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power_n	death_n	sin_n	sting_n	7,009	5	13.0060	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32857	The religion of Protestants a safe way to salvation, or, An answer to a book entituled, Mercy and truth, or, Charity maintain'd by Catholiques, which pretends to prove the contrary to which is added in this third impression The apostolical institution of episcopacy : as also IX sermons ... / by William Chillingworth ...	Chillingworth, William, 1602-1644.; Chillingworth, William, 1602-1644. Apostolical institution of episcopacy.; Chillingworth, William, 1602-1644. Sermons. Selections.	1664 (1664)	Wing C3890; Wing C3884A_PARTIAL; ESTC R20665	761,347	567

to be a messenger or intelligencer to discover unto us what Christ alone hath purchased for us 47. But I forbear to enlarge my self further in this point and indeed I have already done too much wrong to the honour and dignity of this Feast not only in mixing the business of Good-Friday with it as I did in my former part but also as I now have done in taking in the matter and imployment of Whitsuntide too Suffice it therefore that the sending of the Holy Ghost was an especial exercise of that power which was given Christ at his Resurrection by the influence and virtue whereof we do restrain and appropriate the merit of his Death to our own good and benefit 48. Now I would not be mistaken as if I said that the Resurrection of Christ precisely taken for that individual action whereby he was restored to life and glory was then effectual and powerful to produce those admirable effects For that being a Transient action past and finished many hundred years since can very improperly be termed capable of having such effects ascribed to it as have since and shall to the end of the world be wrought in Gods Elect. Therefore S. Paul shall be mine Interpreter in Rom. 5.10 saying If when we were enemies Rom. 5.10 we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life that is By that glorious Life which began at his Resurrection 49. For as in the matter of Satisfaction we ascribe our reconciliation to his Death especially yet not excluding his former Obedience and Humiliation but naming that as being the complement and perfection terminating whatsoever went before So likewise in Christs exaltation though there were divers degrees and ascents and stages of it yet we especially take notice of his Resurrection because in that Christ took his rise as it were and was then a Bridegroom coming out of his chamber Psal 19. rejoycing as a Gyant to run his race His goings out indeed were from the Grave but his Circuit is to the ends of Heaven and nothing is hid from his heat and virtue He illuminates every man that cometh into the world He was made saith S. Paul a quickning Spirit cherishing actuating and informing us with life and motion By the influence and power of his life he undergoes as it were a second Incarnation living and dwelling in our hearts by his Grace and reigning powerfully in our souls by Faith 50. And hereby he even shares his Kingdom his Power and his Victory with us For saith S. John This is the victory whereby ye overcome the world even your Faith Christ is not content only to destroy in us the works of darkness to dispel the clouds of ignorance and errour or to rectifie the crookedness and perverseness of our wills neither yet to implant in us a heavie unactive sleepy harmlesness a dull lethargick innocence but withal indues us Justitiâ germinante with a fruitful budding righteousness and works in us in the expression of S. Paul both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a patient unwearied hope 1 Thess 1.3 not hasty nor discontented with expecting and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a painful laborious love and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a working sprightful victorious Faith whereby we violently lay hold on the promises And in this sense the same Apostle saith that as Christ died for our sins Rom. 4.24 so he rose again for our Justification that is one chief end of Christs Resurrection in respect of us was to work in us a lively faith whereby we might be justified and acquitted from our sins 51. And yet the Power of Christs Life leaves us not here neither Nay all this is performed only to make us capable of greater blessings yet Tertul. de Res carnis For by our sanctification and new-birth we are saith Tertullian Restitutioni inaugurati destin'd and consecrated to a glorious Resurrection Hereupon S. John calls holiness the first Resurrection whereby sin is destroy'd And it is a pawn of the second whereby Death also shall be swallowed up in victory By the first the sting of the Serpent is taken away which is sin as S. Paul saith The sting of death is sin And when the sting is gone the Serpent cannot long out live it for by the second Resurrection that also is destroyed 52. But you will say How is Death destroyed Do not all men dye Do not all men see corruption You may as well ask How is sin destroyed For have not all