third but the Father Son and holy Ghost are that same one Object of Worship And when we pray to one we pray to all The reason is clear Because though there be three Persons in the God-head yet there is but one Essence in the God-head and the divine essential Properties which are the grounds on which we adore God are essential and agree to all the Persons of the God-head the Father hath not one Omnipotency and the Son another neither are there two Omnipotents but one Omnipotent God and so in other Attributs they are the same essential properties of the God-head and incommunicable And therefore though the Father be another Person and as they use to speak alius yet he is not another thing or aliud but the same God with the Son and holy Ghost And although the Persons have a real distinction amongst themselves yet none of them are really distinct from the God-head and so there is but one Object of Worship and therefore though sometimes all the Persons be named yet it 's not to shew any distinction in the Object of our worship but to shew who is the Object of our worship To wit one God yet three Persons or iâ— three 3. That though in prayer to God we may name either the Father the Son or the Holy Ghost yet whomsoever we name it 's alwayes the same God Father Son and Holy Ghost that is worshipped And this followeth well on the former and may be the use of it For if the Father be God and if we worship him as God we cannot worship him but we must worship the Son and Holy Ghost with him because they are the same God having the same essential Attributs And therefore 4. Whensoever we pray to and name one of the Persons we would not conceive that he is lesse worshipped that is not named or that we pray lesse to him that is not named as it may be in the same prayer when a Person begins at first he names the Father and when he hath proceeded a little he names the Son men would then beware of thinking that there is a difference in the Object they are praying to or as if they began to pray to one of the Persons and now they are praying to another as a distinct party for it is still the same God who is the Object of worship We observe it to teach you calmness soberness and composedness of frame in approaching to God wherein folks would beware of curious tossing in their mind and imagination what may be the Object of their worship and of suffering it to run in an itchingly curious way on the distinction of the Persons but would stay their mind upon one God in three Persons and seek after no more The 2d is How the Mediator is the Object of our prayers or may be prayed unto and for clearing of this we would propose these considerations 1. That it is a certain truth that the Person that is the Mediator is the Object of our woriship and may be prayed unto because he is God the second Person of the God-head And therefore Act. 7. at the close a direct prayer is put up to him by Stephen Lord Jesus saith he receive my Spirit 2. We say this That the Adoration and Worship that is given to the Mediator is not of any distinct kind from that Adoration and Worship that is given to the Father and the Holy Ghost but the same supream divine worship for he is the same God with the Father and Holy Ghost and although he be Mediator it derogats nothing from his God-head and the Scripture speaking of no divine Worship but one we are therefore not to conceive him to be worshipped with lesse confidence fear or reverence then the other Persons of the Trinity For there is no such worship in Scripture and to give him lesse would derogat from the Majesty of Jesus Christ who is God equal with the Father and the Spirit For although as Mediator he be inferiour to the Father yet the Person whom we worship is God equal with the Father and the Holy Ghost 3. The worshipping of Jesus Christ Mediator and the giving of him divine worship is not the worshipping of any other Object but of the same to wit God who is made flesh and is manifested in our nature by the union of the second Person of the God-head with the humane nature which he hath assumed and taken to him upon which it follows that Jesus Christ must be the same Object of worship and that our worshipping of him is the worshipping of God and that our praying to him is praying to God the Father Son and Spirit And there is reason to take heed to this because when we in prayer are speaking to the Mediator thoughts may steal in as if we were not so immediatly and directly speaking to God as when we name the Father 4. Consider That Christ Jesus being worshipped with this divine worship as the one Object of worship for as we shew there cannot be two Objects of divine worship it will follow that Christ Jesus as God is worshipped for though it be the Person that 's Mediator and Man that is worshipped yet it 's not the Person as Man but as God that is worshipped And the reason is clear because it 's not Christ Jesus as Man but as God that hath these properties of God to be Omni-scient Omni-potent Infinit Supream Adorable c. And therefore as upon the one hand we say that Christ God died and suffered because he being God and Man in one Person the Person that was and is God died and suffered though the God-head did not neither can suffer So upon the other hand we say that Christ Man is prayed unto because he who is God Man is prayed unto as God But though there be an union of the two natures in the Mediators Person and though the properties of the one nature be sometimes attributed to the other because of the straitnesse of the union yet we must still keep the properties of each nature distinct and in our worship-application to him consider him accordingly As to be finite agrees to his humane nature and is to be attributed to that and to be infinite agrees to his divine nature and is to be attributed to him in respect of that To clear it a little if it be possible for us to clear it we must conceive in our worshipping of God in the Person of a Mediator A threefold Object of our worship for so Divines use to distinguish and we hold us closse by them 1. The Material Object or the Object which we worship that is the Person we pray to 2. The Formal Object of our worship or that which is the ground or account on which we worship that Person 3. The Object of our Consideration in our worshipping of that Person on that aâ—â—ount As for instance 1. The Man Christ Jesus is the Person whom we worship or pray unto but
essential properties of a Creature As if now when exalted he were wholly or only God or as if the properties of the Humane Nature were swallowed up in the God-head That were inconsistent with his being true Man and would marr and obstruct our consolation exceedingly But his Exaltation consisteth 1. In the manifestation and decâ—aration of the person that was humbled and brought low to be God Omnipotent Omnipresent Alsufficient infinitly Wise Powerful Just c. For though these properties agree not to the Humane Nature yet they agree to his person and they are manifested to be in him without question 2. In the Exaltation of the Humane Nature of Christ-man to an inconceivable hight of glory such as the Humane Nature united to the Divine Nature is capable of by very many degrees beyond any thing that the Elect whether Angels or Men are capable of The personal union making him capable of far more glory and his excellent Offices calling for it 3. This Exaltation consists in his absolute Dominion and Kingly Power which is more observably directly and plainly manifested in the dayes of the Gospel-administration then it was under the Law So that now he is clearly known in respect of his Kingly Office to be God in our nature cloathed with our flesh and to be Immanuel Goâ—â—â—th us and that this Immanuel hath aâ—â—â—â—â—er in Heaven and Earth committed to him He hath the keys of Hell and of death and is King of kings and Lord of lords is exalted far above all principalities and powers and is given to be head over all things to the Church In which respect that is most properly to be understood when it is said that he is set on the right hand of God So that now Jesus Christ God and Man in one Person is in highest Glory and in absolutest Dominion nearest unto God far above that which Angels or Saints are capable of As Kings use to set their greatest Courtiers and Minions whom they would honour most on their right hand and as Solomon set his Mother on his right hand so is our Lord set on the right hand of God in highest glory It is true that as God he hath an absolutely Soveraign and independent Kingdom yet as Mediâ—tor God-man he hath a dispensatory Kingdom next unto the Father in glory 4. This Exaltation consists in Christs being furnished with qualifications suitable to that glorious condition wherein he is invested And though these qualifications of the Man Christ be not simply infinit yet they are far above what we can conceive And the qualifications of the Person God-man are infinite in which respect he is Omnipotent All-seeing and infinitly wise to provide every thing that may be for the good of his Church and People and to prevent what may tend to their hurt Omnipresent c. The Uses are three 1. This would waken and rouze our Spirits to a high holy and reverend esteem of Christ he is God above all gods Kiâ—g above all kings he hath gotten a name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow not superstitiously when he is named but holily and reverently to think of him and to worship and serve him We conceive among many faults and evils in Believers this is a root-evil even low thoughts of glorious Christ so that because he hath become low to lift us up we are ready to think the less of him but O! that we could behold the glorious condition he is exalted unto and could look upon 〈◊〉 as ere long coming in the clouds with 〈◊〉 and great glory in the glory of his Father and all the holy angels with him it would furnish reverend thoughts of him though not to hurt faith and confidence yet to breed holy awe and reverence in us to him-wards The 2d Use serves to shew what a formidable party they engage to top with them who slight our Lord Jesus Christ what loss they are at who loss him and what a great aggravation their sin hath who sin against him ye that slight refuse and oppose him do ye know whom ye refuse and whose dominion ye spurn against and how hard it will be for you to kick against the pricks do ye know your loss who loss him and how it will aggrege your guilt who despise him the more glorious Christ be the greater will the sin of the Unbeliever be therefore be aware what ye are doing ye have a mighty great and strong party to deal with and when the great day of his wrath comes and when he shall appear in his glory how will you be able to abide the least touch of it it will aggrege your sin and highten your misery that he whom the Father exalted was undervalued by you that ye scorned to take a direction from him or to submit to a censure drawen forth in his name and said at least by your practice Let us break his bands asunder and cast away his cords from us but he hath set his king on his holy hill of Zion for all that and he that sits in heaven will laugh the Lord will have you in derision think on it seriously and know that he is no mean person whom ye slight and despise and though this may now seem less than other sins yet it will one day ly heavy on your score and Conscience above many yea above all other sins The 3d. Use serves to be a motive and encouragemt to them that hear this Gospel to receive Christ and for the consolation of Believers who have received him 1. It serves to encourage you all to receive him He is no mean person that wooes you but King of kings and Lord of lords and if ye think it a happiness to be for ever with him then let it move you to close with him if ye do so ye shall be made glorious as he is glorious a due proportion betwixt the Head and the Members being kept ye shall sit on the same throne with him and behold his glory as he prayeth John 17. I will that these whom thou hast given me may be with me to behold my glory this is certainly a great Bargain if Christ be glorious he calleth you to share with him in the same glory 2. It serves for the consolation of Believers who have received him ye have an excellent Mediator a most glorious Head and Husband and a most excellent Dowry and ye shall know it to your superabundant satisfaction and joy in that day when as it is Psal 45. Ye shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle work and shall enter into the kings palace and share of his glory and see him face to face and sit with him on his throne even as he hath overcome and is set down with his Father on his throne labour to be stayed in the faith and hope of this good glorious and desireable day that is coming when we shall not only see but partake of and be fully and
own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree And when He had Offered up Himself as a Sacrifice he sat down on the right hand of majesty on high He is the alone Sacrifice that comes properly in the Room of Elect Sinners 2. As there behoved to be One to Offer the Sacrifice so Christ Jesus is the Priest that Offered up the Sacrifice of Himself He is not only the Sacrifice but the Priest And in this He differed from other Priests Heb. 7.26 Such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless seperat from sinners and made higher then the heavens and then follows who needs not dayly as these high priests to offer up sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people for this he did once when he offered up himself There are three things ordinarly Attributed to Christ as to His Sacrifice to wit That He was the Sacrifice the Altar and the Priest 1. He was the Sacrifice in respect of His Humane Nature which we are not so to look upon as Abstracting and Dividing it from His Divine Nature For though He Suffered in the Flesh yet it was the same Person that was God that Suffered 2 He was the Altar by which His Sacrifice received a speciall Efficacy Vertue Value and Commendation As it 's said The Altar sanctifies the offering So Christ Jesus according to His God-head was the Altar which did put an special excellency on His Sufferings and made them to be of such Worth and Value Therefore Heb. 9.14 It 's said that he through the eternal spirit offered up himself without spot unto God It was the Suffering of the Person that was God that made the Sacrifice to be accepted 3. He was the Priest and that according to both His Naturs each Nature concurring and that joyntly as in one Person to the making of the Sâ—crifice Offered up to God acceptable 3. We have in Him a reall destruction but do not mistake the Word It is not so to be understood as if He were annihilated or had been utterly destroyed and undone but the meaning is this That He was Killed or put to Death and His Soul seperat from His Body in which respect He ceased to be what He was before for a time having been really Slain Dead and Buried And 4. All this was according to God's prescription and appointment in the Covenant of Redemption This commandement saith He John 10.18 have I received of my Father to wit that I should lay down my life for my sheep And most emphatically He says John 14.13 as my Father gave me commandement even so mark even so most exactly in conformity to the Commandement do I It was all as to every circumstance ordered according to the good pleasure of God who was pleased thus to bruise Him and to put Him to Grief The 1. Use of it serves To teach us how to Conceive and Consider of Christ's Death and Sufferings rightly to wit even as a Sacrifice designed by God to come in the Room of Elect Sinners and how to look upon His Death not as the ordinary Death of ordinary or meer Men who by necessity of Nature Die but to look on it as being appointed of God to be a Sacrifice properly so taken for the Sins of His People 2dly This serves to clear some Truths concerning our Lord Jesus His Sacrifice For we must consider it as satisfying to Justice and Meritoriously procuring the escaping from Wrath and Salvation of them for whom He Interposed It is from the gross Ignorance or from the wicked denyal of this ground that the damnable denyers of Christ's Satisfaction do also deny the Propriety of His Sacrifice on Earth and bound it to Heaven whereas it is bounded to His Death though by vertue of this One Offering He continues to interceed for us in Heaven 3dly It teaches Sinners what is the native Use which they should make of this Sacrifice They should look upon it as the only Sacrifice to prevent Eternal Death and the Curse of God anâ— so it demonstrats to us that either Jesâ—s Christ must be received by Faith and His Sacrifice rested on or we must resolve to meet with Wrath and the Curse of God our selves in our own Persons 4ly It serves to clear us anent the Way and Tract of Grace to wit how it came to passe that our Lord who was innocent and without Sin was so bruised and put to grief He came to be a Propitiâ—tion for the Sins of His People and sisted Himself in our Room as our Cautioner as a Sin-offering for us It would doubtlesse gnash many Questions and Doubts that arise in the Hearts of Believers if it were well understood They may say we should have been in such and such a sad condition this and that terrible thing would have come on us if He had not Interposed never enough can these words be spoken and thought of that we have 2 Cor. 5. ult He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 5ly It serves for notable Consolation to Believers who have betaken themselves to Christ and have many Challenges for Sin to buckle with That His Death was to be properly a Sacrifice for Sin and was so accepted of God in their Room So that ye see the right uptaking of Christs Death is a matter of no little moment Christ crucified being the very Substance of the Gospel It helps much to keep alive the Impression of our Sinfulness and of the Goodness of God and gives us Direction how to escape Wrath by puting Him in our Room There is nothing wherein Folks more readily miscarry in making of their Peace with God then in not making the right use of Christ and of His Sacrifice and Death Some praying for Pardon of Sin from Him and not for Him or for His sake when they know not what they are saying as we hinted at before Some praying for strength from Him for Dutie that they may do for themselves not considering that we are Justified by His Interposing in our Room and by Faith's closing with Him under that consideration as fisting Himself at the Bar of Justice and as being content to be a Sin-offering and the Lord accepting of Him in the Room of Elect Sinners This being well considered gives to Faith much clearness how to take Him up when the Soul honestly aims to partake of the benefit of His Sufferings 2ly For clearing this a little further we would know That there are as Divines observe Four or Five wayes how the Death of Christ is to be considered or how Christ in procuring by His Death Redemption Peace and Pardon to Sinners is holden forth in Scripture 1. He purchases Redemption and Pardon of Sin Meritoriously or He Merits it by His Death this Respects the Value of Christ's Sufferings and Satisfaction So that if we consider Christ in Himself and the Elect in themselves His Death
that Christ after the laying down of his Life was to enter into heaven there to appear in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 This is a point which may yeeld us many and great Uses as 1. For Information to clear us â—bout Christ's Intercession 2. For Consolation To shew us the advantages that flow to Believers from it 3. For Direction in dutie to learn us what use we should make of it And 4. For Reproof and Conviction for and of the Sin of our much slighting and neglecting this part of Christs Priestly Office As for the First It serves we say for Information and to let us see that we have an excellent high Priest who is not only answerable to the Type in dying but also in interceeding who died that he might make application of what he purchased by his death For further clearing and prosecuting of this Use we shall speak a little to some few questions As 1. What this Intercession is 2 Who Interceeds 3. For whom 4. For what 5. How this Intercession is performed 6. What are the grounds on which it is founded For the First What this Intercession is in general and for clearing it ye would consider what it is not and 1. There is here no humbling of the Mediator in way of Supplication as he prayed when on earth or as we pray or as one man intreats or interceeds with another That way of Interceeding is inconsistent with his exaltation his humiliation being perfected and by and he being now exalted at the right hand of God 2. It 's no verbal thing no bringing forth or uttering of Words There is no such language in our Lords Intercession and so we are not to conceive of his Intercession as if he made a formal prayer That manner of dealling or proceeding is not now betwixt God and the Mediator 3. Neither doth this his Intercession consist in any new particular act of his will as if he did act or will something that he did not before therefore he is said to Live for ever to make intercession and to abide a Priest continually His Intercession is continual as is clear Heb. 7.3 25. His being in Heaven and appearing there in our name is his Intercession And therefore 2. Let us see in the next place what iâ— is And more generallâ— we may take it up in such expressions as the Scriptures make use of to hold it bâ— and in the similitude and analogie whence it 's borrowed for it 's a borrowed thing as the Covenant of Redemption is from compacts among men because we cannot take up divine and misterious things except they be exprest after the manner of men for our capacity Such is this as if a Kings Son were interposing for a person not in good terms with the King or for whom he would have some benefit from the King his Father The similitude seems indeed to be drawn from this yet it must not be astricted thereto Therefore 1 John 2.1 He is called an advocat with the Father and yet he doth not advocat our cause verbally as we said before And 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one God and one Mediator between God and man Where the Apostle is speaking of praying And here he is said to make Intercession for us as the high Priest did in name of the People in a word it is our Lords Jesus Christ his mâ—king of what he hath purchased and hath ingaged to him in the Covenant of Redemption effectually forth-coming for the behove of his People as if he were Agenting their cause as an Advocat in Heaven which is so held forth for the help of our Faith that the Mediator having made his Testament and confirmed it by his death is looking well that his death and the benefits purchased to Elect Sinners thereby may be made effectual and is as it were lying as Agent and Advocat at Court to procure and bring about this businesse according to that John 17.19 20 24. For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified c. Neither pray I for these alone c. and Father I will that these whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am It 's even that all may be made good to them for whom he Sâ—nctified himself and the effectual making out of that which he hath purchased to them that is called his Intercession 2dly Who makes Intercession It is not enough that Christ as man makes Intercession but it is Christ Mediator God and Mâ—n in one Person It being an error of the Papists to make the Intercession of Christ to be a thing performed by the humane nature only which lesseneth the consolation of Believers and is inconsistent with the Union of the two natures and detracts from the weigâ—t that his God-head gives to his Intercession 3dly For whom does he interceed There are here extreams on both hands to be eshewed 1. Some make his Intercession over broad as if he interceeded for all the World this he expresly denyes John 17.9 I pray not for the world and his Intercession being grounded on his death and satisfaction it must be of equal extent therewith and must relate to the Covenant of Redemption wherein so many were given him to be redeemed by his death 2. Others make his Intercession too naâ—row in making it only for them that actuaâ—ly believe He also refuts this opinion John 17.20 By saying Neither pray I for these alone but for all that shall believe on me through their word And it is alwayes on this ground that he interceeds to wit because they are given So that it 's for the Elect converted or unconverted that he interceeds The reason why we mark this is to overturn thereby Two corrupt distinctions that are made use of to bring in an universal Intercession as well as an universal Redemption 1. Some make his Intercession common to all but we according to the Scripture acknowledge no such Intercession to belong to Christ especially as Mediator however he might as man under the Law have prayed for some that shall not be actually saved as he commands one man to pray for other men yet not for all men simply 2. Others make a conditional Intercession for all as they make a conditional Redemption of all and make both absolute for Believers only which is also corrupt For considering the object of his Intercession as Mediator to be only the Elect as indeed they are it overturns both this and the former opinion if he prayed not for all he died not for all the one whereof is grounded on the other 4ly For what doth he interceed In general for all that is conditioned to him in the Covenant for the behove of his people He prayes for the fulfilling of all the Articles of the Covenant as that all the Elect who are not regenerat may be regenerat and made Believers That many through his knowledge may be justified That these that are regenerat and Believers and by Faith
