2. The formal Object of our worship is Christs God-head and we pray to him on that account because He is the Eternal Infinit Omni-potent Supream c. in respect of his divine nature 3. In our worshipping of this Mediator on this account or ground the mind may be swayed to it on consideration that the person whom we worship as God is also Mediator and Man and this proposes no new Object of worship but gives a motive to induce us to worship him and warms the heart with love to him as when we go to pray to him the mind may consider him as one that died now so considered he is not the Object of our worship because it holds him out as humbled and suffering yet our so considering him strengthens Faith to expect what we need from him and it induces to pray to him and engages to love him even as the People of Israel in prayer to God sometimes used that Title Our redeemer that brought us out of Egypt Yet the ground and account on which they worshipped him was his being the Eternal Infinit and Omnipotent God and the consideration of his Works were but motives to induce them to worship him and to strengthen their Faith in expecting what they stood in need of from him So is it here For if it were possible to conceive that the Mediator that died were not God we would not pray to him for God is the alone Object of divine worship yet to consider that he is God and yet died is an inducement to us to pray to him and it strengthens our Faith to consider that as he is God so also Man one that died and hath also entered himself in this near relation to us For the 3d. which will help to clear the former That is the forms of such Petitions as may be used in petitioning the Mediator we need the lesse to stand on it if as hath been said we hold us by these grounds 1. That there is but one Object of worship 2. That this one Object of worship is God 3. That in worshipping the Mediator we do not divine that Object of our worship Yet we shall speak a word for clearing 1. What form seems most allowable here 2. For clearing of somewhat which we hinted at the other day anent one particular form of petition First then This is clear that we may pray directly to the Mediator by naming him as Stephen does Act. 7. at the close 2. That the Mediator when prayed to may be considered as such by us For there is a differenee betwixt that which is considered by us in the act of our worship and that which is the Object of that Act and as we said the motive that induces us to that Act is the uptaking of him as Mediator 3. That he may be designed Mediator and Redeemer and may get these Names and Titles because they serve to strengthen our Faith and to warm our affections to him even as when the people of Israel prayed to God they remembred that he was their Redeemer and Deliverer and had wrought so and so for them and these were motives to induce them to pray and served to strengthen their Faith in praying to him yet the ground and account on which they worshipped him was his own infinit glorious Majesty 4. It 's clear that when the Mediator is prayed unto something may be sought from him that agrees to the Office of the Mediator For instance he may be prayed unto to take to him his Government and to exerce it to give gifts unto men to gather his own Elect to make his will effectual for the ingathering of them c. yet even then a difference would be put betwixt the Object of our sutie and the matter we suite for which belongs to him as Mediator yet as God he is the Oâ—ject of our suite and prayer This seems to be â—â—lured at Psal 45. when the Psalmist speaking to the Son the Mediator sayes Giâ—d thy sword upon thy thigh ride prosperously let the kings arrows be sharp in the hearts of his enemies Which upon the matter seems clearly to relate to Christs executing his Office as Mediator yet look to the Title he gives him and the ground or account on which he puts up his prayer It 's the consideration of him as God Therefore he sayes O! thou most mighty a divine attribute pointing him out to be God And thy throne O God sayes he is from everlasting c. Now as for the 2d thing If all this be granted it may then be asked why we seem not to be satisfied with that manner of expression or form of petition which we hinted at the other day Lord Jesus make intercession for me plead for me with or before the Father Seing we allow such a Petition as this Lord Jesus make me partaker of thy intercession and the like As warrantably when put up with reverence and faith The same Object of worship being invocat with them both Answer 1. We say that the use-making and improving of Christs Intercession is not to be restricted to this manner of expression or form of Petition and it was for this end that we observed it For it cannot be said that only we make use of Christs Intercession when we use this form and so it 's not essential nor necessary to the use-making of Christ's Intercession This is the fault that is in it as if there were no use-making of his Intercession but when this form of Petition is used whereas we shew that it is mainly the exercise of Faith resting on his Intercession whereby it is improven