in being and well-being He that made the world is still upholding all things by the word of his power 2. Governing and disposing all Creatures and all their actions even the least and smallest of them all The LORD hath prepared his Throne in the Heavens and his Kingdome ruleth over all Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father but the very hairs of your head are all numbred 3. Oâ—dering and directing all creatures and al their actions to his own glory and his peoples good Ioseph said to his brethren God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance So now it was not you that sent me hither but God Ye thought evil against me but God mean't it unto good c. So didst thou lead thy people to make thy self a glorious name For of him and through him and to him are all things As for Gods special Creation of man and Providence over man in his fourefold state viz. of 1. Creation 2. Corruption 3. Restitution and 4. Perfection They will come farther to be considered in the next branch the knowledge of our selves Hitherto of the first branch of knowledge requisite in some competent sort before communicating viz. The Knowledge of God 2. Knowledge of our selves Knowledge of our selves is the next point of Knowledge necessary to a worthy Communicant Christians eyes and apprehensions should be like the windowes of the Temple widest inward narrowest outward far more dispoâ—ed to look home then abroad better acquainted with themselves then with others And not like Plutarch's Lamiae or Witches that put on their eyes when they went abroad but put up their eyes in boxes when they came home The necessity of this Self-Knowledge hath before been evidenced The particulars of Self-Knowledge follow We are principally to know our selves 1. What we were in Adam before the fall 2. What we are in Adam since the fall 3. What we should and may be in Iesus Christ the second Adam I. What were we in Adam before the fall Answ. Before the fall Adam was the happiest creature under the Sun enjoying many surpassing Priviledges And all mankind being then in his loyns enjoyed in him the same happinesse and Priviledges viz. 1. A reasonable and immortall soul personally joyned with a suitable body both of them fearfully and wonderfully made yea curiously wrought according to divine Consultation of the blessed Trinity Adams soul was so rationall that he knew the nature of all the creatures which God brought before him and named them accordingly And so immortal that it cannot die a natural death as many Scriptures intimate But the souls of all other sublunary creatures besides man are irrationall and die with their bodies 2. A most pleasant Habitation God planted a Garden Eastward in Eden and there he put the man A garden is the glory of the fields A garden of Gods planting the glory of all gardens Herein grew every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food And a Quadripartite or four-streamed river to water the garden Oh what a garden of delights what an earthly Paradise Here man was placed to dresse this Garden Man must not be idle no not in Paradise 3. Liberall Provision Man was allowed freely to eat of every herb and of the fruit of every tree in the Garden except only the tree of Knowledge of good and evil His food therefore was most various and delicious 4. Vniversal dominion over the creatures Let them have dominion over the fish of the Sea and over the fowle of the air and over the cattell and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth This dominion was not supreme but subordinate to Gods dominion Adam was Monarch of the earth God the sole Monarch of all the world Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him the Son of man that thou visitest him Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet So that all sublunary creatures were to do homage unto Adam 5 Conjugal society with his wife created out of Adams side while he was asleep She was thus taken out of man that she might be a meet help for man and become affectionately dear to man as bone of hâ—s bone and flesh of his flesh Man is naturally a sociable creature and loves society And Marriage-society is the sweetest of all natural societies 6. Innocency God made man upright As man came at first out of Gods hands he was spotlesse undefiled and wholly without sin Hence that state is stiled The state of innocency Except Christ never man on earth was perfectly without sin as Adam was in his first Creation The holiest Saints in this life have sinne in them though sin reigne not over them We were without sinne in the earthly Paradise and shall be without sin in the heavenly Paradise How happy is a sin-less state 7. The image of God God created man in his own image in the image of God created he him There was not only an utter absence of all sinfulnesse but also a presence of all due righteousnesse in him in which regard he was perfectly conformable to the will of God This image of God in man seems principally to consist in 1. Knowledge 2. Rigâ—teousnesse and 3. True holinesse or as the Greek phrase is Holinesse of truth This image of God in Adam made him ful of divine beauty whereby he was all glorious within surpassing all sublunary creatures 8. A Covenant-state