The word is very significant he is able to save perfectly to perfection and to perfection at the hight of perfection and what more would ye be at He can save from corruption and put without the reach of it He can save from wrath that it shall not come near you He can save from all the effects of sin and wrath He shall not leave a tear on the cheek of any of his own ere all be done and that is the ground of it For he lives for ever to make intercession for us If any should say he may save from one sin but not from another or he may bring me a piece of the way to heaven and then leave me there It 's folly sayes the Apostle to think to For he is able to save to the uttermost because he lives for ever to make intercession Although his death seem to be transient once for all perfyted yet that cannot mar the application of the benefits purchased by it For he is Intercessour and he that procured thy entring in the way will carry the on in it he that procured a saâ—tified conviction to come in will through it hâ— that procured thy justification and pardon of sin will also apply it to thy conscience and bring forth an intimation of it when he thinks fit and sanctifie thee throughly and this is indeed great consolation to a sinner that he who hath begun the work will perfyt it and he will not leave it till it be at such a hight of perfection as it can be desired to be no higher 4. The extent of this consolation is such that it reacheth to all times There it is not a Believer in any place or case that is wrestling with any difficulty that can come wrong to Christ He is ever in readinesse to be employed There is never an hour nor moment that he hath his door shu He died once but now lives for ever to die no more and he lives for ever to make Intercession he is entred into immortality to make effectual what he hath undertaken in favours of his people He is always at the Bar and when his own are but little imploying him he is minding their affairs night and day watching over them every moment See Luke 22. where the Lord sayeth Peter satan hath sought to winnow you but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Satan gave in a Bill against Peter when he had no mind of it but the Lord repelled it The greatest cheat or the most subtile adversary that steals out Decreets cannot circumveen him He is still waiting on at the Ear that nothing come in against his people to their prejudice and if it do come in it's that he may crushit in the first motion O! how doth the consolation of Believers stream out here He will not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard on high a bruised reed will he not break and the smoaking flax will be not quench untill he bring forth judgement unto truth He will not contend nor say man or woman how is this that thou hast put thy self in the myre and would have me to take thee out of it that thou brings a broken Plea to me and seeks of me to right it He will not ask whether ye have money all his imployment is free nor will he put you back till the morrow nor bid you wait on till another time morning and evening and at midnight he is ready and when the Elect Sinner hath little thought He is watching over his need preventing many tentations keeping from many ill turns casting many challenges over the Bar that the Devil and the Law put in Therefore study his Offices more and this among the rest we much wrong him in not studying of them and acquainting our selves with them that we may feed upon them himself open up his name to us and to him be praise SERMON LXVII ISAIAH LIII XII Vers 12. And made intercession for the transgressours O! That Sinners were seriously considering how much they are obliged to Christ He hath in the former words Poured out his soul unto death for Sinners and was wounded for transgressours and yet that was not all though Sin was our Lords death he hath not casten out with Sinners but having gotten the Victory over all enemies and sitten down at the right hand of God He makes intercession and to make it the more full It 's said He makes intercession for transgressours All his Offices have an eye to Sin and Sinners and this part of his Office among others We began to speak of an Use of comfort that flows from this and truly if any Doctrine be comfortable this is That Sinners have an Advocat with the Father what would Sinners do when their peace is broken there is a door shut betwixt God and them and his back is turned on them and the Concisence is wakened and they cannot think on God but it's troublesome to them if they had not a friend in Court with whom the Father cannot but be well pleased This Consolation being a main part of the use of this Doctrine and the ground of Believers boldnesse with God In the following of it forth we proposed Five things to be spoken to 1. To shew the largeness and extent of the consolation that flows from this ground and of this we spake 2. The particular advantages that the Scripture attributs to Christ's Intercession and the consolation that is in them 3. The particular times when especially Believers are called to make use of this consolation 4. Some grounds warranding them to make use of it and 5. Some caveats or advertisements to them that would warrantably comfort themselves from it To proceed now and to speak to these last Four things 1. The particular advantages that the Scriptures attribut to Christs Intercession and if we look through them we will find that there is nothing that may be useful to a Believer either as to a particular or publick mercy but it 's knit to Christs Intercession 1. For privat mercies 1. Look to the beginning and growth of our spiritual life and to the pouring out of the spirit It is made the fruit of Christs Intercession John 14.16 I will pray the father and he shall send the comforter and John 16. If I go not away the comforter will not come This is the Consolation of a Believer labouring under deadnesse of spirit barrennesse and unfruitfulness That the pouring out of the spirit is a remedy of that and the pouring out of the Spirit is a fruit of Christs Intercession It 's this that procures the first conviction of the spirit to an elect lying in nature It 's this that continues there convictions and procures the spirits quickning of them John 16.8 If it should then be asked how a person lying in black nature gets any good It 's answered that it 's Christs Intercession that does the turn 2. Iâ—'s fâ—om Christs Intercâ—ssion thaâ—
my self or separate my self to be a sacrifice 2. Christs satisfaction and his intercession being the two parts of his Priestly Office and his intercession being founded on his satisfaction as it is clearly v. 12. of this 53. of Isaiah yea â— very learned man affirms that Christs appearance in Heaven and his intercession are not properly Sacerdotal acts but in so far as they lean on the vertue of his perfected sacrifice What just relevant or cogent reason can there be to make a disjunction betwixt these parts of his Office and to extend the most difficult operous and costly part to all men and to narrow the other which is the more easie part as that whereby he only deals for the application of what he hath made a purchase of by his satisfaction which put him to much sad and sore soul-travel and to restrict it to the elect and gifted ones 3. Doth not the Scripture hold forth his death and the shedding of his blood as the great demonstration of his special love to his own elect people As is clear else-where so particularly Joh. 15.13 Greater love then this hath no man then that a man lay down his life for his friends Nay purchased reconciliation through the death of Christ is by the Holy Ghost made a greater evidence of divine love in some respect then the glorification of the reconciled according to what the Apostle saith Rom. 5.10 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 4. All the other gifts of God to sinners even the greatest spiritual ones fall hugely below the giving of Jesus Christ himself that gift of God by way of eminency As the Apostle reasoneth irresragably for the comfort of believers Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Will he give the greatest gift and not give the lesser As Justification Adoption Sanctification and Glorification Which how great soever in themselves are yet lesser then the giving of Christ himself to the death And if it be undeniably certain that he giveth not these to all which are the lesser and lower gifts why should it be thought that he hath given the higher and greater 5. Shall that grand expression of the special love of God be made common by extending it to all the world the greatest profligats and Atheists not excepted no not Pharaoh nor Ahab not Judas the traitor nor Julian the Apostat nay nor any of all the damned reprobates who were actually in Hell when he died and shed his blood 6. If he died thus for all it seems that the new Song of the redeemed Rev. 5. would have run and sounded better thus thou hast redeemed us all and every man of every kindred and tongue and people and nation to God by thy blood then as it there stands by inspiration of the Holy Ghost Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation But who may presume by such an universality to extend and ampliat what he hath so restricted and to make that common to all which God hath peculiarized to a few favourites But the Author having much to better purpose on this Head in these Sermons I need add no more here I shall only further say of these astonishing in a manner non-plussing and surpasing great sufferings of blessed Jesus that as they were equivalent to what all the elect deserved by their sins and should have suffered in their own persons throughout all eternity consistently with the innocency and excellency of his Person and with the dignity of his Mediatory Office Therefore it is said v. 9. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death or as it is in the Original In his deaths in the Plural Number as if he had died the death of every one of the Elect or as if there had been a conjunction and combination of all their deaths in his one death And v. 6. That the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all or as the word is made the iniquity of us all to meet on him there having been a solemn tryst convocation and rendezvous as it were of all the iniquities of all the Elect more common and more peculiar in all their various aggravating circumstances not so much as one committed since Adams first transgression or to be committed to the day of Judgement being absent in the punishment of them upon his person no wonder that such a load of innumerable thousands and millions of iniquities made him heavily to groan and that the consideration thereof made great Luther say That Christ was the greatest sinner in all the world to wit by imputation of the guilt of all the sins of all the Elect to him and by his having had the punishment of them all laid upon his person So we may from them be instructed in these things First Concerning the hight of holy displicence and detestation that the Majesty of God hath at sin the only thing in the whole world that his soul hates and which in the vile and abominable nature of it hath an irreconciliable antipathy with and enmity against his infinitely pure holy and blessed nature and hath a tendency could it possibly be effected to seek after the destruction and annihilation of the very beeing of God and is interpretatively Deicide The Language of it being O that there were not a God That he cannot behold it in his own sinless innocent and dearly beloved Son though but by imputation for he was not made formally the sinner as Antinomians blasphemously averr but he will needs in so terrible a manner testify his great dislike of and deep displeasure at it and take such formidable vengeance on it even in his person Ah! the nature of sin which God who is of pure eyes cannot where-ever it be behold without perfect abhorrency of it is but little thorowly understood and pondered Would we otherwise dare to dally and sport with it or to take the latitudes in committing of it at the rate we do I have sometimes thought that it is an errour in the first concoction to say so of Religion in many Proffessors of it end pretenders to it that we have never framed suitable apprehensions of the most hateful vile and abominable nature of sin which hath a great influence on the superficiariness and overliness of all duties and practices of Religion and that many of us had need to be dealt with as skilful School-masters use to deal with their Schollars that are foundered in the first Principles of Learning lest they prove but smatters all their days to bring them back again to these even to be put to learn this first Lesson in Religion better and more thorowly to understand the jealousie of God as to
now asleep and to some of you yet alive who I dare not doubt never allow your selves to expect with confidence and comfort to look the Lord Jesus in the face but as seriously and sincerely ye make it your business to be found in his Righteousness so much cleared and commended to you and in the study of Holiness in all manner of Conversation so powerfully pressed upon you here That these sweet and savoury Gospel-Sermons may come to you all and more particulary to you my dear friends at Glasgow Rom. 15.29 Act. 20.32 with the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel even of the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance amongst them that are sanctified is the serious desire of Your Servant in the Gospel J. C. SERMON I. ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed WE hope it shall not be needful to insist in opening the Scope of this Chapter or in clearing to you of whom the Prophet meaneth and is speaking It was once questioned by the Eunuch Acts 8.32 when he was reading this Chapter Of whom doeth the Prophet speak this of himself or of some other man And it 's so clearly answered by Philip who from these words began and preached to him of Jesus Christ that there needs be no doubt of it now To Christians these two may put it out of question that Jesus Christ and the Substance of the Gospel is compended and summed up here 1. If we compare the Letter of this Chapter with what is in the four Evangelists we will see it so fully and often so literally made out of Christ that if any will but read this Chapter and compare it with them they will find the Evangelists to be Commentators on it and setting it out more fully 2. That there is no Scripture in the Old Testament so often and so convincingly applyed to Christ as this is there being scarce one Verse at least not many but are by the Evangelists or Apostles made use of for holding out of Christ If we look then to the sum of the words of this Chapter they take in the sum and substance of the Gospel for they take in these two 1. The right description and manifestation of Jesus Christ And 2. the unfolding and opening up of the Covenant of Redemption Where these two are there the sum of the Gospel is but these two are here therefore the sum of the Gospel is here First Jesus Christ is described 1. In his Person and Natures as God being Eternal as Man being under Suffering 2. In all his Offices as a Priest offering up Himself as a Sacrifice to satisfie Justice as a Prophet venting his Knowledge to the justifying of many thereby and as a King dividing the spoil with the strong 3. In His Humiliation in the Cause of it in the End of it in the Subject of it in the Nature and Rise of all God's good pleasure And 4. In His Exaltation and Out-gate promised Him on the back of all His Sufferings and Humiliation 2. The Covenant of Redemption is here described and set out 1. In the particular Parties of it God and the Mediator 2. As to the Matter about which it was the Seed that was given to Christ and all whose iniquities met on him 3. As to the mutual Engagements on both sides the Son undertaking to make his Soul an offering for Sin and the Father promising that the efficacy of that His Satisfaction shall be imputed and applyed for the justification of Sinners and the terms on which or the way how this Imputation and Application is brought about to wit By His Knowledge All are clearly held out here This is only a touch of the Excellency of this Scripture and of the Materials to say so in it as comprehending the substance and marrow of the Gospel we shall not be particular in dividing the Chapter considering that these things we have hinted at are interwoven in it The first Verse is a short Introduction to lead us in to what follows The Prophet hath in the former Chapter been speaking of Christ as God's Servant that should be extolled and made very high and before he proceed more particularly to unfold this Mystery of the Gospel he cryes out by way of regrate Who hath believed our report Alace would he say for as good News as we have to carry few will take them off our hand such is Mens unconcernedness yea malice and obstinacy that they reject them And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed to point at the necessity of the Power of God to accompany preaching and even the most lively Ordinances to make them effectual how few are they that the Power of God captivates to the obedience of this Truth For the first part of this Verse Who hath believed our report To open it a little ye shall take these four or five Considerations ere we come to the Doctrines Consider 1. The Matter of this Report in reference to its scope it 's not every report but a report of Christ and of the Covenant of Redemption and of Grace In the Original it is Who hath believed our hearing actively that is that which we have proposed to be heard and the word is turned tydings Dan. 11.44 and rumour Jer. 51.46 It 's the tydings and rumour of a suffering Mediator interposing himself betwixt God and Sinners and it may be hearing is mentioned to point out the confidence which the Prophet had in reporting these News he first heard them from God and in that was passive and then actively he proposed them to the People to be heard by them 2. Consider that the Prophet speaketh of this Report not as in his own Person only but as in the Person of all that ever preached or shall preach this Gospel therefore this Report is not peculiar to Isaiah but it 's our Report the Report of the Prophets before and of these after him and of the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel 3. Consider that Isaiah speaketh of this Report not only in respect of what he met with in his owntime but as foreseeing what would be the carriage of People in reference to it in after-times therefore John 2.38 and Rom. 10.16 this same place is alledged to give a reason of the Jews unbelief because Isaiah foretold it long before 4. Consider that when he complaineth of the want of Faith to the report and tydings of the Gospel it is not of the want of historical Faith as if the People would not give Christ a hearing at all but it is of the want of saving Faith therefore Joh. 12.37 38. it is said though he had done many miracles before them yet they believed not on him and this propherick Scripture is subjoyn'd as the reason of it that the saying of Isaias might be fulfilled who said Lord who hath believed our report applying the