men sinned and come short of the glory of God Nay Do not all men sin how righteous soever And if they were rewarded according to their own demerits would they not all come short of the glory of God Most certainly true Therefore to say the truth As yet neither Sin nor Death are destroy'd but only the Dominion of Sin and the Victory of the Grave And thereupon the Apostle contemplating the conquering power of Christ at his Resurrection saith not Oh Death or Oh Grave where are you for a little travel would serve the turn to assoyl that question 1. Cor. 15.55 But Oh Death where is thy sting How comes it to pass that thy poyson is not so keen and mortal as it hath been that it is so easily though not expell'd yet tempered and corrected by the healing Bezoartical virtue of Grace And thou Oh Grave where is thy victory Though thou hast given thine adversary the foyl though thou hast gotten him under thee yet thou shalt never be able to detain him long For behold a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He will ransack the most private reserved corners of thy Treasury and though thou mayest consume and devour our bodies yet he will force thee to vomit and disgorge them again he will not leave one portion one morsel of them in thy stomach and entrails 53. I know the ingenuous and learned Pareus because he would not suffer any portion of the merit of Christ's Death to be extended and meant to the ungodly or that He by the fruit of his Passion should obtain any power over them will therefore consequently exclude them from the efficacy and power of his Resurrection and Life He will not allow them to be raised by the power of Christ but only by the Justice of God to their own condemnation So that by his reckoning the great business and work of the last day shall not wholly lye upon Christ's hands to perform but shall be parted and shared between the Power of Christ and the Justice of God 54. I am confidently perswaded S. Paul in this point was not of his mind when he saith As in Adam all have dyed so by Christ shall all All without exception be made alive again And As by man came death so by Man also cometh the Resurrection of the Dead Indeed I wonder Pareus would not likewise find some shift to exclude

unto Sin If risen again then count your selves alive unto Righteousness For how it should come to pass that so much of our Holiness as makes up mortification and no more should be ascribed to Christs Death as a proper effect and fruit thereof And the rest which is newness of life and obedience should be imputed to his Resurrection I shall never be able to comprehend 8. The benefits therefore which accrew unto us by Christ I suppose may be divided either into those which flow from the m●rit of his Death or from the power and influence of his Life In the former are comprehended all whatsoever Christ hath done for us In the latter whatsoever he doth or will work in us And both being extremely necessary It shall be this hours employment to shew with what good reason we celebrate a feast at this time that we should not terminate our contemplation only on the great love and bowels of compassions on Good-Friday expressed unto us but also and with better reason on the Joy and comfort which with great reason we may collect from this business of Easter even that lively hope whereunto we are regenerated by the Resurrection of Christ And to joyn with S. Paul in his wonder and amazement at the consideration of the infinite mercy and power of God and thereupon his boasting and challenging securely all manner of adversaries Who is be that shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again 9. In which words are comprehended the great dependance and combination which our non-condemnation or salvation has not only with the death and satisfaction of Christ but also rather even with advantage on his Resurrection Now because they are so few they cannot conveniently be divided I will out of them raise this Doctrinal Proposition Doctr. namely That Christs Resurrection and exaltation is fully as necessary and effectual to procure and perfect our salvation if not more then even the all-sufficient Sacrifice upon the Cross 10. Which that I may more fully and distinctly confirm unto you I will divide into two Propositions which if sufficiently maintain'd doth necessarily infer the Doctrine The first whereof is this Prop. 1. That the purpose of Christ who satisfied for our sins and the Covenant which he made with God who accepted of this satisfaction was not that remission of sins should immediately ensue upon his death but only upon performance of the Conditions of the new Covenant made in Christs Bloud which are unfeigned Repentance for Sin and a serious Conversion unto God by Faith The Second That by the Dominion and Power of Christ Prop. 2. which at his Resurrection and not before he received as a reward of his great humility we are not only enabled to the performance of the conditions of this new Covenant and by consequence made capable of an Actual application of his satisfaction but also by the