the Mediator simply considered But God and man in one person as we call it is the Mediator Finally Christ is to be considered not only personally as he is God and man being one individuall person by himself but Christ is to be considered collectively that is he is not only Christ as he is one person of himself but he is Christ as he himself in that one person is â—nited to the persons of all the elect in the world He and they make up but one collective body In brief there is a kinde of trin-trin-union in Christ The divine union which makes the Father and the Son one The personall union which makes the divine nature and the human nature one The mysticall union which makes Christ the Mediator God and man one with all the members of Christ joyntly You know that in respect of the last consideration Christ as he is collectively considered consists of his own person as head and of all the elect as members so that in some sense Christ cannot be said to be separated but hath his members knit unto him A headlesse body or a bodylesse head are equally both of them imperfect If the Church be separated from Christ or Christ separated from the Church he should in the last consideration be imperfect Now in this Text the Apostle speaking of Christ doth understand him in the last consideration I have spoken of namely as God the Son united to the humane nature or rather uniting the humane nature unto himself as these two natures in one person are united unto the Church or members of Christ so Christ is the head It is true sometimes you have expressions of Christs own speaking by way of subjection My Father is greater then I And I came not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me which phrase of Christ being not rightly understood doth occasion in the thoughts of men some conceits as if God were a distinct being from Christ that Christ makes God here greater then himself whereas the truth is there is as I said before no God but what Christ is Christ doth never acknowledge that the Godhead of his Father is greater then his own Godhead For the Father and the Sonne is but one in the Godhead and divine nature and therefore when Christ in his â—peech hath reference unto God he hath but reference unto the divine nature that is unâ—â—ed unto his humanity and the very nature of God is within himself and there is no other but what is within himself Therefore there is no distinct God in the world but 〈◊〉 God that is become man and is now called Christ Therefore you are never to look upon Christ but as he is the compleat only true God What need all this discourse you will say I answer You must have Christ set forth in this consideration or else you shall never be able to reach that he is the head Therefore the consideration of the second thing will câ—â—er the usefulness of the first What this Headship is the Text saith He is the beginning that is the root and spring from whence things have their first being Now mark beloved either the Apostle must speake false when he saith he is the beginning or else you must consider Christ as the only God All the world grants God to be the beginning of all things therefore if there be any thing in the world that should be the beginning of being besides Christ he himself cannot be the beginning of all things therefore for the maintenance of this prerogative of Christ being the beginning and fountain he is to be considered alwayes as the only God Now this word beginning doth import unto us that Christ is first the beginning of being and secondly the beginning of well being He is the beginning of being in generall All things were made by him and without him there was nothing made that was made John the 1. As â—ere in this 1. of the Colos All things were created by him Whether visible or invisible principalities powers thrones or dominions The main thing the Apostle drives at is this that Christ is the beginning of the Church that is Christ is the beginning of them being members of himself Every member of the Church of Christ received his first being from him and only from him and from none other Consider the originall beginning of them even in eternity it self if it may be properly called a beginning it hath its being from Christ himself Mark the Apostle in the 1. chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians 2. and 3. verses Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundations of the world were laid This expression may seem to some to import a difference between God and Christ or something distinct one from the other as if Christ were the subject in whom persons are chosen and God the Author by whom persons are chosen But beloved properly there is no such thing as Christ distinct from God so as if he were not God If God be in Christ then it is Christ himself as he is God that doth it And therefore if you will mark the expression well it may be you shall see that it is Christ himself hath chosen us I confesse the words may have a double reference either to the Father or to Christ and according to this second reference Christ may be conceived both the object and the fountain too in whom you are chosen and the expression perhaps will bear both According as he hath chosen us in him that is according as he in him chose us But howsoever all comes to one effect the Father and the Son being one God Secondly to come down to particulars Christ is the beginning of a present possessive being as persons are members of him He is the beginning of a possessive being or being in possession Consider the first thing in the being of a member that is life life as it is spirituall and so peculiar to a member hath its first rise from Christ himself mark the expression in the 2. chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians He hath created us in Christ Iesus unto good works whereto he hath ordained us that we should walk in them You are created of God in Christ Iesus to good works or God in Christ hath done it The very self-same phrase and expression that the Apostle useth there to the Ephesians he useth again in the 2. Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 5. and verse 19. Namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself The truth is It pleased the divine nature to unite the humane nature to it self and so to mannage the affairs of the Church in those two natures so united not as if God gave out some of himself to the humane nature and reserved some of it self to it self but the whole
be are more able to plead a cause and can doe it better then some Sergeant at Law or some others that are called but yet because he is not called he must hold his tongue Beloved were Christ our Advocate a Novice and not graduated if he were not called to the Bar though he can plead never so excellently with God he could not be heard God will give a call before he heare So Christ is called Yet again when men are called to be Counsellors yet they cannot plead at every Bar. At the Common-pleas none plead but a Sergeant at law though many Counsellors be able Lawyers better gifted then some Sergeants yet this will not suffice he is not called to that Bar in speciall and therefore they must not come till they have the cal as the Sergeants have The Lord doth not bid us to seek his face without a Mediator but he that is the Advocate at the Court of Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ that is one Man the Man Christ He that hath the best Rethoricke in the world to plead his cause must have him as a Sergeant to plead for him he cannot be admitted into this Court to plead for himself The Ministers of God are in some sort the pleaders of our cause yet they themselves must have this Sergeant to plead for them when they come to this tribunall of God and he alone is admitted to it And it is a great matter to know what kinde of Christ he is that is singled out and then you must know that if all the world offer this service unto you to plead your cause before God it would not avail if this Man Christ were not freely assign'd and called to plead your cause you are gone for ever nothing in the world can be heard but Christ Obj. You will say the