believing spoken of here to that saving Faith whereby folk believe and rest upon Jesus Christ 5. Consider that though there be no expresse Party named to whom the Prophet complaineth yet no doubt it is to God therefore Joh. 12.38 and Rom. 10.16 when this Scripture is cited it is Lord who hath believed our report so it is the Prophet's complaint of the little fruit himself had and that the Ministers of the Gospel should have in preaching of the Gospel regrating and complaining of it to God as a sore matter that it should come to so many and so few should get good of it so few should be brought to believe and to be saved by it Though these words be few yet they have four great things in them to which we shall reduce them for speaking more clearly to them 1. That the great subject of Preaching and Preachers great errand is to report concerning Jesus Christ to bring tydings concerning Him 2. That the great duty of Hearers implyed is to believe this Report and by vertue of it to be brought to rest and rely on Jesus Christ 3. That the great though the ordinary sin of the generality of the Hearers of the Gospel is unbelief Who hath believed that is it 's few that have believed it 's a rare thing to see a Believer of this Report 4. That the great complaint weight and grief of an honest Minister of the Gospel is this that his Message is not taken off his hand that Christ is not received believed in and rested on this is the great challenge Ministers have against the generality of People and the ground of their complaint to God that whatever they report concerning Christ He is not welcomed His Kingdom thrives not That we may speak to the first considering the words with respect to the Scope we shall draw five or six Doctrines from them The first whereof is more general that the discovery of Christ Jesus and the making him known is the greatest News the gladest Tydings and the most excellent Report that ever came or can come to a People there is no such thing can be told them no such Tydings can they hear this is the Report that the Prophet speaks of by way of eminency a Report above and beyond all other Reports these are News worthy to be carried by Angels Behold saith one of them Luke 2.20 I bring you good tydings of great joy which shall be to all people And what are these Tydings so prefaced to with a Behold for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord these are the good Tydings that Jesus Christ is come and that he is the Saviour by Office We shall not insist on this onely 1. We will find a little view of this Subject in the following words which hold forth clearly Christ God and Man in one Person so compleatly qualified and excellently furnished for His Offices 2. It 's also clear if we look to the excellent effects that come by His being so furnished as His satisfying of Justice His setting free of Captives His triumphing over Principalities and Powers His destroying the works of the Devil c. there cannot be more excellent works or effects spoken of 3. It 's clear if we look to Him from whom this Report cometh and in whose Breast these News bred if we may speak so they are the result of the Counsel of the God-head and therefore as the Report here is made in the Lord's Name so He is complained to when it is not taken off the Prophet's hand And 4. it 's clear if we look to the mysteriousness of these News Angels could never have conceived them had not this Report come these things tell that they are great glorious and good News glad Tydings as it is in the end of the former Chapter That which hath not been told them shall they see and that which they have not heard shall they consider The first Use is To draw our hearts to be in love with the Gospel and to waken our estimation of it Peoples ears are itching after Novelties and ye are much worn out of conceit with these News but is there in any News such an advantage as in these when God sendeth News to Men they must be great News and such indeed are these Use 2. Therefore be affrayed to entertain loathing of the plain substantial Truths of the Gospel if ye had never heard them before there would belike be some Athenian itching to hear and speak of them but they should not be the less thought of that they are often heard and spoken of Use 3. Therefore think more of the Gospel seeing it containeth the substance of these good News and glad Tydings and think more of Gospel-ordinances whereby these good Tydings are so often published and made plain to you 2. More particularly Observe that Jesus Christ and what concerneth Him the glad and good News of a Saviour and the reporting of them is the very proper work of a Minister and the great subject of a Ministers preaching his proper work is to make Him known or take it thus Christ is the native subject on which all preaching should run this is the Report the Prophet speaketh of here and in effect it was so to John and the other Apostles and should be so to all Ministers Christ Jesus and what concerns Him in His Person Natures and Offices to know and make Him known to be God and Man to make Him known in His Offices to be Priest Prophet and King to be a Priest in His suffering and satisfying Justice to be a Prophet in revealing the Will of God to be a King for subduing folks Lusts and Corruptions and to know and make Him known in the way by which Sinners both Preachers and Hearers may come to have Him to themselves as follows in this Chapter This this is the subject of all Preaching and all Preaching should be levelled at this mark Paul is 1 Cor. 2.2 peremptory in this I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified as if he had said I will meddle with no other thing but betake my self to this not onely will he forbear to meddle with civil Employments but he will lay aside his Learning Eloquence and Humane Wisdom and make the preaching of Christ crucified his great work and study the reason of this is because Christ standeth in a fourfold relation to preaching 1. He is the Text to say so of Preaching all Preaching is to explain Him Acts 10.43 To him give all the Prophets witness and so do the four Evangels and the Apostolick Epistles which are as so many Preachings of Him and that Preaching which standeth not in relation to Him is beside the Text and Mark 2. He is holden out as the Foundation and Ground-work of Preaching so that Preaching without Him wants Foundation and is the Building as it were of a Castle in the Air
1 Cor. 3.10 I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon but let every man take heed how he buildeth for other foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Jesus Christ importing that all Preaching should be squared to and made to agree with this Ground-stone 3. He standeth as the great End of Preaching not onely that Hearers may have Him known in their Judgments but may have Him high in their Hearts and Affections 2 Cor. 3.4 We preach not our selves that is not onely do we not preach our selves as the Subject but we preach not our selves as the end of our Preaching our scope is not to be great or much thought of but our end in Preaching is to make Christ great 4. He standeth in relation to Preaching as He is the Power and Life of Preaching without whom no Preaching can be effectual no Soul can be captivate and brought in to Him hence 1 Cor. 1.23 he sayeth We preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block they cannot abide to hear him and to the Greeks foolishness but to them that are saved the power of God and the wisdom of God Use 1. For Ministers which we shall forbear insisting on onely 1. Were Christ the subject and substance of our Report were we more in holding out Him it 's like it might go better with us 2. There is need of warriness that the Report we make suit well the Foundation And 3. the neglect of this may be the cause of much powerless Preaching because Christ is not so preached as the subject-matter and end of Preaching many Truths are alace spoken without respect to this end or but with little respect to it Uses particular for you that are Hearers are these 1 If this be the great subject of Ministers Preaching and that which ye should hear most gladly and if this be most profitable for you we may be particular in some few Directions to you which will be as so many branches of the Use And first of all Truths that People would welcome and study they would welcome and study these that concern Christ and the Covenant of Grace most as Foundation-truths and seek to have them backed by the Spirit we are affrayed there is a fault among Christians that most plain and substantial Truths are not so heeded but somethings that may further folk in their Light or tickle their Affections or answer a Case are almost only sought after which things it 's true are good but if the plain and substantial Truths of the Gospel were more studied and made use of they have in them that which would answer all Cases It 's a sore matter when folks are more taken up with Notions and Speculations then with these Soul-saving Truths as that Christ was born that he was a true Man that he was and is King Priest and Prophet of His Church c. and that other things are heard with more greediness But if these be the great subject of Ministers Preaching it should be your great study to know Christ in His Person Natures Offices and Covenant what He is to you and what is your duty to Him and how you should walk in Him and with Him this was Paul's aim I count saith he all things loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings c. Phil. 3.8 9 10. It 's my design as if he had said not onely to make Him known but to know Him my self there is little Faith in Christ and distinctness in use making of His Offices and folks take but little pains to know these things Therefore on the one side let me exhort you to make this more the subject of your enquiry and on the other side take it for your reproof that there is such a readiness to snuff when plain Truths are insisted on or when they are not followed in some uncouth or strange way which sayes we are exceeding unthankful to God for giving us the best things to speak hear and think of 2. Think much of the Preaching of Christ and to have Ministers to preach of Him He is the best News and God hath sent Ministers on this errand to make them known to you had He sent them to tell you all the secret things to come that are in God's purpose and all the hid works of Nature it had not been compareable to these News what would ye have been O what would Sabbath-days and Week-days your lying down and rising up your living and dying been if these News had not been ye should have had a sinful and sad life and a most comfortless and terrible death therefore think this Gospel a thing of more worth then ye do and count their feet beautiful on the Mountains that bring these News and glad Tydings as it is Isa 52. that good Report of making Peace betwixt God and Sinners should be most thought of and prized and counted a greater favour then we use to count it 3. By this ye may know who thrives and profites best under the Gospel even these that learn most of Christ which consists not in telling over words But first in actual improving of Him as it is Eph. 3.20 Ye have not so learned Christ but so as to improve what is in Him 2. In an experimental finding of these effects in us that are spoken of to come by Christ which is that the Apostle meaneth Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings that I may be conformable to his death I am affrayed that of the many that hear this Gospel there are but few that know Christ this way But if He be the great thing that should he preached by us and that ye should learn 1. What is the reason that so many should be ignorant of Him that the most part look rather like Tâ—â—ks and Pagans then like Christians God help us what shall we say of the condition of the most part of People when the preaching of the Gospel has not gained this much ground on us as to make us know Christ in His Person Natures Offices our need of Him and the use we should make of Him But 2. If we will try how he is improven it is to be feared there be far fewer that know hâ—m in this respect do not many Men live as if they had never heard tell of Him Though they hear that pardon of Sin is to be gotten through Him and that vertue to subdue Sin must flow from Him yet they live as if no such thing were in Him If your Consciences were posed besides the evidences that are in your practice this would be found to be a sad truth And 3. If we will yet try further what experience folk have of Christ what vertue they find flowing from His Resurrection what fellowship there is in His Sufferings what conformity
generality of you and let not others wrong themselves nor mistake the intent of this Scripture How is it I say that the generality of you that hear this Gospel come under this common and epidemick Temper or rather Distemper to maintain your Peace and Confidence when ye can in the mean time give so little proof of it think ye that Faith cannot be a missing nor mistaken or that it is ordinary and common or that it is indifferent whether ye have it or not we are perswaded that many of you think that if ye have a good Mind as ye call it and a square civil honest Walk and keep still your good Hope that all will be well ye never doubt nor question whether ye have received Christ or not but if Unbelief ly in your Bosom I mean not doubting-desperation or questioning of the God-head but the not receiving of Christ and His Righteousness though ye had more than ordinary Hypocrites have ye will for this Sin of Unbelief find your selves under the standing Curse of God for our Lord says John 3.18 He that believes not is condemned already and vers 36. the wrath of God abideth on him In pressing of this Use I shall shew by a few Aggravations of this Sin why the Lord layeth so much weight upon it and that not so much as it opposeth Faith as as it is a condition of the Covenant of Grace and a mean to unite us to Christ but mainly as it is 〈◊〉 Sin thwarting His Command And 1. It thwarteth with both the Law and the Gospel it thwarteth with the Commands of the first Table and so is a greater Sin than Murther or Adultery nay than Sodomy though these be great vile and abominable Sins which may be thought strange yet it 's true it makes the Person guilty of it more vile before God than a Pagan-Sodomite the nature of the Sin being more hainous as being against the first Table of the Law in both the first and second Commands thereof it being by Faith in God that we make God our God and worship God in Christ acceptably Next it s not only a Sin against the Law but a Sin against the Gospel and the prime Flower to speak so of the Gospel it comes in contradiction to the very design of the Gospel which is to manifest the glory of the Grace of God in bringing Sinners to believe on Christ and to be saved through Him but He can do no great things of this sort amongst unbelieving People because of their Unbelief it bindeth up His Hands as it were to speak so with reverence that He cannot do them a good turn 2. It strikes more nearly against the Honour of God and of the Mediator and doth more prejudice to the Ministry of the Gospel and causeth greater destruction of Souls than any other Sin it 's possible notwithstanding of other Sins that Christ may have satisfaction for the travel of His Soul and there may be a relation bound up betwixt Him and Sinners notwithstanding of them but if this Sin of Unbelief were universal He should never get a Soul to Heaven the salvation of Souls is called the pleasure of the Lord but this obstructs it and closeth the Door betwixt Sinners and access to God it strikes also at the main Fruit of the Ministry it makes them complain to God that the Word is not taken off their Hand it frustrats the very end of the Ministry and it comes nearest the destruction of immortal Souls we need not say it brings on but it holds and keeps on the Wrath of God on Sinners for ever He that believes not as we shew before from John 3. is condemned already and the wrath of God abides on him 3. More particularly There is nothing in God even that which is most excellent in Him if we may speak so not excepte◠but it strikes against it It strikes gainst His Grace and frustrates that when Christ is not received some sort and degree of despite is done to the Spirit of Grace Unbelievers thwart with Him in the way of His Grace and will have no spiritual Good from Him it comes in opposition to His Goodness for where Unbelief reigns He hath no access in a manner to communicate it it strikes against His Faithfulness there is no weight laid on His Promises it counts Him a Liar in a word it strikes against all His Attributes 4. There is no Sin that hath such a train of sad Consequents following on It it 's that which keeps all other Sins livly for none hath victory over any Sin but the Believer the Unbeliever lyes as a bound Slave to every Sin and it 's impossible to come to the acceptable performance of any Duty without Faith for none can come sutably to any Duty without a Promise and can any but a Believer comfort himself in use-making of any Promise We shall close our Discourse with speaking a word to that which we hinted at before even to let you see not only the rifeness of Unbelief but the great hazard that flows from it and the exceeding great evil of it if we be only convinced of the rifeness of it it will not much trouble us except we be also convinced and believe the hazard of it but if we were convinced of both through God's blessing it might affect us more and necessitate us to make more use of Christ ye that stand yet a distance from Christ can ye endure to ly under this great Guilt and ground of Contraversie that is betwixt Him and you do ye think little to hazard on His Upbraidings and Woes even such Woes as are beyond these that came on Sodom the heavy Curse and Malediction of God and yet we say to you who are most civil discreet formal and blameless in your Conversation if there be not a fleeing in earnest to Christ and an exercising of Faith on Him the Wrath of God not only waits for you but it abides on you O tremble at the thoughts of it it were better to have your Head thrust in the Fire than your Souls and Bodies to be under the Wrath and Curse of God for ever it 's not only the Ignorant prophane Drunkard Swearer Adulterer Whoremonger c. that we have to complain of and expostulate with but it 's the Unbeliever who though He be lift up to Heaven shall be cast down to the Pit of Hell If ye ask what is all this that we would be at it's only this in a word we would have you receiving Christ if ye think that Unbelief is an exceeding great Evil and that it 's an horribly hazardous thing to ly under it then haste you out of it to Christ O! haste haste you out of it to Christ kiss the Son lest He be angry embrace Him yield to Him there is no other possible way to be free of the Evil or to prevent the hazard SERMON VIII ISAIAH LIII I Who hath believed our report And to whom
that ye think not Faith and Holiness necessary but that ye may come to Heaven another way and this is an old Fault and Deceit it was in Moses his days for some are brought in Deut. 29.19 saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my own heart and add drunkenness to thirst though I tipple daily at my Four Hours though I follow my Lusts and Pleasures and take my fouth and fill of the World we cannot be all Saints c. The Lord will not spare that man but His anger and jealousie shall smoke against him and all the curses that are written in this book shall ly upon him and the Lord will blot out his name from under Heaven and though this be not now believed it shall be found verified There are many when they come to Judgment that will know to their cost the truth of many things they never believed before as we find in that rich Man who says to Abraham Send some to tell my brethren that they come not to this place of torment it says as much as that He in his life-time did not believe how terribly-tormenting a place Hell is and it is even so still Though Men and Women have immortal Souls yet they go on following their sinful way and believe not that any evil shall befall them till God's Curse and Vengeance overtake them A third Ground or Cause is That Folk never think themselves in hazard nor suffer their hazard to affect them and therefore they seek not after the Remedy hence the Jâ—ws Scribes and Pharisees rejected Christ why they were righteous Persons whole and needed not the Physiciâ—n And thus it is with many of you ye will take with it that ye are Sinners but not with the gracelesness of your Nature and this makes it that when Life and Reconciliation with God are offered we have almost none to accept of it why so ye are generally in your own opinion good Friends with God already none of you almost think that ye have hatred at God and so ye carelesly and unconcernedly let the opportunity of making your Peace with Him slip over even like these Jews spoke of Joh. 8.44 45. who when Christ said to them Ye have the devil to your father answered he had a devil and that God was their Father that they were come of Abraham and were not born of fornication So it is with many of you ye could never endure to even your selves to Hell nor to take with it that ye were heirs of Wrath as if ye had been born with other Natures then the ordinary Race of Mankind is and this keeps so many of you that ye get no good of this Gospel for it seeks Sinners to pardon them and Enemies to reconcile them and till the Feud be once taken with the Friendship will never be sought after nor will it find Merchants though when once the Enmity is taken with the Gospel hath many sweet peaceful and comfortable words to speak to the Man afterwards A fourth Ground is The love of Money and of the World which is the root of all ill This is given as a main Cause Matth. 13. why the Word profites not The seed is sowen among thorns and the thorns spring up and chock it the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches chocked the Word This is not oppression nor stealing but entanglement with and addictedness to the things of this present World Folks allowing themselves too much satisfaction in their Riches and Pelf counting themselves as if all were well if they have it and grieved if they want it as if there were nothing but that to make Happy being wholly taken up about it and leaving no room for the concerns of their Souls for Prayer and Seeking of God nor for Challenges to work on them they are so wholly taken up with their Callings and Business for they lay it for a Ground that they must be rich and then they give themselves wholly to all things that may contribute to that end and that chockes and suffocates the Word that it never comes up that nothing comes to perfection therefore Christ says Luke 21.24 Take heed ye be not overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this life I am afraid that many moe among you who are civil and esteemed vertuous and frugal shall perish in this Pit of Worldly-mindedness then shall perish by Drunkenness Gluttony Fornication or the like and yet there is nothing more frequent in Scripture then words spoken to scar Folk from Earthly-mindedness How hard is it says Christ for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven and such a Man is he that is taken up with Riches and places his Happiness and Contentment in them whether he have more or less of them We speak not this to foster Idleness in any but to press Moderation in the use of lawful things Ye think it enough if we cannot charge you with Oppression Stealing Whoring and the like but this Gospel will charge you with the love of Money and if it find the love of the World in you the love of the Father will not be found in you Doth not your experience tell you that it 's not an easie matter to be much taken up with the World and to win at a suitable disposition for Duties of Religion and to be painful in them A fifth Ground is Folks little prizing of the Gospel and the Benefites that come by it They look not upon it as their Happiness to have Communion with God they who are invited to the Marriage of the King's Son Mat. 22. will not come and the reason is given they made light of it the Offer of the Gospel hath no weight it relishes not If a Market of fine things at a cheap Rate were proclaâ—med ye would all run to it but ye delight not in the Word of God ye prize not the Gospel and the precious Wares that it exposeth to sale amongst you And to evidence and make out this I would ask you these few Questions And 1. I would ask you how often or rather how seldom have you sitten down purposly and thanked God for sending the Gospel to you ye have given thanks for your Dinner but how often have ye given Him thanks that ye have the Gospel Sabbath-days and Week-days 2. How little do many of you wait on the Preaching of it were there a Message sent to you but from some ordinary Man let be from a great Man ye would straiten your selves and your Business too somewhat that ye might hear it and yet it 's a wonder to think how some in this Place except on the Sabbath will hardly be seen in the Church from one end of the Year to the other 3. Had ye any evident to draw of House or Land ye would seek to have it drawn very well and sure but many of you never sought to have the evidents of Heaven made sure ye
