Justification by Works springing from Faith is Justification by Faith in this Sense Again they say That we are made Partakers of the Benefits of Christ he having purchased this Grant or Law i. e. That they that do obey him to the end shall be saved that is Our Obedience doth both Justifie us and Save us Answ. The Vanity of which and how erroneous it is we have shewed some time since * 3. They say Christ hath merited a New Law or easier Terms and Conditions that our Faith Obedience and Good Works may Justifie and Save us but what saith Paul All boasting is excluded not legal boasting only but all boasting and cause of boasting but by their New Law boasting is let in Moreover he says If it be of Grace it is not of Works and if it be of Works it is not of Grace or else Grace is no more Grace and Works no more Works Brethren Works cannot mix with Free Grace they are directly contrary to each other in their Nature besides these Men forget that we are Justified alone by the Obedience and Righteousness of one even as we were made Sinners by the Disobedience of one and that is by the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us for it was by the Disobedience of Adam as imputed to us that we became Sinners In a word Christ hath wrought out a Righteousness for us which is put upon us or accounted or imputed to us and not that Christ merited a Law that a Justifying Righteousness might be wrought out in us or by us in conforming to that New Law Who of God is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Not only that his Righteousness is the Meritorious Cause of our Justification as Mr. Clark affirms p. 104. but the Material Cause thereof or that by which we are Justified no other Righteousness but his which is perfect being pleadable at God's Bar. 4. We say That Justification of a Sinner is the acceptance of his Person or the pronouncing him Just and Righteous in God's Sight through the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ whereby he hath a full Right and Title to Eternal Life They say That Justification is nothing else but the pardon of Sin i. e. the not executing the Punishment of Sin due by the Law of Works and an acceptance of a Man so long as he performeth the New Condition of Sincere Obedience For the Lord's sake and for your Souls sake beware of those Men and their new and strange Doctrine for it appears Salvation must be a Debt and not wholly of Grace if what they say were true because it is granted upon our fulfilling of the Conditions required which are indeed not light but weighty and difficult Conditions as Faith Regeneration and Perseverance even Mr. Dan. William's Baptismal Covenant which all they who do not fulfil it he says shall be damned the Violating of that Covenant being as he affirms the Damning Sin And this so far as I can see is that which is their Covenant of Grace not that Christ ingaged for us to the Father to do all for us and in us in the Covenant of Redemption even to reconcile God to us and us to God no but that that was a distinct Covenant from the Covenant of Grace which was to make way for us to enter into a Conditional Covenant of Grace i. e. of Faith Good Works or Gospel-Obedience Which Error and Mistake I purpose God willing to refute before I leave my Text and prove the Covenant of Peace is but one intire Covenant with that of Redemption Comfort and Consolation if my Brethren it is as you have heard that Jesus Christ as a Mediator is equally interested in both Parties then what Comfort is here for Believers 1. We have no ground to suspect him of partiality he will not fail us because he is so dearly and nearly related to us and also considering what he hath done and suffered for us And for their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also might be sanctified through the Truth 2. Consider his Ability not only to reconcile us to God but to continue us in that reconciled State we may depend upon his Power For I know whom I have believed and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that Day 3. Considering his Love and Faithfulness towards us in the Exercise of his Work and Office Faithful is he that calleth you and also he will do it 4. With what boldness also may we come to God by him Seeing we have such a great High-Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus This I say may encourage us to make our humble Supplications to God with boldness since we have such a Mediator between God and us the Man Christ Jesus SERMON IV. Wherein the Suretiship of Christ is opened ISA. Liv. x. Neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Doct. THAT there is a Covenant made or agreed on and stands firm in the behalf of all God's Elect. I am my Brethren a speaking concerning those Transactions betwixt God the Father and