of the Gospel if they understand any thing more by them than expecting to be saved according to the terms of the Gospel Covenant that is by believing and obeying the Gospel of Christ And certainly they must mean something more than this or else they raise a great noise and clamour in the World and confound mens minds with obscure and unscriptural phrases to no purpose as will appear more in what follows CHAP. III. Of the Knowledge of Christ. SECT I. THE happiness of Mankind consists in the Knowledge and Love of God who is the greatest and the best Being and therefore our good God who is never wanting to his own glory and the happiness of his Creatures hath taken care in all Ages by one means or other to make known himself and his will to the World In the first Creation of all things he left such visible impresses of his own Divine Wisdom and Power on the works of Nature and planted in the mind of man such a natural knowledge of himself that it was as easie to discover the first Author of all things as it is now for a well disposed eye to see the Sun when it shines And while man preserved his innocence God himself did not disdain to converse with him and to give him very present and sensible demonstrations of his Power and Providence In after Ages as Mankind grew more corrupt and declined to Idolatry God afforded good men the frequent apparitions of Angels who were the great Ministers of his Providence and to instruct the more degenerate part of Mankind he raised up some great examples and Preachers of Righteousness such as Enoch and Noah and Abraham and gave such plain and undeniable proofs of his acceptance of these men as might reasonably incourage others to imitate their examples He translated Enoch immediately to Heaven and preserved Noah and his Family in the Ark when he destroyed the rest of the World by a deluge of Waters which was a signal warning to that corrupt Generation while the Ark was preparing and a great example to Posterity he sent Lot out of the ruins of Sodom and made Abraham the Father of a great Nation which was a convincing argument how dear these good men were to God and what others might expect from him who would worship and fear him as they did But when the World would not be reformed by these single Examples God chose the Posterity of Abraham to be a publick and constant demonstration of his Power and Providence and care of good men For when God chose the Posterity of Abraham to be his peculiar people he did not design to exclude the rest of the World from his care and providence and all possible means of Salvation as the Apostle argues in Rom. 3. 29. Is he the God of the Iews only Is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also which argument if it have any force in it must prove Gods respect to the Gentiles before the preaching of the Gospel as well as since because it is founded on that natural relation God owns to all Mankind as their merciful Creator and Governour which gives the Gentiles as well as Jews an intrest in his care and providence This plainly evinces that all those particular favours which God bestowed on Israel were not owing to any partial fondness and respect to that people but the design of all was to encourage the whole World to worship the God of Israel who gave so many demonstrations of his power and providence For this reason God brought Israel out of Aegypt with great signs and wonders and a mighty hand when he could have done it with less noise and observation that he might the more gloriously triumph over the numerous Gods of Aegypt and all their enchantments and divinations and that he might be honoured on Pharoah and all his Host. For this reason he maintained them in the Wilderness at the constant expence of miracles fought all their Battles for them and many times by weak and contemptible means overthrew great and puissant Armies drove out the Inhabitants of Canaan and gave them possession of that good land I say one great and principal design of all this was to convince the World of the Majesty and Power of the God of Israel that they might renounce their foolish Idolatries and Country Gods and consent in the worship of that One God who alone doth wondrous things this account the Psalmist gives of it that God wrought such visible and miraculous deliverances for Israel to make his glory and his power known among the Heathen The Lord hath made known his Salvation his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the Heathen Psalm 98. 2. That the Heathen might fear the name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth his glory i. e. that all Nations might worship God and all Kings submit their Crowns and Scepters to him Psal. 102. 15. that by this means they might be instructed in that important truth That the Lord is great and greatly to be praised that he is to be feared above all Gods for all the Gods of the Nations are Idols but he made the Heavens Psal. 96. 4 5. And as God set up the people of Israel as a visible demonstration to all the World of his power and providence so he committed his Laws and Oracles to them from whence the rest of the World when they pleased might fetch the best rules of life and the most certain notices of the divine will In such ways God instructed the World in former Ages by the light of Nature and the examples of good men and the Sermons of the Prophets and the publick example of a whole Nation which God chose for that very purpose But when long and sad experience had proved all these ways ineffectual to reform the World at last God sent his own Son into the World to make a full and perfect Declaration of his will to give the best rules of life and to encourage our obedience by the most express promises of a blessed Immortality This was one great design of Christ's appearing in the World to reveal and declare God to us Iohn 1. 