the Gospel The heads judge for a reward and the priests teach for hire and the prophets divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us It is not for real Believing that they are charged but for their confident asserting their Believing when there was no ground for it So it is with many they will say they hope to escape Hell and to get their Sin pardoned and to win to Heaven and they believe it will be so when in the mean time there is no ground for it but clear ground to the contrary A fifth Ground is Folks spiritual and practical Ignorance of the Righteousness of God whereof the Apostle speaking Rom. 10.3 sayeth Being ignorant of the righteousness of God they go about to establish their own c. that which I mean is Folks being ignorant of their Natural Condition of the Spiritualness of God's Law what it requires and of the way of Faith and of the command of Believing and the nature of it It 's from the ignorance of these three to wit of the Mischief that is in them by Nature of the Spiritualness of the Law and of the Spiritualness of Faith and of the Exercise of it that they sleep on in Security and think they have Faith when they have it not And though sometimes they will say their Faith is weak yet they cannot be beaten from it but that they Believe and their Faith is up and down as their Security stands or falls This the Apostle makes clear from his own experience Rom. 7.9 where before his Conversion he says he was a living Man but after his Conversion he begins to think himself nothing but a dead and gone Man the reason is because before Conversion he knew not himself he knew not the Law nor the nature of the Covenant of Grace Before the Law came saith he I was alive he knew not the spiritual meaning of it and therefore he thought he observed it and so thought himself sure of Heaven and had no doubts nor disputings concerning his Interest in God But saith he when the commandment came sin revived and I died I saw my self then to be lost and gone and in every thing guilty that which I thought had been Humility I saw it to be Pride that which I took for Faith I found it to be Presumption anâ— Unbelief and my Holiness I found to be Hypocrisie not that his Sin grew more upon his hand but the Sin that before was vailed was now discovered and staired him in the face This is a sad truth yet a most real truth The good Believing as many of you call it and the Faith that ye have is a surer ground of your strangeness to God and of your Unbelief then any other thing ye have can be a ground whereupon to conclude ye have Faith and are good Friends with God ye are yet alive Strangers to God Strangers to your Selves Strangers to the spiritual meaning of the Law and to the exercise of Faith If ye would set your selves to ponder seriously this one Consideration I think ye might be somewhat convinced of it Do ye not see many that understand more of God then ye do and that are more tender in their Walk then ye are who yet are loather more difficuâ—ted and affraid to assert their Faith and Confidence in God then ye are and they are oftener brangled and put to question their Faith will ye then consider what can be the reason that ye have so strong a Faith that ye never doubted and they are troubled with doubting sometimes yea often though they Pray more and are more diligent in the use of all the Means and holier in their Conversation then ye are and ye wilâ— it may be say well's them that are like such a Person this is the reason of it they see their Sin and the spiritualness of the Law and the nature of Faith and are dead to the Law but ye are yet alive in your conceit Do ye or can ye think that much Praying Reading Meditation and Tenderness in Folks Walk will weaken Faith and occasion Doubting or is it not rather like that Faith will be more confirmed by these then by the neglect of them how is it then that ye are so strong in your Faith when they find themselves so weak and doubting or have ye an infused Faith without the Means or doeth God deal with you in a more indulgent way then He uses to deal with His People how is it then that these of whom ye cannot say but they are more tender then ye are cannot almost name Faith or assert their confidâ—nce in God without trembling and fear that they presume and yet ye dare very confidently take a mouthful of it without any hiâ—k or â—esitation and yet live carnally and without fear Do not many of you wonder whâ—t ails some Folks what need they to be so much troubled and why do they stand in need of some to Pray for them and with them and to answer their Doubts and ye mean while need no such thing and all your remedy is that ye assure your selves ye Believe and think the questioning of your Security is the very undoing of your Faith God help ye are in a woful taking A sixth Reason is That Folk drink in some Carnal Principles that have no warrand in the Word of God and accordingly square every thing that comes in their way 1. They lay it for a Ground that Folk should never doubt of God's Mercy we do not say that Folk should doubt of God's being most real in His offer of Mercy to Sinners in the Gospel but from that it will not follow that never one should doubt of God's love to them or of their coming to Heaven whether they close with the Offer or not Are there not many whom God curseth and should not these doubt A second Carnal Principle is That there is no such reality in the Threatnings of God as there is in His Promises as if He were utterly averse from executing a Threaâ—ning and as if it were a rare thing to Him to condemn any and is there any thing more opposite to Scripture then this Principle is Hath He not said in the same place to wit Ex. 34. where He proclaims Himself to be gracious merciful long-suffering c. That He is a God that will not clear the guilty And hath not the Scripture said that it 's but a remnant that are saved but as it were here one and there one and that there are many damned for one that is saved But know it of a certain that He will make you one day vomit up these Principles with exquisite torment when out of your own Mouth He will convince you of your Mistake and Delusion 3. When Folks want many things they supply all with an honest Mind This supplies your want of Knowledge your want of Faith and of Repentance and of
were frustrate of his design no such matter It 's because the Power of Jesus Christ is revealed but to few and we take this the rather to be the meaning of these words because when Christ is preaching and many take offence and stumble Joh. 6.43 44. he says Murmure not among your selves no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him there must be an effectual work of the Grace of God put forth on the Heart else none will believe on me So it s said Joh. 12.37 38. that they believed not on Him that the saying of Isaias might be fulfilled which he spoke Lord who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed therefore they could not believe because that Isaias said again He hath blinded their eyes c. he speaketh not so to appologize for or to excuse their Unbelief but to shew the connexion that is betwixt these two the not revealing of the Arm of the Lord and their not Believing even so here the Lord shews the connexion that is betwixt the efficacy of the work of Grace and believing or turning to God that where the powerful and effectual work of His Grace goeth not forth with the preached Gospel there will be then no believing nor conversion no saving change of the Person from Nature to Grace That which we would say from these words may be drawn to three Doctrines which I shall first propose and then clear and apply them for use The first is That in the work of Conversion and begetting of Saving Faith there is requisite and necessary beside the preaching of the Word a distinct inward peculiar real immediate efficacious and powerful work of the Spirit of the Lord on the Hearts of as many Hearers as are converted by this Gospel 2. That it is but few of many Hearers in whom the Lord thus efficaciously and effectually works by His Spirit and the Power of His Grace it 's but here one and there one a very few who are thus wrought upon and converted 3. That there is a necessary and inseparable connexion betwixt this inward and efficacious work of the Spirit and Faith or Conversion Where this work of Grace is not there cannot be Faith and where it is Faith necessarily must be otherways these two could not be commensurable of equal extent and reciprocal Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed He is not neither can be a Believer to whom it is not revealed and he is and cannot but be a Believer to whom it is revealed For the first We say there is in the work of Conversion and begetting of Faith beside the preaching of the Gospel a distinct inward peculiar real immediate efficacious and powerful work of the Spirit of the Lord requisite and necessary for Conversion and begetting of Faith to convince of Sin and to humble for it to enlighten the Mind in the Knowledge of Christ to renew the Will and Affections and to perswade and enable the Soul of the Sinner to embrace and receive Jesus Christ as He is offered in the Gospel We shall first take notice of and clear some words in the Doctrine and then confirm it First For clearing of some words in the Doctrine we say 1. It is a distinct work of the Spirit distinguished and separable from the Word though it goes along as He pleaseth with the Word yet it is not as if there were some Power infused into the Word and went always and necessarily along with the Word which is the foolish and groundless conceit of some for albeit it accompany the Word yet it 's from a distinct Agent working and a distinct work and is separable as I said from the Word though it be wrought on the Heart of the same Sinner to whose Ear the Word is preached 2. It 's an inward work of the Spirit for beside the outward and external preaching and calling by the Word there is an inward powerful effectual work and calling of the Spirit in the conversion of a Sinner which speaks to the Heart as well as the Word speaks to the Ear so that this work of the Spirit that goes along in Conversion is much more then any external perswasion of the preached Word can produce 3. We say it 's a peculiar work to difference it from what is common to the Hearers of the Gospel for it 's a work that is peculiar to them whom the Lord converts and is applied to none other but to those in whom He works Faith and whom He effectually calleth by His Grace It 's a peculiar work then and not common for if it were common to all the Hearers of the Gospel and not peculiar to some these two could not go together and be commensurable as we said Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed 4. We say it 's a real work as well as powerful A real work of the Spirit that is not only able and powerful to produce the effect and to convert the Sinner but real and powerful in producing and bringing of it about and to pass by a real influence of the Spirit actually renewing the Will infusing and creating the habits of Grace particularly the very habit of Faith amongst others in the Soul which is quite an other thing then the supposing and saying that a Man hath power to Believe and be Converted that there is no more requisite to his Conversion but to perswade him to put forth that Power or Strength which he hath into Exercise or Practice It 's a real work of the Spirit and a powerful bringing about of the conversion of the Sinner in a physical way as they say in the School 5. We say it is an immediate work of the Spirit on the Heart to difference it from a mediate perswasion or moral swasion as it 's called as if there were no more requisite in Conversion but God's enlightening of the Mind and by that perswading the Will to close with Jesus Christ without any immediate work of the Spirit on the Will it self In this Doctrine we take in all these according to the Scripture in opposition to the several Errors vented by Men of corrupt Minds anent the work of Conversion and of Saving Faith God's Arm and Hand must be revealed the work and power of His efficacious Grace must be put forth for moving and enclining the Heart and Affections and for determining the Will it self We might farther clear and confirm all these from that famous instance of Lydia Act. 16.14 where Paul preaching to some Women it 's said of her Whose heart the Lord opened that she attended to the things which were spoken of Paul where we find these things differenced 1. The Lord 's powerful work on her heart from Paul's preaching to her Ear the Lord opened her Heart 2. It 's an inward work for it 's on the Heart 3. It 's a
Grace of God exercised within Mens Hearts as well as the Word is preached outwardly to the Ear wherever Faith is begotten these two go together the Word without and the power of Grace within the one of which is distinct from the other 2. That this powerful internal and immediate work of Grace within is not common to all the Hearers of the Gospel but a rare and peculiar thing to some to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed it's but one or few of many to whom it 's revealed To these we have spoken already 3. The third is which indeed holds out the scope of all that there is an inseparable connexion betwixt these two the begetting of Faith in the Hearers of the Gospel and the application of this powerful work of the Grace of God for working of it so that where this powerful work of Grace is not there is never Faith nor Conversion wrought and where this powerful work of Grace is there is Faith and Conversion The Prophet makes them reciprocal and commensurable who is the Believer he to whom the Arm of the Lord is revealed and who is the Unbeliever he to whom the Arm of the Lord is not revealed These two are so conjoyned and knit together as they are never separated and so they must stand or fall together That we may be the more clear we shall take up the Doctrine in two distinct Branches The first whereof is That except the powerful work of God's Grace concur the most powerful preaching of the Gospel will never beget Faith in the Hearts of the Hearers of it The second is That where-ever this powerful work of Grace goes along with the preaching of the Gospel or wherever the Lord applyes His Grace with the Word preached there Faith is begotten in the Heart and that Soul is effectually united to Christ and savingly changed The one of these Branches serves to shew the necessity of God's Grace from the consideration of our sinfulness and impotency or inability and of the emptiness and ineffectualness of all outward Means in themselves and so to stop all Mens Mouthes as being utterly unable to contribute any thing to their own spiritual Good or Conversion that being the product of the Grace of God The other Branch serves mightily to commend the Grace of God as being the powerful Arm of the Lord that brings to Believe that calls and converts such and such Persons according to a prior engagement and transaction betwixt the Father and the Son As for the first of these It will easily be believed among Men and Women that have any true sense and feeling of the Corruption of their Nature and find dayly somewhat of the Law of the Members warring against the Law of the Mind and we are perswaded if all that ever received Faith were brought to depone in this matter they would bear witness that there is no Mean that without the effectual Power of the Grace of God can bring a stranger Sinner to close with Christ and believe on Him and if all that are now before the Throne of God in Heaven were called to speak to this great Truth they would put their seal to it and say Not unto us but to thy Name be the glory of our believing we had never believed if it had been left to the power of our own Free-will and if the power of thy Grace had not wrought in us the very Will as well as the Deed or Act of believing Yet because this Doctrine as we said serves to discover the sinfulness and impotency of Nature and how little we are obliged to our selves in this great work and to hold forth the absolute necessity of the Grace of God and how much we are obliged to it in the work of Faith and Conversion and to hold forth withall the emptiness and ineffectualness of all outward Means without this Grace and because it wants not its own considerable opposition from the enemies of the Truth we shall give you some Grounds for confirmation of it The first whereof is drawen from these express instances of Scripture wherein it is clear That there hath been much powerful Preaching and by the most eminent Preachers and yet the generality of People have been fruitless under it and their fruitlesness hath been brought to this very Ground to wit that the work of God's Grace and His out-stretched Arm went not along with it The first instance is Deut. 29.4 That Moses was a skilled Preacher who will deny he being faithful in all the House of God yet says he after much and long Preaching and after many Signs and Wonders wrought the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive nor eyes to see nor ears to hear unto this day where he not only puts a difference betwixt the preaching of the Word without and the work of Grace within but shows the necessity of the concâ—rrence of the work of Grace and lays the great weight of the Peoples profiting or not profiting on the wanting or having of that A second instance is in this Prophet Isaiah were there any among all the Preachers before or since that preached in a more Evangelick strain then he did and yet when he hath complained of the paucity of Believers saying who hath believed our report he fixes and stays on this as the cause to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed And Chap. 6.9 10. he gives an account of the sad Commission he had from the Lord who said to him Go and tell the people Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people sat c. where there is also a clear distinction made betwixt the inward working of Grace and the outward Ministry A third instance and one that is beyond all exception is in our bless'd Lord Jesus who spake as never man spoke and preached with such power and life that even carnal Hearers wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth for he preached with Authority and not as the Scribes and yet Joh. 6.44 when they begin to murmure at Him what says He Murmure not at these things none can come to me except the Father draw him none can Believe except the powerful Grace of God work Faith in him there must be a higher hand then ought ye see or hear a more powerful work then any external Preaching of mine as Prophet of my Church ere a Soul can believe on me and though his Hearers were not free of the guilt of this their Unbelief but had their own sinful accession unto their continuing in it yet our Lord looks in on the soveraign way and work of Grace and holds there telling them that his external Ministry will not do the turn but there must be an inward powerful immediate work of Grace for the working of Faith We add a fourth instance and it is of that chosen Vessel Paul who laboured more abundantly then all the rest of