God the Son before the World began about the bringing in and establishing of the Covenant of our Peace in which Transactions I have shewed you the Son of God was chosen Mediator considered as God-man and as to that Office of his we have spoken distinctly but as he is Mediator so you have heard he is Surety of the Covenant of Peace and so more than a meer or simple Mediator And since the Covenant of Peace so much dependeth upon the Suretiship of Christ I shall here I. Shew what Surety doth import or open this Relation II. Shew why Christ came under this Relation III. Shew what Christ was to do and we were to receive as Christ's our Surety IV. Shew how his Suretiship differs from Suretiship among Men. V. Apply it 1. A Surety is one that undertakes for others wherein they are defective really or in Reputation in Latin Sponsor fide jussor a Surety is one that engages to make Satisfaction for one or more or ingageth for others Thus Ruben became Surety to his Father Jacob Gen. 43.9 to bring Benjamin again and Paul for Onesimus Philem. 18 19. If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee ought put that on mine Account I Paul have written it with my own Hand I will pay it In this Sense we take Christ to be a Surety 1. It signifies likewise to give a Pledge Isa. 36.8 2 Kings 18.23.3 2. Also to strike Hands Prov. 22.26 Thus Christ is our Surety i. e. he struck Hands with God for us in this Covenant I say a Surety is one that undertakes for one or more Persons whose Credit is gone or is not good one not to be
suffered as our Head and Representative in our stead or room the Just for the Vnjust or the Surety for the Principal or for the Sinner and this according to the Terms agreed upon in the Covenant of Peace and not simply for our good any otherwise God being in his own Nature Just as well as Gracious could not without Wrong or Injury to his Justice Holiness and the Sanction of his Law Acquit Justifie and Pardon any Sinner without a full Satisfaction to both Law and Justice and this must either be done by us or by our Surety for us 2. We affirm that the Law of Perfect Obedience results from the Holiness Purity and Rectitude of God's Nature and therefore it stands as a perpetual Law and can never be abolished as a Rule of Life tho it be taken away as it required perfect Obedience of us or as a Law of Works to be fulfilled and satisfied for in our own Persons in point of Justification Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid Yea we establish the Law because by Christ we attain a perfect Righteousness being interested in his most compleat and perfect Obedience to the Moral Law and by his Spirit to live in more exact Conformity thereunto My Brethren Is it not our Duty still and as much as ever it was To love the Lord our God with all our Hearts with all our Souls and with all our Strength and our Neighbour as our selves not only sincerely but perfectly nay to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect Tho we are not able to do this yet the Moral Law still remains and requires us thus to do true we shall not be Damned for want of this perfect Obedienc because Christ hath in our Nature and stead kept the Law perfectly for us and so he is the end of the Law in respect of Righteousness to all that believe Christ did not come to engage or undertake as a Mediator that we should perfectly in our own Persons keep the Moral Law and so be Justified in God's Sight nor did he come to undertake that we should sincerely keep any other Law to that end much less leave us to the exercise of our Natural or Spiritual Abilities to keep such a Law as the Condition of our Justification and Acceptation with God but he came to procure for us such a Righteousness by his own Obedience and Suffering that the Holiness Justice and Law of God doth require of us if we are Justified with God for what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh God sent furth his Son c. T is a hard case my Brethren that these degenerate Presbyterians or any pretending to be Gospel-Preachers should deny Christ to be a Common Head and Surety for the Elect for he that dies in the stead and room of others is by the consent of the Law-giver substituted in their Law place and so takes upon him the Capacity of a Surety Representative or common Person undertaking to do and suffer what others should but these Men deny this Relation or Capacity of Christ as a Surety in this Sense and therefore deny he obeyed and died in our stead And from hence it follows also that Christ did not do that for us which our own Perfect Obedience did do whilst Man stood and would have done had he not sinned i. e. Justified him or have given him a Title to Life 3. Moreover if Christ was not put in our Law place as our Representative and Surety