18. No man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him and in Math. 11. 27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father no man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father but the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him That is God hath now committed unto Christ all the secret purposes of his Counsel concerning the Salvation of Mankind which were concealed from Ages None of the Prophets which lived before did so fully understand it nor have we any other certain way of knowing this but by the Revelation Christ hath made to us Thus in Iohn 14. 6 7. Iesus saith unto him I am the way the truth and the life no man
neither of them could relish that plain simple Doctrine of a crucified Christ but whatever these men thought of it the Apostle tells us that this Doctrine of a crucified Saviour is the Power of God and Wisdom of God That is the most powerful Method which was ever used by God for the reforming the World and the contrivance and effect of excellent Wisdom and thus the Gospel of Christ is called the Power of God to Salvation to them that believe Rom. 1. 16. and by this foolishness of Preaching that is by preaching this foolish Doctrine as it was accounted by the Wise-men of the World of a crucified Christ it pleased God to save them that believe Christ indeed being now exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on High may in a proper sense be called the Power of God because all power is given to him both in Heaven and Earth and he hath the supreme government of all the affairs of this spiritual Kingdom and this is a Personal Power inherent in him which all good men shall find the blessed effects of but then the exercise of this Power is confined to the Rules of the Gospel he hath power to save those who believe and obey him and he hath power to destroy his enemies to accomplish all the promises and to execute all the threatnings of his Gospel So that this Personal Power in Christ can give us no greater encouragement than the Gospel doth It cannot save any man whom the Gospel condemns we have no reason to trust to his Personal Power unless we first obey his Gospel for how omnipotent soever he be his Gospel is the measure of his Actings if that condemns us his omnipotent Power will not save us But the chief Personal Grace which these men most vehemently contend for is still behind viz. the Righteousness of Christ Now no Christian will deny that Christ was very righteous a great Example of universal Holiness and Purity and it must be confessed that his Righteousness was not an imaginary imputed Righteousness but Inherent and Personal but what comfort is this to us that Christ was Righteous if we continue wilful and incorrigible Sinners Yes says the Doctor Hast thou the sense of guilt upon thee Christ is compleat Righteousness the Lord our Righteousness This makes Christ suitable to the wants of a Sinner indeed that he hath a righteousness for him which God infinitely prefers before any home-spun Righteousness of his own This is a very comfortable notion for bad men and such as I would not part with for all the World did I resolve to live wickedly and yet intend to get to Heaven But it is good to be sure in a matter of such importance and therefore let us consider in what sense Christ is called our Righteousness and what the Scripture intends by these Phrases of the Righteousness of God or the Righteousness of Faith or the Righteousness of God by Faith To begin then with that famous place in the Old Testament Ierem. 23. 6. where Christ is expresly called the Lord our Righteousness In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called The Lord our Righteousness a very express place to prove that Christ is our Righteousness that is as these men expound it that the only righteousness wherewith we must appear before God is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us but is there no other possible sense to be made of this Phrase Righteousness in Scripture is a word of a very large use and sometimes signifies no more than Mercy kindness and beneficence and so the Lord our righteousness is the Lord who does good to us who is our Saviour and deliverer which is very agreeable to the Reason of this name that in his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely And righteousness signifies that part of Justice which consists in relieving the injured and opprest thus David speaks in Psalm 4. 1. Hear me when I call O God of my righteousness i. e. Thou O God who maintainest my right and my cause Psalm 9. 4. Thus in Isaiah 54. 17. No weapon that is formed against Thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise up against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the Servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord. Which is a parallel expression to the Lord our righteousness and signifies no more than that God will avenge their cause and deliver them from all their Enemies The like we have in Isaiah 45. 24. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I Righteousness and strength even to him shall men come and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed in the Lord shall all the Seed of Israel be justified and shall glory that is the Lord is that just and righteous judg who will justifie good men i. e. deliver them from the violence and injuries of their Enemies He is their righteousness and strength their righteous strong and powerful deliverer which agrees with that promise in Verse 14. In Righteousness thou shalt be established thou shalt be far from oppression thou shalt not fear and from terrour for it shall not come near thee And to name but one place more Isaiah 61. 