servants of God are heard when they pray Answ I say Christ is onely heard when he Prayes you must pray in faith saith James Let him not think that he shall obtaine any thing at the hand of the Lord that wavers he must ask in faith that is he must ask in Christ for faith rests not upon it self but upon Christ It is Christ gets every thing for men it is not they themselves nor their prayers but it is Christ that prevails Now this Advocate Christ he speaks his minde and is admitted to speak his minde to the full But this is not all Christ is gifted and qualified that he may plead effectually There may be some unrighteous Judge in the world that may call men for favour as a father calls his son whether he be gifted and qualified or no that is not regarded This man for some by-respects shall come to the Bar but God is a righteous Judge a Judge that hath no partiality Christ indeed is his Son but Christ his Son is not called meerly for favour but as he calls his Son so he breeds his Son You know beloved that at the Inns of Court the Judges and primest Lawyers are teachers of Students and when they finde them to be proficients then they call them and admit them to the Bar. So Christ is the Student and the Father he doth instruct and tutor him he breeds him up if I may so speak after the manner of men to be fit for the Advocateship and then when he was fit he put him out unto it You shall find anointing as in the word Christ to import gifting of men when they are called out Aaron he was anointed he was gifted to make atonement and so of Saul when Samuel anointed him the Text saith God gave him another he gave him a regall heart and when hee made him a King he gave him the heart of a King he gave him a kingly spirit And this was that which Solomon prayed for when the crown was set upon his head that God would give him a wise and understanding heart to goe in and out before his great people and the Lord answered him and gave him wisdome so that there was none before him nor after him like unto him Even so God did with Christ he was anointed to be our Advocate and as he anointed him he gifted him for it as he saith I have laid help upon one that is mighty Christ is the person that must bring help and therefore his person shall be mighty In Psal 68. vers 18. you shall see there that God did gift Christ when he called him forth Thou art ascended up on high thou hast led captivity captive and received gifts for men Here the office of Christ is to deliver captives and for this purpose must be gifted if he be not qualified unto it he will fail in the execution of it The Apostle recites the same passage but above all that place in Isaiah 42. and the 2 3 4 5. verses doth manifestly cleer this matter Behold my servant saith the Lord mine elect in whom my soule delighteth hee shall not fail neither shall he be discouraged I will hold him with my right hand he shall not be dismayed saith the Text Here you see in the words how many expressions the Lord useth to shew how he qualifieth his Son Christ that so he may be fit to manage his businesse But further in the second place he is not only called Christ but he is Christ Jesus saith the Text and the title doth further illustrate the excellency of Christs qualifications to be an Advocate Here is Christ Jesus Jesus is a name importing the effectuall prevalency of Christ in his plea. I will not stand to cleer the signification of it by the Etymologie of the word but for a more sensible understanding of it the word is taken up and examined by the Holy Ghost himself in Mat 1. verse 21. when the Angel brings the tidings of his birth he gave his name They shall call his name Jesus for hee shall save his people from their sins Jesus is as much as to say a Saviour of people from sin Now see how admirably our Saviour is qualified hee hath not only Rethorick Law at his fingers ends as we say but he hath an admirable prevalency in his Rethorick There is not any cause that Christ yet took in hand that miscarried not any client that ever Christ pleaded for that at any time was cast but he that pleads is still the Saviour of his people This Jesus pleads so that he saves them from their sins It is admirable to consider let the sins produced against a person be never so many never so hainous let the witnesses come in and swear never so punctually and prove never so fully the crimes committed against such a Law yet such is the faculty of this Advocate with the Father that he is Jesus that hee stops the judgement the sentence cannot goe forth This Christ as he is Jesus is first the baile of mens persons till the day of payment You know the nature of bailing persons should go to prison presently
to God as the injury comes to and what is from the Godhead is Gods own before Secondly therefore some say that there is a satisfying justice properly though there be not a full recompence as in every point to answer the injury done I will but give you a familiar illustration of it that you may not say it is not unknown and an unheard of thing that justice is satisfied although no plenary recompence in the former sense for satisfaction be brought Suppose one man murther another an ordinary case now for a plenary recompence to the injury done he that is slain must be in statu quo prius that is he that is slain must be made alive again and till that person slain be restored to life here is not a compleat recompence made But how is it possible that any man that hath committed murther should make this full and plenary recompence to the person that is injured He cannot restore life to him again and yet for all this although he cannot bring in a full recompence in this way this man may properly satisfie justice For if life answer for life if the murtherer be executed the Law and Justice may truly be said to be satisfied Here then they say that there may be satisfaction of justice and yet not the fulnes of recompence in the strictest sense brought in Justice I say is satisfied in this respect because here is as much brought in by way of recompence as is possible to be had You know beloved you have a Proverb Where there is nothing to be had the King must lose his right when a man payes all that ever he hath he can pay no more he doth satisfie justice In this sense justice is said to be satisfied when the Law of justice is satisfied and so the satisfying of justice doth not necessarily imply the fulness of recompence in the strictest sense according to the injury done How cometh it to passe when a murtherer is executed that upon this execution of the murtherer onely the Law doth esteem this tobe a recompence and justice to be satisfied though it be not a plenary recompence answering the injury that is done but onely as it answers to the Law that is the rule of justice so it is satisfaction Even so say they the justice of God is truly satisfied when the will and pleasure of God is fulfilled whether or no there be a bringing in a full and plenary recompence If the will and pleasure of God be satisfied concerning transgression that satisfaction of the will of God is the satisfaction of the justice of God Now what is the will of God It is this that in the day that man sins man must die either he must doe it in person or he must do it by deputation for among men the satisfaction of the Law is made either in the mans own person that is the debtor or his surety that will pay the debt for him The Law in some cases looks more upon the thing that is brought in to answer to it than it doth upon the person that doth bring the thing in The justice of God looks upon the fulfilling of his will although it be not by the same person that sinned this alters not the nature of 〈◊〉 thing whether I my self pay the debt or anâ— ther for me pay my debt the payment is satâ— factory so in that the will of God hath 〈◊〉 utmost bounds for the satisfying of justiâ— whereas transgression must be recompence with death Now Christ the surety of 〈◊〉 people going under the punishment and 〈◊〉 filling the punishment the Law is satisfied be cause every tittle of the Law is fulfilled anâ— there is nothing in the Law remaines to 