Why was he made of a Woman and made under the Law Was it not that the Law might reach him 1. As to its commanding Power as our Surety to pay the Debt of Perfect Obedience thereunto 2. And as a Sinner in a Law Sense to die or be made Sin for us that is by Imputation for had not he been under the Law the Law could not have reached him in either sense i. e. either to do or suffer and had not he took our Law place upon him we could not have been the better for what could his taking our Nature on him have profited us had he not been substituted in our room But as we were obliged by the Law Justice and Holiness of God to keep the Law perfectly so he was made under the Law to keep it for us and as we were sinful Men and liable to the Just Sentence of the Law for our Violation of it so he was made under the Law and as our Representative and Surety to die and to satisfie Divine Justice for our Transgressions that were against it He was made under the Law i. e. under the Preceptory part of it to fulfil and establish that he satisfied for that part of the Law He was under the Law as being liable to the Punishment or Penalty of the Law that he might answer and fulfil that and for ever deliver us from the Punishment thereof and all this as our Surety standing in our Law place Reproof This may tend severely to reprehend those new and erroneous Notions that so prevail amongst us concerning Christ's Work and Office as Mediator we say and prove that by Christ's Active and Perfect Obedience to the Law we are justified and delivered from Wrath and Condemnation or that by Christ's Righteousness imputed Believers are perfectly Justified and freed from the Curse of the Law and are certainly entituled to Eternal Life 1. But our new Work-mongers assert That our Justification or Right to Life dependeth wholly upon our Obedience to the Gospel as a Law as the Condition to which it is promised Therefore as one observes it puts us into a Condition of Life imperfect and subject to change as Obedience it self is and that we are not perfectly Justified till our Obedience is perfected Thus Mr. Clark of High-Wickham and others Take Mr. Clark's Words viz. Our Justification at present while we are in this World is but Partial Imperfect and Incompleat Ans. Now say I this confounds Justification with Sanctification and as I have told him then it also follows that Believers are partly justified and partly condemned i. e. we are not acquitted from the guilt of all Sin whilst in this World and so Christ's Dove is not Vndefiled Lord what an Age do we live in 2. We say that we are made Partakers of Christ's Righteousness and the Benefits of it by our Union with him through the Spirit by which means Faith is wrought in us by which we apprehend him and we say that Faith is an Instrument whereby we receive him Faith only Justifying us objectively i. e. It is not Faith but Jesus Christ that Faith takes hold of that doth Justifie us in the Sight of God But they say That Faith in its whole Latitude is our believing and obeying the Gospel that is Faith and all the Fruits thereof or Faith and Obedience or if you please Faith and Gospel-Works For Mr. Clark says That
he believes in Jesus Christ Also you may hereby see what a strong ground here is for our Faith and Comfort From hence also we may see the Cause why the Holy Angels pry into this Mystery this Love and Grace of God to Mankind they bow down to look into these things yea look with admiration And shall not we admire it who are more especially concerned herein IX Sinners be exhorted from the Considerations of the whole to labour and strive to receive Jesus Christ And let such of you who think and hope you have received him try your selves by what you have heard O be exhorted to know in this your Day the things which belong to your Peace before they are hid from your Eyes Luke 19.42 X. Believers see that you labour after a strong Faith in Christ and in the Covenant for the measure of your Peace will be according to the measure and degree of your Faith O get a great Faith and then your Peace will not be little but like a River yea wonderfully abound in you XI Tryal Let all that hear me this Day try themselves examine themselves whether they have Peace with God or not Take a few Rules to try your selves 1. Are you at War with Sin Is Sin cast out of your Love and Affections Is there an unreconcilable opposition made in you against all Sin And as it is Sin do you loath and hate it because it is hateful to God and hath exposed your Blessed Saviour to so much Pain Shame Sorrow and Suffering even to let out his most Precious Blood 2. Do you mourn for Sin because it caused such Cursed Enmity in your Hearts against God causing your Souls to rebel against him yea to hate and despise him in your Hearts 3. Are