10 11. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my Soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath cloathed me with the garments of Salvation he hath cover'd me with the Robe of Righteousness as a Bridegroom decketh himself with Ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her self with Iewels for as the Earth bringeth forth her bud as the Garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth so the Lord will cause Righteousness and Praise to spring forth before all Nations This sounds very like an Imputed Righteousness for what can be meant by the Robe of Righteousness but that pure and spotless Robe of Christs Righteousness which covers all our sins and deformities and makes us appear as beautiful and lovely in the eyes of God as a Bride does who adorns her self with Jewels This is the effect of our espousal with Christ that we are cover'd and adorn'd with his Righteousness but if we will attend to the circumstances of the place and not to the bare sound of words we need seek no farther for the confutation of this fancy for the Garment of Salvation and the Robe of Righteousness signifie those great deliverances God promised to Israel in the former Verses which should make them as glorious in the eyes of men as a splendid garment would that Righteousness and praise which God would cause to spring forth before all Nations even as the Earth bringeth forth her bud and as the Garden causeth those things which are sown in it to spring forth That is that God would work such great deliverances for them by such improbable means and in such plenty and abundance as if they sprang
out of the Earth which should make it appear to all Nations That they are the Seed whom the Lord hath blessed Vers. 9. And what hath this to do with the Imputation of Christs Personal Righteousness to us But it is time now to proceed to the New Testament for indeed we cannot reasonably expect that so great a Gospel Mystery as this of the Imputation of Christs Righteousness is should be so clearly discovered in the Old Testament where the Gospel was wrapt up in Types and Figures Now it is very observable that in all the Histories of the Gospel which give us an account of our Saviours Sermons and Parables whereby he instructed the people in all necessary Truths he makes no mention at all of the Imputation of his Righteousness to them but exacts from them a Righteousness of their own if they would find mercy with God now it is very strange if the Imputation of Christs Righteousness for our Iustification be the great Gospel Mystery and the only way to find favour with God that our Saviour in all his Sermons should not once mention this that he should not once warn his Hearers as the Gospel Preachers of our days do to beware of trusting to their own Righteousness or of expecting Salvation by their own Works but that instead of this he should so severely enjoyn them the practice of an Universal Righteousness as the only thing that pleases God and so severely threaten those who continue in any sin who break the least of his Commandments that they shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but shall be banished from the presence of God into outer darkness This I confess to me who am apt in the first place to admire our Saviours Sermons who was the first Author of our Religion before the Writings of the Apostles themselves though inspired men is a very great prejudice against such notions as are set up for the Fundamentals of Christianity without the belief of which we cannot be saved when there is not the least footsteps of them to be seen in the Gospel of our Saviour for did not our Saviour instruct his Hearers in all things necessary to Salvation Or have the Evangelists given us an imperfect account of our Saviours Doctrine and omitted so essential a part of it as the Imputation of his Righteousness Chuse which side you please and the consequence is very bad if the first then Christ was not faithful in the discharge of his Prophetical Office did not instruct his Hearers in all things necessary to Salvation if the latter you overthrow the Credit of the Gospel and by both destroy the Foundation of our Faith There were some things indeed which the Apostles themselves by reason of their Jewish prejudices could not understand while Christ was with them and therefore he reserved the more perfect Revelation of those Truths till the descent of the Holy Ghost as he tells his Disciples in Ioh. 16. 12 13. Such was that Doctrine of the Nature of his spiritual Kingdom which should commence with sufferings and death whereas they expected a Temporal Messias as the rest of the Jews did and the receiving the Gentiles into his Church which S. Peter himself did not understand till he was instructed by a Vision in Act. 10. which is so frequently in the Epistles called that Mystery which was hid from Ages but now the knowledge of these things was not absolutely necessary to eternal life and therefore the perfect revelation of them might be deferr'd till the most convenient season It was necessary indeed that the Apostles should understand the full extent of their Commission to preach the Gospel to all Nations Gentiles as well as Jews but it was not necessary to know this till they were sent to preach but we cannot imagine that our Saviour would neglect to acquaint them with the necessary terms and conditions of Salvation for his Sermons were to be the Rule of theirs and had the Apostles taught any thing as necessary to Salvation which our Saviour had not taught especially any thing that did so plainly contradict the Doctrine of our Saviour as this imputed Righteousness doth it would very much have weakned their credit with me for this had been to preach another Gospel than our Saviour did and we have S. Paul's command to reject such Preachers though they were Apostles or an Angel from Heaven Gal 1. 