and one may be usâ—ng this forme of word and yet not be improving his Intercession And another may not use this form of words and yet be improving it when Faith is exercised on it and th refore to improve his Intercession is rather by the exercise of Faith to rest on it then in any such form of words to pray to him and we would not think that Christ's Intercession is not made use of when the Father is prayed unto or when such a form of words is not used but place it in the exercise of Faith alone 2. We say if such a petition be well understood and qualified it is not simply sinful or evil if so be that our meaning in it amount to this much Lord Jesus let me be partaker of the benefites of thy Intercession even as we may pray Lord Jesus let me be partaker of the benefits of thy Satisfaction yet we say it would be well understood and qualified and a person in putting up such a petition would advert well that he be not praying to any other Object of worship but God and that his meaning be the same as if he were praying to the Father and said Father let me be accepted through the Intercession of the Son And thus the one is an improving of Christs Intercession as well as the other for although the altering the
best things That word which we have 2 Pet. 3.16 that there are many that wrest and pervert the Scriptures to their own destruction holds true not only of doctrinal Heresies but it holds also true in respect of Mens Practice or practical Errours for some hearing of the impotency of Nature and of the power and perfection of Grace in bringing about its designed effect are ready to think that they need to do nothing alledging that if Grace undertake the work it will be wrought and if not it will not be wrought and thus Atheism and Prophanity steal in secretly upon the Heart and the sweet Doctrine of Grace is abused and perverted by such to their own destruction There are others again who it may be will not dare so to top with God who yet have their own fainting and discouragement when they hear of this Doctrine and think it hard that they themselves can do nothing and fear that they will never win to believe because they cannot do it of themselves these also fail and make not the right use of Grace Ye remember the Question which we proposed to speak a little to on the last Doctrine to wit That seing both these branches of it are true That except Grace concur the most powerful preaching of the Gospel will not beget Faith and that wherever the work of Grace goes along with the Gospel there Faith is begotten what is called for from the Hearers of the Gospel as the Use of this Doctrine Bâ—fore we come to answer this Question more particularly we would 1. Premit this word in general That none would account the Preaching or Hearing of the Word of God to be useless or fruitless albeit that without the work of Grace Men cannot yield the Fruit which it callâ—th for from them for our blessed Lord Jesus Isaiah and Paul preached this Doctrine of Grace and the necessity of the Lords Arm to be revealed in the Conversion of Souls and yet they taught the Word in season and out of season and were gathering in some and to some this Doctrine was made the savour of life unto â—ife though to others through their enmity and corruption it became the savour of death unto death To conclude therefore the inconsistency or to deny the consistency of these two to wit Of the necessity of Preaching the Doctrine of Grace and of the pressing in Preaching the practice of holy Duties and the use of ordinary appointed Mâ—ans would reach this dreadful length even to condemn the Prophets of old yea and our blessed Lord Jesus Himself who says John 6.44 after He h d preached long No man can come to me exâ—ept the Father who hath sent me draw him and vers 65 Therefore I said unto you that no man can come to me unless it be given him of my Father And will any think that His Hearers who accounted this with some others Hard sayings and from that time went back and walked no more with him were excusable in their doing so or that His Preaching was useless needless or impertinent as having a tendency to tempt Men to abandone all use of Means because He preached this Doctrine of the impossibility of believing in Him without this pull and draught of His Fathers Arm But secondly We shall a little more particularly in answer to the Question speak First To what Uses Folk would not make of this Doctrine or what things they would abstain from as tending to a wrong use of it Secondly To some Considerations for pressing this Doctrine and removing from it the construction of hardness that we are ready to put upon it Thirdly To what is the native Use it calls for And Lastly to some Considerations to press this For the first When we say to all that hears this Gospel that there is a necessity of a powerful work of Grace ere this Word can be profitable ye would 1. Abstain from and lay aside curiosity in seeking satisfying Answers to all these Objections that are moved against it and absurdities that it 's loaded with by the Devil and Mans proud Nature and learn to stoop to and reverence the soveraign