〈◊〉 answered But yet thirdly I say further that the satisfaction of Christ is compleat even in thâ— strictest sense although it be granted that the bare sufferings and righteousness of the humane nature cannot effect it without the divine nature and the righteousnesse thereof and whereas it is urged that the righteousness of the divine nature is Gods own already it is granted and that both because it is essentiall unto God and incommunicable unto the creature therefore and also for the reasons alledged before in the objection it cannot be formally either the whole or any part of our righteousnesse yet notwithstanding the divine nature and so the divine righteousness doth so by the Hypostaticall Union fit and furnish Christ to be an All-sufficient Saviour and satisfier that thereby the person of Christ is so glorious that his active and passive obedience is thereby made of infinite worth and â—alue that so he might give satisfaction for â—s compleat perfect and that in the strictest sense making a full reparation and restauration of all things in the behalfe of the elect for whom he undertakes and brings upon them salvation to the uttermost In brief beloved and so to conclude this businesse though there may be some hint given for your better understanding by way of illustration how justice may be satisfied yet the truth is the fullest and most satisfying resolution wherewith persons ought sit down without further dispute is not by argumentation but by divine faith Suppose wee could not sound the bottome of this Principle that Gods justice should be satisfyed yet we may sit down as fully resolved that it is satisfyed though we know not how it should be so in that the Lord reveales to us he is satisfied whose word must be more to us then all the evidences and demonstrations in the world can be by way of Argument that here Christ is said to be the propitiation for our sins that God himself doth acknowledge else-where that he is satisfied What matter is it to me how he is satisfied I mean in respect of resolving me by way of Argument how he should be satisfied his ownâ— Word speaking it and resolving it to us is that with which we should sit down withall without any further dispute If therefore all this while you cannot know how he is satisfied your believing upon the testimony of Godâ— Word that it is so may be as full a satifaction to you yea may be a more full resolution to your spirits then all the arguments and demonstrations in the world can be And so I come in brief to the last clause of the Text namely the issue of this Advocateship of Christ in the behalf of his people when they sin The issue is this He is the propitiation for our sins I say the words containe in them the upshot or the conclusion of the pleading of Christ telling us what this pleading of Christ comes to at the last it comes to this that by this pleading of his Christ becomes the propitiation for our sins The main thing to be considered here that wee may understand aright our portion in this Grace is to know what this propitiation meaneth or what it is for Christ to be a propitiation Beloved there is
renounceth as false and slanderous ibid. 2 He returneth to the Text wherein is observed That the Church is the Spouse of Christ and this great grace is set forth in 2. things 1 In the consideration of the great inequality of the persons matched p. 328 2 The manifold priviledges that come by this match or relation as 1 We thereby become the sonnes of God p. 335 2 Wee are thereby made joynt heirs with Christ ibid. 3 We hereby partake with Christ in all his honours ibid. 4 The Spouse of Christ is hereby freed from arrest ibid. SERMON XI VPON Colos 1.18 He is the head of the body the beginning page 337. Wherein is considered 1 Who this is that is the head p. 343 Who is described 1 By his divine nature and Godhead 344 2 By his eternall personality p. 345 3 By his distinct humane nature p. 346 4 By the personall union of his divine humane nature together Ibid. 5 By the mystical union whereby Christ God-man is united with his body the Church p. 346 2 What this office of Headship imports 348 Namely 1 That Christ is the beginning of the being of his Church pag. 349 2 He is the beginning of all the priviledges prerogatives of the Church page 357 GODS COVENANT with his People the ground of their security SERMON I. Isaiah 41. Vers 10. Feare not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will helpe thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse IN the former part of this Chapter which we will speake a little of because it will make way to the discovery of the true scope of this Text you shall finde the Lord graciously acquainting his people concerning his minde in sending Christ into the world and what tumults this sending of Christ should raise how the Lord repell'd that out-cry what sucecsse he giveth unto this Christ raised up in spite of all the malignity and force raised against his power and glory And it is worth your observation beloved to consider how the Lord doth manifest this aâ— a Preamble to this very Text. In the first verse of this Chapter the Lord seems to represent unto us the malignity of the world under thâ— name of Ilands and the people and to presenâ— them in such like posture as Demetrius and his fellows stood in in his time in the 19th of the Acts of the Apostles upon Pauls setting up oâ— Christ there was a horrible tumult raised it that particular against the Doctrine of Christ so is seems the Ilands and the people were it such a kinde of posture here therefore the Lord is pleased to call for silence Keepe silenâ—â— before mee yee Ilands such a noyse there was as I may say that God could not be heard and therefore first hee requires silence and then iâ— stead of that confusion that was among them in respect of their madnesse hee desires them to deale somewhat rationally with him hee chargeth the world to put out all the strength it hath Bring forth your strongest reasons Leâ— them come neere and let us reason together in judgement Now that which the Lord speakes is aâ— intending to heare what they could say for themselves in their opposition of Christ for so you see plainly in the second verse there when the Lord had got silence hee pleads the cause of Christ by way of expostulation as if hee had said what madnesse is it in you to set your faces against this setting up of Christ For who hath raised up the righteous man and called him to his feete and given him to rule over Kings Why doe you contend in this manner can you tell who it is that sets him up If yee did but know against whom ye rise up it would appeare to your selves to be a vain contention And therefore in the fourth verse of this Chapter he answers the question himselfe and therein shewes the vanity of their opposing him For saith he the Lord hath done it who is the first and who is the last If you fight with me what will you get by it Be ye sure I will manage the thing it is the worke of mine owne hands and it is I that raise him up even to rule over Kings and therefore you doe but kick against the pricks in your contending with me The Lord proceeds further to shew the certainty of the prevalency of Christ in the latter end of the second verse and in the third verse he goes on to let us see the facâ—â—lity of Christs prevalency and not onely the facillity but also the extent of the prevalency of Christ both how easily and how far he should prevaile This matter is of excellent consideration He shall pursue saith the Text and he shall passe on safely or as it is in the margent he shall passe on in peace as much as to say when Christ takes upon him to set up his owne Kingdome and glory in the world every one that sets his face against him shall flye before him and Christ will be the pursuer and in the pursuit he will so overtake them in the flight that they shall be easily destroyed Therefore Christ shall run quietly and softly he shall not run after them too hastily there shall be such softnesse in the pursuit of Christ that the overcomming of the opposers shall seem to be a time of peace there shall be such little opposition