with God In all times and states of the Church God hath pleased to deal with his people by way of Covenant Adam before the fall being perfect and without sin had perfect ability given him to keep that Covenant with God in which he was naturally enstated The Covenant into which Adam was admitted with God was the Covenant of Works the substance whereof is the Morall Law or Ten Commandements The Morall Law was perfectly written in Adams heart for the substance of it so that he was fully able to know and keep it for even since the fall the Gentiles which have not the written Law do by nature the things contained in the Law which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts Much more was the Law written in Adams heart before the fall This Covenant of Works the substance whereof is contained in the Morall Law required personal perfect and perpetual obedience under the severest penalties Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Vnto this Covenant of Works with Adam seem to be annexed two Sacraments viz. The Tree of Life assuring him of life upon his keeping Covenant and eating of that
tree And the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill assuring him of death upon breach of Covenant and tasting of that Tree 9. Finally Adam enjoyed sweet Peace and Communion with God all the while he continued in this his pure primitive state God familiarly conversed with him he with God in the Garden of Eden receiving from God no expressions but of love and favour This Peace and Communion with God was the Eden of Eden the Paradise of Adams Paradise Object These were Adams Priviledges before the fall and they were excellent But what is all this to us Asw. All this is very much to us For all Adams Priviledges were our Priviledges Adam being a publick person the generall Parent Root and Stock of Mankinde and we all at that time in his loyns Therefore as Levi is said to pay Tithes in Abram unto Melchizedech because Levi was in his father Abram's loyns when Melchizedech met him So we may be truly said to enjoy all the Priviledges of the state of innocency in Adam because at that time we all were in Adams loynes when he injoyed them Oh therefore How happy a man was Adam and how happy were all we in Adam before the fall Thus we should know our selves and our primitive state what once we were in Adam before the fall Next we should know what we now are by nature since the fall II. What are we now in Adam by nature since the fall Answ. As the pillar of cloud between the Israelites and Egyptians had a light side and a dark side Giving light by night to Israel but being darknesse to the Egyptians So our state before and after the fall had a bright side and a dark side I have already shewed you the bright side of the cloud Now I shall represent unto you the dark side We were not once so happy before the fall but we are now as miserable since the fall And this chiefly two ways 1. Through the Privation and Absence of all good which we had 2. Through the Position or presence of all evil which we had not 1. By the fall of Adam we have lost all the good we had all the happinesse we enjoyed in our first estate 1. Our reasonable and immortall soules are become brutish in the things of God and liable to die everlastingly 2 We are banished out of Paradise our pleasant Habitation 3 We are deprived of Edens liberall Provision In the sweat of our browes we must now get our bread and though we toyle never so much Yet the earth yields not its strength but brings forth thorns thistles 4 We have lost much of our dominion over the creatures many of them rebeling against us 5 The sweetness of Marriage-society is imbittered The wives subjection to her husband becoming grievous Her sorrows in Conception and bringing forth being greatly multiplied and both of them being exercised with cares and troubles in the flesh touching their children one another 6. Our innocency and spotlesnesse is swallowed up with nocency and sinfulnesse 7. We are disrobed of Gods beauteous image Having sought out many inventions till Christ the second Adam repair Gods image in us 8. We have brok Covenant with God by eating the forbidden fruit and so have debar'd our selves of all benefit of the Tree of Life 9. And finally we lost our sweet Peace and Communion with God sin defiling our consciences with guilt clothing us with shame and filling our hearts with fear and horrour at the presence of God our â—irst Parents and we in them endeavouring to hide our selves from Gods presence among the trees of the Garden Thus by the fall we are quite stript of all our glory and happinesse wherein we were created 2. By the fall of Adam we are also implunged into all manner of evil which we had not before viz. 1. Evil of sin 2. Evil of punishment 1 The evil of sin is most grievous upon us divers wayes Principally in regard 1. Of Adams sin whereof we are guilty 1. Of Original sin wherein we are naturally drowned 3. Of Actual sin of all sorts and degrees whereunto we are naturally disposed 1. We are all guilty of Adams sin of Adams fall For we all being in the loyns of Adam the publick Root of mankind we stood with him and we fell with him Hence it is said By one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned And again By one mans disobedience many were made sinners So that Adams fall and first sin together with all the sinfull ingredients aggravations thereof As Vnbelief Pride Disobedience Rebellion Vnthankfulnesse Intemperance Murder Apostacy Hypocrisie c. may all most justly be laid to our charge And this is sin enough were we guilty of no more to sink us into everlasting death 2. We are all drowned in Original corruption For even Infants from Adam to Moses that lived not so long as to sin Actually as Adam in his Apostacy did even they were brought under death for their guilt of Adams sin and of Originall corruption of their natures Death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression And David thus laments himâ—elf Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me This the common lot of all Adams posterity even of David among the rest Yea Iob long before David said Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one So then Adam by the fall becoming unclean all Adams children naturally and by ordinary propagation descending from him are naturally unclean also This sinful uncleannesse of nature we call Original sin or Original corrupâ—ion That we may the better discern the venome and sinfulnesse of Original sinne Let us a little consider 1. The names 2. The Nature 3. Thâ— Aggravations of it Thâ— Names given to Original sin in Scripture are divers and very observeable It is called 1. Sin by way of Emphasis as being the sin of sins the mother sin In sin did my mother conceive me 2. Sin-dwelling-in-us Because it hath its continual abode in our natures while we continue in these Tabernacles whether we wake or sleep c. As Ivy abides in an old wall till the wall be pulled down Hence Paul It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me 3. The easily-encompassing-sin Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily-beset us By weight Beza seems rightly to understand all burdensome worldly impediments which hinder us in our Christian course By Sin easily-encompassing Original corruption of our natures that like snares besets us before behinde and on every side tangels our Mindes Consciences Wills Affections and all our members is as fetters to our feet manacles to our hands c. so that we cannot run
can truly say The Lord hath written his law in their hearts and made them know him For carnal unregenerate men who seek not for a saving interest in Christ the second â—â—am according to the tenour of the New 〈◊〉 they do evidently content the◠〈◊〉 with their lapsed condition in the first Adam and so remaine still under the forfeit penalty and curse of the first Covenant of Works broken by Adams fall These things are principally to be known touching the New covenant by worthy Communicants that they may have a true notion or apprehension of that Covenant which is seaâ—ed unto them by tâ—e Lords Supper 5. Knowledge of the Lords Supper it self Finally the fifth and last point of Knowledge especially necessary to qualifie a person for worthy communicating is The knowledge of the true nature of Sacraments and particularly of the Lords Supper it self For How can that be duly managed which is not truly understood To this end we are to know 1. That the Lord hath been wont to deal with his Church and people by way of Sacraments in all times and ages As 1. With Adam and his posterity in a sort For it is supposed by the learned that when God cloathed Adam and Eve with skins he taught them also to sacrifice the bodys of those beasts with whose skins they were cloathed and this is the more probable because the Scripture declaring Abels Religion makes mention only of his Sacrificing the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof These Sacrifices were types of Christ yea pledges tokens and as it were Sacraments confirming the first promise of the seed of the woman Jesus Christ. 2. With Abram when God stablished his Covenant with him and his seed he annexed Circumcision as a Token or Sacrament of the Covenant 3. With Israel when God by the hand of Moses brought them out of Egypt destroying Egypts first-born that they might let Israel go he appointed the Sacrament of the Passeover as a pledge of the preservation of all Israels first-born from Gods wrath 4. When God brought them through the wildernesse in an extraordinary sort Israel also had four extraordinary Sacraments signifying to them spiritual Mysteries in Christ viz. 1 Baptizing in the cloud that both sheltred them from the heat and guided them in their way 2 Baptizing in the Sea which saved them when the Egyptians were drowned 3 Mannah that spiritual meat 4 Water out of the Rock that spiritual drink These four Sacraments were extraordinary and continued but a while viz. during Israels abode in the wildernesse The other lasted till Christs coming in the flesh 5. With the people of God under the New Testament the Lord dealeth also by way of Sacraments ordaining Baptisme and the Lords Supper as standing Sacraments till the end of the world But why doth the Lord thus deal with his people by way of Sacraments in all ages Answ. This comes to passe 1. From Gods familiar love and condescension to his people delighting most plainly and easily to make