commend ourselves to God thereby that we may obtaine pardon 4. The beleever would consider seriously the dreadfulnesse of their condition who are lying under the lash of the law for sin The law sayeth cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the law and every sin is a transgression of the law so that acording to law and justice they are in hazard for evry sin in it self exposeth the sinner to eternal wrath sin being an offence against God who is a righteous judge and a breach of his law A right sight and apprehension of this would serve to humble the sinner before God and make him more earnest in seeking out for pardon that this obligation to punishment might be removed 5. The beleever would not only consider the sin it self but also take notice of all its Aggravations There are peculiar aggravations of some sins taken from the time manner and other circumstances which rightly considered will helpe forward the work of humiliation And the sins of beleevers have this aggravation above the sins of others that they are committed against more love and speciall Love and against more opposition and contradiction of the grace of God within the soul against more light and conviction c. and therefore their humiliation upon this account ought to be singular and serious So was it with David when he took notice of the speciall aggravations of his sin Psal. 51 4 6 14. and Ezra cap. 9. Nehemiah Cap. 9. and Daniel Cap 9. This considering of sin with its due aggravations would helpe to prize mercy at an high rate and cause the soul more willingly waite for and more seriously seek after Remission knowing that God is more angry for great sins than for sins of infirmity and may therefore pursue the same with sorer judgments as He broke David's bones withdrew his comforts c. 6. The beleever would be convinced of an impossibility of doing any thing in himself which can procure pardon at the hands of God should he weep cry afflict himself pray never so all will do nothing by way of merite for the taking away of the least sin that ever he commited and the conviction of this would drive him to despaire in himself and be a meane to bring him cleanly off himself and to look out for mere mercy in Christ Jesus So long as through the deceitfulnesse of Satan the false heart inclineth to the old byas and hath its eye upon any thing in it self from whence it draweth its hops and expectation of pardon and acceptance it will not purely act faith on Christ for this end and so he will lose all his labour and in end be disappointed Therefore the beleever would guard against this and that so much the more that the false deceitful heart is so much inclined thereto and that this deceit can sometime work so cuningly that it can hardly be discerned being fairded over with many false glosses and pretexts and that it is so dishonourable to Jesus and hurtful and prejudicial to the soul. 7. The beleever would act faith on the promises of pardon in the new covenant as having a right to them through Jesus Christ and challenge with humble boldnesse the fulfilling of the same according to that 1. Ioh. 1 9 If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins So that the beleever may not only take hold of mercy and grace in God as an incouragement and invitation to go to God for pardon but even of the justice and righteousnesse of God because of his faithful promises and the beleever would have here a speciall eye to Christ in whom all the promises are yea and amen and look for the accomplishment of them through Him and for his sake alone 8. Faith would eye Christ as hanging upon the crosse and offering up himself through the eternall Spirit a sacrifice to satisfie divine justice for all the sins of his own chosen ones we cannot think that Christ bare but some of their sins or only their sins committed before conversion and if he bare all as the Father laid all upon Him the beleever is to lay hold on Him by faith as hanging on the crosse as well for taking away of the guilt of sins committed after conversion as before His sacrifice was a sacrifice for all and He bare our sins without distinction or exception in his owne body on the tree 1. Pet. 2 24. David had his eye on this when he cryed out Psal. 51 7. purge me with hysope hysope being sometimes used in the legall purifications which typified that purification which Christ really wrought when He gave himself a sacrifice for sin Levit. 14 6. Num. 19 18. 9. The beleever looking on Christ dying as a Mediator to pacifie the wrath of God and to make satisfaction to the justice of God for the sins of his people would renew his consent unto that gracious and wise contriveance of heaven of pardoning sins through a crucified Mediator that mercy and Justice might kisse each other and be glorified together and declare againe his full satisfaction with Christ's satisfying of justice for him and taking away the guilt of his sins by that blood that was shed upon the crosse by taking those sins whereof now he standeth guilty and for which he is desireous of pardon and by faith nailing them to the crosse of Christ and rolling them on his shoulders that the guilt of them as well as of the rest might be taken away through the merites of his death and satisfaction Thus the beleever consenteth to that noble act of free grace whereby the Lord made all our sins to meet together on Christ when he taketh those particular sins wherewith now he is troubled and casteth them in into the heape that Christ as the true scape-goat may carry all away This is to lay our hands on the head of our sacrifice 10. The beleever hath another ground of comfort to grippe to in this case and that is Christ's eternall Priesthood whereby he makes intercession for the transgressions of his people and as their advocate and atturnay with the father pleadeth their cause whereby he is able to save them to the last and uttermost step of their jurnay and so to save them from the guilt of all casuall and emergent sins that might hinder their salvation So that the beleever is to put those sins that now he would have pardoned into the hands of Christ the everlasting intercessour and alsufficient advocat that He by vertue of his death would obtaine a new pardon of these their failings and transgressions and deliverance from the guilt thereof and their acceptance with the Father notwithstanding of these transgressions 11. Thus beleevers eyeing Christ as Dying Riseing againe Ascending and as Sitting at the Fathers right hand there to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck and to interceed for his owne and to see to the application of