of him In the fifth verse the Lord goes on and tells of the fruit of this conquest and the victory Christ shall have when he comes to reign in his Church the first fruit of it is terror to them that set their faces against the Kingdome of Christ the Ilands were afraid Secondly the Lord shewes what an ill use they made of this feare whereas it should make them stoop to the Scepter of Christ that was too hard for them like malefactors indeed when they saw themselves overmastered they assembled and gathered themselves together they hoped to raise up more forces and then they will try it out once more againe with Christ Besides you may observe what a politike devillish practice they use to bring downe Christ againe when he was raised that which hath been the main and grand plot of Satan even to raise up Idols and set them up by Christ to steale away the hearts of people It was the policy of Balaam counselling Balak to lay stumbling blockes before Israel to intice them unto the Idols of Moab and it was the counsell of Jeroboam to overthrow the Kingdome of Christ to set up Calves in Dan and Bethel that so there may not be a going unto Christ So you have it in the seventh verse The Carpenter incouraged the Goldsmith c. Well the Lord having thus discovered what opposition there would be at the setting up of Christ begins to speake somewhat comfortably unto his owne giving incouragement to his own people the opposition
all these but that Christ is an Advocate we cannot finde where it is mentioned in all the Scripture but in this place and therefore it will be the more difficult to finde out the intention of the Holy Ghost what he means by this office of Advocateship The word Advocate in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the some word is used by John in the 1 of John and the 26. verse and attributed unto the Holy Ghost and is there translated the Comforter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Text The Comforter will come Now the same word that we have here Advocate is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And indeed the proper singification of the word is A Comfortable Advocate But the thing it self What is this Advocateship will you say It is a borrowed expression and an allusion opening the prevalency of Christ with the Father for his owne people it is taken from an office among men Advocates in the Common Law you call them Counsellors but in the Civill Law they have this very title of Advocate The office is this namely being well experienced in the nature of the Law and the Rules and Principles of Justice when ever a cause comes to be tried they are to make clear the Principles of Justice and so to plead out Justice on the behalfe of the client for whom they plead I say the office of an Advocate is to plead the cause of a person as it stands in equity and justice and to demand and require a sentence of acquittance and discharge from Justice and equity it selfe Herein an Advocate differs from a Suppliant a Suppliant makes only requests and depends altogether upon favour alone so as if hee should stand to the rigor of Justice he must bee gone and his cause must miscarry I say this is the proper office of a Suppliant or Petitioner but an Advocate hee stands to the justice of a person whose cause hee doth plead and puts the issue of the triall even to Justice it selfe that as the cause can bee cleared to bee a just cause so the Judge would passe a sentence upon the cause just so I say is it with Christ pleading the cause of his own people with the Father in respect of indempnity from sin for his Advocateship is this namely to lay the Law to the Father to plead justice in the discharge of the sinner that doth commit sinne that it is but right and justice to discharge him and it were an unrighteous thing and in justice if he should not I say it is most certainly true that Christ stands here upon justice and he will in righteousnesse have God to discharge his own people from all the sins that they do commit and hee pleads that it is an unrighteous thing to charge them with them or to plague or punish them for them Object But some peradventure will be ready to say this cannot be that Christ as an Advocate should plead for indempnity upon terms of justice for in the strictnesse and the rigor of justice the soule that sinneth must die And the Gospel seems to say it is onely and solely Grace that any person is discharged from sin For in justice there cannot be a claime made of pardon and discharge from sin but all the plea must be meerly bounty and favour Answ This objection seems to have a great deale of strength in it How may these two things stand together that Christ pleading justice God must forgive and yet notwithstanding justice doth sentence a person unto death if he sins For answer to this you must learn to distinguish and I desire you warily to observe this distinction that so you may plainly see a reconciliation of that which seems impossible to be reconciled I say observe this distinction namely first consider the pardon or discharge from sin in regard of any thing laid down in consideration of the sin committed by the person who doth partake of this pardon And secondly consider this pardon or indemnity and discharge from sin in reference unto Christ who gets this discharge Now I say in the former consideration that is in respect of us that do partake of this discharge from sin and in regard of any thing that we can bring in recompence for that sin or satisfie in this regard it is meerly and only Grace that sinners being the members of Christ are discharged When you or I commit sin that God doth discharge us that God doth not lay our sins to us that God doth not give sentence of damnation upon us for such and such sins as we do commit I say it is an act of meer Grace alone Justice cannot 〈◊〉 pleaded in this case But secondly consider the indemnity from sin in respect of Christ who doth get this discharge and doth purchase it of the Father Then Christ is to bee considered two wayes First as Christ is allowed by the Father to stand in the room of such persons whose cause he pleads Or secondly Christ is to be considered as he hath actually made full payment unto the Father his satisfaction being allowed and admitted before thereunto Now I answer considering Christ in his being allowed by the Father to stand in the room of the persons whose cause he pleads so this discharge from sin by Christ it is an act of Grace Christ cannot plead justice that he should be allowed There was not a tye upon the Father that Christ should bee in mans room and that the Father should be unrighteous if hee did not ordain him to bee so it was an act of free Grace in God when men were under the curse and became miserable bankrupts that Christ should make satisfaction for them When one man doth owe another money it is not an unrighteous act in this creditor to refuse a surety he may make the debtor pay the debt himselfe if he will it is matter of grace it is meer courtesie so to doe Even so it is matter of grace that Christ is admitted to come in the roome of man and to stand in the stead of man 〈◊〉 to beare the sins of man For him to be 〈◊〉 to beare the wrath of God for these sins that another hath committed this is an act of grace and in regard of these particulars is the Scripture so frequent in these expressions of the free Grace of God in communicating this discharge and pardon of sin unto sinners But secondly consider Christ allowed of the Father to stand in the room of men as he hath come forth and paid down the utmost farthing that God in justice could demand for or in consideration of these sins that are committed by his people I say when Christ hath deposited or delivered up into the hands of his Father the utmost farthing that hee could charge upon Believers or demand on their behalfe this being received by the Father acknowledgement being made by him upon the receipt of what Christ hath paid this I say considered it is an