known spirituals unto them 2. From the abstrusenesse and mysteriousnesse of Christ and the things of Christ which are sublime high heavenly worthy of the quickest inâ—pection of Angels themselves and therefore so far above humane â—pprehension in their heavenly â—uâ—â—re that God represents them in earthly resemblances 3. From the dulnesse of our understandings in conceiving aright of the great Mysteries of Christ therefore God â—â—oops to us â—etting them forth in sensible and visible Elements He descends to our Carnalnesse that we may aâ—cend to his Spiritualnesse He helps our outward senses that they may help our inward graces II. Sacraments are part not of Gods naturall but of his instituted worship Gods Naturall worshâ—p is that which is required in the first Commandment and which the light of Nature dictates to be due unto him Instituted worship is that which is contained in the second Commandment which light of natâ—re cannot particularly lead us unto but onely some posâ—tive divine Institution Now Sacraments are not of Gods Natural but onely of his Instituted worship No light of nature can intimate to us that under the Old Testament God would be worshipped with Ciâ—â—umcision and the Passeover and under the New Testament with Baptisme and the Lords Supper had not God by expresse and positive Inâ—â—itution appointed both Whatsoever Sacraments are they are wholly by Institution We have no other particular ground or foundation for them at all Therefore in the administration of the Lords Supper and of every Sacrament both Ministers and People respectively must cleave close to the Institution The neerer we come up thereto the more acceptable we are to the Lord. As Paul both in planting Sacraments at first and reforming Sacrament-abuses afterwards precisely followed the Lords Institution III. All the Sacraments that ever were instituted since Adam's fall to this day were Tokens Pledges or Seals of the Covenant of grace As Circumcision was a Token of this Covenant a Seal of the righteousnesse of faith c. For since the fall God never set on foot any other Covenant but the Covenant of Grace The Old and New Covenant are both the Covenant of Grace When therefore we come to the Lords Supper we come to renew Covenant with God and to have his gratious New Testament sealed to us IV. Every Sacrament both ordinary and extraordinary of Old or New Testament represents principally Jesus Chrst and him as crucified Adam's sacrifices types of Christ the true sacrifice Circumcision a pledge of our heart-Circumcision through Christs blood The Passeover a token and type of Christ our Passeover sacrificed for us The extraordinary Sacraments Signes of Christ and his sufferings By Baptisme we are said to be baptized into Christ and into his death And by the Lords Supper we so oft as we eat and drink it are said to shew forth the Lords death until he come So that Christ and his death Christ as crucified is the golden thread that runs along through every Sacrament and is the substance and mystery of all Sacraments When therefore we come to the Lords Supper we come to partake a Seal and solemn Memorial of Christ crucified and of all the benefits of his death V. Sacraments are of severall sorts viz. 1. Sacraments of the Old Testament signifying Christ crucified to come afterwards and these were either ordinary or extraordinary Ordinary Sacraments of the Old Testament were chiefly two 1 Circumcision the initiating Sacrament denoting the cutting off of the corruption of the heart by Christ and his grace 2 The Passeover the consummating Sacrament signifying spiritual nourishment by Christ and preâ—ervation from Gods wrath through him Extraordinary Sacraments of the Old Testament were four 1 The Cloud 2. The Sea 3 Mannah from Heaven 4 Water out of the Rock All these were Sacraments of the Old Testament 2. Sacraments of the New Testament signifying Chriâ—t crucified already
3. The Terms of this change and conversion From which and To which both heart and life must be changed From sin to God The heart must be changed from the state and power of sin the life from the acts of sin but both unto God The heart to be under his power in a state of grace The life to be under his rule in all new obedience To open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God Cease to do evill learn to do well Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord. Thus of the Nature of true Repentance 3. The Notes of true Repentance follow The Nature of Repentance thus described and opened may be a rule of tryal and that chiefly in three particulars viz. Conviction and Contrition Conversion 1. Hast thou a true Conviction and sense of sin A true sight of sin is the first step to Repentance No man will come to the Physician till he feell himself sick To this effect 1. Art thou convinced and sensible of sins sinfullness 1 How extreamly opposite and contrary sin is to God God is light sin is darkness God is life sin is death God cannot do it in himself nor endure it or look upon it with the least approbation in any his creatures Men become enemies in their mindes against God through wicked works Yea the carnall minde is enmity it self against God 2 How repugnant sin is to Gods holy just