Dominion of God and His deep and unsearchable Wisdom and Knowledge in this soveraign way of His Grace as the Apostle doth Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out ye would also consider that other word Rom. 9.20 Who art thou that repliest against God or expostulateth with Him Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus It 's good to enquire and to seek to know the use the Lord calls for of this Doctrine with sobriety but there is an enquiring to satisfie curiosity which the Lord abhorreth as we may gather from Exod. 19 21. where the Lord being to deliver His â—â—â—l saith to Moses Go down charge the people 〈◊〉 word of peremptory command left they break thorow unto the Lord to gaze and many of them perish The Lord is not displeased that His People should endeavour to behold and take Him up aright but when their end is not good but to satisfie an itch of Curiosity it displeaseth Him This may be useful in many cases and particularly in this we have in hand to teach us sobriety in seeking to know the way of God's Grace as the Lord would have His People Exod. 19. waiting for as much of His Mind as He thought fit to acquaint them with and to write on the two Tables of Stone but He would not have them breaking in over the Boundary or March which He did set to them lest He should break thorow on them and they should be made to perish So would He have Men in their studying the knowledge of His Ways and particularly of the way of His Grace to keep His Measures and to contain themselves within the limits that He pleaseth to set to them 2. Abstain from carnal freting at and expostulating with the way of God whether in the highest degree of upbraiding Grace and snarling at it that ye should not have the Stock in your own hand or in an inferior degree having a Heart inwardly discontent that ye are not more able of your selves then ye are to believe which is the thing that the Apostle opposeth Rom. 9.20 21. Should the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the potter power over the clay c. especially since none can answer that question with any just reflection upon God who is to be blamed for that defect or inability or whence did that inability or defect in Mans Nature proceed God was gracious free and liberal in making Man perfect and whose Fault is it that it is otherways 3. Abstain from and beware of drawing desperate conclusions as to the giving over the use of the Means or of becoming more lazy and secure in the duties of Holiness and
in some inconsiderable persons venting these things when the great Patrons and Authors of them lye derned and hid And it is observable which we have heard of late that some Ring-leaders in this time have declared themselves expresly for Popery Though we have reason to bless God that the people in this place are kept free of these things yet this truth is worthy the vindicating and the hazard and danger is to be guarded against by all of us when this foul Spirit is driving so hard and prevailing with some to publish abroad this errour in Papers And so seeking to draw people into the snare Lay down but these two Principles both now maintained that they that have Faith have no sin and that they that want Grace should not pray what would they turn to and resolve in Satan's design in this is doubtless to make all untender and it is both sad and strange that it is not seen and observed What a terrour and torrure would it be to an exercised and tender Christian and how would it put his Conscience on the wrack to say to him What a Faith is this of yours that cannot keep you altogether from sin and that cannot quite overcome the world God be blessed that hath given poor Believers other and better grounds in the Gospel by which to judge of their Faith so that they may own their Faith as found though they have a mixture of unbelief with it and yet unbelief is alwayes a sin and may say with that poor man Lord I believe help thou my unbelief 4ly Observe That to the making up of a perfect holy walk there is a necessity both of holiness in practice and of foundness in judgement that no deceit or guilt be in the mouth and that no violence be in the bands And this is needful to be taken notice of because many have an aptitude to think that folks may be truly holy be of what opinion judgement and perswasion they will As if God had left the mind of man to be a bare empty Table or Board that he might Write on it what-ever he liked or pleased But our Lord is vindicated here from the scandal of corrupt Doctrine as well as from scandals in his practice And therefore as we would say on the one hand to you who are sound in your judgement and hate errour that if ye be gross and untender in your practice the soundness of your judgement will not prove you to be holy So upon the other side we would say that though it were possible ye could be sinless in your practice if ye take a latitude and liberty as to your judgement to be corrupt and to vent what ye please ye will never get Gods approbation as being holy persons therefore let both be joyned together soundness in Judgement and tenderness in Practice