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A06060
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The mirrour or miracle of Gods loue vnto the world of his elect Preached on the third of Iohn, verse the sixteenth: wherein the said scripture is very learnedly expounded, and the rich treasures of Gods grace in Christ are accurately opened. By that faithfull seruant of Christ, and preacher of his Gospell, Mr. Paul Baine.
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Baynes, Paul, d. 1617.
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since his loue was so wonderfull toward vs when wee were enemies that hee gaue his Sonne for vs to reconcile vs to him will now much more freely exercise his loue toward vs and firmely abide in his good vvill vnto vs that enmitie being vndone and dissolued Now the end followeth in these three things First the meanes whosoeuer beleeueth on him Secondly the state from whence wee are deliuered shall not perish Thirdly the condition to which wee are reserued but shall haue euerlasting life In the first viz. the meanes I consider these three things First that the beleeuer hath a benefit aboue others Secondly the vniuersalitie of this benefit whosoeuer beleeueth Thirdly the obiect which our faith must rest vpon beleeue on him These remaine to bee handled and then wee will proceede to the state from vvhence we are deliuered and condition whereto we are reserued First then Christ maketh this the end of Gods giuing him that euery one beleeuing should not perish c. Doct. 5. All of whaâ— sort soeuer beleeuing are saued The point which wee are heere to obserue is that without regard of any outward circumstance as well one as other is by faith iustified and shall bee saued All sorts of people that beleeue are made thereby heires of Saluation Which is plaine by testimony of the Scripture and euident by reason The grace of God hath appeared and doth bring saluation vnto all mon. Tit. 2.11 So Rom. 3.22 23. The righteousnesse of God is now made manifest by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all that beleeue For there is no difference There is in this case no Nation before Nation no preheminence of any sexe sort kinde or degree aboue other but as well the Gentile as the Iew the poore as the rich vnlearned as learned euery one that beleeueth is an heire of life and child of God For thus is it expounded Rom. 1.16 The Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation to euery one that beleeueth to the Iew first and also to the Grecian Reasons Reason 1. Now the first reason of this vniuersalitie in the subiect of saluation Paul doth set downe Rom. 3.29 For hauing laid downe this generall proposition that a man euen euery one is iustified by faith lest the Iew as he was apt to doe should stomacke and disdaine this equality and fellowship of the Gentile in the matter of saluation doth adde a reason for it What saith he is God the God of the Iew onely and not of the Gentiles also Yea of the Gentiles also If then you aske why the world beleeuing doth inherit the blessing we answere euen because God hath pleased to be the God of all without difference of Gentile as well as Iew of one as well as other So againe Rom. 10.11 12. Whosoeuer beleeueth on him shall not be ashamed What Gentile as well as Iew Yea surely For there is no difference betweene them and hee that is Lord ouer all is rich vnto all that call on him Reason 2. A second reason is opened Rom. 11.32 from the purpose of God in shutting the Gentiles vp in vnbeliefe And what was that Not that they should bee vtterly finally reiected but that he might at length shew mercy on them his iustice ministring and making way vnto his mercy euen as now he dealeth with the Iewes whom hee hath cast off for a season to receiue them againe with the greater mercy Reason 3. Thirdly it is necessarie that it should be so that the Lord might cleere and manifest his equitie as most free from acceptation of persons that it might bee seene that neither Iew found acceptance with him as a Iew nor the Gentile was the lesse accepted vvith him as a Gentile Wherefore Peter when he saw in a manner the first fruits of the Gentiles saith Act. 10.34 35. Of a trueth I perceiue that God is no accepter of persons But in euery Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him Reason 4. Fourthly this was prefigured in Abraham Rom. 4.10 11. who by faith obtained the account of righteousnesse euen when hee was vncircumcised as well as after circumcision Reason 5. Lastly it was foreprophesied that in the seed of Abraham all the Nations of the earth should be blessed Gen. 22.18 that is haue the blessing of righteousnes and life through faith But now when was this specially accomplished Saluation was impaâ—teâ— to â—ll soâ—ts of people most pleâ—tiful y vndâ—r the Goâ—pell that the world through faith did receiue righteousnesse euen in the day of saluation in the acceptable yeere which was foreprophesied of and which the Apostle applyeth to the times of the Gospell 2. Cor. 6.2 and beganne from the Ascension of Christ to receiue generall execution Act 13.46 47. Wherefore this vniuersalitie of beleeuers is heere made to follow the lifting vp and giuing of Christ as procured thereby as also he speaketh elsewhere Iohn 12.32 when I am lifted vp I will draw all men vnto me In Christ then is the world reconciled in his death the wall of partition broken downe and both Iew and Gentile created into one new man The Iewes onely were before the people of God And no wonder is it that sauing knowledge was so straitly confined For they had Christ but in the shaddow onely and the light which did shine to them was as the light of a Candle and might easily bee bounded in little compasse but when the Sunne of righteousnesse appeared it was impossible but that the beames of it should be spread through the face of the earth Vses 1. An helpe to explicate some Scriptures speaking of the saluation of all First this helpeth for the vnderstanding of many Scriptures as of that 1. Ioh. 2.2 that Christ is a reconciliation for the sinnes of the whole world and Heb. 2.9 that hee tasted death for all men with the like 1. Tim. 2.6 2. Cor. 5.15 What is in these Scriptures the world What all men Must wee vnderstand thereby as some would haue it the whole body of mankinde and euery particular person in the world There is no such thing But these vniuersals must be vnderstood as in this place All that beleeue So there is a threefold vniuersalitie A threefoâ—d vniueâ—silitie first of all in generall both good and euill we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ c. 2. Cor. 5.10 Secondly of all euill and vnbeleeuing persons expressed by the world Iohn 17.9 Thirdly of all beleeuing ones as in the former Scriptures a speciall vniuersalitie as Ambrose doth call it 2. A ligâ—t to shew vs our happinesse aboue the Gentiles before Châ—ist Secondly this teacheth vs our happinesse aboue the Gentiles of former times who foure thousand yeeres almost were no people without God and estranged from the life of God but wee now beleeuing are become consederates with God We see his saluation as they who liue in the acceptable