same power we shall hereafter be raised up and exalted to everlasting Happiness Of these two Propositions therefore in the order proposed very briefly and even too too plainly And first of the first namely That the purpose of Christ who Prop. I. c. 11. I confess it would be no hard matter for a Disputant meeting with an adversary that would be content to be swayed and governed by Reason alone to molest and even fright him from the truth of this Doctrine For if we shall consider not only the excessive unspeakable Torments which Christ suffered for us but especially the infinite Majesty and Glory of the Person who willingly submitted himself to that Curse what less reward can be expected than the present deliverance and salvation not only of a few selected men but even of many worlds of Men and Angels 12. But it is not for us Beloved Christians to set our price and value upon Christs precious Bloud to say Thus much it is worth and no more As there have not wanted men on the other side who have dared to affirm That Christs Bloud according to exact estimation did amount to a certain value by the worth and cost whereof such a set number as shall be saved were redeem'd and purchas'd And if one besides should be delivered it were more than the price of the Bloud came to What a fearful dangerous curiosity is this Is it not a piece of Judas his sin to set our own estimation and value to make a bargain and sale of Christs Death to set up a kind of shambles to sell his Flesh and Bloud in 13. But leaving these vain phantastical Calculations to their chief Professours the Schoolmen who are so unreasonably addicted to this dreaming Learning that nothing can escape their Compass and Ballance For to omit their curious descriptions and Maps of the dimensions and situation of Heaven and Hell the Figure Borders Islands of both They have undertaken to discover the exact proportionable increase of the graces of the Saints especially of the Blessed Virgin whose good actions they have found to encrease just in Octupla ratione so that for example her twentieth good action did exceed the first in virtue and intention of Grace as much as the whole earth doth exceed a grain of mustard-seed 14. Is not this Beloved Friends a learning and wisdom to be pitied Is not this that disease which S. Paul discovers 1 Tim. 6. the effect whereof is to make men sick about vain questions and oppositions of science falsly so called Therefore leaving these vain Speculations as likewise others about the business in hand no less curious and much more dangerous yet securely stated in these daies almost in every Pamphlet and Synopsis As namely Whether God could have contrived any course for mans salvation beside that which he prosecuted Whether without accepting any satisfaction to his Justice he could freely and absolutely have remitted our sins 15. For what use or profit can be made of these Questions though with never so great subtilty and curiosity stated Besides we find that God had professed unto Adam that his death together with the destruction of all mankind should be the reward of the breach of his Covenant By which means Gods Justice being interested in the business the very grounds and foundation of this latter question are destroyed the doubt and scrue whereof must needs have been blasphemous namely Whether God could have been unjust Nay more it makes the sending of Christ into the world together with his obedience to the death even that accursed death of the Cross to be a matter of no necessary importance to be only a great Complement whereby God shews unto mankind that though he could easily have remitted their sins without any satisfaction for whatsoever is possible to God is easie notwithstanding that they should see He would strain himself even farther for them was very requisite and withall to shew his abomination of sin he

use sometimes to allure us and win our hearts to do that which shall please him other times to startle and affright us when we are about something contrary to his command And to say the truth This must of necessity be the issue of the former Doctrin For how is it possible to make these things hold together We are already perfectly reconciled to God by the death of his Son without any consideration had to our personal Faith and Repentance And yet unless we do earnestly repent us of our sins and with a lively Faith adhere to God's Promises we shall never be reconciled unto God! Or these All our sins are already remitted and that only for the vertue of Christ's satisfaction And yet unless we believe our sins shall never be forgiven us 25. So that by this reckoning we must be forced to purge the Gospel of those troublesome dangerous terms of Covenants and Conditions of those fruitless affrighting Conjunctions Si Credideris Si non poenitentiam egeris Or which is all one soften them into a sense utterly repugnant and warring against the natural force and signification of the words on this wise Where the Scripture saith If thou repentest not thy sins shall not be forgiven thee Thou art not to