returne to the great God upon him Let all the creation of God wonder at this wonderfull condescending love of God that appointed such a way and of Christ that was content to louâ—… so low as to become this way to us this new and living way and that for this end he should have taken on flesh and become Emmanuel God with us and taberrackled with us that through this vaile of his flesh he might consecrate a way to us Let angels wonder at this condescendency 2. Hence we may see ground of being convinced of those things 1 That naturally we are out of the way to peace and favour with God and in a way that leadeth to death and so that our miserie and wreatchednesse so long as it is so cannot be expressed 2. That we can do nothing for ourselves set all our wits a work we cannot fall upon a way that will bring us home 3. That it is madnesse for us to seek out another way and to vex ourselves in vaine to run to this and to that meane or invention of owr owne and be found fools in end 4. That our madnesse is so much the greater in this that we will turne to our owne wayes that will fail us when there is such a noble and excellent every way satisfying way prepared to our hand 5. That our wickednesse is so desperat that the way which is pointed out to us doth not please us and that we will not enter into it not walk in it 6. That this Way which is also the Truth and the Life is only worth the Imbraceing and is only saife and sure we should be convinced and perswaded of the worth sufficiency and desireablenesse of this way Reason with ordinary light from the word may teach these things But grace can only cary them into the heart and make them take rooting there 3. We may read here our obligation unto those particulars 1. To turne our bak upon all other false and deceitfull wayes and not rest there 2. To enter into this way though the gate be narrow straite Mat. 7 13. Luk. 13 24. yet to strive to enter in 3. To resolve to abide in that way as acquiesceing in it resting satisfied with it and this is to be rooted in him Col. 2 7. to dwel in him 1 Iohn 3 24. to live in him or through him 1. Iohn 4 9. 4. To walk in this way Col. 2 6. that is to make constant use of him and to make progresse in the way in through him to goe from strength to strength in him drawing all our furniture from him by faith according to the covenant And this sayeth that the soul should guaird against 1 stepping aside out of this good pleasant way 2. backslideing 3. sitting up fainting by the way In a word This pointeth out our duty to make use of Christ as our way to the father and only of Christ and this leads us to the particulars we shall speak a little to There are two maine things which stand in our way and hinder us from approaching to the Father 1. Unrighteousnesse and guilt whereby we are legally banished because of the broken covenant and the righteous sentence of God according to that covenant 2. Wickednesse impurity unholinesse which is as a physicall bar lying in our way because nothing that is uncleane can dwell and abide with him who is of purer eyes then he can behold inquitie and nothing that is uncleane can enter in there where He is So then there must be an usemaking of Christ as a way through both these impediments We need justification pardon for the one and sanctification cleansing for the other Now Christ being the way to the Father both as to justification in taking away the enmitie in changeing our state removing our unrighteousnesse guilt whereby we were lying under the sentence of the law adjudging such sinners as we are to hell and as to sanctification in cleansing us from all our pollutions renewing our souls washing away our spots defilements c. He must be made use of in reference to both In speaking to the first we shall be the shorter because through God's great mercy the gospell pure way of justification by faith in Christ is richly and aboundantly cleared up by many worthy authors of late both as concearning the theoreticall and practicall part CHAP. IV. How Christ is made use of for justification as a Way WHat Christ hath done to purchase procure to bring about our justification before God is mentioned already viz. That He stood in the room of sinners engadging for them as their cautioner undertaking at length paying down the ransome becoming sin or a sacrifice for sin a curse for them and so laying downe his life a ransome to satisfie divine justice and this he hath made known in the gospell calling sinners to an accepting of him as their only Mediator and to a resting upon him for life salvation and withall working up such as belong to the election of grace to an actuall closeing with him upon the conditions of the covenant to an accepting of him beleeving in him resting upon him as satisfied with and acquiesceing in that soveraigne way of salvation justification through a crucified mediator Now for such as would make use of Christ as the way to the Father in the point of justification those things are requisite to which we shall only premit this word of caution That we Judge not the want of these requisites a ground to exeem any that heareth the gospell from the obligation to believe rest upon Christ as He is offered in the gospell First There must be a conviction of sin miserâ—… a conviction of originall guilt whereby we are banished out of God's presence favour are in a state of enmity death are come short of the glory of God Rom. 3 23. becomeing dead or under the sentence of death through the offence of one Rom. 5 15. being made sinners by one Mans disobedience vers 19. and therefore under the reigneing power of death vers 17. and under that judgement which came upon all men to condemnation vers 18. And of originall innate wickednesse whereby the heart is filled with enmity against God and is a hater of Him of all his wayes standing in full opposition to him to his holy lawes loving to contradict and resist him in all his actings despiseing and undervalueing all his condescensious of love obstinately refuseing his goodnesse offers of mercy peremptoâ—…ily persisting in rebellion heart opposition not only not accepting his kindnesses offers of mercy but contemning them trampling them underfoot as imbittered against him As also there must be a conviction of our actuall transgressions whereby we have corrupted our wayes yet more run further away from God brought on more wrath upon our souls according to that sentence of the law