her Doest thou beleeue this that whoso beleeueth on me shall not die euerlastingly She doth answere Yea Lord I beleeue that thou art the Christ that is Since I beleeue this that thou art the Messiah I cannot doubt but that those that cleaue to thee shall haue euerlasting life teaching that these confessions imply an affiance and trust of all good through him The second ranke of places proue that to beleeue the power of God is iustifying faith Scriptures affirming faith to be a beliefe of Gods power Mat. 9.28 c. Christ required no more of the blinde man then to beleeue that hee was able to heale him And Luke the seuenth that faith of the Centurion which Christ commended to be greater then hee had found any in Israel seemeth to bee no more then a perswasion of Christs power to restore his sicke seruant Say the word and my seruant shall be whole verse 7. So Marke 1.4 The Leper seemeth to doubt of Christs will but was well perswaded of his power If thou wilt thou canst make me cleane And how is Abrahams faith otherwise set out vnto vs then by this that hee was fully assured that he which had promist was also able to doe it Rom. 4.21 Hence it is thus argued That faith which Christ requireth and confirmeth by miracle that is a iustifying faith But to bee perswaded touching the power of God is that faith which hee requireth and hath so confirmed Ergo c. I answere to the first part of this reason that it is false For the faith which Christ requireth to iustification is such a faith as doth acquite vs from our sinnes and procure vs righteousnesse but such a faith is not heere required but onely a faith seruing to receiue a temporall blessing Which speake not of iustifying faith but of a faith auailing to temporall blessing to which faith it suffices to bee perswaded of Gods generall goodnesse and power as hee is a Creatour The which faith since it doth giue vnto God the glory of power aboue all his creatures it pleaseth him to reward with temporall benefits as a thing good in it selfe though it doe not iustifie vs in his sight But Abrahams example must bee further examined and explaned from the which they goe about to conclude the same thus Abrahams faith Abrahams faith was a iustifying faith But his faith was not a perswasion of mercy To confirme which they make two maine exceptions at this example First that it was of a temporall promise and ergo the obiect of it was not forgiuenesse of sins in Christ Secondly that it was of Gods power Rom. 4.21 and not of any speciall grace and fauour For the first this promise was as well spirituall was of a spirituall blessing as temporall It was as you may see Gen. 15.5.18 17.5 6 7 8. c. of a seed which God would raise vp out of him and of Canaan which should bee giuen to his seede and in that seede the blessed seede Iesus Christ In Iesus Christ and vnder Canaan as a type heauen was figured and promised Now the obiect of Abrahams faith so farre as it did iustifie him was that blessed seede which is Christ Gal. 4 16. For it was rather the sight of Christ which hee had by faith then the perswasion of a sonne to bee borne to him and Canaan to be giuen his seede that made him to reioyce as Iohn 8.56 Abraham reioiced to see my day and hee saw it and was glad For the second when they say it was a perswasion of the power of God and not of his fauour they are mightily ouershot For the text saith first verse 20. that he did not doubt of the promise of God Now the promise alwaies implyeth Gods good will Looked first to Gods good will in the promise and grace The promise runnes not I can giue thee a seede Abraham and this Canaan to be possessed by thy seede but I will do thus and thus How then doth the Apostle set out Abrahams full beliefe in this that hee was assured that he who had promised was able also to doe it I answere Not because Abrahams saith did iustifie him as it did beleeue the power of God but because his iustifying faith which was fixed on the promise did sustaine it selfe Next to Gods power to sustaine himselfe in temptation by this consideration of Gods power in the time of triall betweene the promise and execution For vsually the Lord puts a time of delay betweene these vvherein faith is exercised Thus it was with Abraham he had a promise touching a seed the execution is deferred Hereupon his faith is assailed thus Thy body is dead Abraham thy wife hopelesse that way These things foiled Sarah Now when Abrahams faith on the promise is likewise set vpon hee holds fast the promise and against these arguments of vnbeliefe faith opposeth the all-sufficient power of God and sustaineth it selfe with this consideration God is able A third ranke of places tendeth to shew that to beleeue Christ dead and risen Scriptures putting faith in a beliefe of Christs death resurrection is true faith As Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleeue in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saued And 1. Cor. 15.3 4. c. it is made the summe of the Gospell To beleeue the death and resurrection of Christ Hence thus they reason To giue credit that Christ is dead and risen is a iustifying faith but this is no perswasion of mercy Ergo. I answer The Apostles must interpret and construe themselues To beleeue Christ dead and risen as they taught him is true beleefe but they teach these things still with application But these are to be vnderstood with applicatiō as Rom. 4.25 He was deliuered to death for our sinnes and is risen againe for our iustification And Rom. 8.34 Who shall condemne it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe for vs for that is to be vnderstood in euery member of this sentence which is added onely in the last that he maketh request for vs. So also say the Apostles Acts 5.31 that God had raised vp Christ to be a Prince and Sauiour to giue repentance to Israel forgiuenesse of sinnes Now thus to beleeue the death resurrection of Christ as thereby to look for forgiuenesse of sinnes is not bare knowledge but true affiance and assurance And these are the scriptures from the which they would proue this generall faith to be true faith Now follow the reasons Aduerse reasōs answered by which they goe about to shewe that there is not any particular assurance of mercie in faith First then thus they dispute There is no faith where there is no word but there is no word that saieth to any of vs Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Ans We haue a particular word infolded and wrapped