God give the right use of these things SERMON XXXV ISAIAH LIII IX X. Vers 9. And he made his Grave with the Wicked and with the Rich in his death because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth Vers 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him He hath put him to grief When thou shalt make his Soul an offering for sin He shall see his seed He shall prolong his dayes And the the pleâ—sure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand WE were speaking somewhat the last day of our Lord Jesus His Innocency which is here compended and summed up in these two 1. That there was no violence in his hands 2. That there was no deceit in his mouth however he was accounted of among Men and by them numbred among transgressours yet he was so in very deed and before God The Prophet proceeds and answers an objection How came He then to Suffer if He was so innocent especially His Sufferings being ordered by God Who is said to give His Grave with the wicked He answers the Objection and removes the Offence by giving three Grounds for this v. 10. Yet it pâ—eased the Lord to bruise Him He hath put Him to grief This is the first Reason and it is taken from the Fountain whence His Sufferings proceeded Gods good Plâ—asure graciously ordered it so It was the good pleasure of Jehovah that so it should be The second Reason is taken from the Nature or End of His Sufferings in these Words when thou shalt make His Soul an offering for sin Though he suffered before Men as a sinner yet before God it was an Offering for sin To satisfie for and to remove the sins of His Elect People The word may be either When thou or when he shall make His Soul an offering for sin But both come to one thing which is this That His sufferings were not such as befell other Men nay nor such as befell innocent Men but they were ordered on an higher design and for an higâ—er End even to be a Satisfaction for Sinners and to make way for their Freedom A 3. Reason is this as His Sufferings flowed from God's good Pleasure and were a satisfaction for the sins of His Elect People so it hath notable and noble effects And there are Three mentioned here 1. He shall see His seed He shall have a numerous Off-spring many that shall hold Eternal Lâ—fe of Him Men by their suffering of death are incapacitate to increase their off-spring but this is a quickning Suffering and Death that hath a numerous off-spring 2. He shall prolong His dayes Which seems to be another paradox For Mens dayes are shortned by their Sufferings and Death But though He be dead and buried yet he shal Rise again and Ascend and sit down on the right-hand of the Father and live for ever to make Intercession for his People A 3. Effect which is the upshot of all The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand God hath designed Him for a Work which is the great Work of Redemption even the bringing of many Sons to glory This is the Will of Him that sent Him that He should give Eternal Life to as many as should believe on Him And this is called God's good pleasure which shall thrive and prosper in His hand He shall pull many Captives from the Devil and set many Prisoners free He shal by His Sufferings overcome the Devil Death and the Grave and all Enemies and shall gather the Sons of God together from the four Corners of the Earth and that Work shall not misgive nor be frustrated but thrive in His hand So then in this Text we have much of the Gospel compended in few Words We shal speak a little to one Observation more from the close of the 9. v. Where Christ Jesus His Sinlesness and Innocency is holden out in these two There was no violence in his hands no sinfull practice in Him And there was no deceit in his mouth Which looks not only to His sinless carriage before Men and so sayes that He was no Liar nor Dissembler in His Dealing and
third but the Father Son and holy Ghost are that same one Object of Worship And when we pray to one we pray to all The reason is clear Because though there be three Persons in the God-head yet there is but one Essence in the God-head and the divine essential Properties which are the grounds on which we adore God are essential and agree to all the Persons of the God-head the Father hath not one Omnipotency and the Son another neither are there two Omnipotents but one Omnipotent God and so in other Attributs they are the same essential properties of the God-head and incommunicable And therefore though the Father be another Person and as they use to speak alius yet he is not another thing or aliud but the same God with the Son and holy Ghost And although the Persons have a real distinction amongst themselves yet none of them are really distinct from the God-head and so there is but one Object of Worship and therefore though sometimes all the Persons be named yet it 's not to shew any distinction in the Object of our worship but to shew who is the Object of our worship To wit one God yet three Persons or iâ— three 3. That though in prayer to God we may name either the Father the Son or the Holy Ghost yet whomsoever we name it 's alwayes the same God Father Son and