conceive that forgiveness of thy sins is a work yet to be done or that it has any dependance upon any thing in thee But this great blessing shall be hid from thine eyes thou shalt never come to the knowledg of it and thereby shalt live here a discontented pensive suspicious life Again If thou believest thou shalt be saved that is Thou shalt obtain a comfortable assurance of Hope nay an infallible faith of thy future Salvation though that was intended thee without any consideration of thy faith 26. So that the Gospel of Christ is not the power of God unto Salvation for How can the Word be an Instrument of that which was long ago absolutely perform'd and purchased And therefore Christ his preaching his miracles and tears The Apostles travels and persecutions The sending of the Holy Spirit Baptism Eucharist Imposition of hands Absolution and many more blessed means of our Salvation were not instituted for this end to make us capable of Remission of our Sins for that it seems was already not only meritoriously but effectually procured and without all manner of Conditions infallibly destin'd to Gods Elect but only for this end That whilst they live here to their thinking in danger and hazard but they are Fools for thinking so they may now and then be a little cheared and comforted with apprehending what Christ hath done for them and to what a comfortable state and Inheritance he hath destin'd them Thus the Covenant which God hath sworn shall be everlasting is by the improvidence and ignorance of some men rendred unprofitable yea utterly abrogated But Ne quid inclementius dicam we have not so learned Christ 27. The second Reason destroying the former Doctrin I told you should be taken from the necessity of Christ's Resurrection For if the immediate effect of Christs Death be the purchasing of a perfect reconciliation with God and full remission of Sins for us the Elect of God Then I will not say what Benefit but What necessity is there of Christ's Resurrection in respect of us For by this accompt after the Consummatum est upon the Cross when the satisfaction was perfected and our debts pay'd Though Christ had afterwards miscarryed though he had been detain'd by death though his Soul had been left in Hell and he had seen corruption Notwithstanding we should stand upon good terms with God unless we shall conceive of Him worse then of the most oppressing Usurer that when a debt is dischar'gd and the Bond cancell'd will notwithstanding not release the Prisoner unless the undertaker come in Person or by main force deliver him 28. I confess that to see a friend that had ventur'd so farr for us as our Saviour did that to do us good had put himself in such extream danger I say to see such a one to be utterly cast away without all hopes and possibility of being able to pay him our thanks would be a spectacle which would grieve and pierce our very souls it would be a renting to our bowels But this is only Charity and Gratitude or good nature in us which would procure this grief not that it stands upon our safety his preservation being a matter only of convenience not extream necessity to us 29. We all do worthily condemn and detest that blasphemous Heresie of the Socinians who exclude the meritorious death and sufferings of Christ from having any necessary influence into our Justification or Salvation making it of no greater vertue then the sufferings of the blessed Martyrs who by their death set their Seal and Testimony to the Truth of the Gospel which freely offers forgiveness of sins to all penitent believers Now the same injury which these Hereticks do to the merit of Christ's death In proportion the former doctrin fastens upon his Resurrection and new life by taking from it the chief and proper effect thereof which is an actual vindication of us from the power of sin into the glorious liberty of the sons of God by the power of Christs Spirit plentifully by him diffused and shed abroad in our hearts and making the chief vertue thereof to consist in affording us only matter of comfort and hope that God will deal no otherwise with us then he hath dealt with Christ and after a life full of disturbance and misery revive us to glory and immortality with his Son for evermore whereas St. Paul hath another kind of conceit of Christs Resurrection for saith he in Heb. 5.9 Christ being made perfect i. e. glorified c. 2.10 becomes Author of eternal Salvation to all that obey him And if Christ be not risen your faith is vain you are yet in your sins and if Christ be not risen neither shall we ever be raised but be utterly irrecoverably condemned to everlasting rottenness 30. And thus I am unawares fallen upon my second Proposition Prop. II. Namely That by the Dominion and power of Christ which at his Resurrection and not before he received as a reward of his great Humility we are not only enabled to the performance of the conditions of this New Covenant and by consequence made capeable of an actual application of his satisfaction But also by the same power we shall hereafter be raised up and exalted unto everlasting Happiness 31. Though by the vertue of the Incarnation of our Saviour the Humane Nature was raised to a state and condition of unspeakable glory Notwithstanding if in this place as well as before we shall be content to submit our Reason to Scripture We shall find that according to a Covenant made between Christ and his Father he was content not to challenge to himself any right of Dominion and Rule over us till he had perfectly deserv'd

