Ball on the Covenant proveth the same of these very words and that the people did so understand it if you sincerely endeavour and ought so to understand it So Calvin l. 2. Instit c. 9. These Jews were for justification by it meerly as a Law and strict Covenant of Works as if there was no justification to be expected from it but by reaching the preceptive part in every thing and if so then there was an end of the Gospel preached to Abraham then this Law that was 430 years after it would have disannulled the promise made of God in Christ That whosoever should believe repent obey sincerely should be saved Whereas as it was given by Moses it was the Law of Grace and Faith as the following verse shews the same for substance that was made to Abraham and is now made to us But take it as a law a strict law of works and it is represented by that The man that doth these things shall live by them which is indeed essential to every law any law justifieth the doers of it and in this sense there can be no justification that is justification without pardon but by doing every thing if you be guilty of the least omission or negligence you are out of its justification and under its condemnation or curse Ver. 6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thy heart c. That is the tenour of the covenant or law of grace speaketh thus c. But now come to the Mosaical dispensation as it was a covenant of grace to be understoost with that Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and moderation as it was given by Moses and is explained Deut. 30. 12 13 14 c. and in many other places and you will find it is the word of faith which we preach the same for substance with it For the Gospel-rule of justification the righteousness of faith in that Chapter mentioned saith Say not in thy heart Who shall ascend c. that is Be not now sollicitous do not perplex your selves in saying Alas I am hopeless for I have broken the law or I shall never be able exactly to obey it for the future in every thing Do not trouble your selves as if God required any thing of you that you could not perform though you was really desirous to do it with the prevailing-bent of your soul for as for those failings which are consistent with this though they be sins yet they should not cause despairing trouble For Christ by his satisfaction hath procured they shall not hinder your happiness he is the end of the Law as was said But all that is required of you for life and justification is a thing very easie was there but a willing mind God will not require what you have not as some troubled souls are apt to think what is so out of your power that you cannot do it though you fain would but will if there be a willing mind accept of what you have such poor stuff as our degenerate state is capable of performing if willing It is now brought to your own choice I have set life and death before you therefore chuse life v. 19. you cannot now chuse it on the terms of it and yet miss it Say not in thy heart Who shall asscend into heaven as if the obtaining of justification to thee a sinner was such a thing as could not be come by was set before thee on an impossible condition this is in effect to deny Christ is risen and ascended into Heaven for our justification for to bring Christ from Heaven is to do what in thee lies to deny to hinder his ascending into Heaven and you do it by this saying which is virtually to deny he hath finished his work to think you must do some impossible thing your selves as keep the law perfectly your selves for salvation Say not Who shall descend into the deep do some impossible thing to fetch up righteousness and life for us sinners This is in effect to deny Christ to have dyed for our sins What did he dye for if some difficult impossible thing be required of us Ver. 8. But what saith the Gospel-rule of righteousness the righteousness of Faith The thing is easie to come by that is required of thee it is nigh thee even in thy heart and mouth And this is the word of faith the Gospel that we preach do but confess with thy mouth and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead and carry suitably to such a belief and thou shalt be saved without the laborious and innumerable observances of the Jews which they can never perfectly observe whatever they pretend and so can never be justified their way These two it is probable he names as the most generally difficult parts of the Gospel-condition at that day To believe God hath testified him to be the Messiah by raising him from the dead notwithstanding all scoffs at the resurrection and endeavours to perswade you to the contrary and confessing him in the times of danger and difficulty when like to lose all by it and many apostatizing Christians maintained it was not necessary to confess but that they might deny him when danger approached so they but kept their hearts right which seemeth to be implyed in those ironical expressions 1 Cor. 4. 8 9 10 11. Ver. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness c. True hearty yeelding to the obedience of the Gospel is enough at first for justification but if you would have your justification so to continue as to reach salvation you must hold out to the end in confessing him though with the danger of your lives Ver. 11. For the Scripture saith Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed Ver. 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and Gentile For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him Ver. 13. For whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved It is all one as if he had said Whosoever believeth and carrieth suitably to such belief shall be saved and he useth calling on God and believing God promiscuously which would not be sense if they did not mean the same thing the same Gospel-condition And indeed as many promises of Justification and Pardon are made to Prayer as to Believing but the meaning is carry suitably to such prayer believe obey repent I am weary of easie work and so give over All those other places in this Apostle's Epistles that have any shew to
oppose the Doctrine delivered are to be interpreted in pursuance of this design That men are justified only by pardon of sin through the Propitiation upon performing those conditions pardon is promised to and so may the Gentiles be justified without such perfect obedience to the Law or meritorious priviledges or satisfactions If I should proceed I can only repeat the same again and again with very little variation upon the places following Gal. 2. 11 12 13 14 15 16. Gal. 3. Gal. 5. 2. Paul once circumcised Timothy yet here saith Behold I Paul say unto you If you be circumcised that is upon this account else he would not have spoken so severely to make you such worthy persons as to need no pardon Christ shall profit you nothing Ver. 3. For I testifie again to every man that shall now be thus or on this account circumcised he is a debtor to the whole Law He must look to it that he fail not in the least for he virtually disclaims all pardon by Christ and so shall not have it So Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Ver. 7. That being justified by his grace c. This Scripture tells us what is meant by work and what by faith and plainly to any considering man James 2. 14 to the end When some had it is probable mis-understood such expressions in St. Paul's Epistles as if only believing the truth was enough for salvation the Apostle James shews that by Abraham's faith was meant his faith and obedience and saith that those words believed God mean believed God and obeyed him in offering up his son and other difficulties like that 1 Maccab. 2. 52. Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation and it was imputed to him for righteousness As Phineas executed judgment and it was counted to him for righteousness throughout all generations that is God rewarded him graciously with an everlasting Priesthood as if he had been a righteous man a deserving man when yet he was not by the Apostle Paul's argument that the word counted implieth it was not due to him so doing but of grace Ver. 22 23. When he offered up his son then the Scripture was fulfilled perfectly explained that saith Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness that is God acquitted and rewarded him upon his faith and obedience as if he had been a righteous man in the strictest sense when indeed he was not And you may observe it would as much serve the Apostle Paul's arguing and support what he builds upon it if the very words had run thus Abraham believed and obeyed and it was counted c. and it is plain that was the meaning as you may see Gen. 22. 8. In thy seed shall all nations be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice or if they had run thus He walked before God and was upright and it was counted c. and this is said in effect in saying If he did so God would do great things for him cap. 17. 2. Or if the words had been expresly thus Abraham feared God and it was accounted to him for righteousness and we do read as much in sense though not in express words Gen. 22. 12. For now I know thou fearest God seeing thou hast not with-held c. Ver. 16. By my self have I sworn For because thou hast done this thing and hast not with held thy son that in blessing I will bless thee It would be a poor blessing if it did not include justification I say had the words run so the Apostle is so far from excluding these things from being a condition of justification that such words would as well have proved what he is proving only they would not so occasionally have served to press them to the great difficult duty of that day the believing Christ's Resurrection FINIS