Holy Ghost that is worshipped And this followeth well on the former and may be the use of it For if the Father be God and if we worship him as God we cannot worship him but we must worship the Son and Holy Ghost with him because they are the same God having the same essential Attributs And therefore 4. Whensoever we pray to and name one of the Persons we would not conceive that he is lesse worshipped that is not named or that we pray lesse to him that is not named as it may be in the same prayer when a Person begins at first he names the Father and when he hath proceeded a little he names the Son men would then beware of thinking that there is a difference in the Object they are praying to or as if they began to pray to one of the Persons and now they are praying to another as a distinct party for it is still the same God who is the Object of worship We observe it to teach you calmness soberness and composedness of frame in approaching to God wherein folks would beware of curious tossing in their mind and imagination what may be the Object of their worship and of suffering it to run in an itchingly curious way on the distinction of the Persons but would stay their mind upon one God in three Persons and seek after no more The 2d is How the Mediator is the Object of our prayers or may be prayed unto and for clearing of this we would propose these considerations 1. That it is a certain truth that the Person that is the Mediator is the Object of our woriship and may be prayed unto because he is God the second Person of the God-head And therefore Act. 7. at the close a direct prayer is put up to him by Stephen Lord Jesus saith he receive my Spirit 2. We say this That the Adoration and Worship that is given to the Mediator is not of any distinct kind from that Adoration and Worship that is given to the Father and the Holy Ghost but the same supream divine worship for he is the same God with the Father and Holy Ghost and although he be Mediator it derogats nothing from his God-head and the Scripture speaking of no divine Worship but one we are therefore not to conceive him to be worshipped with lesse confidence fear or reverence then the other Persons of the Trinity For there is no such worship in Scripture and to give him lesse would derogat from the Majesty of Jesus Christ who is God equal with the Father and the Spirit For although as Mediator he be inferiour to the Father yet the Person whom we worship is God equal with the Father and the Holy Ghost 3. The worshipping of Jesus Christ Mediator and the giving of him divine worship is not the worshipping of any other Object but of the same to wit God who is made flesh and is manifested in our nature by the union of the second Person of the God-head with the humane nature which he hath assumed and taken to him upon which it follows that Jesus Christ must be the same Object of worship and that our worshipping of him is the worshipping of God and that our praying to him is praying to God the Father Son and Spirit And there is reason to take heed to this because when we in prayer are speaking to the Mediator thoughts may steal in as if we were not so immediatly and directly speaking to God as when we name the Father 4. Consider That Christ Jesus being worshipped with this divine worship as the one Object of worship for as we shew there cannot be two Objects of divine worship it will follow that Christ Jesus as God is worshipped for though it be the Person that 's Mediator and Man that is worshipped yet it 's not the Person as Man but as God that is worshipped And the reason is clear because it 's not Christ Jesus as Man but as God that hath these properties of God to be Omni-scient Omni-potent Infinit Supream Adorable c. And therefore as upon the one hand we say that Christ God died and suffered because he being God and Man in one Person the Person that was and is God died and suffered though the God-head did not neither can suffer So upon the other hand we say that Christ Man is prayed unto because he who is God Man is prayed unto as God But though there be an union of the two natures in the Mediators Person and though the properties of the one nature be sometimes attributed to the other because of the straitnesse of the union yet we must still keep the properties of each nature distinct and in our worship-application to him consider him accordingly As to be finite agrees to his humane nature and is to be attributed to that and to be infinite agrees to his divine nature and is to be attributed to him in respect of that To clear it a little if it be possible for us to clear it we must conceive in our worshipping of God in the Person of a Mediator A threefold Object of our worship for so Divines use to distinguish and we hold us closse by them 1. The Material Object or the Object which we worship that is the Person we pray to 2. The Formal Object of our worship or that which is the ground or account on which we worship that Person 3. The Object of our Consideration in our worshipping of that Person on that aâ—â—ount As for instance 1. The Man Christ Jesus is the Person whom we worship or pray unto but