was content that all this adoe all these pompous Tragical businesses should be performed 16. But what saith the Scripture If there had been a Law which could have given life Christ should have died without cause And thereupon our Apostle in Rom. 3.25 saith Rom. 3.25 that God hath set forth his Son to be a propitiation through faith in his Bloud to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God To declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be Just That is lest by the forbearance of God who since the foundation of the world had shewed no sufficient example of his hatred and indignation unto sin as also to shew there was a reason sufficient to move him to remit the sins of many his chosen servants before Christ He hath now at last evidently expressed unto the world his righteousness to wit his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by condemning sin and revenging himself upon it in the person of his beloved innocent Son 17. And lest all this stir should seem to have been kept only to give us satisfaction and to create in us a great opinion and conceit of his righteousness The Apostle clearly saith He did all this to declare at this time his righteousness that he might be Just Which otherwise it seems he could not have been But I am resolved to quit my self abruptly and even sullenly of those questions and betake my self more closely to the matter in hand 18. What therefore is the effect and fruit which accrews even to the elect of God by virtue of Christs satisfaction humiliation and death precisely considered and excluding the power and virtue of his Resurrection and glorious life Why Reconciliation to God Justification or remission of sins and finally Salvation both of body and soul But is there any remission of sins without Faith Shall we not only exclude Works from Justification but Faith also God forbid For so we should not only contradict the grounds of Gods holy Word but also rase and destroy the very foundations of the second Covenant 19. For answer We must consider our Reconciliation under a twofold state according to the Distinction of the Reverend and learned Dr Davenant Bishop of Salisbury 1. Either as it is Applicabilis not yet actually conferr'd Or 2. as Applicata particularly sealed and confirm'd to us by a lively Faith For the understanding of which we must know that in Christs death there was not only an abolishing of the old Covenant of Works the Hand-Writing which was against us which Christ nailed unto his Cross as S. Paul saith Col. 1. delivering us from the curse and obligation thereof But also there was a new gracious Covenant or which is a word expressing greater comfort to us a new Will or Testament made wherein Christ hath bequeathed unto us many glorious Legacies which we shall undoubtedly receive when we shall have performed the Conditions when we shall be found qualified so as he requires of us 20. Till which Conditions be performed by the power of Gods Spirit assisting us all that we obtain by the death of Christ is this That first whereas God by reason of sin was implacably angry with us would by no means accept of any reconciliation with us would hearken to no conditions Now by virtue of Christs death and satisfaction he is graciously pleased to admit of Composition the former aversation and inexorableness is taken away or to speak more significantly in S. Paul's language Eph. 2.16 Enmity is slain Secondly that whereas before we were liable to be tried before the throne of his exact severe rigorous Justice and bound to the performance of Conditions by reason of our own contracted weakness become intolerable nay impossible unto us we are released of that obligation and though not utterly free'd from all manner of conditions yet tyed to such as are not only possible but by the help of his Spirit which inwardly disposeth and co-operateth with us with ease and pleasure to be performed Besides which we have a throne of Equity and Grace to appear before Mercy is exalted above even against Justice it rejoyceth against Judgement it is become the higher Court and hath the priviledges of a Superiour Court that Appeals may be made from the Inferiour Court of Justice to that of Mercy and favour Nay more whereas before we were justly delivered into the power of Satan now being reconciled to God by the Bloud of Christ we are as it is in Col. 1.13 delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son 21 All this and more if it were the business of this time to be punctual in discovering all hath Christ wrought for us being aliens and strangers yea enemies afar off without God in the