against God and enmity through wickednesse naturally resideing there and which the Prince of the powers of the aire the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobediance increaseth and stirreth up 2. That this evil is not totally taken away even in the godly but helped only in pairt for they see and know but in pairt 1 Cor. 13 vers 13. 3. That hence it cometh to passe that through the working of corruption the soul of a beleever can sometime win to no right thought of God at all or at best to some very narrow and unsutable conceptions of Him and his wayes yea sometimes all the thoughts that they can get of God are vaine and idle if not misshapen and blasphemous 4. That as we are we cannot see God for no man hath seen Him Mat. 11 27. Iohn 4 46. for He is an invisible God 1 Tim. 1. 17. Heb. 11 27. He dwelleth in light which no man can approach unto Him no man hath seen nor can see 1 Tim. 6 16. 1 Iohn 4 12. 5. That all that knowledge of God which iâ—… saveing is to be found in Christ who is the brightnesse of his glory the expresse image of his person Heb. 1 2. and the image of the invisible God Col. â—… 15. and is for this end come out from the bosome of the Father that He might acquant us with Him and with all his secrets Iohn 1 18. Mat. 11 27. so far as is needful for us to know He is God incarnate that in Him we may see the invisible Thus God is manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3 16. and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us Iohn 1 vers 14. 6. That therefore if we would see and know God we must go to Christ who is the temple in which God dwelleth and manifesteth his glory and in and through Him must we see and conceive of God The light that we get of the knowledge of the glory of God must be in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4 6 that is in the manifestations that Christ hath made of himself in his Natures Offices Ordinances Works Dispensations of grace mediate and immediate c. And thus doth God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse cause this light of the knowledge of his glory shine into our hearts viz. in the face of Iesus Christ that is in the dispensations of grace in the gospel which is the glorious gospel of Christ 2 Cor. 4 4. and as it were the face of Iesus Christ for as by the face a man is best known and distinguished from others so Christ is visibly discernably and manifestly seen and known in and by the gospel dispensations there are all the lineaments and draughts of the glory of God which we would know lively and clearly to be seen So then if we would make use of Christ for this end that we may win to a right sight of God and suteable conceptions of his glory we would consider those things 1. We would live under the sense and through conviction of the greatnesse and incomprehensiblenesse of God as being every way past finding out and also under the conviction of our own darknesse and incapacitie to conceive aright of Him even as to what He hath revealed of himself 2. We would know that what the works of Creation and Providence declare and preach forth of God though it be sufficient to make Heathens and others that do not improve the same to a right acknowledging of him inexcuseable as Paul teacheth us Rom. 1 20. yet all that is short of giving to us that saving knowledge of Him which must be had and which is life eternal Iohn 17 2. 3. We would know that what of God is to be found-out by the works of creation and providence is more distinctly seen in Christ and in the gospel Here is a greater and more glorious discovery of God and of his glorious attributes his Iustice Power Wisdome Goodnesse Holiness Truth c. than can be found by the deepest diveing naturalist and most wise moral observer of providence that is not taught out of the Gospel 4. Yea there is something of God to be seen in Christ in the gospel which can be observed â—…o none of his works of creation or common providence there is the grace of God that bringeth salvation that is made to appear only by the gospel T it 2 â—…1 and there is a peculiar kindenesse and love of God toward man which is only discovered by Christ in the gospel Tit. 3 4. There is that manifold wisdome of God that mysterie which was hid from the beginning of the world in God that Principalities and powers in heavenly places the greatest and wisest of naturalists must learne by the church wherein that is preached and proclaimed by the dispensations of the gospel Ephes. 3 9 10. His mercy pardoning poor sinners justice being satisfyed can not be cleared by nature Nature cannot unfold that mystery of justice and mercy concurring to the salvation of a sinner only the gospel can cleare that riddle 5. We would remember that all the beames of that glory which are necessary and useful for us to know are to speak so contracted in Christ and there vailed to the end that we may more steadyly look upon them We may go to our Brother who is flesh of our flesh and there through the vaile of his flesh see and behold what otherwayes was invisible as we can look to the sun better shineing in a pale of water than by looking up immediatly so can we behold God and his glory better in Christ where there is a thinne vail to speak so drawne over that otherwise blindeing yea killing glory than by looking to God without Christ for alas we could not endure one glance of an immediat ray of divine glory it would kill us out right 6. We must then go to Christ and there see God for He who seeth Him seeth the Father also Iohn 14 9. Particularly we must go to the face of Iesus Christ that is that whereby He hath made himself known the noble contriveance of the glorious gospel wherein all things are so carryed on as that God is glorified in his Son in the salvation of poor sinners The whole work of salvation is laid on Christ and the Father is glorified in Him who is his servant and his chosen whom He upholdeth and furnisheth for the work Esai 42 1 2. He is called the Covenant it self He is the undertaker in the covenant of Redemption and in the covenant of Grace all is founded on Him all the good things of it are given out by Him all the grace by which we close with it and accept of Him according to it is given by Him Now in this gospel contrivance are all the lines of the glorious face of Christ to be seen and in that face must we see and discerne the glory of God all the rayes of which are centred in Christ and there will