righteousnesse by which we come to have our discharge from sin The Apostle tells us in the 2. Chap. of the Epistle to the Collos In him speaking of Christ dwelâ— the fulnesse of the God head bodily and wee are compleat in him saith the Text the fulnesse of the God-head dwells in Christ and we are compleat in that fulnesse of his our compleatnesse consists in and springs from the fulnesse of the God-head in Christ as from its fountaine There is certainly something in it worth our obseruation that the Holy Ghost should take notice of a fulnesse of the God-head in Christ before he speaks of a compleatnesse which we have in Christ Surely it doth import that Christ doth communicate something that is Gods own unto us and yet this will not import any essentiall thing that is wrought in our persons as if Christ did substantially change our natures into Gods nature or Gods into ours which were a grosse absurdity But this there is there is a communication of an infinite value and vertue to the active and passive obedience of Christ For the righteousnesse that becomes ours by which we stand compleat with God it must have so much value as I said as may stand in proportion to the breach of the Law of God Now if there be but a righteousnesse of Christs humane nature consisting in his active conformity to the Law and suffering for the breach of the Law and we to stand in this righteousness this righteousnesse will not make us compleat For mark he that is compleat by the righteousnesse of Christ that righteousnesse must serve for every purpose whatsoever if there should be some defect which the righteousnesse of Christ as it is acted by him in his human nature doth not make up in respect of such defect we could not be compleat by it although that even as it is humane it is absolutely compleat in his kinde and without defect This righteousnesse of a man doth consist in a conformity to the will of God revealed and that in all relations whatsoever and in all actions of those relations Suppose a Magistrate besides his common duties he is to perform as he 〈◊〉 man or a Christian must perform the 〈…〉 his publike relation he must do justice in judgâ—ment and the like Now 〈◊〉 he should be exact in all the common 〈◊〉 as he is a Christian and should still fail in 〈◊〉 duties oâ— this publike relation he is not compleatly righteous because there is a want of a Magâ—â—â—rares righteousnesse Now what is it that makes this man compleat in Christ it must be the fiâ—â—ing up that which is empty in him there must be that found in Christs righteousnesse that may fill up this deffect or else there cannot be compleatnesse in this person So likewise if a father or a mother doe faâ—l in the duties of their relation they must go to Christ for a righteousnesse to supply this and all other defects Now where will you finde it in Christ He never was a Father nor a mother Christ did never perform these severall offices requisite to the severall relations Christ never brought up children Christ was never a Magistrate When a father failes in the duties of his reâ—ation where can he finde out a righteousnesse fit for him to make it up in Christ Now therefore the divine nature either must adde some eminency of worth that must serve in the stead thereof unto that the humane righteousnesse of Christ which his active and passive obedience as humane did not particularly effect or else there cannot be a compleat righteousnesse given by Christ unto this person and therefore whereas it is objected against the active obedience of Christ for as much as it doth not serve for us inregard it is not every way answerable unto the unrighteousnesse done by man therefore there must come a righteousnesse of faith in stead of that righteousnesse I say the remedy is worse then the disease and my ground is this Iâ— Christs active obedience through non-performance of some particulars required of us be not a compleat righteousnesse for every circumstance required much lesse faith wherein as acted by us there is both omission of good and coÌ„mission of evil which simply is sin whereas the active obedience of Christ could not be charged with the least sin in any kinde I say much lesse can faith fill up this emptiness being it self sinfull seeing the active obedience of Christ being free from the least spot of sin only through not-performance of these severall duties of these severall relations and being but a created righteousnesse could not fill it up and therefore I collect from hence rather that a supply here is from the dignity of the God head which could not be in the active and passive obedience of Christ and this shall be in the stead of every particular circumstance which ought to have been in the perfect accomplishment thereof So that though we faile in our relations as of fathers and mothers and Magistrates And the active obedience of Christ hath not these particulars in it yet this is supplyed by the eminency of worth of the person being God himself and it cannot possibly be any otherwise supplyed but by the giving such infinite value and vertue to that which Christ did that though Christ did not every particular circumstance which is wanting in us yet notwithstanding it doth amount in value to all particulars which we should have done Now it remaineth that we should onely consider wherein the strength of the plea of that righteousnesse doth consist we have considered what that righteousness is namely the active and passive obedience of Christ made of infinite value by a supply of worth from the dignity of the person super-added thereunto we should now I say have considered wherein the strength of the plea of that righteousness doth consist There are but two wayes by which persons may be acquitted in judgement being charged with any crime Either by pleading and proving not guilty or by pleading and proving ful satisfaction made though there be guilt either of these two wayes are enough to plead out a full discharge As for the first way of plea Christ manages it not that is Christ doth not plead non factum Christ doth acknowledge this and that person did commit such and such transgression It is true this he doth not deny but the strength of the plea of Christ doth consist in the latter that though the fact be done yet Christ by vertue of this righteousnesse pleads out a satisfaction and by vertue of that satisfaction hee pleads out a ful discharge for those that are his members SERMON VIII 1 John 2. vers 1 2. Wee have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins c. YOu have heard from these word First an Argument to prevaile over the people of God to abstain from sinning My little children I write these things to you
that you sin not in the words before This is urged as an Argument to perswade them namely Wee have an Advocate with the Father We have considered already the force of this Argument to prevaile to this thing required and we have considered something concerning the nature of the Argument it self If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Here we considered what the Advocateship of Christ is namely to plead a sentence for his peoples discharge according to the rules of justice and equity Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth advocate or plead Thirdly how Christ is qualified and gifted unto this office of Advocateship He is first Christ that is called of God and furnished by the Lord unto it Secondly he is Jesus Christ an effectuall and prevailing Advocate an Advocate that saves every client harmlesse whose cause hee doth plead Jesus is as much as a Saviour of his people from their sins We have considered thirdly further that Christ is qualified with righteousnesse and herein also the strength of the plea of Christ or the Argument of his plea He pleads discharge from sinne by vertue of his own righteousnesse Now because this discharge doth depend upon this righteousnesse of his We have proposed to your consideration what this righteousnesse is that hath such strength of plea as to obtain discharge from sin to the members of Christ after they have committed sin wee have proposed it first negatively secondly affirmatively The righteousnesse that obtains discharge from sin is no righteousnesse of our own nothing we do hath prevalency