removing a main obstruction that hinders your Faith and that is the undervaluing of him For if undervaluing of him be the great cause of unbelief and that which mainly obstructs Faith then the esteeming of him from a due impression of his worth must be a great mean of and help to Faith and the more he be esteemed of the more will he be believed on It hath an attractive vertue to draw sinners to love him a screwing vertue to screw up the affections towards him and withal a fixing and establishing vertue to settle and stay the Soul upon him by believing the soul that from the right impression of his worth esteems of him knows that it may lippen to him for he is holy and true And hence it is that the great thing that believers take to ground their prayers upon is some excellency in God some one or other of his Titles and Attributes upon which they fix to bear them up under and against any difficulty that presseth hard upon them This fixes also their hope and expectation of attaining of any good thing that they want through him And therefore upon the one side we would commend to you the study of Christ's worth and upon the other an high estimation of him as that which will fix your Faith and Love and Hope on him This we see to be in a high degree in Paul Philip. 3. I account all things saith he to be but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of him and his transcendent worth ye would not think it lost labour to read and study these places of Scripture that shew what our Lord Jesus is in his Person Nature and Offices that ye may have the Faith of his God-head fixed and may be clear as to the excelling fulness that is in him as namely that of Isai 9.6 To us a Child is born to us a Son is given the government shall be upon his shoulders and his Name shall be called Wonderful Counsellour the Mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace of whose Kingdom and Government there shall be no end And to study his excellent Properties his Eternity Omnipotency Faithfulness Mercy c. common to him with the Father and Holy Ghost and the excellent qualifications that as Mediator he is replenished with being full of grace and truth and in all things having the preheminency See Col. 1. John 1.14 and Heb. 1.2 3. c. The reason why we press you to this is not only that ye may have more clear Theory and Contemplation But also and mainly that your affections may be delighted in him and that your Faith may without hink or hesitation come to give him credit Ignorance of Christ breeds disestimation and disestimation makes you not to give him credit and thus ye are kept at a distance from him There is no study more pleasant more precious and more profitable There is here then a task for you that ask what ye shall do even to read and study the excellency of Jesus Christ and to labour to have it well fixed in the imagination of the thoughts of your hearts It will give you notable direction what to do even that which is well-pleasing to God and may be very profitable to you through his blessing Use 5. See here the great necessity and conveniency of studying the disestimation of Christ that is in us as well as of studying the worth that is in him and what he hath out of love suffered for us These two are put together in the Text it being needful for us to be as well acquainted with the one as with the other We shall give you this use in two short Doctrines The 1. whereof is That it is a necessary duty for the hearers of the Gospel to study throughly and to be convinced of and clear in their disestimation of Christ as well as of his worth and excellency because it maketh up repentance and maketh it flow and thorowly humbleth the sinner when he findeth this desperat wickedness and perversness to be in himself and maketh him kindly to loath and abhor himself and unless this desperat wickedness be seen and felt that great and bitter mourning spoken of Zech. 12.10 will never flow forth The 2. is That where folk have any just estimation of Christ and of his worth and are sensible of the evil of unbelief there will also be some sense of the sin of undervaluing of him and the more sense they have of the evil of unbelief they will be the more sensible of their undervaluing of him And will with the Prophet here cry out He was despised and we esteemed him not And from both these ye may see the necessity of studying to find out this corruption the search and discovery whereof will in-sight you in the evil and perversness of your nature and so deeply humble you and also serve highly to commend Christ and his Grace to you and without the discovery of this corruption it 's impossible ever to be humble thorowly or to have right thoughts of Christ and of his Grace Use 6. It serves to let us see the necessity of believing in Christ and of the imploying of him because there is no other way to be free of the challenges of misprising and not esteeming of him but by receiving of him and believing on him A 7th Use may be added and it 's this That the moe there be that despise Christ and the greater difficulty there be in believing on him the more reason have they to be thankful that he graciously works any suitable estimation of himself in and brings them to believe on him These who have gotten any glimpse of his Glory which hath lifted him high in their estimation to the drawing forth of their faith and love after him would praise him for it It 's he and only he that opened your eyes to see him and gave you that estimation of him and circumcised your hearts to love him let him therefore have all the praise and glory of it This is the Word of God and himself bless it to you through Jesus Christ SERMON XIX ISAIAH LIII IV V. Vers 4. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted Vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed THis is a most wonderful Subject that the Prophet is here discoursing of even that which concerneth the sufferings of our blessed Lord Jesus by way of prediction several hundreds of years before his Incarnation It was much that he was to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief But this was more that he was despised and we esteemed him not There is wonderful grace upon the one side that our Lord became so very low and wonderful contempt and enmity on the other side that we despised him and
Peace with God in the first three expressions the second in this last expression looks to our Sanctification and purging from the dominion and pollution of Sin By Christs becoming Sin for us there is a way made to wash us from all the guilt of Sin and from all the foul spots and stains that were on us by Sin and he hath thus procured Holiness to us we come easily by it but it cost Christ dear yea very dear These very sad but most sweet and Soul-solacing words hold out a short sum of the substance and marrow of the Gospel and because they do so we shall speak of them summarily together and ye would the more seriously attend especially such as are more ignorant that by the reading and opening up of this Verse ye may be brought and kept in mind of the sum of the heads of the Gospel and to make the matter the more clear I shall endeavour to make the Doctrines drawen from it as so many answers to six or seven questions As 1. What is Mans condition naturally and what is the condition of all them that get not benefite by Christs death 2. How is Man redeemed and fred from that condition 3. By whom is he fred or who makes the Satisfaction 4. How doth he perform that Satisfaction 5. What are the benefites that flow from and come to us by the Satisfaction performed 6. Who are the Persons for whom Christ hath performed the Satisfaction and to whom he hath procured these Benefites 7. What is the way how these Benefites are transferred or derived to these Persons And putting these seven together we may have a short Catechism in one Verse 1. Then What is Mans condition by Nature 1. He is under Transgressions 2. Under Iniquities 3. At feud with God And 4ly Under wounds and most loathsome Diseases of a sinful Nature In a word Man by Nature is a Sinner guilty greatly guilty under Gods Wrath and Curse and at Feud with God of a most sinful and abominable nature even sick of and loathsome because of Sin The first is implyed in this word He was wounded for our transgressions that is our common Sins The second is holden out in the next word He was bruised for our iniquities or Rebellions which holds out great guilt The third in that word The chastisement of our peace was on him which suppons that we were once without Peace with God The last word By his stripes we are healed supposeth that we continue in that condition filthy and polluted and polluting our selves more and more greedy to drink in Sin and wounding and sickning our selves by Sin Now lay these four words together they clear this truth to our Judgment and serve to point out to us the necessity of a Mediator Again Consider them in a second notion and they tell us that even the Elect themselves are by Nature in the same sinful and rebellious condition wiâ—h others at feud with and under the Curse of God and abominably polluted before they be washed and healed as the Apostle asserts Ephes 2. We are by nature children of wrath even as others and here it is plainly declared He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities c. Some are ready to think as was hinted before that the Elect by nature were better than others or that God foresaw they would be better and therefore he elected them This piece of Arminianism is in all nâ—turally but this Text in down-right contradiction to such a groundless conceit answers and asserts that by nature they are even like others as the Apostle saith Rom. 11.32 God hath concluded them all under unbelief that he might have mercy on all All the Elect as well as others are concluded under Sin and Wrath that the way of obtaining any Spiritual Good might be by Mercy and Free-Grace alone 2. How are Folks fred from this sinful and miserable condition Answer 1. In general Before the quarrel can be taken away and their peace can be made there must be a Satisfaction which is implyed in these words the chastisement of our peace was on him which suppons the necessity of a Satisfaction made or to be made in respect of Gods decree and commination who said the day thou sins thou shalt die and cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the law to do them 2. And more particularly There must be a Satisfaction because there is 1. The Justice of God that hath a claim by a standing law 2. The Holiness of God that must be vindicate And 3 The Faithfulness of God that must cause be performed and come to pass what it hath impledged it self for as well in reference to the Threatning as to the Promise for these words Hath he said and will he not do it relate to the one as well as to the other there is a great mistake in many while they leap immediatly to Mercy without minding the necessity of a Satisfaction to provoked Justice and on this ground that God is merciful which if it were an argument good enough it would say that all even the Reprobate may get Mercy but we would consider the way that God hath laid down for Sinners coming to Mercy and how that before peace can be made he will needs have satisfaction to his Justice 3. Who maketh the Satisfaction The Text says it 's He and Him He was wounded for our trangressions the chastisement of our peace was on Him and who is this He and Him it's in general the Messiah who was then to come he who was conceived by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary who suffered and was crucified who died and was buried and rose the third day even he who having the nature of God and our nature united in one Person He his own self bare our sins in his body on the tree as is said 1 Pet. 2.24 and He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him as it is 2 Cor. 5 ult even he of whom the Apostle hath been speaking here while he says We as ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconcealed unto God And when we say it 's Christ that is mean'd of we are to understand it as well negatively and exclusively excluding all others as positively including him when we make him to be the only Saviour we exclude all that Men can do with their Penance Prayers Good-Works and all that Angels can do neither Man nor Angel could satisfie divine Justice and make our Peace with God and therefore it 's said Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved but the name of Jesus where it 's clear that all others are excluded as it is Psal 40.6 Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not c.
neither Penance Performances nor any other thing will do it but it 's Lo I come in the volum of thy book it s written of me I delight to do thy will O my God Take this then as another ground of Saving Knowledge that it is our blessed Lord Jesus that satisfies Justice even he who being God was content to become Man and is God and Man in one Person He and he only undertaking the Debt satisfies Justice 4. How does he satisfie Justice Ans He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was on him and by his stripes we are healed In which words observe these three things 1. In Christs satisfaction for us there is an actual undertaking he becomes Cautioner and enters himself in our room when all other things are casten Angels Men with their Sacrifices thousands of Rams ten thousand rivers of Oil and the fruit of the Body then our Lord Jesus comes in and undertakes Psal 40.7 Lo I come he satisfies for our Transgressions which supposes that Justice could not have sought our Debt of him if he had not undertaken it therefore Heb. 7.24 He is called the surety of a better testament for he comes in our room and place and undertakes to pay our Debt even as if a man under Debt were a carrying to Prison and another able rich man should undertake to pay the Debt although the Debt should ly over for a while unpayed yet the Creditor will get a Decreet on the Cautioner for payment of the Debt when he pleases to put at him so Jesus Christ enters Cautioner for our Debt and becomes lyable to the payment of it 2. Christs performance and payment of the Debt according to his undertaking implys a Covenant and Transaction on which the application is founded which we shew was also implyed in the foregoing words ver 4. He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows God the Father Son and Holy Spirit are the Party wronged by Sin Jesus Christ considered personally and as Mediator is the Party undertaking The terms are that he shall suffer and satisfie Justice for us and that we shall go free that his paying shall be our freedom that the Debt which he pays for us shall not be exacted off us our selves 2 Cor. 5. ult He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him and here the chastisement of our peace was on him it was transferred from us to him that by his stripes we might be healed by his stripes and blanes health was procured and brought to us 3. Our Lord Jesus in fulfilling the Bargain and satisfying Justice payed a dear price it was at a very dear rate that he bought our freedom He was wounded bruised suffered stripes and punishment So that ye may take the answer to the question in sum to be this our Lord Jesus performed and satisfied for all that was due by us by undertaking our Debt and paying a dear price for Sinners according to the Covenant of Redemption He came under the Law and the Law struck at him as Cautioner and he answered the Laws demands and fully and condiguly satisfied the Justice of God for us As for that Question Whether Christ might not by one drop of his blood have satisfied and such like we think them very needless too curious and little or not at all edifying But if it be asked why Christ payed so much we answer 1. It behoved Christ to pay a condign price to give a condign satisfaction to Justice 2. It was meet that he should pay all that he payed First We say it behoved to be a condign satisfaction For 1. It behoved to be a price equivalent to all that the Elect should have suffered had not he interposed 2. It behoved to be proportionable to the Justice of God for God having laid down such a way of shewing Mercy that his Justice should be salved there behoved to be condign satisfaction for the vindication of Justice which was done by Christs suffering to the full undoubtedly if we consider 1. The excellency of the Person that suffered God and Man in one Person 2. If we consider the nature of his Sufferings that they were exceeding great heavy and pressing And 3. If withall we consider the manner of his Sufferings that it was with much readiness and chearfulness of obedience to the Fathers will That such and so excellent a Person should suffer and suffer so much and suffer in such a way this sure makes a condign Satisfaction and so Justice is fully thereby satisfied and made as glorious as if all the Elect had suffered eternally therefore we say that his sufferings were a condign and proportionable satisfaction to Justice for them whose Debt he payed by this Justice is compleatly and gloriously satisfied Secondly We said that it was meet that he should pay all that he payed and so it is if we consider 1. The excellency of immortal Souls a little price as all that Men or Angels could have payed would have been the finest Gold Silver and precious Stones could not have done it the redemption of the soul is precious and ceaseth for ever to wit amongst all the Creatures Psal 49.8 2. The severity of Justice on the just account of Sin called for such a price 3. Gods end which was to make both his Grace and Justice glorious required and made it meet that our Lord should suffer condignly and in his Sufferings suffer much even all that he did suffer And in this ye have an answer to this question why Christ suffered so much as the loss to speak so of his declarative glory for a time outward sufferings and inward sufferings even the bâ—â—isiâ—g and squeezing that hiâ— Soul was under which made him to say that it was heavy unto death and exceeding sorrowful Let not sinners then think it a little or a light thing to get a Soul saved the redemption whereof ceaseth for ever as to us or any Creature Behold herein the glory of Grace eminently shineth forth when there is such a price payed for that which in some respect is of so little worth and also the glory of Justice when so great a price is demanded and payed down for its satisfaction by so worthy and excellent a Person and let none think little of Sin the guilt whereof could not be otherwise expiaâ—â—d the chastisement of our peace behoved to be on him 5. What are the benefits that come by these Sufferings Answer 1. The benefits are such that if he had not suffered for us we should have suffered all that he suffered our selves 2. More particularly we have 1. Peace and Pardon of Sin 2. Healing by his Sufferings so that if it be asked what procured pardon of Sin and peace with God We answer it 's Christs Sufferings Or if it be asked what is the cause of Gods justifying Sinners We answer it 's
his purchase before Believing but when he comes to believe the obstruction is taken away that hindered his application and then he hath a new right not only to but in Christs purchase even as a Person that is Minor or mad may have a right to a great possession but by the law he is secluded from the use of it till he come to majority and have the use of reason and this distinction we have as one of the clauses of the Covenant John 6.39 40. where 1. in the 39. Verse Christ says This is the Fathers will that sent me that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day It 's the Fathers will that Eternal Life be given to as many as are given to Christ on his Satisfaction and Christ hath purchased it to them by his Satisfaction absolute as to the event and therefore they have an accessibleness to it a right to it and cannot but partake of it yet not simply but in the way that he hath laid down And therefore 2ly In the 40. Verse he saith This is the will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have eternal life by believing they come to the application of that to themselves which they had a legal right to before by Christs death 2. Respect must be had to the Covenant of Grace which is not quite an other thing then the Covenant of Redemption but the making offer of it and the benefits contained in it in the preached Gospel when Christ sends out his Ambassadours to woo and invite Sinners to Christ and to bring them to the application of his Purchase and it is by closing with and receiving of Christs offer that the actual Cure comes and that by Christs stripes our sores are healed Even as when a Child that was Minor becomes Major he comes to have a right to possess the same Lands or Sums of Money by the same Law that gave him a legal or simple right to them before or he comes to have a right in that which before he had a right to So elect Souls that have a right to Christs purchase before believing while they are mad in nature are under the curse and wrath threatned in the word of God for not believing but when they come to believe they come to get an extract from the same word of their right in Christs purchase because the Word says He that believes is past from death to life and shall not come into condemnation and so the same word that did condemn before believing doth now absolve upon a Sinners believing and we come at this absolution by receiving of Christs offer in the Covenant of Grace And if it be asked how comes it that the receiving of Christs free offer in the Covevant of Grace gives a right to Christs purchase we answer It is by vertue of the Covenant of Redemption wherein it is so transacted betwixt God and the Mediator so that there is the offer of the Covenant received and the Covenant it self that concur for making over and deriving a compleat Right to wretched Sinners in Christs purchase Let the 1. Use of this be for your instruction and information which is the end wherefore we have chosen in this way by this short view to give you in a very short sum the marrow of the Gospel And if ye remember these few Questions ye may be in a capacity not only to answer us but through grace to exercise Faith on Christ And we think ye will all readily grant that these who cannot at all answer them should not go to the Communion And therefore that ye may take them with you we shall shortly resume them 1. What condition is man in by nature Answer Under sin and misery and even under the curse of God Or thus every man is a sinner and hath a sinful nature or he is under transgressions and iniquities is naturally loathsome wants peace with God and hath need of healing Let this in the first place sink in your hearts 2. How is man freed from this sinfulness and misery Answer He cannot be free from it till there be a condign satisfaction made to Divine Justice wounding and bruising must be to procure pardon and stripes must be to procure healing and chastisement must be to bring about our peace That word Exod. 34. Who will by no means acquit the guilty would alwayes be remembred and Faith would look to a Saviour for satisfaction 3. Who can satisfie Answer Neither Man nor Angel can do it no penances no prayers nor performances of any meer creature will do it but He only that was wounded and bruised He who by Nature is the Son of God the express Image of the Fathers Person and who in respect of His Humane Nature was born of the Virgin Mary like to us in all things except sin It 's he that satisfies Justice and it 's by no other way that we get pardon and peace with God and Holiness 4. What way doth Christ satisfie Justice and make peace betwixt God and sinners Answer He entered himself in our room and as Cautioner undertook our debt suffered the condign punishmens that was due for our sins and payed the price that we should have payed He in a manner left Heaven and became Man had a mean life in the World drank the Cup of his Fathers Wrath was wounded bruised chastised and died a cursed death whereof his hanging on the Cross was but a sign 5. What benefites come to us by his sufferings Answer Pardon of sin Peace with God and healing The Conscience by his blood is sprinkled from dead works the person absolved reconciled to God made whole and made at last to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing And this is not as Papists blasphemously speak a putative effect but a most real one 6. Who are made partakers of this pardon peace and healing Answer The Elect have right to it and by believing they make the application therefore it 's said here our and we And we may look upon the Prophet speaking in the name of all the Elect or in name of the believing Elect who on believing are actually healed The Elect then are healed and the way how is by faith making application of Jesus Christ 7. How in Justice can he be condemned that was free of sin and how can we be absolved that were guilty Answer He in Justice was condemned because as our Cautioner he came in our room and undertook to pay our debt And on the same ground we wretched sinners may in his way make application of his purchase because it was on these terms that he undertook the debt that we might be set free And it 's on these terms that it is offered in the Gospel that seing he hath payed for elect sinners they may upon the hearing of the offer close with it But how