world Yet for all this that Christ hath merited thus much for us and more notwithstanding take away the power of Christs Resurrection and Life take away the influence of his Holy Spirit whereby we are regenerated and made new Creatures and we are yet in the Gall of bitterness and Bond of iniquity For though as it is Heb. 10.19 we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. liberty and free leave to enter into the Holiest by the bloud of Jesus though there be a way made open yet walk we cannot we are not able to set forwards into it as long as we are bound and fettered with our sins though there be an access to the throne of Grace yet it is only for them which are sanctified 22. And therefore what dangerous consequences do attend that Doctrine which teacheth That immediately upon the death of Christ all our sins are actually forgiven us and we effectually reconciled But because another employment is required by this time I will out of many make use of two Reasons only to destroy that Doctrine whereof the one is taken from the nature of the second Covenant the other from the necessity of Christs Resurrection 23. For the first If we that is the Elect of God for I am resolved to have to do with none else at this time be effectually reconciled to God by vertue of Christs death having obtain'd a full perfect remission of all our sins why are we frighted or to say truly injured with new Covenants why are we seeing our Debts are paid to the utmost farthing the Creditor's demands exactly satisfied the Obligation cancell'd why then are we made believe that we are not quite out of danger nay that unless we our selves out of our own stock pay some charges and duties extraordinarily and by the Bye inforced upon us All the former payments how valuable soever shall become fruitless and we to remain accomptable for the whole debt 24. But it may be and that seems most likely there is no such thing indeed as a new Covenant Promises and Threatnings are only a prety kind of Rhetorical device which God is pleased to

For whereas before he was allowed no Authority no not in Israel At his Resurrection he obtains the Heathen for his Inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for his Possession Now it would be a hard undertaking taking to describe the limits and borders of Christ's Kingdom as also to define the Polity whereby it is administred Therefore leaving the most glorious part of it which is in Heaven undiscovered we find in Holy Scripture that according to the several dispositions and qualifications of men here on earth He hath both a Scepter of righteousness to govern and protect his faithful subjects and servants and a rod of Iron to break the wicked in pieces like a potter's vessel And though the greatest part of the world will acknowledge no subjection to Christ's Kingdom notwithstanding this does not take away his authority over them no more than the murmuting and rebellion of the Israelites did depose Moses their Governour But there will come a time when that Prophetical Parable of his shall be resolved and interpreted to their confusion when he shall indeed say Where are those my enemies which would not have me to reign over them Bring them hither and slay them before me 40. But the most eminent and notorious exercise of Christs Dominion is seen in the rule over his Church which he purchased with his own Bloud Now the first business he took in hand presently upon his Resurrection when all power and dominion was given him was to give commission and authority to his Embassadours the Apostles and Disciples to make known to the world that so great salvation which he had wrought at his Passion Now though the Apostles were sufficiently authorised by vertue of that Commission which Christ gave them in those words As my Father sent me so send I you Notwithstanding they were not to put this authority presently in practise but to wait for the sending of the Holy Ghost which Christ before had promised them That by his virtue and influence they might be furnished with abilities to go through with that great employment of reconciling the world unto God by subduing mens understandings to the truth and obedience of the Gospel 41. We read in the Gospel of S. John that during the life which Christ lived in the flesh the Holy Ghost was not sent and the reason is added Because the Son of man was not yet glorified The strength and vigour of which reason doth excellently illustrate the point in hand For the sending of the Holy Ghost was one of the most glorious acts of Christs Kingly Office and the most powerful means of advancing his Kingdom Therefore in the daies of his humiliation whilest he lived in the form of a servant before he had purchased to himself a Church by his own Bloud his Humane Nature obtain'd no right of dominion and power over Mankind For till we were redeemed from the power and subjection of the Devil and sin by the merit of Christs Death we were none of Christs subjects but servants and slaves sold under sin and Satan 42. So that it being necessary that the Son of man