in the Court of Heaven with God for our dischargâ— It is not our tears our prayers or our fastingâ— that do prevaile with God but the righteousnesse of Christ only by the way a word oâ— two before I go on Let none think that thâ— denying efficacy unto our performances for thâ— procuring of our discharge from sinne doth wholy take away or derogate or eclypse these performances which are the things God himselfe calleth for at our hands I am not ignorant what an aspersion is rather by men collected then what can be justly raised out of what I have delivered as if there should be a slighting and a derogating from the performances that are the businesse of a Christians conversation as if denying efficacy to prevaile for discharge should be the overthrowing of these performances in Gods people You know what is said of fire It is a good servant but a bad master usefull in the harth dangerous iâ— the top of a house I say the like of all performances whatsoever keep them within their due bounds they are for excellent uses and for excellent purposes Let them break out of their bounds and they are dangerous Rivers are usefull but when they overflow their banks they drown all they are good creatures within the banks and water is usefull and necessary for many purposes but nothing more dangerous and destructive when it rieseth too high Exact performances once into the Throne of Christ give performances the peculiar priviledges of Christ and they deny Christ keep them in subordination to Christ they are usefull in their kinde Prâ—yer and fasting and circumspect walking and holinesse of conversation so farre as they are kept within these bounds namely the glorifying of God the manifestation of thankfulnesse and our due obedience to divine Majesty doing good to others and as they are looked upon as the Ordinances of God in the performances of which the Lord will be graciously pleased to meet with his people and in them make good to them things that are freely given by him before in Christ so farre they are exceeding usefull As for instance God calls forth unto prayer he calls forth unto fasting what is the encouragement of men to performe these services not a prevalency that these services themselves have with God but because that he hath promised that when his people call he will answer So for the promise sake we are encouraged in the expectation that the Lord will be as good as his word when we meet with him where he calls us forth to meet with him so far we are encouraged These things will I doe saith the Lord yet for all this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel Observe it well and in it you shall see the usefulnesse in seeking God in any way that the Lord will be sought in First the Lord saith These things will I do the Lord hath bound himself he cannot alter it the word is gone out of his mouth the thing shall come to passe when it is once gone out of his mouth he will make that good for his own sake and I will be sought unto by the house of Israel I will doe it you shall seeke mee and when you seek me I will make it good So when we come to the Ordinances wee look to what God hath promised and upon what God hath ingaged himself to make good to us And when we are upon the Ordinances our eye is or ought to be upon the promises not upon our performances and the Ordinances as if these our qualifications and doing this or that were the procurers of that we desire but the procurer of that is that which moved the Lord to make a promise Secondly as our righteousnesse hath not plea in it to prevaile of it selfe for discharge of sin after commission so neither hath faith it self any prevalency for the discharge of sin I say the plea of saith it self hath no efficacy and strength in it to get discharge from sin Faith improperly is called the righteousnesse of God Look into the 10. of the Romans the Apostle expresseth himselft us The righteousnes of faith speaks on this wise c. Here by the righteousnes of faith there cannot be meant the righteousnesse of the act of believing but the righteousnesse of Christ believed on I came to this assertion that faith hath not such prevalency of plea to discharge from sin I say not a prevalency of plea as to obtain the discharge from sin Nay saith hath not this prevalency so much as to be an instrument to unite a soul unto Christ in its first union I shall desire beloved in this case yet once more to be marked and heeded both attentively and spiritually and ingenuously and candidly The assertion I delivered was this and the reason why I deliver it again I will tell you by and by There is I say not such a thing as an uniting and cementing nor knitting power in faith as that faith doth or should become the instrument to unite a soul in its first union unto Christ For before such believing a soul is united unto Christ and a soul must be united unto Christ before it doth or can believe I said this of elect persons still and so carried it along to the end of the discourse That an elect person is united unto Christ before he can believe on Christ Something I said before for the
of faith it self unto Christ and to nothing else in the world and that I may uphold these particular and glorious prerogatives that are proper to Christ that he may not be robbed of any of them To this end I deliver it to you that elect persons have a participation and share in Christ himself even before they do beleive let none conceive that this takes away or diminisheth from the prerogative of believing neither For there are glorious things done by faith unto believers God hath honoured it above all meer creaturs in the world he hath made it the conduit pipe for the conveyance of all that peace and comfort nay of al that strength which believers have all their lives no faith no comfort no faith no peace of conscience no faith no plesure to walk with God through faith Christ conveys himself in speaking peace to the foul in bidding the soul be of good cheer the soul lies in darknes while it lies in unbelief But still that which is proper peculiar to Christ alone is not to be ascribed unto believing I should now proceed having as well as I can taken away the rubs to that which I purpose to follow But the time is past SERMON IX 1 John 2. vers 1 2. If any man sin wee have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins c. WEe have considered already the Office of Christ here spoken of his Advocateship We have considered the cause he manages also the persons whose cause it is that he doth manage The cause he manageth is in behalfe of the sinnes of his people and the persons are not present Believers but all elected persons though yet unbelievers Wee further considered the indowments and qualifications of Christ unto this Office First he is Christ that is called of God unto it and furnished by God for it Secondly he is Jesus he takes no cause in hand but he saves his client Thirdly he is Christ Jesus the Righteous the efficacy of the plea of Christ lyeth in this righteousness of his that being the soule hinge upon which the doore turneth In the large opening of this righteousness unto you I spake first negatively The plea that prevails for the discharge of â—in is not our works no not our faith but it is the righteousness of Christ himself that onlyserves to make up the strength of this plea Secondly affirmatively There is First an active righteousness of Christ For by the obedience of one man many shall be made righteous Rom. 5.19 Secondly the passive righteousness of Christ The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 But it is the divine righteousness or dignity of the divine God-head that adds an efficacy and life and vertue making the active and passive righteousness of Christ a compleat righteousnesse that wee might be compleat in him and we gave a touch to you wherein the efficacy of the plea of this righteousness stands The efficacy of it stands in the satisfaction that righteousness hath made to the justice of God In judgment there are but two wayes to be acquitted either just proof that the person upon triall is not guilty or being guilty the Law is already satisfied The strength of the plea of the righteousnesse of Christ insists not upon the first way heâ— grants the persons whose cause he pleads had for matter of fact done the thing that is charged but the strength of his plea is that the Law on their behalf is satisfied already This latter plea being good hath the like force for acquittance and discharge as the former hath So that the sentence of judgement can no more passe upon the person for whom the Law is satisfied then it can upon persons that never transgressed the Law Now it remains to be considered by way of objection out of the premises how this can be that the justice of God should be satisfied seeing the satisfaction of justice is the bringing of a recompence to answer in proportion for the offence that is committed The ground of the objection is this all that Christ as man brings unto God comes short to make a full recompence I told you before that the divine righteousness is that that makes the righteousnesse compleat and that a meer humane righteousnesse is not able to effect till it be infinite or be made infinite by the divine righteousnesse Now when Christ brings a recompence to the Father for the transgressions of men that that he brings to him by way of recompence should not be that which was his own before Now what ever the divine righteousness is that iâ— Gods own the active and passive obedience of Christs human nature that is brought to him but the divine righteousness is not brought You will say this is just as one man oweth another an hundred pounds and he sueth this man for it now the debtor he cannot raise above ten pounds of this money but the creditor must make it up out of his own purse So then here is the ground of the objection and the truth is this matter contains in it the depth of the mysterie of the Gospel that justice should be satisfied by bringing a recompence for transgression and yet the recompence as it is brought is not so much as will answer the injury that is done of it self It is true there is enough in the divine Righteousnesse to make the satisfaction for the injury done But how is this divine Righteousnesse brought It is most certainly true therefore even where there is satisfaction of justice in this case there is also mercy too For although God be just to forgive sin yet observe the phrase well you shall finde that where the Apostle speaks of justice in this act of forgiveness of sinz he speaks of mercy too You know to forgive a thing is an act of grace and mercy yet even while there is forgivenes there is manifested the act of justice Justice it selfe takes its course even while there is forgivness But this you will say doth not resolve the question Where can there be a satisfaction of justice seeing there is not brought by way of recompence that which might be proportionable to the injury done Answ 1. First of all justice is satisfied in the strictest sense when there is such a plenary and equivalent recompence given that the person injured thereby is in as good estate every way as he was before the injury done When a man is trespassed against and doth sue the man for this trespasse and when the man doth make up and bring in as much recompence as the injury commeth to so that the party trespassed is worth as much as he was before here is a plenary satisfaction of justice Now comes in the objection and sayes that the justice of God cannot be said to be so satisfied because the active and passive obedience of Christ as humane bring not in so much
In this he is a Housholder with a witnesse he cannot eat his morsels alone he must impart that he hath The tender mother if she have but a bit the childe must have half with her and participate thereof And therefore in the 1. of Iohn he is full of grace and truth saith the Holy Ghost and of his fulnes we have received grace for grace What better Husband can you desire in the world then to have his whole purse at your command You are not at stint and allowance you may draw till you are weary there is no shutting up of the chest of his treasure he is a Fountain set open for you But to draw towards our purpose There are two offices the Holy Ghost is pleased to acquaint us withall proper unto Christ as an encouragement to win people unto him The first is generall in respect of creation and providence over the whole world the second is peculiar and speciall over the Church alone that is the office mentioned in the Text He is the head of the body the Church the beginning In the words you may observe with me a Proposition and an Eposition and Interpretation or an Allegoricall Proposition and the exposition of the Allegory The Allegoricall Proposition is He is the head of the body The interpretation of it is He is the beginning of the Church In the words note whose office this is that is here spoken of it is he that is the Head even the Image of the invisible God the deare Son of God Secondly note the office it self what that is It is Headship He is the Head of the Church He is the beginning Thirdly note among whom this office is executed and for whose use he doth execute this office that is the body interpreted to be the Church the severall members of Christ I will not set down any other Proposition but what the Apostle hath stated in the Text using his own words Christ is the head of the body the Church the beginning A head and so consequently a body admits of a threefold consideration Sometimes it is taken naturally and so proportionably it hath a body consisting of naturall members Sometimes a head is taken politically and so proportionably it hath a body politique But here it is taken spiritually for a spirituall head and a spirituall body Christ is the head and the Church you see is the body so that this is here a mysticall body And the Church is called a body not that it hath a compleatnesse without a head but in reference to the head it is called a part of the whole A body and a head is but a compleat body indeed Sometimes the body goes for a part and sometimes for the whole Here it is taken for a part only But that we are to insist upon is this First to take into consideration who this is that is the head Secondly what this office of Headship doth import unto us Thirdly how this Head is furnished to the office that is proper for a head to a body Fourthly and then as time will give leave we will have a word or two of application First who this Head is You will say we need not ask the question it is confest by all it is Christ It is true it is so but yet there is a mystery in it and peradventure the thoughts of many persons are something more confused in the apprehension of Christ as he is Head then haply they might be And it may be there might be a more cleer apprehension of Christ considered as he is Head then yet there is among us I will therefore as cleerly as possibly I may state unto you under what confideration Christ is to be considered being head of his Church or of his members Note for the making way to this that there are five very distinct things in Chrirst I say all five distinct one from another and all of them as you shall hear in the closure concurre together in Christ as head of the Church First in Christ theâ— is the one only divine nature and Godhead there is no God in the world but the God that Christ is This is worth your consideration for the mindes of men are apt frequenty to 〈…〉 so between God and Christ as if God were one and Christ distinctly another 〈…〉 God 's when as the truth is there is no other God 〈◊〉 the world but what Christ himself 〈◊〉 My Lord and my God said Thomas speaking to â—hrist And in the 2. chap. or this 〈◊〉 to the Colossians vers 9. the Apostle saith thâ—â— in 〈◊〉 dwels the fulnes of the Godhead bodily In the begining was the Word and the 〈◊〉 was with God and the Word was God In 〈◊〉 1. chapter of Iohn and the 1. vers Christ is God there is but one God in all the world and therefore you must know that you are never to separate in your thoughts God from Christ Alwaies as you look upon Christ so look upon God or as you look upon God look upon God no otherwise then as he is in Christ as if