ground Hence alace it is that many will say God is merciful and Christ died for all sinners and for me and so sleep it out in security I am perswaded that much of the security and presumption that abounds among carnal Professors is from this ground that grace is fancied to be thus broad and large We grant that as to the convey and nature of it it 's broad but in respect of the objects on whom it is bestowed it 's narrow though it cometh from large bowels 3. It exceedingly marrs and diminisheth mens thankfulness for when a mercy is judged to be common who will praise for it as he would do if it were special and peculiar That which is a great ground of thankfulness for Election Effectual Calling Justification c. is because these mercies are peculiar even so that which makes the redeemed thankful for Redemption is because they are redeemed and bought when others are left hence is that Song of the redeemed company Rev. 5.9 Thou art worthy to open the Book for thou wast stain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kind ed and tongue and people and nation It hightens not their praise that all of every kindred and tongue and nation were redeemed but this doth it that when the Lord had the whole world before him he was graciously pleased to purchase and redeem them out of it that as it is John 11.52 He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad They therefore I say bless him and wonder when they consider that they are pitched on who are by nature the same with these that are past by were a strange thing to affirm that they who are in Hell have as great ground of praise and of saying We thank thee for thou hast redeemed as by thy blood as these that are in Heaven have 4. This making of grace so wide and large in his extent as to take in all doth leave the people of God altogether comfortless But it may be here said How is it that it is more comfort to Believers that grace is peculiar in saving and that but a few are redeemed in comparison of others that are not redeemed then if we should extend it unto and account it to be for all Or how is this more comfortless to them that grace is made universal Answer 1. Because if it were universal many whom Christ died for are now in Hell and what consolation can there be from that A man may be redeemed and yet perish and go to Hell for all that But it 's strong consolation when this comes in If when we were enemies we were reconciled by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life If he died for us when we were enemies will he not much more save us being friends 2. Suppose a person to be in black nature what comfort could he have by looking on Redemption as universal He could not expect Heaven by it for many expect Heaven on that ground who will never get it But it 's a sort of consolation even to them that are without to consider that Redemption is peculiar to some For though all get not Heaven yet they that believe get it and so upon their closing with Christ the consolation presently flows out unto them Whereas if they should lay it for a ground that Christs death were universal they could never have solid ground of consolation by flying to him 5. This errour doth quite overturn and enervat the whole Covenant of Redemption and peculiar love 1. It enervats and obscures the wisdome that shines in it if Christ may buy and purchase many by his death who shall yet notwithstanding perish 2. It enervats and obscures the love and grace that shine in it for it makes Christ to cast away the love and grace of it to reproâ—â—e and â—o to cast pearls to swine 3. Tâ— obscures the freedom of it which â—â—y tâ—â—â— in his taking of one and refusing another as it is Rom. 9.11 12. The children not being yet born and having done neither good nor 〈◊〉 that thâ— pâ—â—pose of God according to election might â—â—â—â—d 〈◊〉 of works but of 〈◊〉 that calleth it was said the elder shall serve the 〈◊〉 as it is written Jacob have I loved and Esaâ— have I hated 4. It obscures the Justice of it if he should but all and yet get but som for it being the design of God to inflict on Christ the curse that was due to sinners and to spare them if this should be the result of it that many for whom he died and took on him the curse should pâ—rish he should get but some of these whom he bought and Justice should twice exact satisfaction for one and the same debt once of the Surety and again of the Principal Debtor that perisheth Whereas when Christ becomes Surety they are set free for whom he was â—urety and it is Justice that it should be so We do the rather insist in the refutation of this errour because this is a time wherein it is one of the Devils great designs which he drives to trouble the clear Springs of the Gospel and to revive this errour amongst the rest And there is something of it in these poor fool Bodies who speak so much of a light within as if all were alike and had something which if they use well they may get life by This error alwayes leaves men to be Masters and Carvers of Gods Decree and of Christs purpose and design in the work of Redemption and suspends the benefit of his death mainly if not only on the consent of mans free-will A 2d Branch of the errour which this Doctrine refutes is that which is vented by some who are not professed enemies but in other things deserve well of the Church of Christ which therefore should be our grief to mention And it is this that though Christ hath not simply purchased Redemption from sin to all men that yet he hath taken away from all the sins of that first Covenant of Works as if there were as they say no sin for which men are now condemned but the sin of infidelity or unbelief But this is dangerous for iâ— If this be true that Christ's death is only a price for the sins of the Elect then there are no sins of others reckoned on his score 2. It halveth Christs purchase and hardly will we find Christs death divided which were to say that he hath bought a man in part or haâ—f from wrath and not wholly such a dividing of Christ and halving of his death seems not consistent with the strain of the Gospel for as there is one Sacrifice so there is one account on which it is offered 3. It seems to infer a good and safe condition to all them that die without sinning against the Gospel and so to Infants born out of the Church that never sinned against the Covenant of Grace
two Natures in one Person remains still He was God and Man still though as was hinted before there was a Suspension of such a Measure at least of the sensibly Comforting Influence of the Divine Nature from the Humane as had wont to be let out thereto And yet there was even then a sustaining Power flowing from the God-head that Supported Him so that He was not swallowed up of that which would have quite and for ever swallowed up all Creatures as is evident in this crying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Which shewes that though the Union and Relation stood firm yet a comfortable Influence was much restrained 2. There was no sinfull Fretting no Impatiencie nor carnal Anxiety in our Lord all along His Sufferings for He did most willingly undergo them and hâ—d a kindly submission in them all As is evident by these Words But for this cause came I into this hour And not my will but thy will be done 3. There was not in H m any distrust of Gods Love nor any unbelief of His Approbation before God neither any the least Dâ—ffidence as to the Out-gate For in the Sadest and Sharpest of all His Conflicts He was clear about His Fathers Love to Him that the Relation stood firm and that there would be a Comfortable Out-gate as His Prayer before shews wherein He styles God Father And these hardest like Words uttered by Him on the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me do also shew wherein twice over He confidently asâ—â—rts His Interest My God my God Though He was most terribly Assaulted yet the Tentation did not prevaill over Him 4. Neither are we to conceive that there was any inward Confusion Challenge or Gnawing of Conscience in Him such as is in Desperat Sinners cast under the Wrath of God Because there was no inward cause of it nor any thing that could breed it yea even in that wherein He was Cautioner He was clear that He was doing the Fathers will and finishing the Work that was committed to Him and that even under the greatest Apprehensions of Wrath Therefore all such things are to be guarded against in our Thoughts least otherwayes we reflect upon our Innocent and Spotless Mediator But 2. To speak a Word to that wherein it doth consist 1. It did consist as we hinted before in the God-head's Suspending it's Comfortable Influence for a time from the Humane Nature Though our Lord had no Culpable Anxiety yet He had a Sinlesse Fear considering Him as Man and that the infinit God was Angry and Executing Angryly the Sentence of the Law against Him Though He was not angry at Him considered as in Himself but as He stood in the room of the Elect as their Cautioner of whom He was to exact the Payment of their Debt and could not but be in a wonderfull amazment as the Word is Mark 14.33 He was sore amazed And Heb. 5.7 It 's said when he had offeâ—ed up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears unto him that was able to save him from death he was heard in that which he feared Which looks to His wrestling in the Garden 2. He had an inexpressible sense of grief not only from the petty outward Afflictions that He was under which may be called petty comparatively though they were very great in themselves but also from the Torrent of Wrath flowing in on His Soul That Cup behoved to have a most bitter Relish and an inconceivable Anguish with it when He was a drinking of it as appeared in His Agony O! â—s He was Pained and Pinched in His Soul The Soul being especially sensible of the Wrath of Goâ— 3 It consisted in a sort of wonderfull Horrour which no question the marching up to say so of so many mighty Squadrons of the highly provoked Wrath of God and making so Furious and Formidable an Assault on the Innocent Humane Nature of Christ that considered simply in it's self was a finit Creature behoved necessarily to be attended with Hence He prayes Father if it be possible let this cup depart from me Intimating that there was a Sinless Loathness and a holy Abhorrence to middle with it and to adventure upon it Though we have not Hearts rightly to conceive nor Tongues suitable to express those most exquisite Sufferings yet these things shew that our Lord Jesus was exceedingly put to it in His Holy Humane Soul The 2 Use Serves to stir us up to wonder at the Love of God the Father that gave His own Son and exacted the Elect's Debt of Him and made the Sword of His Justice to awake against Him And to wonder at the Love of the Son that ingadged to be surety for them And humbled Himself so Low to lift them up It was wonderfull that He should stoup to become Mâ—n and to be a poor Man and to die but more that He should come this length as to be in an Agony of Soul and to be so tossed with a Tempest of Terrible Wrath though He was not capable of Tossing as meer Creatures are This being well considered would highten exceedingly the praise of Grace in the Church and very much warm the Hearts of Sinners to Him And for pressing this Use a little and for provocking to Holy Wondering at this Love consider these Four 1. Who it was that suffered tâ—us Even He that was without guile He that was Gods delight His Fatheâ—s Fellow the express image of his person He thâ—t made all things and who will one Day be Judge of all Iâ—'s even He that thus Suffered 2. Whâ—t He Suffered even the Wrath of God and the Wrath of God in such a Degree and Measure as was equivalent to all that the Elect should have Suffered Eternally in Hâ—ll which presseth forth from Him these expressions which we hinted at before 3. For whom all this was which makes it appear to be yet more wonderfull It was for a number of lost straying sheep That were turned every one to his own way as it is verse 6. For Dyvours and debauched Bankerupts that were Enemies to and in Tops with Him Some of them Spitting in His Face some of them upon the Consultation of taking away His Life as may be gatherâ—d from Acts 2. Yea take the best of them for whom He suffered even those whom He took to the Garden with Him to be Witnesses of His Agony and we will find them sleeping when He is in the hight of it and is thereby cast into a Top Sweat of Blood and out of Case to Watch and bear Burden with Hâ—m but for an hour It had been much for Him to have Suffered for Righteous Persons but as it is Rom. 5. God commends his love to us in this that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us 5. The manner how He Suffered to wit most Willingly and Patiently though He easily could hâ—ve commanded more then twelve legions of Angels to rescue Him yet He would not but
present purpose is to shew how a guilty Sinner may be Justified And therefore we shall 1. Give you a general view of the Truth of the Doctrine by confirming it from Scripture in all the parts of it 2. We shall â—peak more paticularly to the severall branches of it And 3ly To the way of attaining Justification in the severall Causes of it as it is here holden forth For Confirmation of the General Doctrine ye shall 1. Look upon some Scriptures And 2. To some Grounds of Reason As for the Confirmation of it by Scripture If we look through the Gospel it is Our Lord Jesus Christ His own Doctrine which He preached and the way which He laid down therein for Justifying and saving a Sinner So John 3. Where it is three or four times repeated As v. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life v. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God v. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And v. 14 15. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have eternal life And that is all one as to say he that believes shall be Justified Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned These are the terms on which the Apostles are by Christ warranded to preach the Gospel and to make the offer of Life to every Creature And therefore if we look forward to their Preaching we will find it to run in the same sâ—rain A Acts 13.38 39. Be it known unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgivenness of sins and that by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses Where while Paul is summing up the whole Message that he had to deliver he goes upon the same ground And wherein we have these three clearly holden forth 1. That all Mâ—n are lyable as in their Natural Estate to God's Curse and by the Law cannot be Justified 2. That there is a way laid down through Jesus Christ to come by Justification and Remission of Sins 3. That the way how Sinners came by this is Faith in Christ All that believe are justified Look to the Epistles especially these written to the Romans and Galatians Where this question about Justification is exprâ—sly and of purpose handled and we will find that it is the sum of both As Rom. 3. Where having said v. 23 That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God And so that all are lyable to Gods Judgement he subjoyns v. 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Where is the great mean of our Justification and then he adds v. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Where we have the mean of Application to wit Faith and Chap. 4.5 To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Which place demonstrats this That an ungodly Person taking hold by Faith of Christs Righteousnesse may be and is Justified and Absolved and fred from the guilt of Sin as if he had never Sinned So Gal. 2.15 16. We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles or not without the Covenant as they are Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Which place shews not only this that through Faith in Christ is Justification and Life to be had but it also excludes all other wayes of Justificâ—tion Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith But that which we are now speaking to is only the positive part of the Doctrine To shew that a Guilty Sinner obnoxious to the Curse May by Faith come to be Justified and made free from the Guilt of Sin and from the Curse as if he had never Sinned nor been under the Curse For further Confirmation of the Doctrine ye would consider these Four Grounds and ye will see from them good reason for it Only remember this That Justification looks alway to a Judicial Procedour as we hinted before Wherein the Lord is as it were on the Throne and the Guilty Sinner at the Bar pleading through Christs Righteousnesse and Satisfaction to be Absolved which is even as if a Debtor were arrested for Debt should plead for a Liberation not because he is not owing the Debt neither because he hath payed the Debt but because his Cautioner hath payed it for him This being supposed and remembred ye would we say consider these Grounds or Reasons for confirming the Doctrine 1. The Sufferings that Christ hath endured and the Satisfaction that He hath made in the Room of Sinners as the next Words hold out For he shall bear their iniquities And v. ult He bare the sin of many Nay this is the great scope of the Chapter Therefore it 's said That he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows and that the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all This makes a Ground of Confirmation 2. Consider How that there is not only a sufficient price payed but there is a Covenant of Redemption warranding Him to pay it and accepting it off His hand as compleat Payment and Satisfaction for the Elects Debt And except there be a look had to this Covenant Faith hath not a sufficient Ground to rest on for Justification through Jesus His Satisfaction because otherwayes we see not a Reason why His Sufferings can be accepted for us For suppose if such a supposition may warrantably be made Christ to have Suffered yet it was free for God to have accepted that as a Satisfaction for our Debt or not But the consideration of the Covenant of Redemption removes that Doubt and gives Faith a Ground to lay hold on Christ's Sufferings as Satisfactory to the Justice of God because in the Covenant of Redemption it 's so transacted and agreed upon betwixt God and the Mediator Therefore the Apostle speaking Heb. 10.8 9. and forward from Psal 40. of this Covenant shews That when Sacrifices and Offerings will not do the turn Christ comes in Saying Lo I come in the volume of thy book it is written of me I delight to do thy
Gospel And because this is it that great part of the Christian World hath been deluded with though it be in those dayes little thought of by many and because it is not one single Error but as it were a Chain of very Momentuous and Fundamentall Errors We shall insist â— little in laying it out before you and ye would not so much look on it as a controversal or meerly speculative as a grosly practicall Error and such as is naturally rooted in all Men ye would also look upon it with holy fear and jealousie over your selves left inadvertantly ye slide into it and withall ye would look on it and make use of it as a Motive to provoke you to love the Truth the more and to be as I said the more thankful to God who hath fred you from that dark heavy and comfortlesse way of Justification by Works which is now impossible It may be that this Error of Papists will not be thought much of by some when they hear that they speak of Justification by Christ and by His merits and by Faith as well as we Protestants do But it 's the more dangerous that they do so And therefore ere I shew you their way of Justification and the inconsistancy of it with the Gospel I would have you to advert to these Three things 1. That in this matter of Justification though Papists acknowledge the name yet they do not acknowledge the thing it self and so upon the matter the Controversie is not so much what Justification is as whether there be such a thing as Justification at all taking it to be a thing distinct from Sanctification and Regeneration which they in effect deny For if the Form Constitute Justification and if to them the Form of Justification be the infusing of habitual Grace in the Soul then it 's nothing different from Regeneration and Sanctification and therefore when they speak of Justification they speak of it in this sense For a Justified Person to them is a Man renewed and made Holy even as to califie or heat water is to make that hot which before was cold so Justification to them is to make a sinful Person Just because of inherent Righteousnesse in himself 2. When they speak of Justification they make of a two-fold Justification The 1. whereof is that which they call the Justification of a wicked Person or of an unrenewed man when Grace is at first infused into him which they grant a man cannot of himself condignâ—y merit The 2d is of a man growing or increasing in Grace when he attains to more Grace and to more Gâ—ory Grace and Glory being of the same Nature wherein they and we do not differ And to this Second Justification they make necessary a Mans proper merit of Works for they say that the first Justification will not do a mans turn who is come to age though to a child it be sufficient because their attaining of Glory who are at Age is the proper hire of their Works which supposes Holinesse And therefore when they say that Christs merit procures Justification their meaning is that it procures the First Justification but not the Second That is in effect to say that it buyes habitual Grace as a Stock to a Man wherewith he may Trade but when they come to speak of Hâ—aven and Glory which is obtained as they say by the Second Justification that is come at by the Man 's own trading with that Stock of habitual Grace And so the Mans Trading or Trâ—ffiquing with his Stock comes in as that â—bich procures wines and merits the Prize 3. Though they use the same names that we use as of Faith and Pardone or Remission of sin yet there is very great difâ—erence betwixt them and us as to the thing for they count nothing to be Faith but Historical Faith which the Devils have and for Remission of Sin They divide and distinguish betwixt the removing or remission of the blot of Sin and the removing or remission of the punishment of Sin And they say that in the First Justification the Blot of Sin is expelled by the â—â—â—fusing of habitual Grace even as Darkness is expelled by the coming in of Light but as to the Punishment of Sin they leave a Man to satisfie in part for himself after his Justification Now as we said Because there is not one Error or two here but a Concatenation or Chain of many Errors Therefore for further clearing of the Truth and discovering of these Errors Ye would consider That when the question is proposed this is the great state of it what that is on which a Sinner may ground his Peace before the Tribunal of God Justice as a solid Defencâ— to answer all the Challenges of the Law and whereupon he may expect to be Absolved and admitted to Heaven They say that it 's inherent Holiness wherewith a Mans Soul is Sanctified Renewed and made conform to the Image of God which say they is oâ— that nature that it cannot but make the Person acceptable to God so that in coming before Gods Tribunal of Justice he hath in himself wherewith to answer all his Challenges or all the Challenges that the Law can bring against his inward and habitual Grace and Sanctification It is true they grant that God works this Grace in them and that Men are not naturally born with it And that Christs merit procures the bestowing of this Grace but yet they say though a Man do not merit this fiâ—st Grace yet he must dispose himself for it by the exercise of his Free Will Faith Alms-deeds and the like and that so he makes himself congruously meet for and capable of Sanctification and habitual Grâ—ce without which God does not bestow it And if we look to the Instrumental Cause they take in the Sacraments of Baptisme Pennance and extream Unction as means whereby God works that Grace and that as they say by the very work wrought if he be a Man come to Age and if there be not opportunity of getting the â—acrament he hath it in his Vow which comes in place of the Sâ—crament by which mâ—ans they have these Two effects The Fiâ—st is a positive bringing in of Grâ—ce into the Soul The Second is privative whereby the Blot or Spot of Sin as H aâ— expells Cold or Light expells Dâ—rkness And this they call Remission of Sin when Grace shuts and drives it ouâ— so that the Soul is not polluted with it And because all this takes in but the guilt of Sin which they say is removed in the First Justification They have a Second Justification whereby they say that the punishment of Sin is removed and whereby they merit Glory And here came in their Dotations Fastings Pilgrimages Perigrinations c. Whereby they make amends to God and because they cannot win to make a full amends here They have their Purgatory and Soul-masses And so they have not only God to Satisfie for the wrongs which they have