and good Laws Sin is the transgression of the Law The carnal mind is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be 3. What power sin hath over thy self and every man by nature It is a Law in thy members A reâ—gnâ—ng King A bond of iniquity c. 4 In a word how filthy odious â—oul and abominable sin is in it self Scripture in this reâ—pect resembles it to the Ethiopians black skin To the filth under the nailes or Arm-holes as the Greek word signifies To the uncleannesse of a menstruous woman To the filthinesse of the Sodomites To the stinking purrified deadly steam of an opened grave To the poison of Aspes and Serpents to the vomit of a dog To the myre and puddle wherein a swine wallows yea it 's called superfluity of naughtinesse or as the Greek signifies the excrement of malice The Holy Ghost useth such coorse expressions in describing of sin to let us see no language is bad enough for it Yea sin is farre more ugly black filthy then the devil himself for through sin he becomes a devil so ugly and abominable Art thou thus sensible of sins sinfulnesse as the glasse of Scripture represents it 2. Art thou convinced and sensible of sins mischievousnes How it cast Adam and all his posterity out of Paradise and Communion with God there depriving all of Gods Image How it makes all men by nature spiritually dead in sin slaves of Satan children of wrath heirs of all Gods curses and every moment liable to death temporal spiritual and eternal How not onely man but the whole Creation groans under the burden of it How by reason of sin thou art naturally in a lost undone damned state in the very gall of bitternesse being godlesse Christlesse and hopelesse in this present World c. Hast thou such apprehensions of sins mischief and danger that thou seest plainly thou art but a dead and damned wretch if thou gettest not out of thy sinful state c. This is to be truly sensible of sin 2. Hast thou true Contrition of heart and godly sorrow for sin thus discovered Art thou so sensible of thy sins as that thine heart is broken with sighs and sobs and thine eyes run down with tears who can aright discern his sins and refrain from sorrows Thou sayst I mourn for sin but how may I know that I mourn aright and that my sorrow is not carnal but godly sorrow Answ. Thou mayst discover the truth of thy godly sorrow for sin by these particulars 1. True godly sorrow is sincere It is for sin as it is sin especially More for the sinfulnesse of sin then for the dangerousnesse of sin Hence the godly mourning soul is most wounded for offending God and piercing Christ by sin For offending God So David Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight He had sinned also against Vriah shedding his blood against the Church giving them offence and cause of mourning against the enemies of God giving great occasion to them of blaspheming and against his own soul wounding it with all this guilt and doubtlesse he mourned for all these but nothing so stabbed him to the heart as that he had offended against such a God For piercing Christ by sin This also most deeply pierceth the soul of him that mourns for sin They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him and be in bitternesse for him c. for He was wounded for our transgressions c. What thinks the bleeding soul were my sins the Iudas that betrayed him the Pilatâ— that condemned him the nails spear and thorns that pierced him the gall and vineger given him to drink him that so loved me as to pray sigh weep bleed and die for my redemption Weep bitterly for this oh my soul let thine eyes run down with floods of tears 2. True godly â—orrow is great the greatest sorrow in the world Hence it 's called A Mourning as for an onely son being in bitternesse as one that 's in bitternesse for his first-born A great mourning as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo A mourning apart All this to shew that godly sorrow for sin is beyond all worldly sorrow When Peter wept for his sins he wept bitterly True there may be such a sudden push of worldly sorrow for a wife child c. that may seem greater then godly sorrow but this sorrow lasts not like godly sorrow So godly sorrow is greatest intensively for degree or extensively for continuance A land-flood may have a greater stream for present than a Spring but the Spring sends forth more waters because it 's still arunning 3. True godly sorrow is penitential it never leaves a man till it reform him of his sins Godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death Try now is thy sorrow such a sorrow Is it sincere more for offending God and wounding Christ then for any other respect Is it transcendent thou canst mourn more for sin then any worldly occasion Is it pâ—nitential it hath never left thee till it hath reformed thee Doubtlesse this is true godly sorrow indeed 3. Hast thou a true change and conversion of thine heart and