8 9. I do not speak this to evacuate the Authority of the Apostles or of their Writings for they do not make any thing necessary to Salvation but what Christ did nor contradict any thing which Christ hath taught But to awaken those men who take little notice of the Gospel of our Saviour while they fetch all their Mysterious Divinity out of some obscure passages of S. Pauls Epistles Though S. Peter long since told us That there were many things in them hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scripture to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3. 16. and yet if they can meet with any obscure Phrases which will serve their turn without considering how their sense agrees with the Gospel of our Saviour they make it the Foundation of their Faith and a standing Rule to expound the Doctrine of our Saviour and to measure the Orthodoxy of all Opinions whereas on the contrary this ought to be a sufficient reason to reject such Interpretations that the Gospel of our Saviour is perfectly silent in a matter pretended to be of such absolute necessity to Salvation Having premised this it is time now to consider those Texts of Scripture whereon they found this notion of the Imputation of Christs Righteousness And it is worth observing that in all the New Testament there is no such expression as the Righteousness of Christ or the Imputation of Christs Righteousness we there only find the Righteousness of God and the Righteousness of Faith and the Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Iesus Christ which is very strange did the whole Mystery of the Gospel consist in the Imputation of Christs Righteousness that neither Christ nor his Apostles should once tell us so in express words But to consider particular places I shall begin with that Phrase of the Righteousness of God which sometimes signifies his Iustice Veracity or Goodness Rom. 3. 5. but most commonly in the New Testament it signifies that Righteousness which God approves and commands and which he will accept for the Iustification of a Sinner which is contained in the Terms of the Gospel Rom. 1. 17. For therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from Faith to Faith Thus it is called the Righteousness of God Matth. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness which is the same with the Righteousness of his Kingdom now the Kingdom of God signifies the state of the Gospel and the Righteousness of God or of his Kingdom that Righteousness which the
Gospel prescribes which is contained in the Sermons and Parables of Christ and consists in a sincere and universal obedience to the Commands of God That we may the better understand this we must observe farther that this Righteousness of God that which he commands and rewards is the Righteousness of Faith or Righteousness by the Faith of Christ Now Faith and Faith in Christ is often used objectively for the Gospel of Christ which is the object of our Faith or contains those matters which are to be believed and so the Righteousness of Faith or by the Faith of Christ is that Righteousness which the Gospel commands Thus in Acts 24. 24. Felix sent for Paul and heard him concerning the Faith of Christ that is concerning Righteousness Temperance and the judgment to come Ver. 25. which are the principal matters of the Gospel thus obedience to the Faith is obedience to the Gospel Rom. 1. 5. In this sense Faith and Works are opposed to each other in St. Pauls Epistles as hath been abundantly proved by others the great dispute in the Epistle to the Romans is whether we must be justified by the Law of Moses or by the Faith of Christ that is whether the observation of all the external Rites and Ceremonies of the Law and an external conformity of our Actions to the moral Precepts of it will justifie a man before God or that sincere and universal obedience which the Gospel of Christ requires which transforms our minds into the likeness of God and makes us new Creatures And that this Righteousness of Faith and this alone can recommend us to God the Apostle proves from the example of Abraham in the 4. Chapter who was accounted Righteous for the sake of his sincere and stedfast belief of Gods promises Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for Righteousness Ver. 3. and this while he was uncricumcised which is a convincing argument against the Jews that Circumcision and the observance of the Law of Moses is not necessary to justification because Abraham who was the Father of the faithful and is set forth for the Pattern of our justification was justified without it But that we may understand what this justification by Faith is and how the Apostle argues from Abrahams being justified by Faith to prove that we must now be justified by the Faith of Christ it is necessary to enquire what that Faith was whereby Abraham was justified and what agreement there is between the Faith of Abraham and Faith in Christ. For Abrahams Faith was not a Faith in Christ but Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for Righteousness Christ indeed was the Material object of Abrahams Faith that is he believed that promise which God made of sending Christ into the World upon which account our Saviour tells the Jews your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad Iohn 8 5 6. But no man could believe in Christ till he came that is could not believe any thing upon his Authority which is the true notion of believing in him as you shall hear more presently There is not a plainer argument how apt men are to pervert the Scriptures to reconcile them to their own prejudices and preconceived opinions than to observe what work they make with Abrahams Faith as if that Faith which was imputed to him for Righteousness were a fiducial reliance and recumbency on Christ for Salvation upon which the Righteousness of Christ apprehended by Faith was imputed to him for suppose this imputation of Christs Righteousness were revealed in the most plain and express words in the New Testament yet it is hard to conceive how Abraham should learn this great Mystery from that general and obscure promise In thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed which is all that was ever revealed to Abraham concerning Christ This is such a train of thoughts from in thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed to the imputation of Christs Righteousness as Mr. Hobs himself could never have hit on for is there no possible way for God to bless the World but by the imputation of Christs Righteousness or is there such a natural and necessary connexion between this blessing and the imputation of Christs Righteousness that we cannot understand the one without the other Pray let us consider how many things Abraham must distinctly know according to these mens own principles before he could come to the knowledge of the imputation of Christs Righteousness and he would be a wonderful man indeed who could learn all this from that general promise without some more particular revelation As first he must be well assured that the Blessings here meant are spiritual blessings pardon of sin and eternal life and that Christ should be a spiritual King and Saviour and though this be the least difficulty of all yet the promise is not so clear and express in this matter but that men might mistake it and so we know the whole Iewish Nation for many Ages did who had more particular promises concerning Christ than this was and yet expected only a Temporal Prince who should sit on the Throne of David and subdue their Enemies under their feet and this was the great prejudice which the Iews had against Christ and his Religion that he so much deceived their expectations by his mean appearance And secondly Abraham must know too that Christ was to die for the sins of the World without which according to the Doctor it is impossible God should forgive sin considering the naturalness of his vindictive Iustice to him and this was more than the Apostles of Christ themselves understood till after his Resurrection though Christ had expresly told them of it And Thirdly He must understand also the perfect Holiness and Innocency of Christs life and that he fulfilled all righteousness not for himself but for us Nay Fourthly He must understand that great Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God for without this it is impossible to understand the vertue and efficacy of his expiation and Sacrifice and Righteousness since the sufferings of a meer man could never expiate sin nor his Righteousness serve any more than himself And Fifthly He must understand also that intimate oneness and Conjunction which is betwixt Christ and his Church by vertue of which Union believers may challenge a right to all that Christ did and suffer'd which is such a riddle as these men explain it as is not understood to this day And Sixthly He must understand too the nature of Faith of rowling the Soul on Christ for Salvation and renouncing all Righteousness of his own and then possibly he might without any more ado understand this great Mystery of the imputation of Christs Righteousness and he that can believe that Abraham could learn all this from that general promise In thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed may believe what he will and
after Christ. That is lest their minds be corrupted through Philosophical Speculations or Traditionary superstitions in worshiping Daemons and Angels c. which are inconsistent with the Gospel of Christ and owe their original only to the folly and superstition of Mankind And then he adds for in him that is in Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily so that this must refer to that compleat and perfect Revelation of the Gospel which needs not be supplyed by the Philosophy or Traditions of men And to understand the Reason of this Phrase and the force of the Apostles argument we must consider that this is an allusion to Gods dwelling in the Temple at Ierusalem by Types and figures which were the Symbols of his presence for the Tabernacle or Temple was Gods House wherein he dwelt and the mercy seat and Cherubims c. were the Emblems of Gods presence there and this Symbolical presence of God in the Temple was very agreeable to that Symbolical and Ceremonial worship which he then instituted and commanded He dwelt among them by Types and figures and fore instituted a Typical and figurative Religion and this was an imperfect and obscure Declaration of himself to the World But now God hath sent his Son to Tabernacle among us Iohn 1. 