should not only pay a price and ransome for our Redemption by his Death but also that the same Son of man and none else should actually and powerfully vindicate his elect from the bondage they were in and effectually apply his merits and satisfaction to their souls and consciences Till he was in S. Paul's words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11.9 For the suffering of death crown'd with glory and honour He according to his Humane Nature and that was the only instrument whereby our Salvation was to be wrought had no power of sending the Holy Ghost 43. And indeed till Reconciliation was made by his Death to what purpose should the Holy Ghost be sent What business or employment could we find for him on earth You will say to work grace and new obedience in us I confess that is a work worthy the Majesty and goodness of Gods holy Spirit But yet suppose all this had been wrought in us put case our hearts were sprinkled from an evil conscience and that we were renewed in the spirits of our minds Perhaps all this might procure us a more tolerable cool place and climate in Hell But without Christ it would be far from advantaging us toward our salvation for alas though we should turn never so holy never so vertuous and reformed what satisfaction or recompence could we make for our former sins and iniquities God knows it must cost more to redeem a soul therefore we must let that alone for ever we must take heed of ever medling in that office we must let it alone to him even Jesus Christ who alone is able to be at that cost 44. But I might have spared all these suppositions For as excluding Christ there is no satisfaction no hope of redemption for us so excluding Christs satisfaction he hath no power or authority as Man of sending the Holy Ghost thereby to work in us an ability of performing the conditions of the second Covenant and by consequence of making us capable of the fruit and benefit of his satisfaction Therefore blessed be God the Father for the great glory which he gave unto Christ And blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ for meriting and purchasing that Glory at so dear a rate And blessed be the Holy Spirit who when Christ who is flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone did send him would be content to come down and dwell among us 45. We find in Holy Scripture that our Salvation is ascribed to all the Three Persons of the blessed Trinity though in several respects To the Father who accepts of Christs Satisfaction and offereth pardon of all our sins To the Son who merited and procured Reconciliation for his elect faithful servants And to the Holy Ghost the Comforter who being sent by the Son worketh in us power to perform the conditions of the New Covenant thereby qualifying us for receiving actual remission of our sins and a right to that glorious Inheritance purchased for us 46. And from hence may appear How full of danger the former Doctrine which teacheth that actual remission of sins is procured to Gods Elect immediately by Christs death and how dishonourable it is to the Spirit of Grace excluding him from having any concurrence or efficacy in our Salvation For if this should be true the powerful working of the Holy Spirit can in no sense concern either our Justification or everlasting happiness For how can it be said that the Holy Spirit doth co-operate to our Salvation since all our good and happiness was procured by Christs death not only before but without all manner of respect had to our Regeneration and Sanctification by the power of the blessed Spirit Therefore by this Doctrine if we be any thing at all beholding to the Holy Spirit it is only for this that he is pleased now and then by fits

file there follow adversaries of better fashion there is Life and Death and Angels and Principalities and Powers who are those In truth I know not but be they who they will they can do us no harm No nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth These are adversaries we should scarce have dream'd of And to make all sure in a word There is no other creature shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 63. Yet for all S. Paul's exactness there remains one enemy behind and that is a sore one of prime note and truly I wonder how the Apostle could miss him And that is Sin I would to God S. Paul had taken notice of him For this one enemy is able to do us more harm than all the rest put together nay but for sin all the rest almost were our very good friends Had we best supply S. Paul's incogitancy and even adventure to put him in the Catalogue too Well let them that have a mind to it do it Truly I dare not And but that I know Martin Luther was a bold-spirited man I should wonder how he durst so confidently have adventured upon it In his Book entituled Captivitatis Babylonicae cap. de Baptismo near the beginning he hath these words Vides quam dives sit homo Christianus sive Baptizatus qui etiam volens non potest perdere suam salutem quantiscunque peccatis nisi nolit credere I will not translate them to you and I