iniquity of us all For the transgression of my people was he stricken By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities And he was numbered with the transgressors and he bare the sin of many Thus Christ who in himself had no sin was crucified for the sins of his Elect who had nothing but sin The guiltless for the guilty the innocent for the nocent the Pastor for the flock the Master for the servant the Captain for the Souldier the Physician for the Patient the King for the people the workman for the work and he that was God himself for man Christ was betrayed but our sins the Iudas that betrayed him Christ was condemned but our sins the Pilate that condemned him Christ was crucified but our sins the nails that fastned him to the Crosse Christ had Gall and Vineger given him to drink but our sins were the Vineger and the Gall Christ was pierced but our sins were the Thorns and Spear that pierced his head and heart Remember these things when thou receivest the Sacrament of Christs death call to minde thy sins the procuring causes of Christs death Say in thine own heart to Christ as Augustine I am the stroke of thy grief I am the fault of thy killing I am the desert of thy death I am the offence of thy revenge I am the grievousness of thy passion I am the toil of thy torment O wonderfull condition of censure and ineffaeble disposition of the mystery The unjust sins and the just is punished the guilty transgresseth and the guiltless is beaten the impious offends and the pious is condemned What the bad deserves the good suffereth what the servant perpetrates the Lord payeth what man commits â—od undergoeth Whither O Son of God whithe◠〈…〉 humility whither flamed thy charity whither proceeded thy piety whither increased thy benignity whethtr reached thy love whither came thy compassion For I have done unjustly thou art punished I have dealt heinously thou art â—evengefully smitten I have committed the fault thou art tortured I have been proud thou hast been humbled c. Thus remember that thy sins were the procuring causes of Christs sorrows 2. Impulsive or inward moving causes of Christs Death were only the free grace self-propension and love of God Christ to sinners The Souldiers had never fast'ned Christ to the Crosse had not our sins first fast'ned him there our sins had never fixed him to the tree if his Love had not first fixed him Love moved God to give his Son Love moved Christ to give himself Love brought him down from Heaven râ—frus Love brought him upon the Crosse foâ—ous Love made him pray sweat and bleed and die for us God so loâ—ed us as to give his Son for us God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perâ—sh but have everlasting life Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were â—et sinners Christ died for us And Christ so loveâ— us as to give himself to death for us I am the good Shepherd The good Shepherd gâ—veth his life for the sheep No man tâ—keth it from me but I lay it down of my self Greater love hath no man then this that a maâ— lay down hâ—s life for his friends Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down hâ—s lâ—fe for us Vnto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in hâ—s own blood Hence Paul experimentally saith The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me In Communicating remember this love of God and Christ to thee But for this love God had never died for thee 2. Effects fruits and benefits of Christs Death are manifold and most excellent In this memorial of Christs Death especially remember these fruits of his death viz. 1. Redemption We by the first Adams fall were utterly enslaved and enthralled under sin the curse of the Law Death and all the powers of darkness By the second Adam's Death we are redeemed from them all But Christ by his own blood entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal Redemption for us Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation c. but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us and Christ hath by his death triumphed over all our enemies and deliâ—ered us from them Hence Christ is said to be made of God to us Redemption 2. Reconciliation By the first Adam's Apostasie we are not only enthralled under sin death Satan and all our spiritual enemies But we are become utter Enemies to God and to all true spiritual goodness yea the carnal minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God And being at enmity with God we are consequently at enmity with all his creatures every thing is against us But by the blood and death of Christ the second Adam we are reconciled again to God For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell And having made peace through the blood of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death c. Hence God is said to be in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them And the Gospel is called The word of Reconciliation 3. Iustification and Pardon of sin By reason of our fall in Adam we have lost all our original righteousness our persons are become sinners our natures principles and actions unrighteous and our selves are become guilty of death before God Now Christ is made of God righteousness unto us He is The Lord our righteousness For God imputing all our unrighteousness to Christ and all Christs righteousnesse active and passive to us through the merit of Christs death and obedience our sins are freely remitted our guilt removed and our persons are accepted as righteous before God Christ was offered to bear the sins of many While we were yet sinners Christ