you reconciled to the Ways of God even to the strictest Acts and Duties of Holiness Do you love the Word of God because of its Purity 4. Do you love all the People of God and are you Reconciled to those who may in many things differ from you Do you pray for them and hate all Bitterness and forbear all Reproachful Language and Sensorious Reflections Dare any reproach and speak against their Father's Children Thou sitest and speakest against thy Brother and slandrest thine own Mothers Son It is thy deliberate Practice and Business as if God should say thus to do 'T is to be feared that such are not at Peace with God that are not at Peace with all the Children of God He that saith he is in the Light and hateth his Brother is in Darkness until now We know that we are passed from Death unto Life because we love the Brethren he that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death Therefore let such tremble that are not at Peace with all those who have Peace with God 5. Do you mourn for such whom you love even for your Brethren your Kinsfolk your Neighbours that are not yet Reconciled unto him See Rom. 9.1 2. 6. Do you Love Esteem and highly Respect and Honour the Ambassadors of Peace and cannot endure to hear them reviled and unjustly slandered and spoken against 7. Have you Peace in your own Consciences and Peace in your Families And do you live peaceably in the Church of God And also strive as much as in you is to be at Peace with all Men 8. Do you long for the Peace of Jerusalem and pray for her Peace for that Peace which is promised to her in the last Days Christ hath purchased Universal Peace for his Church not only internal Peace but external Peace also not only Peace within but Peace without not only Peace with God but Peace with Men also and the Day is near he will give his People Intire and Universal Peace Caution Let none mistake me in any thing I have delivered in any of these Sermons about God's being Reconciled in Christ c. so as to think he is at Peace Reconciled and well pleased with the Elect whilst they remain in a State of Enmity against him being vile and notorious Sinners God can't but hate Sin whereever it is and loath the unrenewed Sinner when he looks upon them as in the first Adam or as in their Filthiness for as such he hates and loaths them but as he looks upon any Persons in Christ so he loves them and is at Peace and well pleased with them God sees not as Man sees for he sees a Man Condemned and Justified at one and the same time nay as being in this World and yet as being in the World to come but whatever sight of Things or of Persons God hath or how we are lookt upon and Justified in his sight in Christ is one thing and what the State of Persons are or what Things and Persons may be said to be as they actually are or when they actually exist or in a proper Sense and Acceptation is another thing for it is ridiculous to say That a Man in a proper Sense is actually or personally Condemned and Justified Dead and yet Alive at one and the same time or is in the first Adam and yet in the second or in a State of Wrath and yet in a State of Grace at one and the same moment Nay and dangerous it is for any to say that a wicked Man whilst he is so is an Object of God's Delight or that such a Person is actually Justified and that God is at Peace and well pleased with him it being so directly contrary to the Testimony of God's Word and the Witness of the Divine Spirit The Sum therefore of what I say and mean is this When I say God in Christ is Reconciled to Sinners viz. God having chosen his Elect in Christ from Eternity was Reconciled to them in him as the Way and Means of the Procurement of their Peace or of their Recovery out of the Fall or out of their lapsed State foreseen by him but to say he was actually reconciled to them personally considered from Eternity or from the Death of Christ seems absurd and improper For how could he be said to be Reconciled to this or that Person before that Person had any personal Existencies or Being or if they had a Being yet were Enemies to him and loathsome Wretches and under his denounced Wrath and Curse and in which State they remain before they are actually united to Christ or are effectually called Yet take notice that that which actually reconciles the Holy God to us is Christ's Satisfaction alone to which there can be no Addition made by any Collateral Work wrought in us and done by us We should therefore distinguish between a Foederal a Virtual and a Representative Vnion and Justification and an Actual Vnion and Personal Justification For from hence perhaps the Mistake may arise The Scripture every where declareth that God is an Enemy or an Adversary to all Unconverted Persons nay and that he hates all the Workers of Iniquity and