14. the Deity it self now dwells in the Temple of Christs body not by Types and figures as formerly he dwelt in the Temple at Ierusalem but by a real and immediate presence and Union and therefore those Revelations which are made by Christ are answerable to the Inhabitation of the Godhead in him contain a true and perfect Declaration of Gods will in opposition to the imperfect Rudiments and obscure Types and figures of the Law So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or bodily is opposed to figurative and Typical and this is a plain demonstration of the perfection of the Gospel Revelation that the fulness of the Deity dwelt substantially in Christ and we need not doubt but that so excellent a Prophet as he was in whom the Deity it self inhabited hath perfectly revealed Gods will to us All the figures of the Temple were accomplisht in Christ's Person he was that in truth and reality which the Temple was a figure of God dwelling among us and his Religion answers the greatness of his Person The Godhead dwelt in him bodily not by Types and figures and his Religion is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 too all truth and substance The Law was but a shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ Ver. 17. his Religion is Body truth and substance So that this place is exactly parallel with Iohn 1. 14. The word was made flesh and dwelt among us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tabernacled among us herein the figure of the Tabernacle was fulfilled that God dwelt in our flesh and the Revelations he made of God's will did agree with the manner of his appearance were full of Grace and truth not a Typical and figurative but a plain and perfect Declaration of Gods will And as the Evangelist tells us That of his fulness we have all received that we are perfectly instructed by him in the will of God so our Apostle adds here and ye are compleat in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filled in him you need no other Instructor but Christ who hath revealed as much of Gods will as is necessary for us to know So that this fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in Christ does ultimately resolve it self into the perfection of the Gospel-Revelation for since the fulness of the Deity did inhabit in Christs Person we need not question but he was able to acquaint us with the whole mind and will of God and that he would do so The force of which Reason our Saviour himself takes notice of Iohn 3. 34 35. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God that is declareth his whole will to us for God giveth not the Spirit by measure to him It is not with him as it was with meaner Prophets who had only some particular Revelations of the Divine will but the fulness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hands Thus the fulness of Christ you see signifies the excellency and perfection of the Gospel and in other places this fulness signifies the Church of Christ. Eph. 1. 22 23. And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the Church which is his body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Where the Church is called the fulness of Christ which makes him as it were compleat and perfect for he cannot be a perfect Head without a Body hence the Church is called Christ. 1 Cor. 12. 12. For as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ that is the Christian Church as it immediately follows for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Iews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and Beza tells us that this is the the reason of that phrase which so frequently occurs in the New Testament of being in Christ that is being members of the Christian Church Now the Church is called the Fulness of Christ with respect to its extent and universality that it is not confined to any particular Nation as the Jewish Church was but takes in Iews and Gentiles Bond and Free for this I take to be the meaning of Col. 1. 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell which words are commonly expounded to the same sense with Col. 2. 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily but if we consult the Context we shall see reason for a different sense and Beza observes that some Expositors by his fulness in this place understand the Church for Vers. 18. the Apostle tells us that He is the head of the body the Church who is the beginning the first-born from the dead that in all things he might have the preheminence for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell where fulness must be expounded of the Church that it pleased God to unite his Church into Christ for the Apostle assigns this as the reason of Christs being the Head of the Church And if you would know why the Church is called Fulness and all fulness said to dwell in Christ the reason follows in 20 21. And having made peace through the blood of his Cross to reconcile all things by him I say whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven And you who were sometime alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled This is that fulness that dwells in Christ that he is made the Head of the Universal Church both in Heaven and Earth that Jews and Gentiles are now united in one