there were another God besides what Christ is for there is no such thing Secondly besides the Godhead there is the eternall ineffable personality in Christ as he is God so he is the Son And in this though we cannot fathome the difference yet certainly there is a personall difference between the Fatherhood and the person of the Son There is but one God as I said before but the persons are three the Father is one the Son is another and the Holy Ghost is another There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one Now the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are not all one personally but the Son is the Son and the Father is the Father But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son is one that is the true meaning there is a difference between the person of the Father and the person of the Son but this matter is not to be pryed into by humane wit For this of all the mysteries in Scripture is the pure object of meer faith there is no humane way to illustrate the difference between the eternall Fatherhood and the eternall Sonship Thirdly in Christ there is a distinct human nature that is as this man is not that man such a distinct individuall human nature Christ hath having a peculiar soul and body of his own that which was born of the Virgin Mary and suffered upon the crosse distinct I say from our individuall souls and bodies Fourthly in Christ there is to be considered an ineffable and incomprehensible hypostaticall Vnion of the divine nature of the second person in the Trinity and humane nature in one person There is difference between the being of God and man considered severally and the being of Christ as Mediator The Godhead of Christ is not the Mediator simply the Manhood of Christ is not
divine nature gave up it self though only in the second Person God was in Christ as much as to say whole God the divine nature assumed a humane nature and so makes up a Christ And thus God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself You shall see in the Apostles expression elsewhere that the beginning of life in a member of Christ flows from Christ Your life is hid with Christ in God It is such another phrase as the two former It is hid with Christ in God that is it is hid in that God who by being man is become Christ For that is all the difference between God and Christ all the difference I say is between God simply and absolutely considered in himself and God considered as ineffably united to the humane nature God I say thus united becomes Christ and so in such a union is reconciling the world unto himself and takes the Church who is his body The Apostle tells us further Now I live but he presently checks himself yet not I but Christ lives in me Christ is the soul of the body and as the body without a soul is dead so a person without Christ is dead I will not dispute that needlesse dispute of the Philosophers whether the soul be seated in the head principally or in the heart but this I am sure of the life and soul of the Church is in the head of the Church I am the way the truth and the life he is the life of the soul of man as the body without the soul is dead even so if there could be such a thing as the body of the Church without Christ that body were but a dead thing It hath all animal vertue from him alone It hath all life in all respects from him Take life in the first fruits in its sence or motion all spirituall sence all spirituall motion all spirituall actions and activenesse for action receives being and beginning only from Christ Hee is given for a covenant to open the blind eyes All eyes are blind till Christ opens them there is no seeing till the body receive sight and seeing from the head The head causeth us also to sinell as wel as to see the sweet savour of the ointment of Christ that makes the Virgins love him Because of the sweet savour of thy oyntments therefore do the Virgins love thee Now this savour the smell thereof being as the smel of a field that the Lord hath blessed to smel this is the sole work of Christ himselfe So also the spiritual taste to tast how good God is to relish the fatnesse and marrow and sweetnesse of the spirituall wine well refined upon the lees is all by the power of Christ and hath its being from Christ So all our feeling to feel comfort joy unspeakable and glorious all is from Christ Christ opens our eyes he boars the eares he causeth us to smell You will say all this is the worke of the Spirit why doe you say it is the work of Christ Mark what John saith in the 16. chapter the words are these He that is the spirit shal glorifie me For he shall receive of mine and he shall shew it unto you The Spirit himselfe as he dealeth with the members of Christ is the agent of Christ proceeding from Christ communicating that that is Christs to those members So that the Spirit is as it were the conduit-pipe through whom the fulnesse of the fountaine conveyes it selfe and runs forth to every member The Spirit is as the veins and nerves in the naturall body The blood you know hath its fountain from the liver but the veins carry it into every part of the body And as the naturall eye cannot see except the nerves feed it with visive spirits so neither can any eye behold the secrets of the Lord the hidden things of Christ such as he thanks his Father hee reveales unto babes while he hides them from the wise of the world except the Lord Christ do feed the members with his own Spirit It is not the eye that doth discerne and see of it selfe but the spirits that do come from the head cause sight by the eye For there may be an eye and no sight where a want of these spirits are Looke over all the Book of God and you shall finde that there is no action that comes from the Spirit but Christ is the head and spring of it You shall finde the strength and hearts of people faile when hee withdrawes himselfe It is hee that is the strength of them for ever Feare not saith the Text be not dismayed I will uphold thee I will strengthen thee There must needs be miscarriage for want of power except Christ come with his strength and power to uphold Therefore when Paul exhorts those to whom he writes to worke the workes of the Lord hee gives them this counsel Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and again saith hee Put on the whole armour of God Now it is a vain thing to think of taking up of arms except there be strength to manage them Saul thought David to be a puny when he was to sight with Goliah and had no regard to him although hee might have good armour on hee was too little a man What Saul thought of David is true of all the whole armour of God it is to no purpose except men be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And therefore when Paul was in a strait hee begged and begged again to have strength given though hee had not an answer to his mind yet God told him My grace is sufficient for thee My strength is made perfect in weaknesse All persons are weak but as they have strength in Christ Yea there is no strength but what is his and is sent by him Let me tell you this and I beseech you consider they that have Christ for their head they have an infinite advantage above the closest hypocrite in the world although he goe never so farre All he doth is but from a weake principle Christ is not the principle of that hee doth but hee that hath Christ for his head hee hath a spring of fulnesse The Holy Ghost tells us He is full of Grace and Truth and in him dwells the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and It pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell So that you may plainely see that the preaching of Christ as head and setting up of all the glory of Christ is not the preaching of licentious liberty to men Hee that can win a person to be a true member of this head that is Christ hee brings that person into a fat soile hee transplants him from a barren soile from a rocky soil into a rich soile whereby he come to abound in all manner of fruitfulnesse And certainly beloved fruitfulnesse will be more abundant as the soule can apprehend it selfe by true faith to be a part of this head