would they had never been Englished for by that means it may be some of our loudest preachers would have wanted one point of comfortable false doctrine wherewith they are wont to pleasure their friends and benefactors Only let us do thus much for S. Paul's credit to believe it was not meerly inconsideration in him to leave out Sin in this catalogue that there was some ground of Reason for it For though it may come to pass by the mercy and goodness of God That even Sin it self shall not pluck us out of his hand yet it would be something a strange preposterous Doctrine for a Preacher of the New Covenant to proclaim that we shall undoubtedly obtain the promises of the Covenant though we never so much break the Conditions 64. I do confess my self very guilty and am sorry that I have thus long exercised and wearied your patience And yet for all that have not perform'd that task which I fully resolv'd upon when I adventured upon this subject and that was to spend this time in raising your devotions to the contemplation of the glorious mercies of God expressed to us in Christs Resurrection and exaltation But because other thoughts have carried me away even against my will almost all this while I shall further take leave to wrong and injure your patience with proposing one consideration more which ought by no means to be omitted 65. And that is to take notice of the Person to whom we have been beholding for these unspeakable mercies and that is Christ Christ alone none else mentioned or thought upon If Bellarmine had been to advise S. Paul if he had been privy to the writing of this Epistle it is likely he would not have taken it ill to have had Christs name in the matter of our Salvation But he would not have endured the Apostles utter silence of all helps and aids besides yea though himself acknowlegeth it to be the safest course to put our whole confidence only in the mercy of God yet quia magis honorificum est habere aliquid ex merito because it concerns our credit to put in a little for merit and desert on our side He would not have us so to disparage our selves as to make salvation a meer Alms proceeding meerly out of Courtesie 66. Nay but Oh thou man What art thou that answerest against God What art thou that justifiest thy self before him Nay what art thou that condemnest God making him a lyar all the Scripture over the whole project whereof is this to let us know how unable how sick how dead we are of our selves and therefore ought most necessarily to have recourse to him for our salvation As for us Beloved Christians if we must needs rejoyce let us rejoyce in our infirmities let our glory be our shame and let us lift up our eyes and behold Is 63 1 2. Who is this that cometh from Edom with died garments from Bozrah This that is glorious in his apparel travelling in the greatness of his strength And Christ will say It is I that speak in righteousnesse mighty to save But wherefore Lord art thou red in thine apparel and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wire-fatt He will answer I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me for which reason I am now crown'd with glory and honour and immortality I alone am mighty to save and besides me there is none other 67. And good luck have thou with thine honour Ps 45. Oh Lord ride on because of thy word of truth of meekness and of righteousness and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things Terrible things for the King's enemies for them which would not have thee to rule over them And good luck have we with thine honour O Lord ride on because of thy word of truth of meekness and of righteousness and thy right hand shall teach thee gracious and comfortable things for us thy servants and sheep of thy pasture who dare not exalt a weak arm of flesh against thee Thy right hand shall mightily defend us in the midst of all our enemies Thy right hand shall find us out and gather us up though lost and consum'd in the grave though scattered before the four winds of heaven And thy right hand shall exalt us to glory and immortality for ever with thee in thy heavenly Kingdom where all the daies of our life yea all the daies of thy glorious endless life we shall with Angels and Archangels say Glory and honour and power and immortality be unto him which sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb and to the Holy Spirit for ever and for ever Amen Amen The Sixth Sermon LUKE XVI 9. Make to your selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations THE Children of this world saith Christ are wiser in their generation then the Children of Light To make which good our Saviour in somuch of the Chapter as goes before my Text brings in a Story or as they call it a Parable of a cunning Fellow yet no great Projector neither no very subtile Polititian notwithstanding one who being in an extremity turn'd out of his Office for mispending his Masters Goods had found out a shift and that by meer cousenage to procure so much as would serve to keep him indeed not according to the Port and fashion after which before