Body that whereas in former Ages the Church of God seemed to be confined to the Iewish Nation now it pleased the Father that Christ should be the Universal Shepherd and Bishop of Souls by him to reconcile all things to himself and this too is the meaning of that Phrase The fulness of him who filleth all in all therefore the Church is called his Fulness because he filleth all in all that is doth not confine his care and providence and the influences of his Grace to any one Nation or People but extends it to the whole World Thus the fulness of Christ signifies in Eph. 4. 13. Till we all come in the Unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the explication of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a perfect man That is to that perfection of faith and knowledge which becomes the Christian Church For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying the age and growth and stature of a man the fulness of Christ cannot so properly be understood of any thing as of the Christian Church This is all that I can find in Scripture concerning the fulness of Christ which either signifies the perfection of his Gospel or the Universality of his Church which is a plain demonstration of those mens skill in expounding Scripture who make this fulness a Personal Grace in Christ and apply it to every thing they can find or fancy in him All the furniture that he received from the Father by the Unction of the Spirit for the work of our Salvation The fulness of his Divine and Humane Nature the fulness of Love in Christ the fulness of habitual Grace fulness of Satisfaction fulness of Merit fulness of Power and Vertue a fulness of Iustification and a fulness of Sanctification which fulness I am sure hath confounded mens notions of Religion and made them look upon Christ only as a Fountain from whence they must drink grace and mercy and pardon justification and eternal life Let us now consider in what sense Christ is called our life and he is so called with respect to his Doctrine his Sacrifice and that Power he is invested with to raise us from the dead He is called Life with respect to his Doctrine because he preached the Word of Life and hath brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel hence in Ioh. 1. 4. the Evangelist tells us In him was life and the life was the light of men That is he preached the Word of Life which enlightned the dark minds of men for it is not imaginable how Life should be light in any other sense than as this Word of Life which Christ preached enlightned their minds and dispelled all the Mists of Errour and Ignorance hence Christ tells his Disciples I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh to the Father but by me Ioh. 14. 6. that is I declare the true and only way to life and happiness and no man can throughly understand the will of God nor consequently be a true Worshipper of him without learning of me thus he calls himself the Bread of life Ioh. 6. with respect to the Doctrine he preached Vers. 33. and with respect to that Sacrifice he offered for the life of the World Vers. 51. I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the World Thus Christ is called our Life because he hath power and authority to bestow immortal life upon all his sincere Followers Ioh. 11. 26 27. I am the Resurrection and the Life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never dye That is he hath power to raise the dead and will actually raise all those who believe in him and reward them with eternal life To the same purpose our Saviour speaks in Ioh. 5. 25 26. The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live for as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself That is he first raises those who are dead in sin to a new spiritual life by the power of his Doctrine then hath Authority to raise them to an immortal life This is the meaning too of that expression in Col. 3. 3 4. You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory That is you profess your selves to be dead to this World in conformity to the death of Christ and though that immortal life which you expect to enjoy with Christ who is now risen again from the dead be at present concealed from your view yet when Christ who is the Author of eternal life and hath power to raise us from the dead shall appear the second time to judge the World then shall ye appear with him in glory So that when Christ is called our Life the meaning is that he hath published the Word of Life to us which contains the most express promises of a blessed Immortality and the most plain and easie directions how to attain it and that by his death he hath expiated our sins and confirmed all these promises to us and being risen from the dead himself hath now power to raise us We must not dream of fetching life from the Person of Christ as we draw water out of a Fountain but if we would live for ever with Christ we must stedfastly believe and obey his Gospel which is a Principle of a Divine life in us and then we may joyfully expect that when our Lord and Saviour comes again to judge the World he will raise us from the dead and reward our Faith and Patience and Obedience with Immortal Life Thus to proceed Christ is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God which these men call Personal Graces too But I have already shewed you at large that Christ is the Wisdom of God with respect to those Revelations he made of Gods will The Gospel of Christ is the Wisdom and Power of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God that is the Doctrine of a crucified Christ as will appear from the verses before The Iews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified to the Iews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but to them who are called both Iews and Greeks Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God The Jews were all for Signs and Miracles the Greeks were for curious Philosophical Speculations which might gratifie their inquisitive minds and therefore