Sin and Wrath may come to be absolved And this leads you in to know that there is a New Covenant made through a Mediator in which there is a Promise of Life and Salvation through believing in Him which Rom. 10. is called the law of faith which gives a Sinner ground of hope to be Justified by the Righteousnesse of a Cautioner and leads him in to know the Defence that he may and ought to plead upon before God And there is here presupposed as a necessity of knowing your selves so a necessity of knowing the Law and Covenant of Works for if we plead innocent in any one Sin whereof we are guilty it may hazard our eternal ruine And a necessity of knowing Jesus Christ who is the Meritorious Cause of our Justification that He became man and did take to Himself a true Humane Body and a reasonable Soul that by the Union of His two Natures He might be God and Man in one Person in reference to which He must needs be known for if we know Him not to be Man we cannot understand how Divine Justice is Satisfied and if we know Him not to be God we cannot understand how the Humane Nature can be sustained and supported and carried through in Satisfying the Justice of God and withal a necessity of knowing how the Mediator procures this Justification and this leads us in to know His Office how He was a Priest and interposed betwixt God and Sinners and made Himself an Offering for our Sin and maketh intercession for us how He was a Prophet and how when the thing was unknown to wit how a Sinner might have peace with God He revealed it of Old by His Prophets in the Old Testament and by His Apostles and Ministers in the New Testament and doth by His Spirit ellighten the Soul to take up the difference betwixt Justification by Faith and Justification by Works how He is a King to subdue Sin in us to mortifie our Corrupt Nature that will still boast till it be subdued to guide us in His way to fight our Spiritual Battels in us and for us and to take course with all His and our Enemies Otherwayes if we know not this though we were justified just now we would be led captive by Sin and Satan to our ruine within an hour but knowing Him to be King it gives Faith footing to expect Through-beating and Victory 4. As we must know what Christ is so we must know what is in Christ and what is communicated and applyed to Sinners by Him and so the condition of the Covenant of Grace which is Faith whereby we come to be united to Christ and that this Faith is not a bare assenting to the Truth but a closing with and a resting on Him for we can never believe except we know what Faith is 5. It is needful that we know what Dutie is called for from a Justified Person to wit Repentance and Holiness because though He Justifies none for Repentance yet He Justifies none but Penitents and He requires Repentance from all whom He Jusâ—ifies Except ye repent saith Christ ye shall all likewise perish For the Curse lyes at the door and we are so to Repent as that with grief and hatred of Sin we turn from it unto God with full purpose of heart and endeavour after new Obedience 6. There is also a necessity of the Knowledge of Christs Ordinance though non absoluâ—ely in order to Justification to know the Sacraments and how thâ—y represent Christ and the benefits that come by Him and how they do Ratifie and Confirm the Believers Right to Him and these good things promised through Him Let me intreat you Believers and as many as look for Justification to â—â—ndy throughly to know that these things are necessary to be known even to know God and your selves and what ye may be justly charged with before Him that your mouths may be stoped to know Jesus Christ and His Offices For ye can never upon ground expect Justification except ye know who hath procured it to know what God requires of these who are Justified in a Word study so much as may bring you to know your lost estate and the remedy thereof and how to found your Defence when ye come before God c. And if ye would study thus to know God and know your selves and your Natural Condition and Jesus Christ and the way how ye come to be Justified through Him and your Duty to Him and so make a Catechisme to your selves out of these few heads it were a short and sure way to come to knowledge The 2d Use Serves for Reproof and Conviction to them that lye still in ignorance which is a most Sinful and Dangerous Condition for if Knowledge be a Duty and if Ignorance be a Sin and such a Sin as hazards the Soul then what a woful case are many of you in who now hear me Lay aside all other Sins I would be ashamed to speak of the great Ignorance that is among you How many of you are there that cannot give any tollerable account of your Catechism who know not your natural State and Condition nor the way how to come at peace with God nor any ground for your Faith to rest upon nor Christ nor His Offices and alace if it be so what better are ye then Heathens Sure ye are much worse because ye have dispised Knowledge Can the Gospel give you Faith to whom it never gave Knowledge There are several sorts of Persons to whom I would here speak a Word 1 There are some that never lay the necessity of Knowledge to heart betwixt whom and Turks and Pagans there is in this respâ—ct but little difference and yet such will be ready to say we live and do as well as we may that there may not be a quarrel or contraversie betwixt God and us But is it possible but there must be a quarrel if it were but on this alone account that ye think there is none O! that ye would consider what a Sin Ignorance is when the Devil appeared in the World he made it a great part of his first Work to extinguish and put out the light of Knowledge and by this means he labours still to keep Folk in Ignorance hence the Apostle sayes 2 Cor. 3. If our gospel he hid it is hid to them who are lost whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded Prophanity and Error are great Baits and Snares but Ignorance carries moe to hell then both these do for Ignorance fostereth and cheerisheth if it do not also beget Prophanity and Error as the Apostle Peter insinuats when he sayes that the Ignorant or Unlearned Wrest or pervert the Scriptures unto their own destruction much Ignorance and Conceit of Knowledge will soon and easily shake people loose and make them a Prey to Error and also to Prophanity must not Ignorance then be an evil thing when it leads the way to so many other Sins and at
and clears it It shall be saith he that many shall be Justified through Faith in Him For he shall bear their iniquities He shall take on and pay their Debt And so as I said it is a reason confirming the former Truth and shewing that it cannot be otherwayes but they must be absolved through Faith in Him because He bears the punishment due to them for their Sin It serves also to clear how Justification is attained by Faith to wit not by any vertue or efficacy that is in Faith abstractly considered as if believing of it self did the turn but by vertue of Christs bearing their iniquities and making Satisfaction for them which Faith layes hold on So that when he said By his knowledge shall many be justified It is not by any efficacy attributed to their believing but by vertue of Christs Righteousnesse and Satisfaction which only Faith gives a Title to and is the midse and way by which a Believer comes to it and so as I have said it serves for explication of the former Truth So that if the question be asked how can Sinners be Justified by believing It 's here answered because Christ shall take on their Debt and the Righteousnesse purchased by Him shall redound to them and be reckoned theirs It 's the same on the matter with that which we have 2 Cor. 5. ult He that knew no sin was made sin for us and what follows That we might be made the righteousness of God in him which clears that this way of Justification which the Gospel holds out is not as I just now said by any efficacy or worth in Faith it self nor by any inherent qualifications in the person that believes but this is the ground of it Christs bearing of our iniquities The Elect were Sinners and Christ hath taken on Him their iniquities Therefore they cannot but upon their fleeing to Him by Faith be Justified when they plead His Satisfaction for their Defence before God their Absolution must needs follow This is the scop of these Words which are as it were the bond knitting all the rest together and containing the foundation whereon our Justification is founded There are only Three Words here that need a little of explication 1. By iniquity is not meaned Sin formally taken We shew when we spake of the 6. v. That Christ was not the Sinner formally considered that being inconsistent with His holy Nature and with the personal union of the Man head with the God-head But the meaning is that He took on Him the punishment due to our iniquities or the punishment that our iniquities deserved 2. When He is said to bear their iniquities it imports a burdensome bearing or His bearing of it with a weight and that there was a weight in it as it 's said verse 3. and 4. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows And therefore the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.24 saith He his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree when He was made a curse for us as it is Gal. 3.13 He did bear our Sins by coming under the Curse that was due to us for them In a word His bearing of our iniquities is a real satisfying of the Justice of God for them by interposing His own blessed back and taking on the stroaks that were due to us 3. When it 's said Their iniquities It relats to the many that in the former Words are said to be justified through His Knowledge it 's spoken of the iniquities of the Elect and Believers who through Christ are made friends with God And therefore these being the many they cannot but be Justified because Christ hath come and payed their Debt according to His Ingagement These Words as almost every other verse of this Chapter contain the substance of the Gospel Take shortly Five or Six Observations from them which we shall put together The 1. Is That the Person who is to be Justified by Faith in Christ is naturally lying in iniquities this is supposed while it is said that Christ shall bear their iniquities â—ven the iniquities of them who are to be Justified through Faith in Him So it 's said before The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all and we all like sheep have gone astray These and many other Scriptures nay the whole current of the Scriptures confirm the point and put it beyond debate I observe it for these Ends and Uses which will shew why it is so frequently marked 1. That the freedom of Gods Grace may kyth the more in their Justification They are Sinners even as others are and it 's Grace that makes the diffâ—rence Therefore their Justification must be free If then any would have good or have gotten good by the Gospel and by Christ offered to them therein let them know that it is freely 2. That a Believer who is Justified should be very humble for he was a Sinner as well as others and is still a Sinner in part Therefore it becomes him to walk fortly with a stopped mouth and to be tender and compassionat towards other Sinners There is not a Believer but the weight of his iniquities would have born him down to Hâ—ll had not Christ interposed and taken them on him and therefore he ought to be both humble and thankful 3. That Sinners who have the offer of Christ's Righteousnesse in the Gospel may not dispair how great soever their Sins be Indeed if they resolve to continue in Sin or to Sin that Grace may abound they have no ground to expect pardon the Apostle doth with abhorrency reject the drawing of such conclusions from the Grace of God Rom. 3. But for a guilty Sinner that hath no good in himself to commend him to Christ to lean to and to believe in Him who justifies the ungodly is a Doctrine which the same Apostle approves and gives an open door to them that desire to abandon Sin and to expect Justification through Christ's Satisfaction Thus a door is set open to you to bâ—lieve in Him who justifies ungodly Sinners to betake your selves to Him who is the Saviour 4. To confound and stop the mouths of all Self-righteous men as having nothing to do with Christ He came to take on iniquity and to bear it He came to seek and to save that which was lost and hath not a commission to save Self-righteous Folks For he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and so long as they continue in that condition they cannot look on themselves as persons whom He came to call neither can they take any comfort in or from His coming The 2d Observation is That wherever iniquity is it 's a burden a heavy burden There is nothing more heavy then Sin it being that which presses the guilty person to the lowest Hell It brought the fallen Angels out of Heaven to the pit ye may tâ—ke an instance or two of
main furtherance in all Religion to get this solidly believed That Christ Jesus who is the express image of his Fathers person and the brightness of his glory is now in heaven in our nature and hath it for his work to be interceeding and interceeding for transgressours we are every day reaping the good of this Intercession in reference to many evils that are keeped off us and in reference to many mercies bestowed on us that we pray not all or but little for and we come never to hear a preaching but we are beholden to it it being a peculiar fruit of his intercession that gifts are given to men and that the Gospel is sent through the earth and if ever any get good of a Sermon it is by vertue of this Intercession seing he hath said that he will pray the Father and that he will send the comforter and when ever we come to hear a preaching there would be to say so a revising of the thoughts of Christs Intercession and a stirring up of our selves to get the faith of it lively in it's exercise That which we spake to the last day was concerning the comfort that flows from this and indeed if any Doctrine be comfortable this must be comfortable that we have such a friend in the Court of Heaven invested in this office of an Advocat and Intercessour for us Use 3. Of exhortation seing there is such an Office wherewith Jesus Christ is invested and such an Officer that bears this Office to be an Advocat for sinners then sinners would be exhorted to learn to improve and to make use of this Advocat and of his Office since he hath this Office of an Intercessour O! do not dispise such a mercy neglect not such an advantage but learn to make use of him and in your worship applications to God to approach by and through him The ground of this Use of exhortation is clear in the Words and from the nature of the thing For if Christ Jesus bear these Offices and if he bear them for us then sure we should improve them If he be a King we should make use of him for subduing sin in us If a Prophet we should improve that Office for attaining of Light and saving Knowledge from him And if he be a Priest to satiâ—fie divine Justice and to make intercession we should improve both parts of that Office The necessity of our improving Christs Intercession appears from this if we consider in what terms we stand with God have we any boldnesse or access of our selves is not the door shut on us and is there not a stated controversie standing betwixt God and us And have we any access but by his moyen The necessity of it is further clear from the order that God hath laid down in the way of his Administration of grace why I pray hath he appointed a Mediator and Intercessour is it not for good reason even for the consolation and encouragement of sinners to draw near who if they be in earnest cannot but be affected with fear to approach unto God and is it possible to come unto God and not by this door and were it not ingratitude to neglect it seing he hath contrived this new and living way of access unto him But to descend to more particular discoursing of this matter which is as difficult a thing to speak of a right and to practice suitably as any part of Religion if especially he himself teach us not for sometimes we will make use of his Sacrifice and Satisfaction when we know not how to make use of his Intercession For either we do all our alone and misken the Intercessour or we will do nothing and give it over as desperat as if our businesse were quite broken and hopelesse and as if it were needlesse or useless to lay any weight on Christ's Intercession And thus whether we apprehend our selves to be in better or in worse case he is much miskent and neglected That therefore we may the better know how to make use of Christs Intercession We shall 1. in the general shew what it is to improve it 2 Speak to some particular cases wherein it in a special manner is to be improven 3. Satisfy and remove some objections or answer some questions that may be moved about it 4. We shall give some characters of one that is serious and tender in improving of his Intercession For the First It is indeed a thing so difficult to improve Christs Intercession aright that we cannot easily tell how to conceive of it being a considerable part of the mistery of Faith to go to God by a Mediator and Intercessour However we shall 1. shew some mistakes that are to be eshewed 2. We shall shew wherein it more properly consists which is in the exercise of Faith in him with respect to his Intercession And 3. We shall illustrat it by some similitudes for the further making out of it 1. Then when we spake of improving Christs Intercession and of going to God by him we would have these mistakes eshewed 1. Beware of thinking that there is a going to the Mediator in a distinct or in a different manner from what is in going to God for he is God or that we may go to God at one time and to the Mediator at another time as if we would first speak a while to the Mediator and then speak to God or would first make our moan to the Mediator to pacifie God and when God were calmed to speak to him as if he were to make moyen with God for us as a Courtiâ—r makes moyen with the King the offended partie for a Rebel we would beware of this For it divides in our apprehension the God-head that is indivisible for if we consider the Mediator as the object of our worship he is to be considered as God though we may and are also joyntly to consider him as Mediator and on that account make use of him And if we consider him as God we must consider him as the same God with the Father and the holy Ghost But to have this imagination of him that we are to speak to him as to another Partie or not as God is to make him another thing which is unbecoming that apprehension and estimation that we ought to have of the unity of the blessed God-head 2. Beware of thinking that there is a greater facility or easiness to have access to the Mediator then to have access to God or that it is more easie to have access to the Second Person of the Trinity then to the First or Third Person we are afraid that there be mistakes here also as if the Mediator were more easie to be dealt with then the Majesty of God or as if there were more easie access unto him whereas he being the same God and so considered there are the same grounds whereon sinners may have access to the Father as to the Son For if we look on a sinner
repenting and believing he is as welcome to the Father as to the Son but if we consider the sinner â—s not repenting and believing he is so neither welcome to the Father nor to the Son It is true the Son being considered as man there is a sympathy that the Second Person united to our nature hath which is not in God abstractly considered yet this is not so to be understood as if the mercy of the Mediator having the two natures â—o united in his person were of larger extent then the mercy of God or as if he could be merciful when God is not For there cannot be greater mercy then that which is infinit and that is the essential attribut of the Father Son and holy Ghost only this sympathy in the Mediator is to be considered to strengthen and confirm our Faith in our application to God that we have him to approach to in our nature but it is not to give us any new ground of having access easier to Christ then to God but as we said only to confirm our Faith in having access to God Hence it is that Jesus Christ is alwayes propoâ—ed as the midse whereby and through whom a sinner comes to God so that we have access with boldness not to the Mediator as a distinct party but to God through and by him Therefore there is the same common way of application to God and to Christ the same Covenant and Promises the same exercise of Repentance of Faith and of Prayer which gives us access to God and that gives us access to the Mediator 3. Beware of placing this improving and use making of the Mediators Intercession in words or petitions directed to the Mediator which I apprehend is the use that the most part make of his Intercession to put up such Petitions as I am afraid to speak of as namely O! Mediator at the Fathers right hand plead for me as if the Mediator were a distinct party from the Judge to whom we must speak for interceeding with the Judge which still leads us to look on the Mediator as another different party or as having other terms whereupon he dealleth with Sinners or as if there were another way of making use of him and of application to him And on other grounds then of and to God The contrary whereof we have shewed whereas the use making of his Intercession consists rather as after will appear in Faiths application to God in him and laying weight on his Intercession for access and acceptance of our persons and services when we make it the ground of our adress to God the ground on which we draw near and this we may and should do when we name Christ or pray to him as God with respect to his Office of being Intercessour even as when we look to him by Faith to get sin pardoned there is a looking to him as God with respect to his offering and satisfaction to the justice of God on which account we expect to be pardoned But 2ly to explicat this a little more we shall shew wherein this exercise of Faith in making use of the Mediators Intercession doth mainly consist And for the more clear following forth thereof we shall speak to these Two 1. To somethings presupposed 2 To some things wherein more properly it consists To both which we would premit this word that when we speak of making use of Christs Intercession there are Two extreams to be avoided One is when persons go to God miskening Christ and do all that they do as if they were constantly friends with God and in good terms with him and had need of none to make their peace or to keep up and maintain their peace with God which is in effect the way laid down in the Covenant of Works when Adam was a friend Another extream is in the defect and that is when persons go to God by Christ yet do not lay weight on his Intercession as becomes when not only they want confidence which the other hath though on a wrong ground but do not lay the burden on the right ground but go to God faintingly and discouragedly as fearing to trust or lippen to Christs Intercession There is necessity to guard against both these For there must be such an use-making of Christs Intercession as we dare not go by him and yet a concurring act of Faith puting us to go to God by him and to lay the weight of what we seek and expect on him and on his Intercession Now the things that are presupposed to the use-making of Christ's Intercession guard against the first extream and these things wherein the use making of it properly consists guard against the other extream First Then these things presupposed are 1. A conviction of our natural sinfulness not only of the distance that is betwixt God and us but of the quarrel and enimity and that by our deserving we may justly have the door of access to God shut upon us That is it that puts the sinner to ask for an Intercessour to make use of him â—s these who have provoked a great person fear to go their alone to him but seek for the Mediation of some special friend or favourit 2. There is presupposed a consenting to and acceptation of Christs Satisfaction as the ground of our peace with God For there is no access to his Intercession till this ground be laid because all the efficacy that is in Christs Intercession results from and is sounded upon his Satisfaction 1 John 2.2 If any man sin we have anâ—â—vocat with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for our sins He procures nothing by his Intercession but through the vertue of that blood which he offered in a Sacrifice to satisfie Justice and therefore in improving of his Intercession this method must be followed There must first be a betaking of our selves to his Satisfaction as the ground of our peace and whereupon we plead for peace and for any other thing that we stand in need of except this be all the imaginations that we can have of Christs Intercession as if we would first prevail with Christ conceiving that he will soon be ingaged and then have hopes of prevailing with God if his Satisfaction be miskent will be to no purpose For as we shew in the First use of this point He interceeds only for his own people who are believers in him and have closed with his Satisfaction and as we shew from Revel 8. It 's only the prayers of all Saints that are offered up by him I mean none can comfortably conclude that he interceeds for them but Believers and Saints And therefore till his Satisfaction be relied on as the ground of our peace we can look for â—o benefit by his Intercession 3. There is beyond this required the conviction and impression of our own unâ—uâ—â—ablenesse to keep up friendship and fellowship with God through our remaining corruption and the prevailing of tentation
the Mediators performing according to His undertaking as well as there is faithfulnesse in Gods performing whatever He hath spoken of Him or promised to Him Ye shall only take two or three testimonies for this The 1. is Matth. 3.14 and 17.5 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased He undertook to satisfie for the Elects Debt and hath accordingly performed it so that the Father is well pleased A 2d is John 17.4 Where He appeareth before the Father and useth it for an argument for His Glorifying him with the same glory he had with the father before the world was I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do I have gotten a task and piece of Work committed to me and now it 's performed And that other Word which He hath on the Cross is remarkable to this purpose It 's finished Now the task and work is ended and I have no more to do but presently to passe to the Victory and to the dividing of the Spoil And a 3d. Testimony is our Lord Jesus His ascension to Heaven and the glory that He will appear in at the day of Judgement when His Kingdom shall be consummat That shall be a proof and testimony that He left nothing undone that was given Him to do that He bare the Sins of many that He gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that pulled of the hair and that He satisfied justice freely and ascended to Heaven as it is 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of Godliness saith the Apostle God was manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit fully absolved as having performed all whatsoever He undertook Seen of Angels and raised up unto glory Use This is also though a general yet a very comfortable Doctrine to the People of God in as far as from it they may know that there is no more to be payed to the Justice of God for the Sins of the Elect It hath gotten full Satisfaction The Cautioner hath payed all their Debt and is now exercing His Offices for applying to them His purchase making intercession for them overseeing them proving a Tutor to them guiding them and all that concerns them and His Church even doing all things well managing the affairs of His Fathers house as a Son and He cannot but guide all well Other sheep saith He I have which are not of this fold them I must bring in and they shall hear my voice and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish A most pregnant ground of comfort to the Believer that his eternal well-being cannot but be sure and sicker because it hath the Father and the Mediator their faithfulnesse ingaged for it If Jehovah perform the Promises made to the Mediator and if the Mediator perform His ingagement to Jehovah and raise up Believers at the last day then it must follow that their Salvation is sure This is the main ground on which Believers peace is founded and here we may allude to that Heb. 6. He hath sworn by two immutable things wherein it is impossible for God to lie that the heirs of promise who are fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them may have strong consolation even so here There are two immutable things to wit Gods promise to the Mediator and God will and must keep His Word to Him and the Mediators ingagement to God and He will and must keep His Word to Him And indeed we have good proof of both already For it was this ingagement that made the Father send the Son of His Love out of His bosome to be incarnat and to undergo the work of Elect Sinners Redemption and it was this ingagement that made the Mediator die of whom the Father exacted the Price till He declared Himself Satisfied and well pleased Now when these things that seemed most difficult are accomplished what can fail 1. Then there is here ground to fix our Faith upon and indeed there is need to fix it rightly The ground that our Salvation and Perseverance in the Faith is founded on is not our continuing to Pray to Believe and to Love God but this ingagement betwixt the Father and the Son and it is the cause procuring the other as an necessary and infallibly certain effect It 's mainly on this that believers shuld rest quiet and confident 2. It should make Believers humble and cheerful seeing though they be weak in themselves yet here they have a grip and hold for every hand as it were Jehovah's Word and the Mediators Word for their through bearing 3. It should much commend believing and the state of a Believer who have such ground of assurance The greatest Monarch on earth hath not such ground of assurance for his Dinner or Supper as the poor Believer hath for eternal Life For the Word spoken by Jehovah to the Mediator and the undertaking of the Mediator to Jehovah cannot fail and the Believer hath that to rest upon as the ground of his assurance More particularly The Articles on the Mediators side are as I said in these Four exprâ—ssions He hath poured out his soul unto death He was numbred with the transgressours he bare the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressours 1. He must die expressed in these Words He poured out his soul unto death Which implyes Three things 1. That it is an Article of the Covenant of Redemption and of the Mediators undertaking that he should die for Sinners And so it is a needlesse curious and unwarrantable dispute whether fallen man might have been redeemed any other way or whether a drop of His blood was not enough to redeem man because we see here it is Determined and Articled in the Covenant of Redemption that He should die Jehovah will have the Mediator dying And be possible what may to Gods Soveraignity which we would not make to clash with His Justice nor His Just ce with His Soveraignity this may bound and limit us that it 's concluded in this Covenant of Redemption that the Mediator shall lay down His Life and it being concluded It 's certain 1. That God hath given man a Law threatning him that if he should break that Law he should die 2. That all Mankind and so the Elect have broken that Law and so are lyable to the Threatning and Curse 3. That the Mediator became Cautioner and undertook to satisfie for the Elects Debt it was necessary that He should die because He undertook to pay their Debt and to satisfie for their Sin which was death by the Law to them and so the Justice of God is vindicat He cannot be called unjust nor partial nor unholy though He do not actually punish every Sinner that hath Sinned in his own Person because Gods holinesse and Justice appears conspicuously that He would rather execute what was due to the Elect on His own Son then that their Sins should go unpunished
And considering the nature of the Mediators death that it was a violent and cursed death that which had extream anguish and sorrow going before and alongst with it It shews that the Lord hath purposly taken that way to make it known how bitter a thing Sin is how terrible a thing His Wrath is and how holily severe His Law is and to let all know that it is a dreadful thing to come in topes with Him who did so put His own Son to it Use 1. This Doctrine though it hath been spoken to before is a soveraign Doctrine yea the Soveraign Doctrine and the corner stone of all Religion That Christ hath died for the Sins of His People It gives us accesse to preach the Gospel which is therefore called the preaching of Christ crucified know therefore and believe that the Mediator died and that it behoved Him to die For it was required as a condition of the Covenant of Redemption to be performed by Him to which He yeelded and consented O! what love is here to article such a thiâ—g before Sinners had any Being It was more then to be hungry and thirsty and weary He behoved to die and to be made a curse when Sacrifices and burnt Offerings will not do He sayes Lo I come in the volumne of the book it 's written of me I delight to do will O! my God I hearitily accept of the bargain Use 2. It speaks an sadly alarming Word to all you who are secure Athiests and care not for the Wrath of God O! what will become of you when the Wrath of God and you shall meet If Sin brought the Cautioner to death O! what Wrath shal ye come under when ye shall be put to reckon for your own Sins The smitting of the Sheperd was more then if all the Sheep had been smitten and though now ye think little of Sin yet the day comes wherein ye shall know to your cost that it is an evil and bitter thing to depart from God and that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Use 3. See here the necessity of making use of Christs Death either ye must do it or die and come under the Curse of God your selves there is not a midse If ye have Sin how will it be gotten put by and satisfied for not by your Prayers let be by a laughter or smile nor by your living of an honest life as ye call it Christ had infinitly more of this then any of you and yet He got not Sin so put by we may here allude to that Eccles 8.8 There is no discharge in tbat war neither shall wickedness deliver these that are given to it Death when it hath a commission and Gods Terrour backing it O! how will it handle the secure stubborn Sinner when the hand of God shall pursue him eternally Alace what are many doing that never fear the Wrath of God that suspend put of and delay the closing of their accompts and all endeavours to die to Sin and to live to Righteousnesse and either passe over their dayes as Athiests or as formal Hypocrites and such are some of you that hear me this day who never seek to be found in Christ nor to improve His death to the mortifying of Sin What will ye do in the day when ye shall be called to a reckoning ye will curse the day that ever ye heard the Gospel and that this was concluded that Christ should die it will be the savour of death to you through all eternity and will be the most Soul-searching and tormenting Word that ever ye heard and ye will wish that the Work of Redemption had never been heard of nor resolved upon Use 4. It 's a comfortable and encourraging Word to sensible Sinners such betaking themselves to Christ may be sure to get good of Him for He hath payed the Price already and hath given His Word for it That such as believe in him shall never perish but that he will raise them up at the last day Ye would not think that it will be displeasing or dissatisfying to the Father or to the Son that ye come to Him and take hold of Him for it was for that end that God sent Him and that He laid down His Life and died but He dies no more It will be no trouble to Him but satisfaction to His Soul for all the travel of it to make application of His purchase to you And seing it will not displease but be most acceptable to Him that ye believe on Him and be saved by Him and since not believing rubes shame in a manner upon Him why do ye not betake your selves unto Him by Faith for His satisfaction and your own Salvation 2dly He not only died but it 's said He poured out his soul unto death which implyes two things 1. The intensness of it it was an uncouth and strange Death not only was His Body afflicted but His Soul was poured out 2. It looks to His good will readiness and cheerfulnesse in dying Father as if He had said must I die and wilt thou have my Soul sorrowful and heavy I am content to be so thou shalt have my Life He comes not prigging to die to speak so but casts down His blessed Life at His Fathers feet and plentifully gives it out to the uttermost so that He will not as it were leave one drop of His Blood but will needs pour and yett it out in aboundance even all of it Hence Observe That our blessed Lord Jesus was most hearty in laying down His Life for Sinners was most cheerful in undertaking and most willing and cheerful in executing what He did undertake He makes not two Words of the bargain to speak so but when Sacrifice and Offering will not do it as it is Psal 40. Then sayes He Lo I come in the volumne of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will O my God There is no standing nor disputing here on the Mediators side but a present willing and heartsome undertaking Therefore Prov. 8. He sayes Though he was continually with the father even from everlasting yet his delights were with the sons of men rejoycing in the habitable parts of the earth Ere ever the World was made ere there was a Sinner in beeing to be redeemed He rejoyced before hand thinking there would be such an opportunity to manifest His good will grace and mercy And if we look through the Gospel how often will we find this made good No man taketh my life from me but saith He I lay it down of my self and I take it up again and when they came to take Him and Peter drew his sword he said Could not I command twelve legions of Angels but all that is written of me must be fulfilled I have bargained to lay down my Life and it must be and I have a baptisme to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be accomplished and
2. The formal Object of our worship is Christs God-head and we pray to him on that account because He is the Eternal Infinit Omni-potent Supream c. in respect of his divine nature 3. In our worshipping of this Mediator on this account or ground the mind may be swayed to it on consideration that the person whom we worship as God is also Mediator and Man and this proposes no new Object of worship but gives a motive to induce us to worship him and warms the heart with love to him as when we go to pray to him the mind may consider him as one that died now so considered he is not the Object of our worship because it holds him out as humbled and suffering yet our so considering him strengthens Faith to expect what we need from him and it induces to pray to him and engages to love him even as the People of Israel in prayer to God sometimes used that Title Our redeemer that brought us out of Egypt Yet the ground and account on which they worshipped him was his being the Eternal Infinit and Omnipotent God and the consideration of his Works were but motives to induce them to worship him and to strengthen their Faith in expecting what they stood in need of from him So is it here For if it were possible to conceive that the Mediator that died were not God we would not pray to him for God is the alone Object of divine worship yet to consider that he is God and yet died is an inducement to us to pray to him and it strengthens our Faith to consider that as he is God so also Man one that died and hath also entered himself in this near relation to us For the 3d. which will help to clear the former That is the forms of such Petitions as may be used in petitioning the Mediator we need the lesse to stand on it if as hath been said we hold us by these grounds 1. That there is but one Object of worship 2. That this one Object of worship is God 3. That in worshipping the Mediator we do not divine that Object of our worship Yet we shall speak a word for clearing 1. What form seems most allowable here 2. For clearing of somewhat which we hinted at the other day anent one particular form of petition First then This is clear that we may pray directly to the Mediator by naming him as Stephen does Act. 7. at the close 2. That the Mediator when prayed to may be considered as such by us For there is a differenee betwixt that which is considered by us in the act of our worship and that which is the Object of that Act and as we said the motive that induces us to that Act is the uptaking of him as Mediator 3. That he may be designed Mediator and Redeemer and may get these Names and Titles because they serve to strengthen our Faith and to warm our affections to him even as when the people of Israel prayed to God they remembred that he was their Redeemer and Deliverer and had wrought so and so for them and these were motives to induce them to pray and served to strengthen their Faith in praying to him yet the ground and account on which they worshipped him was his own infinit glorious Majesty 4. It 's clear that when the Mediator is prayed unto something may be sought from him that agrees to the Office of the Mediator For instance he may be prayed unto to take to him his Government and to exerce it to give gifts unto men to gather his own Elect to make his will effectual for the ingathering of them c. yet even then a difference would be put betwixt the Object of our sutie and the matter we suite for which belongs to him as Mediator yet as God he is the Oâ—ject of our suite and prayer This seems to be â—â—lured at Psal 45. when the Psalmist speaking to the Son the Mediator sayes Giâ—d thy sword upon thy thigh ride prosperously let the kings arrows be sharp in the hearts of his enemies Which upon the matter seems clearly to relate to Christs executing his Office as Mediator yet look to the Title he gives him and the ground or account on which he puts up his prayer It 's the consideration of him as God Therefore he sayes O! thou most mighty a divine attribute pointing him out to be God And thy throne O God sayes he is from everlasting c. Now as for the 2d thing If all this be granted it may then be asked why we seem not to be satisfied with that manner of expression or form of petition which we hinted at the other day Lord Jesus make intercession for me plead for me with or before the Father Seing we allow such a Petition as this Lord Jesus make me partaker of thy intercession and the like As warrantably when put up with reverence and faith The same Object of worship being invocat with them both Answer 1. We say that the use-making and improving of Christs Intercession is not to be restricted to this manner of expression or form of Petition and it was for this end that we observed it For it cannot be said that only we make use of Christs Intercession when we use this form and so it 's not essential nor necessary to the use-making of Christ's Intercession This is the fault that is in it as if there were no use-making of his Intercession but when this form of Petition is used whereas we shew that it is mainly the exercise of Faith resting on his Intercession whereby it is improven and one may be usâ—ng this forme of word and yet not be improving his Intercession And another may not use this form of words and yet be improving it when Faith is exercised on it and th refore to improve his Intercession is rather by the exercise of Faith to rest on it then in any such form of words to pray to him and we would not think that Christ's Intercession is not made use of when the Father is prayed unto or when such a form of words is not used but place it in the exercise of Faith alone 2. We say if such a petition be well understood and qualified it is not simply sinful or evil if so be that our meaning in it amount to this much Lord Jesus let me be partaker of the benefites of thy Intercession even as we may pray Lord Jesus let me be partaker of the benefits of thy Satisfaction yet we say it would be well understood and qualified and a person in putting up such a petition would advert well that he be not praying to any other Object of worship but God and that his meaning be the same as if he were praying to the Father and said Father let me be accepted through the Intercession of the Son